1 00:00:08,900 --> 00:00:10,410 Bears... 2 00:00:11,660 --> 00:00:13,450 ..and humans. 3 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:18,660 An ancient conflict 4 00:00:18,730 --> 00:00:20,940 that we have clearly won. 5 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:26,660 We love bears. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,380 They're everywhere. 7 00:00:29,450 --> 00:00:31,660 But we don't want them in our gardens, 8 00:00:32,300 --> 00:00:33,900 unless they're lit up. 9 00:00:35,450 --> 00:00:38,980 Humans have banished bears from most of Europe's forests. 10 00:00:40,810 --> 00:00:42,810 But there are exceptions. 11 00:00:46,260 --> 00:00:50,220 Romania for instance, where people are at their wits' end. 12 00:00:54,220 --> 00:00:56,620 The number of incidents is growing. 13 00:00:58,730 --> 00:01:01,410 Sometimes with disastrous results. 14 00:01:06,170 --> 00:01:09,260 Is there a future for people and bears, 15 00:01:09,340 --> 00:01:11,940 side by side in Europe? 16 00:01:31,980 --> 00:01:34,170 Winter in Transylvania. 17 00:01:35,620 --> 00:01:39,450 You'd expect brown bears to be hibernating in their caves. 18 00:01:40,490 --> 00:01:45,130 But here in the heart of Romania be ready for surprises. 19 00:01:45,730 --> 00:01:48,450 There's much that defies expectations. 20 00:02:01,050 --> 00:02:04,090 Two brown bear cubs brave the cold. 21 00:02:04,410 --> 00:02:06,730 They show no sign of tiredness. 22 00:02:15,130 --> 00:02:19,090 If they're not hibernating, there can only be one reason: 23 00:02:19,170 --> 00:02:21,340 They're getting enough food. 24 00:02:24,090 --> 00:02:28,130 And in fact these two have found an inexhaustible source. 25 00:02:47,020 --> 00:02:51,340 Bears aren't choosy. They'll eat whatever fills them up. 26 00:03:03,410 --> 00:03:06,130 As soon as a bear gets used to human foods, 27 00:03:06,220 --> 00:03:08,300 conflict is inevitable. 28 00:03:17,260 --> 00:03:19,260 How could this happen? 29 00:03:24,340 --> 00:03:28,450 Most bears' lives still begin far away from people. 30 00:03:31,410 --> 00:03:35,170 In a distant valley in the South Carpathian Mountains, 31 00:03:35,260 --> 00:03:39,340 three tiny bear cubs were born in their winter cave. 32 00:03:45,220 --> 00:03:47,810 They've only just opened their eyes 33 00:03:47,900 --> 00:03:50,660 and started to explore their tiny world. 34 00:04:07,090 --> 00:04:12,580 All they know is their mother's warm fur, and her nourishing milk. 35 00:04:21,490 --> 00:04:25,050 Our forefathers once sought refuge in caves, too 36 00:04:25,130 --> 00:04:28,660 and vied for their ownership with terrifying bears. 37 00:04:33,980 --> 00:04:36,020 15,000 years ago 38 00:04:36,090 --> 00:04:39,450 the entrance to this cavern in western Transylvania 39 00:04:39,530 --> 00:04:41,900 was sealed by an earthquake. 40 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:46,770 When miners broke through accidentally in 1975, 41 00:04:47,090 --> 00:04:49,850 they found claw marks on the walls. 42 00:04:57,130 --> 00:05:00,050 And then the astonishing revelation: 43 00:05:00,130 --> 00:05:04,410 More than 140 skeletons of cave bears. 44 00:05:07,170 --> 00:05:09,450 The experts were faced with a mystery. 45 00:05:09,530 --> 00:05:12,730 Some skulls seemed to have been laid out in patterns. 46 00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:18,580 Were they used as cult objects? 47 00:05:18,660 --> 00:05:22,450 Did fear and respect for these all-powerful creatures, 48 00:05:22,530 --> 00:05:25,300 make humans treat them as gods? 49 00:05:36,900 --> 00:05:42,220 Even in modern-day Romania, an age-old bear ritual endures. 50 00:05:45,900 --> 00:05:47,700 In the nights around New Year 51 00:05:48,020 --> 00:05:52,260 the boundaries between human and bear all but disappear. 52 00:06:18,220 --> 00:06:20,940 These dancers are wearing real bearskins. 53 00:06:21,450 --> 00:06:25,730 The power of the bear dispels the evil spirits of the year just past, 54 00:06:26,380 --> 00:06:28,730 making space for fresh beginnings. 55 00:06:37,410 --> 00:06:39,900 Bear hunting is now banned in Romania. 56 00:06:41,810 --> 00:06:43,810 Many of these skins are held over 57 00:06:43,900 --> 00:06:46,410 from the days when things were different. 58 00:06:51,020 --> 00:06:53,660 Ceausescu, Romania's communist dictator, 59 00:06:53,980 --> 00:06:56,810 was completely obsessed by bear hunting. 60 00:06:57,700 --> 00:07:01,220 They say he once shot 31 bears in a single day. 61 00:07:10,090 --> 00:07:12,050 To indulge his blood-lust, 62 00:07:12,130 --> 00:07:15,900 he ordered a bear-breeding programme, unique in the world. 63 00:07:19,770 --> 00:07:24,450 As soon as the cubs were old enough, they set off on enforced travels. 64 00:07:28,850 --> 00:07:31,980 They were released into the forests in their hundreds, 65 00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:34,810 as future trophies for the dictator. 66 00:07:45,850 --> 00:07:49,770 Romanian bears no longer need to fear trophy hunters. 67 00:07:49,850 --> 00:07:52,620 And that makes some of them overconfident. 68 00:07:56,730 --> 00:07:59,770 In the winter I am a ski instructor. 69 00:08:00,490 --> 00:08:03,130 I am going up to check the slope. 70 00:08:04,620 --> 00:08:06,770 Stop, I see the bear. 71 00:08:10,260 --> 00:08:13,260 I put my phone in the record. 72 00:08:13,580 --> 00:08:15,730 In this time another skier coming. 73 00:08:16,730 --> 00:08:17,900 Stop! 74 00:08:17,980 --> 00:08:20,940 I hope the bear is going into the tree. 75 00:08:21,020 --> 00:08:24,810 But no, and I say to the people: Make some noise. 76 00:08:27,410 --> 00:08:31,220 But the bear is not impressed. It continues coming to us. 77 00:08:33,170 --> 00:08:35,090 Coming too close. 78 00:08:37,850 --> 00:08:40,940 Eh what can I do? The bear is not going. 79 00:08:44,700 --> 00:08:47,810 Okay, come follow me. If you catch me, try. 80 00:08:51,020 --> 00:08:53,090 Just... a little bit crazy. 81 00:08:55,130 --> 00:08:57,770 I am going down, down, down, I see the people. 82 00:08:58,660 --> 00:09:00,130 Oops. 83 00:09:00,450 --> 00:09:02,660 "Atenzie camine ursu." 84 00:09:02,980 --> 00:09:05,170 It's a situation very dangerous. 85 00:09:06,050 --> 00:09:07,850 Okay, I stop the bear. 86 00:09:11,810 --> 00:09:15,300 With the slope is clear, I continue to go down. 87 00:09:25,730 --> 00:09:28,660 Not very long distance to the finish of the slope 88 00:09:28,730 --> 00:09:30,730 the bear hears the noise. 89 00:09:30,810 --> 00:09:33,450 Maybe he was thinking the race is over. 90 00:09:33,940 --> 00:09:35,980 He stays a little bit waiting 91 00:09:36,050 --> 00:09:38,410 but after this it is going to the forest. 92 00:09:39,130 --> 00:09:40,940 This is the story. 93 00:09:45,020 --> 00:09:48,300 What seems funny can quickly turn serious. 94 00:09:48,980 --> 00:09:51,730 This bear has lost its natural fear of humans, 95 00:09:51,810 --> 00:09:54,020 and thus becomes a danger. 96 00:09:59,940 --> 00:10:03,220 Whereas our three cubs are where bears should be: 97 00:10:03,300 --> 00:10:06,020 deep in the dense Carpathian forests. 98 00:10:11,090 --> 00:10:14,220 They're tasting grass for the first time. 99 00:10:21,260 --> 00:10:23,770 They have no idea of the culinary delights 100 00:10:23,850 --> 00:10:25,900 awaiting them down in town. 101 00:10:25,980 --> 00:10:28,490 The human world is a fleeting fragrance, 102 00:10:28,580 --> 00:10:32,850 a tempting aroma briefly caught when the wind is right. 103 00:10:39,700 --> 00:10:41,940 The forest is their home. 104 00:10:45,170 --> 00:10:46,980 There's still danger here. 105 00:10:48,810 --> 00:10:53,220 Male brown bears will always try to kill their rivals' offspring. 106 00:11:07,260 --> 00:11:10,490 That gives them a better chance of siring their own. 107 00:11:18,260 --> 00:11:20,660 But he won't approach our female. 108 00:11:31,730 --> 00:11:35,090 These cubs are lucky with such an experienced mother. 109 00:11:54,490 --> 00:11:57,900 Shepherds on their way to their summer pastures. 110 00:11:58,380 --> 00:12:02,660 Grazing on Carpathian Mountain slopes is ideal for their herd. 111 00:12:03,170 --> 00:12:05,380 But this comes at a price: 112 00:12:05,700 --> 00:12:09,980 On their trek they penetrate deep into bear territory. 113 00:12:17,260 --> 00:12:20,660 Petre Clem has 300 sheep in his care. 114 00:12:22,770 --> 00:12:25,380 Villagers trust them to him for the summer. 115 00:12:26,340 --> 00:12:29,980 If he loses a single one, he has a problem. 116 00:12:37,450 --> 00:12:40,020 Bears cause trouble. So do wolves. 117 00:12:40,090 --> 00:12:41,900 It's difficult. 118 00:12:43,580 --> 00:12:45,380 When it's raining and foggy 119 00:12:45,450 --> 00:12:48,450 and the bear comes out of the forest it's dangerous. 120 00:12:48,530 --> 00:12:52,260 We have to get to the sheep fast, or the bear will rip them apart. 121 00:12:54,220 --> 00:12:57,490 Sometimes it's taken two or three sheep in a single day. 122 00:13:17,090 --> 00:13:20,220 As night falls, the atmosphere is tense. 123 00:13:20,730 --> 00:13:22,810 No sheep are allowed to run free. 124 00:13:31,940 --> 00:13:34,170 We put them in the enclosure every night. 125 00:13:34,810 --> 00:13:36,620 We never leave them alone. 126 00:13:36,940 --> 00:13:40,700 We would protect them with our lives. They are our only property. 127 00:13:41,020 --> 00:13:44,660 But whatever happens, we have our dogs, and we are brave. 128 00:13:58,490 --> 00:14:01,850 A Romanian shepherd is never far from his herd. 129 00:14:01,940 --> 00:14:05,130 Petre sleeps right next to his charges. 130 00:14:11,900 --> 00:14:14,130 His colleagues take first watch. 131 00:14:18,490 --> 00:14:20,530 See? He caught a sheep. 132 00:14:22,490 --> 00:14:24,900 Is he going to clear out or will he eat it? 133 00:14:26,730 --> 00:14:28,730 I think he's taking it away. 134 00:14:30,220 --> 00:14:32,850 A fellow shepherd from a neighbouring valley 135 00:14:32,940 --> 00:14:34,730 took these pictures. 136 00:14:35,490 --> 00:14:39,220 He's a real devil. If I caught him I'd take an axe to him. 137 00:14:41,410 --> 00:14:43,940 Yeah, yeah. He'd be after you like a shot. 138 00:15:46,770 --> 00:15:49,940 Dammit, he was here. Now he's in the valley. 139 00:15:50,620 --> 00:15:52,810 The dogs chased him into the river. 140 00:16:10,340 --> 00:16:12,660 I know a bear is part of nature, 141 00:16:12,730 --> 00:16:14,940 but we shepherds live in nature too. 142 00:16:15,020 --> 00:16:18,300 We have to find our place here, just like the bears. 143 00:16:19,090 --> 00:16:22,900 If life in the mountains is to work, we have to share the space. 144 00:16:23,900 --> 00:16:25,900 I understand the people in the towns 145 00:16:25,980 --> 00:16:28,170 who love bears and want to protect them. 146 00:16:28,260 --> 00:16:30,770 But living beside them is very difficult. 147 00:16:35,820 --> 00:16:39,530 Over the centuries shepherds and bears have found a way of living 148 00:16:39,610 --> 00:16:41,970 side by side in the mountains. 149 00:16:42,380 --> 00:16:45,700 But what happens when Europe's greatest land predator 150 00:16:45,780 --> 00:16:47,850 moves into the human world? 151 00:16:50,460 --> 00:16:52,530 This was some time ago: 152 00:16:52,610 --> 00:16:54,740 I came into town to buy some stuff 153 00:16:54,820 --> 00:16:57,970 and I met a friend I hadn't seen for a while. 154 00:16:58,060 --> 00:16:59,850 So, we went for a drink 155 00:16:59,930 --> 00:17:03,570 and the two of us told each other stories till late in the night. 156 00:17:03,650 --> 00:17:05,850 Eventually I said: "Time for bed.” 157 00:17:11,890 --> 00:17:14,780 On the way to the apartment, I saw strange shadows. 158 00:17:19,780 --> 00:17:23,100 I thought they were people, so I said: "Good evening!" 159 00:17:23,180 --> 00:17:24,970 But they didn't answer. 160 00:17:27,570 --> 00:17:29,380 What'd you think they were? 161 00:17:29,700 --> 00:17:34,060 Two bears, my friend, two bears. Looked like they were dancing. 162 00:17:51,380 --> 00:17:55,890 Bears in the city? They live in the mountains, not in the towns. 163 00:17:58,650 --> 00:18:02,290 What's all that about? I'd rather get back to the mountains. 164 00:18:18,850 --> 00:18:21,140 Nocturnal visitors are rather common 165 00:18:21,210 --> 00:18:24,060 in the small towns of the southern Carpathians. 166 00:18:24,650 --> 00:18:28,740 As soon as it gets dark the streets fill with life. 167 00:18:36,610 --> 00:18:38,420 Stop, stop. 168 00:18:40,100 --> 00:18:41,890 Stop the car. 169 00:18:44,420 --> 00:18:46,210 Can you hear them? 170 00:18:46,290 --> 00:18:50,250 Laura Niculescu and her husband George love bears. 171 00:18:50,330 --> 00:18:53,700 They're out on patrol almost every night, in spring. 172 00:18:53,780 --> 00:18:56,970 Hardly anyone knows these animals better than Laura. 173 00:18:57,060 --> 00:18:58,850 And she has a mission. 174 00:18:58,930 --> 00:19:02,890 There are a lot of people that hate and don't like the bears, 175 00:19:03,330 --> 00:19:05,610 because they think they are aggressive. 176 00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:07,500 But it's not like that. 177 00:19:07,570 --> 00:19:09,610 I do a lot of filming. 178 00:19:09,930 --> 00:19:11,820 I put them online in a page 179 00:19:11,890 --> 00:19:15,290 to show them that the bears are not aggressive. 180 00:19:16,500 --> 00:19:21,460 If people learn how to behave in front of the bear, 181 00:19:21,530 --> 00:19:25,140 that would lead to a peaceful coexistence. 182 00:19:29,060 --> 00:19:32,530 The bears are here, but it isn't always easy to find them. 183 00:19:32,610 --> 00:19:34,610 Unless they leave a trace. 184 00:19:36,570 --> 00:19:39,930 Look there is the garbage on the floor. The bear was here. 185 00:19:42,210 --> 00:19:44,290 We have to follow the dogs. 186 00:19:47,420 --> 00:19:50,820 The dogs are nervous. The bears can't be far. 187 00:19:57,460 --> 00:20:00,100 Down there. Down there. Slow, slow. 188 00:20:56,460 --> 00:21:00,140 Bears always look for the easiest way to find food. 189 00:21:00,210 --> 00:21:02,610 That's why the cities are so attractive. 190 00:21:02,700 --> 00:21:05,530 It's much harder to find food in the wilderness. 191 00:21:13,020 --> 00:21:16,460 So you see there is a lot of garbage everywhere 192 00:21:16,930 --> 00:21:19,570 and that attracts the bears to the city. 193 00:21:19,650 --> 00:21:22,290 You know, like humans go to the supermarket 194 00:21:22,380 --> 00:21:24,850 instead of looking for food in the forest. 195 00:21:24,930 --> 00:21:26,740 Same goes for the bears. 196 00:21:26,820 --> 00:21:29,380 If they find easy food, they go for it. 197 00:21:36,380 --> 00:21:41,060 Under cover of darkness our mother bear sneaks into town. 198 00:21:48,330 --> 00:21:50,140 She's not alone. 199 00:21:50,210 --> 00:21:52,460 She has her cubs with her. 200 00:22:10,380 --> 00:22:13,100 This isn't just about the abundance of food. 201 00:22:13,180 --> 00:22:17,250 It's about adult male bears too. They are loners. 202 00:22:17,330 --> 00:22:20,820 They avoid company, including human company, 203 00:22:20,890 --> 00:22:23,930 and would rather spend their time in the mountains. 204 00:22:24,500 --> 00:22:28,700 So the town also protects the cubs from hungry males. 205 00:22:42,930 --> 00:22:44,740 Bears aren't the only ones 206 00:22:44,820 --> 00:22:48,330 that appreciate the advantages of an urban environment. 207 00:23:09,500 --> 00:23:13,420 For the little ones, everything smells new and exciting 208 00:23:13,500 --> 00:23:15,290 and has to be tried. 209 00:23:24,930 --> 00:23:28,180 Now they've had their first taste of humans' food, 210 00:23:28,250 --> 00:23:30,250 there's no way back. 211 00:23:30,330 --> 00:23:33,820 Following their mother, they'll connect humans with food 212 00:23:34,140 --> 00:23:35,930 for the rest of their lives. 213 00:23:38,650 --> 00:23:40,650 It's bound to lead to conflict. 214 00:23:42,020 --> 00:23:45,780 There will be consequences for our three bear cubs. 215 00:24:10,250 --> 00:24:14,850 Over the coming weeks they'll learn to adapt to the asphalt jungle. 216 00:24:15,460 --> 00:24:19,820 Once foreign territory, the town will soon be their playground, 217 00:24:20,210 --> 00:24:25,060 food delivery service, and finally their new home. 218 00:24:44,700 --> 00:24:46,780 Meanwhile, Laura has caught up 219 00:24:47,100 --> 00:24:49,060 with two old friends. 220 00:24:53,250 --> 00:24:55,140 Look, look the brothers. 221 00:24:57,820 --> 00:25:00,140 These are the brothers from last year. 222 00:25:03,650 --> 00:25:08,530 This is the second year they come to this park in search for food. 223 00:25:13,140 --> 00:25:14,930 The other one. 224 00:25:23,650 --> 00:25:26,930 They are two years old and always playing around. 225 00:25:30,420 --> 00:25:33,140 There is a bin with pancakes. 226 00:25:33,210 --> 00:25:37,330 They throw the leftovers in the trash bins. 227 00:25:40,930 --> 00:25:43,250 They are eating pancakes right now. 228 00:25:50,820 --> 00:25:53,210 Stop! Don’t go on. 229 00:25:53,530 --> 00:25:55,020 Get back! 230 00:25:56,740 --> 00:26:00,700 The bear is right in front of you! Right in front! 231 00:26:01,020 --> 00:26:03,610 The man there wants to go to the bear. 232 00:26:06,020 --> 00:26:10,290 An apparently innocuous situation can quickly get dangerous. 233 00:26:10,930 --> 00:26:12,460 It's coming. 234 00:26:12,780 --> 00:26:16,740 It's coming on. No, too close. No, no, it's dangerous. 235 00:26:19,740 --> 00:26:22,610 Is the gate open? Come here. 236 00:26:28,380 --> 00:26:30,700 Ah, the gendarmes are here. 237 00:26:35,970 --> 00:26:39,820 When the RO-Alert comes they come from the police, gendarmerie, 238 00:26:39,890 --> 00:26:42,020 and they want to chase the bear away. 239 00:26:45,460 --> 00:26:47,250 The brothers aren't too worried 240 00:26:47,330 --> 00:26:49,890 by the police's attempts to intimidate them. 241 00:26:49,970 --> 00:26:51,970 They've heard it all before. 242 00:27:03,330 --> 00:27:08,380 Some Transylvanian towns see bears almost every night in summer. 243 00:27:09,180 --> 00:27:12,290 The police answer calls as soon as they can. 244 00:27:12,780 --> 00:27:15,210 But there is only so much they can do. 245 00:28:01,420 --> 00:28:03,210 The police aren't always sure 246 00:28:03,290 --> 00:28:05,100 exactly what's happening. 247 00:28:05,180 --> 00:28:09,140 On this occasion they've quickly pinpointed the troublemakers. 248 00:28:09,850 --> 00:28:13,100 Our bear family have entered someone's garden. 249 00:28:17,330 --> 00:28:19,820 This is high risk intervention. 250 00:28:20,140 --> 00:28:23,380 Because babies do not know how to handle the situation. 251 00:28:23,460 --> 00:28:25,970 Maybe they go inside the garden 252 00:28:26,060 --> 00:28:28,820 and because of the fence they cannot go out. 253 00:28:29,140 --> 00:28:31,210 And there is the possibility 254 00:28:31,530 --> 00:28:34,570 that the mother can be dangerous for the people. 255 00:28:37,850 --> 00:28:40,610 After hundreds of years of intensive hunting, 256 00:28:40,700 --> 00:28:43,850 what frightens bears most, is noise. 257 00:28:54,850 --> 00:28:57,740 It's the most effective way to scare them off. 258 00:29:12,290 --> 00:29:14,100 But the night is young. 259 00:29:14,180 --> 00:29:17,180 It's much too early to return to the forest. 260 00:29:37,060 --> 00:29:39,780 In the maze of gardens and narrow lanes 261 00:29:39,850 --> 00:29:42,850 the bears easily shake off their pursuers. 262 00:30:03,100 --> 00:30:06,180 The potential food supply is infinite. 263 00:30:13,930 --> 00:30:16,250 The dogs can bark all they want. 264 00:30:16,570 --> 00:30:18,820 Their dishes still get emptied. 265 00:30:25,570 --> 00:30:30,060 In the search for easy meals our mother bear has shed her shyness. 266 00:30:30,700 --> 00:30:36,290 She strolls these streets for weeks on end, growing increasingly bold, 267 00:30:36,380 --> 00:30:38,380 thus adding herself 268 00:30:38,460 --> 00:30:41,570 to the long list of "problem bears". 269 00:31:00,930 --> 00:31:04,460 "Amazing pictures from Sinaia. Bears chasing people." 270 00:31:04,530 --> 00:31:06,340 "A moment of horror in Victoria." 271 00:31:06,420 --> 00:31:09,130 "The Police recommend killing dangerous bears." 272 00:31:09,210 --> 00:31:11,210 "Two boys and a man injured by bears. 273 00:31:11,300 --> 00:31:15,300 Torn apart by a hungry bear." - "Bears kill a shepherd." 274 00:31:22,170 --> 00:31:26,020 Security cameras record scary encounters with bears. 275 00:31:29,130 --> 00:31:31,660 With at least 6,000 bears in Romania 276 00:31:31,980 --> 00:31:35,300 there’s always a risk of an unwelcome confrontation. 277 00:31:49,340 --> 00:31:51,130 When a bear gets aggressive 278 00:31:51,210 --> 00:31:53,700 and resists all attempts to scare it away, 279 00:31:53,780 --> 00:31:55,780 it is declared a "problem bear". 280 00:31:56,100 --> 00:31:59,340 In exceptional cases, it may then be shot. 281 00:32:09,780 --> 00:32:13,060 But first they'll try to deal with it peacefully. 282 00:32:23,060 --> 00:32:25,100 This bear is being relocated. 283 00:32:27,980 --> 00:32:30,810 In some small towns in southern Transylvania 284 00:32:30,890 --> 00:32:33,340 the density of bears is so great, 285 00:32:33,420 --> 00:32:37,460 the Police have permission to move almost every one of them. 286 00:32:40,130 --> 00:32:42,300 This time it's a young male. 287 00:32:51,460 --> 00:32:55,170 The vet anaesthetises the bear so it can't harm itself. 288 00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:04,530 The sedative quickly takes effect. 289 00:33:10,340 --> 00:33:13,490 The bear is weighed, measured and given an ear-clip 290 00:33:13,570 --> 00:33:15,570 so it can be identified later. 291 00:33:23,610 --> 00:33:25,810 Then it's off on a long journey. 292 00:33:37,460 --> 00:33:40,490 The idea is to release the bear far enough away 293 00:33:40,570 --> 00:33:42,610 so it can't simply come back. 294 00:33:46,340 --> 00:33:48,610 And the area must be sparsely inhabited, 295 00:33:48,700 --> 00:33:51,100 so the bear can't make trouble there. 296 00:33:52,780 --> 00:33:55,850 In today's Romania, that's a tall order. 297 00:34:00,380 --> 00:34:02,530 Our mother bear and her three cubs 298 00:34:02,610 --> 00:34:05,340 were also caught and released far away. 299 00:34:07,340 --> 00:34:10,780 When Laura heard about this, she set off in pursuit, 300 00:34:11,700 --> 00:34:14,210 and soon made a sad discovery. 301 00:34:17,420 --> 00:34:21,980 Here is the blood ... The blood of the mama bear. 302 00:34:24,210 --> 00:34:26,380 Her cubs were after dog food. 303 00:34:26,460 --> 00:34:29,340 And that sealed their mother's fate. 304 00:34:29,420 --> 00:34:32,490 So the mama bear always comes from the forest 305 00:34:32,570 --> 00:34:35,930 and stay by here next to the forest 306 00:34:36,020 --> 00:34:39,530 and the cubs go down to the houses to eat the dogfood. 307 00:34:40,170 --> 00:34:43,570 He called the authorities to chase the bears from his yard 308 00:34:43,660 --> 00:34:46,250 but they come instead to kill the bear. 309 00:34:46,570 --> 00:34:50,810 So when they shoot her they chase the little one in the forest. 310 00:34:51,130 --> 00:34:55,250 And the other two chased in the other park. 311 00:34:58,380 --> 00:35:01,170 Normally there is a commission 312 00:35:01,250 --> 00:35:05,100 that involves the major, the vet, the hunters 313 00:35:05,170 --> 00:35:08,250 and the authorities, police or gendarmerie. 314 00:35:08,570 --> 00:35:12,490 They all have to sign the papers and agree to killing the mama bear. 315 00:35:12,570 --> 00:35:15,210 This commander didn't sign the papers. 316 00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:17,300 So that's why it is a scandal. 317 00:35:20,980 --> 00:35:25,210 When bears turn up out of the blue the result is often chaos. 318 00:35:26,130 --> 00:35:30,100 The authorities are under pressure. People's lives are at stake. 319 00:35:30,530 --> 00:35:34,340 And that doesn't make it easier to take the right decisions. 320 00:35:37,250 --> 00:35:39,380 It was a normal morning. 321 00:35:40,570 --> 00:35:42,930 The phone rang. A bear. 322 00:35:43,570 --> 00:35:47,300 In the centre of the city. Really? A bear in the city? 323 00:35:47,610 --> 00:35:51,980 But I am a journalist, got there in something like 5 minutes. 324 00:35:52,570 --> 00:35:55,380 And a lot of people, a lot of police cars 325 00:35:55,460 --> 00:35:58,890 and there was in a few moments a bear on the roof. 326 00:36:06,170 --> 00:36:10,460 The chaos continued because the bear was very quick and very agile 327 00:36:10,530 --> 00:36:14,810 in climbing on roofs and nobody knew exactly 328 00:36:14,890 --> 00:36:18,170 how should we proceed when a bear comes in the city? 329 00:36:23,170 --> 00:36:27,060 The local authorities didn't know how to act. That's the main issue. 330 00:36:27,130 --> 00:36:30,210 And they were misinformed. They said it was a big bear. 331 00:36:30,300 --> 00:36:34,100 "Stay at home there is a big bear." It was not a big bear. 332 00:36:37,380 --> 00:36:41,420 There was a hunter and he said: "I have only bullets. 333 00:36:41,740 --> 00:36:43,530 I do not want to kill him." 334 00:36:43,610 --> 00:36:45,610 "Kill him!" - "No, I don't want to." 335 00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:49,210 Nobody knew what should be done. It was total chaos. 336 00:36:53,780 --> 00:36:57,530 They finally got him trapped in a yard. 337 00:37:04,460 --> 00:37:06,930 They shortly decided to shoot the bear. 338 00:37:11,740 --> 00:37:14,660 So the door was open and I just got in 339 00:37:14,740 --> 00:37:17,610 and I saw the small bear cub. 340 00:37:17,700 --> 00:37:19,980 And I was the only photographer there, 341 00:37:20,060 --> 00:37:23,020 so I snapped as fast as I could 342 00:37:23,100 --> 00:37:24,890 a few pictures. 343 00:37:25,890 --> 00:37:28,570 I know it was confusion, it was dangerous 344 00:37:28,660 --> 00:37:32,130 but the image of that cub was moving to say the least 345 00:37:32,460 --> 00:37:34,810 and it moved a lot of people. 346 00:37:35,130 --> 00:37:37,740 So things like this shouldn't happen 347 00:37:38,490 --> 00:37:40,610 in our city or anywhere. 348 00:37:40,930 --> 00:37:43,380 Because no bears should be shot. 349 00:38:00,890 --> 00:38:04,460 Laura can't get the orphan cubs out of her mind. 350 00:38:04,530 --> 00:38:07,420 Their mother gone, the cubs must be wandering, 351 00:38:07,490 --> 00:38:09,490 lost and traumatised. 352 00:38:10,210 --> 00:38:12,930 Laura knows exactly where to look for them, 353 00:38:13,250 --> 00:38:15,060 and sure enough: 354 00:38:15,660 --> 00:38:20,570 Slowly, slowly. Stop, stop, stop. Slowly, slowly. 355 00:38:28,490 --> 00:38:31,060 Two of the cubs are rifling the garbage bins 356 00:38:31,130 --> 00:38:33,340 close to where their mother was shot. 357 00:38:41,890 --> 00:38:45,020 Like her, they've become used to human food 358 00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:48,460 and can no longer go back to the food of the forest. 359 00:38:50,980 --> 00:38:53,980 Laura knows perfectly well what will happen then. 360 00:38:56,060 --> 00:38:59,380 If she wants to save them, she must do something now. 361 00:39:08,420 --> 00:39:10,210 Many people in Transylvania 362 00:39:10,300 --> 00:39:13,300 are spooked by the bears in their neighbourhood. 363 00:39:13,380 --> 00:39:16,780 Some would rather take the solution into their own hands. 364 00:39:20,610 --> 00:39:23,210 They feel abandoned by the authorities. 365 00:39:25,130 --> 00:39:28,810 You're all terrified of the bears. Am I right, or what? 366 00:39:31,420 --> 00:39:34,700 The bear in your backyard. The bear out in the street. 367 00:39:45,420 --> 00:39:48,340 I have children, man. Can't you understand that? 368 00:39:50,380 --> 00:39:52,170 If conflict is to be avoided, 369 00:39:52,490 --> 00:39:55,610 people must adapt their own behaviour to the bears'. 370 00:39:55,700 --> 00:39:58,020 Not everyone is happy with that. 371 00:39:58,980 --> 00:40:01,890 No one understands that better than Bogdan Sulica. 372 00:40:02,610 --> 00:40:07,020 He's a ranger with one of Romania's biggest conservation organisations: 373 00:40:07,100 --> 00:40:08,740 Carpathia. 374 00:40:08,810 --> 00:40:11,810 If we see a bear coming down in the village 375 00:40:12,130 --> 00:40:15,460 we just go there with the dogs, 376 00:40:17,980 --> 00:40:22,660 with weapons, with rubber bullets, with all kind of stuff, 377 00:40:23,420 --> 00:40:25,020 and ... 378 00:40:25,490 --> 00:40:28,490 ... we're trying to push him away. 379 00:40:29,810 --> 00:40:31,610 Look up there at the pasture, 380 00:40:31,700 --> 00:40:33,890 something up there, right at the top. 381 00:40:34,210 --> 00:40:36,210 It is difficult to make out. 382 00:40:44,610 --> 00:40:49,490 Just some few young bears coming to the fruit trees. 383 00:40:50,130 --> 00:40:51,610 That's all. 384 00:40:52,660 --> 00:40:56,340 Can you still see them? - No, they're gone. Off to the left. 385 00:40:59,300 --> 00:41:01,980 Everything's working out for Bogdan today. 386 00:41:02,060 --> 00:41:05,810 He sees himself as the link between the people of the community 387 00:41:05,890 --> 00:41:07,890 and the wilderness around them. 388 00:41:08,340 --> 00:41:10,780 He knows that bears and people get on best 389 00:41:10,850 --> 00:41:12,850 when they leave each other alone. 390 00:41:12,930 --> 00:41:16,020 His job is to make sure it stays that way. 391 00:41:17,780 --> 00:41:20,100 But it doesn't always work. 392 00:41:20,610 --> 00:41:22,210 Hello Bogdan. - Hello. 393 00:41:23,780 --> 00:41:26,850 So, tell me: How we're going to solve the bear problem? 394 00:41:26,930 --> 00:41:28,740 What are we going to do? 395 00:41:31,210 --> 00:41:34,530 One of the farmer's cows has been attacked by a bear. 396 00:41:34,610 --> 00:41:38,340 He chased the bear away, but it was too late to save the cow. 397 00:41:38,890 --> 00:41:42,250 The bear comes from there and from there, 398 00:41:42,740 --> 00:41:44,740 and from the street down there. 399 00:41:44,810 --> 00:41:46,890 The bastard came from there too. 400 00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:51,380 So, you've got problems again? - He keeps coming. 401 00:41:54,210 --> 00:41:57,420 The loss of a cow is a serious financial setback. 402 00:41:57,490 --> 00:42:00,420 Bogdan can help protect the rest of the herd, 403 00:42:00,740 --> 00:42:04,100 once he confirms the cow really was killed by a bear. 404 00:42:04,170 --> 00:42:06,570 To do that, he has to find it. 405 00:42:08,060 --> 00:42:10,980 Okay, bye. - Bye. Bye for now. 406 00:42:20,660 --> 00:42:24,020 Yeah, usually it's much more difficult 407 00:42:24,100 --> 00:42:27,380 to work with people than with animals. 408 00:42:29,210 --> 00:42:31,460 People do not want to live 409 00:42:31,530 --> 00:42:34,250 with wild large carnivores, 410 00:42:34,570 --> 00:42:37,420 so it is a lot of discussion. 411 00:42:54,740 --> 00:42:57,420 In the past, shepherds all time in spring 412 00:42:57,490 --> 00:43:01,020 when they go up in the mountain, they had 1000 sheep. 413 00:43:01,700 --> 00:43:04,570 We go up in the mountains with them but for sure 414 00:43:04,660 --> 00:43:08,300 at least 50 are for bears and wolfs. 415 00:43:08,380 --> 00:43:10,780 Now nobody is talking like this, 416 00:43:10,850 --> 00:43:14,610 so they do not accept to have some losses you know? 417 00:43:15,060 --> 00:43:18,810 They do not really want to pay a tribute to nature. 418 00:43:33,250 --> 00:43:37,340 Bogdan has a simple but effective way of protecting livestock. 419 00:43:38,660 --> 00:43:41,850 So ... it is a thin line 420 00:43:42,570 --> 00:43:45,340 between people and wildlife. 421 00:43:45,420 --> 00:43:46,980 So, it is ... 422 00:43:47,060 --> 00:43:50,250 Somehow it is impossible to don't have conflicts. 423 00:43:50,340 --> 00:43:53,460 But actually we do not know any case 424 00:43:53,530 --> 00:43:57,490 when a bear goes inside an electric fence. 425 00:44:01,340 --> 00:44:05,170 An almost invisible strip of wire solves the problem. 426 00:44:06,380 --> 00:44:09,210 To stop bears looking for food where humans live, 427 00:44:09,530 --> 00:44:11,850 the food must be put out of their reach. 428 00:44:15,020 --> 00:44:17,060 Once sheep and cows are safe, 429 00:44:17,130 --> 00:44:20,250 there's only one last object of desire: 430 00:44:22,100 --> 00:44:23,570 garbage. 431 00:44:27,210 --> 00:44:29,100 Now we are trying to ... 432 00:44:29,170 --> 00:44:32,100 ... put another kind of bin, 433 00:44:32,420 --> 00:44:35,060 with some lock thing 434 00:44:35,130 --> 00:44:37,930 inside an electric fence. 435 00:44:39,490 --> 00:44:41,300 It's not so expensive. 436 00:44:41,380 --> 00:44:43,340 It's just an easy way 437 00:44:43,660 --> 00:44:47,740 to prevent problems with bears coming to the garbage. 438 00:44:48,380 --> 00:44:51,020 I am totally sure it will be better. 439 00:44:53,660 --> 00:44:55,460 One final test. 440 00:45:11,340 --> 00:45:13,340 Autumn in the mountains. 441 00:45:13,420 --> 00:45:16,530 Petre is taking his sheep down to the valley. 442 00:45:17,340 --> 00:45:20,340 The pastures stay more succulent here for longer, 443 00:45:20,420 --> 00:45:23,250 and the sheep are protected from winter storms. 444 00:45:27,810 --> 00:45:30,130 Bogdan knows Petre well. 445 00:45:31,570 --> 00:45:33,460 Hi! How's it going Petre? 446 00:45:33,780 --> 00:45:37,300 How was the summer? - He took three sheep. 447 00:45:37,380 --> 00:45:40,060 I found two of them, but not the third. 448 00:45:41,300 --> 00:45:43,780 Fences help against bears. 449 00:45:43,850 --> 00:45:47,660 But in the mountains, the sheep roam free in the daytime. 450 00:45:47,740 --> 00:45:50,300 So Bogdan has another way to help. 451 00:45:51,610 --> 00:45:53,420 Well, as we discussed. 452 00:45:57,610 --> 00:45:59,610 I've brought the Carpathians. 453 00:46:00,810 --> 00:46:02,610 Here's the male. 454 00:46:06,780 --> 00:46:09,610 And the female. They are a couple. 455 00:46:13,210 --> 00:46:17,420 Carpathian sheepdogs. Especially effective against bears. 456 00:46:17,490 --> 00:46:19,610 Bogdan's organisation breeds them 457 00:46:19,930 --> 00:46:22,570 and gives them to the shepherds for free. 458 00:46:25,740 --> 00:46:29,250 Good luck. Let's hope they grow really big and help you. 459 00:46:29,930 --> 00:46:32,380 Thanks. So long. 460 00:46:36,130 --> 00:46:38,810 If you ask me, I would say yes, we need bears. 461 00:46:39,130 --> 00:46:41,460 If you ask a farmer, 462 00:46:41,890 --> 00:46:45,740 maybe he will say no or maybe let's have some, but in the zoo. 463 00:46:46,060 --> 00:46:49,420 But bears are like a logo of our country 464 00:46:49,740 --> 00:46:54,490 and if we have bears, we have all the other species under this. 465 00:46:56,020 --> 00:46:58,610 So yeah, we need bears. 466 00:47:01,420 --> 00:47:05,700 The fate of our orphan cubs has taken an unexpected turn. 467 00:47:05,780 --> 00:47:07,780 One of the three has disappeared, 468 00:47:08,100 --> 00:47:12,300 but thanks to Laura its two siblings are no longer alone. 469 00:47:14,020 --> 00:47:18,420 After we call the authorities they took two days to catch those bears 470 00:47:18,740 --> 00:47:21,740 and the association took them to the sanctuary. 471 00:47:32,170 --> 00:47:34,210 Yes, come on. 472 00:47:34,890 --> 00:47:37,020 Come on, come to me. 473 00:47:42,170 --> 00:47:43,700 Hi there. 474 00:47:48,980 --> 00:47:51,810 I looked for you for seven hours. 475 00:47:58,210 --> 00:48:01,380 What is it? What is it, are you hungry? 476 00:48:12,980 --> 00:48:15,700 They should be out in the freedom, playing 477 00:48:15,780 --> 00:48:17,980 but because their mother was shot ... 478 00:48:19,340 --> 00:48:21,460 ... they are here in this enclosure. 479 00:48:46,490 --> 00:48:50,850 The king of the forest, reduced to a begging vagabond. 480 00:48:51,740 --> 00:48:56,020 Is this the future of Europe's last great predators? 481 00:49:02,660 --> 00:49:05,930 Bears have disappeared from most of the forests. 482 00:49:06,020 --> 00:49:10,570 In some areas they are being re-established. With difficulty. 483 00:49:12,100 --> 00:49:14,780 Not everything is perfect in Romania, 484 00:49:14,850 --> 00:49:18,460 but at least this country still has its bears. 485 00:49:21,130 --> 00:49:24,610 Things aren't easy for the people on the frontlines. 486 00:49:25,060 --> 00:49:27,130 But they have proved by example, 487 00:49:27,210 --> 00:49:29,570 that if the right adjustments are made, 488 00:49:29,660 --> 00:49:33,610 the age-old coexistence of humans and bears 489 00:49:33,700 --> 00:49:36,460 is still possible.