All language subtitles for Planet.Earth.II.E02

Sync and corrections by explosiveskull
www.addic7ed.com

There are only a dozen peaks in
the world that rise five miles high.

All of them are here, in the Himalayas.

Lethally cold, scoured
by gales and blizzards,

these mountains are among the
most hostile places on Earth.

Yet, a few special animals
manage to live here.

Snow leopards.

Like all creatures of the high mountains,

they have had to adapt both
their body and their behaviour

in order to survive.

Life at extreme altitude

has shaped some of the
toughest animals on the planet.

(LEOPARD ROARS)

The sunbaked mountains
of the Arabian Peninsula.

They may only be a fraction
of the height of the Himalayas,

but they are still so dizzyingly steep

that in many places it's almost
impossible to get a foothold.

Yet Nubian ibex have made this their home.

(BIRD CALLS)

The ibex choose the steepest
cliffs to raise their young,

in safety, beyond the reach of predators.

But living in this
sanctuary comes with a cost.

These nursery slopes are so steep,

there is almost no standing water up here.

So to drink, an ibex family
must descend into the valley...

...1,000 feet below.

The mothers pick out the safest way down.

With soft cloven hooves that grip
better than any climbing shoe,

they are the most
accomplished mountaineers.

But the newborn kids are still
having to find their feet.

This is their first descent.

One mistake could make it their last.

Following the adults, the
kids finally reach the valley.

But once on level ground,
they're vulnerable.

Red foxes lie in wait.

At the first sign of danger,

the young ibex instinctively
run back to steeper ground.

(KID BLEATS)

But heading for this particular
rocky outcrop could be a mistake.

It's a 30-foot drop.

The fox has them trapped...

or so it seems.

This is what ibex were born to do.

Scattering makes it hard
for the fox to pick a target.

And it certainly can't follow them up here.

All it can do is wait
for one to slip and fall.

But these youngsters are fast learners,

and they're now almost as
sure-footed as their parents.

The fox will have to
find its meal elsewhere.

It's just not been a good day.

Now, at last, the young ibex can drink.

But they'll soon need to return
to the safety of the sheer cliffs.

Mastering precipitous
terrain is always challenging,

but there are more fundamental
problems for life in the mountains.

The Alps. Europe's highest peaks.

It's winter, and food is desperately short.

A golden eagle has to
spend every daylight hour

scanning the slopes for
something, somewhere, to eat.

Her seven-foot wingspan allows
her to glide effortlessly

for 100 miles in a single day.

Her extraordinary eyes enable her
to spot prey from two miles away.

But she is not the only
one who's looking for food.

When she spots a chance,
she must move fast.

She can dive at 200 miles an hour.

Only a peregrine is faster.

During winter, even eagles
rely almost entirely on carrion.

It's a dead fox, and it
could sustain her for days.

Other scavengers must defer.

The hungry crows soon regain their courage.

They'll try any trick to steal a morsel.

And they are annoyingly persistent.

But this mob are the least of her worries.

A bigger eagle takes control.

But this kill is too important to give up.

So she must fight.

For the moment, she's won the carcass back.

But a kill like this will attract
every eagle for miles around.

As ever, the strongest
wins the lion's share.

Unable to defend the carcass any longer,

the first eagle must
now continue its search.

It may be many days before she feeds again.

Only the most competitive

will survive the perils
of the mountain winter.

(RUMBLING)

An avalanche.

100,000 tonnes of snow

travelling at 80 miles an hour,

capable of smashing everything in its path.

The mountains of North America

are hit by thousands of
avalanches every year.

Yet one animal spends the whole winter

slumbering within the snow on
these avalanche-prone slopes.

And when spring comes, they emerge.

All across these mountains,

grizzly bears make their winter dens

10,000 feet up in the deep
snow of leeward slopes.

And while they were half-asleep
in the depths of winter,

their young were born.

Now these cubs are taking their
first steps into the outside world.

This mother is leading her three youngsters

to a place where they can find food.

(RUMBLING)

They need to descend
as quickly as possible.

The debris from an avalanche

is clear evidence that this slope
is still dangerously unstable.

This is not a place to dawdle.

And they have another
reason to keep moving.

After five months in the den,
these bears are very hungry.

Bears that have hibernated
throughout these peaks

now all descend to the valleys,
where spring comes earliest.

In the Rockies, seasonal
change is swift and dramatic.

In just a few days, the slopes
turn from white to green.

Meadows that only a few weeks
ago were buried beneath the snow

are now full of life.

But in these mountains, the
good times will not last long.

So the bears must feed as fast as they can.

During the summer months,

an adult can put on 180
kilos gorging on plants

and, if they can catch them...

- (MARMOT CALLS)
- ...a marmot or two.

But just now, the bears have
something else on their minds.

It's becoming warmer,

and the bears are keen to
shed their thick winter coats.

Mothers show the cubs
what to do about this.

They'll soon catch on.

Some trees, it seems, are
particularly suitable for rubbing.

Bears have their favourites and will
travel long distances to visit them.

Some itches just have to be scratched.

There are now around 30
bears in this one valley.

As they rub, each leaves an
individual and recognisable scent.

So the tree soon carries
a list of who's around,

which might help
individuals to avoid a fight.

To best spread their scent,

they really have to put their back into it.

(BEAR GRUNTS)

But summer is short.

Itches satisfactorily scratched,

it's time to eat.

In a couple of months,

they will have to return
to their dens to hibernate,

so now they must put on
as much weight as they can.

Winter in the mountains
returns fast and hits hard.

(WIND HOWLS)

Temperatures in the Rockies
will drop to -54 degrees,

so cold that moisture in the air

freezes into tiny crystals
called diamond dust.

This bobcat is one of the few
hunters to remain active in winter.

Most of his prey is now
hidden beneath the snow

that covers his entire territory.

He hunts by listening for the
faintest sound of movement.

And to prevent crunching footsteps
from revealing his presence,

he uses boulders as stepping stones.

A mouse.

But one is not enough.

The deeper the snow, the
harder it is to detect prey,

and the rewards for the
effort can be disappointing.

To say the least.

By midwinter, the snow is so deep

that bobcats are forced
to leave their territories

to try and find easier hunting.

And this bobcat may be in luck.

For this particular valley is blessed.

A river here never freezes.

It's fed by a volcanic hot spring

that heats these waters

to 50 degrees warmer
than the surrounding air.

Hungry animals of all
kinds come here to feed.

Throughout the winter,

the river is full of food

for those who know how to catch it.

Here, even the coyotes
have become fishermen.

But hunting is hard for a cat that's
not used to getting its feet wet.

So he must choose his target with care.

Goldeneye ducks.

But can he get close enough to pounce?

(QUACKING)

Perhaps he'll have more
luck on the other side.

Here, steam from the river
warms the surrounding trees,

so up in the branches, there could be prey.

(CHIRPING)

If only he could get to it.

It's 20 feet up.

At last... a squirrel.

Not much, but enough to keep him going.

To survive a winter in these
mountains takes tenacity,

and bobcats have that in abundance.

Snow on the equator.

Unlike the Rockies, in these mountains

there are no marked seasons.

This is Africa's Mount Kenya.

It's 17,000 feet high,

which makes its summit
some 30 degrees colder

than the surrounding savanna.

Giant heathers, lobelias and
groundsel grow on its upper slopes.

They all thrive in the tropical sun.

After all, every day is summer.

But once the sun sets, every night
becomes as bitterly cold as winter.

The temperature drops to
five degrees below freezing,

turning the mountainside
into a garden of ice.

(CRACKLING)

Everything freezes,

but the cabbage groundsels have
a way of protecting themselves.

They close up their leathery
leaves to form an insulating blanket

that shields their vulnerable central bud.

Night comes to an end...

...and the sunshine returns.

The groundsels spread their leaves wide

to bask in the sunshine once again.

Dawn in the High Andes.

Here too, the rising
sun brings rapid relief

to animals living amongst
these volcanic peaks.

Mountain viscacha are up early

to claim the best places to
catch the sun's first rays.

For others up here, the
sunrise is even more welcome.

At over 14,000 feet,

this is the highest
flamingo colony in the world.

At night, it gets so cold that
even this salty water freezes over.

And now the flamingos
are trapped in the ice.

(FLAMINGOS CALL)

Eventually, the sun thins the ice,

but it's still a struggle for
the flamingos to break free.

Walking on thin ice is always risky.

And it's hard to retain one's dignity...

...especially when you're wearing stilts.

At these altitudes,

the sun's power can quickly
turn from salvation to threat.

The atmosphere is so thin,

there is very little protection
from ultraviolet radiation.

By mid-morning, it's risky
to linger out in the open.

The viscacha are forced
to head for the shade.

Out on the lake, there is nowhere to hide.

The white crust of the soda lake

reflects the sun's glare

and increases the impact
of its ultraviolet rays.

By midday, uncovered human
skin will burn in four minutes.

But this doesn't seem
to bother the flamingos.

In fact, they are on parade.

During the breeding season,

the flamingos perform these
peculiar courtship dances

even through the hottest time of the day.

They are so eager, they
don't even pause to feed.

The rules are something of a mystery

but, after a month of dancing,

all the birds will have paired off

and will be getting ready to mate.

Up here, there are few other
creatures to bother the flamingos,

but then, few other creatures

could even tolerate these conditions.

So for animals that have the endurance,

mountains can be sanctuaries.

But rocky peaks which to us, perhaps,

seem a symbol of permanence,

are more fragile than they appear.

Today in the Alps,

human encroachment is changing
even the highest summits.

In the Rockies,

rising temperatures are
shortening winter hibernation

and stifling the growth
of valuable food plants.

And in the Andes, some glaciers

have shrunk by 50% in just 30 years.

Even the Himalayas are now vulnerable.

With most of the world's tallest peaks

and covering a third of
a million square miles,

this is the greatest mountain range of all.

And here, temperatures are now rising

faster than the global average.

As the snow line retreats further
and further up these peaks,

there is less and less space for wildlife,

and that is a challenge

for one of the most majestic
of all mountain creatures.

The snow leopard.

Seldom seen, the detail of their
lives has long been a mystery,

but now, at last, helped by the
latest remote-camera technology,

we are getting closer
to them than ever before.

They are very rare... only about
four of them in 40 square miles.

There is simply not enough
prey to sustain more.

They live solitary lives.

Nonetheless, they are well aware
of the presence and the movements of

their neighbours, because they leave
messages in a few special places.

They rub particular
rocks with their cheeks...

...and then spray them with urine.

The two perfumes create a unique signature.

(SQUIRTING)

Any other leopard can know which
of its neighbours passed this way,

without ever making direct contact.

But there are times when snow
leopards must come together,

and the event is often violent.

An adult female and her daughter.

She has devoted the last
two years to raising her cub

and very soon, it will be weaned.

For now, the cub is still
entirely dependent on its mother.

But staying together as long
as this could cause problems.

The female is now in heat again,

and any male that smells
her signature will know that.

(SQUIRTING)

From this moment on, her
cub's life is at risk.

Males kill cubs that are not their own.

But the mother is now driven by
an urge that she cannot control.

She lets the males know
exactly where she is.

(LEOPARD CALLS)

From up here, she can be
heard for miles around.

(LEOPARD CALLS)

A young male emerges from the
wilderness, eager to find her.

Snow leopards meet so infrequently

that there is uncertainty and tension.

And it's about to get worse.

Another, bigger male has arrived.

The mother and cub are
trapped between the rivals.

(GROWLING)

The cub is now in danger.

Mother must act fast.

To divert the males'
attention from her cub,

she rolls over submissively.

With the males fixed on the female,
the cub has a chance to escape.

(GROWLING)

The males close in on the
mother from both sides,

keen to claim her for their own.

A fight is inevitable.

The female moves to
escape and protect her cub.

But the big male follows her.

He will not let her leave
until he has mated with her.

With the males gone, the female
is at last reunited with her cub.

But she has been injured.

The cub, however, is
alive, thanks to its mother.

Until her injury heals,
she won't be able to hunt.

Mountain animals survive on
the very edge of existence.

Mother and cub were not seen again.

Until over a month later, high on a ridge,

a remote camera was triggered.

The female cat.

She's no longer limping,
but she's now alone.

Then, an hour after the female has left,

the camera is triggered again.

It's her cub,

taking her first steps towards
adulthood and independence.

She is unlikely to see her mother again.

But every now and then,
they will be reunited

through the messages they
leave on the marking rocks.

Her mother has succeeded in raising her,

but life ahead will be challenging,

and she will spend nearly all of it alone.

Only the toughest can survive

among the savage beauty of
the world's highest mountains.

Revealing a new perspective

on the lives of golden
eagles in the mountains

would take two very different approaches.

A traditional wildlife crew
set out to film wild eagles

closer than ever before.

Whilst an aerial team aimed
to capture the hunting flights

of eagles high in the mountains.

The helicopter crew soon
have success in filming

wild eagles high over the Alps,

but there was one part of the
story even they couldn't follow.

Golden eagles can stoop
at 200 miles an hour.

To capture an eagle's-eye
view of such a dramatic flight

would take a more extreme approach.

I'm Aaron Durogati and I'm a
professional paraglider pilot.

Aaron believes that to fly like a
bird, he must think like one, too.

It's a very special
feeling to fly with eagles

because I'm really looking
how they are thermalling

and where they go to soar.

This helps me to become a better pilot,

and I try to take
inspiration from the nature.

Wearing a specially designed helmet camera,

Aaron's aim is to film the
perspective of a diving eagle.

But before he can jump off a mountain,

first he needs to climb it.

It's a tough 3,000m ascent for
Aaron and his wingman, Armin,

as director Emma Brennand waits
for news in the valley below.

The ascent is slowed by a
series of dangerous crevasses.

After a tricky climb, they
finally reach their launch site.

But the weather up here is unpredictable

and a change in wind direction
makes it impossible to take off.

Aaron and Armin are forced to
overnight in the summit shelter,

and with the cold knocking out
their comms, Emma is worrying.

They're well-trained mountain guides,

but it doesn't make it
any easier to know that.

I think it's going to be a fairly
restless night for me as well.

Whilst the paragliders prepare
for a night on the mountain...

...cameraman Barrie
Britton is setting out early

on a more cautious quest to film
wild golden eagles from a hide.

I've got to get everything
set while it's still dark

and the eagles can't see what we're up to.

Or if they saw any movement around
the hide, then they'd fly away

and probably wouldn't
come back for a few days.

They're notoriously
difficult birds to film.

Even hide work is not
entirely without risks.

It's -20 outside. So this is a
crucial part of the operation,

making sure the fire works
so we don't freeze to death.

Aah! Well, that's all
the hairs gone on my hand!

Oh, well!

And we just have to be really quiet now

and hope the eagles come in
when first light comes up.

Eight sedentary hours later,

Barry's only reward is a dead leg.

We haven't done a single shot today.

Nothing has come.

Anyway, that's the way it goes.

After a long night on top of the mountain,

the weather is only getting worse.

The team need to get down,
but visibility's so poor

that descending on foot past
the crevasses is too risky.

Aaron decides it's safer to
fly, but it'll be a bumpy ride.

(TRANSLATION:)

Thick cloud makes it hard to avoid
the mountains, let alone film them.

Thankfully, they make it down in
one piece, much to Emma's relief.

We are very, very glad to see you both.

Yeah, it's a bit hard up there.

The team spend the next two
weeks chasing weather windows...

...until at last, a clear flight.

Trying to mimic a diving eagle,

the flying looks spectacular,

but the helmet-cam shots are less so.

To stay safe at these speeds,

Aaron must turn his head
regularly to check his glider,

and that is making the shots unusable.

The team must quickly
come up with a new plan.

Back in the hide, all has been quiet

until Barrie spots an eagle
scavenging on a fox carcass.

Barrie repositions his hide to keep watch.

Good stuff!

After 100 hours in the hide,

finally, his luck changes.

That's one terrifying bird there.

For me, it's fantastic
just to see them so close.

It's just beautiful.

With Barrie's success, it's now
down to the paragliding team.

They've come to the Mont
Blanc range with a new plan.

Aaron's decided that the best way
to keep safe and get stable shots

is to fly tandem with a cameraman.

We've got to try and
mimic how an eagle flies,

which is pretty hard because they're
basically like the top bird of prey.

John is nervous.

It's his first-ever flight.

Three, two, one, go.

Eee... ahh!

Yes! Woohoo!

- How is it?
- Ah, man, that was a shock.

Overcoming his initial
fears, John begins filming.

If you can go right of
this, that'd be cool.

The tandem wing allows
John to get the shots

that Aaron was unable to get flying solo.

Awesome, Aaron, very good.

But it's not all plain sailing.

The feeling of discomfort only gets worse

as Aaron begins the eagle dive.

(JOHN LAUGHS)

I feel sick!

Oh, man!

Flying low and fast like an eagle

leaves little room for error.

- (LAUGHING:) A little bit too much, do you think?
- Yeah!

- Sorry, what did you call it, an unplanned landing?
- Yeah!

They might not be as
majestic as a golden eagle,

but they do capture a unique perspective

that conveys an eagle's
life as never before.

Next time...

we explore the world's jungles.

Places of surprise and
invention unrivalled on Earth...

...where the battle for
survival is at its most intense.

Sync and corrections by explosiveskull
www.addic7ed.com