0:00:07 > 0:00:10Millions of us love watching the world's wildlife
0:00:10 > 0:00:12behaving in strange and wonderful ways.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22But what lies at the heart of these extraordinary behaviours?
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Can science explain what's really going on?
0:00:31 > 0:00:34The latest research from all around the world is increasing our
0:00:34 > 0:00:39understanding of animal emotions, relationships,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43intelligence and communication faster than ever before.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45ROARING
0:00:47 > 0:00:51I'm Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and I've teamed up with wildlife experts
0:00:51 > 0:00:56to travel the globe in search of the most surprising animal stories.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57There, there, there.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Look at them.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Using the very latest camera technology,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06we'll reveal how and why animals do such remarkable things.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And we'll meet the scientists...
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Let's go through here.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14..who dedicate their lives to understanding
0:01:14 > 0:01:16these extraordinary discoveries.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Tonight we're exploring the incredible world
0:01:30 > 0:01:32of animal intelligence.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36'I'll be in Florida to investigate a very unexpected relationship
0:01:36 > 0:01:40'between a dangerous predator and a gentle giant...'
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Oh, my goodness.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44'..which is overturning conventional views of these
0:01:44 > 0:01:46'creatures' intelligence.'
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Zoologist Lucy Cooke is in North America to find out
0:01:52 > 0:01:56how we may be making one smart city dweller even smarter.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03And biologist Patrick Aryee is in Cambodia to meet what could be
0:02:03 > 0:02:06one of the cleverest animals in the world.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07He's got it.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13But first, conservationist Giles Clarke is in Kenya
0:02:13 > 0:02:17with an animal whose intelligence we've long respected.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Just like us, animals can display
0:02:22 > 0:02:26different types of emotional intelligence.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30But can the largest animal on land
0:02:30 > 0:02:34feel one of the most sophisticated forms - empathy -
0:02:34 > 0:02:37the ability to understand another animal's feelings.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43To find out, I've come to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
0:02:43 > 0:02:45just outside Nairobi.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51For nearly 40 years, they've reared orphan elephants as herds
0:02:51 > 0:02:53so they can be released back into the wild.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00I'm here to see if a group of these orphans can show the empathy needed
0:03:00 > 0:03:02to save a very special baby.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13This is Ndotto, one of the latest arrivals at the orphanage.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16He's just a year old and has a special bond
0:03:16 > 0:03:18with head keeper Edwin Lusichi.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21So cute. Here he comes.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25He knows he wants to get some feed.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Oh, my God.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30Hello, beautiful.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35You can try. I can try?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38OK. He is such a good boy.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41That is a serious bottle of milk.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43How much milk do they get?
0:03:43 > 0:03:45He gets four pints every three hours.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I think you're finished, sweetheart. Finished.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Just look how tiny that trunk is.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54You can blow the trunk and that's
0:03:54 > 0:03:56how you get to make friends with them.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58How do you make friends with them?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01When you blow down the trunk, they get to identify your scent.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Really? You blow down their trunk?
0:04:03 > 0:04:05If they give it to you. OK.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07I can't just take it? No.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Sometimes if it's itchy we assist them.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Scratch inside.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14They feel comfortable sometimes.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Does that feel good? Is that like having a scratch?
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Yes, like having a scratch inside.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Ndotto has been looked after at the orphanage for 12 months.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28His blanket is designed to recreate the warmth he would get if he still
0:04:28 > 0:04:30had his mum at his side.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Just moments after his birth, Ndotto was found alone,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38confused and barely alive by local villagers
0:04:38 > 0:04:40who called in the team from the orphanage.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Ndotto was the smallest baby they've ever taken in
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and they didn't think he'd survive.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But he was a fighter and with their specialist care, he pulled through.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06A year later, Ndotto is fighting fit,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09but if he's ever going to make it back into the wild, it's crucial he
0:05:09 > 0:05:12starts spending quality time with the other orphans.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25Scientists now know that elephants live in sophisticated social groups.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It's thanks to their emotional intelligence
0:05:28 > 0:05:31that they have such a strong sense of community,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35a strict hierarchy and intricate ways of communicating.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40In the herd, it's the adult elephants that teach the babies
0:05:40 > 0:05:41this code of conduct.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48But there's a problem.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Ndotto thinks he's already in a herd,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55but that herd is made up of the humans that saved his life.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58This means he now prefers the company of people
0:05:58 > 0:06:00rather than his own kind.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05What is he doing, Edwin? He's just playing and enjoying being with us.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Just having the contact.
0:06:07 > 0:06:08Yeah, yeah.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Baby elephants, when you go down, you are a toy to them.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So they want to play? They want to play.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16They want to push you around. By pushing around, yes.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21Him coming to push is just sort of fun or play.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22OK. He's not charging you.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24No, no, he's not being naughty.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25Oh, here we go.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Pushing now? Yeah, he's going to...
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Whoops!
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Don't push.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Serious game.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39He's seriously strong.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42I'm trying not to push back.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48OK, OK, enough. Yeah, thank you!
0:06:48 > 0:06:49They are too strong for us.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50We give up for you.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57'Play is an important part of growing up, but Ndotto has no idea
0:06:57 > 0:07:01'that if he doesn't learn the rules of how to behave as an elephant,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05'he risks being shunned by the herd, which could be disastrous.'
0:07:05 > 0:07:11If an elephant is left alone that elephant can easily be stressed
0:07:11 > 0:07:14to death by loneliness.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Do you really think an elephant can die of loneliness?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Yes. I have seen it happen.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22They almost, like, give up the will to live?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Give up the will to live because they think
0:07:24 > 0:07:27they're all by themselves. They don't have anyone with them
0:07:27 > 0:07:29and they just die from a heart broken.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Ndotto cannot survive by himself.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36He needs the company of all the others.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44'Edwin and the team are hoping that a group of older orphans will come
0:07:44 > 0:07:48'to Ndotto's rescue and thanks to their extraordinary emotional intelligence,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52'they'll be able to understand what he's been through and teach him
0:07:52 > 0:07:54'what he needs to know.'
0:07:56 > 0:07:57Good boy.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00'Tomorrow, I'm really hoping that Ndotto will have the courage to bond
0:08:00 > 0:08:01'with the herd.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05'He'll face that challenge alone
0:08:05 > 0:08:08'but tonight, keeper Julia Shevega will sleep here too.'
0:08:10 > 0:08:12I'm going to say goodnight.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Yeah. Very sweet baby.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17High-five.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20You can blow. You can blow his trunk.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23He says goodbye.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Nice keeper, nice friend of ours.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Thank you so much. Thank you again, Giles.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35He loves you because you have got a feeling for him.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38That's good. Don't make me cry. Thank you, man. See you.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Thank you, bye-bye.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Giles will be back later in the programme
0:08:45 > 0:08:48to see if the other elephants will show Ndotto
0:08:48 > 0:08:52the empathy and encouragement he needs to become part of their herd.
0:08:59 > 0:09:047,000 miles away in Canada, zoologist Lucy Cooke is
0:09:04 > 0:09:08investigating if we could be making a smart animal even smarter.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15In their natural habitat, racoons are opportunistic omnivores.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19These guys can and will eat anything.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Many have ditched the countryside and followed their stomachs
0:09:23 > 0:09:26to come to our cities and get at our food.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Experts believe these urban raccoons are becoming more intelligent than
0:09:33 > 0:09:34their country cousins.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40So what's making these city dwellers smarter?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Raccoons may look adorable but these cheeky masked bandits are
0:09:44 > 0:09:49wreaking havoc in our towns and cities, raiding dustbins,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53digging up gardens and even setting up home inside our houses.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58In Toronto, the raccoon population is flourishing
0:09:58 > 0:10:01thanks to easy access to our leftovers.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Residents are resorting to the bungee cord in an attempt
0:10:04 > 0:10:07to make their bins raccoon proof.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Yet many are still waking up to find them trashed.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15For the last three years, Dr Suzanne MacDonald has been
0:10:15 > 0:10:19using night-vision cameras to study just how these raccoons
0:10:19 > 0:10:22are breaking into bins.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Fantastic to see how they're all just figuring it out.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27They are really smart, aren't they?
0:10:27 > 0:10:31These urban raccoons are working as a team.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32The bungee cord doesn't defeat them.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36They flip the bin and then stretch it to open the lid
0:10:36 > 0:10:40just wide enough for one lucky raccoon to get inside.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42The rural animals never did this.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Not one animal ever got into the garbage can ever,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50whereas about 80% of the urban animals figured it out.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Suzanne devised other tests and the results were the same.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58The city dwellers always came out top of the class.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I think they are street-smart.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02They know how to approach new things
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and to spend some time to figure them out,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06whereas the rural ones don't do that.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Why would they do that?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11They don't have to spend time figuring out human objects.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Fundamentally, us creating these cities and these new environments
0:11:14 > 0:11:16is sort of putting a wedge in the species
0:11:16 > 0:11:18and sort of causing a divide.
0:11:18 > 0:11:19That's what we think, yes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22So the raccoons that don't figure it out, they're not eating so much,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25they probably die, their genes don't get passed on
0:11:25 > 0:11:26to the next generation.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Unlike the smart raccoons,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31which are having lots of babies and their genes are being passed on.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35And that's how the raccoons here are evolving to be smarter.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37We keep one-upping each other and the end result
0:11:37 > 0:11:40is a smart little raccoon.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44In an attempt to outwit these resourceful raccoons,
0:11:44 > 0:11:49experts and the Toronto council have devised a new impenetrable bin,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53complete with lockable lid to foil these masked raiders.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57It may be stumping the nocturnal thieves for now,
0:11:57 > 0:12:02but if Suzanne is right, all it's doing is ensuring there will be even
0:12:02 > 0:12:04smarter raccoons in the future.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11But 1,000 miles away in Nassau in the Bahamas,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15I've heard of a seriously clever raccoon
0:12:15 > 0:12:17who's been making the headlines.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Beneath these sheets is a wild raccoon
0:12:21 > 0:12:24that's taken its relationship with humans
0:12:24 > 0:12:27to a whole new level of intelligence.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33This is Pumpkin. She's 13 months old and lives with Laura Young.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Laura's family found Pumpkin with a broken leg and nursed her back to
0:12:38 > 0:12:41health and although Pumpkin can return to the wild
0:12:41 > 0:12:47whenever she wants, she clearly prefers domesticated life with Laura
0:12:47 > 0:12:48and her dog.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54But why? Is this an example of a wild animal manipulating us
0:12:54 > 0:12:56to get what it wants?
0:12:56 > 0:12:57Do we shake hands?
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Yes, just let her smell you.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Hello. I'm shaking hands with a raccoon!
0:13:03 > 0:13:04Come on, Pumpkin.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08She loves eggs.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Any style, any way.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11But sunny side up is her favourite
0:13:11 > 0:13:14because of the yolk. Yeah.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17'It's becoming very clear why Pumpkin prefers living here
0:13:17 > 0:13:19'to the wild.'
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Raccoons are famously intelligent.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26What's it like sharing your home with such an intelligent animal?
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Every single day, it's a new adventure.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30She's always up to something.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33She's always trying to get into different things.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35She's always trying to open our doors.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Our entire house has to be baby proofed because of her.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42She's so intelligent and she's always figuring out
0:13:42 > 0:13:44new little things. Every day, there's something new.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47What's she doing now? She's so clever she's decided she wants
0:13:47 > 0:13:49to do some reading. Yeah.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51One of the things that she's taught herself to do
0:13:51 > 0:13:57is actually pee in the toilet. So she knows how to go up to it, pees,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59but she hasn't learnt how to flush it yet.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01So we'll see if that ever happens.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03She's definitely not boring.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Not at all. Every day, we're running after her. Yeah.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08It's like having a two-year-old permanently.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13'Just watching Pumpkin for a couple of hours and it's easy to see how
0:14:13 > 0:14:16'stimulated she is in Laura's house.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21'She wants to touch and sniff everything,
0:14:21 > 0:14:22'which can be a little bit scary.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27'Although Pumpkin has adapted superbly to this human world,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31'she still exhibits classic wild raccoon habits.'
0:14:31 > 0:14:35It is incredible to see close up how she uses those paws because they
0:14:35 > 0:14:37really are like human hands.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42She doesn't have opposable thumbs but she's got huge flexibility
0:14:42 > 0:14:44and extreme sensitivity.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47They've got an enormous amount of sensory receptors,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51more so than almost any other mammal and the part of their brain that's
0:14:51 > 0:14:54devoted to reading that information is hugely enlarged in a raccoon,
0:14:54 > 0:14:58so, effectively, they see through their hands
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and that's why you see them doing this extraordinary behaviour
0:15:01 > 0:15:03where, look, she looks away and feels.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Apparently, she's very possessive about her food.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11She makes these little... SHE GROWLS
0:15:11 > 0:15:15..noises and that means, "Back off, these are my beans."
0:15:17 > 0:15:22When you see Pumpkin's phenomenal dexterity combined with her ability to climb,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26it's understandable why Laura has had to tie up or completely remove
0:15:26 > 0:15:29all of the handles in her kitchen.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33You wouldn't want this lady around your best crockery.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40Most of the time, Laura's raccoon-proof cupboards seem to be working.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42But why should this bother Pumpkin?
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Thanks to her intelligence, she's assured that
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Laura will provide all her catering needs.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Only a super-smart animal has the ability
0:15:55 > 0:15:58to manipulate a human in this way.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05And just when you thought they couldn't get any cleverer,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08there's another one across the water in Florida.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10With three million hits on the internet,
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Roxy the raccoon has become a bit of a social media sensation.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15What are you doing?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Although this behaviour may simply look cute,
0:16:18 > 0:16:23what's truly remarkable is it could be evidence of tool use in a raccoon,
0:16:23 > 0:16:29which is normally associated with the most intelligent animals of all - primates.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31She gets a rock and knocks on my door.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Roxy using a stone to call for her dinner suggests just how clever and
0:16:35 > 0:16:38manipulative this wild animal has become.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47The behaviour of Toronto's raccoons and the antics of Pumpkin and Roxy
0:16:47 > 0:16:51help to prove that wild animals become more intelligent
0:16:51 > 0:16:53when they master human environments.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Next, we're staying in Florida, where I'm up early and out on the water.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Today, I'm hoping to catch up with a creature that I've wanted to meet
0:17:05 > 0:17:07ever since I read about it as a small boy.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13I'm in Blue Spring on the St Johns River.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18What a beautiful place. It's just astonishing.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Here, researchers have captured on film some extraordinary animal
0:17:22 > 0:17:26behaviour that's astounding the scientific community.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33This is the home of the manatee, or sea cow,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36a gentle, docile vegetarian.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40These graceful marine mammals have relatively small brains
0:17:40 > 0:17:42compared to their massive bodies.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Which is why they've never been considered to be
0:17:47 > 0:17:48the brightest of sparks.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53But now that's changing.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58This is just magical.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Absolutely magical.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Manatees' eyesight is poor,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07so they rely on their other senses to perceive the world.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10They not only have incredibly sensitive whiskers,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14but scientists have discovered that the hairs which cover their whole
0:18:14 > 0:18:18bodies make them super-sensitive to their surroundings.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24The manatee's closest relative is actually the elephant,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28a famously intelligent and maternal animal.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32And like elephants, female manatees share nursing duties with each other.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38In winter, hundreds of manatees come to keep warm in this creek,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41which is fed by a thermal spring.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Today, that annual trek is well underway.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50This is amazing. I am completely surrounded by manatees left, right,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53underneath us. They're just beautiful.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59But it's their extraordinary behaviour towards a dangerous predator that
0:18:59 > 0:19:03also visits the creek which is amazing scientists and making us
0:19:03 > 0:19:07change our opinion on just how smart manatees could be.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17You'd think that going head-to-head with a dangerous predator like this
0:19:17 > 0:19:19could end up getting messy.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26But this footage appears to show a manatee deliberately nuzzling an alligator.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Perhaps this seemingly reckless act isn't quite as foolhardy as it looks.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36So what could be behind this bizarre behaviour?
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Manatee expert Dr Roger Reep has a theory.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42I think what it's telling us is that manatees are very interested in
0:19:42 > 0:19:45exploring their environment and finding out what's in it.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47That they have curiosity
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and they are not threatened by novelty,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54very much like we like to think of ourselves.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57We're very impressed by quick moving creatures like a hawk
0:19:57 > 0:19:59or something like that, or a predator.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02We're less impressed, in terms of what we think
0:20:02 > 0:20:05cleverness or intelligence entails, by a mammal,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07in this case a manatee, that's slow-moving.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Those are the animals we kind of consider boring or stupid.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15'Roger thinks the water temperature of the creek may hold the key
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'to these remarkable encounters.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21'It's warm for the manatees but relatively cold for the alligator.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:26We tend to think of alligators as vicious predators,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30but one of the things about this environment is that because it's spring fed,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34the water's colder than alligators usually prefer, so they rest a lot.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41'Because the alligators are colder, they're less active than usual.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45'It's almost as if the manatees know that the chilled out alligator isn't
0:20:45 > 0:20:48'a threat. And instead of ignoring or avoiding them,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51'the manatee seems to be playing with them.'
0:20:53 > 0:20:57So there's lots of manatees and this alligator doesn't seem to bother any of them.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59And there's one right beside it.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I mean, you know, this is a very peaceful coexistence.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05No sense of any problem between the two.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Not at all.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Look, here we've got a baby.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10He's got his flipper around the alligator.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12He's cuddling him with a flipper.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14And the alligator doesn't care a bit.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18And that's a size that he could almost munch. Maybe.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22'All the most intelligent animals on the planet, like great apes
0:21:22 > 0:21:27'and dolphins, demonstrate curiosity and playfulness.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29'And if that's what's happening here,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33'then clearly we need to rethink our view of the manatee.'
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Pretty remarkable.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Here it comes again. Here it comes.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43It's almost like it's deliberately turning round to
0:21:43 > 0:21:46offer its tail to the alligator. They're coming very close again.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Very close. Just teasing it with his tail.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52That must have created a great swoosh of water over the alligator's nose.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56It does. It does. That's very deliberate behaviour, isn't it?
0:21:56 > 0:21:58It certainly looks that way.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04There's further evidence of the manatee's intelligence in this new footage
0:22:04 > 0:22:08in which one appears to be using a piece of wood to scratch itself.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14This manatee is clearly manipulating the wood with his flippers,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18suggesting these creatures could be capable of using tools.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22A behaviour associated with indisputably smart mammals
0:22:22 > 0:22:24like primates and dolphins.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30The fact that the manatee is a really big animal with a tiny brain doesn't make it stupid.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Not at all.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37'Roger thinks that the best way to appreciate the manatee's true character
0:22:37 > 0:22:41'is to get in the water with them, as he's been doing for over 30 years.'
0:22:42 > 0:22:46'He's brought me to Crystal River, and I'm relieved to hear that the
0:22:46 > 0:22:50'manatee's alligator playmate isn't expected to make an appearance.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54'I'm hoping they'll play with me instead.'
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Look who we have here.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00We've just anchored the boat and this fellow's come to say hello.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08'Once we're in the water, the manatee's super-sensitive body hairs
0:23:08 > 0:23:12'sense our presence and their curiosity kicks in.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14'They approach and begin to play.'
0:23:14 > 0:23:19I've got two of them right underneath me now and they're both nuzzling my legs.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Just bumping me now.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Very playful, just nudging.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27It's just the most fantastic feeling.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32'Being in the water with them gives me a real feeling that manatees
0:23:32 > 0:23:33'are far smarter than they look.'
0:23:37 > 0:23:39I've just had my toes tickled by a manatee.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44And it keeps turning round and round and again and again.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47And there's absolutely no doubt that he wants to play.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49We are playing. There's no other word for it.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55'It's been a privilege to join Roger in the manatees' world as science is
0:23:55 > 0:24:00'revealing just how intelligent this gentle underwater giant really is.'
0:24:03 > 0:24:08We shouldn't underestimate any of the animals that we share this planet with.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11But I certainly won't be thinking about manatees again
0:24:11 > 0:24:14without heaps of respect and admiration.
0:24:16 > 0:24:22From the warm springs of Florida, we're heading 10,000 miles to Cambodia
0:24:22 > 0:24:27where Patrick Aryee is discovering that there may be a new brainbox on the block.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36When it comes to understanding animal behaviour,
0:24:36 > 0:24:40intelligence is one of the areas that fascinates us.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44And scientists are constantly looking at new species.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48This adorable creature is a sun bear cub.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And she's appropriately named Sunbeam.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Sun bears are native to south east Asia and they are the smallest of all bear species.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01But what makes them really special is that they have the largest brain
0:25:01 > 0:25:04relative to their body size of any carnivore on land.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06So I want to find out just how smart they are.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12I'm in the far south of Cambodia, at the Free The Bears sanctuary.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17Over the last 18 years, the team have rescued nearly 200 bears
0:25:17 > 0:25:19from the illegal wildlife trade.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Experts here believe the sun bear needs to be smarter than
0:25:24 > 0:25:28the average bear to survive in the Asian rainforest.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33I want to put this theory to the test and see how bright they really are.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35BEAR GROWLS
0:25:35 > 0:25:37I can hear one of the sun bears growling.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39It's not a good sign, is it?
0:25:39 > 0:25:45'Sanctuary director Nev Broadis is going to give me an insight into this amazing species...'
0:25:46 > 0:25:47Hello.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49'..and help test their intelligence.'
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Alfie. This is Alfie.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Hi, Alfie. He's a little over a year old.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The one thing that I immediately notice is
0:26:01 > 0:26:04that magical looking golden bib.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06That's where he gets his name, the sun bear, from.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09It looks like the sun when he stands up.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16He absolutely adores honey.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Is that something he'd eat naturally in the wild?
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Yeah. This is a once in a blue moon opportunity to come across
0:26:22 > 0:26:24a nice big bees' nest full of honey.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29A 25 centimetre long tongue and massive claws for climbing are
0:26:29 > 0:26:35a few of the adaptations the sun bear has to help it find food in the rainforest.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39But above all, they need to be very resourceful.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And researchers believe this is why they're so good at solving problems.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49To test the sun bears' intelligence, we're going to set them three classic
0:26:49 > 0:26:51intelligence tests.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56If they pass all three, they could be in the same league as primates.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01First up, simple problem-solving.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Put some honey in there.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09'We fill the tube of tough bamboo with honey.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14'It's too far down for a sun bear to reach with its tongue and hidden by vegetation.'
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Let me just chuck that in there.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Rani.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23'If Rani can work out where the honey is first, and then figure out how to get to it...'
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Come on, Rani.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29'..she'll show that she can think ahead to imagine the outcome of her actions.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34'It's a mental process that so far has only been seen in apes and some birds.'
0:27:34 > 0:27:37She should be able to smell the honey in there, right?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39That's right.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45She'll leave her greens till last.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47She'll probably pull those out.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Honey's what she's after.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Yeah, too deep for her tongue. Whoa!
0:27:56 > 0:27:57Literally one bite.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04'Rani has cracked our first problem-solving test.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08'She's worked out that the smell of honey came from inside the bamboo...
0:28:10 > 0:28:16'..and by using her jaws and claws, she could break it open and reach her tasty prize.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19'But do sun bears have the brains to match their brawn?
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'To find out if they could be in the same league as
0:28:24 > 0:28:27'better-known brainboxes, like the great apes,
0:28:27 > 0:28:33'we need to up the stakes with some more taxing tests that baffle most animals.'
0:28:35 > 0:28:40'The second intelligence test centres on something called object permanence,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44'which is the ability to understand that an object still exists
0:28:44 > 0:28:46'even though it can't be seen.'
0:28:49 > 0:28:52So what we're going to do is let the bears into this viewing area,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56and once we've got their attention with some tasty bananas,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58we're going to hide them,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01just like this, underneath one of these buckets.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06We're going to show them that the other two buckets are empty.
0:29:07 > 0:29:08And hopefully...
0:29:11 > 0:29:12..they get the right one.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21It might sound easy, but scientists have shown that it's only the cleverest
0:29:21 > 0:29:25animals that would consistently identify the correct bucket.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29So can five-year-old Fortnam rise to the challenge?
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Ah, see, he's really interested now.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35So he can't simply sniff out his reward,
0:29:35 > 0:29:37all the buckets have been scented with banana.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44To pass, Fortnam must keep his eyes peeled to see which bucket the banana is hidden under.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48He's definitely seen it going in bucket one.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Once they lose sight of it, most animals will behave as if
0:29:51 > 0:29:53the banana no longer exists.
0:29:56 > 0:29:57Out he comes.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07It looks like he's going directly to bucket number one.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Nice.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Ding ding.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Do you think that he's actually remembering where it is?
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Yeah, sure, because he's not sniffing each of the buckets.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23He clocked which one had the bananas in it, went straight to it.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30Fortnam gets it right time after time.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31Bingo!
0:30:33 > 0:30:34He's done it.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39We, as humans, don't have this ability until we're over a year old,
0:30:39 > 0:30:43and experts believe that this skill has developed in some bears
0:30:43 > 0:30:46because of the challenges they face in the forest.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49I think it's got a lot to do with the environment.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Their territory is very large, they have to remember where fruiting trees are.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55They have to remember the seasons the trees will fruit,
0:30:55 > 0:30:57they have to remember where water sources are.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00So it does require a level of intelligence that
0:31:00 > 0:31:02perhaps you wouldn't find in a different landscape.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11My final and most demanding test is one that only the most intelligent
0:31:11 > 0:31:14animals, including great apes and dogs, can pass.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19This piece of tubing might look completely hollow from here,
0:31:19 > 0:31:25but actually there's a piece of Perspex that divides it into two halves.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Now, I'm going to put some food on this end,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31and this would stump most animals.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34It looks like you can reach the food, but actually, you can't.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38When they go in this end, they will continue to reach for the food
0:31:38 > 0:31:41despite the fact they can't actually get to it.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45It takes a brain with higher function, more intelligence,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48to realise that you can't get to the food on this end and, in fact,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50you have to go over to this side.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52It's a problem-solving task.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58To really make it difficult, I'm going to test it on little Alfie.
0:32:02 > 0:32:07This is our most challenging test, and at just 12 months of age,
0:32:07 > 0:32:11Alfie's clearly a long way from being a fully developed sun bear.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26At this point, most animals will continue to reach uselessly
0:32:26 > 0:32:29for the fruit before giving up entirely.
0:32:32 > 0:32:33Good boy.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Perfect. Look at that. Getting his head well in there.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Go on.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48He's got it.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53Well done. It's taken this clever one-year-old just a few minutes to
0:32:53 > 0:32:57solve a puzzle that baffles nearly every other species that's tried it.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02We're only now beginning to learn just how intelligent
0:33:02 > 0:33:05these bears are, and the results are extraordinary.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16If you were to think about the real top animal Einsteins,
0:33:16 > 0:33:20you'd probably list chimps, dolphins and dogs.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24But for me, at least, before coming here and meeting Sunbeam and Alfie,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27sun bears wouldn't have even come close.
0:33:27 > 0:33:33They have a level of intelligence which maybe we're yet to understand ourselves.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36But it seems like the key to being quick-witted might come down
0:33:36 > 0:33:39to where you live. To survive here, find food,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43avoid predators and actually even to complete the challenges that we set,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45it takes brains as well as brawn.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59New research isn't just revealing the intelligence of mammals like the
0:33:59 > 0:34:03sun bear, it's also leading us to question long held beliefs about the
0:34:03 > 0:34:07intelligence of a whole different group of animals, the reptiles.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13The idea that reptiles aren't particularly smart
0:34:13 > 0:34:16comes from research carried out in the 1960s.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23But new studies at Lincoln University by Dr Anna Wilkinson
0:34:23 > 0:34:27suggests the earlier experiments had overlooked a simple factor.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34She concluded that the reptiles were failing the intelligence tests
0:34:34 > 0:34:36because they were too cold to think.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41Reptiles are cold-blooded, which means that they have to use
0:34:41 > 0:34:43the environment to regulate their temperature.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45They can't regulate it themselves.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49If they're from the tropics, they need to be in a tropical environment
0:34:49 > 0:34:53in order to be able to respond, to move about, to do anything.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58Anna decided to give reptiles a chance to redeem themselves.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Using her pet red-footed tortoise, Moses,
0:35:01 > 0:35:06she heated the room to a balmy 28 degrees and she found that he could
0:35:06 > 0:35:10solve a food-finding test as well as a rat.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15To check that Moses wasn't a one-off animal mastermind, Anna tested more
0:35:15 > 0:35:18tortoises and they all passed with flying colours.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24But Anna isn't just raising the intellectual profile of tortoises.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29Recently, she turned her attention to a lizard known as the bearded dragon.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32What we wanted to do is test whether a totally different species had
0:35:32 > 0:35:36similar levels of intelligence to the tortoises, because if they did,
0:35:36 > 0:35:40then it might suggest that it's something which is general to many reptiles.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45Anna wanted to see if bearded dragons could demonstrate a gold standard of intelligence,
0:35:45 > 0:35:49learning by imitation rather than trial and error.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51If we're learning by trial and error, what we have to do is
0:35:51 > 0:35:53we have to try and do it, we have to fail,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57we then have to refine what we're doing and then we need to do that
0:35:57 > 0:35:59in a manner that then allows us to succeed.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03However, if we're able to imitate another animal,
0:36:03 > 0:36:07if we can see that animal doing it successfully and we can replicate
0:36:07 > 0:36:11that behaviour, then it's a much, much more efficient way of solving the problem.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16So Anna set up a simple challenge.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20She put tantalising mealworms on the other side of a gate that could only
0:36:20 > 0:36:23be opened by sliding it across.
0:36:23 > 0:36:29Using trial and error to work out how to open the gate can take the dragons hours.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32But Anna wanted to see if showing them a video of
0:36:32 > 0:36:36another bearded dragon solving the problem would help them.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Would they be smart enough to copy what they saw?
0:36:39 > 0:36:43The experiment needs a controlled subject, who's going to get
0:36:43 > 0:36:45a different version of the video.
0:36:45 > 0:36:46Meet Tom.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50What Tom is seeing is the gate sliding open,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54but he doesn't get to see another bearded dragon doing that.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58So he knows the gate opens and that there's food behind, but he doesn't
0:36:58 > 0:37:00get information about how to do it.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Anna then places Tom in the same set-up he's seen in the video.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10To open the gate, Tom will have to use trial and error.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13He's certainly fixated on his dinner,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16but it's on the other side of the sliding gate.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19For Tom, the task is too much.
0:37:19 > 0:37:24Although desperate to get to the mealworms, he just can't work out
0:37:24 > 0:37:27that he needs to stop pushing and start sliding.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29This could go on for hours.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33Anna then brings in Oscar,
0:37:33 > 0:37:37who's shown a video that does reveal the secret of success.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39What Oscar sees is,
0:37:39 > 0:37:42he sees another bearded dragon opening that gate
0:37:42 > 0:37:44and then the question is,
0:37:44 > 0:37:48can he use that information to open the gate himself?
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Oscar settles in to watch the movie where the hero dragon opens the gate.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00But will it help him solve the problem and get to the snack?
0:38:08 > 0:38:13An initial bout of head-banging suggests he's forgotten what he's seen in the video.
0:38:15 > 0:38:21But suddenly, Oscar makes a breakthrough and he's gulping down his grubby reward.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27He's copied the dragon in the video almost perfectly,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30using his front foot to slide the gate to the left.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36For the eight bearded dragons tested in this way, the results were the same -
0:38:36 > 0:38:40the dragons that didn't see the solution in the video couldn't
0:38:40 > 0:38:45do it, but the dragons that did were munching mealworms within seconds.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52Anna has clear evidence that they are solving problems by imitation.
0:38:52 > 0:38:58And now science is rethinking the extent of reptile intelligence.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01For a long time, we thought humans were the only species that were able to imitate.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Now we know that you can see it in other great apes and some primates.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08But to actually demonstrate this ability in a reptile was
0:39:08 > 0:39:11something which people thought could never be done.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Anna's exciting research overturns the view that reptiles
0:39:15 > 0:39:19are slow thinkers with limited intelligence.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24And these delightful dragons are changing the way we perceive the reptile world.
0:39:29 > 0:39:35As we learn more about animal intelligence, we're able to harness it and use it to our advantage.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40Patrick Aryee is still in south east Asia and now he's investigating
0:39:40 > 0:39:44how a surprisingly smart animal is helping to save lives.
0:39:46 > 0:39:47I'm in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52It's a beautiful country, but unfortunately it has another side.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57A history of conflict has left this region devastated by land mines.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Finding these land mines has relied on experts in body armour
0:40:03 > 0:40:06painstakingly sweeping with metal detectors.
0:40:06 > 0:40:12But it's estimated that five million deadly devices still litter the countryside.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21Removing mines is dangerous and expensive,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24but that's about to change.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29I'm here to meet a crack detection squad flown in specially from Tanzania.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34And these guys are totally unique.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41They're rats, which are known for their high intelligence
0:40:41 > 0:40:44and for having a sharper sense of smell than dogs.
0:40:47 > 0:40:52From a few weeks old, these rats have been trained to sniff out TNT,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55the explosive found in land mines.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59They're not your common urban rat but African giant pouched rats.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05They've already successfully detected thousands of mines in Africa
0:41:05 > 0:41:10and now Cambodia is hoping to deploy 16 of these extraordinary animals.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Theap Bunthourn, also known as Beatty, is the team leader.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Who do we have here, and why is she playing in this giant sandpit?
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Her name is Leila.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28We put her in this to train to find the land mines.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34'The team have buried three dummy land mines in the sandbox.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38'Each mine contains a minuscule trace of TNT.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42'That nose is always sniffing, smelling the area,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45'smelling the ground, sniffing the air.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47'Leila's handler, Mark Shukuru,
0:41:47 > 0:41:52'is using a wire attached to her harness to guide her systematically over the entire area.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56'And because of the tape measure from the guide wire,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59'Mark knows when she's above one of the deactivated land mines.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05'Mark's eyes are fixed on Leila as he waits for her to give him a signal.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10'But, of course, he doesn't speak rat.'
0:42:10 > 0:42:15When they sense the smell of TNT, she starts putting her nose into the air. Mm-hm.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20And then she starts to scratch.
0:42:20 > 0:42:26'When Leila scratches the ground like this, she's indicating she's found explosives.'
0:42:27 > 0:42:28CLICK
0:42:28 > 0:42:32You can hear the sound. So scratching on the ground, and we heard that click.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36'When she hears a click from Mark, she knows that she'll be rewarded with a banana or peanut.'
0:42:38 > 0:42:42'It's thanks to their intelligence that these rats can simply be
0:42:42 > 0:42:47'trained with food and a click so easily from a young age.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51'Over time, the handlers reduce the TNT concentrations that the rats are
0:42:51 > 0:42:57'exposed to until they can detect a mine buried 30 centimetres under the ground.'
0:42:57 > 0:43:01Isn't it unfair on these rats to be putting them in such danger?
0:43:01 > 0:43:03It is not because they are lighter,
0:43:03 > 0:43:05they cannot detonate any mine.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09It takes 5kg to detonate a land mine,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12but these rodents typically weigh in at just 1kg.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17'This is one of the key reasons why using Leila is considered to be
0:43:17 > 0:43:20'better than using a dog for this task.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23'But I still can't believe she's found one.'
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Can we actually see if she's getting this right? Yes.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29You're telling me this, but I want to actually see if it's true.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33I don't believe it just yet. You haven't got me just yet.
0:43:33 > 0:43:34THEY LAUGH
0:43:35 > 0:43:38So let's see if Leila got it right.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41'When a rat indicates a mine in the field,
0:43:41 > 0:43:45'disposal experts step in to carefully probe for the device.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50'This may be a dummy mine, but Beatty is showing me exactly how it's done in the field.'
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Where is this mystery item?, Beatty?
0:43:53 > 0:43:54LAUGHTER
0:43:54 > 0:43:56No, I think she might have got it wrong.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01Ah, OK, right, so we've got something.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07Wow, look at that.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09OK, now you see.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12This is the land mine. Gosh. Yeah.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16And that took her, what, five, maximum ten minutes.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18I think that's a job well done.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20Yes, sure.
0:44:20 > 0:44:26'Leila's proved that she's more than happy and able to pinpoint TNT in an isolated pit,
0:44:26 > 0:44:31'but out in the field, there'll be other smells that can confuse these rats.'
0:44:37 > 0:44:40'I've joined rat handler Shirima Vendeline,
0:44:40 > 0:44:44'who's putting this amazing animal through another stage of training.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47'Because it was raised in Tanzania, it needs a crash course
0:44:47 > 0:44:50'in the smells and sounds of Cambodia.'
0:44:51 > 0:44:52This is something completely new.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54There are new sights, smells.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58I can smell motorbikes, food, spices.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03'This is vital training to make sure the rats aren't distracted when searching for TNT.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08'Compared to us, these rats have 50 times the number of smell receptors
0:45:08 > 0:45:11'in their nose, so it's understandable that this
0:45:11 > 0:45:14'rat's whiskers have gone into overdrive.
0:45:15 > 0:45:20'As news spreads of the hero rats, many of the locals are seeing
0:45:20 > 0:45:22'what they once saw as vermin in a new light.'
0:45:22 > 0:45:26It's nice, yeah? Yes.
0:45:26 > 0:45:31'But not everyone is ready to get up close and personal with a kilo of rodent.'
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Do you want to say hello? Touch it. No?
0:45:35 > 0:45:37Hey!
0:45:40 > 0:45:43Walking through the market with this rat is...
0:45:43 > 0:45:46Everyone's reaction, the kids in particular, is so inquisitive.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48HE LAUGHS
0:45:48 > 0:45:51And it's the adults that are keeping their distance.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58Finally, it's back to rat boot camp for a well earned sleep.
0:46:01 > 0:46:07After 12 months of training, the hero rats are just weeks from active service.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11Beatty's main concern is that they never miss a mine.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15Just one mistake in the field could be potentially fatal for both rat and handler.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22Training in a sandpit is one thing, but it's vital the rats are used to
0:46:22 > 0:46:27working in a training field that more closely resembles the Cambodian countryside.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34And to make things more realistic, they've buried all kinds of things,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36including discarded metal objects,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39which you typically find in the ground next to mines.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43These objects would normally delay the process as a human team
0:46:43 > 0:46:47would have to stop and carefully dig them up, wasting valuable time.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50But how will the rats cope?
0:46:50 > 0:46:53So here you've also got other metal fragments.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57Yes, because we want to confuse the rats. Ah.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02The first decoy is a tin can.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06And it's right under her nose.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10But she's not fooled.
0:47:12 > 0:47:13Brilliant.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15How about when I'm at the reins?
0:47:15 > 0:47:18Will she still locate the dummy mine?
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Just not pull it hard.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Just guiding the rope slowly. Yeah, slowly.
0:47:23 > 0:47:24You concentrate on the rats.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28It's just like walking a dog, isn't it?
0:47:29 > 0:47:33Even with me in charge, Leila quickly goes to work.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38She's got that nose in the air.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Leila's scratching. That's a land mine.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44HE LAUGHS Well done.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46'Time for a nutty award.'
0:47:46 > 0:47:49There you go. Yeah.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53She's getting it right 100% of the time and she hasn't missed a single
0:47:53 > 0:47:55marker in this area that we're working in.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02It would take these rats about 15 or 20 minutes to search an area
0:48:02 > 0:48:08of 200 square metres, whereas it would take a human team five days.
0:48:08 > 0:48:09Yes. It's so amazing.
0:48:13 > 0:48:18These hero rats have already helped clear 13,000 land mines from
0:48:18 > 0:48:21Mozambique, rendering the country mine free.
0:48:25 > 0:48:32I hope that this tool can assist a lot in Cambodia so the people can get their lands...
0:48:32 > 0:48:35To get their lives back. Yeah, and their lives are better off.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37All because of one small rat.
0:48:37 > 0:48:38Yes, you are right.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46Here we have an animal that across the globe is seen as a pest,
0:48:46 > 0:48:48vermin, unsightly,
0:48:48 > 0:48:53but these giant African rats have become unexpected heroes.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56They are the ultimate sniffing bomb squad,
0:48:56 > 0:49:00and they do it all, quite literally, for peanuts.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12So far, we've seen that when it comes to animal intelligence,
0:49:12 > 0:49:16appearances can definitely be deceptive.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20We've discovered that we might be responsible for making smart animals
0:49:20 > 0:49:24even smarter, and we've seen that some animals' intelligence is
0:49:24 > 0:49:26closely related to their habitat.
0:49:28 > 0:49:34Finally, back in Kenya, Giles Clarke is about to witness a big day for a small elephant.
0:49:40 > 0:49:45For the past year, baby Ndotto has been cared for by his keepers at the elephant orphanage.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50But if he's going to survive back in a wild herd, he's going to have to
0:49:50 > 0:49:53learn how to live with other elephants.
0:49:57 > 0:50:03I'm here to see whether a herd of 29 older orphans can show a form of
0:50:03 > 0:50:07emotional intelligence, empathy, when they meet up with him.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14Will they give him the confidence he needs to leave his human carers and
0:50:14 > 0:50:17start his journey to become a wild elephant?
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Baby Ndotto is on his way to meet his new family.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Everywhere you look, there's just elephants walking through the bush.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40Ndotto's always preferred to spend his time with people.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48But keeper Edwin's convinced all that can change.
0:50:48 > 0:50:54Do we think that the other elephants are really going to be able to teach Ndotto what's needed?
0:50:54 > 0:50:57Yes. They are out, they will be able to teach him
0:50:57 > 0:51:01what is needed because they know he's an orphan as well, like them.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05The time has come. The orphans have arrived.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10For the plan to work, Ndotto will have to be brave enough
0:51:10 > 0:51:13to move away from his keepers and towards the herd.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16This is his big chance.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30The enthusiastic orphans seem keen to take on their pupil.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45Unfortunately, Ndotto doesn't want to join in.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57He keeps running off, so things aren't going to plan.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03He's always so determined to follow the keepers.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04Yeah.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08Edwin and the team are desperate to see Ndotto have the physical contact
0:52:08 > 0:52:10that the other orphans have with each other.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16That interaction, touching and playing
0:52:16 > 0:52:18is very important because they get
0:52:18 > 0:52:21to learn from one another and socialise with one another. OK.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25But despite everyone's efforts,
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Ndotto still wants to spend his time with us.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34Have time. Have your sweet time
0:52:34 > 0:52:36and play together very well.
0:52:36 > 0:52:37See you later.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39GILES LAUGHS
0:52:39 > 0:52:42Don't come with me. No.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43OK.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48After nearly an hour, it looks like there might be a breakthrough.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54Mbegu is a young female who, like Ndotto, has suffered.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00She was rescued from angry villagers who had killed her mother in front of her.
0:53:00 > 0:53:05In a wild herd, female elephants will look out for any youngsters.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08Mbegu seems to understand his needs.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10Her maternal instinct and empathy kick in.
0:53:11 > 0:53:13Mbegu is going directly to Ndotto.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16Yeah. Straight round, straight to him.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Maybe she knows he needs reassurance.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28To our amazement, this time Ndotto stays right where he is.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Mbegu tries to see the trunk,
0:53:35 > 0:53:38the rest of the body, touching Ndotto.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Just to reassure, just to reconfirm that all is OK.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49You can see Ndotto really leaning his head up against her back leg.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53You know, like, sometimes when a human child is with a mother,
0:53:53 > 0:53:57the baby or the human child will want to touch on somewhere
0:53:57 > 0:54:00on the mother's body, so that's what Ndotto is doing.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Experts are only beginning to understand how Mbegu
0:54:09 > 0:54:12is tuned in to what Ndotto is feeling.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19Do you think that Mbegu somehow knows the trauma that Ndotto has gone through
0:54:19 > 0:54:22in the past and that's part of the reason that
0:54:22 > 0:54:25she feels the need to embrace and take care of him?
0:54:25 > 0:54:29Yes. They tend to remember everything that happens
0:54:29 > 0:54:33in their lives and that's why Mbegu still knows
0:54:33 > 0:54:37or remembers what happened to her and her mother,
0:54:37 > 0:54:42and that's why she extends her love to the other orphans who come in,
0:54:42 > 0:54:45because she knows what they've gone through.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49Mbegu is showing a level of empathy scientists used to believe
0:54:49 > 0:54:52only humans were capable of.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03With Mbegu at his side, by the end of the day
0:55:03 > 0:55:06Ndotto is bonding with the other orphans.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13And he's learning to copy the way she pulls up the tastiest grassroots.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Although, he does have a little way to go!
0:55:35 > 0:55:38But Ndotto certainly hasn't lost his love of people.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42He's making good progress with Mbegu watching his every move.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50Mbegu has her ears up just as a little bit of a warning to me,
0:55:50 > 0:55:55just leting me know that I've got to be careful here with little Ndotto.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57OK. OK.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03But then I get that all-important signal that Mbegu trusts me.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18Thanks to Mbegu's extraordinary emotional intelligence
0:56:18 > 0:56:20and empathy for Ndotto,
0:56:20 > 0:56:23his journey back to the wild has begun.
0:56:29 > 0:56:35'Next time, we're investigating the mysterious world of animal relationships.
0:56:35 > 0:56:40'Patrick's in South Africa to discover how nature's undertakers are saving human lives.'
0:56:40 > 0:56:43This is quite intimidating.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46He probably can sense that. SHE LAUGHS
0:56:46 > 0:56:49'In Thailand Giles reveals the special bonds
0:56:49 > 0:56:53'that could help save one of the world's most endangered cats.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59'Lucy helps find a cure for the relationship problems of a very rare pig.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05'And I'm in Costa Rica to uncover the team-building rituals of
0:57:05 > 0:57:08'a very successful troop of monkeys.'
0:57:08 > 0:57:12Whoa! OK, that's called branch breaking,
0:57:12 > 0:57:15and that's definitely a sign of aggression.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18And that landed right on my head. Thank you.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52Planet Strictly to Sparkle - this is Mission Fabulous.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55It's your job to find this year's celebrities. Good luck.
0:57:55 > 0:57:56ELECTRONIC BEEPING
0:58:03 > 0:58:05'Sparkle welcomes you on board.'
0:58:05 > 0:58:06# Starlight