Episode 3 Wild Tales

The world is full of amazing animal families.

Tales of life and death happen every day.

For the youngest members, growing up is tough,

really tough.

These stories recreate their roller coaster lives, here on Wild Tales.

We're following the fortunes of three fantastic animal characters.

Kumi, our cheeky leopard cub is a year older, and he's much bigger,

but is he still with mum?

We'll find out if Yogi, our adventurous young bear cub,

is a born survivor.

And has our brave little meerkat, Rooney, escaped the clutches

of the martial eagle?

So where do we start?

Well, you're about to find out.

First stop is Katmai National Park in Alaska.

When we last saw Yogi, he was following mum

and his two sisters up Bootleg.

Climbing up a steep cliff with full tummies is a risky business at

the best of times, but add to that being chased by a pack of wolves

and you're really asking for trouble.

Since then, there have been no sightings of Yogi and the girls.

They haven't even been back to any of their usual haunts.

What could have happened?

Did those wolves catch them?

Hey, what's that?

Oh, phew!

It's Mumma Bear. And there's Yogi. He seems really well.

But sadly, it looks like there are only two cubs.

One of Yogi's sisters is missing.

At this age, grizzly bear cubs will stick very close to mum.

So if little sis isn't here, then it's pretty unlikely that

she's alive.

She must have been taken by the wolves.

It's a real shame, but not a big surprise.

Out here in Alaska, only two out of three cubs

survive to their second birthday.

Their big challenge right now is to find enough food before winter.

And it looks like they're in luck.

Mum's found a seal carcass.

It's risky for Yogi and his sister

to be out in the open like this, as predators could be nearby, but they

can't pass up this opportunity to stock up on some tasty leftovers.

Time's ticking. Yogi and his sister only have a month before they have

to go into hibernation.

So once they finish this off, they'll still need more food.

10,000 miles across the other side of the Atlantic, we're back in Southern

Africa's Kalahari Desert.

When we last visited our little meerkat Rooney,

he and the whole team were in mortal danger.

They were being attacked by a golden cobra and a martial eagle.

Their only choice was to dive for cover.

Now, at last, the coast is clear. So what's happened to the team?

Have they all survived?

Has little Rooney made it?

There's dad,

and mum's out too.

There are some pups,

but where's Rooney?

Ah, there he is! Everyone's made it!

But they've all got to stay on their guard as the eagle could be back.

Uh oh, what's happening now?

The sky's full of birds. Hang on, they're only swifts.

Unlike eagles, they're not gonna gobble up a meerkat.

But Rooney and the other pups don't know that.

They've never seen swifts before.

Rooney's checking out mum and dad.

They're not bolting for cover. Maybe there's nothing to worry about.

And how about Aunty Mavis, who's on guard duty? She's still chirping.

We all know what that means in meerkat language.

It means it's safe to stay out.

Thanks to his team, Rooney's starting to learn who he should

and shouldn't be scared of, but friend or foe isn't the only things

he needs to learn about to survive in the Kalahari league.

There's also the desert itself.

Next stop is the Massai Mara in east Africa.

Last time we visited our leopard family, Kumi and Siri were reunited

with their mum Mila after a close encounter with a troop of baboons.

A year has passed, and look at Kumi - he's really grown.

But his sister's nowhere to be seen.

For the past year, she's been missing.

And it's a sad fact that less than 50% of leopard cubs

survive to adulthood.

Many are taken by lions or hyenas.

We've still got Kumi.

He's a year older and is behaving

like a real leopard now, relaxing in his favourite tree.

He now looks very similar to his mum, Mila.

But there is a way to tell them apart.

They've both got a black collar around their necks.

But at the centre, each has a distinctive pattern of dots.

Kumi has four dots lined up, like they are on a dice.

Whereas Mila has five dots, which look a bit like a paw print.

But right now, Mila is nowhere to be seen.

Kumi seems to be all on his own.

It's most likely that Mila is pregnant, and when leopard mums

get pregnant, they won't tolerate having the kids around.

Poor Kumi. Now he'll have to find his own territory to roam.

But he's gotta be careful.

He doesn't want to bump into any other leopards, including mum,

or he could get chased away or even killed.

Yogi and his family are on the run again.

They've just been pushed off their seal meal by a bigger bear,

and with no home to go to, Mum has no option but to take

Yogi and his sister up river.

It's a place of bad memories for Yogi.

On his last visit, he had a white-water rafting trip

that he'd rather forget.

Oh, no, what's mumma bear gone and done now?

There're loads of bears here.

None of them seem to be paying the cubs any attention.

They're just too busy trying to catch fish.

Over the last few weeks the salmon run has been gaining momentum.

And now, at last, it's reached its peak.

The rivers are overflowing with fish!

And it looks like everyone's getting a mouthful.

Mumma bear should have more luck fishing this time.

Hey, the cubs are getting back in the water.

I hope Yogi doesn't get swept away again!

Boy, these guys have no fear.

Ooh, this

is getting really chilly, I think we should get out of here.

Where's that fish, mum?

Wow, look at that! She's caught a whopper!

The cubs are starving.

Hey! Yogi's nicked the best bit.

Now mum and little sis have to make do with the leftover's.

Mum's looking for her fair share but Yogi's not in a sharing mood.

Yum, sushi's great!

This is Yogi's first taste of fresh fish and he's loving every mouthful.

It's a nice change from stale seal!

This is so tasty, mum's even licking the plate clean.

The cubs are doing really well.

They're growing bigger and stronger by the day.

At last, Yogi and his family can enjoy a meal in peace.

Kumi's all on his own so now

he's got to fend for himself, but is he up to the job?

It's that rumbling sound again.

Kumi's heard it before so he knows what it means -

the wildebeest are back.

This is Kumi's big chance to put his hunting skills into practice.

Come on, Kumi, you gotta get a move on if you want

to catch a wildebeest.

Further upstream, another leopard is getting in on the action.

It's Mila, Kumi's mum!

She's heading into the long grass.

It's the perfect cover.

She's got a big herd in her sights.

Time to get even closer.

Wow! She's got one.

Well done, Mila!

But she's a bit too exposed. She needs to get the kill to cover,

before any lions or hyenas pick up on the scent.

Back downstream, Kumi's lazing around.

Why isn't he going after some wildebeest of his own?

Surely he's hungry?

Oh, look, at last he's heading towards the action,

but he's also heading straight into Mila's territory.

And if Mila's pregnant then she definitely won't want Kumi around.

With the help of the team, Rooney's starting to get a good idea

of who's who in the Kalahari.

But friends and rivals aren't the only things he needs to learn about

to survive in the desert league.

It's midday and it's getting really hot out here.

With temperatures soaring to 40 degrees, Rooney's starting

to feel the heat.

The desert heat can be a real killer

so everyone here has their clever ways of keeping cool.

Time for Rooney to get back to base and find out how meerkats do it.

In the midday heat, our meerkat team like to stay out of the sun.

Today, they've chosen a big tree.

This way they've got plenty of shade so they can all chill out together.

Oh, phew, Rooney's joined them!

But he's still feeling the heat.

Rooney's dad has got a trick up his sleeve.

He's covering them with sand.

This is a great way to keep the kids cool, as the lower

layers of sand are nice and chilled.

Even Rooney's having a little go at throwing some sand around.

The sentry on duty, Uncle Bob, doesn't get any sand cooling therapy

so he's finding it hard to stay awake.

Even with the noisy neighbours making a racket.

It's their friends from upstairs, the weaverbirds,

and they've got their very own special way of beating the heat.

Their nest may look like a giant haystack, but it's more than just

a load of straw.

With air trapped in the thatch, it acts like a home-made

air-conditioning system, staying 10 degrees cooler than the outside.

In a few hours' time, the hottest part of the day will be over

and then at last the meerkat team can get back on the pitch.

Just as well as Rooney's got a very important training session coming up.

After a fishy feast it's time eat some greens.

Mumma bear's brought the cubs to a new meadow.

Let's hope its safer than the last one they visited.

With most of the big bears fishing for salmon they should be OK,

at least that's what Mumma bear's hoping.

There're no fishy feasts on offer here,

but they can tuck into some salad.

Uh oh, what's this?

It's a huge male, it's creeping up behind them and it could easily

kill Yogi and his sister. They're making a run for it.

Ooh! Where did Yogi go? Oh, he's OK!

But they've still got a giant bear chasing after them!

Boy, that bear looks grumpy!

Poor Yogi's probably got indigestion,

but with the season drawing to a close, he and his little sis have

got to find more food if they want to make it through the harsh winter.

With the hottest part of the day behind them,

Rooney and the team are back out on the pitch and ready for action.

It's thirsty work being a member of Meerkats United, but Rooney doesn't

have to worry about finding a glass of water round here.

Meerkats don't need to drink at all, as they can get all the water

they need from juicy bugs and grubs.

So far Rooney's been handed food on a plate by the adults,

but today it's his big chance to see if he can fend for himself.

Ooh, what's this? A giant millipede making its way towards you Rooney.

Nice one Rooney, ooh, don't let it get away!

Ah, there you go, good work for your first catch!

And check this out, his next challenge

is a trail of stinging ants!

Mmm, it's a bit like eating your peas one by one, but these peas bite!

Ouch!

Poor Rooney, this foraging business

can be pretty painful if you don't know what you're doing.

And there's another surprise on the meerkat menu, with an even

bigger sting in the tail!

Back at the riverbank in the Massai Mara, Kumi's

heading for the wildebeest herd, but now he's in mum's territory.

If they meet, Mila could get really aggressive.

Careful, Kumi!

Hold on a minute, he can hear something,

it sounds like another leopard,

what's he gonna do? Uh oh,

it's Mila who's making all that noise.

Ooh, Kumi's on the move.

But he's going straight towards Mila.

What on earth is he thinking?

Oh, look at that!

She seems pretty pleased to see him.

Wow, what a relief.

The fact that she's being so friendly means there's

no way she could be pregnant.

Kumi's not on his own after all.

He's still just a big kitten who can't resist mum's home cookin',

or should I say catchin'?

But Kumi and Mila are walking straight towards danger,

they don't know it yet, but a gang of lions are lying in their path...

Yikes! Watch out, Kumi!

Oh, no, the lions are on the move

and they're coming this way, they must have picked up the scent.

If they meet there's only one outcome...

a dead leopard!

Out here in Alaska, a lot can change in just a few weeks.

Autumn has arrived and Yogi and his family have got no time to waste.

They've already grown a thicker coat, now they've just gotta eat

as much as they can so they can make it through the cold winter.

And up here in the mountains autumn brings one final fruity feast.

The hills are carpeted with sugar-rich berries.

For Yogi, this is like tucking into his favourite pudding.

Some grizzlies will eat up to a 100,000 berries a day!

Wow! Surely that's too much of a good thing?

When they've had enough of berries, there's more rich pickings on offer.

Roots and tubers.

But first a bit of digging is required.

Mumma bear's showing Yogi how it's done.

Now pay attention, Yogi, I'm only gonna show you this once!

Ooh, look, she's found a root, it doesn't look too appetising

but it's just like a potato and full of energy.

Right, Yogi, you're turn!

That's the way to do it.

Good work.

Hey, mum's spotted something even tastier,

it's a ground squirrel.

Where is it?

Where'd it go?

It's behind you!

Tough luck, mum, it's back to the berries, roots and tubers then.

At least they don't run away.

But they've got no time to waste, it'll only be a few weeks before

it gets too cold to stay outdoors.

So, Yogi and his family have got to eat everything they can get

their paws on, and quickly.

This is their last chance to stock up before their long winter sleep.

If they don't eat enough now, they just won't survive.

So far, Rooney's feasted on bugs, grubs and even stinging ants,

but has he got the guts to gobble up the next gourmet feast,

the one with a seriously big sting in its tail!

Dad's gonna show Rooney how to find one.

Like all good meerkat food, it's gonna take a bit of digging.

What's he doing down there?

Maybe I should have a look.

Wow! What is that thing?

That, my furry friend, is a scorpion.

Armed with a pair of pincers,

an armour plated body and, scariest of all,

a lethal sting in that whip-like tail, most animals steer well clear.

Their venom is powerful enough to kill a child,

you've been warned kids!

But in the barren Kalahari,

scorpions are a meaty feast, you've just gotta know how to handle them.

And dad knows exactly what to do, ooh, and there he is, he's got it!

Whoa! Where's he going with it?

He needs to crunch through that lethal tail,

fortunately, meerkats are immune to the worst of scorpion venom,

but a sting can still be painful.

He's done it, he's disarmed the tail!

Now it's safe, it's Rooney's turn to practise handling a scorpion.

But it's still got its pincers, so he's got to be careful.

Hey look at him go, he's chewing on that tail!

He's munching everything down,

though obviously pincers aren't his favourite part!

Well done, Rooney, you've successfully

tackled your first scorpion.

He's proved himself yet again,

but he's got plenty more challenges ahead.

Kumi and Mila are on a collision course with a gang of lions,

this is really bad news, if they meet Kumi wouldn't stand a chance.

What's gonna happen?

Oh, look, they've spotted the lions.

Run for your life, Kumi!

Phew! Look at that, Kumi and Mila have escaped up a tree,

but they're not out of the woods yet!

This is terrifying, how's Kumi going to react?

He's never encountered lions before.

Luckily for him, these big cats aren't so good at climbing trees,

so for now he and Mila are safe.

Uh oh! The lion's calling in reinforcements.

Kumi's looking scared.

Should he make a dash for it, before the other lions get here?

No, bad idea. Mila knows that they must hold tight,

but Kumi isn't so experienced. If he loses his nerve

he might try to jump.

Don't do it, Kumi!

Next time on Wild Tales...

Can Kumi keep his nerve as the lions carry on their siege?

The meerkat team face

real danger as a deadly snake moves in on their territory...

Will Rooney be brave enough to step into the front line?

And will Yogi and his sister make it through their first long winter?

Find out next time on Wild Tales.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd