All language subtitles for Ch4 Secret Safari Into the Wild 5of6 1080i_ENG_Subtitles01

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