Of "bears of the last frontier,"
A grand adventure across
alaska.
I'm a bear ecologist,
And with filmmaker
joe pontecorvo,
I've set out on a quest
to understand alaska's bears.
That's especially hard to do
where we're going next --
High inside
the arctic circle,
To the northernmost point
in the united states.
The bear has come right down
this trail here.
They're testing the ice
conditions to see
If it's firm enough,
and it's not yet.
Here, bear.
She's got her nose in the air
and she can catch my scent.
She's moving over here
with some determination.
I think it's time to get
in the boat.
Unbelievable! My heart is just
pounding from the experience.
These are the bears of
the last frontier.
So put on a parka
and follow us to the arctic,
The final frontier
of our journey.
"nature" is made possible
in part by... so put on a parka and follow us to the arctic,
is made possible by
alaska wilderness league.
the wilderness of alaska
is something you can experience
for yourself.
leave it untouched
inspby your presence.re..
capture its image
and preserve it forever.
canon --
living and working together
to appreciate today
and care for tomorrow.
the corporation
for public broadcasting.
and by contributions
to your pbs station
from viewers like you.
Morgan: in every culture
they've encountered,
Bears have left an indelible
impression on us.
Symbols of wisdom,
strength, and cunning.
Yet despite
their powerful presence,
Six of the eight bear species
are threatened with extinction.
Alaska is one of the bear's
last strongholds.
All three species
of north american bears
Are found here --
Brown bears...
Black bears...
And polar bears.
My name is chris morgan.
I've dedicated half my life
To the study
and conservation of bears.
Now, I've embarked upon
a 3,000-mile journey
Into the heart of
the bear's world.
With me, my good friend
and filmmaker, joe pontecorvo.
You don't notice
it's cold,
Until you look at
your equipment
And then you see
frost over everything.
Together, our goal is
to peel back
The layers of myth
and misunderstanding
On this complex creature...
You see her glance?
That put us in our place,
didn't it?
...to better understand
their personalities.
All our theories,
out the window!
To witness firsthand
how they live today...
And what the future
might hold
For the bears of
the last frontier.
My journey has taken me through
the season of the brown bear
And black bear.
From an area nearly untouched
by man...
To the most urban environment
in alaska.
Now, at the very edge
of the north american continent,
A new adventure
is about to unfold.
I leave behind the cold metal
and steel of prudhoe bay...
And head to the home
of the polar bear.
My plane touches down
On a 4-mile-long,
windswept strip of land,
Known as barter island,
On the edge of
the beaufort sea.
Fewer than 300 residents,
mostly inupiat eskimo,
Call this remote island home.
But they are not alone.
They share
this frigid coastline with
Another great hunter --
The polar bear.
While the rest of the bears
have denned up for winter,
Polar bears sense
the change in season
And are anxious
for the chill to set in.
Polar bears are ice-loving
creatures.
And from an early age
they are drawn to it,
Investigating any new formations
on the water.
What's fascinating to me
about these polar bears
Is that they're so finely tuned
and adapted to life on ice.
This looks like a bear has come
right down this trail here
And he's broken through here.
Look, his paw's actually broken
through this ice here.
In fact, the ice is starting
to form already.
So they're forever testing
the ice conditions
To see if it's firm enough for
them to head out onto.
And it's not yet, obviously.
As adults, they depend upon ice
to hunt.
Unlike brown bears,
Polar bears are highly
specialized carnivores
And hunt, almost exclusively,
one animal --
Seals.
The ringed seal
looks nervously around,
Exposed on this open expanse.
But without firm enough ice,
This bear has little chance
to hunt down the seal.
It's late october,
and by now
The ocean should be
frozen over.
But this year,
winter has come late.
Parts of the lagoon
are covered with ice,
But the ocean
is yet to be tamed.
For now, the bears
are trapped on land,
Unable to hunt.
Locals call this area
the polar bear campground.
It's a nursery, of sorts,
A safe haven for mothers
and young.
This time of year,
when other polar bears
Are waiting
for sea ice to form,
Pregnant females are waiting
for enough snow
To dig their maternity dens.
This whole area, in fact,
Is really important
for denning females.
When they're pregnant,
they come and give birth
In the habitat along
this coast here,
Near the arctic
national wildlife refuge.
So many of the females return
to this same area
To raise their cubs.
They seem to have
this recognition,
Where the cubs are playing,
the females are playing,
And one cub is playing
with another cub from --
It's quite the interesting
scenario that's going on.
Pontecorvo: this guy's making a
beeline right for us, actually.
Morgan: we've only been here
a few minutes
And already we've
attracted some attention.
I'm directly upwind from her and
she's got her nose in the air
And she can catch my scent.
She's coming this way.
We probably won't have very long
Before we have to make
a hasty retreat.
You know, they're the most
predatory of the bears.
They're as capable of great
speed as grizzly bears are.
They can run 35 miles
an hour, so...
Think it's time to get
in the boat.
Yeah, she's moving over here
with some determination.
We need to make a retreat here.
You want to jump on, joe?
Yeah, it looks like it's getting
her really agitated.
She can smell us
but she can't access us.
She can't figure out
if we're a meal or not.
And it's how they live
their lives.
They are curious predators.
Everything about them is about
surviving the cold
And hunting seals.
Being a specialist is the key to
surviving the arctic.
It's as true for the bears
As it is for the inupiat
eskimos.
For centuries, these two hunters
of the arctic
Have made their living
from the ocean,
Their lives connected by
the animals they hunt.
Twice a year,
in spring and fall,
The inupiat eskimos hunt
bowhead whales.
The discarded remains are left
on this bone pile.
We're out in the outskirts
of town.
And there's a good spot to wait
for bears right here,
Because the bears seem to like
coming out
Under the cover of darkness,
but sometimes it's a case
Of waiting around a long time
for them.
So, that's what we're
doing right now.
We'll see if any show up.
Fingers crossed.
This guy is as close
as we want to get.
The whale meat,
with its high fat content,
May help some bears get through
these tough times,
When there's little else
to eat.
If warming trends continue,
Competition for
this small pile of food
Could get fierce.
For a species
already on the brink,
Polar bears will have
some tough times ahead.
An overnight snow flurry
leaves fresh drifts
For this young arctic fox
to play in.
The icy lagoon
is full of activity.
The bears use this new platform
to practice
Their light-as-a-feather walk.
Sea ice, unlike fresh water ice,
is flexible,
Which gives the bear a lot
to experiment with.
The fibrous baleen that whales
use to filter their food
Has become the perfect toy
for these young cubs.
Play attracts attention.
And quickly their mum claims
the large baleen
To strip out what she can
from it.
With the bone pile
nearly exhausted,
This mother frantically digs for
scraps buried in the snow.
But her find soon draws
attention from another family.
[ Bears snarling ]
Tensions are high
As bears uncover
every last bit of whalebone,
Scraping what meat
they can from the bones.
A find like this is
worth protecting.
And this mother bear
Is not about to give up her meal
so easily.
[ Bears snarling ]
This young bear will have to
seek out his own meal.
Fortunately for him, the weather
appears to be getting worse.
Temperatures have dipped to
a bone-chilling 20° below.
Grease ice is starting
to cover the water.
And winds batter
the tiny island.
The town is battening down
the hatches
As the storm sets in.
Once ice begins to form,
The ocean freezes over
in just a few days.
Winter has finally taken hold.
The town, now in its
final days of sunlight,
Bids farewell to the bears
As they head out
onto the pack ice to hunt.
The sun will vanish
below the horizon
And not reappear
for another two months.
For now, the world
is in darkness.
Miles out on the pack ice,
polar bears are hunting seals.
Stalking their prey
In the inky blackness of winter.
Near the end of january,
the sun begins to reappear.
It's a time of transition,
With more light each day.
And by may, in mid-spring,
the sun is up 24 hours a day.
And it's safe enough for us to
venture out onto the pack ice.
We're nearly eight miles out
on a thin shelf of ice,
Searching for polar bears.
But I'd be foolish
to attempt this alone.
[ Chuckles ]
Morgan: dale brower grew up
on the north slope.
Maybe we'll get on a high point
and look around.
Meaning he grew up in a world
completely alien to most of us.
These are really fresh 'cause
they're actually
On top of our sled tracks,
from about five hours ago.
Maybe even four hours ago,
So they weren't here then,
that's for sure.
Brower: he might have heard
the snow machines
And then kind of snuck back off
into these pressure ridges here,
And he could just be hiding out
in this stuff.
Morgan: in this featureless,
white landscape,
It's the bears that have
the advantage.
Problem is,
if they're off in the distance
Or behind the ice,
they get easily obscured.
Even a large animal
like a polar bear.
Is this a weather front
coming in here?
Brower: yeah, that's actually
the water sky.
That's the water from
the open lead
Reflecting into
the sky.
Morgan: so if you headed
toward those clouds,
You'd find open water
underneath?
Brower: open water, yeah.
Morgan: and there's
a good chance
That's where the polar bear is
that we're tracking here.
It's been an exhaustive search.
And still the bear remains
elusive.
Why were you checking which way
the wind's blowing?
Just so the entryway is
on the opposite end.
We don't want it
facing the wind.
Right. I guess that's
really important
When it blows at
I can already smell
the tea brewing.
Morgan: our camp is modest
but functional in every way.
I'm discovering there's little
that dale does
That doesn't relate directly
to our own survival.
Even the caribou hides
Seem to be the perfect
insulati against the cold.
See how it kind of
fits in a little better,
Like a jigsaw puzzle?
Ah! Hawaii!
Morgan: what is that?
That's my polar bear wrap here.
Morgan: it's the best
fur wrap there is
If it's for keeping
the wind out.
Oh, yeah.
It keeps the wind out.
And then it doesn't
frost.
So it doesn't collect
snow and stuff.
Interesting.
And then it stays pretty clean.
Even though you get it dirty,
you can just wipe it in the snow
And the hair will just clean
itself off.
Basically, like a polar bear
after it's done with its k*ll,
It will just rub in the snow,
take a snow bath
And it just takes all
the dirt off the fur.
Morgan: polar bears
are stealth hunters.
And just because you
don't see them
Doesn't mean
they're not there.
Let's see what we can do,
without breaking my ankles.
Yeah.
Perfect vantage point.
Whoa! Ha ha ha!
As I was saying,
the perfect vantage point
For looking for polar bears.
Our camp's right here,
And it's easy to forget
that it's smack-bang,
Right in the middle
of polar bear habitat.
All the way to the horizon,
all I can see is ice.
Giant, jagged peaks
and troughs of ice,
As far as you can see.
And it is a barren,
hostile landscape.
If you can't read the ice here,
you're not going to survive.
Polar bears are masters
at reading the ice.
Patrolling the edge of a lead.
Smelling for any trace
of a seal.
But sneaking up on a seal
in open water is a challenge,
Even for a polar bear.
The best chance for a meal
Is to sniff out a seal's
breathing hole,
Or even a den
with seal pups.
It's a rare sight, but dale has
observed polar bears hunting.
Like, say if there was
a hole here.
The bear will squish it
like that.
Say, if the hole is here,
he could smell it
And he'll close the hole
and then dig this side out
Where the seal is at, and he'll
just scoop the seal out.
Morgan: it's one of the earliest
instinctive behaviors
For polar bear cubs.
While their mum rests,
These cubs will practice
what it takes
To become the apex predator
of the arctic.
Learning
to lead with your nose.
Investigate anything
out of the ordinary.
Leap across unstable
chunks of ice.
And, of course,
the belly flop.
But when mum huffs...
The cubs know it's time
to continue with the real hunt.
Polar bear tracks
have led us here,
A whaling camp perched
at the edge of a lead.
A bear was spotted
just a day ago,
Perhaps the very one
we're looking for.
For the inupiat, whale hunting
is an ancient way of life
That continues nearly
unchanged today.
With 24 hours of light,
The rhythm of life is set
by the whales.
Not the sun.
Try that.
Morgan: whale hunting is by far
the most dangerous part
Of their subsistence life.
These young people are doing it
Just the way
that their ancestors did.
These guys are like 20,
They've each got a role.
And its importance
to the community is vital.
Brower: when you become
a captain
And it's your first whale,
You give the whole thing away
to all the whaling crews.
You just learn over time
That what you catch isn't
really yours.
As a hunter, you're here
To feed the town
and the families.
Not really for yourself.
Morgan: the inupiats' commitment
to this tradition has helped
Keep this part of the coastline
free of oil development.
Without their protection,
This vital habitat
may disappear completely.
A whale off in the background,
her blowhole there.
Wow.
Maybe our wait is over.
As the whale approaches,
the camp becomes dead silent.
As the whale surfaces,
the boat is launched.
It's a tense moment
As the men paddle towards
the massive whale,
Somewhere just under
the surface.
Harpooning a whale by hand
is extremely dangerous.
Bowhead whales
can weigh 60 tons.
One swipe of its
enormous tail fluke
Could easily crush
the tiny craft.
They've got this incredible
system here
Where they're trying to get
the whale out of the water.
They dug two holes through
the ice that go right through
And they're going to feed
the block and tackle
And then they'll be able
to haul the whale in.
Go!
This bowhead whale will feed
Several families
throughout the season,
And perhaps
the polar bears as well.
It's a cycle of life
That has remained unchanged
for thousands of years.
Other whales will continue
their annual migration,
Following the open leads east
to their summer grounds
In the beaufort sea.
But the ice is too thin
for us to go any further.
It's late may, and the pack ice
is slowly retreating.
Straight down.
It suddenly feels treacherous
out her, doesn't it?
There are no shortcuts
in the arctic.
You have to know when
to call it quits.
As dale often says,
If you don't come back
this season,
You can't hunt next season.
It's a good lesson.
Even for a polar bear.
But continually having to
haul himself onto the ice
Takes an immense amount
of energy.
Polar bears face this challenge
every spring.
But the impacts
of a warming world
Have made matters worse.
Loss of pack ice is estimated
at 11% per decade.
The bears' fragile hunting
platform is getting thinner.
And this mother and cub
have found themselves
In an ocean of melting ice.
And if warming trends continue,
Scenes like this
will become common.
Like many animals that have made
such great leaps
In their evolution to survive,
The world may be changing
too fast
For polar bears to keep up with.
While the endless arctic sun
slowly erodes the ice,
It brings renewed life
to the tundra.
And the season of the grizzly
has only just begun.
It's the perfect time
to head south
And into the heart
of the brooks range.
It looks like a perfect
valley for grizzly bears, eh?
Well, even if I didn't have
caribou on the mind,
I'd pick this spot if I was
a grizzly.
Morgan: we're following
the trails
Of great migrations
from seasons past.
It's absolutely covered
with caribou trails.
Right up the mountains,
right over the ridges,
One valley to the next.
And we're hoping
these caribou tracks
Will point the way
to our arctic grizzlies.
It may be our best chance
at a closer look
At this elusive predator.
But finding nearly
half a million caribou
In the vastness
of the western arctic
Takes patience
and persistence.
We've picked this spot because
there's caribou trails
All around, down either valley,
each side of the tent here.
Not a single caribou yet.
And not a single bear, but...
Hopefully,
when the caribou arrive --
Which they could,
in big numbers --
Then the bears might arrive
as well.
That's essentially what
we're hoping for.
We've enlisted the aid
of aerial cameraman daniel zatz
To help document the herd,
And hopefully the bears --
if we find them.
So based on what jim
from fish and game said,
He said that
the females and calves
Are running along this line here
to the north.
And this is also where he
expects we'll see the bears.
But it's really
unpredictable?
It's completely unpredictable.
Caribou -- you never know where
they're going to go.
Morgan: caribou are the ultimate
wanderers.
Within a single year,
the western arctic herd
Will range across
a quarter of alaska --
An area the size
of montana.
Oh, right there! Right there!
A huge herd of caribou!
All right by the river!
Down under the left wing.
Oh, look at that.
Wow! That must be at least
Well, I'll fly,
you count.
Okay.
Oh, that's a good sign --
our first caribou.
Morgan: it looks like we're
in luck.
We're just caught the tail end
of a massive herd.
Wow, we have just settled down
in a spot here.
So we're trying to stay
very quiet
And reduce our silhouette
on the horizon,
'Cause they're just so
ever vigilant, you know,
For wolves and grizzly bears.
That's where the safety
in numbers comes from.
If you're eating,
you're not watching.
If you're watching,
you're not eating.
So if you're in a group,
you can do both.
Spring is calving season.
And some of these newborns
are just a few days old.
Caribou calves can run whin
hours of being born.
It's a matter of survival.
Newly born calves are most
vulnerable to predators.
And they have to stay close
to mum at all times.
Wolves are never far behind.
This grey wolf
is testing the herd.
Looking for any signs
of weakness.
He's joined by another
from the pack.
Together, they've cut
the herd in half.
But soon the herd
has regrouped
And the wolves
give up the chase.
There's little rest
for the herd
Until they complete
their seasonal migration
To their summer range.
Caribou are largely sustained
by the high-energy sugars
Found in arctic lichen.
So prized is this plant that
many biologists believe
The availability of lichen
during the winter months
Can profoundly impact
caribou numbers.
Without the caribou,
This landscape wouldn't look
the way it does.
They aerate the soils
as they're walking
To make it
more productive for plants.
Even their hair
Provides nesting material
for migratory birds around here.
And you can imagine how much
fertilizer
Half a million caribou create.
They're like blood vessels
Flowing across
this giant landscape.
Whoa! Look at that.
A mum with three cubs.
These are spring cubs,
in their first year of life,
Foraging along the hillside.
Arctic grizzlies must make
the most of these short summers,
And that includes
this mating pair,
That have somehow found
each other in this vast expanse.
Grizzlies must cover great
distances
Just to find enough food.
An arctic grizzly in open tundra
Can have a home range
the size of yellowstone.
Once you touch down...
Keeping up with a grizzly
is nearly impossible.
For the caribou, their journey
is nearly over.
The herd has finally made it
to their summer range,
The completion
of their journey.
But caribou
are wanderers,
And they don't stay put
for long.
With the herd moving on,
And only fleeting glimpses
of grizzlies,
We are left with few choices.
An old report of a salmon run
has given us some hope.
I think this is
our best bet.
It looks like a good spot,
doesn't it?
Morgan: but this far inland,
it's a long shot.
Even if we find salmon
in the river,
No one I've spoken with
Has actually seen
arctic grizzlies fishing.
The caribou taunt me.
But it's not them
I'm looking for.
Finding bear sign
is the priority here.
But if grizzlies are around,
it's best to be prepared.
I carry a shotgun only
as an extreme precaution.
And then, believe it or not,
The really popular thing
with grizzly bears
Is this hedysarum root --
they love this stuff.
I'm surprised this morsel has
been left behind, actually.
You might look at this place
And think it doesn't offer
very much.
But they piece together a diet,
little bit by little bit.
They get by here.
There are tracks
all through here.
Look at this,
fresh grizzly bear tracks.
And then right in front of it,
a caribou track,
So both of these species
are using this river to get
From "a" to "b", and
occasionally if a bear is lucky,
They'll be able to prey
on a caribou,
Especially during
the calving season.
Wow! Look at that.
The salmon are running.
The question is,
where are the bears?
Nearly time for a cup
of coffee, I think.
After hours of waiting,
There's a shadow moving
through the willows.
Oh, yeah,
it's right here.
There's a third cub
coming up the river.
Okay, I see her.
She's crossing here.
I do not want to
surprise this bear, though.
Arctic grizzlies have a much
more aggressive reputation
Than coastal brown bears.
She seems pretty cool.
She's seen us.
Just finding one
would be chance enough.
Pontecorvo: how far back
is the third one?
Morgan: right behind the secd.
The fourth one is way back
there in the willows
On this side of the creek.
But now we're suddenly
surrounded by four.
The family seems to be using
the river as a corridor.
But their food is buried
in the tundra.
Hedysarum roots are
an important source of protein
For arctic grizzlies.
The bears' lack of interest
in the salmon is puzzling.
But these chum salmon don't have
nearly the fat and calories
As those the bears eat
along the coast.
Once they leave the salt water
to head upstream,
They stop eating.
All their energy goes into
Reaching the spawning ground
where they were born.
For these fish, that's roughly
After weeks of swimming
upstream,
They've used a tremendous amount
of their reserves to get here,
And the once-vibrant color
Has faded from their skin.
Males will gather and fight
for position, as females arrive.
Once this courting
process starts,
It can take hours,
or even days, to complete.
The family has returned.
But this time they've staked out
a spot on the river.
Mum is completely focused
on fishing.
She's landed a huge chum salmon.
The whole family retreats into
the willows to share the fish.
Here in the arctic, a catch like
this is quite a bounty.
Mum quickly returns
to the river's edge.
The cubs will pick
this fish clean
While mum looks for more.
Look at those cubs.
All lined up, waiting
for mum to catch dinner.
She's quickly proving to be
a skilled fisher,
And by the looks of these cubs,
she's been an excellent provider
For the first 2 1/2 years
of their lives.
It's hard to even imagine them
as cubs.
They're almost as big as she is
at this stage.
The cubs have been watching her
closely
And now, instead of feasting
off what she's caught,
They seem to be interested in
learning to fish themselves.
These new experiences show off
how different
Each of these cubs are.
They're all individuals.
This cub has plenty
of confidence.
He's borderline troublesome.
Close enough.
That's close enough.
That's close enough.
Close enough.
It's okay, it's all right.
It's okay.
Morgan: he ventures much further
than the other two
And seems to be quite bold.
This boldness concerns his mum
quite a bit.
But it's also what yields him
his first catch.
Pontecorvo: very nice.
That's great, they're learning,
they caught it.
Morgan: when he catches
something, it's his alone.
He is already showing
his independence.
The other two cubs are more
plush and cublike
Than their brother.
One is playful and anxious
As he bounds into the water
after fish.
The other cub is much more
cautious,
Sticking close to mum.
For the first time in the days
we've been watching her,
She's able to rest comfortably
on the shore,
While her cubs patrol
the shallow river.
It's doubtful they know
this is their last summer
Under her care and guidance.
At last, her smallest cub
Is beginning to focus
on the salmon.
Mum follows close behind,
stirring up the fish.
She gives up the chase, letting
her cub finish the catch.
Oh, look at that!
It's not uncommon to see
a mother get very protective
And aggressive while fishing.
To me, she seems as intent
On preparing these cubs
for life on their own
As she does with finding food.
Don't forget we're here.
After several days
of being watched,
Her curiosity for us
has finally piqued.
Hey, bear, you
are a good mama.
Oh, you are so
sweet.
Look at her
backing up like that.
And we're going to
get out of your way.
And...
That's our cue.
Morgan: we'll take
a cue from this.
A good lesson for us to keep
in mind
Is to always leave
on a good note.
While it may be some time before
they come across people again,
When they do,
we want their memory of us
To be a positive one.
With a few short huffs,
She rounds up her family
to call it a day.
We really didn't know when we
entered this situation
If she was going to be accepting
of us or not.
And she's emerged to be
This wise, mature, thoughtful,
Careful female.
It's taken us time
to get to know them
And to understand that
So that we know what
their limits are.
And it reminds you that
any two bears
Are as different as any two
people you might encounter.
And over this journey,
it's become clear.
The world these bears inhabit
is vast,
Yet it must remain so to sustain
such great wanderers.
The resources we so prize
are embedded
In the land that sustains
all life here.
Like the great plains of africa,
Alaska is the last stronghold
For some of the earth's
wildest creatures.
I've never felt so comfortable
or so alive as I do here.
This may be the end
of my journey,
But alaska's wilderness
and its wildest creatures
Will always call me back.
"nature" is made possible
in part by... but alaska's wilderness and its wildest creatures
is made possible by
alaska wilderness league.
the wilderness of alaska
is something you can experience
for yourself.
leave it untouched
inspby your presence.re..
capture its image
and preserve it forever.
canon --
living and working together
to appreciate today
and care for tomorrow.
the corporation
for public broadcasting.
and by contributions
to your pbs station
from viewers like you.
on a dvd/blu-ray set
or the companion book,
call 1-800-336-1917.
to learn more about what you've
seen on this "nature" program,
visit pbs.org.
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register