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NARRATOR: The Kalahari,

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the largest expanse
of sand on the planet.

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00:00:14,325 --> 00:00:18,395
At its center lies a
living, breathing miracle...

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00:00:20,564 --> 00:00:23,434
the Okavango Delta.

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00:00:28,939 --> 00:00:32,443
Each year, when the
land is at its driest,

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00:00:34,545 --> 00:00:37,948
distant rainfall fills
its veins once again.

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00:00:46,957 --> 00:00:50,294
The Great Flood is
the heartbeat...

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transforming this land

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into a wildlife paradise

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like none on Earth.

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*

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00:02:09,940 --> 00:02:12,576
It's the start of winter.

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The land is dry.

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The rivers have vanished
and the flood is yet to come.

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00:02:37,968 --> 00:02:40,704
Flocks of hungry quelea
scour the floodplains

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00:02:40,737 --> 00:02:43,674
by the thousands.

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00:02:44,508 --> 00:02:47,878
(chirping).

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The grasses have
withered and died.

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00:02:50,681 --> 00:02:54,251
Now only their seeds
lie dormant in the dry sand.

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00:02:59,956 --> 00:03:03,159
The scramble for
food is underway.

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00:03:23,514 --> 00:03:26,317
These dry, unbroken
floodplains are the ideal

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hunting grounds
for a cheetah...

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00:03:32,556 --> 00:03:36,460
especially a mother with
three growing cubs to feed.

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00:04:02,753 --> 00:04:06,890
Her cubs are completely
dependent on her for food.

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00:04:11,528 --> 00:04:15,131
An impala would
make the perfect meal.

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00:04:30,347 --> 00:04:33,550
But the cubs are
still too young to hunt.

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00:04:34,351 --> 00:04:37,488
They'll stay behind
to watch and learn.

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00:04:49,265 --> 00:04:53,537
She is a skilled hunter.

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00:04:53,937 --> 00:04:57,941
Approaching in silence,
she selects her quarry.

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Impala horns can be lethal,

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she cannot afford
to make a mistake.

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00:05:25,335 --> 00:05:28,739
Speed yes, but agility too.

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These are the
cheetah's greatest assets.

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00:06:08,244 --> 00:06:10,914
It's a dangerous take down,

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00:06:12,949 --> 00:06:16,186
but she knows
precisely how to kill.

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00:06:28,532 --> 00:06:31,735
Her son is eager to help.

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00:06:33,504 --> 00:06:36,339
He is learning fast.

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His sister is a
little less confident.

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For now, feeding
her family is easy.

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00:07:00,897 --> 00:07:05,301
But when the flood comes,
it will be another story.

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00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:21,151
To survive in this dry season,
timing is everything...

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00:07:26,189 --> 00:07:30,761
and the leopard is to timing
as the cheetah is to speed.

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00:07:39,570 --> 00:07:42,739
Just when most plants
have wilted and died,

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00:07:42,973 --> 00:07:46,476
that's when Kigelia
trees burst into life.

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Their deep red flowers are
filled with sweet nectar.

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Vervet monkeys are
enticed to drink

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00:08:12,636 --> 00:08:15,906
and they help
pollinate the trees.

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00:08:19,275 --> 00:08:22,245
In a land that
has grown so dry,

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00:08:22,278 --> 00:08:25,582
the juicy blossoms are
simply irresistible.

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00:08:38,595 --> 00:08:42,565
Soon, a velvet
carpet covers the ground,

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drawing the impala
to join the feast.

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00:08:54,310 --> 00:08:58,348
And it's the impala that
this leopard is after.

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00:09:03,954 --> 00:09:07,157
She'll wait until
the monkeys leave.

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00:09:07,924 --> 00:09:10,593
There can be no witnesses.

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00:09:23,674 --> 00:09:27,143
Now is the time
to make her move.

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00:09:30,446 --> 00:09:32,315
Silently.

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00:09:32,348 --> 00:09:34,550
Stealthily.

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00:09:47,931 --> 00:09:50,767
NARRATOR: The
leopard's ambush is set.

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00:09:53,536 --> 00:09:56,907
All she must do is wait.

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The impala have no idea
who's about to drop by.

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(snarling)

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00:11:19,790 --> 00:11:24,494
The leopard is surely
the most cunning of cats.

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00:11:40,243 --> 00:11:43,847
Every year in the
highlands far to the north,

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heavy rains fall.

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00:12:19,950 --> 00:12:23,553
From a trickle to a flow,

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00:12:29,492 --> 00:12:33,696
this is the Great Flood's
first pulse...

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00:12:41,304 --> 00:12:45,575
filling the veins and
arteries of this thirsty land.

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00:12:51,747 --> 00:12:55,185
It rejuvenates
the barren sands,

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00:13:00,323 --> 00:13:04,394
and brings the
promise of renewal.

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00:13:09,632 --> 00:13:14,137
This wave of water will
transform everything,

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00:13:15,271 --> 00:13:18,841
as a great oasis is born.

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00:13:53,776 --> 00:13:57,547
The scent of water
beckons on the wind,

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00:13:59,349 --> 00:14:03,954
drawing herds of grazers
back to their winter pastures.

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00:14:10,293 --> 00:14:14,297
For thousands of Cape buffalo,
the flood rolls out a green,

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00:14:14,330 --> 00:14:17,533
life-sustaining banquet.

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00:14:18,868 --> 00:14:22,338
Some travel many
miles to get here.

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00:14:26,943 --> 00:14:30,146
The resident
lions lie in wait.

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00:14:39,689 --> 00:14:45,695
(snorting, mooing)

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(growling)

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00:15:03,346 --> 00:15:07,550
For this travel-weary
mother, there is no rest yet.

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00:15:08,884 --> 00:15:12,955
Her calf now faces the most
perilous challenge of its life.

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00:15:44,254 --> 00:15:47,357
NARRATOR: These young lions
think they have an easy meal.

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00:15:59,235 --> 00:16:04,240
But the harder they try, the
harder this mother fights.

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00:16:13,449 --> 00:16:16,419
Backup is not far away.

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00:16:16,452 --> 00:16:19,789
That's one advantage
of living in a herd.

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00:16:45,648 --> 00:16:49,752
Just in time, the other
buffalo rally to her cause.

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Pick a fight with one and
you must fight them all.

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00:17:10,740 --> 00:17:15,845
The lions are outnumbered
and outmatched by a

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00:17:15,878 --> 00:17:18,714
herd that stands
shoulder to shoulder.

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00:17:32,762 --> 00:17:36,966
Together, this fortress of
buffalo cannot be breached.

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00:17:42,338 --> 00:17:46,242
And for now, mothers
and calves are safe.

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00:18:07,297 --> 00:18:10,733
Night and day, the flood's
fingers feel deeper and deeper

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00:18:10,766 --> 00:18:14,837
into the delta, spreading
out and feeding the land.

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Channels, once empty,

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00:18:39,362 --> 00:18:43,666
now overflow with the
abundance of life.

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00:18:50,306 --> 00:18:54,076
Wild dogs revel in the
flood's healing waters.

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00:18:56,646 --> 00:19:00,950
The emerging swamp
makes a great playground.

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00:19:13,596 --> 00:19:17,467
But there's something
strange lurking here,

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00:19:19,569 --> 00:19:22,438
and they can't
resist investigating.

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00:19:59,642 --> 00:20:02,712
Not all that comes with
the flood is welcome.

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00:20:06,649 --> 00:20:10,653
For a giant rock python,
a wild dog pup would

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make a tasty meal.

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00:20:43,285 --> 00:20:46,922
NARRATOR: The wild dogs are
wary of this unknown visitor.

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00:20:54,163 --> 00:20:57,567
Although a pack this
big could take him on,

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00:21:00,703 --> 00:21:03,172
(barking)

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00:21:08,911 --> 00:21:10,846
when in doubt, the
best approach is

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00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:14,550
to live and let live.

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00:21:34,837 --> 00:21:36,238
In the cold of winter,

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00:21:36,271 --> 00:21:39,742
the Great Flood has
saturated the land.

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00:21:40,910 --> 00:21:42,945
Now begins one of the Okavango'

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greatest spectacles.

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00:21:53,889 --> 00:21:57,693
Swarms of tiny
insects fill the air,

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00:21:59,962 --> 00:22:03,098
midges and mayflies.

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00:22:09,171 --> 00:22:12,174
Their emergence is a
vital source of protein,

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00:22:14,076 --> 00:22:17,680
another generous gift
of the all-giving flood.

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(chirping).

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00:22:37,299 --> 00:22:41,070
Even the Quelea forego
their usual diet of seeds.

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00:23:03,893 --> 00:23:06,662
Other insects are
drawn to the feast,

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00:23:09,198 --> 00:23:12,067
dragonflies and their
smaller cousins,

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00:23:12,101 --> 00:23:14,904
damselflies.

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00:23:27,983 --> 00:23:31,987
Over 100 different
species gather here.

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00:23:36,892 --> 00:23:39,862
The Okavango becomes
home to one of the biggest

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00:23:39,895 --> 00:23:44,099
concentrations of their
kind anywhere on Earth.

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00:23:51,273 --> 00:23:55,578
They are here not only
to feed, but to mate.

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00:24:06,722 --> 00:24:10,960
The male makes
the first move...

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00:24:14,129 --> 00:24:17,667
clasping his
partner behind her head.

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She bends toward him
to receive his sperm.

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00:24:26,776 --> 00:24:30,145
They can remain locked in
their heart-shaped embrace

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00:24:30,179 --> 00:24:33,082
for hours.

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00:24:43,325 --> 00:24:46,829
The male will keep a firm
grip on the female until

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00:24:46,862 --> 00:24:49,531
she deposits their eggs,

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and a new cycle
of life begins,

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courtesy of the flood.

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00:25:18,994 --> 00:25:23,098
In just a few months, billions
of gallons of water engulf

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what was a vast savanna.

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00:25:36,578 --> 00:25:39,114
As the flood reaches its peak,

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only small islands
break the surface,

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00:25:44,286 --> 00:25:47,790
and dry land is
hard to come by.

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00:26:00,269 --> 00:26:05,240
There are some antelope
that thrive in wetlands.

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Lechwe, with
their long hind legs,

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00:26:11,113 --> 00:26:15,084
can easily outrun any
pursuers in this swamp.

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00:26:20,155 --> 00:26:23,492
Other animals find
their own ways to adapt.

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00:26:48,117 --> 00:26:52,587
But if you're a giant,
water is no barrier.

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The flood brings new food,
and the elephant's needs

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are greater than most.

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00:27:19,314 --> 00:27:24,253
They act as tree surgeons,
removing the weakest.

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(cracking).

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00:27:39,268 --> 00:27:43,172
The sound of a falling tree
rings out like a dinner bell.

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00:27:49,945 --> 00:27:55,684
All within earshot rush in,
and very little will be wasted.

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00:28:34,289 --> 00:28:38,093
In a few hours, only
a skeleton remains.

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00:28:50,906 --> 00:28:54,743
Sword Grass
chokes the waterways.

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00:28:56,245 --> 00:28:58,513
Keeping this in check
is another job for

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the constant gardener.

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00:29:05,888 --> 00:29:09,724
An elephant can rip out
the grass by the root,

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00:29:14,864 --> 00:29:19,168
rinse it off, and
eat it by the ton.

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00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,656
The elephants' insatiable
appetites make them the

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00:29:41,690 --> 00:29:45,094
architects of the swamp.

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By managing vegetation,
they direct the flow of water.

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(trumpeting)

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But underwater, even more
construction work is done,

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and the hippopotamus is the
Okavango's greatest engineer.

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NARRATOR: Hippos
are natural-born

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earth-moving machines.

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With their massive
lumbering bodies,

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they reconstruct
the underwater world

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simply by moving.

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The flood's main arteries
are now deep channels,

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and hippos are right at home.

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They are the
masters of this realm.

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As they move in
search of food,

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they bulldoze paths
through the vegetation.

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00:32:55,684 --> 00:32:59,654
Soon, there's a network
of hippo-sized highways

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linking the larger rivers
to the smaller pools,

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and the pools to
the floodplains.

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Where these highways
lead, the water follows.

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Hippos direct the flow,
creating the watery web

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that shapes the entire delta.

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On the flat open floodplains,
the water begins to slow.

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Water lilies
thrive in the shallows.

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They root in thick mud,
and their candelabra stems

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reach for the sky.

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The lily pads spread
across the surface,

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fragile and paper-thin.

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00:34:31,112 --> 00:34:36,651
But for one special bird,
the pads are a floating home.

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This is the 'lily trotter'.

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00:35:10,852 --> 00:35:14,523
With oversized feet, he
can skip across the water

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00:35:14,556 --> 00:35:18,493
from pad to pad.

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00:35:22,897 --> 00:35:26,901
But life in the swamp
is a delicate balance.

189
00:35:34,276 --> 00:35:38,179
His home is being
invaded by a giant,

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00:35:46,921 --> 00:35:50,892
one whose feeding habits
could wreck this world.

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00:36:12,547 --> 00:36:15,250
The flowers and lily pads
are of little interest

192
00:36:15,284 --> 00:36:18,887
to this elephant...

193
00:36:19,554 --> 00:36:24,559
it's the nutritious
stems and roots he's after.

194
00:36:33,868 --> 00:36:36,070
To satisfy his appetite,

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00:36:36,104 --> 00:36:39,874
he'll yank out hundreds
of them in a day.

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00:36:57,326 --> 00:37:01,262
But this lily trotter
can't simply escape
to a different pond,

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00:37:03,865 --> 00:37:08,503
this is home and he
has a nest to protect.

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00:37:21,182 --> 00:37:23,618
(chirping)

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00:37:23,652 --> 00:37:25,487
He's a father who
takes his domestic

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00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,357
responsibility seriously.

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00:37:30,925 --> 00:37:34,329
His mate laid her eggs
and then she left the

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00:37:34,363 --> 00:37:36,898
rest up to him.

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00:37:37,899 --> 00:37:41,703
Now, he's a single parent
and a stay-at-home dad.

204
00:37:44,906 --> 00:37:48,877
He's been tending his
floating nest for 21 days.

205
00:37:53,348 --> 00:37:58,119
But today, he must
rise to a new challenge.

206
00:38:23,277 --> 00:38:26,515
There's no
mistaking those legs.

207
00:38:29,651 --> 00:38:34,288
His first chick is making a
somewhat awkward entrance.

208
00:38:45,299 --> 00:38:47,802
Housekeeping is a priority.

209
00:38:49,704 --> 00:38:52,574
To hide any evidence
of the new young one,

210
00:38:54,876 --> 00:38:57,278
he removes the
shell from the nest,

211
00:38:57,779 --> 00:39:01,315
breaks it up and sinks it.

212
00:39:09,157 --> 00:39:13,161
Now he'll keep his first
chick safely tucked away.

213
00:39:17,766 --> 00:39:21,302
It might take two more
days before his others hatch.

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00:39:24,272 --> 00:39:27,275
He just needs to
hold on tight.

215
00:39:35,584 --> 00:39:41,523
(splashing, rumbling)

216
00:39:44,325 --> 00:39:47,529
NARRATOR: This devoted
Dad now has two chicks.

217
00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:55,036
He keeps a watchful eye on the
newly-hatched lily trotters as

218
00:39:55,069 --> 00:39:57,972
they find their footing.

219
00:39:59,941 --> 00:40:02,143
When you're only
two inches tall,

220
00:40:02,176 --> 00:40:05,246
obstacles are everywhere.

221
00:40:14,556 --> 00:40:18,192
Exploring this watery
world can be tricky.

222
00:40:19,994 --> 00:40:23,532
A gap between the pads presents
a serious water hazard.

223
00:40:33,141 --> 00:40:37,178
Try as he might, Dad is
only making things worse

224
00:40:38,046 --> 00:40:41,315
while his chick struggles.

225
00:40:53,528 --> 00:40:56,931
Desperate times
demand desperate measures.

226
00:41:08,076 --> 00:41:11,379
That was a close call.

227
00:41:22,256 --> 00:41:25,059
Taking both
chicks under his wing,

228
00:41:25,093 --> 00:41:27,461
he'll keep them
out of trouble,

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00:41:27,495 --> 00:41:30,198
for now.

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00:41:36,905 --> 00:41:40,308
But even for a hard-working
Dad like this one,

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00:41:40,909 --> 00:41:44,779
a third chick will
be a real handful.

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00:41:59,127 --> 00:42:02,997
The Great Flood has
changed everything it touched.

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00:42:10,872 --> 00:42:14,776
The world has turned.

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00:42:16,978 --> 00:42:20,514
New creatures lurk in the
dappled light of the swamp.

235
00:42:36,197 --> 00:42:39,333
Lions are no
longer in command.

236
00:42:48,276 --> 00:42:52,346
They don't mind
getting their feet wet.

237
00:43:00,088 --> 00:43:03,557
But with their
hunting grounds submerged,

238
00:43:03,958 --> 00:43:08,096
they've lost their
usual advantages.

239
00:43:42,063 --> 00:43:46,600
The flood has brought
challenges and promise.

240
00:43:54,575 --> 00:43:58,747
The only constant here
is constant change.

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00:44:02,250 --> 00:44:05,519
And even greater
changes lie ahead.

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00:44:05,787 --> 00:44:07,588
Captioned by Cotter
Captioning Services.