For Release: Jan. 2, 2007
Luc Jacquet, director of the award-winning documentary March of the Penguins, now takes viewers to Antarctica to meet the playful and gregarious Weddell seal. Springtime for the Weddell Seals, airing Sunday, Jan. 14 at 9:30/8:30 p.m. CT on KET2 and Thursday, Jan. 18 at 9:30/8:30 p.m. CT and Saturday, Jan. 20 at 10:30/9:30 p.m. CT on KET1, features up-close encounters with the seals and insights into their harsh environment.
Weddell seals live further south than any other mammal on the planet, inhabiting the waters of McMurdo Sound--800 miles from the South Pole. They reside on the surface of the ice banks and in icy underwater labyrinths, which give them access to the food they require to stay alive in one of the most inhospitable locations on Earth.
Springtime for the Weddell Seals follows a mother and her newborn baby through the first few months of its life. "The young Weddell seal is quite privileged compared to other species," explains the narrator. "Other seals must learn to swim and feed alone because their mothers leave them very early, sometimes a few days after birth. He, however, has a long training period."
The documentary also provides stunning images of the rarely visited continent. The stark beauty of the Antarctic ice banks acts as a backdrop to the interesting story of the Weddell seal's path to adulthood. Luckily, Weddell seals have not been extensively hunted; therefore, they do not fear humans and seem to lend themselves quite willingly to scientific interest and filming.
Springtime for the Weddell Seals is produced by Betrand Loyer. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.