Original subtitles

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIn the heart of Zambia’s Luangwa Valley...

(RUMBLES)

...lives a special elephant family.

Among them, a young female called Chilema.

She only has half a trunk.

She lost the tip to a poacher’s snare.

Her challenge now is to learn to live

without an elephant’s most important appendage.

Her brother, Mavuto, faces a very different set of problems.

(BOTH RUMBLING)

He’s leaving home,

and needs to learn what it means to be a male elephant.

It won’t be easy. \h\h\h(BOTH RUMBLING)

Two siblings,

struggling to overcome some of the toughest challenges of their lives,

at the toughest time of year.

This is their story.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThis is one of the many elephant herds found here in Luangwa,

in eastern Zambia.

Made up of nine females and four young males,

it’s a close family unit.

All the adult females work together to care for the calves.

This system, known as "allomothering",

means aunts, cousins and siblings form a tight-knit community

with strong bonds that last a lifetime.

The herd leader, the matriarch,

is the oldest and the most experienced female in the group.

Of the youngsters,

the two eldest are an eight-year-old female, Chilema,

meaning "stump" in the local language,

and her 16-year-old brother, Mavuto,

which means "trouble".

Chilema is no ordinary elephant.

Last year, she lost part of her trunk in a poacher’s snare.

It was intended to catch antelope for bushmeat.

But the snares’ indiscriminate nature

means other animals often fall foul of them,

with devastating results.

And Chilema now faces an uphill struggle to survive.

Her older brother, Mavuto,

is at the height of elephant puberty.

(RUMBLES)

His hormones have started to surge.

(TRUMPETING)

He’s beginning to have urges.

But making advances to your aunt

is poor elephant etiquette.

He won’t be sexually mature ’till he’s 30 years old.

He still has a lot to learn.

The family are getting tired of his awkward fumblings.

(TRUMPETS)

So, he instinctively spends more time hanging out

with his male cousins on the edge of the herd.

He’s beginning to loosen the ties to his mother and aunts,

and think about striking out to join a bachelor herd.

As a female,

Chilema will stay with her family all her life.

But her injury could mean this young elephant’s life is cut short.

This is the first dry season she’s had to survive

with half a trunk,

and it’s going to be a challenge.

Chilema spent the first seven years of her life

learning how to use her full-length trunk as a nose,

arm,

hand,

\h\hvoice... (TRUMPETS)

...and even a hose.

Now, she must re-learn all these skills.

Typically, an elephant’s trunk will average six feet.

Chilema’s is now less than half that.

The trunk is one of the most useful animal appendages on the planet.

Nothing matches it for dexterity,

maneuverability, and strength.

The tip is more sensitive than a human finger,

and is used to read information in the environment

the way a blind person reads braille.

(EXHALES)

Chilema’s younger sister has no problem gathering leaves.

But without a full trunk and fingers,

feeding yourself is a struggle.

It’s a painstakingly slow process...

And Chilema’s effort reaps little reward.

Elephants this age need to eat 120 pounds of food a day.

Chilema has managed so far,

as there’s been plenty of juicy vegetation about.

But as food gets scarce through the dry season,

she risks becoming weak.

If she can’t keep up with the herd,

she won’t last long.

But she’s a resilient character,

and isn’t going to give up without a fight.

It’s September

and water holes everywhere are drying up.

The herd visits the river every day.

Today, Mavuto hangs back.

At twice Chilema’s age,

he’s enjoyed the protection of the matriarchal herd for 16 years.

But there are things he needs to learn

that his mother and aunts can’t teach him.

It’s time to make a choice...

Time to leave his family.

It’s a big step,

but not one he’s making alone.

(SQUAWKS)

Another young bull, his cousin,

\h\h\his also striking out \h\h\hinto the big wide world. (RUMBLES)

They can take it on together.

But they are both still young and inexperienced.

What they need is a mentor.

And they might just have found what they’re looking for.

(RUMBLES)

(RUMBLING)

A bull, nine years older than they are

and oozing confidence.

His swagger is convincing.

Like a big brother

and a surrogate dad

rolled into one,

this could be their new leader.

A guide, to help them unravel the mysteries

of life as a male elephant.

(ALL RUMBLING)

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

As the season progresses,

Chilema and her family head south in search of food.

They cover less ground than the males,

as the young ones hold them back.

With the calves in tow,

they have to be extra vigilant.

Baby elephants are an easy target

for many predators,

particularly lions.

That’s not the only danger.

In the dry season,

temperatures soar

and it’s crucial the elephants stay hydrated.

Chilema is finding things hard.

Her cut-off trunk, with no proper tip, is constantly dripping.

This endlessly runny nose

means she loses far more moisture than the others.

She’s becoming exhausted from dehydration, and falls behind.

The rest of the herd pushes on to the river.

(RUMBLES)

Chilema’s been left all alone.

(SNIFFING)

Down at the river, two of the females sense something isn’t right.

(RUMBLES)

They have some unwelcome companions.

(GROWLS)

The Nsefu pride.

They’ve had run-ins with these lions before. \h(RUMBLES)

They’re old enemies.

(TRUMPETING)

The older elephants keep the baby safe,

protecting him in the centre of the herd.

(TRUMPETS)

Lions might take calves,

but a full-grown elephant could easily trample a lion.

(TRUMPETING)

They make it clear they’re not to be messed with.

(GROWLS)

(TRUMPETS)

(ROARS) \h\h\h(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

The threat has been averted for now,

but, in the confusion, they seem to have forgotten Chilema.

Mavuto and his cousin are getting on well

in the bachelor herd they’ve formed with an older bull.

For many years, scientists believed that male elephants,

unlike females, were antisocial and led solitary lives.

But this isn’t the case.

Social bonds do exist between males.

The young bulls are finding that their new mentor is more than just a leader.

He’s also got plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

Such as using brute force to shake delicious pods from an Acacia tree.

(TRUMPETS)

Strength comes in handy for feeding.

But in male elephants, it’s also vital for breeding.

Size and power

are the key attributes required

to win fights with rival males.

Such concerns are still a few years away for the two teenage cousins.

The big bull throws his weight around...

(TRUMPETS)

...reminding them of their position in the group.

By virtue of his size,

he automatically outranks them.

But the cousins will have to work out

their social status by sparring.

They size each other up.

A fraction shorter, Mavuto is at a slight disadvantage.

(TRUMPETS)

(RUMBLES)

They lock trunks, testing each other’s strength.

Head to head, they compare tusks.

Again, Mavuto falls short.

(RUMBLING)

(RUMBLES)

He’s gradually learning he has a long way to go

before he can consider himself a fully-fledged breeding bull.

Chilema has made it to the river’s edge.

And she’s reunited with her family.

Even though she lagged behind,

she kept in touch with the others by rumbling.

Elephants make these noises in the larynx rather than the trunk,

so Chilema can still communicate.

(RUMBLES)

They can hear these low-frequency sounds several miles away,

often detecting them through sensitive nerve-endings in their feet.

Chilema was never forgotten.

Her family will never leave her far behind.

At this time of year, the height of the dry season,

when elephants aren’t getting much moisture from food,

regular drinking stops are vital.

A full-sized trunk can hold more than one gallon of water,

and each elephant can easily drink

up to fifty gallons

in just one day.

Once again, Chilema’s half trunk is a serious disadvantage.

But necessity is the mother of invention.

The perfect alternative technique.

Chilema has proved that as long as there’s water deep enough to reach,

she’s able to drink just as much as the rest of her family.

A crucial achievement if she’s to survive the dry season.

But there is no time to indulge her newfound skill.

The family keeps moving,

always with an eye on their next meal.

Or, a nose.

Elephants have 2,000 genes dedicated to smell alone,

twice as many as many as a bloodhound.

They’re experts at sniffing out something to eat.

Some fresh grass will do nicely.

With their versatile trunks,

the rest of the herd can get down to grazing straightaway.

But Chilema has to problem-solve before she can dig in.

She needs to work out the best place to feed.

Picking a slope

means she can get closer to the ground and reach more of the tasty grass.

Unlike the rest of her family,

she can’t reach the leaves high up in the trees.

The herd quickly moves on.

If they stay too long in one place,

they will exhaust their food supply.

But Chilema isn’t able to eat on the move like the other members of her family.

She needs to stop,

take her time, and maximize her food intake.

The herd, too, is adapting to Chilema’s disability,

pausing patiently to give her a chance to feed.

These dry twigs might look hard to chew

but elephants have extra salivary glands

and produce lots of mucus.

Perfect for lubricating tough vegetation.

It’s not much of a meal, but it’s worth having.

The matriarch seems to understand Chilema’s needs

and leads the herd to the perfect spot.

These long grasses are at the ideal height for her to reach.

She’s not as fast an eater as her sisters

but she’s started to develop her own technique.

By gripping food between her tusks and her trunk,

she can pull a delicious treat straight into her mouth.

The whole family is well-fed.

(TRUMPETS)

Mavuto and the bachelor herd

have already walked 30 miles today.

The herd is growing.

More young males have joined the gang.

Without small calves to hold them back,

they can roam much further than the females,

sometimes traveling up to 50 miles in a single day.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

They also have some followers...

Wattled starlings.

As the elephants move through the muddy landscape,

they churn up the ground,

creating easier access to delicious insects.

(CHIRPING)

Mavuto is gradually gaining confidence in his new herd.

(GIBBERING)

He’s not the smallest member any more.

But there is no time for sparring right now.

The bigger these males grow,

the bigger their appetites get, too,

and it takes a lot to satisfy them during this lean season.

Elephants only actually digest 40% of what they consume.

The rest comes out as dung.

Lots of dung.

In fact, each elephant produces

up to five dung boluses every 90 minutes.

But one animal’s waste is another’s welcome treat.

A bush squirrel searches the dung for undigested seeds.

A dung beetle rolls it into balls to store as a tasty snack for later.

Baboons and vervets rummage for insects.

Even this hippo wants a piece of the pie.

Then it’s the insects’ turn.

Nothing goes to waste.

Night time brings relief from the intense heat

to all the animals in the valley,

and an opportunity to get some rest.

Elephants need to spend up to 20 hours a day eating

so they take very few breaks.

They only sleep in 20-minute stints.

After their long hike,

Mavuto and his cousin take a well-deserved nap.

Above the sleeping elephants,

nocturnal bush babies are out foraging.

They lick cracks made by insects in the bark

to get at sweet gum.

Bush babies rarely risk coming to the ground.

But if they sense the coast is clear,

they’ll make a dash for some insect treats...

Before returning to the safety of the trees.

Their movements won’t wake the sleeping giants.

Down at the river, Mavuto’s sister Chilema’s herd is still on the move.

They’ve stumbled into the Nsefu pride again.

The pride has just made a kill

so the lions are unlikely to attack.

But their growls are unnerving...

(GROWLING)

And the elephants aren’t taking any chances.

(ELEPHANTS RUMBLING)

They close ranks to protect the young calf.

Tossing dust is a clear sign of agitation.

Moving the family away,

the elephants leave the lions to their feast.

(RUMBLING)

Come dawn, they’re still on the move.

But as they leave the river,

they encounter something that stops them in their tracks.

It’s an elephant skull.

Each elephant in turn touches and examines the skull.

Some of the older members of the herd linger for longer.

Glands on the sides of their heads stream with chemical secretions,

a sign of heightened emotion.

They certainly recognize a fellow elephant.

It’s possible they even recognize this individual.

They seem to pay their respects.

Perhaps they’re even mourning the dead.

Mavuto and his bachelor clan have made it to a watering hole,

one of the few that hasn’t dried up in the crippling dry season.

It’s a place the oldest dominant bull knows well.

He’s been coming to this elephant spa for years,

and he’s now letting his new apprentices in

on the location of this secret spot.

Elephants use mud as a cooling balm.

(TRUMPETS)

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h(TRUMPETS) They can’t sweat to cool off in the heat.

(TRUMPETS)

Mavuto’s been enjoying mud baths since he was a baby,

but he’s still picking up some new tricks from his mentor.

Using his feet,

he forms a small pool into which he drags mud.

He uses his trunk to mix up the muddy lotion

to just the right consistency.

Perfect for spraying.

The best mud holes are in high demand.

Mavuto’s got a good spot

and he’s not about to concede it to another male.

He asserts his dominance with a well-placed shove.

(RUMBLES)

The spa experience doesn’t stop there.

Mud dries quickly in the hot African sun.

It’s time for some exfoliation.

Rubbing off the drying mud helps get rid of parasites,

even from those hard-to-reach places.

It’s another new skill Mavuto will carry with him for the rest of his life.

It’s October, six months into the dry season,

when conditions here are at their hardest.

Chilema is doing surprisingly well.

But she still can’t feed as fast as the rest of her family

and is eating less than she needs.

Once again, her sisters and aunts

use their long trunks with prehensile fingers

to pick up lots of leaves quickly.

Chilema’s at a huge disadvantage

and finds herself isolated again.

But she is adapting

and getting used to her unique trunk.

Determined not to be beaten,

she’s been working on her own style.

She uses her feet to form piles of leaves...

Greatly increasing her pick-up rate.

A big mouthful is better than her sister’s one-by-one approach.

And it’s made her a new friend.

A glossy starling.

Her shuffle-and-shovel method

stirs up more insects than the other elephants,

so the starling also reaps benefits.

Chilema’s unorthodox technique

may not be elegant, but it does the trick.

With her trunk, tusks and feet all working together,

she can eat just as much as the rest of her family.

Against the odds, Chilema is surviving.

Her brother, Mavuto, is also doing well,

gaining more confidence every day.

Another young elephant has joined the herd.

It should be the perfect opportunity

for Mavuto to assert his dominance.

But the stranger goes right on the offensive.

(RUMBLES)

(TRUMPETS)

It’s a battle of strength.

Mavuto has been practicing \h\hhis sparring skills... \h\h\h\h\h\h\h(RUMBLING)

And he has an advantage.

His opponent already has a broken tusk.

(RUMBLING)

But this new guy is good.

(RUMBLING)

Mavuto is on the back foot.

And soon, Broken Tusk has put him squarely in his place.

(RUMBLES)

But this is just the beginning of Mavuto’s journey,

and he’ll have plenty more chances to work his way up through the ranks.

Their leader knows this challenge well.

He may be the most powerful bull in the bachelor herd

but it took him time to get there.

(TRUMPETS)

And right now, he has come into musth.

This is the time a male elephant has a surge in reproductive hormones

and starts advertising his sexual availability

to any female who may cross his urine-laid path.

(RUMBLES)

His temporal glands secrete a thick, pungent fluid

that drips down the side of his cheeks.

(TRUMPETS)

His testosterone levels are ten times higher than normal.

He’s not in a good mood.

(RUMBLES)

The rest of the bachelors give him a wide berth.

(TRUMPETS)

But a pack of sleepy wild dogs

is in the wrong place...

(TRUMPETS)

...at the wrong time.

(TRUMPETS)

(TRUMPETING)

Male elephants in musth have been known to kill other bull elephants.

(RUMBLES)

But these dogs are far too nimble

to take the threat very seriously.

(TRUMPETS)

(TRUMPETS)

Which only seems to add to the elephant’s frustration.

(RUMBLES)

Time to find a quieter place to snooze.

The wild dogs aren’t the only predators

feeling the brunt of an elephant’s temper.

Chilema and her family have bumped into the Nsefu pride again.

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

(ELEPHANTS RUMBLING)

It’s not third-time lucky for the herd.

(TRUMPETS)

(RUMBLES)

They get more and more agitated,

and it becomes a dangerous place for the lions.

(TRUMPETS)

(TRUMPETS)

But they have no intention of moving on.

(RUMBLING)

The elephants don’t realize that down at the river,

the pride is feasting on a buffalo kill.

(RUMBLING)

The elephants become more distressed.

(TRUMPETING)

(TRUMPETS)

Finally, the matriarch has had enough.

(RUMBLING)

(TRUMPETS)

Why she would approach a carcass in this way is hard to explain,

but the message is clear.

(RUMBLES)

She leaves the lions to their kill...

But there’s no question who’s boss around here.

For Mavuto,

this dry season has been all about his transition to bachelorhood.

He’ll spend the next few years in his new gang,

maturing into a well-rounded adult bull.

(RUMBLES)

Eventually, he’ll be ready to mate and father offspring.

Right now, he’s just testing the waters.

These females won’t choose such a young and inexperienced male.

But he has time on his side.

When he’s fully matured,

there will be plenty of females for him to choose from.

(RUMBLES)

Chilema, the little half-trunk,

has made it through the toughest time of year.

Clouds are building and rain will soon bring

fresh green growth to the valley.

For now, it’s the final water stop of the day.

It’s mud-bath time.

Chilema has learnt many ways of coping with her small trunk

but indulging in the elephant spa without a hosepipe

could be a challenge too far.

As always,

the plucky little elephant finds her own way of handling it.

She’s a natural.

Chilema’s is a success story.

Intelligence, determination

and the support of her family

have helped her triumph in the face of adversity. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h(SNORTS)

The two siblings have each surmounted

the first big hurdle in their lives.

Mavuto’s matured from adolescent, to adult.

And Chilema, the tenacious little half-trunk, never gave up.

She’s overcome injury to make it through the drought,

and prove she can hold her own.

It’s a testament to her spirited personality.

Her future looks bright.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

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