Episode 4 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 rollercoaster lives.

Here on Wild Tales.

We're following three fantastic animal characters.

Cara, the caribou calf, gets caught in a rut...

with huge males fighting all around her.

Newky, the African wild dog pup

is growing up fast.

And it's all getting a lot tougher.

And Hugh. Well, it's getting colder.

But it's still not cold enough to head back over the ice.

So, where do we start?

First up, we're in the tundra.

Where Cara faced the mother of all river crossings

and ended up in one heck of a tight spot.

Cara's still struggling to find some way past that rock.

She needs to get out and catch up with Mum.

But she's getting tired and that current is so strong.

This is a powerful river.

It's even taken down full-grown adults.

It's incredible that Cara's got this far.

Just one more push.

She breaks free.

Now, it's just one last stretch to go.

But it's still not easy.

Come on, Cara!

Finally, she's made it.

Back on dry land.

Cara rejoins her mum.

Safe at last!

For now, things get a little easier.

The mosquito season soon comes to an end,

and the super herds start to break up.

Cara gets a well deserved chance to feed.

And for the next month it's a feeding frenzy!

With Cara putting on weight, ready for the ultimate test.

All the running she's done so far,

has just been training for the big event.

The great migration to the wintering grounds.

Summer has turned to autumn.

It's about to get really cold up here.

Once again, the herds get bigger

and the caribou head south.

Cara's got a vast marathon of a journey ahead of her.

Where they're going, there should be enough food to last all winter.

But they're nowhere near there yet.

It's over to the Arctic now.

Where summer brought an end to the ice and snow.

It got way too hot for these guys, but Hugh finally found relief...

In a small patch of snow. A reminder that things could only get better.

Finally, the weather has changed.

A welcome cold front is moving in -

the start of a new season.

Hugh and his sister are following mum.

She needs to get out and start hunting seals as soon as possible.

So she takes them to where the first ice will form.

But, it's nowhere near thick enough yet.

Hugh and his sister stick close.

And mum can smell something up ahead.

It smells like food,

but there could be males too.

Hugh can just about smell it.

But he's got no idea what that new smell is.

Even in this wilderness, there are still a few isolated communities.

And with humans comes rubbish.

This dump has already attracted a few males.

It's a 24-hour, polar bear fast food joint.

You wouldn't think the world's largest carnivores

needed to raid bins.

Mum is still on the way.

But Hugh won't be able to go in and feed,

until the big guys have left the table.

It's over to Botswana next.

Where Newky settled in to a new den.

And the weather took a real turn for the worse.

Months have passed since we were last here,

and now this whole place has changed.

And Newky's changed too.

He's now the same size as the adults,

with the same distinctive painted coat.

But he's not an adult yet.

He's a teenager, still technically a pup.

Taking every opportunity to play.

Eventually, mum and dad decide it's time for food

and they all ship out - pups and all.

Now that Newky's a lot bigger, he can travel

just as far as the adults. So the pack is no longer tied to one place.

All of their meals will be drive-thrus from now on,

shipping out as soon as the eating's done.

They'll cover their entire home range to look for prey.

Newky's more than fast enough,

to tag along on the hunts, but he's still too young to fully take part.

He's got a lot to learn, and the whole of the Okavango

is one huge wild dog classroom.

With the biggest lesson starting right now.

He's run into a fence that stretches for hundreds of miles,

marking where wilderness ends,

and domestic herds, like cattle, begin.

It was set up to keep human activity out of the Okavango.

The adults know this place is dangerous.

But Newky's never seen the fence before and he doesn't know

that when dogs have crossed in the past, they haven't returned.

Mum and dad start to lead the pack away.

But Newky and the other pups are a lot more interested

in what's on the other side.

Will Newky be tempted to go across?

And in this case, will curiosity kill the dog?

Cara is still on the move.

There's just no let-up - this is the big one.

The great autumn migration south.

It's a journey Cara's never made before and everything is different.

Including the males.

These guys are having a really bad hair day.

Their new antlers have been growing underneath a furry skin,

called velvet.

And as it falls off, it reveals the tough bone underneath.

They're getting frisky, spoiling for a fight.

Cara's about to get caught up in something big.

It's the rutting season, when males fight it out

for the attention of the females.

It's like a boxing ring out there and Cara has front row seats.

BING!

THEY GRUNT

They're really going for it.

Remember, these guys are essentially reindeer.

That's Rudolph fighting out there!

Boy, can they throw a punch.

Those males can really "rut" their stuff.

A lull in the fighting gives Cara the chance to take it all in.

And that was just round one!

Cara stays out of the way,

but the males aren't interested in her.

It's the adult females they're after,

including Cara's mum.

Like males everywhere, these guys are just showing off for the ladies.

It all proves which male is the strongest,

and all the ladies like a good, strong male.

But not even the rutting season

slows down the pace of the migration.

It's a constant slog for Cara.

In Botswana, Newky's facing a serious dilemma.

He's itching to get across to the other side of the fence.

Whereas the adults just want to get away.

On the other side are cattle with armed guards.

Wild dogs won't really go after cows,

but the guards can't take any chances.

And if Newky crosses, he could face a bullet.

He needs to stay on the right side.

And eventually...

Dog-sense prevails.

Newky leaves.

Followed by the other pups.

They head off with the adults to find prey.

Newky's right there, up front.

He's growing up.

Now that he's no longer tied to the den,

it's all starting to get a lot tougher.

The dogs can easily cover 50 miles a day in their search for food.

And while Newky might look scrawny,

underneath he's like a marathon runner...

With unbelievable stamina.

Eventually, the pack finds what it's looking for...

Impala. It's the first time Newky's ever seen these guys -

a type of antelope.

But he instinctively knows to keep quiet and stay with the pack.

Mum and dad lead the way.

And at this stage, Newky gets to ride up front.

It's his first proper hunt

and it's all about to kick off, big style.

He needs to keep his cool.

In the Arctic, Hugh and his sister have arrived at the dump.

But the males are still there.

Hugh is gagging to get in there.

But mum's not taking any chances with these guys.

Eventually, they call it a day.

And with the threat gone,

mum strolls in for a free meal.

She's still a little on edge -

those males could come back.

But at least for now, these guys will get to eat in peace.

Of course, it's only rubbish.

And burnt rubbish at that. But it's a whole let better

than what mum's had this summer. Hugh and his sister tuck in.

They're in junk food heaven.

But pretty soon, Mum finishes up and leaves.

Hugh and his sis would rather stay here and pig out all day,

but it's not up to them.

Mum leads them on towards the ice.

She wants to get out there and find some real food.

But the ice still isn't ready.

Patience, Hugh.

You'll just have to wait!

In Botswana, Newky's right up in the thick of it.

It's his first proper hunt,

and for now, he's neck and neck with mum and dad

as they stalk the impala.

Suddenly, it all breaks loose.

The adults go in for the chase.

At this point, Newky is forced

to hang back from the action with the other youngsters.

He's close enough to see the chase,

but he's not experienced enough yet to fully take part.

For the adults the prize gets closer and closer.

And back here with Newky,

the adrenaline must be pumping.

With the prey taken down the adults jump right in,

bolting down the food as fast as they can.

Newky is still some distance away, but he's getting closer.

The pups will get priority at the kill.

But only if they can get there

before the adults have completely cleared the table.

At this rate,

will there even be any food left when Newky finally arrives?

Cara has survived the rut unscathed and it's now winter.

That's two solid months of walking. A 400-mile trek.

The males left after the rut, and the females are alone.

Cara's grown up a lot and she's stopped drinking mum's milk.

But it's her first winter and she still needs her around.

By travelling south, Cara has avoided the worst of the weather.

This might look bad, but believe me,

if Cara had stayed up north, it would be a lot tougher right now.

The herd tread carefully.

Their feet are extra wide to spread their weight with a non-slip grip.

Eventually, Cara and mum wander onto the wintering grounds.

Along with the rest of the herd.

It's a whole new experience for Cara.

It's really cold.

But hollow outer hair acts as a thick insulating blanket,

keeping her warm.

Her biggest problem is all that snow cover.

In the summer grounds she had plenty of grass to eat,

but what's she gonna eat round here?

Cara must be starving after such a long journey.

With no more free feeds from mum,

she'll need to eat as much as she can.

But why's she followed mum

all this way, if there's nothing here to eat?

Hugh and his sister stick close to mum,

close to the ice.

It's got colder and the ice has got thicker.

But it's still got some way to go.

Mum needs to be ready to head out as soon as the freeze really kicks in.

But she can't afford to get too close.

This is polar bear central -

full of males, all of them waiting for the ice to form.

It's the only time of year, that these guys ever just hang out.

And while most of the time they just chill,

every now and then, it's polar bear wrestling time.

There are no prizes here like there were for the caribou.

This is just play fighting.

But it all looks pretty serious to Hugh and his sister.

These young males are in the prime of their lives.

Of course, now, Hugh is safe with Mum.

But he's growing up fast,

and it won't be that long, before he's taking part himself.

Newky and the pups finally arrive at the kill.

Just in time!

There's still food left over.

The adults let the youngsters in to feed.

Things are a lot tougher for Newky these days,

but he, at least, gets to eat.

When he's finally stuffed,

the whole family get straight back on the move.

A kill site can soon attract the wrong sort of crowd -

lions or hyenas.

The dogs need to get away fast.

Eventually, they're far enough away to settle down.

Newky and the pups are still a little too cocky

after all that preferential treatment.

Mum and dad decide to bring them down to earth.

There's a lot of head-bowing and tail-wagging,

as the parents reassert their authority over the pack.

Once everybody's fallen into line,

Newky gets some well deserved shut-eye.

He's growing up so fast.

And a few months from now, he'll become an adult,

leaving his teenage years behind.

Mum's got a new litter of pups on the way,

and they'll soon get all the attention.

It's all about to get even tougher for Newky.

How will he cope when he loses his top dog status?

Hugh and his sister are sitting out the cold,

waiting for the big freeze.

It's way down below zero now.

But while mum's happy to just sit it out and wait,

some of the young males aren't so patient.

They're keen to find out first hand if the ice is thick enough.

So far so good!

Slowly, now.

Oooh!

Oh, dear!

Spreading your weight can sometimes help.

Woah!

Perhaps these guys were a little hasty.

They'll learn.

Hugh and his sister have got mum to tell them when the time's right,

and she knows better than to storm out before

the sea has completely frozen up.

She waits, and waits

and eventually, the time has come.

The males are already long gone, as Hugh and his sister are led out

over freshly-frozen ice,

back to their old home.

Our cubs are about to get their first taste of an Arctic winter,

with no den to hide in this time.

They might think they've known cold, but that was nothing.

It's about to get very, very cold indeed.

Is Hugh really ready for all that?

Cara's new home is similar to that of the bears -

covered in snow.

It doesn't look as like there's anything to eat or drink.

You're probably wondering why mum brought Cara all this way,

but first impressions can be misleading.

Caribou will eat snow when they're thirsty.

But, Cara, be warned.

This place is also a public toilet.

Watch out where you eat!

Of course, snow isn't enough to fill Cara up,

but there are plants underneath the snow and mum can sniff them out,

even when the snow is five feet thick.

Digging with her hooves reveals a seasonal bounty called lichen,

a bit like moss.

Thankfully, Cara has taken a bit of a liking to lichen,

which is a good job as it's on the menu for the rest of the winter,

breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Unfortunately, there is a big problem with this stuff.

It takes a lot of energy to find and doesn't give a great deal back.

But that's where mum's antlers come in.

They're not just for decoration.

She just waits for a caribou to dig out a good patch of lichen.

And then fights them for it.

It's winner takes all in this game.

Cara and her mum get plenty of food,

without all the effort of digging it up themselves.

But food is by no means their biggest problem.

There are dangers lurking nearby.

If Cara goes down to the woods today,

she'll be sure of a big surprise.

Something is moving amongst the trees,

with big eyes - all the better to see you with,

and big teeth - all the better to eat you.

Next time on Wild Tales...

Will Cara stay away from the woods?

How will Newky cope when he's no longer a pup?

And what will Hugh think of the winter weather?

Find out next time on Wild Tales.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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