episode description
Deep in the Southern Ocean, the Snares islands are one of the most pristine island wildernesses left on the planet. Every summer, millions of seabirds converge here to breed. More than 50,000 endemic Snares crested penguins battle massive Southern Ocean swells to come ashore. Deep in the forest they find their mates and raise their chicks in a frantic race to take advantage of the short subantarctic summer. On their way to and from the sea, they are hunted by predatory giant petrels and New Zealand sea lions who target the youngest and most vulnerable penguins. As dusk arrives, the skies darken as millions of Sooty shearwaters crash through the canopy on their way to their burrows. At dawn they follow ancient bird paths through the forest to jumping-off points where they pour out onto the sea for their day’s feeding, taking advantage of krill swarms that ride the currents. There is no place on Earth like the Snares. To visit here is to step into a world that existed before humans.
