All language subtitles for BBC.Asia.2of7.Above.the.Clouds.1080p.HDTV.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org_track3_[eng]

Mount Everest.

It's known in Nepal as Sagarmatha,
or "Goddess of the Sky".

It rises to a height of almost
9,000 metres.

Those who succeed in climbing it
spend only moments at the top.

Nothing can live for long
on its summit.

But on many of Asia's peaks,
some specialised animals

and plants flourish
in remarkable ways.

Asia is the most mountainous
continent on Earth.

The peaks in the Himalaya
may be the most dramatic of them...

..but in Southeast Asia,

there are mountains full of life.

Tropical forests

grow here in abundance.

This is the Daen Lao range,
in northern Thailand.

And here, there is an
astonishing gathering.

This is the largest flock of swifts

to be found anywhere in the world.

The heavy rains have cloaked
the land with dense forest

and carved the rocks
into great caves.

The Tham Nam Lod Cave

is big enough to accommodate

a 16-storey building...

..and its walls provide a home

for over a quarter of
a million swifts.

It's the nesting season.

Almost every available ledge

and crevice is occupied.

Disputes for the few vacant sites

are frequent...

..and rivals only too often

end up in the river.

Wet feathers make it difficult
to get back into the air.

And there are hidden dangers here.

Keeping still is one way

of avoiding detection.

Yet the urge to fly is strong.

The giant carp and catfish

that lurk beneath the surface

are always hungry.

A pair crash-land.

One bird is pulled under...

..but some birds
won't go down without a fight.

A second chance.

Its frantic splashing has already
attracted more hungry fish.

A near-miraculous escape.

It was saved by the sheer
strength of its wings.

The shelter of the cave is clearly
worth the risks it brings.

For every swift that
is caught by a fish,

countless thousands
breed successfully.

And each evening, in
the dwindling light,

the sky fills with adult birds.

The forest-clad peaks
of Southeast Asia

stretch for thousands of miles.

But south of Thailand...

..the land fragments into islands.

In Borneo,
one great mountain stands alone.

Mount Kinabalu.

Over 4,000 metres high,

it was pushed up by forces

deep in the Earth's crust
several million years ago.

Its slopes are home to a
particularly inquisitive

little creature...

..the mountain tree shrew.

A strange plant grows here,
with leaves shaped like little jugs.

A pitcher plant.

The shrew is enticed by the
sweet liquid the pitchers produce.

But they are traps.

Insects are also
attracted by their sweetness.

However, the surfaces are slippery

and the insects can easily
lose their footing.

And there, they drown.

Their bodies dissolve

and are absorbed by the plant.

The more insects the plant consumes,

the bigger the pitchers
it produces...

..and the bigger the prey
they attract.

But the shrew, of course,
is far too big

and powerful to be caught
like a small insect.

And it has a firm grip.

In fact, the shrew gives the plant

a reward for its meal.

PLOPPING

Its droppings.

They, for the plant, are well worth
having, for they're very nutritious.

The shrew pays regular visits

to collect the plant's
sugary offerings.

And its droppings help keep

the plant growing strongly.

It's an excellent arrangement,

from which both plant

and animal can flourish.

To the west of Borneo,

across the Bay of Bengal,

stand the fertile peaks
of southern India.

The mountains of the Western Ghats.

They extend for over 1,000 miles
along the coast.

And they're home to the largest
of all Asia's land animals.

TRUMPETING

The Asian elephant.

This herd is on a journey
to find new feeding grounds.

They're led by an old female -

the matriarch.

The whole family relies on

her experience and knowledge.

Yet, over the last 150 years,

their home has radically changed.

The altitude and monsoon rains

make the Western Ghats
an excellent place for growing tea.

Human beings, globally, drink

two billion cups of it every day.

In just two elephant lifetimes,

the forest has been felled
to make space for tea.

Nonetheless, it seems that

the elephants follow the same paths

as were used by their ancestors.

But now, these paths run through
fields of this very valuable crop.

The elephants, however,

place every step with great care.

A single adult can eat

over 100 kilos every day...

..and yet, they don't take
a single leaf of tea.

They don't like its bitter taste.

But they do relish
the wild plants that grow here.

So as far as the humans
are concerned,

the elephants
are clearing away weeds.

It may seem to be
a harmonious existence...

..but these mountains

are densely populated.

Over 50,000 people
work as tea pickers alone.

So living side by side
can be difficult.

Yet the people have learnt
to give the elephants space,

and the herds are adaptable.

Some matriarchs, however,

are now going where few elephants

have ever been seen before.

They have become mountaineers.

Why elephants should choose
to climb to these summits,

no-one fully understands.

It may be that they're attracted
by the fresh grass.

Or perhaps they are simply trying to
escape from the busy world below.

Either way, planting tea here

could have been a disaster
for these herds.

But not so.

A quarter of all Asian elephants

now live here, in the Western Ghats,

making it home to the biggest
population on Earth.

Over 1,000 miles
to the west of India,

where Asia meets Africa,

stand the continent's
hottest and driest peaks.

Those of the Arabian Peninsula.

In the far south

lies the arid Dhofar range of Oman.

Temperatures here can reach
over 40 degrees Celsius.

Animals of all kinds

must shelter from such heat.

But summer is coming,

and its winds will bring
moist air from the tropics.

As they meet the cool
surface of the sea...

..the water they carry condenses

and begins to form
vast banks of fog.

This is the start of
a major change in the weather,

one on which life here depends.

The Khareef.

As it sweeps inland, the fog is
deflected upwards by the mountains.

And within the clouds,

a magical transformation begins.

One unlike any other in Asia.

The plants in Arabia's
unique cloud forest

collect moisture from the air...

..and within only two weeks,

this parched land bursts into life.

It's a spectacular change,

created by the Dhofar Mountains.

Here, everything hastens
to make the most of this new world.

This landscape is the home of

one of Arabia's
best-adapted desert animals.

Camels.

They will nibble
anything that is green...

..and plenty that is not.

As summer ends,

the winds of the Khareef dwindle...

..and vanish
as suddenly as they arrived.

Now, life must wait

until the good times return.

In Asia's mountainous centre,

the Himalaya stretch
for over 1,000 miles.

They cross five countries...

..and at the range's
far western end, in Pakistan...

..stand some of the most dramatic
of all the Earth's mountains.

The near-vertical peaks
of the Hindu Kush.

They're so inaccessible

that local people believe them
to be inhabited by spirits.

Animals that live among
precipices like these

must be skilled rock-climbers.

Markhor.

The biggest of all species of goat.

Over half the world's population
live in these mountains.

Few predators can follow them,

for here, one wrong step can be,

and often is, fatal.

The first snows mark the beginning
of the breeding season.

It only lasts
for a couple of weeks...

..so the males do not have long
to claim a female.

Time for a special kind of flirting.

She isn't interested.

But flirtation isn't the only
requirement for winning a mate.

Males may have to compete

for the right to breed.

They size one another up...

..using their metre-long horns.

When neither backs down...

..battle begins.

Undaunted by the perilous drops...

..they risk their lives

competing for
a higher position uphill.

LOUD CRASH

200kg of muscle collide.

All this male can do is
brace and take the hits.

LOUD CRASH

If two males are equally matched,

the battle becomes
a test of stamina.

LOUD CRASH

LOUD CRASH

After hours of fighting...

CRASHING

..both are exhausted.

It's time to call it quits.

And the winner is recognised.

This is what success looks like.

The Himalayan range
runs from east to west,

and at its centre lies Nepal.

Of the ten highest mountains
on Earth, eight are found here.

And the forests on their slopes

are home to perhaps
the shyest of Asia's mammals.

Red pandas.

They're well adapted to life here,

with thick fur to keep out the cold.

This female is searching for food.

Bamboo can make up 99% of her diet.

But during the coldest months,

something appears
that is much more nutritious...

..and she knows
exactly where to find it.

Kiwi fruit, otherwise known as
Chinese gooseberries.

They're packed with energy...

..and only appear
for a few short weeks.

So she eats all she can find.

After such a feast...

..she needs to do
what red pandas do best.

She sleeps.

At the far eastern end of
the Himalaya

stand the isolated
Hengduan Mountains of China.

The forests here are home to

a particularly engaging
species of monkey.

They live at a higher altitude
than any primate other than humans.

The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

Why they have such tiny noses
is not certain,

but perhaps it's because

that if they were any longer,

they would get frostbitten.

They live in close family groups

and take life at a slow pace.

Spring is an extremely important
time for them.

CHIRPING

It's when the young are born.

They are among the most endangered

of all primate species.

Each baby is very precious.

Everyone wants to hold
the new arrivals.

The youngsters are dependent
on their mother for over a year.

But after only a few weeks,

some become...adventurous.

There's a lot to learn.

Watching how the grown-ups

do things is a good way to start.

But finding your feet can be tricky.

For these two youngsters, today's
lesson is particularly important.

It concerns the way by which

one makes friends.

And having friends here is crucial.

As evening approaches, the families
huddle together for warmth.

Temperatures fall well below zero.

Group hugs are not just

ways of showing affection.

Frequently, they are essential
for survival

in this bitterly cold habitat.

To the north of the Himalaya

lies the vast
and desolate Tibetan Plateau.

It's bordered by the highest peaks
on Earth.

It has an average altitude

of over 4,000 metres.

And it is aptly called by many
"the roof of the world".

It's home to the Tibetan fox.

This female has pups.

They're three months old, and their

demand for food is never-ending.

PUPS TRILL

It's time, once again,

for Mother to go hunting.

THUNDER CRASHES

The weather is wildly unpredictable.

And an icy storm can transform

the landscape overnight.

She's looking for a pika.

Lots of them live here...

..and she feeds on little else.

PIKA SQUEAKS

But the snow makes her

only too conspicuous.

The pika see her
almost as soon as she approaches.

To locate her prey, she often
relies on her excellent eyesight.

But she's also an acute listener.

She can hear the slightest
movement beneath the snow.

Wait...

Wait...

Got it!

But one pika won't go far.

The weather is not the only
challenge she has to face.

This is a busy time for the people
who live here.

The lush grass is essential
food for their hungry yaks.

The fox is little bigger than
a house cat...

..so she could easily be trampled.

But this mother is cunning.

She keeps a safe distance

and uses the yaks as cover...

..as she creeps closer
to the distracted pika.

Thanks to their mother's
hunting skills...

..all three cubs will soon be able
to survive on their own.

Wildlife has had to find ways
to adapt to Asia's mountains.

But now, these peaks are changing.

They hold one of the greatest
expanses of snow and ice

to be found
outside the polar regions.

The Himalaya are sometimes called

"the water towers of Asia".

Their meltwaters feed some of
the Earth's biggest rivers...

..such as the Ganges and the Indus.

And they supply fresh water

to countless numbers of people.

But temperatures in many
of these mountainous areas

are rising faster
than in lower lands.

As they do so, in some areas,
water becomes scarce.

In Nepal, the village of Samdzong

was once fed by a surging river...

..but it's now reduced to a trickle.

With little water here,

only a handful of people remain.

By the end of this century,

up to half the ice now found

in these mountains
may have disappeared.

Life here has never been easy...

..yet in the remotest parts of
these mountains...

..there lives one animal

that is perhaps the
most elusive of all.

Snow leopards spend most of
their lives above 3,000 metres.

Each individual is largely solitary,

and wanders alone over vast areas.

However, very occasionally...

..their paths cross.

He has been following
this female's scent for weeks,

and may have found a mate.

SNARLING

But she's cautious.

Eventually, he gains her trust.

HE ROARS

They spend the next
four days together,

then their ways part...

..and they may never meet again.

A male snow leopard plays no part

in raising the cubs
that he may have fathered.

These youngsters will
stay with their mother

and rely on her
for nearly two years.

It takes time
to master the challenges

of living in Asia's
highest places...

..but the animals that do so...

..are among the most hardy

and resilient of any on Earth.

To film the extraordinary
world of Asia's mountains,

crews would spend more than
400 days in the field...

..getting up close
with some of the continent's

most remarkable wildlife.

Filming would take them
from the sweltering mountains

of the Middle East
to the bitterly cold Himalaya.

My toes are frozen,

but there's a snow leopard
sitting right in front of us.

But it was on the Tibetan Plateau,

almost 5,000 metres up,

where the team faced
their biggest challenge.

To film the Tibetan fox,

an expert crew was enlisted.

Cameraman Jacky Poon
has been visiting here

for the past three years.

In doing so, he's gained the trust
of one very special mother.

She might be getting
a little old now,

but it's clear
she hasn't forgotten him.

I can't believe... Watching Mum now,

I mean, she must be seven, eight?

She's so trusting of Jacky,

this is the fourth litter of cubs

she's let him film.

We're probably less
than 20 metres away.

It's pretty amazing how quickly
they get used to us.

I think just because they saw Mum

coming over and not bothered,

so they immediately know that
we're not a threat.

And it's just great -

they're not even looking at us.

Jacky is here to film a behaviour

he's never managed

to capture on camera.

A Tibetan fox hunting,

using the yaks as cover.

A month here will be tough.

Even in summer, temperatures

can drop to -20 degrees Celsius.

In their remote hut, the crew
must improvise to stay warm.

These are yak droppings,

it's what we need to have fire.

Seeing as there's no tree out there,
yak dropping is the best.

But as the crew embed themselves
in the foxes' lives,

they are increasingly aware
of a threat.

Feral dogs are common.

Unfortunately, it seems that

the mother has already had a run-in.

She's not doing so well.

She's limping quite a lot.

Her left front paw
seems to be injured,

and, yeah, she's not going
very fast. It's not good.

Now she's hurt,
if she meets another stray dog,

I mean, that's it for her.

Soon, the situation for the team
goes from bad to worse.

THUNDER CRASHES

Being out in the open is dangerous.

Come on, Joshua! Go, go, go, quick!

Get in the car, quick!

Oh, it's crazy!

People are struck by lightning
here every year.

Oh, my gosh!

The storm passes quickly...

..yet the weather remains poor
for days.

And the mother
is nowhere to be found.

She was last seen
chased by the dogs,

so we're definitely worried sick

and, hopefully, we can find her
this morning.

We're having snow in summer,
and we can't even see that mountain.

Usually, it's a landmark.

Oh, it's so cold!

Days go by without
a sign of the family.

Can't see anything.

Definitely no Mum, nor cubs.

With only a week left of the shoot,

the chances of filming the mother
hunting among the yaks

are slipping away.

But as the weather begins to lift,

the team finally receive
some good news.

RADIO COMMUNICATION

That's Mum.

Found Mum up the mountain.

Oh, thank God for that, honestly.

I was so afraid
that something's happened to Mum.

But, yeah, it's good
to know she's alive,

but now she just needs to
stay alive.

Although the mother
is safe and well,

Jacky still needs
to get in the right place

to capture her hunting
among the yaks.

Oh, Mum is catching, right in there.

We don't want to scare the yaks off.

We should move around the yaks.

Otherwise, we're pushing
the yaks further up.

With a cautious approach...

..Jacky is able to get
right in among the herd...

..and films action

never captured before.

PIKA SQUEAKS

Nice! Such an amazing behaviour.

While Jacky's relationship
has made it all possible,

it also makes it hard
to say goodbye.

Man, it's pretty crazy to
think that the first year

when I was here,
she was younger than me,

in dog years, and now four years
later, she's actually older than me.

But Jacky hopes to return
and once again be reunited

with this master
of Asia's mountains.

Next time, journey
to the frozen north of Asia...

..where some of the coldest places
on Earth...

..push animals...

..to the very edge of survival.

SCREECHES