All language subtitles for The.Frozen.Kingdom.of.the.Snow.Leopard.2020.DUBBED.WEBRip.x264

Below the airless peaks
of the Chinese mountains

lies a secret valley,
hidden from the outside world.

Home to snow leopards.

A pregnant female settles in.

But a fierce male has already
staked his claim.

She will need strength, and stamina,

to outwit the rivals
in a crowded valley.

But a mother’s love is fierce.

Her devotion, strong.

This is a snow leopard’s story.

Rarely seen,

never before told.

This is the roof of the world.

China’s Qinghai Tibetan Plateau.

It’s a vast expanse,

home to snow leopards.

It’s February in China’s
Qhinghai Mountains.

A herd of Himalayan blue sheep, or bharal,

moves through the rocky landscape,

tracked by a hungry, pregnant female.

The bharal are hungry too,

scratching for frozen grass
beneath the snow.

The sheep seem like easy targets.

But the bleak landscape offers
little cover for an ambush,

and the bharal are nimble.

Even with her snowshoe paws,
hunting is hard work.

Still, she presses on,
searching for her next meal.

Her pregnant belly hangs low.

Soon she’ll need to find shelter
where she can safely give birth.

But this is unfamiliar territory.

She loses the bharal in a snowstorm.

When it clears, she finds herself
on the edge of a hidden valley.

A gateway to a new world.

Tucked between the peaks
sits a lonely outpost,

with signs of life.

It’s a yak farm.

Hunger drives her to investigate.

People here have raised yaks
for generations

and depend on the beasts for everything.

Tibetan Mastiffs guard the livestock.

These dogs aren’t pets.

And they’ve never met a brush.

They live a feral life,
shepherding the yaks.

Guns are prohibited here,

and killing snow leopards is forbidden.

So the dogs trail the yaks through
the steep meadows, crusted with snow.

Bharal graze here, too.

The dogs sniff out a familiar enemy.

A male snow leopard is finishing
his recent kill.

This valley is his.

He rules over this frozen kingdom,

defending it against pirates,
including the dogs.

The valley holds both opportunity
and danger for the female snow leopard.

She’ll need to avoid the dogs
and the male leopard if she stays.

By March, she’s made her choice.

High in the cliffs above the farm,
she searches for a den to give birth.

For the next hundred days,

she’ll stay hidden, emerging only to hunt.

By August, the valley has transformed.

The female has rejoined the world.

She’s now a mother,

with two brand-new cubs in tow.

One is already bold, and curious.

The twins will have summer
to grow stronger

and learn about their valley home.

But this is a treacherous place.

For the next eighteen months,

their mother will struggle
to keep them alive.

Half a mile below,

the yaks meander up the river valley.

The herd is mostly females with calves.

The old male has them in his sights.

This is his hunting ground

and he’s got the scars to prove it.

Yak handlebar horns can be deadly.

From her lofty post, the mother watches.

The yaks stay close together

but the veteran male is patient,

he’s even got time for a nap.

Snow leopards can spend
18 of 24 hours resting.

But the shrill cries of a redstart
interrupt his dreams.

The yaks are still oblivious
to his presence,

so he gets ready to roll.

It’s all about stealth.

He’s the master of this game,

and his avian audience applauds.

Within a few days,

the old boy has devoured most of the yak.

He tops off his meal
with pure spring water,

naturally filtered through the rocks.

He’s left the paltry remains up for grabs.

Lammergeier vultures swallow bones whole.

They make up 80% of the birds’ diet.

The dogs are always hungry, too.

Despite being employed to guard the yaks,

they readily scavenge whatever they can.

High above the valley floor,
the three-month-old cubs are thriving.

It’s September and they’re growing fast.

Satisfied that they’re safe,

their mother is free to search for food.

A few hundred feet
below the snow leopard den,

Tibetan foxes have hidden
their twins, too.

They were born at the same time
as the cubs.

All of the youngsters are waiting
for their parents to return.

After sneaking into the valley,

the mother cat has a bead
on a herd of blue sheep.

She’s an ambush predator,

but can sprint at 40 miles per hour.

It was a valiant attempt.

With two cubs depending on her,

she can’t quit.

When night falls, she renews her efforts.

The bharal are wary.

They’re expert mountaineers able to
dart straight up or down cliffs.

Morning reveals
she’s had a successful night.

But her job isn’t done.

She must move her prize
closer to her cubs.

It’s a struggle.

The carcass is awkward and heavy.

Every time she stops to rest,

she attracts attention.

The magpies will alert other carnivores
and stir up the locals.

The noisy crowd attracts
one of the semi-feral dogs.

It heads over to investigate.

Dogs have a legendary sense of smell

but the wind’s in her favor.

And her ability to remain motionless
foils this one.

The mother will drag carcasses
to where her cubs wait,

when she can.

She introduces them to meat
for the first time.

Soon, they’ll no longer be nursing.

The family can’t eat in peace.

It’s impossible to keep food a secret
from the vultures.

And the dog is back,

with a friend.

She’s not about to turn her precious kill
over to these bandits.

The cubs escape to the cliffs
where the dogs can’t follow.

While Mom stays behind
to defend the carcass.

It’s two against one,

but she’s fighting for her family.

When the dogs give up,
she recalls her cubs.

They will all have full bellies today.

In October, nights are freezing.

But the days are still hot.

Over the course of the summer,

the yaks have moved to higher ground
to escape the heat.

The old male has followed them.

Adult snow leopards need to make a kill
about every ten days.

He becomes part of the landscape,

creeping closer.

The yak smells him,

but even with their excellent vision,

they don’t see him.

He sets his sights on a youngster
that’s wandered away.

The herd scatters.

The leopard won’t let go.

Then, the calf’s mother rushes in,

risking her own life
to save her offspring.

The big cat hangs on.

But the mother charges again,

trying to shake the predator loose.

A wingman shows up to boost the defense.

It’s a remarkable escape.

And the leopard slinks off, frustrated.

On the valley floor,

Mom returns to a previous kill,

hoping there’s something left.

But someone else is at the banquet.

A red fox has beaten her to the food.

Any meat is a magnet here,

but the fox knows when to cut its loss.

Then, a big male yak takes exception,

determined to drive her far from his herd.

He’s not going to make this
an easy meal for her.

They’re natural enemies,

though teeth and claws typically prevail.

Wherever there are yaks,
the rogue dogs aren’t far behind.

But she’s a formidable opponent,

and her determination
drives the dogs away.

She needs to make the most of this meal,

because life is about to get harder.

By December, the rivers are frozen.

This is the season
when snow leopards mate.

With eight-month-old cubs,

the mother has no interest in breeding

and she must keep them hidden,

far away from the resident male.

He might kill them
in order to force her into estrus.

The mother cat is vigilant,

but she can’t guard the cubs
while searching for food.

Tucked away,

their fluffy fur should keep them warm
while they wait.

The cubs now test their boundaries

and the braver of the two
looks for a less windy spot.

Its twin chooses to follow.

But, will curiosity kill the cat?

They should stay where Mom parked them.

When their mother finally returns,

hours later, she calls for them.

There is no soft answer.

The cubs have vanished.

She sets off to find them.

Danger lurks everywhere
in these mountains.

Some distance from where she left them,

one of the cubs has struggled
onto a rocky ledge.

It seems to be injured.

The youngster waits, alone.

Its chance of survival is grim.

On the valley floor,

the worried mother ignores a yak herd

focusing on finding her cubs.

Desperate,

she checks every bleak nook and cranny
for places they might hide.

She continues to call out.

But there’s no reply.

She searches through the night,

finally retracing her steps
to the last place she saw them.

She refuses to give up.

Then, incredibly...

...a faint cry.

And this mother’s devotion is rewarded.

The reunion is bittersweet.

She doesn’t look for the other cub.

She knows.

It’s just the two of them now.

In February, a new threat arrives.

More snow leopards enter the valley
in search of territory and mates.

It’s bad news for the mother.

Snow leopards are solitary animals,

and they need large spaces
with abundant prey.

Today, these habitats are shrinking.

More cats are forced to travel farther,

and this valley is about to get cramped.

But the urge to mate overcomes caution.

Caterwauls echo through the valley.

The mother needs to keep her cub far away

from the hopeful suitors
as they might kill it.

But the newcomers seem to be everywhere.

One pretender marks the ground
with potent urine.

And then, incredibly,

another joins him,

followed by two more.

Four invaders gather on the mountainside.

It may be the first time so many adult
snow leopards have been seen together.

The cats are so mysterious

that little is known
about their social behavior,

but alpha males will send others packing.

Toward the end of the mating season,

in March, only one upstart male remains.

Until now,

he’s avoided a confrontation
with the resident king.

But, the old boy misses nothing.

One unblinking glare sends the trespasser
fleeing for safer ground.

The younger male will have to
seek out space somewhere else.

Safe in the hidden valley,

the mother has so far escaped
all would-be paramours.

She’s got another nine months
before she’ll be back in the mating game.

She must still protect her cub

and hunt for the two of them.

After winter’s tough lesson,

the youngster knows to stay put
until she returns.

Vultures circle over the remains
of a week-old kill.

Dead meat is an easy meal.

But nothing here is free.

As always,

the dogs think the carcass
belongs to them.

She hangs onto it for as long as she can.

This time there are too many of them.

She can’t win against these odds.

By September,

the female and her cub
are hunting together.

The cub is now 15 months old

and must learn to
hunt over the coming year.

One possibility is a musk deer,

less intimidating than a yak.

They’re prized by humans
for their scent glands,

and by snow leopards for their meat.

Carefully marking his path,

the old male has been stalking one
for hours.

His wide, furry feet

allow him to creep silently
toward his target.

Another deer sounds the alarm.

Thwarted, he surveys his kingdom,

and spies the mother and cub.

She’s managed to avoid him,

until now.

He boldly heads their way.

After all,

this is his place.

The pair are at a disadvantage,

caught in a slight depression
on the hillside.

The old male fearlessly approaches them.

She’s ready to engage

and defend her cub,

but he’s got the advantage.

Using his head,

he scent marks.

A direct challenge.

He sets his sights on the cub,

but the young cat holds its ground.

Surprisingly,

the old male ceases his attack.

No blood is shed today,

but this is only a temporary truce.

When they meet in the future,

it could go either way.

Snow leopards can live up to
15 years in the wild

and the old male isn’t ready to
relinquish his territory yet.

The mother wisely leads her cub away.

They’ve escaped the biggest danger
in the valley.

For now.

She’s proved to be a devoted mother,

and has raised a healthy, spirited cub.

In a few months

they’ll part ways forever,

and he will forge his own path
through the frozen kingdom,

here, on the roof of the world.

Captioned by Visual Data Media Services