
As little as 15 years ago, no one had captured the unforgettable image of a leopard in its ghostly nocturnal stalk. Viewers had never seen intimate portrayals of the sleek and elusive serval, or witnessed the nighttime romps of the beautiful black-eared caracal. The team of Owen Newman and Amanda Barrett filled those gaps with a series of spectacular breakthrough films in the 1990s. Among the first to apply infrared light and night vision goggles to wildlife studies, they combined technology with intrepid determination and a strong dose of luck, illuminating the cats we hardly knew, and giving us fresh insights into those we only thought we knew, such as lions and cheetahs


As little as 15 years ago, no one had captured the unforgettable image of a leopard in its ghostly nocturnal stalk. Viewers had never seen intimate portrayals of the sleek and elusive serval, or witnessed the nighttime romps of the beautiful black-eared caracal. The team of Owen Newman and Amanda Barrett filled those gaps with a series of spectacular breakthrough films in the 1990s. Among the first to apply infrared light and night vision goggles to wildlife studies, they combined technology with intrepid determination and a strong dose of luck, illuminating the cats we hardly knew, and giving us fresh insights into those we only thought we knew, such as lions and cheetahs
2004-11-07
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The big cats of Africa have always been favored subjects of wildlife filmmakers
9.0In the furthest reach of northeast China, is a mountain wilderness that few have yet explored: Hunchun National Nature Reserve. At its core, lives one of Earth’s rarest predators: The Amur tiger
0.0This is the exciting story of two lion cubs born with a rare whim of nature. In Krüger park, South Africa's major natural reserve, about once in a generation a pride of lions includes a rarity: white cubs. This time two are born to the sister of a lioness with two elder, regular 'golden' cubs, whose natural camouflage is a major hunting and hiding advantage. The tiny pride is precarious anyway, having lost its sole male, with three lion brothers roaming around, eager to render a lioness mating-ready again by killing her offspring. Meanwhile prey and even the cubs are in danger from hyenas and leopards, as everyone lurks for a 'free meal', and some prey defending themselves and their young prove fearsome, notably buffaloes
6.8The equation of life on the Serengeti is simple: carnivores eat plants, herbivores eat carnivores. Africa: The Serengeti takes you on an extraordinary journey to view a spectacle few humans have ever witnessed. The Great Migration. Journey with more than two million wildebeests, zebras and antelopes in their annual 500 mile trek across the Serengeti plains
5.5If Sidik manages to spot a leopard in his beloved mountains of Kurdistan, the area can be declared a protected nature reserve. Will that finally bring peace?
7.2A wildlife filmmaker tries to keep up with a Cheetah mom determined to keep her cubs alive.
0.0The true story of the birth, growth and coming of age of a leopard cub in Africa's Serengeti plain. The journey of "The Leopard Son" begins at his mother's side where he discovers, through play, essential skills for survival in the wild. As it is with humans, there inevitably comes the day when a child must leave his mother to go out on his own.
0.0This documentary follows the harsh and competitive life of Addo, a male lion born into a successful pride.
6.7Errol Morris’s Fast, Cheap & Out of Control interweaves the stories of four men, each driven to create eccentric worlds from their unique obsessions, all of which involve animals. There’s a lion tamer who shares his theories on the mental processes of wild animals; a topiary gardener who has devoted a lifetime to shaping bears and giraffes out of hedges and trees; a man fascinated with hairless mole rats; and an MIT scientist who has designed complex, autonomous robots that can crawl like bugs.
7.7A film crew follows two leopard cubs as they make the fascinating journey from infancy into adulthood in this up-close-and-personal nature documentary.
0.0A story told through the eyes of a predator of the Liuwa plain, the last remaining lioness of Liuwa. She is the sole survivor of a senseless massacre that took the rest of her pride. A symbol of the Liuwa, a place that challenges all who live here
6.7Elephants disrupt the lives of a family deep in the jungles of Northern Siam, and an entire village.
0.0Africa's big cats lead a predictable life, they are masters of the dry terrain. However, for eight intense weeks, violent storms transform their world. Storm Cats follows the lives of two generations of big cats during the fleeting wet season in arid Botswana. It is an intimate portrayal of lion and cheetah families pushed to the edge by nature's raw power. Only those that can adapt will survive
0.0The Serengeti is Africa's largest nature reserve and one of its most notable inhabitants is the cheetah, also called cheetah. A young cheetah tells of his carefree childhood on the Serengeti Plain in Tanzania, thanks to his wonderful mother. She takes care of food on the shelf and with her he and his brothers and sister have nothing to fear. Lesson one: tripping the calf, lesson two: choking and biting to death, lesson three: Catching a calf yourself. Mother cheeta allows her boy to practice on a gazelle calf she has caught for them. One day, the young cheetahs will have to hunt themselves. Without Mommy's help.
0.0Five lion prides in Africa compete for scare food and each have adopted their own style of hunting. Follow them as they take down everything from buffalo to giraffes. Only the most cunning and capable will survive.
9.0Africa'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
0.0David 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
0.0After 25 years of the Project Tiger Scheme operating in the Madhya Pradesh, these magnificent animals have become more trusting, permitting an extraordinary intimate film which follows them from sunrise to sunset, in monsoon rains and in shimmering heat
0.0On Botswana's Linyanti Plains, a band of brothers reigns amongst the top predators: three cheetahs - partners since birth and one of the most efficient hunting forces on the plains - until tragedy strikes. Achilles, the hunt leader of the brotherhood, is killed by a cobra bite, leaving his brothers Odin and Shiva to fend for themselves. With their coalition diminished they must adapt fast: learning to hunt as a twosome and defend their kills without the help of Achilles. Confounding their efforts is a host of predators: an injured leopard, a cunning hyena and a devious black-backed jackal. Making matters worse, a lone male cheetah begins to trespass on their land. Will these cheetah blood brothers survive the overwhelming odds stacked against them?
0.0Set in the vast expanse of South Africa's Mala Mala game reserve, a host of Africa's biggest and fiercest wildlife species compete for food, mates and territory against the backdrop of a harsh dry season.
0.0In Rwanda, Africa, a new era is dawning after a brutal civil war ripped through the country, killing close to two million people and wiping out its most iconic wildlife: the regal lion. Now, 25 years later, the big cats are being reintroduced to the region to reclaim their throne. Follow this magnificent seven, a collection of five females and two males, as they travel thousands of miles from South Africa to Akagera National Park and attempt to figure out their new land, form relationships, and restore the pride of a nation.