ANIMALS AND BIRDS CALL
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
Many tales have been told of Africa.
But this is our story...
..a drama set in the heart of our world,
experienced as we live and breathe it.
Our world is changing.
Our lives are in danger.
GRUNTS
But we still have each other...
HOOTS
..and family is something worth fighting for.
ROARS
This is the next chapter in our story,
in a place they call Serengeti.
When panic strikes, confusion reigns.
And with it comes uncertainty.
It's when the vulnerable are most at risk.
As a hunter, to vanish is to be deadly.
As a mother, it can bring disaster.
In a heartbeat,
Kali's cubs have lost sight of their mother.
They are now facing the stampede alone.
In their fright, they ran until they could run no more.
At the worst possible time, they are motherless...
..with no-one to show them who to fear.
GRUNTS
They would be wise to be nervous of hippos.
They can't abide intruders,
no matter how small.
CUBS YELP
New hippo mothers keep away from all the quarrelling.
The pod is a dangerous place for a baby.
Mafuta is yet to master river life.
He struggles just to stay afloat...
..let alone swim.
He even needs help just to come up for air.
But there are more frightening things to concern a baby hippo.
Magamba the crocodile is lurking...
..ready to single out the small and vulnerable.
For a seasoned killer, Mafuta makes a soft target.
But for the weak, strength comes from family.
Mafuta's father's task is to guard the hippo pod.
He's one of the few who will face off Magamba.
For the crocodile, it's not worth the risk...
HIPPO GRUNTS
..this time.
Mafuta is yet to meet the hippos' great protector.
For now, he's too small and defenceless
and his father too big and ferocious.
GRUNTS
Magamba may be a killer,
but she, too, has a tender side.
Beneath the sand,
she hides her eggs, which she guards with care.
Dikkop birds gain from her fearsome reputation
by nesting nearby.
It's an uneasy alliance.
No crocodile can ever be truly trusted...
..but it's worth the risk.
Few egg thieves dare come near.
The parents take turns tending their nest.
While one cares for the eggs,
the other stays on guard.
CROCODILE SNORTS
There are some who still dare trespass here.
A rival also looking to lay her eggs.
Dikkops know their side of the deal.
She steers the intruder from her own nest and warns Magamba.
HIGH-PITCHED CHEEPING
But the rival won't back down.
Magamba is fighting for her offspring's future...
..so fights harder.
The intruder is defeated.
For now, Magamba's eggs are safe,
thanks to her unlikely partnership with a bird.
Nearby, the elephants have taken over the river.
Each day, Nalla brings her family here...
..along with her adopted son Kadogo.
Today, they have an audience.
Cubs with no mother to protect them.
Kadogo once lost his mother, too, and was never reunited.
Could they face the same fate?
It's time to leave.
The cubs have lingered too long.
Elephants kill cubs if they can.
Far easier than slaying the lion
they'll eventually become.
CUBS YELP
ELEPHANTS TRUMPET
CUBS YELP
The cub's tossed, along with the grass and earth...
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
THUDS
..but alive.
For Kadogo, he's safest far from any lions.
There could be adults around.
The cubs head back to the river...
..and into more danger.
Mafuta is taking his first steps on dry land.
A nervous time for one so young.
His father watches from afar.
For Mafuta, a chance to enjoy sunbathing for the first time.
All the while, his father edges closer...
LOW GRUNTS
..until he takes a step too far.
It's his mother who will decide
when father and son should meet.
To be sure, she leads Mafuta away...
..as fast as his little legs can carry him.
A mother separated from her young
will never stop searching
and Kali has their scent to guide her.
She will find them,
but will she find them alive?
Two mothers, neither wishing for confrontation.
For Kali, finding her cubs is all that matters.
CALLS
CUBS YELP
It's a reunion that so nearly wasn't to be.
The best adventures end with a joyful homecoming.
But the home they once knew has changed.
When Kali left, her sister just had her cubs for company.
Now she has a troop of baboons.
But it's the baboons that have the most to fear.
They can't risk taking their eyes off her.
But one lioness can't take on the whole troop...
..and an uneasy truce is better than a constant battle.
So the lioness keeps her cubs out of their way...
..and stops them straying too far.
At least there's enough space to rear her young in peace.
CONTENTED PURRING
The baboons just need to keep their distance.
But the balance of power may be about to shift.
Kali is back.
And Bakari is in trouble.
BAKARI YELPS
BABOONS SHRIEK
One lioness was bad enough.
Two? Near impossible.
And more cubs will only make things worse.
They're becoming more mischievous by the day.
For Bakari, it's now double the trouble.
He can't risk taking his troop into the wilderness again...
..so for now, it's the lions who rule the kopje.
In our world, we can't control the whims of fate.
We just have to make the best of it.
The fire separated Duma from his family.
Now he must hunt alone.
He's always played at hunting, but now it's not a game.
GRUNT
For a young cheetah,
an adult wildebeest can be deadly.
But Duma's not deterred.
A skilful catch, but now he must bring it down.
It was too strong for a lone cheetah.
To survive, Duma needs support.
But what cheetah would support a rival?
SQUAWKS
Our journeys take us down unpredictable paths.
But here, most paths meet at the river.
It can bring life, but also death.
For mongoose, the river offers boundless opportunities.
Utani is here, along with the pup he baby-sits.
For one so young, it's quite a drop...
..but all it takes is some reassurance.
And where Utani goes, the pup follows.
Today, they're on an egg hunt.
They haven't far to look.
The eggs of the dikkops will do nicely.
Once again, the fearless rise to the threat...
..despite being seriously outnumbered.
How can they prevail against such force?
Only with their secret weapon.
HISSES
Utani wasn't prepared for this.
Who would be?
CUB CRIES
The mongoose have met their match.
A force too powerful to overcome.
The crocodile kept her side of the bargain.
The dikkop's nest is safe...for now...
..while the mongoose press on, undaunted.
There's always another fight to pick.
HISSES
Utani must be careful.
A monitor lizard could kill the pup.
But they have a whole gang to defend them.
They need one.
This time, sheer numbers have the advantage.
The monitor is forced to retreat...
..with the pack hot on his tail.
After a skirmish,
nothing tastes as good as a hard-won meal.
There's plenty to go round,
but millipedes are just too good to share.
His feeding spot may have been hijacked,
but monitors are versatile...
..and his timing is perfect.
In the midday heat,
Magamba must leave her nest to cool down.
It's the chance the monitor's been waiting for.
But he wasn't expecting to face her guards.
Dikkops will take on anyone.
DIKKOP HISSES
DIKKOP SCREECHES
Of all the birds, few are braver.
This time, it's not their eggs he's after.
It's those of the crocodile.
Nesting birds despise monitors...
..including kingfishers.
It's the dikkops who put themselves in the line of fire.
The commotion is a call to arms.
Magamba doesn't hesitate.
Again, their unlikely alliance proves its worth.
Strength and courage, the perfect partnership.
With Magamba preoccupied defending her nest,
Mafuta has one less crocodile to worry about.
But true safety lies within the hippo pod.
His mother can't put it off any longer.
But it's not without risk.
Hippo pods are not only crowded,
they're argumentative, too.
His mother makes the space he needs...
..but only for a moment.
Until he grows, all he can do is fit in where he can...
..if he can.
He's hemmed in...
..just trying to keep his head above water.
But when he's overwhelmed,
his mother is always there for him...
..ready to provide comfort whenever he needs it.
He's growing up, but he's still her baby.
Duma has had to accept his life has moved on.
His family and the support they offered is long gone.
But young male cheetahs are not meant to walk alone...
..so Duma must seek new companions.
Success will depend on being welcomed.
A mother with a cub is wary of roaming males...
..even one trying to forge new friendships.
He tries to make himself at home.
A surprise for them.
And a concern for the mother.
The cub's inquisitive.
She's never met a male cheetah before.
She's also nervous.
Can Duma befriend her?
CUB HISSES
First, he must convince her mother.
It won't be easy.
To her, he's not a friend.
He's a foe.
It's a painful lesson.
Female cheetahs like to be left alone.
His only hope lies in the company of other males.
As the river quenches the land,
it brings life to the nearby plains.
Gazelles come here to graze in peace.
But peace is fleeting,
especially when mongoose are around.
Utani must be careful.
Foraging among frisky gazelles is not without risk.
They are naturally inquisitive.
Especially Tamu...
..an orphaned gazelle who had to grow up fast.
SNARLS
Utani senses trouble.
Tamu is still young at heart.
The real threats come from above.
SQUAWKING
MONGOOSE CRY
And martial eagles have a taste for mongoose...
..especially the pups.
And here, he has the pick of the bunch.
One is taken.
There was nothing they could have done...
..but Utani did his duty.
He protected the pup entrusted to his care.
But the eagle's not gone yet.
Tamu has met this threat before.
He knows to be bold when dealing with eagles.
And it works.
Mafuta has found his place in the pod
but has yet to meet his father.
Now the time has come.
A scary proposition.
BELLOWS
He needn't have feared.
SOFT GRUNTS
The bull shows, beneath it all, he's a gentle giant.
In the care of his mother, Mafuta has grown strong.
Now he's ready to play.
PLAYFUL GRUNTING
When the games get rough,
his mother's still there to referee.
All the while, he's being watched.
Once more, Mafuta is in peril.
But today,
Magamba's found others who are even more vulnerable.
Gazelles are preparing to cross the river.
Tamu is among them.
He's never braved the river before.
He'll let the others go first.
It's a bad decision.
The frontrunners have the advantage of surprise.
Not so those who hesitate.
Magamba looks for weakness.
And Tamu can't be left behind.
His fate is sealed.
Or is it?
The bull was protecting his son...
..but it was Tamu's life he saved.
Tamu survives to graze fresh pastures...
HISSES
..while Magamba stays hungry.
Duma is still seeking company.
In this vast landscape, it's proving hard to find.
But eventually, all paths must cross.
HISSING
Three males can easily kill an outsider.
But they are what Duma is looking for.
Duma stands his ground...
..but also shows humility.
MEOWS
Duma is now at his challenger's mercy.
PANTS
Thankfully, he seems to be merciful.
But he's not the only male Duma must win over.
HISSES
HISSING AND MEOWING
SNARLING
DUMA MEOWS
They could have killed him, but they didn't need to.
Duma shows he's not a threat.
This could be his salvation.
But showing mercy is not the same as showing acceptance.
Tagging along behind could be a risky mistake.
Intruders must always earn their place
and with good reason.
Intruders are disruptive and often destructive.
A roaming bull looking for a pod of his own.
One who is prepared to fight for it...
..and one who is prepared to defend it.
There is far more than status at stake.
If his father loses, Mafuta could be killed.
His opponent is powerful...
..and determined to win.
His father takes blow after blow.
But the fightback begins.
And the challenger is tiring.
The intruder retreats.
But victory comes at great cost.
Mafuta's father is badly wounded.
LOW GRUNTS
On any other day,
this would be the chance Magamba has been waiting for.
But she, too, has young who must come first.
The dikkops are still on guard,
but something is stirring.
LOW GRUNTS
It's the moment every battle and sacrifice
has been building towards.
HIGH-PITCHED CHEEPS
Already, Magamba has heard their calls...
..a sound she can't ignore.
GRUNTS
A cry for help.
LOW GRUNTS
HIGH-PITCHED CHEEPS
With the dikkops' help,
all Magamba's eggs have hatched.
Their own chicks should soon follow.
For us all, joy and sorrow are close companions.
Mafuta's mother is with the wounded bull.
His injuries are brutal.
There's nothing she can do.
RAPID GRUNTING
Mafuta's great protector is in peril.
So, too, is Mafuta.
At the kopje, the battle lines are clearly drawn.
The lions have the advantage,
but Bakari refuses to leave the kopje...
..so they've come to an arrangement.
While the cubs are free to play on the lower slopes,
the baboons must scamper on high.
It's not ideal,
but somehow they have found a way to rub along.
Or had.
The whole pride is returning.
They left when the fire took hold.
Now Askari is bringing them home.
Joy for Kali and her sister.
A nightmare for Bakari.
His troop is facing an invasion.
BABOONS SCREECH
The only escape is up.
Below, Askari is reunited with Kali.
As the baboons head higher still...
..the pride is now in complete control.
Askari and Kali have reclaimed their kopje,
with no way down for the baboons.
Bakari led them into this crisis,
but can he lead them out?