If you've sat down to watch Netflix and David Attenborough's Our Planet, then no doubt you'll be aware of the sheer horror that is the walrus scene, in which the mammals fall off a cliff edge to their death...
The devastating scene caused outrage among viewers, and prompted many people to question how their own actions contribute towards climate change. That's because the scene is presented to viewers as a direct consequence of climate change, with a lack of sea ice prompting the animals to seek unnatural resting points and the species' poor eyesight leading them to fall off the edge of the 80-metre cliff when they attempt to return to the sea.
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However, a zoologist has claimed the footage has misleadingly presented in order to support the climate change agenda of the show.
In a post on her website, Dr Susan Crockford said: "The lie being told by Attenborough and the film crew is that 200-300 walruses fell during the time they were filming, while in fact they filmed only a few: polar bears were responsible for the majority of the carcasses shown on the beach below the cliff.
"This is, of course, in addition to the bigger lie that lack of sea ice is to blame for walrus herds being on shore in the first place."
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Dr Crockford also thinks the footage was taken following an incident in 2017 in Siberia, which saw hundreds of walruses fall to their deaths after being scared by polar bears.
She continued: "The film crew have steadfastly refused to reveal precisely where and when they filmed the walrus deaths shown in this film in relation to the walrus deaths initiated by polar bears in the fall of 2017.
"I can only conclude, therefore, that the two incidents are indeed essentially one and the same."
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Sophie Lanfear, who directed the Frozen Worlds episode, and was present during filming, has denied the claims made by Dr Crockford.
"We filmed Pacific walrus falling from high cliffs. They were not being driven off the cliffs by the polar bears and we know this because we had two team members watching the cliffs from afar who could see the polar bears and were in radio communications with us to warn us about any bears approaching the crew closer to the walrus and the cliffs," she said.
"Once the walrus had rested at the top for a few days they wanted to return to sea when all the others below started to leave. We would watch them for hours teetering back and forth on the edge before finally, falling off.
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"Fundamentally, the reason walrus used this haul out location is because of a lack of sea ice in the region, meaning they are coming ashore more frequently than they did in the past.
"Especially mothers with their pups. And at this particular site, once the beach below the cliffs was full, they spread out and up the cliffs and were unable to find their way safely down, with tragic consequences."
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: climate change, TV News, david attenborough, TV Entertainment