WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.048 --> 00:00:06.950
In China, there's an animal even more rare than the celebrated giant panda. It is called the finless porpoise.

2
00:00:07.341 --> 00:00:13.219
And David McKenzie introduces us to this critically endangered species and the scientists who are trying to save it.

3
00:00:16.228 --> 00:00:30.130
Coming up for a quick hello and coming in for a closer look. This quirky creature is a finless porpoise.

4
00:00:30.453 --> 00:00:36.701
It's mating season, so they're dancing and acting a little strange.

5
00:00:38.545 --> 00:00:44.195
It's amazing how intelligent they are. You can see the wheels turning in their brain.

6
00:00:46.472 --> 00:00:57.262
Porpoises are smaller than dolphins with shorter snouts, sociable, but shy -- unless you're professor Kou Zhangbing of Wuhan's Institute of Hydrobiology.

7
00:00:57.672 --> 00:01:05.212
He calls them over, gets a kiss and gives it a snack while doing a medical checkup.

8
00:01:09.404 --> 00:01:14.044
"The porpoises are part of my life," he says. "They've become our friends."

9
00:01:14.503 --> 00:01:20.982
Friends under threat. Now, there are fewer than 1,000 left. Their natural home is the Yangtze River.

10
00:01:22.321 --> 00:01:25.967
Habitat loss, pollution and overfishing are killing them off.

11
00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:35.697
If proper measures aren't taken, they will be extinct in 10 years. But to be honest, we only have five years to take action.

12
00:01:37.673 --> 00:01:42.897
Chinese scientists are acting, creating a breeding sanctuary cut off from the river.

13
00:01:45.235 --> 00:01:52.279
Only China has this species, and children will start asking questions one day, like, "Why did we let them go extinct?"

14
00:01:53.025 --> 00:01:54.712
That's why we want this reserve.

15
00:01:55.300 --> 00:01:58.242
So they take painstaking care to build up the numbers.

16
00:01:59.015 --> 00:02:06.225
So, we're going to a holding pen which is on the edge of the lake. There are three porpoises here, around four to five years old.

17
00:02:06.541 --> 00:02:11.637
They feed them like this by hand so they know they're getting exactly the right nutrients they need.

18
00:02:14.625 --> 00:02:22.843
For scientists like Kou, it's personal. And losing this national treasure would be like losing a friend.