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New Documentaries 2018 The Mysterious Secrets beneath The Snow Mountains [Best Documentary 2018]
this is a story about a land shaped by natural forces forces far beyond the
power and control of man
tiro was born from a collision of continents a cataclysm that pushed
together and piled up things once far apart
the result is a steep world of great variety crowded into a small space
this is a land of the third dimension the depth of a valley the height of a
ridge its geographical direction its position at the center or the fringe of
the Alps its inclination towards the Sun determines whether a bit of Tirol is
commercial mild barren or green bone dry or overflowing with water
for millennia men have inhabited these rugged mountains and its valleys why
have they come here in the first place what drew them into the Alps what is the
magic of these mountains
mid-april the eastern and southern slope should already be free of snow for six
months the marmots have not been in touch with their neighbors now it's time
to catch up when the snow stays longer than in normal years the appetite for
grass becomes an urge and it's not the only one
the tarragon's have only just begun their courtship on the one hand they
need deep snow for their sleeping tunnels but they cannot lay eggs before
the ground is dry and warm this spring they'll have to wait for their courtship
black grouse like to meet on winters last spots of snow
now this snow everywhere so this year the males are still an exclusive club
after half a year of fasting hunger forces the marmots to go ahead with
something they would not normally do
when one clan member sounds a warning all the marmots will run for cover but
now the borough is far
a Golden Eagle will attack at a speed of 80 meters per second
fluffing a chance like that takes a real rookie
the marmots are cautious now an empty stomach or an eagle's claws that's not
an easy choice but like many a dilemma this true will sooner or later melt away
once Alpine enemies begin to beckon - butterflies crocuses open their chalices
and millions of tiny creatures come scurrying towards the Sun Nature is
quick to catch up for time lost
day after day the melting snow draws changing patterns on the rocky slopes
and suddenly even the nights are mild
for countless generations capercaillie 's have gathered in this special place
to mate the *** arrived in early April but all the hems are mounted within just
two weeks around the beginning of May
the hens will only allow the alpha *** to mount them when a rival shows up he
receives a warning the *** know that the hens are not loyal to a particular
male but to his position center stage that is what they fight for
if two males of similar strengths meet on the lek
it's knives out for fajitas aim for the red spot above the eye the bright flash
provokes them a young male sees his chance and approaches from the forest
both opponents could be injured so badly that even a tenderfoot might get an easy
chance nice try but the new alpha *** won't have it after three years the old
alpha has lost his status most likely forever the hens make no bones about
changing partners a few days later they begin to lay eggs
the high mountains are home to a great diversity of life and for millennia man
has been part of it the first humans were attracted by game
in spring robots still in their winter coats come up above the Timberline to
claim summer territories and establish their ranking
among the peaks the Golden Eagle rules
the young Eagle is still tolerated in his parents territory but he can no
longer expect their support they are already busy raising the next
generation just one of five young Eagles will survive his first winter in early
spring while he's still unskilled in hunting he gets by on Avalanche victims
most of the carcasses are Shinhwa
the young Eagle is not yet familiar with the visitor on two legs trying to lift a
complete sham wha that's the self assessment of a teenager even the
sharpest optical device is nothing compared to an Eagles naked eye the
interest is mutual the two will keep an eye on each other for years to come
the IBEX have spent all winter among the crags now that they are shedding their
winter coats they look mangy what will this summer bring
man has exploited the resources of these mountains for many centuries and has
left his mark but the fate of the Alps inhabitants still depends on the powers
of wild nature
right now on a mild and sunny early summer day the out show their smiling
pretty side
until mid-june the melting snow in the quarries and Crewe's swells the mountain
rivers until a few weeks ago these waters were absolutely silent
and soon at the height of summer only a gentle murmur will remain one can only
wonder year after year at the changing music the changing colors the
ever-changing moods of the scenery
lower down halfway between mountain ridge and valley floor the meadows stand
high soon they will be ready for a heyday this Rodya was born less than an
hour ago and it's already got two younger
siblings since humans have cleared forests and created meadows Rodya have
profited from the open cultivated land just like the Hoopoe as a rule a roe
deer mother will give birth to twins in the high grass sometimes to a single kid
triplets are a rare exception while the two younger ones suckle their first milk
the firstborn still shaky on its legs sets out to find a hiding place in the
high grass within moments it's gone invisible to the eagle without sent to
the Fox the second sibling finds its own hiding place nearby
the last one is led away by the mother and placed about a hundred yards from
the others in this season the entire mountain is a wildlife kindergarten
foxes are born blind they're 9 or 10 weeks old when they first leave their
den in daily widening circles they begin to explore a new and unknown realm
one can even learn from a foreign species for instance that the river bank
is not the end of the world when the deer meadow stands in full bloom it will
not stand for much longer
even when the hay meadows were still cut by hand
it was easy to overlook a baby deer
the farmers take great care not to hurt young animals but the perfect camouflage
of a kid is quite effective
dear kids do not flee The Closer the threat the harder they try to be
invisible
well it's all of us leachco my location Ivanka clans dear kids must never be
touched with bare hands the scent of human sweat would cause the mother to
abandon her kid in spite of all precautions some 1,000 casualties were
thwarted each year and that's just a fraction of the total tolls dope-fiend
lean pathetic smell
the safest method to protect young roe deer is this inspecting the entire area
on foot before Maui hunters often join in to help the farmers the men suspect a
second kid in the grass and they want to find it before the mowing is continued
fortunately the mother has already led the third one to safety in the southern
alpine valleys where the timber line lies above 2,000 meters roe deer inhabit
high altitudes but further north in the limestone Alps the forest ends at 1,600
metres in the limestone mountains flora and fauna are richer this is ideal red
deer habitat the antlers are still in velvet they're growing fast now up to
two centimetres per day from mid-june onward summer is a time of fattening
food is abundant and the stags build up their bodies for the rut in autumn
in the limestone Alps domestic herds are driven directly from the valleys to the
high pastures within a few days the cattle spreads out and hardly interferes
with the wildlife
the older individuals among the Red Deer are familiar with these annual visitors
and will not leave their usual grazing areas during summer male and female Red
Deer form separate herds and often gray is quite far apart
in central Tirol in the high mountains Eagles nests are high above the
Timberline but below the vast Green Meadows the egos hunting grounds
Eagles never hunt near their nests
the neighboring marmots know this and are not afraid in early May two chicks
hatched within a few days both parents hunt and provide food but only the
mother delivers the prey to the young
two young eagles in one nest both almost fledglings that's unusual summer the
lush vegetation period is short in this quasi artic climate just three or four
months marmots and ibex have to quickly build up their fat reserves to survive
the cold part of the year during the summer marmots have to double their body
weight while caring for their young
in this season the Bucks are friendly with each other their fights a mere play
the Alps are a vast mountain range but nowadays completely undisturbed areas
sanctuaries where large wild herds can withdraw are few and far between
such scenes of peaceful Majesty have become rare
to graze and ruminate the animals need long undisturbed periods each day
disturbance means stress and often panic
panic will spread like wildfire from one species to another from one herd to the
next such waves of panic can sweep through an entire Valley
the feeling of freedom among the peaks may be exhilarating but only for people
who have no clue what they're doing when they leave recommended flying corridors
the stressed animals flee downhill into the mountain forest to seek cover
if this happens often the animals will spend much time in the forest which
far-reaching consequences a large ungulate population can destroy an
entire forest by injuring young shoots or peeling the bark of the trees the
mountain forest auntie rolls steep slopes is a vital protection for the
farms and villages below even the most elaborate technical constructions cannot
replace a healthy forest as a measure against avalanches and landslides
relentlessly the older sibling has been trying to push the younger one out the
struggle has taken its toll young Eagles will usually fly by the end
of July and now it's early August the Golden Eagle is Tirol state bird for
just a century ago it was threatened by extinction today all the breeding
territories are occupied
today's this bug has been following the Doha round once every one or two hours
they have been mating he keeps testing her urine so he won't miss the moment of
that ovulation
roebucks mark their territory with the secretion from the base of their antlers
and from their legs
in the high ups you are not close to the sky you're right in the sky whoever
comes up here should take the weather seriously
so come alone please stop last Monique's boutique even
Thomas is her glamour less than an hour ago the sky was blue
the hunters are worried and rightly so
climbing up here took hours that'll be too long for the way back a dry electric
storm above the Timberline is deadly
rain and forest may reduce the risk of getting struck by lightning but even so
a mountain thunderstorm is extremely dangerous
the Roebuck is not phased his big moment has finally come
huge volumes of water runoff vast rock surfaces and have thummell through deep
ravines the thunder of these rush floods is not the sound of water it's the sound
of masses of rock debris that's washed into the valleys
suddenly is it broke loose the violence has abated a cool clear stillness lies
over the land suddenly the air is chilly
the last sunray send a magic light but no warmth
even a blind man can feel the snow win the summer is over the grass on the
pastures has been eaten or burned by frost the eagle's nest is abandoned
the young eagle has survived the first struggle of his life the next one will
be tougher winter is a mighty foe but he's not alone
the enemies by birth have become partners
mid-september time for one of nature's most exciting spectacles in the High
Elves
from far and wide the Stags wander to the ancient arenas where the females are
waiting at the beginning of the rut they're in great shape
fighting fit dominant males defend their harems and are ready to fend off any
rival this stag is powerful but past his prime at age 13 his antlers already have
fewer points the lord of the arena the ends of his antlers form a sweeping
crowd he keeps his harem together day and night
a brief test of strength is all it takes to decide who will pass on his genes
genes are a hunter's main concern when he takes out an animal the females are
fertile for two brief periods lasting a few days each and separated by an 18 day
interval these two windows are what all the Stags are waiting for
a three-year-old he had better not provoke the big stags but too many of
these intruders disturbed the rutting ritual
another intruder an old acquaintance
his slim antlers and his sinewy body tailed that he has spent his entire life
in the high mountains for him the days of keeping his own harem are over
this individual no longer plays a role in maintaining the population to enable
a sure shot the stag must be at the right distance and stand motionless for
a few moments and at a good angle
a hunter may come up here 10 or maybe 20 times without getting a chance or he may
never get one at all the Alpha has shooed the old stag away and saved his
life his own life is saved by a strict age quota
the once juicy meadows now look tired
some tied actors may now leave the stage but the spectacle isn't over
the night Frost sifts the fog from the clear air
when the early morning curtain falls the stage itself becomes an actor touching
us daily with a fresh sea
early in November the larch trees still haven't shed their golden needles
all the Red Deer females are pregnant now the rutting herds gradually dissolve
male and female animals are going their separate ways
the Stags now have a haggard look having lost up to 1/4 of their weight only a
few weeks remain for recovery before the snow comes to stay the ibex will spend
the entire winter up here the animals seem fit and ready for the harsh season
even now the sparring of the Bucks is not serious their hierarchy is clear and
the rut is still a long way off
but among the Shinhwa tensions are mounting
the females will keep their kids until next summer at age 4 the young bucks
first participate in the rut
they stake out their rutting territories with scent marks raising the hair on
their backs the Bucks make themselves look bigger
grandstanding wherever you look the wind carries a potent stench the Bucs keep
spraying their bodies with urine and ***
this perfume is provocative
with kicks and shoves he's trying to cajole the female but she isn't ready
the pair needs four to five days and dozens of copulations before the
decisive moment comes
a female trying to rid herself of a pushy male she's running for her life
fresh snow and cold weather do not cool the mood of rutting chinois on the
country this is the hottest phase of the rut
the dual for a female is merciless the weaker contender better make sure that
at least he's the faster one
Oh JA Gansu elsewhere hunting may be a sport in the Tyrolean Alps it's part of
an ongoing coexistence of man and nature article filters within this local
tradition hunters have their place and their mission after the exertions of the
rut the Shinhwa are weakened and their resistance against diseases is
diminished the scabies could turn into an epidemic it's been known to wipe out
populations of Shinhwa and ibex don't dare to ride in this machine
this caucus is worrisome especially at this time of year with the harshest
months still ahead scabies will eat into the living tissue all the way to the
bone is this the only victim or will there be more
in the Shinhwa habitat various extremes add up extreme topography and extremes
of precipitation along the northern fringe of the Alps
when the snow piles up higher and higher and cuts off the sham waa from their
brazing they descend to a lower level in
this weather hunger and exhaustion are serious threats alone in such conditions
animals soon read their limits they can only survive as a group
because humans have settled along the big rivers cleared the wetland forests
and cut off the old migration routes the deer must spend the winter in the
mountain forests even here they would not survive without a helping hand
the chinois in contrast have always spent the winter in the high mountains
they remain fully active and survive even the harshest winter without help
only during snowfall do they wander below the Timberline but as soon as the
wind blows the snow from the crests they climb back up in this weather
experience counts old animals take the lead they always stay alert
the feeding places can direct red deer and roe deer to areas where they cause
less of damage to the mountain forests
roe deer and red deer have to be fed separately during the winter months red
deer need very little food fattening the animals now would be unnatural and
unhealthy the deer trust the one human being who feeds them every day or every
other day at the same hour
the animals are familiar with his scent and his voice the presence of other
people would send them into a panic
their bodies are now in survival mode heart frequency metabolism and the need
for food are drastically reduced in this state
any disturbance may cause extreme stress
the stag still carry their arms but soon they'll be disused the roebucks antlers
are already in velvet in a few days they will be clean or sharp
in early March the first stag shed their antlers the trigger is light the length
of day it will now take a hundred and ten days to grow new ones for the red
deer the cycle has just begun for the roe deer it's coming full circle all
that's missing is the final polish
once the wild herds in the mountain forests have survived the winter
once the rivers begin to flow when the bright spring Sun drives the last
shadows from the valleys
once the bright colors of spring returned to the heart of the Alps tea
rolls hunters get restive year after year their warriors and their joys are
driven by the rhythm of these magic mountains
you