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00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,120
If you want to
get close to a tiger,
get an elephant.

2
00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,240
But these elephants
carry cameras

3
00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:23,960
and with them
they have recorded

4
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,160
the most intimate images
of tigers ever seen.

5
00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:39,720
In the last programme,
they discovered a litter
of four cubs.

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00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,000
We watched as their mother
protected them from enemies.

7
00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,240
We saw how she hunted
to provide them with food.

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00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,640
Slowly they started to acquire
the skills they needed
for life in the forest.

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00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:12,920
But nothing had prepared them
for the day

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00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:16,400
that a dangerous stranger
arrived at their water hole.

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00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,080
The lives of the cubs
are at risk.

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Their mother isn't at the den
and hasn't been seen for days.

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A leopard is drinking
from a water hole close by.

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Leopards kill tiger cubs.

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00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,040
The cubs are now
eight months old

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and they could put up
a real fight,

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but a full-grown leopard
is a formidable adversary.

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Fortunately, it seems that
all she wanted was a drink.

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With the danger past,

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the cubs have to deal
with more routine problems.

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00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:28,840
What, for example,
is the best way
to get out of the den?

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Not so difficult, after all.

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Now is the time for play.

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00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,840
Keeping cool
is a major preoccupation.

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00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,480
Damp sand in a shady spot
is just the place to do so.

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They urinate
directly into the pool.

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That conceals their scent
from predators,

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a particularly
necessary precaution
when mother is away.

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The cubs are still nervous.

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They daren't stray
far from the den.

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The crew with the
camera-elephants

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00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:46,240
are becoming concerned
about the mother's safety

33
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and decide to go
in search of her.

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Methodically,
they explore her territory

35
00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,120
in the centre
of Pench Tiger Reserve.

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But it's an area
of around 15 square kilometres

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and within it
she could be anywhere.

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00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,360
The elephants can get
to almost any place that
a tigress is likely to reach

39
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,600
and the cameras can be
switched on the moment
an animal is sighted.

40
00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,240
But this is not
what they were hoping to find,

41
00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:15,680
another leopard.

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00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,880
A male this time, and
not far from the cubs' den.

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The Indian leopard
is notoriously secretive
and rarely seen.

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00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,280
But in Pench,
they far outnumber tigers.

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They're a real threat
to any tiger cubs

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that have lost the protection
of their mother.

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00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,760
Despite the dangers,
the cubs spend most of the day
out of the den.

48
00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:46,200
Being a foursome
seems to give them confidence.

49
00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:50,200
At this age, the two brothers
and two sisters
get on well together

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and rarely squabble.

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They've now been without food
for many days

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and they must be feeling
very hungry.

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And to make matters worse,
their favourite prey
appears nearby.

54
00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:09,240
Cubs as young as this
haven't a hope of catching
such swift prey.

55
00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:11,520
But there's no harm in trying.

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It's a chance to try out
some of the techniques

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they learnt from watching
their mother.

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They're making
all the right moves.

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But they haven't got
the patience.

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Cubs have to go
for long periods without food,

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but if the mother doesn't
return soon, they will
rapidly lose condition.

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The next day, the crew hear
alarm calls from deer nearby.

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That might mean
there's a tiger around,

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so the elephants set off
to investigate.

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00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:06,320
As they close in on the calls,

66
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the elephant-cams
are switched on remotely.

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Trunk-cam,
the first on the scene,
finds the tiger.

68
00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,800
But it's not the cub's mother,
it's a male.

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00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:22,880
If he's a stranger
he might well kill the cubs.

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00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,440
Trunk-cam can film from either
the elephant or on the ground.

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And it moves even closer
under its own power.

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It's good news.

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This is Charger,
the cub's father
and therefore their protector.

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00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,960
He gained his name
from his habit
of charging elephants.

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00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,280
But now
he merely warns them off
with a few growls.

76
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A fearless father is exactly
what the cubs need right now.

77
00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:07,800
He will keep away
any rival males
who might harm them.

78
00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,760
But the cubs' problems
are by no means over.

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Their mother
has never left them
for as long as this before.

80
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Next day, the search
for her continues.

81
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The elephants
separate and fan out
across her territory.

82
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Then, a breakthrough.

83
00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:44,880
Fresh pugmarks,
not far from her cubs.

84
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Footprints can identify
an individual tiger.

85
00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:52,080
The mahouts
who ride the elephants

86
00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,840
say these look like
the cubs' mother's.

87
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They're certainly very fresh.

88
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And there is a female tiger.

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She's scent-marking,

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which suggests that
this is indeed her territory,

91
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but only a closer view
will confirm her identity.

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She is the mother.

93
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Why she left is a mystery.

94
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The mahouts say that
a strange male has been
seen in the reserve

95
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and think that she may have
left to try and lure him
away from the cubs.

96
00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,080
The family is reunited.

97
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Although leaving them
was itself a risk,

98
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it was probably the lesser
of two evils.

99
00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,560
Licking and grooming
not only helps clean the cubs,

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it gives them
much needed reassurance.

101
00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:18,520
The tigress has done
a remarkable job
in raising all four cubs,

102
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but they're still
very much at risk.

103
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Half of all tiger cubs born

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die before they are a year old
from one cause or another.

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The leopard is back.

106
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Will she risk coming down
for a drink

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now that the tigress
is back in residence?

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She thinks better of it.

109
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And then we see
that the leopard has
her own family to protect,

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two five-month-old cubs.

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She leads them away to a less
dangerous part of the forest.

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To record the lives
of some of the other
inhabitants of the forest,

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the elephants use
other kinds of spy-cams.

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Log-cam can be
put on the ground and
left to operate by itself.

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It will turn itself on
whenever anything large
moves in front of it.

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00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,800
Many of these cameras
are placed around
the tigress's territory

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and carefully positioned.

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Spotted deer are
regularly caught
by these candid cameras.

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They're one of the favourite
foods of tigers.

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With hungry cubs to feed,
the tigress must find
a meal quickly.

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But there are no deer nearby.

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Now, as she searches for prey,

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the cubs often travel
with her.

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That way she can visit
distant parts of her territory

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where the deer
have not been hunted
for some time,

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so are less on their guard.

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Spotted deer often share
lookout duties with monkeys.

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That suits both parties.

129
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But at the water hole,
it's different.

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There, not every monkey
is a friend.

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Log-cam reveals that macaques
actually chase deer away.

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Even the biggest stags
retreat.

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With the deer
having taken fright,

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the macaques have to rely on
their own surveillance skills.

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A tiger spells danger.

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Two tigers are clearly
a terrifying sight.

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And five must surely be
every monkey's
worst nightmare.

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The spotted deer
hear the commotion.

139
00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,760
But the tigress is not
particularly perturbed.

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This old teak forest
teems with life.

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If she keeps moving,
she'll get lots more chances.

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Here there are plenty
to choose from.

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She's got one.

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Tigers are generally
said to succeed
just one time out of 10.

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But this tigress kills
on average every third try.

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She needs to be good.

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Her cubs have already
got huge appetites,

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and by the time they leave her
they will weigh
eight times as much.

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00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,080
Even at this size,

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each cub consumes
around two kilos of meat
at a single sitting.

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The camera elephants
take a bath every day.

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They work for five hours
at a stretch

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and then the rest of the day
is their own.

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In the sweltering summer,

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this daily ritual brings
much needed relief
from the heat.

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The cubs also like
a cooling dip.

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But the pool by the den
is not large

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and when their mother joins in

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things can get
a little crowded.

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In spite of the heat,

161
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summer is a good time
of year for some of
the forest animals.

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These are among the rarest,

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sloth bears.

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They only venture out
during the day
in the most secluded places,

165
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but spy-cam was there
to record them.

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They're feasting
on fallen fruit.

167
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Wild boar are also
partial to fruit.

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Most animals fear sloth bears,

169
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but not, apparently,
wild boar.

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At least,
not when there's food around.

171
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Although there is
plenty for all,

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it's sometimes necessary
for the bears to show
who's boss.

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The bear cubs are working out
where they stand
in the pecking order.

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They're aggressive creatures
by nature

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and will face down
even the biggest predators.

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But they must show no fear.

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Even so, for the youngsters,

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things sometimes get
just too much
and it's time to retreat.

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The tigers have moved
from their small
and shrinking bath tub

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00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:53,600
to a more commodious
bathing pool,

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00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,200
a reservoir built
by the local people

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that provides them with water
throughout the year.

183
00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,200
It's a great place
to cool down.

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00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,560
The sambar deer
are feeling the heat too.

185
00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:24,600
The wild boar also enjoy
a mud bath,

186
00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:28,920
and combining
a wallow with a meal
just doubles the pleasure.

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00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:36,840
Mud bathing
is clearly enjoyable,

188
00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,400
but it also helps an animal
to get rid of ticks

189
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:41,480
and other skin parasites.

190
00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,520
Tigers are one of the few cats
that actually enjoy swimming

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00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:59,800
and they usually pick
den sites close to water.

192
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:02,560
As they travel around their
territories during the summer,

193
00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,800
they move
as quickly as possible
through the drier parts

194
00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:09,360
to get to the hunting grounds
that have good bathing pools.

195
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:21,320
As June comes to an end,
the heat becomes
really hard to bear.

196
00:18:21,360 --> 00:18:25,280
Midday temperatures can reach
45 degrees in the shade.

197
00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:29,240
But after a bathe,
the water evaporating
from the fur

198
00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:33,280
cools the body and
brings enough relief
for the animal to snooze.

199
00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:37,880
When the monsoon
finally arrives

200
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:39,960
it's not a moment too soon.

201
00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,160
As well as bringing
a welcome drop in temperature,

202
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,880
the rains replenish the park's
damns and pools.

203
00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:27,920
There is greenery everywhere.

204
00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:37,440
The giant two-metre webs
of golden orb spiders
hang between the trees.

205
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,640
These are the biggest
spiders' webs in the world.

206
00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,360
Their silken guy-ropes
sometimes stretch across
six-metre gaps.

207
00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,600
The elephants are bound
to barge through them.

208
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:08,520
The spiders themselves
have a span as wide
as a human hand.

209
00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,560
But they are of no consequence
to an elephant.

210
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:18,000
Their web is strong enough
to catch a small bird,

211
00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:21,640
but the spiders in fact
feed only on insects.

212
00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,960
The cubs are just
over a year old,

213
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,240
and they have an appetite
to match their size.

214
00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:35,040
But there has been
a significant change
in their behaviour.

215
00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:38,640
Their play now includes
mock hunting

216
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:40,920
with mother
serving as a target.

217
00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:05,560
This is stylised fighting.

218
00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,000
It looks dangerously
aggressive,

219
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,640
but the cubs keep their claws
fully sheathed throughout.

220
00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:20,320
Mother never takes part
in their fighting games,

221
00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:23,960
but indulgently
tolerates the cubs'
boisterous behaviour.

222
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,480
They spend
a lot of time travelling.

223
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,000
Five nearly full-sized tigers
on the move together

224
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:53,960
is a rare sight indeed.

225
00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:58,320
They are a formidable force.

226
00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:01,080
Nothing stays around
to challenge them.

227
00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:08,240
Even though it's now cooler,

228
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,480
they still bathe at
the hottest part of the day.

229
00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:13,800
Water is difficult to resist.

230
00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:29,160
The cubs take no notice
whatever of the elephants,

231
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,720
so it's possible to get
really intimate shots

232
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,280
from the camera
held in the trunk.

233
00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:39,120
Progress through the forest
is slow,

234
00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,640
because they linger at almost
every pool or stream.

235
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,720
They're not alone in relishing
the abundance of water.

236
00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,040
The langur monkeys
and their babies

237
00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:58,520
seem to have not a care
in the world.

238
00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:08,080
But for some babies,
drinking isn't the most
comfortable of times.

239
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:21,280
Unlike macaques, langurs are
the friends of spotted deer.

240
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:25,320
They share the task
of keeping a lookout
for their greatest enemy.

241
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:34,280
The time has come
for the tigress to make
a determined hunt.

242
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:45,760
One of her cubs
decides to go with her
to get some personal tuition.

243
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,960
The tigress doesn't need
to look far for a meal.

244
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,400
She is one of the most
productive parts
of her territory.

245
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:09,440
She hasn't been here
for some time,

246
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,920
so she has more chance of
catching her prey off guard.

247
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,960
The lush undergrowth
gives her plenty of cover.

248
00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:43,560
Her prey
seem quite unconcerned.

249
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:44,880
But not for long.

250
00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:51,880
The cub has still to learn
that this sort of behaviour

251
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,080
is not what is needed
when mother is trying to hunt.

252
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,240
The langur sends a warning
far and wide.

253
00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:17,120
But still the cub
doesn't calm down.

254
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,200
The cub is now testing
his mother's patience
to the limit.

255
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:40,800
She warns him
that enough is enough.

256
00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:52,280
The rest of the cubs
are content to wait
until she's caught something.

257
00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:54,960
That shows just how
well-fed they are.

258
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:05,360
Her prey soon relax.

259
00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,680
The pools
are beginning to dry.

260
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:17,360
Gaur,
the rare wild Indian cattle,

261
00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,840
are big enough to push
most others drinkers
out of the way.

262
00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,600
Spotted deer are given
their marching orders

263
00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:35,040
by the more dominant
sambar deer.

264
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,200
The mother makes
another start.

265
00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,760
But she'll have to get rid
of her over-enthusiastic cub.

266
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,320
This time,
he gets the message.

267
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:09,800
The cub is beginning
to understand

268
00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:11,880
his mother's
changing demeanour.

269
00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,440
Every posture
has a special meaning.

270
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:23,720
When she has a target
in her sights,

271
00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,360
nothing will break
her concentration.

272
00:27:59,920 --> 00:28:03,280
She has taken her prey
completely by surprise.

273
00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,080
She brings it down.

274
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:09,640
It's a sambar deer.

275
00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:17,480
She partially throttles
her victim,

276
00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:19,040
but doesn't kill it.

277
00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,440
She will use this one
to give a lesson to her cub.

278
00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,040
The mother leaves him
to get on with it.

279
00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:32,680
But he is not quite sure
what to do.

280
00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:43,000
The throttle hold is one of
the most important things
he has to learn

281
00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:45,240
and he's making a good start.

282
00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:57,280
Giving half-killed prey
to a cub like this

283
00:28:57,320 --> 00:28:59,920
seems heart-breakingly cruel

284
00:28:59,960 --> 00:29:03,760
but learning to deal
with live prey is a vital step

285
00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,800
on the path to becoming
an independent hunter.

286
00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,480
The mother has returned
to find the other cubs.

287
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:28,960
She can remember
exactly where she left them

288
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,600
and they greet her
with head butts,

289
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:35,480
a gesture that is used
by many cats, large and small.

290
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:01,040
The chase took her a long way
from her cubs,

291
00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:03,080
but she knows
the forest so well

292
00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,160
that she's able
to lead them directly
back to the kill

293
00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,240
by the shortest
possible route.

294
00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:15,160
The cub meanwhile
is making the most
of having the kill to himself.

295
00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,520
By the time his brother
and sisters arrive

296
00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:29,440
he's starting to feel
it's his.

297
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,040
The cubs are beginning
now and then

298
00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:42,200
to be aggressive towards
one another,

299
00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:44,960
particularly
when there is food around.

300
00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:54,720
As the newcomers
wait their turn,

301
00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:58,040
they dispel their frustration
with a game of chase.

302
00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:22,960
The cub pulls the carcass
into the shade
of a lantana bush

303
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:25,240
and things start to calm down.

304
00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:51,920
While the cubs relax,
the elephants leave them

305
00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,720
and set off
to look for other tigers.

306
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,400
There are reports that
the cubs' father, Charger,

307
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,280
is back in the neighbourhood.

308
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:16,880
Trunk-cam spots him first

309
00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:20,640
and discovers that he has
made an extraordinary kill.

310
00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:28,960
The high view
from elephant-back
reveals just what he's eating.

311
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:31,280
A sloth bear.

312
00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:44,440
Killing a sloth bear shows
just what a strong
individual he is.

313
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:46,560
Bears are formidable animals

314
00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:49,400
and have even been
known to attack tigers.

315
00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:05,320
The bear must have been
difficult to kill

316
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,920
and plucking it certainly
took some time

317
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:11,280
for the result
looks like a rug
on the forest floor.

318
00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:22,040
Although Charger has not
gone far away,

319
00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:24,640
he rarely
spends time with his family.

320
00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:27,120
But his presence in
the neighbourhood keeps away

321
00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:32,840
young males
looking for territory
who might attack the cubs.

322
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:36,840
The male cubs are already
becoming distinguishable
from their sisters

323
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:39,360
by their more powerful build.

324
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:43,640
The male on the left
has a broader head
than his sister on the right.

325
00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:49,960
Until now
the cubs have behaved
in a largely similar way.

326
00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:54,600
Eventually, however,
their paths will diverge.

327
00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:57,960
The females will each
take up a territory
close to their mother.

328
00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,360
But the males will move
much farther away

329
00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:05,600
to find, and if necessary
fight for, territories
of their own.

330
00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,920
For now, however,
brothers and sisters
stick closely together.

331
00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:18,680
They still have
a lot to learn.

332
00:34:18,720 --> 00:34:21,560
Both sexes have to know
how to fight,

333
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:25,040
the females
to protect themselves
from unwanted advances,

334
00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:28,440
the males
to take or defend a territory.

335
00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:31,600
And siblings make
excellent sparring partners.

336
00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:48,840
It looks violent,
but it's quite disciplined

337
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,000
and no blood is ever drawn.

338
00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:06,760
Fighting adults use exactly
the same moves,

339
00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,000
but with claws unsheathed,

340
00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:12,520
and then the results
from bouts like this
can be fatal.

341
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:43,600
But paradise
doesn't last forever.

342
00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:47,960
There has been
a disturbing report
of a second adult male.

343
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:51,960
The cubs' play-fighting
may soon need to be
something far more serious.

344
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,720
Then, at the edge
of the cubs' territory,

345
00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:00,000
the strange male is spotted.

346
00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:02,920
He's obviously not used
to seeing elephants.

347
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,360
Tigers may travel
more than 200 kilometres

348
00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:16,080
looking for a place
to establish a territory
of their own.

349
00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:19,560
Such a stranger will kill cubs
if given half a chance.

350
00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,480
The cubs are now big enough
to put up a fight,

351
00:36:27,520 --> 00:36:28,920
but having
a strange male around

352
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:32,320
is nonetheless
a worrying development.

353
00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:36,360
Tigers often use
dried-up riverbeds
as roads through the jungle

354
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:38,280
and the family
immediately detect

355
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,480
that another tiger has been
using the same path.

356
00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:43,640
The fact that
it had sprayed so high

357
00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:45,960
suggests that
the visitor is a male.

358
00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:50,720
The tigress puckers up
her face

359
00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:54,080
so that the scent passes over
a specially sensitive organ

360
00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:57,400
in her nose which enables her
to analyse the smell.

361
00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:07,440
Spraying enables
all the tigers in the district

362
00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:09,960
to be aware
of one another's presence.

363
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,320
Prominent trees
act as message boards

364
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:15,200
and an unfamiliar scent
is quickly noticed,

365
00:37:15,240 --> 00:37:18,280
so the family know that
a stranger has arrived.

366
00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:23,000
It's rare to see such
an intense reaction.

367
00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:26,000
The mother overlays
the stranger's scent
with her own

368
00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:29,080
to make it clear
that she's very much
in residence.

369
00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:38,200
In her eagerness to
scent-mark, she gives
the cub a face-full.

370
00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:48,200
Every tree
is scent-marked in turn.

371
00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:58,280
The tigress leads her cubs
up the riverbed

372
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:01,320
away from the area
as fast as possible

373
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:04,080
but that is where
the stranger went.

374
00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:06,720
She could be leading them
into danger.

375
00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:13,040
There are scent marks
even here.

376
00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:18,000
With a strange male around,

377
00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:21,520
the elephant crew
check on Charger,
the cubs' father.

378
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:24,680
He seems in good health,

379
00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:28,960
although quite subdued
for a tiger with
such a reputation.

380
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:33,280
Then, on his side,
signs that he has been
in a fight.

381
00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:39,160
His right flank shows
puncture marks,

382
00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:42,040
most likely made
by the claws of a tiger.

383
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:52,880
He also seems
uncharacteristically nervous.

384
00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:07,920
The tigress and the cubs
have moved far
from the riverbed

385
00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,800
and now have
other things on their mind.

386
00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:12,800
They have reached
a part of the teak forest

387
00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:15,440
where deer are
particularly abundant.

388
00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:23,040
This open woodland has
some of the highest densities
of prey in India.

389
00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:26,880
The family is fortunate indeed
to have it in their territory.

390
00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:32,160
But with four energetic
cubs to feed,

391
00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:34,680
she really has to hunt
at every opportunity,

392
00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:37,280
otherwise they will start
to lose condition.

393
00:39:56,960 --> 00:40:00,440
The long grass
allows her to get close
very quickly

394
00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,240
and without being seen.

395
00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:06,320
As usual,
the cubs are behaving
in a boisterous way

396
00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:08,840
that is bound to catch
the attention of the deer.

397
00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,840
They seem to have forgotten
that their mother's
trying to hunt.

398
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:34,160
But unknowingly,
the cubs are acting
as excellent decoys,

399
00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:36,920
deflecting the
deer's attention
away from their mother.

400
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:42,120
She still hasn't been seen.

401
00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:48,400
For once, the cubs' games
are a help.

402
00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:51,840
The deer just don't know
how many tigers
there are around.

403
00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:01,760
At last their mother
is within range.

404
00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:15,920
She's got one. It's a sambar.

405
00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:17,920
Time and again
she picks these out.

406
00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:21,080
They're bigger than spotted
deer and therefore make
more of a meal.

407
00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:31,240
She doesn't need
to call her cubs.

408
00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:34,760
They saw what happened and
immediately stopped playing.

409
00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:45,000
She makes
a half-hearted attempt
to conceal the body

410
00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,560
to hide it from vultures
and other scavengers.

411
00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:50,120
Clearly
she's intending to leave it.

412
00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:04,440
She must have killed this one
just for her cubs.

413
00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:13,480
The first on the carcass
is one of the females

414
00:42:13,520 --> 00:42:16,120
and she
immediately takes possession.

415
00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:20,320
Once again there is
a chance to practise
what is needed to be a hunter.

416
00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:26,400
The later arrivals
are at a disadvantage.

417
00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:28,040
Finders is keepers.

418
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:42,880
The tigress strolls away
to take a rest
after all that exertion.

419
00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:46,000
She's proving to be a very
remarkable mother,

420
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:50,240
able to kill so easily
that she herself doesn't
need to feed

421
00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:52,080
at many of her kills.

422
00:42:57,520 --> 00:43:02,440
Her daughter is behaving
as if she's killing the deer
all over again.

423
00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:34,200
Her sister and brothers
seem content to sit it out,

424
00:43:34,240 --> 00:43:37,440
and she makes sure they
realise whose prize it is.

425
00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:44,560
Opening such a big carcass
is not easy on your own,

426
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:47,600
so soon she lets
one of her brothers join her.

427
00:43:57,400 --> 00:44:02,680
Rivalry disappears as together
they struggle to cut through
the deer's tough hide.

428
00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:25,360
After a day full of action,
the elephants take a break.

429
00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:31,240
But the next morning
the tigers have disappeared.

430
00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:38,120
It's three days before
the elephants find them again.

431
00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:47,000
They are some distance away
from where they were last seen

432
00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:48,920
and moving very purposefully.

433
00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:52,600
The elephants must travel
fast to keep up,

434
00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:55,960
although that doesn't
prevent them from
snacking on the move.

435
00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:06,000
All the cubs are here.

436
00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:07,880
But there's no sign
of the mother

437
00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:11,440
and it's unusual for them
to move so far without her.

438
00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:16,800
As the elephants
get closer to them,

439
00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,120
there seems little to be
concerned about.

440
00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:21,760
The cubs are still
in a playful mood.

441
00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:30,520
The next day breaks
with a deceptive calm.

442
00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:40,960
When the cubs are found,
they're still alone.

443
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:45,520
They have arrived at
one of the park's dams,

444
00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:48,360
a favourite source
of fresh water
for much of the year.

445
00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:55,240
These dams,
scattered throughout the park,

446
00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:57,480
are invaluable
in the drier months.

447
00:45:57,520 --> 00:46:01,040
Even at this time of year,
tigers find them irresistible.

448
00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:07,920
As usual, the cubs use them
as lavatories,

449
00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:10,400
so concealing the signs
that might reveal

450
00:46:10,440 --> 00:46:12,600
their presence
to another tiger.

451
00:46:12,640 --> 00:46:15,560
With their mother absent,
they are very vulnerable.

452
00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:21,080
They find a toy, a log,

453
00:46:21,120 --> 00:46:23,600
but their play
is rather subdued.

454
00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:32,400
When their mother's
not around,

455
00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:34,640
the cubs behave
very differently.

456
00:46:34,680 --> 00:46:37,320
They're quieter
and far less confident.

457
00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:48,960
They avoid deliberately
drawing attention
to themselves

458
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:51,560
and usually stay
in the same place.

459
00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:53,400
The fact that
they're still on the move

460
00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:56,160
suggests that
they have been disturbed.

461
00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:02,400
It's three days
since the mother
was last seen.

462
00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:10,600
The elephants begin
another search for her.

463
00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:19,720
Like the tigers,
the wild game in the park
is totally undisturbed

464
00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:22,240
by the presence
of the elephants.

465
00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:26,200
In spite of their great
size, they can be
surprisingly quiet.

466
00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:37,840
The elephants are accepted
as just another harmless
inhabitant of the forest.

467
00:47:40,920 --> 00:47:43,920
But some creatures here
are far from harmless.

468
00:47:54,160 --> 00:47:57,280
A strange male has
been sighted again.

469
00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:05,760
He's a young tiger
who's probably looking
for a territory of his own.

470
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:18,760
The cubs are not far away,
and they seem to have
picked up the male's scent.

471
00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:28,000
With Charger injured,
the intruder is probably
confident enough

472
00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:29,680
to leave his own mark.

473
00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:36,280
This is a dangerous situation
for the cubs,

474
00:48:36,320 --> 00:48:38,320
for their mother
is nowhere to be seen.

475
00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:46,880
The elephants
set out once again

476
00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:49,080
to see if they can find
the cubs' mother.

477
00:48:52,160 --> 00:48:56,360
At last, they discover her
at one of her old den-sites.

478
00:48:56,400 --> 00:48:58,400
This is very reassuring.

479
00:49:04,600 --> 00:49:06,520
But something seems wrong.

480
00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:08,600
She is unusually subdued.

481
00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:16,120
Then we find out why.

482
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:20,600
She has a wound in her chest
that is obviously causing her
some distress.

483
00:49:33,480 --> 00:49:37,160
Such a cut could have been
caused by the horns
of her prey

484
00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:39,480
or from a fight
with another tiger.

485
00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:42,400
It's fresh and
obviously a serious injury.

486
00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:48,800
She's in a bad way
and desperately needs rest.

487
00:49:48,840 --> 00:49:52,160
This explains why
she left her cubs alone.

488
00:49:53,840 --> 00:49:55,560
The cubs are still on the move

489
00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:59,800
and they've reached
the dammed river
in the centre of the park.

490
00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:03,320
Cubs rarely wander far
from where their mother
left them,

491
00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:06,560
but, perhaps realising
that they're now very much
on their own,

492
00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:08,600
they seem anxious
to keep moving.

493
00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:20,160
They're still too young to
survive without their mother,

494
00:50:20,200 --> 00:50:23,880
so their future will depend on
her making a quick recovery.

495
00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:37,640
They do everything they can
to avoid being detected.

496
00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:44,840
But it's all in vain.

497
00:50:58,440 --> 00:51:03,320
The strange male has appeared
not far from where
the cubs found scent marks.

498
00:51:03,360 --> 00:51:05,600
This is too close for comfort.

499
00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:15,840
Their only option

500
00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:19,720
is to put as much distance
between them and him
as possible.

501
00:51:30,440 --> 00:51:32,920
The cubs have survived
against the odds,

502
00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:35,360
but now
they're in great danger.

503
00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:41,240
With both parents injured
and a rogue male on the loose,

504
00:51:41,280 --> 00:51:43,200
they will need a miracle
to pull through.

505
00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:54,320
In the next Spy in the Jungle
we will find out
if their luck holds.