DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S ALL-NEW MYSTERY OF THE LOST ISLANDS UNRAVELS NATURE’S BIGGEST ENIGMAS
— Wildlife Expert and Adventurer Dave Salmoni Investigates the World’s Most Mysterious and Remote Islands to Unveil Secrets of the Planet’s Most Extraordinary Predators —
In the all-new original series, MYSTERY OF THE LOST ISLANDS, renowned zoologist and large predator expert Dave Salmoni sets out to the wildest islands to crack the last big secrets surrounding the world’s most successful natural-born killers. How and why have they been so spectacularly successful at surviving — despite the harshest of conditions? Heart-stopping adventure united with the striking imagery of the hidden beauty of the untamed islands of Rangiroa, Falklands, Admiralty, Fernandina and Coiba — MYSTERY OF THE LOST ISLANDS pits Dave against the terrifying unknown and documents him getting up close with vampire bats, hammerhead sharks, killer whales and grizzly bears. MYSTERY OF THE LOST ISLANDS premieres on Tuesday, May 27 at 9:00 p.m. (2100 hrs) SIN/HK.
In a unique approach that blends the splendour of a natural history documentary series with an incredible investigative twist, the six-part series puts Dave’s skills and survival to the test, as he attempts to illuminate the intricate inner workings of nature’s fiercest creatures. And it is only by venturing closer than most would dare will we be able to solve the MYSTERY OF THE LOST ISLANDS:
Episode 1 – Rangiroa, “Shark Island”
The adventure begins on the South Pacific island of Rangiroa – a secluded site with a frightening reputation as the shark capitol of world and home to thousands of deadly sharks. Blacktip reef sharks, tiger sharks, silvertips, grey reef sharks and great hammerheads; these top predators are normally found in small numbers, but here in the middle of an ocean often described as a marine desert, they seem to congregate in incredible numbers. How can one island support so many large sharks? What is drawing them here? In the process, Dave has some truly close encounters with these marine predators.
Episode 2 – Falklands, “Killer Whale Island”
Dave travels to a remote speck of land in the wild and stormy South Atlantic. Each year, thousands of elephant seals, sea lions and penguins flock to the Falklands to breed. But they are pursued by the ocean’s greatest predator, the killer whales, who lay siege to the island. With the island fortress quickly becoming a prison, it becomes a gamble between life and death for the seals – one that, up until recently, they had survived through their sheer numbers. But lately, they have been disappearing at greater rates than normal. What else could be out there preying on them? Dave is determined to find out.
Episode 3 – Admiralty, “Grizzly Island”
Dave journeys to a harsh, mountainous island off the coast of Alaska in the Northeast Pacific –home to the greatest concentration of grizzly bears on the planet. The grizzlies could easily ‘escape’ the island for more fertile pickings on the mainland – but choose not to. Dave sets out to find out how Admiralty can support so many of these huge bears, and in the process, is cornered by grizzlies, trapped inside his tent and amazed by what he sees on his camera traps.
Episode 4 – Fernandina, “Volcano Island”
Dave ventures to Fernandina island – a completely protected, uninhabited and actively volcanic island in the legendary Galapagos Archipelago. To access the island, Dave and the crew have to go through a rigorous quarantine process, all to track down some of the weirdest and toughest animals on the planet to find out how they survive in this hell on earth. Dave’s mission takes him into freezing waters with rare marine iguanas and flightless cormorants, before witnessing lightning-fast snakes on the hunt, which in turn are being hunted by eagles. In this do-or-die island, life is always on a knife’s edge – and without permission to camp overnight, Dave is in a race against the clock each day to uncover its secrets.
Episode 5 – Coiba, “Devil’s Island”
Unspoiled and unexplored Coiba is a shining green jewel off the coast of Panama – rich in trees, rare animals and flora – but it is remained largely ignored by the locals and has never been plundered, settled or poached. But why? In perhaps his darkest mission yet, Dave journeys into the heart of Coiba in an attempt to uncover the secret behind stories of ghosts, torture, vampires and death that seem to haunt the island.
Episode 6 – Making Of (Deadliest Moments)
In this episode, Dave reveals the extreme lengths to which he and his wildlife teams went to produce the series. They battled through many hardships, terrible weather and dangerous animal encounters – not to mention broken equipment and exhaustion. But somehow, despite the trials of the year-long filming schedule, Dave manages to retain his unique sense of humour, and passion for the animals and islands he is privileged to witness firsthand.
MYSTERY OF THE LOST ISLANDS encores every Friday at 11.00 p.m. (2300 hrs), Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (2000 hrs) and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. (1100 hrs).
About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel, the flagship network of Discovery Communications, is devoted to creating the highest quality non-fiction programming in the world and remains one of the most dynamic networks on television. First launched in 1985, Discovery Channel now reaches 194 million subscribers in Asia-Pacific. Globally, Discovery Channel is one of the world’s most widely distributed television brands, reaching 438 million subscribers in 224 countries in 45 languages.
