All language subtitles for BAE21EA0F0E94D82496EE0B367AE7D2B_eng

India, a Land of
powerful extremes.

The wet season
is A time of plenty.

When there's water,
life Is good for everyone.

But for three months a year

These plains become a
Blistering, arid wilderness,

And every creature walks a
fine Line between life and death.

Survival means holding out
Until the monsoon rains return.

But what if the rains fail?

A mother bear and
Her two young cubs

Must find a way to outlast
the Crushing indian dry season.

But, even if they can,

Will they just be leaping from
The frying pan into the fire?

May on the indian plains;

Almost the end of a
Three-month hot, dry season.

Ambling through this
Jagged and barren landscape

Is a remarkable creature.

Bibi is an
eight-year-old Sloth bear.

She's out in the swelteringheat
Searching for breakfast.

Standing three feet
Tall at the shoulder

And weighing in at 200 pounds,

She's just 2/3 the size of
A female american grizzly

But she's strong for her size.

She's easily able to
Turn over large rocks

And even small boulders.

This morning, she's
Looking for insects,

Which make up most of her diet.

Sloth bears are normally
Solitary and forage at night,

But bibi is out in the day

For a very particular
She's a mother.

Eight months ago, at the end
Of the last monsoon season,

She gave birth to twins.

They were born naked and blind,

And each weighed only one pound.

She nursed them and kept them

In the safety of a cave
For the first two months.

Once they were old enough,

They began venturing
Out with their mother

Into her territory
During the day.

Sloth bears can be extremely
Aggressive and territorial.

By avoiding going out at night,

Bibi reduces the risk of
Running into other sloth bears,

Particularly adult males
Who could easily kill a cub.

The family's daytime forays

Also lessen the chance of
Running into larger predators

Like tigers and leopards,

And even bigger
Danger to her infants.

Bibi is raising her cubs
In the daroji reserve

In the indian
State of karnataka.

Along the coast runs
The western ghats,

A vast ridge of mountains

That directly influences
The weather far inland.

From may to september,

The mountains capture
Moisture-laden winds

Coming from the arabian sea,

Forming clouds that burst
Inland during the monsoon.

These annual rains are
a Lifeline in a landscape

Dominated by deciduous
Scrub and thorn forests,

Which for the rest of the
Year lies dry and parched.

In this harsh environment,

Bibi has chosen a great
Place to base her family.

Her one square-mile
Home range is centered

Around a small clearing
With rocky outcrops.

With groundwater
Close to the surface,

It's a fertile oasis even now,

Towards the end
Of the dry season.

It's a refuge that
Hasn't gone unnoticed

By other mothers on the plains.

These bonnet macaques
Live here year-round

So they and their infants
know The best spots to find food.

Using their sensitive fingers,
They explore everything.

They stuff their cheek
Pouches with leaves,

Grasses, fruits and insects.

This allows them
To carry their meal

To a safe place to enjoy later,

And also keeps their hands
Free for a quick getaway,

Which is often necessary.

Dining al fresco makes them
Easy targets for predators.

Bibi is no threat
To the monkeys,

She's more gatherer than hunter.

After the last monsoon,

The family made the
most Of the fruiting trees.

More than 3/4 of their
Diet was this delicacy.

But by may the fruit
Has almost disappeared.

Luckily for bibi, during
Lean times she can adapt.

She and her cubs specialize
In eating ants and termites.

At this time of year
90% of their diet

Is made up of these
Abundant insects.

Termites are a highly
Specialized form of cockroach.

Social animals, they
Live in vast colonies,

Sometimes millions strong.

Their nests can
Exist far underground

And can be as hard as concrete.

They're made from feces,

Soil and partly
Digested plant material,

Glued together with saliva.

Not an easy barrier for
Any animal to get past.

What's more, the ground
Here is covered in boulders.

So, how's a hungry
bear To find the termites,

And then get at them?

Fortunately for
Bibi and her cubs,

Sloth bears have a
Technique for that.

They're equipped with
An acute sense of smell,

And can detect termites
Three feet underground.

Once bibi finds the entrance,

Even 100-pound rocks
Aren't much of a problem.

But now that she's uncovered
The nest, she has to open it.

Three-inch, curved
Claws on her front paws

Are perfectly shaped

For digging through
Rock-hard termite nests.

With these formidable
Tools, a hairless snout,

And long, flexible lips,

She can access a rich
food Supply that others can't.

Blowing off the dirt,

She sucks up the bugs
Like a vacuum cleaner.

By watching their mother,

Her young cubs learn exactly
How to do it for themselves.

Sloth bears are so
well Adapted to this diet

That they're missing
Their two front teeth,

So they can suck and
Snuffle more efficiently.

They can even close
Their nostrils on demand

To stop insects from
Crawling into their nose.

There doesn't seem
to Be anything slothful

About these sloth bears.

At just eight months old, the
Cubs aren't yet strong enough

To lift the large rocks
Or dig for themselves,

But bibi will
Supplement their diet

By nursing them for at
Least another four months.

So as long as
There's enough food,

Bibi can provide all
The milk her cubs need.

Bibi's foraging doesn't help
Only her and her offspring.

Other species loiter to take
Advantage of what she uncovers.

It helps birds like
The grey francolin,

And the painted spurfowl,

Which make the most
of Any leftover termites.

The loose soil also
Provides other benefits.

Bibi's churned-up dirt
Makes the perfect bath.

The dust removes parasites
And absorbs excess oil.

It's a technique
Used by many birds

The world over to keep
their Wings in good condition,

Which in turn helps them
Escape from predators.

Having healthy
wings Primed for flight

Isn't the only reason birds

Keep their feathers
Looking their best.

It's breeding season, and
Males know that females

Go for a bird with
Natty plumage.

For a peacock, it's
All about the tail.

And a tail this grand
needs A lot of looking after.

It takes more than an
Occasional dust bath.

The national bird of india

Spends 50% more time
Preening than other birds.

Not surprising, when
His glamorous train

Can reach over five feet long.

Having the best tail,
In the best condition,

With the most eyespots,

Is the key to success
With the ladies.

Microscopic structures
On the feathers' barbs

Shimmer with
Spectacular iridescence.

Males position themselves
In relation to the sun

To make sure their feathers
Look as impressive as possible.

If his feathers
Meet with approval,

A male can win a harem
Of up to five females.

But while it's a great
Courtship strategy,

Standing out can also
Attract unwelcome attention

From the competition.

During mating season,
Males gather together

In an area known as a lek,
Where they vie for the females.

Within the lek, each male
Has his own, small territory.

And it's annoying
When the neighbors

Start trespassing on your turf.

No self-respecting
Peacock is going to share.

Keeping it clear of intruders
Can be a full-time job.

Having successfully
Defended his patch,

Now all he needs is
The females to turn up.

As may turns to june,
The monsoon rains

Should soon arrive.

The midday heat now
Touches 90 degrees.

The cubs have learned from mom

And are starting to
Search for their own food.

But in the shadows of the rocks

Where they're foraging
Hides a deadly surprise.

Scorpions, equipped
With vice-like pincers,

Venomous stings
and Lightning-fast,

Aggressive reflexes.

More than 100 different
Species are found in india,

Including some of the
most Venomous in the world.

Although this one's venom

Isn't likely to Kill
an adult bear,

It could deliver a painful
Sting to a young cub.

Bibi knows to steer
Clear of scorpions,

But her cubs haven't learned
Which creatures to avoid.

Their soft snouts probe
The nooks and crannies.

Thankfully this
Scorpion isn't deadly,

But a painful pinch has just
Delivered an important lesson.

Frightened, they run
Straight for their mother

And both climb on board.

Sloth bears are the only bears

That routinely carry their
Offspring on their backs.

It's a behavior developed

To help the cubs
Save precious energy,

And allows bibi to protect
Them from predators,

Big and small.

Out of harm's way, the
Family retreats to its cave

On the edge of the clearing.

Since she gave birth
Here eight months ago,

This cave has been
The family home.

It still provides safety
And relief from the heat

While they wait for the rains.

By the end of june, the
Rains still haven't arrived.

Drought is setting in.

It's a real threat
To the peacocks;

But they have more than
Just their own survival

To think about.

They must pass on their
genes While there's still time.

Peacocks have a
limited Window for mating.

If they don't breed
In the next few weeks,

They won't breed at all,

And will have to
Wait until next year,

If they survive that long.

This male is in his prime.

He has successfully
fought Off the competition,

And preened
himself To perfection.

But does he understand the
Basic principles of courtship?

First, pick your target,

Preferably one
That's not a rock.

Choosing an animal is better,

But maybe not a mongoose,

Or a monkey.

At last, he's on
The right track.

But turning his back on her

Might be sending
The wrong signal.

Looks like romeo
has Blown his chance.

He's got to get this
Right, and soon.

Most peacocks lose their tail
Feathers by the end of august,

So time is running out.

With the relief of
The monsoon still

Nowhere to be seen,

Trees and plants
are Starting to wilt;

And, with them, the last of
The macaques' food supply.

These mothers
need To be well fed

To produce milk
For their infants.

Like all mammals, without
Enough to eat themselves,

Their supply will dry up.

And in the 90-degree heat,
Without its mother's milk,

A nursing infant will
Almost certainly die.

In times of drought, 80%
of These babies will starve.

Although young females inherit

Their mother's position
In the troop's hierarchy,

All the infants scuffle To
assert their dominance.

Even at this young age,
Social rank is all-important.

When food is scarce,
Animals higher up the ladder

Have better access
to The finite resources.

Being at the top
Of the hierarchy

Still doesn't necessarily mean

You have the pick of the food.

Bibi and her cubs are here too,

Scouring the ground for insects.

Bears, macaques
And peacocks alike

Search for what's
Still available.

-on the far side of the clearing,
-despite the wait for rain,

Another species has
A schedule to keep.

This is a colony of
Baya weaver birds.

And these
peculiar-looking Structures

Are the early stages
of Their intricate nests.

The males alone do the weaving.

They tear long, thin strands
From leaves and grasses,

Then carefully thread
And knot them together

Into the foundations
Of their complex nests,

Anchored in the branches.

They will make more
Than 500 separate trips

Back and forth to create
Their tubular masterpieces.

All this activity is

To impress a watching female.

She has the perfect
Vantage point

From which to choose a partner.

Flapping his wings, each
Male vies for her attention.

She carefully inspects
Both building-sites.

She needs to
choose The structure

Most likely to
Provide a secure home

For her precious clutch
Of up to four eggs.

It needs to be high
Enough off the ground,

And on the thinnest
Possible branch,

To be safely out of
Reach of predators.

Yet the nest and branch
Must also be strong enough

To withstand the monsoon
Storms, if they arrive.

She chooses one that's
Been perfectly executed.

This male's attention to
Detail has won him the girl.

Now that he's got a mate,

He needs to hurry up
and Finish the construction.

Rain or no rain, this
Female will lay her eggs

Within the next few weeks.

As june turns to july,

The monsoon is now
more Than a month overdue.

The baking sun is
Transforming the landscape.

Any residual water is gradually
Being sucked from the earth.

The ground buckles and breaks.

Dry and parched, these
Plains are fast becoming

A harsh wasteland.

Even bibi's clearing
Is starting to dry out.

But it's still a magnet forother
Animals seeking sanctuary.

An old female ambles
Slowly into the area.

She's blind in one
Eye, and her scars

Tell the tale of a
Tough and eventful life.

It's always a
Fight for survival.

Sloth bears can live
-well into their 20 -s,

And life is hard
For this old-timer.

Nearly blind, she
Must rely solely

On her sense of smell
To search for food.

There are ants
Under this cactus,

But she can't quite reach them.

She's hungry and exhausted.

In the relentless heat,

Today everything is
Just too much effort.

Bibi and her cubs
Return to the clearing

From foraging nearby.

They immediately catch the scent

Of the intruder in their patch.

But bibi needn't be worried.

Female bears rarely
Attack each other's cubs

And, with her failing health,
This old lady is no threat.

They can peacefully
Share the clearing

And the food it provides.

There's another
reason For bibi to relax.

This elderly female
is Actually her mother.

Their home ranges overlap,

And she's been coming
to The clearing for years.

It's the old female
Who taught her daughter

How to find food in
This precious place,

Just as bibi is now passing

This knowledge
on To her own cubs.

In years when the monsoon
Rains fail completely,

This handed-down wisdom
Could mean the difference

Between life and death.

But even in the
oasis Of the clearing,

Groundwater is
now Harder to find.

Without water to drink,

None of these bears
Will make it through.

If the monsoon
Doesn't arrive soon,

Bibi might have to
make A difficult decision.

Leaving her small
Sanctuary could give her

The chance to find food
And water elsewhere.

But it's a risk.

The land beyond the boundaries

Of her home range is an unknown.

Over recent years,
Increasing human population

Has led to significant
Habitat loss

And forest fragmentation
Across india.

It's a huge problem
For all sloth bears.

Their numbers are declining
as They struggle to find a safe,

Secure place to live that
Will provide all they need.

So, leaving their home
And everything they know

Could put bibi's cubs
At much greater risk.

For now, she decides
they're Better off staying put.

But if the rains don't come,

Her clearing won't remain
Asafe haven for very much longer.

The next day, the
Wind has picked up.

It could be a sign that
The weather is changing.

But right now, it's
Causing problems

For some of the
animals In the clearing.

Peacocks struggle with
Their outrageous tails.

The prime male managed to mate

With a harem of three peahens.

His tail has worked its magic,

But it now shows
signs Of wear and tear.

It's been two months
Since the baya weavers

Started to build their nests,

But not all of Them
have survived.

The weaker structures
Have been blown down,

While others stand
Unfinished and abandoned.

But those that have
survived Are nearly complete.

Their entrance tunnels have
Been painstakingly elongated

To deter potential
Predators such as snakes.

The female made
The right choice.

Her mate's nest has
Withstood the wind.

Inside, the female makes sure

The nest chamber is just right.

She'll soon lay her
Eggs, which will take

Just over two weeks to hatch,

So she can't take any
chances With the preparations.

In a normal year,
The monsoon rains

Would already have triggered
An explosion of insects,

Enough to provide their chicks

With all the food
They need to survive.

But without the rains
There are fewer insects,

Which means their
Chicks will starve.

All their hard work
Could prove futile

If the rains don't come soon.

As the days without
Rain drag on,

Life for everyone is reduced
To the bare necessities.

With the easy targets
Already picked over,

Bibi and her cubs must
Now spend 10 hours a day

Looking for food,
twice As long as normal.

In the macaque troop,
Hunger makes tempers flare.

Male adults vie for dominance.

They must fight
Repeatedly to determine

Their position in the hierarchy.

The higher up they are,

The better their access to
The dwindling food supplies.

So, despite risk of injury,

Winning this fight could be
Vital to the male's survival.

As quickly as it
started, The fight is over.

This male has secured his
Rights to the limited rations.

A new hierarchy
is In place, for now,

And no one has
been Seriously injured.

For some, the extended
Drought is of little matter.

This is a male
Peninsular rock agama.

He gets all the
Moisture he needs

From the insects in his diet,

So he's untroubled
By the lack of rain.

Which means he can concentrate

On another key
to Finding a mate.

As with all males that
Live in this clearing,

That takes work.

He's already traded-up
his Usual dull brown coloring

To spectacular black
And yellow stripes,

His outfit for the
Breeding season.

Now, just like the
Peacocks and baya weavers,

He has to impress
His potential mate.

First off, get her attention.

Push-ups are a good start.

She's intrigued.

But the one thing that
Will really make him

Stand out is his bravery.

To demonstrate just how
Fearless he is, he needs to get

To the highest possible
Point in his territory.

Just to get there will
Be a challenge in itself.

It's 10 yards away,
No walk in the park

When you're less than a foot
Long, and most of that is tail!

And you never know
Who you'll run into.

Long sharp claws
And a rough tail

Help him grip the
Sheer rockface.

Finally, he makes it to the top,

Where he stands in all
His glory for all to see.

And this is the point of
His courtship strategy.

Utter bravado.

He knows, and, more
Importantly, she knows,

That his bright
Colors could easily

Draw the attention of
aerial Predators, like raptors.

By perching high
up Here he's saying,

In effect, "Bring it on."

And, just in case she's
Missed his manly indifference

To danger, he has one
More trick up his sleeve.

A costume change!

Male agamas can
rapidly Dial up their color

From yellow to
red And back again.

It's like announcing, "Here
I am; come and get me!"

Boldness and style,
What's not to like?

She's fallen for his charms.

He can now return to lower
Ground, and seal the deal.

Now that they've
Mated, the female agama

Must join the wait
For the monsoon.

Rainwater will loosen the soil,

Making it easier for her to
Dig a safe burrow for her eggs.

While the agama lizard's
Brave display won him a mate,

It could have easily
Ended in disaster.

When times are tough,
Predators are always

On the look-out for
An easy opportunity.

But others are on
The look-out too.

The macaques have seen
the Danger, and protest loudly.

Their piercing alarm
Calls warn the troop,

And other animals nearby.

A leopard.

Leopards normally hunt by night,

But the prolonged drought is
Making everybody desperate.

Even in the relative
Safety of their cave,

Bibi's cubs are nervous.

Leopards and tigers
Are the only predators

Large enough to
Prey on the family,

But the leopard would be foolish

To take on a
Full-grown mother bear.

At around 80 pounds, it is
Less than half bibi's weight,

And would likely
Suffer serious injury

If it got anywhere near
Bibi's slashing claws.

The cubs are a different
Matter, so bibi stands guard.

Sloth bears normally
Come out at night.

But to keep them away from
the Usually nocturnal leopards,

Bibi specifically chooses

To take her cubs
Out during the day.

This change in behavior is
Particularly important now.

At 10 months old the cubs
Have grown to 90 pounds,

And are too big for bibi to
Carry them both to safety.

If they need to escape, they'll
Have to run for themselves.

A leopard in broad daylight,
However, is conspicuous,

And there are too many eyes

Around the clearing for
Him to be a real threat.

But he'll be back, waiting
For the animals here

To grow weaker as the
Monsoon failure drags on.

And he's not the only
Danger in the clearing.

Two male sloth
Bears have arrived,

Looking for any
Food they can find.

At 300 pounds, males
Weigh about 1/3 more

Than females like bibi,

With power and
Aggression to match.

This could be disastrous
For bibi and her cubs.

Male sloth bears are
Known to kill infants

To try to bring their
Mothers back into oestrus.

Bibi can sense the
Tension in the air.

She keeps her cubs
At a safe distance.

And a good thing too.

With their sharp claws
And large canine teeth,

Spats like this can turn
Deadly at the best of times.

With drought forcing
Hungry and stressed animals

Into ever-smaller areas,
More fights will break out.

It is now late july,

And the rains are more
Than two months late.

It's crunch time for bibi.

Even in a good year,

1/3 of all sloth bear
Cubs won't survive.

And this is not a good year.

But things are about to change.

Clouds.

Bringing first a few drops.

Then more.

And finally, a torrent of water.

The monsoon rains have arrived.

They inundate the landscape,

Bringing plants and
animals Back from the brink.

It's a last-minute
Reprieve for all.

Over the coming weeks,
Themonsoon will transform the area,

From dry and dusty,
To lush and verdant.

Trees flourish in the rainfall,

Bursting with
Flowers and fruits.

Insects emerge and
Reproduce in their millions,

Enough for all the
Birds, and bears,

To feed on in the coming months.

The feast that follows
The famine is here,

And not a moment too soon.

From the edge of starvation,

The spurfowl and
Francolin have made it

Through the long dry season,

And their chicks now
Begin to put on weight.

The baya weavers
have Defended their nest,

And extended the
entrance Hall still further.

They now have a family of
their Own to protect and support.

It's the females' turn
To put in the hard work,

Catching insects
to Feed their chicks.

The rains have made
Finding food much easier,

And the male
occasionally Helps out too.

Groundwater appears, flowing
In streams across the rocks.

Pools transform the
Clearing once again

Into a life-saving oasis.

It draws in bears
And other animals

From all across the area.

Where the cubs were once
At risk from other bears,

Now it's different.

With so much food
And water to be had,

Even the males
Tolerate each other.

For bibi, the arrival of The
monsoon marks a victory.

She has ensured her
Cubs have survived

The toughest season
She's ever known.

She's taught them

Which bears to avoid and when,

Which animals to steer clear of,

And, most of all,
Where to find food

When the going gets tough.

Bibi will look after her Cubs
for another nine months,

Until the start of
The next monsoon.

Thanks to her guidance,

The cubs have had the
best Possible start to life,

And are well-prepared for
When they must leave her

And set out on their own.