Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this documentary series about animals' attacks on people details the factors that are contributing to an increase in encounters in some parts of the world. The dramatic reenactments of the attacks are often bloody; the scenes of victims screaming and moaning in pain are much too intense for little kids. But on the flip side, the show offers intriguing reasons behind the prevalence of attacks in specific locales, many of which have seen recent human alterations of animals' natural habitats.
Families can talk about humans' impact on animals' natural habitats. How do people affect animals' natural ways of life through development? How are the animals forced to adapt? How is their predatory instinct changed? Why does this pose a danger for nearby humans? At what point might it become necessary to slow development for the sake of wildlife? What might happen if development isn't tempered? Families can also discuss nature preservation and conservation efforts.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Emily Ashby
In the documentary series HUNTER AND HUNTED, viewers learn about the potentially dangerous effects of encounters between humans and wild animals. The show is filmed on location around the world in areas that have seen increases in the number and ferocity of animal attacks.
Using dramatic reenactments and interviews with victims and eyewitnesses, the series offers play-by-play accounts of documented attacks on humans. Scientists also weigh in with their theories on why attacks are more frequent in specific geographical areas, often providing an intriguing view on the detrimental effect that technological development can have on the animal population's habitats.
For example, one episode focused on a popular Brazilian beach that had recently seen a sharp rise in shark attacks. Marine researchers looking to explain the sharks' sudden interest in the area cited as causes numerous manmade alterations to the coastline -- a new processing plant, a malfunctioning tank at a slaughterhouse that was leaking cattle remains into the water, and the removal of an outlying ocean reef, which had once acted as a natural barrier between the sharks and humans.
Scientists also briefly touch on scenarios that present animals as humans' prey, reminding viewers that despite the attention given to wild creatures' attacks on people, most often it's the animals who fall victim to man's predatory nature.
While the educational quality of Hunter and Hunted is high -- it offers fascinating information about animals' natural instincts and encourages viewers to look critically at the ways that humans impact animals' natural habitats and contribute to species' endangerment --– the graphic nature of the reenacted attacks ensures that it's not for little kids. In many scenes, actors scream and writhe in pain as they're brutalized, and lots of camera time is dedicated to blood, scars, and amputated limbs.
Parents would be wise to preview this one even for sensitive younger teens, but families who can share it will benefit from the resulting discussions about habitat preservation and respect for nature.
Fans may also enjoy Up Close and Dangerous or The Crocodile Hunter. For more family-friendly viewing, try Caught in the Moment.
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Sexual ContentSome beach scenes show women in revealing bathing suits, including one pretty close-up shot of a near-thong. |
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ViolenceAnimal attacks are the name of the game, and the re-enactments are both frequent and violent. Victims are shown screaming and writhing in pain while blood flows freely from wounds. Some photos of actual injuries are shown, too. |
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Social BehaviorThe show offers an educational look at how humans and animals' interactions can turn deadly. Scientists research the reasons behind deadly encounters, which often result from human encroachment on the animals' habitats. The show also briefly reminds viewers that despite the attention that animal attacks receive, humans remain the world's most fearsome hunters. |
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