Eden: Untamed Planet (2021) s01e01 Episode Script

1
NARRATOR:
Planet Earth,
now home to nearly
eight billion people.
And yet there are still places
that remain pristine.
Where a spellbinding
variety of life
continues to thrive.
These are the last regions
that could be called
Eden.
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In the heart of Southeast Asia
lies the tropical island
of Borneo.
Around the size of Texas,
its ancient forest
has remained unchanged
for 140 million years.
Bathed in sunshine
and quenched
by abundant rainfall
over time
these hothouse conditions
have spawned some 60,000 species
of plants and animals
(trumpets)
NARRATOR: Making Borneo
possibly more biodiverse
than any other island.
Evolving in isolation,
over 6,000 of its inhabitants
are found nowhere else on Earth.
Remarkably, this wealth is built
on a foundation
of shallow, nutrient-poor soil.
And yet, somehow,
life has triumphed
turning this into a paradise
unlike any other.
Dawn breaks
over Borneo's
flooded lowland forest.
A mosaic of tree-lined waterways
and swampy thickets.
A unique habitat
that has given rise
to a one-of-a kind primate.
(chattering)
NARRATOR:
Proboscis monkeys,
named after
their outstanding noses.
(calling)
NARRATOR:
For an alpha male,
the bigger the nose
the bigger the harem.
They live in groups
of 20 or more.
This two-year-old female
is no longer dependent
on her mother,
but still needs the protection
of her tightknit family.
They survive mainly
on a diet of leaves
that are low in calories
and difficult to digest.
Unless you have
a barrel belly
(stomach rumbling)
NARRATOR: and 48 hours
to ferment them.
Young leaves aren't as tough,
but there are fewer
to go around.
And breakfast finishes off
their supply.
Now the tenderest shoots
are on the other side
of the river.
Patrolled by the largest
reptiles in the world.
Saltwater crocodiles.
Up to 20 feet long.
They'll devour any animal
they can sink
their four-inch teeth into.
But if the monkeys
are going to eat,
they'll have to cross.
The alpha male leads the way.
The rest rapidly follow.
(squeals)
NARRATOR: The babies must cling
onto their mothers.
(loud splash)
NARRATOR: Each impact
carries soundwaves
up and down the river.
Now too big to be carried,
for this youngster,
a solo plunge is
a daunting prospect.
This is a 40-foot leap of faith.
At the surface,
she's desperately vulnerable.
But these unique monkeys
are semi-aquatic.
With partially webbed
hands and feet,
they can propel themselves
quickly but quietly
(screaming)
NARRATOR: covering
a distance of up to 60 feet.
(honks)
(monkey honking)
NARRATOR:
Made it.
She joins in the buffet
of fresh young leaves.
As females mature,
they seek out mates
in other groups,
but for now,
this family is all she needs.
Close bonds
and specialist adaptations
allow proboscis monkeys
to prosper
in this water world.
Moving inland,
Borneo's forest
rises to form a towering canopy.
(birds squawking)
(thunder rumbling)
NARRATOR: By noon,
the first of the daily downpours
tops up the humidity
to 100 percent.
(thunder rumbling)
NARRATOR: With twice
as much rain as Florida
this Eden is a sultry
90-degree paradise
nurturing the tallest
tropical trees in the world
that play a crucial part
in the combat of climate change.
Each of them absorbing
more carbon than any others.
(birds singing)
NARRATOR: 120 feet up
the world's largest
tree-living ape
the orangutan.
A 30-year-old mother
and her three-year-old son
are having a mid-morning snack.
She'll dedicate eight years
to rearing him.
Aside from humans,
it's the longest infancy
of any ape.
Until he's fully weened,
it's vital
she gets enough to eat
or her milk will run dry.
But she needs more
than low-calorie leaves.
Her challenge is to find
some energy-rich fruit
and fast.
Arms that span
more than six feet
and 80 pounds of body weight
help to bend branches
and sway through the canopy.
Still fueled-up
from his morning feed,
her son does a good job
keeping up.
But he mustn't put a foot wrong.
A fall from up here
would be fatal.
By the time
they've covered a mile,
his mother needs a pick-me-up.
Leaves and bark offer
some sustenance,
and it's an opportunity
to teach her son
the 500 or so species
of edible plants
that Borneo has to offer.
While his mother takes
a power nap
Nakal lives up to his name
Malay for 'naughty.'
For him, life is an adventure
and this is
the ultimate playground.
All mothers know that kids
like to push their luck.
Sometimes, a little too far.
Around one in ten infants die
mostly from falls.
Nakal has learnt
a valuable lesson.
The other great threat he faces
is starvation.
In this rainforest,
finding fruit is
a treasure hunt.
Scattered far and wide,
it ripens at different times.
But orangutans build up
3D mind maps
that detail not only
where to find it,
but when it's good to eat.
Finally,
after a morning of travel,
fruiting trees.
But they've been overrun
by a troop of macaques.
(high-pitched squealing)
NARRATOR:
Nakal voices his annoyance.
But he's just a pipsqueak.
(squealing)
NARRATOR: They're more nuisance
than a threat,
so his mother makes it clear:
'Mess with him
you mess with me!'
Fruit provides the orangutans
with the calories they crave.
Over Nakal's long childhood,
his mother will pass on
the knowledge he needs.
The wisdom
of many generations
allows Borneo's orangutans
to enjoy the riches
available here.
By early afternoon,
as the tropical sun dries out
the forest floor,
legions of plant-eating insects
home in on anything edible.
Armies of termites emerge.
Up to 7,000 per square yard.
Many specialize
in consuming trees
from the inside out.
The trees deploy
defense systems,
sealing their wounds
with healing resin.
But this meranti tree
has its very own protection
Assassin bugs.
This inch-and-a-half-long female
repurposes resin
to weaponize her forelimbs.
Dressed to kill
she comes to the tree's defense.
There's no escape
from the viscous viciousness
of this femme fatale.
Once the termite
is swaddled in sap,
she skewers it with her
stiletto mouthparts
and slowly syringes out
its insides.
With so much prey to tap into,
this tree is the ideal place
to raise a family.
A passing male could be
the perfect partner.
What follows is completely new
to science.
A courtship dance
thought to test his tenacity.
♫ Tango Music Playing ♫
NARRATOR: If he can't withstand
her gluey grip,
they won't stick together.
Hmm! Suitably impressed,
she delicately dabs resin
on the tip of her abdomen
ready to cement
their relationship.
The babies,
with their menacing mittens,
will spend their entire lives
liquidating termites.
(insects buzzing)
NARRATOR: There are close
to 200,000 species
of insect in Borneo.
(insects buzzing)
NARRATOR:
It's the ideal foraging ground
for one of the rarest bears
on Earth.
The Bornean sun bear.
Only the panda
is more endangered.
His four-inch-long claws
rip open a termite mound
with ease.
Dense fur protects him from
meals that might bite back.
(surprised grunt)
NARRATOR: But it's no defense
against a reticulated python.
Growing to more
than 30 feet long,
they have been known to swallow
a little bear whole.
Nosing around
his forest sanctuary,
pickings are slim.
That's why this bear
is so small.
No bigger than a large dog.
But a sense of smell
a thousand times
more refined than ours
can identify an aroma
from 100 yards or more.
And he's caught the merest whiff
of one of the jungle's
most sought-after prizes
Honey!
But to sniff it out
he'll have to go ape!
Lightweight and agile,
he's known as a 'monkey bear.'
He pinpoints the hive
by trial and error.
He's spotted the hive.
Buzzing bees mean golden honey.
Just one last tree to climb
to reach the jackpot.
(buzzing)
(buzzing)
NARRATOR:
At almost ten inches,
that tongue is longer
than any other bear's.
Perfect for honey slurping.
Now, that dreamy dessert
plus drowsy afternoon heat
can only mean one thing
It's siesta time.
He busies himself
making a lofty bed.
Ah! Relax.
Mmm, that breeze feels good!
By late afternoon
gloom gathers
at the forest floor.
But even as the light dwindles
and photosynthesis fizzles out,
feeding doesn't have to stop.
Borneo's vegetation
is ingenious.
Of its 15,000 different
plant species,
the highest diversity
of anywhere on Earth
one family has turned
from strictly vegan
to meat-eating.
Pitcher plants.
Some lure in
unsuspecting insects
with a perfumed promise
of nectar
only to dissolve their victims
in a bath of enzymes.
This giant pitcher
offers a sugary reward
to a sweet-toothed
tree shrew.
In return
for a welcome deposit
of nitrogen
found in shrew poo.
But one pitcher has gone
a step further
away from its
carnivorous diet
and become
vegetarian.
In this Eden, plants can be
every bit as enterprising
as animals.
(birds squawking)
NARRATOR:
As the last rays of evening sun
light up the treetops
for another of Borneo's
most resourceful residents,
the chore of finding food
is far from over.
Oriental pied hornbills
are one of Borneo's
largest fruit-eating birds.
(squawking)
NARRATOR:
Weighing in at over two pounds,
this male
and his faithful partner
need to eat a third
of their bodyweight every day.
Their seven-inch bills
are precision instruments
designed to pick off
even the tiniest fruits.
With sunset fast approaching,
they're still hungry
but these
highly intelligent birds
have worked out where to go to
for an evening meal.
Heading to where
Borneo's uplands
rise from the forest
they perch at the yawning mouth
of a vast cavern.
(insects buzzing)
NARRATOR:
Over thousands of years,
rainwater has eaten away
at these limestone crags
dissolving the rock
to form cave networks
that stretch
for hundreds of miles.
A highly-desirable home
for something.
Predators gather.
A Wallace's Hawk Eagle
arrives in anticipation.
(loud buzzing)
NARRATOR:
A sigh rises to a scream
as 300,000 wrinkle-lipped bats
are disgorged from their roost.
(high-pitched squealing)
NARRATOR:
A fast-moving feast
for a perfectly poised
cave racer snake.
Armed with three-inch-long
rapier talons
the hawk eagle is designed
for aerial interception
snatching ten or more bats
every evening.
Spurred on
the hornbills launch
their aerial assault.
But without the hawk's
grasping talons
it ends in frustration.
Time to consider a tactic
better suited to his hardware.
He repositions
as close as possible
to the streaming column of bats.
With binocular vision
to judge distance
and that precision beak
he needs to time it just right!
He gives the first catch
to his partner.
He'll grab half a dozen
more bats
and they'll be content.
Only now has the full behavior
been caught on camera.
Of all 54 species of hornbill,
the oriental pied
has the most diverse diet.
This intelligent bird
has learned to cash in
on every chance that
Borneo's varied habitats
have to offer.
With their bellies full,
the hornbills retire
to their night-time roost.
(wings whooshing)
NARRATOR: But there are
places in this jungle
that never sleep.
Every night,
the bats from this one cave
are thought to harvest
over two tons of insects.
On their return,
their excrement
falls like rain
building over centuries
to form a mountain of guano.
More than 50 feet high
and 100 feet long.
It sustains
an incomparable ecosystem
of tens of thousands
of cockroaches
and a swarm of other scavengers.
Foot-long centipedes
giant spiders
even cave crabs.
And fresh meat is highly prized.
But it's the cockroaches
that get to the victim first.
Stripping it to the bone
within hours.
Borneo's caves have created
a unique habitat
based on growing stockpiles
of forest minerals.
Over thousands of years,
the unparalleled diversity
of this Eden
has been driven
by a lack of nutrients
thriving on ingenuity
and the daily rhythms of
this singular island paradise.
But recent decades
have seen rapid changes
that affect all
of the forest inhabitants.
Long ago, stories were told
of sacred spirits
that inhabit the jungle.
Part man,
part animal.
Almost five feet tall
this is a male orangutan.
At 20 years of age,
his wide facial flanges
are a sign of virility.
But he needs to get clear
of the thick undergrowth
to catch the attention
of a passing female.
At around 200 pounds,
he's clearly at the upper limit
for a life in the treetops.
(branches snapping)
(branches snapping)
NARRATOR:
Up here, his stage is set.
(calling)
NARRATOR:
Male orangs serenade
to draw in prospective partners.
(calling)
NARRATOR: His flanges are
thought to project the song,
and with less vegetation
to dampen the sound
it beams almost a mile.
(calling)
NARRATOR:
It's known as a 'long call.'
(calling)
NARRATOR:
Scientific research
suggests he's singing
his own praises
extolling health and status.
(calling)
NARRATOR: Who could resist
such a performance?
Bad luck, it's a juvenile male.
And that grin is no greeting,
it's a threat.
Okay, if that's the way
you want to play it.
(thunder rumbling)
NARRATOR: The afternoon rains
now threaten the performance.
Undeterred
with his makeshift umbrella
he continues
singing in the rain.
(calling)
(softer calling)
(softer, mournful calling)
NARRATOR: There's a reason
these mournful long calls
go unanswered.
Wilderness abruptly gives way
to oil palm.
In the last two decades,
80 percent of orangutan habitat
has been felled.
Paradise has been lost
to plantation.
Thousands of these gentle apes
are left marooned
in small pockets of rainforest.
Many males
may never breed again.
Elsewhere, virgin forest
still exists
and orangutans are protected
by parks and sanctuaries.
Borneo's ancient habitats
have been woven together
by millions
of intricate relationships
plant and animal.
As long as we can keep
this unique trove
of treasured species safe
this island's sacred forests
will be
forever Eden.
NARRATOR:
The Eden team
ventured deep
into the jungles of Borneo
to film previously unseen
animal behavior.
In Borneo, there's always
something new to discover.
NARRATOR: Using state-of-the-art
camera technology,
they captured dramatic imagery
from above
and below.
Cutting-edge macro lenses
revealed new science
about the secret lives
of Borneo's insects.
But the team's
greatest challenge
was filming a family
of rare Bornean orangutans
high up in the world's
tallest tropical trees.
Camerawoman Justine Evans
is no stranger to Borneo.
She's been coming to the ancient
rainforest of Danum Valley
for 25 years.
I have to say that this is
the most beautiful forest
I've ever seen.
NARRATOR: But outside
of protected areas like this,
deforestation
and palm oil production
have led to an 80 percent loss
in orangutan habitat
over the last two decades.
JUSTINE: I think nothing
quite prepares you
for the sight
of the unrelenting landscape
of palm oil.
Just the monoculture
on such a grand scale,
it-it's, uh it's shocking.
Every time I go back to Borneo,
I wonder what I'm gonna find
and whether I'm going to see
the orangutans.
NARRATOR: Justine will have to
climb high up into the canopy
to stand a chance of filming
orangutans in their world.
The team get to work
erecting a platform
positioned across
from a fruiting tree
that a mother and her infant
have been known to visit.
After six hours,
everything is in place.
Justine will be at eye level
with the orangutans.
But the platform
is only three feet long
by three feet wide.
It's going to be
a tight squeeze.
JUSTINE: There's about
enough space for the camera
and the tripod and me.
And that's the edge,
all the way down about
100 feet to the ground.
All we need now is some
orangutans to come along.
NARRATOR:
For the next seven days,
Justine waits patiently
from dawn to dusk
for the mum and baby to show.
I've been here since half five
in the morning, and it's now
3:00pm.
It's a long time to be sitting
on an aluminum tea tray.
NARRATOR:
Without any notice,
the rainforest dumps
an inch of rain
onto Justine and her camera.
JUSTINE:
It's extremely wet out here,
so Tim's come up and we're
trying to evacuate all the kit.
We went from sunny to pouring
with rain within ten minutes.
Tim's heading down
and I'm gonna follow.
NARRATOR:
A week into the shoot,
without so much as a glimpse
of an orangutan,
Justine swaps
the sit-and-wait approach
to tracking them on foot.
JUSTINE: I'm dreading
the prospect of dragging
all our kit through this forest,
running around on the ground,
trying to follow and orang
is really tricky.
NARRATOR: And this tropical
jungle is infested with bugs
and blood-sucking leeches.
I thought I felt something
on my finger earlier.
NARRATORS: Orangutans have
an intimate knowledge
of where fruiting trees lie.
The crew are relying more
on guesswork.
JUSTINE: Is there any way
for us to follow?
NARRATOR: Finally, one of
the trackers radios a sighting.
JUSTINE: This is the first
opportunity I'm gonna get
hopefully to see the orangutan,
and it's great
that we've got a female
with the young,
that's exactly what we're after.
NARRATOR: But the family
is moving too quickly
through the canopy
for the crew to keep up.
JUSTINE:
It's cat and mouse.
I think this orangutan is trying
to shake us off, personally.
NARRATOR:
After hours of searching
through dense rainforest,
Justine is finally rewarded
with an intimate view.
JUSTINE:
There she is.
Wow! It's the first time
I've seen her.
It's the female orangutan,
she's just come in
to a little clear spot.
They have led us,
after a few hours of going
through quite thick vegetation,
to a very high fig tree.
And it's absolutely chocka
with fruits.
NARRATOR:
Over the next ten days,
trudging more than 70 miles,
Justine was able to revisit
the young family
and capture
their tender moments together.
JUSTINE: When you film
any of the great apes,
you feel that connection,
it's unmistakable.
The emotions that you see
running through them
is is so relatable.
I've come away feeling obviously
very rewarded by the experience,
but tinged with a sadness
because of the bigger picture
in Borneo.
NARRATOR: As long as areas
like Danum Valley are protected,
orangutans stand a chance,
and all the species
that call Borneo home
will be kept safe
for the future of us all.