Leap of faith: Penguin chicks fight for survival after trek across Antarctic wasteland in landmark scenes from Sir David Attenborough’s new BBC series Frozen Planet II
- Scenes of penguins jumping into the sea were filmed in the BBC’s Frozen Planet II
- The moment when adult birds leave their young to fend for themselves was also filmed for the series
- Adult birds have also been photographed huddling together to protect their young from the icy winds
- The new series is a follow-up to Frozen Planet, which aired on the BBC in 2011
Abandoned by their parents to make a treacherous 30-mile journey across the frozen wasteland of Antarctica, these emperor penguin chicks finally work up the courage to jump into the sea to feast on an abundance of fish.
The remarkable scene was captured on film for the BBC’s new Frozen Planet II, along with the poignant moments when the adult birds leave their young to fend for themselves.
As the documentary shows the parents wandering around – having protected the chicks from the icy 100mph winds until they’ve grown to just over 3ft tall – narrator Sir David Attenborough, 96, tells viewers: “Their parental duties are done and they will never return to their chicks again.’
Emperor penguin chicks finally pluck up the courage to jump into the sea in BBC’s new Frozen Planet II
In earlier scenes, a group of adult birds are shown huddling together to form a makeshift nursery for the shivering chicks.
Sir David said: “Winds here can reach speeds of over 100mph and the chick is in real danger of freezing to death. But his parents are perhaps the most devoted in all of nature. They protect him from the full force of the ice blast and huddle together to create a dense crib. In it, chickens can amazingly maintain their body temperature of 37C.
Abandoned chicks risk starvation until one of them decides to start a trek to the sea in search of fresh fish. Cameras capture the moment fellow chicks line up and join the harrowing and sometimes humorous 30-mile journey.
Sir David says: “When a man makes the first bold move, the rest follow. They go at a steady pace – but sliding on their bellies is an easy option.” At one point, the chicks use their beaks as ‘makeshift picks’ to navigate through towering walls of ice.
They are naturally suspicious of every crack in the building until the inevitable happens and they find themselves fighting for survival in an icy chasm.
The documentary captured moments when adult birds leave their young to fend for themselves
Abandoned chicks risk starvation until one of them decides to start a trek to the sea in search of fresh fish
The new series is a follow-up to the successful Frozen Planet, which aired in 2011
Fortunately, the chicks manage to escape to safety before finally reaching the sea. The sequences end with chickens jumping into the sea to feed.
Sir David says: “These chicks are the lucky ones. Not the most graceful entry. But they are in their element, the sea. They have endured the most difficult upbringing, but now they can take advantage of the long summer ahead and feed in the richest waters on Earth.
The new series is a follow-up to the successful Frozen Planet, which aired in 2011.
Tonight’s opening episode – scheduled to air on BBC1 at 8pm – also features comical footage of a male hooded seal unhappily in love trying and failing to impress two females by displaying an expanding pouch in his left nostril.
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