JOURNEY INTO ONE OF
THE LAST WILD PLACES
ON EARTH
Pole to Pole
Tribes, Predators & me
Survive the Tribe
BBC’s “Tribes, Predators & Me” (Series 1: Anaconda People of the Amazon, 2016) — Wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan lives with a Waorani tribal family in the Ecuadorian Amazon, joining them on hunts for giant anacondas. Penti Baihua, as chief of Bameno village, guides the expedition, demonstrating traditional hunting techniques with 3-meter-long blowpipes and poison darts, while sharing survival secrets amid fearsome predators like anacondas, caimans, and jaguars.
National Geographic’s “Pole to Pole with Will Smith” (premiered January 2026) — In a groundbreaking expedition to the Bameno region of Baihuaeri Waorani Territory, Will Smith and scientists (invited by Penti Baihua) encountered massive green anacondas. This led to the scientific discovery of the northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima), a newly recognized species potentially the largest snake in the world, with individuals over 6 meters long and reports of even bigger ones. Penti Baihua and Waorani guides played a key role, providing rare access to this sacred territory.
National Geographic’s “Survive the Tribe” (Rainforest Masters episode) — Explorer Hazen Audel learns essential survival skills from the Huaorani, including hunting monkeys and wild peccaries with spears and blowguns, gathering food, and navigating the dense jungle. This highlights their mastery of the rainforest ecosystem.
