360° Reportage

For centuries, Albanian shepherds roamed the Balkans with their flocks in search of green pastures for their goats and sheep. But the communist dictatorship put an end to this tradition. After the fall of communism, the shepherds want to revive the old ways, but will they be able to pass them on to the next generation?

The platypus is a very strange species in a country with many unusual animals. Equipped with their characteristic beaks and thick fur, they are a fascinating hybrid which lay eggs like birds or reptiles, and yet nurse their young like mammals. In the last few hundred years they have become increasingly endangered but new protection and resettlement schemes are ensuring a comeback.

Horses have long played an essential role for the nomadic peoples of Mongolia, but as Mongolians have adopted a sedentary way of life, they now breed horses primarily for their meat. This has had disastrous consequences, including animal abuse, overgrazing and obesity in large swathes of the population. Naranbadrakh Batkhuu wants to revive the age-old relationship between Mongolians and their horses for the good of the people and the natural world.

A veritable paradise for birds, Acadiana, or Cajun country, stretches along the Gulf of Mexico from New Orleans to the border between Louisiana and Texas. Its marshes and wetlands are home to countless species of birds, including pelicans, cranes, ducks and eagles. But this natural paradise is under threat from degradation and climate change. The local people have a passion for the natural world and a tradition of carving birds from wood is important to Cajun culture.

Tightrope walking is an artform that requires life-long dedication and goes to the limits of what is humanly possible. Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga is a funambulist at the top of her game. She founded CIE Basinga, her own tightrope walking performance company and has walked suspended 100 foot over Paris in a performance that went viral in 2018. She has to practice hard every day to be ready for her next high-wire adventure.

At the far western tip of France, a champion kitesurfer has a mad idea: Brave the perilous currents and winds of the Iroise Sea to reach a legendary lighthouse.