Wildlife Documentaries on TV

[Janet Swan]

Is it just me, or do others frequently find the (excellent) wildlife documentaries on TV quite distressing to watch at times?

Elephants struggling to find water or badly injured, polar bears desperately searching for food and their cubs dying despite their mothers' tender care, and many other poor creatures having such a hard time with climate change, logging, road building, the expansion of settlements and so on. Cameras film their plight, I watch it, feeling just so helpless and in tears for them, and they remain in my thoughts for ages.

It seems every programme has to show creatures suffering. Animals are suffering - I know this fact shouldn't be ignored - but the awful scenes remain in my memory far longer than the joyful ones.

What do others think (and feel) about this?

Janet

[Kath Mulligan]

But that's life, Janet, and the cameramen would be less than honest if they only showed us the happier side of the story. I too have shed many a tear watching these programmes, but I find them truly inspiring and usually find that the happy times are balanced by the sad ones.

I hope little Breeze survives in next week's show, but I shan't regret watching her story whatever happens because I got so much pleasure from watching her frolicking around and playing this week.

Nature is cruel, and in the animal world it is definitely the survival of the fittest, but I think we are priviliged to have so many excellent naturalists and cameramen to bring us these programmes.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

Oh that little Breeze baby.........too sweet for words. What a naught Ellie........she is so childlike when she runs and trips and falls onto her friends.......her little face is full of mischief. But the injured female made me feel sad for her and I hope non of the males trouble her, she would surely never be able to manage to concieve, carry and give birth.
I love the way the families take care of each other and behave better than some human's towards each other.
I know what you mean Janet but it is true, sadly, that both sides of the story has to be told. :)

[Linda]

yes it is life...but one wonders if the idea of showing the sad side quite in the way they do is to 'capture' our attention in the first place....

...I usually feel like I want to get on the first plane out of here and go rescue them all...
:? :roll: :lol:

[gloria townsin]

How traumatic was the sedation of the mother elephant so that her baby could be treated for what turned out to be a broken leg? Hope babe is going to be o.k. now, she looked so thin poor little soul.
Good to see Breeze doing well, still cheeky. :D

[Janet Swan]

And good to know you got safely back from Cornwall, Gloria, hope all went OK there.

I too watched the elephant programme last night, and felt far less distressed and more hopeful for their future. Yes, it was agonising when the mother elephant was sedated, but the treatment given to baby seemed to be very helpful. It was interesting that they were not unduly concerned about the fracture itself, but more concerning the infection, which, of course, they treated successfully. Oh, but what wonderful creatures they are ....

Janet

[gloria townsin]

It is a good programme isn' it Janet? and I love the understated way Saba, her Father and the wonderful game wardens present it. Much better than some 'nelly know-all' that we are left with given from time to time.

I've also been watching The Vicorian Farm, find some of it tedious but in the main enjoyable.

[Janet Swan]

Vicorian Farm, Gloria? :wink: :lol: I've been watching the Victorian Farming programme too - so interesting. Lovely to see their animals are so well cared for, but, oh, those poor chickens attacked by a dog .... The lady (cannot remember her name) seems to work so very hard - she does look exhausted at times and her hands and nails are proof - all very true to how things were in those days with everyone working from dawn til dusk - and beyond.

Janet

[gloria townsin]

The brick dust mix brought the kettle and pans up a treat!! Can't see me sitting grinding down a house brick though. :lol:

Yes poor chickens.........and the foot rot didn't look too pretty either. That is one of the most descriptive ways of how, when we alter the way animals live naturally, we cause problems that they wouldn't have. Scrambling about on the side of a mountain their feet would wear naturally so foot rot would rarely if ever happen. A local group in Croxley are talking about starting up the kind of community farming as per Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's programme, I'm not sure they realise just what is needed to understand the needs of various farm animals but they will hopefully find out before they launch into it too deeply. Sheep are very hands on in my view, they can get all the nasties, fly strike, pulpy kidney and the various foot problems, they need worming of course and often help while lambing, the native sheep are better at this though, ours didn't need any help. But they are pretty to watch and in small numbers are very easy to make friendly, which leads to a big problem when it comes time for them to end their days.

[Kath Mulligan]

Not seen the Victorian Farm programme, but we have seen some gorgeous new baby lambs frolicking in a field alongside the M56 today on our way home from Wales. Hope they manage to survive the coming cold snap, they looked very newborn.

I was so pleased to see that Breeze survived ok, and that the rangers managed to treat that other young calf's foot successfully. It was amazing to see how relatively easily it managed to walk on a broken leg - thinking back to all my problems over the past few months - perhaps I should have been an elephant, I may have coped better! :wink: :lol:

Kath

[Janet Swan]

It wouldn't have been very fair on your Mum, Kath, if we had had to stun her first before we could treat you :roll: :oops: :lol: .

Janet

[Kath Mulligan]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Since my mum is now a tiny frail old lady, I don't think she would have caused too many problems, Janet - probably could have got away with not sedating her! :wink: :lol:

Kath

[Jeniwren]

Is it just me, or do others frequently find the (excellent) wildlife documentaries on TV quite distressing to watch at times?............................................ ......................

Yes and DH always asks me why I continue to watch them. The answer is that life is never just green & pleasant. And they also remind me to give to a local animal charity (Animal Aid) that helps all animals.