Episode 5 Wild Tales

The world is full of amazing animals.

Tales of life and death happen daily.

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.

Yogi, our clever grizzly bear, will soon have to face a future alone.

Kumi, our cheeky leopard cub, is about to get into trouble again.

And brave Rooney, the newest recruit to the meerkat team,

is about to face his biggest challenge yet.

But, where do we start?

Well, hold on, you're about to find out.

First stop is the Katmai National Park in Alaska.

Last time we visited Yogi,

his mum was teaching him all the skills needed to survive on his own.

That was over a year-and-a-half ago.

Now, Yogi's much bigger and hopefully bolder.

He's done well to get this far,

but now he's got a big challenge ahead of him.

Like most bears of his age, he's all on his own.

Grizzly mums look after their cubs for the first three years,

but soon after that, the cubs are expected to go it alone.

Up until today, Yogi's always had Momma Bear by his side,

but now she's nowhere to be seen.

This must be a really difficult time for poor Yogi.

Hang on. Who's that? Is it Momma Bear?

No, it's another mum and she's got two cubs.

Yogi could do with some company. Maybe he could join this family.

But this female's already got two big mouths to feed.

She's not gonna take on another cub.

Though that's not going to stop Yogi trying.

They're checking each other out. Careful, Yogi!

Thank goodness, Yogi's backing off.

With two cubs to protect, this female could get nasty,

especially if Yogi gets too close.

Yikes, Yogi's got to make a run for it.

He's obviously not wanted round here.

Poor Yogi. He must be feeling pretty lonely.

He's been looking for Momma Bear, but she's definitely left him.

She's gone off to start a new family.

Now that Yogi's nearing his fourth birthday,

Momma Bear's job of raising him is done.

She's taught him everything he needs to know.

He just needs to learn one final lesson -

how to live alone, like all other big bears.

It's a tough lesson, but let's hope he's up to the job.

Our next destination is 10,000 miles away in Africa's Kalahari Desert.

And when we last visited the meerkats, Rooney showed his mettle

as he led the team to victory against a lethal puff adder.

Today, it's another big test for Meerkats United.

They've gobbled up all the tasty bugs and grubs on offer in this patch.

For Mum and Dad, the solution is to up sticks

and move the whole team to a new home.

This is an exciting time for Rooney. He's never moved house before

and this is his first trip into pastures new.

But he's gotta be careful.

Moving to a new home ground brings with it the risk of the unknown.

The team are looking tense.

Uh-oh! Here's trouble!

Rooney's never seen one of these before.

It's a rock monitor lizard, and it's massive.

Over a metre long and built like a dinosaur.

Steer clear, Rooney,

this guy can give a nasty bite and pack a punch with that heavy tail.

It's quite capable of devouring a litter of young meerkats

deep in a burrow.

But this one just wants to avoid being hassled.

This is what happens when you move from the safety of your home ground.

You bump into scary strangers.

Look, brave Rooney's holding his ground,

and the rest of the gang are backing him up.

They've done it. The lizard's backing off.

He's retreating underground.

And now, our super-brave Rooney is making sure the lizard

stays in his hole.

Well done, Rooney! Another well-earned victory!

Up to now our star player has been winning every time.

But out here, your luck can change in an instant.

Travelling north, we're back in Kenya's Masai Mara.

Last time we saw Kumi

he was hanging around with Mum, relying on her for his every meal.

A year has passed and look at Kumi now.

He's larger, but he's still a mummy's boy.

At two-and-a-half years old, it's high time Kumi

started showing some signs of looking after himself.

He can't stay with Mum forever.

As soon as she meets another male, he'll be chased away.

Oh, what's he doing?!

Ah, he's marking that bush with his scent.

Now, this is a really big step for Kumi.

It's a real sign that he's growing up.

By spraying the bush with his urine,

he's sending a message to other leopards -

"This is my patch. Keep out!"

He's trying to establish his own territory.

But if he really wants to survive on his own,

he's got to start hunting for himself.

And it looks as though he's spotted something.

Oh, no! He can't be going for those giraffe?

Kumi's got no hope of catching those guys.

They're way too big for any leopard.

But that's not gonna stop Kumi. He's still just a big kitten

and it looks like he'll chase anything that moves.

The giraffe don't look too bothered.

No point in trying to hide. They can see you!

Kumi's realised that these guys are a bit out of his league!

It's a good start, but goodness knows what he'll be up to next!

Yogi's still getting used to life on his own.

But it's all part of growing up.

Hey, look! Another youngster is headed over his way.

How exciting! A bit of company at last.

Yogi can't wait to meet him.

Grizzlies lead solitary lives once they leave their families,

but single bears do get together to test their strength.

Yogi and the other youngster are having a play-fight.

This is a great way for them to build up their muscles.

And it's all good practice

for when they're older, with territories to defend.

But Yogi can't spend too much time hanging out with other bears.

He needs to get back to the day-to-day business

of looking after himself...

..starting with finding his next meal.

It's the time of year that Yogi loves best -

summer, when the salmon begin their migration.

Thanks to Momma Bear, Yogi's had plenty of fishing lessons.

But will he be able to catch any fish now that he's on his own?

For the meerkats, moving house is full of dangers.

Although they've arrived at their new home,

they've still got to be on their guard.

The team usually take over left-over burrows, dug up by ground squirrels.

But they've gotta be really careful

as some holes can also be home to deadly snakes.

But right now, the meerkat team aren't worrying about hidden dangers.

They're too excited about all the bugs and grubs on offer.

Rooney's now eight weeks' old,

and is getting really good at digging up desert delicacies,

especially scorpions!

Hang on...

The meerkat on guard duty isn't chirping. The team are in danger.

THEY CHIRP

And now he's signalling the bird alarm.

THEY CHIRP

It's a goshawk!

The team are scarpering. Rooney knows he's got to dive for cover,

but where's he gonna go?

He's found a hole. He's first down.

What was that?!

The goshawk has gone. The team can come back out now.

Oh, no, look at Rooney. He's limping.

This is really serious. He's got a nasty scratch on his shoulder.

If that's a snake bite, then he could be in real trouble.

ROONEY WHIMPERS

It's the end of August. The salmon have reached their peak.

Yogi seems to be doing OK so far,

but he's got a lot more eating to do.

As he grows bigger and bigger, he needs to eat more than ever before,

otherwise he won't make it through the winter.

This first year after leaving Mum is the most dangerous for Yogi.

One in three bears will die.

Either they don't eat enough or they get killed by bigger bears.

Yogi's checking for the best fishing spot.

But all those fish have attracted lots of bigger bears too,

so he's got to be careful.

Yogi's looking a little intimidated by all those other bears.

He's going for it, though.

Oh, missed it!

He's trying again. Look at him go. He's full of beans.

He's caught something.

But he doesn't want anyone else to see,

in case they grab it off him.

Whoa! That's not a salmon.

It's a flounder. Better than nothing, I guess.

Uh-oh, here comes another bear.

Watch out, Yogi.

Oh, no, he's dropped his fish.

And look! The other bear's stolen it.

Poor Yogi. He's got to learn to hold onto his catch, cos if he doesn't,

there's no way he'll survive through the next winter.

Has Rooney's luck finally run out? It looks like he has a snake-bike

and the venom's pumping through his body and sapping all his strength.

He's in a bad way. He's struggling to keep up with the others

as they go back on the hunt for food.

Come on, Rooney! It's not safe out here.

The goshawk could still be nearby.

Oh, look at that. Thank goodness!

He's made it back to the burrow, and just in time.

He's too weak to move a muscle.

He's only just clinging onto life.

The venom's knocked him for six. Is he gonna make it?

The rest of the gang are finally returning to the burrow.

They can sense something's wrong.

Poor little Rooney - he's not looking good.

But if he can get enough rest, he might just stand a chance.

After Kumi's ridiculous attempt at stalking giraffes,

his mum, Mila, is off to do some proper hunting.

She'll show him how it's done.

There she is, hiding in a bush next to the river crossing.

And this is what she's waiting for - Thomson's Gazelle.

And they're running right in front of her. She's going for it.

Ooh! The gazelle went right into that rock!

Mila's jumped into the water after it.

Wow! She's done it. What a catch!

Yes, she's got it!

That's dinner sorted.

So where's Kumi?

Uh-oh, he's getting himself into trouble again.

He's heading straight for a crocodile.

And it's a big croc.

Easy does it, Kumi. He must have picked up its scent.

He's being more careful now.

Oh, no, he's getting too curious for his own good.

He's walking straight up to it and sniffing it.

This monster croc could snap Kumi in half!

Phew. What a relief. He's backing off.

That was a close shave,

but hopefully Kumi's learnt not to mess with crocodiles.

If Kumi is to survive as an adult, he's got to knuckle down

and start doing some proper hunting for himself.

Yogi wasn't having too much luck with fishing last time we saw him,

but after practising, he's going to brave the best fishing grounds...

..the falls.

The salmon are literally leaping into the bear's mouths.

But to get the best fishing spot, you need to be big.

And this place is full of big bears,

who aren't afraid of getting into a scrap to protect the best spots.

Uh-oh, Yogi's trying to muscle in on the biggest bear here.

Yikes! If he doesn't back down, he'll get ripped to pieces.

Phew, he's got the message.

Now the big guy's taking up his position.

Yogi could still get lucky, but he has to be patient.

Oh, the big guy's caught one.

And now, number two got one as well.

At last, Yogi's got the top of the falls all to himself. Fantastic!

But is he gonna catch anything?

Yes! And it's a whopper!

Yogi's really proved himself.

He's not even four and look at him -

he's catching fish with the best of them.

With these fishing skills, he'll be able to pile on the pounds

and make it through his first winter alone.

And in a few years' time, who knows?

He could grow enough to command his own territory and be a daddy bear!

Kumi's starting to show signs of independence,

but if he wants to survive on his own,

he's got to start catching his own prey.

After many failed attempts during the day,

he's going to wait for darkness to fall.

For leopards, this is THE best time to go hunting.

QUIET HOWL

Kumi notices a noise in the canopy.

It's baboons.

The last time he encountered these monkeys, he feared for his life.

But now that he's bigger, the baboons should be fearful.

Leopards will eat almost anything they can get their claws on,

even baboons.

Kumi's going on the attack.

Thanks to all his training from Mum, he's a master tree climber.

He knows they've heard him.

But Kumi's got the upper hand.

A leopard's night vision is seven times better than a baboon's.

Like us, these monkeys can see little at all in the darkness.

Kumi's going for it!

BABOONS CHATTER

BABOON SQUEALS

He's caught one! This is incredible!

Kumi's made his first kill.

And at last he's proved that he can look after himself.

CHEWING

It's been two days since Rooney's fateful encounter with a snake.

While the rest of the team are foraging nearby,

Rooney's mustering all his strength to pull through.

Meerkats have some immunity to a snake bite,

but it's not always enough.

They can still die.

But as long as Rooney can hold on,

his chances of survival are good,

and right now he's doing really well.

Oh, look! This is amazing.

He's waking up. What a fighter!

Against all the odds, brave little Rooney has pulled through!

The worst is clearly over.

Through thick and thin,

this little meerkat has certainly proved himself as a star player.

And if he carries on his winning streak,

he could be leading his own team one day.

Our Wild Tales have almost come to an end...

Looking at our stars now,

it's easy to forget how much they have all gone through.

It's been a rocky ride from the start.

The moment they were born, they were facing a whole new exciting world.

At just a few days old,

Rooney was taking his first steps outside the burrow.

Soon after emerging from his den, Yogi was climbing trees.

And at just three-months-old, Kumi was struggling up a river bank.

Growing up wild is never easy

and our stars have certainly had their fair share of drama.

From whitewater rafting...

To outwitting dangerous baboons...

And standing up to a deadly cobra.

But they've have also had a great time.

Thanks to support from their families,

they've learnt the lessons needed to survive.

From tackling scorpions... to fishing bear-style.

And learning where to hide from a gang of angry lions.

Each of our heroes has proved themselves.

Rooney has battled against snakes and giant lizards.

He's even survived a lethal bite.

This brave little fighter has earned his place

as a star player on the meerkat team.

Yogi is now a master at finding his own food,

whether it's by beachcombing, fishing or berry-picking.

At last, this clever bear is finally able to look after himself.

And Kumi has honed his tree-climbing and stalking skills,

so it won't be long before he's on his own.

But right now, he's still a mummy's boy!

Growing up can be really tough, but Rooney...

Yogi...and Kumi have all made it through the most challenging years.

They've proved they can take on anything that's thrown their way.

There will be more challenges for all of them in the future,

but for now it's time to leave them. After all, the world's a big place.

There'll always be more Wild Tales happening somewhere, every day.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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