Original subtitles

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.