Big Cat Diaries – Season 1 – Episode 1

Episode: Season 1, Episode 1
Network: Animal Planet
Watched: 18 January 2013

I’m pulling these off Netflix, and they seem like fun to write about, so I’m going to start using these as filler, simply because I can. It’s my sort of soap opera.

First comment of note: Baby big cats are adorable. Just straight up adorable. Particularly cheetah babies.

It’s clear that the cats in this place are used to cars, but that’s no shocker due to it being a park. They also seem to be very well studied, given how much our narrator already knows about them. It annoys me that he talks about knowing Halftail, but not about the circumstances of how they know so much before filming started.

Fundi, the cheetah, is a lovely animal. in general, cheetah are brilliant animals. I wish we lived in the era where anyone could just own a cheetah and walk that sucker right down the street on a leash like a dog. I’d totally be one of those people. And the run after the bat-eared fox makes me think of a lure coursing setup, like you see used for sighthounds or with zoo cheetahs.

As Hyenas go, Ardwolves are must more interesting looking than spotted or striped. Though they have that same funny way of running. Cheetahs are brilliant to watch hunting. I can see why ancient peoples were so fond of them as a hunting animal. So sleek and fast and more exciting than most races.

I love that they’re showing weather that we don’t normally get to see much of on animal shows. Sometimes it seems as though some shows simply don’t film without perfect visual conditions. This might have something to do with how rare certain behaviors are to catch on camera.

Leopard’s and housecats make the same “I meant to do that” face when they do something silly like the tree they’re climbing breaks.

I would love to see the Mara someday, along with the Serengeti. Places so unlike Northern WI where I live. I have seen video footage of the river crossing a million times, though. Every documentary that includes the Mara shows it. And in almost the exact same way. It’d be nice to see new takes on it, or more interesting footage of it if we’re going to be shown it again.

I love the Marsh Pride reaction to the strange males. It’s exactly the way I’d have responded if those two overconfident rapscallions showed up. I do wish they’d talked at least some about what happened to the Marsh Pride males, though. There must have been some at one point, given the presence of young lions. I suspect that the golden maned male was expecting to be met with resident males, not a handful of lionesses who didn’t take kindly to his boldness.

It will be interesting to see what conflicts come in the next episode.

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