In an Instagram story published on August 17, the content creator specializing in the handling of wild animals and environmental awareness, acknowledges that he is the subject of a legal case related to his activities. “Hurt” by these accusations, he says he wants to “train himself” to better respect the rules in force in the professional environment.
His fans were wondering about his decline in activity in recent months. The answer came in a story of a few minutes posted on Instagram on August 17. Anthony Plenet, better known under the pseudonym of “Mogwli the Savage”and announces that it is the subject of a “legal case”concerning his “activities related to nature”. In short, the videographer, presumed innocent, is accused of “animal abuse”. He has not yet released any information on the origin of the complaint.
Born in Guadeloupe and raised in Guyana, Anthony Plenet nevertheless builds an image nature lover. He says he was taken with a passion for animals, especially reptiles, at a very young age and gradually became aware that they were often victims of human ignorance, particularly with regard to their dangerousness. “In Guyana, we kill indiscriminately because what we don’t know scares us”sums up the man who has 220,000 followers on Instagram and 103,000 on youtube.
This passion, “Mogwli the savage”, has gradually made it his profession, becoming a guide and creator of content, coloring the latter with messages of awareness and encouragement to protect animals. The self-taught man has also built an increasingly professional image by intervening for example alongside police officers or firefighters, in particular for snake rescues. Beyond the animal rescues that made him known, he now carries out expeditions in the forest and offers support for audiovisual projects related to Guyanese nature.
“I have saved many animals from being hit by a saber, a shovel or simply crushed. I have also done it to prevent pets or even people from being injured.”
Mogwli the savage, dans sa “story” d’explication
But some videos, happily shared and commented on social networks, are clearly not unanimous. This is the case of those where he handles wild animals with his bare hands, including some of the most imposing snakes in Guyana – including, of course, the anaconda – to get them out of a road near homes or extract them from a ditch.
In the flood of impressed comments, several Internet users expressed their incomprehension, not seeing the point of such manipulation (and exhibition) while others questioned the potential suffering of the animal.
Basically, it is the fact that Mogwli is self-taught and has no professional legitimacy to perform technical and dangerous gestures that is being questioned. “I understand that there are rules [de manipulation animale] and I am ready to train to obtain the necessary qualifications. I want to use this experience to come back with even better content,” tries to reassure the one who also confides having been “hurt” by the accusations he is subject to.
If this complaint is successful, it could put a stop to the young guide-videographer’s career, which was promising given his success on social networks. The Guyanese Mogwli has already had to remove several online contents and suspend some of his activities. At this stage, he did not want to speak beyond his story, because he announced that he was “preparing his defense”.
