This grassland was once covered by a forest |
眼前的草地曾是一片 |
that ran unbroken from west coast to east coast. |
横跨东西海岸的森林 |
Today, high above the plains, |
如今平原之上 |
swirling clouds hide mountains that tower three miles into the sky. |
高耸达3英里的山峰在云雾背后若隐若现 |
These frozen summits |
那些雪峰 |
now form part of a mountainous barrier |
现在成为一道山体屏障 |
separating the ancient jungles in the west |
将西边的古森林 |
from the savannahs of the east. |
和东边的大草原分隔开来 |
Up here, lies the largest glacier in Africa, |
在山顶储藏着非洲最大的冰川 |
just a few miles north of the equator. |
仅仅位于赤道以北几英里的地方 |
These are the legendary Mountains of the Moon. |
那些就是传说中的月亮山 |
The height of these peaks |
山体惊人的高度 |
means they create their own weather. |
意味着会形成独特的天气状况 |
The local name for these mountains is "Rwenzori", |
那些山在当地叫做"鲁文佐里山" |
"The rain maker". |
意思是"造雨师" |
Meltwater flows down from the glaciers. |
冰雪融水从冰川滚滚而下 |
And on the lower slopes, |
到了低缓的山坡 |
all this water supports thick jungle... |
便会滋润茂密的丛林 |
..remnants of the dense, steamy forests |
那曾经遍布整个东非的 |
that once dominated the whole of East Africa. |
苍郁茂盛氤氲淋漓的森林的残余部分 |
But driven by a drying climate beyond the mountains, |
但是受山外干旱气候的影响 |
the forests began to wither away. |
森林开始慢慢消亡 |
Today, only small pockets of upland jungle remain - |
现在就只剩高山区的零星几片丛林了 |
home to animals who once roamed the ancient forests. |
成为曾经在古森林中漫步的动物们最后的家园 |
The largest living primates on earth. |
那是地球上现存的最大的灵长动物 |
Mountain gorillas. |
山地大猩猩 |
This little one's ancestors have lived in forests like these |
这只小家伙的祖先在这样的森林中 |
for millions of years. |
生活了数百万年 |
But all around, the world has changed to swamp and savannah. |
但是森林四周都已变成沼泽和草原 |
This is the furthest these mighty giants |
此处是这些庞然大物能到达的 |
now venture into Eastern Africa. |
东非的最远地区了 |
They're marooned on their islands in the African sky. |
他们被困在了非洲蓝天下的孤岛上 |
Below the highlands, |
高地之下 |
vast wetlands cut swathes through the open savannah. |
宽广的湿地把辽阔的草原分割开来 |
Bangweulu Swamp is huge, |
班韦乌卢沼泽广阔无垠 |
its name means, "Where the water meets the sky". |
"班韦乌卢"的意思就是"水天相接之处" |
Hidden amongst this maze of waterways |
在这迷宫似的水道里藏匿的 |
is a creature like no other. |
是世界上独一无二的生灵 |
A giant, prehistoric-looking bird. |
体型庞大长相酷似史前动物的鸟类 |
A shoebill. |
鲸头鹳 |
Standing well over a metre tall... |
她直立起来有一米多高 |
she roams these swamps... |
在沼泽里闲庭信步 |
..trying to catch catfish. |
伺机抓鲶鱼吃 |
Not exactly what she was after. |
她想抓的可不是这根木头 |
Deeper into the swamp, lies the reason for all this fishing. |
她为什么要抓鱼呢答案就在沼泽深处 |
完整版请点击 |
|
This chick is just three weeks old |
眼前的小雏鸟只有三周大 |
and a little bit wobbly on its feet. |
仍在蹒跚学步 |
Its vast bill means it has trouble balancing. |
它的喙很大所以很难保持身体平衡 |
It won't be able to fly, or even walk properly |
几周之内它都别想飞起来 |
for several weeks. |
就连正常走路都难 |
It's entirely reliant on its parents for food and water. |
所以食物和水就得全靠它父母了 |
There is also a smaller chick, |
还有一只更小的雏鸟 |
who isn't doing so well. |
它表现得不是很好 |
The larger chick pesters its mother for a drink. |
大点的雏鸟缠着它妈妈要水喝 |
While she goes off to fetch water, |
她离开去取水的时候 |
it reveals a dark side to the relationship with its nest mate. |
它立刻展现出对另一只雏鸟黑暗的一面 |
It's three days older than the other chick, |
它比另一只雏鸟大三天 |
and has always won the race for food and attention. |
但却集母亲的宠爱于一身总能争到食物 |
This is more than just a scrap between two siblings. |
那不止是两只雏鸟间的小打小闹 |
As their mother returns, |
它们的母亲回来了 |
she sees what the larger chick has done. |
她看到了大雏鸟的所作所为 |
The smaller chick seeks its mother's comfort. |
小雏鸟来寻求母亲的安慰 |
But she has already made her choice. |
但是她已经做出了决定 |
Only her first-born will get a drink. |
只有第一个出世的宝宝能喝到水 |
Shoebills very rarely raise more than one chick. |
鲸头鹳一般一次只抚养一只雏鸟 |
The younger chick was only ever an insurance, |
小点的雏鸟只是个备胎罢了 |
in case the elder didn't make it. |
以防大的不幸夭折 |
Now it's old enough, the adults know that |
现在雏鸟都大了成鸟知道 |
they're better off putting all their efforts |
最好还是把所有精力 |
into bringing up just one fit and healthy youngster. |
都用在抚养一只健康的幼鸟身上为好 |
The swamp's changing water levels |
沼泽水位飘忽不定 |
mean fishing is too unpredictable |
捕鱼全靠运气 |
for them to gamble on trying to raise two chicks. |
所以一次抚养两只雏鸟风险太大了 |
Nothing here stays the same for long. |
在这里没有什么是一成不变的 |
This is the time of year |
每年的这个时候 |
when Eastern Africa is beginning to dry. |
东非的旱季就要开始了 |
The rivers and waterholes are shrinking. |
河流和水坑都慢慢萎缩 |
The land continues to dry out. |
土地不断干涸 |
Tensions rise. |
形势越来越严峻了 |
Hippos seek what relief they can. |
河马们不放过最后一点稀泥 |
This time of relentless drying |
饱受严酷干旱的同时 |
is also when another force of change ravages the land. |
另一种力量也要来蹂躏这片土地了 |
Without warning, fires rip through these tinder-dry plains. |
毫无征兆得熊熊大火开始在这片干旱的草原肆虐 |
The flames sweep across the savannah at 50 miles an hour... |
火焰以每小时50英里的速度席卷草原 |
reaching temperatures of nearly a thousand degrees, |
火焰温度近一千度 |
consuming everything in their path. |
所到之处皆化为灰烬 |
Each year, an area larger than Britain goes up in smoke. |
每年这里的着火面积比英国国土面积都大 |
But this destruction can bring opportunity, |
但是这种毁灭也能带来机遇 |
if you're prepared to take a risk. |
前提是你做好了冒险的准备 |
Drongos, bee-eaters and rollers bravely pluck |
卷尾燕食蜂鸟和金丝雀勇敢地 |
fleeing insects from amongst the flames. |
在火焰中捕食四处逃窜的昆虫 |
There's little better than a char-grilled grasshopper. |
没什么比碳烤蝗虫更美味了 |
These fires may appear devastating, |
那些大火似乎是毁灭性的 |
but they are, in fact, part of a natural cycle |
但事实上 它们是东非草原自然循环的一部分 |
that is essential for the regeneration of East Africa's grasslands. |
是其再生所必不可少的 |
But sometimes the cycle is broken, |
但有时循环会被打破 |
just when a change is most needed. |
而改变却迫在眉睫 |
Here, on the plains of Amboseli, |
这里是安伯塞利平原 |
in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, |
在乞力马扎罗山的山脚下 |
the seasonal rains have failed for the last two years. |
季雨已有两年没来润泽这片土地 |
And this year, they are already long overdue. |
今年季雨依旧迟迟未降 |