Exploring Big Cats Around the Globe | MEGA Episode | Nat Geo Animals

NARRATOR: India, a country known more for its people than for its spectacular wildlife. (squawking) (growling) SANDESH KADUR: This is one of the most overpopulated parts of the country. NARRATOR: But if you know where to look, there's wildlife hidden in every nook and cranny. ♪ ♪ SANDESH: This looks like ideal Pallas cat habitat. Wow. NARRATOR: Sandesh Kadur, a National Geographic Explorer and wildlife filmmaker, is on a mission to uncover the secretive lives of India's smallest wild cats. SANDESH: They are fierce. (snarling) They are fast. And sometimes, they are furious. NARRATOR: More than anything, the small wild cats of India are elusive, evasive, and incredibly difficult to find in the wild. SANDESH: I'll need to use every trick and technique I know to catch these cats on camera. Oh, my god! Look at that. What do we have there? NARRATOR: But it won't be easy. SANDESH: It's going to be a tight squeeze. (splash) NARRATOR: India is home to ten of the world's small cat species, more than any other country. They live in nearly every habitat... from humid, dense jungles to the dry, cold deserts of the Himalaya. Sandesh is on a journey to bring these little-known little felines to life. Ladakh, a land of high passes and astonishing contrast. The freezing winters and hot, dry summers make it tough to survive here. (chirping) This is the kingdom of the Pallas's cat. When the Pallas's cat was first described in 1776, this grumpy-looking cat was believed to be the ancestor of the Persian cat. But later comparison showed there's no relation. Sandesh is here to find out more about this mysterious, misunderstood small cat. SANDESH: We're here in Ladakh. This is the Trans-Himalaya. This is supposed to be the rain shadow region with very little rainfall. But look at this. I've never seen anything like it. NARRATOR: The unexpected rain has washed out the road. SANDESH: There's been some pretty heavy rainfall up in the mountains, and it's washed off the road completely. We just got stuck in the middle of that. The water levels are rising, and the four-wheel drive quit working. So it was pretty intense just getting that vehicle back out of there! (engine revving) That was pretty scary. NARRATOR: Sandesh's search for the Pallas's cat will have to wait. With the weather cleared, Sandesh heads east, to the high-elevation cold desert of Changthang. This is one of the few places in India where he might possibly catch a glimpse of the incredibly rare Pallas's cat. (birds squawking) (bell clanging) The nomadic people here, the Changpas, have grazed their livestock across this landscape for generations. SANDESH: If anyone has seen a Pallas's cat up close, it would be them. Jullay, jullay! (speaking Ladakhi) SANDESH: So after having questioned many, many, many shepherds, no one seems to have seen the Pallas's cat. To find them, I'll first have to find what they eat. (bird calling) NARRATOR: Summer on the Changthang Plateau is a busy time for the local wildlife. (shrieking) Marmots, the largest rodent found in the Trans-Himalaya, about the same size as a Pallas's cat, but double the weight! Though cats sometimes take over its burrow, they don't usually attack or eat adult marmots. The Pallas's cat prefers more bite-size rodents: voles. SANDESH: Wow. Look at the number of vole holes here. This is what the Pallas is after. This rocky outcrop in the middle of this lush meadow may be just the right place for the Pallas's cat to hide out. This looks like ideal Pallas cat habitat. It's got lots of little caves, interconnected, and small caves that even red foxes can't get into. NARRATOR: A fox, one of the Pallas's cat's main predators, might also be waiting for the cat to make an appearance. SANDESH: One thing unique about the Pallas's cat is that it's known to have a habitual latrine spot, and this looks just like one of those. Good place to set up a camera trap. Why does this cat have to live all the way up here? Okay, done. The local people have never seen it, our camera traps are not getting them, and there's very little information about where to go to find this cat. NARRATOR: The shy cats don't welcome human intrusion. Sandesh needs to blend into the background. He'll wait in a hide to see if that helps. A male Pallas's cat can have a whopping 39-square-mile range. No wonder they're hard to find. It takes 20 days, but finally, out of nowhere, the Pallas's cat makes an appearance. SANDESH: Wow, look at him. He's just sitting there on top of that hill, and you can barely make him out. He's got these rounded ears that lie flat on the side of his head, and that's one of his most distinguishing features. As a matter of fact, his scientific name, Otocolobus, in Greek means "ugly-eared," probably not one of the best names for this beautiful-looking cat. It looks like there are two of them, one with a cut tail. I mean, he's so furry, the Pallas's cat has a coat that's longer and denser than any other feline out there. That's one of its most incredible features. It makes the cat highly adaptable to this environment; minus 30 in the winter, and this cat doesn't flinch. This is its home, 15,000 feet high up in the Himalaya. NARRATOR: All of a sudden something triggers the attention It's time to play. (shriek) SANDESH: I cannot believe it. I've just seen and filmed one of India's most incredible small cats. NARRATOR: Sandesh says goodbye to the Pallas's cat. But there are even more elusive small cats out there to find. NARRATOR: From the kingdom of the Pallas's cat at 15,000 feet up in the Himalaya, Sandesh travels to near sea level, where an amazing small cat makes its home right next door to people. On the surface, this landscape of plantations and ponds may seem ideal for a cat that loves fish. But that may not be the case. (horns honking) SANDESH: This is one parts of the country: Eastern India. Whoa. NARRATOR: Sandesh is in West Bengal, where the fishing cat is the state animal. (horn honking) SANDESH: I'm here to visit Bappa, a local businessman with a passion for wildlife. He has some amazing intel of a fishing cat he's seen. (honking) BAPPA: Hello, hello, Mr. Kadur. SANDESH: Oh, Bappa! BAPPA: How are you? SANDESH: I'm eager to see what Bappa has for me. But first, a cup of chai. a fishing cat in my life, and I know how hard it is to find any small cat in the wild. (speaking native language) Bappa tells me that a fishing cat visits his pond and catches dinner every night. I'm not sure I believe him. And then he shows me proof. Bappa managed to get one on camera right in his own backyard. This fishing cat is out in broad daylight, walking through the banana plantation in his backyard, just totally oblivious. What an incredible cat. NARRATOR: But too often, this wild cat's proximity with people doesn't end well. (hissing) Even though the fishing cat is the state animal of West Bengal, some people fear it and kill it. But in this case, Bappa convinced the local people to release this one back into the wild. Not everyone is hostile. Nearby, a human family protected a fishing cat mother busy raising her feline family. (meowing) SANDESH: Incredible how this feline manages to survive, not just survive, thrive, in this human-dominated landscape. (birds calling) NARRATOR: Later that night, while people of the village get ready for bed, Sandesh gets ready for a stakeout. (dogs barking) SANDESH: The fishing cat is nocturnal, and in order to see one, I'm going to have to be nocturnal as well. But I can't see at night. I've set up infrared lights all along the outer bank. NARRATOR: The cat can't see infrared and neither can Sandesh. SANDESH: The only way for me to see them is through this camera. These are my eyes into the nocturnal world of the fishing cat. So, fingers crossed, it shows up and I can film it with this camera. NARRATOR: The camera reveals a secret nighttime world. A jungle cat prowls the edges looking for an unwary rodent. A family of jackal walk by. A palm civet. But no sign of the fishing cat. SANDESH: It's 2:00 in the morning, and the fishing cat has just shown up. What I'd really like to do is watch a fishing cat live up to its name. I want to see a fishing cat catch fish. NARRATOR: The fishing cat lives in marshy land and won't hesitate to get its paws wet. In fact, it can swim a good distance underwater. Aside from that, the fishing cat is strangely not very well adapted for catching fish. It has webbed front paws, but they're only slightly webbed, like a bobcat's. Its claws aren't particularly long, nor its molars particularly sharp. No wonder he has such a hard time catching fish. What the fishing cat really needs is patience and perhaps a higher vantage point. is perched right on the roots of a coconut tree. (splashing) (bubbling) There's lots of fish. Doesn't know where to jump. The amount of patience they must have, the amount of concentration, focus, to just wait there for hours. You can see how their muscles are just-- Ooh, there he goes, there he goes. After watching for hours, Sandesh finally gets the shot he came for: a fishing cat catching fish. SANDESH: Ooh, there he goes, He did it. He jumped in, got something and quickly went out. He waited for so long, so long sitting on the bank, saw a fish come up close, jumped in, grabbed it, and out the water, he's gone. That was definitely worth the wait. It's good to see that the fishing cat has carved out a niche living in our shadow, sharing our resources. This cat reminds us of our encroachment into their world and the importance of saving this shrinking wetland habitat. NARRATOR: From the wetlands of the fishing cat, Sandesh travels 1,200 miles west to Gujarat, where a feline thrives in one of the driest and harshest landscapes of India. Here, rock and cactus rule. Surface temperatures can top 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The creatures live underground and surface mostly at night. (squeaking) They get the moisture they need from what they eat. Here, in Gujarat, Sandesh seeks the closest known ancestor of the housecat. (meow) (baby crying) Cats may have domesticated themselves over 4,000 years ago by hanging out around villages and performing pest control. Domestic cats still resemble their wild ancestors. So reports of an Asiatic wildcat sighting often turn out to be just another domestic tabby. But this report was different. SANDESH: That's definitely an Asiatic wildcat, our desert cat. VIKRAMSINH SODA: Oh. Sure? SANDESH: Oh, yes. 100 percent. SANDESH: Okay. VIKRAMSINH: You see the feathers are there. SANDESH: So I'm with Mr. Vikramsinh Soda, here in Gujarat. And just two days ago he's had the most amazing sighting of a desert cat. Shall we go and find it? VIKRAMSINH: Yes, definitely. SANDESH: Alright, let's go. (engine starts) Vikram's taking me to the spot where he saw the cat. Seeing his footage gives me hope that it may still be around. And there are other signs. Oh, oh. Oh, look here. Wow. VIKRAM: Yes, yes, yes. SANDESH: Fresh pugmark. Can just barely see its imprint right here. We've just found a fresh pugmark of what we assume to be the desert cat that Vikram saw a few days ago. That's great, so now for an all-night stakeout to look for this cat. (crickets chirping) And from the darkness, out it comes to sit upon the rock. SANDESH: And this cat is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, look at it, it looks like a miniature leopard. And this is incredible. This is the first time I've ever seen one out in the wild. Oh, there he comes again. NARRATOR: Suddenly the cat's on the move...on a mission. Desert cats are highly nocturnal, especially in the summer when they go after nighttime animals. SANDESH: Oh, he's just gotten up. Coming towards us. He's out on a hunt. (insect buzzing) Look at that. Look at that focus. Looks like he's going after that little flying insect. (buzzing) Oh, yeah. NARRATOR: He not only looks like a domestic cat, he even acts like one. SANDESH: Seems to be a juvenile, very inquisitive, just hunting, foraging. NARRATOR: From the dry deserts of Western India, Sandesh heads south to the Deccan Plateau. An ancient landscape of thorn scrub and granite boulders more than 2 billion years old. Home to a surprising variety of animals. (insects buzzing) King of the hill is the ferocious jungle cat, about the size of a large housecat. SANDESH: The jungle cat might be one of India's most common feline species, but seeing one in the wild is not so common. NARRATOR: The Deccan Plateau has a large population of these little cats, but their home within these rocks was almost lost. A Hindu priest tells Sandesh that a powerful god dwells amongst these rocks. SANDESH: He tells me that a few years ago, a mining company started dynamiting the boulders for construction material. But the local people fought hard for their temple. And for now, the deity of the rocks has prevailed. (bird chirping) Last couple of days I have been sitting here looking like a bush, and you won't believe it, but right here, I'm surrounded by over a dozen jungle cats. Normally you see a jungle cat and it's gone before you even say jungle cat, and here I've been spending hours with them. They sleep a lot. Maybe I should write a paper on that. (birds chirping) The top cat in this pile of boulders is one big, badass male, half blind in one eye. He probably got injured in a fight. NARRATOR: They may be called jungle cats, but these rugged felines, with long legs and large, pointy ears, thrive wherever they have a mind to, from swamps and grasslands to the rocks here. By midday the Deccan Plateau starts heating up, and there is not much else to do but lay down for a little catnap. And where better to stay cool than in the depth of the caves? When the air cools, that's the kittens' cue to start exploring. They've got company. A family of Indian foxes. The pups and the kittens keep a close eye on each other but keep their distance. They both have bigger things to worry about. (fox barks) A raptor. They all know the drill. (fox barking) (chirping fades) Once the raptor is gone, it's playtime again. Playing hones their hunting skills. They may depend on their mother for now, but in nine months they'll be on their own. (screech) (growls) It's a good life to be a jungle cat amidst these holy boulders. (screeching) All a jungle cat needs is a small pile of rocks to call home, and they'll help the farmers by keeping check on the rodent population. SANDESH: I'm very thankful the local people have fought off the stone destruction and protected these boulders so full of life. NARRATOR: From the land of the jungle cat, Sandesh heads 700 miles north to another rocky landscape. This is leopard territory. But while leopards get all the press, they share this place with one of the least known of all felines: the rusty-spotted cat. SANDESH: I've rushed up here to northwestern India, because I've just heard news of the rusty-spotted cat. It's India's smallest cat, and it's been giving me my biggest headache. NARRATOR: Sandesh has come to meet with his friend, wildlife photographer Shatrunjay, who managed to photograph the notoriously elusive cat. SHATRUNJAY: You've got to see it to believe it. SANDESH: Oh, yes, that is a rusty-spotted cat! Well done! NARRATOR: Weighing only three and a half pounds, the rusty-spotted cat is one of the smallest cats in the world, and the smallest in India. SANDESH: As if that wasn't enough, Shatrunjay shows me another stunning picture that a guest photographed just a few days ago. This is great, this is incredible. Have you been putting any camera traps out? SHATRUNJAY: Oh, we've done a few camera traps. SANDESH: Shall we go out and find it? SHATRUNJAY: Let's do it! SANDESH: Alright. SHATRUNJAY: Can't wait. NARRATOR: These hills are Shatrunjay's backyard. He knows every single rockpile for miles around. And now he is taking Sandesh to one particular pile of boulders, a maze of cracks and granite crevices. SANDESH: These boulders are home to many species of cats. An old piece of bone here. There's obviously something's made a kill, most likely a leopard. It's gonna be a tight squeeze. NARRATOR: Sandesh sets the camera traps where Shatrunjay saw his first rusty-spotted cat. Their habits are a mystery, but they're believed to be mainly nocturnal. SANDESH: Now it's time to wait it out all night with this special infrared camera equipment. It's coming up the tree. Oh, there he is. Yes. Oh, this is so adorable. One other reason why people hardly ever get to see this small cat is because they're highly arboreal and they spend a lot of their time sitting on trees. This is also where they hunt small birds, geckos, and even insects. Oh, look at that, he's just gotten up. To cool themselves down they lick their fur. It allows the saliva to evaporate. While Sandesh is filming the sleeping spotted cat, his camera traps catch quite a show. (sniffing) From the boulders of the rusty-spotted cat in Rajasthan, Sandesh heads just over 1,200 miles east into the remote northeastern corner of India. This land of jungle and mist is the kingdom of the biggest of the small cats, or the smallest of the big cats, depending on how you look at it. The clouded leopard. Named for its cloud-like blotches, clouded leopards have the largest canines in proportion to their skull size of all cats, earning them the nickname "modern-day saber-tooth." Finding this feline in the wild has been a lifelong dream for Sandesh. SANDESH: A few years ago, I was part of a project that helped two orphaned clouded leopards. Over the course of two years, I followed them as they grew up from helpless balls of fur to mischievous youngsters... (purring) until finally they returned to the wild. SANDESH: Clouded leopards live in this amazingly dense rain forest. It's a claustrophobic world, and trying to even get a glimpse of the clouded leopard is next to impossible. NARRATOR: Sandesh consults an expert. Priya Singh, a wildlife biologist, has dedicated the last few years to studying clouded leopards in the wild. But she's not exactly encouraging. SANDESH: How do you decide where to set up a camera trap? PRIYA SINGH: Being carnivores, if they are to move through the forest floor, they would prefer open trails like these. Just going to show you what we got. SANDESH: Oh! A clouded leopard! So what are my chances of seeing and filming a clouded leopard out here? PRIYA: I spent four months here, and I was in the forest almost five days of the week, and I never saw one. Your only chance of seeing a clouded leopard is through a camera trap. SANDESH: Okay, well, let's get to work. (drill whirring) NARRATOR: Sandesh's web of cameras is now set up all over the forest. SANDESH: While I wait for the camera traps to do their job, I still want to try and see a clouded leopard with my own eyes and perhaps even film it. I've got my food supplies, bananas, fruit and nut, IR lights, camera, everything ready. Now I just need our main actor to show up. (grunting) (chattering) And still, no sign of the clouded leopard. NARRATOR: One week later, it's time to check the camera traps. SANDESH: Look what we have here. A scrape mark. A scrape mark is an indication that one of the cats has walked along this trail. Right close to one of our camera traps. This is most likely a clouded leopard. Let's go check the camera trap. (barking) That's a barking deer alarm call indicating that there's some movement of a predator just down the ridge. Leopard! Oh, my god! Look at that! It's crossed the log right there! Yes! We have a clouded leopard. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Okay, now we have to check the big camera. NARRATOR: Finally, after all these years, Sandesh has managed to capture on camera in the wild. SANDESH: Oh, my god, look at that. A clouded leopard. That is just insane! NARRATOR: With large paws for gripping branches and specialized ankle joints that help them climb down trees headfirst, clouded leopards are perfectly at home high up in the canopy. SANDESH: This is spectacular. This is the shot I've been waiting for. Okay, I guess we can pack up and go now. NARRATOR: Although new technology is slowly helping us reveal a clouded leopard from the darkness, its secretive life is yet to be fully uncovered. It's good to know that there are still some felines that like to keep their secrets. SANDESH: This adventure has given me the opportunity to come face to face with some of the least known animals on the planet. The small cats of India spend their lives in hiding. Most people have never heard of them nor will ever see one. Yet, it's only when we know more about them, can we even think about saving them. SANDESH: I can't wait to come back and uncover more secrets of India's small cats. I'm a stranger here. I bet they've never seen anything like me. (bird cawing) Get used to it. I'm known as Saya. I've been on the move for months, seeking a territory to call my own. This place is exactly what I want-- a paradise, perfect for a leopard, the Kabini Forest of India. (growl) But they say this land belongs to him... ...Scarface. And he won't give it up without a fight. Scarface won this round, but I'll make this kingdom mine. Mutant or not, I won't back down because I'm the real Black Panther. This wound was my welcome to the neighborhood. To claim this territory as my own, I'm gonna have to go through Scarface. First, I've got to unlock this forest. And it's tougher than I thought. Do not make a sound. Closer. (monkey barks) Really? Langurs. Man, I hate these guys. The forest security alarm. Any predator sets them off. But they see me coming a mile away. They don't know what to make of me. And they won't let up until I'm out of sight. They call this one Fang, for obvious reasons. He's the gang's leader. Do you have any idea how many of your cousins I've eaten? Arrogant little monkeys, I'm not even hunting them. (langur barking) Another day of eating scraps. So close, I can taste them. I gotta figure out a way to hide from those monkeys. It's not easy. My unusual coat makes hunting here extra challenging, especially now. It's Kabini's dry season. The trees have lost their leaves, and the forest is bleached by the sun. I stand out like a silhouette. I do have spots. All leopards do. It's just the rest of my fur is also black. There's a reason most leopards here don't look like me. See what I mean? Invisible. That's Cleo. Maybe she can nab one of those pesky langurs. (twig breaks) Too late, my friends. There's no way she's going to fall out of that tree. Cleo's another reason this place is worth fighting for. To rule, I need two things-- territory and heirs. Cleo's confident. She's strong and beautiful. Come on, approach her! The timing couldn't be more perfect. Her feelings are hurt, she could use a couple of kind words. Seize the moment, man! She's not having it, not today. Cleo's the most dominant female leopard in this place. That's why she's with you-know-who... Scarface. Oh, they're the "it couple." Sharing a tree, if you know what I mean... ...while I'm stuck down here. Cleo's raising Scarface's cubs. She knows that mating with the leopard who rules the territory gives the cubs the best chance of survival. And for now, there's no doubt who's top dog around here. Scarface reminds us every day that this is his turf. If I'm gonna make Kabini mine, I've gotta be smarter than him, find my own way, despite the odds. But there's a lot more to deal with here than just Scarface. There's something else about India's Kabini Forest that makes it tough for a black panther. It's roasting hot. And if you hadn't noticed, I'm wearing a black fur coat. I feel the heat more than other leopards. It's a serious problem, until I track down a special place that offers relief. The backwaters, hidden in the heart of the jungle. It's one more thing that makes Kabini such a prize. This clearing holds water year-round, even during the dry season. Everyone for miles relies on it. But there's a catch. I'm not the only one who's here to cool off. That's Khal. He's still young, an upstart, but he's three times my size, plenty big enough to kill me. Khal's a beast, probably weighs 500 pounds. But I can use that to my advantage, with an escape route where he can't follow. Tigers are just too heavy. That's what makes this territory a haven for a climbing cat like me. It's the land of magical trees, a refuge from the tigers. There's Kismet, their queen. Regal, beautiful, deadly. She scares me, but I admire her. With no dominant male tigers here, she's the ultimate ruler. She's raising her three cubs to eventually take over. And she will not suffer fools. Khal's no match for Kismet, but he's still a threat to her teenagers. He knows that if he can kill her youngsters, she'll wanna have cubs again and possibly mate with him. I ain't proud of it, but that's the way it is with us big cats. Kismet wants Khal as far away as possible. One less tiger works for me, too! Truth is, this jungle's tough. I may be safe up here, but a panther's gotta eat. I have to figure out how to hunt down here where the tigers roam. Only then can I challenge Scarface for his kingdom. There's tension in the air. I can feel it. Scarface is on the hunt. Even bad guys have to eat. The chital deer don't see him... ...but the mother senses the danger. (barks) She knows the best chance of survival for both of them is for her to flee and leave her fawn to hide. But I've seen this trick before, and so has Scarface. It's how it works out here. I gotta hand it to him. Scarface is an expert hunter. I guess it's part of what Cleo sees in him. With her cubs almost fully grown, I know she'll be ready to mate again. But I still have work to do. My coat means I have to work even harder to win Kabini, and Cleo. Scarface, though, he's convinced he's the boss. What's worse, she goes to him. It's bad enough to know it's happening. (Scarface growls) Now I have to hear it? But us leopards aren't the only ones with romance on our minds. Males fight for the right to mate... ...including the greatest dandy of them all. (screaming) It seems that the peacocks battle to set up their territory, where they can strut their stuff, as only a peacock can. (feathers rustling) Unfortunately for him, the peahen has seen it one too many times. (rustling) Yeah, she's seen that, too. She may not be interested in him, but I am. Man, the langurs blew my cover again. (peacock calling) My number-one goal is to find a way to camouflage myself. But things are ready to change. I can smell it. For the last four months, the forest has been baking under the Indian sun. Dry and barren. (thunder) Soon, everything's going to be different. The monsoons are here. The new season brings life and opportunities for many. this place so green. But I notice something else about the wet season. The clouds and all these leaves, they bring shadows. They're everywhere. Darkness, in the middle of the day. This could be how I blend in. And I need some cover right now. It's Kismet. And I'm caught on the ground. (panting) If she sees me, it's over... ...so I keep to the shadows. And she walks right past me. I may have found the key to unlock Kabini... ...but there's another beast that haunts this forest, one I can't outfox by hiding in the shadows. If you hear its calls, do like I do-- run! Mornings here can be eerily beautiful. The mist provides cover. (bird squawking) But I'm not the only one who can take advantage. Those alarm calls aren't for me. That's what I feared-- dholes, Kabini's wild dogs. They terrorize the whole forest. I can take on one or two, but as a pack, they're as deadly as they come. Even the tigers fear them. The shadows can't protect me from these guys. Their sense of smell is too good. And it's not just one nose, but 20 of them. Only one option-- up the trees. Dream on, dog. That's as far as he'll get. Dholes are no climbers. Don't have the claws for it, or the muscles. They know they're wasting their time. Where are they off to now? Oh, the pack's headed out to the backwaters, where they'll take on anything. A wild boar's no joke. Their tusks could rip a dhole's belly wide open. (trumpets) Well, well! A higher power comes to intervene. (grumbling) (roaring) If the tiger Kismet is our queen, the elephants are like gods. They gather at the backwaters to socialize and look for mates. Kabini holds one elephant deity that deserves everyone's respect... Bogeshwara. They say he's the biggest tusker in all of Asia. The elephants here aren't poached like they are in so many other places. They can spend their days feeding on Kabini's vast fields of sod. Must be a herbivore thing. Tusker or not, the dholes only worship the pack. (grumbles) Why would they taunt a giant? Territory? Do they see them as prey? (roars) Who knows? Anyway, looks like the rest of the pack has hit the jackpot. Bothersome predators, dholes. (snarls) We leopards don't mess with the elephants. We get on pretty well, considering. Only a novice would seriously try to take on one of these behemoths. But a brash, young tiger, well, that's a different matter. Is Khal gonna do what I think he is? He's got guts, I'll give him that. At 200 pounds, a baby elephant would be quite a meal. He's a big enough cat to take it down. All he needs is a moment. So, how does a tiger sneak up on 10 tons of elephant? Ah, I see what you're doin'. So do they. (elephant trumpets) It's just a pipe dream. (elephant snorts) What young Khal doesn't realize is that it's not just the mother who'll protect her baby. It's the whole herd. Elephants have size, brains, and numbers on their side. They're untouchable. And I've heard they hold a grudge. (elephant grumbling) Oh, they won't forget Khal. Change is in the air again. Monsoon season is ending. Everybody's taking in as much as they can before Kabini dries up. Once more, hunting becomes extra tricky for me, trying to hide myself in the bone-dry forest. But I've learned something from life in the wet season, looking like I do. Shadows are my cover. Even during the dry season, I can find darkness. My world. Now I have a strategy. First thing I have to do is keep out of sight of those troublesome langurs. They'll alert the whole forest that I'm on the hunt. But I can use my ally-- the shade. So far, so good. No alarm calls. I just have to get a little closer. Once I'm in range, those monkeys can screech all they want. The brighter the light, the blacker the darkness. Clouds, trees, sun, shadows. It's all in the timing. Now! (cries) With every kill, I become stronger, more confident. Soon, I'll throw shade at Scarface and fight him for the right to rule this territory. Looks like Cleo's made a kill, and it's a good one. Now that her cubs are grown, this is likely the last time she'll hunt for her family. But she's nervous. Why are the cubs hiding? Oh, that's why-- Khal. If he finds out she's here, he'll try to kill her and her cubs. She better get them quick. Let Khal take the deer. But wait a minute. Well, look who's here. Our enemy's enemy is our friend. The big guys have never forgiven Khal for threatening one of their own. I wonder if Cleo even knows I've been rootin' for her the whole time. It's morning in Kabini, and I'm ready to make my move. Cleo is the key to the kingdom. She's been marking her territory. Her scent leaves a trail. It tells me she's looking to mate. Any other leopard knows, too, including Scarface. Where is Cleo? There you are. Are you staying with Scarface, or will you choose me? That's him. Today will decide my fate, one way or another. We're gonna settle this. It's time for this forest to go black. Leopard, you flinched. Up a tree? Sorry, Scarface, you're in my territory now. And Cleo? Now we're the power couple. The forest is gonna be different. Now it belongs to me. Well, us... ...and her... and him... and them. Even you. Well, you know what I mean. It's all Kabini. NARRATOR: They say you can live your entire life in tiger country and never lay eyes on a tiger. They're such secretive, stealthy, and peerless predators. Tigers dominate everything else in the forest. (bird squawks) This female is looking for something to eat. Sadly for her, the odds are not in her favor. For every ten tries, she'll make just one successful kill. Her prey holds an unlikely advantage. Sika deer startle easily. To catch such a fleet animal, the tigress must get very close. Camouflage gets her only so far. Deer are vigilant to every sound, smell, or darting movement. This time, they're not worth her energy. She needs to save fuel... (low growling) ...especially in this weather. She's a mother, with two cubs to feed. A male and a female, just about a year old. They're both still a long way from independence. These cubs are lucky. Their mother is an expert hunter. They won't starve. Soon, they'll have to learn how to hunt for themselves-- one good meal every day because this is Russia's Far East, where winter temperatures of minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit are not unusual. For thousands of years, Siberian, also known as Amur tigers, have occupied the southeastern corner of Russia-- 14,000 square miles of wilderness that's been set aside as wildlife preserves within a pristine mountain range called the Sikhote Alin, otherwise known as Tiger Paradise. Here forests are brimming with game, like wild boar and sika deer. My family and I have lived in this forest for generations. We're known as a streak of tigers. These preserves are our last stronghold. 600 of us tigers now live in Russia's Far East. We are the biggest of all wild cats-- cats that need room to range and to hunt, especially if you're the dominant male, like me. I share my territory with several females. One of them is the tigress, mother of our cubs. Soon, these cubs will have to leave to make way for new cubs. The young male will have to wander like a nomad until he finds his own paradise. The search could be dangerous. Some cats range so far, they leave the safety of the preserves-- a risk for any young tiger. Just a few decades ago, tigers in Russia were hunted to near extinction. Humans captured and sold cubs to zoos and circuses across the globe. Adults fared even worse. Dozens of us were killed by special brigades every year. Our numbers dwindled to some 30 individuals. Humans were the enemy. Today it's a different story. Tigers are protected all over the world. And with protection comes a certain notoriety. These researchers are here to study our behavior. We're charismatic mega fauna. So, they're setting up camera traps all through my forest. They want to know all sorts of things-- how we tigers communicate... At what age do cubs learn to hunt? Aren't they cute? How much space do tigers need? And how many of us will crowd around a single home range? When are we most active? And how often do we mark our scent to send a message to other tigers? They even want to know if we migrate, the way humans seem to do. It's taken 80 years of rigorous conservation to see our population recover here. But there's a catch: The more tigers that survive, the more space we require to thrive. We can only travel so far north before food becomes scarce. Better to stick it out among a diversity of other creatures. The Sikhote Alin mountain range is unique in this way. Both subarctic and subtropical species survive here and make this area their home. And who or what wouldn't want to live in this primeval paradise? Breeding pairs of paradise flycatcher arrive here in May from southern Asia. The toil of raising young is shared by the parents. A sighting of a paradise flycatcher is rare... ...while sika deer are numerous, especially here, in the southern part of our region. After a long winter, deer are malnourished. Not only are they quenching their thirst, these deer seek out vital minerals in the mud that supplement their diet of grasses, leaves, fungi, and ferns. Ah, they sense my presence. And there's a baby too. (deer squeals) One of them sounds the alarm. Well, at least the herd knows who's boss around here. This is my young buck now. I'm going to get a good feed before I cache this carcass to hide it from scavengers. The cubs' mother would surely share the kill with them. But if I'm going to keep my crown, I share with nobody. The food is making me drowsy. Time for a good nap. (flies buzzing) Across the rest of Russia, the job of top predator belongs to bears. Bears are some of the most adaptive mammals on Earth-- omnivores that forage on berries or nest eggs or smaller mammals. And when the river comes into season, a diet rich in fresh salmon. Every four years, the breeding cycle of salmon peaks. Great numbers of fish appear in the upper reaches of mountain streams, where they spawn before they die. All a tiger has to do is pick up a ready meal. I'm happy for the chance to fatten up for winter, because in mountains like these, not every year brings a season of plenty. A meager harvest hits us cats just like every other creature. Some tigers will resort to hunting a bear cub... ...or look for food where humans live. And that's when the trouble begins. NARRATOR: Bad stuff happens when tigers leave the forest. Someone got caught on camera. Cats versus dogs. Same old routine. Must have been one hungry tiger. The village of Kutusovka lies on the western edge of the mountains, just outside the tiger preserve. One hundred or so humans... and now, one fewer pet. Last night a tiger took out another dog chained up in the yard. Juri Kolpak and his team of tiger experts have been called in to investigate. Kolpak's team work with both state authorities as well as the Amur Tiger Center, a conservation group. Their mission is pretty straightforward-- de-escalate conflict between tigers and humans. Not much to go on-- a collar and a few tufts of fur. It wasn't me. And I hope it's none of the tigers in my family streak. No one wants an attack like this to happen again. Kolpak and his guys are pretty good at finding us, for humans. The team will build a profile of the problem tiger with any evidence they find or record. I want to know who it is, too. Autumn comes to Russian tiger country. Sweetly at first. My cubs are nearly two years old now. Their mother is about to stop feeding them-- a signal that it's time to find a way to live on their own. The male cub is not so little anymore. He already dwarfs his sister. It won't bother me too much if the female remains near her mother. But the male... he's gotta go. For us, territory is everything. Without it, a tiger can't live for long. Finding unclaimed land will be the biggest challenge of my son's life. With any luck, his first year of independence will be fat with opportunity. If trees indeed communicate with one another, then the Russian Far East forest is like an opera. One tree here knows all the parts-- the Korean pine. Every year, these pines bear their signature fruit-- pinecones. Every fourth year, there's a boom. Everyone profits. Wild boar, eager to fatten up before winter, gorge on the dense protein. In fact, humans love Korean pinewood and nuts so much they've become guardians of the tree, just as they protect us tigers. Siberian chipmunks exploit the pine boom, too. On sunny slopes, the Manchurian oak is another prolific provider... ...filling the ground until it's thick with acorns. Bounty rains down from the trees, which means deer numbers go up. (crunching) All very good news for tigers. My patch of tiger paradise includes a remote river basin. Some call this vast area the Russian Amazon, for its diverse wildlife. And not just the four-legged variety. It's also home to the Udeghe nation of hunter-gatherers, who make a living from what grows under the canopy. Yeah, I know this human. Klim comes here every year. He's after small game. Sable, for its fur. An animal that small is pretty worthless to me. Still, they thrive particularly well in the cold. And Klim goes to a lot of trouble to trap them. Look how absorbed he is by his contraption. Rather clumsy. Humans can't just bite down and break the neck of their prey. Klim must wait until winter for a sable to finally take the bait. Udeghe have populated Russia's Far East for centuries. But tigers were here first, for tens of thousands of years. Klim knows we're never very far away. Look, he's checking to see how recently one of us walked by. Klim's golden rule-- keep away from tigers. (owl hooting) Winter comes quickly, almost overnight. And what have we here? My son is going to try out his brand-new hunting skills. NARRATOR: In the deep cold winter of Russia's Far East, every creature must fight to survive in heavy snowpack. My son, the young male, is among them. He has to make a kill, or he'll freeze. You'd be forgiven if you thought catching a prey animal is easy. Deer have incredible reflexes. A simple shift in the wind could tip off a tiger's scent. If they see my cub, or smell him, it's game over. These deer were too fast. My son can't afford to lose the calories it would take to run one down. He'll learn. Thousands of miles of pristine woodland should be ample space for a young male to establish a home territory. But the land must be clear of other powerful, healthy males already in command. Like kings, we patrol all the borders of our range. Our spray and rubbing our scent serve as a guardrail to protect our domain, our prey animals, and our females. No young male should mess with us old guys. The message is clear-- all mine. By December, the river freezes over. As soon as the ice is solid, Klim can go hunting. I'll let him take a few animals. But Klim tends to focus on his cash crops-- furry sable, plus fish, berries, medicinal plants. He's too absorbed with his traps to bother a tiger. A few of us hunt this land-- one of my females and I. We'll each take down 60 or 70 animals a year. Mostly deer, elk, and wild boar. Klim takes notes on where we are. I keep an eye on him, too. We're fortunate. This is one of the only places where there's no human-tiger conflict. Klim knows never to steal meat from a tiger's quarry. That's taboo. And he believes killing a tiger brings bad luck. Over the years, Klim's people have been pushed further into remote territory, same as tigers. In fact, we wouldn't have this wilderness if it weren't for the Udeghe-- protection for both our sakes. Our fates are interwoven. Udeghe and tigers-- both fueled by a desire to hold on to our precious sovereignty. Here comes one of my females now, doing what she does best. This huntress knows her game... ...and how to get exactly what she wants. NARRATOR: Well, well, well. One young deer... grazing alone. Away from the herd. What could be better... ...for a hungry tigress? Her powerful jaws finish the job. What a solid kill. She'll need a safe place to store her prize so she can feed on it for days... ...because arctic temperatures of 20 below take no prisoners. (crows calling) That holds for these crows as well. A few noisy birds don't bother my tigress. She has plenty of meat. The carcass will sustain her and other forest friends for the next couple of days. Bones, blood, and all. All clear, guys. Dinner. From a distance, crows don't look that big... unless you're a weasel. He's gonna figure it out-- how to get his share. Give it a rest, will ya? Meanwhile, just over the range of the glorious Sikhote Alin, my young son has wandered westward, still looking for a place to live. He doesn't know it yet, but he just crossed the border of the preserve. Poor guy's never seen a human settlement before. This could get ugly. (clattering) How strange it sounds... and smells. If they keep it up, losing this much timber could spell our doom. Well, the canine sense of smell is still intact. This guy's the first to pick up the scent of the feline invader. Oh, no. It's my son. The young male's about to get his first taste of civilization. (dog barking) Ugh. Now the humans are on to him. I wish it were some other unlucky cat out looking for food. But now he's my own flesh and blood. Ah, he's got away. Not every tiger is so lucky. Year by year, human life expands deeper into wild places. For us tigers, contact with humans... (gunshot) ...verges on tragedy. We're still on the black market-- our pelts and our bones. Good morning, Kutusovka. Nothing much to report around here... unless you're a dog. Another canine life has been taken. Chained up, they're almost too easy. Kolpak and his team of tiger specialists think a tiger is at work. They're setting a trap for the cat. The trap triggers a radio signal that will alert the team so they can tranquilize the animal as quickly as possible. At least that's the plan. Better not be my boy. Back in the cabin, the men compare images captured by camera traps they've set up around the village. One particular female keeps showing up. (man speaking Russian) Who is she? I hope she's not another tiger from the home streak. The entire town is on alert. In the ancient rivalry between cats and dogs, it's no contest. Night belongs to the tiger. We're quiet, stealthy, and when you least expect us, we run you down. (tiger growling) (dog shrieking) NARRATOR: As usual, dogs are the first to sound the tiger alarm. The next day, the town discovers more grim news. Two dogs have been killed. One devoured on site. The humans gather the few clues that remain. Everything suggests that the rogue tigress is back. And it looks like, whoever she is, she's still on the loose. Kolpak and the tiger team head to the forest nearby. The size of the paw prints confirm it's the female. I've seen this drill before. The humans are going to try to catch and sedate her. She knows they're after her. Carefully, the humans move in on the mystery tigress. Animal and man, both waiting for the perfect opportunity. (low growl) (roar) Got her. She's been hit with a tranquilizer dart. She'll go down soon. I have no idea which clan this tigress belongs to. She looks young, which is good news. In a few weeks, she'll be moved to a wilderness area to the west, far away from trouble. She may not live as long in the wild as in a zoo, but at least she'll be free. Spring is always a welcome arrival here, in Amur tiger land. (ducks quacking) The forest becomes colorful and awakens to new sound. Even song. Creatures like these Dybowski frogs play the tune of all life. For a week or two in May, the understory is set ablaze with the neon blossoms of Dahurian azaleas. All along the river basin becomes a kind of Eden. No wonder my son, the young male, feels attracted to this place. It's downstream from my territory, not too close to home. Could be the perfect spot for him to settle down, except for one thing. The wind delivers a not-so-subtle message. Another dominant male is ruler here. My son has learned his lessons well. A fight with this powerful stranger could be fatal. NARRATOR: The future of Russia's tigers lies here, in the modern world, with people. (people chanting) Each September, Vladivostok, the biggest city in Tiger Land, along with a conservation group, host Tiger Day. It's the biggest celebration of the largest wild cat in the world... the Amur Tiger. (crowd cheering) Good thing, too. By the time these children grow up, our feline fate will be sealed. It's a paradox of nature. Wherever the great predators thrive, you know the whole system is flourishing. Like you, we tigers need space to roam around and places to disappear into. It's the only way we can go about our business of living, undisturbed, hidden from view, supremely powerful. It all starts with the forest and the epic production of food these trees supply. Food that lures the paradise flycatcher to spend each summer gorging on insects and the explosion of boreal growth. (grouse calling) The Siberian grouse is a homegrown native that munches on needles of spruce trees in winter, switching to larch during warmer months. Our local wild boar are big on family. They're abundant, if you know what I mean. Speaking of abundance, when the sika deer come into rut, we know winter can't be too far off. Boar and deer, both favored prey of tigers, our endangered cousins, the Amur leopard. And the lynx. Protect tigers and the land where we live. Save all of these other animals, too. Over the many years I've wandered this preserve, I've seen plenty of animals on the rebound. It's a remarkable comeback story. As for my son, the young male we've been keeping an eye on, his long, risky journey is finally paying off. He's successfully navigated hundreds of miles west and north from where he was born... to arrive exactly here. No other male claims this valley. It's all his. Welcome to the neighborhood. (tiger groans) Lucky guy. A young female just happens to live here, too. This male's patch of paradise just got a whole lot more promising. (groans) Primal woodland, ample prey, no rivals, plus a young tigress for company. Not bad. Not bad at all.