0:00:04 > 0:00:09Only one creature has carved a life for itself
0:00:09 > 0:00:12in every habitat on Earth.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14That creature is us.
0:00:16 > 0:00:22All over the world we still use our ingenuity to survive in the wild places,
0:00:22 > 0:00:28far from the city lights, face to face with raw nature.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This is the Human Planet.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50Mountains are among the most brutal environments on Earth.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58Weather here can shift from tropical to arctic in just hours.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05And the higher you climb, the tougher it gets...
0:01:07 > 0:01:10...until even oxygen is stripped away.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18But millions of people live in the mountains...
0:01:22 > 0:01:26...either seeking refuge from conflict
0:01:26 > 0:01:30or exploiting resources found nowhere else.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36And to survive they have had to adapt
0:01:36 > 0:01:40in the most surprising and ingenious ways.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45These are their stories.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47DRAMATIC MUSIC
0:01:52 > 0:01:54MEWING WHOOP
0:01:58 > 0:02:00GELADA BARKS
0:02:04 > 0:02:05SQUEALS
0:02:11 > 0:02:16WIND HOWLS AND GUSTS
0:02:25 > 0:02:30The Altai mountains in Mongolia are among the most remote on Earth.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38And for the people who live in this barren landscape,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42hunting is nearly impossible.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Unless you have help.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Sailau Jadik and his son Berik are Kazakhs.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59And today they're in search of the ultimate hunting partner.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03A golden eagle.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08TRANSLATED FROM KAZAKH
0:03:18 > 0:03:22These young birds are almost ready to leave the nest.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31If 16-year-old Berik can collect one, he will take his first step
0:03:31 > 0:03:34towards becoming a Kazakh hunter like his father.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37CHICKS CHEEP
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It's a big first step.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00EAGLE CHICKS CHEEP
0:04:15 > 0:04:20Ever since the Kazakhs fled into these mountains nearly 200 years ago,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23they have been stealing baby eagles.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Eagles have eyes many times more powerful than a human's
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and can spot prey two kilometres away.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42If Berik can teach this eagle to hunt for him,
0:04:42 > 0:04:48he will join the few hundred Kazakhs left who can still do this.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06Berik calls his new eagle Balapan.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12If he gets it right, Balapan will become his hunting partner.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19But training her will take five months.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38It's five months later, and time for Berik and a fully grown Balapan
0:05:38 > 0:05:40to go on their first hunt together.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47They're after a Mongolian fox,
0:05:47 > 0:05:53an animal so elusive, only an eagle stands a chance of catching it.
0:05:58 > 0:06:04But for Balapan to catch the fox, Berik first has to take her to high ground.
0:06:07 > 0:06:13Here she'll have the perfect vantage point to spot the slightest movement.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41BALAPAN CALLS
0:06:41 > 0:06:46Berik now hopes that Balapan's hunting instinct will take over.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56SAILAU SHOUTS
0:06:56 > 0:06:57WHOOPING
0:07:10 > 0:07:14MEWING WHOOP
0:07:26 > 0:07:27FOX GROWLS
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Balapan has failed.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43For Berik, this is worrying.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Does she have the killer instinct?
0:07:59 > 0:08:04Traditionally, Kazakh hunters pair up with their eagles for seven years
0:08:04 > 0:08:06before setting them free,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09but Berik now has his doubts.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10BALAPAN CALLS
0:08:37 > 0:08:41As day breaks, father and son return to the mountains.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47If Balapan can't catch a fox,
0:08:47 > 0:08:53Berik may have to let her go and find another eagle to train.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07SHOUTING
0:09:24 > 0:09:26MEWING WHOOP
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Balapan has caught the fox, just as she was trained to.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05She's now locked in a fight to the death.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12HORSE WHINNIES
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Sailau kills the fox as quickly as he can.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48According to Kazakh tradition, Balapan gets the fox's lungs.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56The fox's thick coat will be used for winter clothing.
0:11:00 > 0:11:06Berik has proved himself to be a successful Kazakh hunter.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29As long as they have lived in the Altai Mountains,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Kazakhs have relied on eagles.
0:11:34 > 0:11:40However, not all mountain people get help from wild animals.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45On the edge of Africa's Great Rift Valley,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50geological upheaval has created Ethiopia's Simien mountains.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56Here, giant cliffs form a natural fortress
0:11:56 > 0:12:01where for centuries people have sought refuge from conflicts below.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Getabit village is one of a hundred perched in a landscape so vertical
0:12:10 > 0:12:15that the residents can only grow their crops on tiny strips of land
0:12:15 > 0:12:17along the edges of cliffs.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20VILLAGERS SING
0:12:25 > 0:12:29But 700-foot precipices are the least of their worries.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Today their annual harvest is under way,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and their grain is under attack from a ravenous enemy.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42SHRIEKING
0:12:44 > 0:12:50These are gelada monkeys and they love stealing the farmers' grain.
0:12:52 > 0:12:59Troops of up to 600 prowl the cliffs surrounding Getabit village,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02led by males with fangs larger than a lion's.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07They are cunning thieves.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11To defend their crops against the monkeys,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14the cliff farmers depend on their children,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17such as 12-year-old Dereje.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26DEREJE WHOOPS
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Because the area is next to a national park, the gelada are protected.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11As night approaches, the geladas stop raiding.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22But Dereje's crops are ripe for harvest, and he knows that tomorrow
0:14:22 > 0:14:25the monkeys will attack even more aggressively than before.
0:14:25 > 0:14:31So, with his two sisters and brother, he camps by his fields.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58At night, temperatures plummet below freezing.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04While the thick-furred geladas have adapted to the cold,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07the humans must huddle together for warmth.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15At dawn, the geladas attack.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18GELADAS WHOOP
0:15:18 > 0:15:21DEREJE SHOUTS
0:15:21 > 0:15:24The first strike comes from a few large males,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27who target Dereje's haystacks.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30He drives them off,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34but the geladas are cunning - these males were only a decoy.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Out of sight at the other end of Dereje's fields,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46the main army launches the real attack.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52A big troop like this can strip a field in minutes.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05MAN CONTINUES TO SHOUT WARNING
0:16:17 > 0:16:19DEREJE SHOUTS
0:16:19 > 0:16:21If Dereje doesn't hurry,
0:16:21 > 0:16:26the food his family needs to get through the winter will be gone.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35GELADAS SHRIEK
0:16:42 > 0:16:44GELADAS SHRIEK AND BARK
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Dereje's done it. He's seen off the gelada.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Finally, his crops are harvested.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07THEY SING
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Dereje lives in the Simiens
0:17:30 > 0:17:35because his ancestors sought refuge here centuries ago.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39But in some parts of the world, people settle in mountains
0:17:39 > 0:17:45because this environment has something they desperately want.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51LOW RUMBLING EXPLOSIONS
0:17:51 > 0:17:56Mountains are born when continental plates collide.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03This massive upheaval often exposes a wealth of valuable minerals.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Nowhere more so than here in Indonesia,
0:18:08 > 0:18:13home to more active volcanic mountains than any nation on Earth.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Here, people risk their lives
0:18:25 > 0:18:29for a mineral vital to several important industries.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Sulphur.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Hartomo and Sulaiman are sulphur miners.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Today, they're going where few others dare.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Into the heart of an active volcano.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14This is Ijen crater, one of the most poisonous places on Earth.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19At its centre, a lake filled with
0:19:19 > 0:19:22two-and-a-half million tonnes of acid.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34And out of the depths of the mountain pour toxic gases
0:19:34 > 0:19:39that have claimed the lives of 74 miners in the past 40 years.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19The hydrogen sulphide that these men must breathe in
0:20:19 > 0:20:22is 40 times the safe level.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Over time, it destroys their lungs.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39THEY COUGH
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Once they have enough sulphur,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Hartomo and Sulaiman have to carry it
0:21:14 > 0:21:18200 metres straight up to the crater rim.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Each man hefts 90 kilos,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31nearly one-and-a-half times their own body weight.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40This work exacts a heavy price on the miners' bodies.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Sulaiman and Hartomo are paid five dollars per load.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25The lives of miners have always been hard.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29But it's not just miners who have it tough.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34For some mountain dwellers, just finding food can be a challenge.
0:22:37 > 0:22:43In the South Pacific lies the world's second largest island, New Guinea.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51This is one of the most biologically rich mountain landscapes on Earth.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57With plenty of water, and thousands of protected valleys,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00these mountains brim with life.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08Yet hunting for food, particularly meat, is surprisingly difficult.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Marcus, Andrew and George are hunters
0:23:19 > 0:23:22from the Yangoru Boiken tribe.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26They and their families haven't eaten any fresh meat for two weeks.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31But today they plan to solve the problem.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40They hope to trap giant fruit bats.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06But to catch a giant bat requires a giant bat trap.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12So these men are doing something radical.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15They're changing the shape of the landscape itself.
0:24:21 > 0:24:27Along this ridge, the men create a 70-foot wide doorway.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32A shortcut through the mountains to the fruit trees beyond
0:24:32 > 0:24:36and a perfect place to ambush the bats.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Like spiders, the men spin a gigantic web.
0:25:10 > 0:25:17In the dark, this 130-foot high net cannot be detected by the bats.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Only two things now remain.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Add the bat alert signal...
0:25:28 > 0:25:30BATS CHIRP AND SQUEAK
0:25:30 > 0:25:32...and pray the bats fly into their trap.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47MEN CHATTER QUIETLY IN LOCAL DIALECT
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Catching bats requires patience.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00In the past, Marcus has spent weeks on the mountain
0:26:00 > 0:26:02and come home empty-handed.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10But if he does manage to catch even a few, the effort will be worthwhile.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32BAT SQUEALS
0:26:57 > 0:27:01It's a good start, but with all the mouths to feed at home,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04they're going to need more than one bat.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13As the hours roll on, their trap continues to catch bats.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24In the course of the night, the men catch a total of 15 bats.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29They cook two now and save the rest.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Their haul will provide their families
0:27:35 > 0:27:37with enough protein for two weeks.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Every part of the bat is edible, down to the leather on the wings.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00For Andrew, Marcus and George,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03knowing every inch of their mountain habitat
0:28:03 > 0:28:06enables them to feed their families.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16But in colder climes, knowing every inch of your mountain
0:28:16 > 0:28:20can mean the difference between life and death.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28In the Swiss Alps, ten metres of snow can fall in a year.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40And for millions of skiers, this is a brilliant reason to come here.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51But heavy snowfalls can also pose a deadly threat.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Avalanches.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02ROARING RUMBLE
0:29:11 > 0:29:14Travelling faster than a bullet train,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18a major avalanche annihilates everything in its path.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22In any given winter,
0:29:22 > 0:29:26there can be 30,000 avalanches in the Swiss Alps alone.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Ski patrolman Martin Mathys is an avalanche spotter.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52And today he has a big problem.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59In his hometown of Grindelwald, there has been a massive snowfall.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02The risk of avalanche is now extreme.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Towering 1,000 metres above Grindelwald
0:30:38 > 0:30:41is the notorious Black Horn ridge.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47Packed with snow, it's a disaster waiting to happen.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52So Martin must set off a controlled avalanche now
0:30:52 > 0:30:54before any more snow falls.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15To set off a controlled avalanche, you need dynamite, plenty of it.
0:31:17 > 0:31:23Martin is taking 50 kilos, enough to blow up several city blocks.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Martin reaches the summit of the Black Horn ridge, and sets a charge.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21EXPLOSION
0:32:26 > 0:32:32He triggers a mini avalanche, shifting over ten tonnes of snow.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36But it's not enough. He needs to go again.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52EXPLOSION
0:32:54 > 0:32:57LOW RUMBLING
0:33:07 > 0:33:10This time, Martin succeeds.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15This is the avalanche he needs to make the mountain safe.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35High in the Alps, mountain people have learnt
0:33:35 > 0:33:40to control the threat of avalanches with modern technology.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46But there are mountains where the forces of nature cannot be tamed.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55The Himalaya is the highest mountain range on Earth.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01The world's tallest hundred mountains are all here.
0:34:08 > 0:34:13And within these peaks live 70 million people,
0:34:14 > 0:34:19many at altitudes that pose a threat to the human body.
0:34:25 > 0:34:30In the Doramba region of Nepal, the residents face an insidious threat.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39Dangerously high levels of harmful UV rays pierce the thin mountain air
0:34:39 > 0:34:41and burn people's eyes.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49And here in the village of Balau,
0:34:49 > 0:34:5365-year-old Teteeni has paid a heavy price.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56She's blind.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27Teteeni is determined not to let blindness interfere with her life,
0:35:27 > 0:35:32but simple tasks, such as fetching water, now take longer
0:35:32 > 0:35:34and can be treacherous.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Her blindness is caused by cataracts,
0:35:44 > 0:35:50a fogging of her lenses exacerbated by the intense mountain sun.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56But isolated here in the Himalaya,
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Teteeni has no access to medical treatment.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09Fortunately, an answer to her prayers may be just around the corner.
0:36:12 > 0:36:13From Kathmandu,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Dr Sanduk Ruit has pioneered a method of eye surgery
0:36:17 > 0:36:21that he brings to the remote corners of the Himalaya.
0:36:25 > 0:36:30His mobile clinic brings hope to thousands.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40And today, Teteeni is setting off to join them.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49She has arranged for the only transportation
0:36:49 > 0:36:52available to her in these mountains.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55A friend has offered to carry her
0:36:55 > 0:36:58ten kilometres to the Doramba clinic.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10While Dr Ruit's success rate is high, there is still a strong chance
0:37:10 > 0:37:14that Teteeni's eyes are too far gone to be saved.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18He makes no promises.
0:37:37 > 0:37:42Doramba's schoolhouse is now an improvised operating theatre.
0:37:46 > 0:37:53It takes Dr Ruit just half an hour to remove Teteeni's fogged lenses.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55He then replaces them
0:37:55 > 0:37:59with a synthetic lens he manufactures himself.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06In the West, this operation could cost 8,000.
0:38:08 > 0:38:14But, funded by charity, Dr Ruit doesn't charge his patients a single rupee.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21With surgery now complete, Teteeni can only wait.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41Just 24 hours after her operation, Teteeni joins hundreds of patients
0:38:41 > 0:38:47waiting to have their bandages removed, hopefully with her sight restored.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59For Teteeni, this is the moment of truth.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41THEY SING
0:39:41 > 0:39:46For the first time in three years, Teteeni can see.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29In the Himalayan foothills,
0:40:29 > 0:40:31modern medicine is helping prolong
0:40:31 > 0:40:34the lives of the people who live here.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44But, as you climb higher in these mountains,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47it's how to deal with death that poses a problem.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59At over 4,000 metres,
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Dho Tarap is one of the highest communities on Earth.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08BELLS TOLL
0:41:08 > 0:41:12Buddhists live here in almost complete isolation.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21And when someone dies at this altitude,
0:41:21 > 0:41:24dealing with the corpse is a real challenge.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32Last night, there was a death in the village.
0:41:35 > 0:41:3970-year-old Nombe-la passed away,
0:41:39 > 0:41:44and now his family are preparing his body for a Buddhist funeral.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55The man in charge of this funeral is Holy Lama Namgyal.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22Lama Namgyal needs to hold the funeral soon
0:42:22 > 0:42:27because Nombe-la's corpse could attract predators and spread disease.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34But when you live at the roof of the world, your options are limited.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Buddhists don't bury their dead.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49And at this altitude no trees grow, so there is no wood for a cremation.
0:42:53 > 0:42:59The solution is a sacred ritual older than Buddhism itself.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05A sky burial.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17To conduct the sky burial ritual,
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Lama Namgyal needs the help of a specialist.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27BHARMAY FURBA INTONES
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Bharmay Furba is the undertaker.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36As a non-Buddhist, he is the only one
0:43:36 > 0:43:40who is allowed to carry out this most difficult task.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08THEY CHANT, BELLS RING
0:44:08 > 0:44:13RHYTHMIC PERCUSSIVE BEATS
0:44:15 > 0:44:19The funeral procession heads an hour-and-a-half up into the mountains
0:44:19 > 0:44:23to a sacred ledge where sky burials have been performed
0:44:23 > 0:44:26for over 1,000 years.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32Here, they will rendezvous
0:44:32 > 0:44:36with the most efficient scavengers in these mountains.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40Vultures.
0:44:48 > 0:44:49For millennia,
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Buddhists in these mountains have relied on the griffon vulture
0:44:53 > 0:44:56and the lammergeier to help them dispose of their dead.
0:45:01 > 0:45:06These birds swiftly consume a corpse before it can spread disease.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12Buddhists see this as a sacred act,
0:45:12 > 0:45:16an offering that will sustain the life of another being.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26For them, Nombe-la's corpse is now an empty vessel.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32His soul has already migrated to another realm.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48Nombe-la's sons pay their final respects to their father.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56But they don't wish to be present for what is about to take place.
0:45:56 > 0:46:01Because for the vultures to consume Nombe-la's corpse quickly,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Bharmay must make it easier for them.
0:46:06 > 0:46:07RHYTHMIC BEATS AND BELLS RING
0:46:56 > 0:46:58HORN PLAYS
0:47:28 > 0:47:33Nombe-la's corpse is now gone and cannot spread disease.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31To survive in the mountains, you have to understand them.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42Mountain habitats can be brutal
0:48:42 > 0:48:48but if you use your ingenuity, determination,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51resourcefulness and courage
0:48:51 > 0:48:55it is possible to make a life here at the roof of the world.
0:49:13 > 0:49:19When the Human Planet mountains team filmed the Mongolian eagle hunters,
0:49:19 > 0:49:23their search for a fox was like finding a needle in a haystack.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Keeping up with the hunters also proved near impossible
0:49:26 > 0:49:29in the vast Mongolian landscape.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38The team are here to film Sailau and his son Berik
0:49:38 > 0:49:40hunting with their eagle, Balapan.
0:49:42 > 0:49:47Cameraman Keith Partridge last met Berik in June with his newborn chick.
0:49:48 > 0:49:53It's now November and bitterly cold - an ideal time for hunting,
0:49:53 > 0:49:57when wolves, foxes and rabbits all have thick winter coats.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00Unlike the wildlife,
0:50:00 > 0:50:04the old Russian trucks are not well adapted to the cold
0:50:04 > 0:50:07so the drivers devise a novel solution.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Keith opts for a different ride.
0:50:12 > 0:50:13The fact is
0:50:13 > 0:50:17that I haven't even ridden a donkey across Blackpool beach.
0:50:17 > 0:50:18And we've now got to go up there
0:50:18 > 0:50:20on one of these.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Does my horse have a name?
0:50:22 > 0:50:24They don't have names?
0:50:27 > 0:50:30The Mongolians have more than 300 words
0:50:30 > 0:50:33just to describe the horse colours.
0:50:33 > 0:50:34Wow!
0:50:34 > 0:50:39You know that to make it go, you slightly kick and you should say,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41- "Shu!" - OK, shall we follow Agii?
0:50:41 > 0:50:43Thank you.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45That's it. Shu!
0:50:45 > 0:50:47Shu!
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Shu!
0:50:50 > 0:50:54Eventually, Keith finds the gears and off he goes.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00After three hours, the trucks catch up,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03and Keith's only too happy to leave his horse behind.
0:51:03 > 0:51:04BALAPAN CHEEPS
0:51:06 > 0:51:07What does he think?
0:51:15 > 0:51:17- Except my nose? - HE CHUCKLES
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Is it too big?
0:51:24 > 0:51:27There you go, no frostbite!
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Keith heads off to test a small "eagle-cam",
0:51:33 > 0:51:37for which Sailau has made a harness.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42There are cameras that might give us a better picture quality
0:51:42 > 0:51:43but they're much bigger
0:51:43 > 0:51:47so we're playing this trade-off game all the time
0:51:47 > 0:51:49between practicalities and quality.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Anyway, we'll see how it goes.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Sailau's eagle seems
0:51:57 > 0:52:00to fly quite happily with the eagle-cam on her back.
0:52:00 > 0:52:05Encouraged by the first test, they use a heavier high-definition camera.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09This will be amazing if this works.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12We don't even know if the bird will take the weight.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15We might have overloaded the plane, so to speak.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25The eagle flies beautifully. Keith and the team head back to base,
0:52:25 > 0:52:29joining director Nic Brown to view the results.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30It's a very tense moment.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34The locals join in for a bird's-eye view.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38They've never seen their eagles quite like this before.
0:52:38 > 0:52:39- The hood's off!- Hood's off.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42Off we go. Whoa!
0:52:42 > 0:52:46- How small, my God. Really wild! - Look at his head!
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Wow, look at that banking round with the head.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58Wow! That's pretty wicked, isn't it?
0:53:00 > 0:53:01The next day,
0:53:01 > 0:53:06the crew follow Berik and his young eagle on their first fox hunt.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08The hunters shadow sweepers -
0:53:08 > 0:53:12men who flush the foxes out into the open.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16The team must constantly move from peak to peak
0:53:16 > 0:53:19to give the eagles the best chance of seeing a fox.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Sailau thinks that the fox might be hiding
0:53:22 > 0:53:26over these small mounds just behind these telegraph lines.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30He would like to go to one of those hills and wait there.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33It seems to make sense that we've got to head there.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Well, you'd better be fast, mate, cos he's just gone.
0:53:35 > 0:53:36There he goes.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38LAUGHING
0:53:39 > 0:53:44After packing up quickly, the film crew race after the hunters.
0:53:45 > 0:53:50But as soon as Keith starts filming, the plans seem to change yet again.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54Sailau's now moved off again so, er, time to go.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56We've only been here for two minutes.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00This set the pattern of the day.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04As Sailau and Berik move from peak to peak,
0:54:04 > 0:54:10so do the team, constantly playing catch-up in the thin, high-altitude air.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Finally, near exhaustion, they face a new problem.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18Where is Sailau?
0:54:19 > 0:54:21They call the director.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Nic, Nic. This is Keith, do you read? Over.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26'Hi, yeah, how are you?'
0:54:26 > 0:54:31We're on our third mountain range of the day so far and still no luck.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34'Which mountain range are you on now? Over.'
0:54:36 > 0:54:38If only we knew!
0:54:38 > 0:54:41Behind us are the really big peaks with no snow on.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43The terrain here is pretty wild, actually,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46and if anything's going to be lurking about,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49I think I'd want to hide around here somewhere.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52Something's in front of that telegraph pole. Is that a dog?
0:54:52 > 0:54:53Let's get the lens on it.
0:54:59 > 0:55:00It's not a wolf, it's a cow!
0:55:00 > 0:55:03I never said it was a wolf, I said it was moving.
0:55:03 > 0:55:04That is very true!
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Do I get the sense that delirium
0:55:07 > 0:55:11is beginning to set in on the third mountain range of the day?
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Would you like some chocolate bars?
0:55:13 > 0:55:19Agii, every day, just at the point where we are about to faint...
0:55:21 > 0:55:24You bust your teeth on them!
0:55:24 > 0:55:28I could ask you, Agii, if you could keep them somewhere slightly warmer!
0:55:34 > 0:55:36They set off yet again.
0:55:36 > 0:55:41Keith and the team are beginning to wonder if they'll ever film a hunt.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43But then, good news.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45We have seen a fox.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49It scarpered really fast down that snowy slope.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51The guys are over there at the moment,
0:55:51 > 0:55:53trying to see where it's hunkered down.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Once they're out on the snow,
0:55:55 > 0:55:58you can see them pretty easily cos it's a little black dot, scarpering like hell.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02But, um, apart from that, you see this place.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06It's utterly vast. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10Suddenly, there's a call from the valley and the hunt is on.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14Everybody clear the front of frame, please.
0:56:14 > 0:56:15Now!
0:56:16 > 0:56:20BERIK MAKES MEWING WHOOPS
0:56:33 > 0:56:36I think the fox has made a hasty escape.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42Both Balapan and the crew have learned a lot on their first hunt.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48Still...the team have yet to film a successful hunt.
0:56:48 > 0:56:53After several frustrating days, the pressure to deliver is intense.
0:56:55 > 0:57:00We're fast running out of time, it hasn't been looking very good.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04Just when the crew are resigned to failure, a call is heard.
0:57:07 > 0:57:13Keith knows this is his and Balapan's big chance to succeed.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16MEWING WHOOP
0:57:41 > 0:57:43The bird got it! My word.
0:57:45 > 0:57:47When all those whoops go off,
0:57:47 > 0:57:52things just go from nought to a million miles an hour in two or three seconds.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56Your heart races when you are doing this sort of stuff,
0:57:56 > 0:57:58and you just have to respond in a kind of a positive way.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02You know, just try and stay totally focused on what you are here to do.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05When that adrenaline kicks in, it's easy to get distracted,
0:58:05 > 0:58:07but you have to just think,
0:58:07 > 0:58:09"Right, now is the time I've got to up my game,
0:58:09 > 0:58:14"knuckle down and focus on getting the shot and making it work."
0:58:14 > 0:58:17And also trying to build some form of relationship
0:58:17 > 0:58:19with the people that you are working with as well.
0:58:19 > 0:58:20So that they trust us
0:58:20 > 0:58:25and welcome us into what's quite an intimate part of their lives.
0:58:51 > 0:58:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:52 > 0:58:55E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk