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NARRATOR: Yellowstone
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volcanic wonderland.
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00:00:16,575 --> 00:00:19,043
Two million acres of wild space
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00:00:20,735 --> 00:00:23,249
right in the heart of North America.
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00:00:31,575 --> 00:00:33,167
The heat of the summer has unveiled
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00:00:33,255 --> 00:00:36,053
the full extent
of the Yellowstone wilderness
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00:00:36,135 --> 00:00:39,650
and for a few precious months
it has blossomed.
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00:00:47,095 --> 00:00:49,928
But now Yellowstone is changing.
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00:00:53,615 --> 00:00:57,403
In just a few weeks
the snow and ice of winter will be back.
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00:00:58,255 --> 00:01:00,007
(BUGLING)
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00:01:03,055 --> 00:01:06,445
As the animals of Yellowstone
now turn to face
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perhaps the biggest challenges
of their year
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00:01:13,295 --> 00:01:17,334
the true value
of the world's first national park
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is about to become clearer than ever.
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"YELLOWSTONE"
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"AUTUMN"
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It's late August
and on Yellowstone's peaks
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there is already
a dusting of fresh snow.
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00:01:59,015 --> 00:02:02,007
Now a new sound marks the new season.
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(BUGLING)
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Fuelled by testosterone
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the bugle call of this male elk
is a boast of his strength.
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(SHRILL BUGLING)
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All over Yellowstone
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male elk are challenging
each other for dominance.
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00:02:26,575 --> 00:02:28,293
(BUGLING)
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00:02:28,935 --> 00:02:31,369
The sound of Yellowstone's autumn.
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(SHRILL BUGLING)
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They are trying to win
the admiration of females
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and gather them into a harem.
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Only then do they stand a chance
at mating with them before winter.
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But the females are not yet in season
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so they are not really that interested.
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00:03:07,535 --> 00:03:11,050
And for now
they have a more practical concern.
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Winter will soon be here.
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They are eager
to head down to lower ground
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before the snow comes in earnest.
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Some will move down into nearby valleys
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whilst others will journey much further
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even beyond the boundaries
of Yellowstone itself.
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Yellowstone is deep
in the Rocky Mountains of North America
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an isolated high plateau
defended by rugged peaks.
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In the middle is the National Park.
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The park and the surrounding mountains
form one of the most important
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and spectacular
wilderness areas on Earth.
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In just two months this great plateau
will become a deep freeze once more.
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Before then the animals of Yellowstone
will have to get ready
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or get out.
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00:04:46,855 --> 00:04:51,087
But for now
below the snow-dusted peaks
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summer still lingers
in the heart of Yellowstone.
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(GRUNTING)
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The sun has revitalised this place
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00:05:04,895 --> 00:05:06,806
and now
there are more living things here
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than at any time of the year.
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The summer has brought visitors too
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who are enjoying Yellowstone
at its most vibrant.
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00:05:33,335 --> 00:05:36,805
As the sun now starts
to get lower in the sky
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00:05:36,895 --> 00:05:38,169
the rich colours make this
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one of the best times
to see the geysers.
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00:05:55,175 --> 00:05:58,451
On the grasslands
the good times are already over.
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00:06:00,375 --> 00:06:03,412
These bison are making
the most of the grazing
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00:06:03,495 --> 00:06:05,725
but it is now dry and parched.
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From now on they will have to rely
heavily on stored fat
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00:06:10,575 --> 00:06:12,293
to keep them going
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as these meadows become covered
in more than four feet of snow.
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00:06:24,975 --> 00:06:27,648
Others are already thinking of leaving.
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Pronghorn evolved to outrun
a now-extinct North American cheetah
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and so are the fastest
antelope on Earth.
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00:06:54,775 --> 00:06:57,972
But unlike bison
their lightweight bodies can't store
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00:06:58,055 --> 00:07:01,411
enough energy to keep them here
through the winter.
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00:07:01,495 --> 00:07:03,565
So now they must head out.
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Their journey
will be the longest of all.
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But as many are preparing to get out
some have no choice but to stay.
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00:07:28,895 --> 00:07:31,887
In the remote north east
of the Yellowstone wilderness
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00:07:31,975 --> 00:07:34,125
are the Beartooth Mountains.
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Here surviving above 8000 feet
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a tree now welcomes
the change of season
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the whitebark pine.
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All summer these trees have been
soaking up the energy of the Sun
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preparing for this moment.
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Now they offer
the animals of Yellowstone
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a bumper crop of pine cones.
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00:08:15,935 --> 00:08:18,495
The whitebark pine
is gambling on the fact
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that animals now need all
the food they can get before winter
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00:08:23,375 --> 00:08:26,094
and is hoping it can entice them
to spread its seeds
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00:08:26,175 --> 00:08:28,484
far and wide across Yellowstone.
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00:08:36,335 --> 00:08:40,931
So inside the cones
it has put tasty nutritious pine nuts.
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A pine squirrel.
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It snacks on a few of the nuts
to keep going
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and then buries them one by one
in a sheltered hollow beside the tree.
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00:09:36,975 --> 00:09:39,694
If it hides them well
and packs them carefully
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they should last through the winter.
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But this is not much good for the tree.
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Its seeds have gone nowhere.
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A grizzly bear mother and cubs.
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00:10:02,575 --> 00:10:05,692
It's unusual for a grizzly
to have so many cubs.
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This mother has found
two orphans and adopted them.
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00:10:17,575 --> 00:10:19,611
But now she has four cubs to fatten up
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before they go into the den
to hibernate this winter.
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She's after pine nuts too.
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They are 50% fat.
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In a good year a grizzly bear
can put on five pounds a day
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eating nuts alone.
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If squirrels have done the hard work
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it doesn't matter
that grizzlies can't climb trees.
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(SQUEAKS)
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The squirrel will just
have to start again.
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00:11:42,015 --> 00:11:45,803
Luckily this year the trees
are being particularly generous.
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A Clark's Nutcracker.
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This is what the tree
has been waiting for.
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With its perfectly-shaped beak
it prises the nuts from the cones
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and tucks them one by one
into a special pouch under its tongue
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up to 1 50 at a time
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a fifth of its entire body weight.
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Then it flies as much as 1 5 miles away
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and drills the nuts
into the ground in sets of 1 0
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placing a stone on top of the stash
to mark the site.
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It goes back
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for more
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and more.
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Over the autumn
a single bird can bury 30000 nuts
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across an area of 1 00 square miles.
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When the winter comes
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00:13:38,175 --> 00:13:43,010
it will manage to remember the location
of a staggering 70% of these seeds
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00:13:43,095 --> 00:13:45,529
even when hidden beneath the snow.
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But as the Clark's Nutcracker remembers
its way into surviving the winter
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it becomes
the whitebark's greatest ally.
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Although its feat of memory
is extraordinary
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for every 1000 seeds it buries
it still forgets 300.
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00:14:12,095 --> 00:14:16,646
From all those missed seeds
carried far and wide across Yellowstone
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new whitebark pines
will germinate next spring.
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It's now September
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and the elk have made their way
down to graze
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where the grass
on the river banks is still green
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and they can browse the nutritious
shoots of young willow trees.
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The males are now upping their game.
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This bull urinates on himself
to increase his masculine appeal
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and by thrashing his antlers
to decorate them
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he hopes to make himself
look more impressive.
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(ELK BUGLING)
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The females are paying
a little more attention now.
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(SHRILL BUGLING)
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The bull has succeeded
in gathering a fair-sized harem.
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(SQUEALING)
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But the females are still
not quite ready to mate.
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00:16:05,135 --> 00:16:07,888
They are now focused
on feeding as much as they can
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00:16:07,975 --> 00:16:10,045
before moving lower still.
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But the elk are being watched.
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(WOLF hOWLING)
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Over the summer wolves have been
less mobile because of their young pups
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but their strength is building again.
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The elk get twitchy
and head for the cover of trees.
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They may be a little safer here
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00:17:06,055 --> 00:17:10,606
but the food in the forest is far less
nutritious than on the river banks.
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00:17:16,375 --> 00:17:20,163
If they want to eat well
and avoid wolves this winter
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00:17:20,255 --> 00:17:22,530
they'll need to keep on moving.
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(BARKING)
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00:17:32,895 --> 00:17:35,329
As the elk move gradually downwards
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they follow the rivers
out of Yellowstone's central plateau.
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00:17:44,895 --> 00:17:47,773
The rivers in turn
follow the path of glaciers
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that flowed from this great bowl
in the last ice age
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and carved their way right through
the barrier of surrounding mountains.
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Today these valleys are escape routes
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for animals from
the returning ice of winter.
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Lower down
the valleys broaden the rivers slow
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and a richer variety of trees
grows in the alluvial soils
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the perfect home for Yellowstone's
most industrious creature.
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(SPLINTERING AND CRACKING)
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A beaver can fell a cottonwood tree
in just a few hours
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hundreds in a year.
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00:19:06,455 --> 00:19:09,333
The beaver doesn't chew
through the whole trunk
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just enough to make the tree unstable.
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It then retreats
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00:19:14,855 --> 00:19:17,244
and lets the wind do the rest.
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(CREAKING)
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(WIND BLOWING)
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It cuts branches
into more manageable lengths
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and then swims them down a network
of purpose-built canals towards the dam.
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00:19:56,855 --> 00:20:00,211
The pond gives this beaver
protection from predators
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00:20:00,295 --> 00:20:03,492
and the canals allow it to forage
far into the forest
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carrying many times
its own weight with ease.
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Autumn is the busiest time
of year for beavers.
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It won't be so easy to make repairs
when the pond is frozen over.
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00:20:33,615 --> 00:20:36,209
The sound of running water
is their stimulus
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to shore up gaps with timber
and plug leaks with mud.
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00:20:48,455 --> 00:20:51,288
But the dam not only serves the beavers.
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00:21:00,375 --> 00:21:02,809
Moose come here from the forests around
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00:21:02,895 --> 00:21:06,683
to feed on weeds that thrive
in the beaver's shallow pond.
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00:21:08,535 --> 00:21:13,609
The weed is rich in vital sodium
that the forest can't easily provide.
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00:21:19,055 --> 00:21:21,171
But now that winter is approaching
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00:21:21,255 --> 00:21:24,292
another essential role
for the dam is revealed.
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00:21:36,455 --> 00:21:39,652
These smaller branches
are not for fixing the dam
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00:21:41,135 --> 00:21:42,853
they're for eating.
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00:21:52,615 --> 00:21:56,051
The beaver secures them
to the mud in the lake bottom.
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00:22:01,975 --> 00:22:04,967
In just a few weeks
this lake will be frozen
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00:22:06,255 --> 00:22:10,407
and the beavers won't be able
to cut and move trees.
197
00:22:10,495 --> 00:22:12,770
But they will be able to swim
right under the ice
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00:22:12,855 --> 00:22:15,415
to feed from this underwater larder.
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00:22:24,055 --> 00:22:26,774
Moose also eat twigs and branches
200
00:22:26,855 --> 00:22:30,609
and often try to take advantage
of the beaver's hard labour.
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00:22:37,335 --> 00:22:41,613
This young male is getting a little
too close to the beaver's larder.
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00:22:55,735 --> 00:22:58,533
Autumn is not a time for sharing.
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00:23:04,775 --> 00:23:06,254
(OWLS hOOTING)
204
00:23:19,455 --> 00:23:21,173
It's mid-September.
205
00:23:24,735 --> 00:23:27,408
As the sun drops further in the sky
206
00:23:27,495 --> 00:23:30,692
the aspens cottonwoods and maples
207
00:23:30,775 --> 00:23:33,243
start shutting down for the winter.
208
00:23:35,455 --> 00:23:38,765
They now digest
the green pigments in their leaves
209
00:23:38,855 --> 00:23:42,689
to claw back what nutrients they can
into the trunk and roots.
210
00:23:43,735 --> 00:23:47,205
What's left behind
make the colours of autumn.
211
00:24:31,815 --> 00:24:34,852
Groves of aspen
all turn at the same time.
212
00:24:41,095 --> 00:24:44,724
Each grove descended from one tree
213
00:24:44,815 --> 00:24:47,648
interconnected by roots
214
00:24:47,735 --> 00:24:49,453
colour-coordinated.
215
00:25:02,615 --> 00:25:06,290
As cold air sinks further down
from the mountains
216
00:25:06,375 --> 00:25:09,606
it brings autumn mist
to Yellowstone's valleys.
217
00:25:21,935 --> 00:25:24,654
It was in the autumn of 1 870
218
00:25:24,735 --> 00:25:28,284
that the first official
exploration party to Yellowstone
219
00:25:28,375 --> 00:25:32,493
began to plan for the creation
of the world's first national park
220
00:25:35,215 --> 00:25:37,331
the beauty of Yellowstone's autumn
221
00:25:37,415 --> 00:25:41,408
inspiring a complete change
in the way we value the wild.
222
00:25:50,855 --> 00:25:53,210
(BUGLING)
223
00:26:12,055 --> 00:26:15,331
For the last six weeks
of strutting and herding
224
00:26:15,415 --> 00:26:17,883
male elk have eaten almost nothing.
225
00:26:19,295 --> 00:26:21,013
They are exhausted.
226
00:26:30,735 --> 00:26:33,249
This bull has done well.
227
00:26:33,335 --> 00:26:36,691
He has successfully held on
to his harem.
228
00:26:36,775 --> 00:26:40,051
And now the females
are finally coming into season.
229
00:26:44,015 --> 00:26:47,564
But they are being distracted
by another male.
230
00:26:47,655 --> 00:26:49,327
(SHRILL BUGLING)
231
00:26:52,735 --> 00:26:57,684
If a bull elk can't dominate all rivals
he can't have access to the females
232
00:26:57,975 --> 00:27:00,808
and all his effort
will have been in vain.
233
00:27:03,135 --> 00:27:06,093
Now he must gather
the last of his strength.
234
00:27:07,695 --> 00:27:10,004
The rival wants to take him on.
235
00:27:24,415 --> 00:27:27,532
The aim is to get
an antler point into his neck.
236
00:27:31,975 --> 00:27:33,931
But they are evenly matched.
237
00:27:34,015 --> 00:27:36,734
Neither can penetrate the other's guard.
238
00:27:40,175 --> 00:27:42,211
Now it's all about power.
239
00:27:44,735 --> 00:27:47,807
A well-aimed thrust
or a broken neck will kill.
240
00:28:14,695 --> 00:28:19,166
This challenger is lucky to get off
with just a parting stab in the rump.
241
00:28:24,895 --> 00:28:27,170
(SHRILL BUGLING)
242
00:28:35,815 --> 00:28:38,249
The victor returns to his females.
243
00:28:38,975 --> 00:28:41,443
His young will be born next spring.
244
00:28:45,895 --> 00:28:47,692
(SQUEALING)
245
00:28:49,375 --> 00:28:52,924
But the prospects
are not so good for a defeated bull.
246
00:28:53,015 --> 00:28:54,573
After all this effort
247
00:28:54,655 --> 00:28:58,648
he will now have to wait
until next autumn to try his luck again.
248
00:28:59,975 --> 00:29:02,045
That's if he even makes it.
249
00:29:05,255 --> 00:29:07,849
Bull elk exhausted by the rut
250
00:29:07,935 --> 00:29:10,813
struggle to survive
the Yellowstone winter.
251
00:29:23,535 --> 00:29:25,207
It's now October
252
00:29:25,295 --> 00:29:28,651
and the winter is catching up
with the elk once more.
253
00:29:31,455 --> 00:29:35,812
An early flurry of snow is a sign
that it's time to make a decision.
254
00:29:37,295 --> 00:29:40,605
To stay is to face the certainty
of snow and wolves.
255
00:29:41,775 --> 00:29:44,494
To go offers the chance
of an easier life
256
00:29:44,575 --> 00:29:47,885
but the uncertainty
of the world beyond Yellowstone.
257
00:29:48,495 --> 00:29:49,848
(BUGLING)
258
00:30:07,615 --> 00:30:11,494
Every autumn thousands of elk
do leave Yellowstone.
259
00:30:11,575 --> 00:30:14,885
And as they go
they cross an invisible line
260
00:30:14,975 --> 00:30:18,251
out of the protection
of the National Park.
261
00:30:19,095 --> 00:30:22,087
Here they confront new danger.
262
00:30:30,495 --> 00:30:36,411
Dressed in orange to avoid each other
but a colour that elk can't see
263
00:30:37,415 --> 00:30:41,454
hunters come to the forests
just around Yellowstone in October
264
00:30:41,535 --> 00:30:42,968
to shoot elk.
265
00:31:09,535 --> 00:31:10,570
(GUNShOT)
266
00:31:10,655 --> 00:31:13,488
(ELK BLEATING)
267
00:31:14,695 --> 00:31:19,974
Elk of course have no understanding
of park boundaries or of Yellowstone.
268
00:31:21,935 --> 00:31:24,813
To them
this is simply an instinctive migration
269
00:31:24,895 --> 00:31:28,774
to find more hospitable land
so they just keep going.
270
00:31:36,855 --> 00:31:39,005
Beyond the ring of hunting lands
271
00:31:39,095 --> 00:31:41,848
the natural mosaic of forest and grass
272
00:31:42,095 --> 00:31:44,563
is replaced by an alien geometry.
273
00:31:48,415 --> 00:31:50,883
Circles of irrigated grass
274
00:31:54,055 --> 00:31:55,966
squares of maize
275
00:31:57,975 --> 00:32:00,011
golf courses
276
00:32:00,095 --> 00:32:02,973
the signature patterns of mankind.
277
00:32:07,255 --> 00:32:10,292
It's unlikely they'll be welcome here.
278
00:32:19,735 --> 00:32:22,044
By now
the pronghorn have pushed further
279
00:32:22,135 --> 00:32:25,013
than any of the Yellowstone's animals.
280
00:32:25,095 --> 00:32:27,563
Out of forests through farmland
281
00:32:27,655 --> 00:32:29,486
and down into the wide prairies
282
00:32:29,575 --> 00:32:33,011
at the foot
of the Rocky Mountains themselves.
283
00:32:41,815 --> 00:32:43,453
Their search for winter grazing
284
00:32:43,535 --> 00:32:47,414
takes them over 1 00 miles
to the south of Yellowstone
285
00:32:47,495 --> 00:32:50,453
the longest migration
of any American mammal.
286
00:32:56,335 --> 00:33:00,613
They have made this journey every year
since the last ice age.
287
00:33:01,615 --> 00:33:04,448
But nowadays they have a problem.
288
00:33:09,015 --> 00:33:11,370
(TRUCK hONKING)
289
00:33:12,055 --> 00:33:14,011
Their traditional winter refuges
290
00:33:14,095 --> 00:33:18,646
lie right above some of the richest
natural gas deposits in America.
291
00:33:25,615 --> 00:33:28,891
The wells are no direct threat
to pronghorn.
292
00:33:33,535 --> 00:33:35,924
But pronghorn are timid.
293
00:33:38,055 --> 00:33:39,374
(TRUCK hONKING)
294
00:33:39,455 --> 00:33:41,605
At the slightest noise they run
295
00:33:41,695 --> 00:33:45,244
and when they run
they run at 60 miles per hour.
296
00:33:48,615 --> 00:33:52,130
They evolved to avoid cheetahs
not juggernauts.
297
00:33:56,135 --> 00:33:57,853
Trucks fences
298
00:33:57,935 --> 00:34:02,213
and the disturbance from the wells
have put pronghorn at risk.
299
00:34:05,655 --> 00:34:08,613
There are 1.2 million acres here
300
00:34:08,695 --> 00:34:12,654
but 75% of it
has now been earmarked for gas and oil.
301
00:34:22,655 --> 00:34:26,091
Back in the farmland
the elk have found food.
302
00:34:29,255 --> 00:34:32,247
But this grass is not meant for them.
303
00:34:35,615 --> 00:34:37,606
(COWS LOWING)
304
00:34:44,695 --> 00:34:46,811
Ranchers will tolerate elk
305
00:34:46,895 --> 00:34:50,888
as long as they don't compete too much
with their cattle.
306
00:34:56,695 --> 00:35:01,723
But as the elk move in their old enemy
follows them out of Yellowstone
307
00:35:02,895 --> 00:35:06,774
an animal that's more difficult
for ranchers to accept.
308
00:35:12,455 --> 00:35:15,731
In their minds
fear of the wolf runs deep.
309
00:35:22,015 --> 00:35:24,529
Even Yellowstone lost its wolves.
310
00:35:25,375 --> 00:35:28,173
They were wiped out over 80 years ago.
311
00:35:31,255 --> 00:35:35,646
After years of prejudice
they were reintroduced in 1 995
312
00:35:38,535 --> 00:35:43,370
brought back by the authorities to
restore Yellowstone's natural balance.
313
00:35:47,055 --> 00:35:48,966
But the wolves have done so well
314
00:35:49,055 --> 00:35:53,571
that now they are moving out of the park
looking for new territories
315
00:35:53,655 --> 00:35:55,373
and prey.
316
00:35:59,055 --> 00:36:03,412
Out here it's clearer to see why
wolves have a bad reputation.
317
00:36:17,375 --> 00:36:21,527
If ranchers' cattle are at risk
by law wolves can be shot.
318
00:36:32,295 --> 00:36:37,130
As wolves come back ranchers are
being forced to return to the old ways
319
00:36:41,735 --> 00:36:45,489
to get back into the saddle
and protect their herds.
320
00:36:50,895 --> 00:36:52,613
(BEEPING)
321
00:36:54,615 --> 00:36:55,604
(BEEPING RISES IN PITCh)
322
00:36:57,775 --> 00:37:00,209
But opinion is changing.
323
00:37:00,295 --> 00:37:04,493
Working with scientists who have
radio-collared the Yellowstone wolves
324
00:37:04,575 --> 00:37:06,805
ranchers can now keep track of them
325
00:37:06,895 --> 00:37:08,453
and when they know they are near
326
00:37:08,535 --> 00:37:11,413
shoot not to kill
but to scare them away.
327
00:37:19,895 --> 00:37:21,567
(CATTLE LOWING)
328
00:37:32,175 --> 00:37:35,929
The return of the wolf
will always be controversial.
329
00:37:38,455 --> 00:37:40,013
But evidence is now emerging
330
00:37:40,095 --> 00:37:44,054
that wolves are far more important
than anyone imagined
331
00:37:46,015 --> 00:37:49,291
especially back in
the heart of Yellowstone.
332
00:37:55,015 --> 00:37:57,688
It's nearly the end of October.
333
00:37:58,815 --> 00:38:03,764
The cold autumn nights have brought
a thin crust of ice to a beaver's pond.
334
00:38:04,615 --> 00:38:06,924
Unlike in the river valleys below
335
00:38:07,015 --> 00:38:10,451
up here there are not many
tall cottonwood trees.
336
00:38:10,535 --> 00:38:14,210
So this beaver has built his dam
from the shoots of young willows
337
00:38:14,295 --> 00:38:17,446
sprouting all along
the side of his pond.
338
00:38:33,055 --> 00:38:35,569
But he is something of a novelty.
339
00:38:36,695 --> 00:38:40,574
Even by the time
Yellowstone was made a national park
340
00:38:41,215 --> 00:38:45,606
beavers had been virtually hunted
to extinction by fur trappers.
341
00:38:52,215 --> 00:38:55,924
They only began to reappear here
in 1 995
342
00:38:56,455 --> 00:38:58,844
the year the wolves came back.
343
00:39:04,375 --> 00:39:09,927
Now wolves are chasing elk again
elk have had less time to eat willows
344
00:39:10,015 --> 00:39:12,927
so willows are sprouting everywhere.
345
00:39:14,975 --> 00:39:18,047
Today as winter approaches
346
00:39:18,135 --> 00:39:21,605
all over Yellowstone
beavers are using those willows
347
00:39:21,695 --> 00:39:25,813
to put the finishing touches
to a dam-building renaissance.
348
00:39:39,055 --> 00:39:43,173
And for every dam
there is a new habitat for new life
349
00:39:43,255 --> 00:39:46,372
and a richer more diverse Yellowstone.
350
00:39:55,815 --> 00:39:57,692
(hONKING)
351
00:40:05,175 --> 00:40:09,054
But just as Yellowstone reveals
the complexity of life
352
00:40:09,135 --> 00:40:11,808
it also exposes its fragility.
353
00:40:17,375 --> 00:40:18,854
On its lofty ridges
354
00:40:18,935 --> 00:40:22,723
there are signs that all is not well
with the whitebark pine.
355
00:40:27,375 --> 00:40:32,210
From above it looks like autumn colours
have come to an evergreen world.
356
00:40:38,655 --> 00:40:41,089
But these trees are dying.
357
00:40:50,335 --> 00:40:54,010
Small eruptions of resin
dot the trunk of the tree
358
00:40:55,495 --> 00:40:57,850
evidence of an invasion.
359
00:41:06,415 --> 00:41:10,488
Tiny beetles are chewing through
the tree's outer defences.
360
00:41:18,495 --> 00:41:23,569
Once inside they lay eggs
that turn into larvae that eat the tree.
361
00:41:32,215 --> 00:41:33,648
Each tree that is lost
362
00:41:33,735 --> 00:41:37,774
threatens all the animals
that rely on its autumn bounty.
363
00:41:43,535 --> 00:41:47,528
The only thing that can stop the beetles
is extreme cold.
364
00:41:49,135 --> 00:41:54,209
But recently the climate here
has been getting warmer and warmer.
365
00:41:56,775 --> 00:41:59,972
No national park
can protect against that.
366
00:42:06,415 --> 00:42:09,566
This is a tree that needs a cold winter.
367
00:42:20,655 --> 00:42:22,373
It's now November
368
00:42:22,455 --> 00:42:25,765
and the elk have found
their feeding grounds just in time
369
00:42:26,375 --> 00:42:29,253
the snows of winter at their heels.
370
00:42:35,095 --> 00:42:38,883
Here they join other herds
who come to this place every year
371
00:42:38,975 --> 00:42:43,014
where the snow will be less deep
and life a little easier.
372
00:42:52,135 --> 00:42:55,172
But today
they graze on an island of grass
373
00:42:55,255 --> 00:42:57,689
surrounded by development.
374
00:43:01,975 --> 00:43:03,567
As they run from the winter
375
00:43:03,655 --> 00:43:07,204
the fate of Yellowstone's animals
outside the national park
376
00:43:07,295 --> 00:43:11,334
is decided not by the cold
but by people.
377
00:43:14,335 --> 00:43:16,485
(SQUAWKING)
378
00:43:17,055 --> 00:43:18,852
These elk are lucky.
379
00:43:18,935 --> 00:43:23,645
This refuge has been kept aside
to give them some degree of sanctuary.
380
00:43:29,895 --> 00:43:34,810
So although the park isn't big enough
to protect all its animals all the time
381
00:43:34,895 --> 00:43:38,331
its influence can spread
beyond its boundaries
382
00:43:39,135 --> 00:43:42,366
and if even ranchers
can come to tolerate wolves
383
00:43:42,655 --> 00:43:45,123
then anything is possible.
384
00:44:02,495 --> 00:44:04,565
In the mountains of Yellowstone
385
00:44:04,655 --> 00:44:09,524
where the elks' bugles signalled the
beginning of autumn just two months ago
386
00:44:09,615 --> 00:44:11,765
all seems deserted.
387
00:44:18,335 --> 00:44:22,533
But now the final act of the season
is about to take place.
388
00:44:23,935 --> 00:44:27,814
From out of apparently nowhere
come the bighorn sheep.
389
00:44:29,615 --> 00:44:32,129
The toughest
of all Yellowstone's animals
390
00:44:32,215 --> 00:44:33,933
they can stay here all winter
391
00:44:34,015 --> 00:44:38,293
on slopes and crags that
the biting wind keeps clear of snow.
392
00:44:46,895 --> 00:44:49,887
Now they are coming together to rut.
393
00:44:51,935 --> 00:44:55,052
Like elk the males battle for females.
394
00:44:55,975 --> 00:44:58,967
But where elk do their best
to avoid fights
395
00:44:59,495 --> 00:45:01,611
bighorn relish them.
396
00:45:10,975 --> 00:45:15,844
A quick test of horn size
and of other important bits of anatomy
397
00:45:17,695 --> 00:45:22,086
and the males get straight to the point
of sorting out who is toughest.
398
00:45:58,655 --> 00:46:03,126
As the sound of their battles echoes
across the Yellowstone wilderness
399
00:46:03,215 --> 00:46:05,285
it marks the end of autumn.
400
00:46:12,375 --> 00:46:14,969
Now the great change is coming again.
401
00:46:17,575 --> 00:46:19,088
Winter is here.
402
00:46:50,695 --> 00:46:55,530
As the snow returns to Yellowstone
it seems like the clock is turning back.
403
00:47:00,855 --> 00:47:03,892
All traces of the human world
are covered up.
404
00:47:08,295 --> 00:47:11,048
A reminder that when the heart
of this great wilderness
405
00:47:11,135 --> 00:47:15,413
was made a national park
nearly 1 40 years ago
406
00:47:15,495 --> 00:47:18,487
it was one of the most
remote places on Earth.
407
00:47:20,655 --> 00:47:23,772
But as the human world
has crept up on Yellowstone
408
00:47:23,855 --> 00:47:28,292
the true value of this remarkable space
has become ever clearer.
409
00:47:35,775 --> 00:47:39,484
Though in many ways Yellowstone
is not big enough
410
00:47:39,575 --> 00:47:42,726
its influence reaches
far beyond its boundaries.
411
00:47:42,815 --> 00:47:44,726
Not just to the land around
412
00:47:44,815 --> 00:47:48,649
but wherever there is a wilderness
preserved for its own sake.
413
00:47:55,415 --> 00:47:58,566
Here in the heart of America
414
00:47:58,895 --> 00:48:01,455
the first national park was born.
415
00:48:06,175 --> 00:48:08,370
An idea that has led the way
416
00:48:08,455 --> 00:48:13,813
in redefining our relationship
with the wild all over the world.
417
00:48:17,375 --> 00:48:20,811
Some say America's best idea.
33983
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