A Monkey's Tale Planet Earth Live

Meet Gremlin, a young toque macaque.

She's just nine weeks old.

She's tiny and very vulnerable,

and for a little monkey, this is a dangerous world.

There are lethal predators.

Brutal competition within the troop.

Deadly threats from a neighbouring tribe.

One in three baby macaques die before their first birthday.

Gremlin has a lot to learn, and fast.

If she fails, she won't survive.

This is her story.

Gremlin belongs to a 70-strong troop of macaques

living in the ruins of Polonnaruwa,

an ancient city in northern Sri Lanka.

She's a normal, healthy baby,

totally dependent on the love and support of her mother.

That doesn't mean her life is simple.

Macaque society has a very strict pecking order.

Alpha male Hector rules with a rod of iron.

That's tough for Gremlin.

Her mum is ranked near the bottom of the heap.

Life is a struggle.

They're first in line for bullying, and last in the queue for food.

For Gremlin, success and survival depend on learning to fit in.

It's a very steep learning curve.

The everyday lessons she has to learn in her first year

are crucial to her survival.

Cameraman Gavin Thurston has filmed this troop before.

Even so, it's a challenge filming them again.

It's great to be back here in Sri Lanka

and working with some of the same monkeys I worked with 15 years ago.

There's 68 animals in the group.

It's really difficult to work out who's who

and who the main characters are.

Luckily, Gremlin is distinctive.

She has a white tip on her tail and stands out from the crowd.

These ruins are perfect territory for the Temple Troop.

There's 100 acres of prime forest and plenty of food.

Life should be good for Gremlin.

But there's a problem.

A road borders the Temple Troop's territory.

On the other side, a competing troop of macaques -

the Slumdogs.

Territorial disputes are frequent and sometimes vicious.

With 5cm-long canine teeth,

injuries are often life-threatening.

A tiny youngster like Gremlin could easily be killed.

It's always a very tense atmosphere in the borderlands

between the two troops,

and right now, the Temple Troop have something

the Slumdogs desperately want -

a fig tree.

It's just inside the Temple Troop's territory.

It's a prime resource.

Figs are rich in vitamins.

A favourite food, there'll be plenty for the whole troop to enjoy.

The figs aren't ripe yet,

but the Slumdogs have had their eyes on the tree all winter.

Both troops want it for themselves.

Well, it's pretty clear, this fig tree,

which is right on the boundary of the two groups' territories,

is quite a prize if you can win it.

There's loads of fruit up here.

To Gremlin, for now, it's just another tree.

But both troops' leaders know it's a valuable prize,

Hector for the Temple Troop

and Bad-eye for the Slumdogs.

They're long-standing enemies.

Slumdog king Bad-eye got his injury in a previous fight.

He's always on the lookout for ways to settle the score.

For Gremlin, that spells danger.

If she strays too far from her mother,

she could fall into the hands of the Slumdogs.

They wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

Suddenly, a warning call.

Dogs.

There are hundreds of feral dogs in this forest.

A young monkey would make a fine meal.

The best defence against them is to give them a wide berth.

So Gremlin's mum quickly carries her to safety.

Surviving here demands constant vigilance.

Dogs are just one of the many predators in the forest.

Living in a large troop means

there's always a set of eyes on the lookout.

And because macaques use different calls for different predators,

the troop always know whether it's a snake, dog,

or hawk that's threatening them.

For Gremlin,

it's one of the benefits of living in an extended family.

Despite their rigid hierarchy,

every individual monkey plays its part in the troop's safety.

Gremlin must learn the full repertoire of macaque calls

as quickly as she can.

And by far the most important warning call to learn is this one.

SQUEAKING

One of the sentries has spotted a Slumdog near the border.

The sentry's tail arches into a prominent curve over his back.

That tail up there, that signifies to the females there's danger

and they should be moving back.

The whole troop knows the signal.

Gremlin's mum quickly retreats to safety.

Gremlin must learn to watch for danger signs

or she'll be in trouble.

The Slumdogs are testing boundaries.

They've got the fig tree in their sights...

and with reason.

While Hector's Temple Troop live the good life in prime forest...

..Bad-eye and his Slumdogs take risks just to eat.

They steal scraps from the local market and rubbish bins.

To the Slumdogs,

that fig tree looks like paradise.

Warriors from both sides square up to each other.

Gremlin's troop prepare to defend their territory.

Their success depends on Hector's skills as a leader.

His border scouts give him early warnings on enemy movements.

As the Slumdogs continue to advance,

all the males go to battle-ready status.

They stand on their hind legs to get a better look at the opposition,

and to intimidate them.

If the invaders don't retreat, battle-hardened veterans stand firm,

ready to stop the advance.

Life for male macaques can be violent and short.

Hector and Bad-eye have seen many monkeys killed

and injured in gang wars.

It's an impasse.

Neither side is prepared to fight.

The figs aren't ripe yet.

There are easier pickings for the Slumdogs in the market place.

For now.

Little Gremlin has no idea of the trouble brewing all around her.

She takes a nap, safe and secure in her mother's arms.

But if war breaks out, she will be in mortal danger.

A new day dawns.

After a good night's sleep,

Gremlin wakes up with a troop of very relaxed monkeys.

Macaques live in highly structured social groups.

They have a rigid caste system.

You're born into your social ranking

and the only way to change it is to leave the group.

That's fine if you're high up the social ladder.

Hector enjoys the very best food and drink

and a plentiful supply of servants to groom him throughout the day.

If you're at the bottom of the social ladder, like Gremlin,

the future's not so rosy.

So, what do you do then?

Meet Poppin, the lowest-ranking adult in the troop,

lower, even, than Gremlin's mum.

She's totally subservient,

grooming everyone above her.

Sadly, her status is unlikely to ever change.

Gavin first filmed her 15 years ago.

She was in the same position then as now,

absolutely bottom of the pile.

She even had to give up food stored in her cheek pouches

to a higher-ranking female.

I first came here in 1998.

She's 21 years old now,

she must have been about 12 or 13 when I was here last time,

but she's still in pretty good nick.

I think she's wearing better than me, in some ways!

Amazingly, Poppin is one of the most successful monkeys in the troop.

She's lived longer than any of them, raised eight baby monkeys

and she's got another on the way.

Not bad for someone at the bottom of the social ladder.

It's all about politics.

Poppin has made alliances across the troop

and consorts with all the right males.

She's especially attentive to Hector.

It's her way of ensuring he looks after both her and her offspring.

For Gremlin, political grooming is an important skill to learn.

But grooming's not just about politics.

There's a more basic reason, too.

The forest is full of insects.

Grooming is a great way to keep bug free.

And if there's no-one around to groom you,

there's nothing better than a good old scratch.

There are over 15 monkeys under the age of two in the Temple Troop.

The adults allow the youngsters plenty of freedom

to explore and play.

But discipline and respect must be strictly maintained.

Like all youngsters,

Gremlin must learn to express respect for adults

through a complex series of postures, facial expressions

and calls.

She'll have to learn them very quickly in order to survive.

As such a low ranking monkey,

Gremlin won't get anywhere without learning to say

"sorry", "excuse me" and "thank you".

Adults will not hesitate to remind her who's boss.

These are painful lessons for a baby macaque,

especially so when you have no idea what you've done wrong.

The truth is, of course, she hasn't done anything wrong.

She's simply the lowest of the low

and is being told this in no uncertain terms.

It's a good reminder of who she can approach safely

and who's best left well alone!

Macaque society is all about respect,

and Hector is top of the heap.

He won't tolerate signs of insubordination.

If he looks you in the eye,

you have to express submission or face a beating.

As he surveys his subjects,

they chatter their teeth in homage to their king.

Right, that...

..that is him showing he's boss.

And Gremlin has to learn how to deal with that

so she doesn't get beaten up.

Not even her mum can save Gremlin from Hector.

Gremlin's caught his eye.

Hector expects all the youngsters

to show him the proper respect, no matter how young they are.

If Gremlin plays this right, she'll escape punishment.

If she gets it wrong, Hector's punishment will be swift and hard.

Bingo! She's nailed it.

Wow! Well, that doesn't seem very significant in human terms,

but that teeth chatter that Gremlin's doing there

is effectively her first words.

She's learnt to say, "Excuse me, don't hit me."

Really sweet.

This strictly enforced caste system is there for a very good reason.

Without it, every time someone finds

a food source, there'll be a feeding frenzy.

Only the fittest, strongest males would get to eat.

With a well-ordered feeding line, there's space and time

for weaker females and offspring to get a feed too.

Even if they're last in the queue.

With the fig tree growing riper

and competition growing with the Slumdogs,

discipline in the ranks will be crucial in the coming weeks.

For now, Gremlin's learnt a vital skill.

She's said her first words, and saved herself from a beating.

As May progresses, the temperature starts to rise.

It's a good time for Gremlin to learn the best places

to drink and cool off.

There's plenty of water, at the moment,

but a few months from now, in the dry season,

knowing where to go will be vital.

The Temple Troop are lucky.

They have plenty of good water sources in their territory.

The dry season lasts three months, with hardly a drop of rain.

Like the fig tree,

the troop will defend their water sources jealously.

On the Slumdogs' side of the road, it's a different story.

The Slumdogs don't have the luxury of a pool on their territory.

They have to make do with any water they can find.

It's another reason why Bad-eye

is so envious of the Temple Troop's territory.

The combination of water and a ripening fig tree

is worth its weight in gold.

The figs are not ripe yet,

but the troop know it won't be long.

The trouble is,

the Slumdogs know that too.

A scouting party crosses the road to test the Temple Troop.

The Temple Troop react immediately.

The two sides exchange facial threats and postures.

Flashing their eyelids and raising their eyebrows at each other.

This could kick off.

Time for Gremlin to make a swift exit...

..with a little help from mum.

Gremlin's escape is just in time.

Neither side has backed down.

The conflict is escalating.

A showdown looks inevitable,

but why don't they attack immediately?

These look like friendly exchanges.

They're not.

These opposing fighters are sizing each other up,

searching for each other's weaknesses,

checking status, and sniffing out fear.

It's a test of who will crack first.

They're daring each other to launch an attack.

They're also getting reacquainted.

It's likely that many of these monkeys grew up together.

Young male macaques are evicted from their troop

before they reach adulthood.

This is partly to prevent in-breeding,

and partly the alpha male trying to preserve his dominance.

These strength tests happen because no-one wants to get hurt

unless it's absolutely necessary.

And no-one wants to hurt a relative or an old friend.

So they check each other's IDs and strength,

and hope for a last minute reprieve.

For today, it's enough.

Both sides retreat. Diplomacy wins the day.

It's proof of just how complex these monkey's lives are.

They'll risk their lives to defend their territory...

..but they'll try every other avenue first.

This time, it paid off...

and the frontline troops grab some well-earned R and R.

It's great fun for the big guys.

If you're small, it's best to stay away.

Besides, Gremlin still has important lessons to learn.

She's not yet weaned.

But soon she'll be foraging for herself.

It's never too early to learn what's on the menu.

Macaques will eat pretty much anything

and there's plenty to choose from -

termites, caterpillars, birds' eggs, flowers and seedpods.

Just like hamsters,

they can store food in specially adapted cheek pouches,

so they can eat it in safety later.

Gremlin has to find out for herself what the really tasty things are.

The only way she can do that is to experiment.

From time to time, predictably, that means trying something...

and regretting it.

One delicacy she hasn't tried yet is fig.

It's still a little while before they'll be ripe.

That's just as well,

because to reach them, first she must learn to climb.

It's a vital skill for every young macaque.

Trees...

and temple walls are where the action is.

Toque macaques are one of the most agile monkeys in the world.

Their hands and feet are incredibly dextrous.

And their tails are a handy counter-balance

during even the trickiest manoeuvres.

Gremlin has all the tools she needs to be an expert climber.

Learning to use them takes time.

With the figs ripening,

the Temple Troop has a problem on its hands.

It's a large territory to guard.

The best they can do

is conduct regular combat patrols around the perimeter.

Along the way, they can check on the ripeness of the figs,

and on what the Slumdogs are up to.

Diplomatic tensions between the troops are high.

The Temple Troop must make sure the Slumdogs know they're there.

Scouts maintain a constant watch against intruders.

And when they spot one, they shake the branches in alarm.

These males will climb up and find a dead branch,

try to snap bits off, but really shake those braches,

trying to intimidate their foe.

The signal is new to Gremlin.

She's eager to investigate,

and gives her elder sister the slip.

She has no idea the signal means

the Slumdogs are probing the Temple Troop's defences.

This is not the time for Gremlin to get curious.

Bad-eye and Hector watch intently.

Each weighing up the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.

Body for body, pound for pound, the two sides are equally matched.

A last-minute warning

prompts the youngsters and females to seek safety.

Gremlin's mum finally manages to grab her

and carry her back from the front line.

As the Slumdogs advance, the lead Temple soldiers beat a retreat.

Bad-eye pushes forward. He's gaining the advantage without a fight.

Hector must make a decision.

He's always prepared to fight.

But the advantage has to outweigh the risk.

Right now, the fig tree isn't worth it.

Time for a tactical withdrawal.

Hector's very wise.

He knows this fruiting fig isn't ripe yet.

It's not worth fighting, and possibly getting injured for, over that,

but over the next few days when this tree comes into full fruit,

I think this battle's really going to kick off.

When the Slumdogs realise the figs aren't yet ripe,

they drift back to their own territory.

Hector's a canny leader.

He'll fight tooth and nail when those figs are ripe,

but not now.

For the moment, life goes back to normal.

The troop runs patrols, gathers food, or simply rests.

And the youngsters do what youngsters everywhere do best -

they play.

This is an important part of Gremlin's development.

It builds her dexterity, hones her communication skills,

and reinforces social bonds.

Even the older kids can't resist getting involved.

Although Gremlin is getting very tricky to keep hold of.

Even mum is beginning to feel the strain.

Gremlin's learning fast,

especially about the complexities of macaque communication.

Every day brings new examples of how the troop maintains

its social hierarchy,

and just how important that is.

It's easy to make mistakes.

Showing respect and knowing how to apologise are vital life skills.

It's the only way to avoid a beating

from someone higher up the social scale.

Sometimes, even teeth-chattering isn't enough.

This is Kinda, the daughter of the troop's top female.

In human terms, she's an out-and-out bully.

She's used to getting her own way...

and if she doesn't, she won't hesitate

to inflict a nasty bite.

She's decided that it's about time for Gremlin

to start doing her bidding.

She clearly wants Gremlin to come with her,

perhaps to do some grooming.

Gremlin's mum, sitting behind her, can't intervene.

Kinda carries a lot of political clout in the troop,

Gremlin must deal with this herself.

Despite being mauled, Gremlin does her best to appear submissive.

It's the only way to keep Kinda at bay.

Eventually, the bully gets bored.

Gremlin and her mum make a swift exit.

Safe, at last.

After a few days of intense sunshine there's great news for the troop.

The figs are finally ripe.

It's time for a juicy and nutritious feast.

Gremlin's climbing practice finally pays off.

She can climb high enough to enjoy the figs for herself.

There's plenty of room for the whole troop to feed alongside each other -

no need for fighting.

There are enough figs left to last for days.

It's just a peaceful family meal.

Followed by a nice relaxing nap.

There's trouble ahead, though.

The Slumdogs have spotted the figs are ripe.

They've seen an opportunity.

The Temple Troop have dropped their guard.

They make their move.

They quickly cross no-man's-land.

Dozing in the trees, the Temple Troop don't even notice.

Up above, Gremlin is totally unaware of the danger.

Like most youngsters, she never sleeps for long.

With mum fast asleep she decides to explore on her own.

Down below, the Slumdogs close in.

Finally, a Temple Troop scout spots them and raises the alarm.

Branches shake, tails go up, eyes flash.

It's code red.

Hector and Bad-eye weigh up their battle plans.

Lives are at stake.

Gremlin's out on her own.

She must find her mum now and leave with the rest of the females.

If the Slumdogs catch her alone, they'll show no mercy.

Hector and his foot soldiers rush forward.

They're hoping to hold off the Slumdogs at the road.

If they cross it, they could easily lose the fig tree.

Battle lines are drawn.

The foot soldiers mock-charge each other,

testing to see who will back down.

No-one's going anywhere. There's too much at stake.

It's too late for diplomacy now.

There's only one way to end this...

..war.

SCREECHING

CAR HORNS BLARE

There's a mother! There's a mother with a baby, right in the middle.

YELPING

The battlefield lies empty.

The Temple Troop have beaten off the Slumdogs.

The fig tree is still theirs.

But there are casualties.

In the chaos of war,

some mothers and their young were caught up in the fight.

Some monkeys didn't make it.

For Gavin, it's a shocking reminder

of how brutal Gremlin's world can be.

I had no idea that these animals would fight as seriously as that.

This male here has been pretty seriously injured.

At the moment, we don't know whether he's from Temple Troop

or from the Slumdogs.

Sadly, his wounds are too severe. He never rejoined his troop.

Before the Temple Troop can regroup,

a sudden storm tears through the forest.

The Troop are already edgy.

Now, they flee into the deep forest in complete disarray.

Gremlin is nowhere to be seen.

If she's lost, the noise of the storm

will cover any contact calls to find her mother or the troop.

As darkness falls, Gavin continues to search.

It's just unfortunate the noise of that storm

stopped them regrouping after the battle.

I still haven't found Gremlin.

I just hope she's OK in the morning.

Next day, the Temple Troop has regrouped.

It's an opportunity to relax, lick their wounds

and re-establish social bonds.

Hector is basking in the glory of his victory,

the centre of his subjects' attention.

He's getting old and near the end of his reign, but he's fine for now.

But what about Gremlin?

I am concerned that I can't see Gremlin.

There she is! Right on the edge of the group.

Gremlin's had a lucky escape.

Somehow she managed to find her mother

and the troop during the night.

She's had the fright of her life

and perhaps learnt her most valuable lesson so far -

always stay close to mum!

And there's more good news -

the troop is now one member stronger.

Poppin has given birth to a healthy baby.

Little Richard is just a few hours old.

And he has so much to learn.

Poppin's status in the troop is even lower than Gremlin's mum.

So the new arrival automatically takes the bottom rung of the ladder.

Gremlin's status has moved up a notch.

Even after giving birth,

Poppin, will still have to keep up her duties as a servant.

But she's tired.

At 23, she's coming to the end of her life.

Hopefully, she can last the next few years

and give her ninth baby a good start.

He could have a great future,

even though he's off to a wobbly beginning.

Males get kicked out of the family when they mature.

So, one day, this tiny monkey will be forced to join a new troop.

He's bottom of the heap here, but in the future,

if he proves himself, who knows?

If he becomes an alpha male,

then humble Poppin will have given birth to a king.

An epic tale of rags to riches,

all down to Poppin's political skills.

Males change their fortunes by switching troops.

Gremlin is stuck where she is.

So, what does the future hold for her?

It's been a critical few months and she's learnt a lot.

Being born into a low-caste family

is always going to cause problems for her.

But Poppin is proof that you can be very successful in monkey society

even when you're bottom of the heap, as long as you play your part

in the dark games of monkey politics.

Gremlin would do well to watch Poppin closely, and learn.

Outside threats are harder to handle.

The Slumdogs will always be there,

and there will be more battles over that fig tree.

But Gremlin's early brush with the enemy has taught her a lot.

For Gavin, revisiting the Temple Troop

has been a memorable experience.

It's like visiting an old family,

having spent so much time with them in the past.

These five weeks have flown by

and it's been great watching Gremlin grow up.

It's amazing how much she's changed over the five weeks.

She's much more confident now.

The troop's home territory among these temple ruins

echo a thousand years of Sri Lankan history.

Generation after generation, the macaques that live here

have played out a similar drama -

the rise of empires,

and the fall of kings.

Four months later, Gremlin is still going strong.

She's grown fast, and she's getting more confident.

She's become a bit of an expert at avoiding the bullies in her troop

and spends a lot of her time watching and learning from others.

With luck, plucky little Gremlin will live 25 or even 30 years.

What new dramas will her future bring?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd