Protecting a Flamingo Paradise | Incredible Animal Journeys | National Geographic

When we set out to film this series, we knew that we'd face some challenges along the way, but nothing compares to what the wildlife is up against. Animal journeys formed over thousands of years are in real danger.

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Physical barriers, disorientation, habitat loss, climate change—making it harder than ever to get from A to B. Some animals are already being infected before we've even had a chance to learn more about them.

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East Africa's Great Rift Valley is home to three-fourths of the global population of lesser flamingos. These pink carpets can number over a million birds, constantly on the move; they can be tough to track down.

The flamingos, they're quite mysterious creatures. They come right across the Rift Valley looking for the right lake. They just do what they want, really. Only by enlisting expert help did we have any hope of getting close.

Scientist Timothy Mami has studied flamingos for the last 17 years. In the last tickets, flamingos have gone away from the normal pink carpet legs, and nobody up to this moment understands where they are. Finding and filming these unpredictable birds is going to be harder than ever.

This is an inspir…

While the crew sets out in search of the biggest flocks, the science team is a bit more [Music] hands-on.

"Wow, we've got a lot of flamingos. The safety of flamingos comes priority number one. We are heading now to process them at our ringing station."

Timothy's new project is using rings or bands to find out where the flamingos are going.

"What is a tried and tested method used for more than 100 years? 175 how it do fitted in these days? We can all get involved in bird science. Even people at home can help us to monitor and conserve flamingos by reporting these two plastic rings. The white one is Kenya, and this is Lake Boria.

Once these rings have been photographed by tourists, be it on Facebook, be it on Twitter, or any other media, we can easily tell where they were ringed."

Across the lake, luck strikes as the crew gets word that larger numbers are starting to gather.

"Oh, there's a bigger group! Way big group on the right! Lots and lots coming in just now. This is... yeah, this is pretty cool. Yeah, and I'm right in amongst them all—flamingos all over the [Music] place."

But Timothy worries that a flock this size could soon become a thing of the past.

"Human activities are coming up at a very rapid rate. I can tell the changes are not sustainable. [Music] It is going to be very sad for our grandchildren not to find flamingos. This is the saddest moment."

Projects like this are the key to better understanding and protection.

"How I wish I could have wings; I could have already joined [Music] them."