Nature lover Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall continues to explore the wildlife of the West Country while meeting the people helping to safeguard the region's wild creatures. This time, Hugh's on his home patch of the Dorset/Devon border where he investigates the return of an animal that hasn't been spotted since the 16th Century, the beaver, and discovers how these dam-building rodents are changing the British landscape. Nearby, Abbotsbury Swannery has been home to a huge colony of mute swans since the middle ages and it's the job of resident swan herd, Dave Wheeler, to round up all the adults for a health check with the help of dozens of volunteers. And thanks to bat enthusiast, Colin Morris, Dorset's greater horseshoe bats are now enjoying very plush living quarters - a former mansion that’s been renovated just for them, affectionately known as the Horseshoe Hilton.
Hugh's Wild West was broadcast on SBS ONE at Tuesday 20 February 2024, 23:55. This episode was initially placed on Tuesday 1 November 2022.