ZDF Studios has announced the acquisition of worldwide distribution rights (excluding Canada) for the compelling wildlife documentary Cheetah Fast & Wild.
Produced by Fast Cat Films for CBC, the one-hour film tells a groundbreaking conservation success story, focusing on a pioneering program in South Africa that trains captive-reared cheetahs to become wild hunters. The narrative follows two orphaned sisters, Lilly and Iris, who were raised in captivity for 19 months after their mother was killed by lions. Their journey to freedom challenges the long-standing scientific consensus that captive-raised cheetahs lack the necessary instincts to survive and hunt in the wild.
Beyond the emotional journey of the two sisters, the documentary provides surprising insights into the species’ adaptability, showcasing them hunting in unconventional habitats like forests and steep mountainsides. This project offers a rare message of hope in the face of dwindling global populations; while cheetah numbers have plummeted from 100,000 a century ago to just 6,700 today, South Africa remains the only country where their numbers are actually increasing.
Directed and filmed by Joe Kennedy, Cheetah Fast & Wild highlights how innovative wilding programs are successfully reintroducing these predators into natural ecosystems to ensure their genetic diversity and future survival.
