0:00:01 > 0:00:02This is Madagascar.
0:00:02 > 0:00:07A vast island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12And home to some of the rarest animals on our planet.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14ANIMAL HOWLS
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Incredibly, 80% of the wildlife that lives here is unique.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22They can only be found here, in Madagascar.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25But there's a problem.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28This island is in danger.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Can eight ordinary adventurers from the UK...
0:00:34 > 0:00:36- ALL:- Ohhhhhhh, Madagascar!
0:00:36 > 0:00:39..explore this fragile paradise...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43That did not just happen!
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- ..face the toughest challenges of their lives. - SCREAMS
0:00:49 > 0:00:52..to discover for themselves just what it'll take
0:00:52 > 0:00:57to save the stunning wildlife of this threatened world
0:00:57 > 0:00:59before it's lost forever.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40After a 6,000-mile trip, the kids have made it to Madagascar,
0:01:40 > 0:01:45but just to get to their first challenge means a two-day journey
0:01:45 > 0:01:47across this huge island.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49There's a lot of poverty in Madagascar,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53and Henry's finding it a change from his home the Midlands.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56There's lots of rice paddies.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58All these mud houses and stuff.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03It looks like they're mud-brick making, by the look of it.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It's a culture shock for Yorkshire lass Raina, as well.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09You see these kind of things on TV
0:02:09 > 0:02:12but seeing them in reality is totally different
0:02:12 > 0:02:17because you're actually there and experiencing it for yourself.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22But the adventure's only just beginning for this motley crew.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24The team have arrived in Kianjavato
0:02:24 > 0:02:27in the south-east of Madagascar.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30And this basic camp will be home for the next five days.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34This is the Kianjavato research centre where we're staying.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37It's like a big warehouse, it's made of containers,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40and we're sleeping at the top bit.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43They're not exactly going to be living in luxury.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46These are the holes we call toilets.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47Oh, it's minging!
0:02:47 > 0:02:52They're absolutely disgusting and they smell foul!
0:02:52 > 0:02:55But there's a very good reason our team have been sent
0:02:55 > 0:02:59to this wild and remote corner of Madagascar.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02This part of the island used to be covered by jungle,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04but only 10% remains.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Their first challenge is to understand why it's happened,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and how this has affected the wildlife.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13And there's one species of animal
0:03:13 > 0:03:16that's really been devastated by the loss of the forests.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25This landscape is home to one of the rarest groups of primates on Earth,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29and probably the island's most famous creatures - lemurs.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36The team's first challenge is to find and observe the lemurs,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39so they're joining conservationist Lee and his team,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42who've been monitoring the lemurs for years.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Be careful on the bridge, it's a bit wobbly.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47The team are split in two.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Raina's group will look for a species of lemur
0:03:50 > 0:03:54- that live up in the treetops. - Looking forward to it. It'll be good.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Henry's team will be in the undergrowth looking
0:03:58 > 0:03:59for the greater bamboo lemur.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03I'm really excited about seeing any lemur.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12But it might be like finding a needle in a haystack.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Bamboo lemurs, in particular, are incredibly rare.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17They're unique to Madagascar.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Their daily diet of bamboo shoots
0:04:20 > 0:04:23contains enough cyanide to kill a human.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Scientists have no idea why these noxious nibbles don't affect them.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31But with rainforests in Madagascar being destroyed
0:04:31 > 0:04:32these sweet little critters
0:04:32 > 0:04:36are one of the most critically endangered primates -
0:04:36 > 0:04:39with less than 500 left in the entire world.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41And only 30 in this patch of jungle -
0:04:41 > 0:04:44and that's why the team are here.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Luckily, our kids have tools.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52It may look like an old telly aerial but this system, called ATS,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54is actually a weapon in the battle
0:04:54 > 0:04:57to save these creatures from extinction.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Like, the lemurs wear a collar,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03and they have, like, a chip in it that this can track,
0:05:03 > 0:05:04so, like, it beeps.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08I'm tracking a lemur with the ATS
0:05:08 > 0:05:12and just a second ago the signal was really strong,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15with loads of beeping, so we'll follow the path round
0:05:15 > 0:05:19and hopefully there's more beeping.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21BEEPS
0:05:21 > 0:05:24It's a great start for the Bamboo team,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27they're tracking a strong signal.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39We're trying to spot a lemur
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and we think it's in the trees really, really close
0:05:42 > 0:05:44so everybody's just stopped.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49And I think everybody... You can, like, hear the tension in the air.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56At the moment we're tracking a bamboo lemur,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59so now we're going down this bamboo track
0:05:59 > 0:06:03to try and find it because it was beeping really loud on the ATS,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06so hopefully we'll find a lemur.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09It looks really tricky to get down.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Let's go forward.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16If one person falls, they'll make everyone else fall.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Whoa.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25But something's not right - there's a signal, but no sign of a lemur.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Where are the bamboo lemurs?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34So, we want to be looking in the tops of the bamboo.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36See where it's all green?
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- Got quite a strong signal here.- The beeps going up there, I think. Yeah.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46BEEPING
0:06:46 > 0:06:48What's the matter?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51The collar's fallen off the animal.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53CHUCKLES
0:06:53 > 0:06:56See it? It's just behind that.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58That's the radio collar.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01We trekked down this big bamboo hill,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03nearly killing ourself,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05and we get to the location of the lemur
0:07:05 > 0:07:09And the collar's off the lemur. Yeah!
0:07:09 > 0:07:13This piece here is an antenna to send the signal.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16So has that got caught on something and just ripped off?
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Probably just a piece has broken.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24- Yeah. Is that fur?- That's fur. - Yep. It's a bit of lemur fur.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27They smell very musky.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Yeah. Can you smell it?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32It smells a bit like ferrets.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Fair-do's. Just a really musky smell.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Aaah!
0:07:40 > 0:07:42But actually this is really bad news.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45A collar means someone can keep an eye on it.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48They need to get that collar back on somehow.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Once you find them with the radio collar you can check their health,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56see if they've got any diseases, and sort it out if they do.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Lemurs are endangered, so if you put the collar on,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01you can count how many are in an area,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04and know how well the population's doing.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06The team are going to have to use
0:08:06 > 0:08:09the old-fashioned method of finding the lemur by sight.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11It may be a long day!
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Over in Raina's team, things are looking up.
0:08:17 > 0:08:1815 metres up, in fact!
0:08:18 > 0:08:20- And it's jumped. - Whoa!
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Yeah, now you can see it.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28This is a black-and-white ruffed lemur.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31It's a special moment for everyone.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36There's another... I think that one from over there is up there now.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Yeah, I can see the collar from here.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44The bit sticking up from the lemur's head is the radio collar.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It's been put on the dominant animal in the group,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50so they can track the whole family.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54It also means that this lemur is a big cheese in his world!
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Imagine being so high up, would be so, like, cool just...sitting up
0:08:59 > 0:09:01in one of the tall branches.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04That's a rebel, that one.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- Going upside down. - Looks like a sloth!
0:09:09 > 0:09:12The team are starting to realise just how lucky they are.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I feel privileged to be able to see one in the wild,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17cos they're getting more rare.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20No, I'm really interested in seeing more lemurs.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25It's like a once-in-a-lifetime thing to be here and look at them.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27It's quite cool that we've, like,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31us four, have got to see these really cool lemurs.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36How you doing guys?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Across the forest, the Bamboo team
0:09:38 > 0:09:40have also had their perseverance rewarded.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- That's a lemur just up there. - Oh, my God!- See, just up there?
0:09:44 > 0:09:49That's one of our animals - a greater bamboo lemur.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52There's a lemur just...just in front of us!
0:09:52 > 0:09:54This is one of the rarest primates,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and they're just sitting in a tree just there.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00That's pretty special.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Unfortunately, it's not the lemur who lost his collar,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06but it doesn't make the moment any less extraordinary.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Come in here, you see the head?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15This is pretty special, seeing this.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Very privileged.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24But it's a privilege that might not be around for much longer.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Why are lemurs so rare?
0:10:26 > 0:10:30The habitat they live in is being encroached by human population.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33They live in forests, so their habitat is ever shrinking
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and therefore their population is shrinking.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42So is it going to be a problem that 95% of the lemurs' diet is bamboo?
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Yes. People are chopping this down for agricultural use because
0:10:46 > 0:10:49human population, ever expanding, if the bamboo goes, they go.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Yeah.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52So it's pretty dire,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56the things that are going on with lemurs in Madagascar.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57And it's this dilemma
0:10:57 > 0:11:01that's the root cause of the lemurs' possible demise.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It's kind of a battle between the lemurs and the humans
0:11:05 > 0:11:11and right now we don't really know who's going to win it.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15But I think we should try all that we can to help them
0:11:15 > 0:11:18because they're just... they're amazing
0:11:18 > 0:11:20and this place is amazing
0:11:20 > 0:11:27and it's really sad that it's in so much trouble right now.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32It'd be amazing to grow up here.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Steep steps.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38But to work out a plan to change this,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42the team need to understand the issue from both sides.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Their guide Hery has offered to take some of them to his nearby village
0:11:45 > 0:11:49to show them one of the biggest reasons forests are cut down.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Rice.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Rice is grown in flooded fields called paddies,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and is the main food source
0:11:57 > 0:12:00for the 20 million people living in Madagascar.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05Forests have been chopped down to make way for these paddy fields.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11This is Hery's rice paddy field, which he farms to feed his children.
0:12:11 > 0:12:12He wants to show the team
0:12:12 > 0:12:15that it's not just hard for the wildlife to thrive,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19it's also really difficult for families to get by too.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Everyone has to dig in.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25How long does it take him to grow all of the rice?
0:12:25 > 0:12:28SHE TRANSLATES
0:12:30 > 0:12:33How much rice do you get from a field this size?
0:12:33 > 0:12:37SHE TRANSLATES
0:12:52 > 0:12:55And that's only just enough rice to feed his family,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57without any profit on top.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Can you imagine if you had to put in this much effort
0:13:03 > 0:13:04to get dinner on your plate?
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Time for our kids to get stuck in and find out.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15The field has to be ploughed,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18but with no machinery, it's got to be done by hand.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Come on, Charles.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Imagine how that boy has to do it every single day
0:13:26 > 0:13:31for like a hour on his own and we're just helping out, so...
0:13:31 > 0:13:35I'll try and work as quickly and efficiently as I can.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44We have to do so much for like not even that much food
0:13:44 > 0:13:48and it's like more effort than what you get in return.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51It's really difficult.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55But, I mean, if they can do it then we can like give it a go.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09Back home in Yorkshire, Raina is just as tenacious.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14I'd describe myself as quite determined and motivated because
0:14:14 > 0:14:18I don't give up easily and I like to keep going and get the job done.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21This is a girl that likes to keep herself busy.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26In my spare time I do netball, football, hockey, rugby,
0:14:26 > 0:14:32ice skating, swimming, dancing, singing and acting...and that's it.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Wow!
0:14:33 > 0:14:38But even Raina hasn't been able to keep up with the tough job
0:14:38 > 0:14:39of tending the rice paddy.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Every time my finger went across it it rubbed
0:14:42 > 0:14:46so it took the skin off and now it's sort of stinging.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49All of the team are finding that their time in Madagascar
0:14:49 > 0:14:50is harder than they expected.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54It's so thick mud and the heat makes it like ten times worse.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01But the hard work's not over. Back in the village, Hery's kids
0:15:01 > 0:15:04have to help their parents by preparing the raw rice husks
0:15:04 > 0:15:07they've picked from the field to be ready for cooking.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11There are no convenient supermarkets round here.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17So we're watching people pound the rice and then once they've
0:15:17 > 0:15:21finished pounding the rice, they put it on to a metal plate
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and search for stones and anything dirty
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and then she'll put it back into the pot
0:15:25 > 0:15:29to pound and pound and pound until she just gets white rice on its own.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Pounding the rice isn't as easy as it looks,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36but if Hery's kids don't do it, there'd be no food to eat.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49Okechukwu's having a go at pounding the rice but he's spilt most of it.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Compared to this, we've got an easy life.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Where they've got chores to do the rice,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57we don't have chores as hard as that.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02But despite this, Hery's kids still love to have fun, and they want to
0:16:02 > 0:16:05make sure that's the lasting memory the team have of their village.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13The two daughters have done a dance for us, just to say hello and that,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16just to please us, just for a bit of fun.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18It's quite funny.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- Are you going to join in?- I'll pass.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25She's such a good dancer and there's absolutely no way
0:16:25 > 0:16:29I could match her, especially in these wellies.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34But it seems that Okechukwu has brought his dancing boots with him.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:16:39 > 0:16:42I think I might go and join him.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Oh, yeah!
0:16:53 > 0:16:56LAUGHTER
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The team have realised that maybe these kids are just like them,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06just a little bit better at dancing.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07I'm not as good as him.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09That was so much fun.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Didn't even know your hips moved like that. That was impressive!
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- He's still going, man. - He was like, "Yay, go for it!"
0:17:15 > 0:17:19But it's making them more confused than ever.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Back at camp, Henry's starting to realise that their mission here
0:17:23 > 0:17:24isn't going to be simple.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29The problem is you can either save the rainforest and the lemurs
0:17:29 > 0:17:33or save the people, you have to make the right balance.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Cos they need all the trees, they need to cut it down and things
0:17:36 > 0:17:40so that they can grow their own food, so that they can survive.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43But in doing so, that endangers the forests and the lemurs.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49But if we try and save one, the other will have a hard time of it.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52It is all quite complicated, yeah.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- Night, guys.- Good night!
0:17:58 > 0:18:01With the odds so stacked against the lemurs,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05the team have decided that they need to do something practical to help,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and as there's a lemur in the forest with a missing collar,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10there's a real opportunity to make a difference.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12They're joining back up with the conservation team,
0:18:12 > 0:18:17and lemur expert Suzie has a vital role for them.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21OK, so what we're going to do today is the dart team is going to
0:18:21 > 0:18:24dart some lemurs, we're going to collar them with radio collars
0:18:24 > 0:18:27so we're able to track these animals.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Will we get to hold the lemurs?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Yes, we're going to have to all put gloves on.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36While the specialised darting team go off to catch the lemurs,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39the kids stay in camp, and it gives them a chance to
0:18:39 > 0:18:42think about getting close to one of the world's rarest primates.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- What do you think we're going to be doing?- Collaring it.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48- Yeah, we're putting a collar on it. - Measuring it.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51I can't believe that I'm going to get that close to a lemur
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and be able to... It's a wonderful opportunity.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56It's really exciting,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59but I'm quite nervous cos I've never seen a lemur up close,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02but I think it's going to be really exciting.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04VOICES ON RADIO
0:19:08 > 0:19:11We know the lemurs are coming so we're getting ready,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13putting gloves on so we're ready when they come.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16- Give us a two-minute warning. - Gloving up.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Oh, here they come, here they come!
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I see it, I see it! Aw, that is the cutest thing!
0:19:21 > 0:19:25That is the cutest thing in the world.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27First up is Raina's team.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28It's looking at me!
0:19:28 > 0:19:31This dazzling creature is a black-and-white ruffed lemur.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35- Look at it breathing, look. - Yep.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39It looks like a toy - a cuddly toy.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41It doesn't look real.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45The lemur's sedated, so Suzie can check the radio collars,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47and it may look strange seeing them like this,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49but it's vital for collecting information
0:19:49 > 0:19:52that might help save the species from extinction.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Wow!
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And Charlie's team soon get their chance too...
0:19:57 > 0:19:58Oh, God, we've got one.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03..with this greater bamboo lemur that their guide Hery has darted.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Unfortunately, it's not the one with the missing collar,
0:20:06 > 0:20:08but she still needs a check over.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09It looks like you, Charlie.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17When we've seen them, they've been up trees,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21it seems a bit surreal to see one on a table.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23It's interesting though.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29First up, they need to check and replace the radio collar.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35This is the old collar and it's all frayed like this
0:20:35 > 0:20:39because some of the other lemurs have groomed the collar.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43It's no wonder they're nibbling the collars away - look at those teeth!
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Oh my gosh! Those teeth are impressive.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47You see these...
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Lemurs have this, the front teeth are fused together
0:20:50 > 0:20:52and that is for grooming.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59This wondrous lemur is unusual amongst primates.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Females don't carry their babies like most other lemurs do,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06but leave them in nests made of leaves and twigs.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08They're vegetarians, and are brilliant at spreading seeds
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and pollen across the rainforest,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13helping to grow the next generation of trees.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16But sadly the lemurs live in habitats that are
0:21:16 > 0:21:20highly desirable sources of wood for local populations
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and that means these beautiful critters
0:21:23 > 0:21:25are now seriously endangered.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28With the radio collar back on,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31hopefully this little fellow will be safe in the forest.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32Feel their thick fur.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36It's soon really clear why it's so important that Suzie
0:21:36 > 0:21:39and her team are able to track these lemurs.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43So we know that she's had this bad eye for some time,
0:21:43 > 0:21:48because they monitor the lemurs and they said this is
0:21:48 > 0:21:52an old injury from her fighting with other bamboo lemurs.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Without monitoring, an injury like this might mean the lemur
0:21:56 > 0:21:57wouldn't survive.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- It feels so soft. - Oh, look, she's awake.- She's not.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03When there are less than 500 left in the whole world,
0:22:03 > 0:22:04that would be a disaster.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09After the lemurs are weighed...
0:22:09 > 0:22:113,570.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14..and the last of the data is recorded...
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Look how big his tail is.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19..it's time to release them back into the jungle.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23But first, both teams are getting an incredibly special treat.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25How about you, Eilidh?
0:22:25 > 0:22:27OK, so we want to kind of hold her...
0:22:30 > 0:22:34And you can feel her ribs moving as she breathes.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39I never thought that I would get to be this close
0:22:39 > 0:22:41to one of the most endangered primates in the world.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51It's really bad that these guys are like critically endangered
0:22:51 > 0:22:54cos it's...it's good for lots of people to see them
0:22:54 > 0:22:57like we've seen them cos they're amazing creatures.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01I can't stop smiling.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Aw, she's hugging you!
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- That is cute.- Have you ever been hugged by a lemur before?
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Can't say as I have.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17With the cuddles done, it's time to release the lemurs,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20but there's an urgent radio call from the dart team.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23They've found a lemur without a collar.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26But it does have an identity chip implanted under its skin.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31473...44761J4.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Charlie's got his suspicions about this lemur's origin.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39I was just thinking, this one hasn't got a collar on it so that suggests
0:23:39 > 0:23:42that it hasn't been caught before, they're still being chipped
0:23:42 > 0:23:43but we found the collar
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and it had been like ripped off so I just thought,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51you know, it adds up that this could be the one that it came from.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Re-collaring the lemur is brilliant for the conservationists,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56as they can now keep an eye on him
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and it's great for our team to have left a lasting legacy.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Good job, guys.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08So now we're just going back.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Once they've recovered from the drugs we'll go back and release them
0:24:12 > 0:24:14back into the tree they were shot from.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19This is what it's all about.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22These majestic animals are meant to be in the wild,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and it's quite a moment for everyone.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Aw!
0:24:40 > 0:24:41Bye!
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- He's giving him the evils. - It is, isn't it?
0:24:51 > 0:24:53- Wow.- Aw!
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Whoa!
0:24:58 > 0:24:59Until next time.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04He's going to poo!
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Look, there's another one.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Oh, yeah, I can see it.
0:25:08 > 0:25:09Ah, this is so cute.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14He's making some strange noises.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18You have to look, there's one coming from there.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23The re-collared bamboo lemur is back where he belongs,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and he'll help the conservationists in their fight
0:25:26 > 0:25:29to save the rainforests.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38- Is he just getting his bearings and then he goes off?- Mm-hm.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40To see the lemur that we've tagged and everything,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44run off back to its natural habitat is really cool.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Bye, lemurs.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54It's been an inspiring few days for the team,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and as night falls across Madagascar,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01they're determined to find a way to save the magnificent rainforest.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04It's going to be a really, really difficult problem to sort out
0:26:04 > 0:26:06but we have to try.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10But I think we need to, like, tell them to replant them and things.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12I think that is the solution, actually.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15- Like you was saying, just take one tree, add another.- I think it is.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19But that's what they don't, like, realise or know at the moment.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21That's just what we need to keep saying.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25It's hard, though, cos that's like their way of life
0:26:25 > 0:26:29and at the same time we can't just, you know, show in over here
0:26:29 > 0:26:33and say, "Don't chop down that, don't do this."
0:26:33 > 0:26:35You can't just go up to people and say to them,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38"You're doing this all wrong, you've got to do it this way,"
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and not explain why. Like in the schools, teaching them
0:26:41 > 0:26:46because in the future they'll think twice before they destroy something.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Those kids, they're the future generation of Madagascar
0:26:50 > 0:26:54and if we teach this to them, they'll teach it to their kids
0:26:54 > 0:26:58and soon the entire population of this entire country
0:26:58 > 0:27:00will be thinking, you know,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04"We've got to look after this, we can't let our country be destroyed."
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Next time on Mission Madagascar...
0:27:09 > 0:27:12It's a lemur...in disguise!
0:27:12 > 0:27:15The adventurers are on the hunt for bats.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16Oh, wow!
0:27:16 > 0:27:18There's tension in the team.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20ALL TALK AT ONCE
0:27:20 > 0:27:22No, I'm just putting this bit in first.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27And after shocking news, things will never be the same.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Really sad cos we've got to say bye.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- ALL:- Ohhhhhhh, Madagascar!
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd