Episode 5 Planet Earth Live

This whole adventure is happening in May because this is make or

break month for wild young animals across the planet. Here in Kenya,

the rainy season is transforming everything. These are lean time for

our lions. We are following these and a host of other animal dramas

as they unfold around the world. Welcome back to Minnesota. Our

bears face their challenges bears face their challenges

throughout the month of May. It is crunch time for our cubs as

they prepare to say goodbye to mum for the last time and it is it is

happening in the woods around me. We have got the latest news from

our team out in California as well who have witnessed a remarkable

killer whale attack on a calf. The story never stops. There is so much

going on. We've got reports flooding in 24/7

from around the world. Our camera teams and experts are

following the action as events unfold.

Tonight, we bring you the latest news from our bear families.

Richard heads out into lion country on foot!

And we travel to South Africa to find out if animal can survive his

encounter with a cobra. You can follow the twists and turns

in our animals lives as nature Hello and welcome back to Africa

where the rain is switching off like a tap. I know and this is the

rainy season. The good thing is when it does stop, everything comes

out to play and it sounds glorious. Have a listen to that. All of a

sudden we have got tiny frogs, crickets and everything is out.

We're here to pay attention to to very different animals. Here, lions,

a couple hundred miles north, elephants. I flew up there to find

out the latest. Last time we were watching as Sylvia was being

treated for a life threatening gunshot wound. Both mother and calf

are doing very well. Sylvia's injury is healing well. This is a

ray of hope. The family has a healthy leader. The calf has a

healthy mum. Whilst I was there, I was able to grab time with the

wildlife camera operator who Warren Samuels was born and raised

in Kenya. He has been filming elephants for 20 years.

This is a wild elephant and look, this is the window of our truck.

this is the window of our truck. Absolutely - thank you.

The great thing about this place, the animals have learned that it is

a sanctuary. The minute they step foot outside the park, they become

more aggressive. They know there is the threat of them being shot by

herders or poachers. As we enjoy our close encounter, we

hear that a family of elephants is about to cross the river.

We've got the message, hence the radio left on. It is up to the

elephants. We drive around and follow them. We get there just in

time. We are in luck. It is Grace and Skye's family.

Notice how they formed a protective ring around. The three little

calves in the middle and the adults are around them.

Baby elephants are too small to cope with strong currants and when

rivers are this high, it is a struggle to keep their trunks above

water. Under the water there, Richard. All

you can see is his little trunk. Oh, that is terrifying? She is

using her body to shield against the current.

They are guiding her back in, but that's how you learn, isn't it?

It is as though elephants are conscious of teaching. Just when it

looks like everyone is across, we looks like everyone is across, we

notice a tiny calf being swept away. Oh shame, look at that little thing.

Guy goodness. -- my goodness.

Mum comes to the rescue just in time.

Now that the family are safely across, other elephants come into

play in the shallow waters. They are such endearing little

creatures, aren't they? They don't want to get out.

Looking At them now, would you say they are wild elephants? They are

like somebody's pet elephant. If you were to get this close beyond

the safety of this reserve, we wouldn't get near them. I don't

think there is anything more joy joyous in the world than an

It was beautiful and experts reckon the trumpeting call means, "Let's

the trumpeting call means, "Let's play, come and join in. "it was all

I could resist doing the same, but we saw a hin of how that -- hint of

how that river can change from being a playground to a danger zone.

Warren will keep us updated. We will have the latest from the

little lion cub. But it was three days since we saw the meerkat

family. Well, has it been -- how has it been for the family and the

Last time, meerkat pup Swift and her family known as the Whiskers

decided to spend their night in a borrow belonging to their arch

rivals. Swap swift's cousin was bitten by a snake. His life was

Cameraman, Toby Strong has been filming the drama in this parched

part of the Kalahari Desert. This brave little meerkat managed to

drag himself out of the borrow, but he was going downhill fast. This

venom affects the nervous system. Little Swift seems aware of his

pain and is trying to comfort her cousin, but there is nothing she or

any of them can do. This is a battle he's going to have to fight

alone. Living in such a desolate place

they have their own challenges to face every day, especially finding

enough to eat. Overnight, Swift, has lost 5% of

her body weight simply keeping warm. So after sunning themselves, the

family have no choice, but to head off foraging and abandon the

meerkat. Practically blind and almost

paralysed he tries to follow them. Over the years I've seen different

animals who have died and they tend to take themselves away on their

own. All alone, he finds a quiet place

to curl up. This is the grim reality for

meerkats, living alongside such dangerous predators means from time

to time they do get bitten. But for the rest of the Whiskers,

life has to go. Swift and her brothers and sisters are the future

of the family so they have to keep foraging. Swift is growing up fast

and getting more and more independent every day. Getting to

grips with the varied diet the desert provides. Lizards, giant

milly peeds, camel spiders and and skinks, everything is consumed,

even when hard to swallow. Every day sees new lessons learned

and new encounters. It has been two days since the

meerkat got bitten and the Whiskers have been making their way back to

the safety of their territory. Having been away, the group are vig

land for intruders. -- vigilant for intruders.

They see a lone figure, it could be a scout from one of their rival

groups. They've Spotted him. Here come

Whiskers. Swift is there at the front.

They're going, going, going, going. I've lost them. I've got to move.

The family have their tails up and are primed and ready to go into

battle. But when they reach the lone

meerkat, they get a fantastic surprise, it is their friend. By

some miracle, he is still alive. They are smelling him. They

recognise him. Swift is right in there. Ah, that's amazing. I can't

believe it. We left that male bitten by a cobra two days ago, I

truly thought that was him dead. I haven't seen him for two days and

he has made it back to the group. That's astonishing!

The family are reunited and for Anesta, that's the best possible

outcome, but the Whiskers have to remain vigilant. With a sick adult,

if there was a rival attack now, the result could be tragic. But for

now, everyone is safe and enjoying I know. I know, it is unbelievable

that this tiny little creature, less than a kilo, the meerkat, can

survive a snakebite. It would most probably kill you and I and what

about that reception from the family, how they welcomed him back.

It is so important in meerkat society that big family bond

because they protect one another so much. Welcome back to Minnesota,

the land of 12,000 lakes and 3,000 wolves, but there is only one bear

man and I will be talking to him live in the woods in a few moments.

An update you about little Sybil and what happened to June and Aster,

here is the latest bear news and it We woke up to incredible news about

our bear yesterday. When a crew went out to see if they had split,

Aspen was back. He spent over an hour licking and grooming his

mother and she seemed to accept him back into the fold.

And when we left them last night, all three were together as if they

had never been apart. As for Sybil, the news is good too.

Sheep seems to be gaining in strength and fighting back with her

brother and sister. The cubs are also starting to

explore further afield and are using their new teeth to forage for

themselves. Is this the start of better things

for Sybil Sybil?

What about that, June back with the family and we hope this is the

start of a new beginning for Sybil. I'm live in the woods with Dr

Rogers, hose ground breaking and controversial methods allowed us to

get closer to wild black bears than anywhere in the world. Let's start

start buff athe -- off by the controversy. Some say you are

humanising the bears? No, it is trust over over traps and

tranquilizers. We no longer use the traps and and tranquilizers. They

will go about their lives and let us watch.

Let's talk about spring time in the woods because food is scarce on the

grown for the bears, now isn't it? It is a tough time coming out of

Right now is a hungry time. We have little Sybil there. We can see her

making her first little bites of shoots. He is very, very reliant

onto her mum, isn't she? Totally. Needs the milk? Yes. And the

shelter. She could chew them there, I didn't see her really eat any.

She is experimenting, isn't she? Yes. You and I went on an

experimental hunt for food. You were teaching me about the bear

If I were a bear coming along here, there is antpupee about I would

sniff this rock. If I smell something I would pull it over and

licking it up. OK. Nothing there though. They don't roll them back,

but I do. These are like juicy little things, what are they?

are eating those now. They eat them in this fuzzy stage, all curled up.

This is when they taste good. Tastes OK. Here is something else

right now. What's that? Horsetail. What does that taste like? Not that

good. Here's something a bear would check for grubs. They'd tear into

it like that. What grubs are they looking for? Beetle larvae. They

sniff it first before they waste the energy looking. They snow their

stuff these bears, don't they? Here's an Aspen tree. If I bear was

going to eat the leaves, which they eat at this time of the year, they

climb it and bring the tree down. Then they would strip the leaves

through their mouth, like that. Shall we let this tree loose?

I will let it go. OK. There we go. Do you think I would make it in the

woods? You have a good start. is behaving strangely. I thought

she was being clumsy. What is she up to? They had the wrong ants.

There are the right and wrong kind of ants? She hit the red kind that

bite. OK. Let's explode a myth this a lot of people are talking about

and asking us about on Twitter. Black bears are carnivores, but

that isn't primarily their diet, is it? No. They have the same kind of

teeth that people and primates have, for crushing nuts, chewing

vegetation. These big canine are for biting into logs to get ant

colonies. There we go. It's been a pleasure having you live with me.

Richard, it's a pleasure being in such company of such experts, isn't

it, throughout the series? Absolutely right, visiting with

Warren in Samburu and Warren. No hat and coat, it's dry. It's busy

out there tonight. We have a hippo there, quite a few of them. There

is an African hare on the road. We do have crews out in the field

constantly following the plight of the lonely cub and his mum. These

are the latest. It has been difficult keeping up for her

because she has been on the move looking for food and keeping her

cub hidden. There is little game left in her no-man's land between

the surrounding pride territory. She is a superb hunter, a true

survivor. Fingers crossed for both of them. We asked for a name for

Mojo's mum. We will let you know what is choosen tomorrow. You heard

me say how tough it is out there for Moja and her mum. It was time

for me to see how hard it is to We are leaving camp, setting out on

another mission to see animals. This time, it's a little bit

different. It's going to be OK, isn't it? Yeah, we'll be OK. I'll

make sure that you survive. Thank you! Do you carry oars? Jackson

says there is only way one to experience this place, on foot.

We've been driving around here looking at incredible things for

days and days. To suddenly get out of the car, it's like suddenly

climbing out of a spaceship. Jackson? Yes. I can't help but in

the we are armed to the teeth. We have a guard with a gun, you have a

spear, obviously there is danger out here, primarily what, lions,

they are a danger? I wouldn't worry too much right now. As soon as a

lion is in this bush, he will run away. The things to be scared of,

why we have the guns and the spear and my sword is the buffalo. That

is one animal if I see up close, I get worried. Jackson? Yeah. Can I

have a spear? This is a pork pine footprints. Elephant dung. That is

a buffalo. We have elephants up there. Mother and calf. Do you know

who she is? I don't know her. Just another elephant. It's the rainy

season, so there's little prey for Moja's mum and other lions to

target. The grazers who are around all have their challenges. These

animals have amazing vision. Gazelle can clock 50mph, much

faster than a lion. There are lots of eyes on the look out. Then,

there is the animal that Jackson is most scared of. We've come across a

A big male buffalo weighs almost a tonne. Being hit by one would be

like being hit by a car, with horns and attitude. Jackson, if they

suddenly all charged towards us, what would we do? When they're

charging and you've absolutely no other safety, lie flat. Won't they

tramplu? They will, but you will survive. Then they start stampeding

towards us. Look, they're coming. Jackson, I'll be honest, I'm scared.

It's all right now. We're safe. We're safe. That's good. We're

going to leave them alone. It's like one big train rushing past.

Careful with that spear, you could have someone's eye out. I wasn't

scared, I just said that for effect. When I said it dries up, everything

comes in. This is my new friend, a dung beetle. The point about the

buffalo, there is no way Moja's mum could bring down a buffalo. They

are a useful source of food for hungry prides. They are one heck of

an aopponent. -- opponent. Lions and buffalos are mortal enemies.

Buffaloes try to kill lion cubs at any opportunity. If a lone buffalo

meets a pride, the tables are turned. At this time of year, it's

Right, back now to Minnesota and Julia, with more news, I hope, on

those grey whale calves on their massive migration. We have more

news about the black bears coming up tomorrow. We can concentration

on that grey whale migration. What they are doing is heading towards

feeding ground in the Arctic waters. We have a crew stationed in the

Monterey Bay area where killer Wales frequently attack and kill

them. Killer what else whales have not been seen in the Monterey Bay

area. It's what we have been calling the attack hotspot. The

killers use that area to their advantage for hunting. Because it's

such a bumpy year for the grey whales, more than 1,000 making this

migration, the killer whales can take their pick much they have been

doing that along this coast. This journey has been perilous. This

footage is from yesterday. We will have an update tomorrow. We are

with Dr Lynn Rogers live in the woods. Before we go, time to get

some more expert information. You have been close to black bears, you

take their heart rate and temperature. How hot is it inside

the fur of a bear, it's a double layer of fur, isn't it? With direct

sun, no wind on the fur I measured 185 degrees. 82 degrees Celsius?

Exactly. How do they cool down our lovely bears? When they pant. It

cokes -- soaks in. They have to get to the water. Or expose their under

side to the cool earth. We can see them in the water. That's Jewel and

Herbie and Fern cooling down in the water. You completely understand

that. If I were 82 degrees I would jump in a stream as well or a lake.

They have plenty to choose from here. It's been a pleasure. Thank

you for being with us live in the woods. How much longer do you need

to continue your research? Another lifetime. I wish we had it. Here's

what else is coming up tomorrow: We introduce you 20 to two new Polar

bear cubs emerging into a hostile landscape. Gremlin is being the

social ladder. Can our elephant herd protect their babies from a

raging river. Keep up-to-date on the web, on Twitter and on Facebook.

My beetle flew away. He took off into the of a ran can night. That