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(wind roaring)
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The peak of the last Ice Age
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was one of the coldest periods in Earth's history.
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The Americas were closed to the rest of the world
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by a wall of ice over a kilometer thick.
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South of the glaciers, grassland still dominated.
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Huge herds of prey were laid bare for a host of hunters.
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Smilodon, with its enormous fangs, lay in ambush.
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(dramatic music)
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Pack-hunting homotherium tackled the largest of animals.
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For millions of years, the saber tooths had been
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the world's top land predators
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but this was their final stronghold.
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In the rest of the world, the big cats had replaced them.
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While in the Americas the cats still lived
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alongside the saber tooths.
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But cataclysmic change was coming for them all.
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The world's last saber tooths would soon vanish
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while the big cats survived.
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Why them, what's their story?
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What were the unique adaptations that gave big cats
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the edge in this final battle for survival?
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How did the puma come back from the brink of extinction?
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Why is the leopard, perhaps,
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the greatest survivor of them all?
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(dramatic music)
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North America, 20,000 years ago.
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It was the Pleistocene Age
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when the open landscapes were ruled by giants.
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The skies were filled with huge birds,
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some with five-meter wingspans.
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All waiting to scavenge the numerous kills.
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The Americas were the only place on Earth
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where ferocious saber tooths still existed.
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Here, they lived alongside big cats, the biggest ever.
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American lions could face the saber tooths
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on their own terms.
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(roaring)
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There were so many predators on the plains,
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some of the prey sought refuge in hills and rocky outcrops.
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Here, there was another more secretive hunter
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waiting for them.
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The puma.
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It was a big cat with an average weight of 60 kilos
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but was dwarfed by smilodon and the gigantic American lion
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that could weigh as much as 400 kilos.
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Unable to compete on the plains, the puma found a living
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in hiding using cover, stealth and its wits to survive.
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We know from fossils, pumas have lived in the Americas
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for at least 500,000 years.
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However, its ancestors were once found
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across Europe, Asia and even Africa.
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As the ice sheets fluctuated, seas rose and fell
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and these cats were able to cross the Bering Land Bridge
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from Asia and into the Americas.
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In North America, where they're known as cougars
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or mountain lions, their situation now is not that different
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to their Ice Age ancestors.
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Although the saber tooths have gone,
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pumas still live in fear of predators.
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(howling)
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Wolves dominate the open country.
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While in some places, human hunters make it dangerous
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for these cats to even show their faces.
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This is why pumas are still so secretive and elusive,
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crucial qualities in their survival story.
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Observing the behavior of modern pumas gives us a window
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into their past and an insight into how
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they might have survived in Ice Age America.
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In this remote cave, a mother has raised three cubs.
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They're a few months old
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but still too young to hunt for themselves.
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Their mother leaves them behind
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in the safety of the den while she finds food.
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Here in Montana, mule deer are a favorite.
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Pumas are experts in stealth
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and low light levels give them an extra advantage.
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(dramatic music)
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The lucky one gets away.
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(birds squawking)
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Camera trap images filmed with invisible infrared light
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reveal nocturnal behavior that has rarely been seen.
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At first, this mother spends an hour
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plucking fur from the deer
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before she opens the kill to make it easier for the cubs.
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She then covers the deer with the fur she's just plucked
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to hide it from scavengers
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and returns to the cave to collect her family.
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The cubs are safer now under the cover of darkness.
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Analysis of tooth wear of modern pumas
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has revealed close similarities with that of Ice Age pumas
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suggesting they had a similar diet.
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These cats will consume virtually everything on a carcass,
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stripping gristle and tendons from the skeleton
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unlike the extinct smilodon which had surprisingly weak jaws
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and long fragile teeth ill-suited to grappling with bones.
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Although, the puma was smaller in size,
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its short face and smaller canines
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gave it a more powerful bite.
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Perhaps, one reason why the puma is still with us.
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But during the Pleistocene, the puma's thrifty eating habits
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and ability to live under the radar
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couldn't save it from what was to come.
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At the end of the last Ice Age, the thick ice sheets
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that covered much of the Northern Hemisphere were melting
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and an ice-free corridor opened up between Asia and America
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as it had done repeatedly over millions of years
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allowing the movement of animals in both directions.
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On this occasion, elk migrated from Asia.
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And, for the first time in history,
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now they had clothing for extreme cold weather.
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Modern humans also made the crossing.
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(dramatic music)
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Within a few thousand years of their arrival,
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about 75% of the large animals in North America vanished
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including the American lion
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and four other species of big cat
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and the very last saber tooths on earth.
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Even the puma wasn't spared.
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There's strong evidence that humans were the cause.
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Large, slow animals such as mammoths and woolly rhinos
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would have been easy prey for these pack hunters
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armed with spears.
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With keystone species like mammoths now missing,
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grasslands that were once close cropped became overgrown
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and choked with dry vegetation.
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Wildfires are believed to have spread across the continent
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burning vast amounts of these uneaten plants,
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destroying delicate ecosystems that had endured
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for millions of years.
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It was a catastrophe.
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(bird screeching)
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In South America, similar events took place
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with the complete annihilation
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of almost all the large animals.
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But somehow a small population of pumas managed to survive
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and they were the ancestors of all pumas alive today.
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(dramatic music)
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In southern Chile, there are places
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where you can still see Pleistocene survivors.
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Among them, guanacos,
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one of the few camel species still with us.
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(screeching)
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Cruising over the herds,
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a giant scavenger, the Andean condo,
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searching for the remains of a predator's kill.
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And the top predator here now is the puma.
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The open-country guanacos would not have been on the menu
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for pumas in the Ice Age.
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But now that the saber tooths have long gone,
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here the puma has no competition at all
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and it has found a whole new world it can claim as its own.
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(dramatic music)
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In Torres del Paine National Park,
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a mother can take her cubs into open country
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in broad daylight
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in a way that her ancestors could only dream of.
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(dramatic music)
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Soon after the Ice Age ended,
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guanacos swarmed in their millions
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over the grasslands of Patagonia
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and pumas had the chance to learn a new skill,
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hunting on treeless plains.
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(dramatic music)
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Today, these cubs are about to learn that lesson too.
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Their mother leads the way.
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Without cover, stealth is essential.
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She expertly stays hidden while closing the gap
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between herself and a guanaco.
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The cubs are keen students and try to copy their mother
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by creeping after her.
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They're making all the right moves.
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But have yet to realize they're also supposed
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to be invisible.
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(screeching)
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Before they're even close, they're spotted.
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(screeching)
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The guanaco's distinctive alarm call warns others nearby.
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It was a valuable lesson on the importance of stealth.
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In daylight on these open plains,
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even experienced pumas are tested to the limit.
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This young female has got the hang of concealment.
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Her padded paws, typical of all the cats,
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allow her to move almost silently.
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But she needs to get just a few meters from her prey.
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(screeching)
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She charged too soon.
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Perhaps, at night she'll have more success.
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As the sky darkens, guanacos move to a new location,
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sometimes gathering into large herds.
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They always sit down for the night,
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staying still and completely silent but on high alert.
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The puma needs to find a herd before it's too dark.
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Despite her superb night vision,
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the guanacos can be very hard to see
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unless they're moving.
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Special night cameras give us a clearer view.
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In the faint moonlight,
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the hunter merges with the background
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until she reveals herself against the sky.
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(screeching)
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But she can hear where the herd is going.
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Once the moon is completely covered by clouds,
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the puma has the upper hand.
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(screeching)
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The herd panics but, in the darkness,
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they are too scared to run far.
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She can take her time to choose a victim from the crowd.
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At over 100 kilos, the guanaco is double this puma's weight
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and is far more than she can eat in one go.
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Yet she wants to keep her prize all to herself
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so attempts to conceal it.
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The hunter stays close to guard her spoils.
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But she can't hide the smell of fresh blood.
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Before long two other pumas arrive.
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A huge male
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and another female.
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The new female helps herself to the kill
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while the male takes a back seat.
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The hunter is not happy.
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She comes to investigate the intruders,
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both of them older and more experienced than her.
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The hunter skirts around the edge of her guanaco.
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She uses typical cat language
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to show she doesn't want to fight.
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A blink and a look away.
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She waits.
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The male, at twice the weight of the females,
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has the power to drive them off, but he does nothing.
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Close by, there are more pumas.
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A mother and her three almost full grown cubs
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are taking a keen interest.
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They approach.
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One of the cubs gets close to the kill.
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Suddenly, the male's posture becomes aggressive.
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The mother moves in to defend her cubs,
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(growling)
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but he doesn't avert his stare.
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(growling)
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And asserts his dominance.
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The cub stands his ground.
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The male could easily kill them
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yet withholds his full power.
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Perhaps, the cubs are his.
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He scent marks the ground
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and then lets the family feed.
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The hunter picks her moment.
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Finally, she gets to feed on her kill too.
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There are now seven pumas around the guanaco.
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Events like this are very rarely witnessed
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and give us a dramatically different view
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of the cat we thought we knew.
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Pumas have always been thought of as solitary,
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but these are acting more like a pride of lions.
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Researchers believe when prey is abundant,
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they may be willing to share their kills
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rather than risk injury through fighting.
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(dramatic music)
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A few hundred years ago,
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there were about 30 million guanacos on these plains
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and early European colonists reported seeing
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prides of pumas feasting on kills.
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So, perhaps, this is just normal behavior that disappeared
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when the guanacos were hunted out.
265
00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:20,410
In some places here, puma numbers have now risen
266
00:26:20,410 --> 00:26:23,123
to almost one cat per square kilometer.
267
00:26:28,010 --> 00:26:31,233
This National Park has become a crucial refuge.
268
00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:35,580
From here, young pumas can follow their prey
269
00:26:35,580 --> 00:26:37,633
onto ranch land and beyond.
270
00:26:41,180 --> 00:26:44,420
Like all cats, pumas are wanderers
271
00:26:44,420 --> 00:26:47,940
and can live in almost every kind of habitat
272
00:26:47,940 --> 00:26:49,823
including frozen mountains,
273
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:51,553
deserts
274
00:26:53,650 --> 00:26:54,993
and rain forests,
275
00:26:58,970 --> 00:27:01,760
which is why after the last Ice Age,
276
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:04,940
they managed to rapidly recolonise North America
277
00:27:04,940 --> 00:27:06,573
from their southern refuge.
278
00:27:10,750 --> 00:27:12,840
Although over the last few centuries
279
00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,480
their population has shrunk dramatically,
280
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:19,343
the puma is still the most widespread cat in the Americas.
281
00:27:22,290 --> 00:27:25,253
They've even begun moving into our settlements.
282
00:27:28,590 --> 00:27:31,400
The puma came into a world already full
283
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:34,633
of dangerous predators and found its own way.
284
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:40,000
It survived an extinction that wiped out its competitors
285
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,783
then went on to conquer the Americas for a second time.
286
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,760
But there's another cat on the other side of the world
287
00:27:50,270 --> 00:27:54,160
that also shows an extraordinary determination to survive
288
00:27:57,730 --> 00:28:00,950
and whose story is, perhaps, even more remarkable
289
00:28:00,950 --> 00:28:02,293
than that of the puma.
290
00:28:04,336 --> 00:28:07,430
(dramatic music)
291
00:28:07,430 --> 00:28:08,783
The leopard.
292
00:28:11,130 --> 00:28:14,553
It too can live in almost any kind of habitat.
293
00:28:18,740 --> 00:28:23,623
However, this cat excels at living alongside us.
294
00:28:32,090 --> 00:28:35,960
During the Pleistocene, it was found from Africa to Europe
295
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:37,743
and all the way to Japan.
296
00:28:40,020 --> 00:28:42,493
Today, the leopard's range has shrunk,
297
00:28:43,460 --> 00:28:47,053
but it still has the greatest global spread of all cats.
298
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,240
While the saber tooths are long gone,
299
00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:59,073
the leopard has to survive in a fearsome world of predators.
300
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:08,253
Now, humans, tigers and lions are its biggest threat.
301
00:29:13,577 --> 00:29:15,744
(roaring)
302
00:29:24,161 --> 00:29:26,911
(dramatic music)
303
00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,487
(roaring)
304
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,410
And for the leopard, just as for the puma,
305
00:29:52,410 --> 00:29:55,983
its best to keep out of the way of more powerful enemies.
306
00:30:05,382 --> 00:30:07,799
(screeching)
307
00:30:18,870 --> 00:30:22,070
Here in Sri Lanka to the south of India,
308
00:30:22,070 --> 00:30:24,553
there are as many as 1,000 leopards.
309
00:30:27,220 --> 00:30:30,030
And with no lions or tigers on the island,
310
00:30:30,030 --> 00:30:31,863
the leopard is top cat.
311
00:30:35,340 --> 00:30:37,263
But it's still not in charge.
312
00:30:43,890 --> 00:30:46,193
The prey animals don't make it easy.
313
00:30:55,300 --> 00:30:57,923
Wild boar are sometimes on its menu,
314
00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:01,343
but they're also meat scavengers.
315
00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:07,893
She's outnumbered.
316
00:31:09,693 --> 00:31:12,026
(squealing)
317
00:31:29,270 --> 00:31:34,233
Once it gets dark and there's only one pig left,
318
00:31:36,140 --> 00:31:38,100
the leopard takes its chances.
319
00:31:41,189 --> 00:31:43,939
(dramatic music)
320
00:32:16,853 --> 00:32:20,787
But this Bolshi pig isn't afraid of cats.
321
00:32:20,787 --> 00:32:23,537
(dramatic music)
322
00:32:39,890 --> 00:32:43,020
The only way a leopard can ever get a meal here
323
00:32:43,020 --> 00:32:44,853
is with complete surprise.
324
00:32:51,690 --> 00:32:54,043
And it's not easy when your cover is blown.
325
00:33:02,940 --> 00:33:05,153
Even the buffalo don't want it around.
326
00:33:08,810 --> 00:33:11,263
The leopard's life is one on the run.
327
00:33:16,380 --> 00:33:19,030
It usually has to live in the shadows,
328
00:33:19,030 --> 00:33:22,803
something that, perhaps, of all cats, it is best at.
329
00:33:25,110 --> 00:33:28,513
Its skill at secrecy is why it is so successful.
330
00:33:43,230 --> 00:33:45,970
Leopards have survived for millions of years
331
00:33:45,970 --> 00:33:48,433
by adapting to an ever changing world.
332
00:33:50,210 --> 00:33:53,830
Observing their behavior today can help us understand
333
00:33:53,830 --> 00:33:55,990
why they are the cat with the best chance
334
00:33:55,990 --> 00:33:57,523
of adapting to the future.
335
00:34:00,090 --> 00:34:03,190
They can reproduce when they're about two years old
336
00:34:03,190 --> 00:34:04,903
and live for about 12.
337
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,780
So, they have a limited window to procreate
338
00:34:11,780 --> 00:34:13,993
and ensure the survival of their genes.
339
00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:18,780
When you're an elusive and solitary cat,
340
00:34:18,780 --> 00:34:21,110
it can be a challenge to find a partner
341
00:34:21,110 --> 00:34:23,293
in a complex and dense forest.
342
00:34:25,188 --> 00:34:28,503
(birds and insects chirping)
343
00:34:28,503 --> 00:34:30,753
(growling)
344
00:34:36,500 --> 00:34:40,553
The female helps the male track her down by calling loudly.
345
00:34:41,451 --> 00:34:43,701
(growling)
346
00:34:50,810 --> 00:34:54,860
Her tantalizing scent trail infused with hormones
347
00:34:54,860 --> 00:34:57,123
provide him clues to where she's been.
348
00:34:58,706 --> 00:35:01,289
(gentle music)
349
00:35:20,430 --> 00:35:23,080
When the courting couple finally meet,
350
00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:25,833
they'll be inseparable for several days.
351
00:35:35,900 --> 00:35:37,920
Under the light of the full moon,
352
00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:41,443
we can observe rare footage of this lover's tryst.
353
00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:57,843
Her caresses are tender.
354
00:36:03,310 --> 00:36:05,813
But mating can be a violent affair.
355
00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:10,980
All male cats have a barbed penis to stimulate ovulation.
356
00:36:10,980 --> 00:36:13,590
So, this male bites the female's neck
357
00:36:13,590 --> 00:36:15,660
to protect himself from attack
358
00:36:15,660 --> 00:36:17,843
as withdrawal can be quite painful for her.
359
00:36:19,435 --> 00:36:20,910
(growling)
360
00:36:20,910 --> 00:36:22,193
He jumps to safety.
361
00:36:31,060 --> 00:36:35,470
While the female's in season, they can mate 250 times
362
00:36:35,470 --> 00:36:36,773
in a couple of days.
363
00:36:40,970 --> 00:36:43,250
As often as every 15 minutes
364
00:36:43,250 --> 00:36:45,063
to maximize reproductive success.
365
00:37:01,660 --> 00:37:05,323
Given half a chance, all big cats can breed quickly,
366
00:37:08,890 --> 00:37:11,793
but here leopards can't even mate in peace.
367
00:37:16,380 --> 00:37:20,350
After millions of years of being hunted by larger predators,
368
00:37:20,350 --> 00:37:23,123
elephants won't tolerate cats nearby.
369
00:37:23,965 --> 00:37:28,965
(growling)
(elephants trumpeting)
370
00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:59,800
Being shunned and chased by other wildlife wherever they go
371
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:02,870
hasn't stopped leopards here in Yala National Park
372
00:38:02,870 --> 00:38:04,343
from doing very well.
373
00:38:05,970 --> 00:38:09,793
This is one of the densest leopard populations in the world.
374
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:14,370
But one of the key reasons
375
00:38:14,370 --> 00:38:16,773
for their success here is surprising.
376
00:38:19,490 --> 00:38:22,093
Humans have provided a helping hand.
377
00:38:24,850 --> 00:38:28,033
There are few natural lakes or ponds in Sri Lanka.
378
00:38:29,310 --> 00:38:32,080
For centuries, wildlife here has depended
379
00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:34,033
on manmade water sources.
380
00:38:41,500 --> 00:38:45,030
But, unlike the puma pride of Torres del Paine in Chile,
381
00:38:45,030 --> 00:38:47,790
the leopards here are so antisocial
382
00:38:47,790 --> 00:38:50,093
they each want their own place to drink.
383
00:38:53,100 --> 00:38:55,820
The limit to the leopard population in Yala
384
00:38:55,820 --> 00:38:59,823
wasn't the availability of prey, it was water sources.
385
00:39:01,930 --> 00:39:05,550
So, in Yala, more artificial water holes were built
386
00:39:05,550 --> 00:39:08,550
in the hope that they could increase the number of leopards.
387
00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:13,810
So far, the experiment has been a success.
388
00:39:13,810 --> 00:39:15,443
Leopards are thriving here.
389
00:39:23,594 --> 00:39:27,344
(birds and insects chirping)
390
00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:31,930
Throughout their range,
391
00:39:31,930 --> 00:39:34,280
leopards have been living alongside humans
392
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:36,730
for nearly two million years.
393
00:39:36,730 --> 00:39:40,623
Now, their relationship has got even closer.
394
00:39:43,910 --> 00:39:47,520
They've learnt that if they keep a very low profile
395
00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:49,770
and can find food of some kind,
396
00:39:49,770 --> 00:39:51,873
they can survive among people.
397
00:39:57,900 --> 00:40:00,680
Sometimes, communities are completely unaware
398
00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:02,133
of a leopard in their midst.
399
00:40:04,390 --> 00:40:05,893
Only the village dogs know.
400
00:40:15,710 --> 00:40:17,550
But there is one place in India
401
00:40:17,550 --> 00:40:21,400
where these 21st century cats have taken living among us
402
00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:22,803
to a whole new level.
403
00:40:25,260 --> 00:40:26,103
Mumbai.
404
00:40:27,679 --> 00:40:30,512
(traffic roaring)
405
00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:38,670
The most populous urban area in India
406
00:40:38,670 --> 00:40:41,023
with over 20,000 million inhabitants.
407
00:40:43,028 --> 00:40:46,028
(fireworks popping)
408
00:40:48,670 --> 00:40:53,343
And incredibly, also home to leopards.
409
00:40:58,220 --> 00:41:00,360
Within this huge metropolis
410
00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:03,240
lies Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
411
00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:07,150
A protected area of around 100 square kilometers
412
00:41:07,150 --> 00:41:09,060
would normally be expected to support
413
00:41:09,060 --> 00:41:13,283
only a few leopards, but here, there are over 40.
414
00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:23,760
When most residents are asleep, these elusive hunters
415
00:41:24,180 --> 00:41:27,473
make their way out of the park into the city.
416
00:41:36,460 --> 00:41:39,483
Cubs also learn the route from an early age.
417
00:41:44,870 --> 00:41:47,383
This is their urban jungle.
418
00:41:53,170 --> 00:41:54,820
The leopards don't have to go far
419
00:41:54,820 --> 00:41:56,363
to find what they're after.
420
00:41:59,630 --> 00:42:01,233
An abundance of food.
421
00:42:04,570 --> 00:42:06,700
These cats are known to feed
422
00:42:06,700 --> 00:42:09,453
on about a hundred different prey species.
423
00:42:13,620 --> 00:42:16,430
This ability to eat whatever they can catch
424
00:42:16,430 --> 00:42:19,083
is a key reason why they're so successful.
425
00:42:24,790 --> 00:42:27,880
But, here in Mumbai, 40% of their diet
426
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,603
is formed by an animal you wouldn't expect.
427
00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:39,530
Leopards are so good at staying out of sight
428
00:42:39,530 --> 00:42:42,773
that few people witness this night hunter's activities.
429
00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:48,933
Surveillance cameras reveal the truth.
430
00:42:56,057 --> 00:42:58,557
(dog barking)
431
00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:17,810
There are 95,000 dogs in Mumbai
432
00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:23,657
and the leopards know where they live.
433
00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:28,263
The element of surprise is essential.
434
00:43:33,212 --> 00:43:36,300
That leopard silences its victim with a throat bite
435
00:43:36,300 --> 00:43:37,973
before it can make a sound.
436
00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:45,950
With such a high density of people,
437
00:43:45,950 --> 00:43:48,353
encounters with leopards are inevitable.
438
00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:52,800
Only a very small proportion of these
439
00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:55,563
result in injuries to leopards or people.
440
00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:00,900
This pregnant female was filmed
441
00:44:00,900 --> 00:44:03,163
on our remote camera after midnight.
442
00:44:05,420 --> 00:44:09,003
A short while later, this man walked the same path.
443
00:44:14,890 --> 00:44:17,930
80% of incidents happen after dark
444
00:44:17,930 --> 00:44:21,173
when people wander outside to answer the call of nature.
445
00:44:24,510 --> 00:44:28,183
But it's when leopards are cornered that they will attack.
446
00:44:29,279 --> 00:44:30,820
(men shouting)
447
00:44:30,820 --> 00:44:33,600
In towns and cities across the country,
448
00:44:33,600 --> 00:44:36,463
leopards get themselves into unfamiliar territory.
449
00:44:38,144 --> 00:44:40,394
(growling)
450
00:44:44,350 --> 00:44:47,900
Showing the sheer strength and determination to survive
451
00:44:47,900 --> 00:44:50,853
that got them through the last million or so years.
452
00:44:54,127 --> 00:44:56,960
(people shouting)
453
00:45:09,350 --> 00:45:13,767
A leopard on the loose attracts hordes of spectators,
454
00:45:15,620 --> 00:45:18,430
all eager just to get a look at this most elusive
455
00:45:18,430 --> 00:45:19,393
of their neighbors.
456
00:45:21,860 --> 00:45:24,350
Keen to protect both people and leopards,
457
00:45:24,350 --> 00:45:27,700
the Indian wildlife authorities generally dart the cat
458
00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:32,703
and take it back to the forest.
459
00:45:41,090 --> 00:45:44,553
For the leopards, Mumbai is their home too.
460
00:45:45,800 --> 00:45:49,410
It's incredible that not only can they survive here
461
00:45:49,410 --> 00:45:52,550
but also that this is, in fact, the densest population
462
00:45:52,550 --> 00:45:54,373
of leopards in the world.
463
00:45:57,980 --> 00:46:01,690
Leopards with all their skills of stealth and concealment
464
00:46:01,690 --> 00:46:05,793
demonstrate that big cats can live alongside us.
465
00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:13,550
For all of these cats, adapting to a changing world
466
00:46:13,550 --> 00:46:16,830
was crucial to surviving the Pleistocene
467
00:46:16,830 --> 00:46:20,260
and now they need to draw on those same abilities
468
00:46:20,260 --> 00:46:21,623
in the modern world.
469
00:46:22,732 --> 00:46:25,482
(dramatic music)
470
00:46:28,310 --> 00:46:30,530
In the Indian state of Gujarat,
471
00:46:30,530 --> 00:46:34,400
the last remaining Asiatic lions have taken up residence
472
00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:35,863
in rural areas.
473
00:46:42,740 --> 00:46:47,635
100 years ago, the Gir Forest was their last stand.
474
00:46:47,635 --> 00:46:49,885
(growling)
475
00:46:50,923 --> 00:46:52,377
There were just 20 left.
476
00:46:57,720 --> 00:47:01,550
Today, there are about 650 of them
477
00:47:01,550 --> 00:47:04,630
spread over 20,000 square kilometers
478
00:47:04,630 --> 00:47:06,313
of densely populated farmland.
479
00:47:17,410 --> 00:47:20,020
Gir National Park was once a savanna
480
00:47:20,020 --> 00:47:22,183
populated by deer and antelope.
481
00:47:24,930 --> 00:47:28,500
Now a thick forest, most of the lions have moved out
482
00:47:28,500 --> 00:47:30,943
following their prey onto nearby farms.
483
00:47:36,940 --> 00:47:39,700
Our night vision cameras show how they hunt
484
00:47:39,700 --> 00:47:41,723
in the open fields after dark.
485
00:47:43,210 --> 00:47:46,543
Just as they did on the Indian savannahs of the past.
486
00:47:49,910 --> 00:47:53,423
The lions actually protect the farmers' crops from pests.
487
00:47:55,233 --> 00:47:57,650
(screeching)
488
00:48:01,501 --> 00:48:03,751
(growling)
489
00:48:11,070 --> 00:48:13,910
When they do occasionally prey on livestock,
490
00:48:13,910 --> 00:48:16,803
the reaction of the villages is very surprising.
491
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:24,700
The Gujarati people have a deep respect,
492
00:48:24,700 --> 00:48:27,183
tolerance and even reverence for them.
493
00:48:28,740 --> 00:48:31,170
They are proud of their lions
494
00:48:31,170 --> 00:48:33,313
and feel honored by their presence.
495
00:48:34,748 --> 00:48:37,748
(people chattering)
496
00:48:41,250 --> 00:48:44,460
What these lions and the Gujaratis demonstrate
497
00:48:44,460 --> 00:48:46,730
is to them perfectly normal
498
00:48:46,730 --> 00:48:49,833
but, to most people on the planet, is revolutionary.
499
00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:55,743
Big cats and humans can live together.
500
00:49:01,876 --> 00:49:04,626
(dramatic music)
501
00:49:11,500 --> 00:49:13,360
While there has been a global change
502
00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:17,620
in attitude towards big cats over the last few decades,
503
00:49:17,620 --> 00:49:20,370
very few places exhibit the kind of tolerance
504
00:49:20,370 --> 00:49:22,633
and respect on display in India.
505
00:49:26,340 --> 00:49:29,653
Most populations are still declining rapidly.
506
00:49:31,430 --> 00:49:33,190
Jaguars have been eradicated
507
00:49:33,190 --> 00:49:35,423
from half of their historic range.
508
00:49:40,730 --> 00:49:45,670
Tigers have lost a shocking 96% of their distribution
509
00:49:45,670 --> 00:49:47,933
with fewer than 4,000 remaining.
510
00:49:52,140 --> 00:49:55,240
While some estimates put the snow leopard population
511
00:49:55,240 --> 00:49:56,923
at less than 3,000.
512
00:50:03,110 --> 00:50:06,750
Seven species of big cat have clung on to survival
513
00:50:06,750 --> 00:50:08,720
for more than two million years
514
00:50:08,720 --> 00:50:10,603
thanks to their special skills.
515
00:50:16,470 --> 00:50:20,523
For most of our past, they were our enemies and competition.
516
00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:22,750
But they have stayed with us
517
00:50:22,750 --> 00:50:24,643
all the way through our own journey.
518
00:50:26,580 --> 00:50:30,210
In fact, we inadvertently helped them.
519
00:50:30,210 --> 00:50:32,420
It was us that led to the demise
520
00:50:32,420 --> 00:50:35,183
of their main competition, the saber tooths.
521
00:50:36,030 --> 00:50:37,953
We killed off their prey.
522
00:50:39,810 --> 00:50:41,970
We're in danger of doing the same thing
523
00:50:41,970 --> 00:50:44,433
with the few big cats we have left.
524
00:50:45,900 --> 00:50:48,630
Only now that we are about to lose them,
525
00:50:48,630 --> 00:50:51,643
do we realize that we want them to survive.
526
00:50:56,180 --> 00:50:58,860
And we are only just beginning to understand
527
00:50:58,860 --> 00:51:02,003
how the lives of predators and their prey are linked.
528
00:51:06,630 --> 00:51:10,263
If we want wildlife at all, we need cats.
529
00:51:11,730 --> 00:51:14,060
With tolerance and understanding,
530
00:51:14,060 --> 00:51:19,060
they could could prosper once more in a new age of big cats.
531
00:51:20,229 --> 00:51:23,062
(dramatic music)
41115
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