Living among beasts

1. Shaun Ellis, the wolf man

Shaun Ellis is a British animal researcher who is notable for living among wolves, and even "adopting" a pack of abandoned wolf cubs. He was the subject of a documentary called “A Man Among Wolves”. It shows how, by carefully mimicking wolf behaviour, Ellis was able to raise a pack of three wolf cubs to maturity in a nature reserve in Devon, becoming the pack's alpha male.

2. Charlie Vandergaw, the man who lives with bears

For the last twenty years, Charlie Vandergaw has lived among Alaska’s bears, and he is convinced these animals are his friends. Charlie built a cabin called Bear Haven, which is 70 miles from the nearest road in the wilds of Alaska’s Yentna River Valley, so that he could be near them. There he feeds, cuddles and even rubs noses with the bears. Sometimes he lets the younger ones come inside.

Incredibly, Charlie used to kill bears for sport. But it was while hunting them that he fell in love with the amazing animals.

3. Roar, crazy about lions

In 1981, Tippi Hedren produced Roar, an 11-year project that ended up costing $17 million and starring dozens of African lions. "This was probably one of the most dangerous films that Hollywood has ever seen", remarked the actress. "It's amazing no one was killed." During the production of Roar, Hedren, her husband at the time, Noel Marshall, and daughter Melanie were attacked by lions; Jan de Bont, the director of photography, was scalped.

4. Timothy Treadwell, Grizzly man

Grizzly Man is a 2005 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell. The film consists of Treadwell's own footage of his interactions with grizzly bears before he was killed, and of interviews with people who knew or were involved with Treadwell. The footage he shot was later found, and the final film was co-produced by Discovery Docs, the Discovery Channel's theatrical documentary unit, and Lions Gate Films.