DStv keeps safaris alive with the WildEarth Channel

DStv is delighted to announce that the popular wildlife channel, WildEarth (DStv 183), will remain on the platform as a permanent channel. It was first introduced on DStv as a pop-up channel on 25 August 2020 and brings viewers face-to-face with the thrill of nature in real time. It features twice-daily live safari shows from hotspots around Africa.

WildEarth has been broadcasting live and interactive virtual safaris from some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife destinations to a very dedicated community of people around the world. The channel’s live safaris are also available on YouTube and Facebook as well as other content viewing platforms.

“We are always looking at how we can give our customers the best viewing experience as well as access to the best possible content,” says Nyiko Shiburi, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa. “We are excited to have the WildEarth channel remaining on our platform as this gives our nature-loving customers access to some of the most exclusive and riveting wildlife content. This also bolsters the channels on offer on our platform.”

Watch WildEarth now

Bringing nature to you

As we reach the end of a very difficult year, there are many people who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made it extremely difficult to get out into nature or even out of our homes. This, at a time of increased stress and concern about our health and livelihoods.

Restoring this lost connection with nature, even virtually, is scientifically proven to have a strong healing effect on people and to reduce stress and anxiety levels. An immersive nature experience has a hugely beneficial effect on our well-being.

Emily Wallington, Co-Founder and Executive Producer, explains what WildEarth is trying to achieve editorially: "WildEarth is great if you are feeling stress or anxiety. Our mission is to allow you to escape, slow down and give you the opportunity to look at the bigger picture. It’s not meant to be a high-paced television show but rather an experience in nature."

Coming up on WildEarth

There are so many fascinating stories to follow during the live safaris that are broadcast twice-daily on WildEarth. Here are a few to look out for on DStv’s newest permanent channel:

It’s the bittersweet Bambi season

December in the Lowveld is an exciting time of year. Some of the more noticeable highlights include the first summer rainstorms, the return of migratory birds such as the woodland kingfisher and the sudden arrival of hundreds of newborn impala lambs.

Within a period of about three to five weeks over December, almost 90% of all the impala lambs will be born.

At the same time, this is a bittersweet time of year. Indeed, many real-life Bambis jumping and hopping around in the bush is a heartwarming sight. But there are many predators who capitalise on the weak and inexperienced newcomers to the wild world.

From the usual suspects like leopards and African wild dogs to less likely candidates like hyenas and martial eagles, many different predator species adapt their hunting styles to make use of the many impala lambs around.

However, the impalas do have a brilliant natural solution to combating the pressure from the predators by essentially flooding the market with young. As a result, there are too many lambs running around for the predators to catch them all. About 50% of impala lambs will survive their first year because of this.

Although this is very sad, it is part of the circle of life in the wild African bush. Some solace we can take away from this situation is that due to the ingenious seasonal flood of young impalas, both the predators and the impalas somehow manage to come away from the situation flourishing.

New pups for the Rockstar Meerkat gang

Alert, agile and astute, these Rockstars are celebrities in their own right. In July, the alpha female gave birth to a new generation of meerkats in the burrow and she has just given birth again. The pups were born 43 days ago and we will see their tiny heads popping up from the den in the next few weeks.

Sadly, the celebrations do not last long in the world of the wild as danger lurks around every bolthole, especially for meerkats.

Snakes and birds of prey are always looking out for a weak meerkat to pick off. However, the Rockstars have a bitter enemy in the form of another gang of meerkats known as the Gosa Gang. They live in a burrow system 500m away and regularly come over to terrorise the Rockstars.

It will be exciting to see the new pups as they emerge from the den over the coming weeks and to see if the alpha female is able to keep them safe from all the dangers that exist in the Great Kalahari Desert.

Will Legartha the Lone Lioness find herself a pride?

The original dominant lion pride in one of the locations called Eco-Training Pridelands was named the Ngati Pride. There was a large lioness who ruled this pride. One day, new males arrived and she tried to fight them off, but they killed and ate her.

The pride stayed together and the remaining lionesses mated with the new males. However, one lioness named Legartha was disliked by the rest of the pride. She never got any food and eventually went off on her own to see if she could survive. She’s been living like a leopard for about 7/8 months now against all odds.

We are waiting to see if she can find a new pride to join or perhaps even create her own small pride. Named after the Shield Maiden who became queen in the TV series, Vikings, because she’s a strong, young independent female, we will be watching carefully over the next few months to see what happens.

Watch the live safaris twice daily on WildEarth (DStv 183)

How to watch DStv online

Get the DStv app, a free service for DStv subscribers. With the DStv app, the same channels you watch on your decoder at home are available for you to stream online at https://now.dstv.com/, or by using the DStv app on your phone.