Born in China Page #3

And she's just had a successful hunt...

which comes none too soon.

Her cubs are now fully weaned

and hungry for some fresh meat.

They've been watching and learning

the ways of the great hunter...

their morn.

- (LEOPARD SNARLS IN DISTANCE)

- But suddenly...

across the valley,

the intruder has returned.

This time, with her three grown sons.

Scarcity of prey has brought them

into Dawa's territory...

and they are more than prepared

to take all that is hers.

Dawa's old rival is

much more emboldened...

now that she has reinforcements.

She and Dawa both know...

Dawa would never survive a fight

against all four leopards.

(GROWLING)

(SNARLING)

Dawa can't bring herself

to abandon this precious food, though.

Her cubs must eat,

and when it comes to their survival...

Dawa would fight almost any foe.

The trade-off between life and death...

is sometimes a very difficult calculation.

(SNARLING)

But then the sons move in.

Outnumbered and out-fanged...

Dawa must retreat to guard her cubs.

Not satisfied with merely

stealing Dawa's kill...

the interlopers

now pursue her to let her know...

they're here to stay.

To save her young...

Dawa must take them

and leave the area.

Expelled from their own home.

(WIND WHISTLING)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(WHIMPERING)

When your baby

is the cutest, fuzziest creature...

this side of the Yangtze River...

it's not easy to just leave it alone.

(SQUEALING)

At six months old, MeiMei is thinking...

she's ready to move about on her own.

Her mother is thinking...

"Yeah, not so much."

That's a tall tree.

And MeiMei is no expert climber.

Yet.

(MEIMEI SQUEALING)

(SQUEALING CONTINUES)

"Come on! Mom! I just wanna... Argh!"

(SQUEALS)

Being a helicopter mom

can suffocate a cub's curiosity, though.

For young pandas,

tree climbing is a rite of passage.

When a cub is able to

successfully climb a tree...

it means it can be safe from predators.

A cub that can climb a tree...

is a cub that no longer needs its mother.

"Mom, relax. I got this."

(SQUEALS)

(THUD)

(SQUEALS)

On the plains of Qinghai...

the male chiru stand guard

on the home front...

awaiting the return

of their far-roving females.

(ANTELOPE BLEATING)

(SNORTS)

The females have

traveled long and far...

to be reunited with their partners.

(BLEATING)

Unfortunately...

after being away

from each other for so long...

neither the males nor the females...

have the slightest idea

who their partners are.

But not to worry...

(SNORTS)

the males are more than happy

to impress new females...

and start new families.

(HUFFING)

They've spent the entire spring

and summer bulking up...

and vying with each other

for supremacy.

And they're raring

to show off their masculinity.

"Problems with wolves, ladies?"

"Fear not. I'll deal with this scoundrel."

(SNORTING)

One glance at that

imposing male physique...

and this scrappy little predator

is soon sent on his way.

"Hey!

(SNORTING)

"It's all good."

"The ice causes a bit of a... whoa!"

(WOLF WHIMPERING)

Regardless of how they accomplish it...

the herd always comes together again

as one great big family.

And the never-ending tide

of chiru life flows on.

(ANTELOPE BLEATING)

(BIRD CAWING)

As the temperatures begin to plummet...

the once mighty

Queen of the Mountain...

hasn't made a kill in over a week.

Now, she's forced to share

her unfamiliar new territory...

with more successful rivals.

She must survey the area constantly...

to get the lay of the land

and reestablish her dominion...

with scent markings.

But she's been spotted

by this area's male.

(GROWLING AND SNARLING)

She defends her ground bravely...

but is forced to retreat back to her cubs.

Those playful days of summer...

seem very far away to Dawa right now.

If only a family's love

could determine its fate.

(WIND WHOOSHING)

(BIRD WARBLING)

YaYa's instinct is to keep her cub safe.

But she can't protect MeiMei forever.

At some point...

she's going to have to let go.

(SQUEALS)

(WHIMPERING)

Just... maybe not today.

Winter turns the dense forest...

into a majestic crystal fantasy land.

This is the first snowfall

Tao Tao's sister has ever seen.

Her pure amazement

is a welcome distraction...

from the hardships of winter.

"What is this stuff?"

(MONKEYS SCREECHING)

"Whatever it is, it's cold."

"Must get to higher ground!"

Yes, snow is a bummer...

and it's really cold on your hands.

The one upside is...

it's a perfect excuse to walk like this.

(SCREECHING)

(MONKEYS SQUEALING)

The cold and scarcity of winter...

has brought the various groups

within the troop together again.

They're so hungry...

they'll eat anything.

(SCREECHING)

Rooster certainly

isn't giving Tao Tao any handouts.

Or warmth.

Or support.

This is what you get...

when you're hooked up

with the Lost Boys.

(SQUEALING)

(SCREECHING)

Whoa!

Rooster is scrapping over food again.

(SCREECHING)

And the hostility is spreading.

Before you know it,

Tao Tao gets drawn into the fray.

Even his little sister

gets caught up in it.

She tries to help her brother

and stop them from fighting...

but there's just

no reasoning with these animals.

(SCREECHING)

TaoTao's father

wants nothing to do with it.

There's barely any food here

to fight over anyway.

(SCREECHING)

He packs up his family and heads off...

to lower, warmer territory.

With the cold biting at his bones...

Tao Tao is longing for some comfort.

For someone, anyone,

to just keep him warm.

He misses his family.

Up until now,

he's resisted going back to them.

Maybe he's still bitter about his sister.

Maybe he's trying to

prove something to his father.

Who knows?

(YAWNS)

Right now, he needs warmth.

He abandons the Lost Boys...

and follows his family.

(SCREECHES)

(MONKEY SQUEALS)

His sister welcomes him back.

But life isn't always that simple.

(SQUEALING)

His father won't let him in.

TaoTao has no one to turn to.

He's run out of options.

(WIND WHOOSHING)

Between winter's wrath...

and plain old bad luck...

Dawa's hunting successes

have been few and far between.

(SHEEP BLEATING)

But these sheep,

seeking shelter from the weather...

have just moved within range.

(BLEATING)

(BLEATING CONTINUES)

Something terrible happens, though.

The snow has concealed jagged rocks,

and Dawa has injured her paw.

Dawa knows

if she and her cubs are to survive...

she must be

in top physical condition to hunt.

(WIND WHOOSHING)

(BIRDS WARBLING)

(SQUEALING)

It looks like Tao Tao has finally...

been allowed to rejoin the family furball.

(SQUEALING)

Or more like cling onto the outside of it.

As long as he's willing to help

protect the family against the cold...

his father will let him stay.

It's better than freezing all alone.

At least his little sister

looks happy to see him.

Maybe Tao Tao is finally learning

the true value of family.

(SQUEALS)

Or maybe he's just really cold.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

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