When it comes to all those nature programs on TV, conservation scientist M. Sanjayan notes, "Always one creature is framed out of the picture -- us."
By us, Sanjayan means humans. There are plenty of nature shows featuring critters frolicking in the wild, but the human component is frequently overlooked or ignored. Until now.
Sanjayan (pronounced SAHN-jen), who has a doctorate in biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz is the host of the new five-part PBS television series Earth -- A New Wild, produced in part by National Geographic Studios. The series debuts at 8 p.m. Feb. 4 on AETN, but viewers don't have to wait that long for a sneak peek -- and a chance to chat with the host.
Sanjayan will be in Little Rock on Wednesday for a free early screening of the series at Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a reception, with the program running from 6 to 8. Reservations are required as seating is limited. Contact Ginsie Simmons by calling (501) 537-3081 or by emailing gsimmons@museumofdiscovery.org.
A question and answer panel follows the screening with Sanjayan being joined by Nature Conservancy of Arkansas director Scott Simon. The always entertaining Kevin Delaney of the Museum of Discovery will moderate.
Earth -- A New Wild aims to reveal "the extraordinary way humans are intimately connected to the animals and wild places of this planet."
The series' five episodes are titled "Home," "Plains," "Forests," "Oceans" and "Water." The first begins with pandas and quickly demonstrates how Sanjayan investigates mankind's changing relationship with the wilderness by exploring "how human intervention is critical to the survival of diverse environments and species."
You'll love Sanjayan in China with the gaggle (clutch, pack, herd?) of panda cubs.
Wait. Research reveals a group of pandas is called a bamboo, embarrassment, sleuth, sloth or (the official zoological term) a cupboard of pandas. Ask Sanjayan for a ruling at the screening.
Make a note. While the first two episodes will air back to back at 8 p.m. Feb. 4, the remaining three will air at 9 p.m. on subsequent Wednesdays.
"My mission is to tell you an untold story where we humans are not separate from nature, we are part of it," Sanjayan says. "I'm going to the frontiers where man and animals meet and here I'm discovering just how much we need each other to survive. Our home is changing. Now there's a new kind of wild."
In "Home," we observe Sanjayan cooing over the baby pandas preparing to be returned to the wild, and keeping an eye out for man-eating tigers while slogging in mangrove swamps. But it is his fresh approach focusing on examples that demonstrate how animals and humans can thrive side by side that makes the series most effective.
"Plains" studies the reintroduction of predators and herds to the world's breadbaskets. "Forests" shows how saving forests begins with recognizing their value. "Oceans" reveals how oceans continue to sustain us. "Water" demonstrates why sharing fresh water with wildlife is key to human survival.
Background for those attending the screening: The personable Sanjayan, who was born in Sri Lanka in 1966, is also a prolific writer and Emmy-nominated television contributor, especially for CBS News and the BBC World News series The Power of Nature.
Sanjayan was the lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy before he took his current position as executive vice president and senior scientist at Conservation International.
• Justified. Tonight's the night, fans of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant). The final season of Justified begins at 9 p.m. on FX. Season 6 will have 13 episodes.
I've seen the first three episodes and can testify that the highly acclaimed series has lost nothing during the hiatus, especially when it comes to the pending final showdown between Raylan and the inimitable Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder.
Special treat: Sam Elliott (Hulk), Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope) and Jeff Fahey (Lost) join the cast in recurring roles, and Mary Steenburgen returns as the deliciously wicked Katherine Hale.
It was April when we last we saw Justified. The Season 5 finale was mostly about setting up Season 6. We did (terminally) resolve the matter of drug trafficker Daryl Crowe Jr. (Michael Rapaport), and Ava Crowder (Joelle Carter) got out of prison thanks to Raylan. In return, Ava plans to rat on Boyd to help the marshals with their racketeering case against him.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 01/20/2015