- 2 days ago
Nature
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AnimalsTranscript
00:07In Europe, there exists a world where rare, elusive animals make their home amidst pristine landscapes.
00:17This is the Balkans, notorious for the wars that devastated so much of its land, yet virtually unknown for the
00:26wilderness that thrives throughout.
00:40Here, sheer cliff walls and ancient trees have stood guard for centuries, protecting treasures within, keeping them secret in a
00:53land truly forgotten by time.
01:00The wild Balkans.
01:17Thick forests.
01:20Thick forests.
01:23Vast wetlands.
01:29Deep chasms.
01:34This is a wild, inaccessible land, which belongs as much to myth as to reality.
01:42The Balkan Peninsula, where remnants of the past still walk the earth.
01:58Here, Tolkien might have placed his middle earth.
02:02The jagged contours of the land have thrown long, dark shadows over the history of the peninsula, always in the
02:09middle, between the forces of the east and west.
02:16This region has been one of the great battlegrounds of history, subjugated by Rome, invaded and plundered by barbarians, conquered
02:25by the Ottomans, a no-man's land between the cross and the crescent, pillaged and sacked by both Christian crusaders
02:33and the armies of Islam.
02:38Into the 20th century, war was the only law that ruled the Balkans.
02:56Only in the last few years does it seem that peace may finally have come to Europe's powder keg.
03:06Where throughout its long and bloody history, the smoke and fire of war conspired to conceal the natural wonders here.
03:15The landscape is still untouched, and though there are no orcs or elves here, there are wild animals that have
03:23all but vanished from the rest of Europe.
03:26This is a journey of discovery deep into the heart of the Balkans, deep into the heart of Middle-earth.
03:35To the last stronghold of Europe's vultures, Tikvesh in the Republic of Macedonia.
03:44East, east to the colorful fields of Bulgaria's Dobruja.
03:50Northwards to Romania and the great delta of the Danube, guarded by a sea of mosquitoes.
04:01Then, upstream past the Carpathian Mountains, into Croatia's Kopachki Rit wetlands.
04:11Southwards to the deeply carved chasms of Montenegro's Dermator Mountains.
04:17And onto Skadarsko Jezero, the big lake.
04:25The names almost sound like those of Tolkien's Middle-earth.
04:30But this is a land virtually unknown, but for its wars.
04:35A land still untamed by people.
04:40The wild Balkans.
04:47The Balkan Peninsula is named after a mountain range in Bulgaria.
04:54It was once thought that these mountains crossed the entire region, but they are just one of many small mountain
05:00ranges in southeastern Europe.
05:06In winter, the snow-capped Balkan Mountains resemble the Alps, but here the highest peak is no more than 8
05:13,000 feet.
05:18Despite their deep winter snow, these low mountains are a far cry from those imaginary peaks that Tolkien wrote of.
05:29The wilderness of the Dermator Massif seems far closer to Middle-earth.
05:35Even the name conjures up images of the Lord of the Rings.
05:52Dermator Storms
05:53Dermator lies in the north of Montenegro.
05:57Thick primeval forests cling to its mountain slopes above sheer rock faces and gorges.
06:05It's such remote and wild country that it still remains almost inaccessible.
06:12Nature not only survives here, it thrives.
06:22This is a truly ancient forest, populated by black pines 160 feet tall, that have stood
06:29for half a millennium and are the last of their kind in Europe.
06:41Closing ranks, the trees have guarded creatures here since before records were kept.
06:58Wolves still roam throughout the Dormital Mountains, their howls a primal call of the wild.
07:10A pair of honey buzzards nests above them.
07:14They usually feed on the larvae in wasps' nests, but given an opportunity, they'll take other
07:20prey too.
07:21Like this frog.
07:27Next to the buzzards, a black woodpecker has hollowed out its nest.
07:35The honey buzzards have only hatched a single chick, but it's rapacious.
07:44The woodpeckers have a larger, far noisier family to feed.
07:55These mountains are also home to the brown bear.
08:00It's late autumn, and this bear is putting on as much fat as possible before finding a cave
08:06to hibernate in during the harsh winter.
08:13The lynx, shy and weary, it silently moves and hunts in these forests.
08:21It is the largest of Europe's wild cats, and one of the rarest.
08:26Only 100 are said to remain in the Balkans.
08:35The great bear has a nickname, Medved, the honey eater.
08:40And it fits, for its fat belly is almost entirely the result of honey plundered from many beehives.
08:51The bears' forest clings precariously to the steep mountain slopes.
08:57The bears' forest clings precariously to the steep mountain slopes.
09:20The gorgias and chasms that cut into the Dermator Mountains are the deepest in the Balkans.
09:26There are no natural access routes down into them, even for bears.
09:32These deep gorges remain pristine.
09:44The greatest of them all is the canyon of the Tara River, a spectacular example of the raw power of
09:52nature.
09:54Almost 10,000 feet deep and 50 miles long, the Tara Canyon is the deepest and longest in all of
10:02Europe.
10:08Because the flowing water is turquoise blue and crystal clear like teardrops, local people have named this Europe's tear.
10:25Only deft swimmers like the European otter are able to get to the bottom of the canyon.
10:35Elsewhere in Europe, otters have turned nocturnal to avoid encountering people.
10:41An otter in bright daylight is a sign of how remote and undisturbed this stretch of the Tara is.
10:49But he still has to swim for all his worth.
10:52The river is tightly channeled by the canyon and rushes through the gorge at high speed.
11:00So far, its sheer walls have been a natural fortress for the gorge and its inhabitants.
11:06Too great a challenge for all designers of dams for hydroelectric power stations.
11:13And Dormator's status as a national park has given the canyon added protection.
11:26People now come to the park to witness its wonders.
11:31Hiking paths are being cut to the canyon and hostels are being built to make this unique natural heritage accessible
11:38to limited tourism.
11:44The European otter is in its element, a master fisherman after its catch, typically river trout.
11:53The clear mountain water is not rich in nutrients, but it supports just enough fish to sustain the small population
12:01of these high octane hunters.
12:12The goal of this national park is to combine wilderness with responsible ecotourism.
12:18And it is hoped the results will benefit the entire surrounding region of Montenegro.
12:32More than 3,000 feet above the Tara Canyon lies an almost barren landscape.
12:38A perfect setting for the wandering heroes of the Lord of the Rings.
12:45This is a desolate plateau.
12:48It could be the end of the world.
12:51Bleak, lonely and seemingly deserted.
12:56Yet people still live here.
13:07Forgotten by time and isolated by their environment, they remain very much a part of it.
13:19Remarkably, it's a world of hard work done by women.
13:26Most of the men left long ago in search of more profitable labor.
13:46Stana Tserevich is one of the indomitable souls who have remained with the farm and the animals and the daily
13:53struggle to survive.
13:57Each summer, she heads up to the highlands with her five cows and prepares to defend them and herself against
14:05her greatest fear.
14:20Centuries of stories have fed her imagination, turning wolves into nightmares.
14:53Stand by.
14:56Wolves do take a rare calf from time to time, but despite local legends, they have yet to attack a
15:03single human here.
15:15This is a desolate plateau.
15:19To the north of Dermator's jagged and solitary peaks lies a different world.
15:26Close to where the Danube and Drava rivers meet is Kopacki Ryt in eastern Croatia.
15:33If this were Middle-earth, the forest elves would feel completely at home.
15:55Stretching out across the floodplains, this is one of Europe's most extensive and important wetlands.
16:18One of the largest and oldest river forests to be found anywhere along the Danube grows here.
16:27Over 260 different species of birds are also found here, some in huge colonies.
16:40For about three months every year, large parts of the forest are flooded by seasonally rising water.
16:48This is a great-crested grebe with its recently hatched chick.
16:54Life just couldn't get any better.
16:56Life just couldn't get any better.
16:59Life just couldn't get any better.
17:03While sitting comfortably and securely on the back of one parent, it accepts a small fish from the other.
17:12But against its wishes, the chick has to take a swim now and again.
17:19Although the chick is able to swim and dive as soon as it hatches, a ride on a parent's back
17:24is always preferred.
17:30But when both parents are busy, the chick must make it on its own.
17:40Another freshly caught fish keeps it happy for a while.
17:45But that's it.
17:47Enough swimming for one day.
18:05At last, the chick's persistence pays off.
18:10For the moment, Kopacki Rit seems like a paradise.
18:16Yet danger still lurks.
18:20For not long ago, this was a war zone.
18:26The front line in the 1991 Croatian War went straight through this area.
18:35Large tracts of these wetlands were riddled with landmines.
18:41Most of the mines have now been cleared, but some were never found.
18:46And floodwaters can shift those that remain from place to place.
18:50A zone declared safe today could be a death trap tomorrow.
19:00The Kopacki Rit forests were once a hunting ground for Austria's Habsburg dynasty.
19:06And later, for high-ranking Yugoslavian politicians.
19:10But since the mines were laid, hunters have stayed out.
19:15It's wild boars.
19:17They typically root for insect larvae, nuts and tubers.
19:22They have no way to catch fresh fish for themselves.
19:27It's a bounty they find very hard to share.
19:51To the south of the wetlands of Kopacki Rit are the barren, windswept tablelands of Dickvesh.
20:00In a tale of Middle-earth, it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see a dragon emerge from
20:06behind these hills.
20:09But this is Macedonia, and Dickvesh is now the Balkans' last stronghold of vultures.
20:21Situated near the border between Macedonia and Greece, these mountainless tablelands are inhospitable, desolate, and almost uninhabited.
20:39Clouds move ominously above a landscape that seems to stretch to infinity, blurring the boundary between Earth and sky.
20:46Were-
20:59Few animals fit the image of this bleak landscape better than these.
21:13Gryphon vultures like to live in these rocky mountains, where thermal updrafts can carry
21:19them high with little effort.
21:28They rise in small groups until they reach about 3,000 feet, and then they circle, scanning
21:35an area of perhaps 100 square miles until they spot a carcass.
21:45Gryphon vultures typically live in large breeding colonies, building their nests on steep rock
21:52faces.
21:53Once widespread throughout the Balkans, their numbers have dwindled in the last hundred years,
21:59and all that remains are a few breeding pairs.
22:04Toxic baits are partly to blame, but Gryphon vultures have been hit harder by the gradual
22:09disappearance of livestock.
22:12Vultures are carrion eaters, and each bird needs about a pound of meat a day.
22:18But now there are fewer carcasses of sheep, goats, and cows to rely upon.
22:23And there is competition for the dwindling meat supply.
22:27Even in flight, vultures are constantly harassed by ravens.
22:33These cunning birds learnt long ago that where the vultures settle, there'll also be something
22:39in it for them.
22:42The vultures have spotted a dead cow, but a gang of ravens is already there.
22:48As soon as the vultures get to work on the carcass, the ravens start pulling at their tails.
22:56This may be bad table manners, but it's an effective strategy all the same.
23:14Then, to make matters worse, a wolf turns up.
23:20The vultures give up, but the ravens are relentless.
23:33Even the wolf has trouble getting rid of them.
24:02Vulture numbers have dropped to about 70 birds.
24:06The government of Macedonia now feeds the birds on a regular basis, in the hope that
24:11the population may recover.
24:24It's hard to say which of Tolkien's mythical peoples would have settled in Tykvesh.
24:29Perhaps the orcs.
24:33Certainly not the river elves.
24:36They would be seeking water and solitude.
24:39Perhaps in this maze of channels near the Adriatic Sea to the west.
24:43This is Skadarsko Jezero, or Skadar Lake.
25:01The lake is a remarkable landscape of peaks and water.
25:06It's many islands make it look more like a vast river system, but it is actually the largest
25:12lake in the Balkans, measuring about 30 miles long and 9 miles wide.
25:27Despite there being no tides, water levels can fluctuate as much as 16 feet.
25:32It all depends on the seasons and the rains.
25:47Ruins of monasteries and fortresses stand on many of the islands.
25:51A reminder of the lake's strategic importance throughout a long history of settlement and conquest.
26:01Some of the islands are no more than hills, which are actually connected to the mainland during a very dry
26:06summer.
26:08In the northwest section of the lake, on one of these hills, stands the fortified monastery of Kom, built in
26:16the 15th century.
26:18A monk of the Orthodox Church lives here alone, devoting his life to his faith and his belief in the
26:25power of prayer.
26:36His worship is structured round an ancient ritual, the liturgies of the hours, eight of them every day.
26:44He believes that the ceaseless prayers join together to become a force for good, helping to create a better world.
26:55In early summer, the sound of prayer is accompanied by the calls of thousands of birds.
27:02Skadar Lake is one of the most important resting and breeding grounds for migratory birds in Europe.
27:10Birds are cosmopolitan creatures.
27:13Even their summer lake belongs to two countries, Montenegro and Albania,
27:18both of which have declared the lake a national park.
27:23At this time of the year, water plants spread out their leaves and dense reed beds grow around the shores.
27:33The floating carpet of water lilies provides a safe breeding ground for terns.
27:43Huge colonies build their nests in the midst of a cacophony of ceaseless calls.
27:50Frogs are breeding too, and they join in the chorus.
27:56These floating islands are a sanctuary against predators, but it can be confusing.
28:03Not every tern can easily find its way back to its own nest on the first try.
28:22Thousands of cormorants use dead trees for their nests.
28:30Young cormorants poke their heads far into their parents' gullets to get regurgitated fish.
28:37It's a wonder they don't puncture their parents' throats.
28:48Other species breed in mixed colonies, like the elegant little egret and the spoolbill.
28:58Beneath them, a black-crowned night heron stalks amid the reeds,
29:03while a squawco heron settles down to brood.
29:08Collective breeding is a strategy that gives a greater degree of security to all,
29:13as there are many vigilant eyes on the lookout for nest robbers,
29:16and chicks are well hidden between the reeds.
29:22Skadar Lake, at the west of the Balkans, is a magical place, even if there are no elves.
29:29On the eastern border, there's a vastly different land,
29:33blanketed by a mosaic of colorful fields, some planted, some not.
29:40This could be the shire where hobbits set out on their quest.
29:44In the Balkans, the region is called Dobruja.
29:51Its vast grasslands, called steppes, lie in the northeastern tip of the Balkan peninsula.
29:59Only a few subsistence farmers live here.
30:07Fertile fields and fallow ground lie side by side, making the country resemble a patchwork quilt.
30:16In May, wild poppies and cornflowers sprinkle the cornfields with vivid colors.
30:23They thrive because farmers here use little fertilizer and never spray their fields with pesticides.
30:33The plough is still horse-drawn, as it has been for centuries.
30:40In Dobruja, the endless steppes provide space for many ethnic groups.
30:47Bulgarians, Romanians, Russians, Tatars and Armenians.
30:53Peasant farmers and nomadic shepherds.
31:03Grasses grazed by sheep make this an ideal habitat for specialized steppe dwellers, like European ground squirrels.
31:12During the day, these rodents leave their tunnel systems and come above ground to search for roots, tubers and insects.
31:28Stoned curlews are rare and seldom seen.
31:32They prefer dry and stony areas, so the unseeded fields of Dobruja are ideal.
31:39Both the stone curlew and the ground squirrel are well camouflaged.
31:43If they remain still, they're almost impossible to spot in the grass.
31:49But the European bee-eater is the exact opposite.
31:54These gaudy cave breeders flaunt their vibrant plumage.
32:01Whether flamboyant and colorful like the bee-eater, or drab and inconspicuous like the curlew and squirrel, they still share
32:08something in common.
32:09They all require fallow, uncultivated land.
32:15Bee-eaters typically dig their nests into vertical cliff faces.
32:19But since so many riverbanks are now reinforced, the birds must use gravel pits or abandoned agricultural land instead.
32:28But it's no great loss, since the bees and wasps that the birds catch in flight can be found almost
32:34anywhere.
32:42This old quarry in Dobruja will be shutting down soon.
32:46But even while the dredges are still at work, the birds take full advantage of the sight.
32:56This year, they're joined by thousands of rosy starlings, which suddenly appeared and moved into the quarry.
33:06This is something unusual, for the rosy starlings come from India.
33:11They spend the winter on the subcontinent, and in summer, they normally migrate to the steppes of Mongolia and Kazakh.
33:19But this year, some have traveled west, probably following insect swarms, until they ended up in the Balkans, in this
33:27stone quarry in Dobruja.
33:34These birds need rock faces to nest and breed, so despite the heavy machinery, this quarry is an ideal choice.
33:44Rosy starlings have a short breeding season, and they'll be gone by August.
33:49No one knows if they'll return next year, but their presence this year has certainly added another interesting hue to
33:56Dobruja's already rich palate.
33:59Very remote.
34:00We'll save a few лет from this time.
34:06You where all the stars come from?
34:29on the back of a giant eagle. But here in the Balkans, we must take a Russian biplane.
34:38From the colorful mosaic of Dobrydge's fields, we fly east to the spreading waters of the
34:43Delta Donari, to the Sea of Mosquitos. Europe's most extensive wetland, the Danube flows into
34:56the Black Sea, its delta stretching between Romania and Ukraine. Three main branches of
35:03the river, along with countless tributaries, make the Danube estuary a maze of islands,
35:09lakes and forests. It is the world's largest reed habitat.
35:23These wetlands are home to a thousand different plants, and over four thousand animal species.
35:31The best known of the birds is the pelican. Its huge, pouched bill makes it instantly recognizable
35:38anywhere in the world. Hidden amidst this maze of water channels with their forests and reedbeds,
35:52are enormous breeding colonies of pelicans, some containing hundreds of pears. Two pelican species
36:04are found in the Delta, the Dalmatian pelican, and these white pelicans. Every summer, four
36:11thousand breeding pairs fly north from Africa to nest in the Danube Delta. Pelican nests are
36:21untidy, and chicks depend on their parents for fourteen weeks, a long time for a bird.
36:32These nesting colonies in the center of the Delta are virtually inaccessible and strictly protected. During
36:40the breeding season, nobody is allowed to come anywhere near what is the largest pelican colony
36:45outside Africa. But no human law could protect the pelicans more effectively than mosquitoes.
36:54There are those who would say that an army of attacking orcs would be preferable to the bites
36:59of these millions of mosquitoes and midges.
37:07But these mosquitoes play a key role in the Delta's ecosystem.
37:14They are the base of the food chain. Everything ultimately depends on them.
37:25The biomass of mosquitoes in the Danube Delta is awe-inspiring. It's greater than that of all the other animals
37:33put together.
37:34It's the reason millions of birds flock here every year.
38:01The biologist, Aleix Thoman, has spent more than twelve years in what may well be Europe's most famous
38:08famous bird paradise. But he's not looking for birds. He's been up and down the river
38:15system countless times in pursuit of an animal rarer than almost any other in this huge waterlogged
38:22wilderness. It's considered to be the most endangered carnivore in Europe.
38:57Alice Tallman is searching for the European mink, a shy cryptic animal belonging to the
39:05Martin family. The species was pushed to the edge of extinction when some of the larger imported
39:11American minks escaped from fur farms and established wild populations too dominant
39:17for the native European minks. The Danube Delta may very well be their last refuge. In the summer
39:26months when food is readily available, European minks occasionally venture out, but only at night.
39:40This animal could be a mink captured briefly in the spotlight. But is it a European mink or just a
39:48Martin? Before Alice can find out, the animal vanishes into the night. This happens so frequently
39:58it calls for a radical change in tactics. To study the Delta's mink population, Alice must first catch some.
40:09But summer is not the season for catching mink.
40:22Now winter has set in. The lakes are frozen. Life seems to have come to a standstill. But only at
40:36first glance.
40:40Migratory birds from the Arctic have arrived to spend the winter here. The cold is far less intense than above
40:48the Arctic circle and the birds are able to find enough food here.
40:57Wooper swans from northern Europe flock together in huge numbers.
41:05And when 60,000 red-breasted geese take off as one, the sky turns dark. Every year almost all of
41:15the world's population of red-breasted geese migrates to the Danube Delta from Siberia.
41:26Human beings are the rarest species here. This is the least densely populated region in Europe. Tourists only come in
41:36spring and summer. And UNESCO has declared the entire area a biosphere reserve.
41:44For the few permanent human residents, winter is harvest time. Fish and reeds earn them a modest income.
41:56In winter, the fishermen are allowed large catches. But from spring onwards, a rigorous quota is strictly enforced to protect
42:05breeding stocks.
42:12Humans are not the only ones to discover that reeds can be used in many different ways. For the harvest
42:20mouse, the reeds provide both nesting material and food.
42:29These tiny rodents are about two inches long and weigh less than half an ounce. An ideal size when you
42:37have to move up, down and across reed stalks all day long.
42:44Their tail is longer than their body, but it needs to be. As the mice move back and forth across
42:52the shaky and unstable stalks, they often need a safety rope.
42:57Sometimes the mouse even grabs the stalk with its tail and hangs upside down.
43:08Cute as they may be, harvest mice have many predators. Birds of prey, foxes, snakes, even fish.
43:16And the rare European mink also has them on its menu.
43:24Alashtomen's search continues. In winter months, the minks must also hunt by day, making it easier to observe and possibly
43:32catch one.
43:39The biologists have changed their tactics. They now set traps which won't harm the animals when they're caught.
43:48Every day the men put out about 50, leave them overnight, then check them the next morning.
43:57One trap's got something, but not what they want.
44:01Ah, it's red only.
44:07Next time.
44:17The men proceed to the next trap.
44:27Days and weeks pass without success.
44:44Another day, another try.
44:51There are not many traps left to be checked now. Hopefully, there'll be no more rats.
45:04Ah, Titi, come. Mink. Excellent. Titi, look. We have mink. Ah.
45:13And then at last, a mink.
45:16Alashtomen has a broad smile on his face, but the captured mink probably isn't so happy.
45:23Since the 1950s, the European mink has been losing the battle to its far hardier American namesake.
45:31Added pressure from hunting and habitat destruction has pushed the European mink to the brink of extinction.
45:39Now, the last remaining populations live in Spain and the Baltic.
45:46And here.
45:49The Americans haven't conquered the Danube Delta yet.
45:54The mink is checked for health and condition, and loses a few hairs for genetic testing.
46:01All the while declaring its displeasure.
46:04Alashtomen is convinced the data he is gathering will prove that the only surviving, healthy and stable population of the
46:12European mink is here in the Delta of the Danube.
46:25All in all, it was a good day.
46:29Alashtomen found minks in another three traps.
46:32The sun is already low when the two researchers start their journey home.
46:38But the day is not quite finished yet.
46:41The Delta turns on an amazing natural display.
46:46Millions of European starlings gather in huge flocks, forming ever-changing patterns in the evening sky.
47:00The flock hangs in the air, then shifts and changes.
47:06For the birds, it's time to find a roosting site for the long, cold night.
47:25Starlings are masters of coordination in the air.
47:29No matter how many or how small the space between, the birds never collide.
47:40One minute, they look like smoke.
47:43Then, without any effort, they change into some pulsating super-organism seemingly from another world.
47:57In Tolkien's novel, The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth is the land where the ultimate struggle between good and
48:04evil is fought.
48:06And the Balkans may still be coming to terms with its violent history.
48:12But despite its reputation, this is not Mordor, the land of doom and shadow.
48:20There is beautiful magic here.
48:24Somehow, the Balkans have managed to remain wild, unspoiled.
48:29A world kept secret at the heart of a changing world.
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