The TV documentary “Wild New Zealand” shows a happy paradise
Strange creatures, strange customs: Artie takes a humorous look at New Zealand in a three-part documentary.
Jungle-dwelling penguins, diving grasshoppers, birds that make themselves out of flower pollen and glow-in-the-dark mosquito larvae: Arte's three “Wild New Zealand” documentaries give the impression that the country is on the other side of the world. The world is a paradise for its strange residents. It is no coincidence that New Zealand has made the kiwi its heraldic animal. A bird that is almost blind and too fat to fly.
The strange plant and animal life on the islands south-east of Australia can be explained as follows: New Zealand has been separated from other land areas for thousands of years. Here, prehistoric animals were able to survive and develop life forms. But other types are missing. New Zealand has no large predators such as wolves, lions or foxes.
A delicate balance of nature
Giant insects are among the most dangerous inhabitants. For example, the fist-sized Powelliphanta snail, which eats earthworms like spaghetti. Or colobus – a type of millipede without legs – that spits out caustic saliva when someone gets too close. But even these unpleasant creatures will leave you amazed.
Thanks to wildlife filmmakers Nick Easton, Mark Flowers and Robert Morgenstern. The team filmed in New Zealand for two years. In 2011, German Robert Morgenstern received the world's most important nature film award as a “newcomer” to the USA for his film Helgoland – Island in the Storm. So there were professionals at work and you can see that in every shot in the three parts of the documentary. The fantail's remarkable flying skills become evident in slow motion and only from a distance does the viewer realize that thousands of glowing mosquito larvae are trying to imitate the starry sky.
Filmmakers get close to the animals
The filmmakers get amazingly close to their animal actors. The average visitor to New Zealand must be very lucky to see the lovestruck kiwis hunting through the undergrowth.
But movies want to show more than just beautiful landscapes and lovable animals. All creatures small and large have one thing in common: almost all of them are found only in New Zealand. Every human intervention in this fragile ecosystem impacts and, in the worst cases, leads to extinction. That's why the documentary also shows people committed to wildlife conservation in New Zealand. For example, the endangered kakapo, a type of flightless parrot. Fewer than 200 copies still survive. At the rescue center, assistants and scientists lovingly care for the baby kakapo. This is the only way the species can be preserved.
Conclusion: The BBC and NDR have invested a lot of time in this co-production. You can watch this. The result is a modern nature documentary that neither dramatizes nor hides the dangers to which nature is exposed.
Arte, December 27-29, 7:30 p.m
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