Nature (1982–…): Season 39, Episode 6 - Santa's Wild Home - full transcript

In the cold
north of Finland,

the land lies
deep in darkness...

and yet...

Through winter's starry nights,

and summer's fleeting days,

its skies shine
with wondrous light.

But to thrive here
takes special gifts...

The gift of courage.

The gift of endurance.

You must have daring...

Pluck...



and the gift
of infinite patience.

This is Lapland,

Santa's snowy home,

where such gifts
are a way of life.

Even Santa gets
what he needs most --

reindeer!

Step inside the Arctic Circle,

where magical light
is always shining.

Far to the north,

there's a winter wonderland,

famous the world over.

A place of ancient myths
and old legends.

Where lights dance
in a star-filled sky.

Where the sun shines
in the middle of the night.



And where strange shapes
stand frozen in time.

Up here, the land
is always changing,

bringing both drama...

and wonder...

every day of the year.

Lapland is so full of magic,

it's even said to be
the home of Santa Claus.

But even far from
the festive lights,

life here is more enchanting
than you ever thought possible.

Welcome to Santa's Wild Home.

In the bleak midwinter,

temperatures fall
to 50-below,

and darkness reigns
for weeks on end.

Life can get pretty tough.

But these musk oxen
are right at home.

They're built for this.

They save energy
by simply standing still,

hardly moving or even feeding
for days at a time.

There's a long wait ahead
before the sun returns.

Winter may be harsh,

but it's also a time
of breathtaking beauty.

The aurora --

the northern lights.

Thought to be the trail
of a mythical fire fox,

dashing through the snow.

Catching one is said
to bring great wealth.

But winter's beauty
is little comfort

to those
who rely on daylight.

For some, the long night
brings great challenges.

The rules are simple --

winners live, losers die.

A young golden eagle.

This is her first winter.

She has just a few
twilight hours to feed.

Her kill, a red fox,
could sustain her for days.

But she doesn't have that long.

Scavengers betray her.

It's a tough lesson
for her first winter.

She's taken a talon
to the chest.

It could prove fatal.

If she doesn't feed, she won't
survive the coming months.

And now, even bigger eagles
are arriving.

With this powerful adult around,

the youngster's chances
are looking worse.

But she has nothing left
to lose.

It's a desperate move.

One that could cost her dearly.

But she needs to eat.

And, surprisingly,
her risk has paid off.

Perhaps the adult
doesn't see her as threat.

It could even be
one of her parents.

Either way, surviving winter

takes both bravery
and good fortune.

For the first time in weeks,
the sun is returning.

Legend tells of the rebirth
of a sun goddess,

victorious against the darkness.

A celebration, and reminder,
of its life-giving power.

The sun's warmth won't be felt
for some time yet,

but its light
is growing every day.

Its fragile return is
the ancient root

of winter festivals everywhere.

And old myths from this
white wilderness

have also shaped
our image of Santa Claus.

Up here, silence rules
and spirits roam.

The lynx.

Seldom seen, she appears
and vanishes without warning.

She's known as
the keeper of secrets,

said to see through
solid objects...

Though few know the secrets

of this land
like the great gray owl.

She is the nomad
of the frozen forests.

Her fate is to cover
thousands of miles,

searching for enough prey.

Listening for a tiny heartbeat
beneath the snow.

And striking with
deadly accuracy when she does.

Food is so scarce
she can't afford to miss.

In winter, deep snow
affects everyone here.

Even the trees themselves.

Many harden as a defense
against the freeze.

But still they bend
beneath the weight.

A single tree can build up
three tons of snow and ice.

Unable to grow, they wait.

Frozen in time.

Strange, white sentinels
of the far north.

The sun's light now shines
for hours each day.

But for the trees, life remains
on hold until its heat returns.

For others, the cold
makes little difference.

Lichen.

This is a true survivor,

still growing at temperatures
below zero,

extracting moisture from air
trapped beneath the snow.

And it's the favorite food
of some very famous animals.

This wouldn't be Santa's home
without reindeer.

And little wonder --

hundreds of thousands of them
live up here.

They're an integral part
of the landscape.

But they're not alone.

Their lives are deeply connected
to the people

who live alongside them.

Most reindeer belong
to Sami herders.

The place outsiders call Lapland
is their ancestral home.

The Sami have herded here
for centuries.

Legend even has it
that some Sami descend

from the reindeer themselves.

They tend to their herd
all through the year,

guiding the reindeer
to the best feeding areas

and protecting them from danger.

Wolves.

The most feared residents here.

Old tales tell of
their magical power

to make reindeer herders sleepy.

While the cold and snow
weaken many,

in winter, the pack
is at its most powerful.

But still,
order must be maintained.

Everyone needs to know
their place.

For now, the wolves' dominance
goes unchallenged.

But great change is on its way.

After months of cold,

the sun's warmth
is finally reaching the land.

The days are growing longer...

The sun ever stronger.

Winter is giving way to spring.

Black grouse.

With spring in the air,
it's time to breed.

Well, almost.

The females won't show up
for a while yet.

For now, this is a meeting
of males only.

They're here to
lek --
to strut their stuff

until the females eventually
turn up to pick a winner.

Like any gathering, there's
a fair share of posing...

...plenty of posturing...

and some seriously
fancy footwork.

To start with,
it's mostly just for show.

A little sizing up,
and a clean contest so far.

But that's done it.

This strange scene carries on
every morning, every evening,

and often through the day,

for weeks on end.

By the time the females arrive,

whoever dominates
the center ground

will win the right to mate.

Until then, anything goes.

For the reindeer
and Sami herders,

excitement is in the air.

The snow will soon be gone,

and they have their own
spring ritual to perform.

An epic journey
is just beginning.

The reindeer need to reach their
feeding grounds by the coast

before the snow
gets too soft to run on.

As they move north, the spring
melt follows right behind them.

Santa's home is changing.

The melting snow
can be heavy going,

but there's no time to waste.

They keep on moving.

Winter will soon be
a distant memory.

Their journey
takes some two weeks.

And as it nears its end,

the melt finally
catches up with them.

The sun's warmth transforms this
winter wonderland completely.

The landscape
becomes unrecognizable

as spring takes hold at last.

And the busiest time of year
is just beginning.

Deep in the forest, new life
is already unfolding.

A tree broken by
the winter freeze

is the perfect place
to raise a family.

The great gray owl.

Her nomadic wanderings
are on hold.

With three young mouths to feed,

she's going to be busy
for the next few months.

Even in these milder times,
prey can be unpredictable,

so she still never misses
a chance to hunt.

And she's not the only one.

Her mate is on hand to help
raise the owlets too.

Between them,
they can just about keep up

with the needs
of growing chicks.

Each demands several large
meals a day.

It's constant work.

The days are growing
ever warmer, ever longer.

And the owls aren't
the only parents

working around the clock.

Brown bear cubs.

Born beneath the snow
in the depth of winter,

they're starting to learn all
about the world beyond the den.

Mom stays close by
as they get to grips

with life in the forest.

At first, they're a little
clumsy and shy.

But as the long days pass,
they grow in confidence,

becoming ever more curious.

They need to learn
how to survive by themselves,

how to hunt,
and how to fend off rival bears.

Playfighting helps develop
those skills,

as well as strengthening
the bond between siblings.

And under mom's watchful eye,
they have every chance

of reaching
an independent life here.

All around them,
their world keeps on changing.

Spring turns to summer and
the days seem to last forever.

Santa's home becomes
the land of the midnight sun.

It's said that
now the divine forces

stop their struggle
for supremacy.

For a few weeks, peace reigns.

There's no better time
for a cooling swim.

But it's not all easy going.

The warmth brings one
or two problems of its own.

Everyone has to put up
with all the mosquitoes

that appear during summer.

Young, old, big, or small,

no one is spared
their itchy bites.

Perhaps it's a price worth
paying for these milder times.

But summer is short,
and life keeps on moving.

For the great gray owls,
things are getting even busier.

At only a few weeks old,
he's already on the move.

He's outgrown the nest and taken
to exploring the forest on foot.

What's more,
he's hungrier than ever.

Still totally dependent on her,

mom's job is getting
tougher by the day.

And it doesn't help when dinner
ends up on the floor.

Perhaps best to follow mom,

see if she has
anything more to eat.

But where is she?

And what's taking her so long?

Just another month or so to go
before he can hunt for himself.

Then she'll get some peace
and quiet at long last.

With chicks on the ground,

finding enough food is far from
the only thing to worry about.

Even in summer, the forest
is a dangerous place.

Wolverines eat
just about anything,

hence their nickname,
the glutton.

They seem permanently hungry.

And so too are
the very biggest bears.

The cubs need to be wary.

Older male bears are the single
greatest threat to youngsters.

He could kill them
with one swipe of his paw.

Best get out of here
as quickly as possible.

And there's one trick
that cubs have on their side.

They're still light enough
to climb out of harm's way.

He'll wait it out up here
until the danger passes.

The summer nights
are already drawing in.

Right now, male bears are
putting on over 2 pounds

of weight every single day.

That means eating 80 pounds
of berries, roots, and meat.

Most other animals know
to stay well out of their way.

Any potential meal draws them in
from all over the forest.

It makes for an uncomfortable
time at the dinner table.

Everyone needs to eat.

No one wants to get hurt.

Not always an easy
balance to keep.

And it's made worse when others
have their own dinner plans.

Wolves.

Age old rivals.

The only ones who show
no fear of the bears.

But they need to be careful.

Best to read
the situation first.

Slowly does it.

Sneaking a bite
won't harm anyone.

But he's not welcome here.

Time for plan B.

Attack!

He's lighter,
faster on his feet,

and has a powerful bite.

It's enough of a distraction.

Working together gives wolves
the upper hand.

All through summer,

there's tension at the top table
in Santa's home.

But change is coming.

Already, the sun is circling
lower in the sky.

Its heat is leaving the land.

The long days of summer
are slipping quickly away.

For all bears,

there's little time left
to put on extra weight.

Young cubs, now bigger and
bolder, have done well so far.

But their greatest test
is yet to come.

They'll need to spend
less time playing

and more time fattening up

if they're to hibernate
successfully

through the coming winter.

She's done all she can for them.

Autumn will soon be here.

A male musk ox.

He is in his prime.

He's spent the summer bulking up
on the lush grasses.

And now there's serious business
to attend to.

Female musk oxen
will soon be ready to mate.

If he's to father young,
he needs to protect a harem.

Best keep them close.

There are rivals out there.

He can sense when
each female might be

receptive to his advances.

Not quite yet.

He'll need to guard them
a while longer.

It's time he doesn't have.

Another large male,
here for one thing only.

For now, he keeps his distance,
bides his time.

A challenge is coming.

And autumn is here.

The land transforms once more.

Temperatures fall and the days
grow ever shorter.

All at once, trees prepare
to drop their leaves.

Santa's home puts on its own
unique display.

In places,

it begins to look like
something out of a fairy tale.

The colors last for
just a few days.

And as autumn reaches
its peak...

the challenger makes his move.

They strike head on
at 25 miles per hour.

The sound of bone clashing rings
out across the landscape.

As it does, the first frosts
are already arriving.

In a moment,
autumn gives way to winter.

The year is almost over,

but there's still time
for one more spectacle.

The land may freeze over,
but the sea doesn't.

Herring.

They come to wait out the winter
months in huge numbers.

And hunters follow.

Orca.

The wolves of the sea.

Winter's return marks the start
of a great feast.

They follow the herring
into shallow waters.

And with so many fish around,

picking them off is easy
for a pod that knows how.

Orcas here have a special way
of catching herring.

A quick turn of speed
and their powerful tails

send shock waves through
the water, stunning the fish.

Shoals this big make it hard
to miss.

It's not just orcas that
take advantage of the feast.

Humpback whales.

They can swallow hundreds
of fish in a single,

giant mouthful.

With billions of herring
gathered here,

this spectacle will last
all through the long winter.

The sun's light is fading.

The legendary sun goddess
is dying,

to be reborn
many weeks from now.

Santa's home is returning
to cold and darkness.

For some, great struggles
lie ahead.

For others, winter sees
their dominion return.

Another year is ending,

as the owl returns
to her nomadic ways.

Alone for the long night ahead.

But it's a special time,

when the thoughts of even
the outside world

turn once again
to this winter wonderland.

This remote and magical
wilderness,

far to the north.