The diminutive rusty-spotted cat is so small that it can sit in the palm of the hand and weighs little more than a bag of sugar. What the elusive wild kitty lacks in stature it makes up for with cuteness and incredible sense of adventure.
Delighted wildlife filmmakers are flagging the shots being aired in episode one of the primetime natural history series as some of the “most intimate images” ever filmed of a species rarely seen by human eye.
The BBC’s crew teamed up with conservationists in Sri Lanka to find a young male on the point of going it alone in the world for the first time at a remote rainforest sanctuary.
Up close and personal scenes show the wide-eyed cat, looking all the world like a tabby kitten, padding his way across the jungle floor, passing fallen leaves that almost cover his body.
Forever daring and intrepid, the youngster is not fazed when it reaches a stream, bravely swimming across and, unlike the average moggie, showing no signs of an aversion to water.
Camera operator Ian Llwellyn says: “Rusty-spotted cats are a beautiful, yet elusive mammal. Filming them was incredibly challenging both technically and logistically. As the smallest of the cat family, rusty-spotted cats are quick and unbelievably nimble; two factors that make them very hard to capture on film. Coupled with intermittent monsoon deluges, the deep shade of the rainforest canopy and lots of leeches, it made for a very interesting shoot.
“However, with typical BBC Natural History Unit dogged determination we managed to film a sequence which I very much hope will shine at least some light on these incredible cats.”
Illuminating the world’s cats great and small has been a two-year challenge for the wildlife documentary makers who excelled last year with the superlative Blue Planet 2 series.
Filming felines, famed for their power, cunning and mysterious behaviour, has been a challenge as teams travelled to 14 different countries, tracking down 31 of the known 40 species of felid, a feat no previous crew has ever achieved.
Besides scenes of lions, tigers, snow leopards and cheetahs shot with the latest camera technology, Big Cats also delves into the world of such little studied species as Pallas’s cat from Mongolia. A spokesperson for the show says: “If you think you know cats, you’re in for a surprise: there’s far more to this charismatic and misunderstood family than just being the world’s top predators.
“Cats have their tender side – they are emotional and intelligent – in this landmark three-part series we uncover their social side, their complex communication, devoted parental care, courtship, and reveal how cats survive and thrive in all four corners of the globe. “From the frozen north to the oldest and driest deserts, from the most remote, unexplored landscapes to the very heart of our modern world.
“Big Cats is the ultimate, definitive celebration of the entire cat family. The planet’s top predators and everyone’s favourite animals, as you’ve never seen them before.”
Express.co.uk
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