The emperor penguin chicks were left by their parents, who made a dangerous 30-mile journey across Antarctic wastelands. Finally, the brave chicks jumped into the water to enjoy its abundant fish supply.
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 their fate.
As the documentary shows the parents wandering off – having shielded the chicks from icy 100mph winds until they have grown to just over 3ft tall – narrator Sir David Attenborough, 96, tells viewers: ‘Their parental duties are complete, and they will never again return to their chicks.’
In the BBC’s Frozen Planet II, the emperor penguin chicks are finally able to jump into the ocean.
An earlier scene shows a group adult birds huddled together in a creche to provide shelter for their chicks.
Sir David says: ‘Winds here can reach speeds of over 100mph and a chick is in real danger of freezing to death. He is surrounded by his loving parents, who are perhaps the most committed in all of nature. He is protected by his parents and they huddle together in a creche. Within it the chicks remarkably can maintain their body temperature of 37C.’
The chicks are left to starve until one decides to trek to the ocean in search for fresh fish. Cameras record the moments when fellow chicks join the 30 mile trek, which is sometimes funny and sometimes grueling.
Sir David says: ‘When one makes the first bold move, the rest follow. They set off at a steady pace – but sliding on your belly is an easy option.’ At one point the chicks use their beaks as ‘makeshift pickaxes’ so they can navigate towering walls of ice.
They become suspicious of any cracks in the structure until it is too late and find themselves trapped in an inhospitable chasm.
This documentary captures moments when adult birds abandon their young for their destiny.
The chicks left behind risk starvation until someone of their kind decides to trek to the ocean in search for fresh fish.
It is the sequel to Frozen Planet (2011).
The chicks make it safely to safety and then finally reach the ocean. This sequence ends with chicks diving into the sea for food.
Sir David says: ‘These chicks are the lucky ones. This is not the gracefulst entry. However, they’re in their element: the sea. They have endured the toughest of upbringings but now they can reap the benefits of the long summer ahead and feed in the richest waters on Earth.’
It is the sequel to Frozen Planet’s success, broadcasted in 2011.
Tonight’s opening episode – scheduled to air on BBC1 at 8pm – also features comic footage of an unlucky-in-love male hooded seal who tries but fails to impress two females by displaying an expandable sac in his left nostril.