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Some people
believe that it is a call

that can shake a mountain.

This pair of great hornbills
are particularly excited.

Hidden from sight, high up in
a tree, something is stirring.

Their little secret.

She takes in her first
view of the world.

A world that her parents
have successfully learned to

navigate in order to survive in
this ever-changing new wild.

It is perhaps not perfect, but
is the reality in a country

of over 1.4 billion people,

where boundaries
are often blurred,

sometimes leading to conflict.

A land of sacred peaks
and secret creatures,

lost in the mists of
time somewhere between

folklore and magic.

A land of thundering waterfalls,
deep gorges and ancient rocks,

all shaped by tectonic forces,
wind and water for over

two and a half billion years.

But even greater is
the force of change

brought in by human pressures,
only in the past two centuries.

This is the story
of the Nilgiris,

India's first biosphere reserve.

These islands in the sky
still hold many secrets.

Like the mountains
themselves, shrouded in mist,

the story of the origin
of the name Neela Giri is

still shrouded in mystery.

While others believe
the name originates

from the mountains being
carpeted by flowers

of the Neelakurinji.

Whatever may be the origin of
the name, there is no doubt that

the many folds of these
rugged mountains

still hold many mysteries.

Many of the plants
and animals here are found

nowhere else on the planet.

Like the Nilgiri Chilappan, a
species of laughing thrush

that has evolved in isolation
here for over 5 million years

and is inseparable from
the Sky Island home.

The highest part of the
Nilgiris is a land of extremes.

The mountain monarch here
in this precipitous terrain

is the Nilgiri Tahr.

Living in small herds,
these sturdy mountain goats

make their home in the
high elevation grasslands

and steep rocky cliffs,
inaccessible to predators.

Also known as the cloud
goat, this sure-footed

ungulate is the only one of
its kind found naturally

occurring in the tropics.

They roam their vast
grassland kingdom,

browsing on a variety of plants.

The grasslands appear monotypic.

In this sea of grass, these
pockets of dense jungle

are known as sholas.

These small wooded groves
are like a sponge,

with trees laden
with thick moss.

During the monsoon, they soak
up moisture and slowly release

it through the year,
ensuring a perennial supply

of fresh water.

These little streams join
together to form rivers that

cut through this landscape.

The waters that flow off
the northern side of the

mountains fall over 250 feet

and carve a chasm nearly
a thousand feet in depth,

creating The Moyar.

In Tamil, it means 'the
river that disappears'.

And in the summer transforms
into a green ribbon of life.

An oasis in a
rain-parched landscape.

From space, the Moyar can be
seen as a 22-kilometre-long scar

on the north side of
the Nilgiri Massif.

The Western Ghat mountain
range runs 1,600

kilometres north to south
along the west coast

of peninsular India.

The Nilgiri Massif runs west
to east and forms a bridge,

a critical link to
the Eastern Ghats.

Its unique location
combined with its unique

nature and culture
has made it India's

first biosphere reserve.

Established in 1986,
the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve,

covering an area
of 5,500 square kilometres,

is part of UNESCO's Man
and Biosphere Programme,

aimed at using research to
explore the relationship

between humans and
the environment.

This mosaic of grassland
and shola is important,

not only for its
ability to store water,

but it is also an
ancient storehouse of

numerous little secrets.

Species found here exist
nowhere else on the planet.

Some are so seldom
seen that most people

don't even know they exist.

The Nilgiri Marten.

In this rare footage, this
mongoose-sized carnivore

is feeding on a giant squirrel.

This grassland kingdom is
home not just for the Tahr

but also other ungulates.

Gaur the largest
bovine in the world.

And Sambhar, the largest
of India's deer.

Grazing in the open
leaves them exposed.

Small herds graze in the
open, unaware that they

are being watched.

She gives chase.

It's too late.

For now, she will go hungry.

A story of predator and
prey that has unfolded here

for thousands of years.

But over the last two
centuries, these mountains have

been transformed.

An ever-growing human population

with an ever-hungry appetite
for land and consumption

has drastically altered
this landscape.

80% of the Nilgiri Massif
was converted to human

use of various forms.

It's difficult to believe
that all this transformation

took place only within
the last 200 years.

In the mid-1800s.

But it was the Opium Wars
in China that triggered a

desperate search for alternative
tea-supplying landscapes

that led to tea plantations
being developed in India.

First in Assam, and
then in the Nilgiris.

This combined with the
construction of the

Nilgiri Mountain Railway,
popularly known as the

Toy Train, changed the
face of the hills.

With that, Ooty became the
busy, bustling heart of

a fast-growing township.

A combination of
tourism and trade.

A stone's throw away from the
hustle and bustle of the market

is another world.

An idyllic year-round garden.

Busy with bees.

In this garden, it's not just
the roses that have spines.

Meet the Horsfield's
Spiny Lizard,

also known as the Nilgiri Salea,
with a tail nearly

two and a half times
its body length.

It is a species found
nowhere else in the world.

Once at home in high elevation
bushes around grasslands,

they've had to adapt to
their changing environment

and now live
incognito in gardens,

performing the role
of insect control.

Sudden movements trigger a
Salea's hunting instinct.

But a sudden movement also
triggers a fly's instinct

to flee.

To catch a fly, one
needs to be a fly on the wall.

In this case, a branch.

She has her eyes on the prize.

A fly, too distracted to
notice the camouflaged lizard.

Being within striking
distance is critical.

Any sudden movement or loss of
focus and the fly will be gone.

With quick reflexes

and an uncanny ability
to conceal herself,

this Salea has managed
to capture a meal,

even in the heart of this town.

As towns go to sleep, the
hills reveal their wild side.

In this era of
lights and cameras,

every action is captured.

Security cameras
reveal the vibrant,

nocturnal urban
wildlife of the hills.

Dawn reveals the newest
habitat of the hills.

Neatly manicured rows of
tea, a vast sea of green.

The whole cast of
The Jungle Book are here.

From elephants, to cheeky
monkeys, mongoose,

to sloth bears, and even the
enigmatic black panther.

But in order to adapt
to this new wilderness,

they've had to play
by some new rules.

Rule number one,
don't eat the tea.

Luckily, the herbivores haven't
developed a taste for tea,

and hardly ever
graze on tea leaves.

They much prefer the lush
growth of grass under the tea.

Rule number two.

Get to know your neighbors.

There's also a sloth bear
family learning their way

around this tea garden.

And where there's prey,
there are predators lurking.

Rule number three.

See, but don't be seen.

The master of camouflage
in this wilderness of tea

is the leopard.

The most adaptable
of all the big cats,

the leopards have learned
the rules of the game well.

She's not watching the Sambar.

Dogs are a big part
of the diet of these leopards.

With challenging
waste management,

open garbage dumps
attract macaques,

dogs,

and wild pigs.

A ready source of food
for waiting leopards.

This leopardess
has her paws full.

Her litter of four includes
two melanistic cubs.

But how they turn black, and
if in fact a black leopard

is a product of its habitat,
has long been a source

of discussion amongst
evolutionary biologists.

The black panther and leopard
are all the same species,

sometimes erroneously
considered different.

Melanism is a very rare mutation
that occurs when an individual

expresses the recessive gene.

With the tea pickers
gone for the day,

they can now come out of hiding.

The rocks in the tea garden
are a favourite play area.

Play is an essential
part of growing up.

It strengthens
bonds between them

and develops their abilities
to camouflage and ambush,

skills necessary to make
them the ultimate predators.

On the northern and eastern
sides of the Nilgiris,

things are very different.

It's the dry side, the
rain shadow region.

Clouds flow past, but
the mountains have

drained all the moisture.

At the start of the dry season,
gooseberries are a delicacy,

but for the Chital, reaching
them is impossible.

Lungurs take a bite and
throw the rest of the

fruit to the ground.

A welcome morsel
for waiting Chital.

Chital and Lungur have
learned to share their space

and resources to protect
each other from predators.

Chital are the most abundant
deer species here and are

a favorite meal for leopards
and other carnivores.

Wild dogs, known as dhole,

are efficient top predators.

They rarely hunt alone.

Their strength is
in their numbers.

Blackbuck, with speeds of
over 80 kilometers per hour,

may be too fast for Dhole.

They'll have to focus
their attention

on their slower
neighbors, Chital.

When Dhole go out on a hunt,

the forest goes quiet.

The moment they see the
Dhole, the Chital flee with

their tails in the air,
not giving away their

presence with a call.

Perhaps it's a strategy to
avoid getting singled out.

Unlike felines that
are ambush predators,

dhole rely on chasing
their prey down.

The bigger the pack,
the swifter the kill.

A wild dog is a hyper-carnivore,
consuming up to

340 kilos of meat a year,
nearly a kilo a day.

These dogs need to consume
not only for themselves.

Back at the den, this pack has
eight hungry mouths to feed.

The pups have had
a full day of play

in the safety of their den.

Once the adults return,
it's time for food.

Eating regurgitated meat
also allows the pups

to get started on a meat diet.

Dhole have more teats
than any other canid,

an advantage when having
to nurse large litters.

By the time they
are six weeks old,

they'll switch to an
entirely meat diet.

There's nothing better
than a little siesta

after a full meal.

There's something
brewing in the distance.

The monsoon is the
region's heartbeat.

In India, the monsoon is
a season of many faces.

It comes as a boon and a curse.

It can be a creator
and a destroyer.

But whatever it is, life
without the monsoon

is next to impossible.

Within a few weeks, the
landscape is transformed.

In the plains below, the deluge
is a relief to the residents.

Across the Western
Ghats, the monsoon rains

rejuvenate over 250 species
of amphibians, of which over

90% are found nowhere
else on the planet.

Malabar gliding frogs descend
from the canopy and gather

around pools of water
created by the monsoon rain.

This is their one time
to mate in a year

and things get frantic fast.

Normally this happens under
the cover of darkness,

but in the monsoon, with
heavy rains and reduced light,

mating can happen
even during daytime.

Once a male latches
onto a female,

special glue in the
thumbs makes him hold on

and fertilization of the
eggs happens outside.

As the eggs are fertilized,
they get put into a protective

foam nest that will not only
keep the eggs moist,

but also protect them
from predators.

In the next few weeks, the
eggs develop into tadpoles.

And with the help of a little
rain, they flow into the

safety and security of the
pool of fresh water below.

In the water, the tadpoles feed
on algae and vegetable matter

growing on rocks
and dead branches.

They rest under leaves,
but as air breathers,

they need to come up to the
surface to grab a mouthful.

All this movement
attracts the attention

of a little dragon.

In the dark, shadowy world
at the bottom of the pond,

another creature is
awaiting transformation.

It's a creature
with a superpower.

With compound eyes and
near 360-degree vision,

it's difficult to hide
from their sight.

An ambush predator,
this little dragon

has one of the fastest
strike forces in nature.

Able to extend its razor sharp
lower jaw in a split second,

it can capture tadpoles,
mosquito larvae

and other aquatic
invertebrates with precision.

This is a voracious predator.

The more food, the faster
its transformation.

Within a few weeks, the
little dragon emerges from

the water for its final act.

To shape-shift.

It swallows in air to
extend its abdomen.

And pumps fluids to extend
its paper-thin wings.

In a miraculous transformation,

the little nymph turns into
a dragon that can fly.

This particular dragonfly
is known as the

globe skimmer or
wandering glider.

It has the longest distance
insect migration in the world.

An individual globe skimmer
can cover a distance of

6,000 kilometers
in its lifetime.

But in order to accomplish
such an extraordinary feat,

there's one thing the
globe skimmer will need.

Fuel.

They couldn't have
timed their arrival better,

as there's a feast to be had.

Across the Western Ghats,
there are nearly 40 different

species of figs, each with
its own fruiting cycle.

A single fig tree can have

fruit ready for picking over
the course of a few weeks.

It's a seasonal bonanza
and the fig with its

sweet, delectable fruit attracts
not just the mammals, but also

a who's who of the bird world.

Fairy bluebirds, barbots,
bulbuls, green pigeons, mynahs,

lorokeets, and the largest of
them all, the great hornbill.

With a five-foot wingspan
and an appetite to match,

the hornbill is a
voracious fruit eater.

Known as the
tree planter of the forest,

hornbills feed on
a variety of fruit

and help propagate figs
across their range.

But there's another creature
that figs need to be

really thankful for.

The tiny fig wasps that
play a crucial role

in pollinating the
giant fig tree.

In a complex ancient
relationship

spanning millions of
years, each species of

fig tree has co-evolved
with a particular

species of fig wasp.

One cannot survive
without the other.

Today, the hornbills
seem to be in no mood

to feed on the figs.

They have some crunchy
protein on their mind.

As the sun rises, dragonflies
appear on the scene.

Not a few, but a few
hundred thousand of them.

Here to catch the millions of
fig wasps emerging nonstop.

But dragonflies with their
lightning fast maneuvers

are too much for the
awkward hornbills.

But it won't stop
them from trying.

Got one.

Well, almost.

Persistence pays off and the
hornbills mix their fruit diet

with some highly earned protein.

The hornbills must feed
well, as very soon they

will begin nesting.

In one of the most
unique nesting habits,

a young hornbill is
imprisoned for its own safety

inside a nest hollow.

Both parents engage in
feeding the growing chick.

As the chick grows, the
food too begins to change.

From soft figs and other
fruit to crunchy cicadas

and even other fledglings.

Over the course of two months,
the parents care for the young.

And now, nearly 70 days
after the chick hatched,

she's ready to fledge.

The male hornbill entices
the chick to come out

by not feeding her.

Now it's mom's turn.

She sits just barely
out of reach,

encouraging her little
secret to come outside.

But it's hard to do when
you've been growing

to nearly the size of the adult,
cramped inside a tree hollow.

The young fledgling
seems to be stuck.

But with a little
bit of struggle

and a little bit of coaxing,
the chick finally emerges.

Hornbill fledglings are
able to fly the first

day outside the nest,
but in this case our

hornbill has crashed onto a
pile of dense vegetation.

Flying lessons begin
almost immediately.

Incentivised by some good food.

This unique strategy in
Hornbills has been very

successful over the ages.

But today, with the
loss of primary forests

and the paucity of large sized
trees with nesting hollows,

this strategy now
makes them vulnerable.

But somehow, like many of the
species across the Nilgiris,

they've learned to adapt
to this new wilderness.

A shared wilderness.

And for now, their mighty
call continues to reverberate

across the mountains.

Like the tiny fig wasp,
inseparable from the

mighty ficus tree,
connected to the hornbill,

the gardener of the forest.

We too are a part of this
delicate, intricately

interconnected world.

A natural world full
of beauty and magic.

These mountains are an ancient
storehouse of stories.

A source of sacred rivers.

And home to the guardians
of our climate.

For the past few
centuries, humans have

dominated this landscape.

Bringing in rapid
change to this small

but vital biosphere reserve.

Can we help preserve
this unique habitat?

The only home to so
many endemic species.

Creatively trying to adapt
to live alongside us.

The fate of this fragile
ecosystem lies on us.

Although everything is not
perfect, it is precious.

The Nilgiris, India's
Blue Mountains,

continue to hold many
secrets within her folds.

Wherein lies a story
of hope, of beauty,

fragility, and
intertwined futures.