Deep Fry
Posted:30 Oct 2009 10:01
74 times |
| This week Stephen Fry joined Save the Rhino at the Royal Geographical Society to discuss the plight of the Northern White Rhino. Stephen regales us with stories of his travels around the globe, with zoologist Mark Carwardine, in search of endangered species in the BBC series ‘Last Chance To See’. He speaks of his admiration for Mark’s talent and knowledge, saying that Mark never claims to know all the answers but only ‘this is what we know so far’. Stephen stresses that ‘good science underpins all conservation’. During his journey to remote areas to spot rare species such as the Kakapo Parrot, the Manatee and the Blue Whale, Fry was struck by the incredible commitment and human effort involved in trying to save them from extinction. He observes that the type of conservation he’s attempting is almost exactly the same as its opposite: previously, Westerners have had to befriend locals to take them to the animals so that the big white hunters could shoot them and take them home dead. Now, similarily their great, great grandchildren are visiting the same areas, asking the locals to guide them and then shooting the animals – but in a different way. They are filming them with cameras – to capture the attention of the general public and raise awareness to generate money to help them survive. When asked what creature had the biggest impact on him, Fry smiles beautifically and lets out a wistful sigh, “you just cannot describe the grace of a giant turtle underwater”. He describes the huge female coming ashore, digging a hole with her flippers dropping 85 to 100 eggs, back-filling the hole then going back out to sea. Once the baby turtles hatch they immediately head for sea and an internal magnetic compass allows them to return to the exact same spot where they were hatched when they are ready to drop their own eggs. Unfortunately the turtle eggs are frequently poached and eaten by locals and so Mark and Stephen visited a conservation area where they’re kept safe and hatched under supervision. Fry speaks about how extraordinary it was to watch the hatching of these 100 ‘teeny weeny creatures – like bathroom toys’. They film them as they head immediately for the sea, where the sun hits the sparkling water. The baby turtles’ confidence and eagerness is touching and the camera focuses on the last baby as it makes its final lurching thrusts for the water. Suddenly, it is grabbed by a crab waiting in a hole and Mark and Stephen cry out in dismay. Mark quickly flips it away to safety and grins sheepishly at the camera saying “I know you’re not supposed to intervene...but hey...” Fry says he realises that extinction is part of the natural order of things but that the past 150 years has seen its most intense period. He discusses the need for a joined-up approach to conservation and and how there is no chance of saving a species and its habitat if you do not first see its country as a political and social entity and harness local human populations to engage with the plight of their native species – to learn to love and be proud of their country’s creatures. He talks of his admiration for the biologists and conservationists on the ground and the need for the media and public figures to inspire people with how beautiful, important and remarkable these creatures are and what a shame it’d be to lose them. He says that humans are gifted with emotions and need to retain the ability to engage emotionally with such things. Fry is really pleased with the success of ‘Last Chance To See’ and says the BBC has always done a great job of showing us awesome wildlife but perhaps now is the time to follow up the urgency of the message about the importance of conservation. When deciding how best to repay the carbon footprint they made in flying, he looked at various carbon offset charities but decided on the World Land Trust – which gives money to people to help buy land ([web link] He voices his concern it still doesn’t justify their emissions but then talks about how travel can have a positive impact on conservation - pointing out that the mountain gorillas that Fry visited in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, for example, would not exist without tourism. Western visitors pay the wages of the rangers who work hard to protect the remaining gorillas – and without their money, the forests would be pulled down and all would be lost. Fry urged the audience to take this remarkable trip, saying “in the case of these gorillas, seeing them up close will change you life and it will help to keep them alive.” He says that coming face to face with a gorilla wipes out the exhaustion of trudging through the inhospitable terrain of the forest, claiming “all the pain disappears, it’s a sentimental moment and it means something”. During the filming of ‘Last Chance To See’, Fry is nearly moved to tears as he watches a huge crew of local Kenyans attempt to relocate a male black rhino in order to start up a new population. In every episode, the concern and concentration of the conservationists involved demonstrates how constructive human intervention can be, in the wake of our careless destruction. One can only hope that this ability to carry out great good, as well as great harm, is what can redeem us as a race. |
