SURVIVAL WITH RAY MEARS
“For over 20 years I’ve been exploring the wild outdoors and what fascinates me more than anything, are the secret lives of wild animals. When I learned how to follow the clues that animals leave behind, it opened up a whole new world of understanding. And in this series I’m putting my skills to the test by tracking the world’s top predators.”
Ray Mears
The iconic 'Survival' series returns to ITV1’s peak time schedule this April, with three programmes featuring the animal tracking and wilderness expert Ray Mears.
Ray uses his unique skills and extensive wildlife knowledge to follow the leopard in Namibia, the bear in British Columbia and the wolf in Central Idaho.
By reading the clues animals leave behind, he offers viewers the opportunity to gain a rich insight into their habits and lifestyles as he follows them at remarkably close quarters in their natural habitats.
At key moments throughout filming, Ray’s ability to spot exactly which animal has recently passed through the area because of an indistinct paw print on the ground allows him to stay on the trail of the most elusive of creatures.
‘Survival’ in 2010 brings to life the skills Ray has in a truly exciting and compelling way: there are tears after a wolf he has been tracking for several days dies; moments of genuine danger as a bear appears at just 20 feet away; and a lifetime highlight watching leopards at night.
Underpinning each film as Ray tracks the animals is a sub-plot focusing on the current state of each species and the threats they face: in Idaho the crew arrives with only days to countdown before the wolf’s status as a protected species will be lifted and local farmers indicate their intention to begin hunting them; in British Columbia the impact of global warming on the salmon population is felt by the bear, which relies on the fish as its main food source; and in Namibia, the uneasy co-existence between leopards and local farmers keen to protect their livestock, is highlighted.
And each film stunningly showcases some of nature’s richest playgrounds, set amid breath-taking scenery, which are home to an array of wildlife beyond the species being tracked.
Survival brings one of the network’s most prestigious and popular brands back to ITV, building on the classical animal storytelling of a series that broke new ground in wildlife documentary-making from its first transmission in 1960.
This time round the series clearly illustrates the all consuming passion one man has for the world’s wildlife and his commitment to helping us understand more about them.
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