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(intense orchestral music)
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There are still places so wild and pristine,
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many of us dream of experiencing them
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just once in our lives.
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(intense orchestral music)
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Places where national parks
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protect and preserve the Earth's rugged beauty.
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(intense orchestral music)
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140 years ago in Canada's far west,
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one of the world's first nature reserves was established.
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Today, Banff National Park
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is one of the last accessible paradises.
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(intense orchestral music)
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We will meet people who live and work
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in this unique landscape,
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who have left everything behind
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to be in harmony with nature
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and protect it.
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(intense orchestral music)
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We will spend a whole year with them
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and with them we will discover
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the adventure of a day-to-day life
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visitors to the park never see.
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(intense orchestral music)
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(calm music)
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What a dream.
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Experiencing the Canadian winter on snowshoes,
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panned with it, a magnificent mountain world
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which captivates so many, forever.
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On the trail of 19th century pioneers
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at a temperature of 30 below,
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we trek along Two Jack Lake.
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Our guide is a young German woman.
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(speaks in foreign language)
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My first visit to the Rockies
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was an incredible experience.
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Nature here is wonderful
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and the sheer vastness of the landscape is breathtaking.
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Even then I decided
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that this is where I would like to live one day.
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Hika came here from Thuringia
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in Eastern Germany in 2008.
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She soon felt totally at home in the mountains around Banff.
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What I really love in winter
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is that when you're out in nature here, it's so peaceful,
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as if everything was sleeping.
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There is not a soul to be seen.
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You're completely alone.
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You can enjoy nature and be in tune with yourself
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But is that really possible
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in one of the world's most popular national parks
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where in winter alone, thousands come
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in search of rest and relaxation?
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It is indeed.
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Thanks to the efforts of the park's rangers.
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We've arranged to meet one of them.
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(calm music)
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Ranger Jesse heads the most exciting
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bear projects in the park.
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Today he is out and about early with his colleague, Anne
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So I think the carcass is just a couple 100 meters along.
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Okay.
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A few days ago a deer fell through the ice
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on the Bow River and drowned.
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I'm not seeing ravens.
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Soon afterwards, a grizzly set about
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his unexpected meal.
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The bear is no stranger to Jesse.
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10 years ago, he fitted the animal with a transmitter
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and gave it the number 122.
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When you're dealing with a 350-kilogram male bear,
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caution is called for.
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We're checking to see if grizzly bear 122 is in the area
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before we go and investigate the carcass.
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Because the last thing we wanna do
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is come upon the carcass
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and have a grizzly bear there and defend it.
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So, that's dangerous for us
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and also dangerous for the bear.
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So if we can just ensure and check
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to see that he's totally moved out of the area
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before we visit the carcass
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then it's much safer for us.
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The ice might be okay out here,
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it's a little bit slushy.
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We might be better just right along the edge.
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Even though the ice
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bore the weight of the bear,
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in some places, it is already brittle.
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This looks like the bear's tracks right in the snow.
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Got windblown.
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The bear with number 122
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is known to be very aggressive.
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So ranger Anne checks to see if it is still in the valley.
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So now I'm listening for the radio signal
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of grizzly bear 122
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which sounds like a beep, beep beep if he's here
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but I don't hear him.
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(static buzzing)
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Let's check in the other direction.
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It doesn't sound like he's here today.
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Jesse grew up on Canada's west coast.
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He studied biology and came to Banff in his early 20s.
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There's not many places in the world
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where you have as many carnivores like wolverine,
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wolves, grizzly bear, lynx,
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fox, bobcat that live in this area.
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And as a wildlife biologist,
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I can't imagine a better place in the world to live.
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In the mountains of Canada,
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the big thaw in late May is often a huge spectacle.
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(lighthearted orchestral music)
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To those with a daredevil spirit,
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half frozen crystal landscapes
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present a sporting challenge
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in the form of ice climbing.
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On one of the last cold days of winter
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here at the Professor Falls on Mount Rundle,
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we find two men who love to push themselves to the limit.
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(speaks in foreign language)
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The kick is the phenomenal view
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straight down.
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The adrenaline factor is really high
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when your life is hanging from a little bit of metal.
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Jorg and Geri from Austria
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know that they live in a paradise for ice climbers,
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one, which is unique worldwide.
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Today's climb on falls which are dripping with icy water
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is not without its risks.
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But the two are determined to reach the top again.
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(intense orchestral music)
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The reward for their efforts
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is an unparalleled view of the Rockies
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towering up nearly 4,000 meters.
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This is the highest range of mountains
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on the North American continent.
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(intense orchestral music)
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And Banff National Park lies right
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in the middle of the Rockies,
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covering a good 6,500 square kilometers.
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It is not the biggest national park in the world
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but it is certainly one of the most legendary.
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On the long days in the short spring season,
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the park springs into life
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and all its inhabitants
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enjoy the first warm rays of sunshine.
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(intense orchestral music)
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Situated on the eastern edge of the national park
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is a ranch called Ya Ha Tinda
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which in the language of the Stoney Indians
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means Mountain Prairie.
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For centuries the Stoney and other tribes in the region
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came here because here in the foothills of the Rockies
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there was always grass for their horses.
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A few cowboys still live here,
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one of them is nearly two meters tall,
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wear size 47 boots, and grew up in Germany.
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(calm music)
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Holger came here in the service of science
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but first he had to learn the lore of the prairie.
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I came here with a research assignment
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as part of a master's degree.
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I found myself catapulted into a landscape
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consisting of the ranch,
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the prairie, horses, and cowboys.
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The first thing I had to do was learn to ride.
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The lads here gave me a saddle
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that was still available at the ranch.
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Unfortunately, I was much too big for it.
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So Rob, one of the Cowboys who does leather work,
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made me some stirrups, handmade.
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They are the only pair of their kind
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created for an extra long cowboy.
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So now I'm perfectly equipped
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and could do my work on horseback.
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(speaks in foreign language)
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(calm music)
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Now in spring, the focus on the farm
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is on the foals.
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After all, all the horses used by the rangers in the park
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are trained here.
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That's Rick's job.
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He was born on a farm in the Canadian Midwest
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and has known the life of a cowboy
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ever since he was a child.
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(calm music)
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When a new guy coming on
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and wanting to become a cowboy,
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first thing he needs to learn is to keep his mouth shut
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and his ears opened.
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The big thing about being a cowboy I guess is
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having that ability to learn and to listen,
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and to help each other out.
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Because it's a, you're dependent on the other guy
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if you're out there,
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whether it's on a pack trip
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or gathering horses or gathering cows.
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You're depending on the guys around you
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so if you don't have their respect and their trust,
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then you might as well go find another job.
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The work carried out
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by wildlife biologist Holger
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was commissioned by the University of Alberta.
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His research project centers
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on the migratory behavior of the wapiti,
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also known as elks in North America in Banff National Park.
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With the weather getting warmer again
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he can now explore the expanses
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of the Ya Ha Tinda high plateau
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in search of a powerful North American deer.
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Holger's wife, Antje, works as a forester on the ranch.
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Their children, Maya and Finn, were born in Canada
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and are growing up here.
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Theirs is a childhood amongst cowboys.
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(speaks in foreign language)
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The combination of work as a biologist
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and life as a cowboy is unbeatable.
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Nearly every morning, I wake up and think how lucky I am
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to be able to live here and go about my job.
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Time and again I catch myself looking around and thinking,
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it's so beautiful here.
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Actually too beautiful to be true.
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(calm music)
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The founders of the first parks
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in North America wanted to enable people
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to experience the beauty of nature
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without disturbing it.
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But today the animals need more and more protection.
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That's park ranger Jesse's job.
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(calm music)
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In springtime, he's often out and about
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very early in the morning and he's not alone.
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(calm music)
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I grew up in a bush, in the Canada bush
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and I always wanted to be a biologist.
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And about 20 years ago,
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I heard there is some wolf research happening
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and grizzly bear research happening
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in Banff National Park in the surrounding area,
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and I jumped at it
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and this is my dream job in my life.
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Jesse knows a lot about the wolves and bears
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that live in the mountain forests.
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On this particular morning,
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he's surprised in a clearing by an owl,
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normally a shy creature.
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(suspenseful music)
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That's a great gray owl, a lucky one.
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The behavior of the animals tells Jesse
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what is happening roundabout.
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It seems there's a bear nearby.
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In spring, grizzlies awake from their hibernation
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and are hungry.
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Oh, this grizzly bear's scat's pretty fresh
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I would say in the last couple days.
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You can see it's been feeding on bearberry,
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little berries in there.
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Some roots, a little bit of hedysarum roots.
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See if I can see anything here.
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I don't think it's been feeding on any animals recently.
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Yeah, been here recently.
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(uplifting orchestral music)
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The story of Banff National Park
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goes back to the great days of railway construction.
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(train whistle hoots)
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In 1888, the track reached the land of the Stoney Indians
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who used the sulfurous water that bubbled up
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in the mountains here to cure disease.
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Near Bow Valley, the Indians took three railway workers
270
00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:14,913
to the steaming hot springs which smell strongly of sulfur.
271
00:13:15,790 --> 00:13:19,238
The men suspected that this was a veritable treasure trove.
272
00:13:19,238 --> 00:13:22,160
(uplifting orchestral music)
273
00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,970
Railway magnate, William Van Horne,
274
00:13:24,970 --> 00:13:27,160
sensed the best deal of his life,
275
00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,400
bringing people from the populated east to the wild west
276
00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:32,480
on his Trans-Canadian trains
277
00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,600
to marvel at the stunning world of the mountains.
278
00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,360
Around the station at the foot of the sulfur mountain,
279
00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,460
a small settlement developed.
280
00:13:40,460 --> 00:13:41,950
It was named Banff,
281
00:13:41,950 --> 00:13:44,940
after the Scottish birthplace of George Stephen,
282
00:13:44,940 --> 00:13:47,989
the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
283
00:13:47,989 --> 00:13:52,150
(uplifting orchestral music)
284
00:13:52,150 --> 00:13:54,230
More than 130 years later,
285
00:13:54,230 --> 00:13:57,123
the animals and the town co-exist in harmony.
286
00:13:59,420 --> 00:14:03,230
The gardens of Banff it seems are just as tasty
287
00:14:03,230 --> 00:14:05,003
as the grass of the prairie.
288
00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:11,280
On June 23rd, 1887, Banff National Park was founded.
289
00:14:11,390 --> 00:14:14,300
It was the colony's first tourist resort.
290
00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:18,100
A year later, the majestic Banff Springs opened.
291
00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:22,070
At the time it was the biggest hotel in the world.
292
00:14:22,070 --> 00:14:23,610
We've arranged to meet a woman
293
00:14:23,610 --> 00:14:26,910
who has known the park and the hotel since childhood.
294
00:14:26,910 --> 00:14:31,080
Ralphine Locke experienced the opening up of the mountains
295
00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,190
and how the hotel changed the history
296
00:14:33,190 --> 00:14:34,712
of the little settlement.
297
00:14:34,712 --> 00:14:37,795
(lighthearted music)
298
00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:43,340
It's been a tremendous privilege.
299
00:14:43,340 --> 00:14:45,600
I always appreciate it so much
300
00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,610
and I was raised with a very keen sense
301
00:14:48,610 --> 00:14:51,060
of the environment and nature,
302
00:14:51,060 --> 00:14:56,060
and I really had a very wonderful life in Banff.
303
00:14:58,420 --> 00:15:02,160
Her grandparents were among the first pioneers.
304
00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:04,070
They became the first European family
305
00:15:04,070 --> 00:15:05,633
to settle in wild Banff.
306
00:15:06,522 --> 00:15:08,939
(calm music)
307
00:15:10,910 --> 00:15:13,840
My family were deeply into nature
308
00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,030
and my mother was a great walker.
309
00:15:16,030 --> 00:15:17,680
We'd go off and wander
310
00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:20,750
and we'd rarely see anyone.
311
00:15:20,750 --> 00:15:24,760
That was before the influx after the Second World War.
312
00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,210
And at that point, we got a lot of people
313
00:15:27,210 --> 00:15:32,210
from Germany and Switzerland and Italy and so on.
314
00:15:32,470 --> 00:15:35,820
All of a sudden you'd see people and you went off
315
00:15:35,820 --> 00:15:39,090
but for many years we would never see another soul
316
00:15:39,090 --> 00:15:42,253
the whole time we're up here four or five days camping.
317
00:15:46,370 --> 00:15:47,510
Life in this wilderness
318
00:15:47,510 --> 00:15:49,163
wasn't always so romantic.
319
00:15:50,510 --> 00:15:52,883
But the mountains seem to make people happy.
320
00:15:54,870 --> 00:15:57,370
The sheer beauty of the mountains,
321
00:15:57,370 --> 00:15:58,940
they're always changing.
322
00:15:58,940 --> 00:16:00,300
As long as I've been here,
323
00:16:00,300 --> 00:16:02,970
I can see still new features in them.
324
00:16:02,970 --> 00:16:05,280
You know, something the light will change
325
00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:10,280
and it's just a lifelong study really.
326
00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,243
Yeah and I've been very fortunate to be part of that.
327
00:16:16,018 --> 00:16:17,380
On the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch,
328
00:16:17,380 --> 00:16:20,260
daily life revolves around the animals.
329
00:16:20,260 --> 00:16:23,280
In early summer, Antje likes to leave the house
330
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,800
while the rest of the family is still sleeping.
331
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,710
She heads for a mountain on the edge of the high plateau
332
00:16:29,710 --> 00:16:32,120
where she and Holger once saw a herd
333
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,263
of wapiti in the early morning.
334
00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,770
Holger and Antje met and fell in love
335
00:16:38,770 --> 00:16:41,900
two years before their final school exams.
336
00:16:41,900 --> 00:16:43,880
They attended university together
337
00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,656
and even then planned to live in Canada one day.
338
00:16:47,656 --> 00:16:50,739
(lighthearted music)
339
00:16:52,185 --> 00:16:53,320
(speaks in foreign language)
340
00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,170
Somehow I always had this dream
341
00:16:55,170 --> 00:16:57,120
of the big wide world.
342
00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:58,860
I wrote in my high school yearbook
343
00:16:58,860 --> 00:17:01,640
that I wanted to become a forester in Canada
344
00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,530
and now I'm a biologist in Canada.
345
00:17:04,530 --> 00:17:06,960
I can't imagine anything more wonderful.
346
00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,070
This vastness.
347
00:17:08,070 --> 00:17:11,130
You can walk for hours without seeing a single soul,
348
00:17:11,130 --> 00:17:12,550
just the odd deer
349
00:17:12,550 --> 00:17:14,090
or if you're really lucky,
350
00:17:14,090 --> 00:17:16,293
you might spot a bear in the distance.
351
00:17:17,371 --> 00:17:19,788
(calm music)
352
00:17:23,900 --> 00:17:25,060
There is an estimated
353
00:17:25,060 --> 00:17:27,870
60 bears in Banff National Park
354
00:17:27,870 --> 00:17:31,693
but even so, Antje prefers to be alone in the wilderness.
355
00:17:32,770 --> 00:17:34,640
She accepts the risks,
356
00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:37,100
after all she is well-prepared
357
00:17:38,616 --> 00:17:39,860
(speaks in foreign language)
358
00:17:39,860 --> 00:17:41,760
Because there are grizzlies in the area
359
00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:43,700
I always have my bear spray with me.
360
00:17:43,700 --> 00:17:45,790
If a bear approaches you have to wait
361
00:17:45,790 --> 00:17:48,450
until it's close, five to eight meters away,
362
00:17:48,450 --> 00:17:50,080
before you can use the spray.
363
00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:53,080
You flip off the hook and spray cloud in front of the bear
364
00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,110
and hope that that puts it off.
365
00:17:55,110 --> 00:17:58,300
It's not 100% certain to deter the animal
366
00:17:58,300 --> 00:18:01,230
but the spray has been proven to be better than nothing.
367
00:18:01,230 --> 00:18:04,433
Luckily I've never been in a situation where I needed it.
368
00:18:05,650 --> 00:18:07,040
Let's hope I never am.
369
00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:08,827
The safest thing is to look out
370
00:18:08,827 --> 00:18:11,490
for any signs and make noise in the forest,
371
00:18:11,490 --> 00:18:13,573
and hope you never come across a bear.
372
00:18:15,127 --> 00:18:16,460
(gun pops)
373
00:18:16,460 --> 00:18:18,290
Once a year, the rangers have to go
374
00:18:18,290 --> 00:18:19,960
for shooting practice.
375
00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:21,990
They must always be prepared
376
00:18:21,990 --> 00:18:25,123
and in an emergency know how to handle their rifle.
377
00:18:26,250 --> 00:18:28,910
Private individuals are forbidden to carry weapons
378
00:18:28,910 --> 00:18:31,400
of any kind in Canada's parks.
379
00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:33,913
Only the rangers are allowed to be armed.
380
00:18:35,060 --> 00:18:37,050
It is important to park staff
381
00:18:37,050 --> 00:18:41,080
for visitors and animals to stay a certain distance apart.
382
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,233
As a rule, this works really well.
383
00:18:45,590 --> 00:18:48,560
It is very rare for a ranger to have to use his weapon.
384
00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:52,700
as shooting instructor Chris Worobets explains.
385
00:18:52,700 --> 00:18:55,050
I mean, still this is the number one tool
386
00:18:55,050 --> 00:18:57,070
that we carry all the time
387
00:18:57,070 --> 00:19:00,700
and firearms are carried for more serious situations.
388
00:19:00,700 --> 00:19:04,420
We have deterrent rounds that we use such as these,
389
00:19:04,420 --> 00:19:08,390
so they're rubber slugs and bean bag rounds.
390
00:19:08,390 --> 00:19:10,200
We use it to inflict pain.
391
00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,200
If there say it's a bear
392
00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,910
that's staying around a populated area
393
00:19:14,910 --> 00:19:19,020
that's become conditioned to people
394
00:19:19,020 --> 00:19:20,770
and isn't afraid of people,
395
00:19:20,770 --> 00:19:22,100
and it's getting into trouble,
396
00:19:22,100 --> 00:19:23,930
rather than destroying it
397
00:19:23,930 --> 00:19:25,939
we'll try and put in place
398
00:19:25,939 --> 00:19:28,100
first a conditioning plan where we'll go
399
00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:31,420
and use noisemakers and pain stimulus
400
00:19:31,420 --> 00:19:34,070
to convince them that it's uncomfortable to stay there
401
00:19:34,070 --> 00:19:36,493
and to move away to a safe location.
402
00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:39,560
Nature in Canada presents itself
403
00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,240
in sumptuous and majestic style
404
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,840
but it is also a habitat for countless animals
405
00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,573
that prefer to lead concealed lives.
406
00:19:48,540 --> 00:19:51,730
So it is not always easy to strike the right balance
407
00:19:51,730 --> 00:19:54,690
between the animals inhabitants' need for protection
408
00:19:54,690 --> 00:19:57,923
and the interested gaze of visitors to the park.
409
00:19:57,923 --> 00:20:00,210
(uplifting music)
410
00:20:00,210 --> 00:20:02,130
Ranger Jesse has been studying
411
00:20:02,130 --> 00:20:06,000
the migratory behavior of the park's animals for many years.
412
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,690
Today he has brought us to a special place,
413
00:20:08,690 --> 00:20:11,117
a social tree as it is known.
414
00:20:11,117 --> 00:20:13,670
(uplifting music)
415
00:20:13,670 --> 00:20:16,320
Here animals exchange information
416
00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,142
which is almost invisible to the layman.
417
00:20:19,142 --> 00:20:20,330
With a grizzly bear hair here
418
00:20:20,330 --> 00:20:22,963
where they've been just rubbing their backs.
419
00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:28,480
Let's see a little bit further down there, there.
420
00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:29,340
Quite a bit down here,
421
00:20:29,340 --> 00:20:31,620
I wonder if this might be wolf even.
422
00:20:31,620 --> 00:20:34,560
This is a well-used tree by wolves and grizzly bears
423
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:36,760
and it could be a good spot to put a camera.
424
00:20:39,370 --> 00:20:42,060
Because cameras are his secret informers,
425
00:20:42,060 --> 00:20:44,343
Jesse is going to set up another one here.
426
00:20:45,844 --> 00:20:47,243
A little bit off the trail.
427
00:20:47,243 --> 00:20:49,993
(dramatic music)
428
00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:54,480
Camera traps are triggered by movement.
429
00:20:55,550 --> 00:20:58,143
This spot between the fir trees looks ideal.
430
00:21:00,110 --> 00:21:02,230
So we wanna check it before we go
431
00:21:02,230 --> 00:21:04,180
just to make sure it is actually working.
432
00:21:04,180 --> 00:21:08,150
So you can see it's taking five pictures in a row
433
00:21:08,150 --> 00:21:09,650
which is exactly what we want.
434
00:21:13,443 --> 00:21:15,710
I think we have about 120 cameras.
435
00:21:15,710 --> 00:21:19,090
Every year we collect about 300,000
436
00:21:19,090 --> 00:21:22,160
remote camera images that we classify.
437
00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,230
And sometimes it's just blowing grass in the wind
438
00:21:25,230 --> 00:21:26,460
and blowing snow
439
00:21:26,460 --> 00:21:29,443
but other times we get some amazing wildlife shots.
440
00:21:30,460 --> 00:21:32,600
Jesse is particularly taken
441
00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,083
by some of the shyest inhabitants of the park.
442
00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:40,540
Although the park is set to contain more than 60 wolves,
443
00:21:40,540 --> 00:21:42,395
visitors rarely spot one.
444
00:21:42,395 --> 00:21:45,312
(calm piano music)
445
00:21:49,460 --> 00:21:52,780
Amazingly, the various species wolves, deers,
446
00:21:52,780 --> 00:21:56,720
even grizzly bears all seem to use the same trails.
447
00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,385
These pictures were taken only a few minutes apart.
448
00:22:00,385 --> 00:22:03,302
(calm piano music)
449
00:22:04,390 --> 00:22:06,900
The wild animals and their migratory behavior
450
00:22:06,900 --> 00:22:09,830
are also a topic on the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch
451
00:22:09,830 --> 00:22:13,115
because the last 100 years have seen dramatic changes.
452
00:22:13,115 --> 00:22:15,590
Holger's GPS analysis have shown
453
00:22:15,590 --> 00:22:18,800
that the migratory behavior of the elks has changed.
454
00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,660
At one time the deer only spent the winters here.
455
00:22:21,660 --> 00:22:23,330
Now they stay all year round
456
00:22:23,330 --> 00:22:25,690
and destroy the precious grassland.
457
00:22:25,690 --> 00:22:27,513
As yet no one knows why.
458
00:22:29,130 --> 00:22:31,080
For many years now Antje has also
459
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,380
supported the research project.
460
00:22:33,380 --> 00:22:36,480
Together with Holger, she has fitted male and female elk
461
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:37,870
with transmitter collars
462
00:22:37,870 --> 00:22:40,093
so that their movements can be profiled.
463
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:41,833
I'm checking whether
464
00:22:41,833 --> 00:22:44,160
any of the wapiti are here in the valley.
465
00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:45,510
Since we're an open country
466
00:22:45,510 --> 00:22:48,040
any signals are received very clearly.
467
00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,130
I'm going through the frequencies of the various animals
468
00:22:51,130 --> 00:22:53,220
to see if any of them are in the valley.
469
00:22:53,220 --> 00:22:55,200
If I pick up a signal I can tell
470
00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:57,463
in which direction the deer is located.
471
00:22:59,350 --> 00:23:00,310
In his basement,
472
00:23:00,310 --> 00:23:03,020
the cowboy from Germany has set up a data bank
473
00:23:03,020 --> 00:23:05,283
for evaluating the behavior of wapiti.
474
00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:08,960
The surrounding area is shown on the screen.
475
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,450
Each dot corresponds to a wapiti
476
00:23:11,450 --> 00:23:13,750
with a collar and transmitter.
477
00:23:13,750 --> 00:23:15,800
You can see quite clearly
478
00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,850
that in summer, in the 1970s and '80s,
479
00:23:18,850 --> 00:23:21,370
there wasn't a single animal on the ranch.
480
00:23:21,370 --> 00:23:24,120
The elk all spent the summer in the park.
481
00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:27,040
15 years later as the map on the right shows,
482
00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:29,940
there were hardly any elk left in the park in summer.
483
00:23:29,940 --> 00:23:32,430
All the gray dots are gathered around the ranch.
484
00:23:32,430 --> 00:23:34,380
This shows that hundreds of wapiti
485
00:23:34,380 --> 00:23:36,720
have abandoned their migratory behavior
486
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,713
and no longer enter the park at all.
487
00:23:40,550 --> 00:23:42,750
The researchers don't know why this is
488
00:23:42,750 --> 00:23:44,070
but they are determined to try
489
00:23:44,070 --> 00:23:46,463
and get the elks to migrate once again.
490
00:23:48,740 --> 00:23:50,630
As summer makes her presence felt
491
00:23:50,630 --> 00:23:52,340
in the rugged Rocky Mountains,
492
00:23:52,340 --> 00:23:54,500
the first visitors also appear.
493
00:23:54,500 --> 00:23:56,040
The warmer months alone attract
494
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,410
more than 3 million adventurers
495
00:23:58,410 --> 00:24:01,070
and extreme sportsmen and women
496
00:24:01,070 --> 00:24:02,780
because here in the wilderness,
497
00:24:02,780 --> 00:24:05,830
cycling, mountain biking, rafting, climbing,
498
00:24:05,830 --> 00:24:09,782
and virtually every other kind of extreme sport is possible.
499
00:24:09,782 --> 00:24:13,200
(uplifting music)
500
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:14,950
But reconciling conservation
501
00:24:14,950 --> 00:24:18,750
with people's need for recreation is a balancing act.
502
00:24:18,750 --> 00:24:21,040
Time and again, the question arises
503
00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:24,120
as how many visitors the park can tolerate.
504
00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:25,840
Should numbers be restricted
505
00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,440
and indeed is that at all possible?
506
00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:30,110
It's a controversial issue
507
00:24:30,110 --> 00:24:31,970
because visitors are wanted
508
00:24:31,970 --> 00:24:34,200
and not just as a source of income.
509
00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:37,820
The aim for them is to experience the beauty of our world
510
00:24:37,820 --> 00:24:40,543
and realize that it needs their protection.
511
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,120
Rush hour in this conservation paradise
512
00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:50,740
sometimes induces visitors to attempt reckless maneuvers.
513
00:24:50,740 --> 00:24:53,250
Park regulations are designed to enable people
514
00:24:53,250 --> 00:24:54,710
to experience the landscape
515
00:24:54,710 --> 00:24:56,473
without disturbing the animals.
516
00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,110
But not everyone sticks to the rules.
517
00:25:00,110 --> 00:25:02,080
Many visitors have no idea
518
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,509
that they can put the animals in a stress situation.
519
00:25:05,509 --> 00:25:07,926
(calm music)
520
00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:13,620
Jesse drives regularly to the park's lookout points
521
00:25:13,620 --> 00:25:16,370
and encounters visitors who have no idea
522
00:25:16,370 --> 00:25:18,603
how they should behave towards the animals.
523
00:25:21,580 --> 00:25:23,720
Excuse me, when you see a bear,
524
00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,130
what are you supposed to do?
525
00:25:25,130 --> 00:25:27,420
Say something or do something
526
00:25:27,420 --> 00:25:28,770
or just be quiet?
Yeah.
527
00:25:28,770 --> 00:25:30,960
Like I think if you're driving in your vehicle
528
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:32,223
along Bow Valley Parkway,
529
00:25:33,270 --> 00:25:35,810
just pull over, have nice looks.
530
00:25:35,810 --> 00:25:38,020
It's best and safest to stay in your vehicle
531
00:25:40,367 --> 00:25:41,913
and then after a little while
532
00:25:41,913 --> 00:25:44,500
just move along and give the bear some space.
533
00:25:44,500 --> 00:25:45,333
All right.
Yeah.
534
00:25:45,333 --> 00:25:47,490
When people say you fall on the ground
535
00:25:47,490 --> 00:25:49,150
face down, belly down.
536
00:25:49,150 --> 00:25:49,983
No. (chuckles)
Don't move.
537
00:25:49,983 --> 00:25:50,816
Is that true?
No.
538
00:25:50,816 --> 00:25:53,420
If you're hiking and you surprise a bear,
539
00:25:53,420 --> 00:25:56,250
most bears are just gonna continue doing their own thing
540
00:25:56,250 --> 00:25:58,720
and you just back up and give them space.
541
00:25:58,720 --> 00:25:59,755
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
542
00:25:59,755 --> 00:26:00,588
Thank you.
Yeah.
543
00:26:00,588 --> 00:26:01,421
Thanks. All right.
544
00:26:01,421 --> 00:26:02,254
Let's go guys.
545
00:26:02,254 --> 00:26:03,087
Enjoy.
546
00:26:06,370 --> 00:26:08,470
Banff is a fascinating place to work
547
00:26:08,470 --> 00:26:10,310
because we have this interface
548
00:26:10,310 --> 00:26:13,250
between 3 million visitors a year
549
00:26:13,250 --> 00:26:15,700
and these really wary wildlife.
550
00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:18,040
So we spend a lot of time trying to understand
551
00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,820
how people affect wildlife
552
00:26:20,820 --> 00:26:23,530
and then what we can do to make Banff a place
553
00:26:23,530 --> 00:26:25,940
where it's a great spot for people to see wildlife
554
00:26:25,940 --> 00:26:29,270
yet provide wildlife with a place to live,
555
00:26:29,270 --> 00:26:31,650
and a place to flourish.
556
00:26:31,650 --> 00:26:33,610
And we've done a lot of work over the years
557
00:26:33,610 --> 00:26:35,983
to try and balance the two.
558
00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:38,960
Being totally alone
559
00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:40,730
yet in the middle of Canada,
560
00:26:40,730 --> 00:26:43,060
that's been life on the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch
561
00:26:43,060 --> 00:26:44,770
for more than a century.
562
00:26:44,770 --> 00:26:46,750
It is hard to imagine that this wilderness
563
00:26:46,750 --> 00:26:50,040
is under serious threat from man himself.
564
00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:51,540
But in Canada too,
565
00:26:51,540 --> 00:26:54,660
oil is a multi-billion dollar business.
566
00:26:54,660 --> 00:26:59,460
Located only 900 kilometers to the north is tar sands,
567
00:26:59,460 --> 00:27:02,250
one of the biggest oil fields on earth.
568
00:27:02,250 --> 00:27:04,900
Test drillings have also been carried out
569
00:27:04,900 --> 00:27:06,450
on the huge ranch
570
00:27:06,450 --> 00:27:08,393
but so far without success.
571
00:27:10,370 --> 00:27:13,450
Thus, the work of people like Holger and Rick
572
00:27:13,450 --> 00:27:15,100
and the future of the ranch
573
00:27:15,100 --> 00:27:18,010
with its rich tradition looks threatened.
574
00:27:18,010 --> 00:27:21,053
Today, the two are rounding up the young horses.
575
00:27:23,070 --> 00:27:25,597
Here you have to learn to adapt to nature.
576
00:27:25,597 --> 00:27:29,367
"On the ranch," Holger says, "clocks tick differently."
577
00:27:31,071 --> 00:27:32,180
(speaks in foreign language)
578
00:27:32,180 --> 00:27:33,160
When you're new here
579
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,190
you do everything twice as fast as the cowboys.
580
00:27:36,190 --> 00:27:37,250
In the end, though,
581
00:27:37,250 --> 00:27:40,253
you are forced into this lifestyle and you slow down.
582
00:27:41,524 --> 00:27:42,590
And there is sense in that
583
00:27:42,590 --> 00:27:45,200
because horses can't take stress
584
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,390
and they are what you are working with.
585
00:27:47,390 --> 00:27:51,560
If you make swift movements around horses they become edgy.
586
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:53,740
You need to do everything calmly
587
00:27:53,740 --> 00:27:55,420
then you will find that the horses
588
00:27:55,420 --> 00:27:57,613
are far more relaxed and compliant.
589
00:28:00,660 --> 00:28:02,060
Rick always has an eye
590
00:28:02,060 --> 00:28:03,960
on how each horse is developing.
591
00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,960
After all, from next year on these still untamed youngsters
592
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,373
will have to become the ranger's best friends.
593
00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:14,890
The horses are only gradually
594
00:28:14,890 --> 00:28:16,713
brought into contact with humans.
595
00:28:18,750 --> 00:28:21,250
His experience tells Rick whether or not
596
00:28:21,250 --> 00:28:22,713
a horse has character.
597
00:28:23,620 --> 00:28:26,090
Well, these horses, they're just special animals.
598
00:28:26,090 --> 00:28:28,650
They become friends and you know them rest of year.
599
00:28:28,650 --> 00:28:32,440
Each one of them has quite a strong personality.
600
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,217
You get a real bond built with them
601
00:28:34,217 --> 00:28:35,890
and when they trust you like this
602
00:28:35,890 --> 00:28:38,300
and you can do whatever you like to do with them.
603
00:28:38,300 --> 00:28:39,920
It's kind of a nice feeling.
604
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,353
Come to work in the morning and your colleagues like you,
605
00:28:42,353 --> 00:28:43,919
it's a good thing.
606
00:28:43,919 --> 00:28:46,500
(uptempo music)
607
00:28:46,500 --> 00:28:47,610
The same thing applies
608
00:28:47,610 --> 00:28:49,010
to dealing with people here.
609
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,040
The lad from Germany had to slowly earn
610
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:55,133
the recognition of the ranch cowboys.
611
00:28:56,020 --> 00:28:57,993
He has fond memories of the time.
612
00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:00,540
(speaks in foreign language)
613
00:29:00,540 --> 00:29:01,680
You're not allowed to buy
614
00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,020
your first hat yourself.
615
00:29:04,020 --> 00:29:07,200
It has to be approved or given to you.
616
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,930
I was lucky enough to have my first hat presented to me
617
00:29:10,930 --> 00:29:12,800
but just to do everything right,
618
00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:16,110
one evening I went to all the cowboys on the ranch
619
00:29:16,110 --> 00:29:18,620
and asked if the hat was acceptable
620
00:29:18,620 --> 00:29:20,863
and whether it was okay for me to wear it.
621
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:25,520
Fortunately they all said yes
622
00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,930
and added that I was well on the way to becoming
623
00:29:27,930 --> 00:29:30,580
a halfway useful cowboy.
624
00:29:30,580 --> 00:29:33,000
So the hat was now appropriate.
625
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,969
(speaks in foreign language)
626
00:29:35,969 --> 00:29:38,700
(calm music)
627
00:29:38,700 --> 00:29:41,210
Ranger Jesse is on the way to the camera trap
628
00:29:41,210 --> 00:29:42,757
He set up a few weeks ago.
629
00:29:44,820 --> 00:29:46,150
He can't wait to find out
630
00:29:46,150 --> 00:29:48,901
what's been going on at the social tree.
631
00:29:48,901 --> 00:29:51,318
(calm music)
632
00:29:57,110 --> 00:29:59,150
It feels kind of like Christmas
633
00:29:59,150 --> 00:30:00,610
when we service these cameras
634
00:30:00,610 --> 00:30:03,290
'cause you don't know what's on there
635
00:30:03,290 --> 00:30:04,380
and it's always a surprise.
636
00:30:04,380 --> 00:30:05,900
Sometimes you don't get much
637
00:30:05,900 --> 00:30:08,193
and sometimes you get some amazing photos.
638
00:30:09,340 --> 00:30:12,173
Gonna pull this memory card out and pop a new one in.
639
00:30:13,135 --> 00:30:15,552
(calm music)
640
00:30:23,070 --> 00:30:25,570
The pictures exceed all expectations.
641
00:30:26,449 --> 00:30:28,866
(calm music)
642
00:30:55,758 --> 00:30:56,870
Grizzly bear is coming along
643
00:30:56,870 --> 00:30:59,000
and they rub on it.
644
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:00,300
I think it feels good.
645
00:31:00,300 --> 00:31:02,820
They can rub some of their fur off
646
00:31:02,820 --> 00:31:04,530
but it's also a communication tree.
647
00:31:04,530 --> 00:31:06,830
So, that's how the bears that are rolling through the area
648
00:31:06,830 --> 00:31:08,580
know who is here,
649
00:31:08,580 --> 00:31:09,450
how long ago,
650
00:31:09,450 --> 00:31:11,250
probably what they're eating.
651
00:31:11,250 --> 00:31:13,870
And at the same time it's communication tree
652
00:31:13,870 --> 00:31:15,690
for other wildlife.
653
00:31:15,690 --> 00:31:17,280
We saw the wolf go through
654
00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:18,390
and it checked out the tree
655
00:31:18,390 --> 00:31:20,870
to see if other bears have been here.
656
00:31:20,870 --> 00:31:23,390
We had some deer and elk go through
657
00:31:23,390 --> 00:31:25,000
and they were smelling.
658
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:28,780
And these three, mother grizzly bears with offspring,
659
00:31:28,780 --> 00:31:30,647
which is great for this area.
660
00:31:30,647 --> 00:31:33,064
(calm music)
661
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,660
In autumn, Banff National Park
662
00:31:48,660 --> 00:31:51,210
is simply radiant.
663
00:31:51,210 --> 00:31:53,797
(wolf howls)
664
00:31:53,797 --> 00:31:57,547
(uplifting orchestral music)
665
00:32:01,460 --> 00:32:05,460
For Ralphine Locke, this is the most beautiful time of year.
666
00:32:05,460 --> 00:32:07,510
We've come to meet her at Green Spot,
667
00:32:07,510 --> 00:32:09,693
a lookout point high above Banff.
668
00:32:11,810 --> 00:32:14,610
As a little girl, she spent unforgettable afternoons
669
00:32:14,610 --> 00:32:18,550
on this popular picnic site with her grandparents.
670
00:32:18,550 --> 00:32:20,570
When I look down over the valley here
671
00:32:20,570 --> 00:32:23,660
it makes me think about my grandfather
672
00:32:23,660 --> 00:32:26,540
who was here before the railway.
673
00:32:26,540 --> 00:32:31,540
And he camped once in 1881 on the Bow River
674
00:32:33,730 --> 00:32:36,500
and he always used to tell us about
675
00:32:36,500 --> 00:32:41,380
what a wonder tour it was just to see the animals.
676
00:32:41,380 --> 00:32:43,490
I was quite close to my grandfather
677
00:32:43,490 --> 00:32:46,603
so it was good to hear those firsthand things.
678
00:32:48,230 --> 00:32:50,570
Ralphine has passed on her love of nature
679
00:32:50,570 --> 00:32:52,760
to her son, Harvey.
680
00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:56,510
(uplifting orchestral music)
681
00:33:03,850 --> 00:33:06,760
Harvey Locke is an internationally renowned
682
00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:09,480
advocate of national parks.
683
00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:12,450
A visionary who thinks along global lines.
684
00:33:12,450 --> 00:33:15,623
He still retains close ties with his home region.
685
00:33:16,460 --> 00:33:19,730
Banff is an extraordinarily wonderful place.
686
00:33:19,730 --> 00:33:23,700
Over the hill there behind, in front of me,
687
00:33:23,700 --> 00:33:26,170
my wife and I went for a nine-day walk this summer
688
00:33:26,170 --> 00:33:29,470
and saw only one other group of hikers in nine days.
689
00:33:29,470 --> 00:33:31,490
We were drinking from the streams.
690
00:33:31,490 --> 00:33:33,570
It's an incredibly wonderful wilderness place,
691
00:33:33,570 --> 00:33:36,120
one of the great places on earth for a wild nature.
692
00:33:39,290 --> 00:33:40,750
Harvey Locke is fighting
693
00:33:40,750 --> 00:33:44,280
for the global interlinking of national parks.
694
00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,730
Because only if the parks work together
695
00:33:46,730 --> 00:33:49,160
will animals on all five continents
696
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:51,330
be able to move freely.
697
00:33:51,330 --> 00:33:52,700
We need to think about how this park
698
00:33:52,700 --> 00:33:53,770
connects to other parks
699
00:33:53,770 --> 00:33:55,960
and how that whole landscape hangs together
700
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,940
because that's actually the scale at which nature works.
701
00:33:58,940 --> 00:34:01,880
And that led to an idea called nature needs half
702
00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:03,480
which is the idea of taking this
703
00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:05,460
Yellowstone to Yukon idea global.
704
00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:07,100
We should protect at least half the world
705
00:34:07,100 --> 00:34:09,730
in an interconnected way, land and sea.
706
00:34:09,730 --> 00:34:12,360
And so, I spend time on that
707
00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:14,680
and I believe that that's really important to us
708
00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:16,100
getting our relationship with nature
709
00:34:16,100 --> 00:34:17,423
right in the 21st century.
710
00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:22,750
It's an Indian summer on the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch.
711
00:34:22,750 --> 00:34:25,910
Once again, the ranch and its special grassland
712
00:34:25,910 --> 00:34:29,173
will again become the habitat for many wild animals.
713
00:34:31,090 --> 00:34:33,410
The wapiti have returned with their young
714
00:34:33,410 --> 00:34:35,589
and will spend the winter here.
715
00:34:35,589 --> 00:34:39,339
(uplifting orchestral music)
716
00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:44,180
One highlight in autumn
717
00:34:44,180 --> 00:34:46,413
is the arrival of foals at the ranch.
718
00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:50,260
Over a period of five years,
719
00:34:50,260 --> 00:34:53,162
they will be trained as horses for the rangers.
720
00:34:53,162 --> 00:34:56,912
(uplifting orchestral music)
721
00:35:05,472 --> 00:35:06,305
(speaks in foreign language)
722
00:35:06,305 --> 00:35:08,440
Yesterday Rick, the rangers' manager,
723
00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:11,720
returned from a big auction with 12 one-year-olds,
724
00:35:11,720 --> 00:35:14,120
and of course it's really exciting
725
00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:17,010
and another sign that the year is coming to an end.
726
00:35:17,010 --> 00:35:20,003
After all you only get foals once a year.
727
00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:23,520
Every ranger who ventures out
728
00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:25,160
into the wilderness on horseback
729
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:28,680
has to be certain that his mount is reliable.
730
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:30,360
And that is definitely not something
731
00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:32,260
to be taken for granted.
732
00:35:32,260 --> 00:35:33,750
These are all brand new colts,
733
00:35:33,750 --> 00:35:36,080
they're colts that were just weaned from their mothers
734
00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:37,700
about two weeks ago.
735
00:35:37,700 --> 00:35:40,210
So they're pretty worried about everything.
736
00:35:40,210 --> 00:35:41,940
They're wondering where their family went
737
00:35:41,940 --> 00:35:45,560
and what happened to the world as they were used to it.
738
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:48,700
With us here now we won't actually start riding these colts
739
00:35:48,700 --> 00:35:51,100
for another two years, three years.
740
00:35:51,100 --> 00:35:52,030
We'll feed them.
741
00:35:52,030 --> 00:35:54,920
We'll look after them, we'll trim their feet.
742
00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:56,360
We'll halter break them.
743
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:57,270
We'll warm them.
744
00:35:57,270 --> 00:35:58,790
We'll do things like this.
745
00:35:58,790 --> 00:36:01,050
Things just to work with them day by day
746
00:36:01,050 --> 00:36:03,353
so they get used to people being around them.
747
00:36:05,620 --> 00:36:06,910
For Holger and Antje,
748
00:36:06,910 --> 00:36:08,950
respect in dealing with animals
749
00:36:08,950 --> 00:36:10,543
and with nature is essential.
750
00:36:11,860 --> 00:36:13,830
Here in the Canadian wilderness,
751
00:36:13,830 --> 00:36:16,230
that is something they can teach their children.
752
00:36:20,060 --> 00:36:22,060
Time and again, we meet people in the park
753
00:36:22,060 --> 00:36:24,570
who have devoted their life to conservation.
754
00:36:24,570 --> 00:36:26,490
People like Jesse, of course.
755
00:36:26,490 --> 00:36:28,990
He has studied the animals all summer long.
756
00:36:28,990 --> 00:36:31,373
Now he is evaluating his pictures.
757
00:36:32,350 --> 00:36:33,770
Over the last few months,
758
00:36:33,770 --> 00:36:37,260
his camera has taken more than a thousand photographs,
759
00:36:37,260 --> 00:36:40,073
including some of bear 122.
760
00:36:41,223 --> 00:36:42,920
Grizzly bear 122 is a pretty neat bear.
761
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:47,150
He is probably the biggest grizzly bear in the Bow Valley.
762
00:36:47,150 --> 00:36:50,160
And this summer he killed a sheep,
763
00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:52,330
another black bear, an elk,
764
00:36:52,330 --> 00:36:57,330
and I think the other animals give him space. (chuckles)
765
00:36:59,140 --> 00:37:01,930
Grizzly 122 is notorious in Banff
766
00:37:01,930 --> 00:37:03,840
and regularly hits the headlines
767
00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,373
when he's spotted near the little town.
768
00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:09,700
The GPS transmitter tells Jesse
769
00:37:09,700 --> 00:37:13,930
that the bear covers more than 50 kilometers everyday.
770
00:37:13,930 --> 00:37:16,291
These animals travel a lot.
771
00:37:16,291 --> 00:37:17,840
(chuckles) They travel far
772
00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:19,940
and this particular bear especially
773
00:37:19,940 --> 00:37:23,320
cross the Trans-Canada highway a lot of times,
774
00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:25,023
over 66 times.
775
00:37:26,540 --> 00:37:27,740
Regulating the balance
776
00:37:27,740 --> 00:37:31,130
between people and nature in the park remains a challenge,
777
00:37:31,130 --> 00:37:35,280
after all two railway lines and the Trans-Canadian highway
778
00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:37,170
run right through it.
779
00:37:37,170 --> 00:37:40,043
Roads often prove deadly traps for animals.
780
00:37:43,620 --> 00:37:45,950
For years, Harvey Locke has been fighting
781
00:37:45,950 --> 00:37:48,210
to have the problem addressed.
782
00:37:48,210 --> 00:37:51,590
Now in Banff, underpasses and overpasses for the animals
783
00:37:51,590 --> 00:37:53,860
have been built at great cost.
784
00:37:53,860 --> 00:37:55,980
They are an attempt to make a park
785
00:37:55,980 --> 00:37:58,470
that is intersected by traffic arteries
786
00:37:58,470 --> 00:38:00,393
safer for all the animals.
787
00:38:05,430 --> 00:38:09,120
Harvey and Jesse see this as only the beginning.
788
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,710
To do justice to the animals in their habitat
789
00:38:11,710 --> 00:38:15,680
they say far larger areas need to be protected
790
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,160
because it takes a while for animals to get used
791
00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:20,800
to the crossovers created for them
792
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:22,900
For the first five years,
793
00:38:22,900 --> 00:38:25,460
we had deer use it a lot, elk use it a lot.
794
00:38:25,460 --> 00:38:27,120
Wolves started to learn to use it
795
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:29,370
but we really didn't have many grizzly bears use it.
796
00:38:29,370 --> 00:38:30,890
But it's interesting, over time,
797
00:38:30,890 --> 00:38:33,440
these grizzly bears slowly started to increase
798
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:35,030
their use of these overpasses.
799
00:38:35,030 --> 00:38:36,410
They became familiar with them
800
00:38:36,410 --> 00:38:38,410
and it became more natural as vegetation
801
00:38:38,410 --> 00:38:39,680
grew up on these things.
802
00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:42,980
It's reduced our mortality rates by well over 90%
803
00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:46,433
and animals can cross safely.
804
00:38:47,500 --> 00:38:49,120
Today many countries have built
805
00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,970
over and underpass is based on the Banff model,
806
00:38:51,970 --> 00:38:53,350
including Germany,
807
00:38:53,350 --> 00:38:55,230
but there still aren't enough.
808
00:38:55,230 --> 00:38:58,100
My vision is that this become normal
809
00:38:58,100 --> 00:38:59,980
for every highway in North America
810
00:38:59,980 --> 00:39:01,410
that goes through wildlife habitat.
811
00:39:01,410 --> 00:39:04,690
That overpasses and underpasses become a normal part
812
00:39:04,690 --> 00:39:06,690
of how we build roads in this continent
813
00:39:06,690 --> 00:39:09,480
and in Europe and in the rest of the world.
814
00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:11,250
And it's a question of how we wanna live
815
00:39:11,250 --> 00:39:13,190
as humans in the landscape.
816
00:39:13,190 --> 00:39:15,360
And Banff Park has turned out to be the place
817
00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,350
that people from all over the world come to study
818
00:39:18,350 --> 00:39:20,340
how these overpasses and underpasses
819
00:39:20,340 --> 00:39:21,640
and fencing work together.
820
00:39:23,790 --> 00:39:26,620
On the ranch it's almost time to say goodbye.
821
00:39:26,620 --> 00:39:29,153
Holger and his family are leaving Ya Ha Tinda
822
00:39:29,153 --> 00:39:31,553
because their children now need to go to school.
823
00:39:32,432 --> 00:39:34,849
(calm music)
824
00:39:38,940 --> 00:39:40,017
Perfect!
825
00:39:40,017 --> 00:39:42,434
(calm music)
826
00:39:43,330 --> 00:39:45,430
The Bohms are bidding farewell
827
00:39:45,430 --> 00:39:49,423
to the wilderness and moving to the oil city of Edmonton.
828
00:39:50,390 --> 00:39:51,223
(speaks in foreign language)
829
00:39:51,223 --> 00:39:52,090
When we move to the city
830
00:39:52,090 --> 00:39:54,270
it will be the end not only of the summer
831
00:39:54,270 --> 00:39:57,490
but also of our entire life on the ranch.
832
00:39:57,490 --> 00:39:58,837
That's sad because up until now
833
00:39:58,837 --> 00:40:01,380
the children have been able to roam free
834
00:40:01,380 --> 00:40:02,990
and do what they wanted.
835
00:40:02,990 --> 00:40:05,220
Now though school life beckons,
836
00:40:05,220 --> 00:40:07,650
little Finny will start in grade one.
837
00:40:07,650 --> 00:40:10,953
It's a pity but on the other hand, it's also exciting.
838
00:40:12,861 --> 00:40:14,242
(laughs)
839
00:40:14,242 --> 00:40:18,245
♪ And there'll peace in the valley ♪
840
00:40:18,245 --> 00:40:22,216
♪ For me someday ♪
841
00:40:22,216 --> 00:40:23,350
♪ There'll be peace ♪
842
00:40:23,350 --> 00:40:25,690
Antje and Holger will come back though
843
00:40:25,690 --> 00:40:29,063
to a place where they have forged lifelong friendships.
844
00:40:29,950 --> 00:40:34,298
♪ There'll be no sorrow, no sadness ♪
845
00:40:34,298 --> 00:40:37,616
♪ No trouble I see ♪
846
00:40:37,616 --> 00:40:42,366
♪ There'll be peace in the valley for me ♪
847
00:40:47,860 --> 00:40:49,640
As the temperature drops,
848
00:40:49,640 --> 00:40:52,450
the bears gradually begin to hibernate,
849
00:40:52,450 --> 00:40:54,370
the wolves withdraw,
850
00:40:54,370 --> 00:40:57,500
and the park offers new opportunities.
851
00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:00,400
This still fairly new winter sports region
852
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,219
now attract skiers and snowboarders.
853
00:41:03,219 --> 00:41:06,802
(intense orchestral music)
854
00:41:13,169 --> 00:41:15,900
We have spent a year in this incredible place,
855
00:41:15,900 --> 00:41:18,371
in Banff National Park.
856
00:41:18,371 --> 00:41:21,430
(intense orchestral music)
857
00:41:21,430 --> 00:41:25,293
Today, 13% of the earth surface is protected.
858
00:41:26,290 --> 00:41:28,630
Perhaps nature needs even more space
859
00:41:28,630 --> 00:41:32,109
if we are to live in balance with her once again.
860
00:41:32,109 --> 00:41:35,692
(intense orchestral music)
861
00:41:46,990 --> 00:41:49,440
We will never forget the people we have got to know
862
00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:51,053
over the last 12 months.
863
00:41:52,210 --> 00:41:54,010
With their love of their park,
864
00:41:54,010 --> 00:41:56,290
their wishes, their concerns,
865
00:41:56,290 --> 00:41:58,400
and their visions.
866
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,600
The world is becoming a busier and busier place
867
00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:05,300
and wildlife clearly need some protected areas
868
00:42:05,300 --> 00:42:07,130
to survive and persist.
869
00:42:07,130 --> 00:42:10,210
So, what we need is support from people
870
00:42:10,210 --> 00:42:12,667
to provide places for wildlife.
871
00:42:12,667 --> 00:42:16,250
(intense orchestral music)
872
00:42:19,243 --> 00:42:20,076
(speaks in foreign language)
873
00:42:20,076 --> 00:42:22,760
Oil is always a major issue in Canada
874
00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:24,630
and if oil were discovered here,
875
00:42:24,630 --> 00:42:27,750
it would be very hard to preserve the ranch the way it is,
876
00:42:27,750 --> 00:42:29,236
that's the danger.
877
00:42:29,236 --> 00:42:32,700
(intense orchestral music)
878
00:42:32,700 --> 00:42:36,080
Challenges, definitely challenges.
879
00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,700
But we seem to meet them and overcome most of them.
880
00:42:39,700 --> 00:42:40,650
Keep them balanced.
881
00:42:43,530 --> 00:42:45,593
And it's still a lovely place to live.
882
00:42:46,453 --> 00:42:50,036
(intense orchestral music)
883
00:42:51,860 --> 00:42:53,960
What I've come to believe is that
884
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:56,410
this kind of an intact system of landscape
885
00:42:56,410 --> 00:42:57,540
where humans live with nature
886
00:42:57,540 --> 00:43:00,826
should be the new normal for the 21st century.
887
00:43:00,826 --> 00:43:04,409
{\an8}(intense orchestral music)
66952
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