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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,599 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: The very centre of Africa. 2 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:48,679 And the centre of two million square miles of dense tropical rain forest. 3 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:07,639 At first glance it seems deserted and eerily still, 4 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,839 not an easy place to live. 5 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:26,599 But, in fact, there is a greater concentration of animals here, 6 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:28,839 than anywhere else in Africa. 7 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:38,239 And in this world they must grab every opportunity. 8 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,519 Competition is intense and unrelenting. 9 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:53,799 Even the forest itself fights its corner with spines and poisonous sap. 10 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:03,159 Here, every living thing must fight for its space. 11 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:22,279 Such beauty. 12 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:31,719 But the flower is self-serving, enticing animals into an unwitting alliance. 13 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:34,359 Stingless bees. 14 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,439 They have to work hard. The forest flowers make them do so 15 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:43,439 by rationing their nectar, forcing each bee to visit, and so pollinate, 16 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,119 at least a thousand blooms each day. 17 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:51,999 (BUZZING) 18 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,759 For the bees, it's worth the effort. 19 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,199 They need the nectar to make honey which they store in pots. 20 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,439 It's so precious, they keep it hidden beneath the bark of a tree. 21 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:27,479 But their secret is out. 22 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:30,879 (CHIMPANZEE SHRIEKING) 23 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,119 Nothing is safe in this forest. 24 00:03:57,960 --> 00:03:59,959 Chimpanzees love honey. 25 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,319 She seems oblivious to danger. 26 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,919 A fall from up here could be fatal. 27 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,839 But she does need a bigger stick. 28 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:51,759 Only a chimp has the ability to break into a stingless bees' nest, 29 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:53,559 as well hidden as this. 30 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,599 Chimps are extremely intelligent, 31 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,679 but none is born with the skill to use a tool. 32 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,999 Youngsters, like this one, must learn by watching. 33 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:52,079 She uses special tools, one after another, 34 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,479 to get all the honey she can, 35 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,719 and in a few minutes she destroys what took the bees years to build. 36 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,759 In the rain forest, nothing is safe. 37 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,639 Here in the Congo, there can be as many as 500 trees 38 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,679 crammed into every acre. 39 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:31,599 In the battle for space, some will rise to over 60 metres high, 40 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:33,519 in just a few decades. 41 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,759 In a valley like this, there could be close 42 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:45,399 on 1,000 different species of tree. 43 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,479 Up here, the crowns barely touch. 44 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,719 Each tree seems to respect its neighbour's space. 45 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,559 When they germinate down on the forest floor, 46 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,959 young trees and plants are less restrained. 47 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,279 But every new generation fights it out, 48 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,039 in battles we can see by accelerating time. 49 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,119 They must get light if they are to survive, 50 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:26,639 and they squeeze, crush and even slash one another in order to reach it. 51 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,079 Despite the thick canopy above, 52 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,439 some sunlight does filter through, 53 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:57,399 and allows a few low-light specialists to bloom near the forest floor. 54 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:31,239 Down here there are animals too that seek out the sunlight. 55 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:42,879 The forest's largest predator. 56 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:48,559 A female rock python. 57 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:55,159 Her body is five metres long, weighs 100 kilos, 58 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,239 and has 4,000 muscles 59 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,439 that she uses to crush the life out of her victims. 60 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:06,799 But right now, her need is not for food. 61 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:08,759 It's for warmth. 62 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,559 She finds a rare patch where a shaft of sunlight strikes the ground, 63 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:22,759 and she begins to bask. 64 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:28,359 She's cold-blooded. 65 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,359 So this is the only way she can raise the temperature of her body. 66 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:41,719 But now she's becoming very warm indeed, more than 10 degrees hotter than usual. 67 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:46,959 At 40 degrees centigrade she's in danger of killing herself. 68 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,279 Just in time, she moves off. 69 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:03,959 She disappears below ground. 70 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:06,479 (HISSING) 71 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:16,479 This is her nest, 72 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,439 and it's full of giant eggs. 73 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:29,759 It's critical for the eggs' development that they stay above 30 degrees. 74 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,599 Here in this special filming burrow, 75 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:41,479 she gently wraps her super-heated body around the eggs, 76 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:44,239 passing on to them the warmth of the sun. 77 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:54,519 She has done this every day for three months. 78 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:00,319 The repeated heat stress on her body is so great it could be lethal. 79 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,279 And at the very least, it will take three years for her 80 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:08,119 to recover from incubating this one clutch of eggs. 81 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:34,959 Her parchment-shelled eggs carry the pressed imprint of her scales. 82 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:39,239 An indication of the strength of her embrace. 83 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,599 At last, her efforts are rewarded. 84 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,079 But the babies can't stay here. 85 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:14,199 They must leave their sanctuary and find food 86 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,039 in the tangled world above. 87 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:48,759 They're over 60 centimetres long, already big enough to be a threat 88 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,239 to the smaller inhabitants of the forest. 89 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:56,799 But they are themselves vulnerable. 90 00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:01,439 Particularly to other snakes. 91 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,599 But this one is their mother. 92 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:09,279 Unusually for snakes, 93 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:13,479 her maternal instincts continue for days after her eggs hatch. 94 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,999 Even so, the forest is such a dangerous place, 95 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:30,719 that only one in a hundred of her youngsters 96 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,679 is likely to reach adulthood. 97 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,799 Just occasionally, the competition eases. 98 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,359 A tree suddenly produces fruit. 99 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:52,399 (CHIMPANZEES GIBBERING) 100 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,199 It's a magnet for the creatures of the canopy, 101 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,079 and they, in turn, as they feed, 102 00:13:57,160 --> 00:14:00,079 create a bonanza for those on the ground below. 103 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,359 A mob of red river hogs. 104 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,559 They have travelled over two miles through the thick undergrowth, 105 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:33,599 to get to this fall of fruit. 106 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,799 But in the African forest, little comes for free. 107 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:44,279 This feast is a bribe. 108 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,239 The hogs will carry the seeds in their stomachs 109 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:52,119 and deposit them far from the parent tree. 110 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:09,199 Night falls. 111 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,959 But one living community, which is neither animal nor plant, 112 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:18,439 continues its never-ending work in the darkness. 113 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,479 This ground is alive with fungi, 114 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,719 that digest all the litter discarded by the forest. 115 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,759 Some rare fungi do so with enzymes that are luminous. 116 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:54,239 The local people call them "Chimpanzee fire". 117 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:04,199 Without the fungi, the dead vegetation would pile so high 118 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:06,719 the living trees would be submerged. 119 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,239 Dawn. 120 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,919 And a new day reveals just how much control 121 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,159 the jungle has over its own environment. 122 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:39,319 The forests of the Congo are the lungs of Africa. 123 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:42,599 As they use the sunlight to build their tissues, 124 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:46,279 so they release oxygen and water vapour into the air. 125 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,199 Each hectare of forest produces 126 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:59,319 as vapour almost 190,000 litres of water a year. 127 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,719 So much that it creates its own weather. 128 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:09,359 Clouds blanket the forest, 129 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:11,799 driving up the humidity and temperature. 130 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:15,799 A storm is brewing. 131 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,919 The Congo might be the richest part of Africa, 132 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,199 but it's also the most violent. 133 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:32,919 (WIND WHOOSHING) 134 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:42,239 (THUNDERCLAPS) 135 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:56,639 Each year, as many as a hundred million lightning bolts strike the forest. 136 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:59,279 That's more than anywhere else in the world. 137 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:09,599 And with the lightning comes the rain. 138 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:23,639 Up to 95% of the rain that falls here is generated by the forest itself. 139 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:45,719 With the deluge will come change to the animals and to the forest. 140 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,079 It's certainly perfect weather for frogs. 141 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:01,639 The big storm is the cue for the most important climb of this frog's life. 142 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:05,399 It's a male in search of a mate. 143 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,359 But if he is to find one, he has to get to the top. 144 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,239 He needs to keep his wits about him, 145 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,039 for the rain also brings out hunters. 146 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:08,719 Easy does it. 147 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:20,399 The top at last, 148 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:21,959 (FROGS CROAKING) 149 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:24,479 but he's late to the party. 150 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:30,719 (CROAKING) 151 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,839 The higher a male sits, the further his voice will carry. 152 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,319 So the top slots are worth fighting for. 153 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:23,119 And he's won. He has the top place. 154 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:28,599 So now it's time to sing. 155 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:30,959 (LOUD CROAKING) 156 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,479 And a white-bellied female responds. 157 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:52,799 They join together to mate. 158 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:05,439 The loser will have to wait for the next storm, before he sings again. 159 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,599 She lays her eggs on a blade of a long leaf. 160 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,079 And he, using his back legs, folds it over, 161 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:21,359 and glues its two edges together, shutting the eggs inside. 162 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:38,159 This sealed nest is the safest place these leaf-folding frogs can find 163 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,279 to protect their precious brood. 164 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,039 Within days, the eggs are developing. 165 00:22:57,840 --> 00:22:59,559 The timing is perfect. 166 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:13,959 The rain washes away the glue and the tadpoles slip out of the leaves 167 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:16,079 into the growing puddles below. 168 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:34,039 The rainy season reaches its peak and the ground has been transformed. 169 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:49,679 The forest is flooded. 170 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:52,079 It's a new world. 171 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:03,439 Fish swim in from the swollen streams, exploiting this newly-created space, 172 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:05,839 snapping up the drowning insects. 173 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:13,479 This is a butterflyfish. 174 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:21,919 A Congo bichir. 175 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,519 The hunter becomes the hunted. 176 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:50,279 The butterflyfish is too quick and leaps out of danger. 177 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:27,199 The floods gradually drain back into the established waterways 178 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,199 that run through the forest like blood vessels. 179 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,279 These is so much water flowing through the forest 180 00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:41,239 that even little rivulets can carve out the soil around an ancient boulder. 181 00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,799 This is the home of one forest creature, 182 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:04,439 that has lived here in the Congo for 44 million years. 183 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:09,759 Picathartes. 184 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,079 These birds mate for life, 185 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:24,439 and the male reaffirms the bond by displaying to the female. 186 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,519 They're building a mud nest on the underside of the boulder's overhang, 187 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:33,719 where it'll be protected from the rain. 188 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:37,839 The female takes the lead. 189 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,879 The male doesn't seem quite so skilful. 190 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:17,599 Oh dear. 191 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,039 Luckily she can put things right. 192 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:31,159 Now she's collecting the soft furnishings. 193 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:36,999 He's brought some too, but he still can't get it right. 194 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:50,159 In the end, the female seems satisfied with the finish and just in time. 195 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,279 It might look as if he has been banished into the rain, 196 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:12,879 but in fact they're a great team. 197 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,039 They share the incubation. 198 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:21,879 Twelve hours on, twelve hours off, for the next three weeks. 199 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:32,919 In due course, there are mouths to feed, and now the male must prove his worth. 200 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:51,559 Worms are a good start and he's doing well. 201 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:56,079 But the chicks are insatiable. 202 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:06,759 Fortunately, other things are on the menu. 203 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,079 He might be a poor nest builder, 204 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,359 but he is redeeming himself now. 205 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:33,239 Domestic bliss! 206 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:41,719 Rocky overhangs are the only place where picathartes will build their nest. 207 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,319 So they owe their home to the stream, 208 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:47,599 that revealed the flank of the giant boulder. 209 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:56,279 This stream and countless others like it 210 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:58,639 merge to form the great rivers 211 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:00,639 of Central Africa. 212 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:02,559 (BIRDS CHIRPING) 213 00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:16,079 More than 450 billion litres of rainwater, 214 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:18,759 travelling down thousands of rivers, 215 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:20,479 are heading west. 216 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:26,039 The waters pick up speed 217 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:29,079 as the rivers spill over the edge of the central plateau 218 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,879 and create giant cascades of white water. 219 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,399 The Kongou forces its way through the wildest, 220 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,599 most untouched forest in the whole of Africa. 221 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:53,759 The Congo River system drains an area the size of India, 222 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:57,519 carrying the waters westwards towards the Atlantic. 223 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:01,279 But before it reaches the coast, 224 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:02,759 the rivers broaden, 225 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:04,839 forcing back the forest. 226 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:11,919 And here, for the first time, there is space. 227 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,639 Wide, flat and safe. 228 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:18,239 (CHIRPING) 229 00:32:19,400 --> 00:32:23,239 These stretches of sand attract visitors from the coast. 230 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:28,479 Skimmers, searching for somewhere safe to settle. 231 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:29,919 (CHIRPING) 232 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:44,199 The lower mandible of their beaks is greatly elongated. 233 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:50,839 They slice it through the surface of the water at 10 metres a second. 234 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:57,679 If and when it hits a tiny fish, it'll snap shut. 235 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,679 But why come up river to these open sand flats? 236 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:16,279 - (CHIRPING) - This is the answer. 237 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:30,039 But this nursery will not exist for long. 238 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:34,279 Four weeks from now it'll be under 10 metres of water. 239 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,519 If by then these chicks can't fly, 240 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,359 - they will drown. - (CHIRPING) 241 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:48,119 The problem for young skimmers is that when they hatch 242 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:51,959 the lower part of their beaks is the same size as the upper. 243 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:57,439 While they wait for it to grow, they do their best 244 00:33:57,520 --> 00:33:59,839 to learn the skimming technique. 245 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:52,279 (THUNDER RUMBLING) 246 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:09,559 Open spaces may be safe, 247 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:13,439 but they give no protection against the driving rain. 248 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:32,799 These storms are a warning that the skimmers must soon leave. 249 00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:37,399 The river is already rising. 250 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:53,559 This year, the chicks get away in time. 251 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:19,639 It's not just water that has the power to clear a way through the forest. 252 00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:24,599 There are animals that could do that too. 253 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:30,239 They have created a network of pathways 254 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:32,319 that criss-cross the lowland forest 255 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:35,799 and run for thousands of miles in all directions. 256 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:03,639 These path-makers are surprisingly stealthy. 257 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:09,199 But as night falls, there's a chance of catching a glimpse of them. 258 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:22,599 (ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING) 259 00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:27,799 (RUSTLING) 260 00:37:28,240 --> 00:37:31,439 Forest elephants are very social creatures, 261 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:35,759 but in dense jungle it's hard for them to find one another. 262 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:44,479 These elephants are lucky. 263 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:50,479 Here in the Congo, there is one special place 264 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:52,839 where they can meet and mingle. 265 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:58,639 A place that the elephants have created for themselves. 266 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:04,599 And this is it. 267 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:09,559 (TRUMPETING) 268 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:21,639 Dzanga Bai, 269 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,959 the legendary "village of elephants". 270 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:43,359 As well as being a place 271 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:45,679 where they can enjoy one another's company, 272 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:49,199 this great clearing satisfies another craving. 273 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:52,079 For salts. 274 00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:00,399 (TRUMPETING) 275 00:39:02,240 --> 00:39:04,599 The salts lie deep under the mud. 276 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:07,559 So the elephants have got to mine for them, 277 00:39:07,640 --> 00:39:11,479 which they do with high pressure water jets from their trunks. 278 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:16,119 (WATER BUBBLING) 279 00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:29,599 (ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING) 280 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:34,559 The precious salts and the chance to socialise 281 00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:37,319 bring in elephants from far and wide. 282 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:45,319 If an elephant is in the mood to mate, this is the place to be. 283 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:48,119 (TRUMPETING) 284 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:51,479 This young bull is in a state of musth, 285 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:53,519 a kind of sexual fury. 286 00:39:53,800 --> 00:40:00,839 (TRUMPETING) 287 00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:00,833 (TRUMPETING) 288 00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:16,119 He is so pumped up by hormones and the excitements of the crowd 289 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:19,319 that he seems to have taken leave of his senses. 290 00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:41,199 (TRUMPETING) 291 00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:41,193 (TRUMPETING) 292 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:46,119 But will throwing his weight about impress the females? 293 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:47,639 (TRUMPETING) 294 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:52,279 The cows only become fertile once every two years. 295 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,759 So opportunities to encounter one at the right time are not common. 296 00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:01,679 This could well be the first chance this young male has had. 297 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:05,439 - (TRUMPETING) - He's lucky. 298 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:09,799 And there are no older bulls around to put him in his place. 299 00:41:20,720 --> 00:41:24,479 Just for a moment, he is king of the Bai. 300 00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:36,039 (TRUMPETING) 301 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:58,279 - But his rule doesn't last for long. - (TRUMPETING) 302 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:00,879 Enter another lusty bull. 303 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:05,559 - (TRUMPETING) - And a much bigger one. 304 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:07,319 (TRUMPETING) 305 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,759 But the young bull is still charged up with testosterone. 306 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:22,799 Bold or foolish, he's going into battle. 307 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:22,119 He never really had a chance. 308 00:43:23,720 --> 00:43:28,319 (TRUMPETING) 309 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:28,319 (TRUMPETING) 310 00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:40,639 Dzanga Bai is a huge clearing, 311 00:43:40,720 --> 00:43:45,159 but it's still just a speck in this vast expanse of green. 312 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:51,479 Elephants might fell trees and carve pathways, 313 00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:55,759 but nothing natural can hold back this forest forever. 314 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:00,879 Nothing but the Atlantic Ocean. 315 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:23,879 Loango beach, on Africa's west coast, 316 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:26,239 one of the last truly wild places 317 00:44:26,320 --> 00:44:28,919 where the Congo jungle meets the sea. 318 00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:45,159 Here the forest gives way to sand, surf, 319 00:44:45,640 --> 00:44:47,399 and fresh sea air. 320 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:54,039 The cool breezes and warm sunlight 321 00:44:54,480 --> 00:44:57,239 entice creatures out of the dark forest. 322 00:44:58,040 --> 00:44:59,279 (LOWING) 323 00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:02,479 - Forest buffalo appear first. - (LOWING) 324 00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:24,679 And here in the surf, there are hippos. 325 00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:27,239 (SNORTING) 326 00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:36,639 Spray blows in from the sea, 327 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:38,959 making the grass salty. 328 00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:56,399 So, here elephants can get their tasty salt 329 00:45:56,760 --> 00:45:58,999 without having to dig for it. 330 00:46:01,640 --> 00:46:05,399 This mother with her tiny baby can feel the sun on her back. 331 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:08,719 Here it's safe for her little one. 332 00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:12,599 They are free to eat in peace. 333 00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:19,839 The bulls have all the room they need, so there is less risk of a fight. 334 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:22,359 (CHIRPING) 335 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:37,159 Everyone, from gorillas to forest hogs, 336 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,119 ventures out to relax on the beach. 337 00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:42,359 (SNORTING) 338 00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:20,039 But the forest creatures can't stay out here forever. 339 00:47:24,880 --> 00:47:26,159 Despite everything, 340 00:47:26,240 --> 00:47:30,159 the intense competition, the threats, the darkness, 341 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:32,559 they need their forest, 342 00:47:32,760 --> 00:47:35,759 just as their forest needs them. 343 00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:39,999 (TRUMPETING) 344 00:48:04,880 --> 00:48:06,559 The Congo rainforest, 345 00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:09,519 a four-day journey to the heart of Africa. 346 00:48:12,760 --> 00:48:15,319 Once the plane leaves, you're on your own. 347 00:48:17,760 --> 00:48:21,919 This expedition planned to film two of the Congo's best-kept secrets. 348 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:23,439 But to even find them 349 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:26,479 the crew would have to work very hard indeed. 350 00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:29,559 You might as well be on a different planet 351 00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,439 coming to a place like this. Planet Congo. 352 00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:37,679 JAMES ALDRED: Mysterious. 353 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:40,519 Difficult. 354 00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:42,239 Complex. 355 00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:45,079 Challenging. 356 00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:50,199 You know, everything's trying to bite you. 357 00:48:51,080 --> 00:48:53,159 - Suck your blood. - (BUZZING) 358 00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:59,319 It's like being tickled by a million feathers at the same time. 359 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:01,679 (SIGHS) 360 00:49:08,160 --> 00:49:09,799 ATTENBOROUGH: The insects might be torture, 361 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:12,519 but that's the least of their worries. 362 00:49:14,920 --> 00:49:16,959 The only way to get deep into the jungle 363 00:49:17,040 --> 00:49:19,079 is to follow these trails. 364 00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:23,239 Trails made by dangerous forest elephants. 365 00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:27,319 ALDRED: Well, the first thing you need to know about the forest elephants 366 00:49:27,640 --> 00:49:29,879 is you don't want to meet one. 367 00:49:31,320 --> 00:49:33,359 'Cause running away can elicit a charge 368 00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:36,439 and it could be exactly the wrong thing to do. 369 00:49:37,600 --> 00:49:39,239 ATTENBOROUGH: Our team are completely dependent 370 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:41,759 on their B'aka guides for safety. 371 00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:49,839 (WHISPERS IN NATIVE LANGUAGE) It's moved off now. It's gone? Yes 372 00:49:52,120 --> 00:49:53,959 ATTENBOROUGH: But it's these same forest elephants 373 00:49:54,040 --> 00:49:55,839 that James has come to film 374 00:49:55,920 --> 00:49:57,719 and just to make the challenge harder 375 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:00,279 he's here to film them in the dark. 376 00:50:03,160 --> 00:50:06,119 Nobody knows exactly what they get up to at night. 377 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:08,999 They haven't been filmed like this before. 378 00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:11,599 (ELEPHANT TRUMPETING) 379 00:50:12,240 --> 00:50:15,599 I couldn't rig this place if the B'aka weren't here. 380 00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:17,719 Watching my back, really. 381 00:50:17,840 --> 00:50:20,399 James needs to operate the remote cameras 382 00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:23,319 from somewhere out of the elephants' reach. 383 00:50:24,160 --> 00:50:25,519 (WHIZZING) 384 00:50:28,880 --> 00:50:31,719 A tree platform seems like the best option. 385 00:50:34,280 --> 00:50:36,519 (SPEAKING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE) It's not high enough. Uh huh. 386 00:50:37,120 --> 00:50:39,799 Apparently, they have very big elephants round here. 387 00:50:39,880 --> 00:50:43,679 They want us to put it a bit higher, so I think I'll do what they say. 388 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:49,759 But no one wants to stay out at night and help James with the filming. 389 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:59,279 (SPEAKING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE) Usually B'aka stay up in the trees only if they are very lost. 390 00:50:56,840 --> 00:50:59,274 (SPEAKING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE) Very dangerous! 391 00:50:59,760 --> 00:51:02,359 So James will be alone until morning. 392 00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:05,319 If anything goes wrong, he's on his own. 393 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:07,919 If they really wanted to, they could push these trees over. 394 00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:10,879 I can't imagine that's going to be an issue. 395 00:51:13,280 --> 00:51:15,159 As James settled down for the night, 396 00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:18,679 he's got no idea of the trouble that's coming his way. 397 00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:21,199 (ANIMAL ROARING) 398 00:51:27,800 --> 00:51:28,919 What's going on? 399 00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:32,999 Twenty miles away Mark MacEwan is also up in the middle of the night. 400 00:51:33,440 --> 00:51:36,759 The animal he's after is proving impossible to find. 401 00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:38,799 Oh! 402 00:51:39,960 --> 00:51:41,399 So, we get up in the darkness 403 00:51:41,480 --> 00:51:44,239 and we walk through the jungle at night, 404 00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:47,479 hoping to hear the sound of cracking branches 405 00:51:47,560 --> 00:51:49,959 or leaves moving up in the trees. 406 00:51:50,600 --> 00:51:53,559 ATTENBOROUGH: That means chimpanzees are stirring in the treetops 407 00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:56,839 and Mark is here to film chimps hunting for honey. 408 00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:01,639 There's one chimp in particular he needs to find, 409 00:52:01,720 --> 00:52:04,199 a teenager with a very sweet tooth, 410 00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:08,399 known to go further in the pursuit of the bees' nest than any other. 411 00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:15,519 I've spent six days 412 00:52:15,600 --> 00:52:19,799 walking probably the equivalent of a half marathon every day 413 00:52:20,280 --> 00:52:24,359 in 100 percent humidity and about 95 degrees in the shade. 414 00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:28,439 And we just can't find our chimpanzee. 415 00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:29,999 (BEES BUZZING) 416 00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:33,559 ATTENBOROUGH: Time is ticking away 417 00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:36,439 and Mark is running out of filming days. 418 00:52:42,240 --> 00:52:43,959 MARK MACEWAN: At the moment I just need some good luck. 419 00:52:44,040 --> 00:52:46,599 We've come an awfully long way to get this sequence. 420 00:52:46,680 --> 00:52:49,199 We've got probably 10 to 12 days left. 421 00:52:51,160 --> 00:52:52,799 But it's hard work at the moment. 422 00:52:53,800 --> 00:52:55,959 ATTENBOROUGH: All Mark can do is persevere 423 00:52:56,040 --> 00:52:57,839 and hope for a break. 424 00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:06,319 But not all the forest creatures are so shy. 425 00:53:07,240 --> 00:53:08,479 Perched high in his tree, 426 00:53:08,560 --> 00:53:12,479 James Aldred is waiting patiently for the elephants to come in. 427 00:53:15,320 --> 00:53:17,079 (ELEPHANTS SNORTING) 428 00:53:18,440 --> 00:53:20,719 At last the elephants are here. 429 00:53:20,840 --> 00:53:23,159 But they're behaving strangely. 430 00:53:23,920 --> 00:53:25,719 (ELEPHANTS GRUNTING) 431 00:53:30,880 --> 00:53:33,799 (WHISPERS) He knows something's not quite right. 432 00:53:33,880 --> 00:53:35,159 (TRUMPETING) 433 00:53:35,240 --> 00:53:37,999 ATTENBOROUGH: The elephants seem agitated. 434 00:53:39,040 --> 00:53:40,839 (SHUFFLING OF LEAVES) 435 00:53:41,320 --> 00:53:42,919 (TWIGS BREAKING) 436 00:53:44,880 --> 00:53:47,639 ALDRED: They just want to get rid of you. 437 00:53:48,080 --> 00:53:51,599 ATTENBOROUGH: One begins to thump the tree with its head. 438 00:53:53,320 --> 00:53:56,319 James has no option but to weather the attack. 439 00:53:58,320 --> 00:53:59,679 (CRACKING) 440 00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:01,359 ALDRED: Let's lean forward 441 00:54:01,440 --> 00:54:05,199 and keep head-butting, keep head-butting, keep head-butting. 442 00:54:06,920 --> 00:54:07,959 (RUSTLING) 443 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:10,839 ATTENBOROUGH: Suddenly the cameras cut out. 444 00:54:11,760 --> 00:54:14,439 And James is left in complete darkness. 445 00:54:18,400 --> 00:54:20,479 After three weeks searching, 446 00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:23,199 Mark has lost nearly two stone in weight 447 00:54:23,280 --> 00:54:25,199 but he hasn't given up. 448 00:54:26,200 --> 00:54:29,519 He can't afford to put down his camera for a second. 449 00:54:31,080 --> 00:54:33,919 Suddenly, the guide spots the honey hunter. 450 00:54:34,000 --> 00:54:35,319 This is it. 451 00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:56,319 - (WHISPERS) Where is she? - She's inside the tree. 452 00:55:01,320 --> 00:55:04,959 Just for some honey, she's risking her life. It's amazing. 453 00:55:25,080 --> 00:55:26,439 Well, I think, I just couldn't stop smiling 454 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:30,799 for several days after filming that. The relief was just unbelievable. 455 00:55:39,960 --> 00:55:43,919 Back at the camera platform, James has had a long night. 456 00:55:46,320 --> 00:55:47,519 For over four hours 457 00:55:47,600 --> 00:55:50,719 the elephant tried to shake him out of the tree. 458 00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:57,199 Got down this morning when the B'aka came to collect me. 459 00:55:57,280 --> 00:56:00,559 Went to look at the camera and he'd pulled it out of the tree 460 00:56:00,640 --> 00:56:03,319 and he'd chewed through the power cable. 461 00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:06,119 He must have gotten a bit of a shock. I mean only 12 volts. 462 00:56:06,200 --> 00:56:09,199 But serves him right, quite honestly. 463 00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:13,999 But at least we got a shot of him before he trashed the camera. 464 00:56:14,640 --> 00:56:16,759 (LAUGHS) Silver lining. 465 00:56:18,640 --> 00:56:20,479 ATTENBOROUGH: Despite this bumpy start, 466 00:56:20,600 --> 00:56:22,839 the elephants soon got used to James 467 00:56:22,960 --> 00:56:25,519 and James got used to the elephants. 468 00:56:27,560 --> 00:56:29,959 Filming here was never going to be easy. 469 00:56:30,040 --> 00:56:33,679 But we were soon able to reveal the night life of forest elephants 470 00:56:33,760 --> 00:56:35,439 like never before. 471 00:56:47,440 --> 00:56:48,919 (TRUMPETING) 35626

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