Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:09,442 --> 00:00:12,945
NARRATOR: In the winter of 1 807,
2
00:00:13,013 --> 00:00:17,483
a lone fur-trapperjourneyed deep
into the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
3
00:00:21,287 --> 00:00:24,623
Somewhere near the headwaters
of the Yellowstone River
4
00:00:24,691 --> 00:00:26,525
he found a lost world.
5
00:00:36,069 --> 00:00:37,569
A wonderland,
6
00:00:40,006 --> 00:00:43,742
ruled by ice, fire and brimstone.
7
00:00:52,085 --> 00:00:56,288
A world of extremes that challenges
all that strive to live here.
8
00:01:37,730 --> 00:01:42,468
A place that has become perhaps
the most treasured wilderness on Earth.
9
00:02:15,768 --> 00:02:17,302
Winter in Yellowstone.
10
00:02:20,507 --> 00:02:22,174
Minus 40 degrees.
11
00:02:24,844 --> 00:02:29,648
Fahrenheit or centigrade,
it doesn't really matter,
12
00:02:30,383 --> 00:02:33,819
at minus 40
the two scales read the same.
13
00:02:36,623 --> 00:02:40,759
For half the year,
Yellowstone is frozen solid.
14
00:02:44,531 --> 00:02:49,568
Yet in the middle of this ice world
there is scalding heat.
15
00:02:54,607 --> 00:02:59,578
This is no ordinary place and
this is no ordinary winter.
16
00:03:08,221 --> 00:03:11,857
The fate of everything here
lies in the hands of forces
17
00:03:11,925 --> 00:03:14,459
of almost unimaginable power.
18
00:03:23,469 --> 00:03:27,906
Yellowstone is deep in the heart of
the Rocky Mountains of North America.
19
00:03:29,209 --> 00:03:33,378
An isolated high plateau
defended by rugged peaks.
20
00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:44,056
And its location is
what makes it so different.
21
00:03:48,161 --> 00:03:53,498
Right beneath Yellowstone a unique quirk
of geology means that molten rock
22
00:03:53,566 --> 00:03:58,103
from deep in the earth comes
unusually close to the frozen surface.
23
00:04:03,776 --> 00:04:06,645
No one knows why it happens right here,
24
00:04:06,746 --> 00:04:10,382
but its impact is what has made
Yellowstone world famous.
25
00:04:32,071 --> 00:04:36,308
Yellowstone is the most extensive
geothermal area on Earth.
26
00:04:41,814 --> 00:04:44,650
It has over 1 0,000 thermal wonders
27
00:04:44,751 --> 00:04:47,586
and more geysers than
the rest of the world put together.
28
00:04:59,966 --> 00:05:04,069
Old Faithful is Yellowstone's
most well-known geyser.
29
00:05:04,904 --> 00:05:07,139
It shoots 5,000 gallons of water
30
00:05:07,206 --> 00:05:11,143
1 50 feet into the air almost every hour.
31
00:05:22,055 --> 00:05:25,324
But the forces that fuel
this spectacular display
32
00:05:25,425 --> 00:05:29,261
have an influence far greater
than we can see on the surface.
33
00:05:32,131 --> 00:05:35,233
Paradoxically,
it's all this underground heat
34
00:05:35,301 --> 00:05:37,369
that helps make the Yellowstone winter
35
00:05:37,470 --> 00:05:40,739
one of the coldest
and toughest in America.
36
00:05:49,182 --> 00:05:52,784
It's November and
winter is beginning to take hold.
37
00:06:02,762 --> 00:06:04,162
(HOWLING)
38
00:06:19,011 --> 00:06:22,514
As it gets colder,
one animal here gets stronger.
39
00:06:24,584 --> 00:06:28,019
Wolves. The winter is their time.
40
00:06:30,022 --> 00:06:32,991
Gradually, it weakens their prey.
41
00:06:54,747 --> 00:06:56,581
This is the Druid wolf pack,
42
00:06:56,649 --> 00:07:00,085
one of the largest and
most powerful in Yellowstone.
43
00:07:30,817 --> 00:07:33,585
The pack have this bull elk surrounded.
44
00:07:36,289 --> 00:07:38,256
But there's a problem.
45
00:07:39,225 --> 00:07:42,461
The pack won't follow the bull
into the river.
46
00:07:42,528 --> 00:07:46,097
They won't risk freezing to death
in the ice cold water.
47
00:07:54,307 --> 00:07:57,676
What's more, now the elk's antlers
are at just the right height
48
00:07:57,743 --> 00:07:59,845
to keep the wolves at bay.
49
00:08:12,859 --> 00:08:14,493
It's stalemate.
50
00:08:18,164 --> 00:08:21,466
But it's now the elk that
has a problem of his own.
51
00:08:24,303 --> 00:08:28,907
Although it's only knee deep, he can't
stay in this freezing water forever.
52
00:08:38,551 --> 00:08:41,786
A young female is not prepared
to let him go.
53
00:08:48,127 --> 00:08:50,128
But the elk is strong.
54
00:08:51,531 --> 00:08:54,165
One-on-one he has the advantage.
55
00:09:05,444 --> 00:09:08,213
Her only support is another youngster.
56
00:09:11,617 --> 00:09:13,952
They are neither strong
or experienced enough
57
00:09:14,020 --> 00:09:15,954
to bring this elk down.
58
00:09:16,422 --> 00:09:20,125
But it's enough to make him turn and run
59
00:09:24,030 --> 00:09:27,465
back to the river
where he knows they won't follow.
60
00:09:36,475 --> 00:09:39,411
But the longer he stays
in the freezing water,
61
00:09:39,512 --> 00:09:41,446
the weaker he will get.
62
00:09:46,218 --> 00:09:49,487
Others before him
have waited here too long,
63
00:09:50,890 --> 00:09:52,857
and wolves are patient.
64
00:09:57,496 --> 00:10:00,732
Right now his strength
is his only advantage.
65
00:10:01,634 --> 00:10:03,368
He has to try again.
66
00:10:10,543 --> 00:10:13,378
This time even
the young wolves stay put.
67
00:10:16,248 --> 00:10:20,385
Without the support of the pack
they never really stood a chance.
68
00:10:21,354 --> 00:10:25,156
And the pack have already decided
that this early in the winter,
69
00:10:25,224 --> 00:10:28,593
a bull elk in his prime
is just too strong.
70
00:10:31,597 --> 00:10:33,531
But as the winter gets colder
71
00:10:33,633 --> 00:10:38,036
and the snow gets deeper
the tables will turn.
72
00:10:49,015 --> 00:10:50,782
By the end of November,
73
00:10:50,850 --> 00:10:54,019
the arc of the sun barely breaks
above the trees.
74
00:10:56,589 --> 00:11:00,625
As its angle decreases,
so does its power.
75
00:11:13,339 --> 00:11:16,708
And as the sun loses its hold
over the land,
76
00:11:17,710 --> 00:11:20,011
other forces begin to take over.
77
00:11:24,383 --> 00:11:27,419
Yellowstone has a dark secret
78
00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,355
that affects everything that lives here,
79
00:11:30,423 --> 00:11:32,657
especially in the winter.
80
00:11:45,304 --> 00:11:47,138
It's only from high above ground
81
00:11:47,239 --> 00:11:51,309
that we start to get a glimpse
of the true nature of this place.
82
00:11:55,715 --> 00:11:59,818
Yellowstone is a giant bowl
50 miles wide
83
00:11:59,919 --> 00:12:02,153
right in the middle
of the Rocky Mountains.
84
00:12:05,458 --> 00:12:07,826
There's nowhere else like it.
85
00:12:09,729 --> 00:12:13,298
And there's only one thing
that could have created it.
86
00:12:19,371 --> 00:12:22,173
Three miles beneath this frozen surface
87
00:12:22,274 --> 00:12:25,009
is a colossal chamber of molten rock.
88
00:12:26,345 --> 00:12:29,214
Today it powers Yellowstone's geysers.
89
00:12:30,316 --> 00:12:32,617
But every million years or so,
90
00:12:32,718 --> 00:12:37,589
the pressure in this magma gets critical
and the chamber explodes.
91
00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:45,830
The last eruption, 640,000 years ago,
92
00:12:45,898 --> 00:12:49,334
was more than 1 ,000 times larger
than Mount St Helens.
93
00:12:52,638 --> 00:12:56,808
It blasted away mountains and ejected
hundreds of cubic miles of debris
94
00:12:56,909 --> 00:13:01,112
into the atmosphere,
burying half the USA with ash.
95
00:13:07,219 --> 00:13:11,623
The heart of Yellowstone is one
of the world's biggest volcanoes.
96
00:13:14,994 --> 00:13:18,863
One day it will erupt again.
97
00:13:18,931 --> 00:13:23,268
It could be today
or in another million years.
98
00:13:26,438 --> 00:13:29,107
But even as the volcano is sleeping,
99
00:13:29,608 --> 00:13:32,577
breathing quietly through its geysers,
100
00:13:33,179 --> 00:13:36,347
it has a profound effect
on Yellowstone's winter.
101
00:13:41,487 --> 00:13:46,257
The volcano made Yellowstone's
giant bowl but it didn't stop there.
102
00:13:48,727 --> 00:13:51,496
Ever since, the huge pressure
below the surface
103
00:13:51,564 --> 00:13:54,666
has been pushing it higher into the air,
104
00:13:54,733 --> 00:13:58,002
and as it gets higher it gets colder.
105
00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,475
And now at its present altitude
of 8,000 feet,
106
00:14:04,543 --> 00:14:07,645
this giant bowl simply
accumulates freezing air
107
00:14:07,713 --> 00:14:10,081
from the surrounding mountains.
108
00:14:11,450 --> 00:14:16,454
In the winter, the sleeping volcano
becomes a giant deep freeze.
109
00:14:29,034 --> 00:14:33,004
On the open plateau, right in the middle
of this frozen volcano
110
00:14:33,072 --> 00:14:36,608
is an animal that has lived here
since the last ice age.
111
00:14:40,412 --> 00:14:44,983
Bison are exposed to the worst
of the Yellowstone winter,
112
00:14:45,084 --> 00:14:47,285
but they are built for it.
113
00:14:50,189 --> 00:14:52,490
Their thick coat is such good insulation
114
00:14:52,558 --> 00:14:56,160
that they only need a tiny amount
of energy to keep warm.
115
00:14:56,228 --> 00:15:00,732
So they slow their metabolism right down
and concentrate on feeding.
116
00:15:08,974 --> 00:15:12,810
With massive neck muscles they sweep
their heads down through the snow
117
00:15:12,878 --> 00:15:15,246
to get to the grass beneath.
118
00:15:17,850 --> 00:15:22,720
But the grass has long ago put
its summer goodness down into its roots
119
00:15:22,788 --> 00:15:26,691
and now has about the same
nutritional value as cardboard.
120
00:15:31,363 --> 00:15:34,232
They will need to do all they can
to save energy
121
00:15:34,333 --> 00:15:37,835
if they are to ward off starvation
until spring returns.
122
00:15:47,479 --> 00:15:50,014
As the winter strengthens its grip,
123
00:15:50,082 --> 00:15:54,085
elk move into more sheltered valleys
at the edge of Yellowstone.
124
00:15:55,721 --> 00:15:59,223
They don't have the bison's ability
to move deep snow.
125
00:16:03,729 --> 00:16:07,799
But this brings them into
the territory of the Druid pack.
126
00:16:23,182 --> 00:16:25,917
As the grazers are beginning to weaken,
127
00:16:25,985 --> 00:16:28,786
life for the wolves is getting easier.
128
00:16:34,860 --> 00:16:38,229
They are now successfully hunting
about twice a week.
129
00:16:41,367 --> 00:16:42,767
(GROWLING)
130
00:16:46,739 --> 00:16:49,273
They even have the energy to play.
131
00:16:50,275 --> 00:16:52,410
But their play has a purpose.
132
00:16:52,511 --> 00:16:55,646
It fine-tunes their hunting skills
133
00:16:55,714 --> 00:16:58,950
and helps bond
the all-important pack structure.
134
00:17:00,886 --> 00:17:02,720
Though there are 1 6 of them,
135
00:17:02,788 --> 00:17:07,058
they can only hunt an animal as
large as an elk if they hunt as one.
136
00:17:13,198 --> 00:17:17,635
The strength of the pack is what
will get them through the winter.
137
00:17:40,092 --> 00:17:43,394
Bald eagles spot carcasses
from miles away.
138
00:17:46,865 --> 00:17:50,368
But there is strong competition
for a kill like this.
139
00:18:15,561 --> 00:18:16,828
A coyote.
140
00:18:18,130 --> 00:18:22,300
He has been shadowing the wolves,
and moves in now they have gone.
141
00:18:26,772 --> 00:18:28,005
(GROWLING)
142
00:19:17,689 --> 00:19:21,692
It's December, and even
the great Yellowstone River
143
00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:23,861
is succumbing to the cold.
144
00:19:25,797 --> 00:19:29,567
It's only where the water runs fast
that it still runs free.
145
00:19:38,544 --> 00:19:41,078
It looks uncomfortably cold,
146
00:19:41,146 --> 00:19:43,381
but then the water,
at around freezing point,
147
00:19:43,482 --> 00:19:46,384
can be 50 degrees warmer than the air.
148
00:19:49,087 --> 00:19:52,423
Under the ice there's a rich supply
of stone fly larvae
149
00:19:52,524 --> 00:19:54,892
waiting to hatch in the spring.
150
00:19:57,029 --> 00:20:00,831
Dippers make the most of these
few small windows to a liquid world
151
00:20:00,933 --> 00:20:03,167
before they shut completely.
152
00:20:16,181 --> 00:20:19,917
Where the water stands still
it is now frozen solid.
153
00:20:23,322 --> 00:20:27,024
Yellowstone Lake is 1 36 square miles,
154
00:20:27,125 --> 00:20:30,361
and now completely covered
in three feet of ice.
155
00:20:37,269 --> 00:20:41,672
A coyote travels across this frozen
desert looking for something to eat.
156
00:20:45,344 --> 00:20:48,679
It's a wonder that anything
can survive here at all.
157
00:20:50,716 --> 00:20:53,317
Hundreds of feet beneath him
on the lake bed,
158
00:20:53,385 --> 00:20:55,920
geysers erupt just like they do on land
159
00:20:55,988 --> 00:20:59,223
and they melt holes in the ice,
160
00:20:59,324 --> 00:21:02,360
the only sign that
there is a lake here at all.
161
00:21:13,071 --> 00:21:15,072
As the year comes to an end,
162
00:21:15,173 --> 00:21:19,543
it seems hard to imagine
this winter getting any tougher.
163
00:21:19,645 --> 00:21:22,613
But there's another twist
to the volcano's story
164
00:21:22,681 --> 00:21:25,549
that is about to make things even worse.
165
00:21:30,188 --> 00:21:34,492
Over time the continent of North America
has moved,
166
00:21:34,559 --> 00:21:38,929
inch by inch,
over many millions of years.
167
00:21:40,666 --> 00:21:43,768
But deep down below
the Earth's moving crust,
168
00:21:43,835 --> 00:21:47,438
the source of magma that fuels
Yellowstone's volcano
169
00:21:48,173 --> 00:21:49,840
has stayed put.
170
00:21:58,050 --> 00:22:02,453
As the crust has moved
over this volcanic hotspot,
171
00:22:02,521 --> 00:22:07,525
eruption after eruption has blasted
a massive 500-mile-long scar
172
00:22:07,592 --> 00:22:09,627
right through the Rockies.
173
00:22:16,001 --> 00:22:20,838
In the winter this giant scar,
called the Snake River Plain,
174
00:22:20,906 --> 00:22:24,108
funnels moist air from the Pacific Ocean
175
00:22:24,209 --> 00:22:26,911
right through the wall
of the Rocky Mountains
176
00:22:27,012 --> 00:22:29,680
and up into Yellowstone's deep freeze.
177
00:22:36,088 --> 00:22:40,224
Here it finally freezes
and falls as snow,
178
00:22:41,193 --> 00:22:43,027
huge quantities of it.
179
00:23:00,078 --> 00:23:03,748
Whilst everywhere around
gets 1 0 feet of snow a year,
180
00:23:03,849 --> 00:23:08,719
thanks to the legacy of its volcano,
Yellowstone can get as much as 50.
181
00:23:18,597 --> 00:23:21,832
Otters seem to thrive
in the Yellowstone winter.
182
00:23:31,576 --> 00:23:36,313
But now that the rivers are not
only frozen but covered in deep snow,
183
00:23:36,415 --> 00:23:39,583
they are struggling to find
open water to fish in.
184
00:23:56,034 --> 00:24:00,604
They can't fish here,
the fast flowing water is too dangerous.
185
00:24:00,672 --> 00:24:03,841
Somehow they need to find
a way past the falls.
186
00:24:53,692 --> 00:24:58,362
With the falls safely behind them,
the otters are forced to keep moving on.
187
00:25:02,734 --> 00:25:06,036
Open water has become a rare thing
in Yellowstone.
188
00:25:09,207 --> 00:25:10,875
(BISON GRUNTING)
189
00:25:16,715 --> 00:25:20,651
Out on the frozen grasslands,
the bison are struggling, too.
190
00:25:22,921 --> 00:25:26,457
This year is already the snowiest
for the last decade,
191
00:25:26,525 --> 00:25:30,528
snowier than many of this herd
have experienced in their lives.
192
00:25:32,397 --> 00:25:36,066
Now, as the snow gets deeper
than a critical four feet,
193
00:25:36,167 --> 00:25:41,171
the effort of swinging this massive head
back and forth for so little reward
194
00:25:41,239 --> 00:25:43,207
is becoming too much.
195
00:25:50,248 --> 00:25:53,083
Though the snow front
is passing through,
196
00:25:53,151 --> 00:25:54,952
it's followed by the wind,
197
00:25:55,053 --> 00:25:58,355
which now starts to scour
the heart of Yellowstone.
198
00:26:20,512 --> 00:26:24,882
A bison's coat can keep it warm
down to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
199
00:26:28,553 --> 00:26:32,523
The wind chill is now pushing
these bison to that limit.
200
00:26:44,002 --> 00:26:47,605
But these are the last
wild bison herds in America
201
00:26:47,672 --> 00:26:51,709
which have survived here
for tens of thousands of years.
202
00:26:51,810 --> 00:26:53,777
They know what to do.
203
00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:12,229
To move is risky, it will tap into
their now dwindling energy reserves.
204
00:27:14,633 --> 00:27:17,635
But this year,
it's a gamble worth taking.
205
00:27:25,577 --> 00:27:29,079
Their way out is a river
whose water is not frozen.
206
00:27:30,548 --> 00:27:35,619
A thermal river fed by warm water
from Yellowstone's geysers,
207
00:27:36,087 --> 00:27:40,157
an ancient route which leads to a place
where, if they're lucky,
208
00:27:40,258 --> 00:27:42,459
they will be able to survive.
209
00:28:03,248 --> 00:28:06,684
It's January, and night is twice as long
as day
210
00:28:06,751 --> 00:28:09,019
in Yellowstone's deep freeze.
211
00:28:10,288 --> 00:28:12,923
The wind and the storms have gone,
212
00:28:12,991 --> 00:28:17,194
but now the clear skies suck
any last trace of heat into space.
213
00:28:20,331 --> 00:28:24,268
As morning comes,
something extraordinary has happened.
214
00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:37,948
All moisture in the air
has turned to ice,
215
00:28:39,117 --> 00:28:40,517
diamond dust.
216
00:29:47,819 --> 00:29:50,821
But this is a cruel beauty.
217
00:29:50,889 --> 00:29:55,159
Minus 66 Fahrenheit was recorded here
in Yellowstone.
218
00:29:55,260 --> 00:29:58,061
Off the record, it gets colder still.
219
00:30:07,138 --> 00:30:11,441
This bison is still out
on the open plateau.
220
00:30:11,543 --> 00:30:16,013
The deep snow with its windblown crust
has made it almost impossible to feed.
221
00:30:16,648 --> 00:30:20,617
The extreme cold will now tip
the balance of survival further,
222
00:30:20,685 --> 00:30:23,287
most likely too far even for a bison.
223
00:30:43,775 --> 00:30:48,278
A red fox can stay in the cold heart
of Yellowstone all winter,
224
00:30:48,379 --> 00:30:50,647
so long as it can find food.
225
00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:56,687
It's looking for mice
226
00:30:56,754 --> 00:31:00,691
that survive the winter insulated
beneath the blanket of snow.
227
00:31:04,562 --> 00:31:08,098
The fox is light enough to move about
on the delicate crust
228
00:31:08,166 --> 00:31:10,901
but the mice are six feet beneath it.
229
00:31:35,193 --> 00:31:39,796
It listens for the tiny sounds
of its prey moving about below,
230
00:31:39,898 --> 00:31:43,000
but must take great care
not to scare them away.
231
00:32:38,156 --> 00:32:41,325
The otter family has arrived
at Yellowstone Lake.
232
00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:46,530
Here they can fish in the holes
kept open by the underwater geysers.
233
00:32:55,273 --> 00:32:57,941
But every time they catch something,
234
00:33:01,079 --> 00:33:04,081
this coyote has been watching
and waiting.
235
00:33:33,211 --> 00:33:37,214
The otter dives under the ice
to hide its fish from the coyote.
236
00:33:44,555 --> 00:33:48,692
The coyote can't see the otter
because of the thick cover of snow.
237
00:33:52,463 --> 00:33:54,197
But he can hear him.
238
00:34:01,172 --> 00:34:04,441
The otter emerges without the fish.
239
00:34:05,076 --> 00:34:09,613
He's stashed it somewhere
under the snow. But where?
240
00:34:32,503 --> 00:34:35,472
A huge Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
241
00:34:40,211 --> 00:34:44,781
With the help of the otters,
a wily coyote can catch fish, too.
242
00:35:11,676 --> 00:35:15,912
The thermal river has led the bison
to one of the main geyser fields.
243
00:35:20,651 --> 00:35:25,055
Here the heat from below comes close
enough to the surface to melt the snow.
244
00:35:30,328 --> 00:35:33,163
And a bison can graze
as if it were spring.
245
00:35:42,173 --> 00:35:47,110
The same volcanic forces, so massive
that they created the weather
246
00:35:47,211 --> 00:35:51,615
that drove the bison here,
now offer comfort.
247
00:35:58,856 --> 00:36:02,392
The only problem is, the grass that
the bison now relish
248
00:36:02,493 --> 00:36:06,830
has such a high concentration of silica
that it wears down their teeth.
249
00:36:08,099 --> 00:36:11,835
And it's laced with enough arsenic
to slowly poison them.
250
00:36:20,578 --> 00:36:24,080
For these bison, it's not
an easy choice to come here.
251
00:36:27,618 --> 00:36:30,287
But as long as they don't have to
stay here too long
252
00:36:30,354 --> 00:36:34,291
it's a lot better than facing
the Yellowstone winter head on.
253
00:36:43,401 --> 00:36:46,536
Incredibly, there is life
that thrives here.
254
00:36:48,773 --> 00:36:50,941
In Yellowstone's thermal springs,
255
00:36:51,008 --> 00:36:53,977
the temperature is
a constant near-boiling.
256
00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:59,316
Yet here are huge colonies
of heat-tolerant microbes.
257
00:37:03,321 --> 00:37:07,190
As the boiling water flows out
from the centre of springs,
258
00:37:07,291 --> 00:37:11,127
it cools, forming bands
of different temperatures,
259
00:37:11,195 --> 00:37:13,563
each with a different
collection of microbes
260
00:37:13,631 --> 00:37:16,032
with a totally different colour.
261
00:37:21,672 --> 00:37:25,875
Grand Prismatic Spring is
one of the wonders of the natural world.
262
00:37:29,447 --> 00:37:32,382
It's thought that it was
in conditions like this
263
00:37:32,450 --> 00:37:34,918
that life on Earth first started.
264
00:37:51,168 --> 00:37:52,902
It's now February,
265
00:37:52,970 --> 00:37:56,773
and when almost everything else
in Yellowstone is on its last legs,
266
00:37:56,841 --> 00:37:59,843
the Druid pack
is reaching peak condition.
267
00:38:02,713 --> 00:38:06,082
And it's now that the young females
come into season.
268
00:38:10,087 --> 00:38:13,290
Hanging back from the pack
is a lone male wolf.
269
00:38:17,528 --> 00:38:20,563
He has no territory of his own
but follows the pack,
270
00:38:20,631 --> 00:38:22,999
scavenging from their successes.
271
00:38:27,204 --> 00:38:30,674
But right now, food is not his priority.
272
00:38:35,913 --> 00:38:39,115
The young females won't mate
with the pack's alpha male
273
00:38:39,216 --> 00:38:41,051
as he is their father.
274
00:38:43,654 --> 00:38:47,257
So the intruder could well be in
with a chance,
275
00:38:47,325 --> 00:38:49,926
as long as the alpha doesn't see him.
276
00:38:50,261 --> 00:38:51,761
(WOLVES WHINING)
277
00:38:56,367 --> 00:39:00,236
Whilst the pack are distracted,
one female sneaks away.
278
00:39:05,776 --> 00:39:09,079
She won't give up
the security of the pack for him,
279
00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:11,648
so they meet close by in secret.
280
00:39:24,095 --> 00:39:26,830
But the pack are now coming their way.
281
00:39:42,380 --> 00:39:44,681
The alpha male is on to him.
282
00:39:49,553 --> 00:39:52,455
He won't tolerate any other male
in his territory,
283
00:39:52,523 --> 00:39:54,991
let alone with one of his females.
284
00:39:55,993 --> 00:40:00,196
When wolves mate, they become locked
together for up to half an hour.
285
00:40:00,898 --> 00:40:03,233
The intruder can't break free.
286
00:40:43,174 --> 00:40:45,809
For now the alpha male has done enough.
287
00:40:45,876 --> 00:40:48,645
He's seen the intruder off
and he needs to return
288
00:40:48,712 --> 00:40:51,080
to reassert his position in the pack.
289
00:40:58,856 --> 00:41:02,992
The intruder retreats
to a precarious life in the shadows.
290
00:41:04,395 --> 00:41:09,098
But whatever happens to him, so long as
he was coupled for long enough,
291
00:41:09,166 --> 00:41:11,100
he will have young brought up
292
00:41:11,168 --> 00:41:14,671
in the security of one of the strongest
packs in Yellowstone.
293
00:41:25,316 --> 00:41:27,217
(WOLVES HOWLING)
294
00:41:48,572 --> 00:41:50,039
(WHIMPERING)
295
00:41:52,576 --> 00:41:54,077
Since the beginning of winter,
296
00:41:54,178 --> 00:41:57,714
Yellowstone's herds
have been getting steadily weaker.
297
00:42:00,317 --> 00:42:02,485
Now at the end of February,
298
00:42:02,553 --> 00:42:06,890
the tables have completely turned
to favour the Druid pack.
299
00:43:16,894 --> 00:43:18,795
(WOLVES HOWLING)
300
00:43:18,896 --> 00:43:23,132
As February turns to March,
it seems like the winter will never end.
301
00:43:25,936 --> 00:43:28,638
But now the clear, cold days have gone.
302
00:43:30,941 --> 00:43:33,810
The snow still comes,
but it's a wet snow
303
00:43:33,877 --> 00:43:36,579
that strips the warmth from you faster,
304
00:43:39,717 --> 00:43:42,885
now, when you are right at the end
of your strength.
305
00:44:04,441 --> 00:44:06,275
But there is hope.
306
00:44:07,177 --> 00:44:09,846
Now is the turning point of the winter.
307
00:44:15,285 --> 00:44:18,421
At the spring equinox,
there are 1 2 hours of night,
308
00:44:18,489 --> 00:44:20,423
and 1 2 hours of day.
309
00:44:21,792 --> 00:44:25,561
From now on,
light starts to win over dark.
310
00:44:37,541 --> 00:44:41,444
March is also the turning point
in the history of Yellowstone.
311
00:44:43,881 --> 00:44:46,683
On 1 st March, 1 872,
312
00:44:46,784 --> 00:44:49,485
American President Ulysses S Grant
313
00:44:49,553 --> 00:44:52,689
recognised the extraordinary wonders
of Yellowstone
314
00:44:52,756 --> 00:44:55,758
by making it the world's first
national park.
315
00:45:16,447 --> 00:45:19,649
The park's creation marked the beginning
of a new era
316
00:45:19,717 --> 00:45:22,952
where the world's wild places
would be valued
317
00:45:23,454 --> 00:45:25,121
simply for being wild.
318
00:45:39,169 --> 00:45:41,137
(BIRDS CAWING)
319
00:45:51,115 --> 00:45:53,182
Now, as the days lengthen,
320
00:45:53,250 --> 00:45:56,552
the winter starts to loosen its grip
on Yellowstone.
321
00:46:04,128 --> 00:46:08,431
But with the end of winter,
also comes the end of the wolves' reign.
322
00:46:19,476 --> 00:46:22,879
On a mountain peak right on
the edge of Yellowstone,
323
00:46:22,980 --> 00:46:26,516
footprints in the snow are the sign
that a challenger has appeared
324
00:46:26,617 --> 00:46:28,551
to reclaim this land.
325
00:46:36,393 --> 00:46:41,164
A grizzly bear mother with her new cubs
emerges from her den.
326
00:46:44,401 --> 00:46:48,371
For six months,
snow and ice have ravaged Yellowstone,
327
00:46:48,438 --> 00:46:53,075
but she has slept underground,
waking only to give birth to her cubs.
328
00:46:53,177 --> 00:46:56,012
And then from time to time,
to feed them.
329
00:47:04,521 --> 00:47:06,689
As winter gives way to spring,
330
00:47:06,757 --> 00:47:10,493
she leads them out into the wilderness
for the first time.
331
00:47:16,166 --> 00:47:19,402
In Yellowstone's great volcano,
332
00:47:19,503 --> 00:47:23,239
in spite of everything
the winter has thrown at them,
333
00:47:23,340 --> 00:47:25,408
most have made it through.
334
00:47:38,488 --> 00:47:40,690
The forces that have helped
keep Yellowstone
335
00:47:40,757 --> 00:47:44,894
in the grip of such a deep winter
have finally let go.
336
00:47:46,663 --> 00:47:49,765
It is the sun that will now dominate
once more.
337
00:47:56,874 --> 00:47:59,342
Its power will now take over,
338
00:48:05,215 --> 00:48:07,650
bringing new life to this place.
339
00:48:21,899 --> 00:48:24,734
But also it will bring new challenges
340
00:48:25,769 --> 00:48:28,037
that all will have to face
341
00:48:29,806 --> 00:48:32,808
in the heat of Yellowstone's summer.
29084
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.