1 00:00:35,601 --> 00:00:40,281 Asia - the largest of all the Earth's continents. 2 00:00:43,481 --> 00:00:48,641 It stretches from the equator to beyond the Arctic Circle. 3 00:00:51,041 --> 00:00:54,521 This is a continent of extremes. 4 00:00:58,921 --> 00:01:04,681 Here, temperatures can drop to below minus 60 degrees Celsius. 5 00:01:06,721 --> 00:01:09,561 On land, survival is almost impossible. 6 00:01:12,481 --> 00:01:15,161 But for a few weeks in summer, 7 00:01:15,281 --> 00:01:19,481 the ice melts and the coast is transformed. 8 00:01:29,841 --> 00:01:33,521 This is one of the biggest gatherings of mammals 9 00:01:33,641 --> 00:01:37,041 to be found anywhere on Earth. 10 00:02:28,601 --> 00:02:31,201 These are Pacific walrus. 11 00:02:32,441 --> 00:02:35,961 For most of the year they feed out in the Arctic Ocean, 12 00:02:36,081 --> 00:02:38,561 emerging to rest on the sea ice. 13 00:02:40,761 --> 00:02:44,401 But now climate change has melted the ice here, 14 00:02:44,521 --> 00:02:48,761 and the only place within reach of their feeding grounds where they can rest 15 00:02:48,881 --> 00:02:51,921 are a few beaches, such as this one. 16 00:02:54,721 --> 00:03:00,161 100,000 of them, almost the entire world population, are here. 17 00:03:05,001 --> 00:03:06,881 They are gigantic. 18 00:03:07,001 --> 00:03:10,481 A male can weigh over a tonne... 19 00:03:14,321 --> 00:03:17,401 ...and many die in the scrum. 20 00:03:28,321 --> 00:03:33,281 On a beach, 250 miles to the west, there's a further danger. 21 00:03:38,321 --> 00:03:39,641 Polar bears. 22 00:03:46,441 --> 00:03:52,241 They, too, have been forced to spend more time ashore by the dwindling ice. 23 00:04:01,001 --> 00:04:04,841 And now they're very hungry. 24 00:04:26,241 --> 00:04:32,801 But adult walrus are tough, well armed and agile in water, 25 00:04:32,921 --> 00:04:35,881 and could fatally injure the bear. 26 00:04:38,681 --> 00:04:39,841 He's failed. 27 00:04:48,921 --> 00:04:52,641 The narrow beaches here are backed by cliffs... 28 00:04:55,521 --> 00:05:00,561 ...and some walrus scramble up them, escaping the crowd. 29 00:05:23,841 --> 00:05:28,921 At the top, they are 80 metres above the beach... 30 00:05:31,761 --> 00:05:36,081 ...but this is not a place where a walrus should be. 31 00:05:39,041 --> 00:05:42,521 Nor are they the only ones to have found it. 32 00:05:45,201 --> 00:05:47,321 The bears have got up here too. 33 00:06:03,121 --> 00:06:07,121 The walrus's instinct is to find safety in the water. 34 00:06:12,361 --> 00:06:14,641 They can still smell the sea. 35 00:06:21,401 --> 00:06:22,921 And they can hear it. 36 00:06:32,121 --> 00:06:36,681 Just the polar bear's presence is enough to spook the walrus. 37 00:06:51,961 --> 00:06:56,281 Many walrus that climb the cliffs never make it back to the ocean. 38 00:06:59,641 --> 00:07:02,081 Even once the polar bears have moved on, 39 00:07:02,201 --> 00:07:07,641 the walrus need to return to the sea, and some take the nearest way to do so. 40 00:07:23,121 --> 00:07:25,481 As one crashes on the rocks, 41 00:07:25,601 --> 00:07:29,921 those on the beach stampede and more lives are lost. 42 00:08:05,281 --> 00:08:10,201 In the course of just a few days, over 200 walrus die. 43 00:08:28,241 --> 00:08:31,361 Now the polar bears can feed on the carcasses. 44 00:08:43,361 --> 00:08:46,881 These events only occur once every few years, 45 00:08:47,001 --> 00:08:50,881 but as the world warms and the ice retreats still further, 46 00:08:51,001 --> 00:08:53,161 they may become more frequent. 47 00:08:57,041 --> 00:09:01,201 Inland, the ground is gripped by winter 48 00:09:01,321 --> 00:09:04,161 for six months of the year. 49 00:09:06,361 --> 00:09:12,001 Two million square miles of northern Russia are locked beneath the ice. 50 00:09:15,081 --> 00:09:19,881 But even so, some creatures have managed to make their homes here. 51 00:09:21,961 --> 00:09:25,641 They leave evidence of their presence in the snow. 52 00:09:28,361 --> 00:09:32,361 These tracks all lead in one direction. 53 00:10:03,881 --> 00:10:08,961 Kamchatka has the highest density of active volcanoes on the planet. 54 00:10:10,601 --> 00:10:15,201 Temperatures underground reach 250 degrees Celsius... 55 00:10:16,361 --> 00:10:20,441 ...pushing up cauldrons of boiling mud and clouds of steam... 56 00:10:22,921 --> 00:10:24,921 ...but in spite of the dangers, 57 00:10:25,041 --> 00:10:28,921 some creatures travel long distances to visit the area. 58 00:10:40,321 --> 00:10:42,361 A Kamchatka brown bear. 59 00:10:44,321 --> 00:10:48,041 He spent the long winter sleeping in a den below ground 60 00:10:48,161 --> 00:10:50,961 and now he is extremely hungry. 61 00:10:56,041 --> 00:11:01,721 But finding food means getting dangerously close to the scalding fountains. 62 00:11:10,041 --> 00:11:12,561 This is the only place for many miles around 63 00:11:12,681 --> 00:11:17,521 where a bear can reach grass that is snow free, thanks to the hot earth. 64 00:11:30,041 --> 00:11:33,961 Putting a foot wrong here could lead to real trouble, 65 00:11:34,081 --> 00:11:36,761 and bodies have been found of bears 66 00:11:36,881 --> 00:11:40,561 that stumbled into the pools and were scalded to death. 67 00:11:47,361 --> 00:11:49,521 And this bear is not alone. 68 00:11:58,681 --> 00:12:02,121 Brown bears, by and large, are solitary creatures 69 00:12:02,241 --> 00:12:05,161 and this is one of the few times of the year 70 00:12:05,281 --> 00:12:07,081 when they tolerate the presence of others. 71 00:12:13,041 --> 00:12:18,281 And now they are so well fed and relaxed that they even have time to play. 72 00:12:39,081 --> 00:12:45,561 This volcanic spot has become a warm oasis in Asia's frigid north. 73 00:13:01,241 --> 00:13:06,161 Away from Arctic Russia, Asia has the hottest deserts, 74 00:13:06,281 --> 00:13:11,041 highest mountains and tallest jungles on our planet. 75 00:13:13,121 --> 00:13:16,281 This is a continent of incredible variety... 76 00:13:20,801 --> 00:13:22,881 ...but it was not always so. 77 00:13:24,241 --> 00:13:26,801 Some 89 million years ago, 78 00:13:26,921 --> 00:13:33,081 India was an island lying away to the south, but it drifted northwards, 79 00:13:33,201 --> 00:13:36,681 pushing up the sediments between it and mainland Asia. 80 00:13:40,481 --> 00:13:42,561 Over millions of years, 81 00:13:42,681 --> 00:13:48,601 the sediments lying between crumpled up and rose to form the Himalayas. 82 00:14:03,121 --> 00:14:07,641 Now these are the tallest mountains on the planet. 83 00:14:09,361 --> 00:14:12,281 They stand over five miles high. 84 00:14:16,481 --> 00:14:21,801 India is still moving northwards, and these mountains are still rising. 85 00:14:30,561 --> 00:14:34,321 Asia's mountains stretch all the way from Afghanistan, 86 00:14:34,441 --> 00:14:38,721 across northern India, to here in central China. 87 00:14:42,121 --> 00:14:48,241 These are the mountains of Shennongjia, among China's highest. 88 00:15:04,001 --> 00:15:09,361 The forests here were, until comparatively recently, the least known in the world. 89 00:15:12,561 --> 00:15:17,481 Few outsiders had any idea of what animals might be living in them. 90 00:15:35,401 --> 00:15:40,361 There were stories of human-like monsters - yetis, abominable snowmen - 91 00:15:40,481 --> 00:15:43,801 who left strange footprints in the snow... 92 00:15:46,721 --> 00:15:48,641 ...but little else. 93 00:15:52,041 --> 00:15:57,001 And indeed there are monkeys living in these snowy forests, 94 00:15:57,121 --> 00:15:59,721 and they're very strange. 95 00:16:04,121 --> 00:16:08,001 Meet the blue-faced, golden-coated, 96 00:16:08,121 --> 00:16:11,521 snub-nosed snow monkey. 97 00:16:19,121 --> 00:16:22,321 They are among the heftiest of monkeys. 98 00:16:27,841 --> 00:16:31,361 Big animals keep warm more easily than small ones, 99 00:16:31,481 --> 00:16:36,201 and they survive in colder conditions than any other monkey on Earth. 100 00:16:39,761 --> 00:16:42,281 They all have snub noses. 101 00:16:43,441 --> 00:16:47,761 Perhaps prominent ones would only too easily get frostbitten. 102 00:16:51,521 --> 00:16:56,601 The whole group huddles together at the slightest opportunity to keep warm... 103 00:17:01,681 --> 00:17:03,401 ...and who wouldn't? 104 00:17:21,161 --> 00:17:27,081 Even adults, if they get separated from the group, can freeze to death. 105 00:17:40,721 --> 00:17:46,361 Now, in the depths of winter, food is desperately hard to find. 106 00:17:52,521 --> 00:17:55,801 The head of the family leads them to the edge of their territory 107 00:17:55,921 --> 00:17:57,961 in search of something to eat. 108 00:17:59,721 --> 00:18:04,121 The only food here is wretchedly unnourishing - 109 00:18:04,241 --> 00:18:08,041 bark, moss and lichen. 110 00:18:10,201 --> 00:18:14,361 There's hardly enough to sustain one monkey, let alone a family. 111 00:18:18,321 --> 00:18:19,961 But they share it peaceably. 112 00:18:26,721 --> 00:18:30,801 Survival depends on the group keeping together. 113 00:18:36,481 --> 00:18:40,001 In these mountains, any food is precious. 114 00:18:44,641 --> 00:18:46,121 A rival group. 115 00:18:55,041 --> 00:18:58,081 They, too, are searching for food. 116 00:19:06,841 --> 00:19:10,241 The two males go head to head. 117 00:19:52,961 --> 00:19:55,361 And now the females join the fray. 118 00:20:09,041 --> 00:20:12,881 Outnumbered, the intruders retreat. 119 00:20:17,401 --> 00:20:19,561 Their leader is the last to go. 120 00:20:31,441 --> 00:20:34,801 The fight was over the smallest of meals, 121 00:20:34,921 --> 00:20:39,001 but it was ferocious nonetheless, and the family is now scattered... 122 00:20:41,401 --> 00:20:43,321 ...but they must stay together. 123 00:20:44,801 --> 00:20:47,761 The youngest are already badly chilled. 124 00:20:53,521 --> 00:20:58,521 She can see her father, but has she the strength to reach him? 125 00:21:35,201 --> 00:21:38,241 Back to safety and warmth. 126 00:21:48,481 --> 00:21:51,961 The huddle is the only source of warmth 127 00:21:52,081 --> 00:21:55,401 in these bleak, frozen forests. 128 00:22:16,761 --> 00:22:23,521 To the west of the Himalayas, in Iran, lie some of the hottest deserts on Earth. 129 00:22:28,161 --> 00:22:31,081 This is the Lut Desert... 130 00:22:32,361 --> 00:22:36,441 ...and here temperatures can reach 70 degrees Celsius. 131 00:22:52,161 --> 00:22:57,041 The blisteringly hot rocks and baking sands of Iran's deserts 132 00:22:57,161 --> 00:22:59,761 may appear totally lifeless... 133 00:23:03,761 --> 00:23:08,561 ...but a few trees manage to grow in the shade of the canyon walls... 134 00:23:11,761 --> 00:23:15,361 ...and here at least migrating birds passing through 135 00:23:15,481 --> 00:23:18,121 can stop for a little rest. 136 00:23:22,321 --> 00:23:23,681 A flycatcher. 137 00:23:26,081 --> 00:23:29,401 With luck, there might be a meal of some kind here. 138 00:23:35,241 --> 00:23:38,601 There are spiders in the crevices. 139 00:23:38,721 --> 00:23:41,241 Not much, but worth having. 140 00:23:45,921 --> 00:23:48,721 And there's something moving up there. 141 00:24:31,721 --> 00:24:33,561 The bird was mistaken. 142 00:24:33,681 --> 00:24:37,401 It was a viper with a lethal bite. 143 00:24:49,761 --> 00:24:53,161 This species has only recently been discovered 144 00:24:53,281 --> 00:24:57,601 and, so far, it has been found nowhere else but here. 145 00:24:59,921 --> 00:25:01,761 Its camouflage is so effective 146 00:25:01,881 --> 00:25:05,121 that it's almost impossible to see it on these rocks. 147 00:25:09,041 --> 00:25:15,161 And on its tail, moveable scales have been modified to look like a spider's legs... 148 00:25:19,641 --> 00:25:21,921 ...and its tip like an abdomen. 149 00:25:35,721 --> 00:25:41,081 Migrating birds only appear in this barren desert during a few weeks of the year. 150 00:25:44,641 --> 00:25:48,481 This is the snake's only chance to eat for months. 151 00:26:00,681 --> 00:26:02,041 A shrike. 152 00:26:03,721 --> 00:26:08,041 It has flown here from Africa and hasn't fed for days. 153 00:27:01,041 --> 00:27:03,041 Better luck next time. 154 00:27:12,201 --> 00:27:17,601 Conditions are almost as harsh on the dry plains of northern India. 155 00:27:25,281 --> 00:27:29,441 A male Sarada lizard does his best to get himself noticed. 156 00:27:30,881 --> 00:27:32,521 It's breeding time. 157 00:27:43,521 --> 00:27:48,041 The wide open spaces are a good place to be seen. 158 00:27:58,081 --> 00:28:01,881 He's only 7cm tall, 159 00:28:02,001 --> 00:28:05,161 but a rock will help to make him conspicuous. 160 00:28:24,881 --> 00:28:28,881 And he's already been noticed by one female. 161 00:28:33,521 --> 00:28:36,201 It's time for him to show off. 162 00:28:44,081 --> 00:28:49,961 The more healthy and virile he is, the brighter his colours are. 163 00:28:56,521 --> 00:28:59,601 And females like bright, flashy colours. 164 00:29:06,521 --> 00:29:11,681 But he, it seems, is not as conspicuous as he might be. 165 00:29:15,601 --> 00:29:17,801 In the neighbouring territory, 166 00:29:17,921 --> 00:29:22,001 there's another male who's found an even bigger rock. 167 00:29:30,721 --> 00:29:35,241 So the newcomer is not making quite such a good impression. 168 00:29:36,441 --> 00:29:39,521 The one on the big rock is attracting all the females. 169 00:30:00,081 --> 00:30:04,641 The newcomer will need a higher platform if he's to be seen by a female, 170 00:30:04,761 --> 00:30:07,241 and he'd better do something about it. 171 00:30:08,881 --> 00:30:11,081 He only lives for a year. 172 00:30:14,961 --> 00:30:17,961 This is his one chance. 173 00:30:22,481 --> 00:30:24,841 He will have to fight, if necessary. 174 00:30:46,121 --> 00:30:48,681 His rival isn't backing down. 175 00:31:06,681 --> 00:31:09,561 Sarada males can fight to the death. 176 00:32:11,401 --> 00:32:13,441 The newcomer has won. 177 00:32:22,721 --> 00:32:27,281 Now he can claim the high platform and the best territory... 178 00:32:30,001 --> 00:32:33,161 ...and the females will choose him for a partner, 179 00:32:33,281 --> 00:32:36,601 as long as he can fight off the other claimants. 180 00:32:52,441 --> 00:32:55,561 As the Himalayas rose over millions of years, 181 00:32:55,681 --> 00:32:58,761 they eventually formed a gigantic barrier 182 00:32:58,881 --> 00:33:03,561 that prevented rain clouds from the south travelling farther north... 183 00:33:06,201 --> 00:33:10,601 ...and a completely new weather system developed in Southern Asia. 184 00:33:25,521 --> 00:33:28,321 The monsoon. 185 00:33:38,721 --> 00:33:42,801 These drenching annual rains transformed Southern Asia. 186 00:33:44,641 --> 00:33:46,641 Dense rainforests formed, 187 00:33:46,761 --> 00:33:52,561 in which plants and animals of all kinds were able to proliferate and evolve. 188 00:33:59,201 --> 00:34:02,881 Some of the tallest jungles grow in Indonesia, 189 00:34:03,001 --> 00:34:08,441 the home of the largest of all tree-living animals of any kind... 190 00:34:11,321 --> 00:34:12,521 ...the orang-utan. 191 00:34:18,521 --> 00:34:22,241 There is a multitude of things to eat here, 192 00:34:22,361 --> 00:34:24,361 but you have to know where to find them. 193 00:34:29,321 --> 00:34:35,081 Young orangs stay with their mother for years, learning how to do that. 194 00:34:35,201 --> 00:34:38,361 This youngster has only just started. 195 00:34:53,161 --> 00:34:57,521 Termites - an important source of protein. 196 00:35:12,721 --> 00:35:16,441 But perhaps they are an acquired taste. 197 00:35:32,321 --> 00:35:36,121 He's off to search for something he might prefer. 198 00:35:48,761 --> 00:35:51,441 It's hard to know where to look... 199 00:36:06,081 --> 00:36:08,641 ...or where it's safe to clamber. 200 00:36:19,921 --> 00:36:24,881 Different levels in the forest contain different foods, 201 00:36:25,001 --> 00:36:30,481 and some of the most delicious are in the very highest parts of the canopy, 202 00:36:30,601 --> 00:36:32,681 50 metres above the ground. 203 00:36:43,761 --> 00:36:48,921 He's a couple of years old and he's already getting adventurous. 204 00:36:50,961 --> 00:36:54,521 His mother could climb right to the top in ten minutes or so 205 00:36:54,641 --> 00:36:59,041 if she wanted to, but she lingers, to keep an eye on him. 206 00:37:04,721 --> 00:37:07,561 A fall from this height could be fatal. 207 00:37:19,041 --> 00:37:22,161 Where the gaps between the branches are too wide for him, 208 00:37:22,281 --> 00:37:25,681 his mother lets him use her body as a bridge. 209 00:37:41,801 --> 00:37:44,881 Only ten metres to go before the top. 210 00:37:54,281 --> 00:37:57,321 But it's hard going for small hands. 211 00:38:08,481 --> 00:38:09,881 He's had enough. 212 00:38:20,241 --> 00:38:21,881 Time for a rest... 213 00:38:24,481 --> 00:38:25,601 ...with mother. 214 00:38:35,761 --> 00:38:38,121 And this is his reward... 215 00:38:39,521 --> 00:38:42,881 ...ripe mangos, sweet and juicy. 216 00:38:49,321 --> 00:38:52,161 There's so much he must learn. 217 00:38:58,761 --> 00:39:02,641 He will depend entirely on his mother until he's seven. 218 00:39:04,801 --> 00:39:09,281 It's the longest of all childhoods except ours. 219 00:39:17,441 --> 00:39:19,161 In these dense forests, 220 00:39:19,281 --> 00:39:23,121 it's not easy for animals to see one another at any distance, 221 00:39:23,241 --> 00:39:26,961 but songs carry well through the jungle. 222 00:39:31,921 --> 00:39:34,121 This is the characteristic sound 223 00:39:34,241 --> 00:39:38,321 that echoes through the Sumatran forest at every dawn. 224 00:39:45,401 --> 00:39:48,201 But what can this be? 225 00:39:51,721 --> 00:39:55,041 Of all the sounds in the Indonesian forests, 226 00:39:55,161 --> 00:39:59,081 this is one of the strangest to our ears. 227 00:40:01,001 --> 00:40:02,881 It can be heard nowhere else on Earth. 228 00:40:20,881 --> 00:40:23,361 And this is the singer. 229 00:40:26,521 --> 00:40:28,881 A Sumatran rhinoceros. 230 00:40:32,441 --> 00:40:38,361 She's tiny, only a fifth of the size of her more familiar African relatives. 231 00:40:40,641 --> 00:40:43,841 Her head could rest comfortably on your knee. 232 00:40:49,441 --> 00:40:52,561 She is the gardener of this Eden. 233 00:40:56,001 --> 00:41:00,361 She doesn't just live in it - she helps to create and sustain it. 234 00:41:04,241 --> 00:41:07,881 She eats fruits and then sheds the seeds in her droppings 235 00:41:08,001 --> 00:41:12,001 and so spreads the foods she prefers through the forest. 236 00:41:17,601 --> 00:41:24,361 In this dense tangle, she uses sound to locate a possible mate. 237 00:41:31,441 --> 00:41:34,721 But her calls are unanswered. 238 00:41:36,561 --> 00:41:39,681 She is living behind a fence... 239 00:41:43,081 --> 00:41:45,001 ...for her own protection. 240 00:41:51,521 --> 00:41:57,241 In the past, Sumatran rhinos were widespread throughout Southern Asia. 241 00:42:00,841 --> 00:42:04,321 Today, there are fewer than 70. 242 00:42:17,401 --> 00:42:22,201 It may well be that as she approaches the end of her natural life, 243 00:42:22,321 --> 00:42:26,281 she will have become one of the last of her species... 244 00:42:39,361 --> 00:42:42,081 ...because, in the last 40 years, 245 00:42:42,201 --> 00:42:47,081 one-third of the forests of Southeast Asia has been destroyed 246 00:42:47,201 --> 00:42:51,641 in order to sell timber and food products around the world. 247 00:42:57,401 --> 00:43:02,481 The forests of Borneo and Sumatra, home to the orang-utan, rhinos 248 00:43:02,601 --> 00:43:07,521 and thousands of other species that have evolved here over millions of years... 249 00:43:08,841 --> 00:43:13,081 ...are now in real danger of being lost for ever. 250 00:43:25,201 --> 00:43:29,681 It seems that the animals whose home this once was 251 00:43:29,801 --> 00:43:34,161 are worth less to us than the land they lived on. 252 00:43:36,921 --> 00:43:41,441 Viewed from space, the scale of destruction is only too obvious. 253 00:43:41,561 --> 00:43:46,601 Asia has undergone a faster change in the last 100 years 254 00:43:46,721 --> 00:43:49,401 than at any other time in its history. 255 00:43:52,481 --> 00:43:56,761 Its forests are being annihilated, its cities are expanding, 256 00:43:56,881 --> 00:44:00,961 and as the human population approaches 4.6 billion, 257 00:44:01,081 --> 00:44:05,161 the largest of all continents is no longer able, it seems, 258 00:44:05,281 --> 00:44:08,001 to allow space for its wildlife. 259 00:44:20,961 --> 00:44:25,161 The oceans around Southern Asia are also feeling this pressure. 260 00:44:31,961 --> 00:44:36,641 These seas feed billions of people around the world. 261 00:44:40,681 --> 00:44:45,561 For many fishermen here, their catch is their only source of livelihood. 262 00:44:51,561 --> 00:44:55,801 And there is one fish here that they prize above all others. 263 00:45:06,201 --> 00:45:08,321 The whale shark. 264 00:45:14,001 --> 00:45:18,641 It swims slowly, gently harvesting the plankton. 265 00:45:21,161 --> 00:45:23,721 It's almost 20 metres long - 266 00:45:23,841 --> 00:45:26,481 the largest fish in the world. 267 00:45:32,681 --> 00:45:34,721 They are also under threat. 268 00:45:36,841 --> 00:45:39,641 Like many shark species in Asia, 269 00:45:39,761 --> 00:45:44,281 populations have declined by more than half in recent years. 270 00:46:00,641 --> 00:46:03,521 They are an easy and valuable catch. 271 00:46:10,321 --> 00:46:15,201 But here, there is a respect for the seas and their inhabitants. 272 00:46:18,601 --> 00:46:23,601 Whale shark hunting has now been banned across Indonesia's waters. 273 00:46:27,441 --> 00:46:32,241 This whale shark plays a different part in the lives of these fishermen. 274 00:46:36,681 --> 00:46:43,161 They feed him, and the relationship seems to bring joy to both parties, 275 00:46:43,281 --> 00:46:48,761 and with this new protection has come something truly remarkable. 276 00:47:01,681 --> 00:47:07,401 Whale sharks from far away are seeking out these fishermen, 277 00:47:07,521 --> 00:47:13,761 and in these safe waters, there is a chance for their numbers to increase. 278 00:47:17,841 --> 00:47:22,321 And maybe one day other shark species will be protected too. 279 00:47:30,481 --> 00:47:36,361 The people here have made a simple but extraordinary choice - 280 00:47:36,481 --> 00:47:42,881 fishing in a way that is sustainable for themselves and the animals. 281 00:47:47,961 --> 00:47:52,561 Caring for wildlife is surely our shared responsibility. 282 00:47:55,601 --> 00:48:01,561 Across this vast continent and across the world, it is decisions like these 283 00:48:01,681 --> 00:48:06,841 that are key to protecting the planet's most precious diversity. 284 00:48:22,281 --> 00:48:26,321 I first went in search of orang-utan in 1956. 285 00:48:29,441 --> 00:48:35,961 Then, there were around 175,000 living in the remote forests of Borneo. 286 00:48:42,521 --> 00:48:47,361 I found on the forest floor the rinds and cores of durian fruit, 287 00:48:47,481 --> 00:48:50,641 which I knew was the favourite food of orang-utan. 288 00:48:52,041 --> 00:48:54,841 Then we heard a crashing in the branches ahead 289 00:48:54,961 --> 00:48:59,561 and high up in the trees we saw a great furry red form. 290 00:49:00,721 --> 00:49:01,921 He seemed enormous. 291 00:49:02,041 --> 00:49:05,081 He was probably almost five feet high. 292 00:49:10,241 --> 00:49:15,481 In the 60 years since, I've returned to Borneo on many occasions 293 00:49:15,601 --> 00:49:18,961 to film and document its wildlife. 294 00:49:21,921 --> 00:49:23,201 But during that time, 295 00:49:23,321 --> 00:49:27,441 the island's orang-utan population has more than halved, 296 00:49:27,561 --> 00:49:29,361 leaving them endangered... 297 00:49:30,961 --> 00:49:35,241 ...and finding them in their natural habitat has become ever more difficult. 298 00:49:38,401 --> 00:49:43,521 The cause of this decline was evident during a visit in 2012. 299 00:49:44,521 --> 00:49:48,081 When I first came to this river in Borneo in 1956, 300 00:49:48,201 --> 00:49:52,161 the rainforest stretched unbroken on either side of the river 301 00:49:52,281 --> 00:49:53,841 for hundreds of miles. 302 00:49:55,201 --> 00:49:57,161 Today, it's very different. 303 00:50:03,001 --> 00:50:06,201 Now only patches of forest remain, 304 00:50:06,321 --> 00:50:10,401 so to film orang-utan in the wild the Seven Worlds crew 305 00:50:10,521 --> 00:50:15,601 Joined a research team heading for the Gunung Palung National Park. 306 00:50:18,841 --> 00:50:21,841 This 400-square-mile area is home 307 00:50:21,961 --> 00:50:26,441 to Borneo's largest remaining wild orang-utan population. 308 00:50:31,521 --> 00:50:34,401 Here, they are protected and studied. 309 00:50:39,041 --> 00:50:42,921 The crew follow a mother, known to researchers as Bibi, 310 00:50:43,041 --> 00:50:48,281 and her infant Bayas as she teaches him how to find food. 311 00:50:54,321 --> 00:50:59,401 Like all orang-utan mothers, Bibi has to work hard to raise Bayas, 312 00:50:59,521 --> 00:51:04,881 and this means she may only have four or five infants in her lifetime. 313 00:51:06,361 --> 00:51:08,281 This low number of babies 314 00:51:08,401 --> 00:51:13,001 means it's hard for orang-utan to recover from population decline. 315 00:51:19,641 --> 00:51:25,841 Researchers want to know why orang-utan give birth so rarely. 316 00:51:28,281 --> 00:51:33,921 Today, they're following a young female, Walimah, to find out if she's pregnant... 317 00:51:35,521 --> 00:51:40,041 ...but to do this, they'll have to put themselves in the firing line. 318 00:51:45,201 --> 00:51:47,441 So what we do is we... we have to wait till she pees, 319 00:51:47,561 --> 00:51:50,521 and we have a bag on a fishing pole, 320 00:51:50,641 --> 00:51:54,921 and when she starts to go, we run over there and try to catch it. 321 00:51:59,281 --> 00:52:02,321 Yeah, a few years ago I was featured in a magazine 322 00:52:02,441 --> 00:52:04,841 as the top ten worst jobs in science - it was kind of a joke - 323 00:52:04,961 --> 00:52:07,681 but, you know, orang-utan pee-collector was number one. 324 00:52:08,961 --> 00:52:12,601 So, not too... not, er... not too glamorous, apparently. 325 00:52:12,721 --> 00:52:16,681 Research is starting to show an important pattern. 326 00:52:16,801 --> 00:52:18,801 The orang-utan can only conceive 327 00:52:18,921 --> 00:52:21,361 when there's enough fruit around in their home. 328 00:52:21,481 --> 00:52:26,641 The team will now test the sample to discover if Walimah is pregnant. 329 00:52:31,281 --> 00:52:35,801 But the orang-utan within Gunung Palung are the lucky ones. 330 00:52:38,161 --> 00:52:42,601 Those beyond the borders of the park face a very different world. 331 00:52:46,961 --> 00:52:50,161 Many are left with no home at all. 332 00:52:53,881 --> 00:52:58,321 This footage shows members of International Animal Rescue 333 00:52:58,441 --> 00:53:05,081 attempting to dart and sedate a stranded orang-utan so it can be moved to safety. 334 00:53:15,201 --> 00:53:18,681 Rescued orang-utan are treated, 335 00:53:18,801 --> 00:53:23,161 but with each passing year, there are fewer places left for them to go. 336 00:53:34,081 --> 00:53:38,401 Since 1960, the destruction of Borneo's rainforests 337 00:53:38,521 --> 00:53:41,561 has been happening on an industrial scale. 338 00:53:50,121 --> 00:53:53,521 Huge areas were initially stripped for timber, 339 00:53:53,641 --> 00:53:56,681 and then a very different type of tree was planted. 340 00:53:59,241 --> 00:54:00,361 Oil palm. 341 00:54:02,161 --> 00:54:07,881 Today, it has become the most widely used type of vegetable oil in the world, 342 00:54:08,001 --> 00:54:13,561 and Borneo is the location of almost half the oil palm plantations on the planet. 343 00:54:16,241 --> 00:54:20,241 These uniform plantations can't support life in the same way 344 00:54:20,361 --> 00:54:23,041 as a rich and diverse rainforest. 345 00:54:32,081 --> 00:54:37,801 But oil palm is very important to the local economy and it's highly efficient. 346 00:54:39,361 --> 00:54:43,161 Simply using another type of oil might take up more land, 347 00:54:43,281 --> 00:54:46,081 leading to more deforestation. 348 00:54:50,161 --> 00:54:52,201 And this is where it ends up. 349 00:54:53,321 --> 00:54:58,921 Palm oil is found in around half the packaged products in our supermarkets, 350 00:54:59,041 --> 00:55:00,841 as well as in biofuels. 351 00:55:03,561 --> 00:55:07,561 The balance between our needs and conservation is hard, 352 00:55:07,681 --> 00:55:11,961 but we can offer a vital lifeline for our forest relatives. 353 00:55:13,201 --> 00:55:16,281 We maybe able to protect them through simple choices... 354 00:55:17,641 --> 00:55:22,881 ...like buying products made with deforestation-free sustainable palm oil 355 00:55:23,001 --> 00:55:26,681 from companies that support local people 356 00:55:26,801 --> 00:55:31,921 using existing plantations without cutting down more rainforest... 357 00:55:35,081 --> 00:55:39,481 ...keeping Gunung Palung's inhabitants safe, including Walimah. 358 00:55:40,801 --> 00:55:44,761 She did become pregnant and now has a daughter to care for. 359 00:55:50,881 --> 00:55:56,201 Their future will be determined by the choices we make today. 360 00:56:05,041 --> 00:56:10,521 Back in 1956, I never imagined that within the space of my lifetime 361 00:56:10,641 --> 00:56:15,201 these intelligent apes and the ancient forests they have lived in 362 00:56:15,321 --> 00:56:19,121 for millions of years would be placed under such dire threat. 363 00:56:28,041 --> 00:56:34,281 Just how much longer they will inhabit the planet is up to all of us. 364 00:56:43,201 --> 00:56:48,561 Next time... a land of the unexpected. 365 00:56:57,161 --> 00:57:00,761 The richest and most diverse continent on Earth... 366 00:57:03,161 --> 00:57:05,001 ...South America.