1
00:00:22,300 --> 00:00:23,520
Puma.

2
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,840
Ghost of the mountains.

3
00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,240
This female is known as Rupestre.

4
00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,680
She lives at the base of the
Southern Patagonian Ice Field

5
00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:46,520
in South America.

6
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Recently, she laid claim
to the isolated shoreline

7
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of this great lake.

8
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It's an ideal place
to raise a family.

9
00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,400
CUBS SQUEAK AND SCREECH

10
00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,880
Rupestre is at a turning point.

11
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She's just given birth
to a litter of four.

12
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That is rare, and certainly
the largest that she has ever had.

13
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Establishing a dynasty
in this new territory

14
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and raising four cubs to adulthood

15
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will be the greatest challenge
of her life.

16
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PURRING AND SNUFFLING

17
00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,080
One son...

18
00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,400
..three daughters...

19
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..and no chance of a lazy day
for this single mother, Rupestre.

20
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,880
The moment her cubs awake,
they play.

21
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It's the perfect way

22
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to learn the skills needed

23
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to become deadly predators.

24
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Stealth...

25
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..sharp reflexes...

26
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..and great agility.

27
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They've got a long way to go.

28
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They'll rely on their mother
for at least a year yet.

29
00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,760
Raising four cubs is a challenge
at any time of year,

30
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but with winter fast approaching,
her task will be a formidable one.

31
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Each day, Rupestre leaves her cubs
in their lakeside nursery

32
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whilst she heads up
to the hunting grounds

33
00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,080
in the foothills
of the Torres del Paine mountains.

34
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A guanaco.

35
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A wild form of llama,
nearly three times her size.

36
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GUANACO SHRIEKS

37
00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:57,560
RUPESTRE SNARLS

38
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Hunting a full-grown guanaco
is risky.

39
00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,400
GUANACO TRILLS

40
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A single kick can be fatal...

41
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..but Rupestre has little choice.

42
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Pumas are masters of stealth.

43
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They have to be.

44
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Getting close can make
all the difference.

45
00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,400
SHRIEKING

46
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Only one in around ten hunts
is successful.

47
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CUBS CHATTER

48
00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:17,040
Although tonight she goes hungry,

49
00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,880
Rupestre can still provide milk
for her cubs.

50
00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:30,960
But unless she herself gets a meal,

51
00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,360
she will soon be unable
to feed them.

52
00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:51,960
A few days later,

53
00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:56,000
the family is enjoying the spoils
of a better night's hunting.

54
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She's brought her cubs away
from their lakeside nursery

55
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for one of their first tastes
of meat.

56
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One of her daughters, Coiron,

57
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is already showing signs of being a
particularly inquisitive young puma.

58
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But up here in the hunting grounds,

59
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wandering off alone
can be dangerous.

60
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These foothills are home
to more than 30 rival pumas.

61
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ANIMAL CALLS

62
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This is Blinka,

63
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an adult female with only one eye.

64
00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,840
Her mother dominated
the lakeside territory in the past,

65
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and there's every chance
Blinka may try to reclaim it

66
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from Rupestre in the future.

67
00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,640
But right now,
there's a different problem.

68
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Blinka is calling for a mate.

69
00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:32,640
This one...

70
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..is called Oscuro.

71
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Male pumas are the greatest threat
to Rupestre's family.

72
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They'll often kill cubs
that aren't their own.

73
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Luckily, Coiron instinctively
rejoins her siblings.

74
00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:16,400
But more importantly, Oscuro's
attention is firmly fixed on Blinka.

75
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Up here, there's always the risk
of an attack by a wandering male.

76
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The whole family are much safer
at the lakeside.

77
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There's so little prey down here,
male pumas rarely come this way.

78
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That's what makes this place
such a valuable nursery.

79
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But it does have one disadvantage.

80
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It doesn't provide much protection
from the elements.

81
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The cubs are just 12 weeks old
when winter arrives.

82
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The season is long and the weather
is only going to get worse.

83
00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:49,440
WIND WHISTLES

84
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Rupestre needs to find them shelter.

85
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In the mountains, there are caves,

86
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but they are a long way away
for little legs.

87
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Coiron takes it in her stride,
as do her sisters,

88
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Dania and Daneska,
who are rarely apart.

89
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Their brother, Neneo,

90
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seems to prefer staying
as close to his mother as possible.

91
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Before long, a challenge.

92
00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:44,520
It's hardly a big jump and certainly
doesn't deter the three sisters.

93
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But Neneo isn't quite bold enough
to follow.

94
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Back together.

95
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Perhaps next time
he'll be a little braver.

96
00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:44,920
Finally, a refuge
and a rest for their tired legs.

97
00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,680
Not as cosy as they're used to...

98
00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:54,120
..but an excellent place
to hunker down,

99
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protected from any oncoming storm.

100
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DRIPPING WATER ECHOES

101
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In the weeks ahead,

102
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temperatures drop
to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

103
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Icy gales whip up without warning.

104
00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:23,760
WIND WHISTLES

105
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:47,160
Rupestre hasn't had to look after
cubs as young as this

106
00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:52,040
in winter before, and hunting is
never harder than in the snow.

107
00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:14,160
The cubs only venture out
on the rare occasion

108
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that she's been successful.

109
00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:31,320
Even at just four months old,

110
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Neneo demands more food
than his sisters,

111
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and forces himself
into the best position.

112
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The more weight he can gain
as a cub,

113
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the better he's likely to fare
as an adult male.

114
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Winter up here is a knife-edge
balance between getting enough food

115
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and avoiding the full force
of the elements.

116
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WIND ROARS

117
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After months of bitter cold,

118
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finally the sun sweeps back
across the territory.

119
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It was always going to be
a major challenge

120
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to get four cubs as young as this
through winter...

121
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..but Rupestre has succeeded.

122
00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:39,200
With the worst of the weather
behind them,

123
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she can take her family back
to their lakeside nursery.

124
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But there's the scent
of an intruder in the air.

125
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This is something
she must investigate...

126
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..on her own.

127
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A stranger.

128
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An adolescent cub,
easily scared off.

129
00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:07,760
But it's not alone.

130
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SNARLING

131
00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:18,480
Its mother wants the lakeside
for her own.

132
00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:32,080
Rupestre stands her ground.

133
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,840
She'll only risk a fight
if she really has to.

134
00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:39,280
GROWLING

135
00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:45,760
Intimidated, the intruder retreats.

136
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:53,040
The lakeside nursery belongs
to the family once more.

137
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And once again, it becomes
their favourite place to relax.

138
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PURRING

139
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,360
BIRDS CALL

140
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:40,960
PURRING

141
00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:52,600
All through winter,
when solid food was so scarce,

142
00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:56,080
Rupestre has provided milk
for her cubs.

143
00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:58,840
That's nearly twice as long
as usual.

144
00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:10,760
But now it's time for the cubs
to move on to a meat-only diet.

145
00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:33,200
The arrival of spring
brings easier prey,

146
00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:35,600
and she starts training her family.

147
00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:43,320
Although too young to catch
a newborn guanaco themselves,

148
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,600
it's an opportunity
to see how it's done.

149
00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,240
Neneo is quick to copy,

150
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:02,280
but, so far,
he's only confident enough

151
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,280
to try the technique on his mother.

152
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,040
Being away from the nursery

153
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:15,680
also gives the cubs a chance
to explore the territory.

154
00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:21,760
Dania and Daneska
are still inseparable.

155
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:29,680
Coiron is once again
the adventurous one.

156
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,320
Under their mother's watchful eye,

157
00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:45,920
each is settling in well
to life as a puma.

158
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:05,000
As spring turns to summer, cold air
whips down from the ice field.

159
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:15,760
And today, winds are tearing through
the territory at close to 100mph.

160
00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,040
To make things worse,

161
00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:28,800
the freezing gale carries
the family's scent to a new male.

162
00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:33,920
This is Carnasa.

163
00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:39,280
He wants to mate with Rupestre, but
first he will try to kill her cubs.

164
00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:52,160
Rupestre won't mate with him whilst
she still has a litter to raise.

165
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,400
RUPESTRE WAILS

166
00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:00,520
Blocking his path,
she keeps his attention on her.

167
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:09,520
By goading him to fight,

168
00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:12,880
she's trying to give her cubs
enough time to escape.

169
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:23,520
HISSING AND SNARLING

170
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:39,480
Female pumas will die
trying to protect their young.

171
00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:42,520
LOUD SNARLING

172
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,240
The cubs are nearly out of sight.

173
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,640
But Carnasa still seems determined
to follow them.

174
00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:39,800
Rupestre is lucky to be alive.

175
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,000
She now has to find
her scattered family...

176
00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:49,040
..before he does.

177
00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:01,720
She doesn't yet know if she
gave them enough of a head start.

178
00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,120
SHE CALLS

179
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,640
As evening draws in,
her calls go unanswered...

180
00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:37,880
..lost on the wind.

181
00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:01,120
By morning, the air is still.

182
00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:20,360
Rupestre has found
three of her cubs.

183
00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:26,200
But one daughter, Coiron,
is missing.

184
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,000
And there's no knowing
whether Carnasa

185
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,400
is still prowling these hills.

186
00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,720
If she is to find her lost cub,

187
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,360
she must risk leaving the others
alone again.

188
00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,960
SHE CALLS

189
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:12,800
It's been ten hours
since she saw her lost daughter.

190
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:16,720
They've never before been apart
for as long as this.

191
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,680
Her other cubs still need her.

192
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,240
She can't keep looking forever.

193
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,160
CALLING IN DISTANCE

194
00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:11,000
Finally...her calls are answered.

195
00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:23,160
Coiron has eluded Carnasa,

196
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:26,600
and survived
her first-ever night alone.

197
00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,000
LOUD PURRING

198
00:31:56,480 --> 00:31:58,720
THEY CALL

199
00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,040
HIGH-PITCHED CALLS

200
00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:23,520
The whole family are back together.

201
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,760
LOUD PURRING

202
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,120
THUNDER RUMBLES

203
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,240
For the next few weeks,

204
00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:59,920
the cubs don't venture far
from the shores of the lake.

205
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:19,400
Rupestre must once again
split her time

206
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:23,000
between them
and the hunting grounds.

207
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:59,600
GUANACO SPITS AND SHRIEKS

208
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,920
GUANACO SCREECHES

209
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,640
Bruised and battered,
with nothing to show for it,

210
00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:54,880
each failed attempt
leaves her weakened.

211
00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:03,160
Back at the lake,
things are about to get even worse.

212
00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:10,920
Her rival, Blinka, has given birth,

213
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:15,440
and she's come to claim
the lakeside nursery.

214
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,480
It's where she grew up,
and she's ready to fight for it.

215
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:24,080
GROWLING AND SNARLING

216
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,840
Rupestre is caught off-guard.

217
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:47,240
Fights as violent as this
between females are rare.

218
00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:54,480
But with cubs of her own,

219
00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:56,640
Blinka will not back down.

220
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,000
Overwhelmed, Rupestre has lost.

221
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:26,480
The lakeside is no longer safe
for her.

222
00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:34,160
She is forced to move
her family...again.

223
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:42,560
GUANACO CALLS

224
00:36:44,720 --> 00:36:49,000
It's just not worth risking
another fight with Blinka.

225
00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:57,520
They must now take their chances

226
00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,880
among the other pumas
on the hunting slopes.

227
00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:43,840
At ten months old, the cubs are
still relying on Rupestre for food.

228
00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:19,360
A meal as big as this
would feed them for days.

229
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,160
Failed again.

230
00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:39,480
THUNDER RUMBLES

231
00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:59,400
The family haven't eaten
for nearly week.

232
00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:01,960
Time to try something different.

233
00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:11,320
Switching to hunting young guanaco

234
00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:14,840
means trading stealth for speed.

235
00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:34,760
They should be easier to catch,

236
00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:39,080
but exhaustion
and muddy ground slow her down.

237
00:39:57,680 --> 00:39:59,600
One last push.

238
00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:07,440
THUNDER RUMBLES

239
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:20,120
Success, but far from the cubs.

240
00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:24,240
If she goes to fetch them,
someone else might steal her kill.

241
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:40,400
She's worked too hard to risk that.

242
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,720
THUNDER RUMBLES

243
00:41:11,240 --> 00:41:13,960
First to the food is Neneo.

244
00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:18,480
If he's ever to challenge males
like Oscuro and Carnasa,

245
00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:21,840
he must learn
how to assert his dominance.

246
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:23,720
LOW GROWLING

247
00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:31,520
For now,
he practises on his sisters.

248
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,120
SNARLING

249
00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:44,160
With Neneo's appetite,
there's barely enough to share.

250
00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:47,680
Rupestre has to work
harder and harder.

251
00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:16,080
She runs down young guanaco,

252
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:20,480
sometimes as many as three
in one day,

253
00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:23,120
while her cubs grow in confidence.

254
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:31,960
Working together, Dania and Daneska
perfect their hunting skills.

255
00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:36,880
Coiron practises on her own...

256
00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:38,960
BIRD HONKS

257
00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:43,560
..with even some small success.

258
00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:53,840
And eventually,
Neneo becomes bold enough

259
00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,240
to grapple with giants himself.

260
00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:28,560
So close.

261
00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:01,440
Winter returns.

262
00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:04,160
The cubs are now 15 months old.

263
00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:13,400
Neneo is a strong young adult...

264
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:23,600
..able to get what he wants.

265
00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:39,040
His sisters have learnt
from their mother what it takes

266
00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:41,440
for a female to raise a family here.

267
00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:49,600
Now, to complete her cubs' journey
to independence,

268
00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:53,080
Rupestre has one thing left to do...

269
00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:00,760
..leave her family.

270
00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:19,640
And that day...has now come.

271
00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:55,400
Her cubs have the skills they need
to survive by themselves...

272
00:45:58,720 --> 00:46:02,280
..even at this, the harshest time
of the year.

273
00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:26,280
Coiron is the first
to separate from her siblings.

274
00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:31,760
From her earliest days, she has
shown an instinct for independence.

275
00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:43,440
Dania and Daneska may support
each other for many more months,

276
00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:47,680
but one day they too will
almost certainly drift apart.

277
00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:01,000
Independence is often hardest
on males.

278
00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:09,920
Neneo will be forced to leave
everything he knows to battle rivals

279
00:47:09,920 --> 00:47:12,040
for a new territory

280
00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:16,400
and find females
with whom to start his own dynasty.

281
00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:22,360
His mother's training
will stand him in good stead.

282
00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:27,200
ICE CRACKLES

283
00:47:34,840 --> 00:47:37,320
But the story doesn't end there.

284
00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:50,880
A few quiet months later, with her
grown-up cubs high in the hills,

285
00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:54,960
Rupestre is back down
at the lakeside.

286
00:48:22,720 --> 00:48:25,360
Against all the odds,

287
00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:27,920
quadruplets yet again.

288
00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:37,080
Exhausting.

289
00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:07,680
So far, they've had
the very safest of nurseries...

290
00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:15,080
..but there are now two blood lines
that lay claim to this site.

291
00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:22,600
Blinka's cubs may have grown up
and moved on,

292
00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:25,440
but Blinka herself will be back.

293
00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:39,440
There will be many more battles
ahead...

294
00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:46,120
..but if any mother has the strength
and experience

295
00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:48,800
to ensure
that her dynasty thrives...

296
00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:53,680
..it is surely Rupestre.

297
00:50:11,120 --> 00:50:13,200
For the Dynasties crew,

298
00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:16,040
the only way to tell
Rupestre's story

299
00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:19,240
was to experience
the Torres del Paine landscape

300
00:50:19,240 --> 00:50:21,600
as she does -

301
00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:23,760
all on foot.

302
00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:32,800
So far over the shoot, we're
definitely well over 1,000 miles,

303
00:50:32,800 --> 00:50:34,280
hiking with the cats.

304
00:50:36,360 --> 00:50:39,800
I really enjoy it.
I don't know if my knees enjoy it.

305
00:50:42,200 --> 00:50:46,280
Both pumas and crew battle
100mph winds

306
00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:48,360
and constantly changing weather.

307
00:50:48,360 --> 00:50:52,040
When people ask what the hardest
thing about filming here is,

308
00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:53,840
honestly, it's the wind.

309
00:50:53,840 --> 00:50:56,120
It's almost impossible
to even walk sometimes.

310
00:50:56,120 --> 00:50:58,680
It's very difficult
to see anything.

311
00:51:06,960 --> 00:51:09,040
Yeah, this is my favourite office.

312
00:51:10,360 --> 00:51:13,720
Since I started working here
in the park,

313
00:51:13,720 --> 00:51:17,560
I know many pumas,
and my favourite's Rupestre.

314
00:51:18,800 --> 00:51:22,040
Nico has been working with pumas
for ten years,

315
00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:25,680
and helps the crew
get in the right mind-set.

316
00:51:25,680 --> 00:51:27,760
You need to be patient.

317
00:51:27,760 --> 00:51:30,600
You need to be very concentrated

318
00:51:30,600 --> 00:51:32,600
to work with the animals,

319
00:51:32,600 --> 00:51:36,080
to think why the pumas
are taking this route,

320
00:51:36,080 --> 00:51:37,960
or a different route.

321
00:51:37,960 --> 00:51:39,920
It's a beautiful thing to do.

322
00:51:42,160 --> 00:51:46,240
Before long, the crew settle
into Rupestre's world

323
00:51:46,240 --> 00:51:49,840
and, in turn, for her,
they become part of the scenery.

324
00:51:52,720 --> 00:51:55,120
She totally ignores their presence.

325
00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:00,200
The cubs, however,
are a little more inquisitive.

326
00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:08,640
We're following these cubs.

327
00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:10,960
You know, we're literally
watching them grow up.

328
00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:12,440
It's a really cool experience

329
00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:15,000
to spend months
with the same family,

330
00:52:15,000 --> 00:52:17,320
and to, you know,
really get to know them.

331
00:52:24,160 --> 00:52:26,880
Living so close to the family means

332
00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:29,880
the crew also witness
one of the toughest moments

333
00:52:29,880 --> 00:52:31,520
in the cats' lives...

334
00:52:31,520 --> 00:52:33,360
SNARLING

335
00:52:35,360 --> 00:52:37,840
..when Carnasa attacks.

336
00:52:42,960 --> 00:52:45,360
We lost sight of her and the cubs,

337
00:52:45,360 --> 00:52:48,040
so we were very worried because
we didn't know

338
00:52:48,040 --> 00:52:50,800
if the cubs had been injured
or died.

339
00:52:50,800 --> 00:52:53,920
Now it's too dark, so we'll know
what will happen tomorrow.

340
00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:04,000
We lost Rupestre
at the end of last night.

341
00:53:06,680 --> 00:53:09,920
Yeah, we're now trying
to find her and the cubs.

342
00:53:09,920 --> 00:53:12,560
She's done so well
getting this far.

343
00:53:12,560 --> 00:53:14,360
We're going to keep looking.

344
00:53:29,320 --> 00:53:31,320
After a sleepless night

345
00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:34,480
and lots of walking,
I'm just relieved that she's OK.

346
00:53:38,720 --> 00:53:40,320
It was really impressive watching

347
00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:43,920
Rupestre hold him off long enough
that the cubs could all scatter.

348
00:53:43,920 --> 00:53:47,320
I think we really appreciate
the struggle that she faces

349
00:53:47,320 --> 00:53:50,320
and...and just the hard work
that goes in to being a puma here.

350
00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:55,560
As the cubs reach adulthood,

351
00:53:55,560 --> 00:54:00,040
their biggest threat
may no longer be from other pumas

352
00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:02,680
but from the human world outside.

353
00:54:05,720 --> 00:54:10,040
Rupestre's cubs might travel
for miles looking for a territory,

354
00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:12,360
heading beyond protected areas

355
00:54:12,360 --> 00:54:16,200
and onto livestock ranches,
known as estancias.

356
00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:22,360
Nico has witnessed first-hand
the problems that pumas

357
00:54:22,360 --> 00:54:25,840
and people face
when their worlds collide.

358
00:54:27,720 --> 00:54:29,920
Sheep are tempting prey.

359
00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:35,920
Some estancias can lose
up to 10, 15 or 20,

360
00:54:35,920 --> 00:54:40,720
even 20% of their livestock
in a year because of predation.

361
00:54:40,720 --> 00:54:43,880
The way they deal
with this problem,

362
00:54:43,880 --> 00:54:47,600
if they see a puma, they hunted it
and they killed it.

363
00:54:49,280 --> 00:54:51,080
On the biggest ranches,

364
00:54:51,080 --> 00:54:54,720
over 50 pumas could be killed
in a single year.

365
00:55:00,520 --> 00:55:03,520
Nico is working with a nearby ranch,

366
00:55:03,520 --> 00:55:06,240
Cerro Guido, on a solution.

367
00:55:10,000 --> 00:55:13,200
Specially trained guardian dogs.

368
00:55:13,200 --> 00:55:16,000
They live all day and night
with the sheep.

369
00:55:16,000 --> 00:55:20,040
They go and start to bark,
and the pumas, they go away.

370
00:55:20,040 --> 00:55:22,360
Pumas are ambush hunters,

371
00:55:22,360 --> 00:55:26,120
and the barking dogs take away
the element of surprise.

372
00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:29,880
We have been using the dogs
for a couple of years,

373
00:55:29,880 --> 00:55:32,200
and the results can be astonishing.

374
00:55:33,720 --> 00:55:37,960
The dogs significantly reduce
predation on the sheep

375
00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:41,280
and the pumas return
to hunting wild prey.

376
00:55:43,480 --> 00:55:45,320
When pumas don't kill the sheep,

377
00:55:45,320 --> 00:55:47,720
ranchers don't kill the pumas.

378
00:55:49,960 --> 00:55:52,440
Protecting the pumas
inside the ranch,

379
00:55:52,440 --> 00:55:55,840
we are protecting a similar area
than Torres del Paine,

380
00:55:55,840 --> 00:55:58,080
so we're doubling the protection.

381
00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:05,440
This success is just in time
for Rupestre's son.

382
00:56:05,440 --> 00:56:10,120
The last time the crew filmed him,
he was heading towards this ranch.

383
00:56:10,120 --> 00:56:13,920
Nico's work could help
to give him a safer future.

384
00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:21,280
Probably the son of Rupestre
will find a safe place to breed,

385
00:56:21,280 --> 00:56:24,080
to stay, to make this place
his home.

386
00:56:25,520 --> 00:56:29,600
The hope is that, one day, many more
ranches will replace guns

387
00:56:29,600 --> 00:56:31,880
with guardian dogs.

388
00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:37,520
We were working in the middle
for both pumas and people.

389
00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:41,520
We want this to be spread out,
all over Patagonia.

390
00:56:45,440 --> 00:56:50,320
Puma and human worlds
will continue to overlap,

391
00:56:50,320 --> 00:56:54,360
but new solutions like this
may allow Patagonia's

392
00:56:54,360 --> 00:56:58,320
most-charismatic predator
to thrive

393
00:56:58,320 --> 00:57:01,240
across the whole of the continent.

394
00:57:07,160 --> 00:57:11,000
Next time,
on the dusty plains of Kenya...

395
00:57:12,840 --> 00:57:14,880
..can an inexperienced leader

396
00:57:14,880 --> 00:57:16,920
bring her family back together...

397
00:57:16,920 --> 00:57:18,800
TRUMPETING

398
00:57:18,800 --> 00:57:21,400
..to give her newborn calf

399
00:57:21,400 --> 00:57:23,400
a chance of survival,

400
00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:27,720
and carry on her ancient dynasty?

401
00:57:27,720 --> 00:57:29,480
HYENA LAUGHS