Mermaid Hoax? New Mermaid Special Derided as Fake

Mermaid hoax: The new Discovery Channel special “Mermaids: The New Evidence” is being condemned as a hoax by some viewers, while others say hoax or not, mermaids are real.

The special follows the successful “Mermaids: The Body Found,” a series last year that explored the legends surrounding mermaids.

“ Spectacular CGI animates a world where mermaids really do swim below the water’s surface, cooperatively hunt with dolphins and may continue to survive in an intricate society where they stay hidden in fear of their Earth-bound relatives,” describes a press release for the series. 

People also point to how the characters in both the series and the special are listed as having been played by actors, according to the film website IMDB.

At the same time, a press release about the new special makes it sound very real.

“In ‘Mermaids: The Body Found,’ Animal Planet stunned viewers with captivating footage and an in-depth investigation of these fantastical creatures,” it says. “During this year’s Monster Week, Animal Planet revisited this startling, groundbreaking topic in the much-anticipated follow-up special, ’mermaids: The New Evidence.'  In an exclusive interview with Dr. Paul Robertson, former NOAA scientist who led last year’s investigation, journalist Jon Frankel probes for the unfiltered story and reveals new evidence of mermaids that only has come forward in the past year.”

Some viewers say there’s no doubt the whole thing is made up.

“Did you miss the part where all of the Mermaid stuff is fiction? The show creators don’t even deny it,” wrote David Whitaker on an Epoch Times article. “The existence of the bloop, the sonar tests, and the aquatic ape theory are the only parts they didn’t completely make up. Don’t get me wrong, it makes for excellent sci-fi, but that’s what it is.”

Another commentor, though, said that “There has been evidence throughout history of man that shows that such creatures have existed and by civilizations that had no contact with each other.”

“Dinosaurs are believable but not oceanic humanoids? I bet you all believe we are the only some what intelligent beings in the universe as well,” the person wrote.

The creators of the new special and series talk about it in the video below.