The wrong Dodo went extinct
Wait, why???? The dodo is so cool.
So this is kind of a complex issue and there are far more qualified people discussing why the Dodo is problematic (see this excellent write up by @why-animals-do-the-thing https://blog.whyanimalsdothething.com/post/148060308477/please-let-trusting-the-dodo-as-a-source-go)
One of the main problems with the Dodo is something that is sometimes hard for people without a background in zoology to pick up on, and that is the extreme anthropomorphism of wild animals in their content. Anthropomorphism happens when we erroneously apply human behavior and morals to animal interactions, which might not sound like a big deal at first but is actually incredibly dangerous for both humans and animals. I have seen an article from the dodo claiming that a pet alligator “loves hugs” from his owner. Reptiles do not experience or exhibit emotions the way humans do, and to posit that any alligator loves hugging humans is an absolute recipe for disaster. This is far from an isolated incident in their content. They infamously posted a “heartwarming” video of a polar bear “petting” a sled dog with its paw and suggested that even polar bears can’t resist patting an adorable dog. They later had to pull the content because it turned out that the bear had killed and eaten the dog later that night. Polar bears do not see dogs as cute companions; this was an example of a predator/ prey interaction. If a viewer doesn’t have much background in the behavior of alligators or polar bears, they might accept the Dodos captions as fact, and walk away with a dangerously false perception of how these animals behave.
When we look at animal behavior through the lens of our humans experiences only, we do these species a huge disservice. We have to think critically when viewing animal content online, and do our best to try understand what the behavior actually represents. It’s also incredibly important to educate people and arm them with the knowledge to identify and call-out dangerous anthropomorphism in the media! It’s absolutely okay if you thought of the Dodo as sweet wholesome content- they’ve worked hard to cultivate this image for animal lovers. Now that you have some more background you will definitely start to see the troubling content more and you can work to educate others as well! I love videos of stray puppies finding loving homes, but until the dodo stops producing other videos with dangerous wildlife encounters I can’t in good conscience enjoy their channel.
