1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:35,786 --> 00:00:40,207 Today, the WHO declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. 4 00:00:40,290 --> 00:00:44,127 I'm issuing a "stay home, stay safe" executive order. 5 00:00:44,211 --> 00:00:46,672 …directing nearly all of our residents 6 00:00:46,755 --> 00:00:49,424 to quite simply stay at home. 7 00:00:49,508 --> 00:00:53,262 From this evening, I must give a very simple instruction. 8 00:00:53,345 --> 00:00:55,264 You must stay at home. 9 00:00:57,558 --> 00:01:03,146 March 2020. A deadly virus sweeps around the world. 10 00:01:05,065 --> 00:01:08,819 Overnight, our lives are put on pause. 11 00:01:14,533 --> 00:01:16,201 But as we stop… 12 00:01:17,536 --> 00:01:22,583 remarkable things start to change in the natural world. 13 00:01:25,919 --> 00:01:27,546 Clearer air. 14 00:01:29,923 --> 00:01:31,550 Cleaner waters. 15 00:01:33,135 --> 00:01:38,974 And animals starting to flourish in ways we hadn't seen for decades. 16 00:01:41,894 --> 00:01:46,607 Filming from the start of lockdown across five continents… 17 00:01:48,692 --> 00:01:52,154 we've recorded nature's extraordinary response. 18 00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:04,833 From ocean giants communicating in new ways with their young… 19 00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:13,675 And cheetahs transforming the chances of survival for their cubs… 20 00:02:14,343 --> 00:02:17,429 This is the best time for her to be a mother. 21 00:02:18,430 --> 00:02:24,019 To endangered penguins having a record-breaking breeding season. 22 00:02:26,939 --> 00:02:32,694 This is a unique opportunity to peer into the lives and worlds of wildlife 23 00:02:32,778 --> 00:02:37,199 and see what things look like without as much of our interaction. 24 00:02:37,950 --> 00:02:41,578 It's a global experiment of epic proportions. 25 00:02:43,163 --> 00:02:47,459 This is the year Earth changed. 26 00:03:05,894 --> 00:03:11,483 Just hours into lockdown, many of us notice the silence. 27 00:03:14,236 --> 00:03:19,199 With global traffic noise reduced by up to 70%, 28 00:03:19,283 --> 00:03:22,452 there is a new sound to be heard… 29 00:03:25,581 --> 00:03:26,999 birdsong. 30 00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:37,426 These white-crowned sparrows 31 00:03:37,509 --> 00:03:41,346 adapt to the quiet by doing something astonishing. 32 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,476 Living in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, 33 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,480 their song had been drowned out by cars. 34 00:03:52,482 --> 00:03:57,362 But now, with the traffic here at its lowest levels since the 1950s… 35 00:03:58,614 --> 00:04:04,244 researchers are amazed to hear new notes in the sparrows' mating call. 36 00:04:06,788 --> 00:04:11,877 And there's hope that the birds will have their best breeding season for years. 37 00:04:17,548 --> 00:04:20,552 And it's not just noise level that reduces. 38 00:04:22,304 --> 00:04:28,310 The speed at which air pollution drops around the globe is staggering. 39 00:04:30,229 --> 00:04:31,438 Within days, 40 00:04:31,522 --> 00:04:36,944 Los Angeles experiences its best air quality for 40 years. 41 00:04:39,112 --> 00:04:44,243 Across China, the levels of toxic gases in the atmosphere halve. 42 00:04:46,245 --> 00:04:52,125 And in India, which typically suffers from some of the worst pollution in the world… 43 00:04:53,585 --> 00:04:56,213 just 12 days after lockdown… 44 00:04:58,173 --> 00:05:01,510 …a breathtaking sight appears. 45 00:05:01,593 --> 00:05:04,471 We were sitting on the table having breakfast, 46 00:05:04,555 --> 00:05:06,598 and then my dad came, rushed in. 47 00:05:06,682 --> 00:05:10,060 He said, "Come upstairs. The mountains are visible." 48 00:05:10,143 --> 00:05:12,521 Amateur photographer Anshul 49 00:05:12,604 --> 00:05:15,858 goes to see what all the excitement was about. 50 00:05:16,817 --> 00:05:19,236 People were standing on the rooftops saying, 51 00:05:19,319 --> 00:05:21,822 "Wow. Wow. Mountains. Mountains." 52 00:05:21,905 --> 00:05:24,533 And I pause, and I saw. 53 00:05:27,327 --> 00:05:30,455 With the clear skies, for the first time in a lifetime, 54 00:05:30,539 --> 00:05:32,124 we can see the Himalayas. 55 00:05:33,041 --> 00:05:35,210 Over 200 kilometers away, 56 00:05:35,294 --> 00:05:38,046 the highest mountain range on Earth, 57 00:05:38,130 --> 00:05:41,842 hidden behind smog for 30 years, 58 00:05:41,925 --> 00:05:43,468 is suddenly visible. 59 00:05:44,469 --> 00:05:45,888 I couldn't believe my eyes. 60 00:05:45,971 --> 00:05:49,725 The Himalayas have been right there behind the pollution all along. 61 00:05:51,935 --> 00:05:56,523 Anshul's photograph of this moment went viral around the world. 62 00:05:57,608 --> 00:05:59,276 It's a vivid illustration 63 00:05:59,359 --> 00:06:04,865 that the moment we paused, the Earth was able to breathe again. 64 00:06:10,495 --> 00:06:13,832 Lockdown extends into weeks. 65 00:06:16,126 --> 00:06:20,172 And the travel bans limit our movement still further. 66 00:06:21,131 --> 00:06:24,468 Those holidays that you might have been planning to take, cancel them. 67 00:06:24,551 --> 00:06:27,346 Passenger numbers and passenger bookings are all down. 68 00:06:27,429 --> 00:06:29,556 Air travel has just fallen off a cliff. 69 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,726 It's down roughly 90% worldwide. 70 00:06:33,519 --> 00:06:35,187 April 2020, 71 00:06:35,270 --> 00:06:40,526 and there are 114 million fewer international tourists 72 00:06:40,609 --> 00:06:42,778 than in the same month the previous year. 73 00:06:44,571 --> 00:06:50,827 In Spain, visitor numbers drop from over seven million to zero. 74 00:06:54,248 --> 00:07:00,546 And in Florida, beaches normally packed with holidaymakers on spring break… 75 00:07:01,505 --> 00:07:03,131 are deserted. 76 00:07:06,385 --> 00:07:11,056 Could this be the opportunity for one endangered sea creature 77 00:07:11,139 --> 00:07:12,933 to boost its numbers? 78 00:07:21,066 --> 00:07:24,611 Female sea turtles return every two to three years 79 00:07:24,695 --> 00:07:27,739 to the shores where they themselves hatched 80 00:07:27,823 --> 00:07:29,658 in order to lay their eggs. 81 00:07:32,077 --> 00:07:36,498 Globally, turtle numbers have been in steep decline, 82 00:07:36,582 --> 00:07:41,128 partly because they have been reluctant to visit the ever-busier beaches. 83 00:07:46,091 --> 00:07:47,301 But this year… 84 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:49,970 is different. 85 00:07:53,140 --> 00:07:56,518 Our cameraman, working with local researchers, 86 00:07:56,602 --> 00:07:59,938 is lucky enough to film here on Juno Beach… 87 00:08:01,190 --> 00:08:05,819 one of the densest nesting sites for loggerhead turtles in the world. 88 00:08:10,866 --> 00:08:12,826 As the breeding season begins… 89 00:08:14,578 --> 00:08:18,081 the female is able to lay her eggs in peace 90 00:08:18,916 --> 00:08:21,752 for the first time in her life. 91 00:08:38,018 --> 00:08:40,020 And over the following weeks, 92 00:08:40,102 --> 00:08:42,397 hundreds more do the same. 93 00:08:47,694 --> 00:08:50,572 It's long been thought that human disturbance 94 00:08:50,656 --> 00:08:53,659 is a major problem for breeding turtles. 95 00:08:56,286 --> 00:09:00,374 But this is the first time that scientists can accurately measure 96 00:09:00,457 --> 00:09:02,459 the scale of the impact. 97 00:09:08,006 --> 00:09:11,260 Each morning, this team of researchers 98 00:09:11,343 --> 00:09:14,972 counted the number of turtle tracks that lead to a nest. 99 00:09:18,350 --> 00:09:20,185 Over the last ten years, 100 00:09:20,269 --> 00:09:23,438 the average nesting success rate for loggerheads 101 00:09:23,522 --> 00:09:26,650 had dropped to just 40%. 102 00:09:27,401 --> 00:09:31,864 Have they been any more successful with the beach to themselves? 103 00:09:32,614 --> 00:09:34,783 When the beaches were closed to humans, 104 00:09:34,867 --> 00:09:40,539 that number jumped all the way up to 61%, which is the highest we've ever seen. 105 00:09:41,707 --> 00:09:44,376 This is a dramatic improvement. 106 00:09:51,425 --> 00:09:56,138 Every extra nest means another hundred or so hatchlings, 107 00:09:56,221 --> 00:10:00,767 each with the potential to become breeding adults themselves. 108 00:10:03,145 --> 00:10:06,565 With these beach closures, these animals were able to do 109 00:10:06,648 --> 00:10:09,109 what they've been doing for millions of years 110 00:10:09,943 --> 00:10:13,614 more successfully than when we have a human presence. 111 00:10:42,226 --> 00:10:44,478 Six thousand kilometers away, 112 00:10:44,561 --> 00:10:46,355 on the west coast of America… 113 00:10:49,900 --> 00:10:54,780 a new quiet beneath the waves offers an opportunity 114 00:10:55,697 --> 00:10:57,824 for ocean giants. 115 00:11:03,247 --> 00:11:07,334 Every year, more than 10,000 humpback whales 116 00:11:07,417 --> 00:11:09,378 migrate from Hawaii… 117 00:11:10,796 --> 00:11:14,633 to these bays in Alaska in order to feed. 118 00:11:23,183 --> 00:11:25,769 Normally, they would have to share these waters 119 00:11:25,853 --> 00:11:29,690 with ships carrying a million visitors a year. 120 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,366 But now, with every cruise canceled… 121 00:11:40,284 --> 00:11:45,163 it's as much as 25 times quieter underwater. 122 00:11:46,832 --> 00:11:51,837 In this hush, scientists using underwater microphones 123 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,381 record a remarkable change. 124 00:11:55,132 --> 00:11:58,427 Humpbacks are talking to each other more often… 125 00:12:00,637 --> 00:12:02,806 and in new ways. 126 00:12:04,725 --> 00:12:07,436 Well, it was really exciting and actually very moving 127 00:12:07,519 --> 00:12:11,315 to hear these whales having this long vocal exchange. 128 00:12:11,982 --> 00:12:14,651 One vocalizing, and then a mother and calf. 129 00:12:14,735 --> 00:12:16,570 I mean, I'd never heard that before. 130 00:12:18,113 --> 00:12:21,074 You can imagine, if you were trying to communicate with your friends, 131 00:12:21,158 --> 00:12:22,492 and you're in a crowded bar. 132 00:12:22,576 --> 00:12:26,246 It's hard to do, you don't say as much, and when you do, you have to scream. 133 00:12:26,330 --> 00:12:28,999 But if you find yourself a nice, quiet coffee shop 134 00:12:29,082 --> 00:12:30,751 where there isn't much noise, 135 00:12:30,834 --> 00:12:34,880 you can carry on a much more elaborate and productive conversation. 136 00:12:38,842 --> 00:12:41,720 But there's something even more surprising. 137 00:12:45,182 --> 00:12:50,270 Now the whales can communicate across greater distances without interruption. 138 00:12:50,854 --> 00:12:55,067 And some mothers, like this one, leave their calves alone. 139 00:12:55,901 --> 00:12:58,403 An extremely rare sight. 140 00:13:01,823 --> 00:13:03,825 She can now head off to feed, 141 00:13:03,909 --> 00:13:09,164 safe in the knowledge that she can hear her calf if it needs her. 142 00:13:15,546 --> 00:13:18,841 A nursing mother needs to eat as much as possible… 143 00:13:20,092 --> 00:13:24,096 and the best way to do so is to hunt with other adults. 144 00:13:30,143 --> 00:13:32,271 The whales dive down… 145 00:13:34,439 --> 00:13:36,984 blowing a circular wall of bubbles… 146 00:13:39,152 --> 00:13:42,030 corralling the fish into shoals… 147 00:13:44,825 --> 00:13:47,786 before gorging on them in their thousands. 148 00:13:53,333 --> 00:13:56,545 It's one of nature's greatest spectacles. 149 00:14:10,017 --> 00:14:12,186 Reassured by the quiet, 150 00:14:12,269 --> 00:14:17,024 humpback mothers are able to team up in this way more often. 151 00:14:18,025 --> 00:14:20,402 This year, they've got the place to themselves. 152 00:14:20,485 --> 00:14:24,114 They're doing anything they want, wherever they want, whenever they want. 153 00:14:24,781 --> 00:14:26,283 In previous years, 154 00:14:26,366 --> 00:14:30,370 as few as 7% of calves made it to adulthood. 155 00:14:31,538 --> 00:14:35,709 But this season, there's every chance many more will survive. 156 00:14:37,836 --> 00:14:42,299 Hopefully, after a few tough years where whales were not doing so well, 157 00:14:42,382 --> 00:14:45,761 this pandemic has given them a break at a time that they needed it most. 158 00:14:49,348 --> 00:14:54,561 This change in underwater noise levels went far beyond Alaska. 159 00:14:57,064 --> 00:15:02,903 Global shipping traffic drops by 17% in the first three months of lockdown, 160 00:15:03,695 --> 00:15:07,574 improving the lives of animals across the oceans. 161 00:15:11,453 --> 00:15:13,539 Dolphins off New Zealand 162 00:15:13,622 --> 00:15:16,250 triple the range of their communication. 163 00:15:20,879 --> 00:15:26,552 And researchers in Vancouver record a fourfold reduction in ship noise 164 00:15:27,219 --> 00:15:30,264 that allows killer whales to use their sonar 165 00:15:30,347 --> 00:15:33,016 more effectively in hunting their prey. 166 00:15:48,407 --> 00:15:51,535 It's three months into the pandemic. 167 00:15:52,369 --> 00:15:57,332 In the United States, nearly half the labor force is working from home. 168 00:15:57,416 --> 00:16:01,044 And globally, a quarter of businesses are shut. 169 00:16:03,005 --> 00:16:06,925 Bars, restaurants and cafés remain closed. 170 00:16:07,885 --> 00:16:12,514 When all is said and done, the retail business is shut down. 171 00:16:13,599 --> 00:16:17,311 Right now it feels abandoned. Like there's no one around. 172 00:16:18,395 --> 00:16:20,731 Across the world's major cities, 173 00:16:20,814 --> 00:16:24,985 footfall is reduced by more than 90%. 174 00:16:27,196 --> 00:16:29,531 With urban centers almost deserted… 175 00:16:29,615 --> 00:16:31,450 remarkable pictures emerge 176 00:16:31,533 --> 00:16:35,370 of animals taking advantage of city living. 177 00:16:39,124 --> 00:16:42,169 A hippo on a trip to the gas station. 178 00:16:47,508 --> 00:16:50,219 Jackals enjoying the local park. 179 00:16:55,140 --> 00:16:58,101 Even a puma prowling the sidewalk. 180 00:17:06,068 --> 00:17:10,196 But one animal adapts to these abandoned urban spaces 181 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:12,657 with particular ingenuity. 182 00:17:25,253 --> 00:17:29,591 The city of Nara has been home to a group of sika deer 183 00:17:29,675 --> 00:17:32,845 for at least 1,300 years. 184 00:17:36,223 --> 00:17:39,059 Most of the meadows they relied on for food 185 00:17:39,142 --> 00:17:41,812 had been taken over by buildings. 186 00:17:41,895 --> 00:17:45,440 But these normally shy animals had found a solution. 187 00:17:48,735 --> 00:17:55,367 The deer turned to the 13 million annual visitors to Nara's temples… 188 00:17:56,952 --> 00:17:59,955 and discovered that showing a bit of respect… 189 00:18:02,082 --> 00:18:03,917 would bring tasty rewards. 190 00:18:08,463 --> 00:18:13,010 Rice bran crackers had become a vital part of their diet. 191 00:18:22,978 --> 00:18:25,522 But the pandemic changed that. 192 00:18:32,154 --> 00:18:35,699 Their favorite takeout disappeared overnight. 193 00:18:40,996 --> 00:18:44,208 No people means no crackers. 194 00:18:53,133 --> 00:18:56,678 There's concern that the deer might starve. 195 00:18:56,762 --> 00:19:00,974 But some of the older generation appear to have a plan. 196 00:19:06,104 --> 00:19:10,025 They lead a group out of the temple grounds. 197 00:19:10,526 --> 00:19:12,945 And they seem to know exactly where they're going. 198 00:19:21,161 --> 00:19:23,789 They're heading down a major road… 199 00:19:26,124 --> 00:19:29,336 deep into the concrete jungle of the city. 200 00:19:40,889 --> 00:19:44,643 But where will they find food in this urban sprawl? 201 00:19:52,734 --> 00:19:55,153 After a two-and-a-half kilometer trek… 202 00:19:56,989 --> 00:19:58,991 the group comes to a halt. 203 00:20:04,454 --> 00:20:09,459 This unassuming patch was once part of their grazing grounds. 204 00:20:10,586 --> 00:20:12,713 Remarkably, the older deer 205 00:20:12,796 --> 00:20:16,592 seem to have remembered it as the place where they used to feed. 206 00:20:23,807 --> 00:20:26,268 And it provides everything they need: 207 00:20:26,852 --> 00:20:30,439 fresh grass, leaves and herbs. 208 00:20:35,152 --> 00:20:36,570 Over the following weeks, 209 00:20:36,653 --> 00:20:41,992 they graze across a patchwork of these surviving scraps of land. 210 00:20:44,286 --> 00:20:48,207 And there was another upside to the absence of people. 211 00:20:50,250 --> 00:20:55,589 Scientists have discovered that not only did this new diet make them healthier… 212 00:20:57,674 --> 00:21:01,678 but fewer visitors meant less plastic trash, 213 00:21:02,346 --> 00:21:04,056 which can kill deer. 214 00:21:09,728 --> 00:21:13,273 Even when it seems that animals benefit from our presence… 215 00:21:16,109 --> 00:21:19,738 in many cases, they're actually better off without us. 216 00:21:30,958 --> 00:21:35,128 Four months into lockdown, and wherever we step back, 217 00:21:35,212 --> 00:21:39,633 the space we leave is providing wildlife with new opportunities. 218 00:21:46,765 --> 00:21:48,225 In Argentina… 219 00:21:49,268 --> 00:21:51,562 normally shy capybara 220 00:21:51,645 --> 00:21:55,524 raid the manicured gardens of this well-heeled suburb… 221 00:21:57,317 --> 00:22:00,821 which has been built on their former wetland home. 222 00:22:04,032 --> 00:22:08,829 Nothing seems to stop them enjoying what was originally theirs. 223 00:22:27,472 --> 00:22:28,682 Well… 224 00:22:30,392 --> 00:22:31,727 almost nothing. 225 00:22:39,234 --> 00:22:44,781 The longer our absence continues, the more daring animals become. 226 00:22:46,366 --> 00:22:49,995 And when the safari season in Africa is canceled… 227 00:22:51,163 --> 00:22:55,417 …one deadly hunter rewrites the rule book. 228 00:22:58,086 --> 00:23:01,006 This luxury lodge stands empty. 229 00:23:02,841 --> 00:23:07,554 But it doesn't take long before new guests begin to check in. 230 00:23:14,811 --> 00:23:18,065 Vervet monkeys reserve a spot by the pool. 231 00:23:24,112 --> 00:23:26,615 While impala and nyala antelope 232 00:23:27,407 --> 00:23:29,993 take advantage of the salad bar. 233 00:23:34,039 --> 00:23:36,124 But not far behind… 234 00:23:38,168 --> 00:23:42,589 a fully grown male leopard. 235 00:23:49,763 --> 00:23:54,685 The appearance during the day of this usually nocturnal hunter 236 00:23:54,768 --> 00:23:57,062 is a real surprise. 237 00:23:57,145 --> 00:23:59,898 Not least for our film crew. 238 00:24:01,191 --> 00:24:02,943 Just stand still, guys. 239 00:24:41,273 --> 00:24:46,195 I've had some intimidating moments in my life, but that is at the top of it. 240 00:24:50,699 --> 00:24:52,117 Across Africa, 241 00:24:52,201 --> 00:24:56,538 leopards have lost over 60% of their territory to people, 242 00:24:57,122 --> 00:24:59,875 making hunting ever more challenging. 243 00:25:02,503 --> 00:25:05,088 But here, with no guests around, 244 00:25:05,672 --> 00:25:08,425 this leopard sees an opportunity 245 00:25:09,134 --> 00:25:13,180 and makes a remarkable switch in his behavior. 246 00:25:17,059 --> 00:25:19,895 He starts hunting during the day. 247 00:25:29,821 --> 00:25:32,157 It may take a few attempts… 248 00:25:35,244 --> 00:25:36,912 but it's not long… 249 00:25:38,455 --> 00:25:40,457 before his new strategy… 250 00:25:41,041 --> 00:25:42,251 pays off. 251 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:51,593 Leopard numbers in Africa 252 00:25:51,677 --> 00:25:55,597 have dropped by over 30% in the last 25 years. 253 00:25:56,557 --> 00:26:02,271 But by taking full advantage of this new all-you-can-eat lockdown buffet, 254 00:26:02,354 --> 00:26:04,356 this leopard is thriving. 255 00:26:05,023 --> 00:26:08,694 This pretty much has become his lodge. His private kingdom. 256 00:26:24,835 --> 00:26:27,921 It's six months since the pandemic began. 257 00:26:30,048 --> 00:26:35,262 By September, over 40 countries still have restrictions in place… 258 00:26:37,222 --> 00:26:41,393 limiting the activities of over 3 billion people. 259 00:26:42,311 --> 00:26:43,645 Large gatherings, 260 00:26:43,729 --> 00:26:49,484 including live sporting events, concerts and festivals, 261 00:26:49,568 --> 00:26:54,573 will not be able to return until we have a reliable treatment like a vaccine. 262 00:26:56,408 --> 00:26:59,161 Whilst we adjust to our new normal, 263 00:26:59,995 --> 00:27:03,207 nature's rejuvenation continues. 264 00:27:06,251 --> 00:27:08,462 In India, the river Ganges 265 00:27:08,545 --> 00:27:12,674 shows an 80% increase in its oxygen levels. 266 00:27:16,220 --> 00:27:18,430 And on Africa's Atlantic coast, 267 00:27:19,348 --> 00:27:25,270 the water cleanliness rating leaps from poor to excellent. 268 00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:34,363 And our lighter tread has now been continuing for long enough 269 00:27:34,446 --> 00:27:37,366 for a whole new generation of animals to benefit. 270 00:27:39,409 --> 00:27:42,579 Here on the South African coast, 271 00:27:42,663 --> 00:27:47,000 some proud new parents are on their morning commute. 272 00:27:53,549 --> 00:27:56,385 African jackass penguins. 273 00:28:05,561 --> 00:28:09,022 They have set up home right alongside us. 274 00:28:26,540 --> 00:28:28,500 During the breeding season, 275 00:28:28,584 --> 00:28:32,421 every morning they head out to sea to go fishing. 276 00:28:39,970 --> 00:28:42,389 Their chicks are very demanding. 277 00:28:43,765 --> 00:28:48,687 They need to eat around 15% of their body weight every day. 278 00:28:51,523 --> 00:28:55,319 Luckily, jackass penguins are highly effective hunters… 279 00:28:56,153 --> 00:28:58,572 able to dive to depths of 80 meters 280 00:28:59,406 --> 00:29:03,076 to feast on shoals of fish and crustaceans. 281 00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:13,378 But delivering the catch to their hungry chicks is a problem. 282 00:29:18,675 --> 00:29:22,513 In previous years, these beaches were packed with people. 283 00:29:23,639 --> 00:29:26,517 And by the time the penguins were ready to return from fishing… 284 00:29:27,226 --> 00:29:29,478 they would find their path blocked. 285 00:29:30,812 --> 00:29:34,399 So many of them waited offshore until sunset… 286 00:29:36,527 --> 00:29:38,487 when the crowds headed home. 287 00:29:47,788 --> 00:29:51,834 But this year, the beach is deserted. 288 00:29:59,758 --> 00:30:02,427 The penguins abandon their old routine 289 00:30:02,511 --> 00:30:06,390 and now head home after just a few hours at sea 290 00:30:07,349 --> 00:30:10,143 with a bellyful of fish for their chicks. 291 00:30:16,900 --> 00:30:22,531 And with plenty of daylight still in hand, they can go out to sea once more. 292 00:30:28,453 --> 00:30:33,584 These chicks are now being fed twice or even three times a day. 293 00:30:36,420 --> 00:30:39,339 They're not only healthier and growing more rapidly, 294 00:30:39,423 --> 00:30:44,970 but more families like this one are successfully rearing twins. 295 00:30:46,930 --> 00:30:49,099 And there's more good news. 296 00:30:49,183 --> 00:30:50,684 Over the next few weeks, 297 00:30:50,767 --> 00:30:56,148 some parents go on to successfully raise a second clutch of chicks, 298 00:30:56,690 --> 00:31:00,194 the first time this has been seen here in over a decade. 299 00:31:03,572 --> 00:31:06,909 For years, we've assumed that penguins and people here 300 00:31:06,992 --> 00:31:08,911 were getting along just fine. 301 00:31:12,706 --> 00:31:17,169 But in reality, we were making their life difficult. 302 00:31:21,548 --> 00:31:24,426 And given that penguin numbers in South Africa 303 00:31:24,510 --> 00:31:28,597 have dropped by almost 70% over the last 30 years… 304 00:31:30,599 --> 00:31:33,018 they need all the help we can give them. 305 00:31:42,069 --> 00:31:46,406 It's not just the young of city-dwelling animals that are thriving. 306 00:31:48,075 --> 00:31:51,495 By now, the effects of this year's restrictions 307 00:31:51,578 --> 00:31:55,123 are even being felt in the world's wildest places. 308 00:31:57,209 --> 00:32:01,296 Transforming one big cat's ability to protect its young. 309 00:32:04,758 --> 00:32:05,759 Cheetah. 310 00:32:11,014 --> 00:32:13,851 The fastest sprinter on Earth. 311 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:31,660 But they have a weakness. 312 00:32:31,743 --> 00:32:36,999 Their slight build means they lack the strength of rival predators… 313 00:32:38,959 --> 00:32:41,420 like lions and hyenas. 314 00:32:46,133 --> 00:32:48,635 They will happily steal a cheetah's meal 315 00:32:49,386 --> 00:32:51,722 and won't hesitate to kill a cub. 316 00:33:02,733 --> 00:33:05,444 Cheetahs try to keep a low profile. 317 00:33:08,155 --> 00:33:10,157 But with two cubs to feed, 318 00:33:10,949 --> 00:33:14,995 this mother needs to make a kill every two or three days. 319 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:33,013 While she hunts, 320 00:33:33,096 --> 00:33:37,059 her six-month-old cubs stay hidden in the long grass. 321 00:33:40,145 --> 00:33:45,859 But as soon as she's made her kill, she faces a dilemma. 322 00:33:50,781 --> 00:33:53,158 She is hundreds of meters away from them, 323 00:33:53,617 --> 00:33:56,328 with a carcass too large to drag back. 324 00:33:58,247 --> 00:34:02,459 And if she leaves it, she will risk it being stolen by scavengers. 325 00:34:05,963 --> 00:34:09,466 Her solution is to use a soft chirruping call… 326 00:34:10,634 --> 00:34:12,386 to tell her cubs to join her. 327 00:34:15,179 --> 00:34:16,389 She must be careful. 328 00:34:17,099 --> 00:34:19,476 If she calls too loudly or too often, 329 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,146 she will alert her enemies to her defenseless cubs. 330 00:34:26,483 --> 00:34:28,569 And it's at this very moment 331 00:34:28,652 --> 00:34:32,114 that cheetah here have found it hardest to be heard. 332 00:34:36,284 --> 00:34:38,704 In the years before lockdown, 333 00:34:38,786 --> 00:34:42,666 seeing a cheetah hunt was the top of the wish list 334 00:34:42,748 --> 00:34:44,751 for the Maasai Mara's tourists. 335 00:34:45,585 --> 00:34:49,965 But the crowds that surrounded the mother after her kill posed a problem. 336 00:34:51,842 --> 00:34:55,387 There's a lot of commotion. Vehicles driving up and down. 337 00:34:55,971 --> 00:34:59,349 Guides talking on radio, people talking to each other. 338 00:35:00,893 --> 00:35:02,936 The hubbub drowned the calls 339 00:35:03,020 --> 00:35:05,397 of mother cheetahs calling to their cubs. 340 00:35:06,064 --> 00:35:07,816 All that noise 341 00:35:07,900 --> 00:35:12,321 masks the natural cues that cheetahs rely on to survive. 342 00:35:15,699 --> 00:35:20,662 Forced to keep on calling, they risked attracting rivals. 343 00:35:30,589 --> 00:35:32,174 But this year… 344 00:35:32,257 --> 00:35:36,220 this mother is experiencing almost no human disruption. 345 00:35:41,517 --> 00:35:45,020 After just a few calls across the empty savanna… 346 00:35:49,066 --> 00:35:50,943 her cubs hear her… 347 00:35:57,282 --> 00:35:59,201 and join their mother. 348 00:36:03,664 --> 00:36:06,333 We find that mothers make fewer calls. 349 00:36:06,416 --> 00:36:09,753 One or two times, and cubs respond immediately. 350 00:36:12,214 --> 00:36:13,924 Without people around, 351 00:36:14,007 --> 00:36:17,386 researchers are already seeing cheetah cubs doing better. 352 00:36:19,847 --> 00:36:23,725 In pre-COVID times, you'll find one out of three cubs will survive. 353 00:36:23,809 --> 00:36:25,811 But currently we are coming across 354 00:36:25,894 --> 00:36:28,021 more cubs that are more than three months old, 355 00:36:28,105 --> 00:36:29,815 which makes us optimistic 356 00:36:29,898 --> 00:36:33,026 that this time around we are going to have more cubs surviving, 357 00:36:33,110 --> 00:36:34,778 which means more cheetahs. 358 00:36:37,739 --> 00:36:41,952 With only around 7,000 adult cheetahs left in Africa… 359 00:36:43,954 --> 00:36:45,831 every cub is precious. 360 00:37:05,309 --> 00:37:08,395 While the year continues to be challenging for us… 361 00:37:09,229 --> 00:37:11,565 …more and more endangered animals 362 00:37:11,648 --> 00:37:15,485 are enjoying a boost to their chances of survival. 363 00:37:20,532 --> 00:37:23,535 With less disturbance during 2020, 364 00:37:23,619 --> 00:37:24,912 mountain gorillas here 365 00:37:24,995 --> 00:37:28,665 gave birth to twice the usual number of babies. 366 00:37:34,588 --> 00:37:36,548 On England's south coast, 367 00:37:36,632 --> 00:37:42,679 rare spiny seahorses appear in numbers not seen for at least ten years 368 00:37:43,180 --> 00:37:48,602 as their seagrass home recovers from damage caused by visiting boats. 369 00:37:54,274 --> 00:37:58,695 And in Kenya, no rhinos were killed for their horns 370 00:37:59,363 --> 00:38:02,699 for the first time since 1999. 371 00:38:11,416 --> 00:38:14,086 It's a whole year since the start of lockdown. 372 00:38:15,420 --> 00:38:20,217 A year in which many of us have found comfort in the natural world. 373 00:38:20,926 --> 00:38:25,848 A year in which that world has changed in extraordinary ways. 374 00:38:29,059 --> 00:38:32,187 Annual global emissions of carbon dioxide 375 00:38:32,271 --> 00:38:35,023 have fallen by over 6%, 376 00:38:35,107 --> 00:38:37,568 the largest drop ever measured. 377 00:38:39,486 --> 00:38:43,824 And there have been striking changes beneath the Earth's surface too. 378 00:38:44,825 --> 00:38:48,620 With the vibrations from travel and industry halved, 379 00:38:48,704 --> 00:38:53,458 it's been the quietest period underground in recorded history. 380 00:38:57,796 --> 00:39:00,716 But the impact of this lockdown won't last forever. 381 00:39:02,217 --> 00:39:05,637 What inspiration can we take from this moment 382 00:39:05,721 --> 00:39:09,474 to find ways to better coexist with nature? 383 00:39:14,396 --> 00:39:17,900 In India, some are already seizing the chance 384 00:39:17,983 --> 00:39:19,693 to live more harmoniously 385 00:39:19,776 --> 00:39:24,156 alongside some very powerful yet endangered animals. 386 00:39:33,582 --> 00:39:35,626 A fully grown Asian elephant 387 00:39:35,709 --> 00:39:40,380 needs to eat 150 kilos of food every day. 388 00:39:41,590 --> 00:39:45,010 But with only 5% of their natural habitat remaining, 389 00:39:45,594 --> 00:39:48,972 and with much of their forest home replaced by farmland, 390 00:39:49,056 --> 00:39:53,685 elephants here often raid crops to survive. 391 00:40:05,989 --> 00:40:10,035 In response, the farmers try to defend their fields. 392 00:40:11,453 --> 00:40:17,376 But they still regularly lose over half of the rice harvest on which they depend. 393 00:40:30,138 --> 00:40:32,057 We would spend the entire night 394 00:40:32,140 --> 00:40:33,892 chasing them away into the forest. 395 00:40:33,976 --> 00:40:35,394 But they'd come back 396 00:40:35,477 --> 00:40:39,022 and we'd have to do it all over again. 397 00:40:53,745 --> 00:40:57,040 And it's not just farms that are at risk. 398 00:41:00,043 --> 00:41:03,630 Elephants also search for food in villages 399 00:41:03,714 --> 00:41:06,341 and have ended up trampling people. 400 00:41:11,054 --> 00:41:12,055 Across the country, 401 00:41:12,139 --> 00:41:15,809 around 400 humans and a hundred elephants 402 00:41:15,893 --> 00:41:18,896 are killed in these conflicts every year. 403 00:41:25,819 --> 00:41:28,864 But one community is trying a new approach 404 00:41:28,947 --> 00:41:30,657 to solving the problem. 405 00:41:31,241 --> 00:41:34,411 City workers who've returned home because of lockdown 406 00:41:34,995 --> 00:41:37,289 can provide the extra hands needed 407 00:41:37,372 --> 00:41:41,627 for a project spearheaded by a local conservation trust. 408 00:41:43,253 --> 00:41:46,215 We got a great opportunity during lockdown 409 00:41:46,298 --> 00:41:50,010 to do plantation for wild elephants. 410 00:41:51,803 --> 00:41:54,890 Along the forest edge, they plant a buffer zone 411 00:41:54,973 --> 00:42:00,020 of fast-growing wild rice and grasses for the elephants to eat. 412 00:42:02,814 --> 00:42:09,071 The entire community of more than 500 people came to help. 413 00:42:09,279 --> 00:42:11,031 Over just a few months, 414 00:42:11,114 --> 00:42:17,329 they transform almost 400 acres, 1.6 square kilometers, of their land. 415 00:42:19,373 --> 00:42:22,459 And now, instead of driving the elephants away 416 00:42:22,543 --> 00:42:25,379 they're holding a ceremony to welcome them. 417 00:42:34,346 --> 00:42:36,598 The crops are ready for harvest. 418 00:42:38,225 --> 00:42:41,854 But will the elephants eat the grasses that have been planted for them… 419 00:42:43,897 --> 00:42:46,650 or will they raid the farmers' fields? 420 00:42:51,530 --> 00:42:53,532 As the people return home… 421 00:42:54,950 --> 00:42:58,537 something stirs at the edge of the forest. 422 00:43:06,712 --> 00:43:11,925 One by one, the elephants emerge from the cover of the trees. 423 00:43:14,928 --> 00:43:16,263 Mothers. 424 00:43:17,764 --> 00:43:19,266 Calves. 425 00:43:19,349 --> 00:43:24,354 A whole extended family of 26 hungry elephants. 426 00:43:26,690 --> 00:43:28,358 But how far will they come? 427 00:43:33,739 --> 00:43:36,575 Staying close to the edge of the forest… 428 00:43:38,076 --> 00:43:42,915 they choose to feast only on the crops planted for them. 429 00:43:46,126 --> 00:43:48,795 Before, we used to chase them away. 430 00:43:48,879 --> 00:43:50,881 But now, things have changed. 431 00:43:50,964 --> 00:43:54,259 It feels good… makes us happy. 432 00:43:59,181 --> 00:44:01,767 As the harvest season progresses, 433 00:44:01,850 --> 00:44:06,438 the elephants never stray onto the farmers' fields 434 00:44:07,064 --> 00:44:08,982 nor do they enter the village. 435 00:44:12,486 --> 00:44:14,613 If we love elephants 436 00:44:14,696 --> 00:44:17,574 then elephants love us too. 437 00:44:21,203 --> 00:44:22,955 A buffer zone of plants 438 00:44:23,038 --> 00:44:25,165 is providing a long-term solution 439 00:44:25,249 --> 00:44:27,459 to an age-old conflict. 440 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:32,005 And it's one which neighboring villages 441 00:44:32,089 --> 00:44:36,844 are already talking with the local conservation trust about adopting. 442 00:44:50,274 --> 00:44:53,026 Looking back over the past year, 443 00:44:53,110 --> 00:44:56,530 one that has been so difficult for many of us, 444 00:44:56,613 --> 00:45:01,201 what can we learn to secure the future of the natural world 445 00:45:01,285 --> 00:45:02,911 and our own? 446 00:45:05,622 --> 00:45:09,001 We have to think of how we shall coexist. 447 00:45:10,085 --> 00:45:14,214 Awaken us to the fact that we can share our spaces with wildlife. 448 00:45:14,882 --> 00:45:16,508 Not taking it for granted 449 00:45:16,592 --> 00:45:19,344 that we're going to do the same things when we go back. 450 00:45:21,263 --> 00:45:25,184 The astonishing speed and variety of nature's response 451 00:45:25,267 --> 00:45:29,021 has shown that even modest changes to our lives 452 00:45:29,104 --> 00:45:33,650 can make a vital difference to wildlife around the world. 453 00:45:37,487 --> 00:45:41,158 There could be some small shutdowns every single summer. 454 00:45:41,241 --> 00:45:44,077 Nightly beach closures. It doesn't have to be during the day. 455 00:45:44,161 --> 00:45:47,039 Very small alterations that people can do 456 00:45:47,122 --> 00:45:50,417 to make sure that humans and wildlife are both successful together. 457 00:45:51,627 --> 00:45:54,546 We know that if we ask vessels to go slower, 458 00:45:54,630 --> 00:45:58,342 and we maybe group vessel traffic, they can actually have a smaller footprint 459 00:45:58,425 --> 00:46:01,428 and protect the underwater soundscape and the whales. 460 00:46:02,304 --> 00:46:05,057 We are making recommendations to the park authorities 461 00:46:05,140 --> 00:46:10,437 that are aimed at promoting good conduct among tourists and tour guides 462 00:46:10,521 --> 00:46:12,981 that will ensure the survival of these animals. 463 00:46:14,066 --> 00:46:18,403 This extraordinary year, the year Earth changed, 464 00:46:18,987 --> 00:46:22,741 has not only shown us that we can help wildlife to flourish, 465 00:46:23,534 --> 00:46:25,661 but if we choose to do so, 466 00:46:26,245 --> 00:46:30,165 we can also transform the health of the planet for all. 467 00:46:31,375 --> 00:46:33,544 I know it's high time now 468 00:46:33,627 --> 00:46:37,965 that we should contribute in every small way we can to reduce the pollution. 469 00:46:38,715 --> 00:46:42,302 And far from being separate from the natural world… 470 00:46:44,096 --> 00:46:48,725 we've discovered that our lives are interconnected 471 00:46:48,809 --> 00:46:51,311 in deep and surprising ways. 472 00:46:53,355 --> 00:46:55,816 If we are to thrive in the future, 473 00:46:55,899 --> 00:46:58,902 now is the crucial moment 474 00:46:59,736 --> 00:47:02,573 to find ways to share our planet… 475 00:47:04,491 --> 00:47:06,869 with all the life on Earth.