I'm surprised to see only one other review here regarding this documentary series. Unfortunately I couldn't like or dislike that review because the ending sentence was confusing and off-putting. But I agree the series is very good. It's very informative although there's a lot of repetition. They do show lots of the wild animals they are discussing while they're speaking to the caretaker or owner.
I've always found it fascinating, as I guess a lot of people do, that anyone would make the commitment of this magnitude to not only tend to a creature that no one else can but to accept the risks that go with it. But this series also addresses the issue of neighbors and communities who are endangered by irresponsible owners. It also does delve into some of the encounters where people lost their lives because of having these exotic pets. You find the owners will often say things like, 'It's not for everyone, you have to really make a commitment and be responsible.' So that was a little redundant for me but I guess a lot of programs nowadays feel they need to really hit home the information that fails to come naturally, such as common sense, to people. Episode 11, in particular, goes way out of its way to keep reiterating how dangerous it can be and how responsible the owner must be. So, in the greatest sense this documentary was designed to help people understand the complications due to it being a huge problem; it's not just for entertainment.
But in all honesty, human beings do a myriad of things everyday that are toxic and dangerous, including drinking, drugs, smoking, promiscuity, driving cars, mountain climbing, skydiving and eating processed foods or over indulgence in sugary snacks. So I feel the main thing that I'm taking away from this is that the animals need to be cared for responsibly even if we don't care for ourselves responsibly.
One of the segments is about Joe exotic, which surprised me in as much as he seems very personable and knowledgeable contrary to the crackpot the media has made him out to be.
If you're expecting this to be one of those Fatal Attraction type of series, it's not. It's just very informative and entertaining without all the blood, gore and scary sound bites.
