Betty White: Champion for Animals

The presence of durable comic actress Betty White is a little misleading here. Although a well-known animal advocate, White only pops up sporadically amidst this shapeless mix of wildlife and conservation segments (heavy on the penguins, especially) filmed around the world. We see ornithologists in South Africa, rangers in Yellowstone National Park tranquilizing and radio-banding wolves, and visit the world's largest public aquarium in Atlanta. White most actively participates in footage of an Illinois program using horses as therapy. Near the one-hour mark the subject of animal welfare and abuse brings disturbing images of African rhinos killed for their horns, seals shot and clubbed for fur, and cockfighting and dogfight casualties. Regarding the latter, White diplomatically expresses mixed feelings about the Michael Vick scandal, saying that the tarnished athlete's public repentance has done much good in curbing the horrific practice. No mention is made of livestock slaughter or factory-farming, but neither is screen time spent away from the animals for showbiz gossip and on-set anecdotes (although it would have been nice to hear White discuss her self-parodying role as the kindly keeper of monster crocodiles in the horror film Lake Placid). Not being a Betty White biography in any sense, this somewhat mis-named documentary is an optional purchase. Aud: P. (C. Cassady)