Posted by Yesterday, National Geographic launched a new TV network, Nat Geo Wild. The focus of this new channel is wildlife, and I’m excited about the idea of shows that concentrate on the animals themselves.
Among its many offerings, shows like Mystery Gorillas with Mireya Mayor will raise awareness about some of the most pressing wildlife conservation issues today. Mayor ventures into an area of the Congo where over 100,000 gorillas live. They have been almost entirely off-the-radar due to the armed conflict in the surrounding areas. In the program, she will observe their complex society and behaviors in order to better help protect them.
I don’t know about you, but when I see footage of wildlife, I’m always wondering about the camera person and how they’re doing. I mean, it is amazing to see predator vs. prey interactions, but how are the people gathering this footage making sure that they get out there alive so we can see it?! I’m excited about the new series ‘Caught in the Act’ because not only will it show animals doing their thing when they don’t think we’re looking, but it will also show the stories behind those videos.
‘Expedition Wild’ with Casey Anderson is about two best friends, only one of them is a bear. Even though Casey has raised 800-pound Brutus since he was a cub, his new mission is to train Brutus to survive on his own in the wild. Casey travels to places like Alaska and Yellowstone National Park to observe the grizzlies up close, so he can give Brutus the best advice possible. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with this training process, because videos like this one show that Brutus might not be ready for the real world: he would rather eat blueberry pancakes than a fresh fish.
If you need any more motivation to check out this new channel, check out the video above, and the TV schedule for the next few weeks.
–Marley Gibbons
Video courtesy Nat Geo Wild
