1 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:09,880 '20 years ago, my good friend Douglas Adams spent a year tracking 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:14,720 'down endangered animals, together with the zoologist Mark Carwardine. 3 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:19,160 'Now, it's my turn. 4 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,000 'Mark and I are heading off to find out exactly what happened to those species that he'd seen 5 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,920 'dangling on the edge of extinction two decades ago. 6 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:27,920 'It promises to be exhausting... 7 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,240 'Exhilarating...' Unbelievable. 8 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:32,040 'Exasperating... 9 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,880 'But I wouldn't miss it for the world.' 10 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,680 You seem to have brought me to some kind of paradise, Mark. 11 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:55,400 Isn't it wonderful? There's clear water, there's beautiful white sand. 12 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:57,720 What are we after? I thought you wouldn't complain. 13 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,640 Our main objective is to get to Komodo and look for the Komodo 14 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:04,400 dragon, which is one of the most impressive animals on the planet. 15 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,720 The biggest lizard in the world, 16 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,800 very dangerous and endangered, so that's what we're aiming for. 17 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,360 But rather than go straight there, which I thought would be too easy, 18 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,800 I thought we'd go and explore a bit of the Malay Archipelago and look 19 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,240 at some of the other reptiles and the other wildlife along the way. 20 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,640 We're actually heading for Snake Island. 21 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:25,760 "Snake Island"? 22 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,920 Right. Welcome to Snake Island, Mr Bond. 23 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:30,920 Yeah, that's a worrying title, 24 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:33,640 and what sort of snakes do we find there? 25 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,600 This is home to an animal called the yellow-lipped sea krait, 26 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:39,520 which is a kind of sea snake. 27 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,000 It spends half its life in the water and half its life on shore. 28 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,120 It actually comes out onto the shore to rest and to lay eggs. 29 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,320 Are they venomous? I thought you'd ask that! 30 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,640 It's actually the second most venomous snake in the world. 31 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,080 10 times more venomous than a rattle snake, 32 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,200 more venomous than a king cobra. 33 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:58,880 I've got open-toe sandals on. 34 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,760 I forgot to mention that, yeah, you should have worn... 35 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,640 Great(!) No, I'm kidding, they're fine. 36 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,960 The sea kraits are just one of the many creatures that thrive in the marginal world that 37 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:30,160 exists between sea and land which is so widespread throughout the islands 38 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,840 that make up Malaysia and Indonesia. 39 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:38,680 Oh, did you see? 40 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,560 Oh, there's a little lizard. 41 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:42,080 Quite a big lizard. 42 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:44,160 What kind? That was a water monitor. 43 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,720 Water monitor, that sounds like a job at school. 44 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,440 It does, actually. Today, you'll be water monitor. 45 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:53,000 That was quite big. It's a slightly weaker version of a milk monitor. 46 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,600 Oh, careful, careful. Oh, my God! 47 00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:57,800 Oh, my... That's a sea snake? 48 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,560 Look at that, that's a good size one, isn't it? 49 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:02,480 Yep. You're not going to handle it? 50 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,040 Oh, my God, you are. 51 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:07,640 Careful. 52 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:10,400 Oh, my goodness! 53 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,000 You are very brave! 54 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:18,560 Mark told me this is possibly the second most venomous snake in the world. Yep. 55 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,640 God, look at that. Gorgeous markings. I was just going to say. 56 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,280 Because it's also called the banded sea krait, you can see why - 57 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,280 all those dark bands across the body. 58 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,800 What's amazing about it is that it spends most of its time out at sea, out in the ocean. 59 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:37,160 It can dive and hold its breath for up to 2 hours. 60 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,640 Yes. Good Lord. They'll come on land for mating also. 61 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,320 And lays the eggs. Is this a female, this one? 62 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,320 Yeah. Normally the female is bigger than the male. Right. 63 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,400 OK, so I'm going to release it. 64 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,040 We should release it. Where are we going to do that? 65 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:55,800 Just going to release it here. 66 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:57,480 Back to the same spot we found it. 67 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,200 It is a big one, isn't it? Beautiful. 68 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,760 It's a good four feet. 69 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,120 I didn't think snakes had feet! Hmm? 70 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,560 Nothing, I didn't speak. Je despair! 71 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,840 'On our journey through the archipelago, we'll be 72 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,040 'discovering more fascinating species 73 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,920 'who've adapted to this marine and terrestrial existence, but whose 74 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,200 'habitat is under increasing threat from human activity.' 75 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,360 From Snake Island, off the coast of Sabah in north east Borneo, 76 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,880 we'll be travelling south east, to the islands around Flores 77 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:42,400 in Indonesia, where that mighty, ugly, salivating giant lizard known as the Komodo 78 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:47,520 dragon awaits our arrival with its foul and stinky breath. 79 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,120 After the fleeting glimpse of the water monitor, Mark is keen to show 80 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:09,440 me more of these reptiles who so closely resemble the Komodos. 81 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,000 They are much smaller than the dragons and, unlike the Komodos, 82 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:17,000 extremely successful, having colonised practically every island 83 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:18,800 of the archipelago. 84 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:22,840 Got to take pictures of it. 85 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:33,960 Extraordinary, they're obviously flesh eating - they seem to be tearing at something. 86 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,680 They eat absolutely anything, from small insects to small deer. 87 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,640 They'll eat one another, they eat human faeces, they eat 88 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,720 dead bodies, they eat absolutely anything - amazing animals. 89 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,840 Look at that tongue smelling. 90 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,240 Is that what it does? It's a blue tongue. Just like a snake, yeah. 91 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:53,600 This is exactly how I was picturing a Komodo dragon to look, but... 92 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,400 It's hard to believe, but these are tiddlers compared to the dragons 93 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,880 I'm hoping we're going to see. 94 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:05,080 Hello! Smaller guys have to watch out, cos they'll get eaten by some of the bigger adults. 95 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,280 Good gracious. Are they aggressive? 96 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,160 No, you'll be fine. 97 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:12,840 And they're being hunted. 98 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,920 Big numbers, hundred of thousands of them, are killed for their skin. 99 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,880 And the skin is imported to Europe and Japan 100 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,120 and the States to make handbags. 101 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:26,120 So many of them are being killed, they're obviously at risk. 102 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:27,960 It's very humid. 103 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,040 And there is something bubbling. 104 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:31,680 Wow, that looks fantastic! 105 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,000 'The whole of this region is on a major fault line, 106 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,800 'and has the most active volcanoes anywhere in the world. 107 00:06:38,840 --> 00:06:40,640 'Eruptions are frequent, 108 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:44,360 'albeit rarely as violent as the infamous Krakatoa, 109 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,720 'but even on this small island, 110 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,960 'there are some ominous evidences of all that subterranean activity.' 111 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,680 I'm going to take off my clothes. You devil. 112 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:00,680 I'm going to go butt naked... but with trunks. 113 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:03,800 Oh, my God, 114 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:06,440 it's weird, look at that. 115 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:09,800 Oh, it is warm. Oh! 116 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:11,560 That's fantastic. 117 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:13,280 You actually can't get down. 118 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:17,280 You can feel it sort of pulling all around you, that's so amazing! 119 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:21,000 Oh, it's great. You also feel slightly like 120 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:25,400 one of those Pompeii figures, caught in an attitude of... 121 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:29,520 Here comes the volcano. Actually, it's like being weightless. 122 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:32,520 Like being an astronaut. Can you swim? 123 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,800 No, if I do a one-legged side... 124 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,120 Oh, I feel very slippery. 125 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,520 My goodness, they pull your trunks down... 126 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:00,040 This weight of mud. 127 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:10,000 'Muddy, but oh-so-thoroughly cleansed after our ad-hoc spa treatment, 128 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:11,480 'we head to the beach. 129 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,280 'But at the liminal zone between the sea and land, 130 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:19,960 'we find a curious species which has cunningly adapted to this habitat.' 131 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,760 Look, more mud. 132 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,360 Little creatures on it. Look at these, these are mudskippers - 133 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:30,320 they're fish, can you believe? What?! They actually come out of the water, 134 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:33,600 and they've got fins like other fish, but they use their tails. 135 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,240 They curl their tails around and use them like springs and then leap. 136 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:42,240 Why? Is it food up here, or mating, or what do they do? 137 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,200 They spend most of their time out of the water, actually. 138 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,400 They breed in the water, they have little tunnels they make 139 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:52,560 out of mud that are underwater, and they do all of their social 140 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,800 activities on the mud. So in the breeding season, the males 141 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,520 will suddenly leap up in the air and do back flips and try and impress the 142 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:03,760 females, and if the female likes the look of the male, he'll then 143 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:05,800 get her into his little tunnel 144 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:10,080 and she'll lay eggs and he'll fertilise the eggs. 145 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,800 So would it be fanciful to regard these as a sort of missing link - 146 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,760 is this how the first land animals moved from the sea 147 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:18,640 to the land and became reptiles? 148 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:23,080 Well, it's interesting to look at them and learn bit about how it might have happened. 149 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:28,200 They're not actually related any more than any other fish to the original animals that came out. 150 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,800 That happened 365 million years ago when fish started walking on land, 151 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:34,680 and these are doing the same thing. 152 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,920 So they're interesting from that point of view. Look at that one. 153 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:39,960 Did you see that one leap? 154 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,760 Fantastic. We should get into the water and wash off. 155 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:45,440 I think, frankly, let's... there's the sea. 156 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,200 'It's hard to exaggerate the devastation that man has wrought 157 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,120 'on these seemingly pristine beaches 158 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,880 'and the wildlife that depend on them. 159 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:02,080 'One particular family of reptiles has suffered more than most - 160 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,080 'the sea turtles. 161 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,760 'For millions of years all over South East Asia, 162 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:08,600 'vast numbers of turtles 163 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,720 'came ashore on beaches like these to lay their eggs... But no more. 164 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,000 'Most of the beaches are now empty.' 165 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,960 'However, a few hundred miles to the east, on Pulau Selingan, 166 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,080 'evidence of the turtles' nests pock mark the beach. 167 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,600 'Remarkably, 20 years after being born here, 168 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:35,080 'the female turtles return to exactly the same beach, 169 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:36,920 'to lay their eggs.' 170 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,880 The eggs are down there somewhere, and they're probably a good 171 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,080 half a metre to 80cm underneath your feet. 172 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:48,720 'Dr Nick Pilcher has spent his career studying the turtles around these shores 173 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:52,960 'and has been actively involved, alongside Sabah National Parks, 174 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,920 'with a major conservation program here. 175 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:59,600 'Egg poaching, hunting for their meat and shells and 176 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:04,240 'drowning in fishing nets has led to a dramatic collapse in their numbers 177 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,560 'in spite of their protected status. 178 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,800 'To increase the remaining hatchlings' survival rate, 179 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,240 'which at best is less than 1% in the wild, 180 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,480 'Nick and the park rangers patrol the beaches 181 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,520 'and collect the eggs to put into a hatchery. 182 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:22,080 'Every night in the nesting season, up to a score of turtles 183 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:27,120 will come ashore here to lay between 70 and 120 eggs each.' 184 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:30,200 Oh, look, you can see them, they just come one after the other! 185 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,200 They look like table tennis balls, don't they? 186 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:34,960 Oh, look, there they are... 187 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:39,000 Actually the ranger has to get the rest of the eggs out of this nest, 188 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:40,040 there he comes. 189 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,920 It's extraordinary, isn't it? 190 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,080 It's another example of how the act of conservation 191 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:51,080 is almost exactly the same as the act of poaching. 192 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:53,760 That what we're doing here for good 193 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:59,760 used to be done by people to take the eggs to steal them for food. Absolutely. 194 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,200 Do you want to try and reach in and grab some? 195 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:03,840 So what do I do, just lean? 196 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,160 Just put one hand down behind her flipper there. 197 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:10,120 Now you can reach in - try not to touch her tail. 198 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:13,840 Oops, got one. 199 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:20,000 Try and grab them all out before she finishes laying, so... 200 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:22,040 There's another one there. It's hard. 201 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,440 Can I feel it? Yeah, look at that. 202 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:27,560 Oh, it's warm and heavy. 203 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:30,840 What's interesting is that you can make a 204 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:34,400 little dimple in it - it's a little bit flexible, 205 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,720 and that gives it a little bit of play when it falls into the nest. 206 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,920 I can't see anything through the light, I can't see a shape. 207 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,360 You don't get any fresher than these. 208 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:48,680 How many was that? 95 total. 209 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:51,960 That's a good number. She's starting to cover it up. 210 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,760 She thinks the eggs are still there, so 211 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,840 she's going to cover this up just like it was any other nest. 212 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,320 She's being extremely careful about how she puts her weight down. 213 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,400 All the eggs are being kept in a sort of inner dome as it were, 214 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,560 and then the looser sand will get... 215 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,360 It is more sophisticated than just filling the hole. 216 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,640 It is, she's building a whole shape around it. 217 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:15,320 The other thing that's interesting is she's using her front flippers, 218 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:17,600 throwing sand to backfill. 219 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,760 Oh, we're getting showered in sand, straight in your face. 220 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:25,200 Yes, it was. Extraordinary - there's a lot of power in those flippers. 221 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:27,400 I'm gradually disappearing. 222 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,000 There you go! 223 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:32,000 Look at you. 224 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:34,360 So when she starts heading towards the sea, 225 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:38,080 is she going towards the sound of the sea or the lights? 226 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:39,960 She's actually going to follow 227 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,960 the slope of the beach, possibly somewhat the sound of the waves. 228 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,720 She's going really quickly now. 229 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,800 Look at the speed! She can smell it. 230 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,120 She's so happy to be back. 231 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:55,440 Well done, mother. 232 00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:59,360 Good job done. Well done. 233 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:00,680 CLAPPING 234 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,440 Some of the great scenes in nature - the power of maternity and the power 235 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,560 of instinct and the fitness for purpose, 236 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,720 all come together in the turtle - almost like no other animal. 237 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:16,480 That fitness of purpose, hundreds of millions of years. 238 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,240 Are there still lots of mysteries 239 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,720 surrounding sea turtles, still a lot of unanswered questions? 240 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:25,360 Absolutely. We know what happens to them when they go into the sea, 241 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:29,160 we understand a lot about this magnetic orientation and... 242 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,520 But how do they make it back? 243 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,240 You stop and think about that and you go, 244 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,880 "Well, who told them they should come back here?" 245 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:41,000 Sure, it's natural and there's a homing instinct... 246 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,000 How is that homing instict derived, how do they even do it? 247 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:47,480 That was fantastic. 248 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,680 That was one of the great evenings of my life. 249 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:52,640 I get to do this on a daily basis! 250 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:01,640 'The hatchery is half in shade, half in sun, 251 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,720 'as the slight temperature difference determines the sex 252 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:09,560 'of the animal. 2 degrees is all it takes to change a male to a female. 253 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,000 'If only our lives were that easy!' 254 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:16,080 Actually, if the nest is quite warm, you'll get a greater number of females. 255 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,000 So have you got one that's due? 256 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,240 Well, if we just wander up and down here 257 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,920 and just see what there is, there could be some. 258 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:25,960 This one looks... That one looks like it came out. 259 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,000 Look - here you go. Look at this. 260 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:29,680 Do they climb out... 261 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:31,920 There's one hatching. 262 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:33,560 They're just about to come out. 263 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,920 Here you go. Look at this. 264 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,040 Can I hold him? Yeah. 265 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,520 Oh, that's the most fantastic animal, isn't it? 266 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,040 Literally just been born - 267 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,080 effectively, its first sight of the world, isn't it? 268 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:51,120 They're perfect. One of the things you'll find with these animals... 269 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:54,600 When they're walking down the beach 270 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,080 and they can feel something underneath them, 271 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,200 then they've got an alternating gait. 272 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:01,280 Just on land, to run along the sand. 273 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:05,240 But the minute they go weightless - so the minute they're in the water - 274 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:08,640 they'll start to swim. Oh, wow, that's fantastic. 275 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:12,560 So he's swimming along as if he was in the water, and notice also that 276 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,400 the head comes up for a breath, just like it would... 277 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,040 Look at that, see? The head is coming up for a breath 278 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:19,360 as if it were in the water. 279 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:23,560 Oh, there are more down there. Oh, they're all coming out now. 280 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,960 Once some of them start to move, that's the message for the ones 281 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:31,120 underneath - "C'mon, guys, let's come out and go and see the beach." 282 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,360 Swarm of them - does it say how many eggs? 283 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:37,440 Well, there were 81 eggs. That's very healthy, extremely healthy. 284 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,760 Let's get these guys out to the ocean rather than keep them waiting around. 285 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:43,440 Yes, please. This is excellent. 286 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,720 Evening time, when hatchlings would typically be coming out. 287 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:51,560 So they'd come out just before the sun drops down, would they? Yep. 288 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,160 I think this is a good enough spot to let them go. 289 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,080 The idea is, in nature they would actually come out and 290 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:02,920 run down the beach, and as they're running down, they're picking up on magnetic fields. 291 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,880 So they need a bit of a run-in, just to orient themselves. To get their bearings. 292 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:11,840 Exactly. Once they go through here, they'll have a much better idea of where they're headed. 293 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,000 So that's why we release them up here. 294 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:17,200 And we can just gently release this. 295 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,760 How extraordinary. Here they go! 296 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,520 And notice one thing - 297 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,360 they're headed straight towards the brightest spot. 298 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,040 They are - straight for the sun. 299 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:29,560 That is the most incredible sight. Fantastic. 300 00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:34,320 Look at them! 301 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,520 Look at him! They're desperate! 302 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:52,000 There's no hanging around, they're not nervous about it - 303 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:53,240 straight in the sea. 304 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:58,880 Notice as soon as they float, they change their swimming pattern. 305 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:00,960 Just like a clockwork toy. 306 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,600 Look, there's one last one up here - look, Stephen. 307 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:05,280 Oh, yes. Come on. 308 00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:10,120 Come on, you. 309 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:18,160 Oh, no, the crab grabbed it as it went over the hole. 310 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:19,760 Rescue it! 311 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:21,920 I know you're not supposed to intervene, but hey! 312 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,360 That's it, go for it. Good luck! 313 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,040 Yeah! 314 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:37,800 Made for the water. Oh, that's fantastic. 315 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:41,360 I've never seen anything quite so magical in all my life. 316 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,200 That's one of the best wildlife things I've seen. 317 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:45,720 20-25 years from now, 318 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,520 hopefully she'll be back laying eggs if she's a girl. 319 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:52,880 That was fantastic. 320 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:56,480 A great sight. 321 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:04,240 200 miles to the south on the border with Indonesia and the Philippines, 322 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:08,120 we are to get a chance to see the adult turtles in their natural habitat. 323 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:09,960 See you in there. 324 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,160 Mark tells me these are some of the best coral reefs in the world, 325 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,240 but their health is as much at risk as the turtles. 326 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:36,760 Dynamite and cyanide fishing, the pet trade and global warming 327 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:40,800 are such serious threats to the reefs and all that are dependent on them, 328 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:44,360 it's feared they may be extinct within 50 years. 329 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,400 But it's hard to imagine that now, as I gaze in wonder at the grace 330 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:52,640 and beauty of the turtles in their weightless world. 331 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:33,800 Wow, that was amazing! 332 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:37,240 Extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it in all my life. 333 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:39,720 Two turtles I saw, at least. 334 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,000 So graceful and beautiful, 335 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,520 those easy strokes of those amazing flippers. 336 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:50,440 I was watching them go off over the abyss, they go over the edge of the reef out to the open ocean. 337 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,720 We're staying on the island of Mabul, 338 00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:59,720 which is home to many different nationalities. 339 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,720 There are the Bugis, the sea gypsies that roam these waters, 340 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,160 Malays, Filipinos, Indonesians from various ethnic groups, 341 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:11,760 and all of them struggling to make a living on this crowded coral island. 342 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:15,640 Hello. 343 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:24,480 Sprite? Sprite. 344 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,080 Dua. 345 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:32,000 Terima Kasih. 346 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:34,960 Thank you. There you go. 347 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:42,400 'For these islanders, shark fishing is a major resource, 348 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,280 'but one which itself is threatened with extinction.' 349 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:48,160 I don't know what species of shark it is - good size one. 350 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,320 Look at all the rows of teeth. 351 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:53,440 Oh, my goodness... 352 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,320 One, two, three, four, five, six... 353 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:59,000 You can't even count, they go right down... There's at least eight. 354 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:03,680 It's a conveyor belt, so these front teeth are in use and as they break 355 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:08,040 off, which they do often, literally, the next one just pops up like that, 356 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,120 and that works, and then there's another one ready to go, 357 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:15,160 and there are others developing further back so they never run out of teeth. 358 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,360 Extraordinary. Presumably it was killed for shark fin soup, 359 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,000 is that one of the big problems? 360 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:24,640 That's the big threat. Sharks the world over are being killed by the million. 361 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:29,120 They reckon 150 million sharks are killed every year - every year - 362 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:30,840 just for shark fin soup. 363 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,600 Things like this are a by-product. Most of them just get caught and the 364 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:38,640 fins get cut off, and they get thrown overboard, often alive, 365 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:40,560 so most of the shark is wasted, 366 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:45,000 and in these cases they just take the jaws, which they sell to tourists. 367 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,280 And there are so many of them. 368 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,120 'There are other endangered species nearby. 369 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:04,320 'In amongst the sea gypsy villages that flourish in these margins 370 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:08,560 of sea and land trots one of the most endearing animals of all. 371 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:16,400 Ouch. Good - that's the first stage complete, up to the knees. 372 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,280 The reason I'm wearing these today, which I didn't yesterday, 373 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,600 is cos I've got really bad - it's quite red here - 374 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:26,560 really bad sunburn from the snorkelling. 375 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,120 Just from lying, you know... 376 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,040 Weird. Stephen, are you coming? 377 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:34,440 Yes, sorry, just chatting to the ladies and gentlemen. 378 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,280 Ah... Oh, dear... 379 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:39,680 Hello. 380 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:41,720 It'll be dark soon. 381 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,840 Oi, less of it. Ouch. Oh, I see. 382 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,160 Oh, dear, excuse me. Ow! 383 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:55,640 For goodness' sake, it's impossible. 384 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:57,280 Yeah, exactly! 385 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:00,480 Ow! Have mercy on my poor flesh. 386 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:05,120 Say if it starts to hurt. Oh, yeah, that's usually what I mean by "ow"! 387 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,280 That was lovely, really good. We were lucky to see one, 388 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,640 cos they're so well camouflaged, aren't they? They really are, 389 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:32,960 especially when they stretch themselves out - they become like a caterpillar. 390 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,120 They do. I always think they look like bits of other animals. 391 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:41,560 They've got a monkey's tail, that prehensile tail that wraps around the... Grasps the end of the blade. 392 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:45,600 Then they've got a horses head, obviously, and chameleon eyes, 393 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,560 cos the eyes can... Swivel. In different directions. 394 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:52,160 Then the most amazing thing is they've got like a kangaroo pouch. 395 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:54,960 The males have got what's called a brood pouch 396 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,560 and they are the ones that get pregnant. It's very unusual - 397 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:02,400 the male gives birth to the young and... To live young? 398 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:07,080 Yeah, it's an extremely unusual way of reproducing. 399 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:08,880 So are seahorses in danger? 400 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:14,240 Yeah, of course, there's all sorts of threats. The main threat is traditional medicine in China. 401 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:16,560 They get dried and ground up and 402 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:22,240 used as everything for medicine, from asthma to an aphrodisiac. 403 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:30,400 Thank you. 404 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:39,520 These little spratty things. 405 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,440 'In the markets of the archipelago, 406 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:45,160 'it's hard to persuade artisanal fishermen to limit what they catch. 407 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:49,480 'Such a seeming abundance and diversity of sea life to be eaten, 408 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,680 'or sold to the Chinese, belies the problem - 409 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,840 'a real threat to a whole range of vulnerable species.' 410 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:02,480 There's some sharks there. Oh, yeah. That's sad, that's the fin gone. 411 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,640 And they sell the rest of it, but the fin is the valuable part? 412 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,240 That's right, the fin is what goes to make shark fin soup. 413 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:12,800 A very young one. That's the trouble these days - most of the sharks being 414 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:16,520 brought up are small, which is a sign that the big ones are already gone. 415 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:18,280 Yeah. 416 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:29,080 A sleepy time of the afternoon, isn't it? 417 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:35,600 'The trade in shark fins, seahorses and other unappetising sea creatures 418 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:40,320 'is thriving, in spite of the evidence that they're fast disappearing.' 419 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:45,720 Goodness me. What an extraordinary collection of stuff. Oh, are those... 420 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,720 Those are sea cucumbers, which they use in a soup. 421 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:54,160 Literally, millions of sea cucumbers are collected from the wild around the world. 422 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:56,920 They look like sort of ossified turds, to be honest. 423 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:02,000 Shark fins, they're all dried, ready to go. Look, there's sea horses. 424 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,640 Goodness. Look at that. 425 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:06,480 They're perfectly dried. 426 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:09,800 What they do with these is they put them in a cooking pot and boil 427 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:15,520 them in water for 3-4 hours and then they drink the water. 428 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:21,880 Very, very popular, and millions of sea horses are traded around the world just for that. 429 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:24,760 That's a tonic, but there are several dozen different 430 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,600 animal products that are being traded for Chinese medicine. 431 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:33,160 Things like tiger penises, rhino horns and it's such a huge volume. 432 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,120 When you think of 1.5 billion people 433 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,400 believing in this kind of medicine, demanding the products. 434 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:43,000 One of the key goals for conservation in years 435 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:47,160 to come is to educate people in the far east not to buy these products. 436 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:48,920 If you can get rid of that demand 437 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,040 then you'll start to solve the problem on the ground. 438 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:07,440 And it's not only the sea creatures that are under threat 439 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,560 from the demands of Chinese traditional medicine. 440 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:12,840 The pangolin, or scaly anteater, 441 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,800 that lives in the forests of South East Asia 442 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,920 is highly sought after for its reputed health giving properties. 443 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,040 Many are caught, but this one is lucky. 444 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:26,960 It's going to be released by a park ranger into a protected reserve. 445 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,840 Can we just chat about it a little bit? 446 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:35,240 I know a little cos funnily enough, we did the pangolin on QI. 447 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:36,920 It's a mammal, isn't it? 448 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:39,640 People often think, "Gosh, that must be a reptile," 449 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:42,920 cos I think it's the only mammal covered in scales, isn't it? 450 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:44,520 Large scales. 451 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:48,760 These are made out of keratin like our fingernails, like rhino horns. 452 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:51,600 People call them sometimes walking pine cones, 453 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,560 which I think is a great description. That's very good. 454 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,760 And unfortunately, it's rather delicious flesh, isn't it? 455 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:02,400 Isn't there an issue with them being stolen from the wild for 456 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:06,280 the plates of Chinese restaurants and other places around the world? 457 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:11,240 Yes, one of the delicacies. And they're expensive and highly rated. 458 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:17,400 People drink the blood as well, and they reckon these keratin scales are good 459 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:22,080 for things like blood circulation and swellings, and then they boil them to 460 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,280 get the scales off and eat the meat. 461 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,400 He's taken his whole face out of his... 462 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:28,840 Isn't that fantastic? 463 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:33,040 And how endangered is the pangolin? Vulnerable? 464 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,600 Well, they are a protected species. They are a protected species. 465 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:38,200 Well, we should let him go. 466 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:41,400 What are you going to do, just put him on the ground? 467 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,160 Just put him on the ground here and then we will... 468 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:47,840 I think he's going to make a dash for it, wouldn't blame him. 469 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:49,720 Can't believe his luck. 470 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,320 OK, he's just smelling... 471 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,400 Oh, he's going the wrong way now. 472 00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:58,440 There he goes. 473 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:01,200 There he goes! 474 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:05,080 They find it hard to walk because of those big claws - of course they have 475 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:08,840 to walk with the claws curled... Oh, look at that. 476 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:12,920 That's where the claws come in handy as well. Oops. 477 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:15,520 Reasonably in handy! 478 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:17,200 That's better. 479 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,480 Got the hang of it now. That's fantastic. 480 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:23,120 Splendid. 481 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:24,880 Well done. 482 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:27,160 Well, that was a great success. 483 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:28,680 Yeah. 484 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:37,160 The pangolin faces an even greater threat than poaching. 485 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:41,520 Like so many other animals here, it's fast losing its habitat. 486 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:46,600 The main cause - the dramatic increase in palm oil plantations. 487 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:51,560 Rows and rows and rows of these palm trees. 488 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:56,040 I know. It's scary, isn't it? It's literally as far as the eye can see. 489 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:57,760 Look, over that hill and beyond. 490 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:00,680 And these are all over South East Asia, aren't they? 491 00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:04,160 Yes, it's one of the big conservation issues in the world, 492 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:05,920 let alone just in South East Asia, 493 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,560 because what's happening is vast areas of tropical rainforests are 494 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:15,040 being cleared and replaced with palm oil plantations like this. 495 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:20,480 And we in Europe are partly to blame because we're among the consumers. 496 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:22,040 Is it a foodstuff oil? 497 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:28,360 Yeah, the palm oil is used in foodstuffs, food processing, and also in cosmetics. 498 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:34,400 And the latest thing, which is very ironic, is in bio fuels - environmentally friendly fuels. 499 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:36,520 So-called environmentally friendly. 500 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:39,960 Well, of course, the fuel itself is environmentally friendly, 501 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:43,080 but the production not only destroys the rainforest, 502 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,560 which destroys all the wildlife and so on, 503 00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:50,280 it also, by destroying the rainforest, releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere 504 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:53,880 than you save by using the bio fuels, so it's a bad thing all round. 505 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:59,160 Most of the wildlife in the forest that would have been here has gone. 506 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:09,640 'Palm oil has caused the destruction of much of Borneo's rainforest, 507 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:11,240 'but it's also the mangroves, 508 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,760 'those amazing trees that spend half their life in the sea, 509 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:18,960 'that are equally at risk, along with the species they nurture. 510 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:23,600 'One of the most endangered is also one of the most ridiculous looking - 511 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,320 'the aptly-named proboscis monkey. 512 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:30,920 'In Labuk Bay, a small area of 400 acres has been saved 513 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:33,800 'from the encroaching palm oil plantation 514 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:38,000 'by its owner Ambrose, who is dedicated to preserving 515 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,240 'the unique wildlife of these tidal swamp lands.' 516 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:44,880 What happens when we are here, looking at the monkeys all around, 517 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:49,680 we feel that it's unfair to destroy their habitat. No, quite. 518 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:53,080 I mean, sometimes we're thinking about this, 519 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:57,040 studying all the pros and cons - in the end, we have to protect them. 520 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:00,480 So it's one little island though, with all around is palm, 521 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:04,960 palm, palm, and this one part - because you have it, it's private land. 522 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:09,080 Yes. So you can do what you like with it. Yes, it's all private property. 523 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:13,040 Right. And you've turned it into a sanctuary for all, I mean, not just 524 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:15,280 the monkeys, the proboscis and the... 525 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:18,920 Yes, and also we also want to protect the mangrove. 526 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:21,640 Knowing well that we need to help the mangrove. 527 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:25,320 And from this sanctuary, I think we are the leaders, 528 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,600 we make the first move, you see? 529 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:31,720 So hopefully the rest of all these big players 530 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:33,800 in the plantation also follow suit. 531 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:41,160 Seeing them in profile there, you know the Indonesians used to call 532 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:44,920 them "Dutch monkeys" because that was a bit of a dig at the Dutch settlers 533 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:49,240 because of their big pot bellies, and of course, their big red noses. 534 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:51,520 You can see it, can't you? 535 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:55,840 You can. Also, there's something about the noise they make... 536 00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:59,920 Reminds me of lunchtime at the Garrick Club. 537 00:34:59,960 --> 00:35:04,720 "Oh, they've given him a peerage, what has he ever done? Ridiculous!" 538 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:08,560 "Oh, I see from my paper that you're dead." 539 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:10,080 "Urgh, argh." 540 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:23,920 It's rather nice in this world, 541 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:27,840 where most tropical fruit is available in the local British supermarket, 542 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:29,480 to see things that aren't, 543 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:32,480 and this is something I've long wanted to try. 544 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:34,840 This is the famous durian fruit, isn't it? 545 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,920 I know, the smelly fruit that lots of airlines have banned. 546 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:42,440 Yes, you're not allowed to have it in Singapore in public transport, 547 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:46,520 and in hotels there are signs with cigarettes crossed out 548 00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:48,560 and durian fruit crossed out. 549 00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:50,080 Shall we get one, try one? 550 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:51,600 I think so. 551 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:58,400 Oh, it's like an embryo. Hideous. Feels disgusting. 552 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:01,400 Oh, it's so unctuous and slippery. 553 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,520 Are you ready? Argh! 554 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,680 I wish I could describe to you how disgusting that smells. 555 00:36:09,720 --> 00:36:13,280 It's hot from Satan's anal ring. 556 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:15,040 Not quite that bad! 557 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:18,000 You know, do you?! 558 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,800 Tastes delicious, really sweet and... 559 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:29,320 Not bad at all. As you say, the texture is not appealing particularly. 560 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:33,120 But... oops. The taste is lovely. 561 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:36,680 I'll have another piece. Mmm. 562 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:40,680 Terima Kasih. 563 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:50,640 As there are no direct flights from Borneo to our next destination, 564 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:54,360 the Komodo islands, we need to do a spot of island hopping. 565 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:57,560 Our first waypoint is the island of Bali. 566 00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:05,800 Unlike neighbouring Borneo, Bali destroyed its rainforests 567 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:10,240 centuries ago, when the Hindus settled on this small island 568 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:11,880 to escape the advance of Islam. 569 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:15,240 Every available piece of land was harnessed to feed the growing 570 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:19,000 population, to the detriment of the forest fauna and flora. 571 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,000 The Balinese have remained resolutely Hindu 572 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,840 in spite of the overwhelming dominance of Islam amongst 573 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,160 Indonesia's 230 million people. 574 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:33,600 The mix of local deities, animism and Hindu mythology 575 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:35,880 has created a dynamic ritual life 576 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,720 for the Balinese that is seen everywhere on the island. 577 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,240 Though there is great respect for nature, 578 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:48,800 ironically, animal, and specifically turtle sacrifices, have been a major ingredient in the ceremonies. 579 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:54,400 You can see everywhere in Bali how important Hinduism is, with all the offerings. 580 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:59,320 Everywhere you walk there are little offerings to different deities. 581 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:05,640 It shows just how hard it is to change traditions like sacrificing sea turtles. 582 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:08,520 It's been happening for time immemorial, 583 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,960 and to actually make that change involves a lot of effort. 584 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,800 So instead of sacrificing turtles, what do they do? 585 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:18,880 Well, some places are now using drawings or paintings of turtles. 586 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:20,880 Mock turtles? 587 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:23,200 Yes! Why didn't I see that coming? 588 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:28,520 No, they're using things like drawings and paintings and 589 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:32,920 rice cakes in the shape of turtles - anything that represents a turtle. 590 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:36,720 Well, in a lot of religions, their history is a move from 591 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:39,760 the actual to the symbolic, isn't it? Of course, yeah. 592 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:47,680 MEN SPEAK IN NATIVE TONGUE 593 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:57,320 'The evening entertainment in the temple grounds is the traditional 594 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:01,720 'shadow play, with a plot involving gods, demons, and fallible humans, 595 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:05,280 'as well as a fleeting glimpse of of a Komodo dragon.' 596 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:13,000 'I wish we could have stayed longer, 597 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:18,280 'but our destiny lies to the east, where the real dragons await us. 598 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:31,720 Labuan Bajo is the main port on the island of Flores, 599 00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:35,600 and where we'll find our boat to the islands where the dragons live. 600 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:41,680 In the 20 years since Mark and Douglas came here, the five islands that make up the main Komodo habitat 601 00:39:41,720 --> 00:39:43,200 have become a National Park, 602 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:46,160 and a popular destination for the intrepid traveller. 603 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:50,200 It's a rather nice town. Has it changed much since you were here with Douglas? 604 00:39:50,240 --> 00:39:53,440 Oh, God, yes, so different - can't believe it's the same place. 605 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:56,000 But the islands are marvellous to see, aren't they? 606 00:39:56,040 --> 00:40:00,520 They've got that South East Asian sort of humpiness that's just very characteristic. 607 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:02,840 They're different from islands anywhere in the world. 608 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:04,680 That one there is just fantastic. 609 00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:09,360 Mark... "Man killed by Komodo dragons." 610 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:11,200 I'm not making it up - look. 611 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:14,560 My goodness! "Two Komodo dragons mauled a fruit picker to death 612 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:18,160 "in eastern Indonesia," police and witnesses said, yesterday. 613 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:23,360 "The latest in a string of attack on humans by the world's largest lizard species."! 614 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:26,720 That's not good. Well, they are incredibly dangerous animals. 615 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:31,600 I think the most scary thing is they have this amazing saliva, the saliva is dripping from 616 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:35,560 their mouths they have so much of it, it's like a witch's brew of bacteria. 617 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:40,320 And what they do is, they don't like tackling the big animals and actually bringing 618 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:44,360 them down, so they'll lie in ambush, and they'll leap out and bite a water 619 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:48,320 buffalo, or a deer, or a horse or some huge prey animal, 620 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:51,400 and then just wait for it to gradually lose strength 621 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:53,520 and get weaker and weaker or die, 622 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:57,840 and then it'll go and - maybe a week later - will go in for the kill. 623 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:02,800 That's the creepiest way for an animal to earn a living that I've ever heard of! 624 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:05,600 That's revolting - that's lower than a dung beetle. 625 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:09,360 It's lower than an estate agent or a banker! 626 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:11,440 How creepy is that? 627 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:19,120 'We hear that one of the Komodo park rangers, a man called Pak Main, was 628 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:21,920 'attacked last month while sitting 629 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:25,200 'at his desk in the rangers' office on the island of Rinca. 630 00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:27,800 'He's still recuperating at home.' 631 00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:32,400 I hear you had a fight with a Komodo dragon - what happened? 632 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:34,600 The dragon bit my foot, the left. 633 00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:40,120 After a bite here, still in my foot his mouth, 634 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:46,480 so I had to step and take the right of my foot put in the body. 635 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:49,520 To stamp on him, yes. I would like to make a break 636 00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:58,080 of the leg of the dragon, but he more strong and I cannot 637 00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:02,360 hold him. So the dragon, throw down on the floor, 638 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:04,720 try to bite anotheron the hand. 639 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:09,200 Oh, my goodness. You have many more scars here and your hand is swollen. 640 00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:12,360 And then I make like this. 641 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:14,280 I'm calling my friend. 642 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:17,600 Right, so you're shouting with blood coming out of you. 643 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:19,320 Help me, help me. 644 00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:23,200 Well, this is a warning to us to be careful. Yes. 645 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:42,280 We're off! Yes, this is what we've come here for. 646 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:47,320 'The wind is fair and all is shipshape aboard the good ship Felicia, 647 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:53,200 'as we set sail for our encounter with the decidedly deadly dragons.' 648 00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:14,640 'Our first stop will be at Rinca, the second largest of the islands 649 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:16,920 'within the Komodo National Park, 650 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:20,680 'which in 1991 was designated a World Heritage Site. 651 00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:25,880 'The result is that not only are the dragons protected, but so crucially, 652 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:28,000 'are the animals they feed on.' 653 00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:34,160 We seem to be approaching land. 654 00:43:34,200 --> 00:43:36,360 Yeah, so this is Rinca. 655 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:40,360 Rinca. Seems quite a bare sort of landscape. 656 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:42,160 Rather Welsh or Scottish almost - 657 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:45,120 not many trees, and scrubby grass and rocky outcrops. 658 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:49,000 What sort of animals and things does the Komodo dragon live on? 659 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:52,440 Here, they're living on animals introduced by people, actually, 660 00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:59,480 the big things like water buffalo, horses, pigs, deer... big things. 661 00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:05,240 For the past six years, 662 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:09,000 zoologist Pak Deni has been studying the dragons, 663 00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:10,720 monitoring their movements, 664 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:13,280 and examining their mating and hunting habits. 665 00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:16,040 The most recent research indicates that the dragons are 666 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:19,920 in fact highly venomous, so it now seems it's not just the toxic brew 667 00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:22,000 of bacteria in their saliva, 668 00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:25,280 but also the anti-coagulants in their venom 669 00:44:25,320 --> 00:44:27,280 which disable their prey. 670 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:31,160 So this makes them the largest venomous animal in the world. 671 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:33,480 And I'm about to meet them. Great(!) 672 00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:35,120 Oh, my goodness! 673 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:37,080 Look at this. It's not, is it? 674 00:44:41,400 --> 00:44:45,160 They're huge! That's a really big one, isn't it? 675 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:46,680 My goodness me. 676 00:44:46,720 --> 00:44:48,400 How big would you say that is? 677 00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:52,520 This one, probably 80kg. 678 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:57,840 Are they aggressive to you? They keep an eye on us. We have to be careful. 679 00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:01,560 But this is where you live - the rangers live here. 680 00:45:01,600 --> 00:45:04,880 And this is the office where - we were talking to Main yesterday - 681 00:45:04,920 --> 00:45:06,520 that's where he was attacked. 682 00:45:06,560 --> 00:45:11,720 Yes, there's still blood remaining on the windows. Oh, dear! 683 00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:13,560 And they can climb up these steps? 684 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:19,160 Of course, that's why we have to be careful. God, I thought I was ugly. 685 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:21,920 They really are not the most attractive animals, 686 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:24,800 there's nothing about them that endears us as mammals 687 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:28,920 to them, but I daresay they love each other in their own way. 688 00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:38,280 They're so well armed - you've got those amazing claws, 689 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:42,000 like tiger talons, and a really powerful tail they can 690 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:46,520 knock an animal as big as a horse and a water buffalo over with, 691 00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:48,520 and the shark-like teeth. 692 00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:51,880 He's nuzzling. 693 00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:54,560 We could get some gay action going on. 694 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:58,560 How long have you studied and worked with Komodo dragons? Since 2002. 695 00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:04,160 Do you - this is a strange question - do you like them? 696 00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:09,520 The first time, I have to be honest, it is a dangerous species and I have 697 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:13,560 to be careful and I was a little bit worried, but after one year, 698 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:16,080 two years, I try to love my job. 699 00:46:16,120 --> 00:46:18,360 And do you now? Yes. 700 00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:22,320 You do. This is the only dragons 701 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:25,800 that live in Indonesia which is my country. 702 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:29,440 I'm proud of it and it's kind of my pride. 703 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:33,280 You see all the folds of skin, that's what fascinates me. 704 00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:35,800 That's partly so they can expand when they eat, 705 00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:37,920 cos they eat huge amounts, don't they? 706 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:41,960 In one sitting they can eat almost sort of 80% of their 707 00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:44,040 own weight in one sitting. 708 00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:47,960 They get really big, obviously, so all those extra bits of skin 709 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:51,680 will stretch out like a big bag. Do they use the tongue to smell? 710 00:46:51,720 --> 00:46:55,600 Yeah, it's an incredibly clever system cos it's the forked tongue 711 00:46:55,640 --> 00:46:59,280 and they can tell which direction the smell is coming from. In stereo! 712 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,600 It is, smell in stereo. Left channel, right channel - brilliant. 713 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:04,160 It's so powerful they reckon... 714 00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:08,800 I don't know what the latest theory is, but many kilometres away. More than 4km. 715 00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:12,400 They are as ugly as sin, but, like all animals, 716 00:47:12,440 --> 00:47:15,520 I suppose they're very good at being themselves. 717 00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:18,440 You've got to respect that Komodo dragonness of them, 718 00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:19,960 it's so complete, isn't it? 719 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:24,160 When their tongues come out, you can see where the Chinese dragon myth came from, 720 00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:28,120 cos the tongue is like fire coming out, and a couple of thousand 721 00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:33,200 years ago there were Chinese traders stopping off here, and that's where the "here be dragons" 722 00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:37,800 was written on the maps, warning people in this area that these animals were here. 723 00:47:40,120 --> 00:47:42,680 There's one there looking straight at me, 724 00:47:42,720 --> 00:47:47,080 and it's one of the most malevolent expressions I've ever seen on any living thing. 725 00:47:58,240 --> 00:48:01,760 The dragons live cheek by jowl with the rangers, but they 726 00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:06,720 also wander throughout the various villages or kampungs on the islands, 727 00:48:06,760 --> 00:48:10,000 whose inhabitants now number some 4,000. 728 00:48:11,680 --> 00:48:17,600 Be interesting to know what the villagers think of living as it were in the shadow of the dragon. 729 00:48:17,640 --> 00:48:21,040 Wouldn't it? We need to try and find a head man, or mayor, 730 00:48:21,080 --> 00:48:25,600 I don't know what you'd call the person in charge of the village here. 731 00:48:25,640 --> 00:48:27,840 The kampung commandant. 732 00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:29,360 Do you think? Yeah. 733 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:39,920 A local legend recounts how once upon a time, 734 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:42,560 the Komodo was a human's twin, 735 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:46,120 which may explain something of their mutual tolerance. 736 00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:48,840 Goodness me, lovely, aren't they? 737 00:48:48,880 --> 00:48:51,680 But last year, on the largest kampung on Komodo, 738 00:48:51,720 --> 00:48:53,400 a child was eaten by a dragon, 739 00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:59,760 so we want to find out how the villagers' attitude to these dangerous predators has changed. 740 00:49:03,320 --> 00:49:07,120 Could you ask him if the villagers are always aware, always conscious 741 00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:11,160 of the fact that they have these dangerous dragons close to them? 742 00:49:11,200 --> 00:49:12,600 HE SPEAKS NATIVE TONGUE 743 00:49:18,640 --> 00:49:23,880 Before the kids died, it just live in harmony. 744 00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:30,280 But right after the kids die one year ago, the peoples here a little 745 00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:36,120 bit careful, they teach the little ones not enter the forest again. 746 00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:40,160 And do they like the fact that tourists come to see the dragon, 747 00:49:40,200 --> 00:49:43,720 is that a good thing, are they welcomed here? 748 00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:45,240 HE SPEAKS NATIVE TONGUE 749 00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:55,560 Oh, it's happy, they're happy with the tourists, they get incomes from the tourists. 750 00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:58,720 'I detect a certain insouciance towards the dragons, 751 00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:02,080 'but maybe it's because there's simply no alternative. 752 00:50:02,120 --> 00:50:06,560 'And maybe to them, killing the dragon would be tantamount to fratricide. 753 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:13,480 'We leave the village to sail to the far side of Rinca, 754 00:50:13,520 --> 00:50:17,160 'where Deni has a research project to continue. 755 00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:20,440 'As we pass the mangrove forests that adorn the islands like 756 00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:27,320 'emerald necklaces, Mark is keen to show me how crucial they are to the health of the entire archipelago.' 757 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:04,880 Wow, isn't that incredible?! 758 00:51:04,920 --> 00:51:06,560 Fantastic, isn't it? I mean, 759 00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:10,640 it sounds a silly thing to say,but this is trees growing in the sea! 760 00:51:10,680 --> 00:51:14,280 I know, I always think of them as botanical amphibians. 761 00:51:14,320 --> 00:51:17,520 They've sort of got one foot on the land and one foot in the sea - 762 00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:19,600 it's the most extraordinary habitat. 763 00:51:19,640 --> 00:51:23,440 Aside from everything else it's just so beautiful, this kind of wonderful 764 00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:25,920 bushy margin to the islands. Oh, I love it, it's great. 765 00:51:25,960 --> 00:51:30,560 They're marvellous and they're multifunctional - are they in any way endangered? 766 00:51:30,600 --> 00:51:33,000 Of course, as most things are. 767 00:51:33,040 --> 00:51:37,960 No, they are, there's coastal developments of all sorts from golf courses to hotels. 768 00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:41,080 They're destroying mangroves and reclaiming the land. 769 00:51:41,120 --> 00:51:44,280 Shrimp farming is one of the main threats, and the other problem is 770 00:51:44,320 --> 00:51:48,600 once you've destroyed a habitat, all the other wildlife goes and, 771 00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:51,520 you know, we've just seen not just the fish, there are 772 00:51:51,560 --> 00:51:55,760 barnacles and oysters and crabs and there are snakes living in here and 773 00:51:55,800 --> 00:51:57,880 all sort of birds, so they'd go as well. 774 00:51:57,920 --> 00:51:59,960 Snakes. Thanks for telling me! 775 00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:09,040 As the fruit bats leave these floating forests, 776 00:52:09,080 --> 00:52:13,400 I marvel at the extraordinary and complex evolutionary forces 777 00:52:13,440 --> 00:52:17,520 that have made these island habitats so utterly bewitching. 778 00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:43,480 Next morning, the Rinca dragons are blithely unaware of Deni 779 00:52:43,520 --> 00:52:45,560 and the rangers' plan. 780 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,840 The idea is to trap some of the dragons and tag them with 781 00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:53,000 a radio collar so their movements can be tracked over the islands. 782 00:52:53,040 --> 00:52:55,920 By doing this, they will have for the first time an 783 00:52:55,960 --> 00:52:59,920 accurate census, which will be vital in monitoring their survival. 784 00:52:59,960 --> 00:53:04,960 But snagging a drooling, venomous lizard is no easy matter... 785 00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:06,480 Or is it? 786 00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:21,200 So have we got one? 787 00:53:21,240 --> 00:53:23,480 We've got one, it's pretty big. 788 00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:27,120 Wow, that's a big trap. Oh, there he is. 789 00:53:27,160 --> 00:53:30,240 Gosh, he's a big one. Good grief. 790 00:53:30,280 --> 00:53:32,600 So what's the plan then, what do we do? 791 00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:38,520 We will try to measure them, we will tie them up and then... 792 00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:44,200 So you kind of hog-tie them and then attach some device... 793 00:53:44,240 --> 00:53:46,080 A GPS device? 794 00:53:46,120 --> 00:53:48,440 Radio telemetry. Right, radio telemetry. 795 00:53:48,480 --> 00:53:50,400 Shall we try? You can try. 796 00:53:55,320 --> 00:53:58,160 You can feel it, can't you? 797 00:53:59,880 --> 00:54:03,160 It's being hog-tied. It's like a chicken when you... 798 00:54:08,200 --> 00:54:10,160 Measurement's beginning now. 799 00:54:12,200 --> 00:54:14,760 Head width 14.5. 800 00:54:18,800 --> 00:54:21,520 Follow the line of the tail. 801 00:54:23,160 --> 00:54:27,360 Two and 2/3 metres - wow! What's the next stage? 802 00:54:27,400 --> 00:54:30,240 The next stage is to attach the transmitter. 803 00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:33,840 We'll see, it's probably thick enough. 804 00:54:40,360 --> 00:54:41,840 That's working. 805 00:54:41,880 --> 00:54:44,520 So this is fine tune. 806 00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:53,600 OK, keep the leg like this, even though it's already released. 807 00:54:53,640 --> 00:54:56,360 It's a tough animal. 808 00:54:56,400 --> 00:54:59,120 And then we release them in the three count like that. 809 00:54:59,160 --> 00:55:02,040 One, two, three and then everybody just go! 810 00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:03,560 Right, OK, ready. 811 00:55:07,120 --> 00:55:09,840 Wait a second, we've just got rope on the... 812 00:55:11,240 --> 00:55:15,040 Just undoing the tape around the... Just undoing the tape on the snout. 813 00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:19,440 Got it. Unwind. 814 00:55:19,480 --> 00:55:23,040 OK. I count one, two, three. 815 00:55:29,880 --> 00:55:33,760 So we can start to track them. 816 00:55:38,720 --> 00:55:42,560 You don't really need the radio ID when you can see it, but nonetheless. 817 00:55:42,600 --> 00:55:46,160 No, we're checking it's working! No, I know, exactly. 818 00:55:46,200 --> 00:55:48,080 RADIO BEEPS 819 00:55:48,120 --> 00:55:49,880 All good, yeah, great. 820 00:55:49,920 --> 00:55:52,440 Well, he looks none the worse for wear, does he? 821 00:55:52,480 --> 00:55:56,720 No, he's still interested in staying around here, I thought he'd want to vamoose. 822 00:55:56,760 --> 00:55:59,400 They look so lethargic, and you do have to remember 823 00:55:59,440 --> 00:56:01,240 they can whip around in a split second. 824 00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:15,120 Oh, my goodness, we're sort of surrounded, aren't we? 825 00:56:15,160 --> 00:56:18,920 Yeah, there's that one we've just released. One, two... 826 00:56:18,960 --> 00:56:20,760 Another one there. 827 00:56:27,240 --> 00:56:30,280 This might be an appropriate moment to adjourn our little 828 00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:33,000 dragon meeting. What do you think? 829 00:56:33,040 --> 00:56:37,720 Another way of putting it is shall we get the arse out of here? 830 00:56:46,160 --> 00:56:49,680 'We sneak off the island to the safety of our boat and leave 831 00:56:49,720 --> 00:56:52,480 'Deni and the rangers to continue their work. 832 00:56:52,520 --> 00:56:55,560 'Deni estimates that the dragon population has remained 833 00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:59,080 'pretty level over the past 20 years but, worryingly, some 834 00:56:59,120 --> 00:57:02,560 'estimates suggest there may be very few breeding females. 835 00:57:02,600 --> 00:57:06,040 'However, the Komodos have a little trick up their tail.' 836 00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:09,720 What's interesting is, if this was a female and she was out at sea and got 837 00:57:09,760 --> 00:57:12,400 washed by currents or riptides or something 838 00:57:12,440 --> 00:57:15,320 and landed on another island, she could actually 839 00:57:15,360 --> 00:57:20,000 develop eggs and give birth to young Komodo dragons without a male being anywhere near. 840 00:57:20,040 --> 00:57:24,800 They don't have to have the eggs fertilised, it's called parthenogenesis. 841 00:57:24,840 --> 00:57:27,040 Virgin birth in Greek. 842 00:57:27,080 --> 00:57:32,280 So they could in theory colonise another island with just one female. 843 00:57:36,440 --> 00:57:41,800 For the foreseeable future, the Komodos shouldn't need to use their virgin birthing. 844 00:57:41,840 --> 00:57:43,880 The creation of the National Park 845 00:57:43,920 --> 00:57:48,040 has certainly protected them and their habitat and in the process 846 00:57:48,080 --> 00:57:50,000 all the other species, especially 847 00:57:50,040 --> 00:57:55,360 those denizens that straddle thesea and land they have also been helped. 848 00:57:55,400 --> 00:57:59,520 Barring some catastrophe - be it fire, flood or plague - with vigilant monitoring, 849 00:57:59,560 --> 00:58:02,760 the dragons should survive for years to come 850 00:58:02,800 --> 00:58:07,320 in their own small corner of this beautiful archipelago. 851 00:58:14,560 --> 00:58:18,200 'Never let it be said that I'm less than willing to seek out endangered 852 00:58:18,240 --> 00:58:21,400 'species, but when Mark said that he wanted me to travel with him 853 00:58:21,440 --> 00:58:25,120 'to the other side of the world in search of a fat, flightless parrot, 854 00:58:25,160 --> 00:58:29,600 'I knew I was with a man pursuing a very personal and peculiar passion.' 855 00:58:51,240 --> 00:58:54,240 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd