Plot Synopsis

SPY IN THE WILD is a five-part series that 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. These realistic robotic cameras need to gain acceptance among their real-life counterparts, e.g., Spy Wild Dog Pup mimics the body language of the African savannah's wild dog pack. It utilizes submissive postures, tail wagging, and play bows to win them over. Likewise, Spy Prairie Dog was designed to perform a jump yip, a leap on two legs, which is a visual signal to unite the prairie dog colony in Colorado as well as a sign of vigilance. And it was clear Spy Tortoise fooled the male tortoises for a bit during mating season as the spycam unexpectedly found herself approached by a rather amorous male. Although 34 new Spy Creatures were created for the miniseries, most of them had to have backups, given mishaps in the wild. In total, around 60 different spy cameras, including the Spy Creatures, were deployed to film the production. Logistically, up to 10 Spy and conventional long lens cameras could be used at any one time. Filming the episodes in 21 countries took three years with more than 8,000 hours of footage shot. PBS aired the U.S. premiere of SPY IN THE WILD on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 8pm (check local listings), showing the series on five consecutive Wednesdays as part of its NATURE series.
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SPY IN THE WILD returned for its second season on PBS on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 8pm (check local listings), airing as part of the channel's NATURE series. In the season opener, "The Tropics," the spy creatures investigate the wildlife that thrives in the tropics. They infiltrate a hippo pod, a nursery of red flying foxes, a gorilla sanctuary and the secret world of pygmy forest elephants.