All language subtitles for Asia (2024) - S01E07 - Saving Asia (1080p BluRay x265 Silence)

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH:
Asia is home

to the most extraordinary
animals.

(GRUNTS)

But they are under pressure

that is increasing
as never before.

(BIRDS CALL)

(ROARS)

All over the continent,

remarkable people
are dedicating their lives

to saving them.

Their aim is to ensure a future

where humans and wildlife
can coexist.

Northeast Borneo...

...home to one of Asia's
most elusive mammals.

Sun bears.

No-one knows how many
are left in the wild...

...but they face tremendous
threats from deforestation

and poaching.

All too often,
orphaned cubs are sold as pets.

And those that are rescued...

...end up at the Bornean
Sun Bear Conservation Centre

run by Dr Siew Te Wong...

Hey, hey, hey.
Be nice, be nice.

...also known as Papa Bear.

People give me that name,
Papa Bear,

because all of these
is my kids.

But yet,
I'm a wildlife biologist.

I want bears to live
in the forest

and not in captivity,
not even here.

One of the sanctuary's
residents, Sika,

is about to begin her journey
back to the wild.

This will be the culmination

of years of care
and rehabilitation.

Sika came to our centre
on March 2017.

When we first got her, she was
about three, four months old.

You see her eyes -
she looks very sad,

does not want to interact.

Here, of course,
we have to play the role

as a surrogate mother.

And then
she is getting bigger now,

you know. And... hey,
with that kind of strength,

this is something that
you do not want to mess with.

You need to have a lot of love
and patience.

The process of rehabilitating
and taking care of a bear cub

is a very, very, long process -
it takes years.

DAVID: Before her release can
begin, Sika must be darted -

to avoid unnecessary stress,

and to protect the team.

(SIKA BARKS)

Although roughly the size
of a Labrador,

sun bears have
incredibly strong jaws...

...and they could easily Kill
a human.

Once sedated,

the team have limited time
to move her.

SIEW TE: The clock is ticking,
definitely.

Fingers crossed
that everything's go well.

DAVID: She is placed
in a metal crate,

specially designed so that
she cannot chew her way out.

SIEW TE: OK.
There's no going back now.

OK.

(UNTRANSLATED INSTRUCTIONS)

One, two, three.

All right, let's go.

DAVID: The team travel at night

to avoid the searing heat
of the day,

which could be fatal for
an animal inside a metal box.

In order for
our reintroductions

to be successful,

we need to send them
deep in the jungle,

where they're not going to see
any humans ever again.

The final leg
of Sika's journey...

...will be by helicopter.

(ROTORS WHIRRING)

The sedative is wearing off...

...and the temperature
is rising.

And there's a bigger problem.

The landing site
is under cloud cover.

PILOT: I'd give it about
an hour, like 10.30 at least.

- 10.307?
- 10.30 we decide,

because it's still very covered
on that side.

It looks kind of blue now,
it's moving that way,

but it's still kind of sitting.

Er...

It's not ideal for the bears
to bake

under the sun for too long.

So basically you need to do it
before this last trip.

Yes, yes, yeah, yeah.

SIEW TE: Working in the forest
or working with the animals,

safety always come first.

It is very dangerous,

but I feel like we still need
to continue the work

because if we don't do it,
nobody will,

and the bears
would have no future.

Yeah, OK.

(UNTRANSLATED INSTRUCTIONS)

DAVID: News comes through that
there's a break in the weather.

OK.

(UNTRANSLATED)

Oh!

For the team,
there is not a moment to lose.

It's risky.

The crate could spin
uncontrollably,

so palm fronds are attached
to steady it.

The only place to land

is a small patch
of volcanic mud.

After over 20 hours
in the crate...

. Sika is now only moments
from freedom.

(GRUNTS)

One second, one second.
OK. OK, OK.

All right, so get ready.

Here. All right, Sika, this is
it, your last journey end.

(BEEP)

So I wish you all the best.

Yeah, I wish you all the best.

Wish you all the best.

Wish you a happy...
Wish you a long life.

Yeah, OK.

OK?

Pulling. Go!

SIEW TE: The moment
I open that door

and the bears dash out
into the forest,

they are all on their own.
I cannot help them any more.

It's not guaranteed
that we can

make sure that the bears
can live happily ever after.

But I think
after all the hard work,

It Is still the right thing
to do.

The bears deserve a second
chance to be in the wild.

DAVID: In this protected
reserve...

...bears like Sika
can still make a home.

But in some
of the continent's forests,

wildlife is being removed
at an alarming rate.

Java, Indonesia.

This rainforest
should provide a habitat

for a multitude of birds
with melodious songs.

But the jungle
is falling silent.

(CHEEPING)

In stark contrast,
the bird markets

are noisier than ever.

Keeping birds that sing as pets

is a deep-rooted tradition
in Indonesia.

And in recent years,
a new craze has emerged.

Singing competitions take place
all over the country.

(BIRD SINGS)

The stakes are high.

Big-money prizes are on offer.

(BIRD-LIKE WHISTLE)

Many of these birds have been
taken from the wild...

...and the hobby
is driving some species

towards extinction.

Panji Gusti Akbar
is determined

that one very special species
isn't going to vanish.

All this security
is here for a reason.

Within these walls

is one of the rarest birds
in the world...

(BIRD CALLS)

...the Javan green magpie.

(CALLS)

OK, shall we start with
the body condition score?

Three and a half.

Here, a breeding program me
is being run

with the aim of releasing

captive-bred magpies
into the wild.

But the team face
a huge challenge.

(THUNDER CRASHES)

Panji will only release
his captive-bred birds

if he can find a population
of wild magpies

with which they can breed.

But with so few left...

...It's a near-impossible task.

He is deploying
new technology -

sound traps -

microphones that pick up
every noise in the jungle.

Software powered by
artificial intelligence

helps Panji analyse
all the recordings.

(RECORDING HISSES)

But it still takes
hours and hours of listening.

We just need to hear
one magpie.

(BIRDSONG ON RECORDING)

This isn't Panji's
only problem.

There is no point
in releasing birds

if they're then just
poached again.

So he must also change
the hearts and minds

of those who make a living
from them.

(BOTH EXCHANGE GREETINGS)

Panji is meeting with Mr Neo,

who owns several
award-winning singing birds.

(UNTRANSLATED CONVERSATION)

Astonishingly,
in Mr Neo's back yard,

Panji finds a bird he never
expected to see here...

...a Javan green magpie.

PANJI:
I care about birds a loft,

but also I care about people.
I care about the culture,

I care about the income
of these people.

And you can't just forcefully
tell them to stop depending

their daily life
on this activity

without giving any solutions.

DAVID: Panji needs to convince
people like Mr Neo

that there's another way
to appreciate birds.

(BIRDSONG)

He wants to show him
a project in Central Java

that might persuade him.

The village of Jatimulyo
was once a hotbed for poaching.

But now, instead, the locals
make a living from bird tourism

and photography competitions.

It attracts birders
from across Asia.

And now the poaching
has stopped.

(UNTRANSLATED CONVERSATION)

(WHISPERS)

(UNTRANSLATED COMMENT)

Panji is hopeful
for the future...

...because he now knows
a change of heart is possible.

Mr Neo has donated his bird
to the sanctuary.

(MAGPIE CALLS)

And, after months of work,
there is more good news.

PANJI: Wait. Wait.

This is interesting.
This is interesting.

(BIRD CALLS)

That's a magpie!
That's a magpie!

That's a magpie!

We found it.

We found it!

With Javan green magpies
confirmed at a secret location,

Panji is now a step closer

to releasing
his captive-bred birds

and help ensure the survival

of this newly discovered
population.

Okinawa Island, Japan.

Scientists here
are developing techniques

that give us a glimpse

of what conservation
could become in the future.

(LAUGHTER)

Marine biologists
Mr Tomita and Mr Kaneko

are taking delivery
of some very precious cargo.

There is only limited time
to get the refrigerated unit

back to their laboratory.

Their task is to take
pregnant sharks

killed accidentally
in fishing nets

and rescue their unborn young.

They have developed
an incubating system

that simulates
the mother shark's womb.

The delicate embryos are fed
by their existing yolk sacs.

But they need to be surrounded
by a special chemical fluid,

similar to that provided
by their mother...

...and are kept dark,
as they would be naturally.

(UNTRANSLATED COMMENT)

The process requires
constant monitoring

and the liquid must be changed
as time passes...

...Io become gradually
more like sea water.

After several months,

the baby sharks are ready
to be released into a tank...

...where their development
will continue.

As we learn more
about the animals

with which we share the world,

we also invent new techniques
for conserving them.

And a recent discovery may
prevent rare species of fish

from being caught
in the first place.

Muncar,
on the eastern tip of Java,

is home to one of the region's
largest fishing fleets.

Many rare species

that are caught in drift nets
by accident...

...end up in the market here.

They are known collectively
as by catch...

...and Egin Salim and his team

at the Mobula Project Indonesia
monitor it.

(UNTRANSLATED CONVERSATION)

It's not just small rays
that suffer.

This giant mobula ray was
caught by accident last night.

In the dark depths,
it couldn't see the net

and swam straight into it.

Some new research
could help protect the rays.

Egin is working
with scientists,

including Betty Laglbauer,

who is an expert
on ray eyesight.

I'm good, I'm good.

We think we've finally been
able to basically identify

which wavelengths
the animals can detect.

We're really curious to see
if we could use some lights

that basically shine light

in the specific wavelengths
that these animals can detect,

to try to get them to notice
the nets in the water

before they swim into them.

And if we can...

DAVID: If Betty's theory
is correct,

traditional fishermen
like Egin's friend Pak Usik...

...could help conserve
the species.

But will he be willing
to adopt the idea?

Tonight, the lights
will be tested on the net.

If the science is accurate,

green lights will be visible
to rays...

...but not to the fish that Pak
Usik and his crew depend on

to feed their families.

It's the moment of truth.

There are plenty
of target fish.

And no rays have been caught
in the net tonight.

Pak Usik is relieved.

This initial trial gives hope
that there might be a way

to safeguard ray species
across Asia...

...and beyond.

Technology is increasingly
being used

in the fight to save wildlife.

And in Hong Kong,

a small team are testing

a new way of protecting

another of Asia's most
threatened marine creatures.

This city consumes over 800
tonnes of seafood every day,

including one rare
coral-reef species...

...the ultimate luxury
delicacy - the Napoleon fish.

Yvonne Sadovy,
a marine biologist

from the University
of Hong Kong,

is an expert on this species.

YVONNE: These animals
are complex.

They're very intelligent,

and in the wild
get really, really big -

over one and a half metres.

It lives a very long time.

We're talking about
well over 30 years -

longer than lions,
longer than tigers.

So these big males,
they're like the old men

of the reef,
the wise men of the reef.

But nowadays, there aren't
many large ones left.

They're being fished
quite heavily

and they're disappearing.

Because of their status,

very few Napoleon fish
are allowed to be imported

and then sold in Hong Kong
under international law.

But only some restaurants
are sticking to the quotas,

and too many fish are ending up
on dinner plates.

YVONNE: A number of years ago,
I would go to work every day

past a little restaurant.

And I seemed to be seeing the
same two Napoleons in that tank

every day for weeks
and weeks and weeks.

I started taking photographs
of them every day.

And what I noticed over time
was a changeover in fish,

as I could tell
by the facial markings.

Something like 14 fish
had gone through the tank.

We realised how easy it was

to actually just replace
legally imported fish

with one
that's illegally imported.

How ever would anyone
detect that?

DAVID: Yvonne has
gathered together a team

to work on an innovative
solution to this problem.

Every Napoleon fish
has unique markings

on the side of its head.

Loby Hau is helping Yvonne
develop

a facial-recognition app.

It should allow them
to identify individual fish

and so monitor
the number on sale

across the city's restaurants.

LOBY: We are trying to develop
a new technique

to protect the species.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

- Hi, Loby.
- Hello.

Come in.

LOBY: We think
what we've developed

can really be a breakthrough
in conservation.

Here we have the similarity
score, from 0% to 100%.

LOBY: We can keep improving it,

- with more images.
- Right.

SO you can see
these are different fish.

DAVID: The app has been
over five years in the making.

LOBY: ...eyes are different,

left and right,
and it's quite distinct.

And with the prototype
now at an advanced stage,

the team are training it

with as many images of Napoleon
fish as they can gather.

So what's the percentage match,
for example, with this one?

- 98.
- 98.

Absolutely fantastic.

If the app is to be a success,

it will need the support
of people like Lee Choi-wah,

who represents live seafood
traders throughout Hong Kong.

That's good to know,
I tell you. Yeah.

With the support of
organisations such as Mr Lee's,

widespread take-up of the app
is now a real possibility.

YVONNE: Absolutely
the next step has to be

that the government
adopts this approach

in their enforcement work.

There is no other choice.

DAVID: The technology
now exists

to monitor the number
of Napoleon fish being sold

and so control the illegal
trade in the species.

It has the potential
to be a game-changer.

Globally,
wildlife is one of the largest

black-market commodities,
alongside drugs and arms.

The trade is worth
over $20 billion.

And one country in Asia
Sits at its crossroads.

Nepal.

Stretching east-west
along the southern flanks

of the Himalaya...

...It has a 1,000-mile border,
used by smugglers

who take animals from the wild
in southern Asia

to sell to wealthy buyers
in China.

At the border crossing,

many globally threatened
species are seized,

including red pandas...

...and leopards.

Kumar Paudel is working
to stop this criminal activity.

Today, he's teaching
customs officials

how to identify
animal products.

Intercepting illegal goods
is a positive step...

...but catching the traffickers

who operate inside Nepal
is key.

In Kathmandu,
Kumar and his team

collect information
on smugglers...

...and share their findings
with police.

Kumar has
some important intelligence

for his contacts
in the specialist wildlife unit

that is at the front line in
the fight against trafficking.

(UNTRANSLATED COMMENT)

The police have confirmed
Kumar's information...

...and are planning
a sting operation.

An undercover officer
will go ahead,

posing as a buyer.

The rest of the team
will follow

and move in
once contact is made.

The team close in
on the target.

Destined for the black market,

a sack of scales
from a pangolin -

a critically endangered mammal.

And people are risking
their freedom for it.

Across Asia, pangolin numbers
are in serious decline.

And although poaching
is the main threat they face,

there are other issues.

Sunda pangolins are now
being squeezed out

of their remaining forest
habitats by urban development.

In Singapore,
the few that remain

are forced to eke out
an existence

in the shadow
of the city's skyscrapers.

And pangolins often find
themselves in trouble...

...out of place

and in the heart of the city.

Kalai Balakrishnan

runs the only 24-hour
wildlife rescue charity here.

And he's a busy man.

KALAI: Is this where
you saw the bat?

Yeah, it's where I last saw it.

KALAI: He's in the door frame.

WOMAN: Oh, my God!
Is it in the door frame?

KALAI: Considering
how small we are,

and considering how little
forest cover we have left,

I would say that we are
pretty rich in biodiversity.

Currently, we are averaging
about 1,800 calls a month.

Definitely,
there has been an increase

in wildlife
coming into urban areas.

There are more and more species

that are involved
in this conflict with people.

A lot of pangolins
that we rescue,

they are in urban areas.

They are obviously coming out
either because of development

or maybe they're looking
for a mate.

We have rescued them
under flats...

...in drains...

...in construction sites.

DAVID: A call has just come in.

A pangolin has been found
in a critical condition.

KALAI: We don't know
what might have happened.

The pangolin seems
to be in pretty bad shape

in the middle of a golf course.

A lot of pangolins here

unfortunately die
from road Kills

because a lot of our roads

are dividing the nature
reserves and the greenery

that we have here -
the habitats.

So, yeah, we want to do this
as soon as possible

so that he has a better chance
of surviving

as a critically endangered
species.

KALAI: In a lot
of the rescues we do,

we often get asked
this question...

"Where did this animal
come from?"

People don't realise
that they were always here.

It's we who moved in

and they are just trying
to survive alongside us.

I think its back legs
are broken.

It has a depression
at the side of the abdomen,

which is not a good thing.

Kalai works
with specialist vets...

...who are world-class pioneers
in caring for pangolins.

The team will do
everything they can

for this elderly, fragile male.

VET: He's lost a lot
of body condition.

He can't seem to manage
his wounds very well.

He cannot fend for himself.

KALAI. Sometimes [ think
all of us just want to give up.

But I think tenacity
is a very important thing.

You've just got to really
believe that every living thing

has a value
and has a place here.

KALAI: The passion

and the wanting to help animals
is very important.

I grew up being like that.

But, as much as you try,
you can't always succeed.

(PHONE RINGS)

DAVID: Only a few hours later,
Kalai is called out

to a multistorey car park
to pick up another pangolin.

Right.

It's OK, it's OK.

It's a youngster...

...less than six months old
and full of life.

You're fine.
You're going to make it.

You're going to make it.
You're going to make it, OK?

It's OK, it's OK.

Kalai has arrived just in time.

The pangolin
is out of harm's way

and can be released
where it won't get run over...

KALAI: So we're just going
to pop this guy in

and, yeah, just let him go.

...giving this precious
individual a second chance.

Kalai's work
gives urban wildlife

a much-needed
helping hand.

But elsewhere in Asia,

conservationists are attempting
something even more ambitious.

They're trying to break
the link

between the destruction
of the natural world

and poverty.

The Batang Toru cloud forest
in Sumatra.

This is home to the most
recently discovered great ape.

But it's already
the most threatened.

The Tapanuli orangutan.

This baby and its mother
are two of only 800 left.

Hotlin Ompusunggu
is working to save them,

alongside the local community.

(UNTRANSLATED)

Even though the orangutans'
habitat is remote,

their last stronghold
is under extreme pressure

from human encroachment.

But Hotlin has a unique
approach to conservation -

one that involves
the entire community.

(WHIRRING)

And it all starts
in a most unlikely place.

(WHIRRING)

HOTLIN: / am a dentist.

I work in a rural area.

The community are very poor.

Dental care
is still very limited.

Healthcare is expensive.

They believe that the forest
should be protected...

...that the forest is important
for their well being.

But when they have
no other option to survive,

they have to cut trees
for timber.

There is a connection
between poverty and logging.

And poverty bring more poverty.

DAVID: To reverse
deforestation,

Hotlin has come up
with an ingenious solution.

Hello, Enan.

Villagers are encouraged

to grow trees from seeds
at home

and then bring the saplings
along to the clinic

as part-payment
for their treatment.

Chainsaws can also
be traded in.

HOTLIN: They can have
the treatment.

At the same time,
they can also help

to protect and rehabilitate
the forest.

DAVID: Given time,

Hotlin's work will help
take pressure off the forest

and the orangutan.

(UNTRANSLATED CONVERSATION)

Orangutan. Photo?

Ah!

HOTLIN: Orangutan is important
for us.

It's a mutual relationship.

They are the one
who look after the forest.

They will save
the source of water

for the people who live nearby.

DAVID: It might seem like
a huge leap of faith...

...but there is real evidence
this concept works.

Back in 2007, on the
neighbouring island of Borneo,

Hotlin co-founded
the world's first

conservation health clinic
with a staff of fewer than ten.

- Aah!
- (LAUGHTER)

Today it has over 90...

...and is thriving.

(CHATTER)

(UNTRANSLATED CHATTER)

HOTLIN: The challenge
when we started this,

I said, "If you want to do
something good

"you have to believe in it,"

and sometimes we don't even
know how it will turn out,

but just believe
and don't compromise

in what you want to achieve.

So I tell them it's like
in a Bollywood movie

at the end... (LAUGHS)

We will dance at the end.

The ASRI Clinic now has
a huge bank of saplings

brought in by patients
to help pay for treatment.

These are being used
to reforest areas

that were once stripped
of vegetation.

And once the trees return...

...the animals follow.

(LAUGHTER)

From its bustling cities...

...To its rich oceans...

...across Asia,

individuals
are working tirelessly

to bring about
positive change...

...united by one aim...

...[♪ protect the continent's
natural riches

for future generations.

(BIRDS CALL)

There is a long way to go,

and they may not succeed...

...but if this region...

...home to almost 60%
of the people on the planet,

can find ways to coexist
with wildlife...

...then there is surely hope
for the rest of the world.