All language subtitles for Parenthood 2025 S01 E03_track3_[eng]

Grasslands are full of food for
numberless families.

The grass grows continuously like a
self-stocking fridge.

But there are few places to hide on an
open plain.

So parents have problems

in keeping their young safe while they
feed.

African wild dogs...

..expert grassland predators.

They would make quick work of a young
zebra.

It's a parent's nightmare.

The father rounds up his family,

but that does little to deter the
dogs.

So he makes an extraordinary
sacrifice.

He hangs back.

Now he is the target.

His family can escape.

This is the story of

what it takes to be a parent in the
grasslands of our planet.

Parents must constantly balance

risk and reward in the wide, open
places of the planet.

Unusual conditions can make that much
harder.

In the winter of 2023,

California received nearly 200
trillion litres of rain,

nearly double its average.

THUNDER CRASHES

Creating a grassland not seen for
generations.

It may seem appealing, but not for a
parent adapted to deserts.

A San Joaquin kit fox - about the size
of a house cat.

The tall grass makes it hard for her
to protect her five kits.

Her kits are a constant distraction.

This year, all her senses are blunted.

The grass itself muffles sounds and
smells.

In a normal year, she'd be able to see
for miles around.

But she can't watch over her kits
forever.

As night falls, she's faced by a
serious dilemma.

She must find food for her kits.

But to do that, she must leave them.

With no parental supervision,

the kits continue to play well into
the night.

She travels nearly seven miles in
search of giant kangaroo rats.

And they only emerge at night.

But this year, hunting is harder than
it has ever been.

The long grass makes it difficult to
locate them.

Finally, she catches her rat.

At the den, her kits' unsupervised
playtime has drawn

some unfortunate attention.

A coyote.

He's twice the size of a kit fox and
one of their main predators.

Catching scent of something amiss...

..the pups escape to their underground
den...

..but now the coyote knows where to
find them.

Returning home, the mother finds her
family safe...

..but still hungry.

One rat is not enough to feed her five
kits.

She must head out for more.

But something isn't right.

The wind has changed its direction.

Plenty of cover for a coyote.

BARKING

PIERCING CRY

GROWLING

PIERCING CRY

There's nothing she can do.

Her remaining kits have scattered.

The four surviving kits are here,
alive and well.

This mother will have to adapt

if she is to protect her family in
this strange, new grassland.

Southern England.

A single mother has a well-tested way
of protecting her young.

Architecture.

A potter wasp is building the last of
25 major constructions.

It's her life's work.

She must finish it before the end of
autumn.

She uses her saliva to soften the
clay...

..with which she builds a nursery.

Once complete,

it will provide her young with both
shelter and food.

In her signature style, she flutes the
edges.

Then she spins a thread of silk.

And on it lays a single egg,

which will hatch in a couple of days.

But her job has only just begun.

She must also fill the pot with food.

So her offspring can develop and
emerge in the spring.

That will require her

to collect enough caterpillars while
the weather holds.

When she finds one, she paralyses it
with her sting.

And then puts it into the pot...
alive.

But British weather is unreliable.

She can't fly when it's cold and wet.

Time is slipping by.

The sun returns, but now time is very
short.

With the season on the turn, she's not
the only one in a hurry.

The caterpillars are getting restless.

They're making their way down to the
ground to find somewhere

to spend the winter.

She herself is almost out of time.

Just...one...more.

But maybe one that is a little
smaller.

With her pot now fully provisioned...

..she seals it.

Just in time.

Next year, in the spring,

her offspring will emerge

from its nursery as an adult potter
wasp.

As for the mother, her work is done.

Within the next week, she will die.

She will never meet her offspring,

for whom she has provided both a safe
home and an ample larder.

For many parents, providing food is
the easy part.

Giving them an education is much more
difficult.

This cheetah mother has singlehandedly
fed

her three cubs for eight long months.

Ten more and they must be able to feed
themselves.

Play fighting develops their physical
skills.

And they can learn a lot about prey
through trial and error.

Such as which kind is most likely to
fight back.

But she must provide them

with an opportunity to learn one skill
in particular.

A fawn too young to run far has been
abandoned.

But she doesn't kill it.

Cheetah cubs don't instinctively know
how to make a kill,

and even simply making contact with
prey can be dangerous.

So for this lesson, the mother

provides something her cubs can tackle
safely.

With practice over, it's time for a
test.

This wildebeest calf is too big

for her cubs to bring down by
themselves,

but they may have learned enough to be
of help.

Mother leads the chase.

The calf is escaping.

Her cub realises that his mother needs
help.

He holds on, enabling her to
reposition.

Cheetah mothers work alone in
educating their cubs.

But some parents require a partner
just to keep their young safe.

The Eurasian Steppe.

Two million square miles of grassland,

the biggest on the planet.

It's an exposed place in which to
raise a family.

Parenting here requires teamwork.

Demoiselle cranes travel over 3,000
miles to nest in Mongolia.

They feed on grass and insects and
here, both are plentiful.

Protecting the eggs requires two
diligent parents.

One stays with the eggs...

..while the other feeds.

However, parents must be prepared to
face the unexpected.

There is a growing threat to almost
every grassland on Earth.

Globally, the number of domesticated
livestock

has tripled over the last century...

SHEEP BLEAT

..so there is far less space for wild
animals.

Their clumsy new neighbours are more
dangerous than they look.

One hoof wrong and the eggs could be
lost.

One parent tries to redirect the herd.

But the sheep aren't taking the hint.

And the stakes have just got a little
higher.

The parents have no choice. They must
fight together.

Enough is enough.

It's time to deploy the crane kick.

Job done.

But the crane parents' task has only
just started.

The pair will continue

to protect their chicks for nearly a
year.

Sharing the load certainly makes
parenting easier.

And for some families, even two
parents are not enough.

African wild dogs need the help

of their whole family to raise their
young.

A breeding pair cannot do it alone.

The whole pack is responsible for
parenting the next generation.

And this pack has been unusually
successful.

30 members strong, it's three times
the average size.

Such numbers should be an asset.

But over half of them

still have some growing up to do.

The teenagers are something of a
liability.

Their inexperience can ruin a hunt
before it even starts.

Their parents have a big job ahead to
control them.

A really big job.

The matriarch of the pack is nursing.

She has another ten puppies back in
the den.

She and her partner

must find enough food for the whole
family.

Buffalo are seldom attacked by wild
dogs.

Their size, horns and numbers make
them potentially very dangerous.

But with so many mouths to feed, the
bigger the prey, the better.

The pack size could give them a
chance...

..if the youngsters behave properly.

The herd is heading out to feed

in the grassland where they'll be more
exposed.

The odds of a successful hunt are
shifting in the pack's favour.

The adults steer the pack into
position at

the edge of the forest.

There, they will be able to get closer
to the herd.

Now they must select an individual.

The matriarch knows they must be
patient.

Timing is key.

But once again, the youngsters break
cover too soon.

Their enthusiasm has given

the buffalo time to form a defensive
group.

They themselves are now in danger.

They've moved too close, too quickly.

And worse, they're chasing the biggest
buffalo in the herd.

So big they could kill a young dog
with a single well-placed kick.

The matriarch seems to know that their
chances are dwindling.

Selecting a target within the trees is
almost impossible.

The youngsters have wasted their
chance.

The parents, however, are watching

for a weak buffalo to make a wrong
move.

An unprotected calf.

It won't provide a meal for everyone,

but it's better than nothing.

BARKS

This time, the youngsters are
following their parents.

But now the odds clearly favour the
buffalo.

There will be many more failed hunts

before the teenagers are of any real
help.

But with time and practice,

they will become experienced enough

to assist in raising the next
generation.

For many parents, practice is
essential for success.

India.

This Hanuman langur is pregnant for
the first time.

It won't be long before she gives
birth.

But she's not ready yet.

Many parenting skills are not
instinctive for langurs.

If this young female wants

to give her newborn the best start in
life,

she must learn how to be a mother
before she gives birth.

Fortunately, being part of

a troop provides an opportunity for
her to practise.

Time for some prenatal classes.

But parents are often choosy about who
they allow to babysit.

The expectant mother

has to persuade someone to give her a
chance.

Baby snatching isn't the best start.

She must take a gentler approach.

But baby-sitting is harder than it
looks.

Mishandling a baby could be fatal

for both the baby and her social
standing.

That's better.

She's even learned when it is that an
exhausted mother...

..could use a helping hand.

These newly acquired

skills will prepare her for
parenthood.

And just in time.

Last night, she moved away from the
troop and gave birth.

Tender moments like these create a
bond with her baby.

But away from the troop, the pair are
vulnerable,

and there are some things for which it
is impossible to prepare.

BARKING

Feral dogs on the lookout for an easy
meal.

LANGURS SCREECH

A newborn baby monkey is an obvious
target.

She needs to find a way back to the
safety of the troop...

..without injuring her baby.

The troop rally round her.

Her practice has paid off.

Now that she's returned to the safety
of the troop,

she has as many trusted baby-sitters

as any mother could wish for.

Where conditions are hostile, parents
may need to band together.

Temperatures in the Kalahari

can exceed a formidable 45 degrees
Celsius.

So these sociable weaver parents have
joined forces

with other families to build

a climate-controlled home for their
young.

The nest they produce is the largest
built by any bird.

A thatched roof weighing over

a tonne is a very effective shield
against the worst of the heat.

A single pair couldn't possibly build

such an enormous construction.

It takes a whole community to do that.

At least half the parents also have
helpers -

offspring from previous years, who
stick around to babysit.

The helpers feed the chicks...

..maintain the nest and watch out for
danger.

As the day gets hotter, snakes become
more active.

This cobra could eat

every single chick in the colony in a
matter of days.

But the community has other ideas.

It's a Neighbourhood Watch with wings.

But a less visible threat is building.

The temperature is rising.

It's only a couple of degrees above
average,

but as the heatwave drags on...

..every family is affected.

Even a small rise in the temperature
can have big consequences.

Parents and helpers alike are too hot
to look for food,

maintain the nest...

..or watch out for danger.

All they can do is sit in the shade.

It's every bird for itself.

The chicks are left alone for hours at
a time.

An adult shows up.

But it's from a different family.

And it isn't here to help.

SCREECHING

Scientists don't understand exactly
why,

but more chicks are ejected from

a colony during heatwaves than at any
other time.

The social order starts to break down

even when the rise in temperature is
quite small.

It seems that most families here

are living on the very edge

of what is tolerable.

They're only just coping with

a world that is 1.2 degrees warmer.

But the temperature is still rising.

The world is changing so quickly.

To ensure a future for the next
generation,

parents everywhere will have to forge
a new path.

The end of summer high up on the
Patagonian plateau.

In order to produce milk for her calf,

this guanaco needs to feed constantly.

She's also pregnant.

Snow comes early at high altitudes,
covering what's left of the grass.

Grazers are driven downhill in search
of food.

When they reach the lowest elevations,

the guanaco will have enough shelter

and food to see them through the
winter.

They just need to get there.

But fences now cut across the
landscape.

They're almost impossible to avoid.

Adult guanaco can get across.

But calves usually can't.

In her haste, she leaves her calf on
the wrong side of the fence.

She is desperate to move on.

The demands of both pregnancy and
producing milk are high.

And good winter grazing in the valley
is so close.

He will not survive alone.

Going back will mean a longer, less
certain path.

Nevertheless...

..she rejoins him.

There are nearly

100,000 miles of fences in Patagonia.

It's not possible to avoid them
completely.

She must find a safer route through
for them both.

She tries again.

There's something different about this
fence.

The top line has been removed.

She's done all she can. Now he must
make the jump.

Together they rejoin the herd for the
last leg into the valley.

A changing world is forcing parents
everywhere

to make new and difficult choices

in order to protect and provide for
the next generation.

In the vast grasslands of Patagonia,

guanaco scientist Malena Candino is on
a mission.

- So for my research,

I wanted to understand guanacos' use
of habitat.

Migratory species have

a pretty disproportionate effect on
the ecosystem,

because they can carry nutrients from
one area to another,

areas that might otherwise not be
connected.

- It's in the bush.
- That's right.
- That's right.

- The Parenthood team are here to
record

the story of adult guanacos and their
calves,

known here as chulengos.

- There's like, four, five,

six other chulengos that are all on
the other side.

Look at them go.

- Soon after cameraman John Aitchison
started filming,

the issues facing guanaco parents
became clear.

- There's a young

guanaco here that's walking up and
down this fence line,

and it's just going backwards and
forwards,

backwards and forwards, not being able
to find a way.

It's so completely pointless because
there's no livestock here

so the fence is redundant.

The only thing it's actually doing

is separating this mum from the baby.

Horrible.

- Ranching in Patagonia peaked in the
1950s.

But since then,

livestock numbers here have nearly
halved

and many ranches have been abandoned.

Their remnants litter the landscape.

- A lot of these fences are just
relics at this point.

They don't really have a purpose,

and they have a big impact in this
population.

- As the crew begin another filming
day,

they stumble across the inevitable...

CRIES OF ANGUISH

..an entangled chulengo unable to free
itself.

Malena and director Dom race to save
its life.

- Ay.

- BLEEP.

- No, no. OK, OK.

Sh, sh, sh, sh, sh.

Ah! Still stuck in the other one!
- BLEEP.

- Ah.

Thank you.

- Are you all right?
- Yeah.

I do see some guanacos.

Hopefully that's its group

and it will be able to reunite with
them.

I mean, it's good that we could help
this one,

but you need more than that, right?

Because this is not

the only chulengo that gets stuck or
gets separated.

This happens so many times every day.

So something bigger has to change.

- The problem is widespread across
Patagonia.

It's estimated that fences are
responsible

for the deaths

of at least 30,000 guanaco in
Patagonia every year.

- If they just made them a tiny bit
lower,

took a line out the middle,

it'd be such a simple solution

and it'd make the world of difference,

I think, to guanacos in Argentina.

- For Sofia Heinonen of Rewilding
Argentina,

the loss of guanaco signals a greater
problem.

- If there is no guanacos, the
ecosystem will collapse.

The grasslands in Argentina are very
important,

it's one of the main ecosystems we
have here,

but have been very degraded because of
the cattle.

So we need to restore them because
many,

many species depend on that. They
evolved in this ecosystem.

- But there are simple solutions.

Fences no longer in use can be removed
entirely.

And for those that must remain,

it's even easier - by just snipping
the top wire,

it allows safer passage for guanacos
and their young.

- 200m down the road, you can see
where Rewilding Argentina have taken

the top line off the fence,

and we've not seen any guanacos stuck
on those fences.

- I think the work

that Rewilding Argentina does is
extremely important,

and I think this could be done
anywhere

and everywhere in the world, and it
should be done.

- Such a simple solution can have a
huge impact.

With up to 70%

of our grasslands supporting
livestock...

..fences have become one of the most

widespread man-made features on Earth.

It's within our power to remove them

where we can for the benefit of
wildlife.

- The soul of Patagonia is the
wildlife.

We can have a huge landscape, but
without wildlife,

it's an empty scenario.

I have a complete hope

and I'm very optimistic of the
capacity of nature to recover.

- We have the power to help nature
recover.

And sometimes it's the simplest
changes that can have

the most positive and profound
impacts.

Next time...

..fresh water.

- # Go steady

# Take your time

# You're ready

# And I'll be fine

# And whatever you face

# There's a part you can't break

# Cos I'll love you

# That'll never change

- # That'll never change

- # No, oh-oh-oh

# That'll never change

- # That'll never change

# That'll never change

- # That'll never change

# That'll never change. #