1
00:00:06,223 --> 00:00:10,314
NARRATOR:
At the center of
the Kalahari lies a

2
00:00:10,357 --> 00:00:14,579
living, breathing miracle.

3
00:00:16,102 --> 00:00:22,195
The Okavango delta,
and the annual flood
is it's heartbeat.

4
00:00:38,255 --> 00:00:43,216
Each ebb and flow brings life.

5
00:00:47,655 --> 00:00:51,616
When the flood recedes,

6
00:00:54,053 --> 00:01:00,233
the land is born anew
and life flourishes in a

7
00:01:00,668 --> 00:01:04,324
wildlife paradise
like none on Earth.

8
00:01:30,524 --> 00:01:34,615
♪

9
00:01:34,659 --> 00:01:39,054
Four months after it began,
the flood is at its peak.

10
00:01:41,448 --> 00:01:44,147
Billions of gallons of
water have now spilled

11
00:01:44,190 --> 00:01:46,888
into the Kalahari.

12
00:01:49,674 --> 00:01:53,025
Creating a vast wetland
that fans out for

13
00:01:53,068 --> 00:01:56,333
thousands of square miles.

14
00:02:09,476 --> 00:02:12,653
The Okavango
overflows with life.

15
00:02:22,359 --> 00:02:27,233
Beneath the surface a whole
new world has taken root.

16
00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,024
Secret gardens flourish.

17
00:02:40,464 --> 00:02:43,945
Fish flit in
forests of lilies.

18
00:02:54,347 --> 00:02:59,352
And even the largest residents
have all the space they need.

19
00:03:11,408 --> 00:03:16,804
The Great Flood is the
gift that keeps on giving.

20
00:03:26,684 --> 00:03:29,121
Crocodiles are
in their element,

21
00:03:29,164 --> 00:03:32,385
waiting in the
shallows of the swamp.

22
00:03:55,147 --> 00:03:57,715
Lions cautiously
navigate their now

23
00:03:57,758 --> 00:04:01,371
unfamiliar territory.

24
00:04:04,809 --> 00:04:07,725
To patrol what was
once all theirs,

25
00:04:07,768 --> 00:04:10,641
they must cross the swamp.

26
00:04:12,382 --> 00:04:15,515
[hissing].

27
00:04:21,260 --> 00:04:24,568
These brothers
must stick together.

28
00:04:36,493 --> 00:04:39,322
And watch each other's backs.

29
00:04:48,113 --> 00:04:52,291
But they're entering a
place of unseen perils.

30
00:05:19,623 --> 00:05:24,628
[growling]

31
00:05:33,985 --> 00:05:39,382
[splashing, growling]

32
00:06:11,675 --> 00:06:14,329
Today, they were lucky.

33
00:06:14,373 --> 00:06:18,551
But now, they're
separated and alone.

34
00:06:22,381 --> 00:06:25,602
Lions are no
longer kings here.

35
00:06:28,343 --> 00:06:32,130
The flood has
changed all the rules.

36
00:06:44,490 --> 00:06:47,624
The waters remain
high for several months.

37
00:06:50,540 --> 00:06:53,978
But the Okavango
is an inland delta.

38
00:06:54,587 --> 00:06:59,070
Countless channels meander
without ever reaching the sea.

39
00:07:06,730 --> 00:07:10,734
Instead, after nurturing
the land and its creatures

40
00:07:13,563 --> 00:07:18,524
the water slowly disappears,
captured by the summer sun.

41
00:07:26,793 --> 00:07:29,579
In this land of
continual change,

42
00:07:30,797 --> 00:07:34,627
it's time for the
next transformation.

43
00:07:47,292 --> 00:07:51,470
Flashes of color sparkle
on the receding waters.

44
00:07:52,297 --> 00:07:54,299
Countless carmine bee eaters

45
00:07:54,342 --> 00:07:56,954
flock to the newly dried ground

46
00:07:57,824 --> 00:08:03,743
[chirping].

47
00:08:15,712 --> 00:08:18,671
These summer visitors
are here to find mates

48
00:08:18,715 --> 00:08:21,587
and start families.

49
00:08:21,761 --> 00:08:26,331
They get to work
digging out their nests.

50
00:08:40,911 --> 00:08:44,567
Once the foundations of their
seasonal city are laid out,

51
00:08:45,176 --> 00:08:48,309
all attention
turns to courtship.

52
00:08:52,531 --> 00:08:55,447
And with so many
rivals around,

53
00:08:55,490 --> 00:08:58,972
first impressions
are everything.

54
00:09:05,718 --> 00:09:08,982
Posturing with a prize
proves you can provide

55
00:09:12,595 --> 00:09:15,728
if you can hold on to it.

56
00:09:46,933 --> 00:09:51,764
It's every bird for himself
as males try to prove

57
00:09:51,808 --> 00:09:56,073
they have the right stuff.

58
00:10:02,296 --> 00:10:04,951
Finally, winners are declared

59
00:10:07,519 --> 00:10:10,261
and matches are made.

60
00:10:13,699 --> 00:10:17,485
But just as they're
getting down to business

61
00:10:22,012 --> 00:10:24,536
in walks trouble.

62
00:10:39,594 --> 00:10:43,294
NARRATOR: An intruder slithers
into the city of carmines.

63
00:10:49,779 --> 00:10:53,913
A monitor lizard, on the
lookout for eggs and chicks.

64
00:11:00,659 --> 00:11:03,749
Rivalries are forgotten,
as the carmines form

65
00:11:03,793 --> 00:11:06,796
a united front.

66
00:11:16,501 --> 00:11:18,808
They'll do whatever
it takes to safeguard

67
00:11:18,851 --> 00:11:21,854
the next generation.

68
00:11:42,309 --> 00:11:44,834
Turning the
tables on the chancer,

69
00:11:44,877 --> 00:11:49,577
they send him packing.

70
00:12:02,721 --> 00:12:06,507
As the land begins to dry,
there are opportunities for

71
00:12:06,551 --> 00:12:09,989
those who can seize
the tactical advantage.

72
00:12:15,386 --> 00:12:18,650
Wild dogs work the
edge of the swamp.

73
00:12:23,786 --> 00:12:27,920
They're a coordinated team,
with a cunning strategy.

74
00:12:35,058 --> 00:12:39,062
Slowly they push the
impala to the water.

75
00:12:45,242 --> 00:12:48,898
Until there's only
one place left to go.

76
00:13:02,650 --> 00:13:05,262
The dog's trap is set.

77
00:13:08,091 --> 00:13:11,442
Or is it?

78
00:13:18,362 --> 00:13:22,018
They aren't the only ones
with eyes on this prize.

79
00:13:55,225 --> 00:13:58,358
The dogs are
about to be robbed.

80
00:14:04,974 --> 00:14:09,195
[bleating].

81
00:14:33,176 --> 00:14:36,005
The crocodile holds fast.

82
00:14:43,186 --> 00:14:46,145
But there's
strength in numbers,

83
00:14:47,190 --> 00:14:49,714
and the pack
gains the upper hand.

84
00:14:54,371 --> 00:14:57,896
Brains and dogged
determination wins out,

85
00:14:57,940 --> 00:15:00,333
this time.

86
00:15:07,036 --> 00:15:09,473
But the dogs must always
be on their game in this

87
00:15:09,516 --> 00:15:12,867
constantly changing world.

88
00:15:46,597 --> 00:15:50,035
This family is up early.

89
00:15:56,694 --> 00:16:01,351
Even in paradise, it's the
early bird that gets the worm.

90
00:16:03,918 --> 00:16:07,183
So they're off with the dawn.

91
00:16:09,272 --> 00:16:12,623
Fresh delicacies emerge
as the channels dry out.

92
00:16:14,886 --> 00:16:19,238
The falling water levels
reveal lilies and sedges.

93
00:16:34,079 --> 00:16:36,908
It takes patience and hard work

94
00:16:41,826 --> 00:16:44,481
But it's worth the effort.

95
00:16:56,623 --> 00:17:00,062
There's plenty of food
here for the whole troop

96
00:17:01,150 --> 00:17:04,240
and the neighbors.

97
00:17:16,904 --> 00:17:20,125
The patriarch
keeps a watchful eye.

98
00:17:21,953 --> 00:17:25,348
Abundance can breed discord.

99
00:17:27,654 --> 00:17:33,486
[screeching].

100
00:17:58,250 --> 00:18:00,165
NARRATOR: In a
growing baboon troop,

101
00:18:00,209 --> 00:18:03,429
young males push their limits,

102
00:18:03,473 --> 00:18:07,129
trying to fight their
way up the ranks.

103
00:18:14,179 --> 00:18:20,403
[screeching].

104
00:18:26,583 --> 00:18:30,804
It's up to the boss
to restore order.

105
00:19:01,313 --> 00:19:03,620
Time for this family
to move on and find

106
00:19:03,663 --> 00:19:06,884
somewhere safer to feast.

107
00:19:28,688 --> 00:19:32,039
Vast floodplains fill with
water when the Okavango

108
00:19:32,083 --> 00:19:35,086
spills over its banks.

109
00:19:43,573 --> 00:19:45,575
Creating rich breeding grounds

110
00:19:45,618 --> 00:19:49,405
for a wide range
of aquatic life.

111
00:19:58,675 --> 00:20:01,765
Now, as they begin to dry,

112
00:20:01,808 --> 00:20:05,377
these hidden treasures
are exposed.

113
00:20:11,209 --> 00:20:14,952
Open billed storks are
the first to flock in.

114
00:20:17,911 --> 00:20:20,566
They have just the tools
to tackle another of the

115
00:20:20,610 --> 00:20:24,527
flood's seasonal offerings.

116
00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:35,581
With bills like nutcrackers,
they forage for snails

117
00:20:35,625 --> 00:20:38,367
in the shallows.

118
00:20:53,643 --> 00:20:56,472
Millions of small fish
that hatched out here

119
00:20:56,515 --> 00:21:00,345
on the floodplains are
now leaving their nursery

120
00:21:00,389 --> 00:21:03,392
for deeper waters.

121
00:21:06,525 --> 00:21:10,268
Black egrets
arrive in hot pursuit.

122
00:21:22,628 --> 00:21:26,240
These birds work undercover.

123
00:21:26,893 --> 00:21:29,853
They form umbrellas
with their wings,

124
00:21:29,896 --> 00:21:33,552
casting shadows that
mimic water lily pads.

125
00:21:36,294 --> 00:21:40,385
The perfect place for
little fish to hide.

126
00:22:01,624 --> 00:22:04,496
The illusion is fatal.

127
00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:22,819
With attacks
coming from all sides,

128
00:22:22,862 --> 00:22:26,518
the small fish
make their escape.

129
00:22:31,523 --> 00:22:34,787
They crowd the edges of the
channels in long ribbons and

130
00:22:34,831 --> 00:22:37,834
make their way upstream.

131
00:22:43,361 --> 00:22:47,017
But up ahead,
others are waiting.

132
00:23:11,650 --> 00:23:14,436
NARRATOR: While large
fish wait in ambush,

133
00:23:14,740 --> 00:23:18,091
shoals of small fish
run the deadly gauntlet.

134
00:23:20,224 --> 00:23:23,401
And are picked off,
one by one.

135
00:23:41,811 --> 00:23:46,598
Survival in the drying delta
is a game of hit and miss.

136
00:24:07,706 --> 00:24:11,493
As the Okavango's main
channels start to run dry,

137
00:24:12,842 --> 00:24:15,758
sand banks are exposed.

138
00:24:16,846 --> 00:24:20,806
The perfect nesting
sites for African skimmers.

139
00:24:26,725 --> 00:24:30,773
Nature has endowed them
with extended lower beaks,

140
00:24:30,816 --> 00:24:33,558
perfect for
catching small fish.

141
00:24:36,735 --> 00:24:41,000
Summer time on the delta
and the fishing is fine.

142
00:24:47,746 --> 00:24:52,577
Synchronized squadrons ride
the air in perfect formation.

143
00:25:03,675 --> 00:25:07,505
A skimmer's bill slices the
water until it encounters

144
00:25:07,549 --> 00:25:10,813
a fish, then, snap!

145
00:25:18,429 --> 00:25:20,823
Back at the nest,
the angler's partner

146
00:25:20,866 --> 00:25:22,999
guards a precious secret.

147
00:25:30,746 --> 00:25:34,445
Their newborn is
ready for its first meal.

148
00:25:45,369 --> 00:25:48,938
Food must be passed
from beak to tiny beak.

149
00:25:53,246 --> 00:25:56,685
If it's dropped the parents
can't pick it up from the sand.

150
00:26:04,693 --> 00:26:08,522
This might take a while.

151
00:26:15,355 --> 00:26:20,665
But Dad will persevere and
keep his grip on the groceries.

152
00:26:23,233 --> 00:26:25,888
Even if it takes all day.

153
00:26:27,803 --> 00:26:33,939
[chirping]

154
00:26:47,779 --> 00:26:50,782
Finally!

155
00:26:53,698 --> 00:26:57,049
Patience really is a virtue.

156
00:27:04,013 --> 00:27:07,320
The sandbanks have become a
nursery for little skimmers.

157
00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:13,979
And lots of busy new parents

158
00:27:14,023 --> 00:27:17,809
are going through
the same routine.

159
00:27:23,772 --> 00:27:28,341
Skim, catch,

160
00:27:30,822 --> 00:27:34,652
feed, repeat.

161
00:27:39,048 --> 00:27:41,920
The abundance of fish
is the receding flood's

162
00:27:41,964 --> 00:27:45,271
parting gift to them all.

163
00:27:56,979 --> 00:27:59,242
The Okavango's
once watery world

164
00:27:59,285 --> 00:28:02,158
has disappeared into memory.

165
00:28:13,169 --> 00:28:17,782
Evaporated into the sky above
or absorbed by the land below.

166
00:28:23,005 --> 00:28:27,009
only small channels
and pools still remain.

167
00:28:29,185 --> 00:28:32,666
What was
floodplain is now savanna,

168
00:28:32,710 --> 00:28:36,018
covered with
succulent young grasses.

169
00:28:45,767 --> 00:28:50,119
Herds of grazers move
in to enjoy the harvest.

170
00:29:03,132 --> 00:29:06,918
The lions now
find solid footing.

171
00:29:08,702 --> 00:29:13,316
They've returned, this
time with young cubs in tow.

172
00:29:48,046 --> 00:29:51,833
With no swamp left for the
antelope to escape into,

173
00:29:51,876 --> 00:29:55,140
the lions are
back in business.

174
00:30:25,475 --> 00:30:32,003
♪

175
00:30:45,234 --> 00:30:48,890
NARRATOR: The dry floodplains
are a lion's paradise.

176
00:31:05,645 --> 00:31:09,780
[growling, zebra squeaking].

177
00:31:19,703 --> 00:31:22,880
With food in abundance,
it's easy for a mother

178
00:31:22,924 --> 00:31:25,752
to provide for her family.

179
00:31:35,110 --> 00:31:38,504
She and her cubs
can eat their fill.

180
00:31:50,734 --> 00:31:52,997
And in this time of plenty,

181
00:31:53,041 --> 00:31:56,218
her pride will grow
ever stronger.

182
00:32:16,020 --> 00:32:19,110
As the flood makes
its final retreat,

183
00:32:19,154 --> 00:32:21,721
only permanent channels
in the north are still

184
00:32:21,765 --> 00:32:24,594
flush with water.

185
00:32:31,209 --> 00:32:35,213
Dense tangles of
papyrus line the banks.

186
00:32:40,610 --> 00:32:44,309
The floating root beds sway
in the current and filter

187
00:32:44,353 --> 00:32:47,834
nutrients from the water.

188
00:32:49,358 --> 00:32:54,189
They also provide lodgings for
some very strange little fish.

189
00:33:01,022 --> 00:33:05,200
Mormyrids have large brains
in their oddly shaped heads.

190
00:33:06,853 --> 00:33:10,335
They send out tiny electrical
pulses to orientate through

191
00:33:10,379 --> 00:33:13,817
their murky surroundings.

192
00:33:19,649 --> 00:33:23,131
The young fish emit pulses
too small to be detected

193
00:33:23,174 --> 00:33:26,351
by most predators.

194
00:33:27,396 --> 00:33:31,095
But now, most of them have
matured and they are now

195
00:33:31,139 --> 00:33:35,273
firmly on the
radar of bigger fish.

196
00:33:46,893 --> 00:33:51,333
Catfish have picked
up their signals

197
00:33:52,725 --> 00:33:55,163
and so begins one
of the Okavango's

198
00:33:55,206 --> 00:33:58,122
largest feeding frenzies.

199
00:34:10,395 --> 00:34:13,485
Massing in vast schools,
the catfish race along

200
00:34:13,529 --> 00:34:16,271
the edge of the papyrus.

201
00:34:20,449 --> 00:34:23,713
And gorge
themselves on mormyrids.

202
00:34:32,287 --> 00:34:35,420
[calling].

203
00:34:51,393 --> 00:34:54,700
Egrets and eagles
are drawn to the fray.

204
00:35:02,969 --> 00:35:07,887
Tiger fish hunt the
mormyrids from below

205
00:35:13,937 --> 00:35:18,159
only to find themselves
targeted from above.

206
00:35:42,444 --> 00:35:46,404
Even the hunters
become hunted.

207
00:35:52,105 --> 00:35:56,153
No wonder it's chaotic, this
deadly spectacle is unequalled

208
00:35:56,197 --> 00:35:59,287
anywhere on earth.

209
00:36:18,784 --> 00:36:22,571
Temperatures are soaring,
now the Okavango's summer

210
00:36:22,614 --> 00:36:26,096
heat reaches its peak.

211
00:36:26,531 --> 00:36:29,230
The land is bone dry.

212
00:36:32,494 --> 00:36:37,412
[rumbling].

213
00:36:37,934 --> 00:36:41,067
But the humidity
is rising too.

214
00:36:41,111 --> 00:36:44,941
And the elephants know
there is rain on the horizon.

215
00:36:50,207 --> 00:36:53,950
It's the perfect time for
their babies to be born.

216
00:37:05,309 --> 00:37:08,660
And other elephants
are ready to mate.

217
00:37:15,580 --> 00:37:18,279
Their hormones raging,

218
00:37:18,931 --> 00:37:23,196
bulls in musth are
very aggressive.

219
00:37:27,026 --> 00:37:30,116
They're spoiling for a fight.

220
00:37:31,292 --> 00:37:37,559
[rumbling, roaring].

221
00:37:45,175 --> 00:37:51,312
[rumbling, roaring].

222
00:37:53,488 --> 00:37:57,579
As the Okavango dries
out, tensions rise and

223
00:37:57,622 --> 00:38:01,583
bull elephants compete
for the right to mate.

224
00:38:06,588 --> 00:38:12,724
[roaring].

225
00:38:24,606 --> 00:38:28,392
Sparring escalates
to full blown combat.

226
00:38:50,109 --> 00:38:54,505
Once blood is drawn,
victory is declared.

227
00:39:20,313 --> 00:39:24,492
Lightning storms herald
the approach of rain.

228
00:39:29,497 --> 00:39:33,022
But with the land
still as dry as tinder,

229
00:39:35,372 --> 00:39:38,157
fire is born.

230
00:40:02,094 --> 00:40:06,795
Each year, vast swathes
of the Okavango burn.

231
00:40:24,856 --> 00:40:28,033
The flames trigger the
next stage of the Okavango's

232
00:40:28,077 --> 00:40:31,602
miraculous cycle.

233
00:40:35,737 --> 00:40:38,783
Where giant
papyrus once dominated,

234
00:40:38,827 --> 00:40:42,483
dry peat beds are
consumed in the inferno.

235
00:40:45,790 --> 00:40:48,489
They release valuable nutrients

236
00:40:54,712 --> 00:40:57,715
ready to be washed
back into the system,

237
00:40:57,759 --> 00:41:00,501
when the rains arrive.

238
00:41:02,981 --> 00:41:07,638
[thunder].

239
00:41:24,829 --> 00:41:28,790
[trumpeting].

240
00:42:05,174 --> 00:42:09,004
Relief is here.

241
00:42:09,526 --> 00:42:15,271
The wheel keeps turning,
the cycle of wet and dry.

242
00:42:16,533 --> 00:42:20,972
Holds sway over all
life in the Okavango.

243
00:42:33,028 --> 00:42:36,248
Precious water
revives the thirsty land,

244
00:42:36,292 --> 00:42:39,861
at least for a while.

245
00:42:41,776 --> 00:42:44,692
Timing is everything.

246
00:42:45,170 --> 00:42:48,609
Grasses and
flowers burst into life.

247
00:42:52,700 --> 00:42:55,790
Insects flourish.

248
00:43:02,448 --> 00:43:05,408
And a new generation of
carmine bee eaters has

249
00:43:05,451 --> 00:43:10,065
fledged, right on time.

250
00:43:17,333 --> 00:43:20,728
In this world of
feast and famine,

251
00:43:24,732 --> 00:43:28,997
each seasonal change triggers
an intricate sequence of

252
00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:31,913
miraculous events.

253
00:43:32,827 --> 00:43:35,830
Soon the short
summer rains will end,

254
00:43:35,873 --> 00:43:39,921
and the Okavango will be
dry for a few more months.

255
00:43:43,228 --> 00:43:46,144
Until the cycle begins again,

256
00:43:46,928 --> 00:43:50,758
with the return of
The Great Flood.

257
00:43:51,323 --> 00:43:52,673
Captioned by Cotter
Captioning Services.