Original subtitles

(slow dramatic music)

(birds chirping)

Imagine a secret and secluded land.

Head hunting tribes,

(tribesman vocalizing)

tiger-infested forests,

(dramatic music)

uncharted mountains, shrouded in mist,

and raging waterfalls.

(water roaring)

The seven states of Northeast India

are among the least explored places on Earth.

We reveal a world of dramatic landscapes

and magnificent wildlife.

Welcome to "India's Lost World".

(dramatic music continues)

(birds chirping)

(gentle upbeat music)

(slow dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

The Northeast of India is hard to reach

and has a turbulent history.

It's been closed to foreigners for many years.

Known as The Seven Sisters of India,

it comprises seven relatively unexplored

and isolated states.

They're bordered by the Himalayas to the north,

and spread south towards the Indian Ocean.

Jungle-clad mountains create their own weather systems.

Rain falls almost continually

on some of the world's wettest habitats.

(rain pattering)

As a result, life flourishes.

Plants grow at an astonishing rate,

providing homes for many rare insects and animals,

and several mysterious tribes.

(monkeys chattering)

This is one of the most beautiful, pristine,

and unexplored places on Earth.

(birds chirping)

Nestling in the foothills of the Himalayas is a lush,

green, and mountainous world.

(rain pattering)

Forests and valleys teem with life.

(gentle music) (birds chirping)

And they're home to a quarter

of the world's Asian elephants.

Once, they migrated freely across India

on an epic 1,300-kilometer journey.

Today, their age-old paths are punctuated

with obstacles and danger.

But herds continue their quest to find better grazing

and ample water by following the monsoon north.

(gentle upbeat music)

Their annual trek takes them through jungles,

across plains, and up mountains over 3,000 meters high.

(gentle music)

The herd is led by the oldest female, the matriarch.

It's her responsibility to remember the ancient routes.

Elephants need a huge amount of food to sustain them.

(grasses rustling)

Adults need to eat nearly 200 kilograms of vegetation a day.

That's the same weight as 2 1/2 fully grown men.

And they need over 100 liters of water a day

to wash it down.

(water splashing) (elephants groaning)

The prehensile trunk contains over 100,000 muscles.

It's an amazing, multi-purpose tool,

used for breathing, smelling, and communicating,

and can be a dangerous weapon.

It also makes an excellent shower.

(playful music)

(water splashing)

Elephants love water.

But the bathers can't linger.

The matriarch must get her herd back on track

and continue to follow the path of the monsoon.

(elephant trumpets)

Adult elephants are too large to be threatened by predators,

but for a young elephant, India's forests can be deadly.

(slow dramatic music)

Tigers sometimes kill calves.

With adults close, the youngster is safe for now.

The forests harbor a wealth of creatures.

(birds chirping)

Big cats patrol the undergrowth.

And as night falls, a shaggy recluse comes out of hiding.

The sloth bear lives deep in the forest.

And it makes a lot of noise as it wanders alone

in search of food.

Sloth bears mainly feed on termites and ants,

and they've evolved an expert way to dig them out and feed.

Long, curved claws break into nest mounds with ease.

(insects chittering)

Once they've opened a hole, they blow away loose dirt

and suck up insects through a gap

in their front teeth, like a vacuum.

(sloth bear sucking)

(slow dramatic music)

As the sun rises over India's lost world,

an orchestra of natural sounds fills the air.

(birds chirping)

(singer vocalizing)

The tropical mountain forests of Northern India

are rich in flora and fauna, and there is a good reason why.

(thunder rumbling)

The almost constant rainfall.

India's northeastern state, Meghalaya,

is the wettest place of all.

Meghalaya means abode of clouds.

(slow dramatic music)

On average, 1,200 centimeters of rain falls here every year.

This fuels rapid and remarkable plant growth.

Plants and insects have evolved

into many weird and wonderful forms.

(slow dramatic music continues)

An enormous moon moth mimics a quivering leaf.

It's huge size is made possible by this humid environment.

(birds chirping)

(wings flapping)

(water splashing)

Local people are never short of water.

They embrace nature in all its forms,

and utilize the rapid rate of plant growth

in the most ingenious way.

(children chattering)

(water splashing)

The roots of Indian rubber trees are trained

across the river and embedded on the other side.

This creates a living, root bridge,

which will carry on growing for decades.

This bridge has taken over 30 years to reach this size.

(wind whooshing)

Meghalaya's hills and mountains reach

over 2,000 meters high, and shadow a vast plateau.

On its southern edge, the Meghalayan hills fall away

to Bangladesh's flood plains.

The steep hills are littered with waterfalls,

which spring to life after every downpour.

(water splashing)

Nohkalikai Falls drop over 300 meters.

They're the fourth tallest waterfall in the world.

Cascading falls have immense power.

(water pattering)

Over millennia, they've carved an incredible maze

of caverns and caves, deep within the hills.

Jaintia Hills hide the longest cave system in India.

They spread out over 20 kilometers.

Huge stalactites, thousands of years in the making,

decorate the walls.

(water dripping)

Water drips, trickles, and pours everywhere.

(wind whooshing)

Untold water gives rise to steamy rain forests

across the whole of Northeast India.

(birds chirping)

The rich plant growth provides a home

for a mass of birds and insects,

(birds chirping)

and many rare primates.

Spectacled monkeys live high in the canopy,

in troops up to 35 strong.

They spend around four hours a day feeding

on leaves, fruit, and the occasional flower.

Their stomachs are specially adapted with extra bacteria

to help them digest tough leaves and unripe fruits.

(leaves rustling)

Spectacled monkeys are most active

in the early morning and late afternoon.

All four limbs come into play to help them leap

and scamper through the trees.

Females give birth to one baby at a time.

This youngster will stay with her mother

for about 3 1/2 months.

(birds chirping)

Play is an important part of growing up for all primates.

(playful music)

Branches bend under the weight of boisterous youngsters.

Adults stay on the lookout for danger.

One of their deadliest threats

is also one of the stealthiest.

(slow dramatic music)

An Indian python is on the lookout for an easy meal.

It's huge, camouflaged body disappears

among the leaf litter.

Pits on the snake's face sense warm-blooded prey.

(slow dramatic music continues)

Indian pythons can grow to over six meters,

and can easily swallow a monkey whole.

(slow dramatic music continues)

The highly sensitive, forked tongue

tastes the air, creating a picture of the world around it.

The python knows food is close.

It bides its time until the moment is right to strike.

(dramatic music)

(monkey shrieks)

The snake coils its muscular body around its victim

and squeezes tight, until its prey suffocates.

It then swallows its meal whole.

By unhinging three parts of its jaw,

its mouth opens 180 degrees.

The python's skin is also extremely elastic.

It can swallow prey five times the size of its head.

It's the human equivalent of swallowing a whole watermelon.

It gulps down the monkey head first,

so its limbs don't get stuck.

Muscular contractions help to push it down

into its stomach.

Snake saliva eases swallowing by lubrication,

and contains powerful enzymes

that break down the monkey's body.

But pythons aren't the primates' only threat.

(slow dramatic music)

Local people often hunt and eat monkeys too.

Northeast India is home to more tribes

than anywhere else on Earth.

(slow dramatic music continues)

The isolated state of Arunachal Pradesh is especially rich

in indigenous people and culture.

Meaning Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains,

Arunachal Pradesh is India's easternmost state.

One of the groups of people who live here

are the Apatani.

Their lives are dictated by the ebb and flow of the rain

and the forest's seasonal fruits.

(birds chirping)

The Apatani have no written record of their history.

Local traditions are passed down

from generation to generation.

(people chattering)

One practice, fast-disappearing,

is the traditional Apatani nose plugs,

worn by most of the tribe's elder women.

(woman speaking in foreign language)

There was a time when every woman wore

these unusual accessories.

(gentle music)

The nose plug is said to have been adopted

as a way of protecting the women of the tribe.

Local legend says the Apatani women

were considered the most beautiful

among all the Arunachal tribes.

Their villages were constantly raided by neighbors,

and the women kidnapped.

So, to make themselves less attractive,

Apatani women began wearing nose plugs

and tattooing their faces.

(women chattering in foreign language)

But the custom hasn't been practiced

by any woman born after 1970.

As time passes, it may be forgotten.

But other ancient practices are still carried out

in isolated pockets of this mysterious region.

The village elder performs a ritual chicken sacrifice

to encourage rainfall.

He's alleged to be 133 years old.

(village elder speaking in foreign language)

(gentle music continues)

These Apatani women have come together

to initiate a wedding ritual at the bride's home.

Over 100 women from neighboring villages

take part in a long march.

They pass through farms and fields,

carrying baskets full of rice, topped with bamboo shoots

and a pair of eggs.

It's part of a fertility ritual

dating back thousands of years.

The bride's mother brings up the rear

as the bride leads the way to her future husband's home.

When they arrive at the groom's house,

the rice is taken to the family granary.

The women are given a token of appreciation.

They're fed and rest after their exhausting trek.

(women chattering)

The next day, the bride brings rice powder

and holy water, the essential ingredients

for the wedding ceremony.

The village elder overseeing the ceremony brings chickens,

which are ritually sacrificed.

(wings flapping)

During an Apatani wedding,

over 70 chickens are usually killed.

Their blood is sprinkled in the granary doorway,

which is believed to bring the newlyweds good luck.

Special ornaments are made out of bamboo,

eggshells, and chicken feathers.

They're hung in front of houses

and along village paths to bring fortune

to the married couple and their families.

The wedding feast also includes

the ritual sacrifice of a pig.

Chunks of pork are laid out to dry,

then carved and roasted over an open fire.

(guests chattering)

Guests wash down their meal with rice beer.

The feast marks the end of the wedding.

The Apatani rely on agriculture for survival,

and mainly eat rice,

but meat is an important part of their diet.

And they find it in the most unusual places.

(slow dramatic music)

The village rat hunt is a community affair.

All the young men join in.

(dramatic music)

Rats are smoked out of their nests,

captured, and killed.

(slow dramatic music)

Hunts can last for hours.

(rat squeaks)

(men chattering)

(rooster crows)

The day's catch is laid out on display.

(slow dramatic music)

Later, the rats are skewered and barbecued

over a small fire.

Although the Apatani thrive

among the rich, forested mountains,

they aren't immune to attacks from the animals

they share their home with.

And when these neighbors fall out,

the results can be devastating.

The Indian elephants migratory routes extend

throughout Arunachal Pradesh.

But their ancient paths have been seriously interrupted

by local people.

They've been crisscrossed with tea plantations,

crops, and houses.

To hungry elephants, this isn't always a problem.

Human habitats can be a convenient place

for a fast food fix.

(playful music)

(elephant growls)

(tree creaks)

(elephant growls)

(slow dramatic music)

As homes and crops are devastated,

tensions between humans and elephants escalate.

Conflicts sometimes lead to fatalities on both sides.

As crops spread and villages grow,

further clashes seem inevitable.

(slow dramatic music continues)

(elephant trumpets)

The population of Asian elephants

has halved in the past 75 years.

They're now listed as an endangered species.

The destruction of their habitat will likely lead

to further falling numbers.

(elephant growls)

(gentle music)

The herd move away quickly and continue their trek.

For the time being, despite the tension,

this lost world remains their last stronghold.

These northeastern forests are also home

to India's only wild ape,

the hoolock gibbon.

(gibbons chattering)

(gentle music continues)

Many people mistake the hoolock gibbon for a monkey

because of its small size and mischievous appearance.

(gibbon hooting)

But like other apes, such as chimps and gorillas,

the gibbon doesn't have a tail,

and its hands have opposable thumbs like humans.

The arms of these unusual apes are longer

than their legs, too.

It helps them travel through the trees with ease.

(gentle upbeat music)

These nimble gymnasts have few equals in the forest.

Hoolock gibbons are the fastest and most agile

of the primates.

They mainly use their arms to move between branches,

but they can jump over 10 meters too.

(gentle upbeat music continues)

Males have a black coat and white eyebrows.

Females are much lighter in color.

Babies are born with white fur, which gradually darkens

as they grow older.

They mainly eat fruit,

but also like leaves, insects and flowers.

But these acrobatic apes are most famous for their singing.

(gibbons hooting)

Complex calls proclaim territories,

reinforce pair bonds, and attract potential mates.

Their haunting cries echo throughout the jungles

of Northeast India.

(gibbons hooting)

They're so distinctive, they've been adopted

by a surprising mimic.

(tribesmen hooting)

These are the hunting cries of a remote tribe.

(tribesmen hooting)

(slow dramatic music)

(dramatic music)

The head hunters of Nagaland

live in one of India's most secretive regions.

It's been closed to foreigners for many years.

(slow dramatic music)

In this largely unexplored, isolated area,

people scarcely known to the western world

continue a way of life steeped in ancient ritual.

This time-lost region is bordered by India,

Burma, and China.

The Naga are a group of tribes

for whom headhunting and mystical healing still hold sway.

They're so cut off from the modern world,

their traditions have continued without influence.

Reaching them involves a journey more treacherous

than crossing the highest Himalayan passes.

(rain pattering)

(birds chirping)

The Naga are a proud people,

proud of their customs and their history of headhunting.

(headhunter speaking in foreign language)

A headhunter describes how their infamous practice

was a traditional rite of passage.

It proved a young man was ready for marriage,

and also helped decide territory.

He describes how, as a young man,

he was encouraged to hunt young men from neighboring tribes.

A small group of warriors would stealthily creep up

on lone people and kill them quickly with a knife.

(headhunter speaking in foreign language)

He explains how each body part seized allowed one

to display decoration on his clothes.

Hands, feet, but most prized of all, heads.

He explains how the body parts were then given

a proper burial in a sacred place,

to thank the gods for his tribe's success and power.

A successful headhunter was allowed to wear

the most ornate and revered adornments during festivals.

These days, manhood is proved in wrestling matches instead.

(slow dramatic music)

It's a good way to diffuse tension,

both within and between local villages.

(slow dramatic music continues)

The women are left with the hard work,

like collecting food and medicinal plants

from deep in the forest.

(birds chirping)

(women singing in foreign language)

(man singing in foreign language)

Young men can choose to sleep in men's quarters,

called the Morang, until they're married.

They often stay up late, singing of legends and past battles

and passing knowledge onto the next generation.

(men singing in foreign language)

The young women live in their own dormitories,

where they spend evenings brewing rice beer

and waiting for the men to come and court them.

(women chattering)

(tribe members speaking in foreign language)

(rooster squawking)

Faith and fortune are closely aligned

with the natural world.

A shaman sacrifices a chicken to predict

whether a hunt planned for the afternoon will be successful.

(wings flapping)

How the bird's intestines fall is portentous.

The omens are good.

The hunt will take place.

(soft dramatic music)

As the hunting party begins, spirits are high.

The Naga use gibbon-like war cries to flush out their prey.

(tribesmen hooting)

Hunters pick up the trail of a forest hog.

(slow dramatic music continues)

Their aim is to startle their quarry,

rather than creep up on it.

(dramatic music)

(tribesmen hooting)

(gun bangs)

The kill, when it comes, is quick.

(tribesman speaking in foreign language)

As thanks to the gods,

the tip of the pig's ear is left in the forest.

(tribesman shouting)

The carcass will be taken back to the village,

butchered, boiled, and shared amongst the whole community.

A close respect and understanding of nature

ties the Naga's beliefs to the world around them.

Animals like tigers are considered living deities.

Tiger skins are thought to grant their owners immortality.

(tribesman chanting) (drum banging)

Traditional folk songs and dances are essential ingredients

of Naga culture.

These celebrations are inspired by a creature

which is an icon throughout Northeast India.

Horn-shaped hair decorations celebrate

one of India's most exotic and alluring birds, the hornbill.

(majestic music) (singers vocalizing)

(wings flapping)

The great pied hornbill is the largest

of the hornbill family.

They can live up to 50 years.

(birds chirping)

Hornbills have a long, down-curved bill,

which is often brightly colored.

These beaks are heavy.

Hornbills are the only birds

whose first two neckbones are fused together.

They eat mainly fruit, but supplement their diet

with small mammals, insects, and even snakes.

Hornbills choose just one mate.

Pairs stay together for years, sometimes a lifetime.

During the breeding season, they lay one to two eggs.

When it's time to nest, the female finds a tree hollow

and starts to seal it with dung and mud.

(beak tapping)

While she sits on the nest, her partner brings her food.

Incubation continues for up to eight weeks.

These beautiful birds are admired and revered

by people all across the region.

Both their beaks and feathers are highly prized,

especially to one tribe.

(bells ringing)

Hornbill beaks are the most prized possession of the Nyishi.

They symbolize manhood and valor.

(tribesmen singing in foreign language)

(bells ringing)

Today, the great pied hornbill is protected by law.

The Nyishi still uses fallen tail feathers,

but now weave hornbill beaks out of cane

or use fiberglass replicas instead.

Hopefully, this will help protect this iconic bird

from further decline.

(gentle music)

Throughout India's lost world, the lives of animals

and people are intertwined.

But the closest relationship

is between humans and elephants.

The herd have reached the northern tip of India.

Here in the foothills of the Himalayas, they should be safe

from conflict with man.

But the heat of the day can prove just as taxing,

even under the shade of trees.

A mud bath is one way to keep cool.

(elephant trumpets)

Although these noises are easy to hear,

elephants have an extraordinary way

of communicating over long distances.

(elephants trumpeting)

They make low-frequency noises called infrasounds,

a series of deep rumbles and foot stomps,

inaudible to the human ear.

Infrasounds travel a long way,

and can be heard by other elephants

within 100 square kilometers.

(elephants trumpeting)

This gives elephants an incredible hearing range,

which can be very useful to help locate other elephants,

and to warn of danger.

(elephants trumpeting)

The herd can hear something large approaching.

(slow dramatic music)

(footsteps crashing)

It's another herd, and they've got company.

They're with the Khamti tribe.

(dramatic music)

These are specially trained elephants called kanchies.

They separate young elephants from herds

and capture them.

(dramatic music continues)

One of the tribe spots tracks.

The family flees.

(intense music)

(intense music continues)

A young elephant gets separated from the herd.

And she's caught.

(slow dramatic music)

The sight of other elephants comforts the captive.

(gentle music)

She's brought back to the Khamti village,

and, once tamed, will be cared for by a mahout.

They will develop a lifelong relationship.

Elephants are an integral part of life for the Khamti tribe.

(chicken clucking)

The new arrival will be fed and carefully looked after

by the mahout.

(elephant growls)

(tribesman chattering) (chains rattling)

Soon, she will be part of the family.

(gentle music)

She'll have daily baths

(water splashes)

(tribesman speaking foreign language)

(gentle music continues)

and learn to carry out a wide range of jobs,

from transportation to plowing fields.

Working in the heat of the sun takes its toll.

Elephants can't sweat, so they suck up water

from their stomachs and spray themselves to cool down.

(elephant snorting)

(crickets chirring)

It's not just their size that's useful to man.

Elephants are highly intelligent.

Their use of tools is probably as advanced

as the great apes,

and, like humans, they're self-aware.

Domesticated elephants are even released

back into the forest in the evening to mix with wild herds

and forage for food.

(water pattering)

Each morning, the elephants return to their mahouts

for breakfast and begin the day's work.

These elephants have learned to live with people,

but for the population to thrive, others must remain wild

and continue to follow their ancient migration routes.

(gentle music)

Scientists are attempting to preserve natural corridors

for the elephants' journey, so there is hope.

After four months, the herd reaches their destination,

the fertile lands of the northeast.

Now, they can feast before they begin

their great return journey.

(dramatic music)

India's lost world is a place of jungle-clad mountains,

isolated for generations by war and weather.

(dramatic music continues)

This seclusion has resulted in the protection

of mysterious peoples, and enigmatic animals

whose lives are woven together

by this unique and incredible lost world.

(dramatic music continues)

(dramatic music)