They’re medal winners in our hearts—and we can’t wait to see them in Secrets of the Penguins, coming to National Geographic in 2025 🐧 Video by: @bertiegregory
Meet the ever-charismatic Epolo, son of Makumba. This little fella was totally convinced he was already a giant silverback, puffing his chest out and strutting around. Some of you asked on my last video, ‘why are you wearing a mask?’ It’s because we humans are so similar to gorillas (we share about 98% of our DNA!), we are capable of giving them our airborne diseases. Filmed with @markmcclean01 and @justdrewsound for the ‘Elephant Quest’ episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ in @dzanga.sangha now streaming on Disney . #AnimalsUpClose @wildstarfilms @natgeotv
Loving your love for Petaka, the star of ‘Animals Up Close’ Episode 1 now streaming on @disneyplus! As a cameraperson, I find it often helps during action sequences to disconnect emotionally from the subject to concentrate on keeping whatever they’re doing in focus and in frame. As I first met Petaka as a little cub, that tactic went out the window! Now an adult, she took the whole team on an emotional physical rollercoaster as she defended her cubs from male pumas twice her size and jumped on guanaco (a really dangerous prey animal to take on!). Video by Will West, @sams_natural_habitat, and @bertiegregory with an incredible team at @wildstarfilms. Expert guiding by @roberto.donoso.berrios, @ojosdelpaine, @conexionphotopatagonia, @rodrigomoragaz and Diego Araya. #AnimalsUpClose #puma #mountainlion
Young Galapagos sea lions are endlessly curious and this individual kept approaching to within my lenses minimum focus distance. The adults are less so and during the heat of the day tend to lounge around on the beach. Many sea lion species are thigmotactic meaning essentially, they like hugs (from other sea lions, definitely not people). Despite the baking heat, we often saw them lined up together in rows. Who’s seen the Galapagos episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now on Disney ? Photos by @jamesnbrickell and @jeffbhester #AnimalsUpClose
Young Galapagos sea lions are endlessly curious and this individual kept approaching to within my lenses minimum focus distance. The adults are less so and during the heat of the day tend to lounge around on the beach. Many sea lion species are thigmotactic meaning essentially, they like hugs (from other sea lions, definitely not people). Despite the baking heat, we often saw them lined up together in rows. Who’s seen the Galapagos episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now on Disney ? Photos by @jamesnbrickell and @jeffbhester #AnimalsUpClose
Young Galapagos sea lions are endlessly curious and this individual kept approaching to within my lenses minimum focus distance. The adults are less so and during the heat of the day tend to lounge around on the beach. Many sea lion species are thigmotactic meaning essentially, they like hugs (from other sea lions, definitely not people). Despite the baking heat, we often saw them lined up together in rows. Who’s seen the Galapagos episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now on Disney ? Photos by @jamesnbrickell and @jeffbhester #AnimalsUpClose
Young Galapagos sea lions are endlessly curious and this individual kept approaching to within my lenses minimum focus distance. The adults are less so and during the heat of the day tend to lounge around on the beach. Many sea lion species are thigmotactic meaning essentially, they like hugs (from other sea lions, definitely not people). Despite the baking heat, we often saw them lined up together in rows. Who’s seen the Galapagos episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now on Disney ? Photos by @jamesnbrickell and @jeffbhester #AnimalsUpClose
Young Galapagos sea lions are endlessly curious and this individual kept approaching to within my lenses minimum focus distance. The adults are less so and during the heat of the day tend to lounge around on the beach. Many sea lion species are thigmotactic meaning essentially, they like hugs (from other sea lions, definitely not people). Despite the baking heat, we often saw them lined up together in rows. Who’s seen the Galapagos episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now on Disney ? Photos by @jamesnbrickell and @jeffbhester #AnimalsUpClose
Each day, the marine iguanas would jump off the rocks and power through 10ft waves to forage for seaweed underwater. These mini Godzillas were like pro-surfers as they duck dived under the waves. An amazing shot by @jeffbhester for the Galapagos episode of #AnimalsUpClose now streaming on Disney ! Huge thanks to @javier_mahauad for always watching our backs in this challenging filming environment. @wildstarfilms @natgeo
I understand that some of you have tough time watching the wild dogs hunting. The pack’s territory is certainly not a good place to be Pumbaa (or more surprisingly a buffalo!). However, they must hunt to feed their 14 little pups. Twenty years ago, the African wild dog population was estimated at over 500,000. Due to conflict with humans, now less than 7000 remain making them one of Africa’s most endangered predators. So the survival of each of these pups is so important. Catch the whole story in ‘Animals Up Close’ now streaming on Disney . @wildstarfilms @natgeo #AnimalsUpClose
A pack of just 10 African wild dogs take on a herd of 600 buffalo! An individual buffalo weighs up to 30 times the weight of a wild dog. The pack’s tenacity and teamwork were so impressive and following them was a real highlight of shooting ‘Animals Up Close’ now streaming on Disney . Gyrostabilized ground level shot by @sams_natural_habitat and drone view by @bertiegregory. Next level guiding by @mjclaase @africa_on_film and @bwana_mike. @wildstarfilms @natgeo
Who’s seen the wild dog episode of #AnimalsUpClose on Disney ? Pictured is the magical pack we followed in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Here, the pack were returning to the den to greet their 14 tiny pups and the adult babysitter they’d left behind. I love how excited wild dogs are when they meet back up with other members of their pack. Awesome vehicle positioning and dog mindreading by @bwana_mike. Sound recording by @justdrewsound. @wildstarfilms @natgeo
This poor little elephant calf was missing half of her trunk. We don’t know how she lost it, but it was likely either from a predator or a wire snare (a trap laid by poachers to catch antelope). Elephant trunks are one of the most extraordinary pieces of biomechanical engineering. Because the trunk is so crucial to an elephant’s life, losing half of it is a big problem for this calf. However, there is a glimmer of hope. I once filmed a much older elephant in Zambia with the same injury. He had learned to get by despite his disability so fingers crossed this calf will do the same. Filmed in @dzanga.sangha National Park.
A totally ridiculous few days in LA 🤯. @emrata, you’ve got to do a collab with Petaka. Big thanks to @natgeotv @c_albert press team for giving the series such a big push! #AnimalsUpClose @disneyplus
Forest elephants are classified as critically endangered due to an 86% population decline in a period of just 31 years. They are poached for their ivory and if this doesn’t stop, they will go extinct. The rarest of the remaining forest elephants are the tuskers – enormous males with tusks that reach down to the floor. Our goal was to film one and we thought we had failed. Maybe they were all gone? We discovered the truth on our last day when we went to go and check the camera traps. The camera trapping element for the ‘Elephant Quest’ episode of Animals Up Close on Disney was a huge team effort with some amazing work by Dave Mothershaw, Declan Burley and critical knowledge from our BaAka guides. #AnimalsUpClose @wildstarfilms @natgeo @dzanga.sangha
I’ve been fortunate enough to use thermal imaging technology to see into the darkness several times. Wolves hunting red deer in Italy, puma-sheepdog interactions in Patagonia, but seeing elephant ears was the most bizarre. To keep cool, elephants shunt blood to the huge network of blood vessels in their ears. It was fascinating to see how these blood vessel networks differed in each elephant. These unique patterns (like a fingerprint) can even be used to identify individuals. Filmed in @dzanga.sangha National Park for the ‘Elephant Quest’ episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now streaming on Disney ! With @markmcc01 and @justdrewsound. #AnimalsUpClose @wildstarfilms @natgeo
A nice refreshing stroll down the river in @dzanga.sangha National Park. So many amazing sights, smells and sounds, all the while being at the ready for a surprise elephant charge! These stimuli were important distractions from the parasitic worms that could be crawling into our feet. I managed to come away unscathed but others weren’t quite so lucky. Leading the way is Ngbanda and Eric. Ngbanda I introduced in a previous post and Eric is part of the ‘Ecoguards’ tasked with protecting the wildlife from poaching. Both legends. Filmed for the ‘Elephant Quest’ episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now streaming on Disney . #AnimalsUpClose @wildstarfilms @natgeotv
Trying to capture marine iguanas duck diving under 10ft waves was certainly one of the more challenging filming environments on ‘Animals Up Close’! @jeffbhester (who shot these wild shots of me getting smashed around) and I had thought we were in a great spot as we could see the marine iguanas swimming but critically, we were out of the wave suction zone. Anyone that surfs will know that once in a while you get a set of waves much bigger than the rest. As we were underwater, we couldn’t see the monster set that was coming. As these huge waves began to break, Jeff and I got picked up and dragged off. Fortunately, our safety diver @Javier_mahauad was watching the whole thing from outside the suction zone (while giggling!). After Jeff and I were spun around in the foam not knowing the way out, Javier came over and led us back to calmer water. Check out this scene in the Galapagos adventure of #AnimalsUpClose now streaming on Disney . Above water shot by @sams_natural_habitat @wildstarfilms @natgeo
Many of you asked, will that baby elephant with only half a trunk survive? The short answer is I don’t know. The longer answer is that elephants are very clever, resilient animals. Here’s an encounter I had a few years ago filming for ‘Epic Adventures’ in South Luangwa National Park. This older male elephant had a very similar injury and had found a way to make it work. So my fingers are crossed the little calf will be able to do the same 🤞. Shot with @parkerbrownsound and @wingman_films_africa
A little tour of our epic elephant filming canopy camp in @dzanga.sangha National Park. Featuring @meg_and_onaldson, @waldo_etherington and @justdrewsound shot by @markmcclean01 for #AnimalsUpClose on Disney @wildstarfilms @natgeo
Makumba, the western lowland gorilla we filmed for Animals Up Close has sadly passed away. He lived to over 40 years old, what a legend. While this is incredibly sad news, he’s known to have fathered over 20 babies so his legacy will live on. Huge thanks to the rangers of @dzanga.sangha National Park who followed Makumba during his life and who continue to protect this amazing species. Filmed with @markmcclean01 and @justdrewsound for the ‘Elephant Quest’ episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now streaming on Disney . #AnimalsUpClose @wildstarfilms @natgeotv #AnimalsUpClose.
For the underwater scene in the #BillyAndMolly movie, Billy and I spent countless hours in our soggy wetsuits waiting for Molly the otter to show up. Fortunately, Billy has a hot tub making snow days that bit more tolerable! I wish every cold underwater shoot came with a hot tub! ‘Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story’ is now on @DisneyPlus in the U.S., other regions coming soon! #ottersofinstagram @silverback_films @natgeo @chamiltonjames
While Makumba was habituated to humans and very tolerant of the trackers and their guests, he did occasionally get cranky. At this point he’d make it very clear how he felt and that it was time for you to leave him for the day. Filmed with @markmcclean01 and @justdrewsound in @dzanga.sangha for the ‘Elephant Quest’ episode of ‘Animals Up Close’ now streaming on Disney . #AnimalsUpClose @wildstarfilms @natgeotv @disneyplus
Molly the otter having a great time zooming around with a friend. A real pleasure cross shooting the action from two angles with @johnnyrolt on the water level perspective. ‘Billy and Molly: An Otter Love Story’ is now on @DisneyPlus in the U.S., other regions coming soon! #ottersofinstagram @silverback_films @natgeo
