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Human beings venture into the highest parts of our planet at their peril. | 0:00:28 | 0:00:33 | |
Some might think that by climbing a great mountain, | 0:00:33 | 0:00:37 | |
they have somehow conquered it. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:38 | |
But we can only be visitors here. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:41 | |
This is a frozen, alien world. | 0:00:44 | 0:00:48 | |
This is the other extreme - | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
one of the lowest, hottest places on Earth. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
It's over 100 metres below the level of the sea. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:16 | |
But here a mountain is in gestation. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:19 | |
Pools of sulphuric acid are indications | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
that, deep underground, there are titanic stirrings. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:26 | |
This is the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, | 0:01:32 | 0:01:36 | |
lying within a colossal rent in the Earth's surface, | 0:01:36 | 0:01:39 | |
where giant land masses are pulling away from one another. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:42 | |
Lava rises to the surface through this crack in the crust, | 0:01:45 | 0:01:49 | |
creating a chain of young volcanoes. | 0:01:49 | 0:01:52 | |
This one, Erta Ale, | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
is today the longest continually-erupting volcano on the planet, | 0:02:06 | 0:02:11 | |
a lake of lava that has been molten for over 100 years. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:15 | |
These same volcanic forces also created Ethiopia's highlands. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:32 | |
70 million years ago, | 0:02:39 | 0:02:40 | |
this land was just as flat and as deep as the Danakil Depression. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:45 | |
Molten lava, rising from the Earth's core, | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
forced up a huge dome of rock 500 miles wide - | 0:02:51 | 0:02:55 | |
the Roof of Africa. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:57 | |
Over millennia, rain and ice carved the rock | 0:03:04 | 0:03:07 | |
into a landscape of spires and canyons. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:11 | |
These summits, nearly three miles up, | 0:03:16 | 0:03:19 | |
are home to some very remarkable mountaineers... | 0:03:19 | 0:03:24 | |
gelada baboons. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:26 | |
They are unique to the highlands of Ethiopia. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:30 | |
The cliffs where they sleep are for expert climbers only | 0:03:43 | 0:03:47 | |
and geladas certainly have the right equipment - | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
the strongest fingers of any primate and an utterly fearless disposition. | 0:03:50 | 0:03:55 | |
But you need more than a head for heights to survive up here. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:03 | |
A day in the geladas' life reveals how they have risen to the challenge. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:07 | |
For all monkeys, | 0:04:20 | 0:04:22 | |
morning is grooming time - | 0:04:22 | 0:04:24 | |
a chance to catch up with friends. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:27 | |
But unlike other monkeys, | 0:04:27 | 0:04:29 | |
geladas chatter constantly while they do it. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:32 | |
It's a great way to network while your hands are busy. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:38 | |
These socials can't go on for too long. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:43 | |
Geladas have a busy daily schedule and there is work to be done. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:47 | |
Most monkeys could not live up here. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:53 | |
There is no fruit and few insects to feed on. | 0:04:53 | 0:04:57 | |
But geladas are unique. | 0:04:57 | 0:04:58 | |
They are the only monkeys in the world | 0:04:58 | 0:05:01 | |
to live almost entirely on grass. | 0:05:01 | 0:05:03 | |
They live in the largest assemblies formed by any monkeys. | 0:05:14 | 0:05:18 | |
Some groups are 800 strong... | 0:05:18 | 0:05:20 | |
and they crop the high meadows like herds of wildebeest. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:23 | |
The geladas graze alongside Walia ibex, | 0:05:35 | 0:05:39 | |
which are also unique to these highlands. | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
These rare creatures are usually very shy, | 0:05:46 | 0:05:49 | |
but they drop their guard when the geladas are around. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:53 | |
You might expect that grazers would avoid each other's patch, | 0:05:56 | 0:06:00 | |
but this is a special alliance from which both partners benefit. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:05 | |
It's not so risky to put your head down... | 0:06:05 | 0:06:08 | |
if others are on the look-out. | 0:06:08 | 0:06:10 | |
Ethiopian wolves. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:14 | |
They won't attempt an attack in broad daylight. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
But, at dusk, the plateau becomes a more dangerous place. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:25 | |
With the grazing largely over, | 0:06:28 | 0:06:31 | |
there is a last chance to socialise | 0:06:31 | 0:06:33 | |
before returning to the sleeping cliffs. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:36 | |
BABOONS HOWL | 0:06:51 | 0:06:54 | |
An early warning system puts everyone on the alert. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:58 | |
BABOONS HOWL | 0:07:22 | 0:07:25 | |
Their day ends as it began, safe on the steep cliffs. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:53 | |
The Ethiopian volcanoes are dormant, | 0:08:00 | 0:08:03 | |
but elsewhere, others still rage. | 0:08:03 | 0:08:07 | |
Volcanoes form the backbone | 0:08:19 | 0:08:22 | |
of the longest mountain chain on our planet - | 0:08:22 | 0:08:24 | |
the Andes of South America. | 0:08:24 | 0:08:27 | |
This vast range stretches 5,000 miles | 0:08:28 | 0:08:32 | |
from the equator down to the Antarctic. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:34 | |
It formed as the floor of the Pacific Ocean | 0:08:35 | 0:08:39 | |
slid beneath the South American continent, buckling its edge. | 0:08:39 | 0:08:43 | |
At the southern end stand the mountains of Patagonia. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
It's high summer. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:03 | |
WIND WHISTLES | 0:09:04 | 0:09:07 | |
But the Andes have the most unstable mountain weather on the planet | 0:09:07 | 0:09:12 | |
and storms can erupt without warning. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:15 | |
Temperatures plummet and guanacos and their newborn young | 0:09:17 | 0:09:21 | |
must suddenly endure a blizzard. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:24 | |
Truly, all seasons in one day. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:41 | |
A puma... | 0:09:51 | 0:09:53 | |
the lion of the Andes. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:55 | |
Pumas are usually solitary and secretive. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:05 | |
To see a group walking boldly in the open is extremely rare. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:10 | |
It's a family - a mother with four cubs. | 0:10:21 | 0:10:25 | |
She has just one brief summer | 0:10:25 | 0:10:28 | |
in which to teach them their mountain survival techniques. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:32 | |
Rearing four cubs to this age is an exceptional feat, | 0:10:44 | 0:10:50 | |
but she does have an excellent territory, rich in food and water. | 0:10:50 | 0:10:54 | |
Although the cubs are now as large as their mother, | 0:10:57 | 0:11:01 | |
they still rely on her for their food. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:03 | |
It will be another year before the cubs can hunt for themselves. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:30 | |
Without their mother's skill and experience, | 0:12:40 | 0:12:43 | |
they would never survive their first winter. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:46 | |
Battered by hurricane-force winds, | 0:13:05 | 0:13:09 | |
these slopes are now lifeless. | 0:13:09 | 0:13:11 | |
Further north, they hold other dangers. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:18 | |
Moving at 250mph, | 0:13:48 | 0:13:52 | |
an avalanche destroys everything in its path. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:55 | |
In the American Rockies, | 0:14:15 | 0:14:17 | |
100,000 avalanches devastate the slopes every winter. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:21 | |
This huge mountain chain continues the great spine | 0:14:24 | 0:14:30 | |
that runs from Patagonia to Alaska. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:32 | |
The slopes of the Rockies, bleak though they are, | 0:14:51 | 0:14:53 | |
provide a winter refuge for some animals. | 0:14:53 | 0:14:58 | |
A mother grizzly emerges from her den | 0:15:00 | 0:15:03 | |
after six months dozing underground. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:06 | |
Her two cubs follow her | 0:15:06 | 0:15:08 | |
and take their first steps in the outside world. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:11 | |
These steep slopes provide a sanctuary for the cubs. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:29 | |
A male bear would kill and eat them, given the chance, | 0:15:29 | 0:15:32 | |
but big animals find it difficult to get about here. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:36 | |
Males may be twice the size of a female | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
and even she can have problems. | 0:15:39 | 0:15:41 | |
Her cubs, however, make light of the snow... | 0:15:54 | 0:15:58 | |
and of life in general. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:00 | |
But the mother faces a dilemma. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:16 | |
It is six months since she last fed | 0:16:16 | 0:16:19 | |
and her milk is starting to run dry. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:22 | |
She must soon leave the safety of these nursery slopes | 0:16:22 | 0:16:25 | |
and lead her cubs away from the mountain. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:28 | |
If she delays, the whole family will risk starvation. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:33 | |
Summer reveals the true nature of the Rockies. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
Stripped of snow, | 0:17:12 | 0:17:14 | |
the peaks bare their sculpted forms. | 0:17:14 | 0:17:17 | |
Only now can mountaineers reclaim the upper reaches. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:23 | |
Two miles up, | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
the crumbling precipices seem devoid of life. | 0:17:55 | 0:18:00 | |
But there ARE animals here. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
A grizzly bear. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:32 | |
It seems to be an odd creature to find on these high rocky slopes. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:37 | |
It is hard to imagine what could have attracted it here. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
At this time of the year, | 0:18:58 | 0:19:00 | |
bears should be fattening up for the winter, | 0:19:00 | 0:19:04 | |
yet they gather in some numbers on these apparently barren slopes. | 0:19:04 | 0:19:08 | |
They are searching for a rather unusual food. | 0:19:21 | 0:19:24 | |
Moths! | 0:19:26 | 0:19:27 | |
Millions have flown up here to escape the heat of the lowlands | 0:19:27 | 0:19:31 | |
and they are now roosting among the rocks. | 0:19:31 | 0:19:34 | |
Moths may seem a meagre meal for a bear, | 0:19:36 | 0:19:40 | |
but their bodies are rich in fat | 0:19:40 | 0:19:42 | |
and can make all the difference in a bear's annual struggle for survival. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:46 | |
Another battle is being waged here, | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
but on a much longer timescale. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:55 | |
These loose boulders are the mountain's crumbling bones. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:59 | |
The Rockies are no longer rising, but slowly disintegrating. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:04 | |
All mountains, everywhere, | 0:20:09 | 0:20:11 | |
are being worn down by frost, snow and ice. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:15 | |
The Alps were raised some 15 million years ago | 0:20:21 | 0:20:25 | |
as Africa, drifting northwards, | 0:20:25 | 0:20:27 | |
collided with the southern edge of Europe. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:29 | |
These spires are the eroded remains of an ancient sea bed | 0:20:35 | 0:20:40 | |
that once stretched between the two continents. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:43 | |
But these are just the Alpine foothills. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:03 | |
The range at its centre rises to three miles high | 0:21:03 | 0:21:08 | |
and is crowned with permanent snows. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:11 | |
The Matterhorn - its summit too steep to hold a snowfield. | 0:21:23 | 0:21:29 | |
Mont Blanc - the highest peak in western Europe. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:41 | |
The distinctive jagged shapes of the Alps | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
were carved by those great mountain sculptors...the glaciers. | 0:21:57 | 0:22:02 | |
Immense rivers of moving ice, laden with rock, | 0:22:08 | 0:22:12 | |
grind their way down the mountains, gouging out deep valleys. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:17 | |
They are the most powerful erosive force on our planet. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:27 | |
A moulin - a shaft in the ice opened by melt water | 0:22:36 | 0:22:40 | |
as it plunges into the depths of the glacier. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:43 | |
Like the water running through it, the ice itself is constantly moving, | 0:22:58 | 0:23:03 | |
flowing down the valley with unstoppable force. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:06 | |
Alpine glaciers may seem immense, | 0:23:24 | 0:23:27 | |
but they are dwarfed by those in the great ranges | 0:23:27 | 0:23:30 | |
that divide the Indian sub-continent from Tibet. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:34 | |
This is the boulder-strewn snout of the giant Baltoro Glacier | 0:23:37 | 0:23:43 | |
in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan. | 0:23:43 | 0:23:46 | |
It's the biggest mountain glacier on Earth, | 0:23:54 | 0:23:58 | |
43 miles long and over three miles wide. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:02 | |
This huge ice-filled valley is so large | 0:24:02 | 0:24:05 | |
it is clearly visible from space. | 0:24:05 | 0:24:08 | |
This is the greatest concentration of peaks over five miles high | 0:24:30 | 0:24:34 | |
to be found anywhere on Earth. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:37 | |
They are the most dangerous mountains of all. | 0:24:40 | 0:24:43 | |
K2 and her sister peaks | 0:24:43 | 0:24:46 | |
have claimed more lives than any others. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
The peaks here rise so precipitously, | 0:25:00 | 0:25:03 | |
the glaciers are so steep and crevassed, | 0:25:03 | 0:25:06 | |
that few except the most skilled mountaineers | 0:25:06 | 0:25:09 | |
can penetrate these ranges. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:12 | |
Markhor gather for their annual rut. | 0:25:14 | 0:25:17 | |
Males must fight for the right to breed, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
but on these sheer cliffs, any slip by either animal could be fatal. | 0:25:32 | 0:25:38 | |
A snow leopard - | 0:25:48 | 0:25:50 | |
the rarest of Himalayan animals. | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
It's a female returning to her lair. | 0:25:53 | 0:25:56 | |
These are the first intimate images | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
of snow leopard ever filmed in the wild. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:13 | |
She greets her one-year-old cub. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:25 | |
Her den is well chosen. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:32 | |
It has exceptional views of the surrounding cliffs. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:36 | |
On these treacherous slopes, | 0:26:39 | 0:26:41 | |
no hunter other than the snow leopard would have a chance | 0:26:41 | 0:26:45 | |
of catching such agile prey. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:48 | |
A female with young makes an easier target. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
Her large paws give an excellent grip | 0:27:16 | 0:27:19 | |
and that long tail helps her balance. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:23 | |
Silently, she positions herself above her prey. | 0:27:31 | 0:27:36 | |
She returns...with nothing. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:39 | |
Golden eagles patrol these cliffs, | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
in search of the weak or injured. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:14 | |
With a two-metre wingspan, | 0:29:34 | 0:29:36 | |
this bird could easily take a young markhor. | 0:29:36 | 0:29:40 | |
Eagles hunt by sight | 0:29:43 | 0:29:45 | |
and the thickening veil of snow forces them to give up | 0:29:45 | 0:29:49 | |
For the leopard, the snow provides cover | 0:30:04 | 0:30:08 | |
and creates an opportunity. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:10 | |
The worsening weather dampens the sound of her approach, | 0:30:28 | 0:30:32 | |
allowing her to get within striking distance. | 0:30:32 | 0:30:36 | |
It was an act of desperation to try and catch such a large animal. | 0:30:53 | 0:30:57 | |
Wolves have made a kill, | 0:31:06 | 0:31:09 | |
giving other hunters a chance to scavenge. | 0:31:09 | 0:31:12 | |
The worst of the blizzard brings success for the snow leopard, | 0:31:27 | 0:31:31 | |
but having descended so far to make the kill, | 0:31:31 | 0:31:34 | |
she has a gruelling climb to get back to her lair. | 0:31:34 | 0:31:38 | |
The cub must be patient. | 0:31:52 | 0:31:54 | |
It will be a year before it has the strength and skill | 0:31:54 | 0:31:57 | |
to kill for itself on these difficult slopes. | 0:31:57 | 0:32:00 | |
The snow leopard is an almost mythical creature, | 0:32:24 | 0:32:29 | |
an icon of the wilderness, | 0:32:29 | 0:32:30 | |
an animal few humans have ever glimpsed | 0:32:30 | 0:32:33 | |
for its world is one we seldom visit. | 0:32:33 | 0:32:36 | |
The Karakoram lie at the western end of a range | 0:32:45 | 0:32:48 | |
that stretches across a tenth of our planet... | 0:32:48 | 0:32:52 | |
the Himalayas. | 0:32:52 | 0:32:54 | |
These, the highest mountains in the world, like other great ranges, | 0:33:03 | 0:33:08 | |
were created by the collision of continents. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:12 | |
Some 50 million years ago, | 0:33:14 | 0:33:16 | |
India collided with Tibet, | 0:33:16 | 0:33:18 | |
thrusting up these immense peaks which are still rising. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:22 | |
This vast barrier of rock and ice is so colossal, | 0:33:27 | 0:33:32 | |
it shapes the world's climate. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
Warm winds from India, full of moisture, | 0:33:36 | 0:33:40 | |
are forced upwards by the Himalayas. | 0:33:40 | 0:33:42 | |
As the air rises, so it cools, | 0:33:42 | 0:33:45 | |
causing clouds to form and the monsoon is born. | 0:33:45 | 0:33:49 | |
At high altitudes, the monsoon rains fall as snow. | 0:34:27 | 0:34:31 | |
Here at the far eastern end of the range, in China, | 0:34:32 | 0:34:35 | |
one inhabitant endures the bitter winters out in the open. | 0:34:35 | 0:34:40 | |
Most other bears would be sleeping underground by now, | 0:34:47 | 0:34:51 | |
but the giant panda can't fatten up enough to hibernate. | 0:34:51 | 0:34:55 | |
Its food, bamboo, on which it totally relies, | 0:34:58 | 0:35:03 | |
has so little nutritional value | 0:35:03 | 0:35:05 | |
that it can't build up a store of fat like other bears. | 0:35:05 | 0:35:09 | |
Most of the creatures here move up or down the slopes with the seasons, | 0:35:11 | 0:35:15 | |
but the panda is held captive by its diet, | 0:35:15 | 0:35:19 | |
for the kind of bamboo it eats only grows at this altitude. | 0:35:19 | 0:35:22 | |
These forests hold fewer challenges for the more mobile. | 0:35:30 | 0:35:35 | |
The golden snub-nosed monkey, like the giant panda, lives only in China. | 0:35:38 | 0:35:44 | |
Their thick fur allows them | 0:35:46 | 0:35:49 | |
to survive at greater altitudes than any other monkey | 0:35:49 | 0:35:52 | |
and when the cold bites, they have these upper slopes to themselves. | 0:35:52 | 0:35:56 | |
Even if you have a warm coat, | 0:36:04 | 0:36:06 | |
it apparently helps to surround yourself | 0:36:06 | 0:36:09 | |
with as many layers as possible. | 0:36:09 | 0:36:11 | |
But at least these monkeys have a choice. | 0:36:12 | 0:36:15 | |
If they tire of tree bark and other survival food, | 0:36:15 | 0:36:19 | |
they can always descend to lower, warmer altitudes | 0:36:19 | 0:36:22 | |
and not return until spring. | 0:36:22 | 0:36:24 | |
As the snows retreat, trees come into bloom. | 0:36:28 | 0:36:33 | |
Cherry blossom. | 0:36:38 | 0:36:40 | |
Rhododendrons. | 0:36:43 | 0:36:45 | |
Here in their natural home, they form great forests | 0:36:45 | 0:36:48 | |
and fill the landscape with the colours of a new season. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
These forests are host to a rich variety of springtime migrants. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:16 | |
Beneath the blooms, another display. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:34 | |
It's the mating season for oriental pheasants... | 0:37:37 | 0:37:40 | |
Himalayan monal... | 0:37:40 | 0:37:42 | |
..tragopan... | 0:37:46 | 0:37:48 | |
and blood pheasant. | 0:37:48 | 0:37:49 | |
Musk deer make the most of a short flush of spring foods. | 0:37:57 | 0:38:02 | |
This male smells a potential mate. | 0:38:04 | 0:38:07 | |
The red panda... | 0:38:22 | 0:38:24 | |
rarely glimpsed in the wild. | 0:38:24 | 0:38:26 | |
It was once considered a kind of raccoon, | 0:38:26 | 0:38:29 | |
but is now believed to be a small mountain bear. | 0:38:29 | 0:38:32 | |
By midsummer, its larger, more famous relative | 0:38:42 | 0:38:46 | |
has retreated into a cave. | 0:38:46 | 0:38:49 | |
A giant panda nurses a tiny week-old baby. | 0:39:03 | 0:39:07 | |
Her tender cleaning wards off infection. | 0:39:14 | 0:39:18 | |
She won't leave this cave for three weeks, | 0:39:29 | 0:39:34 | |
not while her cub is so utterly helpless. | 0:39:34 | 0:39:38 | |
Progress is slow, | 0:39:47 | 0:39:49 | |
for milk produced on a diet of bamboo is wretchedly poor. | 0:39:49 | 0:39:54 | |
Four weeks old and the cub is still blind. | 0:40:01 | 0:40:05 | |
Its eyes do not fully open | 0:40:13 | 0:40:16 | |
until three months after birth. | 0:40:16 | 0:40:19 | |
But the chances of the cub reaching adulthood are slim. | 0:40:19 | 0:40:24 | |
The struggle of a giant panda mother to raise her cub | 0:40:28 | 0:40:31 | |
is a touching symbol | 0:40:31 | 0:40:34 | |
of the precariousness of life in the mountains. | 0:40:34 | 0:40:37 | |
On the highest summits of our planet, nothing can live permanently. | 0:40:47 | 0:40:53 | |
The highest peak of all, Mount Everest, | 0:40:57 | 0:41:00 | |
five and a half miles above sea level and still rising. | 0:41:00 | 0:41:04 | |
The roof of our world. | 0:41:04 | 0:41:06 | |
Of those humans who have tried to climb it, | 0:41:08 | 0:41:11 | |
one in ten have lost their lives. | 0:41:11 | 0:41:14 | |
Those that succeed can stand for only a few moments on its summit. | 0:41:14 | 0:41:20 | |
The Nepalese call it "a mountain so high no bird can fly above it". | 0:41:20 | 0:41:26 | |
But each year, | 0:41:32 | 0:41:34 | |
over 50,000 demoiselle cranes | 0:41:34 | 0:41:37 | |
set out on one of the most challenging migrations on Earth. | 0:41:37 | 0:41:41 | |
To reach their overwintering grounds in India, | 0:41:43 | 0:41:47 | |
they must cross the Himalayas. | 0:41:47 | 0:41:49 | |
By late morning, ferocious winds are roaring past the peaks. | 0:41:56 | 0:42:00 | |
The cranes must gain height to avoid the building storm. | 0:42:00 | 0:42:05 | |
They've hit serious turbulence. | 0:42:33 | 0:42:37 | |
They must turn back or risk death. | 0:42:40 | 0:42:45 | |
A new day and a new opportunity. | 0:43:18 | 0:43:23 | |
The flock stay in close contact by calling to one another. | 0:43:23 | 0:43:27 | |
Weak from lack of food and water, they use thermals - | 0:43:36 | 0:43:40 | |
rising columns of warm air - | 0:43:40 | 0:43:42 | |
to gain height. | 0:43:42 | 0:43:44 | |
For many, this is their first journey across the Himalayas. | 0:44:00 | 0:44:05 | |
For some, it will be their last. | 0:44:05 | 0:44:09 | |
The golden eagles have been expecting them. | 0:44:17 | 0:44:21 | |
The eagles work in pairs to separate a young crane from the flock. | 0:44:31 | 0:44:36 | |
It escapes the clutches of one... | 0:45:21 | 0:45:23 | |
and is caught by another. | 0:45:23 | 0:45:25 | |
But even a young crane is a heavy prize | 0:45:28 | 0:45:32 | |
and the eagle has to struggle to control it. | 0:45:32 | 0:45:36 | |
The mother can wait no longer. | 0:45:54 | 0:45:57 | |
This is a desperate race against worsening weather. | 0:45:57 | 0:46:00 | |
The rest of the flock battle on. | 0:46:06 | 0:46:10 | |
In the final ascent, | 0:46:14 | 0:46:15 | |
every wing-beat becomes an exhausting struggle. | 0:46:15 | 0:46:19 | |
At last, they are over the highest barrier that lies in their way. | 0:46:36 | 0:46:43 | |
But, like all who visit the world of the high mountains, | 0:46:50 | 0:46:54 | |
they dare not linger. | 0:46:54 | 0:46:56 | |
It's not just the scale of mountains | 0:47:15 | 0:47:17 | |
that makes them a daunting place to work in. | 0:47:17 | 0:47:20 | |
The wildlife is scarce and extremely hard to find | 0:47:20 | 0:47:24 | |
and it doesn't come any harder than finding and filming the snow leopard. | 0:47:24 | 0:47:30 | |
Scientists can spend years in the field | 0:47:36 | 0:47:39 | |
with barely even a sighting of this rare creature. | 0:47:39 | 0:47:43 | |
Planet Earth sent one of the toughest cameramen in the business | 0:47:43 | 0:47:49 | |
to begin a three-year quest to film it. | 0:47:49 | 0:47:52 | |
So, I guess you could say this is where it really starts. | 0:47:53 | 0:47:57 | |
We're up here in snow leopard country. | 0:47:57 | 0:48:02 | |
You look around and anywhere, anytime, | 0:48:02 | 0:48:05 | |
you might just see it. | 0:48:05 | 0:48:07 | |
These are big, big mountains | 0:48:07 | 0:48:10 | |
and there are not many snow leopards. | 0:48:10 | 0:48:13 | |
There it is! | 0:48:13 | 0:48:15 | |
There's home entrance for the next wee while. | 0:48:15 | 0:48:19 | |
If I take you inside, I'll show you the amenities. Very much five star! | 0:48:19 | 0:48:24 | |
It's actually, I think, quite comfy. | 0:48:24 | 0:48:28 | |
There's the bed | 0:48:28 | 0:48:30 | |
and I've got pretty much everything I need. | 0:48:30 | 0:48:34 | |
I brought some water up from the river. | 0:48:34 | 0:48:38 | |
True, it's a little bit, er, cramped, but it's quite enough. | 0:48:38 | 0:48:44 | |
And, er, all I need know are one or two pussycats. | 0:48:44 | 0:48:51 | |
As an insurance policy, | 0:48:54 | 0:48:56 | |
the crew set up remote camera traps. | 0:48:56 | 0:48:59 | |
Yeah, that's good. OK, Doug. | 0:48:59 | 0:49:01 | |
These cameras are triggered by movement | 0:49:01 | 0:49:03 | |
and capture images of ANY passer-by. | 0:49:03 | 0:49:06 | |
Am I a good snow leopard? | 0:49:06 | 0:49:08 | |
-Erm... No, but... -LAUGHTER | 0:49:08 | 0:49:09 | |
If a snow leopard does what you did, that'll be jolly good. | 0:49:09 | 0:49:13 | |
But to stand a chance of filming any behaviour, | 0:49:15 | 0:49:17 | |
Doug just has to sit and hide... and wait. | 0:49:17 | 0:49:21 | |
HE EXHALES LOUDLY | 0:49:21 | 0:49:23 | |
This is tedious stuff. | 0:49:23 | 0:49:25 | |
This is the seventh session that I've done. | 0:49:25 | 0:49:29 | |
I do three hours in the morning, three hours in the late afternoon. | 0:49:29 | 0:49:33 | |
No' a sign! | 0:49:33 | 0:49:34 | |
If you got just a little bit of hint, | 0:49:37 | 0:49:40 | |
a wee bit of a sighting now and again, | 0:49:40 | 0:49:42 | |
your spirits would be lifted. | 0:49:42 | 0:49:45 | |
But right now, I'd swap a little bit of this animal's charisma | 0:49:45 | 0:49:50 | |
for a little bit more visibility. | 0:49:50 | 0:49:52 | |
Doug's hide is carefully positioned | 0:49:54 | 0:49:56 | |
to give him the best view of the valley | 0:49:56 | 0:49:58 | |
just in case a snow leopard should turn up. | 0:49:58 | 0:50:01 | |
Five days! | 0:50:05 | 0:50:08 | |
That's 35 hours of watching. | 0:50:08 | 0:50:11 | |
Nothing. | 0:50:13 | 0:50:14 | |
No cats. | 0:50:14 | 0:50:16 | |
Of course it's boring! | 0:50:18 | 0:50:20 | |
It's boring as hell! | 0:50:20 | 0:50:22 | |
After seven weeks of patiently sitting and waiting, | 0:50:35 | 0:50:38 | |
these distant shots are all that Doug managed to film from the hide. | 0:50:38 | 0:50:43 | |
But luckily, the remote camera's proved to be more successful. | 0:50:43 | 0:50:48 | |
Whilst even a few shots of snow leopard in the wild are thrilling, | 0:50:52 | 0:50:56 | |
the crew were still far from having a sequence of behaviour. | 0:50:56 | 0:51:00 | |
Planet Earth needed to take another risk | 0:51:01 | 0:51:03 | |
and move to a new location. | 0:51:03 | 0:51:06 | |
Unfortunately, where they hoped to search for snow leopard, | 0:51:10 | 0:51:13 | |
others were already searching for al-Qaeda. | 0:51:13 | 0:51:17 | |
-REPORTER: -This is THE location in the war against terror. | 0:51:17 | 0:51:21 | |
Only news crews were given access | 0:51:24 | 0:51:26 | |
until the political situation became more stable. | 0:51:26 | 0:51:30 | |
One year later, Planet Earth was finally allowed into Pakistan. | 0:51:35 | 0:51:39 | |
They faced a week-long trek through terrain | 0:51:39 | 0:51:42 | |
that was not only politically but geologically unstable. | 0:51:42 | 0:51:46 | |
Whoo! | 0:51:50 | 0:51:52 | |
The BBC has put us through two days of safety training. | 0:51:57 | 0:52:03 | |
It went from land mine clearing to hijack attempt | 0:52:03 | 0:52:08 | |
and having watched the markhor, which we're trying to film, | 0:52:08 | 0:52:11 | |
climb these cliffs that we're on today, | 0:52:11 | 0:52:14 | |
the most terrifying thing is these football-sized rocks | 0:52:14 | 0:52:18 | |
that keep flying past at head height. | 0:52:18 | 0:52:21 | |
You just think you actually can't prepare for that sort of thing, | 0:52:21 | 0:52:25 | |
getting knocked on the head by a big rock. | 0:52:25 | 0:52:29 | |
It's quite scary, really. | 0:52:29 | 0:52:30 | |
But it turned out to be worth all the risk. | 0:52:30 | 0:52:34 | |
The crew were in promising snow leopard terrain | 0:52:34 | 0:52:37 | |
and soon finding plenty of signs that they were around. | 0:52:37 | 0:52:42 | |
How old do you think that one is? | 0:52:42 | 0:52:44 | |
We just got a lot of snow and we'll be able to track the snow leopard. | 0:52:48 | 0:52:52 | |
So, we'll have a lot better chance of filming it. | 0:52:52 | 0:52:55 | |
It's just fantastic! | 0:52:55 | 0:52:57 | |
Good news for tracking, | 0:52:57 | 0:53:00 | |
but the snow would make it far harder to get around. | 0:53:00 | 0:53:03 | |
To increase their chances of finding a snow leopard, | 0:53:05 | 0:53:08 | |
the crew split up, | 0:53:08 | 0:53:10 | |
leaving Mark to spend Christmas on his own. | 0:53:10 | 0:53:13 | |
It's gonna be the first Christmas and New Year | 0:53:13 | 0:53:15 | |
I've spent away from my family. | 0:53:15 | 0:53:17 | |
I spoke to my kids last night | 0:53:18 | 0:53:21 | |
and they were just about to go out carol singing around the village. | 0:53:21 | 0:53:25 | |
It would have been nice to have been with them. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:28 | |
Erm... However, er... | 0:53:28 | 0:53:32 | |
Well, that's it, really. | 0:53:35 | 0:53:37 | |
Although Mark woke to a white Christmas, | 0:53:37 | 0:53:40 | |
there was no sign of the present that he had most been wishing for. | 0:53:40 | 0:53:43 | |
He had to wait five days before he heard any more news. | 0:53:43 | 0:53:48 | |
We just got a report that there's a snow leopard up on the ridge. | 0:53:49 | 0:53:54 | |
We were too low where we were before | 0:53:54 | 0:53:58 | |
so I'm just trying to get some height | 0:53:58 | 0:54:00 | |
to get a better view of it. | 0:54:00 | 0:54:02 | |
Hugh on the radio said it was just up the valley on the cliff | 0:54:08 | 0:54:13 | |
on the left here. | 0:54:13 | 0:54:15 | |
Finally, Mark was rewarded with his first ever glimpse. | 0:54:19 | 0:54:23 | |
I looked up onto the ridge. | 0:54:23 | 0:54:25 | |
I could see this leopard-shaped rock, | 0:54:25 | 0:54:28 | |
which I'd seen a million times before. | 0:54:28 | 0:54:31 | |
I looked through binoculars and there was a leopard just sat there. | 0:54:31 | 0:54:36 | |
I said, "Leopard, leopard!" | 0:54:36 | 0:54:38 | |
They went, "Mark..." "Look at it!" | 0:54:38 | 0:54:41 | |
It's perched just on top of a rock and it looked down at us | 0:54:41 | 0:54:45 | |
and it sort of sat down in a sphinx-like posture. | 0:54:45 | 0:54:50 | |
It came down very quickly and it's in a cave just up here, | 0:54:50 | 0:54:54 | |
about 100 metres away. | 0:54:54 | 0:54:56 | |
And, er, we've just gotta stake it out now and wait. | 0:54:57 | 0:55:02 | |
Mark's patience had paid off. | 0:55:04 | 0:55:07 | |
News of his success quickly reached the tracking team. | 0:55:07 | 0:55:11 | |
Snow leopard, snow leopard! | 0:55:11 | 0:55:13 | |
-Hey! -THEY CHEER | 0:55:15 | 0:55:20 | |
I can't tell you how relieved I am. | 0:55:26 | 0:55:29 | |
This is just the best news ever | 0:55:29 | 0:55:31 | |
and tomorrow's New Year's Eve so I think we're gonna party like there's no tomorrow! | 0:55:31 | 0:55:36 | |
No excuses, I think, on this one! | 0:55:36 | 0:55:39 | |
Ohhh! I just... | 0:55:39 | 0:55:42 | |
Unbelievable! I couldn't be happier! | 0:55:42 | 0:55:45 | |
The crew were lucky enough to spend two whole weeks | 0:55:45 | 0:55:50 | |
with this snow leopard and her cub, | 0:55:50 | 0:55:52 | |
capturing intimate details of their lives | 0:55:52 | 0:55:55 | |
in this extremely remote location. | 0:55:55 | 0:55:58 | |
But the final day of filming was to bring the best luck of all. | 0:56:04 | 0:56:08 | |
Planet Earth's three-year quest | 0:56:29 | 0:56:31 | |
ended with this extraordinary footage - | 0:56:31 | 0:56:34 | |
a wild snow leopard hunt, | 0:56:34 | 0:56:37 | |
something few humans have ever even seen. | 0:56:37 | 0:56:41 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 2006 | 0:57:00 | 0:57:03 | |
E-mail [email protected] | 0:57:03 | 0:57:06 |