0:00:13 > 0:00:16High in the mountains of Pakistan
0:00:16 > 0:00:21lives a cat so elusive that it's rarely been filmed.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Until 2004,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25when the BBC Planet Earth series
0:00:25 > 0:00:31showed the world the first images of a wild snow leopard hunting.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43For the men who filmed this shot,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47it marked the beginning of a love affair with the snow leopard.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50I just looked straight into her eyes and she just caught mine,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and I think that was love at first sight.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Driven by this new-found passion,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04the two men returned, determined to
0:01:04 > 0:01:06get to know this almost mythical beast,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08this icon of the wilderness.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23What they discovered went far deeper than they had ever expected,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27to the very heart of the cat's battle for survival.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29The leopard jumped out, she fell
0:01:29 > 0:01:32down and fainted and the leopard took off.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35He's saying that if the leopard comes back,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37I'll just have to shoot it.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41This is the first film to go beyond the myth
0:01:41 > 0:01:45and tell the snow leopard's real story.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Unlike most people who go in search of endangered animals,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Nisar Malik is not a biologist or a wildlife cameraman.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Nisar is a journalist and he's gained an intimate knowledge
0:02:10 > 0:02:13of these mountains and their people
0:02:13 > 0:02:17by working here for 20 years with foreign news crews.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Most of the news stories I was
0:02:19 > 0:02:23covering related to Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25the children of war, the front line
0:02:25 > 0:02:28between the Taleban and the Northern Alliance,
0:02:28 > 0:02:34and a lot of the opium and heroin trade that was taking place then.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Nisar is now returning to Northern Pakistan
0:02:37 > 0:02:41for one of the biggest challenges of his life -
0:02:41 > 0:02:43to build on the tantalising snow
0:02:43 > 0:02:47leopard material he helped capture for Planet Earth.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53This quest has brought him to the mountains of Chitral,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57part of the giant Himalayan range that stretches all the way to China.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05No-one knows how many snow leopards remain here,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08the cats are so rare, and the terrain so challenging
0:03:08 > 0:03:10that many fear they will
0:03:10 > 0:03:14become extinct before anyone finds a way to count them.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18In winter, Chitral is cut off from the rest of the world
0:03:18 > 0:03:23by heavy snowfalls and rarely visited by outsiders.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Accompanying Nisar is expert cameraman Mark Smith.
0:03:26 > 0:03:32Together they plan to spend at least a year in pursuit of their dream,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35which means spending Christmas away from home.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38I guess snow leopards is about the only thing that'd make you come out,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41the thought that maybe just up there
0:03:41 > 0:03:44there is still a snow leopard and you might just film it.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It's the biggest draw you could possibly ever want.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54Christmas morning, and Nisar prepares an unconventional meal.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57And rather than just sitting around looking at the snow,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01I thought have a big pumping breakfast today.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Has that got testicles in it?
0:04:03 > 0:04:07It's got a heart, liver and kidneys.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Great!
0:04:10 > 0:04:15I'm slightly hungover so that's not probably the most exciting thing.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18- Do you want beans?- No. No.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22So little is known about these isolated valleys
0:04:22 > 0:04:25that the team's best chance of sighting a leopard
0:04:25 > 0:04:28is simply to cover as much ground as possible.
0:04:30 > 0:04:36Fresh snowfall covers all animal prints, making tracking difficult,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40but it does transform the valley into a fairy-tale landscape.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42As soon as it starts snowing,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44as soon as it starts looking like this,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46it just becomes a completely magical place.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52What the team does discover is a haven for wildlife.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Markhor are extremely rare mountain goats, but they seem abundant here.
0:05:03 > 0:05:09This is an encouraging sign as markhor are prime leopard prey.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23After weeks of searching, there's no sign of the elusive cat,
0:05:23 > 0:05:28and as the snow get heavier, animals start to move to the lower slopes.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37The animals are struggling.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39We can't get around much.
0:05:39 > 0:05:45I think it's time to beat a retreat, get out of here.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49They need to find a place where a leopard will come to them,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51but guessing the best location
0:05:51 > 0:05:54for a stake-out is almost as hard as finding a leopard.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Nisar's newsgathering skills will be needed.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04His local contacts may provide a lead.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08The story is if you tell the snow
0:06:08 > 0:06:11leopard that you are king of the jungle,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13it takes a step back and lets you go through.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20As usual, plenty of stories but nothing helpful.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Finally they get a tip-off -
0:06:23 > 0:06:27a snow leopard has been seen coming close to a nearby village.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35I just hope it's there when we get there. How fast can this car go?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Having spent weeks searching Pakistan's wildest frontiers,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46could the team really succeed in a place so accessible to humans?
0:06:51 > 0:06:55For once, there is truth in the rumours.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56- Holy- BLEEP.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Let me see.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06The snow leopard is not only here, but out in full view.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13It's just the most fabulous, fabulous feeling ever.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Right in front of us
0:07:15 > 0:07:19is one of the most elusive creatures in the world,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21looking straight at us.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Oh, here we go. Hello.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31For years, scientists and film-makers
0:07:31 > 0:07:35have tried to get close to the snow leopard and failed.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40But now here was a snow leopard venturing into our world,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44no longer the stuff of myth and legend
0:07:44 > 0:07:46but a living, breathing animal.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12Day after day, Mark is able to film this consummate mountaineer,
0:08:12 > 0:08:17a creature utterly at home on these perilous slopes.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Her markings provide superb camouflage,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32whilst her giant paws and immense tail lend balance
0:08:32 > 0:08:35to some very precarious manoeuvres.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46A wild snow leopard relaxed in the
0:08:46 > 0:08:49presence of humans is completely unheard of.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Why should an animal accustomed to roaming hundreds of miles
0:08:57 > 0:09:00keep returning to the same spot?
0:09:02 > 0:09:08Before Mark and Nisar can find the answer, she disappears.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16A few days later,
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Nisar gets worrying news from the local village.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24We've just got reports that a sheep
0:09:24 > 0:09:28herder out here had about 18 of his sheep and goat attacked
0:09:28 > 0:09:31by, apparently, an old leopard
0:09:31 > 0:09:32and we're just going up
0:09:32 > 0:09:36to have a chat with him and see if there's any truth to the matter.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Perhaps the chance of an easy meal
0:09:38 > 0:09:43had lured the female leopard into the heart of the settlement.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50He's saying when you get wounds like this, only the leopard does that.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54It's got very sharp incisions.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But I'm still surprised it's so close to the population.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02I thought it must have been while they were grazing on the mountains.
0:10:11 > 0:10:17The herdsmen of Chitral survive on the margins, especially in winter,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21and can't afford to lose their livestock for any reason.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25But predators also have an urgent need to feed,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29and they make no distinction between wild and domestic prey.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33As animals descend to escape the snows,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36these conflicts become heightened.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45As with many remote places,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49the notion that isolation has led to a perfectly preserved wilderness
0:10:49 > 0:10:51is simply untrue.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The population is expanding,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57and the boundaries between wild and
0:10:57 > 0:10:59cultivated areas have become blurred,
0:10:59 > 0:11:00increasing the potential for conflict.
0:11:15 > 0:11:16When the female reappears, it
0:11:16 > 0:11:20becomes clear that the proximity of livestock
0:11:20 > 0:11:22is not the real reason she's here.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27So I was concentrating on getting shots of the snow leopard,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30and Nisar was stood by my side and he went,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34"There's another one." And I was saying, "Shut up, it's not."
0:11:34 > 0:11:37And he said, "There's another snow leopard."
0:11:37 > 0:11:40And he'd seen this snow leopard moving inside the cave.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45And then suddenly from that hole pops out this face,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47you could see it was a juvenile -
0:11:47 > 0:11:50it just had this lost look about it -
0:11:50 > 0:11:51and I was in fits.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I was jumping up and down and Mark was going,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55"Oh, my God! Let me frame her."
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The next time Mark and Nisar find them,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18the young male cub has grown in confidence
0:12:18 > 0:12:20and is venturing further from the cave.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27He seems to have taken a dislike to the local magpies.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45He was learning. Everything he was doing, he was mimicking the mother.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48She doesn't like magpies either,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52but he was looking at them as playful things.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56She probably considers them a nuisance.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58There is play-time...
0:13:00 > 0:13:02..and then there are times
0:13:02 > 0:13:07when a young snow leopard needs to pay proper attention.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Whenever she went hunting, there was
0:13:11 > 0:13:13this amazing communication between them
0:13:13 > 0:13:18where she'd take a few steps, he'd start following...
0:13:18 > 0:13:22And then she'd just turn around and
0:13:22 > 0:13:25look at him and he'd just look at her
0:13:25 > 0:13:27and then just slink away and go back and sit in the cave.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Obviously there was a training goes on which was not hands-on.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33It was look, but don't come near me.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37A one-year-old cub needs as much food as its mother.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42With two mouths to feed, the female is under pressure to kill regularly.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48News of an even more brazen attack
0:13:48 > 0:13:53on local livestock is of great concern to Nisar.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58This is the lady, when she came in, she pushed the door open
0:13:58 > 0:14:02and the minute she did that, the leopard jumped out,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06pushed her back, she fell down and fainted and the leopard took off.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09This one's actually been eaten from
0:14:09 > 0:14:12the back, it's pretty gory right now.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Nisar knows a killing spree
0:14:16 > 0:14:20so close to where the mother is hunting is dangerous.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23She'll be blamed even if she's not the culprit.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I've asked him, if he goes up again
0:14:27 > 0:14:31with his livestock and the leopard comes back, what is he going to do?
0:14:31 > 0:14:34He's saying, "I'll just have to shoot it."
0:14:39 > 0:14:41With so much at stake,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44it's a relief when Mark gets concrete evidence
0:14:44 > 0:14:48the mother CAN provide for her cub from the wild population of markhor.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Her prey weighs as much as she does,
0:15:02 > 0:15:08and dragging it up a slope as steep as this must take enormous effort.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11It's imperative she gets the carcass back to her den
0:15:11 > 0:15:15so that her cub can feed undisturbed by scavengers.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21But a single markhor won't feed the pair for long.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Within a couple of days, she'll need to hunt again.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Over the next few weeks,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Mark and Nisar spend long periods with the mother and cub
0:15:36 > 0:15:41and start to build a detailed visual record of snow leopard family life.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56By capturing the pair on film,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Mark and Nisar have started to bring the snow leopard
0:16:00 > 0:16:04from the realm of myth into the land of the living.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Just as the crew are starting to realise
0:16:10 > 0:16:13how challenging it is for a leopard to survive in this terrain,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16filming is cut short by a catastrophe,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20one that shows how precarious all life is in these mountains.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25I was actually starting
0:16:25 > 0:16:29to enjoy being here with the crew and seeing the leopard
0:16:29 > 0:16:34when Pakistan had one of its largest earthquakes ever in the mountains.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Close to 100,000 people died in that.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40The suffering and the kind of horror was beyond belief.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46We lost a whole generation of children.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Approximately 40,000 kids died
0:16:48 > 0:16:50because this earthquake struck in
0:16:50 > 0:16:54the morning and schools had just started.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I've got children and I've seen
0:16:56 > 0:17:00children being pulled out of rubble like that and it was horrific.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07But it had to be responded to and people like myself,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11or anyone who had any expertise, had to respond to that calamity.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18With his unrivalled knowledge of these remote regions,
0:17:18 > 0:17:23Nisar is ideally qualified to lead a team of mountain survival experts
0:17:23 > 0:17:27and deliver aid directly to those most in need.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42Every winter is hard for mountain people, but the earthquake
0:17:42 > 0:17:47had deprived them of even the basic amenities they needed to survive.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54Filming the snow leopard had been a high point of my life.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Responding to people in need,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59and they are my people, how could you ignore that?
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Six months later, and the
0:18:14 > 0:18:18humanitarian disaster has finally begun to ease.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23The team returns,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27hoping to catch up with their snow leopards before the cub is weaned.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28But it's now summer,
0:18:28 > 0:18:33and the chances of finding them at this time of year are not good.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37In winter, we've established that it has a certain pattern,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39and you can sort of follow that,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42following the herds of goat and stuff like that,
0:18:42 > 0:18:48- but I think summer is anyone's guess.- It's pretty unknown. It is...
0:18:48 > 0:18:52As wildlife shoots go, there's very little known about it.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55With scorching temperatures in the valleys,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58most animals head back up the slopes
0:18:58 > 0:19:01in search of cooler weather and greener pastures.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04What might be an easy journey for the wildlife
0:19:04 > 0:19:08requires a major expedition for Mark and Nisar,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12who will need a much larger team to support them over the trip ahead.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20We'll cross that pasture, go over and then go straight down.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25And then we go behind these peaks. See that bowlish-looking thing?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28That dark patch way back there,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30that's the final camp.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35And if you went for a two-day walk from there, you're in Afghanistan.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40You can almost sense why the snow leopard would be there.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45It's got to be really isolated.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48No film crew had ventured here before.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56One of the main reasons why
0:19:56 > 0:20:00documentary makers haven't come out and filmed the snow leopard
0:20:00 > 0:20:02is because Pakistan has an image abroad,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05it's been exploited for all the wrong reasons.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09This is supposed to be the easy part.
0:20:09 > 0:20:15We're 40 kilometres from the Afghan border. Al Qaeda has been there.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19The Taliban have been there. I've done stories on those things.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23But there is so much more we have to offer the world,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27and no-one's taking the trouble to find out about that.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32We're 150 million people out here, and we're not terrorists.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34We have some of the most hospitable people out here.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37We have amazing natural history,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39and this is a great opportunity to
0:20:39 > 0:20:41use the snow leopard as an ambassador
0:20:41 > 0:20:46to show that there is so much more that we have to offer.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02A week into their journey and the terrain was taking its toll.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07It humbled us. It was gruelling. It was really difficult.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12Everything is so steep, there's no paths, there's rock falls,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15there's mud-slides, it was really dangerous.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21The team are heading for a high altitude meadow,
0:21:21 > 0:21:26rumoured to be full of marmots, ideal leopard prey.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Nisar establishes a base camp some distance away,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37so as not to disturb the wildlife.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44They're optimistic that a place with such easy pickings
0:21:44 > 0:21:49will be a magnet for predators of all kinds.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52That sounds like a good marmot field up there.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55If there's a concentration of food,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- you're gonna get something coming in, so let's try that.- OK.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04The magnitude of the task ahead is felt by all.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23I'm like a worried mother.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25My son's leaving home.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Up here, animals are not used to seeing humans.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Mark will have to conceal himself by building a hide.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Now all he can do is wait.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57As the weeks pass, it becomes
0:22:57 > 0:23:02clear that these meadows are not populated by thousands of marmots.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06In fact, only a handful live here.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And even those don't do much.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- WHISPERING:- There's a marmot on a rock in front of me.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14It's been there half an hour
0:23:14 > 0:23:19and in that time, it's moved its head twice and its leg once.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27You have to go through so much just to get close to them
0:23:27 > 0:23:30because they're very nervous.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34They're like the insurance salesman of the animal world -
0:23:34 > 0:23:37they don't do anything without checking everything out first.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41With the rumours
0:23:41 > 0:23:45of a leopard nirvana appearing greatly exaggerated,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Nisar hunts for any clue he can find.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49It's not even a needle
0:23:49 > 0:23:52in a haystack because we don't even know if there is a needle.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54The haystack's big.
0:24:01 > 0:24:07Two weeks on and it's clear there are no snow leopards in the area.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Mark's frustration at only having marmots to film
0:24:11 > 0:24:13is finally beginning to show.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15I hate the marmots.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19They're just lazy layabouts that sit around all day in the sun
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and occasionally stand up and alarm loudly...
0:24:22 > 0:24:26- RAPID, SHRILL CHIRPING - ..usually at my hide,
0:24:26 > 0:24:31which as far as I can see is perfectly all right,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33but they don't seem to think so.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39The alarm call is so piercing,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43it physically hurts your ears and when they get really fed up
0:24:43 > 0:24:46they run down their burrows and they alarm in their burrows,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50so hopefully they'll be deafening themselves down in the burrows.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02With nothing to focus snow leopard activity,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05the difficulty of even seeing one becomes all too apparent.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Now you can see why it is so impossible to see this animal.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Where do you begin?
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Where do you begin?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I'd love people to see this image of Pakistan.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It's not made up. It's real.
0:25:36 > 0:25:42Sadly, very few people spend their time trying to project this.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Their eight week slog comes to an end and proves fruitless.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54But Nisar remains philosophical.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56We had to go out and see for ourselves,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00because we just had stories and rumours,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02and if we'd just ignored them, you
0:26:02 > 0:26:04never know what we would have missed.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06So we had to go out and see and,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09in a way, it was essential to put the story together,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11to piece everything together.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It's not necessary that you will see her in that habitat in summer,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17but the fact is you have to try so
0:26:17 > 0:26:19that you have a better understanding.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28With the onset of winter, heavy snows threaten.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33Mark and Nisar return, desperate to catch up with their female leopard.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40The signs are good. Markhor have begun their retreat into the valleys
0:26:40 > 0:26:44and the team think the leopard will follow.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Reports of an increase in leopard sightings
0:26:54 > 0:26:57have also brought a team of scientists to Chitral.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07By laying traps higher up at the head of the valley,
0:27:07 > 0:27:12they hope to catch and collar a snow leopard as it begins its descent.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20But Mark and Nisar's instinct is to target the lower slopes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23It's been a year since they saw the female
0:27:23 > 0:27:26and, now that her cub is independent,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30she is no longer be tied to one area and is free to follow her prey.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Once more, the markhor are entering
0:27:36 > 0:27:39a busy period in their social calendar,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42one that will make them far more vulnerable to attack.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47It's the start of the mating season.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Competition between males is fierce.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07With the biggest males preoccupied,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11the younger males might have a chance to sneak off with a female.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34All in all, the markhor are thoroughly distracted.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38It's a great opportunity for their snow leopard.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Surely she will come.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46Well, I dunno, this time of the afternoon,
0:28:46 > 0:28:51the markhor should be just starting to come down, to the river...
0:28:51 > 0:28:55Mark! Leopard!
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Leopard?
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Quick, quick, get the legs and the bag.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Where is she?
0:29:05 > 0:29:06Up there on that rock.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- Ah-hah.- Just sitting up there.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18Ah, she's got a collar on.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20She's been tagged.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25As the snow leopard study was far from the filming site,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Mark and Nisar had not considered the possibility
0:29:28 > 0:29:31that THEIR cat would be the first to be captured.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37You can see the leopard just up there
0:29:37 > 0:29:39and she's just gone into hunting mode
0:29:39 > 0:29:45and it's blatantly obvious - she's just started to move now -
0:29:45 > 0:29:49blatantly obvious, you can see the collar as she moves.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54I don't know how she's gonna catch anything because that's SO obvious.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01This could be Mark's chance to film a hunt,
0:30:01 > 0:30:07but would the collar handicap a predator that relies on camouflage?
0:30:14 > 0:30:17Well, the leopard has seen a small group of markhor below her
0:30:17 > 0:30:22and she's trying to work out the best way to get to them.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Amazing.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34It's exactly where we filmed her before.
0:30:34 > 0:30:40This is the point where she either blows it, which she usually does,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42or she actually makes the kill.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Is this amazing or what?
0:30:56 > 0:30:57Yeah, it's incredible.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00What I really need is for you to
0:31:00 > 0:31:03tell me how close the markhor are to her.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08They're about 50 metres or less.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11- The markhor is coming running here. - Yeah.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15About to go. She's moving.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18She's moving, getting ready.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21There's about 25 metres, 20 metres.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31- Four or five of the markhor coming the same way.- Towards her?- Yes.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Not more than 15 metres. Coming closer...
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Now that one's right below her.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Now she's five metres, not more.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Here she comes. She's coming up the rise.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47She's three or four metres from her, here we go.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Oh, God, damn you.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52They're going.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54- She blew it.- She blew it.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Ah!
0:31:57 > 0:31:59- She seemed really slow.- Yeah.
0:31:59 > 0:32:05- She's off again.- The markhor haven't really gone very far.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08But is there still one there?
0:32:08 > 0:32:10She's looking at something.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13There's a markhor down between the trees.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15This time she's got a better perch.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Here she goes.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47No!
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Oh, this is deja-vu, my friend.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Another markhor has gone in the water.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Wow.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08What is going on? This is mad.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15Collaring a wild snow leopard is a remarkable breakthrough for science,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18but it leaves Nisar with mixed feelings.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Seeing her...
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Doesn't make me feel good.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Not a good feeling.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32I'm ecstatic to see her, but I'm sad to see her this way.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39News of the first sighting since her capture
0:33:39 > 0:33:44brings the head scientist Tom McCarthy down to the filming site.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48He needs to gather information for his study first-hand.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Big tree, above that there's that rock.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53The first time we saw her with her collar,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56she was just sitting there, beautiful backdrop.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59His visit is a chance for Nisar to
0:33:59 > 0:34:05understand why Tom is using such an intrusive method to study his cat.
0:34:05 > 0:34:06So this study will give us an
0:34:06 > 0:34:10unprecedented amount of information on snow leopards.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14We try to get a better idea about some of the basic questions
0:34:14 > 0:34:18like how big is their home range,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22how do they react when people enter their habitat,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26how do they relate to livestock in their habitats?
0:34:26 > 0:34:31The only way to really answer these questions is to use telemetry.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Tom hopes that, over the next year,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37data will be uploaded from the collar to orbiting satellites
0:34:37 > 0:34:41so that he can track the cat's movements remotely.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45So limited is our knowledge of snow leopards
0:34:45 > 0:34:49that any data from the collar will be invaluable.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52When I see her now with a collar on,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55I see a wild snow leopard doing what a wild snow leopard does
0:34:55 > 0:34:58but sharing that information with us
0:34:58 > 0:35:03so that we can do a better job of conserving wild snow leopards.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Only recent developments in satellite technology
0:35:08 > 0:35:10have made this study possible
0:35:10 > 0:35:16but, like many pioneering projects, things don't go exactly to plan.
0:35:31 > 0:35:37News arrives that Nisar's leopard has been accidentally recaptured.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43A dart containing anaesthetic
0:35:43 > 0:35:47will be needed to remove her from the snare with the minimum of harm.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11It was a real shock to see her struggling like this.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16Even though it was for science, part of me just wanted to set her free.
0:36:25 > 0:36:30At close quarters, her presence is bewitching.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33One of the most amazing parts of the trapping
0:36:33 > 0:36:37was the reaction of the locals towards her.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42You could see them gently brushing the snow off her fur, patting her.
0:36:46 > 0:36:51The surprise capture is a chance for the locals to see her up close,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55and for researchers to change her collar for one with a fresh battery.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59The cuts are cleaned with
0:36:59 > 0:37:03antiseptic swabs to lessen the chance of infection,
0:37:03 > 0:37:07and she's kept warm when at her most vulnerable.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Every remaining snow leopard is precious.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Here was this mystical creature, a legend,
0:37:24 > 0:37:29surrounded by humans who were trying to pin her down and shackle her
0:37:29 > 0:37:34and yet there's a magic that this beast gives off.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39It was strange to see humans trying to tame nature,
0:37:39 > 0:37:41trying to tame this animal.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02After she had been asleep in the cage for eight hours,
0:38:02 > 0:38:06the researchers were confident the tranquilliser had worn off.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30She seemed to have made a full recovery,
0:38:30 > 0:38:34but the recapture had sown fresh doubts in Nisar's mind.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39Tom, are you afraid of the risks that are involved,
0:38:39 > 0:38:41does it justify it?
0:38:41 > 0:38:47If I didn't feel that it justified what we're doing, I wouldn't do it.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51You've become emotionally attached to this animal.
0:38:51 > 0:38:52As a biologist, I know very few
0:38:52 > 0:38:55people in my position that aren't very emotional
0:38:55 > 0:39:00about the animals that we have spent our lives trying to protect.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04For me to go out there and put a collar on a cat
0:39:04 > 0:39:07is probably as rough on me as it is that cat.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11I don't do it lightly. I think of nothing but her safety.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15I know that, yes, she's sacrificing a little bit
0:39:15 > 0:39:18and she's wearing an ugly radio-collar
0:39:18 > 0:39:23and she's gonna carry it for a year, maybe two or three years,
0:39:23 > 0:39:28but she's doing this for the betterment of the species,
0:39:28 > 0:39:33for the betterment of snow leopards in Pakistan and across the range,
0:39:33 > 0:39:35and I know that if we do this,
0:39:35 > 0:39:39we have a much better chance of saving all of these cats.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42But the project will only be a success
0:39:42 > 0:39:47if the female behaves naturally, unhampered by the collar.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49If not, the data will be worthless.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56A few days later, Mark begins to recognise behaviours in her
0:39:56 > 0:39:58that he had seen prior to the collaring.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06At about 2.30pm, she went off to a cliff and waited there.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13There was no markhor around at all,
0:40:13 > 0:40:18and then suddenly you could start to see a few boulders rolling down,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22and this one markhor was coming down the cliff.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34And she heard the boulders and she moved around this cliff and took up
0:40:34 > 0:40:37this position slightly higher up
0:40:37 > 0:40:42and the markhor went down away from her and down towards this gulley.
0:40:42 > 0:40:48And as she came down this scree slope, she did this rolling thing,
0:40:48 > 0:40:52she'll roll right over on her back like a domestic cat.
0:40:52 > 0:40:57When she does this rolling, you know that she's into a serious hunt.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Maybe it's to mask the scent or change the colour.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04So she went further down and she got to this point,
0:41:04 > 0:41:08and she was looking down at the markhor,
0:41:08 > 0:41:13and the markhor just went over the lip of the gulley
0:41:13 > 0:41:17and she charged down the hill, a really long run.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26She got to this bush and hid in this bush.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30I was following her down and I got to this point
0:41:30 > 0:41:33and because it's a black and white viewfinder on the camera,
0:41:33 > 0:41:35I couldn't really see what was going on.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38In fact, the markhor was right in the middle of the frame.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41And I couldn't see it at all and so I was like,
0:41:41 > 0:41:43"Where's she gone?"
0:41:43 > 0:41:45And at that moment, she came
0:41:45 > 0:41:48charging out of the bush and took him out, jumped right on top of
0:41:48 > 0:41:50him and they disappeared down to the bottom of this gully.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54She had made a successful kill. So, even with this white collar on,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56she was obviously still able
0:41:56 > 0:42:02to survive, so that was quite a relief to see she could do that.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04For the longest time I was really upset,
0:42:04 > 0:42:07I just couldn't see the justification of all of this.
0:42:07 > 0:42:12But having seen her hunt with a collar on, it's like she's happy.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17She seems OK, and it almost seems worthwhile.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23The successful hunt is a turning point for Mark and Nisar.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29It becomes clear their photographic record
0:42:29 > 0:42:33will be more important than they had ever imagined.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37The researchers will be able to use these images
0:42:37 > 0:42:39alongside the data from the collar.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45They are far more informative together than either is alone.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Using this combination of science and film,
0:43:04 > 0:43:09we're finally starting to understand this most enigmatic of creatures.
0:43:15 > 0:43:20A window on the life of the snow leopard has finally been opened.
0:43:26 > 0:43:32Over the next few weeks, another benefit of the collar becomes clear.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35In the past, the team had to rely on instinct or rumours
0:43:35 > 0:43:38to find the leopard.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Now they can use hard data from the collar.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46For the first time, the team can actually follow her.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04The information from the researchers leads them back to the local village
0:44:04 > 0:44:09where Mark films her sleeping next to a fresh kill.
0:44:09 > 0:44:15But the camera reveals her prey to be a wild markhor, not a goat.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20What is learnt from studying snow leopards now
0:44:20 > 0:44:22may help to save them in the future.
0:44:22 > 0:44:27But Nisar knows his leopard faces an immediate risk from local villagers.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32He decides to visit the herdsman whose goats were killed last winter.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40People like this need the support,
0:44:40 > 0:44:44they need to understand that there is a bigger picture.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47These people exist day to day. They have nothing.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51As a Pakistani, I can empathise with them, I can see their dilemma.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59You have to take these people into the fold
0:44:59 > 0:45:04if the snow leopard and the rest of these animals are to survive here.
0:45:07 > 0:45:12By showing the villagers images and explaining the scientific study,
0:45:12 > 0:45:16Nisar hopes to make people aware of the value of their feline neighbour.
0:45:18 > 0:45:23He says, "Actually, this is my enemy." Then he looked at it again
0:45:23 > 0:45:27and he said, "Well, no, actually, that's my friend now."
0:45:29 > 0:45:32This is their heritage,
0:45:32 > 0:45:35it's their natural world, it's their natural wildlife out here.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39If they're not involved, nothing will work.
0:45:39 > 0:45:44We must give ownership of their heritage back to these people.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53By filming such remarkable images,
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Mark and Nisar have begun to lift the veil
0:45:56 > 0:45:59from this almost mythical creature.
0:45:59 > 0:46:04They set out to tell the story of an individual snow leopard,
0:46:04 > 0:46:08but, in the event, achieved far more than that.
0:46:08 > 0:46:14The first snow leopard collaring project in 20 years
0:46:14 > 0:46:18has come here and collared OUR snow leopard.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21The issues involved in that are far more interesting
0:46:21 > 0:46:25than just trying to take a pretty picture of a snow leopard.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27We're all now involved in a much
0:46:27 > 0:46:31more profound kind of understanding of the conservation issues.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36If you want to create awareness, if you want these people to feel that
0:46:36 > 0:46:42they belong and the animal belongs to them, they must share in that.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44So, whether you show it to them in
0:46:44 > 0:46:47the form of a photograph or whatever,
0:46:47 > 0:46:49it's essential that that be shared with them.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54My wish and hope is that they see
0:46:54 > 0:46:58the snow leopard for real rather than on a mobile phone.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02That's what all the work should translate into.
0:47:02 > 0:47:06That should be something that they look forward to in their future,
0:47:06 > 0:47:10not just this image, but the real thing.
0:47:18 > 0:47:23I'm aware of the fact that our snow leopard will be used and exploited -
0:47:23 > 0:47:28for science, or tourism, or to promote Pakistan's image,
0:47:28 > 0:47:30but if I'm honest with you,
0:47:30 > 0:47:35for me, personally, she's touched me on a much deeper personal level.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37That's something that demands that
0:47:37 > 0:47:42I come back and look after her the way she's looked after me.