ON THE

THIS MONTH

Liz and a baby sloth

Liz Bonnin’s Wild Caribbean

The Caribbean encompasses over 7,000 incredible islands, bursting with natural

wonders. Liz Bonnin shares the sights that ignited her passion for nature in this four-part series. Catch up with episodes on iPlayer

It wouldn’t be Christmas without reindeer...

I O S

S T U D

: B B C

S LOT H

&

; B E A R

I N E R

U N T E RT H

: S T E FA N O

PAG E

I S

T H

A N D

C OV E R

F R O N T

I N D E E R

R E

Brown bear cub

Wild Scandinavia

A new three-part series takes viewers to the northernmost reaches of Europe, home to

fjords, forests and high tundra. Expect icons such as lynx and orca, as well as lesser-known species such as the wolf spider that survives bitter winters. Due to air in early January

Winterwatch

Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams will be celebrating the

season at RSPB Arne in Dorset, and Gillian Burke will be heading to the Orkney Isles in search of otters, sanderlings and the Orkney vole. Airs for four nights from 16th January

Keep in touch

wildlifemagazine@ourmedia.co.uk instagram.com/bbcwildlifemagazine twitter.com/WildlifeMag facebook.com/wildlifemagazine

Way up north where

the air gets cold...

PAUL McGUINNESS, EDITOR

For most of us, our introduction to reindeer came earlier than we can remember. St Nick’s sleigh is, of course, pulled by a cohort of deer, led by the red-nosed Rudolph. And with that cementing of their festive role into our collective psyche, it can

be difficult to dissociate these animals from Christmas legend. But, as Stefano Unterthiner’s breathtaking portrait of life for the Svalbard reindeer shows (p46), these animals inhabit a world far removed from our rooftop chimney stacks. Almost 100 years ago (before Rudolph’s tale had even been popularised), action was taken to prevent hunting from wiping out the Svalbard reindeer. How they will adapt to the current threat from climate change is a chapter of their story yet to be written. In the meantime, enjoy the issue. And from us all at BBC Wildlife, have a peaceful Christmas and a joyful 2024!

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