For a decade, Nat Geo WILD has been providing animal and nature lovers with unique perspectives into the natural world. Supported by National Geographic, the cinematography and storytelling found on the channel has guided viewers on unforgettable journeys through unique and remote natural environments. Since the channel first hit the airwaves, it has broadcast over 2,000 hours of content and reached 250 million households worldwide.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Nat Geo WILD has been rolling out new programming in multiple subject areas—including Veterinary Profiles, Zoo Docuseries, Animal Rescue and Conservation, and Natural History. Here’s a look at some ways you can escape your home and immerse yourself in nature!
Veterinary Profiles
Upcoming Series:
Dr. Ole Premieres Summer 2020 (8×60)
Dr. Ole Alcumbrac owns White Mountain Animal Hospital, a full-service animal clinic in Pinetop, Arizona, that cares for everything from cats and dogs to exotics and large animals. However, there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. The self-described ‘wild man’ does much more outside of the clinic—including helicoptering around the country on rescue and relocation missions, working on wild and dangerous species at two of Arizona’s wildlife parks, or even flying to Mexico to do emergency dental work on jaguars. No two days are ever the same for Ole!
Recently Aired:
Critter Fixers: Country Vets Premiered Saturday, March 7, 9 p.m. CST (6×60)
Two lifelong friends named Dr. Vernard Hodges and Dr. Terrance Ferguson own and operate Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital—located 100 miles south of Atlanta. Along with their loving staff, these physicians face countless unique challenges in animal care. These challenges are always met with a combination of soul, humor, and a lot of heart.
Heartland Docs, DVM Premiered Saturday, Jan. 25, 9 p.m. CST (6×60)
In picturesque rural Nebraska, the husband and wife veterinary team of Drs. Ben and Erin Schroeder care for the region’s many animals in need. Along with their two sons, Charlie and Chase, the doctors are always on the go as their veterinary practice cares for all the diverse animals found in the region—including cows, potbellied pigs, llamas, deer and possum.
Renewals: Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet (active now), Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER (active now), The Incredible Dr. Pol (Summer 2020)
Zoo Docuseries
Live Series:
Secrets of the Zoo: Down Under Premiered Sunday, March 1, 9 p.m. CST (10×60)
Airing Monday nights until May 03, Secrets of the Zoo: Down Under is a one-hour, 10-episode docuseries that focuses on the animals and veterinary staff at Australia’s Taronga Zoo Sydney, which employs more than 240 keepers who care for 5,000-plus animals. Like other series in the “Secrets of the Zoo” franchise, this installment provides rare perspectives while also bringing to focus the horrific wildfires that have killed more than a billion of the continent’s animals.
Upcoming Series:
World’s Biggest Zoo Premieres Fall 2020 (8×60)
Spread out over an enormous 2,600 acres, the North Carolina Zoo has thousands of individual animals, more than 212 species and a diverse range of landscapes—including swamps, prairies, rivers, forests and even a desert. At a time when the traditional concept of a zoo seems out of sync with animal welfare, the North Carolina Zoo leads the way and has achieved global recognition for setting zoo standards. The eight-part series features stories of every kind — from emergency and routine animal procedures and animal husbandry to rescue, rehabilitation and release.
Renewals: Secrets of the Zoo, Secrets of the Zoo: Tampa
Animal Rescue & Conservation
Live Series:
Alaska Animal Rescue Premiered Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m. CST (6×60)
Airing Saturday nights until May 16, Alaska Animal Rescue is a program focusing on the activities of dedicated first responders, veterinarians and animal caretakers from the Alaska SeaLife Center, the Alaska Raptor Center and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Whether caring for a stranded sea lion, an orphaned lynx, or an injured eagle, these brave individuals are willing to do whatever it takes to preserve Alaska’s amazing wildlife.
Jungle Animal Rescue Premiered Saturday, April 18, 9 p.m. CST (6×60)
Every Saturday night until May 23, Nat Geo WILD follows a dedicated team of conservationists and vets on a mission to rescue animals in distress and find a way for the people and animals of India—one of the most biodiverse countries in the world—to coexist in harmony.
Natural History
Recently Aired:
The Hidden Kingdoms of China Premiered Monday, March 23, 8 p.m. (5×60)
China is the world’s most populated country with more than 1.4 billion people inhabiting its vast and extreme wild lands alongside creatures seen nowhere else in the world. Some of its secrets are still undiscovered … until now. Perfectly camouflaged and fiercely determined, the wildlife of China’s mountain kingdom fight to survive in perilous and unpredictable conditions.
The Real Black Panther One hour special premiered in Winter 2020
The hot, dry, deciduous jungles of South India are no place for a melanistic leopard. But Saya is different. He is the only black panther in the entire Kabini Forest, and he’s got one thing on his mind: to take over and make this leopard paradise his own. Told in first-person narrative, this is the journey of Saya — the real black panther.
Savage Kingdom Three-week Event Series premiered in Winter 2020
Narrated by Game of Thrones’ Charles Dance this miniseries event features the most colossal clashes between the rival groups of lions, leopards, hynas, and wild dogs in Sauvate—a remote corner of Chobe National Park in Botswana, Africa. Every episode presents a battle from a different predator or prey’s perspective.
WILD is the fastest growing network for animal lovers of all ages and a one-stop destination for the most entertaining and awe-inspiring animal content on TV.
By Garrett Seymour, Communications Intern
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