All language subtitles for Growing.Up.Animal.S01E03.WEBRip.x264-ION10

Meet Thandi,

a female African elephant.

The youngest of three sisters,

and the only one who's
never been pregnant,

until now.

In this incredible journey,

witness the miracle of
new life as it grows.

And see the unique

relationship develop

between mother and baby.

Thandi's calf, Aria, will
arrive in a time of drought.

The newest member of a long
line of strong females.

She'll embark on an epic trek

full of drama and friendship.

Baby Aria must quickly
adapt to life on the move

as she faces the challenges
of Growing Up Animal.

It's summer
in Namibia's heartlands.

Fresh rainfall breathes
life into the Savannah

creating an African paradise.

For 15-year-old Thandi,
the timing couldn't be better.

She's ravenous.

But no matter
how much she eats,

she can't seem to
satisfy her appetite.

It's a feeling Thandi's
mom knows all too well.

Fifty-year-old Khanyisa is
the matriarch of the herd.

Recognizable by the
thorn hole in her ear.

Today, she has a treat in store
for her youngest daughter.

Something to cheer her up.

- And it's just around the corner.

Morning Glory.

- Thandi's favorite.

She twists
them around her trunk

just like her mom taught her.

It's exactly what she
needs to tame her hunger.

Moms know best.

And Khanyisa knows her
daughter better than anyone.

Because even Thandi doesn't
realize what lies ahead yet.

For the first time,
Thandi is pregnant.

Inside her, grows a
precious new life.

And it's a girl...

Aria.

Three months ago, when she
was just three months old,

Aria was barely
bigger than a walnut.

But her two most defining
features were already forming.

Her ears,

and her trunk.

Now at six months, Aria is
the size of a grapefruit.

But becoming the
largest animal on land

takes a total of 22 months.

The longest gestation
of any mammal.

And that's thought to
be because of one thing

her brain.

Such a complex mind
takes time to develop.

Aria will be born with all
the brain power she needs.

And that's good news

because elephant
life is complicated.

And right now, something
has spooked Thandi's family.

They're picking up alarm calls
from another family of elephants.

Our herd can detect the
rumbles of another elephant

from up to six miles away.

Sounds too low in
frequency for us to hear.

They can even tell which
direction they're coming from.

This time, it's a warning
to all in the area.

Lions are on the hunt.

They take up a
defensive stance around the young.

At last

the threat has passed.

In a world where
eyes aren't always enough,

this family relies heavily
on hearing for safety.

After the scare, they
reassure each other

using what might be an
elephant's most important sense.

Touch.

Packed with the same nerve
cells as our fingertips,

a trunk's touch has a tenderness
that binds this family together.

When they
entwine, it's like a hug.

A gentle stroke like
a hand's caress.

Mother, sisters, aunts, they're
all here for each other.

For Thandi and for
her unborn baby.

She doesn't know it yet,

but Aria will have quite the
entourage to protect her.

Now, just over a quarter
way through her development,

she's reached an
important milestone.

Her trunk is fully developed.

It contains a staggering
40 thousand muscles,

over 50 times more than we
have in our entire body.

Her trunk not only allows her to
develop precious bonds with her family,

but it will be her
most versatile tool.

Finger-like
projections on the end

will enable her to pick up objects
as thin as a piece of spaghetti.

But it takes even more brain
power to control than our hands.

Aria will need months of
practice, even after she's born,

to fully get to grips with it.

For now, one thing Aria can do
is use her trunk like a thumb

to get in some much
needed suckling practice.

It's her very own pacifier.

Over the next 16 months,

Aria will continue to grow in the
constant security of Thandi's womb.

But outside, the
world around them is changing.

The idyllic savannah
our elephants call home

is about to show
its tougher side.

As the months pass

water holes dry up,

and the green
pastures disappear.

It's the worst
drought they've known,

and after more than a year,
there is no end in sight.

Twenty-two months into her
pregnancy, Thandi is full term.

She's suffering
from the elephant equivalent

of swollen ankles.

A build-up of fluid
around her lower belly.

At least her feet can take
her increasing weight.

- All three thousand pounds of it.

Inside her
heels are fatty pads

which expand upon impact
to cushion every step.

And it's just as well... as the
last pockets of food vanish,

the family roams far and
wide to find enough to eat.

- Life is tough...

But luckily,
elephants are perfectly adapted

to these huge changes.

Even in the womb,

Aria is getting ready to
face the challenges ahead.

Now, she is 30 times the
size of a human baby.

Just like her mom,

her feet have fatty pads
for life on the move.

And her legs are ready to stand
within minutes of being born

to stay safe from predators.

To cope with the extreme heat, she
even has her very own cooling system.

Wrinkled skin that will
trap water in its crevices.

And ears large enough to
function as the perfect fan.

It's taken almost two
years, but she's all set.

It's finally time for
Aria to meet the world.

Thandi has
never done this before.

But with her mom and
her sisters close by,

the strongest of support
networks, she's ready.

She needs a
secluded place to give birth.

Like an experienced midwife,

Khanyisa guides her
to her delivery room.

Just around dawn,

something miraculous
has happened.

At last, Aria has
joined the herd.

Already, a wall of legs shields
her from the dangers outside.

And in just minutes,
she's on her feet to meet mom.

Thandi and Aria have waited
a long time for this moment.

And it couldn't be sweeter.

With Aria
here, safe and sound,

- her grandma and aunts celebrate.

But the first
thing on Aria's mind is food.

Thandi uses her trunk
to show her where to suckle.

And with a little bit of help

she tastes her first
mouthful of milk.

Aria is the first girl
born in a generation.

And she'll stay with
her family for life.

This tiny elephant...

Could well be a
matriarch of the future.

For her
first few days...

Aria stays within a
trunk's length of Thandi.

Unable to really see her
daughter hidden far below...

Thandi keeps up an almost
constant rumbling call.

An elephant's lullaby.

The song is a source of
reassurance for Aria,

who can recognize Thandi's voice
from before she was even born.

And with the
occasional response,

she gives Thandi the chance to
learn what she sounds like too.

With her
mom close for comfort,

and her eyesight getting
better by the day,

it's time for Aria to get to
know the rest of the family.

Grandma Khanyisa is
a font of knowledge.

Right now, she's demonstrating
an important survival skill.

How to use her trunk to
strip bark from a tree,

a great source of calcium
in these lean times.

Aria is only using her
trunk to smell and touch.

But it doesn't always
do what she wants it to.

She could learn a
thing or two from Grandma.

And from her Aunts, too. She has
quite the team of babysitters.

Kind and doting, they'll
always have her back.

There's even another
baby. Her cousin Max.

- He's a few months older than Aria...

And full of spirit.

It seems her
aunts have their work

cut out just
keeping him in-line.

With Max for entertainment,

and the rest of the herd to learn
from, Aria is off to a great start.

But life is about to change.

If the rains had come,
there'd be plenty of food.

And Thandi could take it easy.

But Aria has been
born in a drought.

Food and water are running out.

Fifty years of experience has
taught Grandma Khanyisa what to do.

She sets her
ears to 45 degrees,

and listens.

One hundred and 50
miles to the north

rainstorms are building.

Where there is rain,
there will be food.

The herd must head north.

Khanyisa
gives the command...

And the rest
of the family follows.

At only two weeks old,

Aria is about to have her first
taste of life on the road.

After
five days traveling,

Aria is really finding her feet.

There
aren't many newborns

in the animal kingdom who
could take on this tough trek.

But with this strong
band of females behind her,

Aria is thriving.

Today, the herd is
entering unfamiliar territory.

And they're
on high alert.

They can smell trouble...

But they can't see it.

Lions.

A lion would rarely take
on a full-grown elephant.

But a calf is a
different matter.

The herd groups closely together,
keeping Aria and Max safe in the middle.

Aria's aunt spots
the hiding place...

And is
quick on the defense.

The lions retreat.

Together, they've
kept the babies safe.

And Aria and Max are blissfully
unaware of their close encounter.

But Thandi knows it
won't be their last.

Motherhood is a steep
learning curve for Thandi.

It's tough for all new moms,

but especially when
you're on the move.

Aria is always hungry.

She's
suckling every hour,

drinking more than two
gallons of milk a day.

At four months old, Max
needs almost double that.

There's going be a
lot of pit stops.

Wrapped up in her baby bubble,

it's all too easy for Thandi
to forget her own needs.

She's desperately thirsty.

It's time for Khanyisa
to look after her own daughter.

At last

a waterhole.

For the adults,
it's a sight for sore eyes.

And even Aria is falling
over herself to get to it.

Her
aunts can siphon up

more than two gallons at a time

to pour into their mouths.

They can drink
over 40 gallons a day.

This is one of the hardest skills
Aria will ever have to master.

It'll take her almost
a year to get the hang of it.

Until then

she'll just dive straight in.

For now, her family is happy,

but Khanyisa must always
think one step ahead.

Thandi
watches her mom closely.

Khanyisa's incredible hearing
isn't her only superpower.

With her foot outstretched and
her trunk pressed to the earth

she can feel seismic vibrations,

sounds so low and powerful,

they can travel for
miles through the ground.

Right now, she's sensing
distant thunder in the north.

If the herd can keep up the pace,
they'll soon reach richer lands.

It's time to move on.

By the time
she's four weeks old,

Aria is already a
seasoned traveler.

She's getting bolder,

and her trunk skills
are really improving.

For her, the journey
isn't an ordeal.

Each day is packed
with new discoveries.

Today's is dung.

What is this stuff?

Smells slightly sweet.

Feels kind of damp.

It turns up everywhere.

Fascinating.

Unlike us, sight is the
last sense Aria relies on.

To her, it's all about
taste, touch, and smell.

She has more smell receptor
genes than any other animal.

And right now, she's drawn
to one particular scent

the smell of little boy Max.

Time to find out
what he's all about.

And it's the moment he
has been waiting for.

A playmate at last.

But a friendship with
Max won't just be about fun.

Because he's a role
model close to her age,

he can also be her teacher.

Aria's first lesson, how
to use the tip of her trunk to grip.

Now he's just showing off.

But Max is not so cocky when
he turns his trunk to dusting.

A light layer will help
protect his skin from the sun

and from annoying insect bites. But
dusting is harder than it looks.

Now, it's Aria's turn.

But her trunk still won't do
quite what she wants it to.

Max is starting to
get the hang of it.

So, Aria tries again.

No.

She won't master this skill
for another few months.

Max just
wants to keep playing.

This is a rare sight to see.

Usually, boys hang out with other
boys and like to play rough.

But Max is
surprisingly gentle with Aria.

He may be bigger and stronger,

but he lets Aria
get the upper hand.

Thandi calls timeout.

Trust a
parent to spoil the fun.

But it's time to get going.

Every step brings them
closer to their destination.

Adult elephants can go
for four days without a drink.

An essential adaptation when
waterholes are few and far between.

But the younger
members of the herd tire easily.

Grandma Khanyisa pushes them on.

She's got a surprise.

There's a
reason for the phrase,

"An elephant never forgets."

She leads the
herd to a dusty clearing.

As the others
watch on, she starts to dig.

One by one, Thandi and her
sisters copy their mother.

Until

they reach

water.

The knowledge of
these underground springs

has been passed down
through generations.

And now this knowledge is
being handed on to Aria.

- It's a valuable lesson.

One day, these
springs could save her life.

With their thirst
finally quenched

the family, exhausted

settles down for the night.

As the day dawns,

they prepare for another
full day of walking.

But waking up for
Aria isn't so easy.

Same for Max.

They're exhausted.

This journey
is taking its toll.

With a lot of
ground still to cover,

the family only pauses to graze.

Like any toddler, when Mom is
busy, Aria is easily distracted.

But every rest break
is another opportunity

to get that trunk under control.

After all, 40 thousand muscles
is a lot to get to grips with.

And her hard work is
beginning to pay off.

While Max wants to
take another nap...

Aria makes a breakthrough.

This might look easy,

but to roll

kick, and take hold of a stick
is an incredibly complex task.

It's the equivalent to a
child learning to ride a bike.

This is a huge
achievement for Aria.

A skill that will
open the door to many more.

Three weeks on the road and
the herd has almost made it.

But they've picked up
some unwanted attention.

Max chooses the worst
possible time to explore.

Alone... he is an easy target.

First his mother...

Then his aunts,
realize he's missing.

Thandi
is quick to react

and shoos Aria off in
the opposite direction.

But she's made a
terrible mistake.

The lions after Max
are a splinter group.

The main pride is right here.

Alone, only Thandi
can protect Aria.

Thandi
may be outnumbered,

but she'll do anything
to save her baby.

And the lions know it.

Aria and Max are safe.

The family has escaped
the ordeal unscathed.

Reunited

it's time to continue north.

By midday, the heat is intense.

Aria and Max take a
siesta in the only shade around.

But Thandi doesn't seem herself.

The pressure to provide for
Aria is never far from her mind.

She moves away from the herd,

and just like her mother
Khanyisa taught her,

she listens through the ground.

It's what she'd hoped to hear.

Just a few miles away...

The calls of other
elephants coming together.

It's music to her ears.

Lush, green, feeding grounds
must now be within reach.

But one final hurdle
stands in their way

mountains.

Climbing is a daunting
prospect for Aria and Max.

But the family can't stop now.

This is
the final push.

It's tricky
terrain for Thandi

let alone her baby daughter.

But our elephant family
is made of tough stuff.

Just over the ridge

their Garden of Eden awaits.

After four weeks on the road

their epic journey
is finally at an end.

For the next three months

this green paradise

will be home.

Aria has never
seen so much food...

Or water.

It's a whole new wonderland.

And the family's not alone.

Old friends are arriving
from far and wide

to join the feast.

Aria may be
just six weeks old,

but she's packed a lot
into her short life.

Safe with her family
in this lush haven,

our brave elephant calf will
continue to grow and develop.

And while eventually, her best
friend Max will go his own way...

Aria will stay with her
family, and who knows,

one day, she may even
become a matriarch herself.

Guiding the next generation
of young elephants

through the trials and
triumphs of Growing Up Animal.