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The king awakens...
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His domain is on the edge of one of the most extraordinary swamps in Africa.
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He knows his charges...
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He knows his riches...
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He knows his threats...
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Intruders -- young challengers.
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But today, there is trouble in paradise.
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The cuts and scars on his face are a roadmap of his past battles.
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Everyone is aware.
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The message is clear:
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This is not their dream.
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It belongs to him.
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But the river itself doesn't belong to him alone:
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everyone lays claim to their piece of the Okavango,
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this river of dreams.
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The second phase of the Okavango, in Southern Africa's Botswana,
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is, as it fans out into a delta, in limbo,
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before spilling out into the Kalahari Desert.
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The clues to why the delta changes its shape so radically here
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lie at the center of each of its uniquely formed islands.
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There are forces at work down here,
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building underground fortresses, blockades against the rising water table --
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using a combination of saliva and hard calcrete.
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There are over 2,700 species of termites,
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but just a single one of them influences everything here.
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The male lion is not a loner.
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Daily calls connect him and his brother.
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All around them, life is erupting.
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Once a year, termites start their nuptial dances.
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They flush from underground homes to fly,
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and within seconds find a mate, before they can be eaten.
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Millions don't make it...
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But millions do.
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The mating dance fills the air
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and starts one of the most magical relationships in nature...
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one that dominates the entire story of the Okavango.
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They land at the feet of giants, find their soul mates,
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and burrow down into the soft Kalahari sands.
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Then, they start a new cycle of building.
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Towering castles rise up even above the heads of elephants.
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Trees attach themselves, forming platforms for all life here.
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In this flat landscape, any high ground forces the flood waters
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to spread around these islands, creating a sprawling delta
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across 9,000 square miles of Botswana.
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And at the foundation of each island in the Okavango is a termite colony.
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In a place where water is abundant,
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it's the high ground that is precious and used by just about everything here.
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When there are cubs, the male doesn't spend a lot of time with the pride.
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It's an unfamiliar and sometimes tense relationship with them.
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In this upside-down world, months after the rains end
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and just as the dry season starts, the flood begins to rise.
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Rainwater from halfway across the continent is finally reaching the delta.
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Those that can adapt to this watery world have an advantage,
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especially if they can find just the right island.
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Two Hyena sisters have found some abandoned aardvark holes to turn into a den.
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Hyena family greetings may be a little curious,
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but these are some of the most caring mothers in the delta.
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All their cuteness has been reserved for when they are very young.
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They soon grow out of it.
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The older cubs have already developed bone crushing habits,
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so the youngest dig secret chambers
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into the heart of the termite mound that only they can get into.
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Someone else is eyeing one of their holes today.
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And quite simply moves into the spare chamber.
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It's disconcerting for the cubs.
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Hyenas can easily rip a warthog to pieces,
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but for some reason now, they extend a kind of welcome.
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A working solution develops.
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Hyenas den during the day, and at night,
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when they are out hunting, the warthogs are in residence...
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And during the twilight hours, both families are at home.
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It's family bliss, but with lethal jaws-in-the-making.
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Both families keep a wary eye out for the odd neighbors.
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The male lion is patrolling his territory but takes a diversion to harass hyenas.
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He's definitely also interested in the smell of hidden pigs.
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The unlikely alliance between these two families
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sharing a den worked well today,
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and those extra eyes and ears served as early warning mechanisms.
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This relationship works well on a deeper level for miniature piglets.
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At last -- the two brothers have found each other.
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Their bond is vital to both of them, their territory and their pride.
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The teenagers have energy to burn.
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The males watch them closely.
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The first sign of small manes on the young lions has their father's attention.
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In a year, the large males will have to chase them off.
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Lions of any size on the move through the swamp
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send shock waves of panic through everyone.
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Anyone caught out of water is fair game for the youngsters.
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And it turns into a game of cat and very large mouse.
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For some, safety is in the water.
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For others, it is on the termite islands as the flood rises.
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As the young piglets emerge from their catacombs,
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they have a lot to thank the hyena family for.
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But it's time to move out into the world.
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Warthogs across the delta more than double in number in a few weeks,
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all because of their initial safe havens in the termite mound islands.
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On one of the larger islands, they are being watched from above.
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The leopard can't choose, so grabs up two piglets.
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But she can't carry both to the trees
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before the chaos attracts unwanted attention.
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Now, the hyenas are interested in the smell of piglets for an entirely different reason.
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The males, on a territorial patrol together, stride right towards the leopard's island.
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She is saved by chance.
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Piglets on the wind.
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Right into the jaws of death...
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But it's a slippery little thing.
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And one that comes with a lot of attitude.
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For the largest of the African cats,
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being confronted by something this small is... a little confusing.
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These plains may favor the bold and the brave,
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but today the odds were just too great...
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And not enough to feed both brothers.
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By mid-flood, over 80% of the Okavango is under sheet water.
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Much of it is shallow and crystal clear -- exactly what the kingfishers like best.
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But hovering takes a lot of energy.
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High protein fish and frogs are worth the effort, though.
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Right across the delta, pied kingfisher splashes punctuate the peace and tranquility.
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Because the flood lags so far behind the local rains,
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it brings new water at just the right time for thousands of animals.
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This massive movement of wildlife is triggered by the rainwater pools drying up.
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And it is the elephants that are most important to the way the entire delta functions.
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It is a haven for them.
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The expression of sheer elephant joy seems to erupt in their voices.
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Giants like these could have a devastating impact in large numbers,
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but in truth, elephants perform a great service in this landscape sized theatre.
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They are in fact the architects of the Okavango.
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Where elephants lead, the flood follows,
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bringing new water down dormant channels to forgotten islands.
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But what brings elephants to this part of the delta
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now lies ahead of them, on those islands.
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They can't reach these dates
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and don't want to destroy the tree itself, so they gently "harvest" the fruit.
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Being crowned by rock-hard nuts seems to be worth it.
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But it's a classic case of which came first: the palm, the nut, or the elephant.
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The palms can only germinate if softened at the right temperature...
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the exact same heat as that inside an elephant's gut.
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These vast palm islands so typical of the delta exist
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purely because of these long caravans of traveling elephants.
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And the islands themselves are built on termite mounds right across the Okavango.
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If you're not particularly finicky about the source,
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the softened nuts in elephant dung hold amazing riches.
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And vervet monkeys are used to having sticky fingers.
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Blacksmith lapwings don't signpost their nests -- they are the signposts.
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But today, they have chicks that are just the opposite -- their job is to blend in.
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That could be a problem along this path.
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Lapwings are extremely bold:
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bold voices, bold colors, and bold attitudes.
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But with a heavy army on the march, they take evasive action today.
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You never know when an elephant
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may be on a sugar high after date palm foraging.
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Like this bull,
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who doesn't extend the same "lapwing courtesy" to the painted dogs today.
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A hunt starts with a sneeze.
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It's the pack's version of a vote.
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Enough sneezes gets them excited and carries the motion.
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These flooded swamplands are ideal for the hunting dogs,
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one of the last strongholds in the world for these highly endangered animals.
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The incredible size difference between predator and prey doesn't bother painted dogs.
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For them, it's all about stamina, and few can match theirs.
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Today, the kudu's almost playful message
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is that it is fit, young, and can bolt away at any time.
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It's just a test anyway --
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a warm-up while the rest of the pack mobilizes for the main event...
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Wildebeest...
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Dogs hunt by testing for weaknesses, forcing mistakes.
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Against hunting dogs, the best defense is a show of unity.
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The pack's technique is to divide and conquer.
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Each retreat is actually a ploy to draw one wildebeest away,
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so that other pack members can surround it.
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It's the ultimate bait and switch.
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The alpha male calls it off.
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The amount of energy it'll take to complete this hunt is just too expensive.
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As quickly as it came in,
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the flood starts to shrink after a few months -- the first signs of change.
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It leaves soft green grasses exposed,
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and highly nutritious -- well worth going in search of.
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But unfortunately, others have the same idea.
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It's a three-way fight.
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One backs up into a small termite mound and gains two advantages:
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the high ground and a protected rear end.
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It's a winning combination in a species where fighting
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is both critical to claiming space and food, and is dangerous.
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Tens of thousands of hippos dominate the waterways throughout the delta,
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making it as hazardous for other animals here.
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In these flood waters, there is a single rare antelope on the move today.
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He is so rare that he's one of a kind.
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There has never been another like him seen anywhere in the world.
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At first glance, he looks like a common red lechwe.
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It's not surprising: his mother was a lechwe.
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But his father was a waterbuck.
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We'll call him a wachwe, in honor of both parents.
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Today, the wachwe is in deep trouble -- and the pack knows it.
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The wachwe is larger than any normal lechwe, and though that may confuse them,
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the painted dogs are not easily scared off by size.
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But he's not a complete loner:
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today he's found his half-brother, a real waterbuck.
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Their interesting and different genetics may be academic now.
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The real threat may actually be in the water they are using for their escape.
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Hippos attack each other, so complete strangers are not welcome in this pool.
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They're in trouble if they don't leave the water now.
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But they're in trouble if they try to.
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The confidence of being born bigger and bolder than his siblings is paying off.
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But today, the two antelopes find safety in limbo,
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somewhere between the river bank and the deeper water.
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Even the hunting dogs wont risk offending the hippos.
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It's a standoff between an endangered predator and an antelope that doesn't really exist.
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The intimate lives of these animals make up the complex web of the Okavango:
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touch it in one place and it shivers somewhere else.
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Someone's paradise is someone else's purgatory.
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In this world of winners and losers,
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there are sometimes simple working relationships, with no disadvantages.
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Black egrets have a special technique of blocking out the shine on the water,
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to catch fish under their umbrella-like wings.
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Small minnows come to forage, and craftily,
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black egrets use their bright yellow feet as lures.
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It's such a good tactic that a glossy ibis poaches under the umbrella without any shame at all.
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There is one problem -- when you have your head under your wings,
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things can creep up on you.
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The pride is out hunting,
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and young lions are interested in anything that moves -- in particular, those that move slowly.
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These lions have adapted to being in water.
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The constant wading, from one termite island to the next through deep water,
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makes them fit, strong, and some of the largest lions in Africa.
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The cool water allows them to forge through the delta, well into the heat of the day.
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In these mosquito-infested swamplands,
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they are after one species of prey above all else.
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It's their favorite, but it's not easy...
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Buffalo.
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Being down in the water-grass can get confusing,
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so Okavango lions have to use any advantage they can get.
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Elevation is a huge help.
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It's one of the few places in the world where lions do climb trees.
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They also climb to get any cooling breeze...
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but these heavy-set lions have to get their balance just right.
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And it's not just the lionesses that can climb.
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The buffalo are heading this way.
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So now, all that is needed is a hasty and elegant descent to circle into position...
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The time to attack buffalo is when they bunch up,
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when they are stressed by the deeper water crossings.
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But today, the pride waits and sets the ambush
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for just as the buffalo enter their termite island.
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He's eager to join in.
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With the pride in perfect position to ambush a lost calf,
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the trick would be to not spook the buffalo.
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A big bull senses something wrong.
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Now it's important for the male to be still... Silent.
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But the male's weight-to-agility ratio is just off.
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These are Cape buffalo.
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They kill more lions than any other animal does,
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and today, there are nearly a thousand of them.
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Suddenly a young bull elephant is in the mix... And he's irate.
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Elephants are definitely the dominant species on these islands.
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But the lions have artfully sneaked off...
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and he's been left with the full force of the buffalo herd.
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This warrior elephant is up to the challenge.
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Some of the younger lions have their own troubles now.
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Treed by the buffalo, they have nowhere to hide,
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and the best elevation is just at buffalo horn height.
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The lions have learned a valuable lesson today,
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one that once again establishes the reputation of buffalo
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as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.
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The pride is bruised and retreats to give the buffalo a wider berth.
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As the evening air cools,
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tiny nymphs that have been waiting for a year under water start to hatch.
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Luna mayflies fill the air.
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Little bee-eaters hawk on them frantically,
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as if the flush will be their last meal.
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But here, there is no shortage of insects.
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The Okavango keeps providing to those that are well adapted to use the moment.
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But the flood also creates problems.
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As it arrives, it isolates one kind of small, primitive ape,
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on whatever termite island they happen to be on.
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These temporary prisoners rely almost entirely on the insects
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that the flood forces to the high ground.
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And they do that with special adaptations.
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They have huge eyes that are locked in position.
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So big, in fact, that to move its eyes, it has to move its entire head.
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It's effective:
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they can see and leap around a very complex world in the high trees.
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And to help, they urinate on their hands for that extra stickiness.
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Their tools work well for them as they navigate their isolated tree top realm.
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So here, if you can adapt, you do well.
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Baboons have similar, forward-facing eyes, but they aren't nocturnal,
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and spend their nights in the trees, asleep.
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Getting down is a delicate matter.
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But these straight up and down palms are their gateway to the safest place for them to roost.
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Nothing else can climb these vertical trunks.
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The buffalo herd is also awake, moving downstream.
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Perhaps it's the definition of insanity, but the pride has decided to regroup
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and try the exact same tactic again.
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They're going to need something different today, or it will all end up in the trees again.
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It's going to take a hero...
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An unlikely hero after yesterday's performance.
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Male lions are just not designed to hunt.
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Their manes are for display, for fighting.
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The pride is uncoordinated; the buffalo united.
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And then, just as the herd hits the first reeds,
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the second male flies into action alongside his brother.
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This is why prides often have more than one male:
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to bring down the difficult, heavy prey that the rest of the pride simply cannot conquer.
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Their feast is short-lived.
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Elephants have picked up the sound of death, the chaos, and they don't like it.
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The mere presence of lions, the smell of blood,
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and the disturbance to their sedate lives offends these animals.
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They thrive on peace and seem to just want to maintain that.
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Outraged, they act as if the lions had killed one of their own, not a buffalo.
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And for one of them, that may be true.
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A tusk-less cow reacts as if she has lost a calf or family member of her own in the past.
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Elephants hold that hurt and loss for a long time.
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But the lions slip away into the long grass, frustrating her even more.
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And then, without any obvious reason at all,
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the female and her herd suddenly settle down and allow the pride to feed.
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Forgiven perhaps, but not forgotten.
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It's just one of the mysteries that define this river with so many faces.
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This strange but magical flood starts inland,
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adapts to meander around termite castles and down elephant paths,
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affecting millions of animals.
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And then dribbles out into nothing.
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The next phase of the river is an entirely different one.
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Herds we see little of in the delta start to leave just when it is at its very best.
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They take us out to the far reaches of the water, away from the realm of kings
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and farther down this strange river of dreams.
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"Nature's" journey into
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th e Okavango concludes...
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The river has run its course...
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And everyone is on the move,
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from hardy survivors
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to exiled hunters.
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Experience one of the last
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pl aces on Earth
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where giants can roam...
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To learn more about
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00:53:27,900 --> 00:53:29,600
wh at you've seen
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00:53:29,633 --> 00:53:33,333
on this "Nature" program,
335
00:53:29,633 --> 00:53:33,333
vi sit pbs.org.
30362
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