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Film-makers and scientists venture into Burma's jungles for the first time in 50 years. The team searches for the sun bear, the Asian golden cat and the clouded leopard.

For the first time in over 50 years, a team of wildlife film-makers from the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Natural History Unit and scientists from the world-renowned Smithsonian Institution has been granted access to venture deep into Burma's impenetrable jungles. Their mission is to discover whether these forests are home to iconic animals, rapidly disappearing from the rest of the world - this expedition has come not a moment too soon.

On the second leg of their journey, wildlife film-makers Gordon Buchanan and Justine Evans, along with a team of scientists, head deep into the mountains of western Burma. This is where they hope to find the shy sun bear and two of the world's rarest and most beautiful cats: the Asian golden cat and the clouded leopard.

Meanwhile, zoologist Ross Piper and the science team are on a mission to create a wildlife survey to present to the government of Burma to persuade them that these forests are so unique they must be protected. High on the forest ridges, Gordon finds evidence to suggest that Burma's wildlife might be in danger. Undercover filming in a border town known as the 'Las Vegas of the jungle' leads to a shocking discovery.

59 minutes

Clips

Credits

Role Contributor
Producer Anwar Mamon
Series Producer Susanna Handslip
Presenter Gordon Buchanan
Presenter Justine Evans
Presenter Ross Piper
Participant Darrin Lunde
Participant Nicole Edmison

Broadcasts

Filming the elephants

"Filming wild elephants through bamboo forest was always going to be potentially fraught"

Recording the audio

Recordist Mark Roberts describes capturing the sound of the jungle.

Composing the soundtrack

Composer Jonathan Gunton writes about creating the music for Wild Burma.