NEW ON TV: National Geographic’s and Nat Geo Wild's April rundown

Highlights on National Geographic (DStv Channel 260) and Nat Geo Wild (DStv Channel 261) in April include History’s Secrets: Vanished From Alcatraz, Stalking the Mountain Lion, Stash House Stakeout and many more.

Mondays:
Saving the Titanic with Bob Ballard
Monday, 9 April at 7pm WAT
The discovery of the Titanic in 1985 solved one of the great mysteries of the 20th century. But now, 100 years after the ship tragically sank on her maiden voyage, the shipwreck is at risk. Will the Titanic be lost again? National Geographic Explorer- in- Residence, Dr. Robert Ballard led the expedition that found the ship- now he takes a personal journey to save his greatest discovery. He re-traces the path of the Titanic from Northern Ireland to New York City, meets the families of victims and survivors, and examines the most serious threats to the ship’s future.

Tuesdays:
Titanic: Case Closed
Tuesday, 10 April at 7pm WAT
The sinking of the RMS Titanic remains one of the most unexpected and mysterious tragedies of man verses nature in living memory. As we mark the centenary, this broadcast event will finally reveal and explain the astonishing missing pieces in our knowledge of the infamous sinking and ensuing loss of life. For those who thought they knew what happened, this film will prove that there is more to the story than the last hundred years has suggested. Tim Maltin’s expertise and a lifetime of obsessive investigation will be on hand to blow apart many a myth and ultimately reveal a water-tight theory that will shed new light on the Titanic disaster and forever change our understanding of what happened that night.

Stalking the Mountain Lion
Tuesday, 10 April at 5pm WAT
Naturalist Casey Anderson sets out to fulfil his lifelong dream of tracking one of North America’s most elusive ghosts: the mountain lion. Casey’s long-time friend and cat expert, Tyler Johnerson, is on hand to help him in his quest to witness “the ghost of the Rockies.” Aided by Tyler’s keen hound dogs, the same strategy employed by leading cat researchers, Tyler and Casey get hot on the heels of this formidable and cunning predator – an animal capable of jumping vertically nearly twenty feet in a single leap and taking prey much larger than its distant relation, the bobcat.

Wolverine King
Tuesday, 17 April at 5pm WAT
Bracing himself against the fierce elements in the frozen wilds of Alaska and British Columbia, Casey Anderson finds himself on his own “mission impossible” – a quest to find and film an elusive animal whose legend is almost larger than life, the Wolverine. Casey has the ability to forge a unique face-to-face bond with a captive-raised Wolverine named Jasper in Southeast Alaska. Pitting his own safety against the Wolverine’s ferocious reputation, Casey will get up-close and personal with Jasper to examine the key anatomical features of the Wolverine and assess their natural behaviours.

Grand Canyon Safari
Tuesday, 24 April at 5pm WAT
Casey Anderson heads to the legendary Grand Canyon for an adventure of truly epic proportions – a trek through this vast wilderness that will take him from the California condor to the Grand Canyon Rattlesnake and back again – as he profiles the rare and endangered wildlife living on the edge of the abyss. But as Casey discovers, by studying the signature South-western wildlife in a variety of ecological niches, there is a lot to be learned from their numerous physical and behavioural adaptations – skills that he will try to put to good use along his gruelling trek.

Lions
Tuesday, 5 April 2012 at 5pm WAT
Lions are 400 pounds of muscle, teeth, and claw. Built for the Kill: Lions follows the transformation
of a helpless cub into an accomplished killer; exposing real life and death struggles in dramatic second-by-second detail. A lion hones its hunting skills over two years of intensive training – and the lessons are hard. No other predator has the immense strength and sophisticated hunting skills to bring down an elephant – which is why lions are truly Built for the Kill.

Polar Bears
Tuesday, 12 April at 5pm WAT
The polar bear is the world’s largest land predator – but it’s born blind and toothless. How does a helpless cub become a stone cold killer? Built for the Kill: Polar Bear – exposes real life and death struggles, in dramatic, second-by-second detail. Only the strongest survive to face off in the ultimate showdown: an epic battle between the Arctic’s two largest carnivores. Half Sumo, half Samurai – the walrus is a formidable opponent. Success depends on a combination of immense strength and sophisticated hunting skills – that make the polar bear truly Built For The Kill.

Great White Sharks
Tuesday, 19 April at 5pm WAT
The great white shark has 300 teeth, weighs 3 000 pounds, and is the world’s largest predatory fish. Built for the Kill: Great White Shark follows the epic migration of a pregnant female from Australia to South Africa – exposing real life and death struggles in dramatic second-by-second detail. Joining one of the greatest concentrations of great white sharks on the planet, she embarks on a complex game of cat and mouse; where smarts, strength and speed combine to make the great white truly…. Built For The Kill.

Crocodile
Tuesday, 26 April at 5pm WAT
Built for the Kill: Crocodile follows the transformation of a helpless hatchling into an accomplished killer; exposing real life and death struggles in dramatic second-by-second detail. The crocodile hones its hunting skills over 40 years. Only the biggest and strongest survive to face off in the ultimate showdown: an epic battle against Africa’s largest predator. No other animal has the immense strength and sophisticated hunting skills to defeat a lion on land and water – which is why the crocodile is truly Built for the Kill.

Wednesdays:
Fight Night
Wednesday, 4 April at 5pm WAT
The PSPCA undercover team are on surveillance following the movements of two big players in the dog fighting world. The cops hope by following their two suspects they will lead them to a fight and eventually…to some of the city’s major dog fighters. After a day and night surveillance operation with some dangerously close calls, the cops mount a raid on a known fight location and catch over a dozen dog fighters red-handed

The Raid
Wednesday, 11 April at 5pm WAT
Undercover cops from the Pennsylvania SPCA are on a rescue mission after busting an illegal dog fight and arresting 16 suspected fighters. The arrested suspects could be out on bail soon and the cops are in a race against time raiding their properties to save as many dogs as possible. Acting on intelligence and working throughout the night and into the next day the team strike at various properties across the city on a rescue mission.

Stash House Stakeout
Wednesday, 18 April at 5pm WAT
Chief investigator George Bengal sends his team out to investigate a possible stash house in the city –A stash house is an empty property where dog fighting is held. Jason and Leonard go on the trail of fighting roosters being mailed into the city and Rich loos gets tough with a junkyard owner, and rescues a dog dumped into the trunk of a car in soaring temperatures.

Light The Ocean
Wednesday, 18 April at 7pm WAT
Light the Ocean is an entirely new perspective on the ocean world. By combining data from scientists around the globe with specially developed computer animation software, we are able to turn the waters of the ocean crystal clear. We reveal spectacular underwater landscapes and hidden structures in the ocean itself. We show how landscapes and water interact on unimaginable scales to create an ocean world as diverse in habitats as anywhere on dry land. Our camera crews have also travelled the planet, from the Antarctic to the deep waters of the min- Atlantic to capture spectacular new footage of the creatures that depend on these ocean habitats. We follow sperm whales as they dive into the dark depths of the Kaikoura Canyon off New Zealand and we descend to the underwater mountain ranges of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to find creatures never before seen.

Chasing The Top Dog
Wednesday, 25 April at 5pm WAT
The undercover team strike at the heart of dog fighting when they investigate a breeder who’s offering his champion dog on the internet for stud services. After a months-long investigation, the team arrests the suspect and rescue 14 dogs from his two properties. Darlene Sosa and Greg Jordan work to save three emaciated dogs left in a derelict house, and George Bengal and Nicole Wilson encounter a tense situation when they investigate a suspected rooster fighter.

Drain The Great Lakes
Wednesday, 25 April at 7pm WAT
David Bowie once sang of life in the Underground. He was singing about goblins. Imagine life underneath some of the world’s largest lakes. You would be pleasantly surprised at the findings. North America’s Great Lakes are the largest system of free fresh water on earth, wielding huge influence on the continent. Over 34 million people live by their shores in some of greatest cities in the world. This groundbreaking program pulls a virtual plug on the huge lakes, using computer-generated imagery to reveal hidden secrets of their human history and changing geological past. Amazing!

Sundays:
Forbidden Tomb of Genghis Khan
Sunday, 1 April at 7pm WAT
How does one begin to locate, without a shovel or directions, the ancient, buried tomb of the man who ruled one of the largest empires ever known? The location of Genghis Khan’s tomb is an archaeological puzzle that has stumped researchers, historians, and archaeologists for the last millennium. According to legend, anyone who witnessed the funeral procession was killed on the spot and 10 000 horses trampled the ground where he was buried to ensure it was never found. Now, National Geographic emerging explorer Albert Lin sets off on the expedition of a lifetime to find this secret burial site. Don’t miss the Forbidden Tomb of Genghis Khan as National Geographic Channel follows Lin on his quest to solve this 800-year old mystery.

Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron
Sunday, 8 April at 6pm WAT
On the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, award-winning Avatar film director James Cameron dived to the bottom of the ocean to find out what went wrong on the ship they said was ‘unsinkable’. Throw in a top Hollywood movie maker and some of the world’s foremost Titanic experts and you have the drama in the ultimate forensic investigation into the most infamous shipwreck of all time. Cameron has brought together a team of engineers, naval architects, artists and historians to solve the lingering mysteries of why and how an ‘unsinkable’ ship sank. An investigation of this magnitude has never been attempted before. Its revelations may change what we know of Titanic’s last hours 100 years ago. No life jacket required!

Bible Mysteries: Who Wrote The Dead Sea Scrolls
Sunday, 15 April starts at 4pm WAT
Bible Mysteries seek to solve two of the greatest ever theological questions at the heart of modern religion; what is the truth about the Shroud of Turin and who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? Historians and theologians have been at odds over who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible, found in the 1940s on the northwest Shore of the Dead Sea. Just as perplexing as The Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth bearing the image of a man resembling Jesus Christ, which is kept in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy. Some believe it is the actual cloth used to cover Jesus Christ at the time of his burial. Bible Mysteries attempts to answer some of the questions that have baffled many for decades.

History’s Secrets: Vanished From Alcatraz
Sunday, 22 April at 7pm WAT
Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes have got nothing on National Geographic’s US Marshals show that reveals fascinating untold stories from the investigation of the legendary escape from Alcatraz including a shocking deathbed confession that led authorities in search of a burial site, and a postcard a prison guard received, supposedly signed by one of the escapees…and postmarked Argentina. This is going to be great viewing if you promise to not “cry for me Argentina!”

Cradle of the Gods
Sunday, 29 April at 7pm WAT
For hundreds of thousands of years mankind survives by hunting and gathering. Then something extraordinary happens, and in the last 10,000 years we go from the Stone Age to the moon. Archaeologist Dr. Jeff Rose investigates a recently discovered 12,000 year old temple that could be the catalyst that made us who we are today.