‘Dynasties II’ Recap: ‘Puma’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘Dynasties’. To revisit the season one finale, click here.
​
It is definitely safe to say, that the BBC America documentary series, Dynasties, is one of the most creative nature documentaries to hit the airwaves in recent years. Simply because, it gave us an in depth look at how families and genetic lines thrive in the wild, something that we don’t think about all that often since we see animals as just… animals. And not family-oriented beings. But that documentary proved otherwise, and well, after a hiatus spanning a couple of years, this brilliant series returned to the airwaves last night and provided us with more stunning insight into how parents in the wild thrive and fight to keep their family and legacy alive. 
​
In fact, the season two premiere of this show, ‘Puma’, took the time to inform us… that not all animal related family life features a patriarch and a matriarch. For sometimes, only one parent raises their young… as evidenced by the trip we took to Patagonia in this tale. Wherein we met Rupestre, a puma mother that was dealing with quite the large litter. For she gave birth to four cubs, and with that… came the challenge of raising them right and preparing them for their future. Which meant she needed to provide them with appropriate shelter and food, and she did that, by raising them near the shoreline. Wherein the cubs could play and relax while mother went off to find food to nurse them and well, for a time… this went smoothly.

For food was plentiful and the shelter was just right. But a harsh winter brought about a lot of challenges for this burgeoning family, since it made food scarce and was of course, cold, and brutal as winters in Patagonia often are. Not to mention, once winter ended… other tough challenges came mother’s way. For mating season brought forth an alpha male to her nest, a move that threatened her babies since alpha males don’t like being around cubs they didn’t father. Plus, she lost the safety of the shoreline thanks to a rival. Putting this brood on tough ground as mother fought hard to keep her babies fed and on their way to a proud future and for a time, it appeared as though things might so south since food was scarce and she was often wounded and tired. 

But eventually, everything worked out, and the cubs grew and learned how to hunt and that meant, the time had come for them to set out on their own. Which is why Rupestre left her brood. So, they could go off into the world and start their own families and lives, allowing for her dynasty to continue and… begin anew. Since it was revealed at the end of this tale that Rupestre had another four-cub blessing a year after her cubs were left to their own devices and well… that wonderful surprise and everything we witnessed in this tale, made this… quite the incredible season premiere. Since it truly hammered home just how tough it is for a family to thrive in the wild and just how far the head of the family will go to make sure their babies thrive, since Rupestre suffered mightily to make sure her cubs made it.

However, where this documentary truly shined, was in showing us… how the animal kingdom resembles our own. Because we tend to believe that single parenting is something that is exclusive to only mankind. But clearly, that’s just not the case. Since Rupestre was forced to play mother and father in this tale and make sacrifices and push herself to her limits to ensure the survival of the dynasty, as single parents do in our world… and it was just fascinating and humbling to see that play out. For it does remind us, that we are all in this together in ways we never thought possible and well, now that this majestic tale has come to its end, it is safe to say we are all counting down the minutes until next Saturday’s chapter. So, we can learn more fascinating tidbits about how the animal kingdom keeps their family lines, thriving. Until next time.  

---