All language subtitles for DD65CE966D4F6B215C5DC2C12A78663B_eng

There's lots of very comforting noises
coming from next door.

Every year, around the world, thousands of
grizzly bear cubs are orphaned.

Because of conflict with humans.

I was expecting you to be bigger.

But in one remarkable place, these baby
bears are being given a second chance.

I'm Gordon Buchanan.

I've come to Russia to help a pioneering
family of biologists...

rehabilitate six grizzly orphans back to
the wild.

But now, the cubs are growing fast.

They've changed beyond all recognition.

And it's time for their first experience
of the wilderness.

This is a huge step.

They need to learn how to be wild bears.

We've got just ten weeks to teach them.

All we can do is hope that they stand a
chance of surviving.

Will these orphaned cubs...

ever be free again?

Everything's stacked against a cub that
has lost its mother.

There you go, pal.

In February, I joined Katia and Sergei
Pajitnov...

a husband and wife team of world-leading
bear rehab experts.

Six orphaned cubs had just been rescued...
each weighing less than a bag of sugar.

Pasha and Slava were dumped in a bin near
Moscow.

It's suspected poachers killed their
mother.

Tolya and Choma were found in a box
outside a vet's.

Zhenya and Zhora were
handed in by loggers...

who accidentally
scared their mum away.

The Pajitnovs have created a unique
three-stage rehab system...

to fast-track orphans to independence.

In the first stage, the cubs were kept
indoors.

The biggest cub, Zhora, became the leader
of the group.

But one cub had a problem.

Pasha, the smallest orphan, couldn't walk.

He'd just spit it out.

It's like a starfish.

Eventually, Pasha's legs healed... and
they were moved to the second stage...

a two-acre fenced enclosure.

Here, they've been safely exploring the
outdoors.

But now, we've got just ten weeks...
to get them ready for the third stage.

When they'll be relocated... to different
wilderness areas for their final release.

For that, they need to learn essential
survival skills...

and put on enough weight to make it
through the winter.

If they fail, they could face a life in
captivity.

It's August.

Sixty degrees warmer than when the cubs
were born.

The rescue centre now basts in sixteen
hours of daylight.

For the last two months, the orphans have
been given food in the enclosure.

But they've had limited human contact.

It's really exciting...

to know, or to hope, that all six bears
are in this patch of forest somewhere.

I can hear the noise of bears.

I can hear the noise of bears.

I can't wait...

to see... how they've developed.

Today is one of the most important moments
in the cubs' lives.

They're going to get their first taste of
the wild...

outside the enclosure.

But first, we need to check they're OK.

I'm just going to tuck in here.

Sit out.

Wait.

Sergei's been rehabbing bears for two
decades.

He wants us to whisper... so the
cubs don't get used to human voices.

They're out there somewhere.

I can hear them...
but I can't see them.

Here they come.

It just looks like
a little... gang of

schoolboys walking to
school in the morning.

It's great to see how...

healthy they look.

How big... and
strong... they look.

When they were first moved into
the enclosure... they were timid...

and reluctant to explore.

Now... they're
completely at home.

Pasha, the lightest coloured cub...
is still the weakest... and smallest.

We're worried he might not survive in the
wild.

Zhora, the biggest and darkest...

remains the leader.

When Zhora was
young... I could pick him up.

Now... I want him
to be independent...

so there's no contact.

They're not...

clambering all over me... as
they once would have done.

Given their size...
I'm glad of that.

But this is...

This is too close to me.

Zhora's overconfident...

and likes testing boundaries.

He's got to develop... a fear of
people... to survive in the wild.

I don't want them to get... I don't want
them to be comfortable getting close to me.

I need to scare them off.

There's only so much these orphans can
learn in this enclosure.

It's time to let them out.

At this age, they would travel up to 20
kilometres a day with their mothers.

So the Pajitnovs have a wilderness
training zone bordering the enclosure.

The orphans will be able to come and go as
they try to master key survival skills.

They need to learn how to swim,
find a secret field of wild oats,

and forage for acorns buried beneath the
trees.

They must pass these tests before they're
finally released.

Today will be their first experience of
the wild.

I'm going to set up a
couple of cameras by the

door that they're
hopefully going to exit by.

And it's going to give
them an opportunity

to explore the forest
beyond this enclosure.

For the cubs, this gate is really a
doorway to the outside world.

Out here is absolute freedom.

So it's a big moment
for any of the cubs

the moment they walk
through this threshold.

This is... this is the wild.

The wilderness training zone holds many
dangers.

The cubs could be attacked by adult bears
defending their territories.

Hunted by wolf packs.

Or get lost and not find their way back to
the safety of the enclosure.

I'm setting up remote
cameras to see who's brave

enough to take the
first step into the wild.

OK, I think I saw a little bit of movement
up there on the fence line.

Oh, here comes one.

OK, let's see what they're going to do.

Without a mother to
guide them, the cubs

need to stick together
by following a leader.

If they split up, they're less likely to
survive.

Yeah, that looks like that could be...

Azura, really confidently walking down.

Yeah, you can see that it's open.

He's getting closer and closer.

He's literally a metre away from it.

Just run straight through the gate.

You can see they're all quite nervous.

But the fact that one
of the cubs has gone

through should mean
that others will follow.

OK, here we have someone else just on the
left.

OK, two cubs kind of doing it almost
together.

Next through is Azura's brother,
Zhenya.

One through, another one through.

There's a little procession of them.

See how cautious they are.

The rest follow, with little Pasha
bringing up the rear.

As soon as the first one ran, everyone ran
straight after.

For the first time since
they were born, the cubs are

on their own, away from
the safety of the enclosure.

The door is left open for them.

We want them to return, but there's no
guarantee.

The Pashutnov family,
Kacha, Sergei and Vasily, have

rescued over 200 orphans
in the last two decades.

They know this is a dangerous but
necessary step for the cubs.

And in past years, has there been any
bears that, as soon as they leave,

they run away or they don't come back?

There is a chance that they will
disappear.

They can be frightened by something.

For example, by wild
bear, big bear, or maybe

even some sounds,
unusual sounds for them.

They could frighten them and they can run
away and not come back.

It is possible.

So they could get lost?

It is possible and we have some experience
of it.

They ran away and didn't come back.

Of course, we are worrying too much.

But that's difficult.

It's difficult not to worry.

Yeah, for me especially.

It's difficult to follow the cubs in the
forest.

But there may be a way I can keep a
discreet eye on them.

Where are those cubs?

Where are the cubs?

The cubs have left the
enclosure and we don't

know exactly where
they are at the moment.

They're not going to be too far away,
but what I'm going to do is send up the

drone and it's going to give me the first
oversight of this area and maybe help me

identify likely places that the cubs might
be.

Almost immediately you get a completely
different view of this area.

And if I just rotate
around, I reckon our

bears are going to
be off in this direction.

It just shows you what's really great to
see is how much forest there is out there.

Mile after mile of what is really great
bear territory.

It's a vast area.

And it must be scary for the cubs.

Even from up here, it'll be hard to find
them.

There's so many places that these cubs
could be.

All we can do is wait and hope that they
come back to the enclosure.

We haven't seen the cubs for over 24
hours.

They've spent their first night in the
forest alone.

Sergei's son Vasily has a plan to try and
find them.

Good morning Vasily.

Good morning.

How are you?

Nice, and you?

Good, good, good.

Instead of searching the
forest for our cubs, Vasily

hopes wild apples will attract
them back to the enclosure.

Each one of these must be about 40 kilos.

When you think of the grizzly bear,
we think of them eating salmon,

think of them eating meat.

But the truth is, in this
part of Russia, their diet

is almost entirely made
up of vegetation, of fruits.

Meat just forms a very small part of their
diet.

All loaded and ready to go.

A bear's sense of smell is 7,000 times
better than ours.

They can detect ripe apples from more than
30 kilometres away.

The bears are here.

All six of them.

The smell from the apples is really sweet
and pungent.

It's actually quite intoxicating.

They're waiting for me.

So for a bear, it must be going out of
their mind.

It's a huge relief they're together and
safe.

They launch into the apples.

But little Pasha's still timid.

The last cub to the food grows more
slowly.

We need to keep an eye on him.

An underweight cub won't survive.

At this time of year, bears enter a state
called hyperphasia.

They're driven to eat as much as possible.

It helps them fatten up for hibernation.

Better get some more.

Hibernation lasts for
the five months of winter

when bears are in dens
without access to food.

It's so cold that even sleeping,
they can burn 1,000 calories a day.

The orphans might not survive winter
unless they reach a weight of 40 kilos.

That means they've got to put on two kilos
of fat per week.

It's September.

Daytime temperatures are beginning to
cool.

Hovering around 20 degrees.

The cubs are now seven months old.

They're coming and going from the safety
of the enclosure.

Walking up to 15 kilometres a day.

It's only five weeks until their final
release.

But they've still got a lot to learn.

And Pasha remains at the back of the
class.

Always the weakest cub.

He had problems with his legs at birth.

He's now starting to keep up with the
others.

To find enough food
in the wild, these cubs

need to learn an
important new way to travel.

It's time to teach them how to swim.

So Sergei's going to lead
the bear cubs to places that

they have to become
comfortable with and familiar with.

So places where they can find different
types of food.

So rivers that they can cross and lakes
that they can swim in.

And we're rigging Sergei with a camera in
the hope that we can film what goes on.

Good luck.

Sergei will act like mother bear.

By mimicking bear tongue clicks,
Sergei is able to guide them.

.

.

In the wild, bear cubs would learn how to
swim from their mothers.

So we need to find a way to teach these
orphans ourselves.

This is going to be good.

Wild cubs would already be competent
swimmers.

For a bear cub, as soon as it comes out of
its winter den with its mother,

as soon as the snow melts
and the ice has gone from the

lakes and rivers, crossing
waterways is just part of life.

And when the cubs are
really small, they'll cross

watercourses and lakes
on their mother's back.

So they're not having to swim necessarily.

They've got the safety and
security of being with their

mum, riding on her back as
she does all the swimming.

So these cubs have obviously missed out on
a big part of their learning.

I'm going to try to encourage the cubs to
swim by enticing them in.

This.

This fine vessel, once there's a camera
fitted to the front of it, is going to be

able to get hopefully quite close to the
bears.

At the moment, they're reluctant to take
the plunge.

Right.

I want to see if the boat will tempt them
out.

Jorah, normally the boldest cub,
seems nervous of the water.

Against all our expectations, Pasha is
first to dive in.

A lot of sliding about in the mud,
but not much swimming yet.

It might actually act as an enticement and
get them out into the deeper water,

and then that way we can see how good they
are at swimming.

All of the cubs are going to be able to
swim.

It's just really to find out how confident
and how proficient they are at it.

Unfortunately, my plan to get them
swimming isn't going well.

As soon as I move into reverse,
so does Pasha.

Yay!

Obviously, at the moment
we've got a lot of very, very

confident paddling, but that's
not what we're interested in.

We want them to go out of their depth.

Paddling's for babies.

Eventually, Jorah takes a dip.

I think I'm going to fall.

I think I'm going to fall.

But it's Pasha who wades the deepest.

An encouraging sign of his growing
confidence.

There's only four weeks
to go before the cubs'

final release, away
from the training zone.

In the wild, you would never find six cubs
together like this.

They've bonded as a family.

Being together keeps the orphans safe,
and they continue to learn from each other.

At eight months old, the cubs are starting
to look like adult bears.

Their noses are getting longer.

And the distinctive hump on their backs is
growing.

It's unique to grizzlies.

A sign they're developing powerful digging
muscles in their shoulders.

It's a sign they're growing faster.

My next job is to show them what to dig
for.

In my pocket, I have some delicious
acorns.

And I want to give them to the bears.

But I don't want to make it too easy for
them.

When they are out in the wild,
they'll have to do a lot of digging.

And that's something that I haven't seen
them do.

I've seen them climbing.

I've seen them foraging for food.

But I haven't seen them
actually breaking ground

and getting down into
the food that's there.

I just want to find out how good they are
at that.

And just to put their
sense of smell to the test,

I'm going to put them
two feet down if I can get it.

I want to see it with my own eyes.

Can they detect something that kind of
doesn't really have... much of an odour?

They don't really smell of anything.

I

Don't think they're going to be able to
find them.

Acorns are an important source of fat in
the early autumn.

A few scattered on top should give them a
fighting chance.

Just toss a bit of leaf litter over the
dig site.

And see what they can do.

Pasha is first on the scene.

He's found the acorns on the surface.

But the real test is whether he can dig up
the rest.

I think they've smelt them.

Just two acorns have as many calories as
one whole apple.

They're really getting stuck in now.

As they get older, their
claws grow straighter, giving

them the perfect tools for
scraping and shovelling.

They're realising the deeper they dig,
the more food there is down there.

Pasha has hit the jackpot.

But there might not be enough to go
around.

Zhora defends his precious acorns from his
brother Zhenya.

In the confusion, little Pasha's been left
behind.

It isn't long before the orphans make up.

This is how bear cubs bond.

Eventually, everyone's nose leads them
back to the acorns.

So a lot of it is instinctive.

A bear can smell something and it can
figure out whether it's good to eat.

But so much of that, they learn by
example.

They see their mother doing certain things
and they know that that's safe to eat.

But for the cubs, they are at a
disadvantage.

Because they're having to completely rely
on their instincts.

So it's important, I think,
that we give them the

opportunities where
their instincts can kick in.

To be released, the cubs will need to
weigh at least 40 kilos.

To reach that, they need to find high-fat
food.

Rotting logs are full of juicy grubs.

If they can learn how to get them...

they'll be able to eat.

A delightful cocktail of pureed fish guts
will put them to the test.

This wood's quite soft, so as I pour this
bear elixir in...

it's going to soak right into the
middle of the log.

OK, that'll do us.

Hopefully, the terrible smell will
encourage them.

Here they come.

Jeez.

It's like a homing beacon.

You can see when they put their claws to
use how effective they are.

Literally just ripping the log apart
without any problems whatsoever.

So you're combining the sharpness of their
claws with the power of their paws.

And a lot of the logs become obliterated.

Grubs feed on the rotting wood at the
heart of these logs.

But I'm beginning to think I may have
overdone it on the fish guts.

That's incredible.

What the hell are they doing?

Quite

as much ripped into the
logs... as dived inside them.

That

is a bear cub in sheer ecstasy.

They've been lost to that scent.

Grizzly bears scavenge when they can.

And the promise of rotting fish seems to
drive the cubs wild.

And the bear cub is now a bear cub.

When you watch them in a situation like
this...

you realise it's quite a lot of fun
being a bear.

If you can just wander about the forest...

and find an entire banquet without
really having to wait.

I can't work that hard for it.

At times it can be an easy life.

And it's lovely to see all of our cubs
just enjoying themselves.

And it's not all about hardship and
danger.

Sometimes it's just about chilling out and
enjoying being a bear.

It's October.

Nighttime temperatures are now below
freezing.

The cubs are nearly nine months old.

We're planning for their final release.

But only if they're heavy enough.

The cubs' permanent home can't be the
training area.

There isn't enough food to support them
all.

So we need to find safe release sites for
them elsewhere.

For each pair of brothers, we've got our
eyes on a different wilderness area.

Each within a few hours' drive of the
rescue centre.

Where, hopefully, they'll live for the
rest of their lives.

Today, Sergei is taking
the cubs out on what

will be their last
guided tour together.

During October, the fruit, nuts and insects
that bears eat in the forest are dwindling.

But they still need to fatten up for
hibernation.

Sergei's leading them to the best
high-calorie autumn food.

Wild oats are packed with carbs for piling
on the pounds.

It's a last chance for little Pasha to
fatten up.

If he's not heavy enough, he can't be
released this year.

These meadows are important for bears.

But they need to remain cautious out in
the wild.

And they open.

Zhora leads them to the cover of the
trees.

It's great to see the
cubs' survival instincts

and skills develop
over the last ten weeks.

Tomorrow will be the ultimate test for
these orphans.

Today is the biggest day of the cubs'
lives.

If they don't weigh at
least 40 kilos, they may not

survive the winter and
can't be returned to the wild.

Pasha has always been the smallest.

I'm worried about him.

Only if they make the weight can they be
moved to their final release sites.

To minimise stress, Sergei prepares a
tranquiliser dart.

A vet is on hand to oversee proceedings.

Through the whole time that I've been
here, there's been a series of small steps.

This, today, is a huge step.

A tranquiliser dart is the only way to
catch and weigh the cubs.

It looks harsh.

But it has the benefit of making them
distrustful.

It makes them feel like people.

Essential for a wild bear to survive.

Nice one.

Zhora is the first cub to be darted.

Okay.

Dart went in.

After a few minutes, the drug takes
effect.

Zhora will be out for about half an hour.

My God, he's heavy.

I can help you.

It's been five months since I last picked
him up.

There's a huge change.

But has he made the 40 kilo release
weight?

Let's get to work.

47 kilos is perfect.

The vet checks that Zhora is as healthy as
he looks.

My God.

Just giving him a full health check.

And taking all of his weight, his length,
size of his paws.

He gets a rabies jab.

So it's a full MOT and health check.

But he's very, very, very good condition.

Big, fat, healthy and ready.

Yeah.

Ready to go.

Zhora is given an ear tag.

Bears with tags will
typically live three times

longer because hunters
are less likely to shoot them.

Zhora will travel to his new home in a
crate after the tranquilizer wears off.

Releasing them now, a few
weeks before winter arrives,

marks the final stage
of their rehabilitation.

The plan is to let them go as three pairs
of brothers, exactly as they were rescued.

That way each pair can hibernate together.

Zhora will be let go with his brother
Zhenya.

He's been fitted with a satellite tracker.

The collar will expand as he grows.

We've got a satellite collar and that will
allow us to follow his movements from

today onwards for the next year and a
half.

And for an animal like a bear, that collar
is an insignificant amount of weight.

When he comes to,
he'll realize that he's got

something on, but very,
very quickly he'll ignore it.

He'll get a daily fix on his location.

This will show where they both den and will
let us know when they emerge in spring.

After a year, the collar will
automatically drop off.

I'll get the door.

Yeah.

This is little Pasha's big moment.

He's always been the smallest.

Will he be the cub who's left behind once
again?

There you go.

Well done.

If he doesn't make
the crucial 40-kilo

weight, he can't be
released with the others.

You're a heavy boy.

Hold him in the palm of your hand anymore.

47.

Yeah, it's 47.

Pasha has done it.

He's gone from being the smallest cub to
weighing exactly the same as Jorah.

Thank God.

It's a huge relief.

This little bear has surprised us all.

Yes, yes.

All six bears are heavy enough to be
released.

Each pair of brothers will be taken to a
different wilderness area.

Jorah and his brother
Zhenya are going to a remote

location 100 kilometres
from the rescue centre.

OK.

OK.

Nine months ago, Jorah was so weak,
he couldn't even support his own weight.

Are you worried about him?

Yes.

You know, he's very heavy.

And his paws are not very strong.

He went hungry when he was orphaned,
affecting his muscle development.

Kacha's giving him a
massage, putting his legs and

his paws into the position
that they should be in.

But thanks to Kacha, he pulled through.

He's held the whole group together,
inspiring confidence in the others.

Confidence they need to become wild bears.

Three, two...

Out you come.

OK.

Jorah's head's out.

Surveying what they can see in front of
them.

It's quite a scary prospect.

And somewhere new after a long journey.

Jorah is braver than his brother and makes
the first move.

Come on guys, out you come.

Always a leader.

He won't leave Zhenya behind.

Well done.

That was good.

It's funny when you knock the camera over.

It's maybe the last time it'll ever be
photographed.

Really look like proper bears.

Yeah, you can hear them.

They're climbing.

Climbing in the trees.

After nine months in rehab, Jorah and his
brother are finally free.

Next to be released were Tolya and Choma,
50 kilometres to the north.

And finally, it's the turn of Pasha and
his brother Slava.

Right from the start, Pasha was the
smallest and weakest orphan.

He just split out.

He's like a starfish.

He was the slowest developer and struggled
to keep up with the others.

We worried that he wouldn't survive.

But thanks to the
Pashutnovs... OK.

You good?

One, two, three.

He's ready for release.

Slava is first out.

Pasha needs a helping hand.

It's nice to think that he
stopped to look round and

give us one last glance
because he's so grateful.

How did you feel?

Yeah, it's very uplifting.

I think to be part of this amazing
process, to see your amazing work,

and then to give these bears a chance at
life is wonderful.

So there's no reason to be sad.

I can.

Really?

For you?

I am a little a bit sad, of course.

Don't worry.

Next year, you'll have a
whole lot more bears and you

can go through the process
again and again and again.

This year's orphans
mark the 230th successful

rehabilitation for Sergei,
Katya and the family.

The Pashutnovs have shown that anything
can happen.

Hand-raised grizzlies can survive in the
wild.

Signals from the cubs'
collars tell us that they

are now all safely
sleeping in their winter dens.

Against the odds, our orphans have the
same chance of survival as any wild bear.