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The Ganges is the longest river in India. It flows from the glaciers of the world's highest mountains, the Himalayas, to the largest bay in the world, the Bay of Bengal. Human pollution threatens to overwhelm the river, but somehow wild animals survive. Hindus believe that Ganges water has the power to purify, and it seems there is some scientific evidence to support this conviction: microscopic organisms actually eat bacteria that could cause disease, and uniquely high level levels of oxygen break down organic waste faster than any in other river. This self-cleaning property of Ganges water helps support some of the last remaining true wilderness in the world - the Sundarbans swamp. Here, India's largest population of wild tigers have never learned to fear man, making them very dangerous neighbors.
讲的是恒河从喜马拉雅冰川流向孟加拉湾，以及沿岸野生动物的生存故事
每集聚焦印度一个标志性区域，其中“生命之河”这一集主要拍摄恒河流域的恒河豚、恒河鳄等濒危物种，也提到恒河水的“自净”能力支撑了孙德尔本斯沼泽的野生老虎种群
讲的是恒河从喜马拉雅冰川流向孟加拉湾，以及沿岸野生动物的生存故事
每集聚焦印度一个标志性区域，其中“生命之河”这一集主要拍摄恒河流域的恒河豚、恒河鳄等濒危物种，也提到恒河水的“自净”能力支撑了孙德尔本斯沼泽的野生老虎种群
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TVTranscript
00:00The Ganges, the longest river in India.
00:06On its epic journey from the world's highest mountains
00:10to cultivated farmland,
00:13sprawling wilderness,
00:14to the Indian Ocean.
00:17It provides a home to some of India's rarest creatures
00:24and a lifeline to millions of people.
00:28Considered a goddess to Hindus,
00:31the Ganges harbours one of the great contradictions of life in India.
00:35The river people most cherish
00:38is the river they most pollute.
00:43But the Ganges hides life-sustaining secrets.
00:59the leaves fully
01:06on us.
01:32From its origins in the Himalayas,
01:34the Ganges flows over two and a half thousand kilometers across northern India,
01:39before emptying into the ocean on the border of India and Bangladesh.
01:46This mighty river is home to some of the rarest and strangest animals on the planet,
01:52including elusive river dolphins and bizarre long-nosed reptiles.
02:03The Ganges also support some of the last true wilderness in the world,
02:08where India's largest population of tigers still thrives.
02:16Nourished by sediment washed from the Himalayas,
02:19the Gangetic Plains are some of the most fertile land on earth,
02:24and home to India's giants.
02:29But man has reaped rewards too.
02:32Vast areas of natural habitat have been destroyed
02:35to make way for farming and industry.
02:40Half a billion people live in the Ganges Basin,
02:43eight percent of the world's population.
02:47The river not only provides livelihoods and drinking water,
02:52it carries away the sewage and waste of millions.
02:58For Hindus, the Ganges is far more than a river.
03:03She's a goddess, Ganga.
03:10The grime of thousands of people taking a holy bath
03:13filters into the water every day.
03:18Offerings to the goddess and human cremations on the banks
03:21add to the strain on the river.
03:25But despite this,
03:28unique properties in Ganges' water
03:29could explain how rare creatures
03:32and rich vegetation
03:33are able to survive.
03:40Hindu belief in the goddess Ganga's power to purify
03:44could prove to be more than just blind faith.
03:54The Ganges starts its life
03:56among the highest mountains in the world,
03:58the Himalayas.
04:01Many of the peaks reach over 6,000 meters
04:04and are constantly covered in snow and ice.
04:10Over 15,000 glaciers
04:12make this the world's largest store of fresh water
04:15outside the polar ice caps.
04:19The Gangotri Glacier
04:21is one of the largest.
04:25The glacier stretches for 30 kilometers
04:28and fills a valley with solid ice.
04:32Its leading edge is called Gaumuk,
04:35the cow's mouth,
04:36as the water which flows under its vast icy tongue
04:40is milky white.
04:45Hindus consider this to be the source of the Ganges.
04:58It's said that if you drink at Gaumuk,
05:01you live for a hundred years.
05:07But the true headwaters of the Ganges begin above the glacier,
05:12nearly four and a half thousand meters above sea level.
05:17Few animals can survive in this harsh environment.
05:26A Himalayan blue sheep's dense fur
05:29helps insulate it against the cold.
05:32But even here,
05:34predators are on the prowl.
05:37Snow leopards
05:39are perfectly adapted to mountain life.
05:46woolly fur keeps out the cold wind.
05:52Its long, thick tail
05:53can be wrapped around its body like a scarf.
06:00Even the soles of its feet
06:01are covered with fur
06:02for extra warmth.
06:08Minerals in rocks
06:09supplement a blue sheep's meagre diet.
06:12But they need to be eaten with care.
06:18Rock falls are common.
06:30Constant freeze and thaw
06:31makes mountain slopes unstable.
06:38A blue sheep which has lost its footing
06:40is an easy meal.
06:50Snow melt from the Himalayas
06:52continually feeds the Ganges.
06:56Hindu mythology tells that Ganga,
06:58the river goddess,
06:59originally flowed through the heavens.
07:02She was brought to earth
07:03by a devout king,
07:05Bagheerath,
07:06whose ancestors had been turned to ashes
07:08by an angry sage.
07:11The goddess Ganga agreed to come and release
07:14these trapped souls,
07:15but warned that her torrential power
07:18would wash the world away.
07:21Bagheerath petitioned Lord Shiva for help.
07:24Shiva put his matted hair in the path of the heavenly river.
07:28His dreadlocks absorbed the torrent's destructive force
07:31and split the deluge into a thousand smaller streams.
07:39The fast-flowing mountain brooks are full of insect larvae
07:43and an ideal hunting ground for a brown dipper.
07:51Heads are full of insect larvae.
07:52Weighing less than a hundred grams,
07:53these small birds seem likely to be washed away by the current.
08:00But they're well-adapted to forage for food in the rocky stream bed.
08:07Their short wings are strong enough to swim underwater,
08:10and their blood stores more oxygen than terrestrial birds,
08:14allowing them to hold their breath for half a minute.
08:17Ample time to grab a beak full.
08:23The young Ganges river that flows from the Gangotri glacier
08:27is called Bagheerati,
08:29in honour of the king that brought the river goddess to earth.
08:3450 kilometres downstream,
08:36the turbulent Bagheerati collides with one of its sister streams,
08:40the sedate and muddy Alignanda.
08:45The two run alongside each other for 200 metres
08:48before their waters mix.
08:51This river is now called Ganges.
08:59Raging water calms
09:01as the river reaches the flatlands of the Gangetic Plains.
09:06Sediments carried from high among the glaciers are released.
09:13The Ganges deposits 1.6 billion tonnes of sediment every year,
09:18four times as much as the Amazon.
09:21This creates some of the most fertile land in the world.
09:31The Ganges river basin
09:33covers a million square kilometres of northeastern India.
09:41Much of this huge floodplain has been farmed,
09:44but a few pockets of wild grassland and forest survive
09:47among the river's furthest tributaries
09:50in a region known as the Tarai.
10:01The Tarai is home to one of the largest animals in the world,
10:04the Indian rhino.
10:10Males can weigh up to 3,000 kilos,
10:13twice the weight of the average family car.
10:19Indian rhinos once roamed right across the Gangetic Plains,
10:23but now are found in just a few protected areas.
10:29their single horn can grow to over half a metre in length.
10:43A prehensile lip makes their mouths almost as nimble as a hand.
10:55A prehensile lip makes their mouths almost as nimble as a hand.
10:56They're poor, but their sense of smell is sharp.
11:00Scent glands on their feet leave a pungent trail wherever they walk.
11:06At midday, pre-monsoon heat nudges temperatures into the 40s.
11:13Rhinos seek refuge in the river.
11:16As they are the most aquatic of all rhinos,
11:18a calf's first lesson is how to swim.
11:27Indian rhinos are more tolerant of company
11:30than their African cousins
11:31and often bathe together.
11:36But tempers fray when females are on heat.
11:46Battles over breeding rights can be bloody.
11:54Thick warty folds around a male's neck
11:56offer some protection.
12:01But fights like this often lead to death.
12:07The reward for the victorious male is the right to mate.
12:15In 16 months,
12:17the female will give birth to one calf.
12:20It will be two to three years before she's ready to mate again.
12:36The floodplains of the Ganges in northern India
12:39contain some of the world's most fertile soil.
12:46Nearly 500 million people live in the Ganges river basin.
12:51It's one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
12:56Wildlife is under increasing pressure
12:59from the huge number of people sharing the river's resources.
13:04Ganges water is naturally muddy.
13:08Runoff from farming and industry makes it murkier still.
13:13But there are animals living here.
13:17One creature is seen so rarely.
13:20It seems almost mythical.
13:28The Gangetic River dolphin
13:30spends most of its time foraging for food.
13:42Visibility in the water is so poor
13:45that the dolphins' eyes have lost their lenses.
13:49They're almost completely blind
13:51and use echolocation to navigate and detect prey.
14:01Like its marine cousins,
14:03the river dolphin is a mammal
14:05and has to surface every few minutes to breathe.
14:09local people call it susu
14:12after the sound it makes
14:13when it takes in air
14:14through the blow hole on the top of its head.
14:36The elusive susu
14:38isn't the only strange creature to call the Ganges home.
14:47These armor plates
14:49belong to one of the largest crocodilians in the world.
14:53The gharial.
15:02Male gharials can grow to be six meters long.
15:07This prehistoric-looking predator poses no threat to man.
15:15Its long, slender jaws
15:17are too delicate to tackle large mammals.
15:22They're adapted to hunt fish.
15:25A slim-lined snout
15:27whips through the water with little drag.
15:34Slippery fish are skewered on rows of razor-sharp teeth.
15:41Tiny pits in their scales
15:43detect vibrations in the water
15:45and help pinpoint prey.
15:57Male gharials develop a bump
15:58at the end of their noses
15:59called a gara
16:01after the Hindi word for pot.
16:05The bigger the gara
16:06the more attractive a male is to a mate.
16:14But a female may hear her suitor
16:17before she sees him.
16:25Air, squeezed through the male's nostrils,
16:28is amplified by his bulbous snout.
16:32It becomes a loud buzzing sound
16:34that can be heard up to a kilometer away.
16:41A female raises her head,
16:44a sign she's ready to mate.
16:50The courting couple slip under the cover of water
16:53and stay submerged for up to half an hour.
17:00Females lay their eggs on sandy riverbanks.
17:07Gharials are much better adapted to life in water.
17:10On land,
17:12the female's short legs
17:13can't lift her body clear of the ground.
17:17Under the cover of darkness
17:20she buries up to a hundred eggs.
17:25Sand acts as an incubator.
17:27It absorbs the sun's warmth
17:29and keeps the eggs
17:30between 30 and 34 degrees Celsius.
17:36The mother guards her nest for two months
17:38while her eggs develop.
17:43Their eggs
17:44are some of the largest
17:45in the crocodile world
17:46and make a tasty meal
17:48for a jackal
17:49or a monitor lizard.
18:02Gharials are an ancient species
18:04over 60 million years old.
18:12Just 60 years ago
18:14there were thought to be
18:15as many as 10,000 living wild.
18:18Today
18:19there are fewer than 200.
18:23They've been hunted
18:24for their meat and skins
18:26and for the male's gara
18:28which some people believe
18:29is an aphrodisiac.
18:33As the Ganges banks
18:35succumb to agriculture
18:36and industry
18:37their habitat
18:39is being destroyed too.
18:44Human pressure
18:45has pushed gharials
18:46to the brink of extinction.
18:50But for Hindus
18:51the worship,
18:53protection and feeding
18:54of animals
18:55is key to their faith.
19:03Usi Sahami
19:04rose across the Ganges
19:06every morning.
19:10Feeding gals
19:11has been her daily ritual
19:13for 20 years.
19:16She considers it
19:17her duty as a Hindu
19:18and believes
19:20it will help her achieve
19:21a better existence
19:22in the next life.
19:26Reincarnation
19:26is a core belief
19:27of Hinduism.
19:29Nowhere
19:29is this more evident
19:30than in Usi's hometown
19:33Varanasi.
19:36Varanasi
19:37is at the heart
19:38of the Ganges
19:39and is considered
19:40to be the holiest place
19:41in India.
19:43It's one of the oldest
19:45cities in the world.
19:50People have been coming here
19:52to bathe in the Ganges
19:53for over 3,000 years.
19:58The water is believed
19:59to wash away sins
20:00and purify the soul.
20:06Every Hindu
20:07dreams of visiting
20:08the Ganges.
20:11But for many
20:12who come to Varanasi
20:14it's the last journey
20:15they'll ever make.
20:19Varanasi
20:19is a city of death.
20:24Hindus believe
20:25every soul
20:27is locked
20:27in a perpetual cycle
20:28of birth
20:29and reincarnation
20:30known as Samsara.
20:33Death
20:34is just one link
20:35in the chain.
20:38The scent
20:39of sandalwood
20:40incense
20:41and ghee
20:41fills the air.
20:43funeral pyres
20:44burn round the clock.
20:52Varanasi
20:52is considered
20:53to be a gateway
20:54between heaven
20:54and earth.
20:57To die
20:58and be cremated here
20:59is believed
21:00to ease the soul
21:01on its journey
21:02to the next life.
21:05The ultimate goal
21:06is to escape
21:07the suffering
21:08of repeated lives
21:09and attain
21:10moksha, release.
21:19For the untouchable
21:20Dom cast
21:21Varanasi's
21:22undertakers
21:23death
21:24is a way of life.
21:27The Doms
21:28keep Varanasi's
21:29fires burning.
21:31They sell the wood
21:32and prepare bodies
21:34for cremation.
21:36The chief undertaker
21:37the Dom Raja
21:38guards
21:40an eternal flame
21:40from which
21:41all pyres
21:42must be lit.
21:47An average
21:47of 250 cremations
21:49take place
21:50on the burning ghats
21:51every day.
21:52The ashes
21:53of thousands
21:54are scattered
21:55in the Ganges River
21:56each year.
21:58When the funeral
21:59is over
22:01religious devotion
22:02dissolves
22:02into raw reality
22:03once more.
22:05The Doms
22:06sift
22:06through their
22:07client's remains
22:08looking for spoils.
22:12They're rumored
22:13to collect
22:13up to 7 grams
22:14of gold teeth
22:15and earrings
22:15every day.
22:18In Varanasi
22:20the spiritual
22:21and the mundane
22:21go hand in hand.
22:24Pilgrims wash
22:25wash while they worship
22:26and pollute
22:27as they purify.
22:30The Ganges
22:31is one of the most
22:32polluted rivers
22:33in the world.
22:38Yet the life-sustaining
22:39power of Ganges water
22:40has been recognized
22:42for hundreds of years.
22:47in the 16th century
22:49the Mughal emperor
22:51Akbar
22:51called it the water
22:53of immortality.
22:54He would serve nothing
22:55else to his guests
22:56because it tasted
22:58so sweet.
23:00200 years later
23:02the British East India
23:04company
23:04regularly stocked ships
23:06with barrels of Ganges water.
23:07water.
23:11They claimed
23:12no other water
23:13stayed as fresh
23:14for the three-month
23:15journey back to England.
23:22Today
23:23despite huge numbers
23:25gathering to bathe
23:27often where raw sewage
23:28drains into the river
23:30there have been no
23:31recorded outbreaks
23:32of major diseases
23:33like cholera or typhoid.
23:40Hindus insist
23:41Ganges water
23:42has the power
23:43to purify.
23:45Maybe there is more
23:46to this claim
23:47than meets the eye.
23:52The lower reaches
23:53of India's Ganges
23:54river basin
23:55are so fertile
23:57the locals call the area
23:58the rice bowl of India.
24:08farmers reap
24:09four rice harvests
24:10a year here
24:12double that
24:12of many parts
24:13of the country.
24:17But these fertile fields
24:19bring dangers
24:20of their own.
24:24A deadly monocled cobra
24:26feasts on a toad
24:28common prey
24:29in a paddy field.
24:32The snake's hunting trip
24:34brings it perilously
24:35close to farmers
24:36harvesting rice.
24:40A million people
24:42in India
24:42are bitten by snakes
24:43every year.
24:47Monocled cobras
24:48are one of the most
24:49venomous snakes
24:50in Asia.
24:54Fangs inject poison
24:56that paralyzes
24:57its victim's nervous
24:58system
24:59and breaks down
25:00its cells.
25:08One bite
25:09can kill a man
25:10in less than an hour.
25:19Many people here
25:20have an understandable
25:21fear of snakes.
25:23But in the village
25:24of Chotopashla
25:25in West Bengal
25:26the attitude towards
25:28these deadly serpents
25:29is rather more
25:30surprising.
25:33Snakes are drawn
25:34to the village
25:34in search of rodents
25:35often found
25:36around human settlements.
25:38and the birdsнуть
25:38and the birds
26:09A rat in the larder is one thing, a cobra in the bedroom, quite another.
26:35But instead of causing panic, the venomous visitor raises not so much as an eyebrow.
26:44Villagers here don't just tolerate snakes, they worship them.
26:50The village priest is summoned to relocate the revered intruder.
26:56He's the only one permitted to handle them.
27:01Chotopashla's 6,000 residents share the village with 3,000 monocled cobras.
27:09Village elders tell the tale that snakes arrived six centuries ago to seek refuge from a huge flood.
27:19Flood water brought with it remarkable rice production.
27:25Snakes have been associated with prosperity ever since.
27:32When he's not removing snakes from people's homes, Shyamal Chakrabarti leads the worship in the village temple.
27:48Villagers make offerings of fruit and sweets to the snake goddess Manasseh, who they believe keeps their fields flourishing and
27:56their people safe from snake bite.
28:02When a dead snake is found, Shyamal carries its body to the Ganges, so it can continue its journey of
28:09reincarnation.
28:17As well as a sacred burial site for humans and animals, the Ganges also provides a hunting ground for one
28:25of the world's most skillful aquatic predators.
28:32Smooth-coated otters are in their element underwater.
28:39Ears and nostrils close to keep water out, as they propel themselves with powerful webbed hind feet and a strong
28:49flattened tail.
28:55Thick, velvety coats provide a streamlined surface, crucial to the high-speed pursuit of fish.
29:07An otter can change direction in a flash.
29:12Sensitive whiskers detect the slightest movement of prey.
29:22Unlike other otters, smooth-coated otters are social animals.
29:30Family groups of as many as 17 share a territory led by a dominant female.
29:40Riggling against each other helps dry their coats and reinforces bonds.
29:48Otters work as a team when they hunt, corralling shells of fish and sharing the spoils.
29:58But they aren't the only fishermen on the river.
30:10Satchin Bishwash has made his living on the Ganges for over 40 years.
30:17But Satchin is no ordinary angler.
30:21He has a secret weapon, otters.
30:31He's recruited some of nature's most talented fishermen and trained them to herd fish into his nets.
30:45The fact that fish survive in this polluted river is another indication that Ganges water has unique properties.
31:06Today's catch is small, but profitable.
31:11Catfish can fetch over $30 each.
31:23This family of otters has been fishing with Satchin's family for generations.
31:31But the men must still be careful.
31:35Even a friendly nip could take a man's finger clean off.
31:43Otters work hard and are well paid for their labor.
31:47No matter how small they catch, they are first to be fed.
31:57Back in their village, the otters get time to take a dust bath with their pops.
32:06This is their fourth litter, five healthy and boisterous males.
32:15A second helping of fish keeps the family content.
32:22The pups have a lot to learn yet about catching food.
32:28They are three months old and just about weaned.
32:33Satchin's mother always lends a hand rearing the otters.
32:42In a few weeks, these youngsters will begin their training and learn to fish with the humans.
32:49And when they are a year old, Satchin will sell them on.
32:52A good fishing otter can fetch over $200.
32:58Much of the fish Satchin catches is sold and transported downstream,
33:02where it ends up in the markets of one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world.
33:10Calcutta is home to nearly 16 million people and sprawls along the Hoogli River,
33:15the main branch of the Ganges that runs to the sea.
33:21Once capital of the British Raj, Calcutta is now one of India's most diverse and chaotic cities.
33:29Calcutta's lifeblood is its river, which it depends on for trade, industry and hydroelectric power.
33:37The city is far removed from the wild Ganges.
33:40And it's a stark reminder of the huge demands put on the river by man.
33:48But just 60 kilometers upstream, a recent discovery has provided a glimmer of hope for the Ganges and its wildlife.
33:58Garials are making a comeback.
34:02Thought to be extinct in this part of the river, there have been no garial sightings here for over 30
34:08years.
34:09Until now.
34:14Muted squeaks bring a female out of the water.
34:20When they're ready to hatch, her young call out from inside their eggs.
34:26It's their mother's cue to give them a helping hand and dig them out.
34:33The little hatchlings pierce the leathery shell of their eggs with a tiny egg tooth that grows on the tip
34:39of their snouts.
35:04A female garial cannot carry her young to the water like other crocodilians.
35:10Her teeth are too sharp.
35:13The hatchlings need to make their own way to the river.
35:28But one nest has been unearthed by the wrong reptile.
35:36A monitor lizard makes short work of a clutch of eggs.
35:41The mother moves quickly.
36:01But she's not quick enough.
36:05This clutch has been unlucky.
36:09But others have survived.
36:14Less than 40 centimeters long when they hatch, newborn garials are vulnerable to predators too.
36:26But their mother protects them for several weeks while they learn to hunt.
36:32Juveniles feed on insects and small frogs.
36:36It will be a few years before these miniature predators pose any threat to fish.
36:42It's thought that there are now at least a hundred garials living in this stretch of river.
36:48If they're surviving here, so close to a big city, then there may yet be some hope for their future.
37:03The Ganges supplies trillions of gallons of water for farming and industry and flushes away the waste of millions of
37:13people.
37:16Despite this, Hindus drink it every day and claim that far from making them ill, it's good for physical and
37:25spiritual health.
37:28Scientists have studied this paradox.
37:33The Ganges seems to contain a natural disinfectant, capable of killing pathogens that cause widespread disease.
37:43Research has identified the presence of bacteriophages.
37:49Microscopic organisms that feed on bacteria.
37:53When they find food, bacteriophages multiply incredibly quickly.
38:00In less than half an hour, 100 can become 100,000.
38:07The more people that enter the water, the more food is available to the Ganges bacteriophages.
38:17In an invisible feeding frenzy, they eliminate diseases before they spread.
38:26Tests also show that the Ganges carries an unusually large amount of dissolved oxygen.
38:34This helps break down the human and animal waste spewed into the river.
38:41The Ganges does this 25 times faster than any other river.
38:47This could be the secret to the survival of animals here.
38:54A high oxygen content sustains a healthy fish population, which in turn supports the Ganges aquatic animals, river dolphins,
39:06gharials, and otters.
39:09And organic waste is broken down into nutrients that are useful rather than harmful to the environment.
39:28On the border of India and Bangladesh, the Ganges dissolves into the largest river delta on earth.
39:36Formed by the confluence of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Magna rivers, this super delta is a labyrinth of
39:44channels and creeks.
39:47In it lies the largest tract of mangrove swamp and forest on earth, the Sundarbans.
39:58The Sundarbans.
39:58Rivers wash mud and silt out into the Bay of Bengal.
40:03Ocean tides flood the forest with salt water every day.
40:09It's one of the world's most challenging natural environments.
40:14The Sundarbans is a place where land meets sea, and the line in between is blurred.
40:20Even the fish seem confused.
40:24Mud skippers spend more time out of the water than in it.
40:30Water stored in pouches stops their gills drying out, and they can breathe through their skin as long as it's
40:36wet.
40:42Modified pectoral fins are strong enough to pull them over the ground,
40:46and they can skip over half a meter by flexing their tails.
40:53During the breeding season, tensions run high, and males defend their territories.
41:01Blue markings become brighter.
41:05Dorsal fins wave like warning flags.
41:09If this fails to deter an intruder, there's nothing left except mouth-to-mouth combat.
41:20Trees also have strange adaptations.
41:23To escape the waterlogged soil, their roots send up stalks, which absorb oxygen from the atmosphere.
41:36For a wild boar, the muddy Sundarbans are paradise.
41:42Chital deer look up rather than down for food.
41:48And always keep an eye open for danger.
41:51And always keep an eye open for danger.
41:53With good reason.
41:58In the Sundarbans, the tiger is still king of the jungle.
42:05Stripes break up its outline and make it hard to spot through the trees.
42:12Male tigers are the heaviest cats in the world.
42:16They can weigh over 200 kilos, about three times more than the average human.
42:22Paws the size of side plates, spread their weight, and help them move silently through the forest.
42:33Tigers creep as close to prey as possible before launching an attack.
42:39Thick mangroves provide plenty of cover.
42:45Chital deer are favorite targets.
42:54Tiger's canines can grow to ten centimeters, the longest of any cat.
43:04They're so powerful, they've been known to bring down animals six times their own weight.
43:15The Chital sense danger.
43:18Fleeing into water is usually a good tactic for escaping predators.
43:31But tigers don't mind getting wet.
43:45They're so powerful.
43:57Unlike most cats, they're excellent swimmers.
44:14With its catch back on dry land, the big cat makes light work of its meal.
44:20A rough tongue scrapes meat clean off the bone.
44:28Today the Sundarbans is home to the largest population of wild Bengal tigers in India.
44:34Over 400.
44:40It's the only place on earth where these big cats live in such an aquatic environment.
44:47Tigers have embraced their watery world and will feed on fish and crabs.
44:59But there is something else on their menu.
45:08The Sundarbans tigers are notorious man-eaters.
45:14It's thought that as many as 250 people are killed in tiger attacks here every year.
45:22Foraging in the forest for honey or firewood can be fatal.
45:27Some say a tiger can even pull a man from a boat.
45:35Villagers have even been dragged from their beds.
45:44It's still not fully understood why the tigers here are such a threat to man.
45:49People live close to tigers in other parts of India.
45:52But nowhere else are fatalities so high.
45:57One theory is, they've developed a taste for human flesh after scavenging on the bodies of cyclone victims.
46:05Devastating weather in the Bay of Bengal kills thousands of people every year.
46:12Or perhaps these tigers have never learned to fear man.
46:17In the 20th century, big game hunting caused India's tiger population to crash from 40,000 to just 1,800.
46:31But impenetrable mangrove forest protected Sundarbans tigers from man and his guns.
46:41Here, people are prey.
46:44But each time a tiger takes a human life, the precarious existence of its own kind is shaken.
46:52Fear and reprisal leads to tigers being killed.
46:56For a species on the brink of extinction, every tiger death is a catastrophe.
47:03A government conservation program works hard to keep man and cat safe from each other.
47:16As home to one of the world's most endangered animals, the Sundarbans will be protected so people, as well as
47:24tigers, can benefit from it for generations to come.
47:32While the Sundarbans is one of the world's great wildernesses, a small island just a few miles away hosts one
47:39of the planet's largest gatherings of people.
47:46Sagar Island is the place where the Ganges finally reaches the sea and flows into the Bay of Bengal.
47:55It's the middle of January, and this sleepy island is about to be transformed by an inundation, not of water,
48:04but of people.
48:07This is a dramatic reminder of the pressure put on the Ganges river and its wildlife by humans.
48:16Millions of Hindus arrive here on the day of Maka Sankranti, the winter solstice.
48:24The Ganga Segar Mela, as it is known, is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth.
48:42Many travel for days to get here.
48:53For some, it's the first time they've ever seen the sea.
49:00Tropical beaches are transformed into the world's biggest campsite.
49:07Pilgrims throw coins as offerings to the goddess Ganga.
49:13For enterprising children, it's an opportunity worth braving the mud to exploit.
49:21During the festival, they can make over a thousand rupees, a healthy boost to often meagre incomes.
49:30Maka Sankranti is a harvest festival.
49:33A time to give thanks to the Ganges for the crops she provides and livelihoods she sustains.
49:51Saga Island is regarded as one of the most auspicious places to bathe in Ganges water.
50:01This is a grand farewell to a river that has played such a vital role in the lives of India's
50:07people and wildlife.
50:21The Ganges is home to some of India's rarest creatures, which fight for survival as man encroaches on wilderness.
50:30Agriculture and industry have swallowed much of the Ganges' fertile floodplain, once home to giants like the Indian Rhino.
50:41Millions of humans live and die on the riverbanks.
50:46The Ganges is regarded not just as sacred, but as a goddess in her own right.
50:52A dip in the holy river purifies the soul, but also pollutes the water.
50:59But high levels of oxygen and disease-eating microorganisms lend a scientific ring of truth to religious beliefs in the
51:07cleansing powers of the Ganges.
51:08The river's unique properties nurture and sustain a spectacular array of wildlife.
51:15From death and decay come new beginnings on the Ganges, India's great river of life.
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