- 2 days ago
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:32Asia has more forest than any other continent.
00:40A trillion trees.
00:45At its heart, in the shadow of the Himalaya, stand the monsoon jungles of India and Nepal.
01:01They are ruled by the biggest of all cats, the Bengal tiger.
01:29Asia's forests are full of life.
01:39For the animals that live here, they provide a multitude of opportunities.
02:06Nepal.
02:11Forests cover almost half the country.
02:23It's the dry season.
02:26Between the trees, meadows of elephant grass provide cover.
02:35For the most intimate of behaviours.
02:47In the last ten years, the number of tigers in Nepal has doubled.
03:06There are so many here that, remarkably, pairs are mating within just a hundred metres of each other.
03:36Males play no part in raising their young.
03:47This mother has three almost fully grown cubs.
03:59The largest, a male, is becoming increasingly restless.
04:16His favourite playmate is his brother.
04:31His sister is less sociable.
04:48He is two years old and beginning to explore by himself more frequently.
05:00He must keep his claws sharp.
05:11He must keep his claws sharp.
05:12Prey is never far away.
05:22But to catch a hog deer, he must get within pouncing distance.
05:27Undetected.
05:53Blown it.
05:53Blown it.
06:05Tigers visit the river frequently to cool off.
06:24He tests the water.
06:39Just right.
06:48His siblings are also here.
06:53Oh!
06:59But afternoon baths are not going to get any of these tigers a meal.
07:08It's their mother who must provide.
07:18And there are good opportunities on the other side of the river.
07:39No matter how experienced tigers are, most of their hunts end in failure.
07:47You can't get a man.
07:50You can't get a man.
07:53You can't get a man.
07:55You can't get a man.
08:05And they can stop the water.
08:07You can't get a man in the water.
08:14It's an amazing thing.
08:15And they can stop the water.
08:16for hours on end, hunting relentlessly.
08:38Spotted Chital deer are constantly alert.
08:46Their fawns are extremely vulnerable.
09:37This will keep her going as she continues to hunt.
09:48Not everybody's been so successful, though.
09:55But Asia's monsoon forests are so rich.
10:01This family should continue to flourish.
10:08200 miles to the east lives a beast so big
10:13that even a tiger really dares to attack it.
10:26The greater one-horned rhinoceros.
10:33They weigh over two tons and have skin an inch thick.
10:41They eat mostly grass and reeds.
10:52There are ponds here filled with water lilies.
11:08Where the females regularly bring their young.
11:35The males compete for access to the females.
11:38The males compete for access to the females.
11:58A third of all male rhinos die in fights like these.
12:10Sometimes the best move is to retreat.
12:20Elsewhere?
12:24Younger rhinos are engaged in other business.
12:32Flirting.
12:35Their courtship is an elaborate game.
12:42A kind of kiss and chase.
13:07He's caught her.
13:11But when you're lacking in experience,
13:13consummating the relationship is not easy.
13:34After all the excitement,
13:37the forest also offers relaxation.
13:48A long, leisurely mud bath.
14:04A long, leisurely mud bath.
14:08As the dry season continues,
14:11small ponds like these become increasingly popular.
14:17But a change is coming.
14:24The rains of the monsoon.
14:31They fall most intensely in southern India.
14:38In the forests of Kerala.
14:41In the forests of Kerala,
14:42huge storms unleash billions of cubic meters of water.
14:50And that triggers the appearance of one of the strangest of all Asian creatures.
15:00It spends most of its life up to eight meters underground.
15:08But just once a year, it emerges.
15:11To breed.
15:19A purple frog.
15:25This female has a belly full of eggs.
15:31And on her back, a newly acquired male partner.
15:40He grips her spine, making deep indentations in her flesh.
15:50They have timed their emergence to coincide with the monsoon rains.
16:00Somehow, in the darkness, they must find a stream in which to lay their eggs.
16:06And then get back underground before dawn.
16:15But during the monsoon, a torrent can develop.
16:19In minutes.
16:26The best breeding spots are upstream.
16:33There's nothing for it but to take the punge.
16:47Using her limbs like grappling hooks, she hauls them both up the rocks.
17:16At last, shelter.
17:22An excellent place to lay eggs.
17:27And the male can fertilize them.
17:33They can develop here without getting washed away.
17:42Having given their brood the best chance of success,
17:47they return underground for another 12 months.
17:56What they do there, nobody knows.
18:10To the southeast of India's monsoon forests,
18:14across the Indian Ocean,
18:17lie the continent's most diverse and spectacular jungles.
18:26The tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
18:31They are among the oldest such forests on Earth.
18:48Here, on the island of Borneo, live Orangutan.
18:55They spend most of their time foraging for food.
19:05But this female also has something else on her mind.
19:12She is looking for a partner.
19:17Finding a suitable one should be easy.
19:24Dominant male Orangutan in Borneo have huge cheek pads.
19:42This one would be quite a catch.
19:48Normally, it's the males who pursue the females.
19:55But sometimes, a female may have to take the initiative.
20:15This sort of behavior is very seldom seen.
20:24But the feeling does not seem to be mutual.
20:32Never mind, there's plenty more swingers in the trees.
20:42This one has a higher rank.
20:50So, he is an even more desirable mate.
21:01An Orangutan with an appetite like this should be strong.
21:10If only he had eyes for her, too.
21:23Oh, well.
21:32The search continues.
21:44This male hasn't yet developed cheek pads.
21:51But looks aren't everything.
21:55He seems keen on sticking around.
22:01Could he be the one?
22:11The two of them are soon inseparable.
22:23Even going so far as moving in together.
22:29Sharing a nest.
22:41It's not long before she's showing.
22:48Orangutan pregnancies last the same length of time as human ones.
23:16At last.
23:21Her son.
23:23Just ten days old.
23:31For the next eight years, she will devote her time to teaching him how to live and find food in
23:39the forest.
23:42And for the time being at least, her search for a mate is over.
23:54Orangutan babies spend almost all their time high in the canopy.
24:01But other young animals never leave the rainforest floor.
24:09Almost hidden amongst these trees are the world's smallest elephants.
24:17A few months old, this Bornean elephant calf is only about the height of a very large dog.
24:27Guided by his mother, he must follow the herd wherever they go.
24:38Elephants have excellent memories.
24:42Matriarchs retain a mental map of different landmarks.
24:51Some more challenging than others.
24:53Some more challenging than others.
25:01There are threats here.
25:15But crocodiles are not the biggest danger.
25:22The river is over a hundred meters wide.
25:28And the current is so strong it could easily carry a path away.
25:41His mother and aunts surround him.
25:47Supporting him with their trunks.
25:49Supporting him with their trunks.
25:55His mother and aunts surround him.
26:01Supporting him with their trunks.
26:11He is exhausted.
26:15His mother has brought them here for a particular reason.
26:20She knows food is nearby.
26:25The sauce is one of ours.
26:30Oil palms.
26:40Elephants greatly enjoy their fruit.
27:01The plantation owners do their best to protect their crop.
27:08Electric fences are everywhere.
27:17The elephants have become trespassers on their own land.
27:21The elephants have become trespassers on their own land.
27:30They know, however, how to deal with such feeble defences.
27:49This is an unpredictable world.
27:55Plantations are frequently completely cut down so that new trees can be planted.
28:07Now, it seems, there is nothing to eat here.
28:18But what looks like desolation is actually opportunity.
28:30This plantation is different.
28:35Here, the elephants are welcome.
28:41When old trees are felled, the herd can provide a waste disposal service.
28:49As a result, some Malaysian farmers have started to encourage elephants onto their land.
29:06With so much food, youngsters have plenty of get-up-and-go.
29:20And this place has other attractions, too.
29:36In some areas of Southeast Asia, rainforests have been selectively felled, if not totally
29:43destroyed.
29:45But in others, they remain extremely diverse.
29:51To the west of Borneo lies the island of Sumatra.
30:04This is the home of one of the most extraordinary of plants.
30:17It's the biggest of its kind.
30:24The Titan Aerum.
30:34Up to three metres tall, it has taken ten years to mature.
30:39But now, it has just two days in which to reproduce.
30:46As dusk descends, others are opening simultaneously across the forest.
31:13As the air cools, the plant does the opposite.
31:24Using ten years' worth of stored energy, the Titan Aerum warms.
31:33It starts to release the stench of rotting meat.
31:41The smell drifts through the forest, attracting visitors.
31:49A carrion beetle.
31:54The Arum has deceived the beetle into thinking it has discovered a dead animal.
32:13The insect is now trapped.
32:19The walls are too slippery to climb back up.
32:29And now, it's surrounded by hundreds of male and female flowers.
32:36It can use the female ones like a ladder.
32:45Above them, however, are the tightly packed male flowers that lead to an overhang on which there's nothing to grip.
32:57But the Aerum is not about to eat its prisoner.
33:01It needs it to remain alive.
33:10As the night continues, a transformation takes place.
33:15The male flowers start to release pollen.
33:27Microscopic granules coat the unwitting beetle.
33:42With the sticky substance providing footholds.
33:49The overhang is no longer an obstacle.
33:55And the beetle flies away.
33:59To visit other Aerums.
34:04And so, spread the pollen.
34:09Completing the flower's life cycle.
34:20The rainforests of Southeast Asia are extremely diverse.
34:29But to the west, on the very edge of the continent, where conditions are very tough indeed.
34:37There are forests with perhaps even greater surprises.
34:48This is a country seldom associated with woodlands.
35:05Iraq.
35:14But in one special corner...
35:20...lies the region of Kurdistan.
35:32...lies the region of Kurdistan.
35:34Here grow dense groves of oak and pistachio trees.
35:42And they contain a truly rich variety of life.
35:49There are predators here.
35:52The Asiatic wild cat.
35:58And the shy striped hyena.
36:08But there is also another carnivore.
36:12And one that is hardly ever seen.
36:34A Persian leopard.
36:43There are not.
36:45There are perhaps no more than two dozen individuals in the whole country.
36:49Their survival is precarious.
36:56A lone male cautiously patrols his territory.
37:12Then...
37:13A female.
37:17These are the first images ever taken...
37:21...of a female Persian leopard in Iraq.
37:31She is even more secretive than the male.
37:43Several months might pass...
37:45...before she comes back to this spot.
37:54But finally...
37:58...she reappears.
38:03And at her side...
38:07...a new family.
38:24The cubs are very young...
38:26...and follow her everywhere.
38:32And if she can keep them safe...
38:35...there is a chance that this tiny population...
38:39...could establish itself...
38:41...in these precious upland forests.
38:49High-altitude forests...
38:51...can be found right across Asia...
38:53...from Arabia...
38:54...all the way...
38:55...to its easternmost reaches.
39:00In southern China...
39:02...grows some of the most extraordinary.
39:14Here, more than 500 species of tree...
39:18...go on top of immense rocky pillars.
39:35Tree roots...
39:37...force rocks apart.
39:40Hastening erosion...
39:42...and creating new pillars...
39:45...in these gardens in the clouds.
39:57These East Asian forests...
39:59...are also home...
40:01...to an army of strange creatures.
40:09Here in nearby Taiwan...
40:12...these are the grubs...
40:14...of the yellow-legged hornet.
40:21This insect has a truly fearsome reputation.
40:29Its sting...
40:30...causes excruciating pain.
40:34And in rare cases...
40:36...even death.
40:40The grubs must fatten up...
40:42...if they are to become adults.
40:50They scrape the sides...
40:51...of their hexagonal cells...
40:58...singing for their supper.
41:04A call...
41:05...to worker hornets.
41:09The workers must...
41:11...constantly feed the grubs...
41:12...with protein of some kind.
41:15This is a crucial task...
41:18...because amongst them...
41:19...are the queens...
41:20...of future colonies.
41:31Raiding parties...
41:32...head into the jungle.
41:39They're seeking prey...
41:41...wild forest bees.
41:47They are only half the size...
41:49...of a hornet...
41:51...and they defend their home...
41:53...by waving their abdomens...
41:55...rhythmically...
41:56...in an attempt...
41:57...to confuse predators.
42:04But the hornets...
42:06...don't plan to invade the nest.
42:12Like goalkeepers...
42:13...they aim to catch the bees...
42:15...in mid-air.
42:20To be continued...
42:36...touching its victim...
42:39...the worker returns.
42:45A meatball...
42:47...of chewed bee.
42:50The protein-packed meal...
42:52...for the grubs.
42:56Other hornets...
42:58...work as builders...
43:02...making wood pulp...
43:04...and building hundreds more cells...
43:07...every day.
43:16Their hunger's satisfied...
43:17...the grubs spin...
43:21...silk cocoons...
43:23...and enter the final stage...
43:26...of their transformation.
43:35But the entombed grubs...
43:37...are vulnerable.
43:42Nests...
43:43...are not immune...
43:44...to attack.
43:53Honey buzzards.
44:05These raptors...
44:07...have a particular...
44:08...liking...
44:09...for immature hornets.
44:16The workers fight back.
44:25But the birds' feathers...
44:27...interlock...
44:28...forming a stain-proof shield.
44:45The nest...
44:48...is destroyed.
44:50The nest...
44:58...is destroyed.
45:00...the new queen.
45:09With a handful of remaining troops...
45:15...she will soon rebuild an army.
45:28In the mountains...
45:31...in China...
45:32...seasonal forests...
45:34...hide...
45:34...Asia's...
45:35...most...
45:36...beloved bear.
45:48The giant panda.
45:50The giant panda.
45:54This four-month-old cub...
45:56...has a lot to learn.
46:04Escaping her mother's attention...
46:06...is not always easy.
46:11But...
46:12...pandas spend...
46:13...virtually all...
46:14...their waking hours...
46:16...feeding on bamboo.
46:22So...
46:22...her cub...
46:23...is left free to explore.
46:30One of the cub's main concerns...
46:33...is learning to climb.
46:36In this reserve...
46:38...pandas are being bred...
46:41...to return to the wild.
46:47Several older ones...
46:49...seem to have mastered the skills...
46:51...of climbing in the treetops.
47:00And the younger one...
47:02...is determined...
47:03...not to be left behind.
47:11The first stage...
47:13...is to get a good grip.
47:23The second stage...
47:23...is to get a good grip.
47:27The second stage...
47:27...is to get a good grip.
47:35The third stage...
47:43...is to get a good grip.
47:49The third stage...
47:58...is to get an old man...
48:00...is to get a good memory.
48:15That is a whole 20 centimeters off the ground.
48:22What a shame that nobody is watching.
48:28It's tiring work.
48:34And time for a cuddle with mum.
48:46Asia's animals thrive in its extraordinarily diverse jungles.
48:55They adapt and grow using the trees to their advantage.
49:03And if we can protect them, the forests of this continent could give them a home long
49:12into the future.
49:35For the jungles team filming the Persian leopard would mean an expedition to the remote region
49:41of Kurdistan in northern Iraq.
49:48Prior to filming, only a handful of shots existed of leopards here.
49:55To find them, the crew joined conservation biologist Hannah Raza, who first discovered the leopards.
50:06When you meet people and the second they find out that you're from Iraq, there's this shock.
50:13How could that be?
50:14Iraq is only desert and war.
50:18They can't actually imagine that there is so many amazing, rare and elusive animals.
50:25The forests here hold an astonishing diversity of species.
50:38Even Eurasian wolves.
50:46But filming in this environment is no easy feat.
50:52One of the biggest challenges is the landscape.
50:57The forests where leopards are thought to roam are on steep mountainsides.
51:07What's more, large areas of the country are still off limits due to minefields.
51:21Despite efforts to clear them, millions remain in the soil, decades after conflict.
51:30Just walking along in single file now.
51:33We're walking in single file because we're walking right along the edge of a minefield.
51:38Our guides know where the path is.
51:41So, as long as we follow them, we're safe.
51:46Although staying safe does mean keeping close to the cliff edge.
51:54Brothers Nabaz and Bahes or Reni have spent years following the wildlife between the minefields.
52:20Hannah, the brothers and the crew set up a network of camera traps.
52:32Over the previous decade, the only sightings had been of male Persian leopards passing through.
52:47Expectations are, understandably, low.
52:49So, let's go.
52:54Yet, footage starts to come in.
53:04There are several males, but one appears frequently, suggesting he's dominant here.
53:12His scent-marking behaviour indicates there might be a female in the area.
53:20So, the crew intensify their efforts.
53:35And the reward is a truly rare glimpse.
53:41It's a beautiful shot, to be honest.
53:46These images are a huge moment for the team.
53:50It's been 12 years.
53:52Camera trapping leopards, all of them have been males.
53:55But this is the first female.
53:57Which is amazing.
54:00Absolutely amazing.
54:02What's more, this female's belly suggests she might be pregnant.
54:08Fingers crossed.
54:10Our next shot would be the cops.
54:14But unfortunately, the summer passes with lots of camera trapping.
54:22And no sign of the female.
54:30The male, however, is not so shy.
54:42It's not for another three months that the female eventually reappears on camera.
54:52This time, they notice a change.
54:57Now it's just very skinny and very different from that stage it was in that month.
55:03So, they are suggesting that it might have given birth.
55:07The crew reason that if she has cubs, she'll be hiding them away.
55:14All they can do is wait and hope.
55:21And in time, their patience pays off.
55:27The brothers filmed the first leopard cubs ever recorded here.
55:41And get to tell Hannah about it.
55:43Oh, wow.
55:45Oh, wow.
55:49Oh, wow.
55:50Wow.
55:52Wow.
55:53Wow.
55:53Wow.
55:54Yes, we are.
55:55Oh, yeah.
55:57Wow.
55:58Oh, wow.
55:58Oh, wow.
55:58right over here.
55:59Yeah, so.
56:03We watch cancer.
56:14and a whole year after the coup started the brothers get a very special sighting of the
56:23female recorded on their own cameras teaching her cubs to hunt
56:33the first time i captured the persian leopard not in a million years did i think that i would
56:40be looking at it like an amazing shot of a family of persian uppers no that's amazing
56:51finding the cubs again shows great hope for the future of these magnificent cats in these
56:57remarkable asian forests
57:28so
Comments