1 00:00:02,380 --> 00:00:07,620 This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting. 2 00:00:11,500 --> 00:00:13,540 DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: This is a pangolin... 3 00:00:15,340 --> 00:00:17,980 ..the world's only truly scaly mammal. 4 00:00:24,700 --> 00:00:27,900 We know almost nothing about their lives 5 00:00:27,900 --> 00:00:32,020 but these creatures have gained an unfortunate tag - 6 00:00:32,020 --> 00:00:37,100 pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world. 7 00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:41,980 100,000 pangolins a year are hunted and trafficked like this. 8 00:00:41,980 --> 00:00:45,300 More than 4,000 pangolins were killed to collect 9 00:00:45,300 --> 00:00:47,860 the nearly three tonnes of scales. 10 00:00:47,860 --> 00:00:51,700 Their scales and their meat have become lucrative commodities. 11 00:00:51,700 --> 00:00:54,260 Selling for as much as $500 a kilo. 12 00:00:54,260 --> 00:00:56,740 More valuable than ivory. 13 00:00:56,740 --> 00:00:59,860 Fried pangolin, grilled pangolin, steamed pangolin. 14 00:00:59,860 --> 00:01:04,220 This shy creature may become extinct before most people 15 00:01:04,220 --> 00:01:06,100 even notice it's there. 16 00:01:09,380 --> 00:01:13,620 Conservationist Maria Diekmann is on a mission to save 17 00:01:13,620 --> 00:01:15,660 these vulnerable animals. 18 00:01:17,700 --> 00:01:20,540 There's not a chance this pangolin will be alive a week from now 19 00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:21,780 if I can't save it. 20 00:01:24,220 --> 00:01:28,260 Her journey will take her halfway around the globe. 21 00:01:28,260 --> 00:01:30,220 To Vietnam... 22 00:01:31,940 --> 00:01:34,260 ..Thailand... 23 00:01:35,420 --> 00:01:37,420 ..and China, 24 00:01:37,420 --> 00:01:39,500 into the very heart of the problem... 25 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:44,740 There are probably 50 to 100 in each of these bags. 26 00:01:44,740 --> 00:01:49,940 ..where she'll discover a sheer determination to save an animal that 27 00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:51,780 we're still tried to get to know. 28 00:01:53,660 --> 00:01:56,020 We've got a very good chance of losing pangolins 29 00:01:56,020 --> 00:01:57,220 within the next decade. 30 00:01:58,540 --> 00:02:00,900 We're talking about a total and complete extinction. 31 00:02:03,260 --> 00:02:05,060 They're the underdogs. 32 00:02:05,060 --> 00:02:06,860 I've got to fight for the underdogs. 33 00:02:30,420 --> 00:02:33,060 BRISTLING 34 00:02:40,180 --> 00:02:42,420 SCALES BRISTLE 35 00:02:42,420 --> 00:02:45,940 Pangolins are shy, secretive creatures. 36 00:02:49,740 --> 00:02:52,020 Quite unlike anything else on earth. 37 00:02:54,060 --> 00:02:56,340 BIRDS CHATTER 38 00:03:01,860 --> 00:03:04,140 Their claws can dig through concrete. 39 00:03:09,220 --> 00:03:11,980 Their thin, sticky tongue... SLURPING 40 00:03:11,980 --> 00:03:14,020 ..is as long as their bodies. 41 00:03:24,860 --> 00:03:27,420 They can travel along on their hind legs. 42 00:03:33,740 --> 00:03:38,260 These animals have walked the planet for over 40 million years. 43 00:03:39,860 --> 00:03:42,540 And there are eight distinct species. 44 00:03:43,740 --> 00:03:45,780 Four are found in Africa... 45 00:03:49,460 --> 00:03:50,900 ..and four in Asia. 46 00:03:59,180 --> 00:04:03,260 Pangolins are the world's only truly scaly mammals. 47 00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:09,380 Their scales, just like human fingernails, are made from keratin. 48 00:04:11,180 --> 00:04:15,460 But this remarkable natural armour is the cause of their destruction. 49 00:04:25,020 --> 00:04:29,260 In the last 20 years, the demand for pangolin scales 50 00:04:29,260 --> 00:04:31,900 for use in traditional Asian medicines 51 00:04:31,900 --> 00:04:34,340 has decimated their numbers worldwide. 52 00:04:38,460 --> 00:04:43,140 Today, a pangolin will be taken from the wild every five minutes. 53 00:05:03,380 --> 00:05:05,820 THEY CONVERSE IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE 54 00:05:10,700 --> 00:05:13,940 In Namibia, conservationist Maria Diekmann 55 00:05:13,940 --> 00:05:17,620 is on the front line of the battle to save these animals. 56 00:05:19,260 --> 00:05:23,300 She's been contacted by a stranger with a pangolin to sell. 57 00:05:23,300 --> 00:05:26,460 If we see that it's alive, and I can't convince this guy... 58 00:05:28,740 --> 00:05:30,700 ..I've got to walk away. 59 00:05:30,700 --> 00:05:33,460 That's really hard. But if I don't walk away, 60 00:05:33,460 --> 00:05:36,300 and then I pay him an extraordinary amount of money, 61 00:05:36,300 --> 00:05:38,740 then I promise you, tomorrow he's back in the bush 62 00:05:38,740 --> 00:05:41,140 and he's getting the next one. 63 00:05:42,420 --> 00:05:43,860 I've got a 50-50 chance. 64 00:05:45,780 --> 00:05:48,260 You can film for a couple more minutes and then camera away. 65 00:05:58,300 --> 00:06:01,700 The call has brought Maria to a poor township 66 00:06:01,700 --> 00:06:04,420 where selling a pangolin could bring great wealth. 67 00:06:05,860 --> 00:06:07,580 But she's determined to pay nothing 68 00:06:07,580 --> 00:06:11,020 to ensure no value is placed on these animals. 69 00:06:11,020 --> 00:06:15,260 I'd love to see her, see if she's OK, but if you keep her, 70 00:06:15,260 --> 00:06:17,020 she is going to die. 71 00:06:17,020 --> 00:06:19,140 She's going to die. There's not a question about it. 72 00:06:19,140 --> 00:06:20,980 There's nothing you can feed her. 73 00:06:20,980 --> 00:06:23,940 Nobody in the world has kept pangolins in captivity, 74 00:06:23,940 --> 00:06:25,780 except for three people. I'm one of them. 75 00:06:27,700 --> 00:06:30,340 This is a guy who's taken an opportunity, 76 00:06:30,340 --> 00:06:33,140 he probably just wants some extra money for his family, 77 00:06:33,140 --> 00:06:36,420 maybe even a good thing, to put his kids in school, who knows? 78 00:06:36,420 --> 00:06:38,260 And he thinks that this is a way to do it. 79 00:06:40,540 --> 00:06:44,580 After a tense four-hour negotiation, Maria leaves... 80 00:06:46,620 --> 00:06:48,420 ..with a pangolin in hand. 81 00:06:50,660 --> 00:06:52,500 But this is just the beginning. 82 00:06:54,700 --> 00:06:56,340 Every moment counts. 83 00:06:56,340 --> 00:06:58,260 It's really a life and death situation. 84 00:06:59,580 --> 00:07:03,660 Pangolins are notoriously difficult to keep in captivity. 85 00:07:09,340 --> 00:07:11,580 OK, still alive. 86 00:07:11,580 --> 00:07:16,260 Fortunately, this traumatised animal will have a second chance, 87 00:07:16,260 --> 00:07:17,700 thanks to Maria. 88 00:07:19,300 --> 00:07:22,540 She's one of only a handful of people in the world 89 00:07:22,540 --> 00:07:25,740 to have successfully rehabilitated pangolins. 90 00:07:27,180 --> 00:07:29,460 But for every one she saves, 91 00:07:29,460 --> 00:07:32,980 thousands more are being taken from the wild. 92 00:07:32,980 --> 00:07:35,540 NEWS ARCHIVE: The pangolin is so sought-after, 93 00:07:35,540 --> 00:07:38,980 it's considered the most widely trafficked animal in the world, 94 00:07:38,980 --> 00:07:42,020 critically endangered and facing extinction. 95 00:07:44,260 --> 00:07:47,580 It is a difficult battle and the odds aren't with them. 96 00:07:48,940 --> 00:07:53,180 Maria's fight for pangolins began just five years ago. 97 00:07:54,220 --> 00:07:57,100 She runs an organisation that rescues 98 00:07:57,100 --> 00:08:00,700 Africa's lesser-known wild animals. 99 00:08:00,700 --> 00:08:05,380 It was this work that led to a truly life-changing encounter. 100 00:08:07,420 --> 00:08:12,300 My first real pangolin that came to me, that I spent any time with, 101 00:08:12,300 --> 00:08:15,940 she was actually offered to a shop owner, who bought her to save her, 102 00:08:15,940 --> 00:08:17,140 and he called me. 103 00:08:18,580 --> 00:08:21,220 We formed this incredible bond, 104 00:08:21,220 --> 00:08:25,700 which pangolins don't usually do with humans, but we realised why. 105 00:08:25,700 --> 00:08:29,620 Two days later, as I was preparing to get a tracker on her and try and 106 00:08:29,620 --> 00:08:31,580 release her, she actually gave birth. 107 00:08:31,580 --> 00:08:33,220 Start filming. It's filming. 108 00:08:33,220 --> 00:08:34,780 This has never happened before. 109 00:08:34,780 --> 00:08:39,620 This was the first time anyone had filmed the birth of a pangolin. 110 00:08:39,620 --> 00:08:41,540 She was waiting until she felt secure enough 111 00:08:41,540 --> 00:08:43,060 and I was able to provide that. 112 00:08:45,060 --> 00:08:46,420 At that time in the world, 113 00:08:46,420 --> 00:08:48,860 nobody else had ever raised a baby that young. 114 00:08:48,860 --> 00:08:50,780 There were no books that we could turn to, 115 00:08:50,780 --> 00:08:52,420 there was really nobody that had 116 00:08:52,420 --> 00:08:54,340 ever done what we getting ready to do. 117 00:08:54,340 --> 00:08:56,180 OK, so that's a little boy, going in. 118 00:08:56,180 --> 00:08:59,780 We had to sort of pioneer how to handle such a young baby pup. 119 00:09:01,060 --> 00:09:03,900 Look at that, 3.99! 120 00:09:03,900 --> 00:09:06,220 Oh, my God, this is so exciting! 121 00:09:09,540 --> 00:09:14,700 Since that first encounter, Maria has rescued over 50 Cape pangolins. 122 00:09:18,540 --> 00:09:20,580 You're going to go back into the wild today. 123 00:09:26,420 --> 00:09:27,940 Are you going to open up for me? 124 00:09:29,700 --> 00:09:32,140 Each one teaches her something new 125 00:09:32,140 --> 00:09:34,740 about these little understood creatures. 126 00:09:39,060 --> 00:09:43,980 But in 2015, a very special animal arrived. 127 00:09:45,140 --> 00:09:50,180 A baby pangolin that could offer a deeper insight into her species - 128 00:09:50,380 --> 00:09:51,980 and change everything. 129 00:09:54,660 --> 00:09:56,780 The arrival of Honey Bun was probably one of the 130 00:09:56,780 --> 00:09:58,540 saddest arrivals ever. 131 00:10:03,180 --> 00:10:05,220 The mother was seriously abused. 132 00:10:05,220 --> 00:10:06,660 She'd been kicked around. 133 00:10:09,100 --> 00:10:11,620 It was obviously on a cement floor, 134 00:10:11,620 --> 00:10:14,500 because you could see streaks of the paint on her scales. 135 00:10:17,060 --> 00:10:19,100 Honey Bun had no damage whatsoever, 136 00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:22,700 so what had probably happened is the mother had rolled around Honey Bun 137 00:10:22,700 --> 00:10:23,900 to protect her. 138 00:10:27,380 --> 00:10:30,620 So traumatised was she by her mistreatment, 139 00:10:30,620 --> 00:10:33,060 that the mother escaped at her first opportunity... 140 00:10:39,940 --> 00:10:43,860 ..leaving Maria to raise the newly named Honey Bun... 141 00:10:43,860 --> 00:10:47,580 GLASS SMASHES ..in a unique living situation. 142 00:10:47,580 --> 00:10:49,500 BANGING 143 00:10:55,140 --> 00:10:58,220 Sharing her home with a troublesome toddler. 144 00:11:26,900 --> 00:11:28,500 Honey Bun? 145 00:11:46,980 --> 00:11:48,980 Honey Bun! 146 00:11:48,980 --> 00:11:51,220 There's nothing for you in there. 147 00:11:52,980 --> 00:11:54,820 When one little baby pangolin comes in, 148 00:11:54,820 --> 00:11:57,740 you're talking about years and years and years of complete commitment. 149 00:12:00,380 --> 00:12:03,660 Young pangolins require round-the-clock attention. 150 00:12:06,900 --> 00:12:11,580 And as they get older, the biggest challenge is keeping them well fed. 151 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:20,900 Now 18 months old... 152 00:12:23,260 --> 00:12:25,620 ..Honey Bun has developed quite an appetite. 153 00:12:29,060 --> 00:12:33,380 Like all pangolins, she feeds exclusively on insects. 154 00:12:34,900 --> 00:12:37,900 Sniffing them out with her highly sensitive nose. 155 00:12:42,900 --> 00:12:47,860 She has no teeth, but uses her long, sticky tongue to lap them up. 156 00:12:49,340 --> 00:12:52,500 Her scales, able to withstand the bite of a lion, 157 00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:54,900 help protect her from angry ants. 158 00:13:00,940 --> 00:13:03,980 And she shuts her nostrils and ears when feeding. 159 00:13:06,660 --> 00:13:10,060 Pangolins need to eat millions of insects in a year. 160 00:13:15,420 --> 00:13:19,900 The only way Maria can provide this diet is to allow her pangolins to 161 00:13:19,900 --> 00:13:22,860 forage naturally for up to five hours a day. 162 00:13:30,580 --> 00:13:32,020 Oh, my goodness gracious, 163 00:13:32,020 --> 00:13:35,380 if I had known that I was going to have to spend this much time walking 164 00:13:35,380 --> 00:13:38,500 with pangolins, I might have second-guessed myself. 165 00:13:40,980 --> 00:13:45,140 Honey Bun can cover up to six miles to feed each day... 166 00:13:46,460 --> 00:13:49,260 ..and Maria goes with her, watching her every move. 167 00:13:58,420 --> 00:14:02,820 Their trusting relationship gives Maria the opportunity to observe 168 00:14:02,820 --> 00:14:04,500 natural pangolin behaviour. 169 00:14:07,180 --> 00:14:11,620 I've spent thousands and thousands of hours in the bush walking behind 170 00:14:11,620 --> 00:14:13,460 pangolins. You know, 171 00:14:13,460 --> 00:14:16,540 I've probably observed things that nobody in the world has ever seen. 172 00:14:20,740 --> 00:14:24,220 A lot of people have thought that they knew a lot about pangolins 173 00:14:24,220 --> 00:14:26,660 and those have become facts that are actually incorrect. 174 00:14:28,900 --> 00:14:31,540 You know, the books will tell you that they eat termites and ants. 175 00:14:31,540 --> 00:14:33,940 No, they mainly eat ants. 176 00:14:33,940 --> 00:14:35,820 The books will tell you they're nocturnal. 177 00:14:35,820 --> 00:14:38,460 No, no, in winter they're not nocturnal at all. 178 00:14:41,300 --> 00:14:43,260 And that's the process that we're in now, 179 00:14:43,260 --> 00:14:45,540 is actually determining what's true, what's not true... 180 00:14:46,980 --> 00:14:50,180 ..and figuring out really more about them, so that we can save them. 181 00:14:52,060 --> 00:14:55,420 Pangolins are so difficult to study in the wild, 182 00:14:55,420 --> 00:14:57,380 we don't even know how long they live. 183 00:15:02,900 --> 00:15:06,620 Maria's unique access is helping to build our understanding 184 00:15:06,620 --> 00:15:08,180 of this species. 185 00:15:09,740 --> 00:15:12,780 She meticulously records everything she observes... 186 00:15:17,620 --> 00:15:20,420 ..and is analysing this with the help of students, 187 00:15:20,420 --> 00:15:23,340 like Harvard graduate Lorena Benitez. 188 00:15:25,980 --> 00:15:28,620 Honey Bun is incredibly important. 189 00:15:28,620 --> 00:15:31,460 No-one else has really been able to follow a pangolin, like, 190 00:15:31,460 --> 00:15:32,980 through their life like this. 191 00:15:32,980 --> 00:15:36,540 So we can really see, like, how feeding patterns, behaviour changes, 192 00:15:36,540 --> 00:15:39,820 not just between seasons, but during different life stages, 193 00:15:39,820 --> 00:15:42,580 so you really understand, like, the whole pangolin life cycle. 194 00:15:44,660 --> 00:15:47,060 With all the data we have from Honey Bun, 195 00:15:47,060 --> 00:15:50,540 there is just a whole new world of possibility opened up for pangolin 196 00:15:50,540 --> 00:15:51,780 conservation in the wild. 197 00:16:00,140 --> 00:16:01,420 Piece by piece, 198 00:16:01,420 --> 00:16:05,900 Honey Bun is helping to unravel the mysteries that surround her kind. 199 00:16:18,580 --> 00:16:20,860 But time is not on their side. 200 00:16:23,260 --> 00:16:25,700 THUNDER RUMBLES, LIGHTNING CRASHES 201 00:16:25,700 --> 00:16:29,340 African pangolins are increasingly under threat. 202 00:16:30,780 --> 00:16:33,420 About three years ago, we started stopping shipments, 203 00:16:33,420 --> 00:16:35,820 looking mainly for rhino and for elephant, 204 00:16:35,820 --> 00:16:39,500 and started finding thousands of tonnes of pangolins. 205 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:42,580 That was the real wake-up call for all of us. 206 00:16:42,580 --> 00:16:44,580 And nobody knew. 207 00:16:44,580 --> 00:16:46,620 She's a little disturbed this evening. You know, 208 00:16:46,620 --> 00:16:49,220 we've got a really big storm coming in. 209 00:16:49,220 --> 00:16:50,700 THUNDER RUMBLES IN THE DISTANCE 210 00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:52,500 And she just doesn't want to sleep. 211 00:16:54,980 --> 00:16:56,020 And this... 212 00:16:58,380 --> 00:17:01,420 I want to show you something, this is the kind of stuff that... 213 00:17:02,460 --> 00:17:05,300 ..actually keeps me awake at night. 214 00:17:05,300 --> 00:17:10,220 The problem of pangolin poaching in Africa stems from the other side of 215 00:17:10,220 --> 00:17:11,900 the world. 216 00:17:11,900 --> 00:17:15,460 More than 4,000 pangolins were killed to collect the nearly 217 00:17:15,460 --> 00:17:18,300 three tonnes of pangolin scales. 218 00:17:18,300 --> 00:17:22,780 In Asia, pangolin scales have been used in traditional medicines for 219 00:17:22,780 --> 00:17:24,580 centuries. 220 00:17:24,580 --> 00:17:28,860 And Asian species have long been hunted for their scales... 221 00:17:28,860 --> 00:17:31,300 Restaurants here openly, but illegally, 222 00:17:31,300 --> 00:17:33,420 serve pangolin on the menu. 223 00:17:33,420 --> 00:17:34,980 ..and their meat. 224 00:17:37,580 --> 00:17:41,100 Well, I can see some of these guys don't even have scales. 225 00:17:41,100 --> 00:17:44,100 All different ages. There's quite a young one. 226 00:17:44,100 --> 00:17:45,780 Look at this little baby here. 227 00:17:45,780 --> 00:17:49,980 Probably a newborn, or just about ready to be born. 228 00:17:52,020 --> 00:17:54,100 And this is a delicacy in Asia. 229 00:17:57,100 --> 00:18:00,180 This demand has driven Asian pangolins 230 00:18:00,180 --> 00:18:02,380 to the brink of extinction 231 00:18:02,380 --> 00:18:06,620 and the international black market is now turning to African species. 232 00:18:08,900 --> 00:18:13,940 Hundreds of thousands of African pangolin scales are being illegally 233 00:18:13,980 --> 00:18:16,180 shipped out of the continent. 234 00:18:16,180 --> 00:18:19,980 This increased trafficking means more confiscations 235 00:18:19,980 --> 00:18:22,620 and more pangolins in need of Maria's help. 236 00:18:22,620 --> 00:18:24,900 THUNDER RUMBLES 237 00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:27,380 She has to be prepared for the worst, 238 00:18:27,380 --> 00:18:29,300 so she's building for the future. 239 00:18:40,940 --> 00:18:43,420 I basically sold just about everything I own. 240 00:18:45,620 --> 00:18:47,860 My family thought I was absolutely mad, 241 00:18:47,860 --> 00:18:51,900 and my mother was terrified that I was going to be on the street, 242 00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:54,220 but it was absolutely the best decision I've ever made. 243 00:18:55,260 --> 00:18:57,820 With help from charitable donations, 244 00:18:57,820 --> 00:19:01,700 Maria is building a bespoke rehabilitation centre. 245 00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:05,300 We now have a permanent home. 246 00:19:05,300 --> 00:19:06,980 It's about 300 hectares, 247 00:19:06,980 --> 00:19:09,700 so we've got enough room for animals to move around in. 248 00:19:12,900 --> 00:19:16,220 In order to save money, I'm actually the architect and the designer 249 00:19:16,220 --> 00:19:17,740 and I'm also the site manager. 250 00:19:22,220 --> 00:19:25,860 This centre has to become one of the leading centres for pangolins. 251 00:19:25,860 --> 00:19:27,500 Not for our reputation, 252 00:19:27,500 --> 00:19:31,740 but simply because there's pangolins that need care in this country. 253 00:19:31,740 --> 00:19:34,300 And there's no other place to do it. 254 00:19:34,300 --> 00:19:38,420 Maria will soon be able to house more rescued pangolins. 255 00:19:39,660 --> 00:19:41,940 But to ensure they're well fed, 256 00:19:41,940 --> 00:19:44,940 she will need help walking them every day. 257 00:19:46,580 --> 00:19:50,900 Fortunately, one recent arrival is already making a big difference. 258 00:19:53,900 --> 00:19:59,180 Steven is this amazing young man who walked into our lives out of the 259 00:19:59,380 --> 00:20:03,660 blue. We moved to this new area, and he saw our vehicle, 260 00:20:03,660 --> 00:20:06,060 and he approached one of my students, and basically said, 261 00:20:06,060 --> 00:20:07,500 "I want to work for these people." 262 00:20:10,740 --> 00:20:12,380 And he's been here for about six months 263 00:20:12,380 --> 00:20:15,140 and you would have thought he's been here for 20 years. 264 00:20:17,860 --> 00:20:19,300 Honey Bun adores Steven. 265 00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:21,820 And he adores her. 266 00:20:23,980 --> 00:20:26,380 I feel like it's not a job. 267 00:20:28,220 --> 00:20:29,900 It's something... 268 00:20:31,460 --> 00:20:32,780 ..God wanted me to do. 269 00:20:36,540 --> 00:20:41,500 Now, Steven has the responsibility of walking Honey Bun everyday. 270 00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:54,140 Where she goes, he must follow. 271 00:20:56,460 --> 00:20:58,500 Not easy in the dense bush. 272 00:21:02,780 --> 00:21:06,460 And it's clear who's really in charge. 273 00:21:06,460 --> 00:21:07,820 She's the boss. 274 00:21:13,740 --> 00:21:17,340 With Steven on board, things are looking up for Maria. 275 00:21:19,820 --> 00:21:24,900 But every day, it seems there is more bad news for pangolins. 276 00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:29,580 Yesterday's paper, big confiscation of elephant ivory, 277 00:21:29,580 --> 00:21:33,740 but also pangolins, so it's just getting worse and worse every day. 278 00:21:34,940 --> 00:21:36,580 In the last couple of months, even, 279 00:21:36,580 --> 00:21:39,300 we're seeing a lot more confiscations going on. 280 00:21:39,300 --> 00:21:40,540 It's probably a good thing, 281 00:21:40,540 --> 00:21:42,980 in that at least the authorities are catching people, 282 00:21:42,980 --> 00:21:46,420 but I suspect a lot of it is not just due to authorities being really 283 00:21:46,420 --> 00:21:48,860 jacked up, it's due to a lot more trafficking going on. 284 00:21:51,100 --> 00:21:56,380 Two nights ago, our canine unit was able to detect something 285 00:21:56,740 --> 00:22:00,260 more valuable than ivory. 286 00:22:00,260 --> 00:22:02,380 These are pangolin scales. 287 00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:13,460 And it seems the problem is getting closer to home. 288 00:22:13,460 --> 00:22:15,740 Where's the wire? This one. 289 00:22:15,740 --> 00:22:19,020 Steven has found evidence of snare traps. 290 00:22:20,580 --> 00:22:23,820 Maria, I've got two wires again here, one has got a loop. 291 00:22:23,820 --> 00:22:25,580 There. 292 00:22:25,580 --> 00:22:27,580 That's 100% it. 293 00:22:27,580 --> 00:22:30,300 Ah! You see, there's the loop. 294 00:22:31,420 --> 00:22:32,740 That goes in right like... 295 00:22:34,460 --> 00:22:36,740 All right. Oh, man. 296 00:22:38,020 --> 00:22:40,340 Any animal puts its head through, 297 00:22:40,340 --> 00:22:42,340 and then as it gets its shoulders through, 298 00:22:42,340 --> 00:22:46,660 and the shoulders are too big, the wire closes in around their neck. 299 00:22:46,660 --> 00:22:50,820 So it's quite a, quite a violent, um, death. 300 00:22:53,580 --> 00:22:55,100 SHE SIGHS 301 00:22:55,100 --> 00:22:57,540 If I didn't love my car so much, I would kick it. 302 00:22:57,540 --> 00:22:58,580 Just... 303 00:23:02,220 --> 00:23:06,460 That somebody thinks they have the right to come onto my property and 304 00:23:06,460 --> 00:23:10,900 kill my animals, and Steven's animals, it's, it's... 305 00:23:12,900 --> 00:23:13,900 ..it's just wrong. 306 00:23:16,660 --> 00:23:20,260 As Maria is fighting to protect her own backyard, 307 00:23:20,260 --> 00:23:23,420 there are more cries for help from further afield - 308 00:23:23,420 --> 00:23:25,580 and they're growing increasingly disturbing. 309 00:23:27,380 --> 00:23:30,060 I just had this gentleman write to me. 310 00:23:30,060 --> 00:23:32,060 He was travelling through Angola, 311 00:23:32,060 --> 00:23:34,860 now he's just sent me a bunch of pictures, 312 00:23:34,860 --> 00:23:37,380 and they're a bunch of pangolins hanging from a wire. 313 00:23:39,260 --> 00:23:41,380 And they're in different positions in every picture. 314 00:23:42,620 --> 00:23:43,940 I just thought it was a... 315 00:23:45,140 --> 00:23:47,420 ..whole set of different pictures, then I realised... 316 00:23:49,100 --> 00:23:50,740 ..that these pangolins are alive. 317 00:23:53,900 --> 00:23:56,220 Yeah. I had to tell him to leave the pangolins there. 318 00:23:56,220 --> 00:23:57,860 We can't smuggle pangolins, 319 00:23:57,860 --> 00:24:00,420 we can't be thought to be smuggling pangolins. 320 00:24:00,420 --> 00:24:02,220 Um... 321 00:24:02,220 --> 00:24:05,580 We've got to work within the parameters of our laws 322 00:24:05,580 --> 00:24:09,740 and our government's and our agreements with other countries. 323 00:24:09,740 --> 00:24:11,460 INTERVIEWER: How does that feel? 324 00:24:11,460 --> 00:24:13,100 Um... 325 00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:16,180 Very disempowering and really frustrating. 326 00:24:21,260 --> 00:24:23,860 You know, it's not enough to just save Honey Bun. 327 00:24:25,100 --> 00:24:27,860 It's not going to help us to make changes here in Africa 328 00:24:27,860 --> 00:24:29,340 and we don't stop the Asian market. 329 00:24:30,340 --> 00:24:32,380 The Asian market is the key market. 330 00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:40,060 And if we can slow that down, or start to put a stop to that, 331 00:24:40,060 --> 00:24:42,180 that's going to solve a lot of our problems. 332 00:24:46,260 --> 00:24:50,460 Sometimes you just feel like this one little person in this big, 333 00:24:50,460 --> 00:24:51,860 big ocean. 334 00:25:01,580 --> 00:25:04,780 For Maria, the time has come to take action. 335 00:25:07,500 --> 00:25:11,420 She is going to journey into the very heart of the pangolin crisis. 336 00:25:16,740 --> 00:25:20,380 Asia's gone through what Africa's going to start going through. 337 00:25:20,380 --> 00:25:22,340 What's important now is that I go over there 338 00:25:22,340 --> 00:25:24,180 and I learn as much as I can. 339 00:25:25,540 --> 00:25:26,900 My reception just goes out, 340 00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:28,740 I'm very lucky to have reception at the moment. 341 00:25:29,900 --> 00:25:33,940 She's reaching out to people in Asia who, like her, 342 00:25:33,940 --> 00:25:35,700 are working on the front line. 343 00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:38,380 I'm not the only person trying to save pangolins. 344 00:25:38,380 --> 00:25:39,660 There's not a lot of people. 345 00:25:39,660 --> 00:25:41,460 We all know each other's names. 346 00:25:41,460 --> 00:25:42,820 Very few of us have ever met. 347 00:25:43,900 --> 00:25:47,340 But Maria is also hoping she can do something 348 00:25:47,340 --> 00:25:50,180 to combat the demand for pangolins. 349 00:25:50,180 --> 00:25:53,220 In Asia, we're looking at the end consumer. 350 00:25:53,220 --> 00:25:57,900 So if we can figure out with the Asians any way to stop 351 00:25:57,900 --> 00:25:59,900 that end consumerism, 352 00:25:59,900 --> 00:26:02,140 then we can stop the poaching over here. 353 00:26:07,660 --> 00:26:12,100 It's the longest I'll ever have been away, from Steven and Honey Bun, 354 00:26:12,100 --> 00:26:14,180 and I think Steven's terrified! 355 00:26:18,820 --> 00:26:20,020 But he's going to be fine. 356 00:26:21,460 --> 00:26:24,540 He'll be perfect and I'm a phone call away if he needs me. 357 00:26:24,540 --> 00:26:26,220 But I think he's going to be perfect. 358 00:26:26,220 --> 00:26:28,180 If you need anything, just call, OK? 359 00:26:28,180 --> 00:26:30,060 Yes. 360 00:26:30,060 --> 00:26:32,540 You'll do great, I'm really proud of you, OK? 361 00:26:32,540 --> 00:26:34,260 I'm going to miss Honey Bun terribly. 362 00:26:34,260 --> 00:26:36,300 Take good care of her. She's a part of my life, 363 00:26:36,300 --> 00:26:39,940 she's been part of my life for so many months and years now that 364 00:26:39,940 --> 00:26:41,260 I'm going to miss her. 365 00:26:59,820 --> 00:27:03,940 Maria's mission will take her over 6,000 miles from home... 366 00:27:05,140 --> 00:27:07,380 ..to a completely different world. 367 00:27:41,020 --> 00:27:45,340 The first thing I thought of when I came to Vietnam is the colour green. 368 00:27:45,340 --> 00:27:49,100 You know, I'm coming from one of the driest countries in the entire world 369 00:27:49,100 --> 00:27:52,660 to one of the wettest areas, so there's just water everywhere, 370 00:27:52,660 --> 00:27:54,500 and the colour green is just everywhere. 371 00:27:59,980 --> 00:28:05,140 Maria wants to prepare herself for the challenge of rescuing more of 372 00:28:05,260 --> 00:28:06,500 Africa's pangolins. 373 00:28:08,940 --> 00:28:13,180 So she is here to meet someone who's been leading the fight to save the 374 00:28:13,180 --> 00:28:14,580 Asian species. 375 00:28:16,220 --> 00:28:20,980 Thai Van Nguyen is a world leader in pangolin conservation. 376 00:28:20,980 --> 00:28:22,740 How are you doing? Oh, great! 377 00:28:22,740 --> 00:28:24,940 Oh, Thai, how... 378 00:28:24,940 --> 00:28:26,980 It's amazing to finally meet you and be here. 379 00:28:26,980 --> 00:28:31,820 Thai runs an organisation called Save Vietnam's Wildlife. 380 00:28:33,500 --> 00:28:37,020 Based in the forests of the country's oldest national park... 381 00:28:38,380 --> 00:28:43,100 ..his team is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating the world's most 382 00:28:43,100 --> 00:28:45,460 endangered species of pangolins. 383 00:28:48,180 --> 00:28:50,140 Meeting Thai has been a dream come true. 384 00:28:50,140 --> 00:28:53,820 He's exactly what I wanted him to be, you know, this sort of kindred 385 00:28:53,820 --> 00:28:57,460 spirit that has dedicated, basically, his life to pangolins. 386 00:28:59,180 --> 00:29:02,740 What a pleasure to meet somebody else that makes you realise that 387 00:29:02,740 --> 00:29:04,780 you're not so crazy after all. 388 00:29:06,820 --> 00:29:08,860 I can't wait to see some of the Asian pangolins. 389 00:29:10,260 --> 00:29:11,660 Hiya. Hi. 390 00:29:13,100 --> 00:29:14,340 Hi, I'm Maria. 391 00:29:14,340 --> 00:29:16,340 Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Maddie. 392 00:29:16,340 --> 00:29:18,180 Hi, Maddie, nice to meet you. 393 00:29:18,180 --> 00:29:20,220 Welcome! Welcome to Vietnam. Thank you. 394 00:29:20,220 --> 00:29:23,460 Animal manager Maddie is keen to show Maria 395 00:29:23,460 --> 00:29:26,100 some of Honey Bun's Asian cousins. 396 00:29:34,860 --> 00:29:36,660 SHE WHISPERS: Oh, she's beautiful! 397 00:29:38,020 --> 00:29:40,940 This is a Sunda pangolin. 398 00:29:40,940 --> 00:29:42,660 Do you want to put her on the scales? 399 00:29:42,660 --> 00:29:46,220 This adult female has been at the centre for five weeks 400 00:29:46,220 --> 00:29:48,020 and is being prepared for release. 401 00:29:49,900 --> 00:29:53,740 Is this hair? Yeah, so the difference between the African and 402 00:29:53,740 --> 00:29:57,620 the Asian ones is that the Asian ones have hair between the scales. 403 00:29:57,620 --> 00:30:02,860 Her back feet have much longer claws than our Cape. 404 00:30:03,260 --> 00:30:06,620 Our Cape, the back feet don't have claws. Just the front. Really? 405 00:30:06,620 --> 00:30:09,980 Yeah. Wow! She is... She's absolutely gorgeous. 406 00:30:12,020 --> 00:30:14,700 Unlike the Cape pangolins that Maria knows... 407 00:30:16,100 --> 00:30:19,620 ..the Sunda spends much of its life in the trees. 408 00:30:20,780 --> 00:30:24,580 It's the most widely distributed species in Asia. 409 00:30:26,020 --> 00:30:30,660 But, as a result of illegal trade, it's now critically endangered. 410 00:30:35,180 --> 00:30:39,420 Sophisticated criminal networks smuggle pangolins from the forests 411 00:30:39,420 --> 00:30:42,060 of Southeast Asia and across borders. 412 00:30:49,620 --> 00:30:52,980 Roughly 10% are intercepted by authorities. 413 00:30:57,780 --> 00:31:00,140 But the vast majority slip through the net. 414 00:31:08,500 --> 00:31:11,580 The trade is worth hundreds of millions of pounds. 415 00:31:20,460 --> 00:31:24,820 Save Vietnam's Wildlife is a lifeline for pangolins rescued from 416 00:31:24,820 --> 00:31:26,460 the black market. 417 00:31:28,300 --> 00:31:31,260 They've received over 400 this year alone. 418 00:31:32,660 --> 00:31:35,300 And more are arriving all the time. 419 00:31:47,060 --> 00:31:50,340 15 Sunda pangolins were confiscated 420 00:31:50,340 --> 00:31:52,380 near the Vietnamese border with China. 421 00:31:55,420 --> 00:31:59,060 The team assess the surviving animals for any sign of injury. 422 00:32:02,740 --> 00:32:06,780 They've all been vomiting a yellow substance. 423 00:32:06,780 --> 00:32:08,340 And what is the yellow indicating? 424 00:32:08,340 --> 00:32:09,620 That they were force-fed? 425 00:32:09,620 --> 00:32:14,100 Yep. That is the tubes where they tried to put inside the belly of the 426 00:32:14,100 --> 00:32:16,340 pangolin and put through the mouth. 427 00:32:16,340 --> 00:32:18,740 So you can see this here. 428 00:32:18,740 --> 00:32:22,940 THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE ON THE RECORDING 429 00:32:22,940 --> 00:32:26,500 These pangolins were destined for the dinner table 430 00:32:26,500 --> 00:32:29,980 and force-fed to increase their weight and price. 431 00:32:33,700 --> 00:32:36,820 Every single one of these pangolins went through that same thing? 432 00:32:36,820 --> 00:32:40,780 Yeah. So they were all handled by a bunch of loud, noisy people, 433 00:32:40,780 --> 00:32:44,140 pumping things, rice, into their stomach? Yeah. 434 00:32:48,860 --> 00:32:52,420 When frightened, a pangolin's first defence is to roll 435 00:32:52,420 --> 00:32:54,700 into a protective ball. 436 00:32:56,140 --> 00:32:58,380 But this makes it easy prey for poachers. 437 00:33:10,180 --> 00:33:13,500 Most of the animals are, mercifully, free from injury. 438 00:33:17,060 --> 00:33:21,340 But one young male is in real trouble. 439 00:33:21,340 --> 00:33:25,740 His back leg has been severed, most likely by a snare. 440 00:33:25,740 --> 00:33:27,420 Oh, my gosh. 441 00:33:33,100 --> 00:33:36,260 Would you give him a pretty good chance of survival? 442 00:33:52,420 --> 00:33:54,860 The amount of animals coming in, it's almost overwhelming. 443 00:33:57,300 --> 00:34:02,140 If the demand continues to increase in Asia like it is now, 444 00:34:02,140 --> 00:34:05,100 then Africa's heading for this type of situation, 445 00:34:05,100 --> 00:34:08,020 which means the confiscations are not going to be one or two animals, 446 00:34:08,020 --> 00:34:10,300 they're going to be ten or 20 animals. 447 00:34:10,300 --> 00:34:12,540 Exactly what Thai is dealing with. 448 00:34:12,540 --> 00:34:16,300 If I envision that happening at our centre, we'd have a really, 449 00:34:16,300 --> 00:34:17,500 really difficult time. 450 00:34:19,420 --> 00:34:23,220 It would be impossible for Maria to cater for the number of pangolins 451 00:34:23,220 --> 00:34:25,900 that Thai's team handles in a year. 452 00:34:28,380 --> 00:34:30,540 But there's one big advantage here... 453 00:34:35,620 --> 00:34:37,700 ..readily available food. 454 00:34:38,700 --> 00:34:43,500 They can buy frozen ant pupae, a popular snack for people in Asia. 455 00:34:45,020 --> 00:34:49,660 Unfortunately, they're too expensive for Maria to import back home. 456 00:34:49,660 --> 00:34:53,340 I can't imagine you have to walk five hours per animal. 457 00:34:53,340 --> 00:34:57,020 Yeah, I can't imagine you get to open your freezer! 458 00:34:57,020 --> 00:34:59,020 Yeah! Wow! 459 00:35:01,660 --> 00:35:06,500 Ant nests can also be collected from the trees - if you can reach them. 460 00:35:12,100 --> 00:35:15,220 They're like little packaged dinners for the pangolins. 461 00:35:16,700 --> 00:35:19,060 This would never be something we could do in Namibia. 462 00:35:19,060 --> 00:35:22,380 Unfortunately, all our ants are in the ground, so, you know, 463 00:35:22,380 --> 00:35:24,860 we would basically have to decimate a one metre area 464 00:35:24,860 --> 00:35:28,100 and by the time we've done that, to get that piece of ground out, 465 00:35:28,100 --> 00:35:31,260 the ants are going to be forming, you know, poison for the pangolins, 466 00:35:31,260 --> 00:35:32,380 and it'll never work. 467 00:35:33,540 --> 00:35:38,180 But there is one area where Maria can learn a lot from this team - 468 00:35:38,180 --> 00:35:40,060 pangolin surgery. 469 00:35:41,140 --> 00:35:44,540 The young male with a missing leg has been sedated 470 00:35:44,540 --> 00:35:47,180 and is about to undergo a life-saving operation. 471 00:35:49,220 --> 00:35:51,660 Last night, he showed an amazing attitude. 472 00:35:51,660 --> 00:35:54,140 He is, he's a plucky little guy. 473 00:35:54,140 --> 00:35:55,700 All the more courage to him. 474 00:35:58,860 --> 00:36:02,940 Pangolins are so rarely kept in captivity that procedures like this 475 00:36:02,940 --> 00:36:04,260 are not common practice. 476 00:36:05,460 --> 00:36:08,860 For the vets, each one is a new experience. 477 00:36:10,740 --> 00:36:13,420 This is like doctors working in a war zone. 478 00:36:13,420 --> 00:36:15,940 They've got patient after patient after patient 479 00:36:15,940 --> 00:36:17,860 and so they have to learn to work very quickly, 480 00:36:17,860 --> 00:36:20,300 they have to learn to determine exactly what's wrong 481 00:36:20,300 --> 00:36:22,740 and what they're going to be able to do about it, 482 00:36:22,740 --> 00:36:25,780 and that's what these guys have been dealing with. 483 00:36:25,780 --> 00:36:27,620 It's made them very, very good at what they do. 484 00:36:31,460 --> 00:36:35,700 I was actually writing notes to myself - blood pressure, heart rate, 485 00:36:35,700 --> 00:36:38,020 on the amount of gas that they're using. 486 00:36:41,780 --> 00:36:43,860 The operation has gone extremely well... 487 00:36:45,500 --> 00:36:47,700 ..and the patient is starting to stir. 488 00:36:51,140 --> 00:36:53,780 His missing leg means he can't be released. 489 00:36:55,660 --> 00:36:57,460 So, when he recovers, 490 00:36:57,460 --> 00:37:00,500 he will be given the best possible life at the centre. 491 00:37:06,180 --> 00:37:08,740 But for animals deemed fully fit, 492 00:37:08,740 --> 00:37:11,340 the aim is always to get them back out in the wild. 493 00:37:13,580 --> 00:37:17,140 Today, nine Sunda pangolins are going home. 494 00:37:29,100 --> 00:37:31,580 The team have driven for over ten hours... 495 00:37:33,420 --> 00:37:36,060 ..to a specially selected remote jungle. 496 00:37:41,020 --> 00:37:43,540 They must just not really know what's going on, 497 00:37:43,540 --> 00:37:44,980 but that second that they come out, 498 00:37:44,980 --> 00:37:49,260 and they realise they're actually going back out into the wild, 499 00:37:49,260 --> 00:37:51,380 I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 500 00:38:02,540 --> 00:38:05,940 To give the pangolins a fighting chance of evading poachers... 501 00:38:08,020 --> 00:38:11,780 ..the team are heading into the inaccessible heart of the forest. 502 00:38:29,260 --> 00:38:32,740 Pangolins are solitary, so the team must release the animals 503 00:38:32,740 --> 00:38:35,180 at different points throughout the jungle. 504 00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:49,060 As night falls, 505 00:38:49,060 --> 00:38:52,940 it's time for the first of the nine pangolins to taste freedom. 506 00:39:13,980 --> 00:39:16,780 I tell you, Thai, I would walk three times up a mountain 507 00:39:16,780 --> 00:39:18,460 just to see that. 508 00:39:19,900 --> 00:39:21,580 One down, eight to go. 509 00:39:26,340 --> 00:39:28,380 As the hours pass, one by one... 510 00:39:29,820 --> 00:39:31,900 ..the rest of the pangolins emerge... 511 00:39:34,420 --> 00:39:36,700 ..and then vanish into the forest. 512 00:39:37,940 --> 00:39:41,380 Well, I'm cold and I'm wet, I'm covered in mud and mosquito bites 513 00:39:41,380 --> 00:39:43,500 and I've been pulling leeches off myself, 514 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:45,860 but it's one of the most memorable experiences 515 00:39:45,860 --> 00:39:47,460 I've ever had in my life. 516 00:39:52,540 --> 00:39:55,420 For the team, it's been a very long night. 517 00:39:57,020 --> 00:40:00,900 But these animals now have a second chance for a life in the wild. 518 00:40:09,660 --> 00:40:12,060 As Maria leaves Vietnam, 519 00:40:12,060 --> 00:40:15,500 her thoughts turn to her beloved African pangolins. 520 00:40:16,900 --> 00:40:20,580 To better understand their fate in this growing illegal trade, 521 00:40:20,580 --> 00:40:22,140 she's heading west. 522 00:40:37,460 --> 00:40:39,980 I must say, it's completely overwhelming. 523 00:40:39,980 --> 00:40:44,540 The number of people, the number of cars, the colours, the signs. 524 00:40:49,020 --> 00:40:50,660 It's very, very different than home. 525 00:40:59,780 --> 00:41:01,420 In the last few years, 526 00:41:01,420 --> 00:41:06,500 Thailand has emerged as a key transit country for illegal wildlife 527 00:41:06,620 --> 00:41:08,140 contraband from Africa. 528 00:41:09,340 --> 00:41:13,580 Thai authorities are cracking down hard on wildlife crime. 529 00:41:13,580 --> 00:41:17,860 But, despite these efforts, the problem is clearly escalating. 530 00:41:17,860 --> 00:41:19,900 Come in. 531 00:41:19,900 --> 00:41:24,980 This doctor is showing Maria evidence from a recent raid. 532 00:41:39,180 --> 00:41:42,020 1060kg? Yeah. 533 00:41:51,780 --> 00:41:53,180 You found giant... 534 00:41:55,540 --> 00:41:56,860 And tree pangolins. 535 00:41:56,860 --> 00:42:00,940 I mean, there are probably 50 to 100 pangolins in each of these bags. 536 00:42:00,940 --> 00:42:02,940 Yeah. 537 00:42:02,940 --> 00:42:04,180 If not more. 538 00:42:05,340 --> 00:42:09,860 Today, 80% of pangolin scales confiscated from the global 539 00:42:09,860 --> 00:42:12,820 black market are from African animals. 540 00:42:12,820 --> 00:42:14,740 It's a lot of pangolins. 541 00:42:14,740 --> 00:42:16,660 Yeah. A lot of pangolins. 542 00:42:20,940 --> 00:42:23,900 In Africa, we're hearing about the fact that our scales are coming to 543 00:42:23,900 --> 00:42:29,100 Asia and we see pictures of it, but to touch those bags 544 00:42:29,940 --> 00:42:34,020 and know that the babies that I work with were in there... 545 00:42:35,660 --> 00:42:38,300 ..and just to envision how they must have died... 546 00:42:39,500 --> 00:42:41,300 ..was...was tough. 547 00:42:43,940 --> 00:42:46,540 Can I see some of them? 548 00:42:46,540 --> 00:42:49,460 Well, these are - they're definitely African. 549 00:42:51,140 --> 00:42:53,500 That'd be down there by the tail 550 00:42:53,500 --> 00:42:56,220 and this is their defence mechanism. 551 00:42:56,220 --> 00:42:58,420 It's quite sharp, almost like a knife. 552 00:42:58,420 --> 00:43:02,180 Often, you can tell individual pangolins by the colour, too. 553 00:43:03,380 --> 00:43:05,780 So that's probably three different pangolins. 554 00:43:05,780 --> 00:43:06,780 Yeah. 555 00:43:08,580 --> 00:43:10,660 I'm afraid you're actually going to open these 556 00:43:10,660 --> 00:43:14,700 and you're going to find even more than two species. 557 00:43:14,700 --> 00:43:16,700 You know, we've got four species in Africa, 558 00:43:16,700 --> 00:43:19,140 you could very well have all four species here, 559 00:43:19,140 --> 00:43:21,580 and you could very well have our Cape pangolin. 560 00:43:24,500 --> 00:43:26,860 You know, every pangolin scale that I looked at today... 561 00:43:27,860 --> 00:43:29,300 ..I thought about Honey Bun... 562 00:43:30,820 --> 00:43:33,700 ..and, you know, it's hard not to do that. 563 00:43:33,700 --> 00:43:36,780 You're supposed to stay unemotional, you're a scientist, 564 00:43:36,780 --> 00:43:40,020 but I'm a conservationist before I'm a scientist 565 00:43:40,020 --> 00:43:44,620 and I've been fortunate enough to hold these little creatures alive in 566 00:43:44,620 --> 00:43:48,580 my hands, so it's hard not to envision them in those dead scales. 567 00:43:51,420 --> 00:43:55,100 Maria cannot help but think of home and Honey Bun. 568 00:43:55,100 --> 00:43:57,260 PHONE RINGS 569 00:44:00,460 --> 00:44:02,820 PHONE CONTINUES RINGING 570 00:44:05,660 --> 00:44:09,340 Hello, Maria! Hi, Steven! How are you? 571 00:44:09,340 --> 00:44:13,100 Very well, very well, it's good to hear from you! 572 00:44:13,100 --> 00:44:15,380 Tell me, how's Honey Bun doing? 573 00:44:16,460 --> 00:44:19,060 Honey Bun is really eating well. 574 00:44:19,060 --> 00:44:22,580 Yesterday, she ate around 56 times. 575 00:44:22,580 --> 00:44:25,780 Oh, just hearing your voice makes me want to come home right now. 576 00:44:25,780 --> 00:44:27,180 Thank you very much, goodbye! 577 00:44:27,180 --> 00:44:29,940 OK, bye. All right. 578 00:44:32,580 --> 00:44:34,900 Let's go, Honey Bun. Honey Bun, come. 579 00:44:35,900 --> 00:44:37,740 Come! Let's go. 580 00:44:37,740 --> 00:44:39,460 Let's go. 581 00:44:39,460 --> 00:44:41,020 Oh, let's go! Yes! 582 00:44:41,020 --> 00:44:44,180 It was just so nice to hear Steven's voice. 583 00:44:45,460 --> 00:44:46,900 Let's go. All right. 584 00:44:46,900 --> 00:44:48,900 Maria was just calling and greeting you. 585 00:44:49,900 --> 00:44:51,460 Let's go now. 586 00:44:51,460 --> 00:44:54,220 Yeah, it makes me want to get into a plane and just go home and see how 587 00:44:54,220 --> 00:44:55,860 everybody's doing myself. 588 00:45:00,900 --> 00:45:03,820 But Maria won't go home just yet. 589 00:45:05,180 --> 00:45:08,220 There is one more destination she must visit. 590 00:45:09,460 --> 00:45:13,500 The end of the line for the majority of trafficked African pangolins. 591 00:45:15,020 --> 00:45:20,220 In 2017, Chinese customs officials intercepted the largest illegal 592 00:45:21,740 --> 00:45:23,980 shipment of scales on record. 593 00:45:26,620 --> 00:45:29,860 Pangolin scales are one of the oldest traditional 594 00:45:29,860 --> 00:45:34,820 Chinese medicines and even as recently as last year were listed 595 00:45:34,820 --> 00:45:38,100 by practitioners as a cure for the symptoms of cancer. 596 00:45:40,540 --> 00:45:45,500 Scales from historic stockpiles can legally be prescribed in hospitals. 597 00:45:46,900 --> 00:45:50,860 But as long as there is a demand for pangolin products, 598 00:45:50,860 --> 00:45:52,140 there will be a black market. 599 00:45:54,740 --> 00:45:58,100 You can't help but observe the fact that there's this really, 600 00:45:58,100 --> 00:45:59,820 really ancient culture here... 601 00:46:01,420 --> 00:46:04,340 ..sort of in conjunction with this really, really modern culture. 602 00:46:06,100 --> 00:46:08,020 I think if the change is going to come here, 603 00:46:08,020 --> 00:46:10,340 it's going to come through the younger people. 604 00:46:13,900 --> 00:46:16,860 And that's why Maria has come to China - 605 00:46:16,860 --> 00:46:20,540 to join forces with a highly influential young woman... 606 00:46:22,260 --> 00:46:25,500 ..who's taking a bold approach to addressing the demand 607 00:46:25,500 --> 00:46:27,300 for pangolin products. 608 00:46:28,620 --> 00:46:32,100 She is one of China's biggest megastars. 609 00:46:33,500 --> 00:46:35,220 An actress... 610 00:46:35,220 --> 00:46:36,580 ..a model... 611 00:46:37,620 --> 00:46:39,620 ..and icon - 612 00:46:39,620 --> 00:46:40,860 Angelababy. 613 00:46:41,940 --> 00:46:43,260 KNOCKING 614 00:46:47,340 --> 00:46:49,620 Hello! Hi, Angela, nice to meet you! 615 00:46:49,620 --> 00:46:51,180 Nice to meet you, Maria! 616 00:46:51,180 --> 00:46:53,620 With over 80 million online followers... 617 00:46:55,860 --> 00:46:58,940 ..she's been using her considerable public profile 618 00:46:58,940 --> 00:47:01,140 to seek help for pangolins. 619 00:47:05,420 --> 00:47:07,940 Angelababy's a perfect ambassador for pangolins. 620 00:47:07,940 --> 00:47:11,980 She's hitting this whole new young generation, people really love her, 621 00:47:11,980 --> 00:47:15,060 and she's very, very well known on this continent. 622 00:47:46,260 --> 00:47:49,620 It's a great story and it's literally Honey Bun's story. 623 00:47:49,620 --> 00:47:52,740 So the little pangolin that I have, that's exactly her story, 624 00:47:52,740 --> 00:47:54,980 and it happens over and over and over. 625 00:47:56,820 --> 00:47:58,260 Wow, wow! 626 00:47:58,260 --> 00:47:59,820 Yeah, it's a long tongue. 627 00:47:59,820 --> 00:48:02,900 Wow. Yeah, their tongue is almost as long as their body. 628 00:48:02,900 --> 00:48:06,580 Maria is keen to introduce Angelababy to Honey Bun. 629 00:48:07,620 --> 00:48:10,860 Wow! How old is she? 630 00:48:10,860 --> 00:48:13,740 She is actually about a year and eight months now. 631 00:48:13,740 --> 00:48:16,340 A year and eight months? Yeah. 632 00:48:16,340 --> 00:48:18,100 Oh, so cute! 633 00:48:18,100 --> 00:48:20,980 Look how they walk! They walk almost like dinosaurs. Yes! 634 00:48:24,260 --> 00:48:26,860 Very slowly. Yeah. 635 00:48:26,860 --> 00:48:29,500 I like this. POPPING 636 00:48:32,580 --> 00:48:36,620 She's thinking, "Which way should I go?" 637 00:48:36,620 --> 00:48:38,500 They're so cute with their hands! 638 00:49:02,620 --> 00:49:05,500 Angela's going to bring a totally different perspective for the entire 639 00:49:05,500 --> 00:49:07,100 campaign of saving pangolins. 640 00:49:11,780 --> 00:49:14,620 Pangolins definitely need that high profile. 641 00:49:14,620 --> 00:49:17,940 The rhino have gotten it, the elephant have gotten it 642 00:49:17,940 --> 00:49:20,140 and pangolins have sort of been left behind. 643 00:49:25,220 --> 00:49:28,020 This journey has been phenomenal, 644 00:49:28,020 --> 00:49:30,860 but I'm ready to pack my bags again and get on that flight home. 645 00:49:37,980 --> 00:49:40,820 But Maria's work is far from done. 646 00:49:40,820 --> 00:49:42,820 Hi, Brad! 647 00:49:42,820 --> 00:49:45,220 Maria! My dog is the official greeter! 648 00:49:45,220 --> 00:49:49,740 Maria's meeting in China has resulted in an exciting opportunity. 649 00:49:49,740 --> 00:49:51,180 Oh, I'm so glad you're here. 650 00:49:51,180 --> 00:49:55,220 Angelababy is starring in a new charity campaign for pangolins, 651 00:49:55,220 --> 00:49:57,500 to be rolled out across the globe. 652 00:49:58,900 --> 00:50:02,420 And she'll be joined by another very special leading lady... 653 00:50:03,500 --> 00:50:05,180 ..Honey Bun. 654 00:50:05,180 --> 00:50:07,620 If you think about all the major conservation efforts 655 00:50:07,620 --> 00:50:10,660 in the world, most of them have started because of great footage. 656 00:50:12,620 --> 00:50:13,940 Or a classic picture. 657 00:50:15,140 --> 00:50:17,980 I honestly believe in my heart that the only way we're going to save 658 00:50:17,980 --> 00:50:21,220 pangolins is to introduce them to the mass public. 659 00:50:21,220 --> 00:50:25,700 Renowned wildlife cameraman Brad Bestelink has come to film with 660 00:50:25,700 --> 00:50:27,220 Honey Bun. 661 00:50:28,940 --> 00:50:31,380 You're going to see about the pace that she walks, I mean... 662 00:50:31,380 --> 00:50:33,620 Funny little tummy! 663 00:50:33,620 --> 00:50:35,860 Not many people get to see a pangolin tummy! 664 00:50:38,900 --> 00:50:41,540 She's quick here. Yeah, she's real quick. She really moves. 665 00:50:41,540 --> 00:50:43,180 I mean, she's hurrying down there. 666 00:50:45,420 --> 00:50:47,020 Stay with me. 667 00:50:51,740 --> 00:50:53,100 Stay with me. 668 00:50:58,300 --> 00:51:00,780 Brad is ready to give Honey Bun her close-up. 669 00:51:03,700 --> 00:51:05,460 But that's easier said than done. 670 00:51:06,540 --> 00:51:07,940 Stick with us. 671 00:51:22,780 --> 00:51:24,900 It's a lot harder work than I thought. You know, 672 00:51:24,900 --> 00:51:27,060 they're moving incredibly quickly through the bush 673 00:51:27,060 --> 00:51:29,300 and you've got to really scratch around to keep up. 674 00:51:40,220 --> 00:51:41,780 It may be tricky work, 675 00:51:41,780 --> 00:51:45,740 but filming a pangolin so at ease is a privileged opportunity. 676 00:51:48,820 --> 00:51:51,700 I've spent the best part of 20 years in the bush. 677 00:51:51,700 --> 00:51:55,140 I've seen three in my lifetime, twice when I was filming, 678 00:51:55,140 --> 00:51:57,140 once when I was child. 679 00:51:57,140 --> 00:51:59,940 It's just great to spend a little bit of time 680 00:51:59,940 --> 00:52:03,220 with a pangolin just getting on with its normal life, you know? 681 00:52:03,220 --> 00:52:05,380 It's just so unusual, it's really special. 682 00:52:08,700 --> 00:52:12,300 The power of these rare images can't be overestimated. 683 00:52:13,740 --> 00:52:16,580 They will showcase pangolins as never before. 684 00:52:20,660 --> 00:52:23,900 Hi, Maria! Hi, Maddie, how are you? 685 00:52:23,900 --> 00:52:26,980 I'm good, thanks, how are you? Ah, pretty good... 686 00:52:26,980 --> 00:52:28,420 I think, before I went to Asia, 687 00:52:28,420 --> 00:52:32,220 sometimes I felt like I was... not a ship alone, 688 00:52:32,220 --> 00:52:34,140 but sort of a ship alone in a big sea. 689 00:52:35,500 --> 00:52:38,060 And now I've realised there's lots of ships out there. 690 00:52:39,740 --> 00:52:42,420 Hi, Ellen! How are you? Good. 691 00:52:42,420 --> 00:52:46,460 How's the little baby that they did that operation on - with the leg? 692 00:52:46,460 --> 00:52:48,980 He's doing really, really well. 693 00:52:48,980 --> 00:52:51,980 Oh, that makes me so happy! 694 00:52:51,980 --> 00:52:54,900 Maybe some of us were working a little bit individually 695 00:52:54,900 --> 00:52:58,660 and now I think we're a bit more of a cohesive unit. 696 00:52:58,660 --> 00:53:01,380 And I think that's going to be really important for the future of 697 00:53:01,380 --> 00:53:02,740 conservation with pangolins. 698 00:53:05,380 --> 00:53:09,460 With these new-found friendships, Maria is now firmly part 699 00:53:09,460 --> 00:53:13,060 of the international effort to save pangolins. 700 00:53:15,220 --> 00:53:19,300 And her new sanctuary is getting closer to completion every day. 701 00:53:25,060 --> 00:53:29,540 But it is Honey Bun's recent collaboration with Angelababy that 702 00:53:29,540 --> 00:53:31,980 could have the biggest impact of all. 703 00:53:41,940 --> 00:53:44,780 The campaign has been launched online 704 00:53:44,780 --> 00:53:49,940 and viewed in China over 25 million times in just the first day. 705 00:54:07,740 --> 00:54:09,140 Honey Bun may not know it... 706 00:54:11,980 --> 00:54:15,420 ..but she's now a global ambassador for her kind. 707 00:54:22,340 --> 00:54:27,020 But even as the campaign is making waves around the world, 708 00:54:27,020 --> 00:54:30,620 day-to-day life for this celebrity remains the same. 709 00:54:35,340 --> 00:54:37,060 The seasons are changing. 710 00:54:39,220 --> 00:54:41,420 Spring rains are on the way. 711 00:54:43,900 --> 00:54:47,300 Oh, Honey Bun loves this time of year. 712 00:54:47,300 --> 00:54:48,900 So she's going to be going much deeper, 713 00:54:48,900 --> 00:54:51,380 she's going to be finally able to get into those ant eggs... 714 00:54:53,420 --> 00:54:55,020 ..which are full of nutrients. 715 00:54:56,700 --> 00:54:59,740 It's actually really nice to anticipate how she's going to look 716 00:54:59,740 --> 00:55:01,740 in a couple of months. 717 00:55:01,740 --> 00:55:04,580 She's going to gain some weight and she's going to gain some length 718 00:55:04,580 --> 00:55:07,100 and she's going to turn into a young adult. 719 00:55:07,100 --> 00:55:08,700 As Honey Bun grows up, 720 00:55:08,700 --> 00:55:12,540 she will reveal more precious secrets about her species. 721 00:55:14,060 --> 00:55:17,540 But there will come a time for her to leave Maria 722 00:55:17,540 --> 00:55:19,340 and live as a wild animal. 723 00:55:20,620 --> 00:55:24,700 In order to prepare her for the wild, we start pulling back. 724 00:55:24,700 --> 00:55:27,140 And it's not just a physical way of pulling back, 725 00:55:27,140 --> 00:55:29,020 it's also a mental way of pulling back. 726 00:55:31,220 --> 00:55:33,460 I've got to start letting her go. 727 00:55:52,180 --> 00:55:53,780 Hey, HB, what are you doing? 728 00:55:55,980 --> 00:56:00,060 She's actually digging a deep hole, even deeper. 729 00:56:02,300 --> 00:56:04,020 This is all really great preparation 730 00:56:04,020 --> 00:56:05,580 for her going back out into the wild. 731 00:56:07,140 --> 00:56:08,580 As the sun starts to set, 732 00:56:08,580 --> 00:56:11,140 she's realising she needs to prepare for the night. 733 00:56:13,420 --> 00:56:15,660 If she were in the wild, she'd go to sleep right there. 734 00:56:17,340 --> 00:56:21,300 She's growing up and she's becoming more and more independent of me 735 00:56:21,300 --> 00:56:24,140 and in a way it's kind of sad, 736 00:56:24,140 --> 00:56:27,060 and in a way it's really exciting. 737 00:56:27,060 --> 00:56:31,460 So, you know, it's all about that day that I'm going to say, you know, 738 00:56:31,460 --> 00:56:32,940 "Hey, babe, you're on your own." 739 00:56:47,500 --> 00:56:51,260 She's actually sucking my fingers like she used to suck a bottle. 740 00:56:51,260 --> 00:56:54,700 She hasn't done this in ages. 741 00:56:54,700 --> 00:56:57,940 There's just these moments like this that are so endearing 742 00:56:57,940 --> 00:56:59,660 because they take us back, you know, 743 00:56:59,660 --> 00:57:02,700 a year and a half when she would have been suckling milk out of her 744 00:57:02,700 --> 00:57:05,580 little bottle and I would have been holding her like this. 745 00:57:05,580 --> 00:57:08,900 And there's not many of those moments any more, 746 00:57:08,900 --> 00:57:11,060 but once in a while, they just hit you, and it's... 747 00:57:12,220 --> 00:57:14,100 It's really like going back in time. 748 00:57:17,860 --> 00:57:20,700 If the pangolin went extinct in the wild, 749 00:57:20,700 --> 00:57:21,940 I've failed. 750 00:57:21,940 --> 00:57:23,460 And if we're going to fail on that, 751 00:57:23,460 --> 00:57:24,980 then what else are we going to fail on? 752 00:57:27,820 --> 00:57:29,620 Not, not on my watch. 753 00:57:29,620 --> 00:57:31,060 Not on my watch. 754 00:57:45,900 --> 00:57:47,740 PHONE RINGS 755 00:57:52,180 --> 00:57:54,620 SHE SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE