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Today, the WHO
declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic.
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I'm issuing
a "stay home, stay safe" executive order.
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…directing nearly all of our residents
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to quite simply stay at home.
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From this evening,
I must give a very simple instruction.
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You must stay at home.
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March 2020.
A deadly virus sweeps around the world.
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Overnight, our lives are put on pause.
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But as we stop…
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remarkable things
start to change in the natural world.
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Clearer air.
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Cleaner waters.
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And animals starting to flourish
in ways we hadn't seen for decades.
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Filming from the start of lockdown
across five continents…
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we've recorded nature's
extraordinary response.
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00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:04,833
From ocean giants communicating
in new ways with their young…
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00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:13,675
And cheetahs transforming
the chances of survival for their cubs…
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This is the best time
for her to be a mother.
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To endangered penguins
having a record-breaking breeding season.
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This is a unique opportunity to peer into
the lives and worlds of wildlife
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and see what things look like
without as much of our interaction.
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It's a global experiment
of epic proportions.
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This is the year Earth changed.
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00:03:05,894 --> 00:03:11,483
Just hours into lockdown,
many of us notice the silence.
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00:03:14,236 --> 00:03:19,199
With global traffic noise
reduced by up to 70%,
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there is a new sound to be heard…
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birdsong.
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These white-crowned sparrows
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adapt to the quiet
by doing something astonishing.
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Living in the shadow
of the Golden Gate Bridge,
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their song had been drowned out by cars.
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But now, with the traffic here
at its lowest levels since the 1950s…
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researchers are amazed to hear
new notes in the sparrows' mating call.
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00:04:06,788 --> 00:04:11,877
And there's hope that the birds will have
their best breeding season for years.
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00:04:17,548 --> 00:04:20,552
And it's not just noise level
that reduces.
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The speed at which air pollution drops
around the globe is staggering.
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Within days,
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Los Angeles experiences
its best air quality for 40 years.
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00:04:39,112 --> 00:04:44,243
Across China, the levels of toxic gases
in the atmosphere halve.
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00:04:46,245 --> 00:04:52,125
And in India, which typically suffers from
some of the worst pollution in the world…
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just 12 days after lockdown…
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…a breathtaking sight appears.
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We were sitting on the table
having breakfast,
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and then my dad came, rushed in.
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He said, "Come upstairs.
The mountains are visible."
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Amateur photographer Anshul
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goes to see
what all the excitement was about.
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People were standing
on the rooftops saying,
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"Wow. Wow. Mountains. Mountains."
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And I pause, and I saw.
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With the clear skies,
for the first time in a lifetime,
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we can see the Himalayas.
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Over 200 kilometers away,
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the highest mountain range on Earth,
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hidden behind smog for 30 years,
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is suddenly visible.
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I couldn't believe my eyes.
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The Himalayas have been right there
behind the pollution all along.
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Anshul's photograph of
this moment went viral around the world.
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It's a vivid illustration
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that the moment we paused,
the Earth was able to breathe again.
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Lockdown extends into weeks.
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And the travel bans
limit our movement still further.
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Those holidays that you might
have been planning to take, cancel them.
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Passenger numbers
and passenger bookings are all down.
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Air travel has just fallen off a cliff.
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It's down roughly 90% worldwide.
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April 2020,
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and there are 114 million fewer
international tourists
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than in the same month the previous year.
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00:06:44,571 --> 00:06:50,827
In Spain, visitor numbers drop
from over seven million to zero.
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00:06:54,248 --> 00:07:00,546
And in Florida, beaches normally packed
with holidaymakers on spring break…
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are deserted.
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00:07:06,385 --> 00:07:11,056
Could this be the opportunity
for one endangered sea creature
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to boost its numbers?
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Female sea turtles return
every two to three years
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to the shores
where they themselves hatched
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in order to lay their eggs.
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Globally, turtle numbers
have been in steep decline,
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partly because they have been reluctant
to visit the ever-busier beaches.
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But this year…
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is different.
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Our cameraman,
working with local researchers,
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is lucky enough to film here
on Juno Beach…
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one of the densest nesting sites
for loggerhead turtles in the world.
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As the breeding season begins…
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the female is able to lay her eggs
in peace
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for the first time in her life.
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And over the following weeks,
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hundreds more do the same.
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It's long been thought
that human disturbance
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is a major problem for breeding turtles.
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But this is the first time
that scientists can accurately measure
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the scale of the impact.
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Each morning, this team of researchers
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counted the number of turtle tracks
that lead to a nest.
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Over the last ten years,
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the average nesting success rate
for loggerheads
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had dropped to just 40%.
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Have they been any more successful
with the beach to themselves?
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When the beaches were closed to humans,
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that number jumped all the way up to 61%,
which is the highest we've ever seen.
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This is a dramatic improvement.
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Every extra nest means
another hundred or so hatchlings,
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each with the potential to become
breeding adults themselves.
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00:10:03,145 --> 00:10:06,565
With these beach closures,
these animals were able to do
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what they've been doing
for millions of years
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more successfully than when we have
a human presence.
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Six thousand kilometers away,
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on the west coast of America…
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a new quiet beneath the waves
offers an opportunity
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for ocean giants.
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Every year,
more than 10,000 humpback whales
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migrate from Hawaii…
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to these bays in Alaska in order to feed.
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00:11:23,183 --> 00:11:25,769
Normally, they would
have to share these waters
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with ships carrying
a million visitors a year.
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But now, with every cruise canceled…
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it's as much as
25 times quieter underwater.
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In this hush,
scientists using underwater microphones
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record a remarkable change.
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Humpbacks are talking to each other
more often…
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00:12:00,637 --> 00:12:02,806
and in new ways.
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00:12:04,725 --> 00:12:07,436
Well, it was really exciting
and actually very moving
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00:12:07,519 --> 00:12:11,315
to hear these whales
having this long vocal exchange.
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One vocalizing,
and then a mother and calf.
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I mean, I'd never heard that before.
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You can imagine, if you were
trying to communicate with your friends,
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00:12:21,158 --> 00:12:22,492
and you're in a crowded bar.
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00:12:22,576 --> 00:12:26,246
It's hard to do, you don't say as much,
and when you do, you have to scream.
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00:12:26,330 --> 00:12:28,999
But if you find yourself
a nice, quiet coffee shop
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where there isn't much noise,
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you can carry on a much more elaborate
and productive conversation.
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00:12:38,842 --> 00:12:41,720
But there's something
even more surprising.
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Now the whales can communicate across
greater distances without interruption.
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And some mothers, like this one,
leave their calves alone.
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An extremely rare sight.
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00:13:01,823 --> 00:13:03,825
She can now head off to feed,
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00:13:03,909 --> 00:13:09,164
safe in the knowledge that she can hear
her calf if it needs her.
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00:13:15,546 --> 00:13:18,841
A nursing mother
needs to eat as much as possible…
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00:13:20,092 --> 00:13:24,096
and the best way to do so
is to hunt with other adults.
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The whales dive down…
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00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:36,984
blowing a circular wall of bubbles…
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00:13:39,152 --> 00:13:42,030
corralling the fish into shoals…
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00:13:44,825 --> 00:13:47,786
before gorging on them
in their thousands.
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It's one of nature's greatest spectacles.
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Reassured by the quiet,
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00:14:12,269 --> 00:14:17,024
humpback mothers are able to team up
in this way more often.
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00:14:18,025 --> 00:14:20,402
This year,
they've got the place to themselves.
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They're doing anything they want,
wherever they want, whenever they want.
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00:14:24,781 --> 00:14:26,283
In previous years,
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as few as 7% of calves
made it to adulthood.
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00:14:31,538 --> 00:14:35,709
But this season, there's every chance
many more will survive.
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00:14:37,836 --> 00:14:42,299
Hopefully, after a few tough years
where whales were not doing so well,
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00:14:42,382 --> 00:14:45,761
this pandemic has given them a break
at a time that they needed it most.
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00:14:49,348 --> 00:14:54,561
This change in underwater
noise levels went far beyond Alaska.
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00:14:57,064 --> 00:15:02,903
Global shipping traffic drops by 17%
in the first three months of lockdown,
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00:15:03,695 --> 00:15:07,574
improving the lives of animals
across the oceans.
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00:15:11,453 --> 00:15:13,539
Dolphins off New Zealand
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triple the range
of their communication.
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00:15:20,879 --> 00:15:26,552
And researchers in Vancouver
record a fourfold reduction in ship noise
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that allows killer whales
to use their sonar
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more effectively in hunting their prey.
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00:15:48,407 --> 00:15:51,535
It's three months into the pandemic.
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00:15:52,369 --> 00:15:57,332
In the United States, nearly half
the labor force is working from home.
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00:15:57,416 --> 00:16:01,044
And globally,
a quarter of businesses are shut.
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00:16:03,005 --> 00:16:06,925
Bars, restaurants and cafés remain closed.
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00:16:07,885 --> 00:16:12,514
When all is said and done,
the retail business is shut down.
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00:16:13,599 --> 00:16:17,311
Right now it feels abandoned.
Like there's no one around.
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00:16:18,395 --> 00:16:20,731
Across the world's major cities,
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footfall is reduced by more than 90%.
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00:16:27,196 --> 00:16:29,531
With urban centers almost deserted…
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00:16:29,615 --> 00:16:31,450
remarkable pictures emerge
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of animals taking advantage
of city living.
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00:16:39,124 --> 00:16:42,169
A hippo on a trip to the gas station.
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00:16:47,508 --> 00:16:50,219
Jackals enjoying the local park.
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00:16:55,140 --> 00:16:58,101
Even a puma prowling the sidewalk.
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00:17:06,068 --> 00:17:10,196
But one animal adapts to these
abandoned urban spaces
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with particular ingenuity.
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00:17:25,253 --> 00:17:29,591
The city of Nara
has been home to a group of sika deer
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for at least 1,300 years.
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Most of the meadows
they relied on for food
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had been taken over by buildings.
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00:17:41,895 --> 00:17:45,440
But these normally shy animals
had found a solution.
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The deer turned to the 13 million
annual visitors to Nara's temples…
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00:17:56,952 --> 00:17:59,955
and discovered that showing
a bit of respect…
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would bring tasty rewards.
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Rice bran crackers
had become a vital part of their diet.
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00:18:22,978 --> 00:18:25,522
But the pandemic changed that.
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00:18:32,154 --> 00:18:35,699
Their favorite takeout
disappeared overnight.
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No people means no crackers.
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There's concern
that the deer might starve.
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00:18:56,762 --> 00:19:00,974
But some of the older generation
appear to have a plan.
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00:19:06,104 --> 00:19:10,025
They lead a group
out of the temple grounds.
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00:19:10,526 --> 00:19:12,945
And they seem to know exactly
where they're going.
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They're heading down a major road…
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deep into the concrete jungle of the city.
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00:19:40,889 --> 00:19:44,643
But where will they find food
in this urban sprawl?
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00:19:52,734 --> 00:19:55,153
After a two-and-a-half kilometer trek…
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00:19:56,989 --> 00:19:58,991
the group comes to a halt.
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00:20:04,454 --> 00:20:09,459
This unassuming patch
was once part of their grazing grounds.
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00:20:10,586 --> 00:20:12,713
Remarkably, the older deer
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00:20:12,796 --> 00:20:16,592
seem to have remembered it
as the place where they used to feed.
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00:20:23,807 --> 00:20:26,268
And it provides everything they need:
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00:20:26,852 --> 00:20:30,439
fresh grass, leaves and herbs.
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00:20:35,152 --> 00:20:36,570
Over the following weeks,
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00:20:36,653 --> 00:20:41,992
they graze across a patchwork
of these surviving scraps of land.
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00:20:44,286 --> 00:20:48,207
And there was another upside
to the absence of people.
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00:20:50,250 --> 00:20:55,589
Scientists have discovered that not only
did this new diet make them healthier…
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00:20:57,674 --> 00:21:01,678
but fewer visitors
meant less plastic trash,
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00:21:02,346 --> 00:21:04,056
which can kill deer.
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00:21:09,728 --> 00:21:13,273
Even when it seems that
animals benefit from our presence…
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00:21:16,109 --> 00:21:19,738
in many cases,
they're actually better off without us.
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00:21:30,958 --> 00:21:35,128
Four months into lockdown,
and wherever we step back,
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00:21:35,212 --> 00:21:39,633
the space we leave is providing wildlife
with new opportunities.
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00:21:46,765 --> 00:21:48,225
In Argentina…
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00:21:49,268 --> 00:21:51,562
normally shy capybara
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00:21:51,645 --> 00:21:55,524
raid the manicured gardens
of this well-heeled suburb…
219
00:21:57,317 --> 00:22:00,821
which has been built
on their former wetland home.
220
00:22:04,032 --> 00:22:08,829
Nothing seems to stop them enjoying
what was originally theirs.
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00:22:27,472 --> 00:22:28,682
Well…
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00:22:30,392 --> 00:22:31,727
almost nothing.
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00:22:39,234 --> 00:22:44,781
The longer our absence continues,
the more daring animals become.
224
00:22:46,366 --> 00:22:49,995
And when the safari season in Africa
is canceled…
225
00:22:51,163 --> 00:22:55,417
…one deadly hunter rewrites the rule book.
226
00:22:58,086 --> 00:23:01,006
This luxury lodge stands empty.
227
00:23:02,841 --> 00:23:07,554
But it doesn't take long
before new guests begin to check in.
228
00:23:14,811 --> 00:23:18,065
Vervet monkeys reserve a spot by the pool.
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00:23:24,112 --> 00:23:26,615
While impala and nyala antelope
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00:23:27,407 --> 00:23:29,993
take advantage of the salad bar.
231
00:23:34,039 --> 00:23:36,124
But not far behind…
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00:23:38,168 --> 00:23:42,589
a fully grown male leopard.
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00:23:49,763 --> 00:23:54,685
The appearance during the day
of this usually nocturnal hunter
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00:23:54,768 --> 00:23:57,062
is a real surprise.
235
00:23:57,145 --> 00:23:59,898
Not least for our film crew.
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00:24:01,191 --> 00:24:02,943
Just stand still, guys.
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00:24:41,273 --> 00:24:46,195
I've had some intimidating moments
in my life, but that is at the top of it.
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00:24:50,699 --> 00:24:52,117
Across Africa,
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00:24:52,201 --> 00:24:56,538
leopards have lost over 60%
of their territory to people,
240
00:24:57,122 --> 00:24:59,875
making hunting ever more challenging.
241
00:25:02,503 --> 00:25:05,088
But here, with no guests around,
242
00:25:05,672 --> 00:25:08,425
this leopard sees an opportunity
243
00:25:09,134 --> 00:25:13,180
and makes a remarkable switch
in his behavior.
244
00:25:17,059 --> 00:25:19,895
He starts hunting during the day.
245
00:25:29,821 --> 00:25:32,157
It may take a few attempts…
246
00:25:35,244 --> 00:25:36,912
but it's not long…
247
00:25:38,455 --> 00:25:40,457
before his new strategy…
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00:25:41,041 --> 00:25:42,251
pays off.
249
00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:51,593
Leopard numbers in Africa
250
00:25:51,677 --> 00:25:55,597
have dropped by over 30%
in the last 25 years.
251
00:25:56,557 --> 00:26:02,271
But by taking full advantage of
this new all-you-can-eat lockdown buffet,
252
00:26:02,354 --> 00:26:04,356
this leopard is thriving.
253
00:26:05,023 --> 00:26:08,694
This pretty much has become his lodge.
His private kingdom.
254
00:26:24,835 --> 00:26:27,921
It's six months since the pandemic began.
255
00:26:30,048 --> 00:26:35,262
By September, over 40 countries
still have restrictions in place…
256
00:26:37,222 --> 00:26:41,393
limiting the activities
of over 3 billion people.
257
00:26:42,311 --> 00:26:43,645
Large gatherings,
258
00:26:43,729 --> 00:26:49,484
including live sporting events,
concerts and festivals,
259
00:26:49,568 --> 00:26:54,573
will not be able to return until we have
a reliable treatment like a vaccine.
260
00:26:56,408 --> 00:26:59,161
Whilst we adjust to our new normal,
261
00:26:59,995 --> 00:27:03,207
nature's rejuvenation continues.
262
00:27:06,251 --> 00:27:08,462
In India, the river Ganges
263
00:27:08,545 --> 00:27:12,674
shows an 80% increase
in its oxygen levels.
264
00:27:16,220 --> 00:27:18,430
And on Africa's Atlantic coast,
265
00:27:19,348 --> 00:27:25,270
the water cleanliness rating
leaps from poor to excellent.
266
00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:34,363
And our lighter tread
has now been continuing for long enough
267
00:27:34,446 --> 00:27:37,366
for a whole new generation of animals
to benefit.
268
00:27:39,409 --> 00:27:42,579
Here on the South African coast,
269
00:27:42,663 --> 00:27:47,000
some proud new parents
are on their morning commute.
270
00:27:53,549 --> 00:27:56,385
African jackass penguins.
271
00:28:05,561 --> 00:28:09,022
They have set up home right alongside us.
272
00:28:26,540 --> 00:28:28,500
During the breeding season,
273
00:28:28,584 --> 00:28:32,421
every morning
they head out to sea to go fishing.
274
00:28:39,970 --> 00:28:42,389
Their chicks are very demanding.
275
00:28:43,765 --> 00:28:48,687
They need to eat around 15%
of their body weight every day.
276
00:28:51,523 --> 00:28:55,319
Luckily, jackass penguins
are highly effective hunters…
277
00:28:56,153 --> 00:28:58,572
able to dive to depths of 80 meters
278
00:28:59,406 --> 00:29:03,076
to feast on shoals of fish
and crustaceans.
279
00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:13,378
But delivering the catch
to their hungry chicks is a problem.
280
00:29:18,675 --> 00:29:22,513
In previous years,
these beaches were packed with people.
281
00:29:23,639 --> 00:29:26,517
And by the time the penguins were ready
to return from fishing…
282
00:29:27,226 --> 00:29:29,478
they would find their path blocked.
283
00:29:30,812 --> 00:29:34,399
So many of them waited offshore
until sunset…
284
00:29:36,527 --> 00:29:38,487
when the crowds headed home.
285
00:29:47,788 --> 00:29:51,834
But this year, the beach is deserted.
286
00:29:59,758 --> 00:30:02,427
The penguins abandon their old routine
287
00:30:02,511 --> 00:30:06,390
and now head home
after just a few hours at sea
288
00:30:07,349 --> 00:30:10,143
with a bellyful of fish for their chicks.
289
00:30:16,900 --> 00:30:22,531
And with plenty of daylight still in hand,
they can go out to sea once more.
290
00:30:28,453 --> 00:30:33,584
These chicks are now being fed
twice or even three times a day.
291
00:30:36,420 --> 00:30:39,339
They're not only healthier
and growing more rapidly,
292
00:30:39,423 --> 00:30:44,970
but more families like this one
are successfully rearing twins.
293
00:30:46,930 --> 00:30:49,099
And there's more good news.
294
00:30:49,183 --> 00:30:50,684
Over the next few weeks,
295
00:30:50,767 --> 00:30:56,148
some parents go on to successfully raise
a second clutch of chicks,
296
00:30:56,690 --> 00:31:00,194
the first time this has been seen here
in over a decade.
297
00:31:03,572 --> 00:31:06,909
For years, we've assumed that
penguins and people here
298
00:31:06,992 --> 00:31:08,911
were getting along just fine.
299
00:31:12,706 --> 00:31:17,169
But in reality,
we were making their life difficult.
300
00:31:21,548 --> 00:31:24,426
And given that penguin numbers
in South Africa
301
00:31:24,510 --> 00:31:28,597
have dropped by almost 70%
over the last 30 years…
302
00:31:30,599 --> 00:31:33,018
they need all the help
we can give them.
303
00:31:42,069 --> 00:31:46,406
It's not just the young of city-dwelling
animals that are thriving.
304
00:31:48,075 --> 00:31:51,495
By now,
the effects of this year's restrictions
305
00:31:51,578 --> 00:31:55,123
are even being felt
in the world's wildest places.
306
00:31:57,209 --> 00:32:01,296
Transforming one big cat's ability
to protect its young.
307
00:32:04,758 --> 00:32:05,759
Cheetah.
308
00:32:11,014 --> 00:32:13,851
The fastest sprinter on Earth.
309
00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:31,660
But they have a weakness.
310
00:32:31,743 --> 00:32:36,999
Their slight build means they lack
the strength of rival predators…
311
00:32:38,959 --> 00:32:41,420
like lions and hyenas.
312
00:32:46,133 --> 00:32:48,635
They will happily steal a cheetah's meal
313
00:32:49,386 --> 00:32:51,722
and won't hesitate to kill a cub.
314
00:33:02,733 --> 00:33:05,444
Cheetahs try to keep a low profile.
315
00:33:08,155 --> 00:33:10,157
But with two cubs to feed,
316
00:33:10,949 --> 00:33:14,995
this mother needs to make a kill
every two or three days.
317
00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:33,013
While she hunts,
318
00:33:33,096 --> 00:33:37,059
her six-month-old cubs
stay hidden in the long grass.
319
00:33:40,145 --> 00:33:45,859
But as soon as she's made her kill,
she faces a dilemma.
320
00:33:50,781 --> 00:33:53,158
She is hundreds of meters away from them,
321
00:33:53,617 --> 00:33:56,328
with a carcass too large to drag back.
322
00:33:58,247 --> 00:34:02,459
And if she leaves it, she will risk it
being stolen by scavengers.
323
00:34:05,963 --> 00:34:09,466
Her solution
is to use a soft chirruping call…
324
00:34:10,634 --> 00:34:12,386
to tell her cubs to join her.
325
00:34:15,179 --> 00:34:16,389
She must be careful.
326
00:34:17,099 --> 00:34:19,476
If she calls too loudly or too often,
327
00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,146
she will alert her enemies
to her defenseless cubs.
328
00:34:26,483 --> 00:34:28,569
And it's at this very moment
329
00:34:28,652 --> 00:34:32,114
that cheetah here
have found it hardest to be heard.
330
00:34:36,284 --> 00:34:38,704
In the years before lockdown,
331
00:34:38,786 --> 00:34:42,666
seeing a cheetah hunt
was the top of the wish list
332
00:34:42,748 --> 00:34:44,751
for the Maasai Mara's tourists.
333
00:34:45,585 --> 00:34:49,965
But the crowds that surrounded the mother
after her kill posed a problem.
334
00:34:51,842 --> 00:34:55,387
There's a lot of commotion.
Vehicles driving up and down.
335
00:34:55,971 --> 00:34:59,349
Guides talking on radio,
people talking to each other.
336
00:35:00,893 --> 00:35:02,936
The hubbub drowned the calls
337
00:35:03,020 --> 00:35:05,397
of mother cheetahs calling to their cubs.
338
00:35:06,064 --> 00:35:07,816
All that noise
339
00:35:07,900 --> 00:35:12,321
masks the natural cues
that cheetahs rely on to survive.
340
00:35:15,699 --> 00:35:20,662
Forced to keep on calling,
they risked attracting rivals.
341
00:35:30,589 --> 00:35:32,174
But this year…
342
00:35:32,257 --> 00:35:36,220
this mother is experiencing
almost no human disruption.
343
00:35:41,517 --> 00:35:45,020
After just a few calls
across the empty savanna…
344
00:35:49,066 --> 00:35:50,943
her cubs hear her…
345
00:35:57,282 --> 00:35:59,201
and join their mother.
346
00:36:03,664 --> 00:36:06,333
We find that mothers
make fewer calls.
347
00:36:06,416 --> 00:36:09,753
One or two times,
and cubs respond immediately.
348
00:36:12,214 --> 00:36:13,924
Without people around,
349
00:36:14,007 --> 00:36:17,386
researchers are already seeing
cheetah cubs doing better.
350
00:36:19,847 --> 00:36:23,725
In pre-COVID times, you'll find
one out of three cubs will survive.
351
00:36:23,809 --> 00:36:25,811
But currently we are coming across
352
00:36:25,894 --> 00:36:28,021
more cubs
that are more than three months old,
353
00:36:28,105 --> 00:36:29,815
which makes us optimistic
354
00:36:29,898 --> 00:36:33,026
that this time around
we are going to have more cubs surviving,
355
00:36:33,110 --> 00:36:34,778
which means more cheetahs.
356
00:36:37,739 --> 00:36:41,952
With only around 7,000
adult cheetahs left in Africa…
357
00:36:43,954 --> 00:36:45,831
every cub is precious.
358
00:37:05,309 --> 00:37:08,395
While the year
continues to be challenging for us…
359
00:37:09,229 --> 00:37:11,565
…more and more endangered animals
360
00:37:11,648 --> 00:37:15,485
are enjoying a boost
to their chances of survival.
361
00:37:20,532 --> 00:37:23,535
With less disturbance during 2020,
362
00:37:23,619 --> 00:37:24,912
mountain gorillas here
363
00:37:24,995 --> 00:37:28,665
gave birth to twice
the usual number of babies.
364
00:37:34,588 --> 00:37:36,548
On England's south coast,
365
00:37:36,632 --> 00:37:42,679
rare spiny seahorses appear in numbers
not seen for at least ten years
366
00:37:43,180 --> 00:37:48,602
as their seagrass home recovers
from damage caused by visiting boats.
367
00:37:54,274 --> 00:37:58,695
And in Kenya,
no rhinos were killed for their horns
368
00:37:59,363 --> 00:38:02,699
for the first time since 1999.
369
00:38:11,416 --> 00:38:14,086
It's a whole year
since the start of lockdown.
370
00:38:15,420 --> 00:38:20,217
A year in which many of us have found
comfort in the natural world.
371
00:38:20,926 --> 00:38:25,848
A year in which that world
has changed in extraordinary ways.
372
00:38:29,059 --> 00:38:32,187
Annual global emissions of carbon dioxide
373
00:38:32,271 --> 00:38:35,023
have fallen by over 6%,
374
00:38:35,107 --> 00:38:37,568
the largest drop ever measured.
375
00:38:39,486 --> 00:38:43,824
And there have been striking changes
beneath the Earth's surface too.
376
00:38:44,825 --> 00:38:48,620
With the vibrations
from travel and industry halved,
377
00:38:48,704 --> 00:38:53,458
it's been the quietest period underground
in recorded history.
378
00:38:57,796 --> 00:39:00,716
But the impact of this lockdown
won't last forever.
379
00:39:02,217 --> 00:39:05,637
What inspiration can we take
from this moment
380
00:39:05,721 --> 00:39:09,474
to find ways
to better coexist with nature?
381
00:39:14,396 --> 00:39:17,900
In India,
some are already seizing the chance
382
00:39:17,983 --> 00:39:19,693
to live more harmoniously
383
00:39:19,776 --> 00:39:24,156
alongside some very powerful
yet endangered animals.
384
00:39:33,582 --> 00:39:35,626
A fully grown Asian elephant
385
00:39:35,709 --> 00:39:40,380
needs to eat 150 kilos of food every day.
386
00:39:41,590 --> 00:39:45,010
But with only 5%
of their natural habitat remaining,
387
00:39:45,594 --> 00:39:48,972
and with much of their forest home
replaced by farmland,
388
00:39:49,056 --> 00:39:53,685
elephants here
often raid crops to survive.
389
00:40:05,989 --> 00:40:10,035
In response, the farmers
try to defend their fields.
390
00:40:11,453 --> 00:40:17,376
But they still regularly lose over half of
the rice harvest on which they depend.
391
00:40:30,138 --> 00:40:32,057
We would spend the entire night
392
00:40:32,140 --> 00:40:33,892
chasing them away into the forest.
393
00:40:33,976 --> 00:40:35,394
But they'd come back
394
00:40:35,477 --> 00:40:39,022
and we'd have to do it all over again.
395
00:40:53,745 --> 00:40:57,040
And it's not just farms that are at risk.
396
00:41:00,043 --> 00:41:03,630
Elephants also search for food in villages
397
00:41:03,714 --> 00:41:06,341
and have ended up trampling people.
398
00:41:11,054 --> 00:41:12,055
Across the country,
399
00:41:12,139 --> 00:41:15,809
around 400 humans
and a hundred elephants
400
00:41:15,893 --> 00:41:18,896
are killed in these conflicts every year.
401
00:41:25,819 --> 00:41:28,864
But one community
is trying a new approach
402
00:41:28,947 --> 00:41:30,657
to solving the problem.
403
00:41:31,241 --> 00:41:34,411
City workers who've returned home
because of lockdown
404
00:41:34,995 --> 00:41:37,289
can provide the extra hands needed
405
00:41:37,372 --> 00:41:41,627
for a project
spearheaded by a local conservation trust.
406
00:41:43,253 --> 00:41:46,215
We got a great opportunity
during lockdown
407
00:41:46,298 --> 00:41:50,010
to do plantation for wild elephants.
408
00:41:51,803 --> 00:41:54,890
Along the forest edge,
they plant a buffer zone
409
00:41:54,973 --> 00:42:00,020
of fast-growing wild rice and grasses
for the elephants to eat.
410
00:42:02,814 --> 00:42:09,071
The entire community
of more than 500 people came to help.
411
00:42:09,279 --> 00:42:11,031
Over just a few months,
412
00:42:11,114 --> 00:42:17,329
they transform almost 400 acres,
1.6 square kilometers, of their land.
413
00:42:19,373 --> 00:42:22,459
And now, instead of
driving the elephants away
414
00:42:22,543 --> 00:42:25,379
they're holding a ceremony
to welcome them.
415
00:42:34,346 --> 00:42:36,598
The crops are ready for harvest.
416
00:42:38,225 --> 00:42:41,854
But will the elephants eat the grasses
that have been planted for them…
417
00:42:43,897 --> 00:42:46,650
or will they raid the farmers' fields?
418
00:42:51,530 --> 00:42:53,532
As the people return home…
419
00:42:54,950 --> 00:42:58,537
something stirs at the edge of the forest.
420
00:43:06,712 --> 00:43:11,925
One by one, the elephants emerge
from the cover of the trees.
421
00:43:14,928 --> 00:43:16,263
Mothers.
422
00:43:17,764 --> 00:43:19,266
Calves.
423
00:43:19,349 --> 00:43:24,354
A whole extended family
of 26 hungry elephants.
424
00:43:26,690 --> 00:43:28,358
But how far will they come?
425
00:43:33,739 --> 00:43:36,575
Staying close to the edge of the forest…
426
00:43:38,076 --> 00:43:42,915
they choose to feast only on the crops
planted for them.
427
00:43:46,126 --> 00:43:48,795
Before, we used to chase them away.
428
00:43:48,879 --> 00:43:50,881
But now, things have changed.
429
00:43:50,964 --> 00:43:54,259
It feels good… makes us happy.
430
00:43:59,181 --> 00:44:01,767
As the harvest season progresses,
431
00:44:01,850 --> 00:44:06,438
the elephants never stray
onto the farmers' fields
432
00:44:07,064 --> 00:44:08,982
nor do they enter the village.
433
00:44:12,486 --> 00:44:14,613
If we love elephants
434
00:44:14,696 --> 00:44:17,574
then elephants love us too.
435
00:44:21,203 --> 00:44:22,955
A buffer zone of plants
436
00:44:23,038 --> 00:44:25,165
is providing a long-term solution
437
00:44:25,249 --> 00:44:27,459
to an age-old conflict.
438
00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:32,005
And it's one which neighboring villages
439
00:44:32,089 --> 00:44:36,844
are already talking with the local
conservation trust about adopting.
440
00:44:50,274 --> 00:44:53,026
Looking back over the past year,
441
00:44:53,110 --> 00:44:56,530
one that has been so difficult
for many of us,
442
00:44:56,613 --> 00:45:01,201
what can we learn
to secure the future of the natural world
443
00:45:01,285 --> 00:45:02,911
and our own?
444
00:45:05,622 --> 00:45:09,001
We have to think of how we shall coexist.
445
00:45:10,085 --> 00:45:14,214
Awaken us to the fact that
we can share our spaces with wildlife.
446
00:45:14,882 --> 00:45:16,508
Not taking it for granted
447
00:45:16,592 --> 00:45:19,344
that we're going to do the same things
when we go back.
448
00:45:21,263 --> 00:45:25,184
The astonishing speed
and variety of nature's response
449
00:45:25,267 --> 00:45:29,021
has shown that
even modest changes to our lives
450
00:45:29,104 --> 00:45:33,650
can make a vital difference
to wildlife around the world.
451
00:45:37,487 --> 00:45:41,158
There could be some
small shutdowns every single summer.
452
00:45:41,241 --> 00:45:44,077
Nightly beach closures.
It doesn't have to be during the day.
453
00:45:44,161 --> 00:45:47,039
Very small alterations that people can do
454
00:45:47,122 --> 00:45:50,417
to make sure that humans and wildlife
are both successful together.
455
00:45:51,627 --> 00:45:54,546
We know that
if we ask vessels to go slower,
456
00:45:54,630 --> 00:45:58,342
and we maybe group vessel traffic,
they can actually have a smaller footprint
457
00:45:58,425 --> 00:46:01,428
and protect the underwater soundscape
and the whales.
458
00:46:02,304 --> 00:46:05,057
We are making recommendations
to the park authorities
459
00:46:05,140 --> 00:46:10,437
that are aimed at promoting good conduct
among tourists and tour guides
460
00:46:10,521 --> 00:46:12,981
that will ensure
the survival of these animals.
461
00:46:14,066 --> 00:46:18,403
This extraordinary year,
the year Earth changed,
462
00:46:18,987 --> 00:46:22,741
has not only shown us
that we can help wildlife to flourish,
463
00:46:23,534 --> 00:46:25,661
but if we choose to do so,
464
00:46:26,245 --> 00:46:30,165
we can also transform
the health of the planet for all.
465
00:46:31,375 --> 00:46:33,544
I know it's high time now
466
00:46:33,627 --> 00:46:37,965
that we should contribute in every
small way we can to reduce the pollution.
467
00:46:38,715 --> 00:46:42,302
And far from being
separate from the natural world…
468
00:46:44,096 --> 00:46:48,725
we've discovered
that our lives are interconnected
469
00:46:48,809 --> 00:46:51,311
in deep and surprising ways.
470
00:46:53,355 --> 00:46:55,816
If we are to thrive in the future,
471
00:46:55,899 --> 00:46:58,902
now is the crucial moment
472
00:46:59,736 --> 00:47:02,573
to find ways to share our planet…
473
00:47:04,491 --> 00:47:06,869
with all the life on Earth.
39622
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