Yahoo News David Attenborough’s Dynasties crew break rules as viewers left in tears over dying penguins
The crew of David Attenborough’s Dynasties broke the rule of never interfering with animals in their natural habitats after witnessing a group of struggling penguins.
In an unprecedented move, the camera crew for the BBC show discovered a group with chicks who had become separated from the rest of their colony in a gully.
One cameraman was close to tears as he watched them battling the elements as they struggled to haul themselves out. “I know it's natural, but it's bloody hard to watch,” he said.
The crew then made the decision to take drastic action and dig a shallow ramp to help save the penguins.
In an unprecedented move, the crew decided to act. They dug a shallow ramp in the hope that at least some of the penguins would use it to save themselves 💚#Dynasties pic.twitter.com/yRuoEGPDCk
— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 18, 2018
Addressing the decision, BBC Earth tweeted: “In an unprecedented move, the crew decided to act.
“They dug a shallow ramp in the hope that at least some of the penguins would use it to save themselves #Dynasties.”
Viewers of the show were left in tears over the “incredible” move.
YES!!! I kept saying, don’t worry the camera crew would of helped them! #Superheros pic.twitter.com/voDvJ7NA78
— Shauni (@Oh4amuseoffire) November 18, 2018
Thank you ❤️🐧 Those penguins are probably only in further danger because of human induced climate change driving extreme weather events. Helping nature is vital so thank you. Hopefully global leaders will be watching and see how they can lead positive change for our planet.
— SarahMW (@SarahM_Williams) November 18, 2018
Massive love to the crew for this, it just shows we are humans trying to do the best for endangered species... well done crew!
— Neth (@nethleen) November 19, 2018
Giving nature a helping hand. #Dynasties
— Ann Barnes (@AnnBarnes) November 18, 2018
#dynasties so glad the film crew gave those penguins a break and helped them out of the ravine. I sobbed when a few of them made it out. Proof that humans don’t suck all the time 😁
— tam (@tammyOllie) November 18, 2018
One user wrote: “I'm so so glad. I understand not getting directly involved, but a helping hand isn't interfering, right?”
Another commented: “Legendary film crew. Thank you for this and everything you did to bring us such beautiful penguin footage.”
A third added: “#Dynasties so glad the film crew gave those penguins a break and helped them out of the ravine. I sobbed when a few of them made it out. Proof that humans don’t suck all the time.”
Dynasties follows the lives of different tribes in the animal kingdom, including penguins and tigers.
Each episode is dedicated to a different species, fighting for survival under pressure from the outside world and their own kind.
The crew's decision to step in comes after they previously hit back at claims they should have stepped into save a baby elephant dying from dehydration on BBC series, Africa.
Producer James Honeyborne told The Sun, at the time: “The death of the baby elephant was something we hadn’t planned and was something we could not prevent. We wished we could have but it was impossible.”
“You have to understand the scale of the problem. The year before the elephant’s death, a drought was already starting to take hold. It was the worst drought for 50 years and this elephant was far from the only one dying. Death was all around – and people were dying, too. This natural tragedy was so huge we were powerless to help. We had to let nature take its course.”
Dynasties is on BBC One, Sunday at 8:30pm
