Attenborough and the Giant Egg
In 1960, David Attenborough visited the island of Madagascar to film one of his first ever wildlife series. He now returns to the island on a very personal quest.
David Attenborough returns to the island of Madagascar on a very personal quest.
In 1960, he visited the island to film one of his first ever wildlife series - Zoo Quest. Whilst he was there, he acquired a giant egg belonging to an extinct bird known as the 'elephant bird' - the largest bird that ever lived. It has been one of his most treasured possessions ever since.
Fifty years older, he now returns to the island to find out more about this amazing creature and to see how the island has changed. Could the elephant bird's fate provide lessons that may help protect Madagascar's remaining wildlife?
Using Zoo Quest archive and specially shot location footage, this film follows David as he revisits scenes from his youth and meets people at the front line of wildlife protection. On his return, scientists at Oxford University are able to reveal for the first time how old David's egg actually is, and what that might tell us about the legendary elephant bird.
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Clips
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Madagascar - the bigger picture
Duration: 04:36
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David Attenborough visits a conservation initiative with a twist
Duration: 02:27
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Replanting rainforest
Duration: 02:47
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Relative mystery
Duration: 01:14
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | David Attenborough |
Director | Sally Thomson |
Producer | Sally Thomson |
Executive Producer | Michael Gunton |
Broadcasts
- Wed 2 Mar 2011 20:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD & Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two
- Wed 2 Mar 2011 23:50Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Sun 6 Mar 2011 17:20Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Northern Ireland & England only
- Sun 6 Mar 2011 18:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Scotland
- Mon 14 Mar 2011 00:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Fri 2 Sep 2011 19:30
- Fri 2 Sep 2011 23:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Sat 3 Sep 2011 17:05Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Northern Ireland
- New Year's Day 2012 15:55Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD
- Mon 3 Dec 2012 22:00
- Tue 4 Dec 2012 02:30
- Fri 7 Dec 2012 00:00
- Christmas Day 2012 08:45
- Thu 13 Jun 2013 23:45
- Mon 30 Dec 2013 16:20
- Tue 25 Aug 2015 15:45
- Tue 20 Oct 2015 00:00
- Mon 1 Feb 2016 20:00
- Tue 2 Feb 2016 00:20
- Sat 4 Feb 2017 21:00
- Thu 9 Feb 2017 23:50
- Mon 10 Apr 2017 16:15
- Sat 12 Jan 2019 16:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except Wales
- Sun 21 Apr 2019 21:00
- Sun 12 Apr 2020 17:35Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One except Scotland & Wales
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