Uncover what it takes to survive in SAVAGE ALASKA, an ancient wilderness frontier and sometimes brutal land that is battle-ground for a range of top predators. Watch wildlife thrive in their pursuit to survive through landscapes of wavering seasons and ever-changing environments. Join the greatest concentration of polar bears on the planet in the Arctic North and bear witness to the uneasy relationship between two of Alaska’s most iconic predators – grey wolves and brown bears on the southern coast. SAVAGE ALASKA premieres on Friday, February 7 at 9:00p.m. Encores on Saturday, February 8 at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, February 9 at 4:00 p.m. and Monday, February 10 at noon.
SAVAGE ALASKA takes viewers through the food struggles of polar bears during the Alaskan summers when they are unable to hunt in melted ice and the threat of starvation it poses to polar bear cubs. Equipped with the ability to tune down metabolism, observe how this unique survival attribute enables adult polar bears to prepare for lean times and get by with a lesser food intake. Also, discover how carcass finds during summer determines the difference between life and death for these creatures. Over at the southern coast, we join brown bears in their quest to gain weight for the upcoming winter. As summer draws to a close, bears position themselves at the coast of rivers for the annual salmon run, an event that surprising calls for an unexpected union between the brown bears and their bold rivals – the grey wolves. Watch two of Alaska’s top predators agree on an uneasy truce to share hunting spots at the shoreline and find out what drives these beasts to uphold an unusual relationship that requires them to look past their hostile natures.
SAVAGE ALASKA then traces the approach of winter and the cruel terms this harsh season brings with its transformation of the once flourishing Alaskan region into a forsaken frozen land where wildlife here must either learn to adapt or perish. Delve into the survival practices of animals during the winter, from hibernation of brown bears to the migration of trumpeter swans, witness how the indefatigable Alaskan wildlife survive the harsh extremes of sub-zero temperatures and barren surroundings by using their distinct adaptations while capitalising every advantage around them.
