Tim KaserEmeritus Professor of Psychology at Knox College in Illinois conducted research on consumer values ​​and capitalism and explained that these videos attract two different types of people: first, those attracted by touching scenes in which cute animals are saved. On the other hand, those who enjoy watching animals participate in fights and get into trouble.

Videos are viewed en masse, but are rarely commented upon. One user wrote “Very brave and dangerous act” in a Python Pig video that was liked by 27,000 users and only 4,000 liked.

Another comment: “Awesome,” followed by six heart and kissing emojis. (National Geographic has decided not to give channel names or link videos in order to prevent more clicks.)

Animal rescue videos in stages: how to identify them

Planned rescue videos follow a plan. They are on average five minutes long and show an attacking animal and its victim in a muddy hole surrounded by vegetation. The battle of the animals contrasts with the approach of the human savior, and is often accompanied by dramatic music. Actual combat is often preceded by long surveillance scenes. This might be done to mimic the style of nature documentaries, says DJ Schubert, a wildlife biologist at the university animal welfare institute in Washington DC

According to Schubert, the various dramatic poses of the camera and the huge mass of videos on the channel are an unmistakable sign that they should be brought up. “A wildlife photographer or filmmaker typically spends countless hours, days, months, yes, sometimes even years, to capture images that morally tell the story of a species in the wild,” he says.

According to Brent Stirton, a National Geographic photographer who documents wildlife, capturing animal fights with your camera is very difficult. “Unless you take your pet deep into Florida Everglade National Park and let them run into alligator territory or purposely put them in front of a snake, you see it very rarely,” he says. However, these kinds of artificial situations do exist – and not just on YouTube.

Some documentaries or TV shows about animals also use this technique, Stirton says: “In the worst case, they are financed by subsidies that are lacking for those who do it right. Doing the right thing means following the animals inconspicuously and waiting patiently and not shocking them.”

However, many signs of phased scenes and clear videos of scientists and zoologists often go unnoticed by the public.