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A View Through a Lens

Factual: Science & Nature

Wildlife cameraman John Aitchison on human experience and the beauty of nature

Wildlife cameraman John Aitchison combines location recordings with personal narratives which highlight the uniqueness of human experience and the beauty of nature

A View Through a Lens: Series 2

A View Through a Lens: Series 2: Episode 3

Episode 3

Series 2

BBC Radio 4 - A View Through a Lens, Series 2, Episode 3

Wildlife cameraman John Aitchison travels to India to film tigers hunting.

Wildlife cameraman John Aitchison highlights the beauty of nature. It's April, and John travels to India to film tigers hunting.

Wildlife cameraman John Aitchison often finds himself in isolated and even dangerous locations across the globe filming wildlife, and in this series he reflects on the uniqueness of human experience, the beauty of nature, the fragility of life and the connections which unite society and nature across the globe.  

3/5. Tigers.  It's April, and John flies to India to film tigers hunting for the BBC Natural History television series, LIFE. Many foreigners avoid this time of year because of the heat - but that's why John and his colleagues are here - it's the best time for seeing tigers. 
Searching for tigers in a tangled Indian forest is hard work on the eyes - and John knows he must also use his ears - and listen to the sounds around him, trying to use the alarm calls of other animals to lead him to the tiger.  
In the dawn chorus one bird sings louder than the others 'brain fe-ver, brain fe-ver', it seems to be saying, putting John on edge. He knows the task ahead is almost impossible. 
He draws parallels with the Jungle Book and Kipling's stories. The peacock, spotted deer and langur monkeys warn each other and John if a tiger approaches. A mahout and his elephant prove invaluable, but when John finally comes close to tiger, in a remarkable encounter, he realizes that this animal - one of just 1400 which are left in the wild in India, has paid a high price for survival in the forest.

Presented by John Aitchison
Produced by Sarah Blunt.

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