The Animal Planet network has a history of airing misleading pseudo-science on many of their specials. In their fake documentaries, researchers (usually actors posing as scientists) are on the hunt for creatures undiscovered by science. In the past they have supposedly discovered evidence for mermaids and the continued existence of a long extinct shark species known as Carcharodon megalodon. Last night, they aired a special culminating Monster Week entitled Fear Island. A trio including a so-called scientist, a skeptic, and an Indian tracker were following a particularly large specimen of Kodiak bear. The so-called scientist had a theory that Kodiak bears were either an hybrid between brown bears (Ursus arctos) X polar bears (Ursus maritimus) or an hybrid between brown bears X and an extinct species of bear from the Pleistocene (Arctodus simus). They used camera traps and collected DNA samples from hair and feces to prove that this bear was an hybrid, and that it was 2600 pounds which would make it more than double the size of an ordinary Kodiak bear. This gave the show a verisimilitude of real science, but it was not.
Don’t believe anything you see on Animal Planet. They air unscientific bullshit.
There was a big problem with this special–scientists have already conducted many genetic studies of the Kodiak bear population. Kodiak bears grow to more than double the size of the average mainland brown bear because of their diet…not because they are somehow a different species. They enjoy an unusual abundance of salmon. Genetic studies suggest Kodiak bears are the same species as the brown bear, and there is no admixture of polar bear in this population. Moreover, the genetic studies indicate there is so little genetic difference between mainland brown bears and Kodiak bears that the latter should not even be considered a separate subspecies. Nevertheless, at the end of the special Animal Planet claimed their genetic tests determined the Kodiak bear the hosts were following was a brown bear X polar bear hybrid, but tests to determine if there was giant short-faced bear DNA were inconclusive. I promise, this supposed genetic test will never be subject to peer review in a real scientific journal because they were full of shit. The giant short faced bear belonged to the Tremarctine group indigenous to the Americas, and these bears were separated from the Ursus bears by millions of years of evolution, making it highly unlikely that they ever interbred. Plus, there is no genetic material of giant short-faced bears available for comparison. So, of course, that finding would be inconclusive.
No way did the bear they were following weigh 2600 pounds as they estimated. Any brown bear walking past a camera trap is going to look big, and I’m sure their estimate was badly miscalculated. To prove it weighed that much, they would actually have to weigh it.
The Indian tracker told of an incident when 6 bears carried a dead bear to an hole they dug and buried it in a funeral like ceremony. He told it with a straight face, but obviously he was pulling their leg. Nevertheless, the so-called skeptic believed his story. Don’t believe anything you see on Animal Planet. This network lost its credibility a long time ago.
Tags: Animal Planet is full of shit, Kodiak bears are not brown bear x polar bear hybrids
GeorgiaBeforePeople 
June 4, 2018 at 3:16 pm |
Since I only watch..what is the ‘free feed..from our local news, plus opb..I have no awareness..of an ..animal planet..program. After reading this..who..places enough money..at the disposal of..the animal plan. folks? Agendas..with whatelse..in the background? Hell..the next special on their planet then..is apt to be the ‘secret diarys of bigfoot..eh”?
June 5, 2018 at 12:31 pm |
I think the History Channel has a monopoly on Bigfoot programs.
August 8, 2018 at 2:25 am |
Dude, I just finished watching this shit and knew from the gecko it was so fake and staged. My girlfriend kept insisting it was real and I am glad to see when I googled this crap I found this article. I am a frequent deer hunter and with animal tracking experience I can tell you they literally saw a fake spot on the floor that looked like a footprint which clearly looked like nothing but just a dead spot of moss and they stated “yup that’s grandfather” … hell if they were so good at determining it was a specific bear by just looking at 1 print then I want to take there asses hunting with me! and of course the perfect DNA matched at the ending like if we are fucking retarted and werent expecting it…if this was real this would have been enough evidence to leave more trail cameras behind in the area because according to them they say Bears are territorial…so if they concluded that is “grandfather” and know it’s living region they can funnel their surveillance for the next two months with cameras all over the place and mark spots on gps trackers so they can get more photos and videos. What type of shit is this ? They go on a 400 yr old un-walked trail and then leave when they finally supposably find the dam thing ? Heck, why leave and end the long ass adventure when you finally know where it is ?.. It must of not been such a big break thru in science… you can even see how the videos of the bears were edited and the bear doesnt even look real. This shit reminded me of the dumbass mermaid documentary they made few years ago on discovery. I gotta hand it to them they did great acting. The oscar goes to ! (You decide)
August 8, 2018 at 2:50 am |
You know at first I thought it was real but ofcourse why would I think anything on tv is real anymore. Everything lately on tv is fake, just like the news. This is what is being taught to kids and it is not fair anymore. I dont remember growing up watching something fake and not being told it was fake. Stop messing with peoples heads so that animal planet can get more viewers and make a buck out of it. Its not right and karma is a btch. Find something productive to show and not something that was thoughtout around the fire place during story time.
August 8, 2018 at 12:08 pm |
The mainstream news is not fake. Donald Trump is a whiny bitch who calls the news fake because they hurt his feelings by telling the truth about him.
June 29, 2019 at 5:25 pm
Well, now we’ve heard from the butthurt snowflakes.
August 8, 2018 at 4:16 pm |
What kinda chump must you be to believe any f’n element of the mainstream news nowadays is not in-the-tank and compromised?
Putz….
August 8, 2018 at 6:39 pm |
I’m educated enough to understand the difference between fact and fiction. I understand bias and I am able to discern truth and falsehood.
Where do you get your news?
Alex Jones conspiracy shithead network?
You are the chump.
August 8, 2018 at 6:45 pm
Lmao! Speaking TRUTH!
June 20, 2019 at 11:24 pm |
You are far worse than the “so called scientist.” He never stated he was a scientist, you absolute moron. You are an armchair expert sitting on you laptop. This guy spent 4 years out on a island in Alaska researching. And you are trying to belittle him. Also your acussing the University of Buffalo and the documentary team of falsifying lab tests, with zero proof. You literally are using your imagination to claim it’s fake, which makes you a nut case. You are also making it seem like this guy faked all the evidence of the size. Btw since then there has been other brown bears with polar bear DNA that have been found. God you are a piece of shit.
August 8, 2018 at 6:42 pm |
I’m not a scientist but I totally agree with your opinion of animal planet! Why do they insist on creating this scripted b.s. that children may watch and believe? Why, because they can and apparently it makes them money! P.S. that trail cam was not even close to 6 ft off the ground!
September 17, 2018 at 7:35 pm |
Only Haters would say it is fake😂
September 17, 2018 at 7:39 pm |
all of you need to stop saying it is fake. Grow your ass up. fr. it is not fake, they did not just do this for money. You WHITE people need to understand. you guys do not know anything about our culture. You guys have no say if it is real or not. GET A JOB. IF YOU HAVE ONE THAT IS GOOD MIND YOUR BUSINESS. Ain’t nobody care about your saying. THIS IS NOT FAKE. IT IS REAL. NOW STOP BEING HATERS AN ASK THE PEOPLE YOURSELF.
September 17, 2018 at 8:09 pm |
What is fake? I know the documentary in question was but the mainstream news is not.
October 7, 2018 at 8:14 pm |
I found this page after watching the show in iTunes, after a buddy told me about it. And it was awesome! I went online to read the articles about the show, to find out more, and then I stumbled across this garbage. I’m sick and tired of macho lounge-chair hunter pretender types calling everything fake.
First of all, smart guy, at no point the documentary did they ever say these were Kodiak bears or that they were on Kodiak – watch it again dumbass and you will see that they said they were Kootznoowoo bears, and they were on Kootznoowoo, which is also called Admiralty island in English.
And if you actually had any scientific field experience you would know that everything they did along the way made perfect sense. Keep in mind they spent months doing this expedition and we only get to watch 2 hours of highlights. So don’t start bitching about all the drama and things that seemed unusual or out of place – this show was shot on location but it was stitched together in a Hollywood editing room, over 2,000 miles away.
To that end, I agree that this nature documentary was definitely presented as a mystery thriller, rather than straight natural history – so yes, some Hollywood license was taken in regards to making the build-up of tension along the way more entertaining. I can get how this would piss off the purists.
But these are real bears, and real Native Americans on a real island off the coast of Alaska. Alvin, the Tlingit hunter/scout, is a former US Army sniper, and Bradley Trevor Greave, the team leader, is a legit baddass, check out his Wikipedia page if you can stomach any more humble pie. And if you check the credits, you’ll see that the DNA was verified by Charlotte Lindquist, a top bear genetics expert from the University of Buffalo. So are you now claiming her whole team were in on your ridiculous conspiracy?!
So basically – a credible team, went to a real place, with real bears, gathered real poop and real hair samples to deliver irrefutable real DNA evidence, plus secured real footage of the actual bear on camera, and all you can do is spout off to try and make yourself sound smart and tough – like you are better than everybody else, and nothing is good enough for you.
I challenge all the haters like you to go to Angoon for themselves instead of spouting off online like a pack of cowardly ignorant jerks who could never do anything like this in a million years. If you have the balls to go to Kootznoowoo, please give Bradley, Alvin and Grandfather my best regards.
And if you don’t have the balls, then just do us all a favor and shut the hell up!
October 7, 2018 at 11:13 pm |
A DNA study of Kootznoowoo bears was already conducted 5 years before this phony show. See the link: https://news.ucsc.edu/2013/03/polar-bear-genomics.html
Unlike Kodiak bears, Kootznoowoo bears do have some admixture of polar bear. But that was already determined in a previous study. The people tracking the bear acted as if they were the first people to study these bears. There was no mystery because it had already been solved.
The size estimate was total BS too.
BTW, I never claimed to be some kind of hunter tracker, so referring to me as a lounge-chair hunter misses the mark by a mile.
October 8, 2018 at 6:41 pm
Okay, I want to dial this back a little, the name calling isn’t helping and we are missing the point: Which is that you went out of your way to slam the whole program because you believed the show was about Kodiak, and it isn’t.
I was notified a few hours ago about your comment that you were absolutely certain it was set on Kodiak, but now I see you have deleted that comment as you have realized the truth, and so instead you are back-peddling to try and save face, and instead quote a single study paper link that you found Kootznoowoo off of wikipedia.
I’m not fussed about winning an online argument, I just want to lay out the facts so that you can see that your original claims and subsequent were based on a false assumption, and then I respectfully ask you to reconsider your position.
• Not once did they say Kodiak. The entire show is set on (aka Admiralty Island).
• The team start out in Angoon, the only village on Kootnoowoo/Admiralty.
• Alvin is Tlingit, and the team meet with Tlingit elders – the population of Angoon/Kootznoowoo is Tlingit. The Native American people of Kodiak are the Sugpiaq, an Alutiiq Nation.
• Here is a link to a online article talking about how this show is set on Kootznoowoo: https://hiddenremote.com/2018/05/30/fear-islands-bradley-trevor-greive-talks-finding-grandfather-deer-teeth-future/
• Plus the whole point of the study was to show that the bears on Kootznoowoo are not like other Alaskan brown bears, especially the ABC bears in the Alexander Alexander Archipelago – yes, they have a shared heritage, but have evolved differently because the Kootznoowoo bears were cut off and isolated by the retreating ice.
• If you actually read that study you referenced you’ll see the samples were taken from bears around Sitka – almost no data was recorded from Kootnoowoo (just one sample) and then assumptions were made for all the surrounding islands.
• I called the Angoon Trading Post in Kootznooowoo and asked if this show was real, and asked if they had heard of the people in the show, and they said it was real, and they know the people in the show very well (except for Jonny, who only came the one time for filming). Alvin and his family still live on the island, and Bradley has been coming there each season to study the bears for the past 5 or 6 years! Here’s the number, call them for yourself: (907) 788-3111
• There is no claim that all the bears on this island are as big as Grandfather – this bear is regarded as exceptional from the outset – though you can clearly see that many of the bears they encounter are far bigger than average, with sows at 8 feet and boars at 10.
• I don’t dispute that Animal Planet edited the show to make it more entertaining – in my view the Hollywood elements take away from the show, and I hate how the DNA results are just an add on at the end – but to write the whole program off as fake is plain wrong. It’s easy to dismiss things in this day and age, but to lump this program with some crap about mermaids, megaladon, and big foot is not right.
• Like you, I have some issues with the show, but there is no doubt in my mind the basic elements are real.
• Bottom line – This expedition looked scary as hell, I loved the show, I have great respect for the team, especially Alvin and Bradley, and also for the Tlingit people who have lived in harmony with the giant bears on Kootznoowoo for at least 10,000 years.
October 8, 2018 at 8:34 pm |
I never wrote that they didn’t actually go to the island. Nor did I claim the tracker wasn’t an indigenous person.
On 2nd thought, maybe I was too harsh in my criticism. I assumed it was like some of the other shows Animal Planet has aired. You make it clear it wasn’t as bad as those.
October 9, 2018 at 7:04 am |
Fair enough, and thank you. You’ve made it very clear you’re not just a mindless hater, and I both appreciate and respect that, and I also apologize for coming back at you so rudely.
You have every right to your opinion, I simply felt that this show was unfairly maligned just because of Animal Planet’s past (and present?) obsession with big foot, yeti and sea monster nonsense. Fear Island was the best special during Monster Week, by far. Though, to be blunt, it was the only real wildlife show in the entire week, and I found the rest of the special features to be very disappointing on many levels – almost wholly reliant on mythology, lame re-enactments, CGI monsters, and empty hype. But, by way of contrast, when you look at the faces of the field team at the end of Fear Island and you can really see how cold, exhausted and terrified they have been the past few weeks. The fatigue and genuine emotion are obvious – The authenticity really is there, and so are the results.
My favorite line from Fear Island was when they found the fossil foot print, and Bradley is explaining his hypothesis regarding the genetic make-up of Grandfather, and he says something like “… but unless we find actual proof, unless we secure video footage and irrefutable DNA evidence, I’m no better than those big foot nutters.”
In my view, while it is obviously natural history as entertainment, Fear Island is the kind of bold and meaningful wildlife expedition show Animal Planet should be making more of, and they can only improve these productions by dialing back on the Hollywood drama and glitz and instead feature the actual data being collected, and the methodology of the field team, plus publish the lab results … etc.
Anyway, I’ve taken up enough of your time, For all our superficial differences, you and I clearly care a great deal about natural history, and I so am very grateful for your passion, and I wish you all the best.
October 30, 2018 at 5:33 pm |
Good to see passionate feelings expressed as logical facts. Not often do I see minds changed on the Internet. Nice to see nature draw those like us together. Despite some tongue-in-cheek, it is a worthy documentary. I live amongst black bears in the remote Northwoods of Maine and love to photograph them. Because there are so many, we hunt the crap out of them and they never get very large. 350 lbs would be a large specimen to stumble across, though there are bigger ones about. As much as I am at peace with the local bruins, the tension I see on the team’s face when bears are close in is familiar. If you can see or hear them, you can’t let your guard down–you just never know. My hackles go up when it happens in deep woods. They can appear and disappear in three paces, like ghosts. I could never get comfortable around beasts of the stature in the show. Props to them for sticking it out.
October 31, 2018 at 2:40 am |
look up where the largest bear ever, its near juneau alaska on a island less than 100 miles away from filming of show. the ABCS do have the largest number of bears and size why food why more food than kodiak and when they run out of food they will swim to a different island, i have seen them swimming in chatham straits before,
November 6, 2018 at 1:37 pm |
November 12, 2018 at 1:34 pm |
[…] ago, Discovery Channel aired a program about the ABC bears that I lambasted in this blog article https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2018/06/04/the-fear-island-special-that-aired-on-animal-planet-las… . Previously, Discovery Channel has aired programs about Bigfoot, mermaids, and the extant […]
January 26, 2019 at 11:01 pm |
It’s Native Americans dipshit
January 27, 2019 at 2:00 pm |
Who are you calling a “dipshit?” Native-Americans or me?
Most Native-Americans accept the appellation of Indian.
June 20, 2019 at 9:21 pm |
I have to agree with you. I am from Sitka. I was laughing. I lost my respect for animal planet with Matt Moneymaker and friends. I watch animal planet with the same enthusiasm as watching comedy Central.
June 20, 2019 at 11:04 pm |
I don’t friend,very possible grandfather is a hybrid mix,no one believed in chupacabre either till they found one dead,,definite hybrid creature,,no need for all your anger and cursing .
June 21, 2019 at 10:48 am |
I found it to be highly entertaining and the scenery was gorgeous. But if you want the facts, you’ll have to travel to Alaska yourself.
July 3, 2019 at 11:33 pm |
Roger Wilcox on this site is absolutely correct in his comments. If you review scientific evidence in respect to “Grandfather “ I have a hard time relating this is the actual bear. But…if you do your research there are appropriately 6 or 8 of these hybrid bears.
Please do your research & since you are not a scientist, anthropologist, a hunter or a tracker please do your homework.
You have an interesting article & we should hear both sides of an argument, I do not think you are qualified to do so.
Thanks for the article but do your homework & verify sources before you write.
July 4, 2019 at 12:01 pm |
I did more research and wrote a follow up article. I linked it above but here is the link again. https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/abc-bears/ I stand by my original assessment.
December 19, 2019 at 8:58 pm |
You guys are missing the point. The bears on Kodiak have had heavy hunting pressure since at least the 1960’s. As such the largest bears have been taken out of the genetic mix. On protected environs this does not happen plus they only die when weakened by age and younger, more dominant bears displace them. This doesn’t mean I buy the weight, size as described. You still need to attempt measurements.And not by cameras.
Cameras have been used to exagerate size since they were invented, The last 20 years have seen enormous fictitious animal photo’s published. Hogzilla, the giant wild boar comes to mind. There was also the giant Alaskan grizzly that was published dead along with the half eaten body of a hunter it had killed.
By staging the animal closer to the camera than the person or object you use for reference you can double or triple the size of the object in the foreground. This was initially done by fisherman to back up their “fishy” stories. The point is be sure of the credibility of your source. Any new species would be the subject of intense scientific scrutiny, not just an Animal Planet story with limited scientific evidence.
And I am First Nations, an Engineer and a hunter.
March 31, 2020 at 6:29 pm |
So true about animal planet and this show in
Particular- they lie. They reference the mauling death of an Alaskan wildlife service employee – yet no record appears anywhere of such an incident. A lie – lThe Indian guide (same guy who confirmed mauling death and bears funeral) is reference as an army sniper – should be verified – stolen valor could be an issue here.
July 2, 2020 at 7:08 pm |
Like you know more oh im a scientist i know everything i call bullshit to you also if you call yourself a scientist cure the common. Cold first before spouting off at the mouth!! They said they belived and estimated cause of the claw marks in the tree , and i dont see your ass out looking for it we dont know whats out there in there on the back of the island. Maybe there is one left over from the past
July 3, 2020 at 12:36 pm |
Learn how to write a coherent sentence.
September 2, 2020 at 3:17 am |
Reminded me of the show they had on real mermaids, such fake bullshit.
September 2, 2020 at 5:22 am |
They claimed to be hiking up a mountain trail that has not seen a human for 400 years, but then as the camera pans around, a tree has a double white marker wrapped around it about 7 feet from the ground.
September 2, 2020 at 12:41 pm |
“ dead bear to an hole ”
Should be … dead bear to a hole”
“were either an hybrid”
Should be … were either a hybrid
Try proof reading your work before posting.
September 2, 2020 at 3:04 pm |
Hey shithead, according to the style book I use (Strunk and White) words beginning with the letter h are supposed to be preceded with an not a.
September 2, 2020 at 8:27 pm |
I am not sure that you are the one full of poop. Especially when you write, the only way they could determine if the bear weighed 2600#s was to weigh it….well WOW, if that isnt rocket science. I am not saying that this was all factual…but i am saying anything is possible. And I hope that Animal Planet will continue to air and share rare findings. I would much rather our children be watching Animal Planet than some of the other Bullshit that is television.
February 14, 2021 at 7:54 am |
Did you do any checking of this show or did you just assume
February 14, 2021 at 2:07 pm |
Of course, I researched it. You are a stupid jerk for even asking that question.
April 1, 2021 at 4:18 pm |
The only thing I believe less than cryptozoology is opinion pieces written in the first person with no contradicting evidence.
April 2, 2021 at 12:35 pm |
So do you believe 6 brown bears carried another bear to a grave and buried it during a ceremony or do you need contradictory evidence?
April 3, 2021 at 1:21 am |
When I was viewing this most recently….I thought OMG could this be real? I think they did a good job filming it yet….when the guide spoke of the other bears actually PICKING UP a dead bear AND ALL WALKING TO BURY IT?….HUH?….I thought wait a minute here….as I was all set to email a former big game hunter and a very good friend of mine about this bear, etc. Yes, I saw the episodes about the supposed real life Megladon & I think another similar show, yet this bear episode was more convincing than the others. I read other’s comments here and on other sites and more than I thought, believe this bear is authentic….that surprised me. I looked for more details and there is little to be found on this bear. Oh well, it was an overall entertaining tv show and I think that itself….. is the intent of the producers & network in the first place.
I, however, will keep you all informed on the Bigfoot that sneaks into my home and raids the fridge occasionally! 👀 😆
September 14, 2021 at 7:12 am |
For starters these misleading or fake psuedo sciece documentaries, as you say, are just to peak curiosity, they present findings and let the viewer decide weather it is nonsense or not. Secondly, do you even know how to write. Your article is littered with spelling and gramatical errors, plus the info you say about the fear island documentary is all wrong! Did you even watch it? Of course not! It suggests not claims that said bear is a kodiack-polar bear hybrid. Which is recorded on several occasions to actualy happen in the wild. Do your research, phoney!
September 14, 2021 at 1:16 pm |
I made corrections to the information in this article in a follow up blog entry. See: https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/abc-bears/
I’ve re-read this article and can not find a single grammatical or spelling error.
Sit down and shut up, shithead.
July 20, 2023 at 2:03 am |
Seriously, this network airs highly suspect, mockumentary, reality-like expedition shows.. which in many cases would be totally fine, except in their case they present these shows as real documentaries.. dont show any clear disclaimers, nor stipulate these shows are entertainment and not depicting actual events.. they did it with the Mermaid documentary, and even aired a follow up 2nd one claiming they had new evidence.. they did it with the viral vortex mockumentary as well.. that was based off of an actual theory that Ivan T. Sanderson proposed, theorizing that there were energy vortexes that are highly volatile.. they are located at certain intersections of a particular latitude and longitudinal points and along leigh lines, such as the Bermuda Triangle. Which created an extreme electromagnetic vortex and cause unpredictable effects, such as portals and dimensional tears in the fabric of space and time.. but this network twisted the basis of Sanderson’s research and theories, and turned it into a crisis type situation.. they made it look like they were trying to neutralize these vortex points to, basically, save the planet … it was ridiculous, and slightly reminded me of the Orson Welles radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, which sent all the listeners into panic because they believed it was an actual news bulletin describing what was happening at that moment.. obviously this fake documentary wasn’t as extreme as the Welles broadcast, but still, just gave me the same sense of deception.. thankfully most people haven’t seen or even heard of these deceptive productions. Mostly due to the fact that Animal Planet doesn’t have a very high viewership level. That didn’t stop people online discussing them as if it’s proven fact after they aired. The biggest ones that really fooled a lot of naive people, were the two fake documentaries about “real” Mermaid footage and evidence.. people still believe those are totally legit, scientific documentaries that prove the existence of living mermaids right now.