Original subtitles

Narrator: THE HEARTLAND OF SOUTHERN AFRICA,

A COUNTRY OF SWAMPS,

WHERE GIANT BATS STIR UP THE SKY.

THEY FLY OVER LIVING LAGOONS, WHERE NATURE BOILS FROM BELOW

AND FISHERMEN WAIT ABOVE.

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE,

BRIDGES STRETCH TO NEW FRONTIERS...

INCLUDING CITIES CRAFTED BY THE WORLD’S RICHEST MEN

AND MARKETS TEEMING WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S POOREST PEOPLE.

HERE, MEN LOST THEIR LIVES TAMING A MIGHTY RIVER

THAT CREATED ONE OF THE LARGEST MAN-MADE LAKES IN THE WORLD...

NEAR MOUNTAIN SPRINGS THAT SWELL INTO RAGING RIVERS...

CARVING OUT NATURAL WONDERS FROM ANCIENT STONE...

BECKONING FEARLESS ADVENTURERS.

IN A COUNTRY WHERE WILDLIFE REMAINS THE CROWNING JEWEL,

CHANGE REMAINS THE ONLY CONSTANT.

SOAR OVER THE RICHLY DIVERSE AFRICAN NATION

OF ZAMBIA.

♪

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

ANIMALS AND PEOPLE CRISSCROSSED THIS GORGEOUS LANDSCAPE.

WATER DREW THEM TO A GREAT CHASM THAT ROARED IN THE DISTANCE.

THE PEOPLE CALLED IT "MOSI OA TUNYA,"

OR "SMOKE THAT THUNDERS."

IN 1855, A LOCAL VILLAGE CHIEF LED A SUNBURNED WHITE MAN

TOWARD THE THUNDEROUS SPRAY.

WHEN THE MEN NEARED THIS GAPING RAVINE,

RAIN FELL FROM CLOUDLESS SKIES

AND THEIR VOICES WERE DROWNED OUT

BY THE CONSTANT ROAR.

DRENCHED BY THE SPRAY,

THE MAN GAZED INTO THE ABYSS AND WAS DAZZLED.

HE CALLED IT, "THE MOST WONDERFUL SIGHT

I HAVE WITNESSED IN AFRICA."

HIS NAME WAS DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE--

A SCOTTISH MISSIONARY.

HE NAMED THE CHASM

AFTER THE QUEEN WHOSE EMPIRE HE WAS EXPANDING--

VICTORIA FALLS.

IT’S KNOWN AS ONE OF THE SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD.

WHEN IN FLOOD, 165 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER

FALLS 328 FEET FROM THE CLIFFS EVERY MINUTE,

CREATING A GIANT CURTAIN OF WATER,

THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

THE WATER’S POWER SLOWLY ERODES THE CLIFF’S EDGE,

MOVING THE FALLS UPRIVER

AN AVERAGE OF THREE INCHES PER YEAR.

TO LIVINGSTONE, THE FALLS WERE BEAUTIFUL,

BUT ALSO A BARRIER.

♪

HE HAD PLANNED TO USE THE ZAMBEZI RIVER

AS A TRADE HIGHWAY

BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND THE INDIAN OCEAN

TO DEVELOP THE ECONOMY AND END SLAVERY.

BUT HE NOW KNEW THAT TRAVEL BY BOAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.

LONG STRETCHES OF THE RIVER ARE INTERSPERSED

WITH DANGEROUS RAPIDS AND SUDDEN WATERFALLS.

BUT NO OBSTACLE WAS TOO GREAT

FOR THE MIGHT OF BRITISH IMPERIALISM.

♪

IF TRADE BY WATER WAS DOOMED, TRADE BY RAIL WAS DESTINY.

BY 1890,

THE BRITISH HAD COLONIZED A LARGE CHUNK OF AFRICA

UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CECIL JOHN RHODES,

GOVERNOR OF THE BRITISH CAPE COLONY.

THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA’S RICHES WAS FIRMLY BACK ON TRACK.

THE BRITISH CALLED THE NEW TERRITORY RHODESIA.

THE ZAMBEZI RIVER SPLIT IT IN HALF.

CECIL RHODES HAD BEEN PLANNING A RAILWAY LINE

FROM CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO

IN AN EFFORT TO EXPAND BRITISH OCCUPATION OF AFRICA.

BUT THE FALLS BLOCKED THE ROUTE.

THE DETERMINED BRITISH FORGED AHEAD.

JUST 50 YEARS AFTER DAVID LIVINGSTONE

STOOD ON THESE CLIFFS,

STEAM TRAINS RATTLED OVER THE GORGE

ON THE VICTORIA FALLS BRIDGE.

NOW IT ALSO CARRIES CARS.

BUT TRAINS STILL MAKE THEIR WAY ACROSS.

IT WAS THE HIGHEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD

WHEN IT WAS FINISHED IN 1905,

STANDING 420 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER.

IT TESTED THE GRIT OF ENGINEERS

WORKING OVER 7,000 MILES AWAY IN ENGLAND.

THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE WAS BUILT THERE, IN PIECES,

AND SHIPPED TO THE GORGE FOR FINAL ASSEMBLY.

THE VICTORIAN ERA HAD ARRIVED IN NORTHERN RHODESIA.

THE BRIDGE REMAINS,

BUT POLITICS HAVE CHANGED.

IN 1964, COLONIALISM GAVE WAY TO INDEPENDENCE,

AND TWO NEW AFRICAN NATIONS WERE BORN--

ZAMBIA AND EVENTUALLY ZIMBABWE.

DOWNSTREAM FROM THE FALLS,

THE ZAMBEZI RIVER IS FORCED INTO A NARROW BASALT CANYON,

CREATING A JET-LIKE TORRENT OF WATER.

THE FORCE CREATES A THRILLING WATERCOURSE,

INTERSPERSED WITH OVER 60 RAPIDS,

WITH NAMES LIKE THE DEVIL’S TOILET BOWL,

OBLIVION,

THE TERMINATOR,

AND GNASHING JAWS OF DEATH.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING

WHITEWATER RAPIDS ON EARTH.

THEY ARE CLASS 5,

THE HIGHEST GRADE FOR RIVER RAFTING.

♪

GUIDES IN KAYAKS MOVE AHEAD AND STATION THEMSELVES ON THE BANK

AS SAFETY OFFICERS FOR THE RAFTERS.

THE DEEP GREEN RIVER DRAWS THE RAFTS

INTO THE CHURNING WAVES.

INSTRUCTORS SHOUT INSTRUCTIONS TO PADDLERS

TO KEEP THE RAFT MOVING FASTER THAN THE WATER.

THEY SPEED DOWN THE GORGE AS 3.75 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER

SURGES PAST THE ROCKS EVERY SECOND.

SOUNDS OF RUSHING WATER AND SHOUTS OF EXCITEMENT

ECHO OFF THE CLIFFS...

UNTIL SOMEONE FALLS OUT.

NILE CROCODILES ARE A THREAT,

AND GIANT WHIRLPOOLS APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE,

SUCKING DOWN ENTIRE RAFTS.

IT’S DISORIENTING, BUT RAFTERS WEAR SAFETY GEAR.

A LIFE PRESERVER AND A THIN ROPE

ARE THEIR ONLY HOPE OF STAYING AFLOAT

AND GETTING BACK INTO THE RAFT.

IT’S EXHILARATING, PHYSICALLY PUNISHING

BUT EMOTIONALLY REWARDING.

FOR THOSE WHO PREFER A QUIETER VACATION,

A CLIFFTOP BAR PROVIDES A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE RAFTERS

AND THE RIVER SNAKING INTO THE DISTANCE,

WHERE DIFFERENT ADVENTURES AWAIT.

AS THE ZAMBEZI CONTINUES ITS JOURNEY EAST,

THE RIVER OPENS ITS ARMS WITH A MORE PLACID PACE OF DISCOVERY.

BUT EVEN THOUGH THE RIVER MAY LOOK QUIETER,

IT’S STILL DEADLY.

AFTER DISCOVERING VICTORIA FALLS,

DR. LIVINGSTONE WAS EAGER

TO EXPLORE THE REST OF THE ZAMBEZI RIVER,

BUT AS HE FORGED A PATH ALONG ITS BANKS,

HE REALIZED THE AWFUL SCALE OF THE SLAVE TRADE.

THOUSANDS OF AFRICANS WERE BEING STOLEN AWAY

FROM THE ONLY VILLAGES THEY’D EVER KNOWN

AND SHIPPED TO PLACES THEY’D NEVER HEARD OF.

HIS HEART BLED FOR AFRICANS,

AND HE WOULD NOT REST UNTIL SLAVERY, OR HIS LIFE,

HAD COME TO AN END.

HIS FAITH IN GOD KEPT HIM FEARLESS,

AND HIS PASSION FOR ADVENTURE KEPT HIM MOVING

ALONG THE WINDING PATH OF THE ZAMBEZI RIVER.

IT’S THE LARGEST RIVER IN AFRICA

AND FORMS A BORDER AROUND THE WESTERN HALF OF ZAMBIA.

THE DRAINAGE BASIN COVERS ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF THE COUNTRY,

SPANNING OVER 290,000 SQUARE MILES.

TODAY, 32 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE ALONG THIS VALLEY.

80% OF THEM RELY ON THE FOOD

GROWING ON THE FERTILE FLOOD PLAINS OF THE RIVER.

BUT MANY FAMILIES FORSAKE LARGE-SCALE FARMING

AND STILL LIVE BY THE RIVER’S RULES,

TRAVELING MILES ON FOOT TO DRINK ITS REFRESHING WATER

AND TO FISH FOR FOOD.

OLDER MEN FISH FROM DUGOUT CANOES

OR BUILD TRAPS FROM THE RIVER REEDS.

TEENAGERS SPEND THE DAY WEAVING REED MATS

THAT ARE USED TO SUN-DRY FISH OR COVER HARD CLAY VILLAGE FLOORS.

BUT ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY

STILL RELIES ON THE RIVER’S MOST BASIC ELEMENT--

THE FORCE OF ITS WATER FLOWING DOWN THE VALLEY

LIGHTS UP MANY AFRICAN CITIES.

AFTER FLOWING UNIMPEDED FOR MILLENNIA,

THE ZAMBEZI RIVER WAS FINALLY CAPTURED IN 1956

BY THE KARIBA DAM.

IT CREATES THE LARGEST LAKE IN AFRICA,

STRETCHING FOR 140 MILES, UP TO 25 MILES WIDE IN PLACES

AND BLANKETS 2,300 SQUARE MILES OF LAND.

HOLDING BACK ALL THIS WATER IS A WALL 1,900 FEET WIDE,

420 FEET HIGH, AND 85 FEET THICK.

ENTOMBED WITHIN ITS CONCRETE ARE 18 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

WHO SLIPPED AND FELL INTO THE SUFFOCATING CEMENT SLUDGE

DURING CONSTRUCTION.

THE BRITISH QUEEN MOTHER

PRESIDED OVER THE DAM’S CEREMONIAL OPENING IN 1960,

WHEN IT WAS CALLED ONE OF THE MAN-MADE WONDERS OF THE WORLD.

BUT IT TOOK ANOTHER 17 YEARS

BEFORE THE DAM WAS A FULLY FUNCTIONAL POWER SOURCE.

THE WALL NOW GENERATES 960 MEGAWATTS OF ELECTRICITY A DAY,

POWERING ZAMBIA’S CITIES

AND PROVIDING SURPLUS ENERGY TO ITS NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.

SINCE ITS OPENING,

20 EARTHQUAKES OF MAGNITUDE 5 OR HIGHER

HAVE RATTLED THE DAM,

AS IF THE RESTLESS RIVER

CONTINUES TO SETTLE INTO ITS NEW HOME.

♪

THE MASSIVE LAKE CREATED BY THE DAM

SUPPORTS A THRIVING COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY.

RUNOFF FROM THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE

PROVIDES ABUNDANT NUTRIENTS

FOR TINY ZOOPLANKTON LIVING IN THE LAKE.

THEY ARE PERFECT FOOD FOR SHOALS OF SILVER KAPENTA FISH.

AT NIGHT, THESE FISHERMEN

LOWER THESE CIRCULAR NETS INTO THE WATER.

THEN THEY BLAST BEAMS OF LIGHT INTO THE MURKY DEPTHS.

ZOOPLANKTON ARE DRAWN TO THE LIGHT,

FOLLOWED BY KAPENTA THAT BLINDLY SWIM INTO THE TRAP.

THE NETS ARE HOISTED UP WITH MOUNDS OF SHINY FISH.

BY MORNING THE FISH ARE LAID OUT ON SUN-DRYING MATS,

PRESERVING THEM FOR THE LONG HAUL

TO MARKETS ACROSS AFRICA.

BUT GLOBAL MARKETS DEMAND BIGGER FISH,

WHICH IN TURN DEMANDS MODERN INTERVENTION.

THESE CIRCULAR CAGES ARE THE FUTURE OF FISHING.

MILLIONS OF TILAPIA FINGERLINGS TREATED WITH TESTOSTERONE

ARE HATCHED ALONG THE BANKS.

THEN THEY ARE TRANSPORTED TO THESE CAGES,

WHERE MOST GROW INTO LARGE MALES,

INCREASING PROTEIN PRODUCTION.

MEN ON PONTOON BOATS THROW WAVES OF FOOD,

A MIX OF CORN, SOYBEANS AND WHEAT.

THE FISH ENJOY SEVERAL LAYERS OF PROTECTION.

PREDATOR NETS PROTECT THE FISH

FROM BEING SHREDDED BY TIGER FISH AND CROCODILES.

AN INNER BAG NET PREVENTS FISH FROM ESCAPING.

AND A TOP NET PREVENTS FISH EAGLES

FROM SNATCHING THE STOCK.

THE FINEST OF THESE PAMPERED FISH ARE EXPORTED TO EUROPE.

THE REST ARE TRANSPORTED TO ZAMBIA’S CITY MARKETS,

SOLD BY STREET VENDORS TO A BURGEONING POPULATION

THAT IS TRANSFORMING ZAMBIA’S WAY OF LIFE.

♪

WHEN THE CAPE TO CAIRO TRAIN LINE

FIRST SLICED THROUGH ZAMBIA,

NEW CITIES SPRANG UP ALL ALONG THE TRACK.

FIRST IT CONNECTED THE CITY

OF LIVINGSTONE TO NDOLA.

THEN, A RAILWAY SIDING WAS BUILT

SO TRAINS COULD PASS EACH OTHER ON A SINGLE TRACK.

THE SIDING WAS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF A FEARLESS ELEPHANT HUNTER

NAMED LUSAKA.

BY 1935, THE HUNTER’S VILLAGE HAD GROWN INTO A BUSY CITY--

PRESENT-DAY LUSAKA.

IT SERVED AS THE CAPITAL OF NORTHERN RHODESIA FOR 29 YEARS,

BUT WHEN ZAMBIA GAINED INDEPENDENCE,

A NEW POLICY OF NATIONALISM WAS ANNOUNCED.

LAND WAS TAKEN BACK FROM THE BRITISH

AND HANDED OVER TO NATIVE ZAMBIANS,

WHO RELIED ON THE COPPER MINES TO DRIVE THEIR ECONOMY.

BUT TODAY, A SLOWING DEMAND FOR THE PRECIOUS COMMODITY

HAS PUT A BURDEN ON THE COUNTRY’S FINANCIAL RESOURCES.

OVER 60% OF LUSAKA’S INHABITANTS ARE UNEMPLOYED.

WHEN TOWN PLANNERS BUILT THE CITY,

THEY ESTIMATED A POPULATION OF AROUND 200,000 RESIDENTS.

BUT IT HAS MUSHROOMED TO 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE--

15% OF THE COUNTRY’S POPULATION.

POVERTY-STRICKEN PEOPLE LIVE IN THESE UNDEVELOPED SETTLEMENTS

WITH INHERENT HEALTH RISKS,

THE GREATEST BEING HIV/AIDS.

ONE IN FIVE ZAMBIANS IS HIV-POSITIVE,

AND ONE IN THREE CHILDREN ARE ORPHANED.

CROWDS OF HUNGRY PEOPLE JAM UP THE CITY LIMITS

BUSKING FOR JOBS

OR SEEKING OUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BARTER AND TRADE.

MOST SPEND A LIFETIME SELLING GOODS AND SERVICES

AT INFORMAL MARKETS LIKE THESE.

OVER 2,000 CLOTHING MERCHANTS TRADE IN SECOND-HAND CLOTHING.

THE BEST GARMENTS ARE SOLD FOR ABOUT TWO DOLLARS EACH--

A HEFTY PRICE TAG FOR MOST ZAMBIANS

WHO LIVE ON A DOLLAR A DAY.

MANY TRADERS EKE OUT A LIVING

WITHIN THE TINY STALLS OF THESE EVER-EXPANDING URBAN MARKETS...

WHILE OTHERS RELY ON PLANTING VAST FIELDS OF CROPS,

WHICH CAN BE JUST AS RISKY.

AS NEIGHBORING ZIMBABWE WAS IN THE THROES

OF A CONTROVERSIAL LAND REFORM PROGRAM,

WHITE FARMERS WERE VIOLENTLY DRIVEN OFF THEIR FARMS.

MANY MOVED TO ZAMBIA.

SOME SETTLED IN THE MKUSHI BLOCK,

BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO THE RAIL NETWORK.

THERE THEY SET UP LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL FARMS,

TURNING UNFERTILE EARTH INTO ARABLE LAND.

NUTRIENT-POOR SOILS WERE TREATED WITH LIME

AND INFUSED WITH FERTILIZER, READY FOR PLANTING.

THEN IN 2002, ELECTRICITY GAVE THEM ANOTHER BOOST,

MAKING WAY FOR CENTER PIVOT IRRIGATION.

TODAY THESE FARMS TRAIN AND EMPLOY

THOUSANDS OF LOCAL WORKERS.

AND THEIR HARD LABOR IS STARTING TO BEAR FRUIT.

IN EARLY 2016, ZAMBIA HIT RECORD HIGHS,

PRODUCING 3.3 MILLION TONS OF CORN.

THE BUMPER HARVEST FED ZAMBIA’S PEOPLE AND LIVESTOCK,

BUT THERE WAS STILL A SURPLUS OF NEARLY 1 MILLION TONS.

IN AN IRONIC TURN OF EVENTS, MOST OF IT WAS SOLD TO ZIMBABWE.

MODERN AGRICULTURE STAVED OFF STARVATION IN ZIMBABWE

AND TRANSFORMED ZAMBIA’S PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE.

TODAY MANY ZAMBIANS STILL SURVIVE

BY PLANTING THEIR OWN CROPS IN SMALL VILLAGE GARDENS.

AND THESE ANCIENT CULTURAL PRACTICES

AND INHERENT STRUGGLES

CONTINUE TO DEFINE RURAL LIFE HERE.

SMOKE BILLOWS FROM A SLASH-AND-BURN SITE

CALLED A CHITEMENE.

TREES CUT DOWN BY FARMERS ARE BURNED TO FUMIGATE THE SOIL.

THE ASH BALANCES THE pH LEVEL,

PREPARING THE FIELDS FOR PLANTING.

MAIZE, SORGHUM, FINGER MILLET, AND CASSAVA ALL THRIVE HERE.

VILLAGERS MUST KEEP WATCH 24 HOURS A DAY

TO PREVENT WILD ANIMALS FROM RAIDING THEIR CROPS.

ELEPHANTS HAVE BEEN DIGGING UP FIELDS

FOR AS LONG AS MAN HAS KNOWN HOW TO PLANT THEM.

IN THE 1950s,

A MAN NAMED NORMAN CARR WAS SENT TO INTERVENE.

HE WAS APPOINTED ELEPHANT CONTROL OFFICER

BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

HE WORKED HARD TO MANAGE THE CONFLICT

BETWEEN THE STRUGGLING FARMERS AND CROP-RAIDING ELEPHANTS.

AFTER YEARS OF WORK, HE FINALLY DESIGNED A SYSTEM

OF CONSERVATION THROUGH TOURISM,

WHICH ALLOWED PEOPLE AND ANIMALS TO COEXIST

IN A PEACEFUL AND SUSTAINABLE WAY.

HE ESTABLISHED THE FIRST SAFARI CAMP

IN SOUTH LUANGWA NATIONAL PARK,

WHEN AN AFRICAN SAFARI WAS ACTUALLY A HUNTING EXPEDITION.

BUT NORMAN CARR BELIEVED IN LOOKING AT ANIMALS

THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA

RATHER THAN DOWN THE BARREL OF A GUN.

♪

TODAY THE PARK IS ALMOST BONE-DRY,

SCORCHED BY THE HOT WINDS OF EL NIÑO.

THE SHIFTING GLOBAL WEATHER SYSTEM

HAS STRIPPED THE PARK OF ITS PRECIOUS FOLIAGE,

EXPOSING ANIMALS

THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE HIDDEN AWAY FROM PRYING EYES.

ELEPHANTS ADAPT QUICKLY TO THE DRY CONDITIONS,

CHEWING ON BRANCHES OF TREES

TO EXTRACT VITAL NUTRIENTS FROM THEIR BARK.

THEY’RE ON THEIR WAY TO AN UNUSUAL OASIS.

MFUWE LODGE WAS NORMAN CARR’S BASE

WHILE SETTING UP PARK OPERATIONS;

IT’S WHERE HE PIONEERED THE IDEA OF A WALKING SAFARI.

THE ELEPHANTS HERE TOOK IT A STEP FURTHER.

ONCE A YEAR, THEY WALK RIGHT THROUGH THE LODGE

TO A MASSIVE WILD MANGO TREE IN THE FRONT YARD

TO FEED ON ITS JUICY FRUIT.

THE TREE MAY HAVE EXISTED BEFORE THE LODGE WAS BUILT,

BUT IT’S A POIGNANT REMINDER

OF CARR’S SYSTEM OF CONSERVATION THROUGH TOURISM,

WHERE ANIMALS AND HUMANS COEXIST IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY.

IT’S ENSURED THAT MANY ANIMALS STILL ROAM FREE HERE TODAY...

LIKE THESE IMPALA ANTELOPE, GRAZING ON THE VERY LAST GROWTH

NEAR A RIVER SLOWLY DRYING OUT.

FEW TREES GROW LEAVES DURING A DROUGHT,

BUT ACACIA TAPROOTS STRETCH DOWN 220 FEET TO REACH WATER.

SO IT’S EASY PICKINGS FOR THESE THORNICROFT’S GIRAFFE

THAT STAND 19 FEET TALL.

THE SHADE OF THE TREE KEEPS THEM COOL

WHILE THEY CHEW THEIR CUD TO DIGEST THE FIBROUS LEAVES.

AFTER LUNCH, THEY’LL HEAD DOWN TO THE LUANGWA RIVER

FOR AN AFTERNOON DRINK.

♪

THE LUANGWA FLOWS INTO THE ZAMBEZI RIVER,

BUT TODAY IT’S HARDLY FLOWING AT ALL.

OVER 30,000 HIPPOS TUSSLE FOR SPACE HERE AT HIPPO BEND,

THE WORLD’S LARGEST POPULATION.

THEY’RE NOCTURNAL FEEDERS

WHO WALK MILES IN THE DARK TO GRAZE ON GRASS.

HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF FISH GATHER AROUND THE HIPPOS,

FEEDING OFF THEIR DUNG

AND THE SILT DISTURBED BY THEIR ACTIVITY.

♪

NILE CROCODILES ARE ATTRACTED TO THE FISH;

IT’S THEIR MAIN FOOD SOURCE.

THEY’RE A REAL THREAT FOR BABY HIPPOS

THAT ARE BORN UNDERWATER.

BUT EVEN FOR A CROC, MALE HIPPOS ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.

THEY GROW TO 3,300 POUNDS,

AND THEIR TEETH ARE UP TO A FOOT LONG,

SHARPENED AS THEY EAT,

SIMILAR TO A RODENT.

ONE THEORY SUGGESTS THAT HIPPOS AND WHALES

SHARED A COMMON ANCESTOR

THAT BRANCHED OFF FROM THEIR EVOLUTIONARY PATH

AROUND 60 MILLION YEARS AGO.

EXCEPT HIPPOS DON’T SWIM VERY WELL,

DESPITE HAVING WEBBED FEET.

NOR DO THEY FLOAT.

INSTEAD, THEY SINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER

WHERE THEY RUN ALONG AND LEAP FORWARD IN BOUNDS,

BREAKING THE SURFACE OF THE WATER,

LIKE A DOLPHIN, TO BREATHE.

THEIR HEADS ARE DESIGNED SO THAT EARS, NOSE, AND EYES

ARE ABOVE WATER,

SO THE REST OF THE BODY REMAINS SUBMERGED.

LIKE DOLPHINS AND WHALES, THEY CAN SLEEP UNDERWATER,

RISING TO BREATHE WITHOUT WAKING.

AS THE SHRINKING RIVER STRANGLES THIS SEETHING MASS,

A FOREST NEARBY ERUPTS WITH HAUNTING SHRIEKS

AS A HUNGRY SWARM DESCENDS TO FEED.

NORMAN CARR HAD A SPECIAL TOUCH

FOR PROTECTING ZAMBIA’S WILDLIFE,

BUT NOT EVERYONE SHARED HIS CONSERVATIVE VIEWS.

UNSCRUPULOUS HUNTING PARTIES

WIPED OUT MANY SPECIES IN THE 1980s

HERE AT KASANKA NATIONAL PARK.

BUT JUST FIVE YEARS LATER,

A BRITISH FRIEND OF NORMAN CARR’S STEPPED IN

TO TACKLE THE TROUBLED PARK.

DAVID LLOYD HAD SERVED AS A COLONIAL OFFICER,

POLICING VIOLENT CLASHES

WHILE THE COUNTRY MADE ITS WAY TO INDEPENDENCE.

HE AND GARY WILLIAMS, A LOCAL FARMER,

INVESTED THEIR OWN MONEY TO EMPLOY LOCAL GAME SCOUTS.

THEY WERE ASSISTED BY CHIEF CHITAMBO,

WHOSE GRANDFATHER HAD HOSTED DAVID LIVINGSTONE

MANY YEARS EARLIER.

THE TEAM BUILT ROADS AND SAFARI LODGES

TO RE-ESTABLISH THE PARK.

WASA LODGE BECAME THE HEADQUARTERS

OF THE KASANKA TRUST OPERATIONS

AND THE FIRST PRIVATELY FUNDED PARK IN ZAMBIA.

IN 2016, IT WAS TRANSFERRED INTO THE STEWARDSHIP

OF THE AFRICAN PARKS CONSERVATION TEAM.

THE COLLECTIVE CONSERVATION EFFORTS

CONTINUE TO RESTORE THE BALANCE OF THE FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM HERE.

THESE PUKU HAVE MULTIPLIED FROM A COUPLE HUNDRED ANIMALS

TO OVER 5,000 ANTELOPE,

THE LARGEST POPULATION OF ITS KIND.

KASANKA NATIONAL PARK CAN ONCE AGAIN LIVE UP TO ITS NAME,

WHICH MEANS "THE PLACE WHERE ANIMALS GATHER."

THIS IS THE LARGEST MAMMAL MIGRATION IN THE WORLD.

EVERY NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER,

10 MILLION STRAW-COLORED FRUIT BATS

FLY FROM THE CONGO BASIN TO THIS FERTILE SWAMP FOREST,

WHICH COVERS TWO ACRES.

THEY TRAVEL OVER 1,000 MILES IN A FEW NIGHTS,

BY GLIDING ON NARROW WINGS SPANNING 3 FEET

AND USE 35% LESS ENERGY THAN A BIRD IN FLIGHT

BY FOLDING THEIR WINGS CLOSE TO THEIR BODY WITH EACH BEAT.

MOST BATS USE BIOSONAR TO NAVIGATE,

BUT THESE BATS USE SIGHT AND SMELL ALONE.

THEY’RE DRAWN HERE BY THE SMELL OF FRUIT.

WATER BERRIES, MANGOES, WILD LOQUAT

AND RED MILKWOOD BERRIES

RIPEN IN TIME FOR THE FEAST.

♪

♪

THE BATS VENTURE OUT AT NIGHT TO FEED IN SURROUNDING WOODLANDS,

RETURNING HERE TO ROOST.

THEY CONSUME DOUBLE THEIR BODY WEIGHT OF FRUIT A NIGHT.

THEY CHEW ON THE FRUIT TO DRINK ITS JUICE

AND DISCARD THE PULP.

THIS FEEDING BEHAVIOR POLLINATES THE TREES’ FLOWERS

AND SOWS NEW SEEDS,

SLOWLY EXPANDING THE SIZE OF THE FOREST.

THIS NATURAL FEEDING CYCLE

ENSURES THAT AS THE BAT POPULATION GROWS,

THERE IS PLENTY OF FOOD FOR THEM,

MAINTAINING THE BALANCE OF LIFE IN THE PARK.

MAN-MADE CONSERVATION SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO HAVE THE SAME EFFECT

CAN OFTEN COME WITH UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES.

WHEN KAFUE NATIONAL PARK WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE 1950s,

MANY LOCAL TRIBES FISHING FOR FOOD IN THE BUSANGA SWAMPS

WERE MOVED OFF THEIR CULTURAL LAND

TO CREATE THE RESERVE.

IT NOW SPANS 8,600 SQUARE MILES,

ACCOUNTING FOR 33% OF ZAMBIA’S WILDLIFE RESERVES.

THE TRIBAL FOLK HAVE HAD TO ADAPT TO A NEW HOME

IN A NARROW GAME MANAGEMENT AREA

AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE RESERVE.

IT’S MEANT TO BE A BUFFER ZONE,

WHERE PEOPLE CAN HUNT AND FISH FOR FOOD IN THE KAFUE RIVER

WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH PARK OPERATIONS.

BUT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE LIVING ON THE PARK BOUNDARY,

IT’S HARD FOR AUTHORITIES TO DISTINGUISH

BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND POACHERS.

TODAY, KAFUE’S RHINOS HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY POACHED OUT,

AND ELEPHANT NUMBERS HAVE PLUMMETED

FROM 60,000 ANIMALS IN THE 1960s TO ONLY 4,000 TODAY.

BOISTEROUS MALE ELEPHANTS ARE MOST AT RISK.

WHEN FEMALES ARE IN HEAT, HORMONAL SURGES SEND MALES

INTO A TRANCE-LIKE STATE CALLED MUSTH.

THEY FORM SMALL BACHELOR HERDS,

TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES IN SEARCH OF RECEPTIVE FEMALES,

UNKNOWINGLY VENTURING CLOSE TO HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.

THIS MAKES THEM EASY TARGETS FOR POACHERS.

BUT ELEPHANTS ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT

AND CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PLACES OF DANGER AND REFUGE.

THIS ELEPHANT EXPLORES THE SMALL ISLAND FOREST AT SHUMBA CAMP,

IN THE BUSANGA PLAINS AREA OF THE PARK.

"SHUMBA" MEANS LION IN THE LOCAL SHONA LANGUAGE.

AND THE LIONS HERE HAVE ADAPTED A STRANGE BEHAVIOR.

THE BUSANGA PLAINS ARE FLOODED DURING THE RAINY SEASON,

SO LIONS HAVE BEGUN CLIMBING UP INTO BRANCHES OF FIG TREES

TO SEEK OUT PREY AND KEEP DRY.

SOME EVEN HANG OUT ON THE CAMP’S WALKWAYS.

DURING WINTER, THE WATER RECEDES,

REVEALING LUSH GRASSLANDS

THAT PROVIDE EXCELLENT GRAZING FOR PLAINS ANIMALS...

AND EASIER HUNTING FOR THE LIONS...

WHO THEN USE THE NARROW DITCHES IN THE PLAINS

TO AMBUSH ANTELOPE.

♪

50 YEARS AGO, LECHWE WERE ALMOST EXTINCT IN THIS AREA.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL PARK

HAS SEEN A PHENOMENAL RECOVERY IN THEIR NUMBERS...

THANKS IN PART TO GAME SCOUTS,

WHO ARE ON CONSTANT PATROL TO PROTECT WILDLIFE FROM POACHERS.

IN FACT, SOME OF THEM ARE FORMER POACHERS,

NOW USING THEIR FIELD SKILLS

TO SAVE ANIMALS RATHER THAN KILL THEM.

THE LARGE NUMBERS OF RARE BLACK LECHWE GATHERED HERE

ARE PROOF OF THE RANGERS’ DEDICATION.

THEY MOVE AS A UNIT AND STOP AT ANY SIGN OF DANGER

WITH THE SAME HERD COHESION.

CROCODILES LURK IN THE SHRINKING POOLS OF WATER.

THE REST OF THE HERD WAITS FOR A SIGNAL TO CROSS

OR RUN TO SAFETY.

♪

BY JUNE, WINTER HAS SET IN,

AND THE WETLANDS HAVE ALMOST COMPLETELY VANISHED.

FLOCKS OF AFRICAN OPEN-BILLED STORKS

CONGREGATE AROUND THE WATERCOURSE,

WHERE THE HIPPOS STIR UP TASTY CACHES

OF FRESHWATER SNAILS AND MUSSELS.

HIPPOS FREQUENTLY USE THE SAME PATHS THROUGH THE CHANNELS,

CUTTING THROUGH DENSE WATER VEGETATION.

THESE PATHS HELP FISH ACCESS NEW BREEDING PONDS

AND PREVENT SWAMPS FROM BECOMING CLOGGED.

MALES BATTLE CONSTANTLY OVER THE PRECIOUS TERRITORY.

THIS YOUNG BULL HAS LOST A STANDOFF

WITH A MORE DOMINANT MALE.

HE TURNS HIS RAGE ON AN APPROACHING MOTHER AND CALF.

THE MALE DEFECATES IN A TYPICAL TERRITORIAL DISPLAY.

MOTHER AND CALF MAKE A HASTY RETREAT.

THIS TIME THE BRUSH WITH THE YOUNG MALE ENDS PEACEFULLY,

BUT THE FIGHT FOR SPACE IN THE SHRINKING POND

WILL SOON ESCALATE INTO MORE VIOLENT CLASHES.

EVEN ON DRY LAND, ANIMALS COMPETE

FOR THE LAST CLUMPS OF NUTRITIOUS VEGETATION.

HABITATS OVERLAP BETWEEN SPECIES

AS THEY DESPERATELY SEEK OUT SUFFICIENT GRAZING.

EVERY LAST MORSEL OF VEGETATION IS CONSUMED

SO THE HERDS SURVIVE THE LONG DRY SPELL.

SOON RAIN WILL FALL IN THE HIGHLANDS...

AND RIVERS WILL START THEIR LONG JOURNEY

INTO ZAMBIA’S LIFE-GIVING WETLANDS.

ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF ZAMBIA,

LUSH MIOMBO WOODLANDS BLANKET THE LANDSCAPE.

HERE, GREAT PRESSURES UNDERGROUND

FORCED MOLTEN LAVA TO SURGE OVER 100 MILES

TO THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

AS IT COOLED, IT FORMED THESE BREATHTAKING BOULDERS

THAT BREACH THE FOREST CANOPY,

RISING A THOUSAND FEET INTO THE AIR...

GIVING THEM THEIR NAME--

WHALE BACK MOUNTAINS.

THEY’RE OVER 1.5 BILLION YEARS OLD.

THESE BOULDERS AND THE 25-MILE ROCKY RIDGE

IN NEIGHBORING LAVUSHI MANDA NATIONAL PARK

GIVE BIRTH TO SOME OF ZAMBIA’S MOST IMPORTANT RIVERS.

THE LUKULU AND LULIMALA RIVERS START HERE

AND DRAIN INTO THE BANGWEULU SWAMPS...

ONE OF THE LARGEST WETLAND SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD.

IT SPANS ALMOST 10,000 SQUARE MILES.

COUNTLESS PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

DEPEND ON THE BANGWEULU WATERS TO SURVIVE.

ITS NAME MEANS "THE PLACE WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY."

THE SHIMMERING WATER FILLS A SHALLOW DEPRESSION

IN THE CENTER OF THE NORTH ZAMBIAN PLATEAU.

THIS WAS ONCE AN ANCIENT SEA.

17 RIVERS FLOW IN,

BUT ONLY ONE FLOWS OUT--

THE LUAPULA.

THE VAST WETLAND LIES AT THE EDGE OF THE CONGO PEDICLE.

IT’S THE SIZE OF NEW JERSEY AND ALMOST CUTS ZAMBIA IN HALF.

EARLY RULERS OF THE CONGO

CREATED THE PEDICLE

WHEN THEY WANTED ACCESS

TO THE RICH FISHING WATERS

AND MINERAL RESOURCES ZAMBIA HAD ON OFFER.

IN 1983, CHINESE CONTRACTORS,

EAGER TO ACCESS THE COPPER MINES,

BUILT THE LUAPULA BRIDGE OVER THE PEDICLE.

THE RIVER HERE IS 1,300 FEET WIDE DURING THE DRY MONTHS...

BUT WELL OVER 3,000 FEET WIDE WHEN IN FLOOD.

SO THE BRIDGE STRETCHES FOR 1.5 MILES.

CROSSING THE BANGWEULU CAN NOW BE DONE BY CAR,

BUT TO GET TO THE SWAMP ITSELF, YOU NEED A BOAT.

THESE FARMERS HAVE HARVESTED THE LAST CROPS FOR THE SEASON

AND NOW TURN TO FISHING IN THE SWAMPS FOR FOOD...

TAKING ALL THEY NEED TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE HOME,

BUT WITH HIDDEN DANGERS.

THREE OF AFRICA’S MOST DANGEROUS KILLERS THRIVE HERE--

CROCODILES, HIPPOS,

AND THE DEADLY, ALMOST INVISIBLE ANOPHELES MOSQUITO

THAT CARRIES THE MALARIA PARASITE.

DESPITE THE RISK, MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN

HAVE NO OTHER OPTION

BUT TO TRAVEL UP TO 60 MILES ON FOOT AND BY BOAT

TO SETTLE IN THESE TEMPORARY FISHING VILLAGES.

THEIR HUTS ARE CONSTRUCTED

FROM WOOD, THATCH GRASS, AND PLASTIC SHEETS.

THEY’RE BUILT TO LAST JUST UNTIL THE FLOODS ARRIVE.

DURING THE DAY, MEN GO TO WORK IN SMALL TEAMS,

TRAVERSING MILES OF OPEN WATER

IN SEARCH OF CATFISH AND DOZENS OF SPECIES OF CICHLIDS.

THEY’RE CAUGHT IN GILL NETS AND SEINE NETS.

THE FISH ARE SMOKED AND SOLD FOR A DOLLAR PER POUND

TO FISH TRADERS,

OR BARTERED FOR BREAD, SUGAR, AND TOBACCO.

CATFISH AVOID PREDATORS

BY HIDING OUT UNDER THESE FLOATING ISLANDS,

VENTURING OUT AT NIGHT TO FEED.

♪

FISHERMEN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR BEHAVIOR

BY SETTING A TRAP.

ESCAPE ROUTES ARE SEALED OFF

BY PLACING A SERIES OF CIRCULAR NETS

AROUND THE DAYTIME HIDEOUT.

THESE NETS WILL BE LEFT OVERNIGHT,

AND WITH A BIT OF LUCK, WILL BE WRITHING WITH FISH BY MORNING.

ZAMBIANS HAVE SURVIVED BY FISHING HERE FOR CENTURIES,

BUT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, MODERN INDUSTRY RUSHED IN...

NOT TO HARVEST FISH,

BUT RATHER THE VALUABLE LIMESTONE

FORMED ON THE ANCIENT SEABED THAT CRADLES THE SWAMP.

IT’S THE KEY INGREDIENT FOR CEMENT PRODUCTION...

A RESOURCE THAT NOW EMPOWERS MANY AFRICANS.

WHEN NIGERIAN BUSINESS TYCOON ALIKO DANGOTE

WON THE RIGHT TO IMPORT CEMENT INTO NIGERIA,

HIS BUSINESS SOARED.

IT EXPANDED LIMESTONE MINING IN ZAMBIA,

MAKING WAY FOR THIS CEMENT FACTORY.

DANGOTE IS NOW RANKED 67th AMONG THE WORLD’S RICHEST MEN,

AND THE RICHEST IN ALL OF AFRICA.

HIS WEALTH IS ESTIMATED AT A STAGGERING $18 BILLION.

THESE MINES HELPED SHAPE ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY

AND BROUGHT DANGOTE’S DREAM TO LIFE--

DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS IN AFRICA...

A PATRIOTIC AND PRAGMATIC VISION

SHARED WITH THE LIKES OF DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE,

WHO HAD SEEN SUCH SUCCESS IN HIS MIND’S EYE,

WHILE LOOKING AT AFRICA THROUGH THE LENS OF IMPERIAL BRITAIN

MANY YEARS EARLIER.

♪

LIVINGSTONE IS STILL THE ONLY CITY IN ZAMBIA

THAT RETAINS ITS COLONIAL NAME,

AN INDICATION OF THE KIND OF RESPECT ZAMBIA HAS

FOR THE GREAT EXPLORER WHO GAVE HIS LIFE TO AFRICA.

DR. DAVID LIVINGSTON’S LIFE

CAME TO AN END

NEAR THE BANGWEULU SWAMPS

JUST ACROSS THE WATER

FROM DANGOTE’S CEMENT FACTORY OPERATIONS.

A PART OF HIM REMAINS IN THIS MIOMBO FOREST.

MALARIA HAD RAVAGED HIS BODY FOR MONTHS,

AND INTERNAL BLEEDING CAUSED BY DYSENTERY

FINALLY TOOK HIS LIFE ON THE FIRST OF MAY 1873.

WHEN HIS AFRICAN ATTENDANTS FOUND HIM,

HE WAS KNEELING IN FINAL PRAYER.

HIS MEN WERE TORN WITH HOW TO SAY GOODBYE.

THEY DECIDED TO REMOVE HIS HEART AND BURY IT HERE.

HIS EMBALMED BODY WAS CARRIED

OVER A THOUSAND MILES TO THE COAST,

RETURNED TO BRITAIN FOR BURIAL, WITH A FINAL NOTE STATING:

"YOU CAN HAVE HIS BODY, BUT HIS HEART BELONGS IN AFRICA."

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...

AS MODERN-DAY EXPLORERS RETRACE HIS JOURNEY...

VENTURING THROUGH PRISTINE PARKS

ONCE WALKED BY NORMAN CARR...

NEAR SACRED PLACES

WHERE TRIBES REKINDLE THEIR CULTURAL HISTORY...

WORKING WITH NATURE

TO DEFINE THE BALANCE

BETWEEN THE DIG FOR ZAMBIA’S MINERAL WEALTH

AND THE RACE TO PROTECT ITS WILD SPACES...

♪

FROM THUNDERING HERDS OF LECHWE,

TO GIANT PODS OF HIPPOS.

WITNESSING THIS PROUD AFRICAN NATION

MAKES IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY DAVID LIVINGSTONE

WOULD NOT FORSAKE THIS MAGNIFICENT COUNTRY.

AS HIS VISION FOR THE CONTINENT COMES TO LIFE,

HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON...

AS THE MIST FROM VICTORIA FALLS CONTINUES TO ROAR.

♪

♪

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