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6[[quoteright:299:[[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bring_it_back_alive.png]]]]
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8A secondary goal of a GreatWhiteHunter or the primary goal of an overly curious biologist. Instead of killing and mounting a unique species, their goal is to bring back one or more of them alive for display (or black market sales) in the first case, or for scientific study in the latter. Generally portrayed as a negative goal in modern works, especially in the case of the GreatWhiteHunter. However, it was once lauded as a worthy goal of any explorer and a sign of their skill that they managed to capture a dangerous beast without killing it. The MadScientist version of this trope has the scientist insist on using kid gloves to capture or not harm a murderous [[TheJuggernaut Juggernaut]].
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10Sometimes, it is a choice made ''after'' the characters accidentally subdue the animal or monster instead of kill it.
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12More often than not, it will then escape and rampage through the city.
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14Compare IWantThemAlive for humans.
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16!!Examples:
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18[[foldercontrol]]
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20[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21* Dae in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' looks upon the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Destroyer]] and laments not having the resources to capture it.
22* ''Anime/CombattlerV'': Tragically played with in the first series of the ''Anime/RobotRomanceTrilogy '' trilogy. In episode 10 TheProfessor and the FiveManBand are studying an unknown creature hatched from a giant egg mysteryously appeared on the city. When the strange animal gets upset, it escapes its containment and starts to cause havoc, and [[TheLancer Juuzo]] wants to shoot it down instantly, much to the displeasure of [[TheProfessor Doctor Yotsuya]] that wants to study it and to the anger of [[TheHero Hyoma]] that is ConvenientlyAnOrphan WouldntHurtAChild. Unfortunately, Juzo manages to kill it before they can stop him... [[NiceJobBreakingItHero that is exactly what]] TheDragon [[BatmanGambit wanted]].
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25[[folder:Comic Books]]
26* The primary antagonist of the [[FrancoBelgianComics Franco-Belgian comic book]] ''ComicBook/{{Marsupilami}}'' is named Bring M. Backalive in the original French version (or Bring de Backalive in the comic) and, as expected, attempts to capture a live specimen of the eponymous animal.
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29[[folder:Fan Works]]
30* Much like in the original ''Series/PrehistoricPark'' miniseries, this is the main goal of Prehistoric Park in most fanfiction about it such as ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReimagined'', ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkExtinctionWorld'', ''Fanfic/PrehistoricParkReturnedFromExtinction'', and ''Fanfic/PrehistoricEarth''.
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33[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
34* Clayton, the EgomaniacHunter antagonist in ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' aims to do this with Tarzan's gorilla family.
35* Charles Muntz, the GentlemanAdventurer from ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', vows to travel to [[LostWorld Paradise Falls]] and capture a rare flightless bird he discovered there, after his detractors accused him of bringing back a fake skeleton of the same type of bird. [[spoiler:60 years later, he's still after that bird, but is undergoing SanitySlippage and kills anyone else who shows up at Paradise Falls, thinking they're trying to bring the bird back before him. And once he finally ''does'' capture the bird, and Carl and Russell decide to set it free, he [[VillainousBreakdown decides to just bring the bird back]] ''alive or dead''.]]
36[[/folder]]
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38[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
39* The film ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' has one greedy company guy who wants to bring back a live xenomorph for study, versus the people who just want to kill it before it kills them. In later films, other representatives of the company express interest in capturing a live specimens...one way or another.
40** It goes so far that in [[Film/AlienResurrection the fourth film]], the military brings the last known xenomorph queen BackFromTheDead and hijacks a corporate passenger ship to provide implantation specimens in order to create their own pet xenos, ''two hundred years after said queen is killed by a TakingYouWithMe HeroicSacrifice''. Unfortunately for them, the xenos have no intention of being bootlickers and are too smart to not figure out a way to escape. Fortunately for everyone else, resurrecting the queen brought back [[OneManArmy Ripley]] as well...
41* ''Film/TheBlob1988'': When Dr. Meddows muses about the potential to utilize the Blob as a weapon of mass destruction in the Cold War, he orders his men to capture it alive [[WeHaveReserves at any cost]]. [[spoiler:Once he's killed by his own creation, Meddows' men disregard the order and fire on the Blob with everything they've got, but it proves just as hard to destroy as it is to capture.]]
42* ''Film/{{Gorgo}}'' has this occur intentionally, and the animal is put on display at a circus (to the scientists' great annoyance). Then [[MamaBear its mother shows up]]...
43* ''Film/KingKong1933'' is the TropeCodifier, although it wasn't originally the film crew's intention. Sunken cost fallacy set in when it's clear they all came to Skull Island for nothing once the camera is destroyed, so the director decides they're still going to come back with ''something'' (that "something" being a three-storey high ape).
44* The 1925 film version of ''Film/TheLostWorld'' has this occur with a [[ScienceMarchesOn "Brontosaurus"]] in an accidental manner.
45* The goal of the villains in ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' is to capture the dinosaurs running loose on Isla Sorna and transport them to San Diego to stock an unfinished facility. They eventually succeed in bringing in a full-grown ''Tyrannosaurus'' and its infant, but it inevitably [[EscapedAnimalRampage escapes containment and goes on a rampage through the city]].
46* ''Film/MightyJoeYoung'' has a night club owner hires '''cowboys to lasso lions''' in order to bring them to the show as a publicity stunt, finding the title character along the way.
47* The villains in ''Film/{{Mothra}}'' kidnap the twin fairies out of greed, getting the titular Goddess angry. Later, another entrepreneur in ''Film/MothraVsGodzilla'' tries to do this with Mothra's egg AND the fairies. Then Godzilla shows up too, hungry for Mothra Egg.
48* Frank Walsh, the protagonist of ''Film/{{Primal}}'', is a GreatWhiteHunter specialises in capturing exotic animals for zoos. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment The opening scenes]] of the movie are Frank stalking and capturing a [[PantheraAwesome 400 lb white jaguar]].
49* The goal of the exploration group in the 1948 film ''Film/UnknownIsland''.
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52[[folder:Literature]]
53* Willard Price's ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_Series_(Willard_Price) Adventure]]'' series (''Gorilla Adventure'', ''Elephant Adventure''. etc.). Hal and Roger Hunt traveled around the world, capturing exotic and dangerous animals for their father's wildlife collection.
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56[[folder:Live Action TV]]
57* The entire point of the series ''Series/BringEmBackAlive'', whichwas [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory very loosely based on]] on the exploits of RealLife GreatWhiteHunter Frank Buck; a hunter, animal collector, and author who made many expeditions into Asia for the purpose of hunting and collecting exotic animals for zoos and circuses.
58* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Doctor and U.N.I.T. attempt to capture one of the eponymous dinosaurs alive in ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E2InvasionOfTheDinosaurs Invasion of the Dinosaurs]]'' so the Doctor can examine it and work out where they are coming from.
59* ''Series/PrehistoricPark'' is this trope in effect, as the entire point of the titular park is to rescue prehistoric animals from extinction in the past to be put on display and have a second chance at life.
60* ''Series/{{Primeval}}'' seems to have 'take it alive' as the secondary aim of dealing with incursions, if for some reason the primary aim (return creature to time period) falls through. Of course, if they can't do that, they kill it rather than let it run rampant in the modern era. Sometimes wind up being the target of Lester's [[DeadpanSnarker Deadpan Snark]] "...And what am I meant to do with a mammoth?"
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63[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
64* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Bestiary'' had two pages of rules on live capture of animals.
65* Classic ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}''
66** In ''76 Patrons'', one patron wanted the {{PC}}s to capture a mating pair of Rowan's Beasts on the planet Feor.
67** Adventure 10: ''Safari Ship'' is about an expedition to capture a beautiful animal on an unexplored planet.
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70[[folder:Video Games]]
71* ''VideoGame/EmperorRiseOfTheMiddleKingdom'': Ordinary citizens of your city can only kill (or be killed by) the local fauna. To capture a live specimen for your menagerie, you need to [[PhysicalReligion enlist the aid of a Hero]].
72* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': this is an option for ending a hunt rather than killing the beast you're tracking. It requires first weakening the monster so that it's very badly wounded, luring it into a trap and then throwing tranquilizers at it. Some quests even require you to capture the monster rather than kill it.
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75[[folder:Western Animation]]
76* ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'': In ''Frank Duck Brings 'Em Back Alive'', WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck is GreatWhiteHunter Frank Duck, employed by Ajax Circus to capture TarzanBoy WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}. HilarityEnsues.
77* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' had this done with a {{Kaiju}}, [[RentAZilla The Zillo Beast]]. It ends as well as you might expect when they bring it back to Coruscant (a planet-wide city and capital of the galactic republic) of all places.
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80[[folder:Real Life]]
81* Literally TruthInTelevision for the young Creator/DavidAttenborough, whose early ''Zoo Quest'' programmes were about trapping animals in exotic locations so they could be brought back to London Zoo.
82* RealLife GreatWhiteHunter [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Buck_(animal_collector) Frank Buck]] made a career out of this.
83* Some early-modern explorers did this to ''people'': they would grab a native and take him back to show off as a specimen. And yes, that does sound suspiciously [[AlienAbduction like this]].

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