Sir David Attenborough, Harmless Lunatic

Sir David Attenborough, Harmless Lunatic March 24, 2015

Here in the U.S., we have “Shark Week.”

In the U.K., they have “Attenborough Week.”

Well, they had one, anyway. Last April. To celebrate “the 60 years of amazing Natural History created by Sir David Attenborough.” And as a long-time fan of the man and his work — always interesting, even in disagreement — the various Attenborough videos posted to the BBC Earth’s YouTube Channel have been a source of near-endless enjoyment (and often, amusement).

Especially this one, “The Harmless Lunatic and the Giant Egg.” (And when they say “young,” they’re not kidding. Wow.)

First transmitted in 1961, a young David Attenborough goes on a search for the strange creatures that inhabit Madagascar. His goal is to find the egg of the now extinct Aepyornis, or Elephant Bird, but will he be able to reconstruct it from only fragments?

Attribution(s): “Young Attenborough” photos courtesy of Getty Images, which allows the use of certain images “as long as the photo is not used for commercial purposes (meaning in an advertisement or in any way intended to sell a product, raise money, or promote or endorse something);” “Humpty-Dumpty Screaming” via Shutterstock.


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