For many years he lived an itinerant lifestyle in countries such as Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil and Nigeria, and is a skilled linguist, speaking Portuguese, French and Spanish.
Whilst having spent much time as a teacher, he also worked as a professional psychic, barman, sewer digger, zoo-keeper, dog trainer, RSPB officer, banker and tarot card reader.
He has taught rifle shooting to delinquents and carried out refuge work for the Lumholtz's tree kangaroo.
[2] A self-confessed loner, at the time of the program, Jonathan was living on the island of Benbecula in Scotland, cleaning hotel rooms to support his poorly paid ornithology work for the RSPB.
He says: "I have a strong dislike for the kind of deeply earnest, green, touchy-feely idiots whom I suspect you are going to populate your island with."