Natural World Season 25 Episodes

Episode 1

The Last Lions of India

This is the story of an Indian big cat that's thriving, unlike the tiger. Yet few people know it exists. Asiatic lions are completely different from African lions in both appearance and behavior. These lions once roamed Europe - they are the lions of Ancient Greece and Rome, the lions in The Bible. Their refuge is the beautiful Gir forest in Gujarat, and in the last hundred years their numbers have grown from just twenty to over three hundred. They are now spreading out beyond the protection of the National Park - reclaiming lost territory and even colonizing surprising new habitats. It's a rare conservation success story but one that brings new challenges to lions, naturalists, forestry staff and the surrounding human populations.

Episode 2

On the Trail of Tarka

49 mins

A look at Henry Williamson's most famous book 'Tarka the Otter'. The film follows the fortunes of an otter living on the River Torridge in north Devon 80 years after the book was written.

Episode 3

Eye for an Elephant

Martyn Colbeck has spent 15 years scouring Africa for extraordinary images of the elephant. He has had to learn to read their minds and anticipate their every move. He has witnessed incredible behaviour: small secretive elephants deep in the Congo jungle, Echo the family matriarch giving birth at night, two huge bull elephants clashing heads in a deadly duel and mystical desert elephants gliding over the sandy dunes of Namibia.

Episode 4

The Bear Man of Kamchatka

49 mins

The film follows Canadian Charlie Russell over a couple of summers he spent in Kamchatka, acquiring a couple of orphaned grizzly bear cubs each year from a local zoo and raising them in a large pen remote region on the peninsula in the Russian Far East, before releasing them into the wild.

Episode 5

The Falls of Iguacu

Episode 6

Africa's Desert Garden

48 mins

This film chronicles the magical transformation of a landscape. Every spring, a barren stretch of land 100 km inland from South Africa's west coast is briefly transformed into the largest flower show on the planet. Thousands of brightly colored species are pollinated by oil collecting bees within the few precious weeks before the blazing summer heat turns the garden to dust. Meerkats, ostriches and sheep also prevail in the springtime season of Namaqualand. But as summer approaches, these animals struggle to eke out an existence. Relief is found down the coast where icy but nutrient rich Atlantic waters rise up against Namaqualand's shores. Summer is the perfect time for marine animals to breed. Half a million Cape fur seals and Cape gannets settle on beaches and rock to breed. Jackals roam the long beaches for food and seals prey on chicks of their neighbors. After seven months of scorching heat and searing winds, great Antarctic rainstorms sweep north and pound Africa's west coast. Through the cold passage of winter, the desert slowly turns green and Namaqualand once again becomes the greatest garden on earth.

Episode 7

Toki's Tale

Wildlife documentary. Simon King has spent four years helping to raise two orphaned cheetah cubs, Toki and Sambu. Sambu was killed by lions, but Toki survived and Simon has continued with his attempt to return him to the wild. Simon's unique relationship with Toki has enabled him to enter the world of this high-speed hunter and share in Toki's adventures. This is a gritty and honest account of life with one of the world's top predators.

Episode 8

The Battle to Save the Tiger

50 mins

Film narrated by David Attenborough investigating why the Indian Tiger is in trouble. Thirty years ago India set aside over 30 tiger reserves controlled by Project Tiger. However, in recent years hundreds of tigers have been poached from under the officials' noses. Tiger scientist turned whistle blower Ragu uncovered the scale of the problem in one reserve. Tigers are now slipping towards extinction. They have come back from the brink before, but can they do so again?

Episode 9

Buddha, Bees and the Giant Hornet Queen

The Giant Japanese Hornet is the fiercest looking insect on earth, and one of the deadliest. This film follows the remarkable life of one giant hornet queen, as she emerges from hibernation and starts to build up a colony in an old temple garden. Her army of warriors terrorize the beautiful mountain valley in their constant struggle to find food for their hungry grubs. In a series of dramatic pitched battles, the giant hornets massacre thousands of bees, but victory isn't always assured - one local honeybee fights back thanks to a remarkable defensive strategy, and suddenly it is the hornets that are dying. A beekeeper monk bears witness to the rising power of the giant hornet colony, and despite the hornet's attacks on his own bees, he reveals a deep respect for these incredible predators.

Episode 10

Hawaii: Message in the Waves

Nature documentary featuring the wildlife of Hawaii's famous surf zone and the surfers and scientists who are fighting to protect it. Turtles, dolphins, monk seals and albatrosses all have to cope with the growing number of people using the island beaches, but now animals face a new threat from washed-up plastic. A varied bunch of island characters, including born-and-bred Hawaiian musician Jack Johnson, make it clear that these beautiful islands have a powerful message for us all.

Episode 11

Invasion of the Crocodiles

Nature documentary. Australia's deadly saltwater crocodiles are making a dramatic comeback, spreading in alarming numbers through the billabongs, rivers and beaches of the Northwest Territories. Last year over three hundred crocodiles had to be removed from the harbor of Darwin, the region's capital. Thousands of cattle are being killed and, most worryingly of all, attacks on people are increasing every year - often in places where crocs were previously unknown. Biologist Adam Britton is trying to find out why the crocs have suddenly become such a problem. With satellite transmitters he starts to monitor their movements, and the results are startling. As the problems mount, and with desperate locals clamoring for a cull, Adam urgently needs answers.

Episode 12

The Bloodhound and the Beardie

Documentary. For thousands of years, dogs were working animals not just pets, carefully bred to hunt, guard, herd or retrieve. Now these instincts are turning some dogs into problem pets. This film follows a bloodhound called Holly and a bearded collie called Herbie, who both face an uncertain future in rescue homes because they are so out of control. In order to give them a second chance, professional trainers see if they can be put back to work, sniffing out criminals and herding sheep.

Episode 13

Saving Our Seabirds

Documentary. Britain has spectacular colonies of puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes and skuas, but recently many birds have failed to breed. In the summer of 2006, bird expert Roy Dennis traveled in search of answers. He reveals that, as our seas are getting warmer, the sand eels that seabirds depend on are declining. Some seabirds are learning to find new sources of food and, with a bit more protection, Roy believes they can adapt and survive.

Episode 14

Desert Lions

Wildlife film. Many years ago lions thrived in the deserts of Namibia's Skeleton Coast, until they were exterminated by man. Six years ago maverick biologist Flip Stander discovered a tiny remnant population alive and well in nearby mountains, and started to study them. Their numbers have grown and they are now returning to the desert in increasing numbers. But if these lions are to continue roaming here, Flip will have to persuade local people that these lions are worth more alive than dead.

Episode 15

Moose on the Loose

Nature documentary. Wildlife biologists Rick Sinnott and Jessy Coltrane believe dangerous animals can live happily in the biggest city in Alaska. Anchorage is the test ground for this experiment where human residents are trying to share their parks and gardens with 60 grizzly bears, 200 black bears, 1000 moose and several packs of wolves. The many encounters between man and beast are often entertaining, but the potential for tragedy is great. Can Rick and Jessy keep the peace?

Episode 16

Rainforest for the Future

In a part of Africa more often in the news for human suffering and civil war, the Central African state of Gabon is a surprise - a stable democracy devoting itself to protecting wildlife. Over ten percent of the country's rain forest is protected in a series of new national parks that are home to abundant wildlife including elephants, gorillas, chimps and giant troupes of mandrills. Along the unspoilt coastline forest comes right down to the beach and hippos can be seen wallowing in the surf. It's an uplifting story of sensitive development, and a reminder of primeval Africa as it would have appeared to the first explorers.

Episode 17

Wye: Voices from the Valley

The River Wye runs through some of Britain's most beautiful and varied countryside, from the mountain tops of mid Wales to the wide open spaces of the Severn Estuary. This film is a lyrical portrait of the valley through the eyes of four characters who make their living from the land: a cider maker, a salmon fisherman, a sheep farmer and a beekeeper. It might seem idyllic, but when you live this close to nature a change in the weather can make all the difference between success and failure.