Wild

Abstract

This chapter explores television wildlife documentaries in order to examine how contemporary cultures construct and represent ideas of ‘the wild’. It argues that such documentaries draw on, and contribute to, the social construction of concepts of ‘nature’, which is a key context for understanding how human cultures think of many animals. It also draws on the concept of the Anthropocene, a geological term that asserts that human activity has affected the make-up the planet. In response, the chapter outlines a concept of the Anthropo$\underline{\text{s}}$cene, suggesting that visual representations in a medium such as television help to normalise humans’ use of the Earth. It concludes with a detailed analysis of the David Attenborough wildlife documentary The Hunt, exploring how animal behaviour is reshaped in such programming in order to align with the kinds of pleasure that humans seek from such programmes.