Karvonen Films Ltd.

The weasel family boasts some of the most common small predators, yet these shy and elusive creatures are also among the least known. This group is as varied as the habitats in which they are found, ranging in size from the world s smallest predator, the least weasel, to the legendary devil beast , the wolverine. Discover what makes these animals unique among predators.

Polar Bear, the largest land carnivore on earth, inhabits an icy realm, existing where only the well adapted can survive. When the summer sun melts the sea ice, the most southern population of polar bear is forced onto the shores of Churchill. The normally solitary polar bears now gather in large numbers on shore; males wrestle while mothers with cubs do their best to avoid them. Most creatures welcome the warm brief season, but for the polar bear, it is a time of patience, waiting for the return of the bitter cold and the frozen sea.

No other creature is better suited for life among the mountain peaks than the mountain goat. Harsh winds, steep slopes and unpredictable avalanches are what await them, yet it is only here they truly belong. From birth to death, they live their lives on perilous foothold to the next, the extremes of the environment testing their hardiness.

Moose, largest member of the deer family, roam the weeded regions of the North. These majestic beasts epitomize the adaptations and strength needed for life in a climate of extremes, and survival in the presence of predators.

The coyote goes by many names, among them, the Trickster, Little Brother, but is perhaps best known as the Song Dog. Its eerie, distinctive call is the voice of prairie wilderness. However, it has been hunted and persecuted ruthlessly. But, where other predators have been exterminated, this tough, resourceful canine not only survives, it flourishes. Discover how the coyote has adapted so successfully to its ever-changing environment.

The bald eagle and the osprey-two magnificent birds of prey. Both are unique, yet they share similar life stories in their struggle for survival; they both have the need for open water and the desire to fish. The drama unfolds as both bald eagle and osprey nest alongside the same boreal lake. Although they make uneasy neighbours, they have one goal in common, to successfully raise their young. Follow the trials of life these fish raptors encounter in their efforts to raise the next generation.

The grizzly bear, symbol of true wilderness, stands against the brilliant backdrop of autumn tundra. Few other creatures hold our imagination and awe more than these majestic bears. Fierce yet vulnerable, grizzlies have been pushed north by their need for untouched wild spaces. Journey beyond the myths and discover the real nature of the grizzly.?

Nature s perfect hunter, silently stalking prey from moose to mice, unchallenged atop the food chain. In mountains, forests and even deserts across North America, this shy and elusive cat lives a solitary life. Threatened by mankind, the cougar can exist only if there is wilderness where it can roam undisturbed. Explore how this superbly adapted feline rears its young while surviving in a hostile and diminishing environment.

See this treasure through the eyes of one of the forest s most extraordinary vocalists- barred owls as they raise their chicks to explore their home in the old growth pocket.

This film introduces you to the most prosperous panhandler of the wild the black bear. Through its interaction with a wide spectrum of the public, many different images have been generated. In this program, we look at these different images and investigate further into the ways of this wily wanderer. You will also observe how researchers obtain information enabling them to study this bulky, thickset, massive carnivore.

Venture beyond the tree line into the Arctic realm - into a world alive with contrasts and resilient life. Move with caribou across the tundra plains, dive with walrus, and witness muskox bulls battling for dominance. They, and countless other creatures, warily share the Arctic world with the largest carnivore on land, the polar bear. A land of survival, through the seasons of an uncertain world.

Beyond the great Mackenzie River in northern Canada, the shaggy Wood Bison has made a strong comeback. In spring, the playful calves are serenaded by the bugling of sandhill cranes. During the short summer, the belligerent bulls gore each other in mating battles that shake the earth. The herd is tormented by insects, while large packs of wolves lurk in the shadows. In the bitter cold of winter, when the raven is the bison s constant companion, wolves become even more dangerous. Thrill to close-up views of these predators and other northern wildlife.

This is the fascinating saga of the return of wolves to Yellowstone and Jasper National Parks. The film details how they interact with the wapiti, and how their wild lives are influenced by people who visit the park. Follow wolves on the hunt during the deep snow of winter, and marvel at the clever ways in which the wary wapiti protect their calves. The age-old drama between prey and predator unfolds in the scenic splendor of the Rocky Mountains, where the lives of numerous other wild creatures, from eagles to beavers, are intertwined with Wolves and Wapiti.

Share the magic of spring breakup as water-loving species crowd the expanding open water. Follow wild beavers overland and underwater through the seasons. Discover their hidden lives through rare footage inside a beaver lodge. TALE OF THE BEAVER celebrates the labour as well as the humorous moments of beavers shaping and maintaining their wilderness oases...and their tremendous success in returning from the brink of extinction.

The thunder of a thousand hooves echoes across the tundra. Caribou, the only deer truly suited for life in the North, are on the move to their wintering grounds. From the tiny Peary caribou in the High Arctic to the secretive woodland caribou of the boreal forest, the different races carry out their centuries-old traditions. What they all share is the need for wild, undisturbed spaces

The wind-swept slopes of sub-arctic mountains are the domain of the Dall Sheep, aristocrat of grazing animals. It is marvelously adapted to cope with the long winter, and to avoid enemies such as the grizzly bear. This film divulges intimate details of the lives of ewes and their lambs

Filmed in the mountains, prairies and aspen parklands, we see a pregnant doe in the early stages of giving birth and big antlered buck sparring. The behavior of the evasive White-tail is compared with that of the less secretive mule deer. Biologists are accompanied on a deer management aerial survey and we look at the role of predators and scavengers. We see the importance of good winter range in the life and death waiting game the deer play with the ancient forces of snow, ice and bitter cold.

This film attempts to relate briefly to the Finnish contributions to building with logs in winter and deals with the basic skill and techniques of handcrafting a log house. The completion of the log house signals a celebration with the traditional sauna and the sharing of good food and dancing.

Led by a charismatic leader, a small group of Finnish immigrants fled into the wilderness of Canada to form their own society in the early 1900s. Through hardships and adversity, they struggled only to see their commune eventually fail, but the dream lived on and evolved into a community that still thrives today.

Arguably the tallest and steepest mountain in the world, Mt. McKinley has earned its majestic reputation as the "High One". This moody titan of the Alaskan mountain range reigns over Denali National Park and Preserve. A protected wilderness of almost three million hectares, this blended subarctic and boreal forest park is home to a diverse community of wildlife.

A film that explores the wildlife and landscapes of the Rocky Mountains and the animals that inhabit them. It focuses on the interplay between the High Country; a forbidding Artic-like environment that exists on the Rockies' summits, Timberline: the meeting place of two contrasting environments, where the high-country tundra meets mountain forest, Glacier Country: the glaciers have helped shape the destiny of the plants and animals which live there, Rivers of the Rockies: water is the chief agent of erosion of mountains. Rivers also provide attractive habitats for a remarkable number of creatures, Mountain Forest: they stretch from the straggling spruce of the timberline down to the dense stands of trees on the valley floor. They harbor the greatest number of plant and animal species to be found in the Rockies.

Journey to a land where elephants wander: a land of ancient dramas and intriguing mystery. Here, young cubs wrestle in a lion's embrace. Elegant flamingos flourish where few can survive. Giants clash in battles for supremacy and a kaleidoscope of lesser-known creatures reveal their own surprising secrets. All are connected in the wild, living mosaic that is Kenya.

The strange and beautiful displays of grouse convey many nuances of meaning and serve many purposes. The communal displays of prairie chicken, sharp-tailed and sage grouse in open grasslands; the solitary displays of ruffed, spruce and blue grouse in forest clearings; and of the small, white-tailed ptarmigan in alpine tundra, are all part of territorial behavior that evolved by natural selection over thousands of years in wilderness.

Circling the northern pole of the earth like a gigantic evergreen crown is the magnificent boreal forest – a great swath of spruce, pine, fir, aspen, and birch trees. Here you can hear the plaintive howl of timber wolves, the gnawing and splashing of burly beavers, the wail and echo of loons, and the crack of antlers as battling moose collide. In this film you will observe the lives of these and many more wild creatures as the seasons unfold in this vast boreal wilderness.

This film follows the stages of construction of a beautiful spacious log house in an idyllic wilderness lakeside setting – from the initial felling of trees to the final house-warming celebration.