the legendary curassow birds live in the magdalena region, in the el paujil bird reserve. colombian conservationists have bought up one of the few remaining lowland rainforests, hoping to protect the animals' last remaining place of refuge. narrator: this is one of the last of the unspoiled forests in the magdalena medio region of central colombia. rangers regularly patrol the area by boat, because the river is often used by smugglers to move illegally harvested tropical wood. the protected area is 4500 hectares in size. it's an important sanctuary for endangered species, like this brown spider monkey. in just a few decades, their population has dropped by 80%. that's mostly because outside the sanctuary their habitat is being destroyed. alejandro grajales: there are still giant trees here, like the abarco and ceiba, as well as others that are endangered. this relatively intact tropical forest offers food to many endangered species, among them birds, mammals, and amphibians. they find everything they need in this protected area. narrator: the men are searching for the rare