Land of the Bears Page #4

is at the lake too.

He can finally catch

his first fish.

But there's still

the same problem.

When you find a good spot,

you can rarely enjoy it alone,

and as bears don't like

close contact,

tension mounts quickly

between the mothers.

The tension will become worse

over the course

of the next few days,

when the largest group of bears

in the world

gather at the lake.

The mothers eventually

get into the water...

...where they can fish in peace.

Well, not exactly in peace.

As soon as the mothers

manage to catch a fish,

the cubs steal it away

from them.

The food isn't shared equally.

The weaker bears often end up

without fish.

Half of all bear cubs die

before the age of two

due to brother-and-sister

rivalry, hunger,

disease and accidents.

A mother bear spends her entire

day taking care of her cubs,

and it's only in the evening,

when she's sure

that they have eaten enough,

that she can finally

fish for herself.

The young bear

has found a calm spot

away from the mothers

and all the commotion.

But does he really fish

like an adult,

or does he still play

like a cub?

He's now at the crucial age

where he can spend his first

year alone, without his mother,

learning to survive on his own.

He's young,

so any female his age

that comes near him

is a distraction

from the task at hand.

It's likely the first time

he's felt the urge to mate.

He still has a lot to learn

about that, too.

But when he does,

he will no longer just ensure

his own survival.

He will also contribute to the

perpetuation of his species.

A mother bear arrives.

She is young,

and, as usual with the first

litter, she only has one cub.

She'll pamper, feed

and protect him

until he reaches the age

where he can venture out alone.

Then he will leave her.

It's the last summer

he'll spend with his mother.

So he enjoys it.

He plays and runs around

in the waves and the wind,

carefree,

savouring every moment.

Summer is almost over.

Seasons change quickly in

Kamchatka - except for winter.

That lasts for months.

The bears have to begin

preparing for it now.

The salmon continue

their journey.

Thousands of them swim upriver,

driven by

an irrepressible instinct

to get to their birthplace

and spawn.

Once they're in fresh water,

they stop eating and drinking.

Their bodies

change mysteriously,

becoming deformed and reddened,

and then they rot.

The river where life begins

is now the river

that causes their death.

Some are so exhausted...

...they just give up.

Others continue the fight,

swimming against all the odds.

Those who still have

the energy to swim

will lay millions of eggs

that will become

millions of salmon,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes