It’s Earth Day, meaning Nat Geo’s got a whole day of earth-friendly programming planned. Usually, the channel’s big finale is its live broadcasts from around the world, which bring viewers at home into contact with wildlife experts, endangered species, and once-in-a-lifetime moments, all in real time. That’s not happening for this year thanks to COVID-19, but the network is soldiering on, confident in its knowledge that what we could really use right now is a solid dose of adorable, romping baby animals. And, honestly, they’re probably right.
With Born Wild: The Next Generation, Nat Geo’s animal experts bring at-home viewers into contact with baby lions, bears, and more, reminding us all that humans are but one small part of the puzzle that is Earth’s ecosystem. The A.V. Club sat down with three of the network’s Explorers—bear expert Rae Wynn-Grant and big cat experts Beverly and Dereck Joubert—to talk about why wildlife filmmaking is so important, and viewers at home can expect to see this year on Born Wild.