That Shoebill reminded me so much of a large, dumb bird in the Pixar short [i]For The Birds[/i].
You could hit the pause button at nearly any point in the programme and the screenshot would look like an entry in a photography competition. Truly astonishing stuff.
I suppose this was my original point. You could do that with almost any BBC natural history output.
Always fascinating, always thought provoking, always astonishing.
Excellant tv that, amazeballs.
[IMG] 
[/IMG]
In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Louisiana State University .
On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Peter approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee, inspected the elephants foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Peter worked the wood out with his knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.
The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Peter stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away. Peter never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
Twenty years later, Peter was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Peter and his son Cameron were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.
Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter could not help wondering if this was the same elephant. Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Peter legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
Worth the licence fee on its own. Also worth buying an HD TV for while you're at it - franksinatra is spot on about the photography, truly beautiful in every frame.
I enjoyed the canny lizards sneaking snacks around the lions. The babette heffelump dying was a bit sad but like the shoebill chicks, was a reminder that nature isn't all fluffy meerkat stories. Great stuff as ever, even if at times, natural history docs are more about the heroic camera work than the information itself.
I love that sputnik 😆
Sadly it's not true.....
It's been doing the rounds on Facebook I think. As an anti-heartwarming bollocks stories thing.
Aye Teadrinker, is funny 🙂
Thought I would lighten the mood a bit.
I got up close and personal with an elephant at a sanctuary near Johannesburg. It was a bit like patting a huge warm dusty leather sofa, very calming when you looked into her eyes and realised she could probably kill you if she decided she didn't trust you. When I got back to my hotel I realised I had turned orange with all her dust, my travel cap in my laptop bag is still orange today. We were also allowed to lead the elephants around a paddock by holding out a hand, which they took in their trunks and followed us around. One of life's memorable experiences.
[img] 
[/img]
They are friggin enormous!
JUDO FROGS!
Bump da shizzle up.
just watched last weeks one, the frog fight was the funniest thing ever!
wow that turtle was lurrrrky not to get eaten by a crab!
a butterfly ball? how cool is that
