The Animal Planet reality series "Call of the Wildman" premiered in 2011 and was one
of the network's biggest hits – until it was suddenly canceled.
But why did it end?
That depends on who you ask.
In a move away from strictly educational programming, Animal Planet produced the series in partnership
with Sharp Entertainment, known for what's sometimes called "guided reality," where a
show's producers interfere in what's ostensibly presented as real happenings in order to make
things more dramatic or entertaining.
The focus of the show was Ernie "Turtleman" Brown, Jr., an adventurous outdoorsman from
Kentucky as he purportedly rescued wild animals from all sorts of hair-raising situations.
How much of what Turtleman did in the series was real or was staged, though, was called
into question on several occasions.
Still, when "Call of the Wildman" was first canceled in Canada, Canadian Animal Planet
Network executives said it was not because the show was faked but because of poor ratings.
Either explanation could be true.
But there's another possibility – and it's much darker.
Shortly before the TV show's sudden cancellation, Mother Jones published an investigative report
called "Drugs, Death, Neglect: Behind the Scenes at Animal Planet," suggesting there
had been widespread animal abuse during the show's production, including the death of
some animals.
"If these animals were somehow subjected to someone's production schedule, somebody's
convenient timeline, then that's wrong."
Among other allegations, Mother Jones uncovered evidence that wild animals were caged and
drugged during the show's production, in violation of federal law.
Some animals presented in the series had been trapped before taping began, and then caught
again by Brown, Jr. while cameras rolled.
There were also numerous issues with "Wildman's" legal documentation in the state of Kentucky,
and for all these reasons and more, a "Wildman" production assistant identified in the Mother
Jones article as "Jamie" said the series was "100% fake."
Worst of all, though, the report claimed that some animals seen in the show were injured
or killed while taping.
And that was something Animal Planet viewers couldn't abide.
This report came out after season 3, and according to Mother Jones, ratings were strong up until
that point.
Still, the Canadian version of Animal Planet chose to pull the plug on the series.
It turned out they had the right idea.
In the U.S, the show continued for a fourth season, but following the damaging report
from Mother Jones, viewers stayed away in droves, and ratings fell to barely half their
previous numbers before it was finally canceled for good.
In response to the Mother Jones article, the show's production company, Sharp Entertainment
also held an interview with a crisis manager, experienced in dealing with similar high-profile
controversies.
In that interview, Dan Adler, a Sharp senior vice president said
"We've always made the humane treatment of animals our top priority."
Show producers admitted some rescues were staged, but said the animals involved in the
series were likely going to be euthanized, so in that sense, the series provided a service.
They also said the allegations outlined in the article were under internal investigation.
But there were external investigations as well.
After "Call of the Wildman" was canceled, the USDA ruled that the Animal Planet series
had violated the Animal Welfare Act for displaying animals without the correct licensing.
Though some producers on the series were fined as little as $1,800 for the violations, at
least one producer was fined a whopping $180,000 among other financial penalties.
Meanwhile, those involved in the series placed the blame for potential animal abuse on subcontractors.
Animal mistreatment aside, in 2015 Brown Jr. and others involved in the production of the
show were hit with a lawsuit that alleged trespassing and damage to property during
series production.
But despite all the fines and accusations, there was never any official statement from
American Animal Planet executives regarding the show's abrupt U.S. cancellation.
And as for the show's one time star, Ernie "Turtleman" Brown, Jr. has still continued
to make live appearances based on the show's popularity – even if events like the Smoky
Mountain Bigfoot Festival are a long, long way from the Hollywood spotlight he once thrived in.
Still, there's one silver lining: at least with Bigfoot, you know up front that it's
going to be faked, and no yetis will be harmed in the making.
"I found em!
I seen em!
Two bigfoots!"