Emmy winner Jeff Corwin, 42, has crisscrossed the globe for Animal Planet, the Discovery Channel, NBC, and the Travel Channel. His recent book, 100 Heartbeats (Rodale, 2009), focuses on species endangered by climate change, habitat loss, and poaching. In his new Food Network series, Extreme Cuisine With Jeff Corwin, he samples sustainable regional delicacies like Moroccan pigeon pie to show how food can bring cultures together.

Q: How difficult was it to reach the endangered animals in 100 Heartbeats?

A: We had a 40-hour hell ride through a Sumatran jungle to find a home for orphaned orangutans, a treacherous 12-hour hike up a mountain in Panama to find a nearly extinct frog species, and two days of diving in belly-churning waters off South Africa to tag great white sharks. But moments of discovery outshone blisters and seasickness. 

"We are hardwired to be explorers...We need to cultivate tomorrow's scientists and conservationists today." --Jeff Corwin

Q: Do you think we can save many of these species?

A: I'm optimistic. The American alligator, bald eagle, gray wolf, and California condor were almost driven to extinction, but now they're showing signs of recovery. Both of my favorite survivors, the black-footed ferret and the American red wolf, were declared extinct but are now living in the wild.

Q: How do you tell these stories without making people think it's too late?

A: I try to imagine the audience as my adventure companion and use authentic moments of humor, sadness, failure, success, and discovery to tell the story. If I thought things were hopeless, I'd be in another line of work.