Dynasties II (2022) s01e02 Episode Script

1
Puma.
Ghost of the mountains.
This female is known
as Rupestre.
She lives at the base
of the Southern Patagonian
Ice Field
in South America.
Recently, she laid claim
to the isolated shoreline
of this great lake.
It's an ideal place
to raise a family.
Rupestre is at a turning point.
She's just given birth
to a litter - of four.
That is rare,
and certainly the largest
that she has ever had.
Establishing a dynasty
in this new territory
and raising four cubs
to adulthood
will be the greatest challenge
of her life.
One son
three daughters
and no chance of a lazy day
for this single mother,
Rupestre.
The moment her cubs awake,
they play.
It's the perfect way
to learn the skills needed
to become deadly predators.
Stealth.
Sharp reflexes.
And great agility.
They've got a long way to go.
They'll rely on their mother
for at least a year yet.
Raising four cubs is a challenge
at any time of year,
but with winter
fast approaching,
her task will be
a formidable one.
Each day,
Rupestre leaves her cubs
in their lakeside nursery
whilst she heads up
to the hunting grounds
in the foothills of
the Torres del Paine mountains.
A guanaco
a wild form of llama,
nearly three times her size.
Hunting a full-grown guanaco
is risky.
A single kick can be fatal
but Rupestre
has little choice.
Pumas are masters of stealth.
They have to be.
Getting close
can make all the difference.
Only one in around ten hunts
Is successful.
Although tonight
she goes hungry,
Rupestre can still provide milk
for her cubs.
But unless she herself
gets a meal,
she will soon be unable
to feed them.
A few days later,
the family is enjoying
the spoils
of a better night's hunting.
She's brought her cubs away
from their lakeside nursery
for one of their first tastes
of meat.
One of her daughters, Coiron,
is already showing signs
of being a particularly
inquisitive young puma.
But up here
in the hunting grounds,
wandering off alone
can be dangerous.
These foothills are home
to more than 30 rival pumas.
This is Blinka,
an adult female
with only one eye.
Her mother dominated
the lakeside territory
in the past,
and there's every chance
Blinka may try to reclaim it
from Rupestre in the future.
But right now,
there's a different problem.
Blinka is calling for a mate.
This one
Is called Oscuro.
Male pumas
are the greatest threat
to Rupestre's family.
They'll often kill cubs
that aren't their own.
Luckily, Coiron instinctively
rejoins her siblings.
But more importantly,
Oscuro's attention
is firmly fixed on Blinka.
Up here, there's always
the risk of an attack
by a wandering male.
The whole family are much safer
at the lakeside.
There's so little prey
down here,
male pumas rarely come this way.
That's what makes this place
such a valuable nursery.
But it does have
one disadvantage.
It doesn't provide
much protection
from the elements.
The cubs are just 12 weeks old
when winter arrives.
The season is long
and the weather
is only going to get worse.
Rupestre needs
to find them shelter.
In the mountains,
there are caves,
but they are a long way away
for little legs.
Coiron takes it in her stride,
as do her sisters,
Dania and Daneska,
who are rarely apart.
Their brother, Neneo,
seems to prefer staying
as close to his mother
as possible.
Before long, a challenge.
It's hardly a big jump
and certainly doesn't deter
the three sisters.
But Neneo isn't quite
bold enough to follow.
Back together.
Perhaps next time,
he'll be a little braver.
Finally, a refuge,
and rest for their tired legs.
Not as cosy
as they're used to
but an excellent place
to hunker down,
protected
from any oncoming storm.
In the weeks ahead,
temperatures drop
to minus 15 degrees Celsius.
Icy gales whip up
without warning.
Rupestre hasn't had
to look after
cubs as young as this
in winter before,
and hunting is never harder
than in the snow.
The cubs only venture out
on the rare occasion
that she's been successful.
Even at just four months old,
Neneo demands more food
than his sisters
and forces himself
into the best position.
The more weight
he can gain as a cub,
the better he's likely to fare
as an adult male.
Winter up here
is a knife-edge balance
between getting enough food
and avoiding the full force
of the elements.
After months of bitter cold,
finally the sun sweeps
back across the territory.
It was always going to be
a major challenge
to get four cubs
as young as this
through winter
but Rupestre has succeeded.
With the worst of the weather
behind them,
she can take her family
back to their lakeside nursery.
But there's the scent
of an intruder in the air.
This is something
she must investigate
on her own.
A stranger
an adolescent cub,
easily scared off.
But it's not alone.
Its mother wants the lakeside
for her own.
Rupestre stands her ground.
She'll only risk a fight
if she really has to.
Intimidated,
the intruder retreats.
The lakeside nursery belongs
to the family once more.
And once again, it becomes
their favourite place to relax.
All through winter,
when solid food was so scarce,
Rupestre has provided milk
for her cubs.
That's nearly twice as long
as usual.
But now it's time for the cubs
to move on to a meat-only diet.
The arrival of spring
brings easier prey
and she starts training
her family.
Although too young to catch
a newborn guanaco themselves,
it's an opportunity
to see how it's done.
Neneo is quick to copy,
but, so far,
he's only confident enough
to try the technique
on his mother.
Being away from the nursery
also gives the cubs a chance
to explore the territory.
Dania and Daneska
are still inseparable.
Coiron is, once again,
the adventurous one.
Under their mother's
watchful eye,
each is settling in well
to life as a puma.
As spring turns to summer,
cold air whips down
from the ice field.
And today, winds are tearing
through the territory
at close to 100mph.
To make things worse,
the freezing gale carries
the family's scent
to a new male.
This is Carnasa.
He wants to mate with Rupestre,
but first he will try to Kill
her cubs.
Rupestre won't mate with him
whilst she still has a litter
to raise.
Blocking his path,
she keeps his attention on her.
By goading him to fight,
she's trying to give her cubs
enough time to escape.
Female pumas will die
trying to protect their young.
The cubs are
nearly out of sight.
But Carnasa
still seems determined
to follow them.
Rupestre is lucky to be alive.
She now has to find
her scattered family
before he does.
She doesn't yet know
if she gave them
enough of a head start.
As evening draws in,
her calls go unanswered
lost on the wind.
By morning, the air is still.
Rupestre has found
three of her cubs.
But one daughter, Coiron,
is missing.
And there's no knowing
whether Carnasa
is still prowling these hills.
If she is to find her lost cub,
she must risk leaving
the others alone again.
It's been ten hours
since she saw her lost daughter.
They've never before been apart
for as long as this.
Her other cubs still need her.
She can't keep looking forever.
Finally
her calls are answered.
Coiron has eluded Carnasa
and survived
her first-ever night alone.
The whole family
are back together.
For the next few weeks,
the cubs don't venture far
from the shores of the lake.
Rupestre must, once again,
split her time between them
and the hunting grounds.
Bruised and battered,
with nothing to show for it,
each failed attempt
leaves her weakened.
Back at the lake,
things are about
to get even worse.
Her rival, Blinka,
has given birth,
and she's come to claim
the lakeside nursery.
It's where she grew up,
and she's ready to fight for it.
Rupestre is caught off-guard.
Fights as violent as this
between females are rare.
But with cubs of her own,
Blinka will not back down.
Overwhelmed, Rupestre has lost.
The lakeside
is no longer safe for her.
She is forced
to move her family
again.
It's just not worth risking
another fight with Blinka.
They must now take their chances
among the other pumas
on the hunting slopes.
At ten months old,
the cubs are still relying
on Rupestre for food.
A meal as big as this
would feed them for days.
Failed again.
The family haven't eaten
for nearly week.
Time to try something different.
Switching to hunting
young guanaco
means trading stealth for speed.
They should be easier to catch,
but exhaustion
and muddy ground slow her down.
One last push.
Success,
but far from the cubs.
If she goes to fetch them,
someone else
might steal her Kill.
She's worked too hard
to risk that.
First to the food is Neneo.
If he's ever to challenge males
like Oscuro and Carnasa,
he must learn
how to assert his dominance.
For now,
he practises on his sisters.
With Neneo's appetite,
there's barely enough to share.
Rupestre has to work
harder and harder.
She runs down young guanaco,
sometimes as many
as three in one day
while her cubs
grow in confidence.
Working together,
Dania and Daneska
perfect their hunting skills.
Coiron practises on her own
with even some small success.
And eventually,
Neneo becomes bold enough
to grapple with giants himself.
So close.
Winter returns.
The cubs are now 15 months old.
Neneo is a strong young adult
able to get what he wants.
His sisters have learnt
from their mother
what it takes for a female
to raise a family here.
Now, to complete
her cubs' journey
to independence,
Rupestre has one thing
left to do
leave her family.
And that day
has now come.
Her cubs have
the skills they need
to survive by themselves
even at this,
the harshest time of the year.
Coiron is the first
to separate from her siblings.
From her earliest days,
she has shown an instinct
for independence.
Dania and Daneska
may support each other
for many more months,
but one day they, too, will
almost certainly drift apart.
Independence is often hardest
on males.
Neneo will be forced to leave
everything he knows
to battle rivals
for a new territory
and find females
with whom
to start his own dynasty.
His mother's training
will stand him in good stead.
But the story doesn't end there.
A few quiet months later,
with her grown-up cubs
high in the hills,
Rupestre is back
down at the lakeside.
Against all the odds,
quadruplets yet again.
Exhausting.
So far, they've had
the very safest of nurseries
but there are now
two bloodlines
that lay claim to this site.
Blinka's cubs may have grown up
and moved on,
but Blinka herself will be back.
There will be many more battles
ahead
but if any mother has
the strength and experience
to ensure
that her dynasty thrives
it is surely Rupestre.
For the Dynasties crew,
the only way to tell
Rupestre's story
was to experience
the Torres del Paine landscape
as she does -
all on foot.
So far, over the shoot,
we're definitely
well over 1,000 miles
hiking with the cats.
I really enjoy it.
I don't know
if my knees enjoy it.
Both pumas and crew
battle 100mph winds
and constantly changing weather.
People ask
what the hardest thing
about filming here is.
Honestly, it's the wind.
It's almost impossible
to even walk sometimes.
It's very difficult
to see anything.
Yeah, this is
my favourite office.
Since I started working here
in the park,
I Know many pumas,
and my favourite's Rupestre.
Nico has been working
with pumas for ten years
and helps the crew
get in the right mind-set.
You need to be patient.
You need to be very concentrated
to work with the animals,
to think why the pumas
are taking this route,
or a different route.
It's a beautiful thing to do.
Before long, the crew settle
into Rupestre's world
and, in turn, for her,
they become part of the scenery.
She totally ignores
their presence.
The cubs, however,
are a little more inquisitive.
When we're following these cubs,
you know, we're literally
watching them grow up.
It's a really cool experience,
to spend months
with the same family
and to, you know,
really get to know them.
Living so close to the family
means the crew also witness
one of the toughest moments
in the cats' lives
when Carnasa attacks.
We lost sight of her
and the cubs,
SO we were very worried,
because we didn't know
if the cubs had been injured
or died.
Now it's too dark,
so we'll know what will happen
tomorrow.
We lost Rupestre
at the end of last night.
Yeah, we're now trying
to find her and the cubs.
She's done so well
getting this far.
We're going to keep looking.
After a sleepless night
and lots of walking,
I'm just relieved that she's OK.
It was really impressive
watching Rupestre
hold him off long enough that
the cubs could all scatter.
I think we really appreciate
the struggle that she faces
and and just the hard work
that goes into
being a puma here.
As the cubs reach adulthood,
their biggest threat
may no longer be
from other pumas,
but from the human world
outside.
Rupestre's cubs
might travel for miles
looking for a territory,
heading beyond protected areas
and onto livestock ranches,
known as estancias.
Nico has witnessed first-hand
the problems that pumas
and people face
when their worlds collide.
Sheep are tempting prey.
Some estancias can lose
up to 10, 15 or 20,
even 20% of their livestock
in a year because of predation.
The way they deal
with this problem,
if they see a puma,
they hunt it and they Kill it.
On the biggest ranches,
over 50 pumas could be killed
in a single year.
Nico is working with
a nearby ranch, Cerro Guido,
on a solution
Specially trained
guardian dogs.
They live all day and night
with the sheep.
They go and start to bark,
and the pumas, they go away.
Pumas are ambush hunters,
and the barking dogs take away
the element of surprise.
We have been using the dogs
for a couple of years,
and the results
can be astonishing.
The dogs significantly reduce
predation on the sheep,
and the pumas return
to hunting wild prey.
When pumas don't kill the sheep,
ranchers don't kill the pumas.
Protecting the pumas
inside the ranch,
we are protecting a similar area
than Torres del Paine,
so we're doubling
the protection.
This success is just in time
for Rupestre's son.
The last time
the crew filmed him,
he was heading
towards this ranch.
Nico's work could help
to give him a safer future.
Probably, the son of Rupestre
will find a safe place
to breed, to stay,
to make this place his home.
The hope is that, one day,
many more ranches
will replace guns
with guardian dogs.
We are working in the middle,
for both pumas and people.
We want this to be spread out,
all over Patagonia.
Puma and human worlds
will continue to overlap,
but new solutions like this
may allow Patagonia's
most charismatic predator
to thrive
across the whole
of the continent.