Asia – Secret Lives, Hidden Places

2013•45m

Behind the veil of tourism in Asia’s most stunning National Parks people and animals share the same backyard. Unlike protected areas in North America and Europe, the diverse endangered habitats of Asia are almost always home to people as well as wildlife. This series explores how people and animals live and survive together. Meet gentle Shinto people who have learned how to live in the shadow of an active volcano, a tribal man who cares for orphan elephants by day while wild elephants threaten his village every night and see how the spirits of a tropical island off Borneo stopped a local Imam from cutting down the rainforest. One-horned rhinoceroses, Asiatic elephants, Guizhou golden monkeys and a cast of other wildlife characters fill the lands of Asia from the flood plains of India to the granite peaks of China’s holy mountains. The result is a fusion of great stories, engaging characters and rare and threatened wildlife against a backdrop of drama and beauty.

Production

Seasons

10 Episodes • Premiered 2013

1. Kaziranga National Park: India – Where Wild Things Roam

The rare one-horned rhinoceros is being poached in Kaziranga National Park. Herds of elephants are on the move and a new born baby elephant has lost its mother. People who live in Kaziranga risk their lives to make sure the wild animals stay safe, including the tigers that also roam the park.

2. Khao Sok National Park: Thailand – Wild Lives of Khao Sok

Khao Sok National Park is framed by karst sandstone formations. Mighty ghost-like shaped rocks mark the shores of lake Khao Sok, a huge reservoir on which only a very few fishermen are permitted to live. Ancient caves are found in the watery depths and in the mountainous heights.

3. Tun Sakaran Marine Park: Malaysia – Paradise Found

One of the world’s most diverse reef systems off the coast of Borneo has just become protected - Tun Sakaran Marine Park. It’s a magical paradise where an ancient volcano once erupted. Hundreds of species of corals and fish live here -- and so do many people who rely on the sea to survive.

4. Aso-Kuju and Unzen-Amakusa National Parks: Japan – Under the Volcano

Nature has created rare beauty here on Kyushu, one of the islands of Japan. But within recent memory, in 1991, there was a devastating volcanic eruption. This is the story of how people live in the shadow of destruction, under the volcanoes of Japan.

5. Mt Tianzhu and Mt Fanjing National Parks: China – Mountains of the Gods

The man who saved the last colony of Guizhou golden monkeys is getting old. He must pass responsibility on to the next in line. But will his successor be able to keep the monkeys safe? And a Buddhist master needs to replenish her spirit on the peak of a sacred mountain but she is afraid of heights!

6. Episode 6

7. Episode 7

8. Episode 8

9. Episode 9

10. Episode 10

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