Arabia episode 3
Arabia episode 3
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00The
00:25wild places of Arabia are so hot and dry that they were virtually untouched by people
00:31for thousands of years. But that ancient balance has shifted in the wake of one dramatic discovery.
00:48Oil and the wealth it has brought have transformed this land, bringing the 21st century to the
00:53desert.
01:10Arabia's animals now live in a high-tech world. But Arabia's people are beginning to use their
01:20technology to protect nature.
01:49Dawn at the Al-Wathba camel racetrack on the outskirts of the city of Abu Dhabi. For centuries,
02:07the Arabs held camel races to celebrate special occasions. But in the last 50 years, camel
02:17racing has been transformed, echoing changes that have swept all across Arabia. Now, this
02:27is one of the richest sports in the world. The winner of this race stands to win a million
02:35dollars. The prize money at stake means that 21st century camel racing has moved far beyond
02:50anything these camel handlers' grandparents could have imagined.
03:16In today's camel races, modern technology is in the driving seat. Literally. To save
03:31on weight, jockeys have been replaced by robots, weighing no more than a laptop. The
03:47camel trainers drive alongside. They scream instructions to their camels through a speaker
04:00on the robot. The frenzy is added to by the fevered excitement of the race commentator,
04:13broadcasting live to the nation. When an extra burst of speed is needed,
04:30each robot carries a whip, which the trainer operates by remote control.
05:00In today's Arabia, camel training has become a sophisticated business.
05:22Scientific breeding and state of the art training have turned these camels
05:27into elite racing machines. The average speed of a racehorse in Europe hasn't changed in half
05:36a century, while the average speed of a racing camel has increased by 30%.
05:43To understand the vast changes that have swept across Arabia in recent decades,
05:59you have to go back millions of years. Then, most of the Arabian Peninsula was underwater,
06:08forming the seabed of a vast ocean.
06:14The Tethys Sea.
06:19The waters were rich in tiny plants and animals, which sank to the bottom when they died.
06:25Over millennia, the decaying bodies of billions of these tiny lifeforms turned to oil.
06:37Oil was first discovered in the offshore waters of the Gulf and the Arabian Desert in the 1920s.
06:44It was during the Second World War and the boom years that followed,
06:52that the global demand for oil started to skyrocket. Arabia had struck it rich.
07:02All across Arabia, the oilmen found new supplies of black gold.
07:13Today, close to a third of the world's oil is supplied by the countries of the Gulf.
07:19That's about three billion litres per day.
07:24Twenty-five major oil terminals line Arabia's Gulf coast.
07:35Every year, some 5,000 tankers pass through these waters.
07:39It certainly doesn't look wildlife-friendly.
07:46But in places, the impact on nature is not as negative as you might think.
07:58The divers who service the platforms get an exclusive view of some very exotic creatures.
08:06The legs of the platforms become encrusted with corals.
08:11These, and the tiny animals associated with them, in turn provide food for fish.
08:17The rigs are home to dozens of beautiful species,
08:24like the longfin pennantfish,
08:28the longfin catfish,
08:32and the longfin catfish.
08:36The longfin catfish are the largest fish in the world.
08:40They're also home to some of the most beautiful species,
08:46like the longfin pennantfish,
08:54and the halfmoon angelfish.
09:03It's not just reef dwellers that are found here.
09:06Fish from the open sea also gather,
09:09perhaps because the rigs offer shelter from predatory sharks.
09:14Also, fishing near the rigs is banned,
09:17allowing shoals to grow larger than anywhere else in the Gulf.
09:26This is a popular spawning ground.
09:28The female queenfish swims on her side as she distributes her eggs.
09:32Males jostle behind her to be the first to fertilize them.
09:41In summertime, the water is thick with eggs,
09:45a feast for jellyfish.
09:50This cauliflower jelly is a meter across,
09:55but it's a tiddler next to some of the diners attracted to this egg soup.
10:03A whale shark.
10:07At 12 metres plus in length, it's the biggest fish in the world.
10:32A sight to take your breath away.
10:52The diver needn't worry.
10:54Whale sharks only have tiny teeth
10:56and don't eat anything more than a few centimetres long.
11:03Whale sharks feed by filtering food particles from the water,
11:08though jellyfish are not on the menu.
11:27Every shark has a unique way of feeding.
11:29Every shark is accompanied by a cloud of remoras, or suckerfish,
11:35which are thought to feed largely on the shark's faeces.
11:53For most of their lives, which can be 70 years long,
11:56whale sharks are solitary.
12:03But there is so much food here
12:05that groups of over a hundred sharks can gather together.
12:26These sharks are only in Arabian waters for the summer.
12:32Where they go for the rest of the year is unknown.
12:38Even in these waters, much of their life remains a mystery.
12:43They feed for just a few hours every day,
12:46then disappear back into the depths.
12:50What they get up to down there is unknown.
12:57Nobody knows.
13:08The fish life around the oil platforms also provides food for seabirds.
13:1290% of the world's Socotra cormorants breed on low-lying islands in the gulf.
13:23During the breeding season from March to November,
13:26temperatures on the ground can reach a scorching 70 degrees centigrade.
13:32The temperatures are so high that the fish can't survive in the water.
13:37The fish are not able to survive in the water,
13:39and the temperature can rise to 80 degrees centigrade.
13:45The cormorants flutter their throats to keep cool.
14:03Despite the heat,
14:05successful colonies like this one off the coast of Bahrain
14:08are still unknown.
14:19But appearances can be deceptive.
14:23Although some large colonies do remain,
14:25over half have disappeared in the last 50 years,
14:29and oil pollution is thought to have played a large role.
14:32The oil industry is a lot cleaner than it was,
14:36but parts of the gulf remain polluted because of the legacy of large spills in the past.
14:45This was the site of the world's largest ever oil spill.
14:57During the gulf war in 1990,
14:59the Iraqi army set fire to huge numbers of oil wells,
15:03and nearly two billion litres of oil were lost.
15:09No one knows just how many fish and seabirds were killed,
15:13but it certainly had a dramatic impact.
15:18Oil does eventually break down naturally,
15:21but it can take many years for all the toxic chemicals to disperse.
15:25The risk of further oil spills will remain a threat to wildlife,
15:29while so much oil passes through the gulf.
15:41Along the gulf coast,
15:43the seabed is kept fertile by dust blowing in from the desert.
15:49That means that the sea is not as polluted as it used to be.
15:55It means these shallow waters are every bit as important for wildlife as the deep seas.
16:11But to exploit the food that's on offer here,
16:15you need the right equipment.
16:17The beak of the lesser flamingo is the only beak that's built to be used upside down.
16:31It's lined with bristles which filter out prawns and algae from the water.
16:36It's the pigment in this food that turns flamingos pink.
16:42Young birds start white and become pinker with age.
16:48The pinkish colour is the pigment that makes flamingos pink.
16:54The pinkish colour is the pigment that makes flamingos pink.
16:58The rhythmic feeding and swallowing looks like a graceful ballet.
17:03But the flamingos aren't above using those beautiful beaks as weapons to fight over personal space.
17:17The flamingos are the only species that can survive in the deep sea.
17:21And space is a key issue for the Gulf's flamingos.
17:25Many of the lagoons they rely on have been swallowed up by Arabia's fast-growing cities.
17:51This city centre wetland has been protected by an edict from the very top,
17:55Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai.
18:00But the pressure on many other wild places continues to increase.
18:08The news of the new city centre is spreading like wildfire.
18:14The news of the new city centre is spreading like wildfire.
18:17The population of the United Arab Emirates alone has risen by nearly 10,000% since the 1960s,
18:24leading to an explosion in construction and trade.
18:47The most extreme expression of the wealth of the Gulf cities is in Dubai.
19:08Home to more skyscrapers per square mile than anywhere else on Earth.
19:38This forest of concrete, glass and steel is towered over by the Burj Khalifa.
19:47At half a mile high, it's 300 metres higher than any other building on Earth.
19:54As well as going up, the Gulf cities are spreading out.
19:59This is the palm.
20:02It's an extraordinary feat of engineering.
20:06But each frond was created by dredging sand from the earth's surface.
20:13This is the palm.
20:15It's an extraordinary feat of engineering.
20:19But each frond was created by dredging sand from the seabed.
20:25And on the seabed is a grassland as rich as the plains of Africa.
20:34The warm, sun-drenched waters are perfect for seagrass, the only flowering plant in the sea.
20:45Just like the African grasslands, these underwater plains are home to many predators and prey.
20:54A blue-spotted ribbontail ray hunts for buried shellfish.
21:05A blue triggerfish has the same quarry in mind.
21:14Small fish, like this blenny, have to lie low.
21:19An annulated sea snake, two metres long and one of the most venomous in the world.
21:26The snake can hunt for up to two hours on one breath.
21:37Whole-dwelling blennies are a favourite prey.
21:45Not all the reptiles here are voracious hunters.
21:56Unlike most sea turtles, green turtles prefer a vegetarian diet.
22:01Like the whale sharks, many turtles are accompanied by remoras.
22:06These ones are squabbling over access.
22:11Each remora has a suction pad on its head which it can stick to animals to get a free ride.
22:18A turtle shell, like this blue-spotted ribbontail ray, can be used as a bait.
22:23Each remora has a suction pad on its head which it can stick to animals to get a free ride.
22:30A turtle shell is easy to stick to and worth fighting over.
22:37The growth of the Gulf cities threatens the seagrass plains
22:43and all the weird and wonderful animals that depend on them.
22:47A dugong.
22:52Closest relative, the elephant.
22:59Dugongs eat almost nothing but seagrass,
23:04using their flexible lips to pull up both the stalk and the nutritious roots beneath.
23:10A group of remoras are trying to hitch a ride on this dugong,
23:15but he's not tolerating the hangers-on.
23:40Every spring, the Gulf's dugongs gather together
23:43in what are thought to be mass migrations between feeding grounds.
23:50Protecting those feeding grounds from development
23:52would go a long way towards protecting the dugongs,
23:57but nobody yet knows where they are.
24:01The seagrass is a natural habitat for seagulls.
24:05But nobody yet knows where they are.
24:10Luckily, help is at hand.
24:16This is a project run by the Abu Dhabi government
24:20that aims to find out where the Gulf's dugongs are going
24:24by fitting them with satellite transmitters.
24:28They've called in some assistance from the far side of the world.
24:34You guys keep on our starboard side.
24:36Australian scientist Richard Campbell works with two Aboriginal Australians.
24:43Duane and Philip grew up hunting dugongs for food
24:48and now put their skills to a different use.
24:58Even for an expert, finding a dugong isn't easy.
25:02They only take a breath every five minutes or so
25:05and barely break the surface.
25:07The team need eyes in the sky.
25:31Once the dugong's been spotted, Duane and Philip use their expertise
25:49to approach with as little disturbance to the animal as possible.
26:01Duane speared his first dugong from an open boat at the age of 12.
26:07But today, he's going to have to grab the dugong,
26:11a third of a tonne of slippery mussel.
26:15It's not for the faint-hearted.
26:17I'm going to get you, Duane.
26:18Yep.
26:31Duane gets a loop around the tail.
26:45And the team work fast to secure the dugong safely to the side of the boat.
26:54Protecting the Gulf's dugongs means that a few will have to carry satellite transmitters.
27:00But each one weighs just half a kilo and tied around the tail, they do no harm.
27:10This is a chance to take some useful measurements.
27:26Nearly three metres, a good size.
27:30This would have made for quite a feast in Philip's youth.
27:37The team also take skin samples for genetic analysis.
27:42The hairs on the body are a clue to the fact the dugong's ancestors used to live on land.
27:55After just a few minutes, the dugong is released.
27:59Mission accomplished for the team.
28:13Information about this dugong's movements will help determine
28:16which regions of the Gulf need to be protected from future development.
28:30In the great desert heartland of Arabia,
28:33the relationship between people and nature goes back a long way.
28:40The Arabs survived here by hunting the desert's animals,
28:43and for 4,000 years, one very special predator has helped them catch their prey.
28:55The falcon.
28:59For many Arabs, falconry remains a passion bordering on obsession.
29:29Muhammad al-Kaabi comes out from the city to fly his birds every weekend.
29:51This is Hathi.
29:53Pedigree falcons like her can cost as much as $100,000.
30:01Hathi's trained to return to Muhammad using a lure that simulates her quarry.
30:09It's a workout that keeps her agile and in top condition.
30:18Muhammad is showing his sons Salim and Sayyid
30:20Muhammad is showing his sons Salim and Sayyid how to put Hathi through her paces.
30:45This is a rite of passage that Arab boys have enjoyed for thousands of years.
30:51This is a rite of passage that Arab boys have enjoyed for thousands of years.
31:16It's time for the boys to get hands on.
31:20It's time for the boys to get hands on.
31:46It's crucial to keep calm.
31:48It's crucial to keep calm.
31:50A falcon must learn to trust its handler, or it will never fly back to him.
32:01In the morning the boys will move on to the next lesson.
32:08Traditionally, that's hunting live prey.
32:10Traditionally, that's hunting live prey.
32:12Sadly, the Arab love of hunting with rifle, dog and falcon has pushed some desert animals
32:23like the Hubera bustard to the brink of extinction. But with the appliance of science, there is
32:31now a solution that can keep everyone happy.
32:43With a lure attached to the back of a remote controlled plane, Mohammed can stretch the
32:53falcon to its limits.
33:12No wild animals will die today, but the thrill of the hunt is just as strong.
33:19Mohammed's sons are growing up in a world that is increasingly aware of the need to
33:26look after our natural resources. That's particularly challenging here, because of the difficulties
33:33of living in one of the hottest, driest areas of the desert.
33:40For much of the year, the desert has been a place of peace and tranquillity.
34:10Arabia is so hot that many people are at their most active after sunset.
34:22Even at night, the heat can be unbearable. So much of people's time is spent indoors, in air-conditioned spaces.
34:32Dubai is home to the world's largest shopping mall, kept cool all year round, good for the ski slope and the ocean.
34:40Dubai, by night, is a vision of the most energy-hungry society on Earth.
35:11The richest Arab countries use more energy per person than anywhere else.
35:19And virtually all of it comes from burning fossil fuels.
35:26As well as contributing to climate change, that makes these countries very reliant on oil.
35:33And the Gulf oil wells will start to run dry within the next few decades.
36:03But there's an even more pressing problem for Arabia than its huge demand for power.
36:34Every night of the year, Dubai puts on the biggest water show on Earth.
36:47The fountains reach as high as a 50-storey building.
36:55Perhaps because it's a desert, Arabia is addicted to water.
37:05The Gulf states consume more water per person than anywhere else in the world.
37:25In Saudi Arabia and Jordan, water is pumped from hundreds of metres underground and brings life to the desert.
37:42Huge fields of crops, each one several hundred metres across, dot the landscape over huge areas.
37:49Clearly visible from space.
38:19These man-made oases have had a huge impact on nature.
38:26Songbirds now flock into the desert.
38:34This is a perfect place to drink and grab a well-needed shower.
38:41The fields are also rich in food like grubs and worms.
38:50They even have their own public transport system.
38:55Thousands of birds have changed their migration routes to visit these fields on their journey between Europe and Africa every year.
39:25Some species, like the pied wagtail and the wheatear, are familiar in the UK.
39:55Others, like the hoopoe and the blue-throat, usually spend their summers further east, in northern Russia or eastern Europe.
40:09But the songbirds who stop off here don't have things all their own way.
40:16Birds of prey also migrate.
40:21Two gather here in huge numbers.
40:30These aerial predators aren't just here for a shower and a drink.
40:37All that flying builds up a healthy appetite.
40:52Of all the songbird hunters to gather here,
41:01perhaps the most graceful is one that might be seen on the Scottish moors.
41:09A hen harrier.
41:15The harrier has a dish-shaped face like an owl.
41:23This helps catch sound, enabling it to hear the slightest rustle of a hidden bird.
41:35And the long, narrow wings can turn on a sixpence.
41:45It's pied wagtail for dinner.
41:58In the short term, this type of agriculture is good news for the birds
42:05and provides jobs for local people.
42:10It produces water at a staggering rate.
42:20The underground reservoirs will begin to run dry within the next ten years.
42:27The land will be desert once again, and the people who work here will lose their livelihood.
42:33The fields sum up a problem that faces all of us.
42:39How to meet people's needs in a world of limited resources?
42:45But the immense wealth that's made Arabia a world leader in energy and water consumption
42:51is now being used to try and find solutions to those same problems.
43:14This is the solar power plant for the most futuristic town on earth, Mazdar.
43:34Lying on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, Mazdar is a prototype for the cities of the future.
43:45100% carbon neutral, but with all mod cons.
43:52Some features are simple ideas borrowed from traditional Arab architecture.
43:58The overhang from the floor above shades those below.
44:04And the streets are narrow so that they are shaded from the intense heat of the sun.
44:13Any breeze is captured in a wind tower and channelled down to the street.
44:23Combined with a light spray of water, this can lead to a lot of pollution.
44:29Combined with a light spray of water, this can lower the temperature at ground level by 15 degrees centigrade.
44:38Simple solutions like this create a cool outdoor space, even in midsummer.
44:59In Mazdar's vision of tomorrow, transport will be underground in unmanned pods.
45:05Here, in the heart of oil country, the city of Mazdar has a large oil right.
45:13This is where the oil is produced, and the oil is taken to the city of Mazdar.
45:22This is where the oil is produced, and the oil is taken to the city of Mazdar.
45:27Welcome to Masdar City.
45:31Here, in the heart of oil country,
45:34are the designers of Masdar taking us on a journey into the post-oil future?
45:57Arabia's cities are already world leaders in design and architecture.
46:10If the concepts from Masdar can be expanded here,
46:17then maybe they can also lead the way in reducing our impact on the world around us.
46:28Masdar
46:49Arabia is a place where people and animals have lived alongside each other for thousands of years.
46:57Oil money has changed Arabia, but there is still a deep affinity for the natural world.
47:11Even today's ultra high-tech camel racing still has the Arab love of camels at its heart.
47:21At the end of each race, after the robots are dismounted and the prizes distributed,
47:30the camels are pampered like beloved family pets. Hand-fed alfalfa and dates.
47:51The Arab people have never forgotten that it was their relationship with the camel
47:56that enabled them to survive the inhospitable deserts of Arabia in the first place.
48:11If that deep connection with wildlife can be maintained,
48:15then there will always be a place for nature in the heart of Arabia.
48:45Spectacular gatherings of whale sharks appear every year off the coast of Arabia,
48:55but getting close to the biggest fish in the sea proved a challenge for the Wild Arabia team.
49:01Director Liz White and cameraman Hugh Miller are traveling out to the middle of the Gulf,
49:17midway between Qatar and Iran. They've joined up with a team of whale shark scientists.
49:32The scientists want to understand more about the mysteries of the Gulf's whale sharks,
49:38but they know that getting close to them will be particularly difficult.
49:42The sharks here are quite different from elsewhere because they swim quite fast,
49:47so getting all of the data that we need from one shark here is going to be a bit of a challenge.
49:52Hugh has been tipped off about these high-speed sharks, so he's brought a secret weapon.
49:59So this thing on the back here with the propeller is going to drive me through the water in a stable manner.
50:08But before Hugh's had time to prepare his kit, word comes from the bridge.
50:17The boat crew have spotted a group of whale sharks.
50:24From here we can just about make out the fins if they turn the right way,
50:28we've just got to go and check it out and see how many are there.
50:36With only his snorkel and his fins, Hugh goes into action.
50:41We've definitely got three sharks here, Hugh and Dave are in the water,
50:45but they move pretty fast. The guys are going to be swimming pretty hard to keep up with them.
50:50Sure enough, underwater Hugh is struggling. Whale sharks look like slow movers,
50:56but every stroke of that massive tail pushes them forward at great speed.
51:02Hugh can barely keep up, and keeping a steady shot while kicking so hard is nearly impossible.
51:12Not much filming success, but an amazing experience for Hugh.
51:17I mean you don't appreciate how many sharks there are,
51:20because I mean the visibility means I can only see so far,
51:23and it's incredible. Just come up here and there's just black fins everywhere.
51:33The scientists have also been pursuing the sharks with cameras.
51:37They want to get ID photographs of as many individuals as possible.
51:41The team uses specially adapted spear guns to attach the satellite transmitters.
51:46Whale shark skin is over 10 centimetres thick, so the sharks never feel a thing.
51:58The scientists have collected seawater samples that show why the sharks are here in the first place.
52:03I've got four pots here full of fish eggs, so we can kind of say that the sharks were
52:08certainly there to consume the fish eggs. I mean if you look to the density of those,
52:12I'd say that that was kind of two good-sized fillet steaks in around about three minutes,
52:18and these sharks were feeding with us for five hours, and after we left the water they were
52:22still feeding, and we were able to get a good sense of how much they were eating.
52:26Scientists and film crew are happy with the way things have started,
52:38but as evening falls the wind starts to pick up, and the morning brings heavy seas and bad news.
52:44I'm standing here with the weather forecast for the next 10 days, and it looks like we're going
52:51to have anywhere from 20 to 40 knots winds, and there's no end to it. It's just wind, wind,
52:58waves, and likelihood of seeing sharks in this kind of weather is close to zero.
53:07The dreaded Shamal winds blow from the northeast,
53:10bringing clouds of dust from the Iranian desert and churning up the sea.
53:16Even if they could see the sharks, it would be too dangerous to launch the dive boats in this
53:20weather. The Shamal can blow for weeks at a time. All the crew can do is wait.
53:33The science team take the chance to look over some of their ID photos.
53:39They have a program to help them recognize individual sharks by the pattern of their spots.
53:44Every pattern is unique, like human fingerprints.
53:52To everyone's relief, the weather improves sooner than expected.
53:58Soon, signs of life are spotted from the bridge. A school of bottlenose dolphins, but no whale sharks.
54:08Strong winds disperse the fish eggs, which the whales are here to feed on,
54:13and the groups of sharks often break up as a consequence.
54:18Liz makes use of a drilling platform as a vantage point.
54:30Whale sharks are often seen near the platform,
54:33because fish gather to spawn here.
54:41Watching the spawning fish is a popular pastime for the platform workers,
54:46some of whom take notes on any whale sharks they spot to help the research project.
54:53While the crew are on board, there's an encouraging sighting.
54:57Could this finally be Hugh's chance to try out his new toy?
55:05But just when it seems that everything is going smoothly...
55:08Very unfortunate timing. What's happening right now is we have an aggravation straight ahead of us.
55:13We've got a whale shark.
55:15We've got a whale shark.
55:17We've got a whale shark.
55:19We've got a whale shark.
55:21We've got a whale shark.
55:23We've got a whale shark.
55:26And now we have a big tanker coming in.
55:30So we cannot launch any boats.
55:32We don't know what's going to happen with the aggravation, if they're going to disperse and dive.
55:37I'm sure they are going to dive, because the tanker is heading right towards them.
55:43These are anxious moments for the film crew and the scientists.
55:47But the tanker takes a detour, leaving the whale sharks undisturbed.
55:56Now everything is good to go.
56:03Immediately, the propeller starts to deliver on his promise.
56:08Giving Hugh a smooth ride alongside these gentle giants.
56:26The whale shark is still on the move.
56:28The whale shark is still on the move.
56:30The whale shark is still on the move.
56:32The whale shark is still on the move.
56:34The whale shark is still on the move.
56:36The whale shark is still on the move.
56:38The whale shark is still on the move.
56:40The whale shark is still on the move.
56:42The whale shark is still on the move.
56:44The whale shark is still on the move.
56:46The whale shark is still on the move.
56:48The whale shark is still on the move.
56:50The whale shark is still on the move.
56:52The whale shark is still on the move.
56:54The whale shark is still on the move.
57:05After his magical encounter, Hugh does his bit for science.
57:11He's frozen a few shots from his video camera to see if he can help ID any of the shark.
57:15I think, Hugh, we have actually got a completely new individual
57:20looking at this side of it.
57:21So we've just added to the database.
57:23You have just added to the database.
57:24Maybe we'll call him Hugh.
57:26Brilliant, I'd love that.
57:28I think Hugh's a good name for a shark.
57:30Yeah, I think it's a very good name for a whale shark.
57:38Out at sea, having given film crew and scientists a glimpse into his life,
57:45Hugh the shark swims off into the depths.