THIRTEEN's Nature Highlights New Wildlife Behavior and Rescue Stories in Season 39, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Beginning October 21 on PBS

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- THIRTEEN's Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning series Nature premieres new episodes Wednesdays at 8 p.m. beginning October 21 on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app. Season 39 starts with Pandas: Born to be Wild, which follows two Chinese cinematographers as they trek through the steep trails of the Qinling Mountains to catch a glimpse of wild pandas and learn more about startling new behaviors of one of the world's most endangered animals.

From Australia to Africa to the Alps, Nature's 39^th season travels the globe to film never-before-seen animal behavior alongside crucial conservation stories of at-risk species. Experience from your screen the wildlife across the globe, from pumas in the Patagonian Andes, to sharks around the volcanoes of Hawaii, to ibexes in the European Alps. Witness the grueling, emotional volunteer efforts to rescue wildlife survivors from Australia's devastating bushfires earlier this year. A three-part series on the primate family delves deeper into lesser-known species, such as the slow loris and the tarsier, than ever before. Nature gets in the holiday spirit with a trip to Lapland, a region in northern Finland, the fabled land of Santa Claus and actual home of reindeer, wolverines, bears and more.

New Nature Season 39 documentaries include:

Nature: Pandas: Born to be Wild (Season 39 premiere)
Premieres Wednesday, October 21 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Unlock the mysteries of wild pandas whose counterparts in captivity are known for their gentle image. Journey through the steep Qinling Mountains with filmmakers, scientists and rangers to witness pandas' startling courtship and aggressive behavior.

Nature: Australian Bushfire Rescue
Premieres Wednesday, October 28 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Meet the people rescuing and caring for the animal survivors of Australia's devastating bushfires. Iconic species such as koalas, kangaroos and wombats face a series of hurdles to recover from their trauma. The film is a follow-up to a series of digital shorts produced by Nature that captured the immediate aftermath of the fires and relief efforts.

Nature: Primates (three-part miniseries)
Premieres Wednesdays, November 4-18 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Get to know the many species of primates, from the popular chimpanzee and gorilla, to more obscure species such as the snub-nosed monkey, the slow loris, the tarsier and many others.

Nature: Santa's Wild Home
Premieres Wednesday, November 25 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Get an intimate look at the wildlife of Lapland, a region in northern Finland, the fabled home of Santa Claus and actual home of reindeer, wolverines, eagles, wolves, brown bears and more.

Nature: The Alps (two-part miniseries)
Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Explore Europe's majestic mountain range, where plants and animals brave extreme seasonal fluctuations and treacherous natural disasters.

Nature: Pumas (w.t.)
Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Travel to the mountains of Chile to discover the secrets of the puma, the area's biggest and most elusive predator.

Nature: Big Bend (w.t.) 
Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Roam the Wild West frontier land of the Rio Grande's Big Bend alongside its iconic animals, including Black bears, rattlesnakes and scorpions.  

Nature: Sharks in Hawaii (w.t.) 
Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Meet the 40 species of shark that call the waters near Hawaii's islands their home, including Whitetip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks and the deadly Tiger shark.

Led by executive producer Fred Kaufman, Nature pioneered a television genre that is now widely emulated in the broadcast industry, bringing the natural world to millions of viewers. Consistently among the most-watched primetime series on PBS, Nature continues to innovate through original digital programming and a commitment to converting viewers into doers.

The series has won more than 700 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film communities and environmental organizations, including 18 Emmys and three Peabodys. Nature received two of the wildlife film industry's highest honors: the Christopher Parsons Outstanding Achievement Award given by the Wildscreen Festival, and the Grand Teton Award given by the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. The International Wildlife Film Festival honored Kaufman with its Lifetime Achievement Award for Media.

Nature's award-winning website, pbs.org/nature, features full episodes, short films, digital series, behind-the-scenes content, news articles, educational resources and more. The series is available for streaming simultaneously on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members can view episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details).

Nature is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET and PBS. Fred Kaufman is Executive Producer. Bill Murphy is Series Producer. Janet Hess is Series Editor. Danielle Steinberg is Digital Content & Strategy Lead.

Support for Nature is made possible in part by the Arnhold Family in memory of Henry and Clarisse Arnhold, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, The Fairweather Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao, the Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, Charles Rosenblum, Sandra Atlas Bass, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

Websites: pbs.org/nature, facebook.com/PBSNature, @PBSNature, instagram.com/pbsnature, youtube.com/naturepbs, tiktok.com/@pbsnature, #NaturePBS

About WNET
WNET is America's flagship PBS station: parent company of New York's THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its new ALL ARTS multi-platform initiative, its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN PBSKids, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each month. WNET produces and presents a wide range of acclaimed PBS series, including Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, and the nightly interview program Amanpour and Company. In addition, WNET produces numerous documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings, as well as multi-platform initiatives addressing poverty and climate. Through THIRTEEN Passport and WLIW Passport, station members can stream new and archival THIRTEEN, WLIW and PBS programming anytime, anywhere.

SOURCE Nature on PBS