All language subtitles for ITV.Wild.Borneo.Adventure.1of2.1080p.HDTV.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org

WATER SPLASHES
I've just caught a baby crocodile.

CROCODILE SQUEAKS
Well, I never expected to see

such a thing in my life.

I've always loved the natural world.

I'm constantly planting trees
in my garden.

And recently, I adopted
three orphan orangutans in Borneo.

So when the opportunity came along
to combine my passions,

I leapt at the chance.

WOMAN CHUCKLES

Now I'm going on
a jungle adventure to Borneo,

to one of the oldest tropical
rainforests in the world...

It is spectacular.

..to explore
the astonishing wildlife

that flourishes
in this unique environment...

and along its coastline.

From the tallest tropical trees
in the world

to life in the undergrowth...

Tonight, Matthew,
I'm going to be dung beetle.

..and everything in between.

I'll meet the orangutans I love
in their jungle home

and in a centre
that cares for orphans.

Aww. Please hold my hand.

From
the most extraordinary creatures...

No, you can't have the whole wrist.

..to the smallest and deadliest.
Ooh, ooh!

MAN: Hold, he's going for
your jugular, let me get him.

Oh.
MAN CHUCKLES

There.
From the scariest...

CROCODILE GROWLS

..to the most spectacular...

GASPS
WHISPERS: Look at that bat.

..I'll discover how each of them

has a key role to play
in this wonderful place.

And I'll meet the people
fighting to restore the forest...

from the damage that's being done.

People call me Papa Bear.

I raise bear cubs, you know.
Is it true? Papa Bear?

I'll help to reintroduce orphans
back into the wild.

All these creatures are doing
extraordinary things for us.

This orangutan up here
could be affecting global climate.

You're great, my girl. Aww.

It's all happening
in my Wild Borneo Adventure.

I've travelled 7,000 miles
to Borneo,

the world's third largest island,

to explore
this unique and diverse environment.

My jumping off point
for my Wild Borneo Adventure is

Kota Kinabalu on the West Coast.

It's the gateway to

one of the last remaining untouched
rainforests in the world.

It is home to
a host of wildlife and insects

and it's one of the two places
on the planet

where the orangutan lives.

I love these great apes and
I can't wait to see one in the wild.

I'm here with my chap,
conservationist David Mills.

I heard not very long ago about
the age of the rainforests here.

I mean, they are millions
and millions of years old.

That'll be thrilling

and also, I saw a programme about
the destruction of the rainforests,

but there is another side to it,

the people
who are actually conserving it.

I long to hear about that.

And animals. Lots of animals.
The animals?

Orangutan.
We're going to see orangutans.

Don't forget the hornbills.

I like a slow loris myself.
And sun bears.

We're going to see the sun bears.
SHE GASPS

It doesn't get much better
than this. Wildlife and champagne.

Cheers.
HE CHUCKLES

That good?
A good couple of these

and I'll be anyhow.
HE LAUGHS

Two more, please, barman.
LAUGHTER

I'm told that the best way of

experiencing the rainforest for the
first time is to see it from above.

Can't quite believe we're here.

And what we're going to see,
what we are going to find out.

What we're going to discover.

The taxi's here. We have to go.

My guide is
ecologist Dr Glenn Reynolds.

He's been working here
for more than 20 years.

We're travelling 125 miles from the
coast to the heart of the forest.

At first,
the landscape is filled with

logged forest
and palm oil plantations.

Look at this road. So close to us.

But after 45 minutes flying...
we come to a ridge.

GASPS

And the landscape is transformed.

It's the start of the jungle
and leads to our destination,

Danum Valley.

Danum Valley is
the finest lowland rainforest

that there is left standing
in Southeast Asia.

Not only has never been logged,
it's not hunted.

There's no settlements
anywhere near Danum Valley,

which is very, very unusual now.

I've heard these forests are old,
but I want to know exactly how old.

These forests are amongst

the oldest tropical rainforests
anywhere on the planet

so they're
well over 100 million years old.

That's astonishing.

Well, it must mean there were
dinosaurs here at one time.

The very oldest tree's

probably around about
1,000 years old, perhaps.

But its great age isn't
the only thing that's impressing me.

I've arrived
when the forest is putting on

a particularly impressive show.

These trees that you see

that are slightly paler in colour...
Yes.

..with sort of a white-ish blush...
Yes.

..these are flowering trees.
Look at that!

These flowering events only occur
every ten or more years.

It is spectacular.

I never imagined that it's quite
so overpowering to look at.

It is like flying over broccoli.

It's like nothing
I've ever seen before.

After three quarters of an hour,
we reach our destination,

the Danum Valley Lodge,
our home for the next few days.

And from here, we're going to learn
about several research projects.

I'm hoping to see the creatures

that are unique
to this part of the forest.

It's so unexplored, that every year
new species are being discovered.

I know it's going to be tough, with
temperatures reaching 42 degrees,

and with humidity approaching 90%,

but surrounded by exotic animals
and wonderful trees,

I can't wait to get started.

GIBBONS HOOT

It's dawn...

and the song of the gibbons
echoes through the forest.

Zoologist Jedediah Brodie

is one of the many scientists
I'll be working with,

who are experts in their field

and he is my guide
as we search for the orangutan.

WHISPERS: What?
Erm... If you look up this way,

and the top of this tree,
there's a big fern right here,

up on the top of that
is a big male orangutan.

SHE GASPS

Orangutan translates as

person of the forest,
and I can see why.

These gentle giants actually share
97% of their DNA with us.

Their numbers have halved recently,

they could be extinct
by the end of the century.

They're very solitary, but they do
some really interesting sounds,

and I've actually got

some recordings here...
Oh!

..if you want to hear it.
WHISPERS: I'd love it.

This is this fellow.

Oh, and his relation.
Yes.

OK, tell me what you think
this one's doing.

ORANGUTAN HUMS,
JUDI COPIES, AND JEDEDIAH LAUGHS

Hey, that was a good impression.
HUMMING CONTINUES

SHE COPIES AND HE LAUGHS

Might he answer?
You're very good,

you're clearly trained in this.
So this is called their long call

and it's what
the big mature males do,

and it's to warn other males,

"I'm going that way,

you guys get out of the way."
Move to one side.

And also, if there are females
that are receptive, "Come this way."

How fantastic!

Yeah.

David is joining us to discover

how these magnificent creatures
are helping to save the planet.

You recognise this?

I would have said that was a fig,
but it's not, is it?

It's not a fig.
Inside...

..is the white flesh.
Ah!

People call this the Queen
of fruits, it's just delicious,

so would you like to try some?

Okey dokey.

Ooh.
Mmm.

How wise.
Good.

JEDEDIAH CHUCKLES
Mmm.

How incredible.

And then you've got the seed,

which then is dispersed

by their...
Exactly.

Scientists believe that
by spreading seeds,

it plays a vital part
in the growth of these large trees.

These trees absorb harmful carbon
from the atmosphere.

And if the orangutans went,
then so would the trees.

It would be the equivalent of
600 million passenger vehicles

putting carbon into the atmosphere.
So it's potentially a huge effect.

So, you know, just this,
this orangutan up here,

sitting in the tree, munching on
fruits and pooping them out

could be affecting global climate.

He's so relaxed, isn't he?

Takes your breath away.

I'll see more of the orangutans
later.

After such a wonderful encounter,

I'm discovering that the rainforest
is a constant surprise.

And I'm not alone.

My old friend Tony Kirkham,
Head of Trees at Kew Gardens,

is also here in Borneo.

Like me, he's discovering that
every part of the day is special

and dusk is no exception.

BIRDS CHIRPING

At 6 o'clock sharp,
the 6 o'clock cicada starts up.

CICADA SIREN

You could set your watch by them.

But it's only
the start of a symphony.

I meet Tony
just as the orchestra warms up.

What do you think that is?

Well...

It's a funny noise.
It's like a trumpet, isn't it?

I've heard it a lot.
Yeah.

CICADA SIREN
There it is.

That cannot be somebody rubbing
their legs together.

If it is, I want to meet them.

Yeah, see,
it's coming from over there now.

And that was just the overture.

SQUAWKING
What the hell is that? What's that?

Hornbill?
Eh?

Oh!
Oh, there! Look at that!

Marvellous.

Fantastic.

As night falls, the natural symphony
builds to a wonderful crescendo,

played by a host of insects.

Nail cicadas...
HIGH-PITCH CRYING

..grasshoppers...
SQUEAKING

..and crickets.
CHIRPING

This is an extraordinary time,
when the forest really comes alive.

And that's
what I've been waiting for.

I've already been amazed
by the rainforest,

but seeing it in daylight
is only half the story.

The other half doesn't even come out
until night time.

So I've travelled to
a research station

to see the nocturnal creatures
in action.

Some of its smallest inhabitants
are amongst the most important.

But to get up close and personal
with these elusive creatures

is almost impossible.

According to naturalist Chien Lee,
the only way is to set up a trap.

Isn't that amazing?

But in this one, nobody gets hurt,
just a bit dazzled.

It's thought there are about 80,000
different types of insect in Borneo.

About one tenth of the amount
on the rest of the planet.

Look at this one right here,
this is a, a hawk moth.

And one of the main predators of

all the moths here are bats.
Yes.

The hawk moths most ingeniously are
actually able to produce ultrasound,

which interferes with the echo
location of the calls of the bats.

So that the bats actually lose
track of where the moth is.

One of the most impressive creatures
in Chien's trap

is the Atlas Beetle.

Oh!
SHE GASPS

Oh. He's just clawing on.
He clings on.

Yeah, they have
these grappling hook-like claws.

Stick.
You see that?

Oh, he's beautiful.
Careful, they have very sharp claws.

His claws are impressive,

but it's his horns
that really steal the show.

They have these long horns
to have combat with other males

so they can compete for the female.

And you see that this one,

he's able to scoop up the other male
and throw him off of a branch.

Very beautiful thing.

Gosh, very, very beautiful.
Yeah.

I've heard the 6 o'clock cicadas,
but Chien wants to show me

one of its even noisier cousins.

This is a cicada.
Is it?

Oh, we have many, many
different kinds of cicadas.

It's only the males
that make the noise.

Yes.
Listen to this one.

MAKES A BUZZING NOISE
Oh!

No.
HE LAUGHS

What's he making that sound with?

Two plates
right here on the underside

and they actually have
muscles to snap these,

like flipping a piece of plastic
backwards and forwards.

So cicadas feed on
the, the sap of trees

and they suck out
all the juices that come out.

But to get rid of the excess fluid,
they squirt it out their rear end.

So sometimes if you're standing
under a tree with a lot of cicadas,

it feels like it's raining because
all that water just comes down.

Oh, I think it's beautiful.

I think it's beautiful.
Mm.

CICADA MAKES BUZZING NOISE AGAIN
AND HE LAUGHS

He's happy right here.

Another jungle musician

is a super-sized relative
of the grasshopper.

The giant katydid.

So they make their sounds by rubbing
the top of their wings together

and you can see it happen
right here. Oh.

KATYDID MAKES CLICKING SOUND,
JUDI GASPS

Oh, he's got me. Spines, yeah.
It's OK.

This is a praying mantis.
Oh, is he?

Oh.
Oh, hello.

Oh, he likes you.

I'm fond of insects,
but there is a limit.

All right,
he's going for your jugular.

HE LAUGHS

We are rightly worried about losing
the orangutans from the rainforest,

but the insects
are just as important.

Look at that.

That's translucent, isn't it?

If insects were suddenly wiped out,

the whole ecosystem of the forest
would just collapse.

Yeah, they're essential
to the rainforest.

I... am completely...
at a loss for words.

David and I are keeping a diary of
our amazing experiences in Borneo.

But there are so many
that it's hard to keep up.

We haven't written today's yet

and so what's today?
Sunday.

Sunday, right.

You have to keep asking

what day of the week it is.
I have no idea.

No idea.
I think it's Sunday.

The noise of the insects...

The 6 o'clock cicada.
Yeah, on the dot.

On the dot. But also, you said,
"That's our fan making that noise."

I did. And it wasn't.

It was... It was that very, very...

So loud.
..unbelievably loud cicada.

Yeah.
With a trumpet under his arm,

I think (!)
It was, yeah.

I'll never forget it.

BIRD CHIRPS

I've seen
the orangutans and the insects,

but none of them would be here
without the trees.

Borneo is home to the largest
tropical trees on the planet.

The world's tallest
was recently discovered here.

It's more than 330ft tall.

That's nearly twice
the height of Nelson's Column.

In order to get close
to one of these trees,

I'm travelling deeper
into the jungle.

I'm keen for
Glenn Reynolds to introduce me to

one of these magnificent specimens.

It's a dipterocarp.
A tree with a two-winged seed.

This tree is probably 500 years old.

That is an amazing height.
It's tremendous, isn't it?

These buttress roots
are characteristic

of, er, of tropical trees.

What you do get in these forests

are these tremendous
downdraughts of wind,

these gusts of wind that, er,

that can knock
even the largest trees over.

So the rainforest species develop
these enormous buttress roots,

which, er, keep the tree upright, so
buttress it like a giant cathedral.

Beautiful.

Everything about these trees
seems to be gigantic.

These are some dipterocarp seeds.

SHE GASPS
Oh, what a beautiful colour!

Aren't they just? So you can see
why they're called dipteroarps,

so two, two-winged seed.

HE CHUCKLES
So...

Isn't that beautiful?
Yeah, isn't it lovely?

So it's a bit like a,
sort of a sycamore on acid,

if you like.
Yes.

When you thrust
these things up in the air,

see if we can get it to do it.

Oh.
Down they come with a twirl.

Oh, how amazing!

Glenn tells me
these trees contain a treasure

that was once
the most-prized resource in Borneo.

One of the other major export crops
was this, which is resin.

Resin is a protective liquid
that seals trees' wounds

by seeping from the bark
and eventually fossilises,

to form a kind of amber.

Resin is used for fillings of teeth,
would you believe?

So we've all got a bit of Borneo
in us,

if you have got root canal feelings.
I have not got quite enough.

HE LAUGHS
Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Very unpleasant.

Perhaps you can do a quick...
Yeah, I'll try (!) Open up (!)

LAUGHTER
This particular species

has a lovely smell.

Oh, I can smell it now.
Yeah.

Oh, that's lovely.
That's a lovely smell.

Yeah, so you, erm, yeah,
so it's used in incense as well.

I was going to say
that actually is like incense.

It's rather lovely stuff.

All of a sudden,
we're joined by a cheeky fellow

who doesn't seem to be bothered
by us at all.

This little chap here is
an agamid lizard,

who is sitting there
very obligingly.

Doesn't mind, does he?
He's obviously in acting.

He's totally unfazed by us,
isn't he?

Yeah. He is.
Or she.

Many of the animals here see the
trees as high-rise apartment blocks

and live on different floors.

These very large trees
are incredibly important.

They support a whole range
of different species.

What, they're actually living there?
Living there.

So ants, termites, earthworms,
a range of other invertebrates.

The canopy is very poorly studied

because it's so difficult
to get up there.

Erm, but we think that

somewhere between 25 and 30% of the
total biodiversity in a rainforest

is up there,
so it's incredibly important.

So perhaps later, you might like to
have a bit of a closer, closer look.

I'd love to. You mean up there?

Up there.
Ooh!

Yes, I would.
Super.

Just listen. And just look. It's
the straightness of all of them.

All of the trees.
And of course, the height.

But it's... simply...
well, it takes your breath away.

It's not like anything...
I've ever experienced before.

I'm told
the tropical rainforest in Borneo

is home to 288 types of mammal,

more than 300 types of bird,
and thousands of insects.

It's thought to have more plants
and creatures per square mile

than any other place on the planet.

So who clears up after them all?

To find out, I have come to see
scientist Eleanor Slade.

So, someone told me this morning

that there was an orangutan
somewhere around here.

We're on the trail of the creatures

that are
the janitors of the rainforest,

the eccentric dung beetle.

Ah, here we go.

Yeah. There we are.

So these are
the rolling dung beetles.

So here you can see him rolling
his dung using the back legs.

I know, upside down?
Yep.

Facing the wrong way.

Incredible!
So whenever they find a dung pile,

like this pile of orangutan dung,

then they fly down
and locate it with their antennae,

and then roll their dung ball off.
Yes, of course,

you forget that they can fly.
Yes.

You think they're just walking
all of the time backwards.

They, erm, cut out the ball
with their back legs

and shape it into a ball shape.

It's quite...
I think they're very, very skilled.

I mean, they're unbelievably
strong, aren't they?

Yeah, they're incredibly strong.

So they can move up to 1,000 times
their own body weight.

SHE GASPS
So that's the equivalent of

six double-decker buses,
like if you were,

imagine pushing
six double decker buses up a hill,

that's what these guys are doing.

Back at the lodge,
Eleanor wants to introduce me

to some more of
my new-found friends,

to explain why they bury poo.

This is the biggest dung beetle
that we have in Borneo.

Do you want to hold him?
Can I?

Yeah. He's, erm, he's quite strong.

Oh, he's very strong.
Yeah, he won't hurt you,

he's just trying to bury down.
Well, of course he's strong.

These delightful dung beetles
aren't just hypomanic cleaners,

there's method in their madness.

So they spend most of their time

actually, erm, underground in
the soil, burying their dung balls,

feeding off the dung,
and laying their eggs in the dung.

I thought it was always
getting rid of something,

I didn't realise
it was where he lived.

Yeah, yeah.
Or where they lay their eggs.

One of the characteristics of
male dung beetles is their horns,

some more ornate than others.

This is my favourite dung beetle
here, I think.

Could you pick him out in a crowd,
you mean?

Yes.
Not this particular one.

This particular one, yes,
he's my favourite, he's called Bob.

Yes, of course.

So this one doesn't occur
anywhere else in the world.

He's good, Bob, isn't he?
I can see why he's your favourite.

Would you like to keep him?
I can see,

I can see
exactly why he's your favourite.

He seems to really like you.
And me, him.

Yes, you can see,
once you've seen them,

then
they're incredibly charismatic,

and they're kind of cute as well

with their little antennae
and their big horns,

but they're also, of course, very,
very important for the ecosystems.

By removing the dung, they help
increase the nutrients in the soil.

And that means...
And they bury it.

Yeah, and then bury it

so the microbes that
produce methane can't be active.

So they might actually help
with, erm,

with sort of global warming
and things.

Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be

a dung beetle.
LAUGHTER

Oh, I like him very, very much.
Oh!

Oh, he's gone!
He's gone!

ELEANOR CHUCKLES

Is that all right?
Yeah, yeah, that's fine.

Will he come back?
He might come and visit you.

Bob and his friends are
the ultimate rainforest cleaners.

They even make life better
for all of us.

Without them,
we'd literally be knee-deep in poo.

Well, it's just as well...

they're around.
Yeah, it is.

Good heavens.

This jungle is already
beyond my wildest dreams.

Around every corner there's always
an extraordinary creature.

ELEPHANT BLOWS ITS TRUMPET

But I never guessed
what I was going to do next.

Today's the big day. I'm about
to ascend into the jungle canopy

with my friend Tony Kirkham.

There are 2km of ropes

in this tree at present.
Really?

So they're gonna pull us up. Yeah.

Together, we're going to discover

what goes on in the upper storeys
of this multi-layered Eden.

Tony's climbed a lot of trees,
but for me, it's a first.

We're being helped by
one of the best rope-rigging teams

in southeast Asia.

I know how a Shire horse feels.
THEY LAUGH

It's getting pretty exciting.

I'm about to be hauled up a tree
that's over 250ft tall...

Are you ready?
Here we go. Yeah.

Have fun up there.
BOTH: Thank you.

..that's actually taller
than Nelson's Column.

This is where it all goes on.
It certainly is. Look at it.

Isn't it amazing?
Just look at it.

I haven't even got there yet

and I feel
as if I'm entering another world.

Waiting for us in the canopy
is scientist Tom Fale.

Right, we're just going
to go through some fronds.

Judi... OK.
Yes.

Look who's here.
I haven't seen anyone for a bit.

Hello.
Oh, hi, Tom.

Welcome to the rainforest canopy.
TOM LAUGHS

This is amazing, Judi, isn't it...
It is beautiful, this.

..what we're looking at here?

That's right.
Incredible.

These ferns are home to most of
the animals that live in the canopy.

Beautiful fronds.

The shine on them.
And full of bits of... dead foliage.

That's right.
This is really valuable habitat

for animals to come and live in.
Yeah.

In one single fern, you can have

up to 40,000 individual insects.
SHE GASPS

Suddenly now we're getting
an entirely different perspective

by coming up from the bottom.

But it's not only insects
that live up here.

This is an amazing habitat
for lots of different animals.

Looks like
the kind of right level... Mm.

..for the orangutans...
Yes.

..to sit up there and eat...
Yes, yes, of course.

Animals that live up in the canopy

can move around between
the different trees. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

One of the most unexpected animals
is a frog.

The Harlequin Tree Frog spends most
of its life above the forest floor.

It has webbed feet that allow it
to parachute from tree to tree.

The Draco Lizard rarely reaches
the ground.

When it's hunted by a tree snake,

the flaps of skin on its body
allow it to glide out of danger.

But perhaps the weirdest of all
is the kubong.

It's a gliding mammal that has
an enormous blanket of furry skin

that extends like a wing suit.

It can travel 100 yards in one leap.

I feel incredibly privileged.

I feel I know the rainforest
quite well now.

TONY AND TOM LAUGH

I'm living up there now.
MAN LAUGHS

Spectacular.

Tom wants to show me
one of the most surprising creatures

that lives up this tree,
but because it's a potential killer,

he's going to show me on the ground.

I want you to take a grip
a bit further back

because we don't want
her running up my arm.

No. Not your arm.

This centipede injects poison
into its victims.

Only a few inches long, it's been
known to kill a human being.

No wonder Tom's a bit nervous.

Yes. Ooh, ooh!
There you go.

If the centipede is
the super villain of the tree fern,

Tom has found an ant
that has superhero powers.

What we could call a Spiderman ant

is squirting foam.
Oh, yes!

This is to stop other insects
from attacking them,

say, another ant colony
tries to invade their colony,

they spray them like this
and it'll stop them from,

it'll get them all gummed up,
stop them from being able to attack.

And that must be highly effective.

Yes, it can completely glue up

any other insect
that tries to attack these ants.

All these
weird and wonderful animals thrive

in this magical, mysterious forest,
but how secure is their future?

Tonight David and I are meeting
scientist Greg Asner.

We're at the pictures.
Yeah, we're gonna see movie tonight.

He uses planes,
packed with the latest technology,

to scan the forest of north Borneo

and reveal it
in a completely new way.

This image shows
150 square miles of jungle.

He uses
a new kind of high-tech scanner

to reveal
just how rich the rainforest is.

Each shade of colour is
a different species of tree.

Amazingly, there are
3,000 tree types in Borneo.

Even though tropical rainforests
cover only 5% of the planet,

they contain
nearly half of all tree species.

It's mind-blowing because we get to
see just how diverse this forest is.

Here in Danum Valley, in this area,

we can have 300 species
in a single hectare.

SHE GASPS
Really?

And to give you an idea, there
are about 30 tree species in the UK.

It's...
No comparison.

No comparison at all.

But Greg's work also reveals
the threat we all face

if we lose the jungle.

Tropical rainforests hoover up
harmful carbon

that contributes to global warming.

But these lungs of the world
are under increasing pressure

from our insatiable appetite
for palm oil,

used in everything
from ice cream to toothpaste.

These are areas
that have been planted for oil palm,

like you saw from the helicopter.
Yes.

His aerial cameras reveal
something surprising

about how much carbon these massive
palm oil plantations retain.

You'll see that the oil palm,
this blue colouring,

there is a low amount of carbon,
they just don't hold much.

Greg then, through his scanners,

from the plantations
over untouched forest...

Red colours tell us that
this forest is stocked with carbon.

Just as it should be.

We want the carbon stored
in these forests,

rather than
sitting up in the atmosphere,

causing that warming effect.

You can be told
as many times as you like,

can't you, when you read it?

But if you actually see evidence of
it, it makes a very powerful impact.

Such incontrovertible proof of
the importance of the rainforest

is causing governments to rethink.

We're working with the government
to increase the amount of forest

protected from its current 25%
to 30%.

So that 5% increase represents

an area about three times
the size of London.

All in forest...
Really?

..with trees, and animals, and
all the wildlife that lives within.

And those wins are what we're after,

step-by-step.
Of course.

There is hope.
We've seen hope all over the planet.

Very, very good news.

It has given me an amazing insight

into the importance of
the rainforests for all of us.

More forest means
more homes for wildlife,

so I'm going to join a project
about to introduce

three bears to the woods
for the very first time.

So far,
I've ranged deep into the forest.

I've seen an orangutan in the wild
for the first time,

and some other wonderful creatures.

I've learned
how they're all under threat

and that the forest is being lost
at a frightening rate.

But I've also found there's hope
for the rainforest and its animals.

So to see that hope in action,

I'm travelling 60 miles to Sepilok
on the edge of the forest.

I've come to the Orphanage
for the Borneon Sun Bears.

Dr Wong Siew Te runs the centre.

For the past 30 years,

Wong has devoted his career
to the Borneon Sun Bears.

This bear is native to Borneo.

It's also the smallest bear in the
world, about the size of a Labrador.

They might look adorable,
but they can be ferocious.

The centre is currently home to 46,
all of them orphans.

Have you any idea, any kind of
estimate about how many Sun Bears?

In the wild, we do not know.
Yeah.

But one thing for sure,
their density in the forest

is much lower than the orangutan.

Only a few thousand left.

And they're hunted, of course,
aren't they?

Yeah, they are.
Bears in Asia have been poached,

have been used as a traditional
medicine for a long, long time.

Yes, yes. And you think gradually,

people are changing their mind
about this?

I hope so, I really hope so.

For me, I think the next ten years
will be a very crucial time period.

If we fail, they'll be gone.

Have you seen
really young bears here?

Yes, we do, when the bears turn up
at our centre,

often, unfortunately,
mother has been killed.

I personally have nursed
several of them.

That's why people call me Papa Bear.
I raise bear cubs, you know.

Is that true? Papa Bear?
Yeah.

And, er, take the role
as the surrogate mother.

Just like humans, they are mammals,

they're dependent on their mother
to raise them up, to give them food.

Teach them everything. Teach them
everything. Yes. Protect them.

Yes. I see you have a big family.
I do have a big family.

There's a bear down there.

Who is he?
Foo-long.

You know him?
Yes, I know,

I raise him up, he's my little baby.

I raise him up, I'm his papa.
Yes, of course you are!

What do you like most
about the sun bear?

The thing that I like most
is their climbing ability.

It's amazing.
They are like primates.

They can climb the tree
all the way to the treetop,

30 or 40m above the ground.

And they sleep there.
Sometimes they make nests.

They are the only bears
that can climb so high up there.

And you do release these sun bears?
Yes, we do release the sun bears.

Would you like to join us
for our bear release tomorrow?

Yes, yes!
Wonderful. Wonderful.

Beautiful.
Mm-hm.

Beautiful.
Yeah.

One of the bears that will be
introduced to the wild is

four-year-old Tan-Tan.

She has been sedated, to prepare her
for her journey to freedom.

Tan-Tan was rescued
when she was four months old

after her mother had been killed.

She was about to be sold for body
parts used in traditional medicine.

She's very hot right now.

So we have to cool her down

with running water.

It looks distressing, but
this thorough checkup is essential

before the bears are set free.

We have already taken her blood,
to do a health check, measurements,

and all the things we already have,

so today we're going to do a final
check-up, check on the colours...

And she's tagged? Yes.
She has a collar.

She has a collar.
She has a collar.

The collar will track
Tan-Tan's movements for a year

and then drop off.

This will be the last time that
we are going to do this to her.

Mm-hm.
And tomorrow she'll be free.

OK, one, two, three.

WONG GRUNTS

THEY SPEAK THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE

Who else is going? Tan-Tan...
Tan-Tan...

Yes?
And then Boboi.

Yes.
And Kitud.

And Kitud.
Good journey, it's going to be.

Yeah.
Exciting.

So yeah, tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a big day.

Having travelled overnight,

the three bears are ready
for the last part of their journey.

This is literally the final length

from 30 minutes to an hour from now,
they are...

Yeah, they'll be free.
They are quite calm.

They are quite calm right now.

You know, we try to keep them cool

as much as possible.
Cool and calm.

Well, this is wonderful.

It's a day of celebration.
Yes, it is.

WONG LAUGHS

They're going to an area
far from human habitation

and only accessible by helicopter.

Bears brought up by humans

sometimes find it difficult
to adapt to life in the wild.

So releases like this
are extremely rare.

It's only the fifth Wong
has attempted in a 30 year career.

ONE OF THE BEARS GROWLS

Oh.
BEARS GROWLS AGAIN

I know.
Hush, hush. Hush, hush, hush.

It's all right.

What an emotional moment.
It is. It is.

Really extraordinary.
Happy and sad.

Yes. Wonderful that
they've got this life.

Mm-hm.
But...

having been with them for so long...
Yes. Yeah. It's like...

Knowing them so well.

Hm, and knowing that you are not
going to see them again.

I know. I know.

I really hope that they can make it.
And make this forest home.

And I wish that they never, ever
encounter any humans again.

I quite agree.
Yes.

I quite agree. Or any threat.

Yes, or any threat.
I know.

It does give me incredible hope for
the future that this is being done.

BEAR GROWLS

The moment has come
for the bears to be freed.

PEOPLE YELLING INDISTINCTLY

Tan-Tan and Boboi make their escape,
but Kitud is not so sure.

Finally, she makes her break too.

Oh, well done, Wong.
Thank you.

Wonderful.
Exactly.

Wonderful. Yeah.

It's so great these wonderful bears
are back in the forest

because I'm told they control
termites that kill trees...

they spread seeds,
and keep the soil healthy.

Like all the animals I've met,

they play a crucial role
in the forest's survival.

And the healthier the forest,
the better for all of us.

Next time, I'll continue my journey

down one of
Borneo's mightiest rivers...

..all the way to the sea...

and its own forest of coral.

And I'll witness an amazing display.

SHE GASPS
Look at that bat!

And discover some of the more
unusual jungle characters...

Oh, good boy.

The animals are I encounter
are truly remarkable...

Please hold my hand.

..and a little bit terrifying.

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