Hard Truths of Conservation heads to New Zealand this week, taking on a thorny ecological challenge high in the Southern Alps. Airing Saturday at 9 AM ET on Discovery, King of the Mountain features Dan Cabela as he examines the impact of Himalayan tahr—a non-native species—on the region’s delicate ecosystem.
While tahr are considered threatened in their native Himalayan range, they’ve thrived a little too well in New Zealand, becoming a source of conflict between conservationists and hunters who prize them as a challenging and valuable game animal. Cabela’s investigation explores the hard choices facing wildlife managers as they try to strike a balance—protecting the environment while also considering the economic benefits of hunting.
The new series has staked its ground on confronting complicated realities in the world of conservation, moving past easy answers to address the real-world tradeoffs impacting ecosystems around the globe.
“Hard Truths of Conservation” premieres Saturday, June 7 at 9:00 AM ET on Discovery.
