The Wild Dozen – ZOOS IN NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA

This is not what we expect from animals in zoos. They swim, climb, play, leap, wrestle, roar, feed and dive as though we’re watching them in the wild. From next Tuesday, WDR is airing the three-part series “The Wild Dozen – Zoos in North Rhine-Westphalia”. For over 18 months, on 120 shooting days, documentary-maker Herbert Ostwald filmed in the 12 large animal parks in NRW – naked mole rats and elephants, koala bears and aardvarks, gorillas and dolphins and many more species.

The films tell fascinating stories, some of which have never been told before. The WDR series “Adventure Earth” under the direction of Klaus Kunde-Neimöth, are a broadcasting event which coincides with the reopening of zoos in NRW.

The first episode, produced by our colleagues at Light&Shadow in Münster, focuses on the zoos of Dortmund, Münster, Hamm and Rheine. Parts two and three, produced by Längengrad Filmproduktion, look at animal life in Aachen, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen and Krefeld and at the zoos in Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Cologne and Wuppertal.

TEAM Parts 2 and 3:
Written and directed by Herbert Ostwald // Camera: Erik Sick // Film editor: Isabelle Albert //  Music: Sebastian Schmidt // Additional footage: Marcel Lepel, Sebastian Manickam, Ottmar Kolb, Steffen Bohn, Roland Edler // Sound: Bastian Barenbrock, Ute Haverkämper, Daniel Hallmann, Ralf Gromann  // Assistant editor: Ayse Remmler // Soundmix: Alexander Weuffen // Foley artist: Wilmont Schulze // Narrators: Matthias Keller, Catherine Vogel // Colour correction: Dany Schelby // Production assistant: Laura Bleifuß // Production manager: Katja Sträter // Executive producers: Thomas Weidenbach, Sarah Zierul // Commissioning editor: Klaus Kunde-Neimöth // Produced by Längengrad Filmproduktion for  WDR