Original subtitles

Meet mahathi, an aging mother.

Wise beyond her years.

But she sits at the Bottom of the pile.

An old woman surrounded By young fertile queens.

They live in a monkey paradise

Where food is always Free and always abundant.

But they're envied in Their lush garden home.

And a sudden attack Changes everything.

Forced to flee,

Mahathi's troops seeks Refuge on the streets.

They're out of their Element, hungry and afraid.

Can mahathi's Experience save them?

They must learn to Fend for themselves

If they're to fight To reclaim their home.

The heat of the dry season

Hangs heavy over the Ancient city of jodhpur.

The city lies on the Edge of the thar desert,

So heat is no stranger To its residents.

But it's been six months Since the last rains.

Despite the punishing Conditions,

One species thrives here.

They are gray langurs.

Also called hanuman langurs After the hindu monkey god.

And this is an Unusually large family.

Hanuman langur troops are Typically about 40 strong.

But this one numbers More than 100.

Their intricate society Is bound together

In a strict social hierarchy

That governs anything From who gets to breed

To who gets the best food.

Sitting at the very top of The pile is the king, kumar.

But the clock is Ticking for kumar.

Alpha males rarely Rule a langur family

For longer than three years.

To hold onto his throne For as long as possible,

The females.

More precisely, the Young fertile females.

As soon as they're mature Enough to reproduce,

At about three years old,

They join kumar at the top of The hierarchy as his queens.

They and their children Are the best fed

And the most pampered Members of the family

And they frequently bully Those of lower rank.

As females grow older And less fertile,

They slip down The social ladder.

Near the very bottom is mahathi

And her three-week Old daughter, padma.

At 19-years-old, Mahathi is reaching

The end of her Reproductive life.

-padma is her 15 -th baby And might be her last.

Although mahathi is a Very experienced mother,

Being one of the oldest females

Means she's now last In line for food.

But for her and padma, this Isn't too much of a hardship

Because they live in

Jodhpur's temple gardens.

Hanuman langurs are found Throughout

The indian subcontinent

In a wide range of habitats

From mountains to Rainforests and deserts.

They also thrive among The urban jungle.

2,000 are thought To live in jodhpur,

The second largest city In the state of rajasthan.

Decades earlier, one group Moved from their wild home

Into the temple gardens of The ancient maharaja capital.

Since moving into The temple gardens,

The langurs have developed A remarkable relationship

With another primate.

Humans.

Hindu devotees Associate the langurs

With the monkey god hanuman.

The langurs' black Hands, feet and faces

Call to mind the Burns that hanuman

Has said to have Suffered in battle.

The worshipers show their Devotion by giving gifts.

In recent years, they've Started to bring the monkeys

All the food they can eat.

It's allowed this troop To grow and prosper.

In the past, The troop venturedbeyond the garden walls

To find their own sustenance

But today, there is no need.

Everything is served on a plate.

The monkeys in kumar's troop

Have never had to face The stress of surviving

Without these free handouts.

But for kumar, despite This daily bounty,

Life isn't as simple As it might seem.

His kingdom is under Constant threat.

A rival group made up of A dozen bachelor males

Looks down on him from The surrounding city.

Eyeing up his prime real Estate and his females.

They are young pariahs,

Ousted by the alphas Of their own families

Before they reached Sexual maturity.

Joining together for security,

They now have the Strength of numbers

To challenge kumar for his Rich territory in the gardens.

At 15-years-old, kumar Has ruled over the gardens

For almost a year.

But he may now be Past his prime.

The bachelors are full Ofenergy and have nothing to lose.

If they took over, they'd Kill all of kumar's babies.

Padma included.

It would bring the Females back into estrus

And increase the chance of Fathering

Offspring of their own.

So kumar must always Be on his guard.

At the other end of The social ladder,

Mahathi has her own struggles.

Being on the bottom rung

Means she's first in Line for bullying.

Today, one of the young Queens wants to babysit.

Motherhood doesn't Seem to come naturally

To young female langurs and Kidnapping another's baby

Is a common way to practice.

She sets her sights On baby padma.

And what the queen wants,

The queen takes.

In the rules of langur society,

Babies are shared Among the females.

There's nothing low ranking Mahathi can do about it.

But this is a risky game.

Inexperienced females are Known to accidentally injure

And sometimes even Kill young babies.

She seems loving enough.

But things get out Of hand quickly.

Padma is at serious Risk of being dropped.

At last, she makes A break for it.

But mahathi isn't there.

Padma is lost.

At three-weeks-old, padma Is still totally dependent

On her mother for Milk and security.

She won't last more than A few hours on her own

In the 110-degree baking sun.

But rescue is at hand.

Mahathi has been keeping A watchful eye after all.

Padma is lucky to have Such an experienced

And attentive mother.

Sitting at the bottom Of the social hierarchy,

They must both tolerate this Kind of harassment every day.

But mahathi is a tough cookie.

She's old enough To remember a time

When the troop still Had to forage for itself.

Back then, mahathi learned Vital survival skills

From her mother such as How to find her own food.

Under normal conditions, Her 19 years of experience

Would place her higher On the social scale,

But with so much Easy food on hand,

Mahathi's knowledge now Counts for very little.

Fertility is valued far more

So she must put up With the bullying.

But at least she and Her baby are well-fed.

Beyond the walls of the city, Many other animals benefit

From the fruits of Human generosity.

Out there lies the Great thar desert.

A brief monsoon season Renders it habitable.

But it has now been six months Since the last rain fell

And the heat and drought Are intensifying.

Overhead, a flock Of migrating cranes

Searches for sustenance.

And they know where to come.

These are demoiselle cranes.

They've spent the summer On the mongolian steppes

And are now at the end of An epic 2,000-mile migration

To over winter here In the thar desert.

The villagers of khichan Welcome them with open arms.

Every morning from August to march,

They spread almost 1,500 pounds of grain

Across a protected enclosure.

It's time for breakfast.

Cranes are wary creatures.

They start by circling overhead,

Waiting for one brave crane To take the first plunge.

Gradually, confidence builds

And the flock descends en masse.

Organized chaos.

More than 6,000 birds come To feed here every day.

But they all get their fill.

It's a tradition that The villagers cherish.

They believe it's their grain

That brings the cranes To winter here each year.

In places like khichan,

Religious compassion For all living things

Help some lucky animals Surviveeven the harshest climate.

In the temple gardens, the Abundance of donated foods

Sets kumar's family apart from Any other troop of langurs.

Their high energy diet Has led to a baby boom.

Compared to their counterparts

Living in the forest or desert,

Females here have Twice as many young

And regularly give Birth to twins,

Something that's almost Unheard of elsewhere.

Mahathi had her first baby When she was three-years-old

And has given birth Almost every year since.

The troop's easy life Leaves a lot of time

For the youngsters to play.

Three-week-old Padma is realizing

There's a whole world Around her to explore.

But mahathi never lets Her stray too far.

All mothers can spot An overtired toddler.

There's not much else to Do in the midday heat.

The rest of the Troop follows suit

Without a worry in the world.

But while they sleep,

Others are on the move.

The gang of a dozen bachelors

Has been waiting for days For the perfect opportunity.

They're closing in,

Attracted by kumar's Prime territory

And large harem of females.

Crossing the boundary road That surrounds the gardens,

They enter kumar's realm.

They've come to challenge him.

If the bachelors defeat kumar,

They won't just Claim his females,

They will also Kill his offspring.

Kumar hears them coming.

Attack calls.

The troop is caught napping.

The females panic and Snatch up their infants.

Kumar confront the invaders.

But he's on his own.

And against 12 attackers, He's completely outnumbered.

He needs to get out of there.

But he doesn't flee alone.

Most of the females follow Him with their infants in tow

Including mahathi and padma.

If they stay with the Invading bachelors,

They risk their Infants being killed,

So they'll abandon the Precious temple gardens

And venture across The boundary road

Into the unknown.

This isn't the cozy world That kumar's troop is used to.

They're now in Uncharted territory.

Stressed and scared, Kumar holds his tail low.

He is a shadow of His former self

And the queens aren't Faring much better.

Many of the troop's Younger members

Have never ventured outside The temple gardens before.

It's an alien environment.

There's nowhere safe to rest.

And worst of all, there's no Daily handout of free food.

The troop has gotten used To a life of privilege.

They've never had to find Sustenance for themselves

Out here in the city.

They seek safety High on the rooftops.

Mahathi nurses padma To comfort her.

If she's to stay healthy And keep her milk flowing,

She can't afford to skip meals.

In the gardens, mahathi Was last in line for food

But out here, her Age and experience

Might just play To her advantage.

When she was younger, she Lived outside the gardens.

She ran the streets With her mother

And learned how to survive.

With the rest of The troop bewildered

And out of their element, Mahathi takes the lead.

Surprisingly, kumar And the others follow.

She guides them to the hills Above the city in the gardens

From where they can look Down on their idyllic home

Just a few hundred yards away.

The temple gardens Have new kings.

The bachelors might Have chased kumar away

But they're all young And inexperienced.

They haven't yet worked out

How to take control of The remains of his troop.

All the females with Infants managed to escape.

So the bachelors must compete With each other for access

To the small group that remains.

Fights break out.

They crank up their Macho displays

To prove themselves To their peers.

They need to establish a leader.

They must also develop the Social skills they'll need

To keep their human Benefactors on side.

But they are delinquents,

Reprobates and downright thugs.

They've never learned Manners, they're just bullies.

Kumar's troop watches From the hills above.

Mahathi leads them to The safety of the trees

In which to spend the night.

But the branches Provide little comfort

For the hungry temple troop

Who don't know where to find Food on the city streets.

It's surely only a matter Oftime before they figure it out.

This is jaipur, the Largest city in rajasthan.

Here, another species of monkey

Has made itself very much At home on the streets.

Rhesus macaques have chosen

To leave the peace and quiet Of nature for this mayhem.

And they've established a Very urban daily routine.

Every morning, they Commute through the city

Just like the people,

Except their route is a Little less conventional.

They're constantly On the lookout

For any opportunity to feed.

A window is an open invitation.

But they have a much more

The market.

Food is everywhere.

And there's only One way to get it.

It's daylight robbery.

Brains and bravery are key

To outwitting the humans On their own turf.

And these rhesus macaques

Have become experts At city living.

They might not have the free Handouts of jodhpur's langurs

In the temple gardens,

But they're doing almost Aswell just by helping themselves.

In jodhpur, kumar's Troop has been forced

To flee the comforts Of temple gardens.

They've been roaming The city for three days

Feeding on what few Scraps they can scavenge.

Their search for food has Led them to some ruins

At the edge of the city.

They're exhausted and starving.

Even worse, since They left the gardens,

They've had very Little to drink.

This could be fatal For the youngest babies

Whose mothers need To drink every day

To produce a constant Supply of milk.

They cling to the Walls for shade

But they won't survive long Among the barren ruins.

Kumar and the young females Are out of their depth.

But old mahathi is no Stranger to adversity.

Before the food Handouts became routine,

Mahathi learned how to Survive from her mother.

Everything from where To find food and water

To where it's safe to sleep.

Her knowledge of the World outside the gardens

Now gives her a huge advantage.

So once again, she Takes the lead.

Out here on the Fringe of the city,

Trees and shrubs still remain

And there is food to be had

If, like mahathi, you Know where to look for it.

She spots an opportunity her Younger peers have missed.

Most langurs know they can Feed on the shoots and leaves

Of bauhinia trees.

The young queens

With their pampered Temple garden upbringing

Never learned this From their mothers.

But hanuman langurs Are adaptable and smart

And they can learn new Tricks even as adults;

They just have to copy mahathi.

This is the first proper Meal they've had in days.

But mahathi hasn't come Here only for the leaves,

She knows there's a river here.

This water is a lifeline.

Just in time for the Dehydratedfemales and their babies.

But even in this Oasis, right now,

At the height of the dry season,

There's not enough food to Support this troop for long.

To survive, they need to Get back to the gardens,

And that means, They need to fight.

Kumar now takes the lead.

Mahathi is next in Line with padma in tow.

And the rest of the Females follow behind.

They head back down the hill

And toward the Garden walls below.

But as they enter The temple grounds,

They're stopped in their tracks.

A pack of feral dogs.

They roam the city streets Scavenging on rubbish.

But they've spotted The baby langurs,

A much more enticing meal.

They'd make quick work Of a youngster like padma

And could injure or even Kill an adult like kumar.

The troop needs to cross the Bridge to reach the gardens.

Kumar bravely Confronts the dogs.

It's a diversion and the rest Of the troop crosses safely.

The troop makes it to The edge of the gardens.

Mahathi and padma are safe.

But others haven't Fared so well.

While running to avoid the dogs,

One of the youngest Mothers dropped her baby.

It's alive but Barely hanging on.

The female langur tries Herbest to revive her injured baby,

But her grooming Provides little comfort

As it fights for its life.

The dogs spot the Opportunity and close in

But langurs' maternal Instincts are very strong,

Even after death,

She'll keep him with Her as long as she can.

But there's no time to grieve.

The troop needs to press on.

The bachelors are comfortably Settled in the temple gardens,

Now enjoying the high life,

Lazying away the afternoon sun.

Or trying to curry favor By grooming their peers.

They are blissfully unaware

Of the trouble Barreling towards them.

Kumar's troop tread silently.

They've grown smarter in exile.

Back on home turf, kumar Has regained his confidence.

Mahathi leaves padma behind With trusted babysitters

And follows kumar Toward the bachelors.

Other females also Take their positions.

They have the enemy In their sights.

With the bachelors oblivious,

Kumar launches the attack.

This time, he's not alone.

Mahathi and the other females Are on the frontline with him.

The bachelors are in Complete disarray.

The troop expels Them one by one.

As the losers limp away,

Kumar makes his claim as king Of the gardens once more.

As ever, there is a Feast awaiting them.

And this time, mahathi Can help herself first.

Kumar and the troop will face

Many more challenges for Their monkey paradise.

But thanks to mahathi's Street smarts and courage,

They have grown in confidence Since their urban adventure

And are now prepared for Anything life throws at them.

At only a few weeks old,

Padma has learned an Invaluablelesson in how to find food

When the going gets tough.

She can take her first Steps toward independence

Knowing how to survive Both on the mean streets

And in monkey paradise.