A new series narrated by David Attenborough, Our Planet, has gained international viewers, and the most recent episode, in which a walrus falls to its death from what was once an icy mountain, showcases the devastating reality of global warming.
Our Planet, available on Netflix, is a documentary series that focuses on the diversity of habitats around the world, from the Arctic Wilderness, the depths of the ocean and the vast African landscapes, to the dense jungles of South America. It gives an in-depth look into the lives of the myriads of species that inhabitant these different environments, focusing on their daily lives and the challenges they face, from narwhals to frogs to cheetahs.
The most recent episode of the eight-part show has shocked viewers. It follows the largest gathering of walruses on the planet desperately massed together in the thousands on a single beach in the far northeastern coast of Russia, due to their shrinking ice habitats.
Due to global warming, their natural home on the sea ice has melted, and according to Attenborough, they’ve ‘retreated away to the north and this is the closest place to their feeding ground where they can find rest.’
In an effort to find a spot away from the thousands of walrus clambering on top of one another, some of these one-tonne animals head on to a steep cliff. Most of them fall to their death as they attempt to head down to the water to feed.
The footage captured is heart-wrenching – the walruses tumble and spiral down against the dry, rocky terrain, usually dying or being severely injured upon impact.
‘In their desperation to do so, hundreds fall from heights they should never have scaled,’ Attenborough says as he narrates.
Viewers shared their distressed and shocked reactions to the footage.
Image: Unsplash
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