Woodlore Blog

The extremely popular Trips Money Can’t Buy programme, featuring Ray Mears and Ewan McGregor in the Honduran jungle, is repeated later this week on the UKTV Documentary channel Eden.

It’s a great chance to catch this programme which was unfortunately never released on DVD. If you’ve never seen it before, the above clip should give you an idea of what to expect.

Thursday 15th July

12:00, 15:00 & 20:00 PM

Sky 532, Virgin Media 208

Ray Mears tracking leopards in Namibia while filming for Survival

The following interview covers Ray’s latest series, Survival with Ray Mears.

How did you feel about taking on the Survival brand?

“It was a real privilege because I grew with the Survival brand as a boy. There were some incredible documentaries and remarkable programming. It was a real privilege but also a bit daunting because you’re following in the wake of such incredible programming of the past.

“But we needed to find a new way of doing it as well and I like that sort of challenge. To have the opportunity to talk about natural history was fantastic because that’s what took me outdoors in the first instance.

“Tracking is my passion and to be asked to track leopards, bears and wolves – who wouldn’t jump at the chance?”

Before you began your three journeys what were you hoping for?

“I wanted to find the animals but I also wanted the opportunity to show the skill of tracking as an art. There are a lot of people who talk it but very few who can do it and that was a concern.

“Filming the process of tracking is very difficult and was a learning curve for all of us. I’m not just looking at foot prints; I’m also looking at tiny little marks on the ground that the camera often finds difficult to pick up. So learning how to bring that to the screen has been a really interesting learning curve and a wonderful opportunity.

“The locations we went to all presented their own challenges for tracking. When we were in Idaho for Wolves it was for the change of seasons from winter to summer. The snows were melting and the tracking conditions were literally changing throughout the day, so that was particularly difficult. I was looking at tiny grains of mud transferred into the snow by a wolf. The snow was melting and all you had was a very faint blush of dirt.

“In British Columbia for the bears it was tidal. As soon as the tracks were made the tide came in and washed them away.

“In Namibia for the leopards, I was confident we were going to get clear tracks because I’ve trekked leopards in another area a little further east. However, where we filmed, the grains of sand were incredibly coarse like broken sea shells, so they didn’t hold much definition.”

Which was your favourite animal to track?

“That’s really difficult as each of the animals is special in its own regard. However, I have a very strong liking for wolves; I think that the wolf is a remarkable animal. The sad thing is, human beings fear and loathe them with an irrational zeal and I find that very upsetting.

“The wolf is a social animal; it’s very similar to us in that regard. It’s a wonderful hunter, it’s very clever and it has a lot to teach us. So I really like wolves for all of those qualities.

“Having said that, the leopard is stealthy, fast, powerful and it isn’t afraid. It’s not the most powerful cat in the African bush, that’s the lion without a doubt. But sometimes you can scare a lion away and you can’t scare a leopard. If you have a problem with a leopard then you’ve really got a problem. That’s what I like about the leopard.”

Can you tell us about the moment when the bear suddenly appeared 20 feet away from you and the crew?

“Well if you stand still there’s no problem. I was looking at the bear and he seemed fine. He could see we were there and he wasn’t bothered. Then all of a sudden I noticed he wasn’t so comfortable. I turned round and someone behind me was moving. I had to say to the crew “You’re standing behind me, stand absolutely still. Things change and an animal can change its mood very quickly.”

It was amazing to see the emotional reaction you had when a wolf died who you were tracking.

“Well, yes I think the wolf is a really noble animal and it was an emotional experience. I don’t particularly have any issues with the State of Idaho wanting to control the numbers and I think that’s necessary. But I do think that if you are going to control the numbers of an apex predator like the wolf, there should be much tighter control and management of that situation. To let people go and hunt them without guidance is just very disrespectful.”

What’s the most surprising thing you found out whilst making the programme?

“I was surprised at the speed at which the wolves have re-established themselves in the wild. In 1995 there were 35 wolves released and now there are over 800. That’s really magnificent and I didn’t think it would be possible.

“It just shows you what hope there is for the future and how we may be able to improve things. We live in a time when more creatures are becoming extinct at a faster rate than since the dinosaurs disappeared. We must look to see how we can put things right.”

When did your interest in wildlife and animal tracking first begin?

“At a very young age. I would have been six, maybe younger. My real interest began when I was given a guide to animal tracks and signs for Christmas. That winter we had snow, much like this year. So I started following tracks in the snow. The great thing when you first start out is that everything you find is a treasure. I’ve never stopped since.”

Your skills are quite rare, how have you got them to such a high level?

“Through perseverance mostly. But also I’ve had the amazing opportunities of tracking with Aborigines, Kalahari bush men and people in the rain forests. I’ve worked with last elders of the indigenous groups around the planet who use these skills on a daily basis.

“When you work with them you see what’s possible. So when you come back home you start doing things you didn’t think were possible before.”

What is your top tip for tracking wildlife in this country?

“Go and watch it as often as possible. You can’t follow an animal if you haven’t watched it. You need to watch them as much as you can. If you just look at tracks all you will see are the tracks and not the animal that made them. The more you watch the animal, the more you understand about it. And the better your tracking skills will be.”

Why should people watch the programme? What will they get if they tune in?

“We got incredibly close to the animals, the bears in particular. We were so close to them as they were feeding. So you get this up close and personal view of nature, which you don’t get when everything is shot on a long lens.

“We relied on a high degree of field craft to film these things and I think it shows. Of course I was supported by two fantastic wildlife cameramen – they were amazing. I’m not sure they truly believed in the tracking to start out but they do now.

“Each episode was shot in around 10 days, so it shows you what’s possible. If we can find what we shot in such a short space of time then maybe we can give the viewer some inspiration to go out and make discoveries locally.”

Survival with Ray Mears, ITV1

The second episode of the brand new ITV series, Survival with Ray Mears, will be aired this Sunday 25th at 19:00 on ITV1.

In the second episode of Survival, Ray tracks bears in the pristine wilderness of British Columbia’s Pacific Coast region.

“A lot of people fear bears,” says Ray. “I think there’s no need for that. They’re only dangerous when they’re misunderstood. To me their strength and intelligence makes them among the most intriguing of all predators. I can’t wait to track them in their world.”

British Columbia houses some of the world’s most beautiful forests, which are inhabited by a healthy number of grizzly and black bears. However, Ray is also interested in the spirit bear. This incredibly rare bear has pure white fur, and is actually a black bear carrying a recessive gene. It is thought that there are only 400 alive today, so finding one will be a daunting challenge for Ray.

Describing his plans for the second episode of the series, Ray unveils that “part of my quest is to go in search of one of the rarest bears of all, the spirit bear. I want to find out what their future really holds in store. If I’m lucky enough to see one, it will be a personal first.”

Ray starts his journey by taking a small plane into the wilderness. He touches down at Klemtu, a tiny fishing outpost, with his wildlife cameramen Shane Moore and Isaac Babcock. They hire a boat and find a remote spot, called Mussel Inlet, where Ray quickly finds tracks of grizzly bears, intent on devouring as much as they can from the annual salmon run, which is in full swing.

Grizzly bears can be very dangerous if surprised, or if a human gets too close. Thus, Ray warns the crew: “We’re entering their terrain and we need to respect that. It’s up to us to avoid triggering a confrontation. Every year, two or three people are killed by bears. I think that misreading the situation is more to blame than animal aggression. It’s critical that we don’t surprise one. We have to remember that bears can sprint at 30 mph. We’d never outrun one.”

On his guard, Ray finds numerous grizzly prints that lead him to a grizzly mother and a couple of two-year-old cubs. They play for a while but are suddenly bullied away by a massive grizzly male – a giant that would be about 3m tall if he stood up.

Ray and the crew are watching the grizzly male from across the river when, without warning, he lakes a lunge for the river and swims over to them. At this point he is just 50 feet away and Ray is aware of the potential danger.

The bear gradually moves closer until he is just 20 feet from Ray and the crew. Ray’s concern grows, but he is clear on what they must do: “We have to make sure that we’re not blocking where the bear wants to go.”

The bear seems content but suddenly his mood changes and Ray detects some agitation. He advises the crew: “You’ve got to move slowly and gently.”

Gradually the group move away from the bear, and out of danger.  At this point Ray reflects: “There you go. We didn’t pose a threat to the bear; the bear wasn’t in the least bit stressed. This is their domain, and if you treat them with the respect that they deserve, you shouldn’t come to any grief.”

The presence of the huge grizzly male leads Ray to conclude that he will not find any spirit bears at the river inlet he has chosen; grizzlies seek out the best fishing spots and defend them ferociously. In order to find the elusive spirit bear, Ray decides that he should first track down black bears since spirit bears share much of the same habitat.

Ray searches numerous smaller river inlets in the huge maze of waterways which make up the Pacific Coast. Eventually, he finds an inlet bordered by thick forest. There are several lively black bears fishing for salmon in a river that is brimming with fish.

Ray is concerned not to see any young cubs: “These bears aren’t as fat as I would have expected for this time of year. And it’s peculiar that we haven’t seen any one-year-old cubs. I’d hoped to find lots of cubs being taught to fish by their mothers, and the more I think about it the more it worries me. What could possibly have happened to this year’s cubs?”

Ray consults local guide, Doug Neasloss, a member of the First Nation Kitasoo tribe. He explains that while the salmon run is strong this autumn, last year it was very poor.

Before hibernating, British Columbia’s bears gorge on salmon, putting on the fat that keeps them alive over the winter months. If they fail to eat enough fish, the bears can die of starvation over the winter, and the females may not be able to suckle their cubs. Doug believes last year’s lack of salmon may have contributed directly to a lack of cubs this year. He thinks that over-fishing could be partly to blame.

Ray is deeply concerned to hear this news. Spirit bears are often bullied away from prime fishing spots by grizzlies and he worries that last year’s poor salmon run may have affected them even more seriously.

Leading the team on a final search, Ray makes an extraordinary find: white hairs on a bear trail near a babbling stream. With just one more day to go, he hopes tomorrow will lead to a sighting of these incredibly rare animals…

Survival with Ray Mears, ITV1

For those of you who are looking forward to the start of Ray’s new series this Sunday, April 18th, here’s a sneak-peek at the episode synopsis for the first programme, Leopards:

In the first episode of Survival, Ray Mears arrives in Namibia’s vast central highland plain, a territory he describes as ‘one of nature’s richest environments’, to track his favourite predator: the leopard.

“They’re loners that roam huge territories, they’re perfectly camouflaged for disappearing into the thorny scrub, and as if that didn’t make them hard enough to follow, they’re most active under the cover of darkness. For a tracker, they are quite simply the ultimate challenge.”

The leopard is renowned for its strength, cunning and, above all else, its stealth, but because it is the most elusive big cat Ray believes it is also ‘hardly understood.’ So will his tracking skills help him find leopards and give us a better understanding of their habits?

In this film, Ray joins a pioneering leopard research project. Based at the Erindi Game Reserve, the project aims to monitor leopard populations and help save their lives.

The reserve is surrounded by farmland and leopards that stray onto them risk being shot, by farmers anxious to protect their livestock.

Natasha De Woronin, who runs the Global Leopard Project, has managed to fit radio collars to female leopards to help her build a map of their movements across the reserve’s 270 square miles. But she needs Ray’s expert tracking skills to help find male leopards, which have so far completely eluded her, and remain a mystery that she is desperate to solve.

Natasha says: “There are a lot of dangers out there. Definitely we have conflict between leopard and farmers, because they will take livestock as part of their natural prey. It’s just another food source to them; they don’t know it belongs to somebody.”

Ray is joined by his duo of experienced wildlife camera men – Isaac Babcock and Shane Moore. Their first step is to find a young female called Honey. Natasha has studied her since birth, has a close relationship with her, and suspects that she is starting to establish her independence, which can be a very dangerous time.

As they sit no more than 15 metres from the wild leopard, Natasha says: “I think you become even more emotionally attached to these cats when you realise how fragile everything really is. And for her, she’s just now growing up. I don’t know where we go from here. What when she meets her first male? Will she know what to do? You don’t know.”

Ray replies: “You sound like her mum!”

Honey now roams a patch of land that used to belong to her mother, who Natasha calls Phantom.

Natasha explains: “When a daughter becomes independent, what appears to happen is that the mother gives the daughter a piece of territory. But to allow that, Phantom’s now had to move out of the reserve.”

Phantom’s new territory now overlaps farmland, raising concerns because she has not been sighted for weeks.

Natasha and Ray arrive at a farm, separated from the game reserve by an electrified fence with 9,000 volts running through it, to try to establish whether or not one of her study leopards is responsible for an attack on livestock. Ray quickly identifies the tracks in the dirt around the carcasses as hyena and cheetah.

He says: “It looks to me as though the leopard gets the blame all the time and maybe he’s not always the culprit.”

The film crew also follow another known female called Yana, in the hope that her efforts to attract a mate will lead them to a male. They leave their vehicles behind and track on foot, through dried up riverbeds, known as drainage lines, which leopards and other animals use like highways.

Ray says: “This is the best newspaper in the world. You don’t buy it in the street corner; you can’t get it on the internet. It’s something you have to come out and feel and experience.”

Ray finds both female and male tracks. He thinks the male could be a particularly large specimen and they dub him ‘Houdini’, after Natasha speculates he could be the same male who has previously twice evaded capture. They set out on his trail in the hope of fitting him with a radio collar, which could prove pivotal in the project’s efforts to monitor and safeguard the reserve’s leopard population.

After a failed attempt at luring him into a trap, they head north and film at a watering hole where the night vision cameras capture the wealth of wildlife present.

Ray says: “To the human eye the African bush in darkness is just pitch black. You’ve no idea what’s out there. You feel threatened and intimidated. It’s a dangerous place.

With our special night camera, we get a view of the wilderness as the nocturnal animals see it. It’s really spooky hearing that sound. It goes right through you; touches some primal nerve deep inside our souls.”

By trailing Honey, who is now on heat, they come closer to another male leopard. Seeing and filming Honey and her mate provides a real highpoint for Ray.

He says: “The leopard is the super stealth predator and to be able to see it moving around, at night – so, so, incredible.”

He adds: “I can’t tell you. That is one of the highlights of my life. You know, tracking can tell you some things, but you can’t fill in all the pieces. For that you have to come out and observe the animals.”

But as they approach their final night of filming, they have yet to capture, either on camera, or in a trap, Houdini, the area’s dominant male leopard. The crew take their positions at the waterhole for a final vigil in the hope of a sighting of the elusive creature. Will they finally be rewarded?

Ray says: “Ever since I started tracking foxes as a boy, I don’t think I’ve been so excited about tracking anything as I have tracking leopards here. I’ve gained a unique insight into the personalities of the things I follow. So I haven’t just been following animals moving. In this case I’ve been able to follow individuals and that has been truly remarkable.”