Tribes, Predators, and Me Episode Rating Graph

For thousands of years, Kazakh people of western Mongolia have formed a hunting partnership with golden eagles to help them catch furs to stay warm in the freezing winters. Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan joins a family of nomads to learn about golden eagles from these experts and help them train a young eagle to hunt. Gordon has a few painful lessons learning how to train and fly his young eagle. An eagle's training starts when it is less than a year old. Kazakhs always hunt with females as they are larger and fiercer than males. Gordon works with a young eagle to prepare it for its first hunt - will they be able to learn to trust and work with each other? And will he be able to get to grips with flying her, taking into account the wind and terrain, without getting hurt in the process? Gordon spends days with his young eagle to build her trust - even letting her sleep in his tent. But it is not just the eagle he has to bond with - he has got to get to grips with carrying an eagle on horseback, as well as mucking in with daily chores. Eventually Gordon faces some of the area's top hunters in a 'lure drag' tournament. Gordon's young eagle is not a successful hunter yet, but she shows promise. Then Gordon's mentor Sailau releases his older eagle back to the wild to breed. This older eagle has been Sailau's hunting partner for eight years and it is a touching moment as he says goodbye to his companion. It is a poignant act that illustrates the respect and love these remarkable people have for an iconic predator that has been persecuted across the world.

Hyenas are loathed and feared by many people. Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan journeys across Ethiopia to find out how the people here can live so close to these powerful carnivores. Ethiopia has more hyenas than anywhere else in the world, and Gordon wants to find out why. He starts his journey in the capital, Addis Ababa. Even here on the outskirts of this massive city, spotted hyenas prowl looking for food. Local hyena expert Girum Henok takes Gordon on foot to see hyenas at night in a small patch of forest. Weighing up to 90 kilos and capable of killing lions in packs, hyenas are one of Africa's most impressive carnivores. Girum tells Gordon that hyenas are tolerated here because people believe hyenas ward off the devil.

Crocodiles are an animal we fear, and with good reason - they kill hundreds of people each year. Gordon Buchanan journeys up Papua New Guinea's remote Sepik River to meet the remarkable tribes who have learnt to live with these terrifying reptiles. Crocodile hunters invite Gordon to join them catching adult crocodiles with their bare hands, and Gordon meets a tribe who believe a giant crocodile protects them from their human enemies. Does Gordon trust the tribe enough to swim in the giant crocodile's lake?

Gordon joins a group of Bushmen in Botswana's Kalahari Desert to learn how to survive on foot among wild lions. The Ju/'hoansi Bushmen teach Gordon their ancient survival secrets, how to make fire, find honey and gather water from desert plants. He sees them hunt with poisoned arrows and track predatory lions. These big cats are a terrifying presence, but can Gordon be brave enough to help his tribal family approach them on foot to retrieve meat to feed the tribe?