All language subtitles for Wild Russia EP04 Arctic (2009) English

The Arctic.

For anything to survive here,
it has to be strong

and able to deal with ice
and snow at any time.

The largest

and least known part of
this inhospitable region

belongs to Russia.

Russia's Arctic

stretches over 6,000 kilometers

from the Norwegian border to Alaska.

Endless expenses of icy wilderness
and storm-tossed islands

with mysterious names
like Novaya Zemlya,

Taymyr or the legendary Wrangel Island.

In March

the ice sheet on the White Sea

in the west of the Russian Arctic

begins to break up.

Thousands of Harp Seals
gather here

to give birth.

Mother seals always
keep a hole in the ice open

and can thus surface
right next to their offspring.

Seal pups weight
only 10 kilograms at birth,

less than a tenth of their mother.

Their immediate preoccupation is feeding

and growing quickly.

A seals only suckle
their young for 12 days,

thereafter the little ones remain
on the ice on their own,

until their dark coats are fully developed

and they can take to the sea.

But for now they are
still cuddly and white

and impatient for their next meal.

About 7 times a day
mother and baby meet

at feeding time.

Seal milk is very nutritious

with the fat content of 42 percent.

The pups put on around 2 kilos a day.

Once the mother stopped suckling,

the young seals have reached
a weight of about 35 kilos

and are well-prepared for the future.

A male seal tries to attract some attention.

The mating season
for Harp Seals is approaching,

but for now the female gives
him the cold shoulder.

Maybe blowing bubbles will help.

The admirer is persistent.

But she really isn't in the mood.

After the short suckling period

the pups will not see their mothers again.

Well-fed, they are safe for now
on the ice flows of the White Sea.

Polar bears are almost
never seen in this region.

The bears, the largest land
predators on Earth,

are far out in the Arctic Ocean
where they find prey more easily.

Only rarely do they
come across other bears,

as by the end of winter the sea ice
has reached its greatest extend.

Soon the ice will melt,

and the kings of the Arctic
will have to take to dry land.

Mid-May.

4,000 kilometers east of
the White Sea in Northern Yakutia.

One of the rarest birds in the world
builds its nest here during the winter:

a Siberian White Crane.

The remaining two or three
thousand of these mysterious birds

breed exclusively in Russia.

The birds react extremely
nervously to any disturbance

and for this reason have hardly
ever been captured on film.

A 1, 000 kilometers
further east lies Wrangel Island,

close to the Alaskan peninsula.

Every May

snow geese arrive on
the island near the Bering Strait

from their North-American winter quarters.

In the only breeding colony
in the whole of Russia

almost 50000 pairs of
geese settle in a high valley.

Their arrival is eagerly anticipated.

The Arctic Fox in winter pelt
is always hungry,

but the geese are well able
to defend themselves.

In May the sun is already strong,

but the geese's breeding areas
are still covered in snow.

That calls for patience.

Day by day the snow-free areas,

important food sources
for geese and snipe increase.

The long migration has used up
the energy reserves of the smaller birds,

which now urgently need to feed.

In the Russian Arctic
winter is never far away.

The next morning the temperature
has fallen to -10 degrees Centigrade.

The Arctic Fox is well protected
from cold and wind by its winter fur.

It keeps a constant lookout
for victims of the harsh weather.

The snow geese still have enough in reserve

to go a few days without food.

They saved their energy and wait,
just like the Long-tailed Skuas.

Not everybody is suffering
from the sudden onset of winter.

Musk oxen are well-prepared
for the extreme cold.

In contrast to the migratory birds
they've spent the whole winter here

in temperatures below -40 degrees.

Originally related to goats, these
massive animals were extinct in the Arctic,

then successfully
re-introduced in the mid-1970s

and are now thriving.

The cold spell has already lasted a week,

unusually long.

For the birds the situation
is slowly getting serious.

The frozen ground offers hardly any food.

Huddled together, Grey Plovers,

Ruddy Turnstones and Dunlins

seek shelter from the icy wind.

For some it's already too late.

In the end it is the sun's energy
that saves them.

Melt water finds its way
through the snowy planes.

Finally the frost eases
its icy grip on the ground.

A commotion goes through
the colony, as a wolf appears in the valley.

It does not however
seem intetested it the birds,

they, on the other hand, are all
the more intetested in the predator.

A veritable pursuit ensues

albeit from a safe distance.

Finally the uninvited guest withdraws.

In the breeding colony however,
nobody sounds the all-clear.

Foxes raid the nesting
grounds on a daily basis.

The geese are prepared.

While the female broods,

the gander is always close by,
ready to defend the nest.

The fox knows better than to attack him.

Because of the sudden cold spell
many geese have given up their nests.

Easy pickings for the fox,

which finds more than it can eat

and can thus store some for later.

Foxes create hundreds of such caches.

In the cold earth of the tundra
the eggs stay fresh for months.

Soon it has looted all the abandoned nests,

life becomes harder again.

The fox tests the gander's
defensive capabilities.

At the first sign of weakness
the predatorwill keep up the pressure.

Got it!

It only manages to carry off one egg,

but will remember
the nest as a good source.

This time it goes straight into the offensive.

The goose doesn't stand a chance

and looses one egg after the other.

Only one remains, for now.

At the end of June summer
arrives in the Russian Arctic.

For a short while, the tundra
reveals hidden treasures:

Rooted Poppies,
White Dryads and Silene.

The breeding season is now in full swing.

Grey Plovers, Snow Buntings
and Common Eider ducks

enjoy the sunny days.

Even now temperatures
barely rise above zero.

Sleet is common, and
the animals are used to it.

Then the sleet
turns into heavy snow,

burying the summer
in just s few hours.

The Eider duck must not move,

or its clutch of eggs will be lost.

Tenaciously it braves the weather.

The Musk-oxen too are suffering.

They can handle the cold,

but the wet snow
saturates their heavy fur.

This small group led
by an old bull gets nervous,

as a second bull strides
purposefully up from the valley.

With its head down and to one side
the older bull assumes its fighting stands.

The rivals show off
their mighty flanks.

The newcomer approaches the females.

One cow smells
especially interesting,

but it's too soon.

The mating season doesn't
begin until August and September.

The old bull has had enough

and challenges the rival.

There is only a short skirmish.

Another few months will pass
before the rivalry gets serious.

The snow does not lie for very long.

The July sun is too strong,

it slowly reveals
Wrangel Island's distant past.

Ivory, washed free from the permafrost.

Wrangel Island remained
home to woolly mammoths

long after they were extinct elsewhere.

This tusk is barely 4,000 years old.

A remnant of the very last of their kind.

Some contemporaries of
the mammoth have survived till today.

Reindeer.

Russia's Arctic is the habitat of
the largest Reindeer population on Earth.

About a million live on
the Taymyr Peninsula alone.

The grazing Reindeer pass through
the Snow Goose colony without incident.

All the same, the geese are
especially alert at the moment.

Their offspring have begun to hatch.

While the first chicks could have left the nest
with their parents after the few hours,

they have to wait until all the eggs
are hatched, and that can easily take a whole day.

A dangerous phase for the youngest.

If the fox gets too close,

the safest place is
under mother's wing.

This time, however, the fox
is not after the geese.

It has spotted something bigger
in the undergrowth of dwarf willows.

A lemming,

a prize catch.

The coast seems to be clear,

but there is another predator about.

A wolverine.

The large marten is too big
to be chased away by a gander.

Fortunately it settles for an egg
and leaves the chicks alone.

It's the gosling's last chance to relax,

before the whole family

moves to the flat tundra,

where huge lakes
offer food and shelter.

A long and dangerous
journey for the geese.

Some families migrate over 70 kilometers,

whatever the weather.

July is the warmest month in the Arctic,

and the green tundra
has food in abundance,

not only for the goslings.

In the mountains the arctic foxes
have only few offspring this year.

Just two cubs wait
for the parents to return.

Moreover, they are much
too small for their age,

as there are almost
no lemmings this summer.

Their mother returns only rarely
and even then with hardly any food.

The prospects aren't
good for the young foxes.

Lower down on the planes
things look brighter.

Here the cubs have developed much faster,

because they have an additional
source of food: goslings.

Shortly afterwards they
are joined by their siblings.

Sharing is not a popular concept.

How so often in life -

if two cannot agree, a third profits.

Snowy Owls can not
switch to a diet of geese,

they are dependent on lemmings.

The chicks beg, but their mother
has not brought any food.

In years with few lemmings many
Snowy Owls do not breed at all.

This mother has only two chicks
instead of the usual ten,

and one of them is very weak.

The difference in size of
the siblings is enormous.

The mother goes off hunting.

For hours she watches for signs of
movement on the hill opposite.

The lemming has long been in her sights.

She tries her luck.

It's high time her offspring
had something to eat.

This time the mother owl
succeeds in catching

one of the elusive rodents.

The prey is immediately
claimed by the stronger chick.

By now the smaller sibling
is barely showing signs of life.

The mother, however,
tries to feed it the lemming.

But to no avail.

The little one is too weak and
the bigger one too hungry.

There is nothing the mother can do.

The bigger chick is safe for the moment,

but the mother owl will have enough
trouble providing enough food for one.

Arctic coasts are surprisingly
rich feeding grounds.

A Gray Whale.

Close to the coast it filters the sea
floor for crabs and mussels.

Belugas.

The name is russian in origin
and means "the white ones".

In the summer they migrate
over thousands of kilometers

along the shallow russian Arctic coast,

searching for crabs and shoals of fish.

The little group includes a young whale,

just a few hours old.

It keeps close to its mother.

It's much easier to swim in herwake.

Sea birds also know what
rich pickings are to be found here

and form large breeding
colonies all along the coast.

One species is especially
well-suited to the harsh climate:

Brunnich's Guillemots.

Here, close to the rocks,
the chicks are sheltered from the wind

and unpleasant surprises.

Fortunately, the shower
is just a short hop away.

Nordic sea birds have
to be resilient, even in summer.

The wind drives fields of
pack ice towards the coast.

What was a waterfall a moment
ago, is frozen solid the next.

The nests of the Red-legged Kittiwakes
are transformed into crystal palaces.

The Guillemot chicks have left their rock.

With the daring leap they normally
go straight into the water.

This yeas pack ice blocks the way.

They must, however, get to the open sea,

so that their parents can feed them.

Moving nimbly from floe to floe,

the arctic fox senses an opportunity.

For now the chick is safe,
because the fox doesn't like water.

It's still a long way
to the open sea, however.

The fox lands in a dead end,

and when it ends up taking
an involuntary bath, it's had enough.

By mid-August Wrangle Island
is surrounded by drifting ice fields

with weighty cargo on board:

Polar Bears.

The large bears sense
that the ice is fragile

and use the proximity to
the island to leave the floe.

Due to global warming the periods without
sea ice along the russian northern coast

are becoming longer and longer.

A few hundred bears
are stranded on Wrangel Island,

where they will have to wait until
November, when the sea freezes over again.

Until then there won't be much to eat.

Predators have sharp senses,

above all when they are hungry.

This young bear has seen
a movement in the shallow lagoon.

It takes a closer look.

Then it tries to catch a fish,

unheard-of behavior
for a polar bear.

Polar bears are really seal hunters.

This youngster doesn't seem
very well equipped to deal with fish.

Yet, if it tastes good,

the bearwill quickly learn
how to catch it.

It's now September.

For the Musk-oxen the time
for rivalries to be settled.

Often two bulls of similar strength
will stay together for some time

and regularly perform
violent sparring matches.

Serious fighting, however,
is something else.

Deep lowing challenges the rival.

Weighing around 400 kilos each,

the bulls crash into each other
at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour.

But in spite of the enormous
forces involved, injuries are rare.

The bulls' thick horny plates
sit on a flexible layer of keratin

and solid bone underneath,

which cushion the impact.

The strain is nonetheless enormous,

so the weaker of the two rivals
usually gives up fairly quickly.

Autumn in the tundra.

The snow geese gather.

A 5,000 kilometer flight lies before them,

some even fly as far
as California and Mexico.

The coming winter is already in the air.

The hungry bears patrol the gravel banks,

keeping out of each other's way.

Mothers with young are especially
cautious about their surroundings.

The cub is just 9 months old,

even other bears just wanting
to be playful are too dangerous for it.

Thus it stays close to its motherwho
keeps potential playmates at a distance.

Even older cubs are cautious.

This adult male weighing
a good 700 kilos is certainly not suitable.

Occasionally males even kill cubs.

Apart from waiting forwinter to come,

there is not a lot the bears can do.

An old walrus skin is a welcomed
distraction for this young male.

It makes a good toy

and at least tastes of something.

The bearwould much prefer to have
the skin complete with contents.

In late September

tens of thousands of walruses
leave the Arctic seas.

They move southwards through
the Bering Strait away from the storms and ice.

On theirjourney they
cover large distances,

but also need regular
periods of rest on dry land.

As long as there are polar bears lurking
on the banks, the walruses will stay in the water.

It's the only safe place for them.

It is hard for a polar bear
to overpower a walrus even on dry land,

if they stay in the water, the bears
will have to make do with hungry glances.

Someway away from the group a lone
walrus has ventured into the shallows.

It's weak and rests
his head on its long tusks.

It does not remain undiscovered for long.

In the twilight a large male
bear picks up the scent.

The next morning not
much of the walrus remains.

A young bear discovers the carcass.

Cautiously it moves closer,

the real owner could be somewhere nearby.

He is in fact only 200 meters away,

a giant of a bear,

and so full of food he can hardly move.

The youngster seizes the opportunity.

Using its own weight, it tenderizes the meat.

The old bear hasn't the energy to argue.

Even so, the younger one remains cautious.

It has to take its chance, however,

there won't be any
other food any time soon.

Warily, the walruses watch the beach.

Only when the last bear
has vanished, do they leave the water.

Walruses are very sociable animals,
lone animals are seen only rarely.

Even when there is plenty of space,

they lie down close
togetherwith body contact.

The huge animals can weigh up to 1.5 tons,

and their tusks grow
to lengths of over half a meter.

Dangerous weapons,
feared even by polar bears.

Scuffles are commonplace.

Finally the colony of giants settles down.

But not for long.

Winter is on the way

and the walruses will soon
set out for the Bering Strait.

By October the temperatures
no longer make it over freezing point.

The winter has finally returned.

The polar bears' time
on dry land is almost over.

When the first fields of
pack ice reach the coast,

the bears set out
for their frozen world,

where no one can follow.

The Arctic is still a place
where nature makes the rules

and not humans.

Soon the sun will disappear
for months behind the horizon

and Russia's Arctic will sink into darkness,

illuminated only by
the eerie glimmer of northern lights.