The Hunt takes a detailed, audio-visual study of predator-prey relations—as well as the importance of respective ecosystems within a world facing greater environmental challenges brought about by the impact of the human race. Rather than simply concentrating on 'the blood and guts' of predatory behaviours typical of past documentary series, The Hunt focuses more upon the diverse strategies predators use to catch their food, and also the various evasive techniques prospective prey use to escape death by predator.
Each episode is based in one or more of the planet's key habitats—each of which presents the predators and their prey with often critical seasonal, climatic, and ecological-environmental challenges.
To conclude, the seventh episode examines the state of the planet from the perspective of the top predators and their ever increasingly difficult struggle to survive—and also considers the scientists and conservationists who are determined in their collective fight to protect them.
Broadcast
British television
The Hunt debuted on British television on 1 November 2015, broadcast on BBC One and BBC One HD, which consisted of total seven episodes.
International Release
The series was broadcast internationally on BBC Earth channel, and also commercial television channels in various countries, besides.
The series aired in Australia on 3 February 2016 on the Nine Network[2] and in the Republic of Ireland from 5 June 2016 on RTÉ One/2 and RTÉ One HD/2.[3]
In Estonia, the series aired each Saturday from 27 February 2016 and concluded on 9 April 2016 on ETV, locally titled Jaht: Aastaaegade haardes.[4][5][6]
In Japan, the series aired from 3 May until 5 May 2016 under BBC Earth monthly programming blocks on WOWOW with the voiceover by Katsumi Chō in Japanese narration.[7]
BBC America announced its first major natural history co-production in United States with a sneak peek review. The series began airing each Sunday from 3 July 2016.[8][9]
"The Hardest Challenge" reveals the extraordinary range of techniques predators use to catch their prey—from a leopard using all its powers of stealth to stalk impala in broad daylight to African wild dog, whose tactic is to wear down their prey over long distances; from Nile crocodiles, the planet's most patient predators, to killer whales who use teamwork and intelligence to take on humpback whales. But even with these finely tuned strategies, the outcome is far from certain. Surprisingly, most predators fail most of the time.
"In the Grip of the Seasons" looks at the challenges of hunting in the Arctic, the most seasonal place on Earth. To a predator, seasonal change is a problem. It means that all the parameters of the hunt—the conditions, the strategies, the prey—change too. The only option for the Arctic's top predators, the Arctic wolf, the Arctic fox and the polar bear, is to continually adapt to their changing world, exploiting the good times and enduring the bad.
"Hide and Seek" follows tigers, harpy eagles, chimpanzees, army ants and other predators as they rise to the challenge of hunting within the forest—a dense, confusing, three-dimensional world, one in which even finding prey is a maddening task. The prize for succeeding at nature's great game of hide-and-seek is one worth winning. Forests cover one third of the land surface, and concealed within are over half of the species on Earth.
The open ocean is an immense wilderness that covers more than half the surface of our planet, yet for the most part it's a watery desert, largely devoid of macroscopic life. "Hunger at Sea" follows blue whales, sharks, lionfish, tuna, dorado and frigatebirds hunting flying fish, sea lions, dolphins and albatrosses to reveal the strategies they use to hunt for prey in the big blue. Predators face an endless search to find and catch food, yet these great tracts of ocean are home to some of the most remarkable hunters on the planet. The Sargassum fish relies on its camouflage amongst the Sargassum algae to sneak up on prey. In the deep sea, the squidChiroteuthis attracts prey with bioluminescent lures while the ctenophore genus Beroe hunts other jellyfish.
The open arenas of grassland and desert make up half of all land on our planet. In these exposed habitats, predators like cheetahs, bald eagles and lions can usually see their prey. But it works both ways: their prey can see them too. With nothing but open vistas, the element of surprise is hard-won, and predators must make their own opportunities.
The coast is the dynamic border between land and sea; powered by the tides and thrashed by waves, this is a world of continuous change. Opportunities never last long here, so hunters are always in a race against time. The coast is the only place on the planet where predators from air, land and sea come together. Dolphins that leave the safety of the sea to fish, walking octopuses, ingenious monkeys, fishing wolves and the greatest gathering of feeding humpback whales come to the coast to hunt. For all, timing is everything.
The final episode of the series visits the frontline of the conflict with the world's top predators, meeting the scientists fighting to save them. Crossing five continents and combining landmark natural history footage with real-life human drama, it checks the pulse of the earth's iconic animals, including lions, tigers, polar bears and blue whales. With three quarters of the planet's carnivores now in decline, can people find ways to live with predators before they disappear forever?
In Australia and New Zealand, DVD and Blu-ray were released by ABC DVD/Village Roadshow on 20 July 2016.[13][14]
In North America and Canada, the DVD[15][16][17] and Blu-ray box sets[18][19][20] was released on 6 September 2016 by BBC Worldwide Americas.
Books
The Hunt accompanies the TV series and was released in hardcover format on 2 November 2015. It is written by Alastair Fothergill and Huw Cordey, with a foreword by David Attenborough. It was published by BBC Books (ISBN9781849907224).[21]
The musical score and songs featured in the series were composed by Steven Price and conducted by Geoffrey Alexander, with the performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra. The soundtrack was released on 13 November 2015.[23][24][25]
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