All language subtitles for Worlds Greatest Animal Encounters Series 1 3of6 Forest Animals 1080p

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

(BIRDSONG)

NARRATOR: Forests and woodlands
are the green lungs of the Earth

and vital to mankind's survival.

The air we breathe,
the timbers we build with,

the medicines we take...

the lists of benefits they provide
is exhaustive,

as is the list of other animals

making a meal of these
resource-rich environments.

One of the largest can be found
in the wilds of British Columbia.

British Columbia, or BC,
as the locals like to call it,

is the westernmost province
of Canada,

sitting between the Pacific Ocean
and the Rocky Mountains.

There are still incredible expanses
of untouched wilderness here...

thousands of islands,
tens of thousands of rivers and lakes

and forests that stretch
as far as the eye can see.

With its mix of deciduous
and coniferous trees,

the landscape changes dramatically
with each passing season,

providing a magnificent backdrop
and perfect stage

for these remarkable omnivores.

Two species living here in BC

are the grizzly
and the nimble black bear.

Smaller in size
than the grizzly bear,

black bears are still big animals.

Males weigh in at 270kg,
and on their hind legs,

can stand a good head and shoulders
taller than a person.

Between 120,000
and 150,000 black bears

live in British Columbia,

so the province can easily lay claim

to having one of the highest
black bear populations in the world.

And black bear skeletons
found on Vancouver Island

would indicate they've been living
in this neck of the woods

for at least 10,000 years.

Grizzlies are well outnumbered here,
with 15,000 in total.

But nonetheless,

that still amounts to a quarter of
the entire North American population.

While lone male grizzlies
will actively stalk and kill humans,

the bears along
this stretch of river

have a very different type of prey
in their sights.

The salmon run is in full swing...

a feast for the bears,

and for humans seeking a close but
relatively safe encounter with them.

Every July,
salmon rush in from the sea

and frantically swim upriver
to breed.

But many won't make it
past these ravenous predators

waiting to cut them off
at the pass.

This is an important event
for black and grizzly bears,

as they need to fatten up
before winter kicks in.

Aside from salmon,

berries, seeds and vegetation
make up the bulk of a bear's diet,

so these forests are as vital
to their survival

as the rivers that run through them,

providing habitat and sustenance
year round.

Grizzly bears
have an amazing sense of smell,

even better than a dog's,

and can sense food
from many kilometres away.

They can easily be distinguished
from black bears

by their small, round ears,
classic teddy bear looks,

strong shoulder humps
and four-inch claws,

perfect for foraging
and digging for food,

or taking on feisty prey.

Beyond North America,
they're known as brown bears,

but here,
everyone calls them grizzlies,

a name that references
the long guard hairs

that grow on their backs,

giving them a grizzled appearance.

Khutzeymateen Provincial Park
is a well-established sanctuary

for grizzly bears
in British Columbia.

It contains a complete river system,
fed by streams high in the mountains

that flow out into this estuary,
then on to the Pacific Ocean.

The Sitka and spruce forests
surrounding the inlet

provide shelter and an abundance
of seasonal fruits and berries.

So all things considered,

Khutzeymateen
is grizzly bear heaven.

It is the only sanctuary of its kind
in the world,

where human access
is quite restricted.

Grizzlies are generally
solitary animals,

but they're not
particularly territorial,

so they will comfortably
come together

whenever and wherever
food is ripe for the picking.

Like most bear species,

grizzly cubs are born in their
mothers' forest den during winter,

only emerging when they've opened
their eyes and grown a warm coat.

By this time,
they're a decent size

and ready to have a go
at getting their own food.

Mother bears will stay with
their cubs for two or three years.

But once they split up,

her offspring invariably set up
a home range for themselves nearby,

just to stay loosely in touch.

Because bears live in and use
a variety of habitat types,

wildlife biologists refer to them
as umbrella species.

In ensuring their protection,

many other species
are indirectly protected as well.

The forests on Kangaroo Island,

13km off the coast of
South Australia,

harbour a number of rare
or threatened species.

Kangaroo Island was cut off
from the mainland

by rising sea levels
9,000 years ago,

so pests such as foxes and rabbits
introduced by European colonialists

are absent here,

so the native wildlife
has an opportunity to thrive.

The nation's favourite
forest-dwelling local is the koala.

Koalas live in pockets of dry
eucalypt forest on the island.

Typically, eucalyptus trees
have fire-resistant bark

and thick, leathery leaves
that are full of oils

that prevent them from drying out
in the hot sunshine.

These leaves are tough and poisonous,

but the koala has evolved
an unusually long digestive organ,

which allows them to break down
the toxins.

Eucalypt leaves
are low in nutrition,

so koalas need to conserve
their energy.

When they're awake,
they'll almost always be eating,

as they need to get through
0.5-1kg of leaves per day.

This is not as straightforward
or as easy as it sounds.

For even though there are 700 species
of eucalypts in Australia,

koalas are seriously fussy,

preferring to eat the leaves
of only two or three varieties.

Unless there's a drought,
koalas don't need to drink.

The gum leaves
provide all the moisture they need.

Each adult koala's habitat
is made up of several trees

located within a specific home range.

Home ranges may overlap,

but unless koalas are breeding,

they won't visit
one another's home trees.

Males will mark the territories
of potential mates

by rubbing their scent,
exuded from glands on their chests,

on to the trunks of their trees.

They then attract females
living within that area by bellowing,

loudly advertising their genetic
superiority through vocalisations.

(VOCALISING)

Koalas, like many Australian mammals,
are marsupials,

and like most marsupials,
the females have pouches,

where their young develop.

Joeys are blind and only 2cm long
when they're born.

They stay in their mothers' pouches,
suckling for six or seven months,

before they're big enough
to emerge into the big, wide world.

Joeys spend the next few months
riding on their mothers' back,

learning all about life
in the animal kingdom's slow lane...

where sleeping up to 20 hours a day

is not only acceptable behaviour
for a teenager,

it's mandatory.

Sharing the forest trees on
Kangaroo Island are tawny frogmouths.

They are a nocturnal species
that look a lot like owls,

but lack their distinctive
curved talons.

By day and night, tawny frogmouths
are well-camouflaged,

often appearing to be part
of the tree they're roosting in.

They can be difficult to spot
in the wild,

but Kangaroo Island has a facility
where all the large birds

that naturally occur
in the island's secluded forests

can be more easily encountered.

And one of the star attractions
is the barn owl.

Barn owls have made a home
for themselves

in forests all over the world.

By day, they will roost
in hollow logs, caves or dense trees.

But at night,
when they're looking for food,

they will move
to likely wooded forests to hunt...

perching on branches
that provide a direct launching pad

to the banquet table below.

On tonight's menu,
a small rodent,

quickly seized in the talons
and dispatched of in under a minute.

Barn owls will also hunt on the wing,

using their exceptional hearing
to detect pray.

The shape of their facial discs

channels soundwaves
towards their ears,

so owls can effectively
pinpoint moving prey,

even on nights
when there is little to no moonlight.

There are 216 owl species
in the world,

and most favour a forest habitat.

The great horned owl,

with its whopping
three-foot-plus wingspan

and distinguishing plumicorns
on its head,

is the most common owl species
in North America,

and readily encountered
here in Denali,

one of America's most impressive
national parks.

Covering 2.5 million hectares,

this remote haven for wildlife
straddles the Alaska Range.

The standout feature
in this landscape

is North America's tallest peak,
6,194m Denali.

Most of the terrain
in this vast wilderness is tundra...

but at lower elevations,

the subalpine forests support
a remarkable number of animals.

One species taking that all
in its rather long-legged stride

is the moose.

At over 2m tall, the moose
is the largest deer in the world,

and it's brilliantly adapted
to the Denali environment.

The moose's large size
helps it to conserve body heat.

When the snow is deep,

those impressive legs enable moose
to dig deep for moss and lichens.

And as spring approaches,
they use their long legs

to wade deep into lakes and marshes
to forage on water plants.

Once summer arrives,
the land bursts into life,

and moose can be found
browsing on trees and shrubs,

which, given the climate
and poor quality of the soils,

never reach their full size.

Moose lips are prehensile -

they can grip their food,

allowing the animal to carefully
select the most nutritious tips

growing among the tough,
woody branches.

As with all deer,

those colossal antlers are used
for sparring during mating season.

Even antlers this size
must be grown anew every spring

in preparation for the battle
to become a father.

A small but significant population
of some 150 moose

live in and around the forests
in Jasper National Park...

the largest wilderness area
in the Canadian Rockies.

The subalpine forests in Jasper

have a hard time
competing for attention

amid such splendour...

colossal peaks, tranquil lakes,
and crystal-clear rivers.

But these magnificent trees
protect the park's watershed

by preventing soil erosion

and provide food and shelter
for a great diversity of wildlife.

If danger threatens,

these mule deer will take cover
deep inside the forest.

And to ensure young fawns are not
separated from their fleeing mothers,

they have evolved the perfect beacon
to follow -

a bright white rear end.

Another animal living in Jasper
is the wapiti.

It too is a deer,
marginally smaller than the moose,

but no less impressive
to observe in the wild.

With over 1,300 living in the park,
they are easily encountered.

During winter,
they shelter deep in the forests,

which affords them a measure
of protection from the elements

and a ready source of bark,

which they strip from the trees
when other food sources are scarce.

Adult wapiti usually stay in
single-sex herds for most of the year

until it's time to breed.

Bulls will challenge each other

for the right to mate
with an entire harem,

and if push comes to shove,

they will wrestle with their antlers
to assert dominance.

A key predator
in the Canadian Rockies

used to be one of the most populous
wild mammals in the world,

but now, it is somewhat elusive -

the grey wolf,
also known as the timber wolf,

in deference to
its preferred habitat.

They're not easily encountered
in the wild,

but just beyond the township
of Golden in British Columbia,

there's a place
dedicated to raising awareness

and promoting the conservation
of these magnificent animals.

These captive-born individuals
live a semi-wild existence.

Every day,
they're taken into the wilderness

and encouraged to wander free
for a couple of hours.

Wild wolves live in
social family groups

of about seven or eight animals,

with an alpha male and female
in command.

They cannot run
as fast as their prey,

so they hunt as a pack,

using a combination of tactics
to outmanoeuvre their target.

In Australia,

dingoes play a very similar role
in the ecosystem to wolves,

and employ many of the same tactics
when hunting.

They've lived on the Australian
mainland for at least 3,500 years,

and are descendants of
a South Asian breed of grey wolf.

They can live in a variety
of habitats in Australia,

but prefer the edges of woodlands,
where water and prey are plentiful.

The lowland temperate forests

that cover
much of the Great Dividing Range,

separating the East Coast
from inland Australia,

are a key stronghold,
providing shelter and plenty of food.

Opportunistic carnivores,

the dingo's diet
includes native animals

such as kangaroos,
wallabies and wombats,

as well as small reptiles
and insects.

They are solitary hunters,

but will form packs
when they're hunting larger game.

Producing between four and nine pups
every year,

dingo parents will raise their young
in a hollow log

or disused wombat burrow.

Only the dominant members of
an established dingo pack will breed,

and once the pups have been weaned,

other adults help ensure
the youngsters have enough to eat...

and do their best
to keep them out of harm's way.

Their key predator
in this part of the country

is the wedge-tailed eagle.

These pups are blissfully unaware
of the threat they pose,

but fortuitously,
their mother has their backs.

She can't afford
to be anything but vigilant.

Even when she's away from her brood

hunting for food
to fill their bellies,

she will keep one eye on the sky,

raising the alarm
and racing to the rescue

at the first sign of danger.

These pups will be fully grown
by seven months of age,

but may stay with their parents
for a year,

learning to live the wild life
of Australia's undisputed top dog.

As autumn descends on North America,

millions of butterflies prepare to
embark on the journey of their lives.

A migratory marathon
some 5,000km long.

Making use of the air currents,

this super generation of monarchs
will fly up to 150km a day...

as they head, en masse, from their
summer breeding and feeding grounds

to a place
where they can ride out the winter...

huddled together
on the branches and trunks

of great stands of oyamel fir trees,

such as these grand specimens

in the Monarch Butterfly
Biosphere Reserve

100km north-west of Mexico City.

Most of the sites

favoured by the monarchs
for their winter hibernation

are kept secret,

but eco-tourism is an increasingly
important source of income

for the local people here,

so it is possible
at their discretion

to experience this great
natural spectacle in all its glory.

To save energy, the monarchs
cluster together on the trees,

creating a microclimate that
protects the insects from the cold.

When it's time for these butterflies
to leave their roost,

they will follow the same
migratory route in reverse,

but no single individual can hope
to make it all the way back.

This phase of the monarchs' migration
is more of a group effort

to ensure the perpetuation
of the species...

a relay, where the baton for life
is passed

from one generation to the next.

Those that have wintered over
in Mexico fly the first leg,

stopping when they find a patch
of milkweed plants

suitable as a nursery for the young.

Shortly after they've mated
and laid their eggs,

the adult monarch butterflies die.

After a few days, the next generation
hatch as caterpillars,

greedily feasting on the milkweed,
before forming a chrysalis

and transforming into
adult butterflies themselves.

This next wave of monarchs
takes wing,

flying another
few hundred kilometres

in search of the next viable patch
of nutritious milkweed.

They mate and lay their eggs,
and in so doing,

set the cycle in motion once again.

Since each individual butterfly
on the return journey

will only live for 4-5 weeks,

it can take four or five generations

for the monarchs to complete
their migration back to Canada.

There is still
a great deal of mystery

surrounding this
extraordinary migration,

and a lot of scientific debate
about how and why it occurs.

But it's fair to assume
there's a general consensus

that this is one of the most
inspiring and intriguing

natural events
on Mother Nature's calendar.

Another tiny forest creature
that serves the greater good

is the green tree ant.

Each individual
is no more than 10mm long,

but when thousands of them
get together,

they are a force to be reckoned with.

Also called weaver ants,

these little insects live across the
entire tropical north of Australia,

in rainforests
and in woodland environments.

They are one of the most dominant
and visible ant species

in the country,

due to their incredible
balloon-shaped nests.

The construction
of these enormous structures

is a true wonder of nature,

a tribute to the power
of cooperation.

First, a group of worker ants
will pull together a number of leaves

to form a chamber.

These are living leaves that remain
attached to their branches,

so the nest will stay green
and strong for a long time.

A second group of workers
then come along

to secure the leaves in place,

each carrying a younger ant
or grub.

These grubs can spin silk,

so the workers use them
like glue sticks

to bind each nest for the colony
together.

The green ants
will fiercely defend their nest,

swarming out to bite anything
that's perceived as an attacker.

This jack jumper ant
doesn't stand a chance,

even one-on-one...

for the green ant
can add insult to injury,

squirting acid
directly onto the wound

he's already made with his jaws.

One green ant colony
can contain many nests,

each with a designated function,
to protect growing larvae...

house the workers...

or most importantly,
house the queen.

In addition to protecting their own,

green ant nests aid other species
in the environment.

The host tree is protected
from leaf-eating insects

who are deterred by the ants.

Some butterflies deliberately lay
their eggs in ant-inhabited trees.

The ant protects the emerging
caterpillar in return for a meal.

The caterpillar secretes a delicious
sugary liquid, which the ants adore.

From one of the smallest
forest animals on the planet

to one of the largest,

the magnificent Asian elephant.

Growing to just under 6.5m in length

and weighing in
at 2,000-5,000kg,

Asian elephants are smaller,

but no less impressive
than their African cousins.

They have five toenails
on their front feet,

whereas the African elephant
only has four.

Their ears are significantly smaller,

but just as effective
when it comes to radiating heat

to keep their body temperature cool.

They use their trunks
for smelling and breathing,

but also for eating and drinking,

and with 100,000 different muscles
and tendons in play,

they are clearly
very flexible organs.

(ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING)

Elephants will nap
for a few hours at a time at night,

but given the amount of food
they need to consume to survive,

most of their lives
are spent on the move, foraging.

Elephants are revered
in some Asian cultures,

but equally prized by others
for their strength.

For thousands of years,

they were fair game to capture
from the wild and domesticate.

Now this practice
has been widely banned

in order to conserve
the few natural herds that remain.

Laos was once known as Lan Xang,
'the Land of a Million Elephants'.

Today, there are around 1,800,

but only half of them
live in the wild.

These elephants were rescued

from an unregulated logging camp
in northern Laos,

where they were used
as a low-budget alternative

to industrial
heavy lifting machinery,

destroying the very habitat
they needed to survive.

Now they lead a far less stressful
working life

here on the outskirts
of Luang Prabang.

Many conservationists would argue

that elephant rides
should also be a thing of the past,

but they currently give communities
such as this an income

and good reason to protect
these beautiful animals

that might otherwise be killed
for damaging farmlands

or slaughtered for their tusks,
meat and skin.

While these rescued elephants

are not free to venture
through the forests on their own,

they are treated with compassion
and kindness...

and clearly have a far better
working life

than they were previously
condemned to endure.

The Tasmanian devil is the largest
carnivorous marsupial in the world.

It lives in Tasmania,

Australia's main island off
the south-east coast of the mainland.

A favourite haunt
is the Tarkine Wilderness,

the second largest tract of coastal
temperate rainforest in the world.

Much of the forest here
is inaccessible

to all but the most determined.

Hidden valleys and thick forests

support ecosystems that haven't
altered for thousands of years.

About the size of a cat, the devil
prefers carrion to live prey.

Tasmanian devils will eat the carcass
of almost anything they find,

happily devouring flesh,
fur and bones.

They perform an important service

by getting rid of any corpses that
would otherwise rot in the forest,

potentially spreading disease
to other animals.

Devils have a ferocious appetite

and can eat 40% of their bodyweight
in just 30 minutes.

They're famous for their rowdy
behaviour and aggressive noises.

Devils have a range of postures
and vocalisations

they use to locate, communicate
and compete with one another -

growls, screeches and vibratos.

When eating communally,
devils avoid crowding each other out

by using their whiskers

to determine a sufficient space
between themselves,

and in so doing,

they avoid the risk of being bitten
during the feeding frenzy.

One of Australia's
most familiar marsupials

can be found in forests throughout
Tasmania and the mainland -

the possum.

There are 23 different possum species
in Australia,

and at least as many more
in New Guinea.

Possums are mainly herbivorous,

spending most of their time
high in the boughs of large trees,

or searching for grasses,
flowers and juicy shrubs.

Brushtail possums are the largest
species in Australia,

and the most common.

They're nocturnal, and will often
retreat into tree hollows

to snooze during the day,

but even these provide
little guarantee of protection.

(SCREECHING)

Brushtails are a feisty species

and will put up a fight
to defend their territory.

But against a larger,
more formidable opponent

such as this aggressive
lace monitor,

this mum was destined
to lose the battle

to protect her young.

Ringtails are another
relatively easy possum to encounter.

They will build themselves
spherical nests, or dreys,

fashioned from shredded bark
and grass.

They are agile climbers

and will use their tails
as an extra hand,

enabling them
to more effectively gather food.

Ringtails usually only eat
the fresh tips of leaves

and are partial
to the nectar on flowers.

Australia's most spectacular possum
can fly.

This is the sugar glider.

A flap of loose skin between the
glider's fifth finger and first toe

can stretch out
to create a kind of wingsuit

that allows the glider to sail
almost effortlessly

through the trees.

But while they're still too young
to be airborne,

they must retreat from forest bullies
by more conventional means.

With good reason,

pandas are probably the most adored
forest animal in the world.

Many zoos have panda enclosures,

where it's possible to observe them
at close range.

But nothing beats seeing
this magnificent bear in the wild.

Pandas once lived
throughout Southern China,

but today, their habitat is
restricted to the Sichuan Province.

The World Heritage-listed landscape
here is breathtaking...

a wonder of waterfalls,
mineral-rich lakes

and diverse forest ecosystems
that vary with the altitude.

The entire province
is surrounded by mountains,

which receive heavy snowfall
in the winter,

but the climate in the valleys
is unusually mild,

allowing lush corridors of bamboo
to grow

between the region's thick
deciduous forests.

An adult panda
can eat 40kg of bamboo per day,

a formidable task,

aided by big wrist bones
that function like opposable thumbs.

They're great for grasping bamboo
and climbing.

Biologists are convinced

that like their grizzly
and polar bear relatives,

pandas were once carnivorous.

Indeed, they still have the teeth
and digestive system

of a committed meat eater.

They will eat
the occasional mouse or insect,

but otherwise, modern pandas
subsist almost entirely on bamboo.

Even though pandas are considered
a national treasure in China,

there are fewer than 2,000 left
in the wild.

To stop their numbers falling
further still,

pandas are now protected,

and several rehabilitation
and breeding centres

have been established
to help build the population.

These are staffed
by local scientists

and volunteers
from all across the globe,

animal lovers,

who are intent on making a difference
to the lives of China's pandas,

no matter how menial
the task may seem.

With the view to raising as many
captive-born pandas as possible,

the panda nursery in Chengdu

actively monitors
the growth and health

of all cubs born at their facility.

The more pandas they can breed
and successfully raise here,

the more pandas
there will be in the wild.

China's breed-and-release program

is slowly but surely helping
wild panda numbers to rebound

after decades in decline.

So much so, the IUCN,

the International Union
for Conservation of Nature,

recently announced the giant panda
has had an upgrade to their status,

moving from
the endangered species list

to the less onerous
vulnerable one.

They're not quite
out of the woods yet,

but with animal lovers
all around the world

rallying to support their cause,

they are well on their way
to salvation.

Forests throughout the world
are rich and complex environments,

and they support an equally rich
and complex menagerie of animals...

roaming through the undergrowth...

sleeping in the treetops...

eating their way
through nature's great smorgasbord.

Wherever and whenever
they choose to reveal themselves

in all their wild, untamed glory,

they truly do leave us in awe.

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