Wildlife
Tiger quest
A BBC perspective on the thrill and frustration of filming tigers in the wild.
Tigers are undeniably captivating, but capturing them on film does pose real problems. In the early days of television, broadcasters relied on zoo animals to get the perfect shot, but filming tigers in the wild remains a challenge even today. Innovative and creative methods are constantly being devised to film the most ground-breaking and intimate footage. However, getting the perfect shot takes time, patience and a certain disregard for personal safety. If it wasn't for the dedication of the cameramen, scientists - and even the odd elephant - few of us would ever get to witness these elusive, powerful predators.
Time to play
Will future generations enjoy the sight of tiger cubs at play?
In Kanha National park, the young tiger cubs featured in Land of the Tiger are growing up fast. Their mother has done a good job of keeping them safe so far, but what of their future? The tiger is often seen as the symbol of Indian heritage, but changing culture has threatened the place the tiger holds in people's lives. The battle is on if our children are to be able to enjoy delightful sights like these satisfied, well looked after youngsters at play.
Don't get distracted
Chital deer are distracted by the rut and unaware of a tiger.
Chital deer are distracted by the rut and unaware of a tiger.
Holding on
Threats from human activity put the tiger's fate firmly in our hands.
Newsreader Fiona Bruce was chosen to champion the tiger's cause for Saving Planet Earth and was utterly captivated by the beautiful tigers of Bandhavgarh National Park, India. But with tiger numbers dwindling fast as a result of human activities, experiences like hers could sadly be a thing of the past. With their fate in our hands, will we allow that to happen?
Tiger plight
The planet's most potent conservation symbol.
Instantly recognisable, tigers are the iconic Asian species. Their distinctive striped coats help them slip into the undergrowth and almost disappear, and sadly they really are disappearing from the wild at an alarming rate. In the last century alone we have lost 95% of the world's tigers through direct poaching and loss of habitat. In Saving Planet Earth, David Attenborough introduced the tiger and gave an overview of the problems tigers face in today's world, before the rest of programme explored the issues in more detail.
Tantalising tigers
Bhutan's rare tigers are caught on film for the first time.
Bhutan's rare tigers are caught on film for the first time.
Tiger paradise?
Over 30 remote camera images show tigers living in the high Himalayas.
Over 30 remote camera images show tigers living in the high Himalayas.
Tiger scent
Gordon Buchanan's emotional response to the footage from his remote cameras.
Gordon Buchanan's emotional response to the footage from his remote cameras.
Population patterns
Stripe identification points to a high tiger population density in Bhutan.
Stripe identification points to a high tiger population density in Bhutan.
Moving majesty
A tiger's roar sets an emotional tone for George McGavin's musings on the big cat's future.
Despite being an expert on insects, after filming this sequence, George McGavin confessed: 'At heart, I'm very definitely a man who loves the world's unloved creatures, and I still maintain that ants are the planet's major carnivores. But being this close to a tiger is just incredibly impressive.'
Nowhere to go
With safe space in short supply, the future for isolated tiger cubs is in grave doubt.
With safe space in short supply, the future for isolated tiger cubs is in grave doubt.
Trap snaps
Night images from Gordon Buchanan's camera traps reveal Bhutan's hidden tigers.
Night images from Gordon Buchanan's camera traps reveal Bhutan's hidden tigers.
Fragmented isolation
Wildlife corridors across the Himalayas might help save the remaining tiger population.
Wildlife corridors across the Himalayas might help save the remaining tiger population.
Intact system
For tigers to stand a chance of survival, forest health must be more than skin deep.
For tigers to stand a chance of survival, forest health must be more than skin deep.
Wildlife treasures
As rarity increases value on the booming Chinese medicine market, do tiger's stand a chance?
As rarity increases value on the booming Chinese medicine market, do tiger's stand a chance?
The price of poaching
In rural India, the price of a tiger skin is a life-changing sum.
In order to save the tiger from extinction, it's vital to understand what motivates people to poach. The answer is easy enough, but how to counter it is more difficult. The price on a tiger's head is around 50,000 rupees, and this is a life-changing sum of money for rural people. Is it really any wonder villagers can be persuaded to take the risk or helping the organised poaching networks?
Lords of the land
The planet's top predators and the ultimate in lethal grace and beauty.
In a career spanning over 50 years, David Attenborough has seen, filmed and commented on just about every kind of creature on the planet from the tiniest of invertebrates to the giants of land and sea. The majesty and sheer power of the Siberian tiger, once the top land predator, is put into sharp relief against its precarious status and restricted range.
Siberian tiger
Rarely seen, the Siberian tiger lives in the forests of Ussuriland.
In the 1940's only 25 individual Siberian tigers remained. Urgent protection has meant they still survive in this remote region, but they are extremely vulnerable and very elusive.
Ussuri tigers
One of the last strongholds of the world's largest living cat.
One of the last strongholds of the world's largest living cat.
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