Autumn The Bear Family and Me


Autumn

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The American black bear...

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..has a reputation for being unpredictable...

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BEAR GROWLS

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..and dangerous.

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(Maybe I'll just sit back down!)

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'I'm Gordon Buchanan.

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'I've filmed many of the world's dangerous animals...

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'from a distance.'

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I just would never have believed that I'd get this close.

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'But getting this close has changed my feelings about bears...forever.'

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You're so strong! You are so strong!

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'I've spent spring and summer following the dramas of a family of bears.

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'Now it's autumn, they face a new threat.'

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From the youngest through to the oldest, none of these bears are safe.

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'This time, I'm no longer just a cameraman.

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'I'm a bodyguard.'

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Have a look at this, look!

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That's a hunter's jacket!

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'Now, we could all be in the line of fire.'

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GUNSHOT

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'I've returned to the American state of Minnesota.

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'This spectacular wilderness

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'is THE best place in the world

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'to film black bears in the wild.'

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'In the run-up to hibernation,

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'there's an extra sense of urgency in the air.

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'I want to see how bears get ready for the long winter ahead.

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'But first, I want to catch up with one of my favourites - Lily.'

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Hey, Lily!

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Hey, bear!

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'Lily is one of 12 bears in this forest that are wearing radio-tracking collars.'

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Gosh, she must be pretty close, actually.

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If I manage to find Lily,

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this'll be the first time I've seen her in a very long while.

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She'll have changed a bit, because the summer's worn on,

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and she's been feeding on a lot of berries through the forest.

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She's really close. Right, I'm going to start walking in here,

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see if we can find her.

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Hey, bear.

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'When I first met Lily back in the spring, she seemed like a devoted mother.

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'Her first cub, Hope, was only just out of the den.

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'But in May, Lily abandoned her.'

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BEAR CUB WHIMPERS

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'Hope could have been left to starve or taken into captivity,

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'but the biologists I'm working with

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'decided to try and help her survive in the wild.

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'This feisty little cub won me over,

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'as she faced up to life without her mum.'

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I think she's off in here. We'll go through here.

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Oh.

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'Lily's lived apart from her cub all summer,

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'but now the signals from both their radio collars

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'are coming from the same neck of the woods.'

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Hey, bear.

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'I want to see what's going on.'

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Hey, Lily!

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I nearly bumped right into you.

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I nearly bumped right into you, bear.

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Hey, Lily, it's good to see you!

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Do you remember me?

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Do you remember me?

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She's looking...

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a lot healthier than the last time I saw her.

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I can tell she's been eating... Hope, that's not you, is it?!

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Good Lord!

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Hello, Hope!

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'While I've been away, Hope has got back with her mum.'

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I can't believe that!

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'When I last saw her,

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'she was struggling to find enough to eat and she was terrified.'

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Wow!

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Hope, you look like a proper bear!

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She looks different, she's behaving differently.

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You know, trying to get close to this cub

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was impossible last time I was here.

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'Their reunion has transformed her.'

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I don't really know what to think. She's...completely different.

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'I've no idea how they found each other,

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'but Hope seems to be enjoying life as a carefree cub again.'

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Why is it I'm feeling scared again?

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I think it's just kind of a shock to the system.

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You fly halfway across the world, back in the Northwoods of Minnesota,

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and suddenly there's a black bear walking up to you very boldly.

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It kind of, yeah, sets your nerves on edge a little bit.

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'These study bears only allow me to approach

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'because of the food that I've brought.

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'Once I show them it's gone, with a hand signal,

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'they should let me follow them for the rest of the day.'

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OK, and they're done. I'm walking out, so just ignore me.

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Hope, ignore me!

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'Now I see the weeks spent alone have taken their toll on Hope.

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'She's much smaller than she should be.

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'If she goes into hibernation underweight,

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'she might not survive the winter.

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'I'm really worried she won't be able to make up for lost time.'

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Bit of feeding going on here.

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Amazing thing about these animals -

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they can find food just about anywhere.

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'Tasty grubs in rotting logs don't stay hidden for long.'

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Really powerful,

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just the way that she's raking that bark apart with her claws.

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'Even so, Lily's got her work cut out.

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'I'll be watching closely to see whether she can get Hope back on track.

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'As food peters out, Lily and Hope will have to scour

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'their whole territory to find enough to eat.

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'There's nowhere else to go.

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'Every neighbouring patch of forest is claimed by other bears.

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'Lily's aunt, Juliet, lives right next door.'

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Hey, bear.

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Not too far... Hello...

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Hey, bear!

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'Juliet's cubs are exactly the same age as Hope.'

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Hey, bear.

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'They might tell me more about Hope's chances of catching up.'

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Hey, bear.

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Oh, they've all gone. OK, I need to...

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..put my foot on the gas a little bit.

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'All the bears need to stock up for winter,

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'so they're constantly on the move.

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'Filming them has never been harder.'

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Holy moly!

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'Juliet is way more camera-shy than Lily

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'and doesn't like me getting too close.'

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Gone way ahead! Come on, guys! Hold up!

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I'm not Superman.

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'While working their territory for food,

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'Juliet's family can cover ten miles a day.'

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Not so much walking with bears as running after them.

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See if I can just catch up, cos this is no use.

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This distance is pretty bad.

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'Finally, they slow down, and I get a better look at the cubs.

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'Juliet is older and heavier than Lily, so she produces more milk.

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'Her cubs are already bigger and stronger than Hope.'

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Hey, bear!

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'Juliet is right on the edge of her territory.

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'She's been checking whether it's safe to go on.

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'And now, I can see why she's heading this way.'

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Hey, bear!

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A-ha! I can see these bears and I can also see Charlie.

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This is just the edge of Charlie's property.

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He's a big friend of the bears.

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'Bears are cautious around people,

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'but if they're hungry, they'll overcome their fear.

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'Juliet's learned she can help her cubs fatten up more quickly -

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'and safely - with a helping hand from Charlie.'

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Hey, Charlie!

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-How's it going?

-Good.

-Good to see you!

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-How about yourself?

-Yeah. Good.

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Gosh, it's amazing how fast they grow.

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-Well, they eat like pigs.

-Yeah.

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The last time I saw them, they were still...

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Well, they were still cubs, but they were much, much smaller.

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Hello!

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Is this one bolder than the others? Can you tell them apart?

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I can't.

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Hey, bear!

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Hey, do you remember me? Course you don't.

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'Charlie lives in the remote community of Eagles Nest.

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'He's one of ten households here who regularly feed bears.

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'There is no other place in the world

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'where people are this tolerant of them.'

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What were your views of bears before you moved here?

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-Oh, we were afraid of them.

-Yeah?

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Yeah. Well, we always heard all the horror stories.

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We were afraid of them, but we slowly learned.

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Now it's one big party!

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There are still people living in Eagles Nest community

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that have had the same opinion of bears

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that you had when you first moved here.

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Yes, and it's funny. Some of them have lived here all their life.

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Born and raised here, and they're still terrified.

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-Really?

-Crazy!

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'As people move ever deeper into bear country,

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'they must deal with living alongside these large, wild animals.'

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GLASS SHATTERS

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'Bears will resort to smash and grab if they're starving.

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'Many people think feeding bears creates nuisance bears.

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'But that hasn't happened in Eagles Nest.

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'Because some people leave out food,

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'the bears never get desperately hungry.

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'There are fewer problem bears here than anywhere else in America.

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'Bears won't turn down a free lunch,

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'but they prefer to roam far and wide in search of wild food.

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'And they need to be out there, patrolling their territory,

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'to defend it from other bears.

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'That's why Lily and Hope are often hard to track down.'

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'When I eventually do catch up with them,

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'it's fun to try and work out what they've been up to.'

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Hey, Hope, I didn't realise you were actually there!

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This is where they slept last night, I'm pretty sure of that.

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If you look around here, all that grass has been bedded down -

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there's a nice dry spot there.

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They haven't moved far.

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The sun's been up for about three hours. They haven't gone anywhere.

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'Black bears are expert tree climbers.'

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Are you being lazy?

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'Most of the time.'

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Are you being lazy?

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'Sometimes they go up tall trees to get a better view.

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'But I don't understand why they haven't come back down.'

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Both bears are in the tree. Hope's up above,

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and Lily is just a few metres off the ground.

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I'm not sure what they're doing.

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'Lily seems worried about something.'

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I thought I could hear another bear there.

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RUSTLING

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There is! There's another bear!

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Hmm.

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Now, have they gone up this tree because they don't like this bear

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or have they gone up the tree to get a better view

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and maybe try and figure out who it is before they get too close?

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It's quite interesting. Let's see what happens.

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Where is that other bear? Still there.

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I'm going to have to try and stay close.

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OK, let's go.

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'Lily decides to challenge the intruder.

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'Hope stays well clear.

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'It's a young female, even younger than Lily.'

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Is she going to chase it away?

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Definitely. You can see it's making Lily very nervous.

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'Lily's territory is only big enough to support her and Hope.'

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Oh, gosh, I just can't see.

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LILY EXHALES

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'She can't give up any ground.'

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LILY GROWLS

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Lily's not happy.

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That's not friendly sounds, and she's seen one off.

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Trying to film it, but it's just too thick in here.

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'Now that the intruder's gone,

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'Hope seeks out her mum for reassurance.'

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Here comes Hope.

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'Lily is back to being a devoted mum.

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'Because she was separated from Hope for so long,

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'I thought her milk would have dried up.

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'But her milk has returned

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'now that Hope's started suckling again.

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'And she's really making the most of it.'

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This is something I didn't expect to see again.

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I didn't expect to see them back together,

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let alone nursing quite happily.

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'In fact, they seem closer than ever.

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'Hope doesn't have brothers and sisters,

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'so Lily has to be chief playmate too.'

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This is really nice to see, because,

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for a long time,

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Hope had no-one to play with.

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That's one thing I felt most sorry about for her,

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was that she was all on her own. She didn't...

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have any company, anyone to look out for her.

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Ignore me, that's what you're supposed to do.

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Ignore me!

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Ignore me!

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Get away!

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Part of me, I just want to pick her up and give her a big cuddle.

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No!

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This is really nice,

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but it's not what I want.

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I really do want her to pretend I'm not here,

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because, after all, I'm here to get natural behaviour,

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and sitting, shaking hands with a bear cub isn't really natural.

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You're so strong! You are so strong!

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Gosh!

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Get!

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Stop it!

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Stop it!

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See what's happened

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is that her mum's got bored of her playing with her,

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and I think there's a big part of Hope just thinks,

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"Hey, these people that keep on following me around,

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"maybe I can have fun with them."

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She's not...

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She's not after food, she just wants to play,

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but you're not supposed to play with people...

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definitely not supposed to play with people. Go.

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Get whacked here!

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'Lily comes over to see what all the fuss is about.

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'Bears yawn when they're anxious.'

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LILY SNORTS

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'Time to back off.'

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GORDON HUMS

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'Lily has an even smarter way of telling me that she's had enough.

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'She leads me straight back to my car.'

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Weird!

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Look!

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Right, the plan is,

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we're going to sell this vehicle at the end of the shoot,

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and if it's got big scratch marks on the bonnet, guys,

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we're not going to get as much, so please have a bit of respect.

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Yeah. I was talking to you.

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Hope, you ratbag!

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Just cos your mum does it, doesn't mean to say you should.

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Oh, well.

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GORDON LAUGHS

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I think she wants to get rid of me, so I'm going to go.

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'But leaving Lily's territory, I spot another of the study bears.'

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There's always one lurking about

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that you don't even know that's there.

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Hey, bear, who are you?

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Hey, bear.

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Now...we have met before.

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We have met.

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'This might be Sarah. Is she the young bear Lily chased off earlier?'

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No, no, no.

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OK.

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'All the study bears I've met

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'will remember my smell and are happy to say hello.'

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Back off.

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'They're spooked by people they don't recognise.'

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I'll be interested if this bear disappears.

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See how nervous it is? Off you go!

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'I'm glad she's so wary.

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'In two weeks' time,

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'most of the strangers in this forest will be bear hunters.

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'In the local hunting store,

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'I see exactly what our bears will be up against.

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'Hunting bears is legal in Minnesota.

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'In fact, it's so popular,

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'the state runs a lottery for permits to shoot them.'

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There's enough guns in here to start a revolution.

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There's shotguns, machine guns, handguns, rifles,

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guns for shooting birds, guns for shooting bears...

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guns for shooting fish, guns for kids, guns for women.

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If I looked hard enough, there'd probably be a gun for a baby.

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It's just such a weird cultural thing for me to come into a shop

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where all this weaponry is on show.

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'The state asks hunters not to shoot radio-collared bears.

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'But it's not illegal.'

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OK. Here.

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'Every autumn, Dr Lynn Rogers

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'worries about losing his research animals.'

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The hunting season is the time of year we dread all year long.

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Every time we're with a bear, we think this could be the last time.

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Will it get through another season? Can we make plans for the future?

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And every shot we hear, just... we feel it deep inside of us.

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'Lynn and his assistant, Sue Mansfield, tie on Day-Glo ribbons,

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'so hunters can clearly see these are research bears.'

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Lynn's doing everything he can on radio and in press

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to just sort of educate the public

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and educate the hunters about his study bears.

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But no matter what he does, at the end of the day, um,

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these bears aren't legally protected,

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and any one of them could get shot.

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'Bear hunting does go back a long way

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'and it's not something I understand.

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'I want to find out why people do it.

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'I'm visiting local hunter Dave Brotten and his family.'

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Is that the doorbell? Jeez, it is!

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DOORBELL RINGS A bear trap.

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-Dave?

-Come on in.

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-Gordon.

-Nice to meet you, Gordon.

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Hi.

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Gordon, this is my wife, Joan, my son, Dean.

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How are you doing?

0:24:240:24:25

Wow! This is just like my house at home(!)

0:24:250:24:29

DAVE LAUGHS

0:24:290:24:31

-So are all these animals you've shot?

-Yes.

0:24:310:24:34

-Moose. Is that white...?

-That's white-tailed deer.

0:24:340:24:39

-Bear.

-Deano shot that one.

0:24:390:24:42

Oh, did you?

0:24:420:24:44

That bear was trying to break into my mother-in-law's house.

0:24:440:24:47

-What, this one was?

-It was a nuisance bear.

0:24:470:24:50

It kept coming in and breaking through the screen door,

0:24:500:24:53

and they were afraid, so...

0:24:530:24:55

-Yeah.

-They had to take care of him.

0:24:550:24:58

So how did you get into hunting?

0:24:580:25:01

Well, my family...my father,

0:25:010:25:03

he would take us hunting when we were really young.

0:25:030:25:07

We'd go to school in the morning,

0:25:070:25:09

sometimes we'd take a gun, we'd hunt on the way.

0:25:090:25:11

-We could put a gun right in our locker in school.

-Really?

0:25:110:25:15

You know, what you're describing isn't a hobby or a choice -

0:25:150:25:19

it's just a way of life for you.

0:25:190:25:21

We live in a small community,

0:25:210:25:23

but you step out your back door and you can hunt.

0:25:230:25:26

You must have a pretty full refrigerator.

0:25:260:25:29

Yes - bear meat, deer meat.

0:25:290:25:31

-Do you want to try some?

-Some bear meat?

0:25:310:25:34

Some bear burger?

0:25:340:25:35

MEAT SIZZLES

0:25:350:25:36

'I didn't realise that people ate bear meat.'

0:25:360:25:40

Hey, guys! Come on, get a burger!

0:25:400:25:43

-Try it out, Gordon.

-Let's see.

0:25:430:25:44

It's pretty delicious.

0:25:500:25:52

The truth is, and I'm not being polite,

0:25:520:25:56

this is one of the best burgers I've ever eaten.

0:25:560:25:59

'Regardless of the taste, I could never shoot a bear myself.

0:26:010:26:08

'I wonder how Dave would feel

0:26:120:26:14

'if he were to try my way of looking at bears.

0:26:140:26:16

'Maybe I should introduce him to one.'

0:26:160:26:19

'Juliet and her family have no idea

0:26:300:26:33

'hunting season is just round the corner.

0:26:330:26:36

'All they're thinking about is food.

0:26:360:26:39

'These days, the cubs are one step ahead of their mum.'

0:26:430:26:46

'By following them over the year, I've seen Juliet's youngsters

0:26:550:26:58

'develop a mental map of their territory.

0:26:580:27:01

'They've learnt how to find over 100 different edible plants and insects,

0:27:040:27:09

'as they come in and out of season.

0:27:090:27:11

'Right now, the cubs are devouring dogwood berries.

0:27:150:27:19

'But these berries are so teensy, Juliet can't be bothered.'

0:27:190:27:24

These cubs haven't grown to this size on milk alone.

0:27:290:27:32

They'll be doing a lot of foraging.

0:27:320:27:34

At the moment, for Juliet and for these three cubs,

0:27:340:27:37

they're just eating machines -

0:27:370:27:38

they will eat as often and as much as they can.

0:27:380:27:41

But it's amazing to see the change that has taken place

0:27:410:27:45

since I've been away in these cubs - they're enormous now.

0:27:450:27:49

They look like proper bears, and all of that weight and size

0:27:490:27:53

has just been built off the back of tiny, little things -

0:27:530:27:56

things like ants, seeds, berries, all these tiny things -

0:27:560:28:01

eaten in vast quantities.

0:28:010:28:03

'Hope's still struggling to catch up.

0:28:080:28:11

'It means she and Lily will have to stay out in the open longer, feeding,

0:28:150:28:19

'and that will make them more exposed to hunters.

0:28:190:28:23

'Lily looks like she'd prefer to be digging their den right now.'

0:28:260:28:30

'Because Juliet's cubs are further along,

0:28:410:28:44

'Juliet can throw herself into it.'

0:28:440:28:47

'I've never seen a bear den before.

0:29:050:29:07

'And Lynn's told me there's one near here.'

0:29:070:29:10

And I think that's the den over there.

0:29:100:29:14

'I'm not entirely comfortable with this.

0:29:160:29:20

'You never know who might be in.'

0:29:200:29:23

Anybody at home?

0:29:240:29:26

Let me just get down on my belly.

0:29:260:29:29

Oh, God, this just... it kind of feels intrinsically wrong.

0:29:290:29:34

Oh, gosh!

0:29:420:29:45

Oh, man, you would not want a bear sneaking up behind you at this point.

0:29:450:29:49

You know, it's actually really narrow -

0:29:490:29:53

much more narrow than I expected.

0:29:530:29:56

In fact, it's very long... like a six-foot channel.

0:29:560:30:00

There's just not much room for manoeuvre.

0:30:000:30:02

I can't put my hands out to the side. Oh, gosh.

0:30:020:30:05

'In here, a female might give birth to four cubs.

0:30:050:30:09

'In the freezing winter, cramped at least means cosy.'

0:30:090:30:13

You'll never guess what's in there.

0:30:130:30:15

There's...

0:30:160:30:18

three bowls of porridge -

0:30:180:30:20

one big one, one medium one and one tiny one.

0:30:200:30:26

I think I'm going to eat them.

0:30:260:30:28

'Time is running out for Hope to reach a safe denning weight.'

0:30:500:30:54

BEARS GROWL

0:30:540:30:57

'Lily clearly thinks this isn't the moment for fun and games.'

0:31:020:31:07

BEARS GROWL

0:31:070:31:10

'As a first-time mum, Lily hasn't always delivered.

0:31:200:31:23

'Now she's everything a mum should be...

0:31:250:31:28

'..even creating a small hollow in wet ground for clean water to seep in -

0:31:320:31:37

'a drink for Hope.'

0:31:370:31:39

'Moments like this remind me

0:31:550:31:56

'how much we're still learning from these bears.

0:31:560:31:59

'But from tomorrow, it could all be blown away.'

0:32:020:32:05

'Hunting season has begun.

0:32:080:32:10

'Lily and Hope have become so important to me,

0:32:120:32:16

'I've decided to help Lynn keep them safe.'

0:32:160:32:19

I've just found out there are hunters in the area,

0:32:190:32:22

so I'm heading over to see Lynn and Sue

0:32:220:32:24

to see if I can get more information.

0:32:240:32:26

They are right in here. Right exactly there

0:32:270:32:31

is where four bears have been shot so far,

0:32:310:32:33

and that's where Lily and Hope are.

0:32:330:32:37

So actually in...

0:32:370:32:39

God, they go there all the time!

0:32:390:32:42

Yeah, I know it, yeah.

0:32:420:32:43

There is a law against shooting a research bear

0:32:430:32:49

-if a researcher is accompanying it...

-Yep.

0:32:490:32:53

-..and you identify to the hunter that it is a research bear.

-Yep.

0:32:530:32:58

'There aren't enough of us to protect all the collared bears.

0:32:590:33:02

'Lynn will walk with Juliet and her cubs.

0:33:060:33:09

'I'll be with Lily and Hope.

0:33:120:33:14

'That puts me in the firing line.

0:33:140:33:18

'Hundreds of people have been accidentally killed by hunters,

0:33:180:33:23

'so a bullet-proof vest is a must.'

0:33:230:33:27

Hey, bear!

0:33:270:33:28

Oh, here we go. Look.

0:33:320:33:34

Hey, Hope! Hope's up a tree right in front.

0:33:360:33:40

OK. Lily...where is she?

0:33:400:33:42

'Lily appears but immediately climbs a tree.

0:33:460:33:50

'She might be trying to identify scent from a long way off.

0:33:500:33:55

'There are many new smells to worry about.'

0:33:550:33:57

It does make me really nervous,

0:34:000:34:02

the fact that there are hunters in this area.

0:34:020:34:08

We think we've got a hunter's camp within a mile of here,

0:34:080:34:11

and a hunter's camp is always going to be very close

0:34:110:34:14

to where the hunter's going to try and shoot a bear.

0:34:140:34:17

Hey, Lily! Hey, girl!

0:34:200:34:23

'But today, Lily has got bears, rather than bear hunters, on her mind.'

0:34:240:34:29

Look at her scent-marking there!

0:34:350:34:37

Right over the top of that.

0:34:400:34:41

I wonder if you could actually smell any of that.

0:34:410:34:45

Obviously, it's designed for bears, not designed for me.

0:34:450:34:49

There is. There is quite a beary smell on this branch.

0:34:490:34:52

Maybe I'm turning into a bear!

0:34:540:34:56

I don't know why they're doing all this.

0:35:010:35:03

There's a lot more sniffing, clawing, scent-marking going on.

0:35:030:35:07

She'll probably do it again. Look.

0:35:070:35:09

Look. Scent-marking.

0:35:090:35:11

'Lily is leaving messages which tell bears this area belongs to her.'

0:35:120:35:18

UNDERGROWTH RUSTLES

0:35:180:35:22

Come on.

0:35:300:35:31

You can go past. On you go.

0:35:370:35:40

It's not human walking - it's bear walking.

0:35:400:35:43

'This is why they are such great study bears.

0:35:430:35:46

'I'm treated like part of the family

0:35:460:35:49

'and get to see things no-one else would.'

0:35:490:35:52

She's probably smelling some other bear.

0:35:520:35:55

At some point in the past, another bear has probably done exactly that.

0:35:550:35:59

Just walked up here...

0:35:590:36:00

..rubbed its face.

0:36:020:36:04

Oh, gosh! Look at this!

0:36:040:36:05

Ha!

0:36:050:36:07

That wasn't Lily that did that.

0:36:070:36:09

Some other bear's rubbed its face on this tree, and there's nothing that...

0:36:090:36:13

SNIFFS

0:36:130:36:14

I just smell tree, but for a bear, that's probably going to be one

0:36:140:36:18

of the most overpowering things it can ever smell,

0:36:180:36:21

the smell of another bear.

0:36:210:36:23

'I realise Lily has caught up with the intruder.'

0:36:240:36:28

Oh, look, just...ran off.

0:36:280:36:29

OK, it's a collared bear - you can see the hunter's tags on it.

0:36:330:36:36

'I think it's Sarah again.'

0:36:360:36:39

OK, let's see what happens.

0:36:390:36:40

'Sarah must be hungry if she's testing Lily for a second time.'

0:36:400:36:45

Is she going to chase it away?

0:36:450:36:47

BEAR GROWLS

0:36:470:36:49

Did you see that?

0:36:490:36:51

Ha!

0:37:000:37:01

'Suddenly I hear what we've all been dreading.'

0:37:010:37:05

Gunshots off there.

0:37:050:37:08

OK. I think it must be target practice.

0:37:080:37:11

At least I hope it is.

0:37:110:37:14

It's a bit worrying to hear that. It's just a little reminder

0:37:140:37:17

that there are people in the woods with guns.

0:37:170:37:19

'Further along the trail, I find something really troubling.'

0:37:260:37:31

What's that?

0:37:310:37:34

Hang on, this all looks recent. Look.

0:37:350:37:38

Hey, Lily.

0:37:400:37:42

OK. Well, that's a hunter's jacket.

0:37:420:37:45

Erm...

0:37:490:37:51

I wonder if she knows what that is. Probably not.

0:37:530:37:55

'Hunters shoot bears from tree stands like this.

0:37:580:38:02

'The quicker Lily and Hope den, the happier I'll be.'

0:38:020:38:06

Hey, Lily.

0:38:130:38:14

We're getting closer towards sunset.

0:38:140:38:16

Although I'm managing to keep up with her,

0:38:160:38:18

I'll have to turn back and find the road at some point,

0:38:180:38:21

cos I can't follow her all night.

0:38:210:38:23

The good thing is hunters can't shoot at night-time either.

0:38:230:38:25

Hey.

0:38:270:38:28

And the other thing that's happened is all this bear walking

0:38:280:38:31

has taken a serious toll on my trousers.

0:38:310:38:35

Don't go too close on this.

0:38:350:38:37

If I went into town, I'd probably be arrested.

0:38:370:38:40

LAUGHS

0:38:400:38:41

'Today has made me realise

0:38:470:38:48

'Lily and Hope live in a particularly dangerous spot.

0:38:480:38:51

'Bears living far from traditional hunting trails

0:38:530:38:56

'are less likely to become targets.

0:38:560:38:58

'As a result, some have reached a ripe old age.'

0:39:000:39:04

Hey, bear.

0:39:070:39:08

'The best place to see one of these survivors is Lynn's cabin.'

0:39:080:39:11

He is enormous - I was just looking at his big fat belly,

0:39:150:39:17

-so that's going to see him through the winter.

-Yep.

0:39:170:39:21

'One-eyed Jack is a regular visitor.

0:39:220:39:26

'For all his 300 kilograms, he is surprisingly gentle.

0:39:260:39:32

He's such a nice bear. I mean, these big...these big bears

0:39:320:39:36

tend to be the most confident, the most gentle, the most trustworthy,

0:39:360:39:42

all contrary to what a person would think.

0:39:420:39:45

'Sadly, even gentle giants like Jack are wounded by humans.'

0:39:460:39:52

This hole in his back is very interesting.

0:39:520:39:55

You see that, Gordon?

0:39:550:39:57

You can put your hand right in it.

0:39:570:40:01

Any idea what caused that?

0:40:010:40:03

I don't, I don't.

0:40:030:40:05

But the thing that I do know what happened...see that blind eye?

0:40:050:40:09

-Yeah.

-Somebody intentionally shot him in the face.

0:40:090:40:14

To scare him off?

0:40:140:40:16

He said, "That impudent bear had the gall to look at me.

0:40:160:40:20

"He was eating dandelions in my neighbour's yard

0:40:200:40:23

"and he looked at me."

0:40:230:40:24

But it just tells me there's such a need

0:40:240:40:29

to replace misconceptions about bears with facts.

0:40:290:40:33

'It's unforgettable being close to a bear of Jack's size.

0:40:370:40:41

'Lynn wishes people could just see bears as they really are.'

0:40:470:40:52

'Every morning, I worry for Lily and Hope.

0:41:050:41:08

'But today they are in the remotest and safest part of their home.

0:41:080:41:12

'It's a good time to find out

0:41:130:41:15

'whether they are any closer to denning.

0:41:150:41:17

'Lynn has told me how to do it.

0:41:170:41:20

'All I need is a stethoscope and a consenting bear.'

0:41:200:41:25

I'm heading in to try and find Lily and Hope

0:41:250:41:27

with the specific aim of trying to get their heart rates.

0:41:270:41:31

When they get close to the denning period,

0:41:310:41:33

everything starts to slow down,

0:41:330:41:35

and if I can get a heart rate reading from both of them,

0:41:350:41:38

we'll maybe be able to tell how close they are to denning.

0:41:380:41:42

Hey, bear!

0:41:420:41:44

Hey, Hope!

0:41:460:41:48

This is going to be a laugh.

0:41:480:41:49

Welcome to my surgery.

0:41:510:41:54

We're going to put all these on the ground.

0:41:540:41:57

That's going to keep you really busy.

0:41:570:42:00

Get them out the way.

0:42:020:42:04

OK, just slip off your trousers

0:42:040:42:09

and hop up onto the couch.

0:42:090:42:11

In a nutshell, this is the agreement you have with these bears -

0:42:110:42:16

a little bit of food for human company -

0:42:160:42:19

and this is where we start crossing the line.

0:42:190:42:22

You're giving the animal some food,

0:42:220:42:24

and then it's doing something you're not that comfortable with.

0:42:240:42:28

HOPE MOANS

0:42:280:42:29

I think I'm going to give up on Hope.

0:42:360:42:38

OK, Lily.

0:42:390:42:40

If we can find out that these bears are close to denning,

0:42:430:42:46

it means we can wipe the sweat from our brow a little bit,

0:42:460:42:50

because it means if she's in a den, she's not going to get hunted.

0:42:500:42:55

Ah...

0:42:580:42:59

She's too furry!

0:43:010:43:03

There's a big, thick thatch of fur that you've got to get through. Pants!

0:43:050:43:10

This is something I thought was absolutely insane

0:43:190:43:22

when I saw Lynn doing it for the first time,

0:43:220:43:24

and here I am.

0:43:240:43:26

Well, I'm trying to do it.

0:43:260:43:28

OK.

0:43:300:43:32

I can confirm this bear is alive,

0:43:320:43:36

but I can't tell you how close to denning it is.

0:43:360:43:39

'By mid-September, the pulse of the Northwoods is slowing down.

0:43:470:43:52

'Winter frosts have arrived,

0:44:010:44:03

'and bears are beginning to go underground.

0:44:030:44:06

'First to go are the pregnant females.

0:44:090:44:13

'Their hearts have slowed by a quarter.

0:44:130:44:18

'Their last act is to collect warm bedding.

0:44:180:44:21

'When the cubs are born in January, they'll need this extra insulation.'

0:44:230:44:28

'It's a relief to see bears making themselves safe from hunters.

0:44:320:44:35

'So far, we haven't lost a single study bear...

0:44:350:44:40

'..until now.'

0:44:430:44:45

I got a call this morning soon as I got up from Sue

0:44:560:45:01

saying that a radio collar from a bear had been shoved in

0:45:010:45:04

through the letterbox of the Department of Natural Resources

0:45:040:45:08

in town here, anonymously.

0:45:080:45:11

We don't know who the bear is, we don't know who shot the bear,

0:45:120:45:16

we know nothing, so I'm following Lynn and Sue down

0:45:160:45:18

just to hopefully find out what's gone on.

0:45:180:45:21

But it's not...

0:45:210:45:23

A bear's been shot.

0:45:230:45:24

'What we do know is that hunters are still in the area

0:45:260:45:30

'where we last saw Lily and Hope.'

0:45:300:45:32

I'm not going to go in here with Lynn and Sue -

0:45:350:45:38

they're going to go in, I'll wait outside.

0:45:380:45:41

It's Sarah.

0:46:030:46:04

-Yeah?

-Yeah. And they pulled all the ribbons off.

0:46:040:46:08

Where was she?

0:46:080:46:10

He said he didn't know,

0:46:100:46:12

and it was turned in anonymously over the weekend.

0:46:120:46:16

Sue, for you as a scientist, how much of a scientist do you feel today?

0:46:160:46:22

SHE LAUGHS

0:46:220:46:23

I feel like crap.

0:46:230:46:25

It's so hard to understand the way they think.

0:46:250:46:31

Yeah, yeah.

0:46:320:46:34

What's the life expectancy for a bear without hunting?

0:46:340:46:40

30...20 or 30.

0:46:400:46:42

With hunting?

0:46:420:46:44

Two, three - typical.

0:46:450:46:49

'The research bears tend to live much longer than other bears.

0:46:500:46:55

'Sarah was unlucky.

0:46:550:46:58

'Lynn's study is the only one

0:47:000:47:03

'in which individual bears can be tracked in such detail.

0:47:030:47:06

'He's known some of the bears here for decades.

0:47:070:47:12

'The loss of any of them must be a blow.'

0:47:120:47:15

'In Minnesota, bear-hunting is a fact of life.

0:47:230:47:26

'But with 20,000 bears across the state,

0:47:280:47:30

'I'm amazed some guy has chosen to shoot a collared bear.

0:47:300:47:35

'I wonder whether a hunter would think differently

0:47:370:47:41

'if they could see what I've seen.

0:47:410:47:44

'One of the few brave enough to meet a bear face to face without a gun

0:47:440:47:48

'is the guy who served me up a bear burger - Dave Brotten.

0:47:480:47:53

'Dave has agreed to join me on a visit to Lily and Hope.'

0:47:550:47:59

Hey, bear!

0:47:590:48:01

How are you feeling? Do you feeling nervous at all?

0:48:030:48:06

Yeah.

0:48:060:48:09

The first time I came in, I did this alone

0:48:090:48:11

and I was verging on being terrified.

0:48:110:48:16

There's not a lot of branches here to climb.

0:48:160:48:19

Don't worry, just stand behind me.

0:48:190:48:22

OK, she's this way, so just move forward.

0:48:220:48:25

Hey, bear!

0:48:250:48:27

'Dave's been hunting in these woods most of his life.'

0:48:270:48:31

This is Hope.

0:48:310:48:32

'But he's never been this close to a live bear before.

0:48:320:48:36

'Because Lily and Hope know me, they're prepared to trust Dave.'

0:48:390:48:44

Hey, bear.

0:48:440:48:45

Yeah, so this is a cub who was abandoned by her mum,

0:48:470:48:51

so you can see that she's interested in one thing.

0:48:510:48:55

Put these down,

0:48:580:49:00

there we go.

0:49:000:49:02

Where's your mum?

0:49:030:49:05

Her mum'll be fairly close by.

0:49:050:49:07

Here it comes, right there.

0:49:070:49:11

Is she there?

0:49:110:49:12

That one's a little bigger one.

0:49:120:49:14

I mean, if you don't want to be this close, stay behind me.

0:49:140:49:19

I mean, really, she's the one you've got to look out for,

0:49:190:49:22

because she's a bit more boisterous.

0:49:220:49:24

I've seen plenty of bears, but not quite this close.

0:49:240:49:28

Is this at all what you'd expected it to be like?

0:49:310:49:35

Kinda, yeah.

0:49:350:49:37

But it's still in my comfort range right now.

0:49:380:49:43

The one thing I've learnt in this year

0:49:430:49:45

is that these animals will do anything to avoid conflict

0:49:450:49:50

and physical confrontation.

0:49:500:49:52

Sure.

0:49:520:49:54

Most bears do, it's that one chance, and you do hear them.

0:49:540:49:59

'I think I can get Dave even further out of his comfort zone.'

0:50:010:50:05

You said you weren't going to feed it. Do you want to try?

0:50:050:50:09

OK, hang on.

0:50:120:50:14

I need that finger tomorrow.

0:50:150:50:17

Don't blame me if you can never shoot another bear again, don't blame me.

0:50:260:50:30

'Most hunters I've met are scared of bears, like I was.

0:50:330:50:38

'I hope Lily and Hope have shown Dave

0:50:380:50:40

'there's not much to be frightened of.'

0:50:400:50:43

Can't beat this, perfect night.

0:50:430:50:47

Are you glad you came out?

0:50:470:50:48

Yeah, I am, but you just don't get a chance to see 'em like this.

0:50:480:50:53

Apprehensive at first, but this is good.

0:50:550:50:57

'Dave's one of the good guys. He'd never shoot a collared bear.

0:51:000:51:04

'I can't imagine anyone not being charmed by these two.'

0:51:070:51:11

'Lynn wants to check Hope's progress,

0:51:300:51:32

'so today I'm keeping an eye on Juliet's family.

0:51:320:51:35

'Juliet's cubs are still hoovering up grubs

0:51:380:51:41

'and searching for other insects.

0:51:410:51:43

'But their mum is stripping alder.

0:51:460:51:50

'Bears begin eating these bitter leaves

0:51:500:51:52

'only when they are ready to den.

0:51:520:51:55

'We don't know why.'

0:51:550:51:56

'I have learnt, over the year, that each bear has its own personality.'

0:52:000:52:06

'Juliet is twitchier than most.

0:52:100:52:13

'She tolerates me but only at arm's length.'

0:52:130:52:17

OK. They're eating ferns on the other side of the tree,

0:52:190:52:22

but I just can't move close enough to see what's going on,

0:52:220:52:25

so I'm going to have to risk spooking them, but here goes.

0:52:250:52:30

'If I cross the line, Juliet always lets me know.'

0:52:300:52:35

That was a biggy.

0:52:450:52:48

(Maybe I'll just sit back down.)

0:52:530:52:56

'Black bear charges are rarely anything but bluster.

0:52:580:53:03

'She was simply telling me to back off.

0:53:040:53:07

'Juliet's cubs are very different.'

0:53:110:53:14

OK, I've got a bear...

0:53:160:53:18

I'll show you how close it is.

0:53:180:53:21

There you go.

0:53:210:53:24

Too close.

0:53:240:53:25

Too close, too close.

0:53:250:53:27

'The cubs are getting a bit too cheeky.'

0:53:300:53:34

(Stop it!)

0:53:380:53:39

'I've fallen in love with these bears.'

0:53:530:53:55

'Every day feels as magical as the first time we met.'

0:54:020:54:06

'These are my last moments with Juliet's family.

0:54:150:54:19

'They've crossed into the state park where hunting isn't allowed.

0:54:200:54:25

'They're going to be safe.'

0:54:250:54:27

'Lily and Hope aren't out of the woods yet.

0:54:310:54:35

'Every day I cross my fingers that Lily is ready to go underground.'

0:54:350:54:39

Hey, Lily! Where is she?

0:54:390:54:42

'Hope is certainly looking sturdier.'

0:54:420:54:46

Hey, Hope.

0:54:460:54:48

Hey, Lily!

0:54:500:54:52

I really want to see if she's got any mud on her nose,

0:54:520:54:56

anything that indicates that she might have started denning...

0:54:560:54:59

round about here, maybe it's a good place.

0:54:590:55:02

It's not a million miles away from where she denned last year

0:55:040:55:07

and where Hope was born.

0:55:070:55:09

Oh, look, she's got mud on her neck there!

0:55:090:55:12

'Lily has been digging for real.

0:55:140:55:17

'Maybe she senses Hope is fat enough to last the winter.'

0:55:170:55:22

The way I feel now is really just relief,

0:55:280:55:32

relief that both these bears have made it to this stage.

0:55:320:55:35

Lily's going to be denned within the next couple of days,

0:55:350:55:38

she'll be in hibernation, and with her will be Hope.

0:55:380:55:42

So for this year, both these bears are safe.

0:55:420:55:45

'It's been a dramatic year for Lily, Hope and for me.

0:55:490:55:54

'The trust these bears have shown

0:55:570:56:00

'has allowed us to film a world no-one has seen before.

0:56:000:56:04

'We agonised when Hope was abandoned...

0:56:070:56:10

'..and made the difficult decision to intervene to save her life.

0:56:120:56:16

'We watched as she struggled on her own.

0:56:180:56:21

'And we were relieved and delighted

0:56:230:56:25

'when she and Lily found each other again.'

0:56:250:56:28

Hope, that's not you, is it?!

0:56:280:56:31

Hello, Hope!

0:56:310:56:33

'They and their relatives are teaching us more about bears

0:56:350:56:39

'than we ever dreamed possible.

0:56:390:56:42

'In a month, the first snow will fall.

0:56:430:56:46

'All the bears will be in their dens, and my time here will be over.'

0:56:480:56:54

As I look around the forest, there's so many changes

0:56:540:56:57

that have taken place over the year,

0:56:570:57:00

changes with the bears, changes with the forest itself.

0:57:000:57:04

And I think the biggest change has been in me.

0:57:040:57:07

When I think back to how I felt about these animals,

0:57:070:57:11

and about Lily in particular, I was terrified of this bear.

0:57:110:57:15

And now all of that fear has gone.

0:57:150:57:19

I know, for one,

0:57:190:57:20

I'll never think about these animals in the same way again.

0:57:200:57:23

'More than this, I really hope I've done something

0:57:240:57:29

'to persuade other people

0:57:290:57:31

'bears aren't the monsters we assume them to be.'

0:57:310:57:34

These are the last moments that I have with the bears,

0:57:340:57:38

and I do feel sad, but I feel less sad when I think to the future,

0:57:380:57:42

because, hopefully, long after I'm gone

0:57:420:57:45

and the bears that I've got to know are gone,

0:57:450:57:47

so long as people care enough about bears,

0:57:470:57:50

so long as people are prepared to trust them,

0:57:500:57:54

and so long as bears are prepared to trust us,

0:57:540:57:57

there's a huge amount still to learn from them.

0:57:570:58:00

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