Nat Geo Wild turns the spotlight on big cats for its third annual Big Cat Week

They are the kings and queens of the jungle … iconic animals of incredible strength, speed, agility and beauty who have bewildered us for generations. They are lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars cougars, and more, all members of the world’s big cat species and Nat Geo Wild will once again give them their turn in the spotlight.

Beginning Sunday, 3 February at 6pm WAT – Nat Geo Wild presents the third annual Big Cat Week to showcase the world’s most extraordinary big cat species. Included in this year’s event is Snow Leopard of Afghanistan, which will take viewers behind the ground-breaking tracking, capture and release of a rare snow leopard by expert big cat wrangler Boone Smith, who achieved what many thought was impossible. Mounting a wildlife conservation expedition in a war zone, Smith and a team from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) must overcome faulty and missing equipment, sudden weather changes, and the threat of Taliban attacks in their quest to find this intelligent, wary, and well-camouflaged creature.

Other featured premieres during Big Cat Week will explore the ferocious anatomy of the ‘big four’ cats; share a coming-of-age tale of a cheetah caring for and training her first litter of cubs; and one man’s quest to capture one of the most elusive members of the big cat family, the jaguar, on the hunt.

Yet even as these animals remain revered the world over, they are battling an unforeseen enemy: their own decline. Did one know that Africa’s lion population has declined by more than 90% in the last 50 years? That there are now more tigers living in captivity than in the wild? And that cheetahs have disappeared from more than 75% of their range? Big Cat Week is an extension of the Big Cats Initiative, a long-term commitment by the National Geographic Society and Nat Geo Wild to stop poaching, save habitats and sound the call that big steps are needed to save big cats around the world.

Big Cat Week Programmes include:

Snow Leopard of Afghanistan on Sunday, 3 February at 6pm WAT
Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous places on earth, is also home to a population of endangered and elusive snow leopards. These big cats are a species under constant threat from poachers and farmers who fear that the leopards are attacking their livestock. But experts cannot protect them without knowing more about them. Now, Nat Geo Wild joins the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and an international team of experts, including expert big cat tracker Boone Smith, as they set out on a mission in the middle of a war zone: to find, capture and collar a snow leopard, and release it back into the wild. With GPS to track the big cats’ location, and WCS camera traps already in place, if successful, the expedition will offer a deeper understanding of the rare and beautiful species.

Cheetah: Fatal Instinct on Tuesday, 5 February at 6pm WAT
The cheetah: the fastest land animal on earth and a feared predator. But before her cubs can dominate the African savannah, a mother cheetah must transform her offspring from adorable kittens into bold, powerful hunters. Nat Geo Wild follows one mother as she struggles to teach her offspring how to survive in one of the most cutthroat environments on the planet. High-speed cameras reveal every stunning detail of one of the most important lessons: how to hunt for prey. And although they will one day be feared, the cubs are under constant threat from surrounding lions, leopards and hyenas.

Phantom Cat on Friday, 8 February at 6pm WAT
South America’s Pantanal is one of the world’s last natural paradises. Vast wetlands offer plenty of water, food and shelter to a rich variety of plants and animals including the capybara, macaws, giant otter, and caiman – as well as the most elusive of them all – the jaguar. Christian Baumeister has always dreamed of filming this mysterious big cat, but finding one in the vast Pantanal is like looking for a needle in a haystack – in the dark. But Baumeister won’t be satisfied with just any footage. He wants to film a jaguar as it goes up against one of its fiercest foes: the caiman. It’s mammal versus reptile as these two super predators pit their strength, speed and stealth against each other and Baumeister will do anything and go anywhere to see it first-hand.

Attack of Big Cats on Saturday, 9 February at 6pm WAT
There may be nearly 40 different species of wild cat running around out there, but only four make it into the big cat club: lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar. And they are armed with an arsenal of weapons and bulk to back up major attitude. In their world, nothing is small and many things are surprising. So get ready for a vicious lesson on what makes a big cat a big cat. Is it the roar? The teeth? Maybe it is their diet, because they are certainly not living on cat food and loading up litter boxes.

All four programmes will be broadcast as part of Big Cat Week on Nat Geo Wild, channel 182 on DStv.