All language subtitles for moose life of a twig eater PBS nature s34e10 720p EN_Subtitles01.ENG

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-KITCHING: My goal is to follow
and film a mother moose

and her newborn calf
over the next year.

It's going to be really
interesting to see how it grows,

how it learns from its mother,

how it avoids danger.

Moose populations are declining
at an alarming rate

across North America.

And scientists are racing
against the clock

to try to discover why.

Any calf born now really
has the deck stacked against it.

This is gonna be
a challenging 12 months,

but I'm really excited to see
how this animal

survives its first year in
the Canadian Rockies.

-KITCHING: I need to find
a mother moose with a calf.

It's so rare
to see newborn calves.

Before she gives birth,
an expectant mother

heads to the most isolated
and uninviting parts

of the forest.

I can't say that I blame her.

Some of North America's
largest predators live here.

So mothers need to be
elusive and super protective

of their young.

Finding any moose,

let alone one with a newborn,
in this terrain

is a daunting challenge.

But after 21 days, I got lucky.

♪♪

I can't believe I've found her.

This calf is only
a few days old.

She's pretty sweet.

I think it's a she.

That mum definitely knows
I'm here,

but she seems okay
with me hanging around.

That can change at any moment
though,

so I'm going to have to be
careful and keep my distance.

If I push it or get too close,
the mother will turn on me.

I hope she's going
to let me stick with them.

Moose populations are declining
across North America

at an alarming rate.

One reason is that calves just
aren't

surviving their first year,

so it's never
been more important to learn

what happens in that first year.

The only way to know
is to follow a calf every day

for the next 12 months.

No one
has really done this before,

so I feel really lucky
to have this chance...

and a little bit nervous, too.

They move so quietly
through the woods.

They blend in so well,

even though the mother
is like a thousand pounds.

The calf, it's just born,

it's already faster than me
in the bush.

I mean, it's amazing.

The rest of the camera team is
only here for a few days more.

They'll come and go
throughout the year,

but my job is to stay here

and to really get
to know these moose.

This is only gonna work

if this mother and calf decide
to let me into their world.

And their world is a wilderness

that covers over 4,000
square miles --

Jasper National Park,

the largest Park
in the Canadian Rockies.

-WESBROOK: Hugo's got
a unique challenge,

and he's uniquely prepared
for it.

He doesn't seem
to require a coat.

And he is able to get up way
before the sun gets up

and stays up way
after it goes down.

So he puts in really long days
tracking animals.

He'll sit, watching moose
for hours and hours and hours,

and it's awe-inspiring.

Maligne Valley is in the center
of Jasper National Park.

It's surrounded by mountains
and beautiful alpine.

It's a lifeline of energy
and water and wildlife.

And the habitats for moose

are focused predominantly
along the bottom

where the drainages are
and there's lakes

and there's meadows
and damper areas for willows

and shrubbery to grow.

The moose population fluctuates

depending on the presence
of predators.

When we have done counts here,

we've found 19 moose
at its high, and around 10

at its lower population.

To distinguish between the moose
in the valley, it's easy

because the bells on their necks
are either longer or shorter,

they have scars,

or they're with different
sized calves.

-KITCHING: It's pretty magical

being this close
to this huge moose

and her baby calf.

I've only been with them
for a couple of days now,

and what I'm noticing

is that this moose
is a really good mother.

For a moose calf
to survive its first year,

it needs a little bit of luck
and a really good mum.

More moose calves
are killed by bears

than by any other predator.

So learning to recognize a bear
is a really big lesson.

This little calf has been born
into a world

that's teeming with life --

from the emerald lakes,
right up to the tree tops.

And everywhere I look, I see
parents tending their young.

[ Bleating ]

This calf and this cow
are easily identifiable.

The mother has a really distinct
scar on her shoulder.

I'm really curious
to know what did it.

This calf is timid
and super cute,

and she seems to be
learning all the time.

These young moose can put
on two to four pounds a day,

every day,
right up until winter.

She's around two weeks old now,

and she's just starting to learn
how to eat plants.

I can really see how the mum
shows her what to eat.

The mum is passing a bacteria
on to the calf

through the saliva
she left on those leaves.

When the calf eats the leaves,

she ingests the bacteria,
which is gonna grow in her gut

and allow the calf
to digest plants.

This mum is really aware,

and she doesn't let the calf
get very far from her.

You know, I think that mother
is really concerned

about keeping that calf safe.

There's wolves.

There's black bears,
there's grizzly bears here.

All of those animals
prey on baby moose.

So this looks like this was done
by a grizzly bear.

You can see
that there's claw marks

that are taller than me
and these huge,

I mean, imagine the power
to cut through this bark.

I mean, that's gotta
be almost three feet.

You can see it's raked its claws
into the bark.

It's a sort
of a scent territory marking.

I see black bears doing
similar things to trees a lot,

but the marks
are nowhere near as long.

-MOORE: It's a different world
for moose calves now

than it was 20 years ago.

Our moose population
declined by about 64%

from 1990 to present,
and we have seen that same trend

for the entire Minnesota moose
herd as well.

I think it might be more open
down that way.

Of more concern is the fact

that it looks like moose
populations across North America

are doing the same thing.

So the only way
to have a population to increase

is to have more young calves

survive than adults
die in a year,

and we're not seeing that.

She was just here.

So if we can find her tracks

and just see if there is
another calf track with her...

What do you got for a signal?

-MAN: She's still in this swath
ahead of us.

-MOORE: Every day doing this
moose research is a surprise.

We've been surprised
at the high predation rates

that we've seen on the calves.

We've been surprised
at the poor health of the cows.

It's fascinating research,

but it's also very concerning
in terms of the moose population

as a whole.

The calves can get up
and walk within 24 hours,

and within 48 hours,

we're almost too late
to be able to catch them.

E.J., I see him --
over there.

I tracked her, E.J.

The collar is 15571.

-E.J.: You got hair?
-MOORE: We got hair.

-WOMAN: We got hair, sex,
blood -- just a weight.

-MOORE: A weight
and then we are out of here.

45.4.

Okay, good.

I'm just going
to grab the muzzle,

and then I am going to start
walking out this way.

Okay.

Okay, let's go.

Then we'll just get on
out of here.

This is the most stressful time
for us as biologists --

just after we collar a calf,

making sure that the cow
comes back to the calf,

and they are able to reconnect.

We've done this enough times
that for all of our captures,

the cows have always come back.

But every time you do this,

there's a risk that you scare
the cow too much to come back,

and they end up, ultimately,
abandoning the calf.

It's pretty tough
to be a moose calf,

and the chances of survival
of an individual moose calf

are quite low.

Calves are dying
at alarmingly high levels,

and I think
that's why we're seeing

such a strong population
decline.

It will have made it through the
most critical time of its life

if it makes it one year.

[ Thunder rolling ]

[ Thunder crashes loudly ]

You know, part of the challenge
of being out here every day

is dealing
with the different weather.

And I am really cold right now.

But I gotta keep going.

I gotta keep the gear dry

and stay with them,

'cause, you know,
they're out here every day,

and they don't mind
this cold weather.

Lately, they seem a lot
more relaxed with me being here,

and I think they are slowly
getting used to me,

which is --
which is great.

She's been waiting a long time
to feed on these water plants.

It takes months
for these mountain lakes

to warm up enough to provide
the mineral-rich plants

she craves,
but can't get on land.

Some of these water plants

have 500 times more sodium
than land plants,

and a moose needs sodium for
every part of their development,

from growing hair
to reproducing.

And they'll go to great lengths
to get it.

They'll dive up to 18 feet
to get their teeth

on this stuff.

There is so much our calf needs
to learn to be a moose.

And the only one
who can teach her is her mum.

This is a tricky lesson.

She's got to learn it's safe
to go in the water

and to swim for the first time.

And then, because all the really
good plants are at the bottom,

she's gotta learn how to dive.

This could take her weeks,
even a month, to learn.

Not the most graceful thing
I've seen.

But moose
are such strong swimmers,

she'll get it soon enough.

These guys really need to feast
on this sodium-rich pondweed

while they can.

Moose can store minerals
in their body so efficiently

that they only need to load up
on essential elements

like sodium
once or twice a year.

These aquatic plants
will die out in about a month.

Not all the lakes
here produce them,

so this one is a magnet
for all the moose in the area.

Moose normally keep
to their own territory,

and up until now, our cow

and calf have had
this lake to themselves.

But now they've got company.

Oh, man, their ears are back.

That means our mother moose

and this new cow want nothing
to do with each other.

Oh, my gosh!

Is that another calf?

It looks so tiny
compared to our calf!

He can't be more than three
or four weeks old.

This little guy is gonna

have to do a lot of growing up
before winter comes.

I wonder how the little
calf's life is going to be

different from the big calf's.

It's late August,
and this is only the second calf

I've seen in the entire park.

This is so cool!

There really are personality
differences between the calves.

The little calf is kind of --
he's a little cheeky.

He's more curious,
and he's more bold.

And he'll wander off a lot.

I really want to try
to follow this little calf

and our original big calf.

I love the chestnut color
on the mum -- she's gorgeous.

They're both so relaxed
around me.

This is going to be great.

Now that it's fall,
I have to be really careful.

The bull moose who have been up
in the mountains

for the past couple of months

are coming down
for the mating season.

[ Moose calling ]

This is the only time of year
the bull moose gather together.

They are spending a lot of time
sizing each other up.

I don't blame them -- these guys
can weigh 1,200 pounds

and reach over seven feet
at the shoulder.

They are very powerful animals,

and at this time of year,
they're unpredictable.

[ Moose bellowing ]

This little calf is fearless.

This is risky.

That bull could kill him.

If he tried to mount
the little calf,

he'd break his back.

And one angry swipe with those
antlers would do serious damage.

In the end,

it's the cow who decides
who her mate will be.

Having been here for so long,
doing this day after day,

I spend more time with
these guys than anyone else.

It's going to be tougher
to keep up with them

when winter comes, though.

I hear snow can get as deep
as five feet here.

I'll have to deal
with extra clothes, snow shoes,

and then there's all the food
I'm gonna have to carry.

The amount of energy
you need snow shoeing,

with all the gear --

I mean, I am just eating bacon
like candy out here --

anything with calories.

And the moose have it worse.

Now that winter's hit,

there's very little
for them to eat.

These guys are going
to find every last bit

of green forage they can.

But soon all this nutrient-rich
stuff will be gone,

and they'll be left with a diet
of prickly evergreens,

even twigs --

whatever they can get
their teeth on.

Even after eating for hours
and hours on end, they're gonna

lose weight every day
for the next five months.

This is gonna be tough
for our big calf...

but it's going to be even
tougher for our little calf.

He's had so little time
to build up any fat reservesr.

-MOORE: Moose
are under a firing line

of things that are affecting
their population,

and I think, ultimately,
all of these different things

that are affecting
the moose population

are driven by climate change.

If you look
at the individual mechanisms

that are impacting moose,
it's very complex.

We have brainworm that are being
transferred by deer.

We have high predator numbers

because of the high
deer populations.

We have winter ticks

that are impacted
by snow depth in the spring.

And so we think
that those things

are all playing into causing
moose population decline.

What we have found
in the last year is that five

out of our six moose mortalities

that occurred
on our collared animals

were health-related issues,
not predation related issues.

The moose cows
that we've been collaring,

when they give birth,
are in much worse health

than they should be.

And we think
that that may contribute to them

being less effective in terms
of protecting their calves

from predation.

-MAN:
Yeah, she's a big old girl.

-MOORE: Mm-hmm. Well, I hope
that tick issue

isn't too bad for her.

I'm very concerned that winter
ticks are impacting moose.

When tick populations are high,

there can be very high tick
loads on an individual animal,

and that can cause hypothermia
because they rub their hair off.

And in addition to that,
it can cause the moose

to become anemic
from blood loss.

Put it in there?
-MAN: I did, I put it in.

-MOORE: Cool, thanks.

Ticks aren't
the only tiny animal

that can bring down a moose.

There are a lot
of different things

that could be
affecting this animal,

but the leading thing
that I would think of

is probably brainworm.

Brainworm is a parasite that's
carried by white-tailed deer.

It doesn't really
affect the deer at all.

But when it's in a moose,

it looks for the same geography
that it finds in a deer.

In looking for that geography,

it tunnels through the brain
of a moose,

and it causes a lot
of neurological damage.

Essentially, the moose
becomes a walking zombie.

It's a horrible way
for an animal to die.

♪♪

Given the fact

that populations are declining
across the entire continent,

I think this is a very important
time for studying moose.

The moose population
in Minnesota,

if it continues
at this current trajectory,

will be gone in 50 years.

-KITCHING: With all the snow
on the ground,

it's actually really hard

to find our moose
in this massive park.

Each mother and calf

roam a territory
of about two square miles.

At their closest,
they're about six miles apart,

so I have a lot of ground
to cover to keep track of them.

You would think following
their tracks in the snow

would be really easy...

but it is really hard.

You find a fresh track,

and you just start following it.

You would not believe how often
they criss-cross each other.

So when you think
you're getting close,

you actually find out
that you are still

hours behind the moose.

And the other big thing is the
snowshoes make so much noise.

And with all your gear --

you know, I have 50,
60 pounds of stuff with me,

A big tripod over my shoulder --

I mean, they hear me coming
from a mile away.

The funny thing is if you

are walking through the bush
following their tracks,

and you can actually
make eye contact with them,

I find if I talk to them gently

and sort of let them know
it's me --

it's not a wolf --

they immediately relax.

In this winter landscape,
all a mother can do

is to show her calf how to find
everything possible to eat.

Our little calf
is catching on pretty quick.

Hey, little guy.

Wow!

So these moose...

are really attracted to the salt
on my car.

The road salt
contains potassium, calcium,

even magnesium.

That's why the mothers
love it so much.

It's like my car's a Popsicle.

The snow is so deep,
despite their long legs,

you know, the snow
is still draining their energy,

so it really seems like every
step they take in this snow

is calculated to expend
the least bit of energy

that they can.

Everything
that they do is really planned.

Like, look at that.

The cow is just planted.

She is straining her neck,
stretching her neck,

eating everything in sight.

And then when she has cleaned up
everything she can reach,

takes a step.

Another step.

And there we go again.

It is just amazing that they
find enough food to eat here.

They really are twig-eaters.

It's incredible to think
that they can eat 8,000

to 9,000 twigs a day.

For our little calf who was
born so late in the season,

this is gonna be
a real struggle.

He is such a fighter, though.

No matter
how tough it is for him,

he just never gives up.

I bet they're dreaming of spring
and all the green veg

that's going to come out.

I haven't seen our little calf
and his mum for two days now.

I decided to leave them alone
because they are so high

up the mountain.

I don't know
what's driving them up,

but I've stayed away
in case it was me.

I can't go too long without
checking on them, though.

So today is gonna be
a climbing day.

Oh, my gosh!

Look at those tracks.

That's crazy.

Wow.

I think I'm on the trails
of wolves,

judging by the tracks.

And they are going exactly
the same way I am going.

I'm about 500 meters
from the last known location

of the calf.

Okay...

Looks like there might be
at least two here.

I'm kind of nervous.

Just because of our little calf
in this snow, I mean...

I don't know,
I think a wolf would --

or a pack of wolves
would have no problem.

I mean the mum is --
if the mum protected it,

that would be its only hope.

But -- wow -- there's a lot
of wolf tracks.

[ Birds calling ]

I'm hearing ravens over there.

It could mean it's a kill.

We are really close
to where our cow and calf were.

Now that being said,

they were still 500 meters
away last time I saw them,

which isn't that far,
except it was vertical --

or almost vertical up the hill.

Oh, man!

I just gotta wonder
if this is our calf.

Okay, I'm going
to keep searching.

Oh, no.

Uh-oh.
Uh-oh.

That is moose hair.

Ooh, this isn't good.

This isn't good at all.

Man.

Well, I think the only thing
to do is to keep

following these wolf tracks
to see what happens.

Phew...
Oh!

This is a brutal climb.

Ah, here!

Her tracks are right here.

That's definitely the mother,

and I just saw a calf track
back there.

Come on, guys.
Please have gone up hill.

Oh, man.

Look at all these broken
branches.

There has been an epic chase
or battle here.

Broken branches everywhere.

Hair -- clumps of hair --
tracks.

The wolf tracks converge here.

Oh, my God.
Look at that.

Oh, no.

Oh.

Oh, our poor calf.

This is just unbelievable.

You can't help but get attached
to these animals.

I've spent so many hours --
hundreds and hundreds

and hundreds of hours
with this moose,

and now to just know
it just died this way.

And it was so close to making it
through the winter.

I mean, a few more weeks now

and it could of been
in the clear.

And I just hope our cow
is doing okay.

Looks like she ran off that way.

Despite the hard winter,

I'm glad to say
our first calf has survived.

She's a yearling now,
and she's big.

She was only about 40 pounds
when I met her,

and now she must weigh well
over 400 pounds.

Considering that only around 30%
of moose calves

survive their first year,

it's a real triumph
for our big calf

that she's made it to spring.

She's past
the tough stuff now.

Food is no longer scarce,

and she's had the protection

and guidance of her mother
for a whole year.

But things are about to change.

Her mum is pregnant.

But before she gives birth,

she will turn on our calf
and drive her out.

She'll chase off her yearling

in order to ensure
the best possible chance

for her newborn.

She'll keep shunning
and shunning her

until the message is clear,

"You are not welcome
here anymore."

I guess it's tough love.

The mother's focus has turned to
nurturing the next generation.

Now, our yearling
has to head out into the world

and make it on her own.

Despite everything
her mother has taught her,

she still
has so much left to learn.

I heard that a chestnut-colored
moose was seen on a small island

five miles up Maligne Lake.

It's got to be
our little calf's mum.

I'd never seen another moose
that color in the park.

Hi, little guy.

She has survived so much.

She must be completely
exhausted.

And, yet, here she is again,

using all her strength to mother
another little calf.

And at a time when moose
populations are in such decline,

each calf is precious.

Our feisty little calf
showed me just how hard

life can be for a moose
born late in the season.

This new calf was born
two months before his brother

was last year,
which gives him a huge advantage

for surviving
that critical first year.

I've been so lucky to experience
firsthand the strong bond

that develops between a calf
and its mother.

She is such a remarkable animal.

I feel better
about leaving here --

now that I know she's had
a chance to be a mother again.

To learn more about what you've
seen on this "Nature" program,

visit pbs.org.