Crocodile attack on puppy made me sick, says BBC director
IT WAS one of the most brutal and bloody episodes of the BBC’S acclaimed wildlife series, with animals ripping each other to shreds in disturbing scenes.
The drama at the heart of last night’s episode of Dynasties, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, proved too much even for Nick Lyon, the series director, who vomited as he witnessed a crocodile lunge out of the water and snatch a tiny, painted wolf pup.
The crew had spent two years monitoring two rival packs of painted wolves, also known as African wild dogs, as they battled for territory on the banks of the Zambezi in Zimbabwe.
They focused on Tait, which had ruled one pack for five years, but was threatened by Blacktip, one of its own female pups, that ruled a 30-strong pack and was after its mother’s territory. Blacktip gave birth to a litter of five pups during the programme. It had already lost one of its pups to hyenas when the pack was seen resting at the water’s edge after a narrow escape with a pride of lions.
Suddenly, a crocodile struck. It was too quick for one of the pups, which was grabbed by the paw and filmed being dragged into the water, flailing helplessly.
The BBC confirmed that the pup’s death was so horrific that it caused Lyon to vomit. The director said: “When you follow animals for as long as we did, you get to know them and care what happens to them.
“It becomes an emotional experience when you see one of the characters having a bad time, or having real success. I loved the puppies. I remember when they were out of the den for the first time at just three weeks old. They were so tiny, with oversized heads, that would overbalance on their front legs.”