All language subtitles for Pandas 2018.Nakal.BluRay.en

*Bel l* This is a story about
connections between people,

between cultures,

even between animals.

For a determined panda expert like
Hou Rong,

those connections
can be full of surprises.

Hou Rong is the Director of Research
at the Chengdu Panda Base

in China's Sichuan province.

She's responsible for the country's
largest population of captive-born pandas.

*pandas g roan i ng softly*

These cubs are just two months old.

Too young to even crawl.

*speaki ng Mandari n*

*Bel l* Hou Rong and her colleagues
used new techniques

that led to the birth
of over 200 baby pandas.

She's known as the "Panda Mom."

-*panda g roan i ng softly*
-*conti n ues speaki ng Mandari n*

*Hou Rong* l've dedicated my life
to the conservation of giant pandas.

A healthy captive
population can help save wild pandas

from extinction.

*Bel l* For such a famous animal, very
little is actually known about wild pandas.

Giant pandas are the oldest and most
endangered species of all living bears.

They once roamed across much of
ancient China.

For thousands of years kingdoms
and dynasties rose and tumbled.

And people transformed the landscape
for their own use.

The loss of their habitat pushed pandas
higher and higher into these mountains.

Today, there are fewer
than 2,000 giant pandas in the wild.

Scattered in small groups
and isolated from each other

by rugged terrain and human development.

The lack of genetic diversity is an
added danger to their long-term survival.

-*pandas sq ueaki ng*
-*Hou speaki ng i nd isti nctly*

*Bel l* Hou Rong hopes her cubs can help

increase the wild population
and expand their gene pool.

They've been carefully bred

for a special mission,
to be a panda force

in the battle against extinction.

*pandas snori ng*

*Bel l* Hou Rong's dream is to start
the next phase of her program

and release some of
these cubs into the wild.

The cubs' mothers were also born
at the Panda Base.

They don't have the experience
to help them go wild.

So Hou Rong
will look elsewhere for help.

Her search
will lead her across the world

to the small American town
of Lyme, New Hampshire.

And the home of Papa Bear.

Yeah , what a good boy.
What a good boy. Yeah .

*Bel l* Ben Kilham takes in
orphaned black bear cubs

and returns them to the wild.

Black bears are the most common
of all bear species.

But each one has its own personality.

These little orphans
are only ten weeks old.

You wanna climb out, you wanna
come up and see me.

Hmm?

Yeah , that wasn't so hard , was it?

*Ki l ham* At this age,
they sleep most of the day.

But when they're hungry,
they turn into little monsters.

*Bel l* Ben and his family provide
constant care and affection.

lf you think having kids is hard,
try raising three bears in your house.

*cu bs screech i ng*

Come on guys, let's go for a walk.

*Bel l* Once spring arrives,

the cubs move out of the house

and Ben takes them
for long walks in the woods.

Come on , guys.

Let's go up the pond . Come on .

*Ki l ham* When l was a boy l had trouble
learning in school.

As l grew up l realized l just had
a different way of seeing the world.

l could read nature the way other
people read books.

Do you wanna go for a swim?

*Bel l* Ben's method is simple.

Build trust,

then provide security

and opportunity for the cubs to explore.

*Ki l ham* l don't teach bears
how to be bears.

The knowledge is already inside them.

Come on , let's go home.

*Bel l* Next summer,
this little troupe will break up.

And the bears will be returned to
the forests of New England.

Ben has successfully
released over 150 bears.

Hou Rong was introduced to Ben

by her friends at
the Global Cause Foundation.

She came to New Hampshire to see

if he and his black bears
could help her pandas.

-*Mrs. Ki l ham* H i .
-*dogs barki ng*

Watch out, guys, watch out.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

*i nd isti nct g reeti ngs*

By your experi ments, which
age is better to use th is method?

Wel l , the you nger ones are the only ones
we can do the method with .

- Okay.
- Of walking that would be comparable

to what we could do with pandas.

- Mmm-hmm .
- And because all of your pandas,

they don't have the experience
with their mothers either.

Yes. Yeah .

*Bel l* The best model
for Hou Rong's pandas

is a bear named Squirty.

*Ki l ham* Squirty was one
of the first cubs l ever raised.

She was a tiny little thing.

But she had a big, bossy personality.

*Bel l* Ben brings Hou Rong to his
study site to demonstrate

how the trust
you develop with young bears

can last long after they go wild.

Squirty is a wild bear now.

She's 22 years old.

And has raised over 20 of her own cubs.

*Ki l ham* H i, Squ i rty.

*Hou* H i, Sq u i rty.

*Ki l ham* Yeah, good girl .

Squirty lets me put a tracking
collar around her neck.

But l have to be careful.

She's still the boss.

*Sq u i rty h uffs*

*Bel l* Ben and Squirty
have changed each other's lives.

He gave her the chance to thrive
and in return, she's been his guide

into the world of wild black bears.

Ben's experience with Squirty

guided his work
with all the bears that followed.

Oh , wow. You gonna let us come in? Huh?

- Hi , guys.
- Hi , guys.

*Bel l* The cubs are comfortable
around Ben.

But not strangers.

Hi , there. Hi , there.
Can I play h ide-and-seek with you?

Hmm?

Hi , there.

Hi , there.

- Hi , there. Yeah .
-*ch uckles*

*Ki l ham* What a pretty girl .
What a pretty girl .

Hi , guys, I remem ber all you guys.

Hello.

*cu b sn iffi ng and h uffi ng*

*Hou ch uckles*

*Hou* l was touched by Ben
and his love for the bears.

They accept him like he's also a bear.

That's a bluff charge, but it's not
a really highly emotional bluff charge.

The intensity of the bluff charge shows
the emotion of the bear.

*Hou* At first,
l was skeptical of Ben's method.

Once l saw it with my own eyes,

l knew it was the best
way to help our pandas.

*Bel l* Hou Rong
invites Ben to collaborate.

They'll combine his experience

and her knowledge
to chart a new way forward.

Pandas inspire a frenzy
of adoration around the world

and especially at home in China.

They are the King Kong of cute.

And it takes a special person
to see the real bear behind the icon.

*i nd isti nct chatter*

Ben and Hou Rong selected Jake Owens,

an American biologist, to move to China
and help adapt Ben's method to pandas.

*ch uckles*

*Bel l* Playtime is an essential part.

lt's how young animals bond
and a relationship formed now

can last a lifetime.

*i nd isti nct conversation*

*Bel l* The next scientist
to join the team

was Bi Wen Lei.

He's from a small village
in lnner Mongolia.

His friends call him Xiao Bi.

Yeah , right, it's a noodle one.
We can try.

*Xiao Bi* Working
with giant pandas is my dream.

And l can't wait to get started.

- This one?
- That one, yeah .

*Bel l* lntroducing any captive animal
to the wild is risky.

The team's first step
is to pick the right panda.

They have to choose carefully.

*i nd isti nct conversation*

*Owens* We assess the cubs for qualities
that will help them survive in the wild.

Climbing ability,

curiosity,

and courage.

We need cubs that will follow,

so we can take them
for walks in the forest.

Just like Ben.

*Bel l* Following is good.

- Biting, not so much.
- My head .

Ooh , ow!

*Owens* Even little pandas bite hard.

Their jaws are built to crush bamboo.

Ah, you got my neck. *ch uckles*

Wild pandas must survive cold winters.

So we brought in snow
to see how they respond.

*Bel l* You never know what surprises
they'll encounter in the wild.

And in the battle of panda
versus snowman,

there can be only one winner.

Hey, buddy.

*Bel l* The team settled on
a little cub called Qian Qian.

She's about to trade
the comforts of Panda Base

for a walk on the wild side.

*Owens sh ush i ng*

Hey! Hey!

*Owens* As a scientist,
l usually just observe animals.

Now my role is to make friends
with a panda

and head out together
on a new adventure.

*Bel l* The team brings Qian Qian
to Panda Valley

where she can begin
training for her new life.

Come out and play with us.
She does play. Who's that?

Wow.

*Bel l* Now Qian Qian is about to
experience nature

for the very first time.

Pandas explore with their nose,

investigating every new scent.

There's a whole new world to discover

and this is just the beginning.

With every step,

Qian Qian is discovering
her true identity.

And learning what it's like
to be a real panda.

*Owens* Come on . Let's go.

There you are.

Hey.

You found a nice l ittle spot, huh?

You found a n ice l ittle spot.

Hey.

Hey. Good job. You're a good climber.

*Owens g ru nti ng*

*Bel l* One year later,
Qian Qian is almost two years old

and getting hard to handle.

She already weighs 120 pounds.

So playtime is no game.

*Owens* Jujitsu is really similar to
wrestling with a panda.

lt's all about weight and leverage.

Training helps me escape if l have to.

*g ru nts*

Yeah .

There she is. What?

-*sq ueaks*
- What?

*Bel l* Qian Qian has outgrown
this phase of her life.

And it's time for her
to climb a real mountain.

God, you're big .

*g ru nti ng*

*Bel l* Qian Qian moves with Jake
and Xiao Bi to a new home

at the Liziping Nature Reserve.

Here Qian Qian will live in
a 50-acre enclosure

while she adapts
to the wild environment.

Liziping is real panda habitat

full of natural bamboo.

Wild pandas live in the mountains
just beyond the fence.

For the first few days,

Jake escorts Qian Qian
around the enclosure

so she can explore her new home.

ln exchange for small pieces of apple,

Qian Qian lets Jake and Xiao Bi
adjust her GPS collar.

The collar will be
their lifeline to Qian Qian

once she goes wild.

You're okay. It's okay. Come on .

It's just a collar. *ch uckles*
It's okay. There you are.

*i nd isti nct chatter*

*Bel l* Giant pandas have developed
a special feature.

A wrist bone that acts like a thumb

to help them hold bamboo.

Qian Qian needs to eat over 50 pounds
of bamboo each day.

Oh, my God . That's like a ball .

Right. Come on .

*Bel l* Some people say pandas are lazy.

The truth ?

They're just masters of
energy efficiency.

How do you say "good morning"?

*Owens speaking Mandari n*

*Xiao Bi* You're right.

*Owens* During our time together,

Xiao Bi has become
an excellent field biologist.

*Xiao Bi* What we are doi ng now,
you know how to say i n Chinese?

-*Owens speaks Mandari n*
- Right.

*Owens* When my work is done here,

l hope he runs
this project for many years.

Our relationship with Qian Qian
is changing.

She's more independent

and that's good.

*Bel l* A few months later Qian Qian
is a healthy and shapely giant panda.

*i nd isti nct conversation*

She's ready for a world without fences.

After two years together
the big day arrives.

Jake leads Qian Qian out into
the wild for the very first time.

The safety of the enclosure
was now behind her.

Jake and Xiao Bi
followed Qian Qian every day.

She led them through dense bamboo,

climbing higher
and higher up the mountain

into prime panda habitat.

She was in bamboo heaven.

Have you seen Qian Qian?

Here. Look.

*Bel l* Three months later,

Qian Qian is still thriving in the wild.

So Jake prepares for a rare trip home
to see his family in America.

*Owens* l was home when l received
the worst possible news.

An alert from Qian Qian's collar.

She hadn't moved in 24 hours.

l felt sick.

l was so far away at the moment
she needed me most.

*Bel l* Xiao Bi and Hou Rong
headed out with a search party.

Jake left for China right away.

*i nd isti nct chatter*

*Bel l* They hacked their way through
dense forest for two days and nights.

The signal led them to a towering tree.

Xiao Bi is terrified of heights.

But he climbed all the way to the top.

*Xiao Bi* Qian Qian . Come on, Qian Qian .

*Bel l* Qian Qian was injured,

but alive.

*Xiao Bi* Come on, Qian Qian .

*Bel l* She was scared and dehydrated.

Xiao Bi gave her water
mixed with medicine and honey.

After five days,

she felt safe enough to climb down.

*Xiao Bi* Come on, Qian .

Good girl .

*Bel l* She had bite wounds
that became infected.

*Owens* Qian Qian trusted Xiao Bi

and he saved her life.

When l finally got there l was shocked.

She was so skinny.

She wouldn't leave my side.

*Bel l* Once she was
strong enough to travel,

Qian Qian was sedated and carried out.

She's doing al l right, she's good .

*Hou* l was so relieved she survived.

*Owens* There we go.

Good girl , Qian Qian .

*Ki l ham* How's Qian Qian doing?

*Owens* She's better.
She's gained back almost 20 pounds now.

*Ki l ham* That relationship that you
and Xiao Bi have with her

made all the difference.

It made it possi ble to get her
and bri ng her back from the wi ld .

*Bel l* As Qian Qian recovers,
the challenge now

is to move forward.

*Ki l ham* We all face adversity.

Humans and animals alike.

She still remem bers you .

*Ki l ham* What's important
is how we respond.

Do we give up?

Or do we get stronger?

And sometimes she climbs
some big trees for fun ,

for interesti ng . . .
so she's doing great there.

So she likes having you around ,
she responds to you?

Yeah .

*Hou* We are more committed than ever

to see Qian Qian return to the wild.

-*Hou cooi ng*
-*panda g roans softly*

*Hou* New cubs are born
at Panda Base every year.

And some will follow in
Qian Qian's footsteps.

We'll keep working
to give them the future they deserve.

*Owens* Qian Qian has changed.

- She's more alert.
-*Owens* Okay, okay, you're okay.

More wary.

She's more prepared for
any danger she'll encounter.

*Bel l* When Qian Qian
returns to the wild,

she'll enter an environment
that's changing for the better

in one important way.

China is creating
a new giant panda national park

to connect the fragmented habitats

and link the isolated panda groups.

There you go.

*Bel l* One day, Qian Qian may be
as successful as Squirty.

When she's ready,

she'll take us all into
the world of wild pandas.

lt's up to her to take the next step.

*Owens* And if she ever
needs help again,

whether it's in five years or 20,

we'll be there.