Local: Oakland man stars in animal-rescue TV series.
Show follows photographer into disaster zones to save needy critters
When disaster strikes, it’s go time for Douglas Thron.
An Oakland resident, Thron is a videographer who has chased climate catastrophes around the world to save animals victimized by hurricanes, firestorms and floods that continue to grow in frequency and intensity.
Now his compassionate work has been captured for all to see in the uplifting, six-part documentary series “Doug to the Rescue,” premiering today on CuriosityStream.
The series follows Thron across the globe as he uses drone technology to spot and track down pets and other critters amid the rubble of a disaster zone. Episode one, for example, opens with Thron in the Bahamas, where Hurricane Dorian slammed the Abaco Islands with Category 5 ferocity in 2019.
Destruction is everywhere. Hundreds of houses have been wiped out. It would take hours to traverse the area on foot, but with his drone, Thron can fly over it in minutes and thus is able to spot two pit bulls in desperate need of food and water.
As the soft-spoken Thron points out, his flying machine “is not like the drones you can buy at the mall.” It’s equipped with infrared technology, a superzoom camera and a spotlight, all of which greatly aid his search missions.
Later in the same episode, Thron finds himself only an hour away from his Oakland home — in Vacaville, where the LNU Lightning Complex fires torched homes, roads and the surrounding hills just last year. He scours social media looking for posts about missing pets and at one point locates several malnourished horses.
Thron, we learn, knew at the age of 4 that he wanted to be a wildlife cinematographer after falling under the spell of “Wild Kingdom” on television. Growing up in Texas, he, at various times, owned a wide assortment of animals, including turtles, snakes and even a beaver.
As a young adult, Thron used his skills to make a good living shooting highend homes for real estate
companies. But he found the work unfulfilling. Now he is known as one of the world’s most highly experienced drone pilots, filming for TV networks like National Geographic and Discovery Channel.
Though he lives on a boat in Oakland with a dog he rescued named Duke, Thron spends most of his time on the road. Last year’s devastating bush fires in Australia, for example, kept him in that country for seven months.
“I’ve gotta fight for the animals and the wilderness,” he insists.
“Doug to the Rescue” has a little something for everyone — from animal lovers and environmentalists to tech junkies. There are images of destruction that will leave you feeling shattered, but also images that will restore your faith in humanity.
And when you see Thron clinging to a rescued baby koala, don’t be surprised if your heart goes all soft and squishy.