Review: BBC Four - Born To Be Wild: Reptiles & Amphibians Episode
I cannot even start with my usual anecdotes. This short but incredibly sweet episode of the series was one of the most inspiring and positive documentaries I have ever seen on British herptiles.
As you would expect, the animals were stunning and it did not even matter that I was not looking directly at them. I still got butterflies in my stomach every time footage of the herptiles was shown. However, to be able to listen to the stories of these incredible people who share my passion was, in all honesty, rather emotional.
I liked the fact that the BBC did not try and make a huge sob fest out of the stories - which sometimes happen in documentaries. The stories were told in each of the individuals' own words and any added commentary made by the narrator was a mere supplementation to the story. I do wish the episode was longer and featured a bit more details on each story. However, I appreciate this is not always possible and the theme is perhaps not most people's cup of tea.
I have previously written about the Adder and the impact that its bad reputation has on potential conservation work to help increase their numbers. To be able to see that same point of discussion addressed on national television was an absolute treat! I hope this is only the first of many more documentaries on herptiles. However, if nothing less, I hope that it inspires at least one person to start treating these creatures with the respect that they certainly deserve.
Well done BBC and thank you to the amazing people featured who, as stated in the documentary, do it for love and not for money. I am now going to watch all the previous episodes and am especially looking forward to the one featuring bats!
