All language subtitles for Planet.Earth.III.Ep08.Heroes.2023.1080p.BluRay.x264.Atmos.TrueHD7.1-WiKi.English

(LOW RADIO CHATTER)

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH:
These people are hunting

for one of the most endangered
animals on the planet.

The black rhino, an animal
poached for its horn.

(GUN FIRES)

But they aren't
going to harm her.

Dumi Zwane and his team
are on a rescue mission.

DUMI: I don't think I'll ever
stop fighting for rhino.

It's just not possible.

OK! Yeah.

DAVID: They're setting up
a new breeding colony

in a safe haven.

That's two.

Two. OK. That's good.

This female is going to be
at the very centre of it.

She weighs over a tonne...

...and there's only one way
to get her out.

That's it.

There we are. Perfect!

DUMI: When I watch it fly off,
it's very emotional.

It's a beautiful feeling.

DAVID: She is sedated
and safe...

...and in less than
half an hour,

she'll be back
on the ground

and starting a new life

in a project that could save
her entire species,

thanks to Dumi
and his remarkable team.

We started making

the very first
Planet Earth series

just over 20 years ago.

Since then, our camera teams
have filmed all over the world

and visited some of its wildest
and most remote corners.

But the truth is
that most of the animals

we filmed over
these last two decades

are now rarer than they were.

And the places where they live

are in greater danger
of destruction.

But I've seen another change
in those years,

a hopeful change.

A new generation
of remarkable people

are stepping up
to save wildlife.

They're overcoming
huge obstacles,

travelling to dangerous places,

and sometimes
even risking their lives.

To me, they are true heroes.

This is the story
of some of them.

Hidden in the heart
of the Andes

is the Centro Jambatu
research centre.

It's protecting members of
what is, perhaps surprisingly,

the most endangered group
of animals in the world.

Frogs.

These individuals
are the very last

of their particular species.

They're brought here
not only for protection,

but, more importantly,

to increase their numbers.

And the person to find them...

...Jaime Culebras.

I was seven the first time
that I saw a frog

and just changed my life.

And ever since his childhood,

he's been exploring
the remotest places

and searching
for the rarest frogs.

This is a leaf frog.

He is just amazing.

It's impossible
to don't fall in love

with an animal like this, no?

But there is one frog here
that is very special.

His name -

Sad Santiago.

This is Sad Santiago,

and he's sad
because he's alone.

He's one of the last members
of his species.

And he needs a female.

Known as the Morona-Santiago
harlequin frog,

he may be the rarest frog
in the world.

While the other frogs here
are doing their best

to increase their populations,

Santiago has sat alone
for four long years.

Maybe it's not
the most beautiful frog,

but he deserves love.

Santiago has now grown old,

and if Jaime can't find
a female for him soon,

the whole species
could become extinct.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

The last place where one
of these frogs was seen...

...was high up on a mountain
in the cloud forest of Ecuador.

There's only one way
to get there.

(DONKEY SNORTS)

Joining him
is fellow frog-hunter Darwin

and Jaime's partner
and frog scientist Francesca.

Ohh!

Come on, come on.

Arriba.

FRANCESCA: This is one of
the wettest places on Earth,

and right now
it's actually the wet season,

the rainy season,

so it rains even more.

Soaking wet
and teeming with bugs...

...it's a perfect place
for frogs.

Let's go.

Most frogs come out of hiding
at night.

This place
is extremely wonderful,

but you have to be careful
where you put your hands.

FRANCESCA: Being with him is...

It's unusual.

It's not your regular
relationship. (LAUGHS)

Oh. He's obsessed.
He's really obsessed.

Streams like this
should be full of frogs

of many different species...

...but they search all night
and find nothing.

JAIME: It's a silent forest.

It's sad.

The sound of frogs is slowly
disappearing from our world.

The only place

many frog species
can now be found

is in a museum.

A key reason is the spread
of a fungus called chytrid...

...that can grow
on the moist skins of frogs,

eventually killing them.

90 species are thought
to have become extinct

as a consequence,

and almost 600 more
are now critically endangered.

Before chytrid,

I'm pretty sure

that you could walk

through the stream

and see everywhere

many, many, many frogs

on the rocks
calling "prrr-prrr"!

I wish I had been born
before the frog disease.

Night after night...

...they search the stream.

FRANCESCA: Jaime!

At last, there is a discovery.

The sound is a "prrr",

and I don't know exactly where,

but it's there, more or less.

FRANCESCA: En el agua!

We have it.

A glass frog.

A really beautiful glass frog.

Glass frogs are becoming
increasingly rare,

and one day
they too could disappear.

But it's not
what they're looking for.

The fact is that
countless species go extinct...

...unnoticed.

All Jaime can do
is to continue his search

for a mate for Santiago.

JAIME: It's there.

I found a female!

Agh!

Woohoo!

It's a female! Look.

The size is bigger than
the males.

Wow.

I feel so happy.

The first female!

She could be the cornerstone
of a new breeding programme.

Santiago will be very, very,
very, very, very happy...

(LAUGHS) ...because
she's really beautiful.

FRANCESCA: In my hand,
I have hope.

I have the saviour
of this species,

for breeding programmes

and for people to reproduce it.

I don't know, it's like
I just have hope in my hand.

There are over 7,000 species
of frogs in the world,

and you may well ask...

...does it really matter
if a few go extinct?

Well, just look
at this tiny species

of poison arrow frog.

Scientists discovered
a chemical on its skin...

...200 times stronger
than morphine.

Now they are studying
how it works

to create
powerful new painkillers.

But the natural world is not
just one vast medicine chest.

It's far more than that.

It is our life support system,

the fabric that holds
our world together.

Remove a part of it,

a species or a habitat,

and there's no knowing
what could happen.

(LOW RUMBLING)

A prime example
is the forest elephant.

They play a crucial role

in maintaining
the rainforests of Africa...

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

...dispersing seeds
and making clearings

that are then used
by many other animals.

We filmed these images in 2004

for the first
Planet Earth series.

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

Nine years later,

poachers came here

and killed 26 elephants
for their ivory...

...including
four of the calves.

Since that first series,

the number of forest elephants
across Africa

has dropped by two-thirds.

But stopping the slaughter
is a risky business.

Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire,
West Africa...

...part of the global network
in the illegal ivory trade.

A stranger has flown in
from Vietnam,

a hub for the import of ivory.

Her name - Trang Nguyen.

Her speciality - infiltrating
the illegal wildlife trade

by posing as a buyer.

Trang is working with a network
of conservationists

called EAGLE.

Her contact here is Rens Ilgen.

But what is particular
with this new trade

in West Africa is,
as you can see,

a lot of the tusks
are from baby elephants.

So they're really down to
the last elephants.

Last week,
seven people were killed.

Seven ranger was killed?

So, clearly, it is not
just about the ivory trade,

but a lot of people, rangers,
that are being killed as well.

It's... it's war.

- It's war.
- And they're even going

- for the baby elephants.
- Yeah.

Now Trang is set her task.

So I want you to meet
the godfather of ivory.

We already arrested him
four years ago

when he had 400kg of ivory,

which he was supplying
to the Vietnamese community

linked to the Vietnamese mafia.

As he has been arrested before,
he might be very cautious.

It might be dangerous.

She prepares her disguise
as a business woman,

but under her jacket -

hidden recording equipment.

EAGLE's undercover agents
have been following

the Godfather for years.

Now is the moment to catch him.

This is your first meeting.

You're just going to discuss
and get to know each other.

See if they have the products.

- Exactly.
- I'm going in,

and I need to sit
facing away from the door,

because I don't want people
to see me with him.

- We will be close by...
- Yep.

...and nothing will go wrong.

OK.

- Good luck.
- Bye.

She meets the Godfather
at a local cafe.

The secret cameras
capture the story.

TRANG: Mm-hm.

But the Godfather denies
having any ivory for sale.

TRANG: Merci.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Merci.

Perhaps there's no ivory.

Or maybe
he doesn't trust Trang.

It's a serious setback.

But there are other traders
out there.

Perhaps her presence in town
will draw them in.

Every day that passes,

more elephants are killed.

For Trang,
this work is very personal.

TRANG: When I was 23,
I got the phone call.

The doctor told me
that I had bowel cancer.

The first thing pop up in
my mind is that I'm so young,

how can I get cancer?

Once you have cancer,

you don't know how long
you're going to live for,

and if I want to do anything,
then I should just do it now.

And that's when I said,

"OK, I'm just going to do
undercover,"

because I don't know
when I'm gonna die,

I might as well do something
really meaningful.

DAVID: Currently,
Trang is in remission.

Three days later,
there's a breakthrough.

(PHONE PINGS)

A video sent by a trader.

I can see that this video
have about 14,15 ivory.

They are big tusks, they are
also small tusks as well.

It's obviously come
from baby elephants.

The bait has been taken.

Trang and the EAGLE team
must act fast.

She goes to meet
the new targets.

First job...

TRANG: Bonsoir.

...gain their trust.

TRANG: Cheers.

- Cheers.
- Cheers.

TRANG:

TRADER: OK.

Eventually,
Trang persuades the traders

to move to a hotel room nearby
to weigh the ivory

and make the transaction.

TRANG: Close the door.
Close the door.

Ivory is sold by the kilo.

TRANG: That is just over 20.
20.2?

TRADER: 20.3.

A whole elephant family
was killed for this haul.

(LOW CHATTER)

It's worth over £5,000.

Here, that is a year's salary.

What the traders don't realise

is that the police are
in the room above,

waiting for a text from Trang.

(SOFTLY) OK, let's go.

(WHISPERING)

TRANG: Who's there?

TRANG: Service?

(DOG BARKS)

TRANG: You go open the door.

TRADER: OK.

- (POLICE SHOUT)
- (TRANG SCREAMS)

Don't move, don't move,
don't move!

(TRANG SCREAMS)

TRANG (IN FRENCH):

For her own safety,

she has to keep her cover story
and behave as a criminal...

(MUFFLED SHOUTING)

...which means
she must also be arrested.

(POLICE ISSUE ORDERS
IN FRENCH)

A link in the global
supply chain... broken.

POLICE: OK.

Trang is whisked away

whilst the traders are taken
to the police station,

none the wiser
about her involvement.

(IN FRENCH)

Over the next year,

EAGLE catch
140 more traffickers

in the fight against
the global wildlife trade.

But for Trang,
this is her last operation.

It's why we can show her face.

It's not safe for her to stay
a minute longer than necessary.

Trang's final task is to vanish
from Abidjan... for ever.

Across the world,

the numbers of wild animals
are falling alarmingly.

In just two decades -

since we started making
the first Planet Earth series -

the abundance of wildlife
around the globe has dropped

on average by over 30%.

We're facing a disaster,
a catastrophe.

Scientists say that we're on
the edge of a mass extinction.

It's being caused
by human activity.

So humans also have the power
to stop it.

It takes many qualities
to save even one species.

Determination...

...courage...

...and passion.

And often, there's another
ingredient that's needed.

The ability to think big.

In Vienna, Katharina Huchler
is just starting a new job.

The pay is terrible.

The hours are long.

And there are no days off.

She is about to become
a foster mother.

Hi.

- Hi.
- (CHEEPING)

Good morning.

Hi. Hi.

And these are her new babies...

You're pretty awake. Hi.

...28 of one of
the world's rarest birds.

Hey. Hi.

The northern bald ibis.

You really quickly fall in love
with them. (LAUGHS)

They were hunted to extinction
in Europe over 400 years ago.

These chicks were born
in a zoo.

Katharina's task
is to teach them

to become wild, free birds.

Yes, yes, yes. Komm. Komm.

To do that, she must convince
them that she is their mother.

It's a process
called imprinting.

While it's happening,

the chicks must never see
or hear

any other human except Helena,

who's an ibis foster mum
for the second time.

They must always wear
identical yellow clothes

and repeat the same noises
again and again.

We mimic the sounds
the adults make...

It's like kkrukk!

Kkrukk! Kkrukk!

Kkrukk!

- Kklup.
- Kklup. Kklup. Kklup.

...but I'm not good yet
at doing it. (LAUGHS)

Goodnight.

They're here when the chicks
fall asleep...

Sleep well.

...and the first thing they see
when they awake.

Good morning, waldies! Hallo!

Let's have something to eat,
shall we? Yes, let's eat.

They're a bit like
every human baby.

They just need their food
bit by bit by bit

all day long.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Oh, no, we did it all wrong.

HELENA: Aw!

It's really like changing
the nappies of the babies.

28 mouths to feed
and bottoms to wipe,

and all the time
talking to the birds.

Komm, komm, waldies!
Komm, komm!

Feeling really tired.

Yeah. I'd really like to sleep
a little bit more.

As the weeks pass,
the bond grows.

And then it is time
for the next stage

in becoming wild birds.

They move to a field
in the Austrian Alps.

They've now grown
their adult flight feathers...

Hey!

...but they're still chicks
on the inside.

So the imprinting
must continue.

With this hand gesture,

we imitate
the bill of an adult ibis

and we combine it with the
greeting sound. So this is...

Kkloh! Kkloh!

All this imprinting is for
a very important reason.

These are migratory birds.

In autumn,
they must fly south

to their warm feeding grounds
in Italy.

And that is a problem.

They know that
they need to go somewhere,

but they don't know
in which direction and how far.

So they need to learn the route
from their parents.

Their human mothers
must show them the way.

And that requires
a little ingenuity.

(ENGINE POWERS UP)

This is where the imprinting
is put to the test.

Will the birds follow them...

...even in a microlight?

KATHARINA: Komm, komm!

Komm, komm, waldies!

Komm, komm!

(TRANSLATION)

Getting too close is dangerous
for both birds and humans.

(TRANSLATION)

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

After a wobbly start...

...at last they settle.

The imprinting has worked.

Our birds did very well today.

But their biggest challenge
is still to come.

The Zillertal Alps.

A great wall of rock and ice.

It's going to be
the most important flight

of their young lives.

It will take them to
the very edge of exhaustion.

A lot of young birds die
during their first migration.

They are still
so inexperienced.

There's also danger

for the foster mothers
and the pilots.

If there is a problem
with the microlights,

there is no safe place to land.

To gain enough height to fly
over these mountains...

...they must find columns of
rising air called thermals...

...a skill these birds
would normally learn

by following
their natural mothers.

(WIND WHISTLES)

It takes expert piloting
to find the thermals.

Once within one,

it's turbulent
and unpredictable.

With every turn,

the mothers must make sure
all 28 birds are following.

All 28 birds here.

(REPEATS IN GERMAN)

Phew. (LAUGHS)

At last, they make it over
the highest ridge.

From now on,
it should be easy flying.

KATHARINA:
What we are trying to do,

apart from saving the ibis,

is trying to give hope
to people.

If you can bring back
one species,

you can also do it with others.

DAVID: A species once
left for dead now has a future.

And they head
for their safe winter home

in a protected nature reserve.

(HORN BEEPS)

But as we have seen
throughout this series,

many species are losing

the wild habitats
they need to survive.

It's the biggest cause
of extinction.

Nowhere is this more apparent
than in the Amazon rainforest.

Our Planet Earth crews
have filmed here many times

over the last two decades...

(CREAKING)

...and in that time,

over 16,000 million trees...

...have been felled.

To safeguard
the countless species

that live here...

...the forest itself
must be protected...

...and there's a force
rising up to do just that.

(TRANSLATION)

Alessandra Korap is one of
the leaders of the Munduruku.

They have been the guardians
of this part of the Amazon

for thousands of years.

When she was a child,

this part of the Amazon forest
stretched unbroken

for hundreds of miles.

Now it's being carved up...

...for mining, for timber,

but most of all
for agriculture.

This is the frontline
in the battle for the Amazon,

and it is a deadly one.

In the last decade,
more than 300 people

have been murdered in Brazil
defending the environment.

The Munduruku,
like many indigenous groups,

live in isolated communities

vulnerable to attack from
miners, farmers and loggers.

The Amazon's future is decided
2,000 miles away.

Here, in the parliament
of Brazil,

new laws are being debated

to allow the exploitation

of their traditional
tribal land.

But Alessandra has a plan -

to unite with other tribes

and organise a protest so big

that it cannot be ignored.

It's a three-day journey
to the capital city.

(LORRY HORN BLARES)

Trucks rumble
to and from the fields.

Land that used to be
rainforest.

They're carrying thousands
of tonnes of soya beans.

It's shipped from the heart
of the Amazon

across the world.

Not to feed humans...

...but to feed livestock.

Eventually, Alessandra makes it
to Brasilia.

News of the protest has spread
all over the country.

200 groups have united
in a huge camp.

(PROTESTORS SING)

From the northeast of Brazil -
the Xukuru.

From the southern edge
of the Amazon - the Karajá.

For ten days, they protest
against the proposed laws.

Alessandra and the other
leaders have created

the biggest protest
by indigenous people

ever held in Brazil.

Later, one of the proposed
laws was withdrawn...

...a small but significant
victory

in Alessandra's fight
for Brazil's wild places.

The destruction of habitats
is currently the biggest threat

to the survival
of animal species.

But there is an even greater
disaster on the horizon.

Our climate is changing.

Seasons have become
unpredictable and more extreme.

Our planet is getting hotter.

Scientists predict

that if the global temperature
rises by over two degrees,

it is likely to become

the number one cause
of extinction.

To halt climate change,

perhaps politicians
need to become heroes, too.

NEWS REPORT:
Hello, good evening,

and a warm welcome to Glasgow
and the start

of the long-awaited
climate summit COP26.

World leaders,
prominent scientists

and advisers all ready
for 12 days of...

DAVID: Mohamed Nasheed
is a politician,

the former president
of the Maldives.

NASHEED: The doctors said
that they took 16 ball bearings

from all parts of my body.

I was unconscious for two days.

DAVID:
Over his political career,

he has been tortured,
imprisoned

and recently survived
an assassination attempt.

But during that time,

he's also fought relentlessly

against climate change.

...pleasure to be able
to bring you Mohamed Nasheed.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

DAVID: In Glasgow, on the eve
of climate conference COP26,

he is addressing a rally.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

So we come to COP26

to find out
whether we still have a future.

If we cannot have
a legally binding agreement

not to push global temperatures

above 1.5 degrees,

my country will be gone,

as will all the world's
coral reefs

and most of the rainforests.

Is all this devastation
really worth it,

so that we can continue
to burn coal and fossil fuel

for a few more years?

I have spent a lifetime

fighting for my country,

and with more determination
than ever,

because I know my time on Earth
might be cut short.

Mohamed Nasheed's passion
for the natural world

began the first time
he saw a coral reef.

NASHEED: My earliest memory

is with the ocean and the reef.

We were the first generation
to actually see the reef.

Masks and goggles
came to the Maldives

in the late '60s, early '70s.

Once we started seeing the reef
as a living creature...

...we were just dumbfounded.

DAVID: But Nasheed's
beloved coral

is now the habitat
that is most threatened

by climate change.

The critical tipping point is
a 1.5 degree temperature rise.

Beyond that,
most reefs will die,

leaving nothing but rubble.

NASHEED: When you think
of a bigger picture,

then your own life
is not so important.

It's what you want to get done
which is important.

DAVID: Nasheed's aim
is to persuade politicians

to cut the use of coal
and other fossil fuels.

He repeats this plea
at every climate conference.

NASHEED: You need to be able
to convince people,

try to educate people.

We are in trouble.

We will not survive

if the planet is heated
above 1.5 degrees.

We must act now.

DAVID: At first,
journalists are reporting on

some eye-catching promises
made by heads of state.

NEWS REPORT: 18 countries
have committed themselves

to a plan to stop using
coal-fired powerplants.

It is an election issue now.

That is why world leaders
have joined the rhetoric.

DAVID: The next stage - turning
promises into solid plans.

And Nasheed is busy working
behind the scenes.

If they don't agree,

we will ring their ministers,
their presidents

and get them online.

I think that's what we're
trying to do.

So let's do this.

How are you, Prime Minister?

Yeah, OK. I can hear you,
but I can hear

the Prime Minister
much clearer.

DAVID: All countries need
to agree to the final text,

and some won't.

People who want to continue
fossil fuel

I think are the bad guys,

and people who want to change
I feel are the good guys.

Thank you.
Thank you so much.

DAVID: After 14 days,
this COP closes...

...with some progress,

but also with big compromises.

NEWS REPORT: An agreement was
finally reached this evening

after a key section
on the future use of coal

was at the last moment
watered down.

DAVID: Without urgent
new commitments,

the target of 1.5 degrees
will be missed.

It is disastrous.

It will...

If you picture this,
if you can fathom it...

...the coral will bleach

and they will die,

and when they are dead,

the fish and the marine life
that lives there...

...uh, cease to exist.

You would have thought

that your normal prime minister
and president...

...would have a better grip
on understanding things

and not just
go on and on and on

about protecting
their way of life.

So it's frustrating
to see politicians...

...who doesn't seem
to understand it.

DAVID: With current policies,

99% of coral reefs
could be gone...

...in under 30 years.

Other habitats will follow.

NASHEED: You can't lose hope.

You cannot give up.

I will not stop.

DAVID: Nasheed believes
there is a solution.

NASHEED: The more environment
becomes an election issue,

there will be more action
on climate.

Every time you vote
in every election,

please tick the planet.

The challenge of saving species
can't be left

to a few heroic individuals
working against the odds.

It's those in positions
of great power

who can make
the most difference.

So, ultimately,

it is they who must take
the most responsibility.

Perhaps one of our roles
is to hold them to account.

Time is running out
for many species,

but I truly believe

that if the right decisions
are made now,

at this critical moment,

there could still be
a bright future for all life

on our wonderful Planet Earth.