All language subtitles for Wild Russia EP03 Siberia (2009) English

Siberia.

The largest wilderness on Earth.

Endless forests, untamed mountain streams,

and the oldest lake on Earth.

Russia's largest area of unspoiled nature
is at the same time

a largely unknown world.

Siberia begins just beyond
the Ural Mountains,

the border between Europe and Asia.

Geographers regard just under half of
Russia as belonging to this gigantic region.

In the south, close to the Mongolian border

lies the legendary Lake Baikal
600 kilometers long.

February.

A meter thick sheet of ice
covers Lake Baikal.

Open water can be found
at only one spot

where the Angara River
flows from the lake

and deep water rises to the surface.

For the Goldeneye ducks
it is a refuge in hard times.

On the edge of the ice they
dive for food in large groups.

The face of Siberia
is characterized by the taiga,

the northern coniferous forest,

the largest uninterrupted area of
woodlands in the world.

To survive here you have
to withstand the long cold winters.

A deerwith vampire fangs,
the Musk deer.

These shy forest dwellers mainly
feed on lichen from tree trunks,

hard to digest but still accessible
when the snow is especially deep.

The males have been hunted
for centuries for their musk glands,

an important ingredient
in perfume production.

Frozen food.

These ravens have found some carrion.

But it's not the birds that
are making the musk deer nervous.

The real owners of
the carrion have returned.

Wolves do not hibernate and
thus have to keep hunting

even when it is bitterly cold.

Their survival depends on hunting in packs.

There is always disagreement
when dividing up the spoils.

Meanwhile, the ravens while
away the time doing sideward rolls.

One of them hasn't quite
got the hang of it yet.

It does get it right in the end,

even though its recovery
is not exactly graceful.

Siberia's cold pole lies in
Russia's largest republic,

Yakutia,

where temperatures below
-70 degrees have been registered.

The coldest regularly
inhabited area on Earth.

It is March.

The mares of the incredibly
resilient Yakutian horses

are in the last stages of pregnancy.

They have never seen
the inside of a stable.

For thousands of years these horses
have been bred in the open.

The animals paw the snow
to uncover last year's grass.

Their diet is meager

at a time when they should
really be eating for two.

Not all of them will see the end
of this Siberian winter.

A village on Lake Baikal.

Wood is one of Siberia's great riches

and is exported all over the world,
especially to neighboring China.

Here, as almost everywhere in Siberia,

various ethnic groups coexist peacefully.

Late winter.

The growing strength of the sun
causes the first cracks in the ice.

Even in this wide wasteland there is life.

Baikal seals.

Four weeks ago the females
bore their young in snow holes.

In the meantime
the protective roof has melted

and the pup is thus lying in
the open near the water hole,

waiting for his mother.

She only comes once or
twice a day to suckle her young.

Baikal seals are unique,
they exist only here,

further from the sea
than any other species of seal.

They number about a 130, 000.

If the pup survives
the hard first year,

it can live to the age of 50.

Thanks to his thick layer of fat the young seal
is impervious to the chilly water.

As if weightless, it swoops
from one air hole to the next

in a fairytale world of ice.

The Verkhoyansk Mountains north of the lake.

1, 000 kilometers long and
more than 2, 000 meters high,

they extend from the middle reaches
of the Lena River

almost to the Arctic Sea.

One morning at the end of March.

Yakutian reindeer herdsmen

catch their strongest animals

and harness them to the sleighs.

Yakutians and reindeer have lived
side by side in Siberia for millennia.

This is probably what enabled humans
to survive in such a cold environment

the whole year round.

Now the men have to find their main herds,

which are currently roaming the snowy taiga,

and round them up.

In a few days they will set off
for their summer quarters.

They are running out of time,

because travelling in Yakutia is only
possible as long as there is frost.

After the thaw the herdsmen
will be cut off from the rest of the world

by impassable swamps.

With its nose close to the ground

a wolf searches for food.

In the winter mice are very active
beneath the snow cover.

Only a small snack perhaps,
but better than nothing.

This is no mouse.

Still, the wolf wouldn't say no
to this finely furred fellow.

A sable.

Its fur once adorned tsars and kings.

Attracted by rich pickings herds of hunters
came out here to trap the little marten.

Today, as the demand for fur recedes,

predators are more of a threat than humans.

This time the wolf will go hungry.

After a two hour ride

the herdsmen have reached their destination.

The herd is about 1, 000 strong,

so the roundup is no easy task.

In the northern regions reindeer
are not only the basic food stuff,

providers of pelts and draft animals,

people also ride them.

The herdsman feeds salt to the reindeer,

a rare delicacy.

Thanks to his years of experience

he can negotiate the forest of antlers.

2, 000 kilometers to the southwest

close to the Mongolian border.

A hint of Africa accompanies
herds of Goitered Gazelles

as they cross
the Southern Siberian steppes.

Their squawking and chortling
enables the group to stick together.

The animals are only short-term visitors

to the South Siberian steppes.

The gazelles jump the fence
separating them from Mongolia.

Nature knows no political boundaries.

The Lena, Siberia's mightiest river

flowing 4, 400 kilometers

from the Baikal Mountains
to the Arctic Sea.

On the hillside above a sea of blooms,
siberian pasque flowers.

Mid-May.

The Yakutian horses
have survived the winter

and born their foals.

They've developed well

and are now enjoying
their first rays of sunlight.

The mares have to graze constantly

to provide sufficient milk for their foals.

The mares are showing signs of emaciation,

and there is still nothing green
and nourishing to eat,

only the previous year's dead grass.

The Sayan Mountains

stretch for 2, 000 kilometers

along the border between
Russia and Mongolia.

Peaks over 3, 000 meters high.

The snow melts earlier
lower down the southern slopes.

Home to an extraordinary amphibian.

The Siberian salamander.

Of all the amphibians on Earth,
this is probably the least sensitive to cold.

The salamander's mating ritual and
spawning takes place in open water.

Why the animals mate this early
in the year in such cold water

is a mystery.

Flowing water and lush greenery

as far as the eye can see.

Spring comes to Siberia at last.

Impetuously the young river
rushes through canyons

into the vast lowland planes,

where its water is formed
into huge rivers,

that fill the pearl of Siberia,

Lake Baikal.

The deepest lake in the world,

storing 20% of the planet's fresh water.

Lake Baikal is finally ice-free.

Seals have lived in Lake Baikal
for thousands of years.

How they got here is
something of a mystery.

Scientists believe that
about 500, 000 years ago

ringed seals swam up the Yenisei River

from the Arctic Ocean and into Lake Baikal.

Over millennia of isolation

they evolved into a new species.

In the summer many Baikal seal
can be found near the Ushkan Islands.

The dry spots on the rocks
are highly sought after.

The water temperature in the lake
rarely rises above 8 degrees centigrade,

and as a result the seals
spend hours warming up.

The most popular
places are quickly taken.

Baikal seals are excellent divers

and can stay underwater
for up to half an hour.

The best spots in bel etage
are obviously still occupied.

The damp basement will have to suffice.

Still, there are others even worse off.

Baikal seals live exclusively on fish,

diving down hundreds of meters
in their search for food.

The under waterworld is unique.

Coral-like Baikal sponges project like fingers.

The underwater slopes in the lake

fall away to a depth of 1, 600 meters.

More than 2/3 of all the lake dwellers
are only to be found here,

like this amphipod.

Its body length of 10 centimeters

make it a giant compared to
many of his relatives.

The grayling is one of many fishes
that inhabit the cold

nutrient-filled waters of Lake Baikal.

The rocky beaches attract
other animals too.

Brown bears leave
the shelter of the dark taiga

and come to the lakeside
which is sunnier and drier,

and thus a source of herbs
that do not grow in the shady woods.

Oil-rich aromatic plants like
aniseed, caraway and fennel

are especially popular with bears.

An unexpected sight:

a bear grazing like a cow.

After the meal the young male
heads for the water.

This part of the shoreline
is known as the bear coast.

Cautiously, the bear checks
a surroundings in all directions.

Even here in the Baikal-Lena nature reserve

it has to be on the lookout for poaches.

The coast is several hundred kilometers long

and cannot be covered completely
by the reserve's rangers.

Today everything seems ok.

But now danger looks from the land side.

A large adult bear approaches.

For a younger animal
a potentially threatening situation.

Escape is the only chance of avoiding
a fight with a stronger rival.

Summer in the Sayan Mountains.

Pikas live above the tree line.

The guinea pig sized rodents
graze incessantly,

because the winter returns very soon

at 1, 700 meters.

The young female
boast sleek well-primed fur,

while the older male
looks somewhat tousled.

The Irish Heather seems to be
the male pika's favorite food.

The pikas only rarely
take breaks from eating,

but what could be better
than snoozing in the sun?

Snow still cups the summit of the nearly
3, 500 meters high mount Munku-Sardyk

on the Russian-Mongolian border.

Further up Siberian Ibex search for food.

The high wire artists of the animal kingdom
can scale the most inaccessible mountainsides

and get by on sparse food.

Siberia is wolf territory.

About 40, 000 of them inhabit the taiga.

In the middle of the last century
there were five times as many.

This morning sees a rare encounter.

A lone wolf does not usually
pick a fight with the bear.

The situation would be quite different,
if the wolfwere in the pack.

The bear has made unmistakably
clear who is boss of the swamp.

It is now June and summer
has reached all of Siberia.

For a few weeks there is
an explosion of growth.

The larch woods are bedecked
with Rhododendrons.

The real rulers of the Siberian forests
are neither bear nor wolf,

but red wood ants.

They act as both hunters and gatherers,

killing up to 10, 000 insects a day.

This longhorn beetle is taking a big risk.

In a lightning attack
the ants overpower the beetle

and kill it with their acid,

which permeates the thin synovial
tissue of the heavily armored pray and poisons it.

Back to the Baikal,

not only the deepest lake in the world,

but also the oldest.

Geologists put its age
at over 20 million years.

A deep trench formed

where two continental plates
drifted apart.

Water flowed into a huge abyss,

and Lake Baikal was born.

In the seal colony there is still
a lot of jostling going on,

both above and below the surface.

The young seals have made huge strides

and are now almost indistinguishable
from their elders.

Flipper slaps mean
"stay away from me",

and when two disagree, the ensuing
disharmony can spread to the whole group.

The elegant bodies glide
through the water like torpedoes.

On land however,
this grace is sadly lacking.

Early July.

Martagon, red Turk's Caps and yellow Daylilies
decorate the steep banks

of the southern part of the lake.

Millions of anemones transform
the nearby Tunka Valley

into a sea of blooms.

Olkhon Island in the middle of
the Lake Baikal.

Here the last foothills of
the Mongolian steppes

reach the sky-blue waters of the lake.

A place full of contrasts which has been
enchanting people for thousands of years.

Always with an inquisitive eye
for the world: gophers.

The siblings are just five weeks old

and have only just left their burrow.

While one keeps watch,

the others eat as much as they can.

Without a solid layer of fat they
will not survive their eight month hibernation.

But there is always enough time to play.

All the same, they still have to take care.

Many predators from the fox to the golden eagle
would love to get that close on them.

A close eye is also
kept on the Dione Ratsnake,

even though it's not poisonous

and poses no threat.

The snake can grow up
to one meter in length,

and their area of distribution
spends from Turkey to Korea.

Russia is their most northerly habitat.

Dusk falls on Olkhon Island.

The gophers enjoy
the sun's last warm rays.

They will spend the night
in the safety of their burrows.

Fog on the bear cost.

There is tension in the air.

The animals are hungry

and waiting for something.

Early on morning an invasion begins

and a feast for the bears.

Millions of caddisflies
emerge from the water

in which they have spent
the last few years as larvae,

and the big bears begin
their pursuit of the tiny insects.

Reaching dry land is
no easy task for the flies,

again and again the lake
pulls them back to the water,

yet they have to reach the bank.

It's the only way to achieve
their purpose in life.

The flies mate between the stones,

an act that many males do not survive.

The females then return to the water

to lay their eggs.

The caddisflies hide underneath
big rocks on the lakeside,

safe from bad weather and hungry birds,

but not from hungry bears.

These protein-rich insects are
an important part of the bear's diet.

Prey doesn't have to be large,

there just has to be enough of it.

Ten days later

the feast ends as suddenly
as it began.

In August the Siberian summer
comes to an end.

For the bears, it's time to work up
the layer of fat needed for winter.

The pair has settled who eats when,

but a lone wolf seems
ignorant of the agreement.

It must be very hungry,

otherwise it wouldn't provoke a bear.

Again and again it challenges
the larger predator.

Unsurprisingly, in the end
the bigger animal wins.

Autumn has now also
reached the villages.

Rural life is sparse.

Most villagers grown their own food.

The fertile black earth of
the Tunka Valley

produces especially tasty potatoes.

The harvest is a communal activity.

Pictures as if from a bygone era.

Many of the old Soviet tractors
are long broken down,

and there is no money to spare parts.

Happy the man with
the good strong horse.

The taiga is home to a tree,

without which many animals
could not survive,

the Siberian Pine.

A busy day begins for the chipmunk.

The delicious cones hang
high up in the tree tops.

The activities of the chipmunk
have long been observed by a neighbor.

The unsuspected chipmunk
enjoys his feast of nuts.

But the cheeky neighbor
is looking for trouble.

In the end the rightful owner returns.

Only when its burrow
is filled with pine nuts,

can the chipmunk survive
the long winter.

But first it's time
to stuff its face again.

The Altay Mountains on the Mongolian border

in Southwest Siberia,
craggy and hostile.

The first snows of winter
cover the peaks.

Home to one of Siberia's shyest animals,

the Argali, the largest wild
sheep in the world.

Now, in October, the bucks
join the kids and the females.

It's the mating season,
but so far everything is quiet.

Adult males grow to
the size of ponies

and are magnetically
attracted to the females.

The buck tastes the air with its
tongue hanging out, so-called flehmen,

which tells him whether
the female is ready to mate.

Right now the answer is obviously "No".

A rival appears.

Each buck will do anything
to eliminate its opponent.

Two quarter tones of sheep crash
into each other at full tilt.

Enormous forces act on the buck's skulls.

Such fights have been known

to leave Argalis unconscious.

The victor gets to mate
with the majority of females.

Someway lower down large herds of
Altay Marals roam the mountain steppes.

This subspecies of red deer

is also in mid breeding season.

Meanwhile the situation between
the Argali bucks is escalating.

Two equally strong males are fighting.

The alpha-animal drives his herd
away from the young pretender.

But the rival persists and closes the gap.

Now it's all or nothing.

This spectacular behavior
has never been filmed before.

Eventually, the younger buck gives up

and the victor gathers
his herd and moves on.

At Lake Baikal too, the winter is not far off.

Soon, the old sea will disappear
for months under the ice.

And Siberia, the huge icy heart of Russia,
will find peace again.