The circle of life isn't always fair in the animal kingdom, especially when it comes to food. Viewers of Blue Planet II recently got a reminder of how competitive the food game is for animals in an installment that saw an unfortunate puffin get its food stolen mid-flight by an arctic skua. It was a pretty slick move by the arctic skua, but a surprising number of viewers are pretty upset on behalf of the poor puffin that lost its meal. Take a look at the incident that has people up in arms:
Alas, poor puffin. The bird seemed guaranteed to have a tasty meal of fish back at home before a larger bird swooped in to steal it right out of the puffin's beak. The incident hit the airwaves in a recent episode of Blue Planet II (and shared with the world on Twitter), and people just plain aren't happy. They shared their feelings on social media as well, and the result was an outpouring of sympathy for the puffin that lost its lunch.
One man on Twitter was overwhelmed with grief after watching the puffin robbed. Others were more sympathetic to the fact that the puffin wasn't able to get the fish back to feed its family.
Yet another sympathetic person found himself relating to the puffin when it comes to the delivery of food to family.
Luckily, at least one person on social media was able to see the sunny side of the puffin situation on Blue Planet II.
This initial outpouring of grief may be only the beginning of outrage on behalf of the puffin. Blue Planet II hasn't even premiered on the American side of the pond just yet. The seven-part series will debut for United States viewers on Saturday, January 20 at 9 p.m. ET. Interestingly, the premiere will be simulcast across BBC America, AMC, IFC, WE tv, and SundanceTV, although the rest of the series will air on Saturday nights on BBC America alone. We'll have to wait and see if more outcry is in store when American audiences get to see the puffin lose its lunch.
The incident with the puffin wasn't enough to put off British audiences from tuning in, as Blue Planet II has become the most-watched TV show of 2017 across the pond. Beating out the popular celebrity dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing was a pretty big deal for Blue Planet II. Metro reports that 17 million people tuned in via TV and online streaming to watch Blue Planet II throughout its run on BBC, which means a whole lot of people saw the puffin's fish snatched. No wonder there was so much activity on social media!
To see the puffin (and a whole bunch of other animals) in action on BBC America, be sure to tune in when Blue Planet II debuts in the U.S. from January 20 onward. For your other viewing options in the new year, take a look at our 2018 midseason TV premiere schedule. Our 2017 cancellation guide can fill you in on the shows that got the axe over the past year.
