:00:15. > :00:18.May is always a critical time for wild young animals in 2012 and this
:00:18. > :00:21.is no exception. We have been following the lives of the
:00:21. > :00:31.vulnerable young animals and bringing you their individual
:00:31. > :00:54.
:00:54. > :00:58.stories as they happen, here on Welcome to Kenya where we have been
:00:58. > :01:01.witnessing things here. It's been a rollercoaster, but whatever happens
:01:01. > :01:11.next, we'll keep you up-to-date with the latest news, not just from
:01:11. > :01:15.
:01:15. > :01:19.here, but from around the globe. Reports are flooding in 24/7. Our
:01:19. > :01:22.camera teams and experts are following the action as evens
:01:22. > :01:27.unfold. Tonight, gremlin's family of
:01:27. > :01:35.macaques go to war over a fig tree with tragic consequences.
:01:35. > :01:39.We discover who noch is and what it means for Moja and his mum Nyota.
:01:39. > :01:42.Mickey and Luca face the harsh realities of life on the open ice.
:01:42. > :01:47.Right here and around-the-clock on our website, you can follow all the
:01:47. > :01:57.latest twists and turns in our animals' lives as nature rights the
:01:57. > :01:58.
:01:58. > :02:01.If that's not enough for you, here in the north Woods of Minnesota,
:02:01. > :02:05.it's springtime. Our black bare mothers have emerged from their
:02:05. > :02:09.dens with their little black bear cubs. Outside the dens, it's a
:02:09. > :02:13.whole new world with so much to learn. It's been a dramatic few
:02:13. > :02:20.days here in Ely. On Thursday, forest fires swept across the
:02:20. > :02:24.entire area. We'll give you a full update and the impact on our bears.
:02:24. > :02:27.As mating time closes in, we are scanning the woods for the male
:02:27. > :02:33.bears who're on the prowl. They are here for one reason and you don't
:02:33. > :02:37.want to get in the way. That could be a problem for the
:02:37. > :02:40.yearlings, Aster and Aspen, if they're still with their mother,
:02:40. > :02:43.June. So all of that to come from
:02:43. > :02:48.Minnesota and more. It's a little chilly here today, temperatures are
:02:48. > :02:56.going a little crazy. Let's go 8,000 miles south-east of here to
:02:56. > :02:59.Africa where Richard and the team are waiting in warmer climes.
:02:59. > :03:05.We are here and ready and we are certainly warm and also dry. Rainy
:03:05. > :03:11.season it might be but once again, it's not raining. Hello, or as they
:03:11. > :03:15.say here in Kenya, Jambo which is the best greeting possible because
:03:15. > :03:19.it doesn't sound like you are not happy to see anybody when you say
:03:19. > :03:24.it. We are here to follow the fortunes of lion cub Moja and his
:03:24. > :03:34.single mum Nyota. Last time we saw them, they hadn't eaten for a few
:03:34. > :03:38.
:03:38. > :03:42.days and they were both looking Over the last few days, camerawoman
:03:42. > :03:48.Sophie Darlington's had her work cut out trying to follow Nyota and
:03:48. > :03:51.Moja. We found her up on the ridge and it
:03:51. > :03:57.was incredibly hard to find her because the grass is, as you can
:03:57. > :04:01.see, really long. I've read that it grows an inch every 4 hours which
:04:02. > :04:04.is sort of... You can pretty much see it growing?! Yes for her that
:04:04. > :04:08.makes it tricky because she can't see the prey. This grass is a
:04:08. > :04:13.problem because we can't see her either. Every day, something
:04:13. > :04:20.happens to make it a little bit harder? Yes. Today she spent four-
:04:20. > :04:24.and-a-half hours up a tree because she couldn't see anything to eat.
:04:24. > :04:27.She's going from warthog mound to warthog mound just in case
:04:27. > :04:31.somebody's in. When she finds one where somebody is in, she'll wait
:04:31. > :04:41.two or three hours and when they come out, she'll have a go.
:04:41. > :04:41.
:04:41. > :04:48.And have a go she did. She kills an adult warthog. Quickly replenishing
:04:48. > :04:57.her energy. She takes the rest of the meal to her cub.
:04:57. > :05:00.Once again, Moja has a feed just in time.
:05:00. > :05:06.They really are just scraping through at the moment, living life
:05:06. > :05:11.on the edge. We are running out of warthogs by the day right now on
:05:12. > :05:15.Moja's side he has his mum who is an amazing hunter. As it turns out,
:05:16. > :05:20.he may have some astonishing genes on his father's side as well
:05:20. > :05:24.because Jackson, you now believe you know who Moja's father is. So
:05:24. > :05:29.who is he and what proof have you got? Well, I've met mow that before
:05:29. > :05:34.when he mated with this male. This male is a male I've known for a
:05:34. > :05:38.long time, as well as Moja and Nyota. They were mating about nine
:05:38. > :05:42.months ago, so that's when I took this photo. So the maths works
:05:42. > :05:47.because Moja's six months, they carry the baby for three months so
:05:47. > :05:51.that would be nine months socould be. So who is he someWell, He is
:05:51. > :05:58.part of the collision of the most very very strong and well-known
:05:58. > :06:03.genes in the Mara. This is Notch' gang, the father Notch and the sons,
:06:03. > :06:08.one of them is Moja's father. have a coalition of males this big
:06:08. > :06:12.is unusual and these four are all Notch's sons, one of these four is
:06:12. > :06:18.Moja's father which means Notch is his grandfather? Exactly. That's
:06:19. > :06:23.pretty exciting because Notch is pretty special? He is a very, very
:06:23. > :06:28.special male. Notch is the King of the Masai Mara. That is why we are
:06:28. > :06:33.excited. I have goose bumps. I've heard him described as the finest
:06:33. > :06:39.lion ever to walk here. That's pretty good news for mow that what.
:06:39. > :06:44.We are as sure as you can be that Notch is Moja's grandfather and
:06:44. > :06:51.that's exciting because his story is incredible. This is the legend
:06:51. > :06:57.of how he rose to power -- good News for Moja. A few years ago,
:06:57. > :07:04.Notch had only one pride. He defended his family against young
:07:04. > :07:10.pretenders who came to kill his cubs and claim his territory.
:07:10. > :07:19.But one day, the challenge was too strong and he had to flee. But he
:07:19. > :07:24.didn't leave alone. His young sons left with him.
:07:24. > :07:29.And so began Notch's wilderness years.
:07:29. > :07:39.He protected his remaining four boys. He waited until they were
:07:39. > :07:42.
:07:43. > :07:52.strong. Then... He declared war.
:07:53. > :07:54.
:07:54. > :07:59.Pride after pride fell before Notch's invincible lion army. Today,
:07:59. > :08:04.Notch controls a vast territory, like a Mafia member, he wants
:08:04. > :08:09.nothing less than total domination. Could he be about to take over yet
:08:09. > :08:14.another pride? Well, come on, I mean what a
:08:14. > :08:18.magnificent, awesome lion for Moja to have as a grandfather. He's a
:08:18. > :08:25.survivor too. We reckon he's 12, maybe older. Male lions tend to
:08:25. > :08:29.lead short, violent, brutal lives, so he really is a survivor
:08:29. > :08:33.extraordinaire. We caught up with him. Here are the latest pictures
:08:33. > :08:37.of him bruised and battered, but this is not a lion who walks away
:08:37. > :08:42.from a fight ever. What does this mean for Moja? It's good news. This
:08:42. > :08:46.is the time when nature weeds out the weaker lions. With Moja
:08:46. > :08:50.carrying the genes of some of the finest lions, if any cub stands the
:08:50. > :08:58.chance of making it through, it's got to be him. Julia, life for you
:08:58. > :09:03.and the bears in the woods has been rocked by a big story I know - fire.
:09:03. > :09:07.Absolutely. It certainly has. Welcome to the state of Minnesota.
:09:07. > :09:11.This is an area surrounded by forests and lakes, it's 20 million
:09:11. > :09:17.acres of beautiful, beautiful wilderness. Spring is here, but the
:09:17. > :09:22.weather has just gone absolutely bonkers. Yesterday, it was about 80
:09:22. > :09:25.degrees, more than that, it was 26 degrees, T-shirts and flip-flops
:09:25. > :09:28.weather. You can see how much colder it is today, it's gone down
:09:28. > :09:33.to the 40s, about eight or nine degrees. What's happened here is
:09:33. > :09:38.the ground has become very, very dry and, on Thursday, a forest fire
:09:38. > :09:41.erupted right on our doorstep. So far in the state of Minnesota,
:09:41. > :09:45.there've almost been 80 fires. This one was right here less than ten
:09:45. > :09:48.mile ace way. When we came off air, I went straight to the source of
:09:48. > :09:58.the fire to find out what was going on. One resident described it as
:09:58. > :10:03.
:10:04. > :10:08.the worst fire in living memory and This is Highway one. Ely is over
:10:08. > :10:10.that way in the west and the sky luen is full of smoke. The skies
:10:10. > :10:18.are full of helicopter and aeroplanes, a lot of police
:10:18. > :10:21.activity, the locals are trying to see what is going on. -- skyline is
:10:21. > :10:26.full of smoke. I don't know if it's under control.
:10:26. > :10:34.Can't believe it. Here is a fire at the edge of town. The bad Swindon
:10:34. > :10:39.carrying it into town. It's across the highway here. -- the bad wind
:10:39. > :10:43.is carrying it into town. Not seen anything like this before. I don't
:10:44. > :10:48.know if there's bears over here. The cubs climb trees and
:10:48. > :10:56.firefighters have told me of hearing of shrieks as the fire
:10:56. > :11:00.burns on. The fire spread rapidly.
:11:00. > :11:06.Firefighters told us as much as 20 acres were consumed by flames in
:11:06. > :11:10.just two minutes. The emergency services had to act
:11:10. > :11:15.fast. They call this the land of 10,000 lakes and thank goodness.
:11:15. > :11:21.Each water plain and helicopter scoops up to 2,000 gallons of water
:11:21. > :11:28.to dump on the spreading furnace with precision.
:11:28. > :11:32.Whoa. And then some bad news for one of our bears.
:11:32. > :11:37.There is a fire just south of Juliet's territory, with the south
:11:37. > :11:45.wind it's going to be blowing it into her territory. She does have
:11:45. > :11:49.three cubs. I don't know what's going to happen there.
:11:49. > :11:55.operation is ongoing, but once the flames have been brought under
:11:55. > :12:03.control, this was the San that greeted us.
:12:03. > :12:08.A charred, desolate landscape. -- was the scene that greeted us. Not
:12:08. > :12:12.much will have survived. Well, obviously our first concern
:12:12. > :12:19.was for the residents of Ely and it was a very, very serious situation.
:12:19. > :12:23.Here is lovely Mia. This is our evacuation warning that was posted
:12:23. > :12:26.under our doors at the hotel. They told us to pack and leave at a
:12:26. > :12:30.moment's notice. And here are the headlines we woke up to this
:12:30. > :12:35.morning, four frantic hours as the fire races towards Ely. I'm happy
:12:35. > :12:38.to say, nobody was hurt, no humans have been hurt, no homes were lost,
:12:38. > :12:43.but of course, we are very concerned about the black bears
:12:43. > :12:48.here in the north Woods of Minnesota, as is Dr Lynn Rogers as
:12:48. > :12:52.he said in the film. They way they escape danger is to escape up trees
:12:52. > :12:56.and the worst thing you can do in a fire of course is go up a tree. Max
:12:56. > :13:00.shot this footage on the day of the fire. This is lovely Jewel, the
:13:00. > :13:04.first-time mum with her two cubs, Herbie and Fern. I've been here for
:13:04. > :13:09.almost a month and I haven't seen this yet, I haven't seen a mum
:13:09. > :13:15.claim the trees with her young. Is Jewel reacting to the fire? Look at
:13:15. > :13:19.her sniffing? A bear's sense of smell is thought to be a hundred
:13:20. > :13:24.times better than ours, they can smell food up to two miles away. Is
:13:24. > :13:28.this why she took her cubs up a tree? Whatever the reason, it was
:13:28. > :13:31.obviously the wrng place for her to be had the fire swept through. --
:13:31. > :13:36.wrong place. She was absolutely fine. But what about Juliet and her
:13:36. > :13:40.three cubs, Sam, Sybil and Sophie? We chased after them yesterday,
:13:40. > :13:45.were frantically worried. We didn't get any signal from the GPS but did
:13:45. > :13:51.eventually track them down and here they are safe and sound. Sam, Sybil
:13:51. > :13:54.and Sophie and mum found in a nice bogy area trying to stay cool, more
:13:54. > :13:59.worried by the mosquitoes and ticks than the fire there. We all know,
:14:00. > :14:05.the crew and team, we all know about the ticks. One of the
:14:05. > :14:10.cameramen manageded to remove 50 from his trousers the other day -
:14:10. > :14:14.that was very lovely. That's what's been happening in Ely. Now the fire
:14:14. > :14:18.is pretty much under control, the fire department say 90% under
:14:18. > :14:21.control. But they are not taking any chances, they are combing
:14:21. > :14:26.through every ember to make absolutely certain that a rogue
:14:26. > :14:30.spark cannot escape. So very dramatic. We've lost
:14:30. > :14:33.thousands of trees here and actually trees lie at the heart of
:14:33. > :14:43.another war on the other side of the world in Sri Lanka, gremlin and
:14:43. > :14:45.
:14:45. > :14:50.the monkeys are getting into We have been following the life of
:14:50. > :14:57.Gremlin, a tiny female macaque growing up among the ruins of an
:14:57. > :15:03.ancient city in Sri Lanka. At 11 weeks old, she is slowly learning
:15:03. > :15:07.the rules of her strictly hierarchical society. In this
:15:07. > :15:11.family, she is more or less the lowest of the low, so perhaps the
:15:11. > :15:16.most crucial lesson she has learned so far is how to properly on are
:15:16. > :15:21.the king of the temple troop, Hector, by chattering her teeth.
:15:21. > :15:28.But bigger lessons lie in store, and little Gremlin tends to learn
:15:28. > :15:32.things the hard way. Cameraman Gavin has spent May following every
:15:32. > :15:37.milestone in run in's life. It is a hot day in the temple ruins.
:15:37. > :15:45.Temperatures at this time of year reach well into the 30s. Gremlin
:15:45. > :15:49.starts the day with a cuddle and a feed from mum. Whereas King hector
:15:49. > :15:56.is starting the day with a grooming session from some of his loyal suss
:15:56. > :15:58.-- subjects. This hot weather is perfect for ripening figs, and
:15:58. > :16:06.there is a tree on the edge of their territory which is bursting
:16:06. > :16:10.with them. The time has finally come for the figs to be harvested.
:16:10. > :16:15.Unfortunately, the tree marks the border of their territory with
:16:15. > :16:21.their arch rivals, the Slumdog eggs. These unsavoury characters live
:16:21. > :16:25.among the houses and rubbish dumps of the town. They are led by the
:16:25. > :16:30.fierce and uncompromising macaque. His ire was damaged in a run-in
:16:30. > :16:40.with King Hector, and there are old scores to settle. They have been
:16:40. > :16:48.keeping watch on the tree, too, biding their time. The hungry and
:16:48. > :16:53.excited temple troop make their move. Gremlin is happily swinging
:16:53. > :17:01.towards the tree with her family. Putting into practice all of her
:17:01. > :17:07.best moves. Right now, life is good in Gremlin's innocent little world,
:17:08. > :17:11.but around here, things can change in the blink of an eye. The Slumdog
:17:12. > :17:17.Sorel so making their way towards the tree, their scouts moving ahead
:17:17. > :17:24.of the main raiding party. Naive little Gremlin, always curious and
:17:24. > :17:30.keen to explore, is highly in the tree. 30 feet below her, the rival
:17:30. > :17:37.scouts have spotted each other. Warning calls go out. Battle lines
:17:37. > :17:44.are being rapidly drawn. Hector and bad I are old campaigners, Tokely
:17:44. > :17:48.aware that lives are at stake. Gremlin must leave with the females.
:17:48. > :17:52.If the other troop catch her, they will show no mercy. Footsoldiers
:17:52. > :17:59.from both sides charge a teacher there. They are testing to see if
:17:59. > :18:09.one will back down. -- they charge each other. But there is too much
:18:09. > :18:32.
:18:32. > :18:42.at stake. There is only one way to There is a mother with a baby right
:18:42. > :19:00.
:19:00. > :19:08.The battle is over. For some, it was their last. A sudden storm
:19:08. > :19:14.tears through the forest. Already frightened, the temple troop panic
:19:14. > :19:18.and flee into the deep forest, in complete disarray. Gremlin is
:19:18. > :19:26.nowhere to be seen. If she is lost, the noise of the storm will cover
:19:26. > :19:31.any contact call that she would use to find her mother or her trooper.
:19:31. > :19:35.-- her troupe. And as darkness falls, Gavin searches for her.
:19:35. > :19:43.is unfortunate that the noise of the storm stopped them regrouping
:19:43. > :19:53.after the battle. I still have not found Kremlin. -- Gremlin. Let's
:19:53. > :20:04.
:20:04. > :20:09.The next day, the troupe has regrouped. The fig tree is theirs.
:20:09. > :20:17.And the other troops have been vanquished. The family are relaxing,
:20:17. > :20:25.licking their wounds and re- establishing their bonds. His old
:20:25. > :20:33.female and heard little baby are safe. -- her baby. King hector is
:20:33. > :20:39.languishing in his victory, but what about Kremlin? Am concerned
:20:39. > :20:48.that I cannot see Gremlin. Lots of the key players are here. There is
:20:48. > :20:57.little Richard, Hector, but I have not seen Gremlin yet. Their Shias.
:20:57. > :21:06.Right on the edge of the group. -- there she is. She has made it home
:21:06. > :21:12.to her family in one piece. Gremlin has had a lucky escape, but she is
:21:12. > :21:18.no longer the naive little monkey she once was. She has had to grow
:21:18. > :21:22.up fast. Life for baby animals like her can often be short and brutal,
:21:22. > :21:28.but if she can learn her lessons well, then she might just be one of
:21:28. > :21:31.the lucky ones. Another big fright for little
:21:31. > :21:36.Gremlin, and for us. She keeps getting into these scrapes and then
:21:36. > :21:39.getting out just at the last moment. The thing is, at these times of
:21:40. > :21:43.intense competition for resources, we see these brutal clashes.
:21:43. > :21:47.Sometimes when a family as new mouths to feed, they have to risk
:21:47. > :21:53.everything if it means a guaranteed meal. Welcome back. You are live
:21:53. > :21:56.with me in Kenya. We are going to talk about elephants now. Out there,
:21:56. > :22:00.we have one that was having a scratch or trying to push down a
:22:00. > :22:06.tree a moment ago. That is going to be relevant in a few moments. The
:22:06. > :22:13.last time we met the newborn calf, Mayer, born into a herd that we
:22:13. > :22:17.know was hit hard by poachers. They lost all of their elders, and all
:22:17. > :22:27.of their wisdom and knowledge. Whilst here, we have seen them lose
:22:27. > :22:33.
:22:33. > :22:40.Maya's mother is only nine years old. She is an exceptionally young
:22:41. > :22:49.first-time mum, and Maya was born unusually small. When the crew came
:22:49. > :22:55.across her, Maya was only five or six hours old. Her mother took a
:22:55. > :23:02.while to find her feet as a mother. First, she did not even know to let
:23:02. > :23:06.Maya circle, and she left her baby exposed to the sun. In the heat of
:23:06. > :23:11.the day, Maya was at risk of heat exhaustion, but to the crew's
:23:11. > :23:15.relief, her mother led her to a wallow and called her down. This
:23:16. > :23:24.was Maya's first experience of water. It may well have saved her
:23:24. > :23:30.life. Meeting the rest of the herd for the first time is a big deal,
:23:30. > :23:35.especially for the other young females. 25-year-old Annie, one of
:23:35. > :23:38.the oldest in the family, wanted Maya to know their place. Maya's
:23:38. > :23:42.eyesight is poor, and she will follow other elephants, thinking
:23:42. > :23:52.they are her mother. Annie gives her a gentle nudge, as if to say,
:23:52. > :23:58.
:23:58. > :24:05.Elephants are born weak and vulnerable, and Maya had to grow up
:24:05. > :24:11.fast. An older car seemed to be bullying her, forever pulling her
:24:11. > :24:15.tail. -- calf. But as her strength and confidence grew, Maya started
:24:15. > :24:21.to play on her own terms and her personality began to shine through.
:24:21. > :24:26.At this stage, Maya is full of fun, enjoying exploring the world in her
:24:26. > :24:31.own unique way. Our cameraman, Warren, has been fascinated by this
:24:31. > :24:37.Karthik. One of the things that strikes me as just how small and
:24:37. > :24:42.elephant starts off in its life and how big it grows to. I have is one
:24:42. > :24:48.shot of his elephant calf between all of these legs. Having lost one
:24:48. > :24:51.calf, the family seemed determined to keep Maya safe from harm.
:24:51. > :24:58.think that is amazing, that the little calf lives among these
:24:58. > :25:03.mobile tree-trunks, and how gentle the adults are with their babies.
:25:03. > :25:09.Warren has watched Maya and her mother over their first 10 days, as
:25:09. > :25:12.they have bonded and survived against the odds. She is clearly
:25:12. > :25:17.getting more experienced and more confident with looking after this
:25:17. > :25:22.little baby, and it is lovely to see just how wonderful she is doing
:25:22. > :25:27.as a first-time mother. Maya has got through her most vulnerable
:25:28. > :25:31.time. But she still faces big challenges. The herd will have to
:25:31. > :25:37.cross the river soon to feed on the other side. And without the
:25:37. > :25:41.guidance of any Elders, mistakes could be made.
:25:42. > :25:45.I know! We are all hoping for the best. Warren will be with Maya
:25:45. > :25:48.pretty much constantly and we will give you the latest in the next
:25:48. > :25:52.show. You may have noticed that in all of the elephant herds and
:25:52. > :25:56.families that we follow her around, all of the adults are female. There
:25:56. > :25:59.is a good reason for that. That is because when male elephants reach
:25:59. > :26:05.maturity, they are no longer welcome in the family. Not
:26:05. > :26:09.surprising. Feisty is a nice way of putting it. Take this tree, for
:26:09. > :26:13.example. That is my tent, where I sleep. The other night, a male
:26:13. > :26:17.elephant came over here and just pushed the tree over, for no
:26:17. > :26:21.conceivable reason. He might as well have put a traffic cone on his
:26:21. > :26:25.head and danced down the High Street. But if you think that is
:26:25. > :26:31.bad, at certain times of year, what social niceties they do observe go
:26:31. > :26:35.clean-out of the window. Bull elephants are nomads, kicked out of
:26:35. > :26:42.the herd when they become teenagers, between 10 and 15 years old. They
:26:42. > :26:48.then spend most of the year roaming outside of the reserve. But in May,
:26:48. > :26:52.they return to the sanctuary of Samburu to mate. First, they have
:26:52. > :26:59.to work out who is boss. In a heightened state of sexual
:26:59. > :27:04.aggression, they size each other up. This can last for up to four months.
:27:04. > :27:09.In Samburu, it often occurs at the end of the rainy season, when more
:27:09. > :27:13.females are ready to breed. Modified sweat glands on their
:27:13. > :27:23.heads become inflamed and start to secrete a dark, oily and incredibly
:27:23. > :27:31.
:27:31. > :27:37.smelly substance. This sends out a Males in must are unpredictable,
:27:37. > :27:43.dominant, excitable and totally single-minded. And they have been
:27:43. > :27:53.known to destroy everything in their path. Sometimes young males
:27:53. > :27:53.
:27:53. > :28:00.-- sometimes they are killed by others. When they have court today
:28:00. > :28:08.female and are accepted, they get their reward. After nearly 22
:28:08. > :28:12.months, the longest pregnancy of any mammal, the calves are born.
:28:12. > :28:17.Because the males fight for the females, only the strongest get to
:28:17. > :28:21.mate. That is how it works. But there is a twist, because it is
:28:21. > :28:25.precisely those strong, big males, with the biggest tasks, that are
:28:25. > :28:30.killed for their ivory by poachers. If poaching continues to escalate
:28:30. > :28:34.at the current rate, the future of the elephant is in doubt. That is
:28:34. > :28:40.just a fact. Anyway, this is a patch showed tonight and here is
:28:40. > :28:46.what is coming up. -- a packed show. Still to come:
:28:46. > :28:56.Polar bear cubs face the harsh realities of life on the open ice.
:28:56. > :28:57.
:28:58. > :29:02.Swift and the rest of her family of Welcome back to Ely. The fires that
:29:02. > :29:06.have been raging here for the past few days have really pointed out
:29:06. > :29:09.another danger for the Black Bears. I want to know if June and her
:29:09. > :29:14.yearlings, Aster and Aspen are still together, or whether the
:29:14. > :29:18.yearlings were facing the fires on their own. I went back into the
:29:18. > :29:28.woods with Dr Lynn Rogers yesterday and something else was pointed out
:29:28. > :29:35.
:29:35. > :29:45.to me, something extraordinary, June is really making us work today.
:29:45. > :29:47.
:29:47. > :29:51.We have been going for about 40 minutes. Hello, little Aster.
:29:51. > :29:57.honestly did not think we would track the Bears today. They are
:29:57. > :30:05.still together. Two things I want to do. I want to take their heart
:30:05. > :30:15.rate, if I can, and I want to see if you've got any metal in you.
:30:15. > :30:17.
:30:17. > :30:23.June. It shows a red light. So that is a bullet? Yes, probably from a
:30:23. > :30:27.shotgun. Sometimes people, if they see a bear going through their yard,
:30:27. > :30:35.they are filled with fear. They have read too many wild stories
:30:35. > :30:38.about theirs. So they feel like they have got to shoot it. That is
:30:38. > :30:43.my goal in life, to have people understand them better, so they do
:30:43. > :30:47.not feel like they have to shoot every bear that they see. She is a
:30:47. > :30:53.really good mother. She is 11 years old. We have been watching her
:30:53. > :30:57.since she was four. She is your favourite? Yes, she really years.
:30:57. > :31:03.She has given us so much and I trust her more than any of the
:31:03. > :31:08.others. What you think makes her a special? The trust, the working
:31:08. > :31:12.relationship she has. She understands me, I understand her.
:31:12. > :31:18.How do you feel when you go over her with a metal detector and find
:31:18. > :31:21.bits of bullet? I just want people to learn the truth about them. And
:31:21. > :31:24.through this bear and a few others, we have learned the language, we
:31:24. > :31:28.can convey it to people. When people meet them, instead of
:31:28. > :31:34.misunderstanding them, they will know what they are saying. I am
:31:34. > :31:39.just looking for chances to show the world that. Thank you. Thank
:31:39. > :31:49.you. This could be the last time we see them together. We keep saying
:31:49. > :31:55.
:31:55. > :31:58.June is absolutely riddled with these pellets from a gun. Really,
:31:58. > :32:02.it's brought it home for us all here in the north Woods of
:32:02. > :32:05.Minnesota that yes the black bears are facing all the dangers, the
:32:05. > :32:08.predators, the fires, but the biggest threats of all to the black
:32:09. > :32:11.bears still is the humans. You heard Dr Lynn there talking about
:32:11. > :32:16.June. He thinks she is an exceptional bear, a special bear,
:32:16. > :32:22.some of the bears do have different personalities. June seems to be a
:32:22. > :32:26.very caring and very tolerant bear. Is that one of the reasons why she
:32:26. > :32:30.can't maybe do family break-up very well? Lily, her daughter, doesn't
:32:30. > :32:34.seem to have that problem. This is lily with her female cub Faith
:32:34. > :32:38.about three weeks ago, but once she decided to break up, that was it.
:32:38. > :32:43.On 7th May, she ousted Faith and they haven't been together since.
:32:43. > :32:47.Lily is now on her own and they think with a male, in the company
:32:47. > :32:50.of a male. She's behaving slightly differently, she's moving a lot
:32:50. > :32:55.more than normal and not foraging and sniffing almost everywhere she
:32:55. > :32:59.goes, so real indicators that perhaps she is with a male.
:32:59. > :33:05.Incredibly hard to film big males, very, very rare indeed. In his
:33:05. > :33:08.lifetime here in the woods, 45 years plus, Lynn Rogers has only
:33:08. > :33:13.seen a handful of males, so we thought our best chance of getting
:33:13. > :33:19.a male on camera would be to set up camera traps. That's what we got
:33:19. > :33:24.Max to do. He set them up over the past couple of nights. That is what
:33:24. > :33:29.we captured. The night before last this was. There is a racoon popping
:33:29. > :33:33.in to say hello. Did we get a male? Yes, we did. There he is. That is a
:33:33. > :33:38.male. He's an adolescent, not a big boy, possibly about three or four
:33:38. > :33:40.years old, old enough to mate but to do so, he'd have to be very
:33:40. > :33:45.cheeky because he's definitely not big enough to hold ground against
:33:45. > :33:49.the really big males in these woods. Speaking of the big males, we've
:33:49. > :33:59.got something very special to show you now, something very rare. This
:33:59. > :34:37.
:34:37. > :34:41.is two big males fighting. Watch That is incredible footage. Look at
:34:41. > :34:46.the size of the males. This is the skull of a male and this is the
:34:46. > :34:50.skull of a female. Look at the sagittal crest there where the jaw
:34:50. > :34:54.muscles cling on. Phenomenal difference. They really are very,
:34:54. > :34:59.very special creatures. That is what Asper and Aspen are facing.
:34:59. > :35:03.Now, we know that millions of you are following the flight of our
:35:03. > :35:07.meerkat family and in particular you're very keen to know what's
:35:07. > :35:13.happened to Ernesto. He was bitten by a venomous snake the last time
:35:13. > :35:16.you saw him. So what's gone on? The family are underground in a burrow
:35:16. > :35:21.spending the night in a rival meerkats' burrow. In the morning
:35:21. > :35:25.when they all came up, Ernesto was in a terrible state with a clear
:35:25. > :35:29.wound to the head where they think a cape cobra had bitten him. He
:35:29. > :35:33.looked at death's door. The family couldn't stay with him with four
:35:33. > :35:38.little pups to feed. They had to get out there foraging. Ernesto
:35:38. > :35:42.tried to keep up, bless him, but eventually fell behind and found an
:35:42. > :35:46.empty burrow where he could curl up quietly. We all know what we
:35:46. > :35:50.thought was going to happen then. We thought he died. Two days later
:35:50. > :35:55.when the family returned to their own burrow what they thought was an
:35:55. > :35:59.intruder turned out to be Ernesto still alive and, amazingly, he'd
:35:59. > :36:03.somehow dragged himself home. The very latest news oner knows toe
:36:03. > :36:09.from Toby and the team in South Africa is that Ernesto continues to
:36:09. > :36:15.recover slowly and is looking better -- news on Ernesto.
:36:15. > :36:20.What else is happening with the Whisker family in South Africa?
:36:20. > :36:24.Swift is a little meerkat with a big family living in the Southern
:36:24. > :36:29.Kalahari. This May has turned out to be a tough one for the Whiskers
:36:29. > :36:33.family. The rains failed and food supplies are running lower and
:36:33. > :36:37.lower. The dominant female is responsible for making sure Swift
:36:37. > :36:43.and the other pups get enough to eat. Recently, she's been forced to
:36:44. > :36:49.lead them deep into enemy territory. Cameraman Toby Strong has been
:36:49. > :36:53.following all their ups and downs. The Joe of their recent return home
:36:53. > :36:58.is short-lived. Whilst they were away, stealing food from someone
:36:58. > :37:03.else's la Da, the same was happening to them -- else's larder.
:37:03. > :37:09.Nicking each other's food is in the DNA of these creatures, but they
:37:09. > :37:13.hate it when it happens to them. The Whiskers have caught the swent
:37:13. > :37:16.of a rival group and they are furious -- scent. One of the
:37:17. > :37:23.families spots something. It could be their thieving neighbours
:37:23. > :37:27.returning for more. Straight towards the sand dunes to the north.
:37:27. > :37:31.I'm presuming it's another big group. Tails up and backs arched,
:37:31. > :37:39.this war dance is a visual show of strength to any rivals. The bigger
:37:39. > :37:44.the show, the better the chance of scaring off their rivals.
:37:44. > :37:48.This is a turning point for Swift. She's only seven weeks old. But if
:37:49. > :37:53.she's going to survive as a meerkat, she has to know how to defend the
:37:53. > :37:59.family's territory. These guys are all over the police.
:37:59. > :38:06.-- place. Swift and her sister right at the forefront. They know
:38:06. > :38:15.know fear. It's worked. The show of strength sent the opposition
:38:15. > :38:24.packing and dp swift has earned her stripes. They've now come across a
:38:24. > :38:34.bolt hole. A lot of sniffing, a lot of marking. Hyper aware, everyone
:38:34. > :38:35.
:38:35. > :38:43.keeping an eye. Tails up. Super, super... Emily doesn't like what
:38:43. > :38:49.she smells one little bit. They're all off. I've never seen them run
:38:49. > :38:55.this far, this fast. There is a very real danger there whatever it
:38:55. > :39:01.was. After intense danger like that, you
:39:01. > :39:06.can see everyone's playing, reaffirming contact touch. There is
:39:06. > :39:10.a huge release of energy. It's been a landmark day for Swift. She's
:39:10. > :39:13.learned how to defend her territory and, just as importantly, she's
:39:13. > :39:17.learned when to flee. And for a meerkat growing up in
:39:17. > :39:27.this tough little corner of Africa, that's the difference between life-
:39:27. > :39:31.
:39:31. > :39:35.An eventful day for Swift and family and the meerkat team will
:39:35. > :39:40.bring you a final update in the next show.
:39:40. > :39:46.Last time we heard how Moja might be directly descended from
:39:46. > :39:51.legendary lion Notch. Because Moja and his mum live as outcasts, his
:39:51. > :40:01.father and grandfather never just drop by. The situation is different
:40:01. > :40:09.
:40:09. > :40:14.There are eight cubs in this large extended family. They enjoy lots of
:40:14. > :40:20.rough-and-tumble as they ambush and stalk one another. Building up core
:40:20. > :40:27.muscle strength and honing their hunting skills.
:40:27. > :40:32.The mating ritual of a Jackson's widow bird is fascinating.
:40:32. > :40:37.But the highlight of the day is when their three dads pay them a
:40:37. > :40:47.visit. The males control two prides and divide their time between them.
:40:47. > :40:48.
:40:48. > :40:55.Everyone is happy to see them and Males play an active role in
:40:55. > :41:00.bringing up their own cubs. They want to make sure their offspring
:41:00. > :41:07.survive. These battle-scarred bruisers look
:41:07. > :41:17.like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. But it's
:41:17. > :41:31.
:41:31. > :41:41.hard to get a moment's peace with It's what happens next that really
:41:41. > :41:49.cements the difference between these cubs and Moja. The whole
:41:49. > :41:53.pride begins to roar. It's a phenomenal sound. The whole family
:41:53. > :41:56.are saying, we are back together and we are strong. It's for their
:41:56. > :42:02.neighbours' benefit as much as their own.
:42:02. > :42:12.The cubs try to join in. But it's more of a miaow than a
:42:12. > :42:18.
:42:18. > :42:23.Ten miles away, Moja and Nyota don't make a sound.
:42:23. > :42:28.Roaring is all about territory and they are always trespassing.
:42:28. > :42:36.They don't want anyone to know where they are.
:42:36. > :42:40.They live their lives in silence. The thing is, not only are Moja and
:42:40. > :42:45.Nyota forced to live in silence, they are forced to hunt in the day.
:42:45. > :42:49.The fact that she's so successful is a very strong testament indeed
:42:49. > :42:52.to Nyota's skill because, in the savannah, it's when the sun goes
:42:52. > :42:56.down that the lions come into their own.
:42:56. > :43:00.The lions are desuened to hunt at night.
:43:00. > :43:06.-- designed to hunt at night. The white fur under their eyes acts
:43:06. > :43:13.like a mirror reflecting all available light up into their eyes.
:43:13. > :43:23.They have more light sensitive reSeptemberors -- recentors and a
:43:23. > :43:24.
:43:25. > :43:33.special filter allows more light in but less light out.
:43:33. > :43:37.-- receptos. At night, lions are hidden from their quarrifplt --
:43:37. > :43:43.their quarry. Grazers can see for miles in the day, but in low light,
:43:43. > :43:51.lions can creep up unseen. They are sprinters with awesome
:43:51. > :44:01.acceleration, but they have to be close to catch such speedy prey.
:44:01. > :44:09.
:44:09. > :44:14.They approach with incredible The night truly belongs to the lion.
:44:14. > :44:18.We here lions out there roaring from here in our camp pretty much
:44:18. > :44:22.every night. Jackson decided it was time for me to get closer to the
:44:22. > :44:32.action and spend a night out there in the middle of a pride's
:44:32. > :44:33.
:44:33. > :44:38.I'll be honest, I've been really looking forward to this because I
:44:38. > :44:43.like a camping trip, I've packed my bag, got everything with me. What
:44:43. > :44:53.kind of camping will it be? Drastic. Hopefully not too bad rustic. Just
:44:53. > :44:54.
:44:54. > :45:04.a bit out of your comfort zone. We are going to be out in lion
:45:04. > :45:07.
:45:07. > :45:13.Jackson, what is to stop them eating, say, me? To be honest, you
:45:13. > :45:19.don't taste good. That's good. That's OK, I don't mind that.
:45:19. > :45:24.the Masai Mara, they have developed a fear of humans. But at night,
:45:25. > :45:34.they become bold, curious. They tend to become a completely
:45:35. > :45:54.
:45:54. > :46:03.As the Lions get ready for a busy night, Jackson roasts mutton over
:46:03. > :46:08.the fire. The smell of the meek will attract lions, hyenas,
:46:08. > :46:13.leopards, every other predator will be crawling. -- the smell of the
:46:13. > :46:18.meat. Just guess how many animals are looking at us right now. To be
:46:18. > :46:28.honest, I did not want to guess, but the thermal camera confirmed my
:46:28. > :46:34.
:46:34. > :46:44.unnerving sense of being watched. That's another one. Another one.
:46:44. > :46:45.
:46:45. > :46:49.And that is close. Fantastic. I so enjoy that sound. A roaring lion
:46:49. > :46:59.can be heard at least five miles away. At night, it is all about
:46:59. > :47:03.
:47:03. > :47:08.letting other Lions know that Are they flanking us? We are
:47:08. > :47:18.surrounded. Yes, that is exactly what I didn't want to hear you say,
:47:18. > :47:25.
:47:25. > :47:31.OK? The Masai people have their own translation of what it means.
:47:31. > :47:38.did you come here? This is my territory. This is my territory.
:47:38. > :47:48.I'm rule, I rule, I rule. That is what they are talking about right
:47:48. > :47:51.
:47:51. > :47:57.now. That is a hyena. OK. The first one is asking us any questions.
:47:57. > :48:04.They are asking us, what have you left behind? We are not likely to
:48:04. > :48:09.see Moja's mum out here at night. No, her main priority at the moment
:48:09. > :48:13.is her son, Moja. So she is hunting during the day, while the other
:48:13. > :48:20.predators, the Lions, the hyenas, they are all nocturnal, as you can
:48:20. > :48:30.see. And then she goes back and sleeps during the night. The
:48:30. > :48:39.
:48:39. > :48:41.It was magical, thrilling, completely unforgettable. It is
:48:42. > :48:46.interesting how much we are learning about lions by watching
:48:46. > :48:50.what Moja and Nyota do not do. They do not raw, they do not hunt at
:48:50. > :48:54.night, do not interact with other lions. None of that means they will
:48:54. > :48:57.not make it. They are sleeping, staying safe and the film crews
:48:57. > :49:01.will catch up with them tomorrow for the final instalment in our
:49:01. > :49:05.next show. Now, from Africa to the Arctic. That is where Gordon
:49:05. > :49:15.Buchanan spent the spring following newborn bear cubs. This is the
:49:15. > :49:26.
:49:26. > :49:35.Up in the Arctic, Micky and Luca have been out of the day and for
:49:35. > :49:45.five days. -- out of the Den. Like most toddlers, they are enjoying
:49:45. > :49:46.
:49:46. > :49:50.exploring the new world. But for their mum, Lyra, it is decision
:49:50. > :50:00.time. Should she leave the safety of the den and risk the lives of
:50:00. > :50:03.
:50:03. > :50:10.her cubs, or stay and staff? -- Look! I think it is getting closer
:50:10. > :50:17.to the stage when they are going to disappear. This is what happens. It
:50:17. > :50:22.starts off very, very slowly, a little bit of exercise. And then
:50:22. > :50:32.suddenly, the mother will decide the cubs are ready to walk, and she
:50:32. > :50:34.
:50:34. > :50:40.At the moment, Micky and Luca are unaware of the perils that lie
:50:40. > :50:46.ahead. With every young animal, every little bit of play is an
:50:46. > :50:56.important lesson. Over the next year, these cubs are going to have
:50:56. > :50:57.
:50:57. > :51:03.to walk hundreds of miles, over snow and ice. Wow! Just sliding
:51:03. > :51:08.down the slope. This rough and tumble will help to strengthen
:51:08. > :51:13.their muscles for the long trek to the hunting grounds. Lyra must find
:51:13. > :51:18.food if she is to continue to provide them with milk. Like all
:51:18. > :51:24.polar bears, she hunts out on the sea ice. But this year, very little
:51:24. > :51:29.has formed. This will make hunting very difficult. You forget,
:51:29. > :51:34.watching them playing on the slope, that they have hard times ahead of
:51:34. > :51:44.them. They have incredibly hard times ahead of them. She is not
:51:44. > :51:49.
:51:49. > :51:54.going to want them to go too far. There is a lone male on the ice
:51:54. > :52:00.below. He is hunting seals, but if he catches their scent, Micky and
:52:00. > :52:10.Luca are in big trouble. He will attack them. He can smell a seal
:52:10. > :52:10.
:52:10. > :52:16.under the ice. But the ice is too thick to break through. Micky and
:52:16. > :52:21.Blucher would make a much easier meal. -- Micky and Luca. Especially
:52:21. > :52:25.now that their mum is finally ready to start her journey. I think I
:52:26. > :52:31.know what is going through her mind. One, I have to look after my cubs.
:52:31. > :52:37.Two, I am hungry. Adults polar bears can easily cover 50 miles
:52:37. > :52:45.each day. At three months old, Micky and Luca are going to have to
:52:45. > :52:55.work hard. It is epic to see these tiny animals just setting out on
:52:55. > :53:16.
:53:16. > :53:20.This is a journey that will last the rest of their lives.
:53:20. > :53:25.Well, there is no doubt that little Micky and Luca face a very
:53:25. > :53:29.uncertain future. Lyra, their mum, has to eat. She has lost almost
:53:29. > :53:35.half her body weight during the Arctic winter. An average polar
:53:35. > :53:39.bear needs to eat about 50 seals each year in order to survive. It
:53:39. > :53:49.is the largest land carnivore on the planet. Let's put that into
:53:49. > :53:49.
:53:49. > :53:59.some perspective. A large male polar bear in his prime will
:53:59. > :54:04.
:54:04. > :54:07.weigh... 270 kilos is what a large bear here will way, so a big polar
:54:07. > :54:14.bear is three times that size. Absolutely enormous. While Gordon
:54:14. > :54:18.has been filming, they have also been darting and sedating the
:54:18. > :54:21.mother, so they can fit her with a radio collar. Those Collor's work
:54:21. > :54:31.in exactly the same way as the Black Bear collars. You can see
:54:31. > :54:34.
:54:35. > :54:37.that Micky and Luca are attached to mum, so that they do not wander off.
:54:37. > :54:42.There are more black bears in Minnesota than polar bears left in
:54:42. > :54:52.the world, so that is vital data. This also gave Gordon a chance to
:54:52. > :55:01.
:55:01. > :55:06.get close to a polar bear. Can I come in closer? Yes. Hello.
:55:06. > :55:10.These cards are in perfect health, incredibly healthy. I have just
:55:10. > :55:15.been told that this is not her first litter. And that is a great
:55:15. > :55:25.thing for the cubs. If she has raised cubs before, their chance of
:55:25. > :55:30.
:55:30. > :55:34.How does it sound if I follow you around? That would be nice,
:55:34. > :55:40.wouldn't it? We could become good friends until you get big enough to
:55:40. > :55:44.eat me! They have a very, very long road
:55:44. > :55:48.ahead of them, those little polar bear cubs. But thanks to the radio
:55:48. > :55:52.collars, Gordon will be able to follow them almost every step of
:55:52. > :55:56.the way through this very tough Arctic summer. If you want to
:55:56. > :56:00.continue to keep up with their story, keep watching the BBC,
:56:00. > :56:03.because Gordon's series will be coming on towards the end of the
:56:03. > :56:07.year. Watch out for that, Gordon and the polar bears. The polar
:56:07. > :56:11.bears are not the only animals that will be spending the summer in the
:56:11. > :56:14.Arctic. We have been following migrating gray whales from here as
:56:14. > :56:19.well, heading up the Pacific coast to Arctic waters where they will be
:56:19. > :56:22.feeding. They are very rich feeding grounds for gray whales. Along the
:56:22. > :56:28.way, they have been doing everything they can to avoid pods
:56:29. > :56:32.of killer whales that attack them and take the cards. -- take their
:56:32. > :56:36.calves. Hopefully, on our last show on Thursday, we can bring you
:56:36. > :56:40.footage of the gray whales in their First feeding ground, just off
:56:40. > :56:45.Vancouver Island. We have a team setting off to get those pictures.
:56:45. > :56:50.Hopefully that will be in our final show on Thursday. Also in our final
:56:50. > :56:55.show - I cannot believe the series is nearly over - we will be finding
:56:55. > :57:00.out if Aster and Aspen have finally broken up. Will they, won't they?
:57:00. > :57:03.They are still together at the moment, that is the news Justin.
:57:03. > :57:07.And little Sybil, she has been going from strength to strength.
:57:07. > :57:14.Will she make it through the summer? How cute is that? We hope
:57:14. > :57:18.she will do. And the male bears, roaming, prowling, moving in on the
:57:18. > :57:23.ladies. We will see if we can get one on camera. We are doing our
:57:23. > :57:26.very best on Planet Earth alive. We are very near the end of this
:57:26. > :57:34.show and the series. And there are still so many questions left
:57:35. > :57:40.unanswered. With cubs astern Aspen still
:57:40. > :57:45.hanging around their mum, will it be a violent break-up for June's
:57:45. > :57:52.family. What about baby Gremlin? After the fight between her troupe
:57:52. > :57:56.and a rival gang, she had a lucky escape, but she remains vulnerable.
:57:56. > :58:01.And will lion cub Moja and his remarkable mum beat the odds and
:58:01. > :58:05.survive their life on the run? Remember, you can keep up to date
:58:05. > :58:10.with all of our stories and share the adventure on our website, one
:58:10. > :58:16.Twitter and on Facebook. And that is it for tonight. But
:58:16. > :58:21.remember, as always, the stories go on. Moja and Nyota are out there