1 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:48,560 Africa. 2 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:56,800 No continent on Earth today has such spectacular wildlife. 3 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:05,360 At its heart lies a vast tropical rainforest. 4 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,400 Over a million square miles of wilderness, 5 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,600 much of it still unexplored... 6 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:17,960 ...even now. 7 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,480 There are more species of animals and plants in these jungles 8 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,840 than anywhere else on the continent. 9 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,200 But even in this land of plenty... 10 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,000 ...wildlife now faces major challenges. 11 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,000 The forests of the Ivory Coast 12 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,400 contain over 1,500 species of plant, 13 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:06,760 but some are very difficult to get at... 14 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,120 ...even for one of the most intelligent of animals. 15 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:22,120 Chimpanzees. 16 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:38,560 The elders in this group know where to find the most nutritious food 17 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,520 and how to extract it. 18 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,280 But if they are to survive to adulthood, 19 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:50,600 the youngsters must learn these skills from their parents. 20 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,240 This young female is five years old... 21 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:09,280 (THUDDING) 22 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,760 ...old enough to be given an important lesson. 23 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,840 (THUDDING CONTINUES) 24 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:29,960 And this is her teacher. 25 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:32,840 Her mother. 26 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,760 The lesson is how to crack a nut. 27 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,560 Using tools like this is so complex 28 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,840 that it has only been mastered by a handful of chimpanzee communities. 29 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:16,120 This is a skill that has been practised by chimps for several thousand years. 30 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,960 Time to try for herself. 31 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,800 She needs to find a better tool. 32 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,200 Small rocks just don't have the clout. 33 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,720 And larger ones are too cumbersome. 34 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,120 Wood is both light and strong... 35 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,680 ...but not strong enough. 36 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:47,520 Back to teacher. 37 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:55,720 It may take a young chimp up to a decade to perfect 38 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,360 the skills it needs for nut-cracking. 39 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,720 But she's already mastered one thing. 40 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:10,920 When her fingers can't reach the nut inside... 41 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,520 ...she strips down a branch to size... 42 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,760 ...and makes herself a spoon. 43 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,320 She'll learn to use many tools in her life... 44 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,000 ...and eventually she'll share this knowledge 45 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,960 with youngsters of her own, 46 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,960 enabling them to harvest the riches of their rainforest home. 47 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,960 The sheer abundance of life in the rainforests 48 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,960 is rivalled by that on the eastern side of the continent. 49 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:13,440 The Great Rift Valley runs for 4,000 miles down the length of Africa. 50 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,560 It developed some 30 million years ago, 51 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,760 when a giant plume of molten rock pushing up from the depths 52 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,800 cracked the Earth's crust apart. 53 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,400 Fresh water began to accumulate on the floor of this rift... 54 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,080 ...and a chain of lakes developed. 55 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,880 These lakes are now one of the richest freshwater habitats 56 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:51,720 to be found anywhere. 57 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,440 One single family of fish here - the cichlids - 58 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:12,520 has evolved into more than 1,500 different species. 59 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,320 This might look like paradise, 60 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:26,760 but competition between these cichlid species is intense. 61 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,800 This crowded world is a dangerous one. 62 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,600 Baby fish, after all, make a tasty meal. 63 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:48,200 So, many cichlid mothers have developed a very effective way 64 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,440 of keeping their offspring safe. 65 00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:57,400 They use their mouths as a mobile nursery. 66 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:17,400 It's a safe haven where the fry can stay until danger has passed. 67 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,160 When the coast is clear, she releases them. 68 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,760 This kind of behaviour starts when the cichlid female 69 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:53,520 picks up her newly laid eggs and holds them in her mouth to keep them safe. 70 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:08,080 During spawning, her mate flashes his yellow tail spots 71 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,000 to encourage her to keep laying. 72 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,040 As each batch of eggs emerges, 73 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:22,520 she scoops them up. 74 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,360 But this couple are being watched... 75 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,440 ...by cuckoo catfish. 76 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:05,760 They work as a gang 77 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,800 and devour as many cichlid eggs as they can find. 78 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,040 Then, in the middle of all this activity, 79 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,800 one of the catfish also spawns. 80 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:31,280 The cichlid mother collects every egg she can see. 81 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,320 Now, by herself, she must wait 82 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,680 while the eggs in her mouth develop. 83 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,000 It will take three weeks. 84 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:59,680 She doesn't eat throughout that entire time. 85 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,680 But 18 days later, 86 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,880 something is not right. 87 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:34,440 The female blows out her young before they're fully ready to emerge. 88 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:43,000 And they are followed by young cuckoo catfish... 89 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:55,480 ...three times the size of her own babies. 90 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:00,600 She may have as many as six of them in her mouth. 91 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:07,520 And now 92 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:10,560 they begin to eat the cichlid babies. 93 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:21,160 The female cichlid treats the baby catfish as if they were hers. 94 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,440 They are truly cuckoos among fish! 95 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,080 The forces that created the Great Rift Valley 96 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,320 continue to shape Africa's landscape 97 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:45,920 even today. 98 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:55,760 At weak spots in the Earth's crust, molten rock continues to erupt. 99 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:05,000 There are some 200 volcanoes on the continent... 100 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,400 ...many of them active. 101 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:23,840 They may bring destruction 102 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:28,520 but also, eventually, fertility. 103 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:39,280 This is Ol Doinyo Lengai. 104 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:47,240 For the past 400,000 years, ash from this great volcano 105 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,880 has fallen on the surrounding savannas of the Serengeti 106 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:53,360 and greatly enriched them. 107 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,520 This is the best grazing on the continent. 108 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:16,080 On it live the world's largest herds of migrating animals... 109 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:22,880 ...and they, in turn, support predators. 110 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:43,760 Here, in Kenya, cheetahs have formed an unusual alliance. 111 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:54,840 These swiftest of cats usually hunt in groups of two or three. 112 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:01,760 But this team of five is one of the largest ever recorded. 113 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,320 Two sets of brothers 114 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:19,960 and a lead male. 115 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:28,360 They have now lived and hunted together for almost three years. 116 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,320 By teaming up, they can hold 117 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,240 the best territory in the area. 118 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:57,320 But, even so, with five mouths to feed, every hunt is very important. 119 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:08,080 They haven't eaten for three days. 120 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,920 To make a kill, they must get within 30 metres of their quarry 121 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:19,880 without being detected. 122 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:30,920 Thick cover. 123 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:33,760 That will help them. 124 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:53,040 Topi - nearly three times their size... 125 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:02,640 ...and quite strong enough to fight off a lion, 126 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:04,440 let alone a single cheetah. 127 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:16,600 Now out in the open... 128 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:22,560 ...every step the cheetahs take increases their chance of success. 129 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,400 The herd scatter, and the team splits up. 130 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,080 But they didn't get close enough. 131 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:01,480 They switch targets to zebra. 132 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,600 Everyone now knows that they're here. 133 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,360 They must devise a different approach. 134 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,520 All eyes are on the brothers. 135 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:15,360 Out in the open, they seem to be no threat. 136 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,720 But the lead male is missing. 137 00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:39,440 The brothers are decoys. 138 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,760 The trap is set. 139 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:04,160 The other four now join the lead male. 140 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:11,680 Under the combined weight of five cheetah, 141 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:13,800 death comes quickly. 142 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:33,920 Today, Africa's savannas support larger herds of big game 143 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,880 than anywhere else in the world. 144 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:41,200 And they, one way or another, 145 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:45,160 provide food for all kinds of smaller creatures. 146 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:50,720 An oxpecker. 147 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:58,440 A resourceful little bird with an unusual diet. 148 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:18,400 Fleas, ticks and even dandruff are food, 149 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:20,920 as far as they are concerned. 150 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,160 Both parties benefit. 151 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,520 The oxpecker gets a good meal... 152 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:51,840 ...and the host is cleaned in those places it could never reach for itself. 153 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:11,000 Each bird, every day, collects hundreds of ticks 154 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:13,880 and thousands of insect larvae. 155 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:20,560 But some oxpeckers go for rather riskier meals. 156 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:36,640 Hippopotamus are highly territorial and very aggressive... 157 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,880 ...so oxpeckers tackling them must always be on their guard. 158 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,120 But there's much to be gained. 159 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:06,120 Blood is the most nutritious meal of all. 160 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:12,080 Pecking ensures that cuts remain open and blood keeps flowing. 161 00:25:15,360 --> 00:25:19,280 And an oxpecker, once it's found an open wound, 162 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:24,400 will stay alongside it, no matter how much that irritates its host. 163 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:45,320 The reward? An endless supply of food, 164 00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:47,120 whatever the conditions. 165 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,280 Not all of Africa is rich and fertile. 166 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:07,480 A third of the continent is desert. 167 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,640 This is the Namib in the southwest. 168 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:33,400 At its heart, a disused diamond mine 169 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:37,200 that was abandoned nearly 70 years ago. 170 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,200 But it still has one inhabitant. 171 00:26:55,360 --> 00:26:58,080 A desert specialist... 172 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,280 ...and one of Africa's rarest predators. 173 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:13,840 The brown hyena. 174 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:27,880 This ghost town is her home. 175 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:42,320 Its ruins give her valuable protection from the elements. 176 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,960 She has been here for 15 years. 177 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:11,320 She's already reared nine generations of cubs. 178 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:38,840 These two youngsters have reached a critical stage in their lives. 179 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:51,680 They're four months old, and now they need regular solid food. 180 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,200 But there is nothing edible in these ruins, 181 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,800 so their mother has to look elsewhere 182 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:03,360 and may leave them for several days on end. 183 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:18,160 Brown hyenas may walk over 20 miles a day in search of food. 184 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:32,640 This is some of the most hostile country on the planet. 185 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:07,000 Temperatures reach a blistering 50 degrees Celsius. 186 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:17,720 (WIND GUSTS) 187 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,400 Strong winds blow incessantly. 188 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:38,160 Hyenas from all over the Namib head for where the sand dunes meet the sea. 189 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:49,800 Somewhere along 190 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:52,800 this seemingly barren stretch of sand, 191 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:57,480 there is food in great quantity. 192 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,920 (GRUNTING AND WHINING) 193 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:11,440 Cape fur seals. 194 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:18,360 There are around 10,000 of them here. 195 00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:35,760 Adult seals are large and strong. 196 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,960 But their pups are neither. 197 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:53,280 The youngsters are closely guarded by their mothers. 198 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,400 A hyena, however, knows to be patient. 199 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:09,040 Sooner or later, seal mothers must return to the ocean to cool off. 200 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:23,240 A single seal pup could feed a hyena and her family for days. 201 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:31,000 But finding food is only half the battle. 202 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:37,640 It now has to be carried back. 203 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:45,320 A jackal is here too... 204 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:51,880 ...and it's not alone. 205 00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:02,520 If a hyena loses her kill, she'll have nothing with which to feed her cubs. 206 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:21,280 The jackals won't follow her very far from the coast. 207 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:26,160 It's too hot for them in the desert interior. 208 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:34,040 Only by making these long journeys 209 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:39,040 can brown hyenas manage to survive in the middle of the Namib. 210 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:46,000 But some desert animals seldom move far. 211 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:52,760 The Kalahari Desert. 212 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,640 Here, food is more plentiful... 213 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:01,680 ...but it's hidden. 214 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:12,320 A pangolin. 215 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:24,160 She can collect food that others can't reach. 216 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:30,080 A keen sense of smell enables her to detect 217 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:34,600 the presence of ants and termites in their nests beneath the sand. 218 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,840 Her sticky tongue, some 30cm long, 219 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:01,120 enables her to collect them from deep underground. 220 00:35:09,240 --> 00:35:11,480 And she's being carefully watched. 221 00:35:18,240 --> 00:35:21,880 The drier it gets, the deeper the termites live. 222 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:27,960 Many are way beyond the reach of even a pangolin. 223 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,040 But not of an aardvark. 224 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:41,160 It's the world's largest burrowing animal. 225 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:50,440 Its sense of smell is extremely acute. 226 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:57,880 (SNUFFLES) 227 00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:10,800 Shovel-like claws and powerful legs enable it to dig down 228 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,440 to depths of five or six metres. 229 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:22,680 A full-grown aardvark needs to eat about 50,000 termites every day. 230 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:31,320 Termites are highly nutritious and full of moisture, 231 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,680 and they can be collected here year round. 232 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,040 Aardvark are usually nocturnal. 233 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,920 But the fact that this one is foraging in daylight 234 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,960 is a sign that food is scarce. 235 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:07,560 Recent droughts in the Kalahari have led to low termite numbers 236 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:12,680 and, as a consequence, aardvarks here are close to starvation. 237 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:23,240 Changes in the world's climate are affecting many of Africa's animals. 238 00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:34,720 It's predicted that in the next century, 239 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:39,320 Southern Africa will warm twice as much as the global average. 240 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:50,280 The future will be bleak for those that cannot adapt fast enough. 241 00:37:57,280 --> 00:38:01,360 In Zimbabwe, it hasn't rained in six months. 242 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:14,640 During a drought, food becomes harder and harder to find. 243 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:40,920 Apple-ring acacias produce pods that are full of protein... 244 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,800 ...but mostly on their higher branches. 245 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:52,320 Six metres up, they're out of reach 246 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:55,600 even for the continent's largest animals. 247 00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:19,280 (ELEPHANT SNORTS) 248 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:40,320 This bull elephant needs to eat about 90kg of vegetation every day. 249 00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:47,480 (SNORTS) 250 00:39:56,840 --> 00:40:00,720 He's worked out a remarkable way of surviving 251 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,640 in these lean times. 252 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:09,120 But it requires great physical strength. 253 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:30,720 Only a handful of bulls have mastered the skill. 254 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,840 He weighs over five tonnes. 255 00:40:56,880 --> 00:41:00,280 This is a truly monumental effort. 256 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:40,640 Those around him benefit too. 257 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:59,920 Elephants have used their great intelligence to help them survive 258 00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:02,760 Africa's driest times for millennia. 259 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:11,160 But today, they face an even greater threat. 260 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:23,520 It's thought that as many as 20 million elephants once roamed the continent, 261 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:27,760 but many have been killed for their tusks... 262 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:35,000 ...their ivory used for entirely ornamental purposes. 263 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:44,840 Now just 350,000 elephants remain. 264 00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:55,440 These stockpiles of confiscated tusks 265 00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:59,600 represent half of the elephants killed on the continent 266 00:42:59,640 --> 00:43:02,040 in just one year. 267 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,600 But of all of Africa's remaining wildlife, 268 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:21,200 it is the rhinoceros that has been most affected by poaching. 269 00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:31,760 In the Far East, its horn is used as traditional medicine. 270 00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:40,400 All of Africa's rhinos are now under threat... 271 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:48,120 ...but for one subspecies, it's likely to be already too late. 272 00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:55,120 The northern white rhinoceros is facing extinction. 273 00:43:57,600 --> 00:43:59,960 Scientists are working on a solution, 274 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:04,040 but no male now survives, so natural breeding is impossible. 275 00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:13,520 These two females are the last of their kind. 276 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,640 When they die, 277 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:22,480 an entire subspecies that inhabited the Earth for millions of years 278 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:26,000 will have disappeared for ever. 279 00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:32,440 Right across Africa, 280 00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:38,320 human beings are having a devastating impact on all wildlife. 281 00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:43,520 Cheetah numbers are decreasing 282 00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:45,040 year on year. 283 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:52,200 Today, there are fewer than 8,000 left on the continent. 284 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:08,560 The global demand for pangolin scales for use in traditional medicine 285 00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:12,680 has now made them the most trafficked animal on the planet. 286 00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:21,920 And western chimpanzees are so threatened by the loss of their habitat 287 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:25,000 that they are now critically endangered. 288 00:45:28,680 --> 00:45:30,360 In this female's lifetime, 289 00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:33,920 three-quarters of the forest in the Ivory Coast 290 00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:36,320 has been felled for plantations. 291 00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:44,880 Deforestation - and not only in Africa - 292 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:48,280 continues on an enormous scale. 293 00:45:53,200 --> 00:45:57,760 64 million acres of forest are destroyed every year 294 00:45:57,800 --> 00:46:01,240 to make way for agriculture and industry. 295 00:46:02,680 --> 00:46:06,280 An area of forest the size of a football field 296 00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:08,320 is disappearing every second. 297 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:17,560 Climate change is affecting global weather patterns. 298 00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:23,440 Rainfall is increasingly unpredictable. 299 00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:27,840 Average temperatures are soaring all over the globe. 300 00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:37,320 Extreme weather is now affecting wildlife 301 00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:40,600 on all seven of the planet's continents. 302 00:46:54,200 --> 00:46:59,560 Today, scientists tell us that we are at the start of a mass extinction, 303 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:04,160 and one that is being caused by human activity. 304 00:47:07,600 --> 00:47:11,080 Over a million species could be wiped out, 305 00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:14,000 many within the next few decades. 306 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:27,040 But with help, even the most vulnerable wildlife populations can still recover. 307 00:47:32,920 --> 00:47:35,880 In Africa's Virunga National Park, 308 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:40,360 an intensive conservation programme for the mountain gorilla 309 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:46,400 has raised their numbers above 1,000 for the first time since records began. 310 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:05,880 And in Antarctica, 311 00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:09,840 the international ban on whaling has meant that the great whales 312 00:48:09,880 --> 00:48:14,680 have returned to the Southern Ocean in numbers not seen for a century. 313 00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:20,720 So we can improve things... 314 00:48:22,840 --> 00:48:25,280 ...if we determine to do so. 315 00:48:29,920 --> 00:48:33,520 This is a crucial moment in time. 316 00:48:33,560 --> 00:48:35,840 The decisions we take now 317 00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:40,880 will influence the future of animals, humanity, 318 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:44,720 and indeed all life on Earth. 319 00:49:16,360 --> 00:49:20,920 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: For the Africa team, each shoot presented its own challenge... 320 00:49:22,240 --> 00:49:26,320 ...but one tested them in ways they never imagined. 321 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:34,080 The team journeyed for six days to the heart of the Congo rainforest. 322 00:49:35,240 --> 00:49:39,720 Their aim - to film the intimate lives of lowland gorillas. 323 00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:45,840 They worked with local expert trackers, 324 00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:49,480 who can pick up the trail of evidence left by the gorillas. 325 00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:58,760 From the plant, they can tell which way the group has gone. 326 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:07,000 As they close in, the team wear masks to stop the spread of disease. 327 00:50:13,440 --> 00:50:18,080 Finally, a silverback and his family in the trees. 328 00:50:22,320 --> 00:50:24,080 (WHISPERS) Look at that big boy. 329 00:50:31,680 --> 00:50:33,760 (WHISPERS) He's huge! 330 00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:41,600 You don't want to look him in the eye because that... 331 00:50:41,640 --> 00:50:42,920 Oh, OK! (LAUGHS) 332 00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:50,880 The trackers have known this male for 20 years 333 00:50:50,920 --> 00:50:53,480 and use clicking noises to reassure him. 334 00:50:53,520 --> 00:50:56,160 (TONGUE CLICKS) 335 00:50:56,200 --> 00:50:59,480 It was a completely amazing experience. 336 00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:02,000 Just came closer and closer and closer, 337 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:04,760 and my eyes got wider and wider and wider. 338 00:51:06,880 --> 00:51:09,160 Yeah, it was incredible. I'm just sort of smiling. 339 00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:10,960 It's kind of hard to process. (LAUGHS) 340 00:51:15,240 --> 00:51:19,560 But soon, the gorillas head into the thickest jungle... 341 00:51:20,720 --> 00:51:22,560 (WHISPERS) Heavy, heavy. 342 00:51:22,600 --> 00:51:24,520 (GROANS) 343 00:51:24,560 --> 00:51:27,360 ...which means that keeping up is difficult. 344 00:51:27,400 --> 00:51:33,080 (WHISPERS) There are a group of gorillas somewhere in this mass of vegetation 345 00:51:33,120 --> 00:51:38,640 but it takes us about ten minutes just to cut a few-metres path through it. 346 00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:43,400 Filming them is virtually impossible. 347 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:48,320 (WHISPERS) Oh, there's always a piece of vegetation in the way. 348 00:51:48,360 --> 00:51:50,560 Oh, God, I can barely see anything. 349 00:51:51,720 --> 00:51:53,600 (INSECTS BUZZ) 350 00:51:55,360 --> 00:52:00,920 As the days pass, the jungle begins to take its toll. 351 00:52:00,960 --> 00:52:02,720 Oh, God, this is awful. 352 00:52:04,440 --> 00:52:09,160 Your ears, your nose, my eyes... They're flying everywhere. 353 00:52:10,760 --> 00:52:16,360 And with little filmed, the reality of the situation is sinking in. 354 00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:20,920 It's going to be a real challenge for me to get a sequence here, 355 00:52:20,960 --> 00:52:23,480 and it's a long way to come to get nothing. 356 00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:29,280 Yeah, I'd say I'm feeling the pressure at the moment. 357 00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:31,440 (SIGHS) 358 00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:37,720 Half the shoot is now over, 359 00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:41,480 so the crew decide to move to a more open area. 360 00:52:45,440 --> 00:52:46,920 Their destination - 361 00:52:46,960 --> 00:52:50,160 a clearing known as a bai. 362 00:52:52,320 --> 00:52:57,000 So, our luxurious home for the next ten days or so is the top of this mirador. 363 00:53:00,520 --> 00:53:03,760 It's a little cramped, but from this platform 364 00:53:03,800 --> 00:53:07,120 they hope to spot the gorillas emerging from the forest. 365 00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:15,960 On their first morning, the crew awaken to a visitor. 366 00:53:19,440 --> 00:53:21,800 It's our first elephant on this trip. 367 00:53:21,840 --> 00:53:24,200 There's a big bull in the middle of the bai. 368 00:53:27,600 --> 00:53:28,920 And finally, 369 00:53:28,960 --> 00:53:31,720 the risk of moving pays off. 370 00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:36,920 (WHISPERS) It's been a really, really quiet morning, 371 00:53:36,960 --> 00:53:39,400 but a big group of gorillas, about 15, 372 00:53:39,440 --> 00:53:44,440 has suddenly appeared really, really close to us and, apparently, 373 00:53:44,480 --> 00:53:47,960 this very rarely happens. Maybe about once a month they'll come this close. 374 00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:55,560 Over the next week, the gorillas continue to visit the bai. 375 00:54:11,400 --> 00:54:13,520 Until one afternoon... 376 00:54:14,600 --> 00:54:16,080 (GUNSHOT) 377 00:54:18,000 --> 00:54:20,200 - (GUNSHOT) - (GORILLAS ROAR) 378 00:54:20,240 --> 00:54:21,680 ...gunshots. 379 00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:26,440 On the platform, the team are vulnerable. 380 00:54:26,480 --> 00:54:30,320 There's been poachers probably within eyeshot of us. 381 00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:32,400 They know we're here. We can't see them. 382 00:54:32,440 --> 00:54:34,120 And two big gunshots. 383 00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:37,120 They decide to evacuate. 384 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:41,400 But there's also a risk of walking through the jungle at night. 385 00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:47,520 The one rule of the forest is not to walk in the forest when it gets dark, 386 00:54:47,560 --> 00:54:52,520 so we're going as fast as we can. 387 00:54:52,560 --> 00:54:56,480 Elephants are in the area, so this is extremely dangerous. 388 00:55:01,240 --> 00:55:03,360 (CLATTERING) 389 00:55:04,680 --> 00:55:07,680 An hour later, the team reach a camp. 390 00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:09,280 Oh, God. 391 00:55:12,240 --> 00:55:13,680 (EXHALES) 392 00:55:15,320 --> 00:55:18,240 That is not an experience I'd want to repeat again. 393 00:55:19,800 --> 00:55:22,240 We had to choose between the risk 394 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:24,760 of getting charged by an elephant in the dark 395 00:55:24,800 --> 00:55:27,360 or getting shot by poachers. 396 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:28,920 Um... 397 00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:33,240 So, yeah, it's...pretty stressful. 398 00:55:33,280 --> 00:55:36,520 (EXHALES) I'm going to have a sit-down. 399 00:55:36,560 --> 00:55:39,200 If they're ivory poachers, this is quite serious, 400 00:55:39,240 --> 00:55:41,080 and they've got nothing to lose, 401 00:55:41,120 --> 00:55:44,760 and the gunshot was aimed in our direction, that's where the sound was. 402 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:46,960 It's a pretty scary situation to be in. 403 00:55:50,680 --> 00:55:55,800 Overnight, an armed anti-poaching unit is called in to scout the area. 404 00:55:58,000 --> 00:56:00,320 Because of the remoteness of this park, 405 00:56:00,360 --> 00:56:02,880 there's been no poaching recorded in the last 20 years, 406 00:56:02,920 --> 00:56:07,320 so this is a really significant moment and it's a really sad moment, 407 00:56:07,360 --> 00:56:11,320 because it means that, as roads are being built here, 408 00:56:11,360 --> 00:56:16,080 it's becoming less and less remote, the animals here are in more and more danger. 409 00:56:21,800 --> 00:56:25,440 Within a few hours, the anti-poaching unit return 410 00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:30,680 with a stash of tusks and news of a slaughtered elephant. 411 00:56:30,720 --> 00:56:35,400 It's about as tragic as it gets, really, and we heard the two shots go off, 412 00:56:35,440 --> 00:56:38,840 so we were there when it happened and the elephant went down. 413 00:56:40,080 --> 00:56:42,680 With the armed poachers still on the run, 414 00:56:42,720 --> 00:56:45,920 the team decide to abandon the shoot. 415 00:56:45,960 --> 00:56:48,960 It's really tough leaving on such a sad note. 416 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:53,160 We've been watching these elephants in the bai for the last week, 417 00:56:53,200 --> 00:56:57,840 and knowing that one of them was killed yesterday is, um, 418 00:56:57,880 --> 00:57:03,120 is horrible and, yeah, it's sad to be leaving like this. 419 00:57:05,760 --> 00:57:09,120 The poachers were caught, but this incident 420 00:57:09,160 --> 00:57:12,920 is a reminder of how vulnerable wildlife has become on the continent. 421 00:57:17,640 --> 00:57:21,400 Even animals in the remotest parts of Africa, 422 00:57:21,440 --> 00:57:24,680 and indeed all our seven worlds, 423 00:57:24,720 --> 00:57:26,800 are now at risk.