As a cameraman,
I've filmed wildlife
all over the planet,
but there are limits
to where I can go.
She's returning to the place
that I can't follow her.
So in this series,
it's the animals
that are doing the filming,
to reveal the secret side
of their lives
we've never seen before.
- Oh, that's so cool.
- That is lovely.
Over the years,
we've designed
pioneering mini cameras
for a huge range of animals.
It's like a job interview.
Everything is made to measure.
Just figuring out
what her new bit of bling is.
And we've teamed up
with scientists
who want to see the world from
an animal's perspective
to learn about the challenges
they face
and help protect them
in the future.
She is potentially
showing us parts of the ocean
that no one has seen before.
In this special episode...
we head to Australia.
Are koalas' evening activities
at odds
with their
dozy-daytime reputation?
Can kangaroos survive
on the edge of urban expansion?
And what has drawn 20,000 bats
to life in a new city?
This is "Animals with Cameras."
On Australia's east coast...
...high in the towering trees
of Queensland,
is one of the country's
most iconic species...
best known for their love
of eucalyptus leaves
and dozing through
the heat of the day...
the koala...
with specialized claws
for gripping tree trunks
up to 100 feet up...
and an excellent sense of smell
for seeking out
the freshest gum leaves.
These marsupials are superbly
adapted to their environment.
With speckled bottoms
to help with camouflage...
these specially toughened rumps
enable koalas
to wedge themselves
comfortably in tree forks,
where they can sleep
for up to 20 hours a day.
Their tree-hugging posture
is more than an affectionate
arboreal embrace, too.
Tree trunks can be as much
as 10 degrees cooler
than the surrounding
air temperature...
which, in this region, can reach
over 100 degrees Fahrenheit
in the height of summer.
Tree-hugging is a means
to keep cool,
as well as look
effortlessly chilled.
This one may look blissfully
happy nestled in her tree,
but Koalas are in trouble.
The open forest and bushland
they call home
is rapidly disappearing...
...lost to agriculture,
urban development,
and ever-increasing bush fires.
There are now fewer than 35,000
left in this corner
of Queensland.
And each year,
over 2,000 homeless koalas
are taken into care.
While much is known
about koalas' daytime habits...
what they do at night
is still a mystery.
This information, however,
could be crucial to help
conserve their population
in the future.
This is Hidden Vale,
a 12,500-acre private property
where the land and
koala population are protected.
It could be a candidate location
to release koalas
who have lost their homes...
...but first, it's vital to know
how much space the ones
that already live here need
to avoid overcrowding.
Andrew Tribe and Karmen Butler
have been tracking
the resident population here
for the past 2 1/2 years.
We have we estimate
about 60 koalas,
but at the moment, we are
tracking about 20 of those.
All our koalas of course
are named, and we've found
that they each have
their own personality.
Miriam, Dave, and Karen
are just a few of the characters
that call Hidden Vale home.
Using lightweight GPS collars
and VHF ear tags,
Andrew is able
to monitor their movements.
Every 12 hours,
we get a reading
of where each koala is,
which means we know
where it's been,
how far it's traveled.
We also physically go out
and track them.
We've been able to establish
how big their home ranges are,
where they like to go,
with whom they like to interact,
although we still don't know
about their behavior at night.
So what
do
they get up to in the dark?
Although Andrew's GPS collars
track the koalas' movements,
he can't see what
the animals are actually doing.
To find out,
he needs on-board cameras.
We know they sit in trees,
and we know they eat leaves
and that sort of thing,
but what I'd like to find out
is a bit more detail about that.
How much time
do they spend eating?
How far do they move?
How far do they move
in the one tree?
Footage of
this behavior could really help
Andrew's ongoing
tracking studies
and, crucially, identify
whether any rescued koalas
could be introduced here.
For the koala camera build,
it's time to call on
designer Chris Watts.
An expert in bespoke
camera technology,
Chris has made cameras
for animals
of every shape and size.
The koalas currently wear
a collar like this,
with a GPS unit on the top,
and it has
a counter weight underneath,
which keeps
the aerial pointing upwards,
which is really good for signal.
We're going to take
this weight away,
and that is where
we are going to put our camera.
And it's kind of fixed
on a hinge,
which means that when
the koala is upright,
it can hang against the body,
and that's really good
because you don't want
a camera sticking out
because they hug the trees.
With the cameras
built and ready to deploy,
it's time to recruit
a koala camera unit.
The koalas at Hidden Vale
are captured regularly
for health checks.
On the catch list this week
are koalas
Robyn, Tom, and Hunter.
Andrew's team
use a technique called flagging
to encourage
the koalas down from the gumtree
and capture them
with a minimum of stress.
Get ready, mate, get ready.
Stay still, stay still.
Okay, well-done.
Safely in their crates,
the koalas make the short trip
back to the vet center
for a health assessment and to
be fitted with the cameras.
Hunter is first.
He's lightly anaesthetized
and checked over
by the veterinary team.
Zero two...
Still growing.
He is approximately
And he is in really nice
body condition.
All checked over,
Chris gets to work attaching
the camera to Hunter's collar.
The camera looks like
it's fitting really nicely.
And the thing that I wasn't able
to test until now
is to see
how that hinge is working
and see how it sits
against the chest,
and it looks like it is spot on,
so that's really good.
After a few hours' recovery,
Hunter is ready to be released
back into the tree
where he was found.
He's ready already.
He's definitely seen it,
hasn't he?
And if we just
stay really still
and really quiet...
That was a pretty calm release.
Yeah, he's a pretty
good boy, pretty calm.
But although reunited
with his tree,
Hunter soon decides
he'd prefer a different one...
...an interesting insight
into how fast koalas can move,
if they want to.
So, although we released
Hunter from the tree
in which he was found,
he came down
and ran across and found
this tree just over here.
And as Hunter settles into his new tree
unhindered by his camera,
Robyn and Tom are also
returned to the treetops.
So now the big test will be
what shots do we get?
And what do
these shots tell us
about
their night-time movements?
After a night of recording,
at first light,
Chris, Andrew, and Karmen
are keen to retrieve
the cameras.
Armed with the koalas'
GPS coordinates,
it's not long before
they track down Tom.
Well, he's in
a good position, not too high.
With everyone poised
for a catch,
it's time for the release...
Three, two, one.
Releasing.
and the camera drops.
Well, it's worked!
He's now moved higher,
so that's alright,
but he's otherwise undisturbed.
Okay, that's great.
Next on the retrieval list
is Hunter, who is snoozing
through the heat of the day
in an ironbark tree.
So I'm really
excited about this one.
Hunter is the big male,
isn't he?
He is, yes. 7.1 kilos.
And he is quite high,
so I'm thinking maybe
we use the tarp on this one.
Don't want it to land
on our heads.
Oblivious to the plans
being made below,
Hunter remains fast asleep...
firmly hugging his camera
to the tree trunk.
Tarp at the ready,
Andrew releases
Hunter's camera...
Sending.
but nothing happens.
Does it say released?
It said sending, released.
Hunter, it seems,
is asleep on the job.
I think, Hunter,
we need you to move.
Come on.
Eventually, Hunter obliges...
Oh, he's moving.
Here we go!
and this time,
the team
have more luck with the catch.
- Good reaction.
- Better than last time.
Yeah, amazing.
While Hunter looks on bemused,
the team head off to find Robyn
and the final camera.
With everyone
at a safe distance,
Chris releases the camera.
Three, two, one, releasing.
Oh, there we go.
Missed the tarpaulin
by that much.
With all the cameras
back and mostly in one piece,
time to see what they reveal.
At dusk, the team reconvene
to have a look.
For Karmen and Andrew,
it's a tantalizing glimpse
inside a koala's world.
And it's a raucous start
from Hunter.
Ah, wow, that is cool.
Wow.
He is what's known as bellowing.
And this the first time
a koala bellow
has been recorded
at this proximity.
Dominant males
call out like this
to advertise themselves
to nearby females
and alert other males
to stay away.
Territorial call complete,
it's time for dinner.
By the looks
of the thin branches,
Hunter is precariously high
in the treetops,
reaching out for the newest,
lushest growth.
It's interesting here
with this footage
to see how their fingers,
their claws,
their digits actually work
as they are climbing.
Koalas have two opposable thumbs
on each front paw
to help clasp tree trunks
and grip branches.
They've got a very strong grip.
You haven't been gripped by
a koala yet, have you?
- No.
- It's strong.
Koalas almost exclusively feed
on low-nutrient
eucalyptus leaves.
And they can nibble through
almost a pound in one evening.
These leaves are poisonous
to most animals,
but koalas have evolved
to digest the toxins.
The camera records Hunter
eating for three hours straight.
Tom, on the other hand,
is on the move.
It's so easy to forget
when you are watching
this night-time footage that
that's not what they are seeing.
They are in total darkness.
A koala's eyesight
is their weakest sense,
so while on the ground,
Tom regularly makes stops
to check his surroundings.
But he's obviously
sort of orientating himself.
He's obviously
deliberately stopping.
Tom is using his
highly developed sense of smell
to navigate and assess
his surroundings for danger.
And he presses on,
covering almost 600 yards
of ground in 30 minutes.
For an arboreal species, this is
a midnight marsupial marathon.
So what about Robyn?
It is interesting,
seeing what she is seeing,
and seeing how she is moving
and how she is behaving.
Her footage begins
with a dedicated hunt
for a new tree.
You wonder if she has got
a destination in mind?
Female koala home ranges
are usually smaller
than the males.
The amount of time
Robyn is spending on the ground
is unexpected... and dangerous.
I thought she might have
got up a tree much quicker.
If there is any predators
around, particularly dogs,
they can pick up her scent
and chase her down.
After stopping
at eight different trees
along the way,
Robyn finally finds
one she likes.
Wow... made a very quick
jump at that tree, yeah.
Yeah.
It's almost like,
"I've made up my mind.
I'm going for it."
Perhaps it's got
a good eucalypt smell
that maybe means
it's some good food up there.
A lot of trees have
different tannin levels,
so she's sniffing those trees
and deciding,
"Do I want
to go up there and eat?"
Koalas choose trees
for specific reasons.
Some are chosen as dedicated
food trees
and others are selected
for the shelter they offer.
Within minutes, Robyn is
in the very top of the tree
she has been searching for...
...and as dawn breaks,
she settles in for a snooze.
That's a great shot.
She's sitting up
with both paws this way.
Looks like that.
Yeah, yeah, a bit of an embrace.
Yeah?
She's holding her paws
in her lap.
Dozes off.
Oh, wow, the sun
has really come up now.
It has, hasn't it?
The koalas
have revealed themselves
to be anything
but dozy at night...
...a stark contrast to the lazy
layabouts they appear to be
during the day.
While it was known that koalas
climb down each night
to pick a different tree...
from observing Tom,
Robyn, and Hunter,
it's clear that koalas
scale many trees
over the course of an evening...
and are incredibly picky.
They spend more time on
the ground than anyone expected.
It suggests that koalas
need sizable reserves
and many different
types of trees
to safeguard their future.
Combined with Hidden Vale's
tracking data,
the camera footage is key for
reserve managers like Andrew...
This sort of
information I think is vital
if we're going to manage koalas
and koala populations better.
In South East Queensland,
more than 2,000 koalas
get brought into care
every year,
often because of
habitat clearing.
Many of those koalas
can be rehabilitated
and released back into the wild.
But if they are
going to survive,
if they are going to contribute
to the wild population,
we have to find suitable habitat
in which to release them.
While the camera findings
help Andrew better understand
the needs of the population
at Hidden Vale,
they can also help identify
other suitable habitats
in Australia
and ensure relocated koalas
get exactly
what they need to survive.
It's a quick hop
to our next story,
an altogether
very different marsupial...
the kangaroo...
renowned for the spring
in their step...
able to leap up to nine yards
in a single stride.
They can cover ground
as fast as a racehorse.
Of the four different species
of kangaroo,
the most numerous
is the eastern grey.
I've come to find them here,
in Coffs Harbour,
This picturesque coastline
is a growing metropolis
and a popular
holiday destination.
It's also home to one of
the most dense populations
of eastern grey kangaroos
in Australia.
These veracious herbivores
have a huge appetite for grass,
grazing as much
as 10 hours a day.
But the kangaroos here
have taken to hanging out
with the surfers on the beach.
The question is, why?
Just trying to get
a sense of this place
and a sense of the kangaroos
that live here.
And this seems like
a really unlikely place
for kangaroos to come.
And the big question I have is
what are they...
what are they doing here?
And if I can't answer
that question,
I'm hoping that our cameras can.
Despite their numbers,
local highway expansion
and new housing developments
means this mob is under threat.
And this is a key factor...
The Pacific Motorway.
At 490 miles long,
this coastal road
connects Sydney in the south
to the Gold Coast in the north.
But it's confined
the roos of Coffs Harbour
to a narrow strip of land
between road and sea.
If four lanes of traffic
aren't enough,
the fences either side
make it impossible to cross.
So the kangaroos
are trapped here,
with less and less food
to go around.
Kangaroos don't come
in all shapes,
but they do come in all sizes.
You've got the big males.
They're called boomers.
At the opposite end of the scale
the little ditty ones,
they're called joeys, and the
females are called flyers.
Because of
the urban development,
because of the highway,
it has changed
the dynamics of this population.
To my untrained eye,
these animals are not
in peak condition.
You see that they are
on the skinny side.
With limited space and food
on offer
between the motorway and ocean,
the roos have already been
pushed onto the headland
and even the dunes,
as they desperately
attempt to find food.
But are they going
one step further
and feeding on the beach itself?
And can the cameras prove it?
Dr. Cathy Herbert,
from the University of Sydney
has been studying the population
here for the past five years.
We've just noticed,
literally within the last year,
that we are seeing more
and more animals on the beach.
They're actually foraging
on some of the vegetation
on the sand dunes,
but we are also seeing
some interesting signs
in terms of their tracks
on the beaches.
It's possible that maybe
they're foraging on
some sort of food source.
Which would be
a really interesting
and unique observation
for this particular species.
The eastern grey kangaroo
tends to be most active
early in the morning and at dusk
when we can't see them,
so by getting video footage,
particularly overnight
and really early in the morning,
we might be able
to unravel this mystery
and figure out
what they're doing.
Kangaroos are crepuscular...
feeding at dawn and dusk.
So if they are going down to the
waterline in the early hours,
the tracks are gone by daybreak.
And these kangaroos coming down
on to the beach,
they're motivated by something,
and that is the mystery,
that is the question.
We can see them hopping down.
We see them slowing down,
and then the tides
wash the tracks away.
Nobody's really done
a thorough investigation
of what they are doing
and how they are utilizing that
beach environment.
The shoreline is certainly not
an ideal habitat
for these ravenous roos.
So what could they be feeding on
by the water's edge?
It's something I hope
the cameras can reveal...
but how do you create a camera
that can withstand
being bounced around?
It's another unique challenge
for Chris.
Hey, Chris, alright, let's talk
kangaroos and cameras.
We've tried to use neoprene,
which is kind of
a stretchy material,
so it will move with the animal.
And we have got
a release mechanism,
which is controllable by us.
It's a small nylon cord
that basically gets cut
when we trigger it,
and then that will drop
the whole thing away.
But as a backup if this failed,
we've got a failsafe,
which is kind of a weak point
in the collar,
just made with a natural cotton.
So we've got to make it strong
enough but also weak enough
that if they didn't like it
or want to get it off
that it would easily come away.
With the cameras ready,
we now need kangaroos.
To get close enough
to conduct her research,
Cathy uses a tranquilizer g*n.
Sedated and safe,
the roo is transferred
so Cathy can assess its health.
And we discover this female
has a surprise in store.
She's got
a little one in the pouch.
Oh, does she?
Oh, my word, look at that.
That is extraordinary.
That just defies belief.
Yeah, so this
one... is probably about
be able to tell what sex it is.
Gosh, so delicate.
It's a female.
We can just see a little pouch.
It's just extraordinary.
The anesthetic that Cathy uses
won't pass into
the mother's milk,
so this little joey
is completely unaffected
by the procedure.
Yeah, that's the most amazing
thing of the year, I think.
As Cathy takes the rest
of her measurements,
Chris carefully
attaches the camera.
And she's left under a tree
to wake up...
...but this roo is giving us
the run-around.
When we go back to check on her,
all we find is
a camera on the ground.
It seems
the quick-release collar
is proving a little too easy
to get out of.
Its failsafe... just a few
strands of cotton...
Is still too fragile.
It's a fine balance.
You were going to say fine line,
which is exactly what this is.
Maybe we need a less fine line.
Yeah, I think we can up
it a bit more, and what I'll do
is we'll go back
and I'll thicken it up
and just have a few
practices at breaking it
and just get a feel
for how much force.
Chris is going to redesign
the collar overnight,
but will it be enough to get
the kangaroo sh**t underway?
From a species
grappling with urban sprawl
to one which has chosen to live
right in the middle of it.
For the next camera candidate,
we're heading straight into
the heart of the city...
Adelaide, South Australia.
In 2010,
a small group of pioneers
embarked on an epic journey
to set up camp here.
grown to more than 22,000.
Meet the grey-headed
flying foxes.
Usually found along
the east coast,
these intrepid travelers
have flown over 600 miles
to settle in South Australia.
Never before seen here,
their sudden appearance
was a complete mystery.
Despite their foxlike faces,
these are no canines.
They are, in fact,
one of Australia's largest
species of bat.
Weighing up to two pounds,
these magnificent flying mammals
have a wingspan
of over three feet...
and unlike
the smaller microbats,
these giants don't echolocate
or feed on insects.
Instead, they eat flowers
and fruit,
giving them their other name...
Fruit bats.
But can they find the right
foods in their new city home?
What has drawn them
all the way to Adelaide?
Although entirely harmless
to humans,
they are often unpopular
for their large, noisy camps
and appetite for food crops.
To most, the sudden arrival
of flying foxes
in Adelaide was puzzling.
But for wildlife vet
Wayne Boardman
and bat specialist
Terry Reardon,
their arrival
was the perfect opportunity
to study the species
in more-depth.
What I love about them
is that they are very smart,
very intelligent.
They've got this
incredible physiology.
They have developed
great senses of smell,
good eyesight, great hearing,
and they've got this ability
to move across the landscape.
Wayne and his team
at the University of Adelaide
have tracked the flying foxes'
nocturnal movements
using GPS collars
and discovered that they travel
up to 50 miles a night
when they fly off to forage.
It would be
really nice to find out
what they do
when they go out traveling.
Do they feed?
What do they feed on?
Could food preference
could be a key reason
behind the flying foxes'
arrival in the city?
Flying foxes
primarily eat gum flowers
and the nectar from gum flowers,
and also fruit.
These mega bats
can eat important
agricultural crops,
which is why many people
consider them to be a pest.
Their hunger for fruit
is a particular worry
for local farmers.
The Adelaide region is home
to numerous sugar-rich crops.
Safe to say,
Adelaide's new arrivals
were not a welcome sight
for local fruit producers.
When we have a species
that's quite contentious,
in terms of causing problems
with commercial fruit,
we want to try and find out
exactly what they're eating.
If we know that they are eating
a lot of commercial fruit,
what can we put in place
to stop them?
If they are not eating
commercial fruit,
then we can be happy that
they are part of the landscape
and we should enjoy them.
And these
much-persecuted animals
really should be celebrated.
An individual flying fox will
not only pollinate many plants,
but disperse up to 60,000 seeds
across the landscape
every night.
From a scientific point of view,
flying foxes are extremely
valuable for the environment...
which is why Wayne is studying
the ongoing health
of the population here.
But, the only way to really
understand their world
is to get amongst it.
Something that is tricky enough
during the day,
but practically impossible
at night.
To answer Wayne's question
of where they go
and what they feed on,
a wearable nighttime camera
is called for.
Yet another task for Chris.
And safe to say,
this build has given him
the most sleepless nights.
So putting a camera on a bat
has got to be the most
challenging thing
I've been asked to do yet.
Although they are one
of the biggest bat species,
around 800 grams,
that only gave me a weight limit
of 35 grams,
and that is equivalent to maybe
two packets of chewing gum.
And, for that tiny payload,
Chris has built a camera
complete with infrared lights,
a programmable onboard computer,
and a VHF tracker.
Another design
consideration with this camera
has been the placement.
So, we've decided to put it
on the back
and that's, hopefully,
going to mean
it's not in the way
when the bats are flying
and they also spend a lot
of time hanging upside-down,
so, if it's on the back,
it's out of the way.
If it was a collar camera,
it's kind of
right under their chin.
It's going to be
really annoying.
So much of this is the animals
being as comfortable
wearing these cameras
as possible
because that gives us the best
chance of them staying on.
As night falls,
the flying foxes depart
for their evening adventures.
Just a few hours later,
Chris and the team arrive
at the Botanic Park
to prepare
for the flying foxes' return.
It's a 3:00 a.m. start
for scientists Wayne, Terry,
and a team
of expert bat catchers.
So, if you want to come and have
a look at the ropes, Chris.
Wayne surveys the health
of the flying fox population
here twice a year.
A process that involves
capturing them,
weighing them,
and taking samples,
which also gives us
the perfect opportunity
to attach the cameras.
The flying foxes will be caught
in a fine net
suspended between two trees.
So, everyone knows
what they're doing?
So, this is our first morning
that we might actually
catch a bat.
It's very exciting
to see this all work.
It's quite an operation,
getting this net up in the tree.
So, yeah, now, we wait.
And it's not long
before one hits the net.
Oh!
Right.
Go!
Each flying fox caught
is weighed
as part of its checkup
and, if one tips the scales
at 1.5 pounds or more,
it's also big enough
to carry one of the cameras.
While the survey continues,
already-captured bats
are hung in a bag,
for the short wait before going
to the vet facility.
For animals that naturally
hang upside-down,
this has a calming effect.
Yep, that's it.
Okay up.
- Up.
By 5:30 a.m.,
six flying foxes have been
caught for Wayne's checks
and, hopefully, the cameras.
Back at the clinic,
it's time to meet
the first flying fox
camera cadet.
So I'm just going
to get the mask.
The process begins
with a light anesthesia.
Safely asleep,
Wayne conducts his research.
As well as weight,
he takes a blood sample,
checks for body condition,
and collects
some key measurements.
So, it's amazing to see
these animals up close.
They're actually bigger
than I was expecting.
They've got these really
sharp teeth,
which I'm a little bit
worried about,
because, obviously,
these cameras are so light,
they're not very well-protected.
Gloves on,
it's time for the camera.
And... it's a great fit.
I'm quite happy with that.
Sitting between the shoulder
blades nicely.
So we can wake it up? Happy?
- Yes, yeah, good.
- Good.
After Wayne fits
the rest of the cameras
and the anesthetic has worn off,
the flying foxes are ready
to be returned to the camp.
Wayne gently places the first
crewmember on the tree.
And it seems completely unfazed
by its new high-tech backpack.
But, in a camp of 22,000,
it's not long
before it disappears from view.
I mean, this is part
of the argument
for putting a camera
on a bat, isn't it?
Is how quickly we've lost sight.
- Yeah.
- Our camera is now
capturing it all for us.
Thankfully, our long-lens camera
finds it high in the treetops.
As this is the first deployment,
Chris wants to keep
the flying fox in sight
to make sure it's okay.
The bat's actually
just taken off.
That's incredible.
That's the first time we've ever
had actual flying footage
from a bat.
Aah!
Over the next hour,
four more are released
back into the camp,
each of these carrying a camera,
to reveal their all-important
nocturnal feeding habits.
The setting sun is the cue
for the flying foxes
to depart and find food.
Among the thousands
that fill the sky
are an aerial film unit of five.
And, as they disappear
into the night,
it's over to
them,
to film forus.
But will the cameras survive
and will the flying foxes
bring their precious footage
back tomorrow morning?
Overnight,
the filming flying foxes
have been out on their errands
and are now back in the camp.
Chris is
really
hoping
they've brought their
cameras home with them.
We're just driving back
to the location this morning,
hoping to find the cameras
that have been out overnight.
They're going to have been out
over 24 hours,
so, it's going to be
really interesting to see
how it survived the night
and, you know,
is the release going to work?
By plugging in the VHF frequency
of the camera's transmitter,
Chris and Terry manage to locate
the first flying fox.
Remarkably, within the minuscule
one-once cameras,
Chris has built in
a remote-control
dropoff mechanism.
But, as Chris hits release,
the flying fox takes flight...
Okay, triggering now.
Sending.
Released.
taking our footage with it.
Don't fly away!
Yes!
Look at that!
- Yeah!
- Whoo-hoo!
Yes!
Nice.
Wow.
Couldn't be happier than that.
Just as planned.
And, with the rest
of the cameras retrieved
just as smoothly,
it's time to see
what the mega bats'
mini cameras have captured.
Oh, gosh. A lot
of people studying flying foxes
are going to be really
fascinated to see this, I think.
Time for the
all-important reveal
of what this flying fox is going to feed on.
Looks like gum
of some description there.
It'll be easy to get
that identified, I think.
Yeah, I think so.
It's a South Australian
blue gum,
a different variety
to their usual East Coast food.
This eucalyptus
is an Adelaide native.
It's an encouraging sign
that the flying foxes
aren't
targeting crops
and have, instead, adapted
to a local species.
This close proximity to feeding,
we've never seen
this sort of thing before.
But it's reassuring to know
that this flying fox
hasn't gone
into any commercial fruit.
And we quickly learn
that flying foxes
don't spend time
in one place for very long.
That sound is incredible,
isn't it?
After a short flight,
a new tree is selected
and the flying fox
announces its arrival.
So this is really interesting.
It looks like they're going
from...
Just in a few minutes,
they've gone
for three or four different
feeding sites,
which is nothing
that we've ever seen before.
We just think they're going
to one area
and probably stay in a tree
for a period of time,
but it looks like they're
flying around
every minute or two
to find some food.
And it's off again.
And, this time, we're
in a different tree species.
It is technically
a fruit tree...
A Port Jackson fig...
But this is not a food crop.
It's an ornamental tree,
commonly found in gardens
and civic centers.
A short flight later,
it's back in a native blue gum.
- This is a surprising thing...
- Yeah.
I think, just, you know,
how quickly they're moving
and eating, blossom to blossom.
But they clearly are eating it
really quickly and moving on.
And, even though they can fly
tens of miles a night,
this flying fox has chosen
to stay close to the city
and his back-mounted camera
provides a great
aerial perspective.
So he's going
over the road.
Amazing!
This is extraordinary.
So that's a car park, I'm
sure...
- Yeah.
- like you said,
but it'll be really interesting
to know where it is.
With ornamental trees to feed on
in the heart of the city,
this flying fox
doesn't need to go far.
By first light,
the filming flying foxes
are back in the roost,
hanging
alongside their neighbors.
So what do Wayne and Terry make
of their first foray
into the flying foxes'
nighttime world?
I don't know
whether I really had any
full idea of what we might
actually see.
You know, this is incredible.
We're seeing flying foxes
flying around
and seeing what they're doing
like we've never seen it before.
Importantly,
the cameras have revealed
that these flying foxes,
at least,
aren't targeting
commercial fruit.
It suggests
that grey-headed flying foxes
have simply relocated
to Adelaide,
not because of its
outlying crops,
but because of the many
other food resources
on offer in the city.
The footage has also revealed
unexpected insights
for Wayne and Terry.
It's certainly given
us a great deal to work with.
You watch these animals
from the ground
and you try and imagine
what it's like
and you see them feeding
in trees,
but, yeah,
I wouldn't have imagined
you would ever see that,
you know,
from a bat's point of view.
It's just remarkable technology.
These cameras have not
only changed our understanding
of Adelaide's population,
but of grey-headed flying foxes,
as a species.
Back at Coffs Harbour,
on the East Coast,
this population of kangaroos
is feeling the urban squeeze.
Trapped between a motorway
and the ocean,
they are struggling
to find food.
Dr. Cathy Herbert hopes
that onboard cameras
will reveal
if these isolated roos
are foraging on the beach
to survive.
However, so far,
we've not got a camera on.
The camera collars,
made with a quick release
to come off
if the animal gets snagged,
are falling off too easily.
It has to be strong enough
and weak enough.
It's just finding
that sweet spot...
That's right, yeah.
- so it doesn't
just drop off.
Well, at the moment we're
using three strands of cotton,
so I think, if we up that,
to maybe eight or nine pieces,
that'll, hopefully,
just give us the edge we need.
Camera modifications made,
we head out to, hopefully,
find a kangaroo for our crew.
Are you happy with everything?
Yeah, so that's all our samples.
Yeah, camera's good to go.
Yeah, so we'll put her
in a shady spot to recover.
Time to put
Chris' handiwork to the test.
Good luck.
Okay, she's hopped off.
She's hopped off.
She's got the camera.
She's looking good.
It's a huge relief
and, knowing
that the collars work,
we deploy another five cameras.
That's the tracker
on the VHF working, so.
It's now up to the kangaroos
to capture
the challenges they face.
The next morning, the search
is on
for the camera roos.
Chris leads the way, listening
for the cameras' VHF beep,
and, before long,
we find one of our crew.
She's just there.
- Just the other side.
See?
Just through there.
Oh, yes.
She knows that we're here,
but she doesn't know
that we're here
to relieve her of her camera.
To get the camera off,
Chris triggers the release.
Okay, here we go.
And, as she hops away,
it comes loose.
There we go.
Here it is.
Brilliant.
With the first camera back,
we successfully retrieve
the others.
With any luck, they will show us
what these resourceful roos
are surviving on here.
Time to take a look.
Here we go.
This is the big moment,
the culmination
of everyone's efforts,
just over to the roos.
Set to record at first light,
when the roos are most active,
this individual is already
on the move.
It's a really intimate view.
And, as dawn breaks, we can see
her joey is with her, too.
Aww.
- Aww, so sweet.
Aww.
- Oh, that's great.
Returning the favor.
Oh, the little one licking
the mother. Beautiful.
Oh, look at that.
Are you allowed to say cute,
as a scientist?
You are.
That is gorgeous.
Joeys are weaned
at around 18 months old,
but they often stay close
to their mums for months after.
Spending time alone with their
mothers, like this one is,
rather than being
in the larger group,
also means they have
a better chance of survival.
Any head start is good
for the youngsters here,
as the camera shows us
just how poor this habitat is.
The headland may look
like a well-kept lawn,
but, there's little
on offer here.
With over 200 roos
in such a small area,
this grass has been grazed
to the ground.
The density of animals
also means,
where there is food,
there's feces.
A lot of the areas where they're
grazing are contaminated.
You know, there's a little piece
of fecal matter right there,
where she's grazing,
and that fits
with what we're seeing,
in terms of the high levels
of intestinal parasites.
Poor feeding grounds lead
to poorly conditioned animals
and grazing here risks
spreading disease and infection
amongst the population.
But then, we get the footage
Cathy has been hoping for.
One of the camera kangaroos
hops onto the beach.
Oh, they're right out
on the sand.
Oh, wow.
So this is those
hopping marks that we can see
where they're moving
on the beach.
At first, she nibbles
on dune grass,
something Cathy
has observed before.
Not a lot to eat there,
though, is there?
- Yeah.
- No.
But then, she moves further
down the beach
and begins to forage.
Oh, yes.
- Oh, wow.
It's slim pickings
amongst the pebbles and shells,
but, it's food, nonetheless.
And the cameras give Cathy
the all-important opportunity
to see what they're eating.
I'm not a kangaroo,
you may have noticed,
but that vegetation doesn't seem
particularly nutritious.
It's kind of wispy and dry.
There's just
a little bit of grass
coming up in between the shells
and the stones
that have washed up
from the ocean
and maybe that's
because the grass
is a little bit longer there.
There's not a lot of it, but,
other animals aren't there,
grazing with this animal,
so maybe there's
less competition.
Mm-hmm.
This footage shows how
these marginalized marsupials
really are doing everything
they can to survive.
But grass and weeds
on the shoreline
is not enough food
to sustain them long-term.
It all comes down to the way
humans have modified
the environment.
They can't move the way
they normally would move
in the environment.
I think for us to have a future
and for these animals
to have a future,
it's about coexistence.
It's about people.
And, hopefully,
through this footage and the
other research that we're doing,
that we can really
try and figure out how best
to manage the landscape.
After watching the footage,
Cathy wants to see changes
in urban planning,
to ensure new roads and suburbs
consider the needs of kangaroos
and enable them to move freely
across the landscape.
This will not only help the
kangaroos here at Coffs Harbour,
but many others living up
and down this busy coastline.
Our "Animals with Cameras"
adventures in Australia
have given scientists an insight
into how we can help conserve
some of the country's unique
and precious animals...
...identifying how diverse
koalas' habitat needs to be...
...how adaptation to new food
is a vital survival strategy,
and how much space
kangaroos need
to live on this great continent.
Let's hope this footage
can go some way
to safeguarding the future
of these species,
in this truly magical country.
To learn more about what you've
seen on this "Nature" program,
visit pbs.org.
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