The Sims International Film Festival is right around the corner and with it comes the debut of the new National Simographic show Urban Safari, the nature documentary that takes a look at what is going on in your backyard. Just because you live in the city doesn’t mean there aren’t animals close by! All you have to do is look around. With that, we have put together this special issue to take a look at the newest star on the block, Chaos Davies. Not only is she the star of Urban Safari, she is the sister of punk legend*, Newt Davies. Only time will tell if Urban Safari will be a success but in the meantime we can all enjoy a and learn about the furry, And not so furry wild animals that have adapted to life with Humans *He paid us to say that.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down with us for an interview. Thanks for having me. This is actually my first ever interview. Hopefully I don’t say anything to Stupid. You’ll be fine. Let’s start by talking about Urban Safari. How did you get chosen to be the host of the show? Well, I’m majoring in animal psychology. I thought it would be a really cool thing to do something like Jane Goodall. You know how she went and lived among the chimpanzees? Yea, something like that. Do you have any idea what animal colony that You would like spend that kind of time with? Meerkats would be cool but I don’t want anyone accusing me of trying to rip of Meerkat Manor. Maybe penguins. I don’t know. Anyway, back to your original question. One of my professors has this producer friend who was looking for someone to host the show. My professor recommended me. I went to the audition and pointed out the misinformation that was on the script that I was asked to read. I ended up Getting into a fight with the fact checker over the vampire squid. I’m not really sure if I was picked because I passed my screen test or because of my knowledge.
The vampire squid? You’re kidding right? That doesn’t really exist. Actually, it does. It’s scientific name is Vampyroteuthis infernalis. That literally translates from Latin to ‘vampire squid from Hell’. It’s found in deep sea tropical waters. Originally it was classified as an octopus but was later reclassed. The thing is kind of interesting because it’s the only surviving member of it’s order and shares characteristics of both squid and octopus. It’s also the only cephalopod to breathe normally in the oxygen minimum zone of the ocean. That’s quite interesting. How do you know this stuff? I mean, you don’t hear people talk about Vampire squids. Where do you learn about obscure animals like this? Well, I watch a lot of animal documentaries and read everything I can get my hands on about animals in general. I have a near photographic memory so I retain everything nearly everything. I came across the vampire squid while doing research for an essay I wrote on squids that won me my college scholarship. Really, no matter what topic you pick, if you research it long enough you will find weird stuff. Basically you’re a fountain of obscure information about animals. Yea. Pretty much. What’s it like doing the show? We’ve done one episode so far. We’re getting ready to film the second one. It was weird getting used to being in front of a camera. Doing a documentary you are talking to an invisible audience and it’s really strange getting used to that. It gives me a chance to share what I know and educate people about the animals that they live the closest with and don’t think anything about. When was the last time you thought anything about that rabbit you came across in the park or the bird that was trying to build a nest in your mailbox? Many times people view these animals as pests, but they forget, those animals were here first and they have had to adapt to living in our world. In this first episode you talk about pigeons and chipmunks. There is a rumour that there was a problem on the set. Something about you trying to propagate conspiracy theories about chipmunks, aliens and crop circles.
There was no problem. Maybe problem is the wrong word to use. Our sources here at the Sims Weekly World news told us that both the producer and director started questioning your mental capacity, as it were. I’m not sure where you get your information, but this is the first that I have heard anything about this. As host of the show, if someone had a problem with anything I shared or how I chose to do my job, I am sure I would be told. Animals are my life. I don’t know anything else and I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that. Well, then, it’s a good thing that was brought up where the record could be set straight. Moving on. You said you were getting ready to film the second episode. Can you share what the show is going to be about? Unicorns. I’m going to be going in search of a unicorn. But aren’t unicorns mythical creatures? Aren’t you the same reporter that thought I was kidding about the vampire squid? You have to admit that the idea of something called a vampire squid is kind of out there. But We are talking about unicorns now. They don’t exist.
Would you like to bet your job on that? On the off chance that you know something I don’t, no. However, it surprised me that they would be an animal That one would find in their backyard. Maybe not in your backyard, but the areas outside of the city as you venture toward the country. Every now and again, much like deer, one will venture into someone's backyard. When people report them they are normally asked if they have been drinking. At the point that they became the subject of fairy tales people discounted them. Just because you don’t see vampire squid or anglerfish doesn’t mean they don’t exist. It’s like someone not believing in kangaroos because they have never seen one because they live in a part of the world that doesn’t have kangaroos. I get it. I’ll also be sure to tune in to see if you do, indeed, Find an unicorn. Next question. I am supposed to ask you how many times you got bit while filming. More than I can count. Everything bites me. Doesn’t matter what I do or don’t do. I am glad that I was required to get a pre-exposure rabies vaccine before we started filming. Let me take this moment to remind everyone reading this, don’t be handling wild animals. They bite and it hurts real bad. If you get bit you have to go to the doctor or hospital and then the Center for Disease Control gets involved and it’s a huge mess. Would you said you got bit more than twelve times? We kind of have an office betting pool going on and I have a hundred dollars riding on this. I was bit way more than a dozen times just by the chipmunks. Pigeons are little more cooperative.
Since you aren’t all that well known yet, the part of your biography that people seem to latch onto is your brother. Does it bother you that you are known more for being the sister of Newt Davies than as the host of Urban Safari? I’m okay with that. As the show grows in popularity people will associate me with it. The Kratt Brothers, Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin weren’t always well known. It takes time to become famous or popular. If it happens, it happens. If not, that’s fine too. There are worse things to be known for than being the sister of Newt Davies. What was it like growing up with him for a brother? I suppose the same as it is growing up with anyone else as your brother. We behaved like any other siblings. I didn’t live in his shadow. I don’t know why people seem to think things like that. Just because he became famous doesn’t mean I lived in his shadow growing up. In fact, he’s an awesome brother and has always supported me. In fact, we hang out every chance We get. He took me out for ice cream at Bunny G’s and bought me this epic book on mantis shrimp for my birthday.
You two just seem as different as night and day. We are in every way you can think of. To be honest, I’m not even a fan of his band. Before You ask, he’s okay with that. There’s a good chance he’s not going to be a fan of my show And I am okay with that. I Mean, the guy can’t tell the different between hamsters and gerbils and doesn’t really care. Doesn’t mean we can’t get along and support each other. If you Are looking for some sort of dirt there, you’re looking in the wrong place. Not looking for anything. Just asking a question that I thought our readers might find Interesting. How did you get involved with the Save Our Cowplants Foundation? It’s something that is very close to me. Back in high school we had this gardening club. Everyone was growing things like roses and lilies or had vegetable gardens. I started out doing the same thing and after studying Mendal’s Peas, I got interested in genetics and started doing all these weird things with my plants. It inspired a few people and we started a Mad scientist Gardening Club. This club is still in existence and I’m still the president. Anyway, one of the genetically created plants that I took a huge interest in was the cow plant. They are half plant and half animal so I think of them as pets. I actually have three of them. The Save Our Cow Plants Foundation heard that that I was doing Urban Safari and thought that I would be a good spokesperson for them so they called me. I said yes.
You got eaten in that PSA. How did you know that it was going to puke you back up and not Digest you? Weren’t you worried? No. Not at all. There’s a huge difference between a cow plant that is hungry and one that is Playing. We made sure they were well fed before filming. That thing was just playing? I would hate to see one that’s hungry. It’s never a good thing to let cow plants go hungry, but there are people that do. These are plants that were genetically grafted in a lab and require us to take care of them. It’s not like a Venus Flytrap that can fend for itself. Is there any advice you would give to people who have a cow plant or are thinking about getting one? Yea, unless you are willing to put in the effort to care for one, don’t get one. They can live quite a number of years. You don’t feed them they start eating people and then the sort of questions that no one wants to answer are asked. These plants aren’t Designed to be guard dogs or anything like that. Just don’t do it. You were recently seen out on a date with the Grim Reaper. Don’t you think that’s kind of weird? What makes one decide they want to date Death? He is my brothers friend, you know. It is kind of weird dating a friend of your brother. It kind of puts everyone in an uncomfortable position if the relationship goes south. Let me tell you about Grim. He’s a really cool guy. If you want to talk weird, dating him is no more weird than him moving into Newt’s frat house and teaching him to make gourmet waffles. I guess not. Again, thank you for your time. It’s been a pleasure to sit down and talk with you and I am looking forward to the debut of Urban Safari. For those that don’t know, it is debuting September 15th 2014 at the Sims International Film Festival.