The producers of the NATURE mini-series Spy in the Wild share the most memorable, harrowing and hilarious moments working with a host of animatronic ‘spy creatures’. Click through the slideshow below for photos of the spy creatures and their stories.
Crushed Hatchlings
"There is one and only moment that stands out for these little guys -- the moment they were picked up and carried in the mouth of the real crocodile mother as she gathered her babies. It took three shoots to finally get this behavior in the can and it was extremely difficult because a mother croc will gradually squeeze any hatching eggs in her jaws until they hatch successfully. She tried this over and over with our own robot hatchlings but rather than them hatching, she just just smashed them as they weren't as flexible as real babies! The result was we had to have 10 Spy Croc Hatchlings made before we finally managed to achieve the shots we were after. Four of the Spy Crocodile Hatchlings were smashed to pieces." - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Stolen Jewelry
"My most memorable moment with Spy Bowerbird, was seeing him have his blue jewel stolen from right out of his beak! Also, seeing the other bowerbirds reactions to him was terrific. Some displayed and got angry towards him as he had such a stunning array of blue jewels and trinkets, whereas others fell under his spell and were mesmerized." - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Bush-Kabob
"The most harrowing moment for Spy Bushbaby was when one of the chimps tried to stab him with a spear. Luckily he ducked away just in time!" - Producer Matt Gordon
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Turf and Surf
"An amazing moment was seeing Spy Crocodile walk into the River Nile for the first time. He was the first and only of our Spy Creatures that could not only walk but transition to swimming as well." - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Dinner Company
"Filming wild Caledonian crows is a challenge due to the remote and hilly cloud forests of New Caledonia. So the highlight was finally getting Spy Crow into position to film the wild crows using tools. They were nervous at first, but once Spy Crow had a go at using tools to extract the nutritious grubs from rotten logs, the wild crows quickly joined in." - Producer Phil Dalton
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Mud Bath
"The most harrowing moment for Spy Egret was the first time he was deployed amongst 100-plus elephants. He was so fragile and would be destroyed instantly if they suspected anything about him. My favorite moment was when he was sprayed with mud during the filming of 'Misbehavior'. This was very unexpected as up until that moment the elephants hadn't even noticed him. Then one sharp-eyed young male decided to vent his frustration on the poor unsuspecting Spy Creature!" - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Gone Missing
"Spy Grub was inserted inside a rotten candlenut tree full of long horn beetle larva. The viewpoint was astonishing and allowed us to film the intricate tool use of the crows as they fished out the larva using specially made stick tools. We did lose Spy Grub for a few days and thought it may have been taken by one of the crows. Fortunately it was found after some heavy excavation by a hungry crow and we were able to retrieve some amazing shots." - Producer Phil Dalton
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Dangerous Mission
"Spy Hippo was sent on one of the most suicidal missions of any Spy Creature. Filming hippos up close and personal is madness as they are notoriously aggressive with many unprovoked attacks on their record. Needless to say Spy Hippo did come under attack initially and was battered and knocked around as the real hippos thought he was a rival hippo. But once they realized he wasn't a threat he managed to take us closer to the hippos than ever before--both on top of the surface and below." - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Greedy Siblings
"A promising moment with Spy Hornbill Chick was when he was fed by the father of the real hornbill chicks…which quickly turned to disappointment as another chick stole the food from his bill." - Producer Matt Gordon
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Intimate Funeral
"The most upsetting moment was when the other langur monkeys thought he had died and grieved for him. There is nothing worse than watching a funeral from the perspective of the deceased!" - Producer Matt Gordon
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Hanging by a Thread
"Using ropes, I had to descend a near vertical cliff face made of wet mud and secure Spy Macaw in place, then retire to a safe distance up top and await the arrival of the real macaws. At one point, the clay was so wet that I feared Spy Macaw's mount wouldn't hold on so had to climb down again in a rescue mission. Luckily all was fine. Seeing the real macaws gathered around him was a remarkable moment as they literally sat right next to him--to the point it was hard to work out which one was the Spy Creature!" - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Scratch and Sniff
"Spy Meerkat was the first Spy Creature made for the series. We worked closely with scientists to ensure the first deployment was successful. They highlighted the importance of smell in meerkat society and advised we anoint spy meerkat with the smell of the meerkat group we planned to film. So we collected fresh meerkat droppings and smeared small amounts onto Spy Meerkat. It worked! Although very curious at first, the entire group (mob) approached Spy Meerkat and sniffed and scratched at him. They quickly accepted Spy Meerkat." - Producer Phil Dalton
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
See-Saws
"I was proud of Spy Orangutan when he competed in a sawing competition with Siswi the wild orangutan…and won!" - Producer Matt Gordon
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Overprotective Parents
"My favorite moment was seeing him accepted by real ostriches. Not only was he tolerated, but he was also loved by the male ostrich especially who pulled him under his wing along with his own real babies. Getting the device back afterwards was also very exciting as ostriches are potentially very dangerous, especially when guarding their young. Producer Rob Pilley had to choose the moment just right and get in the deploy/ collect the Spy Ostrich Chick when the parents changed over shifts and their focus was elsewhere." - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Nearly Dunked
"A nerve-wracking moment when one of the real otters swam straight for Spy Otter and crawled on top of him. The cutest moment was when he got up close and personal to another otter pup and mum." - Producer Matt Gordon
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Invisible Pig
"Wild peccaries are notoriously aggressive and nervous and so we worried that they may not approach or accept Spy Peccary, or may be aggressive toward him. As it turned out they were so focused on the mud that they walked right past him and were largely oblivious, even when he tried to join them in the water." - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Doing the Wave
"The most memorable moment with Spy Prairie dog was when he was able to join in during a 'jump yip' display. Prairie dogs will jump in the air on their hind legs and this spreads through the colony like a Mexican wave. Spy Prairie Dog was able to join in, which helped him be accepted as a member of their town. Spy Prairie Dog had to be treated for fleas before returning home after filming." - Producer Phil Dalton
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Unrequited Love
"I enjoyed seeing him meet a real sloth for the first time in the rainforests of Peru. It seemed to be love at first sight as the real sloth really took an interest in him. Then when she realized he wasn't real--she stormed off!" - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Squirrel Shakedown
"It was great seeing Spy Squirrel accepted by real squirrels...but then he became their victim! First they stole his hazelnut, and then they stole his nut camera as the real squirrels became more and more bold." - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Close Encounters
"One time he not only encountered and filmed tortoise mating up close and very personal, but also became a part of it when an overly amorous male decided to have his wicked way with our poor innocent Spy Tortoise!" - Producer Rob Pilley
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Wet Landing
"Spy Tropicbird's most harrowing moment was when he crashed landed into the Caribbean sea. Luckily he was rescued before he drowned." -- Producer Matt Gordon
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
Marking Territory
"It's hard to forget the time Spy Wolf Cub was peed on by one of the wolves. From this point on he smelt of the pack and was accepted by the three wolf cubs. He was able to capture an incredible story in which the pack united to help find a lost pup." - Producer Phil Dalton
Photo: Stephen J. Downer/© John Downer Productions
