All language subtitles for BBC.Parenthood.5of5.Jungles.1080p.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org.mkv_1080p.en

(birds chirping)

- [Narrator] A mother
orangutan in Borneo is building

her bed for the night.

(thoughtful music)

First, a mattress of fresh
leaves.

Her young son, a few
branches below is getting

to work on his own bunk,

(thoughtful music)

not entirely successfully.

(thoughtful music)

It'll take her almost a decade

to prepare him for independence.

(thoughtful music)

Like many youngsters, he decides

that his mother's bed is
preferable

(thoughtful music)

and climbs up for a cuddle.

(thoughtful music)

It takes years to perfect jungle
living

and all rainforest parents
learn to rely on the trees

to protect and provide for them.

(thoughtful music)

Bhutan.

The Himalayan kingdom where the
forests

are regarded as sacred.

(thoughtful music)

The jungles here provide a
refuge for many rare species.

(thoughtful music)
(creatures chittering)

Among them are some of our
planet's most dedicated parents.

Rufus necked hornbills.

(thoughtful music)

Male and female pair for life,

and each year they renew their
bond.

Raising a hornbills chick takes
teamwork.

The first step is to secure a
good home.

(upbeat music)

Unlike most birds,
hornbills don't make nests,

but prefer a hole in a tree.

(whimsical music)

Fortunately, the ancient forests

of Bhutan contain plenty of
options.

(whimsical music)

Once the pair have found
one that seems suitable,

the female starts collecting
mud from the forest floor.

(whimsical music)
(creatures chittering)

With it, she builds a
barrier across the entrance

that will prevent any
strangers from getting in.

But she is now imprisoned

and she will remain so
for the next hundred days.

(thoughtful music)

She will be totally reliant
on her partner for food.

He'd better be up to it.

Fruit forms the bulk of his
offerings.

(curious music)

A caterpillar is a welcome
treat once carefully prepared.

Most of the time the food
is gratefully received,

but not always.

(thoughtful music)

The lack of choice is
beginning to get to her.

(bug buzzing)

The male works hard to
maintain his daily deliveries.

His commitment is total.

(anxious music)

But then, one beak becomes two.

(joyful music)

Their growing chick is thriving,

but the nursery is becoming
increasingly cramped

and a touch grubby.

Dad does his best to keep
them both properly fed.

(bugs buzzing)

But conditions inside the nest
are now almost unbearable.

(bugs buzzing)

Finally, after three
months of imprisonment,

she decides the time has come to
leave

and to introduce her chick
to the outside world.

The male now starts to withhold
food,

a clear sign that he too
thinks that the time has come.

She starts to chip away at the
baked mud.

(beak thudding)

The flight muscles are stiff and
weak.

(anxious music)

Inch by inch she squeezes her
way out.

(triumphant music)

Freedom again.

(triumphant music)

Her chick, however needs more
time.

The world seems rather daunting.

His father swoops in to
offer some encouragement.

(curious music)

It's time to go.

(anxious music)

All his parents can do now is
watch.

The chick's journey
inevitably has to begin

with a leap of faith.

(triumphant music)

He is ungainly and awkward,

but that could have been a lot
worse.

They'll remain by his side
for the next six months.

(joyful music)

Jungles may appear to be
full of opportunities,

but competition for homes can be
intense.

This Sri Lankan pug nosed
frog has been lucky.

He's bagged a prime location.

It even has a pool in the
basement.

(playful music)

And it's not long before an
interested female arrives.

(playful music)

Their embrace can last for days.

(playful music)

But as soon as the eggs are
laid, the female leaves.

He is now on his own.

A single parent.

(playful music)

His new brood quickly
attracts unwanted attention.

Frog's eggs are food for
many jungle creatures.

He can protect them from
some of the smaller threats,

(intense music)

but he has little defence
against the bigger ones.

(foreboding music)

A tiger tarantula with a leg
span the size

of a human face,

they can paralyse its victims
with a single venomous bite.

Almost nothing is safe from it.

(foreboding music)

Certainly not a defenceless frog
father.

The little frog bravely holds
his ground.

(foreboding music)

Actually, these two have met
before.

They both live in the same tree
hole.

The tarantula has a nice
dry penthouse at the top,

while the frog prefers the damp
basement.

(playful music)

The stay-at-home frog keeps the
place clean and free of ants

and the spider acts as a
full-time security guard.

(playful music)

Together they make an excellent
team,

(playful music)

one that ensures a future

for two entirely different
families.

(curious music)

For some parents, finding a
suitable home is just the start

of a very long journey.

Learning the intricacies of
the jungle can take a lifetime.

And in the forest of Borneo
the amount of food on offer,

there is hugely each year.

Orangutans have an encyclopaedic
knowledge of the forests.

They not only know which
plants are safe to eat,

but when and where to look for
them.

This knowledge is passed
down to their young

and today's lesson begins
with Amadeus plant.

A meal of its leaves is an
excellent way to start the day.

(playful music)

Bebe is an experienced mother

and has been giving her
son Vias daily lessons

for the last seven years.

(playful music)

Orangutans are mostly solitary
animals.

If Vias is eventually
to survive on his own,

Bebe has a lot of work to do.

(playful music)

She will need to show him
everything

the forest has to offer,

including where to find over
300 different kinds of food.

(playful music)

Like all orangutans, Bebe
is vulnerable on the ground,

but down here there is important
food.

Termites.

They're packed with nutrients,
an important supplement

for their regular diet.

Vias isn't yet brave
enough to sample them,

but at least he's paying
attention.

(wood crunching)

A varied diet can be the
difference between life and
death,

and at his age, Vias should
really be fending for himself,

but he still relies on his
mother to show him the best
bits.

(playful music)
(orangutans chittering)

There is no shortage of leaves,

but even so, he wants
those particular ones

that his mother is eating.

(playful music)

And she is beginning to
find that very irritating.

(dramatic music)
(Vias squealing)

Eventually, he gets the message

and finds a branch of his own.

(dramatic music)

Large fig trees are few and far
between

and you have to know when
they will be full of fruit

if you are not to make
unnecessary journeys.

They've timed their visit
perfectly.

Hundreds of figs are beginning
to ripen.

(Bebe chewing)

Bebe has devoted nearly
a decade of her life

to each of her children.

Vias is approaching
the end of his training

and will soon need to
branch out on his own.

(gentle music)

Leaving his devoted mother will
be one

of the most difficult moments in
his life

(gentle music)

and he isn't quite ready for it,
yet.

(gentle music)

(water rushing)

Iguazu National Park in
Argentina.

(water rushing)

(gentle music)

The mother coati is in her
nest with a litter of kits.

(gentle music)

She has looked after them

with great care since
the day they were born.

But now they're close to
independence

and she's able to start foraging
further.

(gentle music)

Coati live in tight social
groups

and the adults take turns to
care for each other's young

(coati chittering)

and keep them out of harm's way.

(gentle music)

As one mother disappears into
the canopy,

the other is left in charge

and she is going to have her
work cut out.

The kids are just about
manageable within the trees,

but once on the ground,
it becomes total chaos.

(upbeat country music)

The babysitter is doing her
best,

(upbeat country music)

but every time one of the
missing kits is found,

another wanders off.

(playful country music)

It's a babysitter's nightmare.

(playful country music)

Meanwhile, the other female
is enjoying some quiet time

on the other side of the river.

(water rushing)

She calls to the group.

(coati calling)

But the babysitter knows

that the kits would find it
difficult to make the crossing.

They've become separated.

(foreboding music)

The babysitter, however, has an
idea.

She has learned to use something

that previous generations
didn't have, the bridge.

(playful music)

She just has to get the
youngsters across it unscathed.

(uplifting music)

The babysitter rounds
up the final straggler

and carries him to safety.

(uplifting music)

With the group reunited,

everyone has had quite
enough adventure for one day.

(uplifting music)

By sharing parental
responsibilities.

These coatis now successfully
raised more offspring

than they could ever do on their
own.

(birds chirping)

Jungle parents have to
be endlessly resourceful

and the forests of Jamaica are
now home

to a creature whose ancestors
were once ocean goers,

but who now live in
the tiny pools of water

that form at the base of jungle
plants.

This is a mother bromeliad crab,

but her new home isn't perfect.

It requires constant
maintenance.

Dead leaves fall into it
and that just won't do.

The leaves have got to be
removed.

(mellow music)

For her growing brood,
nothing is too much trouble.

(mellow music)

Cleaning the nursery is just the
start.

(mellow music)

For the first 10 days, the tiny
crabs don't have hard shells

and are easily picked
off by hungry predators.

(foreboding music)

They're totally defenceless.

Fortunately, their industrious
mother knows just the thing.

The forest is littered with
snail shells rich in calcium.

She drops a few into the nursery
pool

where they will dissolve

and can then be reabsorbed
by the tiny crablets,

helping them to toughen up.

Managing her nursery
pool is a daily battle.

Too many leaves more shells to
find,

and each day she risks
losing more of her brood.

(anxious music)

When eventually the youngsters
shells have hardened,

she has to provide them with
food.

She doesn't leave the safety
of her bromeliad home,

but relies on food coming to
her.

A millipede search of a
meal of decomposing leaves.

(anxious music)

She readies herself.

(anxious music)

It won't be easy, but
there's a bounty to be had.

(intense music)

She eventually gets to
grips with her capture

and breaks it up into bite-sized
chunks.

The body of the millipede
will not only feed her whole

family, but will also help

to further strengthen
the crablet's shells.

The crablets love the guts best.

(mellow music)

The mother crab has managed
to create an environment

that suits her family.

But some jungles are now
being transformed in ways

that make raising young almost
impossible.

(birds chirping)

The Karst forest of southern
China.

The limestone peaks are
home to one of the rarest

of monkeys, the white-headed
langur.

(monkey hooting)

This infant is one of
the last of his kind.

It's precious not just to his
mother,

but for the future of his entire
species.

A ledge high up these vertical
cliffs may be a safe place

to sleep, but it's less
than perfect as a nursery.

(thoughtful music)

Travelling around up here is
not for the inexperienced,

but eventually all langurs

must learn to master the rock
face.

(thoughtful music)

Fortunately, there are
plenty of others willing

to lend a hand.

(gentle music)

Young langurs can spend as much
as a third

of their time under the
care of other females.

Around mid-morning, the group
begin their daily descent

to the base of their pinnacle.

One false step here could be
fatal.

(intense music)

But this is the place where
their mothers find their food.

(intense music)

Whilst their babies are free to
develop

their climbing skills.

(gentle music)

Langurs need a variety of
fresh leaves every day.

Not long ago, the troop had a
much larger forest territory,

but they have become isolated
on their rocky island,

which is now entirely
surrounded by farmland.

(thoughtful music)

The patches of jungle

that remain have become
increasingly rare.

A couple of outsiders have
been spotted approaching

through the fields.

(dramatic music)

(horn honking)

Looking to take over the island,

(langur squawking)
(intense music)

rival males will kill
the offspring of others,

(intense music)

so the mothers quickly get out
of the way

and retreat to the safety of the
cliffs,

leaving the rest of the
troop to resist the attack.

(dramatic music)

The intruders have been repelled
for now,

but not everyone has gone
unscathed.

The troop begin the long climb
back up.

(creatures chittering)

The mother and her precious
cargo

carefully work their way up the
cliff.

(gentle music)

The walls are near vertical
and the holes razor thin.

(gentle music)

These langurs have adapted
to this perilous habitat

and their island refuge
provides the mother

and her baby with a safe haven,
for now.

But one day the youngster will
be forced

to leave his mother's family

and establish a territory of his
own

and that will not be easy.

(thoughtful music)

Forest habitat is being
lost all over the world,

but nowhere is this more
pronounced

than in the Brazilian Amazon.

Every year vast swathes

of jungle are deliberately set
on fire,

leaving millions of
animal parents homeless.

Many are forced to find refuge
in nearby patches of forest.

(creatures chittering)

Among them, a particularly
rare and seldom seen creature

an Amazonian tapir, a
close relative of rhinos

and South America's largest land
mammal.

A young calf sticks close by her
side.

(water splashing)

They are in search of a new
territory

which has the resources
they need to survive.

(playful music)

Finding enough vegetation
to eat is not a problem,

but many jungle plants
lack crucial minerals

and some contain a mix of toxic
chemicals.

(playful music)

Over time, these toxins can
build up in a tapir's body.

Eventually, some need
to seek out a remedy.

She leads her young calf
upstream

in the hope of finding the cure.

The female knew where to
go in the patch of forest

where she was born,

but as her former territory
continues to burn behind her,

she's forced to look for
somewhere new.

(dramatic music)

As night falls, the jungle comes
alive.

(dramatic music)

Using her keen sense of smell,

she cautiously guides her
calf through the forest.

(dramatic music)
(wings fluttering)

The more animals they encounter,

the closer they're likely to be

to their destination.

She can smell something
familiar in the darkness.

Clay, the remedy that she

and her calf so badly need.

(thoughtful music)

It is thought the clay
neutralises the toxins

and provides essential
minerals lacking in their diet.

Others arrive, all searching
for the same thing.

The particular chemical
compounds within this clay.

(gentle music)

As more tapir arrive,

they dig into the soil,
making it accessible

to other less powerful species.

(uplifting music)

The location of this clay
lick is a crucial part

of the calf's education.

There are unique sites like
this all over the Amazon,

including many that have not
yet been identified by humans.

Even the most remote forests
on earth are no longer immune

from modern disturbances.

The Daintree in Northern
Australia.

Dinosaurs once lived here

(curious music)

and their feathered
descendants still prowl

the understory today.

The cassowary, this one
is nicknamed Crinkle.

(curious music)

He's nearly 45 years old

and like all cassowary fathers,

he has the responsibility
of rearing the young.

(curious music)

Success is never guaranteed,

and this year is tougher than
ever.

It is the middle of the dry
season.

Crinkle's head cask helps
him shed heat quickly,

(curious music)

but his chicks have no such
defence.

In these temperatures,

they need to drink almost every
day if they're to survive,

but it has hardly rained for
months.

(creatures chittering)

Their forest is parched

and many of the river beds are
dry.

(creatures chittering)

Crinkle breaks up some
fruit for his chicks,

but it won't sustain them for
long.

(creatures chittering)

He must find water.

There is a remote pool at the
far limit of his territory.

The journey there is risky,

but his chicks are hungry and
thirsty

and increasingly desperate.

Even in a good year, only 50%
of cassowary chicks survive.

He urges them on.

(intense music)

They must be cautious.

The search for water is drawing
other animals into the area.

Feral pigs introduced

by humans are now
abundant in these forests.

(dramatic music)

Following their scent, while
dingoes are also moving in.

(dramatic music)

Both of these animals are
known to kill cassowary chicks.

Crinkle is by no means
defenceless.

His razor-sharp talons
are effective weapons,

but he will be unable

to save his chicks if they
don't find water soon.

(chicks chirping)
(dramatic music)

At last.

(water splashing)

And for now they are alone.

(peaceful music)

The oasis provides precious
relief.

And what is more,

the quandong tree here is full
of fruit,

a food, much relished by
cassowary.

And in return, the cassowary
distribute the seeds

around the forest, helping
the trees to spread.

(peaceful music)

(chick chirps)

All over the world,

animals and trees depend on each
other,

but there are some trees

that do more than we
ever thought possible.

A 200 year old ajo tree in Costa
Rica

covered in golden blooms,

as one of the largest trees in
the area

it has unrestricted access to
the sun.

However, for the saplings
growing on the forest floor,

collecting the relatively little
light

that filters down isn't quite so
easy.

But the ajo tree's influence is
great.

Its immense canopy absorbs the
sunlight,

using its energy to synthesise
sugars in its leaves,

which then circulate

through its branches
right down to its roots.

Here it collaborates
with microscopic fungi

and it distributes excess
nutrients

to the tiny saplings nearby.

This underground network enables
trees

to support the next generation.

(uplifting music)

These complex relationships
take years to establish,

and it's clear that as trees
age,

they become increasingly
important for the forest,

acting as protectors and
providers for the whole
ecosystem.

A (indistinct) in the ajo's
ancient trunk provides a home

for a family of bats.

(uplifting music)

And thousands of insects
visit it each day.

(uplifting music)

This ajo is a keystone of the
forest,

(uplifting music)

but it's not unique.

The world over such giant
individuals play a pivotal role
in

their respective forests.

(uplifting music)

They are the key to a healthy
jungle.

From the majestic meranti in
Borneo

to the giant kapok in Brazil.

Trees like these provide homes

for a huge variety of animal
families.

(uplifting music)

In turn neighbourhoods
depend on them for food.

(uplifting music)

They're the centre of their
community

(uplifting music)

and are vital to all parents

who make their homes
in jungles.

(uplifting music)

To film the parenting
behaviour of Amazonian tapirs

camera woman, Katie Mayhew
joined Brazilian cameraman,

Joel Paolo (speaking foreign
language).

- We're going to the Salt Lake
to retrieve a camera trap,

see if the tapers are coming.

- [Narrator] Their destination
is a protected area

in the Amazon rainforest
called Cristalino Reserve.

A key stronghold for
the rarely seen tapirs.

(upbeat music)

First they head to a salt
lick, an area regularly visited

by many kinds of animals.

(Katie speaking in foreign
language)

- Yes, wow. And lots of baby
tapirs.

- Wow.
- There are tapirs.

One sitting, there

are two adults.
- Two big ones though.

Yeah.
- Two big ones.

This is really promising.

(uplifting music)

- [Narrator] The remote
cameras show tapir activity

in both day and night,

(thoughtful music)

so to maximise their chances,
they employ a thermal camera.

- It's unbelievable how
this technology helps.

It's finding the animals,

but also discovering what
they do during the night

and especially the tapir.

Basically, we know nothing
about them, how they take care

of their babies, and we'll
try to find out what they do.

Very, very active night
with lots of (indistinct).

A big cat that we don't
know exactly what it is.

Capybaras. So many animals.

- It's a good start, but not
the mother and baby tapir

they're hoping for.

(Guide speaking in foreign
language)

- Happened?
- Yeah, they saw one

in a place

that we know a mother with a
baby.

Yeah.
- That's so exciting.

- [Narrator] Katie goes
to stake out the area,

- So, we've been on the
river for 12 hours now

and we have seen not a lot.

- [Narrator] At the clay lick,

Joel's not having much luck
either.

- Very quiet night. I've
been waiting here for hours.

Strange. I was expecting
more activity here.

This is gonna be hard.

- After 10 days in the 40 degree
heat,

delirium is setting in.

- Being on the river
for eight hours I think,

and we think there's a baby
tapir here in the bushes.

So we're just waiting,

But we don't actually know if
it's there.

(water splashing)

- [Narrator] But a few hours
later, Katie's instincts

and patience pay off.

- Thought I saw some movement in
the water

and it was the stripey baby and
the mom.

And they just swam by the rocks

and then the babies
disappear into the bushes.

Waiting like so, so long.

- [Narrator] Joel's on
the right track too.

- So the other boat just saw a
baby tapir

called us and we're following
him.

Hopefully we'll see one finally.

- In the bushes,

the sleepy mother tapir
and her striped calf.

(gentle music)

- Suckling, the mother's
sleeping.

The baby, like spend a whole
afternoon there with her.

I will never, ever forget this
day.

Unbelievable moment.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] A glimpse of a
mother

and her baby is an encouraging
sign,

but the teams still need
to film them at night

to tell the full story.

Katie tries her luck at
a different clay lick.

- So we've set up our little
hiding area.

The clay lick looks good, so now
we have

to go set up the camera

and then come back tonight
and hope for the best.

(creatures chittering)

- Just using the thermal
scope to kind of spot things

around the lake so I can try

and give Katie a bit of heads
up if something's coming in.

But it's crazy.

It's like I can see
everything through here,

there's hundreds of bats flying
around.

(creatures chittering)

- [Katie] Can you see anything
Nancy?

- Yeah, yeah there's about 20
metres

back from the edge of the clay
lick.

(hopeful music)

- I'm like shaking so much.

There are bats flying over there

and then and a juvenile
and the juvenile's male.

Mom's teaching the young
ones, sort of bite the bark

and clean up all the
minerals that they need.

It's just so nice to see.

Yeah, it's very cool. Very
happy bunny right now.

- [Narrator] Detailed images
like this

have never been seen before,

but thanks to protected areas
like Cristalino Reserve,

the team has been able
to film the secret lives

of the Amazonian tapirs and
their young.

- [Joel] Never in my life I
thought

I would see something like it.

20 days waiting for a chance.

(hopeful music)

(uplifting music)