Drugs, Death, Neglect: Behind the Scenes at Animal Planet - Mother Jones

[herding cats]

Mother Jones exposes the lies and animal abuse taking place behind the scenes at Animal Planet's Call of the Wildman.

By the time three orphaned raccoons arrived for emergency care at the Kentucky Wildlife Center in April 2012, "they were emaciated," says Karen Bailey, who runs the nonprofit rehab clinic set in the sunny thoroughbred country just outside of Georgetown, in central Kentucky. "They were almost dead."

....

These weren't just any raccoons. They were the stars of one of the highest-rating episodes of Call of the Wildman, the hit Animal Planet reality TV show.
.....

"It was part of my job to call around people to trap animals at the direction of Sharp," says Jamie, who worked on the show. (Jamie's name has been changed. Sharp Entertainment requires many employees and participants to sign confidentiality agreements that call for as much as $1 million in damages if breached.) "It's 100 percent fake," said a second production source.

In other words, the raccoons were not "found" under the house, nor reunited with their mother. They were performers in a Call of the Wildman script.
....

The Woozy Zebra and the "Wild" Mink

In another Texas-based episode, "Lone Stars and Stripes," Turtleman chases a zebra that has supposedly escaped from its fenced-in yard at a ranch. He rides in hot pursuit of the animal in the flatbed of his pickup, brandishing a lasso; eventually he corners the zebra and tackles it

.....

Despite Clay's denial, Animal Planet and Sharp confirmed to Mother Jones that the zebra was drugged before filming, but they say it happened behind their backs. However, Jamie and other sources say that the crew was aware of the zebra's sedation during filming, especially since the animal nearly fell over several times. "I heard about the zebra being almost unusable," says another source. "They sedated it, to get it to be less crazy." Another confirmed that the zebra looked "out of it." Animal Planet admits that producers used an additional, unsedated zebra for supplemental footage.

"It's a damn bullshit show," Clay says. "You know it, and I know it. It's just entertainment, cheap entertainment. It gives everybody a job or something to do."

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/01/animal-abuse-drugs-call-of-the-wildman-animal-planet

It's a long read and at times it's disturbing to learn how they're abusing animals. I still recommend reading it, and ask that you spread the word about the deplorable way they're treating animals on their fake "reality" program.

[polly7]

1. I read this earlier and was surprised at how easily they admitted

to faking their shows. When he started taking down the sedated zebra, I had to quit the video.

[herding cats]

4. I expect "reality" television to be fake

I guess they must think most people do too, and it won't hurt their viewership that much. What they're doing to those animals in the name if their low end entertainment shouldn't be allowed though. I haven't decided if I'm going to even watch the videos yet. I found the article disturbing enough without needed the added visuals to feed my thoughts.

[polly7]

7. I expect most of it to be faked, but hadn't watched Animal Planet enough to

know much about them. And, I agree, they shouldn't be allowed near real animals.

[ellenfl]

2. just like duck dynasty. scripted entertainment, not reality. eom

[herding cats]

6. In this case they're also abusing animals to create their fiction.

I find this to be a disgusting example how low our standards have become in entertainment.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. The unfortunate reality is that these shows have been making stars out of morons.

It's like that "Polar Bear" guy from "Ice Road Truckers", Hugh Rowland. They make him out to be Billy Big-Rigger, as if he is a professional, full time trucker who just happens to drive on the ice roads 3 months of the year.

It's crap. The guy owns an excavating service or similar and drives trucks to move his heavy equipment most of the year. He is about as much of a truck driver as I am the head chef at the Four Seasons.

He is such an ass that he has either no understanding of or a total disregard for the hours of service regulations. I had read that when they shot in Alaska, at the end of the season, he was politely asked by the Alaska Highway Patrol to NOT come back (he's Canadian) because he showed such disregard for the various regulations, including hours of service logs.

[democratisphere]

3. Anything goes to make a buck by the corporate scammers.

I believe a lot of the plain crap portrayed on 'reality' TV shows is staged fraud. Animal Planet should be taken down for committing cruelty to animals. I don't understand why American viewers eat this crap up?

[herding cats]

5. Spead the MJ article around

Maybe if enough people see it, Animal Planet will experience some blowback.

[a kennedy]

8. D*mn, we really enjoyed this show......thought it was real.

Ok, so I'm gullible, and not watching again.

[herding cats]

15. I'm sorry.

It's not your fault you expected it to be what they portrayed it as being, though.

[REP]

10. I had a feeling shit was wrong when I saw a skunk episode

Skunks are curious and friendly - and very nearsighted. Chasing a skunk is a terrible way to catch one. Baiting a humane trap with food - especially eggs or cat food - will GUARANTEE catching a calm, happy skunk.



Me feeding a wild skunk




Me petting a wild skunk

[herding cats]

16. That's precious!

You're braver than I am. I see a skunk and the pooch and I head the other direction! She likes to bark at them and a scared skunk knows how to defend itself against scary dogs.

[DirkGently]

11. Gack. n/t

[Jamastiene]

12. I really wanted to like that show.

I could not bring myself to like that show though. That weird sound he makes terrifies the animals and it is unnecessary. If I was an animal and that crazy ass sounding thing was coming after me, I'd fight like hell to get away and keep fighting if he caught me. If he is doing that weird ass sound for "entertainment purposes," he needs to do it less often. There is a such thing as overdoing it with whatever gimmick.

Either way, I really hate the direction Animal Planet has taken in the last decade or so. You know animals are harmed in the making of most of their shows nowadays. It has to be. They have on so many of the abuse related reality shows and at one point even had hunting for the hell of it in some of their shows. I cannot watch Animal Planet any more. I just don't trust them to do the right thing regarding the animals.

Personally, I don't think animals should be used for entertainment at all. They can do it with CGI nowadays and make it look close enough without dragging some poor animal in to perform for them and suffer and possibly die. Here is another article that lists several movies where animals were definitely harmed and the AHA let it slide: (CAUTION: THIS LINK DOES INCLUDE GRAPHIC PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ANIMAL CRUELTY http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/feature/

Enough is enough. There is no reason to continue to harass and torture animals for entertainment purposes. CGI can handle it.

[herding cats]

17. I was wondering what else AP has on its network that commits similar abuse to animals.

You'd think since most of the people who watch it like, or even love, animals they'd have been smart enough not to go down this road. I guess they think their viewers are either too stupid, or too apathetic to care.

Thanks for the heads up on the other animal abuse being let slide in Hollywood. I'll check out the link when the kiddo is out of the house in a bit.

[El_Johns]

13. Reality TV must go: fake, union-busting, animal-killing spam.

[herding cats]

18. I completely agree.

All of it can go and we'd be nothing but better off.

[Archae]

14. They better not dope up the kitties or puppies on February 2nd!

(Puppy Bowl)

[herding cats]

19. I think the Puppy Bowl is still a safe bet.

It's one of the shows leftover from before they sold their souls to the devil.