1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:04,480 WHISPERS: Oh, my. 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:06,440 It feels like we're on top of the world. 3 00:00:12,700 --> 00:00:16,400 I'm going in search of the vast remote areas 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,400 where nature still has the upper hand. 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,000 This is the source of the mighty Yukon River. 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:26,900 Oh, I nearly went, then. 7 00:00:26,900 --> 00:00:29,840 Rarely visited, distant, wild places. 8 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:31,880 - One, two, three, go! 9 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:37,680 - I'm exploring four of these rugged, glorious regions. 10 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,280 This is straight out of Star Wars. 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:41,600 Tough journeys... 12 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,840 I don't know how much longer I can do this. 13 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:48,400 ..over harsh terrain. 14 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:50,840 BLEEP. 15 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:52,680 This is becoming one of the least pleasant 16 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,120 camping experiences of my life. 17 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:56,720 Thank you very much. Thank you. 18 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,560 I'm going to find the people of the wilderness. 19 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,440 I can sense the emotion in him. 20 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,040 This is a tough guy. 21 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,040 Waa! - Whoa! 22 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:11,040 - Thank you so much. 23 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,920 And discover they're defending wild areas. 24 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:14,960 This is brilliant. 25 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:20,760 The apex predators are back. 26 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,320 There it is. It's a snow leopard! 27 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,120 It is a vast ocean of sand and stone. 28 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:30,680 I'm crossing some of the most 29 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,920 hostile and spectacular landscapes... 30 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:34,320 What a sight. 31 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:35,480 ..on planet Earth. 32 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,400 These are the last great wildernesses. 33 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,520 I'm in Mongolia, starting out in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. 34 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,240 This is one of the world's fastest-growing cities. 35 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,440 Like all of them, messy, polluted and crowded. 36 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,280 The population here has trebled in recent decades. 37 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:17,680 HE GRUNTS 38 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:24,440 The lens box is always one of the heaviest. 39 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:36,600 Beyond the city and its traffic jams, 40 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:41,560 Mongolia is mostly vast wilderness, endless grassy plains, 41 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,480 mountain ranges and great rocky deserts. 42 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,240 We're heading south out of Ulaanbaatar, 43 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:51,880 towards the Gobi Desert. 44 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,160 Mongolia's six times the size of 45 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:01,240 the UK, but the world's least densely populated country - 46 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,960 less than 3.5 million people. 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,840 Perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, 48 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:11,120 it's a country of nomads, herders and remote lives. 49 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,120 CAR THUDS 50 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:19,120 Flipping heck! 51 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,200 That was less of a pothole and more of a ravine. 52 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,920 I'm on an epic journey across Mongolia's wilderness 53 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:33,440 in search of those nomads and astonishing wildlife. 54 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,640 I'm travelling 3,000 miles by four-wheel drive, 55 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,280 horse and foot. 56 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,680 First crossing the great Gobi Desert, 57 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,000 looking for nomadic camel herders. 58 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,440 Beyond that are the Margus Mountains, 59 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,960 where I want to find one of our rarest animals, 60 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:49,840 the snow leopard. 61 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,120 Finally, I hope to reach the far west 62 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,080 and an ancient community who hunt with golden eagles. 63 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,280 It's more than 400 miles south of Ulaanbaatar 64 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,120 when the road runs out... - Oh! 65 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,320 - ..quite literally. 66 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,040 Careful. Oh, my God. 67 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,040 And my journey across the wilderness really begins. 68 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,480 We are attempting something really quite challenging here. 69 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,880 We're crossing a huge tract 70 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,480 of the enormous Gobi Desert. 71 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,760 The Gobi straddles Mongolia and China. 72 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,920 The great desert of Central Asia covers 500,000 square miles, 73 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,840 more than twice the size of France. 74 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:38,960 You just get so many different landscapes. 75 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:43,000 One minute it's flat, the next it's hilly and rocky. 76 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,720 And now we're into an area of intense, immense sand dunes. 77 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,040 Towering sandy cliffs, in fact. 78 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,080 The Gobi is one of the driest places on earth. 79 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,960 In some parts, there's just a few inches of rain a year. 80 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,960 Scorching in the summer, winter here is often extreme. 81 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,480 Overnight, it can be as cold as the Arctic. 82 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:17,040 We're searching 83 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,200 for nomadic camel herders who manage to survive out here... 84 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,440 ..somehow, somewhere. 85 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,520 My guide, Onon Bayasgalan, is a conservationist 86 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:33,640 who works with the people of the Gobi 87 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:35,760 to help preserve this wilderness. 88 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,760 If anyone can help me find the nomadic herders, it's her. 89 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,760 It just looks as though nobody could possibly live out here. 90 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,120 - It may look like that, but it can be deceiving because there are 91 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,840 definitely a lot of families you'll find that have lived here 92 00:05:52,840 --> 00:05:56,520 for, you know, decades or, like, generations. 93 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:01,680 - We've been warned that there's a storm coming. 94 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:05,200 And, here, a storm doesn't mean being lashed with rain, 95 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,600 it means being smashed with dust and sand. 96 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:13,880 TRANSLATION: 97 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:18,320 I think we might already be in it. 98 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:22,920 It comes in through the cracks in the windows - 99 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:24,520 the dust just gets everywhere. 100 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:36,480 So the dust just cleared for a moment 101 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,280 and we can see black shapes ahead. 102 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:39,400 We're not sure what they are. 103 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:42,920 Oh, my God, it's camels. 104 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:45,800 They're camels. 105 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:49,480 Look at that. 106 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:55,520 I was going to say they're wild camels, but they're clearly not 107 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:59,120 because they've got reins on them. 108 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,880 There must be camel herders in this area. 109 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:05,680 Let's keep our eyes open. - Yeah. 110 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,960 Their ger will look like a little white mushroom. 111 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,000 - And their ger is their... 112 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,280 In some other countries, they're called yurts. - Yes. 113 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,160 - Is that them, Onon? - It looks like it. 114 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:25,280 - All right. 115 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:34,800 I'm very sorry. Have we scared the camels away? 116 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,440 They're very pretty camels. Look at them. 117 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,080 So this is your well. 118 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:48,080 Does this ever run dry? 119 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,840 What's the coldest it gets here? 120 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,880 So for you, -20 is not that low? 121 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,000 You're a tough guy. 122 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,960 How far will your camels roam? 123 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:26,960 What do you mean when you say "these ones"? 124 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:28,040 Do you have other ones 125 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:30,800 that are a bit troublesome and wander off further? 126 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,880 There's a mountain peak in the far distance. 127 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,400 Some of the camels will roam further than that? 128 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:57,720 You're going to round up the camels? 129 00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:03,480 Bandier and his family are true nomads. 130 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,000 Traditionally, that's been a way of life 131 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:07,200 more in harmony with the environment. 132 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,440 With their sheep, goats and camels, 133 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,920 they stay in an area for a few months, 134 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:13,920 then move on to preserve pasture. 135 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,200 They're camping here for the winter. 136 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,520 I'm helping round up the camels. 137 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:21,640 OK, so... 138 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,200 VOICE-OVER: They're not quite how I imagined. 139 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:24,640 ..in truth, I am a little bit rusty. 140 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:27,080 But...hopefully, it'll come back to me. 141 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:28,120 ENGINE STARTS 142 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:40,600 Ahh! 143 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:43,560 BLEEP. 144 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:49,240 - Simon! 145 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:53,240 - Ouch! For... 146 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:55,400 Excuse me. 147 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,520 - Simon, how are you? - OK. 148 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:04,120 Let's go. - All right. 149 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:05,160 - ENGINES REV 150 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,520 I'm just suddenly so struck by the Gobi Desert. 151 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:24,320 The scale of it. 152 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,160 It is a vast ocean of sand and stone. 153 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:29,720 Look at this! 154 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,360 It's quite hard for us to comprehend, really, 155 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:42,560 that still on this planet, 156 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:46,440 there are areas of earth 157 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,040 on this sort of size and scale. 158 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:53,920 I am not seeing any camels. 159 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,840 Given that they are essentially the exact 160 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:05,440 same colour as the ground cover here, 161 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:06,840 well, it's a bit difficult. 162 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:16,720 Hang on. Is that the camels? 163 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,000 They're ahead of us. I see the camels. 164 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,920 - So...hey. 165 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,760 - So what are my instructions? 166 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,040 How can I be of some tiny, tiny help? 167 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:37,000 HE CHUCKLES 168 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,240 Which side do you want me to go - left or right? 169 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:44,360 Go to the right? - Go to the right. - Simple as. 170 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:46,920 OK. Yes, sir. 171 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:48,760 Let's go. - All right. 172 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,400 - "Round up some camels." What a mad idea. 173 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:10,760 They've gathered together, very helpfully, 174 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:12,840 and they're trotting forward. 175 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,040 No-one's getting left behind. 176 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:30,160 I'd better gee it up. 177 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:31,240 Come on, you. 178 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:35,560 - Simon. 179 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:39,880 This side. 180 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:42,720 - I think he's saying, "Get out of their way." 181 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,080 We're back! We got them back. 182 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,200 Oh, my God, I didn't realise where we were. 183 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:08,240 HE CHUCKLES 184 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,040 These Bactrian camels have double humps, 185 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:17,040 storing around 70 kilos of fat. 186 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,320 They can go for weeks without water and months without food. 187 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:23,840 Incredibly tough, they can survive the extreme temperatures 188 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:28,240 of the Gobi, from -40 in winter to +40 in summer, 189 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,000 shedding their shaggy fur. 190 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,080 Bandia's wife, Puji, milks them twice a day, 191 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,680 and nomads trade camels and use them for meat and leather. 192 00:13:37,680 --> 00:13:41,680 Bandia and Puji let me stay in one of their gers - in the spare room. 193 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:42,800 CAMELS GRUNT 194 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:50,600 LIVELY CHATTER 195 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:51,880 SIMON LAUGHS 196 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,040 QUIETLY: OK, I've got to pull it back now. 197 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:57,520 I really need some special magic. 198 00:13:57,520 --> 00:13:58,840 Ptchkk. 199 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:00,520 Could you blow? 200 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:02,280 LAUGHTER 201 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,040 I can feel it. 202 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:05,520 Yay! 203 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:07,360 CHILDREN LAUGH 204 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:16,040 We've got to be very quiet because the baby is asleep just over there. 205 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,520 Sh-sh-sh. 206 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:20,400 Ah! 207 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,040 What's with all the medals here? 208 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,800 You have a proud... A gentle, proud smile. 209 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:55,680 OK, so it's my go now. 210 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:57,880 SIMON BLOWS Raaeee! 211 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:02,480 LAUGHTER 212 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:10,440 Do you want the children to work as herders out here, or do you...? 213 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:15,040 How would you feel if they ended up living in a town or a city? 214 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,760 I'm really stunned that you say that. 215 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,440 I thought you would have wanted them to follow in your... 216 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:32,400 ..both your footsteps. 217 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:56,600 CHILD CRIES OUT 218 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:02,520 The climate is changing dramatically and rapidly in Mongolia. 219 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,040 The Gobi is drying and spreading. 220 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,040 The weather's getting even more extreme. 221 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:11,040 Recent droughts and brutal winter freezes 222 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:13,040 have killed millions of livestock. 223 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,520 Bandia and Puji are fourth-generation herders, 224 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,120 but even they've lost 300 animals to drought and violent storms 225 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,160 in recent years. 226 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,280 Oh, my goodness. 227 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,680 Yeah. Why don't I hold that still? 228 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,040 LIVELY DISCUSSION 229 00:16:37,040 --> 00:16:38,640 - Simon. - Yeah? 230 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:43,360 OK. What, put them in? 231 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,920 VOICE-OVER: Bandia and his brother also trade valuable cashmere wool 232 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:48,440 from their sheep. 233 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,760 It fetches a good price at a local market 234 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:52,800 50 miles away across the desert. 235 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,000 Lambs can't survive the winter cold, 236 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,720 so up goes a shelter. 237 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:08,360 This feels a properly special thing to do, actually. 238 00:17:08,360 --> 00:17:10,280 I've got a smile on my face. 239 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:16,520 Look. Topping-out ceremony here. 240 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:18,040 SIMON SHOUTS 241 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:20,600 LAUGHTER 242 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:22,680 Will he have us back next year? 243 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:34,680 LAMB BLEATS 244 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:36,520 Oh, I'm sorry, but... 245 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,360 Here you go, new home. 246 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:40,520 It is tough out here, 247 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:42,520 but people living in the wilderness 248 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:44,920 are among the warmest I've encountered. 249 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:48,040 Harsh, wild places actually seem to draw people together. 250 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:51,760 Can we thank you for your hospitality? 251 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,040 Thank you very much indeed, all right? 252 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:55,720 And stay safe out here. 253 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:58,400 Bye, little mister. 254 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,280 Across Mongolia, each year more and more people 255 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:08,040 abandon the nomadic way of life and head for a city. 256 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,040 For now, Bandia and Puji are toughing it out. 257 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,560 For several days, we drive further west across the Gobi, 258 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:25,520 a landscape vast, harsh and untamed. 259 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,760 It's a cold desert high above sea level, 260 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:31,520 with frost, and even snow, at peaks. 261 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,040 We're just coming up to a mountain range, 262 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:42,520 and, presumably, this track is going to take us through a canyon. 263 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:13,640 It's quite exciting just to follow a random track 264 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:18,440 through a gap in the hills and, suddenly, you're in a canyon, 265 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:24,040 going left and right and not quite knowing what's round the next bend. 266 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:34,840 Wow. So we've just... 267 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:40,040 We're sort of coming into an area... We're on a tarmac road now 268 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,840 and ahead of us there's 269 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:46,080 a huge, grey, dusty cloud. 270 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:01,880 Oh, my God. On the right here, is this all spoil from mining? 271 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,120 Bloody hell. 272 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:15,040 Oh, my goodness. 273 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:20,280 There's a cloud of not just dust but particles flying this way. 274 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:23,040 That's a bit better. 275 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,120 So, in front of us there's this massive site 276 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:29,760 where they've been mining, and they are mining, coal. 277 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:31,920 Look at these hills over here. 278 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:37,040 These aren't hills, this is spoil, taken out of the mine site here. 279 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:42,280 This is such an evocative, extraordinary, 280 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,640 post-apocalyptic sort of scene, 281 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,040 with the dust flying into the air. 282 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,800 And look at this beast working down here. 283 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,080 It's so bizarre to have been in the Gobi Desert 284 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,440 and then to suddenly come across this! 285 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,120 What a sight! 286 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,520 Huge deposits of copper, gold and, here, coal 287 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,280 lie beneath wild and remote areas of the Gobi. 288 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:17,520 Mongolia exports more than 80 million tonnes of coal each year, 289 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:19,760 almost all to its neighbour, China. 290 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,760 That's more than 1 million lorry loads. 291 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:26,280 Oh, my God. 292 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:29,120 So, look, on the left here, 293 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:32,760 we've got this long, snaking queue of trucks. 294 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:36,520 There's more trucks over there. 295 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:39,280 I think they might be part of the queue. 296 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:41,440 Look. Right out to the right, there. 297 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:46,160 These are trucks, I think, that are waiting to fill up with coal, 298 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,520 that's then taken... 299 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:50,160 ..taken to China. 300 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:02,120 So this is Uchka. She's helping to translate. 301 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,280 Sain baina uu? - Sain... Sain uu. 302 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,520 - Sain baina uu?! Look. He's on the phone. 303 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:11,280 SIMON LAUGHS 304 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:15,520 And she's in the middle of eating her food, 305 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,800 and he's just rung her so that 306 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,680 she can see the strange foreigners. 307 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:22,360 There we go. Look. 308 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,520 Yeah, let's come... 309 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:28,760 Let's see if we can fit. 310 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:30,680 LAUGHTER 311 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:37,640 Are you travelling together, or are you in two different vehicles? 312 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:44,280 How long have you been working as drivers, doing this? 313 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,560 Is this what you've done for years 314 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,640 or is it something you've started doing recently? 315 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:02,520 So, this is a very different job, isn't it? 316 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:06,440 Where did you used to herd? 317 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,280 How long have you been waiting in the queue? 318 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:30,680 Is it tough on your families? You must miss your wife desperately. 319 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,160 I imagine she misses you a lot as well. 320 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,160 Can we say thank you, guys? 321 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,040 It was a real joy to meet you, all right? 322 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:55,520 China burns more coal than the rest of the world combined. 323 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:59,040 Coal generates more than half China's electricity. 324 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,280 In the EU, it's about 10%. 325 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,360 The UK, effectively zero. 326 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:06,520 Coal's terrible for carbon dioxide emissions. 327 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:11,280 Here, people, livestock and the wilderness feel the consequences. 328 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,760 I'm leaving the Gobi Desert behind. 329 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:26,520 It's now two tough days offroad to the remote Margaz mountain range. 330 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:34,680 Nomads in the mountains have recently been reporting sightings 331 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:37,680 of one of the world's most beautiful predators. 332 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,280 We're heading out now towards the Margaz Mountains, 333 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:45,280 home to a creature with the nickname the Ghost of the Mountains, 334 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:49,520 one of the most elusive creatures on planet Earth - 335 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,280 the snow leopard. 336 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:55,520 One of our rarest big cats, 337 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:59,040 snow leopards live across Asia's most remote mountain ranges. 338 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,680 They're often nigh impossible to spot, difficult to study 339 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:05,680 and vulnerable to extinction. 340 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,280 But I've arranged to meet up with a local conservationist 341 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:14,040 from this wilderness who believes the area's vitally important 342 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,640 and snow leopards can be seen here. 343 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,040 His name's Bina Dashnayam. 344 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:22,040 Bina? - Welcome. - Hello Bina. 345 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,440 - Hello. Nice to meet you. - Lovely to meet you, too. 346 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,760 THEY EXCHANGE GREETINGS 347 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,760 Wow. What...What a place! 348 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:34,160 - This is your gear. - Thank you. - Welcome. 349 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:35,920 - Thank you very much. 350 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:37,440 Excellent. 351 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:39,720 All right. 352 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:42,040 I'll get my stuff inside. 353 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,360 This camp will be our base. 354 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:48,280 It has the feel and the look of a base on the moon. 355 00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:53,040 I've been warned I'll never see a snow leopard here. 356 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:55,840 They're secretive, incredibly elusive. 357 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,280 Some scientists go their entire career 358 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,320 never spotting one in the wild. 359 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:05,120 But Bina says he's been studying a small population 360 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,920 of snow leopards that live in these mountains. 361 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:21,200 The home range of a snow leopard can be 80 square miles, 362 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:23,440 so spotting is a challenge. 363 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:32,680 First, we have to climb high into the leopards' mountain kingdom, 364 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:35,760 around 2,000m above sea level. 365 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:40,960 Oh, my. What a view. 366 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:43,560 WHISPERS: It feels... 367 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:45,760 It feels like, these mountains, 368 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:50,680 we're on an island in a sea of snow and ice. 369 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,320 It feels like we're on top of the world. 370 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:06,520 To confirm whether the cats are here, Bina sets camera traps. 371 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:11,040 Bina, why here? 372 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:14,120 - Because the snow leopards usually cross the ridges. 373 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:17,200 They have to look both sides of the mountain. 374 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:20,360 With the help of the camera trap, 375 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:24,040 we can identify each animals, each individual. 376 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,280 Not many scientists have visited here, 377 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:31,720 so we have a lot more to explore in this area. 378 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:35,320 We have many animals to discover. 379 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,520 - We'll check them later. 380 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:40,600 For now, we just have to use our eyes. 381 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:45,040 This is so tricky. 382 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:50,240 This is perfect camouflage for... 383 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:52,720 ..any number of animals. 384 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:55,960 - I've got three ibex. 385 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,040 - What? - Yeah. 386 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,760 On the ledge, you can see those... 387 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,520 - I see them. - Yeah? - Yeah. - Good. 388 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:05,800 - Oh, they're so well camouflaged. 389 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:11,720 - The ibex are the number one prey for the snow leopard. 390 00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:14,280 The wolves cannot take them down 391 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:17,760 because they can run up the steep rocks... 392 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,840 - Right. - ..and they can run away. 393 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,840 But, for a snow leopard, 394 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,440 there is no way to escape. 395 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,680 - Ibex are the largest species of wild goat, 396 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,120 often weighing more than 100 kilos. 397 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:36,040 But a snow leopard is a ferocious hunter, 398 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:39,080 more closely related to a tiger than a leopard. 399 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,040 They can jump 6m vertically - 400 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,440 high enough to reach the gutter on the average two-storey house - 401 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,520 and take prey three times their body weight. 402 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,280 We keep searching, even as night falls, 403 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:56,280 using thermal scopes. 404 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:11,040 WHISPERS: So it's getting properly flipping cold now. 405 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,120 The temperature's dropping. 406 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:15,120 I think it's about -15 now 407 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:17,760 and getting colder all the time. 408 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,680 - We'll try tomorrow. 409 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:26,680 - No joy today. We call it a night. 410 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:45,680 I'm up, but everything is frozen. 411 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:49,680 Er, my water bottle, toothpaste, 412 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:51,560 erm, me. 413 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:55,040 I've got this little gas heater here 414 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:59,160 that's hopefully going to heat the ger up a little bit. 415 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,520 Until then, I'm doing star jumps until I'm warm enough 416 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,200 to get into my actual clothes. HE CHUCKLES 417 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:18,280 Heading out again. 418 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:24,120 Bina grew up around these mountains, in a family of herders. 419 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,520 He knows and respects the nomads who bring flocks of sheep 420 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:29,360 and hardy cattle here, 421 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,760 but livestock can cause problems with snow leopards. 422 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:35,400 Look at all of this lot. - Yeah. 423 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,520 That's true. 424 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:39,120 - Look at all of them! 425 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:41,840 There's hundreds. - Over 1,000. 426 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:44,760 - What are the consequences... 427 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,360 ..of herders bringing livestock 428 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:50,760 in to the area with snow leopards? 429 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,040 - These animals are eating grass 430 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,920 and the main food for the snow leopard, ibex, 431 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,040 they're eating the grass, too, 432 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:01,680 so their pasture land is overlapped. 433 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:06,480 The sheep and goats are kind of pushing out... 434 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:09,720 ..the, erm, ibex. 435 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:14,360 - And then there's fewer ibex for the snow leopards to eat. - Mm-hm. 436 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:18,040 - The snow leopards maybe take one of the sheep or the goats 437 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:21,760 that are a tasty offering nearby. - Yeah, that's true. 438 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:26,280 - In the past, herders have shot snow leopards to protect livestock. 439 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:27,520 It's a major threat 440 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:29,880 to the rare cats across their range. 441 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:34,760 But Bina is trying to change the way herders see them. 442 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,280 He's recruited and hired locals 443 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,040 into his snow leopard conservation project. 444 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:44,520 - Sain baina uu? 445 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:47,920 - Zola. - Zola? 446 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:51,200 - Yeah, Zola. - Sain baina uu, Zola? - Sain baina uu? 447 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,880 - Khatanzorig. - Khatanzorig? - Yeah. 448 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:55,360 That means "brave heart". 449 00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:59,160 - Sain baina uu? - Sain baina uu? 450 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,840 - Sorry to use the English translation of your name, 451 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:24,040 but it is very cool in English - 452 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:25,760 Brave Heart. 453 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:29,280 What would you say your family feels 454 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:31,720 about snow leopards? 455 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,960 Wise words from the young herder. 456 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,920 LAUGHTER 457 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,040 Bina has a plan. 458 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:19,840 He wants to ensure legal protection for the Margaz Mountains 459 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:23,920 and he wants to attract scientists and hardy tourists to trek here. 460 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,000 Money from tourism could help 461 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:27,720 local herding families 462 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:31,280 and make them see leopards as an asset rather than a threat. 463 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,840 Responsible tourism could be one way to protect snow leopards 464 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:37,040 and the herders' way of life. 465 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:40,240 Time to check the cameras we set yesterday. 466 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:48,960 - Some birds, some ravens. 467 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:51,680 - Yeah. It's picking up a nice shot of you placing it. 468 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:55,040 There's a good one of your forehead there. - Yeah. This looks promising. 469 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:56,360 - What's that? 470 00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:58,360 - Might be snow leopard. 471 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:00,600 - Yeah. - SIMON GASPS 472 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:04,520 - It's a video! - Yeah. 473 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,120 - A snow leopard going straight... I mean, it was... 474 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:09,080 ..it was really distinctive. 475 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:11,040 - Yeah. Let's see it again. 476 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:14,400 - Get the snow leopard back, not your forehead. 477 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:16,520 - BINA LAUGHS - OK! 478 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,720 You're pressing the wrong button. - Oh, this one. OK. 479 00:34:19,720 --> 00:34:21,280 This is nice footage. 480 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:22,760 - There it is. 481 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,840 Snow leopard! - Snow leopard, yes. - It's a snow leopard! 482 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:30,640 - Just... - Just here. - Yeah. 483 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:32,520 - Have you lost it again? 484 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,320 You're such a tease. You keep showing it to me for two seconds. 485 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,040 Look at that! 486 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:42,680 The tail is such an incredible feature of a snow leopard, I think. 487 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:46,120 - It's the most crucial part of the body. 488 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:50,040 They can use their tail as a scarf during... 489 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:52,040 When it's very cold, 490 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:57,040 they wrap round their body with their tail. 491 00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:58,680 - Really? - Yeah. 492 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:02,640 And also, it's a fat reserve, you know? 493 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:06,040 - For lean, hungry times? - Yeah. 494 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:07,840 - Oh, to see one. 495 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:10,920 But to know that there was one here - 496 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:13,760 this elusive, mysterious creature... 497 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:18,200 ..that's...that's very special. 498 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:23,840 The cats feel tantalisingly close, 499 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,040 but perhaps I'm not going to be quite lucky enough 500 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:29,280 to see them with my own eyes. 501 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:49,680 It's our last day here. 502 00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:57,200 Bina's local spotters are out scouring the mountainside. 503 00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:01,720 We need to get higher up to have any chance. 504 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:25,080 Oh, my goodness. What's this? 505 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:26,840 - Snow leopard track. 506 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:29,520 It's a big one. 507 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:31,360 - That's huge! 508 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,720 Look at those paw prints, relative... 509 00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:36,360 ..to my hand. 510 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,280 - I think this one is a female snow leopard. 511 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:41,440 - Large female? - Large female. 512 00:36:52,040 --> 00:36:55,320 - Suddenly, there's excitement ahead. 513 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:01,760 WHISPERS: We're trying to get into position. 514 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:03,520 CHATTER 515 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:13,520 - Look. 516 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:14,880 - WHISPERS: - A snow leopard. 517 00:37:17,480 --> 00:37:18,920 - SIMON GASPS 518 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:23,840 I see it, I see it. - You see it? 519 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,280 - It just moved a little bit. - Yeah. 520 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:28,760 - It's so well camouflaged. 521 00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:32,640 It's a very magnificent, wonderful sight, 522 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:36,160 to see it here in the Margaz Mountains. 523 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:43,160 We'll get a shot from here and then let's try and sneak a bit closer. 524 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,920 OK... INDISTINCT SPEECH 525 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:55,520 HE PANTS 526 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:07,520 - Still there. 527 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,960 You can see its eyes. 528 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:16,920 - Ah! 529 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:20,360 You're right there. 530 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:24,040 It's yawning. 531 00:38:41,720 --> 00:38:43,520 RADIO CHATTER 532 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:46,280 We've made it and we've managed it 533 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:49,280 with the help of brilliant locals. 534 00:38:49,280 --> 00:38:52,040 Locals who care about this area. 535 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:54,400 Locals who care about this wilderness 536 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:57,040 and they care about these snow leopards. 537 00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:07,040 Never in my wildest dreams did I think this was possible. 538 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,520 I think this is as close as we can possibly get. 539 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:23,040 Can we do a very small, quiet high five? 540 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:26,360 THEY LAUGH 541 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:49,040 This is a largely undiscovered and understudied corner of Mongolia, 542 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:52,520 but Bina is fighting to get it declared a national park, 543 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:56,760 which should bring it and the cats much-needed protection. 544 00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:59,440 He's an incredible, inspiring character, 545 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:02,040 working to protect these awesome creatures. 546 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,600 I'm gutted it's time to leave. 547 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:07,280 Is this where we say goodbye? - Yeah. 548 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:11,920 - Thank you, mate. - Thank you. - Shoulders. - Thank you very much. 549 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:13,840 - I'm going to miss you 550 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:16,520 and our treks and adventures. 551 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:18,760 Cheers, Bina. - Cheers. 552 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:24,600 - This is now the final leg of my journey across Mongolia. 553 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:27,840 We're heading towards the remote western border. 554 00:40:27,840 --> 00:40:30,760 Reach it, and I'll have crossed the country. 555 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:37,040 We're heading up even higher, to a wild region 556 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:40,280 where I've heard people still practise, preserve and protect 557 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:42,120 their ancient traditions. 558 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:48,880 We've got a long journey now, several hundred miles. 559 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:50,920 It's going to take a couple of days. 560 00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:58,280 I'm in the most sparsely populated country in the world. 561 00:41:01,280 --> 00:41:04,280 I started wondering if this is what it would feel like 562 00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,120 if humanity vanished. 563 00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:14,840 Offroad, in endless snow, it's easy to lose track of where you are. 564 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:17,560 The sun's going down. 565 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:20,440 I hoped we would get further today... 566 00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:23,840 ..but, in a way, we're lucky. 567 00:41:23,840 --> 00:41:27,040 We have almost come across this town - 568 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:29,360 a little community in the middle of nowhere. 569 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,040 We're not entirely sure where we're going 570 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:42,000 and we're just asking a couple of locals. 571 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:49,120 Uchka, what's going on? 572 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:52,280 - So, this morning, this road is closed down 573 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:54,120 because of the heavy snow, 574 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:56,760 so we're going to... We have to try the other road. 575 00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:58,840 - When you say "try"... 576 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:02,800 ..yeah, we're not sure? - Yeah, we are not sure. - OK. 577 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:08,520 Well, we're still moving, which is good, because outside... 578 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:13,040 ..it's -14 degrees, and we do not want to get stuck in that. 579 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:17,680 We press on into the night. 580 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,560 We're heading towards the Altai Mountains - 581 00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:30,520 the long range that peaks at more than 4,000m high 582 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:33,040 and forms a natural icy walled frontier 583 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:35,760 between Mongolia and its western neighbours. 584 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:41,840 We've now driven nearly 3,000 miles across this astonishing country. 585 00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:44,520 Or at least Jolo has. 586 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:47,760 And we've reached the high plateau at the foothills 587 00:42:47,760 --> 00:42:49,400 of the Altai Mountains. 588 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:57,360 So, I'm in the very far west of Mongolia, 589 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:00,240 close to the point where... 590 00:43:00,240 --> 00:43:04,040 ..the borders of China, Russia and Mongolia meet. 591 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:07,360 And then, just a few dozen miles ahead of us, 592 00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:09,240 is Kazakhstan. 593 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:15,760 We're approaching the last settlement, 594 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,040 with a rare stretch of tarmac, 595 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:21,360 before we push our four-wheel drives up in to the Altai. 596 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:26,280 We're supposed to be meeting a guide in this little community. 597 00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:29,240 He's going to take us further up into the mountains. 598 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:31,760 Here he is. 599 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:36,600 Nerbi? - Hi, Simon. 600 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:39,040 - Do you want to jump in? - Thank you so much. 601 00:43:40,280 --> 00:43:42,200 How was your travel? 602 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:44,520 - Oh, mate, it's been long. 603 00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:46,880 Long and exhausting. - Ah. 604 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:48,920 I hope you liked my mountains. 605 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:50,440 - Your...? Are they YOUR mountains? 606 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:52,320 - No, I mean like Altai Mountains. - SIMON LAUGHS 607 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:53,440 - My homeland. 608 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:55,080 - I like the idea they're yours. 609 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:57,440 - Basically, we're closer to Chinese border, 610 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:01,640 but, like, where we are going, it's going to be about only 20km 611 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:03,960 further from China. - Right. 612 00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:09,280 People here are mainly Muslims, speaking Kazakh. 613 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:14,280 They've lived up here, pretty isolated, for centuries. 614 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:17,040 Traditionally, they protect their livestock 615 00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:20,280 and hunt prey using trained eagles. 616 00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:26,840 And Nerbi knows a family keeping tradition alive. 617 00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:34,600 This is a tiny settlement, isn't it? - It's a few families. 618 00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:37,720 These relatives actually spend their winter here. 619 00:44:37,720 --> 00:44:40,840 That's our family waiting for us. 620 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:42,720 - A reception committee. 621 00:44:42,720 --> 00:44:44,360 Salamu alaykum. 622 00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:46,520 - Simon, meet Serkbo. 623 00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:48,280 How are you? 624 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:50,200 - That is a very warm greeting. 625 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:54,160 Salamu alaykum. Oh, I get a cuddle as well. Oh, I love that. 626 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:57,000 And who is the little mister? - Musa. 627 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:58,360 Musa. - Musa! 628 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:00,040 - Musa, Simon. 629 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:01,640 - Oh! 630 00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:03,160 ..Musa. 631 00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:05,800 Aw! - He always gets excited. 632 00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:08,520 - Have you ever seen such a cute little man? 633 00:45:10,040 --> 00:45:12,040 Aw! 634 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:21,040 Serkbo and Jaina's hospitality is typically Mongolian. 635 00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:28,040 I notice, on the wall here, you've got some... 636 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:30,240 Are these...Are these wolves? 637 00:45:40,240 --> 00:45:43,640 Chai. And it would be made with what milk? - So, this is yak milk. 638 00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:45,680 - Yak milk? - Yeah. - Yak milk. 639 00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:47,920 How cool does that sound? 640 00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:49,320 Excellent. 641 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:52,400 Mmm. 642 00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:54,680 It tastes good as well. All right, mister? 643 00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:56,680 - And Musa - Musa is four years old. 644 00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:59,520 - Your son is just about one of the cutest children 645 00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:01,320 on planet Earth, you lucky man. 646 00:46:04,280 --> 00:46:07,920 So, as a family, I think you have other children as well, don't you? 647 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:15,400 What are you going to do? - Magic. - Are you going to do some magic? 648 00:46:15,400 --> 00:46:17,040 Waa! 649 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:18,880 - Whoa! 650 00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:22,640 - Wow. - You did that. It's ace. 651 00:46:24,800 --> 00:46:28,400 LAUGHTER - How did you do that? Look... 652 00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:30,960 WHISPERS: There's a magician. - "No, I want to be only one." 653 00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:33,200 - Watch this. Zzzz... 654 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:35,040 Zuuh, zuuh... 655 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:36,360 SPOON CLATTERS 656 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:37,440 Argh! 657 00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:39,360 SIMON GASPS, LAUGHTER 658 00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:49,280 The family raise sheep, goats and yaks 659 00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:51,920 on the mountainsides around their homestead. 660 00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:56,280 But Serkbo's pride and joy has wings. 661 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:00,240 Oh, my goodness. 662 00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:10,760 It's still very wild, isn't it? 663 00:47:10,760 --> 00:47:13,360 Look at its talons, look at its... 664 00:47:13,360 --> 00:47:15,240 ..claw-like beak. 665 00:47:15,240 --> 00:47:17,240 What an astonishing creature. 666 00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:28,080 It's a much bigger creature than I was expecting. 667 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:30,040 It's very solid, 668 00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:32,200 very muscly as well. 669 00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:35,040 Like if you crossed a wrestler 670 00:47:35,040 --> 00:47:37,680 with a fighter jet. 671 00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:42,520 So why...why do you hunt with golden eagles? 672 00:47:54,280 --> 00:47:58,360 These golden eagles are actually taken from their nests as chicks 673 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:02,040 and trained to hunt, mainly for hares and other small animals, 674 00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:06,520 rocketing out of the sky at more than 150mph. 675 00:48:06,520 --> 00:48:08,760 The family has two eagles. 676 00:48:08,760 --> 00:48:11,120 Today, Serkbo and his daughter, Umit, 677 00:48:11,120 --> 00:48:14,400 are taking the younger eagle out to continue her training. 678 00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:16,680 Hunters always use female eagles, 679 00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:19,080 as they're larger and fiercer than males. 680 00:48:19,080 --> 00:48:20,720 HORSE NEIGHS 681 00:48:21,720 --> 00:48:23,680 UNTRANSLATED SPEECH 682 00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:29,200 Have they got a more, erm... - Gentle? - ..like, super gentle horse? 683 00:48:36,240 --> 00:48:38,040 EAGLE PEEPS 684 00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:53,520 I'm attempting to ride out on horseback with... 685 00:48:53,520 --> 00:48:56,320 ..a group of Mongolian riders... 686 00:48:57,520 --> 00:49:01,520 ..who have the equivalent of a PhD in a subject that I've got... 687 00:49:02,760 --> 00:49:05,640 ..an unclassified GCSE in. 688 00:49:16,880 --> 00:49:19,160 EAGLE PEEPS 689 00:49:23,240 --> 00:49:26,680 This is training for this young-ish eagle. 690 00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:31,280 This is a method of hunting dating back perhaps 6,000 years, 691 00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:33,360 maybe even longer. 692 00:49:36,040 --> 00:49:38,280 They're training her to hunt foxes. 693 00:49:38,280 --> 00:49:40,360 The family then sell the fur, 694 00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:43,400 so they're using a fox skin as a lure. 695 00:49:48,040 --> 00:49:50,120 FAMILY MEMBERS CONVERSE 696 00:50:08,760 --> 00:50:10,120 - Woo! 697 00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:14,040 - Ooh. 698 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:17,800 She swoops and she gets. 699 00:50:21,520 --> 00:50:22,840 - Easily. 700 00:50:24,080 --> 00:50:28,040 - Did I see you do a little jump for joy up there 701 00:50:28,040 --> 00:50:29,600 as the eagle was released? 702 00:50:45,520 --> 00:50:47,880 Did she just try to nibble your thumb? 703 00:50:51,760 --> 00:50:55,000 Yeah, that's definitely a, erm, a risk. 704 00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:57,240 OK, up the hill again she goes. 705 00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:01,360 - That's how the tradition is passed from father to son. 706 00:51:02,360 --> 00:51:04,680 - Or father to daughter. - Yes. 707 00:51:05,680 --> 00:51:07,440 - SHE WHISTLES 708 00:51:24,760 --> 00:51:29,040 Geographically, this is one of the most isolated areas of the planet. 709 00:51:29,040 --> 00:51:32,520 Historically, life here was a battle against the elements 710 00:51:32,520 --> 00:51:35,040 and all manner of ferocious creatures. 711 00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:37,520 People adapted to survive, 712 00:51:37,520 --> 00:51:41,760 but it still seems extraordinary they'd take baby eagles from nests. 713 00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:45,760 Then, as now, they keep the eagles for several years, 714 00:51:45,760 --> 00:51:47,440 but, as they reach adulthood, 715 00:51:47,440 --> 00:51:49,520 they're released back into the wild. 716 00:51:49,520 --> 00:51:52,400 So they're bringing their sheep and goats in 717 00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:54,040 because of the wolves. 718 00:51:55,040 --> 00:51:57,040 This is where I am tonight. 719 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:03,920 Oh, my goodness. 720 00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:07,760 Oh, wow. 721 00:52:08,760 --> 00:52:10,920 This is...stunning. 722 00:52:12,520 --> 00:52:15,160 All right, I'm sleeping here tonight. 723 00:52:15,160 --> 00:52:17,760 I'm a bit...I'm a bit sad 724 00:52:17,760 --> 00:52:22,040 this is my last night in the wilderness. 725 00:52:22,040 --> 00:52:25,520 Tomorrow is hopefully going to be a very special day, 726 00:52:25,520 --> 00:52:27,440 particularly for this family, 727 00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:32,040 because their oldest eagle is flying free. 728 00:52:34,280 --> 00:52:36,040 I'll set my bed up. 729 00:52:47,520 --> 00:52:51,840 For five years, this great bird has been part of this family. 730 00:52:51,840 --> 00:52:55,760 Serkbo and his daughter, Umit, have trained her and hunted with her. 731 00:52:56,760 --> 00:52:58,920 Now it's time to say goodbye. 732 00:53:36,040 --> 00:53:38,600 The older eagle is being released into the wild 733 00:53:38,600 --> 00:53:40,680 so it can breed... 734 00:53:40,680 --> 00:53:43,280 ..and continue its life. 735 00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:47,280 That's generally thought of as being a very auspicious 736 00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:49,040 and special moment... 737 00:53:50,040 --> 00:53:52,800 ..for the humans and, of course, for the eagle. 738 00:53:58,360 --> 00:54:02,680 For generations, Serkbo's family have released their birds 739 00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:04,840 from the same sacred mountain. 740 00:54:47,520 --> 00:54:49,360 Umit, how do you feel? 741 00:55:36,240 --> 00:55:39,720 So this is a huge moment. The jesses have come off. 742 00:55:39,720 --> 00:55:41,680 They're the physical... 743 00:55:42,680 --> 00:55:46,920 ..control and connection between handler and eagle. 744 00:55:49,520 --> 00:55:52,040 So, this eagle is now... 745 00:55:53,360 --> 00:55:55,640 ..is now free to fly. 746 00:55:58,040 --> 00:56:01,280 This is a tough guy but I can sense the emotion in him. 747 00:56:03,040 --> 00:56:05,520 I feel it myself, actually. 748 00:56:16,280 --> 00:56:18,040 Ah, there she goes. 749 00:56:28,520 --> 00:56:30,280 What a sight. 750 00:56:35,800 --> 00:56:37,920 And with that... 751 00:56:37,920 --> 00:56:39,400 ..she was gone. 752 00:56:40,520 --> 00:56:44,040 Well, this is the end of my journey across Mongolia. 753 00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:48,520 This is as vast a wilderness 754 00:56:48,520 --> 00:56:52,040 as any I've encountered on the planet, 755 00:56:52,040 --> 00:56:54,920 and the wildlife, the landscapes 756 00:56:54,920 --> 00:56:58,040 here are completely mind-blowing. 757 00:56:59,520 --> 00:57:01,680 But the people are as well, 758 00:57:01,680 --> 00:57:06,920 as they strive to protect the wilderness, 759 00:57:06,920 --> 00:57:10,840 the wild and the traditions that they love. 760 00:57:20,280 --> 00:57:23,240 Discover how rewilding could help recover areas 761 00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:26,520 where wilderness has been lost due to human activity. 762 00:57:26,520 --> 00:57:30,360 Take an interactive journey back in time with the Open University 763 00:57:30,360 --> 00:57:32,840 by scanning the QR code on your screen 764 00:57:32,840 --> 00:57:38,040 or by going to...