All language subtitles for Bears IMAX 2001 720p BluRay EN Sub_Subtitles01.EN

For thousands of years,

people around the world
looked into the sky

and saw the same
thing dancing overhead,

"Ursa Major", the Great Bear.

Some believed the
bear had special powers,

that it could move magically
between sky and Earth.

Today, that magic is
in danger of disappearing.

In the Andes Mountains,
the Spectacled Bear,

once revered by the Incas,
is now persecuted as a pest.

In parts of India and
Sri Lanka lives the Sloth Bear.

Noone really knows
how many still survive.

For thousands of years,

the Asiatic Black Bear has
been hunted for its organs,

believed by some to hold
magical healing powers.

The smallest of all the
bears is the Sun Bear.

Its fate is tied to the vanishing
jungles of Southeast Asia.

Despite efforts by organizations

like the San Diego Zoo
and the Smithsonian Institution,

the Giant Panda hovers
on the brink of extinction.

Of the eight species
of bears in the world,

three are found
in North America.

Here, the magic of
these creatures lives on.

Alaska has over
30,000 Brown Bears,

one of the highest
populations in the world.

And that's exactly why
Chris Day has made it her home.

Chris is a naturalist
and wilderness guide

who's lived among wild
bears for nearly 15 years.

Her approach to these
creatures is unusual.

I worry about the bears
all winter long.

I wonder how they're doing,
how many cubs have been born.

In the spring, I just can't
wait to get out to see them.

"Some folks say the bears
go round smelling bad"

"Others say that a
bear is honey sweet"

"Some folks say this
bear's the best letterhad"

"And some folks got a
bear beneath their feet"

"Some folks drive the
bears out of the wilderness"

"Some to see a
bear would pay a fee"

"Mel just bear up
to my bewildered best"

"Some folks even
see the bear in me"

"Some folks drive the
bears out of the wilderness"

"Some to se a
bear would pay a fee"

"Mel just bearup
to my be wildered best"

"Some folks even
see the bear in me"

"They just don't come
no better than a bear"

Brown Bears are found across
much of the Northern Hemisphere.

In North America, they"re
often called "Grizzlies".

In this part of
Southwestern Alaska,

thousands leave
their dens every spring,

and Chris has become an expert
at knowing where to find them.

The saddest thing
for me is that every year,

some of the bears
I've come to know

don't show up in the spring.

This bone can provide information on
the size and condition of the bear,

but it won't tell
me which one it was.

I just hope that it doesn't belong
to one of my favorite bears.

Chris's extensive experience
with the bears of this area

has allowed her to watch
them safely at close range.

Over the years, they've
become accustomed to her,

and Chris has given them
names to help identify them.

Solstice is a
10 year old female

that I've known since
she was just a cub.

I was afraid our relationship would
change when she had her own cubs

but it hasn't.

From the very beginning, I've been
lucky enough to watch them grow up, too.

In Alaska, cubs usually
stay with their mother

for two to three years
before they go out on their own.

Last spring, when they
were only six months old,

I could already see the
differences between them.

One cub was pretty
timid and stayed close to Mom.

The other was
much more adventurous,

a lot like Solstice
when she was a cub.

In all the years I've
spent with the bears,

watching them fight,
play, raising their young,

I've felt a lot of emotions,
but I've never felt afraid.

I've never once felt
threatened by a bear.

Understanding the personalities
of the individual bears

is crucial to Chris's
success as a guide.

Before she can safely bring
people out to see the bears,

she must be confident about
how the animals will react.

Her approach
is a combination

of caution, patience,
and tremendous respect.

Chris's attitude
may seem unusual today,

but in the past, many of
North America's native peoples

had a close relationship
with the bear.

The spirit of the bear

held the power to heal,
the power to protect,

and the power to bring
forth the seasons.

Everyfall, they watched the bears
disappear, as if entering the grave,

and then miraculously
return from the dead,

bringing with them
the spring and new life.

In the Bitterroot Mountains
of Montana,

this Black Bear has given
birth, nursed her cubs,

and survived six months
of winter without food or water.

Few creatures on Earth can
match this miracle of physiology.

Hungry as she is,
the mother's urge to find food

is overridden by her need to
stay close to her helpless cubs.

At six weeks old, the cubs
have only just opened their eyes,

but it won't be long before they'll
get a closer look at their big backyard.

Black Bears are found in
forests across North America.

Their number one
defense is to climb a tree,

but it's not something you
learn your first day at school.

The Black Bear is the smallest
of the North American bears.

Though their diet
is largely vegetarian,

they are omnivores,

and like humans, they
will eat just about anything.

High in protein,

ants provide a perfect
snack for a nursing mother

with two high energy cubs.

A Black Bear's backyard
is as big as its appetite.

The mother will follow
her nose and her memory

in a nendless search for food.

These cubs have never
set foot in water.

However, they have no choice
but to keep up.

The first summer is the
biggest test a cub will face.

Their chances of surviving
are only about 50/50.

Every obstacle they overcome

is a testament to the
spirit of the bear.

To the Inuit people
of the Arctic,

the most powerful animal in
their world was the Polar Bear.

It was believed their
spirits were interchangeable,

that human
and beast were one.

Like them, the bear stood
up right to face its foes.

Like them, it roamed the
frozen ocean in search of seals.

A solitary giant
at the top of the world.

In the northern
parts of their range,

some bears never
set foot on land.

Further south,
it's a different story.

In the spring,

as the ice disappears along
Hudson Bay in Northern Canada,

the bears are forced ashore.

This year,
the melt has come early

during the
peak of the seal hunt.

The Polar Bear is the largest
land predator in the world.

The true giants
weigh nearly a ton.

while spring is a time of
plenty for many species of bear,

for these bears,
it's the start off amine.

with time on their hands,
cubs find ways of amusing them selves.

when hunting and breeding,
males are savage foes.

But marooned together on land,
they become tolerant playmates,

engaged in rolling
ballets of teeth and claw,

strange tangos on the tundra.

The Inuit believed that
the Polar Bear

roamed the entire world
during the dark of winter

and magically returned to
the Arctic with the spring sun.

Their name for
the bear was "Nanuk".

Native peoples knew
the bear by many names.

The Black feet Indians
called the black bear "Kyaio",

meaning "bear".

They called
the grizzly "Nita Kyaio",

which meant "real bear".

The scientific name for the grizzly
is "Ursus Arctos Horribilis".

This part of Alaska

is one of the best and safest
bear view in areas in the world.

Guided by experts
like Chris Day,

every summer, a lucky few
get the experience of a life time.

I bring people out
to see the bears because,

I feel it's the best way to change
how we look at these animals.

when we first start out,
people are apprehensive,

and some are really afraid.

But when they see
their first bear,

they begin to relax
and even enjoy themselves.

There are two of them.
Oh... there's another one.

Just to the right, coming out of
the grass, can you see that one?

Yeah, beautiful.
can we get any closer?

No, let's just be still here,
if they're comfortable with us,

they'll come closer
to us on their own.

Grizzly bears are often portrayed
only as fierce predators and hunters,

but the truth is
much less exciting.

when they first come
out of their dens,

they feed mostly on a grass
like vegetation called "sedge".

In some ways, they are
more cowlike than killer.

Males are nearly twice
the size of females.

For most of the year,
females avoid the close company

of their potentially
dangerous mates,

but as summer approaches,
the attraction becomes irresistible.

It's the only
friendly contact they'll have.

After fertilization,
the male plays no role in parenting.

All grizzlies are
opportunistic feeders.

clams may not provide
much in the way of nourishment,

but they're a delicacy.

A welcome break from
a diet of sedge salad.

The bear's six inch
claws combine the brute force

of a shovel with the
fine precision of a scalpel.

As summer approaches in Alaska,

along awaited signal
goes out across the land,

like a special invitation
to a dinner party.

The river begins
to swell with salmon

returning to their
ancestral spawning grounds.

For the bears, it's an
event not to be missed.

For Chris Day, it's a chance
to introduce new friends to old.

Sometimes we
just really get lucky.

The right people, the right situation,
and the right bear.

Scrappy's 5 year old.

I've been watching him at
this stream since he was a cub.

And he still hasn't quite figured
out the best fishing technique.

In some ways, juvenile bears
are a lot like teenage kids.

They're really impatient and
don't always get what they want.

Aren't they great?

Scrappy's one of the most
easy going bears I've ever known.

Most of the time, he's more tolerant
of us than he is of the other bears.

The grizzly has had a rough
ride in many parts of North America.

South of Canada,

they've been eliminated from
over 98% of their former range.

Chris has been
promoting the protection

of the remaining
bears and their habitats.

If I can give people
the opportunity to see bears

the way that I have, I know
the bears will do the rest.

They'll dispel the myths,

and I hope that everyone
of those people leaves as

an ambassador for the bears.

He's a young bear there.

He's afraid another bear will
take his fish away from him.

Bear attacks on humans,
although rare,

usually happen
through carelessness

or just being in the wrong
place at the wrong time.

Any creature that
intrudes on a grizzly feast

puts itself in peril.

This applies to
both man and beast.

Though bears have stayed
true to their nature,

we have painted them in
all sorts of different lights.

They were persecuted
for centuries

and driven out of
many parts of the world.

It was a chance encounter that
helped turn the tide of feeling.

A hunting trip
brought Teddy Roosevelt

muzzle to muzzle with a cub.

In a moment of compassion,

the American President chose not
to shoot the defenseless animal.

The story spread

and led to the creation
of a new toy in his honor

the Teddy Bear.

lt was a spark of hope
for bears everywhere.

Today, many organizations,

including the
National wildlife Federation,

are supporting plans to reintroduce
the grizzly to the Bitterroot Mountains,

now the exclusive
domain of the Black Bear.

Against the odds,

both Black Bear cubs have
made it through their first season.

Across North America,
the Black Bear's biggest threat

is habit at loss as forests
give way to development.

The bears have done all they can
to prepare for the coming winter.

It's up to us to ensure that they always
have a place to return to in the spring.

The Polar Bear faces threats
of a very different nature.

As winter begins to take
hold along Hudson Bay,

the hungry bears
are restless,

waiting for the ice to form
and the seal hunt to begin.

The famine is almost over.

The long fast has
been especially hard

on nursing mothers,
who have been sustaining

the entire family
on their reserves of fat.

A cub's greatest danger
at this time of year

is from other bears.

For the Polar Bear,
most dangers are easily outrun,

but some are
beyond their control.

Global warming is starting to take
its toll on Arctic ice conditions,

reducing the amount of time these bears
are able to hunt on the frozen ocean.

Over the past decade,
their seal hunting season

has been getting
shorter and shorter,

and their average weight
and rate of reproduction

have begun to drop.

The Inuit believe that Polar Bears
have the power to see the future.

If so, what future do the
bears see for themselves?

I think the future of the
grizzly really depends on us.

I was so lucky that my first
bear experience was at McNeil River.

It's a place where
the bears are in charge,

and we have the privilege
of being observers.

Tome, it's one of the
great wonders of the world.

It's a place
that gives me hope.

For over 40 years,

McNeil River has been
a sanctuary for Alaskan bears.

Each summer, nearly 100 grizzlies
gather here to fish for salmon.

Somehow, the bears
know when to show up.

These males are some of the
biggest grizzlies on the planet.

They're loners as a rule,

but they overcome their
natural dislike of each other

for a place at the table.

The biggest and most dominant
bears get the best spots,

and they return year after
year to reclaim their seats.

There's a lot riding on
the success of this banquet.

It must sustain them
through the coming winter.

As long as the salmon run,

these great beasts
will continue to return

a constellation of giants,

helping to keep alive
the magic of the bear on Earth.

It's my hope that
1,000 years from now,

some one will still be
able to stand in this place

and see what I've seen
and even feel what I've felt.

And I hope that we'll have learned
to live in harmony with the bears

and that we'll have left them
the space they need to survive.

Bears are more
than just mythical beasts.

They are a sign of the health and
balance of the wild places they inhabit.

They are the spirit
of the wilderness.

The Blackfeet Indians
believe that the bear

is a guardian spirit that
can heal and protect you.

Perhaps it's our turn to be
the guardian spirits of the bear.

"Some folks drive the
bears out of the wilderness"

"Some to see a
bear would pay a fee"

"Mel just bear up
to my bewildered best"

"Some folks even
see the bear in me"

"So meet a bear and take
him on out to lunch with you"

"Even though your friends
may stop and stare"

"Just remember that's a bear
there in the bunch with you"

"And they just don't come
no better than a bear"

"So meet a bear and take
him on out to lunch with you"

"Even though your
friends may stop and stare"

"Just remember that's a bear
there in the bunch with you"

"And they just don't
come no better than a bear"

"No they just don't
come no better than a bear"

"No they just don't
come no better than"

"No they just don't
come no better than"

"They just don't come
no better than a bear"