Anneka Svenska (born Anne Caroline Barrett; 26 January 1974) is a British wildlife presenter, actress, journalist, conservationist and

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

enthusiast.

Early life

Svenska was born Anne Caroline Barrett in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, south-southeast of Ayl ...

, Buckinghamshire, and later adopted the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

'Anneka Svenska'.

Career

Svenska began her career as an actress in the late 1990s, starring in ''Silent Whisper'' (1997), ''Threesome'' (1999), ''

Sacred Flesh ''Sacred Flesh'' is a 1999 British nunsploitation horror film. It is set in an indeterminate past, and consists of a series of loosely connected vignettes that depict pseudo-lesbian sexuality and some sado-masochistic activity. Plot Sister Eliz ...

'' (1999), '' The Lost Son'' (1999). Svenska gained media attention when she fronted the Channel 5 show ''

OutTHERE ''outTHERE'' is a cult half-hour show which ran between 2001 and 2003 on Five and Bravo. It was fronted by presenter Anneka Svenska for series one and two, and by Emily Booth Emily Katherine Booth (born 26 April 1976), also known by her s ...

'' (2001–2003). Since 2013, she has hosted several conservationist events, including the YouTube channel Animal Watch, which explores the nature and history of various animals, mostly wolves and dogs. Svenska, a passionate

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

activist, specialises in canine behaviour. She is the founder of Green World TV and a patron of the

World Animal Day World Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. The World Animal Day movement is supported and endorsed by a nu ...

. Svenska defended

Steve Irwin Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 19624 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up around crocodiles and ot ...

against criticism of mishandling animals. In 2016, she wore the largest hat ever worn at Ascot in order to campaign against

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

deaths.

Personal life

Svenska married Michael Tanaka, son of Japanese-American businessman Gary Tanaka. She has two children. She is sometimes referred to with the hyphenated name 'Tanaka-Svenska'. She is

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

and practises

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

References

Living people 1974 births 21st-century British actresses British women television presenters British conservationists {{UK-tv-bio-stub British animal rights activists