Wonders of the Monsoon
The monsoon. One of the natural world's greatest phenomena, this seasonal rain brings life to Southeast Asia and Australia. This three-part series travels across the countries of the monsoon region and documents the impact it has on the animals and cultures that live there.
- 2014-2014
- 1 season
- Documentary
The monsoon. One of the natural world's greatest phenomena, this seasonal rain brings life to Southeast Asia and Australia. This three-part series travels across the countries of the monsoon region and documents the impact it has on the animals and cultures that live there.
Season 1 Episode Guide
5 Episodes 2014
Episode 1
Waiting for the Rains
59 mins
Monsoons are vegetation-vital rain seasons caused by major temperature contrasts, as between the cool oceans and the Australian land mass, or between the Tibetan highland and the Himalaya. It's awaited anxiously by many people and animals, needing water and green plants, while some profit from easy prey congregation, as tigers lurking around the last pools fit for deer. For some the very heat can be fatal on top of thirst, as for overheated bats drinking in crocodile-infested rivers. Mating or near-rape must go on in time for offspring to enjoy the rich season, even if females and present young are thirst-exhausted. The colorful Hindu festival in India is among the ancient Hindu rituals pleading for the gods to bring needed rain, even if its excess can also be hazardous.
Episode 2
Deluge
59 mins
After the long, anxious wait fro the monsoons, its arrival can be as dramatic, ambivalent like Shiva. Some areas flood meters high, like the six times as vast growing Tonle Sap lake flooded with Mekong water in Cambodia, which supplies the country's main food supply. Indian wildlife copes in species-specific ways, like mating or hunting on cue. The water displaces huge amounts of soil, fertilizing but also eroding, attracting migrations and congregations even from whales in the seas.
Episode 3
The Drought
59 mins
After the wet torrent, drought soon starts building up again as the heat returns. Again challenges and opportunities shift for many prey and predator species. The reproductive cycle must match the expected food availability, so some males compete bitterly for breeding rights, sometimes even braving the scorching sun as show of force, despite roaming wolves.
Episode 4
Strange Castaways
59 mins
A journey to the heart of the monsoon, a world of strange creatures and tropical islands.
Episode 5
People of the Monsoon
59 mins
An extraordinary story of the relationship between nature and the people of the monsoon.
