"Return of the Wild – The Bearman of Buncrana" premiered on Netflix UK and Ireland on March 1.
The documentary series, which initially aired on RTÉ in 2020, follows Buncrana conservationist and solicitor Killian McLaughlin, the founder of Wild Ireland, and his wife Katie, "in his pursuit of a lifelong dream: to restore extinct wild animals to their home in the forests of Ireland."
A synopsis of the show reads: "Just a few centuries ago, Ireland was clothed in a thick blanket of Temperate Rainforest. This Forest was inhabited by wolves, brown bears, Eurasian lynx, wild boar, and many other animals that have since become extinct.
"Now in a small pocket of Donegal woodland, solicitor Killian McLaughlin attempts to turn back the hands of time and return all of these majestic animals to their ancestral home. Passion drives Killian to create a unique wildlife park that will offer sanctuary to abused brown bears and other rescue animals, returning them to the forest habitats once more.
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"This young lawyer will stop at nothing to make his wildlife park a reality. Never before has a project of this scale been undertaken, there is no rule book or how-to instruction manual. This character-driven documentary reveals Killian’s compelling mission to bring back Irish fauna from extinction and to transform his woodland into a world-class wildlife sanctuary. Despite battling with big banks, red tape, paperwork and bureaucracy the couple remain committed to doing it any way they can."
The show is produced by Moondance Productions, which followed Killian over two years as he stopped at nothing to make his wildlife park a reality.
Wild Ireland, which opened in 2019, offers sanctuary to many animals which have been exploited, abused and hunted to the point of extinction and is home to bears, wolves, foxes, monkeys, a Lynx, goats and much more.
For more information on the wildlife park, visit WildIreland.org.
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