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DERECK: They emerged from
the swamps 50 million years ago
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and became creatures that ruled
the world from coast to coast,
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mountains to deserts.
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NARRATOR: Dereck and Beverly
Joubert are many things --
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award-winning filmmakers,
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explorers,
and dedicated conservationists.
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Now they've set their sights
once again
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on the elephants of Botswana --
but from a whole new angle.
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DERECK: We've lived in the wild
in Botswana for 30 years,
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telling the stories
of this place.
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But we haven't seen it all.
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We're still searching
for something.
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[ Trumpeting ]
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NARRATOR: Journey
with the Jouberts
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to one of the most remote places
in Africa,
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where they'll explore
one of the last remaining
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herds of elephants
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and contemplate the inner lives
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of these iconic creatures.
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BEVERLY: Did they know
the dead elephant?
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Is this a curiosity
or remembrance?
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What is the very soul
of the elephant?
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♪♪
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[ Animals calling ]
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♪♪
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DERECK: The story of elephants
is a timeless story of ghosts.
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[ Elephants rumbling ]
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They leave us messages --
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ancient footprints in the sands
of time.
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In some places, it's the message
of extinction
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as 35,000 elephants are poached
each year,
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purely for their ivory.
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[ Elephant rumbles ]
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But in other places,
there are messages of hope --
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like where we live,
where they are still giants.
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[ Elephant rumbles ]
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Seven-ton giants in full sail.
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Their movements
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are a meditation.
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[ Elephant snorts ]
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Their eyes shine
with a deep intelligence.
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We've lived in the wild
in Botswana for 30 years,
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filming, exploring, researching,
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telling the stories
of this place.
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But we haven't seen it all.
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We're still searching
for something.
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And often,
what we find surprises us.
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I often think of myself
as an elephant.
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I try to think their thoughts,
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live life with their values.
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BEVERLY: This all started
one day
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while exploring the backwaters
of the bush.
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This place is endless.
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[ Woman vocalizing ]
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BEVERLY: We stumbled across
something intriguing --
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a sun-bleached skull
from a bull elephant
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who'd died two years earlier,
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but with tusks so heavy,
I could barely lift them.
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♪♪
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It's rare to find a carcass
with its ivory still intact.
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What's so exciting about that
is in what it represents.
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It means that no one has been
here for at least two years.
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But something
just didn't add up.
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DERECK: We had too many bones
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for this to be
from one elephant.
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As we looked around,
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we found enough to make up
two huge bull elephants,
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a literal killing field,
but with a difference --
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absolutely no sign of man.
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♪♪
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You can age an elephant
by its molar teeth,
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and these bulls were old.
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But still, at around 70, they
had a few years left to live.
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They both died in exactly
the same place at the same time.
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Usually, that would mean
poaching.
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But why would these two bulls
still have their ivory?
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It was a mystery that would
change the course of our lives
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over the next few months.
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We decided to reconstruct
their lives.
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As we left the grave site,
we didn't feel sad.
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Out here, you learn that
a natural death like these,
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elephants that die
with their ivory,
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is rare and a celebration,
as it should be.
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Dust to dust.
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The soul of the elephant
at peace.
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♪♪
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This is a magical place,
the Selinda Spillway,
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a wave of rivers that snake away
from the Okavango Delta
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and join the northern rivers
in Botswana,
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ultimately feeding
into the great Zambezi.
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So, to understand the lives
of the two bulls,
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we've decided to paddle from one
end of this river to the other.
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It would have been
their home range
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from their birthplace
to their final resting place.
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BEVERLY: Very shallow here.
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DERECK: Starting to get
into that yellow water
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that we saw from the air.
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[ Bird chirping ]
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We'll also survey the carcasses
we find
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to thoroughly understand
poaching levels, hunting,
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and other influences of man.
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For the next few months,
we'll paddle and walk,
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explore the river and its banks
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as it cuts through the largest
elephant populations
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in the world.
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[ Elephant trumpets ]
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[ Rumbling ]
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The mystery of the two bulls
still works inside my head.
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♪♪
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They were born over 70 years ago
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into a very different world.
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There would have been over
5 million elephants then.
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We were waging a world war
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as a 250-pound baby
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fought his own first battle
against gravity
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to stand
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and his mother diligently
cleaned away the placenta
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to hide the scent
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00:07:06,860 --> 00:07:10,195
and to protect him
from lions and hyenas.
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[ Elephant rumbles ]
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♪♪
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Each baby born then
had less than a 10% chance
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of making it
past our guns and snares
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to the age of the two old bulls.
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But both somehow survived.
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BEVERLY: I've also been thinking
about those first steps.
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Soon after birth, a mother takes
her newborn into the herd.
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The family gently adjusts pace
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00:07:46,099 --> 00:07:50,068
for the smallest, shortest,
newest legs.
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00:07:50,070 --> 00:07:54,539
Within hours, he is their
much-celebrated new baby
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that everyone wants to greet and
to get to know and to protect.
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♪♪
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This social world he is
introduced to
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will help him develop into one
of the most intelligent
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00:08:08,956 --> 00:08:11,990
and sensitive beings
on the planet.
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[ Rumbling ]
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♪♪
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[ Rumbles ]
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[ Bird chirping ]
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The pace of a herd is
misleadingly slow.
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They cover huge distances
at an apparent stroll.
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But a quick nap while
standing up
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disorientates him.
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[ Birds calling ]
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That's the time to panic.
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[ Adult rumbling ]
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[ Rumbling continues ]
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He's a miniature elephant
in a world of giants
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and on strange, slippery
terrain.
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[ Adult rumbles ]
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Even at his age, days old,
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he would have understood
the ways of elephants,
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to recover from any indignity
with aggression.
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[ Adult rumbling ]
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Charge at egrets,
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charge at shadows, but charge
whenever you can.
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[ Trumpets ]
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♪♪
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[ Rumbling ]
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At his mother's side,
an amazing lesson begins.
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He wants milk now,
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having survived his near-death
experience
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with shadows and demons,
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but she withholds
his privileges.
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♪♪
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He needs to strengthen his bond
with her.
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And with elephants,
that early imprinting is vital.
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He is frustrated.
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He wants that milk.
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But colossal legs
outsmart his every move.
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It's only when his temper
tantrum passes
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that he is allowed in.
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His constant pounding away
yields results,
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and milk squirts out.
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These are the intimate lives of
elephants we often forget about
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when we see them just as
falling numbers on a chart.
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The water's deep enough
for the hippo here.
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DERECK: It's on the next bend.
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00:11:05,165 --> 00:11:09,000
BEVERLY: It's two weeks in,
and we have a problem already.
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We know enough
from 30 years of filming them
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exactly what is going on.
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DERECK: There, up ahead --
hippos fighting.
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BEVERLY: This narrow channel
is not big enough
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for us and angry hippos.
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Better go around them.
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It's time to get out
of the deep water.
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Dereck is always keen
to give it a try.
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00:11:32,926 --> 00:11:38,129
But it really is time
to find an alternative route.
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Our reluctant captain checks
the GPS
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and plots another course,
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except there isn't really
an alternative
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but to pull our canoe and gear
through the backwaters
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and shallows, where we can,
at least, see hippos coming.
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Very shallow here.
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00:11:54,247 --> 00:11:56,514
DERECK: So much for paddling
down the river.
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00:11:56,516 --> 00:11:58,483
BEVERLY: If anything goes wrong,
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00:11:58,485 --> 00:12:01,319
we'll need to be airlifted
by helicopter from here.
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00:12:01,321 --> 00:12:06,091
It's over five days' drive
to the nearest town.
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DERECK: All right, well done.
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00:12:08,795 --> 00:12:10,261
BEVERLY: All right.
201
00:12:10,263 --> 00:12:13,431
DERECK: In the backwaters,
we find another skull.
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00:12:13,433 --> 00:12:17,736
A submerged skull gives us
very little to go on.
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00:12:17,738 --> 00:12:19,671
It's like coaxing stories
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out of spirits.
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00:12:21,208 --> 00:12:23,074
But the clues are all there.
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00:12:26,912 --> 00:12:31,449
The lower jaw indicates it was
only about 25 years old.
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We always replace each bone
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00:12:34,454 --> 00:12:38,022
exactly as we find it,
out of respect.
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00:12:41,060 --> 00:12:45,697
The sloping forehead tells us
it was a young bull.
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00:12:45,699 --> 00:12:48,666
The tusks have not
been chopped out.
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00:12:50,402 --> 00:12:53,838
We write it up as another
natural death
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00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:56,407
in a watery grave.
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00:12:56,409 --> 00:12:58,643
There is a richness
to life here,
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00:12:58,645 --> 00:13:01,246
but none quite as dramatic
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00:13:01,248 --> 00:13:04,482
as what we finally come across
downstream.
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00:13:04,484 --> 00:13:07,852
♪♪
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00:13:07,854 --> 00:13:12,390
Just ahead, we see our first
living elephants in weeks.
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The phantoms of this expedition
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00:13:14,728 --> 00:13:18,396
are actually real at last.
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00:13:18,398 --> 00:13:21,833
♪♪
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00:13:27,740 --> 00:13:32,977
We also get a rare private view
of wild elephants.
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00:13:32,979 --> 00:13:36,881
A little like looking in through
a bedroom window.
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00:13:36,883 --> 00:13:40,351
[ Elephant snoring ]
224
00:13:40,353 --> 00:13:46,024
And actually,
elephants do snore.
225
00:13:46,026 --> 00:13:49,561
The wind changes,
swirling our scent towards them,
226
00:13:49,563 --> 00:13:51,796
and it seems
they know that smell.
227
00:13:51,798 --> 00:13:54,265
[ Trumpets ]
228
00:13:54,267 --> 00:13:56,634
[ Rumbling ]
229
00:13:56,636 --> 00:13:59,037
Our only defense
in this shallow water
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00:13:59,039 --> 00:14:01,506
is to keep dead still.
231
00:14:01,508 --> 00:14:03,708
[ Elephant trumpets ]
232
00:14:03,710 --> 00:14:06,411
And perfectly quiet.
233
00:14:06,413 --> 00:14:07,612
[ Rumbling ]
234
00:14:07,614 --> 00:14:11,015
[ Trumpets ]
235
00:14:11,017 --> 00:14:13,351
There's always a heavy sleeper.
236
00:14:13,353 --> 00:14:15,920
Caught off guard,
they're the most dangerous --
237
00:14:15,922 --> 00:14:18,857
more prone to panic
and to charge.
238
00:14:18,859 --> 00:14:19,958
[ Trumpets ]
239
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,827
♪♪
240
00:14:29,668 --> 00:14:33,171
Now, these are moments I love.
241
00:14:33,173 --> 00:14:35,340
There is something hypnotic
242
00:14:35,342 --> 00:14:38,409
about being in the path
of a charging elephant --
243
00:14:38,411 --> 00:14:43,381
something dangerous,
but peaceful, beautiful.
244
00:14:43,383 --> 00:14:47,085
Time warps.
245
00:14:47,087 --> 00:14:49,020
You focus on the dance
of their ears.
246
00:14:49,022 --> 00:14:52,690
And sound dulls because you
believe he'll stop,
247
00:14:52,692 --> 00:14:55,627
but you don't know it for sure.
248
00:14:58,764 --> 00:15:04,836
It's strange that you feel
most alive when you face death.
249
00:15:06,372 --> 00:15:10,475
[ Rumbles ]
250
00:15:15,114 --> 00:15:16,481
[ Rumbling ]
251
00:15:16,483 --> 00:15:18,149
And when it's over,
252
00:15:18,151 --> 00:15:20,985
I find myself strangely relaxed,
253
00:15:20,987 --> 00:15:26,491
privileged at having been
face-to-face with an elephant.
254
00:15:26,493 --> 00:15:30,862
[ Rumbling ]
255
00:15:30,864 --> 00:15:33,998
Any disturbance ripples through
the herds,
256
00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,134
and they stop as one
257
00:15:36,136 --> 00:15:39,804
in what we call a freeze.
258
00:15:39,806 --> 00:15:43,741
[ Insects chirping ]
259
00:15:43,743 --> 00:15:46,244
The leader gives an order
and releases them
260
00:15:46,246 --> 00:15:48,179
with another ultrasonic call
to move on.
261
00:15:48,181 --> 00:15:49,314
[ Trumpets ]
262
00:15:49,316 --> 00:15:51,549
That order sends them
263
00:15:51,551 --> 00:15:52,984
back our way.
264
00:15:52,986 --> 00:15:55,253
[ Trumpets ]
265
00:15:55,255 --> 00:15:56,554
[ Rumbling ]
266
00:15:56,556 --> 00:15:59,590
[ Trumpets ]
267
00:15:59,592 --> 00:16:02,694
But it breaks our hearts to see
each herd we approach
268
00:16:02,696 --> 00:16:04,529
disappear like ghosts
269
00:16:04,531 --> 00:16:06,130
before we can even get to know
them
270
00:16:06,132 --> 00:16:09,467
or even count them.
271
00:16:09,469 --> 00:16:12,537
♪♪
272
00:16:15,908 --> 00:16:17,141
[ Mooing ]
273
00:16:17,143 --> 00:16:20,311
Perhaps it isn't entirely
our fault.
274
00:16:20,313 --> 00:16:23,715
Within minutes, we find out
that the animals here
275
00:16:23,717 --> 00:16:26,851
may be upset for a different
reason.
276
00:16:26,853 --> 00:16:30,088
There are lions hunting
in the dusk.
277
00:16:30,090 --> 00:16:34,225
[ Mooing ]
278
00:16:46,538 --> 00:16:49,807
[ Lion growling ]
279
00:16:49,809 --> 00:16:53,177
[ Mooing ]
280
00:16:53,245 --> 00:16:56,681
Lions are unafraid of the most
dangerous of prey
281
00:16:56,683 --> 00:16:59,917
and the largest.
282
00:16:59,919 --> 00:17:01,419
But old bull elephants
283
00:17:01,421 --> 00:17:04,522
are the true omnipotent rulers
of the savannas,
284
00:17:04,524 --> 00:17:08,526
not even pausing
to look at the carnage.
285
00:17:08,528 --> 00:17:11,929
Certainly it wasn't lions that
brought down the two old bulls
286
00:17:11,931 --> 00:17:14,032
we found over a month ago now.
287
00:17:14,034 --> 00:17:17,268
♪♪
288
00:17:17,270 --> 00:17:19,904
[ Elephant rumbles ]
289
00:17:29,281 --> 00:17:32,283
Our nights under a flimsy tent
290
00:17:32,285 --> 00:17:36,854
are filled with sounds
that light up the imagination.
291
00:17:36,856 --> 00:17:39,624
[ Various animal calls ]
292
00:17:39,626 --> 00:17:41,526
We dream of giants
293
00:17:41,528 --> 00:17:45,797
moving as silently
as ghost ships under sail.
294
00:17:45,799 --> 00:17:48,466
[ Animals calling ]
295
00:17:51,503 --> 00:17:54,105
BEVERLY: Looks like there's
a skull over there.
296
00:17:54,107 --> 00:17:56,974
The skull of an elephant.
Looks typical.
297
00:17:56,976 --> 00:17:58,876
DERECK: Yeah,
let's go down there.
298
00:17:58,878 --> 00:18:00,411
BEVERLY: We heard them calling
all night,
299
00:18:00,413 --> 00:18:03,614
and now we understand why.
300
00:18:03,616 --> 00:18:07,385
It's one of those gatherings
we think are like burial rituals
301
00:18:07,387 --> 00:18:08,653
or wakes.
302
00:18:08,655 --> 00:18:09,921
DERECK: Let's see what happens
here.
303
00:18:09,923 --> 00:18:12,023
That looks like the --
over there
304
00:18:12,025 --> 00:18:15,259
'cause there are all those
females next to it.
305
00:18:15,261 --> 00:18:18,496
[ Rumbling ]
306
00:18:18,498 --> 00:18:21,666
♪♪
307
00:18:40,786 --> 00:18:44,255
BEVERLY: We want to be quiet,
respectful,
308
00:18:44,257 --> 00:18:48,292
but we still feel like intruders
on a family in mourning.
309
00:18:57,336 --> 00:18:59,270
When she lifts the body,
310
00:18:59,272 --> 00:19:02,507
she may be looking, searching
for the cause of death.
311
00:19:02,509 --> 00:19:06,144
[ Elephant exhales ]
312
00:19:06,146 --> 00:19:09,647
So much attention is given
to the ivory,
313
00:19:09,649 --> 00:19:13,651
as if it is the very symbol
of that elephant --
314
00:19:13,653 --> 00:19:17,555
the embodiment
of an elephant's soul.
315
00:19:17,557 --> 00:19:21,425
♪♪
316
00:19:24,096 --> 00:19:28,199
Their brains are almost
five times the size of ours.
317
00:19:28,201 --> 00:19:30,801
There is no doubt that they
are feeling emotions,
318
00:19:30,803 --> 00:19:33,471
and I wonder what information
they are getting
319
00:19:33,473 --> 00:19:37,942
as their trunks delicately hover
over the remains.
320
00:19:37,944 --> 00:19:41,646
♪♪
321
00:19:41,648 --> 00:19:43,481
Did they know the dead elephant?
322
00:19:43,483 --> 00:19:45,983
Was it a family member?
323
00:19:45,985 --> 00:19:49,620
Is this curiosity
or remembrance?
324
00:19:49,622 --> 00:19:53,257
[ Rumbling ]
325
00:19:53,259 --> 00:19:56,260
As we intrude
just a little longer,
326
00:19:56,262 --> 00:19:58,930
we can see that it
was a young bull.
327
00:19:58,932 --> 00:20:02,567
Cause of death could have been
just like many a young bull --
328
00:20:02,569 --> 00:20:04,402
raging testosterone.
329
00:20:04,404 --> 00:20:07,805
[ Trumpeting ]
330
00:20:14,947 --> 00:20:17,415
[ Rumbling ]
331
00:20:20,586 --> 00:20:22,853
DERECK: There is a saying
in Africa
332
00:20:22,855 --> 00:20:25,089
that when two elephants fight,
333
00:20:25,091 --> 00:20:28,492
it's the ground beneath them
that suffers the most.
334
00:20:28,494 --> 00:20:30,328
[ Trumpeting continues ]
335
00:20:30,330 --> 00:20:33,030
But a misplaced tusk,
a broken leg,
336
00:20:33,032 --> 00:20:35,132
and either young bull
will end up
337
00:20:35,134 --> 00:20:40,605
as bleached skin and bones
under the harsh African sky.
338
00:20:40,607 --> 00:20:46,043
[ Trumpeting continues ]
339
00:20:46,045 --> 00:20:49,146
♪♪
340
00:20:56,855 --> 00:20:59,056
[ Rumbling ]
341
00:20:59,791 --> 00:21:02,193
[ Trumpeting ]
342
00:21:05,564 --> 00:21:08,933
The threats are
not just from humans.
343
00:21:08,935 --> 00:21:11,402
As we leave, we understand
344
00:21:11,404 --> 00:21:13,871
that for our two old bulls
to have survived,
345
00:21:13,873 --> 00:21:15,606
they would have had to also
346
00:21:15,608 --> 00:21:19,644
make it through this intense
phase of their lives.
347
00:21:24,249 --> 00:21:30,087
It's sizzling hot now --
over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
348
00:21:30,089 --> 00:21:32,423
That should make everyone
lethargic.
349
00:21:32,425 --> 00:21:35,293
Or so you'd think.
350
00:21:35,295 --> 00:21:39,130
In some cases, it just makes
them cranky.
351
00:21:50,275 --> 00:21:53,277
When elephants really mean
to attack,
352
00:21:53,279 --> 00:21:56,113
they approach with a side-on
strut
353
00:21:56,115 --> 00:21:59,150
and then dip their heads
for the charge.
354
00:21:59,152 --> 00:22:00,818
[ Trumpeting ]
355
00:22:00,820 --> 00:22:04,288
While they're flapping ears
and trumpeting, we're okay.
356
00:22:04,290 --> 00:22:08,893
It's when they go quiet
and drop that head
357
00:22:08,895 --> 00:22:11,395
that it could go either way.
358
00:22:11,397 --> 00:22:14,832
[ Trumpeting ]
359
00:22:17,736 --> 00:22:21,639
There is a subtle language
to all of this.
360
00:22:21,641 --> 00:22:23,941
[ Trumpets ]
361
00:22:23,943 --> 00:22:25,943
BEVERLY: Gotta be careful
if we're underneath
362
00:22:25,945 --> 00:22:27,645
the bird's perch --
like that one.
363
00:22:27,647 --> 00:22:29,380
DERECK: You see that
under my feet.
364
00:22:29,382 --> 00:22:31,916
We're drifting over a submerged
acacia tree.
365
00:22:31,918 --> 00:22:33,984
[ Branches snapping ]
366
00:22:33,986 --> 00:22:35,753
It breaks the silence.
367
00:22:35,755 --> 00:22:38,022
The herd's suddenly wary.
368
00:22:38,024 --> 00:22:39,323
We can't backpedal
369
00:22:39,325 --> 00:22:42,360
without becoming
even more obvious to them.
370
00:22:42,362 --> 00:22:45,896
♪♪
371
00:23:00,679 --> 00:23:03,114
Beverly's instinct
is to crouch down
372
00:23:03,116 --> 00:23:05,783
and record the sound
of the bulls coming in
373
00:23:05,785 --> 00:23:09,186
'cause she knows this is gonna
be very loud.
374
00:23:09,188 --> 00:23:12,123
[ Trumpeting ]
375
00:23:19,798 --> 00:23:20,798
♪♪
376
00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:22,867
Too close.
377
00:23:22,869 --> 00:23:26,137
[ Trumpeting ]
378
00:23:26,139 --> 00:23:28,939
There's only one thing to do...
379
00:23:28,941 --> 00:23:32,076
stare him down.
380
00:23:32,144 --> 00:23:35,546
Elephants are so used to being
dominant
381
00:23:35,548 --> 00:23:37,715
that when something
doesn't run off,
382
00:23:37,717 --> 00:23:41,752
they sometimes feel intimidated,
unsettled.
383
00:23:41,754 --> 00:23:47,124
Confidence is the only weapon
we have.
384
00:23:47,126 --> 00:23:50,060
[ Rumbling ]
385
00:23:53,265 --> 00:23:55,533
These elephants
are wild and angry,
386
00:23:55,535 --> 00:23:58,936
unlike earlier ones
that just disappeared.
387
00:23:58,938 --> 00:24:00,471
[ Trumpeting ]
388
00:24:00,473 --> 00:24:03,307
They're charging like crazy
from every direction,
389
00:24:03,309 --> 00:24:05,409
around every bend in the river.
390
00:24:05,411 --> 00:24:08,579
[ Trumpeting ]
391
00:24:08,581 --> 00:24:10,881
[ Trumpets ]
392
00:24:12,617 --> 00:24:16,821
BEVERLY: Whew, that was close.
393
00:24:16,823 --> 00:24:18,389
DERECK: Not far downstream,
394
00:24:18,391 --> 00:24:21,525
we understand exactly why.
395
00:24:21,527 --> 00:24:24,528
Piles of skulls lie scattered
all around.
396
00:24:24,530 --> 00:24:26,397
BEVERLY: Look at this --
from the teeth,
397
00:24:26,399 --> 00:24:27,932
it doesn't look very old.
398
00:24:27,934 --> 00:24:29,600
DERECK: This one's got
lots of teeth.
399
00:24:29,602 --> 00:24:31,368
BEVERLY: Look.
Look at this one, too, this...
400
00:24:31,370 --> 00:24:32,937
Wow.
401
00:24:32,939 --> 00:24:34,538
He was shot...
402
00:24:34,540 --> 00:24:38,809
DERECK: Until 2014, hunting of
elephants was legal here.
403
00:24:38,811 --> 00:24:41,145
Have been in here.
404
00:24:41,147 --> 00:24:43,481
Hunters were only allowed
to shoot males,
405
00:24:43,483 --> 00:24:47,985
but we uncover female skulls
as well.
406
00:24:47,987 --> 00:24:50,154
Given what we now know,
407
00:24:50,156 --> 00:24:52,590
it must be deeply traumatic
for elephants
408
00:24:52,592 --> 00:24:56,293
when they stumble across
these piles of discarded bones.
409
00:24:56,295 --> 00:24:58,562
BEVERLY: This is
a killing field.
410
00:24:58,564 --> 00:25:00,397
DERECK: It explains why
411
00:25:00,399 --> 00:25:02,600
at the start
of each hunting season,
412
00:25:02,602 --> 00:25:05,135
elephants would leave
hunting areas.
413
00:25:05,137 --> 00:25:09,106
They must know
what we do to them.
414
00:25:09,108 --> 00:25:11,909
♪♪
415
00:25:11,911 --> 00:25:17,414
The two old bulls were lucky
to escape this era as well.
416
00:25:17,416 --> 00:25:19,483
♪♪
417
00:25:27,726 --> 00:25:31,462
It feels like we're
in hostile territory.
418
00:25:31,464 --> 00:25:34,899
[ Hippo calling ]
419
00:25:43,041 --> 00:25:45,943
We decide to quietly
420
00:25:45,945 --> 00:25:48,979
follow the family just ahead.
421
00:25:48,981 --> 00:25:50,080
If the Egyptian geese
422
00:25:50,082 --> 00:25:52,216
can navigate hippo waters,
423
00:25:52,218 --> 00:25:54,318
so can we.
424
00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:58,522
[ Hippos calling ]
425
00:26:13,405 --> 00:26:17,174
Hippos tend to go
to the deep water...
426
00:26:18,643 --> 00:26:22,613
...and then come up anywhere.
427
00:26:22,615 --> 00:26:26,817
It's like walking
through a mine field.
428
00:26:26,819 --> 00:26:30,187
We both silently push back
the words
429
00:26:30,189 --> 00:26:32,323
swirling around in our heads...
430
00:26:32,325 --> 00:26:35,092
[ Hippo calling ]
431
00:26:37,629 --> 00:26:41,732
...that hippos kill more people
in Africa than other animal.
432
00:26:44,235 --> 00:26:48,839
Staying calm
is our best weapon.
433
00:26:48,841 --> 00:26:52,242
We try not to look
into the black water
434
00:26:52,244 --> 00:26:56,146
for monsters
that may not even be there.
435
00:26:56,148 --> 00:26:59,917
But this river is full
of surprises.
436
00:26:59,985 --> 00:27:02,886
♪♪
437
00:27:24,743 --> 00:27:28,912
They emerged from the swamps
50 million years ago
438
00:27:28,914 --> 00:27:31,749
and became creatures that ruled
the world
439
00:27:31,751 --> 00:27:33,851
from Africa to Asia,
440
00:27:33,853 --> 00:27:35,919
and even into the Americas,
441
00:27:35,921 --> 00:27:40,858
from coast to coast,
mountains to deserts.
442
00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:45,195
♪♪
443
00:27:45,197 --> 00:27:49,667
And today, they are as at home
in the water as ever.
444
00:27:57,609 --> 00:28:01,211
These water dances
are playful games,
445
00:28:01,213 --> 00:28:04,815
but with an undercurrent of
testing wits and strengths.
446
00:28:04,817 --> 00:28:07,451
[ Rumbling ]
447
00:28:07,453 --> 00:28:10,521
♪♪
448
00:28:19,998 --> 00:28:24,201
They're not used to people
approaching on water,
449
00:28:24,203 --> 00:28:26,270
so we decide to drift in
450
00:28:26,272 --> 00:28:27,571
while they're distracted
451
00:28:27,573 --> 00:28:31,041
by the calm bulls
playing nearby.
452
00:28:36,047 --> 00:28:39,183
[ Rumbling ]
453
00:28:55,166 --> 00:29:00,003
The story of elephants
is also the story of water.
454
00:29:00,005 --> 00:29:03,107
Botswana has over one-third of
the world's elephants today,
455
00:29:03,109 --> 00:29:05,709
thriving here for many reasons.
456
00:29:05,711 --> 00:29:09,446
Abundant water may be
the most important of them.
457
00:29:17,155 --> 00:29:20,557
Even the big males barely
give us a second glance
458
00:29:20,559 --> 00:29:23,093
as they glide by.
459
00:29:23,095 --> 00:29:26,430
♪♪
460
00:29:28,733 --> 00:29:32,236
And as the heat relaxes its grip
on everything,
461
00:29:32,238 --> 00:29:36,540
we sit silently,
reluctant to return to normal,
462
00:29:36,542 --> 00:29:40,778
and realize that what we've been
affected by all of this as well.
463
00:29:40,780 --> 00:29:44,648
It's intoxicating.
464
00:29:50,488 --> 00:29:52,990
[ Animals calling ]
465
00:29:54,392 --> 00:29:57,594
BEVERLY: Oh,
this will guide us in.
466
00:29:57,596 --> 00:29:58,862
DERECK: This is bliss.
467
00:29:58,864 --> 00:30:00,998
BEVERLY: Truly, yes.
468
00:30:10,975 --> 00:30:14,511
DERECK: Our camp tonight will be
under the full moon
469
00:30:14,513 --> 00:30:17,614
and in the company of magical
beasts
470
00:30:17,616 --> 00:30:20,017
in fairy tale moonbeams --
471
00:30:20,019 --> 00:30:22,619
remnants of a time past,
perhaps.
472
00:30:22,621 --> 00:30:24,555
[ Rumbling ]
473
00:30:24,557 --> 00:30:26,657
We realize
that we have tapped in
474
00:30:26,659 --> 00:30:30,661
to that ancient heartbeat
of the elephant,
475
00:30:30,663 --> 00:30:34,064
the very soul of who they are.
476
00:30:34,066 --> 00:30:38,769
[ Rumbling ]
477
00:30:38,771 --> 00:30:40,838
And we definitely know
478
00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:43,073
that when we spend time
with elephants,
479
00:30:43,075 --> 00:30:47,644
we come away somehow better.
480
00:30:47,646 --> 00:30:51,648
♪♪
481
00:30:51,650 --> 00:30:54,184
[ Birds calling ]
482
00:30:56,154 --> 00:30:58,522
Go forward on your side?
483
00:30:58,524 --> 00:31:01,225
BEVERLY: It's hard to see.
The water's so black.
484
00:31:01,227 --> 00:31:03,560
BEVERLY: We're driven
by the hope that today will be
485
00:31:03,562 --> 00:31:05,662
at least as good as yesterday.
486
00:31:05,664 --> 00:31:09,266
So no dawn is left to rise
without us.
487
00:31:09,268 --> 00:31:11,869
[ Rumbling ]
488
00:31:11,871 --> 00:31:15,005
We're more than a month in.
489
00:31:15,007 --> 00:31:17,040
From early morning
through the midday heat
490
00:31:17,042 --> 00:31:18,876
and until late at night,
491
00:31:18,878 --> 00:31:23,013
the river is packed
with elephants.
492
00:31:23,015 --> 00:31:25,916
As we drift alongside them now
493
00:31:25,918 --> 00:31:27,718
day after day,
494
00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,721
we seem to have cracked
some kind of elephant code,
495
00:31:30,723 --> 00:31:33,323
and we can get in close.
496
00:31:38,162 --> 00:31:41,031
[ Rumbling ]
497
00:31:41,099 --> 00:31:44,534
We can see details
we didn't before.
498
00:31:44,536 --> 00:31:47,604
We soak up the closeness,
499
00:31:47,606 --> 00:31:49,940
the smell, the trust,
500
00:31:49,942 --> 00:31:53,944
and feel the beat of their
silent calls in our chests.
501
00:31:53,946 --> 00:31:55,345
It's euphoric
502
00:31:55,347 --> 00:31:58,448
being in the accepting presence
of these animals.
503
00:31:58,450 --> 00:32:01,218
[ Rumbling ]
504
00:32:04,188 --> 00:32:06,156
With the elephants this calm,
505
00:32:06,158 --> 00:32:10,360
Dereck wants to experience
that closeness even more.
506
00:32:10,362 --> 00:32:11,895
The more we do this,
507
00:32:11,897 --> 00:32:15,299
the more we embed ourselves
into their culture,
508
00:32:15,301 --> 00:32:17,734
we imagine for a moment
509
00:32:17,736 --> 00:32:20,938
that we thoroughly
understand them.
510
00:32:20,940 --> 00:32:22,873
And then, for some reason,
511
00:32:22,875 --> 00:32:26,610
they all suddenly head away
from the river at this point.
512
00:32:29,180 --> 00:32:30,981
♪♪
513
00:32:30,983 --> 00:32:33,583
DERECK: We're now close enough
to get our plane
514
00:32:33,585 --> 00:32:38,021
to get an overview
and find out exactly why.
515
00:32:38,023 --> 00:32:41,024
Floating over Botswana
is magical.
516
00:32:41,026 --> 00:32:43,727
I love Africa from the air.
517
00:32:46,564 --> 00:32:50,200
What looks like random paths
from the ground
518
00:32:50,202 --> 00:32:53,236
magically form into
well-organized patterns
519
00:32:53,238 --> 00:32:55,572
from the air.
520
00:32:55,574 --> 00:32:58,308
Ancient networks of paths
521
00:32:58,310 --> 00:33:01,445
once connected water holes
across the continent.
522
00:33:01,447 --> 00:33:05,248
They lead elephants out across
the grasslands,
523
00:33:05,250 --> 00:33:08,352
herd after herd
following behind their mothers
524
00:33:08,354 --> 00:33:10,921
and the memories
of their ancestors
525
00:33:10,923 --> 00:33:12,622
in the never-ending search
526
00:33:12,624 --> 00:33:15,325
that drives elephants.
527
00:33:15,327 --> 00:33:18,729
♪♪
528
00:33:18,731 --> 00:33:21,765
[ Rumbling ]
529
00:33:21,767 --> 00:33:24,468
We can now recognize individual
elephants,
530
00:33:24,470 --> 00:33:26,903
like this one-tusker
and her family,
531
00:33:26,905 --> 00:33:31,975
as they etch their own stories
into the paths with their feet.
532
00:33:31,977 --> 00:33:36,079
[ Rumbling ]
533
00:33:36,081 --> 00:33:39,850
Botswana's elephants
have very small tusks.
534
00:33:39,852 --> 00:33:42,085
The water here has
little mineral value,
535
00:33:42,087 --> 00:33:44,454
so tusks are brittle.
536
00:33:44,456 --> 00:33:46,923
It may be a saving grace.
537
00:33:46,925 --> 00:33:51,061
[ Birds chirping ]
538
00:33:51,063 --> 00:33:57,968
[ Rumbling ]
539
00:33:59,037 --> 00:34:02,639
Being a tuskless elephant
may actually be an advantage
540
00:34:02,641 --> 00:34:03,707
in the future.
541
00:34:03,709 --> 00:34:05,375
Virtually every family here
542
00:34:05,377 --> 00:34:08,612
has at least one
tuskless female.
543
00:34:12,316 --> 00:34:13,550
They leave the rivers here
544
00:34:13,552 --> 00:34:15,452
for something other
than water --
545
00:34:15,454 --> 00:34:18,688
salt.
546
00:34:18,690 --> 00:34:22,192
Elephants need almost a
quarter-pound of salt every day,
547
00:34:22,194 --> 00:34:26,263
and this is the only place
to find it.
548
00:34:26,265 --> 00:34:29,332
They probe and prospect
for tiny crystals,
549
00:34:29,334 --> 00:34:31,868
an almost impossible task
without fingers,
550
00:34:31,870 --> 00:34:33,270
you would think.
551
00:34:33,272 --> 00:34:36,606
But with at least 60,000 muscles
in their trunks,
552
00:34:36,608 --> 00:34:41,011
elephants can pick out a crystal
and work it loose.
553
00:34:43,681 --> 00:34:48,151
If need be, they use heavier
equipment.
554
00:34:48,153 --> 00:34:50,987
Then they just work whole clods
into their mouths
555
00:34:50,989 --> 00:34:53,824
to swallow,
and rely on efficient stomachs
556
00:34:53,826 --> 00:34:56,259
to filter out the good stuff.
557
00:34:56,261 --> 00:35:00,030
The trunk defines elephants.
558
00:35:00,032 --> 00:35:02,065
It's their tool for digging,
breaking,
559
00:35:02,067 --> 00:35:03,967
smelling, investigating --
560
00:35:03,969 --> 00:35:06,470
always alive, always moving...
561
00:35:06,472 --> 00:35:08,905
just like them.
562
00:35:08,907 --> 00:35:12,075
♪♪
563
00:35:13,811 --> 00:35:18,548
We can sense the two bulls
leaving these ancient digs.
564
00:35:18,550 --> 00:35:21,184
20 years ago, they would have
been in search of something
565
00:35:21,186 --> 00:35:26,323
even more important than salt
to securing their future.
566
00:35:27,859 --> 00:35:30,260
To mate, both males and females
567
00:35:30,262 --> 00:35:31,995
need to be in sync.
568
00:35:31,997 --> 00:35:35,132
The male musth
happens once a year.
569
00:35:35,134 --> 00:35:40,103
The tiny tuskless calf
is also in heat,
570
00:35:40,105 --> 00:35:43,140
and he's not about
to let her get away.
571
00:35:45,176 --> 00:35:47,777
[ Trumpets ]
572
00:35:53,284 --> 00:35:55,485
22 months from now,
573
00:35:55,487 --> 00:35:57,988
he could have an heir.
574
00:35:57,990 --> 00:35:59,923
She may still be a teenager,
575
00:35:59,925 --> 00:36:01,791
but she knows how to send
576
00:36:01,793 --> 00:36:04,427
secret messages of seduction.
577
00:36:04,429 --> 00:36:07,797
The only clues are
in her soundless open mouth
578
00:36:07,799 --> 00:36:11,501
and flapping ears.
579
00:36:11,503 --> 00:36:15,372
[ Rumbling ]
580
00:36:15,374 --> 00:36:17,841
A series of six calls,
581
00:36:17,843 --> 00:36:21,912
so low in frequency
we can't normally hear them.
582
00:36:21,914 --> 00:36:23,613
[ Rumbling ]
583
00:36:23,615 --> 00:36:27,717
This will attract every mating
male within 10 miles of here
584
00:36:27,719 --> 00:36:29,753
to contest for the right
585
00:36:29,755 --> 00:36:34,558
to pass his genes on to the next
generation of Selinda elephants.
586
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:38,128
[ Birds chirping ]
587
00:36:50,675 --> 00:36:54,911
Elephants create a ripple effect
of advantage to others.
588
00:36:54,913 --> 00:37:01,251
A pied kingfisher finds them
useful as a perch.
589
00:37:01,253 --> 00:37:03,420
[ Rumbling ]
590
00:37:03,422 --> 00:37:05,655
She's watching out
for small fish,
591
00:37:05,657 --> 00:37:09,292
but elephants
have sensitive skins.
592
00:37:09,294 --> 00:37:11,161
They hate biting flies...
593
00:37:11,163 --> 00:37:14,397
and, apparently,
the feel of a kingfisher.
594
00:37:28,279 --> 00:37:31,081
There is a time for babies
to just follow along
595
00:37:31,083 --> 00:37:32,949
and a time for them to play
596
00:37:32,951 --> 00:37:37,287
and enjoy the slippery feeling
of fine mud under their feet.
597
00:37:37,289 --> 00:37:40,090
But this is not one of them.
598
00:37:40,092 --> 00:37:41,758
We know from working with lions
599
00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:45,862
just how quickly the see
an opportunity and react.
600
00:37:45,864 --> 00:37:47,931
The baby is down,
601
00:37:47,933 --> 00:37:50,133
floundering, drowning.
602
00:37:50,135 --> 00:37:52,235
[ Trumpeting ]
603
00:37:52,303 --> 00:37:54,237
♪♪
604
00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:56,172
The lions are waiting here.
605
00:37:56,174 --> 00:37:58,308
They know the hazards.
606
00:38:00,711 --> 00:38:02,746
[ Trumpeting ]
607
00:38:07,785 --> 00:38:11,621
And these lions
are not afraid of water.
608
00:38:11,689 --> 00:38:13,690
♪♪
609
00:38:30,941 --> 00:38:33,343
Lions don't give up easily.
610
00:38:33,345 --> 00:38:36,613
They'll circle back
to this crossing point later.
611
00:38:38,816 --> 00:38:41,651
Despite the swirling scent
of lions,
612
00:38:41,653 --> 00:38:45,155
the calm crossings
are methodical.
613
00:38:45,157 --> 00:38:48,858
Elephants just don't like
congestion, stress.
614
00:38:51,595 --> 00:38:56,299
Each herd leaves enough space
ahead and behind.
615
00:38:59,470 --> 00:39:03,073
♪♪
616
00:39:12,616 --> 00:39:16,419
These gatherings and long lines
of elephant families,
617
00:39:16,421 --> 00:39:18,288
floating across the landscape
618
00:39:18,290 --> 00:39:21,024
in and out of the sparkling
floodplains,
619
00:39:21,026 --> 00:39:24,861
are very typical of the freedom
of Botswana for elephants...
620
00:39:24,863 --> 00:39:29,099
the freedom to come and go
almost endlessly,
621
00:39:29,101 --> 00:39:34,003
to feel the weightlessness
of their huge bodies in water.
622
00:39:47,151 --> 00:39:52,389
This opportunity gives us a rare
chance to see them at play,
623
00:39:52,391 --> 00:39:55,091
but from inside their world
624
00:39:55,093 --> 00:39:57,961
as swamp creatures.
625
00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:18,081
They always maintain
626
00:40:18,083 --> 00:40:19,949
the integrity of their family
groups,
627
00:40:19,951 --> 00:40:22,385
keeping separate by just enough
628
00:40:22,387 --> 00:40:24,387
so their young don't mingle
and get lost,
629
00:40:24,389 --> 00:40:28,057
and yet close enough to stay
in touch as a herd --
630
00:40:28,059 --> 00:40:30,860
as a clan of elephants.
631
00:40:30,862 --> 00:40:33,696
At times, these clans will
gather at crossings
632
00:40:33,698 --> 00:40:36,232
in numbers
of well over 400 elephants
633
00:40:36,234 --> 00:40:38,968
along the Selinda Spillway.
634
00:40:38,970 --> 00:40:41,337
♪♪
635
00:40:41,339 --> 00:40:42,839
Keeping those families intact
636
00:40:42,841 --> 00:40:46,309
in a huge herd like this
can be a challenge.
637
00:40:51,315 --> 00:40:54,017
[ Rumbling ]
638
00:41:00,991 --> 00:41:05,228
A cow has lost her calf
639
00:41:05,230 --> 00:41:08,832
right at the vulnerable
crossing point.
640
00:41:12,670 --> 00:41:15,238
After doing the very first
studies and films
641
00:41:15,240 --> 00:41:16,873
on lions attacking elephants,
642
00:41:16,875 --> 00:41:20,376
we can virtually replay it
from memory.
643
00:41:20,378 --> 00:41:23,947
First, a lost calf panics
and calls out.
644
00:41:23,949 --> 00:41:26,583
[ Calf trumpets ]
645
00:41:26,585 --> 00:41:31,254
[ Adult trumpets ]
646
00:41:31,256 --> 00:41:32,922
The lions respond.
647
00:41:32,924 --> 00:41:36,226
They circle and attack
from behind.
648
00:41:36,228 --> 00:41:37,594
[ Calf trumpets ]
649
00:41:37,596 --> 00:41:40,997
The mother, just like this one
today, goes frantic.
650
00:41:40,999 --> 00:41:43,132
It only adds to the confusion.
651
00:41:43,134 --> 00:41:46,536
And confusion is exactly what
lions want.
652
00:41:46,538 --> 00:41:49,038
[ Trumpeting ]
653
00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:50,840
[ Growling ]
654
00:41:50,842 --> 00:41:54,878
Today, it is different.
655
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:58,615
[ Trumpeting ]
656
00:41:58,617 --> 00:42:01,351
And the nightmare is prevented
when the mother gets there
657
00:42:01,353 --> 00:42:04,454
just in time to mount
a daring rescue.
658
00:42:04,456 --> 00:42:09,826
[ Trumpeting ]
659
00:42:19,036 --> 00:42:22,639
[ Trumpeting ]
660
00:42:29,613 --> 00:42:31,848
[ Trumpeting ]
661
00:42:31,850 --> 00:42:35,285
[ Trumpeting continues ]
662
00:42:43,761 --> 00:42:46,329
With the rescued calf in tow,
663
00:42:46,331 --> 00:42:48,097
she now has to make up ground
664
00:42:48,099 --> 00:42:51,267
to join the rest of the herd.
665
00:42:59,376 --> 00:43:02,345
[ Rumbling ]
666
00:43:02,347 --> 00:43:06,816
But elephants are nothing if not
compassionate and understanding.
667
00:43:06,818 --> 00:43:10,320
The herd has waited for her
to resolve her problem
668
00:43:10,322 --> 00:43:12,655
and sets off again.
669
00:43:12,657 --> 00:43:14,791
[ Rumbling ]
670
00:43:14,793 --> 00:43:18,161
BEVERLY: After the excitement
with the lions,
671
00:43:18,163 --> 00:43:20,697
there is a palpable change
in atmosphere,
672
00:43:20,699 --> 00:43:24,133
as if the herd understands
the need for balance.
673
00:43:24,135 --> 00:43:28,104
It goes from high stress
674
00:43:28,106 --> 00:43:31,040
to a little fun.
675
00:43:31,042 --> 00:43:34,043
Of course, it's about covering
themselves against biting flies
676
00:43:34,045 --> 00:43:36,179
and cooling.
677
00:43:36,181 --> 00:43:37,580
But from down here,
678
00:43:37,582 --> 00:43:41,651
it looks almost tempting
and definitely fun.
679
00:43:48,626 --> 00:43:50,660
There is not much
of the world left
680
00:43:50,662 --> 00:43:53,429
that can make you feel
like this
681
00:43:53,431 --> 00:43:54,697
at this relaxed place
682
00:43:54,699 --> 00:43:57,333
where elephants are what they
have always been
683
00:43:57,335 --> 00:43:59,135
on their terms.
684
00:43:59,137 --> 00:44:01,070
[ Trumpets ]
685
00:44:01,138 --> 00:44:05,341
[ Trumpets ]
686
00:44:05,343 --> 00:44:08,277
A coating of dust dries the mud.
687
00:44:08,279 --> 00:44:09,846
When it cracks and falls off,
688
00:44:09,848 --> 00:44:13,182
it takes the ticks and other
parasites along with it.
689
00:44:13,184 --> 00:44:17,887
[ Rumbling ]
690
00:44:17,889 --> 00:44:19,088
[ Trumpets ]
691
00:44:19,090 --> 00:44:21,524
The security of being
in the fold once again
692
00:44:21,526 --> 00:44:24,627
allows the calf to shake off
his encounter with the lions
693
00:44:24,629 --> 00:44:27,764
and cover his superficial
wounds.
694
00:44:37,007 --> 00:44:40,443
DERECK: Following that unending
cycle of dust to dust,
695
00:44:40,445 --> 00:44:45,248
one day we find some elephants
veering off track.
696
00:44:45,250 --> 00:44:51,587
The leaders pad across country
with purpose.
697
00:44:51,589 --> 00:44:55,658
[ Rumbling ]
698
00:44:58,028 --> 00:45:00,496
Her soul long departed,
699
00:45:00,498 --> 00:45:04,267
she lies as a gentle reminder
to her clan of who she was,
700
00:45:04,269 --> 00:45:06,402
her long life, her successes,
701
00:45:06,404 --> 00:45:09,872
her rescues, her compassion,
and the days spent together
702
00:45:09,874 --> 00:45:12,208
in the mud and the dust.
703
00:45:12,210 --> 00:45:15,712
[ Rumbling ]
704
00:45:15,714 --> 00:45:18,481
♪♪
705
00:45:25,122 --> 00:45:28,224
How she died, we'll never know.
706
00:45:28,226 --> 00:45:32,061
Perhaps she just ran out
of time.
707
00:45:32,063 --> 00:45:35,098
As they bob and weave
around her,
708
00:45:35,100 --> 00:45:38,601
we're reminded that they are
sentient beings,
709
00:45:38,603 --> 00:45:42,405
thinking thoughts, having ideas.
710
00:45:46,443 --> 00:45:52,048
Touch, smell, remember, think.
711
00:45:52,050 --> 00:45:53,883
All you ever need to know
712
00:45:53,885 --> 00:45:57,887
to be inside of an elephant's
head at these moments.
713
00:45:57,889 --> 00:46:01,457
♪♪
714
00:46:06,663 --> 00:46:08,998
Herd after herd come in,
715
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:11,033
with just enough time between
each wave
716
00:46:11,035 --> 00:46:15,071
for us to place some cameras
and to disguise our scent.
717
00:46:15,073 --> 00:46:17,740
[ Elephant trumpets ]
718
00:46:17,742 --> 00:46:20,109
At the last minute, I remember
719
00:46:20,111 --> 00:46:24,280
that actually turning
the camera on may be useful.
720
00:46:24,282 --> 00:46:26,649
[ Elephant rumbles ]
721
00:46:26,651 --> 00:46:29,752
♪♪
722
00:46:29,754 --> 00:46:32,688
We were able to capture the most
intimate views
723
00:46:32,690 --> 00:46:35,091
we've ever seen
of an elephant wake --
724
00:46:35,093 --> 00:46:38,728
so close, neither of us
wants to breathe,
725
00:46:38,730 --> 00:46:41,564
break the spell.
726
00:46:41,566 --> 00:46:44,867
[ Elephant rumbles ]
727
00:46:44,869 --> 00:46:48,938
♪♪
728
00:46:51,341 --> 00:46:53,409
[ Elephant rumbles ]
729
00:47:00,117 --> 00:47:02,318
[ Elephant rumbles ]
730
00:47:31,648 --> 00:47:33,950
And right here, we've seen
731
00:47:33,952 --> 00:47:35,952
that something special
732
00:47:35,954 --> 00:47:39,655
that we both love about Africa
at its best,
733
00:47:39,657 --> 00:47:42,658
a skull with its ivory intact --
734
00:47:42,660 --> 00:47:44,961
pure, the way it should be,
735
00:47:44,963 --> 00:47:47,864
absolutely worthless.
736
00:47:47,866 --> 00:47:51,133
I like that ivory is worthless.
737
00:47:51,135 --> 00:47:54,570
The only value should be
as a beacon of memory
738
00:47:54,572 --> 00:47:58,307
to the elephant clan
she was once a part of.
739
00:47:58,309 --> 00:48:00,376
♪♪
740
00:48:00,378 --> 00:48:02,011
[ Rumbling ]
741
00:48:02,013 --> 00:48:05,181
BEVERLY:
What legacy is left behind?
742
00:48:08,418 --> 00:48:12,054
As I stand and think
about the romance of our lives,
743
00:48:12,056 --> 00:48:13,956
these magical moments remind me
744
00:48:13,958 --> 00:48:16,559
of the ripples we cause
around us.
745
00:48:16,561 --> 00:48:20,162
I hope that our own legacy
746
00:48:20,164 --> 00:48:22,265
walking in the footsteps
of these bulls
747
00:48:22,267 --> 00:48:24,967
can make a difference.
748
00:48:24,969 --> 00:48:27,770
They could have walked
right by here one day,
749
00:48:27,772 --> 00:48:31,440
even fed on the tree
I'm standing under.
750
00:48:31,442 --> 00:48:34,076
After the sixth set of molars
wears out,
751
00:48:34,078 --> 00:48:35,945
their lives are over.
752
00:48:35,947 --> 00:48:38,714
As it nears that time,
they pick food carefully,
753
00:48:38,716 --> 00:48:41,484
saving those precious teeth.
754
00:48:41,486 --> 00:48:44,053
The story of elephants
may be all about ivory,
755
00:48:44,055 --> 00:48:47,556
but it should only be
about their teeth.
756
00:48:52,529 --> 00:48:55,531
[ Thunder rumbling ]
757
00:48:55,533 --> 00:48:57,900
[ Crashing ]
758
00:49:08,312 --> 00:49:11,314
DERECK: The lashing rain
triggers respite for elephants
759
00:49:11,316 --> 00:49:14,317
and their teeth.
760
00:49:14,319 --> 00:49:16,986
They scoop up
the soft green grass
761
00:49:16,988 --> 00:49:20,690
and shovel it down
for 16 hours a day.
762
00:49:20,692 --> 00:49:24,760
We remember the teeth
of the bulls.
763
00:49:24,762 --> 00:49:27,563
They still had years to go.
764
00:49:27,565 --> 00:49:30,333
As we follow the elephants
into the open,
765
00:49:30,335 --> 00:49:33,936
we have a flash of inspiration.
766
00:49:36,974 --> 00:49:38,174
[ Trumpeting ]
767
00:49:38,176 --> 00:49:40,309
Elephants often go to water
768
00:49:40,311 --> 00:49:44,080
to get out of the stinging rain
on their sensitive skins.
769
00:49:48,085 --> 00:49:52,588
They could have been struck down
instantly by lightning.
770
00:49:54,558 --> 00:49:56,993
It's the best answer we can find
771
00:49:56,995 --> 00:49:59,862
for two bulls struck dead
together
772
00:49:59,864 --> 00:50:02,164
with their tusks intact.
773
00:50:02,166 --> 00:50:06,268
These phantoms have somehow
become real to us --
774
00:50:06,270 --> 00:50:11,073
no longer apparitions
in the half-light.
775
00:50:11,075 --> 00:50:13,275
They're living beings
776
00:50:13,277 --> 00:50:14,677
with full lives
777
00:50:14,679 --> 00:50:19,048
and even, quite possibly, souls.
778
00:50:21,385 --> 00:50:24,687
It feels like we knew them
as newborn babies,
779
00:50:24,689 --> 00:50:28,391
at play in the fields
of paradise.
780
00:50:28,393 --> 00:50:30,659
We've filled in the gaps
of these gentle
781
00:50:30,661 --> 00:50:33,029
seven-ton giants' lives,
782
00:50:33,031 --> 00:50:37,633
companions for life.
783
00:50:37,635 --> 00:50:41,237
BEVERLY: Over and over,
we find the same evidence.
784
00:50:41,239 --> 00:50:44,440
Botswana is one of the few
places on the planet
785
00:50:44,442 --> 00:50:48,811
where elephants can still
live out a natural life.
786
00:50:48,813 --> 00:50:50,846
DERECK: We're obsessed now
787
00:50:50,848 --> 00:50:54,884
with coaxing these secret
stories from the bones.
788
00:50:54,886 --> 00:51:00,656
She was probably a matriarch
with unusually long tusks.
789
00:51:00,658 --> 00:51:03,059
Like others here, she enjoyed
790
00:51:03,061 --> 00:51:07,163
the vast freedom of a protected
land in Botswana.
791
00:51:07,165 --> 00:51:09,331
But we were also shocked
by the fact
792
00:51:09,333 --> 00:51:12,401
that since you started watching
this film,
793
00:51:12,403 --> 00:51:14,770
five elephants were killed
794
00:51:14,772 --> 00:51:17,606
simply for their tusks.
795
00:51:17,608 --> 00:51:21,510
It's not their ivory
that will enrich us.
796
00:51:21,512 --> 00:51:24,847
We'll find far greater
enchantment
797
00:51:24,849 --> 00:51:27,850
in the journey of life
they will lead us on.
798
00:51:27,852 --> 00:51:30,453
Whether they survive long enough
799
00:51:30,455 --> 00:51:33,389
for us to really
get to know them
800
00:51:33,391 --> 00:51:36,959
depends entirely
on what we can learn
801
00:51:36,961 --> 00:51:41,097
about the very soul
of the elephant.
802
00:51:41,164 --> 00:51:44,533
♪♪
803
00:52:09,459 --> 00:52:12,495
is available on DVD.
804
00:52:12,497 --> 00:52:20,002
To order, visit shopPBS.org or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.
805
00:52:54,237 --> 00:52:57,740
To learn more about what you've seen on this "Nature" program,
806
00:52:57,742 --> 00:52:59,875
visit pbs.org.
61146
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