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The mysteries of the forest (3/4) - Of beasts and witches |

ARTE Family
"Wild animals always retain, in our eyes, an element of mystery. Some have an unflattering reputation; magicians and
witches have made them into evil spirits. But reality contradicts these beliefs. Filmed in the wilderness, without
artifice, these animals unloved are simply magnificent [Music]

The first morning mists appear around the woods and waterways. Autumn won't be long; At this season, legends say, the
forest is shrouded in mysteries and hides all kinds of evil. In truth, she encourages one of her most discreet people to come
out of his reserve.
For the moment, we have not yet heard this great loner and we can barely see him.

It is his majestic crown which reveals his presence and which makes him so imposing. This king of the forest, who seems
to embody power and virility, has always been hunted by man.
What do we blame him for? His taste for young shoots and tree bark, no doubt; a pretext to justify his hunting. Its antlers, it
is true, make a magnificent trophy; it has long adorned the emblems of sovereigns, who moreover reserved the
privilege of tearing it down.

This large animal, which can weigh 250 kg, is very impressive, although secretive and fearful, it flees at the slightest
suspicious noise. In the Sainte-Croix park, Pierre Sainger observes deer all year round. He clearly understood their
unique character; the deer lives alone; the older he is, the more he is a kind of forest ghost. He listens to the slightest noise,
as if he were aware of carrying the seed. When he wants to, without taking any risks, he is the last to leave the forest.
He is extremely suspicious, he is always on his guard, and this is precisely what makes him a fascinating animal. Fascinated
perhaps by its presence, man admires the deer and is jealous of it at the same time, hence the numerous legends which
sometimes attribute to it demonic powers, sometimes enviable virtues. The power of this voice is that of a male
ready for battle; Only yesterday he was only a young brocket. [Music]

Here he has become king of this forest, a king wearing a crown. Its branches, similar to those of a tree, make it a
symbol of life, longevity and rebirth. These woods, it should come as no surprise, are said to have supernatural powers;
sorcerers made aphrodisiacs, ointments that treated wounds, panaceas against spells. But here is another [Music]
figure: the Furfur deer, which appeared in the 19th century in a treatise on demonology.

Furfur, the furious, capable of raising all the legions of hell to call the devastating fire to his rescue; he wants to
defeat the deer king. The dark forces have lost; Furfur returns to his unges, and the king of the forest retains his throne.

In our forest, the deer wait, in solitude, for the great event of the year: the bellowing season. Another solitary and furtive
inhabitant is active in the high forests even in the coldest of winter. Generally, we hear it long before we see it. Once
the forest is white with snow, it is easier to spot it. His work betrays him at the foot of his tree; the shavings pile up. It's a
black woodpecker.

This male sculpts a lodge to shelter his future brood. Not far away, a female observes him. If the male manages to
seduce her with his building skills, if the future nest suits her, perhaps she will take him as a partner. [Music]

The male chose a healthy, dry tree to avoid wood diseases and rainwater infiltration which would compromise the survival of
the chicks. Observer of the black woodpecker, Claude Maource lives at the gates of this great bird's domain, a preserved
forest in the Vosges massif. Peak
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black loves the mid-mountains, but his domain now extends much further west, gaining ground each year.

[Music] But the most reprehensible and the most worrying is what they are doing underground. They dig tunnels to
reach the underworld or indulge in [Music] laziness. We will have the skin of these dirty beasts, hunter faith. We are
going to impale them, smoke them with claws and teeth. The bandits attack the dog and look for their escape route,
but we hunters will bring them out from the depths of the earth where they plot with occult forces. With their furs we will make
boots; with their fat, decoctions against rheumatism. And it is thus, by inventing a fault for them, that men got into the habit of
tracking down badgers. Fortunately, their ingenious earthmoving work saved more than one, and we are saving [Music]
again. It's a nasty beast by default; it has been classified as harmful. We were talking about the stench at the time. At one
time, indeed, it was ingrained in the psyche of the hunting world that the badger was a nasty beast. But in fact, there is no
real justification when talking with a hunter; he won't be able to argue that it's a nasty beast.

Spring urges birds to make their nests with moss, lichens and twigs.
The black woodpecker is not satisfied with a vegetable mattress; he wants his nest solid, deep, safe. He digs it with the
strength of his beak; He's been at work for weeks.

In this box perched 15 m above the ground, these little ones will be safe from predators. The female seems definitely
won over; she will stay near the nest until move-in day. From time to time, she will examine the
construction site.

Now, this peak is fascinating, because first of all, it's the biggest, the heaviest. When we are in the calm forest and we
arrive, we hear him hitting a tree, it clicks.
Then he climbs up there; It's really a powerful bird, it's a bird that is quite fierce. He doesn't really like to be disturbed,
and so here, b, he's in his own environment, he's really at ease.

The Green Peak also digs a cavity; he returned there several years in a row. The black woodpecker prefers to relocate
elsewhere every year, or almost every year, to avoid being spotted by predators.
His lodge is not lost to everyone; other forest dwellers, such as the Tengmalm owl, will happily occupy it.

The woodpecker is what is known as an umbrella species, an animal whose ecological niche allows many others to live or
reproduce safely. Squirrels are among the inhabitants of the forest who take advantage of the lodges abandoned by the
largest of the [Music] woodpeckers.

Some birds have not yet made their nests, and time is running out; he would find it convenient to squat in this brand
new cavity, but it is already occupied and well defended. [Music]

The rest of the year he has no voice. It is only then that he will be able to produce laughter, which is very powerful. This
laugh, the same, is very much an expression of frustration.
"I can't", so he will laugh both to express frustration, to impress opponents. So, absolutely, cont in pula F, they
are not at all impressed, are rather disturbed by this kind of madman who arrives at this moment when they will be mixed at
the peak of the heat to find interest.

He will have to wait for the signal, the smell emitted by the does when they are sexually receptive. It is a forest which
is very populated, there are many birds of different species here. That’s the garden creeper; he defends his
territory. There, he is eliminating all the other males from the area. That's why birds sing, especially those
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which are territorial. They say "I'm at home, get out" to all the competitors who might like to settle down.
That's why he repeats his song, especially when the morning of happiness begins.

The black woodpecker, for the past 15 days, was still singing. There, a song, and then well, he drums, eh, he goes against
a dry branch which resonates well and then, like a jackhammer, very quickly. It's really exciting. The black woodpecker
chooses very dry trunks for maximum resonance. These percussions carry more than a [Music] km under the forest
canopy.

The symphony of amorous birds rises in pitch, the games of seduction have begun [Music]. To please his beauty, the
kingfisher brings him an offering [Music].

After having drummed so much and more, the black woodpecker continues its parade; he was visibly convincing.
For deer, the mating season drags on; in the middle of autumn, this male, tormented by his desire, always awaits the
goodwill of the does. He no longer eats, drinks very little, remains focused on his fixed idea: to reproduce. To calm his
ardor, he plows the vegetation with great blows of dirt; he is in agony.

Young brockets also burn with rutting fever, but with no hope of reproducing before they are 5 or 6 years old. If deer
need to show themselves and make themselves heard, it is quite the opposite for badgers. Yann Lebessel has spotted
an observation site from where he can sometimes film and photograph badgers. He is careful not to go in the
direction of the wind; the badgers would smell it immediately. We don't see them every day, even when we go there
regularly. Sometimes it's very furtive: he comes out of his burrow, he passes by, but I don't know, there's something.
But for many animals, seeing a fox is the same; It’s something that’s quite nice. This is, I don't know, a certain emotion that
emerges when we see a badger come out of its burrow.

I don't know if we have any communications with the badgers now. Sometimes, I have the impression when we
do wildlife work, that the badgers know we are there, because they look at us. They will occupy a whole part of the land
which is beyond us. There are things which, afterward, are sensations, eh, it's not very scientific, but sometimes we have
the impression that they can know that we are there and that they know that we don't disturb them and we manage
to film them like that.

Their poor eyesight is compensated by keen hearing and a competitive sense of smell. The slightest noise, the slightest
suspicious smell, and presto, they go underground. At night, all the dangers are asleep, the hunters too. Badgers therefore
prefer to go out in the moonlight to inspect their territory, hunt earthworms or quench their thirst.

In addition to earthworms, insects and larvae, they eat a wide variety of plants and fruits. Occasionally, frogs,
muskies and young field mice at the [Music] nest. Often, the males venture into the plain with determination; they
set off in search of another forest, a new home, a new partner. This change of address is not just a whim; it ensures the
genetic mixing necessary to limit inbreeding. This male has already visited a group of badgers living on the other side
of the plain; he easily finds the way. He finds a female there; it takes them a few minutes to recognize each other.

Finally, the thing is [Laughter] understood; the male quickly left. The female then sets about collecting moss which will be
used to line the underground chambers of the burrow. For animals that prefer life in the great outdoors, dead tree
trunks provide habitats
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privileged. The praise of this old job interests a black woodpecker; only one of the duplexes is already occupied by
squirrels. Obviously, the arrival of this tenant stealing their [Music].

Here's the French paragraph with punctuation added:

Unpleasant, but if not evil, the woodpecker is stubborn. [Music]

Trees that die naturally while standing are called candlesticks. Larvae and carpenter ants delight in this soft wood and
accelerate its decomposition.

It is a forest which is located on a southern slope, really on a steep slope, which has not been exploited by man for a
very long time, which has been abandoned. Because it is a wild forest, with many dying trees, which are left to die on
site. It is a living forest that dies and lives.

The woodpecker settles with two fingers in front, two fingers behind. It hangs against the trunk like this; he
progresses by leaning on his tail. It has a neck and a beak which allows it to hit very hard, and a tongue which is
extremely long for birds and which is viscous, sticky. He threads it through the holes like this, hooks the critters to eat and
takes them out, then afterward he moves on to the next hole. So, he pushes the shavings aside like this, piece by piece,
it clears.
We find shavings almost everywhere, and that's how we see its presence: when we see tapping, when we see the
shavings lying to the right and left. It's really fascinating; Not everyone sees it, you really have to look for it or else have
tremendous luck.

The black woodpecker perceives the slightest movement of the thousands of insects hidden under the shavings of its
solid beak. It bares stumps and traps ants with its extendable, sticky tongue.

With spring, thousands of insects emerge, a source of food for the baby birds that come from the clearings. [Music]

In the black woodpecker's lodge, three little ones are clamoring. Male and female take turns to supply
them. At the bottom of each little gullet, it regurgitates a very consistent insect slurry. Thanks to this intensive
force-feeding, the young woodpeckers grow. At the end of May, they are less than a month old and are already ready to
take flight.

The precocity of young black woodpeckers will allow the parents to raise a second brood. A first candidate wants to
try an exit, not suspecting that it will be definitive. First, he observes this unknown world, vast, dazzling with light and
full of dangers, undoubtedly the complete opposite of the lodge. He still hesitates; his parents encourage him with their
shouts and drumming.

The black woodpecker lives in the world above, the upper floors of the forest. The world below is that of badgers. They
sometimes go out in broad daylight, but with the greatest circumspection, always on the lookout before going any further.
Young ones were born in this burrow; they are not yet allowed to leave their rooms.

Will this beautiful spring day be conducive to their first outing? [Music]

First of all, the badger gets rid of the dry earth embedded in its coat.
Urgently, shake off the fleas and lice that are constantly itching. [Music]
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The badger is not just a bag of parasites concerned with its hygiene. It digs latrines outside the
burrow or in a separate gallery. For a long time, the badger was believed to be solitary, which made it
even more diabolical in the eyes of its detractors. In fact, it lives in clans, generally of three
or four individuals. We delouse ourselves, we bite each other, we scratch each other; grooming is
done in groups. More than mutual aid, it is a way to recognize each other and build relationships. [Music]

About two months after birth, the little badgers emerge from the burrow. They now have fur
thick enough to withstand the cold at night. They grew up on a cozy litter warmed by the presence of
their mother. The two white stripes are already clearly visible on their snout, and they resemble adults
but smaller. Their mother still breastfeeds them and regurgitates food for them.

This first outing will be educational. Lesson number 1 takes the form of a game: the mother hides an earthworm. She
wants to train the little ones to find their food on their own. This essential apprenticeship to become independent will
last almost two months.

To signal their membership in the clan, badgers mark each other and mark their domain with these
same odorous secretions. Trademarks here and there serve as a means of communication between
badgers.

The clan lives peacefully, no leader, no power struggle. Life is sweet among badgers; the little
ones do somersaults, jostle each other, bite each other. This is the age of games.
[Music]

It plays, but never far from the burrow, in order to quickly return underground in case of danger.
[Music]

In summer, badgers sometimes sleep outside the burrow. It is rare to be able to surprise them during
their night under the stars. Let's leave them to their dream and move forward a few weeks in the calendar
to see where the S are at. [Music]

The females live in herds, so they form a fairly large group. So, there, he is happy, he is happy
because he has an inordinate sexual appetite when he arrives at this beautiful clearing with the fall
colors and this group of females. He arrives in paradise. In reality, it looks like hell, because in the
middle of this paradise, there is already a huge male who has taken up his position. We call him the
master of the place. Females are inaccessible, because this power monster is there, very excited,
very angry, very powerful, very impressive. So, despite the excitement that I may feel, I will first
what is called orbit around these females. They will really become my center of interest. And then,
while I am orbiting myself, while I am turning, I will come across other males who are biding their time,
who are waiting for the moment, who are waiting for the possibility perhaps of shaking up the hierarchy
or of being able to still be able, at a certain point. time or another, breed a female.

Autumn is well underway and excitement is at its peak for the large males, as for the brockets. The smell
of females in heat wafts through the forest. It's finally the rutting season, and it will be [Music] short.
The bellowing of the deer multiplies, but there will be only one chosen; the others are condemned to
bellow without ever breeding, unless they cheat. [Music]

The master of the place seems to have been designated. He parades in the middle of the herd, wearing
his panache high and proud. Nature knows what it is doing; she selects the strongest males to ensure
the strongest possible offspring. But he hasn't won yet, because others
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covet livestock. Opponents size each other up; only the strongest have a chance of defeating the
dominant male and gaining the exclusive privilege of honoring them. [Music]

A male of the same age and power challenges the dominant and provokes him in [Music].
[Music]

Duel. Once again, it was the dominant one who won; the challenger will have to wait until next
year to try his luck again. As for the male, exhausted by the ordeals of the slab, they return
to their solitude. They have lost a lot of weight, but will be able to start eating again and
above all, they will sleep and sleep again to get healthy.

This is how life goes in our forests, where the same rituals are repeated over and over again.
Between these dark copses, we discover jewels, we are also surprised to hear animals there
without seeing them; they are clever like elves, no, like demons. The forest, a good fairy; you
can enter without fear. It shelters neither troll, nor devil, nor hungry wolf; only creatures in his
image, beautiful and wild.