Wild Patagonia (2015): Season 1, Episode 3 - Life on the Edge - full transcript

In a far corner of the Earth

is a South American wilderness.

These extreme landscapes
are home to strange...

and wonderful animals.

ELEPHANT SEAL GROWLS

From the rugged peaks of the Andes...

..across the scorched
desert steppe...

..to coasts battered by some of
the roughest seas on the planet.

Living here takes guts
and determination.

There are incredible
opportunities for some.

For others, it's a battle to survive.



The pioneering spirit
unites them all

under the spell of Patagonia.

This is the story of a coastline
over 4,000 miles long.

From the bitter cold
of the far south,

forging northwards to
the parched desert.

For those that dare, these shores
offer unmatched bounty.

And the driving force behind these
riches is the turbulent ocean.

At Patagonia's southern extreme
lies a rocky outcrop

steeped in nautical legend.

Cape Horn.

There have been 800 shipwrecks
off the Horn,

with a loss
of more than 10,000 souls.

This is where the Atlantic
and the Pacific collide

with the great Southern Ocean.



This far south, there's no other land
all the way round the planet.

Nothing to stop the winds gaining
speed or the waves gathering height.

In this vast world of water,

the island of Los Estados
is a vital refuge,

home to one of the Southern Ocean's
most heroic birds.

A male rockhopper penguin
stands guard over his chick,

just one week old.

The youngster has a huge appetite,
but there's no food here.

They're both waiting for mum to
return. She's fishing far out at sea.

For the first three weeks of his
chick's life, he must stay put

whatever the weather.

THUNDER RUMBLES

The frequent storms are a reminder

of just how close this island is
to the Antarctic.

Dad might look fed up,
but he's got the easy job.

His mate is returning
from a day's foraging

at feeding grounds 15 miles
out to sea.

There's a big challenge ahead.

On this jagged coastline,
there's no easy way out.

In such immense waves,
crash landings are inevitable.

With a belly full of food,
like every mother here,

this female is driven
by a need to feed her chick.

But each step is hard-won.

Thousands of rockhoppers make
this journey each day

and the headland has attracted
an unwelcome visitor.

A huge male sea lion,
100 times their size.

Tossed around, the tiny birds
do their best to avoid him.

Each attack is a loss that will
affect a whole family.

She's conquered huge waves
and faced down a monster.

But before being reunited
with her family...

she still has a mountain to climb.

It's a big ask for a bird
that can't fly,

standing less than two feet tall.

But it's now that rockhoppers
live up to their name.

Incredibly strong toenails
grip the rock.

The beak makes a good climbing tool.

The more experienced penguins
make it look easy,

but it's a steep learning curve.

It takes youngsters a while
to get the hang of it.

Misjudge it and it's back
to square one.

At the top of the cliff,
the going gets a little easier.

She's following the footsteps
of generations,

forging deep tunnels through
the tussock grass.

These pathways connect
around 20 different colonies

spreading up the hillside.

She's got to find her way through
nearly half a million rockhoppers,

but she knows where she's going,

returning to the same colony
each year.

Unfortunately, that happens to be
at the very top of the island.

Finally, after a climb of
over a mile, she's made it.

And at last, it's time for dinner.

It's a messy business,
but the chick's not complaining.

For the next two months, the devoted
parents will share these duties

until their chick is big enough
to take to the ocean.

Then they'll spend
nearly half their lives at sea,

further south than most humans
ever dare to venture.

Sailors of old who braved these
southern latitudes had a saying -

below 40 degrees south,
there is no law.

Below 50, there is no God.

But there are those who choose to
sail these seas

at the end of the world.

Puerto Toro.

55 degrees south, the most southerly
permanent settlement on Earth.

Home to just one family.

But at the port are migrant fishermen
who've traveled

hundreds of miles to seek the riches
of the far south.

IN SPANISH:

Between them, Heriberto and his crew

have almost a century of experience
fishing the waters around Cape Horn.

They are forever at the mercy
of the weather.

While conditions are good,
they must make the most of it.

The crew will work, sleep
and live together

on this small seven-meter boat
for the whole season.

Fishing for crabs.

But there's an ultimate catch that
really makes it worth the sacrifice.

The centolla, or king crab.

Almost a meter across.

A highly prized delicacy sold to
restaurants round the world.

A single crab can fetch over £100.

It's the turbulence of these seas
that delivers such riches.

Cold water flowing from the Antarctic
is packed with nutrients,

whipped to the surface
by the wind and waves.

And there's another huge reason
these waters are super-fertile.

North of Cape Horn there are
mountains covered in glaciers.

Each is a titanic force,

scouring deep trenches in the rock
on its drive towards the sea.

This releases millions of tonnes
of sediment into the water,

staining it with minerals.

Beneath the surface -
a vast forest of giant kelp.

Fed by nutrients from the glaciers,

the kelp can reach heights of
over 30 meters tall

and offers shelter from
the strong ocean currents.

This underwater world
holds enough different species

to rival a forest on land.

An adult king crab
is built big enough

to deal with the strong currents
out at sea.

But it takes baby king crabs five
years before they're fully grown.

For this youngster,
the kelp is a precious nursery

full of strange neighbors.

Life here is not without its dangers.

But there are plenty of places
to hide.

And in water fed by the glaciers

there's an endless supply of food.

From these giant kelp forests,

the mineral-rich waters flow out
into the open ocean.

Here they meet a mass of cold water
that sweeps up from the Antarctic.

This creates a super-fertile mix
that surges northwards

as the great Malvinas Current.

Flowing over 1,000 miles from Cape
Horn up the east coast of Patagonia,

this is the driving force of life
along these shores.

The days are long here,
creating the perfect conditions

for one of the planet's
most important life forms -

phytoplankton.

Individually, the algae
are microscopic,

but together they form blooms so big

they can be seen from space.

This is the starting point

for one of the most extraordinary
food chains on Earth.

Anchovies. A huge shoal.

A potential feast for sea lions.

But with thousands of fish
moving as one,

the size of the shoal is bewildering.

The arrival of a pod of
dusky dolphins changes the odds.

They work as a team, breaking up
the fish into smaller groups.

And all the hunters benefit.

Fully fed, it's time for
the sea lions to head for shore.

It's the same story for
hundreds of miles up the coast.

Waiting for this female,

her pup. Just two months old.

GROWLING

She's been at sea for three days.

And her pup's ravenous for her milk.

For the next few days
she'll remain onshore,

joining almost 20,000 others

in one of the largest gatherings of
sea lions in the southern hemisphere.

With plenty of food offshore

and miles of isolated beaches,

this seems the perfect nursery.

At low tide, a large reef protects
the beach from the open ocean.

This creates natural swimming pools,

calm, safe waters for the pups
to learn to swim.

With most mums out fishing,

it's up to those here
to keep an eye on the pups.

But the rising tide means
their world is about to change...

..bringing the open ocean
uncomfortably close.

A killer whale.

The pups have never seen
anything like it.

At first, they're curious and head
straight back into the shallows...

..not recognizing the danger
until it's too late.

This mother understands the threat.

She constantly checks
above and below the surface...

but there's too many pups
to get them all to safety.

She can only use herself as a shield.

This time, her bravery pays off.

The orca is not a lone killer.

She's a mum, too,

teaching her own family how to hunt.

This is a highly specialized
technique

that has taken her years to master.

By swimming sideways, the orcas
can keep their dorsal fins hidden.

The family falls silent
as they approach the shore.

They must maintain
an element of surprise.

An incoming wave propels her forward
for the final strike.

But only around one in ten attempts
ends in success.

With every strike,
she puts her own life at risk.

Get it wrong

and she'll be stranded on the beach.

Only a handful of orcas in the world
have perfected this way of hunting,

and it's something
uniquely Patagonian.

SEA LION ROARS

For the orca family,

it's a short window of opportunity.

The pups soon wise up to the danger

and the orcas will head back out
to the open sea.

All along the Patagonian coast,

those that succeed are those
prepared to do things differently.

Almost 1,000 miles north
of Cape Horn,

the Malvinas Current
is still the driving force of life

along these shores.

Sheltered from the open ocean
by the huge Peninsula Valdes

is the vast bay of San Jose.

Very few people live here.

Those that do turn to the sea
for their livelihood.

Lukas Del Rio has a job
that brings him face-to-face

with the wealth of the ocean.

Unlike most divers,

Lukas and his crew
don't use oxygen tanks.

Instead, the air they need to breathe
is pumped from a compressor

through fragile tubes.

They have to make sure the tubes
don't snag or tear,

diving down 20 meters
for a hidden bounty.

Mussels, or cholga,
as they're known round here.

Harvesting like this
means that Lukas and his crew

can work side-by-side with nature,

since there are others
fishing in the bay.

HE WHISTLES

A pod of dusky dolphins
come to investigate.

HE TAPS ON HULL

Banging on the hull of the boat

lets the divers know
the dolphins are here.

DOLPHINS SQUEAK

They're not unwelcome, but the divers
must make sure the dolphins

keep away from their breathing tubes.

And there's another
inquisitive visitor.

Over 600 southern right whales
return to the bay each year,

following the Malvinas Current north

from their feeding grounds
in the south.

Lukas and his crew are careful
not to dive in places

where the whales are present,

but the whales sometimes approach
out of curiosity.

The divers are lucky enough
to share the bay

with one of the biggest nurseries of
southern right whales in the world.

Over 100 new calves
are born here each year.

These calm and warm waters
are perfect for the baby whales.

But for other visitors
to these shores,

the growing heat
of Patagonia's northern reaches

puts them
way out of their comfort zone.

Elephant seals spend most of the year

in the cold waters
of the southern seas.

It's the rich feeding grounds
offshore

that brings these elephant seals
so far north.

Over 15,000 females
come here to give birth,

enduring temperatures
as high as 30 degrees Celsius.

Presiding over them -
a huge, solitary male.

The beachmaster.

This is his harem

and he has mating rights
over all these females.

A position he must fight to keep.

Soon after giving birth,
the females are ready to mate again

and this hasn't gone unnoticed.

THEY GROWL SOFTLY

A rival male.

Chancing his luck.

He's almost ten times bigger
than the female.

And she has little say in the matter.

But he's taking a huge risk.

Despite weighing almost four tonnes,

the beachmaster
is surprisingly nimble.

A single brutal bite
sends the intruder packing.

ROARING

The beachmaster needs to
choose his battles wisely.

For the next two months,
he cannot leave the beach to feed

or he'll loose his harem.

He must survive on his fat reserves.

But the six inches of blubber
he carries are stifling in this heat.

So he has to see off the competition
using as little effort as possible.

Most rivals try to keep
a low profile.

But this can be tricky
when you're the size of a large car.

ROARING

For most, a nod or a roar
from the beachmaster is enough.

But he's not getting a second
to relax

and it's starting to take its toll.

Dawn brings a real contender.

Fresh from the water,
he's not here to sneak around.

He's here
for the beachmaster's throne.

GROWLING

Has the beachmaster met his match?

At full height,
they stand almost ten feet tall.

Neither is prepared to back down.

GROWLING

Every single blow saps energy.

Their thick blubber does not protect
against canines three inches long.

The beachmaster starts to gain
the upper hand.

Despite weeks without food or rest,

this time, his experience wins out.

Every single fight leaves its mark

and the season isn't over yet.

But for now,
a moment to enjoy his victory.

Under his care - a harem

that's part of one of the biggest
elephant seal colonies on Earth.

Surging north from here,

the influence of the Malvinas Current
finally begins to fade.

But the power of the sea

draws one last visitor
to Patagonia's northern shores.

These soft sandstone cliffs

are buffeted by the winds
and the waves...

..creating the ideal conditions
for burrowing parrots.

The parrots have flown
over 1,000 miles south from Uruguay,

swapping their tropical home
for this exposed stretch of coast.

Over 70,000 birds
return here every year,

making this the biggest gathering
of parrots anywhere on the planet.

Safely tucked away inside burrows

extending three meters
into the cliff face,

the parrots have chicks to raise.

And it's up to the males
to keep them fed.

The sea here still offers
plenty of food.

But that's no use to a parrot.

So the males head inland.

There's very little rain this far
north and it's too dry for trees.

Sometimes the parrots have to travel
nearly 50 miles

to find shrubs and grasses
to feed on.

There are few natural sources
of water.

MOOING

Luckily, up here, wilderness
gives way to farmland

and the parrots take advantage.

This slow trickle isn't going to
sustain a flock of thousands,

all with chicks to feed.

On this unusually still day,

the water pump needs
a little encouragement.

Now they can drink their fill.

It's thirsty work having to travel
so far for food and water.

And it's a journey the parrots make
four times a day.

But it's worth the effort.

These cliffs
make such a good nesting spot,

almost all the world's population
of burrowing parrots come here

to raise their young.

And being part of such a huge flock
helps keep them safe.

Even from aerial attacks.

A peregrine falcon.

The fastest predator on Earth.

But they've got a way
of dealing with her.

As more and more parrots pile in,

they face their challenger head on.

Having lost the element of surprise,

she's missed her moment.

PARROTS CHIRP

There are benefits
to being part of a crowd.

And crowds don't get bigger
than this.

All the way along the coast,

from Cape Horn
to the northern reaches of Patagonia,

life is defined
by the power of the sea.

North of here, the influence
of the great Malvinas Current fades

and so, too, does the spirit
of Patagonia.

Patagonia may be too harsh
and unforgiving for most,

but there are opportunities
for those brave enough

to take on the challenges

and do things a little differently.

The survivors,

the pioneers

and the mavericks
that call Patagonia home.

The most challenging experience
for the team

was in Patagonia's far south,

filming the rockhopper penguins
on the island of Los Estados.

Researcher Anthony Pyper,
cameraman Paul Stewart

and producer Evie Wright are the
first BBC crew to be given access

to the island in nearly 40 years.

At the helm is skipper Hank.

It takes over 20 hours
to reach Los Estados,

a chance for Evie to fill Paul in
on what lies ahead,

from the description of a British
naval expedition in the 1700s.

He says that though
Tierra Del Fuego had

"an aspect extremely barren
and desolate,

"yet this island far surpasses it
in the wildness

"and horror of its appearance."
Wow.

Oh, good(!)
HE LAUGHS

To reach Los Estados, they must cross
the infamous straits of Le Maire,

the 20-mile channel that separates
the island from the mainland.

Strong currents make this one of the
most dangerous stretches of water

in the world, and it doesn't make
for comfortable sailing.

After very little sleep,
the team arrives at 4am.

As Hank departs, so does the crew's
lifeline to the outside world.

Remember us. Please come back.

SHE CHUCKLES

Left alone, the enormity
of the challenge that lies ahead

begins to dawn on the crew.

They have nearly a tonne of equipment

and it all has to be moved on foot.

It's not long before they find
their first penguin.

But it's the wrong species -

a lone king penguin rather than
the half a million rockhoppers

they're here to film.

First things first -
the crew set up a base camp,

a shelter for storing kit
and provisions.

..So the restrictive things are
across the flysheet. My one matches.

Oh, I see. Maybe the fly IS the
wrong way round, relative to the...

We're going to put a lot of
unbelievably heavy cases in there...

The worst that's going to happen is
the top is just going to rip off.

Yeah, that's it.

Having established base camp,
it's time to find the rockhoppers.

They know where the penguins
ought to be

thanks to advice from
a team of Argentinian scientists.

After a steep two-hour hike,

they find exactly
what they're looking for...

..and set up a second camp nearby.

Over several days, Paul captures
the dedication required

to be a male rockhopper penguin,

protecting their chicks at the nest

and rooted to the spot.

Caracaras, on the lookout
for an unattended chick,

don't make their job any easier.

But this is only half the story.

The crew also need to film
the females returning from sea.

This is like crossing through
a Dr Seuss landscape, isn't it?

It's ridiculous.

Getting through the tussock grass
is proving less easy for people

than it is for penguins.

You get the feeling you never make
exactly the same journey twice.

Whoo!

You carry on.

Reaching the headland
is worth the effort.

Los Estados is a protected provincial
reserve under Argentinian law.

The crew are amongst a privileged few
lucky enough to ever come here.

Because of this,
most of the rockhoppers

have probably
never encountered people before,

and they're more curious than afraid.

I think they're all wondering
what you're looking at, Paul.

But determined to feed their chicks,

the female penguins aren't going to
let a pesky film crew get in the way.

Because of the difficulty terrain,

the team
have had to keep the generator,

needed for charging batteries,
back at base camp.

So Anthony's walking
more than six hours a day

to keep the cameras running.

Just going to head to pick up
the batteries and then...

Yeah, going back to base camp
and then back here in the morning.

Bye, take care.

Good luck.

Unusually for Patagonia,

there have been several days
of relative calm and sunshine.

But that's all about to change.

Just left Evie and Paul
at the rockhopper landing spot

and it was beautiful weather.

But here it can turn in an instant,
and that's what's happened.

It's really windy!

It's hailing!

So it's properly
started snowing now.

For Anthony, covering so much
of the island every day -

and alone - the experience
is beginning to take a toll.

The winds have picked up even more!

This is not going to be nice.

It's actually not too bad.

Uh...it's just got sunny and nice.

WIND HOWLS

Can't feel my feet now.

My boots...

The tent isn't really holding up
very well.

I wish I was a rockhopper.

By the end of the trip,

Anthony will have climbed
the equivalent of scaling Everest

and lost a stone and a half
in weight.

Hello.

The bad weather means Paul
can capture a true picture

of what rockhoppers must go through
to care for their chicks.

But there's a big problem.

We've now got a massive storm
rolling in.

It's actually hailing, it's just
been thundering and lightning.

Hank's due to return with the boat,

but he can't make the crossing
in seas this rough,

leaving the team
stranded on the island.

With everyone now back
at the base camp on the beach,

there's a break in the weather,

but there's no guarantee
Hank has been able to set sail.

Food supplies are running low.

Safe sailing! See you tomorrow. Bye.

Yes!

It's good news.

As for everyone who worked on
the Patagonia series,

Los Estados has had
a lasting impression on Anthony.

I can't actually believe
we're going home.

Even though
it's one hell of a climb...

Yeah, this place has got a strange
hold on me now. Going to miss it.

The crew have been given
a privileged glimpse

into the persistence
and endurance it takes

to carve a life for yourself
at the edge of the Earth.