Described by many as, "the definitive look at the diversity of our planet," the Planet Earth series from BBC is a true masterpiece in every sense of the word. I have recently finished making my way through this captivating series; the scope and cinematography, from the most minute to splendid grandeur, is as compelling as anything I've seen on the screen. Narrated by Sir Dacid Attenborough, it was five years in the making, and spans 62 different countries, taking in every major earth habitat and the species that inhabit them, from the deepest Pacific to the highest Himalaya, the densest Amazonian rainforest to the driest of deserts; this is truly a feast for the senses.
Particularly captivating was the story of the snow leopard. Many were familiarized with the name from Peter Mattheisson's classic book of the same title, where he and biologist George Shaller trekked into the deepest Himalaya to study the rare and elusive big cat. For the first time in history, Planet Earth filmed a snow leopard in full hunt, hurtling down the rugged cliffs of Pakistan in persuit of prey; this footage alone took more than a year of patient waiting to capture, and is the first up close footage of the animals in the wild. The scene was chilling in its beauty and raw energy, as is most of the series.
