"Donkey Kong Country" - Environmentally Conscious?

My friend Ymir and I decided to take one day and beat all of Donkey Kong Country for the SNES. I don't know what possessed us to do it (other than sheer boredom), but we did that very thing. We beat the game. It was an accomplishment for me - I'd never done it before. With two players, though, it's hard to lose. What's the secret? Go back to the first level and unearth 30 lives or more before flying back to the fourth world's boss. Continue with that method and you'll win soon enough.

But as we were playing the game, I noticed something that I hadn't noticed when I played it as a child. There was something peculiar about where Donkey and Diddy Kong's enemies were choosing to fight. One level was essentially an oil factory. Barrels of oil were on fire and the place looked hazy and polluted. The animal creatures around the level all looked angry and rabid. But surely, this can't be a commentary of any kind.

Then we played the next level called "Poison Pond." Huh. The water was green and hazy and the level was located next to the oil level. The polluted fish looked sullen and almost sick. There were spinning machines in the water, probably tripling the amount of emissions going on under the water. Observe.

Was Donkey Kong Country trying to teach me a subtle lesson about industrial pollution vs. the natural world? I mean, it's not like the pollution is off on its own. It's mingling with jumping alligators and wide-eyed gophers and barrel-throwing orangutans. There are gorillas and squids swimming in the poisoned pond.

I guess it's true. One of my favorite games from childhood was a lesson in environmental science. It was two steps away from teaching me about the bushmeat crisis.

On one hand, I'm glad Donkey Kong Country and the people at Rare and Nintendo weren't afraid to subtly include a pretty heavy-handed topic. On the other hand, it was kind of funny. As we played "Poison Pond," I kept acting out the dialogue between Donkey and Diddy Kong. Here's a sample (and imagine the smooth, Enya-like song that goes on during the underwater levels of Donkey Kong Country).

Diddy (in a voice that should resemble Short Round of Temple of Doom fame): Mr. Kong, why is there a dead fish in the bottom of the pond?
Donkey (in a sagely, wise old man voice): No one can really know for sure, Diddy, but it's safe to say that the fish probably met his demise from the hands of pollution.
Diddy: Pollution? What's that?
Donkey: Pollution is truly the greatest evil of all. Greater than that of King K. Rool himself. You see, young one, when a big oil company or factory lets off too many emissions, it affects the natural environment surrounding it.
Diddy: Like this pond?
Donkey: Exactly.

We beat the game, and then I set out into the woods and planted a tree. The end.