All language subtitles for Tales From Zambia Series 2 7of8 Chilema and her Brother 1080p

\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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