All language subtitles for Wonders of the Monsoon 3of5 The Drought

The monsoon.

The greatest weather system
on Earth.

THUNDER CLAPS

Giver of life.

And the destroyer.

Shaping magical lands,

from the Himalayas

to Australia.

Its impact felt by giants...

the exquisite...and the bizarre.

Where spectacular nature meets
the planet's most vibrant cultures.

The rains brought a time of
plenty...

a time of new life.

But this is the story of the other
side of the monsoon...

of what happens
when the rains are gone.

When animals and people must
prove their resilience...

..and confront the challenges...

of the dry season.

Australia's Red Centre,

a land of near-permanent drought.

But once in a while,
in exceptional years,

monsoon rains penetrate even
this far south.

Back in the summer, the monsoon
drove the rain deep into the desert.

Now, in the dry season,
a legacy of grass and seeds remains.

A feast...for budgerigars.

Thousands of budgerigars.

Now, their problem is
not food, but finding water.

They scan the parched
land for an oasis.

A rancher's wind pump draws up
water from deep below ground.

It's a magnet for everyone.

80,000 budgies on the wing.

And shadowing them constantly -
predators.

Black falcons.

Brown falcons.

Australian hobbies.

A confusing swirl of yellow
and green.

For the raptors to make a kill,

they must make sense of this
kaleidoscope.

To single out a target,
they patrol the edges of the flock.

But now there's a greater threat.

The lush vegetation created by the
monsoon is tinder-dry.

Wildfire.

The grass that fuelled the budgie
boom now feeds the flames...

That's the real
impact of the dry season.

It forces animals to move
constantly.

The search for food
and water never seems to end.

The dry season has a profound effect
across all the lands of the monsoon.

Even on the lush tropical
islands to the north.

Here, the wet season brought
torrential downpours every day.

Now, rainfall has dropped by 70%.

Most of the trees will not fruit
until the rain's return.

The forest still looks green...

but food is much harder to come by.

For a young bearded pig,
these are the tough times.

Whilst there's still food
in the canopy, little reaches

the forest floor.

PIG SQUEALS

And for a youngster,
every scrap must be fought for.

There's always a bigger pig.

PIGS SQUEAL AND GRUNT

So, what's a pig to do

when there's no food at home?

He steps out of the forest...
and into a different world.

The seashore is ruled not by rain
and drought, but by the tides.

Perhaps, there's a chance of food
out here.

Sand bubbler crabs turn over the
beach as they scavenge for scraps.

But these crabs are
no bigger than peas.

Simply not worth bothering with.

A hungry pig needs something more
substantial.

A hermit crab.

Now, that could make a good meal.

..if only it could be opened...

Finally, a crab that's not too
small and not too strong.

A ghost crab is just right.

An escape burrow appears to offer
salvation.

But pigs have keen noses.

And this nose also doubles as a
shovel.

And to round off his beachcombing,
jelly for desert.

When the monsoon rains return,
the resourceful pig will have a glut

of food back in his forest home.

But there are lean months ahead.

The dry season has only just begun.

India.

Here, the monsoon winds that brought
the rains have now reversed,

bringing cool dry
air from the north.

In the desert state of
Rajasthan, the last rain

fell two months ago.

Surprisingly, for the people
and animals who live here,

these are the good times.

It's the perfect weather...

for camels.

The brief rains brought
a spray of green to the desert.

And now the animals
are in peak condition.

For nomadic herders Sukhram
and Surja Ram, it's time to sell.

They're heading for the biggest
event of the year.

This is Pushkar.

It's a small oasis town...

..but at this time of year,
the population balloons...

..as Pushkar is home to the largest
camel fair in the world.

The fair attracts herders
from hundreds of miles around.

Ten days, 300,000 people...

..and 20,000 camels.

Anyone who's anyone is here,

all of them in search of a bargain.

Some owners will do anything to
catch the buyer's eye.

But Sukhram is so confident,

that a few well-placed
garlands will suffice.

Prospective buyers
try to find faults.

in an attempt to
barter down the price.

CAMEL GROWLS

They even take
the animal for a test drive.

Token amounts of money are
offered...and respectfully declined.

THEY SPEAK IN HINDI

Sukhram has no
intention of making a quick sale.

Negotiations can go on for days,

and he's holding
out for the very best price.

Sukhram's family are dependent
on him.

He must make enough money to
feed them through the dry

months ahead.

Sukhram holds his nerve
for four days.

At last, he seems to be
closing on a deal.

A result.

The equivalent of £300.

Then it's off, back into the desert.

They've made
the most of the good times.

Now, they must face the seven
months of drought that lie ahead.

DEEP RUMBLING

In Sri Lanka, there are animals
less well adapted to the dry season.

This family of elephants
can no longer

find enough to eat in their forest.

But they remember where to go.

All over the island,
elephants are on the move.

DEEP RUMBLING

Minneriya Lake.

Within weeks, it will host

the largest gathering
of Asian elephants in the world.

Each year in the dry season,
up to 300 gather on its shores.

The lake is crucial
for their survival.

As the water recedes,

it reveals fertile ground
where fresh grass starts to grow.

Elephants have been coming to
this spot for at least 2,000 years.

This vast lake and others like it

are actually ancient
man-made reservoirs.

In Sri Lanka,

access to water has always
depended on the monsoon rains.

For thousands of years,
kingdoms and dynasties

were founded on architecture
that best captured the rains.

With a reliable source of water
all year round,

these ancient cities
grew in size and sophistication.

Culture and religion flourished.

INAUDIBLE

Kings of old built vast reservoirs.

This reached its height 800 years
ago with King Parakrama the Great.

During his reign,
he built almost 3,000 reservoirs.

Including the largest
in the ancient world -

the Sea of Parakrama.

The King declared, "Let not one
drop of rain reach the sea

"without benefiting man."

THUNDER RUMBLING

WINDS WHISTLING

Today, this ancient legacy
lives on -

even in the drought,
Sri Lanka is a wetland paradise

dotted with more than 10,000 lakes.

Almost all are man-made.

The people who built these great
civilisations might be long gone,

but the ruins are not deserted.

Tribes of macaques
have reclaimed them.

As the dry season intensifies,

Sri Lanka's man-made reservoirs
become a lifeline for animals.

Chital have to drink.

But to do so they must
risk their lives.

Mugger crocodiles.

They know that
food will come to water.

The odds are shifting
in favour of the hunters.

As the heat of the day subsides,
more animals become active.

GROWLING

A young leopard has recently
left his mother to go it alone.

The chances of him becoming
top cat here are slim.

He is inexperienced
and has everything to learn.

With the drought intensifying, the
night shift is particularly busy.

There should be plenty of
opportunities for a young leopard.

Leopards have superb night vision.

We do not.

We must rely on infrared cameras

to experience the leopard's
night-time world.

Water still remains the focus
of activity after dark.

But now thirsty animals must beware
of both crocs and leopards.

FROG CROAKS

Hunting takes practice.

At first he appears indecisive.

BARKING

But stalking a jackal
brings an unexpected bonus.

The warm night air carries the scent
of a recently killed chital stag.

The jackal must work quickly to make
the most of this chance.

The leopard could chase him
off the kill at any moment.

BARKING

The jackal runs,

but it's not the youngster
that's spooked him.

The real owner of the carcass
is returning.

A huge adult male.

GROWLING

It might be a good idea to move on.

A young sambar deer.

Another chance at a meal.

But the undergrowth is bone dry.

RUSTLING

CRACKLING

RUSTLING AND CRACKLING

CHATTERING AND SCREECHING

Rumbled.

HOOTING AND HOWLING

No-one said hunting was easy,
especially in the dry season.

Tonight this young leopard
goes hungry.

At least with the reservoir

he has a good place
to hone his hunting skills.

Elsewhere, water is becoming
increasingly scarce.

At the heart of south-east Asia
is a land of monsoon forests.

But the last monsoon rains
were five months ago.

Now hot, dry air sucks the moisture

out of the land, the trees,
everything.

The drought is so severe that
trees drop their leaves

to save themselves
from drying out completely.

With no fodder
until the rain returns,

cattle are released into the forest

so they can roam in search
of what little food is left.

FLIES BUZZING

But the drought
is just too tough for the weak.

CAWING

A cunning crow.

Always on the lookout
for an easy meal.

An entire cow, all to himself.

But it's not that simple.

The crow's beak can't
puncture the hide.

White-rumped vultures are no use.

Not even these formidable-looking
birds can open a carcass.

SCREECHING

They're all waiting
for a specialist.

The red-headed vulture.

A sharp re-curved beak is perfect
for opening the thick hide.

The other birds
will have to wait in line.

Unless he does something about it,

crow could lose out altogether.

But this is a crow with a plan.

He's going to start a fight.

With the vultures distracted,
crow makes his move.

But he's too late.

Jackal spoils everything.

Now everyone must wait.

The mob strips the carcass
to the bone.

Everyone's had their fill.

Except crow.

Poor old crow.

Too clever for his own good.

As the drought wears on,

every day, dryness and heat build.

Death stalks the parched land.

But out of death grows new life.

A litter of four desert foxes

in the Rann of Kutch,
Northern India.

In the last monsoon,
onshore winds were so strong

that they pushed seawater
deep inland,

creating a vast salt marsh.

But for the last six months,

desiccating winds
have blown from the north,

leaving 12,000 square miles
of barren salt pans.

An area the size of Belgium.

But for the enterprising,
this is a land of opportunity.

ENGINE APPROACHES

The baking heat attracts
seasonal migrant workers.

They're here to exploit
a rich harvest.

The Kutch provides
salt for almost a billion people.

HORN HONKS

Which means a lot of traffic.

And a free lunch for the foxes.

Roadkill is everywhere.

With ready meals all around them,
there's plenty of time to play.

For now, life is good.

But there's a change on the way.

The days are getting longer.

More sunshine begins
to drive vast updrafts.

The winds switch,
sucking in moisture from the south.

Now the humidity makes the heat
even harder to bear.

Most animals would do anything
to get out of the sun.

But one does the exact opposite.

Indian blackbuck face the drought
as the ultimate test of endurance.

A display of resilience
proves they are fit to mate.

For this young buck, it's a chance
to show his strength.

He needs to secure a small patch
of territory called a lek.

Anyone can have a lek
in the dusty salt marsh.

But nearby there's prime real
estate, offering golden grasses.

There are plenty of females,
but also much more competition.

To win a desirable lek,
he's going to have to fight.

GRUNTING

He announces his arrival.

This large buck
already has the prime spot.

He's in peak physical condition.

He's so popular, the females
jostle for his attention.

The young buck isn't ready
to take on the big guy just yet.

For now, he'll sit it out
on the sidelines.

The temperature hits
a searing 45 degrees.

The resident must stick it out,

exposed on the bare lek.

Whilst the young buck
takes time to build his energy.

For now, he keeps his cool.

But the heat is only one
of the challenges

competing males must face.

The haze conceals another threat.

Indian wolves.

They patrol the lekking ground,

looking for signs of injury
or exhaustion.

For healthy bucks,
it's a test of nerve -

if they run, they lose their lek.

The young buck sees an opportunity.

His opponent looks weak
from exposure to the sun.

Fighting in the heat
is the ultimate test.

So the bucks battle at high noon.

This is no time
to pick up an injury.

Any sign of weakness,
and they'll pounce.

The defeated resident
makes a swift exit.

Victory for the young buck.

But this is only
the first of many challenges.

He still has to convince females
that he's worth mating with.

He can't do that
until the lek takes on HIS scent...

..and that will take weeks.

Guarding his territory
in the scorching sun.

The drought is almost over.

Humid winds bring
the promise of rain.

But first, Sukhram and Surja Ram
must endure the most extreme

consequence of the desert drought.

They've been roaming the sands

for seven long months.

Now, daytime temperatures reach
an unbearable 55 degrees.

Relief is on the way.

But ahead of the rains comes
the drought's last gasp...

..dust.

A storm is coming.

The winds that now carry dust
will soon bring monsoon rains.

And the balance of life will change.

Lush new growth will bring
the parched land to life.

The rains will come.

An ancient cycle of renewal,
as old as the land itself.

THUNDER CRASHES

Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.

The Monsoon team have come

to the home of the world's largest
leopards.

GROWLING

The biggest, weighing in at almost
100 kilograms, is one-eyed Ivan.

For me, Yala is the
place to see leopards.

It's the best place in the world.

There are more leopards here than
anywhere else on Earth,

and the ambition is to film
one of these big cats hunting.

The trouble is that leopards hunt
mostly at night.

And if you're not a leopard,
you're potential prey.

With an open-backed vehicle and
a variety of night-vision cameras,

the team enter the park before dusk,

hoping to encounter nature's

ultimate night-time predator.

The driver switches to night vision.

The infrared car lights are
invisible to the naked eye.

So it's a very odd experience,

we're driving along at night

in, to our eyes, at least

complete darkness.

The driver is wearing
night-vision goggles,

but we've just heard they're not
working very well, so...

that's a little bit alarming!

A waterhole.

Infrared search lights
scan for life.

Nothing is drinking here.

But this could be a good sign
for the crew.

A big male.

On that first night
when I saw that first leopard,

I was taken aback
by how big it was.

But something's caught
the leopard's attention.

As it first started approaching,

I was thinking, "Oh, wow,
this'll make a really nice shot."

We were using these tiny monitors
to film and see the leopard,

but what we didn't realise
at the time was that those monitors

were lighting us up
like a Christmas tree.

The only light in the darkness
are our faces. I'm not surprised

the cat was interested
to come and have a closer look.

That leopard was coming
closer and closer.

I remember turning to Paul Stewart
and saying...

Leopards can leap three metres
in one bound.

If it had wanted, it could've
jumped in the back of the truck
with us.

BLEEP. That's close!

It was when I tilted the camera
down to that point

that I realised the cat
was right underneath us.

That's when I started asking Paul...

So I grabbed that, passed it to Paul,

Paul flashed it up
and that startled

the leopard just enough that
he headed off in another direction.

That was kind of unwelcome, torn
between filming a lovely stalking

shot and thinking,

we'll have
the leopard on our lap in a minute!

Is anyone keeping an eye out?
I am. I've got it.

If nothing else,

it's a promising sign that
this leopard is keen to hunt.

But in the darkness, the big cat
gives them the slip.

Stop!

Yeah, he's totally behind me.

Can we back up a bit more?
Back a little bit.

What the driver didn't tell us was
the back lights weren't working,

and he was so keen to get us
the shot, he reversed blind.

TYRES SCREECH

Wait, wait, stop!

Stop!
CRASH

'I could feel my heart pounding.
I didn't know what had happened.

'All I knew was that the vehicle
was tilting on its side.'

In the darkness,
they reversed off a bridge.

'It was really, really worrying
because

we really didn't want to get
out of that vehicle,'

but we had no choice.

Just keep scanning further...

Radio for backup.

Jumping out the car in the middle
of the night with a leopard

on the ground wasn't to
be taken lightly.

I think we've got a leopard
in the area... Watch out.

ANIMAL NOISES

INDISTINCT SPEECH

It takes 30 tense minutes
before backup arrives.

Despite being the best place to
find leopards,

it takes a whole week before
the team even see another one.

But then, they get lucky.

A youngster, keen to hunt,
becomes the star of the film.

We'd trailed our leopard for over
half an hour as it was stalking.

(He's coming for the pigs...)

Wild pigs - the opportunity
that they've been waiting for.

We were in the back of the vehicle,
cameras rolling, we were sure that

that leopard was going to go off
on a hunt.

And our leopard was ready to go.

Sitting there watching each one
go past.

'He's not going to risk it,
they're way too big.'

It's not unknown for pigs
to kill leopards.

Gradually, night after night,
the team piece together

the remarkable story of
a young leopard learning to hunt.

What's interesting is they're always
looking for a chance.

Which is probably why the leopard
on the first night

paid so much attention to us.

A young leopard has to work out
if it's worth the risk,

and not risk their life.

It was the reality of what
this leopard was facing,

and I think it's a real insight.

Instead of a hunt, it was a much
more intimate glimpse of just

how tough it can be for a predator -

especially a young leopard
in the dry season.

Next time, a journey into
the heart of the monsoon.

A weird world of primeval jungles,
and remote islands.

BIRD SQUAWKS

Where the monsoon meets
the fires of the underworld...

RUMBLING

..and nothing is quite as it seems.