Which do you like better: A cute panda, or a slimy cave salamander? This documentary is about the fight to preserve species that might otherwise be forgotten. After all, while tigers and pandas are the iconic figureheads of biodiversity, they’re not the only animals that need our help.
While adorable-looking animals can easily collect millions in donations, many less appealing species are at risk of dying out, silently. In order to raise awareness of their plight, Simon Watt founded the “Ugly Animal Preservation Society” in 2012.
His approach to protecting wildlife was simple: comedy. “It’s not easy to make people understand that protecting unattractive or supposedly gross animals is important,” he says. At his performances, the British entertainer presents animals like the grumpy-looking blobfish, the algae-encrusted Mary River turtle, or the remarkable long-nosed monkey. At each performance, the audience votes for a winner, who is then crowned ‘the ugliest animal of the evening.’
Tonight, it’s a 30-centimeter-long, pale pinkish salamander with stubby little legs and gills, known as the olm. Not much to look at, but endangered all the same. Germany is home to only seven olms, who live in a cave in the Harz region. These remarkable animals are over 80 years old, and haven’t reproduced. Yet, their struggle is virtually unknown.
You won’t find an olm on a poster for an animal conservation — blind salamanders are, typically, a hard sell. But that’s about to change: Markus Mende of the region’s tourism office is committed to turning the slimy olm into a superstar. To do this, he’s enlisting help from a local advertising agency. Will they manage to make this creature popular enough for people to donate money to help preserve it?
#documentary #dwdocumentary #animalprotection #animalconservation #animal
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Great documentary by DW regarding conversation of species which we don't even talk about because of how ugly or creepy they look.Tho Olms look really cute.
I thought this is about Brits. Bruh..
these scientists are heroes in my book!
Ugly is subjective but tradition has seen this as supernatural evil.. olms are a unique balkan animal, I love them
When will we realize that we are part of a ecosystem. Insects can live without mammals pretty well , mammals without insects will probably disapear .
Thank you DW. Takes courage and a set of great hearts to put these unpopular ideas forward! Authentic!
haha, he's founding a procreature project because his Olms have a "problem of procreation". Hey, great, lots of money for his pocket & he can f*ck some Olms too ! äh, pardon, "he'll help them to procreate". I know those projects: just made to make some nice guys that you like a good life ! Germans are the specialists in this field.
Probably not helping but disturbing them so much if they’re 80 years old
Beauty's in the eye of the beholder
We thank you for this wonderful content and we hope it will be translated into Arabic
Ohms looks like the stage of a tadpole right before he loses his tail. After that a tadpole turns into a frog. Maybe in another million years or two ohms will be a land animal.
I will choose the Olms any day over the spiders, please! 😝
Thanks again !
These animals are not ugly to me, Olms are beautiful animals, they look like wee dragons to me.
It's great to see these wonderful people trying to save animals that otherwise may be forgotten. I love the weird, and wonderful too. Thank you ♥️
This for me is the amazing side of humanity! Those who seek to preserve & protect nature. It's a wonderful thing to extend this to tge smaller lesser known species
They're not ugly?
A wonderful biological science documentary about ( ugliness) creature's…DW channel always sharing scientific outlook,enlightenment..thanks for sharing….all living creature's are having importance presences in their ownership ecosystems…they are not ugliness…..appearance..
Aaaaand what is ugly about them exactly?
I think a good definition of an ugly animal would be.. if it looks or resembles human features… Just like when we call another human ugly…
I think the North Atlantic salmon has already taken the spot of uncharismatic face of river protection
Love stuff like this! Its so important thanks DW for showing and making this 😀
How you define ugly or beautiful? Maybe is ugly for a person but not for another one.
isn't the point of a comedian to actually produce comedy/actually be funny!?
you mean HUMANS??
Ugly is subjective especially when it comes to animals, i prefer to use words like unique features to describe animals, Humans are ugly though lol
neonicotinoid's documentary is missing. I can't find it anymore. Why?
Only humans are ugly in all aspects,
We are a locust plaque on this planet
Alright I'll market myself as David Bowie II. Don't be boring ladies.
good
haha it's a video about your mom!
😂 that’s the west Speciality 😂
I have news for you: After Humans go extinct because of X, Y, or Z, nature will quickly diversify once more, filling out every little niche. Such is life. 😉
Overpopulation is the problem to all our solutions and unless that fact sinks in it doesn't matter if you waste your entire life Desperately trying to save this or that species because our own species will disappear forever.
"it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things..” ― Henry David Thoreau
Rude title
Olms look real cute tho
I don’t really see the point in caring about a weird salamander in a cave, stop messing with them and shining lights in their eyes that’s never seen light, and maybe they could recover? Let’s save animals that actually matter for humans like honey bees, or just work on saving ourselves? “The creatures hate bright lights” they have the whole cave lit up shining spot lights under all the rocks like idiots
Wow….
I thought this was about humans.