Original subtitles

NARRATOR: It's an old country

with a long history of refined civilization.

Yet, deep in the countryside of France,

wild creatures are stirring.

Wilderness is making a comeback

in a drama unfolding all across Europe --

and France plays a large part in the story.

Creatures once on the verge of extinction

are being granted the space and tolerance

to find their way back.

Eagles, otters,

badgers, and bats --

even the great predators --

are regaining their old hunting grounds.

From Paris to Provence, to the Pyrenees,

it's the rise of a new republic.

It has style, it has elegance,

and a very French flair for the wild.

NARRATOR: Just outside Paris

lies the great estate of Chateau Fontainebleau --

for centuries, the playground of the noble kings of France.

Generations have driven hounds through this ancient forest.

Their dogs have scoured the thick undergrowth

and rocky outcrops a thousand times

hoping to catch a scent of prey.

The forest of Fontainebleau,

full of oaks, pine, and beech trees,

has always been home to wild things --

and the hunters' quarry.

Magnificent red deer.

These two ten-point stags are seven years old

and have been together all their lives.

It's not uncommon for stags to form partnerships,

but these particular two have become

almost inseparable.

They work as allies,

warning each other of danger...

and sharing food,

such as tender ivy

or willow leaves.

In the hot weather they will linger in water

to keep cool and to get rid of annoying midges.

It's rare for these two fast friends

to be out of each other's sight.

They know their territory very well

and have a network of trails

to follow.

This comes in handy should they need to escape from

hunting dogs.

There are hundreds of red deer in Fontainebleau.

They have no natural predators,

so they are fair game for hunters.

When they sense danger,

they will flee as fast as possible.

Their long legs give them an advantage

as they plunge into the river water

and out of sight.

[Dogs barking]

The water also helps to dilute their scent,

which dogs can trace for hours.

These two stags

will spend the winter, spring and summer together...

But when autumn arrives it's a different story.

Their antlers have lost their velvety texture,

their coats have grown and darkened.

[Bellowing]

They are now full of testosterone

and can only think of one thing --

the female deer, or "hinds."

They mingle with the females

to get their scent.

In turn, their bellows excite the females

and help to stimulate their ovulation.

[Bellowing]

From this moment, there will be no more sharing

between the males.

There can only be one winner.

This is a battle

without compromise.

It will only end when one of the males

backs down and surrenders.

The hinds can only watch and wait.

[Bellowing]

Finally, the cry of victory.

The females gather around

their triumphant hero.

[Bellowing]

The champion will stay with his harem for about a month,

fighting off any male who tries to enter his territory.

But then, when the mating season is over,

all will change once again.

Battles will be forgotten,

and the two stags of Fontainebleau

will once again become inseparable friends.

Leaving the historic outskirts of Paris,

we journey south, to the most famous mountain range in Europe,

the Alps.

Well known for its ski resorts and stunning scenery,

there is also plenty of rugged room for wildlife.

This is Ecrins National Park.

From the top of snowy glaciers, water rushes down,

forming icy, fast-flowing rivers.

Within the lower torrents

is a small bird with unique abilities.

The dipper feeds on

insect larvae that live in the river beds.

Despite the freezing temperatures

it dives deep into the glacial water.

Using its wings to swim,

it can reach depths of six feet

and remain there for about fifteen seconds.

It will do this over and over, day after day,

in order to feed

its insatiable young.

Moving up to the high altitude

pastures of these mountains,

there is an animal that lives below ground

in a deep system of underground burrows.

These are alpine marmots.

They come up to the surface

to play, mate, and feed.

They are social creatures

and live in small family groups.

Alpine marmots used to be widely hunted

due to the belief that their fat would ease rheumatism

when rubbed on the skin.

In some areas of France,

they have been successfully re-introduced

and are now beginning

to flourish again.

Marmots are highly defensive animals

and have developed a kind of

collective surveillance system.

Sentinels take turns to guard their territory.

With a range of different calls

they can warn others of any potential danger.

[Chirping]

There's good reason --

the legendary golden eagle.

The marmots' warning system has to be good,

as the eagle is indeed a fearsome predator.

Eagles have existed here for hundreds of thousands of years,

far longer than any human settlers.

They have built their homes

in the highest parts of the mountains.

To protect their nests they can be fiercely territorial.

If another eagle gets too close they will fight --

sometimes to the death.

The eagle rules the skies,

but they are not alone at the summit...

Amazingly, these nimble chamois thrive on

a vertical existence.

Farther south, in the peaks of the Verdon canyon,

a small creature can be found

that seems almost immune to the laws of gravity...

[Bird calls in distance]

The wall creeper,

known locally as the butterfly bird.

Arnaud Petit

and Stephanie Bodet share a passion

with this small bird for terrifying heights.

They are champion European climbers.

They brave

the sheer and frightening cliff faces

inspired by a glimpse of these undaunted little rock climbers.

The butterfly bird has large feet

with solid curved claws...

which enable it to stand with perfect balance.

It gets its name because of the way it scales the cliffs,

by fluttering its colorful wings.

Its wide wings

enable it to take advantage of the rising currents

to effortlessly reach great heights.

Considerably more effort is required by the climbers,

and occasionally

their balance is not quite as perfect.

[Stephanie gasps]

Arnaud and Stephanie share the nesting choice

of the butterfly bird.

They pitch their porta-ledge

into the side of the cliff,

high above the huge emptiness below.

Sleeping at such a great height

is like being suspended momentarily out of time.

Turning north, we head past the Alps

to reach a low mountain chain on the French-German border...

the Vosges Mountains.

Fed by waterfalls,

a rich, green, magical forest thrives.

Beech, oak, spruce, and pine grow here in abundance,

each vying to be the biggest.

And like a storybook,

it's a forest that holds quite a cast of

interesting characters.

On any spring morning,

the woods are full of birdsong

and the comings and goings of its most energetic resident.

The Badger.

Her life is organized with great precision.

She wakes up at 7:00,

takes care of a little business behind the big tree at 7:05,

breakfast at 7:10,

a quick bath at 7:15,

followed by a tour of the property until 8:00.

Although her schedule doesn't usually change much,

she has an important project

that is going to disturb her routine.

[Labored breathing]

It's mating season.

She's already picked up the scent of an eligible male,

and with that in mind,

it's time to look for a suitable home for a family.

Like any respectable badger,

she needs a home with one main entrance

and several secondary exits.

More important however is finding the right terrain...

and so, digging begins.

This won't do -- better look elsewhere.

[Animal cries] Oops!

And here looks just right.

A high ceiling, visible beams --

a fox has already done a good part of the work.

This will be just fine.

Our Badger knows there are several males

that live on the other side of the lake.

What's important

is to avoid a fickle, unfaithful one.

Some males might leave the moment the youngsters are born.

Hmm, this one smells interesting.

Where is he?

With noses to the ground,

it's still a challenge to find each other

in all the rocky nooks and crannies.

Then, there he is...

With successful introductions over,

it's time to go home.

There's a little confusion, but our badger knows the way.

Now, the couple can get to work on their family home.

They'll have to take dig out a lot of earth

to create galleries on several levels.

Soon, five young badgers will be waking up at 7:00 am,

doing their business at 7:05,

breakfast at 7:10, baths at 7:15...

As a busy summer comes to a close,

high overhead, flocks of geese begin their journey

to southern climes to spend the winter.

Crossing the Vosges,

they fly over the fertile plains of Alsace.

[Goose honks]

It's an ancient route -- over picturesque towns

and farms, that were settled long ago in these rolling hills.

The geese have medieval landmarks to guide them.

But mostly, they have a remarkable homing instinct

that brings them back to the same area year after year,

even when their migration takes them

halfway around the world.

The youngsters take advantage of their parents' slipstream.

The whole family flies in formation

as if part of an aerial platoon.

This saves them all energy,

and that helps them cover almost 200 miles a day.

But youngsters don't always have the patience for long trips.

One young female has an independent streak.

Instead of saving energy,

she spends her time doing acrobatics, playing,

and daydreaming.

Her constant lagging behind and falling out of formation

is wreaking havoc within the group.

But she finally falls in line

when the family spots a perfect place to land for the night.

They always look for water, stopping to rest in marshlands,

by rivers or by lakes.

Come dawn, they will have to wait for the cold fog to lift

before taking to the air again.

True to her independent nature,

the young rebel has strayed off on her own

to explore the surroundings.

[Geese calling]

But as the morning clears, she hears the family

calling for takeoff.

She scrambles to get there.

Just in time.

She needs to pay more attention to where they're going.

Next year, she and all her siblings

will be making this journey alone.

As the geese head south,

we head west to a region near the Atlantic Ocean

called Poitou-Charentes.

It's home to one of the largest wetlands in France,

known as the Poitevin Marsh.

Here, sea water meets fresh water.

In a place that's half water, half land,

wildlife flourishes.

In the spring, it is teeming with new life.

And spring for one creature here

is a time of incredible transformation.

The dragonfly.

This small larva

has spent more than a year under the water.

Tonight it will undergo an amazing metamorphosis.

It appears to inflate

its new body so that it can

break out of its old skin.

Its new feet emerge,

but the dragonfly can't use them yet

as they're still too soft.

It must wait for them to harden.

In this position,

it's vulnerable.

Falling now

would be certain death.

Not far from the dragonfly's precarious perch,

another new birth is about to happen.

These are greater horseshoe bats,

a protected species across Europe.

The bats will often roost

in old, unused buildings in the late spring and summer,

going out after sunset to hunt and feed.

This is a maternity roost,

and it's time for the new babies to be born.

For this female the contractions have begun.

The head appears first.

The mother begins by cleaning her new born.

She licks it and frees its ears, which were stuck to its head.

Once the baby is free,

it immediately begins to suckle

and will do so for the first month of its life.

The mother wraps her wings

around her precious bundle,

protecting it from any danger.

Back on the moonlit water,

the dragonfly's feet are at last hard enough.

Finally, it can shed the trappings of its former self.

Now, its soft and intricate wings slowly unfurl.

Early morning has arrived

and the transformation is complete.

Four independent wings

on a perfectly aerodynamic body.

The small larva that came out of the water last night

has become one of the most sophisticated flying creatures

in the world.

Soon, it will find a partner

and the cycle will begin again.

The Poitevin Marsh is a fascinating area.

It was once completely covered with wetlands

and full of insects.

Around the 10th century,

monks started the process of drying up the swamps.

They built dams to stop the water rising,

and dug canals to evacuate rainwater

and to free up the fertile soil.

The land could then be used for agriculture.

But down through the centuries,

some areas have

remained untouched.

Many species of birds come to nest here.

Within this wetlands

there's a hidden forest which serves as a nursery

for a colony of herons.

These fledglings are three weeks old

and are constantly hungry.

One of the three youngsters stands back

while the other two devour

everything their mother regurgitates.

Usually both parents will help feed the offspring,

but here the male has disappeared.

The mother has to work twice as hard to feed her young.

She will fly up to 20 miles

hunting for food in the swamps.

Competition for fishing spots can be fierce.

Competition within the nest is just as fierce.

The two strongest chicks have united against

the weakest and smallest.

He can only eat the leftovers.

The problem is, there aren't any.

A single parent

cannot possibly feed all three.

Instinctively, they attack their little brother,

in what is a struggle for survival.

The weakest of the three will die

so that that the other two can live.

The laws of nature can often seem cruel.

Moving back to the south of France,

there is an area known as the Cévennes,

a maze of mountains, deep valleys,

and winding rivers.

The river water descending from these granite mountains

has carved out the distinctive contours of this stunning area.

Over time,

the water has dug out canyons hundreds of feet deep.

In the cliffs of these spectacular canyons

there is an extraordinary animal,

the griffon vulture.

Until recent years,

vultures had almost completely disappeared.

Successful re-introduction programs have dramatically

increased the number of these formidable birds.

Vultures live in colonies and they work together

to scavenge for food.

It's 6:00 in the morning and the sun hasn't as yet

penetrated the depths of the canyons.

Without the sun to warm the air

and make it rise, the vultures do not fly.

They may be hungry, but there's no question of moving yet.

At last,

the air can carry them.

Like an air squadron, dozens of vultures

fill the sky.

The warm currents

help them gain height.

As part of their scavenging strategy,

they divide up the territory.

The large birds fly several miles,

scanning every inch of their land,

yet never losing sight of the other vultures.

If one of them spots something, it immediately dives down.

The other vultures haven't seen it,

but they've noticed that one of them is absent.

This means there is something to eat down below.

In a matter of seconds

the entire colony gathers at the feast.

The work of one benefits all.

Each bird can now return to its nest

with a share of the spoils for its youngsters.

Vultures eat rotting carcasses,

helping to prevent the spread of disease,

cleansing the wilderness.

The return of these imposing birds across this region

is widely celebrated.

To the north of the Cévennes mountain range

is a region called the Lozèère.

The mountains of the Lozèère are home to an insect

which is unique to this area -- a black bee.

It is only thanks to intensive conservation efforts

that the pure breed of this bee

can still be found here.

The bees sally forth

using scent to locate

a source of nectar.

These flower loving insects are workaholics,

and they all work together.

When a successful forager

returns to the hive, it passes the scent of the flowers

to its nest mates to help them find the same patch of blossoms.

Through a series of dances, it indicates

the direction, distance, and even the quantity

of pollen available.

But every bee has to earn

the right to forage.

It starts out as a cleaner, a nursemaid,

and then a builder,

before finally being promoted to nectar gatherer.

Then, after only thirty days,

it will fall to the ground, struck down by exhaustion.

Its short life is dedicated to the good of the hive

and the all-important production of golden honey.

Lozèère is the source of many rivers,

the most famous of which is the river Tarn.

In the spring, the Tarn is at its most powerful,

with exciting, fast flowing torrents.

Within this river is a creature

which is beginning to make a comeback in France.

The otter.

With its streamlined body,

the otter is a skillful submarine predator.

It has powerful webbed feet,

and whiskers that help it detect

the slightest movement of any underwater prey.

The otters' stretch of the river runs for 25 miles.

Otters are a threatened species across Europe,

but with the help of protection laws

and the improvement of water quality,

there is evidence that

their numbers are gradually recovering.

Not everyone in the river is enthusiastic about this.

Otters have healthy appetites.

But a healthy river with a vibrant predator

is good for everyone in the end.

A hundred miles off the southeastern coast of France

in the Mediterranean Sea lies the island of Corsica.

Two-thirds of this majestic island is made up of mountains

which form one single chain along its entire length.

And a peninsula on its west coast

has been set aside as the Scandola Nature Reserve.

It's famous for

its high red cliffs that rise 3,000 feet

out of the sea,

and its almost inaccessible

islets and coves.

Scandola is one of the oldest reserves in France

and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It's been strictly protected

in order to return the area to its natural state.

The sea conceals another

extraordinary landscape.

Scandola Reserve

guards one of the Mediterranean's

most important ecosystems.

It's a favorite spawning ground

for many kinds of fish.

The eggs laid here are carried by the current

outside the limits of the reserve

and help nurture

all the neighboring marine life.

And it's the home of a once endangered fish --

the grouper.

The grouper would normally live on the sea floor

at depths of up to a thousand feet,

but here, it can be seen much closer to the surface.

Groupers are born female,

but by the age of sixteen, they change sex to become male.

As part of their courtship, the males change color

as a means of seduction.

Gatherings of groupers are returning to the Mediterranean,

all made possible

by the protection of Scandola Reserve.

Close to the reserve is a beach

where fresh water joins the sea --

the Fango Delta.

In these natural ponds,

there lives a creature that has existed

for millions of years --

the turtle.

Although found in many different places,

the European pond turtle

is under threat from water pollution

and habitat destruction.

Its numbers have been declining.

Here, though, it appears to be flourishing.

As a cold-blooded reptile,

it needs a dose of solar energy to warm up.

But this shy species will dive right back into water

if disturbed.

Here, it hunts for fish, insects, or mollusks.

It is the mating season, and the courtship technique

of the turtle is a curious one.

The male approaches the female suddenly...

pinning her in place,

biting her face and neck as they mate.

If he's not careful, the technique can inflict

serious injuries

on the female.

It's brutal, and she struggles not to drown,

but somehow, they manage to continue the line.

[Buzzing]

Moving inland towards the center of Corsica,

the terrain is full of dense, thorny bushes.

To survive in this prickly environment,

you need a very thick skin.

The king of this terrain

is the wild boar.

Most wild boars

live in close knit groups of around twenty.

They're mostly families of females and their young.

Females will normally have between four and eight babies

and they are very protective mothers.

Boars are scavengers

and eat almost anything they come across,

including grass, nuts,

roots, even small reptiles.

During the mating season,

large solitary males will travel across the countryside

in search of female groups.

They are capable of covering several miles

of varied and difficult terrain every day.

This breeding strategy

tests their strength and endurance.

It helps to maintain a strong population,

not just here on the island of Corsica,

but across the whole of France.

Heading north, we return to the mainland,

where the rising mountains meet the warm Mediterranean weather.

[Thunder crashing]

In the foothills of the Alps,

the deep forest can be a scary place for little ones.

It's early spring,

and these two wolf cubs are just three weeks old.

It's the first time they have ventured out of their dark den

to see their surroundings.

They will need to learn

who is friend and who is foe in their forest home.

As daylight comes, there's a whole new world

above their den to explore.

But the cubs are afraid.

Their parents return to check on them.

The pups are cared for by all members of the pack,

but their mother is the most important to them.

[Whimpering, grunting]

Wolves were hunted almost to extinction in France

in the 1930s.

Now, a protected species,

and their numbers are on the rise.

By winter, the small cubs will be almost fully grown

and ready to travel with the pack

into a returning wilderness.

Our journey comes to an end in the west, in the Pyrenees,

a mountain stronghold between France and Spain.

High in this tilted terrain,

the brown bear is also making a comeback.

By the 1930s, these fearsome bears

were all but gone from the French landscape.

Now, a small number have been

re-introduced into these mountains.

Here, bears find a seasonal abundance

of wild foods

as they roam their old haunts.

[Bear grunting]

They will eat insects,

berries, plants,

and fish -- helping to restore a world

that was slipping away.

Bears, wolves,

vultures, and otters -- these are more than

wonderful animals, more than mere symbols.

These are creatures

that make a place whole.

They bring back a natural balance.

And they are helping France find its way

to living with the wild.

Next time, on "Nature"... from Papua New Guinea and the Jordanian desert,

to England's rugged hills

and the Arctic Circle,

one animal made an indelible mark...

MAN: Without them, we would have never survived

Without them, we wouldn't be here.

These amazing creatures followed us,

understood us, and we made them our own.

Now, science takes us to where the story began, and asks,

"Is there a motherland for dogs that changed the world?"