1 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,840 ROARING YAWN 2 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:25,160 I'm flying over the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. 3 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,120 And below me, is a landscape in turmoil, 4 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:34,240 torn apart by the twisting and buckling of the Earth's crust. 5 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:41,240 It's also a landscape of huge and unpredictable change, 6 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:45,680 that forces animals, day by day, season by season, 7 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,480 to gamble with their lives. 8 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:50,560 But for those that win, 9 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:55,040 this is one of the most fertile landscapes on Earth. 10 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:36,280 Nyiragongo, the largest lava lake in the world... 11 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,200 ..bubbling up from nearly ten miles beneath the surface. 12 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,800 Nowhere takes you closer to the fiery heart of the planet. 13 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:02,160 Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa. 14 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,440 Its eruptions can be seen from space. 15 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,600 As magma churns below the Earth's crust, 16 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,720 the land to the east of here is being torn apart. 17 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:46,600 Volcanoes like this are continually changing the face of Eastern Africa. 18 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,480 The volcanoes here may have a violent side... 19 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,200 ..but life flows from these infernos. 20 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:20,680 Fertile ash from countless eruptions carpets the land... 21 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:27,840 ..creating the ideal conditions for grasses to flourish, 22 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:29,440 on an immense scale. 23 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:42,080 And with the grasses come animals in numbers found nowhere else on Earth. 24 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:43,320 Wildebeest. 25 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:49,440 Nothing stands in their way. 26 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,440 All this, just to reach fresh grass. 27 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,600 WILDEBEEST GRUNT 28 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,880 The ever-travelling herds are only one element of life here. 29 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,240 Look closer and there are new stories to tell. 30 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,240 Living on the savannah is about making the most of the hand 31 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:48,080 the landscape deals you. 32 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:54,240 But here, it's always a gamble - everything may change tomorrow. 33 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,120 From their vantage point, agama lizards 34 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:02,640 wait for the arrival of the herds, ready to seize their moment. 35 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,560 It's payday - over a million wildebeest on their doorstep. 36 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:20,560 And with the wildebeest come flying insects - billions of them. 37 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,600 BUZZING 38 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,560 Food - if only they could catch them! 39 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:54,320 Time for a rethink. 40 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:07,560 This agama lizard has spotted an opportunity. 41 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,680 Only one thing attracts more flies than the wildebeest... 42 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:28,640 ..lions that have eaten wildebeest. 43 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:36,840 Lions are famously bad tempered - 44 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,880 they could swat the lizard like the flies he's hoping to ambush. 45 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,920 He will need to pick his target carefully. 46 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,240 LOW GROWL 47 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:09,120 Not her. 48 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:18,680 Or her. 49 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:24,520 Maybe? 50 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:28,640 But no. 51 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:31,080 LIONESS RUMBLES 52 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:38,520 To be within striking distance, he's got to hold his nerve. 53 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:43,640 Got one! 54 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,120 Now he's getting his eye in. 55 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,080 LIONESS RUMBLES 56 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,800 But this might be a bit ambitious. 57 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,000 It may take courage to hunt on the back of a lion... 58 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:38,840 LION RUMBLES 59 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,360 ..but it takes sense to know when to run away! 60 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,520 The wildebeest won't stay for long, and when they leave, 61 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:55,240 most of the flies will follow. 62 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,000 Change is everywhere in East Africa. 63 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,560 This grassland was once covered by a forest that ran 64 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:08,840 unbroken from west coast to east coast. 65 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:15,960 Today, high above the plains, 66 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:20,640 swirling clouds hide mountains that tower three miles into the sky. 67 00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:39,920 These frozen summits now form part of a mountainous barrier separating 68 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,320 the ancient jungles in the west from the savannahs of the east. 69 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,800 Up here, lies the largest glacier in Africa, 70 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,120 just a few miles north of the equator. 71 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,240 These are the legendary Mountains of the Moon. 72 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,920 The height of these peaks means they create their own weather. 73 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:47,240 The local name for these mountains is "Rwenzori" - 74 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:48,800 "the rain maker". 75 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:02,320 WATER DRIPPING 76 00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:15,280 Meltwater flows down from the glaciers. 77 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:27,200 And on the lower slopes, all this water supports thick jungle... 78 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:31,080 PIPING AND TRILLING BIRDSONG 79 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:35,960 ..remnants of the dense, 80 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:41,160 steamy forests that once dominated the whole of East Africa. 81 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,880 But driven by a drying climate beyond the mountains, 82 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,600 the forests began to wither away. 83 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:56,160 Today, only small pockets of upland jungle remain - 84 00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:00,880 home to animals who once roamed the ancient forests. 85 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,640 The largest living primates on Earth. 86 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:09,880 GORILLA GRUNTS 87 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,400 Mountain gorillas. 88 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:25,680 GORILLA BABY SQUEALS 89 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,680 This little one's ancestors have lived in forests like these 90 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:42,000 for millions of years. 91 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:04,600 But all around, the world has changed to swamp and savannah. 92 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,840 This is the furthest these mighty giants 93 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:19,800 now venture into Eastern Africa. 94 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,960 They're marooned on their islands in the African sky. 95 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:45,280 Below the highlands, 96 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,960 vast wetlands cut swathes through the open savannah. 97 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:56,080 BIRDS CHIRRUP 98 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,360 Bangweulu Swamp is huge - 99 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:22,520 its name means, "where the water meets the sky". 100 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,240 Hidden amongst this maze of waterways 101 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:34,800 is a creature like no other. 102 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:03,800 A giant, prehistoric-looking bird. 103 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:07,600 A shoebill. 104 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:14,320 Standing well over a metre tall... 105 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:17,040 she roams these swamps... 106 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:21,680 ..trying to catch catfish. 107 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,600 Not exactly what she was after. 108 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,640 Deeper into the swamp, lies the reason for all this fishing. 109 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:08,600 This chick is just three weeks old and a little bit wobbly on its feet. 110 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:14,200 Its vast bill means it has trouble balancing. 111 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,840 It won't be able to fly, or even walk properly for several weeks. 112 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:23,200 HONKING CALL 113 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:27,240 It's entirely reliant on its parents for food and water. 114 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:28,280 SQUEAKING CALL 115 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,360 There is also a smaller chick, 116 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:42,200 who isn't doing so well. 117 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,680 CHICK'S LOW HONKING CALLS 118 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,960 The larger chick pesters its mother for a drink. 119 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,680 While she goes off to fetch water, 120 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:14,400 it reveals a dark side to the relationship with its nest mate. 121 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,080 It's three days older than the other chick, 122 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:35,000 and has always won the race for food and attention. 123 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,280 This is more than just a scrap between two siblings. 124 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,240 As their mother returns, she sees what the larger chick has done. 125 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,800 The smaller chick seeks its mother's comfort. 126 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,800 CHICK SQUAWKS 127 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:24,120 But she has already made her choice. 128 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,560 Only her first-born will get a drink. 129 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,920 Shoebills very rarely raise more than one chick. 130 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:01,280 The younger chick was only ever an insurance, 131 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,840 in case the elder didn't make it. 132 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,040 Now it's old enough, the adults know that 133 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,440 they're better off putting all their efforts 134 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,520 into bringing up just one fit and healthy youngster. 135 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,640 The swamp's changing water levels mean fishing 136 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:32,960 is too unpredictable for them 137 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,240 to gamble on trying to raise two chicks. 138 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:49,800 Nothing here stays the same for long. 139 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:58,320 This is the time of year when Eastern Africa is beginning to dry. 140 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,800 HIPPOS SNORT AND ROAR 141 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:06,680 The rivers and waterholes are shrinking. 142 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:14,640 The land continues to dry out. 143 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:20,600 Tensions rise. 144 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,080 Hippos seek what relief they can. 145 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,160 This time of relentless drying 146 00:21:55,160 --> 00:22:00,240 is also when another force of change ravages the land. 147 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:19,920 Without warning, fires rip through these tinder-dry plains. 148 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:34,280 The flames sweep across the savannah at 50 miles an hour... 149 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:37,320 reaching temperatures of nearly a thousand degrees, 150 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:39,440 consuming everything in their path. 151 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:46,760 Each year, an area larger than Britain goes up in smoke. 152 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:28,000 But this destruction can bring opportunity, 153 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,000 if you're prepared to take a risk. 154 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,040 Drongos, bee-eaters 155 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:55,160 and rollers bravely pluck fleeing insects from amongst the flames. 156 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:16,560 There's little better than a char-grilled grasshopper. 157 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,480 These fires may appear devastating, but they are, in fact, 158 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:32,200 part of a natural cycle that is essential for the regeneration 159 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,560 of East Africa's grasslands. 160 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:45,920 But sometimes the cycle is broken, just when a change is most needed. 161 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:16,160 Here, on the plains of Amboseli, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, 162 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:19,800 the seasonal rains have failed for the last two years. 163 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,640 And this year, they are already long overdue. 164 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:33,600 It's the hardest drought for half a century. 165 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,120 ELEPHANTS TRUMPET 166 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,360 ELEPHANTS TRUMPET 167 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:09,360 Amboseli is usually a haven for elephants. 168 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:15,240 These plains should be green and covered with grass. 169 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,480 Now there is nothing but dust. 170 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,000 This family is forced to travel 171 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:31,360 constantly, 172 00:26:31,360 --> 00:26:33,280 searching for anything they can eat. 173 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:36,360 ELEPHANTS GRUNT 174 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:42,960 The young must keep up, sometimes there's not even time to suckle. 175 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:44,280 ELEPHANT BABY SQUAWKS 176 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:54,520 With the grass gone, 177 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:59,240 all the elephants can scratch from the dust is withered twigs. 178 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,960 The adults might just survive on this, 179 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,680 but it will not support a calf for long. 180 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,000 Every mother in the herd 181 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:41,280 is struggling to provide milk for her calf. 182 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:52,440 The search for food is increasingly urgent. 183 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:03,120 As the herd moves on, this female faces a terrible choice. 184 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:10,520 To carry on with her family, 185 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:12,400 or stay behind with her calf, 186 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,920 who's becoming too weak to even stand. 187 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,080 They will soon be out of sight. 188 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,440 But her instinct is to stay. 189 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:39,080 CALF SQUEALS 190 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:41,280 MOTHER ELEPHANT BAYS 191 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,560 She won't abandon her baby. 192 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,840 CALF SQUEAKS 193 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,120 MOTHER ELEPHANT BAYS 194 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,920 MOTHER ELEPHANT BAYS 195 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:08,200 MOTHER ELEPHANT BAYS 196 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:17,280 BABY ELEPHANT WHEEZES SOFTLY 197 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:24,120 With the calf's last breath, she knows that her battle is lost. 198 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:50,040 MOTHER ELEPHANT RUMBLES 199 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:31,240 There ARE places even more hostile than the dust-choked plains. 200 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:42,720 These alien landscapes are actually the sun-baked salt crusts 201 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,280 of a chain of lakes that run through East Africa. 202 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,520 The face of these soda lakes changes day by day, 203 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:56,160 as the sun evaporates the water, leaving the salts behind. 204 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:05,080 The waters here are toxic, poisoned by volcanic springs. 205 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,440 But life does exist, even here. 206 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,840 The strange colours are created by algae, 207 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,880 specially adapted to live in this corrosive liquid. 208 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,240 And it is these algae that attract 209 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:27,480 one of the most astonishing animals found in East Africa. 210 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:10,960 SQUAWKING 211 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:18,160 WATER LAPS NOISILY 212 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,800 Among the steaming geysers of Lake Bogoria, 213 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:41,520 over a million lesser flamingos bathe and feed in the caustic water. 214 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:50,160 They gather whenever the algae bloom. 215 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,000 LOUD SQUAWKING 216 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:01,280 These huge numbers 217 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,560 create one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth. 218 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,280 Almost all the world's lesser flamingos 219 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:31,400 live on this chain of lakes, 220 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:35,800 moving from one lake to another as the amount of algae in each changes. 221 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:10,160 All along the lake shore, volcanic vents are a reminder 222 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:13,120 of the forces that continue to change this land. 223 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:21,360 And a streak of colour on the horizon 224 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:25,880 signals that relief for the parched plains is on its way. 225 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,080 THUNDERCLAPS 226 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,040 RAIN FALLS 227 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,920 At last, countless storms drench the thirsty ground. 228 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:52,280 Rain changes everything, yet again. 229 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:54,360 LIGHTNING CRACKLES 230 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,280 THUNDERCLAPS 231 00:36:07,240 --> 00:36:09,960 A crowned eagle has been desperately waiting 232 00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,560 for what she hopes the rain will bring... 233 00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:15,040 CHIRPING 234 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:17,000 ..food for her hungry chick. 235 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:21,960 Nesting here has been her biggest gamble. 236 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:27,640 Her chick's life depends on the arrival of creatures 237 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:31,720 from the far rainforests of the Congo. 238 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:34,120 THUNDERCLAPS 239 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:43,040 Her wait will soon be over. 240 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:47,040 The largest mammal migration in Africa is on the move. 241 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:49,880 HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAKING 242 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:12,480 Ten million fruit bats are drawn to this tiny forest, 243 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,600 on the edge of the eastern savannah. 244 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:20,240 The bats flock here to gorge themselves on fruit. 245 00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:29,960 It's what the crowned eagle and her chick have been waiting for. 246 00:37:32,240 --> 00:37:33,760 But they're not alone. 247 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:36,800 Other eagles have flown in from miles around... 248 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:39,640 ..fish eagles, 249 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:41,680 martial eagles, 250 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:43,640 and they're all after the bats. 251 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:03,280 HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAKING 252 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:21,680 SQUEAKING, WING FLAPPING 253 00:38:52,240 --> 00:38:56,160 The gamble the crowned eagle took months ago by nesting here 254 00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:57,480 has paid off. 255 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:08,880 She is the only eagle to actually nest in this forest. 256 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,840 CHIRPING 257 00:39:19,240 --> 00:39:22,600 The only one who took the risk to breed here, 258 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:26,600 well before the trees came into fruit and the bats flooded in. 259 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:40,520 She only breeds once every two years, 260 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:42,840 so her timing must be perfect. 261 00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:03,080 HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAKING 262 00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:05,840 In a few months, the bats will leave, 263 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:07,480 but her gamble means her chick 264 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,840 will have the best possible start in life. 265 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:20,840 These grasslands have been grazed and burned 266 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,200 and have endured the harshest drought in generations... 267 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:29,160 FLIES BUZZ 268 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:33,000 ..but with the rains, they're beginning to recover. 269 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:36,360 GRUNTING 270 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:44,280 WATER LAPPING 271 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,280 GRUNTING 272 00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:51,080 CHIRPING 273 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,560 THEY GROWL 274 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:04,720 And on the once dust-choked plains of Amboseli, 275 00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:07,080 there's a return to the good times. 276 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:38,360 ELEPHANTS BELLOW 277 00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:41,840 The drought here killed hundreds of elephants, 278 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,800 but the survivors are now returning home. 279 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:51,200 And with them, there's a surprise. 280 00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:53,800 HIGH-PITCHED GRUNTING 281 00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:57,360 A newborn. 282 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:02,400 ELEPHANT BELLOWS 283 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:05,120 LOW-PITCHED GRUNTING 284 00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:15,320 HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAL 285 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:24,320 Surrounded by food, 286 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:27,800 the youngster can concentrate on more important things... 287 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:34,440 ..like chasing egrets. 288 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:36,280 HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAL 289 00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:40,160 BIRDS SQUAWK 290 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:16,520 LOW-PITCHED BELLOW 291 00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:18,840 The bulls also return. 292 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:21,360 LOW-PITCHED GROWLING 293 00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:29,360 THEY GROWL AND HISS 294 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:38,560 This bull has waited many years 295 00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:41,320 for his chance to father the next generation. 296 00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:49,360 Now, he must fight his way to the top. 297 00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:51,120 LOW-PITCHED GROWL 298 00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:54,840 But his rival is massive. 299 00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:58,440 Each of their heads weighs as much as a car. 300 00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:04,160 They have been duelling for days. 301 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:06,280 GRUNTING 302 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:10,800 LOW-PITCHED GROWLING 303 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:22,760 Now in its third day, the contest is reaching a climax. 304 00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:31,880 ROARING 305 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:41,840 Soon, one will be forced to concede. 306 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,440 GRUNTING 307 00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:08,200 LOW-PITCHED HOWLING 308 00:45:12,240 --> 00:45:16,200 The power of these clashes can even shatter tusks. 309 00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:18,920 CRASHING AND CREAKING 310 00:45:22,160 --> 00:45:25,160 GROWLING 311 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:37,600 Three days of battle is at an end. 312 00:45:40,240 --> 00:45:43,400 The victor has won the right to the females. 313 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:53,480 The process to replace what the drought took away has begun. 314 00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:02,360 Soon, the elephants will be at full strength again. 315 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:17,760 Every day, the animals of Eastern Africa gamble with their lives, 316 00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:21,400 but despite the continual changes they face, 317 00:46:21,400 --> 00:46:23,960 their extraordinary adaptability 318 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:27,240 just tips the odds of survival in their favour. 319 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:37,760 East Africa may seem very cruel, 320 00:46:37,760 --> 00:46:41,560 but there's nowhere else that provides such rich opportunities 321 00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:44,000 for those that are prepared to take them. 322 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:47,520 And in the end, it was these ever-changing savannahs 323 00:46:47,520 --> 00:46:51,600 that produced the most adaptable species of all... 324 00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:53,040 ourselves. 325 00:46:54,920 --> 00:46:57,840 ENGINE REVS 326 00:47:40,720 --> 00:47:42,480 Filming in East Africa 327 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:46,360 would take the team on both a physical and emotional journey 328 00:47:46,360 --> 00:47:48,720 through the extremes of this landscape. 329 00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:55,160 These are the legendary Mountains of the Moon, 330 00:47:55,160 --> 00:47:58,960 towering over 5,000 metres into the African sky. 331 00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:02,960 Just miles from the equator, 332 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:05,840 they're the highest mountain range on the continent 333 00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:08,360 and home to the largest glacier in Africa. 334 00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:16,400 To reach the summits, the team had to travel on foot, 335 00:48:16,400 --> 00:48:20,080 the same way as climbers did when they first reached the top 336 00:48:20,080 --> 00:48:22,000 just over 100 years ago. 337 00:48:27,040 --> 00:48:29,000 It would take more than two weeks, 338 00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:32,080 climbing over 3,000 metres from the valleys below. 339 00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:39,360 Six days into their trek, still well below the summits, 340 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:43,760 the team come to realise why Rwenzori, the mountains' other name, 341 00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:46,040 means "the rain makers". 342 00:48:47,800 --> 00:48:51,240 Just after we set off, it started raining, then it started hailing, 343 00:48:51,240 --> 00:48:54,320 and the idea had been that we'd stop here for an hour or two 344 00:48:54,320 --> 00:48:57,080 and do some shots. But as you can probably see, 345 00:48:57,080 --> 00:48:59,560 there's not a great deal of view. 346 00:48:59,560 --> 00:49:03,240 Brilliant shots of rain and hail and fog. 347 00:49:03,240 --> 00:49:07,120 Beyond that, we're pretty stuffed, so it's becoming a bit of a theme. 348 00:49:07,120 --> 00:49:10,880 For the crew and over 75 guides and helpers, 349 00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:14,200 it's hard going carrying nearly a tonne of kit 350 00:49:14,200 --> 00:49:15,840 through the marshy valleys. 351 00:49:17,240 --> 00:49:19,760 Mud, mud, 352 00:49:19,760 --> 00:49:21,680 and just a little bit more mud. 353 00:49:23,120 --> 00:49:26,640 But it's not just the bogs they have to deal with. 354 00:49:26,640 --> 00:49:30,400 There was a small, but slightly disconcerting, earthquake last night, 355 00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:33,080 so let's hope we don't get any of those below any rocks. 356 00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:40,160 The team continue to climb and, before long, the rain turns to snow. 357 00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:47,840 They eventually arrive at the highest hut, 358 00:49:47,840 --> 00:49:50,840 surrounded by ice and nearly three miles up. 359 00:49:50,840 --> 00:49:54,000 This will be base camp for the crew. 360 00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:55,920 We've got a kitchen over there. 361 00:49:57,320 --> 00:49:58,560 Um... 362 00:49:58,560 --> 00:50:04,040 over there, down a really treacherous precipice, is the toilet, 363 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:06,800 which is just a shack with a big hole in the floor. 364 00:50:10,080 --> 00:50:13,200 From here, they'll make the hardest part of the ascent 365 00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:14,840 right up to the glaciers. 366 00:50:21,960 --> 00:50:25,560 Well, this is, believe it or not, one of the better viewpoints 367 00:50:25,560 --> 00:50:29,360 so...probably going to hang around here for a little while, 368 00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:31,400 wait till the fog clears. 369 00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:34,280 But the weather isn't on their side. 370 00:50:37,600 --> 00:50:41,560 So much for hoping the weather was going to get better. 371 00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:44,880 All that optimism now seems completely ill-founded. 372 00:50:46,520 --> 00:50:51,040 With the storm clouds closing in, the team are forced to retreat. 373 00:50:51,040 --> 00:50:54,000 THUNDERCLAPS 374 00:50:56,160 --> 00:50:59,960 This enormous weather front's come in, as isn't entirely unusual. 375 00:50:59,960 --> 00:51:03,720 So we're just coming down as the thunder bursts around us. 376 00:51:03,720 --> 00:51:06,720 So, glad to get back and go and get inside the hut 377 00:51:06,720 --> 00:51:08,280 and hopefully weather it out. 378 00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:13,840 After days of climbing and finding the peaks hidden by fog, 379 00:51:13,840 --> 00:51:17,240 filming the summits is looking increasingly impossible. 380 00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:20,600 It can be pretty frustrating at times. 381 00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:24,080 There's a group of maybe 70 people that we've involved directly. 382 00:51:24,080 --> 00:51:26,040 You get all the way up here, 383 00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:29,200 and then we can't film anything because of the weather. 384 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:31,720 So, it is just a matter of sitting it out and waiting. 385 00:51:31,720 --> 00:51:34,480 You have to sort of hope that things come right in the end. 386 00:51:36,720 --> 00:51:39,280 The "rain makers" are certainly living up to their name, 387 00:51:39,280 --> 00:51:41,440 but by complete contrast, 388 00:51:41,440 --> 00:51:44,280 other parts of East Africa were gripped by drought. 389 00:51:46,720 --> 00:51:50,760 At the beginning of the production, Mark Deeble travelled to Amboseli, 390 00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:53,280 just a few hundred miles from the Rwenzoris, 391 00:51:53,280 --> 00:51:55,600 to film the plight of the animals there. 392 00:51:57,080 --> 00:51:58,120 I mean, 393 00:51:58,120 --> 00:52:01,080 I've never seen anything quite as bad as that drought. 394 00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:06,440 And we talked to some of the Masai elders. 395 00:52:06,440 --> 00:52:09,720 They said it was the worst drought they'd seen in 50 years. 396 00:52:11,120 --> 00:52:14,160 Amboseli is famous for its huge herds of elephant, 397 00:52:14,160 --> 00:52:17,720 but the drought had dispersed them far and wide. 398 00:52:17,720 --> 00:52:21,760 Those that remained were struggling to find what little food was left. 399 00:52:25,240 --> 00:52:27,920 When we first saw the group, we could tell instantly 400 00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:30,240 that they were in a really serious condition. 401 00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:35,520 They were thin and obviously starving. 402 00:52:35,520 --> 00:52:37,600 ELEPHANT BAYS 403 00:52:37,600 --> 00:52:42,080 Mark knew that many of the calves would not survive. 404 00:52:42,080 --> 00:52:44,760 Although desperately painful to witness, 405 00:52:44,760 --> 00:52:48,000 nothing would convey the cruel power of the drought 406 00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:51,200 more than this mother's struggle to keep her baby alive. 407 00:52:56,440 --> 00:52:58,920 The thing about filming a situation like that... 408 00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:01,240 You know, when an elephant calf dies, 409 00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:03,400 is that when you're actually filming it, 410 00:53:03,400 --> 00:53:04,960 you're so caught up in the moment. 411 00:53:04,960 --> 00:53:07,240 ELEPHANT BAYS 412 00:53:07,240 --> 00:53:08,680 But it was only after filming, 413 00:53:08,680 --> 00:53:10,880 when I put the camera away and I looked there, 414 00:53:10,880 --> 00:53:14,000 and there was this dead calf and the mother standing there grieving, 415 00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:16,880 that the full impact of what I'd just filmed hit me. 416 00:53:22,120 --> 00:53:23,880 People often say to me, you know, 417 00:53:23,880 --> 00:53:26,880 "Could you not have intervened in a situation like that?" 418 00:53:28,120 --> 00:53:30,000 There are times when you CAN help, 419 00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:33,640 but in that time in Kenya there WAS no food available. 420 00:53:33,640 --> 00:53:36,480 Now, you have to also consider the mother. 421 00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:39,160 If we'd gone in there and tried to...to take the calf away, 422 00:53:39,160 --> 00:53:42,760 it would have been absolute mayhem, she'd have got incredibly stressed, 423 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:45,560 and that would probably have jeopardised her survival. 424 00:53:46,640 --> 00:53:50,400 In that particular situation, when everything around us was dying, 425 00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:52,320 there was absolutely nothing we could do 426 00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:53,600 to help that young elephant. 427 00:53:58,320 --> 00:54:00,720 Although too late to save the calf, 428 00:54:00,720 --> 00:54:04,080 a few months later, the rains did finally return. 429 00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:16,120 When we returned, it was amazing. It was lush and green again. 430 00:54:16,120 --> 00:54:18,960 And the elephants in the rains, they all tend to come together, 431 00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:21,720 so it was like all these groups which had been dispersed, 432 00:54:21,720 --> 00:54:24,000 which had been just somehow coping on their own, 433 00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:25,720 all got back together again, 434 00:54:25,720 --> 00:54:27,920 so it was almost a sort of festival type atmosphere. 435 00:54:27,920 --> 00:54:30,560 GRUNTING 436 00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:39,040 That was when, essentially, they come together, 437 00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:42,640 they mate and then, after that, lots of young calves are being born. 438 00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:47,480 Since the end of the drought, 439 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:50,680 over 220 calves have been born in Amboseli, 440 00:54:50,680 --> 00:54:52,560 and that number is still rising. 441 00:54:54,320 --> 00:54:57,640 It's the biggest elephant baby boom on record. 442 00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:02,040 I think what's lovely to see in that situation 443 00:55:02,040 --> 00:55:06,320 is that having been through such a terrible drought, 444 00:55:06,320 --> 00:55:09,320 to see the way in which, you know, if you let things alone, 445 00:55:09,320 --> 00:55:12,680 you know, they do have incredible capacity to bounce back. 446 00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:24,360 Back in the mountains, and several failed ascents later, 447 00:55:24,360 --> 00:55:27,400 the team were still battling through the whiteout. 448 00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:30,760 They try one last time. 449 00:55:32,160 --> 00:55:34,640 There's cloud below us and cloud above us. 450 00:55:34,640 --> 00:55:38,480 It somehow seems slightly like we're heading nowhere slowly. 451 00:55:42,720 --> 00:55:48,000 Then, as they reach the top, finally, the clouds begin to part. 452 00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:50,360 MUSIC: "Outro" by M83 453 00:55:52,320 --> 00:55:57,000 454 00:56:01,160 --> 00:56:03,000 It was absolute magic here. 455 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:05,840 We've just come through the densest, densest cloud, 456 00:56:05,840 --> 00:56:09,880 having absolutely no idea what's surrounding us. 457 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:13,680 The past few days have just been rain and cloud and rain and cloud, 458 00:56:13,680 --> 00:56:18,280 and, as if by magic, there's the most spectacular view 459 00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:21,120 of ice and glaciers and mountains, 460 00:56:21,120 --> 00:56:23,600 that you just wouldn't think was on the equator. 461 00:56:23,600 --> 00:56:24,880 It's just amazing. 462 00:56:48,160 --> 00:56:51,440 It's the most spectacular mountain scenery I've seen, 463 00:56:51,440 --> 00:56:54,320 and to think it's in Africa is just mind-boggling. 464 00:57:02,680 --> 00:57:07,200 These mysterious mountains have finally unveiled their secrets, 465 00:57:07,200 --> 00:57:08,880 and on the plains beyond, 466 00:57:08,880 --> 00:57:11,480 the elephants have returned to their home. 467 00:57:13,200 --> 00:57:17,320 Despite having been explored by film-makers for over a century, 468 00:57:17,320 --> 00:57:22,520 East Africa still has the power to enchant and surprise us all. 469 00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:32,800 Next week, we go deep into the tropical jungles of Africa... 470 00:57:32,800 --> 00:57:34,320 RIPPING, GROWLING 471 00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:37,600 ..to see the rarest animals... 472 00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:41,720 ..the last wild beaches... 473 00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:44,640 ..dark forest secrets... 474 00:57:44,640 --> 00:57:46,320 THUNDERCLAPS 475 00:57:46,320 --> 00:57:47,640 ..violence... 476 00:57:49,840 --> 00:57:51,080 ..beauty... 477 00:57:52,160 --> 00:57:53,320 ..majesty... 478 00:57:55,600 --> 00:57:57,000 GROWLING 479 00:57:57,000 --> 00:57:58,440 ..and drama. 480 00:58:07,840 --> 00:58:09,480 Congo. 481 00:58:29,440 --> 00:58:32,480 Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd