Born to be Wild expeditions finale

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

BORN TO BE WILD Expeditions II, featuring "Irrawaddy Mystery" and "Snake King," comes to its most exciting week. Doc Ferds was initially set to look for twenty-one species of snakes documented in a small barangay in Catanduanes. But he soon discovers the place may hold more species yet to be catalogued by science. Two snake species that the team recorded on video were not known to reside in Catanduanes until the expedition team filmed them and showed them to the country's top snake expert.

After two weeks in the wilderness, Doc and the team unexpectedly encounter the largest toxic snake in the world, the King Cobra.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

According to scientists, the last specimen of the King Cobra in Catanduanes was collected in the 1940s. The team's discovery confirms that the King Cobra still thrives in the area.

A small house in the same barangay is believed to be the dwelling place of several King Cobras. In order to prove this, Doc Ferds dares to get inside the house. But is he welcome in this snake's kingdom?

Meanwhile, Kiko and his team are still in pursuit of the perfect full-body shot of the Irrawaddy. Shrouded in mystery and not as popular as its other dolphin relatives, the Irrawaddy is critically endangered and numbers 39 as of the last count in Palawan's Malampaya Sound in 2005.

It is a unique dolphin species; for one, its face has some resemblance to the dugong's, it lives in brackish water, is shy and does not "bow ride" or play near boats like the other dolphins.

For the past seven days, the team has captured several shots of their dorsal fins, blows and tails. But a clear glimpse of the face of the mysterious cetacean has not yet been seen. Experts say more than a handful of luck is required to capture the elusive Irrawaddy on video.

Those who have been studying the animal for a decade share that even the most experienced wildlife photographers have tried and failed to get a close look at the Irrawaddy. As the expedition draws to a close, Kiko and the team are ready to call it a day when they realize, while reviewing the footage, that they captured the Irrawaddy's face and body on camera several times.

The mysterious and endangered Irrawaddy is finally revealed to the public in hopes that knowing this species would be one step towards protecting it.

Don't miss the exciting finale of the three-part miniseries Born to be Wild Expeditions II tonight after Saksi, on GMA-Network.