All language subtitles for BBC.Dynasties.II.1of4.Puma.1080p.HDTV.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org_[eng]

Puma.

Ghost of the mountains.

This female is known as Rupestre.

She lives at the base of the
Southern Patagonian Ice Field

in South America.

Recently, she laid claim
to the isolated shoreline

of this great lake.

It's an ideal place
to raise a family.

Rupestre is at a turning point.

She's just given birth
to a litter of four.

That is rare, and certainly
the largest that she has ever had.

Establishing a dynasty
in this new territory

and raising four cubs to adulthood

will be the greatest challenge
of her life.

One son...

..three daughters...

..and no chance of a lazy day
for this single mother, Rupestre.

The moment her cubs awake,
they play.

It's the perfect way

to learn the skills needed

to become deadly predators.

Stealth...

..sharp reflexes...

..and great agility.

They've got a long way to go.

They'll rely on their mother
for at least a year yet.

Raising four cubs is a challenge
at any time of year,

but with winter fast approaching,
her task will be a formidable one.

Each day, Rupestre leaves her cubs
in their lakeside nursery

whilst she heads up
to the hunting grounds

in the foothills
of the Torres del Paine mountains.

A guanaco.

A wild form of llama,
nearly three times her size.

Hunting a full-grown guanaco
is risky.

A single kick can be fatal...

..but Rupestre has little choice.

Pumas are masters of stealth.

They have to be.

Getting close can make
all the difference.

Only one in around ten hunts
is successful.

Although tonight she goes hungry,

Rupestre can still provide milk
for her cubs.

But unless she herself gets a meal,

she will soon be unable
to feed them.

A few days later,

the family is enjoying the spoils
of a better night's hunting.

She's brought her cubs away
from their lakeside nursery

for one of their first tastes
of meat.

One of her daughters, Coiron,

is already showing signs of being a
particularly inquisitive young puma.

But up here in the hunting grounds,

wandering off alone
can be dangerous.

These foothills are home
to more than 30 rival pumas.

This is Blinka,

an adult female with only one eye.

Her mother dominated
the lakeside territory in the past,

and there's every chance
Blinka may try to reclaim it

from Rupestre in the future.

But right now,
there's a different problem.

Blinka is calling for a mate.

This one...

..is called Oscuro.

Male pumas are the greatest threat
to Rupestre's family.

They'll often kill cubs
that aren't their own.

Luckily, Coiron instinctively
rejoins her siblings.

But more importantly, Oscuro's
attention is firmly fixed on Blinka.

Up here, there's always the risk
of an attack by a wandering male.

The whole family are much safer
at the lakeside.

There's so little prey down here,
male pumas rarely come this way.

That's what makes this place
such a valuable nursery.

But it does have one disadvantage.

It doesn't provide much protection
from the elements.

The cubs are just 12 weeks old
when winter arrives.

The season is long and the weather
is only going to get worse.

Rupestre needs to find them shelter.

In the mountains, there are caves,

but they are a long way away
for little legs.

Coiron takes it in her stride,
as do her sisters,

Dania and Daneska,
who are rarely apart.

Their brother, Neneo,

seems to prefer staying
as close to his mother as possible.

Before long, a challenge.

It's hardly a big jump and certainly
doesn't deter the three sisters.

But Neneo isn't quite bold enough
to follow.

Back together.

Perhaps next time
he'll be a little braver.

Finally, a refuge
and a rest for their tired legs.

Not as cosy as they're used to...

..but an excellent place
to hunker down,

protected from any oncoming storm.

In the weeks ahead,

temperatures drop
to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

Icy gales whip up without warning.

Rupestre hasn't had to look after
cubs as young as this

in winter before, and hunting is
never harder than in the snow.

The cubs only venture out
on the rare occasion

that she's been successful.

Even at just four months old,

Neneo demands more food
than his sisters,

and forces himself
into the best position.

The more weight he can gain
as a cub,

the better he's likely to fare
as an adult male.

Winter up here is a knife-edge
balance between getting enough food

and avoiding the full force
of the elements.

After months of bitter cold,

finally the sun sweeps back
across the territory.

It was always going to be
a major challenge

to get four cubs as young as this
through winter...

..but Rupestre has succeeded.

With the worst of the weather
behind them,

she can take her family back
to their lakeside nursery.

But there's the scent
of an intruder in the air.

This is something
she must investigate...

..on her own.

A stranger.

An adolescent cub,
easily scared off.

But it's not alone.

Its mother wants the lakeside
for her own.

Rupestre stands her ground.

She'll only risk a fight
if she really has to.

Intimidated, the intruder retreats.

The lakeside nursery belongs
to the family once more.

And once again, it becomes
their favourite place to relax.

All through winter,
when solid food was so scarce,

Rupestre has provided milk
for her cubs.

That's nearly twice as long
as usual.

But now it's time for the cubs
to move on to a meat-only diet.

The arrival of spring
brings easier prey,

and she starts training her family.

Although too young to catch
a newborn guanaco themselves,

it's an opportunity
to see how it's done.

Neneo is quick to copy,

but, so far,
he's only confident enough

to try the technique on his mother.

Being away from the nursery

also gives the cubs a chance
to explore the territory.

Dania and Daneska
are still inseparable.

Coiron is once again
the adventurous one.

Under their mother's watchful eye,

each is settling in well
to life as a puma.

As spring turns to summer, cold air
whips down from the ice field.

And today, winds are tearing through
the territory at close to 100mph.

To make things worse,

the freezing gale carries
the family's scent to a new male.

This is Carnasa.

He wants to mate with Rupestre, but
first he will try to kill her cubs.

Rupestre won't mate with him whilst
she still has a litter to raise.

Blocking his path,
she keeps his attention on her.

By goading him to fight,

she's trying to give her cubs
enough time to escape.

Female pumas will die
trying to protect their young.

The cubs are nearly out of sight.

But Carnasa still seems determined
to follow them.

Rupestre is lucky to be alive.

She now has to find
her scattered family...

..before he does.

She doesn't yet know if she
gave them enough of a head start.

As evening draws in,
her calls go unanswered...

..lost on the wind.

By morning, the air is still.

Rupestre has found
three of her cubs.

But one daughter, Coiron,
is missing.

And there's no knowing
whether Carnasa

is still prowling these hills.

If she is to find her lost cub,

she must risk leaving the others
alone again.

It's been ten hours
since she saw her lost daughter.

They've never before been apart
for as long as this.

Her other cubs still need her.

She can't keep looking forever.

Finally...her calls are answered.

Coiron has eluded Carnasa,

and survived
her first-ever night alone.

The whole family are back together.

For the next few weeks,

the cubs don't venture far
from the shores of the lake.

Rupestre must once again
split her time

between them
and the hunting grounds.

Bruised and battered,
with nothing to show for it,

each failed attempt
leaves her weakened.

Back at the lake,
things are about to get even worse.

Her rival, Blinka, has given birth,

and she's come to claim
the lakeside nursery.

It's where she grew up,
and she's ready to fight for it.

Rupestre is caught off-guard.

Fights as violent as this
between females are rare.

But with cubs of her own,

Blinka will not back down.

Overwhelmed, Rupestre has lost.

The lakeside is no longer safe
for her.

She is forced to move
her family...again.

It's just not worth risking
another fight with Blinka.

They must now take their chances

among the other pumas
on the hunting slopes.

At ten months old, the cubs are
still relying on Rupestre for food.

A meal as big as this
would feed them for days.

Failed again.

The family haven't eaten
for nearly a week.

Time to try something different.

Switching to hunting young guanaco

means trading stealth for speed.

They should be easier to catch,

but exhaustion
and muddy ground slow her down.

One last push.

Success, but far from the cubs.

If she goes to fetch them,
someone else might steal her kill.

She's worked too hard to risk that.

First to the food is Neneo.

If he's ever to challenge males
like Oscuro and Carnasa,

he must learn
how to assert his dominance.

For now,
he practises on his sisters.

With Neneo's appetite,
there's barely enough to share.

Rupestre has to work
harder and harder.

She runs down young guanaco,

sometimes as many as three
in one day,

while her cubs grow in confidence.

Working together, Dania and Daneska
perfect their hunting skills.

Coiron practises on her own...

..with even some small success.

And eventually,
Neneo becomes bold enough

to grapple with giants himself.

So close.

Winter returns.

The cubs are now 15 months old.

Neneo is a strong young adult...

..able to get what he wants.

His sisters have learnt
from their mother what it takes

for a female to raise a family here.

Now, to complete her cubs' journey
to independence,

Rupestre has one thing left to do...

..leave her family.

And that day...has now come.

Her cubs have the skills they need
to survive by themselves...

..even at this, the harshest time
of the year.

Coiron is the first
to separate from her siblings.

From her earliest days, she has
shown an instinct for independence.

Dania and Daneska may support
each other for many more months,

but one day they too will
almost certainly drift apart.

Independence is often hardest
on males.

Neneo will be forced to leave
everything he knows to battle rivals

for a new territory

and find females
with whom to start his own dynasty.

His mother's training
will stand him in good stead.

But the story doesn't end there.

A few quiet months later, with her
grown-up cubs high in the hills,

Rupestre is back down
at the lakeside.

Against all the odds,

quadruplets yet again.

Exhausting.

So far, they've had
the very safest of nurseries...

..but there are now two blood lines
that lay claim to this site.

Blinka's cubs may have grown up
and moved on,

but Blinka herself will be back.

There will be many more battles
ahead...

..but if any mother has the strength
and experience

to ensure
that her dynasty thrives...

..it is surely Rupestre.

For the Dynasties crew,

the only way to tell
Rupestre's story

was to experience
the Torres del Paine landscape

as she does -

all on foot.

So far over the shoot, we're
definitely well over 1,000 miles,

hiking with the cats.

I really enjoy it.
I don't know if my knees enjoy it.

Both pumas and crew battle
100mph winds

and constantly changing weather.

When people ask what the hardest
thing about filming here is,

honestly, it's the wind.

It's almost impossible
to even walk sometimes.

It's very difficult
to see anything.

Yeah, this is my favourite office.

Since I started working here
in the park,

I know many pumas,
and my favourite's Rupestre.

Nico has been working with pumas
for ten years,

and helps the crew
get in the right mind-set.

You need to be patient.

You need to be very concentrated

to work with the animals,

to think why the pumas
are taking this route,

or a different route.

It's a beautiful thing to do.

Before long, the crew settle
into Rupestre's world

and, in turn, for her,
they become part of the scenery.

She totally ignores their presence.

The cubs, however,
are a little more inquisitive.

We're following these cubs.

You know, we're literally
watching them grow up.

It's a really cool experience

to spend months
with the same family,

and to, you know,
really get to know them.

Living so close to the family means

the crew also witness
one of the toughest moments

in the cats' lives...

..when Carnasa attacks.

We lost sight of her and the cubs,

so we were very worried because
we didn't know

if the cubs had been injured
or died.

Now it's too dark, so we'll know
what will happen tomorrow.

We lost Rupestre
at the end of last night.

Yeah, we're now trying
to find her and the cubs.

She's done so well
getting this far.

We're going to keep looking.

After a sleepless night

and lots of walking,
I'm just relieved that she's OK.

It was really impressive watching

Rupestre hold him off long enough
that the cubs could all scatter.

I think we really appreciate
the struggle that she faces

and...and just the hard work
that goes in to being a puma here.

As the cubs reach adulthood,

their biggest threat
may no longer be from other pumas

but from the human world outside.

Rupestre's cubs might travel
for miles looking for a territory,

heading beyond protected areas

and onto livestock ranches,
known as estancias.

Nico has witnessed first-hand
the problems that pumas

and people face
when their worlds collide.

Sheep are tempting prey.

Some estancias can lose
up to 10, 15 or 20,

even 20% of their livestock
in a year because of predation.

The way they deal
with this problem,

if they see a puma, they hunted it
and they killed it.

On the biggest ranches,

over 50 pumas could be killed
in a single year.

Nico is working with a nearby ranch,

Cerro Guido, on a solution.

Specially trained guardian dogs.

They live all day and night
with the sheep.

They go and start to bark,
and the pumas, they go away.

Pumas are ambush hunters,

and the barking dogs take away
the element of surprise.

We have been using the dogs
for a couple of years,

and the results can be astonishing.

The dogs significantly reduce
predation on the sheep

and the pumas return
to hunting wild prey.

When pumas don't kill the sheep,

ranchers don't kill the pumas.

Protecting the pumas
inside the ranch,

we are protecting a similar area
than Torres del Paine,

so we're doubling the protection.

This success is just in time
for Rupestre's son.

The last time the crew filmed him,
he was heading towards this ranch.

Nico's work could help
to give him a safer future.

Probably the son of Rupestre
will find a safe place to breed,

to stay, to make this place
his home.

The hope is that, one day, many more
ranches will replace guns

with guardian dogs.

We were working in the middle
for both pumas and people.

We want this to be spread out,
all over Patagonia.

Puma and human worlds
will continue to overlap,

but new solutions like this
may allow Patagonia's

most-charismatic predator
to thrive

across the whole of the continent.

Next time,
on the dusty plains of Kenya...

..can an inexperienced leader

bring her family back together...

..to give her newborn calf

a chance of survival,

and carry on her ancient dynasty?