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PURRING
As a wildlife cameraman,
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I've travelled the world, trying to
capture life's most intimate and
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dramatic moments.
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But wouldn't it be incredible if we
could see the world
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from an animal's point of view?
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Well, in this series, that is
exactly what we're going to do -
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with the help of the animals
themselves.
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They're going to be the ones
that are doing the filming.
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They're going to take us to places
that a cameraman like me simply
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cannot go, and reveal a side of
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their lives like we have
never seen before.
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UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS
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Working with scientists,
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we're designing cameras small enough
to take us into their hidden world
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for the first time.
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We're heading in. Wow!
Foraging for some pups.
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Our camera crew is one of the most
diverse teams
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to ever film a wildlife series.
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From 30cm tall meerkats...
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..to 60mph cheetahs.
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From free-diving fur seals...
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..to nest-building chimps...
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our unconventional film crew are
revealing surprising behaviour and
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giving us new insights into how they
live their lives.
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Wow! That's really cool.
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Instantly, you get a real chimp
point of view.
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This is their world,
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their footage....
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Whoa! Oh, wow! Groovy.
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..their story,
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and we're going to see it..
GROWLING
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..through their eyes.
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She's definitely
got her game face on.
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In this programme, we'll reveal
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the secrets of three spectacular
animals.
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In the mountains of Turkey,
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we'll find out what happens when
bears come face-to-face.
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Oh! Oh, wow! Here's another bear!
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Look at that, look at that!
GROWLING
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In France, we get to the heart of
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the ancient conflict
between sheep...
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BARKING
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..and wolf.
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BARKING
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But my first expedition
is far out at sea.
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We're setting sail from the Azores,
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a group of islands in the middle of
the Atlantic Ocean.
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I've teamed up with
Doctor Jorge Fontes,
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an expert on the sea life here.
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I'm travelling far out into the
Atlantic Ocean.
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Mainland Europe is 850 miles
in that direction.
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It's one of the wildest places
on Earth,
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and I've come here to hopefully
try and answer some very important
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questions about one of the world's
most mysterious, majestic creatures.
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Devil rays are fish with wing-like
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fins that stretch to
nearly four metres across.
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Jorge and his team have recently
discovered that, every summer,
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the rays migrate thousands of miles
to gather here.
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GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS
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It's one of the most dramatic animal
spectacles on Earth.
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But Jorge has no idea
why it takes place.
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The rays swim too fast and too deep
for divers to follow, so his best
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chance of solving the mystery is one
of our onboard cameras.
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This is one of our
incredible camera systems,
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ready for deployment, and it's just
attached to the harness.
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This is the bit that goes over the
ray, kind of like a lasso,
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and you think,
"How do you get it off?"
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Well, within eight hours
in saltwater,
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this little magnesium bolt will
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erode and then that will snap
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and the whole system will float
back up to the surface,
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and we get it back
and we all rejoice.
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Now all we need is a ray.
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EVOCATIVE MUSIC PLAYS
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Now it's a race against time
to get cameras on
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before the rays return
to the depths.
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It's my first glimpse of these
awesome creatures.
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There must be 40 devil rays
in front of me.
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The rays can swim at 13mph.
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We couldn't get close enough
carrying cumbersome scuba gear,
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so we're freediving.
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It means attaching the camera will
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have to be done on just one breath
of air.
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Jorge makes it look easy.
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It was straight down there.
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Got it, got it first time.
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Woohoo!
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The rest of the team soon get
more cameras on board.
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UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS
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After a few hours,
the cameras are back.
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Oh, wow!
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And just swimming into
the barracuda. Yeah.
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That's fantastic.
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It is a real devil ray
point of view.
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It looks as if you're just another
ray going with the group.
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GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS
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I think they're probably speeding
very fast at this point.
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Yeah. The great thing is that
the camera's not having any impact.
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This animal's keeping up with all
the others, irrespective of
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the camera, so it's really
unobtrusive.
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The cameras also give a clear view
of the remora fish, which stick to
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the rays, hitching a ride
and feeding on scraps.
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The rays are gathering
at a sea mound -
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an underwater mountain that rises
over 1,000 metres from the sea bed.
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The summit is just 30 metres
from the surface.
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They've been just hovering and
flying around
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the summit of the sea mount.
It really attracts them.
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But, suddenly,
the rays start to head down.
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These rays can dive to 2,000 metres,
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one of the deepest diving
of all animals.
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The descent is so fast, it puts
the camera in a spin.
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Whoa! This is...it's flipping. Yeah.
It must be a huge speed.
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Oh, the bottom...
There's ocean floor there.
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Jorge knew that the rays dived
deep.
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Now, for the first time,
he can see why.
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Amazing. This is amazing. This is...
What I wanted to see.
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..very different from what
we've seen so far.
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By the amount of light here, it
looks like it's quite deep.
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Very close to the sea floor.
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These are unbelievably
privileged views.
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Did you see how close that was?
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Yeah. That was, like, inches
from the top of that rock.
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I never expected...just going
through this canyon,
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why would they do this? Yeah.
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We think of devil rays as oceanic
animals that just bask the surface,
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and here we see that that is not
always the case.
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Apparently, they like to explore
very close to the bottom,
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at the deep sea. That's very, very
interesting, and it's a very new
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look into their lives. Yeah.
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And, soon, we see one reason why
the rays are gathering here.
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The camera shows hundreds of tiny
floating animals - plankton -
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clouding the water.
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As the ray hits a patch of plankton,
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the long fins on its head unfurl and
funnel food into its huge mouth.
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When it's finished feeding,
the fins roll back up.
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Seamounts are rich in food,
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because deep ocean current
full of nutrients
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swell upwards when they hit
the sides of the mountain,
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driving huge blooms of plankton.
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Rays are one of the few animals able
to take advantage of
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deep water prey.
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They'll even eat fish up to
a few inches long.
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But it's cold in the depths.
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At 1,000 metres,
it's just six degrees Celsius,
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so rays can't stay down for long.
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After a deep dive,
they head quickly back up.
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You can see the surface.
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That's amazing. They're really
shallow right now.
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Jorge thinks they're sunbathing.
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And here we spot something new to
science.
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The rays seem to shiver,
to help them warm up.
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The abundance of food
draws in these rays
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but there are hundreds of seamounts
around the Azores.
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Why do they all gather
at just one or two?
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We need more footage
to find the answer.
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But the conditions have
deteriorated,
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and getting close to the rays
is much tougher.
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A bit of a waiting game
at the moment.
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We're waiting for the rays to come
along, and there's absolutely
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nothing around at the moment.
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There is nothing easy about this
whatsoever.
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HE GASPS
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Fortunately, by the next morning,
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the sun is back out and the seas
have calmed.
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I think I'm ready to try and deploy
one of the cameras myself.
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I feel as able as I'm going to be,
so I'll give it a go.
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A group of rays is passing right
under the boat.
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It's the best chance
I'm going to get.
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I did it. Eventually
HE LAUGHS
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Quite tricky.
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I managed to get the loop over
one side and then the other,
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come back to the surface
and breathe.
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That was great.
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Well done.
THEY CHEER AND LAUGH
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As my camera ray swims off, Jorge
and the team are successful, too.
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Will we finally get a clue as to
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why the rays are here
in such numbers?
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Whoa! Look at this lot coming in!
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That's fantastic.
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Soon we notice the gathering might
not be as random as it first looked.
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The formation can be really close,
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almost like a jet fighter
kind of formation.
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The rays appear to be taking
advantage of each other's
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slipstream, to make swimming easier.
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But each ray also seems to have
its own place in the group.
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So, this one has been lagging behind
the first three, and it still is.
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I wonder if there's some kind of
hierarchy within these groups. Yeah.
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Jorge is wondering if the males
might be competing over the females.
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We soon get a clue as to why.
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A very pregnant female here.
This thing is huge!
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This looks like... A jumbo jet.
A jumbo jet.
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We then realise that lots of the
rays are pregnant.
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They each carry just one baby,
known as a pup.
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Pregnancy lasts for around a year,
with the pup nourished
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inside the mother
with a form of milk.
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What we see next has never been
filmed before.
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This unborn baby ray is doing its
version of kicking.
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Oh, wow! Oh, that's so cool! Wow!
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This suggests that the pups
will soon be born.
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In most ray species,
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mating happens soon after birth, so
could this seamount be where these
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rays gather to give birth and mate?
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They spend most of their lives
spread out in the open ocean,
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so gathering to mate makes sense,
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and the food-rich seamount is ideal
for heavily pregnant mothers
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and newborns.
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More evidence is needed to confirm
whether this is the reason
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for the gathering.
EVOCATIVE MUSIC PLAYS
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But our cameras have given Jorge
a remarkable new insight
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into these animals' lives.
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It's really a privilege to be
able to have the perspective
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of what a devil ray sees.
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This is something that I would think
impossible just a few years ago,
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and, so, I'm really happy and really
excited to be able to have this
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perspective and be able to use this
tool to learn more about this
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mysterious species.
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Time to prepare
for our next mission.
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UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS
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I've come to north-east Turkey...
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..in search of an animal
I've never seen before...
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..the Eurasian brown bear.
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They're extinct
through much of Europe.
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Here, the forest
is teeming with them,
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but they're incredibly shy,
making them hard to study.
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Cagan Sekercioglu
has been working on these
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bears for ten years,
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but his longest-ever sighting
lasted just three minutes.
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And that's where
our cameras can help.
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How close do you think the nearest
bear is to us? Right now? Yeah.
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Within a mile? Oh, God, easily.
Half a mile. Really? Yeah. Yeah.
LAUGHTER
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I mean, the numbers we have are
among the highest densities
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on the planet. Wow! Yeah.
They're everywhere.
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And, what, is there a single aim?
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What do you want to find out
from these bears?
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Well, a big goal was to find out how
they manage to survive in this
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relatively small forest.
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I would love to see
how they interact.
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Are they tolerant of each other?
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Is there a lot of fighting going on?
Yeah.
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This forest is small and hemmed in
by people on all sides.
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So, how do so many
bears survive here?
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What do they eat?
Where do they sleep?
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And what happens
when they meet each other?
244
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:58,920
We're hoping our cameras will unlock
the secret of these elusive animals.
245
00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:06,640
Onboard camera expert Chris Watts
has been hard at work.
246
00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:11,120
He's added cameras to the radio
collars that Cagan uses to track
247
00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:13,200
bears for his ongoing study.
248
00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:23,640
For several days,
249
00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:27,720
Cagan's team have been
trying to catch and collar bears,
250
00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:29,840
and I've been hoping
to see them in action.
251
00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,400
We've just got
some very exciting news.
252
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:40,120
The team are not far from our base,
and they say that they have captured
253
00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:44,600
a big bear - a bear big enough
to take our camera.
254
00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:46,600
Here we go.
255
00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:54,080
WHISPERS: It is one huge bear!
256
00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,640
This bear has already been
tranquillised.
257
00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,160
BEARS GROANS SOFTLY
258
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,440
While the vet checks it's healthy,
259
00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:08,640
the scientists take measurements
and fit the radio collar
260
00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:10,520
with our camera attached.
261
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,760
We're ecstatic!
262
00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:17,480
It's in prime condition,
263
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,560
so it's a perfect candidate
for an animal cam.
264
00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:23,680
I can't wait to see
what we get on film.
265
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:31,080
The bear quickly comes round
and disappears into the forest.
266
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:34,240
The camera will automatically
drop off after a couple of days.
267
00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:46,280
We've got footage in...
268
00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:52,000
..from a four-year-old female,
which Cagan has called Siha.
269
00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:55,160
There it is.
270
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,160
The angle is great. It is.
271
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:04,280
It's just enough of the bear to know
that it's still there. Yeah.
272
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,640
Ah, it's a complete bear's eye view
of the world. Yeah.
273
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,200
Is that...? Oh, yeah. Having a
proper drink.
274
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:12,880
It's drinking water, yeah. Wow!
275
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,360
The camera itself has to go through
everything the bear goes through,
276
00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:18,200
so, walking down into gullies,
277
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:20,400
climbing up trees,
going into the water...
278
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:25,560
The camera reveals that this forest
is rich in bear food.
279
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,040
She eats a wide range
of nutritious plants,
280
00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,920
and turns over rocks
to reach insects underneath.
281
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:41,640
After her meal,
she's walking into a cave.
282
00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:47,920
Cagan didn't know that these bears
use caves in the summertime.
283
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,040
Most brown bears only use caves
in winter to hibernate.
284
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,440
They don't need a big space.
They don't need this huge cave.
285
00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,320
You know, you'd be surprised
how little space they need.
286
00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:09,400
The presence of lots of caves
is another reason why
287
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,480
this is a good bear habitat.
BEAR SNIFFS AND SNUFFLES
288
00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:21,680
After a quick rest,
289
00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:26,240
she steps back out into the night
and straight into danger.
290
00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,320
Just right there. Yeah.
As if it just appears from nowhere.
291
00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,120
Yeah. So, the road, basically,
292
00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:40,640
it's called an Interstate highway,
and this traffic is very fast.
293
00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:47,520
Siha is walking down
a dangerous road.
294
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,560
But, before long, we discover why.
295
00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,520
She's on the lookout for rubbish
thrown from passing cars.
296
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:01,680
This is worrying for Cagan.
297
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:06,920
If bears develop a taste
for rubbish,
298
00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:08,960
they can become dependent on it.
299
00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,760
He says that's already happening at
a place on the edge of the forest.
300
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,480
So, I've come to investigate
at a local dump.
301
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:31,200
Oh, we've got a bear right here
with a cub!
302
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,480
Wow! Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, stop.
DOGS BARK
303
00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:37,960
Mother bear with a cub.
That is a big bear!
304
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,520
To get a better look,
305
00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,200
I'm using a thermal camera
which detects the bear's body heat.
306
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,000
Oh, wow, look at that!
307
00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:52,360
My goodness!
308
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:59,760
Brown bears are normally solitary,
yet here they tolerate each other,
309
00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:02,400
because there's so much food.
310
00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,040
It's quite something to see
so many of them in one place.
311
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,280
But it's not healthy for them to be
feeding on our rubbish.
312
00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,560
bears digging in rubbish
that is still alight.
313
00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:19,280
It's raking through the coals!
314
00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:25,960
There are bears eating plastic...
315
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:28,880
..chewing on metal wires.
316
00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:32,400
This is not a pretty sight.
317
00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:38,720
I'm told that there are plans to
close this dump down,
318
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:43,720
but the scientists are worried that
that could cause another problem.
319
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:46,560
If they get rid of this,
this dump overnight, that food
320
00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,800
source has gone, and what that's
going to leave
321
00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:51,520
is a lot of hungry bears.
322
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:56,200
These dump feeders will be pushed
out into the forest, but is there
323
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:58,040
room for any more bears out there?
324
00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:05,080
Too many bears could lead to
conflict and stress.
325
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,560
We're hoping that more footage will
help us find out
326
00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,920
how much the forest bears
are interacting.
327
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:25,520
Right, off we go.
328
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,680
Cagan's continuing to collar bears,
and I've been giving him a hand.
329
00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,880
My goodness, that's a big old head.
330
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,600
Should be good. I'm really excited
to see what we get.
331
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:53,760
Yeah, me too.
332
00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,520
He just needs to keep
the camera clean. Yeah.
LAUGHTER
333
00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:11,240
Our next footage is from
a young adult male that Cagan
334
00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:13,080
has named Farouk.
335
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,760
Oh, look at that
beautiful morning light!
336
00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:17,960
Look at that.
337
00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:23,320
You can see the rain has caused
a problem with the condensation.
338
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,800
Well, May is the wettest month.
339
00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:30,240
I mean, you can still follow
the behaviour pretty well.
340
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,240
Hey, is he feeding? You can actually
see the water beater backlit,
341
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,680
so maybe that. Yeah, he is, yeah.
He's licking the dew.
342
00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,240
Wow! Just drinking water, licking
the dew off the grass, yeah.
343
00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:40,360
Sticking out that big tongue as he
walks along,
344
00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,280
just getting some nice, fresh water.
Wow!
345
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,480
But Farouk's peaceful morning
doesn't last long.
346
00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:51,360
Oh! Oh, wow! Oh, wow!
There's another bear!
347
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:56,120
Farouk is being confronted,
probably by another male.
GROWLING AND SNARLING
348
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:57,720
Oh, look at that!
349
00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,880
Oh, man!
HEAVY THUDDING
350
00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:06,920
After standing up to swipe at each
other, Farouk continues to growl.
351
00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,440
The other bear slowly retreats.
352
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:22,760
Bites aren't unusual amongst male
bears, but, in a crowded forest,
353
00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:27,640
they may be more common and the risk
of injury much higher.
354
00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,720
As he lies down to recover,
we see that Farouk is bleeding.
355
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:43,400
He's broken his claw.
That'll be painful,
356
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:46,000
but the claw will drop off
and grow back eventually.
357
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:50,680
This time, he got off lightly.
358
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,960
But, just when it looked like Farouk
was in the clear,
359
00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,360
he spots another bear approaching.
360
00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,040
OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS
361
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:09,200
He makes a run for it.
362
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:20,240
He's being chased.
363
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,480
Running on an injured claw,
the chase goes on for an exhausting
364
00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:37,800
45 minutes before the pursuer
finally gives up.
365
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,880
Farouk climbs to high ground
and checks all around
366
00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,000
before he can eventually relax.
367
00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,800
The camera has shown how high
bear numbers are,
368
00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:57,960
and how that can make life hard.
369
00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,480
And that's not the end of Farouk's
excitement for the day.
370
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,640
Oh! Oh, wow!
371
00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:11,280
There's another bear!
Holy cow, look at that!
372
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:17,680
The other bear's not acting
aggressively towards him.
373
00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:19,720
No, no. That's really interesting.
374
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,400
He's relaxed. He's sitting down.
375
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:24,600
No, they...they know each other.
376
00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,280
It appears that this is
Farouk's partner.
377
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:33,320
JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS
378
00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:35,840
He may have been staying close
to this female for weeks,
379
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,000
waiting for her to be ready to mate.
380
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,760
But she makes it clear...
GROWLING
381
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:50,720
..she's not ready just yet.
382
00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,480
Farouk has had a very busy day,
383
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:01,800
and we've seen how stressful
that can be.
384
00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:14,560
From what the cameras
have shown him, Cagan thinks this
385
00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:17,760
small patch of forest can't sustain
many more bears.
386
00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:25,120
If you were to close
the dump overnight,
387
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,160
there's going to be trouble
pretty quick on its heels.
388
00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:32,520
And it has to be done, not just by
closing the garbage dump, but also
389
00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,000
by creating better quality habitat
390
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,280
with more natural food
and more connectivity.
391
00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:44,160
Cagan's hoping he can use this
footage to gain support for a plan
392
00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:47,880
to increase the size of the forest
by planting 10 million trees.
393
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:52,560
Then, if the dump closes,
394
00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:57,720
there will still be plenty of space
and food for these threatened bears.
395
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,760
In another wild corner of Europe,
396
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:18,440
another Animals With Cameras team
is starting a new adventure.
397
00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:22,360
We've come to the hills
of southern France...
398
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,920
..to see if we can help scientists
protect one of Europe's most
399
00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:28,960
controversial carnivores...
400
00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:32,840
..the wolf.
401
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:40,200
Wolves were hunted to extinction in
France less than a century ago, but
402
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:43,640
in the '90s they started to cross
over the border from Italy.
BARKING
403
00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:49,320
Their numbers have been slowly
growing ever since,
404
00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:52,800
and there are now thought to be over
400 wolves
405
00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:55,480
living in the French countryside.
406
00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:59,880
This good news for wolf conservation
is bad news for some farmers.
407
00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:06,440
Thousands of sheep roam these hills,
and, every night,
408
00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,680
an age-old conflict plays out.
409
00:34:16,240 --> 00:34:18,880
ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC PLAYS
410
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,360
In the dark,
wolves venture out to hunt...
411
00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:30,600
..and sheep are often
in their sights.
412
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,880
This flock can't sense
the danger they're in
413
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,120
until it's too late.
414
00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:44,680
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS
415
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:54,160
A sheep stands no chance
against a hungry adult wolf.
416
00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,160
BELLS RING
417
00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:10,960
Farmers blame wolves for the deaths
of thousands of sheep every year.
418
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:14,200
Some shoot wolves, even though
they're legally protected.
419
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,240
Wolf biologist Jean-Marc Landry
420
00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:22,920
wants to find a solution
to this problem.
421
00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:28,600
The presence of the wolf in France
brings a lot of conflicts.
422
00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:33,040
You have extremes. Some people are
pro and some are against.
423
00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:37,720
What we try is to be in the middle,
to show a new way of coexistence.
424
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,880
Jean-Marc thinks one answer is to
give the flocks their very own
425
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,640
security guards - a team of dogs.
426
00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:54,480
DOG BARKS
427
00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,880
These guardian dogs live with
the sheep all their lives
428
00:35:57,880 --> 00:35:59,920
and have a strong bond with them.
429
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:10,480
Using dogs in this way
is an old idea.
430
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:15,440
But not everyone
thinks it's effective.
431
00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:22,680
Jean-Marc wants to convince people
that it is and reveal
432
00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:24,800
how the dogs operate.
433
00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,000
But most wolf attacks
are after dark.
434
00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:34,880
Can our night-vision collar cams
435
00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:37,600
take us to the heart
of the conflict?
436
00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:45,400
For us, for my team,
it's very, very exciting.
437
00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,120
Our goal now is to observe
the interaction from the dogs,
438
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:52,920
to be able to observe how the dog
will chase off the wolf.
439
00:36:56,080 --> 00:37:00,040
Jean-Marc also hopes that the
cameras could reveal if some dogs
440
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,240
make better guardians than others.
441
00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:07,680
It's very important with these dogs
that they are able to fight wolves,
442
00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:11,680
but they are very nice with people,
and we need such a dog.
443
00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:16,640
This is stealing my sausages!
444
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:20,840
HE SPEAKS IN FRENCH
445
00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,280
The cameras give an immediate
insight into life amongst the flock.
446
00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:36,240
The dogs are a mixture of
traditional mountain dog breeds.
447
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,320
They don't herd the sheep,
448
00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:48,760
they just travel
as part of the flock.
449
00:37:57,040 --> 00:38:00,000
They're not trained
to protect the sheep.
450
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:02,160
They should do it instinctively.
451
00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,680
But, if a wolf attacks, are the dogs
452
00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:12,880
really attached enough to the sheep
to put THEIR lives on the line?
453
00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:20,920
HOWLING
454
00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:28,560
The collar cams have switched
into night-vision mode.
455
00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,840
We can see exactly
what each dog is doing.
456
00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:39,600
And our human camera team
are in night-vision mode, too.
457
00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:43,240
They're looking out for any wolves
approaching over the hillsides.
458
00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:02,960
It's midsummer, and the sheep are
459
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,600
more active at night
when it's cooler.
460
00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:11,720
The flock is moving
in search of fresh grazing,
461
00:39:11,720 --> 00:39:13,600
and the dogs go with them.
462
00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:23,680
The onboard cameras
reveal something unexpected.
463
00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:32,200
Different dogs are taking up
464
00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:34,200
different positions
around the flock.
465
00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:45,040
SHEEP BLEAT
466
00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,240
Some of the dogs stay right
in the middle...
467
00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:59,560
..while others prefer
to hang out around the edge.
468
00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:10,640
What role will these different dogs
play when wolves attack?
469
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:13,720
OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS
470
00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:37,720
There's plenty of other prey out
here for wolves -
471
00:40:37,720 --> 00:40:40,600
rabbits and deer -
472
00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:44,320
but these vast flocks of sheep
are a tempting target.
473
00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:59,480
A wolf begins to creep close...
474
00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:06,600
..and it's one of the dogs on the
edge of the flock
475
00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:09,080
that's the first to sense danger.
476
00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,120
BARKING
477
00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:16,520
This wolf thinks better of
attacking.
478
00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:25,880
Jean-Marc thinks that these outlying
dogs play a vital role as sentries.
479
00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:28,120
BARKING
480
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:33,400
Barking alone can be enough to see
off a single wolf
481
00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,760
attempting a sneaky attack.
482
00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:37,520
OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS
483
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:39,720
BARKING
484
00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:46,480
But what will happen if a whole pack
of wolves attacks?
485
00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:57,240
It's three o'clock in the morning.
486
00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:05,040
Out on the hillside, the dogs in the
centre of the flock look relaxed...
487
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:14,520
BARKING
488
00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:18,880
..while the others are pacing around
the edge.
489
00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:20,920
OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS
490
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:32,400
They seem nervous.
491
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:34,240
There's something out there.
492
00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:42,160
La! La, la! The wolf is there.
493
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:50,200
A group of wolves is heading
straight for the flock.
494
00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:52,640
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS
495
00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:01,640
BARKING
The alarm goes off...
496
00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:11,120
..and other dogs rise to the
challenge.
497
00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:14,520
One from the middle charges out
to help see off the attack.
498
00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:19,080
The leading wolf flees.
499
00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:34,080
BARKING
500
00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:40,800
Now all four wolves are in retreat.
501
00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:48,080
It's a great result for Jean-Marc.
502
00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:54,280
We have seen the dogs chasing the
wolves off, so it's very successful,
503
00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:59,400
and no sheep were killed,
so I'm very happy again.
HE LAUGHS
504
00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:01,880
GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS
505
00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:07,320
Our collar cams have shown Jean-Marc
the importance of selecting a good
506
00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:08,880
mix of dogs.
507
00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:14,560
We have different personalities in
dogs, and this is just amazing,
508
00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:19,320
yeah. We have some dogs who are, you
know, they are very strong, they are
509
00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:23,000
bold, and they will go and they will
run after the wolf.
510
00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:26,080
And you have also those who are very
shy and they are afraid by
511
00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:29,720
everything, you know, so we are
observing now a team of dogs,
512
00:44:29,720 --> 00:44:33,040
how they are working. And, of
course, if a dog is a little afraid,
513
00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:36,960
he will bark
and maybe give the alarm.
514
00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:39,440
So, in a pack of dogs now,
515
00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:42,600
you need different personalities,
not only one.
516
00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:50,080
Jean-Marc shows the shepherds his
evidence of what a good job the
517
00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:51,600
guardian dogs can do.
518
00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:17,400
These shepherds
seem to be on board.
519
00:45:32,160 --> 00:45:36,680
With the use of guardian dogs,
perhaps it will be possible for
520
00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:41,040
wolves and sheep to coexist in the
hills of southern France.
521
00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:08,200
In this series, we travelled the
world, from deserts to jungles
522
00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:10,920
to oceans...
UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS
523
00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:17,360
..helping scientists make
ground-breaking discoveries.
524
00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:22,760
With the use of new camera
technologies,
525
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:26,280
we have been able to increase our
understanding and knowledge of the
526
00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:29,160
most fantastic,
most amazing wild animals,
527
00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:33,040
and we've revealed a side of their
lives that has previously been a
528
00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:35,560
complete mystery.
529
00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:38,960
We captured the very first images
of day-old meerkats,
530
00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:43,360
deep underground.
Wow! Foraging for some pups.
531
00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:48,400
We discovered how seals track down
their prey, far out at sea.
532
00:46:48,400 --> 00:46:51,440
Look, dolphins! Oh, wow!
They're playful. Oh, wow, wow!
533
00:46:53,680 --> 00:46:57,560
And revealed how young cheetahs
develop their hunting skills.
534
00:46:59,280 --> 00:47:03,240
Oh, so close! Big fall!
Oh, my goodness me!
535
00:47:03,240 --> 00:47:07,440
It's been the animals that have
taken us into their world...
536
00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:14,000
and hopefully what they've shown us
will help to better protect them in
537
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:15,360
the future.
538
00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:27,760
MID TEMPO BLUES MUSIC PLAYS
539
00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:35,480
In this episode, our biggest tech
challenge was designing a camera for
540
00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:38,160
one of the deepest diving animals on
Earth.
541
00:47:44,200 --> 00:47:47,840
Our first inspiration came from the
remora fish,
542
00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:49,720
which stick to the devil rays.
543
00:47:51,600 --> 00:47:55,440
The work began in a shed in Devon.
544
00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:59,920
Camera engineers Jonathan Watts and
Marcus Shirley tested their idea on
545
00:47:59,920 --> 00:48:01,720
a skate from the fishmonger.
546
00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:06,880
We're going to try putting suction
cups on a piece of fish to see what
547
00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:11,240
the adhesion is like. Rays are, by
their nature, quite slippery.
548
00:48:11,240 --> 00:48:14,200
They're not the sort of thing that
you necessarily would be able to
549
00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:16,840
stick something to, so this is,
this is something else.
550
00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:21,120
Oh, yeah,
that's sticking reasonably well.
551
00:48:22,280 --> 00:48:24,360
But the rays would be
in seawater...
552
00:48:30,120 --> 00:48:34,040
and with water and salt added,
the suckers didn't stick.
553
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:38,880
So Marcus came up with a new plan.
554
00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:44,760
So we have been told that some
scientists have used peanut butter
555
00:48:44,760 --> 00:48:47,400
successfully on rays before.
556
00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:53,600
OK, there you go. Lovely. Right,
here we go. In it goes.
557
00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:58,040
You know what? That's not bad.
I wouldn't say it was perfect.
558
00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:02,560
I think the legend may be true,
may have something in it.
559
00:49:02,560 --> 00:49:05,280
Next stop, real Mobula ray.
Yeah, I think so.
560
00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:10,240
The team join the scientists in the
Azores,
561
00:49:10,240 --> 00:49:14,600
armed with their newly built sucker
cam and the tub of peanut butter.
562
00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:19,560
It's always nice to have
some energy food on board!
LAUGHTER
563
00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:26,000
No-one told Gonzalo that that
was used on dead fish before!
564
00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:27,880
Good stuff.
565
00:49:27,880 --> 00:49:30,280
FUNKY MUSIC PLAYS
566
00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:48,920
But despite the encouraging
lab test, the suction power of the
567
00:49:48,920 --> 00:49:53,400
humble peanut was no match for the
thick slime on the ray's back.
568
00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:06,640
Enter plan B...
569
00:50:08,320 --> 00:50:11,680
The Towcam -
a revolutionary new design.
570
00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:24,120
Jorge tested the camera
in the harbour.
571
00:50:30,960 --> 00:50:34,720
By the way that it's moving
underwater, it looks quite stable.
572
00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:37,240
I'm very confident that we'll be
happy with the quality of the
573
00:50:37,240 --> 00:50:38,760
footage from these tests.
574
00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:43,440
But the rays can dive
to more than 1,000m.
575
00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:47,080
Jorge had to be sure that the camera
would work at these crushing depths.
576
00:50:54,680 --> 00:50:58,400
So now we're going to test how it
behaves at depth.
577
00:51:00,760 --> 00:51:02,200
OK, moment of truth.
578
00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:08,680
A diving weight pulled the
Towcam down.
579
00:51:15,280 --> 00:51:18,800
By 150 metres, the light was
starting to fade.
580
00:51:20,400 --> 00:51:23,000
That's it, OK.
HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
581
00:51:28,840 --> 00:51:31,720
The camera reached the end of
Jorge's line and it was still
582
00:51:31,720 --> 00:51:36,600
working. But had the foam housing
survived the pressure?
583
00:51:40,640 --> 00:51:43,160
I can see some white.
584
00:51:45,840 --> 00:51:48,560
Well, structurally, it seems OK.
585
00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:53,240
So we just have to check
if it still floats as we expect.
586
00:51:57,720 --> 00:51:59,600
It's negative.
587
00:51:59,600 --> 00:52:02,080
Unfortunately, it looks like the
588
00:52:02,080 --> 00:52:04,280
foam took, indeed,
a lot of water in.
589
00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:08,200
If we deploy this, it will just go
down to the bottom after it's
590
00:52:08,200 --> 00:52:10,120
released from the animal and this
591
00:52:10,120 --> 00:52:12,640
would cause us
to lose all the system.
592
00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:17,160
We needed much tougher foam.
593
00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:25,920
FUNKY MUSIC PLAYS
One month later, and Towcam Mark II
was ready to make its debut.
594
00:52:28,040 --> 00:52:29,920
We just got the new system,
595
00:52:29,920 --> 00:52:33,240
rebuilt these in the right foam,
the right material.
596
00:52:33,240 --> 00:52:37,440
Hopefully this one will behave as
we expect in terms of flotation and
597
00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:39,120
resistance to pressure.
598
00:52:40,240 --> 00:52:43,160
After another depth test...
599
00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:46,400
Yes. It's floating. It is still OK.
600
00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:49,760
..Towcam II was ready for action.
601
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:57,520
But it's a 24-hour boat ride
out to the devil rays,
602
00:52:57,520 --> 00:53:01,360
so first we wanted to test the
camera on an animal closer to port.
603
00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:09,560
So we come here to the sheltered
north shore, and
604
00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:12,640
hopefully we'll be able to attract
a couple of blue sharks,
605
00:53:12,640 --> 00:53:16,240
and deploy our cameras, just to see
how they look when they're being
606
00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:17,720
towed by an actual animal.
607
00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:23,600
Jorge's team used fish scraps
to entice the sharks.
608
00:53:34,200 --> 00:53:36,760
Yeah! Yeah!
609
00:53:44,520 --> 00:53:47,280
Blue sharks can grow to nearly
four metres.
610
00:53:51,600 --> 00:53:55,160
Jorge has been studying them
in the Azores for years,
611
00:53:55,160 --> 00:53:57,840
and he knew that they could
comfortably tow a camera.
612
00:54:02,560 --> 00:54:07,200
He slipped a noose over the shark's
nose with the Towcam attached.
613
00:54:10,880 --> 00:54:12,360
Ooh!
614
00:54:14,800 --> 00:54:18,720
Yes! Oh! Yeah! Well done.
615
00:54:18,720 --> 00:54:21,840
This, I believe, the first camera
on a blue shark, ever.
616
00:54:24,280 --> 00:54:27,400
The camera would detach
after eight hours.
617
00:54:30,960 --> 00:54:36,920
But it's good. Perfect position.
Yes! Woo! Yeah.
618
00:54:38,560 --> 00:54:41,120
UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS
619
00:54:41,120 --> 00:54:44,520
It was time to hand filming duties
over to our shark.
620
00:55:08,280 --> 00:55:12,560
Look at that! Oh!
Oh! He's going fast.
621
00:55:12,560 --> 00:55:14,800
Oh, very good.
622
00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:17,800
There's a lot more movement on the
shark than on the camera.
623
00:55:17,800 --> 00:55:19,600
It's actually...it's perfect.
624
00:55:22,360 --> 00:55:26,760
Success. The camera captured
a steady, clear shot.
625
00:55:30,080 --> 00:55:33,920
A very nice perspective of the pilot
fish, just taking advantage of the
626
00:55:33,920 --> 00:55:36,760
wake of the shark,
so saving energy.
627
00:55:38,080 --> 00:55:40,120
It's very amazing. Look at that.
628
00:55:42,240 --> 00:55:45,280
I'm very, very happy with these
first results.
629
00:55:45,280 --> 00:55:49,320
We can only hope that this new tool
opens a new frontier.
630
00:55:52,760 --> 00:55:56,320
Now, confident in our camera,
631
00:55:56,320 --> 00:56:00,760
we could finally enter the
devil ray's underwater world.
632
00:56:00,760 --> 00:56:03,240
EVOCATIVE MUSIC PLAYS