Protective Brown Bear Mom Defends Cubs Against Predatory Rival Male Love Nature
Transcript
00:00 Deep in the forest, a giant is roaming the rocky slopes.
00:03 A female brown bear, and she's not alone.
00:10 Her two young cubs stick close to her side.
00:18 Just four months old, they're totally
00:27 dependent on their mother.
00:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32 The cubs will suckle from her until they're
00:35 at least a year and a half old.
00:37 To provide enough milk, she needs
00:44 to eat an incredible 20,000 calories a day.
00:57 As an omnivore, plants account for up to 85% of her diet.
01:03 She gets her protein from carrion and insects.
01:08 She'll even hunt if she needs to.
01:10 For now, there are plenty of beetle grubs
01:18 to be found in the trunk of a dead tree.
01:20 The cubs will stay with their mother
01:25 until they're over 18 months old,
01:28 learning the ways of the forest.
01:29 For this bear family, the race is on to fatten up.
01:39 When winter arrives, their metabolism will slow down,
01:42 and they'll spend most of their time in a deep slumber.
01:47 So the more they can eat now, the better
01:49 their chances of survival.
01:51 The Carpathian Mountains cut through seven countries
01:55 in Europe, stretching east to west across 930
02:00 miles of rugged terrain.
02:01 They're home to some of Europe's last remaining pristine
02:08 forests, a wild refuge on a crowded continent.
02:16 For many species in the Carpathians,
02:19 summer is the time when love comes calling.
02:21 But the mating season isn't always quite so romantic.
02:31 Instead, it can spell danger.
02:41 On the forest edge, a mother bear
02:43 is out foraging with her cubs.
02:45 It's July, and over the summer, their milk intake
02:52 has increased fourfold.
02:53 It's now at its peak.
02:57 On top of that, they're adding solid food.
02:59 This rotten tree trunk is a perfect place
03:04 for a bear to lay their eggs.
03:06 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:09 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:11 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:14 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:16 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:19 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:21 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:24 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:26 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:28 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:31 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:33 And this is where they're going to lay their eggs.
03:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:38 The cubs watch their mother closely.
03:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:43 They have their first set of chewing teeth
03:49 and are busy learning the tricks of the trade.
03:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:54 Practice makes perfect.
03:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:00 [BIRDS CHIRPING]
04:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:06 With dusk approaching, a noise suddenly catches her attention.
04:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:21 She scans the forest with her excellent eyesight
04:28 and spots a marauder.
04:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:32 A male bear in his prime has picked up her scent.
04:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:39 He weighs in at almost twice her size.
04:47 And he could be big trouble for her youngsters.
04:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:52 [BIRDS CHIRPING]
04:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:58 If a male bear finds a mother with young cubs,
05:10 he may try to kill them, as this will trigger the female
05:14 to come back into oestrus, ready to mate.
05:19 Only 50% of cubs make it to their first birthday,
05:23 in part because of encounters like this.
05:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:29 Bear mothers are fiercely protective when facing a male.
05:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:38 She stands her ground.
05:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:47 [BIRDS CHIRPING]
05:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:53 It works.
05:56 He decides the risk of a confrontation isn't worth it.
05:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:02 Tonight, the cubs are safe.
06:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:12 As the days start to grow shorter,
06:23 the bears spend longer foraging, around 16 hours a day.
06:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:30 The mother is searching for a special treat.
06:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:38 She's heard the buzzing of bees.
06:41 And where there are bees, there's honey.
06:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:46 But it's not just the honey they're after.
06:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:54 She'll also eat the bees and the larvae inside the nest,
07:00 which provide valuable protein.
07:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:05 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:08 Over the coming months, food for the bears
07:10 will become increasingly scarce.
07:14 So they make the most of this meal.
07:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:18 Their thick fur and rough tongues
07:23 protect them from the worst of the stings.
07:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:28 And the reward is worth a little pain.
07:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]
07:37 In the Carpathians, winter temperatures
07:44 can plummet to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
07:47 When the bears begin their winter slumber,
07:52 they won't hunt or eat for months.
07:56 And they could die from starvation
07:58 if they don't store enough body fat beforehand.
08:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:03 The bear cubs, now six months old,
08:08 will continue to suckle from their mother
08:10 over the next year.
08:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:14 As their diet expands, she'll provide them
08:17 with less and less milk.
08:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:21 But the continued nursing will reinforce
08:23 their strong family bond.
08:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:31 Staying close to their mother is their best chance
08:33 of protection until they're big enough
08:35 to survive on their own.
08:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:39 When she's ready to mate again, she'll
08:44 simply walk away and leave them to fend for themselves.
08:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
08:50 For now, thanks to her devotion and care,
08:54 the cubs have built up enough fat reserves
08:56 to survive the freezing temperatures ahead.
08:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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