Going where only wilderness reigns
Deep in the bush of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a nature lover’s paradise where not many humans roam, she was – her worn coat and torn ears testimony that she had seen many seasons.
……..And the more time the film crew spent with this veteran female leopard, ‘Mochima’, the more captivating she became – strategic, graceful, fiercely protective of her cubs, ‘Dakunga’ and ‘Kutjira’, and entirely herself! Mochima would eventually get an introduction to a global audience.
Noah Falklind and Hannah Gormley
Wildlife filmmakers Noah Falklind and Hannah Gormley who were part of the crew describe how they followed the leopard cubs as they made their “fascinating” journey from infancy into adulthood and became the stars of Netflix’s ‘Living With Leopards’, an up-close-and-personal nature documentary. They watched the cubs grow from wide-eyed, playful explorers into confident, independent young leopards capable of hunting for themselves.
Over time, there had been reciprocity from these creatures which came to recognise the crew with a “calm” familiarity. “We were just part of the background – they didn’t see us as a threat and we existed in their worlds without disturbing it,” say Noah and Hannah in an email interview with the Sunday Times.
Detailing their experiences with leopards in general, they say that leopards are mysterious and elusive: “they’re rarely seen and, when they are, it’s usually swiftly.”
Most of Noah’s and Hannah’s time in Botswana was spent deep in the bush, sometimes going days without seeing another person, while living between specialised filming trucks and a small camp. They fell asleep under the stars and woke up to the distant calls of lions, the whoop of hyenas and the occasional crack of a branch that made “you sit up and pay attention”, in one of the world’s most pristine wildernesses.
Filming in the bush, meanwhile, came with its very own challenges – threats of elephants and buffalo appearing out of nowhere, risk of snakes or getting stuck miles from help! But those dangers came with the privilege of being in their (animal) world.
Hannah and Noah worked with a “remarkable” team ranging from expert trackers and storytellers, to guides and bush-savvy mechanics who taught them not just about wildlife, but about resilience, patience and creative problem-solving in one of the world’s most unpredictable environments.
For wildlife cinematographer Noah, bent on capturing both never-before-filmed behaviours of large, iconic animals and the quiet moments of waiting in a hide for a tiny bird to appear, Botswana had been home for six years, having arrived shortly before Hannah.
They were based in the small village of Maun, known as the gateway to the Okavango Delta.
Blending into the terrain: A leopard in Botswana
It was a paradise for wildlife where nature sets the rules and people adapt to them, says Noah. It is home to vast protected spaces essential for the planet’s increasingly endangered species to thrive, including wild dogs, cheetah, pangolins, the world’s largest elephant population, and, of course, leopards.
Born and raised in Sweden, Noah’s family was “very outdoorsy” and he followed in his oldest brother’s footsteps into climbing and diving expeditions but with an exception. He was also interested in everything around the sports: the landscape, the birds, the smells, the sounds and all the tiny details of the habitat. That love for observation never faded but kept growing.
Even though leopards were not a childhood obsession for Noah, the more time he spent around them, the more fascinating and mysterious they became. He just wanted a camera and to disappear into the wild, after watching the documentary, ‘Eye of the Leopard’.
Noah is currently working with the BBC Natural History Unit and National Geographic to create the next wildlife mega-series on Disney+.
As a child, in contrast to iconic animals such as leopards, Hannah had been captivated by bugs, so much so that nearly every childhood birthday party of hers had a ‘creepy-crawly’ theme.
The realization however that no creature, big or small, lives in isolation had dawned as she grew older along with the vital lesson that every life is part of a greater tapestry and, to protect a single species, its home – its habitat, its ecosystem and the delicate, intricate web that sustains it – should be protected and that central to which are, of course, humans, as well as apex predators, like leopards.
Enthralled by the storytellers of science even in childhood and inspired by wildlife documentaries which moved people to create real, tangible change for conservation, it was while working in the London-TV scene that Hannah had been offered a job to work in Botswana where she met both Noah and Mochima.
“That was over five years ago and my life has changed,” says this wildlife field director and conservationist who has worked on several landmark productions for the BBC, Nat Geo and Netflix.
While this is Noah’s third visit to Sri Lanka and Hannah’s first, it will definitely not be their last, they assure. They wish to explore the country, share experiences and continue learning from the landscapes and the people here – starting with Wilpattu, Habarana and Horton Plains, where they hope to see leopards.
Noah and Hannah pay tribute to the “extraordinary” people they have met – the trackers, rangers, guides, local communities and fellow storytellers who each plays a pivotal role in protecting the natural world.
“Their knowledge, courage and quiet dedication are woven into every frame we capture and, without their protection, these stories would be untold. While we’re proud of the films we’ve helped create, we hope they serve a greater purpose – to spark curiosity, to ignite care and perhaps even to inspire others to take action for the planet, whether big or small,” they add.
| WNPS lecture | |
| ‘Learning from Leopards’, the Nations Trust WNPS Monthly Lecture by Noah Falklind & Hannah Gormley will be at 6 p.m. on July 17 (Thursday) at the Jasmine Hall, BMICH, Colombo. The lecture is open to all. |
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