National Geographic:state of world caught on camera

By Han Sang-hee

The small yellow rectangular logo is recognized everywhere and behind the logo stands a very historical mission: to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world’s cultural, historical and natural resources.

The National Geographic channel, a member of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions, is bringing its biggest project in its 122-year history to Korea.

The channel’s new documentary ``Great Migrations’’ will be televised worldwide Nov. 7 for the first time in 166 countries and 34 languages, aiming to offer the true beauty of the earth through high-definition footage and touching stories.

The seven-episode mega-documentary took more than three years to produce, costing 10 billion won and with teams traveling 670,000 kilometers through some 20 countries.

Divided into seven episodes ― four original features and three specials ― the documentary is expected to impress fans with its spectacular footage of real, raw wilderness and interesting components that have survived over the years.

The first episode ``Born To Move’’ deals with animals that move to survive. For some, moving is like eating; it’s one of the few ways to survive danger ― and through this episode, viewers will get to watch how gnus move through the dangerous rivers of Kenya and how far sperm whales have to travel during their lifespan.

Following the ``moving animals’’ comes the ``Need to Breed’’ episode, covering the unknown mysteries of various animals breeding, making sure they don’t go extinct. Follow penguins, walruses and albatross and learn how they manage to breed and raise their offspring amid harsh surroundings.

No thanks to humans, the world has become a harder place to live in, leaving wildlife suffering from famine and disease. Follow elephants and various sea animals on their journey to find food through the third episode ``Feast or Famine,’’ and also learn how people can help prevent more damage.

Lastly, follow animals such as zebras and walruses and see how dangerous and difficult life has been for them over the past few years. ``Race to Survive’’ is about time and space, and both are drying up fast, and the documentary will hopefully remind viewers about the situation happening around them.

The three special edition episodes will offer behind-the-scenes footage, from scientists working on attaching a special camera on walruses to check their condition, to environmentalists who have spent their entire lives on preventing more damage to the earth and its wildlife.

Thanks to the high tech scientific equipment, documentaries these days need more than just pretty footage and high definition scenes. The ``Great Migrations’’ team have managed to add real, heart-warming stories to their work, grabbing the heartstrings of viewers and also, most importantly, sending them a message about the environment and the species that live in it.

``Great Migrations’’ will start airing Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. every Sunday for the next four weeks on the National Geographic Channel.

sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr