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107-413: The trust was founded in 1981 by Helen Elaine Freeman . Working as a volunteer at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo , Freeman became fascinated with the snow leopards there and learned about their endangered plight. She later joined the staff of the zoo and was motivated to set up the trust to protect the snow leopard in the wild, and its habitat. She also began the trust’s philosophy of helping the people sharing

214-585: A Peabody Award , and an award from the Royal Television Society . Planet Earth premiered on 5 March 2006 in the United Kingdom on BBC One , and by June 2007 had been shown in 130 countries. The original version was narrated by David Attenborough , whilst some international versions used alternative narrators. The series has eleven episodes, each of which features a global overview of a different biome or habitat on Earth . At

321-410: A langur monkey strays too far from the chital that act as its sentinels and falls prey to a tiger . In Madagascar , mouse lemurs feed on the nectar of flowering baobab trees. The final instalment concentrates on the least explored area of the planet—the deep ocean . It begins with a whale shark used as a shield by a shoal of bait fish to protect themselves from yellowfin tuna . Also shown

428-754: A bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Washington State University in 1954. She later obtained a second degree in Animal Behavior from the University of Washington in 1973. She met her husband, Stanley Freeman, through mutual friends at the United States Coast Guard . The couple were married for 49 years. Freeman's interest in Snow Leopards began while she was a volunteer docent at

535-468: A billion-strong plague of desert locusts , destroying all vegetation in its path. The sixth programme looks at the regions of the Arctic and Antarctica . The latter contains 90% of the world's ice, and stays largely deserted until the spring, when visitors arrive to harvest its waters. Snow petrels take their place on nunataks and begin to court, but are preyed on by south polar skuas . During summer,

642-495: A calf is brought down by a chasing wolf. On the North American prairie, bison engage in the ritual to establish the dominant males. In Veld of South Africa , flowers began to openly bloom every summer allowing Ostriches and springboks to thrive before nightfall. The Tibetan Plateau is the highest of the plains and despite its relative lack of grass, animals do survive there, including yak and wild ass . However,

749-824: A day if it is not to prove fatal. Africa 's Sahara is the size of the United States, and just one of its severe dust storms could cover the whole of Great Britain . While some creatures, such as the dromedary , take them in their stride, for others the only escape from such bombardments is to bury themselves in the sand. Few rocks can resist them either and the outcrops shown in Egypt 's White Desert are being inexorably eroded. The biggest dunes (300 m or 1,000 ft high) are found in Namibia , while other deserts featured are Death Valley in California and Nevada ,

856-609: A depth of 400 metres (1,300  ft), Mexico's Cave of Swallows is Earth's deepest pit cave freefall drop, allowing entry by BASE jumpers . Its volume could contain New York City 's Empire State Building . In this episode divers explore the otherworldly cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula , appearing to be flying in water (because it is so clear), allowing viewers a glimpse of the hundreds of kilometers of caves that have already been mapped. The Waitomo Caves with

963-566: A grass roots level. Many open questions remain on the biology and behavior of the snow leopard. In order to answer these questions and design conservation programs accordingly, The Snow Leopard Trust conducts and supports snow leopard research. The following are some of the trust’s most current and impactful studies. In 2008, the trust launched a long-term (10+ year) research project to take place in Mongolia’s South Gobi Province. Although there have been several valuable studies of

1070-613: A journey around the globe and reveals the effect of gradual climatic change and seasonal transitions en route . During Antarctica 's winter, emperor penguins endure four months of darkness, with no food, in temperatures of −70  °C (−94  °F ). Meanwhile, as spring arrives in the Arctic , polar bear cubs take their first steps into a world of rapidly thawing ice. In northern Canada, 3 million caribou complete an overland migration of 3,200 kilometres (2,000 mi), longer than that of any animal, and are hunted by wolves during their journey. The forests of eastern Russia are home to

1177-482: A large group of sailfish feed on another shoal of bait fish, changing colour to signal their intentions to each other, allowing them to coordinate their attack. The last sequence depicts the largest animal on Earth—the blue whale , of which 300,000 once roamed the world's oceans with 3000 individuals roam the planet which they are now fewer than 3% remain. "Our planet is still full of wonders. As we explore them, so we gain not only understanding, but power. It's not just

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1284-650: A mist before they reach the bottom. In Japan, the water is inhabited by the biggest amphibian, the two-meter long giant salamander , while in the Northern Hemisphere, salmon undertake the largest freshwater migration, and are hunted en route by grizzly bears. The erosive nature of rivers is shown by the Grand Canyon , created over five million years by the Colorado River . Also featured are smooth coated otters repelling mugger crocodiles and

1391-667: A nature documentary, and went on to become the third highest grossing documentary of all time. It has grossed more than $ 108 million worldwide; in the nature documentary genre, only March of the Penguins has achieved greater box-office success. Planet Earth received widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes , the miniseries has an approval rating of 100% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 9.8/10. The critical consensus reads " Planet Earth weaves innovative camera techniques and patient observation to deliver viewers an astounding glimpse of

1498-457: A peak of 6.07 million viewers, giving the network its third highest audience ever. It was also the most watched Discovery programme since The Flight That Fought Back in 2005. In February 2016, the BBC announced a six-part sequel had been commissioned, titled Planet Earth II , for release in late 2016, with Sir David Attenborough returning as narrator and presenter. As with the 2006 series,

1605-536: A pod of humpback whales hunt krill by creating a spiralling net of bubbles. The onset of winter sees the journey of emperor penguins to their breeding grounds, 160 kilometres (99 mi) inland. Their eggs transferred to the males for safekeeping, the females return to the ocean while their partners huddle into large groups to endure the extreme cold. At the northern end of the planet, Arctic residents include musk oxen , who are hunted by Arctic foxes and wolves . A female polar bear and her two cubs head off across

1712-713: A similar, long-term snow leopard study in Spiti Valley, India, in the fall of 2014. In 2006, in co-operation with geneticists Dr. Lisette Waits of the Laboratory for Ecological and Conservation Genetics at the University of Idaho and Dr. Warren Johnson of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, the Snow Leopard Trust identified several spots on the cats' DNA (microsatellite loci) that have enough variation to tell individual cats apart. With this discovery it

1819-626: A slightly different script to the British original. The series was broadcast on Sundays in one 3-hour block followed by four 2-hour blocks. The Planet Earth Diaries segments were not shown immediately after each episode, but collectively in Planet Earth: The Filmmakers' Story , a two-hour special which was broadcast after the series had finished its initial network run. Edited versions were later broadcast on The Science Channel , Animal Planet , and Planet Green . In Canada,

1926-435: A stream in the mountains, illustrated by Venezuela 's Tepui , where there is a tropical downpour almost every day. It then travels hundreds of kilometers before forming rapids . With the aid of some expansive helicopter photography, one sequence demonstrates the vastness of Angel Falls , the world's highest free-flowing waterfall . Its waters drop unbroken for nearly 1,000  meters (3,000  feet) and are blown away as

2033-502: A total of 14 months, and yielded more data than has ever been gathered using conventional VHF radio collars. In particular, researchers found that she traveled a 1,563 km (603 sq mi) area, splitting her time between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Through its Indian partner NGO, Nature Conservation Foundation, and in collaboration with the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, the trust will launch

2140-566: Is a 2006 nature documentary television miniseries produced as a co-production between the BBC Natural History Unit , BBC Worldwide , Discovery Channel and NHK , in association with CBC . Five years in the making, Planet Earth was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC and also the first to be filmed in high definition . The series received multiple awards, including four Emmy Awards ,

2247-499: Is an oceanic whitetip shark trailing rainbow runners. Meanwhile, a 500-strong school of dolphins head for the Azores , where they work together to feast on scad mackerel along with a flock of shearwaters . Down in the ocean's furthest reaches, some creatures defy classification. Beneath the dark seafloor, Deep sea creatures such as the sea spider filtering on marine snow, sawtooth eel gazing upward for prey shimmering from above

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2354-449: Is possible to test feces and hair specimens found in the field and identify individual cats. When working in snow leopard range countries, the Snow Leopard Trust works with the following conservation organizations/NGOs: Snow Leopard Foundation (Pakistan), Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation (Mongolia), Nature Conservation Foundation (India), Snow Leopard Foundation (Kyrgyzstan) and Shan Shui Conservation Center (China). The trust developed

2461-580: Is supported by zoos and other conservation organizations. The Snow Leopard Trust is recognized as a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator, and is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums , European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, World Association of Zoos and Aquariums , International Species Information System , and Co-Op America. Currently, the Snow Leopard Trust focuses its efforts in five snow leopard range countries: China , India , Mongolia , Pakistan , and Kyrgyzstan . In these countries,

2568-493: The Arachnocampa luminosa is also shown. Also featured is Borneo 's Deer Cave and Gomantong Cave . Inhabitants of the former include three million wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat , which have deposited guano on to an enormous mound. In Gomantong Cave , guano is many metres high and is blanketed with hundreds of thousands of cockroaches and other invertebrates. Also depicted are eyeless, subterranean creatures, such as

2675-628: The Amur leopard ; with a population of just 40 individuals in the wild, it is now the world's rarest cat. This is primarily because of the destruction of its habitat, and Attenborough states that it "symbolizes the fragility of our natural heritage". However, in the tropics , the jungle that covers 3% of the planet's surface supports 50% of its species. Other species shown include New Guinea 's birds of paradise , African hunting dogs in their efficient pursuit of impala , elephants in Africa migrating towards

2782-702: The BBC selected Planet Earth for its trial of high-definition broadcasts. The opening episode was its first-ever scheduled programme in the format, shown 27 May 2006 on the BBC HD channel. The first episode in the autumn series, Great Plains , received its first public showing at the Edinburgh International Television Festival on 26 August 2006. It was shown on a giant screen in Conference Square. The remaining episodes were broadcast from 5 November 2006 in

2889-514: The Cape fur seals that share the waters are hunted by the world's largest predatory fish—the great white shark . On Marion Island in the Indian Ocean , a group of king penguins must cross a beach occupied by neighboring Elephant seals that are harmless and predatory Fur seals that do not hesitate to attack them. In spring, The humpback whales ended their winter migration as they travel to

2996-710: The San Sebastián International Film Festival in San Sebastián , Spain, in Basque Country . Lionsgate released the film in several international markets over the following year. In the United States, it became the first film to be released by Disneynature , the Walt Disney Company 's new nature documentary arm. When released on Earth Day 2009 it set the record for the highest opening weekend gross for

3103-856: The Sonoran in Arizona , the deserts of Utah , all in the United States, the Atacama in Chile , and areas of the Australian outback. Animals are shown searching for food and surviving in such an unforgiving habitat: African elephants that walk up to 80 kilometres (50 mi) per day to find food; lions (hunting oryx ); red kangaroos (which moisten their forelegs with saliva to keep cool); nocturnal fennec foxes , acrobatic flat lizards feeding on black flies , and duelling Nubian ibex . The final sequence illustrates one of nature's most fearsome spectacles:

3210-641: The Texas blind salamander and (bizarrely) a species of crab . Carlsbad Caverns National Park is featured with its calcite formations. Mexico's Cueva de Villa Luz is also featured, with its flowing stream of sulphuric acid and snottite formations made of living bacteria. A fish species, the shortfin molly, has adapted to this habitat. The programme ends in New Mexico 's Lechuguilla Cave (discovered in 1986) where sulphuric acid has produced unusually ornate, gypsum crystal formations. This instalment features

3317-841: The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle . The zoo acquired two Snow Leopards, named Nicholas and Alexandra, from the Soviet Union in 1972. Freeman eventually became the curator of education at the Woodland Park Zoo. She held that position when she founded the Snow Leopard Trust in 1981. The original purpose of the trust was to help zoos keep Snow Leopards, which are endangered in their home ranges in Central Asia , more successfully. She often traveled to Asia , Europe and North America , to raise awareness of

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3424-523: The critically endangered walia ibex , the two species take turns to act as a lookout for predatory Ethiopian wolves . The Andes have the most volatile weather and guanacos are shown enduring a flash blizzard, along with an exceptional group sighting of the normally solitary puma . The Alpine summits are always snow -covered, apart from that of the Matterhorn , which is too sheer to allow it to settle. Grizzly bear cubs emerge from their den for

3531-439: The redwoods . Here, a pine marten is shown stalking a squirrel , and great grey owl chicks take their first flight. Further south still, in Chile 's Valdivian forests , a population of smaller animals exist, including the pudú and the kodkod . During spring in a European broad-leafed forest, a mandarin duck leads its day-old family to leap from its tree trunk nest to the leaf litter below. The Bialowieza Forest typifies

3638-585: The subarctic but soon dominate the land, and the taiga circles the globe, containing a third of all the Earth's trees. Few creatures can survive the Arctic climate year round, but the moose , capercaillie , and wolverine are exceptions. 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) to the south, on the Pacific coast of North America, conifers have reached their full potential. These include some of the world's tallest trees :

3745-579: The 12 snow leopard range countries were among the more than 100 conference attendees. Dr. George Schaller , one of the first people to ever study snow leopards, and Dr. Urs Breitenmoser, co-Chair of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, delivered keynote address. Outputs of the conference include an updated map of snow leopard range, country-specific action plans and three resolutions. Zoos also have an important role to play in snow leopard conservation. More than 50 zoos worldwide participate in

3852-468: The Attenborough version was much the better for sales. Except for a small amount of extremely hard-to-obtain footage, Planet Earth was filmed entirely in high-definition , and consequently became one of the first television series to take advantage of the new HD disc formats. The series was released in both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats as a five-disc Region B box set on 12 November 2007. On

3959-752: The Conservation of the Snow Leopard and the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Recovery Program (GSLEP). The trust continues to support the range countries in the implementation of the GSLEP. The trust supports the Snow Leopard Network (SLN), a collaborative network of organisations and government agencies from all over the globe working on snow leopard conservation. The SLN was started in 2002 at

4066-622: The Mongolia Academy of Sciences, Nordens Ark, Grimso and the Whitley Fund for Nature. Prior to the launch of this long-term study, trust scientists captured a female snow leopard (named Bayad) in Chitral Gol National Park in northern Pakistan on 17 November 2006, fitting her with a GPS satellite collar in order to accurately collect detailed knowledge regarding the species’ movements and home range size. This

4173-731: The Science and Natural History award at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in 2007. The RTS also awarded it a Judge's Award and a Photography Award at its Craft and Design Awards. The series picked up two awards from the Broadcasting Press Guild for Best Documentary Series and Innovation in Broadcasting, and won Best Documentary Series at the 2007 Broadcast Awards. At the 2007 BAFTA Television Awards , Planet Earth

4280-817: The Snow Leopard Information Management System (SLIMS) which now facilitates knowledge sharing of snow leopard research results around the world. In 2013, the Snow Leopard Trust was a key technical partner and co-organizer of the Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum, a gathering of all 12 snow leopard range countries jointly organized by the Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev and

4387-638: The Snow Leopard Survival Summit in Seattle, Washington, United States, as a means for snow leopard conservationists to co-operate on research and to address the challenges impacting the snow leopard’s survival while ensuring the livelihood opportunities of local people in snow leopard regions. The SLN produced the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy (SLSS) a report which presents a co-ordinated strategy for ensuring

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4494-622: The Snow Leopard Trust’s Natural Partnerships Program. There are many ways that zoos can be involved in the Natural Partnerships Program, including selling Snow Leopard Enterprises merchandise through their gift shops, offering joint membership agreements, hosting Snow Leopard Trust speakers, and displaying educational materials. The signature element of the Natural Partnerships Program is the opportunity for zoos to get directly involved with

4601-718: The State Agency on Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. At the forum, held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, officials and conservationists discussed urgent actions and a new global strategy to address conservation of the endangered snow leopard and its habitat in the critical ecosystems of Central Asia; culminating in the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration on

4708-550: The United Kingdom. On the same day or in the subsequent weeks or months, the series also began airing in several other countries. International broadcasters carrying Planet Earth include Australia on ABC and GEM , Canada on CBC and CTV , New Zealand on Prime , the Philippines on GMA Network and GMA News TV , the U.S. on Discovery Channel , Velocity , Science , Animal Planet , Destination America and BBC America . The episodes are each an hour in length, comprising

4815-597: The Western Pacific bordering Japan lies the Dragon chimneys erupted from thermal vents where different forms of baterias thrives. In Atlantic , Squat lobsters settle near the hydrothermal vents grazing on bacterias. From the depths of Galapagos Island at the site of the Nine North, the chimneys provides energy for tube worms to grow and support settlement, but after nine months the chimneys turns cold causing

4922-505: The area's most numerous resident is the pika , whose nemesis is the Tibetan fox . In tropical India, the tall grasses hide some of the largest creatures,such as Indian Elephants and Indian rhinoceros , and also the smallest, such as the pygmy hog and Lesser florican . The final sequence depicts African bush elephants that are forced to share a waterhole with a pride of thirty lions. The insufficient water makes it an uneasy alliance and

5029-485: The bear will not survive. Meanwhile, back in Antarctica, the eggs of the emperor penguins finally hatch while two adult Polar bear cubs from Arctic travels onward as they wander across vast track of frozen ocean independently from their mother. This episode deals with savanna , steppe , tundra , prairie , and looks at the importance and resilience of grasses in such treeless ecosystems. Their vast expanses contain

5136-593: The border of Brazil and Argentina lies Iguassu Falls , which is the widest waterfall ever known. In Pantanal wetlands, 300 species of fish breed here, including the Red-bellied piranhas and Dorados . Along with fish, Roseate spoonbills are numerous in the Pantanal and are prey to spectacled caiman waiting for the chicks to fall from the tree. In Bangladesh , the Ganges and Brahmaputra join together to form

5243-465: The depth. Thirty miles away, the shoal of squids jets upwards to the stream to hunt small fish and planktons while avoiding the pacific spotted dolphins as they use sonar to confuse their prey. The giant Mola Mola settle at reef for cleaning via butterfly fish feeding parasites and cool temperature. Ascension Island is a nesting ground for frigatebirds and green turtles . Off the Mexican coast,

5350-478: The early morning calls of siamangs and orangutans to the nocturnal cacophony of courting tree frogs . The importance of fungi to the Amazon rainforest is illustrated by a sequence of them fruiting, including a parasite that infested insects, called cordyceps . In Borneo , nocturnal colugo is one of the rare species ever discovered and travels two miles while foraging for young leaves. The mutual benefits of

5457-411: The end of each fifty-minute episode, a ten-minute featurette takes a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of filming the series. Ten years later, BBC announced a six-part sequel had been commissioned, titled Planet Earth II , the first television series produced by the BBC in ultra-high-definition ( 4K ). David Attenborough returned as narrator and presenter. A second sequel, Planet Earth III

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5564-499: The endangered cat’s survival. The Snow Leopard Trust works with zoos and other conservation organisations worldwide, facilitating international conservation co-operation. In March 2008, the Snow Leopard Trust, WCS, the Snow Leopard Network, and Panthera Foundation organized an international conference in Beijing, China to bring together representative from all snow leopard range countries for the first time. Leading conservationists and researchers, as well as government officials from 11 of

5671-428: The extra disc of bonus features from the standard-definition boxed set, though these extras were included with new material in a special-edition Blu-ray released in 2011. Four official tie-in volumes were published by BBC Books in 2006 and 2007: On 20 November 2006, a two-disc soundtrack CD was released with a compilation of the incidental music specially commissioned for Planet Earth . The award-winning score

5778-490: The fifth disc, the bonus features from the standard-definition DVD set were replaced by two episodes from the BBC's Natural World series, "Desert Lions" and "Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth", both also presented in high-definition. In the United States, the series was released as a four-disc set in both high-definition formats, the Blu-ray version on single-layer BD-25 discs and the HD DVD set on dual-layer HD DVD-30 discs. The first U.S. high-definition releases omitted

5885-436: The first time in the Rockies , while Himalayan inhabitants include rutting markhor and the rare snow leopard . At the eastern end of the range, the giant panda cannot hibernate due to its poor nutriment of bamboo and one of them cradles its week-old cub. Also shown is the Earth's biggest mountain glacier —the Baltoro in Pakistan , which is 70 kilometres (43 mi) long and visible from space. The episode ends with

5992-403: The first wave of researchers were scientists from Argentina, Mongolia, the United States and Sweden. A total of 18 snow leopards have been equipped with GPS tracking collars . This major study is a joint project of the Snow Leopard Trust and the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation (Mongolia) and is carried out in partnership with Mongolia’s Ministry of Nature, Environment and Green Development and

6099-409: The flock of Demoiselle cranes flying across the Himalayan mountain peak to avoid the hostile air currents and predatory Golden eagles that threaten their migration. The fresh water programme describes the course taken by rivers and some of the species that take advantage of such a habitat. Only 3% of the world's water is fresh, yet all life on land ultimately depends on it. Its journey begins as

6206-436: The future of the whale that today lies in our hands: it's the survival of the natural world in all parts of the living planet. We can now destroy or we can cherish. The choice is ours." The latter episodes were supplemented by Planet Earth: The Future , a series of three 60-minute films that highlight the conservation issues surrounding some of the featured species and environments. The programmes are narrated by Simon Poland and

6313-438: The globe, collected multiple prizes at the Wildscreen Festival 2006, the International Wildlife Film Festival 2007 and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 2007. The credentials of the filmmakers, the size of the production, a high-profile marketing campaign and a primetime BBC One timeslot all resulted in Planet Earth attracting large audiences when it debuted in the UK in March 2006. The first episode, "From Pole to Pole",

6420-426: The habitat that characterised Europe around 6,000 years ago: only a fragment remains in Poland and Belarus . On a summer night on North America's east coast, periodical cicadas emerge en masse to mate—an event that occurs every seventeen years. After revisiting Russia's Amur leopards in winter, a time-lapse sequence illustrates the effect of the ensuing spring on the deciduous forest floor. In India's teak forests,

6527-422: The harsh environment that covers one-third of the land on Earth: the deserts . Due to Siberian winds, Mongolia 's Gobi Desert reaches extremes of temperature like no other, ranging from −40 °C to +50 °C (−40 °F to 122 °F). It is home to the rare Wild Bactrian camel , which eats snow to maintain its fluid level and must limit itself to 10 liters (2.6 U.S. gal; 2.2 imp gal)

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6634-574: The highest-grossing HD title and one of the top ten DVD titles of the year. In addition, the brand was licensed to other companies to produce children's books, calendars, a board game, jigsaws , stationery, cards, and more. A five-disc DVD box set of the complete series (BBCDVD1883) was released in the UK for Regions 2 and 4 ( PAL ) on 27 November 2006 by 2 Entertain . It is presented in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound and 16:9 widescreen video. The bonus features include Planet Earth Diaries (presented immediately after each episode as for

6741-414: The ice to look for food. As the sun melts the ice, a glimpse of the Earth's potential future reveals a male polar bear that is unable to find a firm footing anywhere and has to resort to swimming—which he cannot do indefinitely. His desperate need to eat brings him to a colony of walrus . Although he attacks repeatedly, the herd is successful in evading him by returning to the sea. Wounded and unable to feed,

6848-400: The island. Some of their elaborate courtship displays are shown. Within the dense forest canopy , sunlight is prized, and the death of a tree triggers a race by saplings to fill the vacant space. Figs are a widespread and popular food, and as many as 44 types of bird and monkey have been observed picking from a single tree. The sounds of the jungle throughout the day are explored, from

6955-557: The krills, sea lions and dusky dolphins are among those taking advantage of it. Within the coastline of California , Giant kelps fertilizes algaes making them the tallest kelps ever recorded which causes group of Sea urchins to infest them creating urchin barrens. Within the urchin barrens, group of starfishes , sand dollars , and brittle stars scavenge across the barrens while facing against their fierce predator, Sunflower sea star . In Southern Africa , as chokka squid are preyed on by short-tail stingray and sand tiger shark ,

7062-523: The largest aquatic grassland eating tons of seagrasses a day while bottlenose dolphins perform their "hydroplane" in the shallowest waters to catch a meal. Meanwhile in the desert shores of Bahrain , 100,000 Socotra cormorants rely on shamals that blow sand grains into the nearby Persian Gulf , transforming it into a rich fishing ground. The appearance of algae in the spring starts a food chain that leads to an abundant harvest of Salps , Krills , and comb jellies . As shoals of migratory fish feasts on

7169-541: The largest concentration of animal life. In Outer Mongolia , a herd of Mongolian gazelle flee a bush fire and is forced to find new grazing, but grass self-repairs rapidly and soon reappears. Over Africa's savanna, a swarm of 1.5 billion red-billed queleas are caught on camera, the largest flock of birds ever depicted. On the Arctic tundra during spring, millions of migratory snow geese arrive to breed and their young are preyed on by Arctic foxes. Meanwhile, time-lapse photography depicts moving herds of caribou as

7276-424: The latter gain the upper hand during the night when their hunger drives them to hunt and eventually kill one of the pachyderms. This episode examines jungles and tropical rainforests . These environments occupy only 3% of the land yet are home to over half of the world's species. New Guinea is inhabited by almost 40 kinds of birds of paradise , which avoid conflict with each other by living in different parts of

7383-444: The latter's Nile cousin ambushing wildebeest as they cross the Mara River . East African Rift Valley holds three of the world's largest lakes: Malawi , Tanganyika , and Victoria . Lake Malawi contains 850 different Cichlids that originated from their same ancestors that were isolated thousands of years ago, along with nocturnal predatory dolphin fish. Deep in the dead zone of Malawi, swarms of fly midges emerge from larvae during

7490-404: The leopards and their habitat . She remained the executive director of the Snow Leopard Trust until 1996 when she took a position on the Trust's board of directors . A snow leopard, who lives in Woodland Park Zoo was named after her. Freeman died of lung disease in Bellevue, Washington , on September 20, 2007, at the age of 75. Planet Earth (2006 TV series) Planet Earth

7597-461: The main programme and a 10-minute featurette called Planet Earth Diaries , which details the filming of a particular event. In the UK, Planet Earth was split into two parts, broadcast in spring and autumn 2006. The first five episodes premiered on BBC One at 9:00 pm on Sundays, beginning on 5 March 2006. The programmes were repeated the following Saturday in an early evening slot on BBC Two . Along with its 2005 dramatisation of Bleak House ,

7704-419: The main ranges are explored with extensive aerial photography . Ethiopia 's Erta Ale is the longest continually erupting volcano —for over 100 years. On the nearby highlands of Simien Mountains , geladas (the only primate whose diet is almost entirely grass) inhabit precipitous slopes nearly five kilometres (3 mi) up, in troops that are 800-strong: the most numerous of their kind. Alongside them live

7811-477: The original TV broadcast) and Planet Earth: The Future . In the United States, two versions of the same five-disc set were released as a Region 1 ( NTSC ) DVD on 24 April 2007. The BBC Warner release retained David Attenborough's narration from the original British television broadcasts, but the Discovery Channel edition used the alternative Sigourney Weaver voice-over. Even in the United States

7918-515: The polar seas of the Bering Sea along with five million shearwaters , migrated from Australia, as they flourish across the shallow waters for krills. The programme ends with the mother and calf, who is now old enough to separate with its mother and continues its epic journey across the ocean. The penultimate episode surveys the coniferous and deciduous seasonal woodland habitats—the most extensive forests on Earth. Conifers begin sparsely in

8025-727: The poles to feed—and it must do this while it still has sufficient energy left for the journey. The coral reefs of Indonesia are home to the biggest variety of ocean dwellers, including the Pygmy seahorses , and file clam . Other ocean dwellers such as banded sea kraits , which ally themselves with goatfish and trevally in order to hunt. Beyond the coral stretches the world of shifting sands, ocean dwellers, such as Gurnard , Jawfish , Green sea turtle , and Wonderpus octopus , are forced to cope with their environment through crucial camouflage and foraging where they have nowhere else hide. In Shark Bay of Western Australia , Dugongs forage across

8132-451: The primates mount a raid into neighbouring territory in order to gain control of it. This programme is devoted to the shallow seas that fringe the world's continents . Although they constitute 8% of the oceans, they contain most marine life. As humpback whales return to breeding grounds in the tropics, a mother and her calf are followed. While the latter takes in up to 500 litres of milk a day, its parent will starve until it travels back to

8239-550: The rainy season and begin their process of mating. In Lake Baikal of Eastern Siberia, Baikal seal and freshwater sponges thrive here despite the ice sheet that covers the lake. The Amazon River , the biggest river in the world, flows from the Andes toward the Atlantic oceans carrying a billion tonnes of sediments. Its tributary, Rio Negro , contains a mixture of sediments and saltwater where it supports botos feeding habit. Between

8346-452: The relationship between carnivorous pitcher plants and red crab spiders is also discussed. In the Congo , roaming forest elephants are shown reaching a clearing to feed on essential clay minerals within the mud. Finally, chimpanzees are one of the few jungle animals able to traverse both the forest floor and the canopy in search of food. In Uganda , members of a 150-strong community of

8453-583: The same levels. The final six episodes attracted an average audience of 6.8 million viewers, appreciably lower than the spring episodes, but still higher than BBC One's average for the timeslot. The BBC's 2007 Annual Report revealed that the series "received the highest audience appreciation score of any British programme on TV this year". In the United States, Planet Earth drew equally impressive ratings when it premiered on Discovery and Discovery HD Theater on 25 March 2007. The first three episodes (screened back to back) averaged 5.72 million viewers with

8560-418: The same primetime BBC One slot, following a further repeat run of the spring programmes on BBC Four . The autumn episodes were broadcast simultaneously on BBC HD and were repeated on BBC Four the following week. Besides being BBC One 's featured One to Watch programme of the day, Planet Earth was heavily trailed on the BBC's television and radio channels both before and during its run. The music that

8667-573: The scenes of new and unusual species and the cinematic quality of the series. Programme commissioners were keen for a follow-up, so Alastair Fothergill decided that the Natural History Unit should repeat the formula with a series looking at the whole planet. The idea for Planet Earth was born, and the series was commissioned by Lorraine Heggessey , then Controller of BBC One, in January 2002. A feature film version of Planet Earth

8774-558: The series began its run on American television on the Discovery network, premiering on the Discovery Channel and Discovery HD Theater . There were a number of revisions to the original British programme. Actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver was brought in to replace David Attenborough as narrator, as it was thought her familiarity to American audiences would attract more viewers. The Discovery programmes also used

8881-674: The series did not air on the Canadian Discovery Channel, as it is owned by CTV and the Canadian rights were exclusively sold to the CBC . "A hundred years ago, there were one and a half billion people on Earth. Now, over six billion crowd our fragile planet. But even so, there are still places barely touched by humanity. This series will take you to the last wildernesses and show you the planet and its wildlife as you have never seen them before." The first episode illustrates

8988-453: The series producer was Fergus Beeley . The series began transmission on BBC Four after the ninth episode, "Shallow Seas". Alongside the commissioning of the television series, BBC Worldwide and GreenLight Media secured financing for a US$ 15 million film version of Planet Earth . This followed the earlier success of Deep Blue , the BBC's 2003 theatrical nature documentary which used re-edited footage from The Blue Planet . The film

9095-581: The series to several overseas broadcasters, including the Discovery Channel for the United States, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , China Central Television , WDR for Germany, Discovery Channel for India , Prime Television for New Zealand, and C1R for Russian broadcasts. The series was eventually sold to 130 countries. On 25 March 2007,

9202-482: The snow leopard in their region. The families have all agreed to stop hunting snow leopards and prey species while also helping with anti-poaching activities. At the end of each year, communities receive a bonus when no poaching has occurred. In 2011, the program won the BBC World Challenge, a global competition aimed at finding projects from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at

9309-422: The snow leopard’s habitat improve their standard of living in exchange for protecting the animal. The trust performs scientific research projects, manages community-level conservation programs, and fosters global collaboration amongst snow leopard experts and other snow leopard support groups. The organization raises money through donations, grants, fundraising events and sales of products on its website shop, and

9416-476: The species to date, most were short-term, or at most four or five years in duration. The aim of this project is to study all aspects of snow leopard ecology, and researchers will employ a variety of methods including trap cameras and GPS radio collaring. The trust has established a base camp in the Tost Mountains, approximately 250 km (160 mi) west of the provincial capital of Dalanzadgad, and in

9523-532: The species's endangered status. She was the first female chair of the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan , a breeding program designed to help increase the numbers of Snow Leopards in captivity ; the species is notoriously difficult to breed in zoos. Freeman's Snow Leopard Trust began pioneering plans to help people living in areas inhabited by Snow Leopards to improve their standards of living in order to better protect both

9630-509: The surface, Dumbo octopus roaming through the dark void, Vampire squid performing a special display of defense and predation, Monkfish luring prey for necessities, and the spider crab bid their time, awaiting carrion from above along with eels and woodlices . The volcanic mountain chain at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean also sustains life through the bacteria that surround its sulphide vents which allows shrimps to feed. Within

9737-464: The trailer features the track 'Hoppípolla' by Sigur Rós. The popularity of the television series around the world translated into strong sales of associated Planet Earth merchandise. In the United States, it became the fastest and bestselling documentary DVD in Discovery Channel's history, and the high-definition (HD) discs generated US$ 3.2 million in sales in just two months. By the end of 2007, U.S. sales had topped 3 million units, making it

9844-443: The trust employs and trains staff to carry out research, education, and conservation. In the seven other countries within the snow leopard range, the trust supports and collaborates with researchers and conservation organizations. Co-operation with communities in snow leopard range countries forms the basis of the trust's on-the-ground conservation work. When a region has been identified as a place of significant snow leopard habitat,

9951-494: The trust works with local residents to understand their needs and then jointly develop conservation programs. These conservation programs must meet four important goals: Snow Leopard Enterprises (SLE) is one of the trust’s major community programs. Over 300 families in Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan participate by making handicraft products from the wool of their livestock to increase their income in return for helping protect

10058-416: The trust's conservation programs in the snow leopard's range countries. Conservationists and educators working on the ground in snow leopard countries often have limited resources and the grants program will support them in any projects that meet the needs identified in the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy (SLSS). Helen Elaine Freeman Helen Elaine Freeman (March 10, 1932 – September 20, 2007)

10165-472: The tube worms to wither and extinguished. There are thought to be around 30,000 undersea volcanoes , some of them taller than Mount Everest . Their sheer cliffs provide anchorage for several corals and sponges. Nearer the surface, the currents that surround these seamounts force nutrients up from below and thus marine life around them is abundant, which allows the Nautilus to forage freely before retreat to

10272-530: The waters of the Okavango Delta , a seasonal bloom of life in the otherwise arid Kalahari Desert , and 300,000 migrating Baikal teal , containing the world's entire population of the species in one flock. The episode ends with Antarctica where the male Emperor penguins nurture their newly young chicks after four months of the Antarctic polar night. The second instalment focuses on the mountains . All

10379-539: The world's largest river delta and create the largest mangrove forest known as the Sundarbans . The mangroves of Indonesia provide a home to crab-eating macaques for their aquatic lifestyle. The programme ends in North America where 400,000 flocks of snow geese settle in the estuaries to rest and refuel on their long migrational journey. This episode explores "Planet Earth's final frontier": caves . At

10486-516: The world's perils and wonders, capturing jaw-dropping scenery and animals on both an epic and intimate scale." Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 New TV Series of 2007, ranking it at No. 4. In 2019, Planet Earth and its sequel were ranked 72nd on The Guardian ' s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century. As of 2023, Planet Earth is ranked third on IMDb 's Top 250 TV Shows. Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole won

10593-531: Was an American conservationist and endangered species advocate, who specialized in saving snow leopards . She was best known for founding the Snow Leopard Trust . Her preservation work earned her the nickname, the "' Jane Goodall ' of Snow Leopards." She was born Helen Maniotas in Everett, Washington , on March 10, 1932. She was the only child of Greek immigrants . Freeman graduated with

10700-402: Was announced and aired in 2023. In 2001 the BBC broadcast The Blue Planet , a series on the natural history of the world's oceans. It received critical acclaim, high viewing figures, audience appreciation ratings, and many awards. It also became a hugely profitable global brand, eventually being sold to 150 countries worldwide. Feedback showed that audiences particularly liked the epic scale,

10807-627: Was co-directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield and produced by Alix Tidmarsh and Sophokles Tasioulis. Only 30% of the footage shown in Earth is new, with the remainder being reworked from the television series to suit the narrative of the film. David Attenborough was replaced as narrator by high-profile actors: Patrick Stewart for the UK market and James Earl Jones for the United States. Earth had its worldwide premiere in September 2007 at

10914-487: Was commissioned alongside the television series, repeating the successful model established with The Blue Planet and its companion film, Deep Blue . Earth was released around the world from 2007 to 2009. There was also another accompanying television series, Planet Earth: The Future , which looked at the environmental problems facing some of the species and habitats featured in the main series in more detail. Planet Earth premiered on BBC One on 5 March 2006 in

11021-594: Was featured in the BBC trailers for the series is the track " Hoppípolla " from the album Takk... by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós . Following the advertisements, interest was so widespread that the single was re-released. In the United States, the series was promoted using "The Time Has Come" from trailer music company Epic Score, composed by Gabriel Shadid and Tobias Marberger. The Australian trailers initially used Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity from Gustav Holst 's orchestral suite The Planets , but later reverted to " Hoppípolla ". The BBC pre-sold

11128-809: Was nominated in the Specialist Factual and Pioneer Audience Award categories, but lost out to Nuremberg: Goering's Last Stand and Life on Mars respectively. It received three nominations at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards later the same year. George Fenton's original score won him Soundtrack Composer of the Year at the 2007 Classical BRIT Awards . Planet Earth was also nominated for the NTA for Most popular Factual program but lost to Top Gear ( Supernanny and Bad Lad's Army: Officer Class were also nominated). Planet Earth

11235-826: Was recognised by the American television industry, collecting the award for Nonfiction Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2007 and winning a further three prizes in technical categories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards . It also collected two awards from the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles in July 2007 and a Peabody Award in April 2008. The series was also fêted at wildlife film festivals around

11342-480: Was the first-ever study of wild snow leopards using GPS radio technology and was conducted by the Snow Leopard Trust in conjunction with Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province Wildlife Department and WWF–Pakistan. Bayad is known to many from footage in the BBC’s Planet Earth and Natural World documentaries, and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom series on Animal Planet. Bayad’s movements were tracked for

11449-421: Was watched by more people than any natural history programme since Attenborough and Fothergill's previous series, The Blue Planet , in 2001. The first five episodes drew an average audience of 11.4 million viewers, including the early evening repeats, outperforming even The Blue Planet . When the series returned to British screens after a six-month break, it remained popular but viewing figures did not reach

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