The Lion Tree (2010)

Africa: The Serengeti

The 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

Storm Cats

Africa'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

Walking with Lions

Husband and wife team Phil and Lynne Richardson live at a water hole with lions, elephants, and baboons in the African bush of northern Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley. Video technologies like miniature infrared cameras and lenses for nighttime vision help them capture natural behavior without interfering with the wildlife

The White Lions

White lions are among the rarest and most treasured animals in the world. Rarer still is their survival in the wild. Their white color stands out in Africa’s wild bush country, increasing their risk of being targeted and killed by rival predators and marauding adult male lions. Only three white cubs have reached adulthood in the wilds of South Africa since white lions were first documented there in 1975. Now, two white cubs, sisters, have beaten the odds, surviving all the challenges of their youth with the help of two remarkable lionesses—their mother, Matimba, and their aunt, Khanya. Without an adult male lion to protect their small pride, Matimba and Khanya must rely solely on their own knowledge, strength and courage to protect their family.

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

Big Cat Odyssey: Revealed

Following award-winning filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert on their 30-year-long quest to document the behaviour of big cats in Botswana, this film brings together three decades worth of material, including extraordinary footage of hunting lions, scavenging hyenas and stealthy leopards. See firsthand the numerous changes that have led to dramatic decline of the lion population, and what needs to be done in order to ensure their survival

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

Errol 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.

The Last Lioness: Birth of a Pride

A haunting call echoes across the Liuwa Plain. There is no answer, there hasn't been for years. She has no pride, no support - she alone must safeguard her own survival. Her name is Lady Liuwa, and she is the Last Lioness. Isolated by a scourge of illegal trophy hunting that wiped out the rest of her species in the region, Lady Liuwa is the only known resident lion surviving on Zambia's Liuwa Plain. For four years, cameraman Herbert Brauer watched her lonely life unfold, until, in her solitude, she reached out to him for companionship. But Herbert knows he is not the companion this lonely lioness needs - she should be amongst her own kind. Now, in May of 2009, plans for a male lion translocation have come through, and there is hope for ending her isolation. For the first time in more than five years, Lady Liuwa will no longer be the Last Lioness This is just a re-titled version of "The Last Lioness"

Lions of Crocodile River

Lazy relatives. Jealous neighbors. Runaway kids. The everyday troubles of one family - except this family is a pride of lions. Shot over three years during the most extreme seasonal changes in Africa, the film follows Mfumu - the pride's leader - as he struggles to defend his turf, and his mate Chipazuwa as she tries to produce offspring. Among the threats: a river infested with crocodiles that have taken every litter of cubs -- and a rival male, bent on taking over the pride.

Birth of a Pride

Follow two males lions who swam across the river from Namibia, and joined up with two females in Selinda. This union resulted in six cubs as they grow, learn to hunt, and ultimately, become the first pride in Selinda in many years

Jaguar: King of the Jungle

The jaguar is the third largest of the big cats and pound for pound the most powerful. Our jaguar patrols a home range of over one hundred square kilometers in Brazil deep in the heart of the world's largest tropical rainforest.

Killer IQ: Lion vs. Hyena

In this documentary, world-famous lion whisperer Kevin Richardson maps the behavior of both lions and hyenas. Assisted by the world's leading behavioral scientists, Richardson conducts various tests that target specific skills and aspects of the animals' behavior. Cognitive awareness and social intelligence are put to the test: how well do the animals do in tasks such as puzzle boxes, tug-of-war or mirror mazes? Do they share their findings with their family or clan? Or do they keep the newly acquired knowledge to themselves?

Lion Brotherhood

It begins at the end: Tau is dying; a slow shutting-down creeps over his body. Its time to reflect His life is over but it was well spent.

Pride in Battle

A documentary which follows two lion brothers as they become rulers of a pride in Botswana after a battle for dominance.

Savannah Cats

The grasslands of Africa are a banquet spread for feline predators. Explore the hunting and nurturing habits of lions, leopards, and cheetahs of the African savannah, as well as the overlooked grasses that lay the foundation for the amazing array of wildlife flourishing among its leaves.

Predators in Peril

Set 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.

Lions Rule

The Lion, Africa’s ultimate predator. They’re known as the kings of the jungle yet their homeland is an open grassland rather than rainforest. In the African plains prey-rich real estate can be hard to come by, and lions work together to ensure no one claims their territory and usurps their crown

The Last Lions

In Botswana's Okavango Delta, an ostracized lioness and her two cubs must fight alone to survive - overcoming all manner of hazards. Their only defense is to escape to Duba Island -- and with that, an unknown future. The setting for this epic tale is one of the last regions where lions can live in the wild. Faced with dwindling land and increasing pressure from hunting, lions - like our lone lioness and her cubs - are approaching the brink of extinction.

The Real Lion Queen

The circle of life is broken in Zambia's Liuwa Plains National Park. Settlers, poachers, and professional hunters have almost wiped out the lion population, leaving just one lioness in the vast wilderness - but not for long. This is the story of "Lady Liuwa," a lion queen without a kingdom, and Herbert Brauer, a wildlife cinematographer on a six-year journey to find her a mate in hopes of forming a new pride. It's a mission full of setbacks and disappointments, chaos and danger, and the magic of unexpected relationships

Predators of the Wild: Lion

Shot on location in the famed Etosha Basin of Namibia in southern Africa, this video examines the habitat and habits of the lion, a regal-looking big cat that lives in groups called "prides." The program is part of a multi-volume Time Warner series that markets the ferocious, killing aspects of various wild animals. As a predator, the lion has a broad range of prey to choose from. The Etosha Basin is home to elephant, zebras, giraffe, wildebeests, eland, kudu, springbok, and black-faced impala.

Swamp Lions

The Swamp Pride is on its knees. Its mighty male was killed by poachers, leaving three mothers and their cubs defenseless in one of the toughest landscapes for a lion in Africa. Busanga Swamp is a quagmire, even in the dry season. Hunting in shoulder-deep water is all but impossible, and deadly hippos and crocodiles patrol the ever-present waters. Keeping cubs alive here is hard work, but for these lionesses it just got even harder: two massive young male lions are hunting them down. The males want to claim the Swamp Pride and its territory as their own, but to take over a pride they must kill its cubs. The mothers must fight tooth and claw to make sure that doesn't happen

Lioness in Exile

Soon after we meet Manyari, the queen of her pride, she does something both unusual and bold: She leaves the sanctuary of the clan with her young cubs and takes them on a dangerous odyssey. She makes a bid to escape because two young bloods are sniffing around, and if they take over the pride, they will kill her cubs

Thailand's Wild Cats

The mysterious jungles of Thailand are home to some of the rarest wild cats on earth - the Clouded Leopard, The Asian Leopard, The Indian Fishing Cat and the Indo Chinese Tiger. In one of the last truly wild corners of the world this extraordinary collection of secretive predators defend their last remaining stronghold. As their territories intertwine and continuously shift, these cats must cheat death on a daily basis if they are to survive and thrive out in these tangled lands

Lions Unleashed

In 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.

African Cats

African Cats captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. The story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a once banished lion.

Big Cat Games

From extreme speed to bone crushing bites, big cats are some of the most impressive predators on the planet. Each of them is an incredible animal, with its own unique and special set of skills. In Big Cat Games, we will challenge ferocious felines against each other in a series of trials that will determine once and for all who is king of the cats. In the wild they are confident, dominant, and fearless—but they have never had to face anything like this before. Lions, cheetahs and tigers will be pushed to the limits of their natural athletic abilities

Regime of the Queen

An exploration of the feline motherhood world. The lion is king, but the lioness holds the true power behind the scenes.

Puma!

It is a powerful predator, one of the most elusive animals in Patagonia and rarely filmed. In the very South of Chile the Pumas' hunting grounds lie in the awe-inspiring Torres del Paine National Park, follow a mother Puma as she rears her cubs in the wild, teaching them to survive and thrive.

My Tiger Family

In the jungles of north west India, there lives a remarkable wild tiger family. Now, using 50 years of footage, the story of their matriarchal clan is pieced together.

Big Cat Odyssey

See firsthand the numerous changes that have led to dramatic decline of the lion population, and what needs to be done in order to ensure their survival. Live through some of the most extreme cat sequences ever captured on film. See a lion pride bring down a large buffalo, a blood feud erupt when scavenging hyenas move in on the kill and catch a glimpse of leopards who creep from the bushes to hunt and retreat into the trees before falling prey to larger killers. Beyond the blood and gore lies a stark reality: Big cats kill to live and live to kill.

Speak of the Devil

But what is the Church of Satan? Who is Anton LaVey? Where is he from? Why does he do that? It does not take much to imagine the worst. Orgiastic ceremonies, where one revels in the blood of virgins, moonlight lamb sacrifices, noise concerts in the basement of a historical building… No, really nothing that amusing among the activities in the Church of Satan. Anton LaVey is nothing like a horned Charles Manson, and his path is all the more unexpected. Nick Bougas allows us to discover the artist, the musician, the philosopher, all through hallucinatory images retrieved from archives, making this rare documentary only two years before the author of the Satanic Bible disappeared.

Desert Lions

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

Predator's Playground

The animals of this African spring run a deadly gauntlet to survive. The spring flows out of a sandy river bed 30km inland from the Zambezi River and is the lifeline for hundreds of animals between August and the end of November each year. But taking a drink from this water source comes at a price, as it is flanked by a cliff on either side and forms a perfect ambush alley for the two resident lion prides with one shared goal: eat as much buffalo as possible. It is the perfect place to hunt, a predator’s playground

Africa's Super Seven

On the northern bank of the Sand River in the Mala-Mala Game Reserve in South Africa, seven magnificent creatures reside in an area the size of Manhattan Island. Tracking them for 24 hours reveals a never-ending daily drama.

Surviving the Drought

The Ruaha National Park in the south of Tanzania used to be a true paradise for wildlife gathered around the rich Ruaha river. A life-or-death quest for water has begun and the bewildered animals have no choice but to follow the dry riverbed upstream hoping to find water. Witness to this tragedy, a pride of hungry and thirsty lionesses and their cubs overlook the last pockets of water. Although it is dangerous for the young cubs to travel, the females have no choice but to follow the herds of herbivores in their migration.

Lions Of Darkness

The eight lionesses soon give birth to their new leaders’ cubs and there are young everywhere, feeding, playing and training for survival. But danger lurks behind virtually every bush, whether from ever-present hyenas or from a clever mongoose. One lonely cub, born late and orphaned early, endures hardships so heart-rending the filmmakers were tempted to intervene. But they decided to let nature run its unpredictable course.

Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib

On the edge of the Namibian desert, cattle farmers are looking for new land to graze their animals. The lions, who occupied these previously wild spaces, are hunted by herd guards, or even slaughtered when they attack cows. Will and Lianne Steenkamp lived for two years in a territory occupied by a 17-year-old lioness - a "queen" -, her two daughters and their five lion cubs. This film traces the process of empowering the young: after learning to hunt alone, they will have to leave the family pack and find young females to reproduce. A necessity all the greater as their species seems threatened.

Cougar: On the Trail of the Ghost Cat

In the heart of southern France there is a fog-prone area where, according to legend, a bloodthirsty creature wreaked havoc 250 years ago. A rumor is spreading again in this legendary place, as eyewitnesses report an animal with large paws and a long tail that crosses roads in a single leap - powerful enough to tear down a horse and leave it mutilated in the pasture. Is the Beast of Gévaudan back? The animal photographer Bruno Loisel has a supposedly more rational explanation. The animal that fits the descriptions could be a cougar, but this species of big cat is only native to America. In order to learn the proper techniques for tracking down the puma, he travels to Canada, where he accompanies a team of researchers dedicated to studying the shy, almost invisible predator. Will Bruno be able to use his findings to solve the mystery of the new beast of Gévaudan?

Siberian Tiger, The Secret Kingdom

In 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

Lion Gangland

The Serengeti is one of the most brutal environments on the planet. It's also home to the tough Vumbi lion pride. Using ground-breaking new tools (including a lion-proof peeping Tom robot), National Geographic explorers Michael "Nick" Nichols and Nathan Williamson embed with the lions to reveal a never-before-seen view into a world with razor thin margins between life and death.

The Leopardess

Leopards are considered to be extremely shy big cats. Only a few animals can match the elegance of these feline predators. The cautious hunters are rarely seen in the wild for more than a few seconds. The cats can be observed more extensively when they rest asleep in a tree and recover from the mostly nocturnal hunt. But a leopardess has switched to hunting in broad daylight. Its home along the brook bed of the Olare Orok offers everything a mother needs to protect and nourish its offspring: picturesque rocks and dense bush, a landscape in which the big cat can disappear in seconds to sneak up on potential prey, which includes warthogs and antelopes. But hyenas and lions are always ready to contest for its territory and nourishment. The renowned wildlife filmmaker Reinhard Radke managed to capture astonishing insights into the social life and hunting tactics of the ambush hunters in the Maasai Mara.

Big Cats

Documentary series uncovering the secret lives of big cats, using the latest technology and scientific research to bring these animal superstars out of the shadows.