Lost Land of the Tiger
Encyclopedia
Lost Land of the Tiger is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit
which follows a scientific expedition to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan
. The expedition team is made up of specialist zoologists, explorers and the BBC crew. Together, they explore wilderness areas from the lowland jungles to high-altitude slopes, in search of rare animals and plants. The focus of the expedition is to investigate the status of the tiger
in Bhutan, where little is known of the cat's distribution or population density. Evidence of a healthy population of tigers would elevate Bhutan's importance as a sanctuary for this endangered species
. It would also support tiger conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz
's proposal for a vast protected corridor linking the fragmented pockets of tiger habitat which lie to the south of the Himalayas.
The expedition is notable for obtaining the first footage of tigers living at 4000 metres (13,123.4 ft) in the high Himalayas. The BBC footage shows a female tiger lactating and scent-marking, followed a few days later by a male tiger responding, suggesting that the cats could be breeding at this altitude. Previously, anecdotal sightings from Bhutanese mountain villagers suggested tigers were capable of visiting such heights, but it was not known whether they were living and breeding there. The footage was obtained using remote camera trap
s which are triggered by motion. This discovery dramatically increases the known range of viable tiger habitat. The camera traps also recorded footage of other rarely-seen forest creatures, including Indian wild dog
s, Asian elephant
s, leopard
s and leopard cat
s.
The series was broadcast on BBC One
in the United Kingdom on three consecutive nights, starting on 21 September 2010. The presenters were Steve Backshall
, Gordon Buchanan
, Justine Evans and Dr. George McGavin
.
Lost Land of the Tiger was the fourth of the BBC Natural History Unit's "Expedition" series, following Expedition Borneo (2006) and Lost Land of the Jaguar (2008) and Lost Land of the Volcano
(2009).
BBC Natural History Unit
The BBC Natural History Unit is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries...
which follows a scientific expedition to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. The expedition team is made up of specialist zoologists, explorers and the BBC crew. Together, they explore wilderness areas from the lowland jungles to high-altitude slopes, in search of rare animals and plants. The focus of the expedition is to investigate the status of the tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
in Bhutan, where little is known of the cat's distribution or population density. Evidence of a healthy population of tigers would elevate Bhutan's importance as a sanctuary for this endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. It would also support tiger conservationist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz
Alan Rabinowitz
Alan Robert Rabinowitz is an American zoologist, conservationist, and field biologist and the CEO of Panthera, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 37 wild cat species...
's proposal for a vast protected corridor linking the fragmented pockets of tiger habitat which lie to the south of the Himalayas.
The expedition is notable for obtaining the first footage of tigers living at 4000 metres (13,123.4 ft) in the high Himalayas. The BBC footage shows a female tiger lactating and scent-marking, followed a few days later by a male tiger responding, suggesting that the cats could be breeding at this altitude. Previously, anecdotal sightings from Bhutanese mountain villagers suggested tigers were capable of visiting such heights, but it was not known whether they were living and breeding there. The footage was obtained using remote camera trap
Camera trap
A camera trap is a remotely activated camera that is equipped with a motion sensor or an infrared sensor, or uses a light beam as a trigger. Camera trapping is a method for capturing wild animals on film when researchers are not present, and has been used in ecological research for decades...
s which are triggered by motion. This discovery dramatically increases the known range of viable tiger habitat. The camera traps also recorded footage of other rarely-seen forest creatures, including Indian wild dog
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
s, Asian elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
s, leopard
Indian leopard
The Indian leopard is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the five big cats found in India, apart from Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard....
s and leopard cat
Leopard Cat
The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...
s.
The series was broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in the United Kingdom on three consecutive nights, starting on 21 September 2010. The presenters were Steve Backshall
Steve Backshall
Steve Backshall is a British naturalist, writer and television presenter, best known for BBC TV's "Deadly 60'. This series sees Backshall travelling the world in search of predators that are, "Not just deadly to me, but deadly in their own world"...
, Gordon Buchanan
Gordon Buchanan
Gordon Buchanan is a Scottish wildlife film maker noted for his contributions to Big Cat Diary, Springwatch, Natural World and the 'Lost Land of the...' series.-Life:Buchanan grew up on the Isle of Mull...
, Justine Evans and Dr. George McGavin
George McGavin
George C. McGavin FLS FRGS is an entomologist, author, academic, television presenter and explorer.He is Honorary Research Associate at Oxford University Museum of Natural History and The Department of Zoology of Oxford University, where he lists his interests as "Terrestrial arthropods especially...
.
Lost Land of the Tiger was the fourth of the BBC Natural History Unit's "Expedition" series, following Expedition Borneo (2006) and Lost Land of the Jaguar (2008) and Lost Land of the Volcano
Lost Land of the Volcano
Lost Land of the Volcano is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which follows a scientific expedition to the island of New Guinea...
(2009).