Looking for opinions on potentially staged scenes in wildlife series on Discovery+ called "Meet the Meerkats"

[Amy Dickens]

Hi everyone — I’m looking for expert perspectives on a short video about Meet the Meerkats by Plimsoll Productions for Discovery+. The series follows rescued meerkats adapting to life in the Kalahari Desert.

📹 Video link: https://dai.ly/xa49jyg

The video claims that Plimsoll Productions:

• Used captive animals without disclosure
• Continued filming of a visibly injured, tame animal without intervention
• Artificially constructed predator encounters
• Staged a live predation sequence

I’d like to understand if the video’s assertions seem plausible and whether or not the claims are consistent with standard industry practices. Is this kind of thing considered acceptable in the industry?

For those with field, filmmaking, or animal welfare experience:

• Are these claims believable based on typical wildlife documentary standards?
• Is there any way a cobra/meerkat interaction could be staged without endangering or stressing any of the animals?
• Would you consider feeding a live frog to a meerkat to be ethically acceptable?
• Is it considered acceptable to stage scenes but not disclose this in the credits?

Appreciate any informed insights.

[Joerg Polzfusz]

Why don’t you simply ask https://www.americanhumane.org/what-we-do/certify-humane-treatment/no-animals-were-harmed/ or https://www.peta.org or a lawyer?

[Mark Dunn]

OP only posts on this subject so there seems to be a campaigning element here. IMO she also misunderstands the purpose of this forum.

[Brian Drysdale]

There have been many TV series about meerkats over the years. The animals involved are groups being observed in the wild and are used to scientists being around them. Wild life filmmakers don't usually interfere with their subjects, they observe what occurs and see how the animals cope in the wild.

This article explains how a cobra is filmed, the meerkats would regard this as a normal event. I've seen a tame meerkat in the city centre carried by its owner, and it was always keeping a watch on the skies for predators.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4gQTvxBpBzT0SN6xPT0JSRY/how-we-made-it-the-meerkat-s-outdoor-classroom

This forum isn't the place to bring up concerns about wild life photography, there are specialist forums that deal with the subject. They can answer your questions and address concerns.

 

[Matthew J. Walker]

A cinematography forum is not an ideal space to request opinions on animal ethics.

Edited April 5 by Matthew J. Walker