Hunter and Hunted

Naturalist Vitaly Nikolaenko worked in close proximity to brown bears for 30 years -- until one viciously killed him. Could it have been a shortage of food or did Vitaly?s own actions spark the attack? NGC sheds light on what actually happened.

On a typical morning outside Komodo Village in eastern Indonesia, a young boy finds himself in a fight for his life with a famous and deadly foe. Komodo Dragons are the largest lizards in the world, growing over nine feet long. They are famed scavengers, able to find carrion as far as seven miles away, and, contrary to what scientists initially thought, the massive lizards are also fearsome predators. An international team of experts investigates the attack, and attempts to determine why humans have seemingly become the hunted.

Russia's Far East is famous for its long and brutal winters, and the undisputed king of this frozen domain is the Siberian Tiger. Hunted almost to extinction, there are now only 500 of these elusive cats left in the wild , and they are spread out across almost 70,000 miles of wilderness . Incredibly stealthy with a killer camouflage, these tigers are rarely seen. But when a researcher is suddenly attacked in the vast frozen forest, Investigators are left scratching their heads. As the researcher battles for his life, our investigators analyze a rash of similar attacks in the area. What they discover only adds to the mystery. What is causing these normally elusive cats to come out of hiding and attack humans? And is the real predator the tiger or the man?

In West Africa's Sierra Leone, a chimp charges a touring car, breaks a window and bites one of the passengers. What provoked such violent aggression?

In South Africa, rhinos attack a group of tourists for no apparent reason. Are tourists unwittingly provoking these normally shy animals? If so, how?

Two talented snake handlers are bitten by cobras. The astounding story of how they were bitten -- and their struggles to survive -- unfolds in a tragic tale involving cobras, cameras, and contrasting cultures.

On Norway's Arctic island of Spitsbergen, less than a mile from a remote but busy town, two coeds hike under the midnight sun. But the dreamy, summer day turns into a nightmare when an enormous, white blur suddenly knocks one woman down, savaging here with it's enormous teeth and claws. Then, abruptly, the 600 - pound polar bear turns upon the second girl Critically injured, the first victim leaps from the sheer cliff face to avoid the ultimate fate of her companion -- and survives. Two other striking attacks lead investigators down a stunning trail of leads, where they discover the factors that reveal the cause of the animal's disturbing behavior. In each case, one small error that might have been ignored by healthy, calm and normal male bears might have been the catalyst for death. If we happen to meet these perfect hunters in their own kingdom, we must respect their complex, sensory world --or accept the risk of being the hunted.