"The arid lands of Asia - lands of contradiction." "The sandy deserts of India are separated from the parched interior by the mighty Himalayas." "In their rainshadow lie the deserts and dry grasslands of China and Mongolia." "The stony Gobi Desert is further from the sea than any place on earth." "Fierce summers are followed by bitter winters." "North of the Gobi on the grasslands of the Mongolian steppe, temperatures can plunge to minus fifty degrees." "Like the nomads and their domestic horses, the wild animals are tough and resilient." "They thrive in the extremes of Asia's ARID HEART." "The long winter is ending on the steppe grasslands, home to a wild animal the Mongolians know as takhi - the spirits." "Westerners call them Przewalski's horses." "They're the only true wild horses in the world." "The seven mares of this herd are pregnant." "Their foals will be born in a month or two, in the short summer, when they'll have the best chance of survival." "Takhi are distinguished by short upright manes and stripes on the backs of their legs." "They're closely related to the ancestors of domestic horses, but takhi have never been tamed." "The Mongolians have named the stallion of this herd Khan — aft their famous ancestor Genghis Khan." "In the 1 3th century Genghis Khan rode out from here to create the largest empire the world has ever seen." "The Mongol Empire spanned 8,000 kilometres of grasslands stretching across Asia into Europe." "Like the takhi and Mongolian gazelles," "Genghis Khan and his warrior tribes were nomads, constantly on the move in search of good grazing." "Mongolia remains a sparsely-populated land of nomadic herders." "For countless generations the nomads and their herds have lived alongside the wildlife of the steppe." "To the herders, demoiselle cranes are symbols of good fortune;" "to harm them would bring bad luck." "The cranes have their own strategy for surviving the extremes of the steppe." "They escape every winter, and return in spring to re-establish breeding territories." "The arrival of a male joining his mate ruffles territorial feathers." "During the breeding season each pair defends an exclusive territory a few hundred metres across, to ensure they get the food and water they'Il need to raise a family." "Once they've agreed on boundaries, the couples turn their attention to each other." "Cranes are long-lived, and often pair for life." "Before they breed they renew their bonds in a demoiselle's pas de deux." "Like all demoiselle cranes, this pair have returned to breed in the valley where they were born." "To get back from their wintering grounds in India, they have flown 3,000 km over the Himalayas." "The final leg of this astonishing journey was across the Gobi Desert — the bleak centre of Asia's arid heart." "Gobi means "stony"." "Strong winds have stripped the soil, leaving only stones, polished to a shine by the fierce heat." "There's very little water — at the puddles that pass for waterholes animals often have to dig to find moisture." "As summer temperatures soar to 50 degrees, any water soon evaporates, leaving only soda crystals." "The desolate Gobi is home to the world's only wild camels — the bactrian camels." "Little more than a thousand of these two-humped nomads remain, roaming the deserts between China and Mongolia." "Two females and their month old calves have joined forces to be safer from predators such as wolves." "Camels are superbly adapted to the desert." "Bushy eyebrows and double lashes protect their eyes from sand, and they can clamp their noses tight to keep out dust." "Soft padded soles stop their feet sinking into sand." "Camels can go for up to ten days without water." "Their humps hold reserves of fat to sustain them while they wander the desert in search of food." "The females are shedding their thick winter coats." "The summer ahead will be short, but intensely hot." "Great gerbils have a different strategy for surviving the desert's extremes - they go underground." "The uneven surface of their colony conceals an extensive network of burrows that provide shelter from winter cold and summer heat." "The first litter of the year has just ventured above ground." "They sniff each other constantly for the reassuring smell of family." "Great gerbils are one of many rodents who've adapted to the desert." "They get all the moisture they need from plants." "But even the best-adapted desert shrub depends on occasional, unpredictable rain." "Rain might fall on some parts of the desert and not others." "If it comes, it's a blessing." "In most years only 50 mm of rain falls, most of it in summer." "Desert plants can wait a whole year for a single shower." "When it comes they respond rapidly." "But almost as quickly as water appears, the desert air sucks it away." "A strange parasitic flower steals water and nutrients from the roots of desert shrubs enjoying a growth spurt after the rain." "But its bright flowers won't last long in the drying wind." "During the day, beetles write their signature in the sand." "But other tracks belong to animals that come out only in the cool of night." "The hairy-footed jerboa is a relative of the larger great gerbils." "Also known as a kangaroo rat, the jerboa leads a solitary life." "It's much more adventurous than the great gerbils, and may travel more than 2 km a night to find food." "It's a skilled digger, busiest just before dawn." "In only ten minutes a jerboa can dig a hole half a metre long, where it will hide from the heat of the coming day." "Great gerbils are also good diggers." "By continually living and burrowing in one place they reshape the environment to suit their needs." "They're like gardeners - turning the earth, fertilising it with their waste, and living off the plants it nurtures." "Their gardening strategy has stood the test of time." "Although each gerbil only lives for two to four years, some of their colonies are centuries old." "Gerbils are great hoarders — they stockpile in spring in case there's a summer drought, and in autumn they accumulate for winter." "They spend long periods cropping the lush salsola bushes which flourish because of the pruning and manuring they get from the gerbils." "The youngsters grow quickly and soon learn to harvest for themselves." "They must also learn to keep an eye out for danger." "A quick retreat foils the black kite, who continues to hunt, scanning the desert with sharp eyes." "A female buzzard hovers above her nest, as her paler mate delivers his catch." "He's left a vole which she shares between their chicks." "Birds of prey are feared by all small desert animals." "A vole spends as little time as possible above ground." "A lizard relies on camouflage and stealth..." "... whichsometimes isn't enough." "A luckless lizard is lunch for the buzzard chicks." "The male buzzard will be a constant presence in the summer sky as he hunts for his growing family." "Summer starts later on the more northerly steppe, where the demoiselle cranes are just beginning their family." "Their nest is a simple scrape of pebbles in short grass." "When the female returns from feeding she rolls her egg before settling." "She'll incubate the egg for a month, while her mate patrols their territory." "Cranes raise just one or two chicks a year." "As the herders move their horses to and from water each day, the female sits tight on her precious egg." "Khan and his herd are feeding on lush summer grass by a small river." "Five takhi foals have been born in the previous month." "They boost the numbers in Khan's herd to eighteen." "Life seems idyllic, but it hasn't always been easy." "In 1 968," "Przewalski's horses were driven to extinction in the wild." "Since the early 1 990's animals bred in zoos have been released in areas such as here, in Hustain Nuruu National Park, now home to more than a hundred wild takhi." "Khan is the dominant stallion in a herd of seven mares and their offspring." "There's a clear hierarchy within the group." "But there are also strong bonds between individuals, which they reinforce by mutual grooming." "A low ranking horse who tries to join in is chased off." "The last mare to give birth is coming into heat." "Khan and some of the young stallions cluster round to see if she's ready to mate." "Khan's sniffing tells him she's not yet ready." "The mare lashes out at the unwanted attention." "Khan leaves." "When he judges the time is right he'll chase the youngsters away." "Domestic cows have also been attracted to the rich grazing." "Khan considers them a threat." "Cattle compete for food, but it's Mongolia's three million domestic horses that pose the greatest threat to the takhi's long term survival." "The two species have different numbers of chromosomes, but can still interbreed." "The risk of takhi genes being swamped by domestic horse genes is very real." "But if Khan has his way this domestic herd won't stay long." "For today at least, Khan is the winner." "He asserts his supremacy with a pile of dung." "The domestic stallion moves off before he gets hurt." "The takhi's grassland home is shaped by another, much smaller animal." "Marmots are the rodent gardeners of the steppe." "Unlike the desert gerbils, marmots are long lived." "This female could live to be ten or even fifteen years old." "She didn't give birth until she was three, and she may not breed every year." "Marmots face many threats." "The most serious comes from herders, who kill more than a million a year for fur and food." "Because demoiselle cranes are symbols of good fortune, that's a danger this chick won't face." "Within hours of hatching, it's following its parents." "The adults are looking for seeds and insects for their chick." "Dung from the domestic herds is a rich source of beetles and worms." "The parents keep an eye out for danger." "They may not have a burrow to escape to, but they do have bravado." "The cranes are in a race against the seasons — they have just 2 months before they have to leave their summer home, by then their chick must be able to fly." "But the family will stay together until the following spring when they will return to their valley." "The end of the short summer is already in sight." "Grassland flowers rush to bloom and seed as the first frosts turn the steppe gold." "Fat and well fed the young marmots are ready to hibernate as soon as the first snow falls." "The coming winter will be the first true test of the young wolf's hunting and survival skills." "In a sheltered valley, flies are in a frenzy of late-afternoon mating." "They won't last the winter, but their eggs will." "Two takhi are braving the swarms to feed on the rich valley grasses." "One was the first male born in Khan's herd." "His name Manlai means first-born." "He and his half sister have been chased from the herd by their father." "It's the stallion's way of preventing inbreeding." "High on a windy ridge away from the flies," "Khan feeds with his group." "They've lost one foal to wolves which attacked late one night, but the remaining animals are in peak condition." "The four surviving foals are growing their first thick coats." "Their places in the hierarchy of the herd reflect the status of their mothers." "Khan as always, grazes on the edge of the group keeping an eye on the herd." "The herd instinct is very strong." "ManIai and his half sister have teamed up for company as they search for another herd to join, but they'd rather be back with their family." "Khan sees them coming..... .....he heads off to drive them away again." "The rejected pair retreat" "Their father is too fierce to confront." "They'll keep looking for a home." "The search will be hardest for Manlai who'll have to challenge a stallion for control of a herd." "Unsettled, Khan moves his mares away, pushing from the back." "Several herds use this river valley, and they often meet." "Ahead are four young stallions." "The bachelors have their eyes on the mares, they just continue on their way." "But Khan has other ideas" "He'll tolerate potential rivals even less than his own adult children." "He quietly places himself between the stallions and his band." "The young interlopers are easily discouraged, they're not yet ready to pick a fight with Khan." "The top bachelor stallion herds the others as he hopes one day to herd mares." "Khan asserts his authority, rounding up his group" "He snakes from one side to the other, his head low." "The mares are strong willed and lash out." "Their hooves can hurt" "But Khan persists, pushing them where he wants to go." "Khan has controlled this herd for five years and is still in his prime." "One day he'll be toppled by a younger, stronger stallion, but for now he's secure." "Autumn is a time of gathering." "Families of demoiselle cranes feed in big flocks as they prepare for their migration back to India" "To escape the harsh winter of their homeland these great travellers will set out on an arduous journey that may take them as long as three weeks." "Huge herds of Mongolian gazelles, up to thirty-thousand strong, also gather in the grasslands." "They've spent the summer in smaller groups, grazing where they can, but the coming of the rut brings them together." "This year summer rains, normally such a blessing, have become instead a curse." "More than three times the usual rain fell" "The soils are too sodden to drain the water away." "Months of walking in water and mud have taken their toll, the herds are full of limping animals." "The gazelles are suffering from highly infectious foot rot." "The painful rot starts on the soles of the feet." "The sick animals lose their appetite, and are eventually unable to walk." "Each body has the tell-tale swollen ankle of foot rot." "This isn't the first time unpredictable rains have devastated the gazelles and it won't be the last." "Nearly a quarter of them have died, but in the next good year numbers will bounce back" "The herds move on, heading for winter rutting grounds." "The greatest pain a sick gazelle can suffer is to be left behind." "High above the Himalayas four thousand demoiselle cranes arc across the highest mountains in the world." "They've already flown 2,000 km, and climbed to an efficient flying height of 7 or even 8,000 metres." "Fierce headwinds make their epic journey even more challenging." "If the cranes lose height they must circle in search of thermals of rising air which they can ride back up to cruising altitude to continue their journey......" "But sometimes, they just circle for hours." "The cranes still have 1 ,000 km to fly before they reach their wintering grounds." "The deserts of India are very different from the land of their birth, but they have many reminders of their homeland." "As on the steppe, animals live alongside people in the hot coastal desert." "Chinkara, or Indian gazelles, are related to Mongolian gazelles." "The shifting waterless dunes can only support small groups of chinkara, that get all the moisture they need from plants." "Males mark out small mating territories, by rubbing bushes with scent glands on their foreheads." "They also leave small piles of dung as claims of ownership." "It'll soon be the rutting season, and the battles have already begun." "Males fight over territorial boundaries and the right to mate with females who pass through." "As the rutting season gets closer, the contests will become more intense." "Until recently chinkara shared the edges of the sandy desert with wild asses, relatives of the Mongolian takhi" "But the asses - or gorkhur — are now only found on salty mud flats known as the Rann - the desolation." "In most years the monsoon floods the low-lying mud flats." "But this year the summer monsoon didn't come" "A few showers greened the plants, but the Rann didn't flood." "Herds of females and their young return to the mud flats each morning, led by a dominant mare" "Gorkhur stallions don't belong to a herd." "The stallion who gets mating rights will usually be the one who controls the best grazing area." "The herd passes through a territory belonging to an old stallion locals have named Bundia, meaning No Tail." "For the past few years, he's held the prime territory and fathered most of these foals." "But earlier this year a young stallion drove him away, and the mares aren't interested in stopping in his new area." "They're heading instead towards better grazing in this young stallion's territory." "He carries on feeding until the females have settled for the day." "The foals were all born around the same time, a number of mares are in heat." "The young stallion makes his move." "The mares seem reluctant to let him get close, but he persists" "Sometimes he nearly succeeds." "But it's mid afternoon before he gets his first mating." "Bundia, the old stallion from next door, makes his move." "The mares watch his approach into the young stallion's territory." "From a distance Bundia brays to catch his rival's attention." "The young stallion takes the bait." "Luring the young stallion away from the mares," "Bundia races across the mud flats with the youngster in hot pursuit." "It's several kilometres before the young stallion gives up, leaving the wily Bundia to run back to the mares." "The young stallion was already exhausted after a day chasing the reluctant mares." "Now he's too tired to even walk back." "The mares are much more at ease with Bundia." "He'll father some of next year's foals after all." "The demoiselle cranes' breeding season is well behind them." "After their epic autumn migration, they're passing a leisurely winter." "Cranes have always come to winter in India, but the huge flocks at the village of Khichan on the edge of the desert are here by express invitation." "As part of their religion, the villagers not only tolerate wild animals, they encourage them." "The paler-headed cranes are juveniles spending their first winter in India." "When they return from Central Asia next year they'll bring young families of their own." "As soon as they've eaten all the grain, the cranes leave the feeding compound to spend the day at a nearby waterhole." "It's too hot and crowded in summer for cranes to breed here, but the Indian desert is a perfect winter resort." "Daytime temperatures are in the twenties, and only drop to zero at night." "Conditions are pleasant, compared to the winter the cranes left behind in Central Asia" "The arid heart has been gripped by wintry cold for three months, and there are still three months to endure." "The air is so dry that usually very little snow falls" "This years snow is exceptional." "The gazelles that survived the foot-rot epidemic forage for dry grass beneath the snow, alongside domestic camels blanketed in winter coats." "Temperatures are often in the minus thirties, and can plunge to minus fifty." "They're are pushed low by the huge Asiatic anticyclone which covers the continent through winter, and by icy winds sweeping down from the Arctic Circle." "It is seventy or even 80 degrees colder than mid-summer." "The river is frozen, except where takhi have broken through to running water, which steams in the freezing air." "The snow is powder dry, water is as much at a premium as it was in summer." "Every couple of days takhi must come to drink." "Food is hard to find beneath the snow." "Although the takhi have kept their good condition from summer, with more than three months before winter ends, the hardest time is yet to come." "The winter has been good for Khan's son Manlai." "He's now the dominant stallion of his own small herd of mares." "He inherited them by accident, when their dominant stallion was overthrown." "The mares didn't want to join the victor's herd, and instead chose Manlai." "In the coming season," "Manlai the first born will sire his own first foals." "Up on the hill his father Khan is still in control" "His herd has increased with the arrival of the four bachelor stallions, whose presence, for the time being, he seems to tolerate" "Perhaps greater numbers give better protection from wolves, who are now lean and very hungry." "The young stallions vie for status." "The bachelors take a special interest in Khan's dung." "They roll in the dung, as if covering themselves in Khan's smell will help them rise to his rank." "Khan is still the dominant stallion" "One day a challenger will overthrow him, but the Khan dynasty is secure" "Already his daughters are producing the next takhi generation, and his eldest son leads a herd of his own." "The rise and fall of a stallion is as much a part of life for these nomads as the ever-changing seasons." "These spirits of the steppe know that just as winter began so it will end" "And the summer to come will bring new life to Asia's frozen heart."