Nature films explore the lives of rare species

For seven years, a dedicated team embarked on a remarkable journey of tracking and filming, resulting in two groundbreaking collaborative nature documentaries between China and Thailand.

The two films, The Legend of Oriental Pied Hornbill and Ark of Bryde's Whale, had their global premieres on June 30 and July 1, respectively. They were simulcast by Guangxi Radio and TV and a TV channel of the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand. They mark a special tribute to the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, which fell on Tuesday.

Ding Quan, director of the two documentaries, told China Daily that Ark of Bryde's Whale delves into the world of the eponymous creature, a rare and endangered species, which is under the State's first level protection in China.

With exclusive footage never seen before, he said that the documentary unveils the untold life stories of the only known nearshore large whale population in China, shedding light on the joint efforts of Chinese and Thai scientists in creating a "life ark" for the Bryde's whales and promoting the idea of a "global life community".

"The film presents four 'firsts' to the world," Ding said. "The first-ever documentary on the Bryde's whales in China, the first records on mysterious courtship behavior of the Bryde's whales, the first records on their nocturnal feeding habits, and the first underwater recordings of the communication between mother and calf."

Through aerial, surface, and underwater perspectives, the documentary vividly portrays the magical life stories of the Bryde's whales in the waters off Weizhou Island in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and the conservation efforts by Chinese and Thai scientists.

The Bryde's whale, a large baleen whale, is listed in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species and China's national key protected wild animal list as a level-1 protected species. In 2016, Chen Mo, an assistant researcher of the Guangxi Academy of Sciences, discovered the whales in the waters off Weizhou Island in Beihai.

It was confirmed to be the only stable large whale population along the Chinese coast, with the latest research estimating their numbers at around 70 individuals.

In the Gulf of Thailand, scientists from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources in Thailand have recorded nearly 156 Bryde's whales. Their research and conservation efforts have been ongoing for 15 years, leading to the development of a thriving whale-watching tourism industry.

Ding and his team members tracked and filmed Bryde's whales in the Beibu Gulf and the Gulf of Thailand, documenting the cross-border cooperation between Chinese and Thai scientists in research, conservation, and sustainable whale-watching tourism.

"The two countries jointly explore the path of ecological protection and sustainable development, showcasing the wisdom of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature and contributing a cooperation model to the world," Ding said.

The Legend of Oriental Pied Hornbill is China's first documentary on the rare species. It narrates the conservation story of the level-1 protected bird in China. Its population in Guangxi has transitioned from endangered to thriving.

Through long-term tracking and filming, the program has accumulated the richest collection of hornbill footage in the country, unveiling the magical stories of hornbill families in different nests such as tall tree holes, short tree holes, karst caves, and artificial nest boxes with a touch of humanistic care.

It also tells the heartwarming story of cross-border cooperation between the Chinese Oriental pied hornbill research team, led by researcher Que Tengcheng of the Guangxi Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue and Epidemic Surveillance Research Center, and conservationists from the Thailand Hornbill Research Foundation. They worked together to promote the growth of the Oriental pied hornbill population in China.

Hornbills are flagship species of tropical rainforests, and their survival directly reflects the health of forest ecosystems.

Guangxi is the largest habitat for the Oriental pied hornbill in China, Ding said. Before the 1970s, the hornbill was widely distributed in southwestern Guangxi, but due to hunting and habitat loss, the population plummeted to less than 100 individuals, putting their survival at risk.

Thailand is home to 13 hornbill species and is a leader in Asian hornbill research and conservation, providing valuable insights for the protection of the Oriental pied hornbill in Guangxi, Ding said.

Over the years, the Guangxi hornbill research team has maintained close exchanges with its Thai counterpart, learning from each other and making relentless efforts to protect this endangered species. After years of protection, the Oriental pied hornbill population in Guangxi has revived, growing from around 100 birds to over 200 today.

The two documentaries uphold a global perspective, adhering to the creative concept of expressing Chinese stories internationally, Ding said.

Through joint filming and broadcasting between China and Thailand, they effectively amplify international communication outcomes.

Both documentaries are 48 minutes long and produced jointly by Guangxi Radio and Television, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Radio and Television Bureau, Colorful Nature (Beijing) Cultural Media Company, Guangxi Maritime Silk Road Cultural Exchange Fund, and Thailand's NBT. Thailand's NBT2 HD channel broadcast the Thaidubbed versions of the two documentaries.

Yang Chun, director of the International Channel of Guangxi Radio and TV, said: "Guangxi Radio and TV has been deeply engaged in international communication focusing on ASEAN countries, collaborating on key documentaries with mainstream media from ASEAN countries every year. China and ASEAN are both global biodiversity hot spots, making nature documentaries the perfect subject for cross-cultural international communication."

"Through filming and disseminating this series of nature documentaries, we aim to help viewers recognize the beauty and wonder of wildlife around us, stirring up public support for nature conservation through imagery," Yang added.