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THIRTEEN`s Nature goes to Swaziland to track Afric
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by tigers9 on October 14, 2009
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http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS162076+14-Oct-2009+BW20091014
THIRTEEN`s Nature goes to Swaziland to track Africa`s deadliest snake in Black Mamba, November 8, 2009 on PBS
Wed Oct 14, 2009 1:00pm EDT
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Viewers can submit questions for snake handler, Thea Litschka-Koen, at Nature
Online (pbs.org/nature)
NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
The black mamba is a snake with a notorious reputation for being fast, furious,
and deadly. It can grow to 13 feet and is strong enough to raise a third of its
body above the ground and look you in the eye. Its bite is known as the kiss of
death - without treatment, the mortality rate is 100 percent.
In the hot, humid climate of Swaziland in Southern Africa, black mambas thrive.
They are naturally attracted to the vast sugar cane plantations, but they can
also be found in homes, gardens, schools and hotel rooms, sometimes with tragic
results. Snake bites in Africa are reaching epidemic proportions, and the
traditional response is to kill them before they kill you, or, failing that, to
rely on traditional medicine for a cure - always a hopeless option. But two
individuals are making an effort to relieve the crisis in Swaziland, and to save
both snake and human lives. Naturetracks their progress in Black Mamba,
premiering Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local
listings). Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham narrates. Viewers can
submit questions for snake handler, Thea Litschka-Koen, atNatureOnline
(pbs.org/nature).
Nature is a production of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG - one of
America`s most prolific and respected public media providers.
Thea Litschka-Koen initially became interested in black mambas after one of her
sons chose snakes as a school project. Soon after, she found herself doing a lot
of fascinating research and ultimately enrolling in handling and identification
courses, and her involvement grew from there. Enlisting her husband, Clifton, in
her efforts, Thea began responding to emergency calls from locals, removing and
rescuing snakes they found. Each call-out is a daunting proposition, even for
this intrepid and experienced couple. After a successful rescue, on-site
demonstrations help assuage some of the fears Swazis have about the mambas that
will always live among them. Thea also founded a reptile park where some of her
rescued snakes could be released and where people could learn more about snakes,
as well as how to handle some of them safely.
Locals always wanted to know if the rescued snakes would come back, and that led
to a plan. Joining forces with an expert from Johannesburg, the Litschka-Koens
began a research project to track rescued black mambas they released into the
wild. They hoped to gain new insights that might help them in their work, and to
learn the answer to the question the locals wanted more than anything to know.
The study was the first of its kind. The mambas were radio-tracked, 24/7, for
weeks, and their behavior studied, revealing important information about the
snakes.
None of it was learned soon enough to help a local family who lost a daughter to
a black mamba`s bite after she accidentally stepped on it while playing hide and
seek. The traditional healer was unable to help and the local hospital did not
have anti-venom to save her.
There is some hope for the future. The Litschka-Koen`s work has now been
recognized by King Mswati III of Swaziland, who has donated land for a new
reserve and for a clinic specializing in the treatment of snake-bites. It will
be the first of its kind in Swaziland.
Visit Nature Online(pbs.org/nature) to watch previous programs and get updates
about the series. Viewers can sound off about issues explored on Nature, take
polls, and share animal photos with the Nature community.
Nature has won more than 450 honors from the television industry, the
international wildlife film communities, and environmental organizations -
including 10 Emmys, three Peabodys and the first award given to a television
program by the Sierra Club. Most recently, the series won a Peabody Award for
Silence of the Bees and received two Emmy nominations for Crash: A Tale of Two
Species and White Falcon, White Wolf.
Nature`s Black Mamba is a production of Tigress Productions Limited and THIRTEEN
for WNET.ORG in association with British Broadcasting Corporation. Jo Scofield
is producer for Tigress. Nature is produced by WNET.ORG for PBS. Fred Kaufman is
Executive Producer. William Grant is Executive-in-Charge. Major corporate
support for Nature is provided by Canon U.S.A., Inc. Additional support is
provided by the nation`s public television stations.
Nature Online (pbs.org/nature) is the award-winning web companion to the
broadcast series and is spearheading Nature`s distribution to new media
platforms. At Nature Online, visitors can stream full episodes of Nature
programs, watch behind-the-scenes video exclusives with filmmakers and producers
(also available at iTunes), view program excerpts (also available on YouTube),
and find fun interactive content, teacher lesson plans, and more. Join Nature on
Facebook (Facebook.com/PBSNature) and follow the series on Twitter
(Twitter.com/PBSNature) to keep up with the latest videos, photos, program
alerts and more.
About WNET.ORG
New York public media company WNET.ORG is a pioneering provider of television
and web content. The parent of THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and Creative News Group,
WNET.ORG brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Worldfocus,
Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Wide Angle, Secrets
of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack,
Wild Chronicles,Miffy and Friends, and Cyberchase to national and international
audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET.ORG serves the
entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and
innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET.ORG
pursues a single, overarching goal - to create media experiences of lasting
significance for New York, America and the world. For more information, visit
www.wnet.org.
WNET.ORG
Donald Lee, 212-560-3005
LeeD@wnet.org
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