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Big Cat Week on Nat Geo Wild

Australian Ben Britton brings Nat Geo Wild viewers up close to lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars & cougars

Later this month Nat Geo Wild will screen a week of majestic felines, presented by Australian Ben Britton.

The seven day television event looks at the world’s big cat species and the people working to save them.

The numbers for lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars and cougars are said to be dwindling around the world at an alarming rate.

Britton will take viewers on a journey to Africa where he teams up with local big cat trackers to help rebuild their populations, one cub at a time.

Ben Britton said, “Some of the world’s most iconic predators face the very real threat of extinction. Africa’s lion population has declined by more than 90 per cent in the last 50 years. There are now more tigers living in captivity than in the wild. And cheetahs have disappeared from more than 75 per cent of their range.”

“But there are ways of bringing them back from the brink. Big Cat Week is a chance to both marvel at these magnificent cats and see how people around the world are employing a hands-on approach to ensure their survival,” he said.

The centrepiece week is The Last Lions, a new feature-length documentary from award-winning filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-In-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert, chronicling the suspense-filled tale of a determined lioness ready to try anything – and risk everything – to keep her family alive.

Other premieres focus on cougars struggling to survive in America’s Rocky Mountains; a pair of rare clouded leopard cubs who are rescued from poachers and raised by a conservationist who attempts to teach them everything their mother would have to help them survive; and a stunning wildlife mystery involving two of Africa’s most majestic big cats: the lion and cheetah.

More than a television event, Ben Britton’s Big Cat Week is an extension of National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative (BCI), a long-term commitment to halt the decline of these iconic animals in the wild. Australians can tune-in to Nat Geo Wild to see how this critical situation is being addressed and visit natgeotv.com.au/big-cats to follow every move made in real-time by Ben Britton’s Big Cats – Matswane the lion and Pitsane the leopard.

Big Cat Week premieres include:

The Last Lions
Sunday February 26 at 7.30pm AEDT – Australian Premiere
Award-winning filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-In-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert chronicle the suspense-filled tale of a determined lioness ready to try anything – and risk everything – to keep her family alive. Fleeing a raging fire and a rival pride headed by a dangerous cub-killing lioness, Ma di Tau and her fragile cubs must make their perilous escape by swimming across a crocodile infested river and facing off with fierce horned buffalo.

American Cougar
Monday February 27 at 7.30pm AEDT – Australian Premiere
For the cougars of Jackson Hole, life has changed drastically. The reintroduction of other carnivores is threatening their position as apex predators. Can the cougars adapt to life in this new hostile environment?

Cat Wars: Lion vs. Cheetah
Tuesday February 28 at 7.30pm AEDT – Australian Premiere
Incredible footage captures the moment when a fight between a lion and a cheetah turns deadly. This nail-biting moment sheds new light on the mysterious relationship between these extraordinary big cats and their struggle for survival.

Night Stalkers: Jaguar Ambush
Wednesday February 29 at 7.30pm AEDT – Australian Premiere
Specially developed cameras penetrate the dark jungles of Costa Rica, exposing the secrets of Central America’s pumas, ocelots and elusive jaguars.

Return of the Clouded Leopards
Thursday March 1 at 7.30pm AEDT – Australian Premiere
When two cubs are rescued from poachers, only Sandesh Kadur recognises them as extremely rare clouded leopards. One year after releasing them into the wild, Sandesh tracks them from India to Bhutan to learn more about this secretive species.

Lion Battle Zone
Friday March 2 at 7.30pm AEDT – Australian Premiere
In a remote African national park, five lion prides have each adopted their own hunting style to compete for scarce food. But nature is unforgiving to both predator and prey, with only the most cunning and capable able to survive.

Hunt for the Shadow Cat
Saturday March 3 at 7.30pm AEDT – Australian Premiere
Female jaguars are notoriously elusive and the least studied of all the big cats. A crack team of biologists and trackers travel deep into the jaguar’s realm to reveal startling new insights into the hidden lives of these magnificent creatures.

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