if you’re a first your pup
living on the northern shores of the
island of south georgia
make sure you enjoy yourself
because cuteness doesn’t last long
if you happen to be an adult male here
you’re down to just three options
give in
give
up give it all you’ve got
[Music]
how is it possible that life can come
back from the dead
the island of south georgia was the
scene of one of the worst wildlife
massacres in history
species driven to near extinction the
whaling stations were abandoned
this is an awe-inspiring story of how if
given the chance
nature can bounce back on a scale you’re
not going to believe
my name’s bertie gregory and i’m a
national geographic wildlife filmmaker
this is resurrection island
not long ago here the water ran red with
the blood of antarctic fur seals
from millions only 400 survived
but today the hunted have reclaimed
their land and with no less of an iron
fist
male antarctic fur seals set up
territories up and down the crowded
beaches with only one goal in mind
attracting the females
only the strongest are able to hold a
prize 10 square feet
and for male seals it’s a matter of life
and death
this beach is just absolute carnage all
the way along you can see the big
dominant males who have their territory
each with a little group of females
their harim and every now and again a
younger cocky male will come up out the
water and run the gauntlet and see what
he can get away with
it’s a bad day for being small and weak
territory holding males can’t risk
leaving their patch not even for food
they must fight for more than a month
all on an empty stomach
so if you’ve got your eye on a patch
wait until the end of the season when
he’s completely exhausted
and you might just stand a chance
in the meantime
away from all the testosterone
the females and young males are just
having a great time
[Music]
they’re changing is just amazing
they go from being all aggressive and
just wanting to charge you when you’re a
man
whereas now when you’re in the water
they’re you know friendly and curious
and they’re just
running rings around me
[Music]
[Applause]
but it’s time to go home and feed the
pup
this female left her pup in no man’s
land up the river away from the
brutality of the beach
[Applause]
we’re not getting down there
there’s two really really grumpy seals
mum calls her pup
[Applause]
and immediately
the problem is everyone wants to see
their mom
[Music]
you can see this female calling
and every time she calls there’s about
10 different pups that reply
but mum knows her pap’s unique voice
and if there’s any doubt a quick sniff
will make sure it’s her little one
[Music]
i cannot believe what has just happened
i looked over to the right
and out from the tussock
a little blonde facial pup
has popped out
ah
i never thought we’d get to see one
only about one in 800 of these first
little pups are white
oh no he’s on the wrong side of the
river
that’s a bad place to wait little first
hill park
fortunately he’s a tough little pup
[Music]
the mother’s super fatty milk allows the
pups to rapidly gain weight and strength
[Music]
in the safety of the puddle the pups
engage in their own little battles
it’s all fun and games now but in seven
or eight years time their life will
depend on it
[Music]
my battery’s gonna run out which means
something amazing is about to happen
yeah carnage
lovely
well it looks like somebody grew some
guts today
it’s no wonder
competition is so fierce that most males
will never breed
and those who do may only hold their
beach for a single season in their
entire lives
it’s either now
or never
uh
[Music]
despite the incredibly high stakes they
try to avoid contact at all costs
they only resort to lethal violence when
nothing else works
trying to face the other way being like
no i’m not interested but you can just
see they keep looking over their
shoulder
it’s all the nerve-wracking bluffing
game
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
uh
[Music]
[Applause]
sometimes retreat is the best strategy
no kingdom was ever won in a day
this is the law of the land and by its
rule they thrive
once hunted to near extinction
slaughtered down to just 400 individuals
there are now over 3 million
we’ve protected this place and it’s hard
not to be moved by the turnaround
how’s that for a good fight
[Music]
[Music]
