All language subtitles for Giant Otters of the Amazon BBC Natural World 2013 720p HDTV EN Sub_Subtitles01.ENG

The giant otter -
six feet long, from tip to tail.

They're known in the Amazon
as "wolves of the river".

For me,
they hold a special fascination.

Loud, boisterous and aggressive.
They're also loving,

affectionate and fiercely protective
of their family...

..even if it means
risking their lives.

I first filmed giant otters
when I was just a young cameraman

and got to know a very small, rather
goofy, little cub, called Diablo.

I watched him grow up for almost
a year and got very attached to him.

I've often wondered
what happened to Diablo.

And now, I'm about to find out.

I last saw Diablo

13 years ago, in Manu National Park,

a remote part
of the Peruvian Amazon.

Manu's incredible. The amount
of life here blows my mind -

half a million species of insect,

10% of all the bird species
in the world.

Nowhere can touch Manu
for diversity.

It's a long way from home,
back in Britain.

My name's Charlie and I've been
completely obsessed with otters

since I was a kid.

I've rescued orphaned otters,

I've spent hours
filming and watching otters.

They've all got
their own character...

..and many have become
like old friends.

In Diablo's case, long-lost friends.

So I can't wait to try and find
him again, after all this time.

My journey across the Andes
and down into the Amazon Basin

takes me almost a week.

Ooh, just getting swept down.

Where I'm going,
means journeying by boat,

far beyond any towns or villages,

right into the headwaters
of the Amazon.

Manu - 17,000 square kilometres
of pristine tropical rainforest.

I just love this place.

Right in the middle of it,
is a stunning oxbow lake

called Lake Salvador.

This is where I last saw Diablo,
as a cheeky young cub.

It's late November now, just coming
to the end of the dry season.

For the next six months,

me and a small crew
of local guides and boatmen

will be calling this place home.

It's four in the morning
and I'm just so excited

about finally starting
the search for Diablo.

I love the sound
of the forest at dawn.

It's loud, it's like a busy city,

but there's one sound
that I'm just desperate to hear.

SQUEAKING AND WHISTLING

There it is!

Seeing giant otters again,
after all this time...

Well, it's just magical.

SNORTING

Is that not
the coolest animal in the world?

But are any of these otters Diablo?

Otters have got unique throat
markings, a bit like fingerprints.

If I can get a look at the pattern
on each otter's throat,

I might be able to work out
if one of them is Diablo.

There's one otter, he's just
a bit bigger than the others.

He's the one
I want to get a better look at.

I'm trying really hard to get a shot
of this otter's chin and throat.

It's definitely Diablo.
Wow, there's the man.

That's stunning.
I can't believe I'm looking at him.

Just look at him, though.
He's rock solid.

He looks healthy, he's big.
You know, this guy's 13.

That is as old as giant otters get.

And he looks to me
in really good shape.

Giant otters live in family groups -
mum, dad and the teenage kids.

I just don't know how big
his family is,

but there's just otters everywhere.

Diablo's obviously
a very special otter,

to have such a big family like this.

And now that I've found him
after all this time,

all I want to do is sit and just
watch. They're just so beautiful.

Finally, I get the chance
to see Diablo out of the water.

He's busy working on what's
politely known as an otter latrine,

in front of what must be
the family den.

There's a good reason
why Diablo's rubbing his feet around

in the family toilet like this.

It makes the most almighty stink,

which warns other otters that
this territory belongs to Diablo.

And then, I understand,
why my old friend

is being so protective of his den.

That's a cub. That's a cub.

Oh, my God.

If she's got it in her mouth,
that's the mum with it in her mouth.

Wow, look at that. Tiny.

That is really young. That can't
be more than six weeks old.'

He's got another one.

There's at least two of them.

Come on. Yeah, yeah.

Seeing otter cubs in the wild
like this is incredibly rare.

This is a real surprise.

That's amazing.
That is a big family.

This seems to be some
sort of swimming lesson.

I know it sounds bizarre, but otter
cubs don't actually like water,

so lessons like this
are obviously essential.

There's one cub in particular
who catches my eye,

not because he's muddier
than the others,

but because he really
doesn't like the water.

And despite his mum's best efforts,
all he wants to do

is get back to the warmth
and security of the den.

The other cubs all seem to be
enduring their swimming lesson.

Some even look like they're starting
to get the hang of it all.

But this little guy - well,
he's just not having it.

So in the end, there's nothing
for it, but to just pick him up

and dunk him in the water.

Oh, my God.

All of the otters here
are given names as cubs,

to help any scientist studying them.

And it seems only fitting
to give this little guy a name

appropriate to Lake Salvador,
so I call him Dali.

It's hard to count, but it
looks like there are six tiny cubs,

which is a record number!

Diablo and mum, Sophia,

are doing the bulk of the caring
for the cubs at this age.

They are helped out
by the older brothers and sisters,

but even then,
they will have their work cut out,

because six is such
an unusually large family.

Well, you know,
it makes you wonder actually,

how Diablo and the others are going
to keep six cubs alive in this lake.

It's actually something
that worries me.

Giant otters might be the largest
of all the otters,

but they do have an arch enemy
here on the lake.

A predator that kills more otters
and their cubs than any other.

And I'm heading out
into the night to find it.

It's got properly dark now

and suddenly there are just eyes
everywhere when I shine my torch.

My boat appears to be
surrounded by black caiman.

These guys can grow huge -
up to 18 feet long!

They're the largest predator
in the Amazon Basin.

Those great big eyes
are adapted to seeing in low light

and they've got
a very acute sense of hearing,

which makes them perfectly suited
to hunt in the dark.

It's quite astonishing, really,
just how many caiman we're seeing.

I thought we might see,
you know, one or two,

but there are, literally,
caiman everywhere.

Caiman are essentially
ambush hunters.

What they do is
they sit in places like this,

just along the edges of the lake,
and wait.

And they can wait and wait and wait.

I mean,
they're in no hurry to get fed.

This is why
they're such a threat to the otters.

Lurking in the bushes
around the edge of the lake,

waiting for any prey to swim past.

There are over 700 black caiman
on this lake,

so they're obviously
doing very well here.

Diablo and his family are going
to have to be super-cautious

to keep those cubs alive.

The next morning, Diablo and the
other otters are all by the den.

Something's going on.
They look anxious.

There's a great big caiman
not far from the entrance.

The cubs are inside,

but Diablo's not going to tolerate
any caiman this close to them.

The caiman stands its ground.

This is where having
a large family pays off.

Diablo leads the family in.

The gang encircle the caiman,
intimidating it.

And Sophia, there she is, moves
in to distract it from the front

giving Diablo the chance to bite the
caiman right on the end of the tail.

Most caiman will bow out like this,

when faced with
a whole family of giant otters.

The dangerous ones
are those that refuse to move.

There is another predator around
here that Diablo and his family

just wouldn't dare stand up to.

Few of its victims
ever even see it coming.

And on our way back to camp,
I stumble across evidence of one,

just a stone's throw
from Diablo's family den.

Look at this. This is amazing.
These are jaguar footprints.

And it's got out the water
and it's walked along this beach

and it's done that in the last
five minutes. These are still wet.

That's wet sand, and in this hot
sun that would have dried out.

Quite daunting and quite exciting

to know that there's a jaguar who
almost definitely knows we're here,

just up ahead.

Not quite sure why

I'm following jaguar prints
that are just minutes old,

but I have to say
it's very exciting.

Just amazing to know
that within a few hundred metres

of where I am now is a massive cat.

That's pretty awesome.

To me, the jaguar
is the ultimate forest hunter.

If one doesn't want to be seen,
well, then, it won't be.

It's quite unnerving to know
that a jaguar's living this close

to Diablo and the cubs.

So I'm putting out a camera trap,
right outside the otters' den,

just in case the jaguar
decides to target the family.

But as we head off, we find signs
of an even greater predator

than the jaguar and it's hunting
only metres from the den.

This isn't the path of an animal.

It's the path
of an uncontacted tribe.

And German, in front of me,
can see this path,

which is just the odd snapped stick,
which you know,

in a forest, which to me is just
a massive tangle of broken sticks,

and he can follow it through, by
seeing all these snapped off ends.

He can spot them really well. I
mean, he can just follow this path.

To me, you know, we're not on a
path. There's nothing on the ground.

But he's navigating us
through the forest.

Look, there's another one,
been snapped off.

My guides, Juan Andres and German
explain that it's the path

of a hunting party from the
uncontacted Mashco-Piro tribe.

The broken twigs are their way
of navigating through the forest.

So three guys with bows and arrows
sneaking through the forest here.

If they're hunting here,
I'm worried.

Might they go for the otters?

Nothing from the river. Normally
just turtle eggs, but no fish, no.

Nothing from... Just the turtle eggs
and peccaries mainly.

Does he think they might...

Maybe they've seen us
and we haven't seen them?

No, these are old marks.

They're old. Oh, OK.

Diablo and the cubs live on a lake

that's clearly within
the tribe's hunting ground.

So it's a real relief to learn
that they're not on the menu.

The forests here might be the domain
of the Mashco-Piro hunters,

but out on the lake,
Diablo and his family are in charge.

And when it comes to hunting,

there aren't many fishermen who can
catch fish as fast as a giant otter.

The family seem to spend
their whole time fishing.

I can't believe they never get full.

But then,
a fully-grown giant otter does need

around four kilos of fish a day.

What that means is that
the most infamous fish of them all

is at the top of the menu -
the piranha.

Look at the size of this fish.

Now that is a piranha. Wow.

Very proud of himself.
That is good work.

Piranhas are really common
on the lake

and Diablo and the others
seem to love them.

It makes me wonder though - how can
he teach his cubs to take them on

without getting bitten
by those razor-sharp teeth?

I've decided to try and see just
how aggressive those piranhas are,

by attaching a chunk of meat
to an underwater camera.

Ooh, now there's a fish.
Ooh, there's a fish.

No, that's a piranha.
And another one.

They just pile in, grab it,
rip it up, and swim off.

One went in and started and now all
the others have started piling in,

they're really going for it.

Those piranhas move really fast.

They've got
a very acute sense of smell,

so that's why
they can find meat so quickly.

What fascinates me though is how
frenzied they are at devouring it.

Less than 30 seconds!

I am amazed at the speed they've
torn that piece of meat apart.

Those cubs will have to move
at lightning speed,

to catch their dinner
without getting bitten.

It's a skill
they're going to have to learn.

You've got to admire those otters

because they swim around
in this all day long,

and I don't even want to dangle
my feet off the end any more.

Swimming lessons for Dali
and the other cubs

are now a daily event
here on the lake.

And although they're not
the best of swimmers,

the cubs are finally starting
to get the hang of it.

Moments like this
are a really good chance

for the older brothers and sisters
to help out, get to know the cubs.

They do all sometimes
get a little bit over-excited.

So Diablo and Sophia
have to step in, occasionally,

and rescue the little ones.

Building these family bonds
is crucial,

because they need to be able

to depend on each other,
in times of danger.

And as for little Dali,
well, I can see mum Sophia

trying to take him off to one side

so he can get some practise
in peace.

He's nearly swimming unaided now,

just about keeping his head
above water.

A few weeks have passed.

More and more, I'm noticing
a build-up of caiman near the den.

I'm not sure whether this is
from the smell of the latrine,

which is really starting
to stink now,

or whether the hunting's just better
down this end of the lake.

There's one large caiman
in particular

they just can't seem to shift.

So today, they've clearly decided
to do something about it - move den.

Diablo and Sophia have a cub each
and the rest of the family

are flanking them
in one big protective group.

They're going a really long way.

I mean, they've been going for ages,
right down the centre

and I guess that's cos the caiman
are going to be on the edges

and they're really vulnerable
when they're like this

having those cubs out.

Even when everyone's
backing each other up,

moving like this
is a risky business.

Yeah, I can see
several caiman along the edges.

And although these guys
are essentially ambush hunters,

they're also big opportunists,

so if they see any weakness,
they'll go for it and exploit it.

So these otters
have got to be careful.

It's the middle of the day

so the otters are banking
on the caiman being less active.

All the other members of the family
are coming together.

This is where having a big family,
being a social animal,

really comes into its own,
because this family is now working

as a single unit, to shift those
cubs from one den to the other.

OK, so things are looking good.

They've got four cubs across now,
which is good.

As long as everyone sticks together,
these cubs should be safe.

But then something odd happens.

One of the otters,
I think it's Diablo,

has been back to the den alone.

It seems he's the only one who's
remembered the two missing cubs.

Now, that is just dangerous.

They're really vulnerable now,
carrying that cub on its own.

They need the family. They need
the protection of everyone else.

Shouldn't be doing this on its own.

I'm not sure whether he's brave
or just taking too big a risk.

I can see a caiman really close.

Just got to steer clear of there.

Just easy pickings for a caiman.

Because to defend itself,
the otter has to drop the cub.

This is actually quite dodgy

because this otter
is really vulnerable now.

Come on, where are you?
Where are you?

There! Ha-ha!

Good old Diablo, what a dude!

Hold on, what's that?

There's two cubs.

That's bizarre. He's carrying two.

He only had one in his mouth.
That's amazing!

He's gone up.

He must have had one in his mouth
and been carrying the other one.

I've never seen an otter
carrying two cubs.

He must just be swapping,
juggling, you know.

Holding one in his mouth and the
other one in his front paws maybe,

and then swapping them
allowing them to breathe.'

I'm very relieved that all six cubs
have made it back to the den.

SCREECHING AND SCREAMING

But then all hell breaks loose.

I don't know
what's going on in here.

Like, all I can hear is just
the loudest screaming and shouting.

They're just... I've never
heard them squeal that loudly.

There must be a fight going on.

It sounds to me like something's
kicked off with a caiman

and they're all getting involved.

The vegetation's so thick here, it's
impossible to see what's happening.

It's so frustrating.
I just want to see it.

Just after the commotion ends,
a caiman slips out of the forest.

The family slowly reappears
in dribs and drabs.

But something doesn't feel right.

Dali looks like he's OK,

but I'm pretty sure
two of the cubs are missing.

They must have been killed
by the caiman during the fight.

It's so sad.

And to me, I guess it's because
I got really fond of them,

I got to know them.

But what's worse about it,
what's more tragic, is that

the giant otter population can't
afford to lose two cubs like that.

They're just, they're rare,
and they needed them.

And it all just seemed so pointless.

But I guess that's just the way
things are on this lake.

Diablo's success now rests
with the four remaining cubs.

By mid-February,
the cubs are growing up fast.

They're all now getting
pretty confident in the water

and even Dali's swimming like a pro.

It's lovely seeing him
out of the water

playing with his old dad Diablo,
like this.

He looks like a very well-fed,
healthy young otter.

One of the main reasons
everyone's doing so well here

is that the lake's
very rich in nutrients,

which makes it absolutely
jam-packed full of fish.

And where there's fish,

there's always a load of fishermen
lining up to catch them.

Some with eyes
bigger than their beaks.

At four months old,
Dali and the other cubs

can only really watch the fishing.

They're getting
more confident in the water,

but they've got a long way to go

before they can catch
their own fish.

They're still very young
and vulnerable, but if they make it

through the next few months
and learn to fish for themselves,

they've got a good chance
of making it to adulthood.

For now, they're still relying
on the rest of the family for food,

but to get it, they've got to beg.

And Dali, in particular,
seems the most persistent.

Although Diablo's not going to give
up his breakfast that easily.

Fishing plays such an important role
in the otters' lives

and I find it so frustrating that
most of it goes on out of sight.

So I've come up
with a simple invention -

one small waterproof camera
taped to my water bottle.

And what I want to do with this
device is stick it in the water

and then bank on the otters',
sort of, natural curiosity,

and hope they'll come up
and have a look at it

and I'll then get a decent look
at them underwater.

You can really see the size
of the webs on their feet.

They're almost like flippers.

In this muddy water,
my bottle cam can't film very much

but it does remind me
of the only other time

I've filmed these animals
underwater.

Back then, I got some great pictures
of their amazing swimming abilities.

So fast and able to instantly change
direction to grab a fleeing fish.

It must be the huge, flat tail that
gives them such a turn of speed.

Diablo's cubs are too small at the
moment to move like these adults.

They lack the power.

Going out into the lake,
watching the parents hunt,

is how the cubs learn,

which is why fishing trips
like this, with the family,

are now becoming a daily event.

Dali, like the other cubs,
seems to be a bottomless pit -

he's constantly harassing the adults
every time one of them gets a fish.

He can't swim and eat
at the same time, though,

so he's got to go ashore
with his prize.

The problem with that
is that now he keeps going missing

in the bushes
along the edge of the lake.

Today, the family's chased fish
right up the lake,

and it looks like poor old Dali's
been left well and truly behind.

Yeah, I hope there aren't
any caiman about,

cos he's really squeaking.

DALI GIVES A HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAK

And if any caiman hear that...

..they'll go in for him,

cos he's really vulnerable
on his own like that.

Oh, I can see one in the bushes...

but he's not moving.

The family have realised
Dali's missing -

they're all calling out to him.

SQUEAKS AND GRUNTS

They are a bit dopey sometimes,

cos they're all screeching
their heads off,

but they're never waiting
to listen for a reply.

CALLS CONTINUE

The family all head back to the area
where they last saw Dali.

DALI SQUEAKS

SQUEAKING

It's a relief
when Diablo finally spots his son.

I love it when they greet
each other.

There is definitely affection there.

It's definitely, you know...
They're pleased to see each other.

Earlier in the season,

I put a camera trap out in front
of the family den,

to try and find out if a jaguar
might be hunting in the area.

I reckon it's time to have a look
and see if it's filmed anything.

There's the otters outside the den.

Probably getting ready for bed.

And then out of the darkness emerges
a cat I never thought I'd see.

Look, look at that! Oh!

Not a jaguar, but an ocelot.

I've never seen
an ocelot in the wild.

They're mostly nocturnal hunters

and, given half the chance,
they'd take an otter cub.

The fact that there are predators
like this ocelot on the prowl

is probably why the otters
are out during the day

and tucked away in the safety
of the den at night.

Watching a shot of an ocelot
like that is pretty special.

Well, that was worth
putting this out for.

But then I can't believe my luck.

There's a jaguar!

HE CHUCKLES
Oh, my God!

That is stunning.

Big male jaguar.

That is unbelievable.

What an incredible creature.

What a treat.

It's amazing to know that...

..everywhere we walk around here...

..these massive cats
are also wandering around.

And I bet they see us all the time.

There he goes.

Well done there, man.

That was a BIG animal.

It's pretty awe-inspiring
to see a massive jaguar like that.

But knowing that they're living
and hunting so close to the otters

does worry me. Not just for Diablo
and his family, but also myself.

I've been watching the giant otters
for nearly four months now.

And what's impressed me
most about them

is just how nice they are
to each other.

Yeah, they get a bit boisterous
occasionally,

but it's all good fun.

SQUEAKING

They seem to me to be
a really happy, tight-knit family.

Even if old Diablo
likes to slip away

for a bit of peace and quiet
every now and then.

Dali's gone
from strength to strength

and he's really starting
to explore the world.

But the large caiman's back again.

As usual, it seems
to be lurking right by the den.

The otters are on high alert.

They all want to keep him in sight.

Diablo seems especially twitchy.

The caiman's blocking
the way to the den.

The cubs are in the water,
so no-one's taking any chances.

The caiman has to be moved on.

All the adults move in to harass it.

The cubs keep their distance.

Sophia goes in at the front,
sizing up the caiman.

THE OTTERS SNORT

Others move in
to try to distract it,

giving Diablo his chance
to go for the tail.

But the caiman still won't budge.

Then it goes for him.

THE OTTERS CALL IN ALARM

The cubs panic and follow the adults
right into the middle of the fight.

By the time the caiman realises that
it's outnumbered, it's too late.

The otters step it up.

They overpower the caiman,
some holding it down,

others biting it in the head.

After an hour of fighting,
it's all over.

The caiman may be dead, but I need
to know if the otters are all OK.

It doesn't take long to realise
two of the cubs are missing.

It's kind of hard when you...

when you...see an event like that,
because on the one hand

it's, you know, undoubtedly
an incredible thing to see.

You know, giant otters
taking on a caiman...and winning!

But on the other hand, you know,
we lost two cubs.

I find that really hard because...

..I've watched these cubs
since they were tiny.

You know, just a few weeks old.

And you know,
they'd done really well.

They'd got, you know,
they'd gone so far.

And then to see the caiman
killing them...

Well, it kind of, it was a moment
that destroyed the whole family.

And...

..I guess that's why
they went from this,

you know, loving family -
happy, playing around, fishing -

to these angry, furious
killing machines.

Biting it in the head,
ripping it apart underneath,

at huge risk to their own lives,

in order to, I guess, kill the thing
and eliminate it from the lake.

You know, that caiman
was a threat to their family

and they had to get rid of it.

THUNDER CRACKS

WATER DRIPS

A week after the fight,
the rainy season finally kicks in.

I haven't seen the otters for days

and can't be sure
which cubs are still alive.

There's just no let up
in the weather -

the lake and surrounding forests
are completely flooded out.

The downpours are torrential
and they're not stopping.

It's making just travelling through
the forest almost impossible.

THUNDER BOOMS

Our camp's now flooded out and our
equipment's starting to fail.

We've got no choice
but to evacuate.

THUNDER CRACKS

A month later, the weather's better

and I'm travelling back upriver
to look for the otter family.

I'm apprehensive, though.

I've no idea if Dali's alive.

I don't even know if the family's
living on the lake anymore.

OTTERS SQUEAK

So I'm very relieved
when I hear the familiar shrieks.

But before I get too excited,
I want to know who's left.

It looks, from what I'm seeing here,
there's only six.

Sadly, there's no sign
of my old friend, Diablo.

But of the otters I CAN see here,

two in particular
are of real interest.

I can see there's two cubs left.

I mean, they don't look like cubs
any more. Probably that big?

And one of them is Dali.

I spend the morning with the otters

and follow them
as they head off fishing.

The two cubs have really grown
since I last saw them.

They're so much bigger
and bolder now.

Dali might still be smaller
than the others,

but he's got real attitude,

and seems to love
throwing his weight around.

It amazes me that these two cubs
have managed to survive so long.

I've seen the odds they face.

But there's still one big hurdle
I want to see them overcome.

That's the cub.
He's caught his own fish.

He's got his own fish!

That's a major breakthrough.

That's the first time I've seen one
of the cubs catch their own fish.

And that is a major life moment
for an otter cub,

not to be fed by Mum and Dad,

not to go and steal a fish
off another otter,

but to actually catch its own fish
finally means it can feed itself.

That's like the last major hurdle

going from childhood
into adulthood for an otter,

is to catch its own fish
and he's just done it.

These cubs when I met them,
they were this big.

They were totally helpless,
totally useless,

totally dependent on Mum and Dad
and the family

to do everything for them.

And now they're proper otters,
they're six months older.

You know, and they're catching fish.

And that means that their chances
of survival have just skyrocketed.

And then I'm relieved to see
a familiar face.

It's Diablo.

It's down to this devoted father
that the cubs have made it this far.

And if they can go on to be even
half as prolific as their dad,

the giant otter population here
in Manu will be in good hands.

In a place like Manu,
which is one of the last strongholds

of these incredibly rare animals,
that's hugely important

that we've just got two new otters
into that population.

And that's a lovely thing
to have sat here

and witnessed
over the last six months.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd