All language subtitles for 89421454BE7E75CBB6529D6C462F834C_eng

The fastest growing habitat on the planet.

Land of opportunity.

For animals of all shapes and sizes.

This unnatural world presents unique
challenges.

But for those able to adapt...

and take advantage of the riches on
offer...

the

urban jungle is quickly becoming the new
wild.

Home to more than half the world's human
population.

Cities can be hectic and intimidating.

Life here moves pretty fast.

At least for some.

Born into the heart of Singapore...

these smooth-coated otter pups are the
newest kids on the block.

And they're about to learn what it takes
to be...

a wild city resident.

In a natural world, this otter family
would move then...

if they thought there was a predator in
the neighbourhood.

They have few in the city.

But old habits die hard.

And at ten weeks, the pups are strong
enough to move house... for the first time.

They'll learn everything they need to
know...

about life on these streets from their
parents.

Partners for life.

They've learnt the importance of sticking
together.

Something this family will need to do...
if they're to make it safely across town.

And only a few metres in...
they hit their first obstacle.

It's a walk in the park for any seasoned
citizen.

And most of the pups get the hang of it
quickly.

But there's always one.

Reliant on his parents until his first
birthday...

he can't afford to get left behind.

Luckily for him, Singapore is packed with
waterways.

And being semi-aquatic...

for an otter they're the perfect way to
navigate this urban landscape.

A thousand kilometres of canals and rivers
criss-cross the city.

The pups have only recently learnt to
swim.

And just over two kilometres into their
journey...

they're running on empty.

But for otters...

Singapore's clean channels are far more
than just transport links.

They need to eat nearly a quarter of their
body weight in fish every day.

The young pups can't catch their own yet.

But with older siblings that can...

they just need to work out who's willing
to share.

They need to keep their strength up.

Because when you live in a city...

you never know who or what you might run
into.

But as they would in a natural world...

these urban otters work together.

And as a gang...

they can overcome just about anything.

The older generation of Singapore's
otters...

have got life on the streets worked out.

The urban world is their oyster.

And on their way to a new home...

they're passing down their know-how to
this new generation.

Singapore's otters have everything they
need to survive.

Food.

Water.

And even secure, hidden corners to grow up
in.

It's a recipe for success.

And with their ability to live alongside
us...

they aren't just
surviving... they're thriving.

The family is doing so much
to survive... and so well...

it's three times the size of the average
otter family outside the city.

And like them...

many species are discovering... that
moving into town... suits them better...

than staying in the natural world.

Some have little choice...

as we continue to cultivate vast areas of
land...

to feed our rapidly growing urban
population.

Driven by necessity... the smartest
animals have followed the food into town.

Here in Thailand... these long-tailed
macaques are known... as the temple troop.

Treated like royalty...
they're fed every day.

The temple troop have inherited the best
address in town.

They live off the fat of the land...

and spend their day barely lifting a
finger.

Born on the other side of the tracks...

this young male... is
part of the mafia troop.

Life for them... isn't so easy.

They have to work a whole lot
harder... than the temple troop...

to get their cut of the food on offer
here.

But as established residents...

the mafia troop know the best
spots in town... to grab a bite.

And they know where to start.

For them it's all about timing...

knowing when to stop...

and when to go.

The mafia troop youngsters learn
the tricks of the trade... by example.

And they have no shortage of role models.

And while they've worked out how to take
what they need...

from their human neighbours...

they also learnt how to give it a try.

They've also learnt how to teach their off
weaners.

For them strategy is a must.

They want their work to be easy.

They want to keep the food good.

They want food and 2019's the right now.

Like all long-tailed macaques,
the street-smart Mafia troop are curious

by nature, and while the
temple troop take time out

for grooming, the Mafia
troop are always on the move.

They spend their time exploring the
neighbourhood, and with every new

experience, there's something new to
discover.

In Lopburi, they're finding everything
they need is on tap.

Just around the corner,
some members of the

temple troop are
enjoying their life of luxury.

And don't give a second thought for their
would-be rivals, the Mafia troop.

Lopburi's city-savvy
long-tailed macaques have

successfully swapped the
rainforest for a concrete jungle.

Here, their numbers are booming.

Almost 1,200 of them live as neighbours.

And they're not alone.

And lead a far more
peaceful existence than their

rural cousins in the
forests of South East Asia.

All thanks to being so well-fed.

While food draws many
animals into town, it's

not the only reason
wildlife chooses to stay.

Most big cities are built on sites that
are rich in natural resources.

South Australia's capital is no different.

The River Torrens feeds the largest
inner-city park system in the country.

And the city's botanic
gardens provide a

permanent oasis for
humans and animals alike.

Rainbow lorikeets like the easy life in
the centre of Adelaide so much,

they've given up migrating and now live
here permanently.

The water is fresh.

In 2010, following the worst drought in a
century, a 500-strong wild crowd were

forced out of their home in the Australian
outback and joined the lorikeets.

And they liked it so much, they hung
around.

With access to life-saving
refreshment, 20,000 grey-headed

flying foxes now call Adelaide
home in what's known as a camp.

They spend their days roosting high in
these pine trees, but

life in a city isn't what they're used to.

It's crowded, very noisy.

And in summertime,
with the arrival of a

series of music festivals,
it gets even louder.

Trying to get the best out of saw me,
as well.

And that's not all.

In the past two decades, South Australia
has been getting hotter.

Temperatures here can top 40 degrees.

Everyone feels the heat.

Flying foxes are covered from ankle to
nose in fur.

And they can't sweat.

So if they overheat, they'll die.

As they would in a South
Australian bush, they find shade

amongst the lower branches
and do their best to cool down.

Nocturnal by nature, they'd normally stay
in camp during the day.

But dehydration is a real threat.

And desperate times call for desperate
measures.

Leaving the trees,
they head for the

lifeline that first drew
them into the city.

The River Torrens.

Today it's a sweltering 43 degrees.

Belly dipping is an instant lifesaver for
the bats.

It cools them down and gives them a chance
to grab a welcome drink.

Back in the shade, they lap up any
remaining water from their soaked fur.

Elsewhere in Australia,
tens of thousands of

flying foxes have died
because of the heat.

But here in Adelaide, this camp has found
a way to beat the rising temperatures.

As the cooler evening approaches,
they begin to spread their wings again.

Ready for a night of foraging for fruit
and nectar.

From bats to boars, raccoons to red foxes,
our best-loved cities are already home to

much more wildlife than most of us
realise.

That's in part because the city never
sleeps.

And in Thailand's capital, working a night
shift has certain benefits.

It's not just about the weather.

Reticulated pythons are the longest snakes
on the planet.

They can grow over 10 metres and weigh as
much as 150 kilos.

But many of them still manage to live a
secretive life in the heart of Bangkok.

Pythons are most active under the cover of
darkness.

And travelling at night, they move
virtually undetected.

By filming under controlled
conditions, we can

reveal what life's like
for these city slickers.

They survive feeding on birds,
rodents and other animals they can ambush.

When they catch prey,
they coil tightly around it,

cutting off its blood supply
and stopping its heart rate.

But to make it here, every true wild
resident needs to find more than just food.

They also need somewhere safe to start a
family.

This residential garden is a haven from
the busy city streets.

And when pythons want to nest, they search
out a safe and concealed spot like this.

This python is laying what's probably her
first ever clutch of eggs.

Instinctively, she wraps
herself around them to

regulate their temperature
by expanding and contracting.

This is known as brooding.

A nurturing mother, she'll guard them with
her life.

Pythons stay with their eggs for three
months.

And only leave when they're ready to
hatch.

When eventually that time comes,
the new arrivals are on their own.

Primed to catch and eat what they need to
survive.

Reticulated pythons
have been residents in this

area since long before
the city was established.

With plenty of food and
hidden places to nest,

thousands of them
are still at home here.

Even though tarmac and concrete cover the
wetlands that Bangkok now stands on.

In fact, many animals have found the
bricks and mortar we've built our cities

out of provide just the safe shelter they
need.

And one urban veteran has flourished.

Living right under our feet.

Even earning themselves the name,
Pavement Ants.

This colony is busy raising its next
generation.

Taking advantage of
the warmth absorbed by

the paving stones to
nurture precious larvae.

Believed to have lived in
our cities since Roman times,

Pavement Ants are one of
the oldest urban residents of all.

Like many established New Yorkers, this
family's ancestors immigrated from Europe.

And managed to bag a city home on
Broadway.

For generations they've lived here safe
and secure.

Whilst quietly providing a vital service
to us.

With more than eight
and a half million people

living here, New York is
America's hungriest city.

And one of its most wasteful.

New Yorkers throw away over a million
tonnes of food every year.

But for Pavement Ants in the Big Apple,
wasted food is opportunity.

With very poor eyesight, this scout relies
on her antenna to move around.

They help her track down her next meal
within seconds of it hitting the ground.

True.

Fast.

Food.

Hot dogs aren't Pavement Ants' natural
diet.

But they can't get enough of them.

And once they've found a good place to
eat, the ants quickly spread the word.

They communicate using their antenna.

It's called Antenating.

And relays all the information the colony
needs to find the takeaway.

In no time, the hot dogs swarm in.

Without antenna, Pavement Ants would be
lost.

So they keep them squeaky clean.

These fastidious insects are barely
noticed by most humans.

And busily clear the streets of New York
of wasted food.

They consume the equivalent of 60,000 hot
dogs a year from Broadway alone.

By doing so, they've become by far the
biggest gang in New York.

With an estimated
population of more than 1.6

billion, they outnumber
New Yorkers nearly 200 to 1.

Pavement Ants have
found a home under our busy

streets that suits them
down to the ground.

That's because our cities provide many of
the same things animals look for in nature.

In fact, there's so much competition for a
permanent home in urban areas that some

animals are dramatically more likely to be
killed than others.

They're constantly changing their
lifestyle to try and secure it.

For centuries, hundreds of white storks
have been visiting this ancient Spanish

town for a few months a year to nest and
raise a family.

Some fly nearly 6,500 kilometers to be
here, migrating from Africa.

Our Faro-Saracota rooftops provide them
with a perfect summer home.

And their custom-built nesting baskets
take urban living to a whole new level.

The storks are in strong competition for
these prime nesting sites.

With a grueling return flight to Africa to
prepare for, these chicks would normally

have to quadruple their weight in just
three months.

But these canny urban storks have
discovered a secret.

That means they can
avoid the long migration

and hang on to their
nest site year-round.

And the secret is landfill.

Humans generate ten times as much waste as
we did a century ago.

But one man's waste is another's treasure.

Picking through rubbish can be a risky
business.

But with so much at stake, the pros
outweigh the cons.

Storks flock to landfill sites
across Europe for their share

of the 250 million tons of
food we throw away every year.

Landfills provide a daily picnic,
even in the coldest months.

And in the past three decades,
huge numbers of white storks have swapped

their 13,000 kilometer annual round trip
for a permanent home in Spain.

Moving with the times, it's win-win for
Alfaro's shrewd storks.

It shows just how versatile
urban wildlife can be, as it

adapts to our world in ways
we could never have predicted.

One of Britain's rarest
amphibians, great crested

newts are cumbersome
and vulnerable in the open.

But they can find safety even in the most
unlikely of places.

Underwater, newts move with speed and are
voracious predators.

A caddis fly larvae is the perfect snack.

Satisfied, she sets her mind to the task
at hand.

Laden with around 250 fertilized eggs,
she needs somewhere safe to lay them.

She's looking for a pliable surface to
protect them.

Great crested newts evolved to lay their
eggs within submerged leaves.

But after millions of years on a planet,
they're resourceful.

This plastic bag shouldn't be here.

But it's flexible and will make the
perfect substitute for relief.

She makes a fold in the bag and lays one
egg in it.

Then gently wraps it up with her hind
feet.

A sticky glue-like jelly around the egg
will help keep it safe.

She squeezes the
plastic together and holds

tight for long enough
to allow the jelly to fix.

Over the next few weeks, she will lay
around 10 eggs like this every day.

Protecting each one in its own secure
pouch.

And giving her offspring the best chance
of making it.

It's an extraordinary adaptation to
survive in a new and changing world.

Life in the city isn't always
straightforward.

But for wildlife to succeed, it must be
able to cope with whatever we throw at it.

And our busy, noisy lifestyle is something
all wild residents must come to terms with.

This long-eared owl has found a roost in
this Serbian town.

And she's not alone.

A large group have gathered together in
what's called an owl parliament.

They find shelter in the town square when
temperatures plummet.

Dense, evergreen trees protect them from
the wind.

And help them stay well hidden from
predators.

But, for a shy, sensitive
animal that needs to rest in the

day, the secret to success
is their ability to cope with us.

And that's what we're here for.

They've learnt to tolerate the bustle of
urban life.

And the townsfolk are learning to respect
the owls too.

Hey, friends!

We don't want to make a mess with that
owl.

What are the owls doing around us?

Look!

These owls wouldn't be here in such
numbers if it weren't for us.

They flock to Kikinda, seeking refuge after
the devastating Balkan wars in the 1990s.

Miroslav Gruja lived through the conflict
too.

The 90s were really terrible.

There was a war in the area.

There wasn't much to take into account.

Not even about nature.

It was all about survival.

People's lives.

With the fuel supply cut off, forests
across Serbia were chopped down to burn.

Over 90% of the trees
in the area were cleared,

leaving the owls with
nowhere to roost in winter.

So they moved into Kikinda.

And Miroslav believes the owls have helped
to transform the town.

Where are you?

There's a owl over there.

Teaching children about owls is really
something wonderful.

Owls have taught people to live in our
city.

But people have also learned to live with
owls.

The owls have found a place to shelter in
town and are thriving.

And they've brought hope and light here in
the midst of winter.

Owls are the symbol of my city.

Elsewhere, the owls sometimes roost in
small groups.

But Kikinda's town square now holds more
than 750 of them.

In what is by far the largest long-eared
owl roost in the world.

It's estimated that 40,000 long-eared owls
now live in towns across Serbia.

Through winter, the
only time they leave their

urban roost is to hunt
in the nearby fields.

Like the owls, a growing number of animals
are moving into our towns and cities.

To take advantage of the food,
water and shelter on offer.

But what's perhaps
most surprising are the

relationships wildlife
is striking up with us.

And the depths these are going to.

Built on the banks of
the Tocantins River in the

Brazilian Amazon, the city
of Mocajuba is growing fast.

On the edge of town, a small group of
fishermen have forged a very special

friendship with some of the neighborhood's
most established residents.

River dolphins.

This species was only identified in 2012.

The first such discovery in nearly 100
years.

They can grow over 2.5 meters long and
weigh more than 200 kilos.

Unlike most marine dolphins, their bodies
are extremely flexible.

Enabling them to maneuver
through the Amazon's

famous flooded
forest in pursuit of fish.

River dolphins are normally shy.

But the pod in
Mocajuba has struck up a

partnership with Brassilva
and his son Osvaldo.

They've fished this stretch of river for
decades.

And in recent years, the river dolphins
have joined the family business.

Brass and Osvaldo give the dolphins an
incentive to stay nearby.

And the very presence of
these apex predators helps

to scare fish into these
intricate wooden traps.

Even if it wasn't good, we wouldn't have
any more fish.

He's the one who knows.

He knows everything deep down.

Like all the best partnerships,
they have an equal share in the business.

Because he feeds us.

We have to give half to him.

And because the dolphins get an easy meal,
they keep coming back for more.

It seems to be a fair deal all around.

River dolphins have evolved in the Amazon
over 15 million years.

And today they're adapting to the fastest
change this environment has ever seen.

But there's a deeper twist to this
dolphin's tale.

And the remarkable relationship they've
built with their city-living neighbors.

Every single day, the
dolphins head to Mocajuba,

whether there are
fish on the menu or not.

It appears one of the main reasons they
come...

is to play.

These powerful predators could easily hurt
the kids.

But they never do.

No matter what.

And the kids have grown up with dolphins
as friends.

And will always look out for them.

The bond the dolphins have formed with
their new neighbors seems unbreakable.

And while Amazon River dolphins elsewhere
are known to interact with humans,

this playful behavior, with no guarantee of
reward, is unique to the Mocajuba dolphins.

Most of us imagine cities to be concrete
jungles devoid of nature.

But for some wildlife, they are just a new
habitat filled with new opportunities.

With the natural world shrinking,
and our urban centers continuing to grow,

adapting to life in the city has never
been more important.

And if we're willing to accept wildlife as
a neighbor, and even to help animals get a

foothold in a city, the rewards can be
huge.

For them.

And for us.