David Attenborough sends adorable letter to young fan who named insect after him
Father of the child described Attenborough as a ‘national treasure’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A fan of Sir David Attenborough has shared the heartwarming letter he sent to his child.
The young girl had named her new pet Sir David Stickenborough, in honour of the famed nature documentarian.
“She wrote to tell him this,” revealed the girl’s father on Twitter. “Obviously he responded.”
Darren Logan, the head of research at The Waltham Petcare Science Institute, shared a picture of the letter his daughter had received in response.
On headed paper, Attenborough had written: “I am so glad you’re interested in stick insects. I am too and, when I was your age I also kept some. They are indeed fascinating.
“There are at least 2,500 different species worldwide. Most come from tropics and only a few species ever reach this country. Scientifically speaking they belong to a group called the Phasmatoidea which contains two main groups – the leaf insects and the stick insects.”
Attenborough continued to relay facts about stick insects, explaining that the creature named after him was in fact part of different species: the leaf insect.
“Sir David is getting renamed, apparently, but my daughter’s fascination with nature has been reinforced,” wrote Logan. “#NationalTreasure.”
Attenborough’s latest series, Frozen Planet II, premieres on BBC One at 8pm on Sunday 11 September.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments