The Burrowers: Animals Underground

Chris Packham sheds light on the magical underground world of three iconic British animals, badgers, water voles and rabbits. In one of the biggest natural history experiments ever undertaken, he investigates wild burrows to recreate full-scale replicas for the animals to live in and be observed, including the largest man-made rabbit warren of its kind ever built. This creates a window on their lives never witnessed before, from birth in winter to their emergence from the burrow in summer. How do they create their burrows? How do they breed and give birth? Observe fascinating new science and new behaviour as the team design and build a rabbit warren, a badger sett and a water vole burrow with its own riverbank.

Chris Packham reveals the underground world of badgers, water voles and rabbits. In specially created full-scale replica burrows it is spring, and baby burrowers must grow up fast, ready to take their first steps above ground. The programme reveals how baby rabbits learn to bond and looks at orphan badgers as they grow up. Will the water voles manage to produce their first litter? And how does a mole survive its solitary life almost entirely underground? In another first, the team excavate a massive abandoned rabbit warren in the wild by casting it in concrete.

Chris Packham sheds light on the magical underground world of three iconic British creatures - badgers, water voles and rabbits, in one of the biggest natural history experiments ever undertaken. In specially created full-scale replica burrows, it's summer. All the burrowers face a new challenge - they must leave their home and learn to survive outside. Will the orphan badger cubs be independent enough to survive in the wild? How will the young water voles cope on their own - just 3 weeks after they were born? The rabbit warren is full to bursting and, never seen before, two female rabbits are sharing a nest with 17 baby rabbits. How do the rabbits use hierarchy to create order? And for the first time, Chris and his team of experts use 3D mapping to reveal how a wild rabbit warren expands and evolves over time.