1 00:00:37,330 --> 00:00:38,498 We're back. 2 00:00:38,581 --> 00:00:39,582 Really? 3 00:00:42,293 --> 00:00:44,629 Get ready for all-new adventures. 4 00:00:44,712 --> 00:00:46,923 We will only have a couple of chances for this. 5 00:00:47,006 --> 00:00:50,593 It's been a crazy few years, so let me get you up to speed. 6 00:00:51,260 --> 00:00:53,721 Darin's house burned down in the Malibu fires, 7 00:00:53,805 --> 00:00:57,558 but he's building a new eco-friendly dream home from the ground up. 8 00:00:57,642 --> 00:00:59,769 I'm gonna let the land speak to me. 9 00:01:01,104 --> 00:01:06,150 As crazy as that may sound, and then create the best place ever. 10 00:01:06,692 --> 00:01:08,027 And in the meantime, 11 00:01:08,694 --> 00:01:10,154 that's his yurt. 12 00:01:14,867 --> 00:01:18,287 In early 2020, I left the US to visit some friends for a couple of weeks. 13 00:01:18,371 --> 00:01:20,706 Relax, get in some surfing. 14 00:01:20,790 --> 00:01:22,625 And then, boom! 15 00:01:23,543 --> 00:01:26,420 They said I would be extending my vacation for a few more weeks. 16 00:01:26,504 --> 00:01:28,256 And that turned into a few months. 17 00:01:28,339 --> 00:01:30,591 And what started as me being stuck here 18 00:01:30,675 --> 00:01:33,094 has turned into me falling in love with this country, 19 00:01:34,595 --> 00:01:36,848 and wanting my friends and family to experience the beauty 20 00:01:36,931 --> 00:01:38,474 that I've been enjoying ever since. 21 00:01:43,688 --> 00:01:46,149 On this continent, it's been a little different. 22 00:01:46,232 --> 00:01:47,233 It's an island. 23 00:01:47,316 --> 00:01:51,237 They took an aggressive approach with lockdowns, restrictions, and masking. 24 00:01:51,737 --> 00:01:52,655 Hey. 25 00:01:54,031 --> 00:01:55,032 Settle down. 26 00:01:55,116 --> 00:01:58,619 Which all resulted in relatively low infection rates and deaths. 27 00:01:59,245 --> 00:02:00,997 So at the time of filming, 28 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,875 it seemed the safest thing to do was have everyone come to me. 29 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:07,587 And so they did. 30 00:02:09,338 --> 00:02:11,841 It's day nine of my hotel quarantine. 31 00:02:11,924 --> 00:02:13,426 It's like Groundhog Day. 32 00:02:15,970 --> 00:02:16,929 I ate some of that. 33 00:02:17,513 --> 00:02:18,681 This time, 34 00:02:18,764 --> 00:02:21,851 we're taking a deep dive into the sixth largest country in the world… 35 00:02:23,519 --> 00:02:26,772 with a unique variety of biomes, climates, and organisms. 36 00:02:26,856 --> 00:02:27,815 Jeez! 37 00:02:29,025 --> 00:02:31,986 We're covering as much territory as we can, from mountaintops… 38 00:02:32,069 --> 00:02:33,029 I like your office. 39 00:02:33,112 --> 00:02:36,908 …to barrier reefs, all while trying some of the best local foods… 40 00:02:36,991 --> 00:02:37,825 Oh, my gosh. 41 00:02:37,909 --> 00:02:39,702 …as close to their sources as we can get. 42 00:02:39,785 --> 00:02:40,912 Here's to good water. 43 00:02:40,995 --> 00:02:42,914 We'll visit some of the top innovators… 44 00:02:42,997 --> 00:02:45,208 And it will collect and aggregate, 45 00:02:45,291 --> 00:02:48,169 desegregate and redistribute to all the parts of the biosphere. 46 00:02:48,252 --> 00:02:50,463 …all seeking to find cleaner, better, 47 00:02:50,546 --> 00:02:52,006 and more sustainable ways of living. 48 00:02:52,089 --> 00:02:54,383 And using the lessons learned on this continent 49 00:02:54,467 --> 00:02:57,261 to serve as the microcosm for the entire planet. 50 00:02:57,345 --> 00:03:00,389 Our focus on this episode is habitat conservation. 51 00:03:00,473 --> 00:03:01,682 You're so tiny! 52 00:03:01,766 --> 00:03:03,976 We'll meet Australia's leading eco-warriors… 53 00:03:04,060 --> 00:03:05,561 This is our Jurassic Park. 54 00:03:05,645 --> 00:03:09,899 …to watch how they work protecting everything from animals to agriculture. 55 00:03:09,982 --> 00:03:12,777 -Your last… little bumpy road. -Hey, buddy. 56 00:03:12,860 --> 00:03:15,780 And see how it all connects directly back to us 57 00:03:15,863 --> 00:03:19,242 because we all have to share this habitat. 58 00:03:19,325 --> 00:03:22,161 See that? That's Earth. We all live there. 59 00:03:35,758 --> 00:03:36,759 Speed. 60 00:03:36,842 --> 00:03:37,843 Speed. 61 00:03:37,927 --> 00:03:39,387 AV marker. 62 00:03:39,470 --> 00:03:40,513 It's reunion time! 63 00:03:40,596 --> 00:03:43,516 Two weeks have passed, and everyone is out of quarantine. 64 00:03:43,599 --> 00:03:44,725 Yeah! 65 00:03:44,809 --> 00:03:46,477 The Down to Earth family's back. 66 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,189 Yo! Hey, what's up, man? How are you? 67 00:03:50,273 --> 00:03:52,817 -Good to see you. Yeah. -Good to see you too. 68 00:03:52,900 --> 00:03:55,236 I'm stoked man. Let's get out there, turn it up a notch. 69 00:03:55,319 --> 00:03:57,238 What's up, guys? I saw you over the camera. 70 00:03:57,321 --> 00:03:58,781 Good to see you, buddy. 71 00:03:58,864 --> 00:04:00,449 -How you doing? -Long time, no see. 72 00:04:00,533 --> 00:04:02,159 -Still got hair under there? -Of course. 73 00:04:02,243 --> 00:04:04,078 Yeah! 74 00:04:05,454 --> 00:04:07,081 Quick history lesson here. 75 00:04:07,164 --> 00:04:09,208 The culture of Aboriginal people in Australia 76 00:04:09,292 --> 00:04:11,585 dates back around 60,000 years, 77 00:04:11,669 --> 00:04:14,505 and today's generations continue the customs and rituals 78 00:04:14,588 --> 00:04:18,301 handed down through time to honor and maintain their history. 79 00:04:18,384 --> 00:04:21,846 There are about 500 different Aboriginal groups in this country, 80 00:04:21,929 --> 00:04:24,181 each with their own language and customs, 81 00:04:24,265 --> 00:04:27,226 but one tradition most have is a welcome ceremony. 82 00:04:27,310 --> 00:04:31,022 As the custom goes, before you go forth on a community's land, 83 00:04:31,105 --> 00:04:34,191 you first introduce yourself, state your purpose, 84 00:04:34,275 --> 00:04:37,236 and ask for permission, all as a sign of respect. 85 00:04:37,737 --> 00:04:39,530 Prior to British colonization, 86 00:04:39,613 --> 00:04:45,202 Australia was once composed of 100% various indigenous nations, or mobs, 87 00:04:45,286 --> 00:04:47,830 as the different Aboriginal communities call themselves. 88 00:04:48,497 --> 00:04:50,458 These people are of the Darug nation, 89 00:04:50,541 --> 00:04:53,544 tracing their roots to the very beginnings of this continent. 90 00:04:54,712 --> 00:04:57,131 We do this now to acknowledge their country 91 00:04:57,214 --> 00:05:00,051 and recognize them as the First People of this land. 92 00:05:07,892 --> 00:05:09,518 Welcome to the circle, brothers. 93 00:05:09,602 --> 00:05:10,811 -Thank you. -Thank you. 94 00:05:10,895 --> 00:05:14,148 When you come into my camp, you're under my protection. 95 00:05:14,815 --> 00:05:16,609 Once you cross that border, 96 00:05:17,109 --> 00:05:18,736 then you go through the smoke, 97 00:05:18,819 --> 00:05:19,987 you're one of us. 98 00:05:20,571 --> 00:05:24,533 Can I please ask for you to introduce yourself to the uncles 99 00:05:24,617 --> 00:05:27,620 and also share with us why are you here. 100 00:05:27,703 --> 00:05:32,041 My name is Zac. I was born in San Luis Obispo County, California. 101 00:05:32,124 --> 00:05:34,085 -Yep. -I guess the reason that I'm here 102 00:05:34,168 --> 00:05:39,340 is to learn, and to gain perspective and insight into your culture, 103 00:05:39,423 --> 00:05:42,551 into your people, and to become present and one with it all. 104 00:05:43,386 --> 00:05:45,513 Beautiful. Thank you, brother. 105 00:05:47,890 --> 00:05:51,394 My name is Olien. First name's Darin. 106 00:05:51,477 --> 00:05:55,898 I was born in Minnesota, United States. 107 00:05:57,525 --> 00:05:59,068 Super honored to be here. 108 00:05:59,151 --> 00:06:02,154 I can feel the elements here are really strong, 109 00:06:02,238 --> 00:06:08,411 and super humbled by the presence here and grateful to be here. 110 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,295 This ritual is connected to the original ceremonies, 111 00:06:18,379 --> 00:06:21,715 where those from neighboring tribes would pass through other camps. 112 00:06:22,633 --> 00:06:25,761 The fire is spiritual, and the smoke is cleansing. 113 00:06:26,595 --> 00:06:29,098 Any bad spirits the visitors may be carrying 114 00:06:29,181 --> 00:06:30,975 are wafted away by the smoke. 115 00:06:32,643 --> 00:06:36,188 The travelers are left clean and welcome to go along their journey. 116 00:06:37,690 --> 00:06:42,278 Cleanse your connections, Darin and Zac, to Father Sky. 117 00:06:47,908 --> 00:06:50,119 So, we put the smoke over our heads. 118 00:06:56,876 --> 00:07:00,921 We cleanse our connections to Mother Earth, so we cleanse our feet. 119 00:07:02,214 --> 00:07:04,175 We cleanse all the parts on our bodies 120 00:07:04,258 --> 00:07:07,553 where we feel like it is time for a new beginning. 121 00:07:11,807 --> 00:07:14,477 The smoke only goes to where it needs to go. 122 00:07:20,024 --> 00:07:24,153 I'd like to offer you a piece of material which is a ceremonial head tie. 123 00:07:24,653 --> 00:07:28,073 The color is orange, symbolizing that blood is from the country, 124 00:07:29,033 --> 00:07:32,578 and Grandfather Sun is our almighty grandfather, 125 00:07:33,370 --> 00:07:34,747 to bring everyone together, 126 00:07:34,830 --> 00:07:38,584 and I'd like to protect you while you're here now. 127 00:07:39,126 --> 00:07:41,504 Zac and Darin, if you'd like to just stand up. 128 00:07:48,511 --> 00:07:53,015 So, the ceremony head tie is an offering from us to you welcoming you to us, 129 00:07:53,098 --> 00:07:55,559 and you to the country where we walk. 130 00:07:55,643 --> 00:07:58,896 This is ochre. It's going to protect harm from you. 131 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,650 In my language, we say Warami. That's "Welcome." 132 00:08:12,952 --> 00:08:15,079 The elders have given us all their blessing, 133 00:08:15,162 --> 00:08:18,207 and some words of advice to consider as we start our adventure. 134 00:08:20,918 --> 00:08:24,380 I want to put my most valuablest organ next to yours, 135 00:08:24,463 --> 00:08:25,506 which is my heart to yours. 136 00:08:25,589 --> 00:08:26,423 Love that. 137 00:08:26,507 --> 00:08:28,884 -I want to say welcome, brother. -Thank you, brother. 138 00:08:28,968 --> 00:08:31,595 -Thank you. -Welcome, brother. 139 00:08:31,679 --> 00:08:33,556 And to you, Zac, same thing, brother. 140 00:08:33,639 --> 00:08:35,307 -I put my heart to yours. -Thank you. 141 00:08:35,391 --> 00:08:37,434 Leading with love, that's where we rise above. 142 00:08:37,518 --> 00:08:38,602 I know. 143 00:08:38,686 --> 00:08:40,604 -Welcome to me, brother. -Thanks. 144 00:08:41,105 --> 00:08:43,440 We're welcome. We are all welcome. 145 00:08:45,234 --> 00:08:49,530 Our entire crew went through the ceremony, and everyone felt moved. 146 00:08:52,533 --> 00:08:54,201 And here's another fresh start. 147 00:08:54,285 --> 00:08:56,495 In an effort to improve our carbon footprint 148 00:08:56,579 --> 00:08:58,455 during the production of this series, 149 00:08:58,539 --> 00:09:01,417 and to do our part in habitat conservation of this planet, 150 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:03,210 we're switching things up a bit. 151 00:09:03,294 --> 00:09:04,837 That's fully electric, huh? 152 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:05,879 It is? 153 00:09:05,963 --> 00:09:07,131 That's amazing. 154 00:09:07,214 --> 00:09:08,173 New wheels. 155 00:09:08,257 --> 00:09:11,302 For some trips and terrains, we'll have to use hybrid vehicles, 156 00:09:11,385 --> 00:09:14,263 but this new toy is sure to put a charge in our Aussie travels. 157 00:09:14,346 --> 00:09:15,848 Crispy. This is sick, dude. 158 00:09:15,931 --> 00:09:18,976 Amazing. You're gonna drive us? 159 00:09:19,059 --> 00:09:20,019 Oh, yeah. 160 00:09:20,102 --> 00:09:21,186 Oh! 161 00:09:23,814 --> 00:09:25,357 We just run over Mitch? 162 00:09:25,441 --> 00:09:27,901 No, we're not gonna run over Mitch. 163 00:09:27,985 --> 00:09:29,445 AV marker. 164 00:09:30,195 --> 00:09:32,990 We ready to roll there, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah? 165 00:09:33,073 --> 00:09:35,576 Just remember to stay on the right side of the road, 166 00:09:35,659 --> 00:09:39,163 or in this case, I mean the left side of-- You know what I mean. 167 00:09:39,246 --> 00:09:42,041 -This thing's amazing. -You can drive and I can sleep. 168 00:09:45,002 --> 00:09:46,170 Sleep tight, buddy. 169 00:09:48,714 --> 00:09:51,425 As we embark on this journey of habitat conservation, 170 00:09:51,508 --> 00:09:54,470 we want to first appreciate more pristine parts of the Earth 171 00:09:54,553 --> 00:09:55,929 as nature intended. 172 00:09:56,013 --> 00:09:58,390 Just 100 kilometers west of Sydney 173 00:09:58,474 --> 00:10:02,770 lies a World Heritage protected area known as the Greater Blue Mountain. 174 00:10:03,354 --> 00:10:04,980 Aside from the majestic beauty, 175 00:10:05,064 --> 00:10:08,442 it's home to a vast number of rare and threatened species. 176 00:10:08,525 --> 00:10:09,652 Wow. Look at that. 177 00:10:10,361 --> 00:10:12,488 Look at this place. This is great. 178 00:10:13,197 --> 00:10:15,741 And there's an area reserved as a protected park, 179 00:10:15,824 --> 00:10:18,827 available for camping, hiking, and other tourism. 180 00:10:18,911 --> 00:10:21,830 The Ioniq got us to the Blue Mountains. 181 00:10:23,499 --> 00:10:25,793 And if you're really adventurous like we are, 182 00:10:25,876 --> 00:10:28,754 you can meet up with Dan for an experience you'll never forget. 183 00:10:28,837 --> 00:10:31,131 -Zac. Nice to meet you, man. -Dan. 184 00:10:31,215 --> 00:10:34,259 -Hey, Dan. I like your office. -Yeah, it's pretty nice. 185 00:10:34,343 --> 00:10:36,970 This is beyond hiking. It's canyoning. 186 00:10:37,054 --> 00:10:41,183 Feels like an absolute privilege to live and work here in the Blue Mountains. 187 00:10:41,266 --> 00:10:43,686 This is the Jamison Valley below us here. 188 00:10:44,311 --> 00:10:46,939 Um, and, yeah, just like to say, Warami mittigar. 189 00:10:47,022 --> 00:10:49,483 "Welcome, friends" in the language of the Darug people, 190 00:10:49,566 --> 00:10:51,860 Traditional Owners of this part of the Blue Mountains. 191 00:10:51,944 --> 00:10:55,239 -This is… really incredible. -These cliff faces are unreal. 192 00:10:55,322 --> 00:10:57,241 We're gonna go do Empress Canyon. 193 00:10:57,324 --> 00:10:59,827 It's one of the best canyons in the Blue Mountains. 194 00:10:59,910 --> 00:11:02,162 We've got hundreds of beautiful slot canyons, 195 00:11:02,246 --> 00:11:05,708 very narrow crack through these massive sandstone cliffs. 196 00:11:05,791 --> 00:11:07,418 Got water rushing through it. 197 00:11:07,501 --> 00:11:10,671 We're gonna put on wet suits, helmets, and harnesses 198 00:11:10,754 --> 00:11:12,631 and drag some big, heavy ropes in there. 199 00:11:12,715 --> 00:11:15,426 We're gonna be jumping off rocks. We're gonna be swimming. 200 00:11:15,509 --> 00:11:18,303 And then, the grand finale, we gotta abseil, 201 00:11:18,387 --> 00:11:21,014 or rappel as you guys call it, down a 30-meter waterfall. 202 00:11:21,098 --> 00:11:23,267 Sure. Sounds simple enough. Let's hit it. 203 00:11:23,350 --> 00:11:26,520 -Let's do it. Right on. -Cool. 204 00:11:27,563 --> 00:11:28,897 Wow. This is great. 205 00:11:33,110 --> 00:11:36,822 Fellas, one of the reasons why the Blue Mountains got World Heritage status 206 00:11:36,905 --> 00:11:39,533 is because of the diversity of life we've got here. 207 00:11:39,616 --> 00:11:43,787 And in particular, Australia's most iconic tree, the eucalypt, yeah? 208 00:11:43,871 --> 00:11:46,874 We've got about 100 species of eucalypt here in the Blue Mountains, 209 00:11:46,957 --> 00:11:50,836 which is an astonishing variety for a relatively small part of Australia. 210 00:11:50,919 --> 00:11:53,714 -So, yeah, pretty cool tree. -Unreal. 211 00:11:54,298 --> 00:11:57,801 Is there a good amount of natural springs around the area? 212 00:11:57,885 --> 00:12:00,512 In the Blue Mountains, we have things called hanging swamps 213 00:12:00,596 --> 00:12:02,681 which can even occur on sheer vertical cliffs. 214 00:12:02,765 --> 00:12:06,810 These things are a massive water storage area, and they filter the water. 215 00:12:06,894 --> 00:12:08,979 I don't know if you've drunk tap water in Sydney, 216 00:12:09,062 --> 00:12:13,317 but it has some of the sweetest drinking water you'll find in the world, 217 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:15,778 and that's 'cause it all comes from right here. 218 00:12:15,861 --> 00:12:18,572 This is a different type of habitat conservation, 219 00:12:18,655 --> 00:12:21,784 a protected area preserved for generations to appreciate 220 00:12:21,867 --> 00:12:24,203 by simply walking through the beauty of it all. 221 00:12:24,286 --> 00:12:27,456 Most countries have some sort of national park system, 222 00:12:27,539 --> 00:12:30,125 and as of now, about 15% of the Earth 223 00:12:30,209 --> 00:12:33,754 is set aside and safeguarded from being developed in any way. 224 00:12:33,837 --> 00:12:38,091 So, fellas, before, we were up there in that beautiful, dry eucalypt forest, 225 00:12:38,175 --> 00:12:42,262 but you can feel now we're in a-- and see that we're in a totally different place. 226 00:12:42,346 --> 00:12:44,223 Now, we're in temperate rain forest. 227 00:12:44,306 --> 00:12:47,810 It's still cool and wet like ancient Gondwana used to be, 228 00:12:47,893 --> 00:12:51,188 and so the ancient Gondwana vegetation hangs on here, 229 00:12:51,271 --> 00:12:54,775 the coachwoods, the ferns, the sassafras. 230 00:12:54,858 --> 00:12:57,194 This is our Jurassic Park. 231 00:12:57,277 --> 00:12:59,404 This is the Australia dinosaurs roamed through. 232 00:12:59,488 --> 00:13:04,117 We've only dropped a few hundred meters but gone back 100 million years in time. 233 00:13:04,201 --> 00:13:07,788 He had me at Jurassic Park. "We've spared no expense." 234 00:13:07,871 --> 00:13:12,376 To go canyoning is the best way to explore that story. 235 00:13:12,459 --> 00:13:13,836 -Get right in it. -Yeah. 236 00:13:16,129 --> 00:13:19,675 I reckon we should go up, pull up a flat bit of ground here. 237 00:13:19,758 --> 00:13:23,971 And this is where we're gonna get our wet suits and helmets and harnesses on. 238 00:13:25,013 --> 00:13:26,515 Dan gave us a long safety meeting 239 00:13:26,598 --> 00:13:29,434 and ran through how to properly use all of the equipment. 240 00:13:29,518 --> 00:13:32,396 Trust me, don't do something like this without a professional. 241 00:13:32,479 --> 00:13:34,314 Canyoning can be incredibly dangerous, 242 00:13:34,398 --> 00:13:36,400 or even deadly, if you don't know what you're doing. 243 00:13:36,483 --> 00:13:38,819 I'm not saying we know exactly what we're doing either, 244 00:13:39,319 --> 00:13:41,238 but, hey, at least Dan does. 245 00:13:42,072 --> 00:13:44,867 Okay, guys, you gotta be 100% committed to it. 246 00:13:44,950 --> 00:13:46,785 -Gotta be full doing it, okay? -Yeah. 247 00:13:46,869 --> 00:13:47,870 One, two, three! 248 00:13:47,953 --> 00:13:50,205 This is like one of those team building activities 249 00:13:50,289 --> 00:13:53,333 where you build trust by falling back and letting people catch you. 250 00:13:54,126 --> 00:13:55,711 But there's no people to catch you. 251 00:13:56,211 --> 00:13:57,838 It seems like a bad idea. 252 00:13:58,630 --> 00:14:00,257 Anyway, here goes nothing. 253 00:14:12,352 --> 00:14:13,437 Go slow. 254 00:14:21,236 --> 00:14:22,070 Yoo! 255 00:14:26,742 --> 00:14:28,076 All right, head count. 256 00:14:28,577 --> 00:14:29,995 Yep. We're all here. 257 00:14:30,495 --> 00:14:31,914 That's what the cup's for. 258 00:14:31,997 --> 00:14:34,499 And I'm happy to report that no one was lost or injured. 259 00:14:34,583 --> 00:14:36,752 Man, thank you. Great. 260 00:14:36,835 --> 00:14:39,463 We celebrate surviving all of that with a toast of warm tea 261 00:14:39,546 --> 00:14:41,506 and prepare for the grand finale, 262 00:14:41,590 --> 00:14:43,216 abseiling down this 263 00:14:43,717 --> 00:14:45,844 100-foot waterfall? 264 00:14:46,428 --> 00:14:47,304 Yikes. 265 00:14:53,435 --> 00:14:56,438 Hoist yourself down now. Feet first. 266 00:14:57,439 --> 00:14:59,274 That's it. Away we go. 267 00:15:27,469 --> 00:15:29,388 -Are we ready to go? -Yep. 268 00:15:29,471 --> 00:15:30,305 Okay. 269 00:15:30,389 --> 00:15:33,809 All right, Zac, I want you to start slowly walking backwards. 270 00:15:34,351 --> 00:15:36,728 And I want you to sit back in that harness now, okay? 271 00:15:36,812 --> 00:15:37,646 Okay. 272 00:15:38,271 --> 00:15:41,358 Okay, feet nice and wide. Okay. There you go. 273 00:15:41,441 --> 00:15:42,693 It's right here I wonder 274 00:15:42,776 --> 00:15:45,404 what terrible decisions in life got me to this point. 275 00:15:46,113 --> 00:15:49,032 Whatever they were, there's no turning back now. 276 00:15:49,825 --> 00:15:51,118 Right! Down you go! 277 00:16:23,734 --> 00:16:25,485 -Good going. Great! -Whoo! 278 00:16:26,528 --> 00:16:28,030 Oh my God. I did it. 279 00:16:28,697 --> 00:16:29,823 We all did it! 280 00:16:30,782 --> 00:16:31,992 Great job, team. 281 00:16:33,744 --> 00:16:35,871 Most countries have protected areas 282 00:16:35,954 --> 00:16:38,457 designed to keep a good percentage of land undeveloped 283 00:16:38,540 --> 00:16:41,168 and clean for all to enjoy, yet still available 284 00:16:41,251 --> 00:16:43,879 to be explored and appreciated in one way or another. 285 00:16:43,962 --> 00:16:46,339 But there are plenty who would like to change that. 286 00:16:46,423 --> 00:16:49,885 Commercial developers, fossil fuel industries, and others 287 00:16:49,968 --> 00:16:53,346 are always looking for areas holding untapped resources. 288 00:16:53,430 --> 00:16:57,851 National parks all over the world can be protected by donating time or money. 289 00:16:57,934 --> 00:17:00,687 And, of course, make sure to visit them when you can. 290 00:17:00,771 --> 00:17:03,190 The experience you have will last a lifetime. 291 00:17:04,733 --> 00:17:08,028 We drive an hour and a half, circumventing the mountains, 292 00:17:08,111 --> 00:17:10,030 to reach another protected park. 293 00:17:10,781 --> 00:17:13,700 There are a few animals synonymous with Australia, 294 00:17:13,784 --> 00:17:15,619 starting with the koala. 295 00:17:15,702 --> 00:17:18,663 Inappropriately called "koala bears" at times, 296 00:17:18,747 --> 00:17:20,499 they aren't really bears, 297 00:17:20,582 --> 00:17:22,876 but they certainly look like cute cuddly toys. 298 00:17:22,959 --> 00:17:25,796 Even before losing so many to the recent wildfires, 299 00:17:26,421 --> 00:17:28,924 the species has been listed as vulnerable. 300 00:17:29,007 --> 00:17:29,925 -Hey, guys. -Hi. 301 00:17:30,008 --> 00:17:31,176 -How's it going? -Good, thanks. 302 00:17:31,259 --> 00:17:33,678 Here to help monitor the koala population 303 00:17:33,762 --> 00:17:35,097 and hopefully bring the numbers up 304 00:17:35,180 --> 00:17:39,351 are these incredible conservationists from the nonprofit Science For Wildlife. 305 00:17:39,434 --> 00:17:40,894 -Smudge. -Smudge? Hi, Smudge. 306 00:17:40,977 --> 00:17:42,479 -Hey, there. -Nice to meet you. 307 00:17:42,562 --> 00:17:44,356 Oh, hi, Smudge! 308 00:17:44,439 --> 00:17:45,440 The Smudginator. 309 00:17:46,024 --> 00:17:49,277 I should explain upfront. Smudge is a very good boy. 310 00:17:49,361 --> 00:17:51,947 But due to some possible poisons in the area, 311 00:17:52,030 --> 00:17:55,826 he's wearing this Hannibal Lecter muzzle for his own protection, not ours. 312 00:17:55,909 --> 00:17:58,203 So, Smudge has some ability? 313 00:17:58,286 --> 00:18:02,124 He does, yes. So, his ability is finding the koala poops. 314 00:18:02,707 --> 00:18:03,792 Wow. 315 00:18:04,334 --> 00:18:08,213 That's right. Smudge's superpower is being able to sniff out koala poops. 316 00:18:08,839 --> 00:18:11,842 Because where there's koala poops, there's koalas. 317 00:18:11,925 --> 00:18:13,552 And that's what we're looking for. 318 00:18:13,635 --> 00:18:16,388 What are you finding? Has there been a lot of displacement? 319 00:18:16,471 --> 00:18:18,807 Eighty per cent of the World Heritage area was hit by fire, 320 00:18:18,890 --> 00:18:20,976 so we were worried we'd lost all of them. 321 00:18:21,059 --> 00:18:23,019 I think because it's so hilly and steep, 322 00:18:23,103 --> 00:18:25,230 the fire trickled through some of the areas 323 00:18:25,313 --> 00:18:26,898 and didn't always burn the canopy. 324 00:18:26,982 --> 00:18:30,944 It can be hard to see them, so the trees at this particular site, not too bad, 325 00:18:31,027 --> 00:18:34,698 and habitat that's got the most poop in it is something the koalas prefer. 326 00:18:34,781 --> 00:18:37,701 By finding the highest concentrations of koala scat, 327 00:18:37,784 --> 00:18:40,537 they're able to study what habitats the koalas prefer. 328 00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:42,247 Ultimately, they hope to create 329 00:18:42,330 --> 00:18:45,167 more koala-friendly habitats based on their findings. 330 00:18:46,293 --> 00:18:48,295 We're gonna do the survey by going this way, 331 00:18:48,378 --> 00:18:51,798 so it's a one-hectare area that he searches in like 15 minutes. 332 00:18:51,882 --> 00:18:53,091 He does it very quickly. 333 00:18:53,175 --> 00:18:57,179 -So, that's 2.5. acres in 15 minutes? -Yeah. 334 00:18:57,262 --> 00:18:58,221 -Yeah. -Wow. 335 00:18:58,305 --> 00:18:59,973 Way to go, Smudge. 336 00:19:00,056 --> 00:19:04,644 Part of what we're doing is measuring if koalas in this landscape survived, why? 337 00:19:04,728 --> 00:19:07,397 What is it about the terrain, habitat, and conditions? 338 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,776 Then try and protect some of those areas so that they can bounce back after fires. 339 00:19:11,860 --> 00:19:13,904 It's a fragment of what there used to be. 340 00:19:13,987 --> 00:19:16,031 Coming to places like this, we have hope. 341 00:19:16,114 --> 00:19:19,117 Hope is a driver, and we need more of it. For sure. 342 00:19:19,201 --> 00:19:22,454 -And this guy's ready to drive. -He is, isn't he? 343 00:19:22,537 --> 00:19:23,914 Ready? Okay, work! 344 00:19:23,997 --> 00:19:29,669 It's time for Smudge to do his stuff by sniffing out the koalas'… stuff. 345 00:19:30,670 --> 00:19:33,131 -You got one? Good boy! 346 00:19:33,215 --> 00:19:35,217 -No way! What? -He was on that already. 347 00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:36,509 What? 348 00:19:36,593 --> 00:19:37,427 That was fast. 349 00:19:37,510 --> 00:19:39,888 -Gosh, you-- Yah! Yeah. 350 00:19:39,971 --> 00:19:42,432 -Good boy, Smudge! -That's a big one, yeah. 351 00:19:42,974 --> 00:19:44,684 -Oh, yes. -There it is. 352 00:19:44,768 --> 00:19:47,187 -Nice one, Smudge. Good boy! 353 00:19:47,270 --> 00:19:50,065 -Good boy! Good boy. -Whoa! So good! 354 00:19:50,148 --> 00:19:51,149 What? 355 00:19:51,233 --> 00:19:52,984 -That's amazing! -Not even a full one. 356 00:19:53,068 --> 00:19:57,030 -Just a fragment. -No way humans are gonna see that. 357 00:19:57,113 --> 00:19:57,948 No. 358 00:19:58,031 --> 00:20:00,408 -That was so cool. 359 00:20:00,492 --> 00:20:03,119 Makes our job a lot easier. It's not a very strong one. 360 00:20:03,203 --> 00:20:04,913 Yeah, it's a bit washed out. 361 00:20:04,996 --> 00:20:07,123 -Should we keep going? -See what we can find. 362 00:20:07,207 --> 00:20:08,375 -Buddy. Smudge. -Okay. 363 00:20:08,458 --> 00:20:09,292 That's amazing. 364 00:20:09,376 --> 00:20:13,838 So, it's a bit of an older… piece. Smudge can do better. 365 00:20:17,968 --> 00:20:20,553 -You got another one? Good job. -Found one. 366 00:20:20,637 --> 00:20:23,306 -It's actually quite a strange one. -A skinny one. 367 00:20:23,390 --> 00:20:26,685 Yeah. But the inside's right, and it's got good smell. 368 00:20:27,185 --> 00:20:30,814 One of the ways to tell it from possum, if you smell a possum poop, 369 00:20:30,897 --> 00:20:32,649 you go, "Oh my God." 370 00:20:32,732 --> 00:20:35,277 Whereas, koala poop… …it's sort of musty eucalypts. 371 00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:39,114 So, what can you tell about the actual koala from this one? 372 00:20:39,197 --> 00:20:41,658 It's a smaller koala, so probably a youngster. 373 00:20:41,741 --> 00:20:43,118 Just by the size of it. 374 00:20:43,201 --> 00:20:46,496 Man, these ladies really know their… . 375 00:20:46,579 --> 00:20:49,499 -Didn't think I'd be smelling poop today. Neither did I, buddy. 376 00:20:49,582 --> 00:20:51,042 -It's cool. -All right. 377 00:20:51,126 --> 00:20:52,836 A little bit with the little poop. 378 00:20:52,919 --> 00:20:54,546 -Slightly musty, no? -A poop tent. 379 00:20:54,629 --> 00:20:58,049 Smells different than eucalyptus. This smells like . 380 00:20:58,133 --> 00:20:59,342 -It doesn't! 381 00:20:59,426 --> 00:21:00,635 Come on. 382 00:21:00,719 --> 00:21:01,970 We should find you a possum. 383 00:21:02,053 --> 00:21:04,180 -Let's find a possum. -Do a comparison. 384 00:21:04,264 --> 00:21:07,225 Here you go. Camera guy. Smell? 385 00:21:08,768 --> 00:21:10,270 Oh, you didn't commit! 386 00:21:10,353 --> 00:21:11,813 -He didn't commit! Oh yeah. 387 00:21:11,896 --> 00:21:14,858 With confirmation that koalas are inhabiting the area, 388 00:21:15,483 --> 00:21:19,279 it's time for a more high-tech approach to zeroing in on some actual koalas. 389 00:21:19,362 --> 00:21:20,196 Hey, guys. 390 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:21,197 -Hi! -Hi! 391 00:21:21,281 --> 00:21:23,783 How's it going? You found any Teds for us? 392 00:21:23,867 --> 00:21:29,456 Yeah, it looks like we have a koala whose triangulation is in this direction. 393 00:21:29,539 --> 00:21:31,916 Wow. How do you discern the direction on that? 394 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,795 So, you see here, it's like a digital indicator. 395 00:21:36,504 --> 00:21:40,342 Where it's actually detecting the koala via its VHF frequency. 396 00:21:40,425 --> 00:21:42,344 Okay, so it's climbing to 98. 397 00:21:42,427 --> 00:21:45,221 -That means our koala's in that direction. -Yeah. 398 00:21:45,305 --> 00:21:47,599 What's on the koala that's sending back the signal? 399 00:21:47,682 --> 00:21:49,934 It has a collar, and it's just like a VHF. 400 00:21:50,018 --> 00:21:52,479 Oh wow. So they're all properly collared? 401 00:21:52,562 --> 00:21:53,396 Yeah. 402 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:57,192 I get it. It's pretty much exactly like the tracking device in Robocop. 403 00:21:57,275 --> 00:21:59,069 -Should we head in? -Wanna walk in? 404 00:21:59,152 --> 00:22:02,947 -It's super exciting. -We're gonna find actual koala. 405 00:22:03,031 --> 00:22:06,868 They'll be out on really fine branches where you think it won't support them, 406 00:22:06,951 --> 00:22:08,661 and they just go out there eating. 407 00:22:10,955 --> 00:22:13,124 Stand here and you should be able to see her. 408 00:22:16,878 --> 00:22:18,254 Oh, there it is. 409 00:22:19,798 --> 00:22:21,007 -Got her? -Wow. 410 00:22:22,133 --> 00:22:25,178 Oh my gosh. There he is. No wonder they're hard to spot. 411 00:22:25,261 --> 00:22:28,056 Up this tree, straight up in the middle. 412 00:22:29,516 --> 00:22:31,518 -She's over there. -Your lens protector's on. 413 00:22:31,601 --> 00:22:34,771 -Oh gosh. I don't see anything. 414 00:22:34,854 --> 00:22:37,315 For the most part, koalas do very little 415 00:22:37,399 --> 00:22:41,361 but eat eucalyptus leaves and sleep for about 20 hours a day. 416 00:22:41,444 --> 00:22:43,446 Aww! She's looking right at us. 417 00:22:43,530 --> 00:22:47,534 So, if nothing else, you have to really appreciate their ability to chill. 418 00:22:47,617 --> 00:22:49,452 It's so neat to see 'em in the wild. 419 00:22:49,536 --> 00:22:51,079 Yeah. See ya, buddy. 420 00:22:51,996 --> 00:22:54,249 Thanks for hanging out with us. 421 00:22:54,332 --> 00:22:56,084 Ensuring koalas have a better future 422 00:22:56,167 --> 00:22:59,212 in the wake of wildfires and climate change is no easy task. 423 00:22:59,295 --> 00:23:00,380 Thank you so much. 424 00:23:00,463 --> 00:23:02,132 -This was amazing. Our pleasure. 425 00:23:02,215 --> 00:23:04,008 But thanks to generous donations 426 00:23:04,092 --> 00:23:06,970 and the hard work of conservationists like these, it's possible. 427 00:23:07,053 --> 00:23:08,555 Cool. Awesome, guys. 428 00:23:08,638 --> 00:23:11,516 And Smudge. Smudge is a big help too. 429 00:23:11,599 --> 00:23:13,726 -Who's a good boy? 430 00:23:17,397 --> 00:23:18,815 The conservation of cultures 431 00:23:18,898 --> 00:23:21,985 is just as important as the conservation of habitats. 432 00:23:22,068 --> 00:23:24,696 In fact, here, they go hand-in-hand. 433 00:23:24,779 --> 00:23:27,532 We're headed to Bargo, New South Wales for lunch, 434 00:23:27,615 --> 00:23:29,200 and we're gonna have to work for it. 435 00:23:29,284 --> 00:23:30,618 A little. You'll see. 436 00:23:31,536 --> 00:23:34,205 Yerrabingin is an Aboriginal-owned company 437 00:23:34,289 --> 00:23:37,459 dedicated to conserving the land and passing on the knowledge 438 00:23:37,542 --> 00:23:39,878 of the original people to a younger generation, 439 00:23:39,961 --> 00:23:42,547 so they too can become guardians of the Earth. 440 00:23:42,630 --> 00:23:45,967 While they also do an Aboriginal-influence landscape design, 441 00:23:46,050 --> 00:23:49,888 we're here to visit the Yerrabingin farm for a tour with the founder and owner. 442 00:23:49,971 --> 00:23:52,015 Hey, brother. Welcome to Yerrabingin Farm. 443 00:23:52,098 --> 00:23:54,267 -Thank you. -You found us okay? 444 00:23:54,350 --> 00:23:56,895 Yeah, we did. Great to be here. 445 00:23:58,021 --> 00:24:02,484 In his ancestors' language, the word yerrabingin means "we walk together." 446 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:04,986 We're walking with Christian now 447 00:24:05,069 --> 00:24:07,864 to learn more about the history of farming on this land. 448 00:24:07,947 --> 00:24:11,326 You'll see this entire paddock is all full of native grasses. 449 00:24:11,409 --> 00:24:13,620 I'm not sure why it's called kangaroo grass. 450 00:24:13,703 --> 00:24:16,581 Some English botanist probably saw a kangaroo amongst it 451 00:24:16,664 --> 00:24:19,751 and thought, "It's kangaroo grass." I haven't seen kangaroos eat it. 452 00:24:19,834 --> 00:24:22,295 It doesn't look like a kangaroo, so it's not that. 453 00:24:22,378 --> 00:24:24,797 This is essentially an ancient grain? 454 00:24:24,881 --> 00:24:26,007 Yes, yeah. 455 00:24:26,090 --> 00:24:29,219 Indigenous grains are incredibly undemanding plants, 456 00:24:29,302 --> 00:24:30,970 meaning they are drought-tolerant 457 00:24:31,054 --> 00:24:34,057 and grow easily, without fertilizers or even much water. 458 00:24:34,140 --> 00:24:37,560 And for our mob, we use seed in particular for making our own bread. 459 00:24:37,644 --> 00:24:40,647 Didn't they realize too, like, the Aboriginals have been farming 460 00:24:40,730 --> 00:24:43,107 a lot longer than what they originally thought? 461 00:24:43,191 --> 00:24:46,903 That's what they didn't understand. They went, "Nothing here. It's barren." 462 00:24:46,986 --> 00:24:49,989 In many cases, early colonists starved right next to heaps of food. 463 00:24:50,073 --> 00:24:53,535 -'Cause it was foreign to what they knew. -Yeah, exactly. 464 00:24:53,618 --> 00:24:58,039 While the original colonists mistook this area for an overgrown field of weeds, 465 00:24:58,122 --> 00:25:02,293 what's actually growing is a natural and abundant crop of kangaroo grass, 466 00:25:02,377 --> 00:25:04,212 which is great for making flour. 467 00:25:04,879 --> 00:25:08,925 Part of conserving the land means utilizing it to its fullest potential, 468 00:25:09,008 --> 00:25:11,219 and the potential here is that kangaroo grass 469 00:25:11,302 --> 00:25:14,847 can be a sustainable food source that grows easily in this region. 470 00:25:14,931 --> 00:25:17,433 Our mate came up with a thing called the Grass Grabber. 471 00:25:17,517 --> 00:25:21,354 Often what would happen is we'd collect all this kangaroo grass by hand, 472 00:25:21,437 --> 00:25:24,732 and then this way, what we can do is we can actually go and collect seed 473 00:25:24,816 --> 00:25:27,944 around a lot of the other species without impacting them. 474 00:25:28,027 --> 00:25:29,028 Nothing gets wasted. 475 00:25:29,112 --> 00:25:33,658 It's really just a very high, very delicate… lawnmower. 476 00:25:33,741 --> 00:25:37,120 And yet, it sure beats pulling up all this kangaroo grass by hand. 477 00:25:37,704 --> 00:25:39,622 So… it's cool. 478 00:25:43,251 --> 00:25:44,961 -Wanna have a go? -Yeah. 479 00:25:45,795 --> 00:25:47,171 Whoo! 480 00:25:49,591 --> 00:25:51,551 And cue funny music. 481 00:25:57,265 --> 00:26:00,768 As far as I'm concerned, this could be the rest of the show right here. 482 00:26:00,852 --> 00:26:02,770 He's in his element right now. Look at him. 483 00:26:02,854 --> 00:26:05,231 Dylan and I watching Darin push a lawnmower. 484 00:26:05,315 --> 00:26:07,066 -Two hours later. -Yeah. 485 00:26:07,150 --> 00:26:09,277 Look at him. He's in his happy place. 486 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:11,070 -Hey. -That's cool. 487 00:26:11,738 --> 00:26:13,865 -Gonna have a look inside. -Logging out. 488 00:26:14,657 --> 00:26:15,491 Oh wow! 489 00:26:15,575 --> 00:26:18,036 -You gotta check on your bread. -Look at that. 490 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,247 The green stuff's paspalum, but you've got the stuff underneath it. 491 00:26:21,748 --> 00:26:23,833 This guy's stoked, man. This thing works great. 492 00:26:23,916 --> 00:26:26,878 These are a couple of-- Five little ones are test ones here. 493 00:26:26,961 --> 00:26:29,797 They're experimenting with other indigenous food sources as well. 494 00:26:29,881 --> 00:26:32,508 Like a pine needle. That real sort of lemongrass… 495 00:26:32,592 --> 00:26:35,178 -Wow! That's fantastic. -Yeah. They're amazing. 496 00:26:35,261 --> 00:26:36,387 It's like tom yum soup. 497 00:26:36,471 --> 00:26:38,139 We can smell something good. 498 00:26:38,222 --> 00:26:41,309 Good thing about having a farm is there's always something to eat. 499 00:26:41,392 --> 00:26:42,602 -Sweet! -Nice. 500 00:26:42,685 --> 00:26:44,187 Lunchtime! -What do you got? 501 00:26:44,270 --> 00:26:46,064 We've got some little damper breads 502 00:26:46,147 --> 00:26:48,274 that we're gonna have a little cook with. 503 00:26:48,358 --> 00:26:51,110 The fruits of our labor. Mostly Darin's labor. 504 00:26:51,194 --> 00:26:52,570 -Cheers, guys. -Cheers. 505 00:26:52,654 --> 00:26:55,156 This bread is made from kangaroo grass seeds. 506 00:26:55,239 --> 00:26:56,908 Wow. I can't believe that. 507 00:26:56,991 --> 00:26:58,701 All the grain in there too, eh? 508 00:27:01,162 --> 00:27:01,996 Mmm. 509 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,207 -Wow. That's delicious. -Oh yeah. 510 00:27:04,290 --> 00:27:05,958 Also, that's fresh pumpkin. 511 00:27:06,042 --> 00:27:09,879 I've had this pumpkin on with some wattleseed, cooking since this morning. 512 00:27:09,962 --> 00:27:13,132 So, we've also got some more barramundi fillets here. 513 00:27:13,716 --> 00:27:15,677 Pop these fillets right on top of that. 514 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,805 It's similar to using banana leaves in Asian cuisine, where… 515 00:27:18,888 --> 00:27:19,722 Yeah. 516 00:27:19,806 --> 00:27:23,267 This is so crazy. It's neat to see it cooked over a flame like this. 517 00:27:23,351 --> 00:27:24,811 But that's not the main course. 518 00:27:24,894 --> 00:27:26,145 We got Moreton Bay bugs. 519 00:27:26,229 --> 00:27:28,398 -Oh cool. -Mixed with lemon myrtle leaves. 520 00:27:28,481 --> 00:27:31,025 Wow. Bugs are one of the coolest things I've ever seen. 521 00:27:31,109 --> 00:27:33,903 "Bugs." That's the slang name for this flat crustacean 522 00:27:33,986 --> 00:27:36,781 that's part lobster and part science fiction monster. 523 00:27:39,325 --> 00:27:41,703 Oh my God. I'm so hungry. 524 00:27:41,786 --> 00:27:43,788 -What a weird-- -Careful, it's hot. 525 00:27:43,871 --> 00:27:45,456 It's like where Alien was inspired from. 526 00:27:46,916 --> 00:27:48,626 -Yeah. -Have you got anything else? 527 00:27:48,710 --> 00:27:50,044 Like a big prawn. 528 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:54,048 One of the best ways to connect with culture is through the food. 529 00:27:54,132 --> 00:27:55,842 Oh my gosh. 530 00:27:55,925 --> 00:27:58,553 This is the best bug I've ever had, for sure. 531 00:27:58,636 --> 00:28:02,098 And Yerrabingin Farms offers a completely immersive experience. 532 00:28:02,181 --> 00:28:03,516 Want to dig in? Who's hungry? 533 00:28:03,599 --> 00:28:06,394 Not only with the land and the food that it provides, 534 00:28:06,477 --> 00:28:09,772 but the culturally significant history that holds it all together. 535 00:28:10,273 --> 00:28:11,691 It's so sweet. 536 00:28:11,774 --> 00:28:14,318 Who knew conservation could taste so good? 537 00:28:14,402 --> 00:28:17,905 This has been unbelievable. Thanks for showing us around. Thanks for the feed. 538 00:28:17,989 --> 00:28:19,615 Good luck with everything, guys. 539 00:28:23,870 --> 00:28:27,331 We've saved the most Australian conservation activity possible 540 00:28:27,415 --> 00:28:28,291 for the end. 541 00:28:28,374 --> 00:28:30,752 We're headed a little over 200 miles north of Sydney 542 00:28:30,835 --> 00:28:33,755 to see one of the most iconic creatures that comes to mind 543 00:28:33,838 --> 00:28:35,465 when most people think of Australia. 544 00:28:35,548 --> 00:28:36,883 No, it's not the kangaroo. 545 00:28:36,966 --> 00:28:41,721 What was it? Roadrunner? A little Tasmanian Devil and Roadrunner? 546 00:28:41,804 --> 00:28:43,598 No, Darin, it's not a roadrunner. 547 00:28:43,681 --> 00:28:44,974 The old cartoon? 548 00:28:45,057 --> 00:28:47,602 -That was Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner. -Was it? 549 00:28:47,685 --> 00:28:51,105 The tornado guy? I can't remember. I think he was his own thing, wasn't he? 550 00:28:51,189 --> 00:28:53,441 No. He was a part of Yosemite Sam. 551 00:28:53,524 --> 00:28:55,860 -Yosemite S-- Remember Yosemite Sam? -Mm-hmm. 552 00:28:56,444 --> 00:29:00,364 Saturday morning cartoons, man. I would race down. 553 00:29:00,448 --> 00:29:01,657 Oh, me too. 554 00:29:01,741 --> 00:29:05,536 Okay, admittedly, most of what Darin and I know about Tasmanian devils 555 00:29:05,620 --> 00:29:07,205 is based solely off cartoons. 556 00:29:08,372 --> 00:29:09,707 What I can tell you is this, 557 00:29:09,791 --> 00:29:14,170 there are only about 25,000 of the creatures left on Tasmania, 558 00:29:14,253 --> 00:29:16,506 and a private conversation group called Aussie Ark 559 00:29:16,589 --> 00:29:19,008 is here to save the species from total extinction 560 00:29:19,091 --> 00:29:21,010 and reintroduce them to the mainland. 561 00:29:21,093 --> 00:29:24,806 Aussie Ark was founded to protect the Tasmanian devil population, 562 00:29:24,889 --> 00:29:28,643 but they also work to conserve any and all endangered animals in the area, 563 00:29:28,726 --> 00:29:30,978 because if just one species vanishes, 564 00:29:31,062 --> 00:29:34,649 it could have a drastic effect on the entire surrounding ecosystem. 565 00:29:35,149 --> 00:29:36,192 Welcome to the Ark. 566 00:29:36,275 --> 00:29:37,193 -Hey, man. -Hey. 567 00:29:37,276 --> 00:29:38,945 This is the founder, Tim Faulkner. 568 00:29:39,028 --> 00:29:39,946 -Welcome. -Hey. 569 00:29:40,029 --> 00:29:42,615 -That is not a Tasmanian devil. -Welcome. This is Charlie. 570 00:29:42,698 --> 00:29:44,575 -Hey, Charlie. Hi. -That's a koala. 571 00:29:44,659 --> 00:29:45,493 Hi. 572 00:29:45,576 --> 00:29:47,161 Here, actually, grab those here. 573 00:29:47,870 --> 00:29:49,997 -What is that? -Two endangered squirrel gliders. 574 00:29:50,081 --> 00:29:51,749 -Marsupials. -Oh, what the hell. 575 00:29:51,833 --> 00:29:56,212 And another little random animal in his pocket. Okay. No big deal. 576 00:29:56,295 --> 00:29:58,673 -You got pockets… -That's little Petey. 577 00:29:58,756 --> 00:30:00,258 What's in your pants pockets? 578 00:30:00,341 --> 00:30:03,261 Yeah, I know. This is his sister Gumnut. 579 00:30:03,344 --> 00:30:04,971 -Hi, Gumnut. -Hi, boo-boo. 580 00:30:05,054 --> 00:30:06,848 Wow. You're so tiny. 581 00:30:06,931 --> 00:30:08,224 You're a good boy. 582 00:30:08,307 --> 00:30:10,351 -How many animals do you have? -You're leaking. 583 00:30:10,434 --> 00:30:11,269 He's peeing. 584 00:30:11,853 --> 00:30:13,604 Oh, yeah! That's a good-- 585 00:30:13,688 --> 00:30:16,065 First for everything. Wow. 586 00:30:16,148 --> 00:30:17,233 "I just gotta pee." 587 00:30:17,316 --> 00:30:18,943 Can I give you Charlie? 588 00:30:21,487 --> 00:30:23,281 This is their little artificial pouch. 589 00:30:23,364 --> 00:30:25,241 We might give you a little wipe up. 590 00:30:25,324 --> 00:30:27,076 -He's taking off. -Pop 'em inside. 591 00:30:27,159 --> 00:30:29,078 Oh, wow. You know you're home. 592 00:30:29,161 --> 00:30:30,496 -Yeah, they do. -There you go. 593 00:30:30,580 --> 00:30:33,499 That's what they'd be living in with mom. A lot of leaves. 594 00:30:34,333 --> 00:30:37,670 Let's jump in anyway. You got everything? 595 00:30:38,462 --> 00:30:40,214 Ooh! They'll be all right. 596 00:30:40,298 --> 00:30:42,008 -They gonna get dirty? -Just-- 597 00:30:42,091 --> 00:30:45,469 It's the bite I worry about, not the dirt. But you'll be all right. 598 00:30:45,553 --> 00:30:47,179 -Jump on in. The Tazzy devils bite? 599 00:30:47,263 --> 00:30:49,390 They do. Very hard. 600 00:30:49,473 --> 00:30:50,933 Yoo! 601 00:30:51,517 --> 00:30:52,852 -Sweet! 602 00:30:52,935 --> 00:30:54,312 -I'm so stoked. -Good. 603 00:30:54,395 --> 00:30:55,646 How many do you have? 604 00:30:55,730 --> 00:30:57,398 There's about 200 here now, 605 00:30:58,357 --> 00:31:02,111 and, you know, we've bred over 450, but they only live for six years. 606 00:31:02,194 --> 00:31:03,029 What? 607 00:31:03,112 --> 00:31:05,364 Lifespan for devils is… 608 00:31:06,282 --> 00:31:10,578 born, mature by two, they can breed at two, three, four, 609 00:31:10,661 --> 00:31:11,996 but they're dead by six. 610 00:31:12,079 --> 00:31:14,206 Aussie Ark was originally Devil Ark, 611 00:31:14,707 --> 00:31:18,210 and on its success, we expanded from devils to 15 other species 612 00:31:18,294 --> 00:31:21,547 and entire habitats and ecosystems. 613 00:31:21,631 --> 00:31:24,592 -But the devils got a disease in 1996. -Wow. 614 00:31:24,675 --> 00:31:28,346 And it annihilated them. 90% of devils are now gone from Tasmania. 615 00:31:28,429 --> 00:31:29,931 So, we intervened. 616 00:31:30,014 --> 00:31:33,225 If extinction happens in the wild, we're the backup. 617 00:31:33,809 --> 00:31:37,313 An important part of habitat conservation is the protection of wildlife 618 00:31:37,396 --> 00:31:39,523 especially endangered species. 619 00:31:39,607 --> 00:31:41,400 Why protect endangered species? 620 00:31:41,484 --> 00:31:44,070 To begin with, most are endangered due to human activity, 621 00:31:44,153 --> 00:31:48,282 like hunting, deforestation, climate change, pollution, or other causes. 622 00:31:48,366 --> 00:31:50,660 But regardless of how they became threatened, 623 00:31:50,743 --> 00:31:54,872 it just makes good ecological sense to help save endangered species. 624 00:31:56,749 --> 00:31:57,708 G'day, mate! 625 00:31:57,792 --> 00:32:00,628 Ah, hey, buddy. Take this Tasmanian devil here. 626 00:32:00,711 --> 00:32:03,547 From creatures like him to the koala and the giant panda, 627 00:32:03,631 --> 00:32:06,592 we need to protect endangered species to maintain biodiversity. 628 00:32:06,676 --> 00:32:09,595 Thanks. It's not always the case, 629 00:32:09,679 --> 00:32:13,140 but in some areas, by removing just one critter, 630 00:32:13,224 --> 00:32:17,853 it could have a domino effect on the rest and undermine the entire ecosystem. 631 00:32:17,937 --> 00:32:19,480 With greater biodiversity, 632 00:32:19,563 --> 00:32:23,192 we maintain a healthier balance in our air, water, and soil, 633 00:32:23,275 --> 00:32:24,944 thus protecting our entire planet. 634 00:32:25,027 --> 00:32:27,405 So for those that need a little help, we get it. 635 00:32:27,488 --> 00:32:30,700 Through legislation, providing protected reserves, 636 00:32:30,783 --> 00:32:33,077 conservation breeding programs… 637 00:32:34,245 --> 00:32:35,955 …and a variety of other methods, 638 00:32:36,038 --> 00:32:39,166 all to help increase the populations back to normal levels. 639 00:32:39,250 --> 00:32:41,293 -Ah, thanks, buddy. -Yeah! 640 00:32:45,047 --> 00:32:46,674 -Jump on out. -All right. 641 00:32:46,757 --> 00:32:49,510 Zac, can you grab that bucket on the back, please? 642 00:32:50,011 --> 00:32:52,471 Whoa! Jeez! 643 00:32:52,555 --> 00:32:55,599 -Mm-mm. A bucket of old meat. -Oh, yeah. 644 00:32:55,683 --> 00:32:58,144 Darin Special. Look. 645 00:32:58,227 --> 00:33:00,229 -This is-- -That was that smell. 646 00:33:00,312 --> 00:33:02,690 I was sitting back there going, "What is that smell?" 647 00:33:02,773 --> 00:33:06,235 This is who we're gonna head in with. Let me give you the Devil 101. 648 00:33:06,318 --> 00:33:08,279 Important safety tips coming up. 649 00:33:08,362 --> 00:33:11,574 Uh, so, when we go in, fingers do not go near their mouths. 650 00:33:11,657 --> 00:33:15,578 If they come close, just be aware of it, just put your foot up a little bit. 651 00:33:15,661 --> 00:33:18,664 If it comes closer, move your foot, or it's gonna grab it. 652 00:33:18,748 --> 00:33:22,251 We're talking about the third strongest jaw pressure on Earth, pound for pound. 653 00:33:22,334 --> 00:33:25,087 -We don't want things in their mouths. -Third strongest? 654 00:33:25,171 --> 00:33:27,631 Correct. Yep, they're bone crushers. And so… 655 00:33:27,715 --> 00:33:29,133 So why are we going in here? 656 00:33:29,717 --> 00:33:31,343 This is called a social feed. 657 00:33:31,427 --> 00:33:34,847 If they've got a carcass in the wild or like this, we mimic the wild. 658 00:33:34,930 --> 00:33:36,557 One devil shakes it, nothing happens. 659 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:39,185 When two devils shake it, bits start to come off. 660 00:33:39,268 --> 00:33:41,604 We're gonna have 10 or 12 devils shaking it. 661 00:33:41,687 --> 00:33:44,440 So, to get it in, you've got to stick that through 662 00:33:44,940 --> 00:33:47,318 and let probably three or four devils grab it. 663 00:33:47,401 --> 00:33:49,445 We'll keep eyes and ears out for you. 664 00:33:49,528 --> 00:33:51,072 Wait. Why am I the one doing this? 665 00:33:51,155 --> 00:33:52,615 -Um… -You got the meat, dude. 666 00:33:52,698 --> 00:33:53,741 Watch your feet. 667 00:33:53,824 --> 00:33:57,286 When you get in, walk backwards and lure them with you. 668 00:33:57,369 --> 00:33:58,204 Okay. 669 00:33:58,287 --> 00:33:59,538 Are we ready? 670 00:33:59,622 --> 00:34:02,333 Ready to be mauled by a pack of Tasmanian devils? 671 00:34:02,416 --> 00:34:04,126 No, not at all. Not really-- No. 672 00:34:04,710 --> 00:34:06,170 Come take this. 673 00:34:06,253 --> 00:34:08,798 -See the little metal stake in the ground? -Yeah. 674 00:34:08,881 --> 00:34:11,634 -You've gotta get that over it. -Wait, wait-- 675 00:34:11,717 --> 00:34:13,677 -Let it hang? -Yeah. 676 00:34:13,761 --> 00:34:15,137 This smells delicious. 677 00:34:16,472 --> 00:34:18,724 One tick, in his mouth. Watch your feet. 678 00:34:18,808 --> 00:34:19,850 Let him grab on. 679 00:34:19,934 --> 00:34:22,895 Okay, now back up. We're all right. Come in. Slow. 680 00:34:22,978 --> 00:34:24,438 Slow, slow. Turn around. 681 00:34:25,856 --> 00:34:30,820 One sec. Okay, mate, slowly take 'em over. Just slow. That's it. 682 00:34:30,903 --> 00:34:31,987 Ahh! 683 00:34:32,947 --> 00:34:37,535 Slow up. And when you put your hand down, be careful, all right? 684 00:34:37,618 --> 00:34:39,286 So you put it over it? 685 00:34:39,370 --> 00:34:41,372 Yep. Slow, slow. Try and keep 'em on it. 686 00:34:42,540 --> 00:34:44,083 -That's intense, man. -Yep. 687 00:34:44,750 --> 00:34:45,709 Nice and slow. 688 00:34:45,793 --> 00:34:48,129 Watch this back one doesn't have a go for your hand. 689 00:34:48,212 --> 00:34:49,046 Oh! 690 00:34:49,130 --> 00:34:52,800 That's okay. Let 'em pull it a bit. Yep. Get it on. 691 00:34:52,883 --> 00:34:55,010 -Yay, well done! -Watch behind you. 692 00:34:55,094 --> 00:34:55,928 Whoa! 693 00:34:57,596 --> 00:35:00,015 Yeah… just like the cartoon. 694 00:35:00,099 --> 00:35:04,311 This is why you don't want to have a drunken sleep under a tree in Tasmania. 695 00:35:07,231 --> 00:35:10,025 Think about the effectiveness of these as bush garbage cleaners. 696 00:35:10,109 --> 00:35:10,943 My God. 697 00:35:11,026 --> 00:35:15,030 Anything that died of age, disease… Poof! It's gone, and it's clean. 698 00:35:15,114 --> 00:35:17,783 -You can hear that. -Come on in, have a look. 699 00:35:17,867 --> 00:35:19,160 Come and have a look. 700 00:35:19,785 --> 00:35:22,705 This scene, it's been playing out in Australia since, 701 00:35:23,372 --> 00:35:24,832 you know, for all of history. 702 00:35:25,332 --> 00:35:28,169 And it's at risk right now of being lost forever. 703 00:35:28,252 --> 00:35:29,086 Right. 704 00:35:29,170 --> 00:35:31,839 Feel like I'm at risk now of being lost forever. 705 00:35:31,922 --> 00:35:33,799 Not only here do we prevent extinction 706 00:35:33,883 --> 00:35:36,552 by keeping an insurance population of the species, 707 00:35:37,553 --> 00:35:40,347 -but we can improve our overall ecology. -Heads up. 708 00:35:40,431 --> 00:35:42,516 Come on, you lot. Play nice. 709 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:44,310 Right. Play nice. 710 00:35:45,060 --> 00:35:47,062 He's trying to run off with it, or get a bit. 711 00:35:47,146 --> 00:35:48,689 That's Ned Flanders. 712 00:35:50,274 --> 00:35:52,860 -Are you ready to do some work? -That wasn't work? 713 00:35:53,611 --> 00:35:54,445 Yeah. 714 00:35:54,945 --> 00:35:57,031 Dude, you are brave, man. 715 00:35:57,114 --> 00:35:58,157 Kell. 716 00:35:58,240 --> 00:35:59,700 -Hey. -How are you? 717 00:36:00,201 --> 00:36:01,869 -Zac, Darin. -Kell, how are you? 718 00:36:01,952 --> 00:36:04,205 -Kell's one of the supervisors. -Nice to meet you. 719 00:36:04,288 --> 00:36:07,499 This is the breeding area, where all the magic happens. 720 00:36:07,583 --> 00:36:09,585 To start with, grab all the traps. 721 00:36:09,668 --> 00:36:13,464 They have traps set to humanely capture the devils in the area. 722 00:36:13,547 --> 00:36:16,508 Oh yeah. I got one. A live one. Yeah. 723 00:36:16,592 --> 00:36:19,136 All have RFID tags to monitor the animals 724 00:36:19,220 --> 00:36:22,097 for health, breeding success, and to track the birth date. 725 00:36:22,181 --> 00:36:24,266 So, in here, please. 726 00:36:24,350 --> 00:36:26,810 I should note the name Tasmanian devil 727 00:36:26,894 --> 00:36:29,188 was given to this animal by early European settlers 728 00:36:29,271 --> 00:36:31,857 because of the horrific screams and howls they make. 729 00:36:33,317 --> 00:36:35,444 As they're handled, they might seem annoyed, 730 00:36:35,527 --> 00:36:38,864 but they aren't in pain or being harmed in any way, so keep that in mind. 731 00:36:38,948 --> 00:36:40,908 This is all being done to save the species. 732 00:36:40,991 --> 00:36:43,369 -I got another one here. -He's pissed off. 733 00:36:43,452 --> 00:36:46,163 If it's a female that has joeys, we don't give that. 734 00:36:46,247 --> 00:36:47,081 Yep. 735 00:36:47,164 --> 00:36:49,500 -We have to find that out first. -Correct. 736 00:36:50,668 --> 00:36:52,878 Okay, what do you reckon? Male or female? 737 00:36:53,587 --> 00:36:55,923 -Bit of attitude. -Female. 738 00:36:58,175 --> 00:36:59,260 Female. 739 00:36:59,343 --> 00:37:00,719 -Okay. Same again. -Wow. 740 00:37:00,803 --> 00:37:03,472 So, Zac, can you please hop on the back there? 741 00:37:03,555 --> 00:37:05,599 -You'll have to lift that up for us. -Oh God. 742 00:37:08,394 --> 00:37:10,562 Well, you can't get this from a book anyway. 743 00:37:13,482 --> 00:37:15,067 Got it. Last four digits? 744 00:37:15,150 --> 00:37:16,652 "4223." 745 00:37:16,735 --> 00:37:17,653 Crookshanks. 746 00:37:17,736 --> 00:37:18,904 -Male or female? -Female. 747 00:37:18,988 --> 00:37:21,031 Yeah, her head and skull is very strong, 748 00:37:21,115 --> 00:37:23,867 so put a bit of pressure on and try not to let her move. 749 00:37:23,951 --> 00:37:27,162 Replace my hands. Come and have a look at this, Darin. 750 00:37:28,622 --> 00:37:29,540 That's a face. 751 00:37:29,623 --> 00:37:31,208 That's good, mate. So hold. 752 00:37:31,292 --> 00:37:32,334 -Got it, Zac? -I do. 753 00:37:32,418 --> 00:37:35,546 Hold her, mate. You got probably another minute or two, and you'll be-- 754 00:37:40,134 --> 00:37:41,468 You're not going anywhere. 755 00:37:45,222 --> 00:37:47,057 One second. Let her go for a sec. 756 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,603 -Okay. Plan B. 757 00:37:52,146 --> 00:37:56,025 So, see here? When we lift this, what I want you to do is pinch that lip. 758 00:37:56,108 --> 00:37:58,110 She's still got another estrus to go. 759 00:37:58,694 --> 00:38:00,154 Um, but she's good. 760 00:38:00,237 --> 00:38:01,113 -Yeah. -Wow. 761 00:38:01,196 --> 00:38:03,282 So no joeys. That's okay. 762 00:38:03,365 --> 00:38:05,576 Would be pretty obvious if there was a joey. 763 00:38:05,659 --> 00:38:08,370 Yes, you'd have a joey. It'd look like a little pink peanut. 764 00:38:09,330 --> 00:38:10,914 All right, we have one for release. 765 00:38:11,707 --> 00:38:12,541 Yeah. 766 00:38:12,624 --> 00:38:14,168 -Next one. -One for relocation. 767 00:38:14,752 --> 00:38:15,586 That's a male. 768 00:38:15,669 --> 00:38:16,920 It looks like it. 769 00:38:17,004 --> 00:38:19,214 So, we can actually see with him too, 770 00:38:19,298 --> 00:38:21,633 that his condition is not as good as the girls. 771 00:38:21,717 --> 00:38:26,263 So, a male has to show his strength over a female, and she will fight. 772 00:38:26,347 --> 00:38:28,349 He's gotta bite her on the back of the neck. 773 00:38:29,141 --> 00:38:30,976 Show her how strong and dominant he is. 774 00:38:31,060 --> 00:38:35,522 Drag her to a den, and he stays there, doesn't eat for 10 days and guards her. 775 00:38:35,606 --> 00:38:38,108 Fights off every male. So, to see him-- 776 00:38:38,192 --> 00:38:41,278 He looks great physically, but he's a bit light on. 777 00:38:41,362 --> 00:38:43,238 That says he's had a great breeding season. 778 00:38:43,322 --> 00:38:44,531 -Nice. -That's good. 779 00:38:45,115 --> 00:38:47,409 Not a lot of romance in this species. 780 00:38:47,493 --> 00:38:50,287 -Settle-- How old is he, Kell? Five? 781 00:38:51,038 --> 00:38:53,791 Hey, settle. Settle. 782 00:38:54,375 --> 00:38:55,209 Yeah, five. 783 00:38:55,292 --> 00:38:58,504 He's gotta come with us as well. Wow, that's fantastic. 784 00:39:01,882 --> 00:39:02,883 Get out of there. 785 00:39:09,890 --> 00:39:12,810 This one seems… extra devil-y. 786 00:39:12,893 --> 00:39:17,106 No joes. Um, Sorry, sweetie. 787 00:39:17,189 --> 00:39:20,067 I'm not gonna lift her up. One of you lot give it a go. Please. 788 00:39:20,150 --> 00:39:22,194 Grab down low. That's it, nice and low. 789 00:39:22,277 --> 00:39:26,073 This female is not pregnant, but she shows great fertility promise, 790 00:39:26,156 --> 00:39:28,367 and so we release her back into the breeding area 791 00:39:28,450 --> 00:39:30,369 and wish her luck in her future endeavors. 792 00:39:34,373 --> 00:39:35,624 She did a little check. 793 00:39:35,707 --> 00:39:39,128 Oh my God! I'm so happy to still be alive after this. 794 00:39:39,711 --> 00:39:42,339 What started as 44 Tasmanian devils 795 00:39:42,423 --> 00:39:45,634 has turned into 390 successful births, 796 00:39:45,717 --> 00:39:49,888 and the very first to be born on mainland Australia in 3,000 years. 797 00:39:49,972 --> 00:39:52,224 Once ready, the devils and other animals bred here 798 00:39:52,307 --> 00:39:53,642 are eventually re-wilded, 799 00:39:53,725 --> 00:39:58,021 sent off to live completely free in the 1,000-acre sanctuary. 800 00:39:58,105 --> 00:40:02,776 Every animal that has thus far been released in here is on that wall. 801 00:40:02,860 --> 00:40:05,028 With another two from today added to the board. 802 00:40:05,112 --> 00:40:06,238 Congratulations, devils. 803 00:40:06,321 --> 00:40:09,700 It's your last… little bumpy road. 804 00:40:11,577 --> 00:40:14,204 You can have a peek in there, just to see what he's doing. 805 00:40:14,288 --> 00:40:16,206 -Hey, there he goes. -Hey, bud. 806 00:40:17,166 --> 00:40:18,333 Look at that. 807 00:40:19,418 --> 00:40:21,211 -Here he comes. -Aw! Hey, buddy. 808 00:40:21,295 --> 00:40:22,379 He's heading home. 809 00:40:22,463 --> 00:40:24,339 -He's going back. -He's taking off. 810 00:40:24,423 --> 00:40:25,257 Yep. 811 00:40:25,340 --> 00:40:27,217 -Holy cow. -That's pretty awesome. 812 00:40:27,301 --> 00:40:29,887 The work you've done, it's just so special. 813 00:40:29,970 --> 00:40:31,597 We're a small nation, 814 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,475 but with some incredibly unique animals, and they need help. 815 00:40:34,558 --> 00:40:36,602 -Thanks. Really appreciate it. -Thank you. 816 00:40:36,685 --> 00:40:38,812 -That was an amazing day. Thank you. -Well done. 817 00:40:38,896 --> 00:40:41,398 -Right on, bud. -Makes my day having you here, you know? 818 00:40:41,482 --> 00:40:42,691 It's good to share it. 819 00:40:42,774 --> 00:40:44,651 Thanks for letting us be a part of it. 820 00:40:44,735 --> 00:40:46,612 It's good to be back with family and friends 821 00:40:46,695 --> 00:40:49,490 in a place I call my new habitat, Australia. 822 00:40:50,782 --> 00:40:54,703 And the lessons we've learned about conserving various species, biomes, 823 00:40:54,786 --> 00:40:57,331 cultures, those are all universal ideas. 824 00:40:57,956 --> 00:41:01,210 As the poem says, "No man is an island." 825 00:41:01,293 --> 00:41:04,505 No island is an island because it's all connected. 826 00:41:04,588 --> 00:41:06,924 We are all connected. There's a balance. 827 00:41:07,424 --> 00:41:10,969 The land we walk on, the water we drink, the air we breathe, 828 00:41:11,053 --> 00:41:14,473 it's all one big habitat, and we're here to conserve it. 829 00:41:14,556 --> 00:41:18,185 Enjoy it to its fullest, of course, but responsibly, 830 00:41:18,268 --> 00:41:20,854 leaving it as good or better than how we found it 831 00:41:21,438 --> 00:41:23,357 for the next generation and the next. 832 00:41:24,149 --> 00:41:26,068 Hey, we're just getting started here. 833 00:41:26,151 --> 00:41:27,736 So strap in and join us. 834 00:41:28,237 --> 00:41:29,530 It's gonna be a fun trip. 835 00:41:29,613 --> 00:41:31,865 Whoa!