PBS, in partnership with BBC and BBC Studios Natural History Unit, has an intriguing dramatic series called “Big Cats 24/7,” filmed from the location of Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta. It was there that a special team using modern technology followed lions, leopards and cheetahs day and night to give us humans a front-row seat into their lives and surroundings.

This is the first season of this amazing look into the wild, and Season Two is currently being filmed as you read this. The base camp where the crew sets up includes around 40 people at one time. Needless to say, this is an epic undertaking, but viewers will see it was well worth it.

“We strive to bring unique and never-before-seen perspectives to our PBS audience, so we are thrilled to collaborate with BBC and BBC Studios to bring this front-seat view of the dramatic lives of individual African big cats straight to homes across America,” said Sylvia Bugg, PBS chief programming executive and general manager, general audience programming. “Not only is ‘Big Cats 24/7′ educational but it is visually and emotionally captivating.”

The cinematographers used military-grade thermal imagery technology, which is how the images are so clear. This technology allows them to capture images and habits rarely seen by humans, as much of the animals’ behavior takes place during the night.

As wildlife cinematographer Anna Dimitriadis explained, “Because cheetahs are diurnal, they operate in the day. But what we found is they are scaredy cats. They’re scared of everything, particularly lions, and we’ve got one of the biggest lion prides here in the world. And that means that they’re so hard to find. But if you have a thermal camera on them throughout the night, it means that in the morning, you’re with them and you also get too see them curling up to sleep, which is super cute.”

Viewers are treated to animal behavior in a new way. They see the animals in their natural habitat doing what they do, well, naturally.

Brad Bestelink, another wildlife cinematographer, added, “There’s some incredible behavior that we see, and it’s a lot of that sort of real subtly and nuance about the animals that we find fascinating that this technology has given us insight into.”

Viewers will not only be intrigued by the animals themselves but also by the beauty of the Okavango Delta. “It’s an extraordinary place,” said Producer Rowan Crawford. “It’s like a picture book of Africa.”

Bestelink has spent 21 years living in Africa. His parents were in the photographic tourism industry, so he spent his life in and among the animals. He explained that he spent the first four years of his life in the camp and didn’t leave at all. Then he got older and was able to move around with caution.

“I’ve just grown up here,” he said “This is where I’m most comfortable, and I’ve never really felt the reason to leave or go anywhere else. And it’s intrinsically in me. And now to have the opportunity to be based and living in the delta doing what I’m most passionate about: following predators, filming, creating. It’s a dream come true and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”

While many of us are happier in the country and others in big, metropolitan areas, Brad is happiest in his little area of Africa. And he is excited to share it with viewers via this amazing series.

This is a series families can watch together to learn about nature and these amazing animals. Seeing them in their own habitat is awe-inspiring.

“Big Cats 24/7” aired from Sept. 18 to Oct. 16; however, all six episodes are available to stream on the PBS app and PBS.org.