Wildest South America

Action aplenty with the many exotic and elusive creatures of South America

Action aplenty with the many exotic and elusive creatures of South America. From jaguars and ocelot on the hunt in the Amazon, to anacondas snatching and swallowing whole caiman in the Pantanal.

This is a compelling hour of viewing, showing not only the amazing wealth of wildlife that inhabits South America, but also the very real threat to their future survival. Mercury from gold mining, hunting and new settlements are killing off much of their habitats, particularly in the Amazon where 20% of the tropical rainforests have been wiped out in the past century.

Apart from the Amazon, WILDEST SOUTH AMERICA features four other diversely different wildlife refuges... the Galapagos, the Pampas, the Pantanal and Patagonia. In each, we share some touching and beautiful wildlife experiences. In Patagonia, for instance, the camera follows a flock of guanacos as they graze in the stunning snow-covered surrounds of the Torres del Paine National Park. As the senior male mounts a young oestrous female, dozens of baby guanacos nuzzle them, as if turned on by the action.

In the Galapagos, giant tortoises roam amidst blue-footed boobies, as they perform their ritual courting dances. Prehistoric iguanas fossick on the water's edge, as giant sea lions spar for supremacy.

On the Pampas, superb slow motion footage of a hummingbird as it hovers around a flowering bush, watched by herds of rheas and Pampas deer.

And in the Pantanal, the life cycle of caiman, as they first hunt for fish, then are themselves hunted and eaten by a giant anaconda.