In Myanmar (Burma), elephants are used to log the teak forests that were once their home. While investigating the consequences of harnessing elephant power for labor, Wild Chronicles discovers that these elephants—and some thoughtful forest management—are helping to save Myanmar’s remaining wild lands.
Deep in the nearly impenetrable forests of the Qin Ling mountains in eastern China, live some of the last remaining giant pandas on Earth. Few westerners have ever observed these irresistible mammals in their natural habitat, closed to foreigners since 1949, and filming there was an almost insurmountable challenge. Giant Pandas: The Last Refuge takes viewers on a fascinating journey into the incredible world of these endangered creatures to witness.
A circle of life - and death - on the African plains. In this magnificently filmed saga, nature's most misunderstood creatures are revealed as an integral part of Africa's bounty. Vultures and other scavengers recycle the raw elements of life; if not for them, the plains would be an immense graveyard. From the mighty lion to the lowly dung beetle, each creature has a place in Africa's circle of life. High above the tooth-and-claw drama of the Serengeti, nature's undertakers are watching and waiting. Reviled but vital, vultures bide their time until the inevitable feasting opportunity. Any unlucky carcass is dispatched in a matter of minutes by a feeding frenzy that attracts jackals and hyenas along with vultures. Scavenging insects swarm over the remaining bones and horns.
Come to the windswept plains of Africa for one of the Earth's most ancient and beautiful spectacles; the great zebra migration in Botswana. Travel ancient trails with thousands of these wild striped horses who share vast grasslands with wildebeests, elephants and their deadly enemy - the lion. You will witness: the tender first moments of a young foal's life; how zebra family groups are rigidly organised for protection; and the consequence of not following the rules - strict punishment from dominant zebras or worse, death from predators. Take this three-hundred mile journey... and learn the secrets of the graceful zebra.
National Geographic documentary filmed in the Kalahari desert, home to cheetahs and their main prey, the springbuck. The film incudes footage of cheetahs courting and mating, male cheetahs fighting over their territories, a gemsbuck cow rescuing her calf from two cheetahs as they try to strangle it, and a cheetah being tossed on the horns of a wildebeest mother and somersaulted through the air as she attempts to save her calf.
Able to hunt prey several times its own weight, the crowned eagle is an efficient primate killer and one of nature’s most perfect predators. Witness as this phantom bird, with bull’s eye vision and lightning speed, gracefully dances over the range’s hidden forests, silently stalking the baboons and vervet monkeys. Take off with one of these young raptors and learn what it takes to stay on top of one of Africa’s fiercest food chains.
The red kangaroo survives in one of the harshest environments on Earth, Australia's inland plains. The high summer temperatures keep the kangaroos inactive during the day, yet these animals thrive and. over eons, have adapted to various climates creating a huge network of cousins. National Geographic Kangaroo Adventures follows a modern red kangaroo mother and joey, and traces the family of these extraordinary animals.