Wild Botswana

Africa's Fishing Leopards

David Attenborough narrates the intimate story of a leopard mother and her two cubs. This very special family must survive in the wilds of Botswana alongside some less-than-friendly neighbours: lions, wild dogs and hyenas. The competition for food is tough, and if they are going to make it they must learn a new skill - they must learn to fish. This is an epic family drama. With them every step of the way is local cameraman Brad Bestelink. Brad's 18-month journey following the lives of these secretive big cats offers a rare glimpse into an otherwise hidden world

Big Cat Odyssey

See firsthand the numerous changes that have led to dramatic decline of the lion population, and what needs to be done in order to ensure their survival. Live through some of the most extreme cat sequences ever captured on film. See a lion pride bring down a large buffalo, a blood feud erupt when scavenging hyenas move in on the kill and catch a glimpse of leopards who creep from the bushes to hunt and retreat into the trees before falling prey to larger killers. Beyond the blood and gore lies a stark reality: Big cats kill to live and live to kill.

Cheetahs of the Linyanti

Introducing Gunner, a Cheetah born amidst the merciless killing fields of Botswana's Linyanti, where Africa's most formidable predators reign. In this treacherous realm, Gunner emerges as the runt of his litter, his playful nature overshadowing his instinct to hunt. Safeguarded by his vigilant brothers, fate deals a devastating blow as tragedy befalls them, leaving Gunner to face an unforgiving reality. Time is of the essence, for a ruthless coalition of cheetahs sets its sights on seizing Gunner's territory, sparing no expense. To endure against impossible odds, this underdog must swiftly forge a solitary path to survival.

Cheetah Brothers in Arms

On Botswana's Linyanti Plains, a band of brothers reigns amongst the top predators: three cheetahs - partners since birth and one of the most efficient hunting forces on the plains - until tragedy strikes. Achilles, the hunt leader of the brotherhood, is killed by a cobra bite, leaving his brothers Odin and Shiva to fend for themselves. With their coalition diminished they must adapt fast: learning to hunt as a twosome and defend their kills without the help of Achilles. Confounding their efforts is a host of predators: an injured leopard, a cunning hyena and a devious black-backed jackal. Making matters worse, a lone male cheetah begins to trespass on their land. Will these cheetah blood brothers survive the overwhelming odds stacked against them?

Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas

Trek into the hidden battlefields of northern Botswana where lions and spotted hyenas clash in overlapping territories. With never-before-seen footage, much of it filmed at night, you'll uncover an intense and vicious blood feud that has been waged for millennia. Follow the Southern Clan, led by a powerful hyena matriarch whose firstborn female cub kills her sister at birth to assure her succession as leader of the clan. Lurk in the shadows as a lioness from the Central Pride gives birth to three cubs and then encounters a deadly Egyptian cobra. You'll be stunned by breathtaking chase scenes as the hyena matriarch is brutally killed by a male lion, throwing the clan into chaos. Discover nature's savage conflicts in this ancient rivalry.

Rhino Rescue

From award-winning filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert, comes the unbelievable story of the black rhino and those who are fighting to save the last of these amazing creatures. Infuriated and desperate after witnessing poachers kill the last black Rhino in Botswana, the Jouberts enlisted the help of the Botswana Defense Force and began a massive relocation effort. After years of hard work, a small population of black rhinos is now thriving in Botswana.

Nature: Great Zebra Exodus

Each year, far from human eyes, a remote expanse of Botswana's Makgadikgadi salt pans hosts one of Africa's last great spectacles when thousands of striped nomads wander the breathtakingly beautiful but barren landscape. It is only by the grace of isolated summer rains that the zebras can survive here at all. Family groups gather together to follow the rains, driven by a constant search for better grazing on islands of grass that dot the pans. Meerkat families watch the zebras come and go, and families of lions wait for them along their grueling trek, hoping for a chance to bring one down. Their journey is one that is sometimes limited by the fragility of new life, but always made possible by the strong family ties that help animals survive in one of Africa's most surreal landscapes. It's a tale of loyalty and sacrifice, of home and exile, of death and new life, in southern Africa's largest zebra population.

Birth of a Pride

Follow two males lions who swam across the river from Namibia, and joined up with two females in Selinda. This union resulted in six cubs as they grow, learn to hunt, and ultimately, become the first pride in Selinda in many years

Predators of the Savuti

A look at the predators of the Savuti

Solo: A Wild Dog's Tale

The story of a female African wild dog who has befriended a number of other predators and is helping to raise jackal pups in the Okavango Delta.

A House Without Snakes

In Botswana, two young Bushmen struggle to build their futures in the wake of their people's relocation from their ancestral homeland. Ketelelo looks to education as a way to reinvent himself and provide for his family. Meanwhile, Kitsiso wonders whether he should stay in his ancestral homeland to honor his father or seek a new life in town. A HOUSE WITHOUT SNAKES is an intimate coming-of-age portrait that explores the tension between modernity and tradition through the lens of two individuals’ hopes and fears.

Botswana: Trouble in the Elephant Sanctuary

Allegations of a significant elephant-poaching problem in Botswana have sparked a political row between the president and his predecessor. As Alastair Leithead reports, the issue has ignited a national debate over whether there are too many elephants and whether hunting should be re-introduced.

Amazing Wildlife of Botswana

The Gods Must Be Crazy

A Coca-Cola bottle dropped from an airplane raises havoc among a normally peaceful tribe of African bushmen who believe it to be a utensil of the gods.

WITH U

Zintlhe and Ricardo, a young couple grappling with the unspoken weight of infidelity, pride, and emotional labor. As tension brews between romantic idealism and harsh realities, their confrontation unfolds across a university bridge, revealing that love.. real love, is never simple, and never without scars.

A United Kingdom

The inspiring true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana), and Ruth Williams, the London office worker he married in 1948 in the face of fierce opposition from their families and the British and South African governments. Seretse and Ruth defied family, Apartheid and empire - their love triumphed over every obstacle flung in their path and in so doing they transformed their nation and inspired the world.

Hot Chili

A village tribal leader disapproves of his daughter’s love for a humble gardener and devises a competition to find a more appropriate suitor. Inspired by classic Setswana folklore, Hot Chili explores tribal dynamics and class division, on the dusty plains of a fictional southern African village.

London and Botswana

A young man travels to Botswana believing he’s about to strike it big in the gem trade. But when his world collides with a local sex worker, he discovers something much more valuable than diamonds.

Capstick: Botswana Safari

A quintessential adventurer reminiscent of a bygone era, Peter Capstick brings audiences face to face with the world's most exotic and deadly creatures. Gifted with storytelling acumen, Capstick was an intrepid explorer on a quest to meet the world's most ferocious game animals in order to recount his experiences in breathtaking detail. The African safari is an unforgettable experience: unique, ever-changing, challenging, romantic, dangerous and rewarding. After years of thinking about a safari, you might book one a year in advance, pack a month in advance, travel for three days, hunt for three weeks, and remember it for a lifetime. With the assistance of Gordon Cundill and professional hunters Jeff Ranm and Ronnie Blackbeard of Hunters Africa, Capstick takes Wilson on a Safari in three distinct ecological areas of Botswana: the Chobe River, The Okavango Delta, and the Kalahari Desert.