Mountain Lions: Big Cats in High Places

Download Subtitles

Transcript

0:00:31 > 0:00:34This is North America's big cat.

0:00:41 > 0:00:46Known as a mountain lion or a cougar.

0:00:48 > 0:00:50They appear powerful...

0:00:50 > 0:00:53COUGAR HISSES AND SNARLS

0:00:54 > 0:00:56..intimidating...

0:00:56 > 0:00:58COUGAR HISSES

0:01:00 > 0:01:02..and deadly.

0:01:08 > 0:01:12But incredibly, very little has been discovered about them...

0:01:14 > 0:01:16..until now.

0:01:22 > 0:01:25This film follows a year in the life

0:01:25 > 0:01:30of two amazing mountain lion families nestled in the Rockies.

0:01:32 > 0:01:34MAN: Going hot.

0:01:36 > 0:01:39They are part of the most intense study ever carried out on

0:01:39 > 0:01:42mountain lions in North America.

0:01:51 > 0:01:55By sharing intimate moments in the secretive lives of these families

0:01:55 > 0:01:57and their neighbours...

0:02:01 > 0:02:04..scientists are finally revealing

0:02:04 > 0:02:07the true nature of North America's big cat.

0:03:06 > 0:03:08Mountain lions can be found

0:03:08 > 0:03:11right across the western states of the USA.

0:03:13 > 0:03:15Not that you'd know it.

0:03:18 > 0:03:20They're wary, elusive creatures...

0:03:22 > 0:03:25..ghostly figures on the landscape.

0:03:27 > 0:03:31Which is why hard scientific evidence about their behaviour

0:03:31 > 0:03:33is thin on the ground.

0:03:36 > 0:03:42It's generally been assumed that mountain lions are solitary animals

0:03:42 > 0:03:45and that the only interactions between adults

0:03:45 > 0:03:48either result in mating or violence.

0:03:51 > 0:03:55But now those assumptions are being challenged.

0:04:03 > 0:04:06Just north of Jackson, Wyoming,

0:04:06 > 0:04:09the scientists of Panthera's Teton Cougar Project

0:04:09 > 0:04:13have been carrying out the most exhaustive study ever conducted

0:04:13 > 0:04:16into mountain lions in the USA.

0:04:20 > 0:04:22She's here.

0:04:24 > 0:04:28There. If you kind of get onto this first shelf and go around that way.

0:04:28 > 0:04:30Under the leadership of Mark Elbroch,

0:04:30 > 0:04:34the team have been using the latest in GPS technology

0:04:34 > 0:04:36to track mountain lions.

0:04:36 > 0:04:38She's moved quite a bit, which is good,

0:04:38 > 0:04:41- so we should get in there and set some cameras.- Sounds good.

0:04:41 > 0:04:44And then record their behaviour on video cameras.

0:04:48 > 0:04:53They're using 13 years of data and thousands of video clips

0:04:53 > 0:04:57to re-write our understanding of mountain lion behaviour.

0:04:57 > 0:05:00Oh, let's have a look at what this is.

0:05:00 > 0:05:03They also hope to answer one burning question.

0:05:05 > 0:05:08In our study area, the population of mountain lions

0:05:08 > 0:05:11has dropped by about half in

0:05:11 > 0:05:13the last seven to eight years.

0:05:13 > 0:05:15And our goal has really been

0:05:15 > 0:05:17to figure out why.

0:05:18 > 0:05:23Like any big Hollywood film the project has its stars -

0:05:23 > 0:05:26two, in fact.

0:05:26 > 0:05:29The first is known as F61.

0:05:33 > 0:05:36When I think of a successful mountain lion

0:05:36 > 0:05:40she is the one I think of.

0:05:44 > 0:05:49F61 is strong, she's physically able,

0:05:49 > 0:05:52she's the most competent hunter.

0:05:52 > 0:05:56She is really the epitome of a successful mountain lion.

0:06:01 > 0:06:06F61 currently has two, one-year-old kittens.

0:06:06 > 0:06:08A male...

0:06:10 > 0:06:14..and a female, who is affectionately known as Frostbite.

0:06:18 > 0:06:20They're almost as big as their mother,

0:06:20 > 0:06:23but there's no doubt who's in charge.

0:06:25 > 0:06:26SHE HISSES

0:06:30 > 0:06:35Despite the kittens' size, they're still dependent on their mother.

0:06:39 > 0:06:43It will be another six months before they will have learnt how to hunt

0:06:43 > 0:06:46and all the skills they will need to survive on their own.

0:06:54 > 0:06:58Their neighbour in the study area is the other star of the project.

0:07:03 > 0:07:05F51.

0:07:10 > 0:07:12Having filmed her for several years,

0:07:12 > 0:07:17Mark has noticed her parenting style is quite different.

0:07:18 > 0:07:2351 does not provide for her kittens as well as 61 does.

0:07:29 > 0:07:3251 is a loose,

0:07:32 > 0:07:35you might even say like a hippy mother,

0:07:35 > 0:07:38just providing lots of love,

0:07:38 > 0:07:40but not necessarily all the sustenance they need.

0:07:46 > 0:07:50Thanks to "Easy-going" F51,

0:07:50 > 0:07:53"Super Mum" F61, and other cats,

0:07:53 > 0:07:57Mark has been granted an incredible insight into

0:07:57 > 0:07:59the world of the mountain lion.

0:07:59 > 0:08:05He's witnessed intimate moments of mountain lions playing...

0:08:14 > 0:08:16..eating together...

0:08:25 > 0:08:30..and caching their kills, covering them up to minimise

0:08:30 > 0:08:34the chances of a scavenger stealing a free meal.

0:08:41 > 0:08:45He's also been able to witness some truly unique moments in their lives.

0:08:49 > 0:08:53In this video we caught something incredibly rare.

0:08:59 > 0:09:01Note the carcass.

0:09:01 > 0:09:04F61 and F51 are about to appear.

0:09:04 > 0:09:05Don't blink.

0:09:07 > 0:09:09F51 and 61.

0:09:09 > 0:09:10And 61 wins and takes off.

0:09:11 > 0:09:14It's just a very quick, lightning speed,

0:09:14 > 0:09:17mountain lion speed you might say,

0:09:17 > 0:09:19they fought over the carcass and 61 ran off with it.

0:09:21 > 0:09:25Amidst the thousands of videos Mark has studied,

0:09:25 > 0:09:28documenting dozens of interactions,

0:09:28 > 0:09:33this video is one of just four in which there is any violence.

0:09:35 > 0:09:38We've come to realise by doing this research

0:09:38 > 0:09:44that physical contact is not the rule, it's the exception.

0:09:47 > 0:09:52Mark has many videos that record non-violent interactions,

0:09:52 > 0:09:55and the first footage Mark ever captured of a meeting

0:09:55 > 0:09:59between two female mountain lions is a good example.

0:09:59 > 0:10:05Here comes a nine-year-old resident female, and she comes round,

0:10:05 > 0:10:08she turns, and here comes a six-year-old female.

0:10:09 > 0:10:11She's doing mild hissing.

0:10:11 > 0:10:13And in the beginning we thought,

0:10:13 > 0:10:17"Gosh, all that hissing - it's the pre-runner to violence.

0:10:17 > 0:10:19"It's super aggressive."

0:10:19 > 0:10:21No, hissing seems pretty normal

0:10:21 > 0:10:25now that we've seen it over and over and over again.

0:10:25 > 0:10:26So, what happened next?

0:10:26 > 0:10:29They spent two days together and this is what they did.

0:10:31 > 0:10:34They shared a meal.

0:10:34 > 0:10:35It blew me away.

0:10:38 > 0:10:41Having now viewed thousands of videos,

0:10:41 > 0:10:45Mark has concluded that most of the previously held assumptions about

0:10:45 > 0:10:48mountain lions are wrong.

0:10:49 > 0:10:54We're beginning to describe a species that has some sort of social system,

0:10:54 > 0:10:59that is interacting with a frequency that challenges this idea that

0:10:59 > 0:11:01they are solitary animals.

0:11:01 > 0:11:04And it's just opening our eyes and completely turning everything

0:11:04 > 0:11:08on its head on what we thought were the social lives of mountain lions.

0:11:15 > 0:11:21"Easy-going" F51 has recently given birth to a new litter of kittens.

0:11:21 > 0:11:24KITTENS SQUEAK

0:11:27 > 0:11:30As this incredible footage reveals,

0:11:30 > 0:11:34for the first five weeks of life the kittens remain in their den,

0:11:34 > 0:11:36living off their mother's milk.

0:11:39 > 0:11:44But their mother, F51, will still need to hunt during this period.

0:11:44 > 0:11:46So, while she's several miles away,

0:11:46 > 0:11:50Mark and his team slip in to assess the kittens' health.

0:11:50 > 0:11:53MARK: Someone hold that one nice and tight.

0:11:54 > 0:11:56We're good. Here we go.

0:11:58 > 0:12:01I hear 'em. I hear kittens.

0:12:01 > 0:12:03SQUEAKING

0:12:03 > 0:12:06OK, we got one.

0:12:06 > 0:12:09OK, little buddy. It's all right. There's our first kitten.

0:12:10 > 0:12:12Oh, my goodness. Oh.

0:12:15 > 0:12:19All right. Nicely done. Beautiful.

0:12:19 > 0:12:24The team have limited time to work before F51 returns.

0:12:25 > 0:12:27OK. Number two.

0:12:27 > 0:12:30Oh, nice biting pretty hard.

0:12:30 > 0:12:33All right. There we go.

0:12:33 > 0:12:34Looks like a male to me.

0:12:35 > 0:12:37Number three.

0:12:41 > 0:12:45Holy mackerel, watch that back leg.

0:12:45 > 0:12:48Here we go. Coming out.

0:12:48 > 0:12:52Even at this early age the kittens have distinct personalities.

0:12:55 > 0:12:57This guy's... He's a loose cannon.

0:12:57 > 0:13:00Whoever's holding this bag, do not let go.

0:13:00 > 0:13:02He is our most lively cat to date.

0:13:02 > 0:13:06All right. We're good. Let's get some work done.

0:13:06 > 0:13:07Each kitten is weighed...

0:13:07 > 0:13:13This one is three and a half pounds. That is small.

0:13:13 > 0:13:15..and sexed.

0:13:15 > 0:13:17And we hold it like that, this is a female.

0:13:17 > 0:13:20Then each one is fitted with a special expandable

0:13:20 > 0:13:23kitten-sized radio collar.

0:13:23 > 0:13:25This the part where you try not to get bit.

0:13:28 > 0:13:30And then we go one ear at a time.

0:13:33 > 0:13:35Like so.

0:13:35 > 0:13:37Beautiful.

0:13:37 > 0:13:41Only when the kittens are bigger will they be given a GPS version.

0:13:44 > 0:13:47RADIO HISSES She is online.

0:13:47 > 0:13:51Each kitten is allocated a study number and an ear tag.

0:13:51 > 0:13:55The number of this female is going to be 99.

0:13:56 > 0:13:59- WOMAN:- F99.- Correct.

0:13:59 > 0:14:03Monitoring kittens is a key part of the Cougar Project's work.

0:14:03 > 0:14:06Tagged, collared. You checked the collar?

0:14:06 > 0:14:08This is a critical age for kitten survivorship.

0:14:08 > 0:14:13And many don't even make it to the first steps beyond the den.

0:14:13 > 0:14:15But here we'll be able to track these four kittens

0:14:15 > 0:14:19and see whether they survive to disperse on their own.

0:14:22 > 0:14:26The kittens' chances of making it to adulthood are not good.

0:14:26 > 0:14:28KITTEN HISSES

0:14:28 > 0:14:32HOWLING

0:14:34 > 0:14:38HOWLING

0:14:41 > 0:14:46Wolves were recently reintroduced into this area of Wyoming.

0:14:46 > 0:14:50Not only do they compete for available prey, like elk and deer,

0:14:50 > 0:14:55but wolf packs will often chase a mountain lion off a kill.

0:14:58 > 0:15:02Worse still, they will kill any kittens they come across.

0:15:05 > 0:15:10Mountain lions are also threatened by humans.

0:15:10 > 0:15:13They can legally be hunted at this time of year,

0:15:13 > 0:15:16and being collared and clearly part of a scientific study

0:15:16 > 0:15:18offers no protection.

0:15:27 > 0:15:30Even the weather poses a threat.

0:15:34 > 0:15:37This is a particularly harsh environment.

0:15:37 > 0:15:41We get frigid temperatures, deep snow.

0:15:43 > 0:15:45HOWLING

0:15:45 > 0:15:47There's all these dominant predators here,

0:15:47 > 0:15:51competitors with mountain lions that threaten youngsters.

0:15:53 > 0:15:56So, it's incredibly hard for small kittens to survive.

0:16:00 > 0:16:03But the arrival of winter,

0:16:03 > 0:16:08with long periods of sub-zero temperatures, is not all bad news.

0:16:10 > 0:16:13For the scientists it's also a time of opportunity.

0:16:13 > 0:16:16This is capture season.

0:16:16 > 0:16:20Fresh snow gives Mark and the team the best chance of tracking

0:16:20 > 0:16:22and capturing adult mountain lions

0:16:22 > 0:16:25so they can add them to the study group.

0:16:25 > 0:16:28It's essential work if their research is to be successful.

0:16:31 > 0:16:35This time last year we were monitoring 15 animals -

0:16:35 > 0:16:39there was nine adults and six kittens.

0:16:39 > 0:16:45Now as we enter this capture season we're down to six cats.

0:16:45 > 0:16:50And that's because cats have been killed, cats have dispersed,

0:16:50 > 0:16:52collars have malfunctioned.

0:16:52 > 0:16:54And now we're trying to boost back up

0:16:54 > 0:16:57to maintain our research for the next coming year.

0:17:00 > 0:17:06The team have been joined by Boone Smith and his father Sam,

0:17:06 > 0:17:08experienced mountain lion houndsmen.

0:17:08 > 0:17:10We're off. We'll go get 'em.

0:17:13 > 0:17:14Yeehaw.

0:17:14 > 0:17:19Today the team are on the hunt for a particularly large cat

0:17:19 > 0:17:21known as the "Crystal Male".

0:17:21 > 0:17:24His nickname is a reference to a nearby creek,

0:17:24 > 0:17:28and Mark has made several unsuccessful attempts

0:17:28 > 0:17:30to capture him before.

0:17:30 > 0:17:33All right. Let's catch this guy.

0:17:34 > 0:17:37They got a track right there, man.

0:17:37 > 0:17:38Dogs are winding it.

0:17:38 > 0:17:42The "Crystal Male" is currently the only resident male in

0:17:42 > 0:17:46the study area, so understanding how he interacts with

0:17:46 > 0:17:51the females like F51 and F61 is crucial to Mark's research.

0:17:55 > 0:17:58We've been following the cat for about a mile and a half.

0:17:58 > 0:18:01He's come up here and then he's rolled.

0:18:01 > 0:18:04Thrown himself to this side several times.

0:18:04 > 0:18:08You can see the back of him, with all the fur sticking in the snow.

0:18:09 > 0:18:13And then his footprints. We call these stand-up prints.

0:18:13 > 0:18:16You can see that this has gone all crispy from the heat of the body.

0:18:16 > 0:18:19He spent enough time here that he melted the snow,

0:18:19 > 0:18:23and so when he stood up in it, it freezes those first few tracks.

0:18:25 > 0:18:27And then he goes off and nice fresh tracks.

0:18:28 > 0:18:32The tracks are so recent the team ready the hounds.

0:18:32 > 0:18:35If they get close to a mountain lion

0:18:35 > 0:18:37it will instinctively take refuge in a tree

0:18:37 > 0:18:42allowing the scientists to catch up and hopefully capture it.

0:18:42 > 0:18:46HOUNDS HOWL AND BARK

0:19:03 > 0:19:06Right now they're on top of the rock line.

0:19:06 > 0:19:10Depending on the chase, it may be minutes, or possibly hours,

0:19:10 > 0:19:13before the team see the hounds again.

0:19:19 > 0:19:22Say your lion, come right here.

0:19:22 > 0:19:24- See when he goes back. - Think he goes back.

0:19:26 > 0:19:29- I don't know, Sam.- Huh? No.

0:19:32 > 0:19:34We got a long haul.

0:19:34 > 0:19:36Having started at sun-up,

0:19:36 > 0:19:40they finally reach the barking dogs late in the afternoon.

0:19:40 > 0:19:42DOGS BARK

0:19:47 > 0:19:51The dogs have successfully chased their quarry up a tree.

0:19:51 > 0:19:53He's big!

0:19:58 > 0:20:03But with sunset less than an hour away, Mark must work quickly.

0:20:03 > 0:20:04It's so exciting.

0:20:04 > 0:20:08It looks like we are going to catch the "Crystal Male,"

0:20:08 > 0:20:12who has eluded us for two years. And he's a big boy.

0:20:12 > 0:20:14Gorgeous, gorgeous, big boy.

0:20:15 > 0:20:16And we tighten it.

0:20:16 > 0:20:21The plan is to anaesthetise the cat using a dart gun.

0:20:21 > 0:20:22Going hot.

0:20:22 > 0:20:24You ready?

0:20:25 > 0:20:26COUGAR GROWLS

0:20:26 > 0:20:30- Time?- 3.45.

0:20:30 > 0:20:32He's going to go down this time.

0:20:32 > 0:20:36But the "Crystal Male" is not going to go easily.

0:20:36 > 0:20:37He's jumping.

0:20:37 > 0:20:41He's trying to come out, he's coming down the other side.

0:20:41 > 0:20:44DOGS BARK AND HOWL

0:20:44 > 0:20:46COUGAR GROWLS All right, no, no dogs!

0:20:46 > 0:20:48Where's the bag?

0:20:48 > 0:20:50I got him. I'm with you, go.

0:20:58 > 0:21:02By the time Mark and the team catch up with the drugged cat,

0:21:02 > 0:21:04night is falling.

0:21:17 > 0:21:18OK, go ahead, Mark.

0:21:18 > 0:21:20Here, I need your head lamp. Shine over here.

0:21:20 > 0:21:25The "Crystal Male" is so big, the collar they have only just fits.

0:21:25 > 0:21:27The collar's on.

0:21:27 > 0:21:29So, I think when he relaxes,

0:21:29 > 0:21:31it's going to be actually a pretty good fit.

0:21:34 > 0:21:35There you go.

0:21:35 > 0:21:39The cat is given its study number, M85.

0:21:45 > 0:21:49Having checked his vital signs, the team retreat to minimise

0:21:49 > 0:21:51disturbance as he comes round.

0:22:00 > 0:22:02After a brief night's sleep,

0:22:02 > 0:22:06the team are eager to see if the collar is working correctly.

0:22:08 > 0:22:13We captured him right on the edge of this cliff

0:22:13 > 0:22:17and he's moved up there and then down along the cliff,

0:22:17 > 0:22:19and this is his usual travel route.

0:22:19 > 0:22:21We've seen his sign all along here,

0:22:21 > 0:22:24and he's going to just go back to his routine,

0:22:24 > 0:22:27heading into the centre of his home range.

0:22:28 > 0:22:29Super.

0:22:29 > 0:22:31That will probably keep him

0:22:31 > 0:22:36beyond the typical movements of hunters, so it's nice to see.

0:22:38 > 0:22:43Capturing M85 was particularly exciting for our research project.

0:22:43 > 0:22:45Our study area is quite vast,

0:22:45 > 0:22:48I mean, it's over 2,000 square kilometres

0:22:48 > 0:22:53and these males have VAST territories.

0:22:53 > 0:22:57Four times, sometimes, the size of a female territory.

0:22:57 > 0:23:04Overlaying M85's movements with data from F51, F61

0:23:04 > 0:23:09and other females in the study area, will be a significant contribution

0:23:09 > 0:23:14to the project's understanding of male-female mountain lion dynamics.

0:23:27 > 0:23:31Large herds of wintering elk are the main food source for

0:23:31 > 0:23:34mountain lions at this time of year.

0:23:36 > 0:23:40"Easy-going" F51 must average between

0:23:40 > 0:23:44three and four kills every month to feed her young family.

0:23:47 > 0:23:49They face other pressures, too.

0:23:52 > 0:23:57Night-time temperatures have plummeted to -25 degrees centigrade.

0:23:58 > 0:24:01Several of the kittens have lost the tips of their ears

0:24:01 > 0:24:04and tails to the extreme cold.

0:24:06 > 0:24:10If these unusually low temperatures persist, Mark knows

0:24:10 > 0:24:12the kittens may struggle to survive.

0:24:20 > 0:24:22That's a kitten, isn't it?

0:24:22 > 0:24:24Oh, my God. We've got a dead kitten.

0:24:24 > 0:24:26Oh.

0:24:28 > 0:24:32The radio collar clearly identifies the body

0:24:32 > 0:24:34as one of F51's young kittens.

0:24:36 > 0:24:38It was inevitable, but, yeah...

0:24:43 > 0:24:46There are no signs of a predator nearby.

0:24:47 > 0:24:50OK, got the family group coming out this way.

0:24:51 > 0:24:56So, Mark examines the body to try and determine the cause of death.

0:24:59 > 0:25:00Skull's intact.

0:25:02 > 0:25:03I live mountain lions.

0:25:04 > 0:25:08I track them, I watch videos of them,

0:25:08 > 0:25:12I go to sleep at night and I dream about mountain lions.

0:25:12 > 0:25:15It's such a privilege to be able to work with a species like this.

0:25:17 > 0:25:21But when I come across the actual body of a dead mountain lion,

0:25:21 > 0:25:25I almost go numb and the scientist takes over.

0:25:25 > 0:25:28Observe, record, figure out what happened.

0:25:29 > 0:25:34External wounds essentially non-existent.

0:25:34 > 0:25:37I see absolutely no trauma, no signs.

0:25:37 > 0:25:40But that night it'll hit me.

0:25:41 > 0:25:44They're part of my world.

0:25:44 > 0:25:48You know, I'm following their lives every day...

0:25:48 > 0:25:50and then it's a loss.

0:25:52 > 0:25:54So small.

0:25:57 > 0:26:02It looks like the kitten may have died from exposure,

0:26:02 > 0:26:04possibly after falling into a nearby stream.

0:26:15 > 0:26:19The harsh conditions persist, keeping predators

0:26:19 > 0:26:21and prey low down in the valleys.

0:26:23 > 0:26:28So it's not surprising that F51's young family suffers another

0:26:28 > 0:26:30death a few weeks later.

0:26:30 > 0:26:33HOWLING

0:26:33 > 0:26:37Her family were feeding on a carcass and a wolf pack came in

0:26:37 > 0:26:39and chased them up the mountain and away.

0:26:41 > 0:26:44And one kitten disappeared on the landscape.

0:26:44 > 0:26:47There was no sign of that kitten ever again.

0:26:54 > 0:26:59"Easy-going" F51 has now lost half of her original litter of four.

0:27:00 > 0:27:04It'll be another year before her remaining six-month-old

0:27:04 > 0:27:07kittens are able to fend for themselves.

0:27:09 > 0:27:12It just goes to show how successful her neighbour,

0:27:12 > 0:27:14"Super Mum" F61, has been.

0:27:17 > 0:27:21She has managed to raise two kittens from a litter of three

0:27:21 > 0:27:22almost to adulthood.

0:27:26 > 0:27:28Frostbite and her brother are the mountain lion

0:27:28 > 0:27:30equivalent of teenagers.

0:27:33 > 0:27:35But like adolescents the world over,

0:27:35 > 0:27:38they show little appreciation for their mother's efforts.

0:27:41 > 0:27:45Her son, in particular, is trying to assert his dominance.

0:28:02 > 0:28:04MOTHER COUGAR GROWLS

0:28:24 > 0:28:28Soon these youngsters will leave to establish their own territories.

0:28:31 > 0:28:35When they do, their mother may well look for a male to mate with

0:28:35 > 0:28:36and have another litter.

0:28:37 > 0:28:42The most likely candidate is M85, the "Crystal Male."

0:28:44 > 0:28:48Since being collared, Mark has followed his movements closely.

0:28:50 > 0:28:54A process that has given him a unique opportunity to witness

0:28:54 > 0:28:56some extraordinary mountain lion behaviour.

0:28:59 > 0:29:03This particular day I will remember forever.

0:29:09 > 0:29:13It took us nearly two hours to locate where M85 was on this mountain

0:29:13 > 0:29:18and I set up the scope, and we had this camera rolling,

0:29:18 > 0:29:20and then this happened.

0:29:28 > 0:29:31Something I never expected to see.

0:29:31 > 0:29:36Here are three adult mountain lions moving on the landscape.

0:29:36 > 0:29:40That is not antisocial, that is not solitary.

0:29:40 > 0:29:42Three adult mountain lions -

0:29:42 > 0:29:48two females sharing the male, if you will, like a resource, and then the

0:29:48 > 0:29:52snow came in and made it impossible to track their movements,

0:29:52 > 0:29:56but then when it cleared, we watched M85 mating with

0:29:56 > 0:29:58another mountain lion ten feet away.

0:30:00 > 0:30:03Never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted such

0:30:03 > 0:30:08an encounter and as far as I know, this has never ever been documented.

0:30:11 > 0:30:16One reason that M85 might be in such demand

0:30:16 > 0:30:20is that he's one of the few males left in the study area.

0:30:21 > 0:30:27M29, the father of F51's kittens, was shot recently by hunters,

0:30:27 > 0:30:32which means breeding male mountain lions are in short supply.

0:30:32 > 0:30:38However, M29's remaining offspring and their mother are thriving.

0:30:38 > 0:30:41And if "Easy-going" F51 can shepherd them

0:30:41 > 0:30:44successfully through the final weeks of winter,

0:30:44 > 0:30:49their chances of continued survival will improve dramatically.

0:31:31 > 0:31:36Now, with spring just around the corner, life should get easier.

0:31:45 > 0:31:51But data from F51's collar reveals disturbing news.

0:31:51 > 0:31:53That doesn't make any sense at all.

0:31:54 > 0:31:57The e-mail is an alert.

0:31:57 > 0:32:00"Mortality Data" means that F51's collar

0:32:00 > 0:32:03hasn't moved at all for 18 hours.

0:32:04 > 0:32:08It may just have fallen off, but what's concerning is that

0:32:08 > 0:32:15the GPS data shows that F51 and M85 have crossed paths.

0:32:15 > 0:32:19While Mark's research has shown that mountain lion fights are rare,

0:32:19 > 0:32:20the signs are ominous.

0:32:22 > 0:32:25Mark heads off to solve the mystery.

0:32:36 > 0:32:39On his way, he scans the snow for clues.

0:32:43 > 0:32:46Something's going up and down here I want to look at.

0:32:46 > 0:32:49Here she is. Here they are running across.

0:32:49 > 0:32:52Look at the size of M85's footprints.

0:32:52 > 0:32:54Big. Right here.

0:33:00 > 0:33:05The trail leads Mark towards the GPS point indicated by the collar.

0:33:08 > 0:33:09This is it.

0:33:09 > 0:33:12F51 and her family came down this chute.

0:33:14 > 0:33:16And they must have been making noise,

0:33:16 > 0:33:20kicking rocks or calling, kittens playing, who knows?

0:33:20 > 0:33:23And M85 comes up right here, right off his kill,

0:33:23 > 0:33:27and they engage for the first time right here.

0:33:27 > 0:33:28And it's boom!

0:33:28 > 0:33:32It's just covered in cat fur. These cats are actually fighting.

0:33:32 > 0:33:35In ten years of studying mountain lions, I've seen this once before.

0:33:35 > 0:33:37Fur everywhere. Look at them.

0:33:37 > 0:33:39They've rolled over and they've gone down hill,

0:33:39 > 0:33:41and there's the first sign blood.

0:33:41 > 0:33:43You can see they've slid down the hill down here.

0:33:43 > 0:33:46Let's just keep following it down.

0:33:46 > 0:33:49Oh, my gosh. I think I can see something from here.

0:33:49 > 0:33:51Ah.

0:33:51 > 0:33:54This is exactly what you don't want to see.

0:33:54 > 0:33:55Phew.

0:33:57 > 0:33:59Oooh, it looks bad.

0:34:01 > 0:34:03Unbelievable.

0:34:06 > 0:34:07Ah.

0:34:07 > 0:34:09Oh...

0:34:11 > 0:34:13It's F51.

0:34:13 > 0:34:17She's been killed by a bite to the head.

0:34:19 > 0:34:2151.

0:34:21 > 0:34:25How many times I've seen her in the wild, slipping around a corner.

0:34:25 > 0:34:28This is a huge loss for us, a huge loss for the project.

0:34:28 > 0:34:30Just going to remove the collar.

0:34:35 > 0:34:39And so she started a wild mountain lion

0:34:39 > 0:34:41and she'll end a wild mountain lion.

0:34:47 > 0:34:51One question answered. We now know what happened to F51.

0:34:51 > 0:34:55But now the next question is, what's happening with her kittens?

0:34:57 > 0:34:59All right. Well...yeah.

0:35:00 > 0:35:02Their future is bleak.

0:35:08 > 0:35:12The tracks in the snow tell Mark what has happened,

0:35:12 > 0:35:15but there seems to be no answer to the question, why?

0:35:19 > 0:35:23Spinning through the project's video archive doesn't help either.

0:35:25 > 0:35:29There are plenty of instances of males interacting with females,

0:35:29 > 0:35:34but none result in violence, even if the female has kittens with her.

0:35:35 > 0:35:40Every time we've seen a male approach a female outside courtship,

0:35:40 > 0:35:44this is exactly what they do. They slink in.

0:35:44 > 0:35:47Notice how low he's holding his body to the ground.

0:35:47 > 0:35:51Notice how his ears are to the side and almost sagging.

0:35:51 > 0:35:55They minimise their profile, they try to look smaller.

0:35:55 > 0:36:00It is completely non-aggressive, non-threatening in every way.

0:36:00 > 0:36:02He clearly just wants to share a meal

0:36:02 > 0:36:07and you can see as he comes in, F61, there's no hissing,

0:36:07 > 0:36:09there's nothing, she just watches.

0:36:09 > 0:36:13She doesn't place herself in between her kitten and him,

0:36:13 > 0:36:16and it's the kitten that does all the hissing.

0:36:19 > 0:36:21There they are.

0:36:21 > 0:36:26Massive resident adult male, feeding on the carcass,

0:36:26 > 0:36:31three-month-old kitten and mother falling asleep in the background.

0:36:42 > 0:36:47F51's orphaned kittens are now eight months old,

0:36:47 > 0:36:50and can only be tracked with basic radio technology,

0:36:50 > 0:36:54making it difficult to pin-point their location.

0:36:54 > 0:36:57Since their mother's death, they haven't been seen.

0:37:00 > 0:37:04Only the rhythmic heartbeat of the radio signal tells

0:37:04 > 0:37:06the team that the kittens are still alive.

0:37:09 > 0:37:12The primary challenge that these kittens face is starvation.

0:37:14 > 0:37:18Research would suggest that they have absolutely no chance at survival.

0:37:18 > 0:37:22That most kittens orphaned, less than one year old will die.

0:37:27 > 0:37:32At least the spring thaw means F51's orphans won't freeze to death.

0:37:34 > 0:37:38And, four weeks after losing their mother, they've reached

0:37:38 > 0:37:41the spot where Mark will be able to get a good look at them.

0:37:44 > 0:37:46FAINT CLICKING

0:37:46 > 0:37:48You hear that? There they are.

0:37:48 > 0:37:52I'll bet you they're down the river bottom and let's see

0:37:52 > 0:37:53if we can have a look.

0:37:53 > 0:37:55All right. Let me grab my pack.

0:37:59 > 0:38:01Mark knows he has to tread carefully.

0:38:01 > 0:38:04He could easily scare the kittens away.

0:38:07 > 0:38:09Oh!

0:38:09 > 0:38:11I've got one.

0:38:12 > 0:38:17She's...She's eating this nasty, nasty elk carcass.

0:38:18 > 0:38:21Well, that answers one question.

0:38:21 > 0:38:24They've been surviving for a month on their own,

0:38:24 > 0:38:28and this is the perfect time because all this food's appearing.

0:38:28 > 0:38:30Look at that.

0:38:34 > 0:38:38She's tearing into that old elk. Oh!

0:38:41 > 0:38:45Incredible. Where is her sister?

0:38:45 > 0:38:47Where is her sister?

0:38:50 > 0:38:51I've got her.

0:38:54 > 0:38:58She's just lying out there. Right in the open. Oh, beautiful!

0:39:05 > 0:39:08Incredible. I can't believe we can see them.

0:39:08 > 0:39:11They look great. They're healthy, they're stocky.

0:39:22 > 0:39:25So great to see them feeding on carcasses,

0:39:25 > 0:39:27but it's dangerous.

0:39:32 > 0:39:35Everybody else feeds on carcasses too.

0:39:35 > 0:39:39To be near something so smelly can draw in grizzly bears,

0:39:39 > 0:39:41black bears, wolves.

0:39:41 > 0:39:44If they're not careful, they could be food themselves.

0:39:46 > 0:39:48If their mother had still been alive,

0:39:48 > 0:39:52the kittens would have remained within a fairly defined range.

0:39:55 > 0:39:58Without her influence, the orphans roam far

0:39:58 > 0:40:00and wide to scavenge for food.

0:40:10 > 0:40:13They're not the only cats on the move.

0:40:14 > 0:40:18Springtime usually sees adolescent mountain lions

0:40:18 > 0:40:22leaving their mother to establish their own territories.

0:40:22 > 0:40:25It's often the biggest challenge they will ever face.

0:40:29 > 0:40:34It's an uncertain time in the sense that they face unknown dangers.

0:40:34 > 0:40:36They are navigating in between the territories

0:40:36 > 0:40:38of established mountain lions.

0:40:38 > 0:40:41They are trying to find a place where they have

0:40:41 > 0:40:47other mountain lions nearby, so that they can socialise and mate,

0:40:47 > 0:40:49and also have the resources in terms of prey

0:40:49 > 0:40:52that can sustain them and their future families.

0:40:55 > 0:41:02"Super Mum" F61's son has gone north, out of the study area,

0:41:02 > 0:41:05but her daughter, Frostbite, has remained close to home.

0:41:07 > 0:41:10So, I'm just going to pull up Frostbite's data.

0:41:10 > 0:41:14It's really been fun to watch her sort of explore and try to disperse,

0:41:14 > 0:41:17if you will, and then return to her mother a couple of times.

0:41:17 > 0:41:21So here, for instance, we saw a little exploratory journey

0:41:21 > 0:41:22out into the National Park

0:41:22 > 0:41:26and then, finally, started moving south.

0:41:26 > 0:41:30And, of course, she's following the natural terrain, just following the

0:41:30 > 0:41:35mountains down and she follows them straight down to the town of Jackson.

0:41:35 > 0:41:37She's been the perfect mountain lion,

0:41:37 > 0:41:40in the sense that nobody knows that she's there.

0:41:43 > 0:41:47Despite her proximity to town, Frostbite appears to be doing well.

0:41:49 > 0:41:51This mule deer carcass may be evidence

0:41:51 > 0:41:53of her first independent kill.

0:41:54 > 0:41:56Remote cameras are set up.

0:42:11 > 0:42:15Under the cover of darkness, Frostbite reveals herself.

0:42:23 > 0:42:25She's doing super.

0:42:26 > 0:42:30She's on her own, she's surviving, she's hunting,

0:42:30 > 0:42:33she's establishing a territory.

0:42:33 > 0:42:37She's doing everything we would hope that a disbursing mountain lion

0:42:37 > 0:42:39would have the opportunity to do.

0:42:43 > 0:42:48Frostbite has proved that she has the skills to survive on her own,

0:42:48 > 0:42:50even in a noisy neighbourhood.

0:43:09 > 0:43:15F51's orphaned kittens have yet to develop their survival skills.

0:43:15 > 0:43:20Small prey like squirrels might supply them with enough to eat.

0:43:23 > 0:43:26But that would depend on them catching one.

0:43:54 > 0:43:58Mark's video archive offers an insight

0:43:58 > 0:44:01into the challenges the nine-month-old orphans face.

0:44:01 > 0:44:04This video is particularly difficult to watch.

0:44:04 > 0:44:10F61 has maimed a fawn and left her kittens to figure it out.

0:44:11 > 0:44:15And you can see these two kittens, which are 12 months old,

0:44:15 > 0:44:17have no idea how to kill it.

0:44:17 > 0:44:20They're batting it and trying to figure out

0:44:20 > 0:44:22how to turn this into food.

0:44:24 > 0:44:29This is important because it illustrates how in-equipped kittens

0:44:29 > 0:44:34are to survive on their own even at one year old,

0:44:34 > 0:44:38and how dependent upon their mothers they are even at this age.

0:44:43 > 0:44:47Mark had not expected the kittens to survive longer than

0:44:47 > 0:44:48a month on their own.

0:44:48 > 0:44:52Somehow they have scraped by, scavenging from carcasses

0:44:52 > 0:44:53they have found.

0:44:55 > 0:44:58Both are smaller than they should be, but while one of them

0:44:58 > 0:45:01looks alert, the other is lethargic,

0:45:01 > 0:45:03clearly struggling.

0:45:12 > 0:45:14Now, ten weeks after their mother's death,

0:45:14 > 0:45:17Mark heads out to check on them again.

0:45:17 > 0:45:20For one the struggle has proved too much.

0:45:23 > 0:45:27Mark finds the corpse of the weaker kitten, F75.

0:45:34 > 0:45:38I can only imagine that... she starved to death,

0:45:38 > 0:45:40which is not surprising given that

0:45:40 > 0:45:44the last time we saw her she looked bony.

0:45:44 > 0:45:49Her hips were jutting out, you could see that she was significantly

0:45:49 > 0:45:52slimmer, skinnier than her sister.

0:46:00 > 0:46:04You know, we'll keep following F99 and hope for the best.

0:46:28 > 0:46:33F99 is now the sole survivor of F51's final litter.

0:46:40 > 0:46:42Holy mackerel.

0:46:42 > 0:46:45Watch that back leg. There we go.

0:46:50 > 0:46:55The number of this female is going to be 99.

0:46:55 > 0:46:57- F99.- Correct.

0:47:03 > 0:47:08F99's chances of continued survival will depend on her learning

0:47:08 > 0:47:09to hunt on her own.

0:47:11 > 0:47:15Scavenging food from old kills is inherently risky.

0:47:16 > 0:47:19Carcasses attract all sorts of predators.

0:47:26 > 0:47:28Even other scavengers are a threat.

0:47:36 > 0:47:39Circling vultures indicate a carcass is nearby.

0:47:42 > 0:47:46But these bald eagles aren't willing to share the spoils.

0:48:34 > 0:48:39On this occasion, F99 is chased away, hungry but unhurt.

0:48:45 > 0:48:49Surprisingly, over the next few weeks she appears to put on weight.

0:48:54 > 0:48:55It's just a hunch,

0:48:55 > 0:48:59but Mark and his team suspect she may have figured out how to hunt.

0:49:04 > 0:49:05No sign of her, huh?

0:49:07 > 0:49:11The only way to be sure is to fit her with a GPS collar and watch

0:49:11 > 0:49:16for the telltale cluster of data points that could indicate a kill.

0:49:16 > 0:49:19Gorgeous. That's what we want to eat.

0:49:19 > 0:49:23So, they set a baited trap to lure her in.

0:49:23 > 0:49:25Nice little treasure for her.

0:49:26 > 0:49:27There she goes.

0:49:29 > 0:49:30The lure works.

0:49:32 > 0:49:33There.

0:49:38 > 0:49:41OK, you ready? On three - one, two, three.

0:49:41 > 0:49:46Once she's been anaesthetised, she's kept wet to stop her overheating.

0:49:46 > 0:49:49Now Mark can fit her collar and check her health.

0:49:49 > 0:49:52So, F99 looks way better than I expected.

0:49:52 > 0:49:54She's thin, she's small,

0:49:54 > 0:49:58she's essentially a stunted version of a mountain lion,

0:49:58 > 0:50:01just barely half of what I expected her to weigh at this time.

0:50:03 > 0:50:08- 16.- 16. She's about...

0:50:08 > 0:50:1036 pounds.

0:50:11 > 0:50:12But she looks really well.

0:50:12 > 0:50:18She's actually got, you know, musculature developing.

0:50:18 > 0:50:20She's all right.

0:50:20 > 0:50:24There's one development that is a particularly good sign.

0:50:25 > 0:50:28Here her adult teeth have begun to come in.

0:50:28 > 0:50:30They're not full-size yet,

0:50:30 > 0:50:32but they're big enough to do some hunting.

0:50:36 > 0:50:39Having confirmed that F99 is healthy

0:50:39 > 0:50:42and has the weaponry to make a kill,

0:50:42 > 0:50:45the team follow her movements closely over the next few days.

0:50:49 > 0:50:53Almost immediately a suspicious cluster of points

0:50:53 > 0:50:55draws Mark into the field.

0:51:01 > 0:51:05Yes! She's killed something. Look at the fur!

0:51:07 > 0:51:12It's the remains of a coyote pup, which the orphan has picked clean.

0:51:14 > 0:51:18That's the tail. She even gave a good chew on that.

0:51:18 > 0:51:20This is a big deal.

0:51:20 > 0:51:25She killed something with teeth, something that could fight back.

0:51:25 > 0:51:28This is a turning point. She might just make it

0:51:28 > 0:51:29and survive the winter.

0:51:35 > 0:51:38F99 has surprised us at every turn.

0:51:43 > 0:51:46The fact that she learned to hunt on her own.

0:51:48 > 0:51:51And survived in a landscape with predators and people

0:51:51 > 0:51:53and all sorts of other dangers.

0:51:58 > 0:52:00Throughout this entire year, she has persevered.

0:52:02 > 0:52:04I remember one of the bits of video that we caught,

0:52:04 > 0:52:09she's under this tree, in this vast meadow, and it's pouring rain.

0:52:15 > 0:52:19And there she is, this tiny little mountain lion, alone.

0:52:21 > 0:52:26And you just feel how alone she is and so...

0:52:26 > 0:52:28it's warming to see when she's doing well.

0:52:33 > 0:52:37F99 is not the only one at a turning point.

0:52:43 > 0:52:47The scientists of the Teton Cougar Project are presenting

0:52:47 > 0:52:51their findings to the wider scientific community.

0:52:51 > 0:52:55This young female still lives locally and is doing quite well.

0:52:55 > 0:52:58Mark's work is pretty amazing because he's using new

0:52:58 > 0:53:02technology to really teach us new things about this keystone predator.

0:53:02 > 0:53:06So many things that we haven't known about cougars that are

0:53:06 > 0:53:09coming to light through this work. It's just astonishing.

0:53:09 > 0:53:12A lot of the things that we're learning shows us

0:53:12 > 0:53:15how highly social cougars are and the cougar to cougar interactions

0:53:15 > 0:53:18are just extremely powerful.

0:53:21 > 0:53:24The project's work is also solving the riddle behind the dramatic

0:53:24 > 0:53:31drop in mountain lion numbers. There are two governing factors.

0:53:31 > 0:53:33So, as wolves increased in the system,

0:53:33 > 0:53:36all three age classes dropped in survivorship.

0:53:39 > 0:53:43The reintroduction of wolves has had a dramatic effect

0:53:43 > 0:53:47on a kitten's chances of making it to adult.

0:53:47 > 0:53:52Only 20 kittens out of 100 survive until they're 18 months old,

0:53:52 > 0:53:55and most of them are killed by other predators.

0:53:57 > 0:53:59When it comes to adult mountain lions,

0:53:59 > 0:54:05one factor accounts for a staggering 49% of all deaths in the study area.

0:54:05 > 0:54:07GUNSHOT

0:54:09 > 0:54:10Hunting.

0:54:10 > 0:54:14The dual impacts of competition with the new wolves in a place

0:54:14 > 0:54:18where you already had existing human harvest on mountain lions is

0:54:18 > 0:54:21resulting in a decline in this population.

0:54:23 > 0:54:27Mark's figures show that the only realistic way to stabilise

0:54:27 > 0:54:30the mountain lion numbers is by dramatically reducing

0:54:30 > 0:54:32the amount of hunting.

0:54:36 > 0:54:40But striking a balance between the interests of conservationists

0:54:40 > 0:54:43and hunters is likely to be difficult.

0:54:43 > 0:54:46The agents that are responsible for managing hunting quotas

0:54:46 > 0:54:51generates much of its income from the sale of hunting licences.

0:54:52 > 0:54:54We've really worked to use

0:54:54 > 0:54:56the best available information

0:54:56 > 0:54:58to use decades

0:54:58 > 0:55:00and centuries of expertise

0:55:00 > 0:55:04and education in order to learn about the wildlife populations

0:55:04 > 0:55:07that we're responsible to manage correctly.

0:55:08 > 0:55:10It would be extremely controversial

0:55:10 > 0:55:15if we got rid of hunting in the state of Wyoming or in other areas.

0:55:23 > 0:55:27F99 is now a year and three months old,

0:55:27 > 0:55:30which means she could legally be hunted.

0:55:33 > 0:55:35But for the time being,

0:55:35 > 0:55:38she's managed to avoid both hunters and wolves.

0:55:52 > 0:55:56She's sitting now. I can really see her.

0:55:56 > 0:55:58Front part of her looks good.

0:56:00 > 0:56:02But I can tell she's finding it hard.

0:56:02 > 0:56:05She's lost some weight in the last month.

0:56:07 > 0:56:08She killed a porcupine recently

0:56:08 > 0:56:12and I think I can make out a quill right here.

0:56:17 > 0:56:19And that's concerning, because porcupine quills,

0:56:19 > 0:56:24they have barbs in one direction and so the more you move your skin,

0:56:24 > 0:56:28they go deeper and deeper and deeper, they naturally won't come out.

0:56:28 > 0:56:30She's going to have to pull it out.

0:56:31 > 0:56:36But...if any cat could survive, this is her.

0:56:45 > 0:56:47I think she's going to make it.

0:57:09 > 0:57:12Mark's hopes prove ill-founded.

0:57:16 > 0:57:18Two weeks later,

0:57:18 > 0:57:22F99 died from internal injuries caused by the porcupine's quills.

0:57:39 > 0:57:43In contrast, F61's daughter, Frostbite,

0:57:43 > 0:57:47has successfully established her territory, avoiding hunters

0:57:47 > 0:57:51and predators, enduring freezing temperatures

0:57:51 > 0:57:53and making enough kills to survive.

0:57:59 > 0:58:02Thanks to her and all the mountain lions

0:58:02 > 0:58:05that the Teton Cougar Project has followed over the years,

0:58:05 > 0:58:09our understanding of these cats has been revolutionised.

0:58:13 > 0:58:17Their long-term future, however, depends on how we apply this

0:58:17 > 0:58:18new-found knowledge.

0:58:23 > 0:58:26For Frostbite and the other mountain lions here,

0:58:26 > 0:58:30life remains on the edge.