Kyle Thomas

Activist, Educator/Teacher, Environmentalist, Explorer, World traveler

Kyle Thomas is a presenter, animal advocate and the UK’s most followed TikTok creator, with over 35 million followers. In 2024, at just 19 years old, Kyle was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30, cementing his place as one of the UK’s most influential young creators. He has also built a loyal fanbase on Instagram, with over 1.3 million followers. Outside of content creation, Kyle has also walked for fashion brands like Dsquared but most recently has focused his attention on his biggest project yet—launching his own animal rescue sanctuary, which featured in the BBC Three documentary We Built a Zoo. Recently named UK Roots & Shoots Ambassador by the Jane Goodall Institute, Kyle continues to use his platform to champion conservation, promote responsible pet care, and inspire a new generation of animal lovers.

My passion sits at the crossover of digital media and animal advocacy. From a very young age I have been captivated by all creatures great and small. Particularly the exotic species which often sadly face misunderstanding and mistreatment. However, through the power of social media I see huge room for change. Therefore I now love showing people who animals really are beyond their cute faces and mesmerising patterns. While social media's pros and cons are a never ending debate. With my own huge list of both. I have seen it change lives, habitats and minds. Fundraising and educating has never been easier and the people watching those videos and learning are the people who have the power to take their knowledge beyond the screen. Outside of the digital space, I love working on the field with animals. Seeing creatures I have only ever seen on the TV in their wild habitats is so beautiful but also so mind opening. Now more than ever before we have to protect the wild spaces. Ensuring that animals in captivity are always looked at with the focus of welfare and protection of their native counterparts.

Animals don't have platforms, but we do. How we can use social media as a catalyst for global sustainability and animal welfare In an era starving for endless entertainment through the digital space, it is our responsibility to add purpose to what we expose viewers to. Particularly young people. As a content creator with a global following I have personally faced the conflicted responsibility to educate and inspire, with the pressure of providing entertainment without depth. Through the digital space, everyone has an opportunity to continue their work but redefine the way we approach an audience by ensuring everything is driven by purpose. What if every viral moment became a moment of purposeful education? Less focus on likes and numbers but more focus on bringing the audience on a journey and creating the next generation of change makers. Everyone is a change maker whether intentional or not and that can be both positive and negative. Through my own personal journey it was a very pivotal moment when I realised everything I put out on the internet has a BIG impact. Not just because of my following but also because I am a human being with the power to make other humans question their beliefs - just like everyone. Let's encourage young people, the future. To grow up being voices for the animal world, voices for the planet and voices for purpose. We can only do this by carefully monitoring what they see, hear and learn. We are all apart of nature, the animal world and planet Earth's magic. So it is our resposibility to look after our only home. When I began working with animals I was lost, not knowing right from wrong and not knowing who to look to. Every direction I followed led to even more reasons to be conflicted. Yet despite this, I was spending hours of my time, scrolling on the internet and watching videos. For the most part, I wasn't absorbing or learning anything. Although, the most important thing is that I was spending hours on the internet. Like everyone, we are all on our phones. Which actually, can be exciting - now is an easier time than ever before, to share your passion, talk to an audience and ultimately inspire. We all have a responsibility to talk about the real issues happening in the world. The key part, is entertaining and inspiring simultaneously. This isn't about cancelling entertainment it's about embedding meaningful impact within it. Let's reshape the idea of 'going viral' to something which holds the greatness of visibility with the power of responsibility.

Conservation and ethical problems surrounding it, Digital storytelling and connecting with an audience, Exotic animal care and advocating for animal welfare, Talking and connecting with youth to help create future change makers

TED talks have been an important part of those very pivotal moments in my journey. Suddenly having a platform where I can talk to a large audience, TED has been a great resource in seeing how passionate people find ways to drive change. Particularly the TED talks by Dr. Jane Goodall, one of my biggest inspirations in the animal world. TED is a diverse place where people can connect with a huge audience and teach them something completely new. As someone with a huge interest in the natural and scientific world, watching TED talks has created room for me to learn, directly from those experts. Always different and new, it holds a space where entertainment and education go hand in hand. Attending the climate change summit in Kenya feels surreal and a full circle moment for me. It's an opportunity to share my own journey, learn from others and find new ways to provide solutions for the way our natural world is effected by the presence of, us.

Outside of the digital world, I have strong skills when it comes to working with animals directly. While I love sharing my passions online, conservation centres and veterinary clinics are often places with little time for filming. I love putting the cameras away and fulling immersing in the world of animal behaviour. Particularly in rehabilitation, it's incredibly important to have a quick ability to understand how an animal is feeling to provide them with the most comfort. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of time learning how to read animal behaviour from personal experiences with animals. I am also very good at accents!