Is Wildlife Filming Cruel to Animals?

A look at how shows like Man vs. Wild harm animals, and a chat with the author of a new book that challenges the ethics of wildlife filmmaking. Join the debate at NatureBreak.org.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• naturebreak
• nature
• wildlife
• photgraphy
• photo
• video
• film
• reptiles
• man vs wild
• discovery channel
• bear grylls
• lizard
• animal
• chris palmer
• shooting in the wild
• bbc
• blue planet

[NatureBreak]

I'm reading a lot of comments and maybe I haven't made my point clear. I'm not criticizing Bear Grylls if he were hunting to survive. But HE'S NOT! This is a television show and he has a camera crew, etc, with him. Then at night he retires to a nice hotel. So, he's killing these animals only for the sake of television entertainment. It would be possible to tell people they could eat a lizard if they needed to without actually killing it on tv.

[TheBernice]

Bear Grylls is going to come to your house and make you drink his own piss.

[NatureBreak]

@TheBernice I wouldn't be surprised

[OhemgeeItsme97]

In Man vs Wild, he's not hunting for recreation. He's hunting for survival. And Man vs Wild is not an animal show. It's an informative show about how to survive in an unfortunate situation of being lost. People don't watch it to learn about animals. And it's not like he killed it and left. He ate it, just like carnivores eat cows. Yet, a lot of people don't seem to think eating cows and pigs is animal cruelty.

[NatureBreak]

@OhemgeeItsme97 He's killing it for entertainment. He's not really surviving in the wild. Its just a television show.

[koreeco87]

I think people like you are why we almost lost the war on terrorism....Man, you really need to get a grip. If you end up on your own in "nature" and have to survive. Your going to die, you wouldnt survive a week.

[NatureBreak]

@koreeco87 What I'm saying is that he's killing animals for entertainment, not to survive. This is a television show. Not real survival. Of course, if you're really surviving in the wild you need to eat whatever you can.

[jwbwestern3]

I hunt and fish. Do you have a problem with that? Yes I harvest living animals and eat the meat. There is NOTHING wrong with hunting/fishing and eating the animal.

[TheXxVIP3RxX]

@NatureBreak he doesn't kill them, most deer and things are already left by the local farmer for him, but lizards and flies and things are mostly extremely common in the areas he is, so its not hurting the local population, plus Lizards and bugs are insects (common pests) not animals so really making a fuss about killing them (unless they are endangered) is quite pathetic and a waste of time ...

[mikolyyyy]

to do the documentary without killing would be more expensive because they have to fake the kill but yeah its the entertainment business ppl like to see it.

[mikolyyyy]

worry less about man vs wild where he kill a few animals but worry about the food industy where many are killed inhumanely.

[jscofield55]

@NatureBreak Here, take your camera and go out into the woods for 7days and survive with out killing anything. Grant it you will live but not very well. Test your knowledge what is edible in your woods. Remember this is for as you say "entertainment". So good luck, Cause I dont think you would survive very well.

[jscofield55]

@andrewtheoD Have you ever been stranded in the woods? With your atv broken down on a hunting trip? I have...Bear Grylls tips are useful, even though most people would not be able to do the strenuous trip back to civilization they would be able to survive if they practiced some of the basic tips taught. So here Mr high and mighty behind my keyboard, go out in the woods for a week and survive. Tell me how it works, better yet make a video for us back here on Youtube. Good luck MATE!

[StitchesAndSmiles11]

umm ok? he ate them so its not cruel, if u wanna see real cruelty just look on youtube for a chinese raccoon skinning video, the poor things are awake. now thats cruel!

[grimmerMD]

Damn treehuggers. It's a shame that botfly larvae didn't devour your brain.

[goddy5890]

They are prey and we are apex predators, predators who also hunt for sport. Yes it is entertaining to see Bear kill and eat a snake, or spider, or rabbit etc. Is it cruel, most of these animals provide food to some other animals including in some cases people. So no, it is not animal cruelty

[batotoy0hussein]

i think the lady got a point,,, but still i like man vs wild, bear grylls is still awesome, but i like your videos too(naturebreak) specially the bot fly,, i think, man vs wild and nature break have a different caliber when it comes to wild, but yes i agree to the lady that man vs wild is cruelty to animals which infact an entertainment,