:00:00. > :00:12.We are going big in Alaska. Over the next hour we are going to be
:00:13. > :00:16.watching as the biggest beasts stand shoulder to shoulder to make the
:00:17. > :00:23.most of this feast. We'll be watching it all live. Shia in the
:00:24. > :00:27.national park the largest land predators are coming together, vying
:00:28. > :00:33.for top position as the salmon make headway upriver. Out here on the
:00:34. > :00:38.ocean, the most massive marine predators have gathered to plunder
:00:39. > :00:40.the season in style. This is Wild Alaska Live.
:00:41. > :00:42.MUSIC: "Running With The Wolves" by Aurora.
:00:43. > :00:44.# I'm running with the wolves tonight
:00:45. > :00:47.# I'm running with the wolves tonight
:00:48. > :00:50.# I'm running with the wolves tonight
:00:51. > :00:56.# I'm running with the wolves tonight
:00:57. > :01:12.Hello and welcome back to Wild Alaska Live. Let's have a look at
:01:13. > :01:18.our live cameras if we can. There is no bear action at the moment but we
:01:19. > :01:21.are watching from the Tongass National Forest. 4500 miles from
:01:22. > :01:25.where you are watching at home. We've got crews all over the
:01:26. > :01:29.wilderness. We also have our eye in the sky for the last time, as it is
:01:30. > :01:38.our last programme. Debbie and Daniel are just off the coast near
:01:39. > :01:41.Juneau and scanning the oceans. Steve is going in search of one of
:01:42. > :01:49.the biggest wildlife spectacles that we know has arrived. How are things
:01:50. > :01:54.looking at the moment? Absolutely unbelievable. We've had dramatic
:01:55. > :02:01.spectacles in the seas around us. Just minutes ago we had an explosion
:02:02. > :02:05.of life as about 11 humpback whales erupted up to the surface in
:02:06. > :02:08.something known as bubble net feeding. It was quite an exceptional
:02:09. > :02:13.thing to see. There are several thousand humpback whales coming to
:02:14. > :02:17.this area of Alaska. When you see this coordinated, synchronised hunt,
:02:18. > :02:23.it takes your breath away. Every single time they come to the
:02:24. > :02:29.surface, huge shoals of herring and taking down tonnes with every single
:02:30. > :02:32.hunt. It has, arguably, a call to be one of the grandest wildlife
:02:33. > :02:44.spectacles on the planet and it's happening in the seas around us
:02:45. > :02:48.right now. And welcome back, it is a beautiful, peaceful morning here.
:02:49. > :02:55.The sun is out and the bears are taking it easy. There is no sign of
:02:56. > :03:02.them quite yet. Last time you were with us we treated you to
:03:03. > :03:07.magnificent images of the wolves scavenging. Now as the salmon are
:03:08. > :03:12.travelling in one direction upriver, things are getting even more
:03:13. > :03:18.interesting. Some of the biggest bears we've seen yet are arriving.
:03:19. > :03:23.Just who is the king of this stretch of the river? Not only that but has
:03:24. > :03:28.the biggest bears and bravest wolves come together will try and get you
:03:29. > :03:33.some of that action, live. We'll be back with you shortly. Just the word
:03:34. > :03:39.on the bubble netting, if it starts to happen we'll go to Steve live
:03:40. > :03:43.straightaway so you can watch as the magic unfolds. Here in the Tonga
:03:44. > :03:50.will part, the rivers and trees that surround us are ripe with food. That
:03:51. > :03:55.is the case across a Alaska which is why we are here right now. Since we
:03:56. > :03:56.last saw you, our teams haven't stopped filming. This is just some
:03:57. > :04:43.of what they've captured. So, we're on bubble net stand-by and
:04:44. > :04:47.brown bear stand-by, and black bear stand-by. Black bears are all around
:04:48. > :04:51.us and could pop out at any time. Let's give you an idea of how many
:04:52. > :04:56.of the species we have been observing over the last week. We'll
:04:57. > :04:59.start down here at Katmai National Park where Liz is stationed. As far
:05:00. > :05:05.as Brown bears are concerned, she's seen up to 30 of those. Things
:05:06. > :05:11.looking very good indeed. We think the whales are up. If they start
:05:12. > :05:20.bubble net feeding we'll go straight to Steve. While we are talking about
:05:21. > :05:29.marine life, let's go to the Kenai Straits. We did a piece on orca.
:05:30. > :05:34.Numbers orca at the moment 187. I'll deal with famine while I'm down
:05:35. > :05:38.here. At the moment, 59 million salmon have been counted. I don't
:05:39. > :05:42.know who was counting them but it's very impressive. 59 million. On
:05:43. > :05:47.Wednesday it was at 50 million. There has been a real increase as
:05:48. > :05:51.well there. Eagle numbers in the Chilcot Valley at the top of this
:05:52. > :05:58.stretch of water here, we are talking 3000 eagles. Black bear
:05:59. > :06:03.numbers, we are on the lookout for them. Nine have been spotted just in
:06:04. > :06:10.this place here alone. This is the great time to bring our head range
:06:11. > :06:15.at the Tongass National Forest. We wanted to bring black bears live to
:06:16. > :06:18.the UK audience. We are on the lookout and actually we've noticed a
:06:19. > :06:24.really interesting change in their behaviour in the past week. That's
:06:25. > :06:31.right, the salmon are in and the bears are after them. We've noticed
:06:32. > :06:35.especially in the case of 153, she's been taking her three cubs out into
:06:36. > :06:40.the water to teach them how to fish. Exactly. We noticed yesterday and
:06:41. > :06:44.the day before. This is mum in the stream. She's got three cubs, there
:06:45. > :06:48.is one of them jumping in the stream. He's looking around,
:06:49. > :06:53.pretending like he knows what he's doing but it's all an experiment
:06:54. > :06:58.because he's in his first year in the stream. Some of the salmon are
:06:59. > :07:02.as big as the clubs themselves! They are! This guy seems to be more
:07:03. > :07:05.worried about the salmon and interested in catching them. A
:07:06. > :07:11.bird's eye view for this one. Checking out the salmon from above.
:07:12. > :07:17.LAUGHTER Really, they only have this summer to learn how to fish from
:07:18. > :07:21.their mum. In that very first programme, we are talking about the
:07:22. > :07:25.fact these cubs were born in the den, coming out and experiencing
:07:26. > :07:33.this environment for the very first time. You'd the smells and the sense
:07:34. > :07:38.of smell that aids bear has anyway -- a bear has anyway. During this
:07:39. > :07:42.programme we are going to be finding out more about these heroic fish
:07:43. > :07:46.that make their way here. They are the winners. They've dodged all of
:07:47. > :07:53.the obstacles. They are going to be the key to us potentially spotting
:07:54. > :07:59.black bears live. I've got a great question. How competitive do the
:08:00. > :08:03.Cubs get with their food? They are always battling each other to try
:08:04. > :08:07.and get those scraps. You can hear sometimes the bawling after the mum
:08:08. > :08:11.brings the fish and they are going at it with each other. They will
:08:12. > :08:15.continue to compete but also cooperate. As usual we've got our
:08:16. > :08:19.experts here so if you have any questions please get in contact.
:08:20. > :08:23.We'll also be popping up live on Facebook with our remote cameras and
:08:24. > :08:26.updating you with any animal sightings. One animal that really
:08:27. > :08:36.did take us by surprise on that first programme was the Wolf down
:08:37. > :08:40.here in Katmai. Liz has spotted nine wolves in that area. All this week
:08:41. > :08:47.as well as living with brown bears, Liz has been following on the trail
:08:48. > :08:51.of this Alaskan icon. Wolves. The ultimate wilderness icons.
:08:52. > :09:03.Masters of stealth, these strategic predators thrive in the harshest
:09:04. > :09:05.environments. Altered thick coat shield them from temperatures as low
:09:06. > :09:20.as -50 degrees. And when food is scarce, they can go
:09:21. > :09:23.for 14 days without a meal. Super packs patrol together to increase
:09:24. > :09:30.chances of a kill. Stalking caribou and elk for days on end. At speeds
:09:31. > :09:38.of 40 mph, they will drive their targets into deep snow to overwhelm
:09:39. > :09:43.prey much bigger than themselves. But there are two sides to these
:09:44. > :09:48.elusive animals. With complex social structures, they live in large
:09:49. > :09:54.family groups, working together to raise litters of up to seven pups.
:09:55. > :10:00.With the youngsters to feed and no snow to help them bring down large
:10:01. > :10:09.prey, this is the wolves' toughest time of the year. HOWLS. So, we are
:10:10. > :10:13.moving down river to a key fishing spot for the bears and wolves. We've
:10:14. > :10:18.got no bears and wolves right now but we have wonderful live images of
:10:19. > :10:22.humpback whales moving along the coastline. When they come together
:10:23. > :10:26.like that, normally solitary creatures, that means they've come
:10:27. > :10:32.together to feed. Fingers crossed we'll get you bubble netting live.
:10:33. > :10:37.They are just breathtaking. Ever since we've arrived, we've spotted
:10:38. > :10:42.wolves near the camp and we've also got to those really great images of
:10:43. > :10:46.the wolves amongst the bears on the coast. Now we're getting to know
:10:47. > :10:52.that one particular pack. They keep coming over towards this patch of
:10:53. > :10:57.the river. Our head guide is still with us, thank goodness! You know
:10:58. > :11:01.them pretty well. How well are they doing? How many are in the pack?
:11:02. > :11:07.We've known for about five years. They started with four and are up to
:11:08. > :11:12.seven. Why are we seeing them as solitary animals right now? Right
:11:13. > :11:16.now they are fishing at the Creek and the other ones have gone to
:11:17. > :11:20.other areas to see if they can find anything else to eat. Is that
:11:21. > :11:24.because there aren't enough salmon quite yet? It is. Once the salmon
:11:25. > :11:29.start surging up the creeks, the pack will start fishing together.
:11:30. > :11:34.Why are they always spotted coming over this stretch of river in
:11:35. > :11:37.particular? They are coming from upriver where the rendezvous sites
:11:38. > :11:42.are. This section is a lot easier for them to catch fish because the
:11:43. > :11:50.fish get caught on the sand bars and it makes life easier. We know
:11:51. > :11:55.they've preyed on moose, elk and caribou, why would they target
:11:56. > :12:00.salmon? It is easier to catch. The risk reward ratio is better and the
:12:01. > :12:04.fat content is great. If I was a wolf I know I would. Just like the
:12:05. > :12:11.bears, the walls are seeking out this highly nutritious food source.
:12:12. > :12:16.The salmon get caught and there are footprints of the wolves all along
:12:17. > :12:24.the river bank. Beside them, the huge paw of bears. They've got scent
:12:25. > :12:28.glands on the pads of their feet signalling what their age is, how
:12:29. > :12:34.dominant or subordinate they might be to the other bears. It's a great
:12:35. > :12:37.way of communicating who you are. But I really, really wanted to show
:12:38. > :12:45.you one of these. These are littered across the river bank us well. This
:12:46. > :12:50.is an bear daybed. These are dug out by bears pretty much whenever and
:12:51. > :12:54.wherever they please. They can dig these out with a view swipes of
:12:55. > :13:01.their massive paws that act as huge shovels. There are two functions.
:13:02. > :13:07.The first is actually to help them to cool down. Bears have two layers
:13:08. > :13:11.of fur. They have a softer highly insulating fur underneath and at
:13:12. > :13:19.this time of year it might be a bit cool for us, but it's really warm
:13:20. > :13:22.for the bears. They are revealing deep underneath, waterlogged sand
:13:23. > :13:28.is what they like and then they lie in it to cool down. Look at the size
:13:29. > :13:32.of this cavity. This is to make space for their big fat bellies as
:13:33. > :13:36.they lie down full of salmon, so they can buy just easily. It's only
:13:37. > :13:41.when you get into one that you realise how big they are. This is
:13:42. > :13:46.only the space for their bellies. Incredible stuff. The tide is still
:13:47. > :13:50.going out in Katmai and that means the fish are most likely going to
:13:51. > :13:54.start getting caught in the sand bars. There are still no bears
:13:55. > :14:00.around. Hopefully now as there are more salmon getting caught we might
:14:01. > :14:10.see some bears and wolves. We are going to keep our cameras focused on
:14:11. > :14:16.the River we'll see you soon. So, the images that Liz has been
:14:17. > :14:20.bringing us of bears and wolves out in broad daylight and totally
:14:21. > :14:24.oblivious to Liz and the crew are very much due to the vast expanse of
:14:25. > :14:28.wilderness that we have in Alaska. We are looking at some of that from
:14:29. > :14:31.an eagle eye view up in our helicopter. This is our group of
:14:32. > :14:36.humpback whales travelling. There are several thousand in this area at
:14:37. > :14:41.this time of year. Most of them are hunting individually, perhaps two or
:14:42. > :14:44.three at a time. When you get them coming together in large groups,
:14:45. > :14:49.that's when the magic really happens. At present there is a group
:14:50. > :14:53.of 11 animals and they are travelling in quite a dispersed
:14:54. > :14:57.group. They haven't yet focused together in the sense that shows me
:14:58. > :15:01.they are likely to begin bubble net feeding yet. When that happens you
:15:02. > :15:04.will see them died simultaneously and that's when we will know
:15:05. > :15:11.everything will kick-off. From the air what you see, which is hard to
:15:12. > :15:15.see at sea-level, is the site of the white fins coming to the surface
:15:16. > :15:20.almost like wings as they travel along. That is the largest limb in
:15:21. > :15:23.nature, as much as five metres in length, driving them through the
:15:24. > :15:28.water almost like wings. It's something you really only see from
:15:29. > :15:31.this wonderful... You can see at the top of your screen. That is part of
:15:32. > :15:37.the scientific name of these humpback whales.
:15:38. > :15:44.The hyper abundance of food is drawing them together. They are
:15:45. > :15:50.feeding on herring. Herring are brought here by the same forces that
:15:51. > :15:54.drive the aggregations of salmon. You have all the freshwater running
:15:55. > :15:59.down from the glaciers to the sea, causing up welling of nutrients,
:16:00. > :16:07.feeding plankton, which feeds herring. It can lead to hundreds of
:16:08. > :16:10.millions of animals strong, and can be seen from space. They are the
:16:11. > :16:15.things drawing in these marvellous, enormous whales.
:16:16. > :16:24.The mighty humpback whale, these 15 metre giants are longer than a
:16:25. > :16:32.double-decker bus. One flipper alone can be five metres
:16:33. > :16:33.long. And massive tail foods can propel their 40 tonnes up into the
:16:34. > :16:44.air. Some travel 10,000 miles to reach
:16:45. > :16:50.some of feeding grounds, barely eating along the way.
:16:51. > :16:57.For those that arrive in Alaskan waters, they will show off
:16:58. > :17:00.extraordinary hunting skills. Working in teams, they form rings of
:17:01. > :17:06.bubbles, trapping fish and forcing them to the surface.
:17:07. > :17:11.Their colossal mouse will suck in 1.5 tonnes of herring, even small
:17:12. > :17:15.salmon every day, to make up for four months of farming on their epic
:17:16. > :17:23.migration. Now they are here, has it been worth the trip?
:17:24. > :17:30.That is very much what we are hoping to find out, after all the summer
:17:31. > :17:34.months here in Alaska are just as important to our whales as they are
:17:35. > :17:40.to the bears. They feast on the salmon to build up fat reserves to
:17:41. > :17:45.take them through winter. The whales are doing the same thing, because
:17:46. > :17:50.through their winter, they won't feed either. They will travel to
:17:51. > :17:55.Hawaii and back. In enormous migrations, they live off their fat
:17:56. > :18:00.reserves. Here and now is critical. Let me show you a bit of my boat
:18:01. > :18:04.because it is the perfect whale watching platform. Most of the time,
:18:05. > :18:08.it is used for taking tourists out to view whales. We have a captain
:18:09. > :18:14.and crew that no disease intimately. Even though the individual whales as
:18:15. > :18:18.well. We have made if you alterations to turn it into a
:18:19. > :18:24.filming platform, so we ripped out a bunch of seats, we asked if we could
:18:25. > :18:28.first, and put in transmitting equipment. We have an editing desk,
:18:29. > :18:35.scientists on board to help us identify exact whales. And this
:18:36. > :18:41.fabulous space age camera, which is stabilised, and can look out as far
:18:42. > :18:47.as a mile on rough seas to allow us to get shots of whales. Daniel, you
:18:48. > :18:51.are up in the helicopter looking down. He is in the same area as ask,
:18:52. > :19:02.is there anything you can see right now?
:19:03. > :19:10.We are up in the helicopter, and below us there are nine whales. A
:19:11. > :19:13.few minutes ago, they were bubble net feeding, and we will follow them
:19:14. > :19:21.to see if they bubble net feed again. As soon as we see it, we will
:19:22. > :19:24.bring it to you live. We are so, so lucky to have those
:19:25. > :19:29.guys up in the helicopter. They have brought us superb views. We have
:19:30. > :19:34.seen whales around us all the time, but they have managed to find a
:19:35. > :19:40.group we have been following for the last four days or so. We have 11
:19:41. > :19:44.animals, Daniel says not, perhaps two have disbursed. As many as 11,
:19:45. > :19:51.one is a cough that was borne no more than six months ago, enjoying
:19:52. > :19:55.its first Alaskan summer. They have been bubble net feeding over and
:19:56. > :19:59.over, and over again. Truly, if we could capture that live on camera,
:20:00. > :20:05.you are going to have a very, very excited crew here. We believe it
:20:06. > :20:10.would be a first, not seen before on live television, and we have all the
:20:11. > :20:11.tools at our disposal. Everyone back at base camp, keep your fingers
:20:12. > :20:22.crossed for us. We will! Debbie and Daniel are only
:20:23. > :20:25.ten miles away from where we are. It is the most magical and incredible
:20:26. > :20:31.place. Thinking of the ocean out there, you know well that the salmon
:20:32. > :20:34.that have arrived here, winning fish that are going to be spawning in the
:20:35. > :20:40.next few days have through an incredible amount of thanks to and
:20:41. > :20:50.obstacles. I mean, we are talking salmon sharks, orcas. These are the
:20:51. > :20:56.best of the best. Less than 1% make it back to a successful spot. They
:20:57. > :21:03.have made it here. The timing is absolute perfection. The timing is
:21:04. > :21:08.perfect, the temperatures warms up, the spring flows have calmed down,
:21:09. > :21:11.allowing fish to come in. This gives the egg is plenty of time to start
:21:12. > :21:21.hatching and developing in the gravel, and hat in the winter time.
:21:22. > :21:26.We have wonderful shots of the red salmon jumping. We find to stand in
:21:27. > :21:30.this area, because they are making nests a bit further away from where
:21:31. > :21:33.we are. That is correct. The females look for places that have good
:21:34. > :21:40.oxygenation for the eggs. Right here is a good spot. As far as the nests
:21:41. > :21:47.are concerned, they are quite sizeable. They end up being a good
:21:48. > :21:50.size. The female selects a spot, and turns on its side, moving some of
:21:51. > :21:56.the gravel out of the way. It makes a bit of a pit, and they put their
:21:57. > :22:01.eggs in the gravel to make a nest. How much water does she need above
:22:02. > :22:05.that nest am and what are the ideal conditions? It can be surprisingly
:22:06. > :22:09.thin water at times. As long as it stays covered most of the year,
:22:10. > :22:14.through the winter time, it will be fine for the eggs. They are just
:22:15. > :22:21.like patches, really, on the gravel bottom. We can see the males
:22:22. > :22:25.circling, and they become very territorial, and quite aggressive
:22:26. > :22:30.towards each other. Exactly. Once she selects a spot, she will start
:22:31. > :22:34.digging, and it attracts the attention of the males, they will
:22:35. > :22:39.vie for her attention. We have some fighting and wrestling here as well.
:22:40. > :22:43.You can see the red colouring, and the huge jaw that develops. Exactly.
:22:44. > :22:49.Their teeth become more prominent. The males use that to fight for the
:22:50. > :22:52.rights to make on the spawning ground. They are not afraid to bite
:22:53. > :22:59.each other. They hook up and the spawning process starts. This is
:23:00. > :23:05.quite incredible in itself. The fish start opening their mouths. The
:23:06. > :23:09.female wants as many eggs as she releases to get into the nest as
:23:10. > :23:14.possible. Anywhere there is current, it sweeps the eggs away. By opening
:23:15. > :23:21.their mouths, it allows their bodies to get more drag, sinking them down
:23:22. > :23:26.closer to the gravel. If they don't make it into the nest, the eggs are
:23:27. > :23:30.gone. At the other end, what is the success rate of the eggs? How many
:23:31. > :23:39.fish do you expect to leave here and return? I think about 100,000 leave
:23:40. > :23:43.this system in spring, and we get 1000 or 2000 adults escape to make
:23:44. > :23:49.it back to successfully spawn, usually less than 1%. As far as the
:23:50. > :23:54.returning ones are concerned, you call them the escapement. Anything
:23:55. > :24:01.that makes it back, these are the best. It is a beautiful process. I'm
:24:02. > :24:07.sure. With over 5000 rivers and streams here in Tongass, there are
:24:08. > :24:12.salmon everywhere. The key for them getting into the breeding sites is
:24:13. > :24:17.safety in numbers, especially when there are walls like this. We have a
:24:18. > :24:23.wolf here jumping around in the shallows to find his dinner. Rightly
:24:24. > :24:31.so. Liz is in the area, have you seen wolves this morning?
:24:32. > :24:39.Matt, we saw two wolves this morning strolling down the river bank, but
:24:40. > :24:45.they have disappeared. However, the bears have reappeared. Three we had
:24:46. > :24:49.early on. It was quiet and peaceful, and beautiful, but thankfully, now,
:24:50. > :24:53.they are on the river bank. Salmon are getting caught in the shallows,
:24:54. > :24:56.and this bear is having a go. So far, there are no salmon in his
:24:57. > :25:03.mouth, but we will keep an eye on him. As you mentioned, yes, there
:25:04. > :25:08.are wolves all around here in Katmai. They focus on the salmon,
:25:09. > :25:15.but they are also known to take cubs. We introduced you to a mother
:25:16. > :25:18.on Sunday, and she has to be wary of it. We filmed her in a meadow a
:25:19. > :25:22.couple of days ago, and here is what happened. A solitary wolf appeared.
:25:23. > :25:31.With her stance and behaviour, you can see he is hunting for voles and
:25:32. > :25:35.mice. The cubs are wary because, even though the cubs are two and a
:25:36. > :25:39.half, a single wolf might not be able to take a two and a half year
:25:40. > :25:45.old on its own, but it can summon other members of the pack to take
:25:46. > :25:49.down a cub. You can see Anna has taught her cubs well. They get up on
:25:50. > :25:52.their hind legs, and they can call the alarm for their mum as well.
:25:53. > :25:58.Great page. The wolf on this occasion has no interest. He is
:25:59. > :26:03.looking at the cubs and the mother, and it is not worth the effort and
:26:04. > :26:07.risk of injury. But a few seconds later, and had to be on her guard
:26:08. > :26:18.against. A male bear appeared out of the trees. Mail bears are a constant
:26:19. > :26:22.threat, they get up on their hindlegs and the cubs and her move
:26:23. > :26:29.away, bolting to the other side of the meadow. It goes to show how well
:26:30. > :26:33.she has taught the cubs. They stick to her side. They are doing the job
:26:34. > :26:41.of being on sentry duty for their mum. That is really important. Even
:26:42. > :26:46.just in those two moments, and seeing her teaching her cubs to fish
:26:47. > :26:50.on our last programme, as they were learning to snorkel, it shows Anna
:26:51. > :26:56.is a terrific mum. The cubs are doing really well, it is her second
:26:57. > :27:01.litter. Gives the signs she will rear these successfully as well. As
:27:02. > :27:05.you can see, the bears are behind us. Bears appear all the time. This
:27:06. > :27:10.is when the hierarchy begins to take shape. You have one male on every
:27:11. > :27:15.stretch of river like this one, who assumes a top position. All the
:27:16. > :27:19.other bears in the area assume a rank beneath him. Because we have
:27:20. > :27:23.been here for a little bits now, we have spotted who the king of this
:27:24. > :27:26.river might be, and it is this magnificent chap, he is 12 years
:27:27. > :27:31.old. Whenever he is around, all the other bears no matter what age or
:27:32. > :27:35.sex, they move away, they don't try to challenge him at this river.
:27:36. > :27:40.Usually, body language will be effective enough. If you are going
:27:41. > :27:45.to be the top bear, inevitably, you have do have some battles. This is
:27:46. > :27:49.one of the bears that looks at him and walks away into the bushes. But
:27:50. > :27:54.look at him, he is bearing the scars of battle. He earned his position on
:27:55. > :27:58.the river. He has the run of the river now. The only potential threat
:27:59. > :28:03.that can come to him now is if another bear from another part of
:28:04. > :28:06.the river or another river has lost his Brown and wants a position
:28:07. > :28:10.somewhere else, and might come down here and try it out with this
:28:11. > :28:14.12-year-old. Look at him, he has the run of the river. He was joyfully
:28:15. > :28:20.hunting for salmon the day we filmed him. It was a beautiful thing to
:28:21. > :28:26.see. Let's take a look at the cameras before we leave you for a
:28:27. > :28:32.moment. We have bears on the river fishing this morning. He is quite
:28:33. > :28:36.quiet still. But we will keep an eye on who else appears. Certainly, we
:28:37. > :28:38.will look out for the king himself, and whether there are any wolves
:28:39. > :28:45.around. It is fascinating to look at the
:28:46. > :28:49.size of the brown bears now. At the start of the week, they were a
:28:50. > :28:55.different shape. It is incredible, the speed they fatten up once the
:28:56. > :28:59.salmon comes in, the 59 million that I was talking about earlier, that is
:29:00. > :29:04.just around the corner from where these bears are feasting, so proof
:29:05. > :29:07.that this feast is at a high point at the moment.
:29:08. > :29:14.We will turn our attention to the humans that live here. Everyone you
:29:15. > :29:18.talk to is connected in some way to fishing. 96% of Alaskans say salmon
:29:19. > :29:19.is essential to their way of life. This time of year is critical for
:29:20. > :29:29.fishermen like Joe Trotter. I have been fishing for salmon for
:29:30. > :29:36.the last 21 years. Picking the fish with your hands, out on the water
:29:37. > :29:40.every day. It is such a condensed part of the year, the salmon are
:29:41. > :29:45.only here for a month, a diesel which more. OK. I have had big
:29:46. > :29:47.seasons and small seasons. This year looks a decent one, there is quite a
:29:48. > :29:59.bit of fish out. They let us know if we can or can't
:30:00. > :30:03.fish. It is a tool to slow down the run or the amount of fish going up
:30:04. > :30:07.the river, or they close us down to let more fish up the river and
:30:08. > :30:09.ensure we have jobs and there is salmon up the river for generations
:30:10. > :30:19.to come. Sometimes all these boats are in one
:30:20. > :30:22.little section, and we are all fighting for that same spot with the
:30:23. > :30:30.fish coming across the line into the district. The nets are all tangled
:30:31. > :30:38.up. The guy has his web in that other guide's wheel. Some people
:30:39. > :30:41.don't really care about getting too close, there is a bit of etiquette
:30:42. > :30:50.but some people are still learning that one! LAUGHTER Drop it! We've
:30:51. > :30:55.been fishing the last three days straight, two opening today with a
:30:56. > :30:59.couple of hours sleep in between. We can start picking, guys. Can you
:31:00. > :31:04.imagine doing this eight hours a day, twice a day? Maybe get a couple
:31:05. > :31:09.of hours of sleep, then get up and do it again. We aren't here for a
:31:10. > :31:17.good time, we are here for a short time! We only have a month and a
:31:18. > :31:26.half to make a living. If we have a bad year it hits directly to the
:31:27. > :31:32.pocket. When you're out on the water, like nowhere else ever been.
:31:33. > :31:39.This is what I'm going to be, I'm going to be a fisher man. We are out
:31:40. > :31:48.there, bringing salmon to the world. We fished 41 hours straight before.
:31:49. > :31:54.It eat, sleep and fish. I'm now here with Carla who has told us so much
:31:55. > :31:57.about native Alaskan culture over the last week. As far as fishing is
:31:58. > :32:03.concerned how many of your family and friends are connected? Is easier
:32:04. > :32:10.to count how many are not connected the fishing. Whether they are
:32:11. > :32:15.fishing for personal consumption or commercial fishing. When do you
:32:16. > :32:20.decide to take fish from the waters and leave them to protect them for
:32:21. > :32:24.the next generation to come through? We watch the animals and learn from
:32:25. > :32:30.them. We make sure the first run of salmon are up into the stream to
:32:31. > :32:33.propagate so we know they'll return the next year. After the first run
:32:34. > :32:40.has happened then we will harvest our salmon. The interesting thing
:32:41. > :32:46.is, there are no farms around here. But you are harvesting from the
:32:47. > :32:50.land. At this time as far as other native cultures are concerned, what
:32:51. > :32:54.is happening right now? Everybody is getting their share of the land,
:32:55. > :32:59.whether it's from the beaches or from the ocean or from the bushes.
:33:00. > :33:03.We all make sure we utilise this time very well to stock up our
:33:04. > :33:07.pantries. You've kindly brought the contents of some of your cupboards
:33:08. > :33:12.so everybody can see the kind of things you are eating. Let's have a
:33:13. > :33:19.look, this is dried salmon. This is actually the main staple of the diet
:33:20. > :33:22.and what has sustained our people over 10,000 years and helped us
:33:23. > :33:33.survive the long winters. Smoked salmon. Fish eggs and black seaweed.
:33:34. > :33:37.When you come in of an evening you are preparing... A busy day at the
:33:38. > :33:44.office means nothing because we know we have to get back to work to put
:33:45. > :33:48.our food up. We heard earlier on about your connection to brown bears
:33:49. > :33:56.but it's not just Liz who has been out in the middle of nowhere looking
:33:57. > :34:00.for brown bears. Last week I took to the skies to find out what the
:34:01. > :34:12.Kodiak brown bear means to the people that live on the island. That
:34:13. > :34:16.is beautiful. This lush landscape is home to thousands of Kodiak bears.
:34:17. > :34:20.Unique subspecies of brown bear. They're awesome size has made them
:34:21. > :34:30.the stuff of legend across Alaska and the United States. No more so
:34:31. > :34:34.than right here on Kodiak island. The Kodiak brown bears hold Kodiak
:34:35. > :34:45.together. They literally be soul of the island. You can feel their
:34:46. > :34:50.spirit, you can sense them. With 3500 bears living here, the
:34:51. > :34:53.population has to be carefully managed but hunting permitted and
:34:54. > :34:58.tightly controlled, meaning these treasured animals are here for all
:34:59. > :35:06.to enjoy. I feel my kinship with them. I would do everything I could
:35:07. > :35:10.to protect them. To experience for myself what sets them apart, I'm
:35:11. > :35:19.heading to their heartland with another resident who holds them
:35:20. > :35:26.dear. Are you ready? I think so. My heart is pumping slightly. It's the
:35:27. > :35:31.strangest feeling, walking through here, knowing there are no other
:35:32. > :35:41.humans around. Just you and the bears. Not just any bears. The
:35:42. > :35:45.biggest bears in the world! A milder climate here creates lots of
:35:46. > :35:49.vegetation for the bears to eat, and with salmon and shellfish in
:35:50. > :35:53.abundance, it's their diet that allows them to grow bigger than
:35:54. > :36:07.brown bears on the mainland. You can see how they've been tracking down
:36:08. > :36:13.through here. Bear hair. After a long trek, we've reached a bear
:36:14. > :36:22.feeding hotspot. Oh my word, look at this! He's coming out of the corner.
:36:23. > :36:31.Oh my word, look at this! It's a young male between 3-5 years old.
:36:32. > :36:39.We have bubble netting live. What you can see on the surface, those
:36:40. > :36:45.ripples of bubbles and the thrashing fins, that is our group of humpback
:36:46. > :36:49.whales, they are back in action! You can still see them disappearing,
:36:50. > :36:54.it's incredible how little information is created on the
:36:55. > :36:58.surface, considering there are 10-11 whales. Each one can weigh 40 tonnes
:36:59. > :37:04.and they've just come lunging out of the water. Already it is, again. The
:37:05. > :37:08.fact they are back in action is great. We are going back to that
:37:09. > :37:13.film but hopefully we stand a chance of showing you the spectacle life.
:37:14. > :37:22.It's a young male, between 3-5 years old. It's just incredible. And not
:37:23. > :37:27.quite a giant yet. When you look at him now, what would you say the
:37:28. > :37:33.condition of him is like at this stage of the season? I'm not seeing
:37:34. > :37:42.any ribs, he's got a nice layer on him. He's just lanky looking. When
:37:43. > :37:47.things get even better. An adult female Kodiak bear, resting on the
:37:48. > :37:51.river bank. You can absolutely understand why they are so special
:37:52. > :37:55.to the people around here and why for generations, people have talked
:37:56. > :38:00.about the spiritual connection. The aura that they have and the energy
:38:01. > :38:12.that they give off is like nothing I'd ever experienced before.
:38:13. > :38:18.This is much more what we've been hoping to see. It seems the humpback
:38:19. > :38:22.whales had gone into lazy mode and were wandering about, possibly
:38:23. > :38:26.searching for food. Now it seems they are back on target so they
:38:27. > :38:30.probably found a dense shoal of herring. Everything about their
:38:31. > :38:33.movements is more what we were hoping to see, moving in a
:38:34. > :38:38.coordinated fashion, each of them like a squadron of fighter planes
:38:39. > :38:43.travelling in one single direction, absolutely intent on their food.
:38:44. > :38:46.We've just had a dive right behind me and we are hoping to see some
:38:47. > :38:52.more action. This is what we saw mere seconds ago. A bubble net
:38:53. > :38:59.happening right below our camera. It's just one of the most explosive
:39:00. > :39:03.forces on the planet. These are one of the largest creatures ever to
:39:04. > :39:07.have lived on earth. Coming together in these numbers to feed
:39:08. > :39:11.simultaneously, it has called to be one of the biggest feeding
:39:12. > :39:16.spectacles that's ever been seen. We are also seeing an awful lot of very
:39:17. > :39:22.dramatic visual action from individual whales, particularly from
:39:23. > :39:25.our calf which has been breaching over and over again. It's tempting
:39:26. > :39:31.to put this down to youthful exuberance but it's more than that.
:39:32. > :39:33.Young whales will breach for an hour on end, never stopping. It seems
:39:34. > :39:40.they are essentially training, building up their muscles and
:39:41. > :39:46.building up their ability to hold their breath for longer and to join
:39:47. > :39:48.into the bubble netting feeding. To interpret the behaviour and
:39:49. > :39:53.introduce you to some of the individual animals we are joined by
:39:54. > :39:57.Doctor Heidi Pearson. You know some of these whales like old friends.
:39:58. > :40:01.I've been working with them for six years and it's always a treat to
:40:02. > :40:04.identify them. One of the coolest things we've been hearing is some of
:40:05. > :40:13.the sounds. If we listen to what we've been getting from your
:40:14. > :40:16.hydrophone... WHALE SOUNDS. To begin with it sounds like a traditional
:40:17. > :40:21.humpback whale song but this is just as they are about to dive. This is a
:40:22. > :40:27.feeding call they used during bubble net feeding. It is a single whale
:40:28. > :40:31.making this call and then it'll get louder and louder. The call gets
:40:32. > :40:37.really loud and then you'll see the whales break the surface and feed.
:40:38. > :40:40.They've all dived down together in unison, and then one individual
:40:41. > :40:45.whale is taking on the role of blowing the bubble net? Usually one
:40:46. > :40:50.takes the lead but others can join in as well. Then you have all of
:40:51. > :40:54.them erupting to the surface with their mouths open, following those
:40:55. > :41:00.fish. Yes. Usually around this time of year it will be 1-2 -year-old
:41:01. > :41:05.herring they are feeding on. Why is it that right here right now is so
:41:06. > :41:09.important to humpback whales? It is the height of Alaskan summer, we
:41:10. > :41:13.have long days, the sunlight causes the plankton to grow which feeds the
:41:14. > :41:21.fish which the whales feed on. The other marine mammal we have in this
:41:22. > :41:27.area are orca. We've got some truly spectacular shots of orca feeding on
:41:28. > :41:33.salmon. Not only that but in this group here, you can see two adult
:41:34. > :41:37.orca passing on a king salmon which could have been the length of my leg
:41:38. > :41:42.from one animal to the next. As much as 95% of the diets of this
:41:43. > :41:49.particular kind of orca right now is going to be made up of these Chinook
:41:50. > :41:59.or king Salman. We will be doing our best to keep an eye on these whales.
:42:00. > :42:07.You can see this the whales are in coordinated squadron position. They
:42:08. > :42:12.are coming to the surface like giant wings. I think any second they are
:42:13. > :42:16.going to dive. I'm deep in the forest with John and we still on a
:42:17. > :42:23.black bear mission. Look at John you could never tire of that. Those
:42:24. > :42:28.whales are beautiful. Let's talk a bit about our surroundings. And the
:42:29. > :42:32.magic that is within the soil in this forest. Although the salmon
:42:33. > :42:35..com here, it's a one-way trip and suddenly they are going to end their
:42:36. > :42:45.lives but what they offer displays quite something. Yes. It all comes
:42:46. > :42:50.down to nitrogen 15. The dye judging is a heavy nitrogen found in marine
:42:51. > :42:54.species like plankton, fish and crustaceans. The salmon eat that
:42:55. > :42:58.when they are in the ocean. They bring the nutrients through the lake
:42:59. > :43:03.up into the stream just 25 metres behind us. When they die, the eagle
:43:04. > :43:08.catch them and bring them on the bank, they get what they need. Then
:43:09. > :43:14.the rest is left to rot into the ground and fertilise the big trees.
:43:15. > :43:18.Their roots are grabbing the nitrogen and bringing it up into the
:43:19. > :43:23.tree. You can track the salmon from the marine environment into the
:43:24. > :43:28.trees. Is it right that roughly 70% of the nitrogen that is found here
:43:29. > :43:34.in this forest, ten miles from the coast, comes from the ocean floor?
:43:35. > :43:37.It can be that much. This is nitrogen porous soil. They need that
:43:38. > :43:42.nitrogen and the salmon are what provide it. That's why these trees
:43:43. > :43:47.are so big. And actually that's why it along the water's edge you get
:43:48. > :43:50.the biggest trees. That's right, between the well-drained soil along
:43:51. > :43:53.the stream bank and that nitrogen and phosphorus put in there by the
:43:54. > :43:58.salmon, that's the best condition for a tree growth. Let's talk more
:43:59. > :44:07.about landscape and wilderness because the area that Liz is located
:44:08. > :44:12.in is true wilderness. As far as that landscape is concerned, why is
:44:13. > :44:20.it so special and what does wilderness mean to you guys here?
:44:21. > :44:23.Wilderness is a huge expanse of land in Katmai. Same with Tongass
:44:24. > :44:27.National Forest. We have designated wilderness. This is the highest form
:44:28. > :44:38.of Converse and macro conservation protection. Look what's happening
:44:39. > :44:43.here! Oh my goodness. Her cubs are in the tree. It's great that she's
:44:44. > :44:48.down in the stream for us to see now! I'm so pleased it's her because
:44:49. > :44:54.she is such a wonderful character. She is 11 years old, she is the bear
:44:55. > :44:57.with the three cubs that we've been monitoring. You see all of the
:44:58. > :45:02.salmon in the foreground and this really is proof that the feast is at
:45:03. > :45:06.its height and that all of these bears are making the most of this
:45:07. > :45:12.short time. She's lying in wait, she wants to pounds. That, I guess, is
:45:13. > :45:16.the message of how important protecting this land is.
:45:17. > :45:24.The key message with that is, and the whole idea was... It is a
:45:25. > :45:31.glimpse of the way the world was in the beginning. It is a chance for us
:45:32. > :45:38.to recreate, leave the boundaries open. And you get to see sites like
:45:39. > :45:42.this. There she is fishing! There is a cub behind her. Mum is trying to
:45:43. > :45:44.get some salmon. And we are cutting to feeding out in the ocean as well,
:45:45. > :45:54.Steve, over to you, my friend! As if it wasn't enough to get our
:45:55. > :45:59.first black bear, we have live bubble netting happening right now.
:46:00. > :46:09.It is an exposure of life. It harks back to Everything happening. The
:46:10. > :46:12.bubbles at the surface is our huge pod of whales. They have dropped
:46:13. > :46:14.back below the surface. But seriously, we have to go back to
:46:15. > :46:27.Matt and those bears. We are moving our way across the
:46:28. > :46:32.forest here to get back to a monitor, but we know she is their
:46:33. > :46:38.Mac or she is there with her young cubs
:46:39. > :46:46.-- we know that she is there. You can see her prowling in and the
:46:47. > :46:51.young cubs coming through. John, look at this. We have run to a place
:46:52. > :46:55.where we have some technology and can see what is happening. This bear
:46:56. > :47:00.discovering this environment, as we were saying, John, for the first
:47:01. > :47:03.time. Look at that. This cub was born in January, and is testing the
:47:04. > :47:08.waters, literally, looking for salmon, looking at mum to get
:47:09. > :47:15.direction on what to do here. Not really quite knowing what exactly to
:47:16. > :47:20.do, but very dependent on 153 to get fish for it. Talking about salmon
:47:21. > :47:23.spawning in the shallows earlier, but you can see the numbers
:47:24. > :47:32.gathering right now. Yes, the numbers are increasing each day, and
:47:33. > :47:38.there is 153 reuniting with her cub. It is great, so exciting to have
:47:39. > :47:42.this live. How many cubs has she had? She had four originally when
:47:43. > :47:46.she showed up in this brain, now down to three. One got sick and died
:47:47. > :47:49.as we said earlier, but these three are doing pretty well. But
:47:50. > :47:55.throughout her life as a mother? She had another little four years ago,
:47:56. > :48:01.it was 2013. That letter did well. She stayed around. She is a dominant
:48:02. > :48:13.there now -- there now. We really wanted to try and bring
:48:14. > :48:20.these shots to you watching in the UK. Since their aura. I got to see
:48:21. > :48:24.the Kodiak brown bears, but there is something very special about these
:48:25. > :48:29.black bears, they are smaller in size, but full of character. Yes,
:48:30. > :48:34.and the other thing about them that I love, they can move right amongst
:48:35. > :48:38.us. They have figured this out, being in our backyard. I am so
:48:39. > :48:42.pleased, 153, that you showed up and brought the family for everyone to
:48:43. > :48:48.witness. Let's go to Katmai National Park and Liz.
:48:49. > :48:54.How just wonderful it is to see black bears and cubs fishing on the
:48:55. > :48:59.rivers where you guys are. 700 miles away from you, we have been watching
:49:00. > :49:03.a brown bear along this river, but it has gone around the bend I am sad
:49:04. > :49:09.to say. But wow, that is a sight for sore eyes, well done, guys. Can I
:49:10. > :49:14.give you an update on the six-year old you have all become very fond
:49:15. > :49:18.of. We have kept an eye on him, and caught up with him on the coast. It
:49:19. > :49:21.is to let you know that his fishing techniques have improved. The way he
:49:22. > :49:27.is behaving with all the other bears is telling everyone that he is the
:49:28. > :49:31.dominant bear in his age group, meaning he has every chance of
:49:32. > :49:35.staying dominant as he gets older. And eventually, one day, becoming
:49:36. > :49:38.king of this stretch of the river. It is a lovely way to leave our
:49:39. > :49:42.six-year-old. This place really has truly blown me
:49:43. > :49:47.away, thanks in no small part to everything I have been taught about
:49:48. > :49:52.the subtleties and complexities of bear behaviour. To watch wolves and
:49:53. > :49:57.bears together, apex predators, it has been the most incredible
:49:58. > :50:00.experience for me. How is it possible in Katmai? What makes
:50:01. > :50:05.Katmai special in that regard? There is an abundance of food source.
:50:06. > :50:07.I have to stop you because we have bubble netting live with Steve, over
:50:08. > :50:17.to you, my dear. Yes, yet again! It is incredible to
:50:18. > :50:22.see it happening over, and over, and over again. Quite often, bubble
:50:23. > :50:27.netting might have times of maybe 15 minutes. There is a whale behind me
:50:28. > :50:31.right now his head below the surface. But the fact it is
:50:32. > :50:35.happening with such intensity and frequency means there must be a vast
:50:36. > :50:39.shoal of herring here at the surface. You can see the remnants of
:50:40. > :50:47.the bubble there, which has been blown by one single whale, circling
:50:48. > :50:52.around the shoal, trapping it in a corral so the whales can focus on
:50:53. > :50:54.it. Making the most of the small fish that have been passed on.
:50:55. > :51:05.Anyway, back to you, Liz. Thanks very much, Steve. To get back
:51:06. > :51:10.to your experience of Katmai and what makes it so special, tell me
:51:11. > :51:15.why this place keeps you coming back year after year. I just love it
:51:16. > :51:22.here. Bears, they envelope you in their world. They have catalogued my
:51:23. > :51:26.sense over the years, and use it with them at the Meadows with the
:51:27. > :51:31.mums and cubs, and you feel like you are part of their world and
:51:32. > :51:36.experience what they experience every day, the heartbreaking stuff,
:51:37. > :51:39.the joy. ... It is amazing. Can we get complacent about a place like
:51:40. > :51:44.this? We talk about millions of salmon, but can we rest easy with
:51:45. > :51:51.places that this? It is a dear Nick very fragile. -- Gillett.
:51:52. > :51:57.All of us, no matter where you live, you have a stake in these type of
:51:58. > :52:03.environment to keep it pristine. Teach children how to act, leave no
:52:04. > :52:07.traceable in the wilderness and keep the stuff after generations and
:52:08. > :52:12.generations. Amongst these magnificent predators
:52:13. > :52:16.is an experience I will never forget. We have only begun to
:52:17. > :52:19.scratch the surface on how intelligent and complex these
:52:20. > :52:24.animals are. I hope it has given you a sense of how amazing the animals
:52:25. > :52:29.that we share the planet with R. All of this is ours to protect. The
:52:30. > :52:34.brown bear and its home is in our hands. I will leave you with another
:52:35. > :52:43.scene of Katmai that has well and truly stolen our hearts here.
:52:44. > :52:53.We have, coming in behind us now, a big pod of Dole's paupers. We have
:52:54. > :52:57.focused on the humpbacks, and instead we have a large pod of
:52:58. > :53:04.probably the fastest of also to Asians. They have ducked beneath the
:53:05. > :53:09.surface now. I don't know where to look right now. Our group of whales
:53:10. > :53:14.has been hunting right in close to the shore. Unusually close for
:53:15. > :53:20.animals of this size, but it seems they are operable be using their
:53:21. > :53:26.proximity to the shore as an additional way to herd herring, that
:53:27. > :53:30.is what bubble netting is all about. It is about focusing a large
:53:31. > :53:36.disparate shoal into a concentrated ball so that the whales can feed in
:53:37. > :53:39.unison. If they hunted one by one, that would probably result in lots
:53:40. > :53:42.of herring dispersing off in different directions, and it not
:53:43. > :53:51.being anything as effective and efficient. Heidi, what you can see
:53:52. > :53:55.if our porpoise popping up over our shoulder. Is this what you expect
:53:56. > :53:58.here right now? It is. But the unique thing about the footage is
:53:59. > :54:03.the whales are diving down repeatedly with short dive times,
:54:04. > :54:08.two minutes or so, indicating a big ball of herring they are attacking
:54:09. > :54:13.over and over again. And what we have seen here just over the space
:54:14. > :54:17.of while we have been on air has been, I have counted six different
:54:18. > :54:22.bubble net hunts, having one after another. What does that tell us
:54:23. > :54:27.about the abundance of Alaska's sees right now? It tells us there is an
:54:28. > :54:31.abundance of fish that they are attracted to this summer. Let's try
:54:32. > :54:36.one more time to see if we can see the whole thing in sequence, back up
:54:37. > :54:41.from helicopter. Right now, because the sea is flat calm, they are below
:54:42. > :54:44.the surface right now. They are coordinating their actions using
:54:45. > :54:49.sound. All of these whales are just trying to focus on the shoal of
:54:50. > :54:53.herring, really tricky for Daniel to figure out where they will come up
:54:54. > :54:57.to the surface, it could be hundreds of metres away from where they dive.
:54:58. > :55:01.But as it happens, he is so good at picking up the very first bit of
:55:02. > :55:06.movement as the bubbles hit the surface, and zooming in on it. Then
:55:07. > :55:11.we should see the whole thing in full form. I will have to go to
:55:12. > :55:15.match soon, but when we do, we will leave this in a box so you have a
:55:16. > :55:22.chance to see the whole thing. The only way this can happen, the only
:55:23. > :55:26.way we we can have this exposure of life is maintaining the wilderness.
:55:27. > :55:27.We have to learn to treasure them because they are extraordinarily
:55:28. > :55:33.important. We will keep looking at the pictures
:55:34. > :55:38.because we are almost out of time. In a nutshell, what will be
:55:39. > :55:44.happening with this place? It will close down for winter... We have
:55:45. > :55:47.three weeks of salmon run left, then the silvers will come in in October
:55:48. > :55:52.and we have another few weeks of that before we slowly start to get
:55:53. > :55:55.cooler and the days shorten, arriving on the upper peaks,
:55:56. > :56:00.creeping down the mountains, then it is done. Then you batten down the
:56:01. > :56:03.hatches? There you go. We have been blown away by what we have seen
:56:04. > :56:05.here. We hope you have enjoyed discovering Wild Alaska Live whilst
:56:06. > :56:18.we have been exploring it. Welcome to Wild Alaska Live. I don't
:56:19. > :56:19.even know what to say. This incredible bear has been fishing so
:56:20. > :56:26.close to me, I lost my breath. Goodness me, these pictures, we
:56:27. > :56:54.never thought we would get these. I can't quite believe what I am
:56:55. > :56:55.looking at, it is almost surreal to see these magnificent creatures so
:56:56. > :57:07.close up. We've seen this huge female fishing
:57:08. > :57:08.just around the corner from where we are. So they are not camera shy,
:57:09. > :57:13.look at that for a shot, John! Wow! They were so close and they are
:57:14. > :57:28.totally oblivious to us. This place is just a magical,
:57:29. > :57:43.magical experience. Well, a very big thank you to
:57:44. > :57:48.Tongass National Park and the people of Alaska for sharing their homes
:57:49. > :57:50.with us. Thank you for showing us live in this very, very special
:57:51. > :58:00.place. From all of the team here, goodbye.
:58:01. > :58:01.# I'm running with the wolves tonight
:58:02. > :58:04.# I'm running with the wolves tonight
:58:05. > :58:09.# I'm running with the wolves tonight
:58:10. > :58:20.# I'm running with the wolves tonight