The veteran broadcaster told ITV on Monday that the scene was “not a falsehood” and compared the process of filming documentaries to that of making movies.
“The question is, during the middle of the scene when you are trying to paint what it is like in the middle of winter at the pole, to say 'Oh, by the way, this was filmed in a zoo,' it ruins the atmosphere and destroys the pleasure of the viewers,” Attenborough said.
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“It's not a falsehood and we don't keep it secret either. But to say actually in the middle of that sequence, I mean how far do you take this? . . . Come on, we're making movies.”
In a media statement, the BBC said most of the footage for the Frozen Planet series was filmed in the wild but some sequences, including those of the polar bear giving birth, had to be filmed in controlled conditions.
"We felt that the birthing process was a pivotal part of the story, which had to be told. It would be quite impossible for our cameras to film inside a den in the wild without disturbing the female,” the national broadcaster said.
“For this reason the polar bear den sequence was filmed in controlled conditions."
The BBC said Attenborough's narration was carefully worded so that it did not mislead audiences.
