A giant panda clings to a tree trunk, peeking around curiously. Its iconic black and white fur contrasts against the lush green foliage in the background.
Two giant pandas facing each other, with one playfully sticking out its tongue towards the other. Their distinctive black and white fur patterns stand out against a blurred green background, capturing the adorable essence of panda charm.
A giant panda gently cradles a sleeping cub in its arms, surrounded by lush green foliage. The adult panda looks lovingly at the tiny cub, highlighting their distinctive black and white markings, illustrating the tender bond shared within the panda family.

Panda goes wild

Nature & Wildlife·1 x 50 min·Completed

Explore the untold story of wild pandas in this groundbreaking documentary. Witness thrilling new behavior and the incredible journey of a panda born in captivity back to the wild.

Factsheet

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

More Information
Unblock content Accept required service and unblock content
Genre
Conservation
Nature & Wildlife
Duration
1 × 50 min
Definition
4K
Audio
5.1
Status
Completed
Back to all projects

Synopsis

We know pandas almost entirely from zoos, and little about their behaviour in the wild. Their mountainous home in China covers a huge area of dense bamboo forest, and discovering how wild pandas live has proved almost impossible. Yet if they are to survive, it is important.

The rumour is that pandas are very different in the wild. It provides clues as to why they can’t breed in captivity. Strange cries, fights between males, blood-stained trails, individuals moving huge distances and females held captive; all this adds to the mystery.
Yet, from what we know of pandas, they must have tender relationships, be good mothers, and be at home in their freezing mountain environment. This film documents wild pandas for the very first time.

For three years, award-winning cameraman Jacky Poon and his team of scientists and rangers have had unprecedented access to the Qin Mountains. Only 250 pandas live in over 350,000 square kilometres of mountainous terrain, so finding and filming wild pandas is almost impossible. There are clouded leopards, strange Takin, dancing pheasants, and mountain-top monkeys. Yet not only have they found wild pandas, they have filmed amazing new behaviour: males confronting each other, females held hostage, and mating. It is a breakthrough in panda filming, and a landmark in our understanding of wild pandas.

The team has also had unprecedented access to Woolong Panda breeding centre. They have followed the head keeper, Wudaifu, for several years, from a panda birth to the release back to the wild. The footage of the birth and growing up over the months, tenderly cared for, is heart-warming. A year on, and the youngster is selected to return to the wild. The keepers have to teach him how to cope: dressing up as pandas and training him to fear leopards, bears and people.

The extraordinary story of how a panda born in captivity returns to face his natural wilderness is unique. In a final climax, six months after the release, Wudaifu journeys deep into the snowy forest for a month to find his panda. He is accompanied by our dedicated filming team. It’s not going to be easy…

Team

Produced by Jacky Poon, Mark Fletcher and Wu Yuan Qui
Executive producers Andrea Gastgeb, Sabine Holzer
Production companies A co-production of Terra Mater Factual Studios, Mark Fletcher Productions and Shanghai Science & Technology Museum

Awards & Recognitions

Cannes, France Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards Silver Dolphin (Category: Environment, Ecology & Sustainability) 2021
Gödöllö, Hungary International Nature Film Festival Gödöllö 1st Place (Category: International Film Review - Nature Films) 2021
Redondo Beach, USA US International Film & Video Festival Gold Camera (Category: Nature, Wildlife) 2020
Namur, Belgium FINN - Festival International Nature Namur Official Selection 2021
Darß, Germany Darßer NaturfilmFestival Nomination (Category: Outstanding International Film Productions) 2021
Olomouc, Czech Republic AFO Academia Film Olomouc Official Selection (Category: International Competition) 2021
Sondrio, Italy Sondrio Festival Official Selection 2020
Goethe Science Film Festival Official Selection 2020
Ludwigsburg, Germany NaturVision Filmfestival Nomination 2020
Missoula, USA IWFF - International Wildlife Film Festival Official Selection (Category: Wildlife Conservation) 2020
Distributor

Talk to our Distributor

Interested in licensing and watching the full production? Contact our distributor here.

Get in touch
Footage rights

Licensing & Usage

Interested in licensing or footage usage?
Contact us directly.

Get in touch

In the same Genre