All language subtitles for Nature.S44E10.Parenthood.The.Greatest.Adventure.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-Kitsune_track3_[eng]

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A female
western lowland gorilla.

And her newborn.

Just moments old.

For his mother,

the arrival of her young baby

is the start of a new chapter
in her adult life.

Parenthood.

Her journey will be challenging.

Full of excitement...

uncertainty...

and complete commitment.

There will be mistakes.
There always are.

But success for her,
and, indeed, for all parents,

has perhaps the greatest
of consequences.

It ensures the future
of life on our planet.

Parenthood
is a journey like no other.

The responsibility of providing
constant food and safety

for offspring
can be extremely challenging.

For most,
it all begins with a good home.

A mother lion in the grasslands
of the Kalahari in Botswana.

Her 20-strong pride is ruled
by her and her sisters...

...who each has her own cubs.

One mighty family who help each
other through thick and thin.

For months, their home
is scorched by 45-degree heat.

But once a year, their
territory is brought to life

by distant rains.

Up until now, these cubs

have had very little experience
of water.

So their mother will
have to guide them

to get them through the trauma.

Getting used to swamp living

is a vital part
of their cubs' upbringing.

Because these precious waters

attract animals
from miles around.

Cape buffalo.

The smell of fresh water

lures them from
the surrounding savanna,

and they come in
extraordinary numbers.

A herd 3 miles long
and full of 1-ton animals.

They, too, cannot survive
without the water

at the center
of the lion's territory.

She must show her cubs that
patience is their greatest ally.

Once in the swamp, the buffalo
spread out into smaller groups.

Lionesses will take
the lead in any hunt.

But a mother here
has the added pressure

of having to teach her growing
cubs how to tackle giants.

One swipe of its horns
could kill any one of them.

The cubs must watch and learn.

The younger lions are allowed
to be the first to feast.

Hunting giants, however,
is not without its risks.

One of the pride's mothers
is missing.

Contact calls go unanswered.

In attempting
to provide food for her young,

she has been gored by a buffalo.

There is nothing
the pride can do to help.

With her cubs too young
to hunt for themselves,

her death leaves
their future uncertain.

But they don't
have to face it alone.

The matriarchs will take
on responsibility for them.

In lion society, females often
share the load of parenting.

Related adults will continue
to care for the orphans

alongside their own offspring.

It'll be another year before
they're fully independent.

In that time, they must
be taught how to survive here.

And luckily for them,

the leader of this pride
is an excellent teacher.

Parental investment is a
risky strategy for many animals.

Particularly in the largest
of all habitats, the ocean.

The sheer diversity of life
makes some parts of the ocean

a highly competitive
environment.

So the animals who choose
to raise their offspring here

need to have an edge.

Here in Indonesia,
protected by the reef,

lives one of the ocean's
most ingenious parents.

A female boxer crab.

Attached to her underside is her
brood of over a thousand eggs.

Her challenge is to keep
them safe until they hatch.

Whilst keeping herself well fed.

So, like any good parent, she's
come prepared with a solution.

On her claws are live anemones

that she's collected
from the reef around her.

The anemones filter food
from the surrounding water,

which the crab mother
steals for herself.

It's an ingenious way

to keep energized
while looking after young.

But it's not without risk.

To capture the food she needs,

she must take her anemones
out in the open.

A cuttlefish.

A cunning predator
that pounces on the unprepared.

Exposed and alone...

...she is a sitting crab.

But she isn't defenseless.

Her anemones have
venomous stings

that can deter most predators.

A very effective weapon for
a mother in need of protection.

In fact,
her anemones are such good tools

that they are highly prized
amongst the crab community.

And this mother has
a jealous rival.

Empty clawed,
her opponent will do anything

to secure her own anemone.

She isn't going to surrender
them without a fight.

Overpowered, the mother
loses one of her anemones.

The battle leaves her exhausted
and vulnerable.

She needs to lie low
and buy herself some time.

Because this super mum
has yet another trick.

Slowly and meticulously,

she dissects
her remaining anemone,

creating a clone.

Her remarkable problem-solving
allows her to keep herself

and her young alive
for a few more days.

Until, eventually,
she's ready to let them go.

Climbing to the top
of her coral home,

she begins to release her tiny
offspring into the current...

...a few at a time...

...until all her crablets
are independent.

Thanks to her care
and attention,

she has given them
an excellent start in life.

Raising offspring alone
is extremely challenging.

So, many parents
resort to teamwork.

A female burrowing owl
is looking for a partner

amongst the wildlands
of Arizona.

And this young male
seems eager to please.

To win her over, he must first
find a decent burrow,

and that is proving tricky.

Burrowing owls use holes
abandoned by other animals.

But the ones he's found
are either still in use...

...or already have
well-established families.

Her patience is running thin.

When finally he's found one,

she flies in
for a closer inspection.

The hallway clearly requires
a little housekeeping.

Though small inside,

it's deep enough underground
to keep her chicks cool

in the midday heat.

Returning to await
her verdict...

...he receives
a less-than-enthusiastic yes.

Over the coming weeks,
she will lay one egg a day

and then incubate them all
until they hatch.

His responsibility now
is to provide her

with a constant supply of food.

Until, eventually,
their teamwork pays off.

At first, the father's
food supplies are enough

to keep their chicks growing.

But soon, both parents
will have to work

to put enough food on the table.

All this constant activity
inevitably attracts attention.

A roadrunner.

Fast and wily,

this opportunist could kill
an entire brood of young chicks.

Their burrow has been chosen to
keep them hidden from predators.

But at the first sign of danger,
the chicks create a deterrent.

Their call mimics the sound
of an angry rattlesnake.

But rattlesnakes are one of
the roadrunner's favorite prey.

Returning with takeaway,

the father is alerted
to the danger.

Disaster averted.

But now both parents
are caught between

keeping a watchful eye
on their chicks

and providing enough food
for them

to grow large enough
to defend themselves.

They work around the clock.

And their chicks' expectations
are seemingly never-ending.

The parents' lives
soon reach a turning point.

The growing chicks
begin spending

more and more time
exploring their surroundings.

And there are less demands
on the parents,

as a few of the chicks
become capable

of finding their own snacks.

For the parents,
that is a welcome relief.

Parenthood is even harder

when the environment
is working against you.

And for those parents

who need reliable fresh water
to raise their young,

the conditions
are rarely perfect.

The Ruaha River in Tanzania.

For most of the year,

it provides a lifeline
to those that live here.

But during the dry season,
this refuge almost disappears...

...leaving this mother hippo
and her calf with a dilemma.

He was born just two months ago

at a time
when water was plentiful.

But now there are
only a few pools left

where the water is
still deep enough to shield him

from the harsh sun.

The other hippos in the area
have had the same idea,

so her newfound nursery
has become...a little crappy.

For now, though, hygiene is the
least of the mother's worries.

These enormous fountains
of fertilizer

require over 100 pounds
of vegetation every day.

And now, in the dry season,

that is a problem.

Good grazing is nearly
1 1/2 miles

from the safety of the river.

But it's too hot
to make the journey in daytime.

She must wait until nightfall.

In the cool of the night,

the surrounding bush
comes alive.

But with darkness
comes the unknown.

Like it or not, the hippos must
leave the safety of their pool

and head into the night
in search of food.

The mother must not
leave her calf alone,

so the pair begin the slow

and uncertain walk
to find distant grazing.

There is some safety in numbers
close to the water,

but this far into
the dry season,

the best food is further away.

Their size offers them
some protection.

A hippo mother is
a formidable bodyguard.

Her mouth is filled
with 20-centimeter ivory tusks

that serve only for defense.

But a young hippo is vulnerable.

So the calf must never stray
too far from his mother.

There is an unnerving quietness
to the bush around her.

But now they are too far from
the water to seek refuge there,

and their stalkers know this.

A nearby male also senses
danger, and he joins the mother.

Even in small groups,

hippos can defend themselves
against a single lion.

But not against a pride.

The mother knows
if they all hold their ground,

they might have a chance.

The less experienced
male panics...

...and they lose
their advantage.

The body of a young male hippo

will keep a pride fed
for a week.

The mother and her calf returned
to the protection of their pool.

They have had a lucky escape.

But the mother hippo's remaining
refuge will soon dry out.

And she and her calf
will have to travel further

and further into the unknown.

They'll need to do
this every night.

All parents need dedication
in the face of adversity.

The quest for food

can be a seemingly never-ending
commitment for many parents.

And here in Namibia, one takes
that commitment to extremes.

This female African
social spider

laid her eggs just days ago.

And now her brood
of 30 spiderlings

are dependent on her for food.

So, in their early life,

she regurgitates a milky liquid

which the spiderlings drink
directly from her mouth.

They will grow to 10 times
this size in the coming weeks.

To fuel such growth,

she will need to leave
her nursery to hunt.

Luckily, this mother
has family she can rely on.

50 fully grown adult sisters
who share her nest.

And who hunt in perfect unison.

By stopping simultaneously,

they can listen with their feet

to detect the whereabouts of
their prey in their vast nest.

Within weeks,
her spiderlings

are ready to start hunting
for themselves.

And as they grow,

her offspring and all their
cousins become insatiable.

They're born with the ability
to hunt together as a pack,

just like their mothers.

Only now, there are
over a thousand of them.

Her role is almost over,
which is just as well.

Since laying her eggs,

the mother's condition
has been deteriorating,

and her movements
have become labored.

The demands of parenthood
are finally taking their toll.

But she has one more gift
for her offspring.

The only thing she has left.

Her struggling appears
to mimic the vibrations

of a distressed prey insect.

And her hungry spiderlings
descend en masse

to their mother's
dinner table one last time.

Only this time,
sheis the main course.

Hers is the ultimate sacrifice,

born out of a need to ensure the
survival of the next generation.

But the spiderlings
are not yet finished.

They turn on their
surviving relatives,

eating every adult
in the colony one by one.

Until the next generation...

is all that is left.

Parental sacrifice on this scale
is rare in the natural world.

Though there comes a time
in a parent's journey

when all that effort
seems worth it.

A female western lowland gorilla
in Gabon.

She will help her young
for almost four years

to learn the complexities
of living in their jungle home.

But as he becomes
more independent,

she must let go and
allow him to acquire the rules

of a gorilla's social life.

His newfound independence
triggers a crucial moment

in his mother's journey.

It gives her the chance
to think about

her next stage of parenthood.

The father of her young one is
reaching the end of his prime.

At 34,
he's old for a silverback.

And unbeknownst to him,
he is under constant assessment.

Female lowland gorillas
will leave their troop

if they think there
might be better options.

And that decision
all boils down to one thing.

Has he still got it?

Hmm. Not bad.

Her offspring will inherit
his excellent physique,

giving them
a good head start in life.

Braun isn't the only thing
she considers.

Though males play little part
in raising their offspring,

females nonetheless prefer males
with a degree of tolerance.

And the old silverback
has always been good with kids.

On top of his physique
and character,

she's also constantly assessing
what his territory has to offer.

Wherever it comes from...

...good and plentiful food
is crucial

for any mother trying
to raise her young.

And variety helps parents teach
their young about what to eat

and where to find it.

In the food department,
he scores highly.

He even has a swamp,

which might not sound like much,

but the grasses here
provide much needed protein

to a lowland gorilla's diet.

She also is looking for
protection when life gets risky.

The forest elephant is
not immediate competition

but a threat to young gorillas
nonetheless.

Willingness to stand up
to those bigger than him

is certainly attractive
in a partner.

If she chose to leave, however,

there would be
significant risks.

Any new male with whom she
associates could kill infants

that aren't his own,

so she'll have
to leave her child behind.

And it would take months
to establish herself

within a new troop.

Here, at least,
she already has a partner.

Just a slightly mature one.

For now,
it seems he has passed her test.

But there's still time
to change her mind.

Parental strategies
have evolved over millennia.

But now,
over 80% of the Earth's landmass

is affected by human activity,

and animal parents are having
to adapt to this new world.

An endangered Iberian lynx,
known as Audrina.

This abandoned barn
is the best place left

for Audrina to raise
her five kittens.

It's an excellent refuge
for her growing family --

cool, sheltered, and full
of activities for soft play.

In fact, this place is so good
that Audrina is not alone.

Both her mother and her daughter

have chosen to raise
their kittens here.

Three generations raising
their young together.

A rare phenomenon
and a sign of hope.

But the recovery of lynx here

has only been possible by what
has happened outside the barn.

Less than a decade ago,

the farmers here
chose to change their practice

to suit the native wild animals.

They stopped hunting

and began creating habitat
amongst their crops.

And quicker
than anyone had imagined,

the native animals
moved back in.

First, prey,

then predators.

Soon, the farm became a safe
refuge for parents like Audrina

to introduce their kittens
to a world

that had been redesigned
with them in mind.

One where kittens
have room to explore...

...play...

...and hunt.

And they thrived.

We are beginning to understand

that it's possible
to use our world for our needs

whilst also providing
for wild animals.

And we are discovering
that, by doing so,

it's possible
to help other species.

Iberian lynx have begun
a remarkable recovery,

but their fate still remains
in the balance.

The future is uncertain for
all parents across our world.

But what is clear is that,
for all of us to survive,

we will need to help each other.

The "Parenthood" team

relied on experts
all over the world.

This shoot would have
obviously been impossible for us

without the help
of all the amazing guides

and trackers we had.

For this project to succeed,

we need to work together
with the Babongo.

It is Babongo trackers'

carefully crafted relationship
with the gorillas that is key.

The "Parenthood" crew

traveled to South Africa's
Malgas Island

to film the remarkable
parenting story

of the endangered Cape gannet.

You can clearly see
what it used to be like.

This was all nest
right up until the house,

and now the colony starts
way back there.

The single largest threat
to the Cape gannet

is the decline
of food resources.

There's not enough fish.

And what some seals
have now learned is that

the gannets carry fish
in their stomach.

In a day, just one day,

we can have a hundred or more
predated out at sea.

As the climate heats,

rainfall is becoming
less reliable everywhere.

There is often too much
or too little

and at the wrong time,

a significant challenge
for the "Parenthood" crews

while filming the series.

East Africa was in the grip
of a historic drought,

and the consequences
for both wildlife

and people became clear.

We've just been filming
a group of elephants,

and they just ran into
a big heed of cattle.

How do you deal with
10,000 cattle as an elephant?

It's a whole level
of parenting skills

that they're not equipped
to deal with.

The lack
of fresh water and grass

has put both people
and elephants

under immense pressure.

We have the power
to help nature recover,

and sometimes it's
the simplest changes

that can have
the most profound impacts.

In the vast grasslands
of Patagonia,

the "Parenthood" team are here
to record the story

of adult guanacos
and their calves.

Soon, the issues facing
guanaco parents became clear.

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,

be such a simple solution,

and it would make the world
of difference, I think.

If there is no guanacos,

the ecosystem will collapse.

I have a complete hope
and I'm very optimistic

of the capacity
of nature to recover.

While the climate
changes and resources dwindle,

every community can find ways
to support the natural world.

It's up to us to ensure
that they and generations

to come will have
a planet worth inheriting.