Rogue Nature premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 2, 2007, and also aired on Discovery HD Theater and Animal Planet. The show was a natural progression of Salmoni’s earlier work on the Discovery Channel, which had begun with the 2003 documentary Living with Tigers.
By 2007, Salmoni had established himself as one of television’s most recognizable large predator experts. Rogue Nature gave him his own series to explore the most pressing question in human-wildlife conflict: are dangerous animals actually targeting humans, or are attacks simply a product of instinct and circumstance?
Each of the shows focused on a different species with a documented history of attacking humans. Animals covered included chimpanzees, Humboldt squid, hippos and crocodiles, elephants, and lions. Salmoni reviewed documented attack cases, interviewed survivors, and then traveled into the field to observe the species in its natural habitat. His goal was to determine whether the violent behavior was a genuine pattern of predation or simply a defensive response to human encroachment.
The show received mixed reviews. Common Sense Media noted its “intense, addictive quality” for thrill-seeking viewers, while critics pointed out that its conclusions often confirmed the obvious. Other reviewers appreciated the on-location fieldwork and Salmoni’s hands-on approach, which distinguished the series from purely narrated wildlife documentaries.
Unfortunately, Rogue Nature failed to achieve high viewership, and it concluded after its first and only season with six episodes. However, a precursor to several more wildlife programs Salmoni hosted on Animal Planet, including Into the Pride (2008-09), Frontier Earth with Dave Salmoni (2012-13), and Savaged (2012-13).
