Although the programme was centered around the search for a specific animal, it also showcased footage of other wildlife in the area, as well as the local people and their customs.

With the exception of the original 1954 series (which survives only as edited compilations repeated the following year), all episodes of Zoo Quest are preserved in the BBC Archives.

The series was the most popular wildlife programme of its time in Britain and established Attenborough's career as a nature documentary presenter.

The seed for Zoo Quest was sown when David Attenborough produced and presented a three-part nature programme, The Pattern of Animals, in the early 1950s.

Lagus also authored two books inspired by the programme: Operation Noah's Ark and Benjamin, the Zoo Quest Bear.

(Today, London Zoo only captures wild animals if a species is so endangered that a captive breeding programme is its only hope.)

The BBC eventually relented but only on the condition that colour film stock was used, as it allegedly provided the best picture quality for the format.

Ninety minutes in duration, the programme features footage from the first three episodes, showcasing highlights from Zoo Quest trips to West Africa and South America.

All of the colour material was remastered directly from the original negatives, resulting in much higher quality than the grainy and somewhat worn black-and-white kinescope film prints previously used.

The opening and closing music for the Paraguay programmes was "La Llegada" ("The Arrival"), composed by Enrique Samaniego, the famous Paso Yobai harpist.