Animal Planet Wild Russia (2009) s01e01 Episode Script
Kamchatka
Narrator: IN RUSSIA'S FAR EAST IS A REMOTE LAND -- A PLACE WHERE HEAVEN AND HELL COLLIDE.
THIS IS KAMCHATKA.
FOR NEARLY A CENTURY, THE SOVIETS KEPT THIS REMOTE PENINSULA UNDER LOCK AND KEY.
VEILED IN SECRECY, IT REMAINED LARGELY UNTOUCHED BY CIVILIZATION.
NOW THE SHROUD IS LIFTED.
BE AMONG THE FIRST TO JOURNEY INTO THIS LAND OF FIRE AND ICE, WHERE VOLCANOES TRANSFORM THE LANDSCAPE AND GLACIERS GLARE.
FOLLOW THE TRIALS OF KAMCHATKA'S CREATURES IN A LAND FORGED FROM FIRE.
[ ANIMAL ROARS .]
RUSSIA, THE LARGEST COUNTRY ON EARTH, MORE THAN TWICE THE SIZE OF THE UNITED STATES.
EPIC IN SCOPE AND DAZZLING IN ITS EXTREMES, EACH REGION IS A WORLD OF ITS OWN.
WITH MORE THAN 300 VOLCANOES, KAMCHATKA IS ONE OF THE MOST VOLCANICALLY ACTIVE AREAS ON EARTH.
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS HAVE BEEN SHAPING AND RESHAPING THIS LAND SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL.
LOCATED AT THE FAR EAST OF THE ASIAN CONTINENT, RUSSIA'S 6 1/2 MILLION SQUARE MILES OF TERRITORY ENDS IN A PENINSULA CALLED KAMCHATKA.
AT 750 MILES LONG, IT'S THE SIZE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND YET A MERE 400,000 PEOPLE LIVE HERE.
FOR DECADES, THE ENTIRE AREA WAS LOCKED BEHIND THE SOVIET IRON CURTAIN.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING .]
SHIELDED FROM HUMAN CONTACT, THE ANIMALS OF KAMCHATKA FLOURISHED IN THIS UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS.
NOW "WILD RUSSIA"'S FILM CREW HAS GAINED UNPARALLELED ACCESS INTO THE AREA'S WILDEST AND MOST INHOSPITABLE REGIONS.
THIS UNIQUE FOOTAGE REVEALS A MERCILESS WORLD AS IT'S RARELY BEEN SEEN BEFORE.
FOR MORE THAN HALF THE YEAR, WINTER GRIPS VOLCANOES AND SEAS ALIKE.
SNOW FORMS LAYERS NINE FEET DEEP.
UP TO 700 STELLER'S SEA EAGLES TAKE REFUGE AT KAMCHATKA'S LAKE KURIL.
MORE POWERFUL THAN EVEN THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE, THESE EAGLES CAN WEIGH UP TO 20 POUNDS.
[ BIRDS SQUAWKING .]
THIS CRATER LAKE IS THE LARGEST SPAWNING GROUND FOR SOCKEYE SALMON IN THE WORLD.
THEY'RE SKILLED AT FISHING, BUT THEY'D RATHER FIGHT THAN FISH.
OF ALL THE BIRDS HERE, ONLY THE STELLER'S SEA EAGLE HAS THE RIGHT GEAR TO CARVE INTO A SOCKEYE SALMON'S THICK, LEATHERY SKIN.
SHIELDING THE MEAL FROM A MOB OF BULLIES CAN BE A SHORT-LIVED EXERCISE, AND THIS MAY BE THE FIRST TIME THEIR BRAWLS HAVE EVER BEEN CAUGHT ON FILM.
STELLER EAGLES HAVE MORE THAN EACH OTHER TO CONTEND WITH.
GOLDEN EAGLES ARE NEVER FAR BEHIND, AND THEY'RE CHAMPION FIGHTERS.
THEIR CURVED, RAZOR-SHARP BEAKS COULD EASILY INFLICT FATAL INJURIES.
THIS EAGLE STANDS VICTORIOUS.
AROUND 8 MILLION SALMON COME EACH YEAR TO LAKE KURIL TO SPAWN.
LIKE THE SALMON THAT SWIM UP ALASKA'S RIVERS, SALMON ALSO SWIM FROM THE PACIFIC TO KAMCHATKA.
THE SALMON'S EPIC JOURNEY IS CRITICAL TO KAMCHATKA'S WILDLIFE.
BUT THE NUMBER OF SALMON THAT RUN UP THESE RIVERS IS DECREASING.
POACHERS HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN 100,000 TONS OF SALMON FROM THESE WATERS EVERY YEAR.
AS A RESULT, THERE ARE LESS SALMON IN KAMCHATKA'S RIVERS, AND THEY'RE RUNNING LATER.
WINTER TURNS TO SPRING.
AS THE ICY GRIP EASES, THE WORLD'S LARGEST BEARS EMERGE FROM THEIR DENS.
KAMCHATKA'S BROWN BEARS OUTSIZE EVEN THE NORTH AMERICAN GRIZZLIES.
MALES CAN REACH 8 FEET TALL AND WEIGH CLOSE TO A TON.
TODAY, THERE ARE SOME 14,000 BEARS HERE -- THE LARGEST SINGLE POPULATION ON EARTH.
AFTER ALMOST SIX MONTHS OF HIBERNATION, THIS BEAR'S INTENT ON CLEANING HIS COAT.
A GOOD ROLL IN THE SNOW REMOVES BUILT-UP GRIME.
NOW HE HAS ONLY ONE THING ON HIS MIND -- FOOD.
BEARS CAN LOSE UP TO 350 POUNDS WHILE HIBERNATING.
EVERY BEAR'S EXIT FROM THEIR WINTER DEN MARKS THE START OF A RACE AGAINST TIME.
THEY ONLY HAVE THE BRIEF SPRING AND SUMMER SEASONS TO PACK ON THE POUNDS OR FACE CERTAIN DEATH COME WINTER.
UNTIL THE SALMON RUN STARTS IN EARLY JUNE, THE BEARS EAT LIGHT.
THEY HAVE A NOSE FOR SUCCULENT ROOTS, GRASS, BERRIES, AND BUGS.
THE SMARTEST BEARS MAKE THE LONG TREK OVER THE MOUNTAIN RANGES TO KAMCHATKA'S VERY OWN GARDEN OF EDEN -- THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS.
THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT ON EARTH.
THIS ENTIRE VALLEY IS A HOTBED OF GEYSERS AND STEAMING VENTS.
GEYSERS OCCUR IN JUST A FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD.
KAMCHATKA'S ARE SECOND ONLY TO THE ONES IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
BUT, UNLIKE YELLOWSTONE, THE ONLY WAYS TO REACH THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS ARE BY HELICOPTER OR A THREE-DAY TREK ACROSS THE WILDERNESS.
DEEP BELOW THE SURFACE, FLOWING LAVA HEATS WATER TO TEMPERATURES OF MORE THAN 200 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT UNTIL INCREASING PRESSURE FORCES IT THROUGH THE EARTH'S CRUST.
IN THIS VALLEY, SPRING COMES EARLY AS THE GEYSERS HEAT THE SURROUNDING AIR.
THE WARM, MOIST CONDITIONS PROVIDE HUNGRY BEARS WITH PLENTY OF GREENS.
AFTER A LONG HIBERNATION, THE BEARS ENJOY ALL THE AMENITIES THE VALLEY HAS TO OFFER.
THEY WADE INTO THE FAST-FLOWING, WARM WATERS.
THE BEAR'S DENSE FUR TRAPS AN INSULATING LAYER OF AIR.
BUT THEIR THICK COAT ALSO MAKES A PERFECT HOME FOR PARASITES.
A GOOD BACK SCRATCH BRINGS SOME RELIEF.
THE SULFUROUS WATER OF HOT SPRINGS IS HEALING AND ALSO DRIVES OFF FLEAS AND TICKS.
POOLS CAN REACH TEMPERATURES OF UP TO 140 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
FOR THIS BEAR, A TRIP TO NATURE'S SPA MUST BE BLISS AFTER SIX MONTHS OF HIBERNATION.
THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS IS A PLACE OF PERFECT CALM AND RELAXATION FOR BROWN BEARS.
[ SNIFFING .]
BUT IT'S NOT ONLY BEARS WHO HAVE FLOURISHED HERE.
THE VALLEY'S NUMEROUS HOT SPRINGS GIVE WHITE WAGTAILS A LEG UP ON FAMILY LIFE.
IN AN ADAPTATION UNIQUE TO KAMCHATKA, THE WAGTAILS MAKE USE OF THE VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE TO KEEP THEIR EGGS WARM.
THEY BUILD NESTS DIRECTLY OVER THE STEAMING WATERWAYS SO THEY'RE FREE TO LEAVE THEIR EGGS AND HUNT FOR FOOD.
THIS ALLOWS WAGTAILS TO BREED EARLIER IN THE SEASON.
BETTER YET, THE WARM WATERS ATTRACT A BANQUET OF BUGS TO FEED HUNGRY MOUTHS.
STILL, THIS PARADISE IS NOT FREE FROM KAMCHATKA'S AGE-OLD FORCES OF DESTRUCTION.
WHAT IS HEAVEN ONE DAY MAY BE HELL THE NEXT.
Narrator: ON RUSSIA'S EASTERNMOST EDGE LIES THE SPECTACULAR KAMCHATKA PENINSULA.
THIS IS HOME TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST NATURAL WONDERS -- THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS.
BUT THIS GARDEN OF EDEN CAN'T BE PROTECTED FROM THE VIOLENT FORCES THAT CONTINUALLY RESHAPE THE LAND HERE.
KAMCHATKA IS PART OF THE PACIFIC RING OF FIRE -- A RING OF VOLCANOES THAT ENCIRCLES THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
THE PACIFIC RING IS HOME TO 90% OF THE PLANET'S ACTIVE VOLCANOES AND 81% OF ITS LARGEST EARTHQUAKES.
THE EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES IN THE AREA ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF THE MOVEMENTS OF THE TECTONIC PLATE BENEATH THE PENINSULA.
AND IN JUNE OF 2007, THESE VIOLENT FORCES TRANSFORMED KAMCHATKA'S JEWEL, THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS, INTO DUST.
IN MOMENTS, 160 MILLION CUBIC FEET OF ICY RUBBLE TUMBLED DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.
[ RUMBLING .]
THIS EXTRAORDINARY NATURAL DISASTER TOOK PLACE DURING THE FILMING OF "WILD RUSSIA.
" THIS IS THE ONLY FOOTAGE OF THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE AREA BECAME A BURIAL GROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF HAPLESS CREATURES.
TWO THIRDS OF THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS DISAPPEARED FOREVER.
THIS LONE BEAR IS A REFUGEE FROM PARADISE, BUT NOW HIS OWN WEIGHT THREATENS TO TRAP HIM IN THE RUBBLE.
[ GRUNTING .]
SLOWLY INCHING FORWARD, HE FINDS HIMSELF CAST OUT INTO THE COLD.
DEPRIVED OF THE HOT SPRINGS AND LUSH GREENERY, SURVIVORS MUST ADAPT TO A DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT REALITY.
THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS HAS BEEN ALTERED FOREVER, BUT MORE CHANGES WILL SURELY COME.
THE BEARS' GREATEST LOSS IS THE VALLEY'S PLENTIFUL VEGETATION -- AN IDEAL FOOD SOURCE IN EARLY SPRING.
FORTUNATELY, THE SALMON WILL SOON BE RUNNING.
THEIR JOURNEY FROM THE PACIFIC, UP KAMCHATKA'S HUNDREDS OF RIVERS AND STREAMS, WILL TAKE THEM INTO BEAR TERRITORY.
KAMCHATKA IS THE BIRTHING GROUND FOR ONE QUARTER OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF PACIFIC WILD SALMON.
EACH SUMMER, THE BEARS LIE IN WAIT FOR THE MOMENT WHEN THE SALMON REACH THE SHALLOW RIVERS.
IN YEARS PAST, KAMCHATKA'S RIVERS TEEMED WITH SALMON BY JULY, BUT SOME HONE THEIR FISHING SKILLS WITH THE EARLY ARRIVALS.
IT'S BEAR VERSUS SALMON CLOSE TO ONE TON OF BEAR AGAINST A FEW POUNDS OF FISH.
[ BIRDS CAWING .]
HE'S FAST ENOUGH TO OUTRUN A HORSE, BUT THE SALMON TWISTS AND TURNS THROUGH THE SHALLOW WATERS.
HIS MASSIVE PAWS WIELD FOUR-INCH-LONG CLAWS, BUT THE SALMON'S A SLIPPERY CATCH.
WHEN AND IF THESE WATERS FILL WITH THOUSANDS OF SALMON STRUGGLING UPSTREAM, A BEAR MIGHT CATCH AND EAT A SALMON EVERY 20 MINUTES OR ABOUT 90 POUNDS OF FISH IN A SINGLE DAY.
BUT THESE FISH ARE MERELY AN APPETIZER.
A HUNGRY BEAR FAMILY ANXIOUSLY WAITS FOR THE REST OF THE FISH RUN TO ARRIVE.
KAMCHATKA BEARS GET MOST OF THEIR CALORIES DURING THE ANNUAL SALMON SPAWN -- 10 TIMES MORE THAN FROM EATING BERRIES.
BUT THE PICKINGS ARE TOO SLIM FOR THIS MOTHER.
AND ONLY SALMON, RICH IN FAT AND PROTEIN, WILL ALLOW THE BROWN BEAR TO GAIN THE WEIGHT NEEDED IN A SHORT TIME.
[ GRUNTING .]
THE BEAR'S FATE IS INTERTWINED WITH THAT OF THE SALMON.
A FEMALE BEAR'S REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF CALORIES SHE EATS.
IF THE MOTHER ISN'T WELL NOURISHED, HER PREGNANCY WILL END BEFORE THE CUBS ARE BORN.
[ BEARS GRUNTING .]
BUT BROWN BEARS AREN'T THE ONLY CREATURES HERE THAT RELY HEAVILY ON THE CLOCKWORK TIMING OF THE ANNUAL SALMON RUN.
30 MILES FROM LAKE KURIL, STELLER'S SEA EAGLES HAVE BUILT A NEST.
ONLY A VERY LARGE NEST CAN SUPPORT THESE MASSIVE BIRDS, AND THEIRS IS ABOUT SEVEN FEET WIDE AND WEIGHS HUNDREDS OF POUNDS.
ONLY 5,000 OF THESE EAGLES ARE LEFT ON EARTH, AND KAMCHATKA IS HOME TO ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF THEM.
COME JUNE, EACH NEST BECOMES AN OVERSIZED CRIB FOR A FEW EAGLE CHICKS.
[ BIRDS SQUAWKING .]
THE PARENTS OFFER ROOM SERVICE 'ROUND THE CLOCK.
WITHOUT SALMON, THESE EXTRAORDINARY EAGLES WOULD VANISH FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH.
ON THE ROCKY CLIFFS ABOVE THE SHORE, SOME BEARS HAVE LOST PATIENCE.
INSTEAD, THEY SEEK NECTAR-RICH FLOWERS -- A FAVORABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR ANY BEAR UNTIL THE SALMON RUN BEGINS.
THEY MUST EAT THOUSANDS TO GET THE EQUIVALENT CALORIES OF A BIG SALMON.
FOR THE MOMENT, KAMCHATKA IS AGAIN A GARDEN OF EDEN, WITH PLENTY OF FOOD FOR ALL.
BUT IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN A FEW FLOWERS AND SALMON TO CARRY THESE BEARS THROUGH SIX MONTHS OF HIBERNATION.
IF THE SALMON RUN DOESN'T START SOON, EVERY BEAR IN KAMCHATKA IS AT RISK.
Narrator: KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA.
SHUT BEHIND THE SOVIET IRON CURTAIN FOR DECADES AND NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH, THE WILDLIFE HERE REMAINS UNTOUCHED BY THE 21st CENTURY.
THE ANIMALS ARE OBLIVIOUS TO HUMANS, GIVING OUR CAMERA CREW UNIQUE ACCESS TO THIS PTARMIGAN.
[ WARBLING .]
THE HEN IS CLEARLY MORE INTERESTED IN FOOD THAN COURTSHIP.
BUT FOR MALES, THIS IS A LIFE-OR-DEATH MATTER.
THERE'S A STEEP COMPETITION FOR MATES, AND MALES WILL SOMETIMES FIGHT THEIR ROMANTIC RIVALS TO THE DEATH.
WHILE FEATHERS FLY, THE INDIFFERENT FEMALE TAKES A DUST BATH.
STILL, THE WINNER GAINS HER ATTENTIONS, AND SHE'LL SOON BE GUARDING A NESTFUL OF EGGS.
EVEN BEFORE THE MALE FINISHES HIS VICTORY DANCE, SHE'S OUT SEARCHING FOR FOOD AGAIN.
AWAY FROM THE COAST, A RED FOX DRENCHED BY HEAVY RAIN IS IN SEARCH OF SUSTENANCE.
IN THE THICK GRASS, THIS FEMALE FOX IS ALSO UNDER PRESSURE TO FIND FOOD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
HER UNDERGROUND DEN CONCEALS FIVE 3-WEEK-OLD KITS.
THEY'LL SPEND THEIR FIRST FIVE WEEKS HERE BEFORE FACING THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
[ KITS WHIMPERING .]
THE KITS WILL ONLY STAY WITH THEIR MOTHER UNTIL AUTUMN, BUT THEY'LL EASILY SURVIVE THE WINTER.
A DENSE COAT OF WINTER FUR WILL KEEP THEM COZY UNTIL SPRING.
BEYOND THE FOXES' DEN, THE BEARS ARE INCREASINGLY DESPERATE.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING TOWARDS WINTER'S ARRIVAL, AND THERE'S STILL NO SALMON.
AS THE WATERS RISE, THE HOPEFUL BEARS GATHER AT THE RIVER'S EDGE.
[ GRUNTING .]
EVERY MISSED MEAL IS ONE LESS DAY TO FATTEN UP FOR WINTER.
AND THEN A TRICKLE OF SALMON SWIM INTO BEAR TERRITORY.
RELENTLESS IN THEIR DETERMINATION, THESE SALMON ARE TRAVELING TO THEIR PLACE OF BIRTH AFTER THREE OR FOUR YEARS FACING THE PREDATORS OF THE PACIFIC.
BUT THEY'LL HAVE TO SWIM PAST THE GAUNTLET OF HUNGRY BEARS FIRST.
THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO WASTE ENERGY CHASING A SINGLE FISH ANYMORE.
THE FIRST FEW LUCKY SALMON SWIM ON PAST.
NOW IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.
IN THE HILLS ABOVE THE SEA, THE LAST BRIEF FLOWERING IS UNDER WAY.
6,000 FEET UP, BIGHORN SNOW SHEEP EXPERIENCE LIFE ON THE EDGE.
KAMCHATKA IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES ON EARTH WHERE THESE SNOW SHEEP LIVE.
THESE AGILE CLIMBERS ARE RIGHT AT HOME ON THE STEEP CLIFFS AND HILLS OF THE COASTLINE.
THE YOUNG ONES ARE BORN CLIMBERS.
AT THIS HEIGHT, THE SHEEP LIVE BEYOND THE REACH OF MOST PREDATORS.
BUT THEY KEEP ALERT, FEARING AN AERIAL ASSAULT FROM A STELLER'S SEA EAGLE.
THE BIGHORN SNOW SHEEP ARE IN LUCK.
THIS EAGLE'S ONLY HUNTING FOR NESTING MATERIAL.
[ EAGLE SQUAWKING .]
NESTS ARE FREQUENTLY BUILT NEAR THE SALMON'S SPAWNING WATERS FOR A READY SUPPLY OF FOOD.
IT'S A SMART MOVE.
THESE BIRDS ARE SO HEAVY, THEY CAN BURN AN ENTIRE DAY'S INTAKE OF CALORIES FLYING FOR JUST 45 MINUTES.
FAR BELOW, AT THE FOX DEN, THE KITS TAKE THEIR FIRST STEPS OUTSIDE.
[ KITS WHIMPERING .]
ALREADY, THEY BEG THEIR MOTHER FOR SOLID FOOD, BUT THERE'S STILL ONLY MILK ON OFFER.
SOON, THESE KITS WILL BE FENDING FOR THEMSELVES.
WITH WINTER APPROACHING, THERE'S FEW SALMON TO BE HAD.
TEMPERS ARE ABOUT TO FLARE, AND THE BRAWL CAN BE DEADLY.
Narrator: THERE IS NO WILDERNESS ON EARTH LIKE KAMCHATKA, AND FEW HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SEEING THIS REMOTE LAND OF FIERY VOLCANOES FIRSTHAND.
IT'S MIDSUMMER, AND IF THE SALMON DON'T SHOW SOON, TEMPERS WILL FLARE WITH DEADLY RESULTS.
[ BEARS GRUNTING .]
A FEW SALMON HAVE TRICKLED THROUGH, BUT THESE BEARS NEED TO FEAST IF THEY'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THE WINTER ALIVE.
BUT TODAY'S THE DAY.
THEY MAY BE LATE, BUT AT LONG LAST, THE SALMON RUN HAS ARRIVED.
AT ITS HEIGHT, BEARS WILL CATCH AND EAT THREE OR MORE 6-POUND SALMON AN HOUR, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, UNTIL THEY DISAPPEAR INTO THEIR DENS FOR A SIX-MONTH HIBERNATION.
IF THIS YEAR'S ANY INDICATION, ILLEGAL FISHING OF SALMON WILL SOON HIT THE BROWN-BEAR POPULATION, AND HARD.
POACHERS MAY WELL DO MORE DAMAGE TO THE WILDLIFE HERE THAN ANY VOLCANIC ERUPTION OR LANDSLIDE.
MEANWHILE, THOSE SALMON LUCKY ENOUGH TO ESCAPE POACHERS, BIRDS, AND BEARS HAVE REACHED THEIR FINAL DESTINATION -- THEIR BIRTHPLACE.
THEY'RE FINALLY READY TO SPAWN LAYING UP TO 2,000 EGGS AT ONCE.
ONCE THE EGGS ARE LAID AND FERTILIZED, THE MALES AND FEMALES, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, DIE OF EXHAUSTION.
SOON, THE NEXT GENERATION WILL EMERGE FROM THIS BURIAL GROUND, AND ONE DAY, THEY, TOO, WILL RETURN, MAKING THE VERY SAME JOURNEY FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE WATERS OF THEIR BIRTH.
KAMCHATKA'S BRIEF SUMMER GIVES WAY TO AN EVEN BRIEFER AUTUMN.
WHILE THE GROUND BUBBLES AND STEAMS, THE PENINSULA MOVES THROUGH A PALETTE OF GOLDEN COLORS.
ACROSS THE ROLLING LANDSCAPE, THE TEMPERATURE FALLS, PLUMMETING TO EXTREMES OF MINUS-80 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THE MERCILESS WINTER ROLLS IN.
BEARS HEAD INTO THEIR SNUG DENS WHILE SNOW BLANKETS KAMCHATKA FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
REINDEER HAVE SPENT THE PREVIOUS WARMER MONTHS GRAZING ON THE OPEN TUNDRA.
NOW THEY SEEK OUT THE LAST OF THE AUTUMN BERRIES BENEATH THE SNOW.
WHEN TEMPERATURES FALL, THEY'LL HEAD TO THE BASE OF THE VOLCANOES, WHERE NUTRIENTS IN VOLCANIC ASH INCREASE PLANT GROWTH.
AS THE SNOW PILES UP, THOSE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FACE THE WINTER HEAD-ON MAY NOT LIVE TO TELL THE TALE.
Narrator: IT TAKES COURAGE TO TRAVEL TO KAMCHATKA, IN RUSSIA'S FAR EAST, IN THE RUTHLESS WINTER.
WIND FUSES THE SNOW INTO A THICK, ICY CRUST, CREATING ONE OF THE MOST BARREN PLACES ON EARTH.
AT THE COAST, EVEN THE SEAS SLOWLY TURN SOLID.
ALONG ITS EDGES, A MALE FOX HUNTS BY HIMSELF.
BUT HE'S NOT ALONE IN THE BIG FREEZE.
THE WOLVERINE, ELUSIVE AND SHROUDED IN SUPERSTITION AND FEAR, IS PERFECTLY SUITED TO KAMCHATKA'S MYSTICAL WINTER LANDSCAPE.
HIS FEET ARE SO BROAD, THEY WORK LIKE SNOWSHOES, ALLOWING HIM TO SKIM ACROSS THE DEEP SNOW, TARGETING LARGER, SLOWER ANIMALS.
[ BIRD CAWING .]
THE WOLVERINE'S POWERFUL JAWS AND SHARP TEETH CAN CHEW THROUGH FROZEN MEAT AND BONE.
BUT WOLVERINES ARE ALSO OPPORTUNISTIC SCAVENGERS, EATING ANYTHING THEY CAN GET.
ONLY AFTER THEY'VE HAD THEIR FILL DOES THIS FOX DARE TO MOVE IN.
THEY DON'T LEAVE MUCH, BUT THE FOX TAKES WHAT HE CAN GET.
FOR THE RED FOX, WINTER IS A TIME TO FIND A MATE.
MALES MAY SEEK OUT SEVERAL FEMALES.
[ WHIMPERING .]
THESE TWO HAVE BONDED, AND THEY'LL STAY TOGETHER THROUGH THE SPRING.
IF THEY'RE LUCKY, THEY'LL SOON HAVE CUBS TO SUPPORT.
AT SUNRISE, THE MALE PROWLS FOR FOOD.
[ BIRD CAWING .]
THE FOX STALKS CAUTIOUSLY AS HE FOLLOWS A BIRD'S SOUND.
IT'S A PTARMIGAN, AND HE HAS NO INTENTIONS OF FEEDING THE FOX COUPLE.
HE MAY SEEM VULNERABLE, BUT HE'S WELL EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH KAMCHATKA'S DEEP SNOW.
HIS FEET ARE COVERED WITH HAIRLIKE FEATHERS, ALLOWING HIM TO WALK ON TOP OF THE SNOW.
THE FOX WON'T GIVE UP EASILY.
HE'S HUNTING FOR TWO.
A SECOND PTARMIGAN TEMPTS THE FOX, BUT IT'S JUST BEYOND HIS REACH.
THE FOX HAS BEEN OUTFOXED BY A BIRD.
DISCOURAGED BUT STILL HUNGRY, HE CONTINUES TO PROWL.
BUT AT THE SIGHT OF HIS MATE, HE HEADS BACK TO HIS DEN FOR THE EVENING.
IN NORTH AMERICA, FOXES RETURN TO THE SAME SITE FOR GENERATIONS.
BUT HERE, THEY DIG TEMPORARY HOMES.
WHEN THE SNOW MELTS, THEY MOVE ON.
THE NEXT DAY, HE'LL HEAD OUT TO HUNT AGAIN.
[ CLICKING .]
THE STRANGE STACCATO CALLS OF A MALE BLACK-BILLED CAPERCAILLIE ECHO THROUGH THE WOODS.
HE STRUTS HIS STUFF TO ATTRACT FEMALES.
BUT HIS NOISY DANCE IS MUSIC TO THE FOX'S EARS.
AS THE FOX TRIES TO PINPOINT THE CAPERCAILLIE'S LOCATION HE GOES QUIET.
THIS FOX COUPLE WILL STICK TOGETHER THROUGH SPRING, WHEN SHE'LL GIVE BIRTH TO THEIR LITTER OF KITS.
BUT SPRING SEEMS UNIMAGINABLE AS WINTER IMMOBILIZES KAMCHATKA.
THIS PRIMORDIAL LAND SEEMS FROZEN IN TIME, WITH ONE EXCEPTION.
EAGLES ARRIVE AT LAKE KURIL.
[ EAGLES CAWING .]
STELLER'S EAGLES ARE NEARLY TWO THIRDS HEAVIER, BUT, AT 10 POUNDS, GOLDEN EAGLES AREN'T EXACTLY LIGHTWEIGHTS.
AND THEIR APPETITES ARE JUST AS BIG.
A LONE GOLDEN EAGLE MAY SPEND HOURS TRYING TO PECK THROUGH THE TOUGH, FROZEN FISH SCALES TO REACH THE HARD-WON FLESH.
FOOD GETS SHREDDED AND SHARED UNTIL THE STELLER'S EAGLES LOSE THEIR CALM AND CRASH THE PARTY.
Narrator: LIKE A DISTANT PLANET, KAMCHATKA SITS ENCASED IN SOLID ICE AND SNOW FOR SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
EVEN THE SEA SUCCUMBS.
AND THIS REMOTE PENINSULA IS HEMMED BY AN IMPENETRABLE MASS OF ICE FLOES.
BUT THE STELLER'S EAGLES PAY NO HEED.
[ BIRDS CALLING .]
WHEN FOOD'S AT STAKE, THEY SEEM WILLING TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH.
IT'S STELLER EAGLE VERSUS GOLDEN EAGLE.
THE STELLER IS THE HEAVYWEIGHT, BUT THE GOLDEN EAGLE'S NO PUSHOVER.
WHILE THE ADULTS BATTLE IT OUT, THE YOUNGSTERS REMAIN ON THE SIDELINES.
THEIR PARENTS, WHO FED THEM DEVOTEDLY JUST WEEKS AGO, NOW SQUABBLE OVER THE PECKING ORDER.
YOUNG UPSTARTS CONSTANTLY CHALLENGE AUTHORITY AND EACH OTHER.
IT'S A SCENE THAT WILL PLAY ITSELF OUT YEAR AFTER YEAR IN THE DEEP FREEZE OF KAMCHATKA'S WINTER.
THIS IS A VIOLENT LAND WHERE BATTLES ARE FOUGHT DAY IN AND OUT, ONE ANIMAL AGAINST THE NEXT AND ALL ANIMALS STRUGGLE AGAINST THE RUTHLESS AND EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE.
THOUGH THE HARSH WINTER WILL EVENTUALLY THAW, MAKING WAY FOR SPRING, THE ICE ONLY MAKES WAY FOR FIRE.
KAMCHATKA HAS NEVER SEEN CALM.
ITS VOLCANOES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, AND WILL ALWAYS BE, THE FIERY FORCE THAT DEFINES THIS LAND.
THEIR DESTRUCTIVE POWER WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE KAMCHATKA, AND ALL OF THE WILDLIFE THAT LIVE HERE, FOREVER.
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THE ANIMALS IN THIS DISTANT AND TUMULTUOUS LAND THRIVED.
THEY'VE BEEN CUT OFF FROM CIVILIZATION BY SHEER GEOGRAPHIC ISOLATION AND BY POLITICS.
NOW THE SHROUD HAS LIFTED FROM KAMCHATKA.
STILL, ONLY A LUCKY FEW WILL TRAVEL TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH TO SEE THIS MYSTERIOUS LAND FIRSTHAND.
BUT THOSE WHO DO WILL JOURNEY INTO A PRIMORDIAL WORLD, ITS WILDERNESS UNTOUCHED BY MAN, FOR THIS IS KAMCHATKA, LAND OF FIRE AND ICE.
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
THIS IS KAMCHATKA.
FOR NEARLY A CENTURY, THE SOVIETS KEPT THIS REMOTE PENINSULA UNDER LOCK AND KEY.
VEILED IN SECRECY, IT REMAINED LARGELY UNTOUCHED BY CIVILIZATION.
NOW THE SHROUD IS LIFTED.
BE AMONG THE FIRST TO JOURNEY INTO THIS LAND OF FIRE AND ICE, WHERE VOLCANOES TRANSFORM THE LANDSCAPE AND GLACIERS GLARE.
FOLLOW THE TRIALS OF KAMCHATKA'S CREATURES IN A LAND FORGED FROM FIRE.
[ ANIMAL ROARS .]
RUSSIA, THE LARGEST COUNTRY ON EARTH, MORE THAN TWICE THE SIZE OF THE UNITED STATES.
EPIC IN SCOPE AND DAZZLING IN ITS EXTREMES, EACH REGION IS A WORLD OF ITS OWN.
WITH MORE THAN 300 VOLCANOES, KAMCHATKA IS ONE OF THE MOST VOLCANICALLY ACTIVE AREAS ON EARTH.
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS HAVE BEEN SHAPING AND RESHAPING THIS LAND SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL.
LOCATED AT THE FAR EAST OF THE ASIAN CONTINENT, RUSSIA'S 6 1/2 MILLION SQUARE MILES OF TERRITORY ENDS IN A PENINSULA CALLED KAMCHATKA.
AT 750 MILES LONG, IT'S THE SIZE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND YET A MERE 400,000 PEOPLE LIVE HERE.
FOR DECADES, THE ENTIRE AREA WAS LOCKED BEHIND THE SOVIET IRON CURTAIN.
[ BIRDS CHIRPING .]
SHIELDED FROM HUMAN CONTACT, THE ANIMALS OF KAMCHATKA FLOURISHED IN THIS UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS.
NOW "WILD RUSSIA"'S FILM CREW HAS GAINED UNPARALLELED ACCESS INTO THE AREA'S WILDEST AND MOST INHOSPITABLE REGIONS.
THIS UNIQUE FOOTAGE REVEALS A MERCILESS WORLD AS IT'S RARELY BEEN SEEN BEFORE.
FOR MORE THAN HALF THE YEAR, WINTER GRIPS VOLCANOES AND SEAS ALIKE.
SNOW FORMS LAYERS NINE FEET DEEP.
UP TO 700 STELLER'S SEA EAGLES TAKE REFUGE AT KAMCHATKA'S LAKE KURIL.
MORE POWERFUL THAN EVEN THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE, THESE EAGLES CAN WEIGH UP TO 20 POUNDS.
[ BIRDS SQUAWKING .]
THIS CRATER LAKE IS THE LARGEST SPAWNING GROUND FOR SOCKEYE SALMON IN THE WORLD.
THEY'RE SKILLED AT FISHING, BUT THEY'D RATHER FIGHT THAN FISH.
OF ALL THE BIRDS HERE, ONLY THE STELLER'S SEA EAGLE HAS THE RIGHT GEAR TO CARVE INTO A SOCKEYE SALMON'S THICK, LEATHERY SKIN.
SHIELDING THE MEAL FROM A MOB OF BULLIES CAN BE A SHORT-LIVED EXERCISE, AND THIS MAY BE THE FIRST TIME THEIR BRAWLS HAVE EVER BEEN CAUGHT ON FILM.
STELLER EAGLES HAVE MORE THAN EACH OTHER TO CONTEND WITH.
GOLDEN EAGLES ARE NEVER FAR BEHIND, AND THEY'RE CHAMPION FIGHTERS.
THEIR CURVED, RAZOR-SHARP BEAKS COULD EASILY INFLICT FATAL INJURIES.
THIS EAGLE STANDS VICTORIOUS.
AROUND 8 MILLION SALMON COME EACH YEAR TO LAKE KURIL TO SPAWN.
LIKE THE SALMON THAT SWIM UP ALASKA'S RIVERS, SALMON ALSO SWIM FROM THE PACIFIC TO KAMCHATKA.
THE SALMON'S EPIC JOURNEY IS CRITICAL TO KAMCHATKA'S WILDLIFE.
BUT THE NUMBER OF SALMON THAT RUN UP THESE RIVERS IS DECREASING.
POACHERS HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN 100,000 TONS OF SALMON FROM THESE WATERS EVERY YEAR.
AS A RESULT, THERE ARE LESS SALMON IN KAMCHATKA'S RIVERS, AND THEY'RE RUNNING LATER.
WINTER TURNS TO SPRING.
AS THE ICY GRIP EASES, THE WORLD'S LARGEST BEARS EMERGE FROM THEIR DENS.
KAMCHATKA'S BROWN BEARS OUTSIZE EVEN THE NORTH AMERICAN GRIZZLIES.
MALES CAN REACH 8 FEET TALL AND WEIGH CLOSE TO A TON.
TODAY, THERE ARE SOME 14,000 BEARS HERE -- THE LARGEST SINGLE POPULATION ON EARTH.
AFTER ALMOST SIX MONTHS OF HIBERNATION, THIS BEAR'S INTENT ON CLEANING HIS COAT.
A GOOD ROLL IN THE SNOW REMOVES BUILT-UP GRIME.
NOW HE HAS ONLY ONE THING ON HIS MIND -- FOOD.
BEARS CAN LOSE UP TO 350 POUNDS WHILE HIBERNATING.
EVERY BEAR'S EXIT FROM THEIR WINTER DEN MARKS THE START OF A RACE AGAINST TIME.
THEY ONLY HAVE THE BRIEF SPRING AND SUMMER SEASONS TO PACK ON THE POUNDS OR FACE CERTAIN DEATH COME WINTER.
UNTIL THE SALMON RUN STARTS IN EARLY JUNE, THE BEARS EAT LIGHT.
THEY HAVE A NOSE FOR SUCCULENT ROOTS, GRASS, BERRIES, AND BUGS.
THE SMARTEST BEARS MAKE THE LONG TREK OVER THE MOUNTAIN RANGES TO KAMCHATKA'S VERY OWN GARDEN OF EDEN -- THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS.
THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT ON EARTH.
THIS ENTIRE VALLEY IS A HOTBED OF GEYSERS AND STEAMING VENTS.
GEYSERS OCCUR IN JUST A FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD.
KAMCHATKA'S ARE SECOND ONLY TO THE ONES IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
BUT, UNLIKE YELLOWSTONE, THE ONLY WAYS TO REACH THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS ARE BY HELICOPTER OR A THREE-DAY TREK ACROSS THE WILDERNESS.
DEEP BELOW THE SURFACE, FLOWING LAVA HEATS WATER TO TEMPERATURES OF MORE THAN 200 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT UNTIL INCREASING PRESSURE FORCES IT THROUGH THE EARTH'S CRUST.
IN THIS VALLEY, SPRING COMES EARLY AS THE GEYSERS HEAT THE SURROUNDING AIR.
THE WARM, MOIST CONDITIONS PROVIDE HUNGRY BEARS WITH PLENTY OF GREENS.
AFTER A LONG HIBERNATION, THE BEARS ENJOY ALL THE AMENITIES THE VALLEY HAS TO OFFER.
THEY WADE INTO THE FAST-FLOWING, WARM WATERS.
THE BEAR'S DENSE FUR TRAPS AN INSULATING LAYER OF AIR.
BUT THEIR THICK COAT ALSO MAKES A PERFECT HOME FOR PARASITES.
A GOOD BACK SCRATCH BRINGS SOME RELIEF.
THE SULFUROUS WATER OF HOT SPRINGS IS HEALING AND ALSO DRIVES OFF FLEAS AND TICKS.
POOLS CAN REACH TEMPERATURES OF UP TO 140 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
FOR THIS BEAR, A TRIP TO NATURE'S SPA MUST BE BLISS AFTER SIX MONTHS OF HIBERNATION.
THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS IS A PLACE OF PERFECT CALM AND RELAXATION FOR BROWN BEARS.
[ SNIFFING .]
BUT IT'S NOT ONLY BEARS WHO HAVE FLOURISHED HERE.
THE VALLEY'S NUMEROUS HOT SPRINGS GIVE WHITE WAGTAILS A LEG UP ON FAMILY LIFE.
IN AN ADAPTATION UNIQUE TO KAMCHATKA, THE WAGTAILS MAKE USE OF THE VOLCANIC LANDSCAPE TO KEEP THEIR EGGS WARM.
THEY BUILD NESTS DIRECTLY OVER THE STEAMING WATERWAYS SO THEY'RE FREE TO LEAVE THEIR EGGS AND HUNT FOR FOOD.
THIS ALLOWS WAGTAILS TO BREED EARLIER IN THE SEASON.
BETTER YET, THE WARM WATERS ATTRACT A BANQUET OF BUGS TO FEED HUNGRY MOUTHS.
STILL, THIS PARADISE IS NOT FREE FROM KAMCHATKA'S AGE-OLD FORCES OF DESTRUCTION.
WHAT IS HEAVEN ONE DAY MAY BE HELL THE NEXT.
Narrator: ON RUSSIA'S EASTERNMOST EDGE LIES THE SPECTACULAR KAMCHATKA PENINSULA.
THIS IS HOME TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST NATURAL WONDERS -- THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS.
BUT THIS GARDEN OF EDEN CAN'T BE PROTECTED FROM THE VIOLENT FORCES THAT CONTINUALLY RESHAPE THE LAND HERE.
KAMCHATKA IS PART OF THE PACIFIC RING OF FIRE -- A RING OF VOLCANOES THAT ENCIRCLES THE PACIFIC OCEAN.
THE PACIFIC RING IS HOME TO 90% OF THE PLANET'S ACTIVE VOLCANOES AND 81% OF ITS LARGEST EARTHQUAKES.
THE EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES IN THE AREA ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF THE MOVEMENTS OF THE TECTONIC PLATE BENEATH THE PENINSULA.
AND IN JUNE OF 2007, THESE VIOLENT FORCES TRANSFORMED KAMCHATKA'S JEWEL, THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS, INTO DUST.
IN MOMENTS, 160 MILLION CUBIC FEET OF ICY RUBBLE TUMBLED DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.
[ RUMBLING .]
THIS EXTRAORDINARY NATURAL DISASTER TOOK PLACE DURING THE FILMING OF "WILD RUSSIA.
" THIS IS THE ONLY FOOTAGE OF THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE AREA BECAME A BURIAL GROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF HAPLESS CREATURES.
TWO THIRDS OF THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS DISAPPEARED FOREVER.
THIS LONE BEAR IS A REFUGEE FROM PARADISE, BUT NOW HIS OWN WEIGHT THREATENS TO TRAP HIM IN THE RUBBLE.
[ GRUNTING .]
SLOWLY INCHING FORWARD, HE FINDS HIMSELF CAST OUT INTO THE COLD.
DEPRIVED OF THE HOT SPRINGS AND LUSH GREENERY, SURVIVORS MUST ADAPT TO A DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT REALITY.
THE VALLEY OF THE GEYSERS HAS BEEN ALTERED FOREVER, BUT MORE CHANGES WILL SURELY COME.
THE BEARS' GREATEST LOSS IS THE VALLEY'S PLENTIFUL VEGETATION -- AN IDEAL FOOD SOURCE IN EARLY SPRING.
FORTUNATELY, THE SALMON WILL SOON BE RUNNING.
THEIR JOURNEY FROM THE PACIFIC, UP KAMCHATKA'S HUNDREDS OF RIVERS AND STREAMS, WILL TAKE THEM INTO BEAR TERRITORY.
KAMCHATKA IS THE BIRTHING GROUND FOR ONE QUARTER OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF PACIFIC WILD SALMON.
EACH SUMMER, THE BEARS LIE IN WAIT FOR THE MOMENT WHEN THE SALMON REACH THE SHALLOW RIVERS.
IN YEARS PAST, KAMCHATKA'S RIVERS TEEMED WITH SALMON BY JULY, BUT SOME HONE THEIR FISHING SKILLS WITH THE EARLY ARRIVALS.
IT'S BEAR VERSUS SALMON CLOSE TO ONE TON OF BEAR AGAINST A FEW POUNDS OF FISH.
[ BIRDS CAWING .]
HE'S FAST ENOUGH TO OUTRUN A HORSE, BUT THE SALMON TWISTS AND TURNS THROUGH THE SHALLOW WATERS.
HIS MASSIVE PAWS WIELD FOUR-INCH-LONG CLAWS, BUT THE SALMON'S A SLIPPERY CATCH.
WHEN AND IF THESE WATERS FILL WITH THOUSANDS OF SALMON STRUGGLING UPSTREAM, A BEAR MIGHT CATCH AND EAT A SALMON EVERY 20 MINUTES OR ABOUT 90 POUNDS OF FISH IN A SINGLE DAY.
BUT THESE FISH ARE MERELY AN APPETIZER.
A HUNGRY BEAR FAMILY ANXIOUSLY WAITS FOR THE REST OF THE FISH RUN TO ARRIVE.
KAMCHATKA BEARS GET MOST OF THEIR CALORIES DURING THE ANNUAL SALMON SPAWN -- 10 TIMES MORE THAN FROM EATING BERRIES.
BUT THE PICKINGS ARE TOO SLIM FOR THIS MOTHER.
AND ONLY SALMON, RICH IN FAT AND PROTEIN, WILL ALLOW THE BROWN BEAR TO GAIN THE WEIGHT NEEDED IN A SHORT TIME.
[ GRUNTING .]
THE BEAR'S FATE IS INTERTWINED WITH THAT OF THE SALMON.
A FEMALE BEAR'S REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF CALORIES SHE EATS.
IF THE MOTHER ISN'T WELL NOURISHED, HER PREGNANCY WILL END BEFORE THE CUBS ARE BORN.
[ BEARS GRUNTING .]
BUT BROWN BEARS AREN'T THE ONLY CREATURES HERE THAT RELY HEAVILY ON THE CLOCKWORK TIMING OF THE ANNUAL SALMON RUN.
30 MILES FROM LAKE KURIL, STELLER'S SEA EAGLES HAVE BUILT A NEST.
ONLY A VERY LARGE NEST CAN SUPPORT THESE MASSIVE BIRDS, AND THEIRS IS ABOUT SEVEN FEET WIDE AND WEIGHS HUNDREDS OF POUNDS.
ONLY 5,000 OF THESE EAGLES ARE LEFT ON EARTH, AND KAMCHATKA IS HOME TO ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF THEM.
COME JUNE, EACH NEST BECOMES AN OVERSIZED CRIB FOR A FEW EAGLE CHICKS.
[ BIRDS SQUAWKING .]
THE PARENTS OFFER ROOM SERVICE 'ROUND THE CLOCK.
WITHOUT SALMON, THESE EXTRAORDINARY EAGLES WOULD VANISH FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH.
ON THE ROCKY CLIFFS ABOVE THE SHORE, SOME BEARS HAVE LOST PATIENCE.
INSTEAD, THEY SEEK NECTAR-RICH FLOWERS -- A FAVORABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR ANY BEAR UNTIL THE SALMON RUN BEGINS.
THEY MUST EAT THOUSANDS TO GET THE EQUIVALENT CALORIES OF A BIG SALMON.
FOR THE MOMENT, KAMCHATKA IS AGAIN A GARDEN OF EDEN, WITH PLENTY OF FOOD FOR ALL.
BUT IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN A FEW FLOWERS AND SALMON TO CARRY THESE BEARS THROUGH SIX MONTHS OF HIBERNATION.
IF THE SALMON RUN DOESN'T START SOON, EVERY BEAR IN KAMCHATKA IS AT RISK.
Narrator: KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA.
SHUT BEHIND THE SOVIET IRON CURTAIN FOR DECADES AND NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH, THE WILDLIFE HERE REMAINS UNTOUCHED BY THE 21st CENTURY.
THE ANIMALS ARE OBLIVIOUS TO HUMANS, GIVING OUR CAMERA CREW UNIQUE ACCESS TO THIS PTARMIGAN.
[ WARBLING .]
THE HEN IS CLEARLY MORE INTERESTED IN FOOD THAN COURTSHIP.
BUT FOR MALES, THIS IS A LIFE-OR-DEATH MATTER.
THERE'S A STEEP COMPETITION FOR MATES, AND MALES WILL SOMETIMES FIGHT THEIR ROMANTIC RIVALS TO THE DEATH.
WHILE FEATHERS FLY, THE INDIFFERENT FEMALE TAKES A DUST BATH.
STILL, THE WINNER GAINS HER ATTENTIONS, AND SHE'LL SOON BE GUARDING A NESTFUL OF EGGS.
EVEN BEFORE THE MALE FINISHES HIS VICTORY DANCE, SHE'S OUT SEARCHING FOR FOOD AGAIN.
AWAY FROM THE COAST, A RED FOX DRENCHED BY HEAVY RAIN IS IN SEARCH OF SUSTENANCE.
IN THE THICK GRASS, THIS FEMALE FOX IS ALSO UNDER PRESSURE TO FIND FOOD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
HER UNDERGROUND DEN CONCEALS FIVE 3-WEEK-OLD KITS.
THEY'LL SPEND THEIR FIRST FIVE WEEKS HERE BEFORE FACING THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
[ KITS WHIMPERING .]
THE KITS WILL ONLY STAY WITH THEIR MOTHER UNTIL AUTUMN, BUT THEY'LL EASILY SURVIVE THE WINTER.
A DENSE COAT OF WINTER FUR WILL KEEP THEM COZY UNTIL SPRING.
BEYOND THE FOXES' DEN, THE BEARS ARE INCREASINGLY DESPERATE.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING TOWARDS WINTER'S ARRIVAL, AND THERE'S STILL NO SALMON.
AS THE WATERS RISE, THE HOPEFUL BEARS GATHER AT THE RIVER'S EDGE.
[ GRUNTING .]
EVERY MISSED MEAL IS ONE LESS DAY TO FATTEN UP FOR WINTER.
AND THEN A TRICKLE OF SALMON SWIM INTO BEAR TERRITORY.
RELENTLESS IN THEIR DETERMINATION, THESE SALMON ARE TRAVELING TO THEIR PLACE OF BIRTH AFTER THREE OR FOUR YEARS FACING THE PREDATORS OF THE PACIFIC.
BUT THEY'LL HAVE TO SWIM PAST THE GAUNTLET OF HUNGRY BEARS FIRST.
THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO WASTE ENERGY CHASING A SINGLE FISH ANYMORE.
THE FIRST FEW LUCKY SALMON SWIM ON PAST.
NOW IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.
IN THE HILLS ABOVE THE SEA, THE LAST BRIEF FLOWERING IS UNDER WAY.
6,000 FEET UP, BIGHORN SNOW SHEEP EXPERIENCE LIFE ON THE EDGE.
KAMCHATKA IS ONE OF THE FEW PLACES ON EARTH WHERE THESE SNOW SHEEP LIVE.
THESE AGILE CLIMBERS ARE RIGHT AT HOME ON THE STEEP CLIFFS AND HILLS OF THE COASTLINE.
THE YOUNG ONES ARE BORN CLIMBERS.
AT THIS HEIGHT, THE SHEEP LIVE BEYOND THE REACH OF MOST PREDATORS.
BUT THEY KEEP ALERT, FEARING AN AERIAL ASSAULT FROM A STELLER'S SEA EAGLE.
THE BIGHORN SNOW SHEEP ARE IN LUCK.
THIS EAGLE'S ONLY HUNTING FOR NESTING MATERIAL.
[ EAGLE SQUAWKING .]
NESTS ARE FREQUENTLY BUILT NEAR THE SALMON'S SPAWNING WATERS FOR A READY SUPPLY OF FOOD.
IT'S A SMART MOVE.
THESE BIRDS ARE SO HEAVY, THEY CAN BURN AN ENTIRE DAY'S INTAKE OF CALORIES FLYING FOR JUST 45 MINUTES.
FAR BELOW, AT THE FOX DEN, THE KITS TAKE THEIR FIRST STEPS OUTSIDE.
[ KITS WHIMPERING .]
ALREADY, THEY BEG THEIR MOTHER FOR SOLID FOOD, BUT THERE'S STILL ONLY MILK ON OFFER.
SOON, THESE KITS WILL BE FENDING FOR THEMSELVES.
WITH WINTER APPROACHING, THERE'S FEW SALMON TO BE HAD.
TEMPERS ARE ABOUT TO FLARE, AND THE BRAWL CAN BE DEADLY.
Narrator: THERE IS NO WILDERNESS ON EARTH LIKE KAMCHATKA, AND FEW HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SEEING THIS REMOTE LAND OF FIERY VOLCANOES FIRSTHAND.
IT'S MIDSUMMER, AND IF THE SALMON DON'T SHOW SOON, TEMPERS WILL FLARE WITH DEADLY RESULTS.
[ BEARS GRUNTING .]
A FEW SALMON HAVE TRICKLED THROUGH, BUT THESE BEARS NEED TO FEAST IF THEY'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THE WINTER ALIVE.
BUT TODAY'S THE DAY.
THEY MAY BE LATE, BUT AT LONG LAST, THE SALMON RUN HAS ARRIVED.
AT ITS HEIGHT, BEARS WILL CATCH AND EAT THREE OR MORE 6-POUND SALMON AN HOUR, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, UNTIL THEY DISAPPEAR INTO THEIR DENS FOR A SIX-MONTH HIBERNATION.
IF THIS YEAR'S ANY INDICATION, ILLEGAL FISHING OF SALMON WILL SOON HIT THE BROWN-BEAR POPULATION, AND HARD.
POACHERS MAY WELL DO MORE DAMAGE TO THE WILDLIFE HERE THAN ANY VOLCANIC ERUPTION OR LANDSLIDE.
MEANWHILE, THOSE SALMON LUCKY ENOUGH TO ESCAPE POACHERS, BIRDS, AND BEARS HAVE REACHED THEIR FINAL DESTINATION -- THEIR BIRTHPLACE.
THEY'RE FINALLY READY TO SPAWN LAYING UP TO 2,000 EGGS AT ONCE.
ONCE THE EGGS ARE LAID AND FERTILIZED, THE MALES AND FEMALES, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, DIE OF EXHAUSTION.
SOON, THE NEXT GENERATION WILL EMERGE FROM THIS BURIAL GROUND, AND ONE DAY, THEY, TOO, WILL RETURN, MAKING THE VERY SAME JOURNEY FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE WATERS OF THEIR BIRTH.
KAMCHATKA'S BRIEF SUMMER GIVES WAY TO AN EVEN BRIEFER AUTUMN.
WHILE THE GROUND BUBBLES AND STEAMS, THE PENINSULA MOVES THROUGH A PALETTE OF GOLDEN COLORS.
ACROSS THE ROLLING LANDSCAPE, THE TEMPERATURE FALLS, PLUMMETING TO EXTREMES OF MINUS-80 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THE MERCILESS WINTER ROLLS IN.
BEARS HEAD INTO THEIR SNUG DENS WHILE SNOW BLANKETS KAMCHATKA FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
REINDEER HAVE SPENT THE PREVIOUS WARMER MONTHS GRAZING ON THE OPEN TUNDRA.
NOW THEY SEEK OUT THE LAST OF THE AUTUMN BERRIES BENEATH THE SNOW.
WHEN TEMPERATURES FALL, THEY'LL HEAD TO THE BASE OF THE VOLCANOES, WHERE NUTRIENTS IN VOLCANIC ASH INCREASE PLANT GROWTH.
AS THE SNOW PILES UP, THOSE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FACE THE WINTER HEAD-ON MAY NOT LIVE TO TELL THE TALE.
Narrator: IT TAKES COURAGE TO TRAVEL TO KAMCHATKA, IN RUSSIA'S FAR EAST, IN THE RUTHLESS WINTER.
WIND FUSES THE SNOW INTO A THICK, ICY CRUST, CREATING ONE OF THE MOST BARREN PLACES ON EARTH.
AT THE COAST, EVEN THE SEAS SLOWLY TURN SOLID.
ALONG ITS EDGES, A MALE FOX HUNTS BY HIMSELF.
BUT HE'S NOT ALONE IN THE BIG FREEZE.
THE WOLVERINE, ELUSIVE AND SHROUDED IN SUPERSTITION AND FEAR, IS PERFECTLY SUITED TO KAMCHATKA'S MYSTICAL WINTER LANDSCAPE.
HIS FEET ARE SO BROAD, THEY WORK LIKE SNOWSHOES, ALLOWING HIM TO SKIM ACROSS THE DEEP SNOW, TARGETING LARGER, SLOWER ANIMALS.
[ BIRD CAWING .]
THE WOLVERINE'S POWERFUL JAWS AND SHARP TEETH CAN CHEW THROUGH FROZEN MEAT AND BONE.
BUT WOLVERINES ARE ALSO OPPORTUNISTIC SCAVENGERS, EATING ANYTHING THEY CAN GET.
ONLY AFTER THEY'VE HAD THEIR FILL DOES THIS FOX DARE TO MOVE IN.
THEY DON'T LEAVE MUCH, BUT THE FOX TAKES WHAT HE CAN GET.
FOR THE RED FOX, WINTER IS A TIME TO FIND A MATE.
MALES MAY SEEK OUT SEVERAL FEMALES.
[ WHIMPERING .]
THESE TWO HAVE BONDED, AND THEY'LL STAY TOGETHER THROUGH THE SPRING.
IF THEY'RE LUCKY, THEY'LL SOON HAVE CUBS TO SUPPORT.
AT SUNRISE, THE MALE PROWLS FOR FOOD.
[ BIRD CAWING .]
THE FOX STALKS CAUTIOUSLY AS HE FOLLOWS A BIRD'S SOUND.
IT'S A PTARMIGAN, AND HE HAS NO INTENTIONS OF FEEDING THE FOX COUPLE.
HE MAY SEEM VULNERABLE, BUT HE'S WELL EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH KAMCHATKA'S DEEP SNOW.
HIS FEET ARE COVERED WITH HAIRLIKE FEATHERS, ALLOWING HIM TO WALK ON TOP OF THE SNOW.
THE FOX WON'T GIVE UP EASILY.
HE'S HUNTING FOR TWO.
A SECOND PTARMIGAN TEMPTS THE FOX, BUT IT'S JUST BEYOND HIS REACH.
THE FOX HAS BEEN OUTFOXED BY A BIRD.
DISCOURAGED BUT STILL HUNGRY, HE CONTINUES TO PROWL.
BUT AT THE SIGHT OF HIS MATE, HE HEADS BACK TO HIS DEN FOR THE EVENING.
IN NORTH AMERICA, FOXES RETURN TO THE SAME SITE FOR GENERATIONS.
BUT HERE, THEY DIG TEMPORARY HOMES.
WHEN THE SNOW MELTS, THEY MOVE ON.
THE NEXT DAY, HE'LL HEAD OUT TO HUNT AGAIN.
[ CLICKING .]
THE STRANGE STACCATO CALLS OF A MALE BLACK-BILLED CAPERCAILLIE ECHO THROUGH THE WOODS.
HE STRUTS HIS STUFF TO ATTRACT FEMALES.
BUT HIS NOISY DANCE IS MUSIC TO THE FOX'S EARS.
AS THE FOX TRIES TO PINPOINT THE CAPERCAILLIE'S LOCATION HE GOES QUIET.
THIS FOX COUPLE WILL STICK TOGETHER THROUGH SPRING, WHEN SHE'LL GIVE BIRTH TO THEIR LITTER OF KITS.
BUT SPRING SEEMS UNIMAGINABLE AS WINTER IMMOBILIZES KAMCHATKA.
THIS PRIMORDIAL LAND SEEMS FROZEN IN TIME, WITH ONE EXCEPTION.
EAGLES ARRIVE AT LAKE KURIL.
[ EAGLES CAWING .]
STELLER'S EAGLES ARE NEARLY TWO THIRDS HEAVIER, BUT, AT 10 POUNDS, GOLDEN EAGLES AREN'T EXACTLY LIGHTWEIGHTS.
AND THEIR APPETITES ARE JUST AS BIG.
A LONE GOLDEN EAGLE MAY SPEND HOURS TRYING TO PECK THROUGH THE TOUGH, FROZEN FISH SCALES TO REACH THE HARD-WON FLESH.
FOOD GETS SHREDDED AND SHARED UNTIL THE STELLER'S EAGLES LOSE THEIR CALM AND CRASH THE PARTY.
Narrator: LIKE A DISTANT PLANET, KAMCHATKA SITS ENCASED IN SOLID ICE AND SNOW FOR SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
EVEN THE SEA SUCCUMBS.
AND THIS REMOTE PENINSULA IS HEMMED BY AN IMPENETRABLE MASS OF ICE FLOES.
BUT THE STELLER'S EAGLES PAY NO HEED.
[ BIRDS CALLING .]
WHEN FOOD'S AT STAKE, THEY SEEM WILLING TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH.
IT'S STELLER EAGLE VERSUS GOLDEN EAGLE.
THE STELLER IS THE HEAVYWEIGHT, BUT THE GOLDEN EAGLE'S NO PUSHOVER.
WHILE THE ADULTS BATTLE IT OUT, THE YOUNGSTERS REMAIN ON THE SIDELINES.
THEIR PARENTS, WHO FED THEM DEVOTEDLY JUST WEEKS AGO, NOW SQUABBLE OVER THE PECKING ORDER.
YOUNG UPSTARTS CONSTANTLY CHALLENGE AUTHORITY AND EACH OTHER.
IT'S A SCENE THAT WILL PLAY ITSELF OUT YEAR AFTER YEAR IN THE DEEP FREEZE OF KAMCHATKA'S WINTER.
THIS IS A VIOLENT LAND WHERE BATTLES ARE FOUGHT DAY IN AND OUT, ONE ANIMAL AGAINST THE NEXT AND ALL ANIMALS STRUGGLE AGAINST THE RUTHLESS AND EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE.
THOUGH THE HARSH WINTER WILL EVENTUALLY THAW, MAKING WAY FOR SPRING, THE ICE ONLY MAKES WAY FOR FIRE.
KAMCHATKA HAS NEVER SEEN CALM.
ITS VOLCANOES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, AND WILL ALWAYS BE, THE FIERY FORCE THAT DEFINES THIS LAND.
THEIR DESTRUCTIVE POWER WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE KAMCHATKA, AND ALL OF THE WILDLIFE THAT LIVE HERE, FOREVER.
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THE ANIMALS IN THIS DISTANT AND TUMULTUOUS LAND THRIVED.
THEY'VE BEEN CUT OFF FROM CIVILIZATION BY SHEER GEOGRAPHIC ISOLATION AND BY POLITICS.
NOW THE SHROUD HAS LIFTED FROM KAMCHATKA.
STILL, ONLY A LUCKY FEW WILL TRAVEL TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH TO SEE THIS MYSTERIOUS LAND FIRSTHAND.
BUT THOSE WHO DO WILL JOURNEY INTO A PRIMORDIAL WORLD, ITS WILDERNESS UNTOUCHED BY MAN, FOR THIS IS KAMCHATKA, LAND OF FIRE AND ICE.
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS