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.

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. Moondance has been at their side, documenting their dogged determination to make it happen.

Two years in the making and filmed across multiple countries and continents, Return of the Wild: The Bearman of Buncrana is a documentary series full of heart, passion, high-stakes emotions, big dreams, big predators and even bigger risks – it’s certainly not to be missed.