The BBC's latest offering of David Attenborough wildlife documentaries has been criticised for its contents after Planet Earth III kicked off at the weekend.
In the first episode of the new series, 97-year-old Attenborough - whose future on the series has been a hot topic of late - provided the voiceover as the cameras followed wildlife situated across the globe - from the turtles on Raine Island to flamingos in southeast Mexico.
However, while viewers got to witness up close the behaviours of the animals situated far afield from the shores of the UK, the BBC show shifted its focus to how man plays a part in impacting wildlife.
Within moments of the show kicking off, Attenborough pre-empted the analysis into the consequences of human behaviour on wildlife as he said: "The planet has changed beyond recognition, transformed by a powerful force - us.”
Before long, the Planet Earth cameras depicted how the turtle population of Raine Island - as well as the island itself - faced eradication due to rising temperatures and sea levels.
They also showed heartbreaking scenes from The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico as flocks of flamingos suffered the devastation of losing their chicks due to storms flooding their nests and subsequently drowning the young.
BBC Planet Earth III transported viewers to Mexico in episode one
BBC
However, it's now emerged that the doom and gloom portrayed by Planet Earth III may not be as accurate as depicted given ongoing global conservation efforts.
Using Raine Island as an example, Attenborough warned that the entire location could "disappear beneath the waves" in the next three decades if man doesn't intervene.
Research carried out at Australian university James Cook suggests otherwise, however, with a paper published in Global and Planetary Change stating that in the four decades from 1967 to 2007, the island actually increased in size.
The reports state that Raine Island's area grew by six percent while volume increased by four percent - and even claimed perceptions it was being eroded was simply down to redistribution of the sand.
Prof Scott Smithers, who authored the report, told The Telegraph: "Estimates of it being washed away in three decades is an overstatement based on current trends."
Attenborough's pessimistic predictions for the future of the flamingos have also been debunked, especially after he claimed that "no chicks survive" in the colony in some years due to extreme weather.
However, as per the Telegraph, population figures of Caribbean flamingos are relatively healthy, with the figure rising from 21,500 in 1956 to around 850,000 in 2023.
A spokesman for the corporation told GB News: "The evidence is clear from leading scientists and experts that some species are struggling to adapt to a world dominated by human activity and we do not shy away from including examples of this in the series.
"We also feature stories where we see animals adapting successfully to the challenges presented by the modern world."
On X, formerly known as Twitter, a number of those who tuned in were also left displeased by the focus on the consequences of manmade behaviours.
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BBC Planet Earth III's predictions for Raine Island have been criticised
BBC
One viewer penned: "I can’t watch these documentaries now due to the unavoidable climate propaganda."
And a second said of the reports: "More 'false balance' from @BBC. They invariably privilege the failed prophesies of the Doomster psychological leaning… "
While a third echoed: "What a surprise! - the BBC adjusting facts to push their politics."
However, there was still plenty of support from viewers who were pleased to see Attenborough back narrating the docu-series, with one X user weighing in: "I LOVE David Attenborough and #PlanetEarthIII is beautiful and magnificent as always.
"But it will never do my blood pressure any good because it always reminds you that humans are awful."
And a second added to the discussion: "Just caught up with #planetearthiii. What an amazing programme. Those poor turtles," followed by a crying emoji.
