My Congo Natural World

VOCAL MUSIC

'I was born on the banks of the Congo River.

'My mother once asked me, "What d'you want to be?"

'and I said, "A wildlife cameraman, but it's impossible." '

But she said to me, "Believe in yourself. Nothing is impossible."

'My name is Vianet.

'I'm a wildlife cameraman and I am from the Congo.

'I'm going to take you on a journey'

from my hometown, Brazzaville,

to the coast and right up into the North.

I want to show you the incredible wildlife...

..the amazing landscape...

and the lovely people that live here.

Ultimately, take you to what I think

is one of the greatest wildlife destinations,

not just in Africa, but maybe the world.

I feel like I am witnessing paradise on Earth.

On the way, we will see places that you might not expect.

I don't know if you can say this in English,

but it's gorgeously gorgeous.

It's just amazing!

I am sure there will be surprises along the way.

'Not just for you, but for me as well.'

I didn't expect this trip to change me, but it has.

'Let me take you to where it all began for me -

'Brazzaville. Capital of my Congo.'

This is my home. This is where I was born.

Literally in the centre of Brazzaville.

You know, five minutes east is the Congo River.

And that way, two minutes, is my school, my first-ever school.

And, erm, I had my, erm...

my chicken pen just on that far end.

'I have not lived here for many years.

'My father's job took us all to Paris when I was a young man.

'But some things haven't changed.'

We were woken up by the sound of birds.

That tree up there.

Every morning, full of birds.

'My mother is no longer with me,

'so, coming back here, I am flooded with voices and happy memories.'

CHILDREN LAUGHING

'I'm so proud of my roots...

'..But it hurts me that, so often,

'you only read bad headlines about this part of Africa.

'I mean, look around - this is a happy place.

'I want my journey to change your hearts.'

I love this place, the smells.

Just smells nice. Vegetables, fruits.

'The bustling market is perfect for buying supplies

'for the adventure that lies ahead.'

INDISTINCT

It's a fresh fish from the Congo River.

'But, before we embark, there is something I want to be clear about.'

'In Central Africa, there are two Congos - two countries.

'Mine is the Republic of Congo, the smaller one,

'but still nearly twice the size of Britain.

'The first place I want to reveal is in the West,

'far from the hustle and bustle of Brazzaville.'

BIRDS CHIRP

'Odzala - one of our national parks...

'..with the most beautiful natural savannas.

'I expect few people think of grasslands

'when they think of the Congo.

'And it attracts my favourite animal.

'Elephants.

'But not just any kind.

'Forest elephants.

'They are supposed to live in jungles,

'but they don't always do what they are told.'

Obviously they're forest elephants, but being in a grassland,

in a savanna-type of landscape, makes it quite unique...

..giving me a great opportunity to watch them

to see just how different they are.

They're slightly stocky, small

compared to their cousin, the savanna elephants,

which is quite great, because their body has adapted to the forest

and stuff, which makes them so, you know, agile.

ELEPHANT GRUNTS

'They rarely grow taller than 2.5 metres, but like this adult bull,

'they have big tusks.

'And those tusks mean they have been targeted by poachers...

'..sadly making them even more threatened

'than their big African cousins.'

Just want him to come towards me.

Or at least look at me, you know?

And say hi.

Oh, just lovely.

'Home to a quarter of the world's population,

'my Congo is an important stronghold.

'Maybe the strongest.

'I believe it is the best place to see wild forest elephants.

'For me, filming them is always very special.'

So many elephants.

The actual population is growing.

It is quite, erm...

I would say it's frightening, actually,

because not only the big ones I've seen, but the baby ones as well.

So beautiful.

And, er...

I love the elephants, you know?

They are the emblem of this country, they represent this country.

'Our next destination is somewhere I just have to show you.

'This is Pointe-Noire.

'The Republic of Congo has just over 100 miles of coast,

'with lovely beaches along the way.

'This is somewhere very close to my heart.'

This is the place we used to come on holiday with my parents.

My dad looked forward to playing Scrabble with my mum,

but my mum wouldn't be interested,

and she would want to have her feet in the water

and just walk along the beach, you know, just contemplate,

and, erm...me and my brother would play football altogether.

'It's great to be back.

'The time I spent here with my family were precious moments.'

This place looks like a wild coast, you know,

but when you go into details,

you realise there are some great activities going on,

like, amazing.

'These crabs delicately pick edible debris from the surf.

'Debris that could have washed here all the way from Brazil,

'which is over 3,000 miles away with nothing in between.'

Funnily enough, those crabs, they look like children,

and they try not to get their feet wet,

so they're running away from the waves.

'As much as I love being back by the sea, I must move on.

'There is another animal you need to meet.

'One we share so much with.

'They live nearby,

'in Tchimpounga Natural Reserve.

'There is a clue in the name.

'A friend of mine will help me show you what I mean.

'Serge works at the famous chimpanzee sanctuary, Tchimpounga.

'The local name, Tchimpounga,

'is believed to be where the word "chimpanzee"

'originally comes from.'

'It was set up by the Jane Goodall Institute nearly 25 years ago.

CHIMPANZEE GRUNTS

'Hunting chimpanzees for bush meat and the pet trade,

'I have seen them suffer for many years.

'But in my Congo, for those rescued from this terrible trade,

'there is hope.

'And Serge is going to introduce me

'to the youngest members of the sanctuary.'

These ones are between three and six.

Very young and quite vulnerable, but erm...

they are on the very first stage,

so they kind of take them to the forest and just try and get them

to get used to the wild environment again.

'Some of them bear terrible scars from their ordeals.'

CHIMPANZEE GRUNTS

'Here, however, they get the chance to still act like chimpanzees.'

So I'm just going to go and catch up with those guys.

'It is great seeing the trust these chimps have with Serge and his team.

'Every day, they are taking them into the nearby forest to jump about

'and get a feel for what it is like being in the wild.'

That's just...

Seeing that little chimp is just breaking my heart,

to see his hand, you know, it's chopped off.

It's really... it's really sad. Erm...

Yeah, it's really hard.

'The sanctuary has 160 chimps.

'Well, 161.

'The latest orphan arrived just a few weeks ago.

'The first task is to establish a safe bond.'

I think this is the foundation of rehabilitating those guys.

It starts here.

They need to get that sort of warmth from a human

and trust from a human.

SHE SPEAKS FRENCH

'Patience is now his mother and she will build this bond.

'It seems to be working.'

HE CHUCKLES

Look at it sleep! That's like my son!

'Up to now, humans have not been his friends.

'But, confiscated by the government and brought here,

'that story is turning upside down.'

HE MAKES CHIMP NOISES

CHIMP COPIES HIM

See? He likes me. He's responding.

'She tells me he's the first orphan in nearly three years,

'which is a good sign.'

Bonjour.

'It means that maybe the message is getting across.'

Bonjour, les enfants.

Moi, je m'appelle Vianet.

-Tu t'appelle comment?

-Jorvelle.

-Et toi?

-Pacili.

Ah, Pacili.

Yeah. HE CHUCKLES

Ca va?

'The team here are doing their bit, educating the next generation.'

HE SPEAKS FRENCH

Les enfants.

'Supported by the Jane Goodall Institute,

'the children are given lessons and taught about the endangered animals.

'There are still wild chimpanzees living in my Congo.

'Making sure there are no more orphans is their priority.

'It is, after all, illegal to hunt chimps.

'This is really uplifting, you know?

'The kids are really engaged and passionate and excited'

about their environment and the wildlife,

and I think this is conservation at grassroots.

It is really exciting.

CHILDREN SING

'Everyone here is great - so inspiring. I love it!

'They even let me join in a kickabout.

'Tomorrow morning, I have been given permission to see how far the

'Tchimpounga team have gone to returning rescued chimps

'back to the wild.'

SINGING CONTINUES

'I'm travelling to a very special place.'

'Tchimpounga is a big reserve and, in the far west,

'there are three protected islands,

'each with its own rescued troupe of chimps.

'The forest on them are a wild natural habitat,

'but are still controlled for the team

'to make sure the chimps are all OK.

'This is the final stage of their return to the wild for real.'

'Some are already wild.

'This little guy was born on the island.

'He has never been in captivity.'

It's great, because you can see he is learning from his mother

like any baby wild chimp would do.

Oh!

Can you see that affection between the mother and the baby?

It is so...sweet.

Aww!

Apparently that little boy is called Gee,

and he's, like, the boy of the show, you know?

It seems that he's a bit of an attention seeker.

'The hope is to release this troupe back to the wild.

'I believe it will be the first whole troupe

'of rescued chimps released ever.

'And so far, all the signs are looking good.'

So, from what I can see now, it is moving forward so fast,

as per conservation, and I really, really admire

the people who are working here.

'I am also lucky enough to be here

'when they release another member of the ever-growing group.

'It is a chimp that Serge has looked after since she was small.'

GENTLE ACOUSTIC MUSIC

I've been to several projects, you know,

to do with wildlife, conservation,

but I never had the privilege to see a release.

'It is a great success for my Congo to lead the way

'in chimpanzee conservation.

'I wish them all the best, but, for now, I must move on.

'I promised to show you everything.'

'And there's one thing in my country that, no matter where you are,

'you cannot miss.'

BIRDS CHIRP

I love this time, early in the morning,

when it's quiet, not too hot,

and you get to see loads of beautiful birds.

'My Congo is home to over 600 species of birds...

'..from huge palm-nut vultures...

'..to tiny swallows...

'..and kingfishers...

'..seed-crackers...

'..and woodpeckers...

'..funny little manikins...

'..and brilliant sunbirds.'

'The male pin-tailed whydahs are like little peacocks...

'..displaying with their long, fancy tails.

'The females lay their eggs in other birds' nests, like cuckoos.

'So they may be beautiful, but they are also naughty.'

'Weaver birds are my favourite.

'There are at least 16 different kinds...

'..including the black weaver, with its golden eyes.

'The village weaver,

'so named because they always nest together near people.

'And then there is the orange weaver bird.'

I just love the fact that, you know, they're always busy, you know?

Quite cheeky. They steal off each other.

'The males do a funny flapping wing display underneath their hard work

'to try and lure a female.

'She will then decide if it's good enough for her to lay her eggs in.'

'It seems not this time.

'For some animals, though, you have to look much harder.'

'Rock, a local ranger in the Odzala National Park,

'is taking me to find a special monkey.

'He tells me he has a trick that will help me film them.'

HE WHISTLES

Rock is just making the grand eagle call

and apparently it attracts colobus monkeys.

HE WHISTLES

'I have no idea why - eagles will eat monkeys.

'Maybe they just want to know where their enemies are.'

I can see one, actually.

Beautiful.

WHISTLING CONTINUES

This...this is unbelievable.

I was being quite cynical about this, but, erm...it worked.

'My uncle used to have a pet monkey called Kiki.

'I was fascinated with him as a child.

'I guess that is why I like them so much now.

'Colobus live high up in the trees in family groups.

'One big male with some wives and babies.'

'Most monkeys love fruit.

'Colobus, however, eat lots of leaves.

'They have stomachs like cows.

'And when they are full, to let all that food digest, they sleep.'

'I love this - proper forest skills.'

'And talking of cows,

'not far is Rongo, the best place to see another Congo animal.'

'The red - or forest - buffalo.

'Like almost everything here,

'they are on a smaller scale to other African mammals,

'almost half the size of their cousins, the Cape buffalo.

'But with those big, hairy ears, they are much cuter,

'kept clean and tidy by oxpeckers.

'But don't be fooled - buffalo can be very dangerous,

'especially if they have calves with them.

'They live in small family groups

'with herds rarely exceeding 30 individuals.

'So it is a lovely sight to see so many all together.

'All the moving about churns up the mud

'so they always have an entourage of followers.'

'Woolly-necked storks...

'..and the strange-looking hammerkop.'

'These water birds love eating frogs and insects

'stirred up by the buffalo.

'It's nature being nature.

'I love it.

'And the best wildlife spectacle is still to come.

UPBEAT MUSIC

'So far, we have only seen one half of my country.

'We have a journey ahead of us to where my father comes from...

'..and to get there, we cross a very famous line.'

We are in Makoua. This is, like, bang in the middle of Congo,

and I know this place doesn't look glamorous, but this is,

we're standing right now, we are standing on the equator,

so, if you look that side, that's the southern hemisphere,

and that's the northern hemisphere.

And it's hot here!

'We are travelling to the far north.

'This is the land of my ancestors, my father's hometown, Ouesso.

'A place I visited when I was very young.

'Apparently, this is where I took my first steps.

'This is where the proper equatorial rainforest begins,

'where my great-grandfather, Sokondi, had his land.'

ANIMAL CALLS

'And hidden away are some of the last true forest people.

'Africa has a bad history in its treatment of indigenous people.

'I have never visited them before, so I hope they are welcoming.

'But, as they are nomads, they are hard to find.'

DRUMMING

I can hear some drumbeats right there.

I think we made it.

'Eight hours later

'and my apprehension for our welcome has grown.

'But I am in for a surprise.'

HE SPEAKS THEIR LANGUAGE

THEY RESPOND

HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

So he says his name is Besala Deni.

He's the chief and he is greeting us, you know?

He's welcoming us here.

HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

'Even in the jungle, it seems news travels fast -

'they know who I am.'

Wow.

So the chief said, basically, this land here is Sokondi land,

your great-grandad's land,

and since he is gone, we always wanted to keep a tradition alive.

Sokondi, my great-grandad, he wanted to protect those guys.

Have them as family members, you know?

I am extremely, you know, proud of my, you know, my bloodline,

my great-grandad.

HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

He just basically said he's extremely excited

and extremely honoured that I am here to visit them

and they are going to put on music of welcome...for me.

DRUMMING AND SINGING

'Imagine them remembering my great-grandfather.

'And I was worried about meeting them.

'They don't realise the honour is, in fact, all mine.

'And, because of our connection,

'in the morning they are allowing me to join them on a hunt.

'It will be a rare privilege.'

MUSIC CONTINUES

'The forest people traditionally hunt using different techniques.

'One way is using nets...

'..like fishing on land.

'The hunting party each have different jobs

'and everyone seemed to know his role.

'They are path-makers...

'..net-fixers and beaters.

'It is amazingly organised,

'but if you want to eat, I guess this is what it takes.'

SHOUTING AND WHOOPING

The reason why they're making all the noise is to scare the animals

from that perspective, so they will be running towards the nets,

and once they get here, he is there, ready to catch it.

CALLING CONTINUES

'Everyone is so focused...

'..but this close to the equator,

'and 100% humidity, this is not easy.'

They've seen something else just running through.

It's going that way.

NOISE BUILDS

'These people get everything they need from the forest -

'food, shelter, water, medicine, everything,

'only taking what they need.

'Their harmonious way of life has never changed.

'But, in the past, it did come under threat

'and that is when my great-grandfather Sokondi helped.'

IN OWN LANGUAGE:

'My Congo was the first country in Africa to pass a law

'to give the indigenous people rights,

'and I am so proud to think that my ancestors maybe had a part to play.'

HE SINGS

'I wanted the opportunity to show you the forest people

'and their traditional way of life.

'I was not expecting to discover so much about my family.

'I have to keep moving.

'My country's most precious place is still deeper

'in these northern forests.

'But I make a promise to return to my new friends.'

'Nothing beats the peacefulness of travelling by canoe.

'The rivers are natural roads.

'Being here feels a long way from everyday life.'

It is just so peaceful here.

I can spend an entire, entire day just going along this river.

Just sit and admire beautiful trees and dappled lights.

GENTLE ACOUSTIC MUSIC

I think whoever wrote the Heart Of Darkness was wrong -

this is definitely not the heart of darkness.

This is...lush.

Pure.

I don't know if you can say this in English,

but it's, you know, gorgeously gorgeous.

It's just...amazing, you know?

'I'm very excited about what I have to show you.

'A remote and wild place, deep in the heart of Nouabale-Ndoki.

'For me, it's our most iconic national park.'

(Misty morning. Love the mist.

(Just going to sit on my hide, on the platform,

(and see what comes out.)

'This is it.

'Mbeli Bai - the wildlife jewel in this country's crown.

'And if you come to just one place in my Congo, make it here.

'It is simply the best place to see wildlife

'in the whole of Africa...I think.

'Soon, the performance begins

'and I have the best seat in the house.'

'The first animals to appear are forest elephants.

'They are famous here and guaranteed.'

Bais are big naturally occurring clearings,

islands in the sea of trees.

'Mbeli is more special than most.

'It has secrets in the water - minerals -

'which the elephants love.'

Sticking their whole heads underwater

just to dig the minerals up from the bottom.

For nearly 20 years, these elephants have been part of an ongoing study

by wildlife conservation society...

..identifying individuals from their distinctive ears or scars.

Some are easier to spot than others.

This big bull elephant has got a hole on his trunk.

I don't know why, but you can notice that,

because when he's blowing water,

there is water also popping out of that little hole.

It should heal in time.

Another scar to make him easier to identify.

Soon, they are not alone.

Delicate swamp antelopes, sitatunga, have hooves that are splayed out

so they can run across the marshy ground.

There is a resident fish eagle.

As the sun rises higher, the parade continues.

And you see small things, too -

butterflies...

..dragonflies...

..sunbirds.

The big male sitatungas are much darker than the females...

..and have impressive antlers.

Forest buffalo.

And a rare glimpse of the slender-snouted crocodile.

My favourite bit about this place is the diversity of it, you know?

It's just such a busy place, you know?

A busy bai.

And as the heat goes out of the day,

something emerges from the forest.

What I have been waiting for.

Western lowland gorillas.

Several families feed here on the fat stems of the reeds.

Gorillas are on many people's animal dream list.

And here, they are right in front of you, oblivious to your presence.

'I love the fact that the youngsters don't want to get their feet wet...

'..and so spend their time sitting on their own platform.'

In this case, their mother.

I feel like I'm witnessing paradise on Earth,

just seeing these glorious animals,

you know, seeing elephants and gorillas

sharing the same environment, you know?

And the fact that, you know, if I look left I've got,

you know, elephants wading, digging into the water holes,

and to the right, there will be, you know, a fish eagle flying,

and, obviously, sitatungas and stuff.

It's just beautiful and diverse.

Seeing that in one day, you know, I wasn't...

I wasn't prepared for that, but it's just incredible.

THUNDER RUMBLES

And no day at Mbeli is complete without some rain...

..filling it all up again for the animals.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

'I loved seeing those gorillas.

'It has got me wanting to see more of them.'

It's been great, you know, seeing gorillas here,

but I have always wanted to get close,

get details on hands and eyes and expressions and everything.

And...I know a place where I can just achieve that.

And that is where I'm going to go.

But all this rain means to find them is going to be a real adventure.

Hard for us, but worth it to see gorillas up close.

Finding gorillas...

..you've got to be a little bit adventurous.

The trackers have just located where the gorillas are,

so that's why no time to waste.

We need to get there as soon as possible.

This forest stretches right through into Cameroon

and the Central African Republic.

It is huge and unspoiled.

'But, thankfully, the family of gorillas I am looking for

'are used to people and have been studied for over ten years.

'My guides bring tourists here.

'I feel very lucky.

'This is the best place to see western lowland gorillas

'in the wild, anywhere on Earth. Right here in my Congo.'

(It's really easy to see the gorillas close,

(but one thing is, to film them is a different story.)

'I wear my mask, because gorillas are so like us

'that they can catch the same diseases and we don't want that.'

(They're going deeper and deeper in the foliage.)

'And then, suddenly, there he is - the silverback.

'Even though I know he is used to people,

'it doesn't mean he is not intimidating.'

(I just got close to the apopo.

("Apopo" means "gorilla" in the local language.)

(He's really close!)

His name is Buka, and these gentle vegetarians

have spent almost all of their time eating.

He has to stay big to protect his family.

(His hands, if you look at them close,

(it's, like, three times my hand, and his arm is like that.

(I've got a big arm, but his is...four times my arm! Huge!)

'These guys are unusual for gorillas...

'..in that they spend a lot of time looking for fruits.

'And it's not just the youngsters.'

I never realised that a silverback can climb a tree that fast.

The first time I have seen that in my life.

Obviously I've got a big smile in there.

I've had a glorious time, a wonderful time.

Now they've all gone, so it's time for me to go as well.

'What an amazing end to my Congo adventure.

'But there is one last thing for me to do -

'make good a promise to the forest people.

SINGING AND CLAPPING

'And they throw a leaving party for me.'

SINGING CONTINUES

'I can't help but get carried away.

'At first, I wasn't quite sure whether I should join in,

'cos, obviously, I'm not very good at dancing,

'but when the energy just kicked off,

'I thought, "I'll take this moment. It's now or never," '

and I just went and just danced,

and I felt so great about it, you know?

I just feel so great about it.

I know my daughter always laughs at me when I'm dancing,

but this time she's going to be wrong!

SINGING CONTINUES

'And so I hope now when you hear the word "Congo",

'you will think of me and what I have shown you...'

..of the many surprising places and incredible animals...

..of the beautiful birds and wonderful people.

The thought of leaving is, erm...

..slightly saddens me.

Yes, slightly.

SINGING CONTINUES

I didn't expect this trip to change me, but it has.

I feel like I am really back home to my Congo.

THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE

-Merci.

-Merci.