Original subtitles

Across Asia, vast fertile lands

support an ever-growing human population.

In Vietnam alone,

the number of people has more than doubled in the last 50 years.

ENGINE ROARS

This is the most densely-populated continent of all -

home to 4.7 billion...

..and counting.

More people live in Asia than in the rest of the world combined.

Yet, in this crowded continent,

human settlements also offer unique opportunities for those animals

that are bold enough to seek them.

TRAFFIC DIN

Bhopal, central India.

During festivals, the city fills with light.

FIREWORKS CRACKLE

But in the shadows, a predator is on the prowl...

..lured here by the promise of easy prey.

VEHICLE HORNS BLAST

A tiger.

Asia's largest big cat.

LOW GROWL

This female needs to make a kill every week.

LOW GROWL

And the city has rich hunting grounds.

CATTLE LOWS

The occasional loss of livestock...

..is tolerated by the humans who live here.

And the tigress has learnt to become invisible.

TIGER GROWLS

Timing is everything.

LOW RUMBLING GROWL

She uses the same routes as the people...

..but never at the same time.

And her stealthy strategy pays off.

DISTANT SIRENS WAIL

She has cubs.

A litter of four.

Tiger mothers usually have only two cubs.

Quadruplets are a sign that she's doing well.

But now, she's got her work cut out.

CUB SNORTS

She must teach her mischievous cubs how to go unnoticed.

PLAYFUL GROWL

These urban tigers have learnt to thrive in the human world...

CUB YELPS

..by staying out of the spotlight.

In Sri Lanka,

the largest of land mammals takes a very different approach.

LOW RUMBLE

Asian elephants live in higher densities here

than anywhere else on Earth.

To find enough food, they roam for hundreds of miles.

But people are never far away.

ENGINES HUM

HORNS BLARE

That means new dangers...

..but also new opportunities.

TRAFFIC DIN

Fruit is tastier than leaves and grass.

And on this road you can often pick up a full meal.

But there is one bull who takes things a stage further.

LOW GROWLING

He doesn't wait patiently by the roadside.

HORN HOOTS

Instead, he uses his four-tonne body

to create a road-block

and demand a toll.

When he receives a payment, he lets them past.

His persuasive charm has earned him a reputation.

He's even been given a name - Raja.

He knows which vehicles aren't worth bothering with...

And which have the potential

to deliver a feast.

RAJA SNORTS

ELEPHANT GRUMBLES LOWLY

Raja's gentle nature has won many hearts.

But other bulls here don't share his diplomatic skills.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Their more assertive approach doesn't get them anywhere.

ENGINE APPROACHES

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

And now, despite the risks, entire families are showing up.

HORN BLARES

Elephant numbers are on the rise in Sri Lanka.

Persuading people to hand over their food

will be an increasingly valuable skill.

One there is plenty of time to learn.

This new behaviour is only possible because of the mutual respect here.

Such tolerance exists among people right across Asia...

..including here -

Nara, in central Japan.

During the morning rush hour, not all commuters walk on two legs.

Sika deer are more than comfortable in this town.

They're free to roam wherever they please.

TRAFFIC DIN

This mutual understanding has existed for generations.

A deer is believed, in ancient times,

to have brought into the town a divine messenger

riding on its back.

Ever since, sika deer here have been considered sacred.

DEER SHRIEKS

And today, they're celebrities.

They are hand-fed with special deer crackers.

But every autumn, the peace is disturbed.

Males start fighting for females...

..and become a danger to people.

To avoid accidents,

their antlers are removed.

They will grow back in spring, and their temporary loss

allow the deer to live in the city without risk of hurting anyone.

But those males looking for a mate now have a problem.

This stag's search has brought him to the edge of the town.

A group of females.

Perfect.

DEER SHRIEKS But they are being guarded...

..by a male from out of town,

with an intimidating set of antlers.

This posturing signals a challenge.

A slip now could cost him an eye.

Lacking antlers, he's dependent on strength...

..skill and sheer determination.

Even without weaponry, he has beaten his opponent.

HIGH PITCHED SHRIEK

And the winners get a chance with the females.

India -

home to more people than any other country on Earth.

Over 1.4 billion.

Half the population work in agriculture.

And here, in the foothills of the Himalaya,

the millet crop is ready for harvesting.

WOMEN CHAT

But a raid is being planned.

A troop of Himalayan langurs.

These fields contain the best food for miles around.

LANGUR BARKS

The prospect of such a good meal is irresistible.

The crops, however, are growing on the other side of a river.

And the only bridge is patrolled by dogs.

DOG PANTS

LANGUR CHATTERS

They regularly kill intruding monkeys.

DOGS BARK

The langurs' only option is to brave the rapids.

LANGUR CHATTERS

DOGS BARK

The dogs are closing in.

The baby has to cling on to its mother for dear life.

DOGS CONTINUE TO BARK

These monkeys have made it to a field full of food.

Much more nutritious than the wild plants that grow higher up.

LANGURS SQUEAK AND CHATTER

But the langurs must be alert.

LANGUR GRUNTS

A male keeps watch.

DOGS BARK

LANGUR CALLS OUT

DOGS BARK

The langurs take refuge in the nearby trees.

CONTINUOUS BARKING

LOW GROWL

But now, they're trapped.

BARKING

One wrong move could be fatal.

DOG BARKS

But langurs are clever.

They create a diversion.

LANGUR CALLS OUT

The older adults lead the dogs away...

..and the others are able to escape.

DOGS BARK

CAR HORN BEEPS

The troop is re-united.

Everyone is home and safe.

Agriculture in India has shaped the landscape for thousands of years.

Irrigating crops requires an extensive network of channels,

dams and canals.

These features occasionally create

unexpected opportunities for animals.

In Gujarat, in the west of India,

snakes are on the move.

These are checkered keelbacks

and they have a particular destination in mind.

This drainage channel might not look like much,

but it will soon be full of fish.

And the snakes seem to know it.

Fish travelling upstream to reach reservoirs

must pass through a narrow gap.

There, the snakes await them.

But the only thing they seem to be actually catching...

..is each other.

They don't have long to get their eye in.

The fish are only here for a few days each year,

when water levels are at their peak.

And now, there is competition.

That is just showing off.

Jackpot!

Finally, the snakes have caught on.

And now they're getting ambitious...

..going for even bigger fish.

But be careful what you wish for.

Such a stir from one simple structure.

Human developments inevitably affect the landscape.

And here in Asia, that influence has become major and extensive.

Across the continent, people are building in all directions,

faster than anywhere else on Earth.

In just a few decades, Singapore has become totally urban.

And it's still expanding.

Today, two-thirds of the world's mega-cities are in Asia.

And some have spread so far that they've merged with one another.

In Japan, Tokyo has joined with nearby Yokohama

and created the planet's largest built-up area.

This is what is now known as a megalopolis.

37 million people have their homes here.

Such cities are surely the most un-natural of our planet's habitats.

TRAFFIC DIN

Taipei - the capital of Taiwan.

Here, an animal normally found in forests

now lives surrounded by the glass and concrete of a modern school.

On the fifth floor, inside the library,

he's built a nest...

..between a window and its shutters.

It's quiet, warm and far from predators.

A great place for a squirrel to sleep through the day.

But when he wakes up, he has a problem.

Here, there is very little food.

To get to a tree where there might be some,

he must travel from one building to another...

LOUD TRAFFIC NOISE

..and that is dangerous.

But this is no ordinary squirrel.

He has a super-power.

He can fly.

He has skin stretching between his limbs

that enables him to glide for 150 metres or so.

But to reach his destination will be difficult.

Each take-off must be from as high as possible...

SIREN WAILS

..because with every glide,

he inevitably loses height.

And travelling over the ground is very dangerous indeed.

DOGS BARK IN DISTANCE

SIREN WAILS

ENGINES ROAR

SIREN WAILS

At last, the trees are in sight.

SIREN PASSES

Just one more busy road to cross and he'll be there.

HORN TOOTS

CROSSING BEEPS

Finally, a meal.

Another Taipei resident manages to find all it needs

without having to commute.

A rhinoceros beetle

emerging in a city garden.

Males have only one thing on their mind...

..sex in the city.

WINGS WHIR

This may seem an unlikely place to find a mate.

But there's something here that all rhinoceros beetles

find irresistible.

Ash trees.

Lots of females are already here, feeding on the sweet sap.

This male approaches them cautiously.

But he's not the first to arrive.

And some have much bigger horns.

DRAMATIC MUSIC

Down...

..but not out.

Rhinoceros beetles don't give up easily.

But these ash trees have been planted closer together

than they usually grow in the wild.

Which is why there are so many rhinoceros beetles here.

WINGS WHIR

And more males means more battles.

With such a small horn, the odds of winning are low.

BUZZING

Sometimes you have to rely on stealth.

Waiting for the other males to start fighting...

..and then sneaking past.

Finally, a female.

Rhinoceros beetles are one of a select group of animals

able to thrive in Asian cities.

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand,

has a population of ten million people.

Only 250 years ago, this was all wetlands.

And between the skyscrapers, remnants of that past remain.

This is Lumpini Park

and here, swamp-dwellers still survive.

PIGEONS COO

An Asian water monitor.

This young female is one of the smallest in the park.

So her life here isn't easy.

Males dominate.

RUNNERS CHATTER

Some are over two metres long...

..and all are expert at fishing.

There are 300 or so living here,

as dense a population of big lizards as you can find anywhere.

So competition is fierce.

HISSING

This small female will need to be bold if she's to get her fair share.

A catch as big as this attracts a crowd.

Their forked tongues enable them to detect a scent

from half a mile away...

..and soon many huge males arrive.

HISSING

The female is undaunted.

Despite her small size, she barges straight in.

But as more males gather, they squabble.

Her chances don't look good.

HISSING

When you can't get a look in, other tactics might work.

Such as stealing.

This female now has her very own fish head...

..and she's not giving it up.

There's so much food here that these lizards are thriving.

And seemingly, finding little difficulty

in living alongside humans.

That is not a common ability.

HORNS BLARE

Most animals need a more natural world

and that is diminishing as a consequence of

our ever-increasing numbers.

In Borneo, in just 50 years,

the human population has tripled,

whilst the size of its forest has halved.

And one of the island's inhabitants, which lives nowhere else,

has very special requirements.

Proboscis monkeys.

MONKEYS BARK

Their favourite food are the leaves of a particular species of mangrove.

The youngest leaves are the most nutritious,

so the monkeys are constantly on the move, looking for fresh growth.

As the forest shrinks, these trees are becoming more difficult to find.

Now, their search for food is bringing the monkeys into

the human world...

..that lies on the other side of a 100 metre wide river.

These pipes are the only bridge across it for miles.

MONKEY HISSES

But the monkeys don't use it.

HISSING

MONKEYS SHRIEK

They can swim.

The baby struggles to keep its head above water.

Made it!

But their journey is far from over.

And now, they are in human territory.

To reach the trees they are seeking,

the troop must cross the outskirts of the city.

And that brings them closer to people.

ENGINE PUTTERS

At last, on the edge of the city, their favourite leaves.

The dangerous journey has paid off.

But a tiny, isolated patch of mangroves like this

won't sustain them for long.

If they are to survive,

they will soon have to find another patch somewhere.

Like so many animals from the wilderness,

these monkeys face an uncertain future.

BELL TOLLS

But there is, however, one species

that has become increasingly dependent on our towns and cities.

HIGH PITCHED BIRD CRIES

These swifts have just travelled over 3,000 miles

from Sub-Saharan Africa to Jerusalem, in the far west of Asia.

In the heart of this ancient city they nest in walls

that have stood here for 2,000 years...

..the Western Wall.

It's one of the holiest sites in Judaism,

and swifts doubtless have nested here ever since it was built.

The cracks between the stones are just the sort of nest sites

that swifts like.

Across the Middle East, these birds rely on human structures.

And if they can, they return to the same nest site each year.

This one is waiting for its partner to arrive.

SWIFT CHIRPS

They pair for life,

but only come together for the short breeding season.

After nine months apart, they are united once again.

This couple are among the lucky ones.

They have a chance of raising a family this year.

But some will never find a home.

The urban world on which they have relied is changing.

TRAFFIC HORNS BEEP

Old buildings are being replaced by cliffs of glass and steel.

There are no nooks and crannies here.

With fewer places to nest,

swift populations the world over are in decline.

But every pair that breeds successfully

brings hope for the species.

In this nest, good news.

The parents are now raising two chicks.

Growing youngsters need feeding every hour.

Swifts do everything on the wing,

from catching thousands of insects

to collecting water,

a task which requires very precise aerial manoeuvres.

In a few weeks, these chicks will also take to the skies.

CHICKS CHIRP

They may then remain in the air, continuously, for three years,

until they're mature enough to return and breed themselves.

But as historic cities are transformed by modern structures,

the birds will face an even greater challenge.

We should surely leave enough space for those few creatures

in the world who still choose to live alongside us.

Filming animals living alongside people

took the Asia team into new territories.

Whilst most wildlife film-makers work in the wilderness...

..they found themselves in the busiest

and most built-up parts of the continent.

The challenges of filming animals in human habitats

don't come much bigger than they did in Sri Lanka.

With elephants on a busy road, the priority is to keep everybody safe.

We did a recce yesterday

with Sam, our incredibly experienced guide,

and he's identified two elephants that are quite aggressive,

and just from that drive-by, it's fairly evident

that they're quite aggressive!

That tusker's body language was completely different.

He felt stressed being on the road.

And I felt stressed being around him!

Just... Just completely unpredictable.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Interactions between people and elephants can quickly escalate.

In Sri Lanka, conflicts frequently result in fatalities on both sides.

Rangers patrol these roads,

and use firecrackers to scare the more aggressive elephants away.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

But not all the bulls here are the same.

The rangers introduce the crew

to one whose calm nature makes him safer to film.

Ah, dude, perfect.

That was great.

That was an awesome shot.

Raja.

He's got a very different temperament

to all the other elephants we've seen.

He's the calmest out of all of them, and the most confident.

Justine has 30 years of experience

filming elephants all over the world.

But she's never met an elephant quite like Raja.

Today, he's decided to stand right next to the vehicle in a shady spot,

which is a bit tricky, because I don't know where to put the camera.

It's proving difficult to get him to keep his distance.

There's no food.

No food, Raja. We don't have anything.

Look, nothing.

Usually, filming the close-ups is the hardest part.

But here, it's the wide shots that are tough.

Whilst Justine works with Raja...

..Emma-Louise wants to capture the action from a different angle.

From inside a bus.

The challenge with filming on a bus is that it's always

a completely different scenario.

So no two buses are the same.

The interior's completely different.

It's kind of getting a feel for how most buses are laid out.

You have different conductors, different drivers,

the elephants are on different sides of the road.

So no matter how well you think you've planned

for the camera moves you want to do,

it's never the way you planned!

We're not allowed to direct or instruct the conductors

or the driver at all, because they're driving a public bus

on a public highway, so we can't ask them to do anything.

Ah, wrong side, OK.

Meanwhile, Justine has enlisted help

to get some much-needed distance from Raja.

He's talking to Raja, basically, saying,

"It's OK, we don't have anything. Go back to where you were."

Raja seems to look at him.

The way he speaks is just gentle.

They seem to have a relationship, these two.

Now, you see, he's turned around. He's going back to his patch.

Thanks to the ranger's negotiating skills,

Justine can get to work filming Raja at work.

I mean, compared to all the other elephants,

he is the utter master of road scavenging.

He's a bit of a legend.

After hours on the road,

the bus team feel like their plan will never come together.

I think we've been on about 38 buses now in total,

maybe 40.

You need the perfect position of the elephant,

you need the perfect position of the driver.

All the stars just have to align.

Ah, this is a good bus for that shot.

Finally...

..persistence pays off.

I love it when a plan comes together.

I think that's awesome.

That's really good. Nice. Let me see.

In Sri Lanka, elephants and humans overlap

more than anywhere else on Earth, and so there will be challenges.

The human/wildlife conflict, or coexistence,

is a tricky one here, like it is everywhere.

A fighting over resources.

But here, the relationship is one of tolerance.

An attitude which the Asia team witnessed many times

whilst filming across this spectacular continent.

Next time,

a journey into the arid heart of Asia...

LION ROARS

..where life exists on a knife edge...

..and each day is a fight for survival.

TRAIN HORN BLARES

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