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AnimalsTranscript
00:00Oh
00:39In the heart of Asia lie vast, arid lands.
00:47They stretch from Arabia in the west to eastern China.
00:57These deserts and dry grasslands are so hostile they push life to the limit.
01:20The Gobi Desert in Mongolia.
01:27A punishing land.
01:36Half a million square miles of emptiness.
01:46Yet, it is home to one of the rarest animals on earth.
01:55The Gobi Bear.
02:00Fewer than 40 are known to exist.
02:07They are so rarely seen they were thought to be a myth.
02:18Life here in the arid heart of Asia has turned them into one of the toughest animals on earth.
02:55This is one of the biggest things that we've faced.
02:57last remaining Gobi bears, fewer than ten of which are female.
03:08They are clinging to existence.
03:17In Mongolian, Gobi means waterless place,
03:24and therein lies the bear's greatest challenge.
03:30Sources of water may be a hundred miles apart.
03:40They face a gruelling trek across the desert.
03:52Theirs is a solitary life.
03:59But there is a place where they go to connect with each other.
04:08These are ancient poplar trees.
04:15They use their extremely long roots to collect water from beneath the desert floor.
04:25There is nothing here for the bears to drink.
04:31But these trees are still important to them.
04:41As they rub, they leave behind a unique scent.
04:46A message to other bears to say they've been here.
05:04But with so few left, it may be months before somebody comes by.
05:19This could be the closest they ever come to meeting another bear.
05:42In the search for water, the bears follow well-trodden paths across this vast desert.
05:54And this is why.
05:59An oasis.
06:02A freshwater spring fed from deep underground.
06:17At last, a drink.
06:25And a refreshing dip.
06:40The oasis are a lifeline for the bears.
06:45Particularly for those that are extremely precious.
06:54The goby bear cub.
07:04The future of these bears rests on just a few individuals.
07:15But this young one is a symbol of hope for the goby bear.
07:32To escape the heat of the day, most animals in the goby emerge at night.
07:43But they don't all go on long treks across the desert to find water.
07:51In fact, some don't drink at all.
08:05A long-eared Jerboa.
08:11This curious creature looks like a mixture of other species.
08:17It has a tail shaped like that of a lion.
08:24Ears like those of a rabbit.
08:28The snout of a pig.
08:32And the legs of a kangaroo.
08:39But those are features that make it the goby's most deadly hunter.
08:50A beetle.
08:52With a subtle scent.
09:11It's a good start, but it will need more.
09:15Not to satisfy its hunger, but its thirst.
09:20That is because long-eared Jerboas get all the water they need from what they eat.
09:34A juicy grasshopper.
09:40To track it down, it uses another sense.
09:49No other animal has longer ears relative to its body length.
09:57With hearing so acute, even the slightest twitch will give the grasshopper away.
10:21Don't move now.
10:41For a little Jerboa, all this action is tiring.
10:51But it's summer, and the nights are short.
10:59Jerboas must work fast to get all the food they need.
11:07A moth.
11:10Catching it in near total darkness will require all the Jerboa's skills.
11:32Nearly.
11:38One last big jump should do it.
12:04That's plenty to eat and drink.
12:10Jerboa's must get back to their burrows before dawn brings the scorching heat of the day.
12:32The Gobi Desert is one of the most oppressive places on our planet.
12:40And west of here, in China, lies the Taklamakan.
12:46So hostile, it's been called the Sea of Death.
12:58But on the southern edge of Asia's arid heart, lies a desert that is full of life.
13:10The Tar in India, the most densely populated desert on earth.
13:26Home to 20 million people.
13:32Surprisingly, it is also filled with wildlife.
13:45In the village of Kichan, they have migrated thousands of miles to get here, from their breeding grounds in the
13:52north.
13:57In the village of Kichan, the local Jain community have a spiritual connection with animals.
14:12Jainism teaches that the path to enlightenment is through caring for all living things.
14:22So they welcome the cranes with open arms.
14:32Every day, the local people put out one tonne of grain.
14:48This act of kindness has created one of the greatest bird spectacles on earth.
15:0930,000 cranes fill this little desert settlement with life.
15:27The villagers of Kichan have become their guardians.
15:38This was once no more than a stopover on the crane's migratory route.
15:45Now, they spend their entire winter here.
15:56These deserts offer little for the people that live in them.
16:01So for them to give so much to the cranes is astonishingly generous.
16:21On the edge of the tar desert lies a parched scrub forest.
16:29It provides quiet sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle that surrounds it.
16:37This is the last refuge of a very special big cat.
16:49The Asiatic lion.
16:53They were once found from here to the Middle East.
17:03But now, this small corner of India is the last place on earth where they exist.
17:14It's the last place on earth.
17:15Like their African cousins, they live in pride.
17:20Though theirs are somewhat smaller.
17:29The cubs have a lot to learn if they are to survive here.
17:37They still rely on their mother's milk.
17:40But it is drying up.
17:44And the adults haven't made a kill for over a week.
17:54The baking heat has stripped the trees of their cover.
18:00The cubs have been eating.
18:02Making hunting particularly tough.
18:06The cubs have been eating.
18:16The cubs have been eating.
18:19meal.
18:25It's time for the cubs to learn how to hunt.
18:43With the forest so dry,
18:45she can't afford to put a foot wrong.
19:12Just a bit too keen.
19:32The next lesson for the cubs is to always keep your eyes and ears open.
19:42The calls of a hungry crow are worth tracing.
20:02The leopard is no match for a pride of hungry lions.
20:06Oh!
20:14Oh!
20:15Oh!
20:20Oh!
20:21Oh!
20:50Oh!
21:00To the west of India lie some of the most inhospitable deserts on the planet.
21:13The Lut Desert in Iran.
21:17The hottest place on the Earth's surface.
21:24A blistering 80 degrees Celsius.
21:33Sustaining life in this otherworldly place is all but impossible.
21:49South of Iran, in Arabia, lies a vast sea of dunes.
21:59The Roub al-Qali, or empty quarter.
22:05This is the largest expanse of sand in the world.
22:10Extending over an area greater than the size of France.
22:17This desolate land is entirely shaped by wind.
22:26But the shifting sands help to create life beyond the borders of this desert.
22:36Sand from the Roub al-Qali is blown into the shallow seas of the Persian Gulf.
22:45Where it creates desert islands.
22:54Seemingly lifeless, this island is host to an extraordinary gathering.
23:0760,000 Socotra cormorants.
23:19They have come here to raise a family out of the reach of predators.
23:48Just over a week old, this chick is constantly hungry.
23:55Both parents take turns to fetch food for it.
24:16The Persian Gulf is fertilised by nutrients that accompany the wind-blown sand.
24:23And turns its waters into a rich fishing ground.
24:38But raising chicks in the desert is not easy.
24:45They must be protected from the searing heat.
24:54Yet, the desert isn't their biggest threat.
24:57There is danger within.
25:03Gangs of juveniles.
25:10Cormorants feed their young as frequently as possible until they reach adult weight.
25:17And then abandon them.
25:19And then abandon them.
25:24This creates mobs of starving juveniles.
25:28This creates mobs of starving juveniles.
25:38Their parents return with fish for their chicks.
25:44But the juveniles have other ideas.
25:53They mug the adults for their catch.
26:08When parents are unable to get back to the nest with food, their partners face a dilemma.
26:18Stay and their chicks may starve.
26:22Or go to find food and leave them exposed to danger.
26:29The gang is still ravenous.
26:35Their hunger drives them to become cannibals.
26:44Their hunger drives them to become cannibals.
27:05Without food, chicks get weaker and weaker.
27:17Parents have no choice but to leave.
27:26All alone, but calling for its parents may be a very bad idea.
28:17All alone, but calling for its parents may be a very bad idea.
28:30Saved just in the nick of time.
28:43And food finally arrives.
29:12As the chicks grow, they will eventually be abandoned by their parents.
29:18So they, too, may have no choice but to become cannibals.
29:32Many of Asia's deserts have existed for millions of years.
29:39But here also lies the youngest desert on Earth.
29:46On the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan lies the Aral Khum.
30:02Shipwrecks in the desert are evidence of what this used to be.
30:16Until recently, the Aral Khum was the Aral Sea, the fourth largest lake in the world.
30:28But in the 1960s, the river that fed this inland sea was dammed upstream to irrigate cotton fields.
30:42Sand that once lay on the sea floor now gets whipped up to form towering sandstorms.
31:04These storms can travel eastwards across Asia.
31:16Each spring, they overwhelm whole cities.
31:32Covering them in a choking blanket of dust.
31:41In China, these devastating storms are known as yellow dragons.
31:59As the world warms, so Asia's deserts are expanding.
32:08They are spreading into another great arid land.
32:12They are spreading into another great arid land.
32:20The Eurasian steppe.
32:23The largest grassland on Earth.
32:30It stretches from Hungary in the west.
32:35To China in the east.
32:40One fifth of the way around the world.
32:48The steppe is semi-arid.
32:51The steppe is semi-arid.
32:52Getting just enough rainfall for short grass to grow, but not enough to sustain tall grass or trees.
33:02So here on the plains of Mongolia, there are very few hiding places.
33:12A problem that this hungry palace's cat needs to solve.
33:23There are plenty of tiny rodents here.
33:32The problem is getting close enough to catch them.
33:52No easy task on an open plain.
33:57But she has a way of dealing with that.
34:03Time for a game of grandmother's footsteps.
34:13When her prey looks up, she freezes.
34:23When it looks away, she sneaks closer.
34:49Once within striking distance...
34:57She performs her greatest trick.
35:05Her waggling tail seems to mesmerize her prey.
35:32It doesn't come without a fight.
35:42She will need to do this dozens of times a day.
35:51Because she has five kittens to care for.
35:58They're barely two months old and have boundless energy.
36:21With the meal delivered, she tries to get some rest.
36:36But it's not long before she's off hunting again.
36:49The mother's work is never done.
37:00The arrival of winter transforms the steppe.
37:05It's not long before she's off hunting again.
37:06Temperatures fall to minus 40.
37:08And it's now stripped of grass.
37:17Mongolian gazelles are the great nomads of these plains.
37:23Their ancient annual migration takes them south in search of food.
37:33Most of these hardy creatures will survive the winter.
37:40As long as their migration isn't stopped.
38:01This train is part of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
38:09An immense line over 1,000 miles long.
38:16Connecting Russia to China.
38:23Splitting this great grassland in two.
38:36The railway is fenced on both sides by razor-sharp barbed wire.
38:46It's there to keep livestock off the tracks.
38:53But to keep moving south, gazelles must risk their lives and get through these fences.
39:00That's pretty much the end.
39:16It's time for life and to save time.
39:19And I hope it's time for life.
39:19From the side and the side,
39:25it's time for days.
39:25But here it's time for days.
39:33I don't know.
40:13I don't know.
40:28For those caught between the two fences, there is yet more danger.
40:49A feral dog patrolling the tracks in search of prey.
41:04A feral dog patrolling the tracks in search of prey.
41:25A feral dog patrolling the tracks in search of prey.
41:58The fence seals the gazelle's fate.
42:08For those which escape, the migration continues.
42:17But for many others, it ends here.
42:38Of all the large animals that live in this arid grassland,
42:42perhaps the most well-adapted are the horses.
42:47In the 13th century, Genghis Khan conquered most of Asia on horseback.
42:56But there is one kind of horse he never tamed.
43:08These are Taki.
43:13The last truly wild horses on Earth.
43:28They live in small family groups.
43:35It's springtime here in Mongolia, and there are new foals to care for.
43:50Grooming reinforces their family bonds.
43:56And they will come to rely on the strength of these bonds for their survival.
44:04As the sun begins to set, the atmosphere changes.
44:11The horses are on high alert.
44:35Wolves roam these wild lands.
44:46In the blackness of night, a wolf has the upper hand.
45:07In the blackness of night, a wolf has the upper hand.
45:16The mares keep their precious foals close.
45:27It's they that the wolf is after.
45:59It's called a horse.
46:00It's a horse.
46:00This is another horse.
46:16With the element of surprise gone, a lone wolf will not be able to make a kill.
46:28So, it summons reinforcements.
46:49The pack aims to cause panic and grab a foal in the confusion.
47:11The wolves close in, but the horses fight back.
47:47The foe is safe for tonight.
48:24Life in the arid heart of Asia demands extraordinary resilience.
48:34And the animals that live here are among Asia's great survivors.
49:03The Asia team are heading to one of the remotest places on the planet.
49:08To film the world's rarest bear.
49:23Helping in their search is goby bear specialist Dr. Odko Tumendembarel.
49:30I'm a biologist and I've been working on goby bears over 15 years.
49:36I love goby bears because they are very unique animals.
49:40It's just amazing that they can live here, surviving in this desert.
49:49Odko's knowledge and experience will be vital if the crew are to succeed.
49:57Three days and a thousand miles of driving later, they arrive at base camp.
50:06To stand any chance of filming one of the most elusive animals on earth,
50:12cameraman Joe Reese needs to set up remotely triggered cameras.
50:21Mongolian biologist Nasser helps him find the right spots.
50:26Looks like a bear print right there.
50:30With positive signs of bears, Joe can get to work setting up the cameras.
50:39Beautiful, beautiful.
50:44Once Joe and Nasser are out rigging the cameras, Odko is busy with her work.
50:52She wants to understand how the bear population has changed since it was last measured in 2017.
51:00The last estimate was 32 individuals.
51:03Since it's a very small population, we need to find a way to increase population size.
51:10Whether Odko discovers an increase or decrease in bear numbers will help decide the conservation strategy.
51:18We need to understand how many there are and then find a way to protect these few bears.
51:27To determine the size of the bear population, Odko needs their DNA.
51:33She gets it at these feeders.
51:39To help the bears survive the leaner months, the National Park puts out extra food.
51:46When the bears visit, they inevitably leave a hair sample behind.
51:53Using this method, Odko has met virtually every surviving Gobi bear through their DNA.
52:05With the last camera trap in place, it's now a waiting game for Joe.
52:10Looks nice.
52:12Not just a few weeks, but months.
52:20When Joe returns, he has no idea if a bear has been filmed.
52:29No bears.
52:33Nothing.
52:36No bears.
52:37The lack of bears is concerning for Joe, but also for those like Odko who are trying to save them.
52:46I'm worried.
52:48We may not have enough time, but we can try our best to consider what we have here now.
52:57And today, the need to protect the bears has never been more critical.
53:03Even here, in this remote part of the planet, there are threats.
53:12In the last 70 years, average temperatures in Mongolia have increased by more than 2 degrees Celsius,
53:21leading to severe droughts, and vast mineral wealth under the Gobi leads to mining,
53:40which is a real threat to an animal that relies on space and solitude.
53:53Knowing the threats facing the bears, the team decide to leave the area undisturbed for longer.
54:09Oh look, the camera's been moved.
54:11I messed with that camera too.
54:14And that one.
54:15All three of them.
54:19There's definitely a bear here.
54:22Scoby bear hair right there.
54:24And this is from its teeth.
54:30Check this out.
54:38Not quite the footage Joe's after, but at least he's getting closer.
54:44I was hoping for a nice couple shots of Gobi bears.
54:49What we got is a messed up canvas instead.
54:53He keeps checking the cameras in the hope the bears have left some alone.
55:00Here comes a bear.
55:04Yes!
55:07Success at last.
55:10The bear comes in the water pool right here.
55:15It's amazing.
55:17It's three years of work for me.
55:20Right here.
55:28And the news just keeps on getting better.
55:33Joe can't wait to share the most exciting piece of footage with the team.
55:48So when was the last time you saw a cog?
55:54In 2015.
55:55Wow, seven years.
55:56It's interesting.
56:01The team's success is reflected in ODCO's study.
56:08Early indications suggest the bear population is stable.
56:16But with numbers still in the 30s, the survival of the Gobi bear is resting on a knife edge.
56:25It's very hard to achieve a successful recovery, but we have to keep going.
56:33And I truly hope that we can increase the Gobi bear population.
56:41The cub, filmed by the team, is a glimmer of hope.
56:50And ODCO's research will bring some much needed attention to the plight of the world's rarest bear.
56:58The chronological of the world's rarest bear.
57:09Theh.
57:18Theh.
57:21Theh.
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