Original subtitles

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIn this small patch of woodland,

two young monkeys face the toughest time of their lives.

As they find their place in the world,

they must learn which neighbors are allies,

and which are foes.

Who to trust,

and who to avoid.

They will suffer loss and gain friends

as they discover what it means to be part of the Woodland Troop.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

High in the sausage trees of Zambia’s Luangwa National Park,

a group of vervet monkeys is just waking up.

This is the Woodland Troop.

Thirty individuals including mums...

Dads...

And their offspring.

This sausage tree is at the heart of their territory.

It’s just come into bloom, providing a bounty of deliciously sweet nectar

a key source of food.

It’s August, the middle of the dry season,

and these exotic flowers will continue to blossom until November,

so this delicacy can be enjoyed throughout the drought...

if you’re of the right rank.

Vervet society is ruled by class.

These prime feeding spots are for high ranks only.

Upper class monkeys get the best quality food

and as a result are healthier

than their less fortunate brethren.

Those at the bottom of the pile

must make do with the leftovers.

This alpha male is top dog.

His job is to protect the whole troop.

There are 20 adults, including these two sisters who are inseparable.

There are also around 10 juveniles

who look to him for security,

and if he’s in the right mood, affection.

The Woodland Troop has an assortment of neighbors

who flock to the flowers like kids to a candy shop.

Among the visitors are some of Luangwa’s largest residents.

Hippos come here, not for the flowers,

but for the large sausage-like fruit,

that gives the tree its name.

Baboons are also regulars here.

Like the vervets, they are omnivores.

But flowers and fruit are their favorite.

Giraffes have their pick of the fruit,

but not all the Troop’s neighbors get to help themselves.

Some depend on the monkeys for help.

It makes sense for antelope to hang out with the Troop.

Cohabiting is an arrangement that suits them both.

They are bound by a common enemy,

and the more eyes on the lookout the better.

(ANTELOPE SNORTS)

(ANTELOPE SNORTS)

They understand each other’s alarm calls.

Leopards are their greatest threat.

Vervets have different calls... \h\h(SHRIEKING)

...depending on whether the predator is a leopard,

eagle or snake,

so they know how to respond.

Once the predator’s cover is blown,

the immediate threat is over.

And with a leopard in the vicinity

no one wants to hang around.

Luckily for the vervets, there are plenty of other sausage trees

where they can continue their breakfast.

Monkeys and antelope have a good system going,

one that makes life easier for them both.

This juvenile is living the life of luxury.

He’s 10 months old and utterly pampered

by his doting mother, one of the sisters.

Usually, weaning begins at three months old,

but this mum is well nourished.

She’s still producing high-quality milk

so she lets her only son continue to suckle.

Her sister’s son is equally indulged.

These boy cousins and all the juveniles in the group

are the apples of their mothers’ eyes.

They’ve been waited on hand and foot all their lives.

But change is on the way.

The dry season progresses.

Some trees stop flowering, while others come into bloom.

So the monkeys always have a source of food.

Their home is an island of woodland

in the middle of, what was once, a river bend.

The course of the river has long since changed,

and their woodland patch is now surrounded by grassy plains.

The edge of this plain marks the border

of the Troop’s 200 acre territory.

The season is beginning to change,

and it triggers a new phase for the monkeys.

The juveniles are now a year old.

And their lives will never be the same again.

All the females over five have given birth.

The sisters both have new baby girls to suckle.

It’s a bitter pill for the boy cousins to swallow.

They’ve lost their mum’s attention and her milk.

The boys are well and truly usurped.

The mothers are completely preoccupied with their new babies.

Not only do they have a new object for their affection,

the sisters also have each other for support and friendship.

It’s a lonely time for the boy cousins.

Both sisters are equally protective of each other’s babies,

who are, after all, their nieces.

For the first three months,

the babies won’t go more than six feet away from their mother’s side...

if the mums can help it.

These girls will stay with their mothers in this troop

for the rest of their lives,

while their older brothers will have to leave home

when they reach sexual maturity at five years old.

Life’s not fair.

Babies are overnight celebrities.

Everyone in the Troop wants to get close to them.

For the first three weeks,

only close relatives are allowed a look-in,

and often a look-in is literally all they get.

However hard they try, if they’re not related, forget it.

(SHRIEKING)

One of the low-ranking females

is a first time mother.

She’s a diligent parent, but due to her low rank,

she doesn’t have access to good feeding spots.

Good nourishment is essential for milk production,

and hers is starting to dry up.

Of the babies born, only half survive their first year.

Many die from malnutrition or at the hands of predators.

Plenty of animals would make an easy meal of a baby monkey.

In the hub of the community,

everyone continues to fuss over the new arrivals.

The majority of young here have been fathered by the alpha male,

but he takes no part in childcare.

He’s more concerned with the Troop’s safety

and with reminding everyone who’s boss.

Males don’t inherit rank like females.

They have to work their way to the top.

And the way they get there

is by challenging other males for dominance.

The bottom of the ladder is a frustrating place to be.

(SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWith 10 new babies in the Troop

the alpha male spends up to eight hours a day on patrol.

A lone male just on the edge of their boundary has caught his attention.

Since the age of five,

he’s had to change troops every two years.

This constant moving makes sure

he’s not tempted to try and mate with relatives in his own troop.

Getting accepted into a new troop is hard,

especially if the alpha male has anything to do with it.

(SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe intruder tries to act nonchalant,

but he’s here at the wrong time.

His best chance of being accepted

is during the breeding season,

when there are plenty of frisky females

willing to welcome a stranger.

But that won’t happen for another six months.

The alpha male has fought hard to get to this position.

And he wants to keep it for as long as he can.

The maximum time at the top is five years,

but he knows he could be ousted at any time.

The babies in the Troop are now around three weeks old,

and starting to take their first wobbly steps.

(SHRIEKING)

The younger females in the Troop

are desperate to get some hands-on parenting experience.

Flattering the mother is one way to get to the baby.

A seamless getaway ruined by a thorn.

But she doesn’t give up.

Babysitting isn’t just for fun.

It’s essential practice.

Babies don’t come with manuals,

so the more practice they can get

before they have their own, the better.

The low-ranking mother and her baby

remain on the outskirts of the group.

She’s too scared to let her baby get into the hands of babysitters.

She knows he’s not thriving.

His back legs are barely strong enough to cling on to her.

While the young females in the Troop are hell-bent on playing mum,

the young males have to find their own amusement.

The boy cousins have been usurped by their baby sisters,

but they still have each other.

His cousin’s grooming skills

aren’t quite up to his mum’s standards,

but it’s some comfort.

They might have lost their mother’s attention,

but they’ve gained more freedom.

And it’s fun.

A lone squirrel makes a tempting target for a little sport.

Soon all the Troop’s youngsters are united in a game of chase.

The monkeys are excellent climbers, but the squirrel has claws.

They can’t compete.

Guinea fowl are next.

The juveniles are beginning to see

that no longer being under their mother’s watchful eye

is perhaps not such a bad thing after all.

The babies in the Woodland Troop are now one month old.

The mothers are no longer watching their every move.

Unsupervised, they become playthings for the young females.

(ALL SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThey won’t have their own babies until they are five years old,

which is just as well.

Inexperience leads to some pretty rough handling.

Their ineptitude only becomes a danger when the females get bored,

and leave the babies unattended.

The alpha male is on high alert.

He has his eye on a troop of baboons.

These primates outrank the vervets in size and in number.

Adults are over twice the size,

and five times the weight of adult vervets,

equivalent to a Saint Bernard next to a Dachshund.

(SHRIEKING)

Baby baboons, like baby vervets,

are ranked higher than their older siblings.

Hierarchy is such a serious business

that fights are part of everyday life.

(ALL SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWith canine teeth longer than a leopard’s,

disputes are highly aggressive.

As a male approaches, the Woodland Troop is wary.

Even the babysitters snap into action.

Baboons, like vervets, are omnivores,

and can take live prey, including baby monkeys.

They’re skilled hunters.

More than half their attempts end in success.

This baboon’s appearance sets everyone on edge.

No one’s quite sure of his intentions.

But the more he hangs around, the braver they get.

The adult vervets understand how serious a baboon encounter can be.

But the Troop’s youngsters seems to recognize

that he’s just a fellow juvenile in need of a friend.

Gradually, his presence is accepted.

Until recently, understanding others’ feelings

was considered unique to humans.

Now scientists have discovered an area of a primate brain

associated with empathy,

an important part of living in large societies.

Once they interpret each other’s intentions,

the young monkeys and the lonely baboon become friends.

Playtime over.

The new friends return to their respective homes and families.

Before nightfall, juveniles, mothers and babies

reunite under the watchful eye of their leader.

By dark, every member of the Troop is up in the trees.

As in many families, the youngest ones are reluctant to go to bed.

Vervets are among Africa’s smallest, lightest monkeys.

Even the thinnest of branches can take their weight.

Eventually, everyone finds a place to settle.

In the trees next door,

the baboon troop has also turned in for the night.

The higher both primates can be off the ground,

the safer they are.

Well out of reach of night prowlers...

...except for one.

The resident leopard is on the hunt again.

Under the cover of darkness,

he’s invisible to the monkeys’ allies.

(BABOONS BARKING)

NARRATOR: \hThe alarm is raised, \hbut it’s too late.

One of the juvenile baboons has been taken.

The leopard lets his victim’s body fall

unceremoniously to the ground.

The next morning, the Woodland Troop are cautious.

After last night’s scare, they’re tentative...

Unsure if the leopard is still around.

The two boy cousins tread carefully.

They can see that the guinea fowl are relaxed

and the antelope are getting on with their lives.

The leopard has gone.

But there’s also no sign of their baboon friend.

Unable to see him, they find a way to console themselves...

At the spot where they first made friends.

Then, a dramatic entrance.

The new playmates are delighted to see each other again.

It’s as though surviving a leopard attack

has made them all happy just to be alive.

These young vervets and baboon have a complicated relationship.

As youngsters, they can be friends,

but they can never fully trust one another.

Wild animals never live in isolation.

Their homes are shared with neighbors

that they do their best to understand.

Sometimes they work together

and sometimes against each other.

And on occasion, different species share special moments,

coming together as friends.

At the edge of The Woodland Troop’s territory,

a fig tree is beginning to fruit.

The figs are still green and not ripe yet,

but this food is the most highly prized in the whole territory.

The high-ranking monkeys have already taken prime seats.

Ripe or not, they’re quickly drawing in the Troop’s neighbors.

This is a treat no one wants to miss.

Even Luangwa’s largest residents want to eat at this cafe.

Elephants enjoy the leaves as much as the fruit.

Primates and elephants make good neighbors.

Both have something to gain from each other.

There are all sorts of goodies to be found in elephant dung.

Flies, seeds, and beetles are the most common,

but there is also moisture.

Late in the dry season when water sources aren’t available,

this is one way to get that vital drop of liquid.

The Woodland Troop accept that they must share

their fig tree with other species,

but they’re not prepared to share it with other vervets.

Out on the grassland, a neighboring troop of vervet monkeys

are checking out the situation.

Encounters with neighbors can be friendly,

unless there’s a valuable source of food to defend.

A fig tree in fruit is definitely worth fighting for.

The neighboring troop’s alpha male takes the lead,

while the mums with babies watch at a safe distance.

The two troop leaders size up the opposition.

The scar on the rival’s back

shows he’s been in battles like this before.

Both troops make their move.

All adults without babies to look after, join in.

The Woodland Troop is on home ground,

but the neighbors are no pushover.

With his tightest allies by his side,

the Woodland Troop alpha male’s confidence grows.

Slowly but surely, they see off the interlopers.

The fig tree is theirs to keep.

By November, the long dry season

is finally coming to an end.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(THUNDER CONTINUES TO RUMBLE)

With the first rains comes new life,

meaning new food for the two boy cousins.

Fungus is novel and clearly tasty.

Puddles and ponds appear

giving the vervets much needed drinking holes.

And the water has provided them with a seasonal treat...

winged termites.

The rains trigger these insects to mate.

In one night, hundreds of thousands take to the air.

But only a few successfully pair up and start new colonies.

Many die trying,

and those that crash land in water provide a feast.

It’s a quick protein hit,

and there are more than enough to go around.

The vervets can eat their fill,

and there are plenty leftover for the baboons.

With this much food on offer,

a large male baboon won’t bother baby monkeys,

and no one minds his presence.

The two boy cousins are exploring on their own,

on the far side of the pond.

They want to see what all the termite hype is about.

It’s their first taste,

and they don’t seem entirely sure.

The boys are so preoccupied with this nouvelle cuisine,

that they don’t notice a new arrival...

A monitor lizard.

This voracious hunter preys on anything

from insects to small mammals

including vervets.

The juveniles have no idea how much danger they’re in.

It’s only the commotion in the rest of the troop

that alerts them to the threat.

(MONKEYS SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe call is similar to the alarm for snake.

Time to head for the safety of the trees.

Throughout the monkeys’ home, rain brings new life.

Antelope have given birth timed perfectly to coincide with this flush of growth.

Grass grows on the plains,

new shoots sprout,

and fresh green leaves appear.

The babies are now old enough to pick them for themselves.

Fortunes are beginning to turn.

Even the lowest ranked members now have plenty to eat.

They might not be at the head table,

but they won’t go hungry.

The most vulnerable period of the babies’ lives is over.

The wet season is a time to unwind with the neighbors, old and new.

Everyone can enjoy the bounty that this woodland has been granted.

Now that the Troop’s babies are more independent,

the boy cousins finally get their mum’s attention.

The low ranking mother, and her baby,

are still outsiders.

But now that they are well-nourished,

he’s gaining strength every day.

Life is much easier thanks to the rains,

but it still has surprises.

It hasn’t taken away the dangers on the ground

or in the air.

It’s a reminder that even in good times,

they can’t afford to get too relaxed.

For the Troop’s juveniles, life continues as normal.

Friendships strengthen by the day.

They enjoy all that their woodland home continues to offer.

Along the riverbank, an acacia has come into bloom.

Bursting with spherical flowers like lollipops.

As usual, it’s the privilege of the high-ranking monkeys to be here,

but now that food is widely distributed

no one needs to go hungry.

Even among the dominant troop members,

there are subtle differences in rank.

The boy cousins must learn to navigate around their superiors.

The higher you are up the ladder,

the more you get groomed.

This adult male and female

each consider themselves the most important.

Both think they deserve to be pampered.

It’s a chance for the juvenile to get past.

Once down from their feeding tree

the boy cousins are quick to seek each other out.

This morning, they’ve been joined by some new neighbors...

Banded mongooses in search of insects.

And they’ve been followed.

Once again, the juveniles are oblivious to the danger they are in.

And there’s another threat...

A Martial eagle.

Next to leopards, this raptor is the vervet’s main predator.

(MONKEYS SHRIEKING)

Once again, a well-timed alarm call saves the day.

This time, it was a mongoose who had a narrow escape,

but the eagle is not giving up.

In a perfect twist of fate,

both threats are cancelled out.

The eagle didn’t catch a mongoose or a monkey

but the monitor lizard.

The Troop cousins live to see another day.

Rain continues to fall from early November to the end of March.

After five wet months,

the Woodland Troop’s home is completely transformed.

In their lush green jungle, the youngsters have grown.

They have lost their baby fur

and become smaller versions of their older siblings.

The same is true of their neighbors and friends.

Each one is entering its next phase of life.

The alpha male is still head of the troop.

And the two boy cousins are as close as ever.

The bond they have now will be crucial in years to come,

when together one day, they will leave home

and start a new life with another troop.

Even the low-ranking baby who had a tough start in life is thriving.

He’s bold enough to spend time away from his mother now,

and is finally starting to make friends.

All of these youngsters are doing well.

They still have a lot to learn,

but there’s no hurry.

Adulthood is four years away.

Until then, the young monkeys can enjoy

a life full of friendship

and fun.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

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