Europe's New Wild

The Danube is the largest preserved wetland on the continent, a sanctuary for thousands of species - many are the last of their kind. Conservationists are working to preserve and restore these precious habitats before it’s too late.

With dikes removed, nature came back to life on Ermakov Island. With nature taking control, plants returned, fish and birds followed in huge numbers, and insects started to flourish.

Made up of more than 18,500 birds, this pelican mega-colony is the Danube Delta’s largest. The Delta offers more than fish; it also provides the pelicans a pristine habitat.

Meet the fen raft spider. It can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes but surfaces when it’s time to hunt. It uses surface tension of the water to pick up vibrations to catch its dinner.

Reindeer have been using frozen rivers as a pass way for thousands of years. However, many of these waterways have been impacted by man, making them extremely dangerous now.

Feeling the strong pull of migration, a mother leaves her born-too-soon baby behind. Near impossible to survive on its own in the wild, the newborn is given a second chance.

Sami reindeer herders and modern conservationists are teaming up in a bid to save one of Europe’s wildest frontiers. Through ice and snow, the link between man and wild is being reforged.

The Arctic fox's brilliant white fur has made it a target for hunters. As a result, the arctic fox population plummeted to as few as 50. Today, there’s hope for the arctic fox.

Two Eurasian lynx cubs are closely watched by their mother as they grow and play.

Rarer than the white rhino, there are now around 7,000 wild and captive European bison. After their numbers dwindled, 12 were carefully bred in order to keep the gene line going.

The wild boar will eat almost anything, even tree bark. It’s one of the reasons they are widely spread and abundant throughout Europe.

In Europe’s Carpathian mountains, the introduction of bison is helping numerous other species to thrive, while just beyond this mountainous region, gray wolves are staging an astonishing return.