All language subtitles for Waterworld.Africa.Series.1.8of8.Wetland.Wonder.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org-eng

Lake St Lucia...

One of South Africa's
greatest wetlands.

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This sliver of life-giving water

offers relief in a land
stricken with drought.

But, even this oasis
is fragile...

And without rain

the wetland is drying.

Both the plants
and animals living here

are finding new ways to cope

with their ever-changing world.

The landscapes
of southern Africa

are home
to a rich tapestry of life.

Plants and animals can flourish.

This is usually
a land of plenty.

But for the last 20 years,

the area has received
below average rainfall.

A drought is wreaking havoc
throughout the region.

The dry deserts in the west

and the typically
moist savannas in the east

are equally affected.

Life is struggling.

Once mighty rivers
are now sandy beds.

And more than ever,

wetlands are
critical magnets of life,

breaking up
the parched surroundings.

Throughout the world,

wetlands can be some of the most

biologically rich habitats
on earth.

Animals across the region
rely on these oases.

Lake St Lucia, South Africa's
most important wetland,

lies in
the iSimangaliso Wetland Park

on the east coast...

It's Africa's
largest estuarine lake.

This 135 square mile lake

has a mosaic of habitats
along its borders.

Amphibious hulks
crowd in the pools,

forming the largest hippo
population in South Africa.

And some bird species migrate
from over 6,000 miles away

to spend the summer
feeding and nesting

along these bountiful shores.

It's a wildlife mecca.

Covering just 6%
of the earth's surface,

freshwater wetlands like this

support one third
of all species.

But without rain

some areas of the lake
are now completely dry.

Rivers flowing into the system

are no more
than fading trickles.

And the animals that rely
on standing water

are concentrated
into the ever-shrinking area.

The surrounding marshes
are the only patches of green

for miles around.

It's January in iSimangaliso.

This is ordinarily the wet
season around Lake St Lucia.

Historically,

this region receives
nearly three times more rain

than the rest of the country.

But, this is the driest
Lake St Lucia has been

for 65 years.

While there may be an air
of sterility in the weather,

this isn't the case
amongst the animals.

New life flickers
across every habitat.

The lake
isn't what it used to be,

but it still provides enough
for these newcomers.

With every passing day,

this baby hippo
grows in confidence.

He's less than a month old

and won't stray far
from his mother's side.

Despite her languid appearance,

she's very aggressive

and protects him from predators
and older pod mates.

Hippos only give birth to 1 calf
every second year,

so mothers are fiercely vigilant
with their young.

This calf
weighs around 110 pounds,

which is nothing compared
to the one-and-a-half ton bulls.

His mother will nurse him
for just under a year,

keeping him close by her side
at all times.

He's adapted to life in water

and is able to latch onto her
teat and drink while submerged.

For now, he'll spend most of his
time in the safety of the lake,

alongside mom.

Reed beds
along the lake's shores

provide protection
for other juveniles.

This young
red bishop is fledging.

Once his adult feathers have
grown in, he'll be on his own.

But for now, he's still under
his mother's care.

Normally a seed eater,

she picks a spider from the
stems for her growing youngster.

Spiders are rich
in protein and fat

to help fuel his growth.

In the water below

a pair of red-knobbed coots
feeds in the shallows.

They're after the stems, shoots
and seeds of aquatic plants.

By eating old decaying stems

they get a meal,

and they also clear the reed bed
of rotting vegetation.

It's win-win for the reeds
and the birds.

Reed beds
are vital to the wetland.

They trap floating sediment,

helping to filter the water

before it flows
into the main body,

Absorbing excess nutrients
and other harmful chemicals.

These are then either stored
in the waterlogged soil,

or slowly
released back into the air.

Wetlands are nature's filters

the kidneys of the environment.

The reed beds
are functioning normally,

but this
isn't the case everywhere.

The past century has disrupted
St Lucia's natural flow.

The lake was once fed
by two sources;

the Mfolozi River
and the ocean.

With a constant freshwater
source and an outlet to the sea,

it was a thriving estuary.

Shorebirds of all shapes and
sizes probed its tidal mudflats.

But in the early 1900s,
this all changed

The marshes
around the estuary's mouth

were turned
into sugarcane farms.

Nobody understood
the vital services

these wetlands provided.

Without marshes
to filter sediment,

the sugarcane fields
became blocked up and flooded.

To deal with this,

managers diverted the Mfolozi
River away from Lake St. Lucia.

With no freshwater source,
and decreasing rainfall,

the lake's water levels dropped,

and the channel
to the ocean closed.

Lake St. Lucia is cut off
from both the Mfolozi River

and the ocean.

Without seawater the lake
has become less saline.

And freshwater vegetation
has spread throughout.

Some species
are reaping the rewards.

Back in the reed beds

a yellow weaver is starting work
on his new nest.

He carefully weaves
every blade of grass together

to form his home.

He's a born craftsman.

But it's a skill
that takes time to perfect.

Young males
construct nests faster

when they're surrounded
by more experienced weavers.

This male has already
honed his skills.

So he's building his nest
in a secluded spot.

Yellow weavers live here
year-round.

Other birds are more seasonal.

This reed warbler

has been in South Africa
for about two months.

He's flown down from
north Africa to take advantage

of the southern hemisphere's
temperate summer.

He's here to make the most
of the summer insect bloom.

He'll stay
for another month or so

to breed
and replenish his stocks

before making the arduous flight
back home

just in time for
northern hemisphere's spring.

60 miles to the north
of Lake St Lucia

lies another wetland jewel -

Kosi Bay.

Unlike St Lucia, this estuary
remains open to the sea,

so the mangroves
are functioning normally.

Salty water inundates the forest
twice a day.

These trees are well adapted
to the tide's constant flux.

Aerial roots act as snorkels,

allowing the trees to breathe.

Marine fish swim
through the estuary's mouth

to lay their eggs
amongst the mangrove roots

in the sheltered lake.

When the eggs hatch,

the juveniles remain
in the confines of the estuary

until they're developed enough
to venture out into the ocean.

When they're ready, they start
their lives on the reefs

and in the oceans
bordering the shoreline.

Back in St Lucia,

a sandy beach now stands

where the lake's mouth
used to enter the sea.

Separated from the ocean,

it no longer supports
vibrant mangroves,

nor populations of marine fish.

The lake's relationship
with the ocean is severed

and the mangroves
are now eerily quiet.

Not all forests in St Lucia
are suffering however.

On the floodplain
away from the shore,

a troop of vervet monkeys

is taking a midmorning break
from foraging.

Vervets get most of the moisture
they need from their diet,

so they rarely drink water.

They're opportunistic

and eat anything
from seeds and fruit

to eggs and insects.

And adapt
to the prevailing conditions.

If the drought
becomes too extreme,

they'll simply
move somewhere else.

But for now, this troop seems
content in the wetland forest.

Babies are cherished members
of vervet society.

They experiment with social
dynamics through play.

The troop protects them,

so it's a safe space
to monkey around.

While the mood is light-hearted
in the vervet troop,

this isn't the case
in the slowly shrinking lake.

The receding water levels

are forcing the lake's
thousand or so hippos

to hang out in much closer
quarters than they'd like.

These amphibious mammals
are adapted for life

on both land and in water.

Their ears and nostrils seal off
when they submerge.

Although they spend
most of their time in the water,

they can't actually swim.

Their bodies are simply
too dense to float.

To move around they trot along
the bottom of the lakebed,

as graceful as astronauts
on the moon.

For now,

Lake St Lucia provides this pod
with everything it needs

Water deep enough to submerge
in the heat of the day,

and plenty of food at night

on the grassy plains
surrounding the wetland.

But as the drought continues
things are changing.

The average depth of the lake
is already only a measly 3 feet,

and is steadily decreasing.

Without rain,
the water levels will fall,

bringing the hippos
closer and closer together,

and the surrounding grasslands

will become overgrazed
and desiccated.

Some members of the pod
have started feeding

during peculiar hours.

Ordinarily

hippos only come
out of the water

to graze at night.

Their sensitive skin

can't handle
the harsh African sun.

But with the grass
in short supply

this bull has been forced
to graze during the day.

Another
of the lake's heavyweights

is reaping benefits
in the conditions.

Nile crocodiles
are the largest in Africa

and can grow up to 20 feet.

But here,
they're particularly plump.

The shrinking lake

is squeezing the freshwater fish
into a smaller area.

And this is good news
for the massive reptiles.

Their hunting grounds
are smaller

and more concentrated with prey.

And this female's stomach shows
the effect of this abundance.

Fish are their most important
food in St Lucia.

While larger fish
are vulnerable to crocodiles,

the smaller fish have a strategy
to avoid their avian predators.

Young tilapia
gather in the shallows.

This keeps them safe from two
different groups of fish eaters.

Predators from the air,
like the pied kingfisher,

aren't able
to attack them with aerial dives

in such shallow water.

And it's not deep enough

for divers like the Little Grebe
to sneak up on them.

Despite these strategies,

freshwater fish still provide
a reliable food source

for most birds.

They're a key component
of this ecosystem's food web.

Lake St Lucia is the heart
of waterbird activity

in South Africa.

With so many species
crowding the lake,

each must find a different way
to catch its food.

Some use
a random stabbing method,

While others perch and wait,

using their keen eyesight
to plan their attack.

A yellow-billed stork
wades through the shallows.

With his beak submerged

he stirs up the mud, and
potential prey, with his feet.

His highly sensitive bill

will snap shut
at the slightest movement.

While the stork
prefers to fish alone,

others tend to hunt as a group.

Great white pelicans feed
in a similar way to dolphins.

They surround a school of fish,
herding them into the center.

Then they plunge their heads
into the water,

gulping up
large volumes of fish,

storing them
in their expandable bills.

Not all waterbirds target fish.

Greater flamingos
stomp around in circles,

uncovering any crustaceans
that may be hidden in the mud.

Their bizarre looking beaks
then filter the muddy soup.

They pump their tongues
like a piston,

flushing out the water
and sediment through the beak.

Hair-like structures, called
lamellae, filter out the food.

Their prey contains organic
pigments called carotenoids.

These pigments
color the birds pink,

best displayed
when they take to the air.

But perhaps even more impressive
is the pied kingfisher.

This is the largest bird capable
of true hovering.

He weighs almost 4 ounces,

50 times more
than a hummingbird.

As the day wears on, it's time
for a little afternoon shut-eye.

It's also nap time
for the hippos.

And no other mammal in St Lucia

seems to enjoy
an afternoon siesta more.

But these
supposedly docile behemoths

have a very different side
to their character.

And it's never good
to wake a sleeping giant.

Dominant hippo males
are extremely territorial

and each beach master will
defend his turf aggressively.

They're also responsible

for around 3,000 human deaths
a year across the continent

This is Pumba.

He's the dominant male
in this pod,

named by the St. Lucia locals.

His unusual warthog-like tusks

have helped him
fight his way to the top.

Every male carries battle wounds

that attest
to the species' violent nature.

If other males don't show
submission to Pumba,

by wagging their tails
and bowing down to him,

he'll perceive it
as a challenge, and will attack.

Hippos are violently territorial

but even they have to accept
some lurking neighbors.

Crocodiles are the largest
reptiles on earth.

And they're well adapted
to life both on land

and in water.

Their nostrils and ears seal off
when they enter the lake.

And a thin membrane coats their
eyes, enabling clear sight.

A special valve
on the back of the tongue

closes off the throat
when they're submerged,

so water doesn't enter
their stomach or lungs.

And they have
a unique heart anatomy.

Unlike most reptiles,

they have
a four-chambered heart.

They also have an extra aorta,

diverting blood flow
away from the lungs.

This allows deoxygenated blood

to mix with oxygenated blood
when they're underwater,

allowing them to spend
up to 2 hours without breathing.

They're the undisputed
apex predators of Lake St Lucia.

And they have one more trick
up their sleeve.

These black pores
are sensitive pressure receptors

that detect even
the tiniest motion in the water

while they're submerged.

A heron foraging in the shallows
is a promising target.

They may be supreme killers

But they're not
always successful.

While crocodiles are top
of the food chain in the water,

another reptile hunts life
around the lake.

A Nile monitor stalks
the muddy shoreline.

He's one of the largest lizards
in Africa and he's on the prowl.

Anything from birds eggs to
small mammals are on the menu.

And swamp hens are good eating

if he can catch one.

But they're not
the easiest targets.

Although this one
hasn't spotted the monitor,

a continuous flick of its white
tail tricks the predator

The lizard
thinks he's been spotted,

so he moves
onto less attentive targets.

And the oblivious swamp hens
continue foraging.

Theses wetland locals
are omnivorous.

Today they're after
a vegetarian diet.

With extra large feet, about
a third of their body size,

they can walk across the mud
without sinking.

They use their oversized claws

to snap off, and rip apart
grasses and stems,

so they can access
the soft fleshy parts inside.

In the marshes
fringing the banks

a herd of Kudu
is taking advantage

of the only greenery
for miles around.

Wildebeest and buffalo
also seek refuge

from the parched savannah.

These swathes of green

risk becoming overgrazed

as more and more herd mammals
concentrate here.

The waterlogged land provides
grazers with more than food

A roll in the mud

helps alleviate
the stifling temperatures.

The cooling mud also helps keep
irritating insects at bay.

As the drought intensifies,

the heat becomes unbearable
for everyone.

The buffalos aren't
the only ones being pestered.

A woolly-necked stork
preens on the banks.

And they've developed
an ingenious way

to get rid of parasites.

They spread their wings.

While this is a common strategy
to warm up,

the storks aren't doing it
because they're cold.

Instead, they overheat
their black feathers,

ridding themselves
of any lingering parasites,

which can't take the heat.

While some fight a lone battle
against irritating freeloaders,

others get a helping hand.

A red-billed oxpecker

is picking ticks
from this female kudu.

And they're especially useful

in getting to those
hard-to-reach places.

She tolerates the groomer

For the most part.

The mangroves of Kosi Bay,
north of Lake St. Lucia,

flush with nutrients

as the tide rises and falls.

With the tide out,
the mudflats come to life.

Mangrove crabs
emerge from their burrows

to feed
on fallen leaves and seeds

While mudskippers brave dry land

in order to hunt insects.

But further south
in Lake St Lucia

this is no longer the case.

Without a tidal flow,

the mangroves
are forlorn skeletons

of their former selves.

The mudflats are long dry,

and can't sustain life.

Crab holes stand empty,

and formerly flooded roots
lie exposed.

The trees hang on

because their roots
reach deep enough

to tap into what little water
remains underground.

But the true spirit
of the forest is gone.

Back in the reeds,

the lone yellow weaver has
almost finished his creation.

As soon as he's done,

he'll flap his wings
outside the nest

and wait for a female
to inspect his handiwork.

Nearby a colony
of southern masked weavers

is already a long way through
their house building...

Which is looking more and more
like an apartment block.

They prefer tree branches
for their nests.

And just like
the yellow weaver -

while the males build,

the females judge.

When a female
finds a nest she likes,

she'll enter
and layer it with leaves.

This is her way of accepting
the male, and they'll mate.

Soon after, she'll lay her eggs,

and wait
for her chicks to hatch.

Females prefer nests made
of green, fresh material.

And this male
has made a mistake

He's crafted his masterpiece
out of dried grass.

And he's not getting any takers

So he destroys his design.

And it's back
to the drawing board for him.

Only then will his new chicks
be born into the wetland system.

As the sun starts to set
over the lake,

the mood amongst
the hippo pod changes.

They become restless.

Their stomachs are calling

and it'll soon be time to
venture on shore to feed.

Then it's
every hippo for itself.

For now, the pod is coping.

But as the drought continues,
it will test the limits

Of the wetland wonder
of St Lucia.

Lake St Lucia provides food and
shelter to a menagerie of life.

But it's under siege
from a sustained drought.

This,
together with human missteps,

means the water
is at dangerously low levels.

And the estuary
is cut off from the sea.

Only a large flood of freshwater

will break open the mouth
once more.

Allowing balance to return

with the ebb and flow
of floods and tides.

For now, the plants and animals
of this oasis must

adapt to a changed world

And hang on until this
resilient wetland wonder

returns to its former glory.

♪♪

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