Wild Mongolia - Go Wild

[Music] scorching sun for one half of the year for the other biting frost mongolia is a land of extremes with such a hostile climate its wealth of wildlife comes as a surprise over time humans and animals have learned to cope with harsh conditions [Applause] [Music] this is a land where life and death are close together [Applause] [Music] both hunters and their prey have found astonishing survival strategies [Music] fascinating wildlife inhabiting a hostile environment and breathtaking scenes this is wild mongolia mongolia is the dead centre of the asian continent and it is wedged between two worlds the icy wide open spaces of siberia and the hot and arid gobi desert between these two extremes mongolia's diversity unfolds the country's north is traversed by mighty rivers flowing into lake baikal and the sea of japan in the south the gobi desert huge sand dunes dominate the sea under mongolia's evergreen eastern sky the grassland seems spread into infinity and in the northwest the summits of the altai range rise to an altitude of more than 4 000 meters the locals call these peaks the golden mountains winter has not yet released its icy grip temperatures of minus 40 degrees centigrade are common here and violent winds are almost permanent [Applause] [Music] braving the elements hunters roam these mountains always followed by the watchful eye of agarly sheep [Music] but the agale need not fear these men they are kazakh falconers hunting with golden eagles and they are not after she [Music] for centuries they have come here in the middle of the winter to harvest ferns [Applause] the eagles that they have trained for the hunt boast a wingspan of more than two meters these are the world's largest eagles the females weigh up to seven kilos they can crush the skulls of wild cats foxes and even wolves [Music] [Music] is [Music] the golden eagle will not attack a healthy adult hagali sheep yet cautiously the herd moves away [Music] once the eagle has spotted its prey it strikes at a speed of more than 300 kilometers an hour [Music] this time it's not a fox but a dead hair [Music] [Music] such a harmless catch is not the rule wolves especially will fight back the falconers reward their birds for their dangerous service after seven or eight years about one half of their lives the birds are set free from that day on they have to fend for themselves [Music] [Music] ah [Applause] way down in the valley on the lee side of the range a herd of red deer is wandering all time these are probably the world's biggest stacks [Music] some 120 000 years ago the ancestors of these animals crossed the land bridge which at that time connected alaska and siberia today the merrell's american relatives are the wapiti the young males constantly test each other's strength serious fights only break out during the rut among dominant adult males and their younger challenges at this time of the year the herd is peaceful the woodlands flanking the altai range are home to one of mongolia's strangest animals it's remotely remated to the maraldir and mingles with them in peaceful harmony the animal looks like a roe deer with its front legs grown too short like a hair it sleeps in a hollow in the ground startled it will flee [Music] is a musk deer roaming the depth of the woodland for millennia men have hunted it to get musk a secretion from its rotting gland which was used to make perfume the males can be recognized by their tusks that are up to seven centimeters long in rival fights during the rut these weapons can cut deep wounds musk deer do not use these tusks to defend themselves against predators they prefer to flee the slightest disturbance [Music] while the musk deer seek the safety of the woods the morals seek out the last spot of the setting winter sun [Music] [Applause] [Music] mongolia is the world's least densely populated country an area 12 times that of england is inhabited by a mere 2.6 million people just one-twelfth of england's population they share the land with 25 million livestock here near the chinese and russian borders the rhythm of nomadic life is only defined by the seasons and the weather four to six times a year the herdsmen take down their girls and move on to new grazing grounds [Music] finding water is no problem for the animals they quench their thirst with snow but humans need to get water from the ice of frozen rivers [Music] up until the mid-1700s herds of wild yak roamed the altai range because of their tasty meat they were hunted to extinction [Music] this is where members of mongolia's largest ethnic minority the kazakhs have set up their winter camps life up here is austere for cooking ice must be carried from the river in these treeless regions the nomads hospitality is proverbial they share the little they have with their guests not only with relatives or friends but also with total strangers salted tea with milk and yak butter is served with a generous meal [Laughter] basic human solidarity is essential to survive under these hostile climate conditions [Music] few strangers find their way into these remote regions of mongolia during the winter months roads long nights when storms wrap up the winter camps there is ample time for weaving these colorful textiles are very popular [Music] for millennia humans and wild animals have shared the land probably best known among mongolian wildlife is the time the wild horse in the 1960s the last wild herds were destroyed but now more than three hundred tigers roam the steps of central asia magpies like to ride them and use them as watchtowers [Music] fourteen takis have survived in european zoos although various generations of these animals have lived in a much milder climate the titles have again adapted [Music] like the gazelles and wild donkeys roaming alongside they seem to know exactly where to find water and even where to find good grazing in the middle of winter [Music] [Applause] [Music] spring has come violent storms sweep across the plains [Music] [Applause] the land is literally sand blasted trumps can only take hold in wind protected corners [Music] the storm pulls at wild almond and juniper bushes these offer protection to flowers like anemones [Music] many have fallen victim to the severe winter magpies and other scavengers are busy cleaning up their remains when the bearded vultures descend on the scene even the bones of the turkeys will soon disappear [Music] the other wild horses have come through the winter very well now in early june most conspicuous animals but the real masters of the grasslands [Music] by digging tunnels they loosen up the soil their deserted burrows offer shelter to other animals they supply ample food for foxes and birds of prey but there's a threat [Music] [Music] the mama hunter's costume and behavior may seem bizarre [Music] it appears irresistible [Music] since monolith skins have been fetching good prices in the market entire regions have been depopulated [Music] [Applause] [Applause] further south is where the gobi desert begins [Applause] massive sand dunes tower over the plains driven by a constant northwesterly sand has accumulated to heights of more than 200 meters comes from rivers and lakes [Music] these are the legendary singing sounds the locals whisper stories of sand spirits searching in the desert for lost souls singing sands do exist but the sinister sound is not produced by ghosts it's sand masses gliding down the dunes that sound like voices [Music] the sound is loud and penetrating it seems to frighten the little ackermid the toad-headed agamid is not the only animal in this apparently lifeless desert bush cricket nibbles at the solitary little plant that has taken hold in the sand but then it takes off in search of a more tempting meal [Music] so [Music] the wind is the shaping force of the desert day after day it gives the land a new face [Music] [Applause] at the foot of a huge dune the sand is also in motion but it's not the wind this is the source of a desert river which is fed by numerous summer spirits [Music] [Applause] [Music] soon the rivulet grows into a small river flowing along the base of the tunes for a few kilometers it turns the area into a small oasis but then a little distance downstream and again disappears and sands [Music] the nomads come here to water their livestock into graves in times of death this river is the only source of water for many miles around at such times wild animals like gazelles and wild donkeys overcome their fear of man and come here to share the sparse vegetation with the camels on the edge of the oasis there is a plant that offers fodder all year round the saxal bush its long roots reach deep down into the ground to find water and its leaves are so small that it loses little water through evaporation along the base of the dunes there are often saks our forests where the nomads can find firewood seeking cover under these bushes the hunts for food [Music] in contrast to other plant eating habits these small reptiles have specialized in insects today ants are on the menu but ants fight back the gobi is not a pure sand desert just the opposite in fact only three percent of its area is covered by dunes the rest is a monotonous arid stem these equally hot semi-deserts are owned by mongolian wild donkeys or chikitans in recent years their numbers have dwindled the nomads regard them as grazing competitors [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] killing them is all too easy you only have to wait at a waterhole where they inevitably come to drink [Music] [Applause] [Music] all the other wild asian members of the donkey family have already been drastically reduced the chikitai too faces an uncertain future [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] eastward of the gobi the world's lastest these are the last great herds of mongolia in former days herds of thousands honored the step in winter but they too were seen as brazen competitors [Music] there are no trees even an elevation of the ground where they could build their nests [Applause] [Music] whenever the parents leave their young to hunt they have to leave the brood behind unprotected in spring cranes who have spent the winter further south returned to the open grasslands the natives say that these elegant demisel cranes will spend their entire lifetime with one partner since gazelles have been vanishing wolves and foxes have also become rare but some predators are still here down on the ground well hidden in the grass an especially efficient hunter is lying in weight the tarantula alert for even the slightest movement nearby [Music] a field cricket has caught the tarantula's attention at first the spider allows the cricket to gain some distance [Music] [Music] then with surprising agility it bounces its poison immediately kills the cricket to a human its effect is comparable to that of a wasp sting [Music] [Applause] [Music] of the bunches [Applause] these are asia's biggest birds bearded vultures with a wingspan of three meters the bearded vulture dominates the sky these vultures have a curious habit they bathe in earth which is rich in iron oxide to dye their white feathers red why these birds dyed their throats breasts and tails has been the subject of endless debates among ornithologists their theories range from regulating body temperature to fighting parasites to the possibility that females find males who dye their feathers more attractive when the dye has dried the birds return to their nests at the same moment on a sunny slope mongolian gerbils are out chasing for food gerbils are high-speed hunters flitting about to find insects seeds roots and green leaves all the water they need they take in with their food [Music] at this time of year they also gather food and cushioning material to prepare for mongolia's long winter [Music] gerbils have many natural enemies so they frequently stop listen and sit up on their hind legs to monitor their surroundings bearded vultures are strictly scavengers but gerbils don't take risks and react to any moving shadows [Music] [Music] with his feathers freshly dyed the male visits its partner the female seems duly impressed and then he's off to scan a vast area for carcasses [Music] [Applause] [Music] bearded vultures are usually the last ones of the carcass it's the skeleton that they're after to others the bones may be leftovers but bones if you can digest them contain lots of protein fat and minerals enough to keep a huge bearded vulture going the bearded vulture's stomach produces enormous amounts of hydrochloric acid enabling it to dissolve even big tachy or ibex bones [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] on the fringe of the gobi desert the lifestyle of nomads has hardly changed for centuries their gears circular felt tents offer shadow in summer on the treeless plains in winter they give shelter against the icy winds all the wealth of a nomad family is vested in their livestock only goats sheep and horses and camels can live on the meager pastures of this semi-desert [Music] once a year the herdsmen comb their cashmere goats to get valuable wall it is the only product a nomad family can sell [Music] the goats are milked daily their milk is used for the popular milk tea and summer milk is abundant during the cold season the nomads eat durable milk products like cheese and yogurt [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the sheep are kept for the family's own use for meat only adult animals are killed nevertheless [Music] mongols are known as horse lovers but their most valued possession are their camels [Music] camels used to carry all the belongings of the family from pasture to pasture once a calf is set up the camels are simply set free to graze [Music] in recent years the animal population of mongolia has been extended it's a strange view to see an aircraft of air mongolia land in the middle of nowhere the plane carries [Applause] the boxes being unloaded contain tachys mongolian wild horses the last 14 individuals of the species who had survived in european zoos have meanwhile multiplied into a population of about 1400 animals [Music] [Applause] [Music] for 15 years now takis have been regularly released into the wild now the gobi alone is again home to more than 150 wild horses apart from the extreme climate the need to find food demands great adjustments from these animals but they seem quick to acclimatize and soon move naturally through their old homestead [Applause] for the nomads the arrival of the tarkis is a cause to celebrate mongolian bbq means goat broiled in its own skin [Applause] it's an interesting recipe goat chop up the meat and the innocence eat a pile of rocks in the stove put the heated rocks together with the chopped up meat back into the skin when everything that was taken out of the goat has again disappeared inside carefully close the skin with a wire now take a blow torch and carefully remove the goat's hair the animal's skin acts like a pressure cooker after about a half an hour the mongolian bbq is ready to serve before the meal the participants have to take the stones repeatedly from one hand into the other this the no moment say brings good luck it's dinner time this alcoholic drink tastes like sour milk and has an incredibly invigorating effect it's a real treat landlord gets the vodka bottles out [Music] down by the river domestic sheep and goats mingle with especially endearing wild [Music] animals seusslick's penetrating whistle is a warning of anything that seems suspicious [Music] and a step eagle is extremely suspicious [Applause] [Music] a seuss-like colony can build a veritable underground city their tunnels serve different purposes this one at some distance from the borough is a type of bunker offering immediate cover when danger appears here soo slick can wait until the sky is clear again [Music] the actual burrows are deeper and much more spacious here the young are born and the family can hibernate [Music] first of all the male carefully inspects the tunnel but then all its attention is turned to the female [Music] in about one month the pair will have a letter [Music] the sand martins are still behind they have only begun to dig fresh nesting tunnels into the river's steep embankment [Music] the mountains only have a few summer weeks to raise their offspring from autumn the fledglings have to be fit to follow their parents on the long road to africa apart from desert step and high mountains mongolia has other fascinating landscapes for instance the river valleys [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is where many smaller rivers unite into larger walls that will eventually reach lake baikal or the sea of japan [Music] the crystal clear waters in the upper ranges are the hunting ground of the biggest relative of salmon and trout the thai man a grayling and several lennox also relatives of the trout have been attracted by the taemin's conspicuous behavior [Music] it is a female about to dig a hollow into the gravel where it will lay its eggs [Music] a male approaches a huge fish timing can grow to the length of one and a half meters and weigh up to 30 kilos [Music] voraciously railings and lenox [Music] [Music] [Music] in a way it seems to serve up justice now the lennox may prey on the time and offspring but soon they themselves will fall prey to this huge fish [Music] to mongolians water has always been something sacred now in times of economic upturn the challenge is to preserve this unique habitat for the future [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] further north near the siberian border the scenery is more reminiscent of the alps than [Music] large forests are interspersed with patches of birch that merge into broadleaf woodlands with lower levels the fauna too resembles that of europe wild boar may be smaller than the european relatives but they too are irresistibly attracted to puddles and mud holes [Applause] a wild boar's short neck does not allow it to groom its coat using its teeth layers of modern clay help to keep parasites at bay and to protect the skin against mosquitoes [Music] [Applause] under the eyes of a wheatie the pigs retreat from their wallow to the forest [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] from the densely wooded north back to the treeless step in the heart of mongolia [Music] in the early morning sun a flop of young angali sheep is on its way to fresh pastures one or two animals permanently scan the horizon for signs of danger so that the others can safely graze [Applause] the slightest disturbance sets them off [Applause] [Music] the agale are extremely shy because wolves and snow leopards are not their own enemies many animals are killed by poachers whether killed by walls or by poachers the remains are cleaned away by serious bulging [Music] for a long time the people believed that the natural resources of the land under the ever blue skies were inexhaustible in recent years they have learned that wasteful use of resources will leave ugly scars even in a land as vast as mongolia more and more people here demand a way of living that is more in harmony with nature not a return to the past but an ongoing respect for nature something the nomads have practiced for centuries [Music] part of the nomadic tradition is celebrating together the main social event of the year the men's three-part competition from far and wide they have come to the celebration which is opened with the traditional wrestling championship the rules of the nadam reflect the character of a land which is tough and limitless for the wrestling fights there are no limits of time or space whoever first touches ground with any body part except the feet has lost the fight [Music] for this nation of horsemen the riding competition marks the climax of the celebration the horses are ridden by children from 6 to 12. [Music] the children have to ride more than 25 kilometers into the desert under a scorching sun and then back again at the festival the public were waiting in suspense for their return soon after the start the field of 120 horses the exact number is unknown stretches out and not all who set out will reach the finish line [Music] the tension among the people is rising almost every family has a horse in the race the children have been training for months since in the evening there's a grand award ceremony the winner gets a television set [Music] people living like they did centuries ago landscapes rough and full of contrast this is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Go Wild

Views: 567,297

Keywords: orf universum, documentary, blue chip, natural history, secrets of nature, planet earth, wildlife, free documentary, watch full documentary, nature films, wildlife films, wild mongolia, wild asia

Id: wjF-ns6a3XU

Length: 50min 12sec (3012 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 28 2022