Wild Return series in Andalusia

-> Nature in Andalusia and beyond

I recently had the opportunity to participate in the filming of a documentary about the Iberian lynx in the Sierra de Andújar. For ten days, our team of five people traveled through the natural park to document the life of the feline and its environment.

Wild Return Project

The project is part of the “Wild Return” series, an ambitious documentary project that explores conservation stories of endangered species around the world. Produced by Big Media, the series consists of 12 episodes of 60 minutes each, scheduled for release in 2025.

Before traveling to Spain, the crew filmed episodes about Przewalski’s horses in Mongolia, the giant otters of the Pantanal, the cranes in Hungary and the Grey Wolf in the forests of Poland and Slovakia. The snow panther will follow in the sixth and final episode of the first season.

The protagonist and director of the series is Tomáš Hulík, an experienced nature photographer who travels documenting conservation stories on expeditions. Our team consisted of Robo Bošeľa (director-director), Ratso Cyprich (cameraman), Tomáš with his super powerful telephoto lens, Lukas Zeman (camera and drone operator) and Martin Navrátil, additional presenter.

A documentary about the lynx in Sierra de Andújar

The challenge was to get enough material for a 52-minute documentary in a record time of ten days.

The Sierra de Andújar proved to be an ideal place to record. We used different techniques such as public observatories, photographic hides and camera traps. The 600 and 800 mm telephoto lenses allowed us to capture images of lynxes in the wild without disturbing them in their natural habitat.

We were able to record both classic images of Andújar’s territory and less common mammal behaviors, which will add depth and interest to the documentary. The abundance of resources and the biodiversity of the area facilitated our work. The end result will be a documentary that shows the reality of the Iberian lynx, its conservation and the impressive ecosystem of Sierra Morena.

I am happy to be part of this project, taking the reins of logistics to facilitate the field work as much as possible and to ensure a pleasant atmosphere back home. We got along very well during the whole trip, with a good mix of seriousness and good work. Of course, the first lynx sightings paved the way!

Encounters with Maria and new friendships

It has been a great experience to learn about the teamwork necessary for the development of a documentary. I have learned a lot about production and field recording. So I can be very satisfied with this service. The days were long, but well worth the effort.

The official trailer for “Wild Return” can be found on Vimeo.

The “Wild Return” series seeks to combine education and entertainment, inspiring a deeper connection with the natural world and its most vulnerable inhabitants. The episode on the Iberian lynx in Andújar promises to be a fascinating window into conservation efforts in Spain and a testament to the importance of protecting these unique habitats.

Produced by NUNEZ NFE.

Co-production BIGMEDIA (https://www.bigmedia.sk/).

In production Jarka Plicova and colleagues.