Episode 2
Wildlife series. Gordon Buchanan begins training the cubs for their new life in the wilderness. With just ten weeks left before release, little Pasha is still struggling.
Gordon Buchanan is rehabilitating six orphaned baby grizzly bears back to the wild - in just nine months.
There are only ten weeks left before the bears are due to be released into the wilderness, but they are not ready yet. First, they must learn two essential bear survival skills, how to swim and how to forage. Most importantly, they also need to put on enough weight to survive the impending Russian winter alone. Without a mother bear to teach or feed them, it is down to Gordon and the Pazhetnov family of biologists to prepare the orphans for the harsh realities of bear life.
For this vital part of their development, the Pazhetnovs have designed a special wilderness training zone just outside the enclosure, where they can experience the wild but return to the safety of the enclosure at any time. Gordon opens the gate and the biggest cub Zhora leads the group into the forest. Pasha, the smallest cub, eventually follows - he is the orphan the family are most worried about. Pasha is always at the back and last to feed at any foraging sites. As a result, he is struggling to put on weight.
As the release date draws nearer, all the cubs undergo a series of challenges to check they are ready to survive in the wild, but will all six of them make it?
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Clips
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Walking with the cubs
Duration: 01:14
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Teaching the cubs to forage
Duration: 01:04
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Teaching the cubs to dig
Duration: 01:32
Music Played
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The Knife
Forest Families
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Gordon Buchanan |
Series Producer | Anwar Mamon |
Executive Producer | Ted Oakes |
Executive Producer | Wendy Rattray |
Broadcasts
- Wed 19 Dec 2018 21:00
- Fri 28 Dec 2018 16:30大象传媒 Two Scotland
- Fri 28 Dec 2018 18:30大象传媒 Two except Scotland, Wales & Wales HD
- Thu 10 Jan 2019 00:45
- Sun 8 Sep 2019 19:00大象传媒 Two except Scotland, Wales & Wales HD
- Christmas Eve 2020 08:35大象传媒 Two except Scotland
- Fri 31 Mar 2023 16:15大象传媒 Two except Scotland
10 photographs of rescued orphan bear cubs to warm your heart
Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan spent 9 months with these baby orphan cubs in Russia.