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Burma...

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..closed to the outside world
for five decades.

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A mysterious land...

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..a land of secrets.

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Nearly half of Burma
is covered in forest.

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It's thought to be a sanctuary
to some of the rarest
and most exotic wildlife on earth.

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Yet only three per cent
of Burma's forests are protected.

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As Burma steps towards democracy,

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it must decide the fate
of these forests.

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Now an expedition team
of scientists and filmmakers

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has been granted
unprecedented access.

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It is better than I could have ever
have imagined.

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Their mission,

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to prove beyond doubt that these
unique forests need to be protected.

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It's a big snake, it's huge!

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They will search for animals

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that elsewhere
hover on the edge of extinction.

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Yes, yes!

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And present their findings
to the Burmese Government.

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I happen to know
that this is a spectacular find.

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What they discover could change
the future of Burma's wilds forever.

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This country is rumoured to be home
to a treasure trove of wildlife.

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This is the very first time
that any film team

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have been allowed in to find out
what's going on down there.

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Burma is the largest
and least explored country

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in mainland Southeast Asia...

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..a region that boasts some of the
most diverse forests on the planet.

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Today 95 per cent of Southeast
Asia's forests have disappeared.

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Burma contains half of what is left.

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Its forests cover an area
larger than the United Kingdom.

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They may be home to some
of Asia's most endangered species.

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Now an expedition will venture
deep into Burma's jungle.

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Wildlife filmmakers Gordon Buchanan
and Justine Evans have joined forces

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with biologists Ross Piper
and Chris Wemmer.

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Alongside them,
a team of Burmese wildlife experts.

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They will compile a detailed
wildlife survey and capture footage

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to convince the Burmese Government
to protect these forests.

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For the last 50 years Burma has
very much been this forbidden land,

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and when it comes to the natural
habitat, it's a forgotten land.

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In the last few hundred years
the lifestyle of the people,
the habitat,

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in this area
is pretty much unchanged.

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Burma, also known as Myanmar,

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has suffered half a century
of oppressive military rule.

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It became one of the most isolated
and impoverished countries
in the world.

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Today
three-quarters of the population

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make their living from the land.

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You get a real sense,
driving through this part of Burma,

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how little has changed here.

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What we might find when it comes to
the wildlife is this time capsule,

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other animals that are being lost
elsewhere in Southeast Asia

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could be living in good numbers
right here.

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The expedition team
has two months on the ground.

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They will cover
as much of the country as they can.

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They start in western Burma,

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in search of Southeast Asia's
largest mammal, the Asian elephant.

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In the last century,

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up to 90 per cent of the world's
Asian elephants have disappeared.

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Finding healthy populations
of elephants

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would make a powerful case
for preserving these forests.

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The amazing thing is that it is
almost perfect elephant habitat,

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but the fact is, very, very little
is known about the elephants
that actually live here.

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We do know that they are here,

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but what we have no idea of
is how many there are.

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Biologist Ross Piper
has never been to this part
of Southeast Asia before.

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Where we are at the moment,
it does look good for elephants,

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but we really have to get into the
areas that are away from these roads,

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that are away from human activity,

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and only then will we see signs
of elephants

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and hopefully see the animals
themselves.

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Camerawoman Justine Evans
knows filming elephants here

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will be a challenge.

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I've filmed Asian elephants before
in other parts of Southeast Asia,

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but they've always been
in these tiny pockets of forest
within national parks.

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Above everything,
elephants need space.

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Here, they have that space and that's
why it's such an important area.

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It just feels like
it's got a lot of great potential.

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Burma's elephants are under threat.

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Throughout Asia, they're hunted
and persecuted by humans.

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That's a problem.

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Elephants live
in close-knit family groups.

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The young learn
their survival skills from the old.

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If the older elephants are killed,
the whole herd breaks down.

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The team knows the elephants
are here,

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but to make the strongest case
for their protection

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they must find herds
with every generation intact.

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They need to find groups
with calves.

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Their destination,
the Rakine Yoma mountains...

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..a vast swathe
of almost impenetrable jungle.

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Its isolation protects
the elephants from poachers.

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If the team can find intact herds
anywhere, it will be here.

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Biologist Chris Wemmer hopes these
mountains could be a stronghold
for the Asian elephant.

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What we want to do is determine
if there's a healthy population,

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a viable population of elephants
in this part of the range,

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because if there is,

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there's a very good chance that
the forest is healthy north of here

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and that it will also support
additional herds of elephant,

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so we could be looking
at an extensive range

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that has a large population of
elephants along most of its length.

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Chris has been working in Burma
for decades,

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but this is the first time he's had
access to this mountain range.

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It's a unique opportunity.

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It's also a challenge.

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The forest is dense
and elephants are shy.

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I've been coming to Burma
for 25 years

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and I've never seen a wild elephant.

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So our work is cut out for us.

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To find the elephants, the team must
first get to know their habitat.

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Chris wants to show Gordon
the lie of the land...from the air.

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Wow! Look at that.

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That's stunning, isn't it?
Boy, that's something!

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This forest is unbroken
for a thousand miles.

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With the right protection, it could
be the world's most important
sanctuary for the Asian elephant.

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Somewhere like this is incredibly
special in Southeast Asia,

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because you've got
this massive range that stretches
over a thousand miles.

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Absolutely.
You know, every time I stare out
across this kind of landscape,

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it just stirs my imagination.

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The truth is that so little is known
about this range.

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That's just it, there's all kinds
of secrets and mysteries in there,

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that's what we want
to find out about, you know.

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The foothills of this inaccessible
range are already developed...

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..pushing elephants
into ever-more remote territory.

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So on the ground,
where do we start looking?

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I would say we go up these hollows,
up into the hills,

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and we're going to look
for elephant tracks,

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and I don't mean footprints...

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I mean a four-foot wide area,

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which is basically their, their
own highway, their own thoroughfare,

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that's what
we're going to be looking for,

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and we'll follow those
to the feeding areas.

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It's not going to be easy.

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It's a daunting task
that lies before us.

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In the last century,

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Asian elephants have lost
95 per cent of their former range.

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This isn't their only problem.

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Farmers kill them
to protect their land...

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poachers hunt them
for their ivory...

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..and those that survive
face another threat,

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illegal capture
for the tourist trade.

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So what's this?

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What we're seeing here
is an example of the illegal trade
in Asian elephants.

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This is an animal which is entering
the tourist trade in Thailand.

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It was illegally captured,
probably in Burma.

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It is being broken of its spirit

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so it can be trained to beg
in the streets

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and to give joyrides to tourists,
that's what it's all about.

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Oh, God, I hate to see that, oh!

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To break a wild-caught elephant, you
are...you are breaking its spirit.

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Its spirit, yes.

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Vet and Asian elephant expert
Khyne U Mar

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has fought for Burma's elephants
for decades.

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So how long does this animal
have to go through this process?

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Normally, it takes about a month
to finish this breaking procedure.

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So the calf's dependency on mother is
as long as about five or seven years,

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so if they are, you know, separated
from the mother in a very early age,

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it makes a lot of psychological
stress and strain and stress
for the young calf.

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I suppose it's an enslavement,
because this animal is going
to spend its life in chains.

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Right, in chain, yes, yes.

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It's estimated that up to a quarter
of all the elephants born in Burma
end up as playthings for tourists.

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Without protection,

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Burma's elephants could be gone
in just 30 years.

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The team begins its first full day
with a simple challenge.

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There are elephants out there,
but where?

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Here...

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1-10. 1-10.

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Aung Kyaw, what is the pattern
of movement here?

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The elephant movements, in this area
using the Aungnyo River,

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and then moving along the Aungnyo
River and then to the ridge.

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Chris Wemmer and his old friend,
park ranger, Aung Kyaw

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piece together information
from recent sightings.

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So the feeding areas are both
in the valleys? In the valleys.

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The river valleys and on the ridges.

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On the ridge, yes, there are
a lot of bamboo and wild banana.

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That's why they like this area
very much.

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They've identified the area
they need to search.

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Now the team must split up.

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Justine will stick
to the river valleys,

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where elephants relax
in the heat of the day.

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Gordon will head for
their night-time feeding grounds
on the ridge,

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six miles from camp.

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To find the elephants,

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the team will rely on the expertise
of the local Chin community.

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If I was to go out here
looking for elephants,

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I could walk for days and days
and maybe eventually I'd find them.

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The good thing about elephants
is they're big, they can be noisy

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and they do leave a lot of tracks
and signs behind them,

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but Moko here has spent the last few
days looking for elephants.

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How far are the elephants
travelling each day?

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While Gordon heads for the ridge,
Justine searches the valleys.

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It's the dry season

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and the elephants
will stay close to water.

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Hey, look at this,
this is really good.

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See this plant here?

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You can see the way
it's been knocked over...

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..and this is classic elephant...

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and you can see where
the trunk's probably come round

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and then the foot has come in
to kick this plant,

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and it hasn't been eaten,
but it's been definitely knocked over
by an elephant.

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And then over here a bigger one.

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Yeah, this is definitely elephant,

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and you can actually see
footprints in there.

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So that's great, first signs of ele.

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The team knows
there are elephants here.

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But they need to find out whether
these are healthy, breeding herds.

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Gordon hopes camera traps
will reveal this.

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Obviously,
when you're siting a camera trap

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you've got to have the animal
that you're after in mind,

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and that has a huge bearing
on where you put it.

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Camera traps will capture footage
of anything that triggers
their movement sensor, day or night.

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So if I put this camera trap here,
for example,

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I could say with absolute certainty
if an elephant came down this path,

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it would see this.

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They're incredibly intelligent
animals,

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and what it would do, it would stop,
it would put out its trunk,

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it would have a sniff,

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and very easily it would put that
huge powerful trunk against it

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and it would smash this thing
to smithereens.

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So what I'm wanting to do
is put it up a little bit higher,

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and the thinking is that if an
elephant's coming down this slope,

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it's going to be concentrating
on the path,

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and it's not going to see
the camera trap up there.

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So one armed and ready to go.

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Down in the valley,

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trackers have led Justine to a spot
the elephants visit regularly.

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Great. You can really see
a clear ele trail here.

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These local Chin guides have shown me
this beautiful elephant trail

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you can see here,
that's leading up to a salt lick,

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and the idea is that they're
going to come here to mine for salt.

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They need it in their diet just
as people do, and they just don't get
enough from the vegetation.

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It's amazing the lengths
that elephants go to to get salt.

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And here you can see they've been
digging away at the soil.

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You see there
where he's been lying down.

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Elephants have been here recently
so Justine may be too late.

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How often do the eles
come to this salt lick?

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00:17:03,117 --> 00:17:04,556
Once a month? Yeah.

235
00:17:04,557 --> 00:17:07,276
So is it sort of a dynamic that
they're moving around their territory

236
00:17:07,277 --> 00:17:10,156
and that they may come for a few days
and then move on

237
00:17:10,157 --> 00:17:14,437
and then return in a few weeks' time,
that sort of situation?

238
00:17:17,077 --> 00:17:18,717
So we have a chance, they might come?

239
00:17:19,757 --> 00:17:20,557
Yeah, yeah.

240
00:17:21,957 --> 00:17:25,836
Camera traps allow Justine to film
in several different places at once.

241
00:17:25,837 --> 00:17:31,517
With luck, they'll tell her
how many elephants live here,
and, crucially, if they have young.

242
00:17:34,917 --> 00:17:40,757
If the team finds elephants thriving
here, then they could be thriving
throughout the range.

243
00:17:44,037 --> 00:17:46,717
This gives Chris hope
for the elephants' future.

244
00:17:47,877 --> 00:17:50,476
Whoa! There it is, look at that!

245
00:17:50,477 --> 00:17:54,317
What a spread, magnificent!

246
00:17:58,357 --> 00:18:02,036
What's encouraging
about this setting, this landscape,

247
00:18:02,037 --> 00:18:04,436
is that it goes on and on and on...

248
00:18:04,437 --> 00:18:06,036
We're towards the south,

249
00:18:06,037 --> 00:18:10,237
towards the end of a stretch
that goes on for hundreds
and hundreds of miles.

250
00:18:11,717 --> 00:18:14,997
These forests have survived
centuries of exploitation.

251
00:18:23,237 --> 00:18:28,357
In 1824, Britain colonised Burma
and ran it as a trading outpost.

252
00:18:30,157 --> 00:18:35,157
They used wild-caught elephants
to plunder forests
for their valuable teak...

253
00:18:36,517 --> 00:18:38,157
..until World War II...

254
00:18:40,917 --> 00:18:43,237
..when Japan invaded Burma.

255
00:18:44,957 --> 00:18:49,397
Bombs ravaged the same forests
the British Empire had plundered.

256
00:18:53,157 --> 00:18:55,957
After the war,
Burma gained its independence.

257
00:18:59,837 --> 00:19:04,276
Then, in 1962, a military coup
wrested power from the people

258
00:19:04,277 --> 00:19:09,037
and plunged Burma into five decades
of oppression and isolation.

259
00:19:12,757 --> 00:19:16,917
Since then, these forests
have lain largely undisturbed.

260
00:19:18,037 --> 00:19:22,276
One of the reasons this is still here
is because Burma has been closed off,

261
00:19:22,277 --> 00:19:26,876
it's been sealed to the outside world
for so long
following the Second World War.

262
00:19:26,877 --> 00:19:30,916
It was just cut off
and everything stayed the way it was.

263
00:19:30,917 --> 00:19:33,636
It existed in a time warp,
so to speak.

264
00:19:33,637 --> 00:19:35,756
All that's starting to change,
of course,

265
00:19:35,757 --> 00:19:40,957
but that time warp has done
one important thing, it's saved
all of this for the future.

266
00:19:43,677 --> 00:19:45,717
The forest has survived intact.

267
00:19:46,557 --> 00:19:50,237
Now the team hopes to prove
that elephant herds have too.

268
00:19:52,717 --> 00:19:55,716
Ross has travelled eight miles
northwest of base camp.

269
00:19:55,717 --> 00:19:58,717
So far
he hasn't found any elephants.

270
00:20:02,357 --> 00:20:04,636
But there is evidence
that they're here.

271
00:20:04,637 --> 00:20:06,437
Finally, look at this!

272
00:20:07,517 --> 00:20:09,036
We've been walking for six hours,

273
00:20:09,037 --> 00:20:12,036
and we've managed to find
some fresh elephant dung.

274
00:20:12,037 --> 00:20:13,397
There's...

275
00:20:13,797 --> 00:20:17,636
This was probably...this was probably
deposited only a few hours ago,

276
00:20:17,637 --> 00:20:19,557
still quite warm, actually.

277
00:20:20,157 --> 00:20:23,717
You can see how, you know,
the food has barely been digested.

278
00:20:25,037 --> 00:20:27,996
Elephants have a very inefficient
digestive system.

279
00:20:27,997 --> 00:20:32,396
Probably only about half of what
they eat actually gets digested
and absorbed.

280
00:20:32,397 --> 00:20:34,117
Flies all over it.

281
00:20:35,157 --> 00:20:38,677
Elephant dung is a rich source
of food for other animals.

282
00:20:39,837 --> 00:20:41,876
You have to remember
this is a key process.

283
00:20:41,877 --> 00:20:44,636
The fact that all these creatures
colonise this dung,

284
00:20:44,637 --> 00:20:47,516
take all the nutrients
and energy back into the soil

285
00:20:47,517 --> 00:20:49,476
where it can be used
by the plants again to grow.

286
00:20:49,477 --> 00:20:52,316
You know, that's a key element
to how these forests work.

287
00:20:52,317 --> 00:20:54,796
Without that, you know,
all these plants would die,

288
00:20:54,797 --> 00:20:58,476
if these nutrients
aren't recycled continually back
from the elephant eating them,

289
00:20:58,477 --> 00:21:01,356
passing it through its digestive
tract out on to the soil,

290
00:21:01,357 --> 00:21:04,276
and they get back taken back
into the soil
to nurture yet more plant growth.

291
00:21:04,277 --> 00:21:08,797
You know, it's those cycles...
it's those cycles that keep
every ecosystem ticking over.

292
00:21:09,757 --> 00:21:11,276
This adds to the team's evidence,

293
00:21:11,277 --> 00:21:13,917
but it's not proof
of breeding herds.

294
00:21:30,437 --> 00:21:33,676
The team is four days in
and the pressure is mounting.

295
00:21:33,677 --> 00:21:36,596
They have proof
that elephants are out there...

296
00:21:36,597 --> 00:21:42,317
but they're no closer
to filming them, or finding evidence
of healthy, breeding herds.

297
00:21:44,277 --> 00:21:46,476
Gordon, you got a minute?

298
00:21:46,477 --> 00:21:48,837
All they can do is keep going.

299
00:21:50,277 --> 00:21:51,957
We have your assignment.

300
00:21:52,837 --> 00:21:55,716
You've got a six-kilometre march
before you. OK.

301
00:21:55,717 --> 00:21:58,316
Based on the best intelligence
from the Chin trackers...

302
00:21:58,317 --> 00:22:00,916
they're probably up on the ridge
feeding this evening,

303
00:22:00,917 --> 00:22:04,236
they're going to come down
to the water late this afternoon,

304
00:22:04,237 --> 00:22:06,597
you need to be set up
and ready for them.

305
00:22:07,757 --> 00:22:10,196
After taking advice
from the trackers,

306
00:22:10,197 --> 00:22:12,637
Justine is trying
an old Burmese trick...

307
00:22:13,517 --> 00:22:14,996
..elephant cake.

308
00:22:14,997 --> 00:22:18,956
So what I'm going to do is I'm going
to mix up a load of tamarind,

309
00:22:18,957 --> 00:22:23,996
which is a type of tropical fruit
and a big bag of salt,

310
00:22:23,997 --> 00:22:26,076
and I'm going to take it
into the salt lick area...

311
00:22:26,077 --> 00:22:29,597
Hopefully, the elephants
will smell it and want to come in.

312
00:22:34,277 --> 00:22:35,077
Pwhoar!

313
00:22:36,157 --> 00:22:38,717
This is apparently
a tried-and-tested recipe...

314
00:22:40,597 --> 00:22:42,397
Smells rotten, though.

315
00:22:49,557 --> 00:22:53,117
While Gordon heads for the ridge,
Ross follows a different lead.

316
00:22:54,517 --> 00:22:58,357
Elephants have been sighted
near the village of Taung Lay.

317
00:23:01,037 --> 00:23:05,037
If the rumours are true, there could
be a second herd in the area.

318
00:23:10,317 --> 00:23:15,477
Ross heads downriver
with elephant expert Khyne U Mar
to talk to the locals.

319
00:23:18,237 --> 00:23:21,956
So I'm thinking this is the best
place to put the elephant cake.

320
00:23:21,957 --> 00:23:25,397
Hopefully, they'll get some sort
of scent of the tamarind.

321
00:23:26,837 --> 00:23:32,076
As Gordon heads up the ridge,
head ranger Aung Kyaw
spots movement across the valley.

322
00:23:32,077 --> 00:23:34,077
Do you see an elephant?

323
00:23:34,917 --> 00:23:36,516
Look!

324
00:23:36,517 --> 00:23:38,397
There's moving.

325
00:23:39,837 --> 00:23:42,757
Just directly
over the valley here...

326
00:23:43,677 --> 00:23:45,797
Now, do you think
there's an elephant in there? Yeah.

327
00:23:45,877 --> 00:23:48,277
TRUMPETING
Yeah, I can hear it, I can hear it.

328
00:23:49,357 --> 00:23:54,276
According to Aung Kyaw,
it's possible to get within
five metres of an elephant here

329
00:23:54,277 --> 00:23:56,237
and never actually see it.

330
00:23:57,117 --> 00:24:00,557
Why is such an enormous animal
so hard to find?

331
00:24:02,437 --> 00:24:06,117
Gordon will need
a good vantage point
if he's to catch them on camera.

332
00:24:08,957 --> 00:24:14,636
Right on top of the ridge, the
highest point, and this is my tree.

333
00:24:14,637 --> 00:24:18,397
This is... I'm going to climb up
and spend the night.

334
00:24:20,077 --> 00:24:23,597
Gordon will film from
a specially rigged tree platform.

335
00:24:24,397 --> 00:24:27,596
We know that there are elephants
just down in the valley.

336
00:24:27,597 --> 00:24:30,437
The hope is that they will come
back up on to the ridge tonight.

337
00:24:31,717 --> 00:24:34,597
This could be his best hope
of seeing elephants.

338
00:24:38,117 --> 00:24:41,836
In Taung Lay, Ross quickly discovers
the stories of elephants

339
00:24:41,837 --> 00:24:45,917
are more than just rumours.
They've been coming into the village
itself.

340
00:24:47,317 --> 00:24:50,597
He talks to Taung Lay's headman,
U Kin Toe.

341
00:24:53,557 --> 00:24:58,396
Can we find out why they fear
elephants, what is it about elephants
that makes them scared?

342
00:24:58,397 --> 00:25:04,317
THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

343
00:25:05,757 --> 00:25:10,516
Elephants are very big
and when they come in with group,

344
00:25:10,517 --> 00:25:13,276
nobody can do anything,
they just have to run away,

345
00:25:13,277 --> 00:25:19,196
and they have no power to, you know,
make them, you know, scared off.

346
00:25:19,197 --> 00:25:21,956
And how do they drive them out
when they do come into the village?

347
00:25:21,957 --> 00:25:27,076
THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

348
00:25:27,077 --> 00:25:30,996
Once they enter our compound,
we just shout.

349
00:25:30,997 --> 00:25:33,956
Shout? Shout and then kind of...

350
00:25:33,957 --> 00:25:34,716
Sounds good!

351
00:25:34,717 --> 00:25:41,276
Shout and then drive them.
So sometimes they turn away
and sometimes they charge us.

352
00:25:41,277 --> 00:25:42,516
HE SPEAKS IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE

353
00:25:42,517 --> 00:25:50,196
There is a place called Tandabin
which is about three miles
from here.

354
00:25:50,197 --> 00:25:52,836
They found elephants
that they call...

355
00:25:52,837 --> 00:25:56,517
THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

356
00:25:58,037 --> 00:26:00,997
Oh, right, they said in groups,
they live in groups.

357
00:26:02,317 --> 00:26:04,877
It's exactly
what Ross was hoping for.

358
00:26:05,877 --> 00:26:08,877
A large group
could well mean a breeding herd.

359
00:26:16,037 --> 00:26:19,917
On the ridge, Gordon prepares
for an uncomfortable night.

360
00:26:21,637 --> 00:26:25,277
His platform is 30 metres
off the ground.

361
00:26:30,557 --> 00:26:34,557
He hopes he'll see the elephants
without them noticing him.

362
00:26:40,837 --> 00:26:43,516
Elephants live
in tight family groups.

363
00:26:43,517 --> 00:26:46,316
They are extremely protective
of their young.

364
00:26:46,317 --> 00:26:49,316
If they smell Gordon,
they will stay away.

365
00:26:49,317 --> 00:26:53,317
So he plans to camp up here
for the next 48 hours.

366
00:26:58,037 --> 00:26:59,396
It won't be easy.

367
00:26:59,397 --> 00:27:03,516
The platform is barely large enough
for him and his camera.

368
00:27:03,517 --> 00:27:07,237
He must stay constantly alert
and wait.

369
00:27:15,837 --> 00:27:18,277
It does feel like
a very unusual thing to do.

370
00:27:20,557 --> 00:27:27,757
Being up a tree in the dead of night
waiting for a herd of elephants
to walk past.

371
00:27:29,797 --> 00:27:32,077
It's not normal, really.

372
00:27:34,477 --> 00:27:39,156
The thing that's niggling me is
whether I'm giving off any scent,

373
00:27:39,157 --> 00:27:42,556
whether this whole process
of climbing the tree,

374
00:27:42,557 --> 00:27:45,396
disturbing this area
for a period of time,

375
00:27:45,397 --> 00:27:47,997
maybe that's enough
to put the elephants off.

376
00:27:48,837 --> 00:27:54,836
Despite their huge size
elephants can be incredibly nervous,

377
00:27:54,837 --> 00:28:00,197
and if they suspect
there's something not quite right,
they'll avoid an area.

378
00:28:01,557 --> 00:28:04,397
I just don't know if that's
what's happening at the moment.

379
00:28:06,237 --> 00:28:10,076
The team's 20 camera traps
haven't yet recorded any elephants,

380
00:28:10,077 --> 00:28:13,677
but they have started to reveal
how rich this forest is.

381
00:28:31,037 --> 00:28:32,756
This leopard is a good sign.

382
00:28:32,757 --> 00:28:34,516
They will only live in areas

383
00:28:34,517 --> 00:28:37,117
rich enough
to support their varied diet.

384
00:28:45,957 --> 00:28:48,997
Local villagers use the same paths
as the animals.

385
00:28:53,197 --> 00:28:57,157
That might explain why
the elephants keep a low profile.

386
00:29:12,637 --> 00:29:17,276
Gordon hopes his high vantage point
means the elephants
won't even know he's there.

387
00:29:17,277 --> 00:29:19,517
He has a long night ahead.

388
00:29:42,037 --> 00:29:45,796
The expedition still has no evidence
of healthy elephant herds.

389
00:29:45,797 --> 00:29:50,317
They need to find groups of animals
and they need to find young.

390
00:29:51,957 --> 00:29:55,917
After 24 hours on his tree platform,
Gordon hadn't seen anything.

391
00:29:58,877 --> 00:29:59,716
OK.

392
00:29:59,717 --> 00:30:03,236
A whole night
without a single elephant.

393
00:30:03,237 --> 00:30:07,156
Could actually hear them
off in the distance,

394
00:30:07,157 --> 00:30:12,476
little bit of trumpeting
and breaking, but it seemed
like a long way away from here.

395
00:30:12,477 --> 00:30:15,916
I'm just going to stay up here
for the rest of the day,

396
00:30:15,917 --> 00:30:21,757
and hope that maybe the daylight
hours bring more success.

397
00:30:27,037 --> 00:30:30,516
In Taung Lay, Ross is still
searching for a second herd.

398
00:30:30,517 --> 00:30:33,677
He's found what looks like
a recent elephant trail.

399
00:30:37,437 --> 00:30:38,757
Take a look at this.

400
00:30:40,157 --> 00:30:44,156
OK, here we've got some...
some elephant prints here,

401
00:30:44,157 --> 00:30:46,637
these look quite small as well.

402
00:30:47,797 --> 00:30:50,076
Small prints could mean calves.

403
00:30:50,077 --> 00:30:52,037
It's intriguing.

404
00:30:52,877 --> 00:30:57,636
So, to be sure, I need to see
the elephants themselves
that made these prints.

405
00:30:57,637 --> 00:30:59,957
It's the only way I'm going
to get conclusive evidence.

406
00:31:07,837 --> 00:31:12,517
Back at camp, Chris is reviewing
the most recent evidence
from the camera traps.

407
00:31:14,317 --> 00:31:16,077
Let's have a look at the pictures.

408
00:31:24,757 --> 00:31:28,237
Asiatic wild dog, beautiful.

409
00:31:33,717 --> 00:31:35,036
This is neat.

410
00:31:35,037 --> 00:31:38,756
I mean,
this is very, very encouraging
to see this variety of wildlife,

411
00:31:38,757 --> 00:31:40,917
all in a very small area.

412
00:31:46,597 --> 00:31:48,197
Wow, look at that!

413
00:31:53,437 --> 00:31:54,796
Can you believe that?

414
00:31:54,797 --> 00:31:58,756
Finally, the camera traps
have delivered a result,

415
00:31:58,757 --> 00:32:01,557
concrete proof of elephants.

416
00:32:04,237 --> 00:32:09,117
That was a very nice sequence
of a male passing the camera.

417
00:32:11,477 --> 00:32:13,076
Can't tell much about the animal,

418
00:32:13,077 --> 00:32:14,916
but it's right in front
of the camera,

419
00:32:14,917 --> 00:32:18,157
it's having a drink of water,
filling its trunk.

420
00:32:19,957 --> 00:32:22,556
Spraying itself now
and spraying the camera.

421
00:32:22,557 --> 00:32:26,236
We got a little water on the lens
already. That's always fun!

422
00:32:26,237 --> 00:32:28,436
Water on the lens won't hurt it.

423
00:32:28,437 --> 00:32:30,157
OK, here comes another one.

424
00:32:32,717 --> 00:32:36,356
Images of elephants
in several different locations.

425
00:32:36,357 --> 00:32:38,597
It's a promising sign.

426
00:32:44,477 --> 00:32:46,996
Uh-oh, this one's going for the cam.

427
00:32:46,997 --> 00:32:52,836
It's trying to grab the cam with
its trunk finger and twist it off,

428
00:32:52,837 --> 00:32:56,396
they'll throw a coil
around a small object like this...

429
00:32:56,397 --> 00:33:01,317
Oop, there's its nostrils,
but it's OK, the camera's safe.

430
00:33:03,677 --> 00:33:06,477
Oh, it's got the strap on the cam.

431
00:33:08,117 --> 00:33:09,716
Can you believe that?

432
00:33:09,717 --> 00:33:13,916
What we see here is an excellent
example of the elephant's curiosity.

433
00:33:13,917 --> 00:33:19,437
It's trying to learn, "What is this
thing that I didn't see here before?"

434
00:33:20,437 --> 00:33:23,637
Curiosity of course
is an indicator of intelligence.

435
00:33:26,957 --> 00:33:31,277
In this case, the inquisitive nature
means an obliterated camera.

436
00:33:33,757 --> 00:33:37,596
The camera traps
have captured images of two males,

437
00:33:37,597 --> 00:33:39,596
but it's not enough.

438
00:33:39,597 --> 00:33:41,636
Male elephants are loners.

439
00:33:41,637 --> 00:33:45,157
Only the females and their young
live in herds.

440
00:33:50,157 --> 00:33:54,196
The team needs to find evidence
that these female groups
are thriving here

441
00:33:54,197 --> 00:33:57,157
to make a strong case
for protecting the forest.

442
00:33:59,557 --> 00:34:03,117
Their hopes rest on Gordon
and his tree platform.

443
00:34:04,997 --> 00:34:07,037
Oh, there's a hornbill over there.

444
00:34:08,437 --> 00:34:10,196
There's still no sign of elephants,

445
00:34:10,197 --> 00:34:13,797
but at least he's seeing evidence
that the forest is healthy.

446
00:34:16,957 --> 00:34:21,276
Inside each of those fruits
that he's eating is a seed,

447
00:34:21,277 --> 00:34:24,517
and those seeds
will be carried miles from here.

448
00:34:32,997 --> 00:34:35,836
Elephants perform a similar function
on the ground.

449
00:34:35,837 --> 00:34:38,877
They eat fruit
and disperse the seeds.

450
00:34:45,797 --> 00:34:49,476
As elephants move about,
they tear down trees and plants

451
00:34:49,477 --> 00:34:51,716
to make pathways and clearings.

452
00:34:51,717 --> 00:34:54,876
Everywhere they go they deposit dung

453
00:34:54,877 --> 00:34:57,716
containing the seeds
of their favourite food plants.

454
00:34:57,717 --> 00:34:59,836
By clearing the forest,

455
00:34:59,837 --> 00:35:03,037
they give new plants the opportunity
to grow into the light.

456
00:35:08,237 --> 00:35:11,196
All these different animals
have different roles in the forest,

457
00:35:11,197 --> 00:35:15,916
and none is more important
than the role of the elephant.

458
00:35:15,917 --> 00:35:19,236
They really are the engineer
of this habitat.

459
00:35:19,237 --> 00:35:24,436
They are the cultivators,
the rotovators, the fertilisers...

460
00:35:24,437 --> 00:35:31,156
the...they do so many things
and have shaped this forest
to look the way that it has,

461
00:35:31,157 --> 00:35:35,157
and without elephants living here,
it would be
a very, very different place.

462
00:35:37,317 --> 00:35:39,196
Elephants help create
the environment

463
00:35:39,197 --> 00:35:41,517
other animals need to thrive.

464
00:35:42,757 --> 00:35:45,276
If these forests are protected
for elephants,

465
00:35:45,277 --> 00:35:48,277
all the other creatures
in the forest will benefit too.

466
00:35:57,557 --> 00:36:00,357
Ross is still on the trail
of a second herd of elephants.

467
00:36:08,197 --> 00:36:09,996
OK, look at this. This is good.

468
00:36:09,997 --> 00:36:11,396
This dung's really, really fresh,

469
00:36:11,397 --> 00:36:13,356
probably only left here
about one or two hours ago.

470
00:36:13,357 --> 00:36:16,396
This means there are elephants
definitely in this area.

471
00:36:16,397 --> 00:36:20,756
They've flattened all this vegetation
on this slope and moving obviously
up and down here.

472
00:36:20,757 --> 00:36:22,396
This is really good evidence.

473
00:36:22,397 --> 00:36:25,717
I've got to crack on,
I'm hot on their heels now
so I'm going to keep going up here.

474
00:36:33,517 --> 00:36:36,757
This is the closest
the team has been so far.

475
00:36:37,637 --> 00:36:40,956
Then, without warning,
the elephants are there.

476
00:36:40,957 --> 00:36:42,837
TRUMPETING

477
00:36:48,637 --> 00:36:49,877
There they are.

478
00:36:55,997 --> 00:36:57,677
Get out the way.

479
00:37:02,517 --> 00:37:05,357
Oh, my God, did you see that?

480
00:37:09,237 --> 00:37:10,477
There.

481
00:37:19,317 --> 00:37:20,837
Here they are.

482
00:37:25,077 --> 00:37:26,957
That was nerve-racking.

483
00:37:27,517 --> 00:37:28,957
I'm shaking.

484
00:37:31,037 --> 00:37:32,557
They were so close.

485
00:37:33,637 --> 00:37:36,597
As fast as they appeared,
the elephants are gone.

486
00:37:37,557 --> 00:37:39,356
They just appeared out of nowhere.

487
00:37:39,357 --> 00:37:41,317
And that was...
that was nerve-wracking.

488
00:37:42,397 --> 00:37:44,916
They were moving so quickly as well,
moving so quickly through here,

489
00:37:44,917 --> 00:37:48,196
probably, I'd say,
a good running speed,
good running speed for a human.

490
00:37:48,197 --> 00:37:51,596
I've just see them moving along
these thin trails
through these forests so quickly,

491
00:37:51,597 --> 00:37:55,157
and they can just come up on you
like that
and you would not know about it.

492
00:37:55,877 --> 00:37:58,476
There were several animals,
moving at speed.

493
00:37:58,477 --> 00:38:01,837
This is evidence
of at least one group of elephants.

494
00:38:02,717 --> 00:38:05,396
But there's still no proof
they're successfully breeding.

495
00:38:05,397 --> 00:38:07,756
There's still no sign of calves.

496
00:38:07,757 --> 00:38:10,317
Time is running out.

497
00:38:14,277 --> 00:38:16,196
While the team keeps searching
on the ground,

498
00:38:16,197 --> 00:38:18,797
Chris decides to search
from the air.

499
00:38:25,797 --> 00:38:29,636
I'm hopeful that we're going to see
some trails, some elephant trails,

500
00:38:29,637 --> 00:38:32,996
maybe some disturbed vegetation,
thick bamboo breaks,

501
00:38:32,997 --> 00:38:37,877
places where the elephants
have been feeding in the bamboo,
that should stand out.

502
00:38:41,797 --> 00:38:44,236
Oh, look at this, fresh dung.

503
00:38:44,237 --> 00:38:47,237
Definitely very, very fresh,
still very, very damp.

504
00:38:47,957 --> 00:38:49,557
Good, eh?

505
00:38:53,637 --> 00:39:00,357
Chris finds several cleared areas
where elephants may have fed, but
no sign of the animals themselves.

506
00:39:06,477 --> 00:39:10,397
Even with a balloon, Chris is no
closer to knowing where they are.

507
00:39:11,877 --> 00:39:13,677
There's just 36 hours left.

508
00:39:17,837 --> 00:39:22,597
It's beginning to look like Ross's
encounter may be the best evidence
they'll find.

509
00:39:28,957 --> 00:39:31,236
I actually saw them,
saw them with my own eyes.

510
00:39:31,237 --> 00:39:34,516
Five elephants tearing past us
through the forest. Wow!

511
00:39:34,517 --> 00:39:38,756
I was hiding behind a tree
at the time, obviously a bit scared.
Fantastic.

512
00:39:38,757 --> 00:39:43,796
Does this mean that potentially all
of this area here, is this suitable
elephant habitat too?

513
00:39:43,797 --> 00:39:45,316
It's moving in that direction,

514
00:39:45,317 --> 00:39:47,876
it's telling us
that this is suitable habitat...

515
00:39:47,877 --> 00:39:52,076
We're not finding
just a pocketed population here
and another one up here, so far.

516
00:39:52,077 --> 00:39:55,036
I mean,
we've found two, two populations,

517
00:39:55,037 --> 00:39:59,917
two groups of individuals,
will you, that are, you know,
ten kilometres apart.

518
00:40:01,277 --> 00:40:05,597
Chris believes there could be
two groups of elephants
within six miles of each other.

519
00:40:12,557 --> 00:40:14,036
It's a hopeful sign,

520
00:40:14,037 --> 00:40:19,477
but it's a far cry from
the direct sightings of mothers with
calves that they were hoping for.

521
00:40:20,237 --> 00:40:24,276
I was thinking, you know, that
they must be terrified of people
to do that.

522
00:40:24,277 --> 00:40:28,196
I mean, I was, you know, I was there,
so it was only me,
so what were they...?

523
00:40:28,197 --> 00:40:31,356
I don't know. You know, it's strange
because if they caught wind of you,

524
00:40:31,357 --> 00:40:33,596
you'd think that they would move
in the opposite direction,

525
00:40:33,597 --> 00:40:39,116
but I have not had encounters
of the close kind like this,
so I don't know what to expect.

526
00:40:39,117 --> 00:40:43,436
I'm not sure that I'd want more
of those close elephant encounters,
to be honest.

527
00:40:43,437 --> 00:40:46,076
You don't want to get
the larger sample size
in that kind of experience, do we?

528
00:40:46,077 --> 00:40:48,717
No, no, no, no, need more trousers.

529
00:40:52,157 --> 00:40:54,876
The team is learning more
about the elephants here.

530
00:40:54,877 --> 00:40:57,877
But it may be too little too late.

531
00:41:07,997 --> 00:41:10,836
Gordon is still
on his tree platform,

532
00:41:10,837 --> 00:41:13,197
but he's beginning to give up hope.

533
00:41:16,117 --> 00:41:18,316
It's just past three o'clock
in the morning

534
00:41:18,317 --> 00:41:20,756
and there's no sign of any elephant.

535
00:41:20,757 --> 00:41:24,156
I'm really struggling
to stay awake now.

536
00:41:24,157 --> 00:41:26,716
Not feeling that hopeful.

537
00:41:26,717 --> 00:41:31,317
I think they've probably moved out
of this area.

538
00:41:37,597 --> 00:41:39,156
The night wears on.

539
00:41:39,157 --> 00:41:40,677
He sees nothing.

540
00:41:42,717 --> 00:41:45,557
It looks like sitting it out
was the wrong call.

541
00:41:57,877 --> 00:41:59,476
It's the final day.

542
00:41:59,477 --> 00:42:02,797
The team has just 12 hours
of daylight left.

543
00:42:06,397 --> 00:42:10,797
The Chin trackers have found fresh
signs north of Gordon's tree.

544
00:42:12,157 --> 00:42:16,237
The whole team heads out in
a last-ditch attempt to find them.

545
00:42:17,437 --> 00:42:19,397
Should keep quite quiet now.

546
00:42:20,277 --> 00:42:24,276
This looks like a very heavily used
area. You can see it's quite cleared,

547
00:42:24,277 --> 00:42:28,196
there's bent-over bamboo
all over the place.

548
00:42:28,197 --> 00:42:30,116
Looks like there's been a herd
through here.

549
00:42:30,117 --> 00:42:31,877
There's lots of signs everywhere.

550
00:42:32,837 --> 00:42:34,796
You can see footprints.

551
00:42:34,797 --> 00:42:38,196
Dusting, dust bowl,
so to dust themselves,

552
00:42:38,197 --> 00:42:41,037
and we're on a major elephant highway
here.

553
00:42:48,037 --> 00:42:50,957
Chris has also picked up
a fresh trail.

554
00:42:54,757 --> 00:42:58,237
This, this is an elephant track.

555
00:43:07,757 --> 00:43:12,077
Let's stop and listen here, we're
going to stop here and just listen.

556
00:43:16,917 --> 00:43:19,556
RUSTLING

557
00:43:19,557 --> 00:43:21,157
I can hear them.

558
00:43:22,117 --> 00:43:27,396
They're about...maybe 350 yards away.

559
00:43:27,397 --> 00:43:29,237
TRUMPETING

560
00:43:32,997 --> 00:43:34,677
Hey! Come, come.

561
00:43:37,357 --> 00:43:39,557
You can see a big cow standing.

562
00:43:43,837 --> 00:43:46,037
That is quite something.

563
00:43:47,037 --> 00:43:48,437
There they are.

564
00:43:50,677 --> 00:43:54,917
In 25 years, this is the first time
I've seen wild elephants in Burma.

565
00:43:58,157 --> 00:43:59,716
Gordon?

566
00:43:59,717 --> 00:44:02,756
Gordon, this is Chris. Are you there?

567
00:44:02,757 --> 00:44:03,997
Go ahead, Chris.

568
00:44:04,797 --> 00:44:09,756
Gordon, we've spotted elephants
just below us on the ridge.

569
00:44:09,757 --> 00:44:11,716
Yeah, I've got them...

570
00:44:11,717 --> 00:44:14,236
there's three of them
that I can see,

571
00:44:14,237 --> 00:44:15,877
they're quite far away from me.

572
00:44:17,117 --> 00:44:18,477
That's fantastic.

573
00:44:18,757 --> 00:44:20,317
Right.

574
00:44:21,957 --> 00:44:23,637
I'm going to see
if I can go a bit closer.

575
00:44:28,597 --> 00:44:32,396
After two days stuck up
this platform,

576
00:44:32,397 --> 00:44:36,596
just when I thought
all hope was lost,

577
00:44:36,597 --> 00:44:40,037
we spot some elephants
off in the distance.

578
00:44:43,597 --> 00:44:44,957
Great!

579
00:44:46,477 --> 00:44:48,316
This is exactly
what I've been waiting for,

580
00:44:48,317 --> 00:44:51,796
to see this whole herd together...

581
00:44:51,797 --> 00:44:57,356
and do you know what? It is better
than I could ever have imagined.

582
00:44:57,357 --> 00:44:59,036
It's great,

583
00:44:59,037 --> 00:45:02,556
despite the fact
that they're a long, long way away,

584
00:45:02,557 --> 00:45:05,517
it's just incredible
to see these animals.

585
00:45:07,917 --> 00:45:10,596
Such a tightly knit family group
like elephants,

586
00:45:10,597 --> 00:45:13,997
they spend a lot of time
just hanging out together.

587
00:45:16,877 --> 00:45:20,077
It's 10am, and it's already
35 degrees centigrade.

588
00:45:21,117 --> 00:45:25,837
The elephants are moving from
their feeding grounds on the ridge
down into the cool of the valley.

589
00:45:27,797 --> 00:45:32,596
But even with a high-powered lens,
Gordon still can't see
if the herd has young.

590
00:45:32,597 --> 00:45:36,357
Are you able to see any calves
at all?

591
00:45:39,277 --> 00:45:43,476
No, there's...there's kind of an
assortment of different sizes,

592
00:45:43,477 --> 00:45:48,356
but the bamboo's coming right up
to their kind of eye level,

593
00:45:48,357 --> 00:45:52,316
so I just see the tops of their
ears, their heads and their backs,

594
00:45:52,317 --> 00:45:54,517
so there could be calves
in amongst the bamboo.

595
00:45:55,797 --> 00:46:01,437
The team has found two herds
in the area, one in Taung Lay
and now this one.

596
00:46:03,077 --> 00:46:06,997
But unless there are young,
this herd won't survive for long.

597
00:46:08,117 --> 00:46:10,717
To find out,
the team must get closer.

598
00:46:12,797 --> 00:46:14,636
Their only hope is Justine.

599
00:46:14,637 --> 00:46:17,156
She's just southwest
of the elephants.

600
00:46:17,157 --> 00:46:19,677
She may be able
to pick up their trail.

601
00:46:21,197 --> 00:46:25,717
She needs to work out
which valley they're in
and get as close as possible.

602
00:46:29,757 --> 00:46:33,076
There's clearly lots of signs
of elephants through here.

603
00:46:33,077 --> 00:46:36,476
The danger is
I don't want to get too close.

604
00:46:36,477 --> 00:46:38,276
I don't want to stumble into them,

605
00:46:38,277 --> 00:46:40,356
it's really hard to stay quiet
around here.

606
00:46:40,357 --> 00:46:42,956
I'm just going to have a quick look
up this tree,

607
00:46:42,957 --> 00:46:46,357
see if I can get a viewpoint,
up from up here.

608
00:46:52,517 --> 00:46:55,197
Yeah, I can see down into the valley
quite well now.

609
00:46:56,597 --> 00:46:58,996
You can see loads of cleared areas

610
00:46:58,997 --> 00:47:01,556
where elephants have been gathering
and feeding...

611
00:47:01,557 --> 00:47:04,036
that far bank over there,
there's a really big patch,

612
00:47:04,037 --> 00:47:06,396
you can see
all the bamboo's been flattened.

613
00:47:06,397 --> 00:47:11,197
Well, from the signs, it looks like
there's quite substantial herds
moving through.

614
00:47:12,917 --> 00:47:15,916
Until we actually clap our eyes on
them, it's very hard to speculate.

615
00:47:15,917 --> 00:47:21,597
But it does, it does look like
there's a number of them, certainly
not just a couple of individuals.

616
00:47:28,357 --> 00:47:30,596
There's a herd here somewhere.

617
00:47:30,597 --> 00:47:34,677
But in thick forest, her chances
of finding them are slim.

618
00:47:39,317 --> 00:47:41,196
It's about four o'clock now,

619
00:47:41,197 --> 00:47:46,316
it's getting cooler so there's
a chance they might start coming
back up on to the ridge line.

620
00:47:46,317 --> 00:47:51,597
They actually have to come up and
cross this ridge line if they want to
get into the other valley behind me.

621
00:48:00,037 --> 00:48:01,796
We're heading off the ridge now,

622
00:48:01,797 --> 00:48:07,076
and down into the valley below
in the hope
that the elephants have descended.

623
00:48:07,077 --> 00:48:09,916
It's a bit of a cat-and-mouse
at the moment,

624
00:48:09,917 --> 00:48:12,316
and I've no idea what to expect,

625
00:48:12,317 --> 00:48:17,437
and it feels like
we're just sort of chasing them,
but not ever getting close enough.

626
00:48:17,997 --> 00:48:20,076
Possibly they've gone down,

627
00:48:20,077 --> 00:48:22,876
or they may be going back up
and we're going down...

628
00:48:22,877 --> 00:48:26,957
it's like, it's hard to know
where to go, where to be.

629
00:48:29,277 --> 00:48:30,837
Well, let's see.

630
00:48:32,557 --> 00:48:37,957
If Justine is right about
their location, she's now walking
straight into their path.

631
00:48:46,077 --> 00:48:48,276
This...
we're getting into thicker bamboo,

632
00:48:48,277 --> 00:48:53,316
and this is exactly the place
where you don't want to meet
an elephant.

633
00:48:53,317 --> 00:48:56,356
It's utterly terrifying, having gone
through that experience before.

634
00:48:56,357 --> 00:49:00,516
You can't see anything, I can't even
see a few feet ahead of me.

635
00:49:00,517 --> 00:49:01,996
It's very thick and bushy,

636
00:49:01,997 --> 00:49:05,476
and this sort of bamboo
is really where you don't want
to meet an elephant.

637
00:49:05,477 --> 00:49:07,757
So we have to be very cautious.

638
00:49:16,077 --> 00:49:18,956
Wild elephants
kill hundreds of people each year,

639
00:49:18,957 --> 00:49:23,157
often in self-defence after
being surprised in thick cover.

640
00:49:57,437 --> 00:49:58,516
Ssh!

641
00:49:58,517 --> 00:49:59,836
Ssh.

642
00:49:59,837 --> 00:50:01,117
Shh-shh!

643
00:50:02,197 --> 00:50:04,637
RUSTLING

644
00:50:05,997 --> 00:50:07,397
Stop moving.

645
00:50:21,797 --> 00:50:23,197
Did you hear?

646
00:50:35,037 --> 00:50:37,237
TRUMPETING

647
00:50:37,917 --> 00:50:40,796
Justine needs
to find a better position.

648
00:50:40,797 --> 00:50:44,116
If they detect her,
they will either flee or attack.

649
00:50:44,117 --> 00:50:45,116
OK.

650
00:50:45,117 --> 00:50:49,956
We should go up, get some height,
be safer as well, and we might be
able to look over the top there.

651
00:50:49,957 --> 00:50:51,157
Let's do that.

652
00:50:57,597 --> 00:51:02,957
From the sound of it, oh,
they're about 30, 40 metres.

653
00:51:03,637 --> 00:51:04,916
Right.

654
00:51:04,917 --> 00:51:06,196
Go up.

655
00:51:06,197 --> 00:51:08,676
She needs a clear line of sight
to get her shot.

656
00:51:08,677 --> 00:51:11,837
Even then,
any calves will be hard to see.

657
00:51:18,917 --> 00:51:20,637
Yes, yes!

658
00:52:00,597 --> 00:52:03,116
I feel very, very, very, very lucky.

659
00:52:03,117 --> 00:52:10,877
To actually see them relaxed,
at ease, it's just magical.

660
00:52:16,757 --> 00:52:20,316
A herd like this
is a very close-knit family,

661
00:52:20,317 --> 00:52:24,756
consisting of a big boss lady,
the matriarch,

662
00:52:24,757 --> 00:52:28,356
her daughters and her grandkids.

663
00:52:28,357 --> 00:52:33,716
The males once they get older
get kicked out,

664
00:52:33,717 --> 00:52:37,276
they're told to go away
and become lone bulls,

665
00:52:37,277 --> 00:52:40,397
so the only males that will
be in this group will be youngsters.

666
00:52:45,277 --> 00:52:48,676
She's high above them,
out of sight and reach,

667
00:52:48,677 --> 00:52:50,837
and they have no idea she is there.

668
00:52:52,917 --> 00:52:54,797
BUBBLING

669
00:52:55,837 --> 00:52:57,396
Can you hear that sound?

670
00:52:57,397 --> 00:52:59,077
Fantastic! It's a baby, I think.

671
00:53:02,717 --> 00:53:05,837
If there are young,
the herd is keeping them hidden.

672
00:53:10,677 --> 00:53:15,197
Ah, the whole herd are climbing,
climbing up the ridge.

673
00:53:19,077 --> 00:53:20,556
They're in travelling mode.

674
00:53:20,557 --> 00:53:26,316
They've had their bath,
dusted themselves off...

675
00:53:26,317 --> 00:53:30,277
and now they're ready
for an evening, a night's feeding.

676
00:53:31,477 --> 00:53:35,597
Then, at long last, the moment
they've been waiting for.

677
00:53:45,237 --> 00:53:47,277
Two very small calves.

678
00:53:49,757 --> 00:53:52,356
It's a real, really tiny calf,

679
00:53:52,357 --> 00:53:56,477
and it's trying to get on the back
of one of the younger elephants.

680
00:53:59,677 --> 00:54:02,437
They're so unbelievably cute,
aren't they?

681
00:54:04,317 --> 00:54:09,876
The team has their proof, a healthy,
breeding herd, with young.

682
00:54:09,877 --> 00:54:11,837
There's a calf
that's trying to suckle.

683
00:54:15,197 --> 00:54:18,836
What a lovely end to our stay here,
we're really lucky,

684
00:54:18,837 --> 00:54:20,716
but, you know,
I think we've earned our luck.

685
00:54:20,717 --> 00:54:24,556
We've had a few pretty hard days
with no reward.

686
00:54:24,557 --> 00:54:29,237
But it was well worth it,
that was just magical.

687
00:54:40,117 --> 00:54:43,236
It's a moment
Chris has waited 25 years for,

688
00:54:43,237 --> 00:54:48,077
a first-hand encounter
with the animals he's studied
from afar for so long.

689
00:54:51,157 --> 00:54:53,476
I'm going to land on a snake!

690
00:54:53,477 --> 00:54:55,117
Hey, partner!

691
00:54:56,477 --> 00:54:57,836
Congratulations, man.

692
00:54:57,837 --> 00:55:01,516
As we say in old Virginia
"You done good, you done good!"

693
00:55:01,517 --> 00:55:05,116
Never before have I been so relieved
to see an animal.

694
00:55:05,117 --> 00:55:07,276
It's great. It's fantastic.

695
00:55:07,277 --> 00:55:10,076
The more time you spend up there,

696
00:55:10,077 --> 00:55:13,996
the less sort of likely
it feels that you're actually going
to see them.

697
00:55:13,997 --> 00:55:18,316
You're talking about an animal
that spends the majority of its time
in thick cover

698
00:55:18,317 --> 00:55:20,476
in these tall trees, in the bamboo,

699
00:55:20,477 --> 00:55:23,876
so I was thinking, well,
maybe I shouldn't be so surprised

700
00:55:23,877 --> 00:55:27,957
that I'm not seeing them
and then seeing at least ten
right out in the open.

701
00:55:28,797 --> 00:55:30,397
Well worth the wait.

702
00:55:34,117 --> 00:55:36,876
Chris has been coming to Burma
for decades

703
00:55:36,877 --> 00:55:40,437
in the hope that he can help give
the elephants here a secure future.

704
00:55:42,237 --> 00:55:47,117
Now he has concrete evidence
that they're thriving,
he is one step closer to his goal.

705
00:55:48,797 --> 00:55:52,916
This is definitely a stronghold
for wild elephants in Southeast Asia,

706
00:55:52,917 --> 00:55:54,556
no question about that,

707
00:55:54,557 --> 00:55:57,556
but Burma is also poised
at a crossroads,

708
00:55:57,557 --> 00:56:00,716
and there will be a development blitz
here in the future,

709
00:56:00,717 --> 00:56:04,516
we know that, and so it's going
to be extremely, extremely important

710
00:56:04,517 --> 00:56:08,436
for the leaders
of this country to be vigilant
about the kinds of changes

711
00:56:08,437 --> 00:56:10,116
that accompany development,

712
00:56:10,117 --> 00:56:16,277
because these forests
will be under threat unless
their protection is guaranteed.

713
00:56:20,117 --> 00:56:24,636
The team's challenge
was to prove that elephants
are breeding successfully here.

714
00:56:24,637 --> 00:56:28,077
They have accomplished
their first mission.

715
00:56:31,677 --> 00:56:34,956
They hope that their hard-won proof
will encourage Burma

716
00:56:34,957 --> 00:56:38,516
to protect these elephants
and the forests they live in.

717
00:56:38,517 --> 00:56:42,277
The alternative
is to lose them forever.

718
00:56:59,917 --> 00:57:02,477
It's more than I ever dreamed
would happen.

719
00:57:04,357 --> 00:57:09,476
Being able to see them bathing,
grazing so clearly,

720
00:57:09,477 --> 00:57:11,597
and yet feel safe myself.

721
00:57:13,677 --> 00:57:15,716
It's just the best,

722
00:57:15,717 --> 00:57:19,716
and to be here in Burma
with a herd of elephants

723
00:57:19,717 --> 00:57:28,436
which are probably forming the last
great population of Southeast Asian
elephants in the world...

724
00:57:28,437 --> 00:57:30,877
it's very special.

725
00:57:42,637 --> 00:57:46,757
Next time, the team ventures deeper
into Burma's unexplored forests.

726
00:57:47,877 --> 00:57:52,036
It's just a great unknown,
I don't know what to expect,
but I've got high hopes.

727
00:57:52,037 --> 00:57:55,236
It's a quest fraught with hardship
and danger...

728
00:57:55,237 --> 00:57:59,277
We've got fire in front of us,
and then fire here
and then fire behind us.

729
00:58:00,517 --> 00:58:02,156
BLEEP

730
00:58:02,157 --> 00:58:05,597
..On a mission to discover
creatures seldom caught on camera.

731
00:58:06,237 --> 00:58:07,637
Look.

732
00:58:09,157 --> 00:58:11,357
Oh, look, golden cat.

733
00:58:12,517 --> 00:58:15,797
They will attempt to reveal
just how rich Burma's forests are...

734
00:58:16,357 --> 00:58:18,316
Oh!

735
00:58:18,317 --> 00:58:19,996
This is a burying beetle.

736
00:58:19,997 --> 00:58:24,036
These really stink,
they stink like a decomposing corpse.

737
00:58:24,037 --> 00:58:26,717
..And find out how much is at stake.

738
00:58:27,437 --> 00:58:32,837
Burma's forests are not just
important to Burma, Burma's forests
are important for the world.

739
00:58:38,477 --> 00:58:42,517
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd