A South African husband and wife were contracted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to assist in bringing the unique story of SA pelagic seabird the gannet to life through a new documentary TV series set to air in August.
The pair’s extensive environmental knowledge and in-depth understanding of the species saw Dr Zanri Strydom and her husband Dr Tiaan Strydom being roped in by the BBC for the series entitled Parenthood.
The chief responsibility of the Nelson Mandela University alumni was to safeguard the gannets during the filming process which was meticulously done throughout the Western Cape for specific periods starting in 2021.
The touching story of parenting, food security and the daily routine of birds was among the many conservation stories shared on the Plett Ocean Festival symposium stage at the weekend.
“Learning the behaviours of the gannets through my master’s and doctoral degrees work got us the contract with the BBC,” Zanri said.
“We had an in-depth understanding of the gannet behaviour at the breeding colonies,so we were contracted as the environmental control officers, so that job entails safeguarding the gannets.”
Zanri, the manager of Dunefields Private Nature Reserve outside Wilderness in the Garden Route, said they had been on set for weeks at a time to ensure the documentary came to fruition.
“Filming of the gannets for the Ocean episode of the Parenthood documentary took place in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“We filmed for three weeks on Malgas Island in Saldanha Bay on the west coast of SA.
“Then we filmed the fishing trawlers off False Bay.
“Then we filmed at SANCCOB in Cape Town and released the gannets off Simon’s Town.
“The gannets were filmed only in SA as this country is home to more than 90% of the gannets,” Zanri said.
The monogamous relationship of the species, parenthood and the bond they have with their offspring is what leads the story, but it also highlights important narratives of food security and pollution affecting the species and others around the world.
The couple’s involvement in the project turned into an inspirational story when they saved gannets which were helpless and sick and nursed them back to health with the assistance of trained doctors from SANParks.
The series will be aired on August 10 on the BBC channel on DStv.
The three-day Plett Ocean Festival marine symposium had more than 20 speakers sharing their knowledge of the ocean.
Caleb Swanepoel narrated how he survived a great white shark attack in 2015 and there was a short screening of his journey in Beyond the Bite and a deeply personal reflection on his journey of survival.
Pathways to the Future by Mark Dixon illustrated the Garden Route as a region with a rich environmental history and played an integral role in understanding both the past and future for survival among a variety of species.
He said the Garden Route had the highest density and diversity of Pleistocene fossil footprints globally.
“Insights from the trackway record of the past 200,000 years provide an idea of the transformation of coastal lifestyles which can occur in the future, even within a lifetime,” he said.
Paintings from numerous artists were also on sale in the Beacon Island seating area outside the conference room where the symposium was held, with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to the Shark Spotters organisation.
Festival favourite, The Black Mermaid Zandile Ndhlovu, was the MC and also presented her inspiring story of working with children from underprivileged communities.
The Herald
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