All language subtitles for Tales From Zambia Series 2 2of8 Better Together 1080p

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe wilds of Zambia
are a tough place to live.

Danger lurks everywhere.

In order to survive,
all animals need a strategy.

Some are solitary...

Hunting alone with only
themselves to look after.

Others have a different way
of doing things.

They come together
in groups of all sizes.

Helping each other
to defend territory...

Protect offspring...

Find food...

And to overcome predators.

This is the story
of Africa’s social animals

and why working together

can mean the difference
between life and death.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

This small buffalo calf,
just four months old,

follows his mother through
Zambia’s Luangwa Valley.

He’s part of a huge herd,
1000 strong,

made up of 50 families

all sticking together
for protection.

There’s safety in numbers

but keeping such an enormous
group together is hard work.

Getting separated
could be disastrous,

especially
for the young buffalo.

But the herd has a strategy
to maintain cohesion.

A few go up front
as trusted pathfinders,

leading the others
to fresh grass and water.

These aren’t necessarily
the most dominant
or oldest animals,

but it’s always
the same select few
that take on this role.

Where these buffalos go,

the others follow.

But the level of organization
goes further than that.

A calf is kept safe
in the centre,

along with his mother
and the other
breeding females.

More expendable,
bachelor males
and the sick or injured

are pushed to the periphery.

Like the pathfinders,

those on the edges
are always on the alert.

And they’ve spotted danger.

A lion is stalking the animals
at the tail end of the herd.

When one buffalo runs,

the herd mentality kicks in
and they all make a move.

This time, an adult male
who was bringing up the rear

has been taken down.

But the calf is safe.

The herd’s strategy
has worked well.

By saving the young ones,

the future of the group
has been safeguarded.

The calf can continue
its long journey

to find food and water,

covering over 10 miles a day.

Buffalo are constantly
on the move.

But while they need
to keep traveling,

their arch nemeses
can wait for their food
to come to them.

Lions are the most social
of all cats.

They live in prides made up
of related females,
their offspring,

and a coalition of males,
often brothers,

who join from elsewhere.

A pride’s main purpose
is to hold a territory.

Having a territory means
having enough food and water

to feed the whole pride,

even when times are hard.

This prides’ prime piece
of real estate

stretches over
20 square miles
along the Luangwa River.

(ROARS)

NARRATOR:
\hIt’s their safe space.

The brothers
make regular patrols

to make sure
it stays that way.

(GROWLING)

NARRATOR:
\hTheir powerful roars
\htravel over five miles

to reinforce their claim.

They wipe their feet in urine
packed with hormones,

which advertise
their health and vitality,

ensuring they leave
a potent-smelling track

wherever they walk.

A warning to others
to keep out.

Rival lions respect
these invisible boundaries.

Two prides’ territories
may overlap,

but the lions rarely come
into contact with each other.

So once they’ve made a kill,

there’s little danger
of having it snatched away.

The big, strong males do
most of the territory defense

and they get to eat first.

Only once
they’ve had their fill,

do the females and cubs
get to dig in.

Scent marking the bush,

the male leaves
one last reminder

that all this
belongs to his pride.

A well-defended territory
is crucial

if they’re to continue
to thrive.

It’s not just lions
that band together

to protect their territory
from rivals.

Hyenas also cooperate
to defend their home base,

living in clans much larger
than the average lion pride.

Twenty make up this unit,

but they can be 80 strong
and are a formidable force.

Hyenas unite to defend
their terrain and to hunt,

but their teamwork
stops there.

After a kill,
each hyena tries to eat

as much as it can
as quickly as possible

to beat the others.

It’s an openly competitive
society.

(HYENAS SCREAMING)

NARRATOR:
\hIn the world of hyenas,
\hit’s the females who rule.

They’re the biggest animals
in the clan

and more aggressive
than the males,

easily outmuscling them
in the fight for a meal.

And one in particular
always comes out on top.

The dominant female.

Her level
of male sex hormones,
especially testosterone,

is one of the highest
in the clan,

even higher
than most of the males.

She’s the leader
and every other hyena
knows its place.

They can be the family
from hell.

Life in the clan
is a race to supremacy,

and it begins at birth.

The more food
the alpha female eats,

the more milk she produces
to feed her babies.

Her cubs will have
a nutritional advantage
over all the others,

setting them up for life.

There’s no shared suckling
and little communal parenting.

Defending their territory
is one of the main reasons
to live in a clan,

but after that,
it’s every hyena for itself.

For wild dogs,
it’s a completely
different story.

Teamwork is everything.

Especially,
when it comes to caring
for the next generation.

This wild dog pack
has 12 members,

led by the alpha male
and female.

Usually, it’s only this pair
that breeds.

They have such large litters,
up to 10 pups at a time,

that there’s no way
the group could feed
two litters at once.

The other dogs
must wait to breed

until they’ve left
the family,

but in the meantime,
they help out with childcare.

This pack
has seven energetic pups

that have to be cared for
until they’re over a year old,

so the alpha pair needs
the help of the whole family
to look after them.

While the pack goes hunting,

the pups can’t be left
on their own.

So one of their older siblings
stays behind as a babysitter

to make sure
they don’t get into trouble.

For now, the youngsters
get their meals delivered.

But soon, they’ll be able
to follow the hunt.

And, unlike all other
larger African carnivores,

they’ll have priority
at the kill, not the adults.

They’re one big happy family.

Safeguarding this bloodline
is key to everyone’s survival.

The bigger the pack,
the more likely they are
to do well.

Any pack with fewer than
five adults struggles
to keep its pups alive,

jeopardizing
the group’s entire existence.

For any animal,

raising young in such
a ruthless environment
is demanding.

It’s far easier to do it
with extra help.

While it’s not uncommon
for mammals to collaborate
to bring up their offspring,

it’s far more unusual
in birds.

But there’s one species
in the avian world

that is known
for its complex society,

all built around
caring for its chicks.

On an exposed bank
of the Luangwa River,

these white-fronted bee-eaters
live in a colony of 200 birds.

Within the colony,
there are 20 different
family lines.

This pair has mated for life
and could have up to
five chicks in the nest.

It’s hard work
feeding all those hatchlings.

On their own, these parents
would be lucky if even one
manages to survive.

So to improve the odds,
they have a strategy.

They get help from
their nearest and dearest,

often their offspring
from previous years.

These relatives
become helpers,

bringing more food
for the hungry chicks

and doubling their chance
of making it to adulthood.

The bee-eater assistants
switch between
breeder and helper

many times over a lifetime,

depending on whether
they have their own brood
to raise or not.

But with all these clans
in one place,

things can get
a little heated.

And when a rival tries
to gain access to the nest,

the helpers launch
into action.

A competing female
may lay her egg in the nest.

With one more mouth to feed,

it would be less likely
the chicks of the nest owner
would survive.

No harm done this time,

just a few ruffled feathers.

Division of labour between
members of the extended family

helps keep
the vulnerable alive

and perpetuate their
shared genes into the future.

This unusual strategy
of clan living

ultimately benefits
each bird in the long run.

But one insect
has taken this approach
a giant step further.

Matabele ants
live in colonies
of up to 20 million.

They’re one of the world’s
largest ants,

over three quarters
of an inch long.

The queen lays
hundreds of eggs a day.

But no other female
in this colony

even has the chance
to reproduce.

They’re all born sterile.

This female workforce
focuses on specific tasks
within the colony.

Some are soldiers defending
the nest from outsiders.

Others have the job of
protecting the all-important
white larvae.

When they move to a new nest,

the worker ants carefully
carry the white packages
to the next location.

It’s vital they’re kept safe
for the future of the colony.

The workers individual ability
to reproduce

has been curtailed
for the greater good.

And for Matabele ants,
it’s a price worth paying.

With millions of ants to feed,

it doesn’t take long to
exhaust the local food supply.

So the whole colony
has to pull up stakes

and move to a new nest
every month.

There is a downside
to living in a group.

Finding sufficient food
isn’t easy.

Wild dogs are locked
in a vicious circle.

With so many mouths to feed,

they have to catch animals
of a certain size.

But since they’re not
the strongest or largest
animals in the Valley,

they must have a critical mass
of hunting dogs
to catch a prey that big.

Only by hunting together

can they bring down quarry
large enough to feed them all.

The whole pack treks
up to 30 miles

along the Luangwa Valley
each day in search of food.

And they’ve found
what they were looking for.

Antelope.

The alpha male takes
the lead to begin with
and the others follow.

But all the dogs know the role
they each need to play.

Working together,
they outmaneuver their prey.

Antelope run in circles
or zigzags to try and
throw off their pursuers.

But the dogs are onto them.

They cut across the bend

and shorten the gap
between them and their prey.

They work like a tag team,

the lead dog
changing all the time.

It’s an effective tactic.

Up to 80% of chases
ends with a kill.

Teaming up is the only way
wild dogs can succeed.

But for the largest
of Africa’s carnivores,

hunting solo
is a viable option.

A solitary lion can bring down
a buffalo up to twice
his own weight.

But he too is far more
effective when working with
the rest of the pride,

almost doubling
his success rate.

Night-time is the best time
to hunt.

The lions’ excellent
night vision gives them
an edge over the antelope.

And they have a plan.

Some go round the outside,
encircling their target.

While others lie low
in the centre,

in anticipation of prey
fleeing into their
waiting claws.

Lions can only maintain
their top speed
of 35 mph

for 100 yards.

So they have to get
as close as possible
before they make their move.

It doesn’t always work.

This time,
the antelope slips the trap.

The lions must regroup
and try again later.

Even working together,
only one in three
lion hunts is successful.

But with size in their favor,
they have another option.

They can easily overpower
other hunters in the bush.

This leopard stands
little chance against
a hungry pride of lions.

She can only watch

as the lions
get their meal at last.

Banding together to increase
your chances of getting food

is not just a strategy
for predators.

A guinea fowl flock travels
around the Luangwa Valley,

scratching at the soil
with their strong claws,

searching for seeds,
fruits, ticks

and other small
invertebrates.

For this little community,
life revolves around
the dominant male.

He’s their undoubted leader

and decides where they forage
and when to drink.

And when he finds
a new food source,

he doesn’t keep it
to himself.

(CHIRPING)

A food call.

He really wants
to attract a female,

showing her
he’s a good provider.

But it spurs all the other
birds into action too.

The mood may be spoiled

but at least
the rest of the flock
gets something to eat.

Guinea fowl can live
in groups of up to a hundred

and have alarm calls
for predators.

With so many lookouts,
they can forage
with scarce ground cover,

which would otherwise
leave them exposed
and vulnerable.

The more eyes and ears
there are,

the more likely
a hunter is detected.

This collective action
against attack

is perhaps the best reason
for living together.

And many social animals
employ this strategy.

For the largest population
of wildebeest
in southern Africa,

group security
is a lifesaver.

They congregate
on the Liuwa Plains
in western Zambia

every year during the rains,
attracted by
the abundant grasses.

But carnivores
are ready and waiting,

and the young and helpless
are always
their prime targets.

As a first line of defense,

most wildebeest calves
are born within
a two- or three-week timespan.

This is
an evolutionary strategy
to overwhelm predators.

There are so many, that some
will undoubtedly survive.

This calf stood up on his feet
less than six minutes
after birth.

Now, he’s a month old
with steadier legs

and it’s time
for wildebeest boot camp.

The older males chase him
to sharpen his evasion
and running skills.

It’s valuable training
and could ultimately
save his life.

But right now,
it’s not enough
to keep him safe.

He must avoid getting
separated from his mother,
who’s his main protector.

They recognize each other
by individual smell
and their unique call.

Despite these safeguards,
as the herd moves on,

the little one
has been left behind.

And now,
he’s incredibly vulnerable.

If it wasn’t over
100 degrees Fahrenheit,

the lions would make
quick work of him.

He runs to catch up
to the herd

and finds his mother.

He’s been lucky.

For the wildebeest,
it’s hard enough
to stay safe in the day,

but at night,
the trouble really starts.

They have poor night vision.

But their greatest foe,
hyenas,

can see extremely well
in the dark.

To level the playing field,

the herd has a well-organized
defensive plan.

It forms
a tight protective line,

making it difficult
for the hyenas

to pick out and surround
any one individual.

If a hyena is detected,

loud warning calls
alert the rest of the group.

(WILDEBEEST GRUNTING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAnd tonight,
it’s been a winning strategy.

Warning the rest of the group
that danger is near

is a major benefit
of living together.

And there’s one social group

that’s taken
this communication
to another level.

Vervet monkeys live in troops
of around 25.

Only a foot and a half tall
and weighing just 11 pounds,

they’re on the menu for
a whole host of carnivores.

And since they prefer
open ground
to more dense forest,

they’re easier to spot
and pick off.

In response,
they have an impressive
vocal repertoire.

(SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThis call means
danger on the ground,

better flee to the trees.

A shorter, more abrupt cry,
stands for aerial predator
on the prowl

beware of danger from above.

They even have a call
for snake.

Vervets can convey
over 20 different messages
with their calls,

signaling not just
"watch out"

but more specifically
what to watch out for.

Baboons,
their larger primate cousins,

have a less sophisticated
alarm system.

(SHRIEKING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hBut combined
with another deterrent,

they’re a formidable force.

They’re larger and up to
10 times heavier than Vervets,

so they can be
more aggressive when
confronted with trouble.

And a male leopard
is most definitely trouble.

(SCREECHING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe alpha male
notices him first
and raises the alarm.

He’s chief of the troop,
the biggest baboon
with the most lethal canines.

Still, a leopard is more than
a match for him alone.

But he has back up.
(ALL SCREECHING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe troop bands
together like an army,

and they’re a noisy,
powerful militia.

Even though the leopard
has a full belly,

the baboons are not happy
to have him this close.

The flicking tail means
the leopard isn’t too happy
either.

He starts to move away,

but he’s still too close
for their liking.

As they screech,
they move towards him,
physically shooing him off.

(SCREECHING CONTINUES)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe alpha male
is the most aggressive.

The leopard can’t stand
this barrage any longer.

And the baboon troop
escorts him off the premises.

The alpha baboon
is the undoubted leader,

marching his troop
into battle

against any animals
who threaten them.

But thousands of
red-billed quelea are also
able to evade predation

even though there’s no
frontrunner leading the way.

(ALL CHIRPING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThese murmurations
are a collective movement.

Each bird watches its
closest neighbors carefully.

When one bird spots danger

and changes direction,

its immediate neighbors
respond almost simultaneously,

the effect rippling
through the flock.

Better together,
the young crocodile
goes hungry.

All 100,000 quelea
are safe.

Quelea only have
tiny bird brains,

but together, it’s like
one big collective mind

working in perfect harmony.

Big brains mean animals
can work together
even more effectively.

It also means they can
retain useful information

to pass on to
the rest of their gang,

giving them the extra edge
they need to survive.

Head of the class
is the elephant.

They have the biggest brains
of all land mammals,

weighing in
at over 10 pounds.

Elephants live in herds
of related females,
led by the matriarch,

and are a close-knit group,
staying together for years.

The herd’s well-being
relies totally
on her leadership,

which is where
the big brain
comes in handy.

The part used
for working memory,
the temporal lobe,

is particularly
well developed.

So she can remember
watering holes

and the best places
to find food.

Shown by her own mother
decades ago,

she’s now passing
that knowledge on
to her own offspring.

Learning from your elders
is a major advantage
of living in a group,

knowing how and where to
find things to keep you alive.

But understanding how
to operate within the group

is just as essential
for future survival.

Lionesses have their young
within a few weeks
of one another,

so they can all be raised
together in a creche.

It’s easier to keep an eye
on playful cubs
if they’re all in one place,

and there’s a better chance
of protecting them

should rival males
come close.

But living cheek by jowl has
some surprising consequences.

Females don’t just suckle
their own cubs.

Nieces and nephews
can join in too.

(GROWLING)

NARRATOR:
\hDrinking side by side,

the cubs forge
long-lasting ties

that will help keep
the pride strong
in the future.

At about three years old,

brothers and male cousins
will leave together,
forming a coalition

and eventually taking over
another pride,

just like their fathers
before them.

Sisters and female cousins
will stay.

The relationships they build
will keep them united,

ready to face down anyone
who threatens their own cubs
in the years to come.

To survive in
the African wilderness,

it pays to be
part of a team

to have others
who can help out
when things get tough.

These animals have come up
with different strategies

to make group living
work to their advantage.

Working together,
they are stronger,

better able
to defend their territory,

their young,

and themselves

in the fight to stay alive
in Zambia’s wild places.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

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