All language subtitles for Wild Russia EP01 Caucasus (2009) English

Russia.

In the south-west of
the biggest country on Earth

snow-covered peaks tower
over 5, 000 meters into the sky.

This impassable remote landscape

is the habitat of rare animals,

home to exotic bee-eaters and
the world's last highland bison.

The Caucasus.

This mighty mountain range

stands on the border
between Europe and Asia,

between the Black Sea and the Caspian.

The Caucasian Mountains extend

for over a 1, 000 kilometers
from west to east

and cover an area almost
one and a half times as big as Germany,

including the highest point in
Russia and the lowest.

The northern part of
the craggy chain, the Greater Caucasus,

belongs to Russia.

The tallest summit is
Mount Elbrus at 5,642 meters.

If one counts the Caucasus
as a part of Europe,

then Mount Elbrus is
the continent's highest peak,

over 800 meters higher
than Mont Blanc.

Below the snowy slopes lies
the realm of the Caucasian tur.

The animals live on rocky cliffs
and steep escarpments

between 800 and 4,200 meters high.

The males form groups away from
the females and young animals,

grazing on the mountain pastures.

The powerful bucks weight
over 100 kilograms

and have imposing horns of
up to 75 centimeters in length.

In late autumn they begin to pit
their strength against each other.

Soon the mating season will begin.

Only the strongest highest
ranking males will reproduce.

Rugged summits, vast forests
and isolated high valleys

make the Caucasus

one of the 25 most biodiverse
areas on Earth.

This diversity is mostly due
to the rich variety of the landscape.

There are more than
6,500 species of plant in the region,

a quarter of which exist only here.

A red deer hind with its foal.

The young one is just a few weeks old.

Generally, hinds bear only one foal.

With their spotted coats the little ones
are perfectly camouflaged.

Although the lynx's call
makes the foal uneasy,

the predator will not attack it,

as long as the mother is close by.

As a solitary hunter

lynx usually only prey young or sick deer.

Right now, however,
this female lynx is not hunting,

but on the way to her cubs.

They're still so young that they
feed almost exclusively on her milk.

At about 8 weeks

the little ones are already
testing their strength.

Harmless play fighting trains
their muscles for the future.

Only the female lynx looks
after the offspring,

which means she is
on duty round the clock.

All that playing has made the cubs hungry,

and they gorge themselves
on their mother's milk.

In the typically tall Caucasian bushes

Zamudin Guchev is searching
for something special.

He belongs to the Adyge,

one of 80 different peoples in the Caucasus.

The Giant Hogweed,

the object of Zamodin's quest.

Originally at home here,
the over three meters high plant

has become a pest in Central Europe,

out growing all other vegetation.

To make matters worse, the hogweed's toxic sap

destroys the skin's natural
ultraviolet protection.

Zamudin Guchev however knows

that well dried, the plant
is ideal for making flutes.

The traditional music of the Adygea
is in danger of dying out.

Only 100,000 of the indigenous
people are left

on the northern edge of the Caucasus,

in Adygea, a Russian republic.

The Caucasian national park
is home to very special animals:

Highland Bison.

An extremely rare sight.

The old bull weights almost a ton.

The male bisons are usually loners.

The region was the traditional home
of the Caucasian Bison,

before the last were killed in 1927.

Only rebreeding and introducing
the animals into the wild

enable them to establish a population again.

The numbers however are now unstable
and threatened by poaching.

Mountain meadows characterize
the landscape of the higher regions.

With many familiar flowers:

Checkered Daffodils and Gentian.

And Rhododendrons.

The Caucasus is also bear country.

A Syrian Brown Bear.

With its light-coloured fur
and comparatively small build

it is easily distinguishable
from other brown bears.

The animals like to spend
the summer above the tree line.

Their territories can extend
over 1,000 kilometers.

Originally their habitat
stretch from the Caucasus

to the Middle East.

Today, however,
Syrian Brown Bears are rare,

and the Caucasus is
one of their last refuges.

A herd of female turs with their young
come dangerously close to the bears.

In this open country, however,
the turs quickly spot the predators,

besides, they move much too quickly
to be in serious danger.

In the summer

large groups of females
roam the highlands

on the lookout for the best pastures.

Apart from grasses and herbs
turs also need minerals,

and for this reason gather at salt licks.

In the autumn they move
to the last snow-free bluffs

to graze on the dry grass there.

The Caucasus is a region of superlatives,

with more than a dozen peaks
taller than the highest Alp.

Towering over all a ranges is
the twin summit of Mount Elbrus,

also known as King of the Spirits
or Throne of the Gods.

Just a little way below begins
the realm of the Caucasian Chamois.

These relatives of the goats
have adapted perfectly to life at great heights

and developed much larger lungs
than their lowland cousins.

Nowadays the Caucasian Chamois
is endangered by poaching,

and the remaining animals have retreated
into the most inaccessible regions.

The mountains of the West Caucasus
are among the rainiest regions in Europe

with the precipitation of 4,000 millimeters.

Huge banks of cloud press against
the southwestern flanks of the mountains,

collide with the peaks.

In trying to get across this barrier

they release their moisture as rain

and become ever smaller and lighter.

Only a fraction of the rainfall reaches
the other side of the mountains,

which can be seen from
the landscapes on the northeast.

Bizarre rock formations
reminiscent of the Wild West.

This big sky is the realm of vultures.

On a rocky crag griffon vultures
have built their nest.

The female rarely leaves its single chick.

So it's up to the male to supply
the family with food.

An adult vulture eats up to
5 kilos of carrion at a single sitting,

so the male is kept very busy
in it's search for food.

In the meantime the female spreads
its wings to protect its chick

from the scorching sun.

A Levant viper.

Even though this poisonous
snake preys on birds,

as well as small mammals and reptiles,

the young vulture has nothing to fear

as long as its mother stays alert.

The Levant viper can reach
up to 2 meters in length

and is the longest of its kind in Europe.

Dagestan.

The Russian republic in the lee of
the Greater Caucasian Peaks

is herdsmen's country.

With their huge flocks they roam
across the hills and plateau

as their ancestors have
done for thousands of years.

Their goal is the higher summer pastures
which still offer enough to eat

when everything further
down has dried up.

On their way the flocks
pass a city made of clay.

Bee-eaters have done
nests in the cliff face.

The beautiful birds have
just returned from Africa

and now begin their courtship.

Once a male has caught a bee or wasp,

it beats the insect against the branch,

until it looses its sting.

A present for its intended
without a nasty surprise.

Bee-esters choose
a new partner each spring,

then bring up their young together.

Only when she accepts his bridal gift
will he be allowed to approach.

Even before they mate the two birds
start to build a home together

and dig a nesting tube in the cliff face.

Like a mini-Sahara,
the vast Sarykum shifting dune

rises in the east of Dagestan.

Its crest is more than 260 meters high.

This is a very special biotope
with its own particular inhabitants.

A Long-eared Hedgehog.

The nocturnal animal makes a good
use of the cool hours of morning

to go hunting.

Its ears grow to a length of 4 centimeters

and provide not only
an acute sense of hearing,

but also help the animal
regulate its body temperature.

Thanks to its long legs, the Long-eared
Hedgehog is a very fast mover

and often travels up to
8 kilometers during its forays.

The animals feed mainly on insects.

As real desert specialists,

Long-eared Hedgehogs
can survive for weeks without water.

Without food, however,
only a few days.

In the morning, when the temperature rises,

the animals retreat to their burrows.

The holes lead almost a meter into the ground.

The giant dune has long fascinated
the people of the region.

Sarykum means golden sand
in the Tartar language.

A Toad-headed Agama.

This masters of disguise live
in steppe and desert regions

from the Sahara to Tibet.

When other animals are out hunting

the agama prefers to take cover.

Belly dancing its way out of sight.

From the planes of Dagestan

we return to the mountain world of
the Greater Caucasus.

Well over 2000 glaciers cover
the higher region of the Caucasus,

most concentrated in
the western and central parts.

Due to global warming here too
the glacials are slowly receding.

But there are still some giants left.

The largest lies in the Kabardino Balkarsky
nature reserve.

Its tongue begins at the Bezengi Wall

and stretches 13 kilometers into the valley.

Down in the lowlands, the deer's brand new antlers
protrude from the thick undergrowth.

They're not yet full-sized

and still covered in soft velvet.

The foals have grown steadily,
but still rarely leave their mother's side.

The little group is being watched
closely by a bear.

Bears rarely hunt
fully grown red deer,

hinds in particular defend
their young vigorously

with strong kicks from their forelegs.

And anyway, they've long
since got wind of the predator.

So the brown bears have to content
themselves with vegetation,

which makes up the majority of their diet.

In the meantime, a different hunter
has been successful.

The mother lynx has killed
a foal for it's young.

By now the cubs are about 5 months old

and only rarely feed on their mother's milk.

After just a few weeks the young lynxes
begin sharing their mother's kills.

A fully grown lynx consumes up
to 2.5 kilos of meat at a time.

The cubs cannot yet look after themselves

and will stay with their mother until next spring.

Only then will they seek their own territory.

Tomorrow the lynx family will return to the kill.

Until then the mother camouflages
it with some branches and leaves.

The sight of a single Mountain Bison
is spectacular enough,

to get a whole herd of these extremely
shy animals on film is a sensation.

Unique footage.

Caucasian bison form
herds of up to 80 animals,

cover 40 kilometers a day.

After the re-establishment of
the bison in the 1930's,

50 years later, about 1500 of these primeval
wild cattle existed in the Caucasus.

Nowhere else in the world are there
as many European Bison in the wild.

The animals have adapted
completely to this life.

A handsome bull prepares its dust bath

and marks the hollow with its urine.

lt spreads its scent all over its body.

A perfume much appreciated by the ladies.

The return of the mountain bison
is a story with highs and lows.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union

poaching increased dramatically,

and the population collapsed

with only 200 animals surviving the onslaught.

Today there are 440 bison
roaming the highlands

of the North-Western Caucasus.

Sudden changes in weather,

plenty of rain and spontaneous
bursts of winter are typical for the region.

The higher parts even
get snow in the summer.

A seven meter thick blanket of
snow is not unusual.

The Caucasus is one of the snowiest
mountain ranges in the world,

and the extreme weather conditions make
it one of the most dangerous as well.

Massive avalanches race down
the hillsides all year round,

but increased towards the end of the winter.

Far from the snow-covered
summits of the high Caucasus,

in the shadow of
the Sarykum-Dune in Dagestan,

the climate is milder.

Spur-thighed Tortoises
enjoy the warmth of the sun.

These primeval creatures enjoy
the blooming meadows in their own way.

Immediately after their winter torpor between
Mid-February and the beginning of May

the males start their courtship rituals.

Love's rapture a-la tortoise.

One single successful copulation
is enough for several clutches of eggs.

The lucky lady does not seem
especially enthusiastic.

The broad steppes of the Caspian Depression
north of the Caucasus

form Russia's lowest point,

nearly 30 meters below sea level.

In this endless sea of grass

lives an animal as if from anotherworld.

The only clue is bizarre skulls along the way.

Saiga Antelopes.

The Saigas' distinguishing mark
is their strange trunk,

which is used to warm the icy winter air.

Once millions of Saigas roamed
the Central Asian Steppes.

Today these animals are
on the brink of extinction.

Bucks are the main target
for poachers because of their horns,

coveted in Asia as potency remedies.

The Saiga Antelopes are
now under protection in Russia

and hunting is prohibited.

Whether the population
will recover or not, is unclear.

There is a sandstorm brewing.

High time to look for shelter.

The Toad-headed Agama
goes underground again.

While others just duck their heads.

The Asia Minor Dwarf Racer
just manages to find refuge,

before everything is swallowed by the sand.

Spring in the Caspian Depression
transforms the steppe

into a sea of pink blossoms.

The Long-eared Hedgehog
is on the hunt again.

This time it's chosen
an especially awkward titbit -

a poisonous centipede.

The hedgehog is a fearless fighter
and overcomes its prey.

lt has to watch out for the centipede's claws,

which contain poison strong enough
to cause mild paralysis in humans.

On its sun bed, the Caucasus Agama
remain unimpressed.

Close by, the pair of Demoiselle Cranes.

These graceful birds are
the smallest in the crane family.

They come to the Dagestan steppe
to hatch and raise their offspring.

Usually the clutch consists of two eggs.

In sweltering temperatures
of over 30 degree centigrade

the chicks try to walk in their
parent's shade, which doesn't always work.

Demoiselle Crains are migratory birds.

In the late summer they
begin their long flight

thousands of kilometers southwards
to their winter quarters in Sudan.

The Caspian Sea.

The biggest inland lake on Earth.

On the shore the is a sheltopusik.

This primeval creature
can be up to a meter long.

Its name is of russian origin
and means yellow belly.

The reptile looks like a snake,

but is in fact a lizard

with almost completely degenerated legs.

A landscape like on another planet.

There are more than 300 mud volcanoes
that bubble near the Caspian Sea.

The vents eject the mixture
of clay, water and gases,

mainly methane.

Mud volcanoes are especially
common along tectonic fractures.

The west bank of the Caspian Sea
is one of these unstable zones.

Its waters are home to a primeval creature -

the sturgeon, world famous
as provider of the finest caviar.

Today the living fossil is highly endangered.

While in the late 1970's the Caspian Sea
yielded over 10,000 tons of sturgeon a year,

it's nowadays only a few thousand
and the figure is falling every year.

Sturgeon can live up to 150 years -

the Methuselahs of the deep.

But the future of
the primeval fish remains uncertain.

The Caspian Sea's reed belt

houses another rare species, extremely shy

and hitherto only rarely
captured on film -

the Jungle Cat.

Because of its habitat
and black ear tufts

it's also known as the Swamp Lynx.

In fact, they are more closely
related to wild cats than lynxes.

The alert hunter has discovered a quail.

Carefully, it creeps closer.

Better luck next time.

Formation flying against the backdrop
of the Caucasian Mountains,

a huge flock of Little Bustards.

Meanwhile winter
has returned to the highlands.

Rutting season for the Bezoar Goats.

These sure-footed climbers live
in inaccessible parts of the mountains.

This is the most northerly
habitat of the wild goats.

For the rut at the end of November

the bucks join the females and their young,

forming herds of several dozen animals.

The males drive the females
into a sort of rutting arena.

Ready or not?

For the answer, the males rely on their noses.

Not all will get the opportunity though.

A handsome buck has watched
proceedings for long enough

and comes to join the herd.

This is the highest ranking male.

Mating with the most females is
its prerogative and its alone.

After a gestation period, lasting 5 months,

the kids will be born the following spring.

The snow-covered summits of the Caucasus,

one of the world's last
unknown natural wilder nesses.

There is scarcely another
mountain range on Earth,

that offers living space
for so many animals.

Russia's mighty mountains,

straddling the border of Asia and Europe.