Original subtitles

The fastest growing habitat on the planet.

Land of opportunity.

For animals of all shapes and sizes.

This unnatural world presents unique challenges.

But for those able to adapt...

and take advantage of the riches on offer...

the

urban jungle is quickly becoming the new wild.

Home to more than half the world's human population.

Cities can be hectic and intimidating.

Life here moves pretty fast.

At least for some.

Born into the heart of Singapore...

these smooth-coated otter pups are the newest kids on the block.

And they're about to learn what it takes to be...

a wild city resident.

In a natural world, this otter family would move then...

if they thought there was a predator in the neighbourhood.

They have few in the city.

But old habits die hard.

And at ten weeks, the pups are strong enough to move house... for the first time.

They'll learn everything they need to know...

about life on these streets from their parents.

Partners for life.

They've learnt the importance of sticking together.

Something this family will need to do... if they're to make it safely across town.

And only a few metres in... they hit their first obstacle.

It's a walk in the park for any seasoned citizen.

And most of the pups get the hang of it quickly.

But there's always one.

Reliant on his parents until his first birthday...

he can't afford to get left behind.

Luckily for him, Singapore is packed with waterways.

And being semi-aquatic...

for an otter they're the perfect way to navigate this urban landscape.

A thousand kilometres of canals and rivers criss-cross the city.

The pups have only recently learnt to swim.

And just over two kilometres into their journey...

they're running on empty.

But for otters...

Singapore's clean channels are far more than just transport links.

They need to eat nearly a quarter of their body weight in fish every day.

The young pups can't catch their own yet.

But with older siblings that can...

they just need to work out who's willing to share.

They need to keep their strength up.

Because when you live in a city...

you never know who or what you might run into.

But as they would in a natural world...

these urban otters work together.

And as a gang...

they can overcome just about anything.

The older generation of Singapore's otters...

have got life on the streets worked out.

The urban world is their oyster.

And on their way to a new home...

they're passing down their know-how to this new generation.

Singapore's otters have everything they need to survive.

Food.

Water.

And even secure, hidden corners to grow up in.

It's a recipe for success.

And with their ability to live alongside us...

they aren't just surviving... they're thriving.

The family is doing so much to survive... and so well...

it's three times the size of the average otter family outside the city.

And like them...

many species are discovering... that moving into town... suits them better...

than staying in the natural world.

Some have little choice...

as we continue to cultivate vast areas of land...

to feed our rapidly growing urban population.

Driven by necessity... the smartest animals have followed the food into town.

Here in Thailand... these long-tailed macaques are known... as the temple troop.

Treated like royalty... they're fed every day.

The temple troop have inherited the best address in town.

They live off the fat of the land...

and spend their day barely lifting a finger.

Born on the other side of the tracks...

this young male... is part of the mafia troop.

Life for them... isn't so easy.

They have to work a whole lot harder... than the temple troop...

to get their cut of the food on offer here.

But as established residents...

the mafia troop know the best spots in town... to grab a bite.

And they know where to start.

For them it's all about timing...

knowing when to stop...

and when to go.

The mafia troop youngsters learn the tricks of the trade... by example.

And they have no shortage of role models.

And while they've worked out how to take what they need...

from their human neighbours...

they also learnt how to give it a try.

They've also learnt how to teach their off weaners.

For them strategy is a must.

They want their work to be easy.

They want to keep the food good.

They want food and 2019's the right now.

Like all long-tailed macaques, the street-smart Mafia troop are curious

by nature, and while the temple troop take time out

for grooming, the Mafia troop are always on the move.

They spend their time exploring the neighbourhood, and with every new

experience, there's something new to discover.

In Lopburi, they're finding everything they need is on tap.

Just around the corner, some members of the

temple troop are enjoying their life of luxury.

And don't give a second thought for their would-be rivals, the Mafia troop.

Lopburi's city-savvy long-tailed macaques have

successfully swapped the rainforest for a concrete jungle.

Here, their numbers are booming.

Almost 1,200 of them live as neighbours.

And they're not alone.

And lead a far more peaceful existence than their

rural cousins in the forests of South East Asia.

All thanks to being so well-fed.

While food draws many animals into town, it's

not the only reason wildlife chooses to stay.

Most big cities are built on sites that are rich in natural resources.

South Australia's capital is no different.

The River Torrens feeds the largest inner-city park system in the country.

And the city's botanic gardens provide a

permanent oasis for humans and animals alike.

Rainbow lorikeets like the easy life in the centre of Adelaide so much,

they've given up migrating and now live here permanently.

The water is fresh.

In 2010, following the worst drought in a century, a 500-strong wild crowd were

forced out of their home in the Australian outback and joined the lorikeets.

And they liked it so much, they hung around.

With access to life-saving refreshment, 20,000 grey-headed

flying foxes now call Adelaide home in what's known as a camp.

They spend their days roosting high in these pine trees, but

life in a city isn't what they're used to.

It's crowded, very noisy.

And in summertime, with the arrival of a

series of music festivals, it gets even louder.

Trying to get the best out of saw me, as well.

And that's not all.

In the past two decades, South Australia has been getting hotter.

Temperatures here can top 40 degrees.

Everyone feels the heat.

Flying foxes are covered from ankle to nose in fur.

And they can't sweat.

So if they overheat, they'll die.

As they would in a South Australian bush, they find shade

amongst the lower branches and do their best to cool down.

Nocturnal by nature, they'd normally stay in camp during the day.

But dehydration is a real threat.

And desperate times call for desperate measures.

Leaving the trees, they head for the

lifeline that first drew them into the city.

The River Torrens.

Today it's a sweltering 43 degrees.

Belly dipping is an instant lifesaver for the bats.

It cools them down and gives them a chance to grab a welcome drink.

Back in the shade, they lap up any remaining water from their soaked fur.

Elsewhere in Australia, tens of thousands of

flying foxes have died because of the heat.

But here in Adelaide, this camp has found a way to beat the rising temperatures.

As the cooler evening approaches, they begin to spread their wings again.

Ready for a night of foraging for fruit and nectar.

From bats to boars, raccoons to red foxes, our best-loved cities are already home to

much more wildlife than most of us realise.

That's in part because the city never sleeps.

And in Thailand's capital, working a night shift has certain benefits.

It's not just about the weather.

Reticulated pythons are the longest snakes on the planet.

They can grow over 10 metres and weigh as much as 150 kilos.

But many of them still manage to live a secretive life in the heart of Bangkok.

Pythons are most active under the cover of darkness.

And travelling at night, they move virtually undetected.

By filming under controlled conditions, we can

reveal what life's like for these city slickers.

They survive feeding on birds, rodents and other animals they can ambush.

When they catch prey, they coil tightly around it,

cutting off its blood supply and stopping its heart rate.

But to make it here, every true wild resident needs to find more than just food.

They also need somewhere safe to start a family.

This residential garden is a haven from the busy city streets.

And when pythons want to nest, they search out a safe and concealed spot like this.

This python is laying what's probably her first ever clutch of eggs.

Instinctively, she wraps herself around them to

regulate their temperature by expanding and contracting.

This is known as brooding.

A nurturing mother, she'll guard them with her life.

Pythons stay with their eggs for three months.

And only leave when they're ready to hatch.

When eventually that time comes, the new arrivals are on their own.

Primed to catch and eat what they need to survive.

Reticulated pythons have been residents in this

area since long before the city was established.

With plenty of food and hidden places to nest,

thousands of them are still at home here.

Even though tarmac and concrete cover the wetlands that Bangkok now stands on.

In fact, many animals have found the bricks and mortar we've built our cities

out of provide just the safe shelter they need.

And one urban veteran has flourished.

Living right under our feet.

Even earning themselves the name, Pavement Ants.

This colony is busy raising its next generation.

Taking advantage of the warmth absorbed by

the paving stones to nurture precious larvae.

Believed to have lived in our cities since Roman times,

Pavement Ants are one of the oldest urban residents of all.

Like many established New Yorkers, this family's ancestors immigrated from Europe.

And managed to bag a city home on Broadway.

For generations they've lived here safe and secure.

Whilst quietly providing a vital service to us.

With more than eight and a half million people

living here, New York is America's hungriest city.

And one of its most wasteful.

New Yorkers throw away over a million tonnes of food every year.

But for Pavement Ants in the Big Apple, wasted food is opportunity.

With very poor eyesight, this scout relies on her antenna to move around.

They help her track down her next meal within seconds of it hitting the ground.

True.

Fast.

Food.

Hot dogs aren't Pavement Ants' natural diet.

But they can't get enough of them.

And once they've found a good place to eat, the ants quickly spread the word.

They communicate using their antenna.

It's called Antenating.

And relays all the information the colony needs to find the takeaway.

In no time, the hot dogs swarm in.

Without antenna, Pavement Ants would be lost.

So they keep them squeaky clean.

These fastidious insects are barely noticed by most humans.

And busily clear the streets of New York of wasted food.

They consume the equivalent of 60,000 hot dogs a year from Broadway alone.

By doing so, they've become by far the biggest gang in New York.

With an estimated population of more than 1.6

billion, they outnumber New Yorkers nearly 200 to 1.

Pavement Ants have found a home under our busy

streets that suits them down to the ground.

That's because our cities provide many of the same things animals look for in nature.

In fact, there's so much competition for a permanent home in urban areas that some

animals are dramatically more likely to be killed than others.

They're constantly changing their lifestyle to try and secure it.

For centuries, hundreds of white storks have been visiting this ancient Spanish

town for a few months a year to nest and raise a family.

Some fly nearly 6,500 kilometers to be here, migrating from Africa.

Our Faro-Saracota rooftops provide them with a perfect summer home.

And their custom-built nesting baskets take urban living to a whole new level.

The storks are in strong competition for these prime nesting sites.

With a grueling return flight to Africa to prepare for, these chicks would normally

have to quadruple their weight in just three months.

But these canny urban storks have discovered a secret.

That means they can avoid the long migration

and hang on to their nest site year-round.

And the secret is landfill.

Humans generate ten times as much waste as we did a century ago.

But one man's waste is another's treasure.

Picking through rubbish can be a risky business.

But with so much at stake, the pros outweigh the cons.

Storks flock to landfill sites across Europe for their share

of the 250 million tons of food we throw away every year.

Landfills provide a daily picnic, even in the coldest months.

And in the past three decades, huge numbers of white storks have swapped

their 13,000 kilometer annual round trip for a permanent home in Spain.

Moving with the times, it's win-win for Alfaro's shrewd storks.

It shows just how versatile urban wildlife can be, as it

adapts to our world in ways we could never have predicted.

One of Britain's rarest amphibians, great crested

newts are cumbersome and vulnerable in the open.

But they can find safety even in the most unlikely of places.

Underwater, newts move with speed and are voracious predators.

A caddis fly larvae is the perfect snack.

Satisfied, she sets her mind to the task at hand.

Laden with around 250 fertilized eggs, she needs somewhere safe to lay them.

She's looking for a pliable surface to protect them.

Great crested newts evolved to lay their eggs within submerged leaves.

But after millions of years on a planet, they're resourceful.

This plastic bag shouldn't be here.

But it's flexible and will make the perfect substitute for relief.

She makes a fold in the bag and lays one egg in it.

Then gently wraps it up with her hind feet.

A sticky glue-like jelly around the egg will help keep it safe.

She squeezes the plastic together and holds

tight for long enough to allow the jelly to fix.

Over the next few weeks, she will lay around 10 eggs like this every day.

Protecting each one in its own secure pouch.

And giving her offspring the best chance of making it.

It's an extraordinary adaptation to survive in a new and changing world.

Life in the city isn't always straightforward.

But for wildlife to succeed, it must be able to cope with whatever we throw at it.

And our busy, noisy lifestyle is something all wild residents must come to terms with.

This long-eared owl has found a roost in this Serbian town.

And she's not alone.

A large group have gathered together in what's called an owl parliament.

They find shelter in the town square when temperatures plummet.

Dense, evergreen trees protect them from the wind.

And help them stay well hidden from predators.

But, for a shy, sensitive animal that needs to rest in the

day, the secret to success is their ability to cope with us.

And that's what we're here for.

They've learnt to tolerate the bustle of urban life.

And the townsfolk are learning to respect the owls too.

Hey, friends!

We don't want to make a mess with that owl.

What are the owls doing around us?

Look!

These owls wouldn't be here in such numbers if it weren't for us.

They flock to Kikinda, seeking refuge after the devastating Balkan wars in the 1990s.

Miroslav Gruja lived through the conflict too.

The 90s were really terrible.

There was a war in the area.

There wasn't much to take into account.

Not even about nature.

It was all about survival.

People's lives.

With the fuel supply cut off, forests across Serbia were chopped down to burn.

Over 90% of the trees in the area were cleared,

leaving the owls with nowhere to roost in winter.

So they moved into Kikinda.

And Miroslav believes the owls have helped to transform the town.

Where are you?

There's a owl over there.

Teaching children about owls is really something wonderful.

Owls have taught people to live in our city.

But people have also learned to live with owls.

The owls have found a place to shelter in town and are thriving.

And they've brought hope and light here in the midst of winter.

Owls are the symbol of my city.

Elsewhere, the owls sometimes roost in small groups.

But Kikinda's town square now holds more than 750 of them.

In what is by far the largest long-eared owl roost in the world.

It's estimated that 40,000 long-eared owls now live in towns across Serbia.

Through winter, the only time they leave their

urban roost is to hunt in the nearby fields.

Like the owls, a growing number of animals are moving into our towns and cities.

To take advantage of the food, water and shelter on offer.

But what's perhaps most surprising are the

relationships wildlife is striking up with us.

And the depths these are going to.

Built on the banks of the Tocantins River in the

Brazilian Amazon, the city of Mocajuba is growing fast.

On the edge of town, a small group of fishermen have forged a very special

friendship with some of the neighborhood's most established residents.

River dolphins.

This species was only identified in 2012.

The first such discovery in nearly 100 years.

They can grow over 2.5 meters long and weigh more than 200 kilos.

Unlike most marine dolphins, their bodies are extremely flexible.

Enabling them to maneuver through the Amazon's

famous flooded forest in pursuit of fish.

River dolphins are normally shy.

But the pod in Mocajuba has struck up a

partnership with Brassilva and his son Osvaldo.

They've fished this stretch of river for decades.

And in recent years, the river dolphins have joined the family business.

Brass and Osvaldo give the dolphins an incentive to stay nearby.

And the very presence of these apex predators helps

to scare fish into these intricate wooden traps.

Even if it wasn't good, we wouldn't have any more fish.

He's the one who knows.

He knows everything deep down.

Like all the best partnerships, they have an equal share in the business.

Because he feeds us.

We have to give half to him.

And because the dolphins get an easy meal, they keep coming back for more.

It seems to be a fair deal all around.

River dolphins have evolved in the Amazon over 15 million years.

And today they're adapting to the fastest change this environment has ever seen.

But there's a deeper twist to this dolphin's tale.

And the remarkable relationship they've built with their city-living neighbors.

Every single day, the dolphins head to Mocajuba,

whether there are fish on the menu or not.

It appears one of the main reasons they come...

is to play.

These powerful predators could easily hurt the kids.

But they never do.

No matter what.

And the kids have grown up with dolphins as friends.

And will always look out for them.

The bond the dolphins have formed with their new neighbors seems unbreakable.

And while Amazon River dolphins elsewhere are known to interact with humans,

this playful behavior, with no guarantee of reward, is unique to the Mocajuba dolphins.

Most of us imagine cities to be concrete jungles devoid of nature.

But for some wildlife, they are just a new habitat filled with new opportunities.

With the natural world shrinking, and our urban centers continuing to grow,

adapting to life in the city has never been more important.

And if we're willing to accept wildlife as a neighbor, and even to help animals get a

foothold in a city, the rewards can be huge.

For them.

And for us.