Fri, Jan 4, 2008
In 2004, a team from the Planet Earth series captured the first ever film of a wild snow leopard in the mountains of Pakistan. For Nisar Malik, who led the expedition, these images sparked a passion that compelled him to return. With cameraman Mark Smith, he spent two years documenting the snow leopard's daily life, finally lifting the veil on the most elusive of all cats.
Top-rated
Fri, Jan 11, 2008
Rescued by local fishermen as a baby and raised by giant otter expert Carolina Vargas, this is the story of a young giant otter's journey to adulthood. At first, Sancho is utterly dependent on Carolina, and has to be bottle fed and taught how to catch fish. Eventually Carolina knows that she will have to break their extraordinary bond as Sancho makes his way back into the wild. Giant otters are highly social animals, so Carolina doesn't know whether an orphaned giant otter can survive alone in the world's biggest wetland. In the idyllic Pantanal, we follow Sancho's story as he learns to survive in a world fraught with danger.
Fri, Jan 25, 2008
Documentary. Simon King has filmed Africa's big cats for 20 years, but he has never seen a wild tiger. With so few remaining wild tigers, documenting a tiger making a kill is becoming harder. Simon seeks the help of tiger expert Alphonse Roy, who has spent 17 years in the Indian jungle.
Fri, Feb 8, 2008
Since ancient times there have been stories of dolphins rescuing humans at sea. But is there any truth behind them, or are they just myths and legends? Set against the stunning backdrops of the Red Sea and New Zealand's North Island, the film dramatizes two events where dolphins apparently saved humans from shark attacks. By drawing on survivor interviews and the expertise of the world's leading dolphin scientists, this films reveals what makes dolphins want to save human lives.
Fri, Feb 15, 2008
Wildlife documentary series. While badgers are easily recognized, remarkably few people have ever seen one alive. It's a creature blamed for destruction and disease, but surprisingly little is known about the sett society. We spy on them for over a year in a Devon valley, Big Brother style, with hidden underground cameras. Narrated by David Attenborough.
Fri, Feb 22, 2008
Documentary series. In 1961, a four-year-old chimpanzee named Ham became the first animal to return from space alive. He proved that humans could survive the extreme conditions of space. This drama, based on NASA's records and archive footage, tells the story of this remarkable chimp and Jeff, the handler who came to love him over two years of training.
Top-rated
Wed, Mar 26, 2008
Elephant specialist Martyn Colbeck tells the story of two baby elephants struggling to survive. Their first six months are critical in the starkly beautiful deserts of Namibia. This is the most endangered elephant population in the world - it was devastated by poaching in the 80s, so every new calf is vital. It's a boom year, but when rivers disappear underground, their survival depends on the females who lead their young from one remembered food source to the next.
Wed, Apr 2, 2008
Documentary series. In 1893, Ernest Thompson Seton rode into the wilds of New Mexico to kill a marauding cattle-killing wolf named Lobo. The book he wrote about his experiences was the first to portray wolves in a sympathetic light. It inspired a generation of naturalists, including David Attenborough, who narrates and appears in the film.
Wed, Apr 16, 2008
Wildlife film. Multi-millionaire landowner Paul Lister wants to turn his 23,000 acre estate north of Inverness into Europe's first wilderness reserve. Reinstating the old Caledonian pine forests is the first of his plans. He then wants to release long lost animals, starting with moose and wild boar, and eventually predators such as brown bears, lynx and wolves. Some of the local people are far from convinced by Paul's vision. Will he even be allowed to let loose moose in the glen?
Wed, Apr 23, 2008
Wildlife film. The story of Naabi, a young hyena growing up in Tanzania. Here hyenas aren't just scavengers, they're also skilled hunters when they work together in the clan. But life is still a struggle, and except for the few weeks a year when the wildebeest pass through, there isn't enough food to go around. Lions are their mortal enemies - they are quick to attack hyenas and often scavenge their kills. After Naabi's mother is killed by lions, life becomes even more difficult for the young hyena and she's forced to leave the clan, braving the perils of the outside world as she travels alone in search of food.
Tue, May 6, 2008
The Spectacled Bear lives in Peru. Little is known about the habits of this elusive creature, and as narrator Stephen Fry reveals, many of our assumptions were wrong. For years they were thought to be gentle vegetarians, but the latest studies reveal a new and alarming side to this endangered bear.
Wed, May 14, 2008
The bill fish are the biggest, fastest, and most dangerous game fish in the sea. All have captured man's imagination like few other creatures, whether it's the graceful sailfish, the menacing swordfish or queen of them all, the marlin, immortalized by Hemingway in 'The Old Man and the Sea'. Marine biologist and film-maker Rick Rosenthal has traveled three oceans in his attempt to capture them all on film, and in doing so has become a passionate champion for these endangered yet little-known ocean giants.
Sun, Aug 10, 2008
Honey Hunting in Nepal. As a 'honey hunter' Jimmy Doherty must scale a massive cliff to reach the home of more than two million bees and dangle 200 feet up to get their honey. If successful, the reward is not only to learn more about these amazing bees, but also to taste one of nature's finest bounties, beautiful wild honey.
Tue, Nov 11, 2008
Abandoned as a baby and removed from normal gorilla family life as a youngster no gorilla scientist could have predicted his eventual rise to power. Titus' life story is pieced together here for the first time, based on archive film and the memories of field workers who have studied the mountain gorillas. At 33 years of age, Titus is not just one of the most powerful silverbacks in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, he is possibly the most remarkable gorilla ever known.
Tue, Nov 18, 2008
Beginning at the fabulous coral reef of Ningaloo in Western Australia, intrepid marine biologist Mark Meakin attempts to unravel the mysterious wanderings of the biggest fish in the sea. Whale sharks grow to over 12 meters long but are gentle, filter-feeding giants; even Mark's five-year-old son can swim alongside them. Yet no-one knows where they go once they leave Ningaloo's turquoise lagoons. Using satellite tags and photo IDs, Mark tracks them to the white coral beaches of the Seychelles and the tropical jewel of Christmas Island, where bright-red land crabs begin their annual migration. It's hard work, taking in 20 failed satellite tags and countless frustrating dives, before Mark makes a breakthrough which doesn't just add to our understanding of these huge 'dinosaur fish' but offers crucial information about how the whale sharks of Ningaloo can be protected better.
Tue, Nov 25, 2008
David Attenborough's entertaining romp through the world of monkeys has a serious side: for when we look at monkeys we can see ourselves. From memory to morality, from 'crying wolf' to politics, monkeys are our basic blueprint. Pygmy marmosets 'farm' tree sap; bearded capuchins in Brazil develop a production line for extracting palm nuts; white-faced capuchins in Costa Rica tenderly nurse the victims of battle; and in the Ethiopian highlands, a deposed gelada baboon has got the blues.
Tue, Dec 2, 2008
The gharial, the world's oldest crocodilian, is on the very edge of extinction. These bizarre fish-eating reptiles that live in India's rivers have been decimated by a mystery die-off. Reptile expert Rom Whitaker has spent several decades battling to save the gharial. He and his team attempt to discover the cause of the die-off and ensure the future of the species through breeding in captivity.
Tue, Dec 9, 2008
Wildlife film. Every time we weigh up which bottle of wine to buy, we hold the fate of nightingales, rare black storks, secretive wild cats and one of the world's most remarkable trees in our hands. It has all to do with the stopper. If it is cork, it probably came from the bark of one of the ancient cork oak trees from the Montados, in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The cork oak is the only tree in the world whose bark can be periodically removed without killing it. But this tree is amazing in other ways. It survives in poor soil and searing heat, and provides not only nesting places for booted eagles, but also space for some of Europe's rarest wildflowers. This exquisitely-filmed portrait of the Montados reveals one of the last places in Europe where a sustainable local economy still dovetails harmoniously with nature. Cork producer and wildlife enthusiast Francisco Garrett explains what will be lost if cork stoppers are replaced by plastic or screw tops.