00:00The looks of the trees here, they look old but they are still small, that's the difference here in the bonsai forest.
00:15Oh my gosh, look at this, the female is a lot larger and look at this.
00:30The plants here are not easy to find, they are hard to find.
00:37But what they don't know is that there are some that can be used as fertilizer.
00:44Why do you have traps? Why do you have mistnets? Do you want to catch something?
00:50We finally caught one of these.
01:01In this forest, all the trees are small.
01:07Imagine a miniature forest in a movie.
01:17This is like a dwarf forest, it's real and you can see it in Dinagat Island.
01:24It is said to be about 100 years old.
01:30Underneath it, different species of insects live.
01:37Just like the walking stick insect.
01:40Our team went to Loreto, Dinagat Islands, a special forest.
01:59Not like the big trees in the forest, because it is smaller.
02:11The looks of the trees here, they look old but they are still small, that's the difference here in the bonsai forest.
02:28Yes! I'm on top of the world! Mount Rildondo! Beautiful!
02:59In this small forest, there are also small insects.
03:06It's like the valentine's day is extended with the walking stick insect that we saw.
03:17They just quietly multiply.
03:21Oh my God! Look at this, the female is a lot larger and look at this, it's amazing, it's like it's camouflaged.
03:33Look at that, they're mating.
03:37The female is definitely the larger one and the male is smaller and it's mimicking a twig of a bonsai.
03:44It's not just a twig, it's a bonsai with a lot of bark.
03:48This is just one species and you can see that it is mimicking the trunk of a bonsai.
03:57So that it won't get in trouble, we left it on the leaves.
04:01Another walking stick insect, when the sun is up, the blue color comes out.
04:21But don't be afraid because when it's in danger, it will fight.
04:27It has a beautiful face, the color is bluish.
04:31When they're walking, their tail looks like a scorpion.
04:36You'd think it's just plastic because it's shiny and metallic blue.
04:42I'm expecting a different type of fauna.
04:45And the popular thing that students see here are the stick insects.
04:51Imagine here, they don't have to fly because they don't have to fly to a big tree.
04:59That's why they're adapted to this condition.
05:04It's a bit twisted.
05:06Look at this, it's amazing.
05:09Its head is white and it has spots on its legs.
05:15They don't fly.
05:16Its head is white and it has spots on its legs.
05:21They don't have wings because they can just crawl from one bonsai to another.
05:27And it only eats very specialized vegetation.
05:47In Mount Redondo, it's still early and it's already waiting to be caught.
05:55Its target is to find a delicious breakfast.
05:59While the inchworm is trying to hide in the pitcher plant.
06:07But wait, you have to be careful.
06:12Because an inchworm can go inside the pitcher plant.
06:19Every time it goes inside, it's life is in danger.
06:25The water of the pitcher plant is mixed with acid, which is the cause of the death of the victim.
06:32There are some that prefer to calm down, like the snout beetle.
06:38But the spiny ant is not afraid.
06:46It looks like it's looking for its companions.
06:53In this small forest, it's already learned that it can only live if its companion is alive.
07:01This is the pill bug.
07:03It's beautiful.
07:04It's eating my stick.
07:07When I move it, it becomes round.
07:27This is the fifth one that we've seen.
07:30It's amazing.
07:32Its foot looks like an antenna.
07:53Not all animals can live in the bonsai forest.
08:01Especially that the soil here is rich in metallic content.
08:06Like the nickel that is used to make gadgets.
08:16This place is special according to Dr. Jessamine Adorada, an entomologist.
08:22They are the only ones who can survive with the environmental drastic conditions, along with the soil nutrients present.
08:31So, if the bonsai forest disappears, the walking sticks that you see might be wiped out.
08:38Their next generation may want to feed on other sources of plants or food, but it will take some time.
08:45Mount Redondo is one of the mountains that has a large bonsai forest in the Philippines.
08:52But its richness is almost gone when other parts of it were allowed to be mined before.
09:04The mountain also left behind a large pile of mines.
09:10Mount Redondo is in Dinagat Islands.
09:15It's the only protected area.
09:19That's why the bonsai forest is maintained.
09:22Outside of this perimeter of the bonsai forest are mining fields.
09:29We can see that everything is brown because the vegetation has been removed.
09:35Chromico Incorporated sent an email saying that they have stopped mining Mount Redondo for a long time.
09:45For now, the local government wants to open the mountain to mountaineers.
09:50Tuk-tuk is a great paradise for small animals like walking sticks, beetles, skinks, and who knows what else we might discover here.
10:08When it comes to paper and nature, no matter how big or small life is, paper has an important role in preserving nature.
10:21Tuk-Tuk
10:25The skinks are not afraid.
10:32The bees are skeptical of their return.
10:41They fight for their place.
10:45It's like each one of them doesn't want to lose.
10:51It's like it's in a mess.
10:57But what it doesn't know is that there's something fishy.
11:14These flying foxes are known as Kabilaw Sakuyunin.
11:21They are looking for a place to stay after a long search for food.
11:28It's time for them to rest.
11:32Even though it's hot, they are still hardworking.
11:37Their eyes really make you sleepy.
11:43That's why no matter what the skinks try to do,
11:47Kabilaw will make them do it.
11:58The skinks can't do anything.
12:01No matter how hard they try,
12:05especially since they need enough space to rest.
12:16They use their instant electric fan.
12:21Even though some of them are comfortable in their place,
12:24there are other neighbors who complain.
12:27The people.
12:32The residents of Kabilaw,
12:35the skinks,
12:37are just behind Arlan's house.
12:40When did you first notice the bats you see here?
12:45It's been a long time.
12:47It's been almost 8 to 12 years.
12:50With the increase of people, what's the reason?
12:54Where do you think they came from?
12:55I don't know where they came from.
12:57It just happened suddenly.
12:59When there were more people here,
13:01maybe there were more bats on other islands.
13:05With the increase of bats,
13:07their community is louder.
13:10When I wake up in the morning,
13:12it's really loud.
13:14You'll wake up to their noise.
13:16In search of a place,
13:18the bats are lined up,
13:20not wanting to be defeated.
13:22But Kabilaw seems to be interested
13:25in other bats.
13:33In 2018, the residents noticed
13:37the increase of flying foxes or kabilaw
13:39on the island of Palawan.
13:42I asked them where they came from
13:45and why they chose this place.
13:49I went to the roosting site of the kabilaw.
13:53The bats are big.
13:55They say they can see millions of bats.
13:59I think I'm the only one who can see them
14:01because they're not hiding in the leaves.
14:06At the home of the kabilaw,
14:08we noticed
14:10that the breathing kabilaw
14:12have relatives who are dead.
14:16Why do you have a trap?
14:18Remove it.
14:20Why do you have mist nets?
14:22Do you want to catch something?
14:24The bats are pitiful.
14:26They might get stuck there and die.
14:28Remove it if you can.
14:30Two kabilaw were victimized
14:32by a net stuck on a tree.
14:34Others say they can eat it.
14:37Don't eat it.
14:39It has rabies.
14:41It's sick.
14:43You can't take care of it
14:44because it has rabies.
14:46It has rabies
14:48and it might have a disease
14:50if it's eaten by humans.
14:53So you have to let them be.
14:55They won't harm us.
14:57To be honest,
14:59they're one of the trees' helpers
15:01as a seed disperser
15:03so that it can grow and multiply.
15:06They're like fruit-eating bats.
15:08They also help in dispersing seeds.
15:11Your trees might multiply
15:13because of the bats.
15:15If they eat it,
15:17they'll eat it.
15:19Of course, if they eat it,
15:21the seeds are still there.
15:23You can plant it in the mountains.
15:25They can help you in planting.
15:27In the morning,
15:29it's peaceful.
15:31But when dark comes,
15:33the residents here
15:35become suspicious.
15:37There's a lot of dust
15:38in the air.
15:40If you're outside,
15:42you'll get dirty.
15:44When it's sunny,
15:46you can go inside.
15:48At night,
15:50this is their situation
15:52with the bats.
15:55The residents are suspicious
15:57because they can't do anything
15:59because it's part of their property.
16:02When it gets dark,
16:04we can see the bats
16:06and we can feel
16:08their droppings.
16:10That's why people
16:12suddenly disappear
16:14and enter the house.
16:16They say it's only 30 minutes
16:18and after that,
16:20most bats will come out.
16:24In the meantime,
16:26let's go inside.
16:29The bats
16:31can be destroyed
16:32if their roosting areas
16:34are reduced
16:36compared to their first resting area.
16:38Their food supply
16:40can be depleted
16:42since these flying foxes
16:44eat fruits.
16:46Since they don't have food
16:48in their old roosting area,
16:50they will really move.
16:53They can get sick
16:55from their dirt
16:57like histoplasmosis,
16:59a type of infection
17:00that can be caused
17:02from the spores of fungus
17:04in their roosting areas.
17:07In Thailand,
17:09this is also the situation
17:11where the residents
17:13live in the same area
17:15with their roosting areas.
17:17Our team went to a place
17:19in Thailand
17:21that looks like this.
17:23There's a community,
17:25cows, mountains,
17:27and bats.
17:28This is where they study
17:30when the bats arrive
17:32or when they return.
17:34That's the time
17:36when they gather in an area
17:38and put plastic bags.
17:40The goal is to collect
17:42those feces or droppings
17:44and that's what they study.
17:46They found out
17:48that the bats
17:50that live with them
17:52is positive for Nipah virus.
17:54One of the heads
17:56of the research team
17:58found out that the bats
18:00have a disease
18:02that can infect humans.
18:04The bats
18:06can go home
18:08from the pandemic
18:10and how to avoid it.
18:12Bats are the natural
18:14reservoirs
18:16for many emerging
18:18infectious diseases.
18:20For example,
18:22Nipah virus in Asia,
18:24coronavirus reservoir
18:26is very important
18:28in their studies.
18:30There's a positive
18:32for Nipah virus
18:34from the feces
18:36and droppings
18:38that they collected
18:40in Chonburi.
18:42One of their missions
18:44is to let the community
18:46know and understand
18:48this.
18:50So even though
18:52residents know
18:54that this disease
18:55is part of
18:57my education
18:59to the community
19:01that how to live
19:03safely with bats.
19:05That's why inside the temple
19:07the coexistence
19:09between monks
19:11and panikin
19:13exists.
19:15I hope that
19:17the communities
19:19that have panikin
19:21also think
19:23the same.
19:25And within
19:27100 years
19:29they didn't neglect
19:31the residents
19:33and the panikin
19:35living here.
19:37Thousands of
19:39microbes and viruses
19:41are said to live
19:43in the panikin body.
19:45There are more
19:47bats that can
19:49swallow it
19:51to become a tree.
19:52This is what the residents
19:54will choose
19:56if there is
19:58enough of this
20:00in the jungle.
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