Original subtitles

As the sun bears down

On the forests of Southern india,

A wise old matriarch Knows it's time to move.

Food and water are running low,

So she must lead them On an annual migration

To a land of plenty.

They will trek for More than 100 miles

Through parched forests Filled with danger.

For her tiny grandson, It's an arduous journey.

But if he is to survive,

He must follow the Path of the matriarch.

An imposing figure steps out Of the forest into a clearing.

Anura is a nine-foot-tall, Three-ton asian elephant.

She's brought her family to These grasslands to feed.

At 50-years-old, she's the Oldest member of her herd,

And she serves as the Family's matriarch.

She's been guiding the Herd, now 11-strong,

For the past 20 years.

These elephants are her sisters,

Her daughters, even Her grandchildren.

And they depend upon Her for survival.

Anura learned everything She knows from her elders

And like the Matriarchs before her,

She must pass on her knowledge To the next generation.

One of the most important Lessons a young elephant needs

To learn is the route of Their annual migration.

When the dry season comes, In february and march,

The herd moves from Winter feeding grounds

To wetter pastures 100 miles away,

Along the backwaters Of the kabini river.

From its source in the Western ghats mountain range,

The kabini river flows east,

Through the forested hills

And lowland plains Of southern india.

Thousands of elephants live In the surrounding forests.

As the dry season takes hold,

Dozens of herds migrate Hundreds of miles

Toward a guaranteed Source of water.

Nagarhole national park.

Here, the receding waters Of the kabini river

Reveal rich, grassy meadows

And, in these backwaters, The herds can feed and drink

Until the monsoon Rains arrive in june.

It is a journey anura Has made 50 times,

But this year might be one Of her last migrations.

Wild asian elephants rarely Live into their 60's,

So she must pass her Wisdom on to her family.

Beyond their family Ties, anura's herd,

Like all elephant families,

Is built on companionship And group co-operation.

She maintains close social bonds

With the seven Other adult females,

As well as with their offspring.

This is navin, her Youngest grandson.

At three-months-old, He isn't weaned yet.

He drinks up to three Gallons of milk a day.

Several of his older cousins Are also still nursing,

Though only part-time.

Asian elephants nurse their Young for up to four years,

But it's a family affair.

Mothers will also suckle Nieces and nephews,

So navin's got Plenty of options.

For the nursing females To keep producing milk,

They must consume 600 pounds Of vegetation every day,

Up to 10% of their body weight.

It is now april, approaching The height of the dry season.

Much vegetation has Wilted in the heat,

Though this clearing still has

A covering of nutritious grass.

But it won't last long.

At this time of year,

Temperatures can Reach 90 degrees,

And the monsoons won't arrive For another two months.

With several nursing infantsand Hungry mothers in the herd,

Anura must find a better Source of food soon.

Around them, the Forests are parched.

Trees have shed their Leaves to conserve

What little water remains.

A pack of dholes, Asian wild dogs,

Stirs from a morning nap.

Unlike elephants, They're territorial

And will remain here year round.

An alpha male and Female rule this roost,

Accompanied by the Female's two sisters

And their four offspring.

Dholes are deadly hunters

Not that you'd know it.

Like all dogs, they spend Much of their day snoozing.

Some members are more Reluctant to wake than others.

But soon, the whole pack is Busy with the morning rituals.

Nothing beats a good stretch To loosen up the muscles.

Where wolves use aggression To establish rank in the pack,

Dholes are different.

They're lovers, not fighters.

Their hierarchy is determined Using far more subtle cues.

The younger dogs may Scrap among themselves,

But adults rarely Fight for dominance.

The members of the pack Greet each other gently,

Re-confirming the strong bonds

That make them a Formidable team.

Bonding is especially Important for the alpha pair.

It helps maintain harmony And keeps the pack together.

As the heat takes its Toll on the landscape,

Much of the wildlife in The forest gravitates

To the few remaining waterholes.

Dholes are creatures Of habit, and each day,

The pack heads to this pool To drink and cool down.

It's also a great Place to pick up

The scent of potential prey.

Everything in the forest Needs to drink at some point.

There's nothing Here this morning,

So the alpha pair decides to Look elsewhere for breakfast.

They lead their merry band Off into the forest to hunt.

The dry season is Beginning to bite.

Soon the grass in the Clearing will turn brown.

Fresh green grass is Particularly nutritious

And easy to digest

So, while it's still available,

Anura and her family Eat as much as they can.

Anura kicks at the roots to Tear it free from the earth

Then uses her trunk to grasp a Clump and shake out the dirt.

A younger calf watches, And then tries for himself.

An adult elephant's powerful Trunk can weigh 300 pounds.

But, despite its bulk, It's hugely sensitive.

The tip is dexterous enough To pick up a feather.

Elephants use their Trunks for everything

From smelling to spraying,

From eating to drinking,

From exploring the unknown to Communicating with friends.

The herd spends up to 18 hours a day grazing.

Other than a few brief snoozes,

The rest of the day is Spent moving to find food.

But for navin and The other calves,

Any stop is an excuse for A bit of rough and tumble.

For the first four Years of their lives,

Baby elephants spend all Their spare time playing.

It establishes each little Elephant's place

Within the herd,

And helps to cement family Bonds and friendships,

Some of which will Last a lifetime.

It also strengthens muscles

And improves motor And mental skills.

Elephants are Extremely intelligent,

With brains wired more like

A human's than Most other mammals.

This brainpower enables Elephants to feel

And display a variety Of complex emotions,

And gives them Remarkable memories.

Something that anura will need,

If she's to lead Her family to water.

Over her 50 years, she's Built up a mental map

Of the herd's migration route.

Passing through vast Tracts of dense jungle,

She needs to remember The locations

Of small grassy Clearings and waterholes.

Pit stops the herd will Rely on as it travels.

Increasing daylight hours Are the final signal to anura

That it's time to move.

Together, they turn their Backs on the clearing

And disappear into the forest.

Ahead lies a journey Of 100 miles,

A long way for little navin.

Throughout the region, Herds are on the move,

As matriarchs far And wide turn towards

Nagarhole national park.

While female elephants and Their young travel in herds,

Adult males live far More solitary lives.

This 20-year-old male tusker

Spends almost 11 Months a year alone.

But he, too, is making his way

To the gathering at The kabini river,

Following routes he Learned as a youngster,

Which he has augmented with His own adult wanderings.

The male is coming from A different direction,

Through forests Where the dry season

Has already taken its toll.

With little else To eat or drink,

He's reduced to foraging on bark

And sucking out its moisture.

His tusks help access The spongy tissue.

They're actually teeth,

Elongated incisors That first appeared

When he was about two-years-old.

While females grow small Tusks, known as tushes,

Only males sport Tusks of this size.

They grow throughout Their lives,

Eventually reaching Some eight feet long.

They're the perfect tools

For intimidating and Fighting other males,

Or to help strip Bark from trees.

In the branches above,

Another lone male Surveys his territory.

A leopard.

At 150 pounds, this Adult is only a quarter

Of the size of a tiger.

But, pound for pound,

Leopards are the strongest Cats in the world.

His lithe frame yet Powerful muscles

Help make him an expert climber,

Sleeping, eating, and even Mating high in the branches.

Hunting by night, he spends Most of his day resting,

Off the forest floor.

But finding the perfect Snoozingposition isn't always easy,

Especially in the midday heat.

He can't sleep and He's picked up a scent.

With sharp eyesight And acute hearing,

Honed for hunting In the dense forest,

He quickly spots Something in his patch.

An intruder.

The resident leopard has Spotted a black panther.

Panther is the name given

To any big cat Whose excess pigment

Gives it an entirely black coat.

This is actually Another leopard,

One of 10% of the Planet's leopards

That inherit this trait.

It's another male, and The resident leopard

Won't tolerate competition In his territory.

The panther spots him,

And takes the hint,

He's not interested in Getting into a fight.

It's just too hot.

With the coast clear, The leopard re-confirms

That this is his territory

By scent marking a fallen Tree with his urine

Then heads off to Ensure there are

No other intruders in his realm.

By the next morning,

Anura is already 20 Miles into her journey.

For the youngsters,

It's their first time moving Through this dense forest

But it's a route she's walked Every dry season for 50 years.

Walking in single file,

The little ones follow In her footsteps

While another adult Brings up the rear,

Making sure no-one Is left behind.

Three-month-old navin Stays close to his mother.

This journey is hardest for him,

And his little legs Struggle to keep up.

This is his first migration, And he has much to learn.

As the herd stops to forage,

Navin has a chance for A much-needed rest.

There's fresh grass Here for the adults,

But anura demonstrates Thatthere are plenty of other things

To eat in the forest If you can reach them.

Elephants can digest up to 100 Different species of plant.

For navin, the forest is Full of new sounds and smells

And he must soak it all up To remember it in the future.

Anura and the herd aren't The only herbivores

Forced to rely more on forest Food in the dry season.

Spotted deer, or Chital, also forage

More in the jungle At this time of year.

Although they Primarily eat grass,

This herd must now Graze more on leaves,

Plucking any precious New buds they find.

They breed year-round,

So the herd has Youngsters of all ages.

The antler-clad males Are sticking close,

Waiting for a chance to breed

With fawnless females Who come into heat.

These stags grow new antlers, Or racks, every year.

But, unlike elk, they Grow and shed them

To their own timetable Regardless of the season.

It will take more Than six months

To reach their full size.

Up to three feet long.

They'll scrape off The soft velvet

Once the formidable Weapons have hardened,

Ready to do battle Over the females!

A troop of hanuman Langurs joins the chital,

Foraging on the ground And in the trees.

The two species benefit By grazing together.

The chital feed on anything The monkeys might drop

And both species understand Each other's' alarm calls.

This means the langurs can use

The deer as eyes on the ground,

And the deer benefit from Lookouts in the trees.

A chital alarm call Shatters the peace

And the langurs are Quick to join in.

They leap for the Safety of the trees

While the deer are Poised to flee.

The male leopard is out Patrolling his territory.

By night, he is a serious threat

To both the langurs And the deer,

But he rarely hunts by day.

He's just been drinking At a nearby waterhole.

With no rain for seven Months, few pools are left.

They draw in all the Creatures of the forest

Both longtime residents

And thirsty travelers Passing through.

Anura's herd emerges From the jungle

And heads straight To the waterhole.

They need to drink about A bath-tub full every day

So anura's route Through the forest

Hits watering holes Wherever possible.

She learned their Location from her mother

Who learned from her mother.

Thanks to their Extraordinary memory,

The elephants pass thisknowledge Down the generations,

Treading the same well-worn Paths for centuries.

An elephant's trunk can Hold a gallon of water,

So it doesn't take long To drink their fill.

While navin rests on shore,

His mother and aunt Wallow in the deep end.

They can also drink With their mouths

While breathing through Their trunks, like snorkels.

The herd's thirst quenched, The journey must continue.

They still have 50 miles to go.

With water increasingly scarce,

The forest's few remaining ponds

Become a stage for All kinds of drama.

The pack of dholes has a herd Of sambar deer surrounded.

So far, the water is Keeping the dogs at bay.

They have their eyes On the young fawn,

An easy target if They can reach it.

But the water is too Deep to launch an attack.

The deer stomp and Charge at the dogs

Trying to intimidate them.

But the pack doesn't Scare easily.

They're well fed, so this time The adults take a back seat

To allow the younger dogs

A chance to practice Their hunting skills.

If the fawn stays nestled Between its parents,

It should be safe.

The other female Plucks up courage

And tackles the dogs head-on

Out of the water, It's vulnerable.

But a well-planted kick Could cause serious injury.

The inexperienced young dholes Aren't quite sure what to do.

But with one deer Out on the shore,

The whole pack gets involved And chases it into the trees.

This could spell disaster.

A close call.

Now, it's a standoff.

The dholes could wait for hours.

But they're more Restless than hungry,

And eventually, They lose interest.

When the coast is Clear, one by one,

The sambar head back Into the forest.

The fawn has learned A valuable lesson

In keeping safe from wild dogs.

Anura's herd has been on the Move all through the night.

They've covered More than 80 miles,

But still have a few more To go before reaching

Nagarhole and the banks Of the kabini river.

But here, at least There's still some grass

And time for navin to drink.

Out of the shade of the jungle,

The elephants quickly heat up.

Flapping their ears Helps them to cool down.

Acting like radiators, The large area of skin

Is full of minute Surface blood vessels,

Which dissipate the heat.

Navin seeks shade Beneath his mother.

But as she grazes, his parasol Is constantly shifting.

Navin is exhausted and Sucks his trunk for comfort,

Much like a human baby Sucking its thumb.

He leans on mom to rest.

But he can stay on His feet no longer.

He must grab sleep while he Can because, like all infants,

He needs much more than His mother or aunt.

The herd has to keep Moving, so navin's mother

Needs him to get back On his feet and follow.

But he's got other ideas.

Finally, his mother Coaxes him into action.

Watching his family feed, He tries to copy them

By nibbling grass,

And picking up twigs.

This is good practice For when he starts

To eat solids in a Couple of months' time.

But picking grass With your trunk

Isn't as easy as his Mother makes it look!

It will take years for navin

To fully master the 150,000 Muscles in his trunk.

At this stage, it just Seems to get in the way!

In time, like the Rest of his herd,

He'll rely on it for everything.

Its water-detecting ability May even help save his life.

Anura is on the move.

She's caught a faint Scent on the breeze.

An elephant's sense Of smell is so acute,

It can detect water from More than 10 miles away.

Knowing their final Destination isn't far off,

She decides, once again, It's time to move on.

Navin struggles to find the Energy but he has to push on.

20 miles away lies The kabini river.

Its flat fertile banks Flush green with new growth.

This is what the Elephants are looking for.

From far and wide, Elephants begin to arrive.

Herds are emerging From the forest.

Each has followed its matriarch

Along her own well-trodden path.

Soon they will gather In their hundreds,

To drink from the river And feed on the meadows.

This is the lifeline that Will see them through

The rest of the dry season.

The herds will remain here

Until the monsoon arrives In two months' time.

Then, the kabini river Will flood these plains,

And the elephants Will have to leave.

The arrival of the rains will Nourish the whole region,

Allowing the elephants to Return to their forest homes.

But it's not just herds Of females and young

Who have arrived.

This is mr. Kabini.

Weighing five tons and Standing 10 feet tall,

He is the largest asian Tusker in the world.

He is almost 50 years old,

And his immense Tusks have helped him

Become the dominant Bull in nagarhole.

The annual gathering Of the herds

Is the perfect Opportunity to mate

And many of the elephants Here are his offspring.

On the opposite bank,

The resident herds of Chital deer and wild boar

Also emerge from the cover Of the forest to feed.

Out in the open, it's easy to Spot any approaching danger

But there's also Nowhere to hide.

A bengal tiger Surveys the scene.

At nearly four feet tall,

This young male is Nearly a foot taller

Than the deer and Weighs over 400 pounds.

He is a formidable predator,

Firmly at the top Of the food chain.

He hunts by ambush in the forest

And could make short work Of a deer or wild boar.

All the animals are nervous,

But out in the open, they Know he's not a real threat.

As long as they keep him Where they can see him,

And stay out of striking Distance, they should be safe.

Like everyone else, this king Of the jungle is here to drink

And enjoy a cooling Wallow in the mud.

After a few lazy hours,

He heads back to His hunting grounds.

In the shade of the Forest, the truce is over.

No animal is safe.

This tiger could even take Downa young elephant like navin.

A misty dawn reveals Telltale signs

That more elephants Have arrived.

Herds that are already here Greet the new arrivals.

This annual gathering Brings herds together

That might only meet This one time of year.

But elephants have long memories

And are known to recognize Individuals from their past.

Old acquaintances Reuniting like friends.

At last, after three days And two nights of traveling,

Anura and her family appear!

Navin's arduous journey Is finally over.

Thanks to anura's Extraordinary memory,

She has guided them along Maps firmly drawn in her mind.

Maps that others in her herd Will be starting to memorize.

She won't be around To guide them forever

But her knowledge will pass Through the generations

As they walk the Migration routes

Where previous Matriarchs have led.

Navin has survived His first migration.

Eventually, he will Have to leave this herd

But even as a Solitary adult bull,

He will remember the route

And all the vital pit Stops along the way.

For two months, the elephants Will enjoy this oasis

Gorging themselves on the lush,

Fertile plains and fresh Waters of the kabini river.

But, come june, the Monsoon deluge will arrive.

The long-awaited rains mark The start of the wet season.

The kabini river will Flood these pastures,

And the surrounding woodlands Will sprout fresh, new leaves.

The elephants will return To their forest homes

Until next year's migration.

By then, navin will be More than one year old.

He'll be bigger, stronger, And a little bit wiser

As he sets off once more

On the path of the matriarch.