WWF Extinct - only 2 days to go! (Is this good or really terrible?)

[Zodiak]

I just got an e-mail about a new TV series, have alook and see what you think, I can't decide if its a good or idea or really really sick

"Extinct - only 2 days to go!

Extinct starts on ITV1 at 7.30pm on Saturday, 9 December - between the two X-Factor shows. We need you to tell everyone about it!

Voting lines are now open!

The all-important voting lines are listed below. The lines are already open, so if you already know which animal you would like to vote for, please call or text now.

Polar bear call 09011 32 11 01 or text POLAR to 63334
Giant panda call 09011 32 11 02 or text PANDA to 63334
Hyacinth macaw call 09011 32 11 03 or text MACAW to 63334
Orang-utan call 09011 32 11 04 or text ORANG to 63334
Mountain gorilla call 09011 32 11 05 or text GORILLA to 63334
Asian elephant call 09011 32 11 06 or text ELEPHANT to 63334
Leatherback turtle call 09011 32 11 07 or text TURTLE to 63334
Bengal tiger call 09011 32 11 08 or text TIGER to 63334

The winning species will get half of the voting revenue with the seven runners up sharing the remaining 50%. Calls and texts will cost 50p (charged at BT standard rate, mobile charges will vary) with at least 30p going towards helping these endangered species.

You can also make a donation

Make a donation now by calling 08456 021 021 or visit extinct.wwf.org.uk

Your donation will support WWF's work including its vital projects around the world to conserve endangered species, protect threatened habitats and address global threats such as climate change. Your money will be used where it's most urgently needed.

We will be sending daily updates next week - if you don't wish to receive these please send a blank e-mail to unsubscribe-1b7o14-fwcy4-y1or7c@fw-reply.com.

Kind regards

Pippa Carte
Head of Supporter Relations

PS. If you live overseas and have digital television you may be able to watch the programme on ITV1.

Small print
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[Tengu]

No pygmy hogs....they are too cute....

No Bonobo....got a nazi connection and who would vote for an animal that has an interesting sex life anyway?

No Sumatran rhino....looks too much like a shetland pony in a winter coat to be worthwhile.

No ivory bill woodpecker...(does woody woodpecker impression)

(No other recently rediscovered either)

No Yellow river dolphin....They are extinct due to advanced hydroelectric project. (that and the Chinese goverment is too busy with pandas....)

No Indris....no ones ever heard of them.

No asiatic lion...they arent needed.

Has anyone any other non nominations?

 

[leon-b]

i will try to watch this but i will be fighting my parents and sister for the tv remote lol
leon

 

[leon-b]

well i watched it and thought it was great but very depressing
leon

 

[falling rain]

I watched this saturday night Zodiac, and I agree with you. It's good to be doing something to help the animals but I'm not sure about getting the public to vote for their favourite animal. The cute cuddly animal (Panda probably) will win but isn't the leather back turtle equally deserving of help? It seems to be the trend these days to have these voting programmes, especially on ITV. X factor etc, etc.
It somehow seems a bit sick to me, sitting on the sofa stuffing the takeaway on a saturday night and voting for animals.
Don't get me wrong I'm all for helping, just maybe not in this format. I can't explain it really it just seems wrong to do it this way.

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, I think it's a mistake to focus on individual species, no matter how charismatic they may be. In almost all cases, the extinction threat to a particular species is the result of the degradation of an entire ecosystem - and you can't save that species without all the other things that it depends on.

 

[Silverback]

I don't know why but I have an image in my head of a roman emperor with his thumb cocked at a right angle waiting to give the life or death decision for a downed gladiator. Terrible idea for a TV programme in my opinion - forget making the show and send the money set aside for it straight to WWF.

Slightly off topic but I must confess to getting a little tired of these vote based reality TV debacles of garbage - how about 'I'm a failed celebrity stick me in the jungle without a map, food or water' now that would be a show worth watching

 

[Wayland]

Yeah, I think it's a mistake to focus on individual species, no matter how charismatic they may be. In almost all cases, the extinction threat to a particular species is the result of the degradation of an entire ecosystem - and you can't save that species without all the other things that it depends on.

I hold a fools hope that that is how the money will be used.

It's a terrible indictment on today’s society that this is a TV format that works.... The comparison with the Roman Emperor is quite fitting.

However the people at the sharp end of conservation are generally much more savvy than the “Great” British public seem to be.

So if the format gets money to the right people then we have to hope that they make a much more holistic approach to using the resources it can provide.

 

[dommyracer]

I didn't see the programme, but I think its actually a very good idea. It's smart, the WWF are simply using popular trends to appeal to a new market.

Sure, the voting thing might seem a bit odd, but ultimately it will generate money that would not have been generated before.

The type of person that will vote for this kind of thing is unlikely to make the effort if you just put a programme on the TV and said 'please help'

 

[hammock monkey]

I find the whole show has only one really interesting point- that conservation has entered this level of the nations conciousness.
i felt the show was poor in terms of content and proper argument compared to the likes of Planet Earth-the future (bbc4 past few weeks) where the view of the local people is considered. dont get me wrong - i'm very keen on conservation (check out - www.g4g.co.uk - they're the kind of thing us lot on BCUK can actually help and make a huge diffrence with! BTW if you get any gear for xmas that renders old gear obselete - they'd really appreciate it ) but i find that EXTINCT has aimed pretty low, which is a shame because their audience would be much better served with more actual info - and less 'celebs'...still, whatever it takes eh!?
Overall i think that the fact that it is actually on ITV is a great sign, and if it helps one species then obviously thats great, but its a much wider issue than 'vote for your fave and we'll save them'
its not that far away from 'vote the least favourite off the planet'...itv's ability to appeal to the lowest common denominator is uncanny!

the statement that the icecaps will be gone completely in 50 years (Planet Earth - the future ep1) was pretty shocking, i may see that in my lifetime. pretty depressing stuff, which is why its so important to make the most of the great outdoors while we can!

 

[Ketchup]

Has anyone any other non nominations?

The smallpox bacillus?

 

[Silverback]

Ant & Dec, Davina McCall, Kate Thornton, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and the rest of that muppet show!

 

[falling rain]

I didn't see the programme, but I think its actually a very good idea. It's smart, the WWF are simply using popular trends to appeal to a new market.

How can you comment then, on something you havn't seen. It's NOT a good idea it's irritatingly sick. and I have images (unlike silverback's Romans) of obese people stuffing their fat faces on the sofa with their fat Chinese takeaway or pizza voting for something they know nothing about, and could never be educated to know anything about................ Sorry harsh I know but it's infuriating. This in my opinion is lower than a snakes belly and plumbs new despicable depths of television viewing.

 

[Wayland]

I have a saying that seems appropriate somehow.

"I don't suffer fools cheaply...."

Yes the people this format appeals to are the chavs and lowlives that like all such reality / vote em off type shows.

Yes it's highly unlikely they will learn anything of great import, but I don't actually care.

Every time they pick up a phone and make a vote someone takes their money and some at least will go to a good use.

That's all I need to know... I don't have to sit and watch the trash just like I don't watch Big brother, Get me out of here or the dozen or so soap operas designed to keep such sheeple in their place.

I've got a brain and I choose to use it.

 

[dommyracer]

How can you comment then, on something you havn't seen

I didn't actually comment on the content of the programme, merely the concept (which is not particaularly hard to figure out from the synopsis) and the fact that the WWF have used their noggin and come up with a format that would appeal to a demographic that they're probably not getting any interest from at the moment.

we're living in a multi channel televisual age, if you made a serious program with real gravitas talking about the plight of endangered species, it would be on BBC 2 at best, and the only people that will watch it are those that already care, and probably spend some money or time in conservation efforts.

Yes it's highly unlikely they will learn anything of great import, but I don't actually care.

Every time they pick up a phone and make a vote someone takes their money and some at least will go to a good use.

In line with my point, but looking from an optimistic point of view, if at least some people watching that show who might not have watched 'planet earth - the future' learned something and thought about what was happening to the natural world, its better than nothing.

 

[Tengu]

But non nomination lists are fun.

 

[JonnyP]

Not seen it and dont particularly want to watch it, but I suppose any publicity is supposed to be good publicity and if the WWF get more money because of this, then it gets my thumbs up, even though I do not like to watch all this public vote tv....