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S28 Ep2

Born Wild: The First Days of Life

Premiere: 5/2/2012 | 00:00:30 | NR

Follow the birth and first day of several species, from marmoset to moose to elephant and gorilla. 5/2/2012

About the Episode

Across the animal kingdom, some of the most essential lessons — and the most extreme challenges — occur in the first moments of life. From ostrich to orangutan, egg sac to live birth, infanticide to matricide, the diversity of behaviors between parent and progeny is as great as the diversity of life on our planet.

As animal parents struggle to help their young survive their first days in the wild, they face seemingly insurmountable odds.  Penguins travel literally the ends of the Earth to protect their infants, facing Antarctic blizzards while they incubate their eggs. Amaurobius spider mothers offer their own bodies for their newborns to feast on. Orangutan mothers face up to eight years of single parenthood raising their infants.

Understandably, the process of birthing and raising young is one of the most stressful experiences an animal can endure. And it is in these very trials that the most extraordinary glimpses of life in the wild come to light.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

Narrated by
F. MURRAY ABRAHAM

Written and Edited by
MARK FLETCHER

Photography
MICHAEL RICHARDS
MIKE HOLDING
WADE FAIRLEY
JOHN WATERS
JEFF TURNER
SIMON KING
SIMON DE GLANVILLE

Music Composed and Performed by
JENNIE MUSKETT

Additional Musicians
JOHN PARRICELLI
SONIA SLANY

Dubbing Editor
TIM OWENS

Dubbing Mixer
ANDREW WILSON

Colorist
TONY OSBORNE

On-Line Editors
JAMES REYNOLDS
ADRIAN RIGBY
FRANZ KETTERER

Scientific Advisors
DEREK DENTON
JAAK PANKSEPP
JANE GOODALL
MARC BEKOFF
FRANS DE WAAL
ELISABETTA VISALBERGHI

Production Co-Ordinator
CATHERINE WILTCHER

Production Manager
DI WILLIAMS

The BBC Wishes to Thank
SUE WESTERN
GEOFF FOSTER
ALEX NUTTON
PHIL CHAPMAN
HILARY JEFFKINS
VANESSA BERLOWITZ
LAWRENCE BREEN
ROB ROOD

Series Editor
TIM MARTIN

© 2009 BBC
All Rights Reserved

For NATURE

Series Editor
JANET HESS

Supervising Producer
JANICE YOUNG

Senior Producer
LAURA METZGER

Producers
IRENE TEJARATCHI HESS
JILL CLARKE

Production Manager
JULIE SCHAPIRO THORMAN

Production Assistant
JAYNE JUN

Manager
EILEEN FRAHER

Re-Recording Mixer
ED CAMPBELL

Online Editor
CHRIS CONNELLY

Offline Editor
IRENE TEJARATCHI HESS

Series Producer
BILL MURPHY

Executive in Charge
WILLIAM GRANT

Executive Producer
FRED KAUFMAN

A co-production of THIRTEEN and BBC in association with WNET.ORG

This program was produced by THIRTEEN, which is solely responsible for its content.

© 2009 WNET.ORG Properties LLC
All Rights Reserved

Web Credits

Producer
TANNER VEA

Production Assistance
CHIE WITT

Designer
JOY WEEENG

Pagebuilding
BRIAN SANTALONE

Technical Director
BRIAN LEE

Creative Director
NICK MILLER

Director of Digital Strategy
DAVID HIRMES

Senior Director
DANIEL B. GREENBERG

Writer
CHRISTOPHER WADE

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