David Attenborough and his friends through the years

1 Towards the beginning of his career, Attenborough developed a deep connection with a young Malaysian sun bear cub named Benjamin in 1956.

The author met the cub while filming Zoo Quest for a Dragon in Borneo and made him one of his closest travel companions. Benjamin lovingly became known as the "Zoo Quest Bear."

"It was not until several weeks later that he began to walk but as soon as he did so his character appeared to change," Attenborough said of Benjamin, per The Guardian. "As he tottered and swayed across the ground, smelling everything and grumbling to himself, he seemed no longer to be an impatient demanding creature, but rather an endearing puppy and we developed a strong affection for him."

1. In January 1958, he treated young Charles and his younger sister, Anne, to a lesson about the cockatoo during an episode of Zoo Quest. He famously brought his own white cockatoo named Georgie for the lesson.

2. From a young age, Attenborough had a deep fascination with armadillos and would chase them as a child, per The Guardian.

Attenborough relayed his love of armadillos to kids on Zoo Quest, as seen in this snap from the London Zoo on Jan. 2, 1961. Attenborough has since clarified that, as he aged, he still admires the animals but prefers to sit while watching them, per The Guardian.

1. One of the first species Attenborough began documenting were lemurs, beginning in the early 1960s.

As seen in this photo from the London Zoo in January 1961, Attenborough felt comfortable with the species ever since he visited Madagascar in 1960 for his beloved BBC series, Zoo Quest.

1. A standout experience for both Attenborough and his viewers involved a group of wild gorillas who sat on his lap.

In January 1978, he was filming the landmark BBC series Life on Earth in Rwanda when he encountered mountain gorillas in the back of the shot, as shown in the above image.

"Next thing we know, two youngsters come out and actually sit on him. There was a moment when you barely only saw the top of David's head, literally, and my jaw dropped, I mean everyone's jaw dropped, you didn't expect this at all," Life on Earth producer John Sparks recalled in the May 2026 PBS documentary, Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure.

Attenborough, who said the gorillas sat unbothered on him for at least 10 minutes, added of the moment, "I was simply transported."

1. He frequently hosted events and lectures at the London Zoo, as shown in this photo from March 1980, when he introduced a schoolboy to a llama named Charlie.

2. Attenborough visited Cocky the Cockatoo at the London Zoo to celebrate the bird being the oldest creature there on Dec. 2, 1980.

3. Among other creatures, Attenborough respected orangutans for their nurturing parenting style and level of intelligence.

Attenborough, pictured here with an orangutan and her baby at the London Zoo in April 1982, went on to narrate an entire documentary, Secret Lives of Orangutans, about the species for Netflix.

1. Throughout his career, Attenborough has developed a close relationship and deep admiration for chimpanzees.

In March 1987, Attenborough took a moment to hold — and share a smooch with — Neusi the chimp at the London Zoo.

1. When Attenborough filmed The Life of Mammals in 2001, he traveled across the world to explore the evolution of mammals.

One of his stops was the Kalahari Desert, Northern Cape, South Africa, to specifically document the complex lives of meerkats.

https://people.com/best-photos-of-david-attenborough-with-animals-11969660