I don't normally write reviews on here, but at the time of writing the only other review is by a narrow minded individual who doesn't seem to have a very good grasp of what the show actually portrays, so I felt compelled to right their wrong. (It may be interesting to note that in their 18months on this site this remains the only activity of any sort they have posted. And from a similar time that politics and hunters were causing trouble for the very group of bears at the heart of the programme...) "The Bear Family & Me" is another production by internationally respected BBC Natural History Unit, filmed and narrated by Gordon Buchanan and forms part of his growing group of "... Family & Me" programmes. As with other series in the group Gordon's filming is enabled by the efforts he makes to be accepted as neither a predator or prey in the animal's environment, allowing his to gain remarkable footage and view natural animal behaviour incredibly close up.
His guide is local bear researcher Lynn Rogers, who tracks and monitors bears in the forest with a large group of animals fitted with radio collars. His methods are seen as controversial by some, but is backed up with scientific data that rebuts many of the claims made by some. By exchanging handfuls of nut and grapes with the bears, he gains the bears trust and they allow him to follow them through the forest and observe their behaviour at close hand.
This also enables him to place cameras amongst the bears, and replace the radio collars on the animals without the need for stressful and hazardous trapping or darting, and permits the bears to show truly natural behaviour that would not be possible any other way. It should not be assumed that these animals are then humanised or not "wild" anymore; the relationship must be built up with each individual bear family over time and amongst people the bears are already comfortable with, they are still very happy to lash out or bite when any of these people get too close, and as shown in the film the bears will still run away from any unknown humans rather than go looking begging food. In fact, the area has the lowest rate of problems bears in all the locations that Black Bears are regularly found.
This unique relationship with animals allows for a thrilling telling of a year in the life of a first-time family and the challenges they face, and when he set out to film them I'm sure Gordon could not have imagined the eventful year that this particular family would have. Throughout the film he attempts to show that the myth that bears are simply violent and dangerous killers is not correct. Instead he shows the natural side of them in their own environment, away from the only interaction most humans would have with them; mainly situations where the bear is just as frightened as the person stumbling across them in the forest.
There are constant reminders though of the respect that need to be shown to bears, even by those who it has grown to trust. On the few occasions Gordon does become lost looking down the lens, or oversteps the boundaries of the trust that has been built up, the bears are quick to remind him that he his only there with their agreement. This reinforces to him and the viewer that while he is accepted by them as part of the environment, they are still wild animals who are fighting for survival every day.
The film also looks at the hazards the bears face from humans, and the risks the researchers (and Gordon) are forced to take to try and protect the future of their ground breaking research from hunters. He also presents the opportunity for a hunter to come face to face with the animal he usually only sees at a distance through a gun-sight, when stuffed on the wall of his cabin or on the BBQ.
I don't want to waste anymore of my time on the negative reviewer on here that has taken an extreme view of the programme, and while they are entitled to have their opinion I wished to express mine and present a different view of what I believe to be an insightful and beautifully shot and produced show. So I'll just finish with this; rather than take the views of 1 person for it (Me) and 1 person against it (the other guy), why not take the suggestion of the many people who have rated it well deserved ~8.4 and see it for yourself to make up your own mind. I think you'll be glad you did!
