As our cities grow, animals are having to carve
out a niche in this most human of habitats.
Fredi Devas, producer of the urban episode
of Planet Earth II, spent four years getting
to know these metropolitan pioneers
Our planet’s human population
is booming, making the urban
environment the fastest growing
habitat on Earth. Animals living
in or near cities have to cope with
constant movement and change.
Yet our bustling streets also offer rich
bounties in the form of food, shelter,
and warmth.
For Planet Earth II, I spent almost
four years making a film on urban
wildlife. What excited me so much
was exploring the surprising new
ways in which animals are overcoming
the challenges of living in human
habitats, carving out a home in
these alien worlds.Leopards in Mumbai
When we set out to film leopards in
Mumbai, India, we were hoping to capture
them hunting, but, in the backs of our
minds, we were questioning whether we
would even see one. Film crews have tried
before and only captured glimpses of this
highly elusive cat. For any large carnivore
to survive in the urban jungle, it has to keep
to the shadows, and leopards are known
for their stealth.
To give him the best chance of spotting
a leopard, our cameraman Gordon
Buchanan was equipped with a thermal
camera, which he used to scan the horizon
for warm-blooded animals out at night.
This area of Mumbai does, in fact, have
the highest concentration of leopards
anywhere in the world. During the day,
they sleep in a forested park. When night
falls, they head into the streets to hunt for
domesticated animals (such as dogs
and pigs) that make up a large proportion
of their prey.
With the thermal camera and a good
deal of luck, Gordon was able to capture
remarkable footage of urban leopards
hunting. But what amazed him most was to
see just how close to people they roamed. PHOTO: STEVE WINTER/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGESSpecial!
WILDLIFE
59 April 2017 April 2017^51