Pennod 4 Y Tyrchwyr gyda Iolo Williams

-*

-*

-

-*

-Rural Wales offers some of the most

-spectacular sights in Britain.

-But the countryside

-offers much more than just views.

-It's home

-to some our best-loved wildlife.

-But one group of mammals

-is living a secret life.

-By burrowing

-in tunnels miles underground...

-..the way

-these animals live their lives...

-..has been a mystery until now.

-We're going to do something

-that's never been done before.

-By uncovering some of these

-burrowers' tunnels and chambers...

-..we're going to recreate

-an artificial habitat.

-For the first time ever...

-..we'll get an insight

-into their secret lives underground.

-We'll discover what water voles

-do all day in their tunnels...

-..how rabbits cope with nurturing

-dozens of offspring each year...

-..and how small badgers

-learn to cope...

-..with the big world

-beyond the sett.

-Join me, Iolo Williams,

-as we venture...

-..to the magical, hidden,

-subterranean world of the burrowers.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-Last week, we saw how the burrowers

-born at the end of the winter...

-..were growing and developing.

-Many rabbits were ready to leave.

-There were concerns

-about one young water vole...

-..that wasn't developing well.

-The young badgers are busy bonding.

-They've reached an age when

-they need to be tested for TB.

-They've now visited the vet.

-These experiments and results...

-..are crucial to the future of the

-individuals and the group itself.

-We'll discover the results later.

-Last week, we introduced

-another burrower to the series.

-The mole.

-We saw how well it adapted

-to life underground.

-Moles, who live

-a lonely life underground...

-..seldom venture above ground.

-The tunnels provide

-for all their needs.

-This is important since the mole

-must eat every four hours.

-The mole has a special way to store

-food in case it becomes scarce.

-Moles waste nothing.

-If a mole can't eat a whole worm,

-it bites off the head...

-..and paralyzes the worm

-with its poisonous saliva.

-With the worm seemingly lifeless

-but still alive...

-..the mole takes it to a pantry of

-live creatures in a special chamber.

-The mole can then eat

-whenever it wants.

-These food chambers sometimes

-contain thousands of worms.

-Following on from the success of the

-concrete in the rabbit's warren...

-..we did the same

-to the mole's tunnels.

-Here's the result.

-Mole tunnels

-have been unearthed here.

-They stretch all the way from there

-to my leg here...

-..and almost in a half-circle

-around and back.

-Here and there,

-you can see flat areas such as this.

-That's the mole's tunnel.

-It stretches for 28.3 metres

-in length.

-That's incredible.

-A small animal,

-the size of my hand...

-..that's the sum total of a mole.

-But, in contrast

-to the other burrowers...

-..the mole lives

-its entire life underground.

-It survives on worms

-that fall into the tunnels.

-That's why these tunnels

-need to be so long for the mole.

-The mole is king

-for hunting underground.

-Its best tool is its sensitive nose.

-It has over 5,000 smelling cells...

-..and thousands of nerves

-transmitting messages.

-It also uses its nose

-to feel its way around the tunnels.

-This is important because

-a mole's eyes is very small.

-In the darkness,

-it is virtually blind.

-It is also sensitive

-to small movements...

-..and can sense immediately

-when a worm falls into the tunnel.

-It searches for the head before

-pulling the worm through its paws...

-..to clean the meal

-before eating it.

-We've been keeping an eye

-on the badgers...

-..to see if they communicate

-by smell.

-Badgers can choose

-how to mark their territory...

-..either by using

-their waste material...

-..or by marking a tree

-using glands under the tail.

-You need a good nose

-to smell the different aromas.

-They rely far more

-on their noses than their eyes.

-They smell everything carefully

-and breathe deeply...

-..to evaluate

-all the aromas quickly.

-This is something

-I've never seen before.

-One is rubbing up against the other.

-What's happening there?

-This is an important part

-of keeping the family together.

-They rely strongly

-on their noses and aromas.

-They mark each other

-with a liquid...

-...secreted from a gland

-under the tail.

-As if to say, "You're part

-of this family, you can stay."

-If it's a dark night

-and they can't see the creature...

-..they can smell it easily

-to determine whether it's friendly.

-Our badgers won't mature sexually

-until next spring.

-That's when their position within

-the group becomes all-important.

-What can you tell us about

-the creature from that skull?

-The main thing

-is the strength of the animal.

-We can see a very strong crest

-on this skull.

-The main biting muscles

-have a strong foundation.

-This joint at the back of the jaw...

-..is very strong in badgers.

-It's the only species...

-..where you cannot dislocate the jaw

-from the rest of the skull.

-As a result,

-the bite is extremely strong.

-The skull is strong...

-..and the general strength

-of the badger is well-known.

-It can burrow up to 300 metres

-of earth underground.

-When you think of that amount

-of earth, it's incredible.

-The other striking features

-are the small bones in the nose.

-These greatly overlap each other.

-As a result, if you laid them

-all flat, the surface area is huge.

-That's how the badger

-has such a strong sense of smell.

-Its sense of smell is 800 times

-stronger than that of a human.

-If a badger eats a little of

-everything - mice, berries, etc...

-..why does it require

-such a strong skull and muscles?

-When you look at the life

-of a badger...

-..they are very social animals...

-..they hunt for their families

-but they're also very territorial.

-They defend their territory.

-The males are often involved

-in fierce fights...

-..to the point of death sometimes.

-Like many other animals,

-they try to avoid each other...

-..but if two are in close proximity,

-there will be a skirmish.

-The injuries can be serious.

-The rabbits are growing quickly.

-A few weeks ago,

-they were blind and fragile.

-By now, they are very similar

-to their parents.

-The little rabbits

-must also learn quickly.

-Out in the wide world,

-almost everything eats rabbits.

-The rabbits are now a month old.

-They've taken every important step

-in their development.

-The time has come

-to follow the mother...

-..and leave the warren

-for the first time.

-Imagine living in the darkness

-of the warren for weeks...

-..before venturing out to

-the wide world for the first time.

-But it's also the time

-when foxes wait by the holes...

-..to exploit the shock and

-confusion of the little rabbits...

-..as they venture out for

-the first, and possibly last, time.

-Small rabbits know little

-about life beyond the warren.

-They are very nervous.

-Ceri and I find a vantage point

-and wait for them.

-We've built a cage around the

-warren to safeguard the rabbits.

-For them,

-it's a terrifying experience.

-They smell the fresh air a few times

-and out they come.

-The first steps

-into the great outdoors.

-They see light for the first time.

-There's new light,

-new smells, new sounds.

-Everything is new to them.

-They taste food for the first time.

-They've only drunk milk.

-It's surprising to see these

-small rabbits cleaning each other.

-They're tame, they're not related...

-..but they're looking out

-for each other.

-It's important for the group

-to strengthen the bond between them.

-It's an important part

-of life as a group.

-When one eats,

-another will look out for danger.

-Everything eats them - buzzards,

-tawny owls, stoats, weasels...

-..foxes and badgers

-They're a very important part

-of the food chain.

-A lot of other creatures

-rely on them.

-They must keep an eye out

-for everything.

-The rabbit warren

-has been designed carefully...

-..with a variety

-of tunnels and chambers...

-..to allow the rabbits

-to escape quickly...

-..from stoats or any other creature

-that preys on them.

-That was evident

-in the Bicton warren.

-This is a very interesting feature,

-right in the middle of the warren.

-There's a junction, with tunnels

-heading in different directions.

-If a stoat follows a rabbit

-along this tunnel...

-..the rabbit can cut across,

-cut back...

-..and go back out.

-The stoat ends up confused

-in the tunnels.

-It's incredible. This is

-the first time I've seen this.

-It's a real eye-opener.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-In Somerset...

-..our badgers still live in

-the burrow that was built for them.

-The intention is to release them

-into the wild.

-That's about to happen to a group

-of badgers in the RSPCA centre.

-We're here in Somerset.

-The sun is shining down on us.

-We're here to see the badgers

-the RSPCA is preparing to release.

-They're hoping to return them

-to the wild.

-I have some collars in this box.

-These devices will help us

-track the badgers.

-We can track their whereabouts

-for the next six months.

-The badger has been sedated...

-..using anaesthesia.

-This will allow it

-to be marked with a tattoo.

-If the badger

-is discovered again in the future...

-..we can make a note

-of where it came from.

-We're also checking to see

-if the signal works...

-..and if the frequency

-on the radio if OK.

-When we follow the badger

-in its habitat...

-..in the area it will be

-released back into the wild...

-..we can make sure

-we're tracking the correct badger.

-We're securing the collar

-and radio around the badger's neck.

-The badger will be returned

-to the pen...

-..to regain consciousness.

-When it's alert, it will be

-returned to the bottom pen.

-They don't feel any pain,

-they're under anaesthesia.

-They're not harmed in any way.

-Life can be difficult for rabbits.

-They're preyed upon by birds

-and other animals...

-..but they can defend themselves.

-Look at their ears.

-They're large ears -

-they have strong hearing.

-The ears can turn - facing forwards,

-to the side and backwards.

-They have strong eyesight. The eyes

-are located at the side of the head.

-They can see from the back,

-all the way around to the front.

-That makes it almost impossible for

-anything to creep up on a rabbit.

-The nostrils

-are moving all the time.

-They have a strong sense of smell.

-If a prey does get anywhere near...

-..rabbits can run very quickly.

-They can also burrow underground.

-Down there,

-they're safe from almost anything.

-Rabbits have the ability to breed...

-..and increase

-their numbers quickly.

-That's very important

-because they are preyed upon.

-They need to breed quickly.

-Do many rabbits survive

-the first few months...

-..or do they die quickly?

-About 90% die within the first year.

-That's why they need

-to breed quickly.

-This has given me my first

-opportunity to see rabbits close-up.

-The younger ones are very pretty.

-Yes, we have some

-very young rabbits here.

-Some have only just emerged

-from the warren.

-The larger rabbits are really large.

-Are they as large as that

-in the wild?

-They do look rather large. That's

-the dominant one in this group.

-It has a white tail -

-I like the white tail.

-It's a warning

-if they lift their tails.

-To the others, yes.

-They all have a white tail.

-When there's danger,

-they lift their tails and race away.

-It's a warning to other rabbits.

-They all stay close to each other.

-The first journey out of the warren

-is a success.

-They've learnt

-a valuable lesson about survival.

-The rabbits aren't the only ones

-ready for adventure.

-The water voles were born much later

-than the badgers and rabbits.

-They've developed quickly, leaving

-their homes after a fortnight.

-One of the voles hasn't developed

-as quickly as the others.

-This one hasn't put on

-as much weight as the other.

-This is a cause for concern.

-It's time to see

-if it's ready or not.

-Today, they will leave the burrow

-and swim for the first time.

-Having looked out of the tunnel...

-..this water vole

-faces a new challenge.

-It searches its habitat before

-swimming for the first time.

-These two enjoy playing together but

-one of the little ones is missing.

-There's no sign of the smallest one.

-It's eager to join the others

-but it's still unsure.

-After eating some food, the little

-one ventures to the water's edge.

-It's not as confident

-as its brother and sister.

-Even though it's happy, it hasn't

-learned how to get out of the water.

-Its mother is on hand

-to offer some help.

-The father cares far less!

-These water voles have made the most

-of their fortnight in the burrow.

-They can burrow and swim very well.

-We've had the results

-of the TB tests back.

-Unfortunately, one of the animals

-we have here has TB.

-That animal has been put down.

-On a positive note,

-all the others are clear of TB.

-They will go one step further

-as they are returned to the wild.

-We've learnt many new things

-over the past fortnight.

-We've seen water voles

-growing incredibly quickly...

-..we've seen a mole feeding,

-and storing worms.

-We've seen badgers

-learning how to burrow...

-..and the importance of smell

-to their social lives.

-We've also seen little rabbits

-creating a close community...

-..before venturing out

-into the wider world.

-But the burrowers have a lot

-to teach us again.

-Next week,

-we discover how the animals cope...

-..with the vast numbers

-that are born each year.

-How will the water voles adapt

-to life outside the burrow?

-A look at our badgers developing...

-..and Ceri and I visit

-the rabbits on Skokholm Island.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

-.