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Mexico.
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A wild land.
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The animals that live here
do so in greater numbers
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and variety than almost
anywhere else on Earth.
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With so much at stake,
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one man has fought tirelessly
to protect the wildlife of Mexico,
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but there's a particular creature
he's devoted his life to saving.
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Rodrigo Medellin is the champion
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of one of the world's
most hated animals.
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Bats.
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There's little bats, big bats,
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there's short-snouted, long-snouted,
big eyes,
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00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,040
little eyes, long ears, short ears,
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every type of bat.
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He is embarking on the culmination
of his life's work,
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a mission to save
both his favourite bat
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and the legendary
drink of Mexico - tequila.
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In Mexico and in other places
because of what I do,
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they call me the bat man.
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All I want is that people get
the right information about bats
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and about how important
they are for us,
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and if that entails them
calling me the bat man,
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so be it.
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I AM the bat man.
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Rodrigo Medellin
was not like other children.
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While his friends kept gerbils
and hamsters,
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Rodrigo's pets were vampire bats.
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I remember when I was a kid,
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I would keep vampire bats
in the bathroom of my home,
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feeding them blood from cows -
or from me, sometimes -
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keeping blood in the fridge so that
I could feed the bats every night.
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That was not easy to withstand,
and still my parents let me do that.
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It was fascinating to me to see
these bats feeding and interacting
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with each other, and they'd
take care of each other so well.
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It was a lot of fun.
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It was the beginning
of a lifetime's obsession.
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But Rodrigo grew up in
a world that loathes bats.
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In the 19th century, there was
this author who wrote a book
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entitled Dracula,
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that really touched the imagination
of people around the world
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and that has turned bats
into monsters, unfortunately.
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Bats were so hated in Mexico
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because of their
association with evil
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that people would hunt them down
and kill them,
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burning them in their caves.
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Their populations crashed.
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To this day, people are afraid,
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saying that they're filthy,
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and that they are
everything bad in the world.
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That is really not the case at all.
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A kilometre into a mountain
south of Mexico City,
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Rodrigo is searching for a bat
so persecuted
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it was nearly lost for ever.
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It's called the lesser long-nosed
bat, or tequila bat.
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This is one of his
favourite childhood haunts.
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For most people, caves would
sound like a terrifying place,
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like a place
where they don't belong.
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But caves are my perfect place.
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Caves are an incredibly
peaceful place.
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Rodrigo has spent much of the
last 20 years underground,
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working to save the tequila bat.
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Bat guano all over.
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Under that layer of bat faeces
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is a whole layer of living insects.
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Beetles, beetle larvae, fly larvae,
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moth larvae, that are just moving
everything, everything, everything.
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You look and everything is moving.
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Because bats move from cave to cave,
he never knows what he'll find.
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As he approaches the roost,
he must leave his lantern outside.
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Our cameras can see what he cannot.
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No-one has seen this before.
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Look at this.
There are so many bats around us.
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In this beautiful space.
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There are thousands of bats here,
of many different species -
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perhaps even the ones he's after.
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But Rodrigo can't see them.
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If I close my eyes now,
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it's exactly the same as if I have
them open, I see absolutely nothing.
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In terms of my ears,
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I am hearing a stream of bats
coming from that direction around me
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and passing through, and then
a bunch of bats squealing back there.
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I can picture
a map of the cave in my head.
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The bats also navigate
using their ears,
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but they have evolved
the ability to see with sound.
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They make high-pitched
sounds beyond our hearing
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and listen for their echoes
off objects.
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This how they can fly in the dark.
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This is what is called
the hall of hell -
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temperatures well above
our comfort zone,
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close to 38-40 degrees Celsius,
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very high relative humidity - all
of my clothes are completely wet.
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People associate this heat
with hell.
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But I feel perfectly at home here.
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Rodrigo pushes
into the deepest chamber
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to find out if his precious
tequila bats are here.
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He may not be able to see the bats,
but the guano beneath his feet
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is a vivid history
of what's lived in this cave.
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And Rodrigo knows his guano.
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Oh, yes - this is a lump
of lesser long-nosed bat poop.
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This tells me that this is indeed
a lesser long-nosed bat colony.
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They're here and, thanks
to Rodrigo's work, they're safe.
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Today, gates and guardians
protect this cave.
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Now, Rodrigo must catch one
to see if they're healthy.
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To do this without harming them,
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he uses mist nets, too fine for
the bats' echolocation to detect.
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My first lesser long-nosed bat
came into my hands when I was 15.
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We knew nothing about it.
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Then we found out that
they were really endangered.
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We were looking at roosts
that were known to have
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many thousands of
lesser long-nosed bats
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and when we visited them, they
only had a few hundred, or none.
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That immediately told us
that they were in trouble.
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So this is one of my best friends.
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This is the lesser-long nosed bat.
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This is an amazing animal
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that migrates
for thousands of kilometres.
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It's a small, but powerful flier.
Look at this amazing wing.
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This is what made bats
so successful in the night skies.
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Long-fingered hand here,
and a very long arm here.
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You can see both vein down here
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and a series of muscles
stretches here.
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It's very much alive,
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so that they can control
making it broader or narrower.
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That makes them masters of the air.
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It's getting ready to start
a really exciting time,
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a really demanding time,
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a really dangerous time too,
which is migration.
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The migration
of this tiny endangered bat
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is one of the greatest
in the animal world.
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This epic journey happens at night,
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so it's taken Rodrigo 20 years
to work out their route.
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Over his life, he has discovered
many of the roosts they use
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on their 2,000-kilometre journey
and protected them, one by one.
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The entire migration
is powered by nectar.
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I'm going to give it
a bit of sugar water here.
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This incredible tongue
that they have
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is the perfect instrument for them
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to reach into deep flowers
like agave flowers.
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It's incredible that an animal this
big can do what these guys do.
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I love them because of that.
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Rodrigo is about to immerse
himself in the bats' world.
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By tracking their entire migration,
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he wants to see if he's achieved
what many thought impossible -
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saving the tequila bats
from extinction.
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The stakes are high - their fate is
tied to Mexico's most famous export.
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As a Mexican,
I am proud of my country...
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..and part of the Mexican spirit
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is a beverage
that is called tequila.
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These spiky plants
are the source of tequila.
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Tequila is a very important
part of the Mexican economy
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and it is owed to bats.
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Bats provide pollination for the
tequila plant, the agave plant.
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Mexico relies on tequila.
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Over a quarter of a billion litres
were exported last year.
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Every plant is harvested by hand,
by men called jimadores...
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..in a trade passed down
from father to son.
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The agaves are planted
where they've always grown -
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in the flight path of the bats.
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What agaves do is,
they grow and grow and grow
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and then, when the time comes,
they send this amazing shoot,
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huge, flowering stalk,
up into the sky.
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They invest all of their energy that
they have accumulated over 15 years
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into one single reproductive event
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that basically
costs them their lives.
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The link that they formed has been
here for millions of years.
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Agaves rely on the bats
to move their pollen.
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Bats rely on agaves
so that they can survive.
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We could not have
this amazing product
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if it wasn't for the bats,
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and I can't help but think of
the bats, and thank the bats
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for the incredible service
they give us.
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Without the bats,
there would be no tequila.
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Bats are so vital
in spreading pollen and seeds
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that they're known
as the farmers of the tropics.
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Without them, our crops
and forests would collapse,
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with terrible consequences
for us all.
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The tequila bats' journey
takes them west...
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..and they sweep through the valleys
and plains of Central Mexico.
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The land beneath them
changes constantly.
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And always, they pass over us.
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Until, 500km west
of where they started,
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they hit the Pacific Ocean, and
the uninhabited islands of Chamela.
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Rodrigo has heard reports that
the bats have been gathering here.
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He's never been
to this cave before.
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To his horror,
it's full of cockroaches.
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He hates cockroaches.
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So many cockroaches,
and I almost fell on them!
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But he's astonished
by what he finds.
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This is incredible.
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So many lesser-long nosed bats,
all around me.
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It's so good to see that their
numbers are stable and big.
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The tequila bats have come
together from all across Mexico
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with one thing on their minds.
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They're mating here right now,
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and this is a very
well-protected cave.
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The ocean takes care of that.
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While Lucas, the boatman,
tucks into some oysters,
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00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,560
Rodrigo pushes deeper into the cave,
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00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,560
and the source
of the bats' aphrodisiac.
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00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:13,640
Oh, yes!
201
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A big male, which is
what we expected in this cave.
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It's full of males
getting ready to reproduce.
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Such well-tempered bat,
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with big testicles, ready for action,
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00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:37,040
loaded with sperm, and ready
for the females that are gathering
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00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:42,040
here in this cave, and this
should have a patch on its back.
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00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,840
Oh, yeah, the patch is there,
very oily.
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I can feel it with my finger here.
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That patch is put there by the males.
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They put faeces and urine
and saliva there,
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00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,440
and that is very attractive
to the females.
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00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,320
The females are going to come
and take a whiff of that
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00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,360
and just fall in love with this guy.
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00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,640
This boy is ready to mate
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and it's time to let him go
so that he can do his deed.
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00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:11,120
There you go, my friend.
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On the roof of this cave,
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an extraordinary mass seduction
is taking place.
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00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,880
Once the females find a male
whose sex potion entrances them,
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they'll choose him as their mate.
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00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:33,320
And in three months,
1,500 kilometres away,
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a single baby bat will be born.
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It may be alluring for the females,
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00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,160
but for Rodrigo,
the smell is overpowering.
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00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:47,920
This is a really stinky cave...
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..and there's lots and lots
of bats here.
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Lots of them everywhere.
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And this is...oh!
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And this is certainly a challenging
cave to be in, to be sure.
230
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:09,080
Eventually, the smell
and the cockroaches are too much,
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00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:10,920
even for the bat man.
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00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,640
The bats will stay on this island
for weeks,
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mating and building their strength,
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00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,200
before they continue on
the next stage in their migration.
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The path the bats must now take
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lies between the mountains
of the Sierra Madre and the sea.
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This fertile land
is called the nectar corridor.
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00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,840
Because here, every year,
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00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,840
billions of flowers open at night.
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00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:58,600
The bats must feed on these
constantly
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to fuel their journey,
otherwise they'll die.
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00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,880
And they have to time it perfectly.
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Over millions of years, the bats
have learned by trial and death
244
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:15,400
to track where the nectar
is going to show up next.
245
00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:19,840
Bats are early or bats are late,
plants die and bats die.
246
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,640
Mexico is developing fast.
247
00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,720
The land the bats rely on
is being swallowed,
248
00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,320
and nature is being destroyed.
249
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:35,680
But, because of Rodrigo,
at least some is safe.
250
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:41,200
30 years ago, he was asked
to assist the new government
251
00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:44,680
to devise laws
to save the wildlife of Mexico.
252
00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,560
Land-owners, the Mexican people,
253
00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:53,920
worked as partners to create a vast
network of linked nature reserves
254
00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:58,080
made from their private
and the government's public land.
255
00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:02,440
I've worked with small groups,
big groups,
256
00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,160
individuals, in the government halls,
everywhere.
257
00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,840
All we need is
a little bit of information
258
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,160
and people are going
to change about bats.
259
00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:16,040
Now, over a quarter of Mexico
is protected land.
260
00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,040
Where other countries have lost
much of their wildlife,
261
00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,880
Mexico is a rare success story.
262
00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:29,520
But, just when the bat populations
look safe, disaster strikes.
263
00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:38,480
Within weeks of each other, not one
but two hurricanes hit Mexico
264
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,080
and batter the entire Pacific coast.
265
00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:48,560
This is a threat
beyond even Rodrigo's control.
266
00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,280
He loses the tequila bats.
267
00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,080
Across the country,
he sends his students to everywhere
268
00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:03,640
the bats have ever been found.
269
00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:10,560
For three weeks
they search, day and night.
270
00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,000
This has never happened before.
271
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,520
Yeah, OK. So the bats are not here.
272
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:36,160
Well, I don't know.
273
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,160
If many of the bats
have been killed,
274
00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,840
the future for their species
is bleak.
275
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,880
The way I feel right now,
the trail is getting cold.
276
00:22:11,120 --> 00:22:14,000
I'm not sure
if we're going to find them.
277
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,000
Our only hope is
to keep poking and looking
278
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:23,080
in every little piece of bat habitat
that we know of,
279
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,160
to see if they are there.
280
00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:31,680
It's a tense time for Rodrigo.
281
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,560
He puts out rewards for any leads.
282
00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:40,600
At last, one of his students
thinks they've seen a tequila bat
283
00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,200
in a cave called Las Vegas.
284
00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:54,720
They block the exits
and he heads in alone.
285
00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,080
Finally he emerges,
286
00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,200
triumphant.
287
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,040
I found them!
288
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:17,240
It took weeks
of searching everywhere.
289
00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,720
It took two hurricanes
to move the bats around
290
00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:24,440
so that we could not track them,
but they're here.
291
00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:29,800
I got, like, er, maybe like ten,
so the population is healthy.
292
00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,400
Another dot in the migration
of this species.
293
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,920
I'm so relieved. I've found them!
294
00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:42,520
Oh, wow!
295
00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,240
Oh, look at this!
296
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,560
This is a pregnant female.
297
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,560
Her wings are in great shape.
298
00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:00,880
Wow! I can feel the head right here,
299
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,360
and the rump over here.
300
00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:05,040
This is the baby right here.
301
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,280
The baby is really big.
302
00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:13,800
I can't imagine the energy
that this bat has spent
303
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:19,360
just flying around
with a foetus growing inside her.
304
00:24:19,360 --> 00:24:21,480
Thank you, mum.
You're ready to go.
305
00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,440
With proof that there are bats
here in numbers,
306
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:33,960
he can get legal protection
for the cave.
307
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:39,720
The tequila bats have another
vital place of permanent safety.
308
00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:48,040
The bats are aiming for a cave,
deep in the heart of this desert,
309
00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,080
in the badlands,
just south of the US border.
310
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,680
There are no agaves
to feed off en route.
311
00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:04,720
Instead, the tequila bats,
312
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,720
nearing the end of their
three-month pregnancy,
313
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:11,760
must seek the flowers
of the giant columnar cactuses.
314
00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:18,320
These flowers accommodate almost
half of the bat's body into them.
315
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:24,360
It means millions of years
of evolution
316
00:25:24,360 --> 00:25:29,640
in which the flowers
have become perfect receptacles
317
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:35,040
for the bat's head and snout
and tongue
318
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:40,760
and the very long tongue of
the bat goes into those flowers
319
00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,560
and lick the nectar out,
320
00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:46,880
and they come out completely covered
with pollen.
321
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:50,440
They move out,
they go to another columnar cactus
322
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:52,200
and there is pollination.
323
00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,360
Because he knows the bats
will come to the cactus flowers,
324
00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:01,720
Rodrigo has a chance to solve a
puzzle that's long been on his mind.
325
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,680
How far can they fly in one night?
326
00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,280
It is a female - very lively,
327
00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,560
in very, very good health.
328
00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,800
We're going to mark it
with a blue powder.
329
00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:34,760
Rodrigo coats the bats he catches
in harmless UV dust,
330
00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:37,200
which they will lick off and digest.
331
00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:40,200
We keep the head out
so that the powder
332
00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:44,320
does not affect its senses.
333
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:47,360
That should be enough.
334
00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:52,360
The bats will now
head on to their roost.
335
00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:56,040
And, if Rodrigo can find
a glowing bat-dropping there,
336
00:26:56,040 --> 00:27:00,040
he can prove how far they've flown,
at least, in theory.
337
00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:02,240
No-one has tried this before.
338
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:14,240
At daybreak,
50km from the cactuses,
339
00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:19,400
Rodrigo finally arrives
at the most important cave,
340
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,800
the end point of their long journey.
341
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,120
The birth cave of the tequila bats.
342
00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:34,640
This cave is the largest colony...
343
00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,560
..that this bat has
anywhere in the world.
344
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:46,400
It's Rodrigo's great hope
that enough bats have made it here
345
00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:47,920
to sustain their population.
346
00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,920
The future of the species
depends on what will take place
347
00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:55,920
in this ancient volcano.
348
00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:01,400
We cannot get in the cave
during the day.
349
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:05,760
We would create chaos,
worrying females
350
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:07,960
that are taking care
of their babies.
351
00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:27,680
Rodrigo must wait
by the cave mouth.
352
00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:31,120
Night falls.
353
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:40,680
And then...
354
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:48,680
..at first a trickle,
then more emerge.
355
00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:51,840
At least some of the bats
have made it.
356
00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:56,440
It's a tremendous relief
for Rodrigo.
357
00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,160
Now the mothers have
left the cave to find food,
358
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:09,080
it's safe for Rodrigo to go inside.
359
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:20,240
They turn on their UV torches,
360
00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:22,280
and carefully comb the cave.
361
00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:28,800
Ah!
362
00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:32,200
Blue poop.
363
00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:38,760
This is proof that these
bats are really long distance fliers,
364
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:42,400
doing 50km one-way trips,
365
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,080
and then coming back every night.
366
00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:48,000
This is a really good find -
confirmation.
367
00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:54,000
To fly to the cactus where Rodrigo
dusted it, and back,
368
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:57,240
is a 100km round trip.
369
00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:59,680
No-one suspected the bats
could fly so far.
370
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:05,160
This is a spotted skunk,
and it's coming out now.
371
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,080
I have never seen it before.
372
00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:12,600
Look at the incredible pattern
and the huge feathered plume,
373
00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:15,360
advertising that
it is about to spray us...
374
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,880
..but it chooses to move off
into the dark.
375
00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:29,320
Rodrigo moves far deeper
into the maze of the volcano
376
00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:31,320
than he's ever been before.
377
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,520
We can check
on the reproductive success
378
00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,920
by gauging how many babies are
hanging from the roof of a cave.
379
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:55,560
At last, far below
the desert surface,
380
00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:58,600
the bats' secret, their nursery.
381
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,120
This is a group of babies,
382
00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:09,760
and there's a mix in their ages.
383
00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,840
Most of them are about a week old.
384
00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:17,080
Very few are one-day-old
and two-day-old babies.
385
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:18,880
It's always good to see them.
386
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:26,280
These are the first babies to be
born of what will hopefully
387
00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:28,320
be hundreds of thousands.
388
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:33,240
The future of the entire species
hangs in this cave.
389
00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:41,920
They synchronise their births
so that everything happens
390
00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:47,320
in the space of two weeks,
three weeks - that's it.
391
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:53,160
You have twice that many bats
in there.
392
00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:56,160
This is...this is huge.
393
00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:10,000
Oh, yeah,
this is a good spot for the camera.
394
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,640
Rodrigo sets up remote cameras.
395
00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:18,640
He can't stay when the mothers
return,
396
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:21,680
so he's never seen what happens
here during the day
397
00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:23,720
when they're reunited
with their pups.
398
00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:38,880
In the hours before dawn, the bats
flood into the ancient volcano,
399
00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:40,960
like an eruption in reverse.
400
00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:51,320
As the day passes
on the desert surface,
401
00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:55,360
the cameras record the bats'
hidden lives deep underground.
402
00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,480
At nightfall,
once the females have left again,
403
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,640
they can retrieve the footage.
404
00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:09,880
It's a long night, watching
through the many hours recorded.
405
00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:17,640
This is er... This has to be
at around 7pm or 8pm.
406
00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:23,320
Nobody has seen a nursery
in the process of building up
407
00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:27,080
the numbers of babies that are
left behind by the mothers.
408
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:31,920
But she's pregnant, right?
Not this one? No, this one.
409
00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:33,880
And then...
410
00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:35,400
Oh, look at this!
411
00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:37,600
Having a baby! Having a...
412
00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:39,640
She's having a baby!
413
00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:48,760
No es possible!
414
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:55,920
The baby is coming out!
415
00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:59,600
THEY SPEAK SPANISH
416
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:01,000
This is incredible.
417
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:07,080
She's licking, scratching,
418
00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:09,200
and again...
419
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:11,880
Wow!
420
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,880
The camera has captured something
never seen before.
421
00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:24,240
Look at the tiny forearm!
The face - this is the face! Yes!
422
00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:28,640
First its head,
then its wing emerges.
423
00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:33,240
Then suddenly, the baby is out
and clinging to its mother.
424
00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:38,120
The wings are protecting the baby,
425
00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:40,920
so nobody can come close
to the baby at all.
426
00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:43,560
We catch a glimpse
of the newborn pup's face
427
00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,200
as its mother cleans it
in her fingertips.
428
00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:50,480
Look at that! Ooh! Baby was
slipping away from the mother.
429
00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:54,000
The baby must be very, very slippery
430
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,720
and it's slipping down away
from the control of the mother,
431
00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:00,520
so she catches it with the wing.
432
00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,960
The mother quickly positions
the baby on her teat
433
00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,200
for its first feed of her milk.
434
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:09,400
That is amazing.
435
00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:14,280
There's a few mothers.
There's one, two, three, four.
436
00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:16,400
But this is all babies.
437
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:20,000
Over the next few days,
the colony swells
438
00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:24,080
with thousands upon thousands
of new babies.
439
00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:27,880
This is the flagship colony
that is helping me understand
440
00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,720
what is the actual conservation
status of that species.
441
00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:37,120
If we multiply that one birth
hundreds of thousands of times,
442
00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:39,640
it tells me that the species
has recovered.
443
00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:47,600
Rodrigo could never have dreamed
20 years ago
444
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,080
that he'd be seeing such a recovery.
445
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:54,680
His tequila bats
have come home to roost.
446
00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:01,200
Our work as conservation
professionals
447
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:06,160
is not to put as many species
as we can
448
00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,120
in endangered species lists.
449
00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:13,640
Our work is to work as hard as we can
450
00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:15,720
for as long as is needed -
451
00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:20,880
as long as is needed only -
to recover that species.
452
00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:27,480
Finally, Rodrigo is ready to make
an extraordinary announcement.
453
00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:30,960
There's places where I have to be
in big meetings.
454
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:33,040
You have to address the world.
455
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:36,400
Before that happens,
I picture myself in a cave,
456
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,040
in the darkness, in the quiet,
457
00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:41,440
in the peace of a cave.
458
00:36:41,440 --> 00:36:43,320
Everything is great then.
459
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:50,080
At the Ministry of the Environment
in Mexico City,
460
00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:54,160
journalists and ministers pack the
room to hear what he has to say.
461
00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:55,880
APPLAUSE
462
00:36:55,880 --> 00:37:01,400
HE SPEAKS SPANISH
463
00:37:10,720 --> 00:37:13,440
Thanks to the work of Rodrigo,
his team,
464
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,920
and hundreds of others
across this country,
465
00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:20,000
the lesser long-nosed bat
is the first species in Mexico
466
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,040
to be officially
saved from extinction,
467
00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:26,880
and it will be removed
from the endangered species list.
468
00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:29,280
This is a clear indication
469
00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:34,400
that our work is actually
having a good impact in the world.
470
00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:40,840
His method of combining research,
law and community education
471
00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:46,160
has meant every single bat colony
has either stabilised or increased.
472
00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:50,320
His techniques are now being applied
with further success
473
00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:53,600
to save endangered species
of all kinds
474
00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:56,120
across Latin America
and the world.
475
00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:01,000
Rodrigo really is the bat man.
476
00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:05,360
This is a great day
for the lesser long-nosed bat.
477
00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:09,280
There's a lot of work to be done
478
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:12,880
but first, it's time to celebrate.
39074
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