Rarely Seen Animal Behavior Captured In SPY IN THE WILD
In the most innovative production NATURE has ever presented, this five-part series employs more than 30 animatronic spy cameras disguised as animals to secretly record behavior in the wild.
These “spycams” reveal animals as having emotions and behavior similar to humans: specifically, a capacity to love, grieve, deceive, and invent.
Among the featured Spy Creatures are: Spy Orangutan, Spy Croc Hatchling, Spy Meerkat, Spy Egret, Spy Tortoise, Spy Prairie Dog, Spy Macaw, Spy Sloth, Spy Cobra, Spy Bushbaby, Spy Squirrel, Spy Adelie, and Spy Baby Hippo.
These robotic, uncanny look-alikes infiltrate the natural world to film surprising behavior among wildlife from around the globe.
Miniseries producer and director John Downer, whose productions such as EARTHFLIGHT and PENGUINS: SPY IN THE HUDDLE, were presented by NATURE, says this was the first “spycam” series to be shot in ultra-high-definition (UHD) and is “the most ambitious and biggest Spy series yet.”
Downer explains that the series’ aim “was to capture these elusive moments where animals do something so extraordinary that makes us consider our own connection with the natural world. Inevitably those moments are rare, but by deploying a menagerie of lifelike Spy Creatures and other remote cameras over long periods of time and filming thousands of hours of footage, it was possible to capture many never-seen-before moments.”
“This series is a big step up from how we currently view and understand animals,” says NATURE executive producer Fred Kaufman. “It is surprising in every way.”
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: “Love” repeats Wednesday, June 17 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, June 21 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Spy Creatures explore the rarely seen emotions of animals, revealing whether they are as strong and complex as our own. Join the spycams as they are accepted into a wild dog pack, witness elephant love, and are mourned by a troop of monkeys!
Episode 2: “Intelligence” repeats Wednesday, June 24 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Spy Creatures infiltrate the world of animal intelligence, ingenuity, and creativity. Watch our spies disguised as animals observe a gray squirrel stealing Spy Nut, a sea otter cracking open a meal, and an orangutan washing with soap!
Episode 3: “Friendship” repeats Wednesday, July 1 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, July 5 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Spy Creatures and their new wild friends rely on each other to look out for predators. A Spy Meerkat babysits meerkat pups while a Spy Cobra pretends to attack the mob. Spy Crocs witness a convenient partnership between real crocodiles and birds.
Episode 4: “Bad Behavior” repeats Wednesday, July 8 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV + Sunday, July 12 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Spy Creatures infiltrate the underground world of animal mischief, crime and retribution. Spy Monkey is caught between crossfires as real monkeys fight over beach bar alcohol. Spy Egret is also a waterhole victim when elephants throw mud everywhere!
Episode 5: “Meet The Spies” airs Wednesday, July 15 at 8 p.m. + Sunday, July 19 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - The final “Making Of” episode takes us through the evolution of Spy Creatures from the original BoulderCam to the PenguinCams that inspired the “spycams” in this series. Marvel and laugh at unexpected and funny moments from the Spy Creatures’ POV.
Watch On Your Schedule:
Season 1 is not currently available to stream on demand.
Episodes from Season 2 are available to view on demand with KPBS Passport, video streaming for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.
Join The Conversation:
NATURE is on Facebook, Tumblr and you can follow @PBSNature on Twitter. #NaturePBS. John Downer Productions is on Facebook, and you can follow @JohnDownerProd on Twitter.
Credits:
NATURE is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET. For NATURE, Fred Kaufman is executive producer. SPY IN THE WILD is a John Downer Production for BBC, PBS and THIRTEEN Productions LLC. Presented as part of a multi-title co-production deal among PBS, BBC and BBC Worldwide North America.
