- 1 week ago
In Belize, goes on the trail of a jaguar that's suspected of stealing pigs, joins local scientists in an expedition to tag Antillean manatees, and meets the inspirational women who have increased the population of Yucatán black howler monkeys...
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:03Dream of the Caribbean and you might imagine palm-fringed islands and endless
00:10sunshine. But stretching over a million square miles, with over 7,000 islands, this is the home
00:21of extraordinary natural wonders. I want to show you the wild heart of the Caribbean.
00:36I'm Liz Bonin. The Caribbean shaped my childhood and inspired me to explore the natural world.
00:47It's a place of incredible variety. That was mind-blowing. I'll be travelling across the
00:56Caribbean's four distinct regions. This place is so surreal. To celebrate its astonishing
01:05and awe-inspiring creatures. Everything about this animal speaks to highly sophisticated
01:11evolution. Their remarkable habitats are under threat. I'll meet the people protecting these
01:19precious ecosystems. It's just a beautiful thing to watch an animal going back to its home.
01:25And discover the relationship between life, land and sea that you can find nowhere else on earth.
01:36There's more to this place than meets the eye. So much more.
01:55The vast tropical region of the Caribbean extends as far as the eastern coastline of Central America.
02:05Hot, humid jungles meet the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea, resulting in spectacular landscapes
02:14and a rich variety of species.
02:22I've travelled to Belize and its coastal lagoons to search for a species I've never seen before.
02:33The Antillian manatee.
02:41These magnificent marine mammals can measure up to four metres in length and weigh as much as 600 kilograms.
02:50Manatees spend about eight hours a day grazing on seagrass and other marine vegetation to get all the nutrition they
02:58need,
02:58consuming as much as 9% of their body weight.
03:02There are only about two and a half thousand Antillian manatees left on the planet,
03:08and it's estimated that almost a thousand of them live along Belize's coastline.
03:13I've come to Gail's Point, where manatees have been faring relatively well, to meet manatee expert Jamal Galvez.
03:22Jamal!
03:23There are a lot of people here, and it's busy this morning.
03:26It takes a big crew to carry out the expedition that we're hoping to do today.
03:31Excellent. So where are we heading off to?
03:34Right now we're at Southern Lagoon.
03:36This is a wildlife sanctuary, specifically protected for the Antillian manatees of Belize.
03:42Jamal and the team are monitoring the health and behaviours of the manatees here,
03:47and today they also hope to put a satellite tag on one.
03:50It has everything a manatee is like. There's a variety of seagrass, so it's kind of like a buffet for
03:55manatees.
03:56And people here love manatees. As you can see, they're little to no boats.
04:00So it's considered a safe haven for manatees. If I was a manatee, I'd live here too.
04:04OK, well look, I'm keen to learn and to be your assistant as much as I can be.
04:08You just tell me what you need.
04:11Jamal first encountered manatees with a group of American researchers here 25 years ago, aged 11.
04:18They took him under their wings, taught him the ropes and even helped with his studies abroad.
04:25Now a fully fledged biologist and National Geographic explorer, he's back living in the village he loves,
04:32coordinating this entire research operation.
04:36After a hiatus, the team are eager to get to work.
04:40This is the first of the season.
04:43Since three years.
04:44Since three years.
04:45And they've allowed us on the boat.
04:49I've got that giddiness again.
04:51This is my first time seeing a manatee with my own eyes and we're not just seeing one.
04:56We are helping to conserve this species by giving it a much needed health check for the first time in
05:01three years.
05:01Manatees that these guys know, that they haven't seen for a while.
05:05Chat with Jamal?
05:06They're chilled.
05:07But you can feel the excitement.
05:14Right, Jamal, what's the plan?
05:16So we're going to utilize the drone.
05:18To sort of give us eyes in the skies.
05:21And to also give us an idea of individual animals that we want to go after.
05:25We don't want a set on a large among commandantes.
05:28We also don't want a set on a mother on a car.
05:30You just want to get one.
05:31One at a time.
05:32You just need to have one at a time.
05:37Well, we're clear for take off.
05:40And we're off.
05:42Go find us manatees!
05:57I see a manatee.
05:59You see a manatee?
06:05Wait, what?
06:10Oh, Lucas!
06:16Oh, wow.
06:18Three, four, five.
06:22Are they quite social?
06:23Like they do hang out in little groups?
06:25Generally they are social loners.
06:28So they don't have BFFs, no pals, no up-girlfriends, or OGs or whatever terms.
06:33What's an OG?
06:34OG is your original gangster, original body.
06:39Original gangster.
06:40This is the best research trip I've ever been on.
06:47Manatee mothers and calves are known to form very strong bonds, staying together for up to two years as the
06:54female nurses her young.
06:57But as mainly solitary animals, gatherings like this one will only occur when manatees are feeding or drinking fresh water
07:05in rivers.
07:21Hold on, get ready.
07:23Get ready.
07:24It's a solo.
07:25Is he turning left?
07:26Yeah, it's turning left.
07:28Yeah, it's turning left.
07:28Okay, ready?
07:29Now.
07:30Now.
07:38In the water, one guy in the water.
07:42Three.
07:48Four.
07:48Oh my god, this is amazing.
07:50How do you guys know what you're doing?
08:00We have a big gap over there.
08:04So it's not just as easy as having a net out.
08:09The manatee can dip down and swim under the net because, you know, they're used to the mud.
08:14They don't need visibility.
08:15They've got extraordinary senses that allow them to navigate through these types of waters.
08:21Lead scientist, Buddy, who first met and mentored Jamal all those years ago, guides the team to anchor down the
08:28net and contain the manatee safely.
08:30I think we got it.
08:33Flippin' heck.
08:34This is amazing.
08:36It's a good team and a lot of the local guys here take great pride in doing this.
08:41It's really wonderful to watch.
08:44Using a second, smaller net, they gently guide the manatee to the boat, working carefully to minimize the risk of
08:51injury or stress.
08:54Back in the boat.
08:56Manatee, incoming.
09:01One, two, three.
09:14On board, Jamal and the team must conduct their health checks as quickly as possible.
09:21There's so much going on.
09:23It's all kicking off.
09:27Are you checking for tags?
09:29Has this one been tagged before, yes or no?
09:33With no tag detected, this manatee hasn't been health checked before.
09:39Oh, look at it.
09:41Look at it.
09:42Look at it.
09:47Looking out for it, looking out for it, not yet.
09:50Here.
09:53No problem.
09:56Not breath, no breath.
10:00Breath.
10:04Splashing the manatee's snout mimics the sensation of surfacing, triggering the instinct to breathe.
10:12In the water, manatees normally come to the surface to breathe every three to four minutes.
10:18If this manatee's breathing rate slows down too much, it'll need to go back in the water fast.
10:29You might think, it's a bit of a lumpy looking grey beast of a thing that will just fall out
10:34of the water.
10:36Everything about this animal speaks to highly sophisticated evolution.
10:41In and around its mouth are bristles with a very important function.
10:46They've been described as living cutlery.
10:48They help to grasp the food and direct it to its mouth.
10:54It's lips are what we call prehensile, they're independent of each other.
10:58So when it's feeding on vegetation, seagrass that it loves so much,
11:03it can pick out the choice bits of seagrass with one side of its mouth and chuck out the rest
11:07with the other.
11:08It's a very dainty interest.
11:12Now tell me it's a lump.
11:19What are the bloods for?
11:22To look at animals' health.
11:24They look for things such as trace elements, any sort of thing that has an indication of sicknesses.
11:31Because these animals indicate their species, so their environment, so they can take their health.
11:37The manatees across their range are threatened by coastal development and boat strikes.
11:43This lagoon offers some refuge, but things are changing here too.
11:48And Jamal has found that many individuals now bear scars from boats.
11:52The health checks the team are carrying out are crucial.
11:56Fecal samples reveal the manatee's diet, skin samples test for pollutants, and blood tests can detect infection.
12:03All this data will reveal the conditions of the manatee's environment to help protect it for the future.
12:27The satellite tag will track the manatee's movements and behaviours, revealing how its environment is changing.
12:37But as the team complete their health check, there's a concern.
12:42Come on, underneath the lift, a little more.
12:45Now a little water.
12:48Breathe.
12:49All right.
12:51Unfastened and everything all right?
12:53No.
12:54What's happening?
12:56The manatee hasn't taken a breath in about three minutes.
13:02The ball, take your hand and swipe it.
13:06So it's dry.
13:09Press.
13:10Press.
13:11OK, undo the nets.
13:14The team take no chances.
13:16It needs to get back in the water quickly.
13:21When this is in the water, I can let go.
13:23Yeah, just put it down in the water.
13:25I won't throw it, go.
13:26No, no, no.
13:28All right.
13:29Ready?
13:30One, two, three.
13:33One, two.
13:34Three, four.
13:35Four, four, four, four.
13:39One.
13:41Woo!
13:46Well.
13:47I just got baptized!
13:51Oh yeah, we forgot to tell you.
13:53What happened to you?
13:54I got trashed by a manatee and it was worth every second.
13:57I hope so.
13:58What? That was amazing.
14:01Oh, no, that was actually...
14:02Actually, that's the best ending to the most extraordinary afternoon.
14:07Over the next nine months, Manatee 181 and its tag
14:12will be delivering the vital data that Jamal and Buddy need
14:15to help secure the future of this lagoon
14:18for the manatees and all of the wildlife here.
14:32I accompany Jamal back to dry land
14:35to find out how he feels about the future here.
14:38Like, I can't even put it into words.
14:41It was ridiculous. It was the most incredible thing.
14:44Manatee man.
14:45Correct.
14:46You are manatee man. That's not something you've made up.
14:48Everybody in Belize calls you manatee man.
14:51Yeah, stick the wind jelly.
14:54I grew up in one of the most crime-ridden areas
14:57in terms of where I was in Belize City.
15:00But growing up where I am, society,
15:03the societal perception is that people like us
15:06were not meant to be doctors or researchers
15:08or people that we influenced,
15:10the people that we were able to inspire
15:11to want to be a part of these critical efforts
15:14is important to me.
15:16And I feel that people see me as saving manatees,
15:19but manatees basically saved my life first.
15:21Because I've developed this interest in the species,
15:24I was so focused that I didn't have time
15:26to be doing other things
15:27that they've literally saved my life.
15:33Jamal hopes that by introducing young Belizeans
15:36to his manatee research,
15:38more of them will, like him,
15:40be inspired to choose a different path in life.
15:45It's been an absolute honour spending time with you.
15:48It was fun seeing you on the boat
15:49because it reminded me of my younger self.
15:55Yeah, this day will stay with me forever.
15:57And I don't mean that glibly.
15:58Honestly, it's right here.
15:59So thanks again.
16:12As soon as we leave the coast,
16:15the jungle is all around us.
16:19Belize has more rainforest cover
16:21than anywhere else in the Caribbean.
16:25Covering 60% of the country,
16:27it teems with life of all kinds
16:30and envelops the towns and villages within it.
16:35I'm in the Belize River Valley
16:37in the centre of the country
16:38where a community of seven different villages
16:41is doing things a little bit differently.
16:45The locals here have developed
16:47a very special relationship
16:49with a noisy neighbour.
16:50The largest and loudest monkeys of the Americas,
16:54the Yucatan black howler monkeys
16:56or baboons,
16:58as they're known locally.
17:04Good morning.
17:05May I interrupt?
17:07Are you Miss Jessie?
17:09Yes, I'm Miss Jessie.
17:10Nice to meet you.
17:11I joined you, ladies.
17:13How are you all?
17:15Do you all know each other a long time?
17:17How long have you known Jessie?
17:18Miss Jessie has been an activist
17:19in the communities from...
17:21As far as I can remember.
17:24On top of demanding day jobs
17:26as teachers, nurses
17:28and Red Cross coordinators,
17:31Miss Jessie and her team
17:32have been working hard
17:33to protect the howler monkeys here
17:35for the past 25 years.
17:37Belizeans have a very special relationship
17:40with the howlers.
17:42You've always respected them,
17:44haven't you?
17:45We grew up with the monkeys
17:46so that they're almost like
17:48a part of our culture.
17:51I have a tree right in my yard,
17:53a fig tree.
17:54Love figs, yes.
17:56They're always there in my yard.
17:58Oftentimes they're missing for a while
18:00and then when they come back,
18:02they come with a baby or two.
18:04Yeah, that's the thing.
18:06It makes us proud
18:07so we want to take care of them.
18:10In the 1980s,
18:12a sanctuary was set up
18:13to protect the monkeys
18:14as their habitat disappeared
18:16and numbers fell.
18:17But it failed
18:19so Miss Jessie gathered
18:20a group of women to take over.
18:22The men were running the sanctuary
18:24up to 1998.
18:25That's when we took over.
18:27And what state was the sanctuary in there?
18:29So it was totally ruined
18:32and we didn't have any funds,
18:33we didn't have anything.
18:35None of us knew anything
18:36about computers.
18:38So when we started
18:39our first proposal,
18:41Miss Derla said,
18:42I can't do that.
18:43I don't know how to do it.
18:46Yes, you can.
18:48Yes, you can, Derla.
18:50You have to try.
18:52Women power behind this whole thing
18:54because all the farmers' cooperative,
18:57all the livestock cooperative,
19:00they're all men
19:01and they're all failed.
19:02They failed.
19:04This was run by men
19:05and failed.
19:07And since the women took over,
19:10here we are,
19:12flourishing like a flower.
19:13I have got shivers.
19:15People might say,
19:17you know,
19:17they're women anyway,
19:18what do they know?
19:19You know,
19:20but we really know,
19:22in fact,
19:23we are the mothers of the men.
19:24So we know.
19:27What was the situation
19:29with the black howler monkeys
19:30when you took on the sanctuary?
19:32When we started,
19:34there were like
19:34five to eight hundred monkeys.
19:36And the work that we have done
19:38with the landowners,
19:40we have over 5,000 monkeys today.
19:50Might you be Robert?
19:52Yeah.
19:52Miss Jessie said
19:53I need to come with you
19:55to find howler monkeys.
19:57In the forests
19:58around the village,
19:59local guide Robert
20:00is going to show me
20:01how they've increased
20:02the monkey population.
20:04Let's try this way here.
20:06Your instincts.
20:07Yeah, because corridors.
20:08We have corridors.
20:09Okay.
20:10You see what the pledge
20:11that the people say
20:11and we ask them
20:12to leave strips of forest
20:13within property boundaries.
20:15If you leave 50 feet
20:16and I leave 50 feet,
20:17that forms 100 feet of forest.
20:19That forms a corridor
20:21so wildlife could move
20:22from one area to another.
20:25Miss Jessie and her team
20:27persuaded 200 villagers
20:29to set aside parts
20:30of their gardens
20:31and plant some of the monkeys'
20:33favourite fruit trees
20:34to contribute to 20 square miles
20:37of protected howler monkey habitat.
20:39It's right where we're passing right now.
20:41Do you notice monkeys?
20:42The monkeys are looking at...
20:43Did you test me?
20:45I'm guaranteed
20:45if I'm lying, I'm dying.
20:46He tested me and I failed.
20:50It's real.
20:50Monkeys are looking at us.
20:54Weird, Robert!
20:55Oh!
20:57Oh, my gosh.
20:59That's the alpha male.
21:00You also have, like,
21:01a juvenile, a mother
21:03and also maybe the baby.
21:04All bunched together.
21:06Good grief.
21:06Can we get a tiny bit closer?
21:08Sure.
21:08Yes, we can.
21:17You learn about animals in books
21:20and then you just get the opportunity
21:22to come and meet them
21:23in a place that's worked
21:24really, really hard
21:27to help them.
21:29It's just breathtaking.
21:32This forest is now home
21:34to one of the highest densities
21:36of black howler monkeys
21:37in the world.
21:41Oh, there's a baby!
21:43He's checking us out.
21:47Female howler monkeys give birth
21:49to one baby a year,
21:51caring for it for 12 months.
21:53The youngster will then stay
21:55with its troop
21:55until it's four years old.
21:59He's over our cameraman's head.
22:02He may well land
22:03on our cameraman's head.
22:09Good morning.
22:11Oh, he's going after mama.
22:15The dominant male
22:16of this small family group
22:18keeps a close eye
22:19on the proceedings.
22:20You can see the prehensile tail
22:22that acts as another limb,
22:24essentially,
22:24and there's a part of it under it
22:26that's got a bit
22:27of a texture to it.
22:28It's a gripping pad
22:29as they're moving
22:30through the canopy,
22:31grasping onto branches.
22:33To keep the family safe
22:35and to protect their territory,
22:37these monkeys have evolved
22:38a very impressive means
22:40of communication.
22:43So, have you learnt
22:44a lot of their hows?
22:45Oh, yeah, I guess.
22:47Look at this.
22:48Brr, brr, brr.
22:54Brr, brr.
23:07That reverberates
23:08in your chest.
23:13It almost makes me feel sick.
23:18These extraordinary vocalizations
23:20can be heard up to
23:22two miles away
23:23and it's all down
23:24to this enlarged bone
23:26called the hyoid bone
23:28that's near the vocal cords.
23:30So, it helps to amplify
23:31the howls.
23:33And they're for all sorts
23:34of purposes.
23:35For announcing your presence,
23:37for letting other members
23:38of your troops
23:38know where you are,
23:40for looking for mates,
23:42for telling other males
23:43and other troops,
23:44don't come near me.
23:47He is very clearly
23:48letting us know
23:49that this is his territory
23:50and slowly,
23:52each member of the family
23:53have moved back
23:54towards the dominant male
23:58and asserting in the display
24:00that they are the family
24:01that lives here.
24:02So, now we are going
24:04to respectfully bow out
24:06of this amazing male's territory
24:08because, yeah,
24:09you get the message.
24:10Incredible.
24:14I'm sorry,
24:15but he did beat you.
24:16I'm sorry.
24:17It was close.
24:17Much louder.
24:19With howls reaching 140 decibels,
24:23they are the loudest
24:24land mammals on earth.
24:27Miss Jessie's work
24:28is never done.
24:30The sanctuary now offers
24:32tours to visitors
24:33to fund scholarships
24:34and community projects
24:36like tree planting
24:37to help ensure
24:38that monkeys
24:39and their guardians
24:40can thrive together
24:42long into the future.
24:57My next stop
24:58is taking me south
25:00and into the forest range
25:01of the Caribbean's
25:03largest cat.
25:04As a biologist
25:05who studied tigers,
25:06I'm especially excited.
25:12the jaguar.
25:13With the most powerful jaws
25:15of all big cats,
25:17these supreme hunters
25:18can kill prey
25:19four times their own weight
25:21in a single bite.
25:25Built for power,
25:27they'll avoid high-speed chases.
25:29Instead, lying in wait,
25:32camouflaged by their dappled fur
25:34and ready to ambush their prey.
25:40Extremely rare,
25:41they're notoriously difficult
25:43to set eyes on.
25:44But in the centre of Belize
25:46lies a rainforest reserve
25:48with one of the highest densities
25:50of jaguars in the world
25:51and where scientists
25:53have been carrying out
25:54a long-term monitoring project.
25:57It's early in the morning
25:59in the Cotscone Reserve
26:00in Belize.
26:02I'm about to go on a trek
26:03with a scientist
26:04who's been studying
26:05big cats here.
26:09Very nice to meet you.
26:11It's so nice to see you.
26:12Finally, how are you?
26:14Belizean biologist
26:15Emma Sanchez
26:16has been studying
26:17the jaguars here
26:18for almost 12 years,
26:20working to secure
26:21the future
26:22of this magnificent big cat
26:24and that of the people
26:25living alongside it.
26:27So where are we heading
26:28off to this morning?
26:30We're around here.
26:32OK, and where are we heading to?
26:33So we're heading around here.
26:35This place is huge.
26:37Yeah.
26:37It takes about four days
26:38for us to finish this.
26:39Four days to cover
26:40the whole reserve?
26:41Yeah, yeah.
26:46Jaguars, because they're
26:47wide-ranging,
26:48they need large areas
26:50to survive,
26:50to get food,
26:52to make...
26:52Covering 200 square miles,
26:55Cotscone Basin
26:56is Belize's
26:57largest protected area.
26:59For jaguars,
27:00whose territories
27:00can span up to 53 square miles,
27:03it offers some
27:04of the habitat they need.
27:06Key to Emma's research
27:07are camera traps,
27:09the only reliable way
27:10to capture sightings
27:11of these secretive cats.
27:13So we're going to one
27:14that we call
27:15Mitchell Creek Station.
27:16We're going to go there
27:17and see what we got.
27:18And I can assure you
27:19there's a jaguar there.
27:22Emma's camera traps
27:23allow her to understand
27:25the behaviours
27:26of the jaguar population
27:27and therefore,
27:29their needs.
27:30It's helped her
27:31to identify
27:32what other areas
27:33they move through
27:33that also need protecting.
27:35And we realise
27:37that there's some jaguars
27:38who have moved
27:39from the Chiqui Bull,
27:40which is like
27:40on the western side
27:42of Coxcombe,
27:43to here.
27:44You've got Coxcombe.
27:45It's home to
27:47some jaguars.
27:48You've got other patches
27:49around Belize
27:51that are protected
27:51where there are jaguars.
27:53But they're not connected.
27:54And in between
27:55is infrastructure,
27:57towns, cities.
27:58So that's a problem.
27:59It becomes a problem
28:00because then
28:01if we start
28:03making barriers,
28:04then those jaguars
28:05that are in Coxcombe,
28:06in Chiqui Bull,
28:07in this,
28:07the Maya mountains,
28:08they're going to be isolated.
28:10And if we isolate,
28:11then the jaguars
28:11can become extinct.
28:14Wildlife corridors
28:15would help to connect
28:16different jaguar populations
28:17so that when they breed,
28:19the genetic diversity
28:20of the species
28:21can be increased.
28:22And this is crucial
28:24for their survival.
28:25It does make sense
28:26to recognise
28:27the more they can flow
28:29between different populations
28:31across all landscapes,
28:33no matter the borders,
28:34the healthier jaguars
28:36are going to be.
28:39Jaguars will choose
28:40easier, well-worn trails
28:42over dense jungle
28:43when available.
28:44And Emma knows these trails
28:46like the back of her hand.
28:47Another taper trap.
28:49Taper!
28:50Her team have been
28:51checking camera traps
28:52every month
28:53for the past decade.
28:55Oh, that's a scrape.
28:57That's a what?
28:58Scrape.
29:00This is definitely
29:01a cat scrape.
29:02I'm scraping
29:03with your hind feet.
29:05So this is,
29:06I would say,
29:07about a week
29:08or a little less
29:09than a week old.
29:10Because there are leaves
29:12on top.
29:12I love just placing
29:14my hand in the space
29:16where a wild,
29:18big cat just
29:20scraped the ground.
29:21It's just,
29:22it's so thrilling.
29:23Nice spot there, Emma.
29:25Yeah.
29:27We know they're here.
29:28Scent-filled markings
29:30are a sophisticated
29:31means of communication
29:33to announce their presence,
29:35look for a mate
29:36and to avoid conflict.
29:38That's why science
29:39is so cool.
29:40How could you not love
29:41that kind of detective
29:42work that's involved?
29:44Even in a dense
29:46rainforest,
29:47if you're very lucky,
29:48some animals will appear
29:50as they cross openings
29:51created by the trails.
29:54What the?
29:56What was that?
29:57Do you see the yellow?
29:59Right above Mr. Peck's head.
30:03The white collar
30:04and the mannequin.
30:05Okay.
30:11It's like a high-pitched
30:13fart and a rattle.
30:15Along with its song,
30:17the male white-collared
30:18mannequin also makes
30:19sounds with its wings,
30:21moving them rapidly
30:22through the air
30:23to create clicks,
30:24snaps and pops.
30:25It's all part of
30:26an elaborate ritual
30:27to attract females.
30:30I know we're here
30:30to find evidence
30:31of jaguars, but...
30:36There's the lecon area here.
30:37Oh my God!
30:42The bird meticulously
30:44clears an area
30:45of forest floor,
30:47the stage
30:47for an enthusiastic
30:49mating dance,
30:50during which he jumps
30:51from one sapling
30:52to another
30:53to prove he's
30:54a healthy
30:54and worthy mate.
30:58So that skinny tree
31:00is part of their
31:01lecking area.
31:02That is, yeah.
31:03And they dance around it?
31:05They dance around it
31:05and go on it.
31:10The male
31:11white-collared mannequin
31:13is pole dancing
31:14for the female.
31:15For the female.
31:16Attracting them to come.
31:17I love the way
31:17you're saying that
31:18with a completely
31:18straight face.
31:26All right.
31:28So we're at the
31:29camera station.
31:30We've arrived.
31:31If you see,
31:32there's one camera
31:33and a second camera
31:33over there.
31:35So these use
31:36a USB drive.
31:37you just download
31:39the data onto here.
31:40Perfect.
31:41This is way more
31:42sophisticated
31:42than when I was
31:43doing my studies.
31:44I can tell you that much.
31:47This is gold,
31:48this stuff, isn't it?
31:49It really is.
31:52Happy?
31:53Happy.
32:01Back at the park entrance,
32:04we take a look
32:04at the images.
32:07It is magnificent.
32:10A wild jaguar
32:11moving through
32:12that very spot
32:14not long ago.
32:154.32 in the morning.
32:21Oh, I wish.
32:23No, wait,
32:23what's going on?
32:24What's wrong
32:24with that picture?
32:25We're missing
32:25something really obvious.
32:27This jaguar
32:27can have three legs.
32:29This is one leg,
32:30a second leg.
32:32There's another
32:32jaguar behind.
32:33Oh, it's got a cub.
32:35Well, I don't know
32:36if it's a cub,
32:36but it's definitely
32:37a second cat
32:38on the next side.
32:39It's a male.
32:40Wow.
32:41Get out!
32:43This other cat
32:45is most likely
32:46a female.
32:47Although solitary animals,
32:49during a mating period,
32:50males and females
32:51are known to stay together
32:53for as long
32:53as one or two months.
32:59There's one female
33:00that Emma has seen
33:02time and time again
33:03since the first sighting
33:05in 2011.
33:08So this is the very
33:09first time you set,
33:10well, set eyes on her,
33:11through a camera trap,
33:12right?
33:13Yes, very first time.
33:14Amazing.
33:15And you can see
33:16she's very beautiful.
33:17She's young looking.
33:18And that's her.
33:20She was captured
33:21with a male
33:22on several occasions.
33:24We've seen her
33:25with cubs.
33:30Now about 13 years old,
33:32this female is entering
33:34a new phase in her life.
33:36We've seen thousands
33:38of pictures of jaguars
33:39and you can recognize
33:40when they're starting
33:41aging as you start
33:43seeing more parasites
33:44on them.
33:44And that's sad.
33:46Then you start
33:47feeling worried.
33:48It's like, okay,
33:48when is she going to
33:49disappear?
33:49When is she going to
33:50disappear?
33:51And she can easily
33:51just walk on a night
33:53and get to the villages
33:54nearby.
33:54You mean on the border
33:55of the park?
33:56Yeah.
33:56But if she wanders outside,
33:57what can happen?
33:58She's in danger
33:59of being shot.
34:01With more and more
34:02human encroachment
34:03into the forests
34:05neighboring the reserve
34:06and with older
34:07or sick jaguars
34:09looking for easier
34:10prey to hunt
34:11like livestock,
34:12jaguars have been
34:13venturing into
34:14surrounding villages.
34:16Emma has had reports
34:18of big cats
34:19attacking pigs
34:20nearby.
34:24She's come up
34:26with an ingenious
34:27solution,
34:27one that can protect
34:28both the jaguars
34:29and the villagers'
34:31livelihoods.
34:32Here in
34:33Maya Mopan,
34:34the residents have
34:34all but abandoned
34:35livestock farming.
34:38So why are the
34:39jaguars coming
34:40looking for food?
34:41The pigs are
34:42very much easy prey.
34:44There's no electricity
34:45on this side,
34:45so it's dark at night
34:47and it makes it easier
34:48for the jaguar to come
34:49and get the pigs.
34:52So what are we doing?
34:53So right now
34:54we're going to put,
34:55I've decided that
34:56we need three lights
34:57at least here.
34:58Yeah.
34:59So,
35:00Show me how it works.
35:01Solar?
35:01Solar panel.
35:02Great.
35:03So I just need
35:04to slip it.
35:07In here.
35:10Once it's dark enough,
35:11these lights,
35:12if you see these ones
35:13here,
35:13they're just going
35:13to start blinking
35:14like green,
35:16blue,
35:16red,
35:16white.
35:17They're just
35:18constantly blinking
35:19the whole night.
35:21I love this.
35:22I mean,
35:22it's so simple.
35:24This allows people
35:25living alongside
35:26wildlife to continue
35:28with their livelihoods
35:29all the while,
35:31allowing wildlife
35:32to also do its thing.
35:37Yes,
35:37Ms. Rebecca,
35:38I just wanted
35:39to explain to you
35:40what you will see.
35:42So the lights
35:43are not going to work
35:44during the day.
35:45They're only supposed
35:46to work at night.
35:47And if they stop working,
35:49please let me know.
35:50I'm so happy with that.
35:51Yeah.
35:52Yeah.
35:53If it looks like
35:53it's working,
35:54will you get more pigs,
35:55do you think?
35:56Yes.
35:56Yes.
35:57But for now,
35:58there's one.
35:58Only one.
35:59Let's just see how it goes.
36:00See if the jaguar
36:01will not come again.
36:02Yeah.
36:02All right.
36:03See you later,
36:03Ms. Rebecca.
36:07The villagers' pigs
36:08are now protected
36:10and here at least
36:11the reserve's big cats
36:12are safe from being shot.
36:14It's a smart solution
36:16that Emma plans
36:17to roll out
36:17to other farms.
36:20Jaguar corridors
36:21across Central
36:22and South America
36:24now cover
36:242.6 million kilometers squared.
36:28Striking the balance
36:30between wildlife protection
36:31and human livelihoods
36:33is one of conservation's
36:34biggest challenges.
36:37Jamal?
36:38Yes.
36:39Liz?
36:40Conservationist Jamal
36:41Andrewin-Bonn
36:42has been working
36:43to connect
36:43more jaguar corridors
36:45here
36:45while meeting
36:46community needs.
36:48For me,
36:49it's that big question
36:51of how do we really
36:52succeed in coexisting
36:54with wildlife?
36:55Because on one side
36:56you can put land aside
36:58and nobody can touch it
36:59and that causes
37:00a lot of problems
37:01for humans.
37:01Correct.
37:02And vice versa.
37:03We have been working
37:04on expanding
37:05the protected areas
37:06that these animals
37:07can navigate through safely
37:08without coming into contact
37:10or reducing the amount
37:11of incidences
37:12of them coming into contact
37:13with humans.
37:14This landscape
37:15is a brilliant mosaic
37:16of community-owned lands,
37:17private properties,
37:19NGO-managed properties
37:21as well.
37:21There's enough
37:22safe patches
37:23or safe fringes
37:24along your farm
37:25or along your
37:26forestry setup
37:27where they just
37:28completely bypass
37:29that area
37:30without coming into issue
37:31with livestock
37:32or even people.
37:33Everything I'm learning
37:34about the jaguars
37:35here in Belize
37:36points to a bigger problem
37:38for the long term.
37:39How do we make sure
37:40that they'll have
37:41enough habitat?
37:42This is,
37:43I would say,
37:44one of the most critical parts
37:46in all you've seen today.
37:48We're talking about
37:48preserving species,
37:50we're talking about
37:50reducing conflict,
37:51we're talking about
37:52saving jaguars.
37:53This is the answer.
37:55We allow free movement
37:56of wildlife,
37:56so there's less
37:57incidences of conflict,
37:58there's more chances
37:59for genetic mixing
38:00and basically survival
38:02of these species.
38:06Conservationists here
38:07are constantly evolving
38:09their approach.
38:10It's testament to the fact
38:12that if the will is there,
38:13apex predators
38:14and humans
38:15can coexist.
38:29I've arrived in Costa Rica,
38:32where over a quarter
38:33of the country
38:34is protected habitat,
38:36supporting some of the most
38:38extraordinary wildlife
38:39on Earth.
38:41It's life that accounts
38:42for 5% of all
38:44the world's species.
38:47I've always been fascinated
38:49by Costa Rica.
38:50I talk about it
38:51all the time.
38:53It's just always seemed
38:53to me like the kind of
38:54country that's got
38:55its act together
38:56when it comes to its
38:57relationship with nature.
38:58And now, finally,
38:59I get to check it out
39:01for myself.
39:03Costa Ricans' approach
39:04to life is encapsulated
39:06in two words,
39:07pura vida,
39:08meaning pure life,
39:10a resolve to live life
39:12to its fullest
39:12and take joy
39:13from the natural world
39:14whilst also taking care
39:16of it and each other.
39:19I'm on my way
39:20to one of Costa Rica's
39:21biggest farming regions
39:22on the slopes
39:24of the Cordillera
39:25Central Mountains.
39:26It grows vast amounts
39:27of produce
39:28like bananas,
39:29pineapples
39:30and coffee.
39:32This area
39:33was once prime
39:35rainforest habitat
39:36for some of the country's
39:38most celebrated
39:39amphibians,
39:40frogs.
39:40Costa Rica is home
39:43to 149 different species
39:45with new ones
39:46still being discovered.
39:50Frogs get all the water
39:51they need
39:52by absorbing it
39:53through their skin.
39:54They need a healthy,
39:56pollution-free environment
39:58to be able to thrive.
40:00Intensively farmed landscapes
40:02have caused their numbers
40:03to plummet.
40:04And yet,
40:06here too,
40:06thanks to the relationship
40:08between Costa Ricans
40:09and nature,
40:10frogs have started
40:11to recover
40:12on a six-acre patch
40:13of land
40:14nestled amongst the farms.
40:16Jose!
40:17Hola!
40:19This is it,
40:19this is Frog's Heaven?
40:20This is Frog's Heaven,
40:21the Frog's Paradise.
40:22Thank you very much
40:23for coming.
40:24Once a farmer,
40:25Jose Solis
40:26has been helping frogs
40:27to flourish here
40:28for the past 15 years.
40:35We are going to start
40:36to look for poisonous frogs.
40:38They are like this big,
40:39so they look bigger
40:40on my shirt.
40:43And if they're this small,
40:44how the heck do you even...
40:45So they're very bright red color,
40:47so it's going to be
40:48easy to find them.
40:54Okay, we have
40:55our first frog.
40:56What?
40:56There it is.
40:58Take a look.
40:58There it is.
40:59Oh, look.
41:02Oh, there is another one,
41:03a second one.
41:04They're stunning.
41:06We call them
41:07the blue jeans,
41:08poison dart frog,
41:10because they have blue legs.
41:11Can you see them?
41:12They look like
41:13little pair of blue jeans.
41:15These vibrant colors
41:17ward off potential predators
41:18with a very clear warning.
41:21This one,
41:21they are not deadly poisonous,
41:22but they are poisonous.
41:24For example,
41:24if you hold it
41:25and you touch your eyes
41:26or something like that,
41:27you can lose your view
41:28for a while.
41:29Yeah,
41:30and you see only yellows.
41:31I know,
41:31because that happened to me.
41:32Wow.
41:33Oh, my God.
41:34It took me about
41:34three weeks
41:35or something like that
41:36to recover my normal view.
41:39So it's quite potent.
41:40It's quite potent.
41:41Do not lick
41:41the strawberry poison dart frog.
41:46feeding on termites
41:47and ants rich in noxious chemicals,
41:50the frog accumulates the toxins,
41:53secreting them through its skin.
41:55It's a strategy used
41:57by more than 100 species
41:59of poison dart frogs
42:00across Central and South America.
42:03One species venom is so potent,
42:05just one frog
42:06could kill 10 grown men.
42:09It's perhaps no surprise
42:11that despite being
42:12just a few centimetres long,
42:13these frogs
42:14have almost no known predators.
42:18That's the closest
42:19I've got to one, though,
42:20Jose.
42:20They're so perfect.
42:22They're like little jewels
42:23in all of this brown.
42:24Yeah.
42:31These tiny frogs,
42:33constantly at risk
42:34of drying out,
42:36are utterly reliant
42:37on the humidity
42:38of rainforest habitat.
42:40But the arrival
42:42of intensive farming
42:43changed all that.
42:47What did this place
42:48look like in 2009?
42:50This was a palm heart plantation,
42:51the whole farm.
42:52The only trees over here
42:53and it was those big ones
42:54over there.
42:55And the rest,
42:56it was only the plantations
42:57and grass fields everywhere.
42:59Wow.
42:59Yeah.
43:02Jose and his family
43:04made the decision
43:05to transform the area
43:06into a frog haven.
43:09They started to rewild
43:10the land
43:11to create the habitat
43:12frogs can thrive in.
43:16I knew the frogs,
43:18they need water.
43:19So we planted a lot of trees
43:21and plants around
43:22with white leaves
43:23to attract the frogs
43:25on a natural way.
43:26We were planting
43:27the right plants for them.
43:28So that was an oasis.
43:33And so,
43:34how quickly
43:34did the frogs move in?
43:36Very quick.
43:38I am talking about
43:38days or weeks.
43:39Days, yeah.
43:40Days or weeks.
43:41With a diversity
43:43of plants
43:44and shallow pools of water,
43:46Jose created a safe place
43:47for the frogs
43:48that were managing
43:49to survive
43:49amongst the plantations.
43:53Soon,
43:53it became home
43:54to more than a fifth
43:55of all Costa Rica's
43:56frog species.
44:02Now we are looking
44:03for a night frog,
44:05nocturnal.
44:10What?
44:12Well, it's right there.
44:14It's kind of blended
44:16into the leaf shape.
44:18A master of camouflage,
44:21this is Costa Rica's
44:22most iconic amphibian,
44:24the red-eyed tree frog.
44:26So is it sleeping?
44:28It is sleeping.
44:29It's got really
44:30bright orange feet.
44:32Look at the membrane
44:33in the eye.
44:34Can you see?
44:35It looks like a little...
44:36Oh, it's up in the eye.
44:37Oh, wow.
44:40The colour of its eye.
44:43If a predator
44:44gets too close,
44:46the frog flashes
44:47the bright colours
44:48of its eyes
44:49or undersides,
44:50startling its attacker
44:51just long enough
44:52to escape to safety.
44:56The nictitating membrane
44:58comes over the eye
45:00as it's doing right now
45:01so that the bright orange
45:03gets camouflaged.
45:05But she can still see
45:06through that
45:07in case there's any danger.
45:10It's perfection.
45:11Yeah, locally
45:12overhearing our places
45:13are very common
45:14and we can make them happy.
45:15In frog heaven.
45:18It really strikes me
45:19that Costa Rica
45:20is a place
45:21where everywhere you look
45:22there is life
45:24and a lot of it.
45:26You can't take for granted
45:27that anything is extractable.
45:30It's teeming with life here,
45:31isn't it?
45:31Exactly, yeah.
45:34Across Costa Rica,
45:36frog populations
45:37are declining
45:38because of habitat loss,
45:40disease
45:40and climate change.
45:43But here,
45:45even in an intensive
45:46farming region,
45:48Jose is proving
45:49that it is possible
45:50to help them to recover.
45:56as night falls,
45:57I join Jose's family
45:59for dinner.
46:04Pura vida.
46:06Muchas gracias.
46:07Pura vida.
46:07Provecho.
46:08Buen provecho.
46:08Salud.
46:10Salud.
46:11Salud.
46:12Salud.
46:19Salud.
46:21Salud.
46:22Salud.
46:23Salud.
46:25Salud.
46:26Salud.
46:26Salud.
46:27Salud.
46:28Salud.
46:29Salud.
46:29Salud.
46:30Salud.
46:31Salud.
46:32Salud.
46:33Salud.
46:34Salud.
46:35Salud.
46:35Salud.
46:36Salud.
46:39Salud.
46:43Salud.
46:45Salud.
46:48Salud.
46:49Salud.
46:51and how they would grow up there.
46:54And thanks to God, my feet came out.
47:20OK, so that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
47:23So its legs are pretty much translucent.
47:27And you can see the organs in its body.
47:30Its eyes are extraordinary and it's got a little pug nose.
47:33It's like a cartoon frog.
47:38With translucent legs and underbellies that help to blur their outline,
47:43glass frogs are also able to shunt their bright red blood into their liver
47:47and blend into their leafy background.
47:53It's a truly astonishing adaptation that keeps it safe from predators as it sleeps.
48:04Have you seen that as well?
48:05There's a mad insect.
48:08Guys, that's much more interesting than the poor frog.
48:11A giant praying mantis.
48:14It can change colour to mimic both living and dead leaves lying in wait,
48:19perfectly camouflaged to catch its prey.
48:23See, that's the thing about Costa Rica.
48:26You're focusing on one thing and if you don't look around,
48:28you're missing a whole other raft of species.
48:30We're lucky it was a leaf mantis and not a pit viper, eh?
48:34That's not funny.
48:36It's just not funny.
48:48Besos, besos.
48:49Hasta la proxima.
48:50Tsk, tsk, tsk.
48:52Tsk, tsk, tsk.
49:02Four hours south of frog's heaven, I reach my last stop in Central America.
49:15This is Playa Cocles on the south eastern tip of Costa Rica,
49:20a very popular tourist destination.
49:22You can see why.
49:26Bordering the Caribbean Sea, the tropical forests here are home to the national animal of Costa Rica,
49:32the sloth.
49:35Two species can be found here,
49:37the Hoffman's two-toed sloth and the brown-throated three-toed sloth.
49:43With poor eyesight and a low-calorie diet of leaves,
49:47the sloth's survival strategy is a really efficient one,
49:50to move around the canopy very slowly, expending as little energy as possible.
49:57They don't even waste energy regulating their own body temperature,
50:02relying on the heat of the sun for warmth, which is unusual for a mammal.
50:10Hardly ever venturing to the ground,
50:12they're one of the most elusive creatures in Costa Rica.
50:16But I'm getting the rare chance to see them up close.
50:20Look at this.
50:26It's such a pleasure to meet you.
50:28Thank you so much and welcome to my home.
50:32Encara Garcia's love of nature turned into her life's work,
50:36rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife as the tourism industry here grew and the town expanded.
50:42The centre started because of the love between two people, my husband, my late husband.
50:47We're both biologists and both arrived here and we wanted to help the animals.
50:53And so they started bringing us animals and animals and finally in 2008, I will remember like yesterday saying to
51:00my husband,
51:01OK honey, I think that we have six sloths in the bed, one wildcat in the kitchen and I don't
51:07know how many parrots around,
51:09so I think we have a rescue centre.
51:11So this was just your home at the beginning?
51:12It was just my home.
51:13Today, the majority of casualties encar receives are sloths, injured by electrical cables as they move from tree to tree.
51:23Car collisions and heavy rains caused by climate change, after which mothers can't warm up again, also leads to many
51:30orphan sloths.
51:32We are in the rainforest, but the dry season is like almost all the year now.
51:38And when it starts rain, it's raining so heavy and so strong for a week or two weeks.
51:44Then the sloths are not used to that.
51:46So it's not normal, it's not regular rainforest climate.
51:49It's dry, dry, dry, dry, dry and then too intense a storm.
51:52And sloths can't cope with that?
51:54Yeah, exactly, because we are seeing sloths with hypothermia that these low temperatures they are not used to.
52:03Two-toed sloths, two toes in the front feet, three toes in the back.
52:10And here we have one, two, three, four, five, five babies.
52:15They all look super healthy, they're moving around.
52:18Look at this one over here, trouble.
52:21These guys, we decided to use pasta names.
52:24So we have penne, farfalle, pettuccine.
52:29We got ravioli and lasagna.
52:31And then we start with cheese.
52:33So now we have halloumi, halloumi, goda.
52:38Ankar and her team are looking after 40 orphans.
52:42It's touch and go until the babies can feed well and survive the first few days.
52:47After which rehabilitation takes place in earnest.
52:52So where are we heading to now?
52:54Now we are preparing the sloths for a release.
52:58This past year, Ankar has released almost 400 animals.
53:03And today it's the turn of two adult sloths, who both suffered severe injuries from exposed power lines.
53:10After many months of dedicated care, they're ready for the wild.
53:15It's heavier.
53:16Which one's lighter?
53:18Which is a lighter animal?
53:19This one is a heavy for you.
53:21Look.
53:21You already know I'm a wimp.
53:23Okay?
53:33As you release the sloths that you rescue and rehabilitate, it's a bit of a sort of a factory line,
53:40isn't it?
53:40You're just rescuing, re-releasing, rescuing, re-releasing.
53:43But if the problem persists, and particularly with sloths, it's the electrocution problem of these cables, how are you going
53:52to fix that problem?
53:54We started, actually 12 years ago, more or less, a partnership with an electrical company.
54:00Through donations to our foundation, we buy devices to insulate the power lines.
54:08So far, NCAR's hard work has helped to insulate over six kilometers of exposed overhead cables around her town.
54:17And she won't stop until every kilometer of wiring in Costa Rica is safe for wildlife.
54:28Just ten minutes from the rescue center, we're surrounded by ancient forest.
54:33The smell.
54:35It's...
54:37Earth and leaves and life, life, life, life.
54:43You feel it also, you just feel it.
54:46Yeah, and where we belong, because sometimes we forget that we are animals as well.
54:51Primary forests are the oldest forests on Earth, rich in native species that have hardly been disturbed by human activities.
54:59This precious patch is the perfect place to release the sloths.
55:08He's a bit heavy.
55:13So I like to release one in this almond.
55:18It's a good place to release this one, because the trees has a lot of vines.
55:26So he hasn't been out in the wild since six, seven months.
55:29Six, seven months.
55:30Let's see what happens.
55:31Put him in the wild.
55:34Move on.
55:39Let's get him.
55:39I think it's ready.
55:40It's ready.
55:40It's ready.
55:41It's so ready.
55:42So ready.
55:46Look how it's smelling.
55:49I am so jealous, you know?
55:51because our nose is not not the same you want to be able to smell like a sloth is
55:55that interesting i would love it at least one time maybe then i say oh no my god thank you
56:00that's too much completely blind in bright daylight sloths rely on their highly developed
56:09sense of smell to forage and navigate through the trees almost go you can go go up up no more
56:20spa
56:20center now you have to get the leaves for yourself but who off he goes but they are very clever
56:28a lot
56:29of people think that those laws are kind of silly or because they are always lazy and lying down and
56:34no actually they surprise me always i mean their means of survival by low metabolism their slow
56:41digestion they deal with what they're given beautifully camouflaged in the canopy and surviving
56:49for millennia it's like i've got this this is this is me surviving put it alive this is pura
56:57vida i'm rocking the pura vida here
57:04it's just a beautiful thing to watch an animal going back to its home
57:10look at what you're doing this is the result of your passion
57:14your tireless energy your hard work and now i get to see the fruits of your labor this animal
57:23is returning to its home and man have you picked the most beautiful tree
57:29the dedication of n car and her incredible team means more sloths are being given a second chance and
57:37a safer environment to go back to next time beneath the waves of the caribbean sea i helped to restore
57:48a coral reef your whole team just nailed it i joined a patrol protecting one of the rarest geckos in
57:57the
57:57world that is one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen in my entire life and i traveled to
58:02trinidad
58:02to relive one of my fondest childhood memories it really is a very special wildlife encounter
58:09like no other on this planet
58:14hey it's me melgedroych please join me and my friends for children in need yay it's on friday
58:22it's at 7 p.m it's going to be on one and i player
58:27you
Comments