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00:09In the heart of South East Asia is an ancient kingdom, with over 3,000 kilometers of coastline.
00:23But beyond its golden shores, there are secret worlds, home to mysterious creatures and forest giants.
00:50This is a fast-changing country, where East and West collide.
01:04People and animals must work together to survive, forming unique relationships.
01:18A spiritual land, full of magic and wonder.
01:31This is Thailand.
01:49Each morning, a magical chorus rings through the forests of Khao Yai National Park in central Thailand.
02:11The cry of the Largibbon bonds males and females.
02:23These intelligent apes often pair for life, and advertise their territorial rites with song.
02:34In their forest sanctuary, this cream-colored male and his dark-haired mate are raising a youngster.
02:57Grooming helps keep family bonds strong for the ten or more years they'll stay together.
03:19Finding food is the next priority.
03:23And it's not always easy.
03:26It requires an intimate knowledge of their patch of forest.
03:39Building momentum helps them swing from tree to tree at speeds of more than 50 kilometers per hour.
04:06Following memory maps of highways through the treetops, the gibbons find the perfect places to forage.
04:17But sometimes, a gibbon highway meets a human highway.
04:32When the fruiting trees are on the other side, there's a big problem.
04:40Gibbons are strictly arboreal, so they're reluctant to leave the trees and are vulnerable on the ground.
04:48Crossing a busy road on foot would be too dangerous.
05:01No one passing below this rope bridge gives it a second thought.
05:05But for the gibbons, it's a lifeline.
05:32The rope bridge allows the park's gibbons to access fresh feeding grounds.
05:56The devoted couple have located a fruiting fig tree.
06:04Time for a lazy breakfast.
06:21Their lives have been made just a little bit safer by a human helping hand.
06:36Life in one of Asia's fastest changing countries means people and animals are finding new ways to get along.
06:46Central Thailand is the richest and most productive region.
06:54Its fertile floodplains nourish rice fields that cover 40% of all the farmland.
07:03Where the land meets the Gulf of Thailand lies the great city of Bangkok.
07:18Around eight million people live in the nation's capital.
07:24And this bustling central region is known as the nation's rice bowl.
07:31Even here, there are magical places to be found hidden from view.
07:39Where age-old beliefs and traditional practices live on.
07:44And time seems to have stood still.
07:55Prior Nakon Cave was discovered some 200 years ago when Thailand was still known as Siam.
08:11Thai kings have visited this cavern for centuries.
08:18The royal pavilion crowns this mystical place.
08:30Spirituality is the key to understanding Central Thailand's harmonious relationship with nature.
08:43This Lyles flying fox is waiting out the heat of the day.
08:52And he's not alone.
09:01With leathery wings nearly a metre wide, he can fly 30 kilometres or more in search of fruit.
09:10These flying foxes are often regarded as pests, destroying orchards and causing conflict with farmers.
09:27But this bat and his colony are special.
09:31They are under Buddha's own protection.
09:42This is the temple of Watpo Bangkla.
09:52As dusk approaches, the resident monks are called to prayer by the beat of a drum.
10:01But the bats have heard it all before.
10:08Here the spiritual and animal kingdoms are united.
10:19Buddhism is the religion of more than 90% of Thai people, profoundly influencing their everyday lives.
10:29Buddhist teachings state that all living things are worthy of kindness, compassion and tolerance.
10:48This very tolerant place is known as the bat temple.
10:54It's the daytime residence of 6,000 or more flying foxes.
11:08Leaving their sanctuary to forage far away, they'll return at dawn to this spiritual haven.
11:36The natural world features prominently in Thai religion and mythology.
11:43The lotus is linked to Buddha himself.
11:52In shallow lakes to the west of Bangkok, tightly furled buds rise on slender stems, as if craning their necks
12:01to the heavens.
12:11The contrast of the blooms to the muddy water inspired Buddha to use the lotus as a symbol of enlightenment.
12:20The passage from darkness to light, ignorance to wisdom.
12:28Yupa spends every day in the watery fields, plucking the stems.
12:45Almost every part of the lotus is edible.
12:49And the petals, roots and stamens are used in traditional medicine.
12:56By dawn the next day, these bouquets will be on sale in Bangkok, but not as ingredients for food or
13:03pharmacy.
13:04They are destined for a higher purpose.
13:10The lotus bud is one of the most popular ways to pay tribute, at one of more than 30,000
13:17temples.
13:31Embracing both Buddhist and Hindu principles, people make daily offerings to honour the gods.
13:44This shrine is named after Erawan, the elephant that carried the Hindu god Indra.
13:52So he deserves a floral offering too.
14:06Here in Thailand, one animal's fate is entwined more than any other with the country's history and its future.
14:28The Asian elephant.
14:37It has been revered for centuries.
14:40Even the word for its dung also means moon.
14:45A new beginning.
14:47The propagator.
14:48Creating new life from seed dispersal.
15:02But the story of elephants in Thailand is not always a happy one.
15:10There are more than 4,000 of these giants in captivity.
15:14And most visitors to Thailand take a ride on a domesticated elephant for granted.
15:32At Sablanca Wildlife Sanctuary, a new life is offered to elephants rescued from the tourist trade.
15:44The elephant reintroduction foundation releases rehabilitated elephants back into the forest.
15:5931-year-old Vassana.
16:0231-year-old Vassana was bought by the sanctuary in 2011.
16:06Four years later, a calf called Ern arrived.
16:10And they have been inseparable ever since.
16:18M and her adoptive mother are now taken on regular walks in the forest.
16:33To be ready for their release, they'll need to be familiar with its sights, sounds and smells.
16:40Know where to find water and what they can and can't eat.
16:52Anan is a former mahout, an elephant trainer and rider.
16:57He is now one of the team of rangers responsible for the daily care of the elephants.
17:24Vassana and Ern will soon be ready to join Sublanca's growing population of elephants.
17:32And for when the day arrives, a royal send-off is being planned.
17:41300 kilometres south-west of Bangkok lies the province of Pratuwap Kiri Khan.
17:49The plains flood during the rainy season, and with the waters come rich deposits of silt.
17:58These fertile fields not only fill the rice bowls of a nation, they also provide a major export.
18:07So for farmers, living side by side with animals is a delicate balance.
18:18Chestnut munias do their best to steal the rice grains ripening in the paddy fields.
18:25And the farmers chase them away, just as they always have.
18:45Open-billed stalks were once hunted by villagers for food.
18:53But in the 1980s, golden apple snails were introduced to Asia from South America, and became a major agricultural pest.
19:02Suddenly, the stalks became the farmer's friends.
19:07They are snail specialists.
19:13So they are left to forage in peace.
19:37Local farmer Uncle Alf is draining a pool.
19:41Fish are abundant among the paddies.
19:45Family and friends muck in to help with the catch.
19:50These freshwater fish were trapped here when flood waters receded at the end of the last rainy season.
19:58Scooping them up by hand is the way it's always been done.
20:11But sometimes, the fish make it easy for you.
20:22The harvested fish will be sold at the market, and the little egrets are welcome to any left behind.
20:36There's one kind of fish that is highly prized across central Thailand.
20:42But not as food.
20:49And these village boys are out to catch some.
21:18Here's what they're after.
21:20A fish that's admired for showing no fear in defense of its territory.
21:39The better fish is better known as the Siamese fighting fish.
21:50They share their fearless reputation with the gladiators of the ancient martial art of Muay Thai, or Thai boxing.
22:07Top fighters can become household names, earning millions of Thai baht per fight.
22:14Fortunes can be won or lost on the outcome.
22:23The opponents size each other up.
22:29The fish extend their fins to make themselves look bigger.
22:42When one fish is slipped into the bottle of the other, their true nature as born fighters is revealed.
22:53The moon in the darks, who's the best?
23:13The moon is blue, Ma.
23:18The moon is frozen in the foreground.
23:27a knockout ends this bout and the fish fight is over when one retreats to the bottom of the bottle
23:35tomorrow both fish will be returned to the wild
23:48for centuries siamese fighting fish have been admired as prize fighters but selected breeding to enhance color tail and fins
23:59has also made them into exquisite objects of desire
24:04when i see the fish i saw beauty
24:08photographer viziruti is well known in thailand for his photographs capturing their silky sensuousness
24:21i try to express what i feel from my photo i use camera as a music instrument
24:34fish is my dancer
24:42extreme slow motion reveals their dance in all its willowy grace
25:09these little fish loom large in thai culture
25:17epitomizing the exoticism of this country
25:40food is a huge part of thai culture
25:44but among the more familiar ingredients in thailand's food markets are some unexpected delicacies
25:51is
25:53i think
25:57this is
26:01the
26:01the
26:01and
26:02the
26:02the
26:02the
26:03the
26:04the
26:04Oh, do you want to do 130?
26:07Okay, okay.
26:08120, 130.
26:10Okay, that's fine.
26:13My wife has a softener,
26:15a softener,
26:17a softener and a softener.
26:20Do you want to do it?
26:21Okay.
26:23Do you want to do it?
26:24Do you want to do it?
26:24Do you want to do it?
26:25Do you want to do it?
26:36Do you want to do it?
26:40Wai Li has bought this supper of live crickets
26:43to feed her family.
26:46Insects have long been on the menu in Thailand,
26:49and the children love these crispy bugs.
26:59But thieves lurk in the shadows.
27:12The soles of their feet are covered in microscopic bristles
27:17that split into hundreds more,
27:19gripping every surface.
27:28It's one of the largest geckos in the world.
27:32The toke.
27:38A gecko might steal a meal or two,
27:40but they also help get rid of unwelcome insects.
27:58Geckos evolve to climb trees and rocks,
28:01so scaling a wall is no problem.
28:12A gecko might steal a meal or two,
28:15but they'll be able to get rid of them.
28:16A gecko might steal a meal or two,
28:17And up to 35 centimetres long,
28:19they're big lizards with big appetites.
28:47Thai people may be accustomed to large lizards in their houses,
28:52but some giants make more intimidating neighbours.
29:00Lampini Park, in the heart of Bangkok.
29:04An oasis of green amid the daytime bustle.
29:09Lampini Park, in the heart of Bangkok.
29:10But something's not quite right
29:12with this picture of carefully tended tranquillity.
29:20There's danger in this urban paradise.
29:35Lampini Park, in the heart of Bangkok.
29:36Huge lizards, called water monitors, stalk these lawns.
29:50Water monitors can reach more than three metres in length,
29:54and weigh over 50 kilograms.
30:07These lizards are exclusively carnivorous.
30:11They even dispose of the remains of less fortunate monitor lizards,
30:16which may win them a few friends.
30:22Razor-sharp teeth and germ-laden saliva
30:25can inflict life-threatening wounds.
30:29But water monitors rarely bite humans.
30:36The reaction to these latter-day dinosaurs is typically Thai.
30:43Their attitude when it comes to potentially lethal lizards
30:47sharing public spaces is summed up
30:49by one of their favourite Buddhism-inspired expressions.
30:53My Pin Rai.
30:55It's fine.
30:57Just be calm, carefree, and we can all get along.
31:16Some Buddhist teachings advise that things are best left alone.
31:21But they also may urge direct action to preserve the natural world.
31:36Like symbolically ordaining trees as monks,
31:40complete with robes, as a sort of spiritual preservation order.
31:55Other Buddhist ceremonies can also benefit nature.
31:59And for Vasana and Aaron, it's a very special day.
32:11Making merit is a way of earning celestial favour for doing a good deed.
32:19It might be giving alms to a monk,
32:21chanting Buddhist scripture, or releasing an animal into the wild.
32:28As befits their size and place in Thai culture,
32:32to release an elephant is one of the highest forms of making merit.
32:39Today, six will be set free.
32:43Six elephants for the 60th birthday of Thailand's much-loved Princess Sirindhorn.
33:11It's a very big day for a little elephant like Ayrn.
33:16She has to face the crowds of well-wishers.
33:21And Anan has even taught her to bow for the princess.
33:36The princess blesses them with holy water.
33:48She offers them each a stick or two of sugarcane for their journey.
33:52And they are free.
34:10Anan and the team of rangers will continue to monitor their progress.
34:26There's already a herd of previously released elephants roaming the forest.
34:31Hopefully in time, Vasana and Ayrn will join up with them.
34:36But first, they need to get used to life without Anan.
34:47Elephants have always occupied a special place in Thai mythology.
34:52But other animals share that mythical status.
34:56And some are a lot harder to get along with.
35:05In rural Sakhirat, north-east of Bangkok,
35:08a lethal conflict is taking place between villagers and snakes.
35:23There are more than 175 snake species in Thailand.
35:29This little Asian vine snake is one of more than 100 that are venomous.
35:36And more than half of those are highly dangerous.
35:42There are up to 10,000 snake bites per year in Thailand.
35:47And one type of snake bites more people than all the other snakes put together.
35:55This roadside community is typical of rural Thailand.
36:01Running through its centre is a river that dries up entirely in the hot season.
36:14As night falls, it becomes a perilous place, haunted by predators.
36:29Pit vipers.
36:32Barely 60 centimetres long, this green pit viper is making its way to a site where it can ambush frogs,
36:41lizards or mice.
36:44It's all too easy for someone passing by to brush dangerously close to this striking little snake.
37:01Snakes are often killed on sight, but there's a snake conservation team here that is trying to save the snakes
37:08and people in the Sakhirat area and beyond.
37:14A call has come in that a huge king cobra has tried to enter a house and has taken refuge
37:21in a potted shrub.
37:24It's a snake conservation team.
37:27It's a snake conservation team.
37:30It's a snake conservation team.
37:30All right.
37:31You mean?
37:31Colin Strine, head of the snake team, assesses the situation.
37:36Step back, step back, step back.
37:39It's one of the world's most deadly snakes.
37:43Okay.
37:44I'm going to go ahead and make the grab now.
37:48I'm trying to bring out the vines that it's grabbing onto.
37:53The bite of a king can deliver enough venom to kill an elephant, so there's no room for error.
38:01Yeah, here we go. Here we go. Go, go, go.
38:04Grip now. Grip now, please.
38:06Okay.
38:06Got it.
38:07Good?
38:07Got it.
38:07Okay.
38:08Oh, you don't.
38:09Good job.
38:11Okay.
38:12Good job. Release. Release.
38:14Let go.
38:14Good boy, boy, boy.
38:16Okay.
38:16Okay.
38:17If this snake had not been rescued, the locals would have felt they had no choice but to kill it.
38:27Bagged and boxed, the cobra will be taken back to the conservation center.
38:38Nice and easy.
38:39You don't see any parasites.
38:41Science. Okay.
38:43Snakes that are brought in by the team are given a sedative prior to a thorough health check.
38:50Measurements are taken for the team's research.
38:54It's perfectly natural and quite common with humans to be very fearful of snakes.
39:01I guess we should just be really happy that they were willing to call instead of just killing it.
39:08We do work pretty hard.
39:10We do work pretty hard to try and educate people about snakes and about not to be afraid of them.
39:16The king cobra.
39:18The king cobra is the longest of all venomous snakes and reaches close to six metres in length.
39:26This male is a mere three and a half metres.
39:32The sleeping king is inflated.
39:36The long lungs running down his body are full of anaesthetic, which has to be manually forced
39:42out before he can come around.
39:52It's crucial that rescued snakes are returned to their own territories, so they are given
39:58time to recover fully before being released a short distance from their capture sites.
40:09For Colin, every king safely returned to its territory is a success story.
40:17It feels good because they're still alive.
40:21It's always a pleasant feeling when they're going back into the wild.
40:34Some Thai people believe that encountering a snake is a sign of good luck and good fortune,
40:42though it might be best to avoid sharing the water with one.
40:49The ancient serpent cult of this region teaches that the wealth of Thailand was bestowed upon
40:56it by the Naka snake spirits living in the kingdom's waterways.
41:07For centuries, these waterways have helped transport people and goods around Thailand.
41:18At watery crossroads, floating markets sprang up everywhere.
41:39These days, modern commerce is fast replacing the traditional.
41:46But an amiable armada of old women, vessels laden with local produce, still invades Tharkar,
41:53west of Bangkok, to buy and sell from boat to boat.
42:08The lowlands of central Thailand have long been the agricultural heart of the country.
42:16A network of canals was constructed to link rivers and allow the transportation of goods,
42:22east from Cambodia and south-west from coastal provinces.
42:30During the rainy season, fertile sediment washes down these waterways,
42:36eventually reaching the Gulf of Thailand.
42:42As the monsoon subsides, the sea teems with life.
42:48The waters are ripe for harvest, and one of the largest yields comes in the form of a very small
42:56fish.
43:02It's anchovy season at fishing villages all along the Gulf Coast.
43:09The daily catch is deftly filleted and neatly laid out to dry in the sun.
43:21This must take place before the fish start to spoil.
43:26So everyone plays a part in the process.
43:36Once the sun and breeze have done their work, the dried fish will keep for up to a year.
43:54There's plenty for everyone in this seasonal payout.
44:05Flocks of terns are always ready to cash in.
44:14But a much larger fisherman has arrived in these waters.
44:25The locals call it Jao Po Lai, meaning very big grandfather.
44:33A 15-meter-long Brutus whale.
44:43Whales are thought to bring good luck.
44:46But locals believe that bad things happen to those who harm them.
44:52Jiao Po Lai is also the name for Thai Mafia, godfathers.
45:02From August to December, the whales gather in the Gulf of Thailand to make the most of the abundant anchovies.
45:11They usually feed alone, though a mother and calf will hunt together.
45:31These two have located a school of anchovies.
45:47Like other whales in the raw quail family, such as blue and humpback whales,
45:53Brutus whales sieve each monumental mouthful through long coarse bristles called baleen.
46:01At least that's how it usually works.
46:06These whales are exhibiting behaviour that is puzzling marine biologists.
46:24Some think the anchovies are too small and would slip through the coarser baleen of the Brutus.
46:31So the whales rock and swill the fish to the back of the gullet so they can swallow them.
46:54In other parts of the world where they feed on larger fish, Brutus whales don't use this method.
47:02But here they seem to have developed a unique way of making the most of Thailand's fertile waters.
47:18These giants of the sea are treated with respect and reverence.
47:39In central Thailand, the giants of the forest are gaining freedom and ever more footholds in the wild.
47:53The little elephant family is learning to live on its own.
48:22Climbing a tall and slippery bank could be dangerous for Ayrn.
48:27But Vassana shows her how.
48:29They're sending the slope on her knees.
48:48It looks like Ayrn's going to be just fine.
48:57The rangers follow the elephants regularly, checking to make sure they are healthy and learning to feed themselves successfully.
49:23An-an will never come into close contact with them again.
49:26They'll now live out their lives in the forest as wild elephants.
49:54The Asian elephant is the enduring symbol of Thailand.
50:00At Sablanka is a famous elk.
50:01their breeding herd in the wild is also a symbol of Thailand's transition from past to present.
50:10Making merit and earning goodwill from the gods means also renewing the forest.
50:28In the forests, fields and even the cities of central Thailand, nature thrives with the blessing and help of its
50:37people.
50:48Unique, spiritual and still untamed, the ancient bonds between humans and animals live on.
51:15During the filming of the central Thailand episode, the crew visited Sakharat, a hot spot for conflict between humans and
51:23snakes.
51:27The one creature they really wanted to film was a very pretty snake with a very bad reputation.
51:38It's a snake that has been carefully studied here at the Sakharat Environmental Research Station.
51:44They will put you in the hospital.
51:48Producer Steve Cole is introduced to the serpent in question by snake research assistant Ben Marshall.
51:55These guys are responsible for the vast majority of bites in Thailand.
51:59They are beautiful, aren't they?
52:01It's a green pit viper.
52:03How far will that snake strike? Is it a shoe?
52:07Would she expect me to be a lot closer before she...
52:09Yeah, much closer and a lot more agitated.
52:12These guys are not going to waste their time, waste their venom.
52:15They will attempt to hide.
52:17They will attempt to just stay absolutely still.
52:20It sounds like the sort of snake we might have some hope of filming.
52:23Absolutely, especially when you find one, because he's not going to be going anywhere.
52:29Finding these creatures in the wild can be both difficult and dangerous.
52:35But luckily for Steve, this team rescues and releases the types of venomous snake that most often come into conflict
52:42with people.
52:45Many of these are radio tagged to provide data on their habits and whereabouts.
52:51I keep thinking she, but I could be wrong.
52:53It's this inside info that Steve needs.
52:57And snake researcher Sammy Asad is here to guide the film team.
53:04Three tagged pit vipers have made this dry riverbed their home.
53:10They don't move around much, so they should be easy to find.
53:14That's the theory.
53:21Green pit vipers hunt under the cover of darkness.
53:27Sammy quickly picks up the signal of one of the transmitters.
53:37So at the moment it's sounding like he's just within the base of this kind of liana vegetation-covered tree.
53:46I'd definitely be careful moving around here, because there are lots of other green pit vipers in the area.
53:51So if you're going to walk around, make sure you've got a head torch on.
53:56After checking he's not about to have his very own snake conflict, cameraman, Cy Wagan, sets up lights.
54:05There he is. I can see him now.
54:09Got him.
54:11Ah, fantastic.
54:14In this tangle of twigs and branches, you can just see his coils.
54:19There, the scales.
54:22It's impossible to pick out his head at the moment.
54:25And they just blend in so beautifully that it's almost impossible to see them in this tangle of leaves.
54:34And if he stays there, we won't be able to get a good shot of him.
54:40The pit viper showed no sign of moving, so the team come back to the same location the next night.
54:49They hope to find a more accessible snake.
54:59It's amazing how light doesn't bother him, but it seems like his method of defence is the same as his
55:06method of attack.
55:07Just keep very still.
55:11Now they have seen for themselves how still pit vipers can be.
55:16They have an even more complicated shot in mind.
55:19We are going to try to get a motion control camera shot.
55:26Motion control cameras run along small tracks, allowing smooth moves into a subject.
55:32In this case, Steve is hoping they can create the feel of a striking snake without the danger of an
55:40actual snake attack.
55:41I have no idea even if it's pointing in the right direction.
55:46No, it's not.
55:50It's trickier than we thought.
55:52I always thought it would be tricky.
55:55I, on the other hand, was an optimist.
55:57Wrongly so.
56:00The problem is, the focus has to be pinned sharp at the closest point to the snake.
56:06I can't quite achieve focus there.
56:08And that means, the camera is well inside the snake's striking range.
56:12I physically have to get closer to it now.
56:24It's a little bit wrong.
56:31To get focus, I'm going to have to put my hand right next to its face.
56:36But you can't do that.
56:37No, so I'm going to get the focus and then run it back and forward.
56:40Correct.
56:41Until touch time as we get the focus correct.
56:46Okay, so, now we're going to have to inch forward.
56:49Once Sai has set the focus as close to the snake as possible, he has to stop the camera in
56:55exactly the right spot.
56:58I've got about three millimeters to part this camera.
57:02The depth of field at point of focus is so shallow, there's no margin for error.
57:15Oh, no, Steve. Here we go.
57:23No, that's sharp.
57:25Spot on.
57:29Well, I think it's about as close as we were going to get.
57:32It's the closer than I thought we'd be able to get.
57:35And he's been very patient, so I think it's time for us to leave him alone.
57:39Yeah.
57:40He's also paying way too much attention to me now.
57:44I don't like that.
57:45It's only a little, but he's scary.
57:50The team has got the shot.
57:52The green pit viper finds a less busy place to hunt.
57:57And speed it up.
57:59The shot is suitably striking.
58:07Next time, we head to Thailand's untamed north, where mysterious cloud forests are home to ancient customs.
58:16Here, life can be tough.
58:20And survival means forging unexpected alliances.
58:27Both old and new.
58:38And this concluding episode is here next Monday at the later time of 10.
58:43Colin Stafford-Johnson has gone off the beaten track to explore a unique land.
58:48Wild Cuba, BBC Two, tomorrow at 8.
58:51Here on BBC Four, we stay in Thailand with railway adventurer extraordinaire Michael Portillo.
58:57He sets off in just a moment.
58:58Wild Cuba, BBC Two, tomorrow at 8.