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Line | From | To | |
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The Indian Ocean, | 0:00:07 | 0:00:09 | |
home to the world's most exotic islands, | 0:00:09 | 0:00:12 | |
and beautiful and rare wildlife. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:16 | |
I'm travelling through 16 countries around the edge of this vast ocean, | 0:00:19 | 0:00:23 | |
that stretches 6,000 miles from Africa to Australia. | 0:00:23 | 0:00:27 | |
'Steeped in history, the Indian Ocean is vital to world trade. | 0:00:29 | 0:00:34 | |
'It's a journey of extremes. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:38 | |
'From stunning islands, | 0:00:38 | 0:00:40 | |
'across pirate-infested seas, | 0:00:40 | 0:00:43 | |
'to remote villages...' | 0:00:43 | 0:00:45 | |
Salama! | 0:00:45 | 0:00:47 | |
GUNFIRE | 0:00:48 | 0:00:50 | |
'..and war-torn lands.' | 0:00:50 | 0:00:52 | |
-What was that? -MORE GUNFIRE | 0:00:52 | 0:00:55 | |
This is a journey about much more than just what's under the waves. | 0:01:04 | 0:01:08 | |
It's about the lives of the millions of people | 0:01:09 | 0:01:13 | |
who live around this, one of our greatest oceans. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:18 | |
'On this leg of my journey I am exploring the tropical islands | 0:01:20 | 0:01:23 | |
'of Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:26 | |
'Remote and exotic, this is the Indian Ocean of picture postcards.' | 0:01:28 | 0:01:34 | |
If you're going to try and imagine paradise, | 0:01:34 | 0:01:37 | |
that's it. | 0:01:37 | 0:01:39 | |
'But it's a region battling the threat from Somali pirates.' | 0:01:40 | 0:01:45 | |
It's the 21st century | 0:01:45 | 0:01:46 | |
-and you're going after pirates in the Indian Ocean. -Yeah. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:49 | |
'I discover the truth about Madagascar's unique wildlife.' | 0:01:49 | 0:01:53 | |
Such a cute scene. | 0:01:53 | 0:01:55 | |
'And in the beautiful Seychelles, I get a taste of paradise.' | 0:01:57 | 0:02:01 | |
-Bat? -Yeah, bat. Vampires and all of that! | 0:02:01 | 0:02:05 | |
I'm just about to land on an island | 0:02:23 | 0:02:25 | |
of the south-west coast of Madagascar. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:28 | |
And I'm beginning another leg of my journey around the Indian Ocean. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:32 | |
Madagascar is the biggest island in the Indian Ocean, | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
more than twice the size of Britain. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
I was heading for Andambatihy, | 0:02:38 | 0:02:40 | |
one of hundreds of tiny islands that pepper Madagascar's coast. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:44 | |
So this is Gildas. Gildas is going to be guiding me around Madagascar. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:54 | |
-Say hello, Gildas. -Hello! | 0:02:54 | 0:02:57 | |
-Let's say hello to the locals as well. Salama! -Salama! | 0:02:57 | 0:03:03 | |
'The island is home to a fishing community of just 20 families.' | 0:03:03 | 0:03:08 | |
Who's the boss in the village? | 0:03:08 | 0:03:11 | |
-There is the boss. -This is the boss, OK. -Salama. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:16 | |
-And what's his name? -Foringa. -Foringa. | 0:03:16 | 0:03:19 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:03:19 | 0:03:21 | |
My pronunciation always gets a laugh. I'm Simon. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:25 | |
'The coastal people of western Madagascar are known as the Vezos. | 0:03:25 | 0:03:30 | |
'They depend entirely on the Indian Ocean for their survival.' | 0:03:30 | 0:03:34 | |
I'm just looking around us as we come into the little village. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:38 | |
And you can see all of the tools and stuff of fishing. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:41 | |
Obviously you've got the nets here. | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
Then you've got a pirogue, a sort of canoe through there. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:46 | |
If you just look around here, they're drying some of their catch. | 0:03:46 | 0:03:51 | |
Tiny little fish. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:53 | |
'But drying fish can be tricky in the rainy season.' | 0:03:53 | 0:03:58 | |
A storm is just starting now, | 0:03:58 | 0:04:00 | |
so everybody is pitching in | 0:04:00 | 0:04:02 | |
to try and gather up some of the fish to keep them dry. | 0:04:02 | 0:04:04 | |
Small hands and big hands. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:08 | |
I think this is going to be quite a feature of this journey. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:18 | |
We're going to have to endure quite a lot of stormy weather, | 0:04:18 | 0:04:22 | |
because we are in the path of the monsoon. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:25 | |
This is part of life in the Indian Ocean. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:28 | |
And at this point, at this time of the year, | 0:04:28 | 0:04:32 | |
we're going to get a lot of rain on us. | 0:04:32 | 0:04:35 | |
At least we have - we're taking shelter in this hut. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:41 | |
But we have got some entertainment from the locals here. | 0:04:41 | 0:04:46 | |
-Hello, hello! -Hello, hello! | 0:04:49 | 0:04:52 | |
-Hello, hello. -Hello, hello. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:55 | |
-Welcome... -Welcome. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:57 | |
-To our... -To our. -Island. -Island. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:03 | |
-We could just stay here and start an English class, maybe. -Yeah. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:07 | |
Because there's no school here. So we'd be the first school here. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:11 | |
Can we ask the young lad here, | 0:05:11 | 0:05:13 | |
has he got any idea what job would he like to do when he's grown up? | 0:05:13 | 0:05:17 | |
He said fishing. | 0:05:22 | 0:05:23 | |
-It's not entirely surprising, is it? -It's not surprising. | 0:05:23 | 0:05:27 | |
Really, that would be the only life they know? | 0:05:27 | 0:05:31 | |
Yeah. This is every day, every day. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:33 | |
-Big smiles. -Big smiles. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:37 | |
With no schools and little healthcare, | 0:05:39 | 0:05:42 | |
life on these islands is pretty basic. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
-There's no roof. -There's no roof. -No roof. -No roof. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:51 | |
Anyway, we've got to put one on. | 0:05:53 | 0:05:54 | |
'Monsoon clouds were lurking on the horizon, | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
'so putting a roof on the hut where we'd be staying | 0:05:58 | 0:06:00 | |
'seemed like a good idea. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:01 | |
'We used a sail from one of their boats.' | 0:06:01 | 0:06:04 | |
Ah, hang on. Yay! | 0:06:04 | 0:06:07 | |
There's no mucking about here. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:09 | |
Bish, bash. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:10 | |
That's not too bad, you know. | 0:06:13 | 0:06:15 | |
'By the morning the sky had cleared. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:26 | |
'And with better weather, | 0:06:30 | 0:06:32 | |
'Foringa, the village chief, took me out fishing.' | 0:06:32 | 0:06:35 | |
Is it just that I've got a very large arse? Why are these so narrow? | 0:06:43 | 0:06:48 | |
You'd think they would make them a nice comfortable large seat. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:51 | |
'The Vezos are nomadic, migrating from island to island | 0:06:53 | 0:06:56 | |
'around this part of the Indian Ocean, | 0:06:56 | 0:06:58 | |
'sometimes travelling hundreds of miles to find the best fishing.' | 0:06:58 | 0:07:03 | |
Come on, son, put your back into it! | 0:07:03 | 0:07:06 | |
'I was heading out with men who were born to fish. | 0:07:06 | 0:07:10 | |
'It was going to be a struggle to keep up.' | 0:07:10 | 0:07:12 | |
All right, so let's go spear fishing. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
'Holding their breath, Foringa and the other fishermen | 0:07:38 | 0:07:40 | |
'can stay under for more than five minutes at a time, | 0:07:40 | 0:07:44 | |
'and dive to depths below 20 metres. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:46 | |
'I couldn't manage half of that.' | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
And they've gone down again. | 0:07:56 | 0:07:58 | |
They have got lungs... lungs the size of barrage balloons. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:02 | |
I can't stay down for anything like as long as they can. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:05 | |
I'll have another go. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:07 | |
'As well as using simple spears, the Vezo fishermen also use harpoons | 0:08:11 | 0:08:16 | |
'made from wood and strong rubber bands. | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
'It was tough going.' | 0:08:32 | 0:08:34 | |
They've caught two small fish. But they're really not very big. | 0:08:34 | 0:08:38 | |
They're not going to feed the family, that's for sure. | 0:08:38 | 0:08:41 | |
'Finally, Foringa landed the catch of the day.' | 0:08:43 | 0:08:47 | |
-Exhausting. -Exhausting? | 0:08:47 | 0:08:50 | |
-But look. -But look at this. Wow! | 0:08:50 | 0:08:54 | |
-How did you do to catch this? -You're a very funny guy! | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
'Even with a disappointing catch, Foringa wanted to share it with us. | 0:09:00 | 0:09:06 | |
'It soon became clear | 0:09:06 | 0:09:07 | |
'this community has been struggling in recent years.' | 0:09:07 | 0:09:11 | |
Thank you very much. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:15 | |
This looks fantastic. How long have you been fishing in these waters? | 0:09:16 | 0:09:22 | |
And how has the fishing changed over that time? | 0:09:22 | 0:09:24 | |
-TRANSLATION: -I started fishing when I was 18. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
Then I got married and had a family, so I had to feed them. | 0:09:33 | 0:09:36 | |
Back then there were lots of fish and they were easy to catch. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:44 | |
But nowadays it's really hard. You have to work hard every day. | 0:09:49 | 0:09:53 | |
Before, we'd only go out for two or three hours to catch a lot of fish. | 0:09:58 | 0:10:05 | |
How many children do you have, | 0:10:05 | 0:10:06 | |
and do you imagine that they'll become fishermen in years to come? | 0:10:06 | 0:10:11 | |
Er, I...I... | 0:10:11 | 0:10:15 | |
I've got... | 0:10:15 | 0:10:17 | |
SHE SPEAKS | 0:10:17 | 0:10:18 | |
..seven. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:21 | |
So you couldn't remember how many children you've got! | 0:10:21 | 0:10:24 | |
Your wife had to tell you how many children you've had. | 0:10:24 | 0:10:26 | |
It's because I have too much to think about. | 0:10:29 | 0:10:33 | |
I couldn't remember. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:37 | |
OK. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:38 | |
That's completely fair, and we know you've got a lot to think about, | 0:10:38 | 0:10:42 | |
and you're working very, very hard for your family. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:46 | |
'Seven children is not a big family in this part of the world. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:52 | |
'In recent years, there's been a population explosion among the Vezo | 0:10:52 | 0:10:56 | |
'that has led to too many fishermen, overfishing, | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
'and a decline in fish stocks. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
'I said goodbye to Foringa, | 0:11:04 | 0:11:06 | |
'and headed to the mainland of Madagascar, | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
'where most of the Vezo live. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:11 | |
'My guide Gildas works for a British conservation group, Blue Ventures. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:16 | |
'They've set up a marine park | 0:11:16 | 0:11:18 | |
'to try and protect the fish stocks in the area | 0:11:18 | 0:11:22 | |
'and the precious coral reef they inhabit. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
'On the mainland, | 0:11:26 | 0:11:28 | |
'the evidence of a booming population | 0:11:28 | 0:11:30 | |
'became even more obvious.' | 0:11:30 | 0:11:31 | |
Salama! | 0:11:31 | 0:11:33 | |
Salama! | 0:11:33 | 0:11:34 | |
There's a lot of them! | 0:11:36 | 0:11:39 | |
They're pushing me and Gildas out of the way to get to the camera. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
We can't be having that, really! | 0:11:42 | 0:11:45 | |
-Two presenters are enough. -Yeah! | 0:11:45 | 0:11:48 | |
'Blue Ventures have realised | 0:11:48 | 0:11:50 | |
'they can't hope to protect the environment | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
'without doing something to address the population boom.' | 0:11:53 | 0:11:56 | |
-About 53% of the population is under 15 years old. -Really? | 0:11:56 | 0:12:02 | |
Really. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:03 | |
-So most of them are here? -Yeah. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:04 | |
At the moment, we try to address the population problem | 0:12:04 | 0:12:09 | |
by implementing the family planning project. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:12 | |
So you started out, then, as conservationists, | 0:12:12 | 0:12:17 | |
looking to protect marine areas, but then through that, | 0:12:17 | 0:12:19 | |
-you've realised that that you've got to work with the people to... -Yes. | 0:12:19 | 0:12:24 | |
..protect them, but also introduce family planning. That's fascinating. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:28 | |
Yeah, yeah. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:29 | |
'It's a radical move for a conservation charity. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:33 | |
'Blue Ventures have helped introduce a family planning programme | 0:12:33 | 0:12:36 | |
'covering thousands of villages in the area, | 0:12:36 | 0:12:38 | |
'handing out condoms and other forms of contraception. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:42 | |
'Madagascar has one of the fastest growing populations in the world, | 0:12:42 | 0:12:47 | |
'high rates of illiteracy among women, | 0:12:47 | 0:12:49 | |
'and lack of access to contraception are a key cause. | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
'Conservationists are often afraid to discuss the impact | 0:12:52 | 0:12:56 | |
'of human population growth on the environment. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:59 | |
'After all, rich foreigners telling poor villagers | 0:12:59 | 0:13:01 | |
'to have fewer children is controversial. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:04 | |
'But the staggering growth of the human population on our planet | 0:13:04 | 0:13:09 | |
'is a catastrophe for the natural world. | 0:13:09 | 0:13:11 | |
'And here at least, Blue Ventures is bravely doing something about it. | 0:13:11 | 0:13:15 | |
'It was time for me to head along the coast | 0:13:16 | 0:13:19 | |
'and explore more of this island.' | 0:13:19 | 0:13:20 | |
We're not sure what the road conditions are going to be like | 0:13:20 | 0:13:23 | |
because it's been raining, it's the rainy season, | 0:13:23 | 0:13:26 | |
it's going to rain again, | 0:13:26 | 0:13:28 | |
and there's some rivers that we may or may not be able to get across. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:31 | |
The road's rubbish. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:33 | |
Don't know how long it's going to take, | 0:13:33 | 0:13:35 | |
but hopefully, we're going to get there. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
-Shall we go? -Yeah. | 0:13:41 | 0:13:42 | |
ENGINE SILENT | 0:13:42 | 0:13:44 | |
'It wasn't a promising start.' | 0:13:44 | 0:13:46 | |
You've got power, though? | 0:13:46 | 0:13:49 | |
-Battery. -OK. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:50 | |
-Push? -Push. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:53 | |
Oh, my God, this is a tank! | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
ENGINE STARTS | 0:13:57 | 0:13:58 | |
Oh, brilliant. | 0:13:58 | 0:13:59 | |
-Not too bad. -No. -I'm sure we'll have worse. | 0:14:00 | 0:14:04 | |
'Southern Madagascar is stunning. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:11 | |
'The Indian Ocean coastline is almost completely undeveloped. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:17 | |
'The island separated from the rest of Africa millions of years ago, | 0:14:21 | 0:14:25 | |
'and its parallel evolution means that many plants and trees here | 0:14:25 | 0:14:28 | |
'are found nowhere else. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:30 | |
'Travelling inland, we hit our first major obstacle.' | 0:14:33 | 0:14:36 | |
-It's not looking good, is it? -Yeah. I think they took the wrong way. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:43 | |
What the hell were they doing there? | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
As you can see, there's a four-wheel-drive stuck in the river, | 0:14:46 | 0:14:50 | |
and there's lots of villagers offering to help to get them out. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:54 | |
For a fee. We don't want to be in the same situation. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:58 | |
It's all right now. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:00 | |
Well, that looks like what we should do, surely. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:04 | |
We should go across the river just there. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:06 | |
Yeah, but you have to enter this land to be able to do that, | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
you have to pay this guy. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:12 | |
-I think we might have to pay the guy. -We have to pay him. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:14 | |
So how much? | 0:15:14 | 0:15:16 | |
-He say 2,000. -2,000. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:19 | |
-Is that for both cars? -Yeah, yeah. | 0:15:19 | 0:15:22 | |
-So that is about 70 pence. -Yeah. | 0:15:22 | 0:15:25 | |
-For both cars going through his field? -Yeah. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:28 | |
Well, that seems a very fair sum for us to pay in the circumstances. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:32 | |
Let's give slightly more as a little tip for his generosity. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:37 | |
-OK. -OK? | 0:15:37 | 0:15:41 | |
Thank you very much. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:43 | |
-Is he happy with that? -I think he's very, very happy. -Very happy? | 0:15:43 | 0:15:48 | |
There's a sort of wry smile playing across the lips. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
'There's always been flooding here in the rainy season. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:55 | |
'But the problem's getting worse. | 0:15:55 | 0:15:58 | |
'Trees help to soak up floodwaters, but there aren't many left. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:01 | |
'Movies and wildlife documentaries always paint an image of Madagascar | 0:16:01 | 0:16:06 | |
'as a forested paradise teeming with wildlife. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:09 | |
'The reality is completely different. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:13 | |
'I met up with Charlie Gardner from the conservation organisation WWF.' | 0:16:13 | 0:16:17 | |
-Where are the trees? -Well, they've been cleared. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:22 | |
This is land that's been deforested, used for cultivation, | 0:16:22 | 0:16:26 | |
then been abandoned because it's lost its fertility. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:30 | |
But it would have been a very diverse native forest, | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
filled with as many as a couple of hundred different species of tree. | 0:16:33 | 0:16:38 | |
-A couple of hundred? -Yes. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:40 | |
-Just in this area? -Just in a relatively small area, absolutely. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:46 | |
In Britain, we have 30-odd species of native tree. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:49 | |
-In Madagascar, we have approaching 1,000. -That's incredible. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:54 | |
'A staggering 90% of the forest in Madagascar | 0:16:54 | 0:16:58 | |
'has already been chopped, logged or burned. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:02 | |
'The trees have been cut for fuel or to clear land for crops. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:06 | |
'But without trees to bind land together and store rainwater, | 0:17:06 | 0:17:11 | |
'humans can pay a huge price. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:13 | |
'Charlie took me to see what happens | 0:17:14 | 0:17:17 | |
'when vast areas of forest are destroyed. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:19 | |
'The Onilahy River is one of the biggest in Madagascar. | 0:17:20 | 0:17:24 | |
'As we drove along, I could see it had just burst its banks, | 0:17:24 | 0:17:26 | |
'flooding farmers' fields.' | 0:17:26 | 0:17:28 | |
So we're just going in search of a farmer who's got fields in this area | 0:17:30 | 0:17:35 | |
that we think might be down where the river has broken its banks. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:39 | |
-Salama! -Salama. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
THEY SPEAK IN DIALECT | 0:17:45 | 0:17:47 | |
It turned out this farmer had lost all his crops to flooding. | 0:17:49 | 0:17:54 | |
Is this problem getting worse? | 0:17:54 | 0:17:55 | |
TRANSLATION: Yes, it's getting worse and worse. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:02 | |
Once the Onilahy floods, it destroys everything, | 0:18:02 | 0:18:06 | |
the manioc, the cassava, the rice. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:08 | |
There's no food. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:10 | |
You just have to try and fill your stomach with air, | 0:18:12 | 0:18:15 | |
and close your mouth, because there's nothing to eat. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:20 | |
I can just see people walking across the flooded area now. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:25 | |
You can see how deep it is. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
Look, they're up to their necks. They're having to swim, almost. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
I'm just going to go back and try and see if we can meet the villagers | 0:18:29 | 0:18:32 | |
who have just swum across these flooded fields. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
They're just coming out of the water now. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:42 | |
Salama, salama, salama. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:45 | |
Can we ask the guys, where have you come from? | 0:18:45 | 0:18:48 | |
You're actually coming here, | 0:18:55 | 0:18:57 | |
you're swimming here to look for somewhere to stay, then, presumably? | 0:18:57 | 0:19:01 | |
This is really just another consequence of the deforestation, | 0:19:06 | 0:19:10 | |
I think, isn't it? | 0:19:10 | 0:19:11 | |
-Yes. -This is part of the problem. | 0:19:11 | 0:19:13 | |
Flooding is very linked to deforestation. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
Most of Madagascar used to be forested. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:18 | |
So when it was forested, and when it rained, | 0:19:18 | 0:19:21 | |
the vegetation in the roots helped the water infiltrate into the soil, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:26 | |
so the forest acts like a sponge, really, | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
and then the water drains really slowly into the rivers over time. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:33 | |
Whereas once you clear those forest, when the rain falls... | 0:19:33 | 0:19:36 | |
As has happened? | 0:19:36 | 0:19:37 | |
Yes, as has happened, | 0:19:37 | 0:19:39 | |
then when the rain falls, it comes off these slopes in sheets. | 0:19:39 | 0:19:42 | |
There's nothing to retain it, | 0:19:42 | 0:19:44 | |
and when it's coming down in sheets like that, | 0:19:44 | 0:19:47 | |
it's bringing soil with it. | 0:19:47 | 0:19:48 | |
'The loss of the fertile topsoil has devastating long-term consequences | 0:19:50 | 0:19:54 | |
'for the environment, and for millions of subsistence farmers. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:58 | |
'Gildas and I travelled on, | 0:20:01 | 0:20:03 | |
'across Madagascar to a place called Berenty, | 0:20:03 | 0:20:06 | |
'in the south-east corner of the island.' | 0:20:06 | 0:20:08 | |
Of course, it's not just the trees that are being destroyed. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:14 | |
I think we need to go and find out a little bit more | 0:20:14 | 0:20:17 | |
about the wildlife that's being lost when the forests are chopped. | 0:20:17 | 0:20:20 | |
'There's a wildlife reserve in this area | 0:20:22 | 0:20:24 | |
'that's featured in countless nature documentaries in recent decades. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:29 | |
'The reserve was established in the 1930s by a French plantation owner. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:40 | |
'It's become synonymous with Madagascar's most iconic animals.' | 0:20:40 | 0:20:44 | |
We've come to one of the most famous wildlife reserves on the island, | 0:20:44 | 0:20:48 | |
and we're looking while we're creeping through the bushes, | 0:20:48 | 0:20:53 | |
looking for Madagascar's lemurs. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
WHISTLES | 0:20:57 | 0:20:59 | |
'But spotting lemurs here is not so easy, | 0:21:01 | 0:21:03 | |
'and it was more than an hour before we saw anything.' | 0:21:03 | 0:21:07 | |
(They're just on the trees over here. | 0:21:09 | 0:21:12 | |
(Can you just see them up there?) | 0:21:12 | 0:21:14 | |
'Here in Berenty, you can see sifaka lemurs, | 0:21:14 | 0:21:16 | |
'and the most famous, ringtail lemurs.' | 0:21:16 | 0:21:19 | |
(Such a cute scene.) | 0:21:19 | 0:21:22 | |
'Lemurs are unique to Madagascar. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:28 | |
'Scientists believe they're descendants of primates | 0:21:28 | 0:21:31 | |
'that travelled across the Indian Ocean from the mainland | 0:21:31 | 0:21:34 | |
'millions of years ago, on logs or rafts of matted vegetation.' | 0:21:34 | 0:21:37 | |
This place is beautiful, but, and it's a huge but, | 0:21:38 | 0:21:44 | |
this reserve contains a large chunk | 0:21:44 | 0:21:47 | |
of the only remaining forests of its kind in Madagascar, | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
and this place is actually tiny. | 0:21:51 | 0:21:54 | |
It's not much bigger than some London parks, | 0:21:54 | 0:21:57 | |
and this on an island that's the fourth largest on the planet! | 0:21:57 | 0:22:02 | |
The lemurs have really got nothing left. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:06 | |
'After hours of searching for lemurs in the forest, | 0:22:06 | 0:22:08 | |
'it was time to go back to the visitors' lodge. | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
'We were greeted by an amazing display.' | 0:22:11 | 0:22:13 | |
Are you all right? Are you lost? No, hopefully not. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:45 | |
Chances are, if you've seen lemurs filmed in Madagascar, | 0:22:46 | 0:22:51 | |
it was shot here, and it turns out, we're reliably informed, | 0:22:51 | 0:22:56 | |
that almost all of the shots are generally filmed | 0:22:56 | 0:23:00 | |
in an area around these buildings, bungalows, | 0:23:00 | 0:23:04 | |
with the cameramen straining to keep the buildings out of shot. | 0:23:04 | 0:23:08 | |
We're not going to do that, | 0:23:08 | 0:23:10 | |
because I think you should see the reality here. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:14 | |
I think if you take the buildings out of the shot, | 0:23:14 | 0:23:16 | |
this place generally might give the impression | 0:23:16 | 0:23:19 | |
that there's a lot of wilderness of wild paradise left in Madagascar, | 0:23:19 | 0:23:25 | |
and that is not the case. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:27 | |
'Completely surrounding the nature reserve | 0:23:30 | 0:23:34 | |
'is an endless expanse of agricultural land.' | 0:23:34 | 0:23:36 | |
So, look. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:39 | |
Ooh! This is what's outside! | 0:23:40 | 0:23:43 | |
Vast, vast plantations of sisal. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:51 | |
My goodness! | 0:23:51 | 0:23:53 | |
Far as the eye can see. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:56 | |
Thousands and thousands of acres of it. | 0:23:56 | 0:24:00 | |
In some instances, | 0:24:00 | 0:24:01 | |
it's used for making environmentally friendly packaging for Europe. | 0:24:01 | 0:24:06 | |
'The founders of Berenty cleared huge areas of forest, | 0:24:07 | 0:24:11 | |
'and left just a token sanctuary that now provides habitat | 0:24:11 | 0:24:14 | |
'for a small number of lemurs.' | 0:24:14 | 0:24:16 | |
It's ironic, really, | 0:24:16 | 0:24:19 | |
because the reserve is now seen by conservationists as a huge success, | 0:24:19 | 0:24:24 | |
but if anyone had said back when this place first started up, | 0:24:24 | 0:24:29 | |
I think in the 1930s, that what the owners were going to do | 0:24:29 | 0:24:35 | |
was going to cut down thousands and thousands of acres | 0:24:35 | 0:24:41 | |
of pristine forest, | 0:24:41 | 0:24:42 | |
and replace it with millions and millions of sisal plants, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:46 | |
and leave one tiny little area of forest for the lemurs, | 0:24:46 | 0:24:52 | |
I think the conservationists would have been absolutely up in arms! | 0:24:52 | 0:24:56 | |
Well, that's what's happened. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
'The environment here has taken a hammering, | 0:25:04 | 0:25:07 | |
'but Madagascar's still poor, | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
'plagued by bad roads and a chronic lack of infrastructure. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:13 | |
'I headed on, travelling just 50 miles in six bone-crunching hours.' | 0:25:13 | 0:25:19 | |
So that was the bus to Tana, the capital of Madagascar, | 0:25:20 | 0:25:24 | |
from Fort Dauphin, a city in the south that we're heading for now. | 0:25:24 | 0:25:29 | |
It's amazing, really, to think this is the main road, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:33 | |
the main thoroughfare in this part of the country. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:36 | |
Bloody awful! | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
'This is one of the poorest countries in the Indian Ocean, | 0:25:38 | 0:25:42 | |
'with high unemployment and more than two thirds | 0:25:42 | 0:25:44 | |
'of its people living on less than £1 a day. | 0:25:44 | 0:25:46 | |
'Madagascar does have valuable natural resources, | 0:25:48 | 0:25:52 | |
'but is there a way of providing people with jobs and salary | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
'while protecting what's left of the natural world? | 0:25:55 | 0:25:59 | |
'Just outside Fort Dauphin, | 0:25:59 | 0:26:02 | |
'there's a controversial project that some think offers a solution. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:07 | |
'The road to it was certainly an improvement. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
'The road services a mine | 0:26:13 | 0:26:15 | |
'which is owned by the multinational conglomerate Rio Tinto. | 0:26:15 | 0:26:19 | |
'The mine provides jobs for several hundred local people, | 0:26:19 | 0:26:23 | |
'extracting hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year | 0:26:23 | 0:26:26 | |
'of an obscure mineral called ilmenite.' | 0:26:26 | 0:26:28 | |
This is a giant floating platform. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:30 | |
It's like a big vacuum cleaner, really. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
It receives a lot of the dirt, | 0:26:33 | 0:26:37 | |
the sand, and it's sucked up by a dredger over there, | 0:26:37 | 0:26:40 | |
and it processes it to take out the black stuff in the sand here. | 0:26:40 | 0:26:47 | |
That's then turned into ilmenite, which I was not familiar with, | 0:26:47 | 0:26:53 | |
but turns out it's the principle whitening agent | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
used in everything from white paint to toothpaste to white plastics | 0:26:56 | 0:27:02 | |
to white computer keyboards. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:04 | |
Basically, the stuff of life, the stuff of everyday life. | 0:27:04 | 0:27:08 | |
And it comes from places like this. | 0:27:08 | 0:27:12 | |
'The mine was bitterly opposed by conservationists, | 0:27:13 | 0:27:17 | |
'because creating it involved clearing an area of rainforest. | 0:27:17 | 0:27:21 | |
'The company claimed the forest would have been logged anyway, | 0:27:21 | 0:27:24 | |
'with few long-term benefits for locals. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:28 | |
'International pressure did force the mining giant to establish | 0:27:28 | 0:27:31 | |
'a conservation project including a plant nursery. | 0:27:31 | 0:27:34 | |
'Rio Tinto have promised to replant some of the forest | 0:27:34 | 0:27:38 | |
'after they've finished mining. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
'So the mine could provide jobs | 0:27:40 | 0:27:42 | |
'while minimising damage to Madagascar. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:45 | |
'Johnny is a botanist working for the mining company.' | 0:27:45 | 0:27:49 | |
Johnny, where are you taking us to now? | 0:27:49 | 0:27:52 | |
TRANSLATION: This is where we prepare the seeds. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:59 | |
We're working in partnership with Kew Gardens | 0:27:59 | 0:28:04 | |
and the Millennium Seed Bank in England. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:08 | |
You can see here a sample of the biodiversity from 600 species | 0:28:08 | 0:28:14 | |
growing in the forest. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:17 | |
This is a treasure for future generations | 0:28:17 | 0:28:23 | |
and for mankind. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:25 | |
Madagascar is such a desperately, desperately poor country. | 0:28:25 | 0:28:32 | |
Maybe, just maybe this could be part of the solution. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:35 | |
Concentrated development in a small area employing lots of people | 0:28:35 | 0:28:41 | |
and respecting the environment. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:44 | |
It might just work, so long as they do actually replant the forest. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:49 | |
'It was time for me to leave Madagascar | 0:28:56 | 0:28:58 | |
'for another island treasure of the Indian Ocean.' | 0:28:58 | 0:29:02 | |
So, here we go. | 0:29:04 | 0:29:06 | |
From one of the poorest countries in the Indian Ocean | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
to one of the richest. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:10 | |
'I headed east to Mauritius. | 0:29:15 | 0:29:17 | |
'Although Mauritius is 250 times smaller than Madagascar, | 0:29:17 | 0:29:21 | |
'it's more than 15 times richer. | 0:29:21 | 0:29:23 | |
'It's also one of the world's premier tourist destinations, | 0:29:29 | 0:29:32 | |
'with fabulous beaches. | 0:29:32 | 0:29:34 | |
'The luxury on offer here seemed a million miles from the poverty | 0:29:39 | 0:29:43 | |
'I encountered in Madagascar. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:46 | |
'Local oceanographer Vassen was going to show me around.' | 0:29:51 | 0:29:55 | |
Vassen? Hello, Vassen. Simon Reeve, BBC. Hello. | 0:29:59 | 0:30:04 | |
-Thank you very much for coming to meet us here. -Pleasure, pleasure. | 0:30:04 | 0:30:07 | |
-You're looking as though you're about to go in the water. -Yeah. | 0:30:07 | 0:30:11 | |
You're going to do the same thing, so I hope you have your bathing suit. | 0:30:11 | 0:30:15 | |
-I've got some swimming trunks. Swimming shorts, I should say. -OK. | 0:30:15 | 0:30:18 | |
-You should be OK. -All right. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:20 | |
-Vassen, this is a nice boat. -Thank you. | 0:30:20 | 0:30:24 | |
'As part of his work, as a conservationist, | 0:30:24 | 0:30:27 | |
'Vassen studies the coral reefs around Mauritius. | 0:30:27 | 0:30:31 | |
'He took me to see a reef on the south-west of the island.' | 0:30:31 | 0:30:34 | |
Now, this is more like it. This is the Indian Ocean. | 0:30:35 | 0:30:40 | |
'Coral reefs are among the most fragile | 0:30:59 | 0:31:02 | |
'and precious environments on Earth. | 0:31:02 | 0:31:05 | |
'Vassen took me down to see beautiful coral, | 0:31:07 | 0:31:09 | |
'and rare and exotic fish. | 0:31:09 | 0:31:11 | |
'There was a red lionfish with its poisonous spines. | 0:31:13 | 0:31:18 | |
'And butterfly fish, | 0:31:18 | 0:31:19 | |
'which lived with the same mate until the end of their lives.' | 0:31:19 | 0:31:23 | |
This is one of the most extraordinary | 0:31:33 | 0:31:36 | |
and beautiful environments I can ever remember being in. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:40 | |
Such a special place. | 0:31:44 | 0:31:47 | |
'You'd expect to see beautiful beaches | 0:31:47 | 0:31:51 | |
'and coral reefs in Mauritius, | 0:31:51 | 0:31:53 | |
'but what I didn't know was that the capital, Port Louis, | 0:31:53 | 0:31:56 | |
'was an industrial hub. | 0:31:56 | 0:31:58 | |
'It's home to one of the biggest container ports in the Indian Ocean, | 0:31:58 | 0:32:01 | |
'and a multi-million pound tuna fishing industry. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:05 | |
'There's two huge canning factories here, | 0:32:08 | 0:32:10 | |
'and Mauritius is the biggest exporter of tinned tuna to the UK. | 0:32:10 | 0:32:15 | |
'To learn more about that side of life in Mauritius, | 0:32:15 | 0:32:19 | |
'we've been given permission to film in the port.' | 0:32:19 | 0:32:21 | |
-And this is the head of the Mauritius ports authority. -Passport here. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:25 | |
-And you need the letter? -Yeah, the letter, please. | 0:32:25 | 0:32:28 | |
'The port had already granted us access, | 0:32:28 | 0:32:31 | |
'so getting our entry pass should have been just a formality.' | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
Oh! | 0:32:39 | 0:32:41 | |
Well, very interesting. | 0:32:41 | 0:32:44 | |
So, basically, we've being refused the chance, | 0:32:44 | 0:32:50 | |
we've been refused permission to film any fishing inside the port. | 0:32:50 | 0:32:55 | |
They've banned us, effectively. Very strange situation. | 0:32:55 | 0:33:00 | |
They say that you would be allowed to film ALL commercial activities | 0:33:00 | 0:33:03 | |
happening in the port area, and now, suddenly, | 0:33:03 | 0:33:06 | |
the situation has changed | 0:33:06 | 0:33:07 | |
and you are not allowed to film any fishing activities, | 0:33:07 | 0:33:10 | |
so I do suspect that some private operators | 0:33:10 | 0:33:13 | |
may have made some pressure on the authorities to reverse the decision. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:18 | |
'The international fishing fleets had stopped us from filming, | 0:33:19 | 0:33:23 | |
'but then we spotted a huge European fishing trawler, | 0:33:23 | 0:33:26 | |
'offloading a massive catch of frozen tuna. | 0:33:26 | 0:33:28 | |
'In recent decades, | 0:33:34 | 0:33:35 | |
'commercial fishing fleets have plundered the Pacific and Atlantic. | 0:33:35 | 0:33:39 | |
'Many species are facing extinction. | 0:33:39 | 0:33:42 | |
'Now, with fish stocks wiped out elsewhere, | 0:33:43 | 0:33:46 | |
'the fishing fleets are turning their attention | 0:33:46 | 0:33:48 | |
to the Indian Ocean.' | 0:33:48 | 0:33:50 | |
So this fish is being discharged, it's being stowed in cold rooms | 0:33:51 | 0:33:54 | |
and then it goes to the processing factory, the canning factories, | 0:33:54 | 0:33:57 | |
and that's the fish you are eating in the UK in your cans. | 0:33:57 | 0:34:01 | |
Why are they being so secretive about this? | 0:34:01 | 0:34:03 | |
They care about their customers because this is their business. | 0:34:03 | 0:34:06 | |
One-third of all the fish swimming in the oceans | 0:34:06 | 0:34:09 | |
have disappeared because of over-fishing. | 0:34:09 | 0:34:12 | |
50% of the stocks are fished up to their limits | 0:34:12 | 0:34:15 | |
and they're starting to collapse. | 0:34:15 | 0:34:17 | |
Maybe in 10, 15 years, we won't see any fish any more in the oceans, | 0:34:17 | 0:34:20 | |
and that's a worry of many people. | 0:34:20 | 0:34:22 | |
Now the consumers start to be aware of this. | 0:34:22 | 0:34:24 | |
So they're worried that people will start to realise | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
we're fishing our oceans to death? | 0:34:27 | 0:34:29 | |
Exactly. I think it is a clear conclusion. | 0:34:29 | 0:34:32 | |
We are fishing our oceans to death. | 0:34:32 | 0:34:34 | |
It's a frightening thought but not far-fetched. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:40 | |
According to a UN report, | 0:34:40 | 0:34:42 | |
there could be no wild fish left by 2050. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:46 | |
It's not just the fishing fleets that are expanding | 0:34:51 | 0:34:54 | |
their reach into the Indian Ocean. | 0:34:54 | 0:34:55 | |
For centuries, the great powers have competed for control of Mauritius, | 0:34:55 | 0:35:00 | |
which has a key strategic location. | 0:35:00 | 0:35:02 | |
Now the new superpowers | 0:35:03 | 0:35:04 | |
have their eye on this little chunk of paradise. | 0:35:04 | 0:35:06 | |
Vassen took me to a new Chinese development called Jinfei, | 0:35:09 | 0:35:12 | |
a free trade zone for Chinese businesses. | 0:35:12 | 0:35:15 | |
So this is all part of the Chinese zone? | 0:35:17 | 0:35:21 | |
I think it's the main road in the middle of a Chinese zone. | 0:35:21 | 0:35:25 | |
The size of it! | 0:35:25 | 0:35:28 | |
This is incredible. | 0:35:28 | 0:35:30 | |
One of the first businesses to arrive in Jinfei | 0:35:35 | 0:35:38 | |
is a Chinese restaurant. | 0:35:38 | 0:35:40 | |
While the site is under construction, | 0:35:40 | 0:35:42 | |
meals are served in tents called yurts. | 0:35:42 | 0:35:45 | |
The owner has huge plans for this site. | 0:35:46 | 0:35:49 | |
So you're going to build the hotel, the recreation centre... | 0:35:51 | 0:35:54 | |
Casino, karaoke, massage. | 0:36:00 | 0:36:02 | |
Wow. This is just the beginning of your vast project here. | 0:36:04 | 0:36:09 | |
You are a very rich lady? | 0:36:09 | 0:36:11 | |
SHE SPEAKS IN HER OWN LANGUAGE | 0:36:11 | 0:36:13 | |
She says, "Little, little." | 0:36:13 | 0:36:14 | |
You're going to need more than a little | 0:36:14 | 0:36:16 | |
to build all this, aren't you? | 0:36:16 | 0:36:18 | |
-Thank you, Mrs Rich Lady. -You're welcome. | 0:36:18 | 0:36:21 | |
-So this is just one huge plot of land? -Yeah. | 0:36:23 | 0:36:27 | |
It's a small China in Mauritius | 0:36:27 | 0:36:30 | |
where they're going to have around 40,000 people, 40,000 Chinese, | 0:36:30 | 0:36:36 | |
and they're going to live here, sleep here, work here... | 0:36:36 | 0:36:40 | |
and maybe give birth here. | 0:36:40 | 0:36:41 | |
BOTH LAUGH | 0:36:41 | 0:36:43 | |
So it's going to be like a Chinese colony? | 0:36:43 | 0:36:45 | |
Yeah, like a Chinese colony in Mauritius. | 0:36:45 | 0:36:48 | |
'Jinfei is a huge commercial enterprise, | 0:36:50 | 0:36:53 | |
'but it represents just one small part of Chinese plans | 0:36:53 | 0:36:57 | |
'for expansion in many countries around the Indian Ocean.' | 0:36:57 | 0:37:01 | |
We're in a sort of Mongolian yurt, part of a Chinese restaurant, | 0:37:06 | 0:37:10 | |
in Mauritius, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:13 | |
Yeah, you're not in Mauritius any more. | 0:37:13 | 0:37:16 | |
-This is quite an unusual place. -Mmm. | 0:37:18 | 0:37:21 | |
Are you going to try one of these? | 0:37:21 | 0:37:23 | |
-I'm sort of tempted. But I do like the hats. -Yeah. | 0:37:23 | 0:37:25 | |
-Don't look, don't look. -Aw! | 0:37:25 | 0:37:27 | |
I'm not trying to suggest in any way | 0:37:27 | 0:37:30 | |
that you're not an entirely serious guy. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:32 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:37:32 | 0:37:35 | |
-OK. -You don't look very serious, Simon. | 0:37:36 | 0:37:39 | |
No, well, I'm not a very serious person, quite frankly. | 0:37:39 | 0:37:42 | |
But the Chinese are not the only ones | 0:37:46 | 0:37:48 | |
trying to stretch their influence in the region. | 0:37:48 | 0:37:51 | |
Indians have travelled across the Indian Ocean | 0:37:51 | 0:37:53 | |
for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. | 0:37:53 | 0:37:56 | |
Two-thirds of the population of Mauritius are of Indian descent, | 0:37:56 | 0:38:01 | |
and Hinduism is the biggest faith here. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:03 | |
The Indian government and military are piqued at the Chinese incursion | 0:38:06 | 0:38:10 | |
into what they see as their backyard. | 0:38:10 | 0:38:13 | |
An Indian construction company is now building a rival commercial city | 0:38:13 | 0:38:17 | |
at the cost of 1 billion, which will compete with the Chinese. | 0:38:17 | 0:38:22 | |
It's not just the influence of India and China | 0:38:24 | 0:38:26 | |
that's felt here in Mauritius. | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
America is still the dominant military superpower | 0:38:28 | 0:38:32 | |
in the Indian Ocean | 0:38:32 | 0:38:34 | |
and America has an island airbase to the north east of here | 0:38:34 | 0:38:37 | |
called Diego Garcia that's like an unsinkable aircraft carrier. | 0:38:37 | 0:38:42 | |
Diego Garcia is the most important American military installation | 0:38:44 | 0:38:48 | |
outside the US. | 0:38:48 | 0:38:51 | |
It sits on the Chagos Islands which are a British overseas territory | 0:38:51 | 0:38:54 | |
leased by the British government to the Americans in the 1960s. | 0:38:54 | 0:38:58 | |
'When Britain gave away their island, | 0:39:00 | 0:39:02 | |
'the local Chagossians were forcibly evicted. | 0:39:02 | 0:39:05 | |
'Families were uprooted from their homes, | 0:39:05 | 0:39:07 | |
'their pet dogs were rounded up and killed. | 0:39:07 | 0:39:10 | |
'Many of the Chagossian people ended up here, | 0:39:10 | 0:39:13 | |
'living in the slums of Mauritius. | 0:39:13 | 0:39:15 | |
'Rita was living in the Chagos when Britain forced out the locals. | 0:39:19 | 0:39:23 | |
'She is now 85.' | 0:39:23 | 0:39:25 | |
-Bonzour. -Bonzour. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:27 | |
-Bonzour. -Bonzour. | 0:39:27 | 0:39:29 | |
How did you come to leave the island? | 0:39:29 | 0:39:31 | |
What brought you here to Mauritius? | 0:39:31 | 0:39:34 | |
-TRANSLATION: -When the island was sold in 1965, | 0:39:34 | 0:39:38 | |
I was still living there. | 0:39:38 | 0:39:40 | |
We didn't know the islands had been sold, we were like children. | 0:39:40 | 0:39:43 | |
We didn't know anything. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:45 | |
At that time, I had a 17-month-old daughter | 0:39:47 | 0:39:49 | |
who had just started to walk. | 0:39:49 | 0:39:51 | |
I was told I had to go to Mauritius to get her treated. | 0:39:51 | 0:39:54 | |
But after we got here, the child died. | 0:39:54 | 0:39:56 | |
I told the authorities I had to go back to my country | 0:39:57 | 0:40:01 | |
because I couldn't bear the miserable life here. | 0:40:01 | 0:40:06 | |
I was told I couldn't go back to my native country | 0:40:06 | 0:40:09 | |
because the island had been sold. | 0:40:09 | 0:40:12 | |
'Rita's friends and family have been preparing | 0:40:17 | 0:40:19 | |
'a traditional Chagossians meal for us.' | 0:40:19 | 0:40:22 | |
I'm just pulling some glasses off a metal tray here | 0:40:24 | 0:40:28 | |
that Rita's got of London. | 0:40:28 | 0:40:31 | |
And she's got pictures up around the house of the Royal Family. | 0:40:31 | 0:40:35 | |
One of the things that particularly upsets me | 0:40:35 | 0:40:37 | |
about this situation is that the Chagossian people | 0:40:37 | 0:40:41 | |
generally still feel very fond of Britain, | 0:40:41 | 0:40:43 | |
and yet Britain has treated her | 0:40:43 | 0:40:45 | |
and the Chagossian people appallingly. | 0:40:45 | 0:40:49 | |
'The Chagossians are still campaigning | 0:40:50 | 0:40:53 | |
'for the right to return to their homeland.' | 0:40:53 | 0:40:55 | |
Rita, do you really want to go back to Diego Garcia | 0:40:55 | 0:40:58 | |
and the Chagos, even now? | 0:40:58 | 0:41:00 | |
-TRANSLATION: -They have got to decide. | 0:41:00 | 0:41:02 | |
Either they give us back our island | 0:41:02 | 0:41:04 | |
or they give us compensation for the rest of our lives. | 0:41:04 | 0:41:07 | |
Those are the two things we're asking for. | 0:41:07 | 0:41:09 | |
The British government say they regret the forced resettlement | 0:41:12 | 0:41:15 | |
of the Chagossians, but they did offer some compensation at the time. | 0:41:15 | 0:41:19 | |
We wish you the very best of luck in your campaign. | 0:41:21 | 0:41:25 | |
We can only hope you'll be able to return to your island home. | 0:41:25 | 0:41:29 | |
Aw. | 0:41:29 | 0:41:32 | |
Thank you, Rita. Can I have a kiss goodbye? | 0:41:32 | 0:41:35 | |
'But the American military | 0:41:37 | 0:41:38 | |
'seem unlikely to give up their crucial base, | 0:41:38 | 0:41:41 | |
'especially now that China and other rival powers | 0:41:41 | 0:41:44 | |
'are increasing their presence in the Indian Ocean.' | 0:41:44 | 0:41:47 | |
Well, that's the end of the Mauritius bit of our journey. | 0:41:49 | 0:41:51 | |
It wasn't what I was expecting at all. | 0:41:53 | 0:41:55 | |
But now we leave Mauritius | 0:41:55 | 0:41:57 | |
and we head to the final country on this bit of the trip, | 0:41:57 | 0:42:01 | |
which is the Seychelles. | 0:42:01 | 0:42:02 | |
To the north of Mauritius, | 0:42:10 | 0:42:12 | |
the Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands | 0:42:12 | 0:42:15 | |
scattered over a vast area of the Indian Ocean. | 0:42:15 | 0:42:18 | |
I was flying to the capital, Victoria. | 0:42:18 | 0:42:21 | |
'At the airport, I was met by my guide, | 0:42:24 | 0:42:27 | |
'a local newspaper journalist called Rita.' | 0:42:27 | 0:42:30 | |
-Rita? -Yeah. -Hello, Rita. -Hiya. Nice to meet you. -Simon. Hello. | 0:42:30 | 0:42:34 | |
'Even more the Mauritius, | 0:42:40 | 0:42:42 | |
'the Seychelles has a reputation as paradise. | 0:42:42 | 0:42:44 | |
'First off was a quick trip to see what all the fuss is about.' | 0:42:47 | 0:42:50 | |
So this is what the Seychelles can offer you as a beach. | 0:42:50 | 0:42:54 | |
-As a beach, just a beach. -Just a beach. -Come on, straight in. | 0:42:54 | 0:42:58 | |
BOTH LAUGH | 0:43:01 | 0:43:04 | |
-Ah! -Rita, it's absolutely gorgeous, what's wrong with you? | 0:43:09 | 0:43:12 | |
-It's cold, it's cold, it's cold! -It's not cold. -It is too. | 0:43:12 | 0:43:16 | |
I tell you what... | 0:43:16 | 0:43:17 | |
it is absolutely beautiful. | 0:43:17 | 0:43:20 | |
This is, I think, the clearest sea, | 0:43:20 | 0:43:25 | |
or the clearest seawater, I have ever been in in my life. | 0:43:25 | 0:43:28 | |
The beaches may be five-star but what about the local grub? | 0:43:39 | 0:43:43 | |
It's lunchtime on Sunday, beautiful beach, | 0:43:43 | 0:43:47 | |
Rita has brought us to a lovely beachside cafe for lunch. | 0:43:47 | 0:43:52 | |
But what is under the plate, Rita? | 0:43:52 | 0:43:56 | |
-Shall we have a look? -Yeah, why don't we? | 0:43:56 | 0:43:59 | |
What is it? Oh, doesn't look too bad. | 0:44:01 | 0:44:06 | |
-Fruit bat curry. -Bat? | 0:44:06 | 0:44:09 | |
Yeah, bat. Related to the vampires and all of that. | 0:44:09 | 0:44:14 | |
It's only got little... what is that? A leg or a wing? | 0:44:14 | 0:44:18 | |
-I prefer not to know. -What do you mean you'd prefer not to know? | 0:44:18 | 0:44:22 | |
-How often do you eat this? -Do you want to know something funny? | 0:44:22 | 0:44:27 | |
This is my first time having bat. | 0:44:27 | 0:44:30 | |
-Your words just before were, "This is a delicacy here." -I know. | 0:44:31 | 0:44:36 | |
-You've never eaten fruit bat? -No. | 0:44:36 | 0:44:38 | |
-It's quite bland, really. -I'm getting curry. -Yeah. | 0:44:47 | 0:44:52 | |
And that's about it. | 0:44:52 | 0:44:54 | |
It's not as bad as we thought it'd be, is it? | 0:44:54 | 0:44:56 | |
I didn't think it would be too bad | 0:44:56 | 0:44:58 | |
but I think you've been putting off this moment for your entire life. | 0:44:58 | 0:45:02 | |
I feel quite privileged to be here with you | 0:45:02 | 0:45:05 | |
as you finally have some fruit bat. | 0:45:05 | 0:45:07 | |
I'm working my way through the bat curry here. | 0:45:07 | 0:45:10 | |
I tell you, chicken any day. | 0:45:10 | 0:45:13 | |
I mean, this is enough to turn somebody into a veggie. | 0:45:13 | 0:45:16 | |
It's hard to get a real sense of what's so extraordinary | 0:45:19 | 0:45:23 | |
about the Seychelles from sea level. | 0:45:23 | 0:45:25 | |
There are literally hundreds of secluded beaches, | 0:45:34 | 0:45:37 | |
and with just 85,000 inhabitants, | 0:45:37 | 0:45:38 | |
the Seychelles has the smallest population of any country in Africa. | 0:45:38 | 0:45:42 | |
This is amazing. Just look at this place! | 0:45:45 | 0:45:48 | |
If you're going to try and imagine paradise, there you go. That's it. | 0:45:51 | 0:45:57 | |
Just look at the colour of the water down here. | 0:45:59 | 0:46:02 | |
That is proper tropical seas. | 0:46:02 | 0:46:05 | |
Environmental legislation is very strict here | 0:46:07 | 0:46:10 | |
and the Seychelles is a world leader in eco-friendly tourism. | 0:46:10 | 0:46:14 | |
Nearly half of its total landmass is under conservation. | 0:46:14 | 0:46:17 | |
I tell you what's particularly nice to see | 0:46:18 | 0:46:20 | |
after we were in Madagascar | 0:46:20 | 0:46:22 | |
where they've chopped down all their trees, | 0:46:22 | 0:46:24 | |
it's so nice to see just forested land. | 0:46:24 | 0:46:28 | |
The Seychelles isn't some rocky desert island. | 0:46:28 | 0:46:31 | |
Look at this, look how verdant this is. | 0:46:31 | 0:46:34 | |
You might not be surprised to learn | 0:46:35 | 0:46:38 | |
that tourism is now the single biggest industry in the Seychelles, | 0:46:38 | 0:46:41 | |
employing nearly a third of its people. | 0:46:41 | 0:46:43 | |
What the Seychelles is perhaps best known for | 0:46:46 | 0:46:49 | |
is its luxury high-end resorts. | 0:46:49 | 0:46:51 | |
Just look at this place up here. | 0:46:52 | 0:46:54 | |
This is the sort of thing you see in a Bond film. | 0:46:54 | 0:46:56 | |
This is how the other half live, eh? | 0:46:56 | 0:46:59 | |
'Many of the islands in the Seychelles are privately owned | 0:47:01 | 0:47:04 | |
'but they are not all inhabited by | 0:47:04 | 0:47:06 | |
'billionaire business types or pop stars.' | 0:47:06 | 0:47:09 | |
Look at this! | 0:47:11 | 0:47:13 | |
This is like something from a dream. | 0:47:14 | 0:47:18 | |
Nobody lives here. This isn't real, surely? | 0:47:18 | 0:47:21 | |
-Come on, Rita. -DOG BARKS | 0:47:21 | 0:47:23 | |
I'm Simon. Simon Reeves. | 0:47:23 | 0:47:25 | |
-You're Simon. And you are? -This is Craig. -Craig. | 0:47:25 | 0:47:29 | |
-And who is the smashing lady? -And this young lady is Rita. -Rita. | 0:47:29 | 0:47:33 | |
-Nobody neater. -Aw! SIMON LAUGHS | 0:47:33 | 0:47:35 | |
'Yorkshireman Brendon Grimshaw bought Moyenne Island in 1962 | 0:47:35 | 0:47:40 | |
'for the princely sum of £8,000. | 0:47:40 | 0:47:43 | |
'He lives alone on the island, though it's open to visitors.' | 0:47:43 | 0:47:47 | |
-So this is your home? -Yeah, this is where I live. | 0:47:47 | 0:47:50 | |
-Whoa! -What do you see? | 0:47:50 | 0:47:53 | |
-That I was not expecting. -What? | 0:47:53 | 0:47:55 | |
There's a giant tortoise on the steps to your house. | 0:47:55 | 0:47:59 | |
-They come in sometimes. They're welcome. -They? | 0:47:59 | 0:48:02 | |
-Would you like to join one for lunch? It can be arranged. -They? | 0:48:02 | 0:48:05 | |
-How many have you got? -120. | 0:48:05 | 0:48:09 | |
-120? -And they're totally free. | 0:48:09 | 0:48:11 | |
They go where they like. | 0:48:11 | 0:48:13 | |
'Giant tortoises are indigenous to the Seychelles | 0:48:14 | 0:48:17 | |
'but have been killed off on most islands. | 0:48:17 | 0:48:20 | |
'Over the years, Brendon has been gradually reintroducing them | 0:48:21 | 0:48:24 | |
'to his corner of the Indian Ocean.' | 0:48:24 | 0:48:26 | |
-These are one year old. -Oh, my goodness. Careful he doesn't drop. | 0:48:26 | 0:48:32 | |
Oh, he won't drop. Plus, it has got a hard shell, Simon. | 0:48:32 | 0:48:35 | |
It's a hard shell, it's not a crash helmet. | 0:48:35 | 0:48:38 | |
What I can't find is my little one. | 0:48:38 | 0:48:41 | |
-Brendon, you've got another tortoise that's so small it disappears? -Yeah. | 0:48:41 | 0:48:47 | |
Where? In here? Where? | 0:48:47 | 0:48:51 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:48:52 | 0:48:54 | |
-You've got another tortoise that's so small it's vanished? -Yes. | 0:48:54 | 0:48:58 | |
Is it in there somewhere? | 0:48:58 | 0:48:59 | |
I think it's... | 0:48:59 | 0:49:01 | |
-How the hell did it get in there? -You found it! -Yes. | 0:49:01 | 0:49:06 | |
What you doing in there, you silly thing? Huh? | 0:49:06 | 0:49:10 | |
You are one of my favourites. | 0:49:10 | 0:49:11 | |
How old would this one be? | 0:49:11 | 0:49:13 | |
He's about two weeks. He was born in my bedroom. | 0:49:13 | 0:49:17 | |
'Giant tortoises are among the world's longest living creatures. | 0:49:18 | 0:49:22 | |
'They have been known to survive for more than 180 years.' | 0:49:22 | 0:49:26 | |
I love this. | 0:49:26 | 0:49:27 | |
"Please respect the tortoises. They are probably older than you." | 0:49:27 | 0:49:31 | |
Yes, they are. But there is no tortoise older than me. | 0:49:31 | 0:49:34 | |
-Really? -Mmm-hmm. -How old...? | 0:49:34 | 0:49:37 | |
So they have to behave themselves when they see me around. | 0:49:37 | 0:49:39 | |
Brendon, do you mind if I ask, how old are you? | 0:49:39 | 0:49:42 | |
I'm getting on for...86. | 0:49:42 | 0:49:47 | |
86. | 0:49:47 | 0:49:48 | |
Do you think that because you've had such a passion | 0:49:48 | 0:49:52 | |
and you've been working for so long protecting, looking after, | 0:49:52 | 0:49:58 | |
creating the island in the first place...? | 0:49:58 | 0:50:00 | |
I think it's knocked decades off you. | 0:50:00 | 0:50:03 | |
It certainly helped me to keep alive, yes. | 0:50:03 | 0:50:05 | |
It's given me something to do | 0:50:05 | 0:50:07 | |
and also something that I know is worthwhile. | 0:50:07 | 0:50:10 | |
Brendon's island, Moyenne, | 0:50:10 | 0:50:11 | |
was recently declared a national park by the Seychelles government. | 0:50:11 | 0:50:16 | |
It's thought to be the smallest national park in the world. | 0:50:16 | 0:50:19 | |
There were only four trees in this area. Four! | 0:50:19 | 0:50:22 | |
I brought in, altogether, 16,000 trees. | 0:50:22 | 0:50:25 | |
SIMON GASPS | 0:50:25 | 0:50:27 | |
We were not doing it to make a national park or anything like this. | 0:50:27 | 0:50:30 | |
No, no, no. We were doing it to make the place habitable for me. | 0:50:30 | 0:50:34 | |
-Look at this! -Yeah. It's rather beautiful, eh? | 0:50:34 | 0:50:39 | |
You've created paradise here, Brendon. | 0:50:39 | 0:50:41 | |
People say that. I wouldn't go as far as that. | 0:50:41 | 0:50:44 | |
-What would you call it? -Hard work. -SIMON LAUGHS | 0:50:44 | 0:50:49 | |
Brendon, would you ever sell the island? | 0:50:49 | 0:50:51 | |
The only reason somebody would want to buy this island | 0:50:51 | 0:50:54 | |
is to build a big hotel. | 0:50:54 | 0:50:55 | |
And have you never been tempted? | 0:50:55 | 0:50:57 | |
You must have been offered millions, surely? | 0:50:57 | 0:50:59 | |
-I have been offered millions, yes. -And you've said no every time? | 0:50:59 | 0:51:02 | |
And I've said no. | 0:51:02 | 0:51:04 | |
What's been achieved here | 0:51:08 | 0:51:10 | |
has happened with a huge amount of hard work | 0:51:10 | 0:51:13 | |
and an extraordinary amount of planting | 0:51:13 | 0:51:17 | |
while the rest of us have been busy tarmacking over our front gardens | 0:51:17 | 0:51:21 | |
to turn them into car parks. | 0:51:21 | 0:51:24 | |
He might be an accidental conservationist, | 0:51:24 | 0:51:26 | |
but by his actions, Brendon has created a little patch of heaven. | 0:51:26 | 0:51:31 | |
-All the best. Thank you very much indeed. -Bye. | 0:51:34 | 0:51:37 | |
Bye-bye! | 0:51:37 | 0:51:40 | |
In the 18th-century, | 0:51:48 | 0:51:49 | |
these isolated tropical islands were a haven for pirates. | 0:51:49 | 0:51:53 | |
And in the 21st-century, the problem has returned with a vengeance. | 0:51:53 | 0:51:56 | |
Modern-day pirates operating from their bases in war-torn Somalia | 0:51:59 | 0:52:03 | |
have launched hundreds of attacks on ships and boats | 0:52:03 | 0:52:06 | |
across the western Indian Ocean | 0:52:06 | 0:52:07 | |
and around the waters of the Seychelles. | 0:52:07 | 0:52:10 | |
'We met up with Colonel Michael Rosette, | 0:52:12 | 0:52:14 | |
'the head of the Seychelles Coast Guard.' | 0:52:14 | 0:52:17 | |
Those are some of the skiff | 0:52:17 | 0:52:20 | |
which we have taken over when we apprehended Somali pirates. | 0:52:20 | 0:52:24 | |
-So these are the pirates' boats? -Yeah, those are the pirates' boats. | 0:52:24 | 0:52:28 | |
Normally, they are equipped with a 40 or 60 horsepower outboard engine. | 0:52:28 | 0:52:32 | |
They have enough speed to overtake any bigger boats. | 0:52:32 | 0:52:35 | |
The thing that really strikes me is the idea that the Seychelles, | 0:52:35 | 0:52:40 | |
which I would consider paradise islands, | 0:52:40 | 0:52:43 | |
have been more affected by piracy | 0:52:43 | 0:52:46 | |
than any other country after Somalia. | 0:52:46 | 0:52:49 | |
There are other southern countries which are suffering | 0:52:49 | 0:52:51 | |
but not as much as the Seychelles. | 0:52:51 | 0:52:54 | |
We are in the centre, or the eye of the storm, as we say. | 0:52:54 | 0:52:58 | |
So most of the activities have been revolving around the Seychelles. | 0:52:58 | 0:53:01 | |
Some of the areas where fishermen used to go fishing, | 0:53:01 | 0:53:03 | |
now it's not safe for them to go fishing | 0:53:03 | 0:53:06 | |
because we have seen cases where local fishermen have been hijacked | 0:53:06 | 0:53:10 | |
and taken hostage by pirates. | 0:53:10 | 0:53:13 | |
The pirates arrested by the Coast Guard in these boats | 0:53:14 | 0:53:17 | |
were standing trial in the main court in the capital, Victoria. | 0:53:17 | 0:53:20 | |
Seychelles is actually one of the few countries | 0:53:22 | 0:53:24 | |
to have captured pirates and to put them on trial. | 0:53:24 | 0:53:29 | |
The Seychelles government estimate that as a result of piracy, | 0:53:30 | 0:53:34 | |
revenue from fisheries is down 30%. | 0:53:34 | 0:53:37 | |
Tourism has also been hit. | 0:53:37 | 0:53:39 | |
At the same time, they're having to spend an extra £2 million a year | 0:53:39 | 0:53:42 | |
to combat the pirates. | 0:53:42 | 0:53:44 | |
These 11 men are accused of attacking a Seychelles fishing boat | 0:53:47 | 0:53:52 | |
and seizing seven fishermen. | 0:53:52 | 0:53:54 | |
How do you feel when you see them up close like that? | 0:53:56 | 0:53:59 | |
It's mixed, actually. | 0:53:59 | 0:54:01 | |
You feel pity because you might have an idea what he's trying to escape | 0:54:01 | 0:54:05 | |
but at the same time you feel angry | 0:54:05 | 0:54:08 | |
cos they are taking part in criminal acts | 0:54:08 | 0:54:10 | |
and we have to foot the bill | 0:54:10 | 0:54:12 | |
and it's not our fault they have problems in their own country. | 0:54:12 | 0:54:15 | |
We have nothing to do with that. But somehow we are paying for it as well. | 0:54:15 | 0:54:19 | |
We later heard the pirates each got ten years in prison. | 0:54:19 | 0:54:24 | |
The Seychelles main prison can accommodate 450, | 0:54:27 | 0:54:29 | |
but as attacks continue, | 0:54:29 | 0:54:31 | |
a new high-security wing is under construction | 0:54:31 | 0:54:34 | |
to house dozens more pirates. | 0:54:34 | 0:54:36 | |
'Somali gunmen are striking across a huge area of the Indian Ocean | 0:54:38 | 0:54:42 | |
'and the Seychelles is at the centre | 0:54:42 | 0:54:44 | |
'of international counter-piracy operations.' | 0:54:44 | 0:54:48 | |
A NATO warship has arrived here in the Seychelles | 0:54:48 | 0:54:51 | |
on anti-piracy operations | 0:54:51 | 0:54:52 | |
and they are going to let us on board. | 0:54:52 | 0:54:55 | |
My goodness. Thank you very much. | 0:54:56 | 0:54:59 | |
It's huge. | 0:55:04 | 0:55:05 | |
'The De Ruyter is a Dutch frigate, | 0:55:05 | 0:55:07 | |
'part of NATO's operation Ocean Shield. | 0:55:07 | 0:55:09 | |
'The task force commander is Commodore Michael Hijmans.' | 0:55:11 | 0:55:15 | |
How many pirate attacks are you recording in your area per week, | 0:55:15 | 0:55:18 | |
per month, per year at the moment? | 0:55:18 | 0:55:22 | |
At this moment, we have dozens of attacks already. | 0:55:22 | 0:55:28 | |
Almost every day, there are three to four attacks. | 0:55:28 | 0:55:32 | |
Three to four attacks every day? What are the pirates going after? | 0:55:32 | 0:55:36 | |
What sort of ships are they trying to attack? | 0:55:36 | 0:55:38 | |
At this moment, the pirates are after almost every ship | 0:55:38 | 0:55:42 | |
they can lay their hands on. | 0:55:42 | 0:55:43 | |
They attack small dhows, small fishing vessels, | 0:55:43 | 0:55:47 | |
which they also use as mother ships | 0:55:47 | 0:55:49 | |
and they use the crew to be held hostage. | 0:55:49 | 0:55:52 | |
And that's one of the main problems we face - | 0:55:52 | 0:55:54 | |
on all these mother ships, there are hostages, | 0:55:54 | 0:55:57 | |
so it's very difficult to attack them | 0:55:57 | 0:55:59 | |
without harming these innocent seafarers. | 0:55:59 | 0:56:03 | |
We have had reports of severe torture, of fake executions, | 0:56:03 | 0:56:07 | |
of strangulation, of beatings | 0:56:07 | 0:56:10 | |
and a lot of other bad things are happening to the crews. | 0:56:10 | 0:56:14 | |
The De Ruyter is one of just a handful of Western warships | 0:56:16 | 0:56:19 | |
that are patrolling an area of Indian ocean | 0:56:19 | 0:56:21 | |
twice the size of mainland Europe. | 0:56:21 | 0:56:24 | |
With pirates capturing ever bigger vessels | 0:56:28 | 0:56:31 | |
and keeping hostages on board, | 0:56:31 | 0:56:32 | |
NATO is deploying more sophisticated warships, | 0:56:32 | 0:56:36 | |
equipped with helicopters and Marines. | 0:56:36 | 0:56:38 | |
I was allowed to join them on an exercise. | 0:56:39 | 0:56:43 | |
It was a joint operation with the Seychelles Coast Guard | 0:56:44 | 0:56:48 | |
to practise rapid boarding of larger pirated vessels. | 0:56:48 | 0:56:52 | |
It's extraordinary that this is happening now. | 0:56:54 | 0:56:57 | |
It's the 21st century | 0:56:57 | 0:56:58 | |
and you're going after pirates in the Indian Ocean. | 0:56:58 | 0:57:01 | |
-Did you ever think this would happen when you joined up? -No. | 0:57:04 | 0:57:09 | |
OK, so the plan is, we're going to approach the target vessel | 0:57:09 | 0:57:12 | |
and the Marines are going to rappel down using this rope | 0:57:12 | 0:57:15 | |
and take control of it. | 0:57:15 | 0:57:16 | |
I imagine it's all going to happen extremely quickly. | 0:57:16 | 0:57:18 | |
That's the whole idea. | 0:57:18 | 0:57:19 | |
The Marines rehearsed rapid rappelling onto the ship. | 0:57:29 | 0:57:33 | |
They moved quickly, because in a real assault, | 0:57:40 | 0:57:42 | |
their lives and the lives of hostages would be at stake. | 0:57:42 | 0:57:46 | |
While the Marines secured the target ship, I headed back to the frigate. | 0:57:51 | 0:57:54 | |
They're taking the Marines off the target vessel now. | 0:58:06 | 0:58:10 | |
Soon they'll be back on board here | 0:58:10 | 0:58:12 | |
and then this ship will be off patrolling the shipping lanes | 0:58:12 | 0:58:15 | |
to keep them free from pirates. | 0:58:15 | 0:58:18 | |
This is the end of this part of my journey around the Indian Ocean. | 0:58:18 | 0:58:22 | |
On the next leg, I'll be heading back to the African mainland | 0:58:22 | 0:58:26 | |
and travelling through the pirate-infested Horn of Africa, | 0:58:26 | 0:58:29 | |
one of the most dangerous regions of the world. | 0:58:29 | 0:58:31 | |
'Next time, I visit the most important river delta on | 0:58:39 | 0:58:43 | |
-'Africa's Indian Ocean coast...' -SIMON GASPS | 0:58:43 | 0:58:46 | |
-You have succeeded. -Yay! | 0:58:46 | 0:58:49 | |
'..and I go to the front line in the world's most dangerous city.' | 0:58:52 | 0:58:57 | |
-How does he know it's out of bounds? -GUNFIRE | 0:58:58 | 0:59:00 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:59:19 | 0:59:22 |