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2 new series just began on Animal Planet, & thank Goddess, they're *not* "reality" junk about some dude going out & trying to cuddle with lions, or catch poisonous snakes barehanded without so much as a hook, or trying to "become" a wolf by living with them. :rolleyes:

one stars Chris Brown, DVM, previously had a small-time TV program about his mixed-species vet practice in Oz; small town, mostly small animals, mostly domestic with some native wildlife that needed help. It showed as "Bondi Vet" in Oz, & as "Dr Chris, Pet-vet" in the USA. I knew he'd hit the big time, at some point - he's young, model-handsome, very photogenic, & charmingly disarming.
He likes animals; he likes ppl; he enjoys his work enormously.

This is his big time; now, he's portrayed as a "wildlife expert" on such unlikely Aussie species as Indian elephants, cheetah, lions, & other large iconic mammals from other continents, plus sharks - which no one will be bringing into a vet-practice in a shipping-crate for a check-up, I'm sure. :rolleyes:
The show, "Vet Gone Wild", premiered on Sunday night - with elephants in Thailand.

About The Show - Vet Gone Wild | Animal Planet



"Extinct or Alive?" is the other new series -

Extinct or Alive | Watch Full Episodes & More! - Animal Planet

in Ep 1, the star, Dr Forrest Gallante, a biologist, travels to Zanzibar to search for the Zanzibar leopard, a unique subspecies that was declared extinct 25-years ago; no one has documented one in all that time, & the only mounted specimen in the world is from the 1890s.
Forrest's grandfather re-discovered the coelacanthe, an extremely-primitive deep ocean fish, & he's been fascinated by the possibility of surviving extinct species ever since. // He also wants to PROTECT these survivors if he finds any, which in the case of the Zanzi leopard, if anything, he's only put them at greater risk. :(
Yes, he found at least ONE - alive, & captured video of that animal. BUT... he got no scat, no footprints, DNA, or hair samples. Video footage of a living animal is undeniable, but it's not definitive.

So no one will advance MONEY to save & protect this critically-endangered big cat, who survives in a national park within earshot of the music of the capital. // Releasing the episode B4 he got his evidence virtually paints a laser target on that cat. :mad: . I also know dam* well that he didn't get to make or to veto that decision; that's entirely the decision of the suits at Animal Planet, who frankly don't give an airborne sexual-assault on a radially-accelerated toroidal pastry if the Zanzi leopard [AKA chui] lives for another few years or not; they want to make a splash, they want drama, they want MONEY.
Discovering a heretofore "extinct" animal is MONEY - it's solid gold thrills!... so broadcast is not going to be delayed to save some dumb beast that no one really cares about, anyhow. :(

I enjoyed them both, but was very saddened by the premature broadcast of the survival of the chui. :( . I fully expect to hear that there are brand-new skins & skulls of chui, listed for sale on the dark web, found being smuggled at various national borders, make into million-dollar fur coats.

The REASON the chui went "extinct" was the demonization of the cat by the Zanzibar govt in the 1960s & '70s - the national govt was trying to stomp out witchcraft [not the green witch herbal kind, nor the Gaia-worshipping cyclic witches of Western Europe, but the voodoo / human-sacrifice / body-parts kind, with poisons, murder, curses, etc, that causes havoc in villages across Africa].
The leopard was believed to be a "form" that witch-doctors could assume to do their bad deeds, kinda like werewolves, but the witch-doctor goes about in human form or leopard form at will. // INSTEAD of demythologizing the big cat, & removing the danger to the species, the Govt decided just to kill them all, so that no more "witch doctors" could be suspected of working bad magic in Zanzibar. Lousy decision. :thumbs-down:

The next episode will similarly paint a bulls-eye on the Formosan clouded leopard, the Newfoundland white-wolf, or perhaps the Pachylemur of Madagascar. // This time, i hope to H*** they get funding for protected status & armed patrols B4 they broadcast the episode - just in case.
The fewer surviving individuals there are, & the smaller the area they live in, the easier it is to "become famous" by killing the last one. Personally, i'd call that becoming INfamous, but killing is always easier than creating or saving.
Bullets, chain-saws, & fire are all easy to obtain, & cheap.

- terry

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I watched a marvelous docu this morning - "Mr Connelly has ALS"

Mr. Connolly Has ALS | Series 3 | Local, USA

the man who filmed it has a son with an unnamed congenital disability [IME as a caregiver, i'm guessing it's cerebral palsy], & he is impressed by how well his boy's small-town elementary-school not merely copes with, but incorporates, his son, welcoming him into the school program; he's not relegated to "special classes", he is in everything, including basketball, even with his wheelchair.

As his son prepares to transition to high-school, he's really looking forward to this, b/c the principal is renowned for his inclusive & progressive policies - recent immigrants, homeless families, kids of single-parents, all sorts of disabilities, everyone is welcomed.
The same year that his boy starts 9th-grade, the principal is Dx'ed with ALS. :( The news is devastating to the community, let alone his family - he is popular & beloved, a very visible & involved figure in his students' lives, often standing outside to greet them individually as they arrive.
The docu follows him thru what turns out to be his last year as principal of CHS, after 7 years as a teacher, 5 as an asst-principal, & 23 as a principal. A remarkable man - he also founded an in-house TV & radio station for his high school, staffed & run by the students.
Sad, in parts, but moving & overall, joyful. // His commencement speech to the graduating class is a marvel.

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Love Amazon Prime and Netflix
On prime we saw:
Lucifer
Under the Dome
Can't remember others ATM
Netflix:
izombie
13 Reasons Why
Riverdale
Scorpion
Friends (I'm re-watching it for the 100th time! I love it!)
Does anyone else re-watch things?
 
Love Amazon Prime and Netflix
On prime we saw:
Lucifer
Under the Dome
Can't remember others ATM
Netflix:
izombie
13 Reasons Why
Riverdale
Scorpion
Friends (I'm re-watching it for the 100th time! I love it!)
Does anyone else re-watch things?

Yes I do! Especially with films. Oli hates rewatching things so I have to watch it when he’s out or I tell him I’m doing my own thing that night!
 
Yes I do! Especially with films. Oli hates rewatching things so I have to watch it when he’s out or I tell him I’m doing my own thing that night!

Oh my god same here, my partner hates re-watching things too! But I love it, I've seen all episodes of Friends and The Big Bang Theory so many times!
 
Oh my god same here, my partner hates re-watching things too! But I love it, I've seen all episodes of Friends and The Big Bang Theory so many times!

He will watch friends again and again. Oh and a program called ‘This Country’ .... they are his exceptions! I try and trick him and say he hasn’t seen that film before :D
 
Oh I can't do that haha! My partner will not re-watch anything, bar for Big Bang if it's just on live TV anyway and I put it on (I control the remote!)...I can't trick him, his memory is too good! That's probably why he hates re-watching things.
 
Just catching up on the new Handmaids Tale at the moment.

Has anyone else been watching it?
 
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If i really enjoyed it, sure! - i'll watch it again. 'Specially if there are details i didn't quite catch, or i didn't see how the mystery was solved! :D

Like re-reading a good book, I can often get more from a 2nd viewing - I may not watch it attentively thru-out, or I might watch very critically, to look for anomalies i missed the 1st time.

I'll also re-watch something simply b/c it's beautiful, & there's no good current programming.
Or i'll put on the Singers & Swing music channel, either as background, or to sing along. ;)
- terry

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Friends? The Big Bang Theory? Are you people sadists? ;) I'm just re-watching "Bottom" on Netflix. I just love it. The IT Crowd next (again!).
 
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i LIKE 'Big Bang Theory'! :D -
so far, my fave all-time segment is the one in which Sheldon trains Penny, using chocolates. :p


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"Hope for Wildlife" is another recent Animal Planet docu-series, showing the day-to-day struggles & successes of a non-profit wildlife rehab, on a farm in Nova Scotia -

About The Show - Hope for Wildlife | Animal Planet

having spent a couple of decades doing rehab, plus my undergrad pre-vet studies [on domestic spp], I've enjoyed it very much.

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watched another series, this one by San Diego Zoo / Wildlife Park, one of the world's most renowned locations for breeding endangered & captive wildlife. It was "Get Wild", S 1, Ep 13.
Per the program guide, it's spozedly "for children", a 1/2-hr program, but the commercials are definitely for adults, not kids, & the program is not simplistic or cutesy - it's in-depth.

The 1st segment was fascinating for me, as it included lots of behavior observation - a F African elephant who hadn't SEEN another elephant in over 30-years, was moved by air from N.Z. to Calif, to hopefully be incorporated into their herd of 5 Fs. [It's a mixed herd, both big-eared Africans & small-eared Indians.]

a news article about her move:
Video: Elephant Meets Her Own Kind For The First Time In 37 Years

Her Kiwi keepers came with her on the plane, so on arrival, they could get her out of her chains immediately, & did her usual morning routine with her: washing her feet, checking her trunk, husbandry stuff. Then they gave her browse & one of her fave foods, wheat-bran, to help associate the quarantine with 'good things' - she'll be in Q for 8-weeks, while they grow-out cultures to ensure she's Tb-free.
She was negative, so come Feb, she moved to San Diego & lived solitary for a few weeks, while watching the other Fs thru a hefty barrier that kept them at a distance. Their droppings were introduced to her while in Q, so she'd "virtually" met all 5 already, slowly, over the 2-mos she was in Q.
The 1st elephant she met with a small-mesh fence between them, to allow trunk-touching, was Mary, the eldest, an Indian elephant in her late-50s. Mary was interested & not threatening, but Mila was scared & flared her ears, very uncertain & defensive. Mary persisted, offering the tip of her trunk, looking for openings to touch Mila, standing quietly & obv waiting for interaction.
Within a few minutes, 41-YO Mila had cautiously approached & retreated several times, but it took her a while to extend her trunk & touch; elephants are very tactile, but Mila hadn't seen another elephant since she was captured as a wild 4-YO, in Africa. Once both Mila & Mary were comfy meeting with the small-mesh, a different barrier was used between them, with larger openings to allow trunk-twining & limited body-exploration; finally, they were allowed to share a large paddock, with Mila freed 1st to explore & get comfy with the new area, & Mary entering later.
They promptly ate side-by-side, & were off to a great start as companions.

Sadly, when i checked for updates, Mila had died just 3-years later - at only 44.
But she'd had 3 happy years, with company, enrichment, excellent care, & stimulating ongoing training with her keepers; it had cost millions of dollars to reunite her with other elephants, but i think it was money well-spent.

- terry

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Yow.
On this episode of Dr Jeff, Rocky Mt Vet [S 4, Ep 2], a young woman brings in her ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD "mini Maltese" b/c she has a mass on her abdomen; the dog was a gift from her mother, after the owner suffered a miscarriage in the 6th month of pregnancy, 11-years ago. Owner Iris says, "she's everything to me...", then adds, "It's been growing pretty fast, over the past 6-mos". When she lifts the dog vertical to show her groin, i'm shocked - the tumor is a bit larger than a golf-ball, on a tiny, tiny dog who may weigh 6 to 7#, max. It's enormous.
:eek: I'm dumbfounded - she's let this thing sit on her dog, growing for 8-mos? - 9-mos? - maybe more?!?!

When she's in the exam room, the vet says they'll take it out, & they'll "spay her at the same time" - WTH?! - she's 11-YO, & intact. Why?! - she's never been bred; she's a pet.
If she's "everything", why wasn't she spayed years ago? - Why has she lived with a tumor getting larger for over half a year?! - Then she doesn't want histopathology on the tumor, & she doesn't get X-rays to look for metastases in her lungs.
Jeebus, Hairy, & Joe-beth...

- t

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I think it has been 3 years since the last time I watch the Breaking Bad, so I re-watch again that masterpiece series while waiting for GOT and Stranger Thing.
 
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S 1, Ep 2 - "Dodo Heroes", Animal Planet
I didn't realize koalas have been so hard-hit by heat, drought, & habitat loss - I was aware of dog-attacks, auto accidents, & wildfires, but not the drought & global-warming effects. :(
Since the 1980s, nationally, they've fallen to approx 40K, total. In the 20-years between 1992 & 2012, popns in Queensland fell 40%, & NSW popns dropped 34% over the same period. In 2012, they were listed as regionally threatened for the 1st time. // By 2018, when this was filmed, there had been 5 failed monsoons in a row. :eek: [2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013]
One vet, Ali Bee, DVM, & her family [hubby, Tim & dotter, Izzy] have so far rescued, reared, & released 120 koala; this past spring, they took in 40 orphans, their highest seasonal intake yet.
On average, young koala must stay with them for 12-mos, to reach a good weight & size for release, when they're likely to survive.

Crikey is getting ready for release, with 3 other koala; he arrived on the anniversary of Steve Irwin's death.
Meanwhile, a young F is found by 2 hikers, on the ground - unable to walk & very weak, she's thin, dehydrated, & has an approx 2-MO fetus in her pouch. The naked baby is too immature to be hand-reared; if mum can't be quickly brought back, the fetus will die.


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another great docu - "The Guys Next Door"
released in 2017, I missed the debut, but caught the replay on PBS World. :) Loved it.

A gay couple want to have children, & their Jewish neighbor decides she'll be surrogate; Rachel already has 3 kids, says she loves being preg, & what tripped her offer was a TV-program explaining just how expen$ive it was for gay couples, especially for gay men, to have children.
One of the partners is a NYorker, Erik; the other is Italian, from Sardinia. Erik admits it took him a long time to warm up to the idea of settling down & having kids; finally, Rachel announced it was now or never, she wasn't getting any younger, & Rachel Maria was born.
Sandro lost his father when he was only a toddler, & his mother worked desperately to provide for the family; he notes that she "never had time to read a book to us", so that fueled his decision to be at home for the kids. He is already the primary carer for their 1st child, works part-time from home, & he & hubby are awaiting the birth of their 2nd child. Rachel is well-along.
They move from NYC to be closer to Erik's parents, which is quite an upheaval - not only is Erik's highly successful practice shut down, but the baby is due very soon. Erik must work to bring in the big bucks, & Sandro is left at home alone - shortly, with not only a toddler, but a newborn, while Erik travels for work. :(
Sound familiar? -- the thing that keeps them sane is every summer together in Sardinia, just them, the kids, Sardo's family... beach, home, family... simple stuff.
Shot over 3-years, it was both sensitive & frank.

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I'm watching Nature on PBS, S 34 Ep 5 - "Pets - wild at heart, part 1"

They just mis-identified an opaline parakeet AKA budgie, with a bright blue cere at the base of the beak, where the nostrils are, as "she". :p Oops. :oops:

Pets: Wild at Heart | Episode 1 | Nature

Nope. BOYS are blue. Girls' ceres are cream or yellow, sometimes shading to amber.
Keets:
https://www.petcha.com/keeping-a-pair-of-budgiesparakeets/

note that the F of this pair - she's to the RIGHT, in the large photo just under the title - has a damaged cere, & possibly a skin / beak disease - her beak is malformed, the tip is scaling & bends inward sharply, with a rough surface. The cere is also rough, granular, & shrunken.

So far, the best visual is the B&W Beardie in a long show coat, shaking off - as seen from the dog's nose. :D
The long hair whips out from the body like solar-flares, in long ripples, snapping off as much as 70% of the water in one shake.

- terry

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saw the SciFi film, “the Beyond”, & really enjoyed it. :)
Good characters, interesting plot. Four paws up!

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