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DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: The power
of the sun drives the seasons,
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transforming our planet.
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Vast movements of ocean and air currents
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bring dramatic change
throughout the year.
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And in a few special places,
these seasonal changes
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create some of the greatest
wildlife spectacles on Earth.
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One of the most awe-inspiring events
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takes place in the vast open plains
of East Africa.
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Once a year, three million animals
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gather in a small corner
of the Serengeti.
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This is the greatest concentration
of grazing animals on the planet.
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But the herds only stay for a few months
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before continuing on their epic journey.
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And when the Great Migration moves on,
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the predators they leave behind
become suddenly vulnerable.
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How can they survive
until the Great Migration returns?
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The eastern edge of the Serengeti
is dominated by a volcano,
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known to the Maasai people
as Ol Doinyo Lengai,
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the Mountain of God.
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It's one of many volcanoes,
that have shaped the landscape here
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for millions of years,
that lie along Africa's Great Rift.
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To the west
lie the grasslands of the Serengeti
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and a particularly fertile area
known as the short-grass plains.
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For a few months each year,
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hundreds of thousands of grazers
cram into this corner of the Serengeti.
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And of course,
wherever you find grazers,
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you find predators.
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More meat-eaters hunt and scavenge
on the short-grass plains
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than anywhere else in Africa.
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For lions in particular, this is,
for the moment, a savannah paradise.
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With so much food on offer,
it's a good time to raise young cubs.
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But lions are territorial.
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Each pride only controls
a small area of grassland.
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They can only hunt the animals
that come into their territory.
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So, to give these cubs a good start,
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they'll have to make the most
of this bonanza
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while it's here.
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When the great herds move on,
the lions can't go with them,
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and prides like this one
face a stern test.
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What happens next
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is a side of lion life
that is rarely seen.
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It's May.
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The rains that watered
the short-grass plains have moved north
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and the vast herds follow,
seeking out fresh green pastures.
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Wildebeest are so in tune
with the seasons
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that they can hear thunderstorms
30 miles away,
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and they home in
on the scent of wet soil
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that carries the promise of fresh grass.
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Unlike lions,
wildebeest are free to travel
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wherever the quest for food leads them.
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This young calf is at the start
of an incredible seven-month journey.
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Without rain, the grasslands behind them
wither and die.
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Within weeks the short-grass plains
start to turn brown.
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Within a few months,
they're unrecognisable.
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90% of grazing animals have moved on.
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Not a single wildebeest remains.
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It's now August.
With so few animals here,
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the short-grass plains are no longer
a great place to be a lion.
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For the lion pride living at
the southern edge of these plains,
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in a place known as Ndutu,
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the test now is to survive
until the herds return again.
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The Ndutu pride has
four lionesses and seven cubs,
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and already they're struggling to find
enough food and water.
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The youngest are weak and underweight.
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Surrounded by other lion prides
with their own territories,
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the Ndutu pride must make the most
of what they can find here.
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But there isn't enough food
for them all.
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This male cub is not only hungry,
he's sick.
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On this morning
the pride is heading for a woodland
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where there is more cover
and more animals to hunt.
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It's a long journey
for the exhausted cubs.
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For the weakest male
it's a real struggle to keep up.
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He's trying,
but slowly he gets left behind.
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This is a brutal world.
The lionesses simply cannot wait.
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If they don't keep hunting and eat soon,
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they, too, will become weak,
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and then there'll be no hope
for any of them.
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Warthogs are a valuable catch
at this time of year.
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The lives of the cubs
depend on a successful outcome.
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While one lioness
slowly creeps forward...
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another approaches from cover.
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(WARTHOG GRUNTS)
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It's been a while since their last kill,
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and all the hungry pride pile in.
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All, that is, except one.
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A mile away,
a young life is fading away.
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The kill has come too late for him.
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At less than a year old,
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these cubs are still
totally dependent on the lionesses.
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To survive, they must keep up.
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Only three months into the dry season,
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the Ndutu pride is down to six cubs.
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Sadly, this young male will not survive.
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It's late August,
and the rains are still moving north,
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taking the grass and the wildebeest
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even further away from the Ndutu lions.
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With no territory to enclose them,
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the wildebeest can travel
wherever they like.
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But a calf, just like a lion cub,
still has to stick close to mum.
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The biggest danger is getting lost
in the vastness of the herd
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as it treks up to 30 miles a day.
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Back at Ndutu,
the dry season is biting harder.
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There's little grass here,
but that's not a problem for some.
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Giraffe find most of the nutrients
and moisture they need in acacia leaves.
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And, like impala,
they can cope well in the dry season.
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Serengeti mice positively thrive
in the drier months
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thanks to the abundance of seeds.
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So some of the smaller predators,
like wild cats,
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still find plenty of food.
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(MEOWS)
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This kitten is unlikely to go hungry.
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Perhaps surprisingly, it's the creature
often called the king of the beasts
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that is suffering the most.
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It's early September,
and on this afternoon
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there are only two male cubs
with the Ndutu lionesses.
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And they're little more
than skin and bone.
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What's happened to the rest?
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Sadly, it seems
others have been left behind.
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One young female cub
is just two miles away.
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She's limping and
the black patches on her face
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reveal that she's losing her fur.
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(WEAK ROAR)
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But she hasn't given up.
She calls for her pride.
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(DISTANT ROAR)
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She's hears a faint call,
and hurries towards it.
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And is reunited
with one of her brothers.
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Nearby there is prey.
But these cubs are unable to hunt.
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They are still too young.
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If they're going to survive,
they must rejoin the pride.
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While she still has strength,
she continues to try and make contact.
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Far away,
the lionesses also call constantly.
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(GRUNTS)
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And listen for their lost youngsters.
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Even a sick cub joins in the search
for his sisters and brothers.
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But there are no replies.
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After an hour of calling,
the lionesses can wait no longer,
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they must move on.
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The pride will have to move
to another part of their territory
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if they are to find food.
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None of them have eaten for days
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and now the chances of being
reunited with the lost cubs
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seems remote indeed.
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It's September,
one of the driest months in Ndutu.
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The wildebeest herds
are over a hundred miles away,
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having followed new pastures
to the northern edge of the Serengeti.
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But they have a huge challenge
of their own to face.
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They must cross the Mara River.
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Over several days, the herds crowd
together at the water's edge.
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The adults seem to sense
a hidden danger.
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But the numbers keep piling up
on the river's edge
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and ultimately
they face the danger together.
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The crocodiles are spoilt for choice...
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but they can only take
one victim at a time.
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There is safety in numbers here
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and most of the wildebeest make it
across to the grasslands beyond.
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Back in the south,
the Ndutu plains are tinder-dry.
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Seed and insect-eaters
can scratch a living,
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and the smaller cats like serval,
that hunt them,
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can still find plenty to eat.
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And a cheetah mother is managing
to keep her cubs fit and healthy
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on the small antelope that remain.
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It's now October,
the peak of the dry season,
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and the Ndutu pride are resting
in the heat of the day.
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In a bizarre twist of fate,
one of the two male cubs has died,
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but amazingly, the lost female,
with the black face patches,
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has found her way back.
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She's still weak,
and clearly hasn't eaten for days.
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Meanwhile, it's getting hotter.
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Just when it seems
life couldn't get any worse, it does.
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Flames race across
the Ndutu pride territory,
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burning the last of the grass
and any remaining bush cover.
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At first glance
there's little left here.
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Yet animals like impala
quickly return to investigate.
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The impalas' world
has changed beyond recognition.
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There's nowhere left to hide.
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The Ndutu pride has also lost
the cover they use for hunting.
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The young female may have
survived her first fire,
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but her chances of a meal
have fallen even lower.
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For the cheetah family,
the fire is not such bad news,
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as their prey can actually
become easier to find.
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The steenbok relies on blending into
its surroundings and sitting still
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to avoid being spotted.
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But in this emptiness,
its camouflage is useless.
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It's a sitting target.
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And apparently
unaware of the approaching danger.
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00:23:25,974 --> 00:23:28,966
Larger prey, like Grant's gazelle,
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are constantly on the lookout
for danger,
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and easily see the Ndutu pride
in the distance.
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The task for the hunters
now seems virtually impossible.
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00:23:52,374 --> 00:23:54,968
But they do have one advantage.
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There are four lionesses
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and they've been hunting together
for years.
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It'll be hard to get
close to the warthogs.
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00:24:12,574 --> 00:24:17,090
But if they can split up
and attack on two sides,
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they may stand a chance.
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00:24:21,654 --> 00:24:25,488
This is how a young lioness learns.
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As ever, teamwork is critical.
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00:24:56,854 --> 00:24:58,970
In a well-practiced routine,
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a lioness moves round
to block the warthog's escape.
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As one is flushed into the open,
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the flanking lioness
rushes in for the kill.
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(WARTHOG SQUEALS)
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Warthogs are a favourite food.
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It's a welcome feast enjoyed by all.
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00:25:50,254 --> 00:25:55,328
At the toughest of times, the lionesses
have provided for the cubs.
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00:26:00,734 --> 00:26:05,012
But it's an unpredictable year,
in more ways than one.
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00:26:09,574 --> 00:26:12,327
For the first time in 40 years
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the sleeping Mountain of God,
Ol Doinyo Lengai, awakens.
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(RUMBLING)
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00:26:43,454 --> 00:26:49,051
Vast clouds of volcanic ash drift
towards the short-grass plains
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and the home of the Ndutu pride lions.
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Ravaged by fire, scorched by the sun,
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00:27:01,854 --> 00:27:06,006
the plains now become
shrouded in a layer of ash.
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00:27:17,334 --> 00:27:19,848
It's November,
and the rains that would bring
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00:27:19,934 --> 00:27:23,688
the return of the grass and the herds
are now overdue.
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00:27:31,974 --> 00:27:35,364
The Ndutu lionesses
rest in the intense heat,
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00:27:35,454 --> 00:27:38,605
and the cubs' batteries
are now running very low.
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00:27:42,454 --> 00:27:44,729
But the winds are changing,
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a sign that the season is turning.
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The wildebeest seem to know
what's about to happen.
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They begin heading south.
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00:28:06,494 --> 00:28:09,088
One and a half million wildebeest
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start their journey
back to the short-grass plains.
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00:28:29,534 --> 00:28:33,368
The Great Migration of the wildebeest
is one of the longest treks
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00:28:33,454 --> 00:28:35,888
of any land animal on our planet.
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00:28:35,974 --> 00:28:38,647
As they follow the rains
around the Serengeti,
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00:28:38,734 --> 00:28:41,771
many will travel over a thousand miles.
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00:28:48,094 --> 00:28:49,447
But there's no guarantee
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00:28:49,534 --> 00:28:54,654
that these wildebeest will return
to the territory of the Ndutu pride.
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00:28:59,334 --> 00:29:02,485
They will feed only
where the best grasses grow.
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00:29:06,374 --> 00:29:09,172
All that's needed now is rain.
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(THUNDERING)
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00:30:08,454 --> 00:30:12,208
For the Ndutu pride, rain brings hope.
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00:30:12,294 --> 00:30:15,172
But how long will it take
for the grass to grow
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00:30:15,254 --> 00:30:17,324
and the herds to return?
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00:31:22,294 --> 00:31:24,410
Within a matter of days,
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00:31:24,494 --> 00:31:29,693
fresh grass transforms the arid plains
into the lush pastures
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that will lure the herds to return.
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00:31:40,094 --> 00:31:44,133
It's December, and the migrating herds
start to arrive
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00:31:44,214 --> 00:31:47,365
at the northern boundary
of the short-grass plains,
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00:31:47,454 --> 00:31:50,969
just 30 miles from the Ndutu lions.
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00:32:16,854 --> 00:32:20,688
After seven months away
the herd is returning.
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00:32:29,134 --> 00:32:32,012
Stretching back some 25 miles,
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00:32:32,094 --> 00:32:35,723
it will take weeks
for all the wildebeest to arrive.
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00:32:47,294 --> 00:32:49,854
And nothing will stop them now.
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00:32:52,094 --> 00:32:53,447
(ROARING)
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00:33:05,814 --> 00:33:10,330
The Mountain of God chooses this
moment to throw up a column of ash
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00:33:10,454 --> 00:33:13,252
1 5,000 metres into the air.
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00:33:24,054 --> 00:33:27,763
But the link between this ash
and these herds
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00:33:27,854 --> 00:33:30,322
is more than a mere coincidence.
251
00:33:36,614 --> 00:33:40,163
For this ash is rich in minerals,
252
00:33:40,254 --> 00:33:42,245
and over several million years
253
00:33:42,334 --> 00:33:45,804
as volcanoes in the Great Rift
have erupted,
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00:33:45,894 --> 00:33:49,967
layer upon layer of ash
has fertilised the ground,
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00:33:50,054 --> 00:33:53,251
creating this uniquely
fertile grassland.
256
00:33:55,214 --> 00:34:00,049
It's this that draws animals
from all over the Serengeti.
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00:34:06,734 --> 00:34:10,044
The ash also discourages
the growth of trees.
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00:34:10,134 --> 00:34:13,729
So on these plains, that might otherwise
be covered in woodland,
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00:34:13,814 --> 00:34:16,886
little grows except grass.
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00:34:25,054 --> 00:34:29,206
It's possibly the best grazing land
in all of Africa.
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00:34:35,414 --> 00:34:37,564
And probably the only place
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00:34:37,654 --> 00:34:41,488
where one and a half million wildebeest
could feed together.
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00:35:07,334 --> 00:35:08,528
In the northern half,
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00:35:08,614 --> 00:35:12,926
the short-grass plains have once again
become a savannah paradise.
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00:35:15,054 --> 00:35:17,010
The conditions are so good
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00:35:17,094 --> 00:35:22,122
that the wildebeest also use these
plains for another important purpose.
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00:35:25,334 --> 00:35:28,929
The females are carrying
the next generation
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and they've come here to calve.
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00:35:33,654 --> 00:35:35,053
(GRUNTING)
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It only takes seconds.
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00:36:01,014 --> 00:36:05,292
Some calves are on their feet
in just two minutes.
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00:36:09,054 --> 00:36:11,693
Others take a little longer.
273
00:36:23,054 --> 00:36:25,284
Then they're good to go.
274
00:36:36,294 --> 00:36:39,491
Phosphorus and calcium
in the volcanic ash
275
00:36:39,574 --> 00:36:42,247
pass through the grass,
into the mother's milk
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and into the growing calves.
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00:36:46,774 --> 00:36:48,969
Nowhere else on their epic journey
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00:36:49,054 --> 00:36:52,410
could young wildebeest
get such a good start in life.
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00:37:03,334 --> 00:37:05,768
In just two to three weeks,
280
00:37:05,854 --> 00:37:09,688
over half a million wildebeest calves
are born here.
281
00:37:12,894 --> 00:37:17,410
And of course, this provides
an irresistible opportunity
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for all of Africa's top predators.
283
00:37:22,614 --> 00:37:26,209
This is boom time for meat-eaters.
284
00:37:28,534 --> 00:37:32,812
The Ndutu lions, to the south,
have yet to enjoy this feast,
285
00:37:33,374 --> 00:37:38,084
but this cheetah family
now has an endless supply of fresh meat.
286
00:37:49,734 --> 00:37:53,090
There is certainly
enough to feed the six cubs.
287
00:38:25,334 --> 00:38:29,532
She'll make a kill every day
to keep her cubs properly fed.
288
00:38:43,894 --> 00:38:48,490
And it's not just wildebeest
the predators have come to eat.
289
00:38:50,414 --> 00:38:53,167
Many of Africa's antelope are here, too.
290
00:38:56,614 --> 00:38:58,764
Eland, Africa's largest.
291
00:39:01,934 --> 00:39:04,323
And they're joined by more than
half a million
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00:39:04,414 --> 00:39:06,723
Thomson and Grant's gazelles.
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00:39:09,534 --> 00:39:12,287
And 200,000 zebra.
294
00:39:19,414 --> 00:39:22,212
Just north of the Ndutu lion territory,
295
00:39:22,294 --> 00:39:27,004
these lions are now lucky enough
to enjoy a time of plenty.
296
00:39:29,694 --> 00:39:33,164
A favourite lion ploy
is to wait by waterholes
297
00:39:33,254 --> 00:39:36,690
knowing that the herd
will ultimately have to drink.
298
00:40:32,014 --> 00:40:34,323
As the herds move further south,
299
00:40:34,414 --> 00:40:37,963
they at last enter the homeland
of the Ndutu pride.
300
00:40:38,494 --> 00:40:42,612
The question is, have the weak cubs
managed to survive
301
00:40:42,694 --> 00:40:44,924
to witness the great return?
302
00:40:56,454 --> 00:41:01,574
The Ndutu pride is still together.
They are healthy and strong.
303
00:41:06,094 --> 00:41:10,007
Somehow they have managed to
make it through the long dry season
304
00:41:10,094 --> 00:41:13,803
and the endless wait
for the returning herds.
305
00:41:14,974 --> 00:41:18,444
The young male now has
the beginnings of a mane.
306
00:41:20,054 --> 00:41:21,612
And though still limping,
307
00:41:21,694 --> 00:41:25,926
the female has grown new fur
over her black patches.
308
00:41:41,374 --> 00:41:44,571
Now at last,
with endless food around them,
309
00:41:44,654 --> 00:41:48,852
the lion cubs have the time
and the energy to play.
310
00:41:56,934 --> 00:42:01,849
And they can relax in a way
that only lions know how.
311
00:42:21,094 --> 00:42:26,122
By March, the great event
on the Ndutu plains is in full swing,
312
00:42:26,574 --> 00:42:29,725
and where there are kills,
there are scavengers.
313
00:42:29,814 --> 00:42:31,486
(BIRDS SQUAWKING)
314
00:42:31,974 --> 00:42:35,967
Vultures fly in
from all over the Serengeti.
315
00:42:47,494 --> 00:42:50,531
On her own a mother cheetah
has little chance
316
00:42:50,614 --> 00:42:53,287
of keeping this mob off her kill.
317
00:42:58,774 --> 00:43:02,562
She may be agile, but she lacks
the necessary brute force.
318
00:43:04,414 --> 00:43:08,248
Even now
it's not easy raising cheetah cubs.
319
00:43:09,294 --> 00:43:12,650
Over half her kills
will be stolen by thieves.
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00:43:17,374 --> 00:43:22,289
Spotted hyenas are notorious scavengers
and they arrive in force.
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00:43:22,774 --> 00:43:24,571
(HYENAS LAUGHING)
322
00:43:29,254 --> 00:43:33,964
Hyenas now become the most numerous
carnivores on the Ndutu plains.
323
00:43:34,454 --> 00:43:37,491
They'll even take on a lion pride.
324
00:43:45,694 --> 00:43:48,652
As the Ndutu lions
finish off a wildebeest,
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00:43:48,734 --> 00:43:53,250
the hyena clans gather around,
trying to intimidate them.
326
00:44:03,454 --> 00:44:06,412
The young male cub faces up to them.
327
00:44:07,174 --> 00:44:10,086
He's finally coming of age.
328
00:44:10,174 --> 00:44:12,847
He's learning how to protect a pride.
329
00:44:27,974 --> 00:44:30,329
But this time, with their bellies full,
330
00:44:30,414 --> 00:44:33,690
the pride decide
the bones aren't worth the hassle.
331
00:44:45,974 --> 00:44:47,646
Well-fed at last,
332
00:44:47,734 --> 00:44:51,647
the two young cubs
are beginning to look more like adults.
333
00:44:54,974 --> 00:44:59,126
But it will be another six months
before they can hunt on their own.
334
00:45:08,894 --> 00:45:12,045
It's April,
and there's a flurry of excitement
335
00:45:12,134 --> 00:45:15,683
as the wildebeest turn their attention
to courting.
336
00:45:27,574 --> 00:45:30,088
Or at least the males do.
337
00:45:30,174 --> 00:45:33,086
The young bulls limber up for the rut,
338
00:45:33,174 --> 00:45:37,292
when they will have to fight
for the right to mate with a female.
339
00:45:48,014 --> 00:45:50,733
High spirits are infectious.
340
00:45:57,454 --> 00:46:02,926
In three months the young calves become
boisterous and bounce with good health.
341
00:46:19,934 --> 00:46:22,402
These plains have been a nursery.
342
00:46:27,174 --> 00:46:29,734
But change is in the air.
343
00:46:30,414 --> 00:46:32,974
The season is turning again.
344
00:46:44,614 --> 00:46:47,128
The arrival of seed-eating quelea
345
00:46:47,214 --> 00:46:50,968
is a sign that the grass
on the Ndutu plains is changing.
346
00:47:11,934 --> 00:47:14,607
Once the grass flowers and sets seed,
347
00:47:14,734 --> 00:47:19,171
it loses the succulent green leaves
that the wildebeest prefer.
348
00:47:27,934 --> 00:47:30,926
Time for them to move on again,
349
00:47:32,134 --> 00:47:36,889
to follow the distant storms
that are now rumbling to the north.
350
00:47:41,494 --> 00:47:44,327
Despite the arduous journey
that lies ahead,
351
00:47:44,414 --> 00:47:46,689
a wildebeest calf in the Serengeti
352
00:47:46,774 --> 00:47:50,483
still has a better chance of
surviving its first year
353
00:47:50,574 --> 00:47:52,371
than a lion cub.
354
00:47:57,894 --> 00:48:00,692
The Great Migration is leaving Ndutu,
355
00:48:01,254 --> 00:48:06,248
and once again the pride will have
to face life without the herds.
356
00:48:08,694 --> 00:48:12,243
A brother and sister
have survived an eventful year
357
00:48:12,334 --> 00:48:17,488
that has brought sickness and drought,
fires and volcanic eruptions.
358
00:48:21,414 --> 00:48:25,168
Theirs is just one of countless stories
359
00:48:25,254 --> 00:48:28,883
that unfold every year
on the short-grass plains,
360
00:48:28,974 --> 00:48:32,125
the grasslands
at the centre of this great event.
361
00:48:34,974 --> 00:48:38,444
All in the shadow
of the Mountain of God.
30261
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