Mountains

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0:00:28 > 0:00:33Human beings venture into the highest parts of our planet at their peril.

0:00:33 > 0:00:37Some might think that by climbing a great mountain,

0:00:37 > 0:00:38they have somehow conquered it.

0:00:38 > 0:00:41But we can only be visitors here.

0:00:44 > 0:00:48This is a frozen, alien world.

0:00:59 > 0:01:02This is the other extreme -

0:01:02 > 0:01:05one of the lowest, hottest places on Earth.

0:01:12 > 0:01:16It's over 100 metres below the level of the sea.

0:01:16 > 0:01:19But here a mountain is in gestation.

0:01:19 > 0:01:22Pools of sulphuric acid are indications

0:01:22 > 0:01:26that, deep underground, there are titanic stirrings.

0:01:32 > 0:01:36This is the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia,

0:01:36 > 0:01:39lying within a colossal rent in the Earth's surface,

0:01:39 > 0:01:42where giant land masses are pulling away from one another.

0:01:45 > 0:01:49Lava rises to the surface through this crack in the crust,

0:01:49 > 0:01:52creating a chain of young volcanoes.

0:02:03 > 0:02:06This one, Erta Ale,

0:02:06 > 0:02:11is today the longest continually-erupting volcano on the planet,

0:02:11 > 0:02:15a lake of lava that has been molten for over 100 years.

0:02:26 > 0:02:32These same volcanic forces also created Ethiopia's highlands.

0:02:39 > 0:02:4070 million years ago,

0:02:40 > 0:02:45this land was just as flat and as deep as the Danakil Depression.

0:02:48 > 0:02:51Molten lava, rising from the Earth's core,

0:02:51 > 0:02:55forced up a huge dome of rock 500 miles wide -

0:02:55 > 0:02:57the Roof of Africa.

0:03:04 > 0:03:07Over millennia, rain and ice carved the rock

0:03:07 > 0:03:11into a landscape of spires and canyons.

0:03:16 > 0:03:19These summits, nearly three miles up,

0:03:19 > 0:03:24are home to some very remarkable mountaineers...

0:03:24 > 0:03:26gelada baboons.

0:03:26 > 0:03:30They are unique to the highlands of Ethiopia.

0:03:43 > 0:03:47The cliffs where they sleep are for expert climbers only

0:03:47 > 0:03:50and geladas certainly have the right equipment -

0:03:50 > 0:03:55the strongest fingers of any primate and an utterly fearless disposition.

0:03:58 > 0:04:03But you need more than a head for heights to survive up here.

0:04:03 > 0:04:07A day in the geladas' life reveals how they have risen to the challenge.

0:04:20 > 0:04:22For all monkeys,

0:04:22 > 0:04:24morning is grooming time -

0:04:24 > 0:04:27a chance to catch up with friends.

0:04:27 > 0:04:29But unlike other monkeys,

0:04:29 > 0:04:32geladas chatter constantly while they do it.

0:04:34 > 0:04:38It's a great way to network while your hands are busy.

0:04:38 > 0:04:43These socials can't go on for too long.

0:04:43 > 0:04:47Geladas have a busy daily schedule and there is work to be done.

0:04:51 > 0:04:53Most monkeys could not live up here.

0:04:53 > 0:04:57There is no fruit and few insects to feed on.

0:04:57 > 0:04:58But geladas are unique.

0:04:58 > 0:05:01They are the only monkeys in the world

0:05:01 > 0:05:03to live almost entirely on grass.

0:05:14 > 0:05:18They live in the largest assemblies formed by any monkeys.

0:05:18 > 0:05:20Some groups are 800 strong...

0:05:20 > 0:05:23and they crop the high meadows like herds of wildebeest.

0:05:35 > 0:05:39The geladas graze alongside Walia ibex,

0:05:39 > 0:05:42which are also unique to these highlands.

0:05:46 > 0:05:49These rare creatures are usually very shy,

0:05:49 > 0:05:53but they drop their guard when the geladas are around.

0:05:56 > 0:06:00You might expect that grazers would avoid each other's patch,

0:06:00 > 0:06:05but this is a special alliance from which both partners benefit.

0:06:05 > 0:06:08It's not so risky to put your head down...

0:06:08 > 0:06:10if others are on the look-out.

0:06:11 > 0:06:14Ethiopian wolves.

0:06:14 > 0:06:17They won't attempt an attack in broad daylight.

0:06:21 > 0:06:25But, at dusk, the plateau becomes a more dangerous place.

0:06:28 > 0:06:31With the grazing largely over,

0:06:31 > 0:06:33there is a last chance to socialise

0:06:33 > 0:06:36before returning to the sleeping cliffs.

0:06:51 > 0:06:54BABOONS HOWL

0:06:54 > 0:06:58An early warning system puts everyone on the alert.

0:07:22 > 0:07:25BABOONS HOWL

0:07:47 > 0:07:53Their day ends as it began, safe on the steep cliffs.

0:08:00 > 0:08:03The Ethiopian volcanoes are dormant,

0:08:03 > 0:08:07but elsewhere, others still rage.

0:08:19 > 0:08:22Volcanoes form the backbone

0:08:22 > 0:08:24of the longest mountain chain on our planet -

0:08:24 > 0:08:27the Andes of South America.

0:08:28 > 0:08:32This vast range stretches 5,000 miles

0:08:32 > 0:08:34from the equator down to the Antarctic.

0:08:35 > 0:08:39It formed as the floor of the Pacific Ocean

0:08:39 > 0:08:43slid beneath the South American continent, buckling its edge.

0:08:54 > 0:08:58At the southern end stand the mountains of Patagonia.

0:09:01 > 0:09:03It's high summer.

0:09:04 > 0:09:07WIND WHISTLES

0:09:07 > 0:09:12But the Andes have the most unstable mountain weather on the planet

0:09:12 > 0:09:15and storms can erupt without warning.

0:09:17 > 0:09:21Temperatures plummet and guanacos and their newborn young

0:09:21 > 0:09:24must suddenly endure a blizzard.

0:09:36 > 0:09:41Truly, all seasons in one day.

0:09:51 > 0:09:53A puma...

0:09:53 > 0:09:55the lion of the Andes.

0:10:01 > 0:10:05Pumas are usually solitary and secretive.

0:10:05 > 0:10:10To see a group walking boldly in the open is extremely rare.

0:10:21 > 0:10:25It's a family - a mother with four cubs.

0:10:25 > 0:10:28She has just one brief summer

0:10:28 > 0:10:32in which to teach them their mountain survival techniques.

0:10:44 > 0:10:50Rearing four cubs to this age is an exceptional feat,

0:10:50 > 0:10:54but she does have an excellent territory, rich in food and water.

0:10:57 > 0:11:01Although the cubs are now as large as their mother,

0:11:01 > 0:11:03they still rely on her for their food.

0:12:24 > 0:12:30It will be another year before the cubs can hunt for themselves.

0:12:40 > 0:12:43Without their mother's skill and experience,

0:12:43 > 0:12:46they would never survive their first winter.

0:13:05 > 0:13:09Battered by hurricane-force winds,

0:13:09 > 0:13:11these slopes are now lifeless.

0:13:14 > 0:13:18Further north, they hold other dangers.

0:13:48 > 0:13:52Moving at 250mph,

0:13:52 > 0:13:55an avalanche destroys everything in its path.

0:14:15 > 0:14:17In the American Rockies,

0:14:17 > 0:14:21100,000 avalanches devastate the slopes every winter.

0:14:24 > 0:14:30This huge mountain chain continues the great spine

0:14:30 > 0:14:32that runs from Patagonia to Alaska.

0:14:51 > 0:14:53The slopes of the Rockies, bleak though they are,

0:14:53 > 0:14:58provide a winter refuge for some animals.

0:15:00 > 0:15:03A mother grizzly emerges from her den

0:15:03 > 0:15:06after six months dozing underground.

0:15:06 > 0:15:08Her two cubs follow her

0:15:08 > 0:15:11and take their first steps in the outside world.

0:15:25 > 0:15:29These steep slopes provide a sanctuary for the cubs.

0:15:29 > 0:15:32A male bear would kill and eat them, given the chance,

0:15:32 > 0:15:36but big animals find it difficult to get about here.

0:15:36 > 0:15:39Males may be twice the size of a female

0:15:39 > 0:15:41and even she can have problems.

0:15:54 > 0:15:58Her cubs, however, make light of the snow...

0:15:58 > 0:16:00and of life in general.

0:16:13 > 0:16:16But the mother faces a dilemma.

0:16:16 > 0:16:19It is six months since she last fed

0:16:19 > 0:16:22and her milk is starting to run dry.

0:16:22 > 0:16:25She must soon leave the safety of these nursery slopes

0:16:25 > 0:16:28and lead her cubs away from the mountain.

0:16:28 > 0:16:33If she delays, the whole family will risk starvation.

0:17:00 > 0:17:03Summer reveals the true nature of the Rockies.

0:17:12 > 0:17:14Stripped of snow,

0:17:14 > 0:17:17the peaks bare their sculpted forms.

0:17:19 > 0:17:23Only now can mountaineers reclaim the upper reaches.

0:17:53 > 0:17:55Two miles up,

0:17:55 > 0:18:00the crumbling precipices seem devoid of life.

0:18:09 > 0:18:12But there ARE animals here.

0:18:30 > 0:18:32A grizzly bear.

0:18:32 > 0:18:37It seems to be an odd creature to find on these high rocky slopes.

0:18:40 > 0:18:44It is hard to imagine what could have attracted it here.

0:18:58 > 0:19:00At this time of the year,

0:19:00 > 0:19:04bears should be fattening up for the winter,

0:19:04 > 0:19:08yet they gather in some numbers on these apparently barren slopes.

0:19:21 > 0:19:24They are searching for a rather unusual food.

0:19:26 > 0:19:27Moths!

0:19:27 > 0:19:31Millions have flown up here to escape the heat of the lowlands

0:19:31 > 0:19:34and they are now roosting among the rocks.

0:19:36 > 0:19:40Moths may seem a meagre meal for a bear,

0:19:40 > 0:19:42but their bodies are rich in fat

0:19:42 > 0:19:46and can make all the difference in a bear's annual struggle for survival.

0:19:49 > 0:19:52Another battle is being waged here,

0:19:52 > 0:19:55but on a much longer timescale.

0:19:55 > 0:19:59These loose boulders are the mountain's crumbling bones.

0:19:59 > 0:20:04The Rockies are no longer rising, but slowly disintegrating.

0:20:09 > 0:20:11All mountains, everywhere,

0:20:11 > 0:20:15are being worn down by frost, snow and ice.

0:20:21 > 0:20:25The Alps were raised some 15 million years ago

0:20:25 > 0:20:27as Africa, drifting northwards,

0:20:27 > 0:20:29collided with the southern edge of Europe.

0:20:35 > 0:20:40These spires are the eroded remains of an ancient sea bed

0:20:40 > 0:20:43that once stretched between the two continents.

0:20:59 > 0:21:03But these are just the Alpine foothills.

0:21:03 > 0:21:08The range at its centre rises to three miles high

0:21:08 > 0:21:11and is crowned with permanent snows.

0:21:23 > 0:21:29The Matterhorn - its summit too steep to hold a snowfield.

0:21:37 > 0:21:41Mont Blanc - the highest peak in western Europe.

0:21:54 > 0:21:57The distinctive jagged shapes of the Alps

0:21:57 > 0:22:02were carved by those great mountain sculptors...the glaciers.

0:22:08 > 0:22:12Immense rivers of moving ice, laden with rock,

0:22:12 > 0:22:17grind their way down the mountains, gouging out deep valleys.

0:22:23 > 0:22:27They are the most powerful erosive force on our planet.

0:22:36 > 0:22:40A moulin - a shaft in the ice opened by melt water

0:22:40 > 0:22:43as it plunges into the depths of the glacier.

0:22:58 > 0:23:03Like the water running through it, the ice itself is constantly moving,

0:23:03 > 0:23:06flowing down the valley with unstoppable force.

0:23:24 > 0:23:27Alpine glaciers may seem immense,

0:23:27 > 0:23:30but they are dwarfed by those in the great ranges

0:23:30 > 0:23:34that divide the Indian sub-continent from Tibet.

0:23:37 > 0:23:43This is the boulder-strewn snout of the giant Baltoro Glacier

0:23:43 > 0:23:46in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan.

0:23:54 > 0:23:58It's the biggest mountain glacier on Earth,

0:23:58 > 0:24:0243 miles long and over three miles wide.

0:24:02 > 0:24:05This huge ice-filled valley is so large

0:24:05 > 0:24:08it is clearly visible from space.

0:24:30 > 0:24:34This is the greatest concentration of peaks over five miles high

0:24:34 > 0:24:37to be found anywhere on Earth.

0:24:40 > 0:24:43They are the most dangerous mountains of all.

0:24:43 > 0:24:46K2 and her sister peaks

0:24:46 > 0:24:49have claimed more lives than any others.

0:25:00 > 0:25:03The peaks here rise so precipitously,

0:25:03 > 0:25:06the glaciers are so steep and crevassed,

0:25:06 > 0:25:09that few except the most skilled mountaineers

0:25:09 > 0:25:12can penetrate these ranges.

0:25:14 > 0:25:17Markhor gather for their annual rut.

0:25:29 > 0:25:32Males must fight for the right to breed,

0:25:32 > 0:25:38but on these sheer cliffs, any slip by either animal could be fatal.

0:25:48 > 0:25:50A snow leopard -

0:25:50 > 0:25:53the rarest of Himalayan animals.

0:25:53 > 0:25:56It's a female returning to her lair.

0:26:07 > 0:26:10These are the first intimate images

0:26:10 > 0:26:13of snow leopard ever filmed in the wild.

0:26:23 > 0:26:25She greets her one-year-old cub.

0:26:30 > 0:26:32Her den is well chosen.

0:26:32 > 0:26:36It has exceptional views of the surrounding cliffs.

0:26:39 > 0:26:41On these treacherous slopes,

0:26:41 > 0:26:45no hunter other than the snow leopard would have a chance

0:26:45 > 0:26:48of catching such agile prey.

0:26:54 > 0:26:57A female with young makes an easier target.

0:27:16 > 0:27:19Her large paws give an excellent grip

0:27:19 > 0:27:23and that long tail helps her balance.

0:27:31 > 0:27:36Silently, she positions herself above her prey.

0:28:36 > 0:28:39She returns...with nothing.

0:29:09 > 0:29:12Golden eagles patrol these cliffs,

0:29:12 > 0:29:14in search of the weak or injured.

0:29:34 > 0:29:36With a two-metre wingspan,

0:29:36 > 0:29:40this bird could easily take a young markhor.

0:29:43 > 0:29:45Eagles hunt by sight

0:29:45 > 0:29:49and the thickening veil of snow forces them to give up

0:30:04 > 0:30:08For the leopard, the snow provides cover

0:30:08 > 0:30:10and creates an opportunity.

0:30:28 > 0:30:32The worsening weather dampens the sound of her approach,

0:30:32 > 0:30:36allowing her to get within striking distance.

0:30:53 > 0:30:57It was an act of desperation to try and catch such a large animal.

0:31:06 > 0:31:09Wolves have made a kill,

0:31:09 > 0:31:12giving other hunters a chance to scavenge.

0:31:27 > 0:31:31The worst of the blizzard brings success for the snow leopard,

0:31:31 > 0:31:34but having descended so far to make the kill,

0:31:34 > 0:31:38she has a gruelling climb to get back to her lair.

0:31:52 > 0:31:54The cub must be patient.

0:31:54 > 0:31:57It will be a year before it has the strength and skill

0:31:57 > 0:32:00to kill for itself on these difficult slopes.

0:32:24 > 0:32:29The snow leopard is an almost mythical creature,

0:32:29 > 0:32:30an icon of the wilderness,

0:32:30 > 0:32:33an animal few humans have ever glimpsed

0:32:33 > 0:32:36for its world is one we seldom visit.

0:32:45 > 0:32:48The Karakoram lie at the western end of a range

0:32:48 > 0:32:52that stretches across a tenth of our planet...

0:32:52 > 0:32:54the Himalayas.

0:33:03 > 0:33:08These, the highest mountains in the world, like other great ranges,

0:33:08 > 0:33:12were created by the collision of continents.

0:33:14 > 0:33:16Some 50 million years ago,

0:33:16 > 0:33:18India collided with Tibet,

0:33:18 > 0:33:22thrusting up these immense peaks which are still rising.

0:33:27 > 0:33:32This vast barrier of rock and ice is so colossal,

0:33:32 > 0:33:35it shapes the world's climate.

0:33:36 > 0:33:40Warm winds from India, full of moisture,

0:33:40 > 0:33:42are forced upwards by the Himalayas.

0:33:42 > 0:33:45As the air rises, so it cools,

0:33:45 > 0:33:49causing clouds to form and the monsoon is born.

0:34:27 > 0:34:31At high altitudes, the monsoon rains fall as snow.

0:34:32 > 0:34:35Here at the far eastern end of the range, in China,

0:34:35 > 0:34:40one inhabitant endures the bitter winters out in the open.

0:34:47 > 0:34:51Most other bears would be sleeping underground by now,

0:34:51 > 0:34:55but the giant panda can't fatten up enough to hibernate.

0:34:58 > 0:35:03Its food, bamboo, on which it totally relies,

0:35:03 > 0:35:05has so little nutritional value

0:35:05 > 0:35:09that it can't build up a store of fat like other bears.

0:35:11 > 0:35:15Most of the creatures here move up or down the slopes with the seasons,

0:35:15 > 0:35:19but the panda is held captive by its diet,

0:35:19 > 0:35:22for the kind of bamboo it eats only grows at this altitude.

0:35:30 > 0:35:35These forests hold fewer challenges for the more mobile.

0:35:38 > 0:35:44The golden snub-nosed monkey, like the giant panda, lives only in China.

0:35:46 > 0:35:49Their thick fur allows them

0:35:49 > 0:35:52to survive at greater altitudes than any other monkey

0:35:52 > 0:35:56and when the cold bites, they have these upper slopes to themselves.

0:36:04 > 0:36:06Even if you have a warm coat,

0:36:06 > 0:36:09it apparently helps to surround yourself

0:36:09 > 0:36:11with as many layers as possible.

0:36:12 > 0:36:15But at least these monkeys have a choice.

0:36:15 > 0:36:19If they tire of tree bark and other survival food,

0:36:19 > 0:36:22they can always descend to lower, warmer altitudes

0:36:22 > 0:36:24and not return until spring.

0:36:28 > 0:36:33As the snows retreat, trees come into bloom.

0:36:38 > 0:36:40Cherry blossom.

0:36:43 > 0:36:45Rhododendrons.

0:36:45 > 0:36:48Here in their natural home, they form great forests

0:36:48 > 0:36:51and fill the landscape with the colours of a new season.

0:37:10 > 0:37:16These forests are host to a rich variety of springtime migrants.

0:37:30 > 0:37:34Beneath the blooms, another display.

0:37:37 > 0:37:40It's the mating season for oriental pheasants...

0:37:40 > 0:37:42Himalayan monal...

0:37:46 > 0:37:48..tragopan...

0:37:48 > 0:37:49and blood pheasant.

0:37:57 > 0:38:02Musk deer make the most of a short flush of spring foods.

0:38:04 > 0:38:07This male smells a potential mate.

0:38:22 > 0:38:24The red panda...

0:38:24 > 0:38:26rarely glimpsed in the wild.

0:38:26 > 0:38:29It was once considered a kind of raccoon,

0:38:29 > 0:38:32but is now believed to be a small mountain bear.

0:38:42 > 0:38:46By midsummer, its larger, more famous relative

0:38:46 > 0:38:49has retreated into a cave.

0:39:03 > 0:39:07A giant panda nurses a tiny week-old baby.

0:39:14 > 0:39:18Her tender cleaning wards off infection.

0:39:29 > 0:39:34She won't leave this cave for three weeks,

0:39:34 > 0:39:38not while her cub is so utterly helpless.

0:39:47 > 0:39:49Progress is slow,

0:39:49 > 0:39:54for milk produced on a diet of bamboo is wretchedly poor.

0:40:01 > 0:40:05Four weeks old and the cub is still blind.

0:40:13 > 0:40:16Its eyes do not fully open

0:40:16 > 0:40:19until three months after birth.

0:40:19 > 0:40:24But the chances of the cub reaching adulthood are slim.

0:40:28 > 0:40:31The struggle of a giant panda mother to raise her cub

0:40:31 > 0:40:34is a touching symbol

0:40:34 > 0:40:37of the precariousness of life in the mountains.

0:40:47 > 0:40:53On the highest summits of our planet, nothing can live permanently.

0:40:57 > 0:41:00The highest peak of all, Mount Everest,

0:41:00 > 0:41:04five and a half miles above sea level and still rising.

0:41:04 > 0:41:06The roof of our world.

0:41:08 > 0:41:11Of those humans who have tried to climb it,

0:41:11 > 0:41:14one in ten have lost their lives.

0:41:14 > 0:41:20Those that succeed can stand for only a few moments on its summit.

0:41:20 > 0:41:26The Nepalese call it "a mountain so high no bird can fly above it".

0:41:32 > 0:41:34But each year,

0:41:34 > 0:41:37over 50,000 demoiselle cranes

0:41:37 > 0:41:41set out on one of the most challenging migrations on Earth.

0:41:43 > 0:41:47To reach their overwintering grounds in India,

0:41:47 > 0:41:49they must cross the Himalayas.

0:41:56 > 0:42:00By late morning, ferocious winds are roaring past the peaks.

0:42:00 > 0:42:05The cranes must gain height to avoid the building storm.

0:42:33 > 0:42:37They've hit serious turbulence.

0:42:40 > 0:42:45They must turn back or risk death.

0:43:18 > 0:43:23A new day and a new opportunity.

0:43:23 > 0:43:27The flock stay in close contact by calling to one another.

0:43:36 > 0:43:40Weak from lack of food and water, they use thermals -

0:43:40 > 0:43:42rising columns of warm air -

0:43:42 > 0:43:44to gain height.

0:44:00 > 0:44:05For many, this is their first journey across the Himalayas.

0:44:05 > 0:44:09For some, it will be their last.

0:44:17 > 0:44:21The golden eagles have been expecting them.

0:44:31 > 0:44:36The eagles work in pairs to separate a young crane from the flock.

0:45:21 > 0:45:23It escapes the clutches of one...

0:45:23 > 0:45:25and is caught by another.

0:45:28 > 0:45:32But even a young crane is a heavy prize

0:45:32 > 0:45:36and the eagle has to struggle to control it.

0:45:54 > 0:45:57The mother can wait no longer.

0:45:57 > 0:46:00This is a desperate race against worsening weather.

0:46:06 > 0:46:10The rest of the flock battle on.

0:46:14 > 0:46:15In the final ascent,

0:46:15 > 0:46:19every wing-beat becomes an exhausting struggle.

0:46:36 > 0:46:43At last, they are over the highest barrier that lies in their way.

0:46:50 > 0:46:54But, like all who visit the world of the high mountains,

0:46:54 > 0:46:56they dare not linger.

0:47:15 > 0:47:17It's not just the scale of mountains

0:47:17 > 0:47:20that makes them a daunting place to work in.

0:47:20 > 0:47:24The wildlife is scarce and extremely hard to find

0:47:24 > 0:47:30and it doesn't come any harder than finding and filming the snow leopard.

0:47:36 > 0:47:39Scientists can spend years in the field

0:47:39 > 0:47:43with barely even a sighting of this rare creature.

0:47:43 > 0:47:49Planet Earth sent one of the toughest cameramen in the business

0:47:49 > 0:47:52to begin a three-year quest to film it.

0:47:53 > 0:47:57So, I guess you could say this is where it really starts.

0:47:57 > 0:48:02We're up here in snow leopard country.

0:48:02 > 0:48:05You look around and anywhere, anytime,

0:48:05 > 0:48:07you might just see it.

0:48:07 > 0:48:10These are big, big mountains

0:48:10 > 0:48:13and there are not many snow leopards.

0:48:13 > 0:48:15There it is!

0:48:15 > 0:48:19There's home entrance for the next wee while.

0:48:19 > 0:48:24If I take you inside, I'll show you the amenities. Very much five star!

0:48:24 > 0:48:28It's actually, I think, quite comfy.

0:48:28 > 0:48:30There's the bed

0:48:30 > 0:48:34and I've got pretty much everything I need.

0:48:34 > 0:48:38I brought some water up from the river.

0:48:38 > 0:48:44True, it's a little bit, er, cramped, but it's quite enough.

0:48:44 > 0:48:51And, er, all I need know are one or two pussycats.

0:48:54 > 0:48:56As an insurance policy,

0:48:56 > 0:48:59the crew set up remote camera traps.

0:48:59 > 0:49:01Yeah, that's good. OK, Doug.

0:49:01 > 0:49:03These cameras are triggered by movement

0:49:03 > 0:49:06and capture images of ANY passer-by.

0:49:06 > 0:49:08Am I a good snow leopard?

0:49:08 > 0:49:09- Erm... No, but... - LAUGHTER

0:49:09 > 0:49:13If a snow leopard does what you did, that'll be jolly good.

0:49:15 > 0:49:17But to stand a chance of filming any behaviour,

0:49:17 > 0:49:21Doug just has to sit and hide... and wait.

0:49:21 > 0:49:23HE EXHALES LOUDLY

0:49:23 > 0:49:25This is tedious stuff.

0:49:25 > 0:49:29This is the seventh session that I've done.

0:49:29 > 0:49:33I do three hours in the morning, three hours in the late afternoon.

0:49:33 > 0:49:34No' a sign!

0:49:37 > 0:49:40If you got just a little bit of hint,

0:49:40 > 0:49:42a wee bit of a sighting now and again,

0:49:42 > 0:49:45your spirits would be lifted.

0:49:45 > 0:49:50But right now, I'd swap a little bit of this animal's charisma

0:49:50 > 0:49:52for a little bit more visibility.

0:49:54 > 0:49:56Doug's hide is carefully positioned

0:49:56 > 0:49:58to give him the best view of the valley

0:49:58 > 0:50:01just in case a snow leopard should turn up.

0:50:05 > 0:50:08Five days!

0:50:08 > 0:50:11That's 35 hours of watching.

0:50:13 > 0:50:14Nothing.

0:50:14 > 0:50:16No cats.

0:50:18 > 0:50:20Of course it's boring!

0:50:20 > 0:50:22It's boring as hell!

0:50:35 > 0:50:38After seven weeks of patiently sitting and waiting,

0:50:38 > 0:50:43these distant shots are all that Doug managed to film from the hide.

0:50:43 > 0:50:48But luckily, the remote camera's proved to be more successful.

0:50:52 > 0:50:56Whilst even a few shots of snow leopard in the wild are thrilling,

0:50:56 > 0:51:00the crew were still far from having a sequence of behaviour.

0:51:01 > 0:51:03Planet Earth needed to take another risk

0:51:03 > 0:51:06and move to a new location.

0:51:10 > 0:51:13Unfortunately, where they hoped to search for snow leopard,

0:51:13 > 0:51:17others were already searching for al-Qaeda.

0:51:17 > 0:51:21- REPORTER: - This is THE location in the war against terror.

0:51:24 > 0:51:26Only news crews were given access

0:51:26 > 0:51:30until the political situation became more stable.

0:51:35 > 0:51:39One year later, Planet Earth was finally allowed into Pakistan.

0:51:39 > 0:51:42They faced a week-long trek through terrain

0:51:42 > 0:51:46that was not only politically but geologically unstable.

0:51:50 > 0:51:52Whoo!

0:51:57 > 0:52:03The BBC has put us through two days of safety training.

0:52:03 > 0:52:08It went from land mine clearing to hijack attempt

0:52:08 > 0:52:11and having watched the markhor, which we're trying to film,

0:52:11 > 0:52:14climb these cliffs that we're on today,

0:52:14 > 0:52:18the most terrifying thing is these football-sized rocks

0:52:18 > 0:52:21that keep flying past at head height.

0:52:21 > 0:52:25You just think you actually can't prepare for that sort of thing,

0:52:25 > 0:52:29getting knocked on the head by a big rock.

0:52:29 > 0:52:30It's quite scary, really.

0:52:30 > 0:52:34But it turned out to be worth all the risk.

0:52:34 > 0:52:37The crew were in promising snow leopard terrain

0:52:37 > 0:52:42and soon finding plenty of signs that they were around.

0:52:42 > 0:52:44How old do you think that one is?

0:52:48 > 0:52:52We just got a lot of snow and we'll be able to track the snow leopard.

0:52:52 > 0:52:55So, we'll have a lot better chance of filming it.

0:52:55 > 0:52:57It's just fantastic!

0:52:57 > 0:53:00Good news for tracking,

0:53:00 > 0:53:03but the snow would make it far harder to get around.

0:53:05 > 0:53:08To increase their chances of finding a snow leopard,

0:53:08 > 0:53:10the crew split up,

0:53:10 > 0:53:13leaving Mark to spend Christmas on his own.

0:53:13 > 0:53:15It's gonna be the first Christmas and New Year

0:53:15 > 0:53:17I've spent away from my family.

0:53:18 > 0:53:21I spoke to my kids last night

0:53:21 > 0:53:25and they were just about to go out carol singing around the village.

0:53:25 > 0:53:28It would have been nice to have been with them.

0:53:28 > 0:53:32Erm... However, er...

0:53:35 > 0:53:37Well, that's it, really.

0:53:37 > 0:53:40Although Mark woke to a white Christmas,

0:53:40 > 0:53:43there was no sign of the present that he had most been wishing for.

0:53:43 > 0:53:48He had to wait five days before he heard any more news.

0:53:49 > 0:53:54We just got a report that there's a snow leopard up on the ridge.

0:53:54 > 0:53:58We were too low where we were before

0:53:58 > 0:54:00so I'm just trying to get some height

0:54:00 > 0:54:02to get a better view of it.

0:54:08 > 0:54:13Hugh on the radio said it was just up the valley on the cliff

0:54:13 > 0:54:15on the left here.

0:54:19 > 0:54:23Finally, Mark was rewarded with his first ever glimpse.

0:54:23 > 0:54:25I looked up onto the ridge.

0:54:25 > 0:54:28I could see this leopard-shaped rock,

0:54:28 > 0:54:31which I'd seen a million times before.

0:54:31 > 0:54:36I looked through binoculars and there was a leopard just sat there.

0:54:36 > 0:54:38I said, "Leopard, leopard!"

0:54:38 > 0:54:41They went, "Mark..." "Look at it!"

0:54:41 > 0:54:45It's perched just on top of a rock and it looked down at us

0:54:45 > 0:54:50and it sort of sat down in a sphinx-like posture.

0:54:50 > 0:54:54It came down very quickly and it's in a cave just up here,

0:54:54 > 0:54:56about 100 metres away.

0:54:57 > 0:55:02And, er, we've just gotta stake it out now and wait.

0:55:04 > 0:55:07Mark's patience had paid off.

0:55:07 > 0:55:11News of his success quickly reached the tracking team.

0:55:11 > 0:55:13Snow leopard, snow leopard!

0:55:15 > 0:55:20- Hey! - THEY CHEER

0:55:26 > 0:55:29I can't tell you how relieved I am.

0:55:29 > 0:55:31This is just the best news ever

0:55:31 > 0:55:36and tomorrow's New Year's Eve so I think we're gonna party like there's no tomorrow!

0:55:36 > 0:55:39No excuses, I think, on this one!

0:55:39 > 0:55:42Ohhh! I just...

0:55:42 > 0:55:45Unbelievable! I couldn't be happier!

0:55:45 > 0:55:50The crew were lucky enough to spend two whole weeks

0:55:50 > 0:55:52with this snow leopard and her cub,

0:55:52 > 0:55:55capturing intimate details of their lives

0:55:55 > 0:55:58in this extremely remote location.

0:56:04 > 0:56:08But the final day of filming was to bring the best luck of all.

0:56:29 > 0:56:31Planet Earth's three-year quest

0:56:31 > 0:56:34ended with this extraordinary footage -

0:56:34 > 0:56:37a wild snow leopard hunt,

0:56:37 > 0:56:41something few humans have ever even seen.

0:57:00 > 0:57:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 2006

0:57:03 > 0:57:06E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk