Timing is everything…

So much of science and what we know about the world we live and the creatures that inhabit it really does come down to something as simple as knowing to be in the right place at the right time.  With Seals of Sable having its broadcast premiere this Friday the 15^th as a part of the Nature of Things then eventually on the CBC Gem streaming service we get a genuinely salient look at how these seals that were once on the brink of extinction are now surviving and even helping others thrive.

Sable Island, Nova Scotia is a remote, almost mythical landscape famous for its wild horses that has captured the imagination of many across Canada. It’s also home to the largest breeding colony of grey seals in the world. Every winter, thousands of female seals arrive there to give birth and about 80,000 pups are born. Once hunted to near extinction, today the grey seal population is thriving, mainly because they have few predators and they do not depend on a single prey. Sable Island has become a sanctuary and safe haven for nature, seals, and horses, away from the destruction of humans, production and industry.

The husband and wife filmmaking team of Teresa MacInnes and Kent Nason follow the seal researchers to the beach in a race against the clock. They only have a short time to find and record data from roughly a thousand marked seals, many the researchers have been following for more than 30 years as these seals tend to only come to land to rest, moult and give birth.

We’ve got to admit that it’s actually nice when these episodes mostly have some positive things to say and put us into the middle of a very distinct and unique research setting.  It’s very well shot and moves with a real flow to it all making sure we’re engaged and not preached at as we see these scientists track the migration patterns of the seals but also seeing how these unique animals survive and what they actually eat while getting accused of having major impacts on fishing lanes.

Ultimately, the Nature of Things puts us into the unique corners of our world where we see some very unique creatures in their natural habitats and Seals of Sable is no different and is more than worth your time this Friday on CBC or the CBC Gem Streaming Service.