All language subtitles for Meet the Bears BBC Natural World 2019 1080p EN SUB

From the mighty grizzly bear...

..to the endearing, real-life
Paddington, the spectacled bear...

..and the majestic polar bear,
king of the frozen North...

..this remarkable animal family
has long captured our imagination.

But as some of the biggest
animals on Earth, they need

more than just the bare
necessities to get by.

So, whether it's raiding
nature's larder,

standing up to their rivals...

..raising the cubs...

..or even proving that you're
smarter than the average bear...

..each must draw on all its skills
to survive.

Today, bears face their biggest
obstacles yet...

..as they try to get to grips
with a changing world.

But whatever
they're confronted with,

bears always try and take
life in their stride.

Bears are some of the most
charismatic animals

to walk our planet...

..and they all share the same
key characteristics.

Like this brown bear,
their impressive size

and strength sets them apart.

They have forward-facing eyes
with vision similar to our own.

But their sense of smell is
over 100 times more powerful.

Large, dexterous
paws are tipped with long claws

that can open up even more
opportunities.

Although they're classed
as carnivores, most bears eat

a diverse mix of plants,
insects and meat.

Across the world, there
are just eight species,

yet they range over a wide variety
of habitats...

..from the ice world of the North,

through the mountains of Asia...

..to the heat of the tropics.

To live in these very different
places, they've had to adapt.

The skills they need to survive
must be learned and mastered

over a lifetime.

So making it as a bear is
far from easy.

Katmai National Park in Alaska -

a wilderness where mountains

meet the sea.

This is home to the brown bear,

sometimes known as the grizzly.

GROWLS

And they're gathering for one
of the most extraordinary

events in nature...

..the salmon run.

Every summer, millions of salmon
head upstream to spawn.

Waterfalls are a natural barrier
for the migrating fish...

..and the bears know it.

Three cubs emerge from the forest.

Their mother is thin
and needs to eat.

But this is a dangerous
place for a young family.

THEY GROWL

Competition for every fish
is fierce.

For their own safety, the cubs
are kept on the sidelines.

It's a prime position to watch
the action.

Catching a powerful, slippery
salmon is tough...

..and the grizzlies, like all bears,
must work out the best way to tackle

the food on offer.

There's the dash and grab.

Less energetic is the stand
and wait approach.

But it has its downsides.

Beneath the falls, sit and wait
is the most successful strategy.

Fights can break out at any moment.

For now, the cubs
are out of their depth.

An experienced big male
can catch 30 salmon a day...

..and eventually most of them
have had enough.

The mother bear decides
it's safe to return.

Her cubs are depending on her.

A perfectly timed catch.

Patience and experience pay off...

..and the family can feed.

The skill and judgment needed
to master a chaotic situation

like this, with tricky prey and
other bears, takes years to learn.

So, for cubs, lessons start early.

The forested areas of North America

are home to the grizzlies' smaller
cousin, the American black bear.

These cubs are nearly four
months old and, at this age,

they're learning new skills
every day.

Play fighting
improves their coordination

and builds muscle strength.

It also helps sort out who's
who in the pecking order.

The youngest cub soon
learns her lowly position.

She may be last in line,
but she still benefits

from her mother's milk.

It's almost 25% fat.

That's five times as rich as
cow's milk.

THEY GRUNT

Soon, these cubs will move
on to solids, so they're starting

to investigate other food
around them.

In spring, young leaves and ants
are a good source of protein.

But it's too early for pine nuts.

Learning what they can eat and when
will be vital in the future.

But right now, the cubs
are vulnerable,

and there are more pressing issues.

There are predators
in these forests.

A bald eagle could snatch
and kill a cub...

..as could a coyote.

Most dangerous of all are
grey wolves.

But there is a place the cubs
can seek safety.

Thanks to their strong,
curved claws...

..these bear cubs can climb
from a young age.

But perfecting the technique
takes time.

They need to work out which trees
are best for gripping onto.

Smaller trees and branches
are good for practice -

well, most of the time.

This tree is too flaky.

This tree is too slippy.

But this tree is just right.

Going up is one thing...

..but coming down again
can require a helping hand.

THEY GROWL

All bears
must learn how to avoid danger...

..and there's one species that's
come up with an unusual strategy.

India...

..home to the sloth bear.

Here, there are fewer
tall trees to escape into.

And, in any case, the local
predators are skilled climbers.

So these sloth bear cubs
need a different escape plan.

WAILING

When their mother sounds the alarm,

they head for
the safest place around.

Her shaggy coat
means the cubs can climb

onto her back, clinging on
using strong forelegs and toes.

It's unusual for a big cat
to challenge a sloth bear mother...

..unlike her cubs, who so often do.

A mother bear is the cubs'
protection and their only guide.

With so many skills to learn,

most bear cubs stay with their
mother for two to three years.

THEY GROWL

In Alaska,
a five-month-old grizzly bear cub

is working out his boundaries.

Adult bears spend
most of their lives alone,

so this time with his mother
helps him learn how to interact

with other bears.

All cubs need to master
their new surroundings.

In the Arctic,

young polar bears emerge from
their den to take their first

steps in the snow.

This cub is more cautious.

They need to get to grips
with this terrain quickly.

Soon, they will have to walk
many miles in search of food.

In Canada, another grizzly bear cub
is trying his luck at fishing.

His mother shows how it's done.

Observational learning is one
of the most effective ways for cubs

to pick up new skills,
and, with so many salmon here,

he's got a good chance.

Now to hold on to it.

As cubs grow more independent...

..they start trying things
out for themselves.

In the woodlands of Minnesota,
a fallen tree holds something

that bears are famously fond of...

..honey.

BEES BUZZ

And it hasn't gone unnoticed.

This nine-month-old black bear
cub may have never

encountered bees before...

..and sometimes learning
can be a painful process.

HE GROWLS

His more experienced mother
has a tried and tested technique.

This smash and grab leads
to fewer stings.

Honeycomb provides sugars
and protein

from the bee larvae inside.

Much of a cub's learning is focused
on food. As one of the biggest land

animals, some bears need over 5,000
calories just on an average day.

In many parts of the world,

bears have to adapt and specialise
to fuel their sizable appetites.

The Andes Mountains
in South America,

home to this continent's only bear.

White facial markings are
a clue to its name -

the spectacled bear.

But to many of us, it's far
more familiar as the storybook

character of Paddington.

Like its fictional counterpart,
this bear has a sweet tooth...

..although in these cloud
forests, marmalade sandwiches

aren't an option.

Fortunately, there's another
high-calorie food here...

..bromeliads - a family of plants
that includes the pineapple.

Growing metres off the ground,
they're out of reach

for most large mammals.

Bromeliads are notoriously robust
plants, but the spectacled bear

can break them apart with ease.

That's because, relative to its
size, it has the largest jaw muscle

of any bear species and grinding
teeth that are secured into its jaws

with three roots instead of two.

It's after the sugar-rich core.

The spectacled bear will also eat
palm nuts,

birds' eggs and small animals.

But half of its diet is made up
of these high-energy plants.

Unfortunately, bromeliads
tend to be widely scattered

across this mountainous terrain...

..so these bears have to search

their entire territory
to find food...

..which can be
up to 115 square miles.

They have a surprising skill
to help them.

Research has shown that spectacled
bears can remember the location

of important resources by building
up a mental map of the area.

Higher up the mountain is
the paramo - a land swathed

in tall grasses.

It's too cold for tree-growing
bromeliads,

but not too cold for puyas -

giant ground bromeliads that
can stand over three metres tall.

But getting to their sugary centre

requires a different technique.

The spectacled bear can satisfy
its need for calories

by using its strength
and its ability to find

and remember food sources.

But on the other side of the world,
a very different habitat presents

an even greater challenge.

Across Asia, many of the forests
are populated by one kind

of plant - bamboo.

In China alone, bamboo forests cover

an area of over 20,000 square miles.

But for an animal
trying to make it here,

there's just one problem.

Bamboo is incredibly tough
and fibrous

and particularly low in calories.

So, to conquer this landscape,

one bear has done
something quite extraordinary.

The giant panda has adapted its body

and even its behaviour

to almost exclusively eat bamboo.

The bear spends its days searching
the Qinling Mountains for the most

nutritious parts of the plant.

It usually sits down to eat...

..so that its flexible forepaws

are free to help harvest the bamboo.

It's the only bear that has
evolved a wrist bone to act as

an opposable thumb...

..allowing it to select and
manipulate the most tender

part of the plant.

To prevent injury
from bamboo splinters,

its oesophagus and stomach
are lined with tough, thick walls.

But its digestive system,
like those of other bears, is built

for eating meat, and it lacks
the plant-digesting bacteria

of a true herbivore.

So, to get enough nutrients,
it has to feed for up to 14 hours

a day and chew its way through
12 kilos or more of bamboo.

This low-energy diet also
affects a panda's behaviour.

To avoid exhaustion, it limits
unnecessary socialising and walking

in tricky terrain.

Bamboo is evergreen,

so the panda can eat all year round.

It's even come up with a method
of breaking ice off frozen leaves

by using its warm snout.

Fossil evidence suggests that pandas
have been eating bamboo for the last

four million years, but their
complete dependence on one plant

has put them in danger.

Pandas once thrived across
eastern and southern China

but, as the forests made
way for human development,

their population crashed
to just 1,000 bears.

Today, their range is restricted
to six isolated mountain ranges.

Over the last six decades, efforts
have been made to save the panda

by giving them protection
and setting up reserves.

And in the early 1980s,
China opened its first

captive breeding centre.

This programme has been very
successful, with over 300 pandas

born in captivity.

Some of these are now being released
into the wild.

Work to bring this bear back
from the brink of extinction

is starting to pay off.

Today, the wild population
has nearly doubled

to just over 1,800 pandas.

An almost exclusively vegetarian
diet is the exception for bears.

Most need more protein to thrive,
and they'll go to extreme lengths

to get it.

In India's dry grasslands,
food is hard to come by.

This fortress holds the answer.

But how to get inside?

The sloth bear is
the real-life Baloo...

..the character in Rudyard
Kipling's Jungle Book.

Its distinctive shaggy coat
made early explorers think

it was a sloth, but it's the bear's
powerful paws and unusual face

which are key
to how it gets its food.

Under cover of darkness, it targets
the mound's inhabitants...

..termites.

They build these giant mounds,
which are fortified by a wall

of sun-baked clay.

Most termites are less than
two centimetres long,

but there could be over a million
of them inside.

To get to them, the sloth bear
has just the tools for the job.

It uses eight centimetre-long claws
to tear into the mound.

Soldier termites have pincers,
but they're no match for this bear's

next form of attack.

Long, floppy lips and a lack
of front teeth allow it to use

its mouth like a hoover and suck up
hundreds of termites at a time.

It can also shut its nostrils
to avoid inhaling dirt

or any stray insects.

A sloth bear can demolish an entire
termite colony in a single night.

Rich in fat as well as protein,

termites provide almost
double the number of calories

as a rump steak.

Insects like these can form
95% of a sloth bear's diet.

Around the world,

physical adaptations allow
different bear species to specialise

on the most nutritious
food available.

In Southeast Asia,

nothing is out of reach
for the sun bear.

Sickle-shaped claws
and bare-soled feet

mean it can access fruit in
the jungle's tallest trees.

Powerful paws expose
insect larvae...

..and they use a 25 centimetre-long
tongue to fish them out.

Japan.

On the rocky slopes
of the Hida Mountains,

an Asiatic black bear
uses its sense of smell and careful

footwork to uncover its prey...

..ants.

It can spend up to eight hours
a day flipping these rocks.

When it comes to food, most bears
show a remarkable level

of resourcefulness...

..and that's just as well
because the bears

living in the Northern Hemisphere

face a particularly
difficult challenge.

North America.

In seasonal climates,
the food available changes

with the time of year...

..so bears like these grizzlies
have to switch food sources

every few weeks.

Spring brings new growth.

Succulent sedges and grasses
provide a welcome protein boost.

As summer approaches, seafood
appears on the menu, but the bears

need to plan ahead.

They time their hunting during

the 3-5 hour window of low tide.

On the exposed sand,

they detect their prey by smell.

Clams.

Grizzlies can eat as many
as 100 clams in one low tide.

They'll also gather seaweed,
barnacles and mussels to add

to their varied diet.

But in early autumn,

the bears' appetites

suddenly go into overdrive.

On the coast,

this coincides with the appearance
of a major food source.

The salmon are back.

Hormonal changes cause
the bears to enter a phase

of excessive eating, or hyperphagia.

They eat almost continuously
without ever feeling full.

At this time of year, grizzlies
can consume up to 100,000

calories a day.

That's the equivalent of
over 1,000 boiled eggs.

But this gluttony has a purpose.

HOWLING

As winter tightens its grip
in the North...

..feeding opportunities
begin to disappear.

For many large animals,
this can spell disaster.

But bears have a solution.

It's all down to an extraordinary
feat of physiology.

After their autumn feeding
frenzy, they retreat to a den.

Inside, they enter
a state of hibernation.

In this deep sleep,

their body temperature
drops several degrees

and their heartbeat slows
to as few as ten beats a minute.

They don't eat or
drink for seven months.

Instead, they rely solely
on their fat reserves to stay alive.

Grizzlies, American, and Asiatic
black bears all enter this

deep form of hibernation
in colder climes.

They don't experience any heart
complications, blood clots or

even bone and muscle loss during
this extended period of inactivity.

The implications for human
medicine are huge.

NASA scientists are hoping
the bears' biochemical secrets

will one day help astronauts with
long distance space travel.

BIRDSONG

With the arrival of spring,
the bears emerge healthy and lean.

After their long fast,
they stock up in the meadows.

Bears have had to adapt to make
the most of the food available.

But it's not the only
challenge they face.

Adult bears lead mostly
solitary lives.

And as the season warms up,

many animals have just
one thing on their mind.

So, how does a bear find a mate?

The answer involves trees...

..and a good old-fashioned
back scratch.

As they rub,
they mark the tree with their scent.

It's like leaving a calling card.

The higher they can rub, the better.

This way,
their scent can travel further.

And it doesn't take long for
these chemical signals

to attract other bears...

..who then leave their own messages.

It's thought that this
unusual form of communication helps

individuals work out who's around,
who to avoid and who's available.

Now, all they need to do
is get together.

On the Alaskan coast, the dating
game has moved to the next stage.

Male and female grizzlies
gather on the meadows.

Some travel for hundreds
of miles to be here.

The big males show off
with a strut...

..known as the cowboy walk.

But there's more to this swagger
than meets the eye.

As they twist their paws
into the grass,

they leave behind a scent trail,
made up of 26 volatile chemicals.

The effect is enhanced with urine.

These pungent scents
and body postures signal the bear's

intent to mate and help males
establish a hierarchy.

But when males are evenly matched,

there's only one way to
resolve their differences.

GROWLING AND ROARING

With the battle over, the victor
can continue his courtship.

In some parts of the world, finding
a mate is even more challenging.

The Arctic.

Freezing temperatures and gale force
winds make this land of snow and ice

one of the most inhospitable
places on the planet.

But to a polar bear, it's home.

Polar bears evolved from brown bears
many thousands of years ago

and spread north.

Here, a lone male occupies

a massive home range,

sometimes in excess of
100,000 square miles.

That's an area over 200 times bigger
than Greater London.

So, the chances of meeting a mate
here seem vanishingly small.

But this Arctic nomad
has a strategy.

In common with grizzlies,

polar bears have sweat glands
on the soles of their feet...

..so their footprints
are full of information.

All a male has to do is follow them.

But his long distance trek
is no guarantee of romance

on the first date.

When he finds her,
he's got to impress.

She'll only mate with him
if she thinks he's fit and strong.

So she puts him to the test.

His downhill tobogganing
lacks style,

but he's keeping up.

The next challenge is
a rocky ascent.

The female makes it look easy.

Weighing almost twice as much
as her, at close to half a tonne,

size isn't on the male's side.

He needs some encouragement.

And she has a unique
way of giving it.

This is one of the few times that
polar bears come together as adults.

Courtship can last three weeks.

Then,
they'll go their separate ways.

The female will spend the winter
months under the snow,

where she'll give birth to her cubs.

And the male will endure
the coldest weather that

any bear on the planet must face.

Temperatures will
drop as low as minus 40 degrees.

But this extraordinary bear has
mastered the art of staying warm.

A double-layered fur coat not
only helps to keep out the cold,

but it also keeps the heat in
by trapping infrared radiation.

And underneath is a layer of
pure blubber, up to 11cm thick,

which provides vital insulation.

But to maintain its ample waistline,
a polar bear needs high fat food...

..seals.

And the best place to catch them
is on the sea ice.

This is where the seals create
breathing holes and dens.

The polar bear's sense of smell,

said to be seven times more
powerful than a bloodhound,

can pick up the scent of a seal
from over a mile away.

To help it walk across
the ice sheet,

large paws act like snow shoes
to spread the weight,

while bumps of skin on the footpads

and hairs between
the toes provide grip.

It can pinpoint its prey by smell
90cm beneath the ice.

But seals are agile swimmers

and nine out of ten hunts
end in failure.

There are successes and to survive,

each bear must catch at least one
adult seal every ten to 12 days.

But, today, polar bears are facing
a new challenge.

With rising year-round temperatures,
their hunting grounds are shrinking.

Enormous masses of ice that were
frozen for thousands of years

have broken apart and melted away.

Each year, the Arctic's frozen ocean
is becoming smaller and thinner.

Polar bears are being forced to swim
ever greater distances

to hunt seals.

With their powers of endurance
pushed to the limit,

many will starve or even drown.

If current trends continue,

some scientists predict the summer
sea ice in the Arctic could be

gone within half a century
and with it,

potentially a third
of all polar bears.

In some parts of the Arctic,

polar bears are trying to adapt
to this changing world.

Driven by hunger, the normally
solitary bears have been

filmed coming together to
feed on our leftovers.

It's a desperate
and slightly alarming strategy.

In today's world,

people are increasingly
encroaching on the wilderness.

This is a problem for all animals.

But the bears' opportunistic
nature means many of them

will try to take on this
new challenge.

SIREN WAILS

Bears have an in-built curiosity
and the largest brains,

relative to body size,
of all carnivores.

They've discovered
a way in to our world.

LAUGHTER

And cubs follow
the lead of their mothers.

With their dextrous paws, they are
practically made for breaking

and entering.

Unlike many animals, they'll readily
investigate anything new

and quickly work out
if it can be useful.

Because of their broad diet,
they thrive on our food.

Some scientists believe that the
bears' problem-solving abilities

mean they should be ranked with
monkeys, in terms of intelligence.

And many of them have worked
out that modern life can bring

multiple benefits.

The bear's right next to us!

Where we live in such
close proximity,

our relationship with bears
can at times be fraught.

Oh, my goodness! Oh, my...!
SCREAMS

But there is a place where
it's become almost harmonious.

The north east coast of Japan...

..and the salmon
are gathering offshore.

Soon, they'll head inland to spawn.

This is the Ussuri brown bear.

They've been coming to these shores

for centuries.

More recently, the autumn bonanza

of salmon has attracted
other fishermen.

Both of them
are dependent on this food source.

While the bears
fish in the shallows,

the fishermen target
salmon out at sea.

In the past, people here were
more fearful of these animals

and tried to fence them out.

But the bears never became a threat

and now around 200 peacefully share
space with the human population.

It's a unique relationship,
where both can reap the rewards.

In the modern world,
bears and people will

increasingly need to share space
and resources like food and water.

And, for bears, working out how to
do this starts from a young age.

Serranias del Burro, a mountainous
region in Mexico's north east.

It's home to the black bear,
which is endangered in this country.

For this family,

the biggest challenge in the heat
of summer isn't food...

..it's finding enough to drink.

The underlying limestone rock
soaks up the rain,

leaving no permanent streams.

Fortunately, there's another source,

but reaching it requires
skill and cunning.

This is an area
used for cattle grazing.

The ranchers have set up watering
holes by tapping into

underground springs.

The bears can take
advantage of this,

but the cattle are desperate
for water too.

They're naturally wary of
potential predators

and armed with sharp horns

which could easily injury
or even kill a bear.

The livestock move off.

The family finally
have their chance to drink.

But they're still not alone.

It's a big male...

..and the cubs aren't safe.

Their mother has taught them well.

As the male cools off...

..they have to be patient.

Finally, the coast is clear.

The ranchers here are
very tolerant of bears.

They even provide
a step up for the cubs.

Weighing up the risks
and taking advantage of

new opportunities are vital
skills for bear cubs to learn.

All too soon, they will have to
take their first steps towards

independence
and stand on their own two feet.

After spending their early years
in the care of their mother,

young bears face
a very different world.

For the first time in their lives...

..they are alone.

To be a bear takes a lot of skill.

From avoiding danger...

..surviving the seasons...

..and learning to tackle
whatever food is in front of them...

..and if they can do that,

they'll reap the rewards.

But the bears'
biggest challenge yet...

..is today's rapidly changing world.

Six of the eight species of bear
are vulnerable to extinction.

There is more pressure than ever
on their habitats

and the food they depend on.

They'll need our help
and our willingness to share space.

If we give them the chance,

their brains,
brawn and ability to adapt...

..will do the rest.