Ivo Filatsch	...	(Director)
Andrea Gastgeb	...	(Writer)
Lianne Steenkamp	...	Cinematographer

Comments: 1 of 3 episodes. A sampler about Big Cats all over the world. Nothing special but not gross

Summary: ‘The Power of the Velvet Paw’ offers a comparison of various big cats from a unique perspective, opening the viewer’s eyes to a most exciting and dangerous world.

Imposing, powerful, elegant, beautiful, swift; each of these attributes stands for one of the big cats. Appearance, geographical range, behaviour, hunting skills, and even raising young is different for each species. Every big cat has a special characteristic that makes it a superstar in the competition with other members of the cat family. Let the big cats of the world surprise you with their amazing versatility and strength, from the iconic tiger to the shy and rarely seen snow leopard.

At the head of the parade is the tiger. With its impressive size this majestic beast towers over its rivals. No other cat is as imposing and no other cat inspires as much respect. Regarded as one of the most efficient and dangerous predators, the tiger is feared as a man-eater and celebrated as a symbol of majesty in equal measure.

The lion is the ultimate social big cat. Without the protection, shelter and teamwork of the pride it would be difficult for lions to feed and raise their young, or to bring down large mammals. As a team they have the best chance to survive in open grassland and dense scrubland. A highly developed sense of family combined with social behaviour guarantees the lion a top ranking among the big cats.

The jaguar’s bite force makes up for the advantages the tiger and lion enjoy because of size. The jaguar has the strongest teeth of all cats and a bite twice as strong as a lion’s. Once a jaguar has sunk its teeth into a caiman, the fight between the two predators has already been decided.

The leopard is a solitary creature. But in his haunt he has to deal with extreme competition in terms of territory and prey. But the jaguar’s strength lies in its climbing and carrying ability. With grace and ease this big cat can ascend a tree with a heavy carcass in its mouth and climb high enough to eat its meal in peace.

While the leopard relies on its adaptability, the cheetah stands out by virtue of its physical performance. When sprinting it can accelerate from 0-100 kilometres per hour in just four seconds. The slender cheetah’s speed and manoeuvrability more than make up for what it lacks in strength when in the act of chasing prey.

The snow leopard is the rarest of the big cats. It lives in the high mountains of central Asia. Powerful legs and the ability to jump as far as 15 metres make this leopard a skilful hunter in rough terrain.