Original subtitles

It's the end of.

A mother polar bear emerges from her den deep beneath the sno

She's endured months of freezing temperatures

to give birth to her cubs.

ead theis t advture of a lifetime.

Tourvi, thpolabearubs must follow their mother

on aincrible00-me tr

to t edgof t Nor Pols ck i.

's t greest allee of their young lives.

They'll untestrae creares.

brave treacherous ice...

perilous seas...

It's a journey anfull of surprises,s.

as they learn to thrive in a frozen world.

This is dratiz sto bad on the eraordinary

adventures of nature's ow brs.

High on the southern slopes of the mountains,

deep snow drifts kept their den safe from winter storms.

e doside of their location is, well, getting down.

One cub seems fearless. deep snow drifts kept their den safe from winter storms.

But to get down safely, this cub must trust her mother.

There are no nursery slopes Herwhen you're 1,000 feet up...

and with every step,

e sle bemesincrsing tre.

Tiny paws are no match for powdery snow.

The nervous cubs need meoughove.

After seven months in the den,

the soft fresh snow must be bliss.

As the cubs' confidence increases, so does the fun.

Haway wn a theubs arreadfor bra ##

Their mother's milk is almost a third fat --

high-energy fuel for their adventure ahead.

After months of winter darkness,

the sun's return to Svalbard marks a turning poin

For the bears, it means aving their island.

The first leg will be to walk 250 miles on the frozen sea

that hugs the coastline.

They'll pass the great glacial fjords

before reaching the northern tip of the island.

Here, they'll venture onto the floating sea ice

to cover the final 150 miles.

Theidestatio the seal-rich edge of the pack ice

surrounding the North Pole.

But if they don't leave the island in time,

the sea ice will be gone,

and they could be marooned here for the summer.

With little to eat, the cubs would be unlikely to survive.

For mothers with cubs,

it's not just the melting ice that's a threat.

A large male.

He's searching for a mate, and they sometimes kill cubs

so they can have a family of their own.

The cubs sense the danger.

Their mother blocks his path.

But she has a plan, lead him as far from her cubs as possible.

On the slopes, s ernd more agile.

She's soon giving him the run-around.

Courting males will stalk females for many weeks.

He shadows her closely.

Somehow, she must give him the slip.

But he's not the only one looking for a mate.

RiHe w't give her uperce without a fight.

She takes her chance to sneak away.

Bears sometimes fight to the death over females.

Now to make good their escape.

But a quick get#way isn't easy.

One cub realizes the urgency

But the other is struggling.

Luckily, there is an easier way.

Finally, the rival is driven off.

The amorous male may have won the fight,

but he's lost his prize.

The family can't afford any more hold-ups.

Heading north, they hug the frozen coastline for speed.

Adult bears can travel 50 miles a day,

but r thcubs Heading north, they hug then 1mileis atruggle. or speed.

They are tired and can walk no more.

At three months old, they need six rest breaks a day.

Thmaleas pked their scent.

Polar bears will pursue females overasdistces.

Polar And here, there's nomales covering your tracks.

They must get moving,

but their mother hasn't eaten for seven months

and is weak with hunger

A ringed seal --

a chance for the cubs to have a hunting lesson.

Stealth and complete silence are essential.

The cubs are trying their best to stay interested.

Itoesn las

me f a b of scipne,polabearty.

Luckily, the sea ice is rich in seals.

A naive young pup.

's uikelto he er sn a ar.

e trds gtly -- not easy when you weigh

almost a quarter of a ton.

The ice soon gives her away.

Thmother seal tries The mother bear has other ideas.

The pup remains blissfully unaware.

A last desperate warning.

Message received.

A setback, but she can't afford to give up.

Every 30 minutes, the seals must take a breath.

Thisessois all out pati.be waiting.

The female cub seems to be taking the lesson seriously.

One day, she'll have her own young to feed.

Her brother prefers making snowballs.

At last, the waiting is over.

But it's the wrong hole.

EStill hungry,ts they must keep hunting.

The ars en'the oy carnores trying to scratch

a living on the island.

The ars en'the oy Arctic foxes get through the winter scavenging for scraps

and surviving on their food stores.

The warmer spring air means the good times are on their way.

Unlike the bears, they can't wait for the ice to melt.

e erill bring out the nesting birds they prey on.

r thcubsa brk fr waing alws weome.

r thcubsa brk fr waing alws ##ome.

But their mother senses a different opportunity.

One of the foxes is digging up his winter food stores.

Leftovers are his insurance policy against starvation.

Bus et is out.

In times of need, polar bears aren't beneath stealing.

It's a welcome snack for the mother

and the cubs' first taste of meat.

It's a welcome snack Foxes scavenge from polar bears.

Perhaps it's onlfa at ty rern t fav?

The Arctic fox spots another intruder.

The Arctic fox spots TShe must think quickly..

She can't outrun him on the flat coastal ice.

She must lead the cubs up d er t mouains

On the steep slopes, the massive male will struggle

to keep up with the more nimble family.

At twice the weight of the female, it's heavy going.

But with his prize in sight, he is not giving up.

Nearing the su, family have become trapped.

The male sees his chance.

The cubs are panicking.

esce, ty mu somow scalthe ll oice and snow.

But he's matching them step for step.

The stronger male cub is keeping up.

His sister struggles.

Their mother has paved the way, now it's all down to her cubs.

Wi oneast fort the little one is up.

But the male is grappling with the steepest part.

Now, she has the advantage.

Time to strike.

#Now, she has the advantage.

For the male, there's no dignified way to do this.

Thfami areafe, but climbingn has st tm precious time and energy.

The mother can see that the ice is starting to melt,

anere'stila long way to the end of the island.

#The mother can see that the ice is starting to melt,

Best to take the quickest way down.

Looking for a ml, the faly head for the sea ice.

But the conditions are different here.

The seals can be found hiding out in chambers

under the snow drifts.

But it's no problem -- she can still smell a seal

under three feet of snow.

Evenhe Atic x can see she's onto something.

Once located, it's a case of smash and grab.

And for the cubs, it's watch and learn.

Getting it rig demds ecisn anexpeence.

This is, e bione.

Or maybe not.

But there's no shame in failure --

only one in 10 hunts succeed.

Triumph, at last.

These cubs are about to get their first taste of fresh seal.

and coun't have come at a better time.

The tip of the island is still two weeks walk away.

The fox will have to wait his turn.

With full bellies, the family make good progress.

But as the days warm, the cycle of melt and freeze

has turned the frozen sea into an ice rink.

ult ars ve rgh furrfootds

thative nonsp gr. ##

Cubs are not so well-equipped.

But on thin ice, it's their Cmother who's in difficulty.d.

e trs topreaher ight,

but ultimately something has to give.

The summer melt has arrived early...

and the state of the ice is a sign that time is running out.

With the sea ice vanishing, the polar bear family's chances

of getting safely off the land fade, too.

But they have no choice -- they must keep going.

Shtereby t pac theourn,

the cubs need some time to recover.

Ahead is one of the most dangerous parts of the journey,

the glacial fjords.

#Ahead is one of the most dangerous parts of the journey,

It's is a treacherous place in spring,

as active glaciers become increasingly unstable.

The mother looks for a safe route across,

while the cubs stay back.

But something's wrong.

Thousands of tons of carving glacier

crte a wall of water pulverizing the sea ice.

Somehow she survived,

but in the chaos, she's lost her cubs.

She's picked up a scent.

And on an iceberg,

gns lif--

her cubs.

Undeterred, the family move on.

They need to get out of here.

With the glacial fjords behind them,

they are nearing the tip of the island.

They've made it, but exposed rocks are not a good sign.

The ice floes, which provide safe onward passage

for polar bears, have melted away.

The mother faces a dilemma.

Drowning is the greatest risk her cubs face.

So do they swim in the hope of reaching drifting ice,

or stay put and face starvation?

The arrival of the amorous male makes her decision easy.

She takes her chance,

Thhoping the cubs can make itle to the nearest ice floes.

#She takes her chance,

The crossing is a test of strength and character.

Adult bears can easily swim of s60 miles non-stop,ter.

but t the youngsters.

Swimming in their mother's wake means less resistance.

Theyave luable eney.

t eventually, the cubs have to rest.

Fortunately, salvation is on the horizon.

A small iceberg, cast adrift from the glacier.

But other bears have beaten them to it.

The ice is a good sign, though --

there will be more.

At last, an ice floe.

The gamble was worth it.

Time to dry off, the polar bear way.

But it sounds like the family aren't alone here, after all.

Perhaps it's a chance for a meal.

Instead, the cubs get their first glimpse of one

ofhe Atic' Perhaps it's a chance strangest creatures --

the narwhal.

These whales with their strange tusk,

shaped like a mythical unicorn's horn, are a good sign.

They are also heinfor e rtilwate of e fanort

Narwhal's gather where there's food in abundance.

And where there's fish, there's seals.

Onhe ice floes, polar bears have to use

a mplely dferent hunting technique.

She must ambush them from the water.

Stealth is essential.

Pinpointing the seal requires deadly accuracy.

For most of the hunt, her quarry will be out of sight.

She must close the distance without being spotted.

Submerging makes her invisible.

She can calculate the exact spot where the seal can be found.

The seal doesn't suspect a thing.

Except for one small problem.

Or rather, two.

The mother wonders where it all went wrong,

while the cubs reflect on what they've done.

The mother wonders where it all went wrong,

As the summer takes hold, temperatures rise

and the melting drift ice breaks apart.

With the passing weeks,

the distances between rest stops are increasing...

but the growing cubs are rising to the challenge.

Their mother has picked ua sct.

It's now a case of following her nose.

The scent trail is coming from the carcass of a fin whale.

Its natural death ofrsoth fo.

Engy-rh blberwill supercharg.

t th famy arnot thonlyear.

The male that was shadowing them has also picked up the scent.

He can swim twice as fast as the family

d isakingood progress.

The mother knows the whale is a magnet for other bears,

so they must eat quickly.

He's found it.

And the family, too.

He may just be hungry,

but they can't take the risk.

The family continue their marathon swim.

Then, something strange floats

Irresistible to a curious cub.

It's a sleeping walrus...

enjoying a little peace and quiet.

He's making the oddest noises.

The rest of the herd are ake d alt.

Their calves are occasionally taken by polar bears.

But in the water, the walruses feefe.

Theyvecomeo instige e cu.

lrus fav theich tersof the fa.

The bears must be close to their goal.

The ice floes are getting denser.

Huing ould be good here. ##

And lookhat ys,"Stay put d " A snoozing seal.

Bearded seals weigh around a quarter of a ton.

If the mother can catch it,

this family will have enough energy

fl thr onrd jrney

She's as silent as the drifting ice.

Her success feels like a turning point...

and a taste of things to come.

But a white rainbow warns of a change in the weather.

Their destination is so close now, but they can't continue.

They just have to sit it out.

As the skies clear, it seems the storm

has pushed their ice floe closer to the pack ice.

In between, dozens of seals play in the narrow channel.

It thirelile fd suly

which makes the edge of the pack ice a polar bear paradise.

One st sm and they'll be home and dry.

But a seal so close is irresistible.

Seals are superior swimmers and delight in taunting young bears.

But the big male has also arrived.

He's been on the same journey for 400 miles.

The young cub realizes he's in trouble.

It's rare for a male to find a cub alone.

Without his mother, he's defenseless.

She checks on her cubs...

and realize##one's missing.

She can't make out what's happening.

But what seems at first to be aggression

may just be curiosity.

Then, as quickly as srted e enunteis or.

The cub is shaken, but unscathed.

Through the journey, the male's focus has shifted.

#Now he's reached the pack ice,

his thoughts have turned to his stomach, rather than the female.

They've made it.

The family can relax, at last.

There may be bears everywhere, but there's nothing to fear.

Evyoneas aull lly...

and with food in abundance,

no reason to fight or flee.

The family will spend the rest faeninup for theeturn tripseals,

and for the cycle to start all over again.

Every year across the Arctic,

polar bears make extraordinary journeys

in their constant quest for food.

So life will be one endless adventure for the snow bears.