Sir David Attenborough was scared by a rat while sitting on the toilet.
The 88-year-old broadcaster has revealed the rodents are one of the few creatures he hates because of an unpleasant experience he had with one while he was suffering with an upset stomach during a recent trip.
Speaking at the launch of ‘David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities’ – which began last night (02.02.15) on Watch – he said: "I was in India recently and I am by and large not affected by tropical diseases but I did get a bit of the belly, you know, and I had to run to the loo. I was sitting on the loo and I did what I had to do and then I looked up and a rat came out from between my thighs. That is not endearing."
Despite the nauseating incident, the acclaimed documentary maker still finds animals just as fascinating as when he first began his career.
He explained: "I think understanding animals enriches your pleasure, finding out how to understand them is the great pleasure. I never stop reading books about man and animals; they’re always full of interesting stuff. I’ll turn the page and my eyes will be popping out."
The father-of-two added he believes he was lucky to become a broadcaster because otherwise he would have been a scientist, which is something he doesn’t think he’d have been very good at.
When asked what he would have done if it wasn’t for television, he said: "I suppose I would probably be a scientist. I’m not a scientist now. I almost was a scientist, but a scientist is someone who continues studying and finding out new things.
"We spend our time reading research done by actual scientists, and to be honest I don’t think I have the concentration which that requires.
"For one scientist to sit down and say, ‘I’m going to sit here and spend the next 10 years of my life looking at the habits of these bees as they pollinate this flower,’ I would find that very hard."
Sir David Attenborough shocked by rat on the toilet
