1 00:00:09,676 --> 00:00:10,927 Across Asia, 2 00:00:11,636 --> 00:00:14,264 two of the world's most intelligent species... 3 00:00:17,684 --> 00:00:19,894 are figuring out how to coexist. 4 00:00:26,651 --> 00:00:28,862 We may keep a close eye on them... 5 00:00:34,534 --> 00:00:37,620 but they're also watching us and learning. 6 00:00:41,875 --> 00:00:43,793 Masters of adaptation, 7 00:00:44,252 --> 00:00:46,796 Asian elephants are adjusting to our ways, 8 00:00:47,714 --> 00:00:49,716 while we're trying to understand them 9 00:00:50,508 --> 00:00:52,594 and learn their secrets. 10 00:01:26,795 --> 00:01:30,423 Elephants left Africa more than two million years ago, 11 00:01:31,299 --> 00:01:33,551 long before the last Ice Age, 12 00:01:33,927 --> 00:01:35,428 in search of a new home. 13 00:01:37,972 --> 00:01:41,351 These ancient wayfarers ended up spread 14 00:01:41,559 --> 00:01:43,937 across most of southern Asia. 15 00:01:47,649 --> 00:01:51,820 Dr. Paula Kahumbu's searching Borneo's Kinabatangan River 16 00:01:52,695 --> 00:01:53,738 for the smallest 17 00:01:54,155 --> 00:01:55,824 and rarest of them. 18 00:02:02,413 --> 00:02:05,458 An expert on the African savanna elephant, 19 00:02:06,209 --> 00:02:08,711 she's here to see how the Bornean elephant, 20 00:02:09,087 --> 00:02:10,797 known by some as the Pygmy, 21 00:02:11,422 --> 00:02:14,801 is adapting to its rapidly changing environment. 22 00:02:21,641 --> 00:02:23,601 I can see footprints. I can see lots of footprints. 23 00:02:23,726 --> 00:02:24,727 Look at that! 24 00:02:27,981 --> 00:02:30,191 I can't see these elephants. I can just hear them. 25 00:02:34,612 --> 00:02:37,866 These Bornean elephants, they're so mysterious. 26 00:02:37,866 --> 00:02:39,242 Hardly been studied. 27 00:02:39,826 --> 00:02:42,036 It's unusual in so many ways. 28 00:02:42,162 --> 00:02:45,290 Its looks, its features, its habitat. 29 00:02:54,632 --> 00:02:56,134 From the river, 30 00:02:56,426 --> 00:02:59,012 all you can see is pristine rainforest. 31 00:03:04,642 --> 00:03:06,311 But this is an illusion. 32 00:03:06,644 --> 00:03:08,688 Within just a few meters, 33 00:03:08,897 --> 00:03:12,609 the forest turns into oil palm plantations... 34 00:03:15,695 --> 00:03:18,406 and they stretch as far as the eye can see. 35 00:03:21,659 --> 00:03:25,914 Palm oil is in everything from cookies to ice cream, 36 00:03:26,581 --> 00:03:28,917 toothpaste to laundry detergent. 37 00:03:29,542 --> 00:03:34,297 Cheap to produce, but wildlife pays a high price. 38 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:40,011 Animals like the orangutan are being driven to extinction 39 00:03:40,553 --> 00:03:42,931 as their forest home is cleared. 40 00:03:44,557 --> 00:03:46,935 The elephants are vulnerable too. 41 00:03:48,061 --> 00:03:51,231 Only 1,500 remain. 42 00:03:53,024 --> 00:03:55,568 Their migration routes have been squeezed, 43 00:03:56,110 --> 00:03:58,279 so now, they have to use the riverbanks 44 00:03:58,821 --> 00:04:00,240 as their pathways. 45 00:04:04,994 --> 00:04:06,829 And swim across the rivers 46 00:04:07,288 --> 00:04:08,665 to find food. 47 00:04:14,420 --> 00:04:16,965 We just heard an elephant trumpeting 48 00:04:17,090 --> 00:04:18,341 just back here. 49 00:04:21,386 --> 00:04:22,470 Oh, my gosh. They're just in here. 50 00:04:22,470 --> 00:04:23,930 They're just in here. 51 00:04:27,308 --> 00:04:29,143 I think it's coming down to the water. 52 00:04:37,819 --> 00:04:40,405 There seems to be elephants all around us. 53 00:04:51,582 --> 00:04:55,461 This is so exciting. There are elephants over here, up there. 54 00:04:55,586 --> 00:04:57,380 My gosh, they're crossing! 55 00:04:59,716 --> 00:05:01,092 It's unbelievable. 56 00:05:01,509 --> 00:05:04,012 So many of these rare elephants. 57 00:05:09,684 --> 00:05:11,227 It's not just one family. 58 00:05:11,352 --> 00:05:13,313 It looks like several families together, 59 00:05:13,313 --> 00:05:14,480 crossing, 60 00:05:14,897 --> 00:05:16,357 in one giant group. 61 00:05:21,696 --> 00:05:23,781 I've counted over 30 individuals already. 62 00:05:30,413 --> 00:05:33,041 The babies are going right underwater, 63 00:05:33,207 --> 00:05:34,459 completely submerged. 64 00:05:43,259 --> 00:05:46,846 What really strikes me is their pinkly mottled skin. 65 00:05:47,472 --> 00:05:49,599 It's the result of depigmentation. 66 00:05:53,811 --> 00:05:58,816 And the tip of their trunks has just one, what we call, prehensile finger, 67 00:05:58,816 --> 00:06:00,777 not two, like the African elephant. 68 00:06:30,473 --> 00:06:33,393 With half of their forest home already gone, 69 00:06:34,227 --> 00:06:38,064 and the remainder shrinking faster than anywhere else on the planet... 70 00:06:44,237 --> 00:06:47,448 Bornean elephants have had to learn to adapt... 71 00:06:52,328 --> 00:06:53,913 even if that means going against 72 00:06:54,705 --> 00:06:56,499 their natural instincts. 73 00:07:02,672 --> 00:07:04,549 The sounds of the forest 74 00:07:04,757 --> 00:07:06,759 have been replaced by noises 75 00:07:07,385 --> 00:07:08,761 from another world. 76 00:07:16,519 --> 00:07:20,398 Every time old palms are chopped down and replaced, 77 00:07:21,816 --> 00:07:24,610 the elephants grasp at an opportunity. 78 00:07:28,990 --> 00:07:31,409 The elephants are moving in within seconds. 79 00:07:31,576 --> 00:07:33,453 It's almost as if they hear the machines, 80 00:07:33,453 --> 00:07:34,871 and it's a magnet. 81 00:07:34,996 --> 00:07:36,247 It's like Pavlov's dog reaction. 82 00:07:36,247 --> 00:07:39,083 They all come running in, trumpeting, excited. 83 00:07:41,878 --> 00:07:45,214 And they're feeding on that vegetation very rapidly. 84 00:07:49,051 --> 00:07:53,222 They're literally within meters of the machines as they're working. 85 00:07:53,222 --> 00:07:54,390 It's unbelievable. 86 00:08:04,692 --> 00:08:07,069 The top of the palm has a sweet core. 87 00:08:08,029 --> 00:08:10,531 So, they've become a source of concentrated food. 88 00:08:29,926 --> 00:08:32,470 They're communicating at a volume so loud... 89 00:08:33,596 --> 00:08:36,182 to hear each other over the sound of these machines. 90 00:08:47,777 --> 00:08:51,572 This is not just bizarre to see elephants 91 00:08:52,532 --> 00:08:56,577 thriving in such close proximity to noisy, 92 00:08:56,744 --> 00:08:58,538 noisy human behavior, 93 00:08:58,788 --> 00:09:00,581 it's also quite tragic 94 00:09:00,748 --> 00:09:02,416 that they've abandoned their wild ways. 95 00:09:06,921 --> 00:09:09,298 The babies are in there with their mothers. 96 00:09:09,924 --> 00:09:12,426 They are witnessing everything and learning. 97 00:09:12,677 --> 00:09:15,471 And they will have exactly the same reaction. 98 00:09:15,471 --> 00:09:18,182 When they hear the machines, they will know that means food. 99 00:09:29,151 --> 00:09:31,195 They are incredibly adaptable, 100 00:09:31,195 --> 00:09:33,864 not just to the presence of people and the dangers 101 00:09:33,990 --> 00:09:35,408 they might encounter with people, 102 00:09:35,408 --> 00:09:38,411 but they're also very adaptable to their changing environment. 103 00:09:41,455 --> 00:09:46,502 Elephants are as smart, if not smarter, than us. 104 00:09:58,598 --> 00:10:02,768 The Asian elephant is as far removed from its African cousin 105 00:10:03,144 --> 00:10:05,313 as we are from chimpanzees. 106 00:10:08,733 --> 00:10:13,195 They are the smallest of all elephants with shorter trunks 107 00:10:13,779 --> 00:10:15,197 and longer tails. 108 00:10:21,078 --> 00:10:25,458 But they have the biggest brains of any land mammal, 109 00:10:30,171 --> 00:10:31,589 which serves them well 110 00:10:32,131 --> 00:10:36,093 as they increasingly come into contact with us. 111 00:10:55,738 --> 00:10:59,450 This bull has seen a lot of change in his lifetime. 112 00:11:04,872 --> 00:11:06,791 He has reason to be angry. 113 00:11:11,545 --> 00:11:14,256 His entire world has changed. 114 00:11:17,218 --> 00:11:21,472 As a calf, the land around him was his playground... 115 00:11:23,099 --> 00:11:24,225 and his pantry. 116 00:11:29,230 --> 00:11:31,190 Now it's off-limits. 117 00:11:33,442 --> 00:11:36,320 He knows electric fences are bad news. 118 00:11:37,947 --> 00:11:39,740 Sometimes they shock. 119 00:11:40,241 --> 00:11:42,451 Sometimes they kill. 120 00:11:48,666 --> 00:11:50,960 But all the fruit he craves 121 00:11:51,335 --> 00:11:52,920 lies just beyond it. 122 00:12:01,595 --> 00:12:03,222 So, he returns 123 00:12:03,973 --> 00:12:06,058 under the cover of darkness. 124 00:12:11,355 --> 00:12:12,898 It's a stealth mission... 125 00:12:14,900 --> 00:12:17,278 revealed by specialized cameras. 126 00:12:27,580 --> 00:12:30,416 He has his own version of night vision. 127 00:12:42,136 --> 00:12:44,388 A sense of smell so acute... 128 00:12:45,514 --> 00:12:47,057 that blind elephants 129 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,060 have been known to lead herds. 130 00:13:03,824 --> 00:13:05,868 Only fools go rushing in. 131 00:13:11,457 --> 00:13:14,376 Bulls can sometimes be loners. 132 00:13:17,838 --> 00:13:21,300 But now that we have claimed two-thirds of their habitat, 133 00:13:25,596 --> 00:13:27,014 they are banding together... 134 00:13:33,479 --> 00:13:35,940 ...for safety in populated areas... 135 00:13:42,154 --> 00:13:43,614 ...and to mount raids. 136 00:13:52,957 --> 00:13:54,583 It's a high-risk strategy, 137 00:13:55,584 --> 00:13:58,128 but what this bull and his friends are about to do... 138 00:14:01,006 --> 00:14:03,342 is truly remarkable. 139 00:14:23,404 --> 00:14:24,613 Few animals know 140 00:14:24,780 --> 00:14:26,031 how to use tools, 141 00:14:27,116 --> 00:14:29,034 but he's learned he can use wood 142 00:14:29,201 --> 00:14:30,286 against wire 143 00:14:30,744 --> 00:14:32,162 to save himself 144 00:14:32,496 --> 00:14:33,998 from an electric shock. 145 00:15:00,190 --> 00:15:02,943 Once inside, they are silent. 146 00:15:08,574 --> 00:15:10,075 No squeaks, 147 00:15:10,492 --> 00:15:12,036 no earflaps. 148 00:15:17,416 --> 00:15:20,961 Their large footpads act like shock absorbers. 149 00:15:23,255 --> 00:15:27,051 Five tons of elephants glide past... 150 00:15:30,763 --> 00:15:32,640 in ghostly silence. 151 00:15:44,443 --> 00:15:45,569 Now... 152 00:15:45,986 --> 00:15:48,739 to enjoy the fruits of their labor. 153 00:16:25,901 --> 00:16:29,113 Luckily for them, it's only firecrackers tonight. 154 00:16:38,956 --> 00:16:41,417 Poisons, explosives, 155 00:16:41,875 --> 00:16:43,377 and other lethal deterrents 156 00:16:43,877 --> 00:16:46,505 kill around 300 elephants a year in Sri Lanka. 157 00:17:10,654 --> 00:17:14,074 Interactions like this are becoming more frequent 158 00:17:14,825 --> 00:17:17,870 as new roads, fields, and settlements 159 00:17:18,412 --> 00:17:23,167 claim 5,500 square miles across Southeast Asia every year... 160 00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:25,794 CAUTION ELEPHANT CROSSING 161 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:31,592 ...pushing elephants into ever closer contact with people. 162 00:17:37,097 --> 00:17:40,601 To survive, they've learned to anticipate human behavior 163 00:17:41,727 --> 00:17:45,314 and put that knowledge to work for their own good. 164 00:18:02,498 --> 00:18:04,917 Thailand's Highway 3259 165 00:18:06,376 --> 00:18:08,545 is a sugarcane transport road. 166 00:18:14,426 --> 00:18:18,305 Thousands of farmers use it to get their crops to the refinery. 167 00:18:35,405 --> 00:18:38,492 But this highway has a toll collector. 168 00:18:49,336 --> 00:18:52,089 Locals call him "the Don." 169 00:18:56,510 --> 00:18:59,513 And this... is his territory. 170 00:19:02,349 --> 00:19:04,476 He's a master dealmaker, 171 00:19:05,102 --> 00:19:07,688 calculating risk versus reward... 172 00:19:09,523 --> 00:19:11,483 to get what he's due. 173 00:19:20,826 --> 00:19:25,789 The Don can actually sniff out when a delivery truck is on the way. 174 00:19:34,548 --> 00:19:38,552 He can gauge quantity, using his sense of smell alone... 175 00:19:49,813 --> 00:19:53,442 targeting the trucks carrying the biggest loads. 176 00:20:04,536 --> 00:20:06,747 Time to collect his toll. 177 00:20:28,018 --> 00:20:30,312 One hundred seventy pounds 178 00:20:30,604 --> 00:20:32,231 of raw sugarcane 179 00:20:32,898 --> 00:20:37,778 provides the 70,000 calories he needs every day. 180 00:20:52,167 --> 00:20:53,168 But the Don... 181 00:20:54,419 --> 00:20:56,004 is not on his own. 182 00:21:02,469 --> 00:21:04,638 He's brought some younger bulls along. 183 00:21:05,806 --> 00:21:06,932 Henchmen... 184 00:21:08,141 --> 00:21:09,559 to show them how it's done. 185 00:21:29,454 --> 00:21:31,707 They watch the Don's technique. 186 00:21:33,667 --> 00:21:35,669 He knows that if they aren't too greedy... 187 00:21:37,796 --> 00:21:39,589 the drivers will pay his toll. 188 00:21:46,221 --> 00:21:47,973 And in return, 189 00:21:48,181 --> 00:21:50,100 he and his accomplices 190 00:21:50,392 --> 00:21:52,436 will stay out of their sugarcane fields. 191 00:22:05,198 --> 00:22:08,118 Their observation and knowledge of us 192 00:22:08,327 --> 00:22:10,787 has helped elephants to get by 193 00:22:10,787 --> 00:22:13,790 in an ever more human-dominated landscape. 194 00:22:22,507 --> 00:22:26,345 But their long-term future may depend on us 195 00:22:26,845 --> 00:22:29,973 understanding them as individuals. 196 00:22:55,582 --> 00:22:58,210 Paula's seen how some communities in Africa 197 00:22:58,919 --> 00:23:01,129 play a positive role in reducing conflict 198 00:23:01,338 --> 00:23:03,548 between humans and elephants. 199 00:23:04,925 --> 00:23:09,721 She's keen to find out if similar ideas are being tried here in Borneo. 200 00:23:13,225 --> 00:23:14,976 It's extraordinary to me 201 00:23:14,976 --> 00:23:18,397 that Asian elephants still exist on this continent. 202 00:23:20,857 --> 00:23:22,275 There's so much development. 203 00:23:22,401 --> 00:23:25,904 So much land has been transformed for human use. 204 00:23:28,907 --> 00:23:32,411 What we find is a lot of situations where people and elephants 205 00:23:32,411 --> 00:23:34,621 are coming into contact with each other. 206 00:23:43,797 --> 00:23:45,048 The problem is, 207 00:23:45,048 --> 00:23:48,301 when elephants are harmed by people, they remember it. 208 00:23:49,302 --> 00:23:53,432 Sometimes, they develop a culture of aggression, attacking people, 209 00:23:53,765 --> 00:23:56,726 which can be deadly for humans and elephants alike. 210 00:24:01,481 --> 00:24:05,026 Local Bornean biologist, Dr. Farina Othman, 211 00:24:05,485 --> 00:24:09,197 believes getting up close and personal is the best way to forge 212 00:24:09,197 --> 00:24:11,825 a new human-elephant understanding. 213 00:24:16,663 --> 00:24:19,791 The first time I saw the Bornean elephants, 214 00:24:20,667 --> 00:24:24,337 I remember being very connected to them. 215 00:24:26,882 --> 00:24:29,885 Then I decided to become the voice of the elephant. 216 00:24:32,554 --> 00:24:34,306 This is Iman. 217 00:24:35,849 --> 00:24:37,142 Iman means "faith." 218 00:24:38,518 --> 00:24:40,979 And usually, she is with her group. 219 00:24:49,905 --> 00:24:51,448 But today, 220 00:24:51,448 --> 00:24:53,533 I guess she decided to have a me-time 221 00:24:53,658 --> 00:24:55,744 - and to enjoy the water, right? 222 00:25:13,053 --> 00:25:14,763 Using her unique approach, 223 00:25:14,930 --> 00:25:17,098 Farina has become a caseworker, 224 00:25:17,849 --> 00:25:22,979 a translator between individual elephants and the people who live among them. 225 00:25:34,115 --> 00:25:36,284 I get to know their personality, 226 00:25:36,493 --> 00:25:39,246 and so we know a few elephants 227 00:25:39,246 --> 00:25:42,415 which can get upset easily. 228 00:25:50,298 --> 00:25:54,594 So, we will inform the local communities 229 00:25:55,011 --> 00:25:57,264 about their personality and behavior, 230 00:25:57,264 --> 00:26:00,809 so that they themselves can be more prepared 231 00:26:00,934 --> 00:26:04,563 when these elephants are close to their land or to their house. 232 00:26:13,238 --> 00:26:17,909 Once you understand all these signals, then you can avoid accidents, 233 00:26:18,118 --> 00:26:20,495 and they will get comfortable being with you. 234 00:26:20,495 --> 00:26:23,873 They will allow you to see them, to observe them, 235 00:26:24,124 --> 00:26:25,375 to be with them. 236 00:26:27,377 --> 00:26:30,922 Farina's work is proof of how valuable it can be 237 00:26:30,922 --> 00:26:33,675 to have someone local studying these elephants. 238 00:26:39,848 --> 00:26:42,142 Someone who understands the needs 239 00:26:42,142 --> 00:26:43,935 of both, animals and people. 240 00:26:59,951 --> 00:27:01,578 Thanks to work like hers, 241 00:27:01,786 --> 00:27:04,456 people here are starting to think about elephants differently, 242 00:27:05,165 --> 00:27:06,916 even making changes to help them. 243 00:27:09,753 --> 00:27:12,088 And the benefits of co-existing with elephants 244 00:27:12,088 --> 00:27:13,632 can work both ways. 245 00:27:40,241 --> 00:27:42,452 With greater understanding of each other 246 00:27:42,619 --> 00:27:44,329 and sharing our lands, 247 00:27:44,829 --> 00:27:49,000 we can improve the lives of elephants and our own 248 00:27:49,334 --> 00:27:51,586 in the most incredible ways. 249 00:28:03,390 --> 00:28:06,643 Asian elephants have walked India’s western Ghats 250 00:28:07,477 --> 00:28:09,354 for tens of thousands of years... 251 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,861 ...following routes passed down generation to generation. 252 00:28:18,571 --> 00:28:22,575 Old and young trek up to 150 miles 253 00:28:22,826 --> 00:28:24,411 to reach their seasonal feeding grounds. 254 00:28:28,957 --> 00:28:31,084 But there is little here for them to eat 255 00:28:31,376 --> 00:28:33,795 on this part of their long journey. 256 00:28:37,924 --> 00:28:39,592 What was once forest 257 00:28:40,051 --> 00:28:43,722 is now almost entirely farmland. 258 00:28:50,687 --> 00:28:52,605 Warm and humid air 259 00:28:52,605 --> 00:28:55,442 make the perfect conditions for growing tea. 260 00:28:59,487 --> 00:29:00,947 But for elephants, 261 00:29:01,364 --> 00:29:02,907 these lush hills 262 00:29:03,908 --> 00:29:05,952 might as well be green deserts. 263 00:29:12,751 --> 00:29:17,964 Tea plants contain toxins that make them bitter and unappetizing. 264 00:29:22,802 --> 00:29:24,971 So, the elephants went hungry... 265 00:29:26,973 --> 00:29:31,853 and sometimes left a trail of destruction as they searched for food. 266 00:29:46,159 --> 00:29:48,787 Until the farmers noticed. 267 00:30:01,090 --> 00:30:03,635 And decided to make a change. 268 00:30:10,850 --> 00:30:13,561 One with a big impact. 269 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:22,153 They stopped using herbicides to kill the weeds around their plants. 270 00:30:31,454 --> 00:30:36,543 And let volunteer giant gardeners do the work instead. 271 00:30:40,255 --> 00:30:43,216 The elephants not only consume the weeds... 272 00:30:44,717 --> 00:30:48,346 they also leave behind a nutrient-rich fertilizer. 273 00:30:51,683 --> 00:30:56,396 And because they now have natural, rather than chemical, weed control, 274 00:30:56,896 --> 00:31:01,192 the farmers' tea is 100% organic... 275 00:31:02,402 --> 00:31:05,071 and elephant-friendly. 276 00:31:07,490 --> 00:31:10,869 The elephants now have a much-needed rest stop. 277 00:31:17,834 --> 00:31:19,544 And a chance to refuel. 278 00:31:32,682 --> 00:31:33,975 By cooperating... 279 00:31:36,060 --> 00:31:37,145 everyone wins. 280 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:56,122 With full bellies, the elephants continue on the final leg of this long migration. 281 00:32:07,342 --> 00:32:08,468 For many, 282 00:32:08,635 --> 00:32:11,554 the destination is the Kabini forest. 283 00:32:29,572 --> 00:32:32,533 A 250-square-mile reserve. 284 00:32:34,911 --> 00:32:38,331 And one of the greatest wildlife spots in India. 285 00:33:01,729 --> 00:33:05,608 Every year, a dam is opened below this floodplain. 286 00:33:07,402 --> 00:33:09,112 - The river drains... 287 00:33:09,278 --> 00:33:11,280 ...and is replaced, for two months... 288 00:33:13,408 --> 00:33:15,076 by lush grassland... 289 00:33:17,620 --> 00:33:21,374 creating a man-made elephant utopia. 290 00:33:30,383 --> 00:33:31,384 Once a year, 291 00:33:32,427 --> 00:33:33,970 families can safely unite 292 00:33:34,762 --> 00:33:37,640 at the end of their long migration. 293 00:33:41,602 --> 00:33:43,646 Old friendships are renewed. 294 00:33:50,111 --> 00:33:52,030 New acquaintances made. 295 00:33:58,494 --> 00:34:00,705 A space created by people... 296 00:34:04,542 --> 00:34:08,212 providing a much-needed haven for elephants. 297 00:34:19,891 --> 00:34:22,185 Elephants and humans evolved together. 298 00:34:28,775 --> 00:34:31,903 We have it in our DNA. We sense it when we see them. 299 00:34:39,035 --> 00:34:42,914 And we feel their roars and their trumpeting 300 00:34:42,914 --> 00:34:45,249 and their rumbling deep in our bones. 301 00:34:56,427 --> 00:35:01,015 If we keep elephants in our lives and keep elephants in these landscapes... 302 00:35:03,601 --> 00:35:08,189 we sustain a part of our own ancient cultures and traditions... 303 00:35:11,734 --> 00:35:14,695 because these animals teach us something about ourselves.