"(WIND WHISTLING)" "DAVID TENNANT:" "The Islands of Svalbard in Arctic Norway." "They might be remote' but they're under surveillance." "(MECHANICAL WHIRRING)" "Spy cameras are capturing the most intimate images ever taken" "of polar bears." "(GRUNTING)" "They're revealing some remarkable behaviour and discovering an animal of surprising curiosity and intelligence." "(SNIFFING)" "They're showing the challenges faced by cubs growing up in a world of shrinking sea ice." "And how the bears use their inquisitiveness and ingenuity to survive against the odds." "(GRUNTING)" "Snow-cam doesn't operate alone." "(WHIRRING)" "Blizzard-cam can travel at 65 kilometres an hour' powered by propellers and gliding on skis." "Snowball-cam can operate at temperatures of 40 below." "Its spherical design makes it almost indestructible." "Together' they explore the islands looking for bears." "Their first mission is to film a mother with cubs emerging from maternity dens hidden in these hills." "The only clue to the dens' presence is a snowy mound." "Drift-cam and other spy-cams can lay in wait for days." "They are left unattended' primed to film the moment they sense movement." "A white-out soon makes their task seem like M" "But help is a paw-swipe away." "(CLATTERING)" "(CREAKING)" "The cub's first steps outside the den' filmed by his mother." "(CREAKING)" "She pushes the camera down the slope' a tracking shot." "(RATTLING)" "As she films' there is no human presence of any kind." "(CLATTERING)" "She even adjusts the camera to record her own exit." "She must get her cub to the sea ice before it breaks up and thaws." "Otherwise they'll be trapped on the island for the summer with little to eat." "She needs to be careful." "Males roam the ice fields below" "(BIRD SQUAWKING) and they kill cubs." "(GROWLING)" "They will try to mate with the mother so she has their cubs instead." "But the larger males find deep snow and steep slopes heavy going." "She wisely keeps her cub to the higher ground." "(GROWLING)" "Back at the den site' other cubs are yet to emerge." "(RUMBLING)" "They appear over a five-week period from March to April." "After 1 0 days of waiting' something stirs." "The mother has waited six whole months for this moment." "She blinks in the sunlight." "She spent her confinement in semi-darkness." "She checks that the coast is clear and then reveals her secrets." "(GROWLING)" "Time for a stretch." "She's been cooped up with her cubs since she gave birth three months ago." "They learn by example." "But their first lesson seems to be about snowballs." "When she leaves' she expects them to follow." "But the first steps are always the most difficult to take." "He will soon learn that' to survive' they must stick together." "A frozen sea now surrounds the islands' stretching all the way to the North Pole." "Soon' it will break up and drift away." "Polar bears spend their lives hunting seals out on this sea ice." "(WHIRRING)" "But in spring' males return to land to search for females." "(SNIFFING)" "Males may be a risk to cubs' but this one is otherwise engaged." "He's found a lone female." "But polar bear courtship is never straightforward." "She likes to play hard to get." "It's also a challenge for blizzard-cam." "She's testing his fitness' making sure he's a good catch." "His skills on the slopes show room for improvement." "And now the female invents a new challenge." "A climbing contest." "Her huge claws act like crampons." "Being lighter and nimbler' she has the advantage." "It's his turn." "It doesn't help that males can be twice as heavy as females' reaching three quarters of a ton." "(GRUNTING)" "She's after a mate that's playful and energetic' one with strong genes." "(GRUNTING)" "But he knows when he's beaten." "His chances are slipping away." "She tested his performance and pushed him too far." "(GRUNTING)" "Meanwhile' the mother with one cub is still sticking to higher ground." "But the deep snow is a real struggle for her little cub." "(SQUEALING)" "She encourages him with reassuring calls." "She's aware of his difficulties and uses her body as a shield." "She must stay attentive if her cub is to survive in this harsh Arctic world." "Realising he's exhausted' she digs a hollow to rest in." "In day dens like this' she suckles him six times a day." "Meanwhile' the courting male is yet to prove he's up for the job." "But the female doesn't like being ignored." "She tries to re-ignite his passion." "(GRUNTS)" "Time to turn up the heat." "(GROWLING)" "He's certainly interested now." "She's falling head over heels for him." "He's now totally captivated." "But' still' she gives him the run-around." "(WHIRRING)" "But in courtship' there are always casualties." "(CLATTERING)" "Blizzard-cam is at the mercy of some very curious bears." "(GRUNTING)" "It could be about to film its own destruction." "(SNIFFING)" "But' again' a bear assists on the filming of its life story." "(GRUNTING)" "Sealed with a kiss' the couple's whirlwind romance will last three weeks." "Spring brings blizzards." "The bears hunker down to sit out the storm." "Although' the cub won't stay still for long." "There are no trees in Svalbard' but driftwood keeps the cub entertained." "The island's reindeer survive by digging for lichen beneath the snow." "They are the only other large land mammal to live on the island." "(RUMBLING)" "As the storm abates' the two-cub family set off towards the sea ice." "The other mother keeps her single cub to higher ground." "She's nervous that the males are still around." "The two families are taking different paths." "They will face very different challenges over the summer ahead." "Out on the frozen sea' close to the shore' a young male has killed a seal." "He caught it when it surfaced through a breathing hole in the ice." "To film from a different angle' blizzard-cam deploys snowball-cam." "This technical miracle rolls with no visible moving parts." "Its lens even boasts a self-righting mechanism." "A close-up reveals that he's eating the blubber." "This provides the most nutrition and is always eaten first." "When there is plenty of food around' polar bears can afford to be picky." "Seals make up 95% of a polar bear's diet' and the bears travel several thousand kilometres each year hunting them on the ever-shifting ice." "They have voracious appetites' eating one-tenth of their body weight in less than an hour." "The mother with two cubs arrives at the frozen sea to look for seals." "She hasn't eaten for six months." "Here' the pups of ringed seals hide in snowy dens on the ice." "((ELPING)" "She finds them by smell' even a metre down." "She pile-drives the snow with a force of two tonnes." "But the roof of the den holds." "She will have plenty of other opportunities before the ice breaks up." "(SQUAWKING)" "Back at the carcass' the male leaves to look for females." "He is still a danger to the mother and cub." "But even the most active bears spend most of their day resting." "The hungry mother gains the opportunity she needs." "She just has to avoid awakening this sleeping giant." "She can detect the smell of fresh meat from 30 kilometres away." "(GRUNTING)" "At the carcass' the spy-cams await their arrival." "(SLURPING)" "In the den' she spent six months without eating' while the males fattened up on seals." "This is her chance to make up for lost time." "She leaves little behind." "The male finishes his nap and checks whether any females have appeared." "(GRUNTING)" "But the mother is already guiding her cub out of the danger zone' back to higher ground." "As the male picks up another scent' the mother and cub head for the hills' safe for now." "Smell is the polar bear's primary sense." "It allows them to track each other's movements over the vast shifting ice." "In the midnight glow' the male follows his nose to find a mate." "Spring brings 24-hour daylight and warmer temperatures." "When the full moon arrives' it causes high tides and triggers a dramatic transformation of the sea ice." "A rising ocean combined with higher temperatures cause a vast breakup of the ice that surrounds the islands." "In just one night' it can crack apart and drift 30 kilometres or more." "Svalbard is a series of islands once more." "The mother and single cub are still in the snowy hills' but signs of change are all around." "By the time they reach the shoreline' things are not what the mother expected." "The sea ice has drifted northwards' and with it' the bears' food supply." "It's a huge swim for an adult bear." "For the cub' it's out of the question." "Their ship has sailed and left them behind." "They are marooned on the island for the summer." "The two-cub family managed to board the sea ice before it drifted too far." "This new and ever-changing world requires a different spy camera." "Iceberg-cam." "It effortlessly steers between ice sheets and its turret rotates to follow the bears." "(WHIRRING)" "(SLOSHING)" "The family are curious at the new addition to the landscape and eagerly await its arrival." "The spy-cams are designed to be non-threatening and the bears allow them within easy reach." "They soon behave quite naturally in their presence." "The bears' lives are now governed by the state of the drifting ice and the movement of the seals." "The cubs are expected to keep up' but their mother knows their limits." "She tries to avoid long' hazardous swims between ice floes." "(GRUNTING)" "But' all the while' she keeps them on the move' tracking the seals that gather around the leading edge of ice." "Back on Svalbard' the mother and single cub are not the only bears left stranded on the island." "Out of a population of 3'000 bears' around 300 were left behind when the ice broke up." "Some were males too engrossed in their search for females to notice the change in the weather." "Those that got lucky were too occupied in courtship to care." "(GRUNTING)" "Once courtship is over' the males will have no more to do with the raising of their offspring." "As these bears hunted over the winter' they have plenty of fat reserves to help them through the summer ahead." "For now' they haven't a care in the world." "(BIRDS SQUAWKING)" "For the mother with one cub' it's a different story." "She spent the winter in the den' unable to eat." "With the seals gone' beachcombing is her best option to find food." "The cub practises his climbing skills." "(GRUNTS)" "But it's early days." "She has found something just below the surface." "She checks how deep she has to dive' then takes the plunge." "It's seaweed." "Kelp is not wildly exciting' but it does contain carbohydrates and some protein' too." "The cub must find her acrobatics rather strange." "Hungry bears eat virtually anything." "It's a question of making the most of what's around' and it's never too soon to start hunting." "Polar bears investigate every unfamiliar sight and smell." "(SNIFFING)" "They are the most curious subjects ever filmed by spy-cams." "This fascination suggests a surprising intelligence' one that evolved from the extraordinary challenges of hunting on ice." "Ice floors present real difficulties for a predator' continually changing their shape and form." "Seals are also tricky prey." "In open water' they're just too agile to catch." "It becomes a little easier when they haul out on ice." "But they hug the water's edge for a quick escape." "The bear immediately has a problem." "There is no cover between him and his prey." "He wrong-foots the seal by seemingly walking away." "Every hunt presents a different challenge." "So he plans a new strategy each time." "He slinks into the water' using a channel between the ice floes to act as cover." "He swims' hardly making a sound' reaching 1 0 kilometres an hour at times." "His front legs provide propulsion while his back legs steer." "His low profile makes him seem like a floating silver of ice." "He checks the seal's position and takes wind direction into account to work out his final approach." "As he closes in' he makes a clever move' diving deep beneath the ice floe." "He emerges on the blind side of the seal." "So far' so good." "He can hold his breath for minutes and calculate the seal's exact position." "Slow-mo reveals just how close he got." "His skills show remarkable intelligence at work." "He hunted in all three dimensions' making full use of the opportunities offered by water and ice." "(CHIRPING)" "Back on the islands' Arctic terns have travelled 20'000 kilometres from the Antarctic to breed here." "They now feed in noisy flocks along the shore." "This could be just the opportunity the mother and cub are looking for." "(SQUAWKING)" "But the terns won't take their arrival sitting down." "They scramble a defence squadron." "The nests provide much-needed protein' but they're well-camouflaged and pickings are slim." "The bears also have to endure an aerial bombardment." "The entire colonyjoins the attack." "(CHIRPING)" "The bears have to put up with wave after wave of angry birds." "It's soon not worth the effort." "The mother and cub move on." "They are surviving on meagre rations." "As summer progresses' the temperature creeps above freezing and the larger ice sheets fragment into ever smaller plates." "Walruses raid these ice floes' using them like floating pontoons." "Even guillemots set sail into the growing seascape." "To avoid being trapped on the shrinking ice floes' the mother takes her cubs on a polar assault course." "(SQUEALING)" "Rolling is clearly fun' but it also has a purpose." "It squeezes out water trapped in the fur." "As the ice breaks up' the mother keeps her cubs moving northwards to stay with the main body of sea ice." "Back on Svalbard' some of the landlocked bears have found a more reliable meal." "A carcass of a stranded fin whale." "Iceberg-cam investigates the happy gathering." "The whale is 24 metres long and weighs 60 tonnes' a once-in-a-lifetime feeding opportunity." "An adolescent eats confidently alongside four adult bears." "Contrary to their solitary reputation' polar bears are surprisingly social' particularly when food draws then together." "They continually chatter away to each other." "It's all about keeping aggression under control." "(ROARING)" "At the head of the carcass is the baleen' the comb-like sieve used by the whale to catch krill." "The tough skin and muscle is difficult to penetrate' as the bear tries to reach the nutritious blubber that lies beneath." "Their massive claws rake the skin like knives' cutting it into manageable strips." "(ROARING)" "At two years old' this bear is testing his status' standing up to other bears." "Sharing food helps everyone survive in an environment where prey is usually hard to come by." "Even on the ice' the mother's main preoccupation is feeding her cubs." "They are growing fast and are full of energy' but to keep them fit' she must keep them fed." "A male has killed a harp seal." "For the sake of her cubs' she needs to be cautious." "Burying the carcass will help reduce its odour' concealing it from other bears." "If it hasn't already been seen' that is." "The bears at the whale carcass are in food heaven." "Opportunities like this are extremely rare." "But their paradise is about to end." "This male heavyweight prefers to eat alone." "He's bigger than the other bears and likes to throw his weight around." "This is no time for heroics." "(SPLASHING)" "(GROWLING)" "He shows he means business." "The bears at the carcass are younger males and females." "They are no match for this bruiser." "He easily drives them away." "But while his back is turned' the two year old slips beneath the radar and returns to feed." "(GRUNTING)" "A young male shows his mettle' but then thinks better of it." "But it's just the kind of distraction the youngster needs." "(GROWLING)" "The young bear has the cockiness of a teenager' but he doesn't know that he's playing a dangerous game." "For now' he's enjoying having the carcass to himself." "His mother swims back to join him." "She knows he isn't safe on his own." "With everyone sent packing' the male returns to the carcass." "Rather too late' the youngster realises his mistake." "Wisely' both bears beat a retreat." "As the male approaches' the mother tries to guide her offspring away." "But the young bear is an easy target." "(GROWLING)" "The male could kill with just one bite." "The youngster daren't turn his back." "But despite the male's persistence' he seems to be just teaching the young upstart a lesson." "Reunited with his mother' she appears to scold him." "(GROWLING)" "Authority established' the male makes the most of the blubbery banquet." "Over the summer' this bear and the others will pick the carcass clean." "But' for now' the male is king of the carcass." "The bears left on the island stay close to the shoreline." "This is their best chance of finding food." "Further south' the mother and cub have started to take an interest in iceberg-cam." "As it moved in for a close-up' it came tantalisingly within reach." "(SNIFFING)" "She tests it with her paw." "(CLATTERING)" "Then gives it a full going-over." "The cub investigates drift-cam." "(SNIFFING)" "The mother is equally curious." "The bears show the most interest in the spy-cams when they have nothing else to do." "But they soon relax once more." "(GRUNTING)" "The cub practises fisticuffs." "He's learning the moves he might need later in life." "But' for now' the spy-cams are a much better game." "(CLATTERING)" "Back at the kill site' the family finally steal a meal." "Mothers with cubs gain most of their food by scavenging." "Snow-cam fascinates one of the cubs." "She can't resist taking a look." "(WHIRRING)" "(SNIFFING)" "But the lure of fresh meat is more powerful." "On land' meat is a luxury denied to the mother and cub." "The cub chews on a piece of fishing net he's found." "The mother's patience is wearing thin." "These are desperate times." "(GROWLING)" "In contrast' the cubs on the ice are having it easy' but the good times can't last." "The male returns to reclaim his meal." "These are dangerous moments for the cubs." "The mother can either run and risk endangering her cubs' or stand and fight." "Next time in Spy On The Ice, we will discover the choice she makes." "(WHIRRING)" "And when the other mother arrives at the whale carcass' she and her cub are in for a disappointment." "(GRUNTING)" "She also fights for her offspring's life." "The two-cub family find themselves skating on thin ice." "And when the ice vanishes' the cubs have to swim for their lives." "The bears play football with snowball-cam and a fight breaks out on the pitch." "(SNARLING)" "Blizzard-cam nearly meets its match' and snowball-cam is put under impossible pressure." "Snow-cam is tested to destruction"