Brand New TV channel WildEarth beautifully captures the majestic animals of SA
But the terrified kudus let us know exactly where the big cat is hiding. As they bark in fear at the dense undergrowth, Cedric drives our safari vehicle very slowly up the sandy track. Suddenly the camera operator Panda Musesani – who is filming this wondrous encounter live – urgently whispers, “There he is!” Cedric and Panda high-five each other with delight.
Invisible to the untrained eye, a superbly disguised leopard is taking a big cat-nap in the thick grass. As he pops up his head, the majestic beast – known on the game reserve as Tortoise Pan (after the pond where he was first spotted) – yawns distractedly, completely disdainful of our presence. He doesn’t have to tell us; we already know that he is master of all he surveys.
This regal creature is the Brad Pitt of the bush: a ridiculously good looking, effortless superstar with rippling muscles who is constantly pursued by film crews.
Tortoise Pan doesn’t need to change his spots because he is so naturally beautiful already. But at the same time, you are all too aware of the 80kg beast’s
awesome strength. Pound for pound, leopards are the most powerful of all the big cats. To avoid other hungry predators, they are capable of carrying a carcass twice their own bodyweight to the top of a tree.
At this point, it would only be fair to admit that as this apex predator slowly stands up and languidly swaggers past us, just a yard in front of our car, I do not need a monitor to know that my heart rate is more than double its usual reading.
It is a really quite frightening, yet electrifying, experience triggering an enormous adrenaline rush. It is a huge privilege to be in the presence of such natural-born magnificence.
Cedric echoes my feelings, murmuring to me, “When I first see him, everything freezes. But after that, when I catch sight of his wonderful coat and muscles, I am almost levitating with excitement. It’s love at first sight. It’s awe-inspiring. My heart simply melts.”
Now viewers in the UK can share these heart-melting moments. New TV channel WildEarth trains its cameras 24 hours a day on these splendid beasts as they prowl around four South African game reserves teeming with wildlife – Djuma, Pridelands, Madikwe and Amakhala.
The knowledgeable guides drive around the parks with a camera operator in the back seat, helping audiences to get up close and personal with everything from caterpillars to the big cats.
In just four days at Djuma, I’m lucky enough to encounter lions, elephants, rhinos, hippos, hyenas and giraffes, as well as the imperious Tortoise Pan.
All the animals that feature regularly on WildEarth are given names to strengthen viewers’ bond with them. It turns the channel into the best kind of animal soap opera.
WildEarth makes for compelling television. You might say it is the Big Brother of safaris – featuring wild animals rather than wild people.
The channel broadcasts every day of the year and is available on Freeview Channel 91 or via the
app, app.wildearth.TV. A sort of Springwatch with added teeth and claws, it offers the rare frisson that you never know what will happen next. Animals can’t fake it. And
nor can they be rushed. WildEarth eschews the instant gratification and desperation for likes that social media craves.
As an example of how unplanned the channel is, Cedric recounts a shocking incident when his vehicle was unexpectedly caught in the middle of a herd of buffalo. They appeared as if from nowhere, stampeding wildly as they tried to evade a pride of marauding lions.
In a last-gasp attempt to escape its ravenous predator, a gigantic male buffalo charged at full pelt into the side of his car where it left a dent the size of a wrecking ball. Cedric, who has been a guide for 17 years, recalls, “I thought it was the end. I was in shock. The buffalo weighed a ton and at first I thought it had put its horn through my side. At that moment, my life flashed in front of my eyes.”
Very fortunately, as the buffalo clambered off the vehicle, Cedric was able to recover his senses and reverse away from trouble with all his faculties and limbs intact.
The aim of the channel, which broadcasts in many countries across the globe, is to give those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to an expensive safari a front-row seat at the most stunning natural theatre on the planet.
As co-founder Emily Wallington puts it, “WildEarth is all about connecting people to nature in a real and unscripted way. We are the largest safari vehicle in the world.”
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In these deeply worrying times, the safari channel also gives audiences some very welcome escapism. It is genuinely uplifting to watch born-free animals roam unimpeded across the Kruger National Park, an area which stretches into Zimbabwe and Mozambique and is bigger than Slovenia.
According to WildEarth chairman Andre Crawford-Brunt, the channel offers an escape from day-to-day financial, economic, relationship and political worries.
“When there are so many troubling things going on in the world, to be able to transport viewers to a little piece of Africa is a wonderful thing.”
He adds, every month, “We take seven million people worldwide on safari, as opposed to the five or six you can traditionally seat on a safari vehicle.
A safari is no longer the preserve of people who can afford to pay $1,000 a night to stay at a game reserve. Thanks to technology, you can be in a living room in the rainy North of England and at the same time be watching lions in Africa, as if you’re there, in real time.”
The experience of connecting with nature also has a curative effect on people. Tayla McCurdy, a WildEarth guide at Djuma, says, “People with mental health issues say they feel like they’re part of a family when they watch us.
“For them, it’s like going on a safari with friends.” Tayla continues, “My own favourite animal is the elephant. If a herd of elephants surrounds you and one of them makes eye contact with you, it gives yo u a very calming sense. There is a real aura around elephants.
They have a wisdom that we can learn from.”Cedric says, “Humans have a lot to learn from animals – patience is a big thing, and coexistence is another. They also show us how to use each other to survive.
“There is such a problem these days with children staying inside playing computer games all day. We show them the joys of nature and being outdoors.”
WildEarth may have other positive outcomes, too. Andre says, “I hope we could inspire the next generation of conservationists. I’d love them to fall in love with the planet and want to conserve it. There is a huge amount of value in that.”
As you can see, WildEarth may well be the greatest nature show on earth. It is a game-changer for big game. For this resident of the concrete jungle, my visit to the real jungle is a memorable adventure. Trips don’t get more exciting than this.
One of Cedric’s former colleagues, Paddy Haggelthorn, was a guide for 36 years. At the end of his action-packed career, he wrote his memoirs. The title? Never A Dull Moment.
A very fitting tagline for the endlessly thrilling WildEarth.
● WildEarth is available on Freeview Channel 91, on the app, app.wildearth.TV, and on Samsung Plus Channel 4273
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