[imagesource: Altitude Film Entertainment]

Short, sweet, and record-breaking is an accurate way to describe Sir David Attenborough’s Instagram journey.

The world-famous naturalist joined Instagram in late September, and promptly broke the Guinness World Record for the quickest time to reach a million followers.

Four hours and 44 minutes, beating Jennifer Aniston, who took all of five hours and 16 minutes to reach that mark back in 2019.

Sir David’s record didn’t last very long, with former Harry Potter star Rupert Grinch breaking the record a week ago, hitting a million followers in four hours and one minute.

And then, just as he entered in a blaze of glory, Sir David exited Instagram, having clocked 6,2 million followers at last count.

Please take note, people who constantly talk about leaving social media (“I’m deleting Facebook!”) and then never do.

Here’s CNN:

Attenborough’s last post on the platform said he was “encouraged by the huge amount of ideas and passion” shared on Instagram.

“This might be a wrap for this account — we won’t be posting anything else, though the account will stay open for you to watch David’s messages — but we hope it’s a springboard for many others to build on and share the ways we might create a sustainable future,” it read.

Attenborough’s account was run with the help of his colleagues, Jonnie Hughes and Colin Butfield, who acknowledged in the very first post that “social media isn’t David’s usual habitat.”

No, it certainly wasn’t.

On more familiar footing, and closer to home, the naturalist recently penned a letter to conservation photographer Peter Oxford, who leads the Betty’s Bay Baboon Action Group (BBBAG).

More from the Citizen:

…Attenborough expresses his support, saying he “fully supports” the efforts of the group to allow the baboons to “continue to roam free”.

He goes on to say, “the problem has been created by people attracting these intelligent creatures close to human habitation by leaving refuse and discarded food easily accessible, so there is surely a moral duty to find a humane solution to the problem”.

In July, the action group protested a contract awarded by the local Overstrand Municipality to Human and Wildlife Solutions (HWS), to manage the baboons troops in the area, because the municipality had neglected to consult residents…

The BBBAG accused the municipality of a “one size fits all” approach, without considering that Betty’s Bay is part of the Kogelberg biosphere, a protected area which is a world heritage site and part of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme.

The guidelines for managing our baboon troop are “not in-line with the Kogelberg biosphere ethos”, said Oxford.

Much like the situation with Kataza, which elicited a response from Dr. Jane Goodall, HWS is under the spotlight.

In Kataza’s case, the City of Cape Town recently gave in to public demand to return the much-loved baboon to his home range on Slangkop in Kommetjie.

You can see pictures of Kataza and the troop he is part of here.

[sources:cnn&citizen]