# Absolutely Horrified.....



## polaris2582 (Jan 19, 2011)

So... I gave up on Animal Planet a while ago, but thought the Nat Geo Wild was at least a little more forgivable.... NO MORE.

I've just flicked on "Animal Superpowers", and watched a "scientish" put an Axolotal to sleep then snip off it's front leg with scissors!!! Just picked it up in tweezers and snipped it off then let the animal wake up..... Just so he could photograph the limb regrowing...Just to watch it regrow!!!!!

Then a second "scientist" came on and held a leopard gecko (looked about 4 months old!!!) in his fist and pinch and pull the base of it's tail until he pulled it off, just to watch and laugh at it jumping all over the table and flipping around.....

While I understand the need to study such things, this was utterly unacceptable to me and I've sent of an absolutely scathing review of the show to the channel.

I was nearly sick with the display of determined cruelty, and "scientific study" I find it sickening that I live in a world where you can get paid to go on TV and mutilate innocent animals!! On a supposedly animal enthusiast channel!!

We KNOW a leopard gecko can drop it's tails... there's probably hundreds of hours of footage of it happening naturally, and induced... where is the need to torture these animals for a half hour show???? It makes me wonder how many "takes" it got to get it just right, and how many poor gecko's they've tortured....

I was particularly disgusted that Patrick Stuart was hosting the show, I will never be able to watch anything of his again.

Absolutely disgusted with this!!!! How is it possibly legal????

If anyone wants to check it out, I reckommend you DON'T, it was episode one, and please please, send in a comment about it to the show. How dare governments questions OUR hobby, OUR love and passion, then allow those idiots to indulge in such horror!!!


----------



## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

polaris2582 said:


> So... I gave up on Animal Planet a while ago, but thought the Nat Geo Wild was at least a little more forgivable.... NO MORE.
> 
> I've just flicked on "Animal Superpowers", and watched a "scientish" put an Axolotal to sleep then snip off it's front leg with scissors!!! Just picked it up in tweezers and snipped it off then let the animal wake up..... Just so he could photograph the limb regrowing...Just to watch it regrow!!!!!
> 
> ...


Relax my friend! 

That's what scientists do... How did you think they studied things? 

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


----------



## trogdorable (Feb 4, 2011)

Kelfezond said:


> Relax my friend!
> 
> That's what scientists do... How did you think they studied things?
> 
> Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


it wasnt done for science. it was done for entertainment, which is the issue. 
seems there are no decent animal documentary type channels anymore. they just want to entertian the morons that find that stuff amusing.


----------



## VixxieandTrixxie (Mar 20, 2012)

:gasp: Oh my thats horrendous!!


----------



## polaris2582 (Jan 19, 2011)

Kelfezond said:


> Relax my friend!
> 
> That's what scientists do... How did you think they studied things?
> 
> Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2



It certainly was NOT done for science, it was done for entertainment purposes and no other....

I am a qualified zoologist, I can assure you, that is not how thing's are "studied", that is how thing's are tortured.


----------



## Zerox Z21 (Oct 10, 2012)

trogdorable said:


> it wasnt done for science. it was done for entertainment, which is the issue.
> seems there are no decent animal documentary type channels anymore. they just want to entertian the morons that find that stuff amusing.


This.
I'm doing a zoology course at university. For study involving any vertebrates (or higher inverts such as cephalopods I think) you must apply for an ethics licence.
I think those actions would also breach animal cruelty laws in this country; the program was probably originally produced in America.
Calling this science is insulting to any proper scientist. Certainly any of the scientists or lecturers at my uni would be disgusted, I can assure you.

It sounds sickening and I thought National Geographic would have better standards than this.
EDIT: The channel seems to be under ownership/control of Fox International. May well explain alot.


----------



## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

To complete experiments like that (particularly invasive studies like that) they should have completed ethical reviews... can't believe they passed them. 

Yes, scientists do these things and yes, there is usually a reason behind it (more often than not for human benefit). But if it's been well researched and done to death (like regeneration and autotomy) then generally they are not meant to do it as it's a waste of time, resources and stress/pain to animals. Unless there's good reasons (for the benefits of animals) invasive studies are not encouraged by any organisation or institute in this country nowadays.


----------



## JonnyFrilledDragonLawson (Oct 26, 2012)

disgusting


----------



## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

Zerox Z21 said:


> This.
> I'm doing a zoology course at university. For study involving any vertebrates (or higher inverts such as cephalopods I think) you must apply for an ethics licence.
> I think those actions would also breach animal cruelty laws in this country; the program was probably originally produced in America.
> Calling this science is insulting to any proper scientist. Certainly any of the scientists or lecturers at my uni would be disgusted, I can assure you.
> ...


 
Yep, for any research involving any living thing you MUST obtain Ethical Approval from the relevant board. If you don't, not only is it illegal, but your 'results' will not stand as your methods have not been approved. I had to complete an ethical approval form last year for an anthropological piece of study, no way could you ask to twist and pull off a geckos tail and have it granted!


----------



## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

That sounds horrific, and it certainly doesn't sound like science as someone else just said it sounds like it was filmed just for entertainment.


----------



## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

What did the show say they were doing it for? 

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


----------



## GlasgowGecko (Feb 23, 2008)

polaris2582 said:


> I am a qualified zoologist, I can assure you, that is not how thing's are "studied", that is how thing's are tortured.


What constitutes a "qualified zoologist"?


----------



## Zerox Z21 (Oct 10, 2012)

Even if such tests needed to be done for science, the animals involved would have been taken better care of. Scissors and hands are extremely crude and unsurgical, as well as among the more unkind methods of amputation.

I have sent emails of complaint to:
UK Nat Geo Wild department: [email protected]
National Geographic: [email protected]
Any of you who agree with me may wish to do the same. The more the merrier, as it were.
I also find it interesting that the Nat Geo Wild channel seems to be owned and controlled by Fox International, as I added to my previous post. Hence I decided to send an additional email to National Geographic themselves, containing my complaint and questioning their part and opinion of this. They are a professional and renowned scientific literature so I hope that they are just as appalled as I am. I will let you guys know if I ever hear anything back. Big if though.

EDIT: GlasgowGecko, I am currently on a zoology course. I suppose I'd be qualified assuming I pass with BscHons. I can ascertain that this is entirely unscientific if that is what you are asking. I shouldn't even need to explain why. Calling themselves scientists is quite frankly insulting.


----------



## alexandrosham (Nov 5, 2011)

I remember watching this a while back and being disgusted, not only by this but also how the axolotl were kept in such small enclosures in what seemed sheer unnecessary numbers..

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## aidey07 (Nov 16, 2008)

I dont agree with this either but people around the world are fishing and hunting for fun !
People in the western part of the world are eating reptiles!

Aiden


----------



## Kelfezond (Nov 20, 2010)

aidey07 said:


> People in the western part of the world are eating reptiles!


I don't! :-S

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


----------



## trogdorable (Feb 4, 2011)

aidey07 said:


> I dont agree with this either but people around the world are fishing and hunting for fun !
> People in the western part of the world are eating reptiles!
> 
> Aiden


whats wrong with eating reptiles? so long as they are dispatched humanly, ethicaly is it any different to eating pig?


----------



## Bexzini (Oct 21, 2010)

Do you have a link for this show please?


----------



## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i hate animal planet... i call it the "tortured animal channel"...

all they show here is abused animals... starving horses, savaged dogs..... that sort of thing...

how anyone can enjoy watching that crap is beyond me...


----------



## IceBloodExotics (Sep 17, 2012)

That's horrible....

I wonder if its the same scientists that do work for APA...:whistling2:


----------



## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

http://img1.joyreactor.com/pics/post/full/funny-pictures-****ing-science-auto-393781.jpeg


----------



## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

It will upset us, knowing their behaviors, we keep them as much loved pets, scientists tend not to attatch themselves to the animal, but we can't deny it is through harsh testing that we know alot of what we know now etc meh, I don't even watch those channels any more, they just really get on the back of my nerves.

The last time I watched one of them programs A crocodile was removed and pts just because some silly swimmer decided to take a dip in croc infested waters (with warning signs) and he had his leg ripped off? well I am sorry, but that is just stupid and you deserve what you get if that's the case.

Why not just go to the local swimming pool, baths?


----------



## zombietomb (Apr 8, 2012)

polaris2582 said:


> So... I gave up on Animal Planet a while ago, but thought the Nat Geo Wild was at least a little more forgivable.... NO MORE.
> 
> I've just flicked on "Animal Superpowers", and watched a "scientish" put an Axolotal to sleep then snip off it's front leg with scissors!!! Just picked it up in tweezers and snipped it off then let the animal wake up..... Just so he could photograph the limb regrowing...Just to watch it regrow!!!!!
> 
> ...


Not a single word here i could possibly disagree with, this is beyond disgraceful


----------



## Bio (Oct 12, 2012)

Even though scientist do perform experiments on animals, this show should not be mentioned in the same way as research conducted that was approved by an ethical committee.

What has been described what happened to the animals would never have been gone through a committee because firstly: the “research” conducted was not new. It is commonly known and already reported in scientific journals how geckos are able to regenerate their tail, and axolotls re-grow their limbs. As no new “research” was conducted, and just “looking” at what happens has been done many times before the ethical committee would have declined the project proposal. No animal should suffer for anything that has been done before.

Secondly, especially in the leopard gecko case, it should have been put to sleep during the time the tale tip was pulled off. No real committee would have agreed with this method, as it is painfull to the animal, and with a simple aesthetic.

So please, don’t compare this show to scientific experiments. Yes we conduct experiments on animals, but always in the most humane ways possible and with the back up from an ethical committee.

Rebecca


----------

