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Survival of the Beast Season 1 Episode 5

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00:00Almost at the top of this cliff face, I'm trying to get up here to get a good vantage
00:13point because what I'm looking for is somewhere out there.
00:18I'm looking for one of the most dangerous bears on planet Earth.
00:22I need to get my bearing and then start this journey off, but this is not going to be easy.
00:30Here we go.
00:38My name is Max, and I may be mad, but I'm going really wild.
00:43This is where we start picking up their secrets.
00:46I'm going to learn from the greatest teachers in the world, perfect, the animals themselves.
00:55The animals have evolved to thrive in just about every environment.
01:00As a survivalist, that's pretty much all you need.
01:04This is a living dinosaur.
01:09The tougher the habitat, the clever the adaptation.
01:13Oh, there he goes.
01:15I've been honing my own survival skills my entire life.
01:18That's magic right there.
01:20But now I'm enrolling as a student at the University of Wildlife.
01:24There's so much I can learn from a snake like this.
01:28I'm going to try to move, stalk.
01:31She's staring straight at me.
01:33Eat.
01:34Is that an earthworm?
01:35Oh.
01:36Sleep.
01:37Look at that.
01:39Survive, just like they do.
01:41I've been able to mimic a weaver ant, so cool.
01:45So cool.
01:46All in a quest to better understand the planet we share.
01:50Well, that's the hope anyways.
02:06Just topped out on this beautiful granite spire.
02:09This is Sri Lanka, absolutely stunning.
02:13This island nation, south of India,
02:16is home to thousands of species of animals and plants.
02:19And around 20% are only found here.
02:23They have found their perfect niche within this environment.
02:27But what I'm looking for is the sloth bear.
02:30One of the most ferocious, if not the most ferocious bear species in the world.
02:35They're one third the size of a grizzly,
02:37but they account for more attacks than any other species of bear in the world.
02:43The sloth bear is only found on the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka,
02:49where they've evolved to survive in some of the toughest conditions on the planet.
02:54Sri Lanka is often baking hot,
02:57and the crazy monsoon seasons play havoc with the environment.
03:02To top it all off,
03:04the island is home to some of the most dangerous animals around.
03:10Over the next five days,
03:12I'm hoping I can embed with the bears and learn how they survive here.
03:16And also understand why they have that fearsome reputation.
03:21Here we go.
03:24Wish me luck.
03:26I'm starting my search for the bears in one of their last strongholds.
03:31The area in and around this national park in the north of Sri Lanka.
03:37There are fewer than a thousand bears in the whole country,
03:40and local rangers estimate 120 survive in this area.
03:46The bears are known as the ghosts of the forest,
03:50only emerging in the cooler parts of the day or at night.
03:56All right, I will be basing out of this safari vehicle.
04:01I have a better chance of embedding with these sloth bears
04:05because I can cover more ground
04:07and for sheer fact that they will rip your face off
04:10if you come in contact with them.
04:12So this is for safety, and it's a pretty sweet rig.
04:15I mean, check this thing out.
04:16Right-hand drive, stick shift, safari vehicle, open layout.
04:21Let's go.
04:30It's not ideal to be searching for a wild animal with a noisy vehicle.
04:35But I know the sloth bears have terrible eyesight and hearing,
04:39so this method might just pay off.
04:49What do we have here?
04:51This looks like the first sign I've seen that looks like bear scat.
05:01Okay, check this out.
05:03So I've been driving for a bit now,
05:05and I see some bear scat.
05:08There's berries in there,
05:10meaning that this is definitely sloth bear poo.
05:15You can see that there's still flies.
05:17It is pretty darn fresh.
05:19And that means their food source could be close by.
05:25Yeah, look at this, look at this.
05:27So it looks like the same berries
05:31that are in its dung are right here.
05:33Once you crack it open,
05:35you can see that same pith in there.
05:37That's the seeds that are in its poo.
05:43These weir berries are one of the bear's main food sources here.
05:47The fruit is seasonal,
05:49but when they are ripe,
05:51it's a bear's buffet.
05:53So eating these is one of the ways the bears have adapted
05:57to survive in a place with limited resources.
05:59I'm just going to grab a couple.
06:09It's sweet,
06:10but it almost just like dries your mouth out instantly.
06:13It tastes like a huckleberry.
06:15Like, this is a massive win.
06:19As a survivalist, being able to source food,
06:22that's probably the hardest part.
06:24And when you can find their food,
06:26that means you'll find their dung,
06:28and then that means you'll find the sloth bear.
06:30Let's go.
06:35Back in the safety of the car,
06:37I notice that the forest seems to be coming alive.
06:42Oh, peacock right there.
06:44Oh, that's awesome.
06:46Daytime temperatures often hit 40 degrees here.
06:50So most of the wildlife, including the bears,
06:52lay low trying to keep cool until this time of the day.
07:00I'm hoping the bear that was eating those berries
07:02is also waking up.
07:07Incredibly, after just half an hour,
07:17my search plan pays off.
07:21Oh, my God.
07:23I think I just saw a sloth bear.
07:28It's right there.
07:33Yes, yes, yes.
07:37He's just face down, rooting around.
07:49Looks like he's eating some berries.
07:51Oh, yeah, look at that.
07:53Look at that.
07:57Because of his terrible eyesight and hearing,
07:59he probably hasn't even noticed I'm nearby.
08:05And although he has one of the best senses of smell
08:07on the planet,
08:08the super nose is busy sniffing out the fallen berries.
08:12Oh, here he comes.
08:16He comes.
08:17He comes.
08:18Look at him.
08:19All right.
08:20The sloth bear right there.
08:23Oh, this is perfect.
08:24Look at him.
08:25Large male.
08:27Oh, this is so good.
08:29First sighting of a bear.
08:33Those front paws are insane.
08:38He's coming right for us.
08:51For us.
09:00Oh.
09:01Oh.
09:05That was...
09:06Oh, my heart just jumped.
09:08Oh, my God.
09:24That was it right there.
09:26Like, you can see just how quickly he goes
09:32from docile to ferocious.
09:36Oh, my heart is pounding.
09:41Oh, man.
09:42Yeah, they're just so unpredictable.
09:45It seems like docile,
09:47but that is something I don't want to mess with.
09:50He's small, but do you see those claws?
09:52That'll rip your face off.
09:55What has he got now?
09:58He took off into the woods here.
10:01Definitely not going to chase after him,
10:03especially after that display.
10:05We could just bed down in here
10:07and stay as close as possible
10:09and hopefully catch up with him in the morning.
10:13I have so many questions, like,
10:15why are they so furry?
10:16It's so hot out here.
10:17It was in, like, the hundreds today,
10:19and he is completely black, thick hair.
10:23And what does he use those massive claws for?
10:26I just have so many questions,
10:30like, how can he help my survival,
10:32and what can I use what he's doing for my survival?
10:36What he's doing for my survival.
10:50All right.
10:51I am at this epic lake, almost a full moon, fireflies.
10:57I'm hearing frogs.
10:59I'm just so thankful I have the safari vehicle
11:03so I can pretty much camp out anywhere with the road.
11:07This is my humble abode
11:10as I try to embed with these sloth bears.
11:13Seeing that bear today was so wild.
11:17I've seen black bears.
11:19I've seen grizzly bears,
11:20but I have never seen a sloth bear.
11:23They're elusive, so I'm so thankful
11:28I was able to catch up with one.
11:30But I'm going to bed with more questions
11:33than I have answers,
11:34but I'm excited to learn more tomorrow.
11:37Over and out.
11:49All right.
11:51So early, early morning,
11:56it's about 5, 5.30 in the morning,
12:00and I'm hoping to catch a sloth bear
12:03coming down to that waterway.
12:05Sri Lanka has two monsoon seasons,
12:10and in between the wet spells,
12:12waterholes like this become the place
12:14to hang out for the locals.
12:16It was a ruckus last night.
12:25Most of these animals around here
12:27are dusk and dawn and nocturnal.
12:29That's when they move around.
12:31Just because of the daytime heat,
12:33it's just too much.
12:35With so many wild animals out and about,
12:42I head back to the safety of my truck.
12:47And a few moments later,
12:49I'm even more grateful
12:50I'm not on the ground.
12:54Oh, wow.
13:03This looks like the male we saw last night.
13:07And this time,
13:09I'm hoping he doesn't notice me
13:11so I can observe him for longer.
13:19With no berries around,
13:21it looks like he's feeding
13:22on another of his main food sources,
13:25insects.
13:31I think he found a nice little ant mound.
13:34He's having a feed.
13:36He just keeps digging face down,
13:39using a snout.
13:40You can just hear him
13:42just suctioning up
13:44whatever termites you can find,
13:46whatever ants you can find.
13:48They need upwards to eight pounds
13:50of insect matter per day.
13:53That's insane.
13:57For a bear to have evolved to survive
13:59on such tiny insects and fruit
14:01is incredible.
14:03And something I want to understand better.
14:07Oh, there he goes.
14:10Oh, yeah.
14:13He just took off down that way,
14:16and I'm just double-checking
14:19to see what he's been working on.
14:21It looks like he was over here.
14:26Seems like he's just been digging down.
14:31You can see there's a bunch of ants in there.
14:34Claw marks, claw marks.
14:36And he's just sucking up different spots.
14:39You can see there's another one
14:41right over here.
14:43And you can see,
14:44that's his claws right there.
14:45Boom.
14:46Boom.
14:47Just excavating.
14:48So powerful.
14:49Pretty amazing to see him work
14:51and the way he's able to just suck up
14:54a tremendous amount of termites,
14:57and in this case, ants.
14:59And it looks like he goes from one spot to the next,
15:04and then by the time he comes back,
15:06it's fresh and ready to go,
15:08because they're trying to rebuild their nest.
15:13It seems like the sloth bear has evolved
15:15to predict insect behavior.
15:18They know if they dig into a mound,
15:20eat what they can, and then leave,
15:23then more termites will emerge to repair the damage,
15:26and the bear can come back over and over again.
15:30It's actually a very clever way to get protein,
15:33and means the bears don't have to hunt down big prey.
15:40Like, that's pretty amazing.
15:42It makes sense that they're able to maximize
15:44the amount of protein that they can intake
15:47in such a small area,
15:48because ants and termites are absolutely everywhere.
15:53While he's gone, this is a perfect time to see
15:55if I can mimic his method of getting protein.
15:58But to do that, I'm gonna need to find a tool
16:01that emulates his massive claws.
16:06Oh, wow.
16:08Look at this.
16:11Oh, my God.
16:12This is beautiful.
16:15It looks like an elk shed,
16:17but there's no elk in Sri Lanka.
16:19There's sandbar deer,
16:21and these things will come off every year
16:24after mating season,
16:25and essentially they'll regrow them,
16:28as they grow up.
16:30This is amazing.
16:32I know exactly what I could use this for.
16:41So I'm just trying to mimic
16:43exactly what a sloth bear would do
16:47to dig into one of these termite mounds.
16:53I mean, it's no wonder
16:55that these sloth bears
16:57have such sharp, massive claws,
17:00because getting into this termite mound
17:03is no joke.
17:04Even with this antler shed,
17:07it is hard work.
17:08This thing is like a concrete
17:16freaking bomb shelter.
17:18These things are meant to withstand
17:22elephants, sloth bears,
17:25sloth bears, and now
17:29a hungry max
17:30with sandbar antlers.
17:37These termites are doing
17:38everything they can
17:39to protect their colony,
17:41while the sloth bear
17:42is evolving
17:43to do everything it can
17:44to try to consume those termites.
17:46I've been hacking at this thing
17:58for 20 minutes at least,
18:00and I feel like I haven't even
18:01put in a dent.
18:02The mimicry works,
18:04but I can't match that ferocity.
18:07These guys have three-inch claws
18:09and brute strength
18:11and hyper-focus on what their win is,
18:14and that's a termite within this nest.
18:17That's why they have their head down,
18:19because they are just
18:20looking for their next meal.
18:22They are just sucking up
18:23any termites
18:24that are walking around,
18:25and that's why
18:26they have those gnarly claws.
18:28Like, even with this bomber
18:30antler shed,
18:31I can barely even
18:32scratch the surface.
18:34It's gonna take a lot of effort,
18:35and I don't know
18:36if it's worth the effort,
18:38but I'm on the right track.
18:40This is definitely
18:41a mimicry survival beat
18:43that I could use.
18:45All right.
18:46Let's keep rolling, though.
18:48It's not often
18:49I give up on a mimicry challenge,
18:52but I've got a limited amount
18:53of time during the day
18:54to explore the bear's
18:55environment on foot
18:57when the danger
18:58of one attacking me
18:59is minimal.
19:01So, during midday,
19:15I know for a fact
19:16that these bears
19:17are not moving around,
19:19so I just want to unpack
19:21how they fit
19:22within this ecosystem.
19:24I want to understand
19:25how they're managing
19:26to keep cool out here,
19:27especially as they have
19:29such a thick coat.
19:33So I'm meeting up
19:34with a bear expert
19:35who knows exactly
19:36where they hide out
19:37during the day.
19:40So I'm out
19:41with the local expert
19:42and biologist,
19:43and we're hopefully
19:45going to find
19:48some sloth bears.
19:49Feels really good
19:50to finally be
19:51on the ground
19:52and actually tracking.
19:56So what do we do
19:57if we see a bear?
19:59Basically, if we do
20:00encounter one,
20:01just stay put.
20:02Yeah.
20:03Don't run
20:04and sort of come closer
20:05together so that we look
20:06slightly bigger.
20:07Okay.
20:08So that's the main thing
20:09and then make a sound
20:11or two, you know.
20:12Yeah.
20:13If it tries to charge us,
20:14then, you know, shout out,
20:15wave our hands,
20:16throw a stick or two.
20:17Cool.
20:18Yeah.
20:19But generally,
20:20that's not needed
20:21because it's a female
20:22with cubs.
20:23If it's a female with cubs,
20:24it's a different ballgame.
20:25Back up.
20:26No.
20:27Stay there.
20:28Stand our ground
20:29and just let it do its,
20:30you know, inspecting
20:31and go off.
20:32Okay.
20:35Now that I know
20:36exactly what to do
20:37if we run into a bear,
20:39we head for a series
20:40of caves,
20:41which Rannell says
20:42is a perfect place
20:43for bears to keep cool.
20:47Nice.
20:48That was beautiful.
20:49I love this.
20:51Oh, there you go there.
20:52Oh, nice.
20:53And through this
20:54is a maze of different,
20:55different small sort of
20:57caves and stuff.
20:58We'll just check that out.
20:59Okay.
21:00So,
21:01we're at these rocky
21:02outcroppings,
21:03which is prime habitat
21:05for sloth bears.
21:06I feel like we're
21:07in the right spot.
21:08During the day,
21:10temperatures here
21:11can hit 40 degrees Celsius.
21:13So the bears hide out
21:15in caves like this
21:16and sleep for up
21:17for up to 16 hours a day.
21:23Oh, there's definitely
21:24the bear.
21:25Definitely some
21:26action here.
21:30That looks like sloth bear?
21:31Yeah, definitely.
21:32The way they've been
21:34torn apart.
21:40Sloth bear.
21:41Claw marks.
21:42Even more right there.
21:44Nice.
21:45So I would say
21:46this would be
21:47one of the ideal places
21:48to sort of
21:49wait for the sloth bear
21:51or see who basically,
21:52you know,
21:53inhabits this cave.
21:54Totally.
21:55Yeah, we have a couple
21:56trail cams
21:57that we can set up
21:58probably just right there
21:59and hopefully
22:00we can get something
22:01moving in and out of there.
22:02Excellent, yeah.
22:03Yeah, great.
22:04Dude, thanks for your time.
22:05No worries.
22:06Really appreciate it.
22:07No worries.
22:08Nice.
22:19It's not often
22:20I use tricks
22:21to see the animal
22:22I'm tracking.
22:25But these bears
22:26are just so elusive
22:27that if I want to see
22:28more of them,
22:29I've got to try
22:30something new.
22:42So far,
22:43I've been incredibly lucky
22:44to spot a bear
22:45and to see signs
22:46of other ones living here.
22:51The bear expert reiterated
22:52that there's only 120 bears
22:54in this area
22:55and less than a thousand
22:56in the country.
22:57And sadly,
23:02there's a very good reason
23:03for these low numbers.
23:04If you're looking at this map,
23:07this is where we're at
23:09and you can see
23:10that this all used to be
23:12forest habitat.
23:13A lot of the forest here
23:14has been degraded.
23:15A lot of the forest here
23:17has been degraded.
23:18So all of the sloth bears
23:20are pretty much isolated
23:22to little habitat islands
23:24throughout Sri Lanka.
23:25They've either
23:26all congregated
23:27into these pockets
23:28or have been killed
23:30and eradicated
23:31because of human advancement
23:34and degradation of their habitat.
23:37They've just come in contact
23:39with humans so much
23:40that I feel like
23:41their conflicts are
23:42way more prevalent
23:44in comparison to places
23:46like the U.S.
23:47and Alaska with grizzly bears.
23:48They can just roam
23:49as far as they want.
23:50There's pretty much nobody
23:51in Alaska.
23:52So that's the difference here
23:53is that there's just
23:54so many more people
23:55for them to come
23:56in contact with
23:57and that's when
23:58the conflicts arise.
24:00Sloth bears are very oblivious
24:02as to what's going on
24:04and they're just head down.
24:06They're looking for ants.
24:08They're looking for food
24:09and that's how
24:10they get surprised.
24:11People are walking
24:12through the bush,
24:13startle the sloth bear.
24:15They'll rear up
24:16and attack them.
24:18I feel like there's
24:19so little research
24:20about them.
24:21So any sort of information
24:22that we learn here
24:24and we can share
24:25with the public
24:26is a way of giving back
24:28and creating more
24:29conservation efforts
24:30for a very misunderstood
24:31sloth bear.
24:34All right.
24:35Let's go.
24:43It's now late afternoon
24:44and this is when the bears
24:46begin to wake up.
24:47wake up.
24:48So I'm back in the vehicle
24:50headed to a new,
24:51more open habitat
24:52that the bear expert
24:53told me is a hotspot,
24:55not just for bears
24:56but for other wildlife.
25:00I'm keen to see how
25:01the animals around here
25:02react to bears
25:03and how bears
25:04react to them.
25:06So there's about
25:13ten access deer
25:15over here,
25:16spotted deer,
25:17also known as access deer.
25:20And it looks like
25:21the spotted deer
25:22on alert.
25:24And a few moments
25:25later,
25:26I see why.
25:27the deer clearly want
25:34nothing to do with him.
25:35And the bear is oblivious to them.
25:39He's just head down,
25:45excavating,
25:46and pulling out
25:47as many termites
25:48as he can.
25:49Just the sheer
25:50ferocity of this ability
25:52just to dig straight
25:54through the ground
25:55and suck up
25:56all the termites.
25:57Three thick claws.
25:58Like he's a walking excavator.
26:03Amazing.
26:11Oh my God.
26:14There's a leopard
26:15right up there.
26:17Leopards are Sri Lanka's
26:19top predator.
26:21Males typically weigh
26:22around 70 kilos,
26:24half the weight
26:25of an adult male sloth bear.
26:28But unlike the bear,
26:31they are the hunters
26:32around here.
26:33They are the apex predator
26:35in this country.
26:38Access deer
26:39are some of their
26:40favorite prey.
26:41And that's exactly
26:42why he's turned up here.
26:45But having a sloth bear
26:46nearby seems
26:47to have made him nervous.
26:52So,
26:53we got a situation here.
26:54We got a sloth bear
26:55right here.
26:57and then a leopard
26:59not even 100 yards away
27:01staring straight
27:02at the sloth bear.
27:03Look.
27:12We have the apex predator
27:14and the apex omnivore
27:16within 100 yards of each other.
27:20What's gonna happen next?
27:23This is electric.
27:27I wonder what happens
27:28if they meet.
27:29Who do you have your money on?
27:30I think I got my money
27:31on sloth bear.
27:32He's just so powerful.
27:45The size of his head,
27:46his shoulders,
27:47his three-inch claws.
27:48Oh!
27:49He's coming straight towards us.
27:50Oh!
27:51He's coming straight towards us.
27:52But,
27:53he's 100 yards
27:55away from
27:56a leopard
27:57right over here.
27:58There he goes.
28:14I don't think the leopard
28:16wants anything to do with him.
28:18Oh, that was epic.
28:21Very rare sighting.
28:24Leopard,
28:25sloth bear.
28:27That is what we're here for.
28:30Oh, man.
28:32Oh, man.
28:34Yes.
28:38These guys are known
28:39to fight off leopards
28:41with their cubs
28:42hanging off their back.
28:44They'll stand up to tigers.
28:46They'll stand up to elephants.
28:48Definitely stand up
28:50to a leopard.
28:54There he goes.
28:56That was unbelievable.
29:02It is absolutely raining cats
29:20and dogs and bears out there.
29:22I was out there for a quick second
29:23and ran back in here,
29:25just trying to stay as dry
29:26as humanly possible.
29:29This time of year
29:30is usually not rainy.
29:31We're past the monsoon season,
29:33and the fact that
29:34it's pouring down rain,
29:35it still feels like
29:36we're in the monsoon season.
29:39It's been like this
29:40since about 4 a.m.,
29:42and I haven't seen
29:43a single bear all morning.
29:46There's so little research
29:47about these bears
29:48that I have no clue
29:49what they actually do
29:50when it's pouring down rain.
29:53Oh, yeah, you hear that?
29:55It's so nice to be
29:56in a dry car.
30:01By the time the rain dies down,
30:06it's nearly midday,
30:08which means it's safe for me
30:10to head back to the cave area
30:11and check in on my cameras.
30:16But on the way,
30:17I spot something
30:18that stops me in my tracks.
30:20I look up at this rock face,
30:23and I see this massive honeycomb
30:25with hundreds of bees on there.
30:28And instead of them flying out,
30:30they're all protecting the comb
30:32and using their wings
30:33to have the water
30:34just pretty much splash
30:35down their backs
30:36and not get their honeycomb
30:38completely soaked.
30:39If there's one thing
30:42that drives sloth bears mad
30:44and what they want to eat
30:45and their number one prize,
30:47it's right up there
30:48in that honeycomb.
30:49Honey.
30:51That is such a big win for them.
30:54Perhaps these guys
30:56are one of the reasons
30:57the bears have such thick coats.
30:59They can just go right
31:00into a nest like this,
31:02grab the honeycomb,
31:03and not get stung.
31:05It makes sense that the bees
31:07having their hive right there
31:09in order to protect themselves
31:11from any sort of intruders,
31:13specifically the sloth bears.
31:15Sloth bears will probably
31:17try to climb up that
31:18to try to reach that honeycomb.
31:23I'm tempted to try
31:24to get some honey myself.
31:26But first,
31:27I want to check in on my cameras.
31:30They've been up
31:31for almost 24 hours now.
31:33And although it's such a short time,
31:36I'm really hoping
31:37to have footage
31:38of a bear using the cave.
31:44Okay.
31:45I see my tracks.
31:47And looks like fresh,
31:49fresh tracks right here for sure.
31:52Those are brand new.
31:54Ooh, another track right here.
31:57Big track right there.
31:59Looks like a smaller sloth bear.
32:01Yep, leading straight into there.
32:08All right, so the tracks
32:11are definitely leading in.
32:12They're not leading out.
32:14So I'm gonna make my way out of here.
32:16Let's review what's on this trail cam.
32:31We'll know exactly what went in there.
32:41Let's check this out.
32:42Let's check this out.
32:47We got a sloth bear.
32:50Mom and cub.
32:52This is huge.
32:55That's amazing
32:56to have put the cam in the right place.
33:00So at 5.47 this morning,
33:03they went into the cave
33:04and have not come out.
33:07So they're still currently in the cave.
33:09Mother with cubs are the most dangerous sloth bears of them all.
33:14That accounts for the most maulings
33:16and the most interactions and incidences
33:19with humans and sloth bears.
33:22A female with young will do anything to protect them.
33:26She'll take on a leopard,
33:27and I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate to attack me
33:30if I was close.
33:34Or, whoa, one of my remote cameras.
33:37So, I'm just happy I'm a couple hundred yards away
33:41because they are in there and they have not come out.
33:45That was four hours ago.
33:46They were in there and they're still in there.
33:48So they're probably sleeping.
33:50I mean, it's pretty rare to be able to see a sloth bear,
33:54mother and cub.
33:56Hopefully I can see them out and not inside the den.
34:00If we can catch them during the daylight
34:03or even in the evening,
34:05that would make my entire expedition.
34:07Now that I know that they're up here,
34:15I'm going to keep out of this area.
34:18The last thing I want to do is to serve a sleeping mom and baby.
34:24However, later this afternoon,
34:26I'm hoping they'll emerge and come down to the forest
34:29so I can spend some more time with them.
34:34But that's hours away.
34:35So in the meantime, I'm going to go in search of the bears' favorite food.
34:41I've already found some more bees.
34:44But before I track down their hive,
34:47I think I need to make myself a little bit more bear-like
34:50to protect my skin.
34:53This place has so many resources
34:56and I'm going to use these cattails
35:00to make myself a bear coat.
35:03So a bear coat sounds pretty insane,
35:04but it's all about asking the question.
35:05It's like, can I make something that would mimic a sloth bear's fur
35:07and help me procure honey that I could use to survive in this situation?
35:24You know, it's evolved to have a shaggier coat than any other bear.
35:30A lot of hair in such a really, really hot and humid climate.
35:33My favorite part about the bushcraft is that you're just using your hands, you're really actually immersing yourself in the nature instead of the observation of it.
35:42You get to actually see if it's practical, see if your hypothesis holds weight.
35:47Bear with me here.
35:48Bear with me.
35:49Bear with me.
35:50Bear with me.
35:51Bear with me.
35:52Bear with me.
35:53Bear with me.
35:54I'm doing this.
35:56Uh, what was it?
35:57You're looking for a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit.
36:01A little bit about the length of the beard.
36:02And just the woman.
36:04You're really looking for a little bit.
36:05One more time, a little bit.
36:08I'm not sure.
36:09Because this is actually really kind of very interesting.
36:11You're really looking for things.
36:12But if you're just really immersing yourself in the nature, instead of the observation of it,
36:14you get to actually see if it's practical.
36:16See if your hypothesis holds weight.
36:19Check it out.
36:35This is my bear suit.
36:36I look like a Christmas tree.
36:39But any sort of barrier between me and the bees
36:42is my best bet in order to try to get that win
36:46and understand these bears as much as possible.
36:49Let's go.
36:58All right, so I've been walking through the woods,
37:01and I found a beehive's nest.
37:06Old claw marks on this tree mean this is definitely a nest
37:09a bear has rated in the past.
37:13So I know this suit looks goofy,
37:15but it won't look goofy if I pull a handful of honey out
37:18and don't get stung.
37:21Here we go.
37:32All right, so the bees are going ballistic.
37:36I've had one laying on me but haven't been stung yet.
37:39I'm going to try to pull some honey out.
37:41Oh, yeah.
37:51Oh, jackpot.
37:53Honeypot.
37:54Oh.
37:59Oh, my God.
38:03Oh.
38:06That's incredible.
38:07Here, try some.
38:10So from what I understand, a lot of the plants
38:13that are in this jungle habitat is medicinal.
38:19Like, there's so much stuff and honey
38:21that's beneficial for your health.
38:23And the bears, they'll eat honey whenever they can.
38:27This is an incredible win.
38:28Oh, yeah, look at the bee soup.
38:38It's working.
38:40Look at that.
38:41I've been spilling honey on my chest,
38:42and they're on there right now.
38:44I'm not getting stung whatsoever.
38:51All right.
38:52I think that's about it.
38:55I can't be here all day, but this suit worked.
38:59It's all about trying to understand how the sloth bearer
39:02and why the sloth bearer has such long hair in the tropics.
39:06He's the shaggiest of all the bears, all eight species.
39:09He, by far, has the longest hair,
39:12and he's in the hottest temperature and climate.
39:15It's starting to make sense.
39:16That long, wiry hair confuses the bees and the termites
39:20because they're not able to bite his skin or sting him.
39:23And in this situation, I haven't been stung yet,
39:26which is amazing.
39:28So mimicking the bear has allowed me to harvest honey
39:31and not get stung.
39:34What a sweet treat.
39:36Let's go.
39:46It's now late afternoon,
39:49and I need to get back to my vehicle
39:50so I can head out and search for mom and cub.
39:54But on the way to my Jeep,
39:56I spot an early riser.
40:01See those tracks?
40:03Got a sloth bear right there.
40:10This is so, so cool.
40:16As long as I give him his distance,
40:21as long as I give him his respect,
40:23he's not hostile.
40:25The wind has shifted,
40:27and now it's blowing towards him.
40:29So he can smell me,
40:30but he's paying no attention.
40:35It's all about mutual respect.
40:38You give respect, you get respect.
40:41It looks like he's starting to make his way into the woods.
40:46And he's on his way.
41:07Last night, the rain set in again
41:09and continued into the morning,
41:12and there were no bears around,
41:14let alone mom and cub.
41:19It's now nearly midday,
41:20so I've headed out on foot
41:22to see if I can find any fresh signs of them on the ground.
41:28I'm hoping this will help me decide
41:30where to focus my search this evening.
41:32I'm looking for smaller-sized paw prints
41:36or even baby-sized scat.
41:40But after an hour of walking,
41:42I haven't seen a thing.
41:48Instead, I find that the unseasonable rains
41:51have brought out another of nature's incredible spectacles.
41:54This is crazy.
41:58So, can't find any bears,
42:00but I can appreciate the beauty of nature
42:03and the absolute magical moment of these butterflies.
42:09It just helps you slow down
42:11and really appreciate everything around you.
42:15The butterflies are here to lap up the rain
42:21from the damp ground,
42:22which should also give them important minerals.
42:26But getting together in such a large group
42:28is a risky move.
42:31I was looking at a bee ear up there,
42:34and this is one of their main prey.
42:37They're this magnificent green bird
42:40that snatches these guys straight out of the air.
42:43But these butterflies have the ability
42:48to just fly in very sporadic flight patterns
42:51in order for them not to be predated on by bee eaters.
42:57That's like me.
42:57If a leopard was chasing me,
42:59I'd be throwing juke moves, you know what I mean?
43:01Like, if it was chasing me,
43:02a little spin move there.
43:06You know what I mean?
43:08Like, what would you do
43:09in order to run away from a leopard?
43:11You would run, you'd juke,
43:12you'd climb,
43:13like, you would name it,
43:14and you would do it
43:16in order not to get predated on.
43:17Just like these butterflies
43:19are doing the same thing,
43:20flying willy-nilly and sporadically
43:22in order not to be predated on by bee eaters.
43:31As I continue my search
43:33for any signs of mom and baby,
43:34I finally hit the jackpot.
43:38Oh, here they are, here they are.
43:42Look at these.
43:42These are so good.
43:44I have found some really nice
43:47baby sloth bear prints.
43:51Look right there.
43:52Not super big if you see my fist for reference.
43:55There's its digits right there.
43:58Its paw.
44:00Boom.
44:01Making its way to the water.
44:03And then it looks like it kind of doubles back.
44:08This is a huge win.
44:10And now I know exactly
44:12where to position myself
44:13to try to catch a glimpse of mom and cub
44:15later this evening.
44:17For my last evening in the park,
44:24I'm focusing on covering
44:26as much ground as possible
44:27near the prints I saw earlier.
44:31I'm really hoping
44:32this is the best way
44:33for me to spot the mom and cub.
44:41And after a few laps
44:42around this part of the park,
44:44I spot a familiar-looking bear.
44:47The male from the first evening.
44:54Of course,
44:55I was hoping for the female and cub.
44:58But it feels really special
44:59to see him again
45:01after exploring his world
45:03for the last few days.
45:05I feel like I understand
45:07him so much more now.
45:10I've gone from thinking
45:11that these sloth bears
45:12are just constantly primed to attack
45:13to understanding why
45:15they are so aggressive.
45:19These guys are without a doubt
45:21ferocious,
45:22but that's only a defense mechanism
45:25because they have to contend
45:26against leopards
45:28and on the Indian subcontinent,
45:31tigers.
45:32And really,
45:33they're just busy
45:34just trying to get food,
45:35and they rear up and attack.
45:37I think they're fairly misunderstood
45:42and persecuted for it.
45:46And there needs to be education
45:48around these bears.
45:49If people were to know
45:53how to operate
45:54and act
45:56around sloth bears,
45:58I think
45:59the number of incidences
46:01would be substantially reduced.
46:03all bears
46:06are beautiful,
46:07and this guy's
46:09no exception.
46:11I've learned so much
46:12from him.
46:13Being able to maximize
46:14the amount of protein
46:16within a small area,
46:18getting a bear suit
46:19to prevent me
46:20from getting stung
46:21while I'm procuring
46:22honey,
46:24eating berries
46:25from the trees,
46:26it's all about adapting
46:28when it comes
46:29to these bears.
46:30He's busy rooting around,
46:33but I'm rooting for him.
46:37Look at that.
46:38He's just
46:39head down,
46:42busy,
46:43paying me no mind.
46:45And I think
46:46if you mind your business,
46:48you'll be just fine.
46:51It's all about
46:52giving respect
46:53and receiving respect.
47:00As he heads back
47:05into the woods
47:06and the sun begins to set,
47:09I can hear rustling
47:10on the other side
47:11of the vehicle.
47:13Just saw a rabbit
47:14run out of the bushes.
47:18I'm hearing some rustling
47:20around over there.
47:21I'm hoping
47:29I might be able
47:29to see
47:30a second bear.
47:35I heard that.
47:36Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
47:38Here.
47:40You can hear it
47:41right over here.
47:46Oh, yeah, yeah.
47:47They're right there.
47:49Oh!
47:49Oh, my God.
47:56Mother cub right there.
47:58This has got to be
47:59the female from the cave.
48:01And it turns out
48:03she has two cubs.
48:06All right, so
48:07it's the last day.
48:10Just caught a glimpse
48:11of the mother
48:12and two cubs.
48:14I've been looking for them
48:15the entire time
48:17I've been out here.
48:17and they're somewhere
48:19hidden there.
48:23It's almost totally dark now,
48:24so I switched my camera
48:26to night mode.
48:29Oh, my God.
48:31Are they coming this way?
48:35Here they come.
48:35Here they come.
48:36Here they come.
48:36Here they come.
48:37Here they come.
48:37Here they come.
48:38The wind's in our favor
48:40right now.
48:42Here they are.
48:44They're going to cross the road again.
48:47Yes.
48:50We got them.
48:51We got them.
48:52I can't believe we got them.
48:55That was the mother
48:56and two cubs.
48:59It makes this ferocious animal
49:01look just so beautiful
49:05and humanizes them.
49:10How adorable.
49:12That's amazing.
49:14Seeing those cubs,
49:17that is a conservation
49:19success story.
49:21Yes!
49:22Oh, my gosh.
49:28That was pure magic.
49:30The power
49:31of seeing
49:32a female sloth bear
49:34with her cubs
49:34is something
49:35I'll remember forever.
49:40These sloth bears
49:41are like the ghosts
49:42of this forest.
49:45You just have to be lucky,
49:46be in the right place
49:47at the right time.
49:49That was magic,
49:52but it's a wrap.
49:55Later.
49:57Sayonara, bear.