National Geographic Specials

Africa's species who live there - from forest elephants to spectacular lowland gorillas, sea-going hippos and the largest concentrations of mandrills ever recorded. But Gabon is an embattled paradise, surrounded by war-torn nations and rampant exploitation of natural resources. Fortunately, a dedicated group is determined to preserve Gabon's natural riches, with an unprecedented, 10,000-square-mile network of national parks unlike anything Africa has ever seen. Now, with breathtaking wildlife imagery captured by National Geographic, witness the inspiring campaign to save an irreplaceable Last Eden! Narrated by Glenn Close.

In the 1990s, a high Himalayan cave in Upper Mustang, Nepal, was discovered that contained 42 ancient people, buried on wooden bunk beds. American archaeologist, Dr. Mark Aldenderfer, believes there must be more burial caves but the challenge is how to find them, deep within cliff faces in the cold and inhospitable environment of the Himalaya. He needs the world's best technical climbers to do the searching.

Quest for the Lost Maya follows American archaeologists George Bey and Bill Ringle and their Mexico colleague Tomas Gallareta Negrón as they find startling evidence of a forgotten Mayan society in the Yucatan, Buried beneath an ancient pyramid deep in the Yucatan jungle, the team discovers a still more ancient royal palace complex.

Italian Cruise Ship Disaster: The Untold Stories weaves together in-depth stories from passengers and staff on board as well as Coast Guard rescuers with stunning home video and CGI to reconstruct the sinking of the Costa Concordia as it happened. Working to understand this current headline tragedy more fully, National Geographic uncovers the decisions that cost lives and the heroes who saved them.

Vladimir Putin, after eight years as President of Russia and four more as Prime Minister, is stubbornly holding onto power. He has announced his intention to return as President and declared his party the winner in parliamentary elections that are widely seen as fraudulent. In December, tens of thousands took to the streets in Moscow in the largest protests since Putin came to power. Putin began his career as a KGB spy. But when he became President, he made himself a valued ally of the West. How did he do it? And where did things go wrong with Washington and London? For the first time Putin's top colleagues - and the Western statesmen who eventually clashed with him - tell the inside story of one of the world's most powerful men.

Leonardo da Vinci's "The Battle of Anghiari" vanished 500 years ago, with only copies rendered by other artists left behind to confirm its existence. Scientist and art enthusiast Maurizio Seracini, has dedicated 36 years to tracking down the missing mural, and seems to be on the verge of uncovering the hidden fresco behind the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy.