34x01 - Nature's Miracle Orphans: Second Chances

[bunniefuu]

It's the end of.

A mother polar bear emerges from
her den deep beneath the snow

She's endured months
of freezing temperatures

to give birth to her cubs.

Ahead of them is the adventure
of a lifetime.

To survive, the polar bear cubs
must follow their mother

on an incredible


to the edge of the North Pole's
pack ice.

It's the greatest challenge
of their young lives.

They'll encounter strange creatures.

Brave treacherous ice...

perilous seas...

and threatening males.

It's a journey
full of surprises.

As they learn to thrive
in a frozen world.

This is dramatized story
based on the extraordinary

adventures of
nature's snow bears.

High on the southern
slopes of the mountains,

deep snow drifts kept their den
safe from winter storms.

The downside of their location
is, well, getting down.

One cub seems fearless.

But to get down safely,
this cub must trust her mother.

There are no nursery slopes
when you're 1,000 feet up...

...and with every step,

the slope becomes increasingly treacherous.

Tiny paws are no match
for powdery snow.

The nervous cubs need
some tough love.

After seven months in the den,

the soft fresh snow
must be bliss.

As the cubs' confidence
increases, so does the fun.

Halfway down and the cubs are ready for a brake.

Their mother's milk
is almost a third fat...

high-energy fuel
for their adventure ahead.

After months of winter darkness,

the sun's return to Svalbard
marks a turning point

For the bears, it means
leaving their island.

The first leg will be to walk


that hugs the coastline.

They'll pass the great
glacial fjords

before reaching the northern
tip of the island.

Here, they'll venture
onto the floating sea ice

to cover the final 150 miles.

Their destination: the
seal-rich edge of the pack ice

surrounding the North Pole.

But if they don't leave
the island in time,

the sea ice will be gone,

and they could be marooned here
for the summer.

With little to eat, the cubs
would be unlikely to survive.

For mothers with cubs,

it's not just the melting ice
that's a threat.

A large male.

He's searching for a mate,
and they sometimes k*ll cubs

so they can have
a family of their own.

The cubs sense the danger.

Their mother blocks his path.

But she has a plan, lead him as
far from her cubs as possible.

On the slopes,
she's faster and more agile.

She's soon giving him
the run-around.

Courting males will stalk
females for many weeks.

He shadows her closely.

Somehow,
she must give him the slip.

But he's not the only one
looking for a mate.

He won't give her up
without a fight.

She takes her chance
to sneak away.

Bears sometimes fight
to the death over females.

Now to make good their escape.

But a quick get away isn't easy.

One cub realizes the urgency

But the other is struggling.

Luckily, there is an easier way.

Finally, the rival
is driven off.

The amorous male may have won
the fight,

but he's lost his prize.

The family can't afford
any more hold-ups.

Heading north, they hug
the frozen coastline for speed.

Adult bears can travel


but for the cubs,
even 10 miles is a struggle.

They are tired
and can walk no more.

At three months old,
they need six rest breaks a day.

The male has picked up
their scent.

Polar bears will pursue females
over vast distances.

And here, there's no
covering your tracks.

They must get moving,

but their mother hasn't eaten
for seven months

and is weak with hunger

A ringed seal...

a chance for the cubs
to have a hunting lesson.

Stealth and complete silence
are essential.

The cubs are trying their best
to stay interested.

It doesn't last.

Time for a bit of discipline,
Polar Bear style.

Luckily, the sea ice
is rich in seals.

A naive young pup.

Not likely to have
ever seen a bear.

She treads gently...
not easy when you weigh

almost a quarter of a ton.

The ice soon gives her away.

The mother seal tries
The mother bear has other ideas.

The pup remains
blissfully unaware.

A last desperate warning.

Message received.

A setback, but she can't afford
to give up.

Every 30 minutes,
the seals must take a breath.

This lesson is
all about patience.

The female cub seems to be
taking the lesson seriously.

One day, she'll have her
own young to feed.

Her brother prefers
making snowballs.

At last, the waiting is over.

But it's the wrong hole.

Still hungry,
they must keep hunting.

The bears aren't the only
carnivores trying to scratch

a living on the island.

Arctic foxes get through
the winter scavenging for scraps

and surviving
on their food stores.

The warmer spring air means
the good times are on their way.

Unlike the bears, they can't
wait for the ice to melt.

The Summer will bring out
the nesting birds they prey on.

For the cubs, a break from
walking is always welcome.

But their mother senses
a different opportunity.

One of the foxes is digging up
his winter food stores.

Leftovers are his insurance
policy against starvation.

But, his secret is out.

In times of need, polar bears
aren't beneath stealing.

It's a welcome snack
for the mother

and the cubs'
first taste of meat.

It's a welcome snack
Foxes scavenge from polar bears.

Perhaps it's only
fair that they return the favor.

The Arctic fox spots
another intruder.

The amorous male is back.
She must think quickly..

She can't outrun him
on the flat coastal ice.

She must lead the cubs up
and over the mountains.

On the steep slopes,
the massive male will struggle

to keep up
with the more nimble family.

At twice the weight
of the female, it's heavy going.

But with his prize in sight,
he is not giving up.

Nearing the summit, family
have become trapped.

The male sees his chance.

The cubs are panicking.

To escape, they must somehow
scale the wall of ice and snow.

But he's matching them
step for step.

The stronger male cub
is keeping up.

His sister struggles.

Their mother has paved the way,
now it's all down to her cubs.

With one last effort
the little one is up.

But the male is grappling
with the steepest part.

Now, she has the advantage.

Time to strike.

Now, she has the advantage.
Time to strike.

For the male, there's no
dignified way to do this.

But climbing over the mountain has
cost them precious time and energy.

The mother can see that the ice
is starting to melt,

and there's still a long way
to the end of the island.

Best to take
the quickest way down.

Looking for a meal,
the family head for the sea ice.

But the conditions
are different here.

The seals can be found
hiding out in chambers

under the snow drifts.

But it's no problem...
she can still smell a seal

under three feet of snow.

Even the Arctic Fox can see
she's onto something.

Once located, it's a case
of smash and grab.

And for the cubs,
it's watch and learn.

Getting it right demands
precision and experience.

This is it,
the big one.

Or maybe not.

But there's no shame
in failure...

only one in 10 hunts succeed.

Triumph, at last.

These cubs are about to get
their first taste of fresh seal.

And couldn't have
come at a better time.

The tip of the island
is still two weeks walk away.

The fox will have
to wait his turn.

With full bellies,
the family make good progress.

But as the days warm,
the cycle of melt and freeze

has turned the frozen sea
into an ice rink.

Adult bears have rough
furry foot pads

that give a non-slip grip.

Cubs are not so well-equipped.

But on thin ice, it's their
mother who's in difficulty.

She tries to spread her weight.

But ultimately something
has to give.

The summer melt
has arrived early...

...and the state of the ice is
a sign that time is running out.

With the sea ice vanishing,
the polar bear family's chances

of getting safely off
the land fade, too.

But they have no choice...
they must keep going.

Shattered by the pace
of the journey,

the cubs need
some time to recover.

Ahead is one of the most
dangerous parts of the journey,

the glacial fjords.

It's is a treacherous place
in spring,

as active glaciers
become increasingly unstable.

The mother looks for
a safe route across,

while the cubs stay back.

But something's wrong.

Thousands of tons of carving
glacier

create a wall of water
pulverizing the sea ice.

Somehow she survived,

but in the chaos,
she's lost her cubs.

She's picked up a scent.

And on an iceberg,

signs of life...

her cubs.

Undeterred, the family move on.

They need to get out of here.

With the glacial fjords
behind them,

they are nearing
the tip of the island.

They've made it, but exposed
rocks are not a good sign.

The ice floes, which provide
safe onward passage

for polar bears,
have melted away.

The mother faces a dilemma.

Drowning is the greatest risk
her cubs face.

So do they swim in the hope
of reaching drifting ice,

or stay put and face starvation?

The arrival of the amorous male
makes her decision easy.

She takes her chance,

hoping the cubs can make it
to the nearest ice floes.

The crossing is a test
of strength and character.

Adult bears can easily swim


but not the youngsters.

Swimming in their mother's wake
means less resistance.

They save valuable energy.

But eventually,
the cubs have to rest.

Fortunately, salvation is
on the horizon.

A small iceberg,
cast adrift from the glacier.

But other bears
have beaten them to it.

The ice is a good sign,
though...

there will be more.

At last, an ice floe.

The gamble was worth it.

Time to dry off,
the polar bear way.

But it sounds like the family
aren't alone here, after all.

Perhaps it's a chance
for a meal.

Instead, the cubs get
their first glimpse of one

of one of the Arctic's
strangest creatures...

the narwhal.

These whales with their
strange tusk,

shaped like a mythical
unicorn's horn, are a good sign.

They are also heading for the
fertile waters of the far north.

Narwhal's gather where
there's food in abundance.

And where there's fish,
there's seals.

On the ice floes, polar bears
have to use

a completely different
hunting technique.

She must ambush them
from the water.

Stealth is essential.

Pinpointing the seal requires
deadly accuracy.

For most of the hunt,
her quarry will be out of sight.

She must close the distance
without being spotted.

Submerging makes her invisible.

She can calculate the exact spot
where the seal can be found.

The seal doesn't suspect
a thing.

Except for one small problem.

Or rather, two.

The mother wonders
where it all went wrong,

while the cubs reflect
on what they've done.

The mother wonders
where it all went wrong,

As the summer
takes hold, temperatures rise

and the melting drift
ice breaks apart.

With the passing weeks,

the distances between rest stops
are increasing...

...but the growing cubs
are rising to the challenge.

Their mother has
picked up a scent.

It's now a case
of following her nose.

The scent trail is coming from
the carcass of a fin whale.

Its natural death offers both
food and energy for the family.

Energy-rich blubber
will supercharge the cubs.

For the family.

The male that was shadowing them
has also picked up the scent.

He can swim twice as fast
as the family

and is making good progress.

The mother knows the whale
is a magnet for other bears,

so they must eat quickly.

He's found it.

And the family, too.

He may just be hungry,

but they can't take the risk.

The family continue
their marathon swim.

Then, something strange floats

Irresistible to a curious cub.

It's a sleeping walrus...

...enjoying
a little peace and quiet.

He's making the oddest noises.

The rest of the herd
are awake and alert.

Their calves are occasionally
taken by polar bears.

But in the water,
the walruses feel safe.

They even come to
investigate the cubs.

Walruses favor the rich
waters of the far north.

The bears must be close
to their goal.

The ice floes
are getting denser.

Hunting should be good here.

A snoozing seal.

And a look that says,
"Stay put and keep quiet."

Bearded seals weigh
around a quarter of a ton.

If the mother can catch it,

this family will have
enough energy

to fuel their onward journey.

She's as silent
as the drifting ice.

Her success feels like
a turning point...

...and a taste
of things to come.

But a white rainbow warns
of a change in the weather.

Their destination is so close
now, but they can't continue.

They just have to sit it out.

As the skies clear,
it seems the storm

has pushed their ice floe
closer to the pack ice.

In between, dozens of seals
play in the narrow channel.

It's this reliable food supply,

which makes the edge of the
pack ice a polar bear paradise.

One last swim
and they'll be home and dry.

But a seal so close
is irresistible.

Seals are superior swimmers and
delight in taunting young bears.

But the big male
has also arrived.

He's been on the same journey
for 400 miles.

The young cub realizes
he's in trouble.

It's rare for a male
to find a cub alone.

Without his mother,
he's defenseless.

She checks on her cubs...

...and realizes one's missing.

She can't make out
what's happening.

But what seems at first
to be aggression

may just be curiosity.

Then, as quickly as it started,
the encounter is over.

The cub is shaken,
but not stirred.

...I mean, "unscathed."

Through the journey,
the male's focus has shifted.

Now he's reached the pack ice,

his thoughts have turned to his
stomach, rather than the female.

They've made it.

The family can relax, at last.

There may be bears everywhere,
but there's nothing to fear.

Everyone has a full belly...

and with food in abundance,

no reason to fight or flee.

The family will spend the rest
of the summer gorging on seals,

fattening up for the return trip,

and for the cycle
to start all over again.

Every year across the Arctic,

polar bears
make extraordinary journeys

in their constant
quest for food.

So life will be one endless
adventure for the snow bears.