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00:00:34,242 --> 00:00:40,079
At the bottom of the world,
far from any human settlement,

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rising from the waters of
the cruel southern ocean...

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there is an island.

4
00:00:51,177 --> 00:00:52,885
South Georgia.

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It's a harsh place
battered by Antarctic weather.

6
00:01:15,577 --> 00:01:18,531
But it is also a refuge.

7
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As spring warms the shore
and the snow melts,

8
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all manner of characters come.

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The albatross, which can circle
the world in a single flight,

10
00:01:39,519 --> 00:01:41,393
chooses to make its nest here.

11
00:01:48,069 --> 00:01:53,230
The lumbering elephant seals
haul their enormous bodies
clear of the surf.

12
00:02:01,041 --> 00:02:04,457
And fur seals come ashore
in their thousands.

13
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Their presence draws predators.

14
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Patrolling offshore
killer whales.

15
00:02:19,018 --> 00:02:21,391
And savage leopard seals.

16
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From the skies, thieving skuas.

17
00:02:29,821 --> 00:02:32,692
And the bloodthirsty giant petrels.

18
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Yet it is another group
that dominates.

19
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Penguins.

20
00:02:49,467 --> 00:02:51,839
King penguins.

21
00:03:12,282 --> 00:03:16,576
One of them, a young bachelor,
is returning home.

22
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This is his journey.

23
00:03:35,348 --> 00:03:38,764
He hatched on this beach
four years ago.

24
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He's flanked by two loyal cousins.

25
00:03:49,070 --> 00:03:52,819
The three of them have completed
an epic voyage,

26
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the one all king penguins make
as soon as they're free
of their parents.

27
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They've barely set foot on dry land
in almost three years.

28
00:04:06,731 --> 00:04:08,731
But now, they're back.

29
00:04:14,931 --> 00:04:17,683
The fur seals still make a fuss.

30
00:04:37,204 --> 00:04:40,905
The elephant seals
still hog the beach.

31
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The skuas are still here,
looking for whatever they can steal.

32
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No, the old place
hasn't changed much.

33
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But these three have.

34
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When they left, they were
barely more than chicks.

35
00:05:09,696 --> 00:05:12,448
Now, they're all grown up.

36
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Well...nearly.

37
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They make their way
up through the suburbs.

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Finally, it lies before them.

39
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Penguin City.

40
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Our bachelor heads straight in,
and leaves his cousin standing.

41
00:06:00,499 --> 00:06:05,245
First, he sees
the established males,
each guarding an egg.

42
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There are thousands
of half-grown chicks,

43
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each one someone's responsibility.

44
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Though they hatched
several months ago,

45
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it will be weeks before
they're ready to leave.

46
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There are young males here,
squabbling over unattached females.

47
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And everywhere he looks,
there are couples.

48
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This entire city is devoted
to the business of breeding.

49
00:07:04,482 --> 00:07:09,358
Our childless, footloose bachelor
hasn't yet found his place.

50
00:07:13,909 --> 00:07:18,286
Where he fits in exactly
is not at all clear.

51
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It's possible to be quite lonely
in a crowd.

52
00:07:49,112 --> 00:07:50,772
But then...

53
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who's that?

54
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She sees him staring...

55
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and meets his eye.

56
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They've clicked.

57
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But...

58
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he's got an itch.

59
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He knows exactly what this is.

60
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It's nature's way
of ruining his chances.

61
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And she is not impressed.

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He's too distracted to notice
that she's left.

63
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And before long...

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he's in the middle of it.

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The moult.

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Every single one of his feathers
is falling out.

67
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Of course, he's not the only one.

68
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And he's joined in his misery
by his cousins.

69
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What began as a glorious homecoming

70
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has become an endurance test.

71
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His coat of new feathers
isn't yet waterproof,

72
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so he isn't going anywhere
until this is over.

73
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The moult takes two long weeks...

74
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leaving our bachelor underfed
and very fed up.

75
00:10:11,344 --> 00:10:15,673
Only when it's finished can he go back
to sea to find something to eat.

76
00:10:41,834 --> 00:10:44,835
Three weeks have passed
since our bachelor left,

77
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skinny and beaten
in a cloud of old feathers.

78
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But now,
he's back.

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He's got one thing on his mind
and he won't be stopped.

80
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Certainly not by a gang
of fur seals.

81
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He's fished, he's fat
and he's going to find that female.

82
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This is a walk that talks.
And though there are many females
in Penguin City,

83
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this is a message
meant for just one.

84
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She's almost certainly
not where he left her.

85
00:12:13,805 --> 00:12:16,592
What if she's taken up
with someone else?

86
00:12:31,406 --> 00:12:35,027
No, she's right there.

87
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And she looks just as good.

88
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She casts an eye over
his brand-new feathers...

89
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and turns her back.

90
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Our king's not about to give up.

91
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He rushes to get in front of her.

92
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When he's sure
she's paying attention...

93
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he bows.

94
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And she copies him.

95
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That's a good sign.

96
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And now he must stand tall.

97
00:13:39,477 --> 00:13:42,478
He's shown what he has to offer...

98
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it's up to her.

99
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The choice is made.

100
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This time, she makes
the first gesture.

101
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He's never done this before,
but he knows how the ritual works.

102
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And so does she.

103
00:14:38,789 --> 00:14:42,288
This special strut is all for her,

104
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while they look for a patch of ground
to make a home and rear a chick.

105
00:14:56,224 --> 00:15:00,091
This is the place.
Intimacies can now commence.

106
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Eventually, she feels his feet
on the small of her back.

107
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And there's a brief balancing act.

108
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Our king and his mate are partners.

109
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In the coming months, they will
often be hundreds of miles apart.

110
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But they will be linked
by the same shared purpose.

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To bring a new life into the world.

112
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There's not much
by way of a honeymoon.

113
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Penguin couples aren't big
on being alone together.

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They're joined by dozens of others,
playing in the surf.

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This is one brief chance
for the two of them to have fun.

116
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Life is about to become
a lot harder.

117
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On the hillside, the albatrosses,
like our penguins,

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are romancing one another
with a dance.

119
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While far below, our king's life
has been turned upside down.

120
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12 days after that first encounter,
he finds himself sitting on an egg.

121
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Immediately after
his partner laid it,

122
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she passed it over to him
to keep it warm.

123
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Now, the couple must divide up
the work.

124
00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:31,061
When the chick hatches,
it will need feeding.

125
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One of them needs to collect
a bellyful of fish.

126
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That's for her to do.

127
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His task is to sit tight
and keep guard.

128
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Off she goes.

129
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While she's gone,
he stays rooted to the spot.

130
00:19:36,850 --> 00:19:41,310
It will be 55 days
from laying to hatching.

131
00:19:52,866 --> 00:19:59,071
One of the cousins has taken up
a position next to our king,
guarding an egg of his own.

132
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The nights are bitterly cold.

133
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He and his cousin and a thousand
other males are all in it together.

134
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His mate is out there alone.

135
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And her journey to find fish
takes her hundreds of miles.

136
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Only a thin shell separates him
from his chick,

137
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and it can hear him.

138
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It will hatch knowing his voice.

139
00:21:03,982 --> 00:21:05,939
It's not always tranquil.

140
00:21:08,070 --> 00:21:10,109
There are scuffles.

141
00:21:26,088 --> 00:21:29,208
He had built up reserves of fat.

142
00:21:30,676 --> 00:21:34,626
Now, with nothing to eat,
he's losing weight.

143
00:21:37,684 --> 00:21:40,601
And still, she keeps fishing.

144
00:21:43,231 --> 00:21:47,146
She is no longer hungry,
but she has to keep eating.

145
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Back on the island,

146
00:21:56,329 --> 00:22:01,113
the males have to stand
no matter what the weather.

147
00:22:14,555 --> 00:22:20,926
With every passing day, our king
leaves his bachelor life
further and further behind.

148
00:22:33,867 --> 00:22:36,323
Skuas.

149
00:22:36,829 --> 00:22:38,157
Two of them.

150
00:22:39,582 --> 00:22:41,408
They want eggs.

151
00:22:43,043 --> 00:22:45,001
Our king mustn't move.

152
00:23:01,146 --> 00:23:04,479
A barrage of angry calls
deflects one.

153
00:23:06,693 --> 00:23:08,485
But not the other.

154
00:23:14,243 --> 00:23:16,615
The skua taunts him.

155
00:23:17,413 --> 00:23:20,782
If our king lunges,
he will expose his egg.

156
00:23:22,793 --> 00:23:25,119
And that is what the skua wants.

157
00:23:57,746 --> 00:23:59,656
Our king's egg...

158
00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,282
is still safe.

159
00:24:09,509 --> 00:24:12,675
And now his partner
is coming back.

160
00:24:22,355 --> 00:24:25,974
Even in a crowd,
he can recognise her voice.

161
00:24:34,993 --> 00:24:38,363
But in his excitement,
he's relaxed his guard.

162
00:24:41,584 --> 00:24:43,292
He's got to get it back.

163
00:24:49,217 --> 00:24:51,008
Here she comes.

164
00:25:10,030 --> 00:25:11,524
Just in time.

165
00:25:17,705 --> 00:25:21,405
He stood tall,
and the egg is undamaged.

166
00:25:35,515 --> 00:25:38,884
Slowly,
summer creeps over the island.

167
00:25:43,481 --> 00:25:47,811
Like our king, the albatross
has been guarding an egg.

168
00:25:55,744 --> 00:25:59,078
The fur seal pups have arrived
and are growing fast.

169
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:06,077
And in Penguin City, life is
as comfortable as it will ever be.

170
00:26:09,425 --> 00:26:12,510
Our king keeps on talking
to his egg

171
00:26:12,929 --> 00:26:16,713
and he and his partner wait
amongst the crowd.

172
00:26:34,034 --> 00:26:39,029
For him and his cousin,
fatherhood is a long time coming.

173
00:26:46,172 --> 00:26:50,039
He feels a little movement
on the top of his feet.

174
00:27:05,859 --> 00:27:10,438
Their chick -
tiny, bald and perfect.

175
00:27:34,722 --> 00:27:40,595
Our new mother steps in,
and for the first time she feeds it.

176
00:27:51,031 --> 00:27:56,571
Both parents will have to work hard
if the chick is to have
any chance of survival.

177
00:27:57,705 --> 00:28:03,873
There are more dangers here
than mere cold and hunger.

178
00:28:28,654 --> 00:28:33,114
Our king and his mate
are now committed to a way of life.

179
00:28:35,327 --> 00:28:39,028
One which means that they will
rarely be together for long.

180
00:28:41,542 --> 00:28:46,209
It's his turn to go,
and hers to stay.

181
00:28:49,050 --> 00:28:55,095
She will protect and feed
their chick until he returns.

182
00:29:05,108 --> 00:29:10,150
For the first time in a long time,
he gets to leave Penguin City...

183
00:29:12,407 --> 00:29:20,203
to swim, fish and eat.
He is starving.

184
00:29:27,798 --> 00:29:30,206
He can barely contain himself.

185
00:29:36,099 --> 00:29:38,720
His cousin has not been so lucky.

186
00:29:39,644 --> 00:29:43,227
His egg has remained silent.

187
00:29:47,277 --> 00:29:50,444
Only when he dares to
look at it closely

188
00:29:52,644 --> 00:29:58,844
does he see that he has been
sitting on a stone all this time

189
00:30:09,884 --> 00:30:14,213
He and the other cousin
might as well go fishing too.

190
00:30:21,104 --> 00:30:23,560
They meet our king on the shoreline.

191
00:30:28,862 --> 00:30:30,487
A crowd is gathering.

192
00:30:48,883 --> 00:30:51,837
Our trio joins the party.

193
00:30:57,475 --> 00:31:01,520
They all assemble in the shallows
to set out hunting as a pack,

194
00:31:02,355 --> 00:31:05,392
just as they did
in their bachelor days.

195
00:31:16,787 --> 00:31:20,156
But so much splashing
attracts attention.

196
00:31:23,377 --> 00:31:27,126
Though our king can't see it,
there's something in the water.

197
00:31:54,868 --> 00:31:56,612
It's a leopard seal.

198
00:32:13,638 --> 00:32:16,888
Our king has had
a very narrow escape.

199
00:32:18,685 --> 00:32:21,556
He and the others
bolt for the open sea.

200
00:32:30,489 --> 00:32:33,905
Four days have passed
since its father left,

201
00:32:34,201 --> 00:32:37,202
and the chick is still
begging for more fish.

202
00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,796
It still has only the thinnest
covering of feathers

203
00:32:54,055 --> 00:32:56,427
and can easily become cold.

204
00:32:57,308 --> 00:33:00,226
It's growing, though, and fast.

205
00:33:10,197 --> 00:33:14,195
The skua is still prowling,
but it won't do more than look,

206
00:33:14,451 --> 00:33:16,527
not with Mum right there.

207
00:33:18,831 --> 00:33:21,832
The chick has no sense of danger.

208
00:33:22,793 --> 00:33:24,703
It's just inquisitive.

209
00:33:28,049 --> 00:33:31,500
And it doesn't yet know
what its wings are for.

210
00:33:51,156 --> 00:33:56,198
And while the albatross,
the biggest bird of them all,
soars far above them,

211
00:33:56,453 --> 00:34:00,202
it heads back beneath its mother
for warmth.

212
00:34:05,588 --> 00:34:10,464
The albatross is setting out
on a hunting trip of its own.

213
00:34:12,387 --> 00:34:18,805
It too has a chick to feed.
Already bigger than
a fully grown king,

214
00:34:19,686 --> 00:34:24,348
waiting while its father
heads far out to sea.

215
00:34:34,243 --> 00:34:37,861
Here, our one-time bachelor
is working hard.

216
00:34:43,878 --> 00:34:46,832
Nothing beats diving at dusk.

217
00:34:59,477 --> 00:35:04,768
A shoal of glowing lantern fish
rises as if to meet him.

218
00:35:36,808 --> 00:35:40,557
It's been two weeks
since our king left.

219
00:35:44,399 --> 00:35:49,061
Our chick begs for more of what little
food remains in its mother's stomach.

220
00:36:09,467 --> 00:36:12,717
The mother can't carry on like this
for ever.

221
00:36:12,929 --> 00:36:18,089
If her partner doesn't come soon, she
will have to make a terrible choice.

222
00:36:18,852 --> 00:36:22,932
Either she or the chick
will starve.

223
00:36:26,234 --> 00:36:29,568
But the fishing party
is on its way back.

224
00:36:47,757 --> 00:36:51,422
It's an orca - a killer whale.

225
00:36:53,763 --> 00:36:57,097
If it catches them,
it will rip them to pieces.

226
00:37:29,759 --> 00:37:31,633
That was close.

227
00:37:31,844 --> 00:37:36,388
If the orca had spotted them
just a little further out to sea,

228
00:37:37,058 --> 00:37:41,008
well, Penguin City would have
three fewer penguins.

229
00:37:52,783 --> 00:37:54,941
But in their haste to get ashore,

230
00:37:56,412 --> 00:37:59,247
they have landed at the wrong end
of the beach.

231
00:38:09,258 --> 00:38:13,885
All the king wants to do is to get back
to his partner and feed his chick.

232
00:38:14,305 --> 00:38:17,141
But there is new trouble.

233
00:38:19,394 --> 00:38:21,137
Elephant seals.

234
00:38:23,523 --> 00:38:25,765
At least 20 of them.

235
00:38:26,943 --> 00:38:32,400
60 tonnes of blubber and flatulence.

236
00:38:40,499 --> 00:38:43,287
And they don't like being disturbed.

237
00:38:48,758 --> 00:38:51,047
Well, they can't go back.

238
00:38:52,387 --> 00:38:54,178
They can't go round.

239
00:38:56,141 --> 00:38:59,973
The only option
is to find a way through.

240
00:39:03,941 --> 00:39:07,941
Our king seizes the moment
and leads a death-or-glory charge.

241
00:39:14,952 --> 00:39:16,411
Bad idea.

242
00:39:33,221 --> 00:39:35,297
It's time to regroup.

243
00:39:37,183 --> 00:39:40,350
Perhaps a more stealthy approach
would be better.

244
00:39:46,276 --> 00:39:47,605
Not that way.

245
00:39:56,412 --> 00:39:57,692
Or that way.

246
00:40:10,468 --> 00:40:12,674
Our king spots his chance.

247
00:40:16,725 --> 00:40:19,132
He leads his cousins through.

248
00:40:36,412 --> 00:40:41,406
A city full of penguins,
each with its own cry.

249
00:40:43,085 --> 00:40:47,130
Despite this,
our king can call right across them

250
00:40:47,423 --> 00:40:50,377
and still hear the answer
he's hoping for.

251
00:41:23,002 --> 00:41:28,708
In the time he's spent away, his chick
has changed almost beyond recognition.

252
00:41:33,304 --> 00:41:36,389
For the first time,
he can take over.

253
00:41:45,442 --> 00:41:48,776
Another step towards
becoming a true king.

254
00:41:52,491 --> 00:41:58,411
Between them, these two
will do everything they can
to keep their chick from hunger.

255
00:42:16,683 --> 00:42:21,012
For our cousins, the homecoming
has been rather different.

256
00:42:25,067 --> 00:42:29,645
They watch how their old companion
is taking to his new role as father.

257
00:42:30,072 --> 00:42:33,904
It seems every male around them
has made the same step.

258
00:42:36,537 --> 00:42:38,743
So they're both a little lost.

259
00:42:41,625 --> 00:42:44,745
This one really wants a chick.

260
00:42:46,422 --> 00:42:49,708
That overpowering desire
has never left him.

261
00:43:00,812 --> 00:43:06,980
As the urge grows,
he looks for any small chick
that he might take as his own.

262
00:44:00,791 --> 00:44:05,204
Best for the cousins to leave
until it all blows over.

263
00:44:41,542 --> 00:44:47,129
Our couple must prepare their chick
for the first great test of its life.

264
00:44:50,218 --> 00:44:54,679
They're using these short summer
months to build up its strength.

265
00:44:55,849 --> 00:44:59,099
It has a layer of fat
and a thick coat.

266
00:45:00,687 --> 00:45:05,183
And it will need both
when the weather worsens.

267
00:45:08,028 --> 00:45:10,733
But it will need something else too...

268
00:45:13,951 --> 00:45:15,149
toughness.

269
00:45:19,832 --> 00:45:23,700
It will have to stand and endure
whatever the weather.

270
00:45:26,047 --> 00:45:29,879
And it will only learn that
by being left on its own.

271
00:46:28,028 --> 00:46:32,026
They can hear its cries
above the noise of the city,

272
00:46:33,283 --> 00:46:36,368
but this is what they have to do.

273
00:46:40,499 --> 00:46:44,877
And so their chick goes from being
the centre of its parents' world

274
00:46:45,087 --> 00:46:49,915
to become just one amongst many
in a huge penguin creche.

275
00:46:54,597 --> 00:46:56,756
Both go fishing now.

276
00:46:57,183 --> 00:46:59,971
Their chick needs ever more food.

277
00:47:03,523 --> 00:47:07,769
For the best chance of success,
as soon as they reach open water,

278
00:47:08,070 --> 00:47:10,477
they will head out
in different directions.

279
00:47:15,452 --> 00:47:19,497
The dangers of the ocean await them
once again.

280
00:47:20,541 --> 00:47:24,954
Their chick can only hope
that its parents make it back.

281
00:47:54,410 --> 00:47:57,826
The creche in Penguin City is
the largest on earth.

282
00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:00,120
There are thousands here.

283
00:48:00,916 --> 00:48:05,128
With its parents gone,
our chick's best option

284
00:48:05,379 --> 00:48:07,621
is to join in with the others.

285
00:48:24,483 --> 00:48:28,433
They're all the same age
and all abandoned.

286
00:48:29,196 --> 00:48:32,446
For now, this will be
our chick's home.

287
00:48:42,001 --> 00:48:47,043
While our king has gone out to sea,
his cousins have stayed
close to the shore.

288
00:48:47,382 --> 00:48:50,548
They have only themselves
to look after.

289
00:48:53,638 --> 00:48:58,886
They only need a place to go while
the fuss in Penguin City dies down.

290
00:49:01,146 --> 00:49:03,719
They've never landed on this beach
before

291
00:49:03,940 --> 00:49:06,895
and they're met with a sound
they don't recognise.

292
00:49:14,201 --> 00:49:16,823
This is another city.

293
00:49:18,372 --> 00:49:21,290
Different penguins, different rules.

294
00:49:22,793 --> 00:49:24,252
This is the home...

295
00:49:26,172 --> 00:49:28,129
of the Macaronis.

296
00:49:31,928 --> 00:49:34,217
They live life at a faster pace.

297
00:49:44,900 --> 00:49:46,939
They're a quarrelsome lot.

298
00:49:51,407 --> 00:49:53,648
If the cousins were expecting
a welcome...

299
00:49:54,493 --> 00:49:55,774
they've got it wrong.

300
00:49:57,496 --> 00:50:01,906
And for the second time
they have to beat a hasty retreat.

301
00:50:06,547 --> 00:50:10,841
The next bay along was once packed
with fur seals.

302
00:50:14,389 --> 00:50:18,339
Now, only the dead
and the fatally weak remain.

303
00:50:22,105 --> 00:50:26,732
It wasn't the skuas that did this,
but something much worse.

304
00:50:29,696 --> 00:50:31,570
Giant petrels.

305
00:50:34,952 --> 00:50:38,072
They aren't scavengers,
they're killers.

306
00:50:52,136 --> 00:50:58,715
When giant petrels feed, all they
leave behind is skin and bone.

307
00:51:09,029 --> 00:51:11,105
Our cousins have seen enough.

308
00:51:13,867 --> 00:51:16,405
They're heading straight back
to Penguin City.

309
00:51:26,923 --> 00:51:31,134
If the petrels find any creature
that is weak or vulnerable,

310
00:51:31,511 --> 00:51:34,631
any chick that's not
properly protected...

311
00:51:36,766 --> 00:51:38,510
they will attack it.

312
00:51:59,749 --> 00:52:03,749
Autumn. Snow hits the island.

313
00:52:04,629 --> 00:52:07,499
This is something
our chick has never known.

314
00:52:12,512 --> 00:52:15,846
Not so long ago
its mother kept it warm.

315
00:52:16,891 --> 00:52:21,933
Now, she is gone, and a coat of down
is hardly a substitute.

316
00:52:26,652 --> 00:52:31,278
And there are some things against
which it offers no protection at all.

317
00:52:36,120 --> 00:52:41,280
Over on the edge of the city, two
birds our chick doesn't recognise.

318
00:52:55,974 --> 00:52:57,848
It needs its parents.

319
00:53:05,317 --> 00:53:09,066
Our mother is labouring away,
catching fish.

320
00:53:15,119 --> 00:53:19,033
But she's not finding many
that are suitable for penguins.

321
00:53:20,458 --> 00:53:24,206
She has no choice,
she must keep going.

322
00:53:37,100 --> 00:53:42,011
From out of the crowd,
two familiar figures...

323
00:53:42,397 --> 00:53:44,354
our cousins.

324
00:53:44,941 --> 00:53:48,145
In spite of everything,
they're welcome here.

325
00:53:49,363 --> 00:53:52,862
There are dozens of chicks
who need protecting.

326
00:53:54,493 --> 00:53:58,111
Penguins rely on
strength in numbers.

327
00:54:00,374 --> 00:54:03,660
No such comfort for our king
out at sea.

328
00:54:08,633 --> 00:54:13,010
He's trying to head home,
but a storm overtakes him.

329
00:54:34,326 --> 00:54:37,945
He's alone, and the ocean is
battering him.

330
00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:53,877
Back on the beach, the cousins are
in no mood to tolerate a skua.

331
00:54:59,978 --> 00:55:02,647
They have greater dangers
to deal with.

332
00:55:23,461 --> 00:55:27,625
The few adults still here
patrol the edges of the creche.

333
00:55:29,634 --> 00:55:31,627
But they can't be everywhere.

334
00:55:33,847 --> 00:55:37,216
Our king's two cousins
take up their posts.

335
00:55:55,077 --> 00:55:57,319
There are petrels on all sides.

336
00:56:14,013 --> 00:56:16,469
At first they're just probing,

337
00:56:16,683 --> 00:56:20,052
seeing how vigorously the adults
will defend their charges.

338
00:56:26,318 --> 00:56:29,023
Then they start to attack.

339
00:56:55,306 --> 00:56:57,465
Nothing can stop them.

340
00:56:57,809 --> 00:57:01,937
And without its parents,
our chick is easy prey.

341
00:57:11,532 --> 00:57:16,277
Free of the storm, our king seizes
his chance and strikes out for a home.

342
00:57:22,960 --> 00:57:25,997
The petrels are now amongst
the chicks.

343
00:57:29,676 --> 00:57:31,834
Now they can do as they please.

344
00:57:52,783 --> 00:57:55,025
Our king is nearing the shore.

345
00:57:55,494 --> 00:57:57,902
He can see the city ahead of him.

346
00:58:00,875 --> 00:58:04,208
But the petrels are now in
our chick's part of the creche.

347
00:58:28,946 --> 00:58:31,615
The killers see no need to rush.

348
00:58:32,533 --> 00:58:35,320
This one has picked its next target.

349
00:58:37,872 --> 00:58:39,496
It wants our chick.

350
00:59:42,606 --> 00:59:45,013
Our king spurs his cousins
into action.

351
00:59:45,317 --> 00:59:48,567
Together, they rally the other
penguins to fight back.

352
01:01:09,780 --> 01:01:12,698
Our king feeds his youngster.

353
01:01:22,084 --> 01:01:25,869
And when it begs again,
he feeds it again.

354
01:01:28,591 --> 01:01:30,833
Leaving the chick has tested it.

355
01:01:31,636 --> 01:01:34,008
Our king has been tested too...

356
01:01:34,973 --> 01:01:37,179
and has proved himself.

357
01:01:42,022 --> 01:01:44,478
But something is missing.

358
01:01:47,069 --> 01:01:51,530
There are only two of them here.
There should be three.

359
01:01:52,366 --> 01:01:54,524
Where is his mate?

360
01:02:00,791 --> 01:02:02,665
She is on her way back.

361
01:02:04,962 --> 01:02:06,754
The sea is calm.

362
01:02:07,966 --> 01:02:11,085
Calm enough for her
to swim with ease.

363
01:02:13,805 --> 01:02:18,301
Calm enough too for her
to spot a tell-tale fin.

364
01:04:51,803 --> 01:04:54,175
Our king waits...

365
01:04:55,390 --> 01:04:58,261
but all there is now for him...

366
01:04:59,394 --> 01:05:01,850
is his chick...

367
01:05:02,648 --> 01:05:04,771
and a question.

368
01:05:06,318 --> 01:05:09,853
How can he possibly raise his
youngster to adulthood...

369
01:05:12,032 --> 01:05:13,859
on his own?

370
01:05:26,673 --> 01:05:28,416
Winter.

371
01:05:29,175 --> 01:05:32,710
The macaronis feel it
and start to leave.

372
01:05:45,317 --> 01:05:48,603
And when the other creatures
on the island see them going,

373
01:05:49,488 --> 01:05:53,189
they know it's time for them
to start leaving, too.

374
01:06:51,970 --> 01:06:55,006
The last few seals
will soon be gone,

375
01:06:55,473 --> 01:06:59,056
but Penguin City will remain.

376
01:07:03,065 --> 01:07:08,439
Our king must bring his youngster
through the harshest of times.

377
01:07:30,134 --> 01:07:34,595
It will be months before it can
go to sea and fish for itself.

378
01:07:40,228 --> 01:07:45,270
Our king feeds the youngster
when he can, with what he can.

379
01:07:46,485 --> 01:07:48,941
He can only hunt for short periods

380
01:07:49,154 --> 01:07:54,397
but he must do so whenever possible,
or his chick will starve.

381
01:08:02,960 --> 01:08:07,421
They must battle
both hunger and the cold.

382
01:08:08,800 --> 01:08:13,177
In the depths of winter,
the king penguins stand alone.

383
01:08:28,153 --> 01:08:29,897
This is the time

384
01:08:30,280 --> 01:08:33,282
when many parents fail.

385
01:08:33,659 --> 01:08:36,280
And many chicks fall.

386
01:08:40,750 --> 01:08:45,459
It's the last and toughest leg
of our king's journey.

387
01:09:08,529 --> 01:09:13,321
It takes four months
until at last the weather eases.

388
01:09:24,504 --> 01:09:27,255
A trace of green returns...

389
01:09:29,884 --> 01:09:33,716
and the melting snow
runs down to the sea.

390
01:10:02,293 --> 01:10:07,536
The macaronis swarm back onto the land,
bringing the spring with them.

391
01:10:17,184 --> 01:10:22,679
The young albatross, now ten months
old, takes its first flight.

392
01:10:28,904 --> 01:10:32,902
Slowly, the whole island
is coming back to life.

393
01:10:35,077 --> 01:10:36,869
The same rituals...

394
01:10:40,166 --> 01:10:42,075
the same faces.

395
01:11:01,271 --> 01:11:03,347
And in Penguin City...

396
01:11:05,651 --> 01:11:09,435
our youngster is alive and well.

397
01:11:11,574 --> 01:11:16,651
Our king still has to feed
his youngster, even though
it's now almost a year old,

398
01:11:18,372 --> 01:11:21,042
and it's almost as tall as he is.

399
01:11:22,543 --> 01:11:26,458
He already knows about
the next irksome phase.

400
01:11:27,507 --> 01:11:29,167
The flapping.

401
01:11:30,510 --> 01:11:32,004
The itching.

402
01:11:34,973 --> 01:11:38,057
There's nothing
he can do to help with this.

403
01:12:21,688 --> 01:12:27,193
Our youngster joins our king and his
cousins looking recognisably penguin.

404
01:12:31,156 --> 01:12:35,984
Its first adult feathers.
They Are waterproof.

405
01:12:38,664 --> 01:12:40,704
They don't quite have
the colours yet.

406
01:12:41,959 --> 01:12:45,245
The beak will remain black
for a while.

407
01:12:46,464 --> 01:12:48,540
But it will do.

408
01:12:51,970 --> 01:12:55,802
All its life so far
has been spent on land,

409
01:12:56,933 --> 01:12:59,424
but now the sea beckons.

410
01:13:02,189 --> 01:13:05,558
Our youngster
can now fend for itself.

411
01:13:11,240 --> 01:13:14,858
He has to watch his chick leave.

412
01:13:50,030 --> 01:13:55,535
He looks on as, for the first time,
his youngster meets the water.

413
01:14:01,042 --> 01:14:04,375
It's more than a year
since our king, as a bachelor,

414
01:14:04,796 --> 01:14:09,672
stepped through these waves to find
his mate and father his chick.

415
01:14:11,761 --> 01:14:15,545
Up until this moment,
he has protected it.

416
01:14:21,063 --> 01:14:23,102
He hunted for it.

417
01:14:24,483 --> 01:14:27,519
And fed it throughout the winter.

418
01:14:29,530 --> 01:14:33,741
Now his youngster can face
the ocean alone.

419
01:14:43,127 --> 01:14:46,128
This is the life he raised it for.

420
01:14:48,925 --> 01:14:54,008
And when it's gone,
his journey is complete.

421
01:14:57,643 --> 01:15:01,556
He has found his place
in Penguin City

422
01:15:02,683 --> 01:15:06,198
as one of its true kings.