In the heart of Borneo's rainforests, one of the oldest and most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, lives the orangutan, arguably the largest tree dweller. The main story is about mother ape Sati and her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Huyan on their journey through the jungle, while at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, orphaned and rescued young animals are given a chance at a new life in the wild. But their habitat is threatened by radical deforestation and palm oil plantations. This impressive documentary shows these endangered great apes at eye level for the first time. With the help of innovative drone technology an insight into the dizzying treetops of the jungle giants was, achieved where they mostly stay. It discovering the secret lives of these extraordinary animals with insightful footage and partly some scenes never before seen. Unforgettable images illustrate why protecting the rainforests is crucial for the orangutans and the future of our planet.
Climate is changing. Instead of showing all the worst that can happen, this documentary focuses on the people suggesting solutions and their actions.
John Bishop encounters one of the most endangered animals on Earth, and discovers they and his family have more in common than he ever imagined. Filming in the jungles of Rwanda for John Bishop’s Gorilla Adventure, the comedian realises adolescent male mountain gorillas are just like his teenage sons – bulging muscles but no sense. Plus they fart, flirt and pick their noses. We follow John as he joins a group of vets who have dedicated their lives to saving the, sadly, precious few mountain gorillas left in the wild rugged mountains and valleys between the borders of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda, which were made famous to UK viewers by David Attenborough’s iconic sequence filmed among them in the 1970s.
The Wind Sculpted Land is a film about Estonian nature. The nature of this Northern country might not seem anything special at a first glance, but digging deeper one can find true gems. Flooded meadows, coastline, bogs altogether with wild animals and flocks of migrating birds are actually small worlds on their own. Even more, the very same nature has held and sculpted the character of the people living here.
What comes to mind when you think of the largest structure built by living creatures? China's sprawling Great Wall? Or maybe the skyscrapers of New York and Dubai? The truth is, no human feat of construction can compare to the sheer size and majesty of the Great Barrier Reef--spanning more than 1,400 miles off the coast of Australia and home to countless unique species of aquatic life. Narrated by acclaimed Australian actor Eric Bana, Great Barrier Reef lets us experience the awe of this natural cityscape and introduces us to the visionaries and "citizen scientists" who are helping us better understand and protect the reef. Grab your mask and snorkel and come on an unforgettable adventure with sea turtles and manta rays, witness the birth of baby seahorses, participate in a coral watch expedition, and discover the exotic splendor of fluorescent corals at night as Great Barrier Reef captures the natural beauty and exquisite strangeness of this awesome, bizarre, and vibrant living world.
The globe learned on December 26, 2004, that tsunamis can bring death and devastation to the world's coastlines. The product of undersea earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, tsunamis can race across oceans at more than 500 miles an hour, leaving a huge wake of destruction when they hit shore. Because it is difficult for scientists to predict how large these massive waves can be, tsunamis are one of the least understood of nature's forces, and one of the most dangerous. With insight from some of the scientific community's foremost researchers, and vivid accounts from past tsunami survivors, Tsunami: Killer Wave depicts nature at its most extreme, profiles the efforts being made to curb its effects, and illustrates the financial, physical and emotional toll it can leave on its victims.
Follow Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rise to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been typically been handed down from father to son for centuries.
This is a film about the people living in the Alaotra region in Madagascar, and about the changes in their social and natural environments. This is also a film about the Bandro, the Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), that can survive only in the marshes surrounding the lake, and that is facing extinction due to these changes. This is also a film about research; on how to tackle complexity and grasp change. The AlaReLa (Alaotra Resilience Landscape) project aims to understand the various livelihood strategies of people like farmers or fishers, who use the lake, the marshes, and the land surrounding the lake to produce food and charcoal and other sources of energy. Follow us to some of Madagascar's hidden places - far away from the touristic centers - to find out what can happen when modern times seep slowly into traditional ways of living. What can be done to strike a balance between yesterday and tomorrow; between conservation and development?
Sir David Attenborough investigates the discovery of a lifetime: the giant skull of a prehistoric sea monster, known as a pliosaur – the Tyrannosaurus rex of the seas!
Journeying beyond the global headlines around 'Sudan,' the last male northern white rhino in existence, and explore the painful emptiness of extinction through the eyes of Sudan's three primary caregivers. Teetering on borrowed time and with his health in decline, Sudan's looming death and the uncertainty of employment that it will bring hangs over the heads of our three dynamic characters. Their only hope to save the species that they love - and perhaps their livelihood - rests fully in the success of a last resort IVF experiment.
The charismatic cats are generally quite shy, but very curious about the world around them. With the help of local rangers and 15 cameras set up in the Bohemian forest, we are able to track the lynxes and observe their every move – such as a hunt during night, or even the intimate hours during mating season. For the lynx, the environment around them is used to their advantage, like the long grass to sneak on prey, or even using the trees to sharpen their claws. With an arsenal of skills at their disposal, the lynx is an exceptional hunter. Come with us as we see these skills in action!
How did our world come into being? Beneath our feet lies a class of animals far more numerous than any other. Let us embark on a journey through time dating back 400 million years, and witness how scattered pieces fit together to form a complete whole. Insects – Hidden Heroes takes us into the microcosm with stunning visuals. Narrated by screen icon Katharina Thalbach, the film poses a question: Must it be humanity or nature?
Thanks to a remarkable discovery in the BBC's film vaults, the best of David Attenborough's early Zoo Quest adventures can now be seen as never before - in colour - and with it the remarkable story of how this pioneering television series was made. First broadcast in December 1954, Zoo Quest was one of the most popular television series of its time and launched the career of the young David Attenborough as a wildlife presenter. Zoo Quest completely changed how viewers saw the world - revealing wildlife and tribal communities that had never been filmed or even seen before. Broadcast 10 years before colour television was seen in the UK, Zoo Quest was thought to have been filmed in black and white, until now. Using this extraordinary new-found colour film, together with new behind-the-scenes stories from David Attenborough and cameraman Charles Lagus, this special showcases the very best of Zoo Quest to West Africa, Zoo Quest to Guiana and Zoo Quest for a Dragon in stunning HD colour.
Echoes of Lamu tells the story of Alpha ODH, a painter from Nairobi, who travels to Ubunfiu Lamu art center to inspire local children through art. His goal is to help them “cut” through reality to imagine and build their own world through painting. Alpha becomes a guide and creative companion. While the children decorate symbolic Aknuloonk sculptures with local patterns and stories, Alpha paints his own AKNEYE sculpture, slowly shifting from urban imagery to the colorful spirit of Lamu. Scenes of the village, its people, and the children’s hopes reveal a place full of contrast daily life and dreams, city and island, past and future. Step by step, Alpha’s artwork becomes a mirror of the journey they’ve all shared.
Two years after the phenomenal success of the documentary Demain, Cyril Dion looks back at the projects the film inspired. He is accompanied by Laure Noualhat, a renowned investigator and sceptic of the ability of micro-initiatives to have any real impact in the face of climate change. Their humorous confrontation pushes them to their limits: what works, what fails? What if all this forces us to invent a new narrative for humanity?
In the Bahamas, more than 30% of dolphins have shark-bite scars. With a never-before-seen non-toxic gel bite pad and life-sized dolphin decoy, Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Valeria Paz collect bite impressions from three shark species that might be the predators. Bites from bull sharks, tiger sharks and great hammerheads — up to 14 feet long — are compared to scars photographed on dolphins.
Hundreds of great white sharks have recently appeared on the doorstep of one of America’s most popular tourist destinations, hunting in ways never documented before. To understand why the sharks are here and what this means for Cape Cod, a team of scientists are studying this new phenomenon to try to keep people safe. Are the sharks changing the natural ecosystem … or restoring it?
To find out why sharks are drawn to Hawaii’s volcanoes, biologists Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Frances Farabaugh free dive with one of the most dangerous sharks: the tiger shark.
In 1960 Jane Goodall set out for Tanzania's remote Gombe Stream Game Reserve to study the behavior of man's closest living relative, the chimpanzee. With dedication and perseverance she earned the trust of a wild chimp community, and gradually they revealed their individual personalities and the rich tapestry of their daily life. This program looks at two landmark decades of Jane Goodall's work, including her dramatic discovery of chimpanzees making and using tools.
BAFTA winning actor Martin Clunes scuba dives in the Maldives seeking out the strange inhabitants that live beneath the sea. One resident of these warm blue waters have so far eluded him - the reef manta; one of evolution's true masterpieces. Martin will come closer to these gentle giants than he'd ever imagined possible; moved by their trust and intrigued by their mystery.