#988 Giraffic Park Transcript
00:05-00:53 (small boat moving along river, lined with trees, view of giraffe by river)
VO- Welcome to the wildlife safari, Philippines style. But far from tranquil leisure, this is an upriver adventure with such dangers we’re told, we need a gun-toting guard to lead the way. And no one knows the dangers here better than our main guide, Freud.
Man- Do the crocodiles run wild? Are we going to see the crocodiles?
Guide- Sure, sure. Maybe tomorrow.
VO- As well as Filipino crocs, these murky mangroves are home to deadly Filipino sea snakes, Filipino rare birds, and Filipino turtles. And they are also home to this: the little known and rarely seen Filipino giraffe. Although for this elegant creature, this tranquil piece of paradise is not perfect. And we’ll soon find out why.
00:57-01:55 (bus interior and exterior, view of African animals on island)
VO- From the air-conditioned comfort of the island’s only tour bus, and with the patron saint of giraffes watching over us, we head for the interior. And here we find the imported giraffe is not alone. In fact, there’s a foreign legion. Besides the zebras, there’s also impala and waterbuck, indeed a whole stable of Serengeti settlers literally out of Africa. Filipinos are known for their sense of humour, and just before he was turfed out by the people, that greatest joker of all, President Marcos, had the inhabitants of this island turfed off, to make way for shiploads of animals from Africa. Some say it was to help save them. Others insist it was for his own amusement, and even hunting with his mates. Whatever the reason it’s left the local vet with a bit of a headache.
01:58-02:08 Vet- Well yeah, a little bit of a silly idea bringing from African wild animals to here in the Philippines. I think it’s a little bit of a weird actually idea, but it works.
02:16-03:17 (African animals)
VO- That was twenty years ago, and most have gone forth and done what they were supposed to do. Today there are more than twice as many giraffes; the zebra herd keeps growing; and the prolific procreators prize goes to the horned impala, who’ve boosted their stock ten-fold.
Man- And can you tell if the giraffes are happy or unhappy?
Oscar- Well they are happy…
VO- Happy giraffes are Oscar’s business. Without this local Doctor Dolittle, these beasts of the savannah would be struggling in their bid for Asian acclimatisation.
Man- Why do you like working with them?
Oscar- Well it’s very interesting. Yeah very interesting. The animals are very interesting.
Man- Why’s that? Why are they different to cattle?
Oscar- Yeah…
VO- It might be something to do with the neck. And it’s African necks that are getting them in Asian trouble. Sharp bamboo and cut trees are leaving marks that can be deadly in the Philippines’ humidity.
03:18-04:26 (close up of injuries on giraffe, spraying giraffes, giraffes eating, bus driving through trees)
Oscar- In this environment if you infect those wounds…it will be a big problem for the animals, of course …. they will die.
VO- As serious as that sounds, Oscar’s calling is a pretty laidback pursuit. But only the mystical ingredients of his secret purple potion can save the animals. And with typical Filipino ingenuity, a bicycle pump has been converted into the local giraffe drencher.
Oscar- With cattle it is easy, but this animal is very dangerous. You’ve got really to put them in a small place. They might hurt you, or they might commit suicide. Yeah.
VO- Suicide aside, with no lions or tigers on the rampage, you’d think this would be giraffe paradise. But dangers lurk in these parts. And after twenty years of isolated bliss, the giraffes are again at risk. Old timers now rue the day the Africans arrived.
04:40-05:33 (giraffe in trees, sunset, armed patrol men)
VO- In fact they dislike the animals so much, villagers have started eating them.
Oscar- They don’t care about these animals. They even shoot these animals for food, and for, you know, for money. The meat, they sell it on the other side of the island.
VO- But all is not lost. To stop these foreign visitors ending up in the local stew, authorities have sent in the fearless poacher patrol. And although heavily armed, they don’t seem to be catching much more than a good view.
Patrol man- For the thirty days that we have been here, I’ve not seen anyone hunt, by the hunters.
VO man- That’s because you scared them away.
Patrol man- Yeah, I think they are afraid of us.
05:38-05:48 (giraffes in trees)
VO- While the animals breathe a sigh of relief for now, it’s not clear how long the cash-strapped Philippines will be happy to foot the towering costs of its own Giraffic Park.