21 replies to this topic

[SvetlanaMonsoon]

Anyone watches the weekly program "Nature" on PBS?

This week they had a good episode about the Katrina animal rescue.

[audax]

I saw it, and it was so, so heart-breaking. I happened upon it by accident; I keep my TV tuned to PBS all weekend for the lovely cooking and traveling shows on Saturday and politics/world events on Sunday. Anyways, I floved the Penguin Man. When he expressed disdain over the fact that his favorite penguin never had a mate? So cute. Hee! He is so in love with that penguin.

But seriously, the episode made me bawl like a freaking baby. Tears during the opening segment and full on sobbing throughout the episode.

Edited by audax, Nov 27, 2005 @ 7:33 PM.

[SvetlanaMonsoon]

The thought that came to my mind while watching the Penguin without a mate part was she probably identified him as her lifemate and therefore was not interested in anyone else. How adorable, yet kinda sad.

[nicepebbles]

I didn't know the one on Katrine Animal Rescue came on last year. I caught pieces of it last night. Man, I was tearing up. I've had dogs since I was 13. And the one I have now Mr. Nice and I are particuarly attached to. We couldn't imagine leaving him behind. I mean we took on the responsibility for caring for him for years and now we are supposed to dump him? I don't think so. They showed quite a few Pit Bulls, which we have and hope to get more. (They have a totally underseved reputation but that's a topic for another board.) I was happy to see that especially since the owners seemed responsible. I was really tearing up at the older gentleman who kept coming back for his cat. I couldn't believe he found Concat after so many trips and the cat seemed fine. I don't know how the owners of Blake and Thunder could even look at their dogs without crying like a baby. They are stronger than me b/c I would have been bawling like a baby on national tv.

[Cress]

I just watched the repeat of the episode "Extraordinary Dogs" about herding dogs, rescue dogs, service dogs, and more. They also had a segment on Moose, who played Eddie on Frasier. (Moose died recently.)

Also, the narrator George Page died, and it's an odd coincidence that he looks like the actor John Mahoney (Martin Crane), though his voice is a lot deeper. The episode was dedicated to Page.

[cleopatraseven]

I thought that WAS John Mahoney at first. It was sad to see that Mr. Page died, and Moose too. Moose was a great dog, he had personality coming off him in waves.

[gimmecandy]

Well, I know this is a long shot as I dust off this old thread! Did anyone watch the Cloud Wild Stallion episode tonight? I left the room about ten minutes into it to grab a peach from the kitchen. As I walked out, they were showing some young deer. My 2 year old started shrieking and crying as soon as I left the room, and all she will say is "baby deer, baby deer" over and over :( I'm wondering what she saw, since she was pretty traumatized.

[bubsy]

Did anyone watch the wolves of Yellowstone? My cats and I were enthralled.

I think the Slough's were cursed when they killed that poor little Coyote. His poor little face when they were tearing him up was terrible. The Curse of the Coyote.

The mystery pack that came in beat up the Sloughs and killed all the pups and then just left? That was sooo weird, and I want to know what their deal was.

It was awesome how the Druids regained Lamar Valley.

[sweetjane]

I watched this week's "The Cheetah Orphans," and it was both sweet and sad. I always enjoy watching the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned wild animals, because it affords us a chance to see them growing up, but there is always the inevitable task of attempting to assimilate them back into the wild. The cheetahs were gorgeous and it was so fun to watch them as playful cubs, but it seemed evident from early on that it was unlikely that they would survive once let loose, especially with rival cheetahs and other big cats roaming around. It was really sad when Sambu was killed by lions, which made it even less likely that Toki could last on his own. He also seemed a bit too domesticated, although I can understand that Simon King would be overly attached to him. It was a bittersweet ending that for the sake of his survival, Toki was returned to the predator-proof enclosure.

According to this update Toki is still thriving in his secure area, but has yet to mate.

I also saw last month's "Silence of the Bees." It was a fascinating and alarming look at the impact and ongoing investigation of Colony Collapse Disorder in honeybees. I was unaware that they are so vital to the pollination of so many flowering food crops.

[meknownothing]

Great show Sunday night about raptors! The episode went through all the characteristics that make a hawk, falcon, or eagle the equivalent of a fighter pilot. Wing flexibility and movement, feather structure, eyesight, the nose's ability to breath at high speed -- quite comprehensive!

Though I felt sorry for the birds who had to be harnessed, I loved the back-mounted video-cameras that showed us exactly how it feels to fly high and then spiral down in a dive to the ground.

And then the wind tunnel experiment with the experimental plane wing that changes shape at full-speed? I kept thinking we're seeing the first steps towards Transformers!

[walnutqueen]

Dusting off the old thread to see if any other Nature wonks out there watched the 3 part series "Ocean Giants"? I was totally mesmerized for all 3 episodes, and only had to ff thru one scene (orca attack on baby whale). I really love animals shows, but there is something incredibly serene and mystical watching whales in their realm. For pure joy, watching dolphins play with bubble rings was absolutely delightful. I highly recommend watching, if you can catch any repeats in your area.

[Bastet Esq]

I sometimes have to watch this show peeking through my fingers - I understand nature is as brutal as it is beautiful, but I have a hard time with visual evidence of that - so the orca attack got me, too. But I also agree the series was very well done; a captivating three hours. I especially liked the second episode, about the cognitive abilities of marine mammals.

[Paramitch]

I've meant to post here ever since viewing the amazing "Murder of Crows" piece, which provided an unbelievable look at how intelligent crows are. I really had no idea they were so brilliant, much less that they were capable of using TOOLS. The footage of the crow figuring out how to get its "treat" is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen on a wildlife program.

Meanwhile -- and so glad others posted on this -- I loved the Ocean Giants three-parter -- just stunning. To echo walnutqueen and Bastet Esq,I agree that that first hour was hard to watch, especially the orca attack on the baby whale, which scarred me for life. That was brutal. But the other two episodes were relatively trauma-free -- loved the spinning dolphins, the narwhals making their way from tiny ice-crack to ice-crack for oxygen, and seeing the blue, right and sperm whales in their elements. My favorite moment was (I think) in hour one, when the humpback males all basically battered each other for access to the female, then all the losers went off to physically nuzzle and soothe one another, as if in sheepish apology for all the fracas. I also loved the examination of whale intelligence -- the dolphins' reactions to the mirrors, the ways in which whales and dolphins would cleverly entrap prey, and of course those incredible vocalizations and language skills.

Meanwhile, I just caught the one on "First Day of Life," on baby animals and the different ways animal societies treat the babies upon arrival. And OH MY GOD people, I am NOT okay. While I was delighted to learn that mice are incredibly good husbands and fathers (and it may just be the cutest footage in the piece), there are several vignettes that are very tough viewing.

I managed to get through the abandoned sea lion calf and assorted lovely if doomed baby grazing animals. But the thing that killed me was the lovingly shot, adorable extended footage, of three little lion cubs, who manage to woo the pride (and pride leader) to accept them with all sorts of playful cuteness, only to end up slaughtered by the male lion that takes over the pride. And I mean, we see it in loving close-up, the confusion of the cubs as they are being killed, everything. It totally wrecked me. It's one of the few nature show images I honestly wish I could unsee.

By the time they got to the young lemur female that must choose between its pack and its too-weak-to-travel baby, I was a blubbering mess. I was fairly stoic the first FOUR TIMES the mother, keening heartbreakingly back and forth with the baby (visibly upset at having to leave it), went back to say goodbye to her dying baby. But by the fifth? Years of therapy. The way it goes back a final time and licks the baby's head, then goes after its group, still constantly looking back... aghghghg.

I love documentaries and candid animal footage. But -- and I have no idea what happened to me -- I think I'm no longer tough enough to watch these shows. It's utterly embarrassing. I've turned into the person screaming at the unseen cameraperson: "Save the lion cubs! Pick up the lemur! Give the polar bear a sandwich, dammit!"

[walnutqueen]

You are a kindred spirit, Paramitch! I identify with everything in your post. You are stronger than I, thought - it is impossible for me to watch animals (especially the babies) suffering or being killed; I use the FF button a lot! Even trying to read your post made my mind go "La-la-la-la", as if to drown out the words about the doomed babies. I am a bigger blubbering fool than you, that's for sure - no shame!

Also, I have a soft spot for crows: I was lucky enough to foster a baby crow for a couple of days while the regular wildlife rehabilitator was out of town. SUCH a delight! That little guy was bright, entertaining and totally adorable. He stole my heart. Especially sweet was how he snuggled against my chest and looked at me with those icy baby blue eyes - it melted my cold dark heart!

I watch every single episode with absolute joy - and most of the repeats, too. Probably the best show on PBS.

[feverpitch]

Nature is a great series. I love animals but some of more difficult footage with the animals dying is tough to watch. I remember seeing a special anniversary show, which included a look at some wild horses. A baby horse was born and then seemed to be lame so the mother stayed with it for awhile. But then the stallion came up and stomped it to death. I was definitely not a happy camper about that one.

I too enjoyed "Murder of Crows" back when it was first shown. That was fascinating to watch. And the "Ocean Giants" 3 parter was definitely one of their best. Incredible.

[Bastet Esq]

I love documentaries and candid animal footage. But -- and I have no idea what happened to me -- I think I'm no longer tough enough to watch these shows. It's utterly embarrassing. I've turned into the person screaming at the unseen cameraperson: "Save the lion cubs! Pick up the lemur! Give the polar bear a sandwich, dammit!"

I'm with you (and I can't even bring myself to describe the Nature moment that left me scarred for life); I toss all understanding of documentary filmmaking out the window and start hollering for intervention, and some of these I simply cannot watch. I could barely read your description of First Day of Life, and if I actually watched the program I would obsess over it for days. It is, indeed, embarassing, and I'm missing some truly magnificent documentaries because of it, but I turn into an unholy mess of a viewer these days.

[bmills]

I'm glad I listened to my suspicions and didn't watch the first days thing. Biologists have a saying: "Nature shits on babies." Where we think "aww!," the animal world thinks "lunch!" or "rival!"

[Myndela]

I was especially pissed off at the lemur mother that left her baby. She just left it there to starve or be picked off by a predator, without breaking it's neck and putting it out of its misery. I was hoping that the tribe didn't recognize her when she came back and killed her just because of her leaving her baby to die like that. And then watching the male lion go and murder the cubs- I had to look away. I want to call CPS on these shitty animal parents.

[cpcathy]

Saw a really wonderful doc on koalas last night, and dayumm--they are cute! However, with this show, I couldn't shake the anxiety that something HORRIBLE was going to happen to them, so I kept changing the channel! Nature is really good at "look how cute--oh, look! Look, how awful now!"

And the lemur show devastated me. I love lemurs anyway, but the baby lemur being left just destroyed me. I think I cried for a good few hours after that.

[dagny]

I recorded it and lasted 10 minutes before I became convinced that koala rape was going to kill the baby koala.

[Mermaid Under]

I watch a lot of PBS, but don't generally watch Nature. Fundraising is going on now, and I think they are realizing that they've repeated Alone in the Wilderness a few too many times. So they've pulled out an episode of Nature called My Life as a Turkey about some guy (Joe Hutto) who hand-raised a flock of wild turkeys - that is, he was a stand in for the mother turkey.
I watched almost the whole episode. Learning about the turkeys was somewhat interesting, but I admit I have never been fond of birds, and wild turkeys aren't especially attractive birds. I found it sad and a little disturbing to watch as Joe tried to substitute the wild turkeys for the family he apparently doesn't have. Again and again he makes the mistake you learn to avoid in freshman science class - ascribing human reasons to an animal's behavior.
Because Joe Proennecke (the guy alone in the wilderness) was dead by the time his film footage was found and assembled into a PBS documentary, the fact that he was probably more than a little eccentric (and probably not in a cute way) was somewhat muted. This other Joe guy gets interviewed repeatedly during the course of this series. Either he really is that weird, or the editors didn't like him a bit. He comes off as a wackadoodle, not a scientist. The series ends by saying he is now living with a herd of Mule deer in Yellowstone, or something.

Edited by Mermaid Under, Oct 3, 2012 @ 7:55 AM.

[shriekingeel]

Timothy Treadwell Syndrome really needs to be in the next DSM.