‘Mammals’ (2024) Recap: ‘Cold’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Still from Episode 104 of ‘Mammals’ (2024) – ‘Cold’ Courtesy of BBC America.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Mammals’ (2024). To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Something that modern humanity doesn’t pay a whole lot of mind to anymore, is the environment and conditions that surround us. Simply because, we collectively hold to the reality that we have tamed much of the Earth and are the alpha species of the planet, and thanks to science and modern comforts… we don’t have to think about such matters all that often. For if it’s too cold, we can bundle up or crank up the heat. And if it’s too hot, we can beat it by dipping into our own custom water supply and/or hit the AC. Plus, we have structures that can keep us safe from nasty rainstorms, and we simply can avoid those harsher environments altogether, and all of that gives us great security and also, some real comfort.

For we also have food and soft beds to sleep in, to go with that security, and that truly does allow for us to forget that nature is out there, fighting to survive while we sip on a hot cocoa in the heart of December and well… we should pay that reality mind. Not to instill a sense of guilt, but to remind us of our good fortune as a species and what work it took to get here, and the work that lies ahead to preserve our way of life, and the world we sometimes forget about, and that is why the BBC America series, Mammals, continues to impress. For it continues to showcase how there are other mammals out there that have figured how to survive in environments, we see as an inconvenience and that made ‘Cold’ quite the poignant tale.

Since it took us into the polar and frozen regions of our world, to showcase what life is like out there, and well… it is both harsh and fascinating to say the least. After all, there are bears in the arctic north that don’t always slip into hibernation right away, simply because they know of a river that is naturally warm during the winter and is home to some magnificent salmon that can help some bears that didn’t beef up quick enough, get the calories they need to survive, and that was quite amazing to witness. And even the little ones of the world have traditions they hold to, to see tomorrow. Since the tiny pika of the north remains on its schedule in the untouched frozen regions it calls home, wherein it builds its nest in a sassy and thieving manner to prepare for the long winters ahead. For nature is indeed resilient and smart and learns how best to function and that’s wonderful all things considered.

Because the cold environments are changing. For we are now inching into those areas and that’s forcing snow leopards to change their hunting tactics and use our livestock for their food. Not to mention, nature is fighting to adapt to the changes happening around the globe from a climate perspective. Since we are now seeing polar bears shift from their usual hunting grounds to eat other creatures in the food chain, because of those changes and that isn’t the only stunning behavior happening in the deep cold of the world, related to climate change. Because some animals are battling so hard to eat, that they sometimes have to resort to cannibalism of the fallen members of their species, all because food patterns have been disrupted and they aren’t quite at the stage where they can do as the polar bear and venture forth into new hunting grounds.

Which is… the other reason we should pay nature mind. So, we can see the impact we as a species are having upon it. For our rapid growth and our fight to conquer all of nature… has brought about great change and that change is indeed causing harm, and seeing that harm, may help in opening our eyes to the reality… that we have to do more to help the world and restore balance for species that can’t make quick decisions to adapt to an environment as we do. Which added real gravity to this tale, and a fine understanding of how the masters of the planet can likely do more to protect that which they have conquered, and hopefully this episode helps to start some conversations on what we can do differently to protect the colder regions of the world, so we can continue to be in awe of the species that thrive there when we simply cannot. Until next time.

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