Education
Conservation magazine series, ‘Wild Africa’, premieres on Channels Television – EnviroNews
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A new Pan-African wildlife television series, “Wild Africa”, premieres on Channels Television on Saturday, August 15, 2026, bringing stories of the continent’s conservation heroes and natural heritage to Nigerian audiences for the first time in this format.
The 13-part magazine-style series, created specifically for African audiences, aims to entertain and educate while raising awareness of the urgent need to protect the continent’s wildlife and wild spaces. In partnership with Channels Television, the programme will air new episodes weekly on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. WAT on DStv and 8:30 p.m. WAT, with repeat broadcasts available on Channel 420 on DStv (Sundays 7:00 a.m., Mondays 2:30 p.m., Fridays 12:30 a.m.) and terrestrial TV on UHF Channel 39 (Sundays 2:30 p.m., Mondays 4:30 a.m., Fridays 2:30 p.m.). In the United Kingdom, the new series will go live on the Sky UK platform, Channel 515.
Produced in Cape Town, South Africa, by conservation communications organisation Wild Africa, with support from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Tammy Estrada Strome Foundation, the series pairs short documentaries with celebrity wildlife experiences, interviews and studio segments. The series is hosted by Nigerian wildlife veterinarian Dr Mark Ofua, South African freediver and ocean advocate Zandile Ndhlovu, and Zimbabwean television presenter Rumbie Takawira.
Over 13 episodes, viewers travel across Africa to meet those working to protect its most threatened species: sea turtle rescues in Nigeria, elephants in Kenya alongside Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, the rare Cross River gorilla, community rangers guarding Namibia’s desert rhinos, Rwanda’s mountain gorillas, and bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The series also spotlights Nigerian conservation efforts directly, including the country’s dwindling forest elephant population, manatee and sea turtle rescue work, forest protection, and the campaign to save the pangolin – the world’s most trafficked mammal.
Nigeria has lost over 70 percent of its elephant population in the past 30 years, from an estimated 1,200–1,500 individuals in 1991 to just 300–400 individuals today. The country has also become a major global transit hub for illegal ivory and pangolin scales, accounting for nearly a quarter of the world’s seized ivory and over half of the global pangolin scale seizures between 2016 and 2019.
Celebrity wildlife advocates featured throughout include Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Djimon Hounsou, Laycon and Aproko Doctor, among other prominent African figures.
Kingsley Uranta, General Manager of Channels Television, said the series aligns with the broadcaster’s commitment to African storytelling.
“As Africa’s most awarded broadcaster, Channels Television is proud to partner with Wild Africa in bringing the Pan African Wildlife Series to audiences across the continent and beyond. This partnership reflects our commitment to using the power of television to celebrate Africa’s extraordinary natural heritage, promote conservation, and inspire a deeper appreciation of the wildlife and ecosystems that are vital to our continent’s future.”
Series Producer and Wild Africa CEO, Peter Knights OBE, said: “Africa has the greatest wildlife spectacle on the planet, which is the attraction for 80% of visiting tourists. So wildlife preservation is vital for African economies and jobs as well as natural heritage. It’s time to celebrate the people that take on this daunting task and we hope the series informs and entertains in equal measures.”
Dr. Mark Ofua, co-presenter, said bringing these stories to mainstream Nigerian television matters because conservation depends on people understanding their relationship with nature.
“Africa has extraordinary wildlife, but many of these species are disappearing before people have had the opportunity to truly know them. Wild Africa brings these stories into our homes in a way that is entertaining, relatable, and hopeful. We want Nigerians, especially young people, to see that wildlife is part of our heritage and that every one of us has a role to play in protecting it.”
Linus Unah, West Africa Director at Wild Africa, said the Channels Television premiere marks a step toward making conservation part of mainstream public conversation in Nigeria: “This series is a remarkable effort to help us understand and appreciate everything being done to protect our wildlife and their habitats. It serves as a reminder of our duty to protect our remaining wildlife for future generations, and we hope audiences are truly inspired by it.”
The Nigerian premiere is part of a wider Pan-African rollout, with the series already airing in Zimbabwe and Namibia, and also scheduled to be broadcast in South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zambia, bringing locally relevant conservation stories to audiences across the continent.
