0:00:02 > 0:00:03This is Madagascar.
0:00:03 > 0:00:05It's a vast island in the Indian Ocean
0:00:05 > 0:00:07off the east coast of Africa.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09And it's home to some of the most unique
0:00:09 > 0:00:11and rare creatures on the planet.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19Incredibly, 80% of the wildlife here exists nowhere else on earth.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23But it's a paradise under threat.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I've sent eight ordinary kids from the UK...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Oh, Madagascar!
0:00:34 > 0:00:36..to discover for themselves how the people
0:00:36 > 0:00:39and animals can both survive here together.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43This was never going to be easy.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Lemurs can only be found in Madagascar and on our mission,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03one of the things we did, was to track down some in the wild...
0:01:06 > 0:01:09..with guides to help us find them in the jungle.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Be careful on the bridge, it's a bit wobbly.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16And sometimes, it took hours just to find any sign of them.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I'm really excited about seeing any kind of lemur.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24But in the end, we were not disappointed.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36One lemur we were really happy to see, was the Bamboo Lemur.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41See just up there, that's one of our animals.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42The greater bamboo lemur.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47That's, pretty special.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50Very privileged.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54But with rainforests in Madagascar being destroyed,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58these animals have become one of the most critically endangered primates
0:01:58 > 0:02:00in the world.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Seeing these guys up close, made us want to find out
0:02:05 > 0:02:07what exactly was harming them.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Why are lemurs so rare?
0:02:09 > 0:02:13The habitat they live in is being encroached by human population.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16People are chopping these down for agricultural use, because
0:02:16 > 0:02:19human population, ever expanding, if the bamboo goes, they go.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25So it's pretty dire the things that are going on with
0:02:25 > 0:02:26lemurs in Madagascar.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Knowing that only 500 of these bamboo lemurs are left
0:02:30 > 0:02:33in the entire world, made us think it's reaching crisis point.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39It's kind of a battle between the lemurs and the humans
0:02:39 > 0:02:45and right now, we don't really know who's going to win it.
0:02:46 > 0:02:52Surely, the lemurs have to win and we should protect them at all costs.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53What do you think?
0:03:06 > 0:03:09On our mission, we got to hang out with lots of local people.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13We saw that life for them was very different to ours back home.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18We met up with Fabrice, who wanted to show us
0:03:18 > 0:03:22why chopping down and using trees is really important.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Fabrice, what's your house made of?
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Do you know how many Ravenala trees it takes to
0:03:29 > 0:03:31build this room?
0:03:38 > 0:03:42But housing isn't the only reason why trees are being cut down.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53We found out, that they also have to be cleared to grow rice.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Rice is grown in flooded fields, called paddies, and is
0:04:02 > 0:04:06the main food source for the 20 million people living in Madagascar.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11How long does it take him to grow all of the rice.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17How much rice do you get from a field of this size?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34And that's only just enough rice to feed his family.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36It's not enough to sell to make any money.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46We decided to have a go ourselves.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Imagine how that boy has to do it every single day
0:04:50 > 0:04:53for like an hour on his own.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57We have to do so much for not even that much food
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and it's like more effort than what you get in return.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Meeting people that have to use the land around them so they can
0:05:05 > 0:05:08eat and survive, made us think that they have to cut down the trees.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14The problem is, you can either save the rainforest and the lemurs,
0:05:14 > 0:05:15or save the people.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19You have to make the right balance because they need all the trees,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21they need to cut it down and things,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24so that they can grow their own food so that they can survive,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27but in doing so, that endangers the forest and the lemurs.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32So people need to chop the forest so they can live.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35What do you think?
0:05:41 > 0:05:42This is Madagascar.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47It's a vast island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49And it's home to some of the most unique
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and rare creatures on the planet.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Incredibly, 80% of the wildlife here exists nowhere else on earth.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04But it's a paradise under threat.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11I've sent eight ordinary kids from the UK...
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Go Madagascar!
0:06:13 > 0:06:16..to discover for themselves how the people and animals
0:06:16 > 0:06:18can both survive here together.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22This was never going to be easy.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Madagascar is surrounded by tropical seas
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and we were going to be lucky enough to go and explore them.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43It's like a paradise beach.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50So the coral reefs are very, very important.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It was seeing the coral reefs that we were most excited about.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55It's going to be amazing. Wow!
0:06:56 > 0:06:59I'm a bit nervous because I've never properly done
0:06:59 > 0:07:02snorkelling before, so, should be interesting.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08The purpose of our snorkelling trip was to collect data,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11to find out how abundant the marine life was out there.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Around the world, coral reefs cover less than 1% of the ocean floor,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27but a quarter of all species that live in the sea need them to survive.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35We learnt that coral is made of tiny animals that build
0:07:35 > 0:07:37structures around themselves.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41And even though they look like bits of rock, they are actually
0:07:41 > 0:07:45living creatures that provide homes for tons more wildlife.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52But we discovered that this reef wasn't as healthy
0:07:52 > 0:07:54as it should have been.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03When we did a survey of the reef,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06we saw that the corals weren't as colourful as we'd hoped.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08It looked pretty barren, like it was dead.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14It was all sort of dull and there weren't as many fish.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18They were hiding in the little sparse bits of coral
0:08:18 > 0:08:22that there were, and that's like, that's really, really sad.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Reefs in Madagascar are at a serious risk of losing all of their coral.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Seeing this, made us think we have to stop them
0:08:30 > 0:08:32from disappearing completely.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34You can see like all these little holes,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36all the little animals live in there.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41What do you think?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53One of the things we found out on our mission,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56was how local people live off the sea.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58What type of fish?
0:08:58 > 0:09:00And it was the coral reefs just off the shore
0:09:00 > 0:09:02that were so important to them.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07So we went out fishing with some local women.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09I'm going to end up falling backwards.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Look, we've got a fish.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16I can feel it wriggling.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19And it was here we discovered one of the major reasons
0:09:19 > 0:09:20why the corals are dying out.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25The only way these women can catch fish to feed their families,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28is to walk all over the coral reef.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I thought it was just sand and a bit of rock underneath us,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33but it's load of bits of broken coral.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36I feel like by stepping on all these corals, we're sort of ruining
0:09:36 > 0:09:38loads of other things, as well.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43It dawned on us what we were doing.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Every step I take, I hear.... I don't like it.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Jamie's loving it, she's out there like... Look where she is.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Don't know what to do, really,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02because we can either save the fish or the people go hungry.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07It's a really awkward situation.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13We realised that we have a choice, but they don't.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16The women are forced to fish near the shoreline.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21It's the only practical way they can feed their families.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28They don't know what they're doing.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I don't think that anyone has ever explained to
0:10:31 > 0:10:34the women, like, what they should and shouldn't be doing.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44As a team, we were divided on our thoughts.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48We just looked down at the reefs,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and like what we were like stepping on and then we just felt awful.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55I'm not saying that, like,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57that I agree with stepping on the coral,
0:10:57 > 0:10:58it's just that they...
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I wanted to help them because they're, you know,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03they, they have no food.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05It's a difficult situation, everything today has been
0:11:05 > 0:11:09quite difficult and it... it's contradicting.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I don't... My mind is saying something different
0:11:11 > 0:11:12to like, my heart.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18We saw that these women couldn't help it, they need to
0:11:18 > 0:11:19feed their families,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22but in doing so, they are destroying the coral.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27What would you have done in this situation?
0:11:34 > 0:11:35This is Madagascar.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39It's a vast island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42And it's home to some of the most unique
0:11:42 > 0:11:44and rare creatures on the planet.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Incredibly, 80% of the wildlife here exists nowhere else on earth.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57But it's a paradise under threat.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I've sent eight ordinary kids from the UK...
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Go Madagascar!
0:12:06 > 0:12:08..to discover for themselves how the people
0:12:08 > 0:12:11and animals can both survive here together.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14This was never going to be easy.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30On our mission, the one thing that became immediately obvious
0:12:30 > 0:12:32when we arrived, was the culture.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39The smells, the colours, but also, unfortunately, how poor it was.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I was a bit shocked by the fact that the villagers were so poor.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I didn't expect them to be that poor.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56The poverty we've seen here is quite hard to deal with,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58'cos you just see it everywhere.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03The lifestyle here was completely different to back home
0:13:03 > 0:13:08and most of the time, finding food is more important than just playing.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Compared to this, we've got an easy life.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Where they're got chores to do the rice,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16we don't have chores as hard as that.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Rice only goes so far and when you have many mouths to feed,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27it's easy to understand why some people in Madagascar
0:13:27 > 0:13:29are forced to rely on other ways to get food.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33And finding enough meat is the biggest problem.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39We discovered that the people were catching all kinds of wildlife,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42stuff that we wouldn't normally choose to eat
0:13:42 > 0:13:46and unfortunately, that also means endangered animals -
0:13:46 > 0:13:48in particular, bats.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Around the world, bats are a great source of protein
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and as we discovered, are easy to catch.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06We went into a cave where bats are regularly hunted.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16That is a lot of bats.
0:14:17 > 0:14:23Is bat considered like a speciality or is it just general food?
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I think the fruit bat, the largest one,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31it's even sold in the restaurants, in some restaurants,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33but these ones are generally eaten by people
0:14:33 > 0:14:35when they don't have any other food.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38So it's kind of like something to fall back on
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- if there's nothing else to eat?- Yes.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43And the method to catch the bats was quite shocking.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45They are basically just knocked down.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49It's just smacking them with a stick.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- Well, it is wrong, either way. - It's quite crude.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I think it's quite crude, you know, just pick up
0:14:53 > 0:14:57a big stick, smack a bat with it, dinner.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58I just think they want food.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Hitting them with a stick works, so they're going to do it.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07So in a place where protein is hard to find,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10is it right that people eat endangered animals?
0:15:10 > 0:15:11What would you do?
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Just hold on to that one, that's a stronger one.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25On another day, we witnessed not the locals eating bats,
0:15:25 > 0:15:26but conserving them.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31It was cool to see how their specialist skills came in handy.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36How does he do that?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Oh, the bats are coming down!
0:15:43 > 0:15:46We got involved with a health check on these bats
0:15:46 > 0:15:49and we found out that they had a really useful job.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Something which was a surprise to us
0:15:54 > 0:15:58and something not many people in Madagascar might know about either.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Bats all over the world eat loads of insects,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09insects that can be real nuisance to human beings.
0:16:09 > 0:16:1111, 12.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14And these bats target one insect in particular.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19They eat mosquitoes, which doesn't sound very impressive,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22but it's mosquitoes that carry malaria.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Malaria is a deadly parasite that kills
0:16:29 > 0:16:32millions of people across the world.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35You can catch it if you are bitten by an infected mosquito.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48If they conserve the trees and the bats, for a start,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51they'd have less mosquitoes because the bats,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55one of their favourite things to eat is mosquitoes
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and that means there'd be less risk of having malaria
0:16:58 > 0:17:02and other mosquito related diseases round the area.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06It seems that animals that are eaten, can also play
0:17:06 > 0:17:08a key role in an ecosystem.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14And as malaria affects a lot of people in Madagascar,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17surely we should protect bats at all costs?
0:17:17 > 0:17:18What do you think?
0:17:25 > 0:17:26This is Madagascar.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30It's a vast island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33And it's home to some of the most unique
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and rare creatures on the planet.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Incredibly, 80% of the wildlife here exists nowhere else on earth.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48But it's a paradise under threat.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I've sent eight ordinary kids from the UK...
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Go Madagascar!
0:17:57 > 0:18:00..to discover for themselves how the people and animals
0:18:00 > 0:18:02can both survive here together.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05This was never going to be easy.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19When we were on our mission, it was unbelievable to see how many
0:18:19 > 0:18:22tourists wanted to get up close to the wildlife.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26There's so many tourists around us. It's absolutely packed.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31But sometimes, loads of tourists isn't such a good thing.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Their impact can have a negative effect on the environment.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43One of the major reasons so many tourists go to Madagascar,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45is to see humpback whales.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Oh, my!
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Oh, wow!
0:18:51 > 0:18:53That's cool!
0:18:53 > 0:18:56And it's easy to see why it's such a popular tourist attraction.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Whoa! That's close.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05The problem is that too many tourists boats can cause
0:19:05 > 0:19:07whale stress and confusion.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16We discovered that sound is really important for whales to be
0:19:16 > 0:19:18able to communicate with each other.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29But their song is actually really beautiful.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- It's like... - MAKES WHALE SOUND
0:19:36 > 0:19:39And around the world, it has been found that noise pollution
0:19:39 > 0:19:42can be extremely dangerous for whales.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Too many tourists can wreck
0:19:44 > 0:19:49and destroy the whole point that the tourists are there.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I personally think that this island is much better without tourism,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55because I think the tourists ruin a lot of the natural beauty
0:19:55 > 0:19:57of this island.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Should we stop tourists from getting up close to wildlife?
0:20:02 > 0:20:04What do you think?
0:20:12 > 0:20:16We discovered that Madagascar is an extremely poor place.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20You see these kind of things on TV, but when you see them in a reality...
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- It's like more of a shock. - ..it's totally different.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25One of the things we learnt on our mission,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28is how tourists can have a positive effect in Madagascar.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Merci. Merci beaucoup.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I bought my mum a scarf.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36And like, to see their faces glow when I bought it, made my day.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Thank you.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Thank you.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45We found out that handmade products that tourists buy,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47create jobs for local people.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52And souvenirs in particular are a real money spinner.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- Nadine.- Bonjour.- Bonjour.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00So, are you ready to stuff some whales and to make it?
0:21:00 > 0:21:02- Yep, definitely.- Good.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05We're just stuffing some broken up foam into the whale
0:21:05 > 0:21:07to make it into a pillow.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12She makes five of these big ones in one day
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and I reckon I could make about five of these little ones, maybe.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- No, you couldn't! - Actually, no.
0:21:17 > 0:21:23Our idea in the future is that people care more about the whales
0:21:23 > 0:21:25after working with us.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30They will see that tourists buy these kind of things,
0:21:30 > 0:21:35because whales exist, so they will care about the whales existing
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and coming to Madagascar.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42This is the link that we do between economy and, of course,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47the conservation of marine mammals, the conservation of the whales.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Good? Cool.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Yeah, this is the first thing out of fabric that I've made and
0:21:54 > 0:21:56obviously, I didn't even make...
0:21:56 > 0:21:58I just stuffed it and sewed up the hole.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00So, hopefully, it will sell.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It was amazing to see what other things the locals can make
0:22:06 > 0:22:09with a bit of imagination.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I had absolutely no idea that you could make jewellery
0:22:11 > 0:22:13out of so much stuff.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16Whale tail.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22It's great that they can make these products and they're sustainable
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and help the environment and they earn money at the same time.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27The extra income from all these products,
0:22:27 > 0:22:32makes it a win-win situation for both the locals and the whales.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35All the products get sold here for souvenirs,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38like when people come in from having their boat trip.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40It's giving the people that make them a job.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42So, I just think it's a great cause
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and it was really good fun just to be part of it.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49With tourists bringing in money for local people,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51surely this is a good thing for wildlife.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55What do you think?
0:23:01 > 0:23:03This is Madagascar.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07It's a vast island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10And it's home to some of the most unique
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and rare creatures on the planet.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Incredibly, 80% of the wildlife here exists nowhere else on earth.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25But it's a paradise under threat.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I've sent eight ordinary kids from the UK...
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Go Madagascar!
0:23:34 > 0:23:37..to discover for themselves how the people and animals
0:23:37 > 0:23:38can both survive here together.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43This was never going to be easy.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56One of the things we learnt on our mission was that sadly,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59many animals in Madagascar might go extinct...
0:24:01 > 0:24:03..even within our lifetime.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10I never thought that I would get to be this close
0:24:10 > 0:24:13to one of the most endangered primates in the world.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15But we met many dedicated people,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18working hard to prevent such species from dying out.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22And the reality of preserving animals in the wild,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24is not always guaranteed.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Does everybody have their fingers crossed?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28All right, guys. Last trap's empty.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32The fossa, in particular, was so rare,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35we weren't able to track one down in the wild.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38The elusive has remained elusive.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Instead, we went to a zoo where they had a rescued female and her baby.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Mini fossa. Baby fossa.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51Ah!
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Much smaller than I was expecting.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56It kinda looks like a cross between a cat
0:24:56 > 0:25:02and a dog, with like a stretched out body and a lemur tail, basically.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06It's amazing to get this close to such a small,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09like, a baby fossa, it's amazing.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Having young in captivity,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15is a positive sign that they are doing well,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19which is a good thing as we discovered that wild fossa
0:25:19 > 0:25:22are now being pushed out of their territories by dogs.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31The village dogs here will sometimes go in the forest
0:25:31 > 0:25:35and when they go in, they completely displace the fossa from the area.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43It would be difficult for these guys to live safely in the wild.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48To save this species, surely we should keep them safe in captivity?
0:25:48 > 0:25:49What do you think?
0:26:02 > 0:26:05But there is an alternative way to saving a species.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Another incredible thing we got involved with,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13was to get up close with some really endangered turtles.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Why is this species of turtle so endangered?
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Well this is the only turtle that's found just in Madagascar,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22so it's the only one that's endemic to this area.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25When people are fishing, people will actually eat the turtles
0:26:25 > 0:26:28as well, because they need some protein.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33At this conversation centre, the turtles' future was not to be
0:26:33 > 0:26:35a life in captivity.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38They're really cute and they're quite small.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41They were part of a different solution.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47When baby turtles become big enough adults,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50they are prepared to be released back into the wild.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52A-ha, it pee'd!
0:26:54 > 0:26:5624.4.
0:26:56 > 0:26:5724.4.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Our challenge was to travel five hours off road
0:27:06 > 0:27:10to get to a remote lake that was an ideal spot for the turtles.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15This bag has some of the turtles that we tagged
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and micro-chipped and that yesterday.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20So, I'm going to be very careful while carrying it,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23because very, very precious goods in here.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30When we got to the lake, we realised why it was the perfect place.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Cos it's their sacred lake and we're entering it
0:27:33 > 0:27:37to release these turtles, so it's... We're going to do it their way.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Their way was to have a ceremony which would ensure
0:27:43 > 0:27:44the protection of these turtles.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54This lake was so sacred to the local people,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58it means they do not hunt or fish in it.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Releasing the turtles here was the only realistic way
0:28:11 > 0:28:13they could have a future in the wild.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I think the turtles have definitely got a good home here,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25'cos all the people are like in unity with their lake,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28so the turtles are really well protected by the people.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Surely releasing animals into protected areas like this,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35is the best way to save a species?
0:28:35 > 0:28:37What do you think?
0:28:46 > 0:28:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd