The Frozen Kingdom of the Snow Leopard (2020) Movie Script

Below the airless peaks
of the Chinese mountains
lies a secret valley,
hidden from the outside world.
Home to snow leopards.
A pregnant female settles in.
But a fierce male has already
staked his claim.
She will need strength, and stamina,
to outwit the rivals
in a crowded valley.
But a mothers love is fierce.
Her devotion, strong.
This is a snow leopards story.
Rarely seen,
never before told.
This is the roof of the world.
Chinas Qinghai Tibetan Plateau.
Its a vast expanse,
home to snow leopards.
Its February in Chinas
Qhinghai Mountains.
A herd of Himalayan blue sheep, or bharal,
moves through the rocky landscape,
tracked by a hungry, pregnant female.
The bharal are hungry too,
scratching for frozen grass
beneath the snow.
The sheep seem like easy targets.
But the bleak landscape offers
little cover for an ambush,
and the bharal are nimble.
Even with her snowshoe paws,
hunting is hard work.
Still, she presses on,
searching for her next meal.
Her pregnant belly hangs low.
Soon shell need to find shelter
where she can safely give birth.
But this is unfamiliar territory.
She loses the bharal in a snowstorm.
When it clears, she finds herself
on the edge of a hidden valley.
A gateway to a new world.
Tucked between the peaks
sits a lonely outpost,
with signs of life.
Its a yak farm.
Hunger drives her to investigate.
People here have raised yaks
for generations
and depend on the beasts for everything.
Tibetan Mastiffs guard the livestock.
These dogs arent pets.
And theyve never met a brush.
They live a feral life,
shepherding the yaks.
Guns are prohibited here,
and killing snow leopards is forbidden.
So the dogs trail the yaks through
the steep meadows, crusted with snow.
Bharal graze here, too.
The dogs sniff out a familiar enemy.
A male snow leopard is finishing
his recent kill.
This valley is his.
He rules over this frozen kingdom,
defending it against pirates,
including the dogs.
The valley holds both opportunity
and danger for the female snow leopard.
Shell need to avoid the dogs
and the male leopard if she stays.
By March, shes made her choice.
High in the cliffs above the farm,
she searches for a den to give birth.
For the next hundred days,
shell stay hidden, emerging only to hunt.
By August, the valley has transformed.
The female has rejoined the world.
Shes now a mother,
with two brand-new cubs in tow.
One is already bold, and curious.
The twins will have summer
to grow stronger
and learn about their valley home.
But this is a treacherous place.
For the next eighteen months,
their mother will struggle
to keep them alive.
Half a mile below,
the yaks meander up the river valley.
The herd is mostly females with calves.
The old male has them in his sights.
This is his hunting ground
and hes got the scars to prove it.
Yak handlebar horns can be deadly.
From her lofty post, the mother watches.
The yaks stay close together
but the veteran male is patient,
hes even got time for a nap.
Snow leopards can spend
18 of 24 hours resting.
But the shrill cries of a redstart
interrupt his dreams.
The yaks are still oblivious
to his presence,
so he gets ready to roll.
Its all about stealth.
Hes the master of this game,
and his avian audience applauds.
Within a few days,
the old boy has devoured most of the yak.
He tops off his meal
with pure spring water,
naturally filtered through the rocks.
Hes left the paltry remains up for grabs.
Lammergeier vultures swallow bones whole.
They make up 80% of the birds diet.
The dogs are always hungry, too.
Despite being employed to guard the yaks,
they readily scavenge whatever they can.
High above the valley floor,
the three-month-old cubs are thriving.
Its September and theyre growing fast.
Satisfied that theyre safe,
their mother is free to search for food.
A few hundred feet
below the snow leopard den,
Tibetan foxes have hidden
their twins, too.
They were born at the same time
as the cubs.
All of the youngsters are waiting
for their parents to return.
After sneaking into the valley,
the mother cat has a bead
on a herd of blue sheep.
Shes an ambush predator,
but can sprint at 40 miles per hour.
It was a valiant attempt.
With two cubs depending on her,
she cant quit.
When night falls, she renews her efforts.
The bharal are wary.
Theyre expert mountaineers able to
dart straight up or down cliffs.
Morning reveals
shes had a successful night.
But her job isnt done.
She must move her prize
closer to her cubs.
Its a struggle.
The carcass is awkward and heavy.
Every time she stops to rest,
she attracts attention.
The magpies will alert other carnivores
and stir up the locals.
The noisy crowd attracts
one of the semi-feral dogs.
It heads over to investigate.
Dogs have a legendary sense of smell
but the winds in her favor.
And her ability to remain motionless
foils this one.
The mother will drag carcasses
to where her cubs wait,
when she can.
She introduces them to meat
for the first time.
Soon, theyll no longer be nursing.
The family cant eat in peace.
Its impossible to keep food a secret
from the vultures.
And the dog is back,
with a friend.
Shes not about to turn her precious kill
over to these bandits.
The cubs escape to the cliffs
where the dogs cant follow.
While Mom stays behind
to defend the carcass.
Its two against one,
but shes fighting for her family.
When the dogs give up,
she recalls her cubs.
They will all have full bellies today.
In October, nights are freezing.
But the days are still hot.
Over the course of the summer,
the yaks have moved to higher ground
to escape the heat.
The old male has followed them.
Adult snow leopards need to make a kill
about every ten days.
He becomes part of the landscape,
creeping closer.
The yak smells him,
but even with their excellent vision,
they dont see him.
He sets his sights on a youngster
thats wandered away.
The herd scatters.
The leopard wont let go.
Then, the calfs mother rushes in,
risking her own life
to save her offspring.
The big cat hangs on.
But the mother charges again,
trying to shake the predator loose.
A wingman shows up to boost the defense.
Its a remarkable escape.
And the leopard slinks off, frustrated.
On the valley floor,
Mom returns to a previous kill,
hoping theres something left.
But someone else is at the banquet.
A red fox has beaten her to the food.
Any meat is a magnet here,
but the fox knows when to cut its loss.
Then, a big male yak takes exception,
determined to drive her far from his herd.
Hes not going to make this
an easy meal for her.
Theyre natural enemies,
though teeth and claws typically prevail.
Wherever there are yaks,
the rogue dogs arent far behind.
But shes a formidable opponent,
and her determination
drives the dogs away.
She needs to make the most of this meal,
because life is about to get harder.
By December, the rivers are frozen.
This is the season
when snow leopards mate.
With eight-month-old cubs,
the mother has no interest in breeding
and she must keep them hidden,
far away from the resident male.
He might kill them
in order to force her into estrus.
The mother cat is vigilant,
but she cant guard the cubs
while searching for food.
Tucked away,
their fluffy fur should keep them warm
while they wait.
The cubs now test their boundaries
and the braver of the two
looks for a less windy spot.
Its twin chooses to follow.
But, will curiosity kill the cat?
They should stay where Mom parked them.
When their mother finally returns,
hours later, she calls for them.
There is no soft answer.
The cubs have vanished.
She sets off to find them.
Danger lurks everywhere
in these mountains.
Some distance from where she left them,
one of the cubs has struggled
onto a rocky ledge.
It seems to be injured.
The youngster waits, alone.
Its chance of survival is grim.
On the valley floor,
the worried mother ignores a yak herd
focusing on finding her cubs.
Desperate,
she checks every bleak nook and cranny
for places they might hide.
She continues to call out.
But theres no reply.
She searches through the night,
finally retracing her steps
to the last place she saw them.
She refuses to give up.
Then, incredibly...
...a faint cry.
And this mothers devotion is rewarded.
The reunion is bittersweet.
She doesnt look for the other cub.
She knows.
Its just the two of them now.
In February, a new threat arrives.
More snow leopards enter the valley
in search of territory and mates.
Its bad news for the mother.
Snow leopards are solitary animals,
and they need large spaces
with abundant prey.
Today, these habitats are shrinking.
More cats are forced to travel farther,
and this valley is about to get cramped.
But the urge to mate overcomes caution.
Caterwauls echo through the valley.
The mother needs to keep her cub far away
from the hopeful suitors
as they might kill it.
But the newcomers seem to be everywhere.
One pretender marks the ground
with potent urine.
And then, incredibly,
another joins him,
followed by two more.
Four invaders gather on the mountainside.
It may be the first time so many adult
snow leopards have been seen together.
The cats are so mysterious
that little is known
about their social behavior,
but alpha males will send others packing.
Toward the end of the mating season,
in March, only one upstart male remains.
Until now,
hes avoided a confrontation
with the resident king.
But, the old boy misses nothing.
One unblinking glare sends the trespasser
fleeing for safer ground.
The younger male will have to
seek out space somewhere else.
Safe in the hidden valley,
the mother has so far escaped
all would-be paramours.
Shes got another nine months
before shell be back in the mating game.
She must still protect her cub
and hunt for the two of them.
After winters tough lesson,
the youngster knows to stay put
until she returns.
Vultures circle over the remains
of a week-old kill.
Dead meat is an easy meal.
But nothing here is free.
As always,
the dogs think the carcass
belongs to them.
She hangs onto it for as long as she can.
This time there are too many of them.
She cant win against these odds.
By September,
the female and her cub
are hunting together.
The cub is now 15 months old
and must learn to
hunt over the coming year.
One possibility is a musk deer,
less intimidating than a yak.
Theyre prized by humans
for their scent glands,
and by snow leopards for their meat.
Carefully marking his path,
the old male has been stalking one
for hours.
His wide, furry feet
allow him to creep silently
toward his target.
Another deer sounds the alarm.
Thwarted, he surveys his kingdom,
and spies the mother and cub.
Shes managed to avoid him,
until now.
He boldly heads their way.
After all,
this is his place.
The pair are at a disadvantage,
caught in a slight depression
on the hillside.
The old male fearlessly approaches them.
Shes ready to engage
and defend her cub,
but hes got the advantage.
Using his head,
he scent marks.
A direct challenge.
He sets his sights on the cub,
but the young cat holds its ground.
Surprisingly,
the old male ceases his attack.
No blood is shed today,
but this is only a temporary truce.
When they meet in the future,
it could go either way.
Snow leopards can live up to
15 years in the wild
and the old male isnt ready to
relinquish his territory yet.
The mother wisely leads her cub away.
Theyve escaped the biggest danger
in the valley.
For now.
Shes proved to be a devoted mother,
and has raised a healthy, spirited cub.
In a few months
theyll part ways forever,
and he will forge his own path
through the frozen kingdom,
here, on the roof of the world.