NATURE

Executive producer: Sabine Holzer

CANTABRIA SPAIN’S MAGICAL MOUNTAINS 1 × 50 min. Written and directed by Joaquín Gutiérrez Acha Produced by José María Morales Executive producers: Andrea Gastgeb, Sabine Holzer HD, 5.1 and Stereo NATURE

Mountains firmly in its grip, wild hunters have their best chance for success. Snow he remarkable, little known and lack of food drive red deer into the Cantabrian Mountains extend along valleys and towards certain danger. Blood the Atlantic coast of northern Spain curdling howls pierce the cold, still air. for nearly 500 kilometres from the When a deer has difficulty walking in the Teast Pyrenees to Galicia. In some parts, they deep snow, it risks becoming easy prey tower 2,500 metres above sea level. for a pack of hungry wolves. Wildcats are also on the prowl, stalking partridges even The mountains form a barrier between the during the snowstorm. cool, moist part of Spain, known as Espana Verde or “green Spain”, and the arid As soon as the snow starts to melt, animals central plateau. Proximity to the Atlantic that spent the winter comfortably shel- makes for high humidity. Generous summer tered in their dens emerge. Female Brown rainfall on the northern side of the moun- bears, anxious to feed themselves and tain range provides perfect conditions for their cubs after a long hibernation, busy abundant vegetation. Oak, chestnut, and themselves searching for fresh grass. And beech forests grow in the lower altitudes if grass is still scarce they climb bushes and while lush mountain meadows carpet the trees to nibble on the first tender shoots. higher elevations. Only the highest summits are dry and barren, except in winter, when Summer days in the Cantabrian Mountains thick snow blankets the mountains. are fraught with dangerous challenges. The Atlantic salmon are now navigating But the treasures of Spain’s magical moun- their way inland from ocean to hinterland tains go beyond luxuriant vegetation and through ever decreasing estuaries, as scenic beauty. The mountains are home to they migrate to their ancestral spawning a huge variety of wildlife like chamois and grounds. red deer, wolves, brown bears and wildcats. Brown bears living high up in the forested In forests, on meadows and cliffs life plays mountain slopes also face peril. The out its dramas far away from civilisation in Cantabrian Mountains are their western- the Cantabrian Mountains. most European habitat. Mother bears must be on constant guard to protect Over the course of a year, we capture the their young. If they encounter a male in trials and adventures both great and small, search of a partner, he may kill the cubs. of the animals in this unique wilderness. Despite the lack of escape routes at these Throughout the seasons this film poignant- elevations, cliff caverns provide sanctuary ly portrays the hardships and wonders of for many a bear family. one of the world’s most magical places. When the long winter has the Cantabrian

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