Fur Seals Overcome Extinction On ‘Resurrection Island’ – Ep. 1 | Wildlife: Resurrection Island
If you're a first-year 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, or give it all you've got.
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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 harem, and every now and again, a younger, cocky male will come up out of the water and run the gauntlet, seeing 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.
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Their changing is just amazing. They go from being all aggressive and just wanting to charge you when you're a male, whereas now, when you're in the water, they're friendly and curious, and they're just running rings around me.
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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.
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We're not getting down there; there are two really, really grumpy seals. Mum calls her pup.
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And immediately, the problem is, everyone wants to see their mom.
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You can see this female calling, and every time she calls, there's about 10 different pups that reply. But mum knows her pup's unique voice, and if there's any doubt, a quick sniff will make sure it's her little one.
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I cannot believe what has just happened! I looked over to the right, and out from the tussock, a little blonde-faced 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-seal pup.
Fortunately, he's a tough little pup.
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The mother's super fatty milk allows the pups to rapidly gain weight and strength.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Uh.
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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?
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