- 2 days ago
In the vast icy wastes of the Arctic very little grows. It's dark for months in the winter and the freezing temperatures make it particularly inhospitable....
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00:05Only one creature has carved a life for itself in every habitat on Earth.
00:13That creature is us.
00:17All over the world we still use our ingenuity to survive in the wild places,
00:24far from the city lights, face to face with raw nature.
00:31This is the human planet.
00:47At the top of our planet lies one of the most remote places on Earth, the Arctic.
01:02In winter, the region is frozen and dark for months on end.
01:14There are no trees and there are no plants to eat.
01:23We humans weren't built to withstand a landscape as hostile as this.
01:29And yet, four million people live here.
01:36Their survival relies upon an intimate knowledge of this, the most hostile habitat on Earth.
02:00Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth.
02:02Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth.
02:05Oh, my God!
02:18The beginning of a new Arctic year.
02:24After months of winter darkness, the sun finally returns to this frozen land.
02:37For the Inuit of Satut Greenland, the sun's return marks the beginning of their hunting calendar.
02:52Now that the residents have enough daylight, a world of opportunity opens up.
03:03They can embark on expeditions far from town.
03:12Traveling across the thousands of kilometers of sea ice that lead to their hunting grounds.
03:34Today, Amos Jensen and his son, Karl Friedrich, have to feed their dogs.
03:43Their dogs are essential.
03:45At this time of year, the dog sled is a very good one.
03:47The dogs are essential.
03:47At this time of year, the dog sled is a very good one.
03:47It is their only means of transportation.
04:01Because their hunting trip could take some time, father and son will need a few comforts of home.
04:08Or even home itself.
04:22To find the most nutritious dog food, Amos and Karl Friedrich need to travel many kilometers across the sea ice.
04:34What they're after is a real-life Arctic sea monster.
04:39A Greenland shark.
04:58To support their weight, the ice only needs to be five centimeters thick, about two inches.
05:09This ice is nearly a meter thick, and it could support a jumbo jet.
05:18This ice is nearly a meter thick.
05:22This ice is nearly a meter thick.
05:24This ice is nearly a meter thick.
05:25This ice is nearly a meter thick.
05:26Amos knows that Greenland sharks are partial to whale meat.
05:32And he also knows they live in the deepest waters.
05:44Now, both men and dogs have to wait for something to take the bait.
05:52You know what they're doing?
05:58At least the will.
06:02At least the first jedem attack is coming through ten pounds.
06:03Unfortunately, birds areotiated and ouranco Temple sight should run.
06:13Most listeners雷 star understand that it cannot be lost.
06:14As temperatures plummet to minus 35 degrees Celsius, our dogs feed in the second
06:18The dog's thick fur keeps them warm.
06:26But without their hut, Amos and Carl Friedrich would freeze to death.
06:46It's time to check if the dogs will eat today.
06:56From the vibrations he feels on the fishing line,
06:59he knows they've hooked something.
07:05But he won't know if it's a shark until they pull it up.
07:17It's down so deep they have to stretch their fishing line
07:20along the ice in 100 meter lengths.
07:30They pull their catch up a staggering 800 meters,
07:34nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building.
07:48It's like a missing.
07:51It's a shark.
07:53It's a shark.
07:54I can't understand.
08:14They've caught the Greenland shark they were hoping for.
08:34The Greenland shark is the only native arctic shark.
08:39It's one of the largest predators in these seas.
08:47Researchers have found caribou and even polar bears in its stomach.
08:59The shark has accidentally wrapped the fishing line round its tail.
09:07It's not the normal way to land a shark, but a catch is a catch.
09:11What are you doing here?
09:13It's a catch.
09:16It's a catch.
09:30It's a catch.
09:39It's a catch.
09:42It's a catch.
09:45Amos and Carl can't lift the shark by themselves, so they enlist the help of the dogs.
10:06This shark is four metres long, weighs over half a ton and is the largest they've ever caught.
10:16But it will only feed their 20 dogs for two weeks.
10:32For Greenlanders, it is essential to have well-fed dogs if they're to continue hunting and fishing.
11:02Here in the Arctic, the bond between man and dog is so important.
11:06It's unlikely we would have colonized this habitat without our best friends.
11:15As the year moves on, so does the quest for survival.
11:23Even though it's March, the Arctic Ocean is still dominated by sea ice.
11:30An area four times the size of the United States is frozen over.
11:38The ice connects Europe to Russia and Russia to North America.
11:46And here, in the Canadian Arctic, people have a unique insight into what lies beneath the ice.
11:55In Kangijusawak, North East Canada, Lukasi Napaluk is watching the tides.
12:03Tomorrow, the spring equinox will create the most extreme tides of the year and a spectacular opportunity for a meal.
12:29The night tide literally opens a door for a garden of seafood just below the ice.
12:37You just need to know where to find it.
12:45You just need to know where to find it.
13:02Everything they need to protect themselves from the elements is right beneath their feet.
13:26Even if it's minus 45 degrees Celsius outside, body warmth can heat an edu to a balmy plus 16.
13:36A full 60 degrees warmer.
13:40I'm going to get out of here.
13:44I'm going to get out of here.
13:47I'm going to get out of here.
13:47I'm going to get out of here.
13:54Cozy inside their igloo, Lukasi and his friends must now wait.
14:02Before they can hunt, something extraordinary has to happen.
14:15Underneath the sea ice, the tide is going out.
14:20Out.
14:21And out.
14:26The floating ice drops a staggering 12 meters, nearly 40 feet, exposing the sea bed and hopefully the bounty thereafter.
14:41Lukasi and his friends try to get under the ice as quickly as possible.
14:48They have just half an hour before the tide comes back in.
14:58The world beneath their feet is unstable.
15:03The giant blocks of ice are no longer supported by water and could collapse at any moment.
15:30This is the only place on Earth where the tides are extreme enough to allow people to dare venture under
15:38the sea ice.
15:42And in a chamber that moments ago was underwater, they find what they're looking for.
15:50Muscles.
15:53All they could hope for.
15:59Now they have just minutes to gather all they can carry.
16:06The returning tide is an unstoppable force.
16:11The returning tide is an unstoppable force.
16:15The returning tide is an unstoppable force.
16:29As the sea steadily flows back, it lifts the huge blocks of ice over their heads.
16:42Even as they escape, the ice shifts around them.
16:51The ocean reclaims its secret garden.
17:05Lukasi can only harvest mussels for the few days of extreme tides.
17:24Mussels are a delicious way to break up a diet that during winter has been mainly seal meat and fish.
17:33But summer is on the way, and everything is about to change.
17:45By June, the sun finally pushes temperatures above zero.
17:52The sea ice begins to melt.
17:57And as it breaks apart, it triggers an annual summer migration.
18:08Animals that have spent the winter far offshore follow the melting ice into the bays and fjords.
18:18For Arctic hunters, this creates a unique opportunity.
18:35Mamoruk Christiansen and his brothers, Mykele and Gedeon, are Thule Inuit from northern Greenland.
18:44They're rushing to keep the most important appointment in their hunting calendar.
18:49They must be punctual.
18:52In just a few weeks, the sea ice they're traveling on will melt away.
18:58Their gold is the most precious food in the Arctic.
19:07Narwhal.
19:12Narwhal.
19:16These legendary whales are looking for a way into the bay.
19:23This is a mythic creature.
19:28Come up! Come up!
19:30But it is also a source of the rarest vitamin in the Arctic.
19:37Vitamin C.
19:47Narwhal.
19:47In a landscape with so few edible fruits or plants, the Inuit don't have alternatives.
20:02Narwhal.
20:12Spotting Narwhal is hard enough.
20:14even scientists who studied them rarely see them but if Meikle is going to catch
20:21one the narwhal will have to swim a great deal closer than this
20:40it could be weeks before the three brothers see now while again
20:46but they have to stay alert and there's plenty to prepare
20:52in this region the law states that hunters can only use traditional methods this means
20:59traveling in kayaks a craft the Inuit invented thousands of years ago and using the avatak
21:07a boy made from the skin of a ringseed
21:29even though it's midnight the Sun still shines in June the Sun simply circles the sky never
21:38dipping below the horizon
21:53it's vital that one of them stands guard at all times but Gedeon isn't just looking for
22:00narwhal he's watching the ice
22:12already it's thinning and breaking apart
22:19if they're not careful the brothers could find themselves adrift on a melting piece of ice
22:31he could
22:34he could
22:34he could
22:35he could
22:39he could
22:40I was like, I'm going to get out of here.
22:47I'm going to get out of here.
22:50I'm going to get out of here.
23:38Mammarud and Gadeon know not to die.
23:42Nawaal are extremely skittish, so the hunters enter the water with care.
24:03The three brothers work as a team.
24:07They're after just one whale.
24:14It's an ambush.
24:23The Nawaal pass within 50 feet of Mikulé.
24:29But still, all three hunters wait.
24:35If he strikes too soon, the whole pot will die.
24:50His eye is on the stragglers bringing up the rear.
25:07Especially in the final approach, Mikulé must be silent and directly behind his prey.
25:32Mammarud and Gadeon will die.
25:54Mammarud and Gadeon will die.
26:08Mammarud and Gadeon will die.
26:36Mammarud and Gadeon will die.
26:42Mammarud and Gadeon will die.
26:47The most prized part of the Nawaal is the skin.
26:51They call it Maktak.
26:53It's their primary source of vitamin C.
26:57Ounce for ounce, Nawaal skin contains almost as much vitamin C as oranges.
27:10Without Nawaal, it's doubtful that the Inuit would ever have survived in this part of the Arctic.
27:21It's now July and the sun finally wins its battle.
27:27The sea ice melts into open ocean.
27:34To find food, man turns his attention to the land.
27:46Sirapaluk, Greenland, is the northernmost native settlement on Earth.
27:52Every year, Mahenka Oshima is treated to a spectacle.
27:59Millions of little orcs are migration.
28:04They come here to breed on the cliffs.
28:10And for predators, there's a mouthwatering supply of protein whizzing overhead.
28:18If you can reach it.
28:24The sea ice melts into a town.
28:25They come here to set fire at the sea.
28:31It has a town in the dinosaurs.
28:31The sea map has a town in the mountains.
28:39The sea paper is a town in length.
28:43The sea map has an enemy in the mountains.
28:45The sea map has a town in the hills.
28:47The sea map wants to cover their own eerie.
28:50The sea map is wings.
29:05Thousands of years ago, Mahinka's ancestors worked out how to make nets out of sinew and
29:10driftwood. And they created the same hiding spots he uses today.
29:28On a good day, Mahinka can gather up to 500 birds. But he won't eat them now.
29:43He'll take his cue from a fellow hunter. Arctic foxes often stuff a few birds underground
29:51so that when times are lean, they'll have food to fall back on.
30:09The birds can be used to make kiviak, a dish that you save for a rainy day. The recipe is
30:19thousands of years old, and it goes away.
30:21Like this. Take one seal skin. Stuff as many little auks inside it as you can. At least 500.
30:39Sew it up. Make sure you press all the air out. Seal fat repels flies, so be generous when coating
30:52the seams.
30:55And finally, use a big rock to make sure no more air gets in.
31:08Mahinka's kiviak won't be ready for three months, but the frozen ground is a natural refrigerator.
31:16Come winter, he and his family will have a vital supply of food.
31:31It's now September. Days are getting shorter and temperatures are plummeting. The few plants that have managed to grow over
31:42the short Arctic summer are dying back.
31:48This is exactly what is happening on Arnoi Island, northern Norway.
31:59Three thousand reindeer have been grazing here all summer.
32:06But now they have to move, because their winter food source, Lycan, can only be found 450 kilometers away.
32:15And to get to it, they'll have to cross this, the Arnoi Strait.
32:25Ella Helena Siri is in charge of leading these reindeer across the water.
32:33She belongs to a family of Sami reindeer herders.
32:45Before the migration begins, Ella helps split the deer into smaller groups, so they can give them vital medicine.
32:52numbers are not used.
32:56They have a small chicken in here.
33:00They have a small chicken and some of them.
33:03They have a small chicken, they can achieve the same size size, but they can look into the ground.
33:08The follow-up is also known as the animal.
33:09On the day she was born, Ella was given a portion of this herd.
33:16Now age twenty and a recent graduate of Norway's reindeer college,
33:21It's up to her to make sure they all survive the perilous journey ahead.
33:30It will take nearly a month for these deer to migrate to their winter pastures.
33:39But today is the toughest day of all,
33:41because the deer have to swim two and a half kilometers across the channel.
33:59These chilly Arctic waters are only just above freezing.
34:05Even for adult reindeer, this is a long swim.
34:14But for this year's calves, which have never been in the water before,
34:18it's a marathon.
34:52I'm going to go.
34:53I'm going to go.
34:54I'm going to go.
34:59I'm going to go.
35:01As the young calves approach the halfway point,
35:05exhaustion sets in.
35:12For Ella, it's a tense moment.
35:16Because if one calf turns around and swims back, the rest could follow.
35:27She's willing to die of time.
35:31I've never been in a long time.
35:31I'm going to go to look for her.
35:35I want to keep the baby.
35:45She's here.
35:46I'm going to go.
35:49Ella must stop her, or the whole migration could derail.
36:15She's done it.
36:17The migration remains on track.
36:24The migration remains on track.
36:49The migration remains on track.
36:52The migration remains on track.
36:55The migration remains on track.
36:59What's this?
37:05It won't be long before Ella's deer will be grazing on the lichen they need to get them
37:10through the winter.
37:15And it's not just animals looking for a meal at this time of year.
37:23In Greenland, Mahinka and his father are already breaking into the caches of little
37:29auks they stored up in the summer.
37:34The birds have now fermented and have become the Inuit delicacy known as kiviak.
37:44It's easy to tell if your kiviak is ready by the aroma.
37:49It should sting the nostrils.
37:53This is why it's polite always to serve kiviak outdoors.
38:03The flavour should resemble extremely intense gorgonzola cheese.
38:12Nothing is wasted, everything is edible.
38:22The Inuit of Northern Greenland love kiviak so much that it's the dish of choice for birthdays
38:28and weddings.
38:30And it's nutritious, full of vitamins and minerals that will sustain people over the winter
38:36months ahead.
38:43As September gives way to October, winter returns to the Arctic.
38:53The ocean ices over once again.
38:59One of the first places to freeze lies along Hudson's Bay near the town of Churchill, Manitoba.
39:10Every year the thousand human residents must share their town with one of the few predators
39:16on earth that actively hunts human beings.
39:29From September to November, as many as 300 ravenous polar bears descend on Churchill on their
39:35way back to hunt on the sea ice.
39:41Bob Windsor is in charge of protecting the residents.
39:45He belongs to a special task force, the polar bear alert team.
39:52Polar bears are pure predators, so they kill other animals to eat, that's how they survive.
39:57Knowing that, you have to give them a little more respect because you could also be a potential
40:02meal for them.
40:20As a first line of defense, Bob tries to frighten the bear back into the wilderness.
40:34But this skirmish isn't necessarily over.
40:39Desperate for something to eat, bears often return under cover of darkness.
40:52Which is bad news for Bob, because tonight, more than any other night, fills him with dread.
40:59Halloween is probably the busiest night of the year that we work, just by the sheer number
41:05of people that are out and about that evening.
41:13So the potential for something bad to happen is definitely there.
41:27At the same time as the trick-or-treaters hit the streets, people at the Royal Legion gather
41:32for their weekly meat raffle.
41:35The prize for winning is prime Canadian beef.
41:41Next ticket, number 440.
41:59This may seem cavalier, but the residents of Churchill refuse to live in fear.
42:07And the protection of the polar bear patrol makes them feel safe.
42:14However, in the past, bears have mauled and killed people right here on Main Street.
42:21And Bob is all too aware of the risks.
42:26You always hope and pray that nothing bad is going to happen.
42:31Keep your eyes open.
42:34Be aware of your surroundings and always be thinking that there could be a bear nearby.
42:43They'll move around, you won't hear them.
42:47We kind of refer to them sometimes as ghosts, because they'll just disappear on you.
42:54They'll be there, and then where did it go?
42:57A little spooky that way.
43:01They're amazingly fast, amazingly agile, and amazingly stealthful.
43:10Trick-or-treat!
43:15Hi guys!
43:16How are you doing?
43:18Trick-or-treat!
43:18Trick-or-treat!
43:19Have you seen any bears this evening?
43:21No, it's been really good tonight.
43:23There was a bear in town earlier today, but there's been nothing tonight at all.
43:27Oh, good.
43:27Do you hear that, girls?
43:28Yep.
43:28Okay, you have a good night tonight, okay?
43:30And keep your eyes open for polar bears, too.
43:33Okay?
43:33Thank you, guys!
43:34Bye-bye!
43:35Happy Halloween!
43:36See you, little bear!
43:37Happy Halloween-y!
43:45Tonight, the residents of Churchill are safe.
43:49But it was a closer call than many of them realized.
43:54Inside this bear trap is proof.
43:57Trick-or-treaters weren't the only ones stalking the streets last night.
44:02You're into the cage by seal meat.
44:05This male weighs over half a ton.
44:14This bear is sedated and will be flown at least 60 kilometers outside of town.
44:27In the past, an average of 75 bears per year have been transported out of Churchill.
44:39But in recent years, the number of invading bears has halved, because in this part of the Arctic, polar bears
44:45are in decline.
44:57They have timed the sedative so that it wears off soon after they land.
45:03This is done so that bears can protect themselves from other bears in the area.
45:09For Officer Windsor, it means working fast before this bear fully wakes up.
45:17A single swipe from a male this size could be fatal.
45:26It's a great feeling, because here it is. You're letting them go.
45:30You can't help but wonder, where is it going to be going? How is it going to make out?
45:38Very satisfying to see a bear actually get up and go on his way.
45:48Wish him well and hope for the best and hope to never see him again in town.
46:02With the sea ice forming fast, it won't be long before this polar bear can roam far and wide in
46:09search of food.
46:13But for people, moving around the Arctic is about to get a lot more treacherous, because the sun is deserting
46:21them.
46:22It's November in Ellulisat, Greenland, and the sun no longer rises above the horizon.
46:30The residents won't see daylight for another 54 days.
46:37They try to live their lives as normal. They still hunt and fish.
46:44Adults go to work.
46:48Children go to school.
46:52But it's all under the cover of darkness.
47:01As the dark days drag on, everybody yearns for the sun to come back.
47:20Finally, on January the 13th, they get their wish.
47:25The entire community comes out to celebrate the first sunrise of the new year.
47:43With every new sunrise, the Arctic is warming up.
47:50And the seasonal opportunities that have made life possible may not be here in years to come.
48:00But the people of the Arctic are born survivors.
48:05If there's anyone who can adapt to the changes on the horizon, surely it's them.
48:21For the Arctic team, the narwhal hunt was always going to be a challenge.
48:28The hunt happens in the spring when the sea ice is at its most fragile and dangerous.
48:45Even knowing the risks, no one could have foreseen quite how much drama they would face in this treacherous place.
49:01Day one on the ice and the experienced crew, including polar cameraman Doug Allen, are busy loading the sleds.
49:08Believe it or not, this is what you need to take six people out onto the ice for about a
49:13fortnight.
49:13It's a hell of a lot of stuff, isn't it?
49:17We've probably got about 400 kilos between six people, so...
49:22To say we're travelling light is possibly a little understatement.
49:26With the kit and the person on board, each dog sled is having to carry about 100 kilos of freight,
49:32which is quite a lot, really, between 12 dogs.
49:39But this is what these dogs are bred for, and they're in their element.
49:44They set off across 27 kilometres of sea ice to open water.
49:50Three brothers, Mamaruk, Gedeon, and Meikle, lead the crew on their quest for narwhal.
49:58Come up!
50:04After only a couple of hours, the expedition encounters their first sign of danger.
50:10You can quite distinctly see the movement here.
50:13The swell's coming in from the open ocean, and it's just breaking it up.
50:17And this little crack here, which you can put your finger down,
50:20maybe 15 minutes from now it's going to be this wide.
50:24Half an hour, it'll be too wide to cross.
50:26So you really have to be careful. This ice is on the move all the time.
50:31The Inuit hunters decide the ice is too unstable,
50:34and the expedition is forced back to the safety of land.
50:39After five and a half hours of travelling, we've come all the way across the inlet.
50:44The ice edge is still unstable, so I think we'll wait the night out here,
50:48and then maybe have a look-see tomorrow.
50:53The next morning, they pick their way across broken tidal ice to the sleds to check out the situation.
51:00I'm pleased that the hunters made the decision they did, because overnight,
51:03we've lost three or four kilometres of the ice shelf, which is now disappearing rapidly in that direction.
51:13As we were coming into the fjord just now, we actually crossed our tracks,
51:18and they disappeared off into the water, which is quite a sobering thought.
51:24When they do reach the edge, they can't believe their luck, as Mamarut quickly spots some narwhal.
51:32I've just seen some narwhal further along the ice edge.
51:36So the guys are getting the catch ready, because if the narwhal's come close, they might try to hunt them.
51:46Doug's ready to capture the action.
51:50But just when Gedeon is in position to harpoon, the narwhal dives.
52:00They wait and hope for the whales to resurface.
52:05It's now one o'clock in the morning. We've been here for about 12 hours.
52:10The narwhal have gone, but the hunters are still pretty sure that they're going to come back.
52:16And we're still waiting. And we're all getting very tired.
52:2524-hour daylight melts the ice from above, and ocean swells stress the ice from beneath.
52:33It's not the safest place to camp, but they must wait at the edge for the narwhal's return.
52:41The days start to run into weeks, and the crew have to extend their shoot.
52:48It's almost three weeks now that we've been on vacation, and this, this is the problem.
52:54Ice.
52:56And somewhere under here are the narwhals.
52:59It's really frustrating.
53:04Next, it's the weather that turns against them.
53:11It's just one thing after another, isn't it?
53:21I'll tell you how bored I am. How bored are you?
53:24I moved my tent this morning, and that was the most exciting thing I've done in three days.
53:29And I moved it six feet, but it kind of gave me a sense of satisfaction because I'd done something.
53:37As the days pass, the temperature rises and the ice thins, increasing the chance of something going wrong.
53:46No, I can't hear.
53:47I'm looking at that.
53:51What are you talking about?
53:53I'm looking at that.
53:55Did you hear it?
53:57Oh, listen.
53:58Listen, listen.
54:00It's cracking, it's cracking right underneath us right now.
54:03Can't see it because there's snow on top of it.
54:05There was like this .
54:10It's perfect narwhal conditions.
54:13Perfect light, perfect everything.
54:15And what's happening?
54:16We've got a swell.
54:17The swell can fracture the sea ice literally anywhere.
54:22That's no good news.
54:23So it's time to leave here and get to see for green.
54:28The normally laid-back Inuit up their pace,
54:31and the crew realize the situation is serious.
54:38Got to go.
54:49Doesn't look so good.
54:51Between us and Kanak,
54:53there's our lead, maybe 100 yards wide.
54:55It's opened up in the last 20 minutes, probably.
54:58It's opened up in the last 20 minutes.
54:59They're all now cast adrift on an ice flow.
55:03I don't know how the hell are we going to get off this now.
55:07They're facing an emergency, and everyone's focus turns to survival.
55:18The whole expedition is now floating away at an alarming rate.
55:26There are 13 people, 54 dogs, and six sleds of kit to get to safety.
55:31We're now running out of the الج.
55:36Gideon's got into his canoe and is paddling furiously across the lead with a very fine trace wire onto,
55:42which by the looks of it they're going to put a much thicker rope to physically haul from the other
55:46side
55:47sleds across which is very clever because they float amazing speed is of the essence
55:54as the wind blows the team further and further from land
56:00the sea temperature here can kill in minutes it pays not to rock the boat
56:10get the important stuff on the guys have done great very impressed no flat knew what to do
56:21after four hours ferrying the kit and crew reach the other side safely
56:28but that still leaves 54 watershy dogs
56:40okay
56:47on the other side they're still far from home and on ice that's breaking up around them
56:56it's a race against time as there's more than 10 kilometers before they reach the safety of the
57:03village within sight of home an inexperienced dog team makes a serious error
57:08so
57:19and unseen crackers opened up just meters from the village
57:24any wider and the fully laden sledge would sink to the bottom dragging the dogs under
57:33there's a dog trapped under the sledge but miraculously even this one emerges unharmed
57:42dog and the rest of the crew spot the problem and find a better route home
57:49it was another week before the ice was safe enough for the crew to film the full narwhal hunt sequence
57:57this shoot more than any other highlights the importance of the complete trust between the human
58:04planet crew and the local inuit in a place where knowing your environment is the key to survival
58:16the
58:20the
58:21the
58:21the
58:21the
58:21the
58:28the
58:43Transcription by CastingWords
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