Episode 2 Wild Tales


Episode 2

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The world is full of amazing animal families.

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Tales of life and death happen every day.

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For the youngest members, growing up is tough, really tough.

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These stories recreate their roller-coaster lives,

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here on Wild Tales.

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We're following three fantastic animal characters.

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Cara is a caribou calf facing life or death

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in an attack from above.

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Hugh gets to sit back and watch mum's crash course in finding seals.

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And Newky is a wild dog pup with dangerous enemies.

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So, where do we start?

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First, it's over to the Canadian tundra,

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where last time on Wild Tales,

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Cara sat calmly as an eagle headed straight for the calves.

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Going in for the kill.

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She seemed oblivious to the danger.

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And as the eagle singled out its prey, would Cara end up as bird food?

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The eagle has landed.

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And it's not Cara.

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Phew. That was close.

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Cara had better get back to eating soon.

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She needs to put on weight.

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Eagles can only carry small calves.

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But mum's on the move,

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looking for better grazing.

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And Cara needs to keep up, which isn't always easy.

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The tundra is dotted with shallow lakes and rivers.

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And adult caribou will plunge into water without a thought.

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As mum reaches the river, it looks as though she's gonna cross

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whether Cara likes it or not.

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Talk about being thrown in head first.

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The adults have it easy, bounding across with their long legs.

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But Cara's legs are still short...

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and that current is strong.

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She must be terrified.

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Next, it's over to the Arctic, where Hugh and his sister

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have left the den and are following mum onto the sea ice.

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She's desperate for food and the cubs do their best

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to keep up the pace.

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As they travel further

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and further onto the ice, Hugh's starting to learn

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it's one big old world out there,

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particularly when you've only got short legs.

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Mum's need for food is matched by

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the ever-present threat of coming across a male.

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But she's about to bump into something completely unexpected.

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It's another mother with cubs.

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And Hugh's mum is just a little curious.

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These girls aren't really a danger to each other,

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so our mum can afford to go in a little closer.

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For Hugh, it's like looking into a mirror.

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These are the first other polar bears he's ever seen,

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apart from mum and his sis, of course.

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Not that Hugh gets a chance to stay and play.

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After checking each other out, the other mum takes her cubs one way

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and Hugh and his sis head off in the other.

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The last thing our mum needs

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is another adult muscling in on her patch.

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If she finds food, she'll need to keep it in the family.

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But food is by no means easy to come by.

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It should be the perfect time,

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with seals out on the ice feeding their pups.

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But this is a big place.

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And while Hugh and his sis are drinking milk without a care,

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mum has somehow got to find a seal in this featureless landscape.

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Next up is the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa,

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where Newky is still clowning around.

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And Tess, the babysitter, seems to have completely given up.

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The pups have driven her barking mad.

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But just when she thinks she can't take any more,

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the adults stroll back from the hunt...

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mum and dad leading the way.

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Newky is first up to greet them,

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closely followed, of course, by a rather worn-out Tess.

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All that nuzzling and wagging of tails isn't just excitement, though.

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Tess and the pups are begging for food,

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and they'll take whatever they can get.

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Unfortunately, wild dogs don't have carrier bags.

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But they have brought food back in their stomachs.

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The pups come first.

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And yep, you've guessed it, that's sick they're eating.

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Wild dogs are able to regurgitate food.

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And because they've bolted the food down without chewing,

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they're chucking up chunks, literally.

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Newky's more than happy to wolf it down.

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Barfed-up food is better than no food at all.

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Tess has to wait for her chance to feed.

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But she's more than happy to tuck in.

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After the feeding, it's bath time.

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Wild dogs may eat sick, but that doesn't stop them

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caring about their appearance.

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For Newky, it's an all-over affair.

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And he's not at all keen.

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"Ugh, get off!

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"Ah-ha. Free at last."

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Nope. Look's like he'll have to put up with it.

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Cara's still caught up in the current.

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And with no weight behind her,

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one misplaced hoof could whip her off her feet.

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Whoa, whoa!

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She struggles on, desperate to stay close to mum.

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Finally, she makes it to solid ground...

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wet and shaken, but not stirred.

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Caribou hair acts like a waterproof shield,

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keeping water away from the skin.

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She'll soon dry out...

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and pretty soon, everything calms down a little.

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Time moves on.

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And by keeping her head down, Cara's gone from strength to strength.

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She's getting bigger by the day and looking good.

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Whereas some of the adults are looking a right mess.

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They're all moulting now,

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losing their thick winter coats

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and getting ready for the new ones to grow later in the year.

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New antlers are growing, covered in a furry skin called velvet.

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For Cara, it should all be smooth sailing.

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But something is stirring

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in the countless pools that cover the tundra.

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Millions of mosquito larvae are starting to change...

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into adult mosquito.

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For Cara,

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it's all about to kick off...

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in a big way.

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In Botswana, it's bath time for Newky

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as he gets an all-over body wash.

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But eventually it comes to an end

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and the pack settle down for an after-dinner snooze.

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It's a dog's life.

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Just taking it easy.

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Even Newky and the other pups take time out.

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Running rings around Tess has left them burnt out.

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And now they're fading away.

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But they're not alone.

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Vultures are an almost constant companion.

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They eat up scraps around the den, and even poo.

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Yep, poo.

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Gross, isn't it?

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You thought dogs eating vomit was disgusting.

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They're like a personal cleaning service for the den.

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Not that the wild dogs see it that way.

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Any thoughts of sleep soon come to an end as they go out of their way

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to chase the vultures off.

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Wild dogs hate vultures with a passion.

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Even Newky and the gang get in on the act.

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But all this persecution is a little unfair.

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There are far worse things out there...

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and not all of them are so easy to chase away.

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A lone lion approaches.

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Lions will kill wild dogs.

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It's the biggest problem Newky's ever come up against

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in his short life.

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And the question is,

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how will it all end?

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So far, Hugh and his sister have managed to avoid

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their biggest problem - adult males.

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Mum's still trying to find food

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and, thankfully, she comes equipped with a seriously superior nose.

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She can smell a potential meal from 20 miles away.

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Hugh's nose isn't quite up to that just yet,

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so he just stays close to mum.

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Finding a seal is one thing, but catching them is quite another.

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Seals have got excellent hearing under water,

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and mum's steps echo loud and clear through the ice.

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So if she can't walk, she waits.

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Seals need to breathe air and they can't stay down for ever.

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So once mum finds a breathing hole, she just stays put.

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It can take a long time.

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And there's always the chance she's picked the wrong hole.

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Mum can't afford to keep waiting.

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She decides to go for a seal pup.

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And Hugh follows behind.

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Ringed seal pups are her favourite.

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But these guys aren't just left out on the ice for anyone to find.

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They're hidden away...

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down here,

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with a built-in bolt hole to the sea.

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It's a pretty good hiding place.

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But mum's super schnoz can smell through ice up to a metre thick.

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So she's found one. But Hugh can't celebrate just yet.

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Mum's still got to find a way to get to it.

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In the tundra, Cara's munching away with mum.

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It all looks peaceful enough.

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But in the nearby pools, a swarm is starting to emerge.

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Adult mosquitoes are pushing up through the water's surface...

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each one armed with a needle-sharp syringe

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and a hunger for caribou blood.

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They take to the air.

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Cara has no idea what's heading her way.

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Millions of mosquitoes like mini-missiles

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heading straight for the caribou.

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It's an invasion.

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And as the flying insects descend,

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Cara's life is about to be turned upside down.

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They plunge their needle-sharp syringes

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through the skin of the caribou, feasting on blood.

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It drives the caribou mad.

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Mum can't protect Cara from this aerial horde.

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They're like mini-vampires, millions of mini-vampires.

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And they suck up a lot of blood.

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Just one caribou can lose two pints in a single day.

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For mum, that's really annoying.

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But for Cara, it could be deadly.

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The herd bunches together for protection.

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Cara's being eaten alive.

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How much more of this can she take?

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Hugh and his sister are with mum as she sniffs out a seal pup...

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down there under the ice.

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Hugh hasn't quite got the hang of smelling out seals.

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But mum has a more delicate nose.

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Although there's nothing delicate about getting the thing out.

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That just takes brute force.

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She pounds on the roof of the den

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while Hugh just sits back and watches.

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After a few attempts, the ice starts to give...

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and she's in.

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But the seal pup has already escaped into the sea.

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"Where's it gone, Mum?"

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There's no food for now, although for Hugh and his sister,

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it's a good opportunity to learn

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that they won't always get what they want.

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And for mum, well, there's no other way to succeed

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than to try, try and try again.

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This is not exactly fast food.

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Eventually, success.

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It's a small reward for all that hard work.

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And by the look of things, this pup was already dead.

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But at least it's food.

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Hugh and his sister soon decide to tuck in themselves.

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They may still drink mum's milk,

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but they're by no means on a liquid-only diet.

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This is the first meat Hugh's ever eaten and he seems to like it.

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In Botswana, Newky is in grave danger.

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A lone lion is stalking the den

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and it's not about to leave without a fight.

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Lions hate wild dogs,

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and they'll kill them if they get the chance, especially the pups.

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It's the first lion Newky and the pups have ever seen

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and the adults are keen that they don't get a close-up view.

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The pack splits, with some looking after the pups

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and the others trying to draw the lion away.

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It's a risky strategy that could prove fatal for the adults.

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But right now, Newky and the pups are their top priority.

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These guys are caught up in the chaos

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and the adults are willing to risk their lives to keep them safe.

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Newky doesn't really know what's going on.

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He's never experienced anything like this.

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But although he doesn't realise it right now,

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this is a perfect demonstration of how the pack works under pressure.

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And it's a strategy that seems to be working.

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Despite the danger,

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the wild dogs are just about holding the lion at bay.

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But it's about to get a lot worse.

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This lion has reinforcements.

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The rest of the family is en route,

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and they'll kill anything that stands in their way.

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Wild dogs are no match for a whole pride of lions.

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How's it all gonna end for Newky?

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It's all a different story over in the Arctic.

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Hugh's life is looking pretty rosy right now.

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He's tucking in to his first proper meal with mum and his sis

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and he's loving it.

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But this isn't just a polar bear picnic.

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There are arctic foxes waiting patiently in the wings.

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It's no good interrupting a feeding polar bear.

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After all, there are always leftovers.

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Once mum's had her fill, she leads Hugh and his sister away

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and the arctic foxes move in...

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followed by a couple of hungry gulls.

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After the food, even mum gets to chill out for now.

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A seal pup is nothing more than a snack.

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And she'll find a lot more seals as spring progresses -

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at least one adult a week.

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For now, things are pretty good.

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But it won't stay like this for ever.

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Eventually, it's gonna get a lot warmer round here.

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Hugh and his sister are just playing around without a care in the world.

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But as summer arrives,

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their whole world will literally melt into the sea.

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How will they survive?

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In the tundra, Cara's got problems right now.

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The whole herd is being eaten alive by hordes of blood-thirsty mozzies.

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All they can do is run.

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Smaller herds band together...

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forming super-herds.

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Cara's never seen anything like it.

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There are males in this super-herd.

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And Cara's never seen antlers that big.

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Her dad could be out there somewhere.

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But there's no time for a tearful get-together.

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Cara's sprinting flat out, racing for her life, trying to keep up with mum.

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The caribou can cover up to 40 miles a day in their desperate bid

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to outpace the mosquitoes.

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Cara is getting the full tour,

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as the caribou range across their entire summer grounds.

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Not that she has much time to take it in.

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But they can't run for ever.

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They need to slow down to eat.

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Once Cara and her mum start munching on grass, they don't want to stop.

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Such super-herds don't go unnoticed.

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And sure enough, a brown bear moves in,

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stalking the side lines, looking for opportunities.

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A calf like Cara is an obvious choice.

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It's an attack on all fronts.

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Mozzies and bears.

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Could it all be too much for Cara?

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Things are much worse for Newky's family.

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Right now, they're under attack from a whole pride of lions.

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The dogs just about held their own against one of these big cats,

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but now the tables are turned.

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The lions are far bigger and stronger than the wild dogs,

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and they'll kill the whole pack, given half a chance.

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Out here, it's the cats that have the upper hand

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and the dogs have no choice but to run

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for their lives.

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Mum and dad leading the way.

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The adults do their best to shield the pups from the threat.

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And Newky tries to stay as close to the others as possible.

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But in the confusion, it's difficult to keep track of where everyone is.

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A lion attack of this size could well lead to casualties.

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And pups are nearly always first in line.

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But where's Newky?

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It's a free-for-all out there.

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Let's just hope Newky makes it.

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Next time on Wild Tales:

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How will the lion attack end for Newky?

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How will Hugh cope when his world of ice melts before his eyes?

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And with a grizzly bearing down, how will Cara survive?

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Find out next time on Wild Tales.

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Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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E-mail [email protected]

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