Hong Kong Dolphins

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0:00:01 > 0:00:10Now on BBC News, The Travel Show.

0:00:10 > 0:00:13Coming up on this week's Travel Show.

0:00:13 > 0:00:15Oh, no, OK!

0:00:15 > 0:00:20Three o'clock, three o'clock, three.

0:00:20 > 0:00:23I'm in Hong Kong to find out how their famous pink dolphins

0:00:23 > 0:00:30are being affected by the fast pace of development here.

0:00:30 > 0:00:33We meet one of Asia's top chefs to get a new take

0:00:33 > 0:00:35on traditional Cantonese cuisine.

0:00:35 > 0:00:37We're in northern Canada to discover how to use an iceberg

0:00:37 > 0:00:39to make a cup of tea.

0:00:39 > 0:00:49I actually know him!

0:00:50 > 0:00:53And going underground in London, we meet the people who help to keep

0:00:53 > 0:00:54the trains running all night.

0:00:54 > 0:00:56This year marks the 20th anniversary of the handover

0:01:23 > 0:01:25-- This year marks the 20th

0:01:25 > 0:01:32anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China.

0:01:32 > 0:01:39Since 1997, the pace of development here has been rapid,

0:01:39 > 0:01:41as Beijing pushes ahead with its transitional "one country,

0:01:41 > 0:01:43two systems" formula.

0:01:43 > 0:01:47A plan that will eventually see Hong Kong merge economically

0:01:47 > 0:01:56and politically with the Communist mainland, in 2047.

0:01:56 > 0:01:59But environmentalists fear that one of Hong Kong's most iconic creatures

0:01:59 > 0:02:00may not survive that long.

0:02:00 > 0:02:02The pink Hong Kong Dolphin was actually a symbol

0:02:02 > 0:02:08of the handover of Hong Kong from British back to

0:02:08 > 0:02:10Chinese rule 20 years ago.

0:02:10 > 0:02:11But now, their future is under threat.

0:02:13 > 0:02:16The dolphins' vivid pink colour isn't caused by pigmentation.

0:02:16 > 0:02:19It happens as blood vessels expand and contract as a result

0:02:19 > 0:02:22of thermo-regulation.

0:02:22 > 0:02:26It's a system the dolphins used to control their body temperature.

0:02:26 > 0:02:29The dolphins are meaning good luck in Chinese culture and also they go

0:02:29 > 0:02:33beyond Hong Kong border to Chinese waters, so it's sort of a unity

0:02:33 > 0:02:36between Hong Kong and China back in the handover days.

0:02:36 > 0:02:39So it's sort of a symbol of unification between

0:02:39 > 0:02:40Hong Kong and China.

0:02:40 > 0:02:42They're also a good luck and energetic symbol.

0:02:42 > 0:02:44Unfortunately, you know, their numbers are in decline.

0:02:44 > 0:02:55So it's not such good luck now.

0:02:55 > 0:02:57Figures from Hong Kong's Fisheries And Conservation Department show

0:02:58 > 0:03:01that the number of pink dolphins here have crashed, from 188

0:03:01 > 0:03:09in 2003 to only 65 in 2015.

0:03:09 > 0:03:11And although nobody is exactly sure how accurate that figure is,

0:03:11 > 0:03:17there's no doubt that numbers are falling.

0:03:17 > 0:03:21I've been coming to Hong Kong for around 20 years now and I'm

0:03:21 > 0:03:24ashamed to say I had no idea there were dolphins

0:03:24 > 0:03:26in the waters here.

0:03:26 > 0:03:29But of course you won't find them in Victoria Harbour

0:03:29 > 0:03:36where the tourists are.

0:03:36 > 0:03:39To be in with a chance of seeing the dolphins you have to leave

0:03:39 > 0:03:48Hong Kong Island and go west towards the airport.

0:03:48 > 0:03:49Land reclamation, population growth and pollution

0:03:49 > 0:03:54are all being blamed for destroying the dolphins' habitat.

0:03:54 > 0:03:57Huge new infrastructure projects like this new bridge and tunnel

0:03:57 > 0:04:02to Macau may be good for the economy but environmentalists claim it is

0:04:02 > 0:04:09playing havoc with the dolphins' natural environment.

0:04:09 > 0:04:12The Hong Kong government has announced it will create a new 2500

0:04:12 > 0:04:15hectare marine conservation park in northern waters to help counter

0:04:15 > 0:04:20the effects of building another runway at the airport.

0:04:20 > 0:04:23The conservationists say that the marine Park is in the wrong

0:04:23 > 0:04:28place and won't help the situation.

0:04:28 > 0:04:32So, when we go out to see we use a long lens to take

0:04:32 > 0:04:33high-quality photos, as you see, because there

0:04:33 > 0:04:36is the information we used to identify the dolphin,

0:04:36 > 0:04:38just like the fingerprints on your hands.

0:04:38 > 0:04:42Like this one, there is a round tip and a big notch.

0:04:42 > 0:04:46So from this one we can know exactly this individual has been

0:04:46 > 0:04:47seen, when and where.

0:04:47 > 0:04:50We need at least 2000 dolphins to sustain the long-term survival.

0:04:50 > 0:04:55But in the current situation, no matter how many times

0:04:55 > 0:04:56we run the simulations, the population is

0:04:56 > 0:04:57doomed to extinction.

0:04:57 > 0:05:05So that's a very worrying scenario.

0:05:05 > 0:05:09What needs to be done?

0:05:09 > 0:05:11What we are proposing is, protect what is important

0:05:11 > 0:05:14to the animals first.

0:05:14 > 0:05:17Now, it's not just about quantity, about how many kilometres square

0:05:17 > 0:05:24of habitat is being protected but also where it is protected.

0:05:24 > 0:05:27Those core areas should be highly prioritised areas to be protected

0:05:27 > 0:05:29in terms of stopping the development, lowering

0:05:29 > 0:05:30the fishing effort.

0:05:30 > 0:05:32Basically reducing the pressure on the animals.

0:05:32 > 0:05:45So, give them a place to survive.

0:05:45 > 0:05:47Well, determined to try and see something dolphins,

0:05:47 > 0:05:51I headed to Lantau with an advocacy and ecotourism group

0:05:51 > 0:05:53called Dolphin Watch, who have been working to promote

0:05:53 > 0:05:58marine conservation here for two decades.

0:05:58 > 0:06:02Many of the dead ones that are found every year are juveniles or babies.

0:06:02 > 0:06:09I'm going to show a dead dolphin.

0:06:09 > 0:06:12If you're very sensitive, then you may wish to not look.

0:06:12 > 0:06:13Just looks like it's sleeping.

0:06:13 > 0:06:15So, what could have happened to this dolphin?

0:06:15 > 0:06:22OK, there's no crisscross scarring, it didn't drown in a net.

0:06:22 > 0:06:24What are we going to see today?

0:06:24 > 0:06:25Are we guaranteed to see dolphins?

0:06:26 > 0:06:26No, no.

0:06:26 > 0:06:29It's a 97% success rate and if we don't see any then people

0:06:29 > 0:06:33will get to go again free, assuming they have the time here,

0:06:33 > 0:06:36but that's a pretty rare occasion because after 20 years of doing this

0:06:36 > 0:06:39we have a pretty good idea where the dolphins will be,

0:06:39 > 0:06:43given the wind and rain and time and tides, but they are wild animals

0:06:43 > 0:06:44so we can't make promises.

0:06:44 > 0:06:47You'll see lots of garbage, lots of concrete, lots of boats

0:06:48 > 0:06:51and hopefully lots of dolphins but, you know, I have to lower

0:06:51 > 0:06:52expectations because some days it just doesn't happen.

0:06:56 > 0:06:59I really hope we see a dolphin.

0:06:59 > 0:07:03The conditions are in our favour, it isn't too windy and where we are now

0:07:03 > 0:07:06in these waters is near the mouth of the river sowed

0:07:06 > 0:07:07the sea isn't too salty.

0:07:07 > 0:07:18This is their usual habitat, this is what dolphins like.

0:07:18 > 0:07:22For awhile while there's nothing and then as we head into the western

0:07:22 > 0:07:24waters of Lantau Island, we suddenly get lucky.

0:07:24 > 0:07:25Oh, gosh, there's one over there!

0:07:26 > 0:07:27Oh, I missed it.

0:07:27 > 0:07:40Got to be quick.

0:07:40 > 0:07:43It's a pink one, is he going to come up again?

0:07:43 > 0:07:44Yep, yep, yep.

0:07:44 > 0:07:45Oh, no, no.

0:07:45 > 0:07:46Three o'clock, three o'clock.

0:07:46 > 0:07:58OK, over there!

0:07:58 > 0:08:02People love concrete here.

0:08:02 > 0:08:04Where is the tipping point where you say the dolphins

0:08:04 > 0:08:08are no longer sustainable, if you like?

0:08:08 > 0:08:11And even if they are, the gene pool is going to be

0:08:11 > 0:08:15shrinking with fewer and fewer dolphins so, by the time you list

0:08:15 > 0:08:20something as endangered, it's quite often too late.

0:08:20 > 0:08:22As a cosmopolitan city which is very wealthy,

0:08:22 > 0:08:25we have the resource to make a balance between development

0:08:25 > 0:08:26and conservation of the environment.

0:08:26 > 0:08:31We can do both.

0:08:31 > 0:08:33We have to strike a balance.

0:08:33 > 0:08:36We can have all the development that we want but at the same time

0:08:37 > 0:08:39we also need to build up the capacity for the dolphins

0:08:39 > 0:08:41to withstand all the threats.

0:08:41 > 0:08:44We use the dolphin as the mascot, the symbol of the handover

0:08:44 > 0:08:48so it's our responsibility to ensure that they will be here for a long

0:08:48 > 0:08:51time, not just for us, but for the next generation

0:08:51 > 0:08:52and future generations to come.

0:09:07 > 0:09:11Time now for the last in our series of films looking at the people

0:09:11 > 0:09:13who keep London moving, long after most people

0:09:13 > 0:09:15have gone to bed.

0:09:16 > 0:09:18And this time we meet Latoya, who works overnight

0:09:18 > 0:09:30at one of the capital's busiest tube stations.

0:09:30 > 0:09:33My name is Latoya Raymond and I'm a customer service assistant

0:09:33 > 0:09:40here at the London Underground.

0:09:40 > 0:09:42And I work for the infamous Oxford Circus station.

0:09:43 > 0:09:45Since the launch of the 24-hour night tube last year,

0:09:45 > 0:09:48we actually run 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays.

0:09:49 > 0:09:53My role begins the minute you walk through the station and if you need

0:09:53 > 0:10:04assistance along the way, anywhere, I'm here.

0:10:04 > 0:10:06That's what we're here for.

0:10:06 > 0:10:09That's fine, if you want to touch your Oyster card.

0:10:09 > 0:10:09On there?

0:10:09 > 0:10:11Yeah, that's it. There you go, my love.

0:10:11 > 0:10:13Sound result that for you.

0:10:13 > 0:10:13And that's done.

0:10:13 > 0:10:14Thanks so much.

0:10:14 > 0:10:17You're welcome, take care.

0:10:17 > 0:10:19At night, this is where Oxford Circus comes alive.

0:10:19 > 0:10:24Central London comes alive during the night.

0:10:24 > 0:10:26Everyone's coming out, everyone is going out

0:10:26 > 0:10:28and having a great time, especially on Fridays.

0:10:28 > 0:10:31You finish work, you don't want to just rush home,

0:10:31 > 0:10:34so they take advantage of the nightlife, they take

0:10:34 > 0:10:36advantage of the pubs, the fact that we have

0:10:36 > 0:10:3924 hours services.

0:10:39 > 0:10:42People enjoy it and the atmosphere is always amazing.

0:10:42 > 0:10:45It's great.

0:10:45 > 0:10:52I am a people person, I've always been a people person.

0:10:52 > 0:10:56So you are the actual Monopoly man!

0:10:56 > 0:10:58It is fun, it is absolutely fun.

0:10:58 > 0:11:01So we've done all the 26 pubs.

0:11:01 > 0:11:02On the Monopoly board?

0:11:02 > 0:11:03Yes.

0:11:03 > 0:11:05They come down the stairs singing.

0:11:05 > 0:11:06We join in!

0:11:06 > 0:11:09I don't know how you're still standing.

0:11:09 > 0:11:14Take care.

0:11:14 > 0:11:17Along with persons that are going out, having fun,

0:11:17 > 0:11:23going to clubs, we have persons who work and these pubs.

0:11:23 > 0:11:26I actually know him.

0:11:26 > 0:11:29I'm sorry, I have to run and hug him.

0:11:29 > 0:11:32Now they can just come through and go home.

0:11:32 > 0:11:35If you can imagine working throughout the night and then having

0:11:35 > 0:11:38to wait another two hours for the trains to start

0:11:38 > 0:11:49running, it's not nice.

0:11:54 > 0:11:57We go out as well, you know, we aren't all about work,

0:11:57 > 0:11:58work, work.

0:11:58 > 0:12:00We're a great bunch, we get on.

0:12:00 > 0:12:01This is a family.

0:12:01 > 0:12:13Where did you go?

0:12:13 > 0:12:16Yeah, there is no more trains for the Bakerloo.

0:12:16 > 0:12:19At nights, at the moment, we only have five lines

0:12:19 > 0:12:28that are running.

0:12:28 > 0:12:31So the problem with that is, most persons, they aren't quite

0:12:31 > 0:12:34aware of what lines are running and how to get home.

0:12:34 > 0:12:38So again, this is where knowing the job, knowing the stations

0:12:38 > 0:12:40and knowing how to help persons.

0:12:40 > 0:12:43We have all the resources we need to make sure that we can

0:12:43 > 0:12:50get everyone home.

0:12:50 > 0:12:53So now that the last Bakerloo line has left,

0:12:53 > 0:12:57it's time for us to shut the gates so no one else can enter.

0:12:57 > 0:12:59They can always use the northbound or southbound Victoria line

0:12:59 > 0:13:11or the Central line if they need to get home but for tonight,

0:13:11 > 0:13:12there's no more Bakerloo line trains.

0:13:12 > 0:13:15Stay with us because still to come on this week's show.

0:13:15 > 0:13:19Coming up next, we eat out here in Hong Kong with one

0:13:19 > 0:13:32of Asia's top chefs.

0:13:33 > 0:13:35Chrysanthemum is not traditional for this dish but it really

0:13:35 > 0:13:39as a nice floralness and we got this inspiration from having snake soup

0:13:39 > 0:13:39in Hong Kong.

0:13:40 > 0:13:44And head to the far north of Canada to meet the local people who survive

0:13:44 > 0:13:50some of the harshest winters on earth.

0:13:51 > 0:13:53The Travel Show, your essential guide, whether you're heading.

0:13:58 > 0:14:01Up next, here's another in our series of films to mark

0:14:01 > 0:14:08Canada's 150th birthday this year.

0:14:08 > 0:14:12And this week, we're off to the far north of the country to meet some

0:14:12 > 0:14:14of the people who live in the town of Qikiqtarjuaq,

0:14:14 > 0:14:17inside the Arctic Circle.

0:17:26 > 0:17:30Well, to finish off this week we're heading back to Hong Kong,

0:17:30 > 0:17:33a melting pot of Cantonese and western cultures and an amazing

0:17:33 > 0:17:39place to visit if you love food.

0:17:39 > 0:17:42May Chow was voted Asia's best female chef earlier this year

0:17:42 > 0:17:45and she is building a reputation as the driving force behind

0:17:45 > 0:17:56a new generation of chefs who are specialising in what's

0:17:56 > 0:17:57being called neo-Cantonese cuisine.

0:17:57 > 0:18:01We were lucky enough to go behind the scenes at her Happy Paradise

0:18:01 > 0:18:03restaurant in Hong Kong to watch her cook one

0:18:03 > 0:18:09of the most popular dishes.

0:18:09 > 0:18:12Today we're going cook for you a three yellow wine chicken.

0:18:12 > 0:18:14So basically it's originally a Hong Kong dish but at

0:18:14 > 0:18:18Happy Paradise we do neo- Cantonese food so we're going to do

0:18:18 > 0:18:20it with more Cantonese techniques, having a bit more refined.

0:18:20 > 0:18:23What we have here is a local breed three yellow chicken.

0:18:23 > 0:18:25We've already slow cooked it.

0:18:25 > 0:18:27For the breast, we've cooked it at 58 degrees.

0:18:27 > 0:18:31For the thigh, we've cooked it at 83 degrees and for the feet,

0:18:31 > 0:18:33just a little garnish, because Chinese people don't notice

0:18:33 > 0:18:34the tail first.

0:18:34 > 0:18:37We're going to do a rice on top with seasonal mushrooms,

0:18:37 > 0:18:41a little bit of chrysanthemum butter just to lighten it a little bit,

0:18:41 > 0:18:43to make it more floral and it's going to be finished

0:18:43 > 0:18:45with a Shaoxing broth.

0:18:45 > 0:18:47We're going to put the chicken in.

0:18:47 > 0:18:49It's already fully cooked so what we're really doing

0:18:49 > 0:18:50is reheating it.

0:18:50 > 0:18:51We're going to start the broth.

0:18:51 > 0:18:53This broth is shiitake based.

0:18:53 > 0:18:56You can really smell a lot of shiitake mushrooms in there.

0:18:56 > 0:18:57We also have Shaoxing wine.

0:18:57 > 0:19:00Shaoxing wine is the most commonly used cooking wine for Chinese people

0:19:00 > 0:19:01but when you cook it with something like yellow wine chicken,

0:19:02 > 0:19:23we're quite aggressive with adding the Shaoxing wine.

0:19:23 > 0:19:25We're going to stir-fry the mushrooms.

0:19:25 > 0:19:44In Cantonese terms, it's actually called chicken mushrooms.

0:19:44 > 0:19:46So that's why we're adding it as well.

0:19:46 > 0:19:49We're trying to get a bit of colour.

0:19:49 > 0:19:51Then we're going to add, this is really nice,

0:19:51 > 0:20:00this is the chrysanthemum butter.

0:20:00 > 0:20:04That's going to add a really nice floralness to the fried rice.

0:20:04 > 0:20:18We're layering the flavours into the chicken.

0:20:18 > 0:20:20Just a little bit more of that Shaoxing wine.

0:20:20 > 0:20:22So that's where we'll put aside for garnish.

0:20:22 > 0:20:32Just going to chop the chicken.

0:20:32 > 0:20:34The chicken should be ready.

0:20:34 > 0:20:36So we're going to take the chicken out.

0:20:36 > 0:20:39Now we're just going to ladle the rice on top.

0:20:39 > 0:20:58Now we're going to garnish with a bit of chrysanthemum.

0:20:58 > 0:21:07It isn't traditional for this dish but it really adds

0:21:07 > 0:21:18a nice floralness.

0:21:18 > 0:21:24We got this inspiration from having snake soup in Hong Kong.

0:21:24 > 0:21:27The chrysanthemum also represents chicken feathers.

0:21:27 > 0:21:35And then, table-side, we garnish with the soup.

0:21:35 > 0:21:38So this is our version of yellow wine chicken.

0:21:38 > 0:21:55Refined Cantonese food with super comfort levels.

0:21:55 > 0:21:58Well, that's all we got time for in this edition

0:21:58 > 0:21:59of the programme.

0:21:59 > 0:22:01Coming up next week:

0:22:01 > 0:22:03As Pakistan prepares to mark 70 years of independence,

0:22:03 > 0:22:11we go to Karachi to get a taste of life in the city.

0:22:11 > 0:22:13There's just so much more to Karachi than we know.

0:22:13 > 0:22:16It has depth in terms of the people who live here,

0:22:16 > 0:22:18the cultures that exist, the lifestyles, the architecture,

0:22:18 > 0:22:28there's so much to see.

0:22:28 > 0:22:31Well, I hope you can join us for that if you can.

0:22:31 > 0:22:34Don't forget, if you want to join the rest of the travel team

0:22:34 > 0:22:37on their journeys, in real-time, you can sign up to us

0:22:37 > 0:22:39on our social media feeds.

0:22:39 > 0:22:41All the details should be on your screen now.

0:22:41 > 0:22:44But until next time, from me, Carmen Roberts and the rest

0:22:44 > 0:22:46of the Travel Show team here in Hong Kong, it's goodbye.