A9-Wildlife

Along the rhythm of the seasons, beasts and humans regard each other. 'Bestiary' unfolds like a picture book about mutual observation. A contemplation of a stable imbalance, and of loose, tranquil and indefinable elements.

An inspiring exploration of one family's resilience and fortitude shot using innovative and groundbreaking filming techniques.

A nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, that looks at the evolution and habits of amphibians and reptiles.

From PBS and NATURE - On a typical late summer day a baby sea otter washes up on the beach in Monterey, California - hungry, lost, injured. It's a tragic event, but not surprising. California sea otters are struggling. For decades marine biologist Karl Mayer and his small staff have worked unceasingly - one otter at a time - to bring this "keystone" species back from the brink of extinction so it can play its important role in the local marine environment. But the effort has stalled, and no one knows why. This is the story of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's 501st attempt to save an orphan otter. From her discovery as a stranded newborn pup crying on the beach through her rehabilitation in secret roof tanks atop the Aquarium, we follow as Otter 501 learns how to dive, hunt, eat, and fend for herself in the wild, where survival is a long shot at best.

Stuck in a dead-end job Graham Merrill adopts an otter, Mij, as a pet and then moves to an isolated village in western Scotland. Adventures ensue.

Archie MacDonald, a young restaurateur is called back to his childhood home of Glenbogle where he is told he is the new Laird of Glenbogle.

Sculpted millions of years ago by the advance and retreat of vast shields of ice, the Emerald Isle harbors a wealth of wildlife among its craggy mountains, fog-shrouded coastlines, deep gorges, and vast networks of inland waterways.

From PBS - The fascinating story of beavers in North America - their history, their near extinction, and their current comeback, as a growing number of scientists, conservationists and grass-roots environmentalists have come to regard beavers as overlooked tools when it comes to reversing the disastrous effects of global warming and world-wide water shortages. Once valued for their fur or hunted as pests, these industrious rodents are seen in a new light through the eyes of this novel assembly of beaver enthusiasts and "employers" who reveal the ways in which the presence of beavers can transform and revive landscapes. Using their skills as natural builders and brilliant hydro-engineers, beavers are being recruited to accomplish everything from re-establishing water sources in bone-dry deserts to supporting whole communities of wildlife drawn to the revitalizing aquatic ecosystems their ponds provide.

A documentary depicting the life and work of the trappers of Bakhtia, a village in the heart of the Siberian Taiga, where daily life has changed little in over a century.

A man and a woman find something very touching about the sea turtles in their tank at London Zoo. They meet and form an odd but endearing camaraderie as they plot to steal two of the turtles.

Philibert films Zoology Gallery of the National Museum of Natural History (today known as the Great Gallery of Evolution) for a period of reforms which lasted from 1991 until 1994. The documentary shows how to perform dissection or even how to transport or restore some of the pieces in the collection, such as elephants, rhinos, gorillas and giraffes.

Follow the path of the sun on its annual cycle, from the Equator, across the northern hemisphere and into the South. Witness a world bursting with life, as spring and summer follow the passage of the sun. Revealed in all their glory are the natural rhythms of life - the urge to breed, to feed and to raise young - all driven by the sun, the moon and the seasons, across the world.

David Attenborough sets out on an intrepid quest across seven continents to create a unique television event to celebrate the wealth of natural features that makes Planet Earth so varied, so distinctive and so spectacularly beautiful.

Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this documentary short traces mankind's long history with elephants and explores the many problems that arise when they are brought to live in captivity in zoos and circuses.

In a far away land of jungles and wild animals, there lived a little orphan boy who was all alone in the world. But he knew that no matter how hard life can be, it's always better if you can share it with a friend. This is the story of how he found one, an elephant named Lucky. Together they face a changing world, but always manage to triumph. After a series of humorous challenges, they discover the Academy of Art, where elephants learn to paint. And Lucky becomes the star painter, a famous artist and celebrity. Finally, life is good for them, with money and food aplenty. But when Lucky falls in love with another elephant, Candy, and starts his own family, what will the boy do? My Lucky Elephant is an exotic adventure in a magical and beautiful place, and yet it's about what everyone is looking for in life - a true friend, a home, family.

Ten years in the making, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT follows the poignant journey of circus producer David Balding as he tries to find a nurturing and permanent home for Flora, the 18-year-old African elephant that he rescued as an infant, raised as his "daughter" and made the star of his circus. David's love for Flora is put to the ultimate test when he realizes he made a terrible mistake keeping her as a solo elephant, and decides to retire her from the circus after 17 years of performing. Knowing Flora will outlive him, and with his health and finances becoming an issue, David sets off on a quest to find a home for Flora can live freely with other elephants. This complicated task begins with Flora's final circus performance in St. Louis and takes us on an emotional trek across America, then to Africa and back. We follow David's journey as he discovers just how difficult it is to find a proper home for an elephant in a world that reveres these animals for their majesty yet slaughters them for their ivory, adores them as cuddly Dumbos yet brands them "rampaging creatures". ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT raises critical issues about the well-being and future of the hundreds of thousands of endangered and exotic animals kept in captivity, the over development and destruction of their natural habitats, our intense and often damaging relationship with wild animals, and how all these issues have impacted the life of one very lucky elephant.

Kids join a wild African safari with Spin, National Geographic's animated globe-on-the-go to experience the amazing ways that animals like cheetahs, crocodiles, rhinos and elephants survive. They'll experience life in a lion pride, what it's like to be a chimp, and much more. Really Wild Animals is a fun-filled, award-winning children's series featuring amazing animals, original music videos and National Geographic's stunning cinematography that send kids on wild adventures. Narrated by Dudley Moore. For ages 4-10.

Echo, the remarkable matriarch of a family of elephants in Kenya's Amboseli National Park, was most studied elephant in the world, the subject of several books and documentaries, including two NATURE films. For nearly four decades, elephant expert Cynthia Moss, and award-winning filmmaker Martyn Colbeck were on hand to record the trials and triumphs of Echo and her family, documenting the intense loyalties and deep caring that are so fundamental to all elephants, creating a moving record of a life we all can share. Echo died of natural causes at the age of 65 in May of 2009, leaving the family she had cared for and guided for so long to face the worst drought ever recorded in Amboseli on their own. It was a final test of the years of Echo's leadership. Had she taught them all they would need to survive without her? Could her wisdom continue to provide for them even after her death? With rich archival footage and warm recollections, Moss and Colbeck share their memories of Echo and her family as they follow the fortunes of Echo's family during the drought. Echo is shown caring for her newborn son, Ely, who overcame the crippling condition he was born with thanks to her patience and extraordinary perseverance. Echo is also shown making a heartbreaking decision to abandon her mortally-wounded daughter, Erin, in order to save Erin's young calf, Email. Moss and Colbeck have especially fond memories of Echo's mischievous baby daughter, Ebony, whose playful nature was so endearing to them both. And they marvel as they recall Echo's rescue of Ebony when she was kidnapped by a rival clan, remembering it as one of the defining moments of her leadership. Happily, Echo's legacy lives on. Though other elephant families suffer devastating losses, her family is able to survive the drought, retaining her wisdom for future generations, keeping her memory alive.

Shirley, an old box turtle, meets a very lost raccoon named Fernando Hernandafandavez, and helps him discover the magic of spring. Together they learn about a newborn fawn who sleeps alone in the woods.

Environmentalist Leanne Allison and wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot, across 1,500 kilometres of rugged Arctic tundra.

As young Sam Gribley runs away he learns about nature.

Set along the southern coast of Vietnam during the French occupation in the 1940s, water is everywhere, giving life and bringing decay and rot. Kim is 15; his father and step-mother have two buffalo, their lifeline as subsistence rice farmers. During the rainy season, there's no grass and the buffalo are starving. Kim volunteers to take the beasts inland to find food. On this coming-of-age journey, Kim sees men mistreat women, men fight with men, and French taxes rob the poor. He works for Lap, a buffalo herder whose past is entangled with Kim's parents, and he makes friends who will lead him to his place in the world.

A documentary that follows Dr. Penny Patterson's current scientific study of Koko, a gorilla who communicates through American Sign Language.

Meet adorable young chimp Oscar and his fellow mayhem-creating buddies, who see the world as their playground. Full of curiosity, joy and a love for mimicking others, these are some of the most extraordinary personalities in the jungle.