The Wild Ones is a 6-part documenseries in which Aldo Kane – a Royal Marine Commando & extreme TV adventurer, Vianet Djenguet – a wildlife cinematographer and Declan Burley- a camera trap expert strove to film the rarest and most endangered species on Earth. They went to film tigers in Malaysia, bears in Mongolia, rhinos in Indonesia, leopards in Armenia, gorillas in Gabon and whales in Canada. I love that what the show does is not only to raise awareness on these endangered species and the current threats, but also to identify real possible solutions and provide critical support through films and photos. For instance, the crew helped scientists in Indonesia identify rhinos that have the best chance at reproduction and avoiding inbreeding. In another example, the captured photos of elusive tigers contributed to the expansion of the protected area in Malaysia.

It is heartbreaking to see a tiger that lost a foot to snares set by poachers or whales that are maimed by ship strikes and/or fishing nets. In some cases, I think it’s just unfortunate that human-beings hurt these animals. We all have to make ends meet. The fishermen or the ships just do what they have to do. And unfortunately, the areas they operate coincide with the migration paths of the endangered right whales.

In other cases, we are killing these animals unnecessarily. We hunt rare tigers and rhinos not for survival, but stupid bragging rights (tiger skin hanging on a wall) or misinformed assumptions (rhino horns or tiger bones are thought to have healing effects, despite lack of scientific evidence). We certain can do better in protecting these animals and we should. I am happy to see that there are people around the world who dedicate their lives to this cause and that there are shows like the Wild Ones that contribute to raising the awareness and practical solutions.

I like the chemistry between the three main characters. I imagine it must have taken a lot of planning and preparation for each trip, such as talking to the local authorities, hiring trackers, securing equipment and setting up logistics. In some cases, what Aldo, Dec and Vianet did looked very physically and mentally challenging such as hiking up a hill to set up antenna, trekking in a hot and humid rainforest to set up camera traps, or staying still in the same place alone for days to film bears. Personally, it inspired me to train every day and get fit. These guys are older than me, yet look fitter than I ever do.

A very enjoyable and educational series. I’d recommend it for a weekend watch, especially with younger children. Mine is too young, but when he is older, I’d love to watch this stuff with him. It’s a shame that Apple doesn’t seem to do a lot of marketing push for the series. Some interviews that the cast did on YouTube garnered only a handful of views. I wish more people would learn about the show and give it a try. I’d love to see a Season 2.