- 2 days ago
The, ultimate sanctuary for the world's last remaining wild Asiatic lions. The documentary highlights the conservation triumphs that protect these majestic big cats.
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AnimalsTranscript
00:09India a vibrant bustling world home to over a billion people but if you know
00:17where to look the most spectacular wildlife ancient cultures and extreme landscapes can be found
00:36I'm Liz Bonin I'm here to explore India's spectacular wildlife in one of the most
00:43biodiverse places on earth I've spent years studying wildlife but every time I return to India
00:50I discover something new I completely underestimated how extraordinary and eye-opening this is going to
01:01be actor Frida Pinto was born here she wants to share the remarkable bond between India's people
01:10and the natural world you always see that there is a connection between man and animal and from the
01:22highest peaks on earth mountaineer John Gupta explores India's most extreme landscapes my passion is
01:31mountains and there is nowhere in the world like the Himalayas we're traveling the length and
01:43breadth of this subcontinent to reveal the hidden wonders of India's natural world these are
02:15so India is a place that's captivated me ever since my first visit and I suppose it's made all the
02:23more special because I have a family connection my great-grandparents came from India and every time I
02:29return I know I'm going to discover something new that will stay with me for the rest of my life
02:34I
02:36want to start this journey with one of India's biggest surprises it comes in the form of one of
02:42this country's most iconic animals the big cats India may be known as the land of the tiger but up
02:54until 1970
02:55another big cat was the national animal of this country the lion India is home to the world's last
03:02Asiatic Lions a rare subspecies that once ranged from here to the Mediterranean I've tracked tigers
03:12across India but I've never seen an Asiatic lion this is the only place I have the chance to do
03:18so this is
03:20the home of India's last remaining Asiatic lions the gear forest a national park that's 580 square miles
03:30of broadleaf scrub in the northwest of the country at one time there were said to be as few as
03:3912 lions
03:40left park director dr. Sandeep Kumar and his team have worked tirelessly to ensure that the number is now
03:48over 500 and rising after two hours on the road I get my first sight two young males soaking up
04:06the
04:06early morning Sun look at that look at that oh they are just beautiful so immediately you can see two
04:20of the main features that differentiate the Asiatic to the African lion the the belly fold yeah and the
04:27main is much shorter isn't it and it doesn't surround the face in the same way yeah the belly fold
04:33is one of
04:34the best ways to identify Asiatic lions it serves no purpose but is a trait that was retained in those
04:43lions that traveled here from Africa at three to four years old these males are not quite adult yet they've
04:52only recently left their mother and they must now display their own strength and independence
05:05what are they doing they are telling now if there is anybody want to challenge me please come yeah
05:30basically they will not compete with each other both you know both of them will try to fight with
05:37the other pairs of the another lion African lions can form coalitions like this to working together to
05:49protect their territory and the prides they can associate with for several years but these two will never
05:56live with a pride for Asiatic males it's all about protecting territory but what about the females
06:08if we can find them we might even see cubs in Africa they would be in prides up to 30
06:15strong they
06:17have to be to take down large prey like wildebeest but here we're looking for a smaller group since
06:23their prey is usually smaller now you can see that there is you know the cubs and then a lioness
06:29we're just in front of this tree yeah oh wow how old are the cubs they are just four months
06:36old
06:38this is typical of lions in India a couple of females with a few cubs
06:48the one the cub in the middle is passed out he is not budging these two are you know the
06:53male okay
06:54the two wait awake ones the sleeping one you know is a female basically male cubs you know they will
06:59keep on behaving like a smart guy on you know moving here and they're active yeah more active yeah yeah
07:04they're more foolish probably I now understand what you mean about Asiatic females these lionesses are
07:16incredibly muscular and powerful and so it's all about how they have to hunt their prey in this dense
07:27forested habitat the females don't need to chase their prey any great distance they're built to take them
07:34down quickly not that these lines show any interest in anything more than keeping out of the Sun but in
07:44an
07:44instant everything changes and these remarkable hunters become opportunist ambush predators a large
07:53Indian antelope called anil guy has unwittingly strayed a little too close the females are on the alert
08:18the lions are using the terrain to their advantage creeping into a dry riverbed hoping to ambush the Nilgai
08:27the lions are using the terrain to their advantage creeping into a dry riverbed hoping to ambush the Nilgai
08:34this time the Nilgai escapes
08:47this has been a fascinating trip I wasn't sure I'd even see Asiatic lions let alone get close to them
08:56or witness
08:57them in action they are absolutely perfect such a privilege to get so close to these extremely rare animals
09:12with Sandeep and his team dedicated to helping them these lions once the symbol of India will continue to
09:19to have a home here
09:27Frida Pinto is almost 2,000 miles away heading to meet another animal you wouldn't necessarily expect to find in
09:35India
09:35and the people dedicated to protecting it
09:40in the far east of India the state of Assam holds another surprise
09:46I'm not here to see India's cheeky monkeys but another member of the primate family
09:52one of our closer relatives and India's only ape the hula gibbon
10:00I did not know apes actually existed in India
10:03but more people need to hear about these endangered animals because they have an enchanting skill
10:12every morning they sing
10:16their sanctuary is only eight square miles
10:19for just over a hundred gibbons it's a tiny semi evergreen forest island
10:25surrounded by the modern world tea plantations and towns
10:31I've come to meet Deben Bora a warden here
10:34he has dedicated his life to protecting this one small gibbon population
10:41How many years have you worked here?
10:43I was here in 1985
10:45and I was here in the reserve forest
10:48Deben has been here since 1985
10:51and he's been working in the forest right since that time so
10:54well no wonder he's our man, he's our expert
10:59I'm travelling with wildlife cameraman Sandesh Kadur
11:02he and Deben have collaborated to film these gibbons for years
11:07Sandesh's camera is the best way for me to get a close look at these gibbons
11:11as they live high in the canopy
11:21Gibbons are the only apes that sing
11:23every morning this forest comes alive with a complex range of calls
11:28Deben knows everyone
11:32what is the name of gibbons?
11:34The other group would reply from the group
11:36and say, we're here
11:37our area is here
11:38The other group would call us here
11:40their area is here
11:41our area is there
11:42in the tree tree
11:43sometimes it is as we can see a leopard
11:45that is awake
11:46a day
11:47there is clear
11:48actually
11:49the people's eyes are awake
11:51there is a short time
11:56and the tree tree tree
12:03Hulak Gibbons are monogamous.
12:06This is a family with a three-year-old.
12:09The babies are born pure white.
12:12They turn brown and dark into black if they are males like this one.
12:18Females stay golden brown,
12:20like his mother.
12:25What do Gibbons look like?
12:28Why do you work with Gibbons?
12:30They become friends.
12:33They live in a family.
12:36They are like this.
12:41They keep their children from their love.
12:44That's why I like it.
12:46But do you recognize Gibbons?
12:48Yes, I do.
12:49And the Gibbons also recognize him.
12:52He's part of the family.
12:54Before the Gibbons sing, they have breakfast,
12:58feeding off the fruits at the top of the trees.
13:02When this family notice us, they swing over.
13:07They may regard Gibbon as one of the family,
13:11but they'd still like us to give them space.
13:15Oh, it did poop on you.
13:18He's actually going to be kidding.
13:27Don't be grossed out.
13:29This is Gibbons.
13:30And guess what?
13:31It's all vegetarian.
13:32It's only fruit.
13:34Hulocks spend their lives up to 100 feet high in the canopy.
13:38They have specially adapted joints for gripping and swinging.
13:45They are the fastest non-flying animals in the forest.
13:48They can move through the trees at 35 miles per hour.
13:53So when they set off to find other fruit trees,
13:56it's a struggle just to keep up.
13:58We're following the Gibbons now.
14:00They're taking us for a little bit of a walk.
14:03They're really making us work very hard for the singing.
14:19Across the northeast, forests have made way for homes,
14:23industry and roads.
14:25The number of Gibbons has fallen to 2,600.
14:29But Debbins Forest has been protected for over 100 years.
14:32In 1997, it became the only sanctuary named after Gibbons.
14:39It's the mother who's easiest to spot.
14:45It just needs one family to start singing,
14:48and the others will all join in.
14:53Deben and I decide to try and get them going.
15:06Are Gibbons choose to ignore us.
15:12Just a few minutes later,
15:15something quite extraordinary happens.
15:35The forest starts to fall with the sound of the other Gibbons
15:38and families singing.
15:47It's a crescendo.
16:05Locals call this the singing forest.
16:08It's thanks to Deben and his colleagues
16:11that India continues to hear the songs of her only ape.
16:22A thousand miles to the northwest,
16:24it's like being in another world.
16:27I'm in the middle of a collision of continents.
16:30This is where the Indian subcontinent
16:32crashed into Asia 40 million years ago,
16:36pushing the seabed up.
16:39It's the world's biggest crumple zone.
16:43The Himalayas.
16:51I'm 4,000 metres up in the air,
16:53and these are just the foothills.
16:58When I climbed Everest,
16:59I was almost 9,000 metres above the sea.
17:06This range is the roof of the world,
17:09and its winds and waters touch every part
17:12of the Indian subcontinent.
17:14It is the youngest and the highest mountain range
17:17in the entire world.
17:20I've climbed the Himalayas many times in Nepal.
17:24But I've never visited the Indian side.
17:28There's a reason I needed to come here.
17:31My grandfather was born in Shimla,
17:34a town further along the Himalayas.
17:36For me to finally be here,
17:38seeing what he would have seen growing up as a child,
17:40is really special to me.
17:43So for my first visit to India,
17:45I want to see how these mountains have a dramatic effect
17:48on its natural wonders,
17:50and shape life across the whole subcontinent.
17:57The word Himalaya means the abode of snow.
18:01It's a good name.
18:03These mountains bestow a precious gift upon India.
18:07Water.
18:13This is the source of fresh water
18:16for a fifth of the entire population of the world.
18:2215,000 glaciers feed five of the largest rivers in Asia.
18:29For millions of Indians, one stands above all others.
18:33Over there is Chukumba, which means four pillars.
18:37It lies at the head of the Gangotri Glacier,
18:40which feeds the River Ganges.
18:44If the mountains are the driving force of India,
18:47the Ganges is its engine.
18:51The River Ganges originates in the highest mountain range on Earth
18:55and ends in the world's largest river delta,
19:00at the Bay of Bengal.
19:04Almost half a billion people depend on its life-giving waters,
19:07and countless species of animals would perish without it.
19:13No wonder Hindus worship the river.
19:19Millions flock to holy places all along her banks.
19:23Varanasi is considered the most sacred.
19:34This holy river has its humble origins in the countless tiny streams
19:39formed by the melting snow and ice of the Himalayas.
19:47But as the streams grow, the power of the water begins to exert itself.
19:58This is truly a force of nature.
20:02I just sat here and I'm getting buffeted by the wind and absolutely drenched.
20:08The waters cut paths through the Himalayan rock, shaping this landscape.
20:15But these waters do not yet carry the name Ganges.
20:20Each time one river joins another, it's marked as a holy place.
20:25These sacred confluences are called Prayags.
20:31The most important of all is here.
20:40This place is called Dev Prayag and it means God's Confluence.
20:44These two rivers, either side of me, coming together just here
20:48to start the beginning of the river Ganges.
20:53It is a lifelong ambition of every Hindu to bathe in the Ganges.
20:59The water here is holy and people come from all around the country to swim here
21:04to purify their soul and get rid of their sins.
21:09So I think I should give it a go too.
21:23It's pretty chilly, but it's actually incredibly refreshing and it feels wonderful.
21:32This is how Indians prepare for a journey, by washing.
21:43For Hindus, the Ganges connects India's past and present.
21:52It's a place where they can pay homage to their ancestors.
21:58Many people scatter the ashes of relatives in the river.
22:02Others make offerings of petals as a mark of gratitude.
22:12But the Himalayas aren't India's only mountains.
22:16I'm travelling far to the south to India's other great range.
22:21The Western Ghats.
22:25These lower forested hills stretch from Mumbai all the way south.
22:30They peak at just under 2,700 metres above sea level,
22:35but they're one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
22:41India is well known for its tea.
22:45Assam and Darjeeling are household names.
22:50It produces over a million tonnes of it a year.
22:54A quarter of all Indian tea grows here.
22:59Thousands work in the plantations that carpet these slopes.
23:05But this part of the Western Ghats is called the Anamali.
23:10It means elephant hills.
23:14For centuries, the forests here have provided a safe home to India's largest land animal.
23:22I've come here to discover what happens when one of India's iconic animals has to share this land with the
23:28demands of the tea industry.
23:31There's elephant droppings all over this road.
23:34Asian elephants are easily distinguished by their smaller ears, dented foreheads and the fact that only the males have tusks.
23:45The Western Ghats are home to the largest population of elephants in India, around 10,000.
23:52But as trees have made way for tea, so the forest has become fragmented.
23:58The elephants still need to get from one patch of forest to the next to find food.
24:04Which gives rise to one of India's unique sights.
24:08Something I've wanted to see from the moment I first heard about it.
24:14Elephants in the tea.
24:16I think there she is. I think that's here.
24:18Where, where, where, where, where?
24:19Look there to the left. The swamp is here.
24:21Swamp, yes.
24:22Is there there?
24:23No. Yes! Elephant!
24:27There she is.
24:29My guide is Ganesh Raghunathan.
24:32He's been working with the elephants here for three years.
24:36We need to approach this elephant carefully.
24:39She seems calm, but if we startle her, it could be very dangerous.
24:44We've been upwind of her.
24:47But the wind is just changing direction, so we've got to be really careful that
24:51once she figures out we're here, that she doesn't get stressed.
24:58Ah, she's a beauty.
25:01So the elephants don't destroy the tea plantations, do they?
25:04They don't feed on the tea.
25:05No, they don't feed on the tea.
25:06They walk along these paths.
25:07In fact, you look at these paths that are here.
25:10It's something that the elephants have worked on for a long time.
25:14Elephants have fixed travel routes to source food and water,
25:18using tracks established long before the tea plantations appeared.
25:26This is a landscape that these elephants have been moving through for hundreds of years.
25:31And they haven't changed their habits, they've sort of adapted to how the landscape has changed.
25:38The elephants do this every day, and wherever they appear, people keep a watchful eye.
25:46Their migration routes are so firmly established in a herd, passed on from the elder individuals to the youngest.
25:55It's not something that's going to change.
25:59Ganesh is part of a team tracking the movements of the elephants that live in several herds around the tea.
26:06The more they understand their behaviour, the more they can keep elephants and people apart.
26:13Is she the matriarch?
26:14Yes, she's the matriarch.
26:16How old is she?
26:17Definitely over 40 years of age.
26:19And how old is he then?
26:20He's about seven to ten years of age.
26:22And where, so where are the rest of the herd right now?
26:24They're about a kilometre and a half in this direction.
26:26Do they often separate?
26:28Yeah, they do that very often.
26:30Why, why is that?
26:32See, again, these are all fragments of forest, right?
26:34So this herd is about 23 in number.
26:36The place wouldn't be able to provide for all of them to courage in one place.
26:40So they break up, they go in different directions, but they regroup very soon as well.
26:44Right.
26:46Look, look, she's nudging them.
26:48Get into that forest!
26:54But I want to know what happens when elephants and people do meet.
26:59Thousands work here.
27:01If they know where the elephants are, they can stay out of their way.
27:06The problems are caused by unexpected encounters.
27:12A startled elephant can charge and attack.
27:16They've even killed people.
27:19This happened mostly after sundown.
27:22So people would walk back home from the bus stops, like a bus stop that we have here.
27:27And then they didn't have any clue about where these elephants were.
27:30And it was mostly a surprise encounter.
27:32And since 1994, we've had about 41 people who've lost their lives.
27:38But there's a determination to make cohabitation work.
27:43So Ganesh and an organisation called the Nature Conservation Foundation
27:47have devised an elephant warning system.
27:50It uses the mobile phone network to send group texts instantly to everyone that's signed up to the service.
27:58So that's a facility where you can send out one single text message to a large number of people.
28:04So right now I can send out about 1,500 messages to about 1,500 people in a span of
28:11one second or so.
28:12And just as vital is the up-to-the-minute information on elephant sightings they can send him every day.
28:20So how long has this system been up and running and have you noticed a difference in the fatalities?
28:24There used to be an average of about three people who used to lose their lives to elephants every year.
28:31And now I think that's dropped to about 1.5, which is half of it.
28:36When you started, did you anticipate it would be such a success?
28:41No.
28:41Really?
28:42No, we didn't anticipate anything since we started.
28:45Ganesh and the project he's working on are proof of how modern India is learning to live in harmony with
28:52its natural world.
28:55Elephants are complex and intelligent animals.
29:00Despite their size, they can be incredibly delicate and gentle.
29:09This is their home.
29:11And thanks to the passion of the people here, these hills can continue to carry the name of Elephant Hills.
29:23Not all elephant stories involve conflict.
29:27I've come to Kaziranga, 160 square miles of protected wilderness.
29:33The largest national park in Assam, for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
29:43One of the most wonderful things about Indian wildlife is that you never know when you're going to be surprised
29:48with something new.
29:49I just found out that a baby was born just a month ago, and I am going to see it
29:55right now.
29:57Elephants have been working animals in India for 4,000 years, hauling lumber and carrying heavy goods.
30:03In Kaziranga, they are used to help people to see the park.
30:08They're almost part of the family.
30:11One of Kaziranga's working mothers is willing to share her family with me.
30:17I'm accompanied once more by wildlife cameraman, Sundej Kadur.
30:21His knowledge will help me understand how best to approach the mother and her infant.
30:26Just let her come to you.
30:28The baby's name is Rupogi.
30:31Beautiful one.
30:36There, see, she's coming, the mother's coming, she knows you have bananas, so now you can probably feed her.
30:41Do I give her one?
30:41Yeah, give her one at a time.
30:43Okay.
30:43Go ahead.
30:44I'm trying to break them.
30:46Here you go, mommy.
30:50Just keep giving her one.
30:51Look, look.
30:52And she lifts her legs so she doesn't trample the...
30:55The baby.
30:56It's a good way to get the baby close to you.
30:58Nice.
31:00Can I come around me on my right?
31:02On your right?
31:03Yeah.
31:04Like this.
31:08The gestation period for a baby elephant is 18 to 22 months.
31:14The calf will actually be fully developed by the 19th month.
31:17But it needs to stay in the womb so it can grow tall enough to reach its mother to feed.
31:25They are dependent on their mother's milk for three to four years.
31:29Oh, we're working.
31:30They're ready to go to the water now.
31:36Elephants are not just part of work.
31:40They are also part of worship.
31:42All over India, you see evidence of how important they are.
31:48For Hindus, the god Ganesh has the head of an elephant.
31:54He's a symbol of strength and the remover of obstacles.
31:58You see his likeness everywhere.
32:01There's even one in my jeep.
32:06It's a constant reminder of just how important animals and the natural world are to the culture of India.
32:14To me, elephants are the best example of the ancient relationship with animals.
32:21This is why getting to meet this mother's precious newborn is so exciting.
32:27I know you want to come.
32:30Oh, that's what you want to do.
32:34A little break time.
32:36Time out.
32:36For the baby peeing.
32:37Yep.
32:38Time out.
32:39She needs a little pee.
32:40A little pee.
32:47Hi.
32:53I can only get this clothes because the mother has decided to trust her.
32:57And Rupohi is so young, her trunk can't hurt me.
33:01If only she'd take my hand.
33:17This is clearly one of the most beautiful mother-baby experiences I've ever had.
33:22This up close.
33:24To have the baby just trust you and to come and wrap its little trunk around you,
33:29you know that it's going to accept you as its playmate for a little while.
33:35In Kazuranga, the working elephants live almost like wild elephants.
33:39When they're not working, they're free to roam.
33:44It provides a wonderful example of the quality that bonds people to the wildlife here.
33:50Respect.
34:04Respect is something you have to show when entering India's mountains too.
34:13Many of the wonders that India offers vary with the seasons.
34:18Spring in the Himalayas is a time when shepherds bring their flocks to high-altitude pastures.
34:25As the sun warms the hillsides and temperatures rise to 30 degrees, a unique valley bursts into life.
34:34It lies hidden amongst India's tallest peaks.
34:40Over there is India's second highest mountain, Nandadevi.
34:44It is believed to be the home to Shiva's wife, Pivati.
34:49The name Nandadevi means goddess of bliss.
34:54The peaks that surround the mountain are said to protect her.
34:58They also conceal a hidden wonder few have been able to witness.
35:04Roads towards it can be washed away and it takes days of trekking to reach it.
35:10In winter, it's snowbound.
35:15But in spring, when the snows retreat, this valley is unique.
35:24Rolling meadows of alpine blooms.
35:30This is the Valley of Flowers.
35:36From June to September, around 500 species of wildflower bloom here.
35:4233 square miles of them.
35:45Orchids, poppies, primulas, marigold, daisies and anemones.
35:52A cacophony of colour carpeting slopes that are 3,600 metres above sea level.
36:00Many of the plants are endemic to these mountains.
36:07As for so much of India's natural world,
36:10there's a Hindu legend associated with the creation of this valley.
36:15Herbs found here save the life of the god Rama's brother.
36:22To celebrate, the gods showered flowers from heaven.
36:28Giving the valley its unique appearance.
36:33This place of Hindu legend is now a world heritage site.
36:37But this hidden treasure was not easily revealed to the world outside India.
36:44Expeditions tried to reach it, but the valley remained hidden until 1931,
36:49when three British mountaineers stumbled across it, returning from an expedition.
36:54They wrote,
36:55Others will visit it, analyse it and probe it.
36:59But whatever their opinions, to me it will remain a valley of flowers.
37:04A valley of peace and perfect beauty, where the human spirit may find repose.
37:14From unexpected alpine blooms to the animal everyone associates with India.
37:22One that has always carried with it a deep cultural significance.
37:27The tiger is the guardian of the forest.
37:30He created the rains, regenerates life, brings fertility.
37:34No other animal has quite so much attributed to it.
37:38And perhaps that's because, unlike much of her wildlife, tigers can be found across almost the whole of India.
37:45India has 48 tiger reserves, but the tiger is an endangered animal.
37:52There are just over 2,000 Bengal tigers left in the wild.
37:59There is no greater sight than seeing one hunt.
38:04The tree was just there.
38:08The forest and her friends.
38:08And the of their dogs are very little.
38:10The water is the 100rias.
38:21The water is the human being for the sea.
38:21The water is the only way to be found.
38:21The water is the river's sea.
38:21We have to look at the sea.
38:23The water is what is said.
38:25Let's go.
39:06It's no secret that I'm somewhat obsessed with tigers and there is nothing like seeing
39:12one in the wild, but when it comes to emulating the spirit of the tiger, South India is the
39:18place to be.
39:23Southern India is home to a spectacular celebration, the Puli Kali, the tiger dance.
39:31As someone who is so passionate about tigers, I simply have to see it.
39:48No one's quite sure how this local tradition started, but some say it began over 200 years
39:54ago when a Maharaja wanted a dance to celebrate the spirit of the wild. And there's no animal
40:00that embodies that better for Indians than the tiger.
40:04So, how many painters in total get the honour of making these wonderful works of art?
40:1225, 30 people are there.
40:14Just 30?
40:15Uh-huh.
40:16How long have you been doing it?
40:17How many years?
40:18Ten years.
40:19Ten?
40:20Ten years.
40:20And is it difficult?
40:22When you started, was it like, oh…
40:24It's shaking, body shaking.
40:25That's the control.
40:26The wobbly belly.
40:27Yeah.
40:28And do you develop your own style to be distinct from the other artists?
40:33It's our style, this portion.
40:34So, this is different to the other mouse because…
40:37Yeah.
40:37The combo is bigger.
40:38Yeah.
40:39So, you make them bigger.
40:40Yeah.
40:43I knew the belly was important.
40:46The bigger the belly, the better the tiger. I even get the chance to have a go myself.
40:52It's so beautifully done that I don't want to let the side down.
40:58I get to paint a tiger on someone's belly.
41:03We're performing in the grounds of a temple, so it's important that we receive a blessing
41:08before going ahead with a dance.
41:11Limbered up, painted up, looking the part.
41:15I think we're ready for the dance.
41:19I've seen tigers hunt, I've seen them prowl, but I've never seen them quite like this.
41:38The dance is a seasonal event, performed once a year at the Harvest Festival of Onam around
41:45the beginning of September.
41:46The biggest can have up to 900 dancers and they can dance for hours on end.
41:55I fell under the spell of a tiger on my first visit to India.
42:01The female I set eyes on then had such an impact on me that when I returned home, I took
42:07up my studies
42:08in wild animal biology.
42:12Tigers have been part of my life ever since.
42:22They're clearly a part of the lives of these dancers too.
42:35That was incredible.
42:38It's just so lovely to see so much dedication, so much passion, so much energy in a dance like this.
42:45And when you think the tiger, you know, is on the brink of extinction, it's so heartwarming to see people
42:52who are so dedicated to revering, celebrating and protecting the tiger here.
42:58Brilliant.
43:00This is a celebration with animals at its heart.
43:04And finally, there may be real calls for celebration.
43:07Some studies are reporting that tiger numbers seem to be recovering.
43:17Back in the northeast of the country, I've come to a land that is famous for its climate throughout India.
43:24A place I've known about since I was a seven-year-old schoolgirl, Meghalaya.
43:33When I was in school in India, I learned about this little town in the northeast of India,
43:41in the state of Meghalaya, called Chirapunji.
43:43And the interesting fact of this place was that it rained almost every day of the year.
43:50My geography textbook would proudly tell me that Chirapunji holds the world record for most rain in a calendar month.
43:58Over 30 feet.
44:08Chirapunji can get more rain in a month than Britain gets in a year.
44:12Of course, it doesn't rain every day.
44:14But this is a land carved out by water, full of chasms and raging torrents.
44:27You'd think that no one could live here.
44:30But Indians have always worked with nature, using what is available to overcome obstacles.
44:38So this is home to a wonder that dates back hundreds of years, yet is still in daily use.
44:50Living bridges made from the roots of trees.
45:01By the way, this is one single tree. Not just this, this and this. One single tree. It's hard to
45:11believe, right?
45:14The trees are fig trees. Chosen because of the way they produce a series of secondary roots from higher up
45:22the trunk.
45:24These act as added supports for the trunk.
45:27The roots grow quickly, taking hold in thin soil and around rocks.
45:34They are ideal trees for these bridges. There are quite simply more roots to use.
45:43I don't think I've seen anything like this before.
45:46This is probably one of the most spectacular things nature has ever shown. It's shown to me.
45:53I don't think I have stood on a bridge that is made out of roots of a tree that is
45:59400 years old.
46:01In Meghalaya, you have these root bridges almost everywhere, and it was actually grown by man in order to overcome
46:07the challenge of crossing the raging rivers, the raging torrents, to get from one place to the other.
46:14For trade, for example.
46:19Unlike the bridges I know of, it is a very, very strong bridge, and it's only going to get stronger
46:24in time.
46:26As the tree grows, the roots that form the bridge get thicker and stronger. New roots are used to maintain
46:33the bridge.
46:34This skill may be ancient, but the local villagers still use it to maintain old bridges, and even grow new
46:41ones.
46:44It's a skill they proudly pass on to the younger generation.
46:48Like Baskem Walang, who grew up in the local village and was taught by the elders.
46:54Baskem, my friend, I hear you're an expert at training the roots of these living bridges.
46:59How long have you been doing this for?
47:01I mean, in not less than five, six years, I learned from the villages. And first of all, the people
47:08have to plant the tree first.
47:10And when the roots come out, that means they just train the roots to come on the other side of
47:14the river.
47:15One minute. You said they plant the tree first.
47:18They don't just pick a tree that already would probably have the roots that they could train?
47:22No.
47:23That's a lot of dedication.
47:25Okay, so they plant the tree. The roots start growing. Then what's the next phase? What do they do next?
47:31They dedicate it by putting this betel nut trunk.
47:33So this is a betel nut trunk?
47:35Yeah, this is a betel nut trunk.
47:36And because it's hollow, it's useful to pass through?
47:37Yeah, it's useful, yeah.
47:38Wow, that's interesting. So these are betel nut trees right there, right?
47:41Yeah, that's one betel nut trunk, yeah.
47:42By using betel nut trunks to train the roots in the right direction, the structure of the bridge is brought
47:48to life.
47:49It takes skill, but most of all, it takes patience.
47:55And how long does it take for it to become this?
47:57Maybe around 10, 15 years it'll become.
47:59Wow. Maybe then I should try one, right?
48:02Yeah, you can do it.
48:04So, let's take the thin one, like this one's good?
48:08Yeah, the thin one.
48:09Okay.
48:11Keep it inside.
48:12Keep it inside.
48:13All the way through, right?
48:14Yeah, all the way through.
48:16Okay.
48:25Is that safe and secure now?
48:26Yeah.
48:28Okay, 10 years, I'll be back in 10 years.
48:31These bridges have been a vital part of what's known locally as the betel nut trade.
48:37It's ground into a powder called paan and chewed.
48:42A delicacy of the northeast that reached the rest of India, thanks to these bridges.
48:48But there's something puzzling me about this particular bridge.
48:52I wondered why they needed two bridges.
48:55It took 400 years to train and grow the first one.
49:00So why spend another 200, 300 years to build a second one?
49:04Well, simply because in the monsoon season, which is June to October, the lower part of the bridge is actually
49:12fully submerged.
49:13It's underwater.
49:17And if you think about the force of the water during the monsoons, the bridge still survives.
49:23The bridge still stands strong and just gets stronger in time.
49:32But of course, the people of these villages needed the second bridge to continue their day-to-day activities.
49:39Another important fact to know is that none of this has been written down.
49:43It's just been passed on by word of mouth through family traditions.
49:50For all that you know, this could possibly be even a thousand years old.
49:54You don't know.
49:55You just know that it's very old.
49:59This has been extraordinary.
50:04To see how inventive people are, how they work with nature to create solutions, has been incredible.
50:22From the far reaches of the north to the very south of India, for the last of our natural wonders.
50:34An iconic bird of the rainforest with an extraordinary breeding behaviour.
50:40The best time to see it is in the spring.
50:45The crack of dawn, and we've come to a coffee plantation to try and spot one of the most iconic,
50:52bizarre and spectacular birds of the rainforest.
50:56And just as we were walking up this track, we spotted the male that's now in that tree just ahead
51:04of me.
51:13The bird I'm here to see is the great pied hornbill.
51:21Hornbills make a special nest.
51:24To protect their eggs, they choose a hollow in a tree.
51:28The female is sealed up using dung.
51:34She'll stay there for four months.
51:37Twice a day, the male will bring food for her and their young.
51:44Hornbills mate for life.
51:48Their nests can be hard to find, unless you've been studying them for 15 years, like Divya Mudapa.
51:57They're such big birds. I mean, I knew they were big, but when you see them with your own eyes,
52:04look at that.
52:07Their colourings are impossibly perfect for something natural.
52:16The shadings of yellow, and then the black and white feathers, they're just so beautiful.
52:23He's on the moon.
52:25He's gonna go across to the nest.
52:27Does he have food in his bill?
52:29In his gullet.
52:31In his gullet?
52:32So he regurgitates it for the female?
52:34That's right, yeah.
52:37I don't even need the binoculars. He's so big.
52:40Once he flies over...
52:42There he is, there he is.
52:47He's regurgitating.
52:49He's regurgitating.
52:49So how can you tell what he's regurgitating?
52:53Just by watching it and looking at the shape of the fruit.
52:57So you saw him?
52:58Yeah.
53:02These are magnificent creatures.
53:13They're wingspan can fully extend to five feet.
53:22Each nest will normally contain one or two young.
53:28They're not born with the distinctive casks on their bills.
53:32These take about five years to fully develop.
53:38The bright yellow color looks artificial, but it comes from a preem gland secretion, which the male spreads onto its
53:46primary feathers, giving them their distinctive color.
53:54The male brings all sorts of fruits to the nest, but he'll also seek out small insects and other flying
54:01creatures.
54:02This one even has a bat in its beak.
54:12I can see the bill of the female.
54:16They close up the entrance to protect from predators.
54:20That's right.
54:21That's something else, isn't it?
54:23She doesn't get to stretch her wings for, like, months.
54:26In fact, she might molt when she's sitting in there and get a new set of feathers.
54:32That's dedication for you.
54:37This really unusual growth on top of the bill.
54:40It's hollow. It's very lightweight.
54:42It's made of hollow cells supported by two walls.
54:45And it acts as an amplification chamber, so that when they call in the forest, the sound travels even further.
54:55And just before mating season, sometimes you'll see males butting or clashing their casts together in mid-air, so that
55:05they can win the female.
55:09It makes for their name hornbill.
55:12And there's no question it's quite a bizarre structure.
55:19These magnificent birds are often called the gardeners of the rainforest,
55:25because they play such a vital role in the ecosystem as seed dispersers.
55:30They feed on so many of the fruit trees around the forest.
55:35And as they fly, they drop all of the seeds all across the landscape.
55:48Oh, I can't catch enough of his head.
55:53The unusual cask, the shape of the beak, the shadings.
55:58They're such stunning creatures.
56:03Oh, he's off.
56:16The sound of the wings through the forest at dawn.
56:20I mean, there's nothing more glorious, is there?
56:22Yes, no. My hair stands on it every time I hear it.
56:25I got complete shivers as he soared across the sky.
56:42This is a land that seems to have it all.
56:46From the unexpected lions of the Ghir forest,
56:50and the people's intimate connection with the animals that live here,
56:55to the magnificent Himalayas that shape both the landscape and its life.
57:02These are the natural wonders of India.
57:07And we've only just scratched the surface.
57:12Next time.
57:13Next time.
57:17That's extraordinary.
57:22It makes you emotional, right?
57:28It just literally popped out of a hole, and it's just lovely to watch.
57:35It's a beautiful female behind me.
57:38This is unbelievable.
57:42See you later.
58:01The wonders of India.
58:07One, two, three.
58:10The wonders of India.
58:13The wonders of India.
58:14One, two, three.
58:14They're just beautiful.
58:15The wonders of India.
58:16The wonders of India.
58:16One.
58:16One.
58:16You