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There is a place on earth ...

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where it is still
the morning of life,

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and the great herds run free.

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Life streams across a land ...

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suspended in time.

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The last refuge of the greatest
concentration of wildlife ...

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remaining on earth ―

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the Serengeti plains of East Africa.

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Long before human memory,

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the mountains to the east emptied
themselves into the skies.

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A sea of ash settled
across the Serengeti ...

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leaving only scattered summits ...

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as stone markers of a buried world.

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Across four million years,

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time and the elements
turned ash to rich soil,

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yielding vast grasslands,

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today preserved as the most important
animal sanctuary on earth.

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In a land as fertile
as it is beautiful ...

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dwell millions of 
diverse creatures.

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Yet a single species 
predominates,

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a million and a half strong ―

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wildebeests affect the lives of
all around them.

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Ungainly in appearance,

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they have been called the clowns 
of the African plains,

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and an animal assembled by
committee from spare parts.

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But wildebeests 
are superbly endowed ...

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for a life of endless migration
in search of grass and water.

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Alongside, an array of
other herbivores coexist,

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all accommodated by the rich ...

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and varied vegetation
of the Serengeti,

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each seeking out a different 
niche of the food supply.

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Some may spend 2/3 of
their lives grazing.

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Some are fortunate enough to
live in their own salad bowl.

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The equation of life
on the Serengeti is simple:

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herbivores eat plants,

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carnivores eat herbivores.

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Lions hunt with both
might and stealth ―

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a decoy distracts ―

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while others stalk.

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Although the lioness
has made the kill,

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it is the much larger male 
of the pride who eats first.

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The hungry wait by rank.

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Lionesses and cubs
are second in line.

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Hyenas, jackals and vultures ...

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quarrel to be next.

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On the Serengeti, 
nothing is wasted.

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Through the plenty
of the wet season,

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the wildebeest herds
have grown strong ...

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on the short grass plains 
of the southern Serengeti.

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Now in late May, drought approaches
imposing a deadly ultimatum ―

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migrate or starve.

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For more than 2 million animals,

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it is a marathon race against
thirst and hunger.

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Like living streams and rivers,

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the herds, accompanied by
zebras and gazelles,

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flow toward the north and west,

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drawn by the ancient promise
of water and grass.

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The great migration has begun.

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The epic journey takes place ...

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within the two East African
Nations of Tanzania and Kenya.

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The wildebeest herds 
migrate north ...

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toward the "Maasai Mara 
Game Reserve" in Kenya.

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There, they range 
for months ...

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until the rains resume,

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and the herds return again 
to the southern plains.

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The migration runs a deadly 
gauntlet of more than 500 miles.

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The first weeks of the 
migration ...

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coincide with the frenzy
of the rutting season.

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Bulls engage in 
constant battles ...

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over females and territories.

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In a few frantic weeks, 90% 
of the cows are impregnated.

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Early in the migration northward,

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herds move through 
the region ...

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of ancient granite outcroppings
called "kopjes".

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Now, they are vantage points 
for waiting predators.

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From a litter of four, only this
lone cheetah cub has survived.

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To nourish it, the mother must
kill almost daily,

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but she has not eaten for 2 days.

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The herds have passed, but a few
straggling gazelles appear.

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From this distance, 
there is no contest.

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The cheetah is the fastest
land animal on earth,

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achieving short bursts of speed
up to 70 miles per hour.

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There is neither malice nor 
remorse on the Serengeti.

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A hunter kills to eat
and to feed its own ―

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nothing more.

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To the migrating herds, wooded 
savannas now offer refuge ...

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from the drought-stricken plains.

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But here, the migration
becomes an invasion,

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for the woodlands are
a permanent home to others.

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Yet most of the residents go
about their own daily affairs,

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little disturbed by the
trespassing multitude.

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Unlike wildebeests, Maasai 
giraffes need not migrate.

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They feed on a hundred 
species of woodland foliage,

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a food supply resistant to drought.

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Vervet monkeys find in trees 
both sustenance and safety.

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Savanna baboons roam the woodlands 
in troops, roosting in trees by night.

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Omnivores, like us, they feed
on almost anything edible.

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Occasionally, adult males will 
even feast on young antelope.

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Feeding on grasses adjacent
to the woodlands,

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grazers come under
an ever watchful eye.

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Yet there is one herbivore even
the lion gives wide berth.

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The adult elephant is one of the few 
Serengeti animals without an ...

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enemy in the wild.

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Protective of their young, elephants
form extremely close bonds.

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The relationship between mother and
daughter lasts up to 50 years.

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Herds sometimes push on through
the night despite risk of attack,

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under cover of darkness.

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Drawn by lightning distant 
thunder or the smell of rain,

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they may travel 50 miles by dawn.

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Now adversities multiply.

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Drought has parched
the plains tinder dry.

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Grass fires sweep the Serengeti.

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Scoured by fire and wind,

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the vegetation will regenerate
in the rains to come,

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but for the moment, herds seeking
sustenance find only dust.

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Now the enemies are thirst
hunger exhaustion ...

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and, as ever, predators.

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So powerful is the urge to migrate,

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the herd will push on even 
when confronted by a lion ...

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crouched in open ambush.

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The hunter has only
to pick the moment.

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In this endless contest,

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nothing is guaranteed.

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In daytime, only one lion hunt
in five succeeds.

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Finally, after months 
of migration,

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the forward ranks ...

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surge into the bounty that has
drawn them northward ―

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the rich pastures of the 
Maasai Mara in Kenya.

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Once more, their instincts have
brought them to a place of plenty.

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Here, they will range
and graze for months ...

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until the life-giving rains 
return on the winds of October.

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To the east, 
close by the Serengeti,

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there is a place of even
greater abundance.

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One of the natural
wonders of the world.

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It is a microcosm 
of the Serengeti.

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Ngorongoro crater is
a huge volcanic caldera,

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encompassing 100 square miles,

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a remnant of the great eruptions 
that created the Serengeti plains.

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From cloud forests along the rim to 
the crater floor 2,000 feet below,

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a self-contained 
ecosystem provides ...

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abundant forage 
and plentiful water.

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Where there is water, there is life.

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An object of amusement to some,

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the hippopotamus can cut a crocodile
or a human in half with a single bite.

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Prompting an axiom 
of the Serengeti:

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"Never come between a hippo
and its territorial waters."

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Tens of thousands of
animals dwell here,

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others come in migrations 
of the sky:

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Flamingos from Namibia.

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00:19:28,625 --> 00:19:31,124
Storks from as far 
as Europe and Asia.

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Like privileged cousins of the
migrating herds outside,

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wildebeests and zebras within
the crater walls ...

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need only wander from
pasture to pasture.

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Dangers abound here as elsewhere.

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Zebras cluster together in
a tangle of stripes,

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confusing to predators.

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The horses of Africa appear placid,

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but they have never
been domesticated.

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The black rhinoceros, for all its
formidable presence ...

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and frequent marking of territory
is a vulnerable giant,

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poached almost to extinction
for the value of its horn.

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Ngorongoro crater is one of the
few protected refuges ...

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where the black rhino endures.

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For a baboon troop
much of the day passes ...

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attending to young, grooming ...

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and socializing.

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Though the job of protecting ...

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the lion pride and its territory
belongs to the males,

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00:22:21,833 --> 00:22:24,874
the work of hunting and raising 
young falls to the females.

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Play helps prepare the young for
the violent encounters to come.

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The vaunted power of lions is matched
by a prodigious capacity for rest.

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Typically 20 hours a day is
spent in regal slumber.

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When lions mate, however,

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they do so on average ...

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every 25 minutes, 
day and night ...

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without feeding ...

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for three or four days.

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It has been estimated that
3,000 mating occur ...

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for every cub that
survives its first year.

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These lands are also
the cradle of humanity.

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Gashed into the 
eastern Serengeti ...

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00:24:48,125 --> 00:24:51,540
Plains near Ngorongoro is 
Olduvai-gorge, one of the most ...

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famous archaeological sites of earth.

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It bears within 
its layered walls ...

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a human fossil record spanning ...

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almost two million years.

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Today, the proud Maasai
people dwell here.

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They too, follow 
a nomadic existence ...

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00:25:47,375 --> 00:25:49,165
along the edges of the Serengeti.

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00:25:49,375 --> 00:25:50,749
Ever seeking good grazing ...

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00:25:50,958 --> 00:25:53,082
for their cattle herds.

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00:26:25,958 --> 00:26:28,249
The Maasai believe
that heaven gave them,

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and no other people,
all the cattle on earth.

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00:26:33,791 --> 00:26:35,082
And from their treasured cattle,

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00:26:35,291 --> 00:26:36,499
they still draw a staple ...

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00:26:36,708 --> 00:26:38,540
of the Maasai warrior diet:

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00:26:38,750 --> 00:26:41,124
A mixture of milk and blood.

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00:27:00,791 --> 00:27:05,165
The age of predators still
encompasses the world of the Maasai.

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00:27:05,375 --> 00:27:07,082
From this and nearby villages,

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00:27:07,291 --> 00:27:11,749
leopards have taken three infants
within the year.

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00:27:11,958 --> 00:27:13,874
Once the most 
formidable warriors ...

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00:27:13,983 --> 00:27:14,874
in east Africa,

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00:27:15,083 --> 00:27:16,707
the Maasai still 
defend their cattle ...

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00:27:16,916 --> 00:27:19,290
and families with spears.

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00:28:13,750 --> 00:28:15,707
Some are born on the Serengeti,

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00:28:15,916 --> 00:28:18,040
some seek it out.

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00:28:19,666 --> 00:28:22,374
Today a growing human migration ...

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00:28:22,583 --> 00:28:24,415
from the outside world 
can witness ...

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00:28:24,625 --> 00:28:25,874
a spectacle of wildness ...

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00:28:26,083 --> 00:28:28,499
long vanished elsewhere.

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00:28:41,958 --> 00:28:44,207
Tanzania and Kenya 
have preserved ...

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00:28:44,416 --> 00:28:46,207
vast areas as national parks ...

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00:28:46,416 --> 00:28:48,499
and game reserves, 
proclaiming them ...

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00:28:48,708 --> 00:28:51,874
a world heritage of all mankind.

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00:28:59,583 --> 00:29:00,874
The support from tourism ...

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00:29:01,083 --> 00:29:03,124
is now indispensable 
to the survival ...

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00:29:03,333 --> 00:29:05,374
of this heritage, linking the ...

219
00:29:05,583 --> 00:29:06,749
destiny of the Serengeti ...

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00:29:06,958 --> 00:29:10,124
with the visitors who pass in awe.

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00:29:27,458 --> 00:29:30,124
The Serengeti they behold 
is changing,

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00:29:30,333 --> 00:29:32,665
threatened by population
growth and poaching,

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00:29:32,875 --> 00:29:35,832
but vigorously protected as well.

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00:29:41,166 --> 00:29:42,915
Elephant herds that once fled ...

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00:29:43,125 --> 00:29:44,415
poachers are returning,

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00:29:44,625 --> 00:29:47,957
now protected by an ivory moratorium.

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00:29:59,500 --> 00:30:01,415
Nourished again by the Serengeti,

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00:30:01,625 --> 00:30:03,374
and encouraged by greater safety,

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00:30:03,583 --> 00:30:06,332
The herds are multiplying rapidly.

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00:30:29,958 --> 00:30:31,290
On the Maasai Mara,

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00:30:31,500 --> 00:30:34,624
the storms of October approach.

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00:30:45,625 --> 00:30:47,415
And with the return of the rains,

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00:30:47,625 --> 00:30:48,915
the herds will resume ...

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00:30:49,125 --> 00:30:50,165
the great migration ...

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00:30:50,375 --> 00:30:51,832
toward their ancestral calving ...

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00:30:52,041 --> 00:30:54,249
grounds in the south.

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00:31:03,125 --> 00:31:06,499
But ahead they face
their greatest peril.

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00:31:09,166 --> 00:31:10,124
To reach the south,

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00:31:10,333 --> 00:31:12,249
the herd must cross 
the Mara river ...

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00:31:12,458 --> 00:31:14,874
now swollen by the rains.

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00:31:30,333 --> 00:31:31,924
In these waters,

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00:31:32,133 --> 00:31:35,124
it is still the age of dinosaurs,

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00:31:35,333 --> 00:31:38,457
and a crocodile reigns supreme.

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00:33:36,791 --> 00:33:38,790
Many that survive the crocodiles,

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00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,874
fall prey to the river itself.

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00:33:42,083 --> 00:33:45,249
Some drown. Some are trampled.

247
00:33:45,458 --> 00:33:46,707
some are too exhausted ...

248
00:33:46,916 --> 00:33:49,290
to save themselves.

249
00:34:03,708 --> 00:34:04,874
Through the year 
and the course ...

250
00:34:05,083 --> 00:34:06,165
of the great migration,

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00:34:06,375 --> 00:34:08,374
a quarter of a 
million wildebeests ...

252
00:34:08,583 --> 00:34:10,415
will have died.

253
00:34:10,625 --> 00:34:12,665
But the migration moves on ...

254
00:34:12,875 --> 00:34:14,499
through the long journey south,

255
00:34:14,708 --> 00:34:17,332
returning finally
to the short grass plains ...

256
00:34:17,541 --> 00:34:21,249
where the miracle
of the Serengeti unfolds.

257
00:34:23,833 --> 00:34:26,332
The mass breeding 
earlier in the year ...

258
00:34:26,541 --> 00:34:29,457
culminates in mass birth.

259
00:34:38,875 --> 00:34:40,582
In the brief span of a few weeks,

260
00:34:40,791 --> 00:34:42,207
early in the wet season,

261
00:34:42,416 --> 00:34:43,665
almost half a 
million wildebeest ...

262
00:34:43,875 --> 00:34:45,832
calves are born,

263
00:34:46,041 --> 00:34:47,707
a strategy that 
overwhelms predators ...

264
00:34:47,916 --> 00:34:50,374
and ensures the survival ...

265
00:34:50,583 --> 00:34:53,207
of a new generation.

266
00:35:21,916 --> 00:35:23,624
To survive in the 
midst of predators,

267
00:35:23,833 --> 00:35:25,499
newborn calves must be able to ...

268
00:35:25,708 --> 00:35:28,707
stand within minutes of birth.

269
00:35:59,583 --> 00:36:01,582
Those unable to stand,

270
00:36:01,791 --> 00:36:04,290
must be abandoned.

271
00:36:50,458 --> 00:36:52,207
Once more on the plains ...

272
00:36:52,416 --> 00:36:53,624
of the Serengeti,

273
00:36:53,833 --> 00:36:56,790
life is more powerful than death.

274
00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,249
And there remains 
a place on Earth ...

275
00:36:59,458 --> 00:37:02,749
where it is still 
the morning of life ...

276
00:37:02,958 --> 00:37:06,499
and the great herds still run free.

276
00:37:07,305 --> 00:38:07,519
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