1 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,520 Specially chosen programmes from the BBC archive. 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,600 For this collection, Sir David Attenborough 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:13,040 has chosen documentaries from the start of his career. 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:14,520 More programmes on this theme 5 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,360 and other BBC Four Collections are available on BBC iPlayer. 6 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:49,560 That beautiful ship was trading and sailing in the Java Sea. 7 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:54,440 It was travelling through the islands of Indonesia and beyond to Sumatra 8 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:58,240 in the west, to New Guinea in the east, up north to the Philippines. 9 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:03,520 We saw it as we were travelling back from Borneo. 10 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,880 We had been in Borneo for two weeks, 11 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,640 here, collecting and filming animals. 12 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,880 And we were trying to get to the little island of Komodo down there, 13 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,240 but, unfortunately, we couldn't find a ship which would take us there. 14 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:22,160 The only ship we could get hold of was going to come back here to Java. 15 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:28,160 Well, we arrived in Java and we deposited all our animals, 16 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,000 and we said goodbye to our guide and interpreter 17 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,720 who'd been with us in Borneo, and then Charles Lagus and I 18 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:41,120 set about the task of getting down here through Bali to Komodo. 19 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,280 Very luckily, we managed to get a small truck. 20 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:48,120 And we loaded all our baggage into the truck, in the back, 21 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,360 together with the film and the equipment 22 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,600 and off we set eastwards through Java. 23 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,760 Of course, we didn't take the main roads. 24 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,120 We tried to keep away from the main part of Java 25 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,840 and travelled through the bush country, 26 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:04,880 which, of course, 27 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,720 meant that we had a certain amount of difficulties on our way. 28 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:23,840 But, of course, we couldn't expect to see many animals 29 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,040 while we were driving at 30 miles an hour in a Jeep. 30 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,120 So, when we came to interesting forest, like this, 31 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,200 we stopped and walked into the bush. 32 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,320 At first, the forest seems lifeless and deserted, 33 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,320 except for the chirping crickets. 34 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,040 CRICKETS CHIRP 35 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,640 But, if you sit down, keep quiet and are patient, 36 00:02:57,640 --> 00:02:59,760 then animals will soon appear. 37 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:03,960 These are among the loveliest 38 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,800 and are certainly the most agile of all the forest animals - 39 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:09,680 the acrobatic gibbons. 40 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,360 It was early in the morning, just after dawn, 41 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,640 and the gibbons were out looking for breakfast. 42 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:32,120 Some fruit, flowers, or maybe a few birds' eggs. 43 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,360 We kept absolutely quiet and they didn't notice us, 44 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,320 but hung a few yards away, eating in the tree tops. 45 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,600 But soon, one spotted us. 46 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:27,960 And he raised the alarm. 47 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:29,960 GIBBON BARKS 48 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,280 HE BARKS LOUDER 49 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,880 And then, with amazing speed and agility, 50 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,720 the whole troop leapt away through the branches. 51 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:36,720 On our way through Java, we passed many beautiful buildings. 52 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:41,280 But we saw none more lovely than the beautiful Buddhist temple 53 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:46,360 of Borobudur, which was built over 1,000 years ago. 54 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,280 PEOPLE CHANT AND SING 55 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:55,520 It rises, tier upon tier, shrine upon shrine, 56 00:05:55,520 --> 00:06:00,640 until, at the top, there is one final, gigantic monument. 57 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:03,560 BELLS RING AND PEOPLE SING 58 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:13,120 But Java is a country not only of temples but of volcanoes. 59 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:17,600 And our route eastwards took us past the still active crater of Bromo. 60 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,160 The jeep couldn't take us up the mountain 61 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,360 so, in the early dawn one morning, 62 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:31,600 we met some hillmen and tried to hire some ponies. 63 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,160 As always, a little bargaining 64 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,560 was not only a necessity to fix the price, 65 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:40,880 but also the polite thing to do. 66 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,920 Soon, everything was agreed and we set off. 67 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:31,200 By midday, the volcano collects a blanket of cloud above it. 68 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:35,800 But now, at five o'clock in the morning, it was still quite clear. 69 00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:00,560 To get to the crater, we had to descend onto a great plane, 70 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,400 a sea of sand which surrounds the central cone. 71 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:26,760 Now the ground steepened 72 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,200 and we had to leave the horses and continue on foot. 73 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:53,040 VOLCANO RUMBLES LOUDLY 74 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,560 Looking down into the depths of the crater, 75 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:02,760 it seemed easy enough to clamber right down to that central vent, 76 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:04,760 but our guides would go no further, 77 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:09,480 for they said the crater was full of invisible pockets of poison gas, 78 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:14,160 and that people who had gone farther down had never returned. 79 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:17,440 Even from where we were standing, the air was full of choking, 80 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,320 sulphurous fumes and the ground beneath our feet 81 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:25,720 shook as the clouds of poisonous smoke belched out from the vent. 82 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,000 It's down there that sacrifices are thrown every year 83 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,440 to placate the god of the volcano. 84 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:36,640 These days, only chickens, cloth and money, 85 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,680 but in olden times, the sacrifice was a human one. 86 00:09:56,560 --> 00:10:01,280 We left the volcano with the clouds gathering in a shroud above it 87 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,080 and continued on our way. 88 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:09,040 And the next day, we reached the southern coast of Java 89 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,320 and the sea - the Indian Ocean. 90 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,000 Here was an ideal place for a meal and a swim. 91 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,920 So, while Charles gathered wood to make the fire - 92 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,040 we took it in turns to do the cooking and it was his day on duty - 93 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:05,560 I left him to walk across the beach to see what could be found. 94 00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:09,760 And one of the first things I came across was the shell of a turtle. 95 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,040 If turtles used this beach, it occurred to me 96 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,640 that there might be a chance that we could find a turtle's nest with eggs 97 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,240 which would be a very welcome addition to the rice, bananas 98 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:27,680 and bully beef on which we'd been living 99 00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:29,840 almost entirely for the past week. 100 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:45,040 And, sure enough, farther along the beach, 101 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:47,200 I found the tracks of a turtle. 102 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:50,880 I followed them. 103 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:56,960 And they ended in a shallow depression in the sand. 104 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,680 And here, buried three feet deep, were the eggs. 105 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:31,000 The turtle buries them as deep as this so that the eggs will remain 106 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:36,080 at an even temperature and not get too hot by day or too cold by night. 107 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:08,560 They were just like soft, leathery ping-pong balls. 108 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,360 There were 88 eggs in that nest, 109 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:41,840 enough to provide us with breakfast for many days to come. 110 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,080 And they were all produced by one female turtle. 111 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,840 I must admit, I was pretty pleased with myself 112 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,120 when I brought them back to Charles. 113 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:38,360 Neither of us had tried turtle eggs before and neither of us 114 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:41,520 had any idea as to how to cook them. 115 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:44,760 But it seemed perhaps the easiest thing to do 116 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:46,600 was to try and scramble them. 117 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,720 Of course, you can't crack them as you can a chicken's egg. 118 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:02,320 We didn't realise that turtles' eggs are pretty salty in the first place 119 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,040 and we had cheerfully added as much salt 120 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,240 as if we were dealing with chickens' eggs. 121 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:20,760 The, uh...result... 122 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:21,960 HE LAUGHS 123 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,040 ..though no doubt very nourishing, 124 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,680 wasn't, I'm afraid, particularly delicious. 125 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:38,040 We did, however, get better at it 126 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,320 by the time we'd eaten all 88 of them! 127 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:51,320 Nearby the beach was a small kampong 128 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,680 where we were able to spend the night. 129 00:16:56,280 --> 00:17:00,320 That evening, all the villagers gathered around our truck to meet us. 130 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,080 I spoke to them through an interpreter 131 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:07,200 and asked what animals there were in the forest nearby. 132 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:09,840 I explained we wished to film some 133 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:13,960 and also maybe to catch some to take back to the London zoo. 134 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:17,360 And I offered rewards to anyone who could take us 135 00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:18,800 to animals in the forest. 136 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,920 Our interpreter entered into the spirit of the thing 137 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,120 and explained volubly and with elaborate gestures 138 00:17:26,120 --> 00:17:28,400 in Javanese what I had said. 139 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:35,320 They were all emphatic that their particular part of the jungle 140 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,520 was teeming with wildlife, 141 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,880 and that if that was all we wanted, well, we should go no further. 142 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,560 But no-one seemed to be able to explain 143 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,280 exactly what animals were to be found, 144 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:52,360 until one old man said, "Oh, yes, tuan. 145 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:56,200 "Many animals in this place. Very good place for animals. 146 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,720 "Why, only two weeks ago," he said, 147 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:03,000 "a tiger came into this very kampong and ate two men. 148 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,160 "This is a fine place for animals." 149 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:10,520 Well, I explained hastily that man-eating tigers 150 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:14,160 were not actually on our list of desirable animals to be caught. 151 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:18,360 And, as no-one seemed anxious to volunteer for the task 152 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:21,600 of catching the tiger, we let the subject drop. 153 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:28,120 We talked for a little time more and then one man said that 154 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:30,720 when he had been in the forest, a few days ago, 155 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:35,120 he had seen a very large snake in one of the trees. 156 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:38,160 "Maybe," he said, "it's still there." 157 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,920 Well, that sounded much more manageable to me 158 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,880 and the next day, with him as a guide, we set off to look for it. 159 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:46,640 CRICKETS CHIRP 160 00:18:55,360 --> 00:18:57,920 And, sure enough, we found it. 161 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:05,600 It looked enormous and, from its size and markings, 162 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:10,640 I was quite sure that it was a python and, therefore, non-poisonous, 163 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,520 which was something of a relief. 164 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,880 It's important to grab his tail as soon as you grab his head, 165 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,040 otherwise he will wrap his great coils around you 166 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:40,840 and give you a very nasty squeeze. 167 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:51,880 And here he is in the studio. 168 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:53,360 Um... 169 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:56,680 The python is not a poisonous snake at all. 170 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,760 It kills its prey by squeezing it. 171 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:04,640 It doesn't actually crush the bones of its victims, 172 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:07,080 but it prevents them from breathing. 173 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:12,320 Not, of course, that it's any consolation to the victim. 174 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:16,680 He can bite. He's got quite powerful fangs. 175 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,720 I have been bitten by a python - it doesn't hurt much, 176 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:24,160 it's just like getting a couple of pinpricks in your hand, 177 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:29,160 and it leaves no ill effects at all. Well, helping me... 178 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,840 Helping me control this python 179 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:36,680 is Mr Lanworn from the Reptile House at the London Zoo 180 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,840 who, in fact, has it in his care now. 181 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:42,720 - How is he? - He's doing very fine, actually. 182 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,520 He's one of the best Indian pythons we've had for a good many years. 183 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,600 - You're pleased with him? - Yes, he's a very nice thing. 184 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,280 Of course, he should grow very much larger than this. 185 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,680 ATTENBOROUGH: What's the biggest python record? 186 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,520 LANWORN: The largest one of these was about 18 feet, 187 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,360 although there are some reticulated pythons 188 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:01,880 which come from Malaya that get up to about 30 feet. 189 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:04,560 That's the biggest, is it? That's the biggest in the world? 190 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,440 That's right. But this chap, he should get up to about 18 feet, 191 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,640 which we won't be able to do this with him 192 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,560 - when he is full-grown. - But he is quite a handful now. 193 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,440 ATTENBOROUGH: You can quite imagine how these powerful coils 194 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:19,320 - really give you quite a crush. - Oh, yes. 195 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,720 LANWORN: What do these feed on where you got this one from? 196 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,480 We feed them on rabbits and pigeons, of course. 197 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:27,920 ATTENBOROUGH: Well, I wasn't sure. There were a lot of squirrels 198 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:29,880 and tree shrews and things like that, 199 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:32,840 but he had quite a swelling in him when we caught him 200 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:35,880 and I wondered whether he might have had a monkey. 201 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,800 LANWORN: It's quite possible, because they do like monkeys, yes. 202 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:41,400 I'm afraid he won't get many monkeys in Regent's Park. 203 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,120 ATTENBOROUGH: Delighted to hear that. 204 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:44,880 These beautiful markings, of course, 205 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:47,200 these are protective colourations, aren't they? 206 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,320 LANWORN: Amongst the trees and branches, it must be very difficult 207 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,040 to see a snake like this unless it actually moves. 208 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,600 ATTENBOROUGH: Well, fortunately, we knew where he was. 209 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,280 At least, one of the Javanese told us where he was. 210 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:04,040 That in itself rather surprised me because one would have thought that, 211 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:08,960 if one saw a snake in the jungle, that he would be away in any time. 212 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,600 It seems that these big ones have their own little beat. Is that true? 213 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:13,880 LANWORN: I think it is. 214 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,400 Until they've eaten all the type of food in that area, then they move on. 215 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,280 ATTENBOROUGH: Well, certainly he must have stayed there for about a week 216 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:22,520 until he took his long journey to the London Zoo, 217 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,320 where at least he's going to get... 218 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:25,600 He's doing it. 219 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,880 It's a very good example how he constricts his food. 220 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:30,360 ATTENBOROUGH: Shall I just show you or will you lose your hand? 221 00:23:30,360 --> 00:23:33,360 LANWORN: No, I don't think so. I'll be able to get out eventually. 222 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:37,120 Well, I think we'll untie you later. Thank you very much for coming. 223 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:44,320 Well, while I leave Mr Lanworn to untie himself from this snake, 224 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:46,600 we must say good night. 225 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:51,160 We shall be back again next week with some film of what happened 226 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:53,960 when we left Java and went on to Bali. 227 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,000 So, until then, from us both, good night.