Original subtitles

.

NARRATOR: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL, YOU KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING

TELEVISION THAT'S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.

THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: HI EVERYONE, SHARPEN YOUR CLAWS.

IT'S TIME TO EXPLORE THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF WILD CATS.

I'M DYLAN DREYER AND THIS IS EARTH ODYSSEY.

COMING UP, A RARE LEOPARD CLIMBS THE HIMALAYAS LOOKING FOR THAT

SPECIAL SOMEONE.

AND FROM LYING IN WAIT TO LEAPING INTO ACTION, THIS IS

TRUE CAT POWER.

PLUS, THIS ELEGANT FELINE IS BACK FROM THE BRINK OF

EXTINCTION.

AND COULD THIS RABBIT BE THE MISSING LINK TO KEEP THESE LYNX

ALIVE?

[MUSIC]

THERE ARE 41 LIVING SPECIES OF FELINES AND EACH ONE IS A

LIGHTNING-QUICK PREDATOR.

BUT WILD CATS ARE ELUSIVE AND ALL TOO OFTEN ENDANGERED.

WE BEGIN WITH A REMARKABLE CAT THAT HAS ADAPTED TO LIFE WHERE

THE AIR IS IMPOSSIBLY THIN, IN THE HIGH PEAKS OF THE HIMALAYAS.

9 OUT OF 10 OF THE WORLD'S HIGHEST MOUNTAINS ARE FOUND

IN THE HIMALAYAS.

WITH MORE THAN 100 SUMMITS RISING 24,000 FEET ABOVE SEA

LEVEL.

[MAJESTIC MUSIC]

FARTHER UP THE WESTERN END OF THE RANGE IS A FRIGID WORLD OF

CLIFFS AND ROCK, ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE PLACES ON EARTH.

IT'S A FINAL REFUGE FOR ONE OF THE RAREST AND MOST ELUSIVE

PREDATORS IN INDIA.

BLINK AND YOU'LL MISS HIM.

THE SNOW LEOPARD'S FUR IS THE ULTIMATE MOUNTAIN CAMOUFLAGE.

THE TIME HAS COME FOR THIS MALE TO FIND A MATE.

NOT AN EASY TASK.

WITH A RANGE STRETCHING MORE THAN 15 SQUARE MILES, HE PATROLS

IT CONTINUOUSLY.

UP TO NEARLY 18,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, HE LIVES AT THE

HIGHEST ALTITUDE OF ANY CAT.

HE'S A MOUNTAIN SPECIALIST, SUPERBLY ADAPTED TO LIFE UP

HERE.

THICK FUR TO TACKLE THE COLD, AND A LARGE NASAL CAVITY THAT

WARMS THE COLD MOUNTAIN AIR BEFORE IT REACHES HIS LUNGS.

HUGE PAWS SPREAD AS WEIGHT OVER THE ROCKS, AND A BULKY TAIL

HELPS HIM BALANCE WHILE CLIMBING.

[TENSE MUSIC]

GRAZING ON THE BARREN PEAKS ARE BLUE SHEEP.

[SHEEP BAAING]

ANOTHER SPECIES AT HOME ON STEEP, HIGH ALTITUDE TERRAIN.

CATCHING AN ADULT WOULD PROVIDE THE SNOW LEOPARD WITH ENOUGH

FOOD FOR A WEEK.

BUT EVEN THAT CAN'T TEMPT HIM AWAY FROM HIS MISSION.

HE'LL COVER UP TO 25 MILES EACH DAY IN HIS SEARCH FOR A MATE,

TAKING WEEKS TO COVER HIS ENTIRE TERRITORY.

AND WITH JUST 500 SNOW LEOPARDS SPREAD ACROSS THE INDIAN

HIMALAYAS, HIS MISSION SEEMS FUTILE...

[CALM MUSIC]

UNTIL THE HAUNTING CALL OF ANOTHER SNOW LEOPARD.

[DISTANT SNOW LEOPARD YOWLING]

[YOWLING CONTINUES]

COULD THIS BE IT?

[FEMALE SNOW LEOPARD YOWLING]

THE MALE CALLS BACK.

[MALE SNOW LEOPARD YOWLING IN RESPONSE]

BUT THE MOUNTAINS HAVE GONE SILENT.

FORTUNATELY, HE HAS ANOTHER WAY OF LETTING THE MYSTERY CALLER

KNOW THAT HE'S IN THE AREA.

HE CAN LEAVE A MESSAGE.

HE LEAVES HIS SCENT ON A NEARBY ROCK.

A SENSORY DATING PROFILE ADVERTISING TO THE FEMALE SNOW

LEOPARD.

WITH A LITTLE LUCK, HIS SEARCH COULD SOON BE OVER.

THE SURVIVAL OF THIS RARE AND BEAUTIFUL SPECIES DEPENDS ON IT.

COMING UP, IT'S A CAT FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL WHEN THESE LEOPARDS

FACE OFF AGAINST LIONS.

PLUS, A PETITE PREDATOR WITH A STANDOUT SET OF EARS.

AND THE BUNNIES ARE BOUNCING BACK IN THESE HILLS, BUT SOMEONE

IS WATCHING.

MORE WILDCAT TALES WHEN EARTH ODYSSEY RETURNS.

NARRATOR: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: OF ALL THE BIG CATS IN AFRICA,

THE LEOPARD IS THE SMALLEST.

WHICH CAN PUT HER AT A DISTINCT DISADVANTAGE.

LEOPARDS COMPETE DIRECTLY WITH THE BIGGER FELINES, LIKE THE

FORMIDABLE LIONS OF THE SAVANNAH.

WHILE A LEOPARD MIGHT WEIGH 80 TO 200 POUNDS, A LION CAN WEIGH

IN AT 500 POUNDS.

AND LIONS WON'T HESITATE TO ATTACK A LEOPARD IN A FIGHT OVER

PREY OR TO PROTECT THEIR CUBS.

THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THE LEOPARD IS A MASTER OF STEALTH.

THIS MOTHER IS SHY, ELUSIVE, AND SECRETIVE, ESPECIALLY WHEN HER

CUBS ARE INVOLVED.

FOR THE FIRST SIX WEEKS OF LIFE, THEY'VE SPENT THEIR TIME HIDDEN

AWAY IN A DEN.

BUT NOW THEY'VE BEGUN EXPLORING.

[PLAYFUL MUSIC]

THE GROWING CUBS FACE THE SAME DANGERS AS THEIR MOTHER, BUT

THEY DON'T HAVE THE SIZE OR THE STRENGTH TO DEFEND THEMSELVES

YET.

ON AVERAGE, ONLY ONE IN THREE OF HER CUBS WILL MAKE IT TO

ADULTHOOD.

AND ONE CARELESS DECISION CAN PUT THEM IN DANGER.

THE CUBS WILL STAY WITH THEIR MOM FOR TWO YEARS, BUT THE

BIGGER THEY GET, THE MORE FOOD SHE NEEDS TO EAT AND BRING HOME.

THAT MEANS TAKING RISKS, LIKE HUNTING IN THE DAYTIME.

[TENSE TMUSIC]

NORMALLY NOCTURNAL, LEOPARDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE SPOTTED BY

RIVAL PREDATORS IN DAYLIGHT.

THIS FIELD IS TOO OPEN, AND THE ANTELOPES ARE TOO FAST FOR A

BRAZEN ATTACK.

BUT SHE HAS A PLAN.

USING THE COVER OF A DRY RIVERBED, SHE MAKES HER WAY INTO

THE CENTER OF THE HERD.

SHE NEEDS TO GET CLOSE, AROUND FIVE YARDS FROM HER TARGET.

SHE SPRINGS.

[INTENSE MUSIC]

BUT IT'S TOO LATE.

THE ANTELOPE HAVE SEEN HER.

SO SHE'LL HEAD HOME.

[CALM MUSIC]

ALTHOUGH RELATIVELY SMALL, THE LEOPARD IS THE MOST WIDESPREAD

OF ALL THE BIG CATS LIVING IN HABITATS ACROSS AFRICA AND ASIA.

IN NORTHWESTERN INDIA, THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE SITS ON THE EDGE

OF A GREAT DESERT.

LESS THAN EIGHT INCHES OF RAIN FALL HERE IN A WHOLE YEAR.

AND TEMPERATURES EASILY TOP 100 DEGREES.

BUT HERE, THE LEOPARD IS AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN.

[MAJESTIC MUSIC, VOCALS]

THIS MALE IS A VERSATILE LONE HUNTER, ADAPTED TO LIVING IN

THESE ARID CONDITIONS.

SLIGHTLY SMALLER, BUT MORE MUSCULAR THAN HIS AFRICAN

COUSINS, HE CAN GO 10 DAYS WITHOUT A DROP OF WATER.

BUT TODAY, HE NEEDS TO BE FULLY HYDRATED.

HE LAST ATE SEVEN DAYS AGO, SO A HUNT IS OVERDUE.

[TENSE MUSIC]

HIS ROSETTE CAMOUFLAGE IS JUST AS EFFECTIVE HERE IN THE DRY

BRUSH AS IT IS IN THE JUNGLE.

BUT HE'LL STILL ONLY HIT HIS MARK 20 PERCENT OF THE TIME.

HE SETS A SIGHT ON THE NILGAI, THE LARGEST ANTELOPE IN ASIA.

BUT NILGAI CAN BE THREE TIMES HEAVIER THAN HIM.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

HE WAITS.

HIS SENSES ARE ON ALERT.

[BIRD SQUAWKING]

BUT SOMEONE ELSE IS WATCHING.

IT COULD BE A RIVAL MALE.

[SOFT MUSIC]

BUT IT'S NOT A RIVAL.

IT'S HIS MATE.

WITH ONLY SMALL NUMBERS OF INDIAN LEOPARDS LEFT IN THE

REGION, IT'S RARE TO CATCH THEIR SOCIAL SIDE.

THIS PAIR WILL SPEND JUST FOUR DAYS TOGETHER.

WITH LUCK, IN A FEW MONTHS, THEIR SPECIES' STORY OF SURVIVAL

WILL BEGIN AGAIN WITH A BRAND NEW LITTER OF CUBS.

COMING UP, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY A CAT WALKS THAT

LETS US KNOW WHO'S REALLY IN CHARGE.

AND DOES THIS RABBIT STAND A CHANCE AGAINST A WILD CAT WITH A

PLAN?

DON'T GO AWAY.

EARTH ODYSSEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

NARRATOR: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: EUROPE'S WILD LANDSCAPES HAVE BEEN FOREVER CHANGED BY

CENTURIES OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION.

THE ANIMALS THERE HAVE HAD TO ADAPT TO SURVIVE.

BUT AFTER NEARLY DISAPPEARING, ONE RARE AND FANTASTIC FELINE IS

MAKING A DELICATE COMEBACK, THANKS IN PART TO THE

REINTRODUCTION OF ITS FAVORITE FOOD.

THE IBERIAN PENINSULA IS A REMARKABLE EUROPEAN HABITAT.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL BUT UNFORGIVING TERRITORY.

[ADVENTUROUS MUSIC]

YET WILDLIFE HAS FOUND MANY WAYS TO THRIVE HERE, BOTH ON LAND

AND IN THE SKIES.

IN AN IMMENSE LANDSCAPE SHAPED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY, WILD AND

DOMESTIC ANIMAL SPECIES MUST SHARE NATURE'S GIFTS AND

CHALLENGES.

IN THIS THRILLING ECOSYSTEM THERE ARE FIERCE CONFRONTATIONS

AND INSPIRING SURVIVAL STORIES OF SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC

INHABITANTS OF THE PENINSULA.

LIKE THE IBERIAN LYNX, THE PRESENCE OF THE BIGGEST FELINE

OF THE REGION IS ENOUGH TO MAKE EVERYBODY NERVOUS.

PERFECTLY ADAPTED TO THIS ENVIRONMENT, THE LYNX EMBODIES

THE ESSENCE OF THE IBERIAN HUNTER.

[TENSE MUSIC]

AN APEX PREDATOR, HE ROAMS FREELY THROUGHOUT HIS TERRITORY

SEARCHING FOR PREY.

BUT IT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS.

IN RECENT TIMES, THE LYNX CAME DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO EXTINCTION.

HABITAT LOSS, POACHING, AND THE LACK OF PREY SPECIES WERE WHAT

MADE IT SO HARD FOR THEM TO SURVIVE.

IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY, FEWER THAN 100

INDIVIDUALS LIVED IN ONLY ONE SMALL TERRITORY IN SOUTHERN

SPAIN.

FORTUNATELY, IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, THE POPULATION OF THE

IBERIAN LYNX HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY.

THANKS TO CONSERVATION EFFORTS CARRIED OUT IN BOTH SPAIN AND

PORTUGAL, WE CAN NOW HOPE FOR BETTER DAYS FOR THE FUTURE OF

THIS MAGNIFICENT ANIMAL.

COMING UP, CONSERVATIONISTS STEP IN TO SAVE ONE FURRY SPECIES TO

KEEP ANOTHER ALIVE.

FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS REMARKABLE WILDLIFE STORY WHEN

EARTH ODYSSEY RETURNS.

NARRATOR: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: HERE IN SOUTHERN SPAIN, THE FIRST RAYS OF SUNLIGHT

FINALLY REACH THE HILLS.

THIS PATCH OF FOREST HAS SERVED AS THE LAST STRONGHOLD FOR THE

LYNX.

[SOFT MUSIC]

CONSERVATIONISTS HAVE PLACED RABBIT WARRENS HERE TO PROVIDE

ADDITIONAL SHELTER AND ENCOURAGE BREEDING.

THE EUROPEAN RABBIT, NATIVE TO THE IBERIAN PENINSULA AND THE

SOUTH OF FRANCE, IS ONE THE KEYSTONE SPECIES OF

MEDITERRANEAN ECOSYSTEMS.

BUT WHEN A VIRUS HELPED DECIMATE THE RABBIT POPULATION IN THE

1980S, PREDATOR POPULATIONS ALSO FELL DRASTICALLY.

IN ALL, ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF RABBITS DISAPPEARED AND THE

LYNX ALONG WITH THEM.

BUT NOW, WITH THE HELP OF DEDICATED CONSERVATION EFFORTS,

THE RABBITS ARE AGAIN A COMMON PRESENCE IN SOME PARTS OF THE

PENINSULA.

AND ONCE AGAIN, SO ARE THEIR PREDATORS.

[BIRDS SQUAWKING]

SOME OF THE LOCALS HAVE SENSED DANGER.

THIS LYNX IS LOOKING FOR HIS NEXT MEAL.

AND A RABBIT WOULD BE THE PERFECT CATCH.

[SQUAWKING CONTINUES, PLAYFUL MUSIC]

BUT THE RABBIT SENSES HIS PRESENCE AND FLEES.

[LYNX GROWLS]

THE LYNX CONTINUES STALKING, MOVING THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE

WITH THE HOPE OF CATCHING A LESS CAREFUL RABBIT.

[TENSE MUSIC]

HE MOVES SILENTLY.

BUT ONCE AGAIN, THE RABBIT RUNS AWAY.

THIS IS THE ETERNAL DANCE BETWEEN PREDATOR AND PREY.

ONLY THE MOST CUNNING AND CLEVER WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.

NEAR HIS LAIR, THIS RABBIT TAKES NO CHANCES AND HIDES IN HIS

LITTLE MAN-MADE FORTRESS.

[LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC]

THE LYNX APPROACHES THE DEN AND TRIES A DIFFERENT STRATEGY.

HE KNOWS THE RABBIT IS INSIDE.

BUT THERE IS AN INTRICATE NETWORK OF UNDERGROUND TUNNELS.

THE RABBIT MIGHT BE ANYWHERE.

TRYING TO DECEIVE THE RABBIT, THE LYNX MARKS ALL THE ENTRIES

EXCEPT FOR ONE AND WAITS CAREFULLY AT ITS SIDE.

IF THE RABBIT DOESN'T SMELL HIM, IT MAY COME OUT THROUGH THE

CHOSEN EXIT.

IT CAN BE A VERY LONG WAIT.

BUT SOMETIMES WAITING IS ALL THERE IS LEFT TO DO.

[LYNX GROWLING]

IN THE END, PERHAPS IT'S TIME FOR THIS HUNTER TO FIND ANOTHER

OPPORTUNITY.

WE'VE JUST SEEN HOW PRECIOUS SPECIES LIKE THE IBERIAN LYNX

AND THE SNOW LEOPARD HELP SHAPE THE ENVIRONMENTS THEY LIVE IN.

I'M DYLAN DREYER.

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

JOIN US FOR ANOTHER WILDLIFE ADVENTURE SOON ON EARTH ODYSSEY.

[MUSIC]