0:00:13 > 0:00:17The rain-drenched jungles of Madagascar are home
0:00:17 > 0:00:19to one of the rarest animals in the world -
0:00:19 > 0:00:23the mysterious silky sifaka.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This is William.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35At just four months old,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38he's the latest addition to a troop of these endangered lemurs.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43He is the hope for a species in trouble.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49And his future is in the hands of two men
0:00:49 > 0:00:52from two very different worlds.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57A dedicated scientist
0:00:57 > 0:01:02has joined forces with an undercover detective.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Their aim -
0:01:05 > 0:01:09to try and save the silky sifakas.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Madagascar is the most exclusive
0:01:27 > 0:01:30of islands.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Over 80% of its wildlife is found
0:01:33 > 0:01:36nowhere else on Earth.
0:01:38 > 0:01:45And it's home to our most primitive primate cousins - the lemurs.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Over 80 species
0:01:51 > 0:01:56have adapted to the island's diverse landscapes.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13But the greatest variety live in the tropical rainforests
0:02:13 > 0:02:16that cling to the mountains.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Here, there are still lost worlds yet to be explored.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35They are the last refuge of one of the rarest of all lemurs...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40..the silky sifaka.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52It's these elusive primates that have drawn biologist Erik Patel
0:02:52 > 0:02:54to the mountains of Marojejy.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02His day begins at dawn.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12The early mornings can be hard.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15At 4:30, you're waking up in the dark.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Nothing's dry, you're putting on the same wet clothes,
0:03:18 > 0:03:23and I find that if I can get to my cup of coffee in the morning, I'm OK.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Erik came from Chicago ten years ago,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30to begin the world's first study of silkies.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33It's a far cry from home.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Every morning, leeches on the eyeballs, scorpions in the toilet
0:03:37 > 0:03:42and poisonous centipedes dangling from the bungalows.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Those would be the top three joys of working here.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Many would have given up, but he's braved the isolation,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54built a camp and a dedicated team.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Erik's determined, but his challenge is immense.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10With as few as 300 silkies left,
0:04:10 > 0:04:11Erik's research is vital
0:04:11 > 0:04:12to save them from extinction.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23But even finding them in this steep mountainous rainforest is tough.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36He works with a local team of specialist trackers.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45And they don't use walkie-talkies to keep in touch.
0:04:45 > 0:04:51HE MAKES ANIMAL CALL
0:04:51 > 0:04:55CRY ECHOES
0:04:55 > 0:05:00The reply comes from a guide who's been out since 2am.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01It draws them closer.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08When Erik first arrived, the silkies lived up to their local name
0:05:08 > 0:05:10as ghosts of the forest...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14..and always fled.
0:05:16 > 0:05:22But a decade later, one troop easily accepts his presence.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Silky sifakas are just beautiful, shy,
0:05:32 > 0:05:36social, and such vulnerable creatures.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38You know, they hardly fight at all.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47They spend huge amounts of time just grooming and playing.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52They're each very different from one another.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01To gaze into their eyes for the first time up close is really,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04really hard to forget.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Before Erik arrived, nothing was known about silkies.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12He's trying to discover the basics of their behaviour
0:06:12 > 0:06:16and how they use the forest. Only then will he know
0:06:16 > 0:06:18what they need to survive
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And over the years, he's got to know these seven silkies
0:06:23 > 0:06:25like his own family.
0:06:26 > 0:06:33We've got the adult male, his name is Lahi Vo. It means New Male in Malagasy.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35He's only been around for about two years.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40He displaced our old resident male, who had been here
0:06:40 > 0:06:42for my first seven years.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50But Erik has found the real leader is a female,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54now about 20 years old, called AF.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56AF stands for Antenna Female.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58She used to have a radio collar
0:06:58 > 0:07:02and we needed that in the first year to help us find the group.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05But after a year, we removed the collar, but she keeps her name,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08AF, Antenna Female.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13Also in the group is a second mature female
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and several boisterous juveniles.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20They spend much of the day wrestling
0:07:20 > 0:07:24when they're not feeding or falling off of trees,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26as juveniles often do.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31But Erik's favourite is the youngest -
0:07:31 > 0:07:33AF's baby, called William.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36He was conceived on Christmas day.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40They're so tiny when they're born.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43They almost look like little rodents,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45like the cutest little rats you've ever seen.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49They have this long skinny tail and very little fur.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51And they're just stuck to their mother's abdomen.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54They're, like, one twentieth the size of their mothers.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57They don't even leave their mother for weeks.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18Erik's troop lives high on the mountains of Marojejy -
0:08:18 > 0:08:22a National Park where rainforest wraps around ancient peaks
0:08:22 > 0:08:23and hidden valleys.
0:08:28 > 0:08:35And the silkies share their home with many other Madagascan oddities.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Bamboo lemurs eat only
0:08:37 > 0:08:40cyanide-rich bamboo...
0:08:42 > 0:08:46..at doses that are lethal to humans.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50No-one understands how they do it.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Pygmy chameleons hunt on the forest floor.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07And predatory Helmet Vangas nest in the crown of a palm.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17But silkies are the rarest of them all.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Silky sifakas are an extremely critically endangered animal,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and there are only possibly as few as a few hundred
0:09:29 > 0:09:32remaining in just a small corner of north-eastern Madagascar.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37And their diet is so complex - it's over 150 species,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40many of which are rare rainforest plants and trees -
0:09:40 > 0:09:43that they've never survived in captivity,
0:09:43 > 0:09:44they don't survive in zoos.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Their diet is just too difficult to replicate.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55But it's not just their dependence on a healthy intact forest
0:09:55 > 0:09:58that makes them vulnerable.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03Silkies give birth to only one baby every two years.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13And the females are fertile for just one day each year.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18So, every newborn is like gold dust, making William Erik's only chance
0:10:18 > 0:10:23to discover the details of how a youngster grows up.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30It's such a pleasure to watch him exploring around...
0:10:31 > 0:10:34..but then always returning to its mother.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41They must have some well-developed muscles at a young age
0:10:41 > 0:10:43to be able to hang on to those mothers
0:10:43 > 0:10:44as they're flying through the trees.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52Over the next year, young William has a lot of challenges to face.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56All our eyes and hopes are on this one infant.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09As well as following their lives,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Erik needs to find out if they're healthy.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17He can't catch them, but he has a plan.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I'm hoping the silkies will defecate soon,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26because we need quite a lot of faecal samples to investigate
0:11:26 > 0:11:30the type of parasites that the silkies may be harbouring.
0:11:30 > 0:11:37And he's particularly interested in getting a sample from William.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42It can take quite a long time.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46They do poop about ten times a day, but it's never enough, you know.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52It's a bit like waiting for the bride tossing the bouquet
0:11:52 > 0:11:56of flowers, you know, we're all sitting here waiting
0:11:56 > 0:11:58for these precious poops to fall
0:11:58 > 0:12:00and then tracking them,
0:12:00 > 0:12:01trying to identify
0:12:01 > 0:12:04whose faecal it is, where it is on the ground
0:12:04 > 0:12:05and getting to it.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18I have been pissed on in the face before and it burns, actually.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24When silky sifaka urine hits your mouth, as it has mine, it stings.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Yeah, it's not a pleasant experience. But it's worth it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Poop is precious. It's like black gold for us.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04It's quite small.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Yeah, it's too small.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Oui, oui. It's William's, maybe.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Yeah, yeah, it is William's faecal.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Nice small baby poop.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Good job finding it.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28It's not easy to find any poop.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31But to find those small baby poops - that's doubly hard.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37After analysis,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Erik will know if William is struggling with parasites,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42which may affect his chances of survival.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54To save a species, you have to know
0:13:54 > 0:13:55how many there are,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59so Erik is constantly exploring Marojejy and beyond
0:13:59 > 0:14:01to places unknown to science,
0:14:01 > 0:14:06looking for new troops and putting them on the map.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- We go by here.- OK.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14- From Andakata...- Yeah.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16..to Ambalazedna...
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Knowing where the silkies live means Erik can pinpoint
0:14:21 > 0:14:24his efforts to protect them.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30We're travelling huge distances with dozens of porters.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Camping in places we've never been, relying on local guides
0:14:34 > 0:14:38we've never met and exploring in forests that we're not familiar with.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42But it's exciting, and it's fun to delve into these lost worlds,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46but it can be dangerous as well.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Sadly, his surveys often reveal no silkies,
0:14:52 > 0:14:57but instead, alarming signs of the threats to this fragile sanctuary.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02There's a house here, this is a temporary logging house.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04These men came here and they built this house
0:15:04 > 0:15:06so they could set up camp while they cut down
0:15:06 > 0:15:08a large number of rosewood trees.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Rosewood trees can be between 200 and 400 years old
0:15:13 > 0:15:15and they are some of the tallest, oldest
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and most valuable trees in the forest.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23These things are sometimes booby-trapped.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Look at that.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Such a thing of beauty that can be contributing to the extinction
0:15:42 > 0:15:44of the silky sifaka.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47It's ridiculous.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Fresh rice. This is not old.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53This is very, very recent.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I'd like to destroy this thing.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01It might be really cathartic.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04But I have a feeling...
0:16:06 > 0:16:09..it's better if we stay undercover for a while.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13But if it's still here in a week, we should just come and tear it down.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17It's not like it would take them
0:16:17 > 0:16:20more than five minutes to build a new one anyway.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Illegal logging reached crisis levels
0:16:23 > 0:16:28in Madagascar after a political coup in March, 2009.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37There was a complete breakdown in law and order in the capital,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41and no longer protection for the remote National Parks.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Loggers and armed men swarmed into the parks,
0:16:47 > 0:16:52working in organised gangs for the timber mafia.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56It was a gold rush to take out ebony and rosewood.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Each tree worth up to 4,000 dollars to the timber barons.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It takes at least five men to haul this incredibly dense timber
0:17:08 > 0:17:10out of the forest,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14gauging a trail of destruction.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Makeshift villages sprang up deep in the rainforest,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21hunting every animal for food, including lemurs.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27For rosewood and ebony loggers, the value of these trees is only
0:17:27 > 0:17:29realised when they are dragged out of the forest.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34And when you see the forest through the eyes of money
0:17:34 > 0:17:37and greed, everything changes.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44The threat to the lemurs wasn't just from hunting.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47The human disturbance could disrupt the rare mating chances
0:17:47 > 0:17:49for these reclusive animals.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55The only way to save silky sifakas
0:17:55 > 0:17:57is to save the few remaining
0:17:57 > 0:18:02patches of rainforest where they are found.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07It can be that simple, yet it can be so difficult to do just that.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14With illegal logging on his doorstep,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Erik was forced to make a choice -
0:18:17 > 0:18:22whether to remain a silent witness or fight back.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I didn't set out to study illegal logging. The issue came to me.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I feel a sense of obligation.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32I feel like I owe it to the animals to just speak the truth.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35To just be honest about what's happening here.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38We all have to live with ourselves
0:18:38 > 0:18:42and I don't think I could do it any other way.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57Every few weeks, Erik must come to the nearest town for fresh supplies.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16But more importantly, he can use the only internet cafe in town
0:19:16 > 0:19:19to share his information about illicit logging
0:19:19 > 0:19:21with the wider world.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And he's not alone - there's a whole network of people
0:19:24 > 0:19:27trying to expose the illegal timber trade.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34We know exactly who's making the money, who's cutting the wood,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37who's selling it, who's buying it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39We know what's happening at the ports, in the ministries,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42on the streets, and even in the forests.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45There are eyes everywhere.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49We know exactly what's happening, even if we can't stop all of it.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52And all of us take tremendous risks each and every day.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57During the height of the troubles, Erik realised
0:19:57 > 0:20:02that the network needed someone who could take on the logging mafia
0:20:02 > 0:20:05and tackle international demand for this precious wood.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11That crucial breakthrough came to him in a magazine article.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18It was an inspiring biography about someone who had really worked
0:20:18 > 0:20:21undercover a lot, trying to expose
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and stop illegal logging around the world.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29As soon as I read that article, I knew we needed this guy here,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and he might be one of the only people
0:20:31 > 0:20:33who could get us out of this mess.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43That man was Sascha von Bismarck.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47He runs the Environmental Investigation Agency
0:20:47 > 0:20:50in Washington DC.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55In Sascha, Erik found a powerful and determined ally.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Erik's battle is the most important - it's in the forest,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01but from there, you can't fight these forces
0:21:01 > 0:21:03in the international market place
0:21:03 > 0:21:05that are after the wood, that are making his life
0:21:05 > 0:21:07so difficult there,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09and I think that's where we come in,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11that we track the wood, find out where it's going.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Sascha could help Erik to attack the timber barons where it hurt -
0:21:18 > 0:21:22by stopping their lucrative export trade.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28And he had a revolutionary new law on his side -
0:21:28 > 0:21:32the 2008 amendment to the Lacey Act.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34This law means that for the first time,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37American companies can face heavy fines
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and their bosses could be imprisoned
0:21:40 > 0:21:42if they have imported illegal timber.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48With Erik's evidence, Sascha knew he could launch
0:21:48 > 0:21:52an investigation into Madagascan wood coming to the States,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and he was prepared to take the risks others could not.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01Often, we found that the way we can help is that we can provide
0:22:01 > 0:22:04cover for those folks that are working really hard,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07sometimes risking their lives
0:22:07 > 0:22:10in investigating that kind of crime.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12They can often use a group like us
0:22:12 > 0:22:14to get the information out
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and to do additional research to connect the dots,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19get the real names of who's really behind it.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23And hopefully do something with that information that makes a difference.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29To build a watertight case, Sascha had to turn detective
0:22:29 > 0:22:31and pin down specific, detailed evidence.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34The investigation began in 2009
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and meant he had to leave Washington
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and go undercover in Madagascar posing as a wood trader.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The preparation had to be perfect.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50We have to set up an undercover company, a website,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55business cards and good back stories because you never know
0:22:55 > 0:22:57when it's going to get tough.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02It can be very easy, very easy, and then suddenly very difficult
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and very dangerous, obviously.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07So you need to be ready with a lot of details.
0:23:07 > 0:23:13Sascha's mission to save the forests had truly begun.
0:23:19 > 0:23:26In Madagascar, Erik is back on the trail of his lemur troop.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35They're not so far, you know.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37No, they are down here.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40But I think I can see William.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Yeah. You can see William.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46William is now five months old.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48He's happy to stray further from Mum
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and he's beginning to meet
0:23:50 > 0:23:52the rest of the troop.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03Silkies use grooming to get to know each other,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07but William's having none of it.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13He just won't sit still.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42The juveniles arrive to check him out
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and try their luck at grooming him.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Finally, one manages to groom William's tail
0:24:58 > 0:25:01with his special tooth comb.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06But only for a second.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Then he escapes and leaps back to the safety of Mum.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Happy that William is doing well,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Erik can follow up a promising lead outside Marojejy.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38He's travelled 60 miles south to the Antainambalana River.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43We've been waiting for our third boat.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48Of course, none of them have roofs or rain covers, but we're used to that.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Two troops of silkies have been spotted
0:25:53 > 0:25:57in another protected rainforest which has suffered serious logging.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01It's an important breakthrough for Erik.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06By setting up a new research base in this disturbed forest,
0:26:06 > 0:26:07Erik hopes his presence
0:26:07 > 0:26:09will protect these groups.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10This is conservation
0:26:10 > 0:26:12on the frontline.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16We have an opportunity here
0:26:16 > 0:26:18to learn how silky sifakas cope
0:26:18 > 0:26:20with habitat disturbance.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25We're in a much lower elevation forest, with a sharp habitat edge.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29We don't know what they eat, or why they'd be living here.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31There are no other groups nearby.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35By capturing them, we'd be able to place a radio collar
0:26:35 > 0:26:38on one or two individuals, which will allow us
0:26:38 > 0:26:40to find the group each and every day
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and collect sufficient data to understand
0:26:43 > 0:26:45how they are surviving here.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48And to assist him,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Erik has hand-picked an international team of lemur experts.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58A huge amount of planning has taken place.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00We've been organising things for months.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03We're lucky to have a dream team here.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Once off the boats,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16there's a four-hour walk further up river.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21Then a climb into the dense jungle,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23up above the valley floor.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33As night falls, they must set up camp
0:27:33 > 0:27:35by torchlight.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Sascha's undercover team touch down
0:27:53 > 0:27:57in the northern Madagascan town of Antalaha.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03It didn't take long for the operation to get going.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It turned out that, you know, you just show up
0:28:05 > 0:28:06and they'll find you,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09if you show up as a trader, and that's what happened to us.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11We sat down in this beautiful restaurant,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13watching the humpback whales breach
0:28:13 > 0:28:15just beyond the reef, had a drink
0:28:15 > 0:28:19and said, "We are here looking for good ebony."
0:28:19 > 0:28:23And then the next day, we were talking to Roger Thunam.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Roger Thunam was a major player
0:28:25 > 0:28:29in the ebony and rosewood export business,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33owning several extensive logging yards.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36This meeting was the first vital step in Sascha's case.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41We found ourselves sitting in Mr Thunam's office, on our,
0:28:41 > 0:28:46basically, first day of real work and having a conversation with him.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50So we had to pass muster, and it was not easy.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52He put us through our paces and asked us
0:28:52 > 0:28:53about the size of our company,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56how much we would want, and is it worthwhile for him?
0:28:56 > 0:29:01But because we passed the test, then things really opened up for us,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04because he was the top boss, and when we were done
0:29:04 > 0:29:07and he pointed down into the yard and said, "Hey, you guys,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10"take care of these guys," that's all they needed to know.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12The boss had said yes.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16They took the chance to find out from Thunam's men
0:29:16 > 0:29:18where they had been cutting,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21and it quickly became clear the logs were from inside
0:29:21 > 0:29:25Masoala National Park,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28only 80 miles from Erik's rainforest.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35But Sascha needed hard evidence, so he used his fake identity
0:29:35 > 0:29:39and claimed he wanted to see the quality of the ebony on offer
0:29:39 > 0:29:42before he was prepared to buy.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51So Thunam's cutters took him deep into the protected jungle.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59If Sascha blew his cover now, he'd have a five-day trek to safety.
0:30:01 > 0:30:08We were led and were in the hands of the, sort of, lead illegal logger,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11and we were brought by the loggers themselves
0:30:11 > 0:30:13to stumps that they had cut,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16to the live trees that they were planning to cut.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19All right, here's an ebony tree.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22A large one ready to cut, the right size to cut,
0:30:22 > 0:30:24and this is the type,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26our logger friend tells us,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29which is the pure black variety that has the highest value
0:30:29 > 0:30:31for the instrument market.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Every step along the trail, Sascha was collecting
0:30:36 > 0:30:37solid evidence for his case,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41documenting with video,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45collecting GPS locations of stumps and trees,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48and detailing the impact
0:30:48 > 0:30:52the illegal loggers had on the wildlife in the National Park.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03HE SPEAKS IN NATIVE TONGUE
0:31:12 > 0:31:15- Red ruffed lemur.- Yeah. - He hunts those as well?
0:31:28 > 0:31:31It was extraordinary to see that park, you know, in a way that
0:31:31 > 0:31:33you normally don't get to see it.
0:31:34 > 0:31:39But you have a quick sense of how this World Heritage Site
0:31:39 > 0:31:42is going to be gone in its form and what makes it
0:31:42 > 0:31:46a World Heritage Site, and its habitat for lemurs,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48very quickly at that rate.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50You could see it, sort of,
0:31:50 > 0:31:52collapsing from the inside in front of you
0:31:52 > 0:31:54and it was heart-breaking.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58After three days in the forest,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00we're coming out of Masoala National Park,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03again following the same route as the wood,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05now flowing out towards the sea.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Any trip that you do up one of the rivers
0:32:08 > 0:32:10that comes out of the National Park,
0:32:10 > 0:32:15you will go into a stream of boats with logs coming the other way,
0:32:15 > 0:32:20and we saw about 200 logs coming out of the National Park a day.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24The loggers had given Sascha essential evidence,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27but it was just the first link in the chain.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30He would need more answers before he had a case.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Morning reveals Erik's camp.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53Trackers who have been scouting for both new silky troops
0:32:53 > 0:32:57bring in the news that they have only located one.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Where they expected to find the second group,
0:32:59 > 0:33:03they encountered only traps and some logging.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07It may be that for these seven silkies,
0:33:07 > 0:33:11Erik has come too late.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13It makes it all the more urgent that today,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18they track down the remaining group of four and dart them.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Darting is the safest way to catch the lemurs.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28This will give Erik the chance to give them a health check
0:33:28 > 0:33:30and fit radio collars.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40But finding them means yet another slippery trek through steep,
0:33:40 > 0:33:41tangled terrain.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55ERIK SPEAKS IN LOCAL TONGUE
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Erik identifies the adult male.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14The dart must hit the silky in the thigh,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17so taking the shot is not so easy.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08Once darted, there's a scramble to get nets under the silky
0:35:08 > 0:35:09for a clean catch.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51I'm speechless, you know.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54We always see them through the binoculars,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56and we talk about them all day and collect data on them,
0:35:56 > 0:36:01but to see them up close and to touch them is magical.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05They're so warm. I can almost feel his heartbeat.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11It's very emotional to see these animals come down.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14I'm not used to it. I never handle these animals.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19We're about an hour from camp, up and down a few hills.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22It's a mud slide out there
0:36:22 > 0:36:25and I'm not going to slide with...
0:36:25 > 0:36:28This is more precious than anything
0:36:28 > 0:36:30I've had in my arms in ten years.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37To keep the lemur safe and calm,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40it's placed into a pillow case.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43And with one down, there's three to go.
0:36:55 > 0:37:00THEY SPEAK IN NATIVE TONGUE
0:37:08 > 0:37:10It's a young female we have here,
0:37:10 > 0:37:16so it all went so well, and she's just gorgeous, you know. Yeah.
0:37:16 > 0:37:22They're so soft and they're such gentle creatures.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26With two down, Erik heads back to the camp,
0:37:26 > 0:37:30leaving the darting team to bring in the last two.
0:37:41 > 0:37:47Whoa! We've got a beautiful female and she's so healthy.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54The lab team get to work,
0:37:54 > 0:37:55beginning with the adult male.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- 110 on the pulse, Sam.- Yep.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00They take blood samples and medical checks
0:38:00 > 0:38:03that will give Erik a health record for the troop.
0:38:04 > 0:38:10Got a little tartar on his teeth, but moderate wear.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14Eyes and nose are clear.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17This is, to me, the most remarkable.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20They can really just grab onto trees
0:38:20 > 0:38:21so easily with these.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23If I could have one thing that the sifaka has,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26it would be a big toe like this.
0:38:26 > 0:38:32I think humans have devolved a little. They have this over us.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35We'd have to redesign shoes, but it would be worth it.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40He's going through the woods, he's having a dream,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42catching those trees and bouncing.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44Some people say that only humans are ticklish.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- That's false.- Yeah.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52The final task is to fit a radio collar,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54so the male can be tracked
0:38:54 > 0:38:56anywhere in the forest.
0:38:56 > 0:38:57There are moments when
0:38:57 > 0:39:01one can't help feel like a 19th-century Victorian hunter,
0:39:01 > 0:39:03shooting animals out of the trees,
0:39:03 > 0:39:04but then when it's all over,
0:39:04 > 0:39:07you realise that it's for the good of the species.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10This individual's contributing so much.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13He's maybe the 20th silky that has ever been captured.
0:39:13 > 0:39:19And only the fourth or fifth to ever wear a radio collar.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23This is the only silky sifaka group that we'll know well
0:39:23 > 0:39:24living in a disturbed forest,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and we need to know what their strategies are.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30They're on the edge of extinction,
0:39:30 > 0:39:31so we need to act fast,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33and we're doing that.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39The male is placed back in his pillow case to recover...
0:39:39 > 0:39:44and hung on the edge of the camp, in the shade, for peace and quiet.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Then they turn their attention to the female.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54And there's a wonderful revelation.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- Hear it? - Yeah.- Go, babe.- She's pregnant.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00Oh, my goodness!
0:40:00 > 0:40:03I'm optimistic that the baby will have a much greater
0:40:03 > 0:40:06chance of survival now that our team is here.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08You know, infant mortality is so high,
0:40:08 > 0:40:10but as we start to watch them every day,
0:40:10 > 0:40:12this infant's going to make it.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15- Fantastic.- She looks beautiful.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Break out the cigars.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20- Yeah.- That's good. Population's growing.- Yeah.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27After a couple of hours, all the troop has been checked
0:40:27 > 0:40:29and it's time for their release.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58So there is my friend. Jump up.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Are you ready to jump?
0:41:06 > 0:41:11Oh... Be careful, be careful.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Erik now knows the troop is one male and three females,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26with a birth expected this year to take their number to five.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31We've already had a lot of success here in the past few days,
0:41:31 > 0:41:36and our presence here will lead to the permanent safety of this group.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39We will become the guardians of this forest.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50And the forest was definitely in need of guardians.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Sascha returned to Thunam's sawmill to look for clues
0:41:54 > 0:41:57and was shocked by the scale of the operation,
0:41:57 > 0:42:00since the cutting of any rosewood or ebony
0:42:00 > 0:42:03has been illegal here since 2006.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16We saw his warehouse, which was filled with rosewood logs.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36The workers were being paid a few dollars a day.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39It was Thunam who was making the serious money,
0:42:39 > 0:42:41when the wood was sold for export.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48And it didn't take Sascha long
0:42:48 > 0:42:51to find the most vital evidence of all.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10The plain ebony blanks will ultimately form
0:43:10 > 0:43:12the fronts of the neck of a guitar,
0:43:12 > 0:43:17but it wasn't just the odd one, this was a production line.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38If you were buying wood from Madagascar
0:43:38 > 0:43:42and...the answer is - it's being cut in the National Park,
0:43:42 > 0:43:45on the first day of us asking questions,
0:43:45 > 0:43:47it begs the question of...
0:43:47 > 0:43:51what did the guys who were actually exporting that stuff ask?
0:43:51 > 0:43:54And it was not hard to find out.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58Sascha now believed he could prove
0:43:58 > 0:44:01that Thunam's ebony operation was illegal
0:44:01 > 0:44:04and some of that wood was going into guitars.
0:44:04 > 0:44:11But the next question was - who was buying it and where did it end up?
0:44:11 > 0:44:15For the answers, he had to go back to America.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Erik has returned home to Marojejy.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49This forest is defined by the rain.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Always wet and often drenched.
0:44:58 > 0:44:59All of the animals here
0:44:59 > 0:45:01have to get used to it.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07Including William.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11He's becoming independent
0:45:11 > 0:45:14and no longer has Mum to snuggle up to.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31As soon as the storm has passed,
0:45:31 > 0:45:35the troop slowly moves on, and William follows.
0:45:44 > 0:45:50But for Madagascar's jungle birds, there's greater urgency.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53It's time for nest building.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00A male Paradise Flycatcher plucks cobwebs...
0:46:04 > 0:46:09..and, together with his russet mate,
0:46:09 > 0:46:11creates a thimble-sized nest.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23The Common Sunbird-asity
0:46:23 > 0:46:26uses its elegantly curved beak
0:46:26 > 0:46:30to weave together dangling moss.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34Here, it's the female who does the work,
0:46:34 > 0:46:39while the blue-headed male looks on.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42Even at camp, Madagascan Wagtails
0:46:42 > 0:46:44take advantage of a ledge.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51They'll stay for just a few weeks.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55But a confident Banded Mongoose is a regular visitor
0:46:55 > 0:46:59always on the look-out for scraps.
0:47:10 > 0:47:16For Erik's silky troop, four months have passed.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19William has doubled in size and his challenge now
0:47:19 > 0:47:23is to keep up with the troop,
0:47:23 > 0:47:27but his judgement isn't always perfect.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40His dexterity has improved
0:47:40 > 0:47:42and he's learnt how to tackle
0:47:42 > 0:47:44the abundant forest fruits.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02And he's not afraid to take on the older juveniles.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07He's only eight months old
0:48:07 > 0:48:12and it's a bit risky to be wrestling with a 20-month-old
0:48:12 > 0:48:15about twice his size. Sometimes, infants do fall to the ground
0:48:15 > 0:48:17when they're in these rather aggressive,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20lengthy, play-wrestling bouts.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Certainly, the 20-month-old was not wrestling as intensely
0:48:23 > 0:48:24as he usually does.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28It seemed like the two-year-old was toning it down a little bit.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32Silky sifaka play is remarkable, complex and detailed.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35We could bring a wrestling coach out here
0:48:35 > 0:48:39and they could actually score headlocks, pins, flips,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43tosses across the shoulder, and there'd be some new moves
0:48:43 > 0:48:47that silkies could do that they wouldn't know how to score.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50Like the hanging upside down by one foot,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53grabbing the tail of another one
0:48:53 > 0:48:56and putting it in your mouth and biting them.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59That would be a silky-only move. Yeah.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04William may not win every round yet,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06but he's well on the way to holding his own.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16Half a world away from Madagascar, Sascha was back in Washington,
0:49:16 > 0:49:22poring over the paper trail from Thunam's logging empire.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25Most of his exports were going to China,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28but Sascha also found it was coming to a very famous company
0:49:28 > 0:49:30in the United States.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36We were able to show very clearly that the wood
0:49:36 > 0:49:39was going from Thunam to Germany
0:49:39 > 0:49:41and then to Gibson,
0:49:41 > 0:49:45in this case, in the United States.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49Gibson is an iconic American guitar-maker,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53and it looked like Sascha's evidence could contribute to the first
0:49:53 > 0:49:55test case of the new Lacey Act.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58When we were done with the investigation,
0:49:58 > 0:50:01we published forms of that information -
0:50:01 > 0:50:04not all the details - in a public report,
0:50:04 > 0:50:06and then shortly after that,
0:50:06 > 0:50:10a raid occurred, here in the United States,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12of the Gibson headquarters.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Gibson is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
0:50:21 > 0:50:27Federal Agents picked up Sascha's report and took over the case.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30They raided the company and seized a shipment
0:50:30 > 0:50:34of Madagascan ebony fingerboards, guitars
0:50:34 > 0:50:36and paperwork, as further evidence.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Gibson's boss, Henry Juszkiewicz, was taken aback.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46They came in with weapons, they shut down our company,
0:50:46 > 0:50:48they cost us millions of dollars.
0:50:48 > 0:50:54But Gibson's Chief Executive does have a view on Madagascar.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57Madagascar is a pretty screwed-up place.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00OK, there is no doubt that bad things are happening in Madagascar.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03They've had three coups,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06the people are in utter poverty.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09Now, I knew that illegal logging was taking place,
0:51:09 > 0:51:13that's well-known, and, you know, it probably is having
0:51:13 > 0:51:16an impact on wildlife. I think it should be stopped.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Even so, Juszkiewicz argues
0:51:20 > 0:51:21Gibson didn't know
0:51:21 > 0:51:25and didn't ask where their Madagascan ebony was coming from.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29We were buying through an intermediary in Germany.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33We didn't know we were getting wood from a Roger Thunam.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36That's sort of beyond the level
0:51:36 > 0:51:38of our understanding and buying.
0:51:38 > 0:51:43We typically don't go that deeply into it.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48Yet case records allegedly show that a Gibson employee
0:51:48 > 0:51:51had known of Roger Thunam and that he could supply ebony
0:51:51 > 0:51:54on the grey market.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58But Mr Juszkiewicz maintains their innocence.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02There was nothing that we have seen at this point that would indicate
0:52:02 > 0:52:07that, you know, the load of wood that we bought had any illegality.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11And, in fact, as soon as the raid took place,
0:52:11 > 0:52:15we ceased buying any wood from Madagascar.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20Since the raid, Gibson has been under investigation,
0:52:20 > 0:52:25and in June 2011, related court proceedings began,
0:52:25 > 0:52:30though Gibson have not been charged with violating the new Lacey Act.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34But however the court case
0:52:34 > 0:52:36eventually pans out,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39Sascha has already seen concrete success.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44As soon as the raid happened, it caused a sea-change,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46I think it's fair to say, in the guitar industry
0:52:46 > 0:52:48and the music industry around the world.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50It is very difficult today
0:52:50 > 0:52:54to find Madagascar ebony in the music instrument sector.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59And that is an extraordinarily important signal for now moving forward
0:52:59 > 0:53:04and having an actual effect on the ground where Erik is working.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06And the signal
0:53:06 > 0:53:09reverberated around the world.
0:53:09 > 0:53:11Countries sat up and took notice
0:53:11 > 0:53:12of the US position.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16Sascha took his undercover fight to China -
0:53:16 > 0:53:19the biggest importer of illegal precious hardwoods.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22If he could stop them,
0:53:22 > 0:53:26then there would be breathing space for Erik's work
0:53:26 > 0:53:29and the lemurs would have their best chance.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32And Sascha sent Erik what he discovered.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36The secret camera has gone to China.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39And we have some new video
0:53:39 > 0:53:44of what happens to Madagascar rosewood
0:53:44 > 0:53:46when it goes into China.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Regardez.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54They have gone to a furniture store
0:53:54 > 0:53:56and the entire floor
0:53:56 > 0:53:59is covered with rosewood furniture
0:53:59 > 0:54:02from Madagascar for the rich
0:54:02 > 0:54:05of China, made from Madagascar rosewood.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08This is one bed.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10One bed.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16What can you buy for two billion ariary?
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Voila!
0:54:25 > 0:54:28And only one percent of that money,
0:54:28 > 0:54:31even less, has stayed in Madagascar.
0:54:31 > 0:54:32It's ridiculous.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Sascha's undercover video has provoked
0:54:37 > 0:54:41the Chinese government into taking action
0:54:41 > 0:54:47and, for the first time, Chinese wood traders are feeling the heat.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50In some of our undercover discussions with traders in China,
0:54:50 > 0:54:52we are hearing that some of them are being arrested,
0:54:52 > 0:54:55and some are having to pay very large fines.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59There is friction, for the first time, for the flow of...
0:54:59 > 0:55:03the bleeding of the rosewood out of Madagascar's National Parks.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Sascha's investigation has broken through
0:55:12 > 0:55:16a wall of ignorance by making big companies sit up
0:55:16 > 0:55:21and take responsibility for wood they use.
0:55:22 > 0:55:28It's a victory against the odds and only the first of many battles
0:55:28 > 0:55:31he will take on to save the rainforests.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01For the moment, the export of rosewood
0:56:01 > 0:56:06and ebony from Madagascar is almost at a standstill
0:56:06 > 0:56:10and the big logging camps within the National Parks
0:56:10 > 0:56:11are a thing of the past.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Encouragingly, Marojejy is quiet.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24For Erik, it's been a momentous year.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31His silky troop have flourished...
0:56:34 > 0:56:37..and particularly William.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40William's really changed throughout this first year.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43I mean, it's amazing how independent he became.
0:56:43 > 0:56:48From an infant, you know, the size of a small rat, you know,
0:56:48 > 0:56:53tucked in his mother's belly. Just a year later,
0:56:53 > 0:56:57he's coming into his own now, looking strong and healthy.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01It's amazing how fast they change.
0:57:02 > 0:57:07Erik's success reaches beyond William's troop.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11His intrepid surveys have found 40 new silkies -
0:57:11 > 0:57:13giving a massive boost to the known population
0:57:13 > 0:57:15in just one year.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28The darted group that Erik saved are going strong,
0:57:28 > 0:57:31including their precious new arrival.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47And Erik won't rest
0:57:47 > 0:57:51while there are more silkies to be found in Madagascar.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55He remains their dedicated protector.
0:57:55 > 0:58:00It's inconceivable what this place would be like without silkies.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02You know, it would just be an empty forest.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05They're more than just one species that lives here,
0:58:05 > 0:58:07they are the heart of this place.
0:58:14 > 0:58:19They are simply the soul of this forest.
0:58:20 > 0:58:25How could we not, you know, spend our lifetime protecting it?