Every night around Australia, native possums scamper across city rooftops in an endless quest for food and shelter.
Forced out of their bush habitats by encroaching development, these mischievous marsupials swarm into cities where their raucous noise and destructive appetites bring them few friends. They live in our roofs, pillage our fruit trees, plunder our flowers and pee on our paths.
And when possums and people fight for real estate it’s war!
Residents repel the invaders using stinking sprays, electronic zappers and sonic blasters. When all else fails, they call in the professionals; possum removal is booming as a multi-million-dollar industry.
An intimate and irresistible story, the one-hour documentary Possum Wars lifts the lid on the private world of Australia’s most unwanted marsupial and its battle to survive in the big city.
We meet Mumsy, the 14-year-old matriarch of Melbourne’s Curtain Square, and her growing brood, including new joey, Buster, and elder daughter Scamp, who is forced to search for a new home beyond the safety of the park. For years the ancient elms have been Mumsy’s refuge in a predatory world of cats and dogs, cars, people and power lines. But her urban life is about to become tougher.
Angry residents argue the 60 possum residents of Curtain Square are in plague proportions and their voracious appetites are killing the park’s historic trees. Killing them or moving them is illegal so the local Council is voting to implant them with contraceptives.
It’s a controversial decision that’s divided the community, drawn media scrutiny and infuriated animal activists who will do anything – including break the law – to save them.
Marine scientists across the world are racing to tackle the most urgent environmental challenge facing our planet today – ocean acidification. From the icy polar seas to the world’s most pristine coral reefs we track the latest scientific research. Heading the investigation is Dr Katharina Fabricius from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. She’s made a game-changing discovery. Nestled amongst Papua New Guinea’s stunning coral gardens is a unique reef – a window to the future of our oceans.
The Great Australian Fly looks at how a national nuisance has shaped Australia and its people, confounding our scientists, influencing our lifestyle and defining the way we speak. But is its value misunderstood? The one-hour documentary explores how this much-maligned spoiler of the Australian summer is in fact a crime solver, healer, pollinator and street sweeper. We’d miss them if they were gone, yet we put huge amounts of energy into wiping them out. Is it time to call a truce? Directed by Tosca Looby and produced by Sally Ingleton, the amusing and intriguing film pays homage to a much-maligned invertebrate and the influence it has had on our world. Part social history, part scientific study, The Great Australian Fly introduces the people who devote their lives to flies through science, criminology, medicine, as breeders and for love. And it explains why we might need to stop swatting and start embracing the fly, because, like it or not, this pesky little insect looms large in our past, our present and our future.
this series is a thematic exploration of Ireland’s coast which brings the audience on a journey through time revealing its fascinating origins, rich biodiversity and magnetic charm.
With stunning cinematography, cutting edge graphics and gripping storytelling this breath-taking odyssey uncovers the treasures of this living land and seascape. From mystical jellyfish, forgotten shipwrecks and cold water coral reefs, previously unseen marvels of the Irish coast will be revealed.
Thirty five year-old ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, Co Cork has an acute ear and a passion for the natural world. After compiling a list of 195 ‘regularly occurring’ bird species in Ireland, he sets out to record each one. But what begins as a recreational personal project transforms into an urgent environmental mission. Seán’s recordings – many the first of their kind – reveal stark realities of our biodiversity and climate crises, and provide a poetic record of a vanishing, vital part of our world.
It’s a shocking reality, but the Tasmanian Devil is under threat. As an infectious cancer ravages the largest carnivorous marsupials on mainland Tasmania, a group of experts have come up with a daring plan to protect the species.
Since 1996 the devil has fallen prey to a contagious facial cancer that has wiped out 80% of the wild population. Now the Save the Tasmanian Devil team is attempting to create an ‘insurance’ population of disease-free devils on a former penal settlement
Devil Island follows their remarkable journey as these intelligent but pampered devils experience life in the wild for the very first time.
Beside the thousand-year-old temples lie deep, ancient forests known as temple forests. These temple forests are greener and more ecologically preserved than any other. For monks, they also serve as places of meditation and spiritual discipline. Standing beneath a towering tree that has lived for a thousand years, one is reminded of how small and insignificant human existence can be. This naturally leads to a sense of humility and quiet introspection. Walking along the temple forest paths is an encounter with nature. By following the natural flow of life, one’s existence becomes simpler and more fulfilling. In the vast and deep embrace of a thousand years, we now journey into the forest of our hearts.
In production
Set against the picturesque but challenging backdrop of Australia’s Gold Coast, Aussie Wildlife Vets follows the skilled team at the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital (CWH). Led by Dr. Michael Pyne, they treat over 14,000 wild animals a year. CWH is also leading the ground-breaking research to save Australia’s iconic koalas from extinction due to disease and habitat destruction. Each episode takes viewers through the hospital’s daily efforts—from administering life-saving chlamydia vaccines to rescuing wildlife from accidents and environmental hazards. Through emotional highs and lows, the show highlights the remarkable stories of the animals and the extraordinary work of a dedicated team of vets to return them to the wild.
The story of the Atlantic Salmon has been interwoven with our own for over 10,000 years, making its destiny forever. After centuries of persecution and habitat destruction these magnificent animals are now hanging on in only one third of the rivers they once occupied. This documentary takes us through the Atlantic Salmon’s incredible lifecycle and describes its relationship with humankind from time immemorial to the present day.