New BBC Documentary About Emperor Penguin Chick’s Fight For Survival
Penguins certainly seem to be getting a whole lot of attention at the moment, recently we blogged about why adopting a penguin makes for the perfect Christmas gift this holiday season and who could forget the John Lewis advert that is guaranteed to make you cry? The BBC seems to be getting in on the act as well and will air a natural history documentary next year titled Snow Chick, which is about a baby emperor penguin’s fight for survival in the Antarctic. The BBC1 documentary traces the life of an emperor penguin right from egg to adolescence, highlighting its conflict with Adélie penguins.
Global warming an existential threat
An increasing number of scientists are warning that disappearing sea ice which is the product of global warming may result in the emperor penguin becoming extinct. As global warming melts the sea ice, the emperor penguin is rapidly losing its natural habitat and has to fight for space with other species. The programme documents an emperor penguin chick’s fight for survival in blizzard conditions where temperatures drop to minus 60C with both parents taking their turn journeying over 50 miles to the sea in order to bring food back for the baby.
Emperor vs Adélie
The BBC says the programme depicts the baby emperor penguins world being “turned upside down” after Adélie penguins arrive because the emperor penguins now make their home on the summer breeding ground of the Adélie. The conflict between the two species means the emperor chicks face an enormous struggle just to survive. John Downer who is making Snow Chick was also the producer of Penguins: Spy in the Huddle which BBC1 aired in 2013. Mr. Downer says his latest work is “one of the greatest wildlife stories ever told” because no other species has to face so many challenges as it transitions to adulthood from birth. If you want to see the documentary it will be broadcast at the end of 2015.
Everybody loves Monty the penguin
Whilst the penguin may face the threat of extinction, they seem to have massive appeal with the general public as John Lewis has found with its latest ad campaign. So far the ad has garnered over 17 million views on YouTube since it was launched at the start of November. The campaign has inspired books, gifts, table cloths and toys. In fact the demand for Monty and Mabel toys has been so huge, they are currently out of stock on the John Lewis website.