Dynasties told its fifth and final story about the triumph of hope over adversity. Well supposedly...
This time not even David Attenborough’s eternal enthusiasm made you feel much hope (for tigers in general) or particularly ‘triumphant’ (about the individual subject).
As commendable as the series’ theme was, this time, after five weeks of beleaguered creatures, the struggle just seemed too arduous – for us.
Disappointing: Dynasties told its fifth and final story about the triumph of hope over adversity, but this time not even David Attenborough’s eternal enthusiasm made you feel much hope (for tigers in general) or particularly ‘triumphant’ (about the individual subject)
‘Tiger’ confirmed two facts linked by one grim contradiction, namely a) it is almost humanely impossible not to adore tiger cubs or find the adults’ combination of the powerful and graceful captivating. But b) we are not only letting the species head towards extinction we are (inevitably) contributing hugely to their demise.
The world’s population has plummeted - from 100, 000 tigers a century ago to only 4000 today, a devastating drop of 95%.
It’s for this reason that, although ‘Tiger’ – thankfully - lacked the heart-wrenching horrors of ‘Emperor’ (about penguins in Antarctica), it felt like the bleakest episode in the series.
Reality: ‘Tiger’ confirmed that it is almost humanely impossible not to adore tiger cubs or find the adults’ combination of the powerful and graceful captivating, but also that we are contributing hugely to their demise
Rather than provide Dynasties with an epic finale it paid homage to maintaining the status quo but unfortunately the status quo was grim.
Much like ‘Chimpanzee’, ‘Lion’, and ‘Painted Wolves’, ‘Tiger’ concerned the head of a family or pack struggling to prevail as it was threatened by younger, stronger, rivals and external pressures like mankind.
The film followed ‘Raj Bhera’, a female in India’s Bandhavgarh tiger reserve.
Moving: Much like ‘Chimpanzee’, ‘Lion’, and ‘Painted Wolves’, ‘Tiger’ concerned the head of a family or pack struggling to prevail as it was threatened by younger, stronger, rivals
Attenborough described tigers as ‘the largest and most powerful of all the big cats’ but, despite this, as soon as Raj Bhera gave birth to cubs she and they became vulnerable.
A single mother, every time Raj Bhera went hunting to feed them she left them unprotected from potential predators such as eagles and sloth bears.
It seemed every positive quickly turned sour.
Stunning: The film followed ‘Raj Bhera’, a female in India’s Bandhavgarh tiger reserve
As soon as we saw Raj Bhera had had four super-cute babies, Attenborough informed us that only 50% of tiger cubs ever made it to adulthood.
The bonus that they’d reached the age of nine months old was tempered by the news it meant Raj Bhera would have to provide even more or bigger meals.
Watching the cubs tumble delightfully in piles of leaves, we learnt (ominously) the one female (Biba) was ‘smaller and not as strong as her brothers. It’s only after they’ve finished that she gets her chance to feed.’
Even the fact the Bandhavgarh reserve was home for as many as eighty tigers only equated to more danger – because males would kill cubs that were not their own.
Moving: As soon as we saw Raj Bhera had had four super-cute babies, Attenborough informed us that only 50% of tiger cubs ever made it to adulthood
Subsequently, Raj Bhera had to spend time marking her territory – away from the youngsters.
In theory it should have been a relief when the first ‘trespasser’ turned out to be Raj Bhera’s daughter, Solo.
But we knew from the previous show about lions that she was capable of trying to take control of her mother’s kingdom.
When Raj Bhera approached Solo deferred but Attenborough adjudged ‘had issued a warning.’
Risky: Even the fact the Bandhavgarh reserve was home for as many as eighty tigers only equated to more danger – because males would kill cubs that were not their own
The next ‘intruder’ was more menacing: a male much larger and stronger than Raj.
She and her sons were sleeping off a meal when Biba wandering off and innocently headed straight for him.
Luckily for her (and us), the mighty beast turned out to be ‘the only male in the forest that would never harm her - her father.’
Come summer, when the 45-degree heat made food scarcer still, Biba’s brothers proved less charitable.
Protective mother: Subsequently, Raj Bhera had to spend time marking her territory – away from the youngsters
‘Even with a large kill,’ Attenborough sighed, ‘she will be lucky if she gets anything except scraps.’
Neither was the arrival of the monsoon the blessing we’d assumed as other animals no longer came to the waterhole where it was easier for her to ambush them.
The crew spent two years filming Raj Bhera but missed the show’s pivotal incident (actually a blessing really).
Confrontation: In theory it should have been a relief when the first ‘trespasser’ turned out to be Raj Bhera’s daughter, Solo
‘Near the Western boundary of her lands there has been a fight,’ Attenborough announced gravely, over the image of a tiger lying lifelessly by a river, a large gash at the top of its hindquarters. ‘Raj Bhera is injured.’
The prognosis seemed bad enough for Raj Bhera when she tried to get up and just softly collapsed virtually into the water without Attenborough then reiterating: ‘a serious injury can mean starvation for her cubs.’
The one most in jeopardy of course was her daughter.
‘Biba needs to fend for herself and to do that she must find her own territory away from her brothers,’ Attenborough explained. ‘Her mother will never see her again.’
Break it to us gently!
Missed: The crew spent two years filming Raj Bhera but missed the show’s pivotal incident - a potentially life-threatening fight
It seemed the series would have an even grimmer finale when Raj Bhera’s solution to ‘the demands of three adolescent cubs and increasing hostility from her rivals’ was what Attenborough described as ‘a drastic step.’
‘She leaves the safety of the park in the hope of easier prey: cattle in the neighbouring villages.’
We knew this could only end badly, not least because in ‘Lion’ we had seen the horrible effect on Charm’s pride being poisoned by local herdsmen protecting their livestock.
Defeated: ‘It’s a conflict that Raj Bhera cannot win,’ Attenborough sighed, as half the village were alerted to her presence
‘It’s a conflict that Raj Bhera cannot win,’ Attenborough sighed, as half the village were alerted to her presence.
The sight of her body being driven away on the back of a jeep seemed to signal he was right.
There was a typically sadistic pause then Attenborough decided we had suffered enough.
‘Dawn the next day...Raj Bhera!’
The matriarch was back from the dead, walking through the grass albeit unsteadily. She had been rescued from the village(rs) by the park authorities and returned to Bandhavgarh to rejoin her family - minus Biba.
‘Against the odds she still has the chance to secure the future of her dynasty!’ Attenborough cheered.
But with only 4000 tigers left in the world alongside her it didn’t feel like much to celebrate.
The truth is, she had simply been lucky this time.
And in any case her chances of ‘securing’ a future for her family, like the rest of the tigers on the planets, really weren’t very good.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/10/david-attenboroughs-natural-enthusiasm-proved-less-infectious-in-dynasties-by-jim-shelley/
Main photo article Dynasties told its fifth and final story about the triumph of hope over adversity. Well supposedly…
This time not even David Attenborough’s eternal enthusiasm made you feel much hope (for tigers in general) or particularly ‘triumphant’ (about the individual subject).
As commendable as the s...
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Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
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