1 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:12,840 Now, that is a sunrise. 2 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,040 Glorious. 3 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,000 BIRDS SQUAWK 4 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,400 We live on such a crowded planet. 5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,120 Billions of us living such hectic, busy lives. 6 00:00:31,980 --> 00:00:35,040 It's easy to forget that places like this still exist. 7 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,280 Wild places. Wildernesses! 8 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,400 I'm going in search of the vast, remote areas 9 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,160 where nature still has the upper hand. 10 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:50,160 This is the source of the mighty Yukon River. 11 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:53,880 Whoa! I nearly went then. 12 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,360 Rarely visited, distant, wild places. 13 00:00:57,360 --> 00:00:59,160 - One, two, three, go! 14 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,320 - I'm exploring four of these rugged, glorious regions. 15 00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:07,160 This is straight out of Star Wars. 16 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:08,960 Tough journeys... 17 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:11,080 Come on! 18 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,240 I don't know how much longer I can do this. 19 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:16,080 ..over harsh terrain. 20 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:18,160 BLEEP! BLEEP! WIND HOWLS 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,320 This is becoming one of the least pleasant camping experiences 22 00:01:21,320 --> 00:01:22,800 of my life. 23 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:24,880 Thank you very much. Thank you. 24 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,880 I'm going to find the people of the wilderness... 25 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,400 I can sense the emotion in him. 26 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,400 This is a tough guy. 27 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:34,760 Ooh! 28 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,360 Whoa! 29 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,560 Thank you so much. 30 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,160 ..and discover they're defending wild areas. 31 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:42,760 This is brilliant. 32 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,480 The apex predators are back. 33 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,760 There it is! It's a snow leopard! 34 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,400 It is a vast ocean of sand and snow. 35 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,680 I'm crossing some of the most hostile 36 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:00,440 and spectacular landscapes... 37 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:01,760 What a sight. 38 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:03,480 ..on planet Earth. 39 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,880 These are the last great wildernesses. 40 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,520 I can see the jungle down below. 41 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,800 Mountains covered in impenetrable forest. 42 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:33,680 It looks astonishing. 43 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,640 I'm heading into the heart of Papua New Guinea, 44 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:41,640 one of the very richest areas of the planet for plant and animal species. 45 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:48,160 With a small team, I'm attempting to enter, cross and climb 46 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,400 into a wild rainforest of spectacular abundance, 47 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:53,560 little-known to science. 48 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,480 Almost a lost world. 49 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,440 This is going to be a tough one. 50 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:17,880 - OK. 51 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,400 - That's some of your medical kit, isn't it? 52 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,560 - Yep. That's my stretcher and my trauma kit. 53 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:33,160 - So the nearest decent hospital which has snake antivenom 54 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:38,400 is more than 24 hours away, which is a life-threatening amount of time. 55 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:43,880 We've got Si Reed with us, who's a former Royal Marine medic, 56 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,880 to look after us and, hopefully, keep us alive... - Yep. 57 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,160 - ..if anything goes wrong. - Keep everyone safe, that's the idea. 58 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,000 - We are set. 59 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:56,560 - Papua New Guinea, PNG, 60 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,880 has the eastern half of the island of New Guinea - 61 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:02,160 the planet's second biggest island, 62 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:05,400 home to the world's third biggest tropical rainforest. 63 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,880 I'm heading towards and into the Torricelli mountain range, 64 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,800 in the remote north-west corner of PNG. 65 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,160 After landing, I'm on my way to a small village called Mupun. 66 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,880 From there, we'll trek into the mountains 67 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:24,400 and attempt to scale Mount Sulen - highest point of the Torricellis. 68 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,640 The area we're heading into and are travelling across 69 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:35,640 on this expedition is called the Torricelli Mountains. 70 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,640 Now, I don't know about you, but I hadn't really heard of them, 71 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,480 but we should, because they are home to around 4% 72 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,400 of the biodiversity found on this planet. 73 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:46,400 4% in one place. 74 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,160 It's thought there are thousands of undiscovered plants 75 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,360 and animals in the Torricellis, yet only a small number 76 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,360 of scientists have ever visited this wilderness. 77 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:04,160 All right? 78 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,480 My guide and travel partner is Caleb Bulu, 79 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,160 who's leading our expedition into the mountain. 80 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,680 He's a local conservationist who's passionate about protecting 81 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,160 a uniquely precious wilderness. 82 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:22,000 - Oh, this is tiny parrot. 83 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:27,760 That is the smallest parrot that we have in the Torricelli Mountain. 84 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,400 - So, if I hold my finger up here, it is properly tiny. 85 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,520 - I'll take one photo and a two video. 86 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,160 - Caleb has recorded hundreds of different species 87 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:45,800 in the Torricellis, but now I'm joining him on a new mission, 88 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,880 to search for one of Earth's rarest animals, unique to this wilderness. 89 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,880 We want to find it, film it and prove it still exists. 90 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:59,160 So Caleb is going to be following up on reports 91 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,160 that one of the rarest creatures in the world has been spotted. 92 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:05,160 It's called a tenkile. 93 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,640 A type of tree kangaroo. 94 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,800 Yes, I did say a tree kangaroo! 95 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:20,160 The tenkile is the rarest and most endangered of the tree kangaroos. 96 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,520 Some experts feared it might be going extinct. 97 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:26,160 The tenkile is our target. 98 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,880 That's what we're hoping to find. 99 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,960 First stop, Caleb works with a ground-breaking 100 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,960 conservation organisation named after the tenkile. 101 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,480 Australian zoologists Jim and Jean Thomas 102 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,240 came to the Torricelli Mountains 20 years ago 103 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,000 to work for the Tenkile Conservation Alliance. 104 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,640 Jim looks after rescued animals at their remote research station, 105 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,760 including astonishing creatures I've never seen before - 106 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,640 tree kangaroos. 107 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:04,160 - So, here's, Simon, some of our captive tree kangaroos. 108 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:06,800 And in here we have a male grizzled. 109 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,600 He's our largest... 110 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:10,480 ..specimen. 111 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,880 - This is a grizzled tree kangaroo, rare and special, 112 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,160 but much more common than the tenkile. 113 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:19,600 He looks very kangaroo-like on his haunches there. Look. 114 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,160 - We have to be careful here, because he... 115 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,160 He can get territorial. 116 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,160 But I'm hoping because we've got some food in our hands 117 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,240 that we'll be able to get him to concentrate on that instead. 118 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:32,640 - Right. 119 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,160 - You've just got to respect his space. 120 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:38,600 Here you go, mate. 121 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,360 Now, I'm not getting too close to him. 122 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:43,400 If he grabs onto you, 123 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,400 he'll grab and bite. - Right. 124 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,880 I'm surprised how tough he looks. 125 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,680 He's got the sort of build of a boxer, really. 126 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,840 - They're built this way because they defend their own territories. 127 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:00,800 And if you see, he's quite a bit bigger than the girls. - Yeah. 128 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,640 - He's at least a third bigger. 129 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,800 And when you get males that are significantly bigger than females, 130 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,560 that indicates a polygamous relationship. 131 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,400 So, in that regard, he's different from the tenkile. 132 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,160 The tenkile, we think, not sure, 133 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,160 that the male is a similar size to the females. 134 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,240 And when you have males the same size, 135 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,600 it indicates a monogamous relationship. 136 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:23,640 - But there's a lot you don't know. 137 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:25,720 - There's a lot we don't know, correct. 138 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:29,400 - Because the tenkile is so rare. - So rare. There's only been, like, 139 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,400 six or seven animals that have been weighed and measured. 140 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:34,800 So, from that small dataset, 141 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,400 it suggests they could be monogamous, but they may not be. 142 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:42,880 - So, what is it you're hoping Caleb will be able to do 143 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:46,160 up the mountain in relation to the tenkile? 144 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,560 See their existence, for a start. - Yep. 145 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:52,160 I'm hoping that he'll be able to get close enough to take photos 146 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,480 of the animals, and see if there are any discerning features 147 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:59,400 on their tails that distinguish individuals from one another. 148 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,840 Their tail's a bit like a barcode. - Right. - So I'm hoping he can do that. 149 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:06,880 - But we're following Caleb into a large area of mountain jungle 150 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:12,160 to search for an animal of roughly this size and colouration... 151 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:17,400 - Mm-hm. - ..which spends a significant period of the time sleeping... - Yes. 152 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,640 - ..and lives in the trees... - Yes. 153 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:23,480 - ..and is one of the rarest creatures on planet Earth. - Correct. 154 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:26,040 - Well, that sounds like quite a tricky endeavour, 155 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:29,160 if you don't mind me saying. - It is. We wish you the best of luck! 156 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:31,520 And we hope you get some fantastic footage, 157 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:35,640 because we haven't got any video footage of the animals in the wild. 158 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:40,640 - You're saying the tenkile has not been properly filmed professionally 159 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,680 in the wild... - Correct. - ..ever? - Ever. 160 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:46,720 No animal where it's in the tree, "There's a wild one," 161 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,160 and got footage of it. No, we haven't got that. 162 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,160 - Flipping heck. So we really are attempting something tricky here. 163 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,960 - Yeah. - Somebody's about to jump. - Ooh, he is, too. 164 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,160 - Yeah? - Yeah. - I'm standing behind you. 165 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:01,160 JIM LAUGHS - He's got that look, "Get out! 166 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:02,800 "My turf." 167 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,880 - Tree kangaroos have been pushed towards extinction, 168 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:20,400 mainly because locals in some areas here hunt them for food. 169 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:25,040 But Caleb believes some tenkile have survived. 170 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:29,400 We head off deeper into the Torricelli wilderness, 171 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,160 towards a remote village called Mupun, 172 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,400 where locals work with Caleb and have sent him word 173 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,640 of possible tenkile sightings. 174 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,880 We're hoping to get most of the way there in four-wheel-drive vehicles. 175 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,920 But recent rains mean nature has other ideas. 176 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:52,640 TYRES RUMBLE 177 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,040 We're going to need to push. 178 00:11:01,560 --> 00:11:03,240 TYRES RUMBLE 179 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:11,400 Yes! 180 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:13,000 SIMON LAUGHS 181 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,160 Whether our other vehicle is going to get up here, I don't know. 182 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,320 To get the second car up, locals help us out. 183 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:23,920 - Strong, strong. 184 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,880 - We're all ready here. - Yes. 185 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,480 - We're ready. Are you ready? - Yes. - We are ready. 186 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,160 - We're ready! 187 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:31,880 TYRES RUMBLE 188 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,440 Bravo! - Thanks. 189 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,400 - Well, thank you! 190 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:48,880 Flipping heck! 191 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:52,040 Well, that's great. We're up this hill. 192 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:54,880 One or two to go. 193 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:57,560 We go on. 194 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,400 - One, two, three! 195 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,160 - Come on! 196 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:35,640 TYRES RUMBLE 197 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:40,480 - Come on. 198 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:54,880 - Argh! 199 00:12:55,880 --> 00:13:00,240 After just a few more pleasant hours, Caleb states the obvious. 200 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,120 - We cannot go any further now, 201 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:05,000 because the road is so slippery and mud, so... 202 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,760 - Is it slippery? - Yes. - Is it? Is it? 203 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,000 Look at the state of this gentleman. 204 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,640 Thank you very much for all you did. - Welcome. Welcome. 205 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:14,160 - Thank you, mate. 206 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:16,120 OK, so this is clearly as far as we go. 207 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:19,600 And from here we walk? - Then we walk. - All right. - Yeah. 208 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,160 - HORN TOOTS 209 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,520 I really hoped we'd get our kit further. 210 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:36,880 It's now at least a five-hour muddy trek to Mupun village, 211 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:38,680 on the way to Mount Sulen. 212 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,160 17-year-old villager Marcus is one of the jungle trackers 213 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,400 who'll be with us in the rainforest. 214 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,560 Marcus, what have you got now? Oh, my goodness. 215 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:56,640 Look at you! - That's a green python. 216 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:58,560 It lives up in the tree. 217 00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:02,960 - Is it possible to hold him? - Yes. They don't bite you. 218 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:04,640 There you are. 219 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:06,440 See? 220 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,480 - How big will it get? 221 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,360 - As big as my arm here. 222 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,240 - The colour of it is astonishing. 223 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,400 Look at it moving, securing itself around me. 224 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:30,160 All right, we're going to return this back into the wild. 225 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:32,480 Go on. 226 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,360 It's got quite sleepy on me. No, come on. You've got to go. 227 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,400 Don't get cross with me. 228 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,880 Come on. There we go. 229 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:46,320 So much of the wildlife in this wilderness is spectacular 230 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:50,960 or unique, and few creatures anywhere are as rare as the tenkile, 231 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:53,640 which is only found in the Torricellis. 232 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:55,800 It's critically endangered. 233 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,640 One of the most threatened mammals on the planet. 234 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,160 Rarer, even, than a giant panda. 235 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:03,960 - We are nearly there. 236 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:08,640 We are nearly there. - So, this is the village of Mupun, is that right? 237 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:10,160 - You're right. 238 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:15,160 - And they've sent you reports that they've seen the tenkile? 239 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:25,440 TRIBESMAN SHOUTS 240 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:27,120 Wow. 241 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:28,800 SHOUTING CONTINUES 242 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,640 For a second, I did think he was serious, 243 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,400 and then I noticed the multiple people over there 244 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,240 who are filming this on their mobile phones. 245 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:47,160 CHANTING 246 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,440 - Now we can walk to the village. 247 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,160 - You clearly told them we're coming. 248 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:58,400 - Yeah. 249 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:00,600 - CHANTING 250 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,400 There's no tourism here. 251 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,160 The villagers don't see many outsiders 252 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,280 and we're all being honoured with a special welcome. 253 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,880 Thank you very much. Thank you. Good afternoon. Look at this! 254 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,160 In PNG, it's called a sing-sing. 255 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,160 SINGING 256 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,640 I mean, sometimes you can't really hope to fully understand. 257 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:37,640 You just have to go, "Wow." 258 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:40,520 This is a proper wow. 259 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,400 SINGING 260 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:55,160 Careful. 261 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:04,560 These are the people of the Torricellis. 262 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,640 They have their own languages, traditions and culture, 263 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,160 which they're determined to preserve, 264 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:14,400 but also old mobiles, often third or fourth-hand. 265 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:16,240 There's no signal here. 266 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,960 They're mostly used as cameras and for music. 267 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,640 I heard Dire Straits playing at one point! 268 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:25,400 Thank you, guys. 269 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,880 Thank you. Thank you very much. 270 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,160 Caleb and I are itching to ask them about tree kangaroos. 271 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,160 Have they really seen any tenkile? 272 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,400 Dennis is one of the village elders. 273 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,040 So, Dennis, can you tell us about the tenkile? - Yes. 274 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:41,640 - I know reports have come from the community here 275 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:44,840 that the tenkile has been seen again. 276 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,600 Where have people seen them? All around? Or in one specific area? 277 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:58,400 It's great news. 278 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:00,400 Confirmation. 279 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:04,200 But that doesn't mean we'll be able to actually find the tenkile 280 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:07,640 when we trek further up to Mount Sulen. 281 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:09,640 Oh! 282 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:16,800 Thank you, Dennis. 283 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:18,400 All right? - Yep. 284 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:20,240 - This is home tonight. 285 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,400 I will set up my stuff. 286 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:27,400 Urgh. 287 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,160 Right, I'm set up. I'm going to get to bed. 288 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,440 It's half-past nine, but I'm going to get to bed now. 289 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,400 I need a really good night's sleep 290 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:41,160 because we've got some serious trekking over the next few days. 291 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,400 Like rainforests across the world, the forest of Papua New Guinea 292 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:58,160 is under attack from loggers, miners and farmers. 293 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,800 Wildlife, including tree kangaroos and tenkiles, 294 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:06,400 have been hunted as meat by the growing human population. 295 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,480 The Tenkile Conservation Alliance, which Caleb works for, 296 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,000 is trying to stop the hunting and save the tenkile from extinction. 297 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,400 50 villages have joined the Alliance. 298 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,400 They're restricting hunting. 299 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:27,280 In return, zoos and charities have given grants, donations, 300 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:29,960 to help communities in the area. 301 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:34,640 Caleb helped bring Mupun village into the Conservation Alliance. 302 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:36,000 - Caleb. 303 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:48,160 - Locals are now trekking with us as trackers, 304 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,400 but also as our eyes and ears in the jungle. 305 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:57,400 - The porters are ready, and we are ready to go. - Let's do this. 306 00:19:58,400 --> 00:19:59,880 Lead on. 307 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:05,480 A journey of a million miles must start with a single step. 308 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,400 Honestly, I feel like that's what we're doing. 309 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:11,920 Well, not quite. 310 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:18,640 But it is likely to be a punishing two-day trek just to the base 311 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:23,160 of Mount Sulen, where Caleb hopes we can establish a base camp. 312 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,040 From there, we can attempt to trek up the mountain 313 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:28,400 and search for the elusive tenkile. 314 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,040 We're now in the heart of the wilderness - 315 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:36,920 the Torricelli Mountains - 316 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:40,640 one of the most glorious, wildest regions of New Guinea. 317 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:45,040 The quantity of life on this island is astonishing. 318 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:48,800 It's home to nearly 300 species of mammals, 319 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,880 more than 600 species of birds, 320 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,400 more than 370 different reptiles 321 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:57,800 and more than 440 amphibians. 322 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:00,240 There are nearly 1,000 butterflies here, 323 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:04,160 but it's insects in particular where this island just goes crazy. 324 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:09,400 There are probably in excess of 200,000 species of insect here, 325 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,160 only a fraction of which have ever been named. 326 00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:16,160 - Simon. - Whoa! 327 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,400 COCKROACH HISSES LOUDLY 328 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:20,880 The size of that. - Yeah. 329 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:24,280 COCKROACH HISSES LOUDLY - And the noise it's making. 330 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,640 You do not want that flying around in your bedroom at night, do you? 331 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,000 - No. It's going to bite you. - It's going to bite you? - Yeah. 332 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:46,040 This is a species of frog that is found in the Torricelli Mountain. 333 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,160 - Look at its yellow belly! - Yes, it has got a yellow belly. 334 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,640 - Look at that! So bright! 335 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:56,160 But some of the wildlife tries to get a bit too friendly. 336 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:00,200 Marcus where has that come from? 337 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:03,960 I've had a leech attack. 338 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,360 Yeah. 339 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,160 And then it's had a good meal and then it's dropped off. - Yes. 340 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:11,760 - Where are they? 341 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:14,920 Where did you get that from? 342 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:17,400 On you? 343 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:28,680 OK, I'll be honest. I do not like leeches. 344 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:33,160 This is like an alien creature. Look at it. 345 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:35,960 SIMON EXHALES LOUDLY 346 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,400 And now I keep feeling like I've got something crawling up my legs. 347 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:42,640 Should discourage them a little bit. 348 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:49,160 Leeches, scorpions, snakes and tarantulas. 349 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:55,600 But we can't stand around to be jabbed and stabbed by the wildlife. 350 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:57,640 We need to crack on. 351 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,480 I mean, it's just up and down, up and down, up and down. 352 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:16,640 Why the hell is that? Because the rainforest is so wet. 353 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,400 The clue is in... Argh! ..in the name. 354 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:22,400 It rains and rains, and so there are rivers and streams 355 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,960 coming off the hills and mountains and they carve little gulleys... 356 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,880 ..over tens of thousands and millions of years. 357 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:36,640 And so you're constantly either walking down into a little valley 358 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:38,640 or climbing out of it. 359 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,920 SIMON EXHALES LOUDLY 360 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:45,640 Oh, man. 361 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,160 And if you stop for a rest, 362 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,080 then the sweat bees come out to get you. 363 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,400 I mean, it's not nice, really. But, you know... 364 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:08,400 Bee stings are annoying. 365 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,440 A snake bite here could be a proper problem. 366 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,840 But the real danger is a simple accident, 367 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:16,680 and then disaster. 368 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,520 Imagine a compound fracture out here. 369 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:23,160 Argh! 370 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:29,880 I'm OK, I'm OK. 371 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,400 I'm pretty spent. 372 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:40,880 It's just hour after hour. 373 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:45,880 We can push ourselves only so far. 374 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:52,440 And then there's a point where it becomes a bit dangerous. 375 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,160 We are a long way from help... 376 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,160 ..and a hospital, so... 377 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:08,880 ..when you get tired, too tired, you make mistakes. 378 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:13,160 On an expedition like this, stretchering out 379 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,880 just one injured person can drag everyone to exhaustion. 380 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,640 It can actually put the whole team in danger. 381 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:25,960 - Argh! 382 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,160 - You all right? - Yeah. 383 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,160 Just my pride. 384 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:39,160 OK. 385 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,200 - One of the reasons this whole area is still... 386 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,880 ..unknown, in part, to science 387 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:53,880 is that it is so blooming challenging to get here, 388 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,400 to be here, to exist here, to move through it. 389 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,880 It's tough. - This would be tricky for a scientist to get up here. 390 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:03,800 For a film crew with gear, 45-degree slopes, this is pretty, 391 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,240 you know... Of all the jobs I've done, 392 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,400 this is pushing it for what's achievable by a film crew. 393 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,920 - This is a sketchy, tricky place. You don't want to be 394 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,640 carrying us out... - I don't want to be carrying us out, no. 395 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:16,720 - All right, well, we'll try and be careful. 396 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:25,160 It's getting near the end of the day and the weather isn't helping. 397 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:28,440 Oh, my goodness. 398 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,000 This is absolutely knackering. 399 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:33,960 It's so steep. 400 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,480 Often, I'm almost crawling up the side of the hill. 401 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,800 We really need to find somewhere to camp. 402 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:53,160 So, Caleb's just told me there's a river down here. 403 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,160 We're going to rest down there tonight, 404 00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:00,640 and then tomorrow we're going to start scaling this mountain. 405 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:07,720 Oh... 406 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:11,560 Just woken up. 407 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:16,480 Got a little bit extra sleep tonight... 408 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:17,960 Today... 409 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,160 SIMON LAUGHS Last night. 410 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,960 I needed it. My body is aching after 411 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,960 these hours and hours of trekking in the jungle. 412 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,880 Oh! But I slept well, feel good. 413 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:33,880 I'm ready for more. 414 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:47,480 Our aim today - reach the base of Mount Sulen before night falls. 415 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:49,160 Simple. 416 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:53,160 But then hour after hour... 417 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:56,160 One foot in front of the other. 418 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,760 Sometimes... 419 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,200 ..it is harder than that sounds. 420 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,400 This is killing. SIMON BREATHES HEAVILY 421 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,160 I don't know how much longer I can do this. 422 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,160 I can hardly hold the camera, let alone climb a slope. 423 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,640 I've just got to sit down. SIMON BREATHES HEAVILY 424 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:49,880 SIMON GROANS 425 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,160 Our trackers decide to push on ahead 426 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:58,240 to find somewhere we can camp. 427 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,160 There's not a trace of a phone signal out here, 428 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,640 but we don't want to lose touch with them. 429 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:11,000 LOUD BANGING 430 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:18,640 Whoa. That really reverberates. 431 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:20,800 It echoes through the jungle. 432 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,560 - When a person is lost or somewhere, in the other location, 433 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:28,880 he has to communicate, we beat the tree drum to communicate with them. 434 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:30,880 - Tree drum? - Yeah. 435 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:33,800 - Somebody answered. 436 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:35,480 FAINT BANGING 437 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,040 - Yeah. 438 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:42,400 - There's a very faint sound from the jungle, in that direction. 439 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:43,880 - Let's go. 440 00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:52,880 - We've got the right direction 441 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,640 and we've nearly reached our next goal - 442 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:57,800 the base of Mount Sulen. 443 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:05,160 I'm soaked. 444 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,160 Soaked in my own sweat, rain... 445 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:12,400 ..river water, 446 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:14,120 so... 447 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:17,160 It's in my boots, 448 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,560 which are soaked inside. 449 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:28,160 Ah. - We are here. - We've made it! 450 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:35,480 Well done, everyone. 451 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,400 Time to build camp. 452 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:47,160 This will be our home for the next week or so, 453 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:50,160 as we head out to search for the tenkile. 454 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:53,720 But our trackers warn us that in heavy rain, 455 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,440 tree kangaroos can be impossible to spot, 456 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,880 so we need to wait for the weather to turn. 457 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:02,640 So, look, we're in a row here. 458 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:05,640 A row of tents under... 459 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:08,880 Quite stuffed together, but we're trying to sort of 460 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:13,160 huddle and shelter under a couple of tarpaulins we brought with us, 461 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,640 just to try and keep the endless rain off us, 462 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:18,920 and our kit, and our tents, 463 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:20,640 and our clothes. 464 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:22,640 Suffice to say... 465 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,960 ..they're never really completely dry in the jungle. 466 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,960 And the putting on of wet pants in the morning 467 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,840 is not my favourite part of the day. SIMON LAUGHS 468 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,640 We use our day camp-building. 469 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:55,640 And then, as night falls, 470 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:58,200 the jungle comes to us. 471 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:05,880 Some of it does appear to be setting up home down here. Look. 472 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:07,400 WINGS BUZZ 473 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:09,160 Oh... Oh, God. 474 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,600 Oh, and me. I think I might have one on me now, look. 475 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:20,400 You don't want to squeeze them. 476 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:24,040 It might be a creature previously unknown to science. 477 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:28,600 You can't go taking risks with anything here, I tell you. 478 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,800 What on earth have you got here, Caleb? 479 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:33,640 CHIRPING 480 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:38,560 I mean, that's something straight out of a science fiction movie. 481 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:43,160 I think one of the most astonishing things about being here is that, 482 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:48,400 genuinely, there are hundreds and hundreds of creatures here 483 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:52,480 that are just found nowhere else on the planet. 484 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:54,160 Oh, look! Look at you! 485 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,040 That looks as though it's painted for carnival. 486 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:08,040 Perhaps our new campmates are making themselves just a little too cosy. 487 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:09,480 - Argh! 488 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,400 - What's going on, Chris? 489 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:14,200 - There's a bloody massive insect. 490 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,400 - Oh, my God! Chris! 491 00:33:16,400 --> 00:33:19,960 - LAUGHTER - Get it out! Get it out! 492 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,160 - It's gone in the top there. Get it out. 493 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:25,400 - Hang on. No, leave it, leave it, leave it, leave it. It's out. 494 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,400 - It's not. - It is. Just close your flap up, quick. 495 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:31,480 - OK. - Quick. No, this one! Close your net. 496 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:33,200 It can't get in there. 497 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,160 Can we see it? 498 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,480 Look. Oh, no, in fairness, come on. 499 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:40,800 - That is big. - Nobody wants that... LAUGHTER 500 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:45,160 I'm taking it out with me. 501 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:46,480 - Yeah. 502 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,400 Did it go? - There we go. It's on my hand now. 503 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:51,160 Oh! It's gone. 504 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,160 Next day, the rain has stopped. 505 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:06,160 We can get going. 506 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:13,400 This last stage of my journey is a steep trek from our base camp 507 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:17,160 up to the summit of Mount Sulen, at more than 5,000 feet. 508 00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:21,480 That's the area and altitude where villagers say tenkile 509 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:23,240 have been spotted. 510 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,720 Caleb and the villagers have spent the downtime 511 00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:29,920 building a cage from forest bamboo. 512 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,440 We'll take it with us up the mountain. 513 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:39,480 The aim here... 514 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:42,800 ..is for us to get close enough to the tenkile 515 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:47,160 for Caleb to take photos of it, to register and record it. 516 00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:49,800 The dream... 517 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:55,400 ..is to gently catch a tenkile 518 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:59,400 to try and get a picture, or pictures, 519 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:01,800 of its unique markings. 520 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:06,160 That would be a big help to the conservationists here. 521 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,080 And then, of course, release it. 522 00:35:09,080 --> 00:35:12,960 Just two hours up, Caleb spots something critical. 523 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:14,480 - Simon. - Yeah? 524 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,160 - You can see the tenkile shit? It's just right there. 525 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:21,160 - Sorry, this is a tenkile's poo? - Yes. 526 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:25,800 - That means they're here. - They are here. 527 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:28,400 - SIMON LAUGHS They are here, right here. 528 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:32,600 - This is the home of the tenkile - the king of the forest. 529 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:34,640 - Oh, my goodness. 530 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:38,560 - This is a fresh one, just, like, yesterday morning. 531 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:41,800 - It's quite a skill being able to age a poo. 532 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:44,960 A conservationist needs a lot of strange skills, don't they? 533 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:47,640 - That's right. This is the adult. 534 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:49,560 - Hang on. Let me see. 535 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:54,160 It smells of absolutely nothing. 536 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:56,520 I'm going to take a picture of this. 537 00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:59,640 This is a photo of the poo of a creature 538 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:04,160 of which there are only a few hundred left 539 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:06,080 in the wild in the world. 540 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:07,640 - Yes. 541 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:10,160 - And that is its poo. 542 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:12,640 - Let's go. 543 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:16,040 - This proves something astonishing. 544 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,400 The tenkile is really here. 545 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:23,960 Higher and higher we go. 546 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:30,000 It feels like we're getting so close. 547 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:34,800 Then, more rain. 548 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,160 We search, but no tenkile. 549 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:55,160 Eventually, we head back to camp. 550 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:03,800 For three long, frustrating days, we comb the mountainside, 551 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:05,560 scanning, searching. 552 00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:09,800 It's exhausting work in the mud, the heat, the rain, 553 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:13,080 but there's no further sign of tree kangaroos. 554 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,800 Well, no joy today, 555 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:23,640 erm, and we're all really shattered. 556 00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:29,160 We've just got to hope that we get lucky. 557 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,160 Get a good night's sleep and then get lucky. 558 00:37:38,160 --> 00:37:41,160 The next day, Caleb wants us to go all in. 559 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,160 We're up before dawn. 560 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:45,160 The weather has cleared. 561 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:50,640 What's the plan? 562 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:53,200 - We'll be going with the trackers, 563 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:56,640 and then when they see the tenkile, they can call us, too. 564 00:37:56,640 --> 00:38:00,280 - All right. So we've got trackers going ahead of us? - Yes. 565 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,480 - All right, let's head off. 566 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:06,880 We're running out of time. 567 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:11,160 We can't stay here forever, so now we're taking a gamble. 568 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:13,640 It's risky trekking in the dark. 569 00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,480 If someone's injured, we're stuffed. 570 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:19,480 But we're desperate to spot a tenkile, 571 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:23,160 so we're going to try to reach the summit as early as possible 572 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:27,040 because Caleb thinks tenkile are most active at first light, 573 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,880 when the jungle insects can be deafening. 574 00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:33,880 Onwards. 575 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:36,000 Onwards, upwards. 576 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:40,160 We're going to places that... 577 00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:45,160 ..I think I'm pretty guaran... FAINT THUD 578 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,240 Pretty sure to say... 579 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:49,480 BLEEP. LOUD THUD 580 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:56,480 Didn't see that. 581 00:38:57,480 --> 00:38:59,480 I was going to say... 582 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:03,880 ..I'm pretty sure nobody from Acton has ever walked here. 583 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:06,960 Nobody from Acton has ever banged their head... 584 00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:10,160 ..on that branch. 585 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,160 Oh, my God. 586 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:20,560 Now, that... 587 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:24,320 That is dawn rising. 588 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:30,480 What an astonishing sight. 589 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,800 - What an amazing, amazing place. This is Torricelli. 590 00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:36,400 - Do you still feel that every time you come in? 591 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:37,960 - Every time. 592 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:39,800 I feel I'm blessed. 593 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,480 - One of the spotters has seen something, but he's not sure what. 594 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,480 I'm going to go down to him. 595 00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:09,400 I try to follow Marcus down a steep ravine. 596 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:18,000 WHISPERING: - It was down there. 597 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:22,400 - What was it? - It was the tenkile. 598 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:25,360 - You think it was a tenkile? - It was a tenkile. 599 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:26,920 - You saw a tenkile? 600 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:29,280 Wow. 601 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,640 And it was right down here? 602 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:35,840 - Right down and more down. 603 00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:37,560 - Should we follow it? 604 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:39,800 - It's too hard for us to follow. 605 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,080 - OK. So, we carry on? - We can continue. 606 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:44,880 - On we go. 607 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:49,560 Now we know. 608 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:53,960 Tenkiles are elusive and mysterious but they're close by. 609 00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:56,560 But can we see any? Can we film them? 610 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:02,800 Argh! 611 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:08,080 SIMON GROANS 612 00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:16,040 Wow. 613 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:21,160 I'm much closer to the summit now of Mount Sulen 614 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:23,160 and it's changed. 615 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:28,400 The forest around is much damper, much wetter. 616 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,160 There's more... 617 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:32,400 more delicate ferns. 618 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:38,160 Perhaps this, finally, is the world of the tenkile, 619 00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:40,960 with the vines and ferns they love to eat. 620 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:45,160 As isolated and remote as you can imagine. 621 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:55,160 WHISPERING: - He is seeing something on the other branch of the tree, 622 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,160 so he's walking up there. 623 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:08,160 - FAINT CHATTER 624 00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:16,400 - Yeah, yeah, come and stand over. 625 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:19,240 See the black one? 626 00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:23,120 That's it. That's the black one. - I can see. 627 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:25,400 Is it a head? - Yeah. - Oh, my God. 628 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:30,480 So I can see the tenkile just above us. It's about ten metres up. 629 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:54,160 This is one of the rarest creatures on planet Earth 630 00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:58,240 and we are here seeing it, filming it. 631 00:42:58,240 --> 00:43:02,040 This is an absolutely extraordinary moment. 632 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:06,640 FAINT CHATTER 633 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:10,160 - Very clear. 634 00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:15,120 Can you see it? Just right at the edge of the bananas. 635 00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:19,400 There. - Oh, my God, yeah. - It's two of the tenkile. 636 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:22,640 - Oh, my goodness. 637 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:30,480 This is brilliant. 638 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:32,640 You guys have done so well. 639 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:36,280 Thank you so much. 640 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:39,560 Willy! Thank you. 641 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:41,640 SIMON LAUGHS Thank you. 642 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:43,480 The villagers have done it. 643 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:46,240 They've proved the tenkile are alive. 644 00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:48,160 They've shown us. 645 00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:54,640 Now Caleb wants to get shots of their individual tail markings 646 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:56,880 to build a profile of the population. 647 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:01,640 He sends the guys into the trees to take photos... 648 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:04,960 - Climb up, climb up. 649 00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:07,040 - ..or even to catch them. 650 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:10,520 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 651 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:14,640 Do it. Yeah, yeah. It's going to jump down. 652 00:44:17,920 --> 00:44:20,480 - It's looking around. - It's looking around to jump. 653 00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:21,920 Be ready. 654 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:37,800 - With one leap, they're gone. 655 00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:44,400 It's only a fleeting glimpse, but that in and of itself 656 00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:47,240 is something I will remember forever. 657 00:44:47,240 --> 00:44:48,960 SIMON LAUGHS 658 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:51,800 Jonathan, that's quite an achievement, mate. 659 00:44:53,160 --> 00:44:55,800 Do you feel a bit emotional? - Yeah, I do, actually. 660 00:44:55,800 --> 00:44:57,640 I do. 661 00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:00,160 We've worked hard to get here... 662 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:04,400 ..and we have slogged it up this mountain, 663 00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:08,560 and to finally see it in the wild, that's incredible. 664 00:45:09,560 --> 00:45:14,160 It is the only, only material shot ever 665 00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:18,200 of the wild tenkile in the Torricelli Mountains. 666 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:25,800 - After you, guv'nor. 667 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:29,280 Onwards. 668 00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:35,400 The survival of tree kangaroos here is a triumph for conservation. 669 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:38,400 The tenkile's so special, it could become an icon 670 00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:42,960 for the Torricellis that helps draw attention and proper protection 671 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:47,000 for one of the most biodiverse wilderness areas on the planet. 672 00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:51,040 Caleb still wants more. 673 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:53,960 More concrete data on the tenkile, more photos. 674 00:45:53,960 --> 00:45:56,480 He sends trackers to keep searching. 675 00:45:56,480 --> 00:45:59,400 We start the long journey back down the mountain. 676 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:04,040 On the way back to Mupun village, 677 00:46:04,040 --> 00:46:06,480 we see a sobering sight in the distance. 678 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:10,880 Oh, wow. That is quite a view. 679 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:16,760 - It's a good view of the mountain, the Torricelli Mountain, 680 00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:20,480 and as you can see, there's a road, a logging road. 681 00:46:20,480 --> 00:46:25,000 - Sorry, are you saying that that scar over there... - Yeah. 682 00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:27,960 - ..that's a logging road? - That's a logging road. 683 00:46:30,160 --> 00:46:33,400 - The New Guinea Rainforest feels so vast, 684 00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:36,160 like nothing could ever begin to damage it, 685 00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:39,160 but a quarter of it has already been chopped down. 686 00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:44,160 On the western side of the island, there are plans under way to clear 687 00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:47,280 an area the size of Belgium for growing sugar cane. 688 00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:52,640 Even here, new logging roads are encroaching into the wilderness. 689 00:46:53,640 --> 00:46:57,000 Can this area survive? Can biodiversity survive? 690 00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:12,160 The Torricelli Mountains do not have proper protection. 691 00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:14,160 It's not a national park. 692 00:47:14,160 --> 00:47:17,640 Caleb and the Conservation Alliance hope to change that. 693 00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:27,600 A couple of days later, Mupun village is a very welcome sight. 694 00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:32,400 Many conservationists are hoping people here 695 00:47:32,400 --> 00:47:35,160 will protect this jewel of biodiversity. 696 00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:39,640 Grants and donations have brought some improvements in the area - 697 00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:41,640 clean water, solar power. 698 00:47:41,640 --> 00:47:43,640 But life here is tough. 699 00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:47,600 Life expectancy is almost 20 years lower than in nearby Australia. 700 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:51,560 Locals need to feel there's a real value to conservation. 701 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:55,160 That will help encourage them to manage their forest sustainably. 702 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:02,160 What is that? What an astonishing little creature. 703 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:05,480 It looks like Dobby from the Harry Potter films. 704 00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:07,840 - It's a possum. Cuscus. 705 00:48:17,720 --> 00:48:22,080 We have made some by-laws within the conservation area. 706 00:48:22,080 --> 00:48:24,480 No-one has to go and hunt inside. 707 00:48:24,480 --> 00:48:27,160 - So you have a protected area with no hunting 708 00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:31,640 and that becomes a sanctuary, it becomes a breeding area... - Yeah. 709 00:48:31,640 --> 00:48:36,160 - ..it becomes a nursery for wildlife to grow and then filter out 710 00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:40,080 into other areas, where, potentially, hunting is allowed. 711 00:48:40,080 --> 00:48:41,920 - Yeah. 712 00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:46,400 - But there's more to this project than bylaws and a hunting ban. 713 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:49,880 Caleb's Tenkile Conservation Alliance campaigns 714 00:48:49,880 --> 00:48:52,840 to stop loggers and miners coming into the area 715 00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:55,400 and they're turning the Torricelli Mountains 716 00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:57,600 into a scientific laboratory, 717 00:48:57,600 --> 00:49:01,160 employing locals who used to hunt the wildlife 718 00:49:01,160 --> 00:49:03,240 to act as field researchers. 719 00:49:04,240 --> 00:49:06,160 - Let's go. - Let's go. 720 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:11,400 - When the sun goes down, women from local villages 721 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:14,240 set out into the jungle to look for wildlife. 722 00:49:17,560 --> 00:49:19,200 Snake? - Yes. 723 00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:22,080 - It's not venomous. 724 00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:24,400 - Not venomous? - Not venomous. 725 00:49:25,880 --> 00:49:28,600 - Two-thirds of all the reptiles and amphibians 726 00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:32,400 in Papua New Guinea can be found here, in this tiny area. 727 00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:35,800 The women here used to catch them to eat, 728 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:38,160 so they know exactly where to find them. 729 00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:40,720 Irene. - Yes? 730 00:49:40,720 --> 00:49:43,080 - When you find a frog, what do you do? 731 00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:08,160 The Alliance has developed its own app that locals use 732 00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:10,400 to document the plants and animals. 733 00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:14,040 So far, they've logged more than 100 types of frogs just here. 734 00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:16,800 There's only 50 in the whole of Europe. 735 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:21,440 Some of the species found were previously unknown to science. 736 00:50:21,440 --> 00:50:25,520 You're turning the community into your field researchers. 737 00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:28,640 Scientists. 738 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:32,640 World-renowned biologists from Australia to Northern Ireland 739 00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:35,720 are using the data collected by the villagers 740 00:50:35,720 --> 00:50:40,160 to create a unique record of one of the most remarkable ecosystems. 741 00:50:45,600 --> 00:50:48,800 Honestly, more than anything, I'm just loving the villagers. 742 00:50:48,800 --> 00:50:53,640 Being with them and sharing some of their excitement 743 00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:55,480 and enthusiasm... 744 00:50:56,480 --> 00:50:58,240 ..at the area. 745 00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:01,560 I mean, they are really proud. 746 00:51:01,560 --> 00:51:04,400 They keep telling us how proud they are that we're here 747 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:08,160 and that we're filming in their part of the planet. 748 00:51:08,160 --> 00:51:10,480 It's a wonderful thing to behold. 749 00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:21,240 The next morning, Caleb gets a message from his jungle trackers. 750 00:51:24,640 --> 00:51:27,080 We head back into the rainforest. 751 00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:38,160 Oh, my God. 752 00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:44,280 Look what have they done. 753 00:51:47,720 --> 00:51:49,400 A tenkile. 754 00:51:59,240 --> 00:52:00,960 We can go in? 755 00:52:00,960 --> 00:52:03,160 - It's friendly. - Wow. 756 00:52:06,640 --> 00:52:10,240 It's a female tenkile with her nearly grown baby. 757 00:52:10,240 --> 00:52:11,960 I mean, I feel... 758 00:52:12,960 --> 00:52:16,760 ..slightly overawed being in their presence, to be honest. 759 00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:21,160 They are almost impossibly sweet and cute. 760 00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:24,880 - They only eat in the afternoon. 761 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:27,160 They only eat in the early morning. 762 00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:29,640 During the daytime and the night-time, 763 00:52:29,640 --> 00:52:34,000 they go up to the branches and just having a deep sleep. 764 00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:40,400 - And look. Chatting away, I've sent the tenkile to sleep. 765 00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:41,680 - Yeah. 766 00:52:41,680 --> 00:52:45,720 - Is that not the most staggeringly cute sight you have seen? 767 00:52:46,720 --> 00:52:49,400 - So, for now, I'll take a photo first. 768 00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:53,600 - And is that so you can identify them? - That's right. 769 00:53:09,480 --> 00:53:10,960 - Ooh. 770 00:53:12,240 --> 00:53:16,640 These animals are a real symbol of the fight to preserve wildlife 771 00:53:16,640 --> 00:53:20,960 in Papua New Guinea from roads, logging, miners and hunters. 772 00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:23,640 And they're crucial to the ecosystem here. 773 00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:26,800 There aren't any monkeys or apes in this jungle, 774 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:29,480 but tree kangaroos help play a similar role, 775 00:53:29,480 --> 00:53:33,160 as gardeners of the forest, eating fruit, pooing it out 776 00:53:33,160 --> 00:53:35,040 and spreading the seeds, 777 00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:39,160 and in doing so, helping to sustain this completely unique wilderness. 778 00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:44,160 I mean, I'll be honest, I was really sceptical 779 00:53:44,160 --> 00:53:50,160 that we would be able to see tenkile in any form in the mountains 780 00:53:50,160 --> 00:53:52,960 because it's so hard to spot anything in the jungle, 781 00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:55,600 and it's very hard for a conservationist to know 782 00:53:55,600 --> 00:53:57,680 what's out there as a result, 783 00:53:57,680 --> 00:54:01,400 so they've got to use the knowledge of local people. 784 00:54:01,400 --> 00:54:03,720 - Yeah. - That's really critical. 785 00:55:10,640 --> 00:55:12,480 Aw. They're both in. 786 00:55:12,480 --> 00:55:15,640 Look, now they're getting some... Giving them some food. 787 00:55:16,880 --> 00:55:19,480 And the tenkile are ready to travel. 788 00:55:23,960 --> 00:55:27,160 The people here, the villages, 789 00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:31,040 they're coming together to help protect and preserve their forest 790 00:55:31,040 --> 00:55:32,880 for future generations. 791 00:55:38,880 --> 00:55:43,600 The Torricelli Mountains, one of the world's great wilderness areas, 792 00:55:43,600 --> 00:55:46,440 still faces many threats. 793 00:55:46,440 --> 00:55:50,400 But for me, the locals here are a powerful beacon of hope. 794 00:55:50,400 --> 00:55:52,600 - Now it's...it's excited. 795 00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:54,880 It's excited to climb up the tree. 796 00:56:01,800 --> 00:56:04,160 They're just using their language. 797 00:56:04,160 --> 00:56:06,400 Using the local native language. 798 00:56:06,400 --> 00:56:10,360 You just say that, "You must go. You must go now to your home." 799 00:56:10,360 --> 00:56:12,880 - VILLAGER SPEAKS TO TENKILE 800 00:56:14,400 --> 00:56:17,320 - "You must go now. You must climb up that tree." 801 00:56:24,160 --> 00:56:26,400 - They're going. They're going. 802 00:57:00,160 --> 00:57:05,040 The tenkile is living proof that conservation can work, 803 00:57:05,040 --> 00:57:08,400 that local communities can be really powerful allies 804 00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:11,160 for protecting biodiversity, 805 00:57:11,160 --> 00:57:15,160 and that on our rapidly changing planet, there is still space for 806 00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:19,640 the beauty, the wonder, the magic and the mystery of wild places. 807 00:57:56,040 --> 00:58:02,040 Next time, I'm travelling across Mexico's beautiful Sea of Cortez, 808 00:58:02,040 --> 00:58:05,880 home to some of the greatest marine life on Earth. 809 00:58:05,880 --> 00:58:07,400 Wahey! 810 00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:08,880 That is special. 811 00:58:08,880 --> 00:58:10,240 BLEEP! 812 00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:12,200 It's an extreme ocean wilderness... 813 00:58:12,200 --> 00:58:14,600 This is becoming one of the least pleasant 814 00:58:14,600 --> 00:58:16,480 camping experiences of my life. 815 00:58:16,480 --> 00:58:21,200 ..where I'll come face-to-face with some deadly giants of the sea. 816 00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:23,480 The apex predators are back. 817 00:58:26,200 --> 00:58:29,160 Discover how rewilding could help recover areas 818 00:58:29,160 --> 00:58:32,640 where wilderness has been lost due to human activity. 819 00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:36,400 Take an interactive journey back in time with the Open University 820 00:58:36,400 --> 00:58:38,960 by scanning the QR code on your screen 821 00:58:38,960 --> 00:58:40,960 or by going to...