7pm WILD! Out of the Ashes - Nature Documentary
On Saturday, February 7, 2009, devastating bushfires tore through parts of Australia. Swathes of prime forest were destroyed and wildlife incinerated. But, against all odds, there were survivors of 'Black Saturday'.
Out of the Ashes examines the fires and the ecological recovery over the next 12 months through the first hand experiences of people who were involved. It visually chronicles the regeneration of the native plants and animals - the first new shoots of the eucalypts, the recovery of injured and endangered animals and their release back into the wild. Featuring beautiful cinematography, this is the story of how nature rises out of the ashes.
8pm NATURE: Touching the Wild
Joe Hutto’s idea of research is anything but normal, dedicating seven years of his life to becoming a wild mule deer.
The herd would ordinarily run from any human but, incredibly, these keenly intelligent animals come to regard this stranger as one of their own. Accepted by the matriarch, he walks among them, is even groomed by them, and can lie with a pregnant doe talking to its unborn fawns. As he crosses the species divide Joe is tapping into a new understanding about these elusive animals, literally entering a deer society. The captivating joy he feels for his new family is nothing short of infectious, but this human predator also learns to see the world from the point of view of prey – and it’s an experience that will ultimately rock him to his very core; sharing their world so personally finally takes a toll that sends him back to his own kind.
