All language subtitles for Yukons Wild Grizzlies 1080p

Narrator: Deep in
canada's remote yukon,

On the fringe of
the arctic circle,

In the shadow of a
majestic mountain

A dramatic coming of
age story unfolds.

An adolescent grizzly takes
her first harrowing steps

Into adulthood and motherhood.
(bear growling)

The odds are stacked against
her and her rambunctious cubs.

But in a hidden sanctuary,

Known only to a
handful of grizzlies,

A river churns with the
key to their survival.

It takes smarts, skills,
(water splashing)

And a certain amount of style

To take part in this
contested feast.

(bears growling)

But sophie will stop at nothing
to save her first family

In the legendary
land of the ice bear.

(icy fur crunching)

(dramatic music)

(crow cawing)

It's April on the pristine
expanse of the yukon.

In the heart of a mountain,
creatures are stirring.

(light dramatic music)

Bear cave mountain rises
out of lands sacred

To the vuntut gwitchin people.

It serves as a singular fortress

For sleeping giants
during the winter.

Shot through with
water-carved caverns,

This limestone peak
couldn't be more perfect

For a five month nap.

But now, a groggy
young grizzly emerges

And stumbles down
the mountainside.

After nine years growing up
here, sophie knows the mountain

And its surroundings
like the back of her paw.

But she'll soon be in
unfamiliar hormonal territory.

Her childhood is
nearing its end.

(light music)

Not for these guys.

A couple of sub-adults
find the descent off

The mountain supremely
entertaining.

Sophie doesn't seem so sure.

(bears growling)

As with all young mammals,

Play feeds their
growing intelligence,

And grizzlies are very
smart bears indeed.

(bears growling)

But sophie seems to be putting
away such childish things.

She's being observed,
but pays no attention.

Wildlife filmmaker
phil timpany has been

Chronicling sophie all her life,

And has all but faded
into the background.

For 30 years, his unique
access in this remote,

Protected wilderness

Has provided an
unprecedented glimpse

Into the lives of all
the local grizzlies.

It's phil who gave sophie
her name, watched her grow,

And has long wondered if
she'd have her own family.

(bird chirping)

(light dramatic music)

The advent of spring has
everyone on the move.

Porcupine caribou
are headed toward

Their northern calving grounds,

At least the ones that
survived the winter.

Some did not.

After months of not eating
during her long winter sleep,

Sophie needs to
find food quickly.

But this caribou
carcass has already

Been picked nearly clean.

Not much here for a hungry bear.

(light dramatic music)

She heads further north,
away from bear cave mountain,

In what will become a
restless search for food.

Her range extends
over 100 square miles,

Across open tundra, a
summer feeding ground

She shares with
many other bears.

As spring draws to a close,
warm winds bring moisture

From melting snow cascading
over the mountains.

A big male lumbers
across the valley.

(light dramatic music)

He's following his
formidable nose towards

An irresistible scent; a
female coming into estrus.

It's sophie and another
female, both ready to breed.

His ardor may not
be reciprocated,

But he's not about to
wait for permission.

(dramatic music)
(bears growling)

The other female heads
for the hills, literally.

So, he targets sophie.
(suspenseful music)

Her instincts battle within
her: To flee, to fight,

(bears growling)

Or to flirt, in loud
grizzly fashion.

Finally, the male herds
her up onto a ridge,

Where he can keep her
away from other males.

She accepts his
advances for a while.

(bears growling)

Grizzlies often
quarrel after sex.

They'll stay together for
three days, mating frequently,

Before the male heads off in
search of another partner.

His reproductive
duty is done here.

But sophie's is just beginning,

And she'll need all her
energy for the journey ahead.

Inside her, at least one

Fertilized egg now
rests dormant.

It will only develop this winter

If she enters hibernation
in prime condition.

(light music)

(grass rustling)

It's June.

With the brief arctic
summer upon her,

Sophie enters hyperphagia,
a phase of excessive eating.

She must pack on 1/3
of her body weight

To get herself
through the winter,

More, if her pregnancy
is to succeed.

(light music)

She forages relentlessly
but it's slim pickings.

And there's only so much
nutrition in grasses and roots.

(crows cawing)

August offers salvation,
setting the hillsides aflame

With plump, sweet blueberries.

(gentle music)
(birds chirping)

Sophie gorges to
her heart's content

On calorie-rich fresh fruit.

But the berry harvest
lasts just three weeks.

Instinct drives her to eat long
after her appetite is sated.

She must build up reserves
for the struggles ahead.

(light dramatic music)

Once the berries are gone,

Autumn brings lean
times for bears.

Even big males are reduced

To hunting the
smallest creatures.

In this case, an
unfortunate ground squirrel,

Whose subterranean
escape proves futile.

(bear paws thudding)

(bear growling)

It's barely a mouthful,
but a nice fatty one.

(light dramatic music)

Sophie knows it's
time to head home

And sets off toward
bear cave mountain.

But she's not ready
to hibernate just yet.

(light dramatic music)

In the shadow of her
mystical mountain

A lavish bear's banquet
should soon be arriving.

She follows the meandering
fishing branch river

That cuts through this
pristine wilderness.

A protected park managed
by the yukon territory

And the vuntut
gwitchin first nation.

(light music)
(birds chirping)

The river is the life-blood
of the park,

Vital to the many
creatures that thrive here.

(water splashing)
(birds chirping)

(light music)

But especially to the grizzlies.

It seems bear cave
mountain has called

All its residents home.

The grizzlies gather in
eerie silence, waiting.

(bear growling)
another nomad is expected,

And their survival
depends on it.

(gentle music)

It's mid-September.

A hushed anticipation hangs
over the fishing branch river.

Sophie and her fellow
grizzlies await

The annual miracle
on which they depend.

It began six weeks ago,
and 1,500 miles away.

A journey from the bering
sea, across alaska to yukon.

An epic migration
that ends here,

In the fishing branch river.

(water splashing)

Finally, the nomads arrive.

Salmon.

Tens of thousands of chum,
returning to the very waters

Where they hatched,
four years ago.

(gentle music)

The gravel beds here are
perfect for spawning.

But the key ingredient
is the water itself.

Oxygenated groundwater
and gases percolate up

Through the river
bed year-round.

This constant flow keeps
the river from freezing

Long after the yukon's other
waterways have iced over.

Nowhere else this far
north do chum spawn

So late in the season,
giving bears here more time

To fatten up before hibernation.

A female salmon completes
her grueling journey

Just as her eggs reach maturity.

(light music)
(water bubbling)

She surveys the bottom intently,

Using her sensitive
nostrils to sniff out

The ideal water
chemistry for her nest.

She's an ambitious engineer,
excavating rocks and scraping

Gravel before
depositing her eggs.

(water bubbling)

The male chum are
arriving as well.

During the long trek
from the bering sea

They develop powerful jaws
equipped with fearsome teeth.

For two weeks they
fight each other

For mating rights
with desperate fury.

(dramatic music)
(water splashing)

The rivalries spill over
into the mating itself.

As the female deposits her
eggs, her partner releases

A cloud of sperm while other
males try to muscle in.

The female then gently
covers up the fragile eggs,

Cementing them in place.

Her battle-scarred
mate stands guard,

Preventing rivals from
getting too close.

But the end is near.

Exhausted males are in tatters.

The female, also doomed,
defends the nest to the last.

(somber music)

She abandons her
post only as her

Near lifeless body is
carried downstream.

(water splashing)

As if the salmon's
desperate battle

To reproduce weren't enough,

All the grizzlies of
bear cave mountain

Are intent on devouring them.

Every adult bear is
hundreds of pounds

Of hunger that can't be sated.

(bears growling)

Phil's here, as he has been for
most of the past 30 autumns.

(water splashing)

In the process, he's been
swept up in the bears' lives,

Rooting for them,
and getting to know

Their quirky fishing techniques.

Nine years ago,
(gentle music)

He filmed a very young
sophie being tutored

In the fine art of killing chum
by her mother, mrs. Tucker.

(water splashing)

And today he watches
sophie putting

Those lessons to good use.

(water splashing)
(gentle music)

(light dramatic music)
(wind whistling)

As October arrives,
an arctic cold front

Sweeps in from the north.

The chum spawning season
is nearing its peak.

Feeding time for
hungry bears is short.

Wary of the tension
on the main river,

Sophie heads for a
little tributary.

Some of the chum
have also escaped

The chaos by retreating
into pools here.

But sophie doesn't have her
fishing hole to herself.

(dramatic music)

A big male bear
appears downstream.

It's morris, a huge,
intimidating, 15-year-old.

Sophie doesn't want any trouble.

So, reluctantly she gives up

Her spot grabbing a
quick snack to go.

(water splashing)

(light music)

Morris, a veteran fisherman,
has refined his technique.

(playful music)

He stands tall,

Getting a top-down
perspective on the chum.

(water splashing)

When the coast is clear,

Sophie ventures to
the river once more.

Remarkably, mrs. Tucker
taught sophie long ago

To use this very same
log as a launch pad.

(suspenseful music)

(water splashing)

Her charge, smash,
and grab strategy

Might not be as
dignified as morris'.

But eventually, it works.

The salmon's juicy
eggs help provide

The tens of thousands of
calories she needs every day.

(light music)

She continues working
the shallow water,

But the chum are getting
to know her moves.

(light dramatic music)
(water splashing)

When she loudly charges
their spawning beds,

They easily escape
into deeper water.

Taking a page out
of morris' book,

Sophie stands upright to
see the fish as they flee.

(light dramatic music)

She herds the salmon
toward the bank.

Once they're corralled,

(water splashing)
she attacks!

(dramatic music)
(crows cawing)

Meanwhile, the chum are
upping their game as well.

Every time sophie
prowls the water,

They hide in the cloud
of debris she stirs up.

(paws thudding)

As the water clears,
they beat a full retreat.

But bears are
remarkably intelligent.

Sophie realizes that every
time she touches the water,

They head downstream.

(light dramatic music)

Not to be out-witted, she
triggers the salmon's retreat

With a paw swat,
(water splashing)

Then intercepts
them as they flee.

(suspenseful music)
(water bubbling)

(water splashing)

In the main river channel,

A 20 year old male named
stanley fishes in deeper water.

With age comes wisdom
and efficiency.

Stanley can't be
bothered with all

That chasing, leaping
and struggling.

Far easier to go after
the fish that don't flee.

He snorkels, scouring the
river bottom for dead salmon.

(light dramatic music)

That one's a little too ripe.

(water splashing)

Now that's more like it!

Time for his signature move.

(suspenseful music)

(water splashing)
got it!

(light music)

A salmon feast
without the bother.

With each passing
week, the urgency grows

For sophie to gain weight.

Her pregnancy is on the line.

But again and again large males

Like morris and
stanley displace her.

(light dramatic music)

If she isn't fat enough
when she starts hibernating,

Her body will absorb the
fertilized eggs in her uterus,

And there will be no cubs.

(light dramatic music)

By November, only a few
spawning salmon remain.

(water splashing)

Fishing has become a matter
of diminishing returns;

It burns more calories
than sophie gets to eat.

So she sets off along the river

And picks her way up the
slopes of bear cave mountain

To the den where she was born.

(wind whistling)

The limestone
mountain's many caves,

Carved out by running water,

Have been used by hibernating
bears down through the ages.

Sophie settles in to
sleep away the winter.

Her drive to feed for
the last six months

Now comes down to this.

If she's healthy enough,

Perhaps by spring
she'll be a mother.

(dramatic music)

(wind whistling)
(foliage rustling)

April blows cold, here,
in yukon's far north.

Cinematographer phil timpany
is searching for grizzlies

Not far from bear cave mountain.

(bears growling)

The family he comes across
has emerged from their den

To discover winter is
still in full force.

A caribou carcass offers
the mother meager pickings.

But her two-year-old
cubs are more interested

In wrestling anyway.

Phil's pleased to find any bears

To film this early in the year.

But he'll leave these grizzlies
and keep looking for sophie.

He's anxious to know
whether this year

She's got any cubs in tow.

(light dramatic music)

(wind whistling)

(birds chirping)

Only when the tundra
begins to bloom in may

Does he find her in
a secluded valley

Where he rarely sees bears.

And he's delighted to
find she's got company.

A tiny male cub born in January
in the safety of the den

And now four months old.

A little female
completes the family.

The cubs have already
journeyed for many miles,

Scampering after their mother.

But as a first-time mom,
sophie's learning the ropes,

Trying to balance her own needs

With feeding and
protecting her young.

More than half of all grizzly
cubs die in their first year,

So sophie has little
room for error.

(light dramatic music)

During the next two months,
the tundra flushes green with

New growth as plants soak up
the nearly endless sunshine.

(ravens cawing)

A pair of ravens draws
sophie's attention

To the carcass of a caribou.

She and the cubs have been
foraging on the lush grasses

But welcome a change of diet.

It's the cubs'
first taste of meat.

While the youngsters
eat their fill,

Sophie starts burying the
windfall to protect it

From ravens and other
feathered thieves.

She skillfully rolls
up a ball of vegetation

And soil to cover the carcass.

The cubs watch carefully,
learning a lesson that may

Someday save them
from starvation.

(light dramatic music)

But the most sure-fire
way of protecting

A meal is to sleep on it.

With sophie nodding off,
her cubs seize the moment.

Meat might now be on the
menu but they'll continue

To suckle throughout
their first year.

(light dramatic music)

Nearing the end of summer,

The cubs discover one of
the joys of the season;

Berries, reaching their
peak in late August.

Sophie makes it clear how
important it is to gorge

On the fruit while
the bounty lasts.

And the cubs are
happy to oblige.

But in just three weeks,

The berry patches
will be picked clean.

And once again, sophie
will hear the siren call

Of the fishing branch river.

(light music)

(birds cawing)

(birds chirping)

By the time the family
arrives at bear cave mountain,

The cubs are seven months old.

The youngsters seem delighted
to explore this new terrain,

But sophie grows uneasy.

As she's done every
year of her life,

She scours her favorite
fishing sites for salmon.

(light dramatic music)

(water bubbling)
nothing.

Something is terribly wrong.

The salmon run has never
been this late before.

For a first-time mother,
this is a disaster.

(dramatic music)
(wind whistling)

10 days pass with no
sign of migrating chum.

The cubs, still nursing,
get virtually all their

Nutrition from sophie,
draining her of vital calories.

Just when she should be
fattening up to get them all

Through months of hibernation,
she's losing weight.

(light dramatic music)

If she doesn't eat
soon and eat a lot,

They might not
survive the winter.

(light dramatic music)
(water splashing)

It's late September
and first-time mother

Sophie faces a crisis.

The annual run of chum salmon

In the fishing branch
river hasn't arrived.

Without binging on
fish for several weeks,

Sophie can't store
enough fat to survive

Her coming hibernation
or feed her cubs.

(gentle music)

At last, the chum
start to appear,

10 days later than usual.

Sophie needs to make
up for lost time

And immediately gets
down to business.

(water splashing)

She targets females
when she can,

Because they come with
a vital bonus; eggs!

The hungry cubs are eager for
their first taste of salmon.

Salmon eggs are a
grizzly super-food,

Packed with nutrients
and all important fat.

(crows cawing)
(bears growling)

Sophie lets her cubs know the
precious caviar is hers alone.

She needs the eggs
more than they do.

Instinct drives sophie
to keep gorging herself,

But her inexperience as
a mother starts to show.

Knowing the chum often spawn
in shallows on the other side,

She heads across the river,

Leaving behind a pair
of disconcerted cubs.

(light dramatic music)

Desperate for their mother,

The cubs try swimming
for the first time.

But the strong current
carries them downstream.

(dramatic music)

Intent on fishing, sophie is
oblivious to the cubs' plight.

They've made the far bank,

But now they've
lost track of her.

Alone, they're
extremely vulnerable.

(suspenseful music)

Sophie heads back across the
river to share her catch.

But it's deserted.

Finally, she hears the cubs'
cries and realizes her mistake.

She hustles back
to their rescue.

(light dramatic music)

(cubs squealing)

A happy reunion and
a lesson learned.

Sophie will keep closer tabs
on her youngsters from now on.

(soft music)

In early October, winter
arrives at the fishing branch.

But it's of little consequence.

Here, the chum keep
spawning and grizzlies

Keep feeding late
into the season.

The cubs watch intently as
sophie demonstrates her skills

At one of the same spots where
she learned from her mother

How to outsmart
the spawning chum.

(light music)

The cubs discover for
themselves that the ice

Hides fish that
don't put up a fight.

(light dramatic music)

Later in October, full
winter blankets the valley

Below bear cave mountain.

But the river continues to flow.

At 30 below, ice forms on
everything, including wet bears.

It's stanley, the 20-year-old
with surprising foot skills.

He rubs his scent
on a prominent tree

To post a message to other
bears, no trespassing.

Lower-ranking grizzlies
will get the message

And head to a different
part of the river.

Grizzlies here are
known as ice bears.

(icy fur crunching)

That's why.

A good, crackling shake,
and this ice bear's

Ready to start fishing again.

(light music)

As always, the special alchemy
in this stretch of river

Enables the chum to keep
spawning deep into winter.

It helps make up for this year's
late arrival of the salmon.

But many of the
grizzlies are struggling

To pack on enough pounds.

Soon, the spawning will
begin to wind down.

Most of the chum have died

And been washed
downriver or eaten.

Sophie still needs to
bulk up a bit more.

The new mother has spent
vital calories keeping

Her cubs in line and
sharing her food with them.

But her fishing savvy
is still growing.

(water splashing)
(crows cawing)

Slowly and silently,
she creeps toward

The spawning beds
from downstream.

Then poses, like a sprinter
in the starting blocks.

(suspenseful music)

Impatient mouths wait
on the river bank.

Eventually, the fish
no longer notice her.

A fatal mistake.

(dramatic music)
(water splashing)

(gentle music)
since arriving on the river,

Sophie has gained
nearly 50 pounds.

But now her family is
caught in that spiral

Of diminishing returns.

Fewer salmon, requiring
more energy to catch.

For sophie and her cubs
it's a race against time.

(light dramatic music)

A November dawn and
a shroud of ice fog

Rises from the
fishing branch river.

Sophie has never lingered
here so late in the season.

But this is the first
time she'll have to

Nourish cubs during
the hibernation ahead.

She must gain even more weight
before leaving the river.

And the spawning
salmon are nearly gone.

At least the battered
and exhausted few

That remain are now
easier to catch.

Sophie is torn between
two powerful instincts:

Her hunger for ever more salmon

And her need to
protect her cubs.

Every day they remain
on the river bank,

The threats against
her family intensify.

(dramatic music)

With less salmon to scavenge,

Hungry wolves might
risk attacking a cub.

(crow cawing)

And the male bears
would like to keep

The rest of the
chum for themselves.

These big bruisers burn through

Far more calories
than smaller females.

They'll stop at nothing to
get every fish they can.

Sophie, growing increasingly
anxious, sniffs for trouble.

And the scent she just
picked up is unmistakable;

A one-eared male the
oldest bear on the river.

(light dramatic music)

Like most elderly grizzlies,

His reproductive
days are behind him.

The cubs are no competition.

But they've learned
their lessons well

And get out of the
way of any male bear.

Sophie's choice gets
more difficult every day.

The salmon are irresistible,

But the encounter she
dreads is inevitable.

(light dramatic music)

It's morris.

Unlike the retired champions,
this 15-year-old nearing

His prime is all about
eliminating the competition.

Morris is a very real
threat to the cubs.

(suspenseful music)

With a last longing glance
at the river, sophie decides.

The risks of staying now
outweigh the benefits.

She'll just have to
trust that she's gained

All the weight she
needs to hibernate.

It's time to leave the
river to the big guys.

(light dramatic music)

(crows cawing)

Sophie's first year of
motherhood is nearly over.

She's done well.

She has guided her cubs through

The most precarious
year of their lives.

Thanks to her diligence
and the singular bounty

Of the fishing branch river,
they've beaten the odds.

She'll still look after
them for two more years,

But she's prepared them well
for the challenges ahead.

And now they can
retreat to the shelter

Of their den for
their long winter nap.

(light music)
(bear snoring)

Mother and cubs hunker down,

Nestled in the safe haven of
legendary bear cave mountain.

(light dramatic music)