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(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
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(BIRDS CHIRPING)
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DAVID ATTENBOROUGH:
One quarter of all the land on Earth
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is covered by a single,remarkable type of plant.
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Almost indestructible,it can grow two feet in a day...
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And be tall enough to hide a giant.
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(GRUNTING)
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That plant is grass,
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and the world it createsis truly unique.
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The grass in northern Indiais the tallest on the planet,
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home to some of the mostimpressive creatures to tread the Earth.
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(GRUNTS)
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(TRUMPETS)
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These are the good times,
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but in just a few months,all this fresh growth will be gone,
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and the animalswill be forced to move on.
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That is the way things areon grasslands across the planet.
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A cycle of abundance,destruction and rebirth
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that affects every creaturethat lives here.
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(ELEPHANTS GRUNTING)
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The largest grassland on Earth,the vast Eurasian Steppe,
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stretches one third of the wayaround our planet.
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Spring rain has brought fresh grass,and with it, new life.
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A relic from the Ice Age,a baby Saiga antelope,
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just three hours old.
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His only company, his twin.
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Until they can stand, their motherhas left them hidden in the grass.
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They should be safe,as long as they remain quiet.
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(CALLS)
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For these calves,the clock is already ticking.
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Their herd will soon be moving on,seeking the freshest new grass.
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(CALLS)
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Their lanky legs are a sure sign thatthey're built for a life on the move.
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Saiga always give birth to twins,
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so their numbers grow rapidlyjust when grass is plentiful.
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Their bizarrely shaped nosecan detect fresh growth
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from hundreds of miles away.
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(SAIGAS BAWLING)
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The young twins will nowbegin the nomadic life
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they share with most animalson the world's open plains.
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(THUNDER RUMBLING)
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Grasslands occur where rain istoo sporadic for forests to exist.
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The rain that a grasslandneeds to survive for a year
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might arrive all at once.
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(LIGHTNING CRACKS)
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Storms like these can release12 inches of rain in 24 hours.
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(HEAVY RAINFALL)
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Not much fun if you're out in it.
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Eventually the earthcan't soak up any more,
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(THUNDER CRACKING)
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and the grassland undergoesa radical change.
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(WATER FLOWING)
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Many plants would drown here,but grasses thrive.
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They grow so fast,
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their leaves quickly rise abovethe water and into the sunlight.
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Here in southern Africa,
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water transforms one of the mostremarkable grasslands on Earth,
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the Okavango.
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Every year, 5,000 square milesof grassland are flooded.
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For one pride of lions,this poses a major problem.
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There may be plenty of prey around,
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but lions struggleto run it down in water.
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The pride has three-month-old cubs.They've never seen water before.
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(CUBS MEOWING)
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If their mothersdon't make a kill soon,
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the cubs might not survive the week.
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(YOWLS)
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But fuelled by the flood, the eruptionof grass attracts new possible prey.
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Buffalo arrive in herds 2,000 strong.
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(GRUNTS)
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Powerful, aggressive and united,
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they're the most dangerous animala lion can face.
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(BUFFALO GRUNTS)
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The biggest bulls don't run.
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They're simply too hugeto be scared of lions.
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At 900 kilos, he weighs morethan all five lionesses combined.
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The pride do have numbers on their side,
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but one sweep of his hornscould be deadly.
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One distracts the bull up front,while her sisters attack from behind.
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The cats must somehowtopple the buffalo,
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but with swamp under foot,they can't get any traction.
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The bull is weakening,
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but the lions are tiring, too.
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It's now a battle of willas much as strength.
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To live, the bull must somehowshake off the lioness.
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(DRAMATIC INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
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The bull is wounded,
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but thanks to his two-inch-thick hide,he will recover.
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For the pride, these are hungry times.
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(CUB WHIMPERS)
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But, ultimately, once the water recedes,there will be new life,
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and new food to benefit all.
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In the right conditions,grasses have the extraordinary ability
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to grow from first shoots to flowerin a matter of only days.
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Grasses become the miniature equivalentsof fruiting trees.
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(CRICKET CHIRPS)
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And for creatures livingwithin the grass,
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this is a landscape as vastand towering as any rainforest.
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And excellent placeto build a tiny tree house
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for a harvest mouse.
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(SQUEAKS)
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During summer,European meadowlands are full of food,
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but only for those that can reach it.
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(STEM CRACKS)
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Climbing grass is harderthan climbing trees,
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not least because their stemsjust won't stay still.
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Her prehensile tailacts like a fifth limb,
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so she's as agile as a monkeyclambering around in a tree.
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(STEM CREAKS)
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And just as well,
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for the best food in this tiny forestis at the very top of its canopy.
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Feeding up here, she's exposed.
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A barn owl.
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Not her finest move...
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But it did the trick.
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Harvest mice seldom goall the way down to the ground.
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It's a tangled anddangerous world down here.
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(INSECTS CHITTERING)
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But she can read the patternof the stems overhead like a map,
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and so find her way home.
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And not a minute too soon.
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There are mouths to feed.
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(SNIFFS)
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Her babies must fatten up quickly.
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They need to harvest the summer grasseswhile they're still rich with food.
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On the African savannah, too,seasonal grasses are filled with life,
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but it won't last long.
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Carmine bee-eatersare superb aerial hunters,
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experts at catching insects in midair.
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But they have no way offlushing their prey out of the grass.
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(INSECTS CHITTERING)
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Once alarmed, most insects stay put.
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The bee-eaters need someoneto stir things up a bit.
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(CALLS)
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A kori bustard.
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It's the world's heaviest flying bird,
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so it should be bulky enoughto kick up some insects.
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(INSECT BUZZING)
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Bingo!
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Until someone else comes alongand cramps your style.
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(CHIRPS)
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Never mind, perhaps there arebigger opportunities ahead.
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What about an ostrich?
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The heaviest bird of all.
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This time there's more than enoughtransport to go around.
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(SQUAWKING)
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Soon, almost every ostrichhas its own passenger.
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But free riders are onlytolerated for so long.
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What the bee-eaters really need
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is a creature so bigit won't even notice them.
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(GRUNTING)
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Nothing cuts a swathe through grasslike an African bull elephant.
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The trick is to fly as close tothe front of the giant as possible.
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They only have a split secondto grab the prize.
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As more insects are stirred up,the competition intensifies.
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(FRENZIED CHIRPING)
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With summer drawing to a close,the race to stock up is on.
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Soon, the grass will wither,and this opportunity will have gone.
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As the dry season takes hold,
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food becomes increasingly thinon the ground.
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Now, only the most specialised predatorson the plains can make a living.
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She may be spotted like a cheetah,but this cat is no sprinter.
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Instead, she has extra-long legswhich give her a high vantage point.
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But a serval cat's main weaponare enormous radar ears.
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(GRASS RUSTLING)
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They help her pinpoint preyhiding in the grass.
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But the prey she seeks are canny.
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Southern vlei rats.
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They know that any sustained movementcan give them away.
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So they move in short bursts.
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(RUSTLING)
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But even the slightest rustlewill give her a clue.
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(RUSTLING)
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Warm.
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(RUSTLING)
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(RUSTLES)
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Warmer.
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Missed.
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(RUSTLING)
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(ANIMAL CALLS)
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(RUSTLING)
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(SQUEAKS)
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In better times,she could catch 10 a day,
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but now, with so few rodents around,she will have to go hungry.
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As drought intensifies,life gets tougher for all.
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Predators with permanent territoriesmust tough it out,
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while most of their preydisappear over the horizon.
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(GRUNTING)
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To avoid starvation, many grasslandanimals follow a nomadic way of life.
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Over 2,000,000 wildebeests wanderthe East African savannahs
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chasing the rains.
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And they are not alone.
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Arriving on the wing,
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Jackson's Widowbirdsalso seek fresh grass.
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(CHIRPING)
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Although, it's not justfood that they're after.
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(CHIRPS)
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This male wants a mate.
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He's grown elaborate breeding plumagefor this moment,
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but he needs a stageon which to show it off.
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By carefully selecting grass blades,each trimmed to the correct length,
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he's creating something very special.
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He needs an even surface,
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and a centre-piece.
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The stage is set.
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His bachelor pad is sufficientlyneat and tidy to attract a female.
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The problem is,
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can she see it?
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(CHIRPS)
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He has competition.
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(CHIRPING LOUDER)
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It might take more than a littlegardening to impress the ladies.
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Jumping is the right idea,
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but he's misjudgedthe height of the grass.
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His rival makes it look easy.
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Time to raise his game.
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(BOTH CHIRPING)
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It's not only who jumps the highest,but who can keep doing so the longest.
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Unable to go the distance,his rivals drop out one by one.
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Stamina has won him admirers,
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now he can show offhis courtship arena...
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And engage in a littleromantic hide-and-seek.
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Finally, he's done enough.
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The East African savannahssupport millions of grazers.
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(GRUNTING)
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Each year they devourmillions of tons of grass,
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and yet there's one creature here
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whose impact is far greaterthan all these animals combined.
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They're found wherevergrass grows on the planet,
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yet their labours goalmost entirely unnoticed.
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One of the most remarkable is found hereon the grasslands of South America.
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These blades are so tough that virtuallyno large grass eaters can stomach them.
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Yet they're harvestedon an industrial scale...
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(CRACKING)
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...by tiny grass cutter ants.
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But they themselvescan't digest one bit of it.
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So, why bother?
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The answer is underground,
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and it's very ingenious.
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Each blade is cut to lengthand placed into a garden of fungus.
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The rotting grass feeds the fungus,and in turn the fungus feeds the ants.
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But feeding 5,000,000 workersrequires intensive agriculture.
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Luckily, they are an industrious lot.
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This colony alone will collectover half a ton of grass every year.
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With billions of ant coloniesacross the world's grasslands
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all doing exactly the same thing,that's a mind-boggling amount of grass.
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It's estimated that over one thirdof the grass that grows on Earth
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will be harvested by an insect.
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In northern Australia, termitesmemorialise their industry in sculpture.
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These astonishing moundsare 10 feet tall.
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They're always builton a north-south axis,
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which is why their buildersare called compass termites.
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These castles of clay
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protect their buildersfrom extremes of heat
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and seasonal floodsexperienced on many grasslands.
256
00:34:20,559 --> 00:34:24,838
Termites manage to dowhat most grass eaters can't,
257
00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,231
break down dead grassand extract the nutrients.
258
00:34:30,599 --> 00:34:34,480
But they themselves can be foodfor those that can reach them.
259
00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:36,559
(SUCKING NOISE)
260
00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:41,913
A two-foot-long tongue
261
00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:45,356
covered in microscopic hooks,
262
00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:53,117
followed by claws longerthan those of a velociraptor.
263
00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:56,710
(SNIFFING)
264
00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:02,757
A giant anteateron the plains of South America.
265
00:35:04,039 --> 00:35:05,030
(SLURPING)
266
00:35:07,719 --> 00:35:10,791
It can devour 20,000 insects a day.
267
00:35:16,079 --> 00:35:21,313
Powerful forelegs enable it to rip aparta termite hill with ease.
268
00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:36,440
And as the sun bakes the grass,the termites face new danger.
269
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:46,514
(FIRE CRACKLES)
270
00:35:58,519 --> 00:36:02,594
In minutes, fire turns grassland to ash.
271
00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:21,998
But the grasses are not dead.Their underground stems are unharmed.
272
00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:27,635
Weeks, months may pass,
273
00:36:28,079 --> 00:36:32,791
but eventually the rains will returnand the grass will sprout again.
274
00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:45,119
Some grasslands must endurenot only fire, but ice.
275
00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:55,117
As winter approaches, the prairiesof North America begin to freeze.
276
00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:57,389
(CRACKING)
277
00:37:05,519 --> 00:37:07,079
(LOW GROWLING)
278
00:37:11,119 --> 00:37:13,635
In summer, bison roamed freely,
279
00:37:13,719 --> 00:37:17,190
almost continuously croppingthe abundant green grass.
280
00:37:19,119 --> 00:37:24,320
Now, that grass is not only witheredand frozen, it's about to be buried.
281
00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:50,556
Sixty million tons of snownow blanket this herd's territory.
282
00:37:52,519 --> 00:37:53,670
(SNORTING)
283
00:37:54,599 --> 00:37:57,831
Pushing through deep snowis exhausting work,
284
00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:00,514
and the bison are now slowly starving.
285
00:38:07,519 --> 00:38:10,797
Just keeping warmsaps huge amounts of energy.
286
00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:13,711
(GROWLS)
287
00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:21,438
Their thick coats can insulate themdown to minus 20 Fahrenheit.
288
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:24,271
It's now minus 40.
289
00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:32,911
The only thing that will keep them aliveis buried beneath three feet of snow.
290
00:38:37,559 --> 00:38:41,030
And that's a problem sharedwith a surprising neighbour.
291
00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,550
The food the fox seeksis also deep beneath the snow.
292
00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:11,673
(GRUNTING)
293
00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:19,550
The survival of both creatures dependson getting through to the ground.
294
00:39:25,039 --> 00:39:28,635
For the bison, it will bea matter of brute strength.
295
00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:38,077
Massive neck muscles enable themto shovel five tonnes of snow a day.
296
00:39:44,559 --> 00:39:47,472
Their light-weight neighbourneeds more precision.
297
00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:08,909
(CHEWING)
298
00:40:15,079 --> 00:40:17,036
The bison have reached their goal,
299
00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:20,195
a mouthful of withered grass.
300
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:28,556
And where the bison have dug,the fox now spots an opportunity.
301
00:40:37,519 --> 00:40:39,590
Every footstep counts,
302
00:40:42,559 --> 00:40:44,199
but he mustn't break through...
303
00:40:45,199 --> 00:40:46,190
Yet.
304
00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:52,871
He listens carefullyto pinpoint his target.
305
00:40:57,480 --> 00:40:58,516
(PATTERING)
306
00:40:58,599 --> 00:40:59,590
It's moving.
307
00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:18,750
(SQUEAKS)
308
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:22,269
A vole.
309
00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:30,199
Small, but 100 times more nutritiousthan a mouthful of dried grass.
310
00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:42,871
To get through the winter on theseprairies, sometimes brain beats brawn.
311
00:41:49,599 --> 00:41:55,072
Ultimately, life on all grasslandsdepends on the turn of the seasons.
312
00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:08,869
(CRACKING)
313
00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:24,190
Five hundred miles further norththan any tree can survive,
314
00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:26,875
grass returns to life.
315
00:42:35,679 --> 00:42:36,670
(CALLS)
316
00:42:37,679 --> 00:42:40,878
Caribou females havejourneyed to the far north
317
00:42:41,639 --> 00:42:42,755
to calve.
318
00:42:43,239 --> 00:42:44,309
(CALLS)
319
00:42:46,599 --> 00:42:51,391
Over 70,000 caribou babieswill be born in the next few days.
320
00:42:56,239 --> 00:43:01,076
As the calves appear, so too do theleaves of the newly sprouting grass.
321
00:43:04,599 --> 00:43:06,592
And the calves must strengthen quickly.
322
00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:10,231
Within days they will have tokeep up with their parents
323
00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:12,317
on a never-ending march.
324
00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:22,349
At one day old, they're already fasterthan an Olympic sprinter.
325
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:27,474
They're testing the legs that willcarry them thousands of miles,
326
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,275
better to learn their limitations now.
327
00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:40,516
(CALLS)
328
00:43:45,679 --> 00:43:47,797
(CARIBOU GRUNTING)
329
00:43:51,199 --> 00:43:55,318
It may look playful, but there'sno harder life on the grasslands
330
00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:58,039
than that facing these infants.
331
00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:03,670
The caribou mothers now join together,
332
00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:06,831
each with an infantexactly the same age.
333
00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:20,519
They're setting off on the greatestoverland trek made by any animal.
334
00:44:43,679 --> 00:44:48,835
But wherever grass eaters travel,predators lie in wait.
335
00:44:50,559 --> 00:44:51,596
(CARIBOU CALLING)
336
00:44:55,639 --> 00:44:59,519
Here they are, Arctic wolves.
337
00:45:06,639 --> 00:45:08,233
They must seize their chance
338
00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:10,789
while the cariboupass through their territory.
339
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:45,114
(PANTING)
340
00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:51,516
The wolf runs at the herd, trying toflush out the weak or the slow.
341
00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:02,592
A calf is separated.
342
00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:15,670
At full tilt, 40 miles an hour,the wolf is just faster.
343
00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,469
But the calf has stamina.
344
00:46:56,079 --> 00:47:01,474
Only a few weeks old, and thiscalf's will to survive is remarkable.
345
00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:08,632
And it needs to be,
346
00:47:09,079 --> 00:47:12,039
for these young caribouhave now started a journey
347
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:14,152
that will last a lifetime.
348
00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:22,271
Forever chasing the seasonal growthof the grass on which they depend.
349
00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:34,557
Like all grassland creatures,they are at the mercy
350
00:47:34,639 --> 00:47:39,077
of these unpredictablebut ultimately bountiful lands.
351
00:47:45,199 --> 00:47:49,159
Grass can survive some ofthe harshest conditions on Earth,
352
00:47:49,239 --> 00:47:53,518
flood, fire and frost,and still flourish.
353
00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:07,150
So it is that grasslandsprovide a stage
354
00:48:07,440 --> 00:48:11,115
for the greatest gatherings of wildlifeon planet Earth.
355
00:48:25,760 --> 00:48:29,469
For the grasslands team,no location would prove as challenging
356
00:48:29,599 --> 00:48:33,230
as that dominated by elephant grassin northeast India.
357
00:48:34,639 --> 00:48:39,668
The aim, to capture intimate images ofsome the world's most elusive creatures
358
00:48:40,119 --> 00:48:42,315
using the latest technology.
359
00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:51,391
But they will need to be careful.
360
00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:54,829
(COCKS GUN)
361
00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:56,750
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)
362
00:48:56,880 --> 00:49:00,077
More people are killed by wildlifehere in Kaziranga
363
00:49:02,519 --> 00:49:05,478
than in any othernational park on the planet.
364
00:49:07,559 --> 00:49:09,358
Every time we go into these tunnels,
365
00:49:10,039 --> 00:49:11,713
we have to take an armed guard,
366
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:14,875
'cause there are so many animals
in here that are dangerous.
367
00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:17,110
Tigers are probably
the least of our worries,
368
00:49:17,440 --> 00:49:19,159
but rhinos and buffalo,
369
00:49:19,559 --> 00:49:21,949
elephants, sloth bear,
all of them can injure you.
370
00:49:22,159 --> 00:49:24,231
And we gotta keep up
with our armed guard.
371
00:49:30,239 --> 00:49:32,550
ATTENBOROUGH: The team have bumpedinto their first obstacle.
372
00:49:34,280 --> 00:49:35,760
SANDESH: There's a rhino right there.
373
00:49:38,960 --> 00:49:43,239
Let's go back because it's too risky
going through this heavy grass.
374
00:49:45,639 --> 00:49:46,960
Let's get in the open.
375
00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:50,192
- (SPEAKING LOCAL LANGUAGE)
- There's another rhino.
376
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:54,195
- Now we have two rhinos.
- Let's get in here.
377
00:49:56,559 --> 00:49:57,550
Okay.
378
00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:01,512
ATTENBOROUGH: The guard throwsa ball of mud to one side of the rhinos,
379
00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:04,320
moving the animals onwithout harming them.
380
00:50:05,320 --> 00:50:06,639
(SHOUTS)
381
00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:14,391
- We're okay. It's gone.
- Okay.
382
00:50:14,760 --> 00:50:16,079
What about the other one?
383
00:50:16,320 --> 00:50:17,469
Let's go, quick.
384
00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:24,559
ATTENBOROUGH: With the rhinosnow a safe distance away,
385
00:50:24,639 --> 00:50:28,554
the crew focus on the best spotsto position their camera traps.
386
00:50:29,079 --> 00:50:30,798
I love that tunnel, the effect.
387
00:50:34,920 --> 00:50:38,311
ATTENBOROUGH: Over 100 scaffold polesprovide the anchor points
388
00:50:38,400 --> 00:50:40,277
for these secret cameras.
389
00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:43,635
When an animal triggersan infrared beam,
390
00:50:43,719 --> 00:50:46,952
the cameras will switch on automaticallyand start recording.
391
00:50:48,239 --> 00:50:52,791
If it works, the remote-control camerasshould capture close-up footage
392
00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:56,271
without disturbing the animalsor putting the crew at risk.
393
00:50:57,679 --> 00:51:00,751
Basically, that's about as much
like grass as we can make it look.
394
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:01,829
(CRICKETS CHIRP)
395
00:51:02,679 --> 00:51:06,070
ATTENBOROUGH: As night falls,the crew head back to base for safety.
396
00:51:08,199 --> 00:51:11,909
It's time for the new technologyto prove its worth.
397
00:51:17,840 --> 00:51:22,436
At dawn, the crew havea whodunnit mystery on their hands.
398
00:51:22,639 --> 00:51:24,278
CHADDEN: Oh, wow.
399
00:51:25,079 --> 00:51:26,275
That's carnage!
400
00:51:27,679 --> 00:51:29,432
This looks like elephant, we think?
401
00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:32,672
This is scaffold pole
402
00:51:34,079 --> 00:51:36,548
they have bent.
Look at that. (CHUCKLES)
403
00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:42,594
It's a sad day.
You win some, you lose some.
404
00:51:43,159 --> 00:51:45,594
And this time,
the animals have outsmarted us.
405
00:51:46,639 --> 00:51:48,757
In fact, check this out.
(CHUCKLES)
406
00:51:49,280 --> 00:51:50,315
Whoo-hoo.
407
00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:55,030
So this is our little army of guards,
protecting our trigger box.
408
00:51:55,639 --> 00:51:58,438
Do they bite? These ones, they bite?
409
00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:00,036
Sting?
410
00:52:00,119 --> 00:52:01,952
Whoa! Argh! Ow!
411
00:52:02,639 --> 00:52:04,757
The little (BLEEP).
412
00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:10,510
ATTENBOROUGH: While Chaddenirons out the bugs,
413
00:52:11,480 --> 00:52:14,313
Sandesh has met some grumpy locals.
414
00:52:18,079 --> 00:52:21,630
Wild Asian water buffalohave extraordinary senses.
415
00:52:24,159 --> 00:52:26,675
Mothers will chargeif they feel threatened.
416
00:52:29,559 --> 00:52:33,030
The guard carries a gun,in case a warning shot is needed,
417
00:52:33,199 --> 00:52:34,599
and with good reason.
418
00:52:37,360 --> 00:52:42,673
More people are killed by buffalothan by any other animal in Kaziranga.
419
00:52:44,320 --> 00:52:45,389
(GRUNTS)
420
00:52:48,159 --> 00:52:49,673
(SHOUTS)
421
00:52:49,760 --> 00:52:51,478
That'll wake you up in the morning.
422
00:52:52,199 --> 00:52:55,670
ATTENBOROUGH: Many of the park staffhave cautionary tales about buffalo.
423
00:52:56,159 --> 00:52:59,072
(SPEAKING HINDI)
424
00:53:00,079 --> 00:53:03,630
The buffalo caught him here,
through his throat
425
00:53:04,320 --> 00:53:07,199
and the horn came out through his mouth
426
00:53:07,719 --> 00:53:10,235
and flung him before running away.
427
00:53:10,320 --> 00:53:12,789
It's a miracle that he's still alive.
428
00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:17,514
ATTENBOROUGH: If the wildlifeis unfriendly to humans,
429
00:53:18,760 --> 00:53:21,719
it's proving downright hostileto camera traps.
430
00:53:22,119 --> 00:53:25,431
CHADDEN: Completely ripped out
the scaffold poles,
431
00:53:26,239 --> 00:53:29,233
they've torn the triggers.
432
00:53:30,440 --> 00:53:32,590
ATTENBOROUGH: While Chaddenis convinced it's elephants,
433
00:53:32,679 --> 00:53:34,512
the rest of the crew are not so sure.
434
00:53:34,599 --> 00:53:36,000
SANDESH: This is huge!
435
00:53:36,639 --> 00:53:38,358
It's almost like a human footprint.
436
00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:41,793
You can see the front paw, the rear paw.
437
00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:46,318
CHADDEN: We are now two weeks in
and it's very frustrating.
438
00:53:46,559 --> 00:53:49,155
I've never actually been anywhere
where the animals
439
00:53:49,880 --> 00:53:52,554
go after your equipment and destroy it,
more than here.
440
00:53:53,679 --> 00:53:56,831
ATTENBOROUGH: It's time for the teamto do some detective work.
441
00:53:58,800 --> 00:54:01,634
Here is our little security camera.
442
00:54:01,719 --> 00:54:04,918
If any animals are coming through
and vandalising our main cameras,
443
00:54:05,639 --> 00:54:09,077
we hope that they're being caught
on these little things.
444
00:54:12,119 --> 00:54:14,554
ATTENBOROUGH: As the crewup their spying efforts,
445
00:54:14,639 --> 00:54:17,030
the guards take themto a promising lead.
446
00:54:18,079 --> 00:54:21,277
Nothing attracts tigerslike a rhino carcass.
447
00:54:21,960 --> 00:54:24,873
It's very fresh.
It's like from the morning.
448
00:54:25,239 --> 00:54:27,117
And it looks like there's a tiger cub,
449
00:54:28,119 --> 00:54:32,956
so it should be a tigress with cubs,
coming to feed on this rhino carcass.
450
00:54:33,239 --> 00:54:34,309
It's pretty cool.
451
00:54:35,760 --> 00:54:39,389
ATTENBOROUGH: Chadden decides to givethe camera traps one last chance.
452
00:54:40,079 --> 00:54:44,835
If there are tigers around, they mightscare away the mystery vandals.
453
00:54:46,360 --> 00:54:47,635
Elsewhere in the park,
454
00:54:47,719 --> 00:54:51,349
the security cameras areturning up some unexpected results.
455
00:54:51,840 --> 00:54:55,389
At nighttime, survived another... Ooh!
456
00:54:56,079 --> 00:54:57,195
It's a bear.
457
00:54:58,199 --> 00:54:59,918
Wow, that's a very rare sighting.
458
00:55:00,079 --> 00:55:01,753
SANDESH: I've never seen a bear
in Kaziranga.
459
00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:03,398
In all my years, never.
460
00:55:04,800 --> 00:55:08,635
- Oh, his fingernails...
- Look at his claws, right on the lens.
461
00:55:09,639 --> 00:55:11,791
CHADDEN: So I thought
this was elephant damage.
462
00:55:12,800 --> 00:55:15,871
I never thought we'd see
a sloth bear doing that.
463
00:55:16,719 --> 00:55:17,755
That's amazing.
464
00:55:21,840 --> 00:55:26,072
ATTENBOROUGH: A return tothe rhino carcass and the plot thickens.
465
00:55:27,440 --> 00:55:28,760
SANDESH: Our transmitter's gone.
466
00:55:29,639 --> 00:55:30,994
CHADDEN: That's what tigers
think of camera traps.
467
00:55:31,079 --> 00:55:32,992
CREW MEMBER: Do you think
there's a bit over there?
468
00:55:33,159 --> 00:55:34,150
Pieces.
469
00:55:34,599 --> 00:55:38,115
ATTENBOROUGH: The security camerashave caught a new culprit.
470
00:55:38,239 --> 00:55:40,117
CHADDEN: Oh, my goodness,
there they are.
471
00:55:40,199 --> 00:55:41,190
SANDESH: Ooh!
472
00:55:41,320 --> 00:55:43,596
There it's a tigress, see that.
It's a tigress.
473
00:55:43,679 --> 00:55:45,876
It snarled at the camera trap,
look at that.
474
00:55:45,960 --> 00:55:47,474
Sure don't like camera traps.
475
00:55:48,239 --> 00:55:49,230
Okay.
476
00:55:50,639 --> 00:55:52,757
ATTENBOROUGH:
With the technology struggling,
477
00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:56,436
Sandesh decidesto put himself on the frontline.
478
00:55:56,519 --> 00:55:58,273
CHADDEN: It's on.
SANDESH: And now we're ready.
479
00:55:59,159 --> 00:56:00,480
Time to get the tiger.
480
00:56:02,119 --> 00:56:05,635
ATTENBOROUGH: He'll have no protectionapart from a thin wall of grass,
481
00:56:05,960 --> 00:56:09,635
and must hope he's as well-hiddenas the local wildlife.
482
00:56:11,840 --> 00:56:15,072
Over the next five days,Sandesh plays the role
483
00:56:15,159 --> 00:56:16,798
of human camera trap.
484
00:56:18,679 --> 00:56:19,795
(BIRDS CAWING)
485
00:56:19,880 --> 00:56:23,760
Eventually, the morehands-on approach pays off.
486
00:56:50,119 --> 00:56:53,318
Traditional filming methodsand a little bit of patience,
487
00:56:53,519 --> 00:56:57,309
have helped reveal thehidden creatures of Kaziranga.
488
00:57:02,239 --> 00:57:03,230
(GRUNTS)
489
00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:06,318
But it's good to knowthere are still wild places
490
00:57:06,440 --> 00:57:09,478
where animals like to keeptheir secrets.
491
00:57:13,159 --> 00:57:14,434
(CREAKING)
492
00:57:15,760 --> 00:57:17,114
CHADDEN: I knew it was elephants.
493
00:57:20,159 --> 00:57:21,275
ATTENBOROUGH: Next time,
494
00:57:22,639 --> 00:57:25,360
we venture tothe newest habitat on Earth,
495
00:57:26,039 --> 00:57:27,554
our cities.
496
00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:31,239
To reveal the extraordinary ways
497
00:57:31,960 --> 00:57:35,271
that animals survivein this man-made world.
498
00:57:40,159 --> 00:57:42,152
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
41443
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