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AnimalsTranscript
00:06To be continued...
00:33Mount Everest.
00:37It's known in Nepal as Sagamata, or goddess of the sky.
00:46It rises to a height of almost 9,000 metres.
00:52Those who succeed in climbing it spend only moments at the top.
01:01Nothing can live for long on its summit.
01:10But on many of Asia's peaks, some specialised animals and plants flourish in remarkable ways.
01:33Asia is the most mountainous continent on Earth.
01:39The peaks in the Himalaya may be the most dramatic of them.
01:46But in Southeast Asia, there are mountains full of life.
01:58Tropical forests grow here in abundance.
02:10This is the Den Lao range in Northern Thailand.
02:21And here, there is an astonishing gathering.
02:35This is the largest flock of swifts to be found anywhere in the world.
02:44The heavy rains have cloaked the land with dense forest and carved the rocks into great caves.
02:58The Tam Nam Lod Cave is big enough to accommodate a 16-storey building.
03:08And its walls provide a home for over a quarter of a million swifts.
03:27It's the nesting season.
03:37Almost every available ledge and crevice is occupied.
03:55Disputes for the few vacant sites are frequent.
04:10Disputes for the few vacant sites are frequent.
04:31And rivals only too often end up in the river.
04:44Wet feathers make it difficult to get back into the air.
04:54And there are hidden dangers here.
05:05Keeping still is one way of avoiding detection.
05:18Yet, the urge to fly is strong.
05:36The giant carp and catfish that lurk beneath the surface
05:42are always hungry.
05:45Are always hungry.
06:05A pair crash land.
06:07A pair crash land.
06:08A pair crash land.
06:11One bird is pulled under.
06:15But some birds won't go down without a fight.
06:36A second chance.
06:38A second chance.
06:45Rashing has already attracted more hungry fish.
07:15.
07:15.
07:15.
07:16.
07:17.
07:23Let's go.
07:47A near-miraculous escape.
07:56It was saved by the sheer strength of its wings.
08:07The shelter of the cave is clearly worth the risks it brings.
08:15For every swift that is caught by a fish, countless thousands breed successfully.
08:26And each evening, in the dwindling light, the sky fills with adult birds.
08:59The forest-clad peaks of Southeast Asia,
09:02stretch for thousands of miles.
09:10But south of Thailand,
09:16the land fragments into islands.
09:23In Borneo, one great mountain stands alone.
09:31Mount Kinabalu.
09:37Over 4,000 metres high, it was pushed up by forces deep in the Earth's crust several million years ago.
09:50It slopes a home to a particularly inquisitive little creature.
10:00The mountain tree shrew.
10:05A strange plant grows here with leaves shaped like little jugs.
10:12A pitcher plant.
10:15The shrew is enticed by the sweet liquid the pitchers produce.
10:23But they are traps.
10:29Insects are also attracted by their sweetness.
10:40However, the surfaces are slippery.
10:43And the insects can easily lose their footing.
10:49And there, they drown.
10:53Their bodies dissolve and are absorbed by the plant.
11:04The more insects the plant consumes, the bigger the pitchers it produces.
11:15And the bigger the prey they attract.
11:26But the shrew, of course, is far too big and powerful to be caught like a small insect.
11:40And it has a firm grip.
11:58In fact, the shrew gives the plant a reward for its meal.
12:06Its droppings.
12:13They, for the plant, are well worth having, for they're very nutritious.
12:23The shrew pays regular visits to collect the plant's sugary offerings.
12:32And its droppings help keep the plant growing strongly.
12:45It's an excellent arrangement from which both plant and animal can flourish.
13:01To the west of Borneo, across the Bay of Bengal, stand the fertile peaks of southern India.
13:14The mountains of the western Ghats.
13:19They extend for over a thousand miles along the coast.
13:26And they're home to the largest of all Asia's land animals.
13:41The Asian elephant.
13:51This herd is on a journey to find new feeding bones.
13:58They're led by an old female, the matriarch.
14:05The whole family relies on her experience and knowledge.
14:11Yet, over the last 150 years, their home has radically changed.
14:23The altitude and monsoon rains make the western Ghats an excellent place for growing tea.
14:40Human beings, globally, drink two billion cups of it every day.
14:48In just two elephant lifetimes, the forest has been felled to make space for tea.
15:01Nonetheless, it seems that the elephants follow the same paths as were used by their ancestors.
15:13But now, these paths run through fields of this very valuable crop.
15:27The elephants, however, place every step with great care.
15:38A single adult can eat over 100 kilos every day.
15:45And yet, they don't take a single leaf of tea.
15:50They don't like its bitter taste.
15:56But they do relish the wild plants that grow here.
16:04So, as far as the humans are concerned, the elephants are clearing away weeds.
16:22It may seem to be a harmonious existence.
16:29But these mountains are densely populated.
16:43Over 50,000 people work as tea pickers alone.
16:57So, living side by side can be difficult.
17:03Yet, the people have learnt to give the elephants space.
17:07And the herds are adaptable.
17:13Some matriarchs, however, are now going where few elephants have ever been seen before.
17:37They have become mountaineers.
17:40They have become mountaineers.
17:48Some matriarchs, no one fully understands.
17:51It may be that they're attracted by the fresh glass.
17:58Or perhaps, they're simply trying to escape from the busy world below.
18:07Either way, planting tea here could have been a disaster for these herds.
18:15But not so.
18:17So, a quarter of all ancient elephants now live here in the western Ghats.
18:24Making it home to the biggest population on earth.
18:43Over a thousand miles to the west of India, where Asia meets Africa, stand the continent's hottest and driest peaks.
19:01Those of the Arabian Peninsula.
19:09In the far south, lies the arid Dofar range of Oman.
19:20Temperatures here can reach over 40 degrees Celsius.
19:32Animals of all kinds must shelter from such heat.
19:42But summer is coming.
19:46And its winds will bring moist air from the tropics.
19:56As they meet the cool surface of the sea.
20:04The water they carry condenses and begins to form vast banks of fog.
20:12This is the start of a major change in the weather.
20:16One on which life here depends.
20:27As it sweeps inland, the fog is deflected upwards by the mountains.
20:44And within the clouds, a magical transformation begins.
20:52One unlike any other in Asia.
20:58The plants in Arabia's unique cloud forest collect moisture from the air.
21:10And within only two weeks, this parched land bursts into life.
21:29It's a spectacular change created by the Dothar Mountains.
21:45It's a spectacular change created by the Dothar Mountains.
21:50Here, everything hastens to make the most of this new world.
22:08This landscape is the home of one of Arabia's best adapted desert animals.
22:18Camels.
22:19Camels.
22:28Camels.
22:29They will nibble anything that is green.
22:34And plenty that is not.
22:39They will nibble anything that is green.
22:43Camels.
22:44Camels.
22:48Camels.
22:49Camels.
22:56Camels.
22:57As summer ends, the winds of the Harif dwindle.
23:05and vanish as suddenly as they arrived.
23:20Now life must wait until the good times return.
23:38In Asia's mountainous centre,
23:42the Himalayas stretch for over a thousand miles.
23:51They cross five countries,
23:55and at the range's far western end, in Pakistan,
24:02stand some of the most dramatic of all the Earth's mountains.
24:09The near vertical peaks of the Hindu Kush.
24:18They're so inaccessible that local people believe them to be inhabited by spirits.
24:28Animals that live among precipices like these must be skilled rock climbers.
24:39Markor.
24:42The biggest of all species of goat.
24:47Over half the world's population live in these mountains.
24:52Few predators can follow them.
24:54For here, one wrong step can be, and often is, fatal.
25:01And there were people in the Dunlap
25:29But, one would do it.
25:30They were saying the remodels
25:31of really aquently 2030.
25:31mark the beginning of the breeding season.
25:35It only lasts for a couple of weeks.
25:40So the males do not have long to claim a female.
25:47Time for a special kind of flirting.
26:23She isn't interested.
26:27But flirtation isn't the only requirement.
26:31For winning a mate.
26:38Males may have to compete for the right to breed.
26:49They size one another up.
26:54Using their meter-long horns.
27:01When neither backs down.
27:05Battle begins.
27:13Undaunted by the perilous drops.
27:20They risk their lives.
27:23Competing for a higher position uphill.
27:56Tent of a
27:57Two hundred kilograms of muscle collide.
28:05All this male can do is brace and take the hits.
28:19If two males are equally matched, the battle becomes a test of stamina.
28:36After hours of fighting, both are exhausted.
28:49It's time to call it quits.
28:56And the winner is recognised.
29:16This is what success looks like.
29:31The Himalayan range runs from east to west, and at its centre lies Nippo.
29:40Of the ten highest mountains on Earth, eight are found here.
29:48And the forests on their slopes are home to perhaps the shyest of Asia's mammals.
30:08Red pandas.
30:17They're well adapted to life here.
30:21With thick fur to keep out the cold.
30:34This female is searching for food.
30:45Bamboo can make up 99% of her diet.
30:53But during the coldest months, something appears that is much more nutritious.
31:03And she knows exactly where to find it.
31:12Kiwi fruit, otherwise known as Chinese gooseberries.
31:18They're packed with energy.
31:23And only appear for a few short weeks.
31:31So she eats all she can find.
31:49After such a feast, she needs to do what red pandas do best.
31:59She sleeps.
32:10At the far eastern end of the Himalaya stand the isolated Hangguan Mountains of China.
32:36The forests here are home to a particularly engaging species of monkey.
32:46They live at a higher altitude than any primate other than humans.
32:55The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.
33:02Why they have such tiny noses is not certain, but perhaps it's because that if they were any longer, they
33:09would get frostbitten.
33:13They live in close family groups.
33:17And take life at a slow pace.
33:25Spring is an extremely important time for them.
33:33It's when the young are born.
33:40It's when the young are born.
33:42They are among the most endangered of all primate species.
33:49Each baby is very precious.
33:55Everyone wants to hold the new arrivals.
34:09The youngsters are dependent on their mother for over a year.
34:16But after only a few weeks, some become adventurous.
34:29There's a lot to learn.
34:33Watching how the grown-ups do things is a good way to start.
34:46But finding your feet can be tricky.
35:11For these two youngsters, today's lesson is particularly important.
35:19It concerns the way by which one makes friends.
35:39And having friends here is crucial.
35:53As evening approaches, the families huddle together for warmth.
36:01Temperatures fall well below zero.
36:08Group hugs are not just ways of showing affection.
36:14Frequently, they are essential for survival.
36:18In this bitterly cold habitat.
36:32To the north of the Himalaya
36:35Here lies the vast and desolate Tibetan Plateau.
36:42It's bordered by the highest peaks on Earth.
36:47It has an average altitude of over 4,000 meters.
36:57And it is aptly called by many the roof of the world.
37:08It's home to the Tibetan fox.
37:16This female has pups.
37:27They're three months old and their demand for food is never ending.
37:37It's time, once again, for mother to go hunting.
37:59It's time, once again, for mother to go hunting.
38:08And an icy storm can transform the landscape overnight.
38:25She's looking for a pika.
38:32Lots of them live here.
38:34Lots of them live here.
38:35And she feeds on little else.
38:42But the snow makes her only too conspicuous.
38:48The pika see her almost as soon as she approaches.
38:54To locate her prey, she often relies on her excellent eyesight.
39:05But she's also an acute listener.
39:12She can hear the slightest movement beneath the snow.
39:24can come see her able to make her there.
39:24Why do you think this pika came from last day?
39:25Very hands out by the enemy.
39:31I can't see work.
39:44But now, the nuisance is a pastor and his wife will remain in almostaya.
39:50The weather is not the only challenge she has to face.
40:03This is a busy time for the people who live here.
40:10The lush grass is essential food for their hungry yaks.
40:23The fox is little bigger than a house cat.
40:28So she could easily be trampled.
40:33But this mother is cunning.
40:39She keeps a safe distance and uses the yaks as cover
40:47as she creeps closer to the distracted piker.
41:16What the hell is that?
41:22What does that mean?
41:46Thanks to their mother's hunting skills,
41:51all three cubs will soon be able to survive on their own.
42:10Wildlife has had to find ways to adapt to Asia's mountains.
42:25But now, these peaks are changing.
42:36They hold one of the greatest expanses of snow and ice
42:40to be found outside the polar regions.
42:46The Himalaya are sometimes called the water towers of Asia.
42:56Their meltwaters feed some of the Earth's biggest rivers,
43:04such as the Ganges and the Indus.
43:09And they supply fresh water to countless numbers of people.
43:17But temperatures in many of these mountainous areas
43:21are rising faster than in lower lands.
43:31As they do so, in some areas, water becomes scarce.
43:43In Nepal, the village of Sam Tsong was once fed by a surging river.
43:54But it's now reduced to a trickle.
44:04With little water here, only a handful of people remain.
44:27By the end of this century,
44:29up to half the ice now found in these mountains
44:32may have disappeared.
44:45Life here has never been easy.
44:55Yet in the remotest parts of these mountains...
45:02There lives one animal that is perhaps the most elusive of all.
45:16Snow leopards spend most of their lives above 3,000 meters.
45:25Each individual is largely solitary
45:28and wanders alone over vast areas.
45:36However, very occasionally...
45:42their paths cross.
45:43A
45:45with little
46:22He has been following this female's scent for weeks and may have found a mate.
46:45But she's cautious.
47:26Eventually, he gains her trust.
47:51He gains her trust.
48:05They spend the next four days together.
48:09Then, their ways part.
48:13And they may never meet again.
48:21A male snow leopard plays no part in raising the cubs that he may have fathered.
48:37These youngsters will stay with their mother and rely on her for nearly two years.
48:56It takes time to master the challenges of living in Asia's highest places.
49:04But the animals that do so are among the most hardy and resilient of any on Earth.
49:30To film the extraordinary world of Asia's mountains, crews would spend more than 400 days in the field.
49:41Getting up close with some of the continent's most remarkable wildlife.
50:01Filming would take them from the sweltering mountains of the Middle East to the bitterly cold Himalaya.
50:08But toes are frozen.
50:11But there's a snow leopard sitting right in front of us.
50:20But it was on the Tibetan plateau, almost 5,000 meters up, where the team faced their biggest challenge.
50:30To film the Tibetan fox, an expert crew was enlisted.
50:41Cameraman Jackie Poon has been visiting here for the past three years.
50:48In doing so, he's gained the trust of one very special mother.
50:59She might be getting a little old now, but it's clear she hasn't forgotten him.
51:06I can't believe watching Mum now.
51:09I mean, she must be seven, eight.
51:13She's so trusting of Jackie, this is the fourth litter of cups she's let him film.
51:21We're probably less than 20 meters away.
51:25It's pretty amazing how quickly they get used to us.
51:28I think just because they saw Mum coming over and not bothered,
51:32so they immediately know that we're not a threat.
51:35And it's just great. They're not even looking at us.
51:40Jackie is here to film a behavior he's never managed to capture on camera.
51:48A Tibetan fox hunting, using the yaks as cover.
51:55A month here will be tough.
52:00Even in summer, temperatures can drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius.
52:07In their remote hut, the crew must improvise to stay warm.
52:13These yak droppings is what we need to have fire.
52:18Since there's no tree out there, yak dropping is the best.
52:24But as the crew embed themselves in the foxes' lives,
52:28they are increasingly aware of a threat.
52:34Feral dogs are common.
52:40Unfortunately, it seems that the mother has already had a run in.
52:45She's not doing so well.
52:47She's limping quite a lot.
52:49Her left front paw seems to be injured.
52:53And, yeah, she's not going very fast.
52:56It's not good.
52:57Now she's hurt if she meet another stray dog.
53:01I mean, that's it for her.
53:07Soon, the situation for the team goes from bad to worse.
53:15Being out in the open is dangerous.
53:18Come on, Joshua. Go, go, go real quick.
53:21Get in the car, quick.
53:22Oh, it's crazy.
53:26People are struck by lightning here every year.
53:30Whoa!
53:32Oh, my gosh.
53:34Oh.
53:45The storm passes quickly.
53:51Yet the weather remains poor for days.
53:56And the mother is nowhere to be found.
53:59She was last seen chased by the dogs.
54:02So we're definitely worried sick.
54:04And hopefully we can find her this morning.
54:08We're having snow in summer.
54:11And we can't even see that mountain.
54:14Usually it's a landmark.
54:16Oh, it's so cold.
54:19Days go by without a sign of the family.
54:24Can't see anything.
54:26Definitely no mum.
54:27No cops.
54:28No cops.
54:32With only a week left of the shoot,
54:34the chances of filming the mother hunting among the yaks
54:37are slipping away.
54:45But as the weather begins to lift,
54:48the team finally receives some good news.
54:50Yes, mum.
54:52Yes, mum.
54:52Yes, mum.
54:52I'm here.
54:57That's mum.
54:58Found mum up the mountain.
55:01Oh, thank God for that.
55:03Honestly.
55:04I was so afraid that something's happened to mum.
55:07But yeah, it's good to know she's alive.
55:10But now she just needs to stay alive.
55:20Although the mother is safe and well,
55:23Jackie still needs to get in the right place
55:25to capture her hunting among the yaks.
55:34Oh, mum is catching.
55:36Right in there.
55:38We don't want to scare the yaks off.
55:41We should move around the yaks.
55:44Otherwise, we're pushing the yaks further up.
55:52With a cautious approach,
55:58Jackie is able to get right in among the herd.
56:08And film's action never captured before.
56:21Nice.
56:22Such an amazing behavior.
56:27While Jackie's relationship has made it all possible,
56:31it also makes it hard to say goodbye.
56:35And it's pretty crazy to think that
56:37the first year when I was here,
56:39she was younger than me,
56:42in dog years.
56:43And now, four years later,
56:46she's actually older than me.
56:49But Jackie hopes to return
56:51and once again be reunited
56:54with this master of Asia's mountainous.
56:57as a result.
57:04And we'll see you next time.
57:06Bye.
57:10Bye.
57:13Bye.
57:25Bye.
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