Page 65 - MIN ECEM

A29
PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 19 July 2017
PBS’ ‘Photo Ark’ is a wake-up call for endangered animals

By LYNN ELBER Sartore’s appreciation of
AP Television Writer the wild was nurtured by
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The his parents during his Ne-
conventional wisdom is braska youth, in which he
that public sympathy is hunted and fished with
evoked by seeing one per- his father and shared his
son in need of help, not the mother’s love of nature. A
many. book she owned on birds
Photographer Joel Sartore included a chapter on
has staked a decade of his extinct species, including
life, and counting, that the the passenger pigeon that
same holds true for animals once filled America’s skies.
and the imperiled wonder “I was always amazed by
they represent. that, and I didn’t think that
As detailed in PBS’ “Rare: I would live long enough to
Creatures of the Photo see another animal go ex-
Ark,” Sartore is on a quest tinct. Well, in the 11 years
to capture images of the I’ve been doing the photo
roughly 12,000 species in ark project, I’ve probably
captivity around the world, seen 10 go extinct,” Sar-
including rare and endan- tore said.
gered ones, to persuade It was a personal crisis that
us they are worth protect- gave rise to the building of
ing. The three-part series the ark. Sartore was a long-
debuts at 9 p.m. EDT Tues- This undated image released by PBS shows an endangered Diademed sifaka (Propithecus di- time, globe-trotting con-
day (check local listings) adema) at Lemuria Land in Madagascar. tract photographer for Na-
on PBS stations and online. Associated Press tional Geographic when
Sartore’s subjects, ranging his wife, Kathy, was diag-
from majestic elephants maybe self-interest will. mammals, 600 amphibians, Sartore said, with one res- nosed with breast can-
to comical insects, are “We really want to get 1,800 birds, 700 fish and cued from being sold for cer. Anchored at home
placed against an ele- people in the tent of con- 1,200 reptiles. meat decades ago by a to care for her and their
gantly spare black or white servation, and make them He works with zoos, wildlife circus owner impressed three children he mulled a
background. There is an realize you can’t lose half habitats, aquariums and with her size. new course, one inspired in
unsettling challenge in the of all species and not have other facilities caring for “We hope audiences find part by John James Audu-
gaze of mammals, or so it come back and affect animals, although he ven- it an important story that bon’s documentation of
Sartore’s artistic lens makes humanity in a very detri- tures into the wild when we’re looking to tell in ways the birds and mammals of
it seem. “The animals are mental way,” Sartore said. needed. He and Chun-Wei that are beautiful, heart- North America.
the poetry. They’re beau- In his quest to build a vir- Yi, the PBS series’ director felt, and often funny,” said Aware that his animal pho-
tiful works of art,” Sartore tual ark that captures the and producer, focused on John Bredar, programming tos resonated with Nation-
said in an interview. “They world’s biodiversity, the Na- rare species, including New executive at series produc- al Geographic readers,
do all the talking. My job is tional Geographic fellow Zealand’s kakapo, a flight- er WGBH Boston. National Sartore decided to amass
to get out of the way.” has visited nearly 40 coun- less bird, and the Yangtze Geographic is presenting a “giant catalog” that
But if his images of beau- tries to make digital images giant softshell turtle in Chi- exhibits at major zoos na- would show the grand di-
ty and vulnerability fail of more than 6,000 species na. The latter has dwindled tionwide as a complement versity of the most modest
to sway people, he said, that include, roughly, 900 to three ancient survivors, to the series, he said. animals.q

Breezier All-Star game sees

bump to 9.3 million viewers

By LYNN ELBER GOT season openers. and “World of Dance.”
AP Television Writer The American League 2-1 Both shows aired on NBC,
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Base- victory at Miami was the which Nielsen says was the
ball’s breezier All-Star game first exhibition game in 15 most-watched broadcast
scored a turn-around in years, with no World Series network in prime time for
viewership from last year’s home-field advantage on the week of July 10.
record low. the line. That gave Fox’s NBC averaged 4.8 million
The game drew 9.3 mil- broadcast room to play viewers, followed by CBS
lion viewers to rank as the around, including inter- with 4.3 million. ABC had
last week’s No. 2 program, views with players on the 3.6 million, Fox had 3.2 mil-
the Nielsen company said field. lion, Univision had 1.7 mil- In this July 11, 2017 photo, American League teammates cel-
Tuesday. That compares to The game also boasted lion, ION Television had 1.3 ebrate winning the MLB baseball All-Star Game in Miami. The
American League defeated the National League 2-1 in ten in-
8.7 million for 2016’s game. hefty star power of teams million, Telemundo had 1.2 nings. Seattle Mariners Robinson Cano (22), third from right, hit
HBO fielded the other big from TV’s biggest markets, million and the CW had the game winning home run.
standout: The season sev- with the New York Yankees’ 910,000. The most popu- Associated Press
en premiere of “Game of five players including rook- lar cable network was Fox
Thrones” drew 10.1 million ie sensation Aaron Judge. News Channel, which av- million, and HGTV and USA ABC’s “World News To-
viewers, zooming past the Others winners in last eraged 2 million viewers, were neck-in-neck with, night” topped the evening
previous bests in the 8-mil- week’s ratings included followed by MSNBC with respectively, 1.465 million newscasts with an average
lion range for other recent “America’s Got Talent” 1.7 million. ESPN had 1.6 and 1.459 million. of 7.5 million viewers. q