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The very centre of Africa. 

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And the centre of two million square miles of dense tropical rain forest. 

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At first glance it seems deserted and eerily still, 

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not an easy place to live. 

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MONKEY CHATTERS 

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But in fact, there is a greater concentration of animals here 

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than anywhere else in Africa. 

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And in this world, they must grab every opportunity. 

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Competition is intense and unrelenting. 

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TREE CREAKS 

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Even the forest itself fights its corner with spines 

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and poisonous sap. 

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Here, every living thing must fight for its space. 

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Such beauty. 

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But the flower is self-serving, 

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enticing animals into an unwitting alliance. 

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Stingless bees. 

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They have to work hard. 

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The forest flowers make them do so by rationing their nectar, 

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forcing each bee to visit and so pollinate 

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at least a thousand blooms each day. 

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For the bees, it's worth the effort. 

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They need the nectar to make honey, which they store in pots. 

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It's so precious, they keep it hidden beneath the bark of a tree. 

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But their secret is out. 

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MONKEY HOWLS 

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Nothing is safe in this forest. 

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Chimpanzees love honey. 

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She seems oblivious to danger. 

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A fall from up here could be fatal. 

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But she does need a bigger stick. 

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Only a chimp has the ability to break into a stingless bees' 

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nest as well hidden as this. 

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Chimps are extremely intelligent, 

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but none is born with the skill to use a tool. 

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Youngsters like this one must learn by watching. 

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She uses special tools, one after another, 

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to get all the honey she can, 

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and in a few minutes, she destroys what took the bees years to build. 

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In the rainforest, nothing is safe. 

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MONKEY HOWLS 

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Here in the Congo, 

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there can be as many as 500 trees crammed into every acre. 

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In the battle for space, 

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some will rise to over 60 metres high in just a few decades. 

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In a valley like this, 

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there could be close on 1,000 different species of tree. 

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Up here, the crowns barely touch. 

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Each tree seems to respect its neighbour's space. 

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When they germinate down on the forest floor, young trees 

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and plants are less restrained. 

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But every new generation fights it out, 

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in battles we can see by accelerating time. 

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They must get light if they are to survive and they squeeze, 

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crush and even slash one another in order to reach it. 

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Despite the thick canopy above, some sunlight does filter through 

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and allows a few low-light specialists 

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to bloom near the forest floor. 

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Down here there are animals, too, that seek out the sunlight. 

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The forest's largest predator. 

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A female rock python. 

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Her body is five metres long, weighs 100 kilos and has 4,000 muscles 

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that she uses to crush the life out of her victims. 

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But right now, her need is not for food. It's for warmth. 

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She finds a rare patch where a shaft of sunlight strikes the ground 

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and she begins to bask. 

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She's cold-blooded, 

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so this is the only way she can raise the temperature of her body. 

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But now she's becoming very warm indeed, 

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more than ten degrees hotter than usual. 

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At 40 degrees centigrade, she's in danger of killing herself. 

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Just in time, she moves off. 

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She disappears below ground. 

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This is her nest and it's full of giant eggs. 

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It's critical for the eggs development 

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that they stay above 30 degrees. 

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Here in this special filming burrow, she gently wraps her super-heated 

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body around the eggs, passing onto them the warmth of the sun. 

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She has done this every day for three months. 

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The repeated heat stress on her body is so great it could be lethal, 

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and at the very least, it will take three years for her to 

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recover from incubating this one clutch of eggs. 

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Her parchment-shelled eggs carry the pressed imprint of her scales - 

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an indication of the strength of her embrace. 

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At last, her efforts are rewarded. 

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But the babies can't stay here. They must leave their sanctuary 

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and find food in the tangled world above. 

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They're over 60 centimetres long, already big enough to be 

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a threat to the smaller inhabitants of the forest. 

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But they are themselves vulnerable. 

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Particularly to other snakes. 

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But this one is their mother. 

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Unusually for snakes, 

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her maternal instincts continue for days after her eggs hatch. 

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Even so, the forest is such a dangerous place that only 

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one in 100 of her youngsters is likely to reach adulthood. 

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Just occasionally,, the competition eases. 

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A tree suddenly produces fruit. 

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It's a magnet for the creatures of the canopy, and they, in turn, 

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as they feed, create a bonanza for those on the ground below. 

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CHIMP SNORTS 

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A mob of red river hogs. 

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HOGS SNORT AND SNIFF 

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They have travelled over two miles through the thick undergrowth 

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to get to this fall of fruit. 

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But in the African forest, little comes for free. 

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This feast is a bribe. 

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The hogs will carry the seeds in their stomachs 

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and deposit them far from the parent tree. 

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Night falls. 

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But one living community, which is neither animal nor plant 

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continues its never ending work in the darkness. 

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This ground is alive with fungi that digest all the litter 

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discarded by the forest. 

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Some rare fungi do so with enzymes that are luminous. 

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The local people call them "chimpanzee fire." 

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Without the fungi, the dead vegetation would pile so high 

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the living trees would be submerged. 

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Dawn, and a new day reveals just how much control the jungle 

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has over its own environment. 

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The forests of the Congo are the lungs of Africa. 

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As they use the sunlight to build their tissues, 

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so they release oxygen and water vapour into the air. 

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Each hectare of forest produces, as vapour, 

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almost 190,000 litres of water a year. 

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So much that it creates its own weather. 

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Clouds blanket the forest, driving up the humidity and temperature. 

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A storm is brewing. 

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The Congo might be the richest part of Africa, 

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but it's also the most violent. 

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ROARING THUNDER 

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BOOMING THUNDERCLAP 

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Each year, as many as 100 million lightning bolts 

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strike the forest. 

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That's more than anywhere else in the world. 

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BOOMING THUNDERCLAP 

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And with the lightning comes the rain. 

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Up to 95% of the rain that falls here 

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is generated by the forest itself. 

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ROLLING THUNDER 

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With the deluge will come change to the animals and to the forest. 

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It's certainly perfect weather for frogs. 

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The big storm is the cue for the most important climb 

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of this frog's life. 

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It's a male in search of a mate. 

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But if he is to find one, he has to get to the top. 

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He needs to keep his wits about him, 

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for the rain also brings out hunters. 

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Easy does it. 

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The top, at last. 

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But he's late to the party. 

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FROGS CHIRP 

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The higher a male sits, the further his voice will carry, 

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so the top slots are worth fighting for. 

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And he's won. 

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He has the top place. 

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So now it's time to sing. 

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FROG CHIRPS 

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FROG CHIRPS 

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And a white-bellied female responds. 

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They join together to mate. 

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The loser will have to wait for the next storm before he sings again. 

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She lays her eggs on a blade of a long leaf. 

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And he, using his back legs, folds it over 

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and glues its two edges together, shutting the eggs inside. 

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This sealed nest is the safest place these leaf-folding frogs 

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can find to protect their precious brood. 

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Within days, the eggs are developing. 

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The timing is perfect. 

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The rain washes away the glue and the tadpoles slip 

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out of the leaves into the growing puddles below. 

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The rainy season reaches its peak and the ground has been transformed. 

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The forest is flooded. 

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It's a new world. 

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Fish swim in from the swollen streams, 

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exploiting this newly created space, snapping up the drowning insects. 

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This is a butterfly fish. 

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A Congo bichir. 

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The hunter becomes the hunted. 

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The butterfly fish is too quick and leaps out of danger. 

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The floods gradually drain back into the established waterways 

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that run through the forest like blood vessels. 

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There is so much water flowing through the forest that even 

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little rivulets can carve out the soil around an ancient boulder. 

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This is the home of one forest creature that has lived 

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here in the Congo for 44 million years. 

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Picathartes. 

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These birds mate for life, 

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and the male reaffirms the bond by displaying to the female. 

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They're building a mud nest on the underside of the boulder's 

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overhang, where it'll be protected from the rain. 

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The female takes the lead. 

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The male doesn't seem quite so skilful. 

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Oh, dear. 

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Luckily, she can put things right. 

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Now she's collecting the soft furnishings. 

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He's brought some, too, but he still can't get it right. 

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In the end, the female seems satisfied with the finish - 

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and just in time. 

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THUNDER 

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It might look as if he has been banished into the rain, 

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but in fact, they're a great team. 

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They share the incubation, 

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12 hours on, 12 hours off, for the next three weeks. 

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In due course, there are mouths to feed, 

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and now the male must prove his worth. 

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Worms are a good start, and he's doing well. 

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But the chicks are insatiable. 

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Fortunately, other things are on the menu. 

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He might be a poor nest-builder. 

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But he is redeeming himself now. 

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Domestic bliss! 

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Rocky overhangs are the only place where Picathartes 

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will build their nest, 

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so they owe their home to the stream that revealed 

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the flank of the giant boulder. 

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This stream and countless others like it 

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merge to form the great rivers of Central Africa. 

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More than 450 billion litres of rainwater, 

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travelling down thousands of rivers, are heading west. 

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The waters pick up speed as the rivers spill over the edge 

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of the central plateau and create giant cascades of white water. 

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The Kongou forces its way through the wildest, most untouched 

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forest in the whole of Africa. 

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The Congo river system drains an area the size of India, 

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carrying the waters westwards towards the Atlantic. 

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But before it reaches the coast, the rivers broaden, 

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forcing back the forest. 

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And here for the first time, there is space. 

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Wide, flat and safe. 

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These stretches of sand attract visitors from the coast. 

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Skimmers searching for somewhere safe to settle. 

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The lower mandible of their beaks is greatly elongated. 

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They slice it through the surface of the water at ten metres a second. 

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If and when it hits a tiny fish, it'll snap shut. 

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But why come up river to these open sand flats? 

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This is the answer. 

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BABY BIRD CHIRPS 

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But this nursery will not exist for long. 

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Four weeks from now, it'll be under ten metres of water. 

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If by then these chicks can't fly, they will drown. 

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The problem for young skimmers is that when they hatch, 

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the lower part of their beaks is the same size as the upper. 

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While they wait for it to grow, 

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they do their best to learn the skimming technique. 

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THUNDER 

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Open spaces may be safe, 

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but they give no protection against the driving rain. 

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These storms are a warning that the skimmers must soon leave. 

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The river is already rising. 

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This year the chicks get away in time. 

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It's not just water that has the power to clear a way 

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through the forest. 

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There are animals that could do that too. 

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They have created a network of pathways that criss-cross 

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the lowland forest and run for thousands of miles 

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in all directions. 

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CACOPHONY OF ANIMAL SOUNDS 

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These path-makers are surprisingly stealthy. 

260
00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:09,360
But as night falls, there's a chance of catching a glimpse of them. 

261
00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:10,400
ROAR 

262
00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:21,200
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

263
00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:23,920
ELEPHANT ROARS 

264
00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:30,360
Forest elephants are very social creatures, 

265
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:34,400
but in dense jungle it's hard for them to find one another. 

266
00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:43,080
These elephants are lucky. 

267
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:49,640
Here in the Congo, there is one special place 

268
00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:51,480
where they can meet and mingle. 

269
00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:58,320
A place that the elephants have created for themselves. 

270
00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:03,720
And this is it. 

271
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:12,160
ROARING 

272
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:23,960
Dzanga-Bai, the legendary "village of elephants". 

273
00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:27,280
BABY ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

274
00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:32,440
ELEPHANTS ROAR AND TRUMPET 

275
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:44,560
As well as being a place where they can enjoy one another's company, 

276
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:49,800
this great clearing satisfies another craving... 

277
00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:51,280
for salts. 

278
00:38:57,480 --> 00:38:59,680
ELEPHANTS TRUMPET 

279
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,440
The salts lie deep under the mud, 

280
00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:06,320
so the elephants have got to mine for them, 

281
00:39:06,320 --> 00:39:10,240
which they do with high pressure water jets from their trunks. 

282
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:31,920
The precious salts 

283
00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:36,560
and the chance to socialise bring in elephants from far and wide. 

284
00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:46,000
If an elephant is in the mood to mate, this is the place to be. 

285
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:47,640
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

286
00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:52,320
This young bull is in a state of musth, a kind of sexual fury. 

287
00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:53,440
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

288
00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:14,960
He is so pumped up by hormones and the excitements of the crowd 

289
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:17,600
that he seems to have taken leave of his senses. 

290
00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:40,320
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

291
00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:44,920
But will throwing his weight about impress the females? 

292
00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:46,880
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

293
00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:51,480
The cows only become fertile once every two years. 

294
00:40:51,480 --> 00:40:55,840
So opportunities to encounter one at the right time are not common. 

295
00:40:55,840 --> 00:41:00,520
This could well be the first chance this young male has had. 

296
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:04,440
He's lucky. 

297
00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:08,440
And there are no older bulls around to put him in his place. 

298
00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:23,440
Just for a moment, he is king of the bai. 

299
00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:34,520
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

300
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,120
But his rule doesn't last for long. 

301
00:41:57,360 --> 00:41:59,800
Enter another lusty bull. 

302
00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:04,160
And a much bigger one. 

303
00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:17,720
But the young bull is still charged up with testosterone. 

304
00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:21,840
Bold or foolish, he's going into battle. 

305
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:20,880
He never really had a chance. 

306
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:39,400
Dzanga-bai is a huge clearing, 

307
00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:44,240
but it's still just a speck in this vast expanse of green. 

308
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:50,360
Elephants might fell trees and carve pathways, 

309
00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:54,800
but nothing natural can hold back this forest for ever. 

310
00:43:57,200 --> 00:44:00,040
Nothing but the Atlantic Ocean. 

311
00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:22,600
Loango Beach, on Africa's west coast - 

312
00:44:22,600 --> 00:44:25,040
one of the last truly wild places 

313
00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:28,000
where the Congo jungle meets the sea. 

314
00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:46,360
Here, the forest gives way to sand, surf and fresh sea air. 

315
00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:53,200
The cool breezes and warm sunlight 

316
00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:56,840
entice creatures out of the dark forest. 

317
00:44:56,840 --> 00:44:58,120
LOWING 

318
00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:00,800
Forest buffalo appear first. 

319
00:45:19,720 --> 00:45:22,440
And here in the surf... 

320
00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:23,720
there are hippo. 

321
00:45:32,720 --> 00:45:37,760
Spray blows in from the sea, making the grass salty. 

322
00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:55,520
So here elephants can get their tasty salt 

323
00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:57,280
without having to dig for it. 

324
00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:04,720
This mother with her tiny baby can feel the sun on her back. 

325
00:46:04,720 --> 00:46:07,520
Here, it's safe for her little one. 

326
00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:11,880
They're free to eat in peace. 

327
00:46:13,840 --> 00:46:16,760
The bulls have all the room they need. 

328
00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:18,800
So there is less risk of a fight. 

329
00:46:32,520 --> 00:46:36,160
Everyone, from gorillas to forest hogs, 

330
00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:39,720
ventures out to relax on the beach. 

331
00:46:39,720 --> 00:46:41,160
BOAR GRUNT 

332
00:47:15,720 --> 00:47:18,920
But the forest creatures can't stay out here forever. 

333
00:47:23,440 --> 00:47:25,160
Despite everything - 

334
00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:29,200
the intense competition, the threats, the darkness - 

335
00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:35,200
they need their forest, just as their forest needs them. 

336
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:38,640
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 

337
00:48:03,720 --> 00:48:05,400
The Congo rainforest. 

338
00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:08,400
A four-day journey to the heart of Africa. 

339
00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:14,240
Once the plane leaves, you're on your own. 

340
00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:20,680
This expedition planned to film two of the Congo's best-kept secrets. 

341
00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:22,600
But to even find them, 

342
00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:26,120
the crew would have to work very hard indeed. 

343
00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:28,120
You might as well be on a different planet 

344
00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:30,760
coming to a place like this, Planet Congo. 

345
00:48:34,520 --> 00:48:36,760
Mysterious... 

346
00:48:37,760 --> 00:48:39,600
..difficult... 

347
00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:41,640
complex... 

348
00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:43,440
challenging. 

349
00:48:45,160 --> 00:48:48,520
'You know, everything's trying to bite you.' 

350
00:48:49,640 --> 00:48:50,920
Suck your blood. 

351
00:48:53,560 --> 00:48:57,600
It's like being tickled by a million feathers at the same time. 

352
00:48:57,600 --> 00:48:59,360
HE LAUGHS 

353
00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:00,800
HE SIGHS 

354
00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:10,720
The insects might be torture, but that's the least of their worries. 

355
00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:17,720
The only way to get deep into the jungle is to follow these trails. 

356
00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:22,080
Trails made by dangerous forest elephants. 

357
00:49:23,360 --> 00:49:27,120
'Well, the first thing you need to know about the forest elephant is, 

358
00:49:27,120 --> 00:49:29,760
'you don't want to meet one.' 

359
00:49:29,760 --> 00:49:32,400
Cos running away can elicit a charge, 

360
00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:35,440
'and it could be exactly the wrong thing to do.' 

361
00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:40,240
Our team are completely dependent on their Bayaka guides for safety. 

362
00:49:44,200 --> 00:49:46,560
WHISPERS: 

363
00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:54,400
But it's these same forest elephants that James has come to film. 

364
00:49:54,400 --> 00:49:56,480
And just to make the challenge harder, 

365
00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:59,000
he's here to film them in the dark. 

366
00:50:01,560 --> 00:50:04,320
Nobody knows exactly what they get up to at night - 

367
00:50:04,320 --> 00:50:07,120
they haven't been filmed like this before. 

368
00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:13,920
I couldn't rig this place if the Bayaka weren't here. 

369
00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:16,440
Watching my back, really. 

370
00:50:16,440 --> 00:50:19,160
James needs to operate the remote cameras 

371
00:50:19,160 --> 00:50:21,320
from somewhere out of the elephants' reach. 

372
00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:30,400
A tree platform seems like the best option. 

373
00:50:35,560 --> 00:50:38,360
Apparently, they have very big elephants round here. 

374
00:50:38,360 --> 00:50:41,120
They want us to put it a bit higher, so... 

375
00:50:41,120 --> 00:50:42,800
I think I'll do what they say. 

376
00:50:44,160 --> 00:50:46,720
But no-one wants to stay out at night 

377
00:50:46,720 --> 00:50:48,560
and help James with the filming. 

378
00:50:58,440 --> 00:51:01,360
So James will be alone until morning. 

379
00:51:01,360 --> 00:51:04,040
If anything goes wrong, he's on his own. 

380
00:51:04,040 --> 00:51:06,840
If they really wanted to, they could push these trees over. 

381
00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:09,400
I can't imagine that's going to be an issue. 

382
00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:13,840
As James settled down for the night, 

383
00:51:13,840 --> 00:51:17,440
he's got no idea of the trouble that's coming his way. 

384
00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:27,800
What's going on? 

385
00:51:27,800 --> 00:51:32,040
20 miles away, Mark MacEwen is also up in the middle of the night. 

386
00:51:32,040 --> 00:51:36,360
The animal he's after is proving impossible to find. 

387
00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:37,400
Ah... 

388
00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:43,240
So we get up in the darkness and we walk through the jungle at night, 

389
00:51:43,240 --> 00:51:46,320
hoping to hear the sound of cracking branches 

390
00:51:46,320 --> 00:51:49,200
or leaves moving up in the trees. 

391
00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:52,600
That means chimpanzees are stirring in the treetops, 

392
00:51:52,600 --> 00:51:55,600
and Mark is here to film chimps hunting for honey. 

393
00:51:57,680 --> 00:52:00,400
There's one chimp in particular he needs to find - 

394
00:52:00,400 --> 00:52:03,000
a teenager with a very sweet tooth, 

395
00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:06,760
known to go further in the pursuit of a bees' nest than any other. 

396
00:52:11,080 --> 00:52:15,240
I've spent six days walking, 

397
00:52:15,240 --> 00:52:21,000
probably the equivalent of a half marathon every day in 100% humidity, 

398
00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:24,720
and about 95 degrees in the shade. 

399
00:52:24,720 --> 00:52:27,560
And we just can't find our chimpanzee. 

400
00:52:30,560 --> 00:52:34,560
Time is ticking away, and Mark is running out of filming days. 

401
00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:43,000
At the moment, I just need some good luck. 

402
00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:45,520
We've come an awfully long way to get this sequence. 

403
00:52:45,520 --> 00:52:48,280
We've got probably 10, 12 days left. 

404
00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:51,920
But it's hard work at the moment. 

405
00:52:51,920 --> 00:52:56,600
All Mark can do is persevere, and hope for a break. 

406
00:53:02,200 --> 00:53:04,640
But not all the forest creatures are so shy. 

407
00:53:06,160 --> 00:53:09,560
Perched high in his tree, James Aldred is waiting patiently 

408
00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:11,080
for the elephants to come in. 

409
00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:15,920
GROWLING 

410
00:53:16,960 --> 00:53:19,600
At last, the elephants are here, 

411
00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:21,640
but they're behaving strangely. 

412
00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:32,920
(He knows something's not quite right.) 

413
00:53:32,920 --> 00:53:36,280
The elephants seem agitated. 

414
00:53:43,640 --> 00:53:45,560
They just want to get rid of you. 

415
00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:49,720
One begins to thump the tree with its head. 

416
00:53:49,720 --> 00:53:52,120
CRASHING 

417
00:53:52,120 --> 00:53:54,680
James has no option but to weather the attack. 

418
00:53:57,720 --> 00:53:59,080
CRASHING 

419
00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:01,240
"Let's lean forward and keep head-butting, 

420
00:54:01,240 --> 00:54:03,560
"keep head-butting, keep head-butting." 

421
00:54:06,400 --> 00:54:08,240
Suddenly, the cameras cut out. 

422
00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:13,040
And James is left in complete darkness. 

423
00:54:16,800 --> 00:54:21,760
After three weeks searching, Mark has lost nearly two stone in weight, 

424
00:54:21,760 --> 00:54:24,520
but he hasn't given up. 

425
00:54:24,520 --> 00:54:27,800
He can't afford to put down his camera for a second. 

426
00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:32,800
Suddenly, the guide spots the honey hunter. 

427
00:54:32,800 --> 00:54:34,440
This is it. 

428
00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:52,960
(Where is she?) 

429
00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:54,400
(She's inside the tree.) 

430
00:54:59,920 --> 00:55:02,600
Just for some honey, she's risking her life. 

431
00:55:02,600 --> 00:55:03,800
It's amazing. 

432
00:55:23,960 --> 00:55:25,880
'Well, I think I just couldn't stop smiling' 

433
00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:29,120
for several days after filming. The relief was just unbelievable. 

434
00:55:38,440 --> 00:55:42,920
Back at the camera platform, James has had a long night. 

435
00:55:44,520 --> 00:55:48,840
For over four hours, the elephant tried to shake him out of the tree. 

436
00:55:53,040 --> 00:55:56,000
Got down this morning when the Bayaka came to collect me, 

437
00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:59,120
went to look at the camera, and he'd pulled it out of the tree, 

438
00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:01,080
and he'd chewed through the power cable. 

439
00:56:02,240 --> 00:56:06,080
He must have gotten a bit of a shock, I mean only 12 volts, but... 

440
00:56:06,080 --> 00:56:09,000
Serves him right, quite honestly. HE LAUGHS 

441
00:56:09,000 --> 00:56:13,280
But at least we got a shot of him before he trashed the camera. 

442
00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:14,600
HE LAUGHS 

443
00:56:14,600 --> 00:56:15,800
Silver lining. 

444
00:56:17,280 --> 00:56:21,960
Despite this bumpy start, the elephants soon got used to James, 

445
00:56:21,960 --> 00:56:24,360
and James got used to the elephants. 

446
00:56:24,360 --> 00:56:28,680
Filming here was never going to be easy, 

447
00:56:28,680 --> 00:56:32,440
but we were soon able to reveal the night life of forest elephants 

448
00:56:32,440 --> 00:56:34,240
like never before. 

449
00:56:35,440 --> 00:56:37,960
GROWLING 

450
00:56:51,920 --> 00:56:55,520
Next time, Africa's Great Cape. 

451
00:56:58,360 --> 00:57:03,480
Where a land of mountains and deserts is flanked by two coasts. 

452
00:57:07,240 --> 00:57:13,240
Only in this part of Africa do powerful oceanic forces combine 

453
00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:15,520
in such a riotous explosion of life. 

454
00:57:37,920 --> 00:57:40,960
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