The monsoon
the greatest weather system on Earth.
The giver of life
and the destroyer.
Shaping magical lands
from the Himalayas
to Australia.
Its impact felt by giants
the exquisite
and the bizarre.
Where spectacular nature meets the planet's most vibrant cultures.
The rains brought a time of plenty.
A time of new life.
But this is the story of the other side of the monsoon.
Of what happens when the rains are gone.
When animals and people must prove their resilience
and confront the challenges of the dry season.
Australia's Red Centre, a land of near permanent drought.
But once in while, in exceptional years, Monsoon rains penetrate even this far south.
Back in the summer, the monsoon drove the rain deep into the desert.
Now, in the dry season, a legacy of grass and seeds remains.
A feast for budgerigars.
Thousands of budgerigars.
Now their problem is not food but finding water.
They scan the parched land for an oasis.
A ranch's wind pump draws up water from deep below ground.
It's a magnet for everyone.
Eighty thousand budgies on the wing.
And, shadowing them constantly, predators.
Black falcons.
Brown falcons
Australian hobbies.
A confusing swirl of yellow and green.
For the raptors to make a kill, they must make sense of this kaleidoscope.
To single out a target, they patrol the edges of the flock.
But now there's a greater threat.
The lush vegetation created by the monsoon is tinder dry.
Wildfire.
The grass that fuelled the budgie boom now feeds the flames.
That's the real impact of the dry season.
It forces animals to move constantly.
The search for food and water never seems to end.
The dry season has a profound effect across all the lands of the monsoon.
Even on the lush tropical islands to the north.
Here, the wet season brought torrential downpours every day.
Now rainfall has dropped by 70%.
Most of the trees will not fruit until the rains return.
The forest still looks green.
But food is much harder to come by.
For a young bearded pig, these are the tough times.
Whilst there's still food in the canopy, little reaches the forest floor.
And for a youngster, every scrap must be fought for.
There's always a bigger pig.
So what's a pig to do when there's no food at home?
He steps out of the forest and into a different world.
The seashore is ruled not by rain and drought
but by the tides.
Perhaps there's a chance of food out here.
Sand bubbler crabs turn over the beach, as they scavenge for scraps.
But these crabs are no bigger than peas.
Simply not worth bothering with.
A hungry pig needs something more substantial.
A hermit crab.
Now that could make a good meal.
If only it could be opened.
Finally a crab that's not too small and not too strong.
A ghost crab is just right.
An escape burrow appears to offer salvation.
But pigs have keen noses.
And this nose also doubles as a shovel.
And to round off his beachcombing
jelly for dessert.
When the monsoon rains return
the resourceful pig will have a glut of food back in his forest home.
But there are lean months ahead.
The dry season has only just begun.
India.
Here, the monsoon winds that brought the rains have now reversed
bringing cool dry air from the North.
In the desert state of Rajasthan, the last rain fell 2 months ago.
Surprisingly, for the people and animals who live here, these are the good times.
It's the perfect weather for camels.
The brief rains brought a spray of green to the desert.
And now the animals are in peak condition.
For nomadic herders Sukhram and Surjaram
it's time to sell.
They're heading for the biggest event of the year.
This is Pushkar.
It's a small oasis town.
But at this time of year, the population balloons
as Pushkar is home to the largest camel fair in the world.
The fair attracts herders from hundreds of miles around.
10 days
300,000 people
and 20,000 camels.
Anyone who's anyone is here.
All of them in search of a bargain.
Some owners will do anything to catch the buyer's eye.
But Sukhram is so confident that a few well-placed garlands will suffice.
Prospective buyers try to find faults in an attempt to barter down the price.
They even take the animal for a test drive.
Token amounts of money are offered and respectfully declined.
Sukhram has no intention of making a quick sale.
Negotiations can go on for days
and he's holding out for the very best price.
Sukhram's family are dependent on him.
He must make enough money to feed them through the dry months ahead.
Sukhram holds his nerve for 4 days.
At last, he seems to be closing in on a deal.
A result.
The equivalent of £300.
Then it's off, back into the desert.
They've made the most of the good times.
Now, they must face the seven months of drought that lie ahead.
In Sri Lanka, there are animals less well adapted to the dry season.
This family of elephants can no longer find enough to eat in their forest.
But they remember where to go.
All over the island, elephants are on the move.
Minneriya Lake.
Within weeks, it will host the largest gathering of Asian elephants in the world.
Each year, in the dry season, up to 300 gather on its shores.
The lake is crucial for their survival.
As the water recedes, it reveals fertile ground where fresh grass starts to grow.
Elephants have been coming to this spot for at least two thousand years.
This vast lake and others like it are actually ancient man-made reservoirs.
In Sri Lanka, access to the water has always depended on the monsoon rains.
For thousands of years
kingdoms and dynasties were founded on architecture that best captured the rains.
With a reliable source of water all year round
these ancient cities grew in size and sophistication.
Culture and religion flourished.
Kings of old built vast reservoirs.
This reached its height 800 years ago, with King Parakrama the Great.
During his reign he built almost 3,000 reservoirs
including the largest in the ancient world, 'The Sea of Parakrama'.
The King declared
'Let not one drop of rain reach the sea without benefiting man'.
Today this ancient legacy lives on.
Even in the drought, Sri Lanka is a wetland paradise
dotted with more than 10,000 lakes.
Almost all are man made.
The people who built these great civilisations might be long gone
but the ruins are not deserted.
Tribes of macaques have reclaimed them.
As the dry season intensifies
Sri Lanka's man-made reservoirs become a lifeline for animals.
Chital have to drink
but to do so they must risk their lives.
Mugger crocodiles.
They know that food will come to water.
The odds are shifting in favour of the hunters.
As the heat of the day subsides, more animals become active.
A young leopard has recently left his mother to go it alone.
The chances of him becoming top cat here are slim.
He is inexperienced and has everything to learn.
With the drought intensifying, the night shift is particularly busy.
There should be plenty of opportunities for a young leopard.
Leopards have superb night vision.
We do not.
We must rely on infrared cameras to experience the leopard's night-time world.
Water still remains the focus of activity after dark
but now thirsty animals must beware of both crocs and leopards.
Hunting takes practice.
At first, he appears indecisive.
But stalking a jackal brings an unexpected bonus.
The warm night air carries the scent of a recently killed chital stag.
The jackal must work quickly to make the most of this chance.
The leopard could chase him off the kill at any moment.
The jackal runs.
But it's not the youngster that's spooked him.
The real owner of the carcass is returning.
A huge adult male.
It might be a good idea to move on.
A young sambar deer, another chance at a meal.
But the undergrowth is bone dry.
Humbled.
No one said hunting was easy. Especially in the dry season.
Tonight, this young leopard goes hungry.
At least, with the reservoir, he has a good place to hone his hunting skills.
Elsewhere, water is becoming increasingly scarce.
At the heart of South East Asia is a land of monsoon forests.
But the last monsoon rains were 5 months ago.
Now, hot dry air sucks the moisture out of the land, the trees, everything.
The drought is so severe that trees drop their leaves
to save themselves from drying out completely.
With no fodder until the rain returns
cattle are released into the forest
so they can roam, in search of what little food is left.
But the drought is just too tough for the weak.
A cunning crow
always on the lookout for an easy meal.
An entire cow, all to himself.
But it's not that simple.
The crow's beak can't puncture the hide.
White-rumped vultures are no use.
Not even these formidable-looking birds can open the carcass.
They're all waiting for a specialist.
The red-headed vulture.
A sharp recurved beak is perfect for opening the thick hide.
The other birds will have to wait in line.
Unless he does something about it, crow could lose out altogether.
But this is a crow with a plan.
He's going to start a fight.
With the vultures distracted, crow makes his move.
But he's too late.
Jackal spoils everything.
Now, everyone must wait.
The mob strips the carcass to the bone.
Everyone's had their fill.
Except crow.
Poor old crow
too clever for his own good.
As the drought wears on.
Every day, dryness and heat build.
Death stalks the parched land.
But out of death grows new life.
A litter of 4 desert foxes in the Rann of Kutch, Northern India.
In the last monsoon, onshore winds were so strong
that they pushed seawater deep inland, creating a vast salt marsh.
But for the last six months, desiccating winds have blown from the North
leaving twelve thousand square miles of barren salt pans!
An area the size of Belgium.
But for the enterprising, this is a land of opportunity.
The baking heat attracts seasonal migrant workers.
They're here to exploit a rich harvest.
The Kutch provides salt for almost a billion people.
Which means a lot of traffic.
And a free lunch for the foxes.
Roadkill is everywhere.
With ready meals all around them, there's plenty of time to play.
For now, life is good.
But there's a change on the way.
The days are getting longer.
More sunshine begins to drive vast updrafts.
The winds switch, sucking in moisture from the south.
Now the humidity makes the heat even harder to bear.
Most animals would do anything to get out of the sun.
But one does the exact opposite.
Indian blackbuck face the drought as the ultimate test of endurance.
A display of resilience proves they are fit to mate.
For this young buck, it's a chance to show his strength.
He needs to secure a small patch of territory called a lek.
Anyone can have a lek in the dusty salt marsh.
But nearby there's prime real estate, offering golden grasses.
There are plenty of females, but also much more competition.
To win a desirable lek, he's going to have to fight.
He announces his arrival.
This large buck already has the prime spot.
He's in peak physical condition.
He's so popular, the females jostle for his attention.
The young buck isn't ready to take on the big guy just yet.
For now, he'll sit it out on the sidelines.
The temperature hits a searing 45 degrees.
The resident must stick it out
exposed on the bare lek.
Whilst the young buck takes time to build his energy.
For now, he keeps his cool.
But the heat is only one of the challenges competing males must face.
The haze conceals another threat.
Indian wolves.
They patrol the lekking ground, looking for signs of injury or exhaustion.
For healthy bucks it's a test of nerve. If they run, they lose their lek.
The young buck sees an opportunity.
His opponent looks weak from exposure to the sun.
Fighting in the heat is the ultimate test.
So the bucks battle at high noon.
This is no time to pick up an injury. Any sign of weakness and they'll pounce.
The defeated resident makes a swift exit.
Victory for the young buck.
But this is only the first of many challenges.
He still has to convince females that he's worth mating with.
He can't do that until the lek takes on his scent.
And that will take weeks
guarding his territory in the scorching sun.
The drought is almost over.
Humid winds bring the promise of rain.
But first Sukhram and Surjaram must endure the most extreme consequence of the desert drought.
They've been roaming the sands for 7 long months.
Now, daytime temperatures reach an unbearable 55 degrees.
Relief is on the way.
But ahead of the rains comes the drought's last gasp.
Dust.
A storm is coming.
The winds that now carry dust will soon bring monsoon rains
and the balance of life will change.
Lush new growth will bring the parched land to life.
The rains will come.
An ancient cycle of renewal
as old as the land itself.
Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
The Monsoon team have come to the home of the world's largest leopards.
And the biggest of them all, weighing in at almost a hundred kilograms is One-Eyed Ivan.
For me, Yala is the place to see leopards
it's the best place in the world.
There are more leopards here than anywhere else on Earth
and the ambition is to film one of these big cats hunting.
The trouble is that leopards hunt mostly at night.
And if you're not a leopard, you're potential prey.
With an open-backed vehicle and a variety of night-vision cameras
the team enter the park before dusk.
Hoping to encounter nature's ultimate night-time predator.
The driver switches to night vision.
The infra-red car lights are invisible to the naked eye.
So it's a very odd experience, we're driving along at night
in, well to our eyes at least, complete darkness.
The driver is wearing night-vision goggles to see the infrared
but we've just heard they're not working very well so that's a little bit alarming.
A waterhole.
Infrared search lights scan for life.
Nothing is drinking here
But this could be a good sign for the crew.
I've got him.
A big male.
On that first night when I saw that first leopard
I was taken aback by how big it was.
But something 's caught the leopard 's attention.
As it first started approaching
I was thinking oh wow, this is going to make a really nice shot.
We were using these tiny monitors to film and to see the leopard
but what we didn't realise at the time
was that that those dim monitors were lighting us up like a Christmas tree.
The only lights in the darkness are our faces.
I 'm not surprised the cat was interested to come and have a closer look.
That leopard was coming closer and closer.
And then I remember turning to Paul Stewart and saying
Leopards can leap three metres in one bound.
If it had wanted, it could have jumped straight in the back of the truck with us.
S**t, he's close!
It was when I tilted the camera down to that point that I realised the cat was right underneath us.
That's when I started asking Paul
So I grabbed that, passed it to Paul, Paul flashed it open
and that startled the leopard just enough that he headed off in another direction.
That was kind of unwelcome.
Slightly torn between filming a lovely stalking shot
and thinking we're going to have the leopard on our lap in a minute.
Is anyone keeping an eye on him? - I am, yeah, I've got him.
If nothing else it's a promising sign that this leopard is keen to hunt.
But in the darkness the big cat gives them the slip.
Stop, stop, stop! - Stop! Whoa!
Yeah it 's... the leopard 's to tally behind me.
Can we just go back up a little bit more?
Back a little bit, back a wee bit.
What the driver didn't tell us was the back lights weren't working
and he was so keen to get us the shot that he reversed blind.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, stop, stop, stop!
I could feel my heart pounding. I didn't know what had happened.
All I knew was that the vehicle was tilting on its side.
In the darkness they reversed off a bridge.
It was really, really worrying because we really didn't want to get out of that vehicle
but we had no choice.
Keep scanning for that leopard. - Yeah.
Radio for back up.
Jumping out the car in the middle of the night with a leopard on the ground
it wasn't to be taken lightly.
Because we've got a leopard in the area.
Watch out.
It takes 30 tense minutes before back-up arrives.
Despite being the best place to find leopards
it takes a whole week before the team even see another one.
But then they get lucky.
A youngster, keen to hunt, becomes the star of the film.
We'd trailed our leopard for over half an hour as it was stalking.
Wild pigs. The opportunity that they'd been waiting for.
We were in the back of the vehicle, our cameras rolling
we were sure that that leopard was going to go off and hunt.
And our leopard was ready to go.
He 's down.
Sitting there watching each one go past.
No he's not going to risk it, they're way too big.
It's not unknown for pigs to kill leopards.
Gradually, night after night
the team piece together the remarkable story of a young leopard learning to hunt.
What's interesting is they're always looking for a chance
which is probably why the leopard on the first night paid so much attention to us.
A young leopard has to work out what is worth the risk and not risk their life.
It was the reality of what this leopard was facing.
I think it's a real insight.
Instead of a hunt, it was a much more intimate glimpse
of just how tough it can be for a predator
especially a young leopard in the dry season.
Next time...
a journey into the heart of the monsoon.
A weird world of primeval jungles and remote islands
where the monsoon meets the fires of the underworld
and nothing is quite as it seems.
Ripped & Corrected By mstoll January 2017
Ripped & Corrected By mstoll Released on www.Addic7ed.com