01x02 - Flight of the Condor: Ocean, Desert and Thin Air

[bunniefuu]

The second leg of
a once-in-a-lifetime

Adventure across alaska,

Into the lives of the wildest
alaskans -- bears.

I've studied bears for years,
and in part one of our series,

Filmmaker joe pontecorvo and I
set out to spend a summer

Immersed among one of
the greatest concentrations

Of brown bears in the world.

But as summer was coming
to a close,

We headed north to anchorage,

The biggest urban center
in alaska.

It's the last place I'd expect
to see a bear.

Not a good situation.

Here, bear!

This bear is frantically
searching for something.

She's behaving like
when they lose their cub.

Think it's time
to get in the boat!

These are
the bears of the last frontier.

It's going to get a lot harder

For me, for joe,
and for the bears

As we head out
on the road north

In part two of
"bears of the last frontier."

"nature" is made possible
in part by... as we head out on the road north

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from viewers like you.

With a single step.

Mine began the very moment
I came face-to-face

With this remarkable creature.

Bears are powerful,
intelligent, complex,

Yet wildly misunderstood
creatures.

Alaska is one of the last places
left on earth

Wild enough for bears to thrive.

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.

Rigging one of my really
expensive cameras to your bike.

Chris: together, our goal is
to peel back the layers of myth

And misunderstanding
on this complex creature...

He's spotted another bear,

And because the bear
is downwind,

He doesn't recognize who it is.

To better understand
their personalities.

To witness firsthand
how they live today,

And what the future might hold

For the bears
of the last frontier.

Our adventure began

Along this isolated stretch
of the alaska peninsula.

Left alone, this remote
coastline has become

A city of bears.

For the past several months,
joe pontecorvo and I

Have been living here

Among these massive
coastal brown bears.

It's really opened my eyes
to what these animals are.

But this is just a fraction
of alaska's bear habitat.

And, as engrossing as it is,

It's time to head north.

radio:
♪ kbear one-oh-forecast! ♪

man: it's going to be cloudy
like this throughout the day.

chance of rain
later on this morning,

and then rain likely
this afternoon.

but we're going to hit a high
of 65, which is nice.

winds up to 10 miles an hour.

man:
brown bear crossing the road

was struck by an suv

near 19th avenue
and gamble street.

officials are taking steps
to reduce the number

of bear encounters.

the number of bear-proof
trash cans...

the bear jumped over a fence
into the woman's yard...

officials captured
one of the cubs

that belonged to
a brown bear sow k*lled...

alaska is bear country!

Chris: this is the furthest

From any bear habitat
I could imagine.

Yet here, in this sprawling
metropolis,

Wildlife thrives.

Anchorage is a large city,

By far the largest in alaska.

Yet it's still dwarfed
by the state's wilderness.

It's a coastal city that sits

At the base of a massive
state park.

This confluence is

What brings wildlife
into people's backyards.

Moose and black bears

Have woven themselves
into this urban setting.

They've laid claim to
the asphalt and manicured lawns.

But it may be more wild

Than anchorage
has bargained for.

The city struggles
with an identity crisis.

People in general come to alaska

Because of the wilderness
that it promises.

And yet a city, by its nature...

Is meant to continuously grow.

In these neighborhoods
bordering the state park,

Dogs are generally the first
to notice a black bear

On the prowl.

This youngster streaks silently

Across streets
and through backyards

In search of an easy meal.

Still, as he hops fences,

He manages to draw a crowd

From the residents
excited by his visit.

Man: this is a very clean
neighborhood.

There's not a lot
of garbage out.

I do see a few cans that are
out, so that's not good.

Chris: where can we go up here?

Of course, for rick sinnott
of fish and game...

Oh, yeah, this is looking like
backyard bear habitat, for sure.

It's just tuesday.

Right there!

This black bear

Has become a regular visitor,

And rick wants to make sure
he stays out of trouble.

But keeping up with him
is no easy task.

This little bear has no problem

Scaling fences
three times his height

And makes being chased
seem quite casual.

People in anchorage are told

To keep their bird feeders empty
come spring.

But bears smell the seed

That's been soaked into the
ground below and seek it out...

Returning to familiar spots
from seasons past.

Bird seed seems like
an unlikely draw for bears,

But it's full
of protein and fat,

A very appealing snack
for a black bear.

Rick: we're trying to referee

The interface between
civilization and people

And nature and wildlife,

And it's a rough boundary
in anchorage,

Because we're all interspersed.

Oh, right there,
right there.

He's surrounded
by bird feeders.

Rick: that's why
he's up there, yeah.

Those feeders
are really high,

But it doesn't matter
with a bear.

They'll climb the tree, they'll
climb the side of the house.

They want that bird seed
real bad.

Chris: unbelievable, that they
can hang a bird feeder

Out the window there,
that high up, two stories up.

You would think it was well out
of the reach of a bear.

Look how high
that tree is.

They'll climb
the side of the house

If they have to,
but those trees

Are pretty convenient
right there.

Chris: there's a ton of seed
down on the ground.

Rick: yeah, yeah,
he'll pull them down,

Knock them down.

Chris: that's the last place
I would expect to see a bear.

There's people around
everywhere,

It's a regular neighborhood,
and there he is.

Do you see

This kind of thing much
in neighborhoods like this?

Rick: yeah.

Chris: really?

Bears get
into this neighborhood

Several times a summer.

You must have every neighbor
calling at that point.

Not everyone -- it's
surprising -- a lot of people

Kind of enjoy it
and they don't want to call.

They're afraid we might
sh**t it or move it,

And they would rather have it
here for a little while,

And enjoy it,
take pictures of it.

But others are flabbergasted

And not happy about it.

So we hear from both sides,
actually,

The people
that are not happy

And the people that think
it's really cool,

And just want
to let us know.

Interesting. And what do
you do in this situation?

What's next?

Sometimes if we're close
to the park,

Like a street or two, we can
chase them, but otherwise...

If you try and chase them here,
they'll just run in circles,

And run up every tree
that she comes to.

You could spend all day here

Just chasing them
from one tree to the next.

[ Laughs ]
not good. Not a good waste of my time.

Exhausting
and unproductive.

Rick: yeah.

We'll just follow her
around for a while.

Chris: this black bear
may spend several hours

Perched 20 to 30 feet
up this tree

And is very comfortable

Maneuvering about
the slender branches...

Despite being 200 times the
weight of an average squirrel.

The tree is a small token
of safety

From people
and from other bears.

And they'll use it as a shield

Before darting
through open areas.

Rick: in many cities, you have
pigeons and rats that have

Adapted to people, and they
become problems or conflicts,

But in anchorage,
it's the moose and the bears

That have adapted to people.

They eat their apple trees

Or they tear up their garbage

Or they threaten their children.

Chris: rick and his team
have become the referees

In a seemingly endless game
between wildlife and people.

It's a delicate balance,

And knowing when to make the
right call isn't always easy.

Across town, rick's partner,
jessy coltrane, is on patrol.

Jessy:
hey, did you see

A black bear
run through just now?

Man: no, I didn't.

Okay, yeah.

Jessy: it really isn't
a 9:00-to-5:00 job,

Even if I go through a day

Where I actually work
the regular hours

That I'm
supposed to work.

Fish and game.
This is jessy.

Your brain never shuts off.

I'm like a trash radar.

I can drive through
a neighborhood,

I'm like, trash can,
bird feeder, trash can,

Bird feeder, trash can,
pile of dog food...

I have a loyalty and commitment
to this town

And to the wildlife of this town
and to the people of this town.

And so it's more of a life
than a job.

I'm just gonna take them

And put them in this field
across the street,

Where they'll
be a little safer.

That way, they won't get hit by
a car and they're fenced in.

[ Laughs ]

That one keeps hitting me
in the head!

As anchorage grows, it does get
difficult, and we lose habitat.

There's more roads,
more development.

That does make it
more challenging.

People really do appreciate the
wildlife that we have in town.

Even people that say, "come get
this bear out of my yard."

If I ask them,
well, did you

Take a bunch of pictures
of it first

And e-mail those to your family
or friends in the lower 48?

Oh, yeah, they did.

Man: better go off!

Get out of here.

Jessy: one of the biggest
differences

I've seen with bears this year
is that

We've had more bears taking up
residence in midtown.

And those people in those
neighborhoods

Aren't used to seeing bears,
so they're a little more adamant

About removing the bears.

Oh, I see it.
Oh, can I use your ladder?

Man: sure.

Jessy: unfortunately,
when bears

Find their way into midtown,
they rarely find their way out

Without some help.

Jessy: no, he's just right here,

He's just a little feller.

Even if it isn't
of huge public safety concern,

Because the bears really
aren't doing anything bad,

Just their presence there causes
people really to be alarmed.

[ Dog barking ]

Can we come
through your house?

[ Dog barking ]

Ow.

Oh, my god, that hurt.

Let's see what it is.

It's a lot cleaner
than the last one...

It's a little girl.

Jessy: she would have probably
just ping-ponged around in there

For the majority of the summer.

In order to get out
of that neighborhood,

She'd have to cross some really
heavy four- to six-lane roads.

She wasn't doing anything

That I thought would warrant
actually putting this bear down.

It was just in her benefit
just to go ahead

And move her on out of there.

We should go
before she wakes up...

And we got to get gas.

Unfortunately, there's really
not a lot of good places

To take a bear.

We just try to take her

As far away from people
and neighborhoods as we can get.

So we're driving her up here to
the edges of chugach state park.

What do you think?




Oh, there's a stick.

Come this way.

Whoo!

She's coming out of the drugs.

She'll recover front end first

And then she'll slowly
get her back end.

But she's still really light.

She never really went down hard.

But I imagine she'd be moving

Or sleeping this off

Within 45 minutes, at the most.

What do you think? Yeah.

Rick: hey, jessy?

Let's just sort of stay back
and just kind of get her --

Boost her towards the woods.

Chris: oh, she's off!

Can you run fast
with that camera, joe?

You know, it's insane, you drive
around this neighborhood,

And there is so much
green space here.

And the mountains
feed the wild animals --

Moose and black bear
and brown bears,

At times, right into people's
backyards.

Woman: right now there's
this huge brown bear...

Chris: and if there is garbage
or bird feed

Or compost
or a barbecue

To keep a bear there, then
they'll find themselves

In a lot of trouble.

Look at that!

Not good, not a good situation.

Rick: go on, go on.

She's on the other side
of this trailer.

[ Clapping ]

Chris: nice!

So there's a good chance
she'll stay in there?

Rick: no.

Chris: there are hundreds
of miles of trails

Throughout anchorage,

Heavily trafficked
by people and wildlife.

Jessy: yeah, it's really
surprising,

Because you see
all these tracks,

But it's just kind of

A pocket of wilderness,
that's surrounded

By residential areas...

What do you think?
Dog or bear?

I'm voting dog.

This one looks
a little more like bear.

It could be both.
Oh, the one that you found?

The one I found
actually looks like bear,

And what you found
probably is dog.

Okay, fair enough.
Let's move on.

Chris: anchorage is
one of the few cities

With a healthy
brown bear population.

And during salmon season,

Brown bears
dominate these trails.

But you'd never know
they were here

Unless you were
looking for them.

For the most part,
brown bears avoid people,

Often stepping off a path

Moments before people
pass through.

Black bears, on the other hand,

Have learned to adapt

More readily.

This boldness has become
challenging

For rick and his team.

Rick: bears are very curious

And experimental animals,
and they learn fast,

As fast as we do.

You'd be amazed at what's
in people's garbage,

And then you start

Seeing every garbage can
as an opportunity.

Go on!

He's not the least bit
afraid of us.

[ Rattling ]

Go on!

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!

Rick: I'm surprised
we don't have

Hundreds of bears,
you know,

Cruising the streets,

Getting into garbage cans,

And making life hell
for everybody.

But it's just a few.

He'll have this one
down next --

Sunflower seeds --

He'll trash that next.

Rick: a black bear is
like a 200-pound raccoon.

You don't wa to mess
with them,

But they're not looking for...

They're not k*lling people
in a defensive mode.

We're not blase about it,
but we're trying

To address the problem
by reducing the garbage,

And not just by sh**ting
or moving black bears.

Chris: despite all
that rick and jessy are doing,

The reality is
that the bears here

Will become more and more urban.

And what does that mean?

Is it a bear that

Instinctually looks both ways

As it crosses the street?

Knows when garbage day

Is in their home range?

A mother bear with young cubs

Has a home range
of just a few miles.

And in the city, that means her
cubs learn to be comfortable

In whatever environment that is.

Humans have a real

Uncanny ability
to try and control

Their environment, you know.

If you move into bear country,

Does that mean
that you take everything

That bear country
brings with it?

Or are you willing to take steps

That actually enable you

To live in that wilderness area?

Or are you less inclined?

Do you want to control your
environment more where you live?

Really does come down
to that one question,

How much wild are people in
anchorage willing to tolerate?

Black bear cubs might leave
their mothers

As early as
a year and a half old,

Much earlier than grizzly bears.

So these little guys will learn
to forage right away.

Most of their diet
is plant-based,

But they'll feast on insects

Whenever they have
the opportunity.

Hey, bear.

This family probably spends
a lot of their days

In busy neighborhoods.

But here, in the stillness
of the park,

She seems cautious
as I approach.

She's obviously
a habituated bear.

She's spent a lot a time
around this neighborhood.

And I bet she dips
into these backyards for treats

Every so often, unfortunately.

Of course, all these bears have
their own personalities.

And this guy, fresh from raiding
a log, could care less

That we're here.

I want her to know
that we're -- hey, bear!

It's okay, we're still here,
it's just us.

You know, it's kind of
interesting -- I think

She's -- she looks
less concerned

When she can hear
our voices.

If she just hears us
moving through the bush,

Well, we could be
another bear,

Until we open our mouths,

And then she realizes
it's just us again.

One of her cubs seems

Much more cautious,
which will

Probably serve her well.

Finally catches up,
much more casually,

And still speckled with sawdust.

I've already figured out
that she's

A pretty easygoing black bear.

She really doesn't
mind us being here.

In fact, she might take

Some comfort out of it, because
there's also brown bears around,

And she perhaps knows
we'll help keep them away.

Oh, look, they're playing.

Imagine, these cubs,
it's all they know.

This will be
all they'll ever know.

They'll have
their entire home range

And spend their entire life

Right in this park,
and in those yards

That surround this area.

It's quite an incredible
thought, really.

Wild animals
in an urban setting.

For these little guys,
this is a new normal.

It doesn't matter if it's
a tree or a picket fence.

They're as amused by the flies
inches from their nose

As they are by those thousands
of feet in the sky.

I hope that there'll be a place
for them in anchorage.

I hope maybe other cities
will learn

To accept bears in the same way.

I'm looking forward
to the wide-open spaces

Of alaska's interior,

The very wilderness

That inspired me from the start.

It's fall now,
and it won't be long

Before the bears den up
for winter.

I'm heading north
to denali national park

To find out

Just how tough life is
for these interior bears.

Well, that's fairly miserable.

[ Laughs ]

Motorcycles are not allowed
in denali national park,

Only enclosed vehicles.

Too much of a temptation

For bears, I guess.

So I have to trade in my two
wheels for these four wheels.

Looks good.

It runs all right,
does it?

Runs okay.
Yeah?

All right, I'll take it.

There's only one road
into the park,

A 92-mile dirt track,

A speck in denali's
six million acres,

A park larger than
the state of massachusetts.

For the wildlife,
it's all about altitude.

From the tundra below

To alpine above,

Every ecological niche
is filled here.

And to survive,

You've got to keep
on the move...

Stay alert...

And always stick together.

The secret to survival?

Animals need plenty of room
to roam.

Dall sheep are icons
of the park.

But it's denali's remarkable
diversity that draws

Roughly 400,000 visitors here
each year.

You have to keep your eyes
peeled, every second.

See that?
You got it?

She's not running from us.

She's really agitated.

She's in this brush
here somewhere.

And we've lost track of her now.

She's really covering
some ground.

There she is.

Chris: we've just
come across this bear,

And she is frantically
searching for something.

Looking everywhere and smelling,

And she's also doing
this anxious huff.

She's going, "hoo! Hoo!"

And she's behaving
like other females

That I've seen
when they lose their cub.

I'm going to pull forward a bit.

She's so erratic,
it doesn't look

Like she's running
from another bear.

If she was, she'd be looking
over her shoulder at that bear.

But she's just just kind of
all over the place right now.

It really looks like she's
looking for a lost cub.

She's got her head

And her nose down now,
sort of looking.

Oh, she's found her cub!

That is magic!
She's found her cub!

I can't believe it!

You know, when I was saying

She looks like a female who is
looking for a lost cub,

I meant that it looks like
the cub was probably k*lled.

But it looks like, maybe,
she just had literally

Lost the cub in this massive
berry patch here.

Just look how excited they are
to have found each other.

They're so much smaller than
the brown bears

I'm used to seeing
along the coast.

And these guys have
this shaggy golden coat

And chocolate brown legs.

It's a coloration that's common
among the females here.

They're called toklat grizzlies,
named after the river

That runs through this valley.

Just beautiful!

Subarctic summers are short.

And in just a few weeks,

Denali will be
in the grips of winter.

Temperatures will dip to
a chilling 60 degrees below.

Animals must be resourceful
to survive it.

For wolves and the other denali
predators,

This is a plentiful
time of year.

And the last chance
for an easy meal.

Arctic ground squirrels are busy
fattening up for winter,

Sometimes doubling their body
weight before hibernation.

[ Ground squirrel squeaking ]

While food is still plentiful,

Wolves are busy
caching some of their kills

In order to spend
more time hunting

And perhaps to feed
their young pups.

Red foxes are
very efficient predators

And largely responsible

For keeping the rodent
population in check.

While they have
excellent hearing,

No sense is more finely tuned
than their sense of smell.

Foxes are opportunistic
critters,

And they'll even poach
other animals' caches

If they sniff them out.

It must be bonanza time

For these foxes
during the summer,

Because in the wintertime,
they don't hibernate,

But many
of their prey species do.

They've got their noses
to the ground the whole time

And they are incredibly
alert-looking.

Those massive ears always
listening for prey.

Well, almost always.

They do find plenty of time
to goof around.

[ Laughs ]

They look so mischievous.

These two could be partners.

Red foxes are monogamous

And often mate for life.

It's comforting

That they have each other
in this enormous landscape.

The first difference
you notice here

From the bears along the coast

Is density.

There are 20 times the density
of bears along the coast

As there are here in denali.

These bears are spread out

Across the park, making it
much more challenging

To track them down.

[ Laughs ]

Two steps forward,
three steps back.

There's two beds here.

This is probably
the female's bed,

And that one's probably a cub.

There's a pile of scat right
by your boot there, joe.

So this is probably
a really good vantage point.

Gives them a great view across
this whole valley,

And they're
nice and safe from competitors

And big male bears
that might threaten the cubs.

It's a good spot to be,
actually.

They'll spend the rest of their
season grazing this hill,

Stocking up for winter,

While the berries
are still on the branches,

And watching their neighbors
passing through town.

Look how milky this river is.

All of this silt
was brought downstream

From the glaciers,

And the salmon can't survive

In water that is
this thick with silt.

Think about those coastal
brown bears right now,

Gorging themselves on giant,
fat-rich salmon.

And their cousins here in
the interior are eating berries.

Ah, here are some of the berries
that the bears love to feed on.

This is one of their favorites.

This one's called crowberry.

And these bears

Will focus on these berries
so intently,

They can eat 100,000 of them
in a day.

That was 10.

Grizzly bears have those huge,
prehensile lips,

Meaning the lips
aren't attached to the gum,

And they make really efficient
plucking tools.

More efficient than my fingers,
that's for sure.

They absorb the sugars
through the skin of the fruit.

Sometimes they don't even
crush it.

And it always blows my mind

To think that these bears
can survive,

And not only survive
for the summer,

But see themselves through a
winter of hibernation, as well,

On a diet of largely berries
and grasses and sedges.

Grizzly bears were very smart
and very adaptable.

They put those claws and those
digging muscles to good use,

And they were able to really
diversify

And make the most of the species

That are available
seasonally here as foods.

That's the epitome of success
for a wild animal,

That you've been able to persist
over this huge duration of time.

You've watched glaciers
come and go...

And you're still here.

John muir once wrote,

"To the lover of wilderness,
alaska is one of the most

Wonderful countries
in the world."

For me, alaska is a place
of solitude.

A place to inspire
and rekindle your spirit.

Even here, in the wide-open
spaces of denali,

A mother bear's home range can
overlap with people.

She probably walked this same
path when she was a cub.

While a particular scent
has gotten mum's attention,

The cubs are still wary,

Keeping a watchful eye

On the bus load of tourists.

Perhaps this is mum's way

Of introducing her offspring

To the strange new smells
and sounds of the human world...

Teaching them, as her mother
most likely did,

That people are not a threat.

What is it?

Which way are they even looking?

Oh, there she is!

She's a pretty confident mum,
and her cubs are not far behind.

[ Camera shutters clicking ]

Wow. He's close.

Bold little guy. Look at that!

It's up to the bus driver
to temper his curiosity

By just the slightest movement.

The two of them
look like trouble.

It's rare enough to see
a grizzly bear in the wild.

But to watch a playful moment
unfold in front of you,

It's a remarkable thing.

These siblings play
with a combination

Of both strength and affection.

It's this very dichotomy

That makes bears

So fascinating and complex.

For some folks here,

These may be the last

Wild grizzlies they ever see.

Quiet moments like this

Are the kind you leave
silently, reluctantly.

There is nothing nonchalant
and easygoing about these guys.

I can't imagine them
taking a break.

They're probably feeding
day and night

From now till when they den.

And it's cold now,

It's what, 10:00 at night,
and you can really feel

The cold in the air.

I wouldn't want to be
a bear here.

[ Laughs ]

It's late september,

Winter is just
around the corner,

And as tough as the bears
have it here,

It doesn't hold a candle
to alaska's north slope.

Further north, a whole new
species of bear has evolved

To cope with an icier world.

I'm headed to polar bear
country,

And there's only one way by land
to get there.

The dalton highway.

Shadowed for over 400 miles

By the trans alaska pipeline.

It's the most remote highway
in the united states.

Pretty straightforward journey
so far,

But I've reached this
really incredible landmark,

The arctic circle --



I've still got
about 320 miles to go

Till I reach prudhoe bay...

And a lot of gravel
between here and there.

There is a definite bite
in the air this morning.

Seems like every mile

I head north,
the temperatures drop

And the closer we get to winter.

So I'm at atigun pass,
a really isolated pass

That crosses the brooks range.

And it takes you from one world
into another.

Leave the stunted spruce trees
behind,

And you enter this
prehistoric-looking landscape.

It's an arctic desert.

I've seen just a handful of
caribou along the pipeline,

But many thousands
roam the surrounding tundra.

Critters have settled down

Along this desolate stretch
of road.

And for a night or two,
so will i.

You can't help but imagine
what wild country this was

Before the road went in.

And really, the only reason
this road is here

Is in support of the pipeline.

It's windswept and desolate,

But this is grizzly bear
country, as well.

I've got about 150
more miles to go

To the end of the highway,

And I'm sort of in this fight
against time

Right now, trying to
get up to the north slope

Before the weather locks
this place down for the winter.

Muskoxen are out,
enjoying

The last fleeting days of fall,

Taking advantage of the fresh
grasses and leaves

While still above ground.

The inupiat eskimos

Call them "omingmak,"

Meaning "the bearded one."

But I've got to push north,

Take advantage of this weather
while it lasts.

These guys, on the other hand,

Welcome the coming winter.

They are built for the arctic

And thrive in temperatures
of 50 below.

Makes me wonder what I might be
getting myself into.

The last section of the road

Before you hit prudhoe bay
is dead straight.

And you feel like you're driving
through the middle of nowhere.

And after riding
for hundreds of miles,

Suddenly there's a sign
of civilization there...

On the horizon,

At the edge
of this continent.

It's a strange feeling when you

First see the glimmer of lights
through the fog of prudhoe bay.

Doesn't look like
any normal town at all.

It's this cross between
a truck stop and a space station

At the end of the road.

You can go no further in alaska.

This is where it all stops.

I'm relieved to see that there's
some carefree life

On this giant slab of concrete.

And, much like our furry little
friends in anchorage,

These young arctic foxes

Are making the most
of their surroundings.

It's a testament, really,
to their spirit.

They contend with

This frigid climate
and mankind's footprint.

And they seem to take it all
in stride.

Nowhere else on my journey have
I felt man's impact

More than here.

Here, at the very edge
of the arctic ocean,

In one of the most inhospitable
environments on earth,

A city has emerged,

Eighteen times the size of
manhattan, and growing.

Prudhoe bay is the largest
oil field in north america,

Pumping out over 600,000 barrels
of crude oil a day.

The impact of climate change

Is felt strongest
here in the arctic.

It seems like
such a desolate place,

Made more so by the acres

Of cold metal and steel.

But in the shadow

Of this giant industrial
wasteland,

There's a tiny glimmer
on the horizon.

[ Birds calling ]

This frozen oasis is the home
of the polar bear.

Soon the ocean will freeze,

Days will turn to nights...

And while the rest
of the bears sleep,

The season of the polar bear
will begin.

They will head out
into the darkness,

Across the frozen ocean,
to hunt.

And that's where I'm headed,

Into one of the most
inhospitable places on earth,

Where my next adventure begins.

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