History Main / NatureIsNotNice

Oh, what's that? You ''wanted'' to escape the boredom and corruption of human civilization in the first place, and seek to live in the untamed wild in complete, perfect harmony with nature and its denizens? Don't be surprised when you find that it's a merciless, dog-eat-dog world out there, where disease runs rampant, natural disasters tear through everything in their path, parasites dig into your skin, animals devour each other without the slightest bit of hesitation or regret, and babies are little more than free meals for predators. '''This''' is how Mother Nature operates, and if you out there treating her as [[ThisIsReality something out of a Disney movie]], she will ''chew you up and spit you out'' like [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids the sheltered weakling you are]].

* {{Unicorn}}s were historically considered the embodiment of the wilderness, which actually made it [[PureIsNotGood the most dangerous of wild beasts.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'': The woods that the babies get lost in are big and dark woods. The babies almost fall over a waterfall, Dil gets taken away by escaped circus monkeys, and also a wolf stalks and almost kills the babies.

* ''[[Fanfic/TheUltimateEvil The Stronger Evil]]'': [[spoiler:Tiamat, the goddess of primordial creation]], controls the elements of the natural world and she is responsible for every extinction event in the Earth's history, which she inflicts when she decides it's time to reshape the planet and make way for new life to grow. To that end, she cares nothing for the beings currently living in the world when she has decided to reshape life in the bigger picture.

* The [[Website/{{Reddit}} subreddit]], [[https://www.reddit.com/r/natureisterrible/ r/natureisterrible]], is dedicated to exposing the horrors and suffering of the natural world and defying AppealToNature and InHarmonyWithNature while finding ways to ease natural suffering. The subreddit exposes the dark side of nature by posting articles and photos of animals getting eaten by predators and parasites, or killed by extreme weather. Some members have even gone so far as to claim that ideas such as conservationism and environmentalism contain speciesist implications or originated from speciesism [[note]] This is controversial even within this community, however [[/note]]. The subreddit even has this trope's name as its tagline. WARNING, [[{{NSFW}} content will be very disturbing and upsetting]].

* The [[Website/{{Reddit}} subreddit]], [[https://www.reddit.com/r/natureisterrible/ r/natureisterrible]], is dedicated to exposing the horrors and suffering of the natural world and defying AppealToNature and InHarmonyWithNature while finding ways to ease natural suffering. The subreddit exposes the dark side of nature by posting articles and photos of animals getting eaten by predators and parasites, or killed by extreme weather. Some members have even gone so far as to claim that ideas such as conservationism and environmentalism contain speciesist implications or originated from speciesism [[note]] The idea of altering nature in such a way is controversial even within this community, however [[/note]]. The subreddit even has this trope's name as its tagline. WARNING, [[{{NSFW}} content will be very disturbing and upsetting]].

* The [[Website/{{Reddit}} subreddit]], [[https://www.reddit.com/r/natureisterrible/ r/natureisterrible]], is dedicated to exposing the horrors and suffering of the natural world and defying AppealToNature and InHarmonyWithNature while finding ways to ease natural suffering. The subreddit exposes the dark side of nature by posting articles and photos of animals getting eaten by predators and parasites, or killed by extreme weather. The subreddit also exposes how ideas such as conservationism and environmentalism contain speciesist implications or originated from speciesism. The subreddit even has this trope's name as its tagline. WARNING, [[{{NSFW}} content will be very disturbing and upsetting]].
** Another subreddit, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/natureismetal/ r/natureismetal]], is dedicated to showing nature in a 'badass' way. Many posts show animals during or after a hunt, often covered in blood or showing large wounds. The difference is that [=r/natureisterrible=] portrays nature's brutality and indifference in ''a negative light'', while this subreddit ''glorifies'' them.

This trope comes into play when a work's creator chooses to [[RomanticismVsEnlightenment avoid the romanticized, saccharine image]] of nature as harmonious and maternal by portraying its ''uglier'' aspects: the horror, danger, amorality, and ruthlessness of untamed nature that works tend to gloss over. It's prime material for a {{Rescue}} show where the rescue team has to find a person lost in the wilderness, or a NatureHero has that task. Any cute or pretty creature will likely be shown being devoured by fierce predators, or even subvert WhatMeasureIsANonCute by being shown to be [[KillerRabbit equally ruthless and violent]] to drive the point home.

This trope comes into play when a work's creator chooses to [[RomanticismVsEnlightenment subvert the romanticized, saccharine image]] of nature as harmonious and maternal by portraying its ''uglier'' aspects: the horror, danger, amorality, and ruthlessness of untamed nature that works tend to gloss over. It's prime material for a {{Rescue}} show where the rescue team has to find a person lost in the wilderness, or a NatureHero has that task. Any cute or pretty creature will likely be shown being devoured by fierce predators, or even subvert WhatMeasureIsANonCute by being shown to be [[KillerRabbit equally ruthless and violent]] to drive the point home.

Related to the NaiveAnimalLover, who doesn't realize how brutal wildlife can be. Compare this with DeathWorld. Contrast this with GhibliHills, though the tropes are not always incompatible, since nature can be portrayed as beautiful even though it has harsh elements. When you combine the two tropes, you get GreenHillZone. Inversely related to AllNaturalSnakeOil. A supertrope for NatureIsNotAToy. See GaiasVengeance for when nature strikes back in a more dramatic scale.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]

* Tiktok user [[https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8TDoghj/ mndiaye_97]], who also runs the [[Website/YouTube YouTube channel]] Casual Geographic, formerly named Hood Nature, has done many videos about animals being way more dangerous and disturbing than people know, to the point that it was a RunningGag that someone in the comments [[TemptingFate would defy him to ruin an animal's image in their mind]], only for him to deliver.

* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'': [[GaiasVengeance Viridi, Goddess of Nature]], though unlike most examples where nature/its personifications are apathetic about humanity, Viridi despises humans and is [[SoapboxSadie extremely vocal]] about her beliefs that HumansAreTheRealMonsters. To that end, she aspires to KillEmAll using [[FantasticNuke Reset Bombs]] designed to both wipe out humanity and restore the local natural order by creating massive forests.

** Cassie learns this in ''The Secret'', after a mother skunk she was taking care of loses a baby to [[NobleBirdOfPrey Tobias]]. [[AesopAmnesia Disappointingly, the lesson doesn't stick.]]

* Cassie from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' learns this in ''The Secret''. [[AesopAmnesia Disappointingly, the lesson doesn't stick.]]

[[folder:Film]]
* While it's [[WorldOfSymbolism not abundantly clear]] [[MindScrew in the film itself]], this trope was one of the main inspirations behind Creator/LarsVonTrier's ''{{Film/Antichrist}}''. Von Trier has stated in interviews that he was moved by a nature documentary he once watched which treated the animal world as a kind of barbaric, earthly hell, in stark contrast to the more idyllic portrayal common to fiction. Which brought us gems like [[spoiler:a stillborn fawn, demonic forest animals, and ominous lines like, "The forest is the devil's church."]]
* ''{{Film/Blackfish}}'' seems to make a point to contrast the sugary family-friendly Ride/SeaWorld TV commercials with orcas performing tricks and being petted by trainers to the terrifying footage of orcas attacking the trainers and sometimes each other. Although the film also presents the whale's natural environment as being a relatively harmonious one.... which, since humans as a rule only capture them for research or aqua parks, it generally is ''for them.'' Orcas being at the top of their FoodChains, though, not so much for every other species. Of course, the whole point of the movie is Humans (at least those who aren't [[WellIntentionedExtremist entirely devoted to the environmental cause]]) are [[HumansAreMorons moronic]] [[HumansAreBastards bastards]].

* ''Film/{{Deliverance}}'': The only thing worse than the savage mountain men is the brutal and unforgiving nature of the wilderness itself.

* ''Animation/{{Padak}}'': In a massive case of SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome, none of the fish act like anything but how fish would act naturally, cannibalizing other dead fish without issue or remorse for the most part.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'': The woods that the babies get lost in are big and dark woods. The babies almost fall over a waterfall, Dil gets taken away by escaped circus monkeys, and also a wolf stalks and almost kills the babies.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar'', there's a montage, [[SoundtrackDissonance set to "What A Wonderful World"]], of the main characters watching in horror as various predators in the Madagascar jungle devour cute prey animals.

* In it's seemingly endless quest to kick every trope UpToEleven, ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' has the planet of [[DeathWorld Catachan]]. It's a [[SingleBiomePlanet planet of all jungle]], and literally every [[ManEatingPlant plant]] and [[PredatorsAreMean animal]] is out to kill or otherwise harm you. The human population of this place (if you can believe such a thing exists) are constantly on the move and live CrazyPrepared lives. It's impossible to have a permanent settlement because of EverythingTryingToKillYou.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar'', there's a montage, [[SoundtrackDissonance set to a beautiful song about nature]], of the main characters watching in horror as various predators in the Madagascar jungle devour cute prey animals.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Athel Loren is a magical forest resting within the kingdom of Bretonnia and separated from the civilized world by the Grey Mountains and a series of magical waystones placed by the native [[OurElvesAreDifferent Asrai]], Tolkienesque forest elves meets HillbillyHorrors who kidnap (and are implied to ''eat'') Bretonnian children and [[TheWildHunt hunt villagers like animals every summer when their king awakens]]. [[BigGood Alarielle the High Elf Everqueen]] is so powerful that the [[EldritchAbomination Chaos Gods]] [[HorrifyingTheHorror themselves fear her]], but ''Alarielle is terrified of the Asrai'', she notices that her counterpart Ariel is being changed into something more feral than anything the world has ever known and the rest of the Asrai are too. But the Asrai are the ''least'' scary thing about Athel Loren, in fact they just as much protect the world from the forest as they protect the forest from the world - the aforementioned magical waystones are containment barriers stopping Athel Loren from [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt spreading across the world like green Chaos]]. Athel Loren is also populated by xenophobic treemen, some march along with the Asrai as allies in times of war, some see the Asrai as much vermin as they do all non-tree life (even though the elves have lived in the forest for millennia and have been nothing but honest in their dealings with them), and some of them are so utterly insane that they just attack everything they see and get in gigantic, everlasting tree battles where they continually smash each other and regrow from the splinters. These trees aren't corrupted by Chaos, ''it's just what they're like''. Did we also mention that the forest can manipulate time!? Sometimes, people walk out of Athel Loren [[YearOutsideHourInside years, decades or even centuries after they went missing]], and immediately wither and die from onset old age. In a universe where vampires, undead and demons exist, ''nature is still one of the scariest things out there''.

** In fact this was a common theme for London, appearing in other works such as ''Literature/WhiteFang'' and likely inspired by his own experiences in the Yukon. He commonly depicts as not just cold and uncaring, but actively hostile and sadistic to both man and animal.
--> It is not the way of the Wild to like movement. Life is an offence to it, for life is movement; and the Wild aims always to destroy movement.

* ''Film/{{Padak}}'': In a massive case of SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome, none of the fish act like anything but how fish would act naturally, cannibalizing other dead fish without issue or remorse for the most part.

* ''Series/The X-Files'': In the Season Three episode "Quagmire", Mulder and Scully are trapped on a small rock island in the middle of a lake after crashing their search boat: