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AnimalsTranscript
00:09To be continued...
00:35Across Asia, vast fertile lands support an ever-growing human population.
00:45In Vietnam alone, the number of people has more than doubled in the last 50 years.
01:03This is the most densely populated continent of all, home to 4.7 billion and counting.
01:19More people live in Asia than in the rest of the world combined.
01:31Yet, in this crowded continent, human settlements also offer unique opportunities for those animals that are bold enough to seek
01:41them.
01:59Bhopal, central India.
02:04During festivals, the city fills with light.
02:12But in the shadows, a predator is on the prowl.
02:20Lured here by the promise of easy prey.
02:39A tiger.
02:41Asia's largest big cat.
03:01This female needs to make a kill every week.
03:11And the city has rich hunting grounds.
03:26The occasional loss of livestock is tolerated by the humans who live here.
03:38And the tigress has learned to become invisible.
03:45Timing is everything.
03:55She uses the same roots as the people, but never at the same time.
04:09And her stealthy strategy pays off.
04:17She has cubs.
04:23A litter of four.
04:30Tiger mothers usually have only two cubs.
04:35Quadruplets are a sign that she's doing well.
04:41But now, she's got her work cut out.
04:49She must teach her mischievous cubs how to go unnoticed.
05:04These urban tigers have learned to thrive in the human world
05:10by staying out of the spotlight.
05:23In Sri Lanka, the largest of land mammals takes a very different approach.
05:42Asian elephants live in higher densities here than anywhere else on Earth.
05:52To find enough food, they roam for hundreds of miles.
06:01But people are never far away.
06:20That means new dangers.
06:40But also new opportunities.
06:51Fruit is tastier than leaves and grass.
07:01And on this road, you can often pick up a full meal.
07:11But there is one bull who takes things a stage further.
07:21He doesn't wait patiently by the roadside.
07:29Instead, he uses his four-ton body to create a roadblock
07:34and demand a toll.
07:41When he receives a payment, he lets them passed.
07:47His persuasive charm has earned him a reputation.
07:55He's even been given a name.
07:58Roger.
08:04He knows which vehicles aren't worth bothering with.
08:11And which have the potential.
08:15To deliver a feast.
08:57Rajah's gentle nature has won many hearts.
09:03But other bulls here don't share his diplomatic skills.
09:13They're more assertive approach, doesn't get them anywhere.
09:16Their more assertive approach doesn't get them anywhere.
09:24And now, despite the risks, entire families are showing up.
09:40Elephant numbers are on the rise in Sri Lanka.
09:46Persuading people to hand over their food
09:49will be an increasingly valuable skill.
09:55One, there is plenty of time to learn.
10:03This new behavior is only possible because of the mutual respect here.
10:16Such tolerance exists among people right across Asia.
10:25including here.
10:28Nara, in central Japan.
10:33During the morning rush hour,
10:34not all commuters walk on two legs.
10:38And look at the next few weeks.
10:45I've seen a place.
10:48I've seen a place.
10:50I've seen a place.
10:50Seeker deer are more than comfortable in this town.
10:54They're free to roam wherever they please.
11:06This mutual understanding has existed for generations.
11:14A deer is believed in ancient times to have brought into the town a divine messenger riding
11:21on its back.
11:24Ever since, seeker deer here have been considered sacred.
11:34And today, they're celebrities.
11:39They are hand-fed with special deer crackers.
11:46But every autumn, the peace is disturbed.
11:55Males start fighting for females and become a danger to people.
12:07To avoid accidents, their antlers are removed.
12:14They will grow back in spring, and their temporary loss allow the deer to live in the city without
12:21risk of hurting anyone.
12:27But those males looking for a mate now have a problem.
12:40This stag search has brought him to the edge of the town.
12:47A group of females.
12:50Perfect.
12:54But they are being guarded.
12:59By a male from out of town with an intimidating set of antlers.
13:10This posturing signals a challenge.
13:15A step now could cost him a while.
13:16To be continued.
13:18To be continued.
13:19To be continued.
13:20To be continued.
13:41A step now could cost him an eye.
13:59Lacking antlers, he's dependent on strength, skill, and sheer determination.
14:27Even without weaponry, he has beaten his opponent.
14:44And winners get a chance with the females.
15:00India, home to more people than any other country on Earth.
15:07Over 1.4 billion.
15:16Half the population work in agriculture.
15:24And here, in the foothills of the Himalaya, the millet crop is ready for harvesting.
15:33But a raid is being planned.
15:39A troop of Himalayan langurs.
15:51These fields contain the best food for miles around.
16:05The prospect of such a good meal is irresistible.
16:20The crops, however, are growing on the other side of a river.
16:28And the only bridge is patrolled by dogs.
16:35They regularly kill intruding monkeys.
16:43The langurs' only option is to brave the rapids.
16:50And the other side of a river.
16:52And the other side of a river.
17:17The dogs are closing in.
17:21The baby has to cling on to its mother for dear life.
17:25And the other side of a river.
17:57Much more nutritious than the wild plants that grow higher up.
18:12But the langurs must be alert.
18:25A male keeps watch.
18:28No way!
18:37No way!
18:43It's hard to перima!
18:51This is my fault!
18:52This is my god!
19:01The Nankas take refuge in the nearby trees.
19:04The Nankas take refuge in the nearby trees.
19:21But now they're trapped.
19:29One wrong move could be fatal.
19:42But Nankas are clever.
19:49They create a diversion.
20:02The older adults lead the dogs away.
20:08And the others are able to escape.
20:38The Troop is reunited.
20:46Everyone is home and safe.
20:55Agriculture in India has shaped the landscape for thousands of years.
21:03Irrigating crops requires an extensive network of channels, dams and canals.
21:12These creatures occasionally create unexpected opportunities for animals.
21:24In Gujarat in the west of India, snakes are on the move.
21:31These are chequered keelbacks, and they have a particular destination in mind.
21:47This drainage channel might not look like much, but it will soon be full of fish.
22:00And the snakes seem to know it.
22:14Fish travelling upstream to reach reservoirs must pass through a narrow gap.
22:28There, the snakes await them.
22:38But the only thing they seem to be actually catching is each other.
22:48They don't have long to get their eye in.
22:56The fish are only here for a few days each year, when water levels are at their peak.
23:07And now, there is competition.
23:35That is just showing off.
23:56Jackpot.
24:02Finally, the snakes have caught on.
24:04The knights have caught on the�.
24:11The点!
24:15The Queen and the commander.
24:15And now, they're getting ambitious.
24:21Going for even bigger fish.
24:28but be careful
24:30what you wish for
24:44such a stir
24:46from one
24:47simple structure
24:54human developments
24:55inevitably affect the landscape
24:59and here in Asia
25:01that influence has become
25:02major and extensive
25:09across the continent
25:11people are building
25:12in all directions
25:13faster than anywhere else on earth
25:19in just a few decades
25:21Singapore has become
25:22totally urban
25:28and it's still expanding
25:37today
25:38two-thirds of the world's
25:40mega cities
25:41are in Asia
25:48and some have spread
25:50so far
25:51that they've merged
25:52with one another
25:55in Japan
25:57Tokyo has joined
25:59with nearby Yokohama
26:00and created the planet's
26:02largest built-up area
26:05this is what is now known as
26:07a megalopolis
26:1127 million people
26:13have their homes here
26:1537 million people have their homes here
26:39Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
26:43Here, an animal normally found in forests
26:47now lives surrounded by the glass and concrete of a modern school.
27:00On the fifth floor, inside the library, he's built a nest.
27:07Between a window and its shutters.
27:13It's quiet, warm and far from predators.
27:17A great place for the squirrel to sleep through the day.
27:25But when he wakes up, he has a problem.
27:32Here, there is very little food.
27:37To get to a tree where there might be some,
27:40he must travel from one building to another.
27:46And that is dangerous.
27:57But this is no ordinary squirrel.
28:05He has a superpower.
28:11He can fly.
28:37He has skin stretching between his limbs
28:40that enables him to glide for 150 meters or so.
28:51But to reach his destination will be difficult.
28:57Each takeoff must be from as high as possible.
29:05Because with every glide, he inevitably loses height.
29:12And travelling over the ground is very dangerous indeed.
29:37At last, the trees are in sight.
29:40At last, the trees are in sight.
29:46Just one more busy road to cross, and he'll be there.
29:51Just one more busy road to cross, and he'll be there.
30:13Finally, a meal.
30:25Another Taipei resident manages to find all it needs
30:29without having to commute.
30:38The rhinoceros beetle.
30:41Emerging in a city garden.
30:42Emerging in a city garden.
30:54Males have only one thing on their mind.
31:01Sex in the city.
31:12This may seem an unlikely place to find a mate.
31:21But there's something here
31:23that all rhinoceros beetles find irresistible.
31:37Ash trees.
31:43Lots of females are already here, feeding on the sweet sap.
31:54This male approaches them cautiously.
31:58But he's not the first to arrive.
32:05And some have much bigger horns.
32:09And some have much bigger horns.
32:11And some have much bigger horns.
32:35Down, but not out.
32:39Rhinoceros beetles don't give up easily.
32:43But these ash trees have been planted closer together
32:47than they usually grow in the wild.
32:51Which is why there are so many rhinoceros beetles here.
32:58And more males means more battles.
33:26With such a small horn, the odds of winning are low.
33:33Sometimes you have to rely on stealth.
33:39Waiting for the other males to start fighting.
33:43And then sneaking past.
33:52Finally, a female.
34:10Rhinoceros beetles are one of a select group of animals
34:14able to thrive in Asian cities.
34:21Bangkok, the capital of Thailand,
34:24has a population of 10 million people.
34:31Only 250 years ago, this was all wetlands.
34:38And between the skyscrapers, remnants of that past remain.
34:48This is Lumpini Park.
34:50And here, swamp dwellers still survive.
35:21An Asian water monitor.
35:26This young female is one of the smallest in the park.
35:31So her life here isn't easy.
35:42Males dominate.
35:47Some are over two meters long.
35:58And all are expert at fishing.
36:06There are 300 or so living here.
36:08As dense a population of big lizards as you can find anywhere.
36:14So competition is fierce.
36:21This small female will need to be bold if she's to get her fair share.
36:30A cat as big as this attracts a crowd.
36:37Their folk tongues enable them to detect a scent from half a mile away.
36:44And soon, many huge males arrive.
37:00The female is undaunted.
37:03The female is undaunted.
37:10Despite her small size, she barges straight in.
37:20But as more males gather, they squabble.
37:24But as more males gather, they squabble.
37:32But as more males gather, they squabble.
37:35Her chances don't look good.
37:37The female is undaunted.
37:39The female is undaunted.
37:53It's not the only one here.
37:56The female is undaunted.
37:58The female is undaunted.
38:01The female is undaunted.
38:06Such as stealing.
38:20This female now has her very own fish head.
38:26And she's not giving it up.
38:36There's so much food here that these lizards are thriving.
38:46And seemingly finding little difficulty in living alongside humans.
38:57That is not a common ability.
39:06Most animals need a more natural world.
39:10And that is diminishing as a consequence of our ever increasing numbers.
39:20In Borneo, in just 50 years, the human population has tripled,
39:26whilst the size of its forest has halved.
39:35And one of the island's inhabitants, which lives nowhere else,
39:39has very special requirements.
39:50Proboscis monkeys.
39:59Their favourite food are the leaves of a particular species of mangrove.
40:07The youngest leaves are the most nutritious,
40:10so the monkeys are constantly on the move looking for fresh growth.
40:20As the forest shrinks, these trees are becoming more difficult to find.
40:32Now, their search for food is bringing the monkeys into the human world.
40:41That lies on the other side of a hundred-metre-wide river.
40:49These pipes are the only bridge across it for miles.
41:01But the monkeys don't use it.
41:04Let's play another live motion.
41:04A bit of spit perent manger for monsters.
41:04Shhh.
41:07What!
41:19Oh!
41:22Shh!
41:23What!!
41:29What?!
41:31An Downingworks deliver to the значит of the ancient sav FM.
41:32Get bit out of a duel!
41:32Healler has now come Wasser achieveviazze o scenic parallel.
41:32I've got quite a few shoes.
41:33Shhh.
41:43They can swim.
41:53The baby struggles to keep its head above water.
42:16Made it.
42:20But their journey is far from over.
42:30And now they are in human territory.
42:36To reach the trees they're seeking, the troop must cross the outskirts of the city.
42:52And that brings them closer to people.
43:17At last, on the edge of the city, their favorite leaves.
43:24The dangerous journey has paid off.
43:43But a tiny, isolated patch of mancoves like this won't sustain them for long.
43:58If they are to survive, they will soon have to find another patch somewhere.
44:11Like so many animals from the wilderness, these monkeys face an uncertain future.
44:23But there is, however, one species that has become increasingly dependent on our towns and cities.
44:35These swifts have just traveled over 3,000 miles from Sub-Saharan Africa to Jerusalem in the far west of
44:44Asia.
44:53In the heart of this ancient city, they nest in walls that have stood here for 2,000 years.
45:11The western wall.
45:18The western wall.
45:31The cracks between the stones are just the sort of nest sites that shrifts like.
45:45Across the Middle East, these birds rely on human structures.
46:01And if they can, they return to the same nest site each year.
46:07This one is waiting for its partner to arrive.
46:19They pair for life, but only come together for the short breeding season.
46:34After nine months apart, they are united once again.
46:42This couple are among the lucky ones.
46:47They have a chance of raising a family this year.
46:52But some will never find a home.
46:56The urban world on which they have relied is changing.
47:05Old buildings are being replaced by cliffs of glass and steel.
47:14There are no nooks and crannies here.
47:19With fewer places to nest, swift populations the world over are in decline.
47:38But every pair that breed successfully brings hope for the species.
47:47In this nest, good news.
47:50The parents are now raising two chicks.
48:00Growing youngsters need feeding every hour.
48:08Swift do everything on the wing.
48:11From catching thousands of insects to collecting water.
48:16A task which requires very precise aerial maneuvers.
48:40The
48:51In a few weeks, these chicks will also take to the skies.
49:06They may then remain in the air continuously for three years until they're mature enough
49:13to return and breed themselves.
49:18But as historic cities are transformed by modern structures, the birds will face an
49:24even greater challenge.
49:35We shall surely leave enough space for those few creatures in the world who still choose
49:41to live alongside us.
50:11Filming animals living alongside people took the Asia team into new territories.
50:20Whilst most wildlife filmmakers work in the wilderness, they found themselves in the busiest
50:30and most built up parts of the continent.
50:39The challenges of filming animals in human habitats don't come much bigger than they did in Sri Lanka.
50:51With elephants on a busy road, the priority is to keep everybody safe.
50:58We did a recce yesterday with Sam, our incredibly experienced guide.
51:05And he's identified two elephants that are quite aggressive.
51:10And just from that drive-by, it's fairly evident that they're quite aggressive.
51:16That Tusker's body language was completely different.
51:19He felt stressed being on the road and I felt stressed being around him, just completely unpredictable.
51:31Interactions between people and elephants can quickly escalate.
51:40In Sri Lanka, conflicts frequently result in fatalities on both sides.
51:51The rangers patrol these roads and use firecrackers to scare the more aggressive elephants away.
52:05But not all the bulls here are the same.
52:10The rangers introduce the crew to one whose calm nature makes him safer to film.
52:18Oh, dude, perfect.
52:20That was great.
52:21That was an awesome shot.
52:24That was an awesome shot.
52:26Roger.
52:30He's got a very different temperament to all the other elephants we've seen.
52:34He's the calmest out of all of them and the most confident.
52:41Justine has 30 years of experience filming elephants all over the world, but she's never met an elephant quite like
52:48Roger.
52:51Today, he's decided to stand right next to the vehicle in a shady spot, which is a bit tricky.
52:58I don't know where to put the camera.
53:01It's proving difficult to get him to keep his distance.
53:06There's no food.
53:08No food, Roger.
53:09We don't have anything.
53:11Look, nothing.
53:15Usually, filming the close-ups is the hardest part.
53:21But here, it's the wide shots that are tough.
53:27Whilst Justine works with Roger, Emma-Louise wants to capture the action from a different angle.
53:37From inside a bus.
53:40The challenge with filming on a bus is that it's always a completely different scenario.
53:46So, no two buses are the same.
53:48The interior is completely different.
53:51It's kind of getting a feel for how most buses are laid out.
53:58You have different conductors, different drivers.
54:01The elephants are on different sides of the road.
54:03So, no matter how well you think you've planned for the camera moves you want to do,
54:08it's never the way you planned.
54:12We're not allowed to direct or instruct the conductors or the driver at all.
54:17Because they're driving a public bus on a public highway.
54:20So, we can't ask them to do anything.
54:23Oh, wrong side. Okay.
54:31Meanwhile, Justine has enlisted help to get some much-needed distance from Roger.
54:37He's talking to Roger, basically saying,
54:40it's okay, we don't have anything, go back to where you were.
54:44Roger seems to look at him.
54:48The way he speaks is just gentle.
54:52They seem to have a relationship, these two.
54:59Now, you see, he's turned around.
55:01He's going back to his patch.
55:04Thanks to the rangers' negotiating skills,
55:07Justine can get to work filming Roger at work.
55:16I mean, compared to all the other elephants,
55:19he is the utter master of road scavenging.
55:24He's a bit of a legend.
55:30After hours on the road,
55:32the bus team feel like their plan will never come together.
55:36I think we've been on about 38 buses now in total.
55:40Maybe 40.
55:42You need the perfect position of the elephant.
55:44You need the perfect position of the driver.
55:46All the stars just have to align.
55:50Ah, this is a good bus for that shot.
55:59Finally, persistence pays off.
56:07I love it when a plan comes together.
56:09I think that's awesome.
56:12That's really good, nice.
56:14You want to see?
56:19In Sri Lanka, elephants and humans overlap more than anywhere else on Earth.
56:24And so there will be challenges.
56:29The human-wildlife conflict or coexistence is a tricky one here.
56:35Like it is everywhere.
56:37Fighting over resources.
56:40But here, the relationship is one of tolerance.
56:46An attitude which the Asia team witnessed many times
56:50whilst filming across this spectacular continent.
57:26But nothing during the last sixregion zone in training...
57:28I think that's lucky in northern trends...
57:28I think that everything exists inside.
57:28Not alone I think it's a big problem there.
57:29It's like over a seven people...
57:29No, it's a big problem.
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