Natural World

Save The Panda

Follows the great land migration in Africa, one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Wildebeests, numbering in the millions, run for their lives on a-mile trek to find food and water, battling predators along the way.

From Aadvark To Zebra

Impalas move with the great migration on the Serengeti plains of Africa. A new fawn is on his way, but so is danger for the herds.

Programmed For Flight

On an African river in the Serengeti, a mother crocodile defends her babies against predators in the sky and on the ground. Discover the secret way that crocodiles have survived for millions of years.

Jungle

The animal kingdom in the Serengeti is in constant competition for resources. The essence of competition is for the hunt and those who can't cut it are left behind.

Secret Weapons

Two mother cheetahs, able to reach top speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour, are in a race to protect and feed their new cubs. Predators close in on the families, who must work to prevail on the Serengeti Plains of Africa.

Birds of Paradox

Known to be aggressive and dangerous, hippos are also fiercely protective of their young. Watch as mother hippos in Africa risk everything to keep their newly born calves away from predators, both in and out of the water.

Jet Set Wildlife

A newborn wildebeest befriends a fierce lioness, and a rare meeting between two river monsters, a hippopotamus and a Nile crocodile.

Pelican Delta

The wildlife of the Danube delta in the Black Sea, especially the white pelicans.

Winter Days

There are only two seasons in the Serengeti, dry and wet. As the long dry season ends, the clouds begin to darken as the rain signals new life on the Serengeti Plains.

God's Acre

The wildebeest path on their endless migration is impeded several times by rivers. The waterways have certain dangers that can can result in death for the wildebeest, mainly the Nile crocodile.

Plight of the Bumble-Bee

The programme is about bumble bees in the forests of New England. We follow a queen bumble bee as she emerges from hibernation to find a suitable nest site and establish a colony from the eggs she has carried over the winter. She duels with a rival queen. Honey bees, bee mites and wax moths also feature in her life story.

Salim Ali's India

Documentary which tells the story of some of the discoveries made by Indian ornitholigist Salim Ali

The Kiwai - Dugong Hunters of Daru

In their hunt for the dugong, the Kiwai people of Papua New Guinea still use magic to bewitch it and to charm their boats, whether they are powered by sail or outboard motor. The dugong, or sea cow, is the gentle creature that gave rise to the legend of the mermaid. To the Kiwai it is an important food and a central feature of their livelihood and culture. Now it is being hunted to the extent that it is a rare and endangered species.

Commandos of Conservation

Greenpeace fights in the front line of the conservation battle, where the whales or the seals are being killed, the toxic waste is being dumped, the bombs are being exploded. Their policy is non-violent direct action. They break the law and make the headlines, and in a few years they've grown from a handful of west-coast idealists into a fashionable international movement. This is the story of how it happened, told through some of their most impudent and most daring campaigns.

Among The Wild Chimpanzees

As a child Jane Goodall dreamt of going to Africa and living with the animals. In 1960 her dream became reality: she began a study of chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe National Park. Today, more than two decades later, her work still continues, and it has given us a remarkable portrait of the animal most like man. Spanning three generations of chimps, it shows them in all their moods.... playful infants, turbulent adolescents and adults whose behavior ranges from tender motherhood to hunting and even murder.

One Man's Island

Documentary programme on Keith Brockle who spent twelve months painting and drawing the bird life on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth.

Invaders Of The Truk Lagoon

Truk Lagoon in the western Pacific is a peaceful tropical atoll. In 1944 its tranquillity was shattered when the US Navy surprised and sank a fleet of 60 Japanese ships. Within 40 years a dazzling array of corals and colorful fish have transformed this sunken arsenal into the world's largest artificial reef.

The Desire Of The Moth

The largest known moth in the world has wings the size of a dove, the smallest lives inside a leaf. Although they are creatures of darkness, the bizarre designs and garish colors of moths rival those of butterflies in the hide-and-seek game of life. Among the stories of their double lives are tales of heroes that rescued Queensland from the prickly pear, blizzards of bogongs that were a summer feast for the first Australians, and the story of that irresistible desire that draws the moth to the flame and sudden death.

Land of the Tiger

Land of the Tiger looks at the protected species of the Kanha and Ranthambore National Parks, celebrating these elusive and endangered big cats and exploring the delicately balanced ecosystem they inhabit. Interweaving footage of monkeys, deer and the tiger’s main competitor, crocodiles, the couple’s impressive cinematography brings the private world of tigers to life, as these magnificent creatures swim, play, mate, suckle their young and stalk their prey.

Namaqualand - Diary of a Desert Garden

In all Africa there is no stranger riddle than the flowering of the land of the Nama. Those bushmen were the first to see their desert land burgeon into a blaze of color. But this paradise was always short-lived; a spectacular bloom that quickly withered away, not to be seen again for many years. RODNEY BORLAND filmed the most recent of these stupendous and mystifying displays. To a landscape already weird with huge halfmens plants, elephant ears and baboons' fingers, suddenly came vast arrays of nodding daisies and wave upon wave of mesembryanthemums, wild geraniums, gladioli and amaryllis. The landscape was bathed in brilliant hues, a natural garden whose glory may not shine again before the end of this century.

Horns of Dilemma

Documentary on the illicit trade in Rhino horns, which is threatening the five kinds of rhinoceros with extinction.

On the Verge of Life

Documentary about wildlife which lives around Britain's motorways.

Leopard - A Darkness In The Grass

Where The Parrots Speak Mandarin

Documentary, exploring the Chinese attitudes to mythological and real animals.

The Mystery Of Laguna Baja

Have Fish Had Their Chips?

Why Dogs Don't Like Chilli But Some Like It Hot

The Elephant Challenge

Ichkeul - Between The Desert And The Deep Blue Sea

Report on Tunisia's Lake Ichkeul, a vital source of water for wild birds in the middle of the desert. Conservation plans are now in progress to presere this wa ter resource for both man and animals.

Man-Eaters Of Kumaon

Spirits Of The Forest

Land Of The Kiwi

Lions Of The African Night

Forest Of Fear

Icebird

Documentary on the penguins of Antarctica, as they travel 80km to their spring nesting sites.

Ticket To The Wild

Grizzly!

Documentary on the complex relationship between grizzly bear and man in North America.

Islands Of The Fire Goddess

Documentary on the world's most active volcano, Kilauea in the Hawaiian Islands.

Ice Pack

Documentary on the wolf packs of Arctic Canada.

Beyond Timbuktu

Documentary on European migrant birds as they winter on the flood plain of the River Niger in Mali.

Nighthunters

Twilight Of The Dreamtime

Documentary about the Kakadu, the last remnant of aboriginal culture in Northern Australia.

Search For The Yeti

A Passion For Grouse

Nuts In Brazil

Documentary on the journey made by Anthony Smith and his friends as they travel done the 3,000 kilometres of the Rio Araguaia to the Amazon in a home-made steam powere catamaran.

Gorillas In The Midst Of Man

An intimate and touching glimpse into the lives of these gentle, highly intelligent creatures, it follows a team of scientists and volunteers as they continue the research of the late ethologist Dian Fossey.

Ivory Wars

Report on the threat to the African elephant population from ivory poachers.

Gran Paradiso

Documentary on the national park of Gran Paradiso in the Italian Alps, focusing on the imbalance in the fauna which inhabit the area.

Fear Of The Wild

Documentary on the ways man has devised of coping with a fear of dangerous animals. Questioning whether this reaction is a throwback to a time when they were a real threat.

Splashdown: A Diver's Natural History

Splashdown is a diver's natural history of Britain and Eire - showing the amazing abundance and variety of our often threatened, yet rarely seen marine flora and fauna. Auks that 'fly' underwater, a giant whirlpool, scallop farms and Fungie the dolphin are among the sights seen in this marine safari.

Island In The Air

Running For Their Lives

Scandinavia: Lands of the Midnight Sun

Scandinavia: Fresh Waters, Salt Seas

The Cat That Came In From The Cold

Portrait Of The Planet

Two Weeks To Save The Planet

Cranes Of The Grey Wind

Even The Animals Must Be Free

Marathon Birds

Vietnam: the Country not the War

Arctic Wanderers

The Wonderful World Of Dung

Monkeys On The Edge

Sounds Of The Islands

Sharks On Their Best Behaviour

As someone who has been attacked by a shark, you might think that Mike DeGruy would want to avoid them. But they fascinate him. Mike shares this fascination, showing their wide ranging diversity as a species, and dispels some of the misconceptions surrounding them.

Land Of Wild Freedom

The Monk, The Princess And The Forest

Echo Of The Elephants

David Attenborough and Cynthia Moss narrate an award-winning film about 18 months in the life of elephant matriarch Echo and her family, who live in Kenya's Amboseli National Park.

Shadows In A Desert Sea

Cougar: Ghost Of The Rockies

Kimberley: Land Of The Wandjina

Journey To The Dark Heart

Ice Fox

The Great Bears Of Alaska

The Little Creatures Who Run The World

Strandwolf: Survivor Of The Skeleton Coast

Sex, Hot Eruptions and Chili Peppers

Firebird

An atmospheric account of the lesser flamingo, Firebird explores the incredible adaptations these resilient birds possess in the hostile environment of East Africa's Great Rift Valley.

Killer Whales: Wolves of the Sea

An extraordinary glimpse into the world of these incredibly efficient predators, Killer Whales: Wolves of the Sea is an intriguing celebration of the species’ ingenious hunting methods, sophisticated communication skills and strong family ties.

Toadskin Spell

Looks at the extraordinary properties of frog and toad skin, showing how it enables them to survive hostile environments. Amphibian skin contains many chemical compounds, including antibiotics, fungicides, anti-viral agents and toxins, which serve as built-in barriers against infection and protection from predators. Scientists in America have even identified an anti-cancer agent in the skin of certain amphibians. One sequence reveals a dangerous and illegal craze in California for toad licking - the skin of some toads contains hallucinogens so powerful that the US Drug Enforcement Agency puts it in the same class as heroin. The programme features toad and frog species from Britain and the continents of Africa, America, Asia and Australia.

Island of the Ghost Bear

Reveals the life of the snow-white black bears that inhabit a remote island off the coast of British Columbia in Canada. The whiteness of the bear is believed to be caused by a double recessive gene.

Mysteries of the Ocean Wanderers

Focusing on a pair of albatrosses during the year they produce and raise a chick, Mysteries of the Ocean Wanderers is an engaging and atmospheric insight into the wildlife of the sub-Antarctic Crozet Islands. Delving into a previously unknown area, the film follows the intriguing work of French scientist Henri Weimerskirch as he uses satellite tracking and time-depth recorders to follow the ever changing population of these remote isles.

Badlands

Documentary on the prairie dog of the South Dakota Badlands.

Hunters of the Sea Wind

Documentary showing life under the Pacific Ocean and the predatory life of the marlin, sailfish, sea snakes, dolphins and tuna, birds and turtles.

Parrots: Look Who's Talking!

Examines the parrot in the wild and sees how its natural behaviour is modified in a domesticated environment.

Avenue of the Volcanoes

Records the rare and unusual wildlife that lives in a remote volcanic area of Ecuador

Ytene: England's Ancient Forest

Echo of the Elephants: The Next Generation

A deeply moving account of elephant family life, The Next Generation is the sequel to the BBC Natural History Unit's award-winning Echo of the Elephants. The award-winning cameraman Martyn Colbeck returns to direct and photograph this piece, his stunning cinematography bringing to life the touching intimacy, brutal fights and amazing perseverance of these magnificent animals. Filmed over four years, elephant expert, leading conservationist and world-renowned research zoologist Cynthia Moss continues her research into the ageing matriarch Echo and her rapidly expanding clan.

Incredible Suckers

In the depths of the world’s oceans, biologist and award-winning wildlife photographer Mike deGruy explores the multi-sensory world of the cephalopods. Stunning underwater photography provides an incredible glimpse into these enigmatic invertebrates, recording species never before captured on film. Impressive footage from a remote-controlled submersible provides the first ever glimpse of two rare creatures in their natural habitat, the living fossil nautilus and the intimidating vampire squid.

Arctic Kingdom: Life at the Edge

An investigation into the inhabitants of the Arctic who have adapted to extreme conditions, looks at the polar bear, narwhal and guillemots.

Fifi's Boys: a Story of Wild Chimpanzees

Updated film portrait of Fifi a chimpanzee that naturalist Jane Goodall first studied in 1960. This programme follows her and her six offspring, studying their individual characters and behaviour.

Sperm Whales: Back From the Abyss

Wildlife film about sperm whales, revealing the secret lives led by these often misunderstood ocean giants. Scientists all over the world are now learning about the secret lives of sperm whales, the world's largest hunters that spawned the legendy of Moby Dick. Although Mellville painted them as fearsome beasts of the sea, they are actually shy creatures, and cameraman Rick Rosenthal needed patience and persistence to film them at close quarters. They turn out to be efficient hunters with a close family network involving sophisticated and vocal social lives.

Mara Nights

The first ever production to record animal behaviour at night without the use of lights, Mara Nights is an intriguing insight into a whole host of unseen nocturnal antics in Kenya's Masai Mara National Park. The normally astute hunting techniques of the lion are replaced by complete reliance on scent and sound, and in the words of the filmmaker Martin Dohrn "bumping into things then jumping on them".

Penguins In and Out of Water

Documentary on penguins- not looking at their traditionally viewed habitat Antartica, but at those penguins who have adapted to life in the deserts of Peru, and the cities of New Zealand.

Mandrills: Painted Faces of the Forest

A look at the complex social behaviour of a mandrill troop in Gabon, West Africa and associated rainforest species - many of which are relatively unknown.

Puma: Lion of the Andes

The Temple Troop

In Sri Lanka's ruined city of Polonnaruwa lives the Temple Troop, the unruliest gang of monkeys around. This film follows an extraordinary year in the life of the troop.

Denali: the Great Alaskan Wilderness

An examination of the wildlife living around Mt McKinley, North America's highest peak.

Jungle Nights

Set in the tropical rainforests of Central America, this film reveals the unseen behaviour of jaguars, vampires, margays, kinkajous and other strange animals that spring to life after dark. The documentary was filmed in Belize, over the course of a year, by resident film-makers Richard Foster and Carol Farneti Foster. They used infra-red cameras and powerful software which converts the ultrasonic calls of bats into distinctive visual patterns on a computer screen.

Paracas and the Billion Dollar Bird

Along the shores of the Paracas National Park on the coast of Peru, two very different worlds collide - the barren Atacama desert and the seas teeming with wildlife such as sea lions, penguins and pelicans as well as guanay cormorants, a bird that once created fortunes for the local people through the sale of their droppings, an excellent natural fertiliser.

South Georgia: an Island All Alone

Focusing on the wildlife of the remote island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic.

Capybara: Swamp Hogs

This is the story of one Capybara group,whose territory spans a patchwork of of wildlife-rich swamp,grassland & forest in Venezuela's Orinoco flood plain -the "Llanos".

Secret Sharks

Includes footage of the gentle whale shark, and the perilous birth of a baby horn shark.

Mountain of the Sea

Wildlife documentary about South Africa's Table Mountain, home to a huge variety of animals, from black eagles at its peak to penguins at its shore-lined foot.

Orangutans: the High Society

Wildlife documentary series. Featuring the orangutans of Sumatra's Leuser National Park.

The Fatal Flower

This programme looks at orchids, the `femmes fatales' of nature, combining beauty and deceit in a way which ignites human and animal passions.

Riddle of the Right Whale

A dramatic film about Right Whales, the rarest of all the great whales. There's a race on to save them and even US nuclear submarines are part of the effort. Dramatic footage above and below the water reveals these fascinating giants battling for mates, rearing young, sailing with their tails and meeting other whales, dolphins, seals and sharks. It's called the Right Whale because it used to be the right whale to hunt - big and full of blubber. Today it's baffling biologists who cannot understand why, in spite of total protection, it refuses to recover.

Hokkaido: Garden of the Gods

A look at the unique wildlife of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, and the island's few remaining members of the ancient Ainu race, who see all animals as sacred. Swept by winds from the high Arctic, Hokkaido is an island of towering volcanos and fairytale forests, where cranes perform dances in the snow, brown bears plunge for salmon in rivers and eagles plunder the spoils from winter fishing fleets. The unique wildlife of Hokkaido has long been worshipped by an ancient race of hunter-gatherers, called Ainu, a few of whom still survive among modern Japanese. Even today, they honour the natural world around them through ritualised dance and prayer.

Elephants of the Sand River

Beneath the forested flanks of an extinct volcano lies a cave with a mysterious secret. Kitum Cave on the slopes of Mt Elgon in Kenya is the only place on earth where elephants venture deep underground. They are forced to make the dangerous journey into the cave because of their craving for salt. Humans have been drawn to Kitum Cave for thousands of years, originally to harvest salt, but more recently to slaughter elephants, leading to local rangers Daniel and Mike being assigned to protect the survivors

Otters in the Stream of Life

This film follows a year on the exquisite west coast of Scotland, in the intimate company of a family of otters. Guided by their mother, the otter cubs survive the wildest storms of the Scottish winter, striving to overcome many challenges on their way to independence. The west coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream which is why dolphins and sharks, whales and puffins all come here to share it with the otters. Two years in the making, this film is packed with surprises and excitement and set in the most breathtaking scenery to be found anywhere in Britain.

Camels Down Under

Introduced to Australia in the 1840s by European settlers, camels were the only reliable form of transport in the country's harsh interior. Replaced by motor vehicles and abandoned at the turn of the 20th century, they now number over a quarter of a million - the only true wild camel population on the planet. This film tells the life story of a young camel growing up in the harsh world of the outback

Deadly Vipers

Predators with the largest fangs of any snake and venom containing up to 50 deadly ingredients, vipers kill more people than any other animal. But now that medical science is beginning to discover the healing power of natural poisons, could this lethal reptile turn out to be a boon for mankind?

The Tigers' Fortress

The chequered history of a tiger conservation park in Rajasthan, northern India, from its success in the 1980s through its battles with corruption and poaching in the early 1990s to its present status as home to the highest number of tigers and cubs for 15 years

The Lost Elephants of Timbuktu

David Attenborough narrates this documentary following young research student Anne Orlando as she sets out on an unforgettable adventure, hoping to solve the mysteries surrounding a herd of elephants that inhabit the desert south of the fabled city of Timbuktu. How do they survive the arid conditions? Why do they disappear for two months each year? And why do they make an annual journey across the desert?

Yellowstone: America's Sacred Wilderness

Park ranger Paul Schullery presents a personal account of life in America's Yellowstone Park. After wolves were reintroduced to the park, he watched the natural order establish itself, as wolves hunted down elk parents and grizzly bears stalked their fawns.

Wild Nights

Simon King attempts to win the trust of shy and elusive night-time animals including badgers, foxes and owls, in an attempt to reveal the natural world on our doorstep.

Hotel Heliconia

The Heliconia plant provides food and shelter for a wide variety of jungle creatures and also produces some of the most stunning flowers on earth

Night Stalkers

This documentary introduces us to the variety of bats found in the rainforests of Central America. Fringe-lipped, Fishing, fruit and the notorious vampire bat are amongst the line up.

Meerkats: Part of the Team

Documentary following a family of meerkats living in Tswalu National Park in South Africa. The ultimate team players, meerkats survive in harsh conditions by looking out for each other and constantly scanning the horizon for predators such as cobras, cheetah and martial eagles.

Danger in Tiger Paradise

Valmik Thapar returns to Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan to witness the progress of Machli, a tigress he has followed for four years. It's been a while since he last saw her and she now has two cubs, but with their father gone, presumed dead, she faces a new challenge - protecting her offspring from the males that are trying to establish themselves in the area

Falklands: Flying Devils

Film makers Jane Watson and Mark Smith observe a colony of aggressive caracaras, rare birds of prey on a stormy island in the South Atlantic.

The Crossing

A tense and spectacular drama unfolds as thousands of zebras, wildebeest and gazelles take on hungry crocodiles and lions at the Mara River in Africa.

Death Trap

The wildlife of the Pacific Coast. Offshore are whales, seals and sharks, on land, grizzlies, and in the air bald eagles. All wait to catch some of the many fish attempting to reach their spawning grounds.

Lost Crocodiles of the Pharaohs

Last year, while excavating a 5,000 year old temple buried by Egyptian sands, archaeologist Edda Bresciani unearthed a sacred chamber - with an unexpected secret.There in the center of the room, gleamed an iridescent pool of emerald water. And right next to it, in a small depression hewn into the floor - thirty perfectly preserved crocodile eggs. Nearby were mummified adults. "The temple was a nursery for sacred crocodiles," she says incredulously. "They emerged from the eggs, to be reared in the pool before being sacrificed and mummified. I'd found a temple to Sebek - the crocodileheaded deity." Despite their revered status in ancient Egypt, the crocodiles in the river Nile were all hunted out by the 1800s, and the Pharaoh's crocodiles were lost forever. Or so it was thought.Then there came mysterious sightings of crocodiles emerging from strange places in north Africa away from the Egyptian Nile. Are these the long lost ancestors of the Pharaoh's crocodiles - alive and well?

Elephant Cave

Beneath the forested flanks of an extinct volcano lies a cave with a mysterious secret. Kitum Cave on the slopes of Mt Elgon in Kenya is the only place on earth where elephants regularly venture deep underground. Driven by cravings for salt, these elephants are forced to make the dangerous venture into the cave. Humans have been drawn to Kitum Cave over thousand of years, originally to harvest salt, but more recently to slaughter elephants, leading to local rangers Daniel and Mike being assigned to protect the survivors

White Shark/Red Triangle

Each year, in the late summer, a region known as the Red Triangle bustles with marine mammal activity. Lying between San Francisco and Monterey, the Red Triangle includes beaches where elephant seals go to molt, and offshore sites where great whites feed on unwary prey. When not prowling the Red Triangle, great white sharks search the kelp forest for sea lions, or roam the open ocean. Their migration is predictable. Each year they turn up at the same place at the same time, occasionally crossing paths with humans who still swim and surf in these dangerous waters.

Cheetahs: Fast Track to Freedom

For two years Simon King takes on the role of mother to two cheetah cubs, Toki and Sambu, orphaned when their mother was killed by a lion.

Norfolk Broads: The Fall and Rise of a Great Swamp

The Norfolk Broads is one of the last fragments of a vast swamp where ancient Britons hunted wildfowl and fished for perch and giant pike. Over the centuries most of the marsh and its wildlife were destroyed. The swamp is now recovering, and spectacular birds like avocets, marsh harriers, and cranes are back. Can the Broads be restored or will they be destroyed by rising sea levels?

Typhoon Island

Mississippi: Tales of the Last River Rat

A stunningly photographed portrait of the wildlife and landscape of the Mississippi River seen through the eyes of 'River Rat' Kenny Salwey, a legendary hunter, trapper and author who lives off the land and shares his watery haunts with beavers, snapping turtles, sturgeons, pelicans and eagles.

Hammerhead

Profile of the hammerhead shark, which has until now been shrouded in mystery as no-one could understand why its head is such a strange shape, or how it might help the creature's survival. Marine biologists in Hawaii explain how the fish utilises the unusual shape to give it a unique, deadly weapon in the oceans. Narrated by Ian Holm

The Orangutan King

Documentary about Kusasi, the world's most famous orangutan. His rise to power was meteoric, from orphaned baby to 20 stone king of the swingers - the fearless ruler of the orangutans in the Camp Leakey sanctuary and in the wild jungles of Borneo beyond. Now 30- years-old, his power could be starting to wane, and his life takes a new direction with the arrival of a challenger for his throne.

Eagle Island

Wildlife documentary about the Hebridean island of Mull, home to the most spectacular wildlife of any stretch of our coastline - sea eagles, golden eagles, otters, seals, dolphins, whales and sharks. Cameraman Gordon Buchanan grew up on the island, but left to film wildlife all over the world. He now returns home, spending a year getting close to the island's wild inhabitants in this evocative film.

The Queen of Trees

Ian Holm narrates the extraordinary story of the African sycamore fig tree and its symbiotic relationship with a tiny insect partner, the fig wasp. Neither could exist without the other, and in turn they support hundreds of other animals from ants to elephants. Each fig is a world in miniature, a stage for birth, sex and death as the tiny players battle against predators and parasites.

The King Cobra and I

Documentary following the work of Rom Whitaker as he organises the fight to save the threatened king cobra, the world's largest venomous snake, from extinction. Whitaker is attemping to set up the world's first king cobra sanctuary and breed baby cobras for release back into the jungle.

The Last Lions of India

Documentary about Asiatic lions, which are completely different from African lions in both appearance and behaviour but are thriving in India. Their refuge is the Gir forest in Gujarat, and in the last 100 years their numbers have grown from 20 to over 300. They are now spreading out beyond the protection of the National Park, reclaiming lost territory and colonising new habitats. It's a rare conservation success story but one that brings new challenges to lions, naturalists and forestry staff.

On the Trail of Tarka

Filmmakers Charlie Hamilton-James and Philippa Forrester went in search of otters on a short stretch of the River Torridge in Devon, immortalised 80 years ago by Henry Williamson in his famous novel Tarka the Otter. Over months of patient fieldwork they got to know and film a family of wild otters. The result is both a lyrical portrait of these shy creatures and a tribute to Williamson's skills as a writer and naturalist.

Eye for an Elephant

Martyn Colbeck has spent 15 years scouring Africa for the ultimate images of the world's largest land creature- the African Elephant. Along the way he has learned how to read elephant minds, gain unsurpassed levels of trust and, so, achieve pictures of spectacular beauty and insight. An Eye For an Elephant charts the journeys Colbeck has made since he first became entranced by the magic and mystery of elephants after he arrived in Amboseli National Park in 1990 and met Echo, a young matriarch. His work on an eventual trilogy about Echo and her family resulted in scenes of elephant life and behaviour never seen on screen before - and inspired him to seek out and film other herds, including the forgotten elephants who struggle for survival in the parched deserts of Namibia and the dense confines of the Congolese jungle. The story of his personal and wildlife discoveries is told by inter-cutting new footage and Colbeck’s recollections with archive treasures and a selection of the powerful still images that helped him to win the title International Wildlife Photographer of the Year. As the story unfolds, viewers experience the intensity of the camerman’s relationship with the elephants he views almost as family, and gain a sense of why they deserve his affection.

Toki's Tale

Two years ago Simon King made Cheetahs – Fast Track to Freedom a film about his attempt to return two orphaned cheetah cubs to the wild. The film ended tragically with the cub Sambu being killed by lions, but his brother Toki survived. Simon's new film follows the equally dramatic twists and turns of his continuing story.

Battle to Save the Tiger

The Indian tiger is in deep trouble. Thirty years ago India set aside over 30 tiger reserves controlled by Project Tiger. Initially it was hailed as a great success, but in the last few years hundreds of tigers have been poached from under officials' noses according to WPSI (Wildlife Protection Society of India) run by Belinda Wright. This film, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, looks at the controversy surrounding the plight of the tiger. Can they come back from the brink of extinction again?

Moose on the Loose

Anchorage capital city of Alaska is the wildest city on Earth thanks to its dramatic wildlife. Alongside 260,000 people are up to 1,000 moose, 200 black bears and 60 grizzlies as well as large numbers of beavers, ravens and eagles. Managing this urban menagerie is all in a day's work for rangers Rick and Jesse. They believe that people and large dangerous animals can live in one city and through the groundbreaking Alaska Fish and Game project they're determined to prove it.

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 terrorise 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.

Snow Leopard - Beyond The Myth

The Snow Leopard, one of the most beautiful of all big cats is also one of the rarest. Natural World visits a hidden lair and lifts the veil on this elusive predator.

Raising Sancho

This is the story of a young giant otter's journey to adulthood. 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.

Earth Pilgrim - A Year on Dartmoor

This exquisitely photographed film is a spiritual journey into the ethereal landscape of Dartmoor with Satish Kumar, the world-renowned ecologist, former Jain monk and pilgrim for peace. Through changing seasons, Satish walks the moor and explores ancient woods and rivers, which are home to a wealth of wildlife including red deer, emperor moths, starling roosts, kestrels and foxes. His meditations on the natural world are lyrical, uplifting and timely.

Tiger Kill

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.

Titus: The Gorilla King

Abandoned as a baby, removed from normal gorilla family life as a youngster - so profound were the misfortunes that Titus suffered in his early years that no gorilla scientist could have predicted his eventual rise to power. His moving 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 since Dian Fossey's pioneering work more than 40 years ago. 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. His life story is as full of drama, intrigue and tragedy as any human soap opera. Against a stunning backdrop of misty volcanic peaks cloaked in bamboo and giant lobelia, Titus has successfully steered his family group through thick and thin. Now he is under pressure again. With his ally-turned-rival, Kuryama, jockeying for position, is the final chapter in Titus's extraordinary reign about to occur?

Whale Shark

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 metres 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.

Clever Monkeys

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.

Bearwalker of the Northwoods

Wildlife documentary. In the forests of northern Minnesota, biologist Lynn Rogers uses food to gain the trust of wild black bears, a controversial technique developed over his own forty-year journey from fear to fascination. Following the fortunes of mother bear June and her three cubs over a year, the film reveals an intimate portrait of the lives of black bears.

Victoria Falls - The Smoke that Thunders

Wildlife documentary. A tale of life on the Zambezi River, set against the epic backdrop of Victoria Falls. The story is told from the point of view of a local fisherman, Mr White, who has fished these waters for 69 years, and whose riverside companions are elephants, baboons, hippos and kingfishers. Follow the fortunes of these animals through his eyes, and learn how their lives are ruled by the moods of the river and the rains.

Andrea - Queen Of Mantas

Manta rays are one of the most intelligent creatures in the ocean and, at up to seven metres long, one of the largest. Yet despite their size and curious nature, almost nothing is known about their lives. Young marine biologist Andrea Marshall has given up everything for a life in Mozambique, diving amongst these beautiful animals. Superb underwater photography reveals new manta ray behaviour including breathtaking footage of their ritual courtship dances. The film follows Andrea as she studies these endangered animals up close. With the discovery of a giant new species and remarkable insights into mantas' secretive lives, Andrea's findings are already rocking the world of marine biology.

Black Mamba, White Witch

In the small African kingdom of Swaziland, the black mamba is a snake both feared and revered. During summer, these elegant yet lethal snakes turn up everywhere - in homes, schools and cars - and people are bitten every week. Enter Thea Litschka-Koen, a mum and hotel manager who has become known affectionately as the white witch. She and her husband are on call 24 hours a day to rescue and release black mambas when they get too close for comfort. But what everyone wants to know is will they come back again? We follow Thea and her team as they set up a pioneering new scientific project: to track the black mambas they release back into the wild, and find out just how these deadly snakes spend their lives.

The Monkey-Eating Eagle of the Orinoco

The harpy eagle is the most powerful bird of prey in the world, plucking monkeys from the branches of the jungle canopy. Rare and elusive, they are seldom seen, but with the discovery of a harpy nest in the remote Orinoco rainforest of Venezuela, wildlife film-maker Fergus Beeley has a unique opportunity to follow the life of a chick from birth to adulthood. Fergus ascends high into the canopy to reveal a stunning world of colour and sound, following the trials of the harpy eagle's newly hatched chick as it grows up. Fergus becomes just another member of the dazzling community of birds and animals surrounding the harpy nest and develops an unexpectedly close bond with the chick.

Echo - An Unforgettable Elephant

A celebration of the life and legacy of Echo, the world's most famous elephant, who was born in 1945 and died in 2009, and who Natural World followed for the last 20 years of her life. The timing of Echo's death could not be worse. The wise old matriarch had guided her family for half a century but the cruellest drought in living memory devastated her home under the shadow of Kilimanjaro. Will her 38-strong band of relatives and descendants overcome the loss of their leader, hunger and poachers to survive?

Sea Otters - A Million Dollar Baby

The trials and tribulations of a sea otter pup growing up on the coast of California. The Californian Sea Otter is one of the rarest, and cutest, animals in the world. So when a sea otter mum decides to have her pup amongst the yachts of a millionaires' marina it is a unique event. The mum must teach her baby how to dodge the boats and find the food in this busy harbour. However the arrival of a tough male sea otter signals disaster for the family. When mum is attacked, the poor pup is left on her own and must fight for survival.

My Life as a Turkey

Biologist Joe Hutto was mother to the strangest family in the world, thirteen endangered wild turkeys that he raised from egg to the day they left home. For a whole year his turkey children were his only companions as he walked them deep through the Florida Everglades. Suffering all the heartache and joy of any other parent as he tried to bring up his new family, he even learnt to speak their language and began to see the world through turkey eyes. Told as a drama documentary with an actor recreating the remarkable scenes of Joe's life as a turkey mum.

Empire of the Desert Ants

Natural World visits the Arizona desert, where a new honey ant queen wages an intense battle for survival as she attempts to build and defend her empire. Eliminating rivals with ruthless efficiency, sacrificing thousands in her quest for domination, murder, cannibalism, genocide - she will do anything to keep her crown. Empire of the Ants is the epic story of one honey ant queen's dramatic rise to power - her brutal fall from grace.

Heligan: Secrets of the Lost Garden

Looking at the secret lives of the wildlife in one of Britain's favourite gardens. Shot by Charlie Hamilton-James, this film follows various animals, from the family of foxes that play after hours in the pleasure gardens, to the toads in the Italian garden and the badgers that clear up the tea rooms at night. Set against the background of the gardening year, these stories reveal life behind the scenes at Heligan.

Komodo - Secrets of the Dragon

The Komodo dragon was discovered one hundred years ago, yet the true nature of the biggest lizard in the world is only just being uncovered. Using hi-tech tools to take a fresh look at this prehistoric beast, Dr Bryan Fry discovers there is a lot more to the dragon than meets the eye - from hidden venom glands to its secret origins.

Living with Baboons

The wild Hamadryas Baboons of Ethiopia have a friend in biologist Mat Pines, they even pick the nits from his hair. He's been studying and living with them for five years in the remote and arid Awash National Park. Now in his final year, we follow the fortunes of his favourite baboon 'Critical' as he tries to find a family and fend off his aggressive male rivals. But the local gun-toting Afar tribe have a traditional hatred of the baboons. Before Mat leaves, he hopes to broker a peace between the baboons and the tribe.

Tiger Island

Jungle tigers are turning into man-eaters in the exotic island of Sumatra. Now a maverick millionaire is catching the killers and releasing them on his land. Is this madness, or could it save them from extinction?

Queen of Tigers

The story of Machli, the most famous tiger in the world. She is a legendary fighter and a wise mother of nine cubs who has founded a vast dynasty of tigers. She is now in the last season of her life and wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford- Johnson returns to find his old friend one last time. This Special shows the extraordinary milestones in Machli's life all set in the most stunning Indian scenery.

A Wolf Called Storm

Storm is an extraordinary wolf - the head of a pack in Canada's frozen north that hunts the giant buffalo herds. This pack came to fame in Frozen Planet and now cameraman Jeff Turner spends a year with Storm and his wolf family, learning how they survive in this harsh wilderness and whether Storm can pass his hunting skills on to the new generation of wolf cubs.

Leopards: 21st Century Cats

Leopards are built for strength rather than speed, hunting in the shadows and ambushing their prey. In an ever shrinking world, their lives are colliding with people - attacks are reported regularly and hundreds of these big cats are stoned, trapped or shot.

Giant Squid: Filming the Impossible

The giant squid, a creature of legend and myth which even in the 21st century, has never been seen alive. But now, an international team of scientists think they have finally found their lair, one thousand metres down, off the coast of Japan. This is the culmination of decades of research. The team deploys underwater robots and state of the art submersible vessels for a world first - to find and film the impossible.

The Mating Game

David Attenborough narrates the charming and fascinating story of some real-life animal romantics. There are show-offs and singers, dancers and fighters, stories of undercover affairs and heart-warming devotion. These include a male polar bear that plays hard to get, a lemur whose odour bags him a mate and a lizard who is tender and faithful to the very end. It reveals that animals can be loving, complex, funny and inventive - it is all part of the mating game.

Sri Lanka: Elephant Island

Sri Lanka, the tropical island lying off the southern coast of India, is home to its own special elephants. A sub species of the Asian elephant, they have their own unique characteristics. In this programme, award winning wildlife cameraman Martyn Colbeck of Echo of the Elephants fame travels to Sri Lanka to try and get to know them. Martyn has planned his arrival to coincide with the start of the monsoon, hoping it will be the best time to find and follow a new born calf. By drawing on local knowledge, Martyn begins to unravel the complex social world of Sri Lanka's elephants - he witnesses a fight over a calf, a battle between two bulls in musk and, at an elephant sanctuary, befriends an orphaned elephant who sadly lost a leg to a snare and is facing an uncertain future.

Africa's Giant Killers

Africa's largest herd of elephants and a fearless pride of young lions come face to face in an epic fight for survival. Rarely do their worlds collide, until now. This is no chance conflict; nature has played its part. Drought has weakened the elephants and the lions are desperately hungry. The dawn of the giant killers has arrived.

Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayhem

Record books describe the honey badger as the most fearless animal on the planet; although barely a foot tall, they have a reputation for attacking just about anything - from venomous snakes to full-grown lions. In South Africa, an eager scientist, a tenacious beekeeper and a patient conservationist all have a soft spot for these so called 'bad boys' of the animal kingdom, and each of them wants to discover if the honey badger's bite really is as big as its hype.

France: The Wild Side

France is our closest neighbour and a popular holiday destination for many of us, but how familiar are we with its wildlife? With breathtaking photography, this film reveals that wolves, wild boar and even bears are living amongst France's many mountains, valleys and forests. Journeying from the Pyrenees to the Alps, all around the mainland to Corsica, this is the story of the 'wild side' of France. Narrated by Paul McGann.

Nature's Misfits

Bill Bailey introduces a delightfully eccentric cast of creatures that have chosen to do things differently. Odd, unconventional and unusual - these are animals that don't normally grab the limelight. From the parrot that has forgotten how to fly, to the bear that has turned vegetarian, a chameleon that is barely bigger than an ant, and a penguin that lives in a forest. Nature's Misfits reveals the extraordinary and rarely seen lives of these evolutionary oddballs, their strange habitats, unusual forms, and the incredible hurdles they overcome.

Africa's Fishing Leopards

David Attenborough narrates the intimate story of a leopard mother and her two cubs. This very special family must survive in the wilds of Botswana alongside some less-than-friendly neighbours: lions, wild dogs and hyenas. The competition for food is tough, and if they are going to make it they must learn a new skill - they must learn to fish. This is an epic family drama. With them every step of the way is local cameraman Brad Bestelink. Brad's 18-month journey following the lives of these secretive big cats offers a rare glimpse into an otherwise hidden world.

Super Powered Owls

With their charismatic faces and extraordinary head-turning ability, owls are one of our best-loved birds. And yet it's rare to catch more than a glimpse of one in the wild. These mysterious birds haunt our night, floating through the darkness with an eerie silence. But how do they see in the dark? And how do they fly so silently? Through the eyes of two special barn owl chicks and with the help of world leading scientists, Natural World reveals the magic behind owls' superpowers.

Galapagos: Islands of Change

From enormous tortoises and deep-diving lizards to fish-eating snakes and birds that hunt giant venomous centipedes, the wildlife of the world-famous Galapagos Islands is unique and bizarre. This wilderness once inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, but it is currently undergoing a human revolution, with tourism driving a population boom. David Attenborough narrates this modern-day story of the Galapagos and reveals whether, in this ever-changing world, its animals can still thrive.

Growing Up Wild

A look at the challenges young animals face, from their first steps through to leaving home. For any animal, the early days of life are often the most difficult. Finding food, avoiding predators and generally learning life's essential skills is tough. However, with a little parental guidance growing up can be an adventure. By following some special tiger cubs in India, an adolescent mountain gorilla in Uganda and two nervous polar bear cubs in the high Arctic, the trials and tribulations of growing up wild are revealed.

Jungle Animal Hospital

At the jungle animal hospital in Guatemala, the wards are full of exotic patients, many of them orphans rescued from the illegal pet trade. It is the job of a dedicated team of vets to nurse them back to health. We follow the team in their busiest year yet as they patch up animals in need, select a troop of spider monkeys for release and prepare a flock of very precious scarlet macaws for freedom.

Meet the Moose Family

In the wilds of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, a mother moose tends to her newborn calf. Spring is in full swing, but this far north winter is never far away and, with hungry bears and wolves for neighbours, many challenges lie ahead. Local cameraman Hugo Kitching knows this only too well, but he is determined to follow the mother and calf through the four seasons. What unfolds is a very intimate story, and when Hugo finds a second moose calf born late in the year, things take an unexpected and dramatic turn.

Kangaroo Dundee and Other Animals (1)

In the outback of Australia, the world's most famous 'kangaroo mum' is expanding operations. Brolga, aka Kangaroo Dundee, is opening his doors to a whole new bunch of animal characters, including a trio of camels and a southern hairy-nosed wombat called Pete. The kangaroo joeys are still very much a priority but these days Brolga is sharing maternal duties with his wife Tahnee. With three emu chicks set to move into the family home and the dream of building a wildlife hospital about to become a reality, life in the Australian bush is more hectic than ever before.

Kangaroo Dundee and Other Animals (2)

In central Australia, Brolga, the world's most famous kangaroo mum, is learning what it takes to look after his extended animal family. The three emu chicks are beginning to wreak havoc, the camels are rapidly outgrowing their backyard enclosure and Pete, the southern hairy-nosed wombat, is proving to be quite a handful. To help, Brolga's looking to move some of the animals to his 80-acre sanctuary. But, a clash with his old sparring partner, Roger the alpha male kangaroo, has left Brolga on crutches and put all of his plans, including those for the new wildlife hospital, on hold.

Puerto Rico: Island of Enchantment

David Attenborough tells the revealing story of this Caribbean island's exotic but vulnerable wildlife. A team of conservation champions are making it their mission to save the most precious species. We see how Puerto Rican parrots, manatees and turtles are now making a comeback.

Hotel Armadillo

60 years after he first appeared on TV with an armadillo, David Attenborough introduces the family's biggest member and reveals never-before-screened secrets of giant armadillo life - including how this rare and seldom seen animal provides scores of other creatures with the hotel and restaurant services they need to thrive in earth's biggest natural wetland - the Pantanal of Brazil.

Nature's Wildest Weapons: Horns, Tusks and Antlers

The animal kingdom possesses a fearsome arsenal - a variety of extreme weapons used in epic battles to gore, stab, crush and batter. But are they more than just instruments of deadly force? For Professor Doug Emlen, it has been his lifetime's ambition to discover the secrets of nature's arms races, what triggers them and what they can teach us about the most formidable weapons on earth - our own.

Nature's Miniature Miracles

It really is a big bad world out there. So what happens if you are the little guy? This film tells the epic survival stories of the world's smallest animals. To make a living, these tiny heroes have evolved extraordinary skills and achieved mind-boggling feats. From the animal kingdom's greatest artist to the tiny creatures that provide us with so much of the air we breathe, we discover what it takes to be a miniature miracle.

Attenborough's Wonder of Eggs

David Attenborough has a passion for birds' eggs. These remarkable structures nurture new life, protecting it from the outside world at the same time as allowing it to breathe. They are strong enough to withstand the full weight of an incubating parent and weak enough to allow a chick to break free. But how is an egg made? Why are they the shape they are? And perhaps most importantly, why lay an egg at all? Piece by piece, from creation to hatching, David reveals the wonder behind these miracles of nature.

Nature's Biggest Beasts

The world's biggest beasts have always captured the imagination. But whilst being big can have its advantages, it also comes with sizeable challenges. Take the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, whose huge appetite means it must take on prey ten times its weight or the tallest animal of them all, the giraffe, who with such a long neck must control immense blood pressure. Nature's biggest beasts must go to extraordinary lengths to thrive. These are their epic survival stories!

Super Fast Falcon

The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on earth - it can reach speeds of over 200mph. But what does it take to be a high-speed record breaker? To find out, we follow a young family of falcons as they grow up in downtown Chicago. We join renowned bird handler Lloyd Buck, who, with the help of state-of-the-art technology and leading avian scientists, puts his peregrines to the test. And finally, we see if Lloyd can train one young peregrine for the ultimate challenge of speed and agility - against an Olympic skier in the Swiss Alps. Through such groundbreaking experiments and intimate views of these special birds in the wild, the secrets behind these super-fast falcons can finally be revealed.

Florida: America's Animal Paradise

Florida is famous for its beaches, blue water and year round sun – but it also has a surprising wild side. It is home to pine forests, coral reefs and the famous Everglades wetland, the largest sub-tropical wilderness in the US. Here, manatees swim in crystal clear rivers, baby alligators practice their hunting skills and miniature deer roam free. Every year, this state faces the full forces of nature - from wildfires to flooding and powerful hurricanes. And today, a growing human population and a cast of animal invaders are threatening this wild paradise. With the help of pioneering scientists, will Florida’s wildlife continue to weather the storm?

Hippos: Africa's River Giants

With incredible underwater footage, David Attenborough reveals the true nature of the hippopotamus – an animal that cannot swim yet is utterly dependent on water.

The Octopus in My House

A professor develops an extraordinary relationship with an octopus when he invites it to live in his home to learn about its intelligence.

Weasels: Feisty and Fearless

Looking at the true nature of weasels. Often portrayed as the villains of the natural world, do they deserve this reputation?

Meet the Bears

How bears across the world have overcome the challenges of life - from finding food and raising cubs to confronting rivals and habitat loss - all thanks to brains, brawn and amazing adaptability.