1 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:16,040 ANDREW LINCOLN: Our weather is wilder... 2 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:19,400 ..fiercer... 3 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,040 ..more unpredictable... 4 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,040 ..than ever before. 5 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,040 REPORTER 1: Rare red weather warnings, 6 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,400 meaning there's a potential danger to life. 7 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,560 REPORTER 2: Such weather is more frequent and intense. 8 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,040 REPORTER 3: I think we had this conversation in our newsroom, 9 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,040 you know, when they were evacuating all the people. 10 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,560 What about the animals? 11 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,040 For the first time... 12 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,040 ..we see the planet's most extreme weather... 13 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,880 ..through their eyes. 14 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,040 When nature turns against them... 15 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,040 ..they're not just enduring... 16 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:16,040 ..they are fighting back... 17 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,040 ..in remarkable ways. 18 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:26,040 The bigger the storm... 19 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,040 ..the greater the heroes. 20 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:34,040 GROWLING, TRUMPETING 21 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:35,040 These animals are... 22 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,040 ..a force of nature. 23 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,560 INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER 24 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,040 REPORTER 1: The worst flooding Malaysia has seen in decades. 25 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,560 Torrential rain has submerged entire towns. 26 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,040 REPORTER 2: It burst its banks after three months' worth of rain 27 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,880 fell in just three days. 28 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,040 REPORTER 3: The water came in so quickly, 29 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,040 they really didn't have much time to prepare. 30 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,080 This river can be deceivingly dangerous. 31 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:28,040 TRUMPETING 32 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,040 The current often catches swimmers off guard. 33 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:56,040 The Kinabatangan is one of the richest rainforests on Earth. 34 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:04,240 Home to 6,000 species found nowhere else on the planet... 35 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:12,040 ..including the rarest and smallest elephant... 36 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,560 ..the Bornean elephant. 37 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:39,040 This tight-knit family spans generations... 38 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,040 ..from a 70-year-old grandma... 39 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,040 ..to a brand-new arrival... 40 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,040 ..a three-week-old calf. 41 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:04,040 With just a thousand of their kind left, 42 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,040 she's not just precious to her family, 43 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:11,040 but the entire species. 44 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:26,040 But today, their survival is under threat. 45 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:43,040 Their forest home has been heavily fragmented 46 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,080 by palm oil plantations... 47 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:52,560 ..with just narrow strips of forest left to provide food. 48 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,040 Facing starvation, 49 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,040 the family must cross the river. 50 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,720 It's dangerous for a baby this young to be in water. 51 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:25,040 But at two metres tall, Mum can wade across the river 52 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:27,560 and lend a helping hand. 53 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:38,040 Today, Borneo's rainfall is decreasing. 54 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,040 So the river is running low... 55 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:48,040 ..leaving high, treacherous river banks to navigate. 56 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,040 Three-tonne elephants are not built for climbing. 57 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,040 Mud turns to quicksand. 58 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,040 Everyone must keep moving. 59 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,240 But the inexperienced mother suddenly turns 60 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,040 to check on her calf... 61 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:30,040 ..causing the grandmother to almost trample the baby. 62 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:40,040 She has to force her daughter out of the way 63 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:41,720 to keep the herd moving. 64 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,040 Slippery mud causes chaos for the adults. 65 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:24,040 Some tough love keeps her moving in the right direction... 66 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:38,040 ..encouraging her on to where her family is waiting to help. 67 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:53,720 Mother and grandmother lift the baby to safety. 68 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:14,040 A plantation, not a thick forest full of food. 69 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:23,040 It won't be long before they have to cross again. 70 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:39,720 Only, now the annual rainy season, the monsoon, has arrived... 71 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:48,040 ..with an intensity even the elders have never experienced before. 72 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,080 THUNDER RUMBLES 73 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:05,040 To find food, they will now have to battle the rising flood waters. 74 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:21,040 REPORTER: If it feels like extreme flooding events are getting worse, 75 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:22,720 it's because they are. 76 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,080 REPORTER: A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, 77 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,040 meaning storms can produce heavier rainfall and flooding. 78 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,040 REPORTER: The worst of our summer rainstorm 79 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:34,880 has now passed South Australia, 80 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:37,040 but only after the tropical weather system 81 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,040 delivered a third day of heavy downpours, 82 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,040 once again breaking apart roads and rainfall records. 83 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,560 REPORTER: Hundreds of properties are under threat 84 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:47,040 of being swallowed by flood waters. 85 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,080 It means evacuated residents won't be allowed home. 86 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:55,040 REPORTER: Keep in mind, not only are people displaced 87 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,040 but wildlife are displaced in large numbers 88 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,040 across this region that have been pushed 89 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,880 out of their usual habitats into, essentially, people's properties. 90 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:18,560 Rarely seen let alone filmed... 91 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:26,040 ..platypus have patrolled Australia's rivers 92 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:30,040 long before Tyrannosaurus rex ever walked the earth. 93 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:38,720 With the body of a beaver... 94 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:41,560 ..and the face of a duck... 95 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:48,040 ..she has to be one of the strangest animals on the planet. 96 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,400 She usually prefers the single life... 97 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:00,040 ..but today... 98 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:03,720 ..she's putting herself out there. 99 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,040 Scratching her scent glands, 100 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:20,040 she uses the river to disperse her feminine pheromones far and wide. 101 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:31,040 It's not long before the message is received... 102 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:34,040 ..loud and clear. 103 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:41,040 This is his big chance. 104 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:46,040 Platypus only breed every other year. 105 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,880 Courtship is swift... 106 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,040 and, like all things platypus... 107 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:00,040 ..a little bizarre. 108 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:10,040 For him, it's a brief affair... 109 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,400 ..but her work is just beginning. 110 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:26,040 This prehistoric creature is one of the very few mammals to lay eggs. 111 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:33,040 And she has just 11 days to find enough food to produce them. 112 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:42,240 Her calm and clean stream is packed full of small invertebrates. 113 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,040 But with her head underwater... 114 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:58,720 ..she's completely unaware of the storm brewing upstream. 115 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:15,040 REPORTER: Caught off guard when what began 116 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:19,040 as a drizzly day escalated into severe storm activity. 117 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:23,040 REPORTER: We are being challenged by nature. 118 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:26,040 REPORTER: This is a once-in-a-generation weather event. 119 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:30,040 REPORTER: We could see a month's worth of rain in just a single day. 120 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:31,400 THUNDER CRASHES 121 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:36,040 The impact will be widespread with residents who are staying behind. 122 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,240 They're being warned to prepare for flash flooding. 123 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:49,880 Nowhere does floodwater rise faster... 124 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,040 ..than in the smallest streams. 125 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,040 Flash floods are becoming more frequent... 126 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,720 ..and their consequences can be catastrophic. 127 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:53,040 Platypus may be strong swimmers... 128 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:00,560 ..but a flood of this magnitude... 129 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,040 ..will test her to the limit. 130 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,040 REPORTER: Quite a sight in this desert, 131 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:31,040 one of the driest places on Earth has flooded. 132 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:37,040 REPORTER: We do not yet know for how long it will last. 133 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,720 REPORTER: Experts say this boom will soon go bust 134 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,400 in nature's cycle of predator and prey. 135 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:18,040 ANDREW LINCOLN: In the Kalahari, the rainy season has failed... 136 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:21,040 ..again. 137 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:36,040 This lioness is fighting to stay alive... 138 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,400 ..through the driest period in a century. 139 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:49,040 Abandoned by her pride... 140 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:57,040 ..leaving her to fend not just for herself... 141 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,040 GROWLS 142 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:05,040 ..but for all of the cubs they left behind. 143 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:16,720 Raising eight alone is tough at the best of times... 144 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:24,040 ..especially in a land this barren. 145 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:28,040 CROWS 146 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:34,040 In a drought, survival seems impossible. 147 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:40,080 Then... nature changes the rules. 148 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,040 The rains may have failed... 149 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,040 ..and yet... 150 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,040 ..the miracle of water. 151 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:15,040 A stream that has travelled six months to get here... 152 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,040 ..from seasonal rains... 153 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:27,400 ..that fell on mountains 500 miles to the west. 154 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,040 Not a cloud in the sky... 155 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:38,040 ..but there's a flood in the desert. 156 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:08,040 While most floods bring devastation... 157 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:13,040 ..this flood delivers life. 158 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:29,040 The largest gathering of Cape buffalo on the planet. 159 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:39,040 Marching south from distant grasslands... 160 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:47,080 ..they form a queue four hours long... 161 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:55,040 ..to drink from the only standing water for over a hundred miles. 162 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,040 Just one buffalo... 163 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:09,040 ..would be enough to feed her family for weeks. 164 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:22,040 A solitary lioness is no match... 165 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:25,040 ..for a half-tonne bull. 166 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,720 But in the marsh, she has an advantage. 167 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:40,040 MOOING 168 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:44,040 Heavy bodies sink in deep mud. 169 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:51,040 She is lighter on her feet. 170 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,040 BUFFALO GROANS 171 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:29,040 LIONESS SNARLS 172 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:41,040 Her first proper meal in weeks. 173 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,040 But she has company. 174 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:02,040 A rival pride of lions, 15 strong. 175 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,040 They'd not just steal from her... 176 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,040 ..they'd kill her. 177 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:36,040 She will have to find a new way to hunt if her cubs are to survive. 178 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:44,040 PRINCE WILLIAM: Communities around the world 179 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:48,040 are already facing extreme heat, wildfires, floods... 180 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:52,040 ..and increased frequency of extreme weather. 181 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,040 REPORTER: It's thought to be the worst monsoon season in decades. 182 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,040 REPORTER: Couldn't come at a worse time right now, 183 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:01,400 and this storm is really starting to pack a punch. 184 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:06,040 The threats going forward - landslides, urban flooding. 185 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:09,080 And it is still rapidly intensifying. 186 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,400 REPORTER: This is a country used to storms, 187 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:26,040 but no-one can become used to this intensity. 188 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:33,040 REPORTER: Climate change is making extreme weather events more intense, 189 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:37,040 this one exceptionally rare in its ferocity. 190 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:49,080 Only when the storm passes are its consequences revealed. 191 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:58,040 The runoff from three months of rain... 192 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:01,040 ..in just three days... 193 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,040 ..leads to record flooding. 194 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,080 Confined to a tiny patch of forest... 195 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,040 ..the herd are desperate for food. 196 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:26,720 But to reach it, they now face crossing an unrecognisable river. 197 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:37,080 It has risen by 12 metres. 198 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:52,040 Running fast, concealing dangerous currents... 199 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:57,040 ..and now stretching over 100 metres. 200 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,240 Elephants are good swimmers... 201 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:09,040 ..but this is impossibly far for those with the littlest legs. 202 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:20,040 She'll need the help of her whole family if she's to make it. 203 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:49,040 Sticking tight, they begin the marathon swim. 204 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:50,040 CRIES 205 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,040 CALF SHRIEKS 206 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:06,040 At any moment, the powerful current 207 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:09,040 could separate the baby from her family. 208 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:19,040 So the herd forms a protective shield around her. 209 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:46,720 Halfway across... 210 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,040 ..the current is at its strongest. 211 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,040 Even the adults struggle to make headway. 212 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,040 The river starts to pull them apart. 213 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,040 The calf starts to panic. 214 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:53,040 Drowning is a major cause of death in calves. 215 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,040 She needs to get back to her family... 216 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:04,040 ..fast. 217 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,240 REPORTER: The SES has responded to hundreds of calls for help. 218 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:26,040 Torrential rain led to flash flooding 219 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:30,040 with dozens of people rescued from rising waters across the state. 220 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,040 REPORTER: Upstream, flood waters are slowly receding, 221 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,040 laying bare the extent of the devastation. 222 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,400 ANDREW LINCOLN: Somehow, the platypus managed 223 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:55,240 to ride out the flash flood. 224 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:04,040 But the return to calm hides a devastating truth. 225 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:16,880 Tonnes of sediment has washed into her river... 226 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,720 ..suffocating her prey. 227 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:31,040 With just eight days left to lay her eggs... 228 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,040 ..she needs to find food fast... 229 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,040 ..and leave behind the only home... 230 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,040 ..she's ever known. 231 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:00,080 But where her ancestors could easily move between rivers... 232 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:09,560 ..in the modern world, she's never far from humanity. 233 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,040 A very public park. QUACKING 234 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,040 She may be safely back in water... 235 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:38,040 ..but she hasn't eaten since her river flooded. 236 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:46,040 And producing platypus eggs takes a lot of energy. 237 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:54,720 Maybe a bit of fish food could be just what she needs. 238 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,040 But to get enough of it... 239 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,040 ..she's setting off on a high-risk... 240 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,040 ..high-calorie heist. 241 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,240 She breaks into pond... 242 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:42,720 ..after pond... 243 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:48,040 ..stealing everyone else's food. 244 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,040 QUACKS 245 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:01,040 Her species didn't outlive the dinosaurs 246 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:03,040 without a bit of ingenuity. 247 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:11,880 She may have all the food she can eat... 248 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,040 ..but surrounded by concrete... 249 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,080 ..there is no river bank to dig out a nest. 250 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:32,880 With little time to go before laying her eggs... 251 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:38,040 ..she must hurry to find a more suitable home. 252 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:05,080 In the Kalahari... 253 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,040 ..the huge oasis provides relief... 254 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:14,040 ..from the merciless desert on its borders. 255 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:25,040 But the water is a dangerous place... 256 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:29,560 ..for a single lioness and her eight cubs. 257 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:43,040 She's kept them all alive on milk and scraps. 258 00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,040 But if they are to survive, 259 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:57,040 she needs to provide a substantial kill. 260 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,040 The marsh is now under the control... 261 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:08,040 ..of the hostile pride. 262 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:14,040 SNARLING 263 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,040 And they'll kill to keep it. 264 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,040 So she must change strategy. 265 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:43,040 Every afternoon, the buffalo are drawn to the flood to drink. 266 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:48,040 And this time... 267 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:54,040 ..she'll intercept them before they reach the water. 268 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:04,040 Each buffalo is deadly. 269 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:08,040 And she's drawing the attention... 270 00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:12,040 ..of the entire herd... 271 00:35:21,240 --> 00:35:23,080 ..goading them to charge. 272 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:35,040 But there is method in her madness. 273 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:47,040 The drought has turned the ground to dust... 274 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:04,880 ..driving the herd into panic. 275 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:10,040 Thousands of hooves churn the earth... 276 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,040 ..providing the perfect smoke screen. 277 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:26,040 Her first fresh meat in weeks... 278 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:39,040 ..in a place safe enough to call in her cubs. 279 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:46,560 GROWLS 280 00:37:56,040 --> 00:38:01,040 Taking down the buffalo wasn't without cost... 281 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:09,040 ..but her cubs will eat their fill today. 282 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:18,040 Thanks to this clever mother's hunting strategy... 283 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,040 ..the cubs stand a fighting chance... 284 00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:32,040 ..in the grips of a record-breaking drought. 285 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:55,040 In Borneo... 286 00:38:56,040 --> 00:39:00,040 ..the flooded river has put the elephants in mortal danger. 287 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:10,040 The strong current has separated the baby from her family. 288 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:11,880 TRUMPETS 289 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,040 But instead of surrendering... 290 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:40,040 ..she swims for her life. 291 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:57,040 Finally, the river releases its grip... 292 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:01,040 ROARS 293 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:09,080 ..and she's able to swim back to Mum... 294 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:34,040 ..and is chaperoned to the safety of the bank. 295 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,400 The family has survived... 296 00:40:52,240 --> 00:40:56,040 ..one of the most dangerous crossings of their lives. 297 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:22,240 In her short life, the baby has already faced challenges... 298 00:41:23,240 --> 00:41:27,040 ..that even her grandmother hasn't experienced before. 299 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:36,040 And it hasn't been in vain. 300 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:43,040 A patch of forest this large will feed the family for weeks. 301 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:51,400 And she can finally do what babies do best. 302 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:04,400 The herd's unbreakable bond helped them survive the crossing... 303 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,400 ..but their future hangs in the balance. 304 00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:18,040 With today's weather extremes, 305 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:21,880 dangerous river crossings are on the rise. 306 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:46,040 In Australia... 307 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:52,040 ..the platypus mum has followed her nose to a new river. 308 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:05,040 First impressions are promising. 309 00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:08,040 Crystal clear... 310 00:43:11,040 --> 00:43:12,400 ..and full of food. 311 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:23,040 It has everything... 312 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:26,240 ..an expectant platypus could need. 313 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:36,040 And this is no accident. 314 00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:44,560 This river was once devastated... 315 00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:52,040 ..by building a dam that held back 99% of its water. 316 00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:03,040 But now, we are giving it back... 317 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:14,040 ..returning life to the river. 318 00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:25,080 This is a flood for good. 319 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:37,560 Controlled releases of water 320 00:44:37,560 --> 00:44:41,400 ensure a stable environment for the platypus... 321 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:53,040 ..and just in time to collect the bedding she needs to build her nest. 322 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:06,040 It's unclear how this ancient creature will fare into the future. 323 00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:15,040 But in this river, 324 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:19,080 a small change means she has everything she needs 325 00:45:19,080 --> 00:45:21,080 to start her family. 326 00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:39,040 As animals face the growing extremes of flood and drought... 327 00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:50,240 ..it's up to us to make sure there's a safe future for all... 328 00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:58,040 ..who depend on our precious fresh water.