- 2 days ago
A cinematic experience bringing you the most amazing human stories in the world. Humans and wildlife surviving in the most extreme environments on Earth.
在为期两年的环球旅程中，记录人类如何与自然环境互动；深入极端环境，展现人们如何通过与动物邻居及大自然严酷力量建立复杂关系而生存下来；足迹遍及北极的河流与海洋、高山、草原、丛林及沙漠等各类栖息地。
在为期两年的环球旅程中，记录人类如何与自然环境互动；深入极端环境，展现人们如何通过与动物邻居及大自然严酷力量建立复杂关系而生存下来；足迹遍及北极的河流与海洋、高山、草原、丛林及沙漠等各类栖息地。
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TVTranscript
00:37Zahraha, Nepal
01:04Zahraha, Nepal
01:06He is on his way to find food
01:13To get it, he must travel through a new and alien world
01:27This rhino, in his lifetime, has seen more changes than any of his previous generations
01:41Across the globe, animals of all kinds are now contending with one newly dominant species
01:58Like so many wild creatures, he's had to learn how to live in the human world
02:23Some animals have changed their behaviour
02:26To make the most out of living amongst us
02:34These long-tailed macaques live in Bali
02:47They have developed new interests brought by human visitors
03:04Every morning, the troop heads for a building in the centre of their territory
03:21Unuatu Temple
03:27Tourists come here every day in crowds
03:35So the temple grounds are full of opportunities
03:41If you know where to look
03:46You know where to look
03:46You know where to look
04:12There's a constant supply of hats
04:15And sunglasses
04:22And if you've mastered the element of surprise
04:27It's easy to get them
04:43But this harvest is not for eating
04:48It's for bargaining
04:58Seems like a fair trade
05:06But there are greater rewards to be had
05:08For those who know how to get them
05:18And this old male appears to be doing very well
05:30He and the other elders in this troop
05:33Have both experience and knowledge
05:43They've been working the temple for over ten years
05:47And now concentrate on the big stuff
05:56Things that human beings just can't do without
06:08No one wants to walk home with just one shoe
06:19And these old boys can't wait to get their hands on the latest tech
06:42They've worked out that we simply can't survive without our phones
06:51Or our wallets
07:14The older males understand something the youngsters
07:18Have yet to learn
07:22The art of the deal
07:28A banana?
07:32How dare you?
07:37A bar of chocolate?
07:39That's better
07:44The real skill
07:45The real skill is in the negotiations
07:53The macaques are playing us at our own game
08:00They demand
08:03Whatever they want
08:17Humanity has spread to every corner of the globe
08:25We have become a force of nature
08:28We have become a force of nature
08:37We have altered 80% of the land's surface
08:49Eight billion people
08:51Now live on this planet
08:54And we are changing the world around us at such speed
09:01That for animals
09:03The challenge is to keep up
09:10New York City
09:17Ants
09:19This particular species is thought to have arrived here with the first European settlers
09:28They're now known as pavement ants
09:31Because they live almost exclusively in our towns and cities
09:46And they're thriving because of junk food
09:54And here on Broadway Avenue, there's a lot of it
10:00This is what every pavement ant desires
10:08And to get it
10:12The ants use the city's thousands of miles of underground tunnels
10:26This scout is closing in on its target
10:31But the animals with which they share the pavement
10:34Are 40 million times their weight
10:41So it's best to stay in the cracks
10:54Jackpot
10:55A meat mountain
10:59This is too big a job for just one ant
11:04This worker is female as they are in all ant colonies
11:10And she leaves a trail of pheromones to mark a path
11:18She communicates with every sister she meets as she returns to the nest
11:24And news on the street spreads fast
11:40This ultra-processed meat is very different from their original food
11:47But their digestive system is the key to their success
11:53It's able to keep up with the way humans constantly change their diet
12:02Nowadays, the vast majority of what they eat comes from human food
12:15On Broadway alone, pavement ants eat the equivalent of a staggering 60,000 hot dogs every year
12:28The calories in a single hot dog could fuel the growth of the entire ant colony for a month
12:36If only they can get it back to the nest
12:52But this slow work makes them vulnerable
13:02They aren't the only ones partial to fast food
13:10It's a race to get their prize home
13:18There may be losses
13:22But the colony as a whole will now thrive
13:29In fact, pavement ants are so successful here
13:33That they outnumber human New Yorkers a thousand to one
13:42But success in the human world
13:45Can be harder to achieve
13:47If your reputation precedes you
14:02Here in India
14:03This cobra is heading directly for a village
14:10It has detected the scent of prey
14:17Nearly two meters long
14:19It has enough venom in a single bite
14:22To kill ten people
14:39Snakebites are responsible
14:41For nearly 60,000 deaths a year
14:45In India alone
14:55They travel so silently
14:57That their presence
14:59Is often undetected
15:13And when they are hunting
15:16There is no place they won't go
15:39The toad
15:40The toad
15:50A
15:50Of
15:50The
15:50The
15:50The
15:50The
15:50The
16:20The tongue collects chemical signals from the prey and helps to reveal its position.
16:32But up close, the snake relies on movement to precisely locate its prey.
16:48The toad must pick its moment to escape.
17:14Every time it touches the ground, the toad leaves behind a scent.
17:31It can hide, but the trail will lead the snake to it.
18:15These cobras don't just hunt here.
18:19They live here.
18:23They have found a home where the Hindu villagers revere them and consider them to be demigods.
18:34Remarkably, scientists believe that this tolerance has led to a change in the snake's behaviour.
18:43They move more slowly and are less likely to strike if disturbed.
18:52One of the most feared animals on the planet has found a place where they are accepted and can coexist
19:00with human beings.
19:09But for many animals, living in the human world, it pays to keep a low profile.
19:22Here in Melbourne, Australia, one creature has perfected the art of camouflage.
19:35A frog-mouthed chick.
19:39Its father helps to hide it during the day.
19:50They are nocturnal birds, and as day turns to night, its parents come out of the shadows to reap the
19:59rewards of urban living.
20:05The city lights create excellent conditions for hunting.
20:12Every night in the city is as bright as when there is a full moon.
20:26So, city frog-mouths often have their mouths full.
20:36He's going fast, and today he just won't sit still.
20:44And now, he has revealed his presence.
20:50The first rule of frog-mouth behaviour is, don't move in the day.
20:56But this is the one time in a frog-mouth's life when the urge to fly simply cannot be suppressed.
21:13But, he's not ready to leave home just yet.
21:16But, he's not ready to leave home just yet.
21:32Why?
21:34You're suppose
21:35Let's go.
21:37He's not ready to leave.
21:40He's not ready to leave.
21:43He's not ready to leave.
21:46What?
21:49He's not ready to leave.
21:57You're ready to leave.
22:02Humans bring pets, and cats in Australia kill a million birds a day.
22:52His first proper flight.
23:00But unless he can find a safe place to roost, he is still in peril.
23:15Made it.
23:19But if he is to survive in the city, like the adults, he will have to learn how to blend
23:26in.
23:40Some animals are so bold that they don't even try to hide.
23:49To see a large predator in the built-up world is a rare sight.
23:57And here in Lake Tahoe in North America, these black bears are particularly big.
24:08And they're heading right to the center of town.
24:13Winter is approaching.
24:15And these bears need to put on as much weight as possible before the snow arrives.
24:24This is a great place to gorge.
24:32It's now bear country.
24:39Why struggle for a meal when you can cross the street for a takeaway?
24:55There's so much food here that some of the bears are 50% heavier than their country cousins.
25:07But why stop here?
25:11Some bears just want to dine in.
25:22A lucky few are able to get an easy meal from the human world.
25:30But when we venture to the natural world in search of food, the harvest is on a different scale.
25:39In just four decades, fishing reduced fish populations by half.
25:48And created great problems for the ocean predators that once had such food to themselves.
26:02Off the coast of Vancouver Island, humpback whales inhabit waters where herring have been overfished.
26:15Humpbacks, however, are renowned for their ingenuity.
26:22Twelve years ago, an adult male called Conga adopted a totally new way of feeding.
26:31When the density of fish in the water is low and birds are diving to catch them, the humpback opens
26:40its mouth and creates a space that the fish mistake for shelter.
26:52The fish swim in.
26:57And the trap is closed.
27:07Conga was the first humpback whale to be seen doing this.
27:14Now, 30 whales in the area use this same technique.
27:24The population of humpbacks here is growing.
27:28And you might think that this would reduce fish stocks even more.
27:33But something surprising is thought to be happening.
27:38These tiny phytoplankton are the basis of the food chain and need a vital ingredient to grow.
27:47Iron.
27:56Whale faeces are rich in iron.
28:02And great whales produce it in enormous quantities.
28:07So the phytoplankton flourishes and herring feed on it.
28:16Whale faeces, in fact, are helping to restore the whole ecosystem.
28:24The herring attacks seabirds.
28:28Diving birds attack them from beneath.
28:31And gulls and shearwaters dive on them from above.
28:37Even bald eagles benefit from this rich feast.
28:43BIRTH bunny...
28:48And if youите a innovator and other enemies...
28:51Contents to work a request from deterrent in the air to the field...
28:58BIRTH bunny are still going to reach anywhere this time.
29:00They cannot be tell me the people it aunts unless they cannot do it.
29:00we're here andığım間 on the ship who will attempt to dust them Oh!
29:01You do
29:02not even be told! So these
29:20Astonishingly, even though conga and all the other whales are feasting on fish, their
29:27role in fertilizing the ocean is so influential that herring numbers here are actually predicted
29:33to increase.
29:42And the role they play in rejuvenating the environment is having an even greater impact on the human
29:55world.
30:05The flourishing plankton also collects carbon from the atmosphere just as trees do.
30:13So much so that each great whale has the same impact as a forest of 30,000 trees.
30:29Our great whales were once hunted.
30:34And if they return to their pre-whaling numbers, it's estimated that this would be equivalent
30:41to planting over 30 billion trees.
30:58Whales are now being recognized as benefiting humanity.
31:07But for most large animals, competition with humans brings conflict.
31:17This six-ton African bull elephant is in his prime.
31:25To stand the best chance of winning fights for females, he needs to be big.
31:32He can smell.
31:34Highly nutritious food is near.
31:46But crossing the boundary to reach it is a dangerous journey.
31:57He was wait for the cover of darkness.
32:10These Kenyan farmers are preparing for the night ahead.
32:18They have had to guard their crops every night for the last two months.
32:26With only two days until harvest, this is a critical time.
32:41In a single night, a bull elephant can destroy the entire crops produced by 10 farmers.
33:04But he's taking a huge risk.
33:06But he's taking a huge risk.
33:43He's twice the height of a man.
33:48and he won't back down easily.
33:54This human-wildlife conflict happens night after night.
34:01And each year, it takes the lives of up to 200 elephants
34:06and 20 people in Kenya alone.
34:13This stand-off is potentially lethal.
34:18The farmers have had to call for help
34:21from a team of highly experienced rangers.
34:41Although they're armed,
34:43their task is to drive the elephant out of the field
34:46without harming it.
34:51But the bull is determined to hold ground.
35:02The rangers will have to get closer.
35:24The rangers have to resort
35:28to firecrackers.
35:51The bull is driven from this field
35:54and retreats deep into the bush.
36:06Fortunately, for this bull,
36:08the battle has been resolved peacefully.
36:12And efforts like these are seeing fewer elephants killed
36:16and their population in Kenya is starting to rise again.
36:22But conflict with wildlife is now occurring
36:25on a far greater scale
36:27as a consequence of the way
36:29we are changing the world's climate.
36:35Some arid regions are now experiencing
36:38unusually high rainfall.
36:44And that is good for growing crops
36:47here in northeastern Africa.
36:52But it's also the perfect conditions
36:55for one particular insect.
37:12desert locusts.
37:15Desert locusts.
37:18They're normally solitary creatures.
37:21But emerging from the sand in great numbers
37:24triggers a dramatic physical change.
37:35They turn a vivid yellow
37:37and become highly social.
37:41Together, they are an unstoppable army.
37:47On foot, they can cover a mile a day.
37:56But they can only go so far in this way.
38:05They need to find height.
38:19Up here, they begin their final transformation.
38:31Normally, it takes an individual insect
38:34at least a month to become a winged adult.
38:38But in their social form,
38:40their development speeds up.
38:58Now, all they need
39:00is for their wings to harden.
39:02Now, all they need is for their wings to harden.
39:14Once airborne, they can travel 60 miles in a day.
39:18Once airborne, they can travel 60 miles in a day.
39:39Swarms merge and they become a plague.
39:48This one contains billions of individuals and eats as much in a day as the entire population of Germany.
40:24Today, in northeastern Africa, as a consequence of climate change, devastating surges of locusts are becoming more frequent.
40:47Two worlds are colliding.
41:00Unintentionally, humanity has created exactly the conditions that cause this species to explode in numbers.
41:35But another group of animals has seen
41:38an even more dramatic rise as a consequence of our actions.
41:46We have increased the numbers of a few species almost astronomically.
41:54By weight, 70% of the world's birds are now chickens or other domesticated fowl.
42:12We rear 70 billion farm animals each year.
42:18And every one of them needs feeding.
42:23Producing the food for such numbers of domesticated animals
42:28is having a profound impact on the natural world.
42:40The Amazon rainforest, twice the size of India.
42:48It's so rich, it contains one in every 10 species on the planet.
42:55And it's home to this sloth and her 10-month-old baby.
43:07He was born into an environment virtually untouched by humanity.
43:23But now, human beings are claiming even this space.
43:55Year after year,
43:57we clear over 2 million hectares of the Amazon forest.
44:02An area the size of whales.
44:12And we use nearly all of it
44:14to make more space for cattle
44:18and to grow soya to feed our livestock.
44:26Today, habitat destruction is the biggest problem we have created for wildlife around the world.
44:40This porcupine has survived the fire.
44:47and is being rescued.
44:58It's being relocated to pristine forests.
45:08This will be its new home.
45:18only a fortunate few animals
45:22are being given such a second chance.
45:47A healthy, natural world is not only vital for wildlife,
45:53but for our own very existence.
46:01Somehow, we must find ways to redress the balance.
46:13Currently, the vast majority of agricultural land, more than 75%,
46:20is used to raise livestock.
46:23And this is very inefficient.
46:29There are solutions.
46:33One is considering what we eat.
46:45If we shift away from eating meat and dairy,
46:48and move towards a plant-based diet,
46:52then the sun's energy goes directly into growing our food.
47:04And because that's so much more efficient,
47:06we could still produce enough to feed us.
47:10But do so using a quarter of the land.
47:18This could free up an area the size of the United States,
47:22China, the European Union, and Australia combined.
47:30Space that could then be given back to nature.
47:40And human innovations may be able to do even more for wildlife.
47:50High-tech farms now grow plants vertically,
47:54yielding up to 350 times the food grown in the same area.
48:03This is one of many solutions we already have,
48:06and others are surely on the horizon.
48:22To find ways to protect all life on Earth
48:25means reimagining how we live on this planet in the future.
48:31Human ingenuity,
48:33our extraordinary ability to find solutions,
48:36gives me hope that we can.
48:39It will be the major challenge for this generation and the next.
48:44Moving to the next generation.
48:51We have close to the next generation of experts.
49:02We are close to the next generation of experts.
49:12The next generation of experts
49:14are giving us a real critical reaction to theουval.
49:14the Amazon, the Planet Earth 3 team joined a local volunteer fire brigade.
49:22The fire brigade responding to a patch of primary rainforest that is
49:27burning. It's been burning for two days now. It's difficult to know what we're going to see.
49:34The fires are mainly lit illegally to clear space for cattle.
49:42It's really intense. Look at the fires over there. I've never seen anything like that before.
49:58Battling fires is dangerous work, but the firefighters face them every day.
50:06For the wildlife film crew, this is a totally new experience. And these fires can be unpredictable.
50:17Neil, don't spend long in there.
50:25I think we've got to run.
50:36I'll get the timer.
50:48It's quite scary.
50:52With the ground team retreating, the safest way to carry on filming is with the drone.
51:23Do you know what's going on?
51:26Have we lost the drone?
51:27I think Abby has seen it. Abby is on her way.
51:30Can you confirm you're on your way to the drone, Abby?
51:52the drone is damaged beyond repair don't worry about it i mean it don't worry about it
51:58it's absolutely fine it's an adult here it is it's okay it's equipment we've got a spare
52:03the main thing is we're all safe and no one's hurt
52:09the team regroup and decide to move away from the heart of the fire to its fringes
52:18to look for animals caught up in the flames
52:23i mean reports of a monkey in the trees
52:29so the problem is there's fires all the way along here as well as all along here so
52:35it's hard to know what all this wildlife is going to do when their home is burned up like this
52:42i don't know what it's like for these rainforest animals to be experiencing a fire it's horrific
52:48for me so i don't know what it is for them
52:57the fires burn into the night
53:11the following day the crew accompany the firefighters in the search for animals in the aftermath
53:21oh my god there are flames all inside of it we're termite oh my god
53:33remarkably some animals have survived
53:44so
53:45okay
53:45so
53:45so
53:46i not
53:47It does a lot, because the nature is alive as we are, right?
53:57Everything that we have, she also has.
54:02So, it's sad to see a nature of this way, right?
54:10She deserves it a lot. She doesn't deserve to be hurt, she's hurt.
54:17She deserves to be strong to strengthen us.
54:24Because if it's warm, it's too hard.
54:27If it's falling, it's too hard.
54:33Clearing land for farming is not a problem unique to the Amazon.
54:40Agriculture now takes up half of the habitable land on the planet.
54:46To produce food with less impact on the natural world requires new approaches.
54:54And that led the wildlife film crew to a farm in a warehouse.
55:05We're in the middle of the city.
55:06I can't believe so much food being grown in such a small space.
55:14Here in Los Angeles, 6,000 miles from the Amazon, this farm is part of a burgeoning food revolution.
55:23This is the most productive farm in the world.
55:26And it's our goal to reduce the amount of land and resources necessary to grow down to the bare minimum.
55:32It took a while to understand that for nature, agricultural use of land was the primary destructive behavior of humanity.
55:41As we expand this means of growing, I'm very hopeful that this approach can ultimately give a lot of land
55:47back to nature
55:48and allow that biodiversity to reestablish and flourish.
55:53Not only does this farm use less space, but it also uses 90% less water, no pesticides and cuts
56:06food miles.
56:10It does feel like a really good start.
56:14Ideas like this can reduce our footprint on the planet, giving the natural world a chance to bounce back.
56:33Next time, the heroes on the frontline saving wildlife.
56:41They're exploring remote jungles, working undercover to catch criminals,
56:51and leading endangered creatures to safety.
56:58Habitat Explorer brings animals and their habitats to life.
57:02Explore this free interactive and make origami animals.
57:05Go to bbc.co.uk forward slash Planeta 3 and follow the links to the Open University.
57:12Or to order a free printed version, visit the website or call the numbers on the screen.
57:21.
57:21.
57:21.
57:21.