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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,480 In the baking heat of the African savannah... 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,760 ..as rivers dry up... 3 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,360 ..animals flock to the waterhole. 4 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,600 But we've never fully understood 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:25,000 how a single water source can support so many competing species. 6 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,600 So we're doing something ground-breaking. 7 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:34,320 Welcome to Tanzania and to the Mwiba Wildlife Reserve 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,960 and to this unique waterhole behind us. 9 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:41,240 We are working with the reserve to create the world's first 10 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,720 waterhole with a built-in specialist camera system. 11 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:51,320 This waterhole has a half-submerged filming hide right in the middle, 12 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,840 and it's rigged with remote cameras so we can see 13 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,280 every angle of animal behaviour like never before. 14 00:00:58,280 --> 00:00:59,720 GIRAFFE GRUNTS 15 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,400 It's a unique chance to follow the evolution of a waterhole 16 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:08,160 ecosystem and the lives of the animals that depend 17 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,240 on it, from the very beginning. 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,800 This is our first visit from a lion. 19 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,400 We don't know who will turn up and in what number... 20 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,880 ..but we want to observe and record every single species... 21 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:29,640 ..over a period of six months. 22 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,280 We're filming from the start of the life-sapping dry season 23 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,640 when water is scarce and tempers fray. 24 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,360 That's not a happy elephant. 25 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:46,600 Until the pressure finally breaks... 26 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,360 THUNDER CRACKS 27 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,280 ..and the annual rains change everything. 28 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,720 From up here, you get a great view of an ecosystem. 29 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:03,080 We'll follow the fight for survival at the one place all animals gather. 30 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,560 Everything changed when the predators turned up. 31 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,400 This is the story of life... 32 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,520 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 33 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,800 ..and death at the waterhole. 34 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,360 In East Africa, Tanzania, 35 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,360 south of the Serengeti ecosystem 36 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,400 is a protected area spanning 53,000 hectares. 37 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:41,520 Mwiba Wildlife Reserve. 38 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:50,000 It's a safe haven for Africa's most iconic species, 39 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:51,400 including elephant... 40 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:54,480 ..hippo... 41 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:57,920 ..giraffe... 42 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,000 ..leopard... 43 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:04,840 ..and lion. 44 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,000 But in our changing world, 45 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,320 this region faces a growing shortage of water. 46 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:22,080 Look at it, so green, fresh, verdant. 47 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:27,280 That said, in a couple of months' time, all of this 48 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,600 will be parched and brown. 49 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,880 All of these tiny little pools of water will be gone. 50 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,840 And the wildlife here is going to be struggling to survive. 51 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,640 For half the year in 2018, 52 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,280 there was just nine millimetres of rain. 53 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,720 Well below average for Tanzania. 54 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,240 And with the growing impact of climate change, 55 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,480 life here is set to get tougher. 56 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,360 Temperatures in Africa are rising. 57 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:08,880 In just 30 years, it's predicted the continent will endure 50% 58 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,840 more warming than the rest of the planet. 59 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,960 As a result, many natural water sources are drying up. 60 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:21,240 Let's just call this digger in. 61 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:29,560 To give its wildlife a much-needed lifeline, Mwiba Reserve has decided 62 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:33,840 to build a waterhole on an open patch of grassland, 63 00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:36,600 easily accessible from all directions. 64 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,800 Natural waterholes appear after rains deep in the savannah, 65 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:49,400 but they're quickly populated by wildlife and often dry up fast. 66 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:57,560 So this is a unique opportunity for us to work with Mwiba and study 67 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,800 a waterhole built from scratch. 68 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:01,240 Look at that! 69 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:03,520 It's very exciting, isn't it? 70 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:08,240 We want to find out how hundreds of different species find, 71 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,800 use and interact around a new water source. 72 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:17,240 Wow. OK. Now, I measure about... 73 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,280 I don't measure about anything. 74 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:22,600 I'm 1.83 metres and I'm still above this. 75 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:24,680 We ideally, I think, we want about 76 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:27,040 two metres depth at our deepest point. 77 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,840 But what's essential is going to be the slope like this, 78 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:34,400 because a lot of animals are not going to literally go in. 79 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:38,000 That's going to be our wallowers - our, you know, elephant, 80 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,800 our buffalo, our warthog. 81 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,720 I think many of the ungulates are going to come to the edge here, 82 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,080 stand on that edge and sip. 83 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:46,720 And certainly all of the bathing 84 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,560 animals are going to be in this zone, so the shallow part of the 85 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,920 waterhole is going to be equally important. 86 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,000 It's going to be fascinating. 87 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:01,960 I honestly think that we're going to see an enormous diversity 88 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,520 of species coming to this waterhole. 89 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,840 To uncover the secret world of the waterhole, we're bringing in 90 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:12,760 a weatherproofed remote camera system, 91 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:14,920 able to record day and night. 92 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,440 To help make it wildlife tamper-proof, 93 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,640 we dig two-metre-deep trenches... 94 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:29,160 ..excavating over 100 tonnes of soil for 4km 95 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:30,680 of fibre-optic cable. 96 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:38,240 60,000 litres of water fill two separate pools, 97 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,320 giving more access points for thirsty animals. 98 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,920 This is a project on a grand scale. 99 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,840 It's bigger than any of the other waterholes that are currently 100 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:53,960 here at the end of the wet season - they're just puddles. 101 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,400 This is going to be a pool of some significance. 102 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,080 We are going to film here at three of the most critical times of year 103 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:08,440 for local wildlife. 104 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,440 From the middle of the tough dry season. 105 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:20,200 Then, a couple of months later, when temperatures soar into the 40s 106 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:22,320 at the hottest time of year. 107 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,440 And finally, at the height of the first rains. 108 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,120 Now, it's the middle of the dry season. 109 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,800 20 cameras are set to record 110 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,840 every detail of life for the next two weeks. 111 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,800 They are remote controlled from our base camp, 112 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,160 where biologist Ella Al-Shamahi 113 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,560 and I can watch them live and play back footage. 114 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:58,160 We've got our team monitoring these cameras 24/7. 115 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,600 Those strange triangular structures, those are so that the elephants 116 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,200 hopefully won't step on the cameras and damage them. 117 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,280 As Ella says, it's 24/7, we're watching them throughout the course 118 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,720 of the day and the night using infrared. 119 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,760 And, of course, we're also watching this waterhole from the air. 120 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:14,800 We've got a drone up at the moment. 121 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,800 And there you can see from mission control, it's about 200 metres 122 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:23,880 across this parched grassland down to our waterhole complex here. 123 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,760 A tunnel leads into our hides so that we can sneak in 124 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:28,320 without the animals seeing us. 125 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,520 And we've got the two pools either side here. 126 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,440 For our first two-week filming window, I will be attempting 127 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:43,760 to collate data for every visitor and create a species list 128 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:47,800 so we can track how many animals come to a new waterhole. 129 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,960 Chris will be reviewing footage to analyse the complex animal 130 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,280 behaviour behind every interaction. 131 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,720 Our first question - how long does it take wildlife to find 132 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:04,960 a new waterhole? 133 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,680 The answer - 45 minutes. 134 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:19,000 WARTHOG GRUNTS 135 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,200 Here, top right, we've got warthog. 136 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:25,960 Wow, that's awesome. Yeah. 137 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,000 It's a whole family there. 138 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,960 Mwiba wildlife expert Eugene Raymond joins us to review 139 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,640 the footage, to offer some local insight 140 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,520 into our waterhole pioneers. 141 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,560 We've seen these in and around Mwiba area, 142 00:09:43,560 --> 00:09:46,840 and it's one that's got a very interesting story 143 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:48,520 cos the mama died and then 144 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,680 the four little ones managed to get to this level. 145 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,120 So you've seen them growing up? Yeah, I've seen them growing up. 146 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,080 These warthog orphans live 250 metres away. 147 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:08,120 They probably discovered the waterhole whilst foraging for food, 148 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,600 but, interestingly, they're not here to drink. 149 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:13,280 What they really need... 150 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:16,240 ..is mud! 151 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:21,440 It's a stifling 35 Celsius, 152 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,360 but warthogs don't have sweat glands 153 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:26,400 that regulate their body temperature... 154 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:32,840 ..so they must use mud to cool themselves down. 155 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,200 Our camera rig includes a specialist thermal camera, 156 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,080 which reveals how effective this behaviour is. 157 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,560 The warthogs' bodies turn blue as their temperature decreases. 158 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,960 Mud bathing can reduce their body temperature 159 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,880 by a life-saving 3.6 Celsius. 160 00:10:59,560 --> 00:11:02,480 The warthogs weren't on their own for very long. 161 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:12,120 Look, the warthogs scarper as soon as the elephant arrives. 162 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,160 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 163 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:18,560 They would normally give respect for this big beast to come in 164 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:20,440 and get some water. 165 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,760 What's interesting is that they have the capacity to smell water. 166 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,000 Ah, yes, that's very true. Absolutely. 167 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,040 What, 15 miles away at least, I imagine. 168 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:35,440 I believe they have incredible ability to do it even 169 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,960 farther than that. Further than 15 miles? Yeah, for sure. 170 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:40,960 It's not really that much of a surprise, then, 171 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,360 that they would be amongst the first to turn up. 172 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,520 So here's another one. That's another male. 173 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:53,520 Do you know this elephant? 174 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:57,200 Oh, that's a young bull that I know, for sure. Yeah. 175 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,120 You see the right tusk is shorter than the left tusk. 176 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,480 If you look at one tusk that is shorter than the other, 177 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:08,280 then you get to know... 178 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,360 This elephant is either right-handed or left-handed. 179 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:25,640 The guides call this elephant Nusu, which in Swahili means "half". 180 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:30,440 And his companion is Ndogo, which translates as "small" 181 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,520 because he has short tusks. 182 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:40,480 An African elephant needs to drink nearly a bathtub of water each day. 183 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:48,000 They may have to walk up to 195km to find enough. 184 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,920 We've made elephants happy by giving them fresh, clean water. 185 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:59,440 It's not often you get to make, you know, megafauna happy. 186 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:01,600 Especially in the dry season. 187 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:08,640 Elephants are thought to help 188 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:11,360 other animals locate water in the dry season. 189 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:18,480 As they forage, the two males inadvertently create pathways 190 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,080 through the bush leading directly to the waterhole. 191 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:29,680 This area is home to lions, leopards and giraffes. 192 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:31,880 We know they're out there, but we don't know 193 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,240 when and if they'll turn up to the waterhole. 194 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:36,760 And you've got to remember that up until fairly recently, 195 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:38,800 this waterhole simply wasn't here. 196 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:47,520 15 minutes after the elephants, more new species arrive. 197 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:53,000 And by reviewing the footage from day one, we discover 198 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,880 how different animals approach a new water source. 199 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:00,320 Ella! Ella. 200 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:03,760 Got impala that have come in. 201 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:12,680 Waterholes are dangerous places for impala, as big cats often hunt 202 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,720 them when they come to drink. 203 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:23,280 I mean, they are extremely nervous. 204 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:27,360 They're essentially a forest antelope, 205 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,360 so coming into the open like this is a perilous exercise. 206 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:39,120 Impala aren't the only species that are wary at the new waterhole. 207 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:42,360 Now we have zebras. 208 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,640 The first zebra also approach with caution, but there's a theory 209 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:51,080 that suggests they have some natural protection from predators. 210 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,160 I don't think there's a definitive answer, but do you know why the 211 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,400 zebra's got stripes? 212 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:01,080 I'm assuming it's some kind of a camouflage thing. 213 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:05,720 I was looking at some work relatively recently that shows 214 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,960 that when you get a large herd of zebra moving, 215 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,600 the way that their bodies move cycles the stripes 216 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,480 and visually is disorientating. 217 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,960 It forms an optical illusion, which generates an enormous amount 218 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,800 of confusion in terms of the visual capabilities 219 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:23,640 of any pursuing predator. Really? 220 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,600 It's confusion colouration. 221 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:27,080 That's interesting. Hm. 222 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:36,720 To add four species to our list on day one, within just a few hours 223 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:38,440 of the waterhole being finished, 224 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,680 shows just how harsh the dry season is. 225 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,080 50 metres away, the nearest water source in the area, 226 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,440 the Arugusinyai River, is completely dry. 227 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:01,560 And for herbivores, it's not just water that is in short supply. 228 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,800 Look at it, it's absolutely parched. 229 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:11,520 Imagine trying to eke a living, eating something like this. 230 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,000 I mean, there must be nutrients there, 231 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,480 but trying to firstly digest it and then process it... 232 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:25,840 Thankfully, there is some evergreen foliage left here. 233 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:27,760 This acacia, look at this. 234 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,560 Looks relatively lush and green, 235 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:36,160 but it comes with a cost - protected by these vicious spikes, of course. 236 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,760 Again, not all of those herbivores 237 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:42,520 are going to be able to nibble this. 238 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:46,480 And then lastly, there is something that makes this environment very, 239 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:48,120 very hostile at this time of year, 240 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:51,320 not just for all of those animals, but for us, too. 241 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:54,000 And it lurks...here. 242 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:57,840 Look at that, almost bumped into it. 243 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,200 You see this little brown smudge 244 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:04,880 in the crook of the grass here? 245 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:09,200 That is a solid mass of ticks. 246 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:17,440 They call them pepper ticks at this stage because they're so small, 247 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:21,800 they're about the size of a ground piece of pepper. 248 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:26,760 And any animal that brushes into this grass here is coated. 249 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:30,120 They get under the skin and they start to suck its blood. 250 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:33,360 At this time of year, 251 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:37,280 this part of Tanzania is a tough place to be wildlife. 252 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:48,440 At night there is some relief, as temperatures drop to 15 Celsius. 253 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,680 But this is often the most dangerous time to be at a waterhole. 254 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:59,400 Lions, leopards and hyena are more active after dark. 255 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:09,280 Our specialist camera system switches to infrared light... 256 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:14,440 ..so we can watch the waterhole for nocturnal predators. 257 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,320 And on the first night, just before 8pm, 258 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,040 the cameras catch one of Mwiba Reserve's most elusive 259 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:25,800 and powerful hunters. 260 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:41,800 Leopards have the largest ranges of any big cat. 261 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,760 Males can range over 2,000 square kilometres. 262 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,920 It's not clear if this male is a Mwiba resident 263 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:57,680 or just passing through. 264 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:04,320 LEOPARD GROWLS SOFTLY 265 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:09,840 We collate all the camera footage. 266 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:11,680 THUNDER RUMBLES 267 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,560 Wow. Oh, look at the elegance. 268 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,240 And expert guide Eugene joins us 269 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:21,240 again to review the shots in order to identify him. 270 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,040 It's probably one of the leopard that I know in the area. 271 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,880 We've named him Jasiri. And what does that mean? 272 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,840 Jasiri is a Swahili word and it means "brave". 273 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,080 He's not very skittish, he's quite relaxed. 274 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,280 Those rosettes are unique to every leopard. 275 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,800 Every leopard has a unique spot pattern. 276 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:47,440 Those markings on the whiskers, up to the nose on the side, 277 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,120 these are the ones that will tell you which one it is. 278 00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:52,320 They will never be the same. 279 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,360 Jasiri's arrival is a sign that our new waterhole is beginning to get 280 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:00,880 the attention of Mwiba's carnivores. 281 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,800 Leopards hunt a wide variety of prey, feeding on everything 282 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:10,400 from insects to rodents to large antelopes. 283 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:17,720 The waterhole could be a new important hunting ground for Jasiri. 284 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,640 So what do we think? Do we think he's already had a kill? 285 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,840 He's probably got a kill somewhere and put the kill up a tree. 286 00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:31,200 Look at his neck, the muscles in the neck and that gives them 287 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,600 the power of getting up, carrying stuff, heavy stuff, 288 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,120 pretty much the same size, and they will take it up a tree. 289 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:42,120 Because they are in so many competitions with other predators 290 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:44,480 like hyenas, lions, 291 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:46,400 and they would come for a drink 292 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,040 and go back on their same spot at the kill. 293 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:53,080 It doesn't need water every single day. 294 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:54,640 They get it in two ways. 295 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,520 They get it from the body fluids that they take out of the animal. 296 00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,760 And then they also, when they're digesting it, 297 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:02,080 they produce metabolic water. 298 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:05,680 So in the process of digesting that food, the hydrogen teams up 299 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:08,720 with the oxygen and produces water and that can provide them 300 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:12,280 with up to 10% of the water that they need. 301 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:14,880 And that's the difference between dying of thirst 302 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:16,320 and not dying of thirst. 303 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,440 So it's really important for these types of animal, 304 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,400 that metabolic water. 305 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,720 What a view, and what an animal. 306 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,080 Mwiba Reserve is home to lions and spotted hyena, 307 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,360 but Jasiri the leopard beats them to be the first apex predator 308 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:38,000 on our species list. 309 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:44,040 After his visit, the night is quiet at the waterhole. 310 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:56,720 But the silence doesn't last long. 311 00:21:57,720 --> 00:21:59,480 BUFFALO GRUNT 312 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:02,680 At 7.30 on the second morning, 313 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,840 the biggest herd of animals comes for a drink. 314 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,440 80 Cape buffalo. 315 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:24,280 If we go to this camera over here, 316 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,520 can we take a closer look at them on the ground? 317 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:28,120 BUFFALO GRUNT 318 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:32,520 They're an enormously robust and powerful animal. 319 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:35,440 The males weigh up to a tonne. 320 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:39,320 Their horns grow to a metre across, fused in the middle. 321 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,840 They're very much front-heavy, massive fore-limbs. 322 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,560 Look at that, you can see the 323 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:49,440 pulsing throat of a buffalo. 324 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,760 Some of the species that we have here don't need to drink every day, 325 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:57,640 but buffalo like to drink every day 326 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,400 and they drink an enormous quantity of water. 327 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:06,120 That's the equivalent of a nice cold pint of lager 328 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:08,440 at the end of a very hot afternoon. 329 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:13,520 Look at the look of satisfaction on that buffalo's face. 330 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:15,840 Well, maybe I'm pushing the anthropomorphism there 331 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,560 a little bit, but I can imagine it's a happy buffalo. 332 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,280 The waterhole is a lifeline to water-dependent animals 333 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:28,680 like Cape buffalo. 334 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:36,120 This herd can drink up to 3,000 litres in just one visit. 335 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:38,400 And the buffalo aren't travelling alone. 336 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,200 Oxpeckers provide an invaluable service 337 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:44,680 to buffalo in the dry season. 338 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:45,960 And in return, 339 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:51,000 they get a free ride to water and all the food they can eat. 340 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,480 They're on there removing parasites, 341 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:57,520 plenty of ticks here at this time of year. 342 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,040 Ooh, straight...straight in! 343 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:05,040 And, look, right inside the ear, 344 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:09,480 and you can see where there's less hair in there, how it will be easier 345 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,760 for the ticks to attach. 346 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:13,960 Look at that, it's feeding furiously. 347 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:17,280 So we can't see them, but undoubtedly, this oxpecker can. 348 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:20,080 CHRIS LAUGHS 349 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,840 Can't imagine what it must be like to be the buffalo with a bird 350 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,320 right inside your ear. 351 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:26,640 But, clearly, it is happy 352 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:28,200 with that compromise because 353 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:29,960 this bird is feasting on 354 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:33,880 those parasites which are inside that ear. 355 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,960 Love that! Little cameo of natural history that we're able to see 356 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:39,960 because we've got these extraordinary cameras 357 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:42,000 and we're so close to these animals. 358 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:52,560 Over the next few days we add an incredible 40 new species 359 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:54,000 to our list. 360 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:57,640 Including four birds. 361 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:02,720 Yellow-billed storks often hunt in shallow water. 362 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,760 Black-faced sandgrouse come to waterholes not only to drink, 363 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:13,760 but to wet their breast feathers 364 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,320 to carry water back to their chicks. 365 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:23,440 Cape turtle doves are found across southern Africa. 366 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:27,040 Bare-faced go-aways. 367 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,560 The species get their name from their distinctive call, 368 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:32,560 which sounds like, "Go away." 369 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:34,400 GO-AWAY CALLS OUT 370 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,840 African hare hop in. 371 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:39,320 Water helps them digest vegetation. 372 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:43,120 On night three, 373 00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:45,960 a lone waterbuck that needs water 374 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:47,600 daily to survive, 375 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,400 comes for a drink. 376 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,520 Two species of primates also find the waterhole - 377 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:57,760 olive baboons and vervet monkeys. 378 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,200 They like to socialise around water sources, 379 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:05,160 much to the annoyance of some of our residents. 380 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,760 SQUAWKING, CHATTERING 381 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:13,920 By day five, the list has grown to 20 species. 382 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,320 We are also seeing the same animals returning every day. 383 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,640 Our cameras have already recorded 384 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,120 nearly 200 hours of footage combined. 385 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:32,280 And I'm seeing a pattern emerge. 386 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:36,360 We're actually starting to see 387 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:37,960 some really interesting data. 388 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:39,560 We're looking at which species 389 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,640 are turning up to the waterhole at what time. 390 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,480 Some of these animals have pretty much set times 391 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:47,520 and they're turning up like clockwork. 392 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,000 There is already a schedule to life at the waterhole. 393 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:59,200 From around 8am, a steady stream of impala come for a drink. 394 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,160 11.00 is the most frequent time for zebra. 395 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:05,600 ZEBRA SNORTS 396 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:10,640 Around 1pm, the very punctual warthog orphans come to mud-bathe. 397 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,960 3pm is when elephants often turn up. 398 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,600 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 399 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:21,640 And the herd of buffalo are coming 400 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,280 first thing in the morning and at dusk. 401 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:26,240 BUFFALO SNORT 402 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:29,600 I have a theory as to why this routine has been set 403 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:32,800 so early on within this new waterhole community. 404 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:38,120 There's certain patterns that indicate survival strategies. 405 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:43,000 It's interesting that during that midday sun, that real heat, 406 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,040 the place doesn't become deserted. 407 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,640 So some of the species that are most vulnerable from predators, 408 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,520 they're willing to brave that scorching heat 409 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:53,960 because if they turn up later in the day, 410 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:55,760 that's when the predators are about. 411 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:02,320 The fear of predators is affecting when animals come to the waterhole. 412 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,400 But that's not the only thing the cameras are revealing. 413 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:13,840 After eight days, a hierarchy 414 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:17,680 is developing within the waterhole community, 415 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,040 and by analysing footage, we discover that one species 416 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,200 is trying to dominate. 417 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:29,800 What we've got is a waterbuck here, and where we're seeing these come 418 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:33,120 to our waterhole, this male, they're always coming on their own. 419 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,800 The buffalo approach... So he was there first. 420 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,640 He has a look round... Oh! He darts off, doesn't he? 421 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:43,320 He doesn't even bother to entertain any thought of staying there 422 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:45,360 with a huge herd of buffalo. 423 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:49,760 They encircle the waterhole and they basically just own 424 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,520 that very valuable resource. 425 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,040 We've got another bit as well. Here we go. 426 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:59,160 So these small group of zebra have come all the way round the side 427 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,080 of the pool to the other end 428 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,800 where they're hoping to have a little sip. 429 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:07,160 But as you can see, there's another buffalo. 430 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,320 Just wait to see what happens. 431 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:12,960 ZEBRA SCREECH 432 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:16,960 That's deliberate aggression, isn't it? 433 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:20,120 The buffalo are completely monopolising the area. Yeah. 434 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,720 OK. So the big boys have pushed out the zebra, 435 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,440 but what happens when an even bigger boy turns up? 436 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:30,840 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 437 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:36,920 BUFFALO SNORT 438 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:40,920 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 439 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:42,880 That's not a happy elephant. 440 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:45,440 The buffalo are not drinking, 441 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,040 notice, they've had to stop drinking. 442 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,360 They're casually strolling in both directions. Yeah. 443 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:51,960 They don't know where to go, but they're definitely not drinking 444 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,800 and they realise that they're... And look. Ooh! 445 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:59,200 Yeah. This is a frustrated, frustrated elephant. 446 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,240 And it gets a little bit worse because he comes round this side. 447 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,000 ELEPHANT SNORTS 448 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,080 This is a bit of displacement behaviour, I think. 449 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:16,320 He's so cross with the buffalo, he can't do much about them, 450 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:19,800 so he's kicking the ground, look, still flaring his ears, 451 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:21,000 waving his trunk. 452 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:24,040 Both elephants and buffalo 453 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,040 came to the waterhole in the first 48 hours. 454 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,760 They are our most regular and heaviest drinkers. 455 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:33,600 And as the dry season intensifies, 456 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,440 they're encountering each other much more often. 457 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:41,960 The buffalo have strength in numbers, 458 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:46,240 but an elephant weighs up to 6,000 kilos 459 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:51,440 and the buffalo aren't willing to put up much of a fight...for now. 460 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:58,600 For these two giants, a changing climate and a growing scarcity 461 00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:02,480 of water has potentially life-threatening consequences. 462 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:07,720 In the '90s, the number of buffalo were decimated in the Serengeti, 463 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,760 and the Maasai Mara because of drought. 464 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,480 So it's interesting to see that behaviour that created 465 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:14,840 this dominant presence. 466 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:16,600 That's for very good reason, I guess. 467 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:18,480 They really, really need that water. 468 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:36,040 In 24 hours, we measure that between them, 469 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:42,280 buffalo and elephant are drinking over 7,000 litres of water. 470 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:46,720 A natural waterhole might dry up with this level of demand. 471 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:51,840 But this one has a plumbed in fresh water supply 472 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,000 that we can keep topping up. 473 00:31:56,920 --> 00:31:59,920 It's been tremendously busy at the waterhole overnight, 474 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:03,240 and as a consequence, the water level has gone down, 475 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,440 quite significantly, by at least two or three centimetres. 476 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:10,480 We are keeping track of water usage. 477 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:13,760 A centimetre drop in both pools 478 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:17,600 is approximately 2,000 litres of water. 479 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:19,360 I'll just turn this tap on. 480 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:23,440 You can hear it bubbling away. 481 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:25,160 WATER GURGLES 482 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,640 This water is from a naturally occurring reservoir 483 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:31,400 47 metres underground. 484 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:35,320 It's a sustainable water source 485 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:37,720 that's replenished every rainy season. 486 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:42,000 Wind turbines power the pump, 487 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:45,800 which can deliver up to 12,000 litres per hour... 488 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,200 ..should we need it. 489 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:51,920 Over the next couple of days, 490 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:54,200 the important role our waterhole 491 00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:56,200 is starting to play in the region 492 00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:58,880 is underlined by a staggering 493 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:02,400 20 new species that come for a drink. 494 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:06,760 Including the hadada ibis, 495 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:08,200 which are native 496 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:09,800 to Sub-Saharan Africa. 497 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:13,880 The white-tailed mongoose, 498 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:16,920 which is the largest of the mongoose species, 499 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:19,480 reaching one metre in length. 500 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,880 Kirk's dik-dik, one of the world's 501 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:28,520 smallest antelope, 502 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:32,400 standing at just 35cm tall. 503 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:40,280 And a black-backed jackal, 504 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:41,480 that wastes no time 505 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:43,240 marking this territory. 506 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,960 So far, 40 species have visited the waterhole. 507 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:58,360 And on day ten, the tallest animals on Earth come for a drink. 508 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:11,440 Extraordinary animals, giraffe, absolutely extraordinary. 509 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:15,080 That looks like a terribly uncomfortable position to be in, 510 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:18,800 to have to drink, but that's the least of its problems. 511 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:22,400 The first thing is if you've got your head all the way up here 512 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:26,600 on a very long, stout neck and then you tip it down to drink 513 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:31,360 like this, all of the blood would rush down into your brain 514 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:36,160 and you would presumably black out straight away, but not the giraffe. 515 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:39,680 They've evolved something called a rete - 516 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:42,040 it's a tight bundle of arteries. 517 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:44,520 So the blood does run down the neck, 518 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:48,560 but when it gets to this rete at the base of the skull, 519 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:51,680 it slows it up so it doesn't flood the brain. 520 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:54,840 And then equally, when they tip their head back up again, 521 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:58,200 having had a drink, you would think that all the blood would drain out 522 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:01,720 of the brain and they would simply faint, but they don't. 523 00:35:01,720 --> 00:35:05,960 They have valves in those blood vessels which stop that blood 524 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:08,560 cascading back into their body. 525 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,480 They've also got very strong oesophageal muscles. 526 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:16,560 I mean, look, it's now got to pump the water all the way from its lips 527 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,680 up to its body. 528 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:22,160 We tip water into our mouths and use gravity 529 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:23,480 to get it into our stomach. 530 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:26,720 This one's got a reverse gravity and that's what they do, 531 00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:30,800 they've got very powerful muscles to suck that water up. 532 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,040 ELEPHANTS TRUMPET 533 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:44,640 It's only taken ten days for the waterhole to look like 534 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:48,040 an established oasis in Mwiba Reserve. 535 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:58,360 But on day 12, the area goes eerily quiet. 536 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:04,320 To help discover where the animals have gone... 537 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:09,800 ..we've sent wildlife cameraman and tracker, Bob Poole, 538 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:11,040 to investigate. 539 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:17,520 Less than 100 metres away, he spots a potential reason 540 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:20,160 for the sudden quietness at the waterhole. 541 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:31,200 Right there, that's a pretty big animal, you see. 542 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:35,360 One, two, three, four, and the pad going to here. 543 00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:37,600 Look at that...look at that distance in that. 544 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:45,360 It's definitely a big cat, 545 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:48,720 whether it's a lion or a big leopard. 546 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,640 Look at the size of this here. 547 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:54,720 You see? 548 00:36:54,720 --> 00:36:57,720 So you can tell this is a very fresh track because you've got 549 00:36:57,720 --> 00:36:59,960 a vehicle track here, 550 00:36:59,960 --> 00:37:02,600 and right on top of that is a big cat. 551 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:07,680 Chris. Chris, do you copy? 552 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:09,480 Hi, Bob. 553 00:37:10,720 --> 00:37:13,960 Hey, I've just found some big cat tracks on the road here. 554 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:16,800 Whereabouts are you relative to the waterhole? 555 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:21,320 Yeah, we're only about 100 yards away from you on the main track 556 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:23,560 to the north. Must have been... 557 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:26,560 I would have to assume it had to be early this morning. 558 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:29,640 I'd like to follow these tracks and see where they go. 559 00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:31,640 OK. Well, I'll see you a bit later. 560 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:37,760 While a predator is in the area, only a handful of species will feel 561 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:42,760 safe at the waterhole, including the largest land mammal on Earth. 562 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:48,640 Elephants are rarely predated by big cats in Tanzania, 563 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:52,760 and this herd also has strength in numbers. 564 00:37:52,760 --> 00:37:54,440 Look at that! 565 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:58,160 Oh, my goodness. How many? How many are we looking at? 566 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,480 OK, look. So that's eight adults. 567 00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:03,520 One, two, three, four juveniles. 568 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:04,760 Look at that shot. 569 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:07,200 Look at the view we've got there. That's amazing. 570 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,120 Look at the little youngster. 571 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:17,120 A herd of 12 makes this the biggest number of elephants 572 00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:18,800 at the waterhole so far. 573 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:25,880 Elephant herds are led by a matriarch, who is identifiable 574 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,920 by being bigger and older than the others. 575 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:33,880 This one is around 30 years old. 576 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:37,080 The youngest calf is just over a year old. 577 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:43,800 Elephants are notoriously protective of their young, 578 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:48,440 but this family are completely at ease with our remote cameras. 579 00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:52,840 And they're the first animals to take a proper dip 580 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:54,920 in the waterhole. 581 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:56,880 But they're not just bathing - 582 00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:01,000 they, like our warthog orphans, need mud. 583 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,280 And this is what it's about with the mud. They're chucking it on there, 584 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,440 it's going to evaporate the water out of the mud. 585 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,000 What's interesting here, though, 586 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:13,000 is that the elephants have very wrinkly skin. Yes. 587 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:16,560 So the mud goes into the wrinkles and therefore it takes 588 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:18,280 longer to evaporate. 589 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:21,320 And this means that the cooling process will go on longer 590 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:23,160 than if they had smooth skin. 591 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:24,800 But also, that wrinkly skin, 592 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:28,040 that increases the surface area and it helps with heat loss. 593 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,240 And, interestingly, the Asian elephants, of course, 594 00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:32,520 don't have the same level of wrinkles in their skin... 595 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:35,600 No, they don't. ..because these guys need to cool down a bit more. 596 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:40,680 Mud can also act as sunscreen for elephants, 597 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:44,720 but it is often in short supply during the dry season, 598 00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:47,760 which explains why this herd 599 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:51,400 is exploring every corner of the waterhole. 600 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:55,040 Right now we've got a very expensive camera very, very close... 601 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:56,800 SHE CHUCKLES 602 00:39:56,800 --> 00:39:59,120 I know. ..to an elephant's feet. Great. Yeah. 603 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:02,160 Oh. Oh! It's...it's destroyed the camera! 604 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:03,800 SHE LAUGHS There goes the camera. 605 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:06,240 And immediately, we can switch to another one. 606 00:40:08,360 --> 00:40:10,400 Look at that. ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 607 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:12,000 Oh, they're having fun, aren't they? 608 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:13,560 Oh, the calves are having a great time. 609 00:40:13,560 --> 00:40:15,360 CALF HOOTS 610 00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:18,440 There's a serious side to all this play. 611 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:22,840 This calf needs to get to grips with trunk control. 612 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:31,120 There are 40,000 muscles in an elephant trunk and it can take 613 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:34,120 calves over a year to master. 614 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:37,920 It's a vital skill, especially during the dry season 615 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:40,360 when water and mud are scarce. 616 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:48,120 It's interesting that they've come out of the mud... 617 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:55,800 ..and now they're actively covering themselves in dust. 618 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:58,320 It's from one extreme to another, isn't it? 619 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:00,480 So this dust bathing, have you ever seen this before? 620 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:02,920 Yeah, I've seen them dust bathing... But after. ..but not... 621 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:07,560 No, not immediately after they've been made mud bathing, you know. 622 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:09,920 Potentially might be seeing different cultures here. 623 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:12,600 We know the same species in different parts of a country 624 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:15,320 will exhibit different cultures, just like we do. Yeah. 625 00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:18,120 So this might be something that's a bit more unique. A peculiar habit 626 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:19,600 to this little group. 627 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:22,000 They get sticky and then they get dry. 628 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:27,800 They've started to move off, haven't they? 629 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:29,440 Can we see camera six? 630 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:31,320 The remains of camera six. 631 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:32,960 Look at the destruction of that! 632 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:35,680 It's still working, it's just a but dirty. It's worth it. 633 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:38,040 I mean, I'm not paying the bill, but from my point of view, 634 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:39,800 that shot was sensational. 635 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,360 After the elephant family leave, 636 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:49,640 the waterhole goes quiet again. 637 00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:56,920 Bob is still following the big cat prints that are just 100 metres away 638 00:41:56,920 --> 00:42:00,600 from the waterhole, but the trail has gone cold. 639 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:06,320 From now on, he'll have to rely on his tracking skills. 640 00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:10,320 The guineafowls' alarm calling over there sounds like, 641 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:14,440 "Gah! Geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh!" 642 00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:17,040 They give away predators all the time. 643 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:24,760 Perhaps there's a lion or a leopard right in this bush. 644 00:42:26,240 --> 00:42:30,040 That noise right there - "Gah! Geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh!" 645 00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:31,480 It's an alarm call. 646 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:34,360 GUINEAFOWL CALL OUT 647 00:42:34,360 --> 00:42:39,000 Guineafowl are a ground-dwelling bird found across Africa. 648 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:43,000 They're known for being highly vocal when there are predators about. 649 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:47,920 Might go up there and see what they're cackling at. 650 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:03,520 WHISPERS: There's a lion right there. 651 00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:05,560 There's a big lion right there, do you see it? 652 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:07,520 At the base of the tree right there. 653 00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:11,280 Wow. We found it. 654 00:43:13,720 --> 00:43:16,960 He's just waking up from a long day's sleep. 655 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:21,000 LION GROWLS SOFTLY He's huge. 656 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,640 He's wearing a collar so he's obviously being studied. 657 00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:28,240 But he's a seriously big lion. 658 00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:38,720 Tanzania is home to nearly half of all wild lions on Earth... 659 00:43:40,520 --> 00:43:44,840 ..with approximately 11,500 spread across the country. 660 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:52,200 Males are not always part of a pride, so this large lion 661 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:54,000 could be travelling alone. 662 00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:58,920 It's likely that he's noticed the increased prey activity 663 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:01,320 at the new waterhole. 664 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:04,360 In the dry season like this, 665 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:07,760 wildlife gets concentrated around water points 666 00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:10,160 and that makes it easier for lions 667 00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:12,720 because they can ambush those water points. 668 00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:14,880 And so that gives lions an advantage. 669 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:18,080 It's a good chance that this guy has shown up over here 670 00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:20,120 because there's water nearby. 671 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:21,480 Here he comes. 672 00:44:35,600 --> 00:44:38,000 Wow, that is a big lion. 673 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:41,280 And he's headed in the direction of the waterhole. 674 00:44:56,720 --> 00:44:59,120 Sure enough, just after midnight, 675 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:01,720 the lion arrives at the waterhole. 676 00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:12,400 By roaring... MUFFLED LION ROAR 677 00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:14,760 ..this male is claiming his territory. 678 00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:23,720 The surrounding trees provide the perfect hiding place 679 00:45:23,720 --> 00:45:25,560 for this ambush predator. 680 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:34,160 To find out more about this lion, 681 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:37,120 we're enlisting the help of Nuhu Mhapa, 682 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,200 one of Mwiba's top guides, 683 00:45:39,200 --> 00:45:42,800 who's familiar with all of the big cats in the area. 684 00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:46,240 I think I know this guy. 685 00:45:46,240 --> 00:45:48,160 He's...he's called Kalumass, 686 00:45:48,160 --> 00:45:50,120 and he hasn't been here for quite long. 687 00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:54,240 It's just amazing that he has just come back. 688 00:45:54,240 --> 00:45:56,680 How do you recognise him? Just from the size. 689 00:45:56,680 --> 00:45:58,160 This is definitely Kalumass. 690 00:46:00,720 --> 00:46:07,520 At over 250 kilos, Kalumass is one of the largest lions in Tanzania. 691 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:11,040 He's such a unique individual. 692 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:14,600 Scientists from the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute 693 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:18,560 have been tracking his movements for the past two years. 694 00:46:19,640 --> 00:46:21,000 What do you know about him? 695 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:23,600 Do you know how old he is and where he's come from, where he's been? 696 00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:25,680 He was together with a pride of 697 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:29,320 four females, together with babies, with the cubs. 698 00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:30,880 That was in 2017, right. 699 00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:34,640 From there he disappeared and left the rest of the pride in the area. 700 00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:37,200 He left the females and the cubs? Yeah, and the cubs. 701 00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:39,240 There was no other male involved? No, no, no, no. 702 00:46:39,240 --> 00:46:41,120 So he kind of abandoned them. Yep, yep. 703 00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:42,960 That's quite odd, isn't it? That's what he did. 704 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:46,200 So he left them behind and he disappeared. 705 00:46:46,200 --> 00:46:49,680 And then we got a call from our friends in Ngorongoro 706 00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:52,320 and they said, "Hey, you know what? Kalumass is here." 707 00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:54,720 He's gone all the way to Ngorongoro? All the way to Ngorongoro. 708 00:46:56,840 --> 00:47:00,640 For the past year, Kalumass's tracking data shows 709 00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:03,240 he's been in the Ngorongoro Crater area, 710 00:47:03,240 --> 00:47:06,480 a neighbouring reserve teeming with wildlife. 711 00:47:07,720 --> 00:47:10,240 But now, this unusual male lion 712 00:47:10,240 --> 00:47:12,600 has chosen to make a huge migration 713 00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:16,040 to Mwiba, walking over 80km. 714 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:26,400 We think he's about nine years old... Well, that's prime. 715 00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:31,840 But, again, it's very impressive to see such a lion that age 716 00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:34,160 and he's still being highly nomadic like this. 717 00:47:34,160 --> 00:47:37,000 Which is, I mean, is quite extraordinary. 718 00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:39,800 At some point, this lion's going to have to settle down! Well... 719 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:42,040 THEY LAUGH 720 00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:44,040 He's getting on a bit. 721 00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:47,080 Look, who's he got to contend with here? 722 00:47:47,080 --> 00:47:51,400 OK. We've got these two males that just came in about 723 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:53,840 four months ago and they have 724 00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:56,320 already met with the resident female here. 725 00:47:56,320 --> 00:47:59,440 Well, he's an impressive animal, so they're going to have a 726 00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:02,160 comeuppance when they meet him, aren't they? Absolutely. 727 00:48:02,160 --> 00:48:06,200 It takes courage for whoever will see him to hold their ground. 728 00:48:06,200 --> 00:48:10,280 Wow. It's going to be interesting to see what happens. Absolutely. 729 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:11,800 What does Kalumass mean? 730 00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:14,160 Kalumass means "sneaky". Sneaky boy. 731 00:48:14,160 --> 00:48:16,200 Sneaky boy? Yeah, sneaky boy. 732 00:48:16,200 --> 00:48:19,000 CHRIS LAUGHS It's a fitting name - sneaky boy. 733 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:20,840 Yeah, he is a sneaky boy. 734 00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:32,200 So, Kalumass has entered the territory of the Mwiba pride. 735 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:33,640 What do we know about them? 736 00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:35,680 Well, we know there are a couple of males and a female, 737 00:48:35,680 --> 00:48:38,520 and that she might have given birth in the last month. 738 00:48:38,520 --> 00:48:41,400 No-one's seen any of those cubs yet. 739 00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:44,840 But if that is the case, they're likely to be more protective 740 00:48:44,840 --> 00:48:47,880 than ever of those cubs and this area. 741 00:48:47,880 --> 00:48:51,320 Now, the den is not too far away from the waterhole, 742 00:48:51,320 --> 00:48:54,040 so Bob has gone up there to see if Kalumass 743 00:48:54,040 --> 00:48:56,200 made it to the den last night. 744 00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:03,920 The Mwiba pride den is just over 3km from the waterhole, 745 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:08,480 a distance Kalumass the lion could have covered in half an hour. 746 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:15,280 On the way to the den, Bob spots lions in the bushes. 747 00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:18,920 There they are, 748 00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:20,560 two male lions. 749 00:49:21,560 --> 00:49:22,800 Wow. 750 00:49:26,840 --> 00:49:30,480 I've probably just had a run-in with Kalumass. 751 00:49:30,480 --> 00:49:34,200 I think I see a little bit of a scar on one of their eyes, 752 00:49:34,200 --> 00:49:39,840 which makes sense because they would really be defending their cubs. 753 00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:41,720 Kalumass would kill them instantly. 754 00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:45,120 There's a female. One of these two is probably the dad. 755 00:49:47,840 --> 00:49:52,360 Kalumass is a great big male and he's formidable, even on his own. 756 00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:54,480 But these two guys certainly would overpower him, 757 00:49:54,480 --> 00:49:56,880 but it could have been quite a fight and they look 758 00:49:56,880 --> 00:49:59,160 like they've had a rough night. 759 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:08,120 Kalumass may have been chased away, 760 00:50:08,120 --> 00:50:11,760 but I'm discovering that his presence seems to have altered 761 00:50:11,760 --> 00:50:14,400 the routine of the waterhole community 762 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:17,480 that has built up over the past 13 days. 763 00:50:19,480 --> 00:50:22,520 Everything changed when the lion turned up. 764 00:50:22,520 --> 00:50:25,240 You can see a shift in that schedule. 765 00:50:25,240 --> 00:50:29,240 So we're noticing that some species are coming together. 766 00:50:29,240 --> 00:50:34,720 So, for example, we're seeing the giraffe, the impala and the zebra 767 00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:36,280 turning up together. 768 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:38,960 Now, that's partly protection in numbers, but there's something 769 00:50:38,960 --> 00:50:42,640 really fascinating going on here, and it's that they're relying on 770 00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:47,320 each other's strengths to identify the predators in the area. 771 00:50:47,320 --> 00:50:51,520 Now, all of those three species rely upon their eyesight, but of course, 772 00:50:51,520 --> 00:50:54,800 the giraffes can see the landscape much better. 773 00:50:56,240 --> 00:51:00,840 And so those other two species are relying on those giraffes to ID 774 00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:03,200 the predators, and that's why they're turning up 775 00:51:03,200 --> 00:51:05,400 to the waterhole together. 776 00:51:08,640 --> 00:51:10,520 Giraffe vision is so acute, 777 00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:13,960 they can see movement from 2km away. 778 00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:19,400 They are a life-saving early warning system for other animals. 779 00:51:23,920 --> 00:51:26,480 The waterhole is getting busy again... 780 00:51:28,120 --> 00:51:30,880 ..and we're seeing more new bird species... 781 00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:32,400 BIRD COOS 782 00:51:33,800 --> 00:51:38,560 ..including Fischer's lovebirds, that are only found in Tanzania. 783 00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:44,480 Marabou storks, which are the largest stork species, 784 00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:47,400 reaching up to 1.5 metres tall. 785 00:51:49,400 --> 00:51:52,080 Colourful lilac-breasted rollers. 786 00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:55,960 They symbolise peace in many African tribes. 787 00:51:58,920 --> 00:52:01,880 And our first bird of prey - 788 00:52:01,880 --> 00:52:03,960 an augur buzzard. 789 00:52:04,960 --> 00:52:07,320 They often scope out waterholes 790 00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:11,200 and predate on rodents and small birds that come to drink. 791 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:17,280 Adding the augur buzzard brings the species list to 61. 792 00:52:20,520 --> 00:52:25,000 On average, we've had four new species a day come for a 793 00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:27,320 life-saving drink in the dry season. 794 00:52:28,560 --> 00:52:31,720 And despite predators being a constant threat, 795 00:52:31,720 --> 00:52:35,120 there hasn't been any sign of hunting at the waterhole. 796 00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:42,240 But just 3km away, Bob makes an ominous discovery. 797 00:52:45,640 --> 00:52:49,880 I've just found this male kudu carcass in the drainage right here. 798 00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:54,600 This riverbed runs around the waterhole. 799 00:52:55,880 --> 00:53:00,080 It looks like predators are picking off prey as they travel 800 00:53:00,080 --> 00:53:01,360 to and from it. 801 00:53:04,240 --> 00:53:07,000 So interesting, because it's just been killed. 802 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:09,760 You can see the stomach has been opened. 803 00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:13,960 Whatever killed this kudu 804 00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:16,800 is probably going to come back to eat it, 805 00:53:16,800 --> 00:53:19,760 so Bob is going to stake out the carcass. 806 00:53:27,480 --> 00:53:29,640 After four hours of waiting, 807 00:53:29,640 --> 00:53:32,720 Bob spots something moving in the bushes. 808 00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:36,880 My goodness, that's incredible. 809 00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:40,800 Wow, what a powerful animal. 810 00:53:43,800 --> 00:53:47,360 It's the Mwiba pride lioness that's made the kill. 811 00:53:49,240 --> 00:53:51,720 The males are nowhere to be seen, 812 00:53:51,720 --> 00:53:54,200 but this meal isn't all for her. 813 00:53:55,800 --> 00:53:57,240 Whoa! Look at that, look at that 814 00:53:57,240 --> 00:53:59,040 right over there on left side of the screen. 815 00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:01,720 Cubs coming down the bank. 816 00:54:01,720 --> 00:54:03,120 Whoa. 817 00:54:04,760 --> 00:54:07,360 That's incredible. Look at that. 818 00:54:09,080 --> 00:54:11,640 I haven't seen any other lionesses. 819 00:54:11,640 --> 00:54:14,400 So it means she's all alone, at least as far as I can tell. 820 00:54:16,720 --> 00:54:19,280 Lion prides vary in size, 821 00:54:19,280 --> 00:54:22,960 but usually have up to a dozen females. 822 00:54:22,960 --> 00:54:26,280 A lone mother like this is highly unusual, 823 00:54:26,280 --> 00:54:31,160 especially with two cubs that are just six weeks old. 824 00:54:31,160 --> 00:54:33,600 That's a really tough thing for a lioness to be all alone 825 00:54:33,600 --> 00:54:35,440 like that with two cubs. 826 00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:38,040 Very difficult for her moving forward. 827 00:54:39,680 --> 00:54:43,440 Only about 50% of the cubs make it when their mother's alone like this. 828 00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:52,200 The waterhole could become a very important focal point 829 00:54:52,200 --> 00:54:57,040 for this lone mother, as it provides a reliable and potentially 830 00:54:57,040 --> 00:55:00,120 easy source of food and water. 831 00:55:10,960 --> 00:55:14,400 It's been 14 days since the waterhole was built. 832 00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:19,080 The species list is now up to 70. 833 00:55:19,080 --> 00:55:21,480 There are still new animals coming, 834 00:55:21,480 --> 00:55:24,200 but you have to look harder to find them. 835 00:55:26,280 --> 00:55:30,680 I've spotted a direct physical relationship between our HQ here 836 00:55:30,680 --> 00:55:33,680 and the waterhole all the way down there, 200 metres away, 837 00:55:33,680 --> 00:55:36,080 and it's in the form of mud. 838 00:55:36,080 --> 00:55:38,680 Look up here in the apex of the tent. 839 00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:43,920 This is the nest of a parasitic wasp, 840 00:55:43,920 --> 00:55:47,320 and it's made this little muddy chamber. 841 00:55:47,320 --> 00:55:49,960 This is it. She's come in. Look at this. 842 00:55:49,960 --> 00:55:52,560 Look at that! Now, what an insect. 843 00:55:53,800 --> 00:55:56,040 Now, typically, they like to hunt caterpillars. 844 00:55:56,040 --> 00:55:58,280 She'll sting it and paralyse it - 845 00:55:58,280 --> 00:56:00,120 critically, not kill it - 846 00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:03,840 and entomb it in that mud nest whilst it's still alive. 847 00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:07,040 Then she'll lay an egg on it, then she'll go and catch another. 848 00:56:07,040 --> 00:56:10,840 And when the nest is filled, she'll plug that little hole 849 00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:12,720 and those eggs will hatch. 850 00:56:12,720 --> 00:56:16,880 And they'll eat the non-essential organs first, thus keeping 851 00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:19,840 them alive - fresh meat, you see - 852 00:56:19,840 --> 00:56:23,240 and then they'll pupate and hatch out. 853 00:56:23,240 --> 00:56:27,840 I've got to tell you, these are insect super predators. 854 00:56:27,840 --> 00:56:32,720 And the thing is, she's only able to do this because of our waterhole, 855 00:56:32,720 --> 00:56:35,440 because you can't make a nest like that without water, 856 00:56:35,440 --> 00:56:38,360 cos you need top-quality mud. 857 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:41,960 So we provided a resource for elephants, buffalo, 858 00:56:41,960 --> 00:56:46,440 all of those birds and also some really smart insects as well. 859 00:56:53,920 --> 00:56:58,160 The parasitic wasp takes the species list to new highs. 860 00:56:59,840 --> 00:57:03,480 We're currently at 71, and the interesting thing is, 861 00:57:03,480 --> 00:57:05,840 it's a wide variety of species. 862 00:57:05,840 --> 00:57:08,480 You've got small birds, all the way up to 863 00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:13,240 the great African elephant and they're all here sharing this water. 864 00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:15,480 But already that's really impressive, 865 00:57:15,480 --> 00:57:18,720 and it will be really interesting to see how that number shifts 866 00:57:18,720 --> 00:57:20,200 as the seasons progress. 867 00:57:22,680 --> 00:57:26,120 In just two weeks, a fully-functioning ecosystem 868 00:57:26,120 --> 00:57:28,360 has sprung up at our waterhole. 869 00:57:32,720 --> 00:57:34,080 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 870 00:57:34,080 --> 00:57:36,800 From butterflies to buffalo 871 00:57:36,800 --> 00:57:38,840 and lapwings to lions... 872 00:57:40,680 --> 00:57:44,080 ..we've seen a wild community build from nothing. 873 00:57:44,080 --> 00:57:45,520 ZEBRA SNORTS 874 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:49,160 But their lives are going to get tougher. 875 00:57:49,160 --> 00:57:52,640 In two months, this corner of Tanzania enters 876 00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:54,280 the hottest time of year. 877 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:01,960 We'll be back to follow our waterhole animals for 878 00:58:01,960 --> 00:58:05,240 two critical weeks when the heat is at its peak. 879 00:58:09,920 --> 00:58:14,320 Next time... Temperatures surpass 40 Celsius. 880 00:58:15,600 --> 00:58:20,080 Tensions reach boiling point when a new predator swarms the waterhole. 881 00:58:22,440 --> 00:58:25,680 Hyenas take over and invade our camp. 882 00:58:27,160 --> 00:58:31,240 There's a trail of footprints right down to the opening of my tent. 883 00:58:33,920 --> 00:58:38,800 The species list expands with an unexpected African giant. 884 00:58:38,800 --> 00:58:41,400 To think that we could have made a home for a hippo. 885 00:58:41,400 --> 00:58:43,440 Now, come on, I'd put that on my CV! 886 00:58:45,560 --> 00:58:48,320 And for one extraordinary elephant, 887 00:58:48,320 --> 00:58:52,200 the waterhole becomes a vital lifeline. 888 00:58:52,200 --> 00:58:55,200 That's a severed trunk. It's amazing that he's still surviving. 889 00:59:32,400 --> 00:59:34,880 In the baking heat of the African savanna... 890 00:59:37,240 --> 00:59:38,480 ..as rivers dry up... 891 00:59:41,520 --> 00:59:43,960 ..all animals flock to the water hole. 892 00:59:46,360 --> 00:59:48,040 We've never fully understood 893 00:59:48,040 --> 00:59:52,280 how a single water source can support so many competing species... 894 00:59:56,760 --> 00:59:59,600 ..so we're doing something ground-breaking. 895 00:59:59,600 --> 01:00:03,480 Welcome to Tanzania and to the Mwiba Wildlife Reserve 896 01:00:03,480 --> 01:00:06,400 and to this unique water hole behind us. 897 01:00:06,400 --> 01:00:10,680 We are working with the reserve to create the world's first water hole 898 01:00:10,680 --> 01:00:13,160 with a built-in specialist camera system. 899 01:00:15,440 --> 01:00:19,680 This water hole has a half-submerged filming hide 900 01:00:19,680 --> 01:00:23,160 right in the middle, and it's rigged with remote cameras 901 01:00:23,160 --> 01:00:27,000 so we can see every angle of animal behaviour like never before. 902 01:00:29,400 --> 01:00:31,480 Last time, in the peak of the dry season, 903 01:00:31,480 --> 01:00:32,800 our cameras captured 904 01:00:32,800 --> 01:00:35,880 over 70 species. 905 01:00:42,640 --> 01:00:46,560 Look at that! Extraordinary animals. 906 01:00:46,560 --> 01:00:49,560 This emerging ecosystem quickly saw 907 01:00:49,560 --> 01:00:53,240 wildlife working together in surprising ways. 908 01:00:53,240 --> 01:00:56,240 They're relying on each other's strengths 909 01:00:56,240 --> 01:00:58,880 to identify the predators in the area. 910 01:01:04,160 --> 01:01:08,720 Now we're entering the hottest time of year, when temperatures soar 911 01:01:08,720 --> 01:01:11,200 to an unbearable 40 degrees. 912 01:01:14,560 --> 01:01:17,360 Turning the water hole into a lifeline 913 01:01:17,360 --> 01:01:20,440 for the reserve's most vulnerable... 914 01:01:20,440 --> 01:01:23,680 That's a severed trunk. It is amazing that it's still surviving. 915 01:01:25,080 --> 01:01:28,560 ..and making this precious water source a target 916 01:01:28,560 --> 01:01:31,000 for a clan of notorious predators. 917 01:01:32,880 --> 01:01:34,640 They must be just out here. 918 01:01:34,640 --> 01:01:36,960 I can't see them. It's completely black. 919 01:01:41,200 --> 01:01:47,120 This is the story of life and death at the water hole. 920 01:02:03,360 --> 01:02:06,520 We built our water hole in Mwiba Wildlife Reserve... 921 01:02:07,960 --> 01:02:12,640 ..south of the Serengeti, 500km from the east coast 922 01:02:12,640 --> 01:02:14,640 of Africa in Tanzania. 923 01:02:16,280 --> 01:02:20,760 This is a safe haven for Africa's most iconic species. 924 01:02:28,680 --> 01:02:33,240 The long, dry season is drawing to a close, and we've returned 925 01:02:33,240 --> 01:02:36,800 for two critical weeks at the hottest time of year... 926 01:02:37,960 --> 01:02:41,560 ..when water is an even more essential resource. 927 01:02:45,760 --> 01:02:49,200 After five months of crippling drought, 928 01:02:49,200 --> 01:02:51,440 food is also in short supply. 929 01:02:52,640 --> 01:02:57,520 The grasses have died off and acacia trees are almost bare. 930 01:03:03,440 --> 01:03:06,520 The water hole is more vital than ever. 931 01:03:07,840 --> 01:03:09,640 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 932 01:03:09,640 --> 01:03:11,560 We're back at the water hole. 933 01:03:11,560 --> 01:03:15,000 We're back at base camp at the hottest time of year. 934 01:03:15,000 --> 01:03:19,280 Yes, the big question is, what effect will this raging temperature 935 01:03:19,280 --> 01:03:20,920 have on the wildlife here 936 01:03:20,920 --> 01:03:24,560 now that all of the other water sources in the environment 937 01:03:24,560 --> 01:03:27,560 have dried up and only our water hole remains? 938 01:03:34,680 --> 01:03:38,360 The water hole is now the main source of fresh water 939 01:03:38,360 --> 01:03:41,040 for 15,000 hectares of the reserve. 940 01:03:47,280 --> 01:03:49,760 There's very little shade, 941 01:03:49,760 --> 01:03:53,440 so getting here can be exhausting for wildlife - 942 01:03:53,440 --> 01:03:56,360 but, when water is in such short supply, 943 01:03:56,360 --> 01:03:57,720 it's worth it. 944 01:04:04,920 --> 01:04:07,000 And on the first day of filming, 945 01:04:07,000 --> 01:04:09,440 the water hole draws in a thirsty animal 946 01:04:09,440 --> 01:04:11,400 that we haven't seen before. 947 01:04:14,760 --> 01:04:16,080 WHOOPING 948 01:04:18,160 --> 01:04:21,880 Spotted hyena are one of the most successful predators 949 01:04:21,880 --> 01:04:23,880 on the African savanna... 950 01:04:28,320 --> 01:04:32,960 ..and an exciting new addition to our species list. 951 01:04:32,960 --> 01:04:35,120 I love hyenas. Look at that! Oh, look at that! 952 01:04:36,800 --> 01:04:38,680 Now, we didn't see them at all last time. 953 01:04:38,680 --> 01:04:40,920 It's just happily drinking, it's on its own. 954 01:04:43,480 --> 01:04:46,320 We're looking at the footage to try and understand 955 01:04:46,320 --> 01:04:48,520 what this typically nocturnal animal 956 01:04:48,520 --> 01:04:50,240 is doing here during the day. 957 01:04:51,280 --> 01:04:54,120 It's full, right? Yeah. It's just eaten. 958 01:04:54,120 --> 01:04:55,320 It's eaten. 959 01:04:55,320 --> 01:04:58,040 Look, it's got a great big tubby belly full of meat, there. 960 01:05:01,200 --> 01:05:04,680 Hyenas often get thirsty after feasting on a carcass... 961 01:05:06,960 --> 01:05:10,560 ..and it looks like this individual may have made a kill nearby 962 01:05:10,560 --> 01:05:12,200 in the past 24 hours. 963 01:05:15,240 --> 01:05:16,760 It's pretty comfortable, isn't it? 964 01:05:16,760 --> 01:05:18,840 Out in the open, it's very confident. 965 01:05:18,840 --> 01:05:20,720 I think this is probably an animal 966 01:05:20,720 --> 01:05:23,480 that's getting to know this water hole, 967 01:05:23,480 --> 01:05:25,200 knows the lie of the land. 968 01:05:25,200 --> 01:05:26,640 They live in clans 969 01:05:26,640 --> 01:05:28,920 and, often, you know, pretty numerous 970 01:05:28,920 --> 01:05:32,640 in terms of, you know, the numbers that you're going to get there - 971 01:05:32,640 --> 01:05:34,840 groups of 20, 25 not uncommon. 972 01:05:34,840 --> 01:05:37,280 Of course, they have this reputation as scavengers, 973 01:05:37,280 --> 01:05:40,480 but they are hunters as well, they're really skilled hunters. 974 01:05:40,480 --> 01:05:43,880 And, actually, it's more likely that a lion will scavenge off them 975 01:05:43,880 --> 01:05:45,720 than they will scavenge off a lion. 976 01:05:45,720 --> 01:05:48,200 They have such a bad reputation 977 01:05:48,200 --> 01:05:50,600 and yet they're actually kind of gorgeous 978 01:05:50,600 --> 01:05:53,000 and definitely really intelligent. 979 01:05:53,000 --> 01:05:56,000 Yeah, smart, incredibly complex social system, 980 01:05:56,000 --> 01:05:58,720 governed by the females, amazing behaviours, 981 01:05:58,720 --> 01:06:01,760 and an essential part of the ecosystem, of course. 982 01:06:02,880 --> 01:06:05,440 It's such a privilege to see one out during the day, 983 01:06:05,440 --> 01:06:07,440 isn't it, though, cos it's so unusual? 984 01:06:07,440 --> 01:06:10,480 And I guess that's the advantage of having all these cameras. 985 01:06:13,080 --> 01:06:16,600 But, for other animals, however thirsty they might be, 986 01:06:16,600 --> 01:06:20,240 the presence of this predator is likely to make them nervous 987 01:06:20,240 --> 01:06:22,160 about coming to the water hole. 988 01:06:23,480 --> 01:06:27,160 Only time will tell if this hyena is here to stay. 989 01:06:32,000 --> 01:06:35,480 20 cameras are positioned around the water hole. 990 01:06:35,480 --> 01:06:38,520 Calling up the footage offers a unique insight 991 01:06:38,520 --> 01:06:41,160 in how the heat is affecting the habitat. 992 01:06:41,160 --> 01:06:44,360 This is going back to the last time that we were here. 993 01:06:44,360 --> 01:06:46,560 And if we cast forward... It's already quite dry. 994 01:06:46,560 --> 01:06:48,520 Wow. OK, that got drier! 995 01:06:48,520 --> 01:06:52,520 So there's lots of dry vegetation there, but the vegetation is there. 996 01:06:52,520 --> 01:06:53,960 If you cut to the next one. 997 01:06:53,960 --> 01:06:56,640 Right. It's really barren. 998 01:06:56,640 --> 01:06:59,640 It's so much drier. It's like desertification, basically. 999 01:06:59,640 --> 01:07:03,720 It is. The grass, the ground floor, has dried out. 1000 01:07:03,720 --> 01:07:05,040 It's been eaten. 1001 01:07:06,760 --> 01:07:09,320 In terms of what's available for herbivores to graze 1002 01:07:09,320 --> 01:07:10,600 around the water hole, 1003 01:07:10,600 --> 01:07:12,640 there's absolutely nothing. 1004 01:07:14,240 --> 01:07:15,720 All that is left to eat 1005 01:07:15,720 --> 01:07:19,160 are a few remaining leaves too high to reach... 1006 01:07:21,280 --> 01:07:23,360 ..and roots from dead grass. 1007 01:07:24,800 --> 01:07:27,480 Animals have to travel further or dig deeper 1008 01:07:27,480 --> 01:07:29,520 to find anything nutritious. 1009 01:07:31,360 --> 01:07:34,400 The shape of the water hole's changing a bit, as well, 1010 01:07:34,400 --> 01:07:36,720 whilst all the animals have been coming. 1011 01:07:36,720 --> 01:07:39,160 A little bit on the top corner, there, where it's shallower. 1012 01:07:39,160 --> 01:07:42,760 Presumably, they're just wallowing, taking some of the material away. 1013 01:07:43,880 --> 01:07:45,720 At this time of year, 1014 01:07:45,720 --> 01:07:48,440 wallowing is one of the main ways 1015 01:07:48,440 --> 01:07:50,240 animals cool down. 1016 01:07:57,160 --> 01:08:02,440 They are hungry and tired, desperately seeking shelter. 1017 01:08:07,080 --> 01:08:11,560 And it's this that allows predators to thrive. 1018 01:08:18,840 --> 01:08:22,560 So, it's not surprising that, on our first night, 1019 01:08:22,560 --> 01:08:26,800 we add new carnivores to our species list, 1020 01:08:26,800 --> 01:08:29,000 including servals. 1021 01:08:29,000 --> 01:08:31,680 They are small savanna cats, 1022 01:08:31,680 --> 01:08:35,720 but are one of the most successful hunters in the cat family. 1023 01:08:36,800 --> 01:08:42,240 They can leap up to three metres in the air to catch birds mid-flight, 1024 01:08:42,240 --> 01:08:45,640 and they're known to hunt up to 16 times a day. 1025 01:08:47,160 --> 01:08:50,920 The elusive African wildcat rarely drinks water, 1026 01:08:50,920 --> 01:08:54,440 but uses its acute hearing to precisely locate prey 1027 01:08:54,440 --> 01:08:56,040 around water points. 1028 01:08:58,240 --> 01:09:02,480 Spotted genets have retractable claws to hunt in the trees 1029 01:09:02,480 --> 01:09:03,560 and down on the ground. 1030 01:09:08,440 --> 01:09:12,720 Now the water hole has become a regular feature in the landscape, 1031 01:09:12,720 --> 01:09:17,360 smaller predators have plenty of hunting opportunities 1032 01:09:17,360 --> 01:09:21,040 as small prey like rats and hares come for a drink. 1033 01:09:24,440 --> 01:09:28,720 A few hours later, we get further proof that the water hole 1034 01:09:28,720 --> 01:09:32,640 is a magnet for animals from far and wide. 1035 01:09:32,640 --> 01:09:38,960 Look - hippo! Hippo are one of the most powerful animals in Africa, 1036 01:09:38,960 --> 01:09:43,320 with canine teeth that can measure up to half a metre in length. 1037 01:09:43,320 --> 01:09:48,280 This was something I really wanted to see in our water hole, 1038 01:09:48,280 --> 01:09:50,880 and it was always on the cards. 1039 01:09:50,880 --> 01:09:52,520 You would think that, in the foreground, 1040 01:09:52,520 --> 01:09:54,320 that's a source of great temptation... 1041 01:09:54,320 --> 01:09:56,960 Oh, look at that! ..for a lonely wandering hippo. 1042 01:09:56,960 --> 01:10:00,240 They do move quite large distances away from water, 1043 01:10:00,240 --> 01:10:02,480 looking for new water, of course. 1044 01:10:02,480 --> 01:10:05,520 But this hippo isn't searching for water. 1045 01:10:05,520 --> 01:10:07,960 He's looking to graze. 1046 01:10:07,960 --> 01:10:10,400 Hippos walk almost 10km at night, 1047 01:10:10,400 --> 01:10:12,880 eating up to 40 kilos of grass. 1048 01:10:14,080 --> 01:10:17,920 Oh! To think that we could have made a home for a hippo. 1049 01:10:17,920 --> 01:10:20,120 Now, come on! I'd put that on my CV. 1050 01:10:33,960 --> 01:10:37,360 With so much of the shrubbery dried out, life is tough 1051 01:10:37,360 --> 01:10:38,840 for many of the animals here... 1052 01:10:43,880 --> 01:10:46,240 ..but insects thrive 1053 01:10:46,240 --> 01:10:49,320 in this stifling heat, with the humidity helping them breed. 1054 01:10:52,040 --> 01:10:55,280 This means lots of new insects are spotted buzzing 1055 01:10:55,280 --> 01:10:56,400 around the water hole. 1056 01:11:03,400 --> 01:11:07,800 And insects aren't the only new visitors. Migratory birds, 1057 01:11:07,800 --> 01:11:10,720 that have often travelled great distances, 1058 01:11:10,720 --> 01:11:13,160 are also dropping in, including... 1059 01:11:14,360 --> 01:11:17,840 ..the steppe eagle, which breeds in Central Asia 1060 01:11:17,840 --> 01:11:21,880 before travelling up to 10,000km to Africa. 1061 01:11:25,160 --> 01:11:27,200 HONKING 1062 01:11:27,200 --> 01:11:30,440 And Egyptian geese, that pair up for life. 1063 01:11:30,440 --> 01:11:33,680 Once one dies, the other mourns in seclusion 1064 01:11:33,680 --> 01:11:37,560 and often refuses to mate ever again. 1065 01:11:37,560 --> 01:11:42,840 HONKING 1066 01:11:42,840 --> 01:11:45,840 A lot of the birds flocking to the water hole now 1067 01:11:45,840 --> 01:11:48,720 are not coming to drink or bathe. 1068 01:11:48,720 --> 01:11:51,120 They're searching for food. 1069 01:11:54,240 --> 01:11:57,720 This is yellow-billed stork. You can see how it got its name. 1070 01:12:02,000 --> 01:12:05,880 I've got a soft spot for yellow-billed stork. 1071 01:12:05,880 --> 01:12:10,320 Now, when it comes to what they eat, they are pretty much opportunists. 1072 01:12:10,320 --> 01:12:12,320 These animals will eat a frog if they find it, 1073 01:12:12,320 --> 01:12:13,920 they'll eat a small snake and a lizard 1074 01:12:13,920 --> 01:12:17,120 if they find it, they'll eat fish if they can find them. 1075 01:12:17,120 --> 01:12:19,160 And that's what they're looking for here. 1076 01:12:21,000 --> 01:12:23,920 What they're doing is they're putting their beak into the water 1077 01:12:23,920 --> 01:12:28,320 and they're holding it slightly open so that, if anything swims in, 1078 01:12:28,320 --> 01:12:32,520 they can snap it tightly closed pretty quickly and capture the fish. 1079 01:12:32,520 --> 01:12:34,400 Super views! Look at that. Amazing. 1080 01:12:36,080 --> 01:12:37,880 I just feel a little bit sorry for them, 1081 01:12:37,880 --> 01:12:40,480 because we've only just made the water hole 1082 01:12:40,480 --> 01:12:43,600 and, at this point, there aren't going to be any fish in it. 1083 01:12:46,000 --> 01:12:49,880 When the rainy season arrives and the landscape floods, 1084 01:12:49,880 --> 01:12:54,800 new waterways will open up for fish to find their way to our water hole. 1085 01:12:54,800 --> 01:12:59,200 But this won't happen for at least another few weeks - 1086 01:12:59,200 --> 01:13:02,640 though no-one has told the storks that. 1087 01:13:02,640 --> 01:13:04,080 It's sad, really, isn't it? 1088 01:13:09,040 --> 01:13:12,400 It is said that sometimes the eggs of fish 1089 01:13:12,400 --> 01:13:15,640 are carried on the feet of water birds - 1090 01:13:15,640 --> 01:13:18,240 ducks and things like storks. 1091 01:13:18,240 --> 01:13:19,320 You never know. 1092 01:13:19,320 --> 01:13:23,480 These animals may have brought the very fish that they might eat 1093 01:13:23,480 --> 01:13:26,600 at some stage in the future on those, their feet. 1094 01:13:32,840 --> 01:13:36,840 Birds are now the most frequent water hole visitors during the day. 1095 01:13:39,440 --> 01:13:43,480 It's a far cry from the middle of the dry season two months ago 1096 01:13:43,480 --> 01:13:47,760 when daytimes were busy with many more species. 1097 01:13:47,760 --> 01:13:52,000 I have been studying the data to see how much things have changed. 1098 01:13:52,000 --> 01:13:54,160 So this here is a plot of all the animals' - 1099 01:13:54,160 --> 01:13:56,760 and not just some animals, but all the animals' - 1100 01:13:56,760 --> 01:13:58,720 arrival times at the water hole. 1101 01:13:58,720 --> 01:14:02,240 Now, we're comparing our data from the dry season 1102 01:14:02,240 --> 01:14:04,680 and now the hottest time of year. 1103 01:14:04,680 --> 01:14:08,880 So, when we were here last time, you were looking at two peaks - 1104 01:14:08,880 --> 01:14:11,760 the animals were mostly coming during the day 1105 01:14:11,760 --> 01:14:13,760 and then again at night. 1106 01:14:13,760 --> 01:14:16,560 But now you're seeing a complete shift. 1107 01:14:19,080 --> 01:14:21,440 Buffalo that would arrive at dusk 1108 01:14:21,440 --> 01:14:23,920 are now waiting until darkness at 8pm 1109 01:14:23,920 --> 01:14:25,960 before coming for a drink. 1110 01:14:28,760 --> 01:14:33,040 Elephants who regularly visited during the heat of the afternoon 1111 01:14:33,040 --> 01:14:35,880 are now mostly arriving around 9pm. 1112 01:14:38,760 --> 01:14:42,360 Zebra, which used to come around 11am every day, 1113 01:14:42,360 --> 01:14:45,160 are now turning up more frequently 1114 01:14:45,160 --> 01:14:47,640 between the hours of 2 and 4am. 1115 01:14:49,280 --> 01:14:52,920 What you're seeing is the animals are preferring the night, 1116 01:14:52,920 --> 01:14:56,160 and, so, suddenly night has become the new rush hour. 1117 01:15:12,920 --> 01:15:15,960 But night can be a dangerous time to drink. 1118 01:15:20,960 --> 01:15:25,440 Mwiba is home to some of Africa's top nocturnal hunters, 1119 01:15:25,440 --> 01:15:27,680 like leopard, lion, 1120 01:15:27,680 --> 01:15:30,880 hyena and wild dog. 1121 01:15:33,400 --> 01:15:37,640 On the fifth night, the highest number of predators yet 1122 01:15:37,640 --> 01:15:39,760 comes to the water hole. 1123 01:15:45,400 --> 01:15:49,600 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1124 01:15:53,280 --> 01:15:57,560 The spotted hyena returns, and it's not alone. 1125 01:15:57,560 --> 01:16:01,200 OK, there's a clan moving in. Look at that - seven. 1126 01:16:03,440 --> 01:16:06,480 Six. Now there's seven at the moment. 1127 01:16:06,480 --> 01:16:08,720 There's eight there now. 1128 01:16:08,720 --> 01:16:11,760 I wonder if it's because they've basically just built up 1129 01:16:11,760 --> 01:16:13,440 the confidence to come in here 1130 01:16:13,440 --> 01:16:15,880 or whether they have moved into the area. 1131 01:16:15,880 --> 01:16:18,600 That's unlikely cos they have quite stable ranges 1132 01:16:18,600 --> 01:16:19,600 and denning sites. 1133 01:16:21,680 --> 01:16:23,800 They do go wild sometimes. They do. 1134 01:16:23,800 --> 01:16:27,520 And they've got a remarkable vocabulary - all sorts of whoops 1135 01:16:27,520 --> 01:16:30,040 and whistles and barks and howls. 1136 01:16:30,040 --> 01:16:33,720 Spotted hyenas are known as laughing hyenas 1137 01:16:33,720 --> 01:16:38,560 because they have a distinctive call that sounds like human laughter. 1138 01:16:40,000 --> 01:16:46,080 They can make more than ten vocal sounds, but these can be modulated 1139 01:16:46,080 --> 01:16:49,160 to create even more meanings - 1140 01:16:49,160 --> 01:16:52,760 and they can hear each other's calls from up to 5km away. 1141 01:16:55,400 --> 01:16:58,080 But, clearly, if they're moving through the bush at night 1142 01:16:58,080 --> 01:16:59,680 and they're moving through thick bush, 1143 01:16:59,680 --> 01:17:01,840 it doesn't matter how good their nocturnal vision is. 1144 01:17:01,840 --> 01:17:03,640 They're relying on their sense of smell 1145 01:17:03,640 --> 01:17:05,280 and, to communicate with one another, 1146 01:17:05,280 --> 01:17:08,240 those calls that we hear so frequently. 1147 01:17:08,240 --> 01:17:09,200 THEY CALL 1148 01:17:10,680 --> 01:17:13,640 They're not considered favourably, are they, really? No, they're not. 1149 01:17:13,640 --> 01:17:16,760 They're looked down upon by many African cultures and, certainly, 1150 01:17:16,760 --> 01:17:18,400 you know, Western cultures as well. 1151 01:17:18,400 --> 01:17:22,040 I think, because of their scavenging nature, their nocturnal habits, 1152 01:17:22,040 --> 01:17:24,760 we're always fearful of things that come out at night - 1153 01:17:24,760 --> 01:17:27,280 they're difficult for us to see and understand. 1154 01:17:27,280 --> 01:17:29,760 Hyenas are highly territorial. 1155 01:17:29,760 --> 01:17:33,080 Now that they've discovered the water hole, 1156 01:17:33,080 --> 01:17:35,960 their mere presence is a threat to other animals 1157 01:17:35,960 --> 01:17:38,280 relying on this crucial resource. 1158 01:17:38,280 --> 01:17:43,800 THEY CALL 1159 01:17:53,040 --> 01:17:55,960 To help understand the hyena's impact 1160 01:17:55,960 --> 01:17:58,800 on our emerging water hole ecosystem, 1161 01:17:58,800 --> 01:18:01,680 I talk to Dr Meredith Palmer. 1162 01:18:01,680 --> 01:18:04,960 She's been studying Africa's carnivores for more than a decade. 1163 01:18:07,760 --> 01:18:09,800 Meredith, we've got a number of hyenas here. 1164 01:18:09,800 --> 01:18:11,600 The most we've seen at the water hole is eight - 1165 01:18:11,600 --> 01:18:13,520 and, at the moment, it's dry. 1166 01:18:13,520 --> 01:18:16,480 Lots of herbivores are coming to drink and then hanging around. 1167 01:18:16,480 --> 01:18:19,840 That must be ideal, therefore, for the hyenas. Yeah. 1168 01:18:19,840 --> 01:18:22,200 So, having prey in high abundance in a landscape 1169 01:18:22,200 --> 01:18:23,480 tends to favour hyenas. 1170 01:18:25,040 --> 01:18:27,080 Hyenas are apex predators in this system, 1171 01:18:27,080 --> 01:18:29,640 exerting a lot of top down control on what's going on. 1172 01:18:31,760 --> 01:18:36,360 Spotted hyena are the most abundant large carnivore in Africa, 1173 01:18:36,360 --> 01:18:39,800 with an estimated population of 47,000. 1174 01:18:41,400 --> 01:18:42,720 A lot of their success 1175 01:18:42,720 --> 01:18:46,360 comes from their complex and highly adaptable social groups. 1176 01:18:48,480 --> 01:18:53,040 Clans consist of many non-related, low-ranking individuals 1177 01:18:53,040 --> 01:18:55,040 led by an alpha female. 1178 01:18:56,880 --> 01:18:58,760 Working under her leadership, 1179 01:18:58,760 --> 01:19:01,560 they seek out areas where prey congregate... 1180 01:19:04,400 --> 01:19:06,640 ..like our water hole. 1181 01:19:07,720 --> 01:19:09,800 They know these animals are going to be here. 1182 01:19:09,800 --> 01:19:11,240 The water hole is very good 1183 01:19:11,240 --> 01:19:13,320 because having a high abundance of prey 1184 01:19:13,320 --> 01:19:16,040 allows their clans to grow to very, very large sizes - 1185 01:19:16,040 --> 01:19:18,160 and if your clan is 40 or 50 individuals, 1186 01:19:18,160 --> 01:19:20,680 it's always going to win against another species. 1187 01:19:23,520 --> 01:19:26,160 Dr Palmer's research suggests 1188 01:19:26,160 --> 01:19:30,800 that it's likely there could be even more hyenas nearby 1189 01:19:30,800 --> 01:19:33,480 and, once hyenas are established, 1190 01:19:33,480 --> 01:19:36,960 the water hole becomes a dangerous place to be. 1191 01:19:41,240 --> 01:19:45,280 Which could be why, following the hyena clan visit, 1192 01:19:45,280 --> 01:19:48,000 days and nights are a lot quieter. 1193 01:19:56,480 --> 01:19:59,560 To find out where all these hyenas are coming from, 1194 01:19:59,560 --> 01:20:02,280 cameraman Bob Poole's been searching the area. 1195 01:20:05,360 --> 01:20:08,720 He spotted a hyena den with three young cubs 1196 01:20:08,720 --> 01:20:11,040 just 2km from our water hole. 1197 01:20:14,880 --> 01:20:15,920 There, right there. 1198 01:20:15,920 --> 01:20:17,800 There they are. There they are, look. 1199 01:20:21,120 --> 01:20:26,080 One, two, three. 1200 01:20:26,080 --> 01:20:29,680 And that's about the maximum litter size 1201 01:20:29,680 --> 01:20:31,760 for one female, isn't it? Yeah. 1202 01:20:31,760 --> 01:20:34,160 25% don't get through the first month, 1203 01:20:34,160 --> 01:20:37,200 and they're born with incisors and really sharp teeth 1204 01:20:37,200 --> 01:20:38,400 and their eyes open - 1205 01:20:38,400 --> 01:20:41,960 and as soon as they're born, they're fighting one another. 1206 01:20:41,960 --> 01:20:45,000 I guess that's one way to ensure that the strongest survive. 1207 01:20:45,000 --> 01:20:46,240 But it's pretty brutal. 1208 01:20:46,240 --> 01:20:49,240 But by the time they get to this stage, it's all sorted - 1209 01:20:49,240 --> 01:20:52,080 they already know who's top hyena. 1210 01:20:52,080 --> 01:20:56,360 Bob and I take a remote camera to see if we can get a closer look 1211 01:20:56,360 --> 01:20:59,360 at these cubs without disturbing them. 1212 01:20:59,360 --> 01:21:02,520 It's the same as those that we're using at the water hole. 1213 01:21:02,520 --> 01:21:04,720 We can remote control it from the vehicle here. 1214 01:21:04,720 --> 01:21:06,920 We can pan and tilt and focus and expose, 1215 01:21:06,920 --> 01:21:09,160 and we'll get a view of it here. 1216 01:21:09,160 --> 01:21:11,360 Bob here is a bit underexposed at the moment. 1217 01:21:11,360 --> 01:21:13,200 But the purpose of this, of course, 1218 01:21:13,200 --> 01:21:15,880 is to allow us to learn a little bit more about these young hyenas 1219 01:21:15,880 --> 01:21:17,680 close to their den. 1220 01:21:17,680 --> 01:21:18,920 Yeah, the cubs are still there. 1221 01:21:18,920 --> 01:21:20,280 They haven't minded us... 1222 01:21:21,520 --> 01:21:22,760 ..being this close. 1223 01:21:27,400 --> 01:21:32,520 You can see here how curious these cubs are. 1224 01:21:32,520 --> 01:21:35,800 We're only about, I don't know, six, seven metres away 1225 01:21:35,800 --> 01:21:37,760 from the entrance to the den. 1226 01:21:37,760 --> 01:21:42,480 It's in their nature - they're opportunistic animals. 1227 01:21:42,480 --> 01:21:45,000 So they're always on the lookout for new things. 1228 01:21:46,880 --> 01:21:49,160 ENGINE STARTS 1229 01:21:52,680 --> 01:21:56,440 We deploy our camera and move back about 30 metres. 1230 01:22:01,520 --> 01:22:04,200 These are likely to be all of them. 1231 01:22:04,200 --> 01:22:08,600 I think the same litter. They're mobile pretty quickly, 1232 01:22:08,600 --> 01:22:12,240 and then they need to get on their feet and get moving. 1233 01:22:12,240 --> 01:22:15,560 So the female hyena has the most fat in her milk 1234 01:22:15,560 --> 01:22:18,200 for any terrestrial mammal. 1235 01:22:18,200 --> 01:22:21,400 By eight months, they're showing hunting behaviour, 1236 01:22:21,400 --> 01:22:24,200 and, within a year, they're out hunting with the adults. 1237 01:22:27,360 --> 01:22:32,000 The arrival of an adult female lets us spot something remarkable. 1238 01:22:35,440 --> 01:22:36,800 There it is - there, look. 1239 01:22:36,800 --> 01:22:39,320 A newborn hyena cub. 1240 01:22:39,320 --> 01:22:41,080 It's much smaller. 1241 01:22:55,400 --> 01:22:58,040 It's gone down. It's just gone down? We'll see it again. 1242 01:22:58,040 --> 01:23:01,120 That was much blacker and much smaller. It's tiny. 1243 01:23:01,120 --> 01:23:02,240 Yeah, yeah. 1244 01:23:02,240 --> 01:23:05,560 But when the female heads underground, it doesn't take long 1245 01:23:05,560 --> 01:23:10,120 for the older hyena cubs to start investigating our camera. 1246 01:23:14,720 --> 01:23:18,520 One of the cubs is now just walking down the cable line, 1247 01:23:18,520 --> 01:23:19,560 having a good sniff. 1248 01:23:30,800 --> 01:23:32,240 Oh, hold on. 1249 01:23:32,240 --> 01:23:34,160 This is the cable being pulled by the other one. 1250 01:23:34,160 --> 01:23:35,400 There it is - look, look. 1251 01:23:39,240 --> 01:23:40,240 It's got the cable. 1252 01:23:44,920 --> 01:23:48,000 BARKING 1253 01:23:48,000 --> 01:23:49,400 I knew that this would happen. 1254 01:23:51,440 --> 01:23:53,240 How long's that cable going to last? 1255 01:23:57,200 --> 01:23:58,960 They've all got the cable. It's gone. 1256 01:24:00,960 --> 01:24:03,760 For some reason, it's stopped recording and gone back to this. 1257 01:24:03,760 --> 01:24:04,880 There's just no input. 1258 01:24:06,280 --> 01:24:07,680 Oh, they've pulled the cable out. 1259 01:24:07,680 --> 01:24:09,200 I don't believe it! 1260 01:24:09,200 --> 01:24:11,320 They have. They're chewing it. 1261 01:24:13,600 --> 01:24:15,800 They've pulled it out of the back of the camera. 1262 01:24:17,160 --> 01:24:18,640 That's not good at all! 1263 01:24:22,320 --> 01:24:24,560 That's a shame, because they'd just plucked up the courage 1264 01:24:24,560 --> 01:24:25,920 to come right up to the camera, 1265 01:24:25,920 --> 01:24:27,520 so the camera did give us the opportunity 1266 01:24:27,520 --> 01:24:28,840 to find out a bit more about them. 1267 01:24:28,840 --> 01:24:31,600 I think, from our point of view, what's going to be interesting is, 1268 01:24:31,600 --> 01:24:34,920 you know, will these be the hyenas of the future 1269 01:24:34,920 --> 01:24:36,280 that might visit our water hole? 1270 01:24:36,280 --> 01:24:39,200 After a few months, they will go out with those adults, 1271 01:24:39,200 --> 01:24:42,400 and there's every chance that they'll turn up down there. 1272 01:24:46,720 --> 01:24:49,720 Choosing a den so near to our water hole 1273 01:24:49,720 --> 01:24:51,880 and therefore close to prey 1274 01:24:51,880 --> 01:24:54,000 is a key survival strategy 1275 01:24:54,000 --> 01:24:57,640 that will help this clan grow strong in numbers... 1276 01:25:02,960 --> 01:25:06,760 ..but the sight and the sound of these powerful predators 1277 01:25:06,760 --> 01:25:11,240 will keep many other animals that rely on this area for water away. 1278 01:25:16,520 --> 01:25:20,240 However, large animals like this male elephant 1279 01:25:20,240 --> 01:25:22,840 are too big for a hyena to take down. 1280 01:25:26,520 --> 01:25:29,320 And now that water is scarcer than ever, 1281 01:25:29,320 --> 01:25:34,440 the water hole has become a lifeline for one extraordinary individual. 1282 01:25:34,440 --> 01:25:37,640 We've seen him for over four years now. 1283 01:25:37,640 --> 01:25:40,920 Mwiba guide Nuhu Mhapa helps me to identify him. 1284 01:25:42,360 --> 01:25:46,000 It's amazing that he's still surviving with such a trunk 1285 01:25:46,000 --> 01:25:48,800 that has been cut by a snare, set by the poachers, 1286 01:25:48,800 --> 01:25:52,720 intending to catch some of the wildebeest or zebras and so forth, 1287 01:25:52,720 --> 01:25:56,360 but, as the elephant moves across the bushes, 1288 01:25:56,360 --> 01:25:58,400 grabbing these grasses, 1289 01:25:58,400 --> 01:26:01,560 then it just kept cutting the trunk, so, it's painful, 1290 01:26:01,560 --> 01:26:05,960 but he has been with that kind of wound for quite some time now. 1291 01:26:13,240 --> 01:26:17,720 Those trunks are so important. They have multiple uses - 1292 01:26:17,720 --> 01:26:22,240 they are a hand when they eat, they do help the elephants drink, 1293 01:26:22,240 --> 01:26:24,160 obviously, they suck it into their trunks, 1294 01:26:24,160 --> 01:26:25,960 and then they put that into their mouths. 1295 01:26:25,960 --> 01:26:29,080 But also they use it to signal to other elephants. 1296 01:26:34,480 --> 01:26:40,640 Life is challenging for this individual. Using their trunks, 1297 01:26:40,640 --> 01:26:44,680 elephants are capable of lifting over 300kg, 1298 01:26:44,680 --> 01:26:47,960 something he will never be able to do. 1299 01:26:47,960 --> 01:26:48,960 HE RUMBLES 1300 01:26:51,400 --> 01:26:53,200 Thankfully, he can drink. 1301 01:26:55,200 --> 01:26:59,120 But at this time of year, many natural water sources have dried up 1302 01:26:59,120 --> 01:27:01,120 and are harder for him to reach. 1303 01:27:05,520 --> 01:27:09,080 Water deep enough to wade into will help him to survive. 1304 01:27:22,480 --> 01:27:24,640 It must be also really sad when you see this happen. 1305 01:27:24,640 --> 01:27:25,760 It is, it is. 1306 01:27:25,760 --> 01:27:29,400 And especially when you consider that these animals, 1307 01:27:29,400 --> 01:27:31,520 they are long-living animals, 1308 01:27:31,520 --> 01:27:34,760 and you start to imagine how hard it is for him, 1309 01:27:34,760 --> 01:27:38,000 just from this young age all the way to 16 years old. 1310 01:27:38,000 --> 01:27:40,440 So it's tough. It's very sad for us 1311 01:27:40,440 --> 01:27:44,240 because we humans have caused these kind of problems. 1312 01:27:44,240 --> 01:27:47,680 So he's been affected very much. 1313 01:28:10,120 --> 01:28:12,480 So we've seen the effect that the predators are having here 1314 01:28:12,480 --> 01:28:14,920 at the water hole, but there is another species 1315 01:28:14,920 --> 01:28:18,360 that seems to be bullying just about everything that comes for a drink. 1316 01:28:18,360 --> 01:28:21,000 It wants the resource entirely to itself, 1317 01:28:21,000 --> 01:28:24,200 and our cameras can throw some light on the matter. 1318 01:28:24,200 --> 01:28:27,200 QUACKING 1319 01:28:29,120 --> 01:28:33,400 Egyptian geese are aggressively territorial at this time of year 1320 01:28:33,400 --> 01:28:38,040 as breeding begins, and they've started fighting 1321 01:28:38,040 --> 01:28:39,200 over the water hole. 1322 01:28:43,520 --> 01:28:46,600 A mating pair violently protect this patch 1323 01:28:46,600 --> 01:28:48,200 from other geese. 1324 01:28:48,200 --> 01:28:53,240 And it seems they're also a surprisingly intimidating presence 1325 01:28:53,240 --> 01:28:55,520 to much bigger species. 1326 01:28:55,520 --> 01:28:58,520 THEY HONK 1327 01:29:01,640 --> 01:29:04,840 Not the quiet drink this giraffe was hoping for. 1328 01:29:10,200 --> 01:29:14,760 Even predatory birds, like the huge martial eagle, 1329 01:29:14,760 --> 01:29:17,440 are disturbed by this boisterous couple. 1330 01:29:19,520 --> 01:29:22,560 THEY HONK 1331 01:29:33,520 --> 01:29:36,760 Whilst domineering geese are unexpected, 1332 01:29:36,760 --> 01:29:40,920 it means our species list has stopped growing at number 82, 1333 01:29:40,920 --> 01:29:44,600 as animals seem to be scared away by hyena at night 1334 01:29:44,600 --> 01:29:47,240 or put off by geese during the day. 1335 01:29:51,520 --> 01:29:53,040 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1336 01:29:56,240 --> 01:30:00,720 Over the next few nights, hyena visits increase. 1337 01:30:00,720 --> 01:30:03,000 HYENA HOWLS 1338 01:30:05,800 --> 01:30:08,240 HYENA CALLS 1339 01:30:10,440 --> 01:30:12,400 And they're gaining confidence. 1340 01:30:18,200 --> 01:30:22,040 One night, a hyena appears with evidence that it's been hunting 1341 01:30:22,040 --> 01:30:23,600 very close to the water hole. 1342 01:30:26,000 --> 01:30:30,800 It takes some scrutiny to determine what this individual's doing. 1343 01:30:32,040 --> 01:30:34,160 It approaches the water hole, there, 1344 01:30:34,160 --> 01:30:37,840 carrying the limb of something that it's either killed or scavenged. 1345 01:30:39,360 --> 01:30:42,760 Leg of wildebeest it's got in its mouth there. 1346 01:30:42,760 --> 01:30:47,240 And rather than stop on the side, put it down and have a sip, 1347 01:30:47,240 --> 01:30:50,280 it wades into the water with that limb. 1348 01:30:51,920 --> 01:30:54,960 Now, some animals will wash their food, 1349 01:30:54,960 --> 01:30:58,880 but it's not washing the food, I don't think. 1350 01:30:58,880 --> 01:31:02,280 They will stash their food, hyenas. 1351 01:31:02,280 --> 01:31:04,280 They will cache their food. 1352 01:31:04,280 --> 01:31:06,640 You can see it's got a pretty much full belly. 1353 01:31:06,640 --> 01:31:10,240 It's probably eaten as much as it possibly can at this point. 1354 01:31:12,600 --> 01:31:15,880 It simply wades in and then it comes back out. 1355 01:31:18,720 --> 01:31:21,120 Maybe it was thinking about caching it in the water 1356 01:31:21,120 --> 01:31:24,000 and it had a change of heart and went and hid it in the grass. 1357 01:31:24,000 --> 01:31:26,440 Sometimes, animals do the strangest of things. 1358 01:31:26,440 --> 01:31:28,040 Now think about your own behaviour. 1359 01:31:28,040 --> 01:31:30,320 Sometimes, you do things which are out of kilter 1360 01:31:30,320 --> 01:31:32,480 with not only human behaviour, but your own. 1361 01:31:32,480 --> 01:31:35,440 Perhaps this hyena's just got a leg quirk. 1362 01:31:38,200 --> 01:31:41,680 And that's the real joy of having cameras set up like this - 1363 01:31:41,680 --> 01:31:43,960 we get to see things like this 1364 01:31:43,960 --> 01:31:47,360 that, in a lifetime of personal observation, 1365 01:31:47,360 --> 01:31:50,760 you're highly unlikely ever to get to watch. 1366 01:31:50,760 --> 01:31:53,600 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1367 01:32:06,880 --> 01:32:10,520 With our camp only 800 metres from the water hole, 1368 01:32:10,520 --> 01:32:13,360 we're having more encounters with the hyenas 1369 01:32:13,360 --> 01:32:14,600 than we bargained for. 1370 01:32:18,840 --> 01:32:23,440 The crew even spot one looking for food right in front of them. 1371 01:32:38,440 --> 01:32:41,200 And they're brave enough to visit our tents, 1372 01:32:41,200 --> 01:32:43,000 howling through the night. 1373 01:32:44,240 --> 01:32:47,160 HYENAS CALL AND HOWL 1374 01:32:52,000 --> 01:32:53,840 One of the great joys of sleeping in a tent 1375 01:32:53,840 --> 01:32:55,240 in sort of the African night 1376 01:32:55,240 --> 01:32:57,400 is not sleeping through the African night 1377 01:32:57,400 --> 01:32:59,680 because there's such a cacophony of noises out there - 1378 01:32:59,680 --> 01:33:02,520 and you're laying there, thinking, "What's that? What's that?" 1379 01:33:02,520 --> 01:33:04,360 but you don't have to wonder about the hyenas, 1380 01:33:04,360 --> 01:33:06,240 and there have been a lot of hyenas in the camp. 1381 01:33:06,240 --> 01:33:08,880 In fact, when I got up yesterday, there was a trail of footprints 1382 01:33:08,880 --> 01:33:12,920 right down to the opening of my tent, and I love that. 1383 01:33:12,920 --> 01:33:16,960 I love the fact that you're sleeping that far away from a large predator. 1384 01:33:16,960 --> 01:33:18,960 You never get that feeling in the UK. 1385 01:33:19,960 --> 01:33:21,680 HYENA HOWLS 1386 01:33:23,640 --> 01:33:27,520 They are sticking to that whooping sound that they make as opposed to, 1387 01:33:27,520 --> 01:33:30,360 well, more of the laughing sound, but it is... 1388 01:33:30,360 --> 01:33:32,600 ..it does sound like it's everywhere 1389 01:33:32,600 --> 01:33:34,840 and it's been going on for a few hours 1390 01:33:34,840 --> 01:33:36,840 and we are really close to the water hole. 1391 01:33:42,960 --> 01:33:47,400 They're even using the same trails as us to get in and out of the camp. 1392 01:34:00,800 --> 01:34:04,200 But not all animals are threatened by the hyenas 1393 01:34:04,200 --> 01:34:08,760 and, over the next few nights, we add more new species to our list. 1394 01:34:13,440 --> 01:34:15,840 Bats dive-bombing the water hole 1395 01:34:15,840 --> 01:34:18,480 can eat up to 3,000 insects a night. 1396 01:34:22,120 --> 01:34:24,800 CROAKING 1397 01:34:24,800 --> 01:34:28,440 Toads absorb water directly through their skin 1398 01:34:28,440 --> 01:34:30,560 so they don't need to drink. 1399 01:34:32,000 --> 01:34:33,400 CROAKING 1400 01:34:46,920 --> 01:34:49,000 This morning, a Mwiba guide 1401 01:34:49,000 --> 01:34:51,880 has told Bob a carcass has been found close by. 1402 01:34:54,560 --> 01:34:58,360 There's been a kill right here in camp. It's right down here, 1403 01:34:58,360 --> 01:35:03,000 just a few hundred metres, and we need to go check it out 1404 01:35:03,000 --> 01:35:08,040 because apparently it's a full grown adult waterbuck, 1405 01:35:08,040 --> 01:35:09,520 which is a sizable animal. 1406 01:35:11,280 --> 01:35:15,280 The carcass is just 600 metres from the water hole, 1407 01:35:15,280 --> 01:35:16,880 so, Bob is keen to find out 1408 01:35:16,880 --> 01:35:19,440 what might have been hunting in the area. 1409 01:35:21,240 --> 01:35:25,200 It's gone - like, gone. 1410 01:35:25,200 --> 01:35:26,960 There's nothing here. 1411 01:35:28,640 --> 01:35:31,840 Can't wait to see the camera trap footage. 1412 01:35:31,840 --> 01:35:36,280 It's remarkable, really. This carcass is gone. 1413 01:35:36,280 --> 01:35:40,360 There's not even any evidence it was ever here. 1414 01:35:40,360 --> 01:35:44,840 There's a tiny bit of a gut pile contents, no stomach. 1415 01:35:44,840 --> 01:35:48,120 Just looking to see if there is any lion prints. 1416 01:35:48,120 --> 01:35:50,400 So far, I only see hyena. 1417 01:35:50,400 --> 01:35:54,560 Hyenas will just rip this carcass to pieces, 1418 01:35:54,560 --> 01:35:57,720 and when you look at their jaws, they're extremely wide here, 1419 01:35:57,720 --> 01:36:00,840 and they have very strong muscles on the top of their heads, 1420 01:36:00,840 --> 01:36:03,720 and they're able to crack right through bones 1421 01:36:03,720 --> 01:36:05,720 and they actually eat them. 1422 01:36:05,720 --> 01:36:08,480 That's why, when you see their dung, it's often just white 1423 01:36:08,480 --> 01:36:12,080 because they absorb so much calcium from the bones that they eat, 1424 01:36:12,080 --> 01:36:15,400 but it just goes to show you that nothing is wasted out here. 1425 01:36:15,400 --> 01:36:18,720 When the Mwiba guide found the carcass last night, 1426 01:36:18,720 --> 01:36:20,760 he placed a camera trap on it. 1427 01:36:20,760 --> 01:36:23,720 Bob wants to confirm if this is a hyena kill. 1428 01:36:29,320 --> 01:36:32,960 Guess what - they came in the daylight. 1429 01:36:32,960 --> 01:36:35,800 OK, here we go, hyena coming on. 1430 01:36:37,240 --> 01:36:39,680 Oh, yeah. Beautiful shot. 1431 01:36:39,680 --> 01:36:42,080 Staring straight at the camera now. 1432 01:36:43,960 --> 01:36:45,960 Oh, wow. Here it goes. 1433 01:36:45,960 --> 01:36:47,360 Ah! 1434 01:36:47,360 --> 01:36:50,040 One hyena, just struggling to drag that, 1435 01:36:50,040 --> 01:36:51,760 but doing it. 1436 01:36:51,760 --> 01:36:53,280 Oh, that's cool. 1437 01:36:53,280 --> 01:36:54,680 Flipped it over. 1438 01:36:54,680 --> 01:36:57,760 I was thinking it would have been a whole, you know, 1439 01:36:57,760 --> 01:37:00,200 group of hyenas that came on first, 1440 01:37:00,200 --> 01:37:02,240 but it's just one individual. 1441 01:37:02,240 --> 01:37:04,640 But it shows you the strength of this animal, 1442 01:37:04,640 --> 01:37:06,680 by dragging that huge carcass 1443 01:37:06,680 --> 01:37:09,720 and consuming tremendous amounts of meat. 1444 01:37:09,720 --> 01:37:13,760 A hyena can eat 15kg of meat in one go, 1445 01:37:13,760 --> 01:37:17,040 which is 25% of its body weight. 1446 01:37:17,040 --> 01:37:19,440 Phenomenal to think of. 1447 01:37:19,440 --> 01:37:21,320 Wow. This guy's really lucky. 1448 01:37:21,320 --> 01:37:24,480 He's not having to share it at all at the moment. 1449 01:37:24,480 --> 01:37:26,920 Oh, hang on. 1450 01:37:26,920 --> 01:37:29,440 There's another hyena in the background there. 1451 01:37:29,440 --> 01:37:31,240 Oh, here we go. Ha-ha! 1452 01:37:31,240 --> 01:37:32,880 He's been discovered, 1453 01:37:32,880 --> 01:37:35,760 and we've got one, two, three, four hyenas. 1454 01:37:36,760 --> 01:37:38,720 They're really ripping into it. 1455 01:37:38,720 --> 01:37:40,840 All right. This now makes sense. 1456 01:37:40,840 --> 01:37:43,320 I didn't think one hyena could eat that whole thing. 1457 01:37:43,320 --> 01:37:47,080 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1458 01:37:47,080 --> 01:37:50,120 One has just taken off with a hindquarter, 1459 01:37:50,120 --> 01:37:52,640 so that's how it goes. 1460 01:37:52,640 --> 01:37:54,880 Bit by bit, the thing is gone. 1461 01:37:54,880 --> 01:37:57,240 You know, they can devour this carcass 1462 01:37:57,240 --> 01:37:58,960 in a very short amount of time. 1463 01:38:00,440 --> 01:38:05,200 With spotted hyena working together to take down large prey, 1464 01:38:05,200 --> 01:38:09,440 it looks like they're now the apex predator dominating the area. 1465 01:38:14,040 --> 01:38:15,960 Earlier in the dry season, 1466 01:38:15,960 --> 01:38:18,160 we discovered a local lioness 1467 01:38:18,160 --> 01:38:21,680 was also hunting near the water hole to feed her cubs. 1468 01:38:23,360 --> 01:38:27,560 But we haven't seen her or the cubs since we've been back. 1469 01:38:27,560 --> 01:38:31,760 Could the hyena have driven them away? 1470 01:38:31,760 --> 01:38:35,040 To find out, Bob is going to check the camera traps 1471 01:38:35,040 --> 01:38:36,880 we placed around the lion den, 1472 01:38:36,880 --> 01:38:38,640 3km away. 1473 01:38:40,560 --> 01:38:42,960 I'm anxious to see what we've got here. 1474 01:38:46,600 --> 01:38:48,920 There's the mother, right there. 1475 01:38:48,920 --> 01:38:52,080 She came in looking quite defensive. 1476 01:38:52,080 --> 01:38:53,720 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1477 01:38:53,720 --> 01:38:55,320 Wow. 1478 01:38:55,320 --> 01:38:56,560 Hyenas. 1479 01:38:56,560 --> 01:38:58,400 There they go, chasing upriver, 1480 01:38:58,400 --> 01:39:01,040 which is the direction where the lion was. 1481 01:39:01,040 --> 01:39:02,880 HYENAS BARK 1482 01:39:04,840 --> 01:39:07,960 Hyenas will kill lion cubs, any chance they get. 1483 01:39:07,960 --> 01:39:09,800 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1484 01:39:13,240 --> 01:39:16,880 To discover if the lioness and her cubs are still alive, 1485 01:39:16,880 --> 01:39:18,960 Bob has to extend his search. 1486 01:39:24,800 --> 01:39:27,040 He spots evidence of lions 1487 01:39:27,040 --> 01:39:30,520 over 16km from the water hole. 1488 01:39:30,520 --> 01:39:32,720 There's a carcass right there. 1489 01:39:32,720 --> 01:39:34,840 Maybe she's made a kill in here. 1490 01:39:39,280 --> 01:39:41,000 There she is. 1491 01:39:42,480 --> 01:39:45,680 I guess we just have to stay here and see what happens. 1492 01:39:48,760 --> 01:39:50,000 Oh, oh, oh! 1493 01:39:52,560 --> 01:39:54,240 I just saw movement there. 1494 01:39:54,240 --> 01:39:56,280 Oh! 1495 01:39:56,280 --> 01:39:58,520 The cubs are right there. 1496 01:40:01,320 --> 01:40:02,800 Oh, my God! 1497 01:40:02,800 --> 01:40:05,040 They're right there. 1498 01:40:05,040 --> 01:40:06,440 I can barely see it. 1499 01:40:06,440 --> 01:40:07,880 Oh, my God. 1500 01:40:10,920 --> 01:40:13,960 Let's see how many... 1501 01:40:13,960 --> 01:40:15,400 One... 1502 01:40:15,400 --> 01:40:16,640 ..two... 1503 01:40:16,640 --> 01:40:19,520 ..three little cubs. 1504 01:40:24,360 --> 01:40:26,960 You know, you get so invested in this stuff 1505 01:40:26,960 --> 01:40:30,880 and your mind plays tricks with you, like, they're dead, 1506 01:40:30,880 --> 01:40:33,680 and it's like, wow, that's just... 1507 01:40:33,680 --> 01:40:37,520 It actually becomes quite emotional, you know, to see them again. 1508 01:40:39,680 --> 01:40:44,280 The lioness has successfully moved her cubs away from the hyenas. 1509 01:40:46,160 --> 01:40:51,960 Lion territories can range in size from 20 to 600 square kilometres, 1510 01:40:51,960 --> 01:40:56,800 and cubs are often relocated several times a month to keep them safe. 1511 01:41:01,720 --> 01:41:05,440 But other animals can't move out of the area so easily... 1512 01:41:09,440 --> 01:41:12,320 ..and have no choice but to risk their lives 1513 01:41:12,320 --> 01:41:15,320 coming to the hyena-dominated water hole. 1514 01:41:20,520 --> 01:41:24,120 This vervet monkey mother needs to drink every day 1515 01:41:24,120 --> 01:41:28,040 in order to keep producing nutrient-rich milk for her young. 1516 01:41:37,400 --> 01:41:40,680 The baby clings on tightly whilst on the move, 1517 01:41:40,680 --> 01:41:43,840 something they're able to do from birth. 1518 01:41:46,600 --> 01:41:49,880 The rest of her troop are nearby to keep watch. 1519 01:41:58,200 --> 01:42:04,080 Vervet monkeys raise high pitched alarm calls if they spot danger. 1520 01:42:04,080 --> 01:42:06,720 They use a different call for each predator 1521 01:42:06,720 --> 01:42:09,240 to signal different escape strategies. 1522 01:42:12,600 --> 01:42:14,600 With the coast clear, 1523 01:42:14,600 --> 01:42:16,840 she makes it to the water hole. 1524 01:42:25,600 --> 01:42:30,480 The baby gets all the fluids it needs from its mother's milk, 1525 01:42:30,480 --> 01:42:35,120 so as long as she gets enough water, the baby will survive the heat. 1526 01:42:37,960 --> 01:42:42,680 On day 12, it's 39 degrees, 1527 01:42:42,680 --> 01:42:44,640 our hottest day yet. 1528 01:42:46,640 --> 01:42:49,160 And a rather unexpected new species 1529 01:42:49,160 --> 01:42:52,080 turns up at the area around the water hole. 1530 01:42:52,080 --> 01:42:54,040 COWS MOO 1531 01:42:56,280 --> 01:42:57,880 Ella, look at this. 1532 01:42:57,880 --> 01:43:00,720 Yeah, they're not supposed to be here. Trespassers. 1533 01:43:00,720 --> 01:43:03,480 Right, so these cows are not supposed to be in this area. 1534 01:43:03,480 --> 01:43:05,200 It's a protected area. 1535 01:43:06,200 --> 01:43:08,280 Around the outskirts of Mwiba, 1536 01:43:08,280 --> 01:43:11,320 there are many Maasai villages that keep livestock. 1537 01:43:11,320 --> 01:43:14,160 Their cattle are banned from entering the reserve 1538 01:43:14,160 --> 01:43:17,200 in order to stop overgrazing. 1539 01:43:17,200 --> 01:43:20,760 But there are no fences in Tanzania between nature reserves 1540 01:43:20,760 --> 01:43:23,080 and human populations, 1541 01:43:23,080 --> 01:43:26,120 so enforcing this ban is difficult. 1542 01:43:26,120 --> 01:43:29,800 In this wild place where people and animals live side by side, 1543 01:43:29,800 --> 01:43:32,280 there are no easy solutions, 1544 01:43:32,280 --> 01:43:35,040 and at the toughest times of year, like now, 1545 01:43:35,040 --> 01:43:37,680 trespassing is likely to increase. 1546 01:43:37,680 --> 01:43:40,120 Where's the person that's looking after these cows? 1547 01:43:40,120 --> 01:43:41,840 Or is there nobody looking after them? 1548 01:43:41,840 --> 01:43:43,800 No, there should be someone looking after them, 1549 01:43:43,800 --> 01:43:45,720 because, obviously, they're potential prey 1550 01:43:45,720 --> 01:43:47,920 and they are currency, aren't they? 1551 01:43:47,920 --> 01:43:50,280 You know how valuable they are to the local community, 1552 01:43:50,280 --> 01:43:52,200 so they don't let them ramble and roam at will. 1553 01:43:52,200 --> 01:43:54,240 Look, there you are. There's the human, there. 1554 01:43:54,240 --> 01:43:56,720 See, the thing is, he's going to get fined. This is the thing. 1555 01:43:56,720 --> 01:43:58,160 He will get a heavy... A fine. 1556 01:43:58,160 --> 01:44:00,480 Yeah, he'll get a heavy fine for being in this area, 1557 01:44:00,480 --> 01:44:03,720 and so he's taking a massive risk, being here. 1558 01:44:03,720 --> 01:44:06,440 I guess I'm wondering why he's... 1559 01:44:06,440 --> 01:44:08,760 ..why he's brought them in, when there's such risk. 1560 01:44:08,760 --> 01:44:10,640 Perhaps this is his only choice. 1561 01:44:10,640 --> 01:44:13,240 It's either bring those animals in here, 1562 01:44:13,240 --> 01:44:15,680 or they're going to die of malnutrition... Yeah. 1563 01:44:15,680 --> 01:44:17,760 ..and he's going to lose his livelihood 1564 01:44:17,760 --> 01:44:19,960 and perhaps even the lives of some of his family. 1565 01:44:19,960 --> 01:44:23,760 Presumably, he's taking the risk of that fine 1566 01:44:23,760 --> 01:44:26,640 simply because there isn't an alternative elsewhere. 1567 01:44:29,520 --> 01:44:33,960 Eventually, a Mwiba ranger escorts this herd out of the reserve. 1568 01:44:38,120 --> 01:44:39,840 The presence of these cows 1569 01:44:39,840 --> 01:44:44,480 shows just how harsh the environment can be at this time of year, 1570 01:44:44,480 --> 01:44:49,400 and why water is such an important resource for all. 1571 01:44:55,280 --> 01:44:58,120 THUNDER RUMBLES 1572 01:44:58,120 --> 01:45:02,320 Finally, after five months of drought, 1573 01:45:02,320 --> 01:45:06,440 three millimetres of unexpected rain brings some relief. 1574 01:45:06,440 --> 01:45:08,480 THUNDER RUMBLES 1575 01:45:14,400 --> 01:45:19,480 It's not enough for grass to grow or natural water holes to fill... 1576 01:45:22,360 --> 01:45:27,800 ..but it does lead to a sudden explosion of life - insect life. 1577 01:45:33,160 --> 01:45:36,600 Look at this beauty. Huge beetle. 1578 01:45:36,600 --> 01:45:39,760 I notice that the tent has become a bit of an insect trap, 1579 01:45:39,760 --> 01:45:41,520 particularly at night, with the lights on. 1580 01:45:41,520 --> 01:45:43,040 They're drawn to those lights, 1581 01:45:43,040 --> 01:45:45,120 and they're typically more active at that time. 1582 01:45:45,120 --> 01:45:48,720 It's cooler, it's more humid, best time to be flying around, 1583 01:45:48,720 --> 01:45:51,160 particularly if you're a large insect like this. 1584 01:45:51,160 --> 01:45:53,600 We might call it a longhorn beetle. 1585 01:45:53,600 --> 01:45:56,080 It's got these characteristic long antennae here, 1586 01:45:56,080 --> 01:45:58,600 typically extraordinarily sensitive, 1587 01:45:58,600 --> 01:46:01,120 for finding members of the opposite sex. 1588 01:46:01,120 --> 01:46:03,960 And given its size, I should imagine that this creature 1589 01:46:03,960 --> 01:46:08,160 has been living as a grub, perhaps inside some rotting wood, 1590 01:46:08,160 --> 01:46:11,080 for a number of years. And, having emerged as an adult, 1591 01:46:11,080 --> 01:46:16,160 their job is to mate and then disperse, lay eggs and die, 1592 01:46:16,160 --> 01:46:20,040 get eaten by something bigger, perhaps even more interesting, 1593 01:46:20,040 --> 01:46:23,680 something that might happen in the space of just a couple of weeks. 1594 01:46:23,680 --> 01:46:25,800 And on that account, I'm going to put it outside 1595 01:46:25,800 --> 01:46:27,320 so it can do its business. 1596 01:46:31,760 --> 01:46:34,240 ELEPHANT TRUMPETS 1597 01:46:34,240 --> 01:46:38,000 Our water hole has become a lifeline for many species, 1598 01:46:38,000 --> 01:46:40,520 from the smallest to the largest... 1599 01:46:42,760 --> 01:46:46,160 ..including the elephant with half a trunk. 1600 01:46:46,160 --> 01:46:48,960 He has returned to our water hole, 1601 01:46:48,960 --> 01:46:51,480 and this time he's with a herd. 1602 01:47:05,280 --> 01:47:07,760 Elephants are highly social, 1603 01:47:07,760 --> 01:47:11,400 and other members of the group are keen to interact with him. 1604 01:47:15,280 --> 01:47:18,120 They use their trunks to communicate, 1605 01:47:18,120 --> 01:47:21,120 smelling and touching each other's mouths. 1606 01:47:22,400 --> 01:47:25,200 It's essentially an elephant handshake. 1607 01:47:27,200 --> 01:47:30,280 Half trunk does his best to return the gesture... 1608 01:47:44,360 --> 01:47:46,320 ..making a vital social bond... 1609 01:47:50,400 --> 01:47:53,720 ..and confirming him as one of the family. 1610 01:47:59,720 --> 01:48:01,960 Over the past two weeks, 1611 01:48:01,960 --> 01:48:04,400 we've seen hyena numbers increase, 1612 01:48:04,400 --> 01:48:08,280 and their visits intensify, both day and night, 1613 01:48:08,280 --> 01:48:12,960 but we still don't know exactly how many there are in this clan. 1614 01:48:18,360 --> 01:48:21,640 We're excited to have spotted hyena around our water hole, 1615 01:48:21,640 --> 01:48:25,080 but it would be great to know how many there are. 1616 01:48:25,080 --> 01:48:27,400 The trouble is, counting them can be really tricky. 1617 01:48:27,400 --> 01:48:29,520 Firstly, they're nocturnal, of course, 1618 01:48:29,520 --> 01:48:31,520 which makes them difficult to see, 1619 01:48:31,520 --> 01:48:34,360 and then they move around in fluid social groups. 1620 01:48:34,360 --> 01:48:36,520 So, if you count six here, 1621 01:48:36,520 --> 01:48:40,280 two of them could be from the four that you later count over here. 1622 01:48:40,280 --> 01:48:42,680 We clearly need a different method. 1623 01:48:42,680 --> 01:48:47,280 We need it to get dark and we need to bring the hyenas to us. 1624 01:48:49,120 --> 01:48:52,760 Dr Meredith Palmer has carried out similar experiments 1625 01:48:52,760 --> 01:48:54,400 all over the Serengeti... 1626 01:48:56,120 --> 01:48:57,920 ..and can help us shed light 1627 01:48:57,920 --> 01:49:01,480 on how big our water hole hyena clan might be. 1628 01:49:01,480 --> 01:49:04,520 So, Meredith, how are we going to try and count these animals? 1629 01:49:04,520 --> 01:49:06,560 So, we're going to do a call up tonight. 1630 01:49:06,560 --> 01:49:09,200 We're going to play some sounds that might intrigue the hyenas 1631 01:49:09,200 --> 01:49:10,680 and bring them out of the bush 1632 01:49:10,680 --> 01:49:12,840 so that we can get a good look at them and count them. 1633 01:49:12,840 --> 01:49:15,920 We're going to start by doing the sounds of prey animal in distress, 1634 01:49:15,920 --> 01:49:19,080 playing the sounds of a warthog that's having a very bad day. 1635 01:49:19,080 --> 01:49:21,560 If you're a hungry hyena, this might be the kinds of noises 1636 01:49:21,560 --> 01:49:24,280 you would come and investigate to see if you could get a meal. 1637 01:49:24,280 --> 01:49:26,800 We'll then play some hyena social noises. 1638 01:49:26,800 --> 01:49:30,360 So we'll play the long whooping calls of the hyenas, 1639 01:49:30,360 --> 01:49:33,600 and the calls I have are calls of hyenas that don't live here. 1640 01:49:33,600 --> 01:49:36,040 They're strange hyenas. They're foreign hyenas. 1641 01:49:36,040 --> 01:49:39,920 And if this was your territory, if you were a resident hyena here, 1642 01:49:39,920 --> 01:49:42,320 you would definitely want to come investigate 1643 01:49:42,320 --> 01:49:44,560 whatever strangers might be coming through. 1644 01:49:44,560 --> 01:49:48,440 OK, so now we're playing a warthog having a very bad day. 1645 01:49:48,440 --> 01:49:51,680 In terms of sort of disturbing their behaviour, the ethics of this, 1646 01:49:51,680 --> 01:49:54,040 you know, we are playing an artificial call, 1647 01:49:54,040 --> 01:49:55,920 we're moving them around the environment, 1648 01:49:55,920 --> 01:49:57,960 but presumably only for a brief period of time 1649 01:49:57,960 --> 01:49:59,080 over a short distance? 1650 01:49:59,080 --> 01:50:01,040 This is very noninvasive. 1651 01:50:01,040 --> 01:50:03,000 This is a very minimal kind of experiment 1652 01:50:03,000 --> 01:50:05,480 to study their behaviour and their population. 1653 01:50:05,480 --> 01:50:07,920 OK, shall we give a go, then? Let's do it. 1654 01:50:07,920 --> 01:50:10,320 Let's wind them up with a bit of wounded warthog. 1655 01:50:11,360 --> 01:50:14,040 WARTHOG SQUEALS IN PAIN 1656 01:50:14,040 --> 01:50:18,080 Hyenas come together en masse for two key events, 1657 01:50:18,080 --> 01:50:22,200 either for a feast or when they're trying to defend their territory. 1658 01:50:25,360 --> 01:50:27,840 Tonight, our two different calls 1659 01:50:27,840 --> 01:50:30,680 are attempting to lure them in for both. 1660 01:50:33,280 --> 01:50:35,760 If we are able to bring up any hyenas, 1661 01:50:35,760 --> 01:50:39,160 we can see the different spots, we can see the different scars, 1662 01:50:39,160 --> 01:50:42,240 and we'll be able to identify the different individuals that come up. 1663 01:50:42,240 --> 01:50:43,840 OK, what about range? 1664 01:50:43,840 --> 01:50:46,720 How far away...from how far away can we bring them in? 1665 01:50:46,720 --> 01:50:48,600 So, we're playing these calls quite loud. 1666 01:50:48,600 --> 01:50:51,760 The hyenas should be able to hear calls played at this decibel 1667 01:50:51,760 --> 01:50:54,000 for about 3km. 1668 01:50:54,000 --> 01:50:56,680 If they're within that radius, they might come investigate. 1669 01:50:58,280 --> 01:51:00,040 It's pitch black. 1670 01:51:00,040 --> 01:51:04,160 So we can see is the infrared camera feed on the monitor. 1671 01:51:05,280 --> 01:51:07,480 And within just four minutes, 1672 01:51:07,480 --> 01:51:09,640 the first hyena turns up. 1673 01:51:24,040 --> 01:51:27,040 WHISPERS: Didn't take them long to arrive, did it? Came very quickly. 1674 01:51:27,040 --> 01:51:29,560 Yeah, they must have been in the immediate vicinity, 1675 01:51:29,560 --> 01:51:32,760 which points to the fact that they're using this water hole. 1676 01:51:32,760 --> 01:51:34,840 So they'll be occupying this area. 1677 01:51:37,800 --> 01:51:40,760 Their quick arrival suggests they live nearby, 1678 01:51:40,760 --> 01:51:44,120 quite likely at the den I visited with Bob. 1679 01:51:46,440 --> 01:51:48,480 Oh, there's two of them. Oh, there's two. 1680 01:51:51,680 --> 01:51:52,960 HYENA BARKS 1681 01:51:52,960 --> 01:51:55,360 That's them... There's one over here. 1682 01:51:56,600 --> 01:51:58,200 Geese aren't moving, are they? 1683 01:51:58,200 --> 01:52:00,440 They're absolutely frozen solid. 1684 01:52:00,440 --> 01:52:03,080 They must know those hyenas are there. 1685 01:52:06,120 --> 01:52:08,040 They're moving... 1686 01:52:13,480 --> 01:52:15,480 There's another... 1687 01:52:15,480 --> 01:52:17,680 Around the back... Oh, there's another one here. 1688 01:52:17,680 --> 01:52:19,720 There's three. Three, at least. Yeah. 1689 01:52:19,720 --> 01:52:23,000 Hyenas are highly social animals, 1690 01:52:23,000 --> 01:52:26,720 and their clans have very complex hierarchies. 1691 01:52:26,720 --> 01:52:28,840 When two hyenas meet, 1692 01:52:28,840 --> 01:52:33,160 the subordinate animal lifts its leg to the dominant hyena 1693 01:52:33,160 --> 01:52:35,360 so it can examine its genitalia. 1694 01:52:35,360 --> 01:52:37,240 There's one close here, though. 1695 01:52:37,240 --> 01:52:39,680 That one must be just out here. 1696 01:52:41,880 --> 01:52:45,560 The dominant female usually has her tail upright 1697 01:52:45,560 --> 01:52:48,680 and the subordinates keep their tails and heads down. 1698 01:52:48,680 --> 01:52:51,240 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1699 01:52:51,240 --> 01:52:54,880 We're hoping to work out which hyena is the leader. 1700 01:53:03,440 --> 01:53:05,720 There's another. There's another. 1701 01:53:08,680 --> 01:53:11,560 Four. Four, yeah. 1702 01:53:13,280 --> 01:53:14,800 Five, six! 1703 01:53:16,680 --> 01:53:19,760 HYENAS BARK 1704 01:53:19,760 --> 01:53:21,280 They must be just out here. 1705 01:53:21,280 --> 01:53:23,920 I mean, I can't see them, it's completely black here. 1706 01:53:23,920 --> 01:53:25,720 We're using infrared light. 1707 01:53:25,720 --> 01:53:28,600 Those hyenas can't be any further than... 1708 01:53:28,600 --> 01:53:32,640 ..I don't know, six, seven, eight metres away, just out here. 1709 01:53:32,640 --> 01:53:35,320 They sound so close. Yeah. 1710 01:53:35,320 --> 01:53:37,320 HYENA BARKS 1711 01:53:39,560 --> 01:53:41,680 And more keep coming. 1712 01:53:41,680 --> 01:53:45,600 You can see them now. Look, cos they're here, aren't they? 1713 01:53:45,600 --> 01:53:48,040 The whole crew. Yeah. 1714 01:53:50,520 --> 01:53:52,760 They're surrounding this... 1715 01:53:52,760 --> 01:53:56,600 HYENAS CALL AND BARK 1716 01:53:56,600 --> 01:54:00,080 It's amazing to think that these fantastic animals 1717 01:54:00,080 --> 01:54:02,840 are just a few metres away out there. 1718 01:54:02,840 --> 01:54:06,000 How many are there at the moment, Meredith? 1719 01:54:06,000 --> 01:54:08,200 11. 11?! Wait, there's one more coming in. 1720 01:54:08,200 --> 01:54:09,960 11? Are you serious? 1721 01:54:15,040 --> 01:54:17,440 That's the most we've had here, then. 1722 01:54:19,120 --> 01:54:21,200 Yeah. 1723 01:54:21,200 --> 01:54:24,440 With such a large group gathered on camera, 1724 01:54:24,440 --> 01:54:27,320 we can work out that these two smaller hyenas 1725 01:54:27,320 --> 01:54:28,920 are the most dominant, 1726 01:54:28,920 --> 01:54:31,360 by the way the others are behaving around them. 1727 01:54:34,240 --> 01:54:36,960 God, I wish I had infrared eyes, I really do. 1728 01:54:40,240 --> 01:54:42,720 Once the calls stop, 1729 01:54:42,720 --> 01:54:44,960 this clan soon moves on. 1730 01:54:46,280 --> 01:54:49,240 That's the last one, look, dashing off into the darkness. 1731 01:54:57,120 --> 01:54:59,320 Yeah, what about that? 1732 01:54:59,320 --> 01:55:01,440 Top work, Meredith. That was really good. 1733 01:55:01,440 --> 01:55:03,480 It's a brilliant sighting. 1734 01:55:03,480 --> 01:55:07,720 With 11 hyenas coming to the water hole in just 19 minutes, 1735 01:55:07,720 --> 01:55:11,160 Meredith's previous research suggests that it's likely 1736 01:55:11,160 --> 01:55:13,560 there are other hyenas in the clan 1737 01:55:13,560 --> 01:55:16,640 who are out of range or at another kill. 1738 01:55:16,640 --> 01:55:21,960 She estimates there could be as many as 25 in total. 1739 01:55:21,960 --> 01:55:24,800 I've got to say, what an extraordinary experience. 1740 01:55:24,800 --> 01:55:29,480 It was so enigmatic, knowing that these large, powerful predators 1741 01:55:29,480 --> 01:55:32,720 were just a few metres away in the darkness. 1742 01:55:32,720 --> 01:55:34,200 We could hear them. 1743 01:55:34,200 --> 01:55:35,560 We couldn't see them. 1744 01:55:35,560 --> 01:55:37,320 Sadly, we couldn't smell them. 1745 01:55:37,320 --> 01:55:40,520 But they were just within reach. 1746 01:55:40,520 --> 01:55:42,600 Amazing. Amazing. 1747 01:55:51,600 --> 01:55:55,720 This hyena clan has taken over our water hole, 1748 01:55:55,720 --> 01:55:58,800 and I've been compiling the data to look at the impact 1749 01:55:58,800 --> 01:56:01,160 of their ever increasing presence. 1750 01:56:02,560 --> 01:56:06,120 We've been studying the number of hyena visits at the water hole, 1751 01:56:06,120 --> 01:56:10,920 and what's interesting is that these visits have continued to increase. 1752 01:56:10,920 --> 01:56:13,360 We spotted 73 visits. 1753 01:56:18,360 --> 01:56:21,160 Hyena now come nearly every day, 1754 01:56:21,160 --> 01:56:25,160 but with water running desperately low across the reserve, 1755 01:56:25,160 --> 01:56:29,160 new animals still risk visiting this crucial lifeline. 1756 01:56:30,200 --> 01:56:32,920 We've had an additional 17 species, 1757 01:56:32,920 --> 01:56:36,280 including the hippo and the serval. 1758 01:56:36,280 --> 01:56:38,760 That means our total count of animals 1759 01:56:38,760 --> 01:56:41,160 that have turned up to the water hole 1760 01:56:41,160 --> 01:56:44,120 since we opened it just a few months ago is 88. 1761 01:56:46,280 --> 01:56:48,080 Over the past two weeks, 1762 01:56:48,080 --> 01:56:52,000 we've seen life at the water hole completely transform. 1763 01:56:55,600 --> 01:56:58,720 But everything is about to change once again. 1764 01:56:58,720 --> 01:57:01,760 The rains are already here, a month earlier 1765 01:57:01,760 --> 01:57:03,920 and a lot heavier than usual. 1766 01:57:07,160 --> 01:57:10,440 In the coming months, more rain will fall on Mwiba 1767 01:57:10,440 --> 01:57:12,600 than in London in a year. 1768 01:57:14,280 --> 01:57:18,960 A deluge that will have a huge impact on the water hole. 1769 01:57:25,640 --> 01:57:28,840 We're back during the height of the rainy season, 1770 01:57:28,840 --> 01:57:31,560 when there is an explosion of life. 1771 01:57:35,480 --> 01:57:37,640 One of nature's greatest spectacles, 1772 01:57:37,640 --> 01:57:40,920 the wildebeest migration, arrives, 1773 01:57:40,920 --> 01:57:44,960 bringing an influx of new prey and predators. 1774 01:57:44,960 --> 01:57:47,240 It's just incredible to witness. 1775 01:57:47,240 --> 01:57:49,880 And our water hole ecosystem 1776 01:57:49,880 --> 01:57:54,040 enters an important new stage of its evolution. 1777 01:57:54,040 --> 01:57:57,320 All of the animals that have been coming here have been visitors, 1778 01:57:57,320 --> 01:57:59,960 but now we've got some residents. 1779 01:58:34,400 --> 01:58:37,880 In the baking heat of the African savanna... 1780 01:58:39,440 --> 01:58:41,040 ..as rivers dry up... 1781 01:58:42,440 --> 01:58:44,680 ..animals flock to the water hole. 1782 01:58:49,200 --> 01:58:52,880 But we've never fully understood how a single water source 1783 01:58:52,880 --> 01:58:55,880 can support so many competing species. 1784 01:58:58,960 --> 01:59:01,600 So we're doing something ground-breaking. 1785 01:59:01,600 --> 01:59:05,400 Welcome to Tanzania and to the Mwiba Wildlife Reserve 1786 01:59:05,400 --> 01:59:08,080 and to this unique water hole behind us. 1787 01:59:09,680 --> 01:59:12,280 We're working with the reserve to create the world's first 1788 01:59:12,280 --> 01:59:16,200 water hole with a built-in specialist camera system. 1789 01:59:17,440 --> 01:59:20,840 This war as a whole has a half-submerged filming hide 1790 01:59:20,840 --> 01:59:25,960 right in the middle, and it's rigged with remote cameras so we can see 1791 01:59:25,960 --> 01:59:29,200 every angle of animal behaviour like never before. 1792 01:59:32,280 --> 01:59:35,960 When we were last here at the hottest time of year... 1793 01:59:37,360 --> 01:59:39,760 ..hyenas ran wild. 1794 01:59:41,640 --> 01:59:43,800 How many are there at the moment, Meredith? 11. 1795 01:59:43,800 --> 01:59:46,120 11? Serious? 1796 01:59:48,320 --> 01:59:52,120 Now it's the rainy season and the water hole ecosystem 1797 01:59:52,120 --> 01:59:54,920 is facing its biggest change yet. 1798 01:59:57,080 --> 01:59:59,880 Up until this point, all of the animals that have been coming here 1799 01:59:59,880 --> 02:00:03,960 have been visitors, but now we've got some residents. 1800 02:00:06,560 --> 02:00:10,200 An explosion of life brings new species flooding in. 1801 02:00:12,320 --> 02:00:17,200 It's the most fascinating example of swarm mentality in mammals. 1802 02:00:19,040 --> 02:00:23,600 And we reveal how our water hole is set to be a lifeline 1803 02:00:23,600 --> 02:00:25,680 for generations to come. 1804 02:00:28,120 --> 02:00:31,360 From up here you get a great view of the ecosystem. 1805 02:00:32,960 --> 02:00:35,800 This is the story of life... 1806 02:00:37,200 --> 02:00:40,080 ..and death at the water hole. 1807 02:00:48,080 --> 02:00:51,040 We built our water hole in Tanzania, 1808 02:00:51,040 --> 02:00:53,880 500km from the east coast of Africa, 1809 02:00:53,880 --> 02:00:55,520 south of the Serengeti. 1810 02:00:57,120 --> 02:00:59,360 Mwiba Wildlife Reserve. 1811 02:01:05,480 --> 02:01:09,920 After five tough months of drought, the rains are finally here. 1812 02:01:11,880 --> 02:01:14,800 More rain will fall over the next three months 1813 02:01:14,800 --> 02:01:17,400 than in a year in London. 1814 02:01:19,280 --> 02:01:21,760 We're at the height of the rainy season 1815 02:01:21,760 --> 02:01:24,000 and over the last two months, 1816 02:01:24,000 --> 02:01:27,640 the whole landscape has completely transformed. 1817 02:01:27,640 --> 02:01:29,440 Yes, just look at this. 1818 02:01:29,440 --> 02:01:32,040 The dusty old dry river has gone. 1819 02:01:32,040 --> 02:01:36,400 Replaced with this fresh flush of bright green grass. 1820 02:01:36,400 --> 02:01:40,400 And this has radically changed life here at the water hole. 1821 02:01:45,080 --> 02:01:48,800 On average, it rains every day for four hours. 1822 02:01:51,800 --> 02:01:55,520 These regular downpours trigger over 200 species 1823 02:01:55,520 --> 02:01:57,600 of savanna grass to grow. 1824 02:02:01,760 --> 02:02:05,200 Mwiba's 53,000-hectare reserve 1825 02:02:05,200 --> 02:02:09,280 is now a lush, all-you-can eat banquet for herbivores. 1826 02:02:13,560 --> 02:02:17,760 In this time of plenty, many animals now have their young. 1827 02:02:22,240 --> 02:02:24,600 Over half a million mammal babies 1828 02:02:24,600 --> 02:02:27,720 and more insects than it's possible to count 1829 02:02:27,720 --> 02:02:31,600 are born at this time of year in the Serengeti ecosystem. 1830 02:02:36,360 --> 02:02:40,160 To see how this explosion of life impacts the water hole, 1831 02:02:40,160 --> 02:02:44,000 we'll be recording 24/7 for the next ten days. 1832 02:02:48,320 --> 02:02:51,320 I'll be collating the data behind every visitor... 1833 02:02:53,520 --> 02:02:57,400 ..and adding to our species list that's already at 88. 1834 02:03:00,440 --> 02:03:04,080 And I'll be replaying footage to analyse the complex behaviour 1835 02:03:04,080 --> 02:03:05,920 behind every interaction. 1836 02:03:12,240 --> 02:03:15,960 But before we could start, we had to do some repairs. 1837 02:03:19,720 --> 02:03:23,000 When we first came back, the rains had been so heavy, 1838 02:03:23,000 --> 02:03:26,240 the edges of the water hole were caved in. 1839 02:03:28,560 --> 02:03:31,720 We called in the Mwiba construction team to help get 1840 02:03:31,720 --> 02:03:34,440 the water hole up and running again. 1841 02:03:40,000 --> 02:03:43,080 Our filming hide also suffered in the deluge. 1842 02:03:44,800 --> 02:03:48,600 You see these lines? Well, these are water marks. 1843 02:03:48,600 --> 02:03:51,640 Yes, the hide got flooded. 1844 02:03:51,640 --> 02:03:55,080 It got flooded up to about, I guess, 1.6 metres. 1845 02:03:56,120 --> 02:03:59,840 It all poured into the hide, filling the whole thing with mud. 1846 02:03:59,840 --> 02:04:01,360 Had to give it a good clean out. 1847 02:04:02,800 --> 02:04:05,040 Unlike a natural water hole, 1848 02:04:05,040 --> 02:04:08,080 ours is designed to keep running all year round, 1849 02:04:08,080 --> 02:04:11,320 no matter what the environment throws at it. 1850 02:04:13,400 --> 02:04:16,440 We can simply turn on the taps to fill it up, 1851 02:04:16,440 --> 02:04:20,520 drawing water from a naturally occurring sustainable source 1852 02:04:20,520 --> 02:04:22,920 47 metres underground. 1853 02:04:27,520 --> 02:04:31,240 This means Mwiba will be able to keep this water hole going 1854 02:04:31,240 --> 02:04:32,880 long into the future. 1855 02:04:41,000 --> 02:04:45,320 The rainy season is already bringing in an exciting array of new animals. 1856 02:04:47,280 --> 02:04:49,640 Look at this dragonfly here. 1857 02:04:49,640 --> 02:04:52,040 Look at that - absolutely fantastic. 1858 02:04:52,040 --> 02:04:54,000 Hunting over the water hole. 1859 02:04:55,440 --> 02:04:58,400 There are over 3,000 species of dragonfly. 1860 02:05:00,280 --> 02:05:02,560 This one, the wandering glider, 1861 02:05:02,560 --> 02:05:08,400 migrates a staggering 18,000km from India to Africa... 1862 02:05:09,200 --> 02:05:11,440 ..further than any other insect. 1863 02:05:16,000 --> 02:05:18,760 Bush crickets look similar to grasshoppers, 1864 02:05:18,760 --> 02:05:22,440 but they have much longer antennae that can be longer, in fact, 1865 02:05:22,440 --> 02:05:24,520 than their whole body. 1866 02:05:26,200 --> 02:05:30,560 This common diadem butterfly male is black with white spots. 1867 02:05:34,120 --> 02:05:36,520 But the female is mainly orange, 1868 02:05:36,520 --> 02:05:41,320 mimicking the toxic monarch butterfly to avoid being eaten. 1869 02:05:43,760 --> 02:05:47,600 The place is alive with insects now. 1870 02:05:47,600 --> 02:05:49,880 And you know, the water hole has had its times - 1871 02:05:49,880 --> 02:05:52,280 it's had the time of elephant and buffalo, 1872 02:05:52,280 --> 02:05:54,320 it's had the time of hyena. 1873 02:05:54,320 --> 02:05:57,360 Now is the time for insects. 1874 02:05:57,360 --> 02:06:00,000 And that's down to the fact that it's rained. 1875 02:06:00,000 --> 02:06:01,840 All of the grass is growing. 1876 02:06:01,840 --> 02:06:04,040 All of the plants are growing out here. 1877 02:06:04,040 --> 02:06:06,400 And that lush salad is a food for herbivores, 1878 02:06:06,400 --> 02:06:10,560 not just the big guys, the mammals, for all of the small invertebrates, 1879 02:06:10,560 --> 02:06:15,160 all of those caterpillars, grubs and larvae which are out there. 1880 02:06:16,720 --> 02:06:21,280 We're only an hour into our first day and this new burst of life 1881 02:06:21,280 --> 02:06:24,160 has added four species to our list. 1882 02:06:28,880 --> 02:06:31,720 But so far, no mammals have shown up. 1883 02:06:34,160 --> 02:06:37,720 Last time we were here, hyenas were taking over the water hole 1884 02:06:37,720 --> 02:06:40,120 at night, and we're curious to see 1885 02:06:40,120 --> 02:06:42,680 if they're still a dominant force. 1886 02:06:45,400 --> 02:06:49,120 But since the rains began, our camp has been invaded 1887 02:06:49,120 --> 02:06:51,520 by a new nocturnal species. 1888 02:06:53,760 --> 02:06:56,520 I'm all of a flutter, or rather I'm not, 1889 02:06:56,520 --> 02:06:59,960 but all of these termites are. These are the alates. 1890 02:06:59,960 --> 02:07:03,160 These are the winged adults, the males and the females, 1891 02:07:03,160 --> 02:07:07,240 the fertile males, fertile females that have left the nest tonight. 1892 02:07:07,240 --> 02:07:10,480 And with the first flush of rains, they will all emerge 1893 02:07:10,480 --> 02:07:13,480 from the termite mound at exactly the same time. 1894 02:07:13,480 --> 02:07:17,200 And not just one mound - very often all the mounds in that region. 1895 02:07:17,200 --> 02:07:20,680 So outside the tent - we're trying to keep as many out as possible - 1896 02:07:20,680 --> 02:07:23,720 there could be probably hundreds of thousands, potentially millions 1897 02:07:23,720 --> 02:07:26,520 of these insects flying around at the moment. 1898 02:07:26,520 --> 02:07:28,160 Why have they done this? 1899 02:07:28,160 --> 02:07:30,840 Well, frankly, they've got to mate. 1900 02:07:30,840 --> 02:07:35,280 But also, this is a classic case of predator swamping. 1901 02:07:35,280 --> 02:07:38,560 Imagine you're an animal here that has a taste for termites. 1902 02:07:38,560 --> 02:07:40,600 Well, you could fill your belly, 1903 02:07:40,600 --> 02:07:44,440 but you wouldn't be able to eat them all. Some would survive. 1904 02:07:44,440 --> 02:07:47,920 You swamp out with your sheer abundance, the appetite 1905 02:07:47,920 --> 02:07:50,680 of all of those predators. 1906 02:07:50,680 --> 02:07:54,280 The larger females are very fatty. 1907 02:07:54,280 --> 02:07:58,080 They've got lots of fat reserves because once they've mated, 1908 02:07:58,080 --> 02:08:01,000 they will shed their wings, find a crevice in the ground, 1909 02:08:01,000 --> 02:08:03,280 crawl into it, and there 1910 02:08:03,280 --> 02:08:06,640 begin to form a new termite colony. 1911 02:08:06,640 --> 02:08:08,400 And until it gets going, 1912 02:08:08,400 --> 02:08:10,640 they need to live on their fat resources. 1913 02:08:10,640 --> 02:08:13,680 They need those to lay the first batch of eggs, of course. 1914 02:08:13,680 --> 02:08:17,600 And once they start their colony, the females, the queens, 1915 02:08:17,600 --> 02:08:19,520 can be very long-lived. 1916 02:08:19,520 --> 02:08:22,880 Some of these ant and termite species can live for up to 45, 1917 02:08:22,880 --> 02:08:25,760 maybe even 50 years, but under the ground, 1918 02:08:25,760 --> 02:08:30,520 after just one night of flying around in the free air. 1919 02:08:31,680 --> 02:08:33,800 What about that? What an existence! 1920 02:08:33,800 --> 02:08:35,240 Not for me. 1921 02:08:40,400 --> 02:08:44,360 Over the first 24 hours, there's no sign of the hyenas 1922 02:08:44,360 --> 02:08:47,160 that were monopolising the water hole last time. 1923 02:08:49,680 --> 02:08:53,880 In their absence, the water hole community is reclaiming the site. 1924 02:08:57,120 --> 02:08:58,960 Vervet monkeys... 1925 02:09:01,200 --> 02:09:03,000 ..giraffe. 1926 02:09:04,040 --> 02:09:05,680 Impala... 1927 02:09:08,280 --> 02:09:09,720 ..elephant... 1928 02:09:14,160 --> 02:09:16,240 ..and olive baboons. 1929 02:09:18,880 --> 02:09:20,840 It's great to see them again. 1930 02:09:20,840 --> 02:09:23,760 And it's a sign of the role the water hole area 1931 02:09:23,760 --> 02:09:25,560 can play in the future... 1932 02:09:26,840 --> 02:09:30,440 ..even when these animals can find water everywhere. 1933 02:09:34,080 --> 02:09:35,800 This is our water hole troop. 1934 02:09:35,800 --> 02:09:39,080 Now we've seen these baboons sleeping in the trees at the back. 1935 02:09:39,080 --> 02:09:40,600 We know that they're there. 1936 02:09:40,600 --> 02:09:42,720 We've caught them a few times on the cameras. 1937 02:09:44,080 --> 02:09:48,920 But this is the first time we've seen them in the rainy season. 1938 02:09:48,920 --> 02:09:51,560 The baboons have been coming to the water hole 1939 02:09:51,560 --> 02:09:53,120 from the very beginning. 1940 02:09:55,840 --> 02:09:58,480 It was a vital water source in the dry season... 1941 02:09:59,520 --> 02:10:02,960 ..and now it provides a great supply of food... 1942 02:10:03,920 --> 02:10:05,840 ..all on their doorstep. 1943 02:10:09,040 --> 02:10:12,520 And to see them quite like this is actually really, really spectacular. 1944 02:10:12,520 --> 02:10:15,480 They're just really owning the water hole. 1945 02:10:19,000 --> 02:10:23,360 You can see a juvenile, there, just hanging out on its mum's back. 1946 02:10:25,320 --> 02:10:28,000 Grass is around 80% water. 1947 02:10:28,000 --> 02:10:30,800 So at this time of year, they're getting nutrition 1948 02:10:30,800 --> 02:10:33,760 and hydration with every mouthful. 1949 02:10:35,840 --> 02:10:40,120 They spend about 50% of their day foraging for food. 1950 02:10:40,120 --> 02:10:43,120 If you see the way they're eating, they're stripping the leaves off 1951 02:10:43,120 --> 02:10:45,800 and they're eating the shoots and the roots. 1952 02:10:47,640 --> 02:10:50,880 By pulling up the grass, eating it and passing it 1953 02:10:50,880 --> 02:10:53,280 through their digestive system, 1954 02:10:53,280 --> 02:10:56,520 olive baboons act as seed dispersers... 1955 02:11:01,240 --> 02:11:04,280 ..helping the water hole site to stay green and lush 1956 02:11:04,280 --> 02:11:06,320 for the next generation. 1957 02:11:16,080 --> 02:11:19,520 Over the next few days, we watch the same visitors that came 1958 02:11:19,520 --> 02:11:21,800 in the dry season to drink... 1959 02:11:24,000 --> 02:11:26,040 ..now come to eat. 1960 02:11:28,600 --> 02:11:31,640 Despite there being food and water across Mwiba, 1961 02:11:31,640 --> 02:11:35,560 these animals are still returning, and for good reason. 1962 02:11:38,400 --> 02:11:42,040 We worked closely with the reserve to create a water hole 1963 02:11:42,040 --> 02:11:44,840 that would support many species for years to come. 1964 02:11:46,160 --> 02:11:49,720 Specifically choosing to build it in one of the few patches 1965 02:11:49,720 --> 02:11:53,440 of open grassland amongst all the acacia woodland. 1966 02:11:56,080 --> 02:11:58,920 The site's accessible to lots of local wildlife 1967 02:11:58,920 --> 02:12:01,480 and, thanks to the new water hole, 1968 02:12:01,480 --> 02:12:04,400 is able to support them all year round. 1969 02:12:06,560 --> 02:12:11,160 And now this emerging ecosystem is showing signs 1970 02:12:11,160 --> 02:12:13,840 that it will also sustain new life of its own. 1971 02:12:18,280 --> 02:12:20,800 It's exciting times down at the water hole here, 1972 02:12:20,800 --> 02:12:23,720 because up until this point, all of the animals that have been 1973 02:12:23,720 --> 02:12:27,440 coming here have been visitors, but now we've got some residents. 1974 02:12:27,440 --> 02:12:29,440 And I'm feeling quite pleased with myself 1975 02:12:29,440 --> 02:12:32,040 because I've scooped this out of the water hole. 1976 02:12:32,040 --> 02:12:34,480 This is a large diving beetle. 1977 02:12:34,480 --> 02:12:37,080 They are ferocious predators. 1978 02:12:37,080 --> 02:12:39,960 This is the leopard of the water hole beneath the surface, 1979 02:12:39,960 --> 02:12:42,200 in insect terms. 1980 02:12:43,240 --> 02:12:46,720 Diving beetles use the damp soil by the edge of the water 1981 02:12:46,720 --> 02:12:48,320 to pupate in. 1982 02:12:48,320 --> 02:12:51,120 All the churned-up edges of the water hole are a perfect 1983 02:12:51,120 --> 02:12:52,960 breeding ground for them. 1984 02:12:54,280 --> 02:12:56,240 So if you've got a large predator like this, 1985 02:12:56,240 --> 02:12:58,440 you've got to have something in the pool for it to eat. 1986 02:12:58,440 --> 02:13:00,480 We've got something. Look at this. 1987 02:13:00,480 --> 02:13:04,480 This mass of wriggling black organisms down here 1988 02:13:04,480 --> 02:13:06,280 are tadpoles. 1989 02:13:06,280 --> 02:13:10,160 Yes, we've had amphibians colonise the pool. 1990 02:13:10,160 --> 02:13:13,240 They've clearly come here, bred, laid their eggs in the form 1991 02:13:13,240 --> 02:13:16,440 of spawn and they've hatched out into these tadpoles and there 1992 02:13:16,440 --> 02:13:18,960 are plenty of them, which is fantastic. 1993 02:13:18,960 --> 02:13:22,040 I'm really excited to say that we've got our first 1994 02:13:22,040 --> 02:13:24,240 resident birds. 1995 02:13:24,240 --> 02:13:26,680 They're not actually at the water side at the moment. 1996 02:13:26,680 --> 02:13:28,680 They're out doing what they should be doing, 1997 02:13:28,680 --> 02:13:30,680 which is feeding. 1998 02:13:30,680 --> 02:13:33,400 This is a pair of Egyptian geese. 1999 02:13:35,680 --> 02:13:39,680 They started visiting the water hole a few months ago. 2000 02:13:39,680 --> 02:13:42,720 But Egyptian geese tend to stay put in an area 2001 02:13:42,720 --> 02:13:44,880 that has a good supply of water. 2002 02:13:45,800 --> 02:13:48,440 So with the water hole being topped up regularly, 2003 02:13:48,440 --> 02:13:51,480 it looks like they're here to stay. 2004 02:13:51,480 --> 02:13:54,720 Their natural habitat is along the Nile 2005 02:13:54,720 --> 02:13:56,760 and then south of the Sahara. 2006 02:13:56,760 --> 02:13:59,600 But I know what you're thinking, you might have seen them in the UK 2007 02:13:59,600 --> 02:14:02,400 because they've naturalised there and they're particularly common 2008 02:14:02,400 --> 02:14:04,680 in the east of England. 2009 02:14:04,680 --> 02:14:07,480 They're not technically a goose, though. 2010 02:14:07,480 --> 02:14:10,120 They are, in fact, a large duck, quite closely related 2011 02:14:10,120 --> 02:14:11,800 to our shelduck. 2012 02:14:11,800 --> 02:14:14,240 And they're a grazing animal. That's what they're doing, 2013 02:14:14,240 --> 02:14:16,800 munching away on all of this fresh grass. 2014 02:14:16,800 --> 02:14:19,320 Now, outside the breeding season, they're quite gregarious. 2015 02:14:19,320 --> 02:14:21,680 You get them in flocks, but when they come to breed, 2016 02:14:21,680 --> 02:14:23,440 you get them in pairs like this. 2017 02:14:23,440 --> 02:14:27,320 The male is the one on the left there, with the pink, rosy bill. 2018 02:14:27,320 --> 02:14:29,640 And the female's on the right. 2019 02:14:35,560 --> 02:14:38,800 When this pair arrived last season, they were quick 2020 02:14:38,800 --> 02:14:40,840 to make their presence known. 2021 02:14:46,120 --> 02:14:49,680 Since then, they've been regular visitors, 2022 02:14:49,680 --> 02:14:53,000 and they've proved they're not to be messed with. 2023 02:14:55,280 --> 02:14:58,520 When another goose came to check out the new water hole, 2024 02:14:58,520 --> 02:15:01,560 our male made it clear that it wasn't for sharing. 2025 02:15:05,920 --> 02:15:09,200 Even the arrival of a martial eagle, 2026 02:15:09,200 --> 02:15:13,040 a predator that can take prey as large as an antelope or stork, 2027 02:15:13,040 --> 02:15:14,920 didn't put them off. 2028 02:15:19,360 --> 02:15:21,760 And neither did hyenas. 2029 02:15:27,960 --> 02:15:31,200 It seems this pair want to have our water hole 2030 02:15:31,200 --> 02:15:32,840 all to themselves. 2031 02:15:35,160 --> 02:15:38,320 And should they breed, they'll make a nest in one 2032 02:15:38,320 --> 02:15:41,960 of the thickets here, and then they would hatch their eggs 2033 02:15:41,960 --> 02:15:46,040 and lead their ducklings across the lawn and into the water hole, 2034 02:15:46,040 --> 02:15:50,520 the security of that water, to keep them safe from ground predators. 2035 02:15:50,520 --> 02:15:54,000 And of course, with all of these new species coming here, 2036 02:15:54,000 --> 02:15:56,880 that will supplement the diet of those ducklings. 2037 02:15:56,880 --> 02:15:59,920 They're dependent on aquatic invertebrates for the first few 2038 02:15:59,920 --> 02:16:01,680 weeks of their life. 2039 02:16:03,120 --> 02:16:04,520 But what about that? 2040 02:16:04,520 --> 02:16:07,160 Our water hole really is becoming a home 2041 02:16:07,160 --> 02:16:09,200 for a great range of creatures. 2042 02:16:17,520 --> 02:16:21,280 It's from small beginnings, like our water hole, 2043 02:16:21,280 --> 02:16:25,960 that aquatic ecosystems can build to support a huge range of life. 2044 02:16:30,320 --> 02:16:33,760 20km south is Lake Eyasi. 2045 02:16:36,040 --> 02:16:40,280 A water source that's evolved over 65 million years to be 2046 02:16:40,280 --> 02:16:44,320 a vital lifeline to one incredibly beautiful species. 2047 02:16:47,400 --> 02:16:50,920 Looking down on this lake is extraordinary. 2048 02:16:50,920 --> 02:16:53,600 It's like a bizarre abstract painting. 2049 02:16:55,560 --> 02:16:58,960 Speckled with these rose spots of... 2050 02:16:58,960 --> 02:17:01,200 ..the greater and lesser flamingos. 2051 02:17:03,440 --> 02:17:06,640 These birds flock to Lake Eyasi in their millions... 2052 02:17:08,520 --> 02:17:13,760 ..using it as a stop-off point as they migrate to breed further north. 2053 02:17:15,800 --> 02:17:20,520 The lake can sustain such vast numbers of flamingos 2054 02:17:20,520 --> 02:17:24,800 because it's full of microscopic algae called cyanobacteria - 2055 02:17:27,760 --> 02:17:31,880 plants that are poisonous to most animals, but not to them. 2056 02:17:32,920 --> 02:17:36,960 And famously, they have that beak which is upside down. 2057 02:17:38,600 --> 02:17:42,360 And using their tongue as a pump, they filter vast quantities 2058 02:17:42,360 --> 02:17:45,600 of the water to remove all of this food. 2059 02:17:48,320 --> 02:17:50,960 And there's another twist. 2060 02:17:50,960 --> 02:17:53,400 This is a soda lake. 2061 02:17:53,400 --> 02:17:55,880 The water is extremely caustic. 2062 02:17:58,280 --> 02:18:01,800 If they really need to, flamingos are one of the only animals 2063 02:18:01,800 --> 02:18:04,800 that can drink here, using glands in their head 2064 02:18:04,800 --> 02:18:09,240 to filter out the salt, draining it from their nasal cavity. 2065 02:18:10,440 --> 02:18:13,440 It's still a difficult environment for these birds. 2066 02:18:13,440 --> 02:18:16,560 The alkalinity of the water means that if they get 2067 02:18:16,560 --> 02:18:20,440 just one little nick on their leg, it becomes an open sore 2068 02:18:20,440 --> 02:18:22,840 and they soon perish. 2069 02:18:32,120 --> 02:18:33,800 For a harsh environment, 2070 02:18:33,800 --> 02:18:36,640 it's one which is extraordinarily beautiful. 2071 02:18:45,840 --> 02:18:49,280 Lake Eyasi shows how much freshwater sources 2072 02:18:49,280 --> 02:18:52,120 like our water hole are needed. 2073 02:18:56,200 --> 02:19:00,000 When we first designed it with Mwiba, the idea was to make 2074 02:19:00,000 --> 02:19:04,080 a reliable water source for as many species as possible. 2075 02:19:05,520 --> 02:19:09,040 But earlier in the year, we were worried that it was only 2076 02:19:09,040 --> 02:19:11,680 going to be used by one animal... 2077 02:19:14,240 --> 02:19:16,080 ..spotted hyena. 2078 02:19:19,040 --> 02:19:23,760 I've been looking back over the data and it paints a stark picture. 2079 02:19:25,600 --> 02:19:29,280 Last time we were here, the hyena dominated the water hole, 2080 02:19:29,280 --> 02:19:33,560 and in the end we managed to identify 16 adult individuals. 2081 02:19:35,160 --> 02:19:38,200 Now, we've been logging their movements. 2082 02:19:38,200 --> 02:19:41,360 They visited the water hole 73 times. 2083 02:19:41,360 --> 02:19:44,480 Now, compare that to our situation right now... 2084 02:19:44,480 --> 02:19:46,440 ..the heart of the rainy season. 2085 02:19:46,440 --> 02:19:50,200 We haven't seen a single visit from a hyena. 2086 02:19:50,200 --> 02:19:53,080 You go from 73 visits to nothing. 2087 02:20:02,520 --> 02:20:05,800 To find out why they're no longer coming to our water hole, 2088 02:20:05,800 --> 02:20:09,480 I return to their den site, 2km away. 2089 02:20:19,040 --> 02:20:23,080 Frankly, it looks to me as if they've abandoned this den. 2090 02:20:23,080 --> 02:20:25,720 It's all overgrown here. 2091 02:20:27,400 --> 02:20:30,840 All of the vegetation is standing up, 2092 02:20:30,840 --> 02:20:33,640 and if there were a boisterous band of hyenas here, 2093 02:20:33,640 --> 02:20:35,800 then this would have all been knocked down. 2094 02:20:35,800 --> 02:20:37,320 And look over here. 2095 02:20:38,760 --> 02:20:41,600 It's been raining, it's muddy, there's not a single footprint. 2096 02:20:41,600 --> 02:20:44,840 And look, there are lots of plants here, grass growing through. 2097 02:20:44,840 --> 02:20:48,920 These would have all been knocked down if this was still occupied. 2098 02:20:51,120 --> 02:20:52,720 I'm hoping our camera traps 2099 02:20:52,720 --> 02:20:55,120 might give me some clues as to why they've left. 2100 02:21:05,360 --> 02:21:06,360 A giraffe. 2101 02:21:07,560 --> 02:21:10,400 There's a couple of hyenas - there's an adult in the foreground. 2102 02:21:10,400 --> 02:21:12,480 There's a cub, another cub behind it. 2103 02:21:14,880 --> 02:21:18,240 Oh, look at that, two of my favourite African mammals 2104 02:21:18,240 --> 02:21:21,800 in the frame at once - the fantastic crested porcupine 2105 02:21:21,800 --> 02:21:23,200 and a young hyena. 2106 02:21:25,880 --> 02:21:27,800 And guess who comes off the winner. 2107 02:21:29,280 --> 02:21:31,560 Porcupine, of course. Look at that! 2108 02:21:31,560 --> 02:21:34,160 A bit more porcupine action here. 2109 02:21:34,160 --> 02:21:36,440 You see those quills erected? 2110 02:21:36,440 --> 02:21:39,080 The porcupine is clearly agitated. 2111 02:21:39,080 --> 02:21:43,400 Now, you might be wondering, why has a porcupine come to a hyena den? 2112 02:21:43,400 --> 02:21:48,400 Well, hyenas bring lots of parts of the things that they've been 2113 02:21:48,400 --> 02:21:51,880 scavenging back to the den, including plenty of bones, 2114 02:21:51,880 --> 02:21:54,880 and porcupines love gnawing bones 2115 02:21:54,880 --> 02:21:57,960 because they need all that calcium to produce their spines. 2116 02:22:00,760 --> 02:22:05,640 But it's unlikely that a few small porcupines would scare them away. 2117 02:22:08,200 --> 02:22:10,880 Oh, my goodness, look at that. Buffalo. 2118 02:22:12,960 --> 02:22:16,640 There were a whole herd of buffalo clearly moving through, 2119 02:22:16,640 --> 02:22:18,560 trampling over this site. 2120 02:22:20,440 --> 02:22:22,320 Maybe this was what put them off. 2121 02:22:24,720 --> 02:22:28,040 Maybe it was just the abundance of other animals that drove them away, 2122 02:22:28,040 --> 02:22:30,480 and certainly at night, with all of those buffalo, 2123 02:22:30,480 --> 02:22:32,920 they wouldn't want their cubs emerging 2124 02:22:32,920 --> 02:22:35,520 and the risk of them getting trampled. 2125 02:22:36,880 --> 02:22:40,200 I think I know WHY the hyenas have moved dens, 2126 02:22:40,200 --> 02:22:43,280 but the question is - where are they now? 2127 02:22:48,040 --> 02:22:51,160 We send out several film crews to find them... 2128 02:22:54,840 --> 02:22:57,520 ..and one of our cameramen spots their new den, 2129 02:22:57,520 --> 02:23:00,160 2km from the previous one. 2130 02:23:02,760 --> 02:23:05,080 They appear safe and well. 2131 02:23:07,200 --> 02:23:11,720 Spotted hyena can have many old den sites spread across the savanna. 2132 02:23:13,320 --> 02:23:16,160 It looks like this clan moved their pups to an area 2133 02:23:16,160 --> 02:23:17,600 with fewer animals. 2134 02:23:23,280 --> 02:23:27,400 In a year, these pups won't be so dependent upon the den. 2135 02:23:29,840 --> 02:23:32,800 And they may return to the water hole with their clan. 2136 02:23:42,960 --> 02:23:45,400 With no hyena in the vicinity, 2137 02:23:45,400 --> 02:23:49,320 the water hole is a safer place for prey once again. 2138 02:23:52,920 --> 02:23:57,120 There are over two million impala across Africa. 2139 02:24:01,000 --> 02:24:04,560 They time their breeding season with the rains, and their population 2140 02:24:04,560 --> 02:24:06,960 spikes by hundreds of thousands. 2141 02:24:11,840 --> 02:24:16,280 It's exciting to see this new generation come to the water hole. 2142 02:24:18,120 --> 02:24:21,400 Ooh! There we are. The impala have turned up. 2143 02:24:21,400 --> 02:24:23,200 And they've brought their young. 2144 02:24:23,200 --> 02:24:25,000 Look at that. 2145 02:24:25,000 --> 02:24:27,040 It is undeniably cute. 2146 02:24:27,040 --> 02:24:28,480 Big ears, big eyes. 2147 02:24:29,600 --> 02:24:32,520 Groups of young impala are called creches. 2148 02:24:33,720 --> 02:24:37,200 This is the first time we've seen them at the water hole. 2149 02:24:39,520 --> 02:24:43,720 So these have been born a few weeks ago. And initially, of course, 2150 02:24:43,720 --> 02:24:46,120 they'll be dependent on their mother's milk. 2151 02:24:46,120 --> 02:24:49,200 But then when it comes to them moving onto solid food, 2152 02:24:49,200 --> 02:24:53,080 they need to time that so that they've got this crop of ripe, 2153 02:24:53,080 --> 02:24:55,680 green, highly nutritious, fresh grass. 2154 02:24:57,480 --> 02:25:02,200 Looks to me as if this group of impala timed that birth perfectly. 2155 02:25:05,600 --> 02:25:09,720 These young impala are likely to be regulars at the water hole. 2156 02:25:09,720 --> 02:25:11,840 Patterns of behaviour set now 2157 02:25:11,840 --> 02:25:15,400 should mean they'll remember this oasis in the future. 2158 02:25:21,320 --> 02:25:23,680 The rains don't trigger the birthing season 2159 02:25:23,680 --> 02:25:26,360 for all of our water hole community. 2160 02:25:30,360 --> 02:25:35,080 5km away, wildlife cameraman Bob Poole is discovering 2161 02:25:35,080 --> 02:25:37,680 this is actually a peak time for mating 2162 02:25:37,680 --> 02:25:40,600 amongst many of Mwiba's herbivores. 2163 02:25:40,600 --> 02:25:42,400 OK, now watch this female. 2164 02:25:42,400 --> 02:25:43,880 It's incredible. 2165 02:25:47,160 --> 02:25:48,920 She comes up to the male, 2166 02:25:48,920 --> 02:25:52,000 then she rubs her neck against his like that. 2167 02:25:53,400 --> 02:25:56,480 It's definitely a sign of affection or interest. 2168 02:26:00,440 --> 02:26:04,640 At this time of year, amorous giraffes use their sense of smell 2169 02:26:04,640 --> 02:26:08,000 to help identify if a female is ready to mate. 2170 02:26:12,720 --> 02:26:17,200 So the male giraffe right now is trying to determine 2171 02:26:17,200 --> 02:26:20,240 whether the female in front of him is in the peak of oestrous. 2172 02:26:21,840 --> 02:26:25,680 Oestrous cycles in giraffes, like human menstrual periods, 2173 02:26:25,680 --> 02:26:29,000 help identify when a female is ready to mate. 2174 02:26:29,000 --> 02:26:31,800 They occur every two weeks, 2175 02:26:31,800 --> 02:26:35,840 but a female giraffe is only fertile for four days or less 2176 02:26:35,840 --> 02:26:37,240 during this time. 2177 02:26:40,520 --> 02:26:44,160 She gives off pheromones which he senses through sensors 2178 02:26:44,160 --> 02:26:46,640 that are in the top of his lip, there. 2179 02:26:48,160 --> 02:26:51,080 Giraffes mate all year round. 2180 02:26:51,080 --> 02:26:54,320 But there is research that indicates breeding increases 2181 02:26:54,320 --> 02:26:56,960 with periods of high food availability. 2182 02:27:00,640 --> 02:27:03,280 All the leaves are so plump right now. 2183 02:27:05,480 --> 02:27:08,320 I can see the way that they use the tongue 2184 02:27:08,320 --> 02:27:12,280 to strip the leaves off the twig, which is, of course, 2185 02:27:12,280 --> 02:27:14,840 loaded with these big thorns. 2186 02:27:14,840 --> 02:27:18,560 And everything around here has a thorn on it. 2187 02:27:18,560 --> 02:27:20,760 In fact, this place is called Mwiba, 2188 02:27:20,760 --> 02:27:23,280 which literally means "thorn" in Swahili. 2189 02:27:26,040 --> 02:27:29,600 All of this food means other herbivores like zebra 2190 02:27:29,600 --> 02:27:31,720 are also getting ready to mate, 2191 02:27:31,720 --> 02:27:36,160 and sometimes competition between stallions can get physical. 2192 02:27:38,400 --> 02:27:40,040 Look at this! 2193 02:27:40,040 --> 02:27:43,280 There's so much action going on right now. The... the stallion here 2194 02:27:43,280 --> 02:27:47,720 is racing around trying to round up the zebra females, 2195 02:27:47,720 --> 02:27:51,640 and you can see him racing across in front of us right now. 2196 02:27:51,640 --> 02:27:54,920 And now he's coming back to probably his harem right there. 2197 02:27:56,080 --> 02:27:58,720 The young males have to struggle for dominance. 2198 02:27:58,720 --> 02:28:01,000 He could get kicked out by another stallion. 2199 02:28:02,560 --> 02:28:04,640 These are very social animals. 2200 02:28:04,640 --> 02:28:06,960 They live in family groups and they have an order, 2201 02:28:06,960 --> 02:28:10,120 a pecking order, essentially, just like horses do. 2202 02:28:10,120 --> 02:28:14,520 They're constantly having to put each other in their place 2203 02:28:14,520 --> 02:28:19,240 so there's a lot of fighting and testing, and all kinds of action 2204 02:28:19,240 --> 02:28:23,360 going on all the time, to sort of really work on who's who 2205 02:28:23,360 --> 02:28:26,760 in the family and where they sit in terms of the pecking order. 2206 02:28:30,000 --> 02:28:33,440 And some have already had their young. 2207 02:28:33,440 --> 02:28:36,240 This foal is just four weeks old. 2208 02:28:38,920 --> 02:28:41,000 The little foal, to the right, 2209 02:28:41,000 --> 02:28:44,200 would be his first foal of this rainy season. 2210 02:28:47,440 --> 02:28:52,080 During this time of plenty, the savanna is overflowing 2211 02:28:52,080 --> 02:28:54,800 with calories for new mums to produce milk. 2212 02:28:58,280 --> 02:29:00,040 And when babies are ready, 2213 02:29:00,040 --> 02:29:03,320 there are swathes of grass waiting to be grazed. 2214 02:29:10,200 --> 02:29:13,160 The water hole is getting busier each day with insects... 2215 02:29:15,720 --> 02:29:19,640 ..and we spot two interesting new species for our list. 2216 02:29:23,000 --> 02:29:26,440 Hoverflies are harmless, but they mimic stinging bees 2217 02:29:26,440 --> 02:29:28,680 and wasps to put off predators. 2218 02:29:31,520 --> 02:29:35,400 Leaf roller moths pupate from inside a rolled-up leaf, 2219 02:29:35,400 --> 02:29:38,240 sealed shut with the caterpillar's silk. 2220 02:29:43,720 --> 02:29:46,160 All the insects are attracting 2221 02:29:46,160 --> 02:29:48,000 more new bird species, 2222 02:29:48,000 --> 02:29:50,760 including... 2223 02:29:50,760 --> 02:29:52,880 a red-necked Francolin, 2224 02:29:52,880 --> 02:29:54,400 a relative of the pheasant. 2225 02:29:55,680 --> 02:29:57,120 It's a wary bird, 2226 02:29:57,120 --> 02:30:00,480 often staying hidden from predators in deep cover 2227 02:30:00,480 --> 02:30:03,240 and only coming out in the open to feed. 2228 02:30:05,320 --> 02:30:09,120 A three-banded plover, named after the black and white bands 2229 02:30:09,120 --> 02:30:11,200 on its chest. 2230 02:30:11,200 --> 02:30:15,000 They hunt by sight for insects, worms 2231 02:30:15,000 --> 02:30:16,840 and other invertebrates. 2232 02:30:21,240 --> 02:30:23,880 And we have another new resident bird, 2233 02:30:23,880 --> 02:30:26,600 taking our species list to nearly 100. 2234 02:30:28,840 --> 02:30:33,080 This has made my day. When we were here last time, there were a pair 2235 02:30:33,080 --> 02:30:34,960 of lesser striped swallows 2236 02:30:34,960 --> 02:30:38,160 prospecting to make a nest inside our hide. 2237 02:30:39,520 --> 02:30:41,280 Earlier in the dry season, 2238 02:30:41,280 --> 02:30:45,080 our cameras captured the moment when these swallows were first choosing 2239 02:30:45,080 --> 02:30:47,120 where to build their nest. 2240 02:30:50,880 --> 02:30:54,640 These swallows typically nest under bridges for protection 2241 02:30:54,640 --> 02:30:57,280 and the roof of our hide offers a great alternative. 2242 02:31:00,000 --> 02:31:04,720 The water hole has also provided perfect nest-building materials. 2243 02:31:04,720 --> 02:31:08,840 Both birds use mud for construction, and you can see this one's beak full 2244 02:31:08,840 --> 02:31:11,880 of mud, deciding where to start plastering. 2245 02:31:13,720 --> 02:31:15,760 I really hoped they would move in here. 2246 02:31:17,000 --> 02:31:22,120 And look, they have. And it's a beautiful structure, as well. 2247 02:31:22,120 --> 02:31:25,480 Now, it's slightly different than a typical barn swallow's nest 2248 02:31:25,480 --> 02:31:27,360 that we see, which is an open cup. 2249 02:31:27,360 --> 02:31:32,080 Here, they close the cup and then make that neat little tunnel there - 2250 02:31:32,080 --> 02:31:36,680 I suppose to try and keep predators out, maybe things like snakes. 2251 02:31:36,680 --> 02:31:39,080 It's a fantastic construction, 2252 02:31:39,080 --> 02:31:41,960 welded into the corner of the building there. 2253 02:31:41,960 --> 02:31:43,960 A little work of art. 2254 02:31:43,960 --> 02:31:46,440 So I'm really pleased that they've used our hide 2255 02:31:46,440 --> 02:31:48,200 to make their home. 2256 02:31:48,200 --> 02:31:50,400 I'm pretty certain that we've got young in here. 2257 02:31:50,400 --> 02:31:53,960 I've been watching the two adults hunting outside together, 2258 02:31:53,960 --> 02:31:56,840 and then going in one at a time, delivering food. 2259 02:31:58,720 --> 02:32:02,000 Feeding chicks is a full-time job for both parents. 2260 02:32:03,280 --> 02:32:07,360 We're seeing them bring back food every 20 minutes. 2261 02:32:07,360 --> 02:32:10,400 If they were still incubating or brooding, typically 2262 02:32:10,400 --> 02:32:12,640 one's off the nest whilst the other one's sat on it. 2263 02:32:12,640 --> 02:32:15,080 But because they're both active away from the nest, 2264 02:32:15,080 --> 02:32:16,920 I reckon there's young up there. 2265 02:32:23,800 --> 02:32:26,160 So we've done a great job for these swallows here. 2266 02:32:26,160 --> 02:32:29,920 We provided the water and in turn the food, and then we provided 2267 02:32:29,920 --> 02:32:33,400 the structure for them to place their nest. 2268 02:32:33,400 --> 02:32:34,960 It's good. I like that. 2269 02:32:37,360 --> 02:32:39,400 And, even better - 2270 02:32:39,400 --> 02:32:43,480 because swallows return to the same nest site year after year, 2271 02:32:43,480 --> 02:32:47,400 our hide could well be their home long into the future. 2272 02:32:51,400 --> 02:32:54,280 And the water hole is going to provide the swallow chicks 2273 02:32:54,280 --> 02:32:56,880 with all the food they need 2274 02:32:56,880 --> 02:33:00,760 because both pools are teeming with mosquitoes. 2275 02:33:05,040 --> 02:33:08,080 Mosquitoes lay their eggs on water. 2276 02:33:08,080 --> 02:33:10,560 Each female can produce up to 500 2277 02:33:10,560 --> 02:33:12,760 in her one-month lifespan. 2278 02:33:16,000 --> 02:33:19,560 Many mosquito species stay within a few hundred metres 2279 02:33:19,560 --> 02:33:23,520 of where they're hatched, so it's likely they'll be 2280 02:33:23,520 --> 02:33:26,600 a regular feature at the water hole every rainy season... 2281 02:33:28,200 --> 02:33:32,520 ..providing a reliable food source to birds like these swallows. 2282 02:33:37,720 --> 02:33:43,840 Insects and birds are important foundations for a healthy ecosystem, 2283 02:33:43,840 --> 02:33:47,320 but we're working closely with the Mwiba guides to make sure 2284 02:33:47,320 --> 02:33:51,760 the water hole can also attract and sustain Africa's megafauna... 2285 02:33:55,320 --> 02:33:58,280 ..the most important of these being elephant. 2286 02:33:59,840 --> 02:34:02,120 ELEPHANTS MAKE RUMBLING SOUND 2287 02:34:03,200 --> 02:34:05,800 Elephants are keystone species. 2288 02:34:05,800 --> 02:34:10,440 They help disperse seeds, and also create pathways to water holes 2289 02:34:10,440 --> 02:34:12,080 as they walk to them. 2290 02:34:16,760 --> 02:34:19,280 We've had over 100 individuals, 2291 02:34:19,280 --> 02:34:22,280 and one extraordinary half-trunked 2292 02:34:22,280 --> 02:34:26,000 elephant used this lifeline over the past six months. 2293 02:34:29,160 --> 02:34:33,120 Mwiba guide Eugene Raymond is confident that these elephant 2294 02:34:33,120 --> 02:34:36,720 populations are likely to keep coming back to the water hole. 2295 02:34:42,120 --> 02:34:45,560 It's unbelievable that they have this ability 2296 02:34:45,560 --> 02:34:48,200 to remember places, areas, 2297 02:34:48,200 --> 02:34:51,520 and with experience, they're able to find. 2298 02:34:51,520 --> 02:34:54,120 An incredible ability also to find water. 2299 02:34:54,120 --> 02:34:57,560 Now, we've seen this animal at the water hole here, and we know 2300 02:34:57,560 --> 02:34:59,240 they've got phenomenal memories, 2301 02:34:59,240 --> 02:35:02,240 it's going to be interesting to see whether it remembers the water hole 2302 02:35:02,240 --> 02:35:05,920 come the dry season - when it really needs that water. 2303 02:35:07,720 --> 02:35:10,960 Research shows that elephants can remember the locations of food 2304 02:35:10,960 --> 02:35:14,040 and water for up to a decade, 2305 02:35:14,040 --> 02:35:18,280 even when seasonal and environmental changes alter the landscape. 2306 02:35:20,000 --> 02:35:23,200 A permanent, refillable water hole like ours 2307 02:35:23,200 --> 02:35:26,800 should be an elephant oasis for many years to come. 2308 02:35:30,040 --> 02:35:33,320 And Eugene has been pleased to see so many herds coming 2309 02:35:33,320 --> 02:35:35,960 to the water hole, because it's the matriarchs 2310 02:35:35,960 --> 02:35:39,200 that lead their families and remember where to go. 2311 02:35:41,360 --> 02:35:44,240 This mama elephant, or Tambo we call her, 2312 02:35:44,240 --> 02:35:48,720 who will be able to remember these places and come back into the same. 2313 02:35:48,720 --> 02:35:51,360 And that's why the herd put trust in them. 2314 02:35:51,360 --> 02:35:54,680 And they would normally try pass this on into the next generation 2315 02:35:54,680 --> 02:35:59,880 by just, you know, testing as individuals the ability to navigate 2316 02:35:59,880 --> 02:36:03,160 the rest of the group members and remember these places. 2317 02:36:03,160 --> 02:36:04,920 This comes with experience. Age. 2318 02:36:04,920 --> 02:36:07,680 It's a bit like you going shopping with your grandmother, isn't it? 2319 02:36:07,680 --> 02:36:10,200 It's true, yeah. She knows where the best shops are. Exactly! 2320 02:36:10,200 --> 02:36:12,920 Where to get the best deals at the right time of year. 2321 02:36:12,920 --> 02:36:14,080 Absolutely true. Yeah. 2322 02:36:18,040 --> 02:36:22,280 Elephants can eat up to 250kg of foliage, 2323 02:36:22,280 --> 02:36:26,080 and drink up to 200 litres of water every day. 2324 02:36:28,360 --> 02:36:31,200 They're one of the heaviest users of the water hole... 2325 02:36:33,680 --> 02:36:37,520 ..which is why it's so exciting that Eugene and the Mwiba team 2326 02:36:37,520 --> 02:36:40,160 will keep refilling it in the future. 2327 02:36:52,960 --> 02:36:57,040 We've had word of a new species in the area that could drink 2328 02:36:57,040 --> 02:37:00,320 more than all our Mwiba elephants combined. 2329 02:37:02,840 --> 02:37:06,960 The world-famous wildebeest migration has been making its 2330 02:37:06,960 --> 02:37:10,520 epic journey 400km south from Kenya, 2331 02:37:10,520 --> 02:37:14,480 and it's now 10km away from our water hole. 2332 02:37:14,480 --> 02:37:17,120 Together, these animals can drink 2333 02:37:17,120 --> 02:37:21,200 up to 13.5 million litres of water 2334 02:37:21,200 --> 02:37:26,040 and eat up to four million kilograms of grass in a single day. 2335 02:37:27,280 --> 02:37:30,400 So that's where we are right now, that blue dot. 2336 02:37:31,760 --> 02:37:35,400 And you can see they're heading right towards us. 2337 02:37:41,120 --> 02:37:43,840 To get an idea of the impact they'll have on the area, 2338 02:37:43,840 --> 02:37:47,600 and our water hole community, I'm taking to the air. 2339 02:37:53,040 --> 02:37:57,360 This is one of the most astonishing sights that I've ever seen. 2340 02:37:57,360 --> 02:38:01,880 We're looking down on the world's largest mammal migration. 2341 02:38:04,040 --> 02:38:06,840 Just sensational. 2342 02:38:10,920 --> 02:38:15,400 There are thousands of wildebeest beneath me in a long line 2343 02:38:15,400 --> 02:38:20,440 stretching across the savanna. A group of perhaps 1.5 million 2344 02:38:20,440 --> 02:38:24,360 of these animals that are constantly on the move 2345 02:38:24,360 --> 02:38:26,640 in this Serengeti ecosystem. 2346 02:38:30,600 --> 02:38:36,400 They make the journey, which lasts a full year and covers 1,000 miles, 2347 02:38:36,400 --> 02:38:42,640 clockwise from here, all the way up through the Serengeti 2348 02:38:42,640 --> 02:38:45,560 to the Maasai Mara and then back down again. 2349 02:38:48,560 --> 02:38:52,000 Right now, they're at the southernmost part of that cycle, 2350 02:38:52,000 --> 02:38:54,080 on the edge of Mwiba reserve. 2351 02:38:57,240 --> 02:38:59,920 While I track the migration from above... 2352 02:39:01,600 --> 02:39:03,880 ..Ella is getting a closer view on the ground. 2353 02:39:05,160 --> 02:39:08,600 They're now 8km north of the water hole. 2354 02:39:09,880 --> 02:39:13,440 They undertake this crazy journey because of this, 2355 02:39:13,440 --> 02:39:17,560 because they're after these really nutritious grasses. 2356 02:39:17,560 --> 02:39:19,840 Essentially, they're storm chasers. 2357 02:39:19,840 --> 02:39:23,240 They're chasing the rains which feed these grasses. 2358 02:39:25,760 --> 02:39:28,520 If you look at their bodies, they have these really significant 2359 02:39:28,520 --> 02:39:30,320 incisor rows and loose lips, 2360 02:39:30,320 --> 02:39:33,120 and that's to help them rapidly eat that grass. 2361 02:39:34,640 --> 02:39:38,080 They consume up to 16kg a day. 2362 02:39:43,600 --> 02:39:46,600 Look at how much they're moving in unison. 2363 02:39:46,600 --> 02:39:50,880 They're moving in formation, and yet there's no clear leaders. 2364 02:39:50,880 --> 02:39:56,200 It's the most fascinating example of swarm mentality in mammals. 2365 02:39:59,000 --> 02:40:01,640 Because wildebeest have no leader, 2366 02:40:01,640 --> 02:40:05,400 the migrating herd often splits into smaller groups 2367 02:40:05,400 --> 02:40:07,760 that circle the main mega-herd. 2368 02:40:10,120 --> 02:40:12,840 Joining them are thousands of zebra. 2369 02:40:12,840 --> 02:40:16,400 They graze in harmony with the wildebeest because they 2370 02:40:16,400 --> 02:40:19,520 eat different parts of the same type of grass. 2371 02:40:23,960 --> 02:40:29,320 From above, I can clearly see how this huge number of animals 2372 02:40:29,320 --> 02:40:32,520 might affect life at our water hole. 2373 02:40:32,520 --> 02:40:37,240 Their movement has an extraordinary impact on this ecosystem. 2374 02:40:37,240 --> 02:40:40,880 Firstly, directly - that grazing pressure is preventing 2375 02:40:40,880 --> 02:40:44,640 the regeneration of trees. It's keeping this as open savanna. 2376 02:40:45,720 --> 02:40:48,800 Also, the impact that they have on the predators. 2377 02:40:48,800 --> 02:40:53,000 This is, of course, an enormous amount of meat on the move. 2378 02:40:53,000 --> 02:40:55,720 Many animals will take advantage of that. 2379 02:40:55,720 --> 02:40:59,000 Lions will simply stay in their territories 2380 02:40:59,000 --> 02:41:02,200 and eagerly await the arrival of the wildebeest. 2381 02:41:02,200 --> 02:41:05,240 Ditto the crocodiles that are stopped in those rivers 2382 02:41:05,240 --> 02:41:07,680 which they have to cross en route. 2383 02:41:07,680 --> 02:41:11,480 Then lastly, there are predators that will go out for the day, 2384 02:41:11,480 --> 02:41:12,920 follow the wildebeest, 2385 02:41:12,920 --> 02:41:16,480 but then go back to their dens in the evening, or in the morning - 2386 02:41:16,480 --> 02:41:18,840 depending whether they're diurnal or nocturnal. 2387 02:41:18,840 --> 02:41:21,880 Things like wild dogs and those spotted hyenas. 2388 02:41:24,800 --> 02:41:29,200 On average, the migration travels up to 5km a day. 2389 02:41:31,040 --> 02:41:32,880 It looks like this year, 2390 02:41:32,880 --> 02:41:36,520 they're going to skirt around the water hole site, 2391 02:41:36,520 --> 02:41:41,240 so the natural order of our ecosystem remains unchanged for now. 2392 02:41:42,880 --> 02:41:46,280 But next time, it could be a different story. 2393 02:41:52,440 --> 02:41:57,000 The water hole will always attract new seasonal visitors. 2394 02:41:57,000 --> 02:41:59,720 But in the six months since being built, it's becoming 2395 02:41:59,720 --> 02:42:01,720 a permanent home for some. 2396 02:42:04,680 --> 02:42:08,400 And it's our filming hide, perched in the middle of the water, 2397 02:42:08,400 --> 02:42:11,040 that seems to be the location of choice. 2398 02:42:14,040 --> 02:42:16,720 You may not be, but I'm very pleased to see 2399 02:42:16,720 --> 02:42:20,600 that these animals have taken up residence in our hide. 2400 02:42:20,600 --> 02:42:22,640 This is a paper wasp. 2401 02:42:22,640 --> 02:42:25,680 It's one of a number of species 2402 02:42:25,680 --> 02:42:27,480 known as Belonogaster. 2403 02:42:27,480 --> 02:42:30,120 And they're very similar to the social wasp 2404 02:42:30,120 --> 02:42:32,520 that we have in the UK - in terms of their behaviour, 2405 02:42:32,520 --> 02:42:33,960 not their physical appearance. 2406 02:42:33,960 --> 02:42:36,840 You can see it's got a much narrower, longer waist there 2407 02:42:36,840 --> 02:42:39,080 towards the end of the abdomen, 2408 02:42:39,080 --> 02:42:41,280 and those beautiful red wings. 2409 02:42:41,280 --> 02:42:45,360 This is a queen and that nest has just about got started. 2410 02:42:45,360 --> 02:42:49,000 So she's arrived, chewed up some paper on a tree out here, 2411 02:42:49,000 --> 02:42:52,440 and she's made that tiny little petiole - that strong piece 2412 02:42:52,440 --> 02:42:54,920 of fabric here, which is going to support the whole nest 2413 02:42:54,920 --> 02:42:57,560 and it's going to grow considerably larger than this. 2414 02:42:57,560 --> 02:42:59,800 Then she's made a couple of cells, 2415 02:42:59,800 --> 02:43:02,440 and into those she's laid some eggs. 2416 02:43:05,160 --> 02:43:07,760 And at the moment, she's having to fly out and hunt 2417 02:43:07,760 --> 02:43:11,600 to feed those grubs, which are just nestling in there. 2418 02:43:11,600 --> 02:43:14,400 Probably caterpillars is going to be the main source of food 2419 02:43:14,400 --> 02:43:17,760 that she's looking for. Something soft and easy to chew. 2420 02:43:17,760 --> 02:43:21,800 And she'll come back, and then she'll scrape the edge of the comb, 2421 02:43:21,800 --> 02:43:25,360 and the larvae will come up and she'll delicately feed them. 2422 02:43:25,360 --> 02:43:27,520 She's a bit mobile at the moment. 2423 02:43:27,520 --> 02:43:30,080 You can see her moving around there. 2424 02:43:30,080 --> 02:43:32,640 And you can see one of the grubs there 2425 02:43:32,640 --> 02:43:36,880 with its head capsule just coming out of the cell. 2426 02:43:36,880 --> 02:43:38,560 Maybe it's a little bit hungry. 2427 02:43:38,560 --> 02:43:43,320 when they emerge, those workers divide themselves into castes. 2428 02:43:43,320 --> 02:43:45,560 They do different jobs. 2429 02:43:45,560 --> 02:43:48,960 So, some will be guards. 2430 02:43:48,960 --> 02:43:53,440 Others are foragers, and they will go out hunting 2431 02:43:53,440 --> 02:43:56,080 for those caterpillars to bring back. 2432 02:43:56,080 --> 02:44:00,120 Meaning that the fertile queen, the most valuable 2433 02:44:00,120 --> 02:44:04,840 part of this colony, will be able to remain in the safety and security 2434 02:44:04,840 --> 02:44:07,240 of our hide on the nest. 2435 02:44:09,280 --> 02:44:11,640 People sometimes say, "What are wasps for?" 2436 02:44:11,640 --> 02:44:15,360 My reply is always simple, "What are you for?" 2437 02:44:16,560 --> 02:44:19,200 You shouldn't misjudge wasps just because they sting. 2438 02:44:19,200 --> 02:44:23,680 They're fascinating insects and an integral part of the ecology here. 2439 02:44:24,760 --> 02:44:27,440 Now, down by the water hole at the moment, we've got this lush, 2440 02:44:27,440 --> 02:44:31,000 green carpet of grass being munched by loads of herbivores, 2441 02:44:31,000 --> 02:44:33,640 and they're not all big animals like impala. 2442 02:44:33,640 --> 02:44:36,480 A lot of them are small things, like the caterpillars. 2443 02:44:36,480 --> 02:44:39,360 And if these guys weren't controlling those caterpillar 2444 02:44:39,360 --> 02:44:42,640 populations, then the whole place would be defoliated. 2445 02:44:42,640 --> 02:44:44,840 The ecology would collapse. 2446 02:44:44,840 --> 02:44:48,680 You need everything in place to maintain that balance of nature, 2447 02:44:48,680 --> 02:44:52,960 to keep that beautiful, dynamic harmony working. 2448 02:44:52,960 --> 02:44:54,560 And that's why you need wasps. 2449 02:44:55,800 --> 02:44:57,520 Wasps are cool. 2450 02:44:59,720 --> 02:45:04,120 The paper wasp brings our list up to 101. 2451 02:45:05,960 --> 02:45:09,280 The number and variety of species is impressive, 2452 02:45:09,280 --> 02:45:12,640 considering the water hole is only six months old. 2453 02:45:14,480 --> 02:45:17,600 But how does it compare to a long-established, 2454 02:45:17,600 --> 02:45:20,560 naturally occurring freshwater source? 2455 02:45:23,440 --> 02:45:27,280 Mwiba is part of one of the oldest ecosystems on Earth... 2456 02:45:27,280 --> 02:45:28,760 ..the Serengeti. 2457 02:45:31,040 --> 02:45:35,160 And 7km from our water hole is Sele Springs. 2458 02:45:40,880 --> 02:45:43,640 It's hundreds of years old, but almost disappeared 2459 02:45:43,640 --> 02:45:45,320 in the dry season. 2460 02:45:47,000 --> 02:45:50,200 Thanks to the recent rains, it's full again. 2461 02:45:53,680 --> 02:45:55,640 To find out how this ancient spring 2462 02:45:55,640 --> 02:45:58,520 contrasts to our fledgling water hole, 2463 02:45:58,520 --> 02:46:01,160 we've brought in Dr Meredith Palmer. 2464 02:46:02,640 --> 02:46:07,280 She's been studying the Serengeti ecosystem for over a decade 2465 02:46:07,280 --> 02:46:10,760 and has been using camera traps at Sele to gather data 2466 02:46:10,760 --> 02:46:13,560 over the past six months. 2467 02:46:13,560 --> 02:46:17,000 So here, if we're focusing on the mammal species, 2468 02:46:17,000 --> 02:46:20,920 we can see that Sele Springs would be a very similar number 2469 02:46:20,920 --> 02:46:22,880 of animals showing up. 2470 02:46:22,880 --> 02:46:27,200 Incredibly, our new water hole is sustaining as many 2471 02:46:27,200 --> 02:46:29,000 species as Sele. 2472 02:46:32,040 --> 02:46:34,280 And there are some animals that are only coming 2473 02:46:34,280 --> 02:46:35,920 to our water hole. 2474 02:46:38,160 --> 02:46:40,400 We're getting more mongoose... 2475 02:46:40,400 --> 02:46:43,920 ..porcupine, rabbits, spring hares, 2476 02:46:43,920 --> 02:46:46,080 a lot more monkeys here. 2477 02:46:47,840 --> 02:46:51,200 At our water hole, on the other hand, we're getting servals. 2478 02:46:52,720 --> 02:46:54,400 We have things like waterbuck... 2479 02:46:55,400 --> 02:46:56,440 ..kudu. 2480 02:47:00,920 --> 02:47:04,960 Dr Palmer's research shows that wildlife is also behaving 2481 02:47:04,960 --> 02:47:07,000 differently at each site. 2482 02:47:13,760 --> 02:47:17,160 Despite it being new in the landscape, many animals 2483 02:47:17,160 --> 02:47:21,200 are more comfortable drinking at our water hole than at Sele. 2484 02:47:22,560 --> 02:47:26,520 So, impalas are spending far more time there than they are at Sele. 2485 02:47:27,720 --> 02:47:29,760 We can see the same with the giraffe. 2486 02:47:31,360 --> 02:47:36,240 At our water hole, impala stay for around half an hour each visit. 2487 02:47:37,680 --> 02:47:41,320 That's twice the length of time that they spend at Sele Springs. 2488 02:47:42,600 --> 02:47:46,000 And that's also the case for zebra and giraffe. 2489 02:47:47,840 --> 02:47:50,040 Any theories on why that might be? 2490 02:47:50,040 --> 02:47:51,600 It could be a safety issue. 2491 02:47:51,600 --> 02:47:53,760 Our water hole is a little bit more open, 2492 02:47:53,760 --> 02:47:56,240 you can see the predators coming. 2493 02:47:56,240 --> 02:47:58,600 They might feel safer to stay longer. 2494 02:48:02,840 --> 02:48:07,160 By working with Mwiba to build our water hole in an open area, 2495 02:48:07,160 --> 02:48:10,720 we've made a safer place for many herbivores. 2496 02:48:11,640 --> 02:48:14,640 Predators have fewer chances to hide, 2497 02:48:14,640 --> 02:48:18,160 and as a result, a lot of species seem to take their time 2498 02:48:18,160 --> 02:48:21,000 at this brand-new water source. 2499 02:48:23,200 --> 02:48:25,200 And the more wildlife feel secure, 2500 02:48:25,200 --> 02:48:28,360 the more likely it will return in the future. 2501 02:48:29,600 --> 02:48:31,920 Our water hole's the new kid on the block 2502 02:48:31,920 --> 02:48:33,920 and it's still done pretty well. 2503 02:48:33,920 --> 02:48:36,600 I mean, comparatively, we're looking at similar numbers 2504 02:48:36,600 --> 02:48:39,840 of mammal species, that's... That's really impressive. 2505 02:48:39,840 --> 02:48:43,080 Yeah, I think it's amazing how quickly the community assemble 2506 02:48:43,080 --> 02:48:45,760 at our water hole, how many animals we got 2507 02:48:45,760 --> 02:48:47,920 and how soon they showed up. 2508 02:48:47,920 --> 02:48:51,440 We're seeing the same forces shape animal behaviour 2509 02:48:51,440 --> 02:48:54,320 at our water hole and other water holes like this. 2510 02:48:54,320 --> 02:48:57,920 And even though it's still an experiment in progress, 2511 02:48:57,920 --> 02:49:00,680 the community is still jostling and assembling 2512 02:49:00,680 --> 02:49:02,600 and becoming a water hole. 2513 02:49:02,600 --> 02:49:05,840 Having the opportunity to look through all this data, 2514 02:49:05,840 --> 02:49:09,240 and it's such a fine scale, has just been really fascinating. 2515 02:49:14,160 --> 02:49:17,800 Mwiba are planning to keep studying the water hole in the future 2516 02:49:17,800 --> 02:49:20,760 to reveal the long-term impacts of water availability 2517 02:49:20,760 --> 02:49:22,480 on African wildlife. 2518 02:49:26,760 --> 02:49:31,120 And their ecosystem manager, Mark Ghaui, is excited 2519 02:49:31,120 --> 02:49:34,000 by the potential of having this constant water source 2520 02:49:34,000 --> 02:49:35,360 in the reserve. 2521 02:49:37,080 --> 02:49:39,760 This started off as a little experiment, but it's been 2522 02:49:39,760 --> 02:49:42,000 a remarkable success, hasn't it? 2523 02:49:42,000 --> 02:49:44,720 Yes, six months has gone really quickly and it's amazing 2524 02:49:44,720 --> 02:49:47,320 to see and feel how much part of the landscape it is. 2525 02:49:47,320 --> 02:49:50,120 I think to be able to guarantee water will just be, without a doubt, 2526 02:49:50,120 --> 02:49:52,840 beneficial for these populations. 2527 02:49:55,600 --> 02:49:58,440 Water has been in such short supply in Mwiba 2528 02:49:58,440 --> 02:50:00,880 that conflict has been increasing 2529 02:50:00,880 --> 02:50:03,960 between wildlife and human populations... 2530 02:50:03,960 --> 02:50:07,120 ..who often use the same natural water sources. 2531 02:50:09,640 --> 02:50:13,880 Mark hopes that the new water hole might be a possible solution 2532 02:50:13,880 --> 02:50:16,720 and has been keeping an eye on incidents in the area 2533 02:50:16,720 --> 02:50:19,320 over the past six months. 2534 02:50:19,320 --> 02:50:22,040 In terms of human-wildlife conflict, 2535 02:50:22,040 --> 02:50:24,760 do you think that this has played any small role in reducing 2536 02:50:24,760 --> 02:50:26,360 that in this local area? 2537 02:50:26,360 --> 02:50:29,160 We are close to the boundary and also close to watering points 2538 02:50:29,160 --> 02:50:31,680 that communities use and I think to have a water source here 2539 02:50:31,680 --> 02:50:34,200 that they can access without leaving the reserve 2540 02:50:34,200 --> 02:50:36,720 and troubling those communities will definitely... 2541 02:50:36,720 --> 02:50:39,160 I think we'll definitely see a reduction 2542 02:50:39,160 --> 02:50:41,480 in human-wildlife conflict as a result. 2543 02:50:41,480 --> 02:50:46,160 Conflict is a growing problem across Tanzania, where there are no fences 2544 02:50:46,160 --> 02:50:48,800 between wildlife reserves and villages. 2545 02:50:50,000 --> 02:50:54,080 Many tribes are herders, keeping thirsty animals like cows 2546 02:50:54,080 --> 02:50:57,760 that need to drink up to 100 litres of water a day. 2547 02:51:00,040 --> 02:51:05,440 There's been an explosion in cattle over the past three decades. 2548 02:51:05,440 --> 02:51:08,480 Now, there were approximately 30 million cows 2549 02:51:08,480 --> 02:51:10,160 across the country. 2550 02:51:12,040 --> 02:51:15,240 It's putting a huge strain on supplies. 2551 02:51:15,240 --> 02:51:18,320 And when water runs low, people have little choice 2552 02:51:18,320 --> 02:51:21,320 but to violently protect that water. 2553 02:51:25,400 --> 02:51:30,640 Last year on the outskirts of Mwiba, there was one human fatality 2554 02:51:30,640 --> 02:51:33,920 and countless altercations as humans and wildlife 2555 02:51:33,920 --> 02:51:36,360 fought over food and water. 2556 02:51:39,000 --> 02:51:43,840 But in the past six months, there have been no reported incidents 2557 02:51:43,840 --> 02:51:46,480 near Mwiba's park boundary... 2558 02:51:46,480 --> 02:51:49,160 ..thanks, in part, to our water hole. 2559 02:51:51,000 --> 02:51:53,640 What about the long term legacy, then? 2560 02:51:53,640 --> 02:51:56,280 I think it's going to be a big part of our landscape going forward. 2561 02:51:56,280 --> 02:52:00,080 I think, yeah, from our perspective, it's just getting started. 2562 02:52:00,080 --> 02:52:03,120 And, yeah, it's been wonderful to see how animals have fixed 2563 02:52:03,120 --> 02:52:06,040 their lives and their routines around it, how they've engaged 2564 02:52:06,040 --> 02:52:07,720 with it and I think we'll be seeing that 2565 02:52:07,720 --> 02:52:09,840 for many, many years to come here. 2566 02:52:23,920 --> 02:52:25,440 to our species list. 2567 02:52:28,040 --> 02:52:31,400 The hoopoe is named after its distinctive call. 2568 02:52:31,400 --> 02:52:33,920 ECHOING WHOOP 2569 02:52:35,560 --> 02:52:38,720 The woodland kingfisher is one of the many kingfishers 2570 02:52:38,720 --> 02:52:40,960 that don't just eat fish, 2571 02:52:40,960 --> 02:52:44,800 but also hunt insects, frogs and snakes. 2572 02:52:47,040 --> 02:52:51,320 The rufous-tailed weaver is a monogamous bird that's only 2573 02:52:51,320 --> 02:52:55,360 found here in East Africa and nowhere else in the world. 2574 02:52:58,680 --> 02:53:03,680 We've been recording a vast array of animals over the last six months. 2575 02:53:06,120 --> 02:53:09,840 And I'm digging into the data to find out what this unique 2576 02:53:09,840 --> 02:53:13,440 experiment has revealed about how wildlife interacts 2577 02:53:13,440 --> 02:53:15,080 at a water hole. 2578 02:53:18,120 --> 02:53:21,880 We've had our cameras on for over 1,400 hours 2579 02:53:21,880 --> 02:53:24,320 during the six-month period. 2580 02:53:24,320 --> 02:53:27,840 We've got data coming out of our ears and we can see our 2581 02:53:27,840 --> 02:53:29,440 final figures now. 2582 02:53:35,520 --> 02:53:40,840 We've recorded 105 species visiting our water hole... 2583 02:53:40,840 --> 02:53:43,720 ..including 26 different mammals. 2584 02:53:43,720 --> 02:53:45,440 GRUNTING, SQUAWKING AND ROARING 2585 02:53:47,160 --> 02:53:51,400 If we look at them according to size, it's the mega-herbivores, 2586 02:53:51,400 --> 02:53:57,280 elephant, buffalo and giraffe, that came in the biggest numbers. 2587 02:54:02,880 --> 02:54:06,160 But they didn't spend the most time here. 2588 02:54:06,160 --> 02:54:09,720 Clocking up an impressive 19 hours... 2589 02:54:09,720 --> 02:54:12,960 ..the impala stayed longer than anyone else... 2590 02:54:14,240 --> 02:54:17,440 ..enjoying the safety provided by the open landscape 2591 02:54:17,440 --> 02:54:19,240 around our water hole. 2592 02:54:21,920 --> 02:54:26,320 Surprisingly, though, they weren't the most frequent visitor. 2593 02:54:27,360 --> 02:54:30,280 It was the hyenas that came to the water hole 2594 02:54:30,280 --> 02:54:32,440 more than any other species... 2595 02:54:35,280 --> 02:54:39,080 ..making a total of 121 separate visits. 2596 02:54:45,760 --> 02:54:48,720 Now, this personally is actually really surprising to me. 2597 02:54:48,720 --> 02:54:51,360 I wouldn't have expected that a carnivore 2598 02:54:51,360 --> 02:54:54,320 would have been the most frequent mammal to the water hole... 2599 02:54:54,320 --> 02:54:56,040 ..but they were. 2600 02:54:59,680 --> 02:55:03,360 We always assumed water-dependent herbivores would visit 2601 02:55:03,360 --> 02:55:05,720 the water hole the most. 2602 02:55:05,720 --> 02:55:09,840 But it's actually good news that hyenas came so frequently. 2603 02:55:13,280 --> 02:55:16,520 They're known as the health police by scientists, 2604 02:55:16,520 --> 02:55:19,440 because they can eat animals that have died from diseases 2605 02:55:19,440 --> 02:55:21,840 that are deadly to other species. 2606 02:55:23,600 --> 02:55:27,240 Their stomach acid and immune system is so strong, 2607 02:55:27,240 --> 02:55:31,760 they're one of the few animals that can digest anthrax and survive. 2608 02:55:33,600 --> 02:55:38,240 If they return, they'll help keep this new ecosystem in balance. 2609 02:55:45,560 --> 02:55:49,240 This has been an extraordinary venture. 2610 02:55:49,240 --> 02:55:52,920 We've had a rare chance to see a whole community of wildlife 2611 02:55:52,920 --> 02:55:56,760 taking shape around a water hole that six months ago 2612 02:55:56,760 --> 02:55:58,800 just didn't exist. 2613 02:56:00,640 --> 02:56:02,800 And the great thing is... 2614 02:56:02,800 --> 02:56:05,880 ..it's here to stay. 2615 02:56:05,880 --> 02:56:09,880 Our water hole will benefit future generations of wildlife 2616 02:56:09,880 --> 02:56:14,840 and also the people it shares the landscape with. 2617 02:56:14,840 --> 02:56:18,080 When we arrived here, this little corner of Africa 2618 02:56:18,080 --> 02:56:20,560 was just a dusty piece of savanna. 2619 02:56:20,560 --> 02:56:22,720 But over the last six months, we've seen 2620 02:56:22,720 --> 02:56:24,640 a remarkable transformation. 2621 02:56:24,640 --> 02:56:29,480 It's undeniable - this experiment has become a huge success. 2622 02:56:29,480 --> 02:56:33,520 We did wonder if the animals would come, and they did. 2623 02:56:34,520 --> 02:56:37,600 And they are still coming. 2624 02:56:37,600 --> 02:56:39,440 You know the best thing? 2625 02:56:39,440 --> 02:56:41,680 We've made something that a whole bunch 2626 02:56:41,680 --> 02:56:45,720 of animals now call home, and that puts a smile on my face 2627 02:56:45,720 --> 02:56:48,320 and makes me feel pretty good. 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