Sad but true, lemmings do not commit mass suicide. It’s a myth, but it’s remarkable how many people believe it. It all started with a Disney documentary in the ‘50s. In 1958 Walt Disney produced “White Wilderness,” part of the studio’s “True Life Adventure” series. “White Wilderness” featured a segment on lemmings, detailing their strange compulsion to commit mass suicide. The lemmings supposedly committing mass suicide by leaping into the ocean were actually thrown off a cliff by the Disney filmmakers. Lemmings are seen flying into the water. The final shot shows the sea awash with dying lemmings.
Sad but true, lemmings do not commit mass suicide. It’s a myth, but it’s remarkable how many people believe it. It all started with a Disney documentary in the ‘50s. In 1958 Walt Disney produced “White Wilderness,” part of the studio’s “True Life Adventure” series. “White Wilderness” featured a segment on lemmings, detailing their strange compulsion to commit mass suicide. The lemmings supposedly committing mass suicide by leaping into the ocean were actually thrown off a cliff by the Disney filmmakers. Lemmings are seen flying into the water. The final shot shows the sea awash with dying lemmings.