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One quarter of all the land on Earth
is covered by a single,

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remarkable type of plant.

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Almost indestructible, it can
grow two feet in a day...

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..and be tall enough
to hide a giant.

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LOW RUMBLING

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That plant is grass, and the
world it creates is truly unique.

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The grass in northern India
is the tallest on the planet,

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home to some of the most impressive
creatures to tread the Earth.

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GRUNTING

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These are the good times,
but in just a few months,

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all this fresh growth will be gone

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and the animals
will be forced to move on.

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That is the way things are on
grasslands across the planet.

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BIRDS TWEET

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A cycle of abundance,
destruction and rebirth

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that affects every creature
that lives here.

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LOW RUMBLING

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The largest grassland on Earth,
the vast Eurasian Steppe,

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stretches one third of the way
around our planet.

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Spring rain has brought fresh grass
and, with it, new life.

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A relic from the ice age,

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a baby saiga antelope,

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just three hours old.

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His only company, his twin.

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Until they can stand, their mother
has left them hidden in the grass.

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They should be safe,
as long as they remain quiet.

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HE BLEATS

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For these calves, the clock
is already ticking.

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Their herd will soon be moving on,
seeking the freshest, new grass.

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BLEATING

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HE BLEATS

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HE BLEATS

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Their lanky legs are a sure sign
that they're built for a life

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on the move.

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HE BLEATS

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BLEATING

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Saiga always give birth to twins,

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so their numbers grow rapidly

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just when grass is plentiful.

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Their bizarrely shaped nose can
detect fresh growth

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from hundreds of miles away.

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BLEATING

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The young twins will now begin
the nomadic life they share with

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most animals on the
world's open plains.

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Grasslands occur where rain is too

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sporadic for forests to exist.

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THUNDER RUMBLES

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WIND WHOOSHES

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The rain that a grassland needs
to survive for a year

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might arrive all at once.

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CRASHING AND RUMBLING

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Storms like these can release

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12 inches of rain in 24 hours.

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Not much fun if you're out in it.

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Eventually, the Earth
can't soak up any more...

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RUMBLING

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..and the grassland
undergoes a radical change.

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Many plants would drown here,
but grasses thrive.

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They grow so fast,

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their leaves quickly rise above
the water and into the sunlight.

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BIRDS TWEET

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Here in southern Africa,

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water transforms one of the most
remarkable grasslands on Earth.

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The Okavango.

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Every year, 5,000 square miles
of grassland are flooded.

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For one pride of lions,
this poses a major problem.

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There may be plenty of prey around,
but lions struggle

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to run it down in water.

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The pride has three-month-old cubs.

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They've never seen water before.

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CUBS MEOW

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If their mothers
don't make a kill soon,

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the cubs might not survive the week.

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But fuelled by the flood,

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the eruption of grass
attracts new possible prey.

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Buffalo arrive in herds
2,000 strong.

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Powerful, aggressive and united,

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they're the most dangerous animal
a lion can face.

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HE GRUNTS

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The biggest bulls don't run.

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They're simply too huge
to be scared of lions.

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At 900 kilos, he weighs more
than all five lionesses combined.

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The pride do have
numbers on their side...

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..but one sweep of his horns
could be deadly.

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One distracts the bull up front,

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while her sisters attack
from behind.

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The cats must somehow topple the
buffalo, but with swamp underfoot,

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they can't get any traction.

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LIONS ROAR

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The bull is weakening...

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..but the lions are tiring too.

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It's now a battle of will
as much as strength.

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To live, the bull must somehow
shake off the lioness.

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The bull is wounded, but thanks
to his two-inch-thick hide,

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he will recover.

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For the pride,
these are hungry times.

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CUB SQUEAKS

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But ultimately,
once the water recedes,

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there will be new life and new food
to benefit all.

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In the right conditions,

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grasses have the extraordinary
ability to grow from

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first shoots to flower
in a matter of only days.

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Grasses become the miniature
equivalents of fruiting trees.

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And, for creatures living
within the grass,

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this is a landscape as vast and
towering as any rainforest.

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An excellent place to
build a tiny treehouse...

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..for a harvest mouse.

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During summer, European meadowlands
are full of food...

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..but only for those
that can reach it.

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Climbing grass is harder
than climbing trees,

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not least because their stems
just won't stay still.

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A prehensile tail acts
like a fifth limb,

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so she's as agile as a monkey
clambering around in a tree.

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STEM 'CREAKS'

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And just as well, for the best food
in this tiny forest

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is at the very top of its canopy.

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Feeding up here, she's exposed.

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A barn owl.

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Not her finest move...

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..but it did the trick.

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Harvest mice seldom go all the way
down to the ground.

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It's a tangled and dangerous world
down here.

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But she can read the pattern of
the stems overhead like a map,

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and so find her way home.

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And not a minute too soon.

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There are mouths to feed.

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Her babies must fatten up quickly.

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They need to harvest the
summer grasses

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while they're still rich with food.

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On the African savanna, too,
seasonal grasses

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are filled with life,

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but it won't last long.

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Carmine bee-eaters are
superb aerial hunters...

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..experts at catching insects
in mid-air.

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But they have no way of flushing
their prey out of the grass.

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INSECTS HUM AND CLICK

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Once alarmed, most insects stay put.

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The bee-eaters need someone
to stir things up a bit.

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A kori bustard.

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It's the world's
heaviest flying bird,

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so it should be bulky enough
to kick up some insects.

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BUZZING

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Bingo!

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Until someone else comes along...

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..and cramps your style.

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Never mind.

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Perhaps there are
bigger opportunities ahead.

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What about an ostrich?

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The heaviest bird of all.

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This time, there's more
than enough transport to go around.

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Soon, almost every ostrich has
its own passenger.

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But free riders are
only tolerated for so long.

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What the bee-eaters really need
is a creature so big,

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it won't even notice them.

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SNORTING

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LOW RUMBLING

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Nothing cuts a swathe through grass
like an African bull elephant.

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ELEPHANT GROWLS

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The trick is to fly as close to the
front of the giant as possible.

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They only have a split second
to grab the prize.

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As more insects are stirred up,
the competition intensifies.

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BIRDS CHIRP

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With summer drawing to a close,
the race to stock up is on.

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Soon the grass will wither, and
this opportunity will have gone.

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As the dry season takes hold,

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food becomes increasingly thin
on the ground.

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Now, only the most specialised
predators on the plains

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can make a living.

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She may be spotted like a cheetah,
but this cat is no sprinter.

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Instead, she has extra long legs,
which give her a high vantage point.

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But a serval cat's main weapon

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are enormous radar ears.

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RUSTLING

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They help her pinpoint prey
hiding in the grass.

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But the prey she seeks are canny.

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Southern vlei rats.

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They know that any sustained
movement can give them away.

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So they move in short bursts.

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But even the slightest rustle
will give her a clue.

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Warm.

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RUSTLING

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Warmer.

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Missed.

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RUSTLING

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RUSTLING

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RUSTLING

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BIRD TWEETS

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RUSTLING

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SQUEAKING

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In better times,
she could catch ten a day.

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But now, with so few rodents around,
she will have to go hungry.

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As drought intensifies,

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life gets tougher for all.

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Predators with permanent territories
must tough it out,

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while most of their prey disappear
over the horizon.

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GRUNTING AND MOOING

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To avoid starvation, many grassland
animals follow

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a nomadic way of life.

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Over two million wildebeest wander
the East African savannas,

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chasing the rains.

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00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:09,600
And they are not alone.

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Arriving on the wing, Jackson's
widowbirds also seek fresh grass.

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00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,880
Although, it's not just food
that they're after.

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This male wants a mate.

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00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,080
He's grown elaborate
breeding plumage for this moment.

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00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,680
But he needs a stage
on which to show it off.

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00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:50,040
By carefully selecting grass blades,
each trimmed to the correct length,

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he's creating something
very special.

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He needs an even surface...

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..and a centrepiece.

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The stage is set.

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00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:23,080
His bachelor pad is sufficiently
neat and tidy to attract a female.

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The problem is, can she see it?

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BIRDS TWEET

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00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:33,080
He has competition.

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00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:34,120
TWEETING

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00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:37,480
TWEETING

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00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,680
TWEETING

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00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:47,360
It might take more than a little
gardening to impress the ladies.

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Jumping is the right idea...

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..but he's misjudged
the height of the grass.

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TWEETING

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His rival makes it look easy.

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00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,080
TWEETING

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00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:15,280
TWEETING

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00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,760
TWEETING

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00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,160
TWEETING

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00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,160
Time to raise his game.

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00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,160
TWEETING

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00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,200
It's not only who jumps the highest,

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but who can keep doing
so the longest.

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Unable to go the distance, his
rivals drop out one by one.

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00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,240
Stamina has won him admirers.

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00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:38,840
Now he can show off
his courtship arena.

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00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,720
And engage in a little romantic
hide-and-seek.

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Finally, he's done enough.

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00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:22,160
The East African savannas
support millions of grazers.

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00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:27,360
Each year, they devour
millions of tonnes of grass.

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And yet, there's one creature here
whose impact is far greater

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00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,720
than all these animals combined.

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They're found wherever
grass grows on the planet.

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00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,680
Yet their labours go
almost entirely unnoticed.

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00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,840
One of the most remarkable
is found here,

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on the grasslands of South America.

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These blades are so tough

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00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:06,320
that virtually no large grass eaters
can stomach them.

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00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:12,000
Yet, they are harvested
on an industrial scale...

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00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:18,320
..by tiny grass-cutter ants.

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00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:28,120
But they themselves
can't digest one bit of it.

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00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:32,520
So, why bother?

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00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,160
The answer is underground.

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00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:43,320
And it's very ingenious.

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00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:53,720
Each blade is cut to length and
placed into a garden of fungus.

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00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:00,640
The rotting grass feeds the fungus

256
00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:04,920
and, in turn,
the fungus feeds the ants.

257
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:12,840
But feeding five million workers
requires intensive agriculture.

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00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,680
Luckily, they are
an industrious lot.

259
00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:28,120
This colony alone will collect over
half a tonne of grass every year.

260
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:35,280
With billions of ant colonies
across the world's grasslands

261
00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:37,840
all doing exactly the same thing,

262
00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,880
that's a mind-boggling
amount of grass.

263
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:13,240
It's estimated that over one-third
of the grass that grows on Earth

264
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,360
will be harvested by an insect.

265
00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:23,720
In northern Australia,

266
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:28,320
termites memorialise their industry
in sculpture.

267
00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:39,320
These astonishing mounds
are ten feet tall.

268
00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,520
They're always built
on a north-south axis

269
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:47,120
which is why their builders
are called compass termites.

270
00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:03,920
These castles of clay protect
their builders from extremes of heat

271
00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:08,040
and seasonal floods
experienced on many grasslands.

272
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:24,320
Termites manage to do
what most grass eaters can't -

273
00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:28,560
break down dead grass
and extract the nutrients.

274
00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:33,720
But they themselves can be food
for those that can reach them.

275
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:40,880
A two-foot-long tongue...

276
00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,640
..covered in microscopic hooks...

277
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:52,840
..followed by claws
longer than those of a velociraptor.

278
00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:02,200
A giant anteater
on the plains of South America.

279
00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:09,720
It can devour
20,000 insects a day.

280
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:20,440
Powerful forelegs enable it to
rip apart a termite hill with ease.

281
00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:35,720
And, as the sun bakes the grass,
the termites face new danger.

282
00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:01,840
In minutes,
fire turns grassland to ash.

283
00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:17,920
But the grasses are not dead.

284
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:21,560
Their underground stems are
unharmed.

285
00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,880
Weeks, months may pass

286
00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:29,520
but, eventually,
the rains will return

287
00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,120
and the grass will sprout again.

288
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:44,400
Some grasslands must endure
not only fire, but ice.

289
00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:54,440
As winter approaches, the prairies
of North America begin to freeze.

290
00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:05,200
BISON GROWLS

291
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,520
In summer, bison roamed freely,

292
00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:16,440
almost continuously cropping
the abundant green grass.

293
00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:23,840
Now that grass is not only withered
and frozen, it's about to be buried.

294
00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:36,240
GRUNTING

295
00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:50,160
60 million tonnes of snow now
blanket this herd's territory.

296
00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:56,600
Pushing through deep snow
is exhausting work

297
00:37:56,600 --> 00:38:00,200
and the bison
are now slowly starving.

298
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:10,960
Just keeping warm
saps huge amounts of energy.

299
00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:12,840
GROWLING

300
00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:20,720
Their thick coats can insulate them
down to minus 20 Fahrenheit.

301
00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:23,600
It's now minus 40.

302
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:29,040
The only thing
that will keep them alive

303
00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:32,000
is buried beneath
three feet of snow.

304
00:38:36,560 --> 00:38:40,520
And that's a problem shared
with a surprising neighbour.

305
00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:01,800
The food the fox seeks
is also deep beneath the snow.

306
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,640
GROWLING

307
00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:15,640
The survival of both creatures

308
00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:19,200
depends on getting through
to the ground.

309
00:39:24,120 --> 00:39:27,880
For the bison, it will be
a matter of brute strength.

310
00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:37,560
Massive neck muscles enable them
to shovel five tonnes of snow a day.

311
00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:46,920
Their lightweight neighbour
needs more precision.

312
00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:08,320
BISON GROWLS

313
00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:16,640
The bison have reached their goal.

314
00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:19,480
A mouthful of withered grass.

315
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:28,560
And where the bison have dug,
the fox now spots an opportunity.

316
00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,680
Every footstep counts.

317
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:43,560
But he mustn't break through...

318
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:45,200
yet.

319
00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:52,120
He listens carefully
to pinpoint his target.

320
00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:58,760
It's moving.

321
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:21,480
A vole.

322
00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:26,800
Small,
but 100 times more nutritious

323
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:29,960
than a mouthful of dried grass.

324
00:41:35,720 --> 00:41:38,360
To get through the winter
on these prairies,

325
00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:42,280
sometimes brain beats brawn.

326
00:41:48,240 --> 00:41:54,440
Ultimately, life on all grasslands
depends on the turn of the seasons.

327
00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:23,520
500 miles further north
than any tree can survive,

328
00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:26,240
grass returns to life.

329
00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:42,000
Caribou females have journeyed
to the far north to calve.

330
00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:50,840
Over 70,000 caribou babies
will be born in the next few days.

331
00:42:54,440 --> 00:43:00,520
As the calves appear, so too do the
leaves of the newly-sprouting grass.

332
00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:05,760
And the calves
must strengthen quickly.

333
00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:09,000
Within days, they will have
to keep up with their parents

334
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,520
on a never-ending march.

335
00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:22,520
At one-day-old, they are already
faster than an Olympic sprinter.

336
00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:26,280
They are testing the legs that
will carry them thousands of miles.

337
00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,640
Better to learn
their limitations now.

338
00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:40,040
CALF HONKS

339
00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:54,320
It may look playful, but there's
no harder life on the grasslands

340
00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:57,080
than that facing these infants.

341
00:43:59,960 --> 00:44:02,640
The caribou mothers
now join together,

342
00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:06,200
each with an infant
exactly the same age.

343
00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:19,760
They're setting off on the greatest
overland trek made by any animal.

344
00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:48,760
But wherever grass eaters travel,
predators lie in wait.

345
00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:56,640
Here they are.

346
00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:58,760
Arctic wolves.

347
00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:07,040
They must seize their chance

348
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:10,240
while the caribou
pass through their territory.

349
00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:31,520
CARIBOU GRUNTS

350
00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:50,600
The wolf runs at the herd, trying
to flush out the weak or the slow.

351
00:45:59,880 --> 00:46:02,000
A calf is separated.

352
00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:14,640
At full tilt, 40-miles-an-hour,
the wolf is just faster.

353
00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:25,440
But the calf has stamina.

354
00:46:54,840 --> 00:46:56,960
Only a few weeks old

355
00:46:56,960 --> 00:47:01,120
and this calf's will to survive
is remarkable.

356
00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:07,880
And it needs to be,

357
00:47:07,880 --> 00:47:10,760
for these young caribou
have now started a journey

358
00:47:10,760 --> 00:47:13,520
that will last a lifetime...

359
00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:20,000
..forever chasing the seasonal
growth of the grass

360
00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:21,600
on which they depend.

361
00:47:30,320 --> 00:47:32,120
Like all grassland creatures,

362
00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:35,520
they are at the mercy
of these unpredictable,

363
00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:38,520
but ultimately bountiful lands.

364
00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:48,480
Grass can survive some of
the harshest conditions on Earth -

365
00:47:48,480 --> 00:47:52,920
flood, fire, and frost -
and still flourish.

366
00:48:02,640 --> 00:48:06,440
So it is, the grasslands
provide a stage

367
00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:10,680
for the greatest gatherings
of wildlife on planet Earth.

368
00:48:24,480 --> 00:48:28,720
For the grasslands team, no location
would prove as challenging

369
00:48:28,720 --> 00:48:33,280
as that dominated by elephant grass
in north-east India.

370
00:48:33,280 --> 00:48:35,680
The aim, to capture intimate images

371
00:48:35,680 --> 00:48:38,600
of some of the world's
most elusive creatures

372
00:48:38,600 --> 00:48:41,800
using the latest technology.

373
00:48:48,200 --> 00:48:50,800
But they will need to be careful.

374
00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:56,320
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

375
00:48:56,320 --> 00:48:59,040
More people are killed
by wildlife here in Kaziranga...

376
00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:00,320
ELEPHANT ROARS

377
00:49:01,760 --> 00:49:04,800
..than in any other national park
on the planet.

378
00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:08,720
Every time we go into these tunnels,

379
00:49:08,720 --> 00:49:10,720
we have to take an armed guard

380
00:49:10,720 --> 00:49:14,200
because there are so many animals
in here that are dangerous.

381
00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:16,160
Tigers are probably
the least of our worries.

382
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:18,800
But rhinos and buffalo, elephants,

383
00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:21,360
sloth bear - all of them
can injure you

384
00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:23,760
and we've got to keep up
with our armed guard!

385
00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:31,840
The team have bumped
into their first obstacle.

386
00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:34,440
There's a rhino right there.

387
00:49:37,840 --> 00:49:40,400
Let's go back, because it's too
risky

388
00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:42,680
going through this heavy grass.

389
00:49:44,720 --> 00:49:45,960
Let's get in the open.

390
00:49:47,320 --> 00:49:48,800
Another rhino.

391
00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:52,960
Now we have two rhinos.
Let's get in here.

392
00:49:54,360 --> 00:49:55,480
GUARD SHOUTS

393
00:49:55,480 --> 00:49:57,320
OK.

394
00:49:57,320 --> 00:50:00,160
The guard throws a ball of mud
to one side of the rhinos,

395
00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:03,560
moving the animals on without
harming them.

396
00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:06,320
GUARD SHOUTS

397
00:50:11,200 --> 00:50:13,600
OK, it's gone. OK.

398
00:50:13,600 --> 00:50:15,280
What about the other one?

399
00:50:15,280 --> 00:50:16,680
Let's go, quick.

400
00:50:20,240 --> 00:50:23,320
With the rhinos
now a safe distance away,

401
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:25,120
the crew focus on the best spots

402
00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:27,480
to position their camera traps.

403
00:50:27,480 --> 00:50:29,960
I love that tunnel. The effect.

404
00:50:33,720 --> 00:50:36,880
Over 100 scaffold poles
provide the anchor points

405
00:50:36,880 --> 00:50:39,600
for these secret cameras.

406
00:50:39,600 --> 00:50:43,000
When an animal triggers
an infrared beam,

407
00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:46,080
the cameras will switch on
automatically and start recording.

408
00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:48,240
If it works,

409
00:50:48,240 --> 00:50:51,560
the remote-control cameras
should capture close-up footage

410
00:50:51,560 --> 00:50:55,560
without disturbing the animals
or putting the crew at risk.

411
00:50:55,560 --> 00:50:59,920
Basically, that's about as much
like grass as we can make it look.

412
00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:05,520
As night falls, the crew
head back to base for safety.

413
00:51:06,920 --> 00:51:11,120
It's time for the new technology
to prove its worth.

414
00:51:16,400 --> 00:51:21,480
At dawn, the crew have
a whodunnit mystery on their hands.

415
00:51:21,480 --> 00:51:24,320
Oh, wow!

416
00:51:24,320 --> 00:51:25,720
That's carnage.

417
00:51:26,920 --> 00:51:28,800
This looks like elephant, we think.

418
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:33,080
This is scaffold pole, huh.

419
00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:35,320
They have bent... Look at that!

420
00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:41,880
It's a sad day.
You win some, you lose some

421
00:51:41,880 --> 00:51:45,400
and, this time,
the animals have outsmarted us.

422
00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:48,080
And, in fact, check this out!

423
00:51:48,080 --> 00:51:49,360
Woohoo!

424
00:51:49,360 --> 00:51:54,080
So, this is our little army of
guards, protecting our trigger box.

425
00:51:54,080 --> 00:51:56,280
Do they bite? These ones?

426
00:51:56,280 --> 00:51:59,000
Do they bite? Sting?

427
00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:01,400
Argh! Argh. Ow! Oh.

428
00:52:01,400 --> 00:52:04,080
These little... BLEEP!

429
00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:10,200
While Chadden irons out the bugs,

430
00:52:10,200 --> 00:52:13,640
Sandesh has met some grumpy locals.

431
00:52:16,960 --> 00:52:20,920
Wild Asian water buffalo
have extraordinary senses.

432
00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:25,800
Mothers will charge
if they feel threatened.

433
00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:31,960
The guard carries a gun
in case a warning shot is needed,

434
00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:33,920
and with good reason.

435
00:52:35,440 --> 00:52:38,280
More people are killed by buffalo

436
00:52:38,280 --> 00:52:42,160
than by any other animal
in Kaziranga.

437
00:52:47,080 --> 00:52:49,000
GUARD SHOUTS A WARNING

438
00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:50,840
That will wake you up
in the morning!

439
00:52:50,840 --> 00:52:55,120
Many of the park staff
have cautionary tales about buffalo.

440
00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:58,080
HE SPEAKS IN HIS LANGUAGE

441
00:52:59,440 --> 00:53:01,440
The buffalo caught him here.

442
00:53:01,440 --> 00:53:06,320
Through his throat, and the horn
came out through his mouth

443
00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:09,360
and flung him, before running away.

444
00:53:09,360 --> 00:53:11,920
It's a miracle
that he's still alive.

445
00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:16,640
If the wildlife
is unfriendly to humans...

446
00:53:17,600 --> 00:53:21,280
..it's proving downright hostile
to camera traps.

447
00:53:21,280 --> 00:53:24,760
Completely ripped-out
the scaffold poles.

448
00:53:24,760 --> 00:53:28,760
They've torn the triggers.

449
00:53:28,760 --> 00:53:31,320
While Chadden is convinced
it's elephants,

450
00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:34,320
the rest of the crew
are not so sure.

451
00:53:34,320 --> 00:53:37,560
That's huge!
It's almost like a human footprint.

452
00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:40,640
You can see the front paw,
the rear paw.

453
00:53:40,640 --> 00:53:45,600
We are now two weeks in
and it's very frustrating.

454
00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:48,680
I've never actually been anywhere
where the animals

455
00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:51,840
go after your equipment
and destroy it, more than here.

456
00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:56,240
It's time for the team
to do some detective work.

457
00:53:57,560 --> 00:54:00,640
Here is our little security camera.

458
00:54:00,640 --> 00:54:04,400
If any animals are coming through
and vandalising our main cameras,

459
00:54:04,400 --> 00:54:08,840
we hope that they're being caught
on these little things.

460
00:54:08,840 --> 00:54:10,000
Good.

461
00:54:11,200 --> 00:54:13,600
As the crew up their spying efforts,

462
00:54:13,600 --> 00:54:16,160
the guards take them
to a promising lead.

463
00:54:16,160 --> 00:54:21,000
Nothing attracts tigers
like a rhino carcass.

464
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:22,240
It's very fresh.

465
00:54:22,240 --> 00:54:26,400
It's like from the morning. And
it looks like there's a tiger cub.

466
00:54:26,400 --> 00:54:29,200
So there should be
a tigress with cubs

467
00:54:29,200 --> 00:54:34,280
coming to feed on this rhino
carcass. That's pretty cool.

468
00:54:34,280 --> 00:54:38,360
Chadden decides to give
the camera traps one last chance.

469
00:54:38,360 --> 00:54:40,360
If there are tigers around,

470
00:54:40,360 --> 00:54:44,240
they might scare away
the mystery vandals.

471
00:54:44,240 --> 00:54:46,480
Elsewhere in the park,

472
00:54:46,480 --> 00:54:50,480
the security cameras are turning up
some unexpected results.

473
00:54:50,480 --> 00:54:53,960
The night-time... Yeah.
Survived another... Ooh!

474
00:54:53,960 --> 00:54:56,960
It's a bear!

475
00:54:56,960 --> 00:54:58,800
Well, that's a very rare sighting.

476
00:54:58,800 --> 00:55:02,920
I've never seen a bear in Kaziranga.
Haven't you? In all my years, never.

477
00:55:02,920 --> 00:55:06,680
Oh, his fingernails...
Look at those, look at his claws.

478
00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:07,920
Right on the lens.

479
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:11,080
So, I thought
this was elephant damage.

480
00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:15,440
I never thought we'd see
a sloth bear doing that.

481
00:55:15,440 --> 00:55:16,960
That's amazing.

482
00:55:20,600 --> 00:55:23,040
A return to the rhino carcass

483
00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:25,040
and the plot thickens.

484
00:55:26,360 --> 00:55:28,400
Our transmitter's gone.

485
00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:30,200
That's what tigers think of
camera traps.

486
00:55:30,200 --> 00:55:33,400
There's a bit over there, pieces.

487
00:55:33,400 --> 00:55:37,000
The security cameras
have caught a new culprit.

488
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:39,920
Oh, my goodness!
There they are. Oh!

489
00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:41,320
There's the tigress, see that?

490
00:55:41,320 --> 00:55:44,880
It's a tigress. Oh, it snarled
at the camera trap. Look at that!

491
00:55:44,880 --> 00:55:46,760
Sure don't like camera traps.

492
00:55:46,760 --> 00:55:47,840
OK.

493
00:55:49,440 --> 00:55:51,520
With the technology struggling,

494
00:55:51,520 --> 00:55:55,800
Sandesh decides to put himself
on the front line.

495
00:55:55,800 --> 00:55:58,000
And now we're ready.

496
00:55:58,000 --> 00:55:59,520
Time to get the tiger.

497
00:56:00,960 --> 00:56:04,760
He'll have no protection
apart from a thin wall of grass

498
00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:08,600
and must hope he's as well hidden
as the local wildlife.

499
00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:12,640
Over the next five days,

500
00:56:12,640 --> 00:56:16,120
Sandesh plays the role
of human camera trap.

501
00:56:18,960 --> 00:56:22,920
Eventually, the more
hands-on approach pays off.

502
00:56:48,680 --> 00:56:51,960
Traditional filming methods
and a little bit of patience

503
00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:56,560
have helped reveal
the hidden creatures of Kaziranga.

504
00:57:02,120 --> 00:57:05,360
But it's good to know
there are still wild places

505
00:57:05,360 --> 00:57:08,800
where animals like
to keep their secrets.

506
00:57:11,840 --> 00:57:14,680
EQUIPMENT CREAKS AND THUDS

507
00:57:14,680 --> 00:57:16,240
I knew it was elephants!

508
00:57:19,280 --> 00:57:21,480
Next time,

509
00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:24,920
we venture to
the newest habitat on Earth -

510
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our cities -

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to reveal the extraordinary ways

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that animals survive
in this man-made world.

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