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DAVID ATl'EN BOROUGH: Here, in the heart of Africa,

lives one 0f this great continent's most extraordinary yet misunderstood animals.

Animals that only thrive through remarkable team work,

and through the strength and skill 0f their leaders.

Painted wolves, once known as Cape Hunting Dogs,

are one of Africa's most threatened predators.

Their packs require huge areas of territory in which to hunt.

But today, because of human pressure, their world is shrinking fast.

And whereas once neighbours could live together in relative peace,

today there is intense rivalry between them.

For more than two years,

our team here in Mana Pools in Zimbabwe,

have been following the fortunes of one of the last great families.

We join them at a moment when competition between mother

and one of her daughters is boiling up,

threatening to not only shatter a long-established peace,

but to tear apart the whole family.

This is Tait, the family's ruling queen.

She 3 a mother and a grandmother.

For year; she has used her position

to keep the peace within her sprawling family.

But Tait is now old.

Her powers are waning.

Tait still controls the very best hunting territory,

the rich lands on the banks 0f the Zambezi.

But she 's surrounded.

T0 the east lie the dangerous lion pridelands.

T 0 the south, forests full of hyena.

And to the wesz', a pack led by one of Tait's daughters, Blacktip.

For many yearg Blac/(t/p has lived in peaceful coexistence with her mother,

each with enough territory to survive.

But Blacktip 's pack has grown huge. It's now 30 strong.

For the first time, she needs more territory

if shat to feed her growing family.

Normally, a daughter would not invade her mother's territory.

However, with h yenas ruling t0 the south,

and humans having taken the hunting lands to the west;

Blackfip has no choice

but to turn her sights east,

towards her mother's lands.

Where, after a morning's hunz', Tait and her pack are resting.

Blackf/Qoic pack outnumbers her mother's by more than two to one.

_

An ambush!

Against these odd;

Tail' is powerless.

Retreat is the only opt/on.

This has now become Blac/(t/p 's territory.

A brief but bloody battle.

Tail' and her pack are now homeless.

She retreats eastwards.

But this is dangerous country.

This river marks the boundary between her own territory

and the lion pridelands.

In her long life, Tait has explored every part 0f Mana.

She knows that this is too perilous a place to make a home.

Lions will search ouz' and kill pupp/eg and even adults, if they get the chance.

For now, itk the only place to hide.

But Tait must keep her family safe,

well away from the 26 lions that rule here.

Three months have passed since Blackt/p 's takeover.

And all these lands are now firmly under her control.

Blac/(t/p 's pack have spent a great deal 0f time scent marking,

establishing their new territorial boundaries.

And Blackfip and her family have fed well

0n what was her mother's lands.

But now, it's the dry season, and the landscape is changing.

The ground is dangerous for hunters who rely on speed.

Deep footprints left by elephants in soft mud have baked as hard as roe/c

And a painted wolf putting a faaz' wrong could seriously damage itself

The impalas' ability to leap over the worst of the pot holes

now gives them an edge.

In these conditions, Blac/(t/jczis pack will find it hard to feed themselves.

But the size and strength of the pack might enable her to catch

a totally new kind 0f prey.

A large male baboon is strong,

almost twice the weight 0f a painted W012'.

And armed with huge canine feet/r.

The great size of Blac/(tip 3 pack

means the large males can 't defend their troupe against them all.

The meal has been hard-won.

But discovering this new possibility has come at just the right time.

Blackt/ja won more than just hunting lands

in her battle to claim Taifs territory.

She secured the safesz' place to raise puppies in all 0f Mana Pools.

And sure enough, Blacktip has a new litter of five hungry pups.

Their father is babysitting them today.

Everyone is impatient for the return 0f the hunting party.

While they wait, the pups discover

that there's more to the world than just their pack.

Strange giants.

There 's no rest for Blackt/p.

She n02' only leads the hunting trip;

but, as the alpha female, she's the only who breeds

and pro vides milk for the pups.

It's not just milk.

They're already eagerly eating meat.

It has been four months since Tait and her pack were forced into exile

here in the lion pride-lands.

Compared to her home territory, there is not only more danger;

but there 3 much less prey.

Yet, remarkably, even here,

Tait has managed to keep every member of her pack alive.

But she is nowhere t0 be seen.

The rest 0f her family are waiting close t0 an abandoned aardvark burrow.

And this is why.

Tail' has spent the last three weeks hidden underground.

She has managed, against the oddg to produce her eighth litter.

Two tiny puppies emerge for the very first time.

Honey badgers.

They are notoriously aggressive, and a danger to the pups.

Taiz"s youngest daughter, Tammy, has never seen one before.

But her instinct tells her to drive them away.

_

And this gives Tait the chance t0 get her pups to safety underground.

This year, bath Tail' and Blackf/p

have produced far fewer puppies than e ver before.

Perhaps this is the first sign that the conflict between the two packs

is threatening the future 0f the entire family.

Twice a day, Tait has to lead her hunting party 0n a risky journey

to the banks 0f the Zambezi river, where the prey gather.

But it is also the very heart 0f lion territory.

She must sneak them into position undetected.

Then, it's in and out as fast as possible.

The pack need to Work fasz'.

All that effort' for a few mouthfuls of food.

The puppies will g0 hungry today.

And the pack has been dealt another blow.

Again it's Tammy, Tate's youngest daughter, who spots the problem.

Tammy's sister has fallen.

She has broken a leg stumbling into an elephantis footprint'.

For mosz' animal; this would be the end.

But the family won '2' just lea ve her to fend for herself

Painted wolveg perhaps more than any other animal,

care for pack members who are old 0r injured.

Taifk family will protect and feed her

while she herself cannot join in the hunt.

The dry season turns to drought.

The great buffalo herds are 0n the move.

F000' and water are becoming increasingly scarce.

A ll 0f Mana 's inhabitants are now drawn towards the Zambezi

and the few pools that remain along its banks.

The drought also means that it's time for Blackt/p and her pups

to leave their den behind.

For the pups this is their first adventure.

Now the pups are 0/0' enough t0 follow the adults,

Biackt/p can resume marking the new boundaries of her territory

to consolidate her takeover.

On the far eastern borders Blacktiz; picks up a familiar scent.

It's 0101 but unmistakable.

Her mother.

This disco very has an extraordinary effect on Blacktip.

She can tell from this smell which direction Tait took.

Blackt/p stops territorial marking and instead sets off in pursuit

0f her mother.

It seems that Blackt/p is going to try and drive Tait out 0f Mana

once and for all.

But she 's taking a huge risk by going into territory she doesn 't know.

Hyenas.

On moonless night; the pack would normally rest up

somewhere safe until dawn.

But instead Blacktip leads them, marching 0n into the gloom.

N0 one wants t0 be the straggler in the dark.

The family bunch together much more closely at night.

And now, 75 h yenas are tracking them.

A ttack may be the besz' farm of defence.

Blackt/p thinks she 's got the upper hand,

but she s let her pups get separated.

The puppy is lost.

Heads down, tails down, they seem to mourn.

For hours, they march in silence.

A solemn process/on.

Despite her loss Blackt/p drives her pack 0n,

far beyond the boundary of Tait's old territory.

Tracking her mother into a place she 3 never been before,

deep into the heart of the lion pridelands.

Taiz', remarkably, has now managed to keep her pack safe from the lions

for eight months.

Her injured daughter is 0n the mend.

The family have been protecting her while she recovers.

They only survive here by being on constant alert for signs 0f danger.

And today if is the wind that carries a warning.

Blackt/p is coming.

Fore warned Tait isn '1' going t0 risk an attack.

The pack turns tail and runs.

The temperature has reached 50 degrees.

Still, Blackfip pushes her pack 0n in pursuit.

They're closing in, less than a mile behind Tait.

But, finally, the heat is jusz' too much.

Blackt/p is forced t0 call a halt.

But danger is approaching.

The pack has scattered!

And now the lions will try to pick off the puppies.

There 3 only one adult with the pups.

That won't be enough to save them.

But this might.

Buffaloes and lions are always in conflict.

T 0 charge in alone is very unusual.

But it? certainly saved the pups.

Blackf/p and her pack have been halted in their tracks.

Blackt/pk pursuit 0f Tait

has exposed her family t0 too many dangers,

too many risks.

The pack are desperate t0 help,

but there is nothing they can do.

The pursuit 0f Tait is aver.

Blackt/p 3 pack run.

They run, and run.

Mile after mile.

Puppies in tow.

All through the day, all through the night.

All the wa y home.

The territory they stole, abandoned.

The conflict is over.

It cost too much.

Tait and her pack can already sense Blackt/p 's retreat.

For the firsz' time since the beginning 0f the conflict;

they appear relaxed.

Soon, their keen sense of smell

will tell them their stolen territory is no longer occupied.

It won '2' be long until it's time for Tait's pack to also go home.

But Tait will not be joining them.

For se ven-and-a -/1alf year;

she 3 been their leader, their matriarch.

And now, as their exile finally draws t0 a close,

she has ensured her pack still have a future,

a real chance t0 reclaim their old territory.

Before her pack could, at last; head home,

age finally caught up with Tait.

T00 010i too slow,

she was no longer able to evade the lions.

Her alpha male refused to abandon her.

Together, they died in the pride-lands.

Taitk pack are left leaderless.

But the story doesn't end with Taiz"s passing.

Life-giving rains follow the drought.

Hard times are quickly forgotten in times of plenty.

And the story takes another twist.

On their way home, Ta/t's pack attract a band 0f roving males.

And with these reinforcementg

they not only reclaim some 0f Tait's old territory,

but also perform a ritual never witnessed before.

M/ith these haunting calls they are choosing their new leader.

And the chance to continue Taitt bloodline.

Six months later,

hidden away in a secluded pan' of the forest,

a litter 0f se ven tiny puppies.

They're born to Tammy, Tait's youngest daughter,

and now heir to Taiz"s throne.

M/ith these new arrival; and the new male;

Ta/tis 0/0' pack has bounced back to 23 members.

Tammy now leads a pack that is once again a force t0 be reckoned with.

Back in the west with the conflict long over,

Blac/(t/p has produced 70 healthy puppies of her own.

Balance has finally been restored to Tait's dynasty.

There are only 6, 600 painted W01 ves left in the w0rla'.

T0 date, we count 280 descendants from Tait's bloodline.

Taiz"s contribution f0 the survival 0f this species is unparalleled.

Her dynasty feels secure.

For now, at least.

Of all the animals featured in this series

painted W0! ves range over the greatest distances.

T0 document the unfolding story 0f Tait and Blackt/p,

the team first needed t0 find them, and that required help.

This film is essentially undoable

without people who really know the dogs.

Principally Nick and Henry.

Nick's been working with the dogs for years.

Not only does he know how to track them incredibly well,

but he also knows their habits and their behaviours.

S0, for 20 years, I've been watching these dogs,

and when you're sitting on the ground and you've got them

running around you, and they're totally unfazed by you,

that's a great experience.

ATl'EN B0 ROUGH: Nick Murray can identify all of the 97 painted wolves

that the team saw on the floodplains.

But there's one individual that he knows better than any.

We've been interacting with Tait

for literally ten-and-a -half years 0f her life.

With each successive litter that she has,

we've got to know all 0f those dogs

when they come out of the den and spend time with them.

Nick's knowledge of who is related to whom,

meant the team knew that it was Ta/t's own daughter who was challenging her.

Whaz' was unfolding in fronz' 0f camera was a family drama.

The crew not only have a team of trackers,

luckily the filming coincided

with a research project.

The reason for collaring the dogs is to aid our monitoring of the pack.

Because we 're actually able to physically follow the dogs

so we can record their m0 vementg

their territory size, where they're going.

And that builds up a picture 0f their land use.

ATl'EN BOROUGH: In open landscapeg these collars can transmit for miles.

But in the mixed habitat 0f Mana,

the signal often struggles beyond 500 metres.

This is where Nick and Henry's tracking skills really come into play.

Henry's been incredible on this. His tracking is unbelievable.

Tracks are the key to the whole game.

They tell the story.

ATl'EN BOROUGH: And it's Henry's highly-tuned tracker senses

that allow the team to capture the pivotal moment in the film.

The team are tracking Ta/tk pack

when they drive through a pile of droppings from the painted wolves.

I recognised the smell which is Blacktip not Tait.

ATl'EN B0 ROUG H: Blackfip 3 diet of baboons

is enough for Henry to be able to tell the packs apart

simply by smell alone.

The team quickly switch from following Tait's radio channel

to Blackt/p 3.

Right away we heard the very strong "ping, ping,"

so we carried on down to the river.

Sure enough, they were right there,

which is an area they'd never been before.

It was incredible.

And then Henry noticed

some lions approaching through the grass.

Knowing that there are puppies in their pack,

Ijust turned my head away from the scene.

You know, Ijust didn't want to see, um,

any of the pups getting harmed.

Ijust stayed with the lion, and suddenly this huge buffalo

came into shot.

I think what was amazing for me

was t0 see the lions interact with the dogs.

But to then catch a buffalo under the very same tree,

thatk just ridiculous.

I tell you, Ijust like stood there dumbfounded, mesmerised,

seeing the whole scene that was going on.

It was like a dream, really.

ATl'EN BOROUGH: T0 t/y to capture every aspect

of the unfolding sto/y,

it was sometimes necessary t0 have five camera teams

working simultaneously.

We've got 52 cases of kit.

A Cineflex, a night thermal camera, and umpteen other things.

It's very ambitious, what we're trying to achieve.

Not wanting to miss a thing,

our teams follow both pack;

on the grounofl

and in the air.

One ground team with Tait, the other with Blackt/p.

Employing the latest in unmanned aerial camera technology

allows the crew to capture unique views

as the pack g0 about their business undisturbed.

T0 cover more ground the crew bring in a helicopter.

And as the days draw to an enofl

the latest ultra high-definition, [0 w-l/'ght cameras

capture the act/on,

even when it's almost too dark to see.

And once complete darkness fallg the night team take over.

A thermal camera can penetrate the darkness with no need

for any artificial light.

You know, to get those shotg it takes a lot of skill.

And that is not our skill, that is our guide's skill.

Oh, there they are, over there.

The yield 0f shots has gotten better and better on every shoot.

On the lasz' shoal' we were with them every day.

And that's what's brill/am' about being able to put true time in.

And it's tough, actually, because you spend

day in, day out with these animals for months and months and months.

And their lives become very important to you,

and the story can be incredible.

But it's actually quite an emotional roller-coaster

to see what happens to them.

ATl'EN BOROUGH: This story 0f family rival/y

only began because Blackt/jo was unable t0 expand her territory away from Taiij

and was forced instead to invade her mother's lands.

The biggest problem facing painted wolves today is habitat loss.

Basically, they're running out of space.

We have isolated National Parks surrounded by human settlements.

In the modern world, that means they're

running across roads, they're hitting snares,

getting poisoned.

It's a... It's a tough world out there for them.

70% of painted wolves

actually live outside of the National Park system.

Their future is very bleak. It's not looking good.

So the wild dogs of the Zambezi Valley are lucky,

because these dogs can travel from park to park, through corridors.

But that's not the case in most areas in Africa.

If you came back in ten years' time,

I think Tammy's descendants will still be around,

battling it out against the lions and hyenas.

It's a tough life, never mind the human conflict.

Painted wolves, individually, may lack the nobility of a lion,

but the subtlety of their communications

and the complexity of their social organisation

gives them a fascination all of their own.

Surely they deserve to hold their place

alongside the great hunters of the African plain.

Next time...

A tigress struggles t0 rear her new family.

Rivals are trespassing on her territory.

Can she raise her cubs through adulthood?