Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - The Secrets of the South - full transcript

In the heart of Southeast Asia

is an ancient kingdom...

with over 3,000 km of coastline.

But beyond its golden shores,
there are secret worlds...

home to mysterious creatures...

and forest giants.

This is a fast-changing country
where East and West collide.

People and animals must
work together to survive...

forming unique relationships.

A spiritual land,
full of magic and wonder.

This is Thailand.



Southwest Thailand.

A wild paradise of limestone castes,

golden beaches and dense forests.

Along this rugged coast
are some close-knit families.

A troupe of 30 long-tailed macaques
has made this their home.

This youngster has relied on
his mother for the last six months.

But he's now at an age where
he needs a more varied diet.

Trouble is, this is one of
Thailand's most extreme locations.

A vertical rock face, 50 metres high.

Up here, good food is scarce.

Bark and leaves
provide little energy.

Macaques are the most resourceful
and wide-ranging monkeys on Earth,

and have learned to take advantage
of every opportunity.

But this one involved
a precarious commute.



It's especially risky for
a mother carrying an infant.

For a young macaque
still learning the ropes,

having a tail longer than
your body gives you the edge.

It can both grip and act
as a counterbalance.

This daily descent is
well worth the effort.

Across Thailand, there are
thousands of Buddhist temples,

and families like this get
a surprisingly warm welcome.

Thai Buddhists have
a unique relationship with nature.

For them, every living thing

contributes something to the world

and deserves respect.

This compassionate
relationship is the perfect example

of the spiritual connection
so special in southern Thailand,

where humans are not set apart
from nature, but live within it.

There are other welcome benefits for
the macaques who visit this temple.

A chance to cool off and have
some fun in the heat of the day.

Southern Thailand
is a natural paradise

for people and animals alike.

Hidden coves and scattered islands

give it a total of
3,000 km of coastline.

Its western shores have been carved
and shaped by the Andaman Sea.

Here, astonishing limestone
castes have been created,

towering stacks of
ancient shell and coral.

This one stands 50 metres tall.

Once part of the seabed,

it was thrust up by
extreme geological forces.

The power of the sea
and seasonal rains

continue to sculpt
this dramatic landscape.

Every year, millions of people
are drawn here.

Most come to relax.

Others are here
for an adrenaline rush.

Ao Nang Tower stands
nearly 100 metres high.

The ultimate challenge
for thrill seekers.

People come from all over the world
to climb these extraordinary cliffs.

But the locals have been
scaling them for centuries.

And it's not thrills they seek.

It's natural treasure.

These men
have their sights set on a cave

hundreds of metres
up a vertical cliff face.

Inside, there's a hidden prize,

but reaching it is
fraught with danger.

There's no high-tech
climbing gear here,

just old ropes and local knowledge.

They must also navigate
a treacherous interior.

A ten-metre drop
into total darkness.

This is what they're after.

Tiny, almost translucent
birds' nests.

They may not look much, but in Asia,

they're a highly
sought-after delicacy.

Eating birds' nest soup is thought
to boost the immune system,

improve skin complexion
and fight ageing.

It's no wonder one kilogram of nests
is worth over $2,000.

Wild nest collecting has been
going on for over 500 years.

Recently, the safety
and sustainability

has been brought into question.

But an unexpected answer was found.

Thousands of loudspeakers
in the town of Pak Phanang

play birdsong at full blast...

tweeting 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.

What was once a traditional
fishing town is now at the heart

of a brand-new industry:

bird nest farming.

Windows have been sealed up.

The darker inside, the better.

All to accommodate
a very particular resident.

The edible-nest swiftlet.

During the breeding season,
the salivary glands of the swifts

expand and produce
extra-thick saliva.

Layer upon layer over 40 days,

the birds craft it
into a cup-like nest.

These new nesting sites
are helping this bird

make a good recovery
after years of decline.

Each day, as the swiftlets
are out feeding,

farmers like Mr Mu check the nests.

He waits until pairs
have bred successfully

and the chicks have fledged...

before collecting
their precious nests.

The people of Pak Phanang
have a risk-free,

sustainable way to
harvest the nests,

and the swiftlets have a new
network of nesting sites.

Across southern Thailand,

people and animals are finding
new ways to live together,

and that sometimes
requires a bit of ingenuity.

Over 50 km off the mainland

lie two of the remotest
groups of Thai islands:

Similan and Surin.

With crystal-clear waters...

and golden beaches...

this place
might look like paradise...

but dragons roam these shores.

A giant monitor lizard...

two metres long...

looking for food.

It tastes and smells the air
with its 30-centimetre tongue,

sensing even
the slightest hint of a meal.

Hermit crabs protect themselves
by hiding their soft bodies

in the abandoned shells
of other creatures.

They live up to 30 years,
so as they grow,

they need to upsize their homes.

But there's something of
a housing crisis on this island.

These idyllic hideaways
are a magnet for tourists,

who find it hard to resist
taking the occasional souvenir.

Every time a shell is removed,
a crab loses a potential new home.

So these canny crabs have
found another source of housing.

Each evening, the rangers clear
the beaches, piling up the litter.

And now the crabs do
something extraordinary.

This hermit has found
herself a more modern home...

in a mackerel tin.

With so few shells around,
it's an ingenious solution.

And she's not alone.

This is a fast-growing trend.

An aluminium fizzy-drink can
makes a lightweight home

that's worth fighting for.

Life in the mackerel tin
isn't ideal...

and the local rangers know it.

So they leave seashells
near the rubbish piles

to help the homeless crustaceans.

The crab normally winds its body
into the spiral of a shell.

It's far harder to grip a
straight and slippery can.

There are plenty of options.

It's all about finding a snug fit.

Well, she can be picky if she wants.

Moving house is
an important decision.

At last, the perfect home.

It might look like paradise,

but living along this coastline
requires great resourcefulness.

In southern Thailand, long-tailed
macaques are sometimes known

as "Ling Thalay," sea monkeys.

And it's not hard to see why.

But this isn't just
about having a good time.

Like their temple-visiting cousins,
they've got a clever plan.

They've adapted their lives
to the rhythm of the sea.

And twice a day,
low tide reveals a feast.

Nutritious shellfish.

Trouble is,
shells are tough to crack.

But ever resourceful, these macaques
have found a smart solution.

They've worked out that rocks
make perfect shellfish hammers.

Although clearly some macaques
are a little smarter than others.

Either way, low tide
provides a seafood bounty.

Stone-tool use is
a rare skill among monkeys.

But these macaques can only benefit
from it by being completely in tune

with the cycles of nature...

something many of Thailand's
human residents aspire to.

The south of the country is rich
in Buddhist temples and shrines.

Sacred places where monks seek to
understand themselves

and the world in which they live.

Buddhist principles place human life
in the context of a series of cycles,

like those in the natural world.

For more than 2,000 years,

the full moon has been celebrated
as an embodiment of this idea.

This celebration of the full moon
is embraced by visitors to Thailand,

but their version is
rather more exuberant.

Koh Phangan's famous beach party
is a rite of passage for backpackers

passing through southern Thailand.

Partygoers are bathed
in ultraviolet light

and their fluorescent
body paint glows.

But hidden from view,
just below the water's surface,

there's an equally vibrant display.

By shining the same
ultraviolet light underwater,

an unexpected wonder is revealed.

These tropical waters are home
to an abundance of coral reefs.

A protein within them
absorbs the ultraviolet light,

emitting back a whole new spectrum.

These corals are all fluorescing.

First discovered in the 1930s,

scientists are still
debating why this happens.

One theory is that
fluorescent proteins

might act as a type of sunblock...

protecting the coral from
the sun's intense rays.

But it isn't just corals
that glow under ultraviolet.

It's possible that other creatures
are able to see this show too,

and use it to their advantage.

One reef resident's behaviour
seems to support this theory.

The scorpion fish is
an ambush predator...

so camouflage is key.

Passing fish need to beware.

Come too close and his cavernous
mouth will suck them up

in a split second.

For this scorpion fish,

red-fluorescing algae appears
to be the perfect disguise.

Southern Thailand's secret worlds go
far beyond its dazzling coastline.

In the very centre of the peninsula

is a freshwater lake
called Cheow Lan,

surrounded by great mountains.

Limestone peaks intercept
moisture-laden clouds,

producing much-needed water for
this rainforest,

3,000 square kilometres of it.

It is home to an exceptional
diversity of plants and animals.

For 12 million years,

the forest has echoed
to strange and haunting sounds.

The wing beats of a giant.

The great hornbill.

For this male, it's an important
time of year.

Inside this nest hole is
his lifelong partner.

There's a slit just wide enough
for a bill.

But she's sealed in and won't come
out until her chicks fledge

in four months' time.

For now, she's completely reliant
on him to find food for them all.

A long bill makes fruit
easier to reach.

It's tossed to the back of
the throat and stored in a pouch.

Remarkably, hornbills can carry
over 250 berries at a time.

Delicately regurgitating
one at a time,

he eases his beak
through the narrow hole.

This devoted couple have raised

chicks in this tree
for over a decade.

And because they might live
to the age of 40,

they should be back here
for many more years to come.

On the east coast
of southern Thailand,

there's another secret world

far from the tourist trails,
teeming with wildlife.

Flat coastal plains are home to
four expansive lagoons

covering over
8,000 square kilometres.

In Thailand's largest lake,

local people are finding unique ways
to make a living.

Somjai is a farmer.

He's raising the only large animals
to be found here.

Somewhere amongst this expanse
is his herd of water buffalo.

Although their wild ancestors are
native to Thailand,

these are domesticated buffalo.

Somjai lets them live
a mostly wild life.

But in the evening,
he tracks them down.

In the shallowest parts of the lake,
punting is the only option.

The buffalo spend the day feeding on
the rich aquatic plants.

In the 40-degree heat,

a mud bath cools them off
and repels insects.

The buffaloes' splayed hooves stop
them sinking into the soft ground.

But the constant exposure to water
can be damaging.

So he must round them up and steer
them into a dry pen for the night.

For Somjai, this work is about
much more than making a living.

The dry pen not only
protects their feet,

but gives them a chance to rest
for the night.

This free-range partnership also has

unexpected benefits
for the wider ecosystem.

Ploughing their way
through the wetlands,

spreading seeds as they go,

the buffalo help important plants
to regenerate.

Carpets of lotus flowers create
a haven for over a million birds...

...making this a wetland
of global importance.

It's the perfect place
for specialists,

those with a light step...

and fast reactions.

This purple swamp hen
may look ungainly,

but he's got a secret weapon...

huge feet to spread his body weight
over the floating foliage.

This helps a lot when stealth
is not your style.

He also has
a particular taste in food,

unwittingly helping to protect
his habitat.

Golden apple snails
aren't native to Thailand

and can harm
natural habitats when numbers boom.

Luckily, swamp hens love them.

If they can find them.

A secure footing is vital when
you're trying to haul in your catch.

Long toes mean a foot
can act as a hand.

Purple swamp hens are perfectly
adapted to this environment,

and in a small way,

these accidental conservationists
are helping to preserve it.

These aren't the only animals

helping to conserve the natural
beauty of southern Thailand.

This is Kui Buri National Park.

Formerly thick forest,

it was cleared for farmland
and the wildlife forced out.

In the 1990s,
public support for Buddhist-inspired

environmental principles
started to grow.

Respecting the natural world was not
simply a spiritual notion.

It had to become a reality.

In 1999, the government gave
this area back to nature.

These native elephants
reclaimed the land

and have had a remarkable impact
on the ecosystem.

Asian elephants need to eat
150 kg of food each day.

They eat over 50 different
plant types,

spreading seeds far and wide in
their dung,

replanting Kui Buri's forest.

And by pushing through
the undergrowth,

they create pathways for
smaller animals like sambar deer.

They also give birds an opportunity
to pick off scattering insects.

Elephants were allowed to rebuild
the ecosystem

and they have done just that,
creating a wild paradise.

Turning this forest
back over to the animals

has restored the balance.

But in other habitats,

sometimes only human intervention
will do.

These boards are called...

Although here they're
being used for a bit of fun,

the Thai people invented them
long before the wakeboard.

And when used
in the traditional way,

they are a vital form of transport

and the best way to get safely
around a mangrove swamp at low tide.

These men are here
on urgent business.

Mangroves once covered much of
Thailand's coastline...

but since the 1960s,

half have been uprooted to make way
for shrimp farms.

When people began to realise
the devastating impact

of shrimp farming on the landscape,

they started looking more closely at
this vitally important ecosystem.

Decomposing leaves provide
valuable nutrients

which support a rich biodiversity.

Mangroves also act as a barrier
between the land and the sea,

protecting low-lying communities
from storms and coastal flooding.

They produce seeds that are buoyant,

floating away and germinating
in far-away places.

As their roots grow outwards,
they trap sediment,

and are one of the few habitats

that can actually build up
the coastline.

Cutting down the trees
is now illegal,

and over the last 30 years,

volunteers from all over the south

have been replanting
the mangrove forests.

Little by little, this crucial
habitat is reclaiming the land.

And mudskippers are moving in,
a tangible sign of recovery.

Seeing them here means there is
a healthy supply of food...

and a good tidal flow creating lots
of fresh puddles

to keep their skin wet.

For ecologists,
seeing them living in a new forest

is a sign the ecosystem
is functioning once again.

And this mangrove restoration has
far-reaching effects.

The coral reef owes its clear waters
to the mangroves'

natural filtering
of silt and pollutants.

Southeast Asia has more coral reef
than any other region of the world.

Lying at the heart of this area,

Thai waters are home to more than
2,000 types of fish,

such as the moray eel,
clownfish and cuttlefish.

When the reef is in balance,

every individual
plays a crucial role.

The crown-of-thorns starfish grazes
on the fastest-growing coral,

giving the slower-growing corals
a chance to catch up.

Long-spined sea urchins
feed on algae,

clearing the way for coral growth.

But the reef is a delicate ecosystem

that can easily be knocked
out of balance.

Pollution and a loss
of natural predators

can cause starfish and urchin
numbers to explode.

Both are covered in venomous spines.

But there is one renowned
reef resident able to take them on.

The titan triggerfish.

They've got a fearsome reputation...

aggressively defending
their patch of reef.

A sea urchin's spines

are no protection
against teeth like these.

Although the crown-of-thorns is
well protected on top,

it has a soft underside.

Titan triggerfish play
an important role

in keeping numbers
at healthy levels.

And with this much food around,
it's a great place to start a family.

This couple have a little bundle
of eggs to care for.

While the female blows water over
the eggs to oxygenate them,

the male is on guard patrol.

This sort of parental care
may be surprising,

but it's vitally important

they protect
the next generation of reef helpers.

All the creatures here
play their part,

and this has a direct influence on
the open ocean.

When the coral and other
reef animals spawn,

it helps to feed the plankton.

Some of this is swept up by
large filter-feeding animals...

like the manta ray...

and whale shark.

The rest can drift far away,

forming a floating food supply.

This not only supports life
under the sea,

but also above it.

Fish is the most important source of
protein in southern Thailand.

Almost two million Thai people

keep the country supplied
with this staple.

In Nan Kan village on
the east coast of Thailand,

Bang, his wife Patima

and their son Thongchai rely on
a good daily catch.

Early every morning,
they head out to sea.

Before they cast their nets,

there's a sign from nature
they always hope to see,

something that helps guide them to
the biggest shoals of fish.

This is
the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin,

a species found in coastal waters
from India to Australia.

It's sometimes called
the pink dolphin.

Grey in their juvenile years,

they slowly lose this colour
in blotches,

turning bright pink
when they fully mature.

These unusual-looking dolphins

scour the coastline in search of
the small fish that feed on plankton.

Anchovies are a favourite for
dolphin and fishermen alike.

And today it's a good haul.

There's one more thing
they want to do

before heading back to shore.

Across their range,

pink dolphins often forge special
relationships with people.

Southern Thailand is
a natural paradise

where people and nature
are deeply connected.

For many Thai people,

their existence is no more important

than those creatures
with whom they share their world.

Habitat to habitat,

surprising connections and
partnerships run deep.

This is a place that draws people
from all over the world

to enjoy its beauty.

It's a wild wonderland
full of unexpected surprises.

The coral reefs of southern Thailand
are world renowned.

But there's an animal
that lives on the reef

that strikes fear in all
who enter the water.

It's definitely the fish that
everyone is scared of.

Like, we have some sharks,
no problem.

I don't want to get on
the wrong side of them.

This woman got bitten or rammed
on her head or something.

And there was just blood
pouring down her head.

The titan triggerfish.

It may be only 60 cm long,

but its huge teeth are built to bite
through coral and shell.

During the breeding season,
they're particularly aggressive

when caring for their eggs.

And this is what the BBC crew
were here to film.

Producer Lara Bickerton has just
one week to get what she needs.

Seeing a triggerfish at all would be
a start on this shoot.

But cameramen
Johnny Rogers and Simon Enderby

are highly-skilled
underwater cinematographers.

The waters surrounding Thailand are
famous for their incredible clarity.

But not today.

No triggers. No titans.

No titans. Visibility about...
no more than five metres.

Apparently the visibility is better
on the other side of the island,

- so shall we go and give that a go?
- Yeah.

It's a good plan,
but the crew don't get far.

We're just on our way to
another dive site

and found out our boat's broken down.

The ironic result is
the boat that is now towing us

is actually towing us faster

than what this boat
was doing under its own power.

At last,
Simon gets a second dive in.

All righty.

Got it?

Although the visibility
is still poor,

he captures the odd glimpse
of a titan.

They are certainly around.

They're there, but we just can't
see them. Visibility is too bad.

The crew are told
normal weather patterns

are running three weeks late,

and that could be what's
reducing the visibility.

Things only get worse.

Lara is increasingly concerned.

High winds, heavy rain
and rough seas.

The team need their luck to change.

Three days later, the storm passes.

The crew hope the water visibility
has improved too.

The challenge now is not finding
more triggerfish,

but filming
a complete behavioural sequence.

So the crew focus their attention at
a site where the triggerfish's prey,

the crown-of-thorns starfish,
is most abundant.

It's a place that marine biologist
Spencer Arnold knows well.

Sometimes, starfish numbers can
explode and damage the reef.

So Spencer and the volunteers from
New Heaven Dive School

work hard to remove them.

But there are still plenty left
for the triggerfish.

The titan triggerfish will eat
a crown-of-thorns sea star.

So, obviously,

very, very important keystone species
on the island of Koh Tao in terms of

controlling these...
these pest species.

The challenge for the crew now

is finding and filming
the triggerfish.

With so little time left,

Lara decides to form a tag-team,
with both Johnny and Simon working

back-to-back, maximising
their time underwater.

Johnny Rogers is also using
a re-breather diving system,

allowing him to spend over two hours
at a time underwater.

And as soon as Simon comes out,
Johnny gets in.

This allows them eight hours a day
of uninterrupted filming.

With the visibility much better,
the team make progress.

Johnny captures footage of
a triggerfish

attacking the soft underside of
a crown-of-thorns starfish.

It's a great start to the sequence.

We got her on a crown-of-thorns.

- Did you?
- Yeah.

- Awesome.
- Great news.

And Johnny's seen a triggerfish.

Well, I've seen one before,
but not on this trip.

It's only taken four days.

The team
are soon back underwater,

making the most of the time
they have left.

And Johnny gets a remarkable bit of
behaviour no one expected.

The triggerfish bites each
individual spine off the sea urchin,

before devouring the whole thing.

Finally, we're actually
getting somewhere.

Simon captures
the final bit of the puzzle.

It's when the titans
are guarding their nests

they get most aggressive.

But this couple
are surprisingly chilled,

letting Simon get an intimate view
of the female aerating her eggs.

Well, patience finally paid off.

That is the closest I've ever come

to a nesting titan triggerfish
in my entire life.

Male and female.

Male, we found the male first,
defending his territory and stuff.

Okay. Then actually swam over
the female looking at the male,

didn't notice that.
I went, "Hello."

So I was basically this much from her
puffing away on her eggs.

Sunshine, blue water, target animals.

Amazing, amazing news. I am
so chuffed that today has paid off.

The team finally had
the conclusion they needed.

And along the way
learned that if you catch

this notorious fish on a good day,
they're remarkably easy going.

Next time, we head to Thailand's
bustling capital.

Here, spirituality can be found in
human and animal relationships.

Both likely and unlikely.

This is the very heart of Thailand,

home to mysterious giants and
striking beauty.