All language subtitles for Mystery Monkeys of Shangrila PBS Nature 720p hdtv x264w4f EN Sub_Subtitles01.ENG

NARRATOR:
Strangely beautiful...

As endangered as
the giant panda...

Elusive...
until now.

This is the first time
these rare snub-nosed monkeys

have been
so thoroughly documented.

We begin in spring in a remote
valley of the Chinese Himalayas.

And one family
has two new babies.

One has an ideal childhood
and is nurtured,

the other struggles after
his mother abandons him.

For two years, the crew follows
the brothers...

MAN: I've been here for
a couple of hours now,

just waiting for the monkeys.

NARRATOR: Enduring impossible
terrain and extreme weather...

MAN: Now, we're up on
the top of the mountain,

4,200 meters up.

NARRATOR: To find out how
the families push apart

and then pull together

in one of the highest forests
in the world

in the "Mystery Monkeys
of Shangri-La."

NARRATOR: Hidden in
the Himalayas in China

are the Snow Mountains.

Behind peaks
of up to 22,000 feet

are inaccessible canyons
miles deep.

For centuries here,

there have been stories of
lost cities and woodland elves.

The northeast corner of
Yunnan Province

is cut off from the world
by its formidable geography.

Here, the eastern end of
the Himalayas

is sliced through by
huge rivers.

The Nujiang, the Mekong,
and the Yangtze

form 1,000 square miles of
isolated mountains and forests.

[ Bird cries ]

Chinese scientists

arrived by mule train in 1960

looking for an animal
known only from skins,

and thought perhaps extinct.

They returned with news of
a large mountain monkey,

a living yeti.

Xi Zhinong,
a Chinese photographer,

became obsessed.

Starting in the 1980s,

he dedicated himself
to finding the monkeys.

He became the first
to film them in the wild.

[ Monkeys chattering ]

There are only a few thousand
Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys.

They are gentle,

with odd-looking noses

and prominent forelocks.

The young
have ears like Yoda.

The adults,

with pink lips and almond eyes,
are hauntingly beautiful.

Though sometimes they do
seem like old movie stars

with too much plastic surgery.

They live at a higher elevation
than any other monkey.

It's 30 years later,

and Xi Zhinong
has hired a new team.

The expedition has
two young cameramen,

six porters, three rangers,
and a scientist.

They cross mountain passes
at 14,000 feet.

The oxygen level
is almost half.

Cameraman Jacky Poon
finds it tough.

POON: Now we're up on the top of
the mountain, 4,200 meters up.

And it's snowing

and it's hailing.

Trying to get a breath and see
the screen is not easy.

Aah.

NARRATOR:
Behind the passes are valleys.

As the team descends,

the temperature rises.

They find an enchanted garden

behind mile-high walls.

Jacky Poon
can hardly believe it.

POON: It's like you're going
into a different world.

You start to hear birds
and see flowers.

It's magical.

All of a sudden,
in the trees,

are the monkeys.

It's a huge thrill
to see them.

NARRATOR: Jacky Poon
and Wuyuan Qi are amazed.

The monkeys seem
unafraid of them.

These monkeys are unique,

'cause they're not
too bothered by people.

But they're still wild animals,

so you can't tell them what
to do, can't control them.

So very, very privileged.
Very privileged.

NARRATOR:
Xi Zhinong's ambition

is to make a film following
individual monkeys

for two years.

Park rangers and scientists will
help track them with a team.

It has never been
attempted before --

for some very good reasons.

Covering impossible terrain

are the last remaining troops
of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys

in the world.

They move miles

between precipitous valleys
to find food.

One smaller troop
is easier to follow.

There are eight families
in this troop,

each with a male and several
females and their young.

By March,
after months of waiting,

the team sees one of the eight
families with a newborn.

[ Chattering ]

Scientists have only once
witnessed a birth.

The other mothers
helped like midwives.

The new baby is not alone --
the family has two arrivals.

Two half-brothers.

The mothers have just one baby
each every two or three years.

It's too harsh here
to support more.

The other mothers and the father
need to help.

In a family of six adults,

these two half-brothers should
both be well looked after.

But cameraman Jacky Poon

notices one is
neglected.

POON: Each mother treats her
babies very differently.

One is great,

and one is
really hopeless.

She keeps leaving
her baby behind.

Maybe she's inexperienced --
I don't know.

It's like she can't really
believe that she's a mother now.

Luckily, the rest of the family
helps her

and looks after
the baby as well.

NARRATOR: The other mothers
even provide milk.

After a few weeks,

his mother
still isn't coping.

[ Screeches ]

While the other baby
is protected and indulged,

he's raised haphazardly
by the whole family.

POON: The baby is
passed around so much

from one aunt to another,

to the children, we called it
the "Pass the Parcel" baby.

NARRATOR: Neglected babies
usually suffer

permanent psychological damage

compared to those
loved and cared for.

But scientific studies also show
that a few of those that survive

can become
tougher and braver.

When everyone
is tired of him,

he's dumped on dad.

It's unusual in monkeys

for the father to be
the helpful family type.

POON: They seem to have
a very special bond.

He looks after him
and grooms him most of the time

while his mother is out
looking for food.

After observing and filming,

we really want to know
what happens

to these two half-brothers.

It's hard enough

finding the monkey troop at all,
let alone following one family.

But this is really worth it

because of the potential story
for each individual

that no one
has ever seen before.

NARRATOR: The monkeys' lives
are part of the wider story

of the mountains and the
isolated people who live here.

The whole area
has hardly been filmed.

[Birds cawing]

Hidden from the outside world
is an ancient city.

It's called Shangri-La,

named after a famous
mythical paradise.

Prayer flags and burnt offerings
are made by

Tibetan Buddhists.

They believe that all
mountain life is like a family,

and that people and animals
need each other,

even become each other
after death.

In spring,

monks from the nearby monastery

lead the village yaks up toward
the monkeys' forests.

It takes several days,

and the calves face
many hazards.

[Yak lowing]

They are heading for
mountain meadows.

The monks will live at
13,000 feet

for a few months in some of the
highest human homes on Earth.

It's May,

and in the forest,
the neglected baby is still

being passed around the family,
and is always hungry.

While his half-brother

is cosseted like a prince,

he struggles to cope.

Scientists call determination
like this

"stress-inoculated
resilience."

One gets everything he needs
except freedom.

For the other,

neglect becomes
a new adventure.

In May, the rhododendron forests
welcome sunbirds

arriving from miles below.

Scarlet minivets make lichen
nests lined with monkey fur.

Alpine butterflies
sip on buddleia.

The little adventurer

ends up again with his
Zen-like father.

These family monkeys
are exceptional

in the time that
they give to each other.

By June,

the team is confident that

both babies will survive
their first six months.

They have time to focus on
the wider troop.

Snub-nosed monkeys can travel
many miles a day for food.

They find fir trees dripping
with lichen like cotton candy.

In winter, there is little else
edible in the forest,

so the monkeys
depend on the lichen.

The Usnea lichen is also
a powerful antibiotic

and well-known to
Chinese medicine.

[Monkeys chattering]

The troop of about 100 monkeys
is composed of

eight self-contained families

and about 30 surplus
adult males.

They form
an all-male group,

a gang of bachelors.

A big male stands out.

He is inured in one eye,

with a scar falling like a tear
from the other.

Everyone seems just a little
afraid of him.

He's the pirate king,

and his crew
act as lookouts.

One day, the team sees

what they are
watching for.

Over the mountains
comes a massive,

500-strong troop, wilder,

with no rangers
and scientists with them.

Several have lost limbs,
probably in snares set for deer.

[Monkeys chattering]

When most monkey troops meet,
it's very violent.

Outnumbered by five to one,

our group hasn't a chance
in a fight.

They move to the ground
where they're faster.

A few males
discreetly swap sides.

The younger females eye
the neighbors with interest.

Despite the tension,
this isn't a battle.

The troops mix, displaying.

This is more social,
like a recruitment drive...

with some speed dating.

When time's up,

a quarter of
the world's population

parts peacefully.

Their gentleness

is a scientific puzzle.

Lichen is everywhere, so maybe
not worth fighting over.

Yet a wild bamboo grove
is well worth defending.

Bamboo shoots
grow a foot a day,

and are full of energy
for nursing mothers.

The monkeys look like

little Buddhas sometimes.

But to the team, it is more
their gentle generosity

that links the monkeys
and the local monks.

Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys

are as rare as giant pandas,
which may have once

come up here in summer,
but are now

long gone
from these mountains.

After a morning's foraging,

the afternoon is for
grooming and snoozing.

The little prince
has had his milk.

His neglected half-brother is
kept alive by the whole family,

but he doesn't get
as much to eat.

He often forages on his own.

The monkeys eat over
30 different plants,

and he's learning them
by himself,

like a street kid teaching
himself to survive.

While the mothers nod off,

the cosseted prince
makes a bid for freedom.

The two half-brothers play.

[Chattering]

Their games include
hide-and-seek

and ambushing each other,

and showing off
their gymnastics,

and making sure no one else

gets any rest.

They are growing up fast.

Jacky Poon sees

more new behavior
all the time.

POON: Sometimes
in the afternoon,

after snoozing,
the younger monkeys will go with

a group of adults,

particularly from
the all-male group,

to go and explore
the forest.

It's like a school, really.

They watch each other
and learn.

NARRATOR: This temperate forest

is one of the botanically
richest in the world,

with thousands of species.

This is a U.N. World Heritage
Site for biodiversity.

Young snub-nosed monkeys

learn to hunt for unique beetles
and spiders.

Childhood here is drawn out
over five years.

Some of these pupils are in
their third or fourth year.

In theory, none of this

rich diversity
should be here.

At 13,000 feet,

this is well above the snow line
in the Rockies or the Alps.

Something special
heats this high paradise.

In August,
the secret becomes visible.

[Bird caws]

Warmth flows up
from the jungles below

thanks to a quirk
of geography.

Rivers, including the Yangtze
and the Mekong,

have cut valleys
deeper than the Grand Canyon.

Air funnels from Borneo
and India

as through
central-heating pipes.

Below the Himalayas,

a few hundred Asian elephants
live in

Yunnan's river valleys.

These Chinese survivors
drink snowmelt

from the forested peaks above.

Up in the mountains,
two vertical miles higher,

the jungle monsoon arrives.

[Thunder rumbles]

High on the slopes,
it drenches the monkeys

and the filming crew.

POON: It feels good
coming out here,

even when it's raining,
pouring down rain, right?

QI: Yeah.

POON: We'll film,
but after about an hour,

we'll have to
take our clothes off

and start putting them on
the camera

just in case
the camera gets wet.

Long-term out there,
it does get you --

make you a bit crazy,
I guess.

NARRATOR: Fruit,
like Himalayan dogwood,

and cousins of lychees
and kiwi fruit,

and countless berries,

all ripen.

It's the last chance to fill up
before the leaves turn.

The two brothers,
now six months old,

are best friends.

But their world
is changing fast.

It's soon time for the monks
to leave the alpine meadows.

With help from their neighbors,
they are making yak butter --

churning and cooking.

[Singing]

NARRATOR:
It's used to add to tea,

and enjoyed by
the filming crew.

POON: They kind of turn it into

this frothy tea.

It almost tastes like
the English tea,

but salty,
with more fat.

It warms you up very quickly,

and after a while,
it even tastes amazing.

NARRATOR:
After it's churned and cooked,

yak butter is set and shaped.

A summer's milk fat

will be carried
down to the villages,

with some left for the team

to keep them going
through the winter.

In the thin air, the temperature
drops alarmingly fast.

The filming expedition
will follow the family

despite the increasing cold.

The rangers and scientists camp
wherever the monkeys lead them.

Finding a monk's hut
is a rare luxury.

POON: Quite a long like today.

It's been --
how long has it been?

-QI: Seven hours?
-POON: Seven hours, I think.

We've had about eight people,
and four rangers on top,

just to carry

probably half a ton
of equipment.

So, tomorrow we're gonna
send out the rangers

to check out the monkeys,
to track the monkeys down.

QI: It was quite
a hard day today.

The weather is not good,
and we didn't find the monkeys.

NARRATOR:
At dawn, they set off

to continue the search.

The rangers use ridges
to look for the troop.

POON: Just this morning,
I'm coming up,

I was in the front
with the rangers.

They spotted something.

So, we come up here to an open
area to check out this area,

and we found some movement,
and we're thinking it's monkeys.

So, we pretty much
ran over here.

You know, it couldn't be
anything else

rustling around the trees.

So, quite lucky.
It is cold and windy up here.

These monkeys are certainly
more tough than us.

NARRATOR: By mid-September,
autumn's chill

has reached the forest.

The two half-brothers will face
their first winter together

in the warm arms of the family.

Just behind the peaks

is the Tibetan Plateau --
high, flat, and freezing.

Wild yaks
eke out an existence.

Chiru, an antelope,
live higher than any other.

Alongside are kiang, a wild ass,
cousin of the ancestral horse.

This freezing plain

now controls
the monkeys' lives,

as the monsoon did from below
only a month before.

Maybe once they could
head down to the tropics,

but rivers and cities
have cut them off,

and now they depend on lichen

that only grows
above 10,000 feet.

They are trapped.

And when they are thirsty,
there is only snow.

Each family remains distinct
within the troop,

nestling close together.

The prince
and his half-brother

are at the heart of the huddle.

There are dangers here

much worse than
the cold.

The all-male group is restless.

The leaders would like to have
wives and children

to keep them warm,

and plan a midwinter
rebellion.

The violence,
when it comes

over two nights in January,

is all the more shocking
from these gentle monkeys.

[Screeches]

The battle-scarred bachelor king

leads a rare attack
on our family

in order to steal the females.

[Screeching]

Our family dad
is thrown out of the tree...

and unfortunately
killed by the fall.

POON: The scientists found
his body a few days later.

He was a great father

that looked after the baby
very well.

It was such a sad moment for us,

for the whole team
filming the monkeys.

NARRATOR: The team finds
the half-brother alone.

The other mothers
are with a new male,

a sidekick of
the pirate king.

The little prince is in there

being comforted.

But his mother has probably gone
off with another male,

leaving her baby behind.

He's truly an orphan now,

and the new male
wants no part of him.

The troop has other families,

and it's possible
they could adopt him --

but it's never been
seen before.

POON: I really thought
he would die.

We all did.

All we can do is hope.

NARRATOR: When things seem
at their worst,

life sometimes

surprises you.

He rallies

and follows some birds
to collect berries.

The monkeys are not

the only ones
influenced by hardship.

Buddhism was founded
across the Himalayas

under the shadow of
the harsh mountains.

The monks believe that
life is delicate,

interconnected,
and we should care for it all.

On the edge of the forest,

the monks are helping
a rare pheasant.

It's in decline,
poached for food.

They have bred a small flock,
and today they release them

with ceremony
and prayers.

[Ringing]

[Squawks]

Tea is poured
over a statue

that looks a little like
a baby monkey.

Buddhists believe that many
animals can be kind.

But scientists say that
altruism -- kindness --

is rarely, if ever,
seen in animals.

These monkeys
may be exceptional.

POON: I would say if any animal
shows compassion,

it's these snub-nosed monkeys.

NARRATOR: The orphan's life is
in the hands of

the seven other families
and a gang of 30 males.

Then the team loses him
in the snow.

POON: Finding the orphan
was really hard,

even with four rangers who knew
most of the monkeys by sight.

They're using their
incredible eyesight

to look for any movement
in the distant mountains.

And there's also another ranger
up on top

also spotting for
the monkeys, too.

And for us,
we've just got to be quiet,

and hopefully we'll get to
see the monkeys soon.

But you can see over there,

through the distance,
just a lot of snow.

So, tracking through
these snows

really isn't easy.

NARRATOR: Jacky Poon
and Wuyuan Qi

try to hide
in the path of the troop

to learn what has happened
to the orphaned baby.

POON: I've been here for
a couple of hours now,

and just waiting for the monkeys

that could well be
coming across

the mountain
right in front of me.

I'm spotting for
any movements in the trees,

and my colleague Wu
is down in the gully,

and he's looking for
movement as well.

We've been told by rangers
this morning

that the monkeys gonna
come across this way.

If they come into this valley,

I'm pretty sure we'll get them,
either one of us.

So, just trying to be patient.

I'm so happy
when the monkeys come by,

and I find the orphan
on his own.

He's still alive.

NARRATOR: He seems to be
searching --

for food, or his half-brother,
or his mother.

The team sees him
approach other families,

ones they've never
seen him with before.

The families seem
willing to adopt him.

In most monkeys,

adoptions are by
blood relatives,

and infants beg to join them.

These families seem to accept
him already.

Maybe he spends
the colder nights with them.

Yet he soon leaves.

His independence

is extraordinary.

He finds himself
in the bachelor group.

Young males all join this gang

when they are much older
and reaching adulthood.

The bachelors can be dangerous,

particularly
the battle-scarred king.

Scientists know he led
the fatal midwinter attack.

Yet the baby monkey gets
closer to his father's killer.

The warrior looks up,
but ignores him.

Through March and April,

the team are able to stay with
the solitary juvenile

more easily.

POON: I'm filming one day
when the abandoned orphan

spots his mother.

It's the first time,
as far as I know.

[Chatters]

He jumps over to her.

She hasn't got
any milk for him.

They hug for ages.

Then her new family moves on
and she has to follow.

He just sits there,
abandoned all over again.

Then, suddenly,
the big male,

and probably one of
his father's killer,

come over and sit next to him.

It's like the big bachelor
is being thoughtful.

He offers comfort
and friendship.

That was the moment
I thought,

"Whoa, these monkey are not like
animals at all."

NARRATOR: To the team,
it's a turning point.

The abandoned baby
has some surprising friends.

They're unlikely to be
close relatives,

and there's not much
a one-year-old

can offer in return --
yet for the moment,

the big bachelors
seem protective.

Until one day the scar-faced
leader chooses a tree

that makes it impossible for
the little one to follow.

The all-male group above
pay no attention.

Maybe they've had enough
of their little mascot.

[Crying]

The pirate king
guards the trunk.

Then a hand reaches down.

The heart of a killer

seems to melt.

For the crew and the scientists,

it's a remarkable moment.

Spring finally

returns again in May.

The monks and their yaks have
returned to the high meadows.

It's a disappearing world of
milking, churning, and cooking.

Neighbors discuss

how the monks and monkeys
can be part of a modern China

while drinking tea
enriched with yak butter.

Above the monks' meadow
and the monkeys' forest

are peaks famous for
their plants and animals.

There are Himalayan blue poppies

and snow lotuses --
a plant with fur

that's visited by
hairy mountain bees.

There's even
a Parnassius butterfly

that walks between flowers

to stay out of the wind.

In June, increasing numbers of
people make a long trek here

searching for a caterpillar
infected by a fungus

called cordyceps.

It's been discovered to be
a remedy for cancer.

The trade in medicinal plants
is lucrative,

and the mountains
are picked clean.

Little seems sacred to the
visitors from the cities below.

Traditionally, the gifts of the
mountain gods were respected.

The Buddhist monks
hold on to a belief

that these mountains
somehow contain

the secret to
understanding life.

[Bird screeches]

[Insects buzzing]

In a rhododendron glade
at 13,000 feet,

our lone youngster
dines on flowers.

Rhododendrons are
generally poisonous,

but he's discovered
the flowers contain nectar.

Sitting by himself,

he watches
his old family nearby.

His half-brother,
the prince --

his old playmate --
is there having a tantrum.

[Chattering]

He's being weaned.

His mother
wants to stop his milk.

He's furious.

It's a battle of wills,
but his mother seems determined.

Eventually,
the spoiled prince gives up

and notices
his half-brother.

Cameraman Jacky Poon
holds his breath.

POON: It's the first time
this year

I've seen them playing together.
It's amazing.

NARRATOR:
As young males grow up,

they are encouraged to
nurture friendships.

It's the first stage of forming

the alliances they'll need
later in the bachelor group.

POON: It was fun at first,
but sadly something went wrong.

The abandoned baby
got something in his eye.

He was blinded temporarily,
and his playmate ran

straight back to his family.

I realized why the little prince

was so keen to be
with his family --

there was a new little baby
just born.

[Whimpers]

NARRATOR:
With the new arrival,

the prince instantly forgets his
playmate and his missing milk.

All he wants to do
is hold the baby.

Over the next few days,

he pesters
and waits for his chance.

[Whimpering]

Then, one wet afternoon,

he gets it.

He's not sure
what to do with the baby,

but he's not going to
give it up.

The newborn's
hard to manage --

more than he can handle.

Something's not right.

Panic seems to sweep over
the mothers.

[Chattering]

POON: Watching, we realized

that something's
terribly wrong.

The baby is dead.

He's probably just
caught a chill or something,

which happens quite a lot,
but it's very tragic.

The mother carries the baby
for three days.

She must know that it's dead,

but it's like
she can't bear to let go.

NARRATOR: She finally lays it in
the leaves on the forest floor.

POON: After the baby's death,

the prince
goes back to his mother,

and she lets him suckle again.

It was like she can't reject him
after such a tragedy.

He seems very precious to her
and to the family.

NARRATOR: The abandoned orphan
is once again forgotten,

and will return to the edge of
this monkey society.

In autumn,

many species of mushroom
grow in the forest,

and local families at the end of

the Baimang Snow Mountain
National Park

come to collect them.

The head ranger and his family

are among them.

Like many of the local Tibetan
Buddhists, they are polyandrous.

The ranger's daughter has
two husbands -- brothers.

It takes many adults

working together to raise
even a small family here.

The harsh mountain life
creates unusual families

among humans
as well as monkeys.

[Singing in
indigenous language ]

NARRATOR:
Traditional entertainment

competes with television
these days.

On TV are the hidden forests

and monkeys famous in China,

and Xi Zhinong's campaign
to take on developers

and create the reserve.

The commentary tells of the
forest elves that are fearful

and have nowhere to go.

[Boy continues singing]

The ranger's grandson
sings of their forest.

[Singing continues]

In summer, the meadows
are full of flowers.

For over 100 years,

Western plant collectors
have brought back azaleas

and primroses,
snow lotus and poppies, irises,

orchids, and rhododendrons
from the Himalayas

for our gardens.

At the edge of the meadow,

the outcast watches.

The cosseted prince
grooms his step-father.

Unusually among primates,
affection seems

not to depend on bloodline.

The forgotten friend
sees the little prince

move to his mother for milk.

But she refuses.

Once more, he is furious.

[Screeching]

His dance of frustration
is ignored by all --

except the little orphan,
his half-brother.

Everyone else
just wants to snooze.

[Screeching continues]

The spoiled baby
gives up at last

and finally
comes over to play.

The two half-brothers
tussle together,

rediscovering a friendship.

Up here, the important things

to these monkeys
are family and friends.

Up here, the important things

They return to the trees
to play there.

Later, the adults wake,

and the little prince
returns to his mother.

She still refuses him milk.

[Screeching]

It's time to grow up.

From that moment,
the two half-brothers

are inseparable.

POON: I knew that was it,
almost the end of the story.

Except one day,

the scar-faced leader of
the bachelors

got angry at them.

He sits down beside them.

The bachelor king

seems to accept them
into the gang.

I'm so happy for them.

Some of the older males
are brothers, here, too.

Their lives have finally

come together.

After so much hardship,

the rest of their lives
must surely be easier.

They're still here,

growing up.

Narrator: Like a chill,

civilization is creeping
around the mountains,

pushing the monkeys higher
and into a smaller area.

Xi Zhinong's life's work to save
a rare monkey is not over.

But now,

the monkeys are famous here
as symbols of friendship

and kindness.

[Bird caws]

Everyone knows of
China's rapid growth,

but it's not the whole story.

POON: What I want to tell people

internationally
is to let them know that

we're doing something here,
you know?

We're doing good things here.

And, you know, we're trying to
make a difference.

I think that's probably
the most important for me.

NARRATOR: The local monks
believe that life

flows between us all
like smoke.

Anyone who is lost,

they say,
needs help and kindness

and a chance
to find their way back --

even a little monkey.

To learn more about what you've
seen on this "Nature" program,

visit pbs.org.