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London's Natural History Museum has over 70 million animal specimens.
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The weird and wonderful from every corner of the planet.
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There are also some of the many spectacular animals
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that are no longer with us.
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This is a dodo. At least, it's not. It's the model of a dodo.
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No museum in the world has a complete specimen of this species
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because human beings exterminated it in the middle of the 17th century.
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And there are a lot of animals today that face the same fate as the dodo.
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I've been asked to pick ten that I might take with me
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on my own personal ark.
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What an impossible task that sounds.
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What to choose to represent the marvellous ingenuity of nature?
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I could choose those that grab the headlines,
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the majestic tiger.
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The spectacular polar bear.
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The beautiful snow leopard.
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Or the magnificent mountain gorilla.
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They're all animals that I wouldn't want to lose.
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But there are many other extraordinary creatures out there,
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not in the limelight, which you may not have heard of.
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'I'm going to pick ten of them,
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'which I find particularly fascinating.
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'And I'm going to show you some of the surprising
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'and wonderful work being done to protect them.'
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You'll be surprised what you'll find on Attenborough's Ark.
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My first choice will be a monkey.
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One of my favourite kinds of animal.
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And I'm particularly fond of these marvellous miniature monkeys.
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These tamarins are normally at home in Latin America,
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but many are now bred here at Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey.
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There's the rather regal-looking emperor tamarin,
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with its long moustaches.
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The cheeky-looking pied tamarin.
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And the spectacular golden lion tamarin.
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But if I had to choose one, it would be this one.
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And this is the black lion tamarin.
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I think the tamarins are just about as unlike monkeys as you can get.
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You can see that they are monkeys from their faces
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and their two eyes, which give them the forward vision of all primates,
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all monkeys, but look at their hands.
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They are different from mine or any other primate's, because
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tamarins have not nails on the end of the long fingers, but long claws.
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And he will come and take from my hand, and you can see now - ow! -
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how long that claw is.
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They live on insects, they love these grubs,
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and they also eat fruit and tree sap,
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and it's said that they particularly like fruit with quite large stones,
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because as the large stones go through their tiny little guts,
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they scrape off internal parasites. Now there's a thought.
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The black lion tamarin is in serious trouble,
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with only around 1,000 animals left in the world.
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And there's is a remarkable story, truly back from the brink.
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And with a clever plan to secure their survival
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in the forests of Brazil.
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Black lion tamarins were once thought to be extinct, but were then
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rediscovered in 1970 in just one tiny area of forest near Sao Paulo.
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Here, the tamarins live in tree holes,
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often the former homes of woodpeckers.
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But only 3% of their original habitat remains.
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Once, they could roam large distances,
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but now they're marooned in small fragments of forest.
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What was once continuous forest has been torn up
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to make way for sugar cane plantations.
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And for years, the people have cut down trees for farmland
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with devastating consequences for the tamarins.
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But now, there's a project with a smart approach to reversing
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this wave of destruction.
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Nurseries have been set up where local people are paid to plant
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and grow trees rather than cut them down.
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Replanting the whole forest would be an impossible task,
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so, cleverly, these trees will be used to create corridors,
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linking up the precious fragments of remaining forest.
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The project will give this rare and beautiful tamarins
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the space they need to survive in the long term.
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If, on my ark,
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I'm going to have space for the creatures that really need
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a berth to survive,
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the black lion tamarin is a very strong candidate.
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You've got a ticket.
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My next animal is a rather larger beast, and with an ancient history.
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Rhinos have walked the earth for over 50 million years, and today
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they can be found from the savannas of Africa to the forests of Asia.
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There are five species of rhinoceros in the world today,
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and they're all endangered.
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Of those five, this is probably the most troubled.
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This is the Sumatran rhino,
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and there are only about 200 individuals left.
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So building up their numbers is of extreme importance,
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if necessary, by captive breeding.
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But rhinoceroses are independent kinds of animals,
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and getting male and female together is not easy.
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Andalas is a very special male rhino.
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His tale is one of long-distance love.
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Like all Sumatran rhinos, he has a hairy back, but he also has
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a twinkle in his eye, because, just maybe, he might soon become a dad.
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Today, Andalas lives semi-wild in the beautiful forests of Sumatra,
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but he was born far away, in America.
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His birth, at Cincinnati Zoo,
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was a real breakthrough for breeding captive Sumatran rhinos.
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But to really save his species,
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Andalas will have to return to his ancestral homeland.
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Once old enough, he made the extraordinary journey for a rhino,
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back to Sumatra, 10,000 miles away on the other side of the world.
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Andalas came here,
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to the rhino sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park.
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His job was to mount a new offensive in the local breeding programme,
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which for many years had drawn a blank.
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They did have another male in residence, but he had failed
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to seduce any females, so Andalas was brought in as the new stud.
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Dedi Kandra is a vet here, and it didn't take long for him
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and his team to grow quite attached to the young American import.
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Andalas is very healthy, he has sperm,
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and that is the important thing for the breeding success.
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But finding true love for Andalas wasn't an easy task.
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This is Ratu.
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She is a local girl, born wild and found wandering in the village.
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She was rescued and then the matchmaking could begin.
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Female rhinos only have a small window of opportunity within
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their cycle when they can get pregnant, and of course,
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they also need to be in the right mood.
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Introduce the lovers at the wrong time,
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and there's no guarantee that they'll get on.
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It's a delicate matter.
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There's a fine line for these sensitive beasts
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between attraction and antagonism.
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But eventually, Ratu succumbed to Andalas's American charm.
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Today, the fruits of Andalas's efforts are evident.
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Ratu is pregnant.
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Rhinos can't sweat, so wallowing in cool mud is her way of keeping cool.
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Essential when you're carrying your baby.
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And this is no ordinary pregnancy.
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If the birth is successful, Ratu's baby will be
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the first ever Sumatran rhino born in captivity in Sumatra.
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It will be a remarkable triumph for Dedi and his team,
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as well as for Andalas and Ratu.
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We are very happy.
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We have been waiting a long, long time for this moment.
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This is a very exciting time for all of us at the sanctuary,
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?not only for us, maybe for all the people in the national park, all the
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people in Indonesia, and probably all the people in the world also.
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Rhino pregnancies take 16 long months.
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Now Ratu only has a few weeks to go.
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But pregnancies have gone wrong for her in the past,
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and for the team, it's been a long and tense wait.
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I think waiting for Sumatran rhino babies is similar
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to be waiting for our wives' babies also.
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We worry with danger, we're excited, we're happy.
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It's very emotional waiting for this moment.
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Finally, it's in the middle of the night that Ratu gives birth
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to her baby.
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And it's a boy.
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Successfully breeding these rhinos here in Sumatra will be vital
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to saving the species.
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They give him a name similar to his father's.
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Andatu, which means a gift from God.
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For Dedi, he certainly is a gift,
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and he's quite overwhelmed.
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Wow, this is wonderful. This healthy baby, healthy mother.
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This is an important moment for us.
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This is the first time to see directly the Sumatran rhino baby.
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A small but wonderful step in the survival of this remarkable animal.
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TYRANNOSAURUS REX ROARS
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My next creature has been around even longer than the rhino.
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Surely one of the ultimate survivors.
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This is one of the most popular exhibits in any museum
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that happens to have one.
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It's Tyrannosaurus rex.
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The giant, flesh-eating dinosaur that ruled the world
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over 65 million years ago.
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But in the undergrowth around its gigantic legs there was another,
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very different creature,
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quite different from any dinosaur or any reptile.
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It had fur, warm blood.
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It didn't lay eggs, it produced live young,
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and it nourished them on milk.
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It was the first of the mammals.
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Their descendants now have taken the place of the reptiles
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and rule the earth.
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But amazingly,
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some have descended from that little creature virtually unchanged.
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They're called solenodons.
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These little characters are incredibly elusive.
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They can be found in a remote corner of the Dominican Republic
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in the Caribbean.
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Thousands of tourists have their holidays here each year.
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Yet, whilst they're enjoying the sun and the sand,
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most are oblivious to the prehistoric creature lurking inland.
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Away from the hubbub, solenodons have their underground homes.
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When the sunseekers head to the bars and their beds,
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these reclusive chaps come out for a nose about.
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Very little is known about the solenodon,
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so a team of researchers has come to find out more about them.
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They've chosen to spend their evening scrambling around in the
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undergrowth in the hope of catching one of these elusive creatures.
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Infrared lights are needed in the pitch dark,
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and it's a tricky job, but here's one.
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It's a good job solenodons can't run too fast.
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Picking them up by their thick tails doesn't hurt them,
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and this one is swiftly bagged.
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Now we can put the lights on.
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Joe Nunez-Mino leads this group of researchers.
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So this remarkable animal is the solenodon.
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They're really chilled out mammals to be around.
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As long as you're quiet around them,
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they can quite happily sit in your hand for a little while.
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Solenodons are only one of a handful of mammals in the world
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that have a venomous bite, which, it is thought, could be
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a leftover characteristic from their ancient reptilian relatives.
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And they also have a rather interesting nose.
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Solenodons have a unique ball and socket joint
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that attaches their really long nose to their skull,
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and that enables them to move it around really flexibly.
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When you see that nose, you can't help but smile about it.
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SOLENODON SQUEALS
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This little chap is less chilled out while the radio collar's fitted,
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so the team work fast to minimise any distress.
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These tracking devices will allow them to follow
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and better understand the solenodon's way of life.
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Its temporary captivity over,
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it's free to amble away its evening in peace.
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Its kind have survived largely unchanged for 65 million years,
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but today its numbers are rapidly declining.
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Camera traps have revealed that one of the big problems
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for the solenodon are cats and dogs, introduced to the island by humans.
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Joe hopes that with new controls on domestic animals,
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and with their continued research, they'll be able to help this
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amazing little creature that's been around since the dinosaurs.
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I think what makes me love them more than anything else
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is the fact that they're great survivors.
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They've been around for a long time, and with a little bit of help,
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I think we can help them to be around for a lot longer.
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Solenodons are unique.
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If we lost these little creatures,
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we wouldn't see anything quite like them on earth.
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Reason enough to have them on board my ark.
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Many animals have, like the solenodon,
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evolved highly specialised bodies
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and behaviours to suit their environment,
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and this specialists include some of the most extraordinary animals.
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The giraffe, with its hugely long neck
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to pick succulent leaves from the tallest trees.
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Or the giant panda, which can eat tough, indigestible bamboo,
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but little else.
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And the next animal for my ark is one of the ultimate specialists.
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Here in the basement of the Natural History Museum in London, there
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are tens of thousands of animals reserved in tanks and bottles.
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And this is one of the most interesting.
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It's a kind of amphibian called an olm.
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It has very, very tiny legs and an extremely elongated body,
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and its ancestry stretches back 190 million years.
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But perhaps the most interesting thing about it
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is that it lives for up to 100 years.
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It seems this curious creature
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has discovered the secret of a long life.
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It can be found within limestone caves across
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central and south-eastern Europe in countries like Croatia.
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For millions of years it lived quietly, far below these mountains,
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in huge networks of hidden caves, underground rivers and lakes.
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If there is a heavy downpour,
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it can be flushed out into rivers at the surface.
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In Croatia, it was once believed that these olms were baby dragons.
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This intrepid team of olm researchers are heading
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deep into the dragon's lair.
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They're trying to discover more about this bizarre creature
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living in this extreme environment.
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Its population is shrinking, and as with any endangered animal,
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the team need to understand it in order to save it.
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So, fingers crossed for the olm.
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But this isn't a job for the faint-hearted.
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The divers have two swim from one lake to another through
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narrow tunnels, with no possibility of coming up for air.
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It's highly dangerous, but for Dusan Jelic,
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the leader of the team, that is part of the thrill.
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I think we are working on the edge of the world where actually no-one
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has ever been, and see some of the things that nobody else can see.
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Despite the things that make it hard, it's actually just a great job.
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It takes Dusan several dives before he finally locates the elusive olm.
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It's certainly an odd-looking creature.
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It has adapted to the complete darkness of the caves
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and lost its sense of sight.
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But it has a powerful sense of smell.
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It also has a bizarre sixth sense.
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It detects electric fields in a similar way to sharks.
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This is one of its many mysterious abilities.
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How olms catch their prey, we actually don't know.
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They have, probably, very sensitive skin, which has cells that can
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register small movements in water, but it can also be possible
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they just run into something and they just eat it.
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But if it doesn't run into food, then the olm has a remarkable trick.
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It can go into starvation mode,
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surviving up to ten years without eating.
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The olm lives life in the slow lane,
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which seems to be its secret for living a long life.
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Perhaps a lesson for us all.
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As a specialist, the olm is reliant on clean, pure water,
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and water pollution is one of its main threats.
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Dusan feels a close connection to the olm,
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and he hopes his work will build a clear picture of what this
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remarkable but mysterious creature needs to survive.
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Even though you cannot see something, you still, underneath this,
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have a really amazing world, which is just hidden
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and we still need to conserve it.
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Yes, the olm has a berth in my ark.
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Maybe it can reveal its secrets of long life.
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Of course, I'll have to have a bird on this ark, but which to choose?
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00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,240
I first became aware of how breathtakingly beautiful
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exotic birds could be when, as a boy,
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I was allowed to leaf through one of these 19th-century bird books.
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The man who published this glorious ornithological volumes was called
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John Gould, and he was particularly fascinated by hummingbirds,
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many of which he identified and named for the first time.
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One of the most spectacular is this,
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and he called it the Marvellous Spatuletail.
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When I first saw it, I thought, "He must have made that up."
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How could a bird, any bird, fly with its head pointing downwards
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and then these two pennant quills crossed over its tail?
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Well, in spite of the fact that Gould never saw the living bird,
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this is correct, and it was only proved to be so
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00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:29,440
when this display flight was filmed a few years ago.
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The home of this hummingbird is in the foothills of the Andes
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in a remote corner of Peru.
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The male spatuletail hummingbird's two super-long quills
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end in these rather cumbersome discs.
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These might seem rather inconvenient and unnecessary,
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but their purpose becomes apparent when a female appears.
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She is rather plainer in appearance, but that's OK.
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She doesn't need to make an effort. It's his job to win over her.
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00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:19,400
The male begins his courtship ritual by waving his tail feathers
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00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,280
back and forth.
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This takes a lot of effort, even from the comfort of his perch.
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But to be accepted as her mate, he needs to take to the air.
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Watch this.
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She seems quite impressed.
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00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:07,360
As she looks on, he begins an airborne dance, dipping his head
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00:28:07,360 --> 00:28:11,760
and crossing his tail feathers, just as Gould captured in his painting.
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00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,680
But this is exhausting work.
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00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:24,560
It's so demanding he can only stay airborne for a matter of seconds
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00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,200
before he needs a rest.
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00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:35,280
He doesn't seem to be winning, but he decides to make one final effort.
340
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:48,400
It's no good. She's seen enough. In a flash, she's gone.
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00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,600
He'll just have to try even harder next time.
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00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,360
But with this incredible mating ritual over for the time being,
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00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:03,360
this little chap has indeed lived up to his name.
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I'd certainly give the Marvellous Spatuletail a berth in my ark.
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00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:35,280
There are more than 5,000 species of frogs and toads in the world,
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including many rare and quite unusual ones.
347
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But the one I'm going to choose is Darwin's Frog.
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00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,840
Darwin's Frogs vary in colour,
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00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:52,160
and can expertly blend into their surroundings.
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00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,240
But there's another reason I find them fascinating.
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00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:05,760
Charles Darwin discovered the frog that now carries his name when
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00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:11,840
he landed in Chile in 1834 on his way around the world in HMS Beagle.
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00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:17,520
This is the field notebook he had at the time,
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00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:22,800
and he has actually sketched in it this particular frog.
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00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:24,200
Just there.
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00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:29,960
It's a very small drawing, but then the frog itself is pretty small.
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00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:35,120
This is about as big as it gets,
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00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:39,160
and this is the actual specimen that was collected by Darwin.
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00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:42,560
But it's a very remarkable frog,
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00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:49,400
because the male gives birth to the young, and does so out of his mouth.
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00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:56,240
Like most frogs,
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00:30:56,240 --> 00:31:00,880
this male Darwin Frog inflates his vocal sac to attract a female.
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00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:06,200
But in this frog, it also doubles as a nursery.
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00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:14,120
After the female has laid the eggs, he takes them into his mouth,
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00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:18,400
where they lie in his vocal sac, and there develop into baby frogs.
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00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:25,640
The actual birth is exceedingly quick,
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00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:27,320
and has hardly ever been filmed.
368
00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:28,920
Blink and you'll miss it.
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00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:33,760
Here it is again.
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00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:42,520
Darwin's Frog lives in southern Chile,
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00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:46,960
and whilst many of the animals in my ark face a threat from humans,
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it faces a challenge from Mother Nature herself.
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It lives in what is usually a lush, moist forest,
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but recently, one of the few remaining populations
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00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:03,880
has come under threat from a natural disaster.
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00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:19,800
Since June 2011, a huge volcanic eruption at Mount Puyehue has been
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00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:24,640
showering hundreds of square miles of the surrounding area with ash.
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00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:29,600
The layer of fallen ash is drying out and killing
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00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:33,680
much of the vegetation that is vital to the frog's survival.
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00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,240
It's pushing Darwin's Frog to the edge of extinction.
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00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:46,360
Luckily, there's a scientist who is devoted to these tiny creatures.
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00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:50,960
Claudio Soto-Azat has spent several years studying
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00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:52,920
these unusual and rare frogs.
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00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,640
He's been carefully monitoring the effect of the ash.
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00:32:57,400 --> 00:32:59,120
You can see no ash now,
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00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,920
because there was a lot of rain in a few days, but if you
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00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:05,840
move the leaves, you can see that there is a thick layer of ash.
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00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:10,760
Logs like this one are normally covered by moss and fern,
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00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:14,280
but this fern, as you see here, just died because of all the ash.
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00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,520
The volcano is still active, and a small change in the direction
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00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:24,040
of the wind could bring the ash cloud back over this area.
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00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:29,040
The risk to these rare animals is too great.
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00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:32,360
Claudio has come to find and rescue as many frogs as possible.
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00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:34,880
On a previous visit, he was only able
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00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:37,240
to find four frogs in this forest.
396
00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,040
FROG CALLS
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00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:43,880
Do you hear that? So that's a male Darwin's Frog that just called now.
398
00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:48,120
They're masters of disguise, and their colour varies,
399
00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:50,720
but always blends perfectly with their surroundings.
400
00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:57,200
You normally don't see the actual frog, but you see a jump.
401
00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:01,320
Oh, OK!
402
00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:05,120
Wonderful.
403
00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,000
So, let's have a look.
404
00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:13,160
Wow!
405
00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:14,800
Wonderful.
406
00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:16,640
So this is a male Darwin's Frog,
407
00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:20,680
pregnant with maybe five or six tadpoles, and that means they
408
00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:25,120
have been the surviving the volcano, but they also have been breeding.
409
00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,080
I've got one. Yeah, good.
410
00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,480
There are more frogs here than Claudio was expecting,
411
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:36,160
but with the forest so dry and the volcano still venting ash,
412
00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:39,480
he will stick to his plan to remove them and breed them
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00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:43,440
in captivity until the threat from the volcano has diminished.
414
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:52,560
At the University of Concepcion, the frogs are given a safe haven.
415
00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:56,360
They will hopefully breed a robust population, which can one day
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00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:58,520
be returned to the forest.
417
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:05,160
For Claudio, it's another small step towards saving this unique species.
418
00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:08,200
So here we have four Darwin's Frogs that were first
419
00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:12,160
captured from the volcano, and now we were able to get ten more,
420
00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:15,720
which is a good number to have a captive breeding population,
421
00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:19,000
so this has been a very successful trip.
422
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:23,840
I'd certainly be very sad to lose such a unique animal.
423
00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,400
There is still room on my ark, so hop on board.
424
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:43,040
The next creature for my ark is one of the most endearing animals
425
00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:45,240
I've met - the pangolin.
426
00:35:45,240 --> 00:35:48,120
The only truly scaly mammal in the world.
427
00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:52,400
I've come across it and number of times in my career.
428
00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:56,120
Here, for example, in a film I made in 1973.
429
00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:01,840
But many years before that film, I almost had to adopt one.
430
00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:10,120
It was back in 1956, and we were making a film in Bali,
431
00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:12,680
and also collecting animals for the London Zoo,
432
00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:17,400
and one day, a man came to us with a pangolin in a sack.
433
00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:18,920
I didn't really want a pangolin,
434
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:23,480
because they have a very specialised diet, so they don't live well.
435
00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:26,120
So I asked the man what he would do if we didn't buy it,
436
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:28,560
and he said, "Oh, well, we'd eat it."
437
00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:33,920
And the scales, he said, were very good for medicine.
438
00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:35,920
So I said how much did he want for it,
439
00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:39,480
and he said, I think it was about five shillings.
440
00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:41,640
So I said, "OK, I'll buy it."
441
00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:45,160
And we headed for a couple of days or so, travelling about,
442
00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:49,640
eating termites, and a very engaging little creature it was, too.
443
00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:53,600
And then, after a couple of days, one night we let it go.
444
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:56,560
I hope he survived.
445
00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:05,320
This is Lucky.
446
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,640
He was called Lucky because, just like the one I came across
447
00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:12,520
all those years ago, he, too, was rescued from certain death.
448
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:18,160
He lives here at a rescue centre in Vietnam.
449
00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:26,280
Lucky, like all sunda pangolins, is rather shy.
450
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:28,080
He prefers to come out at night,
451
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:31,480
and can only easily be filmed with special infrared cameras.
452
00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:37,960
Pangolins are similar to anteaters, but uniquely, they have
453
00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:40,480
hard scales made of keratin,
454
00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:42,960
the same substance as our nails are made of.
455
00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,120
They rely on their claws being as sharp as possible,
456
00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:49,800
so they walk on their knuckles to protect them.
457
00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:57,480
They use those claws to tear open the nests of ants and termites,
458
00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,640
scooping up their prey with their long, sticky tongue.
459
00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:06,440
They have a special talent for climbing, and are immensely strong,
460
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:11,080
a core strength that any Pilates teacher would die for.
461
00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:16,960
Sadly, these gymnasts face many threats.
462
00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:25,280
Sunda pangolins are found across Southeast Asia.
463
00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:29,160
In Vietnam, it's illegal to hunt or sell them.
464
00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,040
But that doesn't stop a thriving black market
465
00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:34,680
in cities such as Hanoi.
466
00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:41,440
Here, their meat is considered a delicacy,
467
00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:45,120
and their scales are used in traditional Asian medicine.
468
00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:52,200
In the streets of Hanoi, there is a legitimate trade for medicine,
469
00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:56,560
which includes the sale of various animal parts, insects and plants.
470
00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:02,760
But pangolin scales can also be found.
471
00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:08,080
Dan Challender, from the University of Kent,
472
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,160
is investigating the illegal trade of pangolins,
473
00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:14,200
and it doesn't take him long to find some for sale.
474
00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:16,520
These are scales of pangolins.
475
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:19,840
These are now a valuable commodity.
476
00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:22,840
In the last few years, they've increased dramatically in price
477
00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:26,200
and can fetch about 500 a kilo.
478
00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:31,800
I've just seen three, four, five animals-worth of scales
479
00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:34,280
down there in a bag, and what's going to happen to them now
480
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:36,880
is that they're going to be ground down and used in medicines
481
00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:40,960
to treat a range of ailments from asthma, psoriasis or even cancer.
482
00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,920
And that's tragic, because there is no evidence to suggest that
483
00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:47,840
pangolin scales are effective in traditional Asian medicine.
484
00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:54,160
And when darkness comes in the evening,
485
00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:56,840
the illegal trade continues.
486
00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:59,000
Pangolin meat is highly-prized as a status symbol
487
00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:01,800
amongst Vietnam's business elite.
488
00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:06,280
They will pay top prices for a variety of wild meats,
489
00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:07,840
including pangolin.
490
00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:12,520
Pangolin is offered in various forms.
491
00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:16,040
Either grilled, fried, steamed or cooked with bamboo shoots.
492
00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:19,520
Here's a picture of a foetus of a pangolin
493
00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:21,400
that's served in a dish of soup.
494
00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:28,280
And pangolins are not only popular in Vietnam.
495
00:40:28,280 --> 00:40:33,080
Huge numbers of them are illegally exported, mainly to China.
496
00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:36,240
It's thought that in the last 15 years
497
00:40:36,240 --> 00:40:39,800
over half the population of Sunda pangolins has disappeared.
498
00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:46,480
But for any that are rescued, there is a ray of hope.
499
00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:54,240
In the highly-secure pangolin conservation project at Cuc Phuong,
500
00:40:54,240 --> 00:40:57,600
the animals are coaxed back to health.
501
00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:03,480
Dan has come to the centre to see his old friend Lucky.
502
00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:08,040
Lucky has been undergoing rehabilitation
503
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:13,160
since his rescue, and today there is some good news Dan wasn't expecting.
504
00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:19,760
I've just found out that Lucky may be released into a national park.
505
00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:22,520
It's actually quite a surprise for me, because I actually
506
00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:25,280
thought he'd probably be at the centre for quite a while.
507
00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:28,720
I like this animal, so I've actually got mixed feelings,
508
00:41:28,720 --> 00:41:32,520
but if he is released, then I wish him well.
509
00:41:39,720 --> 00:41:43,000
It would seem Lucky is not particularly keen to leave here
510
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,200
for a life in the wild.
511
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:48,800
Well, I'd certainly be happy to spend a few days again
512
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:50,400
with a friendly pangolin.
513
00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:54,400
I think the only truly scaly mammal in the world
514
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:56,480
certainly deserves a berth.
515
00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:17,320
Around 80% of the Earth's animal species are insects.
516
00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:20,680
They play a vital role in the food chain,
517
00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:23,760
essential to many birds, fish and many other animals.
518
00:42:24,840 --> 00:42:30,520
They fertilise and aerate the soil, and, of course, they pollinate.
519
00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:35,720
Without them, life as we know it would cease to exist.
520
00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:38,560
So with only three places left on my ark,
521
00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:41,320
it would seem wrong not to include at least one.
522
00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:51,200
'Butterflies lift the heart.'
523
00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:58,640
There are thousands to choose from,
524
00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:01,520
but this butterfly house has one of my favourites.
525
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:08,120
'I selected it for its exquisite beauty.'
526
00:43:14,160 --> 00:43:18,040
This is a Priam's Birdwing butterfly.
527
00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:23,480
It lives in Western New Guinea and to the islands both east
528
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:26,840
and west, and also down into the northern part of Australia.
529
00:43:29,240 --> 00:43:32,800
Birdwings have some of the largest of insect wings,
530
00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:35,680
and are very sought after by collectors.
531
00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:41,080
The name comes from their rather bird-like forewings.
532
00:43:45,520 --> 00:43:48,880
The male Priam Birdwing has a striking pattern of vibrant
533
00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:50,520
green and black.
534
00:43:56,720 --> 00:44:00,640
The females are larger and less colourful, but just as delightful.
535
00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:06,080
These butterflies are able to fly long distances
536
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:07,800
high above the forest canopy.
537
00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:28,480
But these beautiful insects only live for about ten days
538
00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:30,600
as fully-formed adult butterflies.
539
00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:40,120
If I take him on board my ark, I'm not going to have him for long.
540
00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:44,040
But in the ten days of his short life,
541
00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:48,800
he'll bring such joy that I'm delighted to have him on board.
542
00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:55,360
Oh, doesn't want to leave. Off you go.
543
00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:57,840
Off you go.
544
00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:04,120
OK, stay on board.
545
00:45:23,400 --> 00:45:26,720
Australia is a fascinating place for any naturalist.
546
00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:31,600
It's a land full of astonishing creatures.
547
00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:36,240
From kangaroos,
548
00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:39,840
to echidnas,
549
00:45:41,760 --> 00:45:44,800
to the duck-billed platypus.
550
00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:50,080
It really is a place like no other on earth.
551
00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:55,920
However, many of these remarkable animals are also amongst
552
00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:58,320
the most threatened on the planet.
553
00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:02,360
So people here have had to come up with some extraordinary ways
554
00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:03,480
to protect them.
555
00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:07,200
And there is one story that particularly interests me -
556
00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:09,480
that of the quoll.
557
00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:13,640
They're just a fantastic animal. Look at that. Very cute.
558
00:46:16,320 --> 00:46:18,440
Want a few more?
559
00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:21,560
There you go.
560
00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:26,520
As you'd expect, the northern quoll can be found
561
00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,480
in the Northern Territories of Australia.
562
00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:38,800
It looks rather mouse-like, but during breeding, it develops
563
00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:43,280
a small pouch for its young, and it is, in fact, a marsupial.
564
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:46,720
And this marsupial is a meat-eater.
565
00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:52,760
But that fact could be its downfall.
566
00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:01,720
In recent years, it's been bumping into a new kid on the block -
567
00:47:01,720 --> 00:47:03,400
the cane toad.
568
00:47:05,160 --> 00:47:08,480
The cane toad is originally from South America,
569
00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:11,120
but since being introduced to Australia,
570
00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:15,360
it's been devastating the wildlife across that continent.
571
00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:18,560
It's a classic case of an invasive species.
572
00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:25,920
The problem for the hungry quoll is that this toad is also poisonous.
573
00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:33,240
The glands on its back release a lethal venom.
574
00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:46,200
The cane toad population has spread so quickly across Australia
575
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:49,840
that the unsuspecting quolls have been poisoned in their thousands.
576
00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:05,400
Here, at Territory Wildlife Park near Darwin, quolls are brought
577
00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:08,200
to live in captivity as a safeguard against extinction.
578
00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:14,560
An animal behaviour expert, Jonathan Webb,
579
00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:19,160
has a radical idea to teach these quolls that cane toads
580
00:48:19,160 --> 00:48:22,880
are off the menu, and stop them eating themselves to extinction.
581
00:48:24,240 --> 00:48:26,280
When I came up with this idea, people said,
582
00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:29,520
"You're crazy, it's never going to work.
583
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:33,320
"You can't train quolls to avoid eating cane toads."
584
00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:40,640
So to prove their point, they set up an anti-cane toad boot camp.
585
00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:45,480
At the centre of this unconventional aversion therapy is a new recipe.
586
00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:47,080
Cane toad sausages.
587
00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:53,640
First, they cut up dead cane toads and skin the legs.
588
00:48:56,640 --> 00:49:00,080
The poisonous parts of the toad are discarded.
589
00:49:01,960 --> 00:49:06,480
Then, a sickness-inducing drug is mixed with a juicy piece
590
00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:10,440
of cane toad meat and stuffed into the toad's leg skin,
591
00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:14,080
before being tied to create a sausage.
592
00:49:15,880 --> 00:49:20,400
Jonathan's theory is that when the quolls eat these cane toad sausages,
593
00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:24,840
they will feel mildly sick from the odourless, flavourless drug.
594
00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:29,280
He hopes that they will now associate that sick feeling
595
00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:33,680
with the taste of cane toads, and will avoid live toads in the future.
596
00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:38,720
The bowls are placed in the quoll enclosures,
597
00:49:38,720 --> 00:49:42,040
and as night falls, the quolls are out, looking for food.
598
00:49:51,840 --> 00:49:54,480
Next morning, the bowls are all empty,
599
00:49:54,480 --> 00:49:56,480
and the quolls are feeling the effect of that
600
00:49:56,480 --> 00:50:00,640
chemical in the sausages, and are looking rather sorry for themselves.
601
00:50:04,120 --> 00:50:07,000
But the sick feeling only last a few hours,
602
00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:10,440
and soon the quolls are back on form, catching crickets.
603
00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:18,760
It's time for a second helping of the specially-prepared
604
00:50:18,760 --> 00:50:20,280
toad sausages.
605
00:50:20,280 --> 00:50:23,440
Jonathan will be preparing for a rather different result
606
00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:26,160
when he checks the quoll's bowls in the morning.
607
00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:37,480
We've got six animals to check today.
608
00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:40,080
They've all eaten the bait once and become ill,
609
00:50:40,080 --> 00:50:42,280
and we've offered them the bait the second time,
610
00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:45,920
and we're hoping that they'll all have rejected the toad bait.
611
00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:51,320
Oh, excellent. It hasn't been touched. Fantastic.
612
00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:54,760
I'd say that one's toad-trained.
613
00:50:56,680 --> 00:50:59,520
She hasn't touched this one.
614
00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:01,040
Excellent. Hasn't been touched.
615
00:51:01,040 --> 00:51:02,400
But it's not all good news,
616
00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:05,520
as some of the quolls would appear to have flunked the test.
617
00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:07,240
Ah!
618
00:51:07,240 --> 00:51:11,520
Well, this one's taken the bait, which is disappointing.
619
00:51:16,120 --> 00:51:20,240
So this little fellow will have to resit.
620
00:51:20,240 --> 00:51:22,920
More cane toad sausages for him.
621
00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:26,000
But for the graduates of Jonathan's programme,
622
00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:30,440
it's back to life in the wild at nearby Kakadu National Park.
623
00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:47,920
This area has been invaded by cane toads,
624
00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:50,320
but with their new training,
625
00:51:50,320 --> 00:51:52,920
these quolls should stand a fighting chance.
626
00:51:59,960 --> 00:52:06,120
Then it's time to check the traps they left the day before.
627
00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:07,760
Hey, we've got a quoll!
628
00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:12,680
In this cane toad-infested area,
629
00:52:12,680 --> 00:52:16,120
it's always encouraging to find a live quoll.
630
00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:19,040
It's often an animal they've already trained.
631
00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:22,800
But this time, when they scan to see if the quoll has been
632
00:52:22,800 --> 00:52:26,840
previously micro-chipped, the news is particularly welcome.
633
00:52:31,880 --> 00:52:33,520
Wow, that's fantastic.
634
00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:37,160
So this is the daughter of one of the females that we
635
00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:40,560
reintroduced to the site in February 2010.
636
00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:44,760
This important development means that this quoll
637
00:52:44,760 --> 00:52:48,920
has most likely been brought up by its mother to avoid cane toads.
638
00:52:48,920 --> 00:52:51,360
Fantastic.
639
00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:53,240
For Jonathan,
640
00:52:53,240 --> 00:52:57,840
it means that he only needs to train one generation of quolls
641
00:52:57,840 --> 00:53:01,440
and the quolls will pass down the knowledge to their offspring.
642
00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:11,960
It's just one of those Eureka moments, where you think,
643
00:53:11,960 --> 00:53:17,120
"Wow, this technique could actually help save this species."
644
00:53:17,120 --> 00:53:21,880
It's a remarkable example of ingenuity and innovation saving
645
00:53:21,880 --> 00:53:25,680
a species, and that's why I'll welcome the quoll aboard my ark.
646
00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:41,200
I very much doubt you'll be able to guess my final selection.
647
00:53:45,400 --> 00:53:48,040
It can be found at the bottom of the sea.
648
00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:54,320
The ocean depths are full of rare, beautiful and often bizarre animals.
649
00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:58,120
Many we know very little about,
650
00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:00,840
and there must be thousands awaiting discovery.
651
00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:06,600
The creature I'm interested in clings to the ocean floor.
652
00:54:13,760 --> 00:54:15,800
They may look like plants,
653
00:54:15,800 --> 00:54:19,440
but sponges are one of the simplest of all living animals.
654
00:54:20,440 --> 00:54:22,880
Yet in their own way, they're amazing.
655
00:54:24,240 --> 00:54:28,880
They can be put through a mincer, reduced to a mush of cells,
656
00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:33,720
yet still reorganise themselves and reform into a sponge.
657
00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:44,480
There is one small but very special family of sponges
658
00:54:44,480 --> 00:54:46,960
known as the glass sponges.
659
00:54:48,120 --> 00:54:50,040
Like these.
660
00:54:50,040 --> 00:54:54,440
This particular species is called Venus' Flower Basket.
661
00:54:54,440 --> 00:54:58,880
And they're called glass sponges because they strengthen their body
662
00:54:58,880 --> 00:55:05,040
with microscopic needles of silica, the same substance that makes glass.
663
00:55:05,040 --> 00:55:07,720
Their needles join together in three,
664
00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:09,640
so they have six-pointed stars,
665
00:55:09,640 --> 00:55:15,800
and these tiny little elements are then deposited by the sponge
666
00:55:15,800 --> 00:55:20,120
to form this extraordinarily complex, beautiful structure.
667
00:55:22,760 --> 00:55:26,920
This complex glass structure is a marvel of design.
668
00:55:28,120 --> 00:55:31,640
The same kind of construction is used to build skyscrapers.
669
00:55:33,280 --> 00:55:37,640
But what is amazing is that the sponge grows its lattice, and
670
00:55:37,640 --> 00:55:41,880
doesn't require the kind of red-hot furnace that human glassmakers need.
671
00:55:44,160 --> 00:55:46,240
The Venus' Flower Basket can be found
672
00:55:46,240 --> 00:55:48,680
at great depths of up to 1,000 metres.
673
00:55:52,080 --> 00:55:54,760
Down there, you need a special submarine,
674
00:55:54,760 --> 00:55:56,880
because the water pressure is so great.
675
00:55:59,560 --> 00:56:03,120
Only creatures that have adapted to this extreme environment
676
00:56:03,120 --> 00:56:04,840
can survive down here.
677
00:56:08,920 --> 00:56:12,840
The Venus' Flower Basket feeds on the tiny particles
678
00:56:12,840 --> 00:56:15,920
of organic matter that fall from the more habitable water above.
679
00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:24,600
It creates a current to draw water in the bottom,
680
00:56:24,600 --> 00:56:28,880
and after absorbing what it needs, it expels the waste at the top.
681
00:56:43,920 --> 00:56:47,280
How such a simple creature as this could have
682
00:56:47,280 --> 00:56:53,360
constructed as complex a skeleton as that, no-one can say.
683
00:56:55,000 --> 00:56:58,760
But for me, these are some of the most beautiful
684
00:56:58,760 --> 00:57:02,480
and some of the most remarkable living organisms,
685
00:57:02,480 --> 00:57:06,000
and I'll be delighted to have one on my ark.
686
00:57:15,720 --> 00:57:18,640
So, there we have it. My ark is full.
687
00:57:20,440 --> 00:57:25,400
There is such a huge variety of life on Earth that I could have chosen
688
00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:27,600
any one of thousands of different species.
689
00:57:28,880 --> 00:57:33,280
But these few give a glimpse of the astounding diversity of nature.
690
00:57:33,280 --> 00:57:37,040
Wow! So this is a pregnant male.
691
00:57:37,040 --> 00:57:40,840
Their stories also show us some of the dedicated people,
692
00:57:40,840 --> 00:57:43,160
trying to protect these animals.
693
00:57:43,160 --> 00:57:45,360
This is a living fossil.
694
00:57:47,120 --> 00:57:50,120
The innovative techniques that researchers have devised.
695
00:57:50,120 --> 00:57:52,600
I'd say that one's toad-trained.
696
00:57:55,640 --> 00:57:58,920
The extreme lengths that conservationists will go to
697
00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:00,600
in the struggle to save a species.
698
00:58:03,360 --> 00:58:08,120
And ultimately, the reward such painstaking work can bring.
699
00:58:08,120 --> 00:58:09,760
Wow! This is fantastic and wonderful.
700
00:58:14,120 --> 00:58:18,080
Those are some of the animals that intrigue and fascinate me.
701
00:58:18,080 --> 00:58:22,400
And I won't forget Venus' Flower Basket either, as a reminder
702
00:58:22,400 --> 00:58:26,360
of how much we still have to learn about the natural world.
703
00:58:50,560 --> 00:58:53,600
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