David Attenborough’s crew saved baby penguins when filming latest doc

It is highly unusual for crew members to intervene in the animal kingdom.

Sir David Attenborough's new hit series continued last night with the second instalment of Dynasties. The programme follows five endangered animal families in their plight to take whatever measures necessary to stay alive. The first episode looked at chimpanzees on the edge of the Sahara in Senegal and last night we were afforded an insight into the lives of the Emperor penguins in Antarctica and their struggles against the harsh elements. The episode included a very cute moment in which two penguins practised their parenting skills by keeping a snowball warm in preparation for when they have a real egg. But the most amazing moment of the episode was when crew members took the very unusual decision to intervene in an attempt to save some animals. The birds, all carrying chicks on their feet, had fallen over the edge of a ravine in a white-out and faced starving to death with their young or abandoning them.

In an unprecedented move, the crew decided to act. They dug a shallow ramp in the hope that at least some of the penguins would use it to save themselves ?#Dynasties pic.twitter.com/yRuoEGPDCk

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) November 18, 2018

In an attempt to help the birds escape, the crew built a ramp out of the snow and the penguins used it to make their exit. The BBC has reported that Mike Gunton, the series executive producer revealed it was a decision David Attenborough would also have made had he been on location:

"I was speaking to David about it yesterday and he said he would have done the same too."

Gunton continued that 99.9 percent of the time, the crew would never intervene, but that this was an exceptional case:

"There were no animals going to suffer by intervening. It wasn't dangerous. You weren't touching the animals and it was just felt by doing this... they had the opportunity to not have to keep slipping down the slope."

And people were overjoyed by the act of kindness.

THEY SAVED SOME OF THE BABY PENGUINS NOT EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE #Dynasties

— Sathnam Sanghera (@Sathnam) November 18, 2018

Dynasties amazing. The crew saving the penguins will go down as a special moment in wildlife filming.

— Pete Wishart (@PeteWishart) November 18, 2018

I'm a 23 year old man sat crying at penguins. Madness. #dynasties

— Miles (@Miles_Tarbox) November 18, 2018

Right, that’s it. That baby penguin on #Dynasties failing to climb out of the icy ravine after being abandoned by its mother has just finished me off. I’m phoning in sick at work, tomorrow. ?

— Mr Moon (@MrMoonUK) November 18, 2018

Just a little bit of good news to get you through Monday. Dynasties continues this Sunday at 8pm on BBC One.