we are working tirelessly to keep you informed on all of our platforms we're all in this to get on together to make it fair. to say to everybody stacy stay safe stay safe please stay safe. on the hunt for deadly viruses. yes with a baton to this that. there is a myth is to prevent the next catastrophe. that's carry a lot of viruses that could trigger pandemics. pandemics of which we humans are the cause. because of our destruction of the environment humans are moving ever

closer to wild animals. of all we can cut down half the rainforest and they'll still be enough left. people who are campaigning to protect the rain forest. and for biodiversity. are helping to prevent new pandemic. cut a little how can we humans destroy a living forest hundreds of years old with a chain saw a hell of a. time we're in the brazilian amazon region with a group of virus hunters there tracking down invisible killer pathogens in the jungle for.

our 1st trip takes us deep into the engine land of sol palos state. it's the region of sugarcane plantations trucks passes by carrying this week harvest. in the dusk we spot a ringtail coati. we are out with biologist cristiana car viola and his team in the few remaining strips of the atlantic rain forest he's looking for the hiding places of. that's he thinks he has motivated some in these water pipes where he heard the sound of wings flapping inside. indeed there is a colony of bats dozens of them are living here in the cracks and crevices of the pipes. for us and one that i'm specialized in seeking out the hideaways of the bat sea regions like this close to agricultural land that's all mostly i find them in trees or like here in water pipes and. about experts

work begins shortly before dusk he spans a net over the entrance and the background is on. a problem if you put it right on the. moon other than that my life about this is we're working with these animals to find out how far the various viruses have spread. i just think it's part of our scientific work to find out which bats are carrying which viruses think on the rear of their orders for sure but. now in the times of coronavirus everyone needs to wear protective clothing to prevent a transmission of the virus chiroptera the scientific name for bats have been christiane knows passion for 26 years. he wants to lure them from the back of the pipe into the net.

it's amazing how quickly he succeeds. christiane no has to painstakingly untangle the animal from the net for him it's a routine procedure after his many patents oh well no wonder that. he hands over the bats he has caught 2 by rolla just anjelica compost who neatly hangs them up in fabric sacks. i don't know if you'd badging one of those movies it's only since this year that i believe worldwide has been noticing that bats carrying numerous viruses which can be transmitted to humans and trigger pandemics . you will think the out because i couldn't believe me and that's why researchers are now looking more closely on precisely to find out which why verses are being

carried in each individual animal. the bats are not afraid to bite so they wear thick gloves. anjelica take samples out of the throats and digestive tracts of the bats places where the corona virus likes to settle for laughs so i think we've been expecting a coronavirus pandemic for years but hoping that we would be wrong then he thought that that. may keep finding new previously unknown viruses in the feces of the bats. but everyone just work we want to prevent another pandemic from breaking out of that we're hunting for new dangerous times of viruses or trying at least to limit them. if it's a relic of the life according to estimates there are more than 300000 unknown pathogens in the world's jungles mostly hidden in the bodies of mammals such as

bats or rodents as momus the rain forest stays intact the viruses and bacteria pose no threat to humans when humans and their livestock get too close to wild animals the viruses can be transmitted to cattle pigs or humans and become deadly the virus hunters want to find out which pathogens are a threat to humans. the bats samples have to be kept for ozone at minus 80 degrees celsius on their way to the laboratory to keep the virus code intact. because this is sort of awkward. for our work it's important to get as many samples from the bats as possible you know why also we can identify the many types of virus circulating in the population much you use that. bats are more interesting for researchers than other mammals as they carry an unusually high number of viruses. all the fulfill we can think of bats as

a kind of virus storage now the pathogens stay in their bodies far away from us humans pandemics arise when humans encroach on the natural territory of the bats and upset the balance of nature where the viruses exist it will feed the researchers show us what they mean on their way to the south palo laboratory with their freezer box. due to the sugarcane monoculture here the hanta virus has spread rapidly it's transmitted by rat droppings the hanta virus is not dangerous for the rodents but for humans every 2nd case of infection leads to death according to researchers the hantavirus started spreading rapidly after the jungle was cleared for the monoculture. in the 1970 s. brazil began building roads through the impenetrable amazon rain forest with their

trans am a zone ian highway the military dictatorship laid the foundation for the massive deforestation we see today. agriculture has bestowed prosperity upon many regions at the cost of the rain forest more and more railway lines and highways cut through the amazon region. every year fires ravage more swaths of rain forest they are usually started by farmers wanting to increase the size of their fields. we're on the trans amazonian highway on our way to an indigenous reserve we see traces of slash and burn farming on all sides now when the dry season smoke lingers over vast stretches of the countryside. president jr bowls a narrow 160 percent of the votes in this region of the brazilian state of caught up in his election campaign he promised to free up the reserves of the indigenous.

peoples for deforestation and to support the many local cattle breeders. when we reach the reserve we see an illegal settlement. the collection of huts is called villa arena sale the place of rebirth. it looks like a piece out of the wild west and indeed it is. delivering a sarah stands on a piece of indigenous land protected by the constitution this fact was confirmed by civil servants who also told us that they are powerless against the illegal squatters are not allowed to give interviews but one person agrees to speak to us can't comment on what they cook from an entirely different region who moved to villa or in a say or a year ago our restaurant it's a well this place is growing are there many workers here they want to buy land that

yes many brazilians come from far away and stake out a piece of land to work. there i think that i think it must be worthwhile and that anton atta and her husband barito are frustrated neither of them has ever learned to read or write and they don't understand why the state sees them as illegal squatters. now if they only feed me we have no nurse here who could take care of us. she's not allowed to come here because our settlement is illegal. the politicians come here to get our votes but so far no one has helped us to get a legal title as landowners that's a good group of people over and over. barito shows us his building site next door where a new larger restaurant is planned they have just laid the foundation for the floor tiles. and tonight

a is hoping for good business in spite of everything in silence the authorities say this is indigenous territory but the old people say there have never been any indigenous people here still the state won't give us this land. are they right so i'm not sure after. this if. we hope that we can soon be the legal owners of this land then we can work here with a clear conscience. resuscitations you don't see yourselves as illegal we persevere said fear make. buildings are going up everywhere the craft workers are just putting up walls for an evangelical free church it is the 6th in the settlement. in just 2 years the settlement has grown to around 2000 people. for years the squatter spokesman has been fighting for legalisation in court in his

view the indigenous reserve is too big he demands that it be reduced in size. but it is a well a no go for the indigenous people have traditionally never lived on this land so what is commercial that's why we demand that the reports justifying the reserve should be checked again why don't we just want everything to be done truthfully don't begin to out there have been. the squatters moyer's have managed to get the status of the reserved reevaluation. space for you have to understand that the people living here in the amazon want to survive that has to be possible on a slanting thought of. this is also how costa sees it he runs the corner shop until around a sahm he's hoping the size of the reserve will be cut. over the gaza if they legalize our place then everything will be fine. there's so much wealth in

this earth. wrong materials which ones a lot of gold and more. were hanging in there to see what happens. shortly afterward leonardo i.r.s. arrives he lives near the gold mines and complains about the latest rain by the state controller's. but also get his way i have no idea whether the raid was legal or not they came to my house and set it on fire then they left again i couldn't do anything. he's talking about an operation by brazilian environmental police against the illegal gold diggers in the reserve. not only are the criminals destroying the rain forest and poisoning the ground with mercury but they are also bringing the new coronavirus into the indigenous region global sinatra zillion environmental police destroyed excavators and pumps and videos taken on their

mobile phones gold diggers complained about the rape. of the government and the environment minister promised us that we could look for gold in the indigenous areas that's why we expect our workers gold diggers to be legalized but we're going to carry on until then. thanks to the gold digger. there's shop owner joke is doing well in his business. to get out but if it were up to him he would be doing even better. window really the best thing the government could do is to legalize our area and improve the streets so i can do our business. approach that would be great if. it's better can foster. a jeep has stopped outside from the load in the back it's obvious what this man is planning after picking up some groceries he drives directly into the reserve with

his workers the group clearly has an eye on rain forest temba. up. the fact is by destroying the rain forest of the indigenous peoples the squatters without realizing it are increasing the risk of a pandemic. the . president is indigenous people are fighting against the economic exploitation of the rainforest their instincts tell them that economic progress also brings disadvantages. but then we're not just demanding better health care in the pandemic but to close this road too because we are demonstrating against the planned railway tracks you will be good. mostly protests like this have no effect since an intact rainforest as

a buffer zone against dangerous viruses cannot be exploited for economic gain. german alvarado thinks differently ever since he can remember he has lived in and from the amazon rain forest jemaah knows every plant and the significance of each one of. this liana vine which grows up on. out of the ground contains drinking water. on every plant and every living creature in the jungle has its own purpose such as the resin of a palm tree which can help to heal wounds. the forest is like a pharmacy. we can find everything

here. medicine and remedies simply everything. on the intact rain forest has become his wife a hood for 10 years he's been operating on the edge of the conservation area. at the moment most of his huts are empty the coronavirus pandemic has brought sustainable tourism to a standstill. i was always fully booked and is particularly popular with tourists from europe who want to vacation in the jungle now your man and his wife are worried about their livelihood they have ploughed all their savings into this business. i. grilled amazon river fish like tam books are the specialty of your man and his wife

but there was closed for 6 months and business is still smug. well i think that in a few months tourists will come again from europe everything depends on the back scene until it exists no one will be able to travel with confidence still they don't want to give up. the 1st guest since the reopening have just appeared a couple from sao paolo this region has so far been spared from raging fires and gold diggers ripping up the ground. over this that my luckily our regional government takes care of protected areas such as ours here so there's not as much deforestation. but other amazon regions have been destroyed the deforestation will have negative consequences for assuming one day and the other by that as a consequence yes the north has only one game show me.

fire all adjusts at the university campus of san paolo are researching these consequences for years they've been warning of a ticking time bomb in the form of wild animals encountering humans more often due to the sweeping fires and deforestation that lever brought after every fire more animals graze at the edges of the rain forest. that's where the viruses can be transmitted to cattle and the viruses adapt to their new host later on we humans can catch them this worries me deeply with the possible use of. researchers had also warned of an outbreak of a novel coronavirus but those in power ignored the signals sent by scientists. if it is mange bogus in the eyes of book unfortunately none of the studies were taken seriously it may be good if i had shown new coronaviruses in bats since 2013

believe me. you know she also our warnings that these coronaviruses could mutate and be transmitted to humans did not lead to unnecessary measures being taken by the court recently so very mice are very. their analysis of bad feces and in trails shows nothing this time. they find the rabies virus but there are no novel coronavirus is or other dangerous pathogens. it is basic research which only costs a little money but still funding was recently cut. and laws that limit. it's extremely difficult to get funding for our kind of research now during the pandemic that it has been a little easier for with. equality but isn't was the virus crisis is over

our financial worries will return i'm not very optimistic. about hunters will continue their search in spite of adversity even if it's frustrating in brazil at the moment. for the death of saltillo willful although i'm disappointed that our government hardly ever listens to the scientists . they're always arguing with the research is. girl no move all we can do is to fight back and try to keep hold of the objectives of our research and on top of the level you come up. with the virus hunters it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. in the amazon metropolis some analysis researchers are trying to get fired which is under control and using pragmatic means. came court tennis is preparing fly traps in the

state run institute for your crews insecticide is a place to. around the edges of a bucket it's a new method they've been trying for 3 years. when the mosquitoes lay their larva in the bucket the poison sticks to that and the mosquitoes spread the insecticide to many other places all of. it's a simple principle which is now used everywhere in manassas courthouse and his team drive out to the neighborhoods on the edge of the city where the mosquitoes are a particular nuisance they carry dengue fever which is rife here at the moment there is a monthly check of private households the researchers have placed their prepared buckets here as in this kitchen in the back yard. the old buckets have to be replaced. get to

the super 14 bus the mosquitoes love dark places. like under tables or in course or city. it doesn't take long for the new trap to be ready for action against the virus carrying mosquitoes. first. what's special about this is that the musky toes themselves spread the poison from these poles to other places that we can't even reach. shortly afterward they perform a test with a mosquito vacuum. there are no mosquitoes found in the cracks and crevices so the traps obviously work the residents confirm this they notice that there are fewer mosquitoes than before. them at the gym i was always afraid of these diseases malaria or yellow fever and until now there are many neighbors who don't take care they don't clear out letters of water so the mosquitoes reproduce there and we all

suffer from that killing is the. mosquitoes spreading viruses are still a problem in manassas due to the many open sores and cesspits then there's the rapid expansion of the city slums are developing where once there was rainforest people are coming ever closer to the viruses hidden in the wilderness the development seems irreversible and is fueled by the flourishing industry of. the researchers from the few crews institute are alarmed whenever the settlements encroach on the wilderness the risk increases that a new virus could be transmitted to humans. but the music will mean the whole structure of the economy has to change we have to explain to everyone that the rainforest is more useful to us if we don't cut it down to do. all of the researchers we need share this view as do the biologists and bass at the refuge station for wild animals in manassas. animals discovered during raids or which show

mysterious diseases are kept in these cages. biologist alessandro non-biased is creating a young female jaguar before she inspects the most recent arrivals with her colleagues. this undernourished pod tamarin monkey was recently brought to the refuge the vets and nesta ties it so they can examine it. it's. that. the tamarin is pretty groggy already but it's still hanging on c.c. wouldn't. you. think. it's time for the

examination of the wounds are visible on its feet the researchers seem worried to. ensure says that the deposit seems to be something contagious but we can only say for sure after the examination whether the monkey is suffering from a virus bacteria or a fungal infection as well to whom. it samples are taken of the skin and fur and then saliva. if you should you very much richer must hear to me the illness seems pretty complex. we don't know exactly why the animal has lost so much weight but. that a very much it could be bacteria attacking the immune system so huge all of. a new virus which is circulating in this region that is really. didn't seem.

to be on the safe side this monkey samples will be sent to a special biology lab to compare them with other different types of viruses from around the world and. as a virus hunter one thing you need is patience. inclusive israel's most of the novel viruses we find do not cause illness and have not been transmitted to humans. but they could mutate at any time. by those inside to give us a little you know. especially if we carry on as we're doing now say the researchers has put us in the family's does the amazon ragin is disappearing that this is bound to have consequences for global health in the medium and long term we will experience new diseases being transmitted from animals to humans in the days or doing such from the knowledge. scientists warn that the next pandemic could come from the amazon region it is simply

a question of trying to. get a hold of one of the only thing that could prevent it is a radical change in our lifestyle but this is currently not foreseeable. i'm worried about the way we treat the forests. the trees all support life and they are ancient. how can people destroy the air within minutes with a chainsaw. rain forest destruction may well be releasing viruses which would otherwise never reach humans the researchers have never heard of pandemics spreading inside the jungle.

after 6 match days they're on top again to. buy a new limbs in cologne putting it at the top of the. after 6 months. is an hour at the bottom of. the clients. 90 minutes on d w. this presidential election is a crucial was not just for the united states but for the world who's leading the race in america's full runs told to the streets we'll be right here for you and we'll tell you everything you need to know as america decides we'll bring you the number issues the background as it happens until the last volt is counted join us for special live coverage from the name of the u.s. election in november for sunday don't.

blame the leg length plane. this is the w. news a live shot from very land by terror attack tonight in the heart of vienna police say at least one person is dead and several injured armed gunmen attacked a 6 locations near a synagogue in a city center a huge police operation is now under way look at a live update from the austrian capital. also coming up rescued from the rubble 3 days after an earthquake rocks the turkish city of is near a 3 year old girl is pulled alive from the wreckage. and germany began its partial lockdown chancellor.