-Europe --
A continent renowned for its spectacular cities
and civilizations.
But this is surprisingly wild land,
with over 10 million square kilometers
of diverse natural habitat...
stretching from the northernmost reaches of the Arctic...
to the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean sea.
And across this extraordinary continent,
an epic transformation is under way...
as the wild heart of Europe is unleashed once more.
♪♪
People are supporting the natural world.
-Let's go to the nest and see how the chick is.
-Species are being reintroduced.
-She's not sleeping very well, so we have to be really fast.
-And nature itself is bouncing back.
♪♪
The circle of life is being reforged...
as the wild returns to Europe.
Where an iconic river feeds the continent's
most important wetland... many creatures are thriving.
But some need a helping hand.
♪♪
-From its source in Germany's Black Forest,
the Danube River flows east across Europe
for almost 3,000 kilometers.
This iconic water source feeds some of the continent's
most important natural habitats.
Europe's second longest river, the Danube,
weaves its way through 10 countries.
And at the border of Romania and Ukraine,
the river splits into a huge delta,
where it empties into the Black Sea.
This vast network of wetlands and channels
spans over 5,500 square kilometers...
[ Birds chirping ]
...and is home to over 3,000 animal species.
Many have found sanctuary in this wild paradise
for thousands of years.
♪♪
But one is a more recent arrival.
[ Bird crying ]
In spring, a call rings out in the morning mist.
[ Bird crying ]
Fifty years ago, this sound was unheard in the delta.
[ Bird crying ]
♪♪
But today golden jackals are thriving here.
[ Birds chirping ]
Closely related to wolves, once they find a mate,
golden jackals stick together for life.
♪♪
They're perfectly adapted to hunting
but never say no to a free meal.
They've spotted a potential opportunity.
[ Birds squawking ]
These scavenging crows seems to have found something.
And the jackals want in on the action.
♪♪
Jackal pairs are three times more successful
when working together.
[ Jackal snarls ]
They use their snarls to intimidate the crows
and snatch the prize.
[ Birds squawking ]
While the male eats...
...the female stands guard.
[ Birds squawking ]
[ Jackal growling ]
The birds are more of a nuisance than a threat.
♪♪
They settle for any small scraps they can find.
[ Birds squawking ]
But there's a bigger bird
with its eyes on the jackals' prize.
This one is top dog.
[ Birds chirping ]
This white-tailed eagle is almost a meter tall
and one of the largest birds of prey on earth.
♪♪
Her hooked beak is built for tearing flesh
from the dead and the living.
[ Jackal growls ]
The hungry jackals know to be careful.
But the crows push their luck.
♪♪
[ Birds squawking ]
♪♪
Time to find a meal elsewhere.
Fortunately, jackals are highly adaptable.
Until recently, they onlyexisted in tiny isolated pockets
in the southeast of Europe.
But a rapid expansion has seen them advance
across the continent...
and brought them here, to the Danube delta.
-If I was a jackal, you know, I hit the jackpot.
This is pretty good. This is nice.
There's a lot of food, there's a lot of shelter,
and, you know, lots of water.
It's good.
-For jackals, one of the delta's biggest attractions
is the absence of wolves,
which haven't been seen here for over half a century.
[ Birds chirping ]
With less competition, these opportunistic predators
are able to capitalize on the delta's offerings.
Over 10% of the Danube delta is used for cattle grazing.
Newborn calves are an opportunity too good to miss.
In some parts of the world,
nearly 2% of calves are killed by golden jackals.
♪♪
[ Cows lowing ]
While these hunters are thriving,
many other species have been negatively impacted
by the agricultural boom.
Dikes built to protect farmland from flooding
have caused the biggest change.
♪♪
In the 1970s, Ermakov island, onthe Ukrainian side of the delta,
was diked and drained to make way for agriculture.
When an area is starved of its natural water source,
land morphs into a barren dust bowl
and its resident wildlife vanishes.
However, all was not lost.
A decade ago, the Worldwide Fund for Nature
removed the dikes, reconnecting the island to the river.
Nature quickly took control,
breathing life back into the landscape.
So far over 3,500 hectares have been embraced by the wild.
Plants returned with a vengeance.
Fish and birds followed,
attracted by the huge numberof insects now flourishing here.
[ Birds chirping ]
But the unchecked explosion of vegetation
is making life difficult for other species.
♪♪
Like this grass snake.
She's solar-powered
and needs the sun to jump-start her metabolism.
But in this dense greenery,
she struggles to find clearings that the sun's rays can reach.
Without a sunny spot where she can recharge, she's cold
and unable to move quickly to escape predators.
♪♪
She continues to search...
...tasting the air to guide her way.
♪♪
She slithers her way towards a clearing.
But the spot has already been taken.
[ Insects buzzing ]
Her search must continue.
On this overgrown island,
competition for sunbathing spots is unusually high.
[ Animal lows ]
Ermakov island is choking on its own vegetation.
So an organization called Rewilding Europe
is pioneering a project
to reintroduce a herd of Mother Nature's finest landscapers.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
European water buffalo once roamed the entire continent.
Their huge appetites kept plant life in check.
But over 10,000 years ago, they became extinct.
Today, Rewilding Europe is releasing seven
of their Asiatic counterparts onto the island.
[ Buffalo grunting ]
The goal is to control the overgrown vegetation on Ermakov
and restore the natural balance between plants and animals.
♪♪
For the first time in history,
water buffalo step onto the island.
[ Buffalo grunting ]
♪♪
Their impact is almost immediate.
Water buffalo wallow to cool themselves,
creating small lakes and shallows
that attract birds, fish, and insects.
♪♪
Their constant grazing produces a mosaic
of landscapes and clearings needed by other wildlife.
[ Birds chirping, water splashing ]
♪♪
Reintroducing buffalo and removing dikes
helps restore the Danube's ecosystem.
♪♪
The restoration of key habitats will also give an added boost
to over 300 species of bird which call the wetlands home.
Many of the winged residents migrate huge distances
every year to nest in the lush habitat.
But there's one that outranks them all.
♪♪
Great white pelicans are true giants,
with a wingspan of over three meters --
vital for a creature weighing up to 15 kilograms,
one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
Outside of Africa, The Danube delta hosts
the biggest gathering of pelicans on earth.
Thousands travel here,with two things on their mind...
...breeding...and feeding.
With 75 different fish on the menu,
these waters provide a gourmet feast.
Each pelican eats almost two kilograms of fish a day,
catching them in their large pouches
and swallowing them whole.
In mass-feeding sessions,pelicans consume tons of fish...
...in just a few hours.
♪♪
[ Pelicans squawking ]
Their impressive fishing skills do not go down well
with everyone.
Fishermen see the birds as competition,
with some even resorting to killing the pelicans.
-There used to be organized campaigns
of destroying colonies or destroying nests in colonies
or disturbing birds during their breeding season
in order to avoid having them growing in numbers.
They would just go and destroy the nests.
-But in the 1990s,
the wetlands became a protected biosphere reserve.
With the delta's new special status
and pelican nest sites off limits to fishermen,
the population exploded.
With the birds' insatiable appetites,
the impact on fish numbers in the delta could be serious.
♪♪
Sebastian Bugariu from BirdLife Romania
is out to determine how fast the pelican population is growing.
[ Engine revving ]
And the best way to do that is to get a bird's-eye view.
♪♪
Nesting pelicans are unmissable from the air.
It's not long before Sebastian locates
the delta's largest colony.
And it looks bigger than ever.
♪♪
In total, he finds almost 18,500 birds
in this one megacolony.
Across the delta, pelican numbers have nearly quadrupled
in less than a decade.
♪♪
[ Birds squawking ]
The Danube delta offers more than just fish
to the migrating pelicans.
It's also a pristine habitat for the winged visitors.
Over 200,000 hectares of reed beds
take root in these wetlands.
♪♪
Almost the size of Yosemite National Park,
it's the largest habitat of its kind anywhere in the world.
♪♪
The reed bed functions as Europe's most important
natural water-purification system...
...trapping sediment and impurities,
allowing them to be filtered and broken down.
Reed beds are vital
for the health of the entire delta ecosystem.
[ Birds chirping ]
For pelicans, the plants are the perfect nesting sites.
♪♪
The reeds are trampled into flat platforms,
ideal for raising chicks.
♪♪
There are enough reeds here
to support tens of thousands of nesting pelicans.
♪♪
But elsewhere, vast tracts of reed bed
have been lost to human activity.
Scientists believethe sudden explosion of pelicans
in the delta could be due to habitat loss elsewhere.
With many nesting locations no longer available,
it's likely the birds have no choice
but to flock to the pristinedelta in massive concentrations.
♪♪
It's not just pelicans seeking refuge in the wetlands.
For thousands of years, Europe's rivers and waterways
have been shaped by an extraordinary creature.
This dam was builtby the largest rodent in Europe.
Beavers spend most of their lives in the water.
But before they dive in,they top up with waterproof oil,
which secretes from their glands.
[ Birds chirping ]
They cover themselves from head to toe...
♪♪
...before heading out for a swim.
His ancestors grew up to one and a half meters long.
He might be a lot smaller,
but his impact is still enormous.
Beavers control the flow of water by building dams
from carefully selected branches.
[ Birds chirping ]
Their orange teeth contain iron, making them strong enough
to cut through even the biggest of tree trunks.
♪♪
The rodents' dams have a huge impact on their habitat.
Flooding is reduced,
which in turn gives birth to clearings and wetlands
within the forest.
These slow-moving waters provide a vital habitat
for hundreds of freshwater creatures...
...nurseries for young fish
and breeding grounds for frogs and insects.
♪♪
But even the mighty beaver's work is dwarfed
by human efforts to control the environment.
To tame the Danube and generate electricity,
two massive dams were built
across the river's Iron Gates Gorge.
These are the biggest barriers on the Danube.
♪♪
But there are over 60 others.
In some parts, the river meets a wall every 16 kilometers
As a result, the Danube is a vastly different river
than the one it was destined to be.
♪♪
Damming has slowed and warmed its waters.
♪♪
This change impacts every creature on the Danube,
from its largest residents... to its smallest.
♪♪
Below the surface,
primitive insects grow in the murky waters.
These bizarre invertebrates have barely changed
in over 300 million years.
Under the water, the creatures grow for around three years
before emerging.
It's only when it surfaces that its identity becomes apparent.
[ Birds chirping ]
The mayfly.
This is the last stage of the insect's life,
and it now has just a few hours to live.
♪♪
The evening air comes alive as the mayflies all swarm
during a single evening to perform their courtship dance.
♪♪
This is a frenzied drive to procreate,
the very last thing they'll do on earth.
♪♪
Each female will lay around 3,000 eggs,
which are dispersed on the surface of the water.
♪♪
Though small, these creatures are a vital part
of the aquatic food chain.
[ Birds chirping ]
Throughout their life cycle,
they feed numerous birds and fish.
But within days of their emergence,
the only sign of the mayflies' existence
are their ghost-like shells.
Even in death, the insects affect the landscape.
Their corpses fertilize the riverbanks,
helping new plants grow.
But industrialization and water pollution
have led to terrible consequences for the mayfly.
They once flourished across the continent.
Today, 98% of the Europeanmayfly population has been lost.
But the Tisza River remains a mayfly stronghold.
♪♪
Downstream, the Danube delta is a last safety net
for many other creatures.
♪♪
Marsh frogs are one ofthe delta's most iconic animals.
And in spring, their calls can be heard from dawn till dusk.
[ Frogs chirping ]
♪♪
They're the largest frog in Europe,
with a volume to match.
[ Frogs chirping ]
♪♪
But this symphony of sound brings dangers.
Almost every other predator in the delta eats marsh frogs.
♪♪
They're a protein-rich prize
for the herons that stalk the shallows.
♪♪
The frogs have little in the way of defense.
Diving underwater or leaping away are their only options.
♪♪
But right now,
their attention is focused on more important matters.
This is mating season,
and the shallow waters of the delta
are heaving with amorous frogs.
[ Frogs chirping ]
This male is looking for suitable females.
But they all seem to be hiding.
For now, he can only find other males.
But hopefully soon these waters will be littered
with frog spawn.
[ Frogs chirping ]
♪♪
The Danube delta is a treasure trove of biodiversity.
Over half of all European freshwater fish species
live in its waters.
Millions of aquatic residents
inhabit this dense underwater jungle...
...relying on the reeds and roots to protect them
from the strong currents and dangers.
But even in the slow-moving waters of the delta,
they're not completely safe.
Submerged on the edge of a shallow channel,
this female fen raft spider
could spend up to half an hour underwater...
♪♪
...surviving on the thin layer of oxygen trapped in her hair.
But she surfaces when it's time to hunt.
♪♪
Unlike many spiders,
the fen raft spider doesn't use a web to catch its dinner.
She uses the surface tension of the water
to pick up vibrations from her prey...
...above and below the surface.
♪♪
Perched atop the water,
she allows herself to drift across her territory...
waiting for telltale vibrations
to reach her antennae-like hairs.
[ Insects chirping ]
For her, the movement of an insect
is like ringing a dinner bell.
♪♪
These hunters have over 30different insects on their menu.
But sometimes a bug just isn't enough.
This stickleback is just centimeters away
from the spider's grasp.
♪♪
But luckily for the fish, she's full.
For now.
♪♪
Europe's fish have much bigger problems than predators.
In its cold coastal waters, three-spiked stickleback
are beginning a perilous journey upstream.
They've spent two years in the sea.
Now they've reached adulthood,
an innate urge to fight the current is taking hold.
The stickleback are heading to their spawning grounds,
in the freshwater rivers and streams of Europe.
♪♪
This is a habit over a million years in the making.
As adults, they are now 10 centimeters long,
easy prey for endless predators.
Many of the stickleback will not make it
to their spawning grounds.
But their species depends on the brave few that succeed.
♪♪
In Europe's waterways, there are some hurdles
that their ancestors never had to face.
♪♪
They've reached a lock.
They can smell the way,
but the water pressure feeding through the small gap
is stronger than anything they've encountered before.
♪♪
The call upstream forces them forward.
One by one, they fight the current.
But only some are strong enough.
All this way...for nothing.
For this stickleback, this is the end of the line.
But the rest of the shoal moves on.
They still have many kilometers to cover
and many more man-made obstacles in their way.
♪♪
Dams are a death sentence for fish populations,
and on the Danube, they've pushed more than one species
to the brink of extinction.
♪♪
[ Birds chirping ]
For thousands of years, the delta has relied on its river
depositing sediment downstream to create new habitats.
But in the last century,
industrialization on the Danube has had a devastating effect.
-Most of the rivers in Europe have been altered
in all kinds of ways -- straightened, diked, dammed.
But all those measures upstream, of course,
have an impact downstream.
-Dams stop sediment reaching the delta.
And without it, the delta can't replenish.
In some parts of the region,
land is even being reclaimed by the sea.
♪♪
And vital habitat is vanishing as a result.
Like sandbanks, which provide breeding grounds for sea birds.
[ Birds squawking ]
This sandbank is home tothousands of herring-gull nests.
♪♪
Right now, the chicks look like little balls of fluff,
but they will be ready to leave the nest in just a few weeks.
Their parents are happy to leave them for hours at a time
while they hunt for food,
as there's very few predators here on the sandbank.
But that doesn't stop the chicks from panicking
at any sign of danger.
♪♪
This chick has been spooked by a low-flying pelican.
♪♪
But it's a false alarm.
Despite the lack of real danger, the chick has now lost his way.
♪♪
Unfortunately, his feathers aren't yet water resistant.
♪♪
He soon realizes his mistake.
His other reaction to danger is a little less charming.
This morning's breakfast makes its second appearance.
For some birds, this may be a technique
for losing weight before a flight.
But his wings aren't yet fully formed.
So now he looks for cover.
♪♪
When he finally manages to find his nest,
it's time to sleep off the adventure.
[ Birds crying in distance ]
Sandbanks like these are essential
for ground-nesting birds.
Fortunately, efforts are under way
to replace these habitats where they have vanished.
♪♪
The Netherlands relies on dams
to protect its land from the sea.
But recently,
the floodgates on the country's Haringvliet were opened.
For the first time in almost 50 years,
the river was reconnected to the North Sea.
And the impact has been extraordinary.
Nature is returning.
Migratory fish, like the stickleback,
are now able to reach their freshwater spawning grounds,
and coastal birds are rediscovering this estuary.
But more dams upstream
means sediment still can't reach these areas.
So organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature
are stepping in to replace the estuary's missing sediment.
♪♪
This extraordinary measure creates sandbanks,
restoring vital habitat for Europe's coastal creatures.
Birds and seals can now use these man-made sites
for breeding.
-There's so many things you can do to give space to the river,
where you then have a win-win
between, let's say, river restoration,
ecological restoration of rivers, flood protection.
-There is hope that Haringvliet represents
the beginning of a global change,
reconnecting rivers from source to sea.
Healthy waterways allow natural processes
to shape the landscape with each changing season.
Every spring, the remote forests of the Danube delta
are hit by a deluge of water.
♪♪
These half-submerged willow trees become fortresses
protected by freshwater moats...
...as floodwaters force the delta's animals
up into the branches.
♪♪
Over 30 different species of birds nest here
in huge mixed colonies.
♪♪
Cormorants, spoonbills, egrets, and herons
all nest side-by-side in the willow trees.
[ Birds squawking ]
The treetop nests may keep the chicks safe
from ground attacks,
but the wetlands are home to aerial assassins...
...including the Danube's most prolific villains.
[ Birds squawking ]
Rooks, ravens, magpies, and crows --
some of the most intelligent animals on the planet.
The crows have deliberately built their nest here,
perfectly positioned to stake out their neighbors' nests.
Like these cormorants.
This is a critical breeding ground
for the fish-hunting birds.
Each nest produces up to six chicks.
Around half the size ofthe more common great cormorant,
the Danube has Europe's largest colony of pygmy cormorants.
Their chicks haven't yet learned to fly
and could be a tasty treat for a hungry crow.
But even the largest species are at risk
when their parents leave the nest.
♪♪
With no adults around,the opportunistic crow moves in.
Fortunately for the chicks,
this winged villain was only after their dinner.
♪♪
[ Birds squawking ]
Thanks to this breeding site in the Danube delta,
cormorant populations have exploded in the last 40 years.
But beyond this oasis,
there's one European bird that needs a helping hand.
The northern bald ibis has been extinct
in the wilds of Europe for over 300 years.
But a small population survive in captivity.
[ Birds chirping ]
Now a team of scientists areundertaking a pioneering project
to bring this ibis back to the wild
by raising captive birds,
and teaching them their ancient migration routes.
The project is based near Germany's Lake Constance,
the ibis's ancient summer feeding ground.
Here, captive-born chicks are raised by human foster mothers.
♪♪
The chicks visually imprint on the first animal they see,
and this connection is for life.
-I've raised about five generations now.
Each bird has different characters.
Some of them are more shy.
Some of them are more adventurous.
Even in years, they will know that we are the foster parents.
They will know that we raised them and trained with them.
So it's pretty exciting that they will recognize us
for the rest of their lives.
[ Birds chirping ]
♪♪
-Using the birds' innate impulse to follow their human mothers,
the team have spent the last three months teaching the ibis
to follow a microlight airplane through the skies.
[ Woman speaking German ]
The mission is to teach these birds
the ancient migration routes to their wintering grounds,
which are almost 900 kilometers away, in central Italy.
[ Women shouting in German ]
[ Engine starts ]
Today is the moment of truth.
The team takes to the air...
♪♪
...with the ibis following close behind.
♪♪
The birds' instincts kick in.
They fly in formation and stay close to their mother.
♪♪
Each bird is fitted with a radio tag
to track their route
and capture information about how they migrate.
♪♪
The flight goes perfectly.
In total, they will cover almost 900 kilometers.
A new hope for endangered birds in Europe and across the world
becomes a reality.
-It is pretty amazing.
It's the best feeling,
actually flying with the birds over the Alps.
And the birds are only following because you are the person
that is sitting inside the microlight.
They trust you so much,they would go anywhere with you.
And I would have never believed that there is the possibility
to bond with an animal like that.
♪♪
-After intensive training, all 30 birds make it
to their wintering grounds in Italy...
locking the route into their memory for future migrations.
One day, they'll pass this knowledge on
to their own wild-born chicks.
♪♪
Across Europe,
the success of reintroduction programs like these
are turning back the clock
after decades of species and habitat loss
and will help countless other animals.
A helping hand is all nature needs.
-Nature is so resilient,
and I think that's what inspires me so much,
is that if you let it go,
you get the most beautiful things coming back.
-In the Danube delta,the rewilding of natural systems
is already having a huge impact, as Europe discovers a new wild.
♪♪
[ Bird squawks ]
♪♪
-To order "Europe's New Wild" on DVD,
visit ShopPBS or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.
Also available on Amazon Prime Video.
♪♪