I recently saw the true story about lemmings on a TV science programme. Some time ago I heard the fact lemmings jumping off cliffs was an urban legend, and then the programme explained the 5 or so year cycle of population rise and decline, where after a fixed number of years they outgrew their environment and the population reduced.
Then the presenter said what about those of us (like myself) who remembered the film of them falling off a cliff? I wondered about that, I think it was black and white from the 60s, and the sad fact was that as the programme makers still believed they did jump off cliffs, went there and after waiting some time and discovering they weren't going to do it, guess what.

They dropped them off the cliff to prove their theory. So as you saw lemmings flying over the edge, you did not see the invisible hands slinging them off from outside the picture. Unfortunately animals were harmed in this filming. I hope standards have improved since then...

Thanks for the info Satguru,I had taken it at face value that Lemmings do commit suicide. Here is the Snopes page regarding Lemmings

As an aside I was once at a set of lights waiting for the green,the lights changed and I was still unable to proceed as people were still streaming across the road despite having a no-walk light flashing. I was in a hurry and mouthed the words "%$#@&%$ Lemmings", I happened to glance in the direction of a pretty female pedestrian who winked at me and didn`t seem able to stop laughing. I`m not sure if she was actually deaf but she sure was a great lip-reader!

Maybe we should ask Lemmyrules for the real truth?

No, RMG. That's Lemmyrules, not Lemmingsrule! I don't know much about lemmings at all. I read the Snopes page and the only question that I have is why? Why did the film producers think that it was important to stage a mass lemming suicide? I agree. I hope the standards have been raised on the injuring and deaths of animals since this film was made in 1958.

I can't imagine the meeting where that decision was made. "Hmmm, they don't appear to jumping off the cliff, sir"
"Well, we'll make them jump then, Johnson, round up the interns and have them fling some lemmings!"

Really now, who in their right mind thought that was a good idea? It was a science program after all, what's wrong with the truth? And, it was produced by Disney no less! Where was Walt while the lemming chucking was going on?

Maybe to be on the safe side, we should keep our Lemmy away from cliffs for the duration. He could probably fight off some over-eager interns, but why risk it?

I'm teetering on the edge as we speak. I'm a big guy, so it's going take a lot of you to catch me! I've heard of "cat-juggling". "lemming flinging" is a sport not known here in Texas! All right boys, let's get them there lemmings ready to hurl! Yah! Get along little lemmie, get along!

No, no. It's the first annual Lemmy fling, not lemming fling. Of course, there may not be a second annual event depending upon how many of us survive the first.

Oh. I get it now. So that makes me the "flingee", correct? Boy, that's going to be a long drop. For somebody!

Lemmings, like any rodent, will very quickly multiply and reach the limits of food availability. They do have predators, especially Snowy Owls, but many of these were whisked away and commissioned as post delivery owls to Hogwart's students )

I wonder how much they paid the inuit children per lemming. Where did they catch these lemmings, and how many did they get?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Anyone seen that Disney nature movie with a baby bear who eats a mushroom and rolls down a hill looking at all the pretty colors? I've been looking for that one for a while.

The really sad part is that it was a Disney production.

Walt Disney was especially respectful of nature after he accidentally killed a barn owl when he was young.

I'm sure he had no knowledge nor condoned what the director did to "re-enact" lemming suicide.

Ol' Walt WAS a Nazi sympathizer, maybe he felt left out during WWII.