In the four decades that he has been documenting wildlife, Navin Raheja, chairman of Raheja Productions, has been mock charged at least four times by wild animals including tigers and elephants. In such instances, the animal charges at you, stops half way, turns around, and runs away. "It is one of the most thrilling moments, but also life threatening. You need to know what to do in such situations," says the 67-year-old. He attributes his miraculous escape to his experience in navigating core forest areas. "And, of course, divine intervention," he laughs.

Untold stories
These thrilling encounters, produced by Raheja and hosted by late actor Tom Alter, now form part of an upcoming wildlife show on EPIC channel titled Wilderness Day. The two met four years ago in Delhi when Alter approached him with the idea of a collaboration. "He had heard about my experience in the field. We zeroed in on a TV series because there's so much to tell. What we know about wildlife is not even one per cent of what exists. Both Tom and I wanted to share these stories," says the former member of the Project Tiger's steering committee and chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Society of India. The 26 episodes revolve around the wildlife ecosystem and stories of untamed animals in their natural habitat. For this, the team travelled the length and breadth of the country including Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, Rajaji National Park, Pauri, Valley of Flowers, Choti Haldwani in Uttarakhand, Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Mandu in Madhya Pradesh and Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan.