Wild Journey (1972)

A fictional but not staged story of a cougar in the Northwest forests shot over a period of seven years, the film attempts to show the painful learning experiences of a cougar struggling to survive in an environment menaced by other predators and an often hostile climate. The cub becomes separated from its mother, falls into a river and is swept over a large waterfall, and then must survive its first winter of life alone. It does, and returns to home territory, only to find the mother with a new litter, and no interest in having him around. The film has many humorous sequences that help lighten what otherwise might be a rather somber narrative of struggle for survival. Described by its producer-director, Don Meier, as an "entertainment rather than a true-to-life story," it's nevertheless a pleasant way to learn something of the life of a shy and seldom seen animal.