01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

All around the planet,

billions of animals

are on the move

making incredible journeys.

The most amazing of these

are the smallest.

This series uses

the latest camera technology

to follow six tiny animals on the

biggest adventures of their lives

as they travel through

extraordinary landscapes

where every little step counts.

In this episode, a pangolin

travels through a land of giants

to seek a mate

in a protected forest.

And in Brazil, a lion tamarin family

travel to the edge of their world

and into a new future

for their species.

The greatest adventures

are the smallest.

Taiwan is home to an animal

that inspired legends

of underground dragons.

But this is no scaly fire-breather.

It's a Formosan pangolin.

And as evening falls

his journey is just beginning.

At two years old,

he's the size of a pineapple.

It's his first breeding season,

but timing is crucial.

He must find a receptive female

before peak season ends

in a few days' time.

He leaves his own distinct

scent markings,

a calling card

for any prospective mate.

And his sensitive nose

can detect female pheromones.

His territory is a tiny patch

of forest half a mile wide.

He hasn't found any sign

of another pangolin here,

and so he must keep searching.

To fuel his journey,

he needs food.

Something has caught his attention.

Black ants.

He needs to eat 80,000 ants a day

to bulk up.

But woodpiles are dangerous places

to root around.

A disturbed Taiwanese cobra

can strike faster

than the blink of an eye.

Flicking its tongue,

the snake can taste

the pangolin's odour.

Just one drop of its venom

could k*ll a human.

But it would be a mistake

to try and bite a pangolin.

His body is covered

by snake-proof scales

made of the same material

as a buffalo's horn.

The scent of more ants

draws him upwards.

Being snake-proof does come

with its disadvantages.

His suit of armour is heavy.

But it's not enough

to stop him from trying.

His scales overlap

to give flexibility.

He's primed for rapid feeding,

with a 40-centimetre tongue.

Essential for tackling

c*ck ants -

so called by the way they

c*ck their tail when alarmed.

He laps them up by the dozen.

The ants are quick to mobilise

fighting back with vicious bites.

He has flaps to protect his ears,

but the ants are small enough

to exploit ch*nk in the armour.

He's managed to snaffle

a few thousand ants

but the attacks have become

too painful to bear.

Time to retreat.

A nocturnal traveller,

he must now journey into the unknown

in search of a mate.

11,000 miles away,

on the opposite side of the world,

in Brazil's Atlantic Forest

dawn is breaking

for a family of tiny monkeys.

Golden-headed lion tamarins.

This female is six years old

and around the size

of a milk bottle.

She has made a home here

with her lifelong mate.

But they have

a giant responsibility.

Three boys under two years old

and baby twins.

A boy

and a girl.

They are no bigger

than the palm of a human hand.

Mum is struggling to provide

the milk that they need

because the drying climate

has made fruit scarce.

The twins must eat every two days,

or they could die of starvation.

Driven by hunger, the family must

travel quickly to find food.

Lion tamarins are canopy sprinters.

With claws like running spikes,

they dash along the branches,

and their forelimbs

are like springs,

boosting their momentum.

They can cover large areas

by sprinting in bursts

of 25 miles per hour.

So scientists must use radio collars

to follow their journeys.

Weighed down with babies

a quarter of their weight,

running is exhausting.

They urgently need food.

Black-necked aracari.

Birds have an aerial advantage

when it comes to spotting fruit.

They've revealed a hoard of figs.

She only needs to eat around 40

if she is to get the calories

to produce milk today.

But she can smell scent markings.

She's trespassing into

someone else's territory.

Another lion tamarin family.

With less food available,

lion tamarins are pushed

more into conflict.

The rivals' alarm calls are a sign

that they have no intentions

of sharing,

and with young babies in tow,

it's too risky

for the family to stay.

Mum has barely eaten enough,

but at least she can feed the twins

with a little milk today.

If they don't get another meal

within the next two days,

they could starve to death.

That's not the only threat

they face right now.

A storm is brewing.

When it rains, the air temperature

plummets to ten degrees Celsius.

Hungry and drenched,

the babies can't generate heat

fast enough.

Hypothermia is a major k*ller

of these tiny monkeys.

But being 20 centimetres tall

does have advantages.

You can hide

in the smallest spaces,

and the family huddle inside

to keep warm.

Four miles from their old home,

and hungry

but at least tonight,

they have somewhere to sleep.

In Taiwan, the pangolin is nearly

two miles beyond his territory,

with no sign of a female.

It's critical that he picks up

a scent within the next few days.

Very few will be receptive

so late in the season.

But his search has taken him

into a strange type of forest.

There are no trees to climb here.

Bamboo.

The tallest grass in the world.

This species can grow a metre

in a day.

Here, it towers 20 metres high.

Row upon row

mile upon mile.

It's easy to get lost.

This is a strange landscape -

a plantation created by humans.

Monoculture.

Nothing but bamboo

except

the faint scent of a female.

The scent has led him into an area

that has been left wild.

And there's a pangolin burrow.

Something doesn't smell right.

A gem-faced civet.

Like a skunk,

it can release a stink when alarmed.

Not what you want when your sexual

prowess depends on smelling good.

While the pangolin

tries to sniff out a mate,

another animal here

employs a very different strategy.

Light.

56 species of firefly

are found in Taiwan.

Each with its own distinctive

sequence of flashes,

all used for attracting a mate.

The presence of fireflies

is a sign of a healthy habitat.

If the pangolin continues

in this direction,

he might find more burrows.

As wild habitats

are turned to monoculture,

fireflies disappear,

and pangolins

find themselves more exposed

to humans.

Another pangolin burrow.

This time, it's empty.

With dawn breaking,

at least it's a place to sleep.

The lion tamarins

have woken to a new dawn,

hungry, and far from the fruiting

trees that they once called home.

Grooming reinforces the bonds

between Mum and Dad.

Giant trees are the perfect place

to live,

full of hiding spaces,

and ahead, there's one of

the biggest trees that they've seen.

Its branches support

a rich garden of plants.

But the lion tamarins want

what might be hiding within.

They don't just eat fruit.

10% of their diet is prey.

Their extended fingers

are adapted to reach deep inside.

These grasshoppers

are the first proper meal

that they've had in days.

It's an incredible feast.

But there's even better food here.

Frogs.

Concentrated protein.

Mum's got one.

And the whole family

are keen for a bite.

It's important that Mum eats first

and replenishes her energy

for making milk.

Even if the twins are keen

to try frog for themselves.

It's the baby's very first

taste of solid food.

This is the perfect home

for the family.

All the frogs they can eat, and no

other lion tamarins to compete with.

They could establish a new territory

of fruiting trees around it.

The future for the family

is looking bright.

With Mum and Dad relaxed,

they allow the male twin

to take his first steps

towards independence.

It's a big feat when you are

ten metres off the ground.

Two months old,

he's learning by copying

his older brothers.

But he's not ready to join in

on the play fighting just yet.

All the commotion

hasn't gone unnoticed.

On the forest floor,

predators hunt in the shadows.

An ocelot.

It's only twice the size

of a housecat.

But to the tiny primates,

it's a giant,

and could k*ll each of them

with a single bite.

The lion tamarins are unaware

of the danger approaching below.

The ocelot's speckled coat makes him

disappear amongst the undergrowth.

His feet are six centimetres wide,

larger than a lion tamarin's head.

They allow him to tread stealthily.

And ocelots are agile enough

to hunt

in the trees.

Something isn't right.

He's been spotted.

The family needs to abandon

the tree, quickly.

For the ocelot,

it's not worth the chase.

He's a night-time hunter.

And this is his sleeping tree,

at the heart of his territory,

three miles wide.

The family must escape

from this area quickly.

Come nightfall, the cat

will be back on the hunt.

In Taiwan, the daytime temperature

can reach the mid-30s,

too uncomfortable

for a heavily armoured pangolin.

He hides in the burrow,

where it's ten degrees cooler.

As dusk approaches,

he can get back to his journey.

Out there is the female

who dug this burrow,

and her scent is growing stronger.

He's entered an olive grove

and is deep in a world

transformed by humans.

He has never been so exposed.

In Taiwan, feral dogs

pose the biggest threat.

One of the few animals able to bite

through the pangolin's armour.

Finally, a female.

Instinct now takes over.

Gently stroking her back,

he seeks approval.

But the more he makes his advances,

the tighter she curls up.

She's not interested.

A sign that she may already

be pregnant.

He's too late.

With time running out,

he must continue

if he is to find another female.

Fortunately, he's within reach

of a remarkable place.

Taoist shrines are believed

to bestow good luck

upon all who pass,

and they are often found close

to a protected forest

where pangolins thrive.

In Brazil, the lion tamarins

have spent the last five days

jumping between thousands of trees.

But they have yet to find

anywhere safe with enough food

to make a home.

Suddenly, something that

they have never seen before.

A break in the tree cover.

A road.

Here, they are more exposed

to aerial threats.

A monkey-eating harpy eagle.

15 times heavier

than a lion tamarin.

With nightfall fast approaching,

the family can't turn back.

They must find a way to cross.

The gap here is ten metres wide.

Too far to jump.

They aren't the only ones

stuck here.

A sloth.

This overhanging tree

could be the family's only way over.

An aerial attack

can come from anywhere.

Mum goes first, risking it alone.

She's made it.

Five metres in a single bound -

ten times her own body length.

The rest of the family must follow.

Five have made it.

Two to go.

The eagle's caught something.

It's a sloth.

All the family are accounted for.

They continue their journey

for just over a mile

until, suddenly,

their path is blocked again.

Having spent their entire life

surrounded by trees,

they've reached the edge

of the forest.

Beyond is human territory.

A farm.

The lion tamarins are trapped within

one of the few remaining patches

of the once-vast Atlantic Forest.

Today, only 12% remains.

They travel along the forest edge.

There's nothing for them out there.

It's a dead end for the family.

When forest fragments

become too small,

there's not enough food to sustain

a healthy population of animals.

The whole ecosystem

begins to collapse.

It's the end of five days

searching for a new home

and the tamarins' future

seems as uncertain as ever.

For the pangolin,

it's now coming towards

the end of the breeding season.

He's crossing the boundary

into a protected forest,

one of the thousands

scattered across Taiwan,

covering nearly 20% of the island.

Here, dogs are kept out.

Reserves like this are home

to the world's densest population

of pangolins.

As many as 25 in a square mile.

Before he continues,

he needs to find food

and replenish his energy.

Termites.

Packed with protein.

He isn't the only one that's hungry.

A moon bear.

Taiwan's largest carnivore,

30 times bigger than a pangolin.

They usually live high

in the mountains,

but in the spring, these bears

travel down to lower slopes

to seek food.

Built for ripping apart trees

with powerful muscles

and five-centimetre-long claws.

It could crunch a pangolin

in one bite.

It isn't going to give up

without a meal.

The pangolin takes his chance

to get away.

Luckily, it's not him

that the bear is after.

It's the termites.

He needs to find a meal

that the bear can't reach.

c*ck antsagain.

There's only one scent

that can entice a young male

away from food.

The pheromones of a female.

This could be his chance.

She is in the last few days

of her reproductive cycle.

Soon she will be unable

to get pregnant.

The final stage of his journey

is now led by this female.

It's a good sign.

They travel hour after hour

through the night.

He has proved himself worthy.

Mating in a suit of armour

isn't easy.

Finding the right angle

could take until morning.

His first great journey

IS a success -

he's found a mate.

And safe in this protected forest,

he can help to ensure

the survival of his species.

It's morning in Brazil.

The lion tamarins are still

travelling along the forest edge

and now they are being watched.

Mum isn't sure

what to make of these monkeys.

These are Wied's marmosets.

A distant cousin of lion tamarins.

Remarkably, they speak

a similar language

and can understand each other.

They, too, are homeless

and have babies to feed.

It gives them a unique opportunity

to join forces.

The lion tamarins

take the high branches

and keep watch for aerial threats.

The marmosets keep an eye out down

below for predators on the prowl.

One has spotted an agouti

a giant rodent,

three times bigger

than a lion tamarin.

It searches for food

like a sniffer dog

and stores nuts in the ground

like a squirrel.

Both families follow it,

watching where it stores its stash.

The agouti has led them

to a new world of opportunity.

A place of strange plants

and huge colourful fruits.

A cocoa pod

with enough cocoa beans

to feed a lion tamarin for a day.

This is a territory

with plenty of food to go around.

As they travel further,

they discover the most

remarkable fruit of all.

The biggest of any tree on earth.

This is jackfruit.

It's as big as a basketball

and five times bigger

than a lion tamarin.

The fruit on a single tree

is packed with enough calories

to feed 6,000 golden-headed

lion tamarins for the day.

The entire world population.

The family have made it

to a kabruka,

a place where people sustainably

grow fruit

in the shade of giant native trees.

And every year,

thousands of new trees are planted

to connect and restore

dying forest fragments.

Kabrukas like this are a sanctuary

for almost every

golden-headed lion tamarin.

Here, they grow bigger, healthier,

and produce more babies.

The family have discovered a new

home on the edge of their world

where they will never

go hungry again.

To film tiny animals,

Big Little Journeys needed the help

of scientists and local people

working at the forefront

of conservation.

Wow.

- Oh, wow!

In Taiwan,

the team work with Dr Nick Sun,

who has tracked

critically endangered pangolins

for the past decade.

When she walks away? OK. OK.

- Yeah.

Nick gives the team an opportunity

to get a pangolin's-eye view

of the world,

and it's one that's full of danger.

Globally, 300,000 pangolins

are poached every year

for their meat and scales.

Only in Taiwan

is their population stable,

but they still face

very real threats.

Pangolins are animals

that I've wanted to film for years,

and then you come to a rescue centre

and you see the reality.

But it's not all bad news.

Nick is preparing to release

a young rescued male.

His return to the wild

gives the team an opportunity

to closely film the behaviour

of this elusive species.

To monitor the progress

of released individuals,

Nick and his team

conduct regular examinations.

It's thanks to the rescue centre,

that are giving these charming,

rare, incredible animals

a chance in nature.

I think we all should be

very, very pleased

that people like Nick are out there,

fighting to protect

the natural world.

The camera crew are preparing

to film the pangolin's first steps

back into the wild.

11,000 miles away in Brazil,

the team are filming

an animal harder to follow -

a family of

golden-headed lion tamarins.

They really go when they want to.

For them,

they're not travelling far.

They're just jumping between trees.

But for the crew, we're walking up

and down very steep slopes,

very tangled terrain.

They are super small for a primate

and very fast.

You have to imagine

the face of a tamarin

is maybe the size

of a polar bear's nose.

So keeping that in focus

while they're moving is very tricky.

Keeping up with them is only

possible because of the work

of conservationist Joanison Vicente

and his team,

who are using radio collars

to track their movements.

88% of the Atlantic

Forest has been cut down,

so understanding

how lion tamarins travel

is essential for their conservation.

It's been little journeys for them.

They're just pinging across the top

of the trees,

but they've kept us on our toes.

Come on, let's follow.

In Taiwan, the team are filming

in a thick bamboo forest.

I'm hoping the pangolin isn't

just going to run away from us

because it's quite difficult

to move around in here.

We've just got to work really calmly

because we can't startle him.

If we do, he'll just roll up

into a ball.

It's not just working

at a pangolin's pace

that makes filming a challenge,

it's also the weather.

It's a bit soggy now.

I'm feeling a bit soggy now.

Don't worry!

We only have a very narrow

period of time

where it's light enough to film

and the pangolin is awake.

In Brazil, the lion tamarins

lead the team to a kabruka.

Here, local farmers

use traditional techniques

to grow shade-loving crops

whilst preserving

the natural habitat for wildlife

but Joanison has other ambitions.

As the lion tamarins

settle into their new home,

the team switch

to remote-controlled cameras.

Each night they're coming

back to sleep in tree hollows.

We've found that most nights

they're sleeping in the same one,

but sometimes they do catch us out.

With the support of

local communities,

the future is looking brighter

for golden-headed lion tamarins.

In Taiwan, the team's time filming

pangolins is coming to an end.

But by using camera traps

and attaching a tag,

Nick can continue

to monitor his behaviour.

Pangolins are the most trafficked

mammal on earth,

SO every release is a victory.

There is hope for many of

these endangered species.

All it needs is passionate people

who want to make a difference.

Bye-bye!

There's people like Nick

that are really helping to ensure

that these amazing creatures

live out here in the world

that they belong in,

So, yeah, it's amazing to see.