The BBC is under scrutiny for alleged deception after it was revealed that segments featured in the upcoming episode of the wildlife series Big Cats include footage nearly ten years old. Some of the clips were originally filmed during the production of Planet Earth II in 2016.
The episode is set to showcase thermal imaging of leopards hunting at night in Mumbai. However, nature enthusiasts may recognize the scenes, as they were recorded back in 2016 as part of David Attenborough’s acclaimed series, which highlighted various animal survival strategies across the globe.
A BBC spokesperson addressed the controversy, stating, “It is not the same shot as was in Planet Earth II, although the footage was filmed in the same location (Mumbai) on the same filming trip. That particular leopard regularly hunts in that location and almost nightly climbed over that wall.”
They further emphasized the importance of budget management, noting that using a single team to capture footage for multiple series allows for more effective use of resources, ultimately delivering exceptional new animal behavior and natural phenomena to viewers.
In addition to the leopard scenes, the episode claims to present the first footage of a ‘bay cat,’ featuring Oxford University scientist Dr. Andrew Hearn in Indonesian Borneo as he sets up traps to study the elusive animal.
While the program suggests this is the first video of a bay cat in the wild, it neglects to mention that the footage was captured in 2009.
The show also asserts that it contains one of only two videos of the bay cat, with the second being filmed by the Borneo Native Foundation in 2017.
However, footage of bay cats was previously released by Imperial College London and the Zoological Society of London in 2013, which documented the species on camera five times.
Another segment of the series features Professor Alan Wilson from the Royal Veterinary College, who measures the speed and agility of cheetahs.
The program showcases Prof. Wilson recording cheetah speeds of 58 mph, highlighting the animal’s agility as a crucial aspect of its hunting success. However, these experiments were conducted in 2013 and later published in Nature’s academic journal.
The use of previously recorded footage and the omission of key details about the origins of certain clips have raised questions about the BBC’s commitment to transparency in wildlife programming.
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