Show Notes
What began as a peaceful morning ride along Australia's coast quickly became a fight for survival.
In this episode of Wildest Moments, host Ben Fogle speaks with equine dentist Nicole Graham, who found herself trapped with her beloved horse Astro in deep tidal mud as water began to rise around them. With every passing minute the ground swallowed them deeper, turning a quiet ride into a desperate race against time.
Joining the conversation is ZSL zookeeper Gemma Metcalf, who shares expert insight into animal behaviour and the remarkable relationships that can form between humans and animals - a relationship that, in moments like these, can mean the difference between tragedy and survival.
For anyone who grew up haunted by that scene in The NeverEnding Story, this real-life story offers hope where a generation of filmgoers once felt heartbreak.
About Wildest Moments: Hosted by Ben Fogle and created in partnership with Mountain Warehouse, Wildest Moments is a podcast from ZSL (Zoological Society of London) exploring the surprising, emotional and transformative encounters people have had with wildlife. New episodes are released on the third Thursday of every month. Launched as part of ZSL's 200th anniversary, the series celebrates over two centuries of inspiring closer connections between people and the natural world.
Credits Executive Producers - Rami Tzabar, Jane Gerber and Katie Derham
Senior Producer - Naomi Oiku
Production Supervisor - Mia Xerri Mondragon
ZSL editorial leads: Tina Campanella and Rebecca Blanchard
Sound Design and Additional Editing - Nada Smiljanić
Sound Engineer - Jon Last
Video Editor - Carla Mercer
Cover Art - Will Rose
Recorded at TYX Studios, London.
More from ZSL's Wildest Moments
For Wuikinuxv First Nation councillor and environmental researcher Jennifer Walkus, living alongside grizzly bears is a way of life shaped by respect, knowledge and coexistence.
For Sunday Times bestselling author Chloe Dalton, a chance encounter with a tiny, orphaned leveret on a quiet country lane became a life-changing experience - one that would reshape how she saw the natural world.
For wildlife filmmaker Nigel Marven, seeing an Arabian oryx in the wild was a moment he never thought he'd experience - a species he had only ever seen in books as a child, once declared extinct in the wild.
For actress and Disney's The Lion King alumni Merryl Ansah, stepping into the role of Nala meant embodying one of the most iconic screen lions in history, but she'd never seen one in real life – until the night she spent at London Zoo.
Under starlit skies and glowing bioluminescence, Megan McCubbin found herself face to face with one of the ocean's most misunderstood predators - sharks.