Ever heard the phrase "don't be a lemming?" It generally means to not follow the crowd, and make decisions for yourself. But the phrase has nothing to do with actual lemming behavior, and became widely circulated after a dangerously misleading 1950s nature documentary, White Wilderness, faked the mass suicide of these creatures to draw attention and make a profit. Using its grotesque movie magic, Disney was able to make it look as though hundreds of lemmings were intentionally jumping from a cliff to their deaths. In reality, the tiny animals were being forced off the ledge and plunged into icy water where they would slowly drown.
Mass suicide is not a risk for lemmings. But these adorable, short-tailed voles are threatened by climate change like so many other arctic mammals. Their tundra habitats are at great risk as the planet continues to warm.
Disney has made money off of portrayals of animals for decades รข€“ and it is time it takes responsibility for this most dangerous and false one. Disney should not only set the record straight about the fact that lemmings do not commit mass suicide, but the multi-billion dollar corporation must also apologize for its actions in the 1950s documentary and immediately donate funds to create Arctic refuges for lemmings and other cold-habitat mammals. Sign the petition now if you agree!
