A Peek Behind the Scenes

It takes guts to challenge the multi-million-dollar-a-year industry that you’ve made your living from, but award-winning filmmaker and provocateur Chris Palmer has thrown open the curtain on what really happens during the filming of wildlife shows, movies, and documentaries in his new book Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom. His book reveals how corners are cut, animals are harassed, and scenes are staged all in the quest to catch the “money shot.” Palmer, who admits that he himself engaged in some unethical practices while filming, is uniquely suited to expose what really goes on behind the scenes.

One of Palmer’s targets is the late Steve Irwin, aka the Crocodile Harasser Hunter. After Irwin died, PETA took some heat for honestly pointing out that the entire premise of his show was based on harassing wild animals. Palmer validates our contention, reminding readers that Irwin invaded animals’ homes, netted them, taped their mouths shut, removed them from their natural environment, and used them as living props.

Order a copy of this revealing and thought-provoking book right away, and for loads of other great reads, visit the PETA catalog.

Written by Jennifer O’Connor