All language subtitles for gne.gro.puorGVM.CAA.562x.VTDH.p0801.2fo2.dnalrednoW.serutaN.aidnI.CBB

India.

A vibrant, bustling world,
home to over a billion people.

But if you know where to look...

The most spectacular wildlife...

Ancient cultures...

And extreme landscapes can be found.

I'm Liz Bonnin.

I'm here to explore
India's spectacular

wildlife in one of the
most bio diverse places on Earth.

I've spent years studying wildlife,

but every time I return to India,
I discover something new.

I completely underestimated
how extraordinary

and eye-opening this was
going to be.

Actor Freida Pinto was born here.

She wants to share the
remarkable bond

between India's people
and the natural world.

You always see that there is a
connection between man and animal.

Wow!

And from the highest peaks on Earth,
mountaineer Jon Gupta

explores India's
most extreme landscapes.

My passion is mountains,

and there is nowhere
in the world like the Himalayas.

We're travelling the length
and breadth of this subcontinent

to reveal the hidden wonders
of India's natural world.

These are...

The Wonders of India!

India is home to a spectacular
array of habitats and species,

many of which are found
nowhere else.

I've been enchanted by India
ever since my first visit.

My great-grandparents
came from here.

This land is so vast, you could
spend a lifetime exploring it

and still only scratch the surface.

I'm starting my journey 300 miles
west of Delhi.

In a place which seems
rather unremarkable.

But this village hosts
a unique wildlife event.

A collaboration between birds
and people I've heard about

but have never witnessed.

If it's half as impressive as
they say, I'm in for a real treat.

This is Khichan and it's known as
the village of the cranes.

Every year, tens of thousands
of birds migrate here

from their breeding grounds on the
steppes of Eurasia and Mongolia.

And it's not just
the watering holes that border

this village that draw
the birds here -

the people play an integral part
in the lives of these elegant birds.

I've discovered that the story
of India's wildlife

is one of ancient reverence.

Every day in winter, the people
of this village fill a square

with food for some weary travellers.

Demoiselle cranes.

It has created one
of the most spectacular

sights on the subcontinent.

Like all the best spectacles,
it starts slowly.

At dawn, the birds start to
arrive in small numbers.

They fly in formation, like ribbons
stretched across the sky.

There's something really emotive
about watching them fly overhead.

This fluid, coordinated movement.
It's just, just beautiful.

As the sun rises,
so the number of birds increases.

Gradually, the sky
fills with cranes.

It might sound
a bit like a cacophony

when they're all together,
and there is a real order to it all.

They land on a hillside
overlooking the village.

Once the numbers reach a critical
mass, they take to the skies again.

My God!

Look at that!

It started off ever so gently,
and now it's really,

really kicking off.
That's extraordinary!

But the birds don't enter
the feeding area straight away.

They are extremely wary.

So while the people of the village
go about their morning routine...

the cranes circle above.

Waiting for the first bird
to take the plunge.

For some unknown reason, the first
bird is quite often this one.

A bird with only one foot.

Day after day,
it's the first one to feed.

Maybe it needs this head start
because it can't compete

when the square is crowded.

The rest of the cranes are circling
in what looks like a really

synchronised,
coordinated type of activity.

All contact calling
to each other nonstop.

Once the rest can see
there's no danger,

they flock to the square
in their thousands.

I'm so impressed
with how orderly this all is.

They don't all land
en masse to feed.

There's a sort of controlled
movement of the birds outside

the enclosure,
and then the front bit takes off,

circles overhead
and lands on the outside

of the already feeding birds,

and they're doing this in stages.

It could be pandemonium,
but it's not -

it's incredibly civilised
and orderly.

I completely underestimated
how extraordinary

and eye-opening
this was going to be.

This flock acts like a
well-oiled machine.

No call, no movement is
made by accident,

and even the subtlest change
in behaviour...

moves through the flock
like a ripple!

This has to be seen to be believed.

Demoiselle cranes
are the smallest of all cranes.

They were given their name when
the French queen, Marie Antoinette,

first saw one.

She loved their delicate appearance.

Demoiselle means maiden
or young lady.

But these birds are
much tougher than they look.

To get to Khichan,
they have travelled 1,200 miles

across the Central Asian plain.

But it's the height
they fly that is remarkable.

Specially adapted lungs process
oxygen more efficiently,

so they can rise up
into thinner air.

They fly over the Himalayas
at altitudes of up to 7,000 metres.

The cranes started to come here

because of the watering holes
surrounding this desert village.

Sevaram Mali Parihar is one of those
that began this project.

How many cranes were there
at the beginning compared to how

many there are now?

So how much grain do you put
out every day?

That is a lot.
So how do they pay for this?

The people of Khichan are mostly
members of the Jain community.

It is a central belief of this
ancient religion that animals

and people should be treated
with equal respect.

When they saw hungry birds
on their long migration,

they felt it was their
duty to help them.

The villagers of Khichan have
dedicated themselves to the

preservation of these
magnificent cranes.

And you go beyond just feeding them,
is that right?

I saw some newspaper clippings about
telephone or electricity wires?

Yes. HE TRANSLATES.

It's an extraordinary
amount of dedication.

Why... why go through all of that?

Do you ever get tired of this, every
morning, this incredible spectacle?

But these wild birds
are nervous feeders.

Anything can scare them off.

As quickly as the cranes
entered the square, they leave.

The villagers lay out
the food for the next day

and the routine
starts all over again.

I've been lucky enough
to witness many spectacles.

But they tend to be in wild places,
away from people.

To see something as dramatic
as these cranes right in the

centre of an otherwise ordinary
village is a rare treat indeed.

As an actor growing up in India,
performance is in my blood.

One of India's oldest forms of
theatre mixes animals and

people into a world-famous spectacle
packed with spirit of my home.

To witness it, I've travelled
to Assam in the northeast of India,

where, thanks to their isolation,
the island communities

of the Brahmaputra River
maintain age-old traditions.

Indian culture and religion have
a very strong link to the natural

world, specifically animals, and
a lot of gods in Indian mythology

and religion seem to appear
in some animal form or the other.

So how do they bring these
gods to life?

This is the ancient skill
of mask making.

They are used to tell mythological
stories of the struggles

between gods.

In India's religions, such gods
often take the form of animals.

I think it will be
absolutely incomplete,

this trip, if I didn't try
to gather some skills myself.

So the next step

is cow dung and what else?
Cow dung, yeah, and clay.

And clay. OK, it's a mixture
of cow dung and clay

to give the mask whatever
character they desire to give it.

So right now you have...

Yeah, yeah, Hanuman.

So right now,
he is busy making a very,

very famous character
in the Ramayana.

Ramayana, yeah.
It's Hanuman, the monkey god.

Hanuman is one of the most
recognisable gods throughout India,

a deity with the face of a monkey
and the quick witted instincts too.

Well, basically, what he's saying
is that I'm very good at this

and I don't need any help.

I'm actually the worst when it comes
to crafts and arts, so this

is me pretending that I'm actually
an expert, when I'm actually not.

Indian life is full of stories

and religious fables that serve
as a bedrock of this culture.

The masks are an ideal way
to bring those stories to life.

They are the most colourful
and expressive I've ever seen.

One look is enough to convince me
I need to try them on.

OK.

This is going to be a battle.
Good and bad.

That's my Oscar!

Legend has it that the inhabitants
of these islands were urged to

learn how to make these masks by
a voice from the Brahmaputra itself.

The masks have a spiritual purpose.

These characters are from the
story I'm to be shown.

The Ramayana is not just one
of the most important books in the.

Hindu religion, it's one of the best
known stories in the whole of India.

It's the story of Rama

and his battle with the demon
Ravana, who is after his wife, Sita.

Here, Sita is being captured.

The vulture, Jatayu,
tries to save her.

The demon king kills the vulture
and runs off with Sita.

But in the story,
it is Rama who triumphs,

thanks to the
help of the animal kingdom.

Especially the monkey army,

led by the nimble Hanuman.

These legends have been a
part of our culture for centuries.

Like millions of other Indians, they
were a central part of my childhood.

This constant telling
and retelling of stories

where nature helps
overcome adversity

reminds us of the importance
of the animals that surround us.

And I want to say thank you so much
for this wonderful performance.

This was absolutely wonderful
to bring it to life.

Thank you so much for doing this
for us. Thank you, thank you.

From a man-made spectacle
to one that was created

40 million years ago.

To my mind, these are
India's greatest marvel of all,

the Himalayas.

I've climbed throughout the
Himalayas in Nepal

and Central Asia,
but never before in India.

The reason I wanted to come here is
that my grandfather was born

in the foothills of these mountains.

Though he left India for Britain,
this vast landscape was

the backdrop to his childhood.

Finally, I have the chance to come
and explore it for myself.

The higher I climb,
the thinner the air gets.

It means I can only ever visit
these heights for a short period.

At these altitudes, everything is
difficult, even breathing.

But all around me

there are animals that have made
this place their home.

To stay in their world for
any length of time,

I would need to use specialist
clothing and equipment.

I want to learn about animals
that have perfectly adapted

to life amongst these peaks.

To see them, I've had to come to
just below the snow line.

These are tahr.

There's a reason
I want to see them in action.

I've heard this goat is
the ultimate mountain animal.

They've adapted to live
in the most extreme mountain

environment on Earth.

Their long, thick fur keeps them warm
in the harsh mountain winters.

Their hooves have hard edges
and soft rubbery centres.

Perfect to wedge into rocky cracks.

Their shoulders are shock absorbers.

They can go anywhere,
and I do mean ANYWHERE.

Life in these mountains
lives on a knife edge -

there's very little room for error.

I've climbed Everest,

but I'd think twice before
attempting to descend that.

Yet this is the daily commute
for even the youngest tahr.

At each step they take, there's rocks

and grass tumbling
down the rock face.

Tahr eat grass, herbs and leaves,

but food is a scarce
commodity up here.

By climbing, they can get
to vegetation that no other

animal can access.

I can barely watch it!

I can't believe it. There are now two
families descending the cliff.

Even the youngest tahr
takes this in its stride.

I just wonder at what point the
mother stands at the top

of a cliff as big as this,
at least 300 or 400 metres high,

looks over and just says,

"Yes, I think it's about time
that you, my tiny, tiny little tahr"

"come down this rock face with me,
and off you go."

I can't help but be
impressed at the agility

and the dexterity of the tahr.

It's a perfect example of
how India's wildlife has adapted

to live in even the most
inhospitable places.

The sheer size of India
means there are many extreme

habitats for wildlife.

I've travelled a short way
down the Brahmaputra to.

Kaziranga National Park -
160 square miles of grassland.

I'm here to see
India's longest-running

conservation success story -

India's rhinoceros,
the one-horned rhino.

And this is the best way
to get close to one.

So this is quite early
in the morning.

And the elephant is our chosen
mode of transportation.

I'm riding with wildlife
cameraman Sandesh Kadur.

He's spent a
lifetime studying the rhinos.

We're going to hopefully spot
these rhinos today.

Well, where we are, Kaziranga,
is one of the best places to see

the one-horned rhino. Right.

It has half the
world's population right here,

but we do have to look for them. OK.

As we enter the grass,
I'm desperate for my first glimpse

of this rare beast.

Look at that, look at that.

Wow, that's amazing.
We're very close to this guy.

Yeah.

This is probably one of
the best rhino sightings I've had

in a long time.

Now you can see
how big the rhino is.

I've never seen
a one-horned rhino before

so this is literally my first time.

The rhinoceros conservation story
goes back over 100 years.

Kaziranga was created in 1905
when habitat destruction and hunting

had brought rhino numbers in India
crashing to just ten or so.

Since then, these protected lands
have helped numbers rise.

There are now over 2,000 here.

People come from all over
the world to see them.

They've got very, very small eyes.

They're practically blind. Aw!

Rhinos have bad eyesight
but good hearing.

Their ears swivel at the slightest
sound to locate danger.

When threatened,

these massive beasts can charge
at up to 30mph.

My God, he's been...
He's had a little bit of a fight.

Yeah! He's got a...
Got a little... gash.

See, that's how delicate
the skin is.

Any little thing
punctures it and wounds it.

It looks like armour,
but it is actually very, very soft.

Really? And another little titbit.

They get sunburnt very quickly.

Aw.

In summer, temperatures
approach 40 degrees.

The rhinos take to
the water to cool down.

Their skin gets covered
in ticks and mites,

the rhino relies on mina birds

and egrets to pick the parasites
from those hard-to-reach places.

So what's... what's your...? What do
you feel like? Your first rhino.

My first rhino experience!
I actually am... am...

This is beautiful.

It makes you emotional, right?

Just to be in the presence
of these wild animals.

For me, that was the most beautiful
thing. It's a real privilege.

Just as we're about to leave,

Sandesh spots an unbelievable treat.

Look at that! Baby rhino.
It's a baby rhino.

Aw. How old do you think...?

This is a newborn, hardly
two months old. This is incredible.

God, we're so lucky. We actually
see the mother and the baby.

That's right.

This is a rare sight.

Rhinos only have a single calf
every three years.

But this is a sign of the continued
health of the rhino programme

here, in Kaziranga.

Incredible.
You couldn't have asked for more.

Once, rhinos were found
all across the northern plains.

But poaching threatened
their very existence.

Thanks to over 100 years
of protection in this park,

numbers are on the increase.

There are now over 3,000
of them in the wild.

Over half live
in these protected lands.

The lush vegetation that gives
the one-horned rhino a home

is typical of the sights you
associate with India.

But India is also home to desert.

The Thar Desert in the northwest
of India is the largest

desert in the country.

It's as large as Britain.

In places, the average rainfall
is just ten centimetres a year.

An ancient legend explains how such
a forbidding place came into being.

According to mythology,
the Thar Desert was created

when Rama tried to dry the sea
to reach Sita, who was being held

captive on an island.

The sea god begged Rama
not to dry out his entire ocean

and just to dry out a small section
where wicked people lived.

Rama agreed, and so the sea god
granted him passage to Sita.

And as a thank you, Rama turned the
dried out sea into a fertile desert.

The most barren part is
the Rann of Kutch.

This is the home of an animal that
is a true natural wonder of India.

It's able to call
this baking furnace home.

It's the only place in the
world where you'll find

the Indian wild ass.

In the most arid parts of the Rann
of Kutch, the wild ass ekes out

an almost impossible existence,

surviving on the little nourishment
available in the sparse scrub

that grows there.

This is one of the
hottest places in India.

Temperatures peak
at almost 50 degrees Celsius.

Living year round in this relentless
heat, the Indian wild ass is

one of the hardiest animals
in the world.

It has had to adapt to survive.

Rain comes for just
a few months of the year.

When the surface water dries up,

the Indian wild ass gets
the hydration it needs from eating

the scrubby plants that draw
their moisture from the ground.

But it's not the only animal
that lives here.

At certain times of the year,

wolves and hyenas
will enter the desert, too.

To evade these predators,

the Indian wild ass
has a special talent.

It's one of the fastest
animals in India,

with a top speed of 50mph.

Every aspect of their lives
is driven by water.

The brief rains turn the
plains into green marshland.

Mating is timed so that foals
will be born into this period

of relative plenty.

Females make it very clear

if they don't think
it's the right time to mate.

Living in a place of such extremes,
the Indian wild ass is a perfect

example of the resilience of India's
wildlife in a hostile landscape.

From a land of baking heat,

it is just 600 miles north

to one of frozen ice.

Of freshwater ice
outside of the poles.

It gives the mountains their empty,
barren appearance.

But that's deceptive.

Everything here is alive.

The Himalayas are still growing.

Even though they are
the highest mountains on Earth,

they are actually the youngest.

In geological terms,
at just 40 million years old,

they are mere infants.

As the land masses they sit on
continue their slow motion collision,

the Himalayas gradually rise.

It's mind boggling to think that
this is still taking place today

and that the Himalayas are growing
by a few centimetres each year.

For me, life in these mountains
is simply on a different

scale from the world below.

Having spent a lot of my time
living in these high mountains,

it's clear to me that these
mountains are very much alive.

Last year, I was on a high camp
on a mountain just near Everest and

I took the day off to rest. And as I
spent the day sat there watching the

mountains, I couldn't help feel that
they were also breathing with me.

In the morning, it's clear, crystal
clear. And through the duration of

the day, clouds come up the valleys
and disperse into the big hills.

And then later on in the afternoon,

when the temperatures start to
plummet, the clouds do the opposite.

They then descend
back into the valleys

and slowly dissipate back away,
leaving this clear again.

And as I watched these clouds,
I couldn't help but feel that these

mountains had taken an entire day
just to take one full breath.

But even giants need help.

In the Himalayas,

it comes in the form of one of
the smallest inhabitants.

The pika.

I want to see how this tiny
creature plays a vital role

in the life of them.

Sahas Barve studies
the animals of these mountains.

There's one right there. It's...

Yes, yeah.
They are quite small.

It's sleeping. Yeah, they are.

Pika are known locally
as the friendly mouse,

but they are actually
part of the rabbit family.

'Their hopping run is the giveaway.'

You can definitely see that this
is part of the rabbit family.

Yeah. It runs like a rabbit.

I know, yeah.

Pika do not hibernate.

During the winter, they make burrows
under the snow and under the rocks.

In spring, the tunnels they create
become drainage channels,

dispersing the meltwater.

Through the winter,
Pika live off food

they have gathered
in the short summer.

Pikas live below the snow
in the winters.

First of all, they have this big
cache of food in their burrow.

But if they need to get
to another cache,

they have paths under the snow.

It's all connected? Yeah.

Their activity disperses the
seeds of many plants.

Their food stores
and droppings become fertiliser.

And because they are
active year round,

they are one of the few sources
of food for predators in the winter.

Pikas are really vital to
the Himalayan system

because not only do they aerate the
soil, which helps the grass grow,

but they're also a really key
prey species for a bunch of animals

like weasels and martens
and foxes and eagles.

Without these busy creatures,

the Himalayas would be a very
different place.

This vast landscape owes
so much to such a tiny creature.

Throughout India, people have a
bond with the natural world.

If you go through any book
that talks about religion or.

Hinduism just in general,
you always see that there is

a connection between man and animal.

I'm travelling to Majuli on
the Brahmaputra River.

Majuli is the largest river
island in India.

It's three times as big
as the Isle of Wight.

One of the islands that cluster
around Majuli is home to

a man whose dedication to nature
is an example to us all.

To meet him,
I need to get on a ferry,

and that's not as
straightforward as it sounds.

Getting across the Brahmaputra
can be quite a task.

As you can see,
it gets pretty chaotic.

Somehow, through all this chaos,

like most of India is,
things get done.

We will get on the ferry,
our cars will load

and we'll finally get
to our destination.

Shall I load?

The river is up to six miles wide.

There's constant toing and froing of
people,

livestock and other animals.

Which explains the
price list for tickets.

OK, we've found it.
This one's very important.

India is a very, very kind country

and a very hospitable country,
you probably know that by now.

Unlike many other modes
of transportation,

we have no passenger restrictions
here on the ferry,

so if you want to bring
a buffalo, you can.

An elephant with a mahout,
of course you can.

Sheep, goat, calf, pig, bull, cow,
horse and like animal, we can.

And... If you want to get a wild
animal like tiger or lion, you can.

So let's go!

If you're wondering
how much a wild tiger costs...

Less than a pound.

150,000 people live on Majuli.

It's a place
where time has stood still.

And all over the island, people
are looking for ways to work with

the natural world.

This man has even made
a bike using bamboo.

I can never resist
trying something new!

OK.

So he says the only trick to
the bicycle is learning how to

manoeuvre the handles.

But he's not the man
I'm here to see.

See you later! Aaah!

This unique culture is under threat.

Not by man, but by the very thing
that gives it life -

the Brahmaputra river itself.

Since the 1950s, Majuli has lost
a third of its landmass

due to erosion from the river.

In 15 to 20 years, Majuli
and her neighbouring islands

could cease to exist.

Unless something is done.

I'm crossing to a neighbouring
island with someone who has

become a legend.

He has taken action that
has highlighted

the plight of these islands...

By planting trees.

Thousands of them.

28 years.

Soft sand. Sand.

OK. He's planted every single
tree in this forest.

There was practically nothing,
it was just sand,

just barren land,
and he's planted every single tree.

It has taken three decades,
but on this island,

Jadav Pareng has created
his own rainforest.

Now roots and vegetation bind
the land together,

forming a natural barrier
against the current.

And wildlife has returned, too.

Jadav has seen elephants, rhinos
and even tigers in his forest.

Jadav tells me his story

and why he has worked so tirelessly
to save the land he grew up in.

The fruits that he ate
on this island, as a child,

he realised that after the floods,

when the trees would be destroyed
and future generations would not

have the opportunity to taste those
lovely fruits that he ate as a kid.

So a part of it is him trying
to save this place for the animals

but it's also a very... it's a pride
in his childhood that he wants to

pass on to the next
generation of children.

He's a very generous man.

It's through the efforts of heroes
like Jadav that India's wild

places remain protected.

At the other end of the country
is a mountain range called

the Western Ghats.

They're India's oldest mountains.

They run for 1,000 miles from Mumbai
to the southern tip of India.

They're home to 50 million people.

But the monsoon rains
and southern heat create

near perfect conditions
for wildlife, too.

This great mountainous tropical
rainforest is one of the most

biodiverse places on Earth.

The Western Ghats explode with life,

packed with species
that are only found here.

50% of all of India's amphibians
are found in the Western Ghats.

Many live nowhere else in the world.

Like the rare purple frog.

This species may be one
of the strangest looking creatures

on the planet, but scientists
believe it's a rare survivor of a

lineage that dates back 130 million
years, to the time of the dinosaurs.

For 50 weeks, this male has
remained hidden underground,

buried in the mud where his food is.

His pointed nose allows him
to burrow, but it limits the size

of his mouth, restricting his diet
to termites and other small bugs.

He emerges for just two weeks
every year as the monsoon begins.

He has just one thing on his mind -
to breed.

After he's mated,
he'll return to his muddy burrow.

With such a short time above ground,
this species remained

undiscovered until 2003,
when it was formally identified.

And it was instantly added
to the endangered list.

The Western Ghats are home
to over 300 endangered species.

The one I'm travelling to see
is the lion-tailed macaque.

It's thought to be one of the
ancestors of all Asian macaques.

This is the only area
in which they're found.

Wildlife cameraman Kalyan Varma
is one of those helping

to protect the local
population of macaques.

Like all monkeys,
they're very inquisitive.

They're just coming
from the morning roost.

Wow, look at... Oop!
He's so handsome!

Look at that hand.

They're definitely used
to cars anyway.

Wow, look at this!!

They're just very curious about us.
I didn't even see him!

Well, good morning.

And that's a lion-tailed macaque.

These are the most endangered
of all India's macaques.

There are just 4,000
left in the wild.

Their home in rainforest canopy
is being cut down to make way

for tea plantations.

They're being forced to share
space with people.

It makes these wild animals
more approachable.

I've got lion-tailed macaques
above me to my right.

This beautiful female behind me.

And I can't quite believe just
how close I am to...

A mother and infant!

Two. My God, they're...
This is... unbelievable.

There are three females
in this troop

with very young infants
hanging on to their bellies.

There's one there,
there's another one there

and there was another female
over there with an infant,

up in the tree.
And that is SO rare to see!

Females will only bear maybe three
or four offspring in their lives.

Like many species of macaques,
science has named these

beautiful animals after their tails,
which is somewhat surprising.

For me, it's more the mane around
the face that reminds me of lions,

why aren't they called
lion-maned macaques?

I always wondered that as well
because in the local languages

and all of South India,
they call it the lion-faced or

the lion-maned macaques.
Do they really? Absolutely.

And I don't know why in English
the scientific name

is lion-tailed macaque.

Lion-tailed macaques face threats
every day from busy roads.

The Nature Conservation Foundation
has come up with an ingenious

solution to the problem of getting
across the thoroughfares that

slice through their forests.

Bridges made from fire hoses.

How much of a difference has this
made to casualties and fatalities?

It's quite a bit. I think a lot of
them, especially the young ones,

love using this. It's the older ones
that are on the road mostly.

So the young ones definitely like
the protection of the bridges.

Right. But once in a while, some of
these alpha males have taken that

over as their territory. So you see
one alpha male sitting on there,

being a bully,
not letting anyone pass through.

So it's no longer a bridge,
it's the alpha male's territory.

Absolutely. They like those places.
They get a vantage point,

all this traffic going
underneath them.

What I'm loving - not only do you
have these bridges,

you've also got those two guys with
the signs to slow the traffic down.

Yeah. So the will is there.
There's a lot of effort being put

into protecting
your remaining monkeys.

Yes. And you know, this population
is one of the largest single

populations. So we are hoping
that as this population grows,

eventually they'll colonise other
forest fragments in this landscape.

Lion-tails still face
huge challenges.

But thanks to the people here, their
future already looks a lot brighter.

I really didn't expect to get
this close to these macaques.

I mean, I suppose we're used
to seeing monkeys climbing over

cars these days,
but these are lion-tailed macaques -

they live really high up
in the canopy.

And the only reason
this has been possible is

because a very tiny proportion
of the remaining population

have adapted and they've become
habituated to humans,

and that's the reason why
we came here.

And it's totally been worth it.

I normally spend my time thousands
of metres up in the mountains.

But for our last wonder,
I've left the heights

of the Himalayas to come down to sea
level to witness a wildlife event...

featuring an animal
that's very close to my heart.

The olive ridley turtle.

I've actually been fortunate
enough to dive with

olive ridley turtles. Now, of all
the big animals in the ocean,

there is something totally unique
about watching turtles swim.

It's incredibly graceful
and effortless.

The experience of swimming
with turtles

was so intimate
that I've never forgotten it.

So when I heard of the mass hatching
of olive ridley turtles

that takes place here every year,
I simply had to come.

This is Odisha, on the Bay of Bengal.

The seas here are rich
with nutrients picked up

and carried by India's great
rivers on the 1,500 mile journey

from their source
high in the Himalayas.

Where the rivers meet the sea,
they deposit their bounty.

These waters are bursting with life.

This beach is about to add to it.

At the moment, as you can see,
this beach is just calm,

like any other normal beach.
And it's hard to believe that

through the night
and tomorrow morning,

this entire beach will be alive

and will erupt with
baby olive ridley turtles.

This is the largest mass nesting

site in the world
for the olive ridley turtle.

It's vital to the survival
of the species.

It's considered so important
that the local government post

guards to protect the young turtles.

Olive ridley turtles
spend their lives out at sea.

But each year,
at one particular time,

hundreds of thousands
of females return here.

It's the beach they hatched on, and
they too will lay their eggs here.

It's an event that is known
as the arribada.

It means the arrival.

Once the eggs are laid...

she returns to the sea.

Leaving the eggs to
incubate in the sand.

They'll take between
40 and 60 days to grow.

I'm here to see hundreds
of thousands of baby turtles

bursting out of the sand.

As night draws in,

the first turtles begin to hatch.

These two little fellas

are the first two
that I've seen this evening.

They've just literally popped
out of a hole, just to the right

of my foot here, and are now slowly
taking their very first steps

towards the ocean,
which is just here.

And it's just lovely to watch.

My first baby turtle
makes it to the sea,

but this is just the beginning.

The hatching is so important
that we have to use a camera

that films by moonlight alone.

It's such a big moment for this
little turtle. He's clearly just

taking his time to look around and
decide which way he thinks is best.

We believe that they follow
the light.

And often when they come out
at night like this,

the moon and the reflection
of the moon on the sea

is the way... is how they know
which way to go.

Light pollution inland makes some of
the young head the wrong way.

Across the beach,
hundreds of nests start to move.

Scientists have discovered
that the turtles co-ordinate

hatching by calling to each other
while they're still in the eggs.

Most of the turtles
hatch under cover of darkness.

As dawn breaks, I can see why.

They are easy pickings
for predators.

Like jungle crows
and Brahminy kites.

Even those that make it
to the sea aren't safe.

Sharks and other threats await.

Of all the turtles born here,

only one in 1,000
will reach maturity.

It's the reason that there are
over a million young.

But it's not just predators
that are a hazard.

This poor little turtle's really
well caught up in this fishing net,

and I'm trying to free him.

But I've just got to be
really gentle, he's so fragile

that I'm desperately trying
not to hurt him while I do this.

This could take me a long time.

Here we go,
got his little fin free.

Yay!

The local fishermen stop work during
the arribada and the hatching.

And it's not just the
fishermen who are helping.

Chetan Rao has spent the last year
trying to understand this phenomenon.

There's a few folk on the beach
with buckets, can you tell me

what they're doing,
what their purpose is?

A lot of these hatchlings start
probably and instead of moving

towards the sea, they end up
going towards the other side.

Away from the beach.
Away from the beach, yes. Right, OK.

So a lot of these locals have
volunteered themselves to come here

and sort of pick up hatchlings
which are disoriented and

release them close to the water

so that they can
all can go back safely.

So these guys are volunteers
from the local village?

Yes, they're all
local villagers who are here.

They'll pick up any hatchling
that they find that's not

going the right direction,
and just lead it towards the sea.

So these baby turtles we see today...
Yeah.

How long will it be before they
return here and how do

they know that this is their beach?
How do they know to come here?

They return after a span
of 15 to 16 years,

when they're sexually mature.

But how they come back
is probably part of

an inbred homing instinct.

You know, like, they know
where they were born.

That's incredible to think,

cos hopefully these turtles
will go, they'll swim for hundreds,

thousands of miles round the ocean.
And you're saying in 15 years plus,

they'll come back to this beach
and lay their eggs.

Exactly. That's incredible,
you know.

It is, it is. It's one
of nature's great mysteries.

Great mysteries. Yeah.

As the baby turtles enter the water,
the sun rises on a new day.

The people here are doing everything
they can to make sure this

beach continues to be somewhere
that babies can hatch in safety.

India has shown us sights found
nowhere else in the world.

We've witnessed spectacles on a
scale we would never have imagined.

And everywhere we visited,
we've met people.

People who don't just want to help,

but who know the true value
of the world around them.

Because in India,
people and nature go hand in hand.

It's a relationship that dates back

to the beginning of this
civilisation.

A relationship forged in the
religions and cultures of India.

A gift from the past that can help
to ensure that what makes India

so special today
will still be here tomorrow.

Maybe that's the true
wonder of India.

In a country of over a billion
people, there is still a place here

for some of the most
extraordinary wildlife on Earth.