All language subtitles for Tales From Zambia Series 1 1of7 Elephant Valley 1080p

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWinding through
the savannahs of Zambia,

the Luangwa River,

bursting with life
in one of the greatest
wildernesses in the world.

But in the dry season,
the heat and the drought
are crippling.

We follow life here
over one day,

from sunrise

to sunset.

A young elephant struggles
with both the heat

and with mastering
his unwieldy trunk.

(TRUMPETS)

He’s joined
by a colorful cast
of very different animals,

large and small,

who face their own challenges

to eat,

sleep,

and survive.

This is the Africa
of your imagination,

experienced over
one extraordinary day.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

The day starts early
\hin tropical Africa.

It’s 5:00 in the morning,

and already
the sun’s first rays
are lighting up the sky.

For the night’s hunters,
it’s time to rest.

Hyena cubs squeeze in
one more game

before the sun creeps
over the horizon.

They are still too young
to be out and about
in daylight,

and retreat to
the safety of their den.

Hippos, too, seek refuge,

returning to the rivers
after a night of grazing.

But many animals
are just waking up,

and it’s time to begin
their morning routine.

(CHIRPING)

Quelea gather together
at dawn to drink.

These tiny birds
take safety in numbers
to extremes.

Flocks can be
a million strong.

It’s a constant conveyor belt
at the water’s edge,

as hundreds of thousands
of individuals
snatch a few sips

and then make way
for their neighbors.

\hIn just 10 minutes,
the whole mega-flock
\hhas drunk its fill.

Calm descends
on the river once more.

The sun is only just up.

The day is still
a surprisingly cool
50 degrees Fahrenheit.

(BABOONS BARKING)

Baboons call
across the treetops,

reassuring each other
that it’s safe to descend.

(BABOONS BARKING)

It’s 6:00.

The first fingers of sunshine
steal through the bush

and start to warm
the trunk of a sausage tree.

It’s a wake-up call
for the little animals
living inside.

A bush squirrel.

And another.

In fact, this tree is home
to a family of five,

a breeding pair
and their almost
fully-grown pups.

They’ve been squeezed
inside a hole all night.

A morning stretch
is first order of the day.

Squirrels can hang
upside-down,

thanks to ankle joints
that can swivel 180 degrees,
and big, gripping claws.

This family is tight-knit.

Even after a night
of snuggling up together,

they reaffirm their bonds
each morning

by grooming
and scent-marking each other.

(CHIRPING)

The best thing about
living in a sausage tree

\h\h\h\his that breakfast
is right on the doorstep.

Huge flowers
have opened overnight,

and they’re brimming
with nectar.

Squirrels will often eat
nectar when it’s available.

It gives them
a big energy boost.

\h\h\hTheir long tongues
are perfect for reaching
deep inside the trumpets,

and what they can’t get to,

they access by nibbling
a hole in the nectary.

No flower is out of reach
of an agile squirrel.

But it’s a sticky business.

(LOW TRUMPETING)

A larger family
is also ready for breakfast.

This two-year-old elephant
takes two steps for
every one of his mother’s,

but at last,
the herd stops to eat
and he can catch his breath.

The tall trees
are out of reach
of his little trunk,

but no matter.

He’s still largely dependent
on his mother’s milk

\hand won’t be fully weaned
for at least another year.

Big brother barges in first.

He’s four years old,
and still occasionally
nurses from mum.

While he waits his turn,

our little calf
tries out his trunk.

It’s packed
with 40,000 muscles,

and using it
takes a lot of practice.

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

The elephants might travel
up to 50 miles today

in search of enough
food and water.

Lions are no threat
to adult elephants,

but they could take a baby,

so it’s important
he sticks close to the herd.

Even sleeping lions
are best given a wide berth.

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

Our elephant family’s home
is the Luangwa Valley
in Zambia.

It’s at the southern tip of
the Great African Rift Valley.

Luangwa is
one of the wildlife
wonders of the world.

It’s nearly
500 miles long,

and 60 miles wide,

a haven for
some of the most spectacular
animals on the planet.

(CHIRPING)

It’s 8:00 a.m.,
and the temperature
is rising fast.

It’s already
nearly 70 degrees.

Nocturnal terrors
are forgotten,

and animals that usually
find themselves
on something else’s menu

seem to let their
guard down a little.

But this apparently
\hplayful behavior,

called stotting,
has a serious side.

It signals to
any watching predator

that these puku
are fit and strong,

not worth the effort
of a chase.

Every day
brings new experiences
for this baby puku,

and today is no different.

He’s never seen
cranes before.

Standing over 3 feet,
these birds are taller
than he is.

Luckily,
mum is never far away.

By 10:00, the sun has already
climbed high in the sky.

It’s 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Things are hotting up.

A female puku is in heat.

She’ll come into estrous
every 25 days or so,

and today, she’s attracting
some attention.

Male pukus court
by tapping prospective mates
with their forelegs.

This young male doesn’t seem
to be getting it right.

No amount of nudging
seems to pique her interest.

An older, dominant male
has his eye on the upstart.

He’ll only tolerate
younger males in his territory
if they are no competition.

The young male
is getting nowhere.

He really can’t take a hint.

The dominant male
has had enough.

Time to show this greenhorn
who’s boss.

If you want to woo the ladies,

you need to have
the right moves.

The big male’s
obviously got what it takes.

After all that, it’s over
in two seconds flat.

By 11:00,
temperatures have risen
to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our young elephant
and his family

are on their way to the river.

The elephants’
large but thin ears
help keep them cool.

The increased surface area,
compared to their volume,

helps radiate heat
away from their body.

In this climate,
every creature needs
a strategy to beat the heat.

These eggs risk
being cooked in the sun.

But their dark patches,
as well as acting
as camouflage,

trap solar radiation
in the shells,

keeping heat away
from the embryo inside.

The eggs belong
to this dikkop.

Birds usually sit on eggs
to keep them warm,

but this parent
is keeping hers cool,

by providing
much-needed shade.

Birds have no sweat glands,

so she flutters
the muscles in her throat,

the avian way of panting.

She’s hot,
and vulnerable down here
to passing traffic,

but her protective instinct
keeps her on her nest.

(SCREECHING)

As the heat intensifies,
many animals head for water.

This is the safest time
for a drink.

Predators are resting,
and are at their
least dangerous.

(SNORTS)

The Luangwa River
is nearly 500 miles long,

\hand is one of the largest
un-dammed rivers in Africa.

\hIts natural cycle
of annual flooding

makes the valley
inaccessible to people
for much of the year.

It’s a pristine wilderness.

(TRUMPETING)

In the dry season,
the low river
is a magnet for wildlife,

the perfect place
for a thirsty elephant family
to come and drink.

Our baby elephant
is still getting to grips
with his trunk.

The trick is to suck up
a trunkful of water,

and squirt it into your mouth.

It’s not as easy
as the others make it look.

Baby elephants get
most of the moisture
they need from milk,

but the adults will drink
up to 25 gallons of water
this morning,

and as much as 60 gallons
over the course of the day.

Baby’s finally
got the hang of it.

Water doesn’t just
quench thirst,

it’s also home
to an abundance of fish.

In the dry season,
lagoons shrink,

and fish get concentrated
in shallow waters.

Birds gather
in fishing parties

to take full advantage
of the bonanza.

Their fishing techniques
are as varied as they are.

Spoonbills sweep
their half-open beaks
through the shallows.

The flattened tip
gives the bill
a larger surface area,

increasing the chances
of coming into contact
with prey.

The sensitive beak
of a sacred ibis
probes the mud,

feeling for hidden
invertebrates.

Shuffling its feet
in the muddy bottom,

a hamerkop disturbs
frogs and fish.

(CHIRPING)

A heron stands stock-still

and waits for a fish
\hto come into range.

Its long neck
gives it plenty of reach
to strike prey.

Precise timing
is the key to success
for pied kingfishers.

The difference between
a hit and a miss can be
a fraction of a second.

The water is a buffet,
and a blessed relief
in the heat,

but it harbors dangers, too.

Unlike birds and mammals,

crocodiles rely
on their environment

to maintain
an optimal body temperature
of around 89 degrees Fahrenheit.

They bask in the sun
to warm up,

but must be careful
not to overheat.

The temperature
is now nudging 100 degrees.

Opening their mouths,
known as gaping,
helps dissipate heat.

But when it gets really hot,

the only way to cool off
\his to get in the water.

When everything’s
desperate to drink,

a river full of crocodiles
\his a recipe for disaster.

(SPLASHING)
(BIRD CHIRPING)

The pukus’ nervous disposition
keeps them safe this time.

They never drop their guard
when drinking,

or give the croc
a chance to strike.

But these reptiles
are not only hunters,
they’re scavengers, too.

Crocodile brains have
large olfactory lobes
for processing odors,

and they can smell a carcass
several hundred yards away.

(VULTURES SCREECHING)

A puku has succumbed
to the stress
of the dry season.

Despite their numbers,
the vultures are no match
for a hungry croc.

A male puku,
even a partially eaten one,

can weigh over 130 pounds.

But it’s not problem
for even this relatively
small crocodile.

He’s got his lunch, after all.

It’s midday.

\h\h\h\hThe temperature is just
over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Animals great and small
seek shade.

A slender mongoose,

one of the only mongooses
that can climb trees.

A baboon spider, 4 inches long,
the largest spider in Zambia.

And a 2-inch corn cricket,

a giant of the insect world.

The elephants
have taken a break
in the shade as well.

Elephants can doze
standing up,

but they’ll lie down
to get some proper sleep.

Our youngster
needs to recharge

after keeping up
with the herd all morning.

(LOW TRUMPETING)

A herd of
Thornicroft’s giraffe

can’t resist combining
a rest in the shade
with a midday meal.

Rubbery prehensile lips
allow them to pick leaves
from among the thorns.

\hThese nocturnal
giant eagle owls

don’t seem too pleased
at being woken up.

(OWLS SCREECHING)

Our baby puku
has a sense of adventure,

but if he strays
too far from his mother,

he could get much more
\hthan he bargains for.

A leopard’s spotted coat
is perfect camouflage in
the dappled shade of a tree.

She’s the ultimate
opportunist,

dozing here all day,

waiting for something tasty
to pass underneath her.

But in the midday heat,
the little puku just
isn’t worth the effort.

A pack of wild dogs
is also too hot to hunt
at this time of day.

It’s 110 degrees,

but it’s never
too hot to play.

Their survival
depends on the pack,

and playing is a way
of keeping the bonds
between them strong.

Working as a close-knit team,

they run down prey
and have a far higher
kill rate than big cats.

Eight out of 10 of their hunts
are a success,

compared to fewer than
three out of 10 for lions.

Wild dogs are among
the most efficient hunters
in the world.

Wild dog packs are
made up of an alpha pair
who have all the pups,

and as many as
20 subordinate dogs,

whose roles are
to hunt and babysit.

There is
very little aggression
within a dog pack.

Even as adults,
they behave much like puppies,
playful and submissive.

Everyone knows their place.

Everyone looks out
for each other.

It’s one big happy family.

A brown-hooded kingfisher
is a long way from water.

But this is a kingfisher
with a difference.

He doesn’t eat fish.

Instead,
he scours the woodland floor
for insects or small reptiles.

A little skink
is no stranger to danger.

His missing tail
is a sure sign he’s had
a brush with death before.

The skink’s been lucky
once more.

The kingfisher’s found
another lunchtime snack,
an unfortunate frog.

It’s 2:00.

The temperature
is still over 100 degrees,

but the day has reached
a turning point,

and it can only
get cooler now.

The elephants keep on eating.

These African giants have
appetites to match their size.

They eat up to 300 pounds
every day,

and must spend up to
18 hours a day feeding.

Our little one
is still experimenting
with using his trunk.

A three-banded courser family
will wait till it cools off
before they set out to forage.

They sit out the afternoon,
disguised in the scrub.

It’s all about blending in.

Being seen can have
disastrous consequences.

This one’s lost a foot,

presumably in a narrow escape
from a predator.

Mottled feathers
are very hard to spot
in this landscape,

even for
a sharp-eyed mongoose.

This tiny chick
is only a few days old
and can’t yet fly,

but he already knows
to make himself look

as much like the ground
as possible.

The slightest movement
will catch their attention.

Our chick’s instinct
\hhas kept him alive,

at least for now.

A dwindling lagoon is an oasis
in the harsh landscape.

Succulent water cabbage
is a welcome treat
for the baboons.

The elephant family’s journey
has brought them here, too.

But they’re not
just here to drink.

It’s bath time.

Elephants can get sunburnt,
and mud blocks UV rays.

And as the wet mud evaporates,

it draws heat
from the elephant’s skin.

Mud dries more slowly
than water,

so the elephants stay cool
for longer.

Mud-bathing is also
a very good way of exfoliating
and dislodging parasites.

Baby has yet another
trunk skill to master.

The elephants
aren’t the only creatures

to spend the afternoon
at the lagoon spa.

(GRUNTING)

A lone bull hippo
lets the water support
his great weight,

over 3-1/2 tons,
while he relaxes.

A little flock of oxpeckers
picks off his ticks.

But the birds can be
a bit overzealous
in their feeding,

and start picking
at the poor hippo’s flesh
as well.

Two or three
aren’t much of a problem,

but when numbers swell,

oxpeckers can be
very annoying.

Buffalo are much less
tolerant hosts.

It’s 3:00.

The temperature edges down
to 87 degrees.

But the noise level
at the lagoon increases.

(SQUAWKING)

Egyptian geese
are here to breed.

Couples pair up
with the same bird
each season to mate.

But not all family reunions
are happy.

These birds are notoriously
bad-tempered.

Rival males scrap over
\hpatches of territory.

(SQUAWKING)

Squabbles escalate
to full-blown fights,
and feathers fly.

(SQUAWKING)

The champion proudly
proclaims his victory.

By 4:00, the sun’s
crept lower in the sky,

and the searing heat has gone.

The temperature dips
to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

At almost 10 inches long,

pied kingfishers are
the largest birds in the world
able to truly hover.

One last catch of the day.

An African skimmer.

His extended lower beak
is perfectly designed for
an unusual fishing technique.

Skimming the surface,

he drops his bill
and drags it
through the water.

It snaps shut
the instant it touches a fish.

Got one!

Skimmers pair for life,

and as with any
long-term relationship,

it takes a bit of work
\hto keep things sweet.

The fish is a gift
for his partner.

(CHIRPING)

It seems to have
\hdone the trick.

It’s 5:30,
and a balmy 71 degrees.

The elephant family
will continue browsing
through the night.

They’ll only sleep
for four or five hours in 24,

and they’ve already had
a good nap today.

(CHIRPING)

Flocks of quelea return
to the trees to roost.

The collective weight
of thousands of birds

bends branches
almost to breaking point.

Baboons retreat
to the safety of the trees,

their best bet
for staying out of the jaws
of predators at night.

But antelope
can’t climb trees.

This is the most
nerve-racking time of day
for the puku.

Blood will be shed tonight.

As the last of the light
fades from the sky,

a new cast of characters
takes to the stage.

The night belongs
to the hunters.

(ANIMAL ROARING)

♪

♪

♪

♪