Episode 2 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 three fantastic animal characters.

Cara is a caribou calf facing life or death

in an attack from above.

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

And Newky is a wild dog pup with dangerous enemies.

So, where do we start?

First, it's over to the Canadian tundra,

where last time on Wild Tales,

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

Going in for the kill.

She seemed oblivious to the danger.

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

The eagle has landed.

And it's not Cara.

Phew. That was close.

Cara had better get back to eating soon.

She needs to put on weight.

Eagles can only carry small calves.

But mum's on the move,

looking for better grazing.

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

The tundra is dotted with shallow lakes and rivers.

And adult caribou will plunge into water without a thought.

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

whether Cara likes it or not.

Talk about being thrown in head first.

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

But Cara's legs are still short...

and that current is strong.

She must be terrified.

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

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

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

to keep up the pace.

As they travel further

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

it's one big old world out there,

particularly when you've only got short legs.

Mum's need for food is matched by

the ever-present threat of coming across a male.

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

It's another mother with cubs.

And Hugh's mum is just a little curious.

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

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

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

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

apart from mum and his sis, of course.

Not that Hugh gets a chance to stay and play.

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

and Hugh and his sis head off in the other.

The last thing our mum needs

is another adult muscling in on her patch.

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

But food is by no means easy to come by.

It should be the perfect time,

with seals out on the ice feeding their pups.

But this is a big place.

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

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

Next up is the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa,

where Newky is still clowning around.

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

The pups have driven her barking mad.

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

the adults stroll back from the hunt...

mum and dad leading the way.

Newky is first up to greet them,

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

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

Tess and the pups are begging for food,

and they'll take whatever they can get.

Unfortunately, wild dogs don't have carrier bags.

But they have brought food back in their stomachs.

The pups come first.

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

Wild dogs are able to regurgitate food.

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

they're chucking up chunks, literally.

Newky's more than happy to wolf it down.

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

Tess has to wait for her chance to feed.

But she's more than happy to tuck in.

After the feeding, it's bath time.

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

caring about their appearance.

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

And he's not at all keen.

"Ugh, get off!

"Ah-ha. Free at last."

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

Cara's still caught up in the current.

And with no weight behind her,

one misplaced hoof could whip her off her feet.

Whoa, whoa!

She struggles on, desperate to stay close to mum.

Finally, she makes it to solid ground...

wet and shaken, but not stirred.

Caribou hair acts like a waterproof shield,

keeping water away from the skin.

She'll soon dry out...

and pretty soon, everything calms down a little.

Time moves on.

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

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

Whereas some of the adults are looking a right mess.

They're all moulting now,

losing their thick winter coats

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

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

For Cara, it should all be smooth sailing.

But something is stirring

in the countless pools that cover the tundra.

Millions of mosquito larvae are starting to change...

into adult mosquito.

For Cara,

it's all about to kick off...

in a big way.

In Botswana, it's bath time for Newky

as he gets an all-over body wash.

But eventually it comes to an end

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

It's a dog's life.

Just taking it easy.

Even Newky and the other pups take time out.

Running rings around Tess has left them burnt out.

And now they're fading away.

But they're not alone.

Vultures are an almost constant companion.

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

Yep, poo.

Gross, isn't it?

You thought dogs eating vomit was disgusting.

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

Not that the wild dogs see it that way.

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

to chase the vultures off.

Wild dogs hate vultures with a passion.

Even Newky and the gang get in on the act.

But all this persecution is a little unfair.

There are far worse things out there...

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

A lone lion approaches.

Lions will kill wild dogs.

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

in his short life.

And the question is,

how will it all end?

So far, Hugh and his sister have managed to avoid

their biggest problem - adult males.

Mum's still trying to find food

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

She can smell a potential meal from 20 miles away.

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

so he just stays close to mum.

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

Seals have got excellent hearing under water,

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

So if she can't walk, she waits.

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

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

It can take a long time.

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

Mum can't afford to keep waiting.

She decides to go for a seal pup.

And Hugh follows behind.

Ringed seal pups are her favourite.

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

They're hidden away...

down here,

with a built-in bolt hole to the sea.

It's a pretty good hiding place.

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

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

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

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

It all looks peaceful enough.

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

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

each one armed with a needle-sharp syringe

and a hunger for caribou blood.

They take to the air.

Cara has no idea what's heading her way.

Millions of mosquitoes like mini-missiles

heading straight for the caribou.

It's an invasion.

And as the flying insects descend,

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

They plunge their needle-sharp syringes

through the skin of the caribou, feasting on blood.

It drives the caribou mad.

Mum can't protect Cara from this aerial horde.

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

And they suck up a lot of blood.

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

For mum, that's really annoying.

But for Cara, it could be deadly.

The herd bunches together for protection.

Cara's being eaten alive.

How much more of this can she take?

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

down there under the ice.

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

But mum has a more delicate nose.

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

That just takes brute force.

She pounds on the roof of the den

while Hugh just sits back and watches.

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

and she's in.

But the seal pup has already escaped into the sea.

"Where's it gone, Mum?"

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

it's a good opportunity to learn

that they won't always get what they want.

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

than to try, try and try again.

This is not exactly fast food.

Eventually, success.

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

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

But at least it's food.

Hugh and his sister soon decide to tuck in themselves.

They may still drink mum's milk,

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

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

In Botswana, Newky is in grave danger.

A lone lion is stalking the den

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

Lions hate wild dogs,

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

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

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

The pack splits, with some looking after the pups

and the others trying to draw the lion away.

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

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

These guys are caught up in the chaos

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

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

He's never experienced anything like this.

But although he doesn't realise it right now,

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

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

Despite the danger,

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

But it's about to get a lot worse.

This lion has reinforcements.

The rest of the family is en route,

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

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

How's it all gonna end for Newky?

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

Hugh's life is looking pretty rosy right now.

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

and he's loving it.

But this isn't just a polar bear picnic.

There are arctic foxes waiting patiently in the wings.

It's no good interrupting a feeding polar bear.

After all, there are always leftovers.

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

and the arctic foxes move in...

followed by a couple of hungry gulls.

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

A seal pup is nothing more than a snack.

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

at least one adult a week.

For now, things are pretty good.

But it won't stay like this for ever.

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

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

But as summer arrives,

their whole world will literally melt into the sea.

How will they survive?

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

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

All they can do is run.

Smaller herds band together...

forming super-herds.

Cara's never seen anything like it.

There are males in this super-herd.

And Cara's never seen antlers that big.

Her dad could be out there somewhere.

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

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

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

to outpace the mosquitoes.

Cara is getting the full tour,

as the caribou range across their entire summer grounds.

Not that she has much time to take it in.

But they can't run for ever.

They need to slow down to eat.

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

Such super-herds don't go unnoticed.

And sure enough, a brown bear moves in,

stalking the side lines, looking for opportunities.

A calf like Cara is an obvious choice.

It's an attack on all fronts.

Mozzies and bears.

Could it all be too much for Cara?

Things are much worse for Newky's family.

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

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

but now the tables are turned.

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

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

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

and the dogs have no choice but to run

for their lives.

Mum and dad leading the way.

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

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

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

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

And pups are nearly always first in line.

But where's Newky?

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

Let's just hope Newky makes it.

Next time on Wild Tales:

How will the lion attack end for Newky?

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

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

Find out next time on Wild Tales.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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