Original subtitles

This growing habitat on the planet.

A 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.

The daily routine.

Wake up.

Get up.

Get to work.

And then...

over half a billion people across the world... commute into cities every day.

In search of their pot of gold.

But they're not alone.

The world's wildlife is following suit.

Be it by land...

underground...

or by air.

Animals are travelling into the world... cities...

seeking their own fortune.

Please mind the gap... between the train... and the platform.

They are becoming...

wild commuters.

This female African penguin... is guarding a nest...

in the most surprising of places.

A back garden in South Africa's... second biggest city.

The African penguin population... has crashed.

Dropping by 80%... in the last 50 years.

Due to food shortage... pollution... and habitat destruction.

But this female... and others like her...

have found temporary sanctuary... in the city.

The hustle and bustle... helps keep predators away.

The female has spent... the day guarding the nest...

while her partner... has been away fishing.

Her weight low... is almost over.

He has come ashore... on a nearby beach.

But now... he must find his way... back to her.

He's not alone.

Other penguins... have also arrived... on a beach.

And are getting a lot... of unwanted attention.

Keen to get back... to their mates.

The group... known as a waddle...

continue their journey.

Penguins are more used... to hopping over boulders... than steps.

But the same skills... seem to apply.

They stick together... for safety.

In the ocean... they are at risk... from great white sharks.

But crossing the city...

they face something... potentially... even more dangerous.

Cars.

The penguins... have hit rush hour.

The only way... back to the nest... is on the city's roads... and pavements.

Exposed to the hectic... streets...

they have become... disoriented.

And the group... scatters.

Some shelter in... the roadside... vegetation.

Others take cover... in the drains.

Whilst a few... lose their way... completely.

The waddle... has broken down.

And worst of all...

Well, they still need to find their partners.

African penguins are monogamous.

The lifelong bond between the female and the male is unbreakable.

And he'll do whatever it takes to find his way back to her.

He just needs to bide his time.

And as night descends...

he makes his move.

And along with the rest of the waddle, breaks cover.

With eyesight adapted to see in the dark depths of the ocean...

they quickly find their way...

and regroup.

But their black and white aquatic camouflage can work against them.

Up to 30 penguins die each year on the roads.

City living can be dangerous.

In a single fishing trip...

African penguins can travel up to 100 kilometres.

And in just a few metres, the male and the rest of the group...

will be back with their partners.

After a long day apart... the couple are finally reunited.

And

they're back together again.

Soon there'll be another mouth to feed.

A precious addition to this endangered population.

Then... their commute between city and sea... will become even more important.

These African penguins have found that Cape Town... provides a vital element...

that's missing from their wild lives.

A safe place to nest.

Whilst also giving them relatively easy access... to their fishing grounds.

The best of both worlds.

Which is what all commuters strive for.

Across the globe... other animals are also finding the city...

can offer opportunities... that are harder to come by... in the natural world.

And in the barren Negev desert... in the heart of Israel.

There's an animal... who is focused on just one thing.

The need to breed.

This young three-year-old male ibex... was left behind...

when the rest of his herd... made their daily commute... into the nearest city.

Ibex are mountain experts.

And their specially adapted hooves...

and fine sense of balance... enable them to negotiate...

the urban landscape with ease.

They've come to Mitzpah Ramon... for an easy meal.

Its human residents... have irrigated the land.

And created a green oasis.

This adolescent male ibex... has extra motivation... for his journey today.

The breeding season... is very short for ibex.

Each female is only in season... for one day a year.

So there's no time to waste...

if he's to have any chance of mating.

Mitzpah Ramon... is a sharp contrast... to the serenity... of the surrounding desert.

But with twice the normal amount... of testosterone in his blood...

he has a one-track mind.

And won't be distracted.

His arrival seems to have piqued... the interest of the females.

He singles out females in season...

using a sense organ... in the roof of his mouth.

His first advances... are not met with much enthusiasm.

Nor his second...

or third.

What's more... he is not the only male... that's made the trip into town.

They are already bigger...

stronger...

more experienced bucks here.

With years more practice... and the art of seduction.

This tongue waggle... part of his courtship display...

apparently... makes him irresistible.

Though ultimately... the females will be... the judge of that.

Undeterred... the young male... keeps trying his luck.

His behavior... has not gone unnoticed... and won't... be tolerated.

Fully grown male ibex... have the biggest horns... of their kind.

Evolved to pack... a mighty punch.

Half the larger male's weight...

and with substantial... smaller horns.

The younger male... concedes defeat.

His attempt... to mate... has been foiled... by one of his own.

It's an important... lesson for him... on his road... to maturity.

And while the victor... lets off... some excess steam...

the pretender... returns to the desert...

alone.

The next day... the young male is back.

And this time... he's just concentrating...

on bulking up.

Maybe next year... he'll be... a contender.

The urban world... is full of food.

And while some commuters... seek out... what we grow... and nurture...

others are more interested... in what we throw away.

Like many cities... this busy ski resort... in Colorado...

is a hotbed... of fast food.

And as night falls...

a group of... very hungry animals... enter Aspen...

in search... of leftovers.

Black bears.

Every evening in autumn... they wander in... from the surrounding hills...

on the hunt... for an easy meal.

Most Aspen residents... keep their rubbish secure.

But the bears quickly find... the bins that have been forgotten.

When winter arrives... it will begin... a six month hibernation.

The bears... will eat... during which... they will eat nothing.

So they need to... pile on the pounds... now.

To have any chance... of surviving winter... they must eat... more than...

20,000 calories... a day.

With a sense of smell... a hundred times... more sensitive... than ours...

no wasted food... goes undiscovered.

Come daybreak... the destruction... caused by... the bears' night raids...

is clear to see.

Charlie Martin... is the Aspen Police Force's... wildlife officer.

And the first port of call... for bear disturbances.

Bears have done a lot of damage... over the years.

They like to get into cars.

They're pretty clever... and they have learned... how to open a door handle...

on a vehicle.

It will rip the door panels off... the interior... it will leave a present...

usually in there.

It's very unpleasant.

Their criminal streak... doesn't end there.

In Aspen... they're responsible... for more house break-ins... than human burglars.

In fact, wherever they can... in North America...

black bears are using... their wild skill set...

to turn their dexterous paws... to almost anything.

In the search for food... no door is left unopened.

Oh my...

Come on bear, move.

Oh my God.

It can be upsetting... for the people involved.

But the black bears... are simply following their noses.

For them... it has been a very successful... commute.

With the arrival of winter... they're well fed... and ready... for hibernation.

The bears rely on... sheer audacity.

But... for the majority of commuters... it's about playing by the rules...

and working hard... to get what they need... from the city.

Here in England's capital... over three

million people... commute to work... each day.

Busy people... with busy lives.

But there's one... very important Londoner...

who can truly say... that she... is the busiest... of them all.

A queen... buff-tailed bumblebee.

Weighing just half a gram.

It's February...

and she's emerging... from a six month hibernation.

To make the most... of what London has to offer... she must raise her own army...

of inner city commuters.

To do so... she will need to find a base.

London is not an easy place... to find a home.

But luckily... there are still... a few hidden gems... fit for a queen.

Tucked away... dry... and well insulated.

With plenty of space... for a growing family.

This will do nicely.

As the rhythm of daily life... continues on London's... busy streets...

the queen stays at home.

Laying eggs... that hatch into grubs...

that then emerge... as worker bees.

This is the queen's army... and it's tasked... with a very important mission...

to find food.

On the face of it... a seemingly impossible job... in the urban world...

is the queen.

But like most cities... hidden away behind London's...

concrete walls... office blocks... and

homes... there's a treasure trove... of food.

Gardens.

London has over... three million of them.

They make up nearly... a quarter of the city.

Many bursting with flowers...

full of sugar-rich nectar... just what the bumblebees need.

And all the workers... have to do now...

is find them.

Bumblebees can travel... as far as 12 kilometres a day... looking for food.

That's the equivalent... of a human... circumnavigating the globe... ten times...

just to get to the shops... and back.

If they don't manage... to feed every 40 minutes... they risk starvation.

The key to the bumblebee's success... lies in their ability...

to navigate the urban world.

Like London's legendary... cab drivers...

they use landmarks... to build up a mental map... of their surroundings.

And using the sun... to get their

bearings... they can easily find their way...

to the best flower spots.

And the most direct routes... to and from them.

The industrious army... work day in... day out.

And with a worker bee... able to carry its own body weight... in nectar and pollen...

back to the nest...

the colony goes from strength... to strength.

In just three months...

the queen and her tireless workers... have harvested everything they need...

from London's gardens.

With the bountiful food available...

and their extraordinary ability... to find their way around...

bumblebees...

who have lost much of their wild habitat...

are now thriving... in urban areas.

Navigation lies at the heart... of every successful commute.

And there is one animal... above all others... that truly has it mastered.

Even... in one of the most complex cities... in the world.

In Morocco... Fes... an epicenter of trade...

is a maze of nearly identical alleys.

Where GPS cannot penetrate.

For many travelers... it's easy to get lost here.

But there is one animal... who can navigate... this labyrinth of ease.

Pigeons.

Amongst the best... urban navigators... in the animal kingdom.

Their brain processes... visual information... three times...

faster than a human can.

They also have someone... These highly intelligent birds... can also...

orientate themselves... using their sense of smell.

Detecting slight... chemical changes in the wind... from hundreds of...

kilometers away.

Just...

a short walk... from the mountains... to the rivers.

Jungle here.

And with an internal sat-nav system, tuned to the Earth's magnetic field,

they're able to fly for thousands of kilometers with pinpoint accuracy.

These navigational superpowers enable this group of pigeons here in Fez to pick out

one very specific rooftop as a place to rest their wings and feed.

Here they know that they'll be safe.

It's a house owned by Adil Bendali.

A pigeon fancier since he was a young boy.

We're really glad that you made it here Python.

It's a really nice place here and our historia's painted it all the way.

Nothing ever happens to the pigeons you make, it really, really matters to them.

Adil looks after the pigeons that land on this roof seven days a week.

That's the only way.

52 weeks a year.

He hasn't taken a holiday in 12 years.

But this is not a one-way relationship.

This is Fez, after all.

A place built on trade.

The pigeons must pay their way.

And Adil has a very specific trade in mind.

He knows that there is something that pigeons produce

here in Fez that is deemed a precious commodity.

Droppings.

A key ingredient in the city's age-old leather tanning industry.

The ammonia in the droppings softens the leather

and gives the tannery a truly characteristic smell.

This technique has been used here for over a thousand years.

The supple leather it produces is the reason that merchants

persist in finding their way through Fez's maze of streets.

And also the reason why its inhabitants have developed

such a strong bond with these urban navigators.

But not all inner-city commuters boast such a positive relationship with humans.

Some that are feared rather than loved have been forced underground.

With over five million people trying to get to work every

day, Russia and Thailand's capital is notoriously bad.

Some people here lose on average a month every year to commuting.

And as the daily grind in Bangkok continues above ground,

a wild commuter, shunned from society, has to make its journey.

In the shadows.

Driven beneath the streets by its bad reputation.

Born out of folk tales passed down from generation to generation.

I'm so afraid to cry.

I'm so afraid to cry.

I'm so afraid to cry.

His neck is so long and his tongue is so sharp.

His nails are so long.

His nails are so long.

When he comes out, when he sees children, he runs so fast.

Although attitudes have begun to change, the creature maintains a low profile.

The sewers are the perfect place to hide.

Even for a water monitor.

Only by filming under controlled conditions can we see what underground life entails.

This giant lizard has a colossal appetite.

And is constantly on the search for food.

Being banished to the sewers has its advantages.

They're a maze of secret passageways that criss-cross Bangkok.

And as chaos reigns above,

water monitors travel these hidden highways with ease.

By far the most popular destination for over 100 regulars is here.

The city zoo.

Not an obvious place for a wild animal to enter voluntarily.

But the zoo welcomes them.

And it is believed to have the highest density

of wild water monitors in all of Thailand.

They're heading to one location.

At a very specific time.

Lunchtime.

Water monitors can grow over 2 meters long and weigh over 50 kilograms.

And after a long journey hunger gets the better of these giant reptiles.

And frustrations begin to boil over.

Meanwhile inside the zoo restaurant friends gone and due help out in the kitchen.

Their main job is taking out the rubbish.

And they've got an ingenious solution to recycle their food waste.

Water monitors are scavengers.

And will eat almost anything.

For gone and due, it makes work in a restaurant much more enjoyable.

Normally, water monitors are shy and secretive.

An encounter like this is unusual.

The water monitors have found their piece of paradise in Bangkok.

A place where they are welcomed.

And they return to the sewers with full stomachs.

Whilst most wild commuters travel into our cities some do the opposite.

From the city to the wild.

And for them the states couldn't be higher.

Here in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies

is a place locked in the depths of winter.

At this time of year Calgary is a refuge to over 10,000 mallards.

Sheltering from the blistering cold.

The heat generated by people and industry has

kept the local waterways open and the ducks warm.

But what's lacking is enough food.

Each day the ducks head out of town

to find something to eat.

In the surrounding countryside temperatures plummet to minus 30.

Flying here burns 12 times more energy than resting.

Draining their reserves.

They land on a farm to feed on the spilt grain beneath the snow.

This forgotten food is a life saver.

The hungry ducks waste no time.

They are being watched.

It's a risk they take every day but they have no choice.

If they stayed in Calgary they'd starve to death.

The ducks are safe as long as they stay together and hold the line.

But exhausted from the journey some can't keep their eyes open.

It has not gone unnoticed.

A prairie falcon won't turn down an opportunity like this.

Spooked by the attack the ducks make a break for home.

This is what most of the predators have been waiting for.

Weighed down with their crops full of food the ducks are much slower.

Jeer falcons and bald eagles begin their aerial bombardment.

Escaping from the grip of one can lead straight into the talons of another.

Going it alone is a gamble.

But no duck will be safe until it reaches the shelter of Calgary.

Six times the duck's size and able to fly at 160

km an hour the bald eagle is a formidable hunter.

It's a miraculous escape.

The large majority of the flock make it back to their sanctuary in the city.

But tomorrow they'll have to run the gauntlet all over again.

Across the world people have welcomed wild commuters.

And many, like the ducks have become familiar friends.

But as the urban world grows we are coming into contact with more unexpected animals.

And making unlikely alliances.

Here in Saint Lucia, South Africa an agreement

has been struck with the most surprising animal.

Who?

One of the biggest and most dangerous on the continent.

After dark when the streets begin to empty the beasts arrive.

The nighttime commuters are hippos.

With limited street lighting the best way to

see what they're up to is with a thermal camera.

Each night they travel in from the nearby river.

They're after just one thing.

Grass.

A hippo can eat up to 50 kilograms in a single sitting.

They can only pull it out with their lips.

So they prefer short grass which is easier for them to get hold of.

Saint Lucia's roadside verges and manicured lawns offer the perfect grazing.

Especially for the young and old who can't travel far.

So whole families head into town to dine out.

Which means each night Saint Lucia's residents share

their front lawns with multiple one-ton animals.

Having an animal this deadly, this close must be hard to tolerate.

But miraculously there has been little conflict.

Rather than force the hippos to change their behaviour

the people of Saint Lucia have changed theirs.

They've learnt to give the hippos the respect and

space they need during their night time raids.

And today both sides are reaping the rewards.

The town has flourished as tourists take advantage of this unique situation.

And the hippos able to feast in peace leave with full stomachs.

The urban world has created opportunities that are

too good to ignore for some of the world's wildlife.

Many animals have been displaced from their natural habitat and are now using

their wild skill set in the city to help fulfil their needs.

It may just be the beginning of a new and very modern migration.