It’s World Wildlife Day today! In this blog post, we’re going to take a look into the former environmental TV series, Westland.
The Westland TV series was broadcasted on the Knowledge Network in British Columbia from 1984 to 2007, hosted by Mike Halleran. The content of the show covers a broad range of environmental issues such as forestry practices, freshwater fisheries, endangered species, natural resource management and ecosystem restoration in British Columbia.
In 2011, both the broadcast tapes and the raw production footage were donated to the UBC Library. We have digitized 195 of the programs broadcasted as part of the Westland series. Here are some episodes about wildlife. Enjoy!
Wild in the City, 1986
Gordon Fish was a cameraman who shot films in some of the most rugged parts of BC. In this episode, he finds and photographs wildlife living in the city, including coyotes, raccoons, and deer.
Bears and Man, 1989
The International Conference on Wild Bears was held in 1989 in Victoria. In this episode, scientists from around the world discuss trade in bear parts, bear habitat, and human/bear interaction problems. Note that the man in the screenshot above is a trained scientist doing research in remote areas where such activity is safe for both the bear and himself. Please do not touch or feed wild animals.
Bear Attacks, Jan 17, 1991
In areas where bear habitat and human settlement overlap, bear attacks on people are on the rise. What to do? Watch the episode below to find out!
Wildlife and Fisheries Inventory, Feb 3, 1997
Good inventory is key to achieving resource sustainability. This episode introduces the biggest fish and wildlife inventory program ever done at that time in Canada with big horn sheep, bald eagles, and fish.
Sustaining BC’s Wildlife Heritage, May 8, 2006
British Columbia is internationally known as having huge wildlife numbers and species diversity. How do we count our wildlife species? This episode looks at the wildlife numbers in BC.
We hope you enjoyed this post. There are more fun episodes in the Westland collection. Click here and explore!
