In the Rocky Mountains, there lives a secretive and rare predator of the Americas. With their rugged appearance, they are both intimidating and deadly. However, surprisingly, not much is known about pumas. This documentary tracks the lives of two remarkable puma families over the course of a year in the Rocky Mountains. We will explore the elusive nature of pumas and indirectly experience their lives, where success and tragedy intersect. The environment here is harsh; to survive, pumas must contend with inclement weather and other predators. This is the precarious life of a puma. This place is the beautiful Teton Mountains in Wyoming, USA. Rising majestically, they are home to two pumas that face countless challenges that separate life from death.

They are raising their young while facing challenges. These are all subjects of observation by the Teton Puma Research Team in Jackson. They are among the most passionate people in the United States engaged in puma research. Under the guidance of lead researcher Elo, they have used the latest GPS tracking collars and deployed numerous cameras to capture thousands of videos about puma behavior. Until now, the general belief about pumas was that they are solitary animals and that interactions between adult males only occur during mating or fighting. However, the extensive video data from the puma research team overturns this notion. We have discovered that pumas have a social structure and communicate frequently, contradicting the idea that they are solitary animals. The understanding that pumas are social animals fundamentally challenges existing beliefs and opens our eyes to new facts.

The first female puma, F61, is an exemplary model of what a puma should be. F61 is strong and a caring mother. She is a great example of a puma. Currently, F61 has a one-year-old offspring, one male and one female nicknamed Dong-sang. They are almost as big as their mother, but they still need her protection. Although their bodies have grown, the cubs still depend on their mother. It will take another six months for the cubs to learn how to hunt and the skills necessary to survive on their own. Another neighboring puma, F51, is also under observation by the research team. After several years of monitoring, the team found that F51's behavior is quite different from F61's. F51 does not take care of her cubs well. F51 is more independent.

어미는 새끼들을 사랑하지만, 새끼에게 필요한 것들을 모두 가져다 주지는 않죠. F 51은 최근에 새로운 새끼들을 낳았습니다. 이 영상에서 우리는 새끼들이 생후 5주 동안 어미 젖도 먹지 않고 보금자리 안에 머물러 있는 놀라운 장면을 볼 수 있었습니다. 이 기간 동안 어미인 F 51은 사냥을 계속합니다. 마크의 연구팀은 어미가 몇 미터 떨어져 있는 사이에 보금자리로 몰래 다가가서 새끼들의 건강을 확인합니다. 새끼들 소리가 들려요. 하나 잡았어요. 꼬마 친구, 괜찮아요? 이 녀석이 첫 번째예요. 아, 세상에! 최대로 해냈어요. F 51이 돌아오기 전에 일을 끝내야 하기 때문에 시간이 없습니다. 됐어요. 두 번째, 아, 문은 이미 센데, 자 봅시다. 컷신 것 같네요. 세 번째, 아, 이런 자리 조심해요. 들어갑니다. 자, 또 한 마리 나와요. 이 어린 나이에도 새끼들은 저마다의 성격이 있습니다.

It is distinct that this fellow has an unpredictable personality. If you are holding this bag, do not let it go. Among those I saw today, it is the most active. Alright, let's start the work. The research team will weigh the cubs and take measurements. This means it’s a female. We will attach a transmitter that fits around its neck. Be careful not to get bitten; let’s do one ear at a time. Done! Once the cub grows, we plan to install a GPS device. The signal is being received. We will mark all the cubs and tag them on the ear. The research team is not only studying the behavior of the pumas but also trying to solve one unresolved question about them. According to our research, the population of pumas has nearly halved in the last 7 to 8 years. Our goal is to uncover the reasons for this. There are several factors contributing to the rapid decline in their numbers.

Recently, wolves have returned to Wyoming. They not only compete with animals like elk for food, but also band together to drive away cougars and steal their prey. What’s worse is that they sometimes kill encountered young deer. Humans are also a threat to cougars. It is currently the hunting season when cougars can be legally hunted. Even the cougars that are the focus of observation by researchers cannot be protected by the team. The weather is also a threat to them. F51 gave birth relatively late, which means that F50's offspring are even more vulnerable to their environment, making it particularly difficult for them to survive this winter. Even in December, nighttime temperatures have already plummeted to minus 25 degrees Celsius. Due to the extreme conditions, some young animals are experiencing frostbite on their ears and the tips of their tails.

If this unusually cold weather continues, it will be difficult for the cubs to survive. Oh my goodness, one of the cubs has died. According to the confirmation from the wireless transmitter, it was one of the cubs from F 51. It's an unavoidable situation. There are no signs of other predators around. There are tracks indicating that the family moved this way. Mark examines the carcass to check for signs. The skull is intact, and I am always with the pumas. I follow the pumas, and when I watch the footage, I dream about them at night. It brings me joy to be involved with these creatures. However, seeing a dead puma leaves me almost numb. I just observe and record as a scholar, trying to figure out what happened. There seem to be no visible signs of injury. But that night, sadness washes over me. The cubs are a part of my life, and I think about them every day.

One of them was lost while they were together. It seems that the young one, being so small, likely died after falling into the nearby stream and being exposed to the cold for a long time. As the harsh weather continues, predators and their prey gather in the low mountain valleys. Around this time, a massive herd of elk becomes the staple food for the pumas. An adult male puma must hunt an average of five prey per month to feed its young. However, hunting in the deep valleys is inherently risky. This area is a wolf territory, and the scent of dead animals will alert the wolves. They may not be satisfied with just stealing the pumas' food. A male puma hurriedly flees to avoid a nearby pack of wolves. A few minutes later, the alpha wolf appears among the wolves. However, the alpha is focused on the food.

There is no interest; instead, they start blocking the scent and chasing the puma. However, they have to face such ruthless competitors. A few weeks later, the death of another one of F 51's cubs may have been an expected outcome. F 51 and her cubs were feeding on a dead animal when a pack of wolves appeared and chased them up the mountain. As a result, one cub went missing. They never saw any trace of the cub again. The laid-back F 51 has lost half of her original four cubs. The remaining cubs are now six months old, and it will take another year for them to be able to defend themselves. Looking at this, we can see how excellent F 61 is as a mother. F 61 has raised two of her three cubs almost to the point of independence. The female, known as Dong-sang, and her brother are entering adolescence.

That's right, but like all the animals in this pack, they do not appreciate their mother's efforts. Especially the young males, who are trying to become the leaders. They will soon leave their mother to establish their own territories. By then, the mother will seek out a male to mate with and have more offspring. The dominant male is referred to as Sujeong, named after the leader of the pack, and he has been living while avoiding human eyes for two years. Mark's research team, with the help of others, is trying to find Sujeong again. If they can collar him, it will provide significant information that will greatly aid their research. Around this time last year, we were observing 15 individuals. Unfortunately, that number has decreased to around 7, and it is time to search for them. Some may have died, scattered far away, or had their collars malfunction.

Because of this, we need to increase the number again to continue our research next year. After observing the recently appeared tracks of a puma, the research team releases the dogs. When a puma is nearby, the dogs instinctively seek refuge in the trees. The research team follows the dogs to catch the puma. The dogs are currently on the cliff. This task took all day, but it seems to be going well. 

It's a big one; I'm really excited. I think we can catch it. It's a huge cat that has been evading us for two years. It's a very large and magnificent creature. This is how we plan to match it. We're starting now. Are you ready? It's about to jump down. It's going down the other side; let it be. Where's the bag? It's right here. Go ahead, I'll follow you. While Mark's research team is chasing the puma, it has already gotten dark.

Hello, Mark. Please start. I need the headlights; could you shine them here? The modification, officially referred to as M85, has finally been captured. This is very encouraging for the research team. We are studying an incredibly vast area of over 2 kilometers. The territory of males can be up to four times wider than that of females. Mark's research team is analyzing which parts of the M85's migration route overlap with F51 or F61, in order to understand the interactions between male and female horses. This could also be a good opportunity for Mark in other ways. Mark has never seen a puma mating in the wild. However, thanks to the GPS device attached to M85's collar, the research team has been able to observe that behavior. I will never forget that day. It took almost two hours to locate M85 in the mountains. I set up the telescope and started filming, and that’s when this happened. I never expected to see this.

I didn't know that three juvenile camels are walking here. They are not alone; three of them are together. This means they are not asocial animals. If necessary, two females may share one male. Suddenly, a snowstorm hit, making it difficult to track them, but after the weather cleared, we were able to observe M85 mating. Such a scene has never been captured before. M85 is very valuable because he is one of the few remaining males in this area. M29, the father of F51's offspring, was recently shot by hunters, which has resulted in a shortage of males available for breeding. However, M29's remaining family is doing well, and if F51 can raise her young to survive the rest of the winter, the chances of the offspring surviving will increase significantly. F51 may be a lazy mother, but...

I successfully gave birth to the young ones during a harsh winter, and spring is just around the corner. However, the information transmitted by the collar of F 51 brings unsettling news. I don't understand; it's an email alerting us to an emergency. It states that the collar of F 51 hasn't moved for 18 hours. It could simply be that the collar has fallen off. But what worries Mark is that the GPS confirms that F 51 and M 85 have encountered each other. Mark thinks that while it is rare for these two to fight, it is definitely an ominous sign. He wants to solve this mystery, so he sets out on a journey. On the way, Mark searches the snow for clues. There are signs of something having moved. I need to take a closer look. Look here, they are facing each other. Check out M 85; it's really big. The footprints lead in the direction of the collar indicated by the GPS. Here it is; F 51 and the young ones are this way.

It seems there was a commotion down here. They might have been running around and crying, perhaps because the cubs were playing. At that time, M85 was feeding and came up from this side, and I think that's where the first fight started. It's completely covered in fur. I've studied pumas for ten years, but I've only seen this kind of fight once. There is fur scattered all around. Look, it rolled down the hill like this, and here is the first bloodstain. It slid down this hill. Let's follow this trail. Oh, I see something... I didn't want to see this, but it's the worst. I can't believe it. This is F51. The mother, who had a relaxed personality, was bitten and killed. F1, I can't tell you how much I know this one; it's a big loss for the research team. I need to take off the collar. Born in the wild, just like a wild puma.

I have found out what happened to F 51, but another question remains: what will happen to the cubs? To be honest, the future of the cubs is bleak. Mark follows the footprints in the snow and learns what occurred, but he cannot understand why this happened. Checking each of the research team's videos does not help either. While there are various ways that males and females communicate, there were no violent situations among them. This includes times when the female is with her cubs. When a male approaches a female, even when not in the presence of cubs, the males always behave this way. First, they sneak up quietly. You can see that the male lowers his body. Notice how the male's ears are turned to the side and almost drooping. He is trying hard to make himself appear smaller. No matter how you look at it...

There is no aggressive or threatening behavior at all. The male just wants to eat. The male does not try to chase away the other males; he simply watches without any reaction. He does not try to separate himself from the females and the young. Only the young chase the males. Look at this: a huge male is eating, and there are three-month-old young nearby, while the mother next to them is about to lift something. The young of F51, who lost their mother, are now eight months old. It's difficult to pinpoint their exact location because we can only track them with basic radio technology. Since the mother died, I have not seen the young ones even once. The regular heartbeat shows that the young are still alive. The primary problem the young are facing is hunger. It wasn't until four weeks after the mother died that I finally saw the young ones.

I found them. Mark can't wait to see how the pups are doing. Can you hear that? It's over there, by the riverbank, in the low area for sure. Let's see if we can find the pups. We need to approach carefully, as the pups might get scared and run away. 

I found one! The pup is eating a terrible-looking dead elk. One question has been answered: the reason it has survived alone for over a month is that this is a time when food is plentiful. Look, it's tearing apart the carcass. Oh, amazing! Where is the other female? There should be a sister. 

I found her! She's just lying in the open area. It's really wonderful to see these creatures. They look great, healthy, and well-built.

It's nice to see them eating, but it's a dangerous situation. Other predators also feed on dead animals, so being near a smelly carcass can lead to encounters with animals like gray wolves or American wolves. If you're not careful, they could become the prey. If the mother were alive, the cubs would stay within a designated territory and learn how to hunt. Those who do not receive their mother's teachings wander over a wide area searching for dead animals. 

It's not just these individuals that need to leave their paths. Generally, in spring, we can see young males leaving their mothers to establish their own territories. This is the biggest turning point in a horse's life—a time of uncertainty that could lead to various dangers. They are moving between the territories of already established pumas, looking for a place where they can be close to other pumas. That's how they...

They can interact and pair up, which helps them find food necessary for themselves and their future families. The strong mother, F61, had a male cub that left the observation area of the research team and headed north, while a female cub known as Dong-sang stayed near her hometown. Let me show you some data about Dong-sang. Observing Dong-sang is very interesting. She has explored a wide area and returned to her mother about twice. For example, if you look here, she traveled into the national park but eventually started moving south. She naturally followed the terrain down the mountain. Following that path, she reached Jackson. Given that no one has seen Dong-sang there, she has behaved perfectly in a manner consistent with her instincts. Although she ventured very close to the city, Dong-sang is doing well.

It seems that the carcass of this old deer may be evidence that the young puma has successfully hunted alone for the first time. Mark installed a remote camera. In the darkness, the young puma reveals itself. It's doing very well, surviving alone, hunting, and establishing its territory. It's accomplishing everything we hoped for, doing all that a wandering puma can do. The young puma is demonstrating its ability to survive on its own, even in this area of Jackson City. The cubs of F51 are still learning survival skills. Small prey, like squirrels, is sufficient for them. However, the issue is whether they can catch the squirrels. Mark's footage reveals the challenges that the 9-month-old mother and her cubs are facing. This footage makes it difficult to spot the sika deer.

After F 61 inflicted serious injuries on the fawn, she shows her offspring. The 12-month-old fawns do not know how to kill a deer. They try hitting it and struggle to figure out how to eat it. This scene is crucial as it precisely demonstrates how unprepared the young ones are to survive alone in the wild, even at one year old. Despite being one year old, they are still heavily dependent on their mother. Mark did not think the fawns would survive more than a month. However, they were managing to get by by eating animal carrion. Both are relatively small in size. One appears to be in good condition, while the other looks weak and distressed. Ten weeks after the mother’s death, Mark goes to check on the fawns' condition again because one is struggling significantly. Mark focuses on the weak fawn.

We discover the carcass of F 75. It can only be assumed that it died of starvation. The last time I saw it, its bones were so exposed that its hips were protruding, so it's not surprising. It is clear at a glance that it is much thinner than its younger sister. Now, F 99 is the only survivor among the last offspring of F 51. Be careful with those hind legs. This female, number 9, means that F 99's chances of survival depend on whether it can learn to hunt on its own. Eating the carcasses of animals is inherently dangerous because various predators are attracted to them. Even animals that only eat dead animals can be a threat. The presence of a soaring eagle indicates that there are animal carcasses nearby. The bald eagle does not want to share its food.

F 99 has been chased away. She is hungry, but at least she is not injured. Surprisingly, for the next few weeks, F 99 gained weight. It’s just a guess, but the research team speculates that F 99 has learned how to hunt. There are no traces left. The only way to confirm this is by fitting a GPS collar to collect solid evidence that F 99 has been successful in her hunts. 

Great! She must be hungry. The research team sets up bait and a touch to lure F 99. The gift is ready. Here she comes! The bait worked. 

After marking F 99, the team continues to monitor her to ensure she does not overheat. F 99 has shown positive physical changes. The research team has confirmed that she is healthy and has developed the necessary skills to hunt.

For the next few days, I closely followed F 99. Before long, Mark discovered something suspicious and headed to the scene. Look at this fur; these are the remains of a young coyote that F 99 has eaten. It seems it was torn apart from tail to tail. Given that there are no other animal tracks around, it's clear that F 99 was the one hunting. The fact that it killed a defenseless animal is significant. This marks a turning point; it seems that F 99 could survive even in winter. F 99 always surprises us. It learned how to hunt alone and survived in an environment filled with numerous dangers, such as other predators and humans. Over the past year, F 99 has not succumbed to the challenges of its environment. I remember a video we shot where F 99 was hiding under a tree in a torrential downpour on the grasslands. Here is a young puma alone.

I can imagine how lonely it must be, but seeing that you are holding up well brings me comfort. The turning point is not just F99. Based on 13 years of research data and observations of 124 pumas, the research team discovered two significant factors that have led to a sharp decline in the puma population. Since the wolves returned to the area, the survival rate of young pumas until they reach adulthood has drastically decreased. Out of 100 young pumas, only a few survive to 18 months old, with most falling victim to attacks from other predators. Meanwhile, a staggering 49% of adult pumas die due to human hunting. When we combine these two factors, we see that the low survival rate of young pumas is due to other predators, while the low survival rate of adult pumas is caused by hunting humans. They are under pressure from both sides.

The population has decreased. According to Mark's explanation, the only realistic way to stabilize the population of pumas is to significantly restrict hunting. This claim will likely spark intense debate. F 99 is now 1 year and 3 months old, and people can legally hunt F 99. For now, it has been able to avoid the eyes of wolves and humans, but another danger lurks. You can see it sitting there; its front looks fine, but it is clearly struggling. It lost some weight last month. Recently, it caught a hedgehog. It seems like there are quills stuck here. The skin is moving, and the quills are digging deeper and deeper, making it difficult to remove. It may have sustained other injuries due to the hedgehog's quills, but we can't know for sure unless we investigate closely. F 99 is clearly fighting to survive.

It seems that Mark's expectations were off. The hedgehog's quills caused internal injuries, and Kushin died two weeks later. The new statue of F is avoiding other predators and humans while establishing its territory, enduring the cold weather, and hunting enough food to survive. Thanks to the statue, all the pumas that have been the subject of observation by the Teton Puma Research Team for several years have contributed to a much higher level of knowledge about pumas. Depending on how this new knowledge is utilized by humans, the future of pumas will change in the long term. The statue and all the others are still living their lives at the edge of survival.

[앙코르] 어미 잃은 퓨마 새끼들이 살아남는 법 | 로키 산맥 퓨마의 위태로운 삶

국내 유일의 동물 전문 다큐멘터리 프로그램!
BBC Studios 비롯하여, NHK Enterprise, ZDF Enterprises, Terra Mater Studios, Earth Touch 등 전 세계 최고의 다큐멘터리 제작사들이 제작한 프로그램을 엄선, 우리말로 더빙하여 일반 시청자들에게 소개하는 프로그램이다. 정확한 해설로 시청자들의 생태계 이해를 극대화한다.
 
생생한 대자연의 세계가 안방에!
아프리카의 초원 지대는 물론, 극지방, 사막 등 세계 곳곳에 서식하는 다양한 동식물을 총망라하는 프로그램으로, 전문 다큐 제작사들의 노하우가 화면 곳곳에 녹아 있다. 아이들에게는 주옥같은 교육 자료로, 어른들에게는 일상에서 벗어나 자연과 조우하는 청량제로 그 역할을 한다.
 
온 가족이 함께!
시청자 층이 다각화, 세분화되고 있는 요즘 추세에 비추어 볼 때, 온 가족이 한 자리에 모여 편안한 마음으로 서로 대화를 나누며 시청할 수 있는 몇 안되는 프로그램이다. 컴퓨터 그래픽이나 화려한 무대가 아닌, 카메라맨이 직접 땀 흘려가며 촬영한 화면 하나하나는 시청자들로 하여금 대자연의 위대함과 생태계의 신비, 자연의 소중함을 일깨워 줄 것이다.
