Sad reason David Attenborough hasn’t posted on Instagram for 5 years
Many fans of national treasure David Attenborough love to try and keep up with what he does in life – however, the BBC narrator has not been active on social media for more than five years now. The 98-year-old nature enthusiast had a brief stint on Instagram but took the option to stop posting for one reason.
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Sir David revealed that he would not be returning to Instagram any time soon, after making his final post in November 2020. His account bio now reads: “Account no longer active.” Speaking to Greg James on the breakfast show, he explained: “I’ve got enough problems with the post!”
Explaining why he joined the social media platform in the first place, David said: “I’m so old, I can’t get used to all these new media but I was persuaded to do so in order to do a message about conservation.
“So for a limited period of time I contributed to Instagram, but I’m off now. And I don’t intend to go back.” He revealed he’s keeping his contact preferences old school adding: “I get about 70 letters a day. I do my very best [to respond to them all].”
David went on to share how fans can get a response from him, saying: “Sometimes people, mercifully, don’t actually put their address on because people are so unaccustomed to sending letters. If you wouldn’t mind including a self-addressed stamped envelope I’d be delighted to reply.”
In his first video, the veteran broadcaster told followers: “I am making this move and exploring this new way of communication to me because, as we all know, the world is in trouble.
“Continents are on fire. Glaciers are melting. Coral reefs are dying. Fish are disappearing from our oceans. The list goes on and on. Saving our planet is now a communications challenge.”
It was previously revealed that the animal lover had some help running his social accounts. Collaborators Jonnie Hughes, a BBC film-maker, and Colin Butfield, of the World Wildlife Fund, wrote: “Social media isn’t David’s usual habitat. So while he’s recorded messages solely for Instagram, like the one in this post, we’re helping to run this account.”
When joining Instagram Sir David managed to break Friends star Jennifer Aniston’s record for the fastest time to reach a million followers on Instagram.
The naturalist’s follower count raced to seven figures in just four hours and 44 minutes, according to Guinness World Records. The actress was not too far behind as she reached the milestone in five hours and 16 minutes. Sir David’s total following rose to 2.5 million within 24 hours.
