WEBVTT 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:20.080 Bruno Valente and his border collie Kazuza 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:23.520 love to explore the mountains of the Lauterbrunnen Valley 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:24.680 in Switzerland. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:28.120 Kazuza is seven years old. 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:32.640 I have him, uh, since he was, uh, six months. 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:38.880 I believe there is a special bond between, uh, humans and dogs. 00:00:39.400 --> 00:00:44.000 And that's something I realized when I spent a lot of time with Kazuza. 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:48.640 He looks at me, uh, and you realize… 00:00:48.720 --> 00:00:51.000 …what I feel, we don't need words. 00:00:54.040 --> 00:00:57.120 But these two aren't here for the bracing walks. 00:01:00.160 --> 00:01:04.040 This is where Bruno indulges in his favorite pastime. 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:09.280 Base jumping. 00:01:13.080 --> 00:01:17.760 I start base jumping, uh, around six and a half, uh, years. 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:21.240 It gave me a life. 00:01:21.320 --> 00:01:25.080 So, I don't consider it a sport, really. 00:01:25.160 --> 00:01:29.560 I love that you are in the nature. It's therapy. 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:36.640 Every time I was about to jump, I was asking my friends 00:01:36.720 --> 00:01:37.880 to take care of him. 00:01:37.960 --> 00:01:41.760 And they were saying that once I jumped, 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:44.760 he… he was trying to go towards me. 00:01:46.200 --> 00:01:48.120 And that's what led me to think 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:52.040 that he might wanted, uh, want to jump. 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:54.200 It's a action dog. 00:01:58.160 --> 00:02:00.560 In households across the world, 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:03.480 pets are at the heart of family life. 00:02:04.880 --> 00:02:06.480 They share our homes, 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.320 but how well do we really know them? 00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:14.960 In this series we'll dig deep into our pets' inner lives 00:02:15.040 --> 00:02:19.120 to discover the secrets they've kept hidden until now. 00:02:20.320 --> 00:02:23.320 From spectacular feats of communication… 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:24.400 Alexa. 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:27.360 …to extreme athleticism. 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:30.680 Extraordinary intelligence… 00:02:33.040 --> 00:02:35.200 …and incredible super senses. 00:02:36.640 --> 00:02:39.800 We'll meet remarkable pets from across the globe… 00:02:39.880 --> 00:02:40.720 Come. 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:43.520 …whose owners have harnessed their hidden skills 00:02:43.600 --> 00:02:45.440 and shared them with the world… 00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:52.000 …and use groundbreaking technology 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:56.040 to reveal how amazing their brains and bodies really are. 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.840 In Switzerland, base jumper Bruno made a bold decision 00:03:15.920 --> 00:03:19.520 and constructed a harness for his border collie, Kazuza. 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:29.440 I think about every single detail 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:35.840 in order to reduce the risk as maximum as possible. 00:03:37.600 --> 00:03:39.240 We put a harness on him. 00:03:40.600 --> 00:03:42.240 I got to the ledge. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:47.400 He was super relaxed, super quiet, looking down. 00:03:47.480 --> 00:03:48.760 Okay, five seconds! 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:51.120 Yeah. Five seconds. 00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:54.160 All the signs that he was, uh, 00:03:54.680 --> 00:03:57.200 not stressing, not feeling scared. 00:03:58.200 --> 00:03:59.080 Yeah. 00:03:59.720 --> 00:04:00.760 Kazuza! 00:04:04.160 --> 00:04:07.600 We jumped, and it was beautiful. 00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:18.760 Having my dog, uh, flying with me, amazing. 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:35.160 Like humans, dogs have an innate sense of self-preservation, 00:04:35.640 --> 00:04:39.920 but Kazuza's bond with Bruno means his emotional intelligence 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:41.760 overcomes his instincts, 00:04:42.320 --> 00:04:47.000 to the extent that he's prepared to leap from a 2,000-foot cliff with him. 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:03.400 I feel very comfortable, 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:06.360 and Kazuza was feeling the same way, 00:05:06.440 --> 00:05:08.240 maybe because he trusts me. 00:05:08.320 --> 00:05:11.240 And he knew that, uh, if he was with me, uh, 00:05:11.320 --> 00:05:13.360 then everything is good. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:17.280 I have him as a very smart dog, 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.400 so he definitely would run away 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:25.480 from everything related with jumping or flying 00:05:25.960 --> 00:05:27.640 if he would not like it, 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:30.160 that's 100% guaranteed. 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:44.360 On the landing, he just starts to whip his tail, 00:05:44.440 --> 00:05:45.720 and he's laughing. 00:05:46.440 --> 00:05:48.240 He's super stoked. 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:56.000 I try to take the harness from him, 00:05:56.080 --> 00:05:57.200 it's super hard. 00:05:57.280 --> 00:05:59.920 He kind of wants to keep the harness 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.120 'cause then maybe there's a chance of going again. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:09.640 This tremendous trust is only possible 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:14.280 because Kazuza is intelligent enough to read Bruno's body language. 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:22.160 Well, I think every dog, they have something special, but him, yeah, uh, 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:24.440 it's like, uh, he's like a person. 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:30.120 Some person's soul reincarnated on him. 00:06:30.960 --> 00:06:33.200 Kazuza is like a son. 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:43.400 Modern family life is full of opportunities, 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:46.800 and our pets have learned to enjoy the ride. 00:06:50.280 --> 00:06:54.160 And the more fun they have, the smarter they become. 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:07.840 This is Snowball, rescue parrot and Internet dance sensation. 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:12.080 His enthusiastic moves and remarkable sense of rhythm 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:16.080 have earned him nearly seven million views across social media. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.640 But they also caught the attention of John Iverson 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:22.280 and fellow neuroscientists at the University of California. 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:27.000 We saw the video on YouTube, and our jaw just literally drop… dropped to the floor. 00:07:28.640 --> 00:07:31.400 Snowball is a sulphur-crested cockatoo 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:34.240 living at a parrot sanctuary in Indiana. 00:07:34.960 --> 00:07:38.960 As soon as John and his team saw him, they knew there was more to his behavior 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:40.480 than just a funny video. 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:44.080 We were speechless when we saw Snowball dancing. 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:48.320 What was amazing about it was Snowball was really listening to the music 00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:50.040 and really feeling the beat. 00:07:51.640 --> 00:07:54.920 Snowball was revealing astonishing intelligence, 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:58.880 and the neuroscientists contacted his owner Irena for more footage. 00:07:58.960 --> 00:08:01.640 They worked out Snowball was entertaining his millions 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:03.360 of adoring fans around the world 00:08:03.440 --> 00:08:07.120 by busting an incredible 14 unique dance moves. 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:12.360 What we noticed along the way was that as we continued on these studies, 00:08:12.440 --> 00:08:16.160 that his repertoire of movements seemed to be getting larger. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.040 This really seems almost like a kind of a creativity. 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.240 But it should be known that… that all of his moves, 00:08:26.320 --> 00:08:28.760 uh, he invented those himself. 00:08:28.840 --> 00:08:31.960 Irena made it clear that, uh, he wasn't copying her. 00:08:32.040 --> 00:08:35.960 And if you see the headbangs, unless Irena is a total heavy metal fan, 00:08:36.040 --> 00:08:37.440 that's definitely his own thing. 00:08:38.800 --> 00:08:42.280 So what exactly is going on in Snowball's brain? 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.160 - You still wanna dance, huh? - Yeah. 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:46.080 Yeah. 00:08:46.160 --> 00:08:48.280 Like other members of the parrot family, 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:52.760 his dancing skills are connected to his ability to mimic sounds and speech. 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:55.600 - It's not fair! - It's not fair! 00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:56.600 It isn't. 00:08:56.680 --> 00:08:58.880 There's no question that to be able to dance, 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:02.000 you need a strong connection between the part of your brain that hears 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:04.120 and the part of your brain that moves. 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:06.800 Speech and music are very similar, 00:09:06.880 --> 00:09:09.720 both being a collection of tones and rhythms. 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:14.640 John's theory is that if you have an area of the brain that processes speech, 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:18.080 and it's linked to the area of the brain that makes your body move, 00:09:18.640 --> 00:09:20.040 you can dance. 00:09:20.800 --> 00:09:23.440 Snowball can dance by himself to music, 00:09:23.520 --> 00:09:26.840 but he's much more likely to dance if he has a partner. 00:09:28.360 --> 00:09:31.480 And it turns out Snowball isn't the only groover. 00:09:32.280 --> 00:09:37.480 Parrots around the world are having a ball expressing themselves through dance. 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:42.120 Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! 00:09:43.520 --> 00:09:47.240 To the best of our knowledge, some of these movements are in fact found 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:49.240 in the wild in courtship dances. 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:52.840 But it's not known if birds dance to music in the wild, 00:09:52.920 --> 00:09:56.360 so one idea we have is to… to get a Humvee with a huge stereo, 00:09:56.440 --> 00:10:00.000 drive out to the outback, and just play the music, and see what happens. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:01.640 - Yeah. - Yeah. 00:10:06.680 --> 00:10:09.040 The more we enrich our pet's world… 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:10.680 …the happier they become. 00:10:10.760 --> 00:10:12.400 But that's not all. 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:14.680 Our pets' cognitive abilities can be boosted 00:10:14.760 --> 00:10:18.280 to extraordinary levels with the right environment. 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:27.840 To prove it, scientists at the University of Richmond are gearing up 00:10:27.920 --> 00:10:29.560 for a race like no other. 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.720 The drivers that have emerged from the rat pack 00:10:35.800 --> 00:10:39.720 as the more competent drivers, are Sophia and Aletheia. 00:10:40.920 --> 00:10:44.000 Sophia means wisdom, and Aletheia, truth. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:46.640 So, with truth and wisdom at the wheel, who can lose? 00:10:47.520 --> 00:10:49.840 And so that's what this race is all about. 00:10:49.920 --> 00:10:53.480 They've been trained individually, and then we're putting them together. 00:10:53.560 --> 00:10:56.960 Sophia is driving the red car and Aletheia, the yellow. 00:11:01.800 --> 00:11:05.320 Sophia gets off to a flyer. Aletheia hesitates. 00:11:05.400 --> 00:11:06.840 Could it have cost her? 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:10.640 The lead widens. 00:11:11.880 --> 00:11:14.800 Sophia crosses the line to scoop first prize, 00:11:14.880 --> 00:11:17.240 a treat tree laden with food. 00:11:19.800 --> 00:11:23.160 I don't care what kind of mood you're in, when you see a rat driving a car, 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.480 it's almost like seeing a… a pig fly or something, people laugh. 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:31.520 Professor Kelly Lambert has studied rats for 35 years. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:35.720 She's fascinated by their ability to adapt to new challenges. 00:11:35.800 --> 00:11:37.920 Rats don't have a great reputation, 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:40.880 but I see rats through a different lens. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:43.920 They're survivors, and they're very intelligent. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:49.560 Six years ago, she was looking for a new way of testing them. 00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:53.680 A colleague asked me about rats driving cars, 00:11:53.760 --> 00:11:56.240 and I said, "No, why would I want to do that?" 00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:59.600 But then, once you think about that, you can't not think about it. 00:11:59.680 --> 00:12:01.840 So, before I knew it, we were having coffee, 00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:03.720 thinking about what the car would look like, 00:12:03.800 --> 00:12:06.960 and how would you get it to activate the car, and thinking about 00:12:07.040 --> 00:12:08.640 the behavior of the animals. 00:12:10.840 --> 00:12:13.800 Kelly also wanted to see if the rats' environment 00:12:13.880 --> 00:12:15.680 affected their ability to learn. 00:12:18.520 --> 00:12:22.760 Most rats in laboratories are housed in various standard cages. 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:25.080 They have all the food, everything they need to live, 00:12:25.160 --> 00:12:28.600 but it's not engaging or interesting. Brains need engagement. 00:12:28.680 --> 00:12:31.320 So we've done a lot with these enriched environments, 00:12:31.400 --> 00:12:34.160 larger environments with more social interactions 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:35.840 and objects to interact with. 00:12:35.920 --> 00:12:37.760 It's almost like a rat Disneyland. 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:42.520 And being in that enriched environment seems to prepare the animals 00:12:42.600 --> 00:12:46.040 to learn new skills, if you will, or new tasks. 00:12:47.160 --> 00:12:49.360 Of the six in the rat palace, 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:53.280 the team felt that Sophia and Aletheia showed the most potential. 00:12:53.880 --> 00:12:57.680 Not least because they were both rather partial to a Froot Loop. 00:12:59.280 --> 00:13:02.120 Erin Burns is chief treat distributor. 00:13:03.400 --> 00:13:06.280 We start by putting the Froot Loops through the top of the cage, 00:13:06.360 --> 00:13:09.840 and then slowly we'll introduce Froot Loops in the car environment 00:13:09.920 --> 00:13:13.320 and we'll let them kinda eat the Froot Loops, explore the car. 00:13:13.400 --> 00:13:15.960 Then we'll put the Froot Loops in the car, try to make that 00:13:16.040 --> 00:13:17.760 a positive experience for them. 00:13:19.640 --> 00:13:23.320 It culminates with the rats learning how to drive. 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:28.440 They need to stand close to the lever to get the reward, 00:13:28.520 --> 00:13:32.200 and then they need to touch the lever to get the reward. So we're shaping. 00:13:32.280 --> 00:13:37.120 And then they have to press the lever, and keep it down to drive the car, 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:39.840 and to keep driving to get to the Froot Loop. 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:48.920 It took six weeks for Aletheia and Sophia to learn to go forward. 00:13:49.680 --> 00:13:51.520 But that was only the start, 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:55.520 and they soon progressed to more advanced driving. 00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:59.680 Once rats learn the concept of driving forward, 00:13:59.760 --> 00:14:03.360 we would put that treat tree where they could not get it driving forward, 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:04.760 they had to turn. 00:14:06.560 --> 00:14:09.400 Soon, there was simply no stopping them. 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:15.240 They're learning the concept of direction and steering, 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:17.440 uh, kind of like a skill. 00:14:18.040 --> 00:14:21.800 So it kind of blew my mind. And every time I look at them, I still go, "Wow." 00:14:22.400 --> 00:14:25.520 Seems to be positive experience for the animals that allows us 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.760 to learn more about how the brain learns 00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:31.120 and adapts to these very complex challenges. 00:14:33.360 --> 00:14:37.200 Kelly's work with racing rats is proving without question 00:14:37.280 --> 00:14:40.400 that if you give your pet a happy, stimulating life, 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:42.840 you'll see a difference in its behavior. 00:14:43.800 --> 00:14:47.520 So it's important to challenge, uh, your pets, 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.760 and have different things that they can play 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:51.800 and to be active, we need to be active. 00:14:51.880 --> 00:14:56.120 And the rats in the enriched environment, they're running around more and climbing, 00:14:56.200 --> 00:15:00.120 and that's very good for their brains to be physically active. 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:06.400 Thankfully, rats driving cars haven't hit our highways just yet. 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:11.240 But in suburban Los Angeles, 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:15.680 one pet lives in an enriched environment that's taking him to new heights. 00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:22.400 This is Shai Lighter, 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:24.280 and like many doting pet owners, 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:28.920 he relishes the prospect of seeing his companion at the end of a working day. 00:15:31.880 --> 00:15:34.200 I love the feeling, when I'm going back home, 00:15:34.280 --> 00:15:36.400 and somebody is waiting for me. 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:39.760 Bini, come. Come. Come. 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:42.520 It's great that someone is coming to greet me. 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:46.160 And bunnies can get affectionate. 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:48.040 It comes and licks me. 00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:51.600 They're lovable, they're… they're like dogs. 00:15:56.200 --> 00:16:01.080 Bini is a Holland Lop Rabbit who's been in Shai's care for nine years. 00:16:04.920 --> 00:16:08.480 As a baby, Bini was always, erm, very curious, 00:16:08.560 --> 00:16:11.640 and he always liked to explore the apartment. 00:16:13.040 --> 00:16:15.640 I used to look in his eyes, and he was looking at me, 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:18.360 like trying to understand what I'm telling him. 00:16:18.440 --> 00:16:21.880 And this is when I realized that he's more than just a bunny. 00:16:22.680 --> 00:16:23.880 Bini, come. 00:16:24.400 --> 00:16:27.400 Shai decided to open up his hutch, and give Bini 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:28.760 the run of the apartment. 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:33.120 If a rabbit is locked in a cage or a hutch, 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:35.520 they wouldn't interact with their owner. 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.120 You won't get the same connection with them, 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:40.440 and you can't do anything with them. 00:16:40.520 --> 00:16:44.480 Uh, and then people are surprised, "Oh, my rabbit is not smart as yours." 00:16:44.560 --> 00:16:47.040 Of course not. You need to… to be with them. 00:16:47.680 --> 00:16:50.080 Jump! Yay! Another jump! Another jump! 00:16:50.160 --> 00:16:53.920 Sure enough, it wasn't long before Shai saw a whole new side 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:55.040 to his pet. 00:16:56.120 --> 00:16:58.920 One day, I caught Bini playing with a ball in a box, 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:02.400 and I decided that this can be like a basketball game. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:07.280 So I changed the box with a basketball hoop, 00:17:07.360 --> 00:17:10.440 and I gave him a basketball ball, and… 00:17:10.520 --> 00:17:11.560 Hello. 00:17:12.760 --> 00:17:15.720 And showed him some tricks and then I gave him food. 00:17:15.800 --> 00:17:17.880 And he knew that this is the game. 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:21.120 He learned the tricks very well, 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:25.040 and he likes the game because he developed the game for himself. 00:17:25.120 --> 00:17:28.440 And we play this game every day before we go to sleep. 00:17:30.280 --> 00:17:33.960 Bini eventually bounced into the Guinness Book of World Records 00:17:34.040 --> 00:17:38.360 for the most slam dunks ever scored by a rabbit in a minute: 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:40.400 seven. 00:17:43.760 --> 00:17:45.360 Not only the basketball. 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:48.360 One day, I caught him playing with markers on the floor, 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:52.680 and I got very mad because the floor was very messy. 00:17:52.760 --> 00:17:55.640 Then I decided, "You know what? It could be like the basketball." 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.520 "If he likes to play with something, let him play." 00:17:59.320 --> 00:18:00.280 Come, Bini. 00:18:01.320 --> 00:18:03.960 So, I changed the markers with paintbrushes, 00:18:04.040 --> 00:18:06.160 and I bought some canvases. 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:08.880 I showed him what to do, I gave him the paintbrush. 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:11.200 And he just, like, he started to paint. 00:18:11.280 --> 00:18:12.320 Here you go. 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:16.520 I'm surprised, like, I have, like, a Picasso rabbit at home. 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.040 I think rabbits have great memory. 00:18:23.760 --> 00:18:27.120 Bini learns so many tricks, and he never forgets them. 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:30.080 Sometimes it's kind of like reading minds, 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.000 I just show him the trick, then he started to do it. 00:18:33.080 --> 00:18:34.920 It's always shocking. 00:18:35.520 --> 00:18:36.360 Bini, come. 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:39.080 With patience, love, and plenty of treats, 00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:43.400 Shai has shown how remarkable a relaxed rabbit can be. 00:18:43.480 --> 00:18:46.920 I believe that all rabbits can learn tricks. 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:50.360 Like, just give them food and the attention they need and love, 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:53.640 and they need to know that they are secure. Um. 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:56.560 And that's how they know that they can trust you. 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:03.540 Thanks to social media, the joy of living with our pets 00:19:03.620 --> 00:19:05.580 can be shared with the world. 00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:07.860 This disappearing act is a hit. 00:19:09.380 --> 00:19:11.020 It may confuse the dogs, 00:19:11.540 --> 00:19:14.900 but it shows they know when we're messing with their minds. 00:19:16.100 --> 00:19:18.660 The more we play, the more pets are revealing 00:19:18.740 --> 00:19:20.980 their astonishing social intelligence. 00:19:27.420 --> 00:19:30.580 Jack and Nikki are a pair of African grey parrots 00:19:30.660 --> 00:19:33.060 who are helping scientists with their research 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:35.700 at the Loro Parque Foundation in Tenerife. 00:19:37.100 --> 00:19:40.900 They are actually siblings, and they have a very close bond 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:42.260 with each other. 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:47.100 This brother-and-sister bond is changing the way 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:48.980 we think about parrot behavior. 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:54.300 They and 44 other parrots belong 00:19:54.380 --> 00:19:56.940 to the Max Planck Comparative Cognition team 00:19:57.020 --> 00:20:01.460 that Anastasia Krasheninnikova has been working with for over ten years. 00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:07.300 Parrots are quite special among all the birds. 00:20:07.860 --> 00:20:10.620 Uh, parrots have very large brains. 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:15.900 What I've learned is that it doesn't actually matter 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:18.820 how do we think that the parrot will behave. 00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:24.340 We can be 100% sure that, um, it will surprise us. 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:28.300 The research team came up with an experiment 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:31.380 to test the sociability of African greys… 00:20:33.100 --> 00:20:35.020 with mind-blowing results. 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:42.140 First of all, they taught Nikki and Jack a simple rule. 00:20:42.700 --> 00:20:46.220 We, um, trained the parrots to use, um, tokens, 00:20:46.300 --> 00:20:48.660 metal washers, as a kind of currency 00:20:48.740 --> 00:20:52.220 that they can use, um, like we use money to buy food. 00:20:54.420 --> 00:20:58.660 They separated the siblings using a screen with a hole in it. 00:21:01.420 --> 00:21:06.260 At first, both Nikki and Jack are able to exchange the tokens for food. 00:21:06.860 --> 00:21:09.660 But then, Anastasia seals Nikki's window. 00:21:10.620 --> 00:21:14.820 Now, Nikki has the tokens, but no means of getting the food. 00:21:15.980 --> 00:21:18.580 What happens next is astonishing. 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:24.020 Nikki starts to pass the tokens to Jack 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:27.900 so that he can get the food. 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:37.300 They realize that the partner is in need, and they try to help. 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:44.820 We were very impressed because this is the first time for birds, um, 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:47.140 that we could show that they spontaneously 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:49.540 and voluntarily help each other. 00:21:49.620 --> 00:21:54.500 And this kind of kindness is actually very rare in animal kingdom. 00:21:56.740 --> 00:21:59.220 When Anastasia blocks Jack's window, 00:21:59.300 --> 00:22:00.620 the tables are turned, 00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:02.940 and this time Nikki benefits. 00:22:04.220 --> 00:22:07.460 Using a number of parrots, Anastasia discovered 00:22:07.540 --> 00:22:11.340 that the closer the bond, the more tokens they passed each other. 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:15.060 What we see here is something like, 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:17.380 "You scratch my back, I will scratch yours." 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:22.060 So the more tokens, um, one bird gives to… to its partner, 00:22:22.140 --> 00:22:25.700 the more tokens it will get back. 00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:30.820 This teamwork requires both intelligence and empathy. 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:34.820 It comes from an understanding of how to help a friend. 00:22:38.220 --> 00:22:40.620 Parrots are very, um, social animals, 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:43.900 and their groups have a very complex social structure. 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:47.780 And this kindness can be helpful 00:22:47.860 --> 00:22:51.300 to maintain, um, some particular relationships. 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:54.820 I think it highlights just how clever they are 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:58.900 and that we should be very respectful, um, 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:02.300 towards parrots, but also other animals. 00:23:04.860 --> 00:23:08.740 Looking out for each other is an integral part of our relationship 00:23:08.820 --> 00:23:09.660 with our pets. 00:23:10.540 --> 00:23:14.140 And sometimes, the way this manifests itself 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:15.380 surprises everyone. 00:23:21.580 --> 00:23:26.180 Nine-year-old lurcher Bill has a favorite spot in his garden. 00:23:27.100 --> 00:23:29.740 It's where his sister Ruby is buried. 00:23:31.620 --> 00:23:33.580 She's buried in the garden under a rose bush. 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:35.340 And he used to lay there all the time. 00:23:36.380 --> 00:23:38.540 I always find him there in the summer. 00:23:39.540 --> 00:23:42.260 Does he know she's there, having been buried, you know? 00:23:42.340 --> 00:23:44.140 I'd like to think he does. 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:46.540 I think he does. I like to think he knows. 00:23:46.620 --> 00:23:49.060 - I'd like to think he knows. - Yeah. 00:23:49.740 --> 00:23:54.060 Russell and Michelle doted on Bill and Ruby since they were pups. 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:58.700 Good girl, Rubs. Good girl. Come on. 00:23:59.260 --> 00:24:04.540 For six years, Bill and Ruby were inseparable, until tragedy struck. 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:10.060 She had, um, kidney failure, and we had to say goodbye. 00:24:14.260 --> 00:24:16.380 - Never been apart. - Very close. 00:24:16.460 --> 00:24:18.140 Very, very close, yeah. 00:24:18.220 --> 00:24:20.980 All of a sudden, his sister's disappeared and not there. 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:24.380 And then, when she was gone, he was, like, just… 00:24:24.460 --> 00:24:25.660 - Just quiet. - …quiet. 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:28.220 For a bit. Just getting used to being one dog. 00:24:28.300 --> 00:24:29.820 Didn't want to let go of us. 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:32.140 - Wants to be around us. - More clingy. 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:34.500 Suppose it must have been… He must have felt lonely himself. 00:24:38.380 --> 00:24:41.260 A recent study of dogs that lost a companion 00:24:41.340 --> 00:24:44.620 revealed that many of them showed altered behavior, 00:24:44.700 --> 00:24:46.700 which can be a sign of depression, 00:24:47.260 --> 00:24:50.700 with 80% of them becoming more affectionate to their owners. 00:24:52.300 --> 00:24:55.820 This is exactly what Russell and Michelle noticed in Bill. 00:24:56.580 --> 00:24:58.820 He started to follow them everywhere. 00:24:59.340 --> 00:25:02.420 Then, when Michelle hurt her back, 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:05.940 it became clear that Bill had a caring personality. 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:09.620 I was in a lot of pain. 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:12.260 My back was really, really painful, and I couldn't really move. 00:25:12.340 --> 00:25:15.980 And he was just sort of there, sat there with me, guarding me, almost. 00:25:16.060 --> 00:25:19.340 Because I was crying in pain. Put his head on me. 00:25:19.420 --> 00:25:22.620 A reassurance or some… Yeah, that's what he's doing. Big time. 00:25:24.100 --> 00:25:28.220 But the couple didn't realize just how empathetic Bill was 00:25:28.300 --> 00:25:31.500 until Russell broke his ankle window cleaning. 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:35.940 When I was getting used to my crutches and the plaster, 00:25:36.020 --> 00:25:37.900 I didn't take much notice of Bill. 00:25:37.980 --> 00:25:41.300 Not that I didn't want to, I just concentrated on getting around. 00:25:41.380 --> 00:25:44.900 So I didn't notice nothing. Until Michelle had said something. 00:25:46.020 --> 00:25:49.460 Poor Bill appeared to have hurt his leg too. 00:25:50.260 --> 00:25:51.540 Or had he? 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:55.100 When I saw the video, I couldn't really believe it. 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:57.820 If you look, it's a very over-exaggerated limp. 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:04.180 But strangely, it seemed Bill was able to turn his limp on and off. 00:26:05.020 --> 00:26:07.380 If he was out in the garden with me or I took him for a walk, 00:26:07.460 --> 00:26:10.460 he seemed to be fine. Didn't seem to have any problems at all. 00:26:11.820 --> 00:26:15.860 For two days, Bill continued to behave like this with Russell 00:26:16.900 --> 00:26:19.500 and like this with Michelle. 00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:22.860 Concerned, the couple took him to the vet. 00:26:23.380 --> 00:26:25.780 Didn't limp walking in, and I said to Michelle, 00:26:25.860 --> 00:26:28.860 "They're not gonna find nothing now 'cause he's not limpin'." 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:31.620 They done several things, tests and whatever they did. 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:33.980 -And they couldn't find a thing. -No. 00:26:34.060 --> 00:26:37.220 Come on. Go on. Come here. Wait. 00:26:37.300 --> 00:26:40.820 Scientists have proved that dogs have incredible empathy 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:41.780 for their owners. 00:26:43.340 --> 00:26:46.260 But Bill's empathy was on a new level. 00:26:47.060 --> 00:26:49.500 He appeared to be pretending to suffer 00:26:50.020 --> 00:26:52.460 to make Russell feel loved. 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:55.380 I think that's clever. 00:26:55.460 --> 00:26:59.540 He's decided that he wants to limp as well by just looking at me, 00:26:59.620 --> 00:27:02.580 and thinking, "Oh, perhaps I should be doing the same." 00:27:03.180 --> 00:27:05.820 Who's my good boy? 00:27:06.380 --> 00:27:08.500 Come on, then. Go on. 00:27:08.580 --> 00:27:10.540 I do think dogs are amazing. 00:27:10.620 --> 00:27:12.860 I think they make a home a home. 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:20.300 Imitation may be the best form of flattery, 00:27:20.380 --> 00:27:23.420 but it's also a sure sign of brain power. 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:27.860 Helping our pets crack the trickiest tasks. 00:27:33.820 --> 00:27:36.940 This is Gambit, a bearded dragon. 00:27:38.700 --> 00:27:43.580 A gate currently separates him from his favorite food, mealworms. 00:27:47.020 --> 00:27:50.020 He doesn't know it yet, but the only way to get at them 00:27:50.100 --> 00:27:52.380 is to slide the door to the right. 00:27:55.660 --> 00:27:58.340 Poor Gambit. So near, but so far. 00:27:59.780 --> 00:28:04.700 Until recently, lizard experts would have doubted his ability to solve the problem. 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:07.980 But scientists have devised an experiment 00:28:08.060 --> 00:28:12.620 to see if bearded dragons can learn problem-solving by watching each other. 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:17.860 They've trained a bearded dragon to slide the gate open and filmed it. 00:28:20.100 --> 00:28:22.820 Gambit watches the "how to" movie. 00:28:24.700 --> 00:28:26.180 What will he do now? 00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:41.620 Astonishing. 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:46.380 Gambit has made the connection between what he's seen on a screen 00:28:46.460 --> 00:28:49.460 and his own real-life problem and solved it. 00:28:52.020 --> 00:28:55.620 This form of social learning is a sure sign of intelligence. 00:29:00.820 --> 00:29:04.500 Our pets' intelligence connects us to them. 00:29:04.580 --> 00:29:07.420 But it's also what they most value in each other. 00:29:13.060 --> 00:29:15.780 Meet budgies Debbie and Bubba. 00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:21.980 There's no doubt that his gorgeous plumage makes Bubba a very pretty boy. 00:29:23.020 --> 00:29:24.500 Debbie seems to agree. 00:29:25.940 --> 00:29:29.420 But here comes Albert who clearly has his eye on Debbie. 00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:33.260 Bubba's sitting pretty for now. 00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:37.820 But look out, Bubba, Albert has a trick up his sleeve. 00:29:39.380 --> 00:29:41.460 A ground-breaking study has revealed 00:29:41.540 --> 00:29:44.260 that it's not just looks that females go for. 00:29:46.180 --> 00:29:50.060 Albert has been trained to get food by solving a puzzle. 00:29:52.420 --> 00:29:55.500 Nice work, and it's not gone unnoticed. 00:29:57.060 --> 00:29:59.820 Bubba's keen to prove he's just as smart. 00:30:00.420 --> 00:30:02.820 But without training, there's no chance. 00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:08.020 It's got Debbie thinking. 00:30:09.060 --> 00:30:12.380 In the original study, only half the male budgies 00:30:12.460 --> 00:30:14.180 were trained to solve a puzzle. 00:30:14.820 --> 00:30:19.460 The female budgies overwhelmingly preferred the birds with brains. 00:30:20.340 --> 00:30:23.300 A reflection, perhaps, of their wild origins 00:30:23.380 --> 00:30:25.660 where finding food is crucial. 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:32.580 Sorry, Bubba, this time it's the geek with the beak that wins the girl. 00:30:36.740 --> 00:30:39.540 We've seen how pets have used their intelligence 00:30:39.620 --> 00:30:42.500 to master our modern world, but that's not all. 00:30:43.580 --> 00:30:47.980 It's their intelligence that also allows them to conquer our hearts. 00:30:49.900 --> 00:30:50.780 Okay. 00:30:50.860 --> 00:30:52.820 Next time… 00:30:52.900 --> 00:30:54.300 …communication, 00:30:54.380 --> 00:30:56.780 the Holy Grail for pets everywhere. 00:30:56.860 --> 00:30:58.620 -What are you doing? -What are you doing? 00:30:58.700 --> 00:31:00.900 - Love you. - Love you too. 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:02.940 How technology is giving pets a voice. 00:31:03.020 --> 00:31:05.340 It was a light bulb moment for both of us. 00:31:05.420 --> 00:31:07.660 And how the more we understand them, the more 00:31:07.740 --> 00:31:09.980 they're transforming our lives. 00:31:10.060 --> 00:31:12.780 Nothing could happen to me because he will protect me. 00:31:12.860 --> 00:31:16.300 It blows my mind how Ted can make people so happy. 00:31:16.380 --> 00:31:17.380 Teddy. 00:31:17.460 --> 00:31:18.740 I love him.