Seven worlds, one planet
It’s become a highlight of the TV calendar, bringing us closer to the world’s wildlife than was ever imaginable. Voiced by David Attenborough, new landmark wildlife series Seven Worlds, One Planet started on Sunday and each episode will focus on a different continent, looking at its geology and the animals that have adapted to call it home.
Here, the episode producers share some of their filming highlights. All demonstrate how unique each continent is, and how the pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle fit together, to make one world.
Seeing spectacled bears in Ecuador
The inspiration behind Paddington, Andean (or spectacled) bears are famously difficult to see. But rumours of a gathering in an Ecuadorian cloud forest outside Quito gave the team an opportunity to film some unusual behaviour.
“We’d heard of this one part of cloud forest, where a type of miniature avocado fruits, attracting the bears,” says Chadden Hunter, producer of the South America episode. “We got this tip-off just before Christmas that it was happening, so we flew on Boxing Day.
“Cameraman Bertie Gregory skilfully took the drone up, and by orbiting above the trees, we were able to watch these bears delicately breaking branches and bending the thin twigs back, performing this acrobatic ninja move to get this tiny little fruit.”
How to do it: The Maquipucuna Ecolodge in Ecuador offers a three-day all-inclusive Cloud Forest Discovery tour, where there’s a chance to see Andean bears. From US$184 (£143)pp (two sharing). Visit maquipucuna.org.
Hanging out with manatees in Florida
“I never knew the southern swamps would be frozen over with ice in places,” says Hunter, who also produced the North America episode. In winter, cold Arctic air blasts Caddo Lake, a body of water straddling Texas and Louisiana, causing areas to freeze and forcing animals to find shelter.
“A baby manatee would die if it was in water cooler than 20C, so they do this incredible thing where they navigate hundreds of miles of water systems to find hot springs, which are their only sanctuary. Otherwise they won’t survive the cold snaps.
Here is a remarkable pioneering spirit.”
How to do it: Viator offers a Crystal River full-day tour with a boat ride through the Everglades and a chance to see manatees in one of Florida’s natural manatee habitats. From £109.14pp. Visit viator.com.
Listening to Sumatran rhinos sing in Indonesia
Gaining access to a secret location in the Sumatran rainforest, the team was able to capture footage of one of the world’s rarest species: the Sumatran rhino. “I wanted to tell a story about Asia’s forests and how dense they are,” explains Asia episode producer Emma Napper. “It’s hard for male and female rhinos to find each other, so they have this incredible song, which sounds a bit like a humpback whale.”
Although Napper describes the experience as magical, she was also saddened by what she found. “I realised how threatened they are, and how much habitat is being lost,” she says. “I’ve been doing this job long enough to see changes even in the last 10 years. The loss of rainforest is shocking.”
Howtodoit: Reef & Rainforest offers an 18-day Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Country Combo tour, which includes a visit to Way Kambas National Park, home to a Sumatran rhino sanctuary. From £6,196pp (two sharing), including flights. Visit reefandrainforest.co.uk.