Susan Tackenberg

When eight-year-old Heidi saves a lynx family and their home from a greedy businessman, she gets her grandfather to come clean with the village community, and she realizes that her beloved little lynx belongs with his family in the wild just as she belongs with her grandfather in the mountains.

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No other country in Europe has more bears than Romania. There are probably over 6000. Especially in Transylvania, they often come dangerously close to humans. As a result, people in many places are at their wits' end. The film follows a female bear and her three cubs as they leave the protection of the Carpathian forests and become 'problem bears'. Their dramatic fate highlights the challenges of bear-human coexistence. Is there still a common future in densely populated Europe?

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In the middle of the Indian Ocean, more than 1.500 km from the nearest continent, lies an untouched, mysterious archipelago – the Chagos Islands. This group of 60 islands is one of the last pristine wildernesses on Earth. The Chagos Archipelago is one of the world’s largest marine national parks, and is strictly protected. A scientific expedition has been granted access to this politically disputed territory for the first time. In times of climate change, as global reef communities face a growing crisis, the researchers seek to show how coral reefs fare in places with minimal human interference. During a journey into the unknown, we follow in the footsteps of internationally renowned scientists, who aim to unlock the secrets of a lost world and gain astonishing insights into one of the last true wildernesses on Earth.

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The Oggly family arrive at the municipal rubbish dump of Smelliville and must look for a new home, but they never feel really welcome anywhere. They stink and are for most humans just a tad too oggly. When Firebottom, the family dragon, crash-lands on the run-down rubbish tip of the small town of Smelliville, the Ogglies at once feel at home. And it's here they want to stay.

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Four crazy antiheroes on the run. Their leader is the unworldly innocent, naive Marnie, a house cat who is not allowed to leave the house and only knows about real life from television

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In the heart of Europe lies Switzerland. In its midst yet apart from it, like an island. The Swiss Confederation holds a special position not only politically and historically – in particular, its scenic diversity is something really special: majestic mountains, lush green valleys, craggy rock landscapes and Mediterranean lakes all close together in one small geographical location. Switzerland is proud of its distinction and autonomy, reflected amongst other things in its different cantons and linguistic regions. Each episode in our series “Wild Faces of Switzerland“ seeks to do justice to this diversity.

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Spring is a time of new beginnings and new life. The world is bursting with joie de vivre, and the sheer force of nature is never more tangible than during this season. In forests, fields, meadows and gardens, nature awakens from her icy grey winter sleep. The world takes on colour again. The magic of spring in all its glory is the focus of this film. Unusual animal stories – some humorous, some dramatic – create a very special springtime feel. Upbeat, amusing and exciting, the film illustrates vividly that spring in Germany is the loveliest season of all.

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Some ficus species are strangler figs. The seeds are eaten by birds and pass through the digestive tract undamaged. If they are excreted on the branch of a tree in the feces of the birds and remain stuck there thanks to the mistletoe-like slimy seed coat, the seeds germinate on the branch. The fig plants grow directly there, so they are initially epiphytes. But their aerial roots grow down to the ground. When the roots reach the ground, the figs begin to grow faster and form many more aerial roots. They gradually enclose their supporting or host tree, which eventually dies, forming a cavity inside the strangler fig. The strangler fig also benefits from the nutrients released during the decomposition of the dead supporting tree.

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One of the most mysterious animals to inhabit the jungle is the pygmy hippopotamus - up to 300 kg in weight, just 2 meters long, and 80 cm tall, and a true loner. Since its discovery in 1844, generations of researchers have attempted to study it in the wild - but in vain. Although it proved possible to catch a few specimens for zoos, no one ever got to see them before they were already inside the trap. They eluded the gaze of the researchers like phantoms under the protection of the enchanted forest. These are the first ever pictures of pygmy hippopotami in their natural surroundings - the rain forest of West Africa. Set amid stories about their habitat, the film allows a first impression of this timid creature's life. While their ten-times heavier relatives are loud and gregarious and live in open stretches of water, the pygmy hippopotamus moves furtively through the thick undergrowth.

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