Hunter and Hunted

Mar 10, 2005

An English tourist vanishes while sunbathing on Fraser Island, Australia. A month later, dingoes attack two boys, killing one of them. What is happening on this island down under?

Jun 3, 2005

In parts of Florida, alligators are surging from waterways and ambushing people. Join our team of biologists, trauma physicians, and detectives as they investigate this disturbing outbreak of violence and explore details of alligator behavior.

Jul 28, 2005

In India, Bengal tigers stalk men in forest and spring upon fishermen as they ride the rivers. One tiger even has a target inside one of the local villages. Why are these wild tigers killing human beings?

Oct 13, 2005

On Alaska's Kodiak Island, hunters and tourists are suddenly faced with what seem to be unusually aggressive bears.

Oct 20, 2005

Examining attacks by great white sharks on humans in waters near South Africa.

Jan 20, 2006

Exploring reasons why a single lion preyed on humans along the Rufiji River in southern Tanzania, killing 49 people between 2000 and 2002. During the killing spree he was dubbed “Osama.”

Jan 20, 2006

In Ecuador's remote Amazonian village of Jatun Molino, something is mysteriously attacking and killing people. Within one month, two adults and five children are dead. The two victims that make it to the hospital are found to have rabies. The analysis indicates that it is the type of rabies comes from vampire bats. Vampire bats are known to feed on livestock when jungle prey is scarce. Why would the shy nocturnal creatures suddenly be targeting human beings? An international team probes further into the tragedy that grips the Quichua community. A comparison to similar cases other South American countries provides possible reasons why vampires would be forced to turn their thirsty attention to people.

Jan 29, 2006

An enormous saltwater crocodile attacks a group of tourists in the Australian outback. Why were these people swimming at night in croc-inhabited waters? Eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence yield disturbing answers

Jul 2, 2006

In a remote area of South Africa, a male baboon steals a baby from its bed. Why did this baboon take the child? Is this incident connected to the increasing conflicts between baboons and tourists in Cape Town?

Jul 24, 2006

Aug 6, 2006

Enters dolphins' complex world of sexual aggression and social hierarchy to find out what causes these seemingly harmless animals to attack.

Sep 10, 2006

A rash of black bear attacks one Canadian summer has experts looking for answers. Through eyewitness accounts and detailed analysis of the attack scenes, we begin to piece together the puzzle. A bad berry crop the year after a drought is stressing the animals' food supply a spring hunting moratorium several years in a row has led to a surge in the number of young bruins an especially warm summer brings more people into bear country than ever before . But our investigation suggests a much more disturbing reason behind these attacksCould it be that some black bears have learned to see humans as prey?

Sep 10, 2006

Recife, Brazil, has miles of sandy beach, inviting waves, and the most shark attacks in the world. Investigators try to find out which ancient predator is the culprit, why the attacks began so suddenly, and what can be done to stop them.

Nov 19, 2006

In the heart of southern Africa lies the Okavango Delta, filled with lush vegetation and home to many of Africa's spectacular big game animals. The beauty of the Delta draws visitors like Bruce and Janice Simpson who have chosen this exotic location for their honeymoon. But in the blink of an eye, their amazing experience takes a horrific turn when their canoe is attacked by a fierce and deadly foe. Why has this place, normally tranquil and beautiful, become the setting for this horrible encounter? What has attacked them, and will it attack again?

Jan 8, 2007

On a cool July morning, in Tanzania's lush savannah, Bob Fontana shoulders his hunting rifle suddenly 2000 pounds of brute force bursts out of a nearby bush and tramples the man - its horns piercing the hunter's crumpled body. The culprit is legendary throughout Africa: The cape buffalo . But what has caused this normally placid grazer to attack a human? Chillingly, Fontana is not alone attacks by cape buffalo are occurring throughout the Dark Continent. But why?

Jan 26, 2007

Cougar attacks on humans happen more often on Canada's Vancouver Island than anywhere else. What is making the cougars here so dangerous? Experts investigate six attacks, including one on a four-year-old girl.

Feb 20, 2007

The American alligator is an efficient and opportunistic hunter, but seldom preys on humans. So when alligators attack three women in three different parts of Florida in one week, experts want to know why the hunter became the hunted.

Aug 20, 2007

Naturalist Vitaly Nikolaenko worked in close proximity to brown bears for 30 years -- until one viciously killed him. Could it have been a shortage of food or did Vitaly?s own actions spark the attack? NGC sheds light on what actually happened.

On a typical morning outside Komodo Village in eastern Indonesia, a young boy finds himself in a fight for his life with a famous and deadly foe. Komodo Dragons are the largest lizards in the world, growing over nine feet long. They are famed scavengers, able to find carrion as far as seven miles away, and, contrary to what scientists initially thought, the massive lizards are also fearsome predators. An international team of experts investigates the attack, and attempts to determine why humans have seemingly become the hunted.

Sep 1, 2007

Russia's Far East is famous for its long and brutal winters, and the undisputed king of this frozen domain is the Siberian Tiger. Hunted almost to extinction, there are now only 500 of these elusive cats left in the wild , and they are spread out across almost 70,000 miles of wilderness . Incredibly stealthy with a killer camouflage, these tigers are rarely seen. But when a researcher is suddenly attacked in the vast frozen forest, Investigators are left scratching their heads. As the researcher battles for his life, our investigators analyze a rash of similar attacks in the area. What they discover only adds to the mystery. What is causing these normally elusive cats to come out of hiding and attack humans? And is the real predator the tiger or the man?

Jan 12, 2008

In West Africa's Sierra Leone, a chimp charges a touring car, breaks a window and bites one of the passengers. What provoked such violent aggression?

In South Africa, rhinos attack a group of tourists for no apparent reason. Are tourists unwittingly provoking these normally shy animals? If so, how?

Two talented snake handlers are bitten by cobras. The astounding story of how they were bitten -- and their struggles to survive -- unfolds in a tragic tale involving cobras, cameras, and contrasting cultures.

On Norway's Arctic island of Spitsbergen, less than a mile from a remote but busy town, two coeds hike under the midnight sun. But the dreamy, summer day turns into a nightmare when an enormous, white blur suddenly knocks one woman down, savaging here with it's enormous teeth and claws. Then, abruptly, the 600 - pound polar bear turns upon the second girl Critically injured, the first victim leaps from the sheer cliff face to avoid the ultimate fate of her companion -- and survives. Two other striking attacks lead investigators down a stunning trail of leads, where they discover the factors that reveal the cause of the animal's disturbing behavior. In each case, one small error that might have been ignored by healthy, calm and normal male bears might have been the catalyst for death. If we happen to meet these perfect hunters in their own kingdom, we must respect their complex, sensory world --or accept the risk of being the hunted.