All language subtitles for 541AD098CAD4FDAD1D1107BE3CA2379B_eng

Hiding in the Grasslands
of northeast india,

A giant roams.

The indian, or greater
One-horned rhino.

These extraordinary,
Rare animals thrive here

And, for one young calf,
Life has only just begun.

His doting mother
Will be his teacher

For the next 18 months.

There's lots he needs to learn.

He must get to
Know the neighbors

Who come in many
Shapes and sizes,

And try lots of different food,

Which will change
With the season.

When he's forced
to Leave mom's side,

He must be ready to go it alone.

Across the southern edge of
The himalaya mountain range

Runs a belt of grassland
And forest called the terai.

In the east, the brahmaputra
River and her tributaries

Shape this land as they
Descend the mountains

And flow through the
Indian state of assam.

These rivers run thick
With nutrient-rich silt

Gleaned from the himalayas.

During the annual monsoon
They break their banks

And spread the
super-charged Natural fertilizer

Across the plains.

In lands where temperatures
Reach 100 degrees

And rain is abundant,
These floodplains hold some

Of the most productive
Earth on the planet.

One plant in particular
Makes the most of it.

Grass.

More than 280
Species abound here,

Including some of the
Tallest grasses in the world.

These stalks can grow as
high As 26 feet in a single year.

That's tall enough to
hide India's largest grazers.

Asian elephants thrive here,

Eating up to 330 pounds
Of vegetation in a day.

But they aren't the
Only remarkable giants

Hiding in the grass.

In a few small areas
Lives one of the most

Vulnerable animals in india.

The greater one-horned rhino.

This is rani, a breeding female.

She stands nearly seven feet
Tall and weighs over two tons.

More than 450,000
Rhinos once roamed

From pakistan across
india And nepal to myanmar.

But today, rani is
One of only 3,500

One-horned rhinos that remain.

They survive in only a
Few pockets, from nepal,

To near the myanmar border,

With around 30 individuals
Living in manas national park.

It's july, the height
Of the monsoon.

The manas river has
burst Its banks and filled

The floodplains with
Lakes and swamps,

Where aquatic Plants flourish.

This herd of elephants
Migrates to the park every year

From hundreds of miles away.

They time their visit
To make the most

Of the explosion
Of monsoon food.

With their six-foot
Trunks, they can graze

Beneath the surface,
Cleaning each silty mouthful

Before tucking in.

And, at nine feet tall,
They can venture deep

Into the lakes to graze,

At least as deep as
Their babies will allow.

While elephants
Migrate to find food,

Rhinos live here all year round.

For them, the monsoon
Season is crucial.

Nearly 90% of their
Diet consists of grass,

So they must
make The most of it.

Especially if, like
Rani, you're pregnant.

During the monsoon, feeding
And breeding go hand in hand

For many creatures.

These pallas fish eagles
are Also permanent residents.

The floodwaters offer easy
Fishing and the best time

To raise chicks.

They mate for life, and this
Pair will soon be expecting

Its next brood.

They've chosen a tall tree
Close to the water's edge

And have spent the
last Month building a nest

150 feet above the ground.

At six feet across, it's a
Major piece of engineering.

Construction is a full-time
Job for both parents.

They take turns to
Ensure that each piece

Is exactly where it should be.

The final pieces of the
Puzzle are the soft leaves

Of the red silk cotton tree,

Woven into a
Protective nest lining.

The female will lay three eggs,

But the pair will
Typically struggle to hatch

And raise them all.

If they're lucky, in 12 weeks,

Just one young
fish Eagle will fledge.

As the monsoon ends, the
floods Abate and the rivers recede

To the confines of their banks.

By november, the
Land has dried out.

At the edge of the manas
Floodplain, park rangers,

Who manage the habitat,
Have burned and cleared

A small patch of woodland.

The clearing encourages
Fresh grass to grow.

In the process, the
Rangers have created

Another important
resource For local wildlife.

The burned tree-trunk is
A source of vital minerals

Such as potassium,
Sodium and calcium,

Which are hard to
Find for many animals.

With fresh grass and
A man-made salt-lick,

The clearing attracts attention.

Rani needs all the
Fresh grass she can get.

She's eating for two.

Greater one-horned
rhinos Give birth only once

Every three to four years.

Rani's baby, rajah, is a male,
Now nearly three months old.

He was born a hefty 150 pounds

And was walking within an hour.

The need to get up
and Follow mom early on

Is an important milestone.

While adult rhinos
Have no real predators,

Tigers could certainly
Take a newborn.

He's almost tripled in
Weight since he was born,

Growing some four lbs a day
on A diet of his mother's milk.

He'll start to eat Grass
after a few months

But will continue to
Suckle for up to two years.

He's a thirsty guzzler,
Seven gallons a day.

So, rani needs to consume up
To 110 pounds of grass per day.

As well as grazing on
The abundant fresh grass

In the clearing, rani is
Drawn to the salt-lick.

Its essential minerals
Are vital for her diet,

And also for the mineral
Content of rajah's milk.

Rani licks salt from
The burnt tree stumps

And rajah mimics his mother.

Rhinos aren't the
only Animals to benefit

From the minerals here.

Peacocks arrive at the
Clearing in search of food.

It's a great place for them
To forage, on insects, seeds,

Fruit and anything else
That the rhinos kick up.

As with most birds,
The female peahen

Is a plain jane
Compared to the male.

But she gets to choose
her Mate, so it's the males

That must put in the hard work,

And this male has spotted
A chance to impress.

He begins his elaborate display.

He rhythmically shakes hisbrown
Wings close to the ground.

Above these, his short
Stiff tail feathers prop up

The full fan of his train
Feathers, some five feet high.

The larger the fan and the
Greater the number of eyespots,

The more impressive
He is to the females.

Elaborate trains indicate the
Strength of the male's ability

-to endure the flamboyant
burden, -an important quality in any

Potential mate, as it
Reflects his genetic fitness.

Despite the impressive display,

These females will
pay Attention only during

The breeding season.

All this male is currently doing

Is irritating another male.

And he's had enough.

Rani decides it's time to
move On, and rajah duly follows.

However, they're
No longer alone.

Another rhino has
Entered the clearing.

Rani is relaxed, because the
Newcomer is one of her calves.

Rajah's two-year-
Old big brother.

Calves stay with their
Mother for up to three years,

Until she gives birth again.

Rajah's brother is
now Independent

And trying to Establish

His own territory.

He too has been
Drawn to the clearing

And the essential minerals he
Can get from its burned wood.

Rani's two healthy calves
Are testament to the success

Of conservation efforts for
Greater one-horned rhinos

In manas national park.

But, with only a tiny
Fraction of their original

Habitat remaining,
There's limited space

For the recovering population.

Rajah is possessive
And makes sure he has

His mother's full attention.

His older brother is happy to
Simply enjoy the fresh grass.

In tall trees beyond
the Edge of the clearing,

Another endangered
species Clings to existence.

The greater adjutant stork.

They were once widely
Spread across asia,

But this colony in assam
Is now one of only three

Breeding populations
Left on earth.

With up to 800 birds, it
Amounts to about a quarter

Of the world's population.

These huge birds
Stand five feet tall,

And have an eight-foot wingspan.

Flapping wings this
Size is hard work,

So they use thermal
Currents to soar aloft.

They build their nests close
Together for safety in numbers.

Roosting at the top
Of the trees ensures

A clear flight-path.

The storks breed now
during The dry winter months,

And the parents take
Turns to feed their brood.

At four months old, these
Chicks are nearly ready

To take their first flight.

It's hard to get to
Grips with using their

Ungainly legs and wings.

Strong winds definitely
Don't help matters.

A fall from this
Height could be fatal.

A first flight is
Always tentative.

The tree-top launch
Provides plenty of height

To get the hang of
Its flying apparatus,

And there's plenty of airspace
To come back in to land.

Success.

A strange noise rumbles
through The clearing, waking rajah.

He's spooked.

A herd of elephants arrives,
Led by the head of the family,

The matriarch.

They too are visiting the
Salt lick to glean minerals

From the burned wood.

The matriarch is strong
Enough, and smart enough,

To break open the logs to
Reach the minerals inside.

The dry mud of the
Clearing provides

A much-needed dust bath.

The dust protects them from
The sun and biting insects.

The commotion brings
more Herds out of the forest.

These are several
Related families.

Though they normally
Travel independently.

Each herd has migrated
Here from a different area

And they may not have
seen Each other for months.

It's the perfect opportunity
To renew old bonds

And get to know the newest
Members of the extended family.

This calf is only
A few days old.

For its first four months
it Will rely totally on milk.

But because all the females
In this herd are related,

They share the load,
with The calf able to suckle

From its mother and its aunts.

Pregnancy for elephants
Is a two-year burden,

And a female will give birth
Only once every four years.

They fiercely protect their
Newborns and keep them

In the middle of the herd.

With so many trunks
Trying to get to the salt,

-and so many mothers with
calves, -tempers occasionally flare.

But rani is unconcerned.

Rhinos and elephants
do Sometimes share

Each other's space,

And today they're happy to
Feed alongside each other.

Even in the cool dry winter,
Manas's grasslands and forests

Provide enough
Food to go around.

And these two giants target
Different items on the buffet.

Rani's preferred diet is
Still grass, while it lasts.

But the elephants are happy
To browse on trees and shrubs.

They're experts at
Stripping bark from trees

With their trunks.

In the winter, bark can
make Up almost three quarters

Of their diet.

As fresh grass becomes
Scarce, rani too can resort

To leaves and shrubs.

Without a trunk, she relies
On her semi-prehensile lips

To grasp foliage and branches.

If the best food is
Too high to reach,

Rhinos have their own
technique For bringing them down

To mouth level.

Eating from the trees
Doesn't just change her diet,

It also changes its by-product.

Dung.

She can produce
up To 50 lbs a day.

The smell of these
Dung heaps helps let

Other rhinos know who's nearby.

They're now full of
Seeds from the trees.

She transports them across
The landscape as she forages

And deposits them in their
own Personal piles of fertilizer.

It's the perfect way
For fruiting trees

To spread across the plains.

Rhino dung may have helped
To germinate this fig tree.

Standing on the
edge Of the clearing,

It is laden with fruit.

Figs produce fruit year-round.

In january, when
Other food is scarce,

This tree becomes a
Lifeline for many species.

Capped langurs
Mainly eat leaves,

But a fruiting fig tree is too
Good an opportunity to miss.

So too for the great hornbill.

Its beak may seem cumbersome
But it's perfectly designed

For plucking ripe fruit.

A young langur doesn't
Want to share the tree

And goes in to
take On the hornbill.

The bird isn't
Taking any chances,

And the brave little monkey
Heads back to its mother.

The tree next-door is a crateva.

Unlike the fig, this tree
Fruits only once a year,

Making its bounty
In great demand.

Hanging like
Christmas ornaments,

The fruit is starting to ripen,

The precious seed inside
Waiting to be picked or dropped

And carried away.

This guy can help.

A hoary-bellied squirrel
Is more than happy to help

Spread the seeds, if he
Can find the ripest fruits.

But he has competition.

Indian mynahs use their long,
Sharp beaks to break through

The tough shells and
get To the soft flesh inside.

The squirrel uses strong
Teeth to gnaw his way in.

Not all the fruits are ripe,

But the squirrel and the
Mynahs make quick work

Of the ones that are.

These barbets, however,
Have a beak more adapted

To picking small fruit whole.

They can't break
Through the fruit's

Tough skin by themselves.

So, they have a different plan.

They watch the
Mynahs' every move.

Once the mynahs have
broken In with their sharp beaks,

The barbets drive them
Off and reap the reward.

This scene plays
Out again and again.

For the barbets, it looks
Like crime does pay.

And it seems some
Mynahs are taking a page

Out of their book.

The sugary crateva fruit
Is packed full of energy

And worth fighting for.

But they're not the only
Source of food for mynah birds.

These omnivores also eat
Insects hiding in the grass.

And the roaming lawnmowers
help Stir up a blizzard of food.

Rani's thick skin
Hangs in folds,

Creating a large surface
Area, like a radiator.

Blood vessels near the
Surface help her to cool down.

But the folds are also
The perfect hiding place

For disease-bearing ticks.

And she's plagued by swarms
Of blood-sucking horseflies.

The clever and agile mynahs
Have learned to take advantage.

Wherever rhinos go,
The mynahs follow.

And they're not shy
About climbing aboard.

Rhinos sometimes have
several Birds hitching a ride,

All checking out the
Best tables for lunch.

The more acrobatic birds
Have a distinct advantage.

They grip with their sharp
Claws as they navigate

The walking buffet.

Rajah's softer skin may
Be an even easier target

For the bugs.

So, he too plays his part
In the age-old relationship

Between rhino and mynah.

In the woodland at the
Edge of the clearing,

A creature is hard at work.

It's a pygmy hog, the smallest
And rarest pig on earth.

There are only 250
Left in the world,

All of them here in assam.

This mother, just two feet long,

Is looking after
Three young piglets.

Pygmy hogs are the
only Pigs that build nests,

Which they weave from carefully
Selected leaves and grass,

And then maintain with
Fresh bedding every day.

While mom searches
for The perfect stalks,

The siblings forage
And squabble.

She's happy with
her Work for the day,

And there's just
Time for a good itch

Before she leads her piglets
Back to the warmth and shelter

Of the nest, where
They'll spend the night.

After a night in the forest,

The elephant families maketheir
Way back to the salt lick.

It's such a good
Source of minerals

That they return
Here repeatedly.

But the humid, misty
Morning brings a surprise.

A new rhino arrives
In the clearing.

This is a fully-grown adult male

And he's caught the
scent Of rani's dung piles

Littering the area.

The unexpected visitor
Makes the elephants nervous.

They don't want him around.

Making their displeasure
Known, the herd hangs back,

But the matriarch steps forward.

He may weigh 2 1/2 tons,
But the rhino is no match

For an angry adult
Female elephant.

The herd moves
Into the clearing,

While the rhino disappears
Back into the woodland.

As the mist lifts, rajah
Rises from his slumber.

Rani is already wide
-awake and grazing.

Like all youngsters, he
Sometimes likes nothing better

Than a good cuddle.

Before long, the sun
Burns away the mist

And other animals seek
out The first meal of the day.

Rajah's older brother
Returns to the clearing

To feed near rani.

But rajah's got something
Else on his mind.

His teeth are coming through,

And, like any baby
Who's teething,

He wants something to chew on.

His incisors will eventually
Grow some five inches long,

Weapons for
fighting Other males.

His horn will also
Start to grow soon.

It's made of keratin,
Just like finger nails,

And will reach up
To two-feet long.

With each passing day,
Rajah grows in confidence.

He's fed up with his
Brother's presence,

And he's not afraid to show it.

His diet is shifting
Away from milk

And rajah now eats
More vegetation.

He follows mom to drink
From a nearby water hole.

The older brother is
Joined by another giant

Of these grasslands.

Gaur.

They're also known
As indian bison.

Bulls stand over six feet tall

And weigh up to
one And a half tons,

Making this the largest
Species of bovine on earth.

The herd of up to 40
Individuals spends most

Of its time in the forest.

But they too want
To take advantage

Of the grass in the clearing.

Many of the females have calves

And, although they're not
Weaned until nine months old,

They're also starting to
Add grass to their diet.

Unlike the bare skin of
Rhinos and elephants,

The hairier coat of the gaur
Provides the perfect surface

Onto which grass
Seeds can stick.

And this female is doing
A particularly good job

Of dispersing them.

While the gaur take the
Opportunity to lick minerals

From the burned wood,
the Young male rhino happily

Minds his own business.

But when elephants also
Start making their way

To the clearing,

He finds himself
Increasingly outnumbered.

On his own and
Fending for himself,

The adolescent male rhino
Must learn how to share

His habitat with others.

He decides to stand his
Ground against the elephants

Now crowding his space.

But, as he continues to graze,

They move closer and closer,

Until his bravery runs out.

He's still learning that he
Must pick his battles wisely.

For now, it's best
To leave the clearing

And head for the waterhole.

But, once again,
his Little brother rajah

Is not very happy to see him.

He may be small but
he's Pretty sure of himself.

Rani leaves the
Boys to work it out.

This might seem
Like brotherly love,

But it's actually rajah
Trying to intimidate

His big brother.

And it works.

Rajah is growing up fast.

But his brother isn't the
Only other rhino nearby.

The adult male is back.

He has poor eyesight but
a Very keen sense of smell.

His olfactory center,
Which controls this sense,

Is the largest
Part of his brain.

The chemicals in
rani's Dung piles tell him

There's an adult female around.

He follows the trail Down
toward the waterhole

Where rajah and
Rani are grazing.

The male inhales through
His mouth to sample the air

For female pheromones.

His acute sense of smell
Leads him straight to rani.

He has one thing on his mind.

Mating.

Rajah has never
seen This male before.

Is he brave and tough
Enough to scare him off?

Maybe not yet.

It's rani's turn, and
She's a lot more forceful.

She makes it clear
that She's not interested.

Right now, rajah is the
Center of her attention.

She won't be ready to
Mate for many more months.

The male approaches again.

But rani sees him off.

He'll have to be patient.

Rajah is all rani
Cares about for now.

He's learning his lessons
Well and growing up strong.

But he's not yet ready
To face life on his own.