Planet Earth II filmmakers defy convention to save lost baby turtles

The BBC has flouted Sir David Attenborough's own rule never to interfere in nature, after it told worried fans of Planet Earth II that a film crew had intervened to rescue stranded baby turtles.

Viewers of the BBC nature documentary series had been left concerned for the welfare of the newly-hatched turtles, after learning that their natural instincts had been altered by man-made lights.

While they are built to find their own way safely to the sea after hatching, the programme showed how the brights lights of buildings along the beachfront were causing turtles to turn around and crawl in the wrong direction.

The episode showed turtle hatchings wrongly heading across a beach towards a town rather than the sea. Photo / BBC

Four in every five hawksbill babies, according to Sir David, who narrates the show, failed to make it through their first night after becoming disoriented, falling down drains and being crushed by cars.

As the programme was broadcast, the BBC took the extraordinary step of confirming their crews had taken action to stop and help.

"Every turtle that was seen or filmed by the Planet Earth II crew was collected and put back into the sea," a spokesman for the show told fans on Twitter.

Every turtle that was seen or filmed by the #PlanetEarth2 crew was collected and put back into the sea.

— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) December 11, 2016

Previously, nature documentary-makers have been firm on the importance of crews keeping a distance from the animals they are filming.

Sir David said last year: "If you're a film cameraman you are trained, as it were, to be the observer, a non-participant. That's very important."

Oh God, the baby turtle part of tonight's #PlanetEarth has completely broken my heart 😢

— Lauren 'Olive' Grove Ⓥ (@LoowPoow) December 11, 2016

The baby turtle story on #PlanetEarth this week has got to be the most brutal thing I've seen on TV recently. 🐢 #savetheturtles

— Hannah Trott (@hratrott) December 11, 2016

Doug Allan, a cameraman behind some of the most famous wildlife scenes in television history, has said: "For me, at least, my job is to look and not interfere. If I feel my presence is tilting the balance of the predator or the prey, then I'm doing something wrong."

A BBC source said that in this instance, the problem was man-made and it was therefore appropriate for man to step in to assist.

Jesus Christ this baby turtle massacre is the worst thing I've ever seen #PlanetEarth

— Sam Gore (@samgorecomedian) December 11, 2016

Jesus christ dave just pick the baby turtle up and chuck it in the sea #PlanetEarth

— Josh Williams (@Josh_BWilliams) December 11, 2016

Sir David's programmes have previously come under fire for filming dying animals, with a particularly emotional outpouring after an elephant calf died of thirst.

Speaking about the scenes depicted in the documentary series Africa last year, the broadcaster admitted: "The worst thing in this series as far as I'm concerned was that poor little baby elephant dying of thirst.

"Of course you see really tough things, but there's nothing you can do about them."

He said camera crews and wildlife presenters would "actually make things far worse by responding than not", adding that it was "very important" to simply observe.

Planet Earth II, which is reaching record-breaking numbers of viewers, has already tugged on the heartstrings of fans with soaring music, emotional scenes and a barrage of social media reaction each week.

After the final episode, in which Sir David explored the impact of the man-made world on the animal kingdom, social media was flooded with emotional messages about the baby turtles and their plight.

The BBC later released a short film documenting the work of a special task force at the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, who collect lost turtles and put them back on course to the sea.