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Are elephants the new steadycams? Or the new paparazzi? (elephrazzi?) Are spy cam technologies finally being put to good use to capture incredible new nature footage? Does a tree trunk rendition of R2D2 really slip under a tigers radar as it rolls around the jungle floor?

Apparently YES! A three-part BBC One series: Tiger - Spy in the Jungle, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough is the latest creation of John Downer who has been recording footage over a period of 3 years in the Pench National Park in India… using some ingenious “trunk-cams”, which allowed the team to follow four newborn tiger cubs through adulthood.

You MUST check out the videos over on the BBC page. For our lucky UK readers - the first programme of Tiger- Spy in the Jungle will be shown on BBC One on Sunday 30 March at 2000 GMT

The crew used three types of high-definition cameras, designed and built by Geoff Bell and operated by cameraman Michael Richards:

A remotely-operated trunk-cam, which could film while the elephants were on the move and could also be set down.

A remotely-operated tusk-cam, which was smaller than the trunk cam and could be carried by the elephants for much longer periods.

Log and rock cams - cameras disguised as logs or rocks - which could be set down either by an elephant or human crew member and were activated by motion sensors.

There is also more info and pics of many random animals also captured on camera over at the Daily Mail