Episode Information

There is a place in Europe where lush, virgin forests stretch to the horizon. Where lonely mountain ridges reach high into the clouds. And where Europe's prime concentration of large carnivores roam free. These are the Carpathians of Romania; one of Europe's greatest ecological treasures. King of this domain is Carpathia’s apex predator, Ursus Arctos, the brown bear - a keystone species, critical to the success of its native ecosystem. But the Carpathian ecosystems are under threat. Expanding human development is putting valuable habitats at risk; even modifying bear behaviour.

Saving Carpathia - Kingdom of the Bear, follows the stories of the dedicated conservationists working tirelessly to restore Carpathia’s natural balance. We follow bison rewilding, large carnivore intervention teams facing up to marauding bears, a shepherd puppy dog donation programme and the reforestation of vast clear cut areas of once-pristine forest. We see the pioneering measures being taken with forest protection, local communities, tourism and wildlife corridors to help safeguard these important ecosystems, including a groundbreaking bear survey, which attempts to calculate the Romanian bear population. The film provides an intimate insight Into Carpathias most iconic carnivore - all set within the stunning backdrop of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains.