0:00:02 > 0:00:04The monsoon.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08The greatest weather system on Earth.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Giver of life...
0:00:13 > 0:00:16and the destroyer.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Shaping magical lands
0:00:21 > 0:00:23from the Himalayas
0:00:23 > 0:00:26to Australia.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Its impact felt by giants.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32The exquisite
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and the bizarre.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Where spectacular nature meets the planet's most vibrant cultures.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53This is the story of the monsoon at its most extreme.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Each year, from Cambodia to India,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02the hot months of summer herald a life-changing deluge.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07It brings great danger...
0:01:09 > 0:01:12..and enormous opportunity.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42There's a mystical world
0:01:42 > 0:01:45where tree roots reach across the sky.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55A twisted landscape that holds its breath
0:01:55 > 0:01:59in anticipation of the coming storm.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Beneath the surface, a giant stirs.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27She must act while there's still time.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39She's a frog-faced soft-shell turtle.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Her eggs must develop in dry sand,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49before the monsoon turns their world upside down.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04This is the "mother of water" - the Mekong.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12It's April in Cambodia, and the first rains are yet to arrive.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20After two months, incubating in the sand,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23the baby soft-shelled turtles are emerging.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42They must reach water,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but first, they have a desert to cross.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01Their shells are just rubbery skin, light and flexible.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Their flattened shape will be key to their survival.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16They will spend their lives hidden in the sand.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24Here they are ready for anything the monsoon will throw at them.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Everyone seems restless.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Cormorants are waiting to nest on a nearby lake.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52But most of the lake bed is dry.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58This village sits where the lake should be.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It's a fishing village...
0:05:03 > 0:05:06with no fish.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Cambodians depend on freshwater fish more than any other nation on Earth.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22So they need the rains to flood this land.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36For kids like Thom,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39the world revolves around an annual wonder of nature.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46The summer deluge and the gifts of the Mother River.
0:05:50 > 0:05:56The Mekong flows south from the Himalayas for over 2,500 miles,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00feeding six countries across South-East Asia,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03including Thailand, where rain clouds are building.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08THUNDER RUMBLES
0:06:12 > 0:06:14It's May.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17The monsoon begins with a whisper on the wind.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23A pre-monsoon shower.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29THUNDER RUMBLES
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Not yet the full deluge,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36but enough to spark a little magic in the forest.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It's been bone dry for months.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54So, for young Assamese macaques, this is a new experience.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22But their parents know the rains deliver something
0:07:22 > 0:07:25much more enticing.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28If only they could find it.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00A water snail.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Delicious!
0:08:06 > 0:08:09These snails survived the drought under rocks,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12locked away in their shells.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Winkling them out is fiddly...
0:08:31 > 0:08:34..so the monkeys pocket them in their cheek pouches
0:08:34 > 0:08:37to be enjoyed at leisure.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01As spring turns to summer, warm air rises over the land,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05sucking in moist monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Storm clouds form at sea.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12In India, the southern state of Kerala is where they strike first.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24It's June.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29WIND HOWLS
0:09:49 > 0:09:53The long wait is over.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04THIS is the Indian monsoon.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Heavy, unceasing rain.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Rainfall is usually measured in millimetres,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19but during the monsoon, a metre can fall in just a day.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Clouds roll in.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Wave after wave.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Even if the fierce sun breaks through, the dampness never dries.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52For four long months, the deluge overwhelms the land...
0:10:57 > 0:11:01..transforming the lives of everyone and everything.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Like the great Hindu god, Shiva, the monsoon can be a destroyer,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16bringing chaos and destruction.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29But, like Shiva, it also brings rebirth, and new life.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41The challenge for all, is not simply to survive the monsoon,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44but to grasp every opportunity it offers.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Puddles and pools are forming everywhere.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Perfect for frogs...
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and toads.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02For this female Indian common toad,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05the first rains mean she can breed at last.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10And she must hurry, for it's a one-day event.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20A suitor awaits.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25In fact, there's a whole crowd of them.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Prompted by the monsoon rains,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33the males have all turned yellow for this one special day.
0:12:35 > 0:12:41They may dress to impress, but they don't waste time with niceties.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48You might think the colour would help tell the girls from the boys,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51but it doesn't seem to make any difference.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00After all, today could be their only chance
0:13:00 > 0:13:03to sire a new generation.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17The first tadpoles to hatch out will have a crucial head start
0:13:17 > 0:13:21in the race to grow before the waters recede again.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Just two weeks after the first rains,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37another creature begins to emerge from the monsoon pools.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Having grown up as an aquatic larva,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52the adult mosquito is water repellent.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Her mission is also to reproduce.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16But it's a dangerous new world for one so small.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Raindrops can reach speeds of nearly 20mph.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38For a mosquito, you might think that's like being hit by a bus.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47But scientific research has recently revealed how mosquitoes
0:14:47 > 0:14:50flying in the monsoon cheat death.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57They are so water-repellent,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00that most raindrops simply glance off them.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06A direct hit looks fatal...
0:15:08 > 0:15:10..but the insect is so light and flexible
0:15:10 > 0:15:13that she can absorb the impact and shake off the drop,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16as though nothing had happened.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Insects multiply.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36For many, they are the monsoon's curse.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Female mosquitoes need blood to grow their eggs.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56Cases of malaria increase by ten times during the monsoon.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10It brings perils...
0:16:10 > 0:16:13but also wonders.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22This is the magic of the monsoon.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Beneath the building cloud,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42India is transforming.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50But in the driest parts of the interior,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53the land will take longer to turn green.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Here, Indian wolves await the monsoon's bounty.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17This female gave birth back in winter
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and the pups must soon be weaned.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26She is staking their lives on the monsoon to bring them fresh meat.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33WOLF HOWLS
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Sheep and goats are the staple diet of most Indian wolves...
0:17:46 > 0:17:49..and they go where the grass is greenest.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01A journey where old India meets new.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22Mahendra leads his livestock, and his extended family,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24on a never-ending quest for fresh pasture.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30They've been on the move for eight months.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35Now, with rain on the way, they're heading for their homeland.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03The striped hyena is the wolf's main competitor
0:19:03 > 0:19:06and will often chase a wolf from a carcass.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21She, too, needs to hunt if she is to provide milk for her cubs.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39Home at last, just ahead of the monsoon rains.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49They will soon turn this barren land green again.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23The only the protection the sheep will have is a flimsy net
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and it must be up before sundown.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Guard dogs have nail-studded collars for their protection.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It's at night that the predators will come.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48When the light fades,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51a thermal camera reveals what the naked eye can't see.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Warm bodies glow white.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19The net is not secure.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Hyenas.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Their scent drifts on the wind.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40DOGS BARK
0:21:43 > 0:21:47The dogs have been bred to be fearless...
0:21:49 > 0:21:53..and the hyenas can't afford to risk injury.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Wolves.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59A wolf bit through the top rope of the net.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Mahendra is surprisingly philosophical.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30For him, it's a small price to pay
0:23:30 > 0:23:34for the bounty he hopes the monsoon will bring.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40By the end of July, all of India,
0:23:40 > 0:23:45from the coast to the Himalayas, is transformed by a cloak of green.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09This is Rudyard Kipling country.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The Jungle Book in all its splendour.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Baloo, the sloth bear, knows the rains will bring tasty termites.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Colonel Hathi and the troop have eked out a living
0:24:32 > 0:24:35on leaves, twigs and bark,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39but now fresh grass means they can range free and wide.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51For Shere Khan, the monsoon is a double-edged sword.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Chital deer no longer gather at waterholes
0:24:56 > 0:24:59where they can be easily ambushed.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10But the fresh growth nurtures a new generation of prey.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26The chital team up with langur monkeys.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33The deers' noses and the langurs' eyes alert to potential danger.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Everywhere there's danger and opportunity
0:25:55 > 0:26:00and both increase as the monsoon rains continue.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07At their peak,
0:26:07 > 0:26:1217 million tonnes of water fall on the subcontinent every minute.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Right across southern Asia,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23rivers have become swollen with monsoon rains.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Along the Mekong, it's what all of life has been waiting for.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59The flow of the Mother River has increased 400%
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and now her influence is colossal.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10She has created a whole new habitat.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13A flooded forest, where fish swim.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Now is the time for them to feed and grow fat.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32But it's never safe to loiter.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03The soft-shelled turtle can strike faster than a cobra.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Downstream,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13the monsoon is responsible for an extraordinary phenomenon.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19The Mekong is met by the River Sap, which flows from a large lake.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28The river's natural flow is from west to east, into the Mekong.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36But the Mekong becomes so swollen with monsoon rain
0:28:36 > 0:28:41that it pushes water uphill, back up the Sap River.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47The river's flow has reversed...
0:28:50 > 0:28:53..taking with it, huge numbers of fish.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58They head for the lake, called Tonle Sap,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01which balloons to eight times its former size.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08A vast inland sea that swallows up around a tenth of Cambodia.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Thom's world is now transformed.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45His village can now only be reached by boat.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Nurses paddle to their patients
0:29:57 > 0:30:01and traders punt their wares from door to door.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10There is no longer any dry land to grow vegetables.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14And they keep their pigs in floating sties.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24But they can trade fish and shrimp from the lake for other goods.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37So Thom and his dad go fishing every day.
0:30:45 > 0:30:46The lake is vast.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53And full of millions of fish.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06They swam in from the Mekong and are now in fish paradise.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12In these warm, rich waters,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15young fish rapidly grow to maturity.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22And the drowned trees offer much needed protection
0:31:22 > 0:31:24from the most skilful of predators.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Cormorants have flown in from the Mekong,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34joining resident colonies of Oriental darter,
0:31:34 > 0:31:38known also as snakebirds, on account of their necks.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48This bird is a beautifully adapted fish hunter.
0:31:51 > 0:31:52It has a hinge in its neck,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56with powerful muscles that thrust its head forward like a spear.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04It submerges to hunt underwater.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Dense bones keep its body below the surface,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11so it dives with barely a ripple.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18But fishing is a skill that has to be learned.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25This youngster has just left the nest to enrol in snakebird school.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Other students are already training.
0:32:37 > 0:32:38But where are the fish?
0:32:51 > 0:32:53No, just a leaf.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56But that's OK.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59She is honing a vital skill.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02If she impales a fish,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05she needs to flick it off her bill and catch it headfirst.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11All the youngsters are practising.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Perseverance eventually pays off.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47She's well on her way to independence.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00Elsewhere, the monsoon floods are not always so benevolent.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04At the Bay of Bengal,
0:34:04 > 0:34:08the Indian Ocean reaches closest to the Himalayas.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Monsoon rain clouds collide with the mountains,
0:34:11 > 0:34:14creating the wettest region on Earth.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Through the middle flows the mighty Brahmaputra.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24And bordering the river is Kaziranga National Park...
0:34:29 > 0:34:30..home to giants.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37This youngster was born in the dry season.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Even then, there was water, and she has spent many days
0:34:44 > 0:34:49finding her feet in the deep pools. She still has much to learn.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07In the heat of the day, the elephants wallow
0:35:07 > 0:35:10amongst the floating water hyacinth.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15It's a delicacy, but first, it has to be washed.
0:35:19 > 0:35:20It takes a bit of practice.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32And she must avoid the grumpy neighbours.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35Indian one-horned rhinos don't like company.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Even the mud is quite a challenge for little legs.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59But a much graver danger is approaching.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14The monsoon is about to deliver a devastating blow.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21The rains have been exceptionally heavy this year
0:36:21 > 0:36:25and the Brahmaputra has burst her banks, flooding the plains.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39The National Park is fast disappearing.
0:36:46 > 0:36:47The elephants must escape.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Small creatures are flushed from the undergrowth.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20But they have nowhere else to go.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30The floods show no mercy.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47The Park is now beneath five metres of water,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49too deep even for elephants.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53They must reach the safety of the hills.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03Not even water buffalo can survive in this much water.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24Solid ground, but this is no place for elephants.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Many animals have died making this crossing.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41Hog deer are nimble.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43But the elephants must wait.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13It's still a long way to the hills,
0:39:13 > 0:39:18and the herd is now outside the protection of the Park.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Thousands of people have had to leave their homes.
0:39:30 > 0:39:31It's a national disaster.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Everywhere, people and animals are fleeing the rising waters,
0:39:50 > 0:39:54and when their paths cross, neither is safe.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00A lone bull elephant is desperate for dry land.
0:40:06 > 0:40:11But the villagers are afraid for their houses and their lives.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25He'll have to seek sanctuary elsewhere.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39The hills.
0:40:42 > 0:40:43They've all survived.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04For this youngster, it's been a dramatic awakening
0:41:04 > 0:41:07to the terrifying power of the monsoon.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22As fast as they rose, the floods recede.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27It's a good time for scavengers.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Griffon vultures have found a dead rhino.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36The stench is overpowering.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40But this tiger has sniffed out an opportunity.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48Why waste energy hunting when such a feast is here for the taking?
0:41:58 > 0:42:03He has strong jaws and a strong stomach.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14Though it can be devastating, the monsoon is also a provider.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18And it is about to make its greatest gift.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28As the waters recede, they leave everything coated in fine silt.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38Like a sprinkling of magic dust, it is this that creates fertility,
0:42:38 > 0:42:39and new life.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46Kaziranga's elephant grass grows to over five metres.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52All along the Brahmaputra, it's the same story.
0:42:57 > 0:42:58Downstream, in Bangladesh,
0:42:58 > 0:43:03monsoon floods cover up to 70% of the entire country.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14But here, the Brahmaputra joins the Ganges to create
0:43:14 > 0:43:16some of the most fertile soils on Earth.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23In places, the silt lies over half a mile deep.
0:43:30 > 0:43:35By October, the days are shortening, the air cools,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38and the monsoon rains come to an end.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47In Cambodia, Tonle Sap lake is emptying again,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49and fishermen face six months of drought.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03Tola has been fishing on the River Sap
0:44:03 > 0:44:05every day for the past few months.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12But with such a vast area for the fish to hide,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14their catches have been modest.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26He has a growing family to feed through the dry months ahead.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38So they preserve the catch by making prahok, a kind of fish paste.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42It helps, but it won't be enough.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54But the monsoon has a final parting gift
0:44:54 > 0:44:56for those with the ingenuity to grasp it.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01Falling water levels trigger a mass migration.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Millions of fish flee down the Sap River from the shrinking lake.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11The challenge is how to catch them.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Enormous nets are erected for this one fleeting event.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Tola has signed up to join one of the fishing crews.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34But with many channels, no-one knows when or where the fish will run.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40Each crew gambles on one channel or another.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51Tola must hope he has joined the right team.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01They're about to bring up their first haul.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07Will it be feast or famine?
0:46:25 > 0:46:26A tonne of fish.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35And every hour, another tonne is swept into the net.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41In all, over 30,000 tonnes of fish
0:46:41 > 0:46:44are hauled from the Sap River each year.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48It's the peak catch in the Mekong,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51the biggest freshwater fishery in the world.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56It's so important for Cambodia
0:46:56 > 0:47:00that their word for fish is also their name for money.
0:47:15 > 0:47:20For Tola and his family, the monsoon has finally delivered.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39The rains that were blown in from the ocean five months ago
0:47:39 > 0:47:41finish their journey back where they started.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46The waters of the Brahmaputra
0:47:46 > 0:47:49flow into the largest river delta on Earth.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Plumes of sediment wash hundreds of kilometres out to sea, where
0:47:54 > 0:47:58they seed one final monsoon bonanza.
0:48:04 > 0:48:05Sperm whales.
0:48:08 > 0:48:13The world's largest toothed predators, they eat squid and fish,
0:48:13 > 0:48:17prey that has grown fat in nutrient-rich waters
0:48:17 > 0:48:19brought by the monsoon.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40But even sperm whales are dwarfed
0:48:40 > 0:48:43by the largest animal that's ever lived.
0:49:00 > 0:49:01This is the blue whale.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06And the only place on Earth that they can be seen year round
0:49:06 > 0:49:09is here, in the waters around Sri Lanka.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23Waters that are fertile thanks to the monsoon...
0:49:27 > 0:49:29..the destroyer and giver of life,
0:49:29 > 0:49:32from tiny mosquitoes to the giants of the deep.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47In this episode, the Monsoon team
0:49:47 > 0:49:49filmed some of India's most dangerous animals
0:49:49 > 0:49:52as they struggled to survive the deluge,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55from the elephant
0:49:55 > 0:49:57to the mosquito.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01And each presented extraordinary challenges.
0:50:03 > 0:50:08Cameraman Sandesh Kadur has been filming India's wildlife
0:50:08 > 0:50:11for more than ten years.
0:50:12 > 0:50:13(Did you see that?)
0:50:14 > 0:50:18In the mayhem of a rising flood, anything can happen.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22Run!
0:50:24 > 0:50:27Now, his mission is to capture the moment the rising floods
0:50:27 > 0:50:31push elephants out of their world and into ours.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39This is one of the busiest highways in India.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43When animals get to the highway,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46this is when they meet their biggest threat.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49The road borders Kaziranga National Park.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54During a big flood, elephants could cross it anywhere at any time.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58As a cameraman, it's really tricky to figure out where exactly to be.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01What I've got to do is tap into the network,
0:51:01 > 0:51:03and my network are the forest guards
0:51:03 > 0:51:05and the anti-poaching camp throughout the Park.
0:51:09 > 0:51:10Thank you.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15There's no sign of them yet, but with the water rising fast,
0:51:15 > 0:51:17it won't be long.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26Right at the other end of the scale,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29the team want to film an animal even more dangerous
0:51:29 > 0:51:31than elephants or tigers...
0:51:33 > 0:51:39..the carriers of malaria - mosquitoes, being hit by rain.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42But the laws of physics make it impossible to film something
0:51:42 > 0:51:45so small and fast in the wild.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49So, for once in the series, a story had to be filmed
0:51:49 > 0:51:51outside the monsoon region.
0:51:53 > 0:51:59In the UK, the monsoon team obtained safe, disease-free specimens,
0:51:59 > 0:52:01a lab for confining the insects,
0:52:01 > 0:52:05and advice from an insect flight scientist whose research
0:52:05 > 0:52:09helped to reveal how mosquitoes survive raindrop collision.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Imagine running and jumping off a cliff,
0:52:11 > 0:52:15and a boulder, already in freefall, smacking you!
0:52:17 > 0:52:19That's about what it's like.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22It's incredible that they can just fly away easily.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30First, they have to create droplets of just the right size and speed.
0:52:30 > 0:52:32We want to simulate an environment
0:52:32 > 0:52:34that is as close to natural rain as we can.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41This is a lot more difficult than you'd think from the set-up.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43We're just trying to get a drop of water to fall
0:52:43 > 0:52:45in the same place each time,
0:52:45 > 0:52:48in the same plane of focus, and even that is proving quite tricky.
0:52:49 > 0:52:55A high-speed camera slows the drop 40 times, but it's not enough.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58To give more falling distance on screen,
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Jon turns his camera on its side.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Just filming a droplet is proving hard enough...
0:53:05 > 0:53:07even without the mosquitoes!
0:53:14 > 0:53:20Wow, look at that. It was not this high just yesterday.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23In Kaziranga, it looks like a record flood year.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25The whole Park will soon be under water.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35So, probably by tomorrow morning,
0:53:35 > 0:53:39I think all the animals are going to be pushed towards the highway.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46Back in the lab, water is flowing steadily
0:53:46 > 0:53:49and it's time at last for the mosquitoes to take centre stage.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54Let's give it a go, get some out and put them on the set.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Using a tube, Andrew sucks up the cast.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02But all this waiting seems to have given them stage fright.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09We're not going to get any mozzies hit by raindrops
0:54:09 > 0:54:11unless they fly about a bit more.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13The cast are hungry for blood,
0:54:13 > 0:54:17so giving them a taste of Andrew's warm human breath gets them excited.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20I thought I saw something there. I just pressed the trigger.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- Oh, just missed!- Dodged one.- Wow.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30But getting a direct hit is clearly going to take patience.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34It's a 5am start for Sandesh.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42There might be another herd further up the road.
0:54:42 > 0:54:43We'd better hurry up.
0:54:43 > 0:54:47We just found out that one herd of elephants have already crossed,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49and I don't want to miss this herd.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57The morning traffic is a nightmare.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03And we've got some on the highway right now.
0:55:22 > 0:55:23We just missed it.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32Back in the lab, they're also having near misses, hundreds of them!
0:55:50 > 0:55:52Got it.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01- OK. Right, let's play this. - There's a drop.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06- Got you!- Yes!- Fantastic.
0:56:06 > 0:56:11- Look at that.- You see that there? He's probably experiencing 100Gs
0:56:11 > 0:56:13when he gets hit by that drop,
0:56:13 > 0:56:16so it's incredible to think he can just fly away.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19And thanks to this extraordinary discovery
0:56:19 > 0:56:21and a backdrop filmed in India,
0:56:21 > 0:56:25a glimpse into nature as never seen before.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32Sandesh is looking for another herd.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35We just got information that a herd of elephants
0:56:35 > 0:56:37are in the shade of these trees.
0:56:37 > 0:56:44The guards think that elephants are moving up there, towards the highway.
0:56:44 > 0:56:49There are elephants behind us, so we'd better be very careful,
0:56:49 > 0:56:50watch our backs.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56(They're crossing. They're on the edge of the road.)
0:57:04 > 0:57:07(Good. They're so nervous.)
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Amazing that there's not been traffic on this road
0:57:11 > 0:57:13for such a long time.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16And that's when they try to cross.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23And then there's heavy traffic coming in.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43Finally, we've got the elephants crossing the highway.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47I can't believe it's taken us this long to get this shot.
0:57:47 > 0:57:48It just goes to show how important it is
0:57:48 > 0:57:51to be at the right place at the right time.
0:58:00 > 0:58:01Next time...
0:58:01 > 0:58:06The other side of the monsoon.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08The rains have long gone.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11Now, the winds that blow are bone dry.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16But nature's response is spectacular...
0:58:18 > 0:58:23..as animals and humans alike battle to overcome the drought.