Here Are the Timestamps of the Most Disturbing Scenes in Netflix’s New Animal Documentary
Netflix’s new nature series Our Planet is packed with things – impressive (the show is a visual spectacle), informative (it shows the very real effects of climate change) and sobering (it shows we are to blame). This also worries some viewers. So much so that Netflix has issued time- stamped content alerts for certain scenes that “animal lovers might want to skip.”
The scene in “One Planet” shows the baby flamingos struggling to keep up with the rest of the flamingo gang as the salt has hardened around their feet as natural water resources dry up. In Cold World, walruses fall off huge cliffs because the sea ice they are used to has melted. There are fish that get stuck in nets, a hungry jaguar that attacks a caiman, and killer whales that eat a penguin.
Yes, when you watch a wildlife documentary, you probably know you’ll see several animal deaths, because – sad spoiler alert – animals die. But viewers seem to find these scenes more disturbing than your classicIguana vs. Snakes chase episode.
As many on Twitter have argued, we should be upset. BuzzFeed notes that the show, narrated by David Attenborough, encourages people to do things. Sophie Lanfear, the documentary’s producer, told People that the show’s goal is to get viewers to take climate change seriously, make a difference in their lives, and think about how they use energy.
But if you’re sensitive to this type of content or have kids, it’s good to be prepared for what you’re about to see. As Alison Herman of The Ringer writes: “Emotional trauma is an occupational risk that is more often associated with slasher films than environmental studies, but in this case the caution is warranted.”