Expert says 'ugly' animals like blobfish deserve love - not just 'celeb' pandas
Biologist and comedian Simon Watt first became interested in advocating for ugly' animals when, during a book tour, he received a pretty "disappointed" reaction after revealing his favourite animal of all time - ants.
Audience members had naturally expected Simon to say something "grand and charismatic" such as the polar bear or panda, but for Simon, he can't think of a more fascinating creature.
Simon regards the ant kingdom as a brutal, complex world straight out of "Game of Thrones", a society rife with "slavery, war, raiding, kidnapping".
Sadly, not everybody shares Simon's infectious enthusiasm for ants, with many animal lovers being keener on cuter, cuddlier creatures with immediate aesthetic appeal.
It's this understanding that compelled Simon to kickstart the Ugly Animal Preservation Society - a group dedicated to sharing the love for less glamorous animals that are just in much in need of protection as their prettier counterparts.
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Simon is fascinated by the 'Game of Thrones' world of ant colonies (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Simon doesn't view any creature as truly ugly, but he does believe we as human beings can be biased towards animals we find beautiful, leading to a conservation imbalance.
Speaking ahead of National Endangered Species Day, Simon told the Mirror: "I think a lot of nature is ridiculous, and therefore we should enjoy the ridiculous as well.
"It feels like there's bad news all the time, particularly as a conservationist, we're fighting a losing battle, and sincerity shouldn't be our only weapon."
As well as ants, Simon absolutely "loves frogs to bits", and has a particular place in his heart for the horror frog - a slightly terrifying sounding amphibian also known as the hairy frog.
He explained: "It's got these hairs on its legs because it partially breathes through them. And it kind of forces its toe bones out of its skin to use as knives, so it's like Wolverine!"
Simon has great affection for the Wolverine-esque horror frog (Getty Images)Through the society, Simon uses humour as a vehicle to shed light on such 'ugly' animals, taking his comedy "with a conservation twist" everywhere from zoos and burlesque clubs to political meetings.
Explaining why exactly comedy is so effective when it comes to tackling this often very grim issue, Simon said: "It combats grief fatigue. I mean, nobody is going to come to a two-hour 'everything is dying' lecture."
The group also holds educational workshops in schools, which has previously led to Simon getting adorably furious hate mail from children ordering him to stop "bullying" the now-famous blobfish.
The large-nosed proboscis monkey was voted in as London's mascot (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Voted the "world's ugliest animal", affection has grown for the unique-looking blobfish, thanks to its proud position as the Ugly Animal Preservation Society's official mascot.
Simon remarked that it was "pleasing to see" fondness for 'Blobby' grow over the years, given how comparatively little is known about deep sea creatures, with the jelly-like marine creature often emerging as a firm favourite with audiences.
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He added: "It looks like a deep sea blancmange, and sure enough, it's hideous. The photo is a bit overly maligned because the photo that is famous is a dead one, so it didn't look its best. Snow leopards have had their time in the limelight, Blobby was due it!"
Dublin's mascot is the quirky horseshoe bat (De Agostini via Getty Images)As the show tours around the UK and beyond, each audience gets the chance to vote for its very own ugly animal mascot. London has bagsied the large-nosed proboscis monkey while Bruges favoured the pig-nosed purple frog. Meanwhile, Edinburgh plumped for the gob-faced squid.
Simon will often get appreciative audience members approaching him after the show, with many having gained a deeper understanding of conservation.
His most memorable encounter was when an audience member presented him blobfish teddy bought her little girl had bought him with her own pocket money. As the nature-loving mum follows him on Twitter, he'll sometimes share the odd snap of it.
As much as Simon wants to educate children, however, he actively wants to talk adults who can vote and have the "power of their purse", warning, "when things are as bad as they are, we kind of can't afford to wait for the next generation."
Simon continued: "When you go to vote, you think about, 'what's their education policy? What's their business policy?' I want to make sure people think about, 'what's their green policy, environmental policy, their climate change policy?' in a similar way, because they are just as important."
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