Asia’s untold stories - Price Prediction

As a wildlife filmmaker who has traversed the continents and witnessed the wonders of nature, I find myself in awe of the incredible stories that unfold before my eyes. Each encounter is unique, each species presents its own challenges, and each moment spent with these magnificent creatures is a privilege that leaves an indelible mark on my soul.

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David Attenborough emphasizes that among all the extraordinary places globally, Asia stands out as the continent with the most abundant riches. Covering nearly a third of the world’s landmass, it encompasses vast forests in the south and an expansive frozen wilderness in the north. The center is characterized by deserts, and at its core lies the world’s tallest mountains. Bordering this continent are the richest seas on earth, and it is also home to the most populated region on the planet. Animals here live in fascinating harmony with humans. Although much of Attenborough’s recording was done at home, he was filmed at the Natural History Museum for his introduction, a fitting location given its dedication to natural history. Wright, the series producer, explains that while Attenborough has been passionate about Asia since his Zoo Quest expeditions in the 1950s, he records his commentary at home. Despite this, a pronunciation guide is always prepared for narrators, but Attenborough, who has visited most of the places and animals covered, doesn’t require it because he can accurately pronounce all the words without guidance. Attenborough concludes by saying that if you think you’ve seen the best nature has to offer, you haven’t seen anything yet; Asia holds countless untold stories.

Series producer Matthew Wright selects his seven favourite moments from Asia.

1. Beneath the waves

Moorish idols, Philippines

Each New Year, captivating Moorish idols – small fish sporting yellow and black stripes and peculiar, pursed lips – gather in groups on reefs around the Philippines. After a while, these schools venture into the vast ocean depths to reproduce. It’s no secret that grey reef sharks have learned this pattern; they too assemble at the same time, eager to capitalize on the Moorish idols’ departure from the reef. Our team followed this thrilling chase for two hours and captured stunning footage of this breathtaking event. By the end, only a few Moorish Idols remained, but the sated sharks called it quits.

2. Above the clouds

Markhor goats, Pakistan

The markhor goat lives in the Hindu Kush mountains. That might not sound sexy, but this is a monster goat, the world’s biggest. A markhor can weigh more than 100kg and be over a metre tall at the shoulder. We were in the north near the Afghanistan border. It’s a difficult place to film in and we worked with a fantastic Pakistani team embedded in the mountains using long lenses and drones. There are vertiginous scree slopes, which is where we caught these big male goats, who are armed with preposterously large spiral horns, smacking into each other to try and win females to mate with.

3. The frozen north

Long-tailed tits, Japan

This episode showcases many large creatures such as polar bears, brown bears, and wolves, but my favorite scene might just be the most enchanting one across the entire series. The tiny long-tailed tits, lighter than a pound coin, were filmed in Japan’s Hokkaido island during February and March when there was approximately three meters of snow on the ground. Food resources were limited due to the harsh winter conditions. However, when maple trees release their sweet sap during favorable weather, it creates sugary icicles that long-tailed tits enjoy by licking them much like children savoring lollipops. We utilized high-speed cameras to capture these moments vividly.

4. Tangled worlds

Tigers, Nepal

In Nepal’s Bardiya National Park, nestled beneath the majestic Himalayas, we employed the latest generation of silent, compact drone cameras equipped with powerful zoom lenses. This enabled us to film tigers in their natural habitat without disturbing them. As a result, we were able to capture footage of tiger siblings playing and interacting, as well as more intimate moments such as hunting and mating. Although it may sound intrusive, witnessing these behaviors is truly remarkable. From the ground, watching a tiger hunt can be terrifying due to its stealthy nature, but from above, we could discern their cunning strategies – seeing what their prey could not. We even managed to spot a deer with its fawn passing by, oblivious to the massive tiger lurking nearby!

5. Crowded continent

Elephants, Sri Lanka

We accompanied Asian elephants as they navigated a bustling road often used by pilgrims en route to temples. Along the journey, these elephants employ various strategies to obtain food from passengers in buses. Some attempt to charge vehicles, but their efforts are largely unsuccessful since buses maneuver around them. However, there are some exceptionally intelligent elephants who have mastered the art of highway robbery. They simply stand calmly in the middle of the road, causing buses to stop. They refuse to move until they receive food. Filming this was tricky because we couldn’t intervene in any way; we merely had to wait (and make multiple trips on buses) for the event to occur naturally. I believe it was a remarkable achievement for our film crew, as they rode around 40 buses to capture the right angle for the encounter and offered a lot of bananas and sugarcane to each elephant, who seemed insatiable.

6. The arid heart

Gobi bears, Mongolia

The Gobi bear is a remarkable large brown bear that lives in the Gobi Desert — half a million square miles where there’s not a great deal of vegetation or water. The bear is very good at finding buried food such as roots and tubers. They also carry mental maps and can use them to move between oases. But we know from DNA studies of hair they have shed that there are fewer than 40 individual bears left. This is by far the world’s rarest bear. So how to capture it on film? We worked with Mongolian bear scientists who advised where to leave our small cameras. It took 18 months, and we got a sequence of bears walking in the desert and coming to an oasis. It’s very precious footage and very moving because of the rarity of what you are watching.

7. Saving Asia

Javan green magpie

The series concludes with a documentary showcasing exceptional Asian individuals making efforts in diverse manners to better wildlife conservation. Among the stories, I find the most captivating one about Mr Panji, a resident of central Java, who is known for his passion for songbirds. In his area, there’s a longstanding tradition of collecting these birds and holding competitions. The Javan green magpie, a vibrant bright-green bird with an orangey-red beak, is the bird Mr Panji cherishes deeply. Unfortunately, this species is critically endangered, with fewer than 250 individuals surviving in the wild. Driven by his commitment, Mr Panji aims to influence the minds and hearts of fellow Javans by educating them on the importance of not capturing birds from nature. He understands that change takes time, but we see a village once infamous for poaching transformed into a hub for birdwatching.

2024-10-31 16:04