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Episode 3

Episode 3 of 3

Wildlife documentary. An amazing new age of discovery is revolutionising the ways in which wild cats are viewed and studied.

Scientists are studying cats in more detail than ever before, and what they are discovering is truly groundbreaking. Join the scientists in the field, testing new theories and challenging the conventional ideas about cats. New approaches and new technologies are allowing an intimate look at their previously hidden lives.

This new age of discovery is revealing there is still so much to learn about the cat family. Using high-tech collars, Professor Alan Wilson has discovered it is not straight-line speed that is a cheetah's greatest weapon but their ability to brake, change direction and accelerate. His research is rewriting what we understand about the fastest animal on land.

This is also a crucial time for cat conservation - most are threatened, facing extreme habitat loss and conflict with humans. Yet there are many positive stories of cats bouncing back from the brink, showcasing the tireless work of cat conservationists fighting to protect them. Just five years ago the Iberian lynx was considered the rarest cat on the planet.

Now, due to a groundbreaking captive-breeding programme, lynx numbers are increasing in the wild. A huge amount of effort is going into breeding and releasing these stunning cats, and all the hard work is now paying off.

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58 minutes

Audio described

Last on

Wed 1 Mar 2023 15:30

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:05

    Pet Shop Boys

    It Couldn't Happen Here

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Bertie Carvel
Executive Producer Michael Gunton
Series Producer Gavin Boyland
Production Manager Stella Stylianos

Broadcasts

Meet the cats

Find out more about the cats that appear in the series.

Filming big cats

Get insights into how the crew captured the scenes in Big Cats.

The global pet trade in wild cats

The dangers of the global pet trade to wild cats.

Why scientists use radio collars to study cats

Why scientists may use radio collars to study small wild cats.

Return of the ‘Spanish Tiger’

There are few conservation stories as inspiring as the reintroduction of the Iberian lynx