CAN A PHOTOGRAPH SAVE A SPECIES?

NAT GEO WILD JOINS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOJOURNALISTS ON MISSION CRITICAL ASSIGNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD

(PASADENA, CA - Jan. 6, 2016) When National Geographic photographers go on assignment, it's not just a job - it's a mission. Covering stories that are as urgent as they are timeless, our investigative photojournalists travel to every corner of the globe to reveal what we need to know now to save iconic species from extinction, protect ourselves and make way for a better, more sustainable planet. And this time, they're taking you along for the ride, in Nat Geo WILD's new limited series Mission Critical, premiering Sunday, Jan. 31, at 9/8c on Nat Geo WILD and globally in 131 countries and 38 languages. For more information, visit our press website at www.foxflash.com or follow us on Twitter using @NGC_PR.

"Many people dream about traveling the world as a National Geographic photographer," said Geoff Daniels, executive vice president and general manager, Nat Geo WILD. "They are the explorers of our time who are now unlocking the secrets of some of the rarest creatures on Earth. Mission Critical is a way for us to reach through the lens in hopes of inspiring our global audience to join the effort to save these animals and their wild habitats for generations to come."

Join legendary big cat photographer Steve Winter as he ventures deep into the beating heart of Mumbai to capture extraordinary imagery of leopards caught in the center of the most crowded city on the planet in the premiere episode, Mission Critical: Leopards at the Door, airing Sunday, Jan. 31, at 9/8c. Travel to the tropics of Borneo, where field biologist and photographer Tim Laman races against time to save one of the last remaining wild orangutan habitats, premiering spring 2016. Sail to the shores of Cape Cod with award-winning photojournalist Brian Skerry, who investigates a rash of fatal shark attacks - with humans as predators, not prey - premiering spring 2016.

Mission Critical Premieres

Leopards at the Door Premieres Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 National Geographic photographer Steve Winter (@stevewinterphoto) has spent his life working to save endangered big cats through his award-winning pictures. Now he turns his lens on an elusive and deadly leopard. In Mission Critical: Leopards at the Door, Winter explores Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai and Corbett National Park in northern India to capture extraordinary footage of leopards living in close proximity to humans - and to tell the stories of a broad array of people whose lives have been forever changed by encounters with the elusive big cats.

Orangutans on the Edge (wt) Premieres Spring 2016 National Geographic photographer Tim Laman (@timlaman) is on a mission to reveal new threats to wild orangutans and their rain forest homes. Trekking to remote locations and scaling massive trees, he documents the secret lives of our mysterious primate cousins - even as deforestation and poaching threaten their very existence. And his photographs tell the story of an orangutan mother raising her baby in the wild, until a tragic event changes their lives forever.

Sharks (wt) Premieres Spring 2016 Are sharks more than just ocean predators? National Geographic underwater photographer and Instagram star Brian Skerry (@brianskerry) is on a mission to change how you think about these magnificent creatures. After three decades capturing the world's oceans on camera, Skerry knows sharks as kings of the oceans who keep these fragile ecosystems functioning, not as violent "Jaws"-like man-eaters. To capture the images he needs to change minds, Skerry searches for some of the most dangerous sharks in the ocean: tiger sharks, makos, oceanic white tips and great whites.