Original subtitles

There's lots of very comforting noises coming from next door.

Every year, around the world, thousands of grizzly

bear cubs are orphaned because of conflict with humans.

I was expecting to be bigger.

But in one remarkable place, baby bears are being given a second chance at life.

I'm Gordon Buchanan.

I've come to the Russian wilderness to help a pioneering family of biologists...

rehabilitate six grizzly orbs.

Ten out of ten.

We've got just nine mums to try and get them back to the wild.

But this is the most vulnerable time in their lives.

Everything's stacked against a cub that has lost its mother.

We must prepare them to be wild grizzly bears.

This is too close.

But is it possible for humans to raise these large predators?

That is a bear cub in sheer ecstasy.

And can they survive in the wild without a mother?

This is Russia.

The biggest country in the world.

And it's home to most of our planet's brown bears.

These are Russia's grizzlies.

There are over 100,000 of these bears across this country.

They need huge territories spanning up to 4,000 square kilometres.

So there isn't always enough space for bears and humans to live side by side.

Every now and again there's a break in the trees.

You see where some of the forest has been fed.

There's a field.

There's little hamlets.

And that leads to conflict.

Conflict between these big predators and human beings.

Bears are sensitive to human encroachment.

Every year hundreds of cubs are abandoned when

their mothers are disturbed at their dens.

So I'm heading nine hours north-west of Moscow to the small village of Bubinitsi.

Home to an amazing family that rehabilitates baby bears.

What I want to find out is whether it's possible to rescue an orphaned cub and

successfully and safely return it to the wild.

It's February and six bear cubs have just been rescued.

I've been given unprecedented access to help rehab them back to the wild.

This refuge for baby grizzlies is run by a family of biologists.

The Pajitnovs.

Hello Katya.

Hello.

I'm in the right place.

Katya Pajitnov has rehabbed nearly 100 bear cubs.

She's a world leading expert.

How nice to meet you.

Hello Gordon, nice to see you.

Thank you.

Welcome to Bubinitsi.

Thank you very much.

It's great to be here.

Come in please, we have to feed our bears.

The orphans sleep in wooden boxes designed to replicate dens in the wild.

It starts off like a scene from Jurassic Park.

You hear these unearthly sounds coming from a box.

You open it up expecting there to be a velociraptor in there.

And you've got this tiny, very cute little bear in there.

I suppose it's like human babies.

Human babies make a lot of noise when they need something.

They just need food.

And that's exactly what all this noise is about.

It's just about every one of these bears being hungry.

But while the cubs scream, we have to whisper.

So they don't get used to human voices.

They drink a special formula with the same fat content as double cream.

This takes me back.

My first lesson in rehab is essential.

Baby bears need to be fed 12 times a day.

12 times a day.

Just keep him.

Because he will try to escape.

There you go, pal.

Kind of lost for words.

I was expecting them to be bigger.

I've seen grizzly bears in the past.

And they are huge.

And all of these guys are tiny.

The milk goes down incredibly fast.

Before you know it, 110 mils and it's gone.

It's very surreal.

The cubs are five weeks old.

And way less than a bag of sugar.

They were born blind and have just opened their eyes.

This group is made up of three pairs of brothers.

Pasha and Slava were dumped in a bin near Moscow.

It's suspected poachers killed their mother.

Tolya and Choma were found in a box outside a vet's in St. Petersburg.

Zhenya and Zhora were handed in by loggers who accidentally scared their mum away.

Early on in life, cubs are very vulnerable.

Only half are likely to reach adulthood.

So after each feed, we'll monitor their progress.

Their first milestone is to learn how to crawl.

And some of them are already mobile.

It's a mini bear crash on this area of carpet.

And it just gives them an opportunity to move around.

It's a rare chance to see baby bears at a time

when they would usually be hidden in a den.

Fairly sure to the little trained eye.

You wouldn't know that these were bear cubs, not yet.

Their ears are all still crumpled up.

They don't have the proportions of a bear.

If you look at their faces, you might just think they're puppies.

In fact, actually, their faces look like cubs.

They're nice and quiet.

Kind of piggy.

They're only just starting to crawl.

But we're trying to get these cubs back to the wild in nine months.

How on earth are these animals, these same animals, going to be ready to

actually go off on their own before the end of the year?

It doesn't add up.

In the wild, cubs stay with their mothers until they're two and a half years old.

But the Pajitnovs have created a unique rehab

system that fast-tracks baby bears to independence.

It closely follows cub development in the natural

world and breaks down into three key stages.

Stage one is the house where the cubs are now, which acts as their den.

They'll receive 24-hour care, just like they would from a mother bear in the wild.

In a few months, the cubs will progress to stage two,

a large forest enclosure to replicate den emergence.

Then, after nine months, the cubs will be ready to go.

In a few months, if all's gone well, stage three

will see the orphans released into the wild.

While I help rehab the bears, I'll be living with the family.

I join Katya's husband, Sergei, and his son, Vasa,

for what I'm told is a traditional Russian dinner.

Good evening.

What's... is it Dobry Nochi?

Dobry Veche.

Dobry Veche?

Dobry Veche.

Dobry Veche.

Good evening.

In Scotland, people think that barbecue is just for the summer, so maybe I have to

think differently, because you're out here in the snow cooking chicken.

I'm glad we're not eating outside.

Temperatures tonight will drop to minus 20.

It looks amazing.

Gordon, maybe a little bit of vodka?

OK, OK.

I mean, when I'm in Russia, do as the Russians do.

Thank you for inviting me into your home.

Sit, or...?

To the bottom.

To the bottom?

To the bottom.

That's very nice.

The rehab of baby bears has been passed down

three generations in the Pajitnov family.

It was started by Sergei's father, Valentin, in the mid-'80s.

Since then, this family of biologists have rehabbed

more bear orphans than anyone else in the world.

On average, they rescue ten cubs every year.

It means no holiday, no weekend.

But as we are working together, there are three of us, and we are like one.

A very good working mechanism, organism.

A well-oiled machine.

Yes, well-oiled machine.

What keeps you doing it year after year, January, February after January,

February, the same thing?

Human take a lot from the nature.

We damage it, we harm it, disturb wild animals, wildlife, trees, plants, flowers.

This process of rising up orphan bear cubs, it means

we are paying for something bad made in the world.

Yeah, giving something back.

Yeah.

OK, I think we have to toast the six bear cubs.

OK.

And their lives are in our hands.

As well in your hands.

So give them... Help.

A helping hand.

Yes.

Helping hand.

To the bears.

Helping hand, yeah.

Helping hand.

It's 10pm.

I've been awake for 14 hours.

But I have to do my first night shift.

A mother bear will sleep alongside her cubs to feed them on demand.

Her family replicate this round-the-clock care.

So tonight, I'll be next door to the orphans.

Is this where I'm going to sleep?

Yes.

It is the room specially for bear feeder where you can sleep.

You can have a rest here for several hours because we have to feed them very often.

OK.

Oh.

That's great.

It's perfect.

See you tomorrow.

Good night.

I love you.

I might not need to set an alarm clock if they all start screeching and squawking.

Um, yeah.

I'm not going to need any bell to wake me up.

There's so many flashbacks to when our children were really young.

It feels like a familiar road that I'm walking down.

At midnight, after just two hours' sleep, the orphans are awake and hungry.

Pasha, the smallest cub, is the loudest.

Bears are born during hibernation, so they often scream to get their mother's milk.

Even after they've been fed, a mother bear's work isn't done.

I'm just really replicating what the mother would be doing inside the den.

She's also cleaning them.

She'd be doing them by licking them all over, cleaning them with her tongue.

It's important all the cubs have clean fur.

Each strand of hair traps in heat, keeping them warm.

By the time all the orphans are fed, washed and back to sleep, it's 1.

30 in the morning.

At 5am, they're hungry again.

Russian grizzly bears are most active at dusk and dawn, so the cubs are even louder.

On the mat, the orphans are full of energy.

But one isn't moving like the rest.

Zhora, the biggest cub, is struggling to crawl.

Are you worried about him?

Is that not normal?

You should be more, more developed.

You know, he's very heavy.

And his paws are not very strong.

Before Zhora was rescued, it's thought he didn't eat for a couple of days.

That period of starvation may be slowing his development.

Sadly, it's something Katja has seen before.

Katja's giving him a massage, putting his legs and

his paws into the position that they should be in.

Because what we want to see with every single one of them is development.

In the wild, a cub like Zhora would be unlikely to survive.

In the family's experience, if he doesn't improve in a few

weeks, he'll have to spend the rest of his life in captivity.

The cubs are six weeks old.

It's time for a weigh-in.

Gaining weight is an important indicator to overall baby bear health.

Pasha remains the smallest, but he's growing well.

200 grams in the last 24 hours.

Significant.

So if you only weigh a couple of kilos, it's a bit less of an addition.

200 grams each day, that all starts to add up.

Zhora is also getting heavier.

Is he the biggest?

Yes, he's the biggest.

At three kilos, Zhora is top of the class by weight.

But his lack of mobility is worrying.

The rest of the cubs are beginning to climb.

In the wild, they learn this important skill in the den.

Using branches and roots.

So to practice climbing, the orphans need our help.

We're going to build them a wooden climbing frame.

It's getting solid.

This is exciting.

It's really nice actually.

It's kind of to build something that these cubs are going to use.

It's really a useful stage in their advancement.

It's like building a treehouse for your kids.

But when I did that, my kids never used it.

But I built it.

This is definitely going to be used by the cubs.

Shall we?

Yes, trying.

Easy.

Great.

Okay.

From now on, the whole group will spend up to 12 hours each day with the frame.

The Pajetnovs have discovered that orphan cubs

learn to climb quicker when they're together.

It's March.

Officially, it's the beginning of spring.

But the average daytime temperature is minus five.

The cubs are eight weeks old.

Most of the group are climbing and walking.

But Zhora isn't strong enough to support his body weight.

He uses a climbing frame like a crutch.

It doesn't help that he's getting heavier every day.

At the moment, the cubs are putting on two kilos each week.

In such a short space of time, it really is a miraculous rate of growth.

But these baby bears aren't just growing in size.

Their sense of smell is now fully developed.

It's thought to be seven times more sensitive than a dog's.

This new super sense makes them curious to explore the world around them.

And feeding times now involve an element of crowd control.

It feels a lot like I'm manning the bar at the, um, the cute baby bear pub.

As soon as the pub is opened, the punters start queuing up.

What is it?

The usual?

I think you've been drinking, sir.

I think you've been drinking.

I think we've both been drinking.

Look at the state of you.

I can smell it on your breath.

It's milk.

You too.

I can see it in your eyes.

When I first met the orphans a couple of months ago, they didn't look like bears.

But now, they are mini grizzlies.

Their faces are much rounder, and their ears are kind of unfurled, and they're

sort of more in proportion with their head.

As the cubs grow bigger, it becomes harder to bottle feed them.

So at this age, the Pajitnovs try to feed them from balls.

To do that, the orphans need to be weaned onto solid food.

What is that?

Semolina.

Semolina.

Katia uses fortified semolina porridge.

It's packed with essential nutrients.

And?

Mmm, it's very sweet.

But it's very sweet, yes.

See, this is something I could eat.

The porridge is watered down to begin with, to

help with the transition from bottle to bowl.

Katia and I will feed the bears one at a time, because

learning to bowl feed can be dangerous for the cubs.

If they put their noses too far into the bowls, they can accidentally inhale the

food, leading to pneumonia, which can be fatal.

We start with Zhora, the largest but least developed cub.

Oh, yeah.

Give me one.

No, come on.

Here you go.

OK.

Enough.

We want Zhora to associate the bowl with food.

So before we put it on the floor, we give him a little taste of the porridge.

No, no, don't eat too much.

Sorry.

Let's try it on the floor.

Ten out of ten.

Come on.

Zhora is doing incredibly well.

He was the bear cub that we were most worried about early on.

And look at him.

See, he's standing up on his back legs.

His whole rear end is coming up.

His head's down.

He's mastered feeding from the bowl.

Zhora's development has been slower than the others'.

But now, he's the first to learn how to feed from a bowl.

And he's starting to walk.

He's a little bit unsteady.

But his floor's a bit slippy, so it's maybe not the best surface to show his skills.

But that's exactly what we want to see.

It's a huge relief to see Zhora walking.

But there's no time to celebrate.

With five hungry cubs to feed.

The other orphans get to grips with bowl feeding.

But weaning baby bears is as messy as you might imagine.

I'd say...

80% of the milk goes into their stomachs.

And the 20% goes everywhere else.

The orphans have passed this important milestone in rehab.

From now on, they won't be bottle fed.

They'll eat porridge three times a day.

Okay, sweet dreams.

They're developing so quickly.

It's easy to forget they were only born two months ago.

It's April.

A cold front is keeping temperatures below freezing.

The cubs are ten weeks old.

And they're teething.

Grizzlies have 42 teeth.

Ten more than us.

To relieve teething pains, the cubs chew everything in sight.

Including our cameras.

In the wild, bear cubs would now be leaving their dens to forage with their mothers.

To replicate den emergence for the orphans, we

need to move them outside for the very first time.

The Pozhetnovs have a forest enclosure just for orphaned cubs.

It's 13,000 square metres.

Out here, a hut is their new den.

When the door is opened, the surrounding forest becomes their territory to explore.

This is the most important time in the rehab process.

It's when the orphans will learn to be wild.

From now on, we'll gradually minimise contact with the cubs.

But we need to keep an eye on them.

What we want to do is to be able to film them,

observe them, and not have to be present.

So I've got these fixed-rig cameras that I'm going to set up so that I can actually

film the bear activity from maybe 20, 30 metres back there.

Another camera.

I might cheat it in round this side.

That might be the most direct route for the cable.

The house.

The bear house.

Six unrelated bear cubs would never live as a group in the wild.

But there's a reason for putting them all together.

The Pajutnovs have discovered that without a mother,

orphans need to form their own family to thrive.

To do that, one cub must become the leader.

It's going to need a little bit of fine-tuning, but this is a really good

position because we can see right into the hut.

So we should be able to straightaway see who is the most bold bear.

If any of these bears take one footstep out, into

the snow, we'll see with this camera who it is.

Who's the bravest bear of the bunch?

With the cameras set, it's time to bring the cubs to their new home.

But at their final feed before moving, we discover a problem.

Pasha, the smallest orphan, has lost the use of his legs.

It's just split out.

It's like a starfish.

He's actually waving away the skin on his knees and his hind legs.

In the wild, a cub like Pasha would be

unable to follow its mother during emergence.

The Pajitnovs have never seen this before.

We'll try to treat the sores on his legs with anti-bacterial cream.

But it's going to take time for them to heal.

It's a big worry because as soon as we put the cream on, he starts to move around and

it's all getting wiped off and it might just be in a vicious

circle where it gets worse and worse and worse for him.

It's one thing to see an animal struggle with its development, but it's very

different to see that it's actually physically injuring itself.

All the cubs should be moving to the enclosure today.

But there's no way Pasha could survive outside.

Now that there's more separation in the development of the cubs, it makes me more

worried for Pasha because he is the one that's having troubles.

And you see that much more clearly when you compare him to the likes of Jora.

He's able to feed from the bowl perfectly.

He's able to move around really quickly.

Pasha is nowhere near that.

So what I'm realising now is I think we have to split these cubs up.

It's worrying to break up the group.

But we can't leave Pasha alone.

The decision is made to keep his brother Slava with him.

This should minimise any emotional stress on both of them.

For the other four cubs, it's time to move.

The enclosure is just a kilometre away.

So far, the cubs have only known the inside of heated cabins and our care.

Now, they must learn how to survive in the wild.

We'll see.

Hello, guys.

Bring her.

OK.

As easy as that.

I feel quite weird leaving them in there.

It doesn't feel right, although it's the right thing for them.

The orphans will spend the night in their new den.

Then tomorrow, the door will be opened.

And they'll see the outside world for the very first time.

At seven the next morning, I'm anxious to see how they are.

To ensure this is as close to a den emergence in nature as possible,

it's important the bears don't see me opening the door.

I don't see anyone at the moment.

I'm just going to zoom in.

Oh, yeah, there's cubs.

I can see three.

Three of the cubs.

They're nowhere near the door.

They're about two metres at the back of the...

the back of the den heart.

Let me see if I can see them on the camera that's inside the den.

OK.

Where are you?

Where are you?

Oh, I see you.

What our cubs have right now is the same opportunity that

a mother bear gives her cubs when she opens up the den.

She doesn't throw them out.

She leaves it up to them to sort of make up their own minds to explore.

Look at that.

Zhenya, right on the threshold.

One raised paw away from touching the outside world for the first time.

He has a liberated nose.

He just came out beyond the door.

Come on, fella.

Out you come.

Zhenya is Zhora's brother.

He's the second biggest in the group.

And it seems he's the boldest.

He's out.

He's got one paw in the snow.

Snow is something that you take for granted in

this part of the world at this time of year.

But for this bear cub, it's the first time that

his little paws have ever touched the stuff.

Zhenya is the first orphan to step outside the den.

Will he be the group's leader?

What a little character.

Zhenya has already picked up a survival skill.

Bears can lick snow to stay hydrated.

We are witnessing a bear cub having his very first taste of freedom.

Good on you.

Good on you, Zhenya.

Den emergence can take several days, as cubs build up their confidence.

But Zhenya's first steps might inspire the others.

The bears are 12 weeks old.

They have all left the den.

At this age, their mothers would be leading them into the forest.

But the Pajitnovs have found that without a

mother, the orphans will follow the boldest cub.

In this group, there are two potential leaders.

Zhora and his brother, Zhenya.

Only one can take charge.

They've chosen to have a boxing match on the iciest bit of snow.

Zhenya, with his white streak of fur, has always stood out.

He's the most confident cub.

He dominates his brother, Zhora, who is a late developer.

Thick fur helps protect them during playfights.

But their sharp teeth and claws still pack a punch.

He's the only one who can defend himself.

A triumphant brother emerges.

Against the odds, Zhora is the group's new leader.

He now has the confidence to explore further

from the den, and the others will follow.

So we have Zhora in the lead.

And then Tanya in the back.

Tanya was definitely the lead bear on the first day of opening the den.

And now Zhora has overtaken him.

Amazing considering Zhora was the bear that couldn't walk.

And now he's the boldest of the bunch.

After just a week in the area, Zhora and the others have made a huge leap

in their development.

Pasha and Slava are still stuck inside.

If they don't progress soon, I'm worried they'll remain in captivity for life.

The difference between Pasha and Slava and the other cubs is huge.

It feels like a gulf has opened up between them.

But the good news is that Pasha's wounds are not completely healed.

They're still there.

They're not bleeding.

And he's starting to use his back legs.

Before they were just splayed out like a starfish.

And now they're coming closer and under his body and he's actually using them.

So I would expect within a few days there's going to be a lot more improvement.

And as soon as he starts using his back legs, those wounds will fully heal.

If Pasha keeps improving, we can move him

and his brother Slava to the enclosure soon.

It's mid-April and the thaw has finally begun.

Temperatures are staying above freezing for the first time in six months.

Pasha and Slava finally join the others outside.

Pasha and Slava have been reunited with the

other four cubs and that's as it should be.

I feel that for each of the cubs they're going through this process, this journey,

together and we don't want to see anyone being left behind.

And now they're all able to play together, climb

together, maybe even learn from each other.

In May, daytime temperatures soar to the mid-twenties.

But warm weather brings mosquitoes.

The cubs are four months old.

They now weigh around ten kilos, twenty times their birth weight.

To fuel this rapid growth, they're foraging further from their den.

As adults, 89% of their calories will come from plants.

So the cubs spend up to 12 hours a day looking for food.

Jorah is still the leader.

Pasha remains the smallest.

His legs are completely healed, but he's always at the back of the group.

And when the others climb, he really struggles to keep up.

Grizzly cub claws are curved to help them grip trees.

It's a key skill that helps them escape from predators.

The cubs are becoming expert climbers.

But Pasha lacks confidence.

Just a couple of meters up, he stops and freezes.

Pasha needs to climb higher.

In the wild... Grizzly cub claws are curved to help them keep up.

A predator could reach him down here.

Cautiously he pushes on, testing each branch to check if it'll hold his weight.

If he makes a mistake, it's now a 15 meter drop to the forest floor.

The other cubs are already at the top of the tree.

Grrrrrrr.

Grrrrrr.

Grrrrrr.

Grrrrrrr.

By focusing on the others, Pasha conquers his fears... Grrrrrr.

Making it to 30 meters above the ground.

Grrrrrrrr.

Grrrrrr.

Inspired by his fellow orphans, Pasha has finally learned to climb.

I'm starting to see the secret behind the Pajetnov system of rehab.

They're helping each other master the skills they need to survive.

Now they're all able to climb together, they can all have the next big

opportunity, which is a taste of freedom, a taste of real

freedom, which is when the gate to this big enclosure is opened.

You know, that's when they're real, the biggest challenge really starts for them.

In here they can learn the basics, but outside it's actually out there in the

forest beyond this fence that they really learn to be, to be bears.

Next time, the cubs leave the enclosure and start to live...

like wild grizzlies.

This is too close for comfort.

They've got to learn to make it on their own.

They want them to go out of their depth.

But Pasha struggles to pile on the pounds.

And before release, will the cubs master the skills they need to survive?

Literally just ripping the log apart.