All language subtitles for Tales From Zambia Series 2 1of8 The Woodland Troop 1080p

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIn this
small patch of woodland,

two young monkeys
face the toughest time
of their lives.

As they find
their place in the world,

they must learn
which neighbors are allies,

and which are foes.

Who to trust,

and who to avoid.

They will suffer loss
and gain friends

as they discover
what it means to be
part of the Woodland Troop.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

High in the sausage trees
of Zambia’s
Luangwa National Park,

a group of vervet monkeys
is just waking up.

This is the Woodland Troop.

Thirty individuals
including mums...

Dads...

And their offspring.

This sausage tree is at
the heart of their territory.

It’s just come into bloom,
providing a bounty
of deliciously sweet nectar

a key source of food.

It’s August, the middle
of the dry season,

and these exotic flowers
will continue to blossom
until November,

so this delicacy
can be enjoyed
throughout the drought...

if you’re of the right rank.

Vervet society
is ruled by class.

These prime feeding spots
are for high ranks only.

Upper class monkeys
get the best quality food

and as a result are healthier

than their
less fortunate brethren.

Those at the bottom
of the pile

must make do
with the leftovers.

This alpha male is top dog.

His job is to protect
the whole troop.

There are 20 adults,
including these two sisters
who are inseparable.

There are also around
10 juveniles

who look to him for security,

and if he’s in
the right mood,
affection.

The Woodland Troop has
an assortment of neighbors

who flock to the flowers
like kids to a candy shop.

Among the visitors
are some of Luangwa’s
largest residents.

Hippos come here,
not for the flowers,

but for the large
sausage-like fruit,

that gives the tree
its name.

Baboons are also
regulars here.

Like the vervets,
they are omnivores.

But flowers and fruit
are their favorite.

Giraffes have their pick
of the fruit,

but not all
the Troop’s neighbors
get to help themselves.

Some depend on
the monkeys for help.

It makes sense for antelope
to hang out with the Troop.

Cohabiting is an arrangement
that suits them both.

They are bound
by a common enemy,

and the more eyes
on the lookout the better.

(ANTELOPE SNORTS)

(ANTELOPE SNORTS)

They understand
each other’s alarm calls.

Leopards
are their greatest threat.

Vervets have
different calls...
\h\h(SHRIEKING)

...depending on whether
the predator is a leopard,

eagle or snake,

so they know
how to respond.

Once the predator’s cover
is blown,

the immediate threat is over.

And with a leopard
in the vicinity

no one wants to hang around.

Luckily for the vervets,
there are plenty
of other sausage trees

where they can continue
their breakfast.

Monkeys and antelope
have a good system going,

one that makes life
easier for them both.

This juvenile is
living the life of luxury.

He’s 10 months old
and utterly pampered

by his doting mother,
one of the sisters.

Usually, weaning begins
at three months old,

but this mum
is well nourished.

She’s still producing
high-quality milk

so she lets her only son
continue to suckle.

Her sister’s son
is equally indulged.

These boy cousins
and all the juveniles
in the group

are the apples
of their mothers’ eyes.

They’ve been waited on
hand and foot
all their lives.

But change is on the way.

The dry season progresses.

Some trees stop flowering,
while others come into bloom.

So the monkeys always
have a source of food.

Their home is an island
of woodland

in the middle of,
what was once,
a river bend.

The course of the river
has long since changed,

and their woodland patch
is now surrounded
by grassy plains.

The edge of this plain
marks the border

of the Troop’s
200 acre territory.

The season
is beginning to change,

and it triggers a new phase
for the monkeys.

The juveniles are now
a year old.

And their lives will
never be the same again.

All the females over five
have given birth.

The sisters both have
new baby girls to suckle.

It’s a bitter pill for
the boy cousins to swallow.

They’ve lost their mum’s
attention and her milk.

The boys are
well and truly usurped.

The mothers are
completely preoccupied
with their new babies.

Not only do they have
a new object
for their affection,

the sisters
also have each other
for support and friendship.

It’s a lonely time
for the boy cousins.

Both sisters
are equally protective
of each other’s babies,

who are,
after all, their nieces.

For the first three months,

the babies won’t go
more than six feet away
from their mother’s side...

if the mums can help it.

These girls will stay
with their mothers
in this troop

for the rest
of their lives,

while their older brothers
will have to leave home

when they reach
sexual maturity
at five years old.

Life’s not fair.

Babies are
overnight celebrities.

Everyone in the Troop
wants to get close to them.

For the first three weeks,

only close relatives
are allowed a look-in,

and often a look-in
is literally all they get.

However hard they try,
if they’re not related,
forget it.

(SHRIEKING)

One of
the low-ranking females

is a first time mother.

She’s a diligent parent,
but due to her low rank,

she doesn’t have access
to good feeding spots.

Good nourishment is essential
for milk production,

and hers
is starting to dry up.

Of the babies born,
only half survive
their first year.

Many die from malnutrition
or at the hands of predators.

Plenty of animals
would make an easy meal
of a baby monkey.

In the hub of the community,

everyone continues to fuss
over the new arrivals.

The majority of young here
have been fathered
by the alpha male,

but he takes no part
in childcare.

He’s more concerned
with the Troop’s safety

and with reminding everyone
who’s boss.

Males don’t inherit rank
like females.

They have to work their way
to the top.

And the way they get there

is by challenging other males
for dominance.

The bottom of the ladder
is a frustrating place to be.

(SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWith 10 new babies
in the Troop

the alpha male spends up to
eight hours a day on patrol.

A lone male just on
the edge of their boundary
has caught his attention.

Since the age of five,

he’s had to change troops
every two years.

This constant moving
makes sure

he’s not tempted to
try and mate with relatives
in his own troop.

Getting accepted into
a new troop is hard,

especially if the alpha male
has anything to do with it.

(SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe intruder
tries to act nonchalant,

but he’s here
at the wrong time.

His best chance
of being accepted

is during
the breeding season,

when there are plenty
of frisky females

willing to welcome
a stranger.

But that won’t happen
for another six months.

The alpha male
has fought hard to
get to this position.

And he wants to keep it
for as long as he can.

The maximum time
at the top is five years,

but he knows he could be
ousted at any time.

The babies in the Troop are
now around three weeks old,

and starting to take
their first wobbly steps.

(SHRIEKING)

The younger females
in the Troop

are desperate to get some
hands-on parenting experience.

Flattering the mother
is one way to get to the baby.

A seamless getaway
ruined by a thorn.

But she doesn’t give up.

Babysitting
isn’t just for fun.

It’s essential practice.

Babies don’t come
with manuals,

so the more practice
they can get

before they have their own,
the better.

The low-ranking mother
and her baby

remain on the outskirts
of the group.

She’s too scared to let
her baby get into the hands
of babysitters.

She knows he’s not thriving.

His back legs are
barely strong enough
to cling on to her.

While the young females
in the Troop are hell-bent
on playing mum,

the young males have to find
their own amusement.

The boy cousins have been
usurped by their baby sisters,

but they still have
each other.

His cousin’s
grooming skills

aren’t quite up to
his mum’s standards,

but it’s some comfort.

They might have lost
their mother’s attention,

but they’ve gained
more freedom.

And it’s fun.

A lone squirrel makes
a tempting target
for a little sport.

Soon all the Troop’s
youngsters are united
in a game of chase.

The monkeys
are excellent climbers,
but the squirrel has claws.

They can’t compete.

Guinea fowl are next.

The juveniles
are beginning to see

that no longer being under
their mother’s watchful eye

is perhaps not such
a bad thing after all.

The babies in
the Woodland Troop
are now one month old.

The mothers are no longer
watching their every move.

Unsupervised,
they become playthings
for the young females.

(ALL SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThey won’t have
their own babies
until they are five years old,

which is just as well.

Inexperience leads
to some pretty rough handling.

Their ineptitude
only becomes a danger
when the females get bored,

and leave
the babies unattended.

The alpha male
is on high alert.

He has his eye
on a troop of baboons.

These primates
outrank the vervets
in size and in number.

Adults are over
twice the size,

and five times the weight
of adult vervets,

equivalent to a Saint Bernard
next to a Dachshund.

(SHRIEKING)

Baby baboons,
like baby vervets,

are ranked higher
than their older siblings.

Hierarchy is such
a serious business

that fights are part
of everyday life.

(ALL SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWith canine teeth
longer than a leopard’s,

disputes
are highly aggressive.

As a male approaches,
the Woodland Troop is wary.

Even the babysitters
snap into action.

Baboons, like vervets,
are omnivores,

and can take live prey,
including baby monkeys.

They’re skilled hunters.

More than half their attempts
end in success.

This baboon’s appearance
sets everyone on edge.

No one’s quite sure
of his intentions.

But the more he hangs around,
the braver they get.

The adult vervets
understand how serious
a baboon encounter can be.

But the Troop’s youngsters
seems to recognize

that he’s just
a fellow juvenile
in need of a friend.

Gradually,
his presence is accepted.

Until recently,
understanding others’ feelings

was considered unique
to humans.

Now scientists have
discovered an area
of a primate brain

associated with empathy,

an important part
of living in large societies.

Once they interpret
each other’s intentions,

the young monkeys
and the lonely baboon
become friends.

Playtime over.

The new friends return
to their respective homes
and families.

Before nightfall,
juveniles,
mothers and babies

reunite under
the watchful eye
of their leader.

By dark,
every member of the Troop
is up in the trees.

As in many families,
the youngest ones
are reluctant to go to bed.

Vervets are among
Africa’s smallest,
lightest monkeys.

Even the thinnest of branches
can take their weight.

Eventually, everyone
finds a place to settle.

In the trees next door,

the baboon troop has also
turned in for the night.

The higher both primates
can be off the ground,

the safer they are.

Well out of reach
of night prowlers...

...except for one.

The resident leopard
is on the hunt again.

Under the cover of darkness,

he’s invisible
to the monkeys’ allies.

(BABOONS BARKING)

NARRATOR:
\hThe alarm is raised,
\hbut it’s too late.

One of the juvenile baboons
has been taken.

The leopard
lets his victim’s body fall

unceremoniously
to the ground.

The next morning,
the Woodland Troop
are cautious.

After last night’s scare,
they’re tentative...

Unsure if the leopard
is still around.

The two boy cousins
tread carefully.

They can see that
the guinea fowl are relaxed

and the antelope are
getting on with their lives.

The leopard has gone.

But there’s also no sign
of their baboon friend.

Unable to see him,
they find a way
to console themselves...

At the spot where
they first made friends.

Then, a dramatic entrance.

The new playmates
are delighted to
see each other again.

It’s as though surviving
a leopard attack

has made them all happy
just to be alive.

These young vervets
and baboon have
a complicated relationship.

As youngsters,
they can be friends,

but they can never
fully trust one another.

Wild animals
never live in isolation.

Their homes are shared
with neighbors

that they do their best
to understand.

Sometimes
they work together

and sometimes
against each other.

And on occasion,
different species share
special moments,

coming together as friends.

At the edge of The Woodland
Troop’s territory,

a fig tree
is beginning to fruit.

The figs are still green
and not ripe yet,

but this food
is the most highly prized
in the whole territory.

The high-ranking monkeys
have already
taken prime seats.

Ripe or not,
they’re quickly drawing in
the Troop’s neighbors.

This is a treat
no one wants to miss.

Even Luangwa’s
largest residents
want to eat at this cafe.

Elephants enjoy the leaves
as much as the fruit.

Primates and elephants
make good neighbors.

Both have something to gain
from each other.

There are all sorts
of goodies to be found
in elephant dung.

Flies, seeds, and beetles
are the most common,

but there is also moisture.

Late in the dry season
when water sources
aren’t available,

this is one way to get
that vital drop of liquid.

The Woodland Troop
accept that they must share

their fig tree
with other species,

but they’re not prepared
to share it
with other vervets.

Out on the grassland,
a neighboring troop
of vervet monkeys

are checking out
the situation.

Encounters with neighbors
can be friendly,

unless there’s a valuable
source of food to defend.

A fig tree in fruit is
definitely worth fighting for.

The neighboring troop’s
alpha male takes the lead,

while the mums with babies
watch at a safe distance.

The two troop leaders
size up the opposition.

The scar
on the rival’s back

shows he’s been in battles
like this before.

Both troops make their move.

All adults without
babies to look after,
join in.

The Woodland Troop
is on home ground,

but the neighbors
are no pushover.

With his tightest allies
by his side,

the Woodland Troop
alpha male’s confidence grows.

Slowly but surely,
they see off the interlopers.

The fig tree
is theirs to keep.

By November,
the long dry season

is finally coming to an end.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(THUNDER CONTINUES TO RUMBLE)

With the first rains
comes new life,

meaning new food
for the two boy cousins.

Fungus is novel
and clearly tasty.

Puddles and ponds appear

giving the vervets
much needed drinking holes.

And the water has provided
them with a seasonal treat...

winged termites.

The rains trigger
these insects to mate.

In one night,
hundreds of thousands
take to the air.

But only a few
successfully pair up
and start new colonies.

Many die trying,

and those that crash land
in water provide a feast.

It’s a quick protein hit,

and there are more
than enough to go around.

The vervets
can eat their fill,

and there are plenty
leftover for the baboons.

With this much food
on offer,

a large male baboon
won’t bother baby monkeys,

and no one minds
his presence.

The two boy cousins
are exploring on their own,

on the far side
of the pond.

They want to see
what all the termite hype
is about.

It’s their first taste,

and they don’t seem
entirely sure.

The boys are so preoccupied
with this nouvelle cuisine,

that they don’t notice
a new arrival...

A monitor lizard.

This voracious hunter
preys on anything

from insects
to small mammals

including vervets.

The juveniles have no idea
how much danger they’re in.

It’s only the commotion
in the rest of the troop

that alerts them
to the threat.

(MONKEYS SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe call is similar
to the alarm for snake.

Time to head for the safety
of the trees.

Throughout the monkeys’ home,
rain brings new life.

Antelope have given birth
timed perfectly to coincide
with this flush of growth.

Grass grows on the plains,

new shoots sprout,

and fresh green leaves
appear.

The babies are now old enough
to pick them for themselves.

Fortunes
are beginning to turn.

Even the lowest ranked members
now have plenty to eat.

They might not be
at the head table,

but they won’t go hungry.

The most vulnerable period
of the babies’ lives is over.

The wet season is a time
to unwind with the neighbors,
old and new.

Everyone can enjoy the bounty
that this woodland
has been granted.

Now that the Troop’s babies
are more independent,

the boy cousins finally
get their mum’s attention.

The low ranking mother,
and her baby,

are still outsiders.

But now that
they are well-nourished,

he’s gaining strength
every day.

Life is much easier
thanks to the rains,

but it still has surprises.

It hasn’t taken away
the dangers on the ground

or in the air.

It’s a reminder
that even in good times,

they can’t afford
to get too relaxed.

For the Troop’s juveniles,
life continues as normal.

Friendships strengthen
by the day.

They enjoy all
that their woodland home
continues to offer.

Along the riverbank,
an acacia has come into bloom.

Bursting with spherical
flowers like lollipops.

As usual, it’s the privilege
of the high-ranking monkeys
to be here,

but now that food
is widely distributed

no one needs to go hungry.

Even among
the dominant troop members,

there are subtle differences
in rank.

The boy cousins
must learn to navigate
around their superiors.

The higher you are
up the ladder,

the more you get groomed.

This adult
male and female

each consider themselves
the most important.

Both think they deserve
to be pampered.

It’s a chance
for the juvenile to get past.

Once down
from their feeding tree

the boy cousins are quick
to seek each other out.

This morning,
they’ve been joined
by some new neighbors...

Banded mongooses
in search of insects.

And they’ve been followed.

Once again, the juveniles
are oblivious to the danger
they are in.

And there’s another threat...

A Martial eagle.

Next to leopards,
this raptor is the vervet’s
main predator.

(MONKEYS SHRIEKING)

Once again, a well-timed
alarm call saves the day.

This time, it was a mongoose
who had a narrow escape,

but the eagle
is not giving up.

In a perfect twist of fate,

both threats
are cancelled out.

The eagle didn’t catch
a mongoose or a monkey

but the monitor lizard.

The Troop cousins
live to see another day.

Rain continues to fall
from early November
to the end of March.

After five wet months,

the Woodland Troop’s home
is completely transformed.

In their lush green jungle,
the youngsters have grown.

They have lost their baby fur

and become smaller versions
of their older siblings.

The same is true of their
neighbors and friends.

Each one is entering
its next phase of life.

The alpha male
is still head of the troop.

And the two boy cousins
are as close as ever.

The bond they have now
will be crucial
in years to come,

when together one day,
they will leave home

and start a new life
with another troop.

Even the low-ranking baby
who had a tough start in life
is thriving.

He’s bold enough
to spend time away
from his mother now,

and is finally
starting to make friends.

All of these youngsters
are doing well.

They still have
a lot to learn,

but there’s no hurry.

Adulthood
is four years away.

Until then,
the young monkeys
can enjoy

a life full of friendship

and fun.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

��moovlmvhd