narrator: welcome to "global 3000." this week we're looking at animal species which are under threat of extinction and at the -- those trying to protect them. we go to south africa where rhinos are still at the mercy of poachers. their horn is more valuable than gold. what can be done to put a stop to this illegal trade? in kenya, we learn about bee populations that protect elephants. it might sound like a joke, but it's not. but first we go to kazakhstan, home to the saiga antelopes. recently, the species was nearly wiped out. we went to find out why. it's been a year since news emerged of the agonizing deaths suffered by hundreds of

thousands of saiga antelopes in the kazakhstan steppes. the cause -- an aggressive bacteria. that much was clear. but why was the damage so extensive? a group of researchers are determined to find out, and our reporter inga sieg and her cameraman axel warnstedt joined them on their quest. but it's difficult to locate the few remaining animals. the antyn dala steppe is vast, and on top of that, saiga antelopes are very shy animals. inga: these researchers have been on the go for days, looking for saigas across the vast grasslands of the kazakh steppe. steffen: the greatest challenge

is finding the animals, because their population is now much smaller and we don't know exactly where they are. we sighted them when we took a count two weeks ago, but afterwards they went elsewhere and no one has seen them since then. the territory is just incredibly large. inga: the protected area is as large as france. it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. after the mass die-off last year, the saiga antelope population was left decimated. here alone, in the largest saiga population, more than 200,000 animals died. 90% were wiped out in a matter of days.

steffen: i was shocked. i was in the field myself and saw with my own eyes the first dead saigas lying there. it was the first place where it happened, and i was right there. inga: 5000 animals are buried under this hill. it's the first time steffen zuther and the british antelope specialist richard kock have returned since the great die-off. they want to find out why so many saigas died. the pasteurella bacterium, which led to the deaths, has been identified. the researchers also know that before the die-off there was a huge drop in temperature. richard: and the animals were very stressed. they lost their coat. they don't have their winter coat, so the stress, in

combination with exposure to bacteria or the presence of bacteria, leads to the invasion of the bacteria into the body and rapid death. peracute, five hours, 12 hours, dead. inga: there have often been mass deaths among saiga antelopes, but never of such magnitude. why did all of the infected animals die? and how could the disease break out in different places at once? the expedition aims to shed light on that, but first the researchers have to find the animals. day four of the search, a meeting with rangers. they're supposed to lead the expedition to the saigas. but there's a problem. the only two animals with radio collars have separated from the herd.

steffen: they said that here in the region there are only small groups of saigas left, that you can see them but not get near them. inga: no saigas far and wide. only mosquitoes are here, all the time and everywhere. frustration builds after four unsuccessful days of searching. but then, the next morning, there's a glimmer of hope. >> there's some saiga footprints here. fresh. richard: you can see, you know. they are here. so, we have footprints now. so, it's not far. they are extraordinary animals, the way they move.

obviously calving is the only time that we can really get anywhere near them. the animal runs at 70 kilometers per hour. steffen tells me they will run 100 kilometers in one day. inga: the saiga footprints haven't helped. the search is increasingly becoming a test of patience. and time and again, new setbacks -- it's rained too much recently. the fear is that the place where steffen and richard suspect the large herd might be is inaccessible. another day without success. so, we find a place to camp, erect our tents, and hope. the next day something happens that no one had expected anymore.

the spirits of the steppe are there. the expedition has achieved its aim. >> you see it? >> oh, wow. steffen: now we've finally found saigas. we've traveled a long way. they've hidden in a place that's very hard to reach. on our way we've seen that there are now at least 2000 saigas. inga: the animals have gathered 1000 kilometers deep in the steppe to bear their young. most of the calves are already on their legs, and they're evidently doing well. now the scientists can start the real work. that includes weighing and

measuring the calves. steffen: we want to carry out conventional monitoring on the state of the calves. in other words, to find out how many there are, the density of the calf population, in order to see how reproduction is going. inga: a tissue sample should show whether there are pasteurella bacteria in the calves' bodies, the usually harmless bacteria that became lethal pathogens last year, killing all the animals. steffen: basically we're where we were ten years ago. and these mass die-offs can happen again. to preserve this species, it's very important to understand just what happened and whether anything can be done to combat it.

inga: despite extreme environment, poaching, and mass mortality, kazakhstan's ancient animal has survived for millennia, but conservationists are worried that another mass die-off could be the last. narrator: rhinos have been under threat of extinction for many years. both the black and white species are found in the southern african countries of zimbabwe, kenya, namibia, and south africa, which now has a population of around 21,000 rhinos. but that number used to be far higher. the horns of the animals are very valuable, which makes them an attractive target for poachers. since the turn of the millennium, there's been a dramatic rise in rhino poaching. rhino horn is worth billions on the black market, fetching an average of $60,000 u.s. per kilo.

the battle to end poaching is a tough one, but the outlook isn't entirely hopeless. reporter: kruger national park in south africa -- nowhere else in the world are there so many rhinoceros, and nowhere else are so many killed by poachers. the investigative unit is on its way to the scene of a crime. the helicopter spotted a rhino cadaver and marked it using gps. frik: i've been in kruger for 28 years and since 2005, 2006 this started escalating. you can get used to a lot of things, but you don't get used to the slaughter of these animals. reporter: on foot and heavily armed, they get going. there could be predators in the area. then, all at once, they spy the colossus lying in the grass. frik and his co-workers, who want to remain anonymous for security reasons, examine the scene in detail, to reconstruct the dramatic last minutes of the animal's life. that could help them catch the poacher later on.

frik: we are looking for anything that can link you to the suspect, whether it's the tracks that he leaves, any dna he might leave behind, finger prints, the ballistics left behind by the weapon, whether it's the shell casing or a bullet -- anything that can link you to the suspect. reporter: the fight against poachers in kruger national park resembles a war. there's a command center, from which all the anti-poaching measures are controlled. using a special computer system, every incident is localized. in 2015, poachers in south africa killed a total of 1,200 rhinos. the illegal trade in rhino horn is a business worth billions. a few hundred kilometers away, west of johannesburg, lies buffalo dream ranch. here, too, people are fighting the illegal rhino horn trade. veterinarian michelle otto is up

early to do some hunting, but only with a tranquilizer gun. that's because rhinos are bred on this farm and their horns are trimmed on a regular basis. the idea is to legalize the trade in horn with the intention of making poaching unprofitable. michelle: this horn part that we're trimming is basically like a fingernail. it's keratin, it's like the hoof of a horse. it's like cutting your own hair, for instance. the section that we're trimming is the part that has no blood supply, it has no nerve endings in that specific section that we're cutting. so, it's basically like just going for a manicure. reporter: 1,300 animals live here on the world's largest rhinoceros farm. rhino horn grows back, so it can be harvested several times. each gram is precisely weighed, catalogued, and then securely stored . after all, the keratin is more valuable than gold or cocaine. in asia, it's considered a miracle cure.

at the other end of the world, in san francisco, those wanting to protect the rhinoceros have two allies. george bonaci is a chemist. in his recently-founded company, he creates rhino horn in a laboratory. this is how artificial rhino horn will look someday. co-founder matthew markus proudly presents the first prototypes. matthew: the black market price right now -- there's ranges from $30,000 to $100,000 per kilogram. we are targeting $7000 per kilogram. we think that will be a good price point that puts a lot of pressure on the poacher and poaching syndicates, because it will be harder for them to make money, to bribe officials. reporter: rhino horn consists mainly of natural keratin.

george bonaci mixes it with other substances. exactly what they are remains his secret recipe. the liquid is later dried in a kiln and then turned into horn powder. that's what the biotech start-up wants to sell. china and vietnam could be the main markets for it, because rhino horn is still in high demand there. george: we are going to be looking at shark fins which are very popular in china, pangolin scales, which are also made of keratin, tiger bone, which is also used in traditional chinese medicine, ivory, which obviously has a lot of history in the west for use in durable good products. anything where an animal is used in tradition, we want to be able to remove that animal from the goods chain. reporter: so, there are several ideas on how to curb rhinoceros poaching. for many animals in kruger national park, they've come too late. almost every day, frik rossouw and his team have to go out to secure crime scenes like this one. in this case, it's especially distressing. the rhino, a female, was

pregnant. narrator: hunting and being hunted -- for wild animals life is always about survival. and it's no different in kenya. in some of the villages here, people and elephants are sworn enemies. and that's where a very special story begins, the story of elephants whose survival is all down to bees. reporter: farmer nashon mwaghare has finally been able to harvest numerous sacks of corn. he leased the field ten years ago, when his first child was born, but a powerful enemy appeared, one that constantly stole his harvests. nashon: we would sow the seeds, but just before harvest time, the elephants would come. sometimes they came before the corn was even ripe. they would eat everything or trample it. everything was destroyed. reporter: they always came during the night and tore up the field. it was a desperate struggle between humans and animals over

land and sustenance, a struggle that claimed victims on both sides. but for nashon mwaghare, that struggle is now over, thanks to help from the elephant and bees project. project teams constructed a fence made of beehives along the perimeter of his field, and the small insects are having much more success than the humans ever did. should an elephant come into contact with the wire connecting the hives, all of the bees emerge to defend the colony. lucy: these african honey bees are very aggressive, and this is the advantage of the method. once they sting you, they release a pheromone on your skin that causes the other bees to come and sting in the same location. now this is an advantage for elephants. so if they sting on the elephant's trunk, the other bees will come to the trunk and sting again. reporter: that's how these tiny davids get the huge goliaths to beat a retreat. if they've been stung once, their famously good memory ensures the elephants avoid future contact with these nasty insects. just the sound of their loud

buzzing can throw the elephants into a panic. matthew: we can see there was a group of elephants, it looks like three elephants in total here, that approached his farm, came around the corner, were even around the side of his fence. saw that there were bees there, or even felt, heard, or smelled, and they decided to proceed around and go another way because of those bees. reporter: and the farmers, who once went hungry, actually gain two advantages thanks to their little helpers. they can finally harvest their corn, but they also now have additional income from the honey the bees produce. and they're no longer killing elephants, like they used to, when they desperately tried to defend their fields with drumming, stones, and spears. mzumo: those are my friends by now because they don't disturb me when they come here to my farm. that's what i know. they're my friends. before that, they were nearly my enemies. reporter: nashon mwaghare and his wife say it's a miracle and

tell us all of their neighbors wanted to hear how it worked -- how the bee turned humans and elephants from enemies into friends. narrator: so it seems creative ideas are worth their weight in gold when it comes to overcoming problems. the global shapers community is a worldwide collaboration of young adults whose aim is to use their ideas to make our world a better place. suz is dedicated to helping children in her home country of myanmar. franklin from panama works together with young people to improve health care in his country. and elaine from vietnam wants to beautify her hometown ho chi minh city. and today we introduce you to a global shaper from indonesia. reporter: every morning esri nurhani prepares the food she'll later be selling at the market. she's a micro-entrepreneur. her snack bar ensures her an income with which she supports

her family. today she has a guest, 29-year-old andi taufan. he recently gave her a small loan so she could start her business. esri nurhani invested in cooking utensils and basic ingredients. esri: every day i spend around 150,000 rupiahs and sell the food for 200,000, so my profit is around 50,000. reporter: 50,000 rupiahs a day are the equivalent of almost 3 euros 50. it's not much, but it's enough to make ends meet. andi taufan has helped many people build up a livelihood. his organization offers microcredit to groups that organize themselves. andi: engage them with us. try to invite them to participate and to make them accountable. the way we can do it is by creating a social control by credit groups.

the group mechanism can ensure that every members can also taking care of each other. reporter: the loans go mainly to women. taufan founded his organization, amartha, six years ago. to date he's supported 20,000 people. most come from rural areas. the aim is to help women who have difficulty getting credit from a bank. and andi taufan does more. together with friends, he's founded a platform that funds eyeglasses for rural women -- glasses the women couldn't afford otherwise. taufan is not yet 30, but for him, commitment to social causes is a matter of course.

andi: if we talk about young people, they have the drive and the commitment not only for themselves but also to find solutions for the most pressing problems, especially if we talk about indonesia. we have so many social and economic problems, also environmental problems. that is the dynamic. that's something we are eager to face. reporter: andi taufan gave up his well-paid job as an engineer to devote himself entirely to his organization. many people in indonesia are poor. they get little benefit from the country's rapid economic growth. taufan is convinced that a lot has to happen for that to change. he meets up with friends in jakarta. they're doctors, bankers, musicians, and it entrepreneurs, and they're members of the global shapers community, a worldwide network made up of

young people under the age of 30 with plenty of motivation and commitment. stella: with 250 million people, we can actually do a lot, but the thing we are lacking at the moment is the right kind of resources, the right kind of skills, the mind set which could solve a lot of internal problems in this country and also globally. andreas: actually we have to promote more tolerance in society. it can be promoted through music, because in music we have so many different kind of sounds, different instruments, different genres but still we can create harmony. ♪ reporter: andreas arianto is banking on the power of music, and, together, the global shapers are banking on change.

[applause] narrator: and finally, we head over to chile and try out a popular snack which is both food and drink in one. reporter: miguel oñatelaria is dissatisfied. his snack bar is well situated. it's in the middle of the bus station in the chilean town of santa cruz. but things are slow this morning, so miguel tries to drum up a little business. miguel: [speaking spanish] reporter: mote con huesillos is a thirst-quencher that contains wheat, so it's more of a snack than a drink. just take mote, or cooked husked wheat, add dried peaches, and top it off with the liquid in which the peaches were cooked.

miguel: it has to simmer for a good amount of time, then it's cooled and sweetened, using not too much sugar, but it has to be sweet. would you like to try it? reporter: miguel's been here for more than 30 years. his snack costs the equivalent of 1 euro 30. that's not cheap. the average monthly income in chile is just over 900 euros. but miguel knows how he can attract customers at the bus station -- with a wheat drink or a portion of french fries. miguel: we've had to sacrifice a lot. that's the only way we were able to succeed. we're a perfectly ordinary middle-class family, but we have a lot of energy. and it's thanks to this beverage that my son can study at university.

reporter: customers at last! this couple is thirsty. are they hungry as well? with mote con huesillos, you don't have to decide. of course the lady gets the first taste. >> it's really delicious, made with natural ingredients, without additives. besides, it's the national drink here in chile. reporter: miguel is already mixing the next batch and hoping for more customers. better days are sure to come. narrator: and that's all from "global 3000." we love hearing from you, so send us an email or visit us on facebook. we'll be back next week and we hope you'll join us then.

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

- this program is made possible in part by the town of marion, historic marion, virginia, home of the wayne henderson school of appalachian arts, celebrating 21 years as a certified virginia main street community. the ellis family foundation, general francis marion hotel. the historic general francis marion hotel and black rooster restaurant and lounge providing luxurious accommodations and casual fine dining. the bank of marion. the bank of marion, your vision, your community, your bank. wbrf 98.1 fm. bryant label, a proud supporter of our region's musical heritage.