The Victoria Theatre Association’s 2012-13 Fifth Third Bank National Geographic Live Series launches Monday at the Victoria Theatre with a presentation by award-winning photographer Joel Sartore.

A contributor to National Geographic magazine for 23 years, his work has also appeared in such publications as Audubon, Life, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and Time.

Titled “Grizzlies, Piranhas and Flesh-Eating Pigs: On Assignment for National Geographic,” the presentation, co-presented by Five Rivers MetroParks, will provide a fun, insightful overview of the conservationist and environmentalist’s accomplished career complete with an assortment of eye-catching photos and video. Sartore, who resides in Lincoln, Neb., with his wife and three children, is also a contributor to “CBS Sunday Morning” with Charles Osgood and the author of numerous books including “RARE: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species,” “Nebraska: Under a Big Red Sky” and his latest, “Let’s Be Reasonable.”

In advance of his appearance, he discussed his adventurous career and passionate viewpoints.

Q: Are you surprised by the appeal of your presentation?

A: So many interesting things have happened along the way in my career. I’ve been charged by polar bears and grizzly bears. In the wilds of Bolivia, I came across pigs that eat people. I think people will be highly entertained by the presentation. I share many funny stories, but hopefully it will also provoke some thought about the world around them.

Q: You have traveled to some of the most fascinating areas around the world from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Do you have any favorites?

A: My all-time favorite is Antarctica. I was there a few years ago, and it was beautiful. Penguins were sitting around real icebergs the size of a city block. It’s just a pristine place. I don’t have anything planned globally in the next month or two, but the phone could ring at any time. I’m kind of like a fireman. I’m told where the fire is, and I’ve got to try and put it out.

Q: Do you consider yourself fearless?

A: No, not really. But when I need to get a picture, I become sort of an idiot. I think fear relates to somebody who knows better. An idiot is somebody who doesn’t have any fear. Sometimes if you have the camera between you and the subject, you forget that there might be a particle of risk involved. So you take chances. And with National Geographic, you have to take the world’s best pictures on the subject you cover or else. You’re only as good as your last story.

Q: Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission has initiated a major, cash-prize hunt to reduce the number of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades. What are your thoughts on this growing concern and are there additional concerns you feel people should be aware of?

A: There are many ways to look at this situation, especially in terms of the eco-system. If you think of the world as a snow globe, humans are shaking it as hard as we can. We’re stirring it up. But I would argue that the diversion of water away from the Everglades for sugar cane production is probably a much bigger threat. There’s also the issue of feral cats. Housecats wandering around neighborhoods kill hundreds of millions of birds in this country every year. They are an invasive species. But these situations are all about perspective.