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DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: Africa.
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The world's greatest wilderness.
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The only place on Earth
to see the full majesty of nature.
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(ELEPHANT GROWLS)
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There's so much more here
than we ever imagined.
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I'm standing where the equator
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cuts right across
the middle of the continent.
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To the north of me,
there's an immense desert
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the size of
the United States of America.
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To the west, a vast rainforest,
the size of India.
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And behind me, for thousands of miles,
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the most fertile savannahs
in the world.
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From the roof of Africa
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to the deepest jungle,
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rarely seen places
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and untold stories.
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There's nowhere in the world
where wildlife puts on a greater show.
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This is the last place on Earth
where you can come eye to eye
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with the greatest animals
that walk our planet.
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This is Africa.
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Our journey starts in the far southwest
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in the oldest and strangest
corner of the continent.
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Here, the thirsty land is covered
with thousands upon thousands
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of circles.
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We still don't know their origins.
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Poisonous plants, foraging insects
and even magnetism
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have all been suggested.
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But each ruled out.
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The circles don't move
and their shape never varies.
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They're unchanging,
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much like this part of Africa itself.
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Ancient and arid, it almost never rains
on this land.
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Yet there is water here, hidden away.
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To survive here,
life must use every trick in the book.
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Winter.
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Dawn temperatures can fall
well below freezing.
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(CHIRPING URGENTLY)
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And that's a problem for this drongo.
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It's too cold for his normal prey,
flying insects.
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But he has a plan.
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The drongo is
the Kalahari's greatest trickster.
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And these are his victims.
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A family of meerkats,
desert specialists.
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After warming up in the morning sun,
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the meerkats begin their search
for breakfast.
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The drongo can now begin his tricks.
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But he must first win the confidence
of his victims.
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He spots an eagle on the hunt
and sounds a warning.
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(CHIRPS A WARNING)
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One that sends the meerkats
gratefully scurrying to safety.
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Danger over.
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And now, he has their trust.
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He sounds another warning.
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(CHIRPS A WARNING)
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But this time, it's a false alarm.
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Thank you very much.
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The meerkats fell for it.
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(GROWLING)
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This all seems too easy.
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He tries the same trick again.
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(CHIRPS A WARNING)
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But the meerkats aren't stupid.
They'll only fall for it once.
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(GROANS)
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The juicy scorpion won't be for him.
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Then suddenly,
the sound of a sentry's warning.
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No meerkat can ignore that.
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Sentries never lie.
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But the sentry sees no danger.
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(CHIRPS A WARNING)
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Guess who?
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Of course, it's the drongo.
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He's learned to mimic
the meerkats' own warning call.
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And now he can enjoy his prize.
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A gang of meerkats, outsmarted...
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..by a bird.
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The drongo is only deceitful
in the hardest winter months.
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For the rest of the year,
he provides honest protection.
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So, in the long run,
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the meerkat family profit
as well as the drongo.
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(CHIRPS A WARNING)
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It's a much harder life
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if you haven't yet learned
the tricks of your trade.
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(CHIRPS A WARNING)
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This young leopard is just a year old
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and at a critical point in his life.
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His mother has battled
to raise her two cubs,
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but finding enough food for them
is now beyond her.
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From today,
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he'll have to fend for himself.
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Kalahari means "land of great thirst".
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Prey is scarce.
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Of all the leopards in Africa,
these have to be the most resourceful.
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A big warthog,
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potential prey
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but armed and dangerous.
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His mother tried to tackle one
but it nearly killed her.
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He spots something more promising.
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A steenbok.
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That's more like it.
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He won't strike unless he can get
to within just four metres,
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and without making the slightest sound.
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(JACKAL WARNING CALL)
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A jackal barks an alarm.
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00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:23,559
But the steenbok still has no idea
it's being stalked.
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The nearer he gets,
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the quieter he must be.
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He's blown it.
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A good opportunity like that
won't come around very often.
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Hungry and thirsty, he heads back home,
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and spots a kill stashed in a tree,
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almost certainly by his own mother.
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And like any teenager,
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he thinks nothing of raiding her larder.
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Booby-trapped.
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(LEOPARD GROANS)
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It's not really his day, is it?
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Some young leopards grow up
to be brilliant opportunists.
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But even they find life hard
here in the Kalahari.
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00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,799
These bizarre little birds
are baby ostriches.
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They're just a few days old.
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In time,
they'll become superb desert survivors.
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But in the Kalahari,
these early days are perilous.
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Like leopards and meerkats,
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adult ostriches can extract all the
moisture they require from their food.
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Their chicks, however, won't survive
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much more than another day
without water.
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But there's none in sight.
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How can their parents conjure up water
out here?
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The youngsters follow their parents
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as they head out onto
a featureless wasteland.
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It seems like a suicidal journey.
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The Etosha Salt Pan.
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Here, water is more often
a mirage than reality.
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It's now well over
40 degrees centigrade.
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Their father shades his chicks
from the midday sun.
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Another mirage?
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00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:15,479
No.
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The ostrich family
is not alone out here.
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Surrounded by miles of sun-baked mud,
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sweet fresh water wells up
from deep below ground
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like a miracle.
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(EPIC INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
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Although the ostrich parents
have guided their chicks to water,
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there's still a problem.
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Traffic.
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(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)
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Heavy traffic.
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These tiny, fragile birds
could easily be trampled underfoot.
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00:17:21,120 --> 00:17:23,999
The water is tantalisingly close.
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Where prey gathers,
predators are never far behind.
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(GROWLING)
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(FAST-PACED INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
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The brawling lions have unwittingly done
the young ostriches a favour.
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The water hole is now clear.
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Sometimes, you need
a bit of luck in life.
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Their first-ever drink.
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And just in time.
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Their father's done his job.
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A black rhinoceros,
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the Kalahari's most
cantankerous resident.
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They don't like company.
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And they certainly don't like
sharing a water hole with lions.
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Fortunately, for everyone else, that is,
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they only visit twice a week.
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The Kalahari is the black rhino's
last stronghold.
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And here, under the cover of darkness,
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at one secret and very
special waterhole,
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rhino abandon their normally
solitary life,
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and come from miles around
to meet under the stars.
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Using the latest starlight camera,
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we can reveal for the first time
the rhino's true character.
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This young female seems nervous.
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She senses other rhinos close by.
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A mother appears from the shadows
with her calf.
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Tentatively, they greet one another.
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They may be ill-tempered by day,
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but now they become gentle
and affectionate.
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More and more arrive.
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We had no idea that rhinos
met to socialise
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and build friendships like this.
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The young female has an admirer.
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But she doesn't seem keen on him.
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She's excited about something,
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or someone.
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Here comes a really big male.
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This time she's much more welcoming.
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Who would have thought
that rhino could be so flirtatious?
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The first male tries
to come between them.
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Somehow or other, he's got a pair of
antelope horns stuck on his nose.
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00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:25,479
It looks as if she's been won over
by his eccentric style.
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He leads her off, away from the party.
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He may have style,
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but he's turning out to be
something of a disappointment.
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A girl can only put up with so much.
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00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:25,799
The only way she can get rid of him
is to pretend she's asleep.
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00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:34,999
To see so many rhino in one place
is a revelation.
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00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:37,719
And that's the power water has here,
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the power to bring together the greatest
gathering of rhinos anywhere on Earth.
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Spitzkoppe,
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an ancient volcano that towers above a
plateau that is two billion years old.
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This land has remained unchanged for
longer than any other part of Africa.
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Animals here have had a long time
to find inventive solutions
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to the challenge of finding water.
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00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:03,479
Out on the open plains, life must await
the chance arrival of rain.
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00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:05,919
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
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00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:11,159
When it does fall, it has
an extraordinary effect.
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00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,879
Each sporadic downpour may only
last minutes,
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00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,999
but it can bring life.
And in spectacular numbers.
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Red-billed quelea.
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They're the most numerous
bird in the world.
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00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:45,039
In all, more than a billion
live here in the Kalahari.
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00:26:46,120 --> 00:26:47,559
No one knows quite how,
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00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,759
but they seem to have an extraordinary
ability to locate the fall of rain
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00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:55,199
and then instantly exploit
the bonanza that follows.
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00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:18,159
These nomads now have just five weeks
to find food, build a nest,
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00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:19,239
and raise a brood.
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00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:32,679
But they're not alone.
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00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:39,599
The rains have also created a plague.
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00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,679
These are armoured ground crickets,
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giant insects with voracious
appetites for meat.
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00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:11,639
With the quelea parents away feeding,
their chicks are defenceless.
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00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,639
(SUSPENSEFUL INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
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00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:56,839
The adults return.
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00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:09,519
But the cricket fights back,
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00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,079
squirting its own foul-tasting
blood into their eyes.
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00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,039
The cricket is still alive,
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00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:47,399
but the stench of its blood attracts
the attention of others.
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00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:58,719
Now it is the target.
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00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,759
These crickets become cannibals.
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00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:23,199
All too soon,
the bonanza brought by the rain is over.
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00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:28,359
And the quelea head off
in search of the next rare downpour.
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00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:51,319
The Kalahari is scarred by rivers
that have long since run dry.
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00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,319
The water claimed by the thirsty land.
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00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:09,639
But it's not gone far.
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00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:16,279
Deep below lies a secret,
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00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,719
one that was discovered
only 25 years ago.
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Humid air rushing to the surface,
gives this place its name.
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00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:42,479
Dragon's Breath Cave.
239
00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:54,759
The shaft descends for
60 metres until it meets
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00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:00,399
water.
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00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:07,959
Here there is a massive chamber,
big enough to swallow three jumbo jets
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00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:09,519
nose to tail,
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filled with cool, fresh water.
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00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,439
The world's largest underground lake.
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00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,519
This is fossil water.
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00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:37,359
It's been trapped here undisturbed
for thousands, if not millions of years.
247
00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,039
We have no idea how deep the lake is.
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00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:51,759
Divers have been down to 100 metres
and still there's no sign of the bottom.
249
00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:02,479
Remarkably, Dragon's Breath is part
of a vast cave system
250
00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:06,439
that extends beneath the Kalahari
for thousands of miles.
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00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:16,199
Even here in this lonely
cave, there is life.
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00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:29,639
Golden catfish, only found
in this one cave.
253
00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:35,039
They're the rarest and most
isolated fish in the world.
254
00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:43,119
Life down here is as challenging
as it is in the desert above.
255
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:49,599
There's no food, except the debris that
occasionally falls onto the surface.
256
00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,479
And these catfish are totally blind.
257
00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:02,439
The only world they know is
the one that they sense through touch.
258
00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:10,279
A blind fish living in
perpetual darkness
259
00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:14,399
deep beneath one of the
most arid regions of Africa.
260
00:34:22,720 --> 00:34:24,559
Such cruel irony,
261
00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:28,879
so much water hidden away out of reach.
262
00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:36,759
Along the western edge of the Kalahari,
263
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,999
the land becomes so dry,
it seems impossible
264
00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:42,359
that any life could survive here.
265
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,199
The Namib.
266
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:07,239
A million square miles of sand,
exquisitely sculpted by the wind.
267
00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,119
This is the oldest desert in the world.
268
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:26,799
Respite comes from fog
rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean.
269
00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,959
It condenses into a few precious drops.
270
00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:39,159
Just enough to sustain life.
271
00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:48,919
A pompilid wasp is searching the dunes.
272
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,199
She's not looking for a drink,
273
00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,999
but for somewhere moist to lay her egg.
274
00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:05,879
How will she pull off a trick like that?
275
00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:16,199
The entrance to a burrow.
That's worth investigating.
276
00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,879
She may be tiny, but once
she decides to dig,
277
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,919
she can shift extraordinary
quantities of sand.
278
00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:50,599
She's unearthed this spider
for a grisly purpose.
279
00:36:56,080 --> 00:36:59,879
It's so dry, the only place with enough
moisture for her egg
280
00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:03,239
is within the body of another
living thing.
281
00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:09,719
First, she must paralyse her victim.
282
00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,559
But then, the spider plays
its trump card.
283
00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:37,639
The aptly named golden wheel spider
284
00:37:37,720 --> 00:37:41,679
can cartwheel fast enough
to escape its gruesome fate.
285
00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,879
For the wasp, her near-impossible
search goes on.
286
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:25,159
If it's hard enough for a tiny wasp
to survive here in the Namib,
287
00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:27,959
how is it possible for a giant?
288
00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:40,479
A desert giraffe.
289
00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:46,039
It's difficult to imagine how
such a huge animal
290
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:48,599
can live in a place
with so little water.
291
00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,799
This old male is at the
very limit of his endurance.
292
00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:14,679
The land may be bone dry,
293
00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,479
but there are signs that
water once flowed here.
294
00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:26,399
The Hoanib,
295
00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:28,999
one of Namibia's rivers.
296
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:33,999
A river of sand.
297
00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:49,279
The trees that line these sand rivers,
298
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:51,879
send roots down over 30 metres
299
00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:55,479
to tap water that lies deep
beneath the river bed.
300
00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,119
These trees are the giraffe's salvation.
301
00:40:02,720 --> 00:40:06,679
Even if he has to stretch to his very
tallest to get a mouthful.
302
00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:16,639
Even on tiptoe, he still needs
a half-metre-long tongue
303
00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:19,359
to reach the leaves he so badly needs.
304
00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:44,239
He's ruled this stretch of the
Hoanib for over a decade.
305
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:47,359
And this prime territory
is attracting females.
306
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:00,999
He waits confidently for her.
307
00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:13,439
But they've got company,
308
00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:15,879
a young male.
309
00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:00,239
The old bull won't tolerate a rival.
310
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:10,239
Pushing and shoving,
they size each other up.
311
00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,719
The young rival seems to think
he has a chance
312
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:20,199
and attacks.
313
00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:36,599
The first few blows usually
settle things in such battles,
314
00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:38,879
but here the stakes are high.
315
00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:49,599
To lose means exile in the desert.
316
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:55,879
Neither will back down.
317
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:03,919
As the fight intensifies,
they change tactics.
318
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:07,159
The young male aims for the rump.
319
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:11,439
The old bull targets his rival's legs.
320
00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:02,839
The old bull is down.
321
00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:13,799
Is this the end of his reign?
322
00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:21,999
He knows a knockout blow is coming.
323
00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:38,039
But the old bull ducks,
324
00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:46,519
and strikes a blow
to his rival's underbelly.
325
00:45:22,760 --> 00:45:24,439
Out for the count.
326
00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:38,599
The old bull is victorious,
327
00:45:42,720 --> 00:45:44,199
but only just.
328
00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:55,479
The sand river remains his to rule.
329
00:46:18,840 --> 00:46:21,719
It's a river that is
about to be transformed.
330
00:46:28,240 --> 00:46:31,639
Under clear blue skies,
water floods down the Hoanib.
331
00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:41,879
The welcome consequence of rain
that fell hundreds of miles away.
332
00:46:56,440 --> 00:46:59,439
The water may only flow
for a matter of hours,
333
00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:04,799
but this miraculous flood
334
00:47:04,880 --> 00:47:07,879
is enough to provide
a lifeline for the trees,
335
00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:11,119
and the giraffes of the Hoanib river.
336
00:47:17,720 --> 00:47:20,719
It's what makes this place
worth fighting for.
337
00:47:38,400 --> 00:47:40,919
Here, fossil lakes, secret water holes,
338
00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:44,759
desert fog, and ephemeral
rivers like this
339
00:47:45,880 --> 00:47:48,839
provide just enough water
for life to get by,
340
00:47:49,680 --> 00:47:51,839
no matter how tough it gets.
341
00:47:55,800 --> 00:47:59,479
It's hard to find more inventive
solutions to staying alive
342
00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:03,399
than in this, the most
ancient corner of Africa.
343
00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:32,239
For four years, the Africa team
searched the continent
344
00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:34,479
for new and surprising stories.
345
00:48:34,560 --> 00:48:37,599
Not only of strange
and unfamiliar creatures,
346
00:48:37,680 --> 00:48:40,079
but also of some we think we know.
347
00:48:42,400 --> 00:48:45,199
Veteran wildlife cameraman
Martyn Colbeck
348
00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:47,399
took on the challenge
of shedding new light
349
00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:50,159
on the life of Namibia's
desert giraffe.
350
00:48:56,080 --> 00:48:58,319
I jumped at the opportunity
of working with an animal
351
00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:00,279
that I hadn't really
spent much time with.
352
00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:02,079
ATTENBOROUGH: Straight away,
they proved to be
353
00:49:02,160 --> 00:49:03,919
quite an eye-opener.
354
00:49:04,160 --> 00:49:06,439
COLBECK: They're very
bizarre-looking animals.
355
00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:09,239
We just kept looking at them
from different angles.
356
00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:11,479
And they looked even weirder.
357
00:49:13,880 --> 00:49:18,279
The combination of the sort of weird close-ups,
the beautiful landscape that they're in...
358
00:49:18,680 --> 00:49:20,279
They're amusing.
359
00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:24,639
I got really attached
to them, actually.
360
00:49:28,400 --> 00:49:31,879
Overlying all this, we were
always waiting for a fight.
361
00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:35,799
But to see a full-blooded fight
is very rare.
362
00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:39,039
So, the only way that we were
going to see it
363
00:49:39,120 --> 00:49:40,639
is if we stuck at it
364
00:49:40,720 --> 00:49:43,319
day after day, every day, for 30 days.
365
00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:48,959
We were lucky enough that
we found a male guarding a female.
366
00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:57,239
And, out of nowhere, this male
came round the corner.
367
00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:04,279
And almost immediately
368
00:50:05,320 --> 00:50:07,079
faced up to our male.
369
00:50:09,720 --> 00:50:12,039
Absolutely no warning that
this was going to happen,
370
00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:14,519
so it was complete
pandemonium in the car.
371
00:50:15,320 --> 00:50:17,319
But luckily, I got the camera
372
00:50:17,400 --> 00:50:20,079
up and running in time
to actually capture this fight.
373
00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:21,919
And it all came down
374
00:50:22,400 --> 00:50:24,479
to one minute in real time.
375
00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:31,799
When I filmed it, you don't
see it in slow-motion.
376
00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:34,999
And you just have to go with the flow.
377
00:50:35,720 --> 00:50:40,279
You're not experiencing the fight.
You're just basically framing it and capturing it.
378
00:50:40,840 --> 00:50:43,679
So it was only afterwards,
when we looked at it in slow-motion
379
00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:47,199
that you could really understand
how ferocious it was.
380
00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:57,639
You can see the impact on the skin.
You see the ripples going through the flesh.
381
00:51:01,320 --> 00:51:05,439
ATTENBOROUGH: But it was the final blows
that delivered the real surprise.
382
00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:08,559
It was like one of those
chimneys falling down.
383
00:51:11,760 --> 00:51:14,759
At the last moment,
the head just went clunk.
384
00:51:31,240 --> 00:51:33,319
And we thought it was dead.
385
00:51:35,880 --> 00:51:38,159
We thought this thing was dead.
386
00:51:39,600 --> 00:51:41,999
And it lay there for,
it must have been three minutes.
387
00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:45,959
Eventually, this thing suddenly got up.
388
00:51:46,800 --> 00:51:48,439
The one that was lying down.
389
00:51:48,520 --> 00:51:50,599
And the two of them were then standing.
390
00:51:50,680 --> 00:51:53,839
And the one that had been
knocked over completely
391
00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:55,799
then just said, "I've had enough.
392
00:51:55,880 --> 00:51:58,039
"Okay. Okay, you won. And I'm off."
393
00:52:04,200 --> 00:52:07,399
I think it's very unlikely I'm going
to see anything like that again.
394
00:52:07,480 --> 00:52:10,679
I think that's a once-in-a-lifetimer,
I really do.
395
00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:15,879
ATTENBOROUGH: It won't be easy
to look at giraffes
396
00:52:15,960 --> 00:52:17,759
in the same way again.
397
00:52:22,640 --> 00:52:26,959
On the other side of the desert,
another of Africa's great animal icons
398
00:52:27,600 --> 00:52:32,439
was attracting the attention of the team
as they staked out a secret water hole.
399
00:52:38,080 --> 00:52:40,719
They hoped to reveal
a very different side
400
00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:43,599
to the personality
of the black rhinoceros.
401
00:52:46,800 --> 00:52:49,079
The team have heard that at night
402
00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:51,599
rhinos behave a little strangely.
403
00:53:05,240 --> 00:53:09,959
A specially-built starlight camera would
allow the team to pierce the darkness.
404
00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:19,519
BLAKENEY: It's amazing. That's filming
something we can't even see.
405
00:53:19,720 --> 00:53:21,079
EVANS: Yeah, if you
look out there now...
406
00:53:21,160 --> 00:53:23,439
Yeah, it's just black, isn't it?
407
00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:26,119
But through this,
it looks as sharp as day.
408
00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:29,079
ATTENBOROUGH: Rhinos
are notoriously antisocial.
409
00:53:29,720 --> 00:53:33,039
Yet here they come to revel
in each other's company.
410
00:53:35,960 --> 00:53:37,479
EVANS: This is amazing.
411
00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:41,999
This is such intimate behaviour, which
412
00:53:42,840 --> 00:53:45,999
you could only see filming
them at night like this.
413
00:53:46,920 --> 00:53:48,519
It's incredible.
414
00:53:55,160 --> 00:53:57,079
ATTENBOROUGH: But it wasn't
just cameras
415
00:53:57,160 --> 00:53:59,679
that would show a new side to rhinos.
416
00:54:01,320 --> 00:54:04,679
By concealing tiny radio microphones
around the water hole,
417
00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:08,799
the crew hoped to eavesdrop
on the night's activity.
418
00:54:11,240 --> 00:54:12,239
(RHINOS HOWL)
419
00:54:13,120 --> 00:54:14,159
(RHINOS GROWL)
420
00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:17,719
(RHINOS HOWL)
421
00:54:24,040 --> 00:54:27,039
ATTENBOROUGH: And what
they heard was astonishing.
422
00:54:27,600 --> 00:54:28,599
(RHINOS GROWL)
423
00:54:31,320 --> 00:54:33,639
BREHEM: They're
really talkative.
424
00:54:34,360 --> 00:54:36,799
They really are having a good chat.
425
00:54:38,880 --> 00:54:39,879
(RHINOS GROWL)
426
00:54:40,280 --> 00:54:44,199
These guys are far more communicative
than elephants even.
427
00:54:45,840 --> 00:54:48,439
It's just going on and on.
Chatting or whatever.
428
00:54:48,520 --> 00:54:49,999
(RHINOS GROWL)
429
00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:51,919
(RHINOS HOWL)
430
00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:55,359
It's a beautiful, crystal clear night.
431
00:54:55,440 --> 00:54:59,439
So you've got beautiful, starry shots,
loads of amazing noise.
432
00:54:59,880 --> 00:55:02,239
They're all puffing and huffing.
433
00:55:05,280 --> 00:55:06,359
(RHINOS GROWL)
434
00:55:08,480 --> 00:55:12,039
So it's... it's about 2:00 in the morning.
We've one rhino left out there.
435
00:55:12,120 --> 00:55:16,679
The rest have gone to bed, but he's
decided to lie down right on top of the radio mic.
436
00:55:29,560 --> 00:55:32,719
ATTENBOROUGH: The crew prepared
for one more night at the water hole
437
00:55:32,800 --> 00:55:34,559
under the full moon.
438
00:55:42,640 --> 00:55:45,439
EVANS: It seems that they're
not really here for the water.
439
00:55:45,520 --> 00:55:49,039
But more to socialise.
A bit like going out for the evening.
440
00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:57,479
He's got some kudu horns on his face,
441
00:55:57,960 --> 00:56:00,559
draped over his nose. (LAUGHS QUIETLY)
442
00:56:01,520 --> 00:56:02,519
BLAKENEY: It's on camera, too.
443
00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:04,839
(EVANS LAUGHS)
444
00:56:06,600 --> 00:56:09,839
ATTENBOROUGH: These images
have a particular poignancy
445
00:56:09,920 --> 00:56:13,999
in a world where rhino horn is worth
more than its weight in gold.
446
00:56:15,440 --> 00:56:18,799
Poaching is going through
a really bad time right now
447
00:56:19,160 --> 00:56:20,879
in Southern Africa.
448
00:56:21,040 --> 00:56:24,399
If you average it out, a rhino
has been killed every day
449
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:26,159
for the last year.
450
00:56:27,880 --> 00:56:30,159
That's really serious poaching.
451
00:56:31,280 --> 00:56:33,039
It's a huge concern
452
00:56:33,400 --> 00:56:37,039
that what we saw and filmed
just won't happen again, ever.
453
00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:44,479
ATTENBOROUGH: It's only now that
technology has revealed a new side
454
00:56:44,720 --> 00:56:46,799
to the rhino's personality.
455
00:56:47,320 --> 00:56:48,839
(RHINOS SNORT)
456
00:56:53,400 --> 00:56:56,759
The black rhinoceros
is a symbol of the African bush.
457
00:56:58,120 --> 00:57:01,879
But it seems that this creature
has been long misunderstood.
458
00:57:06,240 --> 00:57:10,399
For the Africa team, revealing
giraffes and rhinos in this new light
459
00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:13,559
was just the beginning.
460
00:57:14,520 --> 00:57:17,319
Africa may be a continent
we think we know,
461
00:57:17,920 --> 00:57:20,239
but it's still full of surprises.
34697
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