Original subtitles

Imagine a place where the world's most endangered creatures

can roam free.

He's warming up his legs.

Whoa, there he goes.

A vast wilderness,

brimming with the intimate dramas of its inhabitants...

LION GROWLS

HE CHUCKLES ..as they take their first steps,

learn to get along and confront their rivals.

In the shadow of Mount Kenya,

Ol Pejeta is one of the few untamed places left on Earth.

On Ol Pejeta, the wild really, really is the wild.

It's home to 13,000 animals...

Let's get ready to rumble.

..watched over by a dedicated team of rangers...

Much like you take care of your kids, these are our kids.

..who every day, must decide

if they should intervene in a wild animal's life...

Oh, I want to see who will win on this.

..or let nature take its course...

..as these extraordinary creatures strive to survive in the wild.

He's up, there he goes.

Nice.

It's early morning...

..and Ol Pejeta's night owls are making way for the day shift.

With so many animals sharing the space the size of

the Isle of Wight, it's important to try and get on with your neighbours.

Or at least keep them at arm's length.

Many animals have well-defined territories.

But some live a more nomadic life.

Today, there are reports of a cheetah

and four cups near the border of Ol Pejeta.

Mercy and Nelson are investigating.

Oh, my God. Wow!

There she is.

And there's one young one that's right next to her. Yeah.

Can you see that little head popping up?

There's like one, two, three and four.

THEY CHUCKLE

Yeah?

There are fewer than 7,000 cheetahs left in the wild.

And up until now, only 15 in Ol Pejeta.

But it's also home to over 70 lions,

who they will try to kill Chebet and her cubs if they run into them.

At three months old, the cubs need to feed every 48 hours.

Today, Chebet must leave them on their own as she goes off to hunt.

Every single time she goes out hunting,

her cubs are left very vulnerable.

So they have to remain well hidden.

They can't play, they will not be, you know, out and about,

attracting attention until the mum comes back.

CHEBET BARKS

Cheetahs are the only big cat that can't roar.

But Chebet's distinctive call should bring the cubs running to her...

..as well as any inquisitive lions.

We have a kill. Really?

NELSON:

NELSON:

MERCY:

Yeah, exactly.

Chabet keeps watch.

It won't be long before their meal

starts to attract unwanted attention.

MERCY:

And Chabet has to keep looking for a better spot every single time

to lay low with her cubs.

It must be a hard job, but she's done really well. Yeah.

MERCY:

Yeah, yeah.

They are not out of the woods yet.

Living alongside so many other animals can be a daily struggle.

But every species here plays a part in the survival of Ol Pejeta itself.

So, for such a place to thrive,

we have the interactions of both living and un-living things,

which is the ecosystem.

Everything from the lowest unit of life...

..to the largest.

They all have a key role to play to make sure that

everybody in our system survives.

It's a whole system that's self-sustaining.

In Ol Pejeta, one of the most important roles

is played by one of its smallest inhabitants.

To me, it's one of the beautiful ants.

SHE CHUCKLES

The head is red and then the abdomen is black.

Yeah, they are beautiful.

If I were to describe the cocktail ants,

they would be the person where you're, like,

"Man, they work really hard, like,

"that person as always, you know, in the office first thing,

"and, you know, always was on time".

Around 3mm long, the cocktail ant doesn't let its size hold it back.

Cocktail ants are, like, beefy and they have a vicious sting.

They're almost, like, admirably aggressive.

The name cocktail ant simply comes from the way that the ants

cock their tails up in the air...

..almost like a catapult, and spray chemicals

to let the other ants know that it's time to defend the home.

And home for the cocktail ant is the whistling thorn acacia tree.

Pat and Nelly have a keen interest in the special

relationship between them.

It's pretty crazy when you cut one open

because of just how many ants are living in it.

Yeah. Right?

A cocktail ant's colony can have 15,000 ants in it.

I think some can be 20,000. Mm-hm.

The cocktail ants face a daily battle to defend their home...

..from some of Ol Pejeta's larger animals.

You might have 100 of them go up their trunk,

just full of really soft, sensitive tissue.

And they just start biting like crazy.

They are heroic, selfless defenders of these trees.

They're almost like an overprotective boyfriend.

By preventing overgrazing of the acacias by elephants and giraffes,

the ants play a crucial role in ensuring the trees' survival.

Which is good news for one Ol Pejeta resident,

whose diet depends on them...

..and who isn't bothered by the ant's bite...

..the endangered black rhino.

Rhinos have a really thick, leathery tongue.

I have seen cocktail ants running into a rhino's mouth

and all over their tongue.

And no response from the rhino.

They just keep munching away on these stinging ants and thorns.

But recently, in some parts of the Savannah,

this unique bond between aunt and tree has become under threat,

putting them all in danger of dying out.

All these trees, like, their leaves are smaller,

their new branches are smaller.

Yeah, not doing well.

Holy cow.

They are all over this.

A lot of them.

Infesting this tree is a new invasive species of ant.

Big headed ants are known as this species that loves

to eat other insects.

And they really like to eat other ants.

And in particular, the cocktail ants living in the acacias.

They kind of clear out the tree,

but they only hang out around the bottom

and they leave the tree unprotected.

In some areas, the big headed ants are driving out

the cocktail ants, leaving the trees defenceless.

And now, it seems the big headed ants are preparing

for a full-scale invasion.

If there are this many big headed and is in this part of Ol Pejeta,

it's definitely a warning sign for cocktail ants.

It's not a good thing.

If cocktail ants disappeared,

we would certainly have fewer acacia trees,

which would mean that you can't have as many rhinos here.

And you can't have as many large animals that eat them

and then that goes up even further because that affects lions

that hunt those animals and the other big carnivores.

So, if we lost cocktail ants here,

it would be a change at the foundation of the ecosystem.

And it would change everything that is stacked up on that foundation.

In Ol Pejeta, every animal has a different way of marking...

..or defending its territory.

The Jackson's hartebeest rely on strength in numbers.

This herd has two recent additions.

Calves Jack and Alice are three months old.

The little ones, they represent the future.

So, every single time the herd is blessed with some calves,

we are happy.

Like right now, I'm beaming.

There are less than 180 Jackson's hartebeest in Ol Pejeta.

Numbers have plummeted due to predators, disease,

and loss of habitat.

Ordinarily, female hartebeest give birth to just one calf a year.

So Jack and Alice are especially important to the herd...

..and the Rangers.

I can see them.

Fortunately, watching over Jack and Alice is their father

and the herd's dominant male - Rocky.

Rocky is really special because of the way he behaves.

He defends his territory.

He's like their show-off.

Standing strong, looking over the territory as if he owns it.

Today, the herd has found some prime grazing.

But it comes at a risk.

Yeah, the grass is a problem, in fact.

It provides a perfect cover.

So, when a cheetah comes and hides, you can't really spot it.

And I'm really worried about them.

One particular predator has been paying close attention

to Jack and Alice.

So, this cheetah has tried to attack a couple of times, actually,

and even though he's failed,

he's a danger.

And if Rocky doesn't step up to be the best father

that he can be, then it's going to be dangerous for them.

Cheetah.

The hartebeest are aware that there is a predator around.

Spooked by the cheetah, the herd scatters.

I'm worried about Alice.

I can only spot Jack.

She must be panicking right now.

Because she doesn't know where the rest of the herd is.

With the cheetah still lurking, Rocky steps in.

The cheetah finally backs off.

But there's still no sign of Rocky's daughter Alice.

I'm really worried because the chances of her surviving alone,

away from her herd, are close to zero.

I just hope that they find her soon.

Facing their own fight for survival are the cocktail ants.

Pat and Nelly have found the front line in their battle

with the big-headed ants for the acacia trees.

Look at the ants here. Yeah, wow.

There's this, like, train of big-headed soldiers

marching off to fight the cocktail ants.

So, so many.

As the advance guard attacks, the defenders issue their call to arms.

Cocking their tails in the air.

Cocktail ants are really disciplined when they're in danger,

racing over every thorn nearby.

You know, making sure, like, is this little part of the nest OK?

Is this part OK?

Yeah, there's a big fight brewing here.

The first cocktail ant engages a big-headed attacker head on.

Cocktail ants are really aggressive.

We know that when they fight other insects one-on-one,

they're really good at that.

I see one that is crunching a big-headed ant

in its jaws right now.

Its comrades are making light work of their smaller rivals.

And the attack looks to have been blunted.

Big-headed ants, they don't have the same bravery that cocktail ants do.

But they have numbers.

And then you really get to see how powerful a tiny any can be.

Soon, the cocktail ants are facing an enemy ten times their number.

Yeah, I wouldn't want to be in a fight like this.

They just have strength in numbers.

Like a zombie horde.

It's not a fair fight, is it?

It's not a fair fight.

Oh, man.

Now the attackers launch their secret weapon...

..and the reason they're called big-headed.

When the little workers find something

that they want to eat or attack,

they will eventually recruit these ants

who have heads that are four or five times larger.

They're kind of the heavy hitters.

Their jaws are actually specialised for breaking things.

And they come in and just chew through just about anything.

The last resistance of the cocktail ants is slowly crushed.

It's really sad to see a cocktail ant go down like this.

They can defend a tree from an elephant,

but when they're faced with an enemy like this, they just can't survive.

Cocktail ants are losing the battle on hundreds of neighbouring trees.

But big-headed ants are not the only invasive species

putting pressure on the world's last-remaining wildernesses.

The problem is, if you have lots and lots of humans

and human populations continue to grow,

then the space that is left for wildlife gets ever smaller.

And sooner of later, it gets so small that it's

unsustainable from a kind of ecological perspective.

It's not just the travesty of losing the wildlife.

I don't think humans can actually survive without all these

animals contributing to the ecosystem.

So, even the black rhino, it's like, well, who cares if they die?

Well, we do, because they contribute to our ecosystem,

and our job on Ol Pejeta is to try and show people

the importance of it.

As habitats shrink,

the pressure on wild animals living cheek by jowl within them increases.

Animals are very intelligent.

They know where they're safe.

And you can tell, you know, by animal behaviour, you can

tell these animals are constantly threatened, they are constantly

having to look over their shoulders, they're constantly living in fear.

Even those at the top of the food chain can't afford to relax.

After yesterday's gazelle kill, Chebet's moved on.

But she's heading deeper into the territory

of one of Ol Pejeta's biggest lion prides.

And her cubs are showing no interest in lying low.

So, cheetah cubs are really, really playful.

But every single one of the things they do while playing

is enhancing their survival later in the wild.

So, anything from trying to hunt...

..from trying to hold down prey...

..trying to get on top of trees to try and get a better outlook...

..they will need every single one of those skills for later in the wild.

For now, the cubs are still defenceless...

..and danger is never far away.

A lioness is heading straight for them.

Luckily, the lion was not really aware of Chebet and her cubs.

But she must have been mortified.

Obviously thinking, "That's not the only one.

"How many are there?"

Chebet can't stay here,

but travelling in lion territory could be even riskier.

Cheetah mums have to keep moving their cubs

from one place to the other as soon as they detect a threat.

And that's not necessarily the safest thing to do.

Because the moment they start moving, it means that,

you know, it's easy to detect them.

There's nowhere that's safe for Chebet and her cubs.

One...

two, three, four, five, six.

We've got eight adults and just one calf.

Since the hartebeest's brush with the cheetah a few days ago,

Rocky's daughter, Alice, hasn't been seen.

I have a hunch that the missing calf is not alive any more.

Unfortunately.

I think the calf died on us.

That was a big blow, not only to me but also Ol Pejeta.

We're trying to build up their numbers,

but if this goes the way it's going, then the hartebeest population

is at the risk of being, you know, endangered.

Hartebeests can live in large herds.

But Rocky's has just seven females.

Though he has plans to increase numbers.

Bella used to be in Rocky's herd.

The only problem is, she's managed to get trapped

inside Ol Pejeta's predator-proof enclosure.

Rocky and Bella were really close.

She was his favourite girl.

It's like he really misses her.

Constantly, you see him at the fence.

They've got this thing going on between them.

Watching each other with this intensity.

Like...

SIGHS

Given the fact that Rocky has lost a baby...

..we need to do something to see if we can get Bella

reunited with the rest of the herd.

She needs to be with her family.

Every piece of territory in Ol Pejeta

is precious and keenly contested.

The invading army of big-headed ants are advancing

into cocktail ant territory at a rate of 100 metres a year.

RUMBLES OF THUNDER

These ants are kind of forming a wall of death,

that's just extending into the Savannah.

Now is when we need to intervene.

If we delay the intervention,

that means in the near future, we will be losing a lot of things.

The rangers must act to save the cocktail ant,

the acacias they protect and the black rhinos

that rely on the trees.

Their only option left is a poison targeted at the big-headed ants.

While it may not seem very scientific to just throw

the baits out into the Savannah, what we know about big-headed ants

is that they are really good at foraging.

So if we have a nest that's ten metres from the car

and we throw bait, they tend to be able to find those baits

and bring them back to the nest.

So one thing we did take into consideration was that there

are birds out here and we're throwing split seeds around.

So we picked a toxin that will only affect insects...

..and we also picked a bait that would really only attract

big-headed ants.

So the birds won't be affected at all.

In the fragile ecosystem of Ol Pejeta,

human intervention like this is a last resort.

The only time that we like to intervene is where

there are endangered species or species of special concern

which are being impacted negatively for whatever reason.

So, you know, if it was a Grevy's zebra that had been attacked

by a lion but had survived the attack, we would probably try

to treat it because there are only 2,000 Grevy's zebra

left in the world.

But generally speaking we don't,

and we can't, because it's not our role to intervene.

Because that's not the way the natural world in Africa evolved.

Jackson's hartebeests are also at risk of becoming endangered

and the rangers are stepping in to help reunite Rocky with Bella.

It is important to move it because it's alone in this enclosure.

It's not participating in breeding.

So it's better to take it to...

the herd where it can breed.

But to move Bella, first they have to catch her.

This is a really big operation for just one female hartebeest.

Just praying that it works.

There she is.

We've done it, we need to go.

As you can see, she is really drowsy right now.

But Bella weighs in at over 100kg and even drowsy,

has a fearsome kick.

Even darted, she's proving to be difficult.

Yeah, she's down for the count.

I know it's a bit hard to expect her to know that what we are

doing is for her own good.

She doesn't deserve to be like an animal in a zoo, she deserves to be

outside so that she can contribute to increasing the population.

That was amazing. Finally, it has happened. We've done it.

Thank God.

The team have a few minutes before the tranquilliser wears off.

Just long enough to get Bella outside the enclosure.

But not all the way back to Rocky at the herd.

Mission accomplished.

Outside the safety of the enclosure,

until she finds Rocky and the herd, Bella is at her most vulnerable.

Bella is looking really scared right now.

Remember these are hunting grounds for lions and cheetahs.

So it's not going to be safe for her.

Since their near miss with the lioness,

Chebet and her four cubs haven't been seen.

But this morning, there's been a sighting of a cheetah

several miles from where they were last spotted.

Is that a cheetah or a lion?

It's a cheetah.

Chebet and her cubs have made it through lion territory.

But something's not right.

Nelson?

Yes.

I'm a bit worried.

Just confirm. Uh-huh.

How many do you think there are?

Um, I can only see three.

Oh, no.

Should we try and have a closer look?

Yes. Yep.

Just let me look around. Maybe there's one which is hanging around.

This mum is very nice and usually keeps all the cubs together.

I can only see three.

The likely scenario is that she got separated from her cubs

and that made it very easy for one to be killed

when she was away from the mum.

So now we only have three instead of four.

Not cool.

When I witness, like, a cheetah losing a cub,

to me it's the same experience like a human being losing a child.

CUBS SQUEAK

I feel that it does not make it fair.

I think so far, she's done some impressive job.

Yeah, she's a remarkable mother. There's no doubt about it.

Whether or not Chebet decides to stay in Ol Pejeta,

having one less mouth to feed

will help her remaining cubs' chances of making it to adulthood.

Every single day, they're increasing their chances of survival.

If she manages to keep them safe for the next five months,

by then, they will be able to outrun basically anything,

which is something we are crossing our fingers for.

I mean, that would be a huge success for all of us here in Ol Pejeta.

Outside the predator-proof enclosure,

Rocky is still waiting for Bella...

..unaware that the rangers have already released her

and she's now looking for him.

That's Bella.

Teddy has been keeping track of her.

I feel sorry for Bella.

The best case scenario is for her to bump into Rocky.

That would be a very, very good thing for her.

But lost and alone,

Bella's chances of ever finding Rocky seem slimmer than ever.

Suddenly...

..she sees familiar figures.

There's that excitement.

It's like you've been lost for years

and then your family, you're going to see your family.

"This is what I've been looking for.

"This is what I miss. This is what I want."

But it's not the welcome Bella was hoping for.

This isn't Rocky's herd.

Bella has, however, caught the eye of the herd's dominant male...

..to the displeasure of the other females.

They can see clearly that the male is so obsessed with Bella.

And that's what they don't want.

That's why she's getting all this rejection

and that aggression from the females.

SNORTING

It's pure jealousy.

It would happen even in a normal relationship

when you see your partner is being led astray by another lady.

Rejected, Bella is on her own again.

But it seems someone's got wind of the commotion.

And it was really amazing.

Rocky came in, you know,

like a knight in shining armour to save Bella.

And then it was just the two of them.

You could just feel the happiness.

I really thought they were going to, you know,

like hug or something, you know?

It's an amazing story.

Kind of like a love story, actually.

I hope that it stays like that,

that she's happy with Rocky the rest of her life.

It's been two weeks since rangers intervened

to help save the cocktail ants, their acacia tree homes,

and the endangered black rhinos that eat them.

Pat is finding out if they have helped turn the tide

against the invading big-headed ants.

So if we give it a little fick, we might seek cocktail ants,

if they've even recolonised and set up inside of these

little swollen thorns, so let's give it a shot.

This is great news.

It doesn't look like a huge cocktail ant colony,

but these ants are just chowing down.

They're super energetic

and there are enough workers to protect this tree.

But the real proof of success is

if the acacia trees are responding to the return of their guardians.

And we're seeing some trees that look like they're recovering.

This tree, included. It looks like it's been chewed on

by an elephant or a giraffe,

something that ripped off an entire branch,

but we also see signs that the tree is bouncing back.

There's a lot of new growth.

It's a sign that the tree is doing rather well.

Really, what I'm doing and what my co-workers are doing

is just giving the smallest nudge.

And the cocktail ants are feisty. They're good at spreading out

and re-colonising and protecting these trees.

The trees are bouncing back. The cocktail ants are bouncing back.

This battle is just beginning.

But there's hope yet for the acacias and the black rhinos

if the cocktail ants can survive.

It's easy to forget how big of a role

some little good guy like this can have.

Once they are gone,

then it really becomes apparent how important they are.

LION ROARS

Subtitles by Red Bee Media