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In the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea, an international team of scientists and filmmakers

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has been searching for rare and endangered creatures.

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We could find something really, really spectacular inside here.

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I guess that's the hope.

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Two weeks in and they've made an impressive start.

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What an extraordinary looking fish.

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They've found the weird... I have no idea what that will become.

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The wonderful. Now you can really see how tiny he is like compared to your thumb.

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And discovered animals unknown to science.

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I'll bet you any money that wasp right there that's walking along that leaf is a new species,

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I bet you any money.

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They've hunted high and low.

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Now, beneath the forest floor, Steve Backshall is pushing deep into a cave,

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one of the few places on Earth where no-one has been before.

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I've never seen anything like this before in my life.

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This is extraordinary!

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Just above Australia in the western Pacific

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lies Papua New Guinea.

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Cloaked in dense rainforest, these valleys are among the most isolated on the planet.

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The main base camp is on the slopes of an extinct volcano, Mount Bosavi.

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Further east, a smaller team is on the island of New Britain.

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They're exploring an underground river cave, mapping it as they go.

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This is one of the most remote, inaccessible places on the planet

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and there genuinely are dark corners of Papua New Guinea that no human being has ever been to before.

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This place is absolutely ripe for exploration.

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It's risky.

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Just to get in means abseiling 80 metres to the cave entrance.

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Oh, it's pretty nippy, isn't it?

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Steve Backshall is the expedition climber, caver and naturalist.

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Oh, this is unbelievable!

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Look at that.What an unbelievable amount of water.

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Welcome to Mageni river cave.

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He's joined the Anglo-French team who first discovered this cave.

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The locals call it Mageni.

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They're led by pioneering British caver Dave Nixon, known as Moose.

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I remember coming up here

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really, really excited, not knowing what was at the top.

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Well, it makes you feel so alive.

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Their aim is to press further into this uncharted cave

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and map passages never seen before by man.

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Plus 5.7.

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Lucy is bouncing a laser off the walls of the tunnel so we can figure out how big it all is.

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That's the whole purpose of surveying, it's just to map out the size of the caverns.

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Jean-Paul, this joint is developed on

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50 degrees, 230. 50, 230.

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What fires them is the hope of finding a new, undiscovered route right through the mountain.

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700 miles west in the shadow of Mount Bosavi lies the base camp.

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A cluster of makeshift huts is home to the wildlife filmmakers, the expedition medic,

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expert trackers,

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cooks...

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and, at its heart, the scientists.

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Leading them is Dr George McGavin.

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I'm heading up a team of scientists, experts in their own field.

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Our aim is to document what animals live in and around this giant, extinct volcano,

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and also to search for any new species, and there must be hundreds.

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The cooks are preparing the dinner,

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when their fishing nets land something bigger

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than they'd bargained for.

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George is on hand to help.

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It's a crocodile, I think.

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Croc expert Paul O'Dowd has to work fast but carefully.

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It's really essential that we secure the front end,

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and the jaws have to be tied shut otherwise

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they could take somebody's hand off.

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But she's really growling,

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you can feel that "grrrr" in her throat.

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She's not a happy croc at all.

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Almost unnoticed in the net, there's a venomous catfish.

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There's a big fish here

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and the spine is loaded with very nasty toxins,

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and if that jabs into Paul's hand or my hand, not nice,

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you'd be a very sick person.

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Actually, George, maybe with your free hand

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could you just sort of make sure that this...?

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That's the way.It's not everyday that you have to restrain

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a large freshwater crocodile

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while holding a toxic spine of a catfish in your other hand.

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Out of the net, the crocodile is now free to go.

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Fantastic, happy ending.

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She's off, she's safe.

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Well done, mate.

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It's all in a day's work.

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But George's main job is running the jungle lab.

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This is an absolute monster.

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His team has already discovered 17 new species

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and catalogued hundreds of other animals.

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What have you got there, Jack?The latest creature has just been found

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on a tree right next to the lab.

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It's quite clearly a group of three caterpillars

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on that vine of some sort.

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I have no idea what that will become.

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It looks almost as if it's a snake.

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You know, it's quite disturbing if you're a bird I suppose.

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As an extra defence, two of them will thrash around like that.

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Well, what I think we should do is we should put them in a cage

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and just observe them, but it could be weeks until they actually pupate,

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which is the only way of finding out what they'll become.

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Some animals are showy,

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others hide away hoping they won't be seen.

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This one's cover has just been blown by wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan.

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Oh, do you know what that is?

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It's a beautiful fruit dove.

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That's what it's called, that's not my name for it.

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I love all the names of...

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especially birds in Papua New Guinea.

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You've got all these magnificent bird of paradise,

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magnificent rifle bird, the superb fruit dove,

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the beautiful fruit dove, they're all very descriptive.

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Unbelievably camouflaged sitting there. Such a good find.

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It's one of the jungle's more unassuming characters,

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but Gordon has his sights set on a far more flamboyant bird.

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Personally, I want to find Birds of Paradise.

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They are the most iconic bird family on the planet.

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They have fascinated every ornithologist, every naturalist

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since they were first discovered 400 years ago. I'm no different.

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Gordon's mission is to record

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one of the most extraordinary rituals in nature,

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the mating display of the Bird of Paradise.

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Underground, Steve and the caving team

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are battling against the white water river.

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Steve is the team's naturalist.

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Even in a cave, some creatures still survive.

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These cave crickets are real specialists

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at this kind of environment.

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They have tiny little eyes but really almost all of their senses

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are in these gigantic antenna.

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Look at that, I mean that is probably six times the length of the body.

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They're tactile. They tap around a bit in front of the cave

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just feeling its way, and also pick up chemical signals.

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So it works like a nose, like eyes

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and also a bit like a blind man's white stick as well.

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I think this one here is a female.

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Possibly the least pretty-looking girl in the world.

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In total darkness, looks are irrelevant.

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Above ground, appearances can be everything.

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Bird expert Jack Dumbacher's found a King Bird of Paradise.

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I would like to take a blood sample.

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So there's a small vein that runs right under the arm here,

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we can get the DNA from the blood.

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We can use that for genetic studies,

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and we can also use it to test whether or not the birds

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are carrying malaria or other blood diseases.

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Keeping a record of all the animals is expedition photographer Ulla Lohmann.

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I've never seen colours like that.

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I mean me being a photographer

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I love colours and especially when the light is just breaking

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into it's feathers, it's just magnificent.

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All these colours are to impress the female and their mating display.

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They flash all these colours, they have a special dance that they do

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and the female is very drab

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so she doesn't have any of these specialised colours,

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just the male has these.

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Completing the look areelaborate tail wires

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that play a big part in his courtship display.

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It's an important find, proof that Birds of Paradise

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live in this patch of forest.

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What have you got, Jack? Good to see you, Gordon.

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Caught up in that net.

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Let me just get my hand down in there so that he can't get away.

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Oh, a king! Oh, you beauty.

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Oh, my goodness me.

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They are quite incredible.

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All the Birds of Paradise are almost beyond belief.

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Jack releases it just where it was found.

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Well, it looks like he's happiest on a vertical perch.

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Birds of Paradise look stunning,

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but even more impressive is their courtship dance.

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Catching this on camera will draw Gordon deep into the jungle.

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These forests are now under threat.

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There's big money to be made from tropical timber.

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This forest giant has been growing here for between 100 and 150 years.

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The value of this tree when it's cut down to the landowner,

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the man who owns this tree, is only about £8.

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When it's prepared and shipped out as timber in the UK

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it will fetch £1,000 or more.

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Somebody is making a great deal of cash,

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and it's not the people who own this tree.

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Papua New Guinea's forests are peppered with hundreds of remote tribes.

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It's those tribes and not the government

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who own the land and the trees.

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Tribal elders have a difficult decision to make...

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Keep their forests,

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or sell the trees to the loggers.

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If we keep forests like this intact,

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we will reduce our chances

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of suffering the worst effects

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of global climate change and we'll save between 60 and 80%

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of all the world's species.

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For me, it's a no-brainer.

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In the cave, progress is slow and exhausting.

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They need to stop and refuel.

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The French have brought cheese,

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and the Brits,

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baked beans.

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Oh, please tell me you're not eating cold baked beans?

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What's the matter with you, man? Oh, you're all wrong!

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I'll have some of that, that's mine.

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No, the cheese, cheese is good.

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Oh, no, that absolutely turns my stomach.

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Smell that. This is actually pretty good for us.

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I mean we've really just been having a chocolate bar for lunch most days.

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To actually stop and have cheese and crackers, it's luxury!

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YORKSHIRE ACCENT: Eee, you don't know you're born, lad!

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From base camp, two boats head upstream.

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Gordon's first stop on his search for Birds of Paradise

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is a remote village where the feathers are used for costumes.

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Also on their way are George and expedition medic Jane Stevenson.

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The boats' engines disturb a colony of bats roosting in the treetops.

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This is quite spectacular.

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These are flying foxes, they're the largest bats on the planet.

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They are just amazing, look at the size of them.

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They must have a wingspan of about that.

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They eat, I think it's exclusively fruit.

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When they eat the fruit they pass through the seeds,

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so they are pretty much the species

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that is responsible for keeping this forest living and growing.

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Oh, wow!

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Fogomaiyu village is dominated by the extinct volcano Mount Bosavi.

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Contact with outsiders is rare.

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Yeah, it's an unbelievable welcome,

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you're sort of quite overwhelmed about somewhere like this

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and so many people just turn out

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with just big smiles on their face.

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Is he a big man in the village?

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This man?He's the chief.Oh, I see.

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His name is Chief Ayambo.

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These villagers know more than anyone

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about Birds of Paradise and where they display.

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Thank you, thank you.

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Hello. It's Gordon, pleased to meet you.

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These feathers are from Birds of Paradise?

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Cassowary, OK.

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It's a very poor village of just 500 people.

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Medicines are in short supply

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and there's been a severe outbreak of malaria.

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Here in this particular village one of the biggest problems is access.

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They can't get out to hospitals,

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they can't get out to clinics,

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they can't get medicines brought in,

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and everything is so expensive for them that health

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has actually had to take a back seat really, to just pure survival.

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While Jane sets up a makeshift clinic,

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George meets the village elders

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to find out what the future holds for them and their forest.

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First of all, I want to thank you very much

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for us being able to be here in this fantastic forest land of yours.

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It has been a great honour. You own a huge area of valuable land.

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You could sell your land, you could sell your trees.

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What do you want to happen, what's the way forward?

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Well, you know, you're sort of stuck because you want certain things,

251
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you want to pay for education and healthcare and soap and things,

252
00:17:38,340 --> 00:17:41,340
but you don't have the means of earning the cash.

253
00:17:54,140 --> 00:17:56,580
How many children die here?

254
00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:08,620
At Jane's clinic, a concerned mother has brought in her feverish child.

255
00:18:08,660 --> 00:18:11,180
We need to be sponging this baby down.

256
00:18:11,220 --> 00:18:15,540
I'm going to test the baby for malaria but it probably is malaria.

257
00:18:15,580 --> 00:18:19,500
It's one of the biggest killers in the tropics.

258
00:18:19,540 --> 00:18:23,380
Out here, mosquito nets are virtually non-existent.

259
00:18:25,620 --> 00:18:27,500
Can you see there's two lines there?

260
00:18:30,820 --> 00:18:35,100
Jane's test confirms her worst fears.

261
00:18:35,140 --> 00:18:38,820
He is particularly vulnerable now. He has a raging fever

262
00:18:38,860 --> 00:18:43,180
and he has the worst type of malaria strain.

263
00:18:44,260 --> 00:18:46,740
This is today's dose,

264
00:18:46,780 --> 00:18:48,380
as soon as possible.

265
00:18:48,420 --> 00:18:51,260
Although the baby is getting quite upset with this

266
00:18:51,300 --> 00:18:53,060
it is absolutely the best thing.

267
00:18:53,100 --> 00:18:55,500
This will potentially save his life

268
00:18:55,540 --> 00:18:59,660
and without this there is a very high chance that he will die.

269
00:19:18,540 --> 00:19:23,740
A mile into the mountain, rescue from outside is next to impossible.

270
00:19:23,780 --> 00:19:26,340
The water here is very fast-flowing and deep,

271
00:19:26,380 --> 00:19:28,580
that's why we're wearing lifejackets,

272
00:19:28,620 --> 00:19:31,780
because really if you're spending a lot of time in the water

273
00:19:31,820 --> 00:19:35,460
try not to get too cold, and really just battling against the flow.

274
00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:40,660
Moose has put in these lines so you could traverse across safely.

275
00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:46,620
Whoa, it's pretty faster here, Moose.

276
00:19:46,660 --> 00:19:50,220
Don't want to get swept away there, do you?Watch your feet.

277
00:19:55,900 --> 00:19:59,020
Oh, it's like the North Sea. Freezing.

278
00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:13,420
Forcing themselves against the flow, the team press on into the darkness.

279
00:20:21,700 --> 00:20:24,140
Here he is. This is a dwarf kingfisher.

280
00:20:24,180 --> 00:20:27,820
You can see just how small he is.

281
00:20:27,860 --> 00:20:32,780
George is back at work with the other scientists.

282
00:20:32,820 --> 00:20:36,580
Look at that. It's really fast.

283
00:20:36,620 --> 00:20:40,740
Their work is vital if they are to prove this jungle is worth saving.

284
00:20:43,260 --> 00:20:45,100
Alanna Maltby is the bat expert.

285
00:20:45,140 --> 00:20:48,020
She's made another important find.

286
00:20:49,780 --> 00:20:53,420
This is the second potential new species of bat.

287
00:20:53,460 --> 00:20:55,540
Amazing.Yeah, really is amazing.

288
00:20:55,580 --> 00:20:59,900
It's really unusual to find new mammals and new bats,

289
00:20:59,940 --> 00:21:03,780
and to have two potential new species in the course of a couple of weeks,

290
00:21:03,820 --> 00:21:07,060
that's just that's like nothing I've ever come across.

291
00:21:07,100 --> 00:21:11,340
The frog man has been kept busy too.

292
00:21:11,380 --> 00:21:16,540
You could spend the whole day trying to catch one of these things.

293
00:21:16,580 --> 00:21:22,340
But this is yet another frog which Alan Allison has never seen before.

294
00:21:22,380 --> 00:21:24,340
It's an interesting little guy

295
00:21:24,380 --> 00:21:27,780
because I'm almost certain that it's a new species.

296
00:21:27,820 --> 00:21:29,940
This is exactly why I'm here.

297
00:21:29,980 --> 00:21:34,540
We're seeing animals in a 100 years time might not even be here.

298
00:21:37,380 --> 00:21:39,700
The scientists will report their findings

299
00:21:39,740 --> 00:21:41,740
to the government of Papua New Guinea

300
00:21:41,780 --> 00:21:45,860
to lend support in protecting Mount Bosavi's weird and wonderful wildlife.

301
00:21:47,420 --> 00:21:50,420
This is amazing, this is a really strange world.

302
00:21:50,460 --> 00:21:52,980
Here is a beetle larva.

303
00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:55,620
Over there, we have a tiny bat.

304
00:21:55,660 --> 00:22:00,660
So here is an animal with a backbone that is a fraction the size of this.

305
00:22:00,700 --> 00:22:04,860
Alanna, can I just compare the size of that bat

306
00:22:04,900 --> 00:22:07,340
to the size of this insect?

307
00:22:07,380 --> 00:22:11,140
Which one do you think is more beautiful, George?

308
00:22:11,180 --> 00:22:13,180
I have to confess, Alanna,

309
00:22:13,220 --> 00:22:16,820
on this occasion the bat does win it hands down.

310
00:22:16,860 --> 00:22:20,140
Even I couldn't really love this thing.

311
00:22:28,020 --> 00:22:32,300
In Mageni, the only respite from the deafening river

312
00:22:32,340 --> 00:22:35,580
is to enter one of its many side caverns.

313
00:22:35,620 --> 00:22:42,060
Wow, this is nothing like any other cave we've seen so far at Mageni.

314
00:22:42,100 --> 00:22:43,860
It's quiet, relatively dry.

315
00:22:43,900 --> 00:22:46,620
We can talk to each other without shouting.

316
00:22:46,660 --> 00:22:48,740
Yeah, it's incredible, isn't it?

317
00:22:48,780 --> 00:22:51,620
Looks at these stals, they're fantastic.

318
00:22:51,660 --> 00:22:53,580
Check this out here, Steve.

319
00:22:53,620 --> 00:22:56,460
See this formation, you've got a column that's formed

320
00:22:56,500 --> 00:22:58,660
where a stalactite has met a stalagmite.

321
00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:00,540
This is deposited on a mud floor,

322
00:23:00,580 --> 00:23:03,860
but can you see how it's all fractured and broken there?

323
00:23:03,900 --> 00:23:08,180
That's almost certainly as a result of earth movement, earthquakes.

324
00:23:08,220 --> 00:23:10,580
What do you think it would be like down here if...

325
00:23:10,620 --> 00:23:13,180
It would be terrifying, really would be terrifying.

326
00:23:15,860 --> 00:23:20,340
It's been a long day of caving and, two miles into the mountain,

327
00:23:20,380 --> 00:23:23,100
they have to find somewhere to sleep.

328
00:23:31,460 --> 00:23:33,380
It's dusk in the village.

329
00:23:33,420 --> 00:23:36,700
Tomorrow, Gordon will set off in search of Birds of Paradise.

330
00:23:36,740 --> 00:23:39,660
But tonight, the village elders have allowed him

331
00:23:39,700 --> 00:23:41,260
to see their head dresses.

332
00:23:46,860 --> 00:23:48,540
So this is from the Ragi Bird of Paradise.

333
00:23:48,580 --> 00:23:51,420
You are correct, some... Raggianna.

334
00:23:51,460 --> 00:23:54,380
Yeah, see I know what

335
00:23:54,420 --> 00:23:55,940
I'm talking about!

336
00:23:59,380 --> 00:24:03,380
OK. It's like having a personal dresser.

337
00:24:03,420 --> 00:24:08,580
So do they use these headdresses for ceremonies?For ceremonies, yes.

338
00:24:10,820 --> 00:24:13,540
Um, this is quite unexpected.

339
00:24:13,580 --> 00:24:16,540
A lot of early collections of Birds of Paradise

340
00:24:16,580 --> 00:24:20,100
and other bird species that are found in Papua New Guinea

341
00:24:20,140 --> 00:24:23,860
came from headdresses which were sort of taken by explorers

342
00:24:23,900 --> 00:24:25,700
and brought back to the west,

343
00:24:25,740 --> 00:24:29,220
and in those early days when they saw feathers like those,

344
00:24:29,260 --> 00:24:32,060
ornithologists just thought it was fakery,

345
00:24:32,100 --> 00:24:35,980
that it couldn't be a bird that had such spectacular feathers.

346
00:24:54,860 --> 00:24:57,260
I've made myself a little pit here

347
00:24:57,300 --> 00:24:59,740
and my sleeping bag ready to go.

348
00:24:59,780 --> 00:25:03,900
Tackle bag and half a carry mat, what more could a man ask for?

349
00:25:03,940 --> 00:25:07,860
The cavers have found a place for the night, but they're not alone.

350
00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:13,100
That is really weird.

351
00:25:13,140 --> 00:25:15,780
This is a freshwater crab from the outside

352
00:25:15,820 --> 00:25:18,500
and I would guess that it's probably been swept in here

353
00:25:18,540 --> 00:25:21,180
right from where the water's gathered for this cave.

354
00:25:21,220 --> 00:25:24,100
What's incredible though, to me,

355
00:25:24,140 --> 00:25:26,460
is if you look at it close up,

356
00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,660
its' absolutely covered in parasites.

357
00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:32,060
Rather grotesque white blobs

358
00:25:32,100 --> 00:25:36,580
which are kind of moving all over it, I mean look at those.

359
00:25:36,620 --> 00:25:39,220
I've never seen anything like this before in my life.

360
00:25:39,260 --> 00:25:41,620
It really lends to the sense

361
00:25:41,660 --> 00:25:46,420
this place has of being just like an alien landscape.

362
00:25:54,020 --> 00:26:00,260
It's enticing to think from here quite how much is unexplored,

363
00:26:00,300 --> 00:26:03,500
that's like what we've seen so far in this area.

364
00:26:03,540 --> 00:26:05,820
It's probably riddled with caves like this

365
00:26:05,860 --> 00:26:09,460
and some of them will never see the light of day, and never be explored.

366
00:26:09,500 --> 00:26:12,300
The team desperately need their rest.

367
00:26:12,340 --> 00:26:16,860
But in a small damp cave under a million tonnes of rock,

368
00:26:16,900 --> 00:26:19,060
sleep may not come easily.

369
00:26:29,460 --> 00:26:32,860
In the village, a tribal dance begins.

370
00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:43,340
You've got everything that represents light and life in the forests.

371
00:26:43,380 --> 00:26:47,900
These guys wearing spectacular headdresses, Birds of Paradise,

372
00:26:47,940 --> 00:26:50,940
cockatoos, hornbills, all this sort of lush vegetation

373
00:26:50,980 --> 00:26:52,860
they've adorned themselves with.

374
00:26:54,420 --> 00:26:56,700
Centre stage are the feathers

375
00:26:56,740 --> 00:27:01,220
from one of the largest birds of paradise, the Raggianna.

376
00:27:03,900 --> 00:27:06,140
These are from Raggianna.

377
00:27:06,180 --> 00:27:09,340
Raggianna Bird of Paradise. And if you just look at the...

378
00:27:09,380 --> 00:27:14,700
Better from this angle. They look as if they've been doctored.

379
00:27:14,740 --> 00:27:17,980
They're just very un-feather like but very exquisite

380
00:27:18,020 --> 00:27:22,300
and that's just a small proportion of the feathers that are on this bird.

381
00:27:23,860 --> 00:27:26,820
If you think these costumes are elaborate,

382
00:27:26,860 --> 00:27:30,420
they are nothing compared to the birds themselves.

383
00:27:30,460 --> 00:27:35,020
This is a sort of an imitation of their splendour.

384
00:27:54,220 --> 00:27:56,700
WHISPERS: I've just woken up in the middle of the night.

385
00:27:56,740 --> 00:27:59,820
Well, I think it's the middle of the night, could be any time really.

386
00:27:59,860 --> 00:28:04,860
Bit sort of tossing and turning with weird dreams

387
00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:09,580
about scuttling white cave crabs and things.

388
00:28:11,140 --> 00:28:13,580
I've suddenly picked up a fever,

389
00:28:13,620 --> 00:28:16,940
I've had the shakes, very high temperature,

390
00:28:16,980 --> 00:28:22,420
and a couple of sort of weak panic attacks with it as well.

391
00:28:22,460 --> 00:28:24,980
I feel absolutely awful.

392
00:28:27,940 --> 00:28:31,260
Just typical that it would happen tonight.

393
00:28:31,300 --> 00:28:34,620
Lie back down and try and get a bit more sleep

394
00:28:34,660 --> 00:28:39,100
but just can't wait for the morning and get out, really.

395
00:28:49,020 --> 00:28:52,580
At daybreak, Gordon sets off with trackers from the village

396
00:28:52,620 --> 00:28:56,140
looking for birds of paradise that are displaying.

397
00:29:00,260 --> 00:29:04,100
The one saving grace we have is that Birds of Paradise are very vocal.

398
00:29:04,140 --> 00:29:05,940
We want to see them displaying

399
00:29:05,980 --> 00:29:07,860
which will give us an indication

400
00:29:07,900 --> 00:29:10,740
that they are in this area and they are breeding.

401
00:29:10,780 --> 00:29:13,780
I'm hoping that we can hear those sounds

402
00:29:13,820 --> 00:29:18,020
and zone in on them and find the birds based on their calls.

403
00:29:26,180 --> 00:29:27,980
It's definitely getting rougher.

404
00:29:31,700 --> 00:29:33,980
Pouring down from Mount Bosavi

405
00:29:34,020 --> 00:29:37,380
is a network of rivers that they must cross.

406
00:29:44,980 --> 00:29:47,380
So, how are we going to get across this?

407
00:29:47,420 --> 00:29:49,420
We will use a log to make a bridge.

408
00:29:49,460 --> 00:29:52,420
Put a log across, there's no way to walk round, no?

409
00:29:54,140 --> 00:29:58,980
They swim when they can, but the camera gear must be kept dry.

410
00:30:01,620 --> 00:30:04,740
They've managed to get that over but if you fell in there

411
00:30:04,780 --> 00:30:06,860
with a backpack on, you'd be a goner.

412
00:30:31,020 --> 00:30:35,620
Deep underground, Steve Backshall is going nowhere.

413
00:30:35,660 --> 00:30:40,500
I still have a really heavy fever and it was spiking in the night.

414
00:30:40,540 --> 00:30:43,260
I was actually hallucinating it was that bad.

415
00:30:43,300 --> 00:30:47,740
I just feel like I want everyone else to go out

416
00:30:47,780 --> 00:30:50,020
and just leave me here.

417
00:30:50,060 --> 00:30:52,340
That's not an option though, is it?

418
00:30:52,380 --> 00:30:54,300
Well, it's not really an option,

419
00:30:54,340 --> 00:30:59,260
no, but I feel absolutely desperate.

420
00:30:59,300 --> 00:31:01,900
Tim Fogg is in charge of safety.

421
00:31:01,940 --> 00:31:06,260
It's his job to get Steve out of the cave.

422
00:31:06,300 --> 00:31:09,140
This is a very, very remote place.

423
00:31:09,180 --> 00:31:10,780
We're a long way from home.

424
00:31:10,820 --> 00:31:14,740
We're going to have to help them as much as we can,

425
00:31:14,780 --> 00:31:19,460
but basically he's going to need to get out under his own steam.

426
00:31:22,220 --> 00:31:24,460
Even though the water's warm,

427
00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:27,580
it still gets to you a bit after a while.

428
00:31:27,620 --> 00:31:30,980
Steve is weak and running a high temperature.

429
00:31:31,020 --> 00:31:34,620
Lets go, Steve. Let's go, mate, straight through here.

430
00:31:34,660 --> 00:31:36,340
You all right?

431
00:31:36,380 --> 00:31:39,140
Come on, mate, you're doing great.

432
00:31:50,060 --> 00:31:55,300
Calling from the canopy is a King Bird of Paradise.

433
00:31:55,340 --> 00:31:57,260
Gordon's found a display site.

434
00:32:10,060 --> 00:32:11,540
It's right here, come over.

435
00:32:13,580 --> 00:32:18,980
Fortunately, the King does his courting close to the ground.

436
00:32:19,020 --> 00:32:21,620
Oh, yeah, there he is.

437
00:32:21,660 --> 00:32:24,980
I'm hoping that this is him getting ready for his big display,

438
00:32:25,020 --> 00:32:27,860
just making sure that all his feathers are in order.

439
00:32:27,900 --> 00:32:31,700
Great, now that's just the start of the display

440
00:32:31,740 --> 00:32:35,140
as he jumps from either side of the branch.

441
00:32:35,180 --> 00:32:37,260
These tail wires whack back and forward

442
00:32:37,300 --> 00:32:39,620
and that's attracting the female even more.

443
00:32:39,660 --> 00:32:44,660
Oh... duck down again. Oh, there he is right out in the open.

444
00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:48,060
OK, he's started displaying.

445
00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:49,900
He's brought the little tail

446
00:32:49,940 --> 00:32:52,980
that he does have right up to flat with his back,

447
00:32:53,020 --> 00:32:56,180
and tail wires are kind of dangling about over his head,

448
00:32:56,220 --> 00:32:58,740
and he's sort of jiggling back and forwards.

449
00:32:58,780 --> 00:33:01,740
There must be a female up there.

450
00:33:01,780 --> 00:33:05,460
On, yeah, there we go, there's a female.

451
00:33:05,500 --> 00:33:09,500
Gosh, you wouldn't even think that that was the same species.

452
00:33:18,540 --> 00:33:23,380
It's very easy to relate to this Bird of Paradise behaviour

453
00:33:23,420 --> 00:33:27,420
because it pretty much mimics what a lot of men do

454
00:33:27,460 --> 00:33:29,980
is to show off to attract women.

455
00:33:30,020 --> 00:33:33,900
It's the kind of disco scenario, the best dancer,

456
00:33:33,940 --> 00:33:40,540
the best dressed man sort of gets the best choice of the women, he gets the best women.

457
00:33:40,580 --> 00:33:42,940
Very easy to understand.

458
00:33:46,260 --> 00:33:48,540
Amazing.

459
00:33:50,460 --> 00:33:52,700
Practically every life form

460
00:33:52,740 --> 00:33:56,820
that lives in this rainforest depends on the forest.

461
00:33:56,860 --> 00:34:00,220
You lose the forest, you lose the animals just like that,

462
00:34:00,260 --> 00:34:02,340
it's a very, very simple equation.

463
00:34:02,380 --> 00:34:05,020
You can't have one without the other.

464
00:34:05,060 --> 00:34:08,820
And that's the terrible thing about deforestation.

465
00:34:08,860 --> 00:34:12,140
You're not just losing the trees you're losing this habitat

466
00:34:12,180 --> 00:34:14,100
and everything that depends on it.

467
00:34:22,140 --> 00:34:25,100
In the lab, the scientists are finding yet more evidence

468
00:34:25,140 --> 00:34:26,820
of the richness of this forest.

469
00:34:28,380 --> 00:34:33,180
Satellite images reveal just how rapidly jungle is disappearing.

470
00:34:34,740 --> 00:34:40,980
This is the scariest series of images that I think I've ever seen.

471
00:34:41,020 --> 00:34:42,820
This is pristine rainforest

472
00:34:42,860 --> 00:34:45,980
that has existed in this area for 10,000 years.

473
00:34:46,020 --> 00:34:49,380
16 years ago it looked like that,

474
00:34:49,420 --> 00:34:52,340
virtually untouched.

475
00:34:52,380 --> 00:34:56,820
And the most up-to-date image shows the road for forestry vehicles

476
00:34:56,860 --> 00:34:59,540
which are coming in to extract the wood,

477
00:34:59,580 --> 00:35:04,140
now spreading like veins all over the forest,

478
00:35:04,180 --> 00:35:07,660
and this is only 20 miles from here.

479
00:35:09,860 --> 00:35:13,900
This makes the mission to explore Bosavi's forests

480
00:35:13,940 --> 00:35:15,580
all the more urgent.

481
00:35:15,620 --> 00:35:18,300
I think the thing that's really striking about this

482
00:35:18,340 --> 00:35:19,860
is the incredible diversity,

483
00:35:19,900 --> 00:35:22,340
so every time you turn a corner you see a new insect,

484
00:35:22,380 --> 00:35:23,420
you see a new frog,

485
00:35:23,460 --> 00:35:25,780
you see a new beetle and that's the fun of it.

486
00:35:27,700 --> 00:35:31,580
George has been mesmerized by his mysterious caterpillars.

487
00:35:33,220 --> 00:35:37,260
At last, they're starting to pupate.

488
00:35:37,300 --> 00:35:41,180
There is one of the little caterpillars.

489
00:35:41,220 --> 00:35:44,060
It's hidden away on this folded leaf

490
00:35:44,100 --> 00:35:47,340
and it's also taken a bit of this dry leaf,

491
00:35:47,380 --> 00:35:51,460
and it's used a bit of silk, and it's now just hiding.

492
00:35:51,500 --> 00:35:57,180
Now I'm assuming what it'll do now is to pupate.

493
00:35:57,220 --> 00:35:59,980
But wouldn't it be great to be here when those hatched out

494
00:36:00,020 --> 00:36:05,340
and then we'd at last know what this amazing animal becomes as an adult.

495
00:36:14,820 --> 00:36:18,100
At Mageni, the cavers have reached the surface camp

496
00:36:18,140 --> 00:36:20,180
and Steve's fever is subsiding.

497
00:36:22,700 --> 00:36:28,380
The rest of the team also need time to recover.

498
00:36:33,540 --> 00:36:39,740
I have a kind of a rash on my body, just like burning my whole body.

499
00:36:39,780 --> 00:36:43,100
It's not very nice.

500
00:36:45,180 --> 00:36:48,940
Steve's gaining strength and keen to get back to the job.

501
00:36:48,980 --> 00:36:50,620
Before they go into the cave,

502
00:36:50,660 --> 00:36:53,380
they're adding their new data to the computer.

503
00:36:53,420 --> 00:36:54,700
In the 21st century,

504
00:36:54,740 --> 00:36:59,020
it's rare to be able to explore and chart a whole new river system.

505
00:36:59,060 --> 00:37:02,860
Well, this crunches all the numbers that we get when we go surveying,

506
00:37:02,900 --> 00:37:06,940
and very cleverly creates a 3D model of the cave.

507
00:37:06,980 --> 00:37:09,340
And it's by no means fully explored

508
00:37:09,380 --> 00:37:11,340
and there's various leads on here,

509
00:37:11,380 --> 00:37:13,980
these little dead ends or look like dead ends,

510
00:37:14,020 --> 00:37:16,820
these are passages that we didn't explore fully

511
00:37:16,860 --> 00:37:18,660
and are waiting to be surveyed.

512
00:37:18,700 --> 00:37:22,700
And it's just a matter of getting there and doing it and that's what burns a hole in my head.

513
00:37:25,180 --> 00:37:27,100
The lure of the cave is strong.

514
00:37:27,140 --> 00:37:32,260
Fired up again, the team drop back down the cliff side.

515
00:37:43,260 --> 00:37:46,020
Truly, this is the land of the unexpected.

516
00:37:50,700 --> 00:37:53,660
On the eastern slopes of Mount Bosavi,

517
00:37:53,700 --> 00:37:56,060
Gordon is still tracking birds

518
00:37:56,100 --> 00:38:00,020
when he discovers a river erupting from deep underground.

519
00:38:02,620 --> 00:38:06,860
This is a place with lots of strange things

520
00:38:06,900 --> 00:38:09,940
and this is another one of them.

521
00:38:09,980 --> 00:38:12,900
This is the start of a river, a river that...

522
00:38:12,940 --> 00:38:17,820
well, actually, no, it's not the start because this river is flowing underground.

523
00:38:17,860 --> 00:38:20,220
It is just very peculiar.

524
00:38:20,260 --> 00:38:23,060
All of this water getting pushed,

525
00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:28,940
a huge quantity of water that's flowing down from Bosavi underground

526
00:38:28,980 --> 00:38:31,940
into a big channel that wells up here.

527
00:38:31,980 --> 00:38:37,580
And I would say that this is the best example of the power of water

528
00:38:37,620 --> 00:38:42,020
and unseen goings on, things that are going on way beneath our feet.

529
00:38:51,020 --> 00:38:54,900
And then, at last, high in the trees above Gordon,

530
00:38:54,940 --> 00:38:57,340
the sound he's been hoping for.

531
00:38:59,380 --> 00:39:02,780
It is a Raggianna Bird Of Paradise calling.

532
00:39:02,820 --> 00:39:06,540
This time of day it will still be displaying.

533
00:39:06,580 --> 00:39:08,860
It's great to know that they're in here,

534
00:39:08,900 --> 00:39:11,380
and it's definitely one I want to try and film

535
00:39:11,420 --> 00:39:13,660
cos they are gobsmackingly beautiful.

536
00:39:16,340 --> 00:39:20,860
The Raggianna displays only in the treetops.

537
00:39:20,900 --> 00:39:25,020
Gordon shoots a line 20 metres up a nearby tree.

538
00:39:25,060 --> 00:39:29,060
He'll have to haul himself and all his kit up into the canopy.

539
00:39:31,140 --> 00:39:36,460
Few people have ever seen a Bird Of Paradise, let alone, you know,

540
00:39:36,500 --> 00:39:41,340
sat up in a treetop with them so there is a real sense of privilege.

541
00:39:48,340 --> 00:39:53,140
Gordon must move quietly, so he doesn't drive the birds away.

542
00:40:02,180 --> 00:40:03,860
Oh, bats!

543
00:40:03,900 --> 00:40:05,820
Lots of them.

544
00:40:05,860 --> 00:40:08,620
Steve and the cavers are back in Mageni,

545
00:40:08,660 --> 00:40:12,820
retracing their steps to where their exploration left off.

546
00:40:18,700 --> 00:40:20,900
Oh, yeah!

547
00:40:20,940 --> 00:40:25,220
And it's not long before their effort pay off.

548
00:40:25,260 --> 00:40:31,380
Just found a lead.What, a new passage? Fantastic!I know, I know.

549
00:40:31,420 --> 00:40:33,660
If you look down there you can see the river.

550
00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:36,780
Oh, my god, it's a proper river.

551
00:40:36,820 --> 00:40:39,420
Yeah, no-one's been down there ever.

552
00:40:39,460 --> 00:40:41,220
We're the first people here.

553
00:40:41,260 --> 00:40:43,420
There's a waterfall down there.

554
00:40:43,460 --> 00:40:46,260
Come on, without further ado.

555
00:40:50,100 --> 00:40:54,820
This new passage is drawing them down a side channel of the main river.

556
00:40:56,820 --> 00:41:00,620
Oh, I'm soaking!

557
00:41:00,660 --> 00:41:03,700
It's steep and it's getting narrower

558
00:41:03,740 --> 00:41:07,340
but it could be a new way out of the mountain.

559
00:41:07,380 --> 00:41:09,500
I don't know if you can make this out,

560
00:41:09,540 --> 00:41:11,940
we haven't really got enough light to show,

561
00:41:11,980 --> 00:41:15,020
but we're sitting at the top of a white water cataract

562
00:41:15,060 --> 00:41:17,620
which is raging off down into the mountain.

563
00:41:17,660 --> 00:41:20,420
And we're going to tread really carefully but I think,

564
00:41:20,460 --> 00:41:23,260
do you think, Moose, we should try and push on a little bit?

565
00:41:23,300 --> 00:41:26,500
Stick to the right-hand side and then we'll cross over.OK.

566
00:41:31,540 --> 00:41:34,060
In his treetop, Gordon is in position

567
00:41:34,100 --> 00:41:36,180
but everything is against him.

568
00:41:38,380 --> 00:41:41,220
Bloody bees!

569
00:41:46,660 --> 00:41:47,700
Get off.

570
00:41:47,740 --> 00:41:50,740
He's level with the Raggianna display site

571
00:41:50,780 --> 00:41:52,700
but the heavens have opened.

572
00:41:54,660 --> 00:41:58,220
Little chance of these birds showing up.

573
00:41:59,780 --> 00:42:02,220
It's pouring down and apparently

574
00:42:02,260 --> 00:42:06,100
Birds of Paradise don't like to display in the rain.

575
00:42:06,140 --> 00:42:11,460
I can hear them off... There you go, there's one. BIRD CHIRPS

576
00:42:11,500 --> 00:42:16,860
But the chances of them coming in and doing their stuff, I would say, would be very slim.

577
00:42:16,900 --> 00:42:19,860
Come on, you monkey.

578
00:42:22,780 --> 00:42:25,500
Oh. Jeez, there's one there. There's one there.

579
00:42:25,540 --> 00:42:29,460
Oh, you little darling.

580
00:42:31,060 --> 00:42:36,500
Oh, jeez, there's two of them, there's' two of them!

581
00:42:36,540 --> 00:42:38,500
Wow! Look at that.

582
00:42:40,300 --> 00:42:43,740
Despite the rain, there are two males trying to outshine each other.

583
00:42:43,780 --> 00:42:49,100
That is the most weird and fantastic bird I've ever seen.

584
00:42:49,140 --> 00:42:52,340
What's going on, what's going on?

585
00:42:52,380 --> 00:42:55,460
They're trying to show who's the fittest

586
00:42:55,500 --> 00:42:58,020
with a complicated dance routine.

587
00:43:00,300 --> 00:43:02,620
Wow!

588
00:43:02,660 --> 00:43:07,820
It almost looks as if the males are showing off to each other.

589
00:43:07,860 --> 00:43:10,300
OK, there must be a female around.

590
00:43:10,340 --> 00:43:16,180
Until a female turns up, these males can't afford to stop their display

591
00:43:16,220 --> 00:43:20,300
and Gordon can't afford to take his eyes off them.

592
00:43:20,340 --> 00:43:24,980
There's a huge volume of water pushing through here.

593
00:43:25,020 --> 00:43:28,100
It's a good job the ground's grippy.

594
00:43:28,140 --> 00:43:32,100
In the cave, the route they found is getting treacherous.

595
00:43:32,140 --> 00:43:35,460
You're best standing on the ridge, that's it.

596
00:43:35,500 --> 00:43:37,660
This is no place to lose your grip.

597
00:43:37,700 --> 00:43:41,700
Oh, look at that. We're going to cross here.

598
00:43:45,980 --> 00:43:51,820
This is extraordinary. It's a real raging, raging river.

599
00:43:51,860 --> 00:43:55,420
There's an incredible amount of water passing through here.

600
00:43:55,460 --> 00:43:58,620
If you actually lost your footing and got swept away down there,

601
00:43:58,660 --> 00:44:02,180
you could get sucked into a place where the water just goes underground

602
00:44:02,220 --> 00:44:05,500
with no air or you could just get swept over the top of a waterfall.

603
00:44:05,540 --> 00:44:09,140
Same time, though, this has got to be one of the most exciting things I've ever done.

604
00:44:09,180 --> 00:44:15,860
Every single step we take is new, no-one's ever seen any of this.

605
00:44:22,180 --> 00:44:25,780
Finding and exploring a brand new underground route

606
00:44:25,820 --> 00:44:28,380
is the ultimate thrill for any caver.

607
00:44:28,420 --> 00:44:31,460
It's a waterfall.

608
00:44:31,500 --> 00:44:33,460
We're in the top of a waterfall.

609
00:44:33,500 --> 00:44:36,540
You can hear the noise of it. It's like a 747 taking off.

610
00:44:38,940 --> 00:44:41,340
The passage goes off in that direction

611
00:44:41,380 --> 00:44:43,820
so we've got some more exploring to do.

612
00:44:43,860 --> 00:44:46,660
That's fantastic!

613
00:44:46,700 --> 00:44:50,980
To descend any further, they'll need climbing equipment.

614
00:44:51,020 --> 00:44:54,020
The guys have kindly said I could go first,

615
00:44:54,060 --> 00:44:58,220
so I'm going to head down, see what we can find down there.

616
00:44:58,260 --> 00:45:01,300
See you at the bottom, mate.

617
00:45:10,100 --> 00:45:14,100
This is an absolutely awesome place.

618
00:45:14,140 --> 00:45:15,380
It's just thunderous.

619
00:45:15,420 --> 00:45:17,420
Honestly, just the noise of it

620
00:45:17,460 --> 00:45:20,300
makes you feel like you're being battered the entire time.

621
00:45:20,340 --> 00:45:24,940
Heading down there now, into the unknown.

622
00:45:33,020 --> 00:45:35,300
Go, go, go, go!

623
00:45:35,340 --> 00:45:40,900
That is the biggest scorpion I have seen yet here.

624
00:45:40,940 --> 00:45:43,860
In the jungle, George is out collecting.

625
00:45:45,420 --> 00:45:48,260
Come on, we want something nice.

626
00:45:48,300 --> 00:45:50,740
The base camp phase of the expedition is nearing an end

627
00:45:50,780 --> 00:45:55,140
but the forest is still delivering surprises.

628
00:45:55,180 --> 00:45:59,580
There's a little tiny frog, a little tiny frog just sitting on that leaf.

629
00:45:59,620 --> 00:46:03,060
Think we should collect that for Alan, our frog expert.

630
00:46:05,340 --> 00:46:08,180
Alan, I bring you frog.

631
00:46:08,220 --> 00:46:11,860
Is it a tree frog, very sort of adhesive little feet?

632
00:46:13,420 --> 00:46:16,980
Indeed it is a tree frog. It's an interesting one, this is a great one.

633
00:46:17,020 --> 00:46:20,300
Wow, it's the first one we've found here, we have not found this yet.

634
00:46:20,340 --> 00:46:24,380
It could either be a new species or on it's way to being a new species.

635
00:46:24,420 --> 00:46:26,340
Yes!Thank you so much.

636
00:46:28,660 --> 00:46:32,820
Across the lab, photographer Ulla has set up a time-lapse studio.

637
00:46:35,100 --> 00:46:38,900
That's looking so close.

638
00:46:38,940 --> 00:46:43,180
One of George's mystery caterpillars is now a chrysalis

639
00:46:43,220 --> 00:46:45,340
and could hatch at any time.

640
00:46:45,380 --> 00:46:50,420
What I really want is to give it a little poke just to see if it's...

641
00:46:50,460 --> 00:46:53,260
I can't just give it a little poke, no?

642
00:46:53,300 --> 00:46:59,180
Well, no, it would really spoil the time lapse, so sorry.

643
00:47:02,700 --> 00:47:05,500
The cameras should capture the very moment it emerges.

644
00:47:07,060 --> 00:47:08,940
I know what's going to happen.

645
00:47:08,980 --> 00:47:12,980
It'll emerge and it'll be the most tedious, boring little moth.

646
00:47:32,340 --> 00:47:35,300
Oh, no, I don't like the look of this at all.

647
00:47:36,860 --> 00:47:38,860
This is the way on...

648
00:47:38,900 --> 00:47:41,300
Well, possibly.

649
00:47:41,340 --> 00:47:44,220
The water seems to have levelled out a little bit

650
00:47:44,260 --> 00:47:46,860
and it goes underneath a narrow ceiling here,

651
00:47:46,900 --> 00:47:49,620
and it looks like there might be more beyond it.

652
00:47:51,180 --> 00:47:53,460
What do you reckon, Moose?

653
00:47:53,500 --> 00:47:57,460
I reckon it's a duck of about four-five metres.

654
00:47:57,500 --> 00:48:00,140
You know this is about the worse thing you could do

655
00:48:00,180 --> 00:48:02,620
is to go into the unknown in fast-flowing water,

656
00:48:02,660 --> 00:48:04,340
cos you get whisked away, yeah?

657
00:48:13,380 --> 00:48:16,300
Only Steve and Moose will press on into the unknown.

658
00:48:16,340 --> 00:48:18,540
The rest of the team can only wait.

659
00:48:34,540 --> 00:48:39,260
In the tree top, Gordon's two male Raggiannas are upping their game.

660
00:48:42,380 --> 00:48:45,220
Their efforts have attracted a potential mate.

661
00:48:47,540 --> 00:48:49,980
Oh, there you go, female.

662
00:48:50,020 --> 00:48:53,220
She'll decide which is her favourite.

663
00:48:59,660 --> 00:49:04,740
Now this could get quite interesting.

664
00:49:04,780 --> 00:49:06,100
Despite the rain,

665
00:49:06,140 --> 00:49:11,340
they're both putting in this display because there's competition.

666
00:49:11,380 --> 00:49:13,460
And not only is there competition,

667
00:49:13,500 --> 00:49:16,900
there is a female around and that's what it's all about.

668
00:49:16,940 --> 00:49:19,020
Oh, man,

669
00:49:19,060 --> 00:49:22,140
doesn't get much better than this.

670
00:49:22,180 --> 00:49:24,100
Not when it comes to birds.

671
00:49:24,140 --> 00:49:25,980
Oh, two females! Jeez.

672
00:49:26,020 --> 00:49:29,700
A second female also shows an interest.

673
00:49:29,740 --> 00:49:31,740
Come on, I see what you can get.

674
00:49:31,780 --> 00:49:36,220
Oh, he's pecking her, oh easy on.

675
00:49:38,900 --> 00:49:43,940
This is quite incredible

676
00:49:43,980 --> 00:49:48,980
that these birds have evolved to look like this, to sound like this,

677
00:49:49,020 --> 00:49:51,500
to act like this just to win a mate.

678
00:49:53,060 --> 00:49:57,020
Well, it looks as if she's decided who she likes.

679
00:49:57,060 --> 00:50:03,140
Oh, yes, you will be mine.

680
00:50:09,220 --> 00:50:13,340
As one male makes the biggest impression, the second knows he's beaten.

681
00:50:14,940 --> 00:50:17,780
Oh, mating, he's mating, oh, lovely.

682
00:50:22,500 --> 00:50:24,620
Oh, I can't believe we've got that.

683
00:50:24,660 --> 00:50:29,220
Now I wonder if he'll actually mate with both of them in the one day.

684
00:50:29,260 --> 00:50:34,820
This male's done well, he's won over the second female.

685
00:50:34,860 --> 00:50:36,940
She is not boring at all.

686
00:50:36,980 --> 00:50:38,900
He looks really doing his stuff.

687
00:50:45,700 --> 00:50:49,260
That's what it's all about with Birds of Paradise,

688
00:50:49,300 --> 00:50:53,860
is if you look that great you're going to get more than one lady.

689
00:50:56,220 --> 00:50:58,700
And off she goes.

690
00:50:58,740 --> 00:51:03,540
You don't really get too many days like this.

691
00:51:03,580 --> 00:51:06,940
Off he goes, beautiful. Ta-da.

692
00:51:16,100 --> 00:51:18,380
Oh, lord. This goes on forever.

693
00:51:21,140 --> 00:51:26,340
Steve and Moose have been alone inside the flooded cave for 15 minutes.

694
00:51:28,820 --> 00:51:31,900
The river's deep and the ceiling is getting lower.

695
00:51:31,940 --> 00:51:35,900
It's not as hectic as it was the other side.

696
00:51:35,940 --> 00:51:39,340
But it's still running quite fast.

697
00:51:39,380 --> 00:51:43,220
Then the river disappears into an airless chamber.

698
00:51:43,260 --> 00:51:47,780
As far as exploration of this part of the cave is concerned,

699
00:51:47,820 --> 00:51:49,780
this is the end of the line.

700
00:51:49,820 --> 00:51:53,180
Don't want to get washed into a watery grave down there,

701
00:51:53,220 --> 00:51:54,860
so let's not go any further.

702
00:51:54,900 --> 00:51:57,620
There's no way the cavers can go on.

703
00:51:59,580 --> 00:52:02,620
There's nothing more here for us. Let's head out.

704
00:52:05,620 --> 00:52:08,500
You know, we've reached the end, that's what we came here to do.

705
00:52:08,540 --> 00:52:11,740
We've actually found the end of this piece of passage,

706
00:52:11,780 --> 00:52:14,020
and now I think it's time to head home.

707
00:52:14,060 --> 00:52:16,980
The caving has been a success.

708
00:52:17,020 --> 00:52:21,500
They've found and charted a section of cave never before seen.

709
00:52:21,540 --> 00:52:25,900
But for Steve, the expedition is far from over.

710
00:52:40,380 --> 00:52:44,980
While George is asleep in his hammock, something stirs in the lab.

711
00:52:46,020 --> 00:52:52,140
The time-lapse camera watches as a moth chooses its moment to emerge.

712
00:53:05,740 --> 00:53:08,420
George?

713
00:53:17,540 --> 00:53:21,380
Oh, that's beautiful, look at that!

714
00:53:21,420 --> 00:53:23,220
Absolutely...

715
00:53:23,260 --> 00:53:24,780
please don't fly off.

716
00:53:26,860 --> 00:53:31,980
I have never seen a moth like this before in my life.

717
00:53:32,020 --> 00:53:34,340
Don't fly off, please don't fly off.

718
00:53:34,380 --> 00:53:38,940
Just look at the pattern on the back of that wing.

719
00:53:38,980 --> 00:53:40,860
Wow, they are amazing.

720
00:53:40,900 --> 00:53:43,060
When you see something in the wild

721
00:53:43,100 --> 00:53:46,420
and you don't know if it'll be a moth or what sort of moth,

722
00:53:46,460 --> 00:53:50,580
and the only way of finding out what any immature stage will become

723
00:53:50,620 --> 00:53:53,540
is to rear them up, which is exactly what we did.

724
00:53:53,580 --> 00:53:58,580
My wife has her birthday today and I'm not there,

725
00:53:58,620 --> 00:54:05,580
and if these turn out to be new species, I will name them after her.

726
00:54:05,620 --> 00:54:08,060
I really hope they are new species.

727
00:54:14,180 --> 00:54:19,380
In base camp, Steve is preparing for the next challenge of the expedition.

728
00:54:23,260 --> 00:54:27,820
The team's new destination is the volcanic crater of Mount Bosavi.

729
00:54:30,460 --> 00:54:35,180
Its fortress walls have kept the hunters out and animals in.

730
00:54:36,740 --> 00:54:41,020
This isolated cauldron could conceal spectacular new species.

731
00:54:41,060 --> 00:54:43,500
Steve, look at that.

732
00:54:43,540 --> 00:54:46,500
There it is, Mount Bosavi. I've got to say it's so much like

733
00:54:46,540 --> 00:54:49,380
something you'd expect to see in a geography textbook.

734
00:54:49,420 --> 00:54:53,740
This whole volcano is a million years old.

735
00:54:53,780 --> 00:54:57,500
The last time it blew up was 200,000 years ago.

736
00:54:57,540 --> 00:54:59,380
Yeah, sounds about right, so potentially

737
00:54:59,420 --> 00:55:02,460
everything that's in there's been trapped in there for 200,000 years.

738
00:55:02,500 --> 00:55:05,740
So the great thing is, of course, is that also if there is any hunting

739
00:55:05,780 --> 00:55:09,540
it tends to be done on the low-lying part.

740
00:55:09,580 --> 00:55:12,180
Who is going to climb up into the crater to hunt stuff

741
00:55:12,220 --> 00:55:16,740
when you don't have to, so this whole area is going to be really...

742
00:55:16,780 --> 00:55:18,500
Very, very exciting.

743
00:55:18,540 --> 00:55:24,460
You talk about lost worlds, well this is just, it doesn't get any better than this.It is amazing.

744
00:55:31,340 --> 00:55:33,500
Steve is leading the advance party,

745
00:55:33,540 --> 00:55:36,020
paving the way for the rest of the team.

746
00:55:36,060 --> 00:55:38,620
Come on, guys, good luck.

747
00:55:43,500 --> 00:55:48,180
They're going to build a camp right in the heart of the crater.

748
00:55:59,100 --> 00:56:02,820
The survey of the animals around base camp is now complete,

749
00:56:02,860 --> 00:56:04,340
and its time to move on.

750
00:56:08,300 --> 00:56:13,180
In just four weeks, the scientists have found and catalogued hundreds of animals.

751
00:56:13,220 --> 00:56:17,660
A staggering 29 are believed to be completely new to science.

752
00:56:21,980 --> 00:56:23,940
Yeah, the trip's been really great.

753
00:56:23,980 --> 00:56:27,940
We were able to get a lot of birds in the nets, a lot of bats as well working with Alanna.

754
00:56:27,980 --> 00:56:29,700
We have well over 90 species between us

755
00:56:29,740 --> 00:56:31,460
and I haven't even made the final total,

756
00:56:31,500 --> 00:56:33,260
it will probably be even more than that.

757
00:56:34,820 --> 00:56:38,180
The next destination is beyond the clouds.

758
00:56:39,820 --> 00:56:43,740
The ancient crater inside Mount Bosavi itself.

759
00:56:43,780 --> 00:56:49,340
They'll be the first scientists ever to explore this lost world.

760
00:57:01,540 --> 00:57:07,340
This is the crater rim we're about to cross now. And that is the crater.

761
00:57:09,340 --> 00:57:12,860
I didn't prepare myself for the size of it.

762
00:57:28,300 --> 00:57:30,300
All the wildlife, all the plants

763
00:57:30,340 --> 00:57:34,100
that are here have been trapped inside by all of these walls.

764
00:57:34,140 --> 00:57:37,980
It's almost like the inside of the crater is kind of like an island.

765
00:57:38,020 --> 00:57:42,220
We could find something really, really spectacular inside here.

766
00:57:42,260 --> 00:57:45,100
I guess that's the hope.

767
00:57:47,420 --> 00:57:53,540
Next time, George witnesses the birth of a new mountain.

768
00:57:53,580 --> 00:57:58,780
To be absolutely honest with you I'm actually feeling quite apprehensive.

769
00:57:58,820 --> 00:58:03,820
You couldn't speed away from this in a hurry, you would be toast.

770
00:58:03,860 --> 00:58:08,900
In Bosavi's crater, the team find kangaroos that live in trees.

771
00:58:08,940 --> 00:58:11,780
The fact that this animal just wandered straight past us

772
00:58:11,820 --> 00:58:14,500
means the wildlife here has never been hunted before,

773
00:58:14,540 --> 00:58:15,980
it hasn't seen people before.

774
00:58:16,020 --> 00:58:19,940
And the most significant discovery of all, a new species

775
00:58:19,980 --> 00:58:24,260
of mammal, the largest of its kind anywhere in the world.

776
00:58:24,300 --> 00:58:26,500
Oh, my word, have a look at this.

777
00:58:26,540 --> 00:58:29,780
Oh, gosh!