Original subtitles

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ANNOUNCER: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL YOU KNOW YOU'RE

WATCHING TELEVISION THAT'S EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: I M DYLAN DREYER.

JOIN ME ON A JOURNEY ACROSS THE EARTH TO

EXPERIENCE THE AWESOME MYSTERIES OF NATURE.

TODAY, WE RE EXPLORING THE RUGGED WILDERNESS OF NORTH

AMERICA AND MEETING SOME OF THE INCREDIBLE

CREATURES THAT CALL IT HOME.

[BEAR GROWLING]

DYLAN: WE LL FOLLOW TWO BABY BLACK BEARS THROUGH

THEIR FIRST SUMMER AND DISCOVER AN ANCIENT

SPECIES THAT HAS LIVED UNCHANGED FOR MILLIONS OF

YEARS.

WE LL WITNESS A FISH FEAST LIKE YOU VE NEVER SEEN

BEFORE AND COME AS CLOSE AS WE DARE TO THE MOST

FAMOUS AND MOST FAITHFUL GEYSER IN THE WORLD.

OUR JOURNEY THROUGH NORTH AMERICA BEGINS IN ALASKA

AS A FAMILY ENJOYS THE SUMMER SUNSHINE.

THERE ARE EIGHT SPECIES OF BEARS ON OUR PLANET.

THIS DIVERSE FAMILY INCLUDES THE POWERFUL

MEAT-EATING POLAR BEARS OF THE ARCTIC,

THE GENTLE BAMBOO-EATING PANDAS OF CHINA,

AND THE SMALL SUN BEAR FROM THE JUNGLES OF

SOUTHEAST ASIA.

BEARS ARE EXCELLENT RUNNERS,

SWIMMERS, CLIMBERS, AND HUNTERS,

AND THEY DOMINATE THE VERY TOP OF THE ANIMAL FOOD

CHAIN WHEREVER THEY LIVE.

NORTH AMERICA IS HOME TO TWO BEAR SPECIES,

THE BLACK BEAR AND THE BROWN BEAR,

SOMETIMES CALLED THE GRIZZLY BEAR.

MANY NORTH AMERICAN PEOPLE HAD A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP

TO BEARS.

THEY BELIEVED THE SPIRIT OF THE BEAR HELD THE POWER

TO HEAL, THE POWER TO PROTECT,

AND THE POWER TO BRING FORTH THE SEASONS.

EVERY FALL, THEY WATCHED THE BEARS DISAPPEAR AS IF

ENTERING THE GRAVE AND THEN MIRACULOUSLY RETURN

FROM THE DEAD, BRINGING WITH THEM SPRING AND NEW

LIFE.

IN THE BITTERROOT MOUNTAINS OF MONTANA,

THIS BLACK BEAR HAS GIVEN BIRTH,

NURSED HER CUBS, AND SURVIVED SIX MONTHS OF

WINTER WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER.

FEW CREATURES ON EARTH CAN MATCH THIS MIRACLE OF

PHYSIOLOGY.

HUNGRY AS SHE IS, THIS MOTHER S URGE TO FIND FOOD

IS OVERRIDDEN BY HER NEED TO STAY CLOSE TO HER

HELPLESS CUBS.

AT SIX WEEKS OLD, THE CUBS ONLY JUST OPENED THEIR

EYES.

[BEAR SQUEALING]

DYLAN: BUT IT WON T BE LONG BEFORE THEY LL GET A

CLOSER LOOK AT THEIR BIG BACKYARD.

BLACK BEARS ARE FOUND IN FORESTS ACROSS NORTH

AMERICA.

THEIR NUMBER ONE DEFENSE IS TO CLIMB A TREE,

BUT IT S NOT SOMETHING YOU LEARN YOUR FIRST DAY OF

SCHOOL.

[BEAR SQUEALING]

DYLAN: THE BLACK BEAR IS THE SMALLEST OF THE NORTH

AMERICAN BEAR.

THOUGH THEIR DIET IS LARGELY VEGETARIAN,

THEY ARE OMNIVORES, MEANING THEY EAT BOTH

PLANTS AND MEAT.

[BEAR SQUEALING]

DYLAN: A BLACK BEAR S BACKYARD IS AS BIG AS ITS

APPETITE.

THE MOTHER WILL FOLLOW HER NOSE AND HER MEMORY IN AN

ENDLESS SEARCH FOR FOOD.

THESE CUBS HAVE NEVER SET FOOT IN WATER;

HOWEVER, THEY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO KEEP UP.

[BEAR SQUEALING]

DYLAN: THE FIRST SUMMER IS THE BIGGEST TEST A CUB

WILL FACE.

THE CHANCES OF SURVIVING ARE ONLY ABOUT 50-50.

[BEAR SQUEALING]

[BEAR GROWLING]

DYLAN: BUT WITH EVERY OBSTACLE THEY OVERCOME,

THEY GROW STRONGER AND BETTER ABLE TO ONE DAY

STRIKE OUT ON THEIR OWN.

NATIVE PEOPLE KNEW THE BEAR BY MANY NAMES.

THE BLACKFEET INDIANS CALLED THE BLACK BEAR

KIAAYO, MEANING BEAR.

THEY CALLED THE GRIZZLY NEETA KIAAYO,

WHICH MEANT REAL BEAR.

[BEAR GROWLING]

DYLAN: THIS PART OF ALASKA IS ONE OF THE BEST

AND SAFEST BEAR-VIEWING AREAS IN THE WORLD.

GUIDED BY EXPERTS LIKE CHRIS DAY,

EVERY SUMMER, A LUCKY FEW GET THE EXPERIENCE OF A

LIFETIME.

WHEN THEY FIRST START OUT, PEOPLE ARE APPREHENSIVE,

AND SOME ARE REALLY AFRAID,

BUT WHEN THEY SEE THEIR FIRST BEAR,

THEY BEGIN TO RELAX AND EVEN ENJOY THEMSELVES.

WOMAN: CAN WE GET ANY CLOSER?

CHRIS: NO, LET S JUST BE STILL HERE.

IF THEY RE COMFORTABLE WITH US,

THEY LL COME CLOSER TO US ON THEIR OWN.

DYLAN: GRIZZLY BEARS ARE OFTEN PORTRAYED ONLY AS

FIERCE PREDATORS AND HUNTERS,

BUT THE TRUTH IS MUCH LESS EXCITING.

WHEN THEY FIRST COME OUT OF THEIR DENS,

THEY FEED MOSTLY ON A GRASS-LIKE VEGETATION

CALLED SEDGE.

IN SOME WAYS, THEY ARE MORE COW-LIKE THAN KILLER.

ALL GRIZZLIES ARE OPPORTUNISTIC FEEDERS.

CLAMS MAY NOT PROVIDE MUCH IN THE WAY OF NOURISHMENT,

BUT THEY RE A DELICACY, A WELCOME BREAK FROM A DIET

OF SEDGE SALAD.

AS SUMMER APPROACHES IN ALASKA,

A LONG-AWAITED SIGNAL GOES OUT ACROSS THE LAND LIKE A

SPECIAL INVITATION TO A DINNER PARTY.

THE RIVER BEGINS TO SWELL WITH SALMON THAT JOURNEY

TO THEIR ANCESTRAL SPAWNING GROUNDS.

FOR CHRIS DAY, IT S A CHANCE TO INTRODUCE NEW

FRIENDS TO OLD.

SOMETIMES SHE GETS LUCKY, THE RIGHT PEOPLE,

THE RIGHT SITUATION, AND THE RIGHT BEAR.

THIS BEAR IS NAMED SCRAPPY.

SCRAPPY IS FIVE YEARS OLD, AND CHRIS HAS BEEN

WATCHING HIM COME TO THIS STREAM SINCE HE WAS A CUB.

SCRAPPY IS ONE OF THE MOST EASYGOING BEARS THAT CHRIS

HAS EVER KNOWN.

CHRIS HOPES THAT IF ENOUGH PEOPLE CAN EXPERIENCE THE

WAY BEARS LIVE IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT,

THEY WILL FIGHT TO PROTECT THEM.

COMING UP NEXT, WE LL TEAM UP WITH CONSERVATIONISTS

FIGHTING TO SAVE AN ANIMAL THAT HAS SURVIVED SINCE

THE TIME OF THE DINOSAURS, AND LATER,

MODERN TECHNOLOGY UNCOVERS HOW YELLOWSTONE WAS FORMED

AND HOW A FAMOUS GEYSER CALLED OLD FAITHFUL LIVES

UP TO ITS NAME.

DON T GO AWAY.

THE JOURNEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

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

.

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

DYLAN: WELCOME BACK TO JOURNEY AND OUR

ADVENTURE ACROSS NORTH AMERICA.

THE GREAT LAKES CONTAIN NEARLY 20 PERCENT OF ALL

THE FRESH WATER ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

THEY WERE FORMED 14,000 YEARS AGO AT THE END OF

THE LAST GREAT ICE AGE.

AS MASSIVE GLACIERS RECEDED,

THE MELTING WATER LEFT BEHIND FILLED HUGE CANYONS

AND CREATED VAST FRESHWATER SEAS THE LIKES

OF NOTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD,

BUT THESE LAKES ARE MORE FRAGILE THAN THEY APPEAR.

AND FOR ONE IMPORTANT SPECIES,

TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

THE DOMINANT CREATURE OF THE LAKES WAS AN ENORMOUS

FISH.

CLOSELY RELATED TO SHARKS, THEY CAN REACH SEVEN FEET

IN LENGTH AND WEIGH THREE HUNDRED POUNDS.

STURGEON WOULD REIGN SUPREME THROUGHOUT THIS

VAST WATERSHED FOR MORE THAN TEN THOUSAND YEARS.

THE LAKES WERE FILLED WITH MILLIONS OF THESE GENTLE

GIANTS; HOWEVER, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 19TH

CENTURY, THE STURGEON S PARADISE CAME TO AN ABRUPT

END.

TO THE NEWLY ARRIVED EUROPEANS,

THE STURGEON WAS NOTHING BUT AN UGLY NUISANCE.

THEIR FLESH WAS TOO OILY TO HAVE MUCH COMMERCIAL

VALUE, SO THEIR CARCASSES WERE DRIED AND BURNED AS

FUEL.

IN THE LATE 1800 S, STURGEON EGGS WERE RENAMED

CAVIAR, AND CASUAL SLAUGHTER BECAME A KILLING

FRENZY.

A FISH THAT HAD ONCE DOMINATED THE GREAT LAKES

DECLINED BY 99 PERCENT, EXTINCT IN MOST OF ITS

ANCIENT SPAWNING GROUNDS.

BIOLOGIST RON BRUCH HAS DEDICATED HIS ENTIRE

CAREER TO SAVING THE LAKE STURGEON.

RON: I VE BEEN WATCHING A PARTICULAR FISH FOR OVER

20 YEARS.

WE TAGGED HER WHEN SHE WAS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD.

IF SHE COMES BACK THIS YEAR,

SHE LL BE PUSHING 120.

SHE WAS BORN RIGHT HERE, JUST ONE OF BILLIONS AND

BILLIONS OF EGGS LAID THAT YEAR ALL AROUND THE LAKES.

MOST OF THOSE EGGS DIDN T LAST MORE THAN A FEW DAYS.

PERHAPS A FEW MILLION OR SO WOULD HAVE MADE IT PAST

THE FIRST SUMMER, BUT ONLY ONE IN A BILLION WOULD

HAVE SURVIVED TO BE AS OLD AS SHE IS NOW.

AFTER DECADES OF MIXED RESULT,

TIME MAY BE RUNNING OUT FOR THE STURGEON.

WE VE DONE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING WE CAN.

NOW WHAT WE NEED IS FOR THE FISH TO ARRIVE.

HOPEFULLY, MY FEMALE WILL BE AMONG THEM.

DYLAN: THE MIRACLE OF NATURE THAT OCCURS ON THE

WOLF RIVER IN WISCONSIN IS THE LARGEST STURGEON

SPAWNING RUN LEFT IN NORTH AMERICA.

RON: THERE S THIS HUGE EXCITEMENT,

AND THE SUPPORT FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS JUST

INCREDIBLE.

IT USED TO BE ONLY A FEW PEOPLE WOULD COME OUT.

NOW THERE ARE THOUSANDS ALL CHEERING FOR THE FISH.

[CHEERING]

DYLAN: RON AND HIS CREW WORK QUICKLY TO MINIMIZE

STRESS ON THE FISH.

THE DATA WILL HELP DETERMINE THE FISH S

OVERALL CONDITION, HOW MANY EGGS THEY CARRY,

AND HOW OFTEN THEY ARE RETURNING TO SPAWN.

FISH CAUGHT IN PREVIOUS YEARS CARRY A TINY ID CHIP

THAT CAN BE DETECTED BY A BAR CODE READER.

[READER BEEPING]

[CHEERING]

RON: THE WHOLE TIME, I VE GOT MY EYE PEELED FOR MY

FISH.

IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, I M THINKING,

WHERE IS SHE?

AND THEN I SPOTTED HER, UNMISTAKABLE.

I RECOGNIZE THE MARKINGS ON HER HEAD.

DYLAN: RON AND HIS COLLEAGUES HAVE AN

ELABORATE STRATEGY THAT THEY HOPE WILL REINTRODUCE

STURGEON TO OTHER RIVERS ALL AROUND THE GREAT

LAKES.

RON: THESE FISH WILL SPAWN UP TO 30 OR MORE TIMES

OVER THEIR LIFETIME, SO WE RE CAREFUL HOW WE

HANDLE THEM.

WE DON T TAKE ALL THE EGGS.

WE LEAVE ENOUGH FOR HER TO FINISH HER NATURAL SPAWN

IN THE RIVER.

I VE GONE THROUGH THIS RITUAL EIGHT TIMES WITH

THIS FISH, AND EACH TIME, I WONDER IF IT WILL BE THE

LAST.

SHE IS A SURVIVOR, AND MAYBE 50 YEARS FROM NOW,

SHE LL COME UP THIS RIVER LOOKING FOR ME AND I LL BE

GONE.

DYLAN: DON T GO AWAY.

JOURNEY WILL BE BACK RIGHT AFTER THIS.

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

.

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

DYLAN: OUR JOURNEY ACROSS NORTH AMERICA CONTINUES AS

WE VISIT ONE OF THE MOST BREATHTAKING NATURAL

SANCTUARIES IN THE WORLD, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.

YELLOWSTONE S OLD FAITHFUL,

THE MOST FAMOUS GEYSER IN THE WORLD,

HAS ERUPTED MORE THAN ONE MILLION TIMES SINCE PEOPLE

STARTED COUNTING.

FOR THE LAST 17 YEARS, IT S ERUPTED ONCE EVERY 44

TO 125 MINUTES.

BOILING WATER SHOOTS MORE THAN 150 FEET INTO THE

AIR, LASTING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AT A TIME.

FOR THE SETTLERS WHO FIRST DISCOVERED IT AND FOR MANY

TOURISTS TODAY, IT S UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY VE

EVER SEEN.

YELLOWSTONE IS A GEOLOGICAL PARK.

IT IS A WINDOW ON THE INTERIOR OF THE EARTH.

DYLAN: DR. ROBERT SMITH IS THE WORLD S FOREMOST

AUTHORITY ON YELLOWSTONE.

WITH COMPUTERS, SATELLITES,

AND 30 YEARS OF DEVOTED STUDY,

HE HAS COMBINED WHAT WE KNOW WITH A STARLING NEW

IDEA.

DR. SMITH: YELLOWSTONE WAS FORMED BY A GIANT VOLCANIC

HOTSPOT ROOTED DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH.

GLOBAL POSITIONING SATELLITES ALLOW US TO

MEASURE THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SURFACE.

COMPUTERS LET US SEE IN SECONDS WHAT OCCURRED OVER

MILLIONS OF YEARS.

HOT MOLTEN ROCK ROSE FROM DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH S

INTERIOR, CREATING A LINE OF VOLCANIC CENTERS CALLED

CALDERAS.

YELLOWSTONE AS WE KNOW IT TODAY WAS CREATED BY THE

LAST OF THREE GIANT ERUPTIONS JUST SIX HUNDRED

THOUSAND YEARS AGO.

IT WAS AN IMMENSE EXPLOSION.

REMNANTS OF HOT ASH WERE THROWN THOUSANDS OF MILES

INTO WHAT WE KNOW AS CANADA AND MEXICO.

THE HOTSPOT BELOW US IS STILL ACTIVE.

THE IMMENSE HEAT DRIVES THE WORLD S GREATEST

DISPLAYS OF HOT SPRINGS AND GEYSERS.

RAINWATER PERCOLATES DOWNWARD AND IS HEATED BY

CONTACT WITH THE SUPER-HEATED ROCKS.

THE HOT WATER RISES TO THE SURFACE AT TEMPERATURES

FAR BEYOND THE BOILING POINT.

IN AN INSTANT, IT FLASHES TO STEAM,

ERUPTING TO THE SURFACE, THE MOST FAMOUS GEYSER OF

ALL, OLD FAITHFUL.

DYLAN: DON T GO AWAY.

JOURNEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

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

.

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

DYLAN: THE FINAL STOP ON OUR JOURNEY ACROSS NORTH

AMERICA TAKES US ALL THE WAY BACK TO WHERE WE

BEGAN, THE RUGGED WILD FRONTIER OF ALASKA.

FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS, THE MCNEIL RIVER HAS BEEN

A SANCTUARY FOR ALASKAN BEARS.

EACH SUMMER, NEARLY ONE HUNDRED GRIZZLIES GATHER

HERE TO FISH FOR SALMON, AND WE HAVE A FRONT-ROW

SEAT TO THE ACTION.

THE FUTURE OF GRIZZLY DEPENDS ON US.

CHRIS DAY HAD HER VERY FIRST EXPERIENCE HERE AT

MCNEIL RIVER.

IT S A PLACE WHERE THE BEARS ARE IN CHARGE AND

HUMANS HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING OBSERVERS.

FOR CHRIS, IT S ONE OF THE GREATEST WONDERS OF THE

WORLD, THE PLACE THAT GIVES HER HOPE.

THESE MALES ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST GRIZZLIES ON

THE PLANET.

THEIR LOANERS AS A RULE, BUT THEY OVERCOME THEIR

NATURAL DISLIKE OF EACH OTHER FOR A PLACE AT THE

LARGEST SALMON BANQUET OF THE YEAR.

THE BIGGEST AND MOST DOMINANT BEARS GET THE

BEST SPOTS, AND THEY RETURN YEAR AFTER YEAR TO

RECLAIM THEIR SEATS.

THERE IS A LOT RIDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THIS MEAL.

IT MUST SUSTAIN THEM FOR THE COMING WINTER.

AS LONG AS THE SALMON RUN, THESE GREAT BEASTS WILL

CONTINUE TO RETURN.

ONE THOUSAND YEARS FROM NOW,

WILL SOMEONE BE ABLE TO STAND IN THIS PLACE AND

SEE WHAT CHRIS HAS SEEN?

ONLY IF WE LEARN TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE BEARS

AND THE WILDERNESS THAT SUSTAINS THEM.

LIKE ALL OF THE LARGE ANIMALS ON EARTH,

BEARS ARE A SIGN OF THE HEALTH AND BALANCE OF THE

WILD PLACES THEY INHABIT.

THEY ARE THE SPIRIT OF THE WILDERNESS.

THE BLACKFEET INDIANS BELIEVED THAT THE BEARS

WERE GUARDIANS THAT COULD HEAL AND PROTECT THEM.

TODAY, IT S OUR TURN TO BE THE GUARDIAN SPIRITS OF

THE BEAR.

I HOPE YOU VE ENJOYED OUR JOURNEY ACROSS NORTH

AMERICA.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, SAFE TRAVELS.

♪ CREDITS ♪