The rarest animals, boxer shorts, and cosplaying Dune: 6 secrets from the stars of new Apple TV+ nature doc, The Wild Ones

Three men, multiple countries, and one mission: to save six endangered species. Sounds pretty epic right? It’s also our version of the tagline for the new Apple TV+ show, The Wild Ones.

You may be expecting an Attenborough-style, National Geographic-esque documentary that shows breathtaking views, and incredible close-ups of rarely-seen species — and you wouldn’t be wrong. But what you’ll also get is a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create a show like this.

• The best Apple TV+ shows you really need to be streaming

If you’ve always half wondered if in another life you could have been a wildlife photographer, explorer, or all-round planet-saving action-man, then this documentary will give you a taste of what could have been.

The Wild Ones — Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - YouTube

Watch On

Led by former Royal Marines Commando and expedition lead Aldo Kane, camera trap and survival expert Declan Burley, and ecological storyteller and wildlife cinematographer Vianet Djenguet, The Wild Ones is our latest nature-doc obsession. We chatted to Aldo and Declan about the two-year filming process, exploring some of the most treacherous environments on Earth, and their advice for getting eco-friendly at home.

1. The scariest thing in the jungle isn’t the animals, it’s the weather

The series covers animal kingdom a-listers including tigers, bears, rhinos, whales, leopards, and gorillas, getting up close and personal with nature's biggest names. The team also trekked and roughed it in some of the scariest and toughest parts of the world. So you would be forgiven for thinking that the guys' scariest moment from filming would be some kind of encounter with an apex predator, but no.

"The scariest moment for me has to be when the tree fell," cameraman Declan revealed.

“When you’re in the forest, you’re seeing all sorts of animals - I loved seeing the tigers up close (even though some people would think that was crazy). But the wind, the trees, the storms, that’s way scarier.

"When a tree falls in front of you, not five feet from where you’re sleeping, it's mad. I felt sick, because if it fell on me I would have been dead. On any shoot I’ve ever done, that’s my scariest moment."

Really puts freaking out over a bee, or dodging a London bus with a death-wish hate for pedestrians into perspective.

“People will watch it and think the environment is dangerous, you know, putting yourself in with the tigers or elephant, tracking these animals," Aldo agreed.

"But really the environment — these were some of the most remote corners of the planet — is the scary part. It’s all the other things that go with [the animals] — the foot & crotch rot, the heat, malaria...waking up to Declan's boxers drying out on the tent line."

2. They’re locals at the London Centre for Tropical Diseases

There are few things that give you a thrill quite like being a named regular at your local. A coffee shop is good, the pub even better. But the guys behind The Wild Ones may have one that's unique to them.

“I’m a local down at the London Tropical Diseases Centre," Dec confessed. "I've had my fair share of jungle boogies as I call them — wake up and they're crawling all over me."

Quite literally comes with the territory, we guess?

3. Filming the leopards was their favourite moment (if they had to choose)

For most of us, picking our favourite photo shot is easy, a toss up between the one of you in the pub looking great whilst candid, or a sweet group shot with your mates in some idyllic location. Similarly, picking a favourite animal is more hypothetical, based on YouTube clips and a vague memory from a zoo a couple of decades ago.

For The Wild Ones team though, it's a slightly tougher decision, and picking a singular favourite shot or animal was almost impossible.

"It wasn’t my favourite, but definitely setting up and getting the shot of the leopards with Alec and Aldo was incredible,” Dec reminisced.

“Because Alec had spent his entire life roaming those hills and protecting them, and he’d still never seen a shot like ours. You know, his cameras are much lower-res so being able to get that shot for him and share that moment with him was amazing.”

From the sounds of it, it was difficult to pick a favourite moment because most of the shots they got were the first of their kind.

“Every single shot we got of these animals is the first or one of a very few handful of shots that’s ever been seen of them. Even more special and sad is that these could be the last things we see of them if people don’t work to conserve the animals," Aldo revealed.

4. There's definitely more to come

The Wild Ones team covered some pretty cool animals in the series, collecting some of the first ever footage of Gobi Bears, Malayan tigers, and Javan rhinoceroses. But covering six species in six episodes meant there was also a lot they didn't get to cover. What would be at the top of their list?

“The list is sort of endless,” Dec reflected. “There are so many stories to be told, so many heroes who have devoted their lives to saving species or environments that need that spotlight."

“You can literally throw a dart on a map and there will be an animal there that’s critically endangered," Aldo agreed.

5. It's as much a call to action as a call to sit down and watch TV

Most people's first introduction to nature docs was a small square TV rolled into a classroom whilst a bored-looking supply teacher told them to shush. At best, it sparked a lifelong, potentially career-defining interest in geography, conservation, and zoology; at worst, it usually made the hour-long lesson pass quickly, with a newfound respect for Attenborough.

But for The Wild Ones, it's not about showing the animals and educating people, it's a call to action to help conservation efforts.

"A lot of people might not know where to get started [with helping out], but there are so many organisations around the world." Declan shared.

"Boots on the ground," Aldo agreed, "That’s what we need. There are so many organisations screaming out for volunteers in beautiful parts of the world. So when you take time off for a holiday, why not go and help out a ranger, or an anti-poaching team? You can literally choose from any continent on Earth and help out."

6. Getting started in conservation is easier than you think

Ultimately, The Wild Ones crew don't want you to just admire them — they want you to join them. Trust us, it's easy to watch the show and get a full-blown crush on these guys — their work, their mindset, and their willpower is frankly staggering. Almost to the point where it's intimidating, creating a mocking chorus of "that could never be me" rolling around your brain. But that's the last thing they want.

"Just take action," Declan urged. "Do what you can. If you can go away [and help out] then do it, if you can’t then start small. Start at home with little actions: bird feeders, making a hole in the fence for hedgehogs, driving slower at night."

It's hard not to be inspired when you hear them talking. Even if putting out a bird-feeder feels pretty far removed from setting up a motion-activated-camera in the Gobi Desert to understand a tiger's hunting behaviour. But if anyone is qualified to decide which actions count, it's these guys.

"We’re here with the animals. We are as wild as they are," urges Declan. "We need to remember that."

You can watch The Wild Ones on Apple TV+ from 11th July.

• Love getting the inside scoop? Danny Boyle chatted about the next 28 Years Later sequel, Cillian Murphy’s return — and THAT shocking pregnancy