From: Jenie
Saturday,April 22nd - 12:00PM
Amazing Animal Videos

First they show a "plateful" of venomous snakes being captured by a snake charmer in a village. The locals don't want to adopt them, and the zoo doesn't want them. So the show announcer asks "So how do they get rid of them?" and they show the snake charmer holding all the snakes in his hand chomping his teeth down on one.

** Please keep in mind this is Saturday, early afternoon, when a lot of children are home watching TV and obviously Animal Planet is a favorite for kids! What does this teach our kids, that it's OK to eat live snakes?

Secondly they show a baby Koala being stalked by a monitor. The mother Koala comes and rescues it. Later that same day the mother Koala realizes there's a deadly snake in the same tree so she jumps to another tree, saving her baby. Later that same night a pack of wild dogs comes to the area. They don't show anything but all you hear is the dogs growling and snarling, and the screams of a Koala being attacked and murdered. They showed after that that the baby was fine but that the mother was visciously attacked and killed.

** Why do children need to hear the screams of a dying Koala mother being visciously attacked? I am absolutely shocked and appalled by the nature of these two clips. Not only for me as an animal lover not wanting to watch and hear such stuff, but for the children that are home watching this right now too.

Please write to Animal Planet via the Discovery Channel (their online contact site wasn't working) at comments@discovery.ca (comments @ discovery . ca)

Please tell them that we will not stand for such horrible disgrace for animals on their animal-friendly channel.

Jenie

:stinkeye: I watched lions rip other animals to shreds as a kid and I daresay I was not ruined for life.

I want my kids to learn about other cultures including the ones who eat snakes alive because there is more to the world than what they can find in thier own little bubble here in America.
They can draw thier own conclusions on if it is right or wrong I trust my kids are smart enough to do that.
Oddly enough I watched shows like that were people ate animals alive and or just drained them of blood to drink the blood mixed with milk never gave me and urge to do either.

Life is death and death is life that is how it works with wild animals.

That channel is not just about watching to see how fluffy the cat can do silly things it is also there to show the world what animals are really like in the wild how animals are treated and live in other places of the world.
It is an educational channel not cartoon network.

Yeah, I really don't see anything wrong with those programs. Sorry.

I think the point of the koala bit at least is that nature is a brutal place, and koala mothers really get killed by predators. I don't see anything wrong with making and airing documentaries showing viewers, even kids, the real Mother Nature. Now if they were interfering to cause animals to die that otherwise wouldn't just so they couldl film it, that would really bother me.

It is weird that a channel called Animal Planet shows people eating animals, IMHO, though I don't think we ought to be filtering reality in order to subsume it to our veg views.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the show "My baby" which seems to promote breeding without the responsibilites and consequences associated with it.

It's important to note that Animal Planet is not a children's channel. Perhaps if these images were being shown on Nick Jr., there would a case against it. Children who are cruising the channels unsupervised at any time of the day are likely to come across far worse.

I don't see anything wrong with AP showing the realities of how people treat animals. Images which force people to confront the realities of our relation to other species are preferable to their series which sugarcoat things like breeding and farming.

Finally, any shows about natures are going to have to discuss the role of predation. People who don't understand predation are the same ones who throw a fit demanding that wolves and coyotes be exterminated for eating "our" livestock and "game".

I saw one that bothered me more where they were showing footage of bears being forced to ride bicycles and do other stupid tricks, and you could tell they were in pain and miserable (they all had that bit in the nose, whatever it's called, among other things) and they were complimenting it as an "amazing animal talent". While I don't disapprove of them showing the footage (it could turn people away from circuses or other animal "entertainment"), I disapprove of how they treat it. How they disregard the cruelty and call it amazing, or even make jokes about it like it's "cute".

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the show "My baby" which seems to promote breeding without the responsibilites and consequences associated with it.
Hmm. I haven't seen that one. I will watch for it. That does sound like a bad show though.

wildlife documentarys have become socially exceptable blood sports,the film crew yearningly want bloodshed and probably encourage it,to get their money from animal planet media

I like AP. I like to see and learn how animals live in their habitat. They are amazing creatures to be and i'm so happy to learn more about them. I love National Geographic Explorer too. :)

Hey they had The Puppy Blow. It's like the Super Blow but it has puppies playing. Did yall see that? It was so darn cute I just wanted to go to the AP stuido and say, ok i'll take this one oh and that one over there too. Hahaha. I love dogs. :)

I want a puppy. :cry: :cry: hmmmm :(
Ok back to reality. :)
Monika

I really don't see anything wrong with AP. Animals eat other animals in the wild, thats the way it is.

wildlife documentarys have become socially exceptable blood sports,the film crew yearningly want bloodshed and probably encourage it,to get their money from animal planet media
I'd respectfully suggest you make sure they're REALLY staging or encouraging it before you start firing off angry letters. It's been a while since I watched AP, but when I used to watch lots of nature documentaries on channels like AP, Discovery, and National Geographic, there seemed to be a pretty strong ethic of non-interference.

I'd respectfully suggest you make sure they're REALLY staging or encouraging it before you start firing off angry letters. It's been a while since I watched AP, but when I used to watch lots of nature documentaries on channels like AP, Discovery, and National Geographic, there seemed to be a pretty strong ethic of non-interference.

There still is, I do not think the channel ever changes from it here, my 10 year old is obsessed with all things animal.

It is weird that a channel called Animal Planet shows people eating animals, IMHO, though I don't think we ought to be filtering reality in order to subsume it to our veg views.
I don't understand this, either. Stumped. What I really don't understand is why they don't broadcast where those "food" animals actually come from. Maybe a "That's My Broiler Shed Baby!" series is in order.

It is weird that a channel called Animal Planet shows people eating animals, IMHO, though I don't think we ought to be filtering reality in order to subsume it to our veg views.

It happens quite frequently, and if the channel is about animals, why wouldn't they show that?

I'm surprised nobody mentioned the show "My baby" which seems to promote breeding without the responsibilites and consequences associated with it.
I can't find anything about that show.
http://animal.discovery.com/tvlistings/a2z.jsp?channel=APL

I really wish I had Cable TV because there are a lot of shows on Animal Planet I'd love to see.

I like the animal cop shows.

We should never watch shows about things that happen in real life. How apalling!

I like the animal cop shows.
Same here. They make me cry alot though.

I used to watch that until I realize they only target individuals. Why don't they go to factory farms and charge them with cruelty?.

I've gotten the idea if you are an individual who is cruel to handful of animals, you will be punished but if you are cruel to many animals and earn money with it, it's socially acceptable.
Factoary farming is nothing more then legal animal hoarding.

I like AP. I like to see and learn how animals live in their habitat. They are amazing creatures to be and i'm so happy to learn more about them. I love National Geographic Explorer too. :)

Hey they had The Puppy Blow. It's like the Super Blow but it has puppies playing. Did yall see that? It was so darn cute I just wanted to go to the AP stuido and say, ok i'll take this one oh and that one over there too. Hahaha. I love dogs. :)

I want a puppy. :cry: :cry: hmmmm :(
Ok back to reality. :)
Monika

Isn't it the puppy bowl?
I thought it was cute at first, but it got boring.

I agree with you, contrary to popular belief, footage like that is NOT appropriate for saturday afternoon television. Animal Planet IS a kids channel during the day (my kiddies are not allowed to watch night time AP shows...ie: animal cops). Maybe it is nature, doesnt mean I want my kids to watch it. Who wants to pay their cable company to see that? Not me. Thats My Baby needs to go too. I think they should show babies being born at the animal shelter and then being euthanized (NOT always humanely) because nobody wants them... maybe more people would go out and adopt/rescue.

the only problem i have with animal planet is the "lets go fishing!" commercials.

but i let it slide because at least its supporting a cause, good tv that shows people how wonderful wild animals are, and then maybe the children can make the choice that their dog isnt so different from a cow or pig.

well 1st of all its just the nature of animals to kill eachother for food..i mean the wolves have to eat soemthing
and also the whole snake bitting thing is probably part of their religon or part of their culture and i dont see anything wrong with it