Re: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell
Dear Michael, Stan and List: I believe it would be helpful to point out that if contemplated, both Aldo Leopold and Steve Irwin were doing the same job but using different methods. However, Steve's job was to generate conservation interest to an otherwise-disinterested public at large and generally visual-learning children. He did this by taking a calculated risk and interacting with wildlife, which is not unrepresented in the academic/research field. For instance, I attended an undergraduate physics course whereby the professor would routinely demonstrate potentially disastrous principles--- such as the laws of motion, by allowing a large steel ball released from a starting position at his nose, to swing across the stage and return to the position from which he released the object, which was very close but not quite his face. It was extremely helpful as a visual lesson to the bleary- eyed undergrads sitting in the morning class; however, there was danger by doing this. The professor was buying our interest using his own risk and interacting with physics. It sparked out imagination. There are many examples of risk undertaken for the sake of education or science; we do it every day when in the field conducting our studies. In addition, I believe there to be no doubt among ecologists that we are living in an age of mass-extinctions and mass-indifference. It seems prudent to engage the potential of mass-media to spark imagination and awareness which then provides an opportunity for ecological science to become relevant to the public. Steve was a spark and I say our job now as ecologists is to capitalize on our relevance and provide the scientific context of what that man attempted to do through entertainment. Best regards, Mac Kobza Aquatic Ecologist South Florida Water Management District Everglades Research Division 1480 Skees Road West Palm Beach, FL 33411 561.686.8800 ext. 4543 561.681.6310 Fax [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell
Quite frankly, I found the Jonkel essay quoted below to be an over-the-top, egotistical rant. Please, everyone, lighten up. Treadwell may have been a nutcase, but Steve Irwin was a children's entertainer, and performed a very valuable function. The ignorance about and level of fear of normal wildlife in our mostly urban environs is incredible. People whacking opossums over the head with shovels thinking that they're giant rats, mothers shrieking and calling the cops (and newspapers) at the glimpse of coyotes (notorious devourers of children), snake phobia, ad nauseum ad infinitum. Steve Irwin's 'antics' showed kids (and many ignorant adults) that wildlife was not to be feared and mindlessly obliterated on sight. This message is best presented to certain audiences, perhaps the ones that need it most, just as Irwin presented it. We can all sit in our ivory towers and hold up the best wildlife documentaries as the models, and proclaim all other pedagogical techniques as tacky, but that ignores most of the potential audience. Though not a fan of Irwin, I never saw any animal abuse or killings, but rather respect and awe, just the things you want to inculcate in children. Sure, he was a showman, and the success he had is perhaps the source of some jealousy on the part of less successful educators. William R. Porter Date:Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:55:49 + From:stan moore [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell Folks -- the following essay was published on http://www.counterpunch.org I tend to agree with Dr. Jonkel about Steve Irwin and the late Timothy Treadwell. Both of these men were entertainers who used wildlife as their props to attract an audience and whose antics I believe were never in the best interest of the wyldlife they so claimed to love. This does not mean that science and education cannot be co-mingled, but there are lines of ethics that should not be crossed and I believe that jumping on crocodiles for entertaining television footage or invading the comfort zones of large bears for the same reason cross those lines. Paradoxically, these sort of human behaviors tend to get corrected by the targets of the behaviors when those wildlife have had enough. Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] here is the essay I spoke of: September 25, 2006 People of the Croc Hunter Ilk are Worse Than the Most Bloodthirsty Slob Hunter Save a Grizzly, Visit a Library By Dr. CHARLES JONKEL The mass media, wildlife film industry, wildlife filmmakers, Hollywood celebrities and wildlife agencies need a good dressing down. The proliferation of el cheapo, entertainment-oriented wildlife films causes drastic impacts on wildlife species worldwide. As humans become ever more oriented to human creations, totally urban lifestyles, glitz and glitter, personalities, high-speed everything, oddball moments, self-centered blogs, instant wealth at anything's expense, frivolous religion and politics, and endless/meaningless drivel and marketing, wild animals suffer. So the Croc Hunter was done in by a stingray and Timothy Treadwell by a brown bear. In both cases they earned their own demise, fooling with nature, doing goofy things with large and formidable animals better left alone. Steve Irwin's stupid behaviors with animals teasing them, getting too close, goading them into attacks not only teaches bad value and interactions relative to wildlife, but will be copied by thousands of other airheads for decades to come and has set ever lower standards for the media-an industry which constantly exploits wildlife with quick-and-dirty films, film clips, and wildlife news focused on the trivial. For 29 years I have rallied against such wildlife pornography. I created the International Wildlife Film Festival to set high standards and to promote the production of high-quality wildlife films. Even before IWFF, I recognized that bears (in particular) were vulnerable to excessive and dramatized reporting and human interest. I started early on (the early 1960s) to teach not exploiting bear charisma for profit and gain, or to enhance one's ego. I have always used bears as a medium to teach and communicate about science and nature, but in ways not detrimental to the bears. Likewise, for decades I have been trying to encourage wildlife agencies, wildlife researchers, managers, law enforcement people, and university-level wildlife departments to deal with extensive wildlife exploitation within the mass media, the wildlife film industry, and wildlife film marketing. Professionals, well aware of the terrible impacts on wildlife by market hunters early in the 1960s, have steadfastly remained in denial about wildlife in the wildlife film marketplace. Even today, almost no wildlife management, research, or law enforcement is practiced on, focused on, or taught
Reply to Stan;Re: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell
Stan and All, I would have to disagree with you on this one Stan. You are not a herpetologist and it shows. Do you know how to properly restrain Crocodilians? Watch Steve Irwin's shows and you will see how. This is exactly how it is done in the zoo field and by herp researchers. I will admit the way he handled snakes is NOT how zoo herpetologists or herp researchers do but outside of a few dangerous behaviors a lot of his techniques were right on. As for dwindling down his show to pure entertainment you are flat out way off base. Steve Irwin was first and foremost a conservationist. He has put his money where his mouth is and taken his millions and bought habitat for Australian wildlife. Name any other herpetologist or biologist including your beloved Aldo Leopold who used their own money to buy habitat? Further Leopold considered herps pests and does not consider them important fauna (read A Sand County Almanac). That, in itself, is very ignorant. Further Irwin has enlightened more children and others to herp and wildlife conservation than, for example, Leopold has ever done. Ask anyone if they have heard of Aldo Leopold and then ask them if they have heard of Steve Irwin. You will find Irwin's message has stretched far and wide. I know that Leopold is beloved by academics and others in the wildlife field. I also know he is considered the father of wildlife management but he isn't perfect and neither is Irwin. Bottom line here, Stan, is you are wrong and way off base. Steve Irwin has done more for herp education with a conservation message than anyone and for you to belittle him is uncalled for and you as a feathered reptile activist should know that :)! Take Care, Mike Welker Herpetologist / Wildlife Scientist Former head of the Reptile Department @ The Central Florida Zoo - Original Message - From: stan moore [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 5:55 PM Subject: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell Folks -- the following essay was published on http://www.counterpunch.org I tend to agree with Dr. Jonkel about Steve Irwin and the late Timothy Treadwell. Both of these men were entertainers who used wildlife as their props to attract an audience and whose antics I believe were never in the best interest of the wyldlife they so claimed to love. This does not mean that science and education cannot be co-mingled, but there are lines of ethics that should not be crossed and I believe that jumping on crocodiles for entertaining television footage or invading the comfort zones of large bears for the same reason cross those lines. Paradoxically, these sort of human behaviors tend to get corrected by the targets of the behaviors when those wildlife have had enough. Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] here is the essay I spoke of: September 25, 2006 People of the Croc Hunter Ilk are Worse Than the Most Bloodthirsty Slob Hunter Save a Grizzly, Visit a Library By Dr. CHARLES JONKEL The mass media, wildlife film industry, wildlife filmmakers, Hollywood celebrities and wildlife agencies need a good dressing down. The proliferation of el cheapo, entertainment-oriented wildlife films causes drastic impacts on wildlife species worldwide. As humans become ever more oriented to human creations, totally urban lifestyles, glitz and glitter, personalities, high-speed everything, oddball moments, self-centered blogs, instant wealth at anything's expense, frivolous religion and politics, and endless/meaningless drivel and marketing, wild animals suffer. So the Croc Hunter was done in by a stingray and Timothy Treadwell by a brown bear. In both cases they earned their own demise, fooling with nature, doing goofy things with large and formidable animals better left alone. Steve Irwin's stupid behaviors with animals teasing them, getting too close, goading them into attacks not only teaches bad value and interactions relative to wildlife, but will be copied by thousands of other airheads for decades to come and has set ever lower standards for the media-an industry which constantly exploits wildlife with quick-and-dirty films, film clips, and wildlife news focused on the trivial. For 29 years I have rallied against such wildlife pornography. I created the International Wildlife Film Festival to set high standards and to promote the production of high-quality wildlife films. Even before IWFF, I recognized that bears (in particular) were vulnerable to excessive and dramatized reporting and human interest. I started early on (the early 1960s) to teach not exploiting bear charisma for profit and gain, or to enhance one's ego. I have always used bears as a medium to teach and communicate about science and nature, but in ways not detrimental to the bears. Likewise, for decades I have been trying to encourage wildlife agencies, wildlife
Re: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell
William, I agree with you! I thought Steve was fantastic! I know that when I was a kid I liked Jim in Wild Kingdom and so on, and he was only less funny, but just as daring. I think we need more people like Steve around to get kids psyched about nature - better than tatoos and body piercing. I live in southern Brazil now, and have worked in Venezuela, Costa Rica and Panama (and a little in Peru). I know that when I have captured animals to show to my students, they learned a heck of a lot more than just watching them at a distance. And, the animals very rarely suffered for it. I think Steve always emphasized that what he was doing was for the animals. Cheers, Jim William R. Porter said the following on 26/9/2006 12:27: Quite frankly, I found the Jonkel essay quoted below to be an over-the-top, egotistical rant. Please, everyone, lighten up. Treadwell may have been a nutcase, but Steve Irwin was a children's entertainer, and performed a very valuable function. The ignorance about and level of fear of normal wildlife in our mostly urban environs is incredible. People whacking opossums over the head with shovels thinking that they're giant rats, mothers shrieking and calling the cops (and newspapers) at the glimpse of coyotes (notorious devourers of children), snake phobia, ad nauseum ad infinitum. Steve Irwin's 'antics' showed kids (and many ignorant adults) that wildlife was not to be feared and mindlessly obliterated on sight. This message is best presented to certain audiences, perhaps the ones that need it most, just as Irwin presented it. We can all sit in our ivory towers and hold up the best wildlife documentaries as the models, and proclaim all other pedagogical techniques as tacky, but that ignores most of the potential audience. Though not a fan of Irwin, I never saw any animal abuse or killings, but rather respect and awe, just the things you want to inculcate in children. Sure, he was a showman, and the success he had is perhaps the source of some jealousy on the part of less successful educators. William R. Porter Date:Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:55:49 + From:stan moore [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell Folks -- the following essay was published on http://www.counterpunch.org I tend to agree with Dr. Jonkel about Steve Irwin and the late Timothy Treadwell. Both of these men were entertainers who used wildlife as their props to attract an audience and whose antics I believe were never in the best interest of the wyldlife they so claimed to love. This does not mean that science and education cannot be co-mingled, but there are lines of ethics that should not be crossed and I believe that jumping on crocodiles for entertaining television footage or invading the comfort zones of large bears for the same reason cross those lines. Paradoxically, these sort of human behaviors tend to get corrected by the targets of the behaviors when those wildlife have had enough. Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] here is the essay I spoke of: September 25, 2006 People of the Croc Hunter Ilk are Worse Than the Most Bloodthirsty Slob Hunter Save a Grizzly, Visit a Library By Dr. CHARLES JONKEL The mass media, wildlife film industry, wildlife filmmakers, Hollywood celebrities and wildlife agencies need a good dressing down. The proliferation of el cheapo, entertainment-oriented wildlife films causes drastic impacts on wildlife species worldwide. As humans become ever more oriented to human creations, totally urban lifestyles, glitz and glitter, personalities, high-speed everything, oddball moments, self-centered blogs, instant wealth at anything's expense, frivolous religion and politics, and endless/meaningless drivel and marketing, wild animals suffer. So the Croc Hunter was done in by a stingray and Timothy Treadwell by a brown bear. In both cases they earned their own demise, fooling with nature, doing goofy things with large and formidable animals better left alone. Steve Irwin's stupid behaviors with animals teasing them, getting too close, goading them into attacks not only teaches bad value and interactions relative to wildlife, but will be copied by thousands of other airheads for decades to come and has set ever lower standards for the media-an industry which constantly exploits wildlife with quick-and-dirty films, film clips, and wildlife news focused on the trivial. For 29 years I have rallied against such wildlife pornography. I created the International Wildlife Film Festival to set high standards and to promote the production of high-quality wildlife films. Even before IWFF, I recognized that bears (in particular) were vulnerable to excessive and dramatized reporting and human interest. I started early on (the early 1960s) to teach not exploiting bear charisma for profit
Re: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell
Perhaps I'm a bit naïve but I thought Irwin did a great job of showing the audience a variety of wildlife, explaining it in simple terms, and showing respect and enthusiasm regarding wildlife. I don't think wildlife biologists were his intended audience. When my son was 5, he'd have his big rubber snake on the ground and would start explaining things about it, then try to capture it like Irwin might. He knew (and still knows) better than to do this with a real snake because 1)Irwin talked about the dangers of the animals he dealt with, and 2)I explained to him that people like Irwin go to college and learn from other professionals. (yes, I know there are self-taught naturalists) People like Irwin (I honestly don't know anything about Treadwell) and other naturalists shown on Animal Planet and Discoery may be showman of sorts, but they are also bringing wildlife into the homes of people that normally don't see it and may not otherwise appreciate it. The next time you see a kid, ask if they ever watched Irwin, and what they might have learned. Then ask them if they know any biologists from any state DNR or from any university in the country and what that person does. I have a feeling it will be a very humbling discussion. Matt Buffington, Statewide Environmental Biologist Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife 402 W. Washington St., Room W273 Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone: 317-234-0586 Cell: 317-430-4350 Fax: 317-232-8150 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of William R. Porter Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2006 11:27 AM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: Re: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell Quite frankly, I found the Jonkel essay quoted below to be an over-the-top, egotistical rant. Please, everyone, lighten up. Treadwell may have been a nutcase, but Steve Irwin was a children's entertainer, and performed a very valuable function. The ignorance about and level of fear of normal wildlife in our mostly urban environs is incredible. People whacking opossums over the head with shovels thinking that they're giant rats, mothers shrieking and calling the cops (and newspapers) at the glimpse of coyotes (notorious devourers of children), snake phobia, ad nauseum ad infinitum. Steve Irwin's 'antics' showed kids (and many ignorant adults) that wildlife was not to be feared and mindlessly obliterated on sight. This message is best presented to certain audiences, perhaps the ones that need it most, just as Irwin presented it. We can all sit in our ivory towers and hold up the best wildlife documentaries as the models, and proclaim all other pedagogical techniques as tacky, but that ignores most of the potential audience. Though not a fan of Irwin, I never saw any animal abuse or killings, but rather respect and awe, just the things you want to inculcate in children. Sure, he was a showman, and the success he had is perhaps the source of some jealousy on the part of less successful educators. William R. Porter Date:Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:55:49 + From:stan moore [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell Folks -- the following essay was published on http://www.counterpunch.org I tend to agree with Dr. Jonkel about Steve Irwin and the late Timothy Treadwell. Both of these men were entertainers who used wildlife as their props to attract an audience and whose antics I believe were never in the best interest of the wyldlife they so claimed to love. This does not mean that science and education cannot be co-mingled, but there are lines of ethics that should not be crossed and I believe that jumping on crocodiles for entertaining television footage or invading the comfort zones of large bears for the same reason cross those lines. Paradoxically, these sort of human behaviors tend to get corrected by the targets of the behaviors when those wildlife have had enough. Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] here is the essay I spoke of: September 25, 2006 People of the Croc Hunter Ilk are Worse Than the Most Bloodthirsty Slob Hunter Save a Grizzly, Visit a Library By Dr. CHARLES JONKEL The mass media, wildlife film industry, wildlife filmmakers, Hollywood celebrities and wildlife agencies need a good dressing down. The proliferation of el cheapo, entertainment-oriented wildlife films causes drastic impacts on wildlife species worldwide. As humans become ever more oriented to human creations, totally urban lifestyles, glitz and glitter, personalities, high-speed everything, oddball moments, self-centered blogs, instant wealth at anything's expense, frivolous religion and politics, and endless/meaningless drivel and marketing, wild animals suffer. So the Croc Hunter was done in by a stingray and Timothy
Re: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell
There are quite a few of us out here whose first exposure to the natural sciences beyond our own neighborhood was through kid friendly nature shows such as Wild Kingdom. I used to love Jim Fowler and Marlin Perkins and would insist my family sit quietly through the show each week. Episodes of Jacques Cousteau's show were equally adored. I dreamed of becoming a biologist in large part because of what I saw on those shows each week. There are kids now who will be drawn into natural science careers because of Steve Irwin, just as Fowler and Cousteau attracted me. I think it's inappropriate to compare Irwin to Timothy Treadwell. If that documentary is accurate, Treadwell was suffering from addiction and chose to let the bears cure him rather than seeking treatment. He seemed to be on a steady course of increasing emotional problems. Steve Irwin gave no indication of any of this, instead managing a zoo and a media empire in addition to his extensive conservation work. Terry James J. Roper wrote: William, I agree with you! I thought Steve was fantastic! I know that when I was a kid I liked Jim in Wild Kingdom and so on, and he was only less funny, but just as daring. I think we need more people like Steve around to get kids psyched about nature - better than tatoos and body piercing. I live in southern Brazil now, and have worked in Venezuela, Costa Rica and Panama (and a little in Peru). I know that when I have captured animals to show to my students, they learned a heck of a lot more than just watching them at a distance. And, the animals very rarely suffered for it. I think Steve always emphasized that what he was doing was for the animals. Cheers, Jim William R. Porter said the following on 26/9/2006 12:27: Quite frankly, I found the Jonkel essay quoted below to be an over-the-top, egotistical rant. Please, everyone, lighten up. Treadwell may have been a nutcase, but Steve Irwin was a children's entertainer, and performed a very valuable function. The ignorance about and level of fear of normal wildlife in our mostly urban environs is incredible. People whacking opossums over the head with shovels thinking that they're giant rats, mothers shrieking and calling the cops (and newspapers) at the glimpse of coyotes (notorious devourers of children), snake phobia, ad nauseum ad infinitum. Steve Irwin's 'antics' showed kids (and many ignorant adults) that wildlife was not to be feared and mindlessly obliterated on sight. This message is best presented to certain audiences, perhaps the ones that need it most, just as Irwin presented it. We can all sit in our ivory towers and hold up the best wildlife documentaries as the models, and proclaim all other pedagogical techniques as tacky, but that ignores most of the potential audience. Though not a fan of Irwin, I never saw any animal abuse or killings, but rather respect and awe, just the things you want to inculcate in children. Sure, he was a showman, and the success he had is perhaps the source of some jealousy on the part of less successful educators. William R. Porter Date:Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:55:49 + From:stan moore [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell Folks -- the following essay was published on http://www.counterpunch.org I tend to agree with Dr. Jonkel about Steve Irwin and the late Timothy Treadwell. Both of these men were entertainers who used wildlife as their props to attract an audience and whose antics I believe were never in the best interest of the wyldlife they so claimed to love. This does not mean that science and education cannot be co-mingled, but there are lines of ethics that should not be crossed and I believe that jumping on crocodiles for entertaining television footage or invading the comfort zones of large bears for the same reason cross those lines. Paradoxically, these sort of human behaviors tend to get corrected by the targets of the behaviors when those wildlife have had enough. Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] here is the essay I spoke of: September 25, 2006 People of the Croc Hunter Ilk are Worse Than the Most Bloodthirsty Slob Hunter Save a Grizzly, Visit a Library By Dr. CHARLES JONKEL The mass media, wildlife film industry, wildlife filmmakers, Hollywood celebrities and wildlife agencies need a good dressing down. The proliferation of el cheapo, entertainment-oriented wildlife films causes drastic impacts on wildlife species worldwide. As humans become ever more oriented to human creations, totally urban lifestyles, glitz and glitter, personalities, high-speed everything, oddball moments, self-centered blogs, instant wealth at anything's expense, frivolous religion and politics, and endless/meaningless drivel and marketing, wild animals suffer. So the Croc Hunter was done in by a
critical essay on the antics of Irwin and Treadwell
Folks -- the following essay was published on http://www.counterpunch.org I tend to agree with Dr. Jonkel about Steve Irwin and the late Timothy Treadwell. Both of these men were entertainers who used wildlife as their props to attract an audience and whose antics I believe were never in the best interest of the wyldlife they so claimed to love. This does not mean that science and education cannot be co-mingled, but there are lines of ethics that should not be crossed and I believe that jumping on crocodiles for entertaining television footage or invading the comfort zones of large bears for the same reason cross those lines. Paradoxically, these sort of human behaviors tend to get corrected by the targets of the behaviors when those wildlife have had enough. Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] here is the essay I spoke of: September 25, 2006 People of the Croc Hunter Ilk are Worse Than the Most Bloodthirsty Slob Hunter Save a Grizzly, Visit a Library By Dr. CHARLES JONKEL The mass media, wildlife film industry, wildlife filmmakers, Hollywood celebrities and wildlife agencies need a good dressing down. The proliferation of el cheapo, entertainment-oriented wildlife films causes drastic impacts on wildlife species worldwide. As humans become ever more oriented to human creations, totally urban lifestyles, glitz and glitter, personalities, high-speed everything, oddball moments, self-centered blogs, instant wealth at anything's expense, frivolous religion and politics, and endless/meaningless drivel and marketing, wild animals suffer. So the Croc Hunter was done in by a stingray and Timothy Treadwell by a brown bear. In both cases they earned their own demise, fooling with nature, doing goofy things with large and formidable animals better left alone. Steve Irwin's stupid behaviors with animals teasing them, getting too close, goading them into attacks not only teaches bad value and interactions relative to wildlife, but will be copied by thousands of other airheads for decades to come and has set ever lower standards for the media-an industry which constantly exploits wildlife with quick-and-dirty films, film clips, and wildlife news focused on the trivial. For 29 years I have rallied against such wildlife pornography. I created the International Wildlife Film Festival to set high standards and to promote the production of high-quality wildlife films. Even before IWFF, I recognized that bears (in particular) were vulnerable to excessive and dramatized reporting and human interest. I started early on (the early 1960s) to teach not exploiting bear charisma for profit and gain, or to enhance one's ego. I have always used bears as a medium to teach and communicate about science and nature, but in ways not detrimental to the bears. Likewise, for decades I have been trying to encourage wildlife agencies, wildlife researchers, managers, law enforcement people, and university-level wildlife departments to deal with extensive wildlife exploitation within the mass media, the wildlife film industry, and wildlife film marketing. Professionals, well aware of the terrible impacts on wildlife by market hunters early in the 1960s, have steadfastly remained in denial about wildlife in the wildlife film marketplace. Even today, almost no wildlife management, research, or law enforcement is practiced on, focused on, or taught about the enormous, deleterious effects of bad wildlife filmmaking, distribution, marketing or screening. I often note that hunters, fishermen and trappers are constantly controlled, regulated, held to high sportsman standards and pursued for violations. The typical hunter has a wad of papers about 200 pages long in his or her pocket in order to stay legal, to guide on bag limits, seasons, hunting times, sex and age, closed or open areas, care of the meat, caliber of the rifle or type of shot used, etc. In the meantime, those same agencies encourage and aid countless filmmakers, camera crews, photographers, editors, writers, and whatever to go out and do whatever they want, when they want and where they want. Staff biologists are not encouraged to monitor, evaluate and speak out on, or control, wildlife productions. The content is basically considered entertainment for in the evening, not a wildlife professional's responsibility. Treadwell, for example, was allowed to do many things illegal for others to do. Worse, perhaps, the needed standards, ethical evaluations, impacts on wildlife and actions needed are not included in wildlife textbooks or classrooms. The whole matter is studiously ignored, as not important in the profession of wildlife biology, despite the 29 years that IWFF and the Great Bear Foundation have called for action. Poachers with a camera still mostly write their own rules. People like Irwin and Treadwell still do what they damn well please with animals-countless actions that a hunter
