Seyi Interviews plant hunter Tom Hart Dyke, who tells his story of kidnap whilst searching for undiscovered Orchids.
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‘Tom Hart Dyke is a plant-hunter, he goes looking for rare and undiscovered species from across the world. It’s an obsession that grew from his childhood in the English countryside and was nurtured by his best friend, his granny. She introduced him to the explorer plant-hunters of the 18th century, and in 1998 aged 23, Tom set off on a solo adventure around the world. Two years in, he decided to venture into the notoriously dangerous Darien Gap on the Colombia/Panama border, in search of an undiscovered orchid to name after her. But his mission was cut short when in the heart of the rainforest he walked into the path of a FARC Guerilla splinter group and was kidnapped at gunpoint.’