Going Wild with Jeff Corwin

Going Wild with Jeff Corwin is a nature documentary television series produced and aired in the late 1990s on the Disney Channel. Hosted by Jeff Corwin, the show lasted for three seasons from August 10, 1997, to June 13, 1999, before it was canceled.

Going Wild with Jeff Corwin
GenreWildlife documentary
Written byJane Bahk
Paul Storck
Directed byMark Cole
Scott Firestone (8 episodes), Kathryn Douglas (first season)
Presented byJeff Corwin
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producersTim Braine
Kevin M. Meagher
ProducersScott Firestone
Paul Storck
CinematographyMatthew W. Davis
Running time30 minutes
Production companyPopular Arts Entertainment
Original release
NetworkDisney Channel
ReleaseAugust 10, 1997 (1997-08-10) –
June 13, 1999 (1999-06-13)

The show was first announced in an August 1997, simultaneously with another nature-oriented Disney show, Omba Mokomba.[1][2] In the show, Corwin travels to natural places around the world, including Florida, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, Death Valley, and Hawaii, searching for wild animals. In each episode, Jeff searches for a "Feature Creature", and always finds it at the end of the episode. Creatures previously featured include manatees, cobras, crocodiles, bighorn sheep, dolphins, and bears. As he explores, Jeff looks for "Creature Clues" to help him find the animal. In some episodes, Jeff also explores ancient ruins, including, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Port Arthur, Rhyolite, and Ayutthaya.

Episodes

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Season 1 (1997)

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Season 2 (1998)

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Season 3 (1999)

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Filming

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Jeff and his crew filmed in some of the most exotic places in the world. In some episodes, they filmed in special wildlife parks. This was revealed in the Special Thanks section of the credits. In some episodes, Jeff also met up with some locals, who gave him hints on where to find his "Feature Creature". Filming time depends on the location. In Death Valley, they only filmed for 2 days, but in South Africa, they filmed for 3 months.

Animals

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Jeff mainly filmed animals in the wild, but some animals were borrowed from museums and nature parks. The cougar cubs, he showed in South Dakota, were actually cubs out of wildlife rehabilitation, that were being released back into the wild. In the Special Thanks section of the credits, in some episodes it has the names of zoos and wildlife parks. The credits also state that, No Animals Were Harmed During The Making of This Program, and Some Animal Situations Have Been Recreated. It's not always easy to find the animals they need. In Los Angeles, Jeff spent 3 hours on a surf board, looking for pelicans, and in South Africa, him and his crew spend 3 weeks searching for an aardwolf, but the editing made it look like he was only there for 2 days.[3]

Close encounters

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Jeff had some close encounters while filming his show. While filming an episode in South Africa, Jeff got attacked by a leopard, but he had a stick with him, and stood his ground, and the leopard backed off. In his journals, Jeff also stated that an African lion jumped on him, and pawed his head. In Alaska, Jeff was nearly trampled by a moose, and in Thailand, he had to keep dodging king cobra strikes.[4]

Titles in other languages

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  • Spanish: Las Aventuras de Jeff Corwin ("The Adventures of Jeff Corwin")

VHS tapes

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The show has been canceled since 1999, however, all the episodes from the series are available for purchase on VHS online.

References

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  1. ^ Winnie Bonelli, "Animals Take Over Sunday Programming", Herald News (August 7, 1997), p. D5.
  2. ^ "Disney starts new shows", The Coos Bay World (August 9, 1997), "TV Times", p. 9.
  3. ^ Alycia's Going Wild For Jeff Corwin page
  4. ^ Alycia's Going Wild For Jeff Corwin page
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