The Wild Ones review: New nature doc is a call to action to save six endangered species

The savages
Apple TV +

The savagesThe latest documentary of the nature of Apple TV +, is an initiate trip drawing the work of three experts – and it is a series that rewards attentive observation.

The opening narration stresses that nature is in crisis: some 150 species are lost every day with millions of others threatened. The mission here is to “find, record and protect” six of the most threatened, not only by opening the eyes of the world to the animals concerned, but also by speaking to local officials to save them from extinction.

We follow Declan Burley, specialist in the camera trap, wildlife cameraman Vianet Djenguet and Aldo Kane expedition chief while traveling around the world, fighting to capture images and videos of some of the rarest creatures of the earth.

In the first of the six episodes, we travel with them in the Malaysian jungle in search of a very rare tiger. In the later episodes, we go to the Gobi desert desert of Mongolia to find Gobi’s bear, Indonesia to find Javan rhinoceros, Gabon for gorillas, Armenia to seek the Caucasian leopard and the North Atlantic for one of the three species of right whale, Eubalaena glacialis.

The show uses advanced technology, such as drones and thermal and night cameras, to obtain superb images of animals and their habitats. Traveling deeply in the Malaysian tropical forest – a place so far away that more people have gone to the moon that we know that we have visited it – and 800 kilometers in the center of the Gobi desert means that The savages reveals parts of the world never seen on the screen.

It only really works if Burley, Djenguet and Kane have emotional resonance so that viewers care about animals and keep them invested. Fortunately, they do it. Whenever the group sees a lame leopard, a whale caught so closely in the fishing nets that it cannot eat, or we learn that there are so few Javan rhinoceros, it has been reduced to inseanguinity, it is impossible not to feel at the broken heart.

A particularly low moment arrives deeply in the jungle of Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia, when Burley examines the images of one of his tiny hidden devices. At first, he is delighted to learn that they have photos of the elusive Malaysian tiger and in critical danger of being, but his joy soon turns into despair when he sees that one of the animal’s feet was cut by a trap of a poacher.

Back at the camp, Burley shows the video in Djenguet and Kane. Burley is so linked to animals that he just can’t help but become emotional, while a local expert explains that the image of the injured tiger is so powerful that it is likely to make people across the world. The trio knows that this is the reason why they are there, but that does not hurt them.

It is television, however, so the length of each episode means that, despite the very real emotion, The savages Can drag in places, while forced jokes between its protagonists and occasional over-dramatization pieces, such as the equipment locked in a so-called waterproof box, feel artificial and sometimes reduce the impact of the show.

Fortunately, with each passing episode, Burley, Djenguet and Kane become more comfortable on the screen, and even if they do not have the charisma and the presence to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, watch them do their work impeccably will catch unconditional fans of the genre.

The program is a rarity among nature documentaries because it offers an intimate and meticulous overview of the ability to deal with emotional disorders, physical endurance and pure patience to make such shows. Literally, dozens of cameras are located in dangerous places, sometimes miles. They must be checked several times to ensure that any specific place is, in fact, where animals spend their time. And even when the team members are preparing at home, they have to come back months later to collect the images.

In the end, the dedication and ingenuity that the three use to capture only a few seconds of sequences of these endangered animals is what makes The savages worth watching. Especially when the results are so majestic and, hopefully, will play a vital role to maintain these species alive. This is a call for comforting action.

Gregory Wakeman is a writer based in Los Angeles

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