On the edge of the Namibian desert, cattle farmers are looking for new land to graze their animals. The lions, who occupied these previously wild spaces, are hunted by herd guards, or even slaughtered when they attack cows. Will and Lianne Steenkamp lived for two years in a territory occupied by a 17-year-old lioness - a "queen" -, her two daughters and their five lion cubs. This film traces the process of empowering the young: after learning to hunt alone, they will have to leave the family pack and find young females to reproduce. A necessity all the greater as their species seems threatened.
From the Discovery Channel comes the animal series Predators of the Wild. Shot on location, footage provides viewers an up-close look at some of the planet's most notorious beasts. The episode Sharks transports viewers to the undersea domain of these fearsome carnivorous creatures. See great whites, makos, and hammerheads and learn why they do what they do. Informative as well as entertaining, this video also addresses serious conservation and animal preservation issues.
This video examines the grizzly bear, one of nature's greatest predators. It is part of a multi-volume Time Warner series that markets the ferocious, killing aspects of various wild animals.
Crocodiles and alligators... gaping, saw-toothed jaws, muscular, bone-crushing tails, a Jurassic vision of armoured, flesh-eating horror. Lurking beneath the murky surface, eyes and nostrils are barely visible as the oblivious victim ventures one step too near. A sudden explosion of lunging, scaled fury, a hopeless, panicked struggle... a silent, watery death. Crocodiles and alligators reign as the supreme predators in rivers and coastal areas around the globe. With a carnivorous heritage extending back to the age of dinosaurs, these primordial relics are worthy successors to the "terrible lizards" they so closely resemble.
A variety of unusual and frightening snakes are featured in this program. These unpredictable reptiles have appeared in both nature and recorded history for thousands of years. The huge appetite of the monstrous python and the toxicity of the Gaboon Viper are examined. Experts also comment on the spitting cobra's ability to hit its distant targets. The eating and mating habits of tropical sea snakes are compared to other snakes that exist exclusively on land. There's additional information about how snakes birth their young and how likely a particular snake is to attack when provoked.
Cheetah and Leopard... no animal can match the intensity of their power and grace. On the horizon, the next victim draws near, crouched in the grass, senses honed, an explosive rush, claws extend and then the final clamp of fangs in a jugular embrace. Discover what separates these predators from all others. The cheetah, the ultimate tactician, single minded in its abandon for the lightning-fast gazelle. And the leopard, an invincible opportunist lying in wait for the unwary. Both driven by pure instinct and the constant pressure to kill.
The secrets of the maligned and misunderstood tarantula are brought to light in the Discovery Channel's Predators of the Wild series portrait of the Giant Tarantula. The film presents an intimate look at the largest and most venomous spider species in the world. Shot on location, viewers observe the tarantula close-up as it waits in its 3-foot burrow until its prey of insects, frogs, snakes, birds and rodents come along. Footage also captures the tarantula's deadly mating ritual.
Wolf... archetypal symbol of untamed ferocity and elemental, almost supernatural cunning. Drawn to the chase by the eerie howls of their killing song, the pack forms a single, bloodthirsty entity, bent on relentless pursuit, inevitable capture and swift, certain death. Journey to the spectacular, isolated mountain realms of northern Spain, where the last remaining Iberian wolf pack wages a mortal battle for survival. The wolves' legendary intelligence, their lethally effective social hunting skills and awesome powers of endurance are all put to the ultimate test in a life and death struggle against man's most modern weapons... and most primitive fears.
Jim Geiger, a retired forest ranger and amateur mountaineer, attempts to become the oldest American and first great grandfather to summit Mt. Everest, aged 68. His transformation from a weekend hiker to attempting one of the most extreme and physically demanding feats known to man is driven by a desire to prove that age is just a number. What ensued, however, forever changed Jim's life.
Fascinating footage of swooping bats, their remarkable habits and habitats, and close-up looks at their interesting yet eerie faces are featured in this documentary, volume seven of the Predators of the Wild series. Most bats eat insects, which may not always come to mind when one thinks of predators and prey -- although the fact that a swarm of bats can eat 30,000 pounds of insects in one night is staggering. Bats make up almost one-fourth of all of the mammals in the world, but only three species of bats are "true vampires" who rely on the blood of other animals for sustenance.
A contemplation of art and adventure in the southern wilds of New Zealand by both a landscape photographer and an adventure filmmaker. This film is the unexpected result of their two unique perspectives.
This video examines the tiger, one of nature's greatest predators. It is part of a multi-volume Time Warner series that markets the ferocious, killing aspects of various wild animals.
Too hot! The spawning fish do not come at the right time and the pepper plants end up dying in this heat. "This is a very different weather that not even the spirits can understand." From their gardens, homes, and backyards, the indigenous women of the Amazon involve us in their vast universe of knowledge while they observe the impacts of climate change in their ways of life.
Trees talk, know family ties and care for their young? Is this too fantastic to be true? German forester Peter Wohlleben and scientist Suzanne Simard have been observing and investigating the communication between trees over decades. And their findings are most astounding.
This film, three years in the making, The remote forests of Kalkalpen National Park in Austria, the largest area of wilderness in the European Alps, have been left untouched by humans for nearly a quarter of a century in order to return to their natural, primeval state. The landscape regenerates itself in dramatic cycles of growth and decay, and this bold hands-off method of conservation yields salient results: the lynx, absent from the area for 115 years, has returned.
A meditation on memory around Iceland's famous Ring Road.
Stelvio: Crossroads of Peace
A stunning and intimate portrait of the Arhuaco indigenous community in Colombia. In 1990, in a celebrated BBC documentary, the Arhuaco made contact with the outside world to warn industrialized societies of the potentially catastrophic future facing the planet if we don’t change our ways. Now, three decades later, with the advances of audio/visual technology, we go back to the Snowy Peaks of Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria to illuminate their ethos against the backdrop of an increasingly fragile world.
An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants and humpback whales.
"Trouble the Water" takes you inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never before seen on screen. The film opens the day before the storm makes landfall--just blocks away from the French Quarter but far from the New Orleans that most tourists knew. Kimberly Rivers Roberts, an aspiring rap artist, is turning her new video camera on herself and her Ninth Ward neighbors trapped in the city. Weaving an insider's view of Katrina with a mix of verité and in-your-face filmmaking, it is a redemptive tale of self-described street hustlers who become heroes--two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.