Nature

IRONS: "3rd of May, 1893.

My friend, welcome to the Carpathians.

I am anxiously expecting you.

I trust your journey from London has been a happy one and that you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land."

With these words an unknown Irish writer introduced one of the most famous characters in western culture.

A character so compelling, his obscure homeland has become a household name around the globe.

Today, this remote land is one of Europe's last wild frontiers.

Home to vast mountain ranges where wolves and wildcats roam.

To pristine rivers and ancient forests where Europe's great bears still run free.

While Dracula was a figment of Bram Stoker's imagination, there is a place called Transylvania.

[ Woman vocalizing ] IRONS: Transylvania lies in central Romania, on the far southeastern edge of Europe.

Shielded from the world by the majestic Carpathian Mountains and in the 20th century by a hard communist regime, Transylvania is, to this day, a wild and wonderful land.

A place where the great predators of Europe still have room to roam.

Like the lynx.

Hardly ever glimpsed by human eyes, it is a true phantom of the forest.

High in the Carpathians, winter is on the wane.

Record temperatures have left little snow on the mountains.

A final flurry falls somewhere between sleet and rain.

[ Rain falling ] After months of darkness, some big beasts are on the move.

Transylvania is home to almost half of Europe's brown bears, and they haven't fed for five or six months.

These are lean times.

Everyone is hungry.

For the great predators of Transylvania, spring can't come soon enough.

In the high country, some heat from our life-giving star finally punches through.

The mountains burst into life.

After feeding up for a few weeks, this male's mind is turning to other matters.

There are healthy genes to be passed on, but first he must deal with the competition.

[ Bear roaring ] The fighting can go on for weeks... ...and gives the females a chance to see who's made of the right stuff.

[ Bears growling ] Fighting off rivals is a tiring business, but wooing a disinterested female is another level of pain altogether.

She is just not in the mood.

He heads off to try his luck elsewhere.

Mating season lasts from April to June, so he has time to fine-tune his flirting skills.

[ Bear roars ] Both may mate many times with different partners.

It's a n exhausting business.

All winter long, some powerful spirits have been missing from villages across Transylvania.

But then a day comes in early spring when the lost souls return.

White storks are revered in Transylvania, bringing good luck and fertility to those who treat them well.

It takes the storks seven weeks to fly the 7,000 miles from their winter grounds in southern Africa, a little rest is in order... and there's no rush.

[ Hooves clopping ] [ Horse chuffs ] Village life in Transylvania runs to its own relaxed rhythm.

[ Stork shrieks ] The male storks arrive first to check all is clear.

It also allows him time for some house maintenance before the boss makes an appearance.

She is still flying north.

[ Beak clacking ] When she does finally appear, they're just delighted to see each other.

[ Beaks clacking ] Storks may live for 20 years or more and they mate for life.

It's a powerful bond.

[ Birds chirping ] History hangs heavy in Transylvania.

Germans, Turks, Romanians all have fought and died over this land.

800 years ago, the horsemen of Mongolia, the Tatars, laid waste to the countryside.

Some local villagers made a last stand on this hill.

Their dead buried all around the summit.

Because Tatar Hill is left alone, every summer it explodes with wildflowers.

Modern agriculture wipes almost all before it, but Transylvania still offers small windows into the past.

Her surviving wildflower meadows are world-famous for their diversity and complexity.

The keys to their survival -- traditional farming without chemical fertilizers or poisons, and harvesting maybe once in the year.

Transylvania's traditional meadows are one of Europe's great natural treasures.

Almost 200 different kinds of butterflies are found in Romania.

Most will live for only three or four weeks, a tiny window to enjoy the wildflowers and the summer sun.

[ Bee buzzing ] [ Birds chirping ] Where there are bees in Transylvania, often not far away are bee-eaters.

These spectacular creatures appear from the south in early May and settle in for a busy summer of bee eating.

The bees may be dead, but they are still dangerous.

With a strategic squeeze, the birds remove the stings and expel the venom.

And bee-eaters are more than happy to broaden their diet if something else flies by.

It's now breeding time, and everyone is busy, establishing just who is who in the pecking order.

[ Birds chirping ] With competition out of the way, the males can get to work on their prospective mates.

First, tasty treats are offered to win her over.

If they go down well, he moves in closer to test the waters.

And if all is going to plan, he springs into action.

On the longest days of the year, journey into Transylvania's meadows and you just might meet some fairies.

Sanziene is a ritual that goes back to pagan times, the village girls bestowing magical powers on the wild flowers.

Tradition dies hard in Transylvania.

Thousands of years on, the girls still weave their floral crowns to celebrate summer and the gift of life.

The eve of Sanziene is when the heavens open and spirits roam free.

Fires are lit to ward off the evil ones.

On this night, the 23rd of June, the gates to the other world are wide open.

"Dracul" means dragon or devil, and a 15th-century warlord, Vlad Dracul, is widely regarded as the inspiration for the legendary vampire.

Bran Castle is often touted as Vlad's lair.

But Vlad barely visited Bran, if at all.

40 miles to the south is Targoviste, where Vlad established his court.

His other nickname was Vlad the Impaler, as he would skewer his enemies on wooden stakes, alive.

He had 20,000 Turks impaled outside Targoviste.

The skies filled with their dying screams and departing souls.

[ Birds cawing ] Then, as now, religion was a backdrop for bloodshed and war.

Across Transylvania, churches were often fortified with high walls and battlements.

[ Crowd singing in foreign language ] 500 years on, many still provide shelter for some of the other great characters in the story of Dracula.

[ Singing continues ] [ Bell tolling ] Transylvania is a wonderland for bats.

26 different kinds make their homes here, and this is one of the most successful, the greater mouse-eared bat.

[ Bats chittering ] Come summertime they often search out church towers, spending the daylight hours gathered in tight bundles for companionship.

But as dusk falls across Transylvania, the bats start to come alive.

It's time to go hunting.

One of the largest bats in Europe, greater mouse-eareds are ferocious predators, and Transylvania's wild woods and meadows are still full of prey.

Unlike many, these bats don't use sonar to locate their prey.

Instead, their ears are hypersensitive to any tiny sounds from insects on the move.

[ Leaf rustles ] [ Owl hoots ] Once these huge ears lock on, their unfortunate prey has little chance.

But keep very still and you might just survive to see another night in the forest.

[ Thunder rumbles ] While churches make handy summer shelters, caves are critical sanctuaries for Transylvania's bats.

And Romania is riddled with caves, more than 12,000 in all.

In winter, they are the perfect hibernation hideaways.

[ Water dripping ] 15 years ago in western Transylvania, a large chamber was discovered with a very different kind of natural treasure... ...charcoal drawings more than 30,000 years old.

On one wall, the two-horned head of a rhinoceros.

On another, a faint outline of a giant, a horned beast that was critical to these early human hunters.

Millions roamed the continent.

But for the next 30,000 years, the slaughter of these giants never stopped, until a century ago when just 54 survived.

But from these ashes, a minor miracle has unfolded.

Today, European bison are back in Transylvania.

Across Europe from Bulgaria to Belarus, the bison are coming home to the wild.

Introduced by local conservationists, there are now over 200 in Romania.

Today, their quiet presence brings vital new life to these ancient forests.

[ Birds chirping ] Lynx are opportunistic hunters.

They like surprise to be on their side.

Chamois may be very wary, but it's often someone else who raises the alarm.

[ Birds calling ] One of the iconic sounds of summer.

[ Hoopoe warbling ] There is nothing quite like a hoopoe.

With their glorious plumage and unmistakable calls, hoopoes bring their unique presence to Transylvania at this time of year.

Hoopoes usually nest in holes in the ground or in hollow trees.

This is the last of the brood.

His siblings have already left the nest.

He's on his own... ...which has its advantages.

The parents have no one else to feed.

But he still has some lessons to learn.

Prey won't always stay still just waiting to be eaten.

It's almost time for his maiden flight, and those wing muscles have to be in good shape.

He soon learns that life is very different on the outside.

Mum won't always tolerate this constant begging.

School is down in the meadow where the hunting and feeding lessons continue.

But that big bill is a tricky weapon to master.

[ Birds chirping ] [ Bear grunting ] Barely five months old, the cubs were born in their mother's den back in the dark days of midwinter.

Fed on their mother's rich milk, they're growing stronger and bolder.

[ Bear cub squealing ] Someday their fighting skills will be put to good use, but first they must practice.

[ Bear cub whines ] For the next two years, the cubs are completely dependent on their mother as they learn all they need for their future lives in the forest.

In Viscri, the Stork parents have a healthy brood to care for.

Four large chicks now share the nest.

[ Stork shrieks ] From hatching, the young storks won't leave this tiny space for two or three months.

For mum and dad, it's a full-time job to keep them fed and watered.

Transylvania's traditional farms are a critical reason they fly from Africa to raise their families here.

Storks aren't fussy.

They'll eat just about anything.

Their pickings are stored in their gut, for the family waiting at home.

Dinner is not an elegant affair.

[ Storks shrieking, squawking ] Nothing seems to satisfy these youngsters.

Trapped in their nest, the chicks have no access to water except what comes out of their parents' mouths.

From just after sunrise, mum and dad keep up a relentless routine... ...until late afternoon when they finally take a break.

The chicks can mind themselves until another day dawns.

[ Birds chirping ] The story of modern humans in Transylvania goes back at least 40,000 years.

Here in the Carpathians were found some of the oldest bones of our direct ancestors ever discovered in Europe.

[ Sheep bleats ] These pioneers faced high mountains and almost limitless forests.

But there were some islands in this ocean of trees.

Vast herds of bison, deer and auroch carved out open meadows, which over time evolved their own unique family of trees and meadow plants.

Transylvania is home to some of the only remnants of these ancient pastures.

The first farmers continued to use the meadows and hold back the encroaching woodlands.

But giant oaks were left unharmed as their acorns were often welcome food for the animals.

Some of these oaks are 800 years old.

[ Cows mooing ] Today, farming with a light touch is still needed to preserve these unique forest clearings.

The old and dead oak trees support a bonanza of tiny lives and one of the most spectacular insects on the planet.

With jaws almost as long as his body, this stag beetle is in a hurry.

He has spent five years underground as a juvenile, and now, as an adult, will only live for a few weeks.

He must find a female and fast.

This male has got lucky -- a female in a cozy crevice, but there are plenty of other males about.

This is not going to be easy.

Those great jaws swing into action.

His rival may be down, but he's certainly not out.

And another interloper joins the fray.

It's a full on beetle battle.

[ Cymbal crashes ] Rivals dealt with, he heads back to mate with the waiting female.

She may live for a few months more, but his days are numbered.

His massive jaws mean he can't feed properly, and though he may have the energy to mate a few more times, he will not live to see this summer out.

As weeks go by, the bear family are constantly on the move.

The cubs never stray too far from mum... And for good reason -- they're in constant danger.

Other bears are the problem.

Mature males will kill cubs on sight, hoping to bring the mother back in heat so they can mate with her.

Any sign of danger, the cubs are up in the trees... ...while she stands guard with the youngest.

When the coast does clear, there's the tricky business of getting back down.

Until strong enough to defend themselves, the cubs' lives will depend on mum and her skills at keeping them fed and safe from harm.

But right now danger is the last thing on their minds.

[ Rain falling ] [ Birds chirping ] There is another new kid on the block in Transylvania.

Though mostly active at night, you can't miss the telltale signs of their presence.

Once found throughout Europe, beavers were ruthlessly hunted.

It's 200 years since the last native beaver was reported in Transylvania.

But today some natural migration and a reintroduction program has brought them back.

Beaver dams form new ponds for all kinds of aquatic life and slow down the rivers, reducing floods.

Engineering marvels creating whole new worlds of life.

[ Birds chirping ] In Viscri, the stork chicks are almost three months old... ...and very keen to leave their tiny home.

Every day their wing muscles grow stronger.

Soon, they face the biggest leap of their lives.

And finally the moment comes.

Flying is hard enough, but many challenges, both big and small, await in this crooked new world.

In just a few short weeks, the stork family will sense a chill in the air and their new wings will carry the chicks south across two continents.

In autumn, Transylvania puts on her finest show.

She is home to some of the largest stretches of ancient forest in Europe.

But there is the shadow of logging and development, as most of the wild woods are unprotected.

Pressure is growing for a huge new national park in the Fagaras Mountains to preserve these priceless natural treasures.

For Transylvania's bears, autumn is a critical time.

They will soon head into their dens for the winter.

To survive five or six months without food, they must build up their fat reserves.

[ Birds chirping ] [ Horse snorts ] Autumn is often the time the bears come into closest contact with humans.

For the people of Transylvania are master fruit growers.

Plums are a specialty and used to distill a favorite liquor, palinca.

But someone else is also a fan of ripe juicy plums.

Come the quiet of evening, they'll risk a raid on the nearest orchard.

These cubs are now eight months old and sturdy enough to be given a little more freedom by their mother.

The cubs will soon face their first winter sleep, and with nights drawing in, this is a very welcome feast.

[ Birds chirping ] Temperatures are falling.

Slowly but surely winter wraps its cloak over Transylvania.

So thick is the fur of a bison that almost no heat escapes their bodies, and the snow forms a protective shell.

In the forest, deep snow can make progress difficult and the hunters are constantly on the move.

The apex predator in these woods is the wolf.

Transylvania is thought to be home to more wolves than anywhere in Europe, but no one really knows how many there are.

For these are incredibly shy and elusive creatures who stay well away from their only predator, man.

Their presence in these mountains is priceless.

Transylvania is also home to one of nature's greatest survivors.

Dinner may be under a thick layer of snow, but that's not going to stop a red fox.

The lone warrior of these wildlands is the lynx.

Covering vast distances on their eternal quest for food, lynx spend most of their lives on their own.

But come late winter they need to find their own kind.

Mature males leave scent marks throughout their territory.

And this female is on their trail.

Only fertile for a few days of the year, her time with the male is brief.

For in the woods she has two lively kits and they take up most of her time and energy.

Almost a year old, they're still dependent on her, but they will soon leave to carve a life of their own somewhere in the great forests of Transylvania.

Today's Europe has fewer and fewer of these wild sanctuaries.

Places where the solitary lynx can roam free.

Or the great bears can find a home.

Transylvania is one of Europe's last wild wonderlands.

With some of the greatest forests on the continent, half of its bears, some of the largest packs of wolves.

[ Wolf howling ] In the human imagination there is nowhere like it.

A magical world of warlords and vampires.

For thousands of years the people of Transylvania have lived alongside their wild neighbors.

When the bears rise from their winter dens, they come back to a land where many people still care.

In Transylvania, the land beyond the forest, the spirit of the wild still runs free.

To learn more about what you've seen on this "Nature" program, visit pbs.org.