Veteran filmmaker Chris Palmer has written a tell-all book asserting that many wondrous things we see on nature documentaries — animal births, scorpions mating, lemmings plunging to their deaths in Disney’s “White Wilderness” from 1958, signature scenes in 2001’s critically acclaimed film “Winged Migration” — are staged. According to an article by Daniel de Vise last week in the Washington Post, Palmer says it’s common for wildlife TV shows and movies to include footage of captive animals who were used as stand-ins, predator vs. prey confrontations that were set-ups, and animal noises that were generated artificially, in sound studios.
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“If you see a bear feeding on a deer carcass in a film, it is almost certainly a tame bear searching for hidden jelly beans in the entrails of the deer’s stomach,” Palmer writes rather graphically (but with a dose of dark humor) in “Shooting in the Wild.”
Nature photographers and filmmakers who capture worth-watching moments of animal activity that haven’t been human-engineered require two things in great abundance: time and patience. Skill is vital, too, but so is luck. Success is rare, often taking months if not years to attain — and in some cases that translates to only a few minutes of usable video. Honest wildlife filmmakers’ work is tarnished by association with all the apparent fakery going on.
The Washington Post’s story, by the way, stresses that Palmer’s allegations are not being rebutted by industry insiders. Translation: Palmer’s tell-all is all-true.
It’s obvious that the proliferation of nature-themed TV channels in recent years has created a ravenous demand for fresh programming. It shouldn’t come as any great surprise, especially in the persistent era of reality TV shows, that much of what we watch has been staged — because time is of the essence and naturally acting wildlife just don’t perform quickly enough to make all these fresh TV programs possible.
It is vitally important for all creatures that humans become more knowledgeable about wildlife, and through that awareness they become more compassionate in heart and accommodating in deed. Nature documentaries, filmed without embellishment, represent one learning tool. But rather than watching a quickly produced TV show that probably has staged wildlife events, you might consider turning off that television. Step outside and walk the dog or listen to the birds. As the song goes, act naturally.