| Stephen Leonard | |
| Birth Date: | 4 September 1972 |
| Occupation: | Veterinarian, Wildlife presenter |
Stephen Leonard (born 4 September 1972 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish veterinarian and television personality.
Leonard's family moved to Cheshire from Northern Ireland when he was six weeks old. He was educated at The King's School, Chester.[1]
Steve Leonard studied veterinary science at Bristol University Veterinary School. In the final year of his degree, the BBC approached the college to film a group of final-year students. Originally seeing the idea of appearing on TV as "a bit of a laugh," he agreed to participate in the filming. The series, Vets' School (1996), was a huge success, and was swiftly followed by Vets in Practice. He went on to present Vets in the Wild (2000 - 02) with Trude Mostue.[2]
He quit full-time veterinary employment and found himself travelling all over the world with the BBC Natural History Unit, filming for Ultimate Killers.[3] He travelled to places as far away as Indonesia and India. Filming Ultimate Killers involved stunts, such as tandem skydiving out of a balloon at 10,000 feet over Spain, and climbing into an eagle's eyrie in Panama.
Steve Leonard also presented Extreme Animals, and Animal Camera (2004), an intimate look at the animal kingdom through cutting-edge miniature camera filming techniques. More recently, he explored the origins and evolution of life on Earth in Journey of Life and followed animal migrations on Incredible Animal Journeys.
Steve and his elder brother Tom Leonard are currently working at the Leonard Brothers Veterinary Centre in Whitchurch, Shropshire, and Crewe, Cheshire. During the programme Return to... Vets in Practice, shown in July 2008, Steve explained that he had decided to return to being a vet full-time, and to fit his filming commitments around his veterinary career. He has recently returned from Borneo where he filmed a second series of Orangutan Diary with co-presenter Michaela Strachan.
In March 2009, Steve helped launch the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) network soil and earthworm survey, a scheme that aimed to get the public more involved in science and nature.
Leonard presented the ITV series Animal Kingdom. Filmed in Erindi Game Reserve, Namibia, the series was aired in 2011 and spanned six episodes.
Steve passed his BSAVA Certificate in Small Animal Medicine in 2017 with Distinction.