“Resilient and elusive, the Brown Hyena lives in one of the harshest habitats known on earth and this documentary lets you encounter these fascinating, hardy scavengers, as they have never been seen before”

Glyn Maude follows a family of rare Brown Hyenas in Botswana's desolate salt pans of the Makgadikgadi. He has collared Bom, a young male who he monitors closely and who introduces him to the family den.

With summer temperatures in excess of 50ºC - and surrounded by 12,000 square kilometres of bare, white, alkaline mud - Bom's mother, Venus, has to establish a territory, bring up her cubs and endure the extremes of a relentless, vicious winter to a hot, generous summer.

Coping for months on end without even a drop of fresh water, the hyena is superbly designed for its environment. Shy, solitary and almost completely nocturnal, brown hyenas cope perfectly well with the heat and the salt, but can it overcome man’s brutality?

It's a remarkable story of a brown hyena family's ability to thrive in a desolate environment, and a dedicated researcher's adventures in documenting the hyenas and the wildlife around him.

While never losing sight of the importance of the research that is being done, Ghosts of the Great Salt Lakes will bring the viewer into the lives of this envisioned young man, and his relationship with the dangers and beauty of the hostile, but unforgettable Makgadikgadi.

This DVD is accompanied by a beautifully illustrated 24-page hardback reference book. Watch the close-up wildlife film and at the same time read the book to learn about habitats, diet, life cycle and more. The book is packed with intriguing facts, illustrations, photography and a 'Test your knowledge' quiz.

Narrated by Peter Terry
Produced by Peter & Stefania Lamberti for Aquavision (2001)
As seen on the National Geographic Channel.

 To watch a pre-view of this DVD please visit YouTube or watch it at the bottom of this page