Has anyone noticed that Animal Planet seems to have changed?

[japple]

Animal Planet used to feature lots of programming about animal welfare, pet care, animal rescue, and, of course, The Pet Psychic. Now, it's all fear-based programming: How I Survived Being Eaten by a Wild Tiger, River Monsters, Giant Snakes Invaded My World, Whale Wars, etc.

Animal Cops and all of the humane rescue programs were favorites of mine for several years and now I can rarely find them. I wonder whatever happened to Pet Psychic. I hardly ever watch AP anymore.

[Callie McAllie]

1. You should contact them and let them know

Just like the news networks, they're probably trying to figure out what's the best trend to boost their ratings. You should let them know that fear mongering is NOT it.

Good luck!

[elleng]

2. Good idea.

Always liked John Corwin. He'll be on a special soon, on one of the networks.

[Kookaburra]

3. I still watch Housecat Housecalls

It's great. Love that show.

[japple]

4. I have contacted them to let them know that I don't watch very

often. My reason for posting here had to do with the fear factor. What had once been mainly family programming and advocacy for humane treatment of animals seems to have changed into something that promulgates fear of animals. For god's sake, they even have a program called "The Monster Inside Me" or something ridiculous like that, and yes, it's about internal parasites.

[OneGrassRoot]

5. As desertrose referred to it....

it's part of our culture of "fear porn."

Yep. That describes so much in a nutshell.

[NuttyFluffers]

6. true, but i still love my Lost Tapes, though.

:D

yay, cryptids! scary!

[get the red out]

7. YES!!! We are being inundated with fear.

I did notice this, and now have fewer things even than before that I can stand to watch. Everything is about fear, I am so tired of it. I have wondered how this "I survived" BS even fits within the Animal Planet theme. This doesn't teach you about animals, or discuss pets, this is just more fear crap.

Our whole society is OBSESSED with fear to the point that there is very little I can stand to watch. I used to be able to count on Animal Planet to offer something I could sit back and relax to in the evening.

[Oak2004]

8. Ugh, yes

Sitting in a hospital bed for the last week I'm a captive audience for television. I used to be able to count on Animal Planet as a source of non-offensive programming, but the message of the current lineup is, yes, "be really scared". Even programming that isn't obviously about fear has narration that goes, more or less, "see the elephant trainer who is kind to his elephant? Surprising, isn't it, that the elephant doesn't just trample this wimpy excuse for a trainer to death?" (cue the video showing "real" trainers abusing elephants).

Suffice it to say that Animal Planet is no longer on my viewing list.

Oddly, the last few days I've enjoyed "WWII in HD" on the History Channel, not because it is ea y viewing, but because it is telling the graphic truth about war, a truth that needs to be told often enough to keep it from being portrayed as glamorous.