New Irish Doc BROKEN TAIL to Air on Prime Time UK and US TV
The Irish documentary BROKEN TAIL will broadcast on prime time BBC and PBS television over the next week, featuring in the world's most prestigious natural history TV strands in the UK and US.
Two years in the making, the Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board (IFB) and RTE funded documentary Broken Tail chronicles the story of Irish wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford Johnson on the trail of a tiger cub, ‘Broken Tail'.
The documentary captures a unique story of an animal on the verge of annihilation. In a country experiencing rapid change it highlights the level of protection required and the urgency of focusing attention on the fate of the world's most charismatic animals, before it is too late.
Broken Tail was a young cub born in Ranthambhore National Park. His mother, Maachli is one of the most famous tigers in India and received a 'lifetime achievement award' in 2009 for her contribution to the local economy around Ranthambhore.
In a major breakthrough for an Irish documentary company, the film features prime time in the same week on the BBC's ‘Natural World' series and coast-to-coast across the US on PBS - Public Broadcasting Service.
See 'A Tiger Called Broken Tail' on BBC 2, the Natural World on February 15th 2011 at 7pm; and on PBS USA on February 20th 2011. Broken Tail was produced by Wicklow-based film production company Crossing the Line and was developed and produced with the support of the IFB and RTÉ.
ABOUT BROKEN TAIL
Irish Cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson spent almost 600 days filming Broken Tail & his family for some of the finest tiger documentaries ever made. Broken Tail was the most charismatic tiger cub he'd ever seen in Ranthambhore, posing for Colin's camera through the first years of his life. But then without warning, Broken Tail disappeared. He abandoned his sanctuary and went on the run, disappearing into a heavily populated rural India for almost a year. He was barely three years old.
Why did this young tiger leave Ranthambhore National Park, supposedly one of India's best-protected tiger reserves? How could he have survived in rural India outside the nature reserve? On a spectacular odyssey across Rajasthan, Colin travels by horseback retracing Broken Tail's last journey, gathering clues as to his route and behaviour, exploring why he abandoned his home and above all - revealing important truths about India's last wild tigers.
This is the remarkable true story of a tiger that ‘vanished' - presumed dead - only to re-appear a year later after a seemingly impossible journey across modern India.