Wildlife Haven China_中国野生动物家园
The documentary "Wildlife Haven: China" produced by CGTN is released to coincide with Phase 2 of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) that commenced on December 7, 2022. The film is dedicated to promoting relentless wildlife conservation efforts in China.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 (wind howling)
00:02 Northeastern China.
00:08 Spring comes late to Heaven Lake.
00:12 Snow and ice still cover this volcanic crater.
00:17 But the forests at the foot of the mountain
00:21 are turning green.
00:23 The streams are full of meltwater.
00:30 The rivers here are the breeding ground
00:32 for the Chinese Maganza, a rare duck native to China.
00:36 There are fewer than 3,000 of these birds
00:41 left in the world.
00:42 They are returning here from overwintering in the south.
00:46 (birds chirping)
00:52 (upbeat music)
00:55 Unusually for ducks, they nest in trees.
01:02 And within weeks, their eggs have hatched.
01:10 There is no time for rest.
01:17 Within 24 hours of leaving the eggs,
01:19 they have to leave the tree and make it to the river
01:22 nearby so they can feed.
01:24 It's a stark choice.
01:28 Stay put and starve or venture out
01:32 and face many dangers on the way.
01:34 They have to go into the world
01:44 when they are at their most vulnerable.
01:46 (upbeat music)
01:48 A duckling would make a fine snack for a hungry mink.
01:53 The more daring chicks begin their climb to the nest hole.
02:06 An unknown world awaits.
02:15 The river is full of the food they need,
02:17 but first they have to get to it.
02:20 China is a vast country.
02:29 It contains an amazing variety of landscapes and climates.
02:35 This has led to an extraordinary diversity of species.
02:42 (upbeat music)
02:45 Many are unique to China
02:54 and all depend on its habitats for survival.
02:58 (upbeat music)
03:01 (upbeat music)
03:04 As one of the few mega diverse countries in the world,
03:22 China bears a huge responsibility
03:24 towards maintaining biodiversity on the planet.
03:27 A number of these species are under threat.
03:30 (upbeat music)
03:34 Work is underway to counter that threat.
03:37 It's a race against extinction.
03:39 Xinling, the mountain range that marks the divide
03:49 between North and South China.
03:50 (water rushing)
03:59 (upbeat music)
04:01 With a 3000 meter range of altitudes,
04:04 there are five distinct climate zones here,
04:07 making these mountains one of the richest homes
04:09 for wildlife in China.
04:11 In May, the monsoon arrives,
04:14 bringing warmth to the temperate forests here.
04:17 For the Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys,
04:22 this is the best time of year.
04:23 These infants were born just a few weeks ago.
04:29 But the male infant does not belong to this mother.
04:32 His mother has gone foraging.
04:35 So this female is acting as a nanny.
04:37 The whole group is enthusiastic about the arrival
04:49 of infants.
04:50 They fight to lavish attention on them.
04:54 Though it can get a little rough.
04:56 (upbeat music)
04:58 There are over a hundred monkeys in this group,
05:04 divided into eight families.
05:06 Each family is led by an alpha male.
05:10 Generally, female infants are treated better
05:15 than male ones.
05:17 It's the females that keep each family prosperous.
05:20 And it's only the females who can stay within the family
05:25 once they are grown up.
05:26 When the males reach adolescence,
05:32 they are thrown out.
05:33 And most often, they will join a separate bachelor group
05:37 where they will have to prove themselves.
05:39 But all this remains in the future.
05:42 A thousand kilometers away,
05:48 on Baima Snow Mountain near the Myanmar border,
05:52 another group of snub-noses are entering
05:55 their breeding season.
05:56 This male infant is just three days old.
06:08 He doesn't venture from his mother's arms.
06:11 These are Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys.
06:20 And they are the highest living primates in the world.
06:22 Their territory ranges to over 4,000 meters altitude.
06:27 They have pink lips and a mohawk-style stripe
06:35 of dark fur on their heads.
06:37 All snub-nosed monkeys have these distinctive
06:44 up-tilted noses.
06:46 They are an adaptation to mountain life.
06:50 They maximize the monkeys' oxygen intake at altitude.
06:53 Spring is a time of plenty on Baima Mountain.
07:15 The monkeys spend over a third of the day
07:18 eating fresh leaves and buds.
07:20 (monkeys squealing)
07:23 (monkeys squealing)
07:26 (monkeys squealing)
07:29 (monkeys squealing)
07:32 (monkeys squealing)
07:35 (monkeys squealing)
08:03 As the seasons change, so will their diet.
08:06 But one item remains a staple on the monkeys' menu, lichen.
08:11 The lichen they favor grows on the trees here
08:16 and requires a damp and cool climate
08:18 with clean air to thrive.
08:20 Come the winter, it will be their only food source.
08:24 Generally, the birth rate is low among snub-noses.
08:28 The infants are given the best start they can.
08:31 They are all born in early spring.
08:33 This helps them survive.
08:36 They spend the most vulnerable months
08:38 while the weather is at its best
08:40 and food at its most abundant.
08:42 It's a time to learn.
08:45 It's a time to grow.
08:47 And above all, it's a time just to relax
08:51 and enjoy family life.
09:00 The volcanic soil below Heaven Lake is very fertile
09:04 and encourages the growth of thick primary forest.
09:07 It's an avian paradise,
09:14 an ideal breeding ground for migratory birds.
09:17 Chinese mcgansers have always nested
09:23 in natural tree holes near the river.
09:26 But there, they are vulnerable to predators
09:29 and often they lose many of their eggs.
09:31 To improve their chances,
09:36 researchers have been putting out artificial nesting places.
09:39 They are more secure than many natural tree holes.
09:42 The mcgansers have accepted these artificial tree holes
09:46 and more chicks are being produced every year.
09:49 20 hours have passed since the first chick hatched.
09:54 The ducklings are going to need to feed soon.
09:59 Before they leave the nest,
10:02 the mother scouts out the territory.
10:04 The mink changes position, trying to hide from her.
10:15 But she's not going to let the chicks leave
10:22 until the coast is clear.
10:23 (gentle music)
10:26 Once the mink has left,
10:33 the mother lets the ducklings know they can move.
10:35 Time to leave the nest.
10:39 The mother drops down to protect the chicks on the ground.
10:48 (gentle music)
10:50 Soon they have all made their first journey
11:01 to the forest floor.
11:02 The dangerous trek to the river begins.
11:09 (gentle music)
11:14 (birds chirping)
11:17 The vast forest where the mcgansers are breeding
11:26 is one of the first nature reserves
11:28 to have been established in China over 60 years ago.
11:31 (gentle music)
11:44 China has since established over 10,000 nature reserves,
11:48 covering 18% of China's landmass,
11:51 well ahead of the UN's targets.
11:53 They provide an opportunity
11:55 for endangered species to flourish.
11:58 Among them, mcgansers,
12:00 which are beginning to go up in numbers.
12:02 (birds chirping)
12:13 The family have reached the water,
12:14 but that doesn't mean it's safe.
12:17 Other female mcgansers can turn into enemies.
12:26 (gentle music)
12:28 A challenge means a fight,
12:33 and the prize is the chicks.
12:39 This kind of battle is common among mcgansers.
12:42 The winner takes all the ducklings.
12:45 It makes up for any she has lost herself.
12:48 And it's not a problem for the ducklings,
12:51 which happily go with the winner,
12:53 whether or not she's their biological mother.
12:56 (gentle music)
12:58 This time, the mother wins.
13:09 (duck quacks)
13:09 Next time, who knows?
13:11 This female was not so lucky.
13:17 She lost her ducklings.
13:19 She has been calling for them for days.
13:28 They're here.
13:38 (birds chirping)
13:41 But they're being guarded by the female who took them.
13:46 The mother tries to get to them.
14:06 But the new mother quickly spots the sneak attack.
14:08 It makes evolutionary sense.
14:15 The strongest females provide the best protection.
14:19 It's a strategy that has helped ensure
14:21 the survival of the species for over 10 million years.
14:24 Whatever the outcome,
14:29 the ducklings will be well looked after.
14:31 (gentle music)
14:33 A female from another species
14:47 faces a different kind of family trouble.
14:49 These are red-crowned cranes,
14:55 living in wetlands close to the border with Russia.
14:59 The weather is getting warmer
15:01 and the other cranes are already flying north.
15:04 Her mate has lost half a leg
15:10 and finds it hard to walk, let alone fly.
15:13 (gentle music)
15:16 Red-crowned cranes are monogamous.
15:42 So if the female is going to have any offspring this year,
15:46 she will have to stay with her mate.
15:47 They choose to build their nest
15:52 in a secure spot on an island.
15:53 (gentle music)
15:57 (ducklings squawking)
16:09 (gentle music)
16:12 Generally, red-crowned cranes only lay one or two eggs.
16:27 The cranes take it in turn to incubate them.
16:32 With her better mobility,
16:34 the female is able to feed more effectively.
16:38 (gentle music)
16:40 one day, as the female returns to the nest,
16:45, she finds it abandoned.
16:47 (thunder rumbling)
16:50 (gentle music)
16:53 But one day, as the female returns to the nest,
17:11 she finds it abandoned.
17:13 Only a few traces remain of the male.
17:20 Unable to get away,
17:21 he has fallen victim to a daring badger.
17:24 The female will have the responsibility
17:27 of raising the chicks on her own.
17:29 Being a single mother is tough.
17:32 Although there are only two chicks to feed,
17:35 the mother must leave them to fend for themselves
17:38 while she finds them food.
17:39 With no partner to protect them, like their father,
17:44 they can easily fall prey to predators.
17:46 (gentle music)
17:48 (birds chirping)
17:52 (gentle music)
18:19 Snub-nosed monkeys have evolved a different strategy.
18:22 They maximize the chance of their offspring surviving
18:26 by looking after them as a group.
18:28 With the young being looked after by nannies,
18:33 the biological mother can feed well
18:36 and produce enough milk to nourish her babies.
18:38 The two young Sichuan snub-noses
18:41 are doing well under this system.
18:43 (gentle music)
18:47 (birds chirping)
18:49 They're exploring further afield now
18:52 as they grow in confidence.
18:54 (gentle music)
18:56 (birds chirping)
18:59 And they're becoming more agile every day.
19:20 (gentle music)
19:23 (birds chirping)
19:25 Another endangered species makes its home
19:33 in the Qinling Mountains.
19:35 The golden taquin, a distant relative of the sheep.
19:40 There are just around 5,000 of these stocky taquins left,
19:44 living at an altitude of between 1,500 and 3,000 meters.
19:49 (gentle music)
19:51 In the spring, they descend into the lower valleys.
19:59 The infant taquin may nibble at a few blades of grass,
20:03 but what it needs most now is milk.
20:05 The mother may not always be available though.
20:11 This is her chance to stock up on high quality nutrition,
20:15 which she won't find for the rest of the year.
20:18 (gentle music)
20:21 While she is off eating, the other females in the herd
20:34 take turns looking after the kids.
20:36 They are all gathered together in a kind of nursery.
20:44 (gentle music)
20:47 As spring turns to summer, the temperatures rise.
20:58 The taquin's thick wool equips them to survive
21:03 the harsh mountain winters,
21:04 but they quickly become too hot in the summer valleys.
21:08 They start to seek out milder temperatures
21:12 higher up the mountains.
21:14 (birds chirping)
21:17 They move uphill as a herd,
21:25 several families climbing together.
21:27 For safety from predators,
21:31 the infants and their mothers
21:33 stay at the center of the herd.
21:34 (gentle music)
21:38 (gentle music)
21:41 It's a long slog, especially for the little ones.
22:07 But the cool mountain heights will be their reward.
22:10 (gentle music)
22:19 When Asian elephants are on the move,
22:23 they adopt a similar formation.
22:25 The dry season is becoming longer thanks to climate change,
22:29 so the elephants move deeper into the rainforest.
22:32 They are led by the oldest female in the group,
22:36 and there is just one infant, a female,
22:39 born to the matriarch herself.
22:41 She is just a few months old.
22:44 Asian elephants tend to be matriarchal,
22:56 and their herds consist of females and young only.
22:59 The males leave the group as they approach maturity.
23:04 (birds chirping)
23:07 The leader, as here, is usually the oldest in the group
23:12 and is very much a working mother.
23:14 So her baby is often taken care of by the other females.
23:18 Her mother doesn't have enough milk
23:28 to feed her all the time.
23:30 The hungry baby turns to another female.
23:35 (birds chirping)
23:37 But no luck here.
23:39 This female is too young.
23:40 On to the next adult.
23:54 This female has an older calf and is still lactating.
24:03 She has something to spare for the new baby.
24:05 The Chinese mcgansers are less cooperative
24:22 when it comes to child-rearing.
24:24 A single mother can end up looking after dozens of chicks.
24:31 It's training time in the water.
24:34 There are plenty of rocks to practice diving from.
24:37 Some of the ducklings are a bit more hesitant
24:42 about jumping into the rushing water.
24:44 The mother is quickly onto them.
24:46 Once they're all in the water,
24:51 it's time to learn how to be a duck.
24:53 She quickly demonstrates dabbling.
25:01 Pretty soon, they're all at it.
25:03 If they're going to survive,
25:13 they're going to have to learn to dive and fish.
25:16 This isn't so quickly learned.
25:24 She's a strict teacher.
25:28 She grabs them one by one.
25:29 She grabs them one by one and ducks them below the surface.
25:32 It may be a bit rough, but it's effective.
25:54 Within weeks, the ducklings are comfortable
25:59 diving under the water.
26:00 Diving has become a way of life.
26:05 Even if not every dive brings up a fish,
26:15 it's an important life skill.
26:28 A nature reserve not too far from the mega city of Shanghai.
26:32 Things get altogether more violent
26:36 when it comes to the Pair Davids deer.
26:38 Five-year-old stags clash to see
26:44 who will lead the herd this year.
26:46 For deer society, a powerful leader is paramount.
26:51 (dramatic music)
26:54 Being eligible doesn't mean that the challenger will win,
27:05 even if he is younger.
27:07 After a brief clash, he's sent packing.
27:10 The Pair Davids, or Milu deer,
27:18 were hunted to extinction in the wild in the 19th century.
27:22 An English aristocrat was determined to save the species.
27:26 He collected surviving deer from zoos across Europe
27:29 and established a breeding herd in his deer park.
27:32 From 1985, small numbers of the deer
27:38 started to be reintroduced to China.
27:40 They are now reestablishing themselves.
27:43 Over 2,000 of them roam wild in their homeland,
27:46 and 7,000 more are to be found in protected herds.
27:50 Every summer, the males battle it out for leadership.
28:00 The winner has sole rights to mate with the females.
28:05 His genes are passed on to the next generation.
28:08 The young challenger has not given up.
28:12 He starts another duel with the leader.
28:16 (gentle music)
28:19 Young males play fight.
28:25 It won't be long until it's their turn
28:28 to scrap it out for the leadership.
28:30 (water splashing)
28:33 This time, the battle is more finely balanced.
28:57 Finally, the challenger's persistence pays off.
29:01 He sees off the old leader.
29:03 The old leader gallops into retirement
29:09 or to mount a comeback challenge next year.
29:12 The new leader is now lord of the harem,
29:22 and only he can mate with the females this year.
29:25 (birds chirping)
29:29 This genetic filtering ensures the strongest genes
29:32 in the herd are passed on every year.
29:35 For the elephants, there is no harem,
29:43 and there are no power struggles in the herd.
29:45 There are no adult males at all.
29:49 No bulls can approach and even fight
29:51 for access to the females.
29:54 (gentle music)
29:56 This dense rainforest has always been their home,
30:02 and they have to know how to negotiate it safely
30:04 to meet all their needs.
30:06 The leader shows the way.
30:15 It's her responsibility to find the best routes
30:18 through the forest.
30:19 Her mother was leader before her.
30:23 And she not only inherited the position,
30:26 but also her knowledge of the rainforest.
30:28 She has to retain all the routes they have taken
30:34 in her memory so she can lead them
30:37 where they need to go year after year.
30:40 (gentle music)
30:42 (leaves rustling)
30:45 Skillful improvisation is also important.
31:12 Climate change is making watering spots harder to find.
31:15 After a long train, she has brought her followers
31:25 to a new watering hole.
31:26 Things aren't always peaceful in the herd.
31:30 She has to manage the social group
31:33 as well as be the pathfinder.
31:35 This young male is becoming something of a troublemaker,
31:39 picking squabbles with others in the herd.
31:42 The leader recognizes the signs.
31:46 It's time for this young bull to go his own way.
31:52 She lets him know his new status quite firmly.
31:56 It's the way of the Asian elephants.
32:00 Mature males have to leave the herd.
32:03 Not that he's particularly willing to go.
32:08 In the end, he gets the message.
32:10 Time to start a new life on his own.
32:35 Maturing males are also unwelcome
32:38 in snub-nosed monkey groups.
32:40 Here though, it's the alpha male who throws them out
32:44 before they become a direct threat to his position.
32:47 (elephant trumpeting)
32:50 For the young males, it's a new phase of their lives.
33:16 It's an opportunity to form new families with other females
33:20 and bring genetic diversity to the species.
33:23 Survival for species where numbers are low
33:27 is challenging enough.
33:29 Human activity also has a negative impact,
33:32 particularly on habitats.
33:35 Individual countries are taking action.
33:37 China has a long-term plan to build a network
33:40 of nature reserves centered around national parks.
33:44 Once completed, it will be the largest national park system
33:47 in the world.
33:49 The first five national parks cover an area
33:52 of 230,000 square kilometers
33:55 and include nearly 30% of China's
33:58 key protected land wildlife species.
34:01 These protection measures are showing results
34:04 as some endangered species populations
34:06 are beginning to grow
34:08 and some species that had vanished
34:10 have begun to reestablish themselves in the wild.
34:13 (gentle music)
34:16 The Ailao Mountain National Nature Reserve
34:27 in southwestern China.
34:28 The green pea fowl,
34:39 a cousin of the more familiar blue pea fowl,
34:42 clings on here.
34:43 They are native to China
34:45 and distinguish themselves from the blue pea fowl
34:48 by their green chest and neck
34:50 and the shape of the crest on their head.
34:54 These birds are solitary
34:55 and spend most of their time on the ground.
34:58 There are only some 600 individuals left
35:01 scattered about these few mountain valleys.
35:04 Unable to fly far due to their size,
35:07 they are quite vulnerable.
35:09 (gentle music)
35:11 They prefer dry habitats close to water
35:36 undisturbed by humans.
35:38 (gentle music)
35:41 They're known as dragon birds locally
35:46 because of their iridescent colors.
35:47 They need a pristine habitat.
35:52 Their diet is varied
35:55 and includes flowers and fruit,
35:57 seeds and insects,
36:00 including termites, crickets, grasshoppers and beetles.
36:05 If they need to, they can fight.
36:08 Their strong legs are armed with spikes and claws.
36:11 (gentle music)
36:14 (birds chirping)
36:17 (gentle music)
36:19 (birds chirping)
36:22 (gentle music)
36:41 (birds chirping)
36:44 Their home is protected
36:56 and ranger patrols ensure they remain undisturbed.
36:59 Conservation workers aren't just there
37:04 to protect endangered species in their habitats.
37:06 Through observation,
37:09 they are learning more about their behavior
37:12 and their precise needs.
37:13 All so they can provide better support for the species.
37:18 Just a few hundred kilometers away
37:23 is another protected area,
37:26 the Wulian Shan National Nature Reserve.
37:28 This is home to the Western Black-crested Gibbon.
37:33 Of the 1,500 remaining worldwide,
37:39 over 90% are to be found in China.
37:42 (gentle music)
37:45 Every morning at 5.30,
38:01 rangers enter the Gibbons' territory.
38:03 They are there to monitor and track them.
38:06 (gentle music)
38:08 Rangers are chosen from local groups
38:14 living at the foot of this mountain range.
38:16 Their ancestors were hunters.
38:19 Now they are using the same skills
38:23 to track and protect animals
38:25 that were prey for previous generations.
38:27 They make detailed observations of the Gibbons' behavior.
38:33 The raw data is then fed back to conservation scientists
38:37 so they can better understand and protect the species.
38:40 (gentle music)
38:45 The Gibbons' family unit consists of one adult male
38:58 and one or two adult females.
39:03 The males are black.
39:04 The females are lighter color.
39:07 In the dense forest, where visibility is restricted,
39:19 the Gibbons communicate through song.
39:21 They possess a special sack in their throats
39:24 which changes the tone
39:26 and increases the volume of their calls.
39:28 They can be heard two or three kilometers away.
39:32 Every morning, the Gibbons sing in a dawn chorus,
39:36 each group having its own calls,
39:38 which helps strengthen their family bond.
39:40 Sometimes the rangers initiate the songs themselves.
39:51 Once the Gibbons start to call back,
39:55 they can be located and tracked that much more easily.
39:57 (gentle music)
40:00 The Gibbons are mostly arboric,
40:18 rarely coming down to the ground.
40:27 They move astonishingly quickly through the trees,
40:30 so fast that they are known as wind honkeys
40:33 in the local dialect.
40:34 (birds chirping)
40:56 Sadly, this agility has not helped them escape
40:58 from hunting and environmental change.
41:01 Now it's up to the rangers to protect them
41:05 and gather important information.
41:07 The rangers' duties also include collecting fecal samples
41:13 to keep track of their health, diet,
41:15 and any parasites they may have picked up.
41:17 (gentle music)
41:24 (birds chirping)
41:27 The Gibbons have grown used to the rangers' presence.
41:35 Sometimes the rangers bring their own children with them.
41:40 (gentle music)
41:43 The boy can even call to the monkeys using his own voice.
41:58 The next human generation is growing close
42:04 to this endangered species.
42:05 They are the ones whose job it will be to ensure
42:09 that this species continues to thrive in this forest.
42:12 (gentle music)
42:15 All species on this planet are interdependent,
42:37 even the human species.
42:39 (gentle music)
42:40 As humans, though, we have a great responsibility,
42:44 just as we have destroyed habitats and endangered species,
42:48 so we can restore and protect them.
42:51 This is already happening around the world,
42:54 including in China.
42:56 But there is plenty more to be done.
43:00 A few months have passed,
43:07 and the Chinese Maganso-ducklings have fledged.
43:10 (gentle music)
43:14 This bird has survived many environmental changes
43:28 and geological disasters over the last 10 million years.
43:34 If all goes well,
43:36 they should be able to survive another 10 million.
43:39 Whether or not this happens lies in our hands.
43:44 (gentle music)
43:47 (water splashing)
43:50 (gentle music)
43:52 (wind blowing)
43:55 (gentle music)
43:57 (upbeat music)
44:08 (upbeat music continues)
44:11 (upbeat music continues)
44:14 (upbeat music continues)
44:19 (upbeat music continues)
44:22 (upbeat music continues)
44:30 (upbeat music continues)
44:43 (upbeat music continues)
44:47 (upbeat music continues)
44:50 (upbeat music)
44:53 you