Home > Author > Chris Palmer
1 " In this image-driven age, wildlife filmmakers carry a heavy responsibility. They can influence how we think and behave when we’re in nature. They can even influence how we raise our kids, how we vote and volunteer in our communities, as well as the future of our wildlands and wildlife. If the stories they create are misleading or false in some way, viewers will misunderstand the issues and react in inappropriate ways. People who consume a heavy diet of wildlife films filled with staged violence and aggression, for example, are likely to think about nature as a circus or a freak show. They certainly won’t form the same positive connections to the natural world as people who watch more thoughtful, authentic, and conservation-oriented films. "
― Chris Palmer , Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom
2 " Audiences see personalities on shows interacting with wild animals as if they were not dangerous or, at the other extreme, provoking them to give viewers an adrenaline rush. Mostly, the animals just want to be left alone, so it’s not surprising that these entertainers are seriously hurt or even killed on rare occasions. On one level, it’s that very possibility the shows are selling. "
3 " Though these all qualify as deceptions in Boswall's mind, they are not all necessarily bad. Boswall believes it's up to individual filmmakers to decide where to draw the line--but a warns that audiences might be surprised to know where filmmakers have been drawing it recently. "
4 " AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER SAM ABELL stood in front of a packed and excited crowd at the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, DC, in 2013. After I introduced him "
― Chris Palmer , Confessions of a Wildlife Filmmaker
5 " Irwin’s legacy proved a dangerous one. Today’s presenters often close in on wildlife, forcing dangerous animals into interactions that can be physical, confrontational, and extremely stressful for both parties. Audiences are misled into thinking that invading wild animals’ space is acceptable. Charming and charismatic hosts often behave in ways that end up hurting the wildlife they profess to love. "
6 " While “Irwin lookalikes” hassle animals on the screen, they “unwittingly [record] our dysfunctional relationship with [nature], teaching our children to both fear and subjugate creatures already pushed to the brink of extinction. "
7 " Marshall identified the key message in these wildlife shows as being that “animals are vicious, so humans are justified in using any means to subdue them. "
8 " as author and scientist Dr. Jonathan Balcombe wrote in his 2010 book Second Nature, animals’ thoughts and feelings are far more complex than humans previously imagined. “Animals are conscious beings with feelings,” Balcombe noted, “yet our treatment of them remains medieval. "
9 " I began to question NWF’s position on killer whale displays and I became more skeptical of NWF’s pro-captivity arguments, which parroted SeaWorld’s talking points. After all, NWF openly supported hunting and trapping; they were hardly in a good position to suddenly get maudlin about the suffering of orcas in captivity. "
10 " Testosterone-fueled programs that depict sharks as vicious, man-eating killers only make it more difficult to convince the public of the need to protect sharks. Sharks are an essential part of the ocean ecosystem, keeping prey species in check "
11 " Yukon Men is a popular Discovery Channel reality series about the citizens of the small town of Tanana in central Alaska. It portrays wolves as highly dangerous predators that besiege the town and threaten the safety of all of the residents. One of the show’s characters, Charlie, says, “Wolves "
12 " Adam Welz noted in his Guardian blog NatureUp that much of Yukon Men is grossly misleading.15 He could find no evidence to support the claim that there have been twenty fatal wolf attacks in Alaska in the past ten years. He is also baffled why Discovery would produce and broadcast a “factual” show that portrays wolves as “man-eating monsters straight out of Victorian fairytales, a serious threat to life and limb, "
13 " This vilification and demonization of predators (which overrides science and gives credence to lies) has serious negative consequences for wildlife, generating misunderstanding and encouraging public policies that promote the killing of wild animals. As is the case with sharks, land predators like wolves and wolverines serve vital roles in keeping ecosystems healthy. They cull sick "
14 " Graphic footage of shark attacks and feeding frenzies might make for thrilling entertainment, but they actively damage public sentiment toward animals whose very survival is in question. By misleading audiences and inspiring fear and terror, these television programs are harming the conservation movement. "
15 " Audubon and NWF CEOs would send out during the week fundraising letters protesting the killing of a particular species of animal and then spend the weekend killing ducks or other animals for fun and recreation. For example, former NWF "
