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The Russian wilderness...
Shrouded in secrecy and totally unexpected.

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Unseen by the outside world for years,
now finally explored.

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In the east, a mysterious place
called Ussuriland.

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Here bizarre turtles dodge the soup dish.

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In temperate forests,
bears hang from the trees.

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And two of the worlds rarest cats
slip through the shadows.

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This is Ussuriland- The Secret Forest.

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The Secret Forest

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Russia- the world's largest country,
almost twice the size of the United States

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but with less than half the population.

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One of Eurasia's last great wildernesses,
few know its true wealth...

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In the southeast corner, deep forests
dissolve into fast-flowing rivers.

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The countryside is home
to the rare and unusual...

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This is Ussuriland.

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Ussuriland is dominated
by the Sikhote Alin forest

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stretching from the mountains to the sea.

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At its Northern reach lies
one of Russia's best known rivers.

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The Amur.

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The world's eighth longest waterway
forms a 3,000 km-long border with China.

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In April ice blocks the size of boats
sail down to the Sea of Okhotsk.

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They drift past trees
that hide one of the rarest animals
on the planet.

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Few people have ever seen one-
or ever will.

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The Amur leopard.

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About 30 remain in the wild,
making it the most critically endangered
big cat.

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This male checks on a deer he killed
a few days ago and stashed
under a tree for safekeeping.

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A creature of the night,
he finds daytime unsettling.

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He'll return to it later.

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Nothing in the forest goes unnoticed.

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Tonight, a keen eyed flying squirrel
spies the secretive creature.

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It's dangerous for him to overeat-
it will slow him down.

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By caching food he can return
again and again.

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A carcass like this can sustain him
for two weeks.

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A male Amur leopard can grow
to three meters and weigh 48 kg.

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They have been systematically hunted
for their coats and bones.

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and as the forest declines,
so does their natural prey.

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The world's rarest big cat
slinks back to his den.

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He's safe for one more night.

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The Sikhote Alin is one of the richest
temperate forests in the world,
and is already in the midst of the cold spring.

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This vast woodland spans
1 and a half million hectares,
half the size of Belgium.

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Flanked to the East by the Sea of Japan,
it cuts a central band through Ussuriland.

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Ridges, valleys and waterways
create a patchwork of temperate
and subtropical climates,

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allowing an abundance of creatures to thrive.

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In a calm river pool,
frogs play the dating game.

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even giant, bloodsucking mosquitoes
can't break the amorous mood.

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To avoid a plague of frogs,
different species stagger their breeding
throughout the Spring.

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Already a tadpole army
shimmers in the backwaters.

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Safety in numbers means some of the mass
must survive.

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On the shore, sandy footprints
expose a family of woodland assassins.

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Blakiston's fishing owls.

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By day, they enjoy the view,
and wait for cover of night.

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Their fluffy chick secures itself
in a broken treetop and waits for attention.

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Its parents send a reassuring message:

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We'll eat at sundown.

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With so many frogs,
chipmunks are low on the menu.

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After winter hibernation, they've got
their own dinner to think about.

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They bury food all the time-
but chipmunk memory span is only three days.

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So they forget where the previous hoards are
and have to search relentlessly,

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hoping to find something.

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Some look for an easy meal,
it's quicker to raid another's full pantry.

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In spring, when food is abundant
they spend more time resting
and sleeping in between meals.

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As light fades, the night shift begins.

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The adult Blakiston's owls,
stalk the river near their nest,

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close enough to keep an eye
on the chick.

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This allows the chick to watch
and learn from the masters.

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Adults may stare for hours before pouncing.

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Highly effective strategy.

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Having waited all day, the greedy chick
gobbles down the fish.

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And demands more.

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His parents, which mate for life,
take it in turns to feed him during the night.

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Time for the adults to hunt in earnest.

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He needs up to four fish per night-

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every night- so he'll grow strong enough
to fledge after fifty days.

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Plus, the parents have to fill
their own bellies too.

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They'll be at this 'til dawn.

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The lifeblood of the Sikhote Alin forest
is its untouched and hidden rivers.

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These secluded water ways hide many secrets.

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Tucked within the dense greenery,
another dedicated mother
cares for her young ones.

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A female Asiatic Black Bear
raises two lively cubs.

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Highly adapted to climbing trees,
their five centimetre long claws
provide a good grip.

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It's believed that Asiatic black bears
became tree-huggers after thousands of years
sharing the forest with tigers.

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Today, fewer tigers mean less of a threat.

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But the bears aren't out of the woods yet:

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World population has declined
by forty nine percent
over the last thirty years.

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They're hunted for their gallbladders,
in demand for Chinese medicine.

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When adults are killed, the orphans
become easy prey for tigers and leopards.

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The vast forest extends east to the coast,
running right down to the sea's edge.

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Here, the rocky shores are home
to a different community.

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Sika deer have adapted to an unusual kind
of environmental problem.

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The constant rain, snow and mist
wash away sources of minerals in the forest.

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To boost their diet, they come to the shore
to eat salty kelp.

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With the rare but deadly Amur tigers
lurking in the forest
breaking cover is dangerous.

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They must stay on the alert.

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Sika deer have elaborate ways to communicate,
using scent, postures
and ten different sounds...

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With one of the world's largest predators
roaming nearby, they can't be too careful.

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A wake of vultures indicates that
death has already paid a visit.

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While they squabble,
a phantom slips down to the rocks.

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Among the most critically endangered animals
in the world-

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It's thought about four hundred Amur Tigers
remain in the wild.

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They're the largest and heaviest
of the five tiger subspecies,

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weighing up to three hundred
and sixty kilograms.

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Unlike Indian tigers,
Amurs are usually nocturnal.

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A day at the beach needs caution,
even for this top predator.

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He must be desperately hungry
to venture out.

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Normally, these graceful giants
are hunters not scavengers,
but they won't pass up an opportunity.

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Vultures have already ripped it open.

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He'll eat up to forty kilograms in one go-
over a tenth of his body weight.

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But he's nervous in broad daylight.

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Heckling crows call unwanted attention.

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He eats with growing discomfort.
Something's not right.

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Perhaps it's the camera, although it's hidden
eight hundred metres away.

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Amur tigers have no natural predators,
except man,

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who has driven them almost to extinction.

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Up to thirty tigers are poached in Russia
every year for their skins
and for Chinese medicine.

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Increased logging and agriculture
threatens their home.

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Not surprisingly
they are shy and secretive.

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It's not easy turning down a free lunch.
especially to crows.

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They can take down a fully grown bear,
but reluctantly, the master predator
slinks away.

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Two hundred and fifty kilometres inland,
where Ussuriland borders China,
the landscape transforms.

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Rivers leave the woods
and drain into open wetlands.

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Lake Khanka, the largest freshwater lake
in east Asia, spans four thousand square kilometres.

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The rare Komarov lotus
and over three hundred and forty bird species
make their home here.

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Once affected by agricultural pollution,

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the collapse of the Soviet Union
led to reduced impacts on the lake
and a steady recovery.

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Sharp eyed herons search for fish.

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With over seventy species to choose from,
they won't go hungry.

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The waters hide fish weighing up to
six hundred kilograms.
far too much for a heron.

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But something else lurks below the surface...

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And it has this heron in its sights.

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With a nose used like a snorkel,

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this strange denizen of the depths
is a Chinese soft-shelled turtle.

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Lake Khanka is one of their last
remaining refuges in the wild.

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The border with China runs through the lake-

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and on the other side,
they are a prized delicacy
for the cooking pot.

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After seven months hibernating in the mud
they emerge to make the most
of a five month growth spurt.

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To an ambitious turtle,
that means sunbathing.

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When summer comes to Ussuriland,
it brings a surprise.

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Monsoons.

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From July until September,
up to a metre of rain pours down
on the Sikhote Alin forest.

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The weather is almost as threatening
as the predators.

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The owl chick is drenched.

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His hollow-tree hideout has filled to the brim-
he is homeless.

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Beating his wings helps
fluff and dry his feathers.

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but it's tricky.

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He retreats under leaves
to wait for the rain to stop.

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Young birds are at risk of hypothermia
before their feathers are fully formed.

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The rain brings little concern
to Asiatic Black Beas.

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A pair shrug it off,
focusing on the all-important business
of feeding.

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Unlike other Russian bears
that depend on seasonal salmon,

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the Asiatics are mainly herbivores.

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They usually eat fruits and roots,
but are known to take almost anything-

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including insects, mammals and carrion.

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If their diet becomes deficient,
they get extra nutrients
by stripping tree bark.

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During the times of lush green plenty
they must spend many of their waking hours
feeding.

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They'll spend summer building up a fat store
to see them through the dark time
of hibernation.

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After rain, water seeps from the hills.

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Small streams swell into raging rivers,
trees topple like dominoes.

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Massive poplars and elms
get dragged by strong currents
and dumped as waters recede.

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Storm debris is dropped
all around the owl nest.

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The young Blakiston's Fish Owl's
front garden has changed,

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but he's dried out and ready to explore.

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As he gets closer to fledging,
he must master the use of his huge talons
and powerful wings.

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He's also learning to preen his feathers.

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00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:57,610
It's essential to prevent clumping after rain,
vital for his warmth and insulation.

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At six weeks old he is already
half a metre tall- as an adult

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he'll grow another 20cm.

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As night falls, a serenade
of mating calls fills the forest.

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But tonight's romance
will be short lived for some.

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To the owl family, the frog calls
sound like a dinner bell.

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At the end of April concerts fill the air
from early morning until late at night.

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Even an owl can grow tired of fish.

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They aren't the only ones
attracted by the frog chorus.

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It's a racoon dog, a tiny hunter,
just fifty centimetres long.

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Up above, the feast begins.

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While the owls watch from their perch,
the dog sniffs out its supper.

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It has poor eyesight
and relies on a sensitive nose.

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The chick, as usual, simply waits for
his parents to bring the next meal.

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00:23:48,310 --> 00:23:53,420
In the forest hundreds of unnamed tributaries
and streams feed twenty three rivers

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that soak a drainage area
of around seventeen thousand
square kilometres.

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Water from here makes its way
to Lake Khanka and its marshes.

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Strong winds whip across the wide lake basin,
stirring up waves.

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Gulls feel right at home.

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00:24:27,700 --> 00:24:31,650
As waves hit the Western edge
they surge over the sand banks.

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00:24:35,270 --> 00:24:38,630
Lagoons are formed and soon tracks appear.

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00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,520
After a storm, Chinese turtles
move in to check it out.

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When the lagoon formed,
it trapped thousands of small fish...

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00:25:03,990 --> 00:25:08,510
Bad news for the fish...
For everyone else it's a bonanza...

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With such an abundance of fish,
the turtle can afford to be choosy.

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It only eats the head
with its energy-rich brain...

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The fish have more to worry about
than just brain-sucking turtles...

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00:26:06,810 --> 00:26:11,200
They must also beware
of the voracious Snakehead fish.

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00:26:17,370 --> 00:26:20,280
These predators aren't trapped
in the lagoon.

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00:26:23,390 --> 00:26:27,940
They can breathe air so a shrinking water pool
is like an all you can eat buffet.

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00:26:33,970 --> 00:26:39,350
The shallows are full of small, gasping fish,
but the snakehead misses its strike.

194
00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:45,770
But no problem.
the air breather can easily
wriggle back to the water.

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00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,890
After eating their fill,
the turtles return to the safety
of deeper waters for the night.

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00:27:00,860 --> 00:27:05,540
Although adults have few predators here,
they instinctively seek safety.

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00:27:22,270 --> 00:27:25,460
On the south coast the land changes again.

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00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:31,620
Two hundred and thirty kilometres away
the bays of the Rimsky-Korsakov Archipelago
look like the Mediterranean.

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00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:38,800
Pines form the last stand of Russian forest
as cliffs dive into the sea.

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00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,800
The warm Tsushima current
coming from the Sea of Japan

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creates one of Russia's best kept secrets-

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it resembles a tropical underwater world.

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00:27:52,610 --> 00:27:55,830
Life giving waters are comparable
to the Gulf Stream.

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Kelp and Sea grass create miniature forests...

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00:28:06,650 --> 00:28:10,200
Here both predators and prey
hide in plain sight.

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00:28:15,510 --> 00:28:18,680
In this world, camouflage is key.

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00:28:21,620 --> 00:28:25,550
The colour-changing octopus
is reigning champ of hide and seek.

208
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,690
But this laid-back octopus's garden
hides a vicious paradise...

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Here stones are alive- and dangerous.

210
00:28:46,350 --> 00:28:49,540
No one tangles with the Japanese fugu fish.

211
00:28:50,090 --> 00:28:53,450
They carry one of the deadliest toxins
in the animal kingdom.

212
00:28:55,900 --> 00:28:58,480
Japanese chefs serve these puffer fish,

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00:28:58,580 --> 00:29:03,210
but only after two years of training
and a rigorous exam in rendering them harmless.

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00:29:10,020 --> 00:29:12,850
Less venomous predators join gangs.

215
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,800
Pacific starfish rip open mussels
and suck out their meat.

216
00:29:22,050 --> 00:29:25,440
Soft corals gracefully receive the leftovers.

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00:29:28,730 --> 00:29:31,940
Hermit crabs hunt under a protective shell.

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00:29:33,690 --> 00:29:38,070
While day and night bizarre sea cucumbers
hoover the depths.

219
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:49,530
Back at the Lake Khanka lagoons,
the early morning brings out the dawn patrol.

220
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,370
A raccoon dog sniffing out a meal
on the sand banks.

221
00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:13,880
Chinese soft-shelled turtles lay eggs
up to five times a year,
depositing as many as thirty in one go.

222
00:30:19,070 --> 00:30:23,040
There may be thousands out here,
if only he could only find them.

223
00:30:28,710 --> 00:30:31,710
Unlike other dogs they are not fast hunters.

224
00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:36,500
instead their sense of smell
turns them into relentless scavengers.

225
00:30:40,220 --> 00:30:45,390
He has a strong nose but poor eyesight.
so he is easily spooked.

226
00:30:57,540 --> 00:31:00,360
But eventually the effort pays off.

227
00:31:13,100 --> 00:31:18,060
He must rely on finding smaller food items
so spends hours foraging.

228
00:31:24,250 --> 00:31:28,540
The lake holds the largest
breeding population in the Russian Far East.

229
00:31:31,910 --> 00:31:37,350
The hatchlings lucky enough
to survive flooding and predation
make a mad dash to the water.

230
00:31:41,170 --> 00:31:45,530
For these coin-size turtles,
life is one peril after another.

231
00:31:58,340 --> 00:32:00,770
Just reaching the shore is a challenge.

232
00:32:10,260 --> 00:32:16,200
The shallows offer relative safety-
except their relatives are cannibals.

233
00:32:32,140 --> 00:32:36,480
Some young hide along the shoreline,
others float like leaves.

234
00:32:40,970 --> 00:32:43,580
Then they head for cover in the lotus beds.

235
00:32:48,910 --> 00:32:54,990
Weighing just a few grams,
they tuck into algae and spend time
sunbathing like the adults.

236
00:33:00,570 --> 00:33:03,510
But predators lurk in the lotus beds too.

237
00:33:12,450 --> 00:33:14,980
Snakehead fish come to prowl.

238
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:23,510
The turtle, enjoying his own feast,
remains oblivious to the danger.

239
00:33:37,610 --> 00:33:41,330
Score one for the turtle,
nil for the snakehead.

240
00:33:46,090 --> 00:33:52,220
As summer ends, Lake Khanka
marks the occasion with a most spectacular
and beautiful display.

241
00:33:55,220 --> 00:34:00,670
Mayflies have spent up to a year
living on the lake bed eating algae as nymphs...

242
00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:03,460
Now they transform.

243
00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,500
For twenty minutes before and after sunset

244
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:14,200
winged adults start to rise
from the lake to breed...

245
00:34:16,090 --> 00:34:19,920
Thousands...
then millions...

246
00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:34,090
In the space of just twenty four hours
they mate on the wing,

247
00:34:34,190 --> 00:34:37,420
drop eggs on the surface.
and then die.

248
00:34:45,030 --> 00:34:48,900
They don't even stop to eat,
but become a feast for others.

249
00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:57,200
Then all will be quiet until next year's
fleeting moment of glory.

250
00:35:03,900 --> 00:35:07,100
The brief autumn starts
to roll into Ussuriland.

251
00:35:10,550 --> 00:35:15,590
Back in the wooded hills
of the great Sikhote Alin forest,
the trees turn to gold.

252
00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:27,820
Time is short for the animals.
They must find food and shelter
before the snows arrive.

253
00:35:34,750 --> 00:35:40,290
Rare musk deer make the most
of the remaining leaves
before they are buried under a white blanket...

254
00:35:43,740 --> 00:35:47,880
The Males display short tusks
rather than showy antlers.

255
00:35:53,450 --> 00:35:57,990
The young Asiatic Black Bears
are experiencing their first leafy autumn.

256
00:36:05,570 --> 00:36:07,580
But there's no sign of their mother.

257
00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:12,530
poaching orphans around twenty bears
in Ussuriland every year.

258
00:36:15,900 --> 00:36:19,350
Normally they would stay with her
for two or three years.

259
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:26,200
Without her guidance, their first winter
might be their last.

260
00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:31,730
At least they've fattened up
over the summer,

261
00:36:31,830 --> 00:36:37,000
cubs increase weight
tenfold in the first 3 months-
vital to survive winter.

262
00:36:41,710 --> 00:36:43,990
Right now they'd rather play.

263
00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:04,820
Many hibernate for the whole winter,
some only during the worst periods.

264
00:37:07,290 --> 00:37:10,420
they build dens on the ground
with brushwood and foliage.

265
00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:14,420
At least one of them shows the right idea.

266
00:37:21,780 --> 00:37:23,870
But his brother seems clueless.

267
00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:27,650
He'd better wise up soon
because he's running out of time.

268
00:37:29,450 --> 00:37:34,620
Winter is fast approaching
and with no cosy den to retire to,
his chances are slim.

269
00:37:44,490 --> 00:37:47,310
At the lake, the lotus fields are dead.

270
00:37:50,150 --> 00:37:55,780
The frigid waters will serve as cold storage
for seven months as winter
throws an icy blanket across it...

271
00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:03,330
Frost has already put reeds
into preservation.

272
00:38:06,240 --> 00:38:09,840
Nimble parrotbills hunt for insects
hidden inside the stems.

273
00:38:16,610 --> 00:38:19,410
They'll sustain the birds
through the lean months.

274
00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:36,700
Come November, winter arrives
full throttle.

275
00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:47,290
forest waterways
transform into glassy sheets of ice.

276
00:38:53,580 --> 00:38:56,720
Underneath, life gently winds down.

277
00:38:58,300 --> 00:39:01,880
small fish will survive
if the water holds enough oxygen.

278
00:39:06,790 --> 00:39:12,040
Some Frogs and toads divert blood to the skin,
pulling oxygen from the water.

279
00:39:12,140 --> 00:39:15,680
Their heart rate slows
and can even stop as the temperature drops.

280
00:39:19,590 --> 00:39:23,200
Those that haven't developed in time
miss their chance.

281
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:45,900
Winter's harsh hand reaches the coast last.

282
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,540
The ice slowly builds around its edges.

283
00:39:53,010 --> 00:39:56,350
Harlequin ducks will endure
the long winter here.

284
00:40:00,050 --> 00:40:03,260
Meantime, they bob around like corks
in the breakers

285
00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:07,600
and dive beneath the strong currents
where shrimp, snails and fish flourish.

286
00:40:15,010 --> 00:40:18,080
They can stay under for up to
twenty five seconds at a time.

287
00:40:22,620 --> 00:40:27,550
Densely packed feathers
trap an insulating layer of air
to protect them from the cold.

288
00:40:33,820 --> 00:40:38,090
The ducks' neighbours, the Larga seals,
aren't quite so energetic.

289
00:40:39,060 --> 00:40:44,200
These two meter long, blubber-clad torpedoes
have no complaints about the coming winter...

290
00:40:47,100 --> 00:40:51,360
except the ice disturbs sunbathing
and makes getting out of the water
more tricky.

291
00:40:59,100 --> 00:41:04,800
They spend much of winter in the water
and when that begins to freeze
they lounge around on the ice floes.

292
00:41:15,250 --> 00:41:20,010
They can make fishing trips
hundreds of kilometres long,
before returning to the coast to rest.

293
00:41:32,010 --> 00:41:38,320
Soon enough, snow arrives in all its fury...
and time itself seems to freeze.

294
00:41:42,490 --> 00:41:44,550
But not for everything.

295
00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:54,590
A young Indian Marten
celebrates his first snow
with childlike delight.

296
00:41:59,540 --> 00:42:02,070
Another of Ussuriland's rare animals...

297
00:42:02,170 --> 00:42:06,220
as their name suggests,
Indian Martens are found across India and Asia.

298
00:42:13,460 --> 00:42:17,130
When the novelty wears off,
deep winter may come as a shock.

299
00:42:26,550 --> 00:42:30,920
Ussuriland was once the secret Russia
where few people went...

300
00:42:31,020 --> 00:42:33,760
preserved and protected by its remoteness.

301
00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:40,520
But as in so many places,
man's encroachment has left its mark...

302
00:42:44,410 --> 00:42:47,130
Tigers have suffered years of persecution,

303
00:42:47,230 --> 00:42:51,940
with seven percent of the population
poached in a year,
the future does not look good.

304
00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:59,800
Logging has brought more people here,
impacting on the region's wildlife.

305
00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:07,620
The world's largest cat
still rules these woods,
but the end of his reign may be in sight.

306
00:43:12,740 --> 00:43:16,200
It is possible to find Amur Tigers
in the wild.

307
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:22,170
But, with small breeding numbers,
a life expectancy of only ten years,

308
00:43:22,270 --> 00:43:25,590
and a shrinking domain,
the tiger's future looks bleak.

309
00:43:44,620 --> 00:43:50,200
Before long, the only way to see the king
of Russia may be in protected areas
like these.

310
00:44:01,460 --> 00:44:07,010
In the Sikhote Alin forest,
one little river runs unfrozen and undisturbed.

311
00:44:12,510 --> 00:44:15,730
Its snowy banks keep a record
of recent events.

312
00:44:21,130 --> 00:44:25,310
As the sun goes down, a proud parent
watches from the riverbank.

313
00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:32,210
The Owl chick has come of age.

314
00:44:38,250 --> 00:44:43,200
It may stay in its parents' territory
for two years, honing its survival skills.

315
00:44:46,730 --> 00:44:51,010
Tonight it's taking on the first challenge-
fishing.

316
00:44:59,780 --> 00:45:04,490
After weeks watching its parents from the nest,
it's ready to go it alone:

317
00:45:06,310 --> 00:45:08,780
the first dip in the icy waters...

318
00:45:55,260 --> 00:46:00,270
As it enjoys the prize, the parent shows
how easy it is with a little more practice.

319
00:46:14,900 --> 00:46:17,350
The fledgling will become a master
soon enough.

320
00:46:22,330 --> 00:46:28,900
The secret primeval forests of Sikhote Alin
are a last stand for some of the earth's
rarest animals.

321
00:46:31,420 --> 00:46:36,390
The rivers and wetlands of the Amur basin
hold stories of nature's triumph...

322
00:46:36,490 --> 00:46:38,320
and near tragedy...

323
00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:42,690
In this strange and unknown part of Russia

324
00:46:42,790 --> 00:46:44,830
there is much to be preserved.

325
00:46:46,270 --> 00:46:49,270
The epic wilderness known as Ussuriland.

326
00:46:50,270 --> 00:46:54,270
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327
00:46:57,270 --> 00:47:01,270
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