Getting to Close to Wildlife

Here is an excellent article about how popular animal shows can set a bad example of how not to behave around wild animals.

I'm not a big fan of those that get in the face of wildlife for entertainment. And, in some particular cases (Irwin and Treadwell come to mind), I think putting themselves close to the animals has more to do with entertaining video rather than educating people about animals. I don''t say that because of the particular danger involved (although that is an issue). I say that because the focus tends to be on people rather than the animals.

But, neither Irwin, Corwin or Treadwell invented the genre. Remember Wild Kingdom?