David Attenborough is Full of (Walrus) Shit
A new Netflix episode of Our Planet shows heart-wrenching scenes of walruses plunging over sea-cliffs to their deaths. And according to the shows narrator, David Attenborough, it’s all your fault. Why?
Because shrinking sea ice caused by “climate change” forces walruses to take refuge on the shore. This explanation is however: bullshit. Or should I say walrus-shit?
First of all, Walruses leaving the sea is not new. They do it all the time, with or without sea-ice, according to Zoologist Susan Crockford, who found a poor correlation between “haulout” behavior and sea-ice levels. ie. they are not, as Attenborough claims, leaving the sea because of sea-ice levels.
Well, what about the jumping off cliffs?
It’s not common behavior, but nor is it entirely unknown. The New York Times reported 60 deaths in a single incident in 1996. Attempts were made to install a fence at one site, while another employs rangers whose sole job is to keep the walruses away from the cliffs. At the time, scientists explained that the most likely explanation was overcrowding at the water’s edge.
And what about the footage in the Netflix show?
It appears that the footage comes from a well-documented incident that took place in the Russian village of Ryrkaypiv. The Siberian Times reported that the town was overrun by polar bears, which had frightened hundreds of walruses over nearby cliffs, where the bears would then feast on their corpses.
But whereas the Siberian Times, and Gizmodo website, which also reported the incident, both clearly stated that the walruses were driven over the cliffs by polar bears, Netflix makes no mention of the bears. Similarly, no mention of the fact that walrus haulouts are entirely normal.
Instead, Attenborough tells his viewers that climate change is forcing the walruses on shore, where their poor eyesight leads them to plunge over the cliffs. But that is not what really happened. What really happened is that gullible viewers were led off a cliff of false-guilt by David Attenborough.
Bon voyage lemmings.
