Reenactment as Reality

I am conflicted over whether is acceptable to manipulate reality in a documentary. The example we discussed, specifically concerning nature films, had me thinking that it would be alright to manipulate a situation. It certainly makes sense to me that the documenter wants to have some kind of product and therefore must find a way to obtain it. Some films work very diligently to capture actuality, I know the Planet Earth spends a good deal of time discussing how they often searched for weeks, months, or years to capture specific scenes, but I sympathize with those who do not have the funds or ability to have this patience. I feel that it is acceptable to recreate a situation, as long as the recreation is verifiable as accurate, perhaps by an accredited expert in the field. If this is done, there isn't really a difference between recreation and reality, for the events occur in the same fashion. My struggle arose when I had to keep telling myself that I would not feel jilted by being told something was real, when it truly was not. My expectation for reality seemed to be overriding my curiosity for simple visuals or truths. Somehow, I cannot seem to put the fact of manipulation out of my mind, even when I logically believe that there is no real difference between the recreation and the events that may occur naturally. I suppose my conflict just will not be settled.