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In the heart of Asia

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lie vast arid lands.

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They stretch from Arabia
in the west

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to eastern China.

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These deserts
and dry grasslands

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are so hostile,

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they push life to the limit.

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The Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

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A punishing land.

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Half a million square miles
of emptiness.

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Yet it is home to one
of the rarest animals

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on Earth...

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...the Gobi bear.

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Fewer than 40
are known to exist.

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They are so rarely seen,
they were thought to be a myth.

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Life here,
in the arid heart of Asia...

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...has turned them into one of
the toughest animals on Earth.

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This is one of the last
remaining Gobi bears...

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...fewer than ten of which
are female.

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They are clinging to existence.

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In Mongolian,
Gobi means "waterless place”.

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And therein lies
the bears' greatest challenge.

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Sources of water
may be 100 miles apart.

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They face a gruelling trek
across the desert.

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Theirs is a solitary life.

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But there is a place
where they go

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to connect with each other.

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These are ancient poplar trees.

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They use their extremely
long roots to collect water

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from beneath the desert floor.

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There is nothing here
for the bears to drink.

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But these trees
are still important to them.

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As they rub, they leave behind
a unique scent...

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...a message to other bears
to say they've been here.

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But with so few left,

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it may be months
before somebody comes by.

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This could be the closest
they ever come

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to meeting another bear.

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In the search for water,

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the bears follow well-trodden
paths across this vast desert.

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And this is why.

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An oasis...

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...a freshwater spring
fed from deep underground.

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At last, a drink...

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...and a refreshing dip.

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The oases are a lifeline
for the bears...

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...particularly for those
that are extremely precious.

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A Gobi bear cub.

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The future of these bears

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rests on just
a few individuals.

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But this young one is a symbol
of hope for the Gobi bear.

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To escape the heat of the day,

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most animals in the Gobi
emerge at night.

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But they don't all go on
long treks across the desert

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to find water.

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In fact,
some don't drink at all.

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A long-eared jerboa.

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This curious creature

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looks like a mixture
of other species.

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It has a tail
shaped like that of a lion...

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...ears like those
of a rabbit...

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...the snout of a pig...

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...and the legs of a kangaroo.

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But those are features
that make it

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the Gobi's most deadly hunter.

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A beetle...

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...with a subtle scent.

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It's a good start,

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but it will need more,

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not to satisfy its hunger,

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but its thirst.

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That is because
long-eared jerboas

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get all the water they need
from what they eat.

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A juicy grasshopper.

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To track it down,
it uses another sense.

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No other animal has longer ears

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relative to its body length.

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With hearing so acute,

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even the slightest twitch
will give the grasshopper away.

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Don't move now.

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For a little jerboa,
all this action is tiring.

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But it's summer
and the nights are short.

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Jerboas must work fast
to get all the food they need.

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A moth.

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Catching it in near
total darkness

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will require
all the jerboa's skills.

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Nearly!

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One last big jump should do it.

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That's plenty to eat and drink.

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Jerboas must get back
to their burrows

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before dawn brings
the scorching heat of the day.

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The Gobi Desert is one
of the most oppressive places

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on our planet.

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And west of here, in China,
lies the Taklamakan...

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...so hostile it's been called
the Sea of Death.

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But on the southern edge
of Asia's arid heart

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lies a desert
that is full of life.

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The Thar, in India...

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...the most densely populated
desert on Earth...

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...home to 20 million people.

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Surprisingly, it is also filled
with wildlife.

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Demoiselle cranes.

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They have migrated
thousands of miles to get here

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from their breeding grounds
in the north.

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In the village of Khichan,

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the local Jain community

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have a spiritual connection
with animals.

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Jainism teaches
that the path to enlightenment

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is through caring
for all living things...

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...So they welcome the cranes
with open arms.

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Every day, the local people

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put out one tonne of grain.

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This act of kindness
has created

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one of the greatest
bird spectacles on Earth.

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30,000 cranes

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fill this little desert
settlement with life.

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The villagers of Khichan
have become their guardians.

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This was once
no more than a stopover

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on the cranes' migratory route.

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Now, they spend
their entire winter here.

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These deserts offer little
for the people live in them...

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...So for them to give so much
to the cranes

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is astonishingly generous.

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On the edge of the Thar Desert

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lies a parched scrub forest.

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It provides quiet sanctuary,

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away from the hustle and bustle

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that surrounds it.

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This is the last refuge
of a very special big cat...

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...the Asiatic lion.

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They were once found from here
to the Middle East...

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...but now
this small corner of India

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is the last place on Earth

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where they exist.

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Like their African cousins,
they live in prides...

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...though theirs
are somewhat smaller.

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The cubs have a lot to learn

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if they are to survive here.

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They still rely
on their mother's milk,

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but it is drying up.

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And the adults haven't made
a kill for over a week.

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The baking heat

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has stripped the trees

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of their cover...

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...making hunting
particularly tough.

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A chital deer would make
a valuable meal.

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It's time for the cubs
to learn how to hunt.

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With the forest so dry,

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she can't afford
to put a foot wrong.

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Just a bit too keen.

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The next lesson for the cubs

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is to always keep
your eyes and ears open.

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The calls of a hungry crow
are worth tracing.

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A leopard is no match
for a pride of hungry lions.

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With her milk flowing
once again,

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the cubs can now suckle.

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These lions
are clever opportunists...

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...a way of life
the cubs need to quickly learn.

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To the west of India

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lie some of the most
inhospitable deserts

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on the planet.

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The Lut Desert, in Iran...

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...the hottest place
on the Earth's surface...

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...a blistering
80 degrees Celsius.

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Sustaining life
in this otherworldly place

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is all but impossible.

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South of Iran, in Arabia,
lies a vast sea of dunes...

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...the Rub' al Khali,
or Empty Quarter.

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This is the largest expanse
of sand in the world,

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extending over an area greater
than the size of France.

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This desolate land
is entirely shaped by wind.

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But the shifting sands

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help to create life beyond
the borders of this desert.

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Sand from the Rub' al Khali

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is blown into the shallow seas
of the Persian Gulf...

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...where it creates
desert islands.

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Seemingly lifeless,

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this island is host to
an extraordinary gathering.

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60,000 Socotra cormorants.

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They have come here
to raise a family

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out of the reach of predators.

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Just over a week old,

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this chick
is constantly hungry.

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Both parents take turns
to fetch food for it.

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The Persian Gulf
is fertilised by nutrients

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that accompany
the wind-blown sand...

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...and turns its waters
into a rich fishing ground.

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But raising chicks
in the desert is not easy.

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They must be protected
from the searing heat.

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Yet the desert
isn't their biggest threat.

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There is danger within.

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Gangs of juveniles.

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Cormorants feed their young
as frequently as possible

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until they reach
adult weight...

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...and then abandon them.

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This creates mobs
of starving juveniles.

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Their parents return
with fish for their chicks.

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00:26:53,570 --> 00:26:56,824
But the juveniles
have other ideas.

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They mug the adults
for their catch.

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When parents are unable to
get back to the nest with food,

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their partners face a dilemma.

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Stay, and their chicks
may starve...

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...or go to find food, and
leave them exposed to danger.

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The gang is still ravenous.

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Their hunger
drives them to become...

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...cannibals.

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Without food,

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chicks get weaker and weaker.

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00:28:30,292 --> 00:28:32,502
Parents have no choice

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00:28:32,628 --> 00:28:34,379
but to leave.

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All alone.

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00:28:41,678 --> 00:28:46,224
But calling for its parents
may be a very bad idea.

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Saved just in the nick of time.

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00:30:00,257 --> 00:30:03,844
And food finally arrives.

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00:30:30,328 --> 00:30:31,872
As the chicks grow,

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00:30:31,997 --> 00:30:35,917
they will eventually be
abandoned by their parents.

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00:30:37,127 --> 00:30:39,463
So they, too,
may have no choice

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00:30:39,588 --> 00:30:42,549
but to become cannibals.

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00:30:51,767 --> 00:30:56,938
Many of Asia's deserts have
existed for millions of years.

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But here also lies
the youngest desert on Earth.

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On the border of Kazakhstan
and Uzbekistan

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lies the Aralkum.

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Shipwrecks in the desert

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are evidence
of what this used to be.

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00:31:37,062 --> 00:31:42,025
Until recently,
the Aralkum was the Aral Sea,

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the fourth-largest lake
in the world.

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00:31:49,491 --> 00:31:51,368
But in the 1960s,

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00:31:51,493 --> 00:31:54,412
the river that fed
this inland sea

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was dammed upstream
to irrigate cotton fields.

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00:32:04,506 --> 00:32:08,093
Sand that once lay
on the seafloor

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00:32:08,218 --> 00:32:12,472
now gets whipped up
to form towering sandstorms.

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00:32:27,654 --> 00:32:31,783
These storms can travel
eastwards across Asia.

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00:32:40,292 --> 00:32:44,045
Each spring,
they overwhelm whole cities...

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...covering them
in a choking blanket of dust.

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In China,
these devastating storms

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are known as Yellow Dragons.

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As the world warms,

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so Asia's deserts
are expanding.

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They are spreading
into another great arid land...

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...the Eurasian Steppe,

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the largest grassland on Earth.

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00:33:56,868 --> 00:33:59,746
It stretches from Hungary
in the west...

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00:34:02,123 --> 00:34:03,875
...to China in the east...

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00:34:07,003 --> 00:34:10,131
...one-fifth of the way
around the world.

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00:34:16,263 --> 00:34:18,431
The Steppe is semi-arid,

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00:34:18,556 --> 00:34:22,310
getting just enough rainfall
for short grass to grow,

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00:34:22,435 --> 00:34:26,231
but not enough to sustain
tall grass or trees.

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00:34:30,151 --> 00:34:32,862
So, here on the plains
of Mongolia,

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00:34:32,988 --> 00:34:35,407
there are very few
hiding places...

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00:34:40,495 --> 00:34:45,792
...a problem this hungry
Pallas's cat needs to solve.

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00:34:51,756 --> 00:34:54,551
There are plenty
of tiny rodents here.

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00:35:01,808 --> 00:35:05,353
The problem is getting
close enough to catch them.

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00:35:22,412 --> 00:35:26,374
No easy task on an open plain.

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00:35:27,709 --> 00:35:31,087
But she has a way
of dealing with that.

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00:35:33,757 --> 00:35:38,178
Time for a game
of Grandmother's Footsteps.

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00:35:44,934 --> 00:35:46,519
When her prey looks up...

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00:35:47,604 --> 00:35:49,356
...she freezes.

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00:35:55,653 --> 00:35:58,907
When it looks away,
she sneaks closer.

259
00:36:22,555 --> 00:36:25,308
Once within
striking distance...

260
00:36:30,355 --> 00:36:34,150
...she performs
her greatest trick.

261
00:36:38,822 --> 00:36:43,535
Her waggling tail seems
to mesmerise her prey.

262
00:37:06,433 --> 00:37:08,518
It doesn't come
without a fight.

263
00:37:17,152 --> 00:37:21,156
She will need to do this
dozens of times a day...

264
00:37:25,910 --> 00:37:30,957
...because she has
five kittens to care for.

265
00:37:32,959 --> 00:37:35,336
They're barely two months old

266
00:37:35,462 --> 00:37:37,755
and have boundless energy.

267
00:37:57,275 --> 00:38:01,946
With a meal delivered,
she tries to get some rest.

268
00:38:13,708 --> 00:38:16,920
But it's not long before
she's off hunting again.

269
00:38:26,846 --> 00:38:29,474
A mother's work is never done.

270
00:38:37,982 --> 00:38:41,986
The arrival of winter
transforms the Steppe.

271
00:38:44,030 --> 00:38:49,035
Temperatures fall to minus 40
and it's now stripped of grass.

272
00:38:55,500 --> 00:39:00,421
Mongolian gazelles are the
great nomads of these plains.

273
00:39:02,423 --> 00:39:04,676
Their ancient annual migration

274
00:39:04,801 --> 00:39:07,720
takes them south
in search of food.

275
00:39:12,767 --> 00:39:17,647
Most of these hardy creatures
will survive the winter...

276
00:39:20,108 --> 00:39:23,528
...as long as their migration
isn't stopped.

277
00:39:42,589 --> 00:39:47,343
This train is part of
the Trans-Siberian Railway...

278
00:39:50,638 --> 00:39:54,851
...an immense line
over 1,000 miles long...

279
00:39:57,395 --> 00:40:00,148
...connecting Russia
to China...

280
00:40:04,611 --> 00:40:08,615
...splitting this
great grassland in two.

281
00:40:19,334 --> 00:40:21,628
The railway is fenced
on both sides

282
00:40:21,753 --> 00:40:24,839
by razor-sharp barbed wire.

283
00:40:29,552 --> 00:40:33,222
It's there to keep livestock
off the tracks.

284
00:40:35,933 --> 00:40:38,561
But to keep moving south,

285
00:40:38,686 --> 00:40:43,399
gazelles must risk their lives
and get through these fences.

286
00:41:59,809 --> 00:42:03,229
Many gazelles don't make it.

287
00:42:15,158 --> 00:42:18,911
For those caught
between the two fences,

288
00:42:19,036 --> 00:42:21,289
there is yet more danger.

289
00:42:37,597 --> 00:42:39,932
A feral dog...

290
00:42:40,057 --> 00:42:43,060
...patrolling the tracks
in search of prey.

291
00:43:49,919 --> 00:43:53,214
The fence seals
the gazelle's fate.

292
00:44:00,054 --> 00:44:04,308
For those which escape,
the migration continues.

293
00:44:08,896 --> 00:44:13,109
But for many others,
it ends here.

294
00:44:30,626 --> 00:44:34,672
Of all the large animals that
live in this arid grassland,

295
00:44:34,797 --> 00:44:39,468
perhaps the most well adapted
are the horses.

296
00:44:40,636 --> 00:44:42,179
In the 13th century,

297
00:44:42,305 --> 00:44:46,851
Genghis Khan conquered
most of Asia on horseback.

298
00:44:50,021 --> 00:44:53,441
But there is one kind of horse
he never tamed.

299
00:45:02,158 --> 00:45:03,993
These are takhi...

300
00:45:07,330 --> 00:45:10,833
...the last truly wild horses
on Earth.

301
00:45:23,137 --> 00:45:26,515
They live
in small family groups.

302
00:45:30,436 --> 00:45:33,397
It's springtime here
in Mongolia

303
00:45:33,522 --> 00:45:36,317
and there are new foals
to care for.

304
00:45:45,701 --> 00:45:49,330
Grooming reinforces
their family bonds...

305
00:45:51,791 --> 00:45:54,961
...and they will come to rely
on the strength of these bonds

306
00:45:55,086 --> 00:45:56,879
for their survival.

307
00:46:00,758 --> 00:46:05,137
As the sun begins to set,
the atmosphere changes.

308
00:46:08,057 --> 00:46:10,726
The horses are on high alert.

309
00:46:32,415 --> 00:46:36,127
Wolves roam these wild lands.

310
00:46:44,260 --> 00:46:49,015
In the blackness of night,
a wolf has the upper hand.

311
00:47:15,541 --> 00:47:19,295
The mares keep
their precious foals close.

312
00:47:26,802 --> 00:47:29,722
It's they
that the wolf is after.

313
00:48:18,229 --> 00:48:20,981
With the element
of surprise gone,

314
00:48:21,107 --> 00:48:24,068
a lone wolf will not be able
to make a kill...

315
00:48:30,783 --> 00:48:33,619
...So it summons
reinforcements.

316
00:48:52,263 --> 00:48:55,057
The pack aims to cause panic

317
00:48:55,182 --> 00:48:57,518
and grab a foal
in the confusion.

318
00:49:16,412 --> 00:49:18,289
The wolves close in...

319
00:49:28,757 --> 00:49:31,093
...but the horses fight back.

320
00:49:53,824 --> 00:49:55,826
The foal is safe...

321
00:49:55,951 --> 00:49:57,703
...for tonight.

322
00:50:20,935 --> 00:50:23,020
By sticking together,

323
00:50:23,145 --> 00:50:27,066
these horses deal with the many
challenges of the Steppe.

324
00:50:31,695 --> 00:50:34,323
Life in the arid heart of Asia

325
00:50:34,448 --> 00:50:37,409
demands
extraordinary resilience.

326
00:50:41,914 --> 00:50:44,124
And the animals that live here

327
00:50:44,250 --> 00:50:47,294
are among
Asia's great survivors.

328
00:51:12,403 --> 00:51:14,613
The Asia team are heading

329
00:51:14,738 --> 00:51:17,616
to one of the remotest places
on the planet

330
00:51:17,741 --> 00:51:20,995
to film the world's
rarest bear.

331
00:51:32,881 --> 00:51:34,717
Helping in their search

332
00:51:34,842 --> 00:51:39,096
is Gobi bear specialist
Dr Odko Tumendemberel.

333
00:51:40,597 --> 00:51:44,018
I'm a biologist, and I have
been working on Gobi bear

334
00:51:44,143 --> 00:51:45,644
over 15 years.

335
00:51:47,229 --> 00:51:50,858
I love Gobi bears because
they are very unique animals.

336
00:51:50,983 --> 00:51:53,819
It's just amazing
that they can live here,

337
00:51:53,944 --> 00:51:56,071
surviving in this desert.

338
00:51:59,700 --> 00:52:02,745
Odko's knowledge and experience
will be vital

339
00:52:02,870 --> 00:52:05,080
if the crew are to succeed.

340
00:52:08,459 --> 00:52:11,754
Three days and 1,000 miles
of driving later,

341
00:52:11,879 --> 00:52:13,839
they arrive at base camp.

342
00:52:18,177 --> 00:52:20,262
To stand any chance of filming

343
00:52:20,387 --> 00:52:23,140
one of the most elusive animals
on Earth,

344
00:52:23,265 --> 00:52:26,977
cameraman Joe Riis
needs to set up

345
00:52:27,102 --> 00:52:29,104
remotely triggered cameras.

346
00:52:32,649 --> 00:52:37,029
Mongolian biologist Nassa
helps him find the right spots.

347
00:52:38,989 --> 00:52:41,283
Looks like a bear print
right there.

348
00:52:42,701 --> 00:52:44,411
With positive signs of bears,

349
00:52:44,536 --> 00:52:47,956
Joe can get to work
setting up the cameras.

350
00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:54,880
Beautiful, beautiful!

351
00:52:57,633 --> 00:53:01,470
Whilst Joe and Nassa
are out rigging the cameras,

352
00:53:01,595 --> 00:53:04,139
Odko is busy with her work.

353
00:53:05,599 --> 00:53:09,103
She wants to understand how
the bear population has changed

354
00:53:09,228 --> 00:53:13,857
since it was last measured
in 2017.

355
00:53:13,982 --> 00:53:17,569
The last estimate
was 32 individuals.

356
00:53:17,694 --> 00:53:19,947
Since it's a very small
population,

357
00:53:20,072 --> 00:53:24,076
we need to find a way
to increase population size.

358
00:53:25,327 --> 00:53:26,578
Whether Odko discovers

359
00:53:26,703 --> 00:53:29,540
an increase or decrease
in bear numbers

360
00:53:29,665 --> 00:53:32,960
will help decide
the conservation strategy.

361
00:53:33,085 --> 00:53:36,130
We need to understand
how many there are,

362
00:53:36,255 --> 00:53:41,260
and then find a way
to protect these few bears.

363
00:53:41,385 --> 00:53:44,721
To determine the size
of the bear population,

364
00:53:44,847 --> 00:53:47,349
Odko needs their DNA.

365
00:53:49,309 --> 00:53:51,728
She gets it at these feeders.

366
00:53:54,398 --> 00:53:57,276
To help the bears survive
the leaner months,

367
00:53:57,401 --> 00:54:00,529
the national park
puts out extra food.

368
00:54:02,281 --> 00:54:03,907
When the bears visit,

369
00:54:04,032 --> 00:54:07,286
they inevitably leave
a hair sample behind.

370
00:54:09,538 --> 00:54:10,956
Using this method,

371
00:54:11,081 --> 00:54:15,085
Odko has "met” virtually
every surviving Gobi bear

372
00:54:15,210 --> 00:54:16,712
through their DNA.

373
00:54:22,426 --> 00:54:24,553
With the last camera trap
in place,

374
00:54:24,678 --> 00:54:26,430
it's now a waiting game
for Joe.

375
00:54:26,555 --> 00:54:28,640
Looks nice.

376
00:54:28,765 --> 00:54:32,478
Not just a few weeks,
but months.

377
00:54:38,317 --> 00:54:39,943
When Joe returns,

378
00:54:40,068 --> 00:54:43,197
he has no idea
if a bear has been filmed.

379
00:54:47,284 --> 00:54:49,119
No bears.

380
00:54:50,454 --> 00:54:51,872
Nothing.

381
00:54:53,707 --> 00:54:55,209
No bears.

382
00:54:55,334 --> 00:54:58,629
The lack of bears
is concerning for Joe,

383
00:54:58,754 --> 00:55:02,341
but also for those like Odko
who are trying to save them.

384
00:55:04,426 --> 00:55:08,472
I am worried.
We may not have enough time,

385
00:55:08,597 --> 00:55:13,101
but we can try our best to
conserve what we have here now.

386
00:55:15,729 --> 00:55:18,273
And today, the need
to protect the bears

387
00:55:18,398 --> 00:55:20,526
has never been more critical.

388
00:55:22,486 --> 00:55:25,489
Even here in this remote part
of the planet,

389
00:55:25,614 --> 00:55:27,282
there are threats.

390
00:55:31,537 --> 00:55:33,789
In the last 70 years,

391
00:55:33,914 --> 00:55:37,042
average temperatures
in Mongolia have increased

392
00:55:37,167 --> 00:55:39,461
by more than
two degrees Celsius...

393
00:55:41,046 --> 00:55:43,382
...leading to severe droughts.

394
00:55:51,431 --> 00:55:56,353
And vast mineral wealth under
the Gobi leads to mining...

395
00:56:00,899 --> 00:56:02,734
...which is a real threat

396
00:56:02,859 --> 00:56:07,155
to an animal that relies
on space and solitude.

397
00:56:14,413 --> 00:56:16,873
Knowing the threats
facing the bears,

398
00:56:16,999 --> 00:56:21,253
the team decide to leave the
area undisturbed for longer.

399
00:56:30,971 --> 00:56:33,098
Oh, look,
the camera's been moved.

400
00:56:33,223 --> 00:56:36,143
It messed with that camera too,

401
00:56:36,268 --> 00:56:38,604
and that one,
all three of them.

402
00:56:40,063 --> 00:56:43,191
There was
definitely a bear here.

403
00:56:44,901 --> 00:56:47,321
That's Gobi bear hair
right there,

404
00:56:47,446 --> 00:56:50,282
and this...is from its teeth.

405
00:56:52,993 --> 00:56:54,745
Come here, check this out.

406
00:57:01,627 --> 00:57:04,046
Not quite the footage
Joe's after,

407
00:57:04,171 --> 00:57:06,173
but at least
he's getting closer.

408
00:57:07,758 --> 00:57:13,013
I was hoping for a nice couple
of shots of Gobi bears.

409
00:57:13,138 --> 00:57:16,391
What we got is the messed-up
cameras instead!

410
00:57:17,809 --> 00:57:19,227
He keeps checking the cameras

411
00:57:19,353 --> 00:57:23,106
in the hope the bears
have left some alone.

412
00:57:24,191 --> 00:57:26,193
Here comes a bear!

413
00:57:27,527 --> 00:57:29,154
Yes!

414
00:57:30,530 --> 00:57:32,949
Success, at last.

415
00:57:34,868 --> 00:57:37,287
The bear comes
in the water pool right here.

416
00:57:40,165 --> 00:57:41,792
It's amazing!

417
00:57:41,917 --> 00:57:45,921
It's three years of work
for me right here.

418
00:57:53,720 --> 00:57:57,432
And the news just
keeps on getting better.

419
00:57:58,850 --> 00:58:00,602
Joe can't wait to share

420
00:58:00,727 --> 00:58:03,772
the most exciting piece
of footage with the team.

421
00:58:05,148 --> 00:58:06,358
Ah!

422
00:58:14,574 --> 00:58:16,702
So when was the last time
you saw a cub?

423
00:58:19,955 --> 00:58:21,456
In 2015.

424
00:58:21,581 --> 00:58:23,625
Wow, seven years!

425
00:58:23,750 --> 00:58:25,293
It's a long time.

426
00:58:28,922 --> 00:58:32,843
<i>The team's success
is reflected in Odko's study.</i>

427
00:58:35,137 --> 00:58:39,641
Early indications suggest
the bear population is stable.

428
00:58:44,521 --> 00:58:47,190
But with numbers
still in the 30s,

429
00:58:47,315 --> 00:58:51,820
the survival of the Gobi bear
is resting on a knife edge.

430
00:58:53,530 --> 00:58:58,452
It's very hard to achieve
a successful recovery,

431
00:58:58,577 --> 00:59:00,620
but we have to keep going,

432
00:59:00,746 --> 00:59:03,832
and I truly hope

433
00:59:03,957 --> 00:59:07,711
that we can increase
the Gobi bear population.

434
00:59:09,588 --> 00:59:13,675
The cub filmed by the team
is a glimmer of hope.

435
00:59:19,014 --> 00:59:23,518
And Odko's research will bring
some much-needed attention

436
00:59:23,643 --> 00:59:27,564
to the plight
of the world's rarest bear.