1 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,320 Africa. 2 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:26,520 In the four years of making this series, we've been to some astonishing places 3 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,560 and seen animals behaving in ways that have never been filmed before. 4 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,360 5 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,280 But Africa has another story to tell. 6 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,840 The wildlife of this continent has seen more changes in the last 50 years 7 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,480 than it has in the last two million. 8 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,680 Changing landscapes and changing climate. 9 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,440 Today's animals are facing unprecedented challenges 10 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,680 whilst, around them, Africa's human population 11 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,000 is growing at nearly double the global rate. 12 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:08,720 13 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,000 There is an increasing urgency to understand 14 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:18,120 and, crucially, to conserve the wildlife of this great continent. 15 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:19,240 16 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:23,920 Today, there is a new generation of naturalists and scientists 17 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,520 who're fighting to save the wild places and the animals that live in them. 18 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,000 One, two, three! 19 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,840 This is the greatest wildlife continent on the planet. 20 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,880 And what happens here is relevant to us all. 21 00:01:37,960 --> 00:01:41,640 So, what is the future of wild Africa? 22 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,680 This animal has become the world's number one target for poachers. 23 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,040 Its kind has been hunted almost to the point of extinction. 24 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:13,040 It's now so rare that this individual is watched over day and night. 25 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,160 This is the black rhinoceros. 26 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,320 And black rhinoceros are 27 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,560 notorious for being rather grumpy and suddenly charging. 28 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,760 But he is in great danger... 29 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,320 because he has, on his nose... 30 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,280 that horn... 31 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:41,560 which is worth its weight in gold. 32 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:44,200 33 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,440 The demand for rhino horn has rocketed. 34 00:02:50,920 --> 00:02:54,240 There has been a 3,000% increase in poaching 35 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,120 just in the last five years. 36 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:58,320 37 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:03,760 Today, powdered rhino horn can fetch up to $65,000 a kilo. 38 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:08,600 Rhinos are a lucrative target for organised crime. 39 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,960 In Chinese medicine, it's believed that rhino horn can reduce fever. 40 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,000 And some Vietnamese sell it as a cure for everything, 41 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,160 from cancer to hangovers. 42 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,000 It's made of keratin, the same substance as hair and nail 43 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,640 and it has no clinically proven medicinal value. 44 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:27,800 45 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,480 But it has made every black rhino in Africa a target. 46 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,600 They've all been killed in Uganda and Rwanda, 47 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,440 and there are only around 600 left here, in Kenya. 48 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,800 But these are not poachers. 49 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,360 These are protectors. 50 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:53,560 51 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:55,640 52 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:06,320 And that protection is overseen by rhino expert Dr. Matthew Mutinda, 53 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,440 one of the Kenya Wildlife Services' top vets. 54 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,480 Black rhinos are critically endangered. 55 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:18,800 And that is what we at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, we're trying to do. 56 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:23,880 Save the animal, provide a safe and secure sanctuary, 57 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,320 where the animal can breed and live freely. 58 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:32,040 There aren't many true wild rhinos left in Africa. 59 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,080 Most, like these, in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy 60 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,120 are under armed guard. 61 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,720 This young female has reached the age when Matthew must do some health checks, 62 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:44,880 including taking blood samples. 63 00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:48,760 This will help deter poachers and traffickers, 64 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:54,000 as DNA in illegally traded rhino horn can be tracked back to its origin. 65 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:00,120 If you have to do anaesthesia in the wild, 66 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,680 you will expect some degree of risk. 67 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,480 This female has reacted badly to the anaesthetic. 68 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:08,680 69 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:15,040 She's not breathing. It's a rare and extremely serious situation. 70 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,280 He knows that the next few minutes are crucial. 71 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,640 72 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,280 And when an animal is this big, 73 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:27,080 there's only one way to get the heart going again when you're out in the bush. 74 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:35,280 Thanks to Matthew's quick thinking, 75 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,120 they can hear that she's breathing again. 76 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:41,480 77 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,000 They've got to get her back on her feet. 78 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,600 79 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,600 Not surprisingly, she's disorientated. 80 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:07,760 81 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:10,440 82 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:18,880 Mission accomplished. 83 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:22,160 It's been an ordeal, 84 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:26,000 but now this rhino can be tracked and protected for the rest of her life. 85 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,400 Within minutes, she's grazing peacefully again, with her mother. 86 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,960 It may seem heartless to treat an animal like that, 87 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,520 but we have to keep tabs on them and be able to identify individuals. 88 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:40,400 They're in great danger. 89 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:46,640 Even now, on average, one rhino is killed by poachers every day in Africa. 90 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,240 There are so few black rhino left in Kenya 91 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,160 that we're getting to know each individual. 92 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:04,600 But this is still a creature that can surprise us. 93 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:12,280 Previously, it was widely believed that black rhinos 94 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,680 were largely solitary creatures. 95 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,640 Here, in the Kalahari, a starlight camera reveals 96 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,720 that they may be much more sociable than many thought. 97 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:30,640 98 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:35,720 This waterhole gathering is an enchanting window into the past. 99 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,720 Early explorers reported seeing a rhino behind every bush. 100 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:48,680 Before the invention of the gun 101 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,480 there were probably hundreds of thousands of rhinos 102 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:52,920 across the continent. 103 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,880 The people protecting rhinos in Africa 104 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,080 are striving to ensure that we'll still be able to witness 105 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:05,080 wonderful scenes like this in 50 years' time. 106 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,080 Right across Africa, conservationists have realised 107 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:19,480 that if we want to save our big animals, then now is the time. 108 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:25,200 The human population of the continent has just exceeded one billion, 109 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:29,520 and many wild animals are being hunted commercially for food. 110 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:31,600 Some legally. 111 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,000 But many illegally. 112 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,200 113 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:41,080 Wildlife meat is often sold as goat or beef. 114 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:42,600 The amount is astonishing. 115 00:08:42,680 --> 00:08:46,160 Millions of tonnes are eaten across Africa every year. 116 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:50,360 At this rate, some species are almost certainly heading for extinction. 117 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,960 But commercial hunting is not just affecting the grazers. 118 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:02,400 As the prey decreases, it's affecting the predators, too. 119 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:09,040 Fifty years ago, there were about half a million lions in Africa. 120 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:13,000 Today, there are less than 30,000. 121 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,400 But in one particular part of Africa, 122 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,440 things are improving in a quite extraordinary way. 123 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:31,960 These hunters have become part of a new and unlikely alliance. 124 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:37,840 In recent years, hungry lions have increasingly been killing livestock. 125 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,680 126 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:45,520 One group of traditional Maasai have reacted in a very untraditional way. 127 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:52,200 The Maasai are cattle herders who don't eat wild animals. 128 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:56,040 But when lions attack their herds, they've always retaliated. 129 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,680 Maasai and lions are ancient adversaries. 130 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:07,160 A lion hunt is still a rite of passage for young Maasai warriors 131 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,440 like Olubi Lairumbe. 132 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,200 133 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,320 For me and any Maasai, 134 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:17,840 killing a lion is the ultimate fulfilment 135 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:19,680 of a truly accomplished Maasai. 136 00:10:22,680 --> 00:10:24,400 Nothing compares to that. 137 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,520 There is nobody who knows more about living alongside lions 138 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:32,200 than the Maasai themselves. 139 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:36,400 I met Olubi and some of the other warriors in his village 140 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:40,680 to find out about their relationship with the local pride. 141 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:43,480 How many lions are there around here? 142 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:46,040 143 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,760 Around here there are about a hundred. 144 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:49,840 - Oh. - Yeah. 145 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:51,880 So they all have names? 146 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:00,520 Every single lion has a name. A Maasai name. 147 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:04,880 And when you see a lion, do you know how it's going to behave? 148 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:07,840 It depends on the lion. 149 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,400 For a Maasai warrior, lions are nothing to be scared of. 150 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:20,280 If I saw a lion... A lion would be likely to attack me. 151 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:22,200 Only if you threaten it. 152 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,200 Hmm, well, I hope the next lion knows that. 153 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,240 154 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:33,480 Olubi killed his first lion when he was just 17, 155 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:35,360 after it attacked his cattle. 156 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,840 Unfortunately, the lion turned out to be pregnant. 157 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,120 And that led to a remarkable turnaround. 158 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,800 159 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:50,480 The Maasai respect all living things. 160 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,720 And I began to feel guilty about the lion that I had killed. 161 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:02,080 In the end, I came to admire the lions. 162 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:09,680 Olubi had a dramatic change of heart. 163 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:15,000 He turned his back on hundreds of years of Maasai tradition. 164 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:20,360 Along with some other warriors, Olubi became a lion guardian. 165 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:25,720 Instead of hunting lions, Olubi would be protecting them. 166 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:34,960 He teamed up with Stephanie Dolrenry, who helped pioneer the project. 167 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:36,880 168 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,160 Just by respecting their traditions 169 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,360 and also bringing in their ecological knowledge, 170 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:43,080 it's been hugely successful. 171 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:45,840 They know their areas, they know how to track lions, 172 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,320 they've been doing it for generation after generation. 173 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,000 They know how to track them, they know how to hunt them, 174 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:51,160 they know how to find them. 175 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,960 This is only a small-scale project. 176 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,720 But with lion numbers as low as they are, 177 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,520 they need all the help they can get. 178 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,920 Olubi is tracking radio-collared lions. 179 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,840 He's able to warn villagers to move their cattle 180 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:12,040 when the pride is in the area. 181 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:15,760 And so they're avoiding conflict. 182 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:22,680 No lions have been killed in the immediate area 183 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:24,760 since the project began. 184 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,960 By combining the science, both ancient and contemporary, 185 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,200 they're beginning to make a real difference. 186 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:33,680 There's so much to be learned. 187 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:38,240 I feel I bring in modern technology, modern knowledge, 188 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,160 and, in return, they teach us about the environment, 189 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,320 and how things have changed in their environment. 190 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:46,560 And it's a really neat exchange... 191 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,600 You can't say the biologists are the teachers 192 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:51,880 or the guardians are the teachers. 193 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:54,080 We're both teachers and we're both students. 194 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,400 And I think that's... That blend is amazing. 195 00:13:58,760 --> 00:13:59,800 Critically, 196 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:03,160 at the heart of this project is a huge attitude change 197 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,440 by these Maasai warriors. 198 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:09,920 An animal that was once their sworn enemy, they now protect. 199 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,240 And their willingness to share knowledge with other communities 200 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:18,440 means that projects like this could be repeated in other parts of Africa. 201 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:24,080 Traditionally, when a warrior killed a lion, he took the name of the lion. 202 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,320 Now, it's the other way round. 203 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:31,560 Now the lion takes the name of the warrior who protects it. 204 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,240 The scheme is a huge success. 205 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:39,280 There are about 100 lions involved in this scheme in this neighbourhood. 206 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:43,800 This is 21st century conservation in action. 207 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:57,840 Perhaps the biggest threat to wildlife is the competition for space 208 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,000 with the rapidly growing human population. 209 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:12,440 The Virunga volcanoes straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda 210 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:14,840 and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 211 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,800 The rich volcanic soils are extremely fertile. 212 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,560 It's one of the most intensively cultivated areas in Africa. 213 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:33,240 But the farmers also share this region with one of our closest relatives. 214 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,200 This is home to the last 800 or so 215 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,360 wild mountain gorillas left on Earth. 216 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:44,640 We know a great deal about these animals. 217 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,520 They've been closely studied for 50 years. 218 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:54,240 One strong silverback male keeps everyone in order. 219 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,520 And gorilla family life is mostly peaceful. 220 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:04,520 221 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,840 Until a few generations ago, mountain gorillas, 222 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,080 hidden in the seclusion of their forests, 223 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:13,320 were seldom seen by human beings. 224 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:17,280 But their habitat was steadily being carved away. 225 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:19,640 And now these gorillas are marooned 226 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:23,720 on the volcanic slopes in a sea of farmland. 227 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,960 The fact that gorillas now regularly come into contact with people 228 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,280 not only means an increased threat of poaching, 229 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,360 but also of disease. 230 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,520 Gorillas have little or no resistance to the bugs that we carry. 231 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,000 232 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,480 Numbers here once dropped to around 250. 233 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:01,400 They were facing extinction. 234 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:04,640 Action had to be taken. 235 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:12,280 The boundaries of the national park were strictly enforced, 236 00:17:12,360 --> 00:17:15,560 halting the encroachment of farmland. 237 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:17,760 And it was decided that the only solution 238 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:22,120 was to intensively manage the remaining gorillas. 239 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,600 Teams of scientists constantly monitor them. 240 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,000 Their forests are patrolled to cut poachers' snares. 241 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:34,480 242 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:37,440 And vets watch their health closely. 243 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:43,200 This is funded mostly through ecotourism 244 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:45,640 and donations from all over the world. 245 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:52,400 Mountain gorillas are now back from the brink. 246 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:05,000 This level of human intervention might not be ideal, but it's working. 247 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,680 Every year there are a few more mountain gorillas 248 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,360 and possibly just a little more optimism. 249 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:19,520 Intensive management within a protected area 250 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,480 may represent the only future for many African species. 251 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,440 But for some animals that is simply not possible. 252 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:32,960 253 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,480 What happens if the animal you're trying to protect 254 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,280 is not suited to park life? 255 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,920 Elephants require vast amounts of space to roam. 256 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:56,640 They have a range of up to 1,300 square miles. 257 00:18:57,800 --> 00:18:58,880 Given the chance, 258 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,760 they will even move between countries in search of the best food, 259 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,520 particularly if conditions get rough. 260 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:16,880 This was the scene in Amboseli National Park in 2009. 261 00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:24,120 The park is home to nearly one and a half thousand elephants. 262 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,560 And this was the worst drought for half a century. 263 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:36,080 60% of zebras and 95% of wildebeest were wiped out. 264 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:43,840 The seasonal rains had failed for the last two years. 265 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:48,080 And the elephants that lived here were slowly starving. 266 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:52,400 The park created to protect them is now surrounded by farmland. 267 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:57,120 The elephants had little choice of where else to go. 268 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:05,000 Caught up in this catastrophe were three sisters. 269 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,880 They are the frontline for elephant protection in the park. 270 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,440 And they know these animals better than anyone else. 271 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:15,360 Nora Njiraini, 272 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,400 and Katito and Soila Sayialel. 273 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,120 All the elephants have been given names. 274 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,600 They're a family to us. 275 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:24,640 Hello, Anastasia. 276 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,080 The sisters have been following these elephants 277 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:31,840 for over 25 years, 278 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:33,600 trying to ensure their safety, 279 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:37,240 particularly at times when life is tough for these animals. 280 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,200 It really was terrible. 281 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:42,360 There was nothing, actually, to feed on. 282 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:46,440 We even went and asked the old Maasai men 283 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:48,720 whether they have ever experienced such a drought. 284 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:54,000 The only time it was close to what was then, was in 1961. 285 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:57,640 In 2009, 286 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:00,640 we lost quite a number of elephants. 287 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,480 I think we lost about 400 elephants. 288 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:06,800 And it started with the young ones. 289 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:14,960 Elephants usually escape drought 290 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:17,640 by moving into other less affected areas. 291 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:22,400 But Africa's human population is growing at double the global rate. 292 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:25,880 And traditional migration routes have been cut 293 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:29,880 by the developments of towns, cities, farmland and roads, 294 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,040 leaving these elephants stuck. 295 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,160 This young calf is starving, 296 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,000 and there is nothing they can do to help. 297 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,680 For the sisters, who know each elephant personally, 298 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:08,080 this is a terrible moment. 299 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,800 It is something that we feel in our hearts. 300 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:15,760 You can imagine the kind of feelings that we get. 301 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,480 You know, knowing those elephants and seeing something like that happen, 302 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,600 it really touches us. 303 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:27,480 It was a tough year for all the young elephants in the region. 304 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:30,400 We lost all the calves who were born that year. 305 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:32,360 All of them. We lost them. 306 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:39,000 307 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,600 There was nothing the sisters could do to save the baby. 308 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,000 But they were determined to save any elephants they could, 309 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,280 especially mothers who could breed again. 310 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:56,280 311 00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:00,000 They found this female stuck in the mud, exhausted, 312 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:01,960 in a dried-up lakebed. 313 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:05,080 314 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:07,720 315 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,240 The elephant that got stuck in the mud was Qualida. 316 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:20,000 Poor thing, you know, she was there for quite a long time. 317 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:25,200 The Maasai reported it to us, 318 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:29,800 and we had to combine efforts with the Kenya Wildlife Services people. 319 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:33,360 320 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,760 Weighing about three tonnes, 321 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,720 Qualida is just too heavy to shift by hand. 322 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:44,600 She's weakening fast. 323 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:51,200 So the next morning, heavy machinery is brought in. 324 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,120 325 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:04,280 326 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:11,680 327 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:12,960 328 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,080 After two days stuck in the mud, 329 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,400 Qualida is exhausted. 330 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:29,520 But she is up on her feet again. 331 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:40,000 332 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:49,880 The rains did return to Amboseli, 333 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,960 and, thanks in part to the work of those dedicated three women, 334 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,400 elephant numbers are now beginning to rise again. 335 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:05,160 There's no doubt that this was an extremely severe event. 336 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:10,080 But is it an isolated incident or a developing pattern? 337 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:13,920 Especially with global warming, 338 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,800 we actually don't know what's going to happen, 339 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:19,840 but we just have to cross fingers and hope for a better future. 340 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,160 Given the opportunity, the numbers of elephants 341 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,120 in East Africa will recover. 342 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:32,240 Especially if they are given the freedom to range widely, 343 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,800 and so avoid the harshest conditions. 344 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,200 One solution to help elephants find the space they need 345 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:45,040 is to link parks together and provide safe routes between them. 346 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,920 Elephants are great travellers, 347 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,920 and here, in this part of Kenya, they regularly moved from the lowlands 348 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:57,280 up the side of the mountains to feed in the forests up there. 349 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,440 But then, the human population of Kenya grew, 350 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,680 and roads like this one were constructed. 351 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:07,240 Penning the elephants down in the lowlands 352 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,320 where they created havoc amongst the farms. 353 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:14,560 Not only that, there were dangers of collisions on the road. 354 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,720 And then someone suggested building an underpass. 355 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:22,600 Within 24 hours of it being completed, 356 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:24,400 one elephant had passed through, 357 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:27,320 and now all the elephants use that route 358 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,920 to go up the mountain, often at night, to feed. 359 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:43,360 Simple ideas like this underpass are a lifeline for these elephants. 360 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:45,760 Especially in times of drought. 361 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,160 Africa's climate is certainly changing. 362 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:54,400 Some parts of the continent 363 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,080 have become three and a half degrees centigrade hotter 364 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:58,760 in the past 20 years. 365 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:05,200 At the summit of Africa's most famous mountain, Kilimanjaro, 366 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,800 80 percent of its permanent ice fields have disappeared. 367 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,680 Soon, it will be free of ice altogether. 368 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:19,600 All over Africa 369 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:24,520 the mountainous regions are often the first indicators of climate change. 370 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:39,080 Here, in the Ethiopian Highlands, live very unusual-looking creatures. 371 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:45,680 Gelada baboons. 372 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,600 Climate change refugees. 373 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,040 Although this region of Ethiopia lies in the tropics, 374 00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:59,560 up at 4,000 metres, it doesn't feel like it. 375 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:03,320 Unlike most African animals, 376 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:07,080 geladas are adapted to life in the cold. 377 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:13,560 They used to be one of Africa's most successful primates, 378 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:15,720 found all over the continent. 379 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,000 At one stage, there were six different species. 380 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,000 Now there is only one. 381 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:29,680 With the warming climate, 382 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,400 their grazing is becoming more and more scarce, 383 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:35,120 restricted to cooler and higher places. 384 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:49,600 These geladas are being forced higher into the mountains. 385 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,240 Soon there will be nowhere left to go. 386 00:28:56,960 --> 00:28:59,880 This is a species living on the edge. 387 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:04,360 Even though they're isolated on the mountain tops, 388 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:06,920 they're not immune to our influence. 389 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,080 As a result of changing climate, 390 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,040 these gelada baboons may soon be gone from our planet. 391 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,600 Africa is the world's hottest continent. 392 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:29,680 And there is no doubt, it's getting warmer. 393 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,960 The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. 394 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,120 Very little can survive in these harsh conditions. 395 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,320 Along the desert edge, life clings on 396 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,560 in the face of encroaching sands. 397 00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,400 But for how long? 398 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:02,800 Alongside the wildlife, 399 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,600 22 million people struggle to make a living 400 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,560 on these desert margins. 401 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:15,160 Can anything be done to stop the sand overwhelming this fragile land? 402 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,760 One idea is to build a green wall of trees 403 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:21,320 across 11 countries. 404 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,960 The project has already started, in Senegal, 405 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,400 but, like all big ideas, it has big problems. 406 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,960 Getting 11 countries to work together is not easy, 407 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,680 and simply irrigating a 5,000-mile-long belt of trees 408 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:40,800 is an ambitious task. 409 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,840 But, all over Africa, people are recognising 410 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:51,040 how important it is to have trees 411 00:30:51,120 --> 00:30:53,120 as part of their local landscape. 412 00:30:55,600 --> 00:31:00,040 This group of volunteers has planted nearly 100 million saplings. 413 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:05,840 And they're just one of countless similar groups and individuals, 414 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:07,440 taking it upon themselves 415 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,560 to reforest their own part of this great continent. 416 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:18,360 Trees are essential for the future of the continent, 417 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:20,880 and indeed to the rest of the planet. 418 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,800 This is the Congo basin. 419 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,680 It's one of the most biologically important forests on Earth, 420 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:38,760 and it's not just because of the concentration 421 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:41,000 of plants and animals that live here. 422 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,400 It's because it's also one of the powerhouses 423 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:48,680 behind the planet's wind and rain. 424 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:56,080 Each hectare of trees releases as vapour 425 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:00,200 almost 190,000 litres of water a year. 426 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,640 This water passes into the atmosphere, 427 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,440 to be transported around the entire globe. 428 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,120 That means the heart of the world's weather 429 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,760 lies in tropical forests. 430 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:26,800 Unfortunately, there's an almost insatiable demand in Europe and China, 431 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,920 for hardwood from these very forests. 432 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,880 And that is having an enormous impact. 433 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,400 As more tropical forest is felled, 434 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:40,680 some scientists are seeing a correlation 435 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:43,840 with changing storm patterns across Europe and America. 436 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:47,880 And it's likely to become more extreme. 437 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:51,920 Staggeringly, 50 percent of the Congo basin forest 438 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,160 has been allocated for logging. 439 00:32:55,960 --> 00:33:00,400 The future of Africa's forests has never been more critical for us all. 440 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,520 But the consequences of global warming aren't limited to the land. 441 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,560 Africa is almost completely surrounded by oceans. 442 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:24,400 Here, on the east coast, 443 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:26,840 there are animals feeling the change in climate 444 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:28,760 in a most surprising way. 445 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,640 This is a young female green turtle. 446 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:42,600 During her lifetime, she will travel thousands of miles 447 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:44,880 through the ocean, looking for food. 448 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,760 Turtles return to the same beach from which they hatched 449 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:51,640 to lay their own eggs. 450 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:54,240 The eggs are buried in the sand, 451 00:33:54,360 --> 00:33:57,280 and the hatchlings will emerge after about two months. 452 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,680 Now, there's a strange thing. about turtle eggs, 453 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:06,840 and that is the temperature at which the eggs are kept 454 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:10,720 will determine the sex of most of the hatchlings. 455 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:14,600 If the sand temperature is high, they will be female. 456 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,320 If it's low, they will be male. 457 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:22,080 So global warming could have a crucial effect 458 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:23,720 on turtle populations. 459 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:25,760 And this young female 460 00:34:26,240 --> 00:34:27,800 may find it very difficult, 461 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:32,080 in years to come, to find a male with which to mate. 462 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:46,640 But a local conservation group recognised that the odds are stacking up 463 00:34:46,720 --> 00:34:48,360 against these little turtles. 464 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,960 There's not much they can do about climate change, 465 00:34:55,480 --> 00:34:57,800 but they have got together with the local fishermen 466 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:01,080 to try and improve the turtles' chances of survival. 467 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:03,560 Every turtle counts. 468 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:07,720 So each time one is found injured or accidentally caught in the nets, 469 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:11,200 it's brought to Kahindi Changawa and his team. 470 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:17,600 So we began with only 16 fishermen altogether, in 1998, 471 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,960 and now we have hundreds of fishermen working with us. 472 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:25,520 Grazing by turtles 473 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:28,840 is essential for the health of the beds of seagrass. 474 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:32,880 And these are the home of shrimps and lobsters, 475 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:35,480 and that, of course, helps fishermen, too. 476 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,760 The project has a turtle rehabilitation centre, 477 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,280 and for the last two years, it's become home to Shella. 478 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:50,800 She had an accident with a boat, was hit from behind. 479 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:55,080 She lost three ribs and her spine was, as well, damaged. 480 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,200 It's now in the process of healing back together. 481 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,600 Shella's injuries have affected her buoyancy. 482 00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:06,160 She's healed well, 483 00:36:06,240 --> 00:36:08,960 and to encourage her to exercise her flippers properly, 484 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:12,120 she has, every day, a little trip to the seaside. 485 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:21,280 So we usually take Shella for a sea bath on daily basis, 486 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:23,440 and the whole reason why we're doing that, 487 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:27,480 we're trying to give her enough room to get exercises. 488 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:35,360 And she gets an opportunity to eat her natural food. 489 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:37,600 We believe that it keeps her fit, 490 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:43,120 and the other thing is she gets to use her rear flippers quite often. 491 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,120 For Kahindi, it's one of the rewards for all his hard work. 492 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:53,840 It's really, really enjoyable. 493 00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:57,560 Very few people have the privilege, like I do, 494 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:00,680 swimming with the turtles, and having that fun. 495 00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:04,840 I do enjoy what I'm doing. 496 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:19,840 Shella certainly did get stronger, 497 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,760 but the hope that someday she might swim out in the open 498 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:25,400 was not to be fulfilled. 499 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:30,000 Unaccountably, she became weaker and eventually died. 500 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,880 This kind of work will inevitably have setbacks. 501 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:42,240 But there are always new turtles to be cared for. 502 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:45,160 Is she healthy? 503 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:49,400 Yeah, this one is healthy. I mean, she has a few bruises, 504 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:51,160 could be from the fishing gear. 505 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,200 Um, like these ones here. 506 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:56,760 Oh, yeah, but otherwise healthy? 507 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:59,320 Otherwise, the turtle is obviously really healthy. 508 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:01,640 Shall we let her go? 509 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,880 Since 1998, till now, 510 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:11,040 we've released over 8,200 turtles. 511 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:14,240 It fills me... feel proud and privileged. 512 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:16,840 We've done lots of work with the community, 513 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:18,480 on changing their attitudes 514 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:20,200 and their behaviours and everything. 515 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:22,480 So I guess... 516 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:25,600 our job as an organisation is really successful. 517 00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:31,520 A young turtle like that 518 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:35,000 could lay 6,000 or 7,000 eggs 519 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:36,320 in her lifetime. 520 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,800 So the survival of just one 521 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,080 could have huge consequences. 522 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:47,600 Saving just one individual requires huge effort, 523 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:50,760 and of course, saving a species requires even more. 524 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:55,960 But these heroic efforts are only ever going to be a partial solution. 525 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,760 Every individual animal is part of a much bigger story, 526 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:06,760 part of an interconnected web of plants, animals, 527 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:08,240 and the landscape itself, 528 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:11,000 that make up an entire ecosystem. 529 00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:19,720 Saving ecosystems is the key to Africa's wild future. 530 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:25,400 Gorongosa in Mozambique, is a modern-day Jurassic Park. 531 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:33,920 It's ruled by some of the world's biggest crocodiles. 532 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:42,280 Some of these monsters are six metres long 533 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:44,440 and close to 50 years old. 534 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:53,600 Somehow, they managed to escape a civil war lasting nearly 20 years, 535 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:55,800 which swept through Gorongosa. 536 00:39:57,400 --> 00:40:00,800 95% of all the other large animals were wiped out. 537 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:07,040 But 50 years ago the scene was very different. 538 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:13,120 This was a thriving tourist attraction, a wild paradise. 539 00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:16,640 Visitors flocked from around the world, 540 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:20,280 drawn by the vast range and abundance of the wildlife. 541 00:40:23,880 --> 00:40:25,840 The most popular spot for tourists 542 00:40:25,920 --> 00:40:27,320 was an old restaurant, 543 00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:30,160 a lookout post for the local lions. 544 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:40,800 The restaurant has long gone. 545 00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:43,080 Along with the lions. 546 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:47,880 Gorongosa looked empty and beyond rescue. 547 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:51,880 But not to everyone. 548 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:54,600 A brave and ambitious project began 549 00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:58,360 to try and restore the park to its former richness and splendour. 550 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:01,680 The first stage is to find out which animals, 551 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:03,680 as well as crocodiles, are still here. 552 00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:09,440 So the team is mapping and counting all the big animals they see in the park. 553 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:15,640 554 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:37,200 But it soon became clear that these big animals were only part of the story. 555 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:40,160 Perhaps even more important 556 00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:42,520 might be the little ones hidden underfoot. 557 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:46,680 It's understanding these creatures 558 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:48,440 that is attracting some of the best minds 559 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:50,080 in the scientific world. 560 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:53,400 You were going to show me something? 561 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:55,160 Yeah, something new. 562 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:57,480 Professor Ed Wilson 563 00:41:57,560 --> 00:42:00,200 is a world expert on biodiversity. 564 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:03,880 And at a mere 83, he's still pursuing his passion - 565 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:05,040 ants. 566 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:07,760 You see, there's a big nest of... I think they're Myrmicarias. 567 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:11,200 Wow! Let me just get one specimen. 568 00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:13,320 If you look down at your feet, 569 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:15,880 you may see them, 570 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:19,400 walking by here and there, an ant, a little beetle... 571 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:23,680 What I like to call the little things that run the earth. 572 00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:31,600 It's the rich diversity of insect life here 573 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:34,640 that gives Gorongosa the prospect of a future. 574 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:39,480 These creatures form the basis of life in the park. 575 00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:44,200 This is so much fun. 576 00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:46,360 These little invertebrate creatures, 577 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:50,080 the creatures that do most of the work, turn most of the energy, 578 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:52,160 save most of the material, 579 00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:57,880 and allow us to re-insert big animals with some confidence. 580 00:42:58,160 --> 00:42:59,640 Have you got it in the vial yet? 581 00:42:59,720 --> 00:43:02,280 Yeah, I got three of them. Oh, good. 582 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:05,920 Professor Wilson was one of the first scientists 583 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:08,960 to explore this area, together with local wildlife biologist 584 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:10,520 Tonga Torcida. 585 00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:11,920 That's a good one. 586 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:14,160 If you could gather them all up, 587 00:43:14,320 --> 00:43:16,640 all these little invertebrate creatures, 588 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:18,000 and weigh them, 589 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:20,160 they would weigh... 590 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:24,640 far more than all of the big animals put together, 591 00:43:24,720 --> 00:43:27,240 even in a fully restored park. 592 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:29,920 It's these little creatures, 593 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:31,960 together with the plants and trees, 594 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:34,840 that still make this place a viable option 595 00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:37,400 for re-introducing bigger animals. 596 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:39,560 I can't be sure that's a new species 597 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:42,200 but, you know, this is the kind of thing that might be. 598 00:43:42,320 --> 00:43:44,440 This park came... 599 00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:47,400 that close to vanishing. 600 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:52,920 And I'm happy to report it is coming back. 601 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:57,880 And this is one of the great stories. It's inspirational, I think. 602 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:02,720 And it's a fine shining example of what to do with all our parks, 603 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:06,920 even those that have been damaged by human activity. 604 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:08,720 But there's another reason 605 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:11,680 why Gorongosa is important for the future of Africa, 606 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:13,920 and perhaps for us all. 607 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:17,520 So it is here, in this park, 608 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:19,280 that people come to see... 609 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:21,840 not just the big animals that thrill us, 610 00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:25,480 but they will see Earth as it looked and felt 611 00:44:26,280 --> 00:44:28,040 before the coming of humanity. 612 00:44:31,720 --> 00:44:34,000 Saving big animals is important, 613 00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:36,280 but to do that with any real success, 614 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:40,440 we have to start understanding and preserving the plants and insects 615 00:44:40,520 --> 00:44:42,600 that support an ecosystem. 616 00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:47,840 It's this that will allow the large animals to thrive. 617 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:51,920 Gorongosa is a real success story. 618 00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:55,080 The government and the management team 619 00:44:55,160 --> 00:44:57,480 have pledged themselves to a plan 620 00:44:57,720 --> 00:45:00,360 to restore the land to what it was. 621 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,800 While it can never be exactly the same as it was before the war, 622 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:09,080 it can still become a rich and thriving ecosystem. 623 00:45:23,240 --> 00:45:27,320 The scale of the challenge across Africa is enormous. 624 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:34,440 After all, it's a huge continent. 625 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:41,440 The United Kingdom, China, the United States of America, 626 00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:45,360 India, Japan and most of the rest of Europe 627 00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:48,040 would all fit within its borders. 628 00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:57,080 Africa still retains 45 percent of the Earth's uncultivated land. 629 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:01,360 It's still the greatest wilderness on Earth. 630 00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:04,720 And that is why it's important. 631 00:46:07,720 --> 00:46:10,640 Human beings have lived alongside wildlife here 632 00:46:10,720 --> 00:46:12,760 longer than anywhere else. 633 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:15,600 But now, in the 21st century, 634 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:18,320 animal numbers are at a critical level. 635 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:23,880 Like it or not, this generation is responsible 636 00:46:24,040 --> 00:46:26,800 for handing on the world's wildlife to the next. 637 00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:29,160 Come on... 638 00:46:29,240 --> 00:46:32,800 That means taking care of the animals and lands where they live, 639 00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:37,080 so there is still space for us all to coexist. 640 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:41,760 Nobody knows... 641 00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:46,760 what the future has in store for this little calf. 642 00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:48,600 Or, indeed, 643 00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:52,440 how the changes that inevitably are going to take place in Africa 644 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,000 will affect the rest of the world and this little animal. 645 00:46:57,120 --> 00:46:58,960 But one thing is certain - 646 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:01,360 what happens here 647 00:47:01,840 --> 00:47:04,720 is more important than it has ever been, 648 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:08,280 and that the relationship of the rest of the world 649 00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:12,240 to this great continent and the creatures that live in it 650 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:15,440 is more important than ever before. 651 00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:28,920 On whichever part of the planet we live, 652 00:47:29,760 --> 00:47:31,920 we all have a part to play 653 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:36,480 in what sort of future this wild continent has. 654 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:03,120 Africa, the final shoot. 655 00:48:03,600 --> 00:48:06,040 It's one of our most ambitious trips, 656 00:48:06,120 --> 00:48:08,240 with lots of locations to visit 657 00:48:08,320 --> 00:48:10,800 and many technical hurdles to overcome. 658 00:48:11,240 --> 00:48:12,480 Five, take one. 659 00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:16,240 To the west, a vast rainforest the size of India. 660 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:23,520 Helicopters enable us to go to extraordinary landscapes. 661 00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:26,320 We're heading off to do the very first piece to camera, 662 00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:28,640 the opening of the whole Africa series with David. 663 00:48:29,960 --> 00:48:32,160 Well, how do you like the view from my office? 664 00:48:32,600 --> 00:48:33,880 665 00:48:34,160 --> 00:48:36,560 And attempt air-to-air filming. 666 00:48:36,640 --> 00:48:38,280 Standby, David, and action! 667 00:48:38,360 --> 00:48:42,760 I'm flying over the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. 668 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:01,480 But perhaps the most ambitious task for this shoot 669 00:49:01,720 --> 00:49:04,080 is the filming with black rhinoceros. 670 00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:08,000 They have a reputation for being aggressive 671 00:49:08,080 --> 00:49:09,440 and, with poor eyesight, 672 00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:13,680 they're likely to charge objects or people they don't recognise. 673 00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:23,080 But the plight of the rhino is such an important story 674 00:49:23,160 --> 00:49:25,760 that we want to get as close to them as possible. 675 00:49:26,320 --> 00:49:29,320 We also want to meet the people who are working to protect them. 676 00:49:33,440 --> 00:49:37,920 So our team have come to assess the viability of filming up-close 677 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:41,600 with a rhino called Elvis, who's been reared by humans. 678 00:49:42,640 --> 00:49:44,680 He should be safer than a wild rhino, 679 00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:48,520 but there's still a risk he could be unpredictable with strangers. 680 00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:54,160 Wildlife ranger Tonga Casio has bought up Elvis by hand 681 00:49:54,240 --> 00:49:58,040 and knows that tickling him gently with a stick keeps him calm. 682 00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:02,120 But if anything were to go seriously wrong, 683 00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:05,120 there would be little he could do against the one-tonne Elvis. 684 00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:08,120 And this fact hasn't escaped cameraman Mike Fox. 685 00:50:09,440 --> 00:50:13,000 He knows we're here. We're here on his terms. 686 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:18,560 If he decided to bat us all into the next world, he would do. 687 00:50:21,160 --> 00:50:23,600 Director Kate Broome checks with Tonga 688 00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:26,080 that it's safe for the crew to get closer. 689 00:50:28,160 --> 00:50:30,600 Normally we have to stay in the Land Rovers. 690 00:50:31,200 --> 00:50:33,200 He's saying it's okay to go in. 691 00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:37,880 This is such an extraordinary opportunity, 692 00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:41,960 to be this close to a black rhino. 693 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:45,520 The trial goes well with Elvis. 694 00:50:45,800 --> 00:50:48,160 And the stage is set for future filming. 695 00:50:49,520 --> 00:50:50,920 What I'm saying... 696 00:50:51,000 --> 00:50:52,880 Several weeks later, the team are back. 697 00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:54,720 And this time I've joined them. 698 00:50:56,280 --> 00:50:58,800 But Elvis's mood has changed. 699 00:50:58,880 --> 00:51:00,200 He seems more wilful. 700 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:05,120 Now, I've stood by many wild animals in my time, 701 00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:08,120 but I'm not as fast on my pins as I used to be. 702 00:51:10,640 --> 00:51:14,160 We don't want to test Elvis's patience, so we get on with filming. 703 00:51:15,280 --> 00:51:18,920 A horn that is worth its weight in gold. 704 00:51:24,320 --> 00:51:25,640 And one way... 705 00:51:27,160 --> 00:51:28,360 of protecting him... 706 00:51:30,440 --> 00:51:31,480 would be... 707 00:51:32,760 --> 00:51:34,840 to cut that horn off the nose. 708 00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:42,640 How is it? 709 00:51:43,160 --> 00:51:44,240 Looks great. 710 00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:46,760 The team check that they have what they need, 711 00:51:47,040 --> 00:51:49,640 and Elvis lets us know that he's had enough. 712 00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:53,040 Just watch out everybody. Yeah. 713 00:51:53,120 --> 00:51:54,320 - Okay. - Right then. 714 00:51:55,400 --> 00:51:57,560 But, actually, it's a positive sign 715 00:51:57,640 --> 00:52:00,440 that Elvis is not as friendly this time. 716 00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:05,240 Tonga and his colleagues want Elvis to live more like a wild rhino 717 00:52:05,520 --> 00:52:07,640 and develop a wariness of humans, 718 00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:10,440 that may offer him some protection from poachers. 719 00:52:12,640 --> 00:52:14,560 Good luck to you, Elvis. 720 00:52:19,440 --> 00:52:22,840 Whilst filming, we are lucky enough to have a very well-equipped camp. 721 00:52:23,040 --> 00:52:26,520 It's in the bush and there's no escaping the wild animals. 722 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:35,680 One of the great, wonderful things about camping out 723 00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:38,080 in the middle of the open is the animals. 724 00:52:38,160 --> 00:52:42,920 But it could also be one of the dangerous, stroke, annoying things. 725 00:52:43,200 --> 00:52:44,200 Absolutely. 726 00:52:47,960 --> 00:52:51,760 In the annoying category - vervet monkeys. 727 00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:57,880 Vervet monkeys have stolen my Ferrero Rocher, 728 00:52:58,280 --> 00:53:01,400 and one of my glow sticks from our medical supplies. 729 00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:05,360 Um, so if we see a luminous-faced monkey in the night, um, 730 00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:08,120 I'll identify the naughty one that's been stealing our stuff. 731 00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:10,720 And they leave little, uh, presents for us 732 00:53:10,800 --> 00:53:13,080 when they've been in, just as a calling card. 733 00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:22,200 But camp manager Andres finds more worrying animal signs. 734 00:53:22,760 --> 00:53:27,480 Well, the lions were quite close, um, just behind the tents. 735 00:53:27,560 --> 00:53:30,600 And some must have come in, 736 00:53:31,400 --> 00:53:33,240 and I don't know, uh... 737 00:53:33,920 --> 00:53:35,680 You can see a few scratches. 738 00:53:36,160 --> 00:53:42,000 I think maybe he was wanting to look at himself in the mirror. 739 00:53:44,200 --> 00:53:46,160 Lions in camp are worrying enough, 740 00:53:46,560 --> 00:53:49,040 but there I was reading my book, when... 741 00:53:49,240 --> 00:53:50,960 - Uh, uh... - Whoa! 742 00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:53,520 A Cape buffalo arrives. 743 00:53:55,480 --> 00:53:59,400 The most grumpy and dangerous of the big five African animals. 744 00:54:01,680 --> 00:54:04,600 Mike, stay in your tent. 745 00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:08,280 Should we get David to get in the tent? 746 00:54:25,720 --> 00:54:27,400 Buffalo usually move in herds, 747 00:54:27,680 --> 00:54:29,240 so there's something odd about him. 748 00:54:29,800 --> 00:54:33,480 It may be that it was brought up as a calf, and is humanised, 749 00:54:34,000 --> 00:54:36,840 or it may be that he's an outcast from the herd, in some way, 750 00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:39,200 and that he's rather grumpy and fed up with life. 751 00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:42,440 Uh, but I think it's just hot, and he's just trotting around 752 00:54:42,520 --> 00:54:46,680 and wondering where he might get a drink and a decent sandwich. 753 00:54:46,760 --> 00:54:49,600 Because I feel the same way myself actually. 754 00:54:52,520 --> 00:54:56,040 The team's filming has coincided with the newest arrival 755 00:54:56,120 --> 00:54:57,120 at Lewa. 756 00:54:57,200 --> 00:55:00,640 A baby rhino in need of 24-hour care. 757 00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:07,640 This little chap was born blind and is guided everywhere by his keepers. 758 00:55:08,680 --> 00:55:12,320 They took him away from his mother a few weeks ago 759 00:55:12,400 --> 00:55:15,760 because she couldn't protect him any more. 760 00:55:15,840 --> 00:55:19,120 He's very vulnerable, so he would have been killed by predators. 761 00:55:22,320 --> 00:55:24,600 It's like filling up a petrol tank. 762 00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:26,720 Every rhino is precious. 763 00:55:26,880 --> 00:55:30,960 And so it seems a fitting end for the final scene of the series. 764 00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:38,160 No one knows what the future holds for this little creature. 765 00:55:39,440 --> 00:55:42,880 Nor, indeed, what changes will take place 766 00:55:42,960 --> 00:55:46,240 in the great continent on which he lives. 767 00:56:02,880 --> 00:56:04,240 David, I found that... 768 00:56:05,560 --> 00:56:06,920 Gosh, there's ants. 769 00:56:07,640 --> 00:56:09,880 They're everywhere, yeah, hang on. 770 00:56:10,240 --> 00:56:11,840 Ants! Ants attack. 771 00:56:13,720 --> 00:56:17,120 I just found that extraordinarily moving, actually. 772 00:56:17,400 --> 00:56:19,280 - What I said was all right? - Yes. 773 00:56:19,360 --> 00:56:20,360 You sure? 774 00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:22,520 And how you did it... I just... It made me cry. 775 00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:25,000 I'm afraid so. 776 00:56:25,760 --> 00:56:27,800 David Attenborough has made me cry. 777 00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:32,600 But just as we think we're finishing, 778 00:56:33,080 --> 00:56:34,840 someone won't let us go. 779 00:56:37,920 --> 00:56:39,240 Hello, little friend. 780 00:56:41,040 --> 00:56:42,960 He starts to squeak. 781 00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:45,600 And we're able to have a little chat. 782 00:56:45,840 --> 00:56:46,880 783 00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:48,480 784 00:57:01,320 --> 00:57:03,360 Think about it. He's got a black world, doesn't he? 785 00:57:03,520 --> 00:57:05,400 And, uh, he's got smell. 786 00:57:05,920 --> 00:57:07,840 And he's got sound, so... 787 00:57:09,200 --> 00:57:11,040 He's more likely to be responding to sound 788 00:57:11,120 --> 00:57:12,440 if he hasn't got the vision. 789 00:57:13,160 --> 00:57:14,920 And yet, just inquisitive, I suppose. 790 00:57:15,280 --> 00:57:16,600 You coming back? 791 00:57:17,200 --> 00:57:18,240 792 00:57:18,320 --> 00:57:19,320 793 00:57:25,960 --> 00:57:28,600 There is hope for this little fellow. 794 00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:31,240 He's due to have an operation on his eyes, 795 00:57:31,560 --> 00:57:36,680 which may mean that, as an adult, he could be returned to the wild. 796 00:57:37,160 --> 00:57:38,920 Just like Elvis. 797 00:57:40,480 --> 00:57:44,800 I do hope he gets a cataract operation. It'd be marvellous if he did. 798 00:57:46,240 --> 00:57:48,360 Well, what an enchanting creature.