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One of nature’s most spectacular events, “Running with the Beest” on NATURE – Oct. 19 at 8 pm


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Witness the Largest Mass Migration on the Planet in Nature’s Season 41 Premiere, Running with the Beest

Wednesday, October 19 at 8 pm on PBS

Maasai guides highlight the problems – and solutions – facing millions of wildlife on their yearly migration

 

The Great Migration in East Africa is a spectacle that can be seen from space. More than one million wildebeest, alongside zebra, gazelle and elands, journey in a quest to find fresh grass. Witness this annual phenomenon in Nature: Running with the Beest, premiering Wednesday, October 19 at 8 p.m. on PBS, pbs.org/nature, YouTube and the PBS Video app.

Female lion and her cub. Maasai Mara, Kenya.
Female lion and her cub. Maasai Mara, Kenya.

The documentary, which kicks off Nature’s 41st season on PBS, follows two Maasai guides, Derrick Nabaala and Evalyn Sintoya, who have spent the last 10 years tracking the wildebeest as they migrate through Kenya’s Mara ecosystem. However, climate change, tourism and modern-day conflicts are threatening the delicate balance between the environment and wildlife. The Great Migration is part of the Maasai’s cultural heritage, and Nabaala and Sintoya share new ideas for co-existence in a changing world.

“Wildebeest are a keystone species that support the entire ecosystem around them,” said Fred Kaufman, executive producer for Nature. “Their conservation is critical to the survival of the natural landscape of East Africa. Our hope with this film is to shed light on the issues facing the Great Migration and spotlight possible solutions.”

Since 1982, Nature has pioneered a television genre that is now widely emulated in the broadcast industry, bringing the natural world to millions of viewers. The series has won more than 700 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film communities and environmental organizations, including 20 Emmys and three Peabodys. Consistently among the most-watched primetime series on PBS, Nature continues to innovate through original digital programming, such as the Webby Award nominated podcast Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and digital series Animal IQ and Crash Course: Zoology. Nature’s award-winning website, pbs.org/nature, features full episodes, short films, digital series, behind-the-scenes content, news articles, educational resources and more.