In The Wild (1992)

Cheetahs with Holly Hunter (1997x1)

Air date: Aug 04, 1997

Swift, graceful, yet fragile, the cheetah has always been a source of fascination for Oscar-winning actress Holly Hunter. A quest to see cheetahs in the wild takes her to Namibia, home to a quarter of the world population. At Etosha National Park she sees the first sign of the world’s fastest animal: cheetah paw prints in the sand. Hunter travels by plane, train, Land Rover and on foot in order to understand the cheetah’s world. "I’ve seen a picture of a cheetah…and in the picture you get this feeling of contained energy…everything about this animal is alive. That’s what I want to see." Joining an air search for radio-collared cheetahs, she catches a fleeting glimpse of three males on a kill. Holly then meets up with Cheetah Conservation director Laurie Marker Kraus, trying to release a male cheetah found in a farmer’s trap. In South Africa she finally gets to see these cats in the wild. After a night under the stars she is on hand when three cheetahs chase and bring down their prey. About to leave for home, Hunter learns that Kraus has found a place to release the wild male from the trap, and she arrives just in time to help the caged cheetah run free.