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The Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe,

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX

the world's widest waterfalls,

home for special animals...

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and a retreat for the Earth's largest land mammals.

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Sometimes here, it's like living in paradise...

but there are times when it is like

being in hell.

Then, it's a matter of life...

or death.

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Mosi-oa-Tunya-- the smoke that thunders.

This is how the natives refer to the Victoria Falls.

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The fog cloud rises up to 300 meters.

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On a clear day, it can be seen 30 kilometers away.

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It's June.

The rainy season has been and gone.

Now the falls have just half their strength.

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Nevertheless, they cause a huge spray cloud

all year round.

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On the opposite side, humidity rises

once again...

enabling the creation of a tropical rainforest.

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An incredible variety of plants and fruits

grow here.

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Under normal circumstances, a mini rainforest

like this couldn't exist,

but the year-round spume renders the impossible possible.

The first European to discover the Victoria Falls

was the Scottish missionary David Livingstone.

He had traveled some 6 years through Africa

as he first saw the Falls in November 1855.

Deeply impressed, he described the waterfalls

as "The most beautiful thing" he had ever seen in Africa.

Without further ado, he named the falls

in honor of the British monarch Victoria Falls.

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They are fed by the mighty Zambesi.

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Directly above the falls, the river course is dotted

with dozens of islands.

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Some are no larger than a football pitch

like Palm Island.

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Others cover the entire river

and are several kilometers long.

This is Long island...

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home for the world's largest land animals...

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elephants.

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A group of bachelors to be precise.

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The pachyderms have a lot in common.

They are all males...

and they were all left behind by their families...

which is normal for elephants.

Now they represent a family of bachelors.

The adolescents have to eat at least 50,000 calories daily.

There are plenty of plants here.

And they find food on the islands

the whole year round

and something even more important...

water.

Access to water is not usually as simple as this.

Normally, elephants have to cover large distances

for a similar supply.

The teenagers at the Victoria Falls

have a seemingly ideal introduction to independence...

but the time will come when they will return

to their birthplace.

Some 100 kilometers southeast of the Victoria Falls

lies the Hwange National Park.

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This is where their families live,

their mothers and the next generation of youngsters...

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a paradise for pachyderms,

albeit with minor imperfections.

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With the onset of the dry season,

the waterholes of Hwange dry up completely.

Then the elephants have to migrate.

Some of them will come to the Victoria Falls.

Perhaps there will be a reunion with the bachelors.

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Male elephants are fundamentally lone wolves,

so to speak.

At some point, even the bachelors will leave

one another's company to live on their own.

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The young males will never know how it is to have

a real family

as elephants actually live in a solely female society.

The bulls are only allowed to join the females

during the mating season,

and even then, only the strongest.

They will have to wait a long time to be able to

return to their homeland and assert

themselves as bulls.

Apart from the elephants, other animals appear

to have discovered the waterfalls for themselves.

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Baboons.

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They have conquered the mini rainforest.

For the primates, this is the Garden of Eden.

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No matter where you look in the forest,

there is always something tasty somewhere.

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Baboons normally spread out when combing

their territory in order to find food.

The apes from the cloud forest find

this unnecessary.

They rarely roam.

From whatever they find, they only eat the very best.

A totally uncharacteristic way of life.

All of the other animals have to adapt

to the constant changes between the dry

and the rainy seasons.

The baboons in the rainforest

are only familiar with the good times.

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The fog cloud prevents supplies from drying up.

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A carefree life...

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but it is not so paradisiacal everywhere

at the Victoria Falls.

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In a matter of weeks, the dry season begins.

This is now becoming increasingly clear.

In the early hours, clouds of fog drift

across the water.

The African winter coincides

with the beginning of the dry season.

The water from the Zambesi has cooled significantly.

Instead of 25 degrees, it's just 15.

The hippos don't like that at all.

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The animals freeze off Palm Island

despite their massive bodies.

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Large sections of the river have already run dry.

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The once mighty waterfalls are now nothing more

than a trickle.

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The landscape becomes ever more hostile.

Many animals have no choice.

They have to get back to the Zambesi in order to survive.

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As is the case for the elephants

in the Hwange National Park.

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The females and their offspring

crowd around the last waterholes.

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The matriarch has no other choice.

She has to lead her family on.

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She is not alone in making this decision.

Dozens of females make their way with their young.

They all have the same goal--

the islands at the Victoria Falls!

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The bachelors will not have the river world

to themselves for much longer.

They have spent the past few days on Long Island.

Now they want to swim to another island.

Elephants are greedy creatures.

The vegetation only has a chance to regenerate

if they constantly change their location...

but the decision to go into the water is a tough one.

Finally, one of them sends a signal.

There is no leader to make decisions

in a bachelor group.

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Just who will one day dominate remains to be seen,

and the elephants use the water to check their ranks.

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They test their strength in play.

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The youngsters don't seem to take it

all that seriously.

On to new horizons.

Their ability to swim gives the pachyderms

an invaluable advantage over all other animals.

While they go from one island to the next to eat,

most other animals are subjected

to the full harshness of the dry season.

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A few weeks ago, this female warthog

delivered her babies.

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They have been searching for food

with their mother for days.

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The young are exhausted.

Now, even unusual food sources are welcome.

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They find what they need in hotels and their parks.

It's evergreen here even during the drought.

It's not the first time the mothers have been here.

Initially, being close to humans is strange...

but their insecurity is short-lived.

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The fresh grass is simply too enticing.

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Warthogs are actually omnivores,

but their diet is mainly plant-based.

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Their example is copied.

Increasingly more families join in,

and who could be more happy about that

than the little ones?

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It's late afternoon, but instead of leaving

the hotel grounds, the family remains.

They will not return to their territory

until the rainy season begins.

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Now everything depends on food and water.

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The same goes for the elephants.

The first families from the Hwange National Park

arrive at the islands.

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For some, it's their very first time,

and they've never been in water before.

Mothers and Aunts keep them in the middle

for their protection.

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The matriarch is always at the front.

Many females lead their families here.

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Food and drink at long last.

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Apart from them, the islands are only

inhabited by a solitary bull.

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He is probably in his 60s

and has already seen his best days.

He chose to live near the falls himself.

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Just like the bachelors, the old bull benefits

from the paradisiacal conditions

and not only that.

Here, where there are no females,

he no longer has to prove himself against other bulls.

He will presumably never leave the island world

above the Victoria Falls again.

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Back to the elephant families.

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The little ones can still feel the long journey

in their bones,

but the several-days-long march from Hwange to here

will soon be forgotten.

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On Long Island, the pachyderms

and their offspring are doing fine.

Food and water are always within reach.

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Adult elephants eat up to 500 kilograms

of plants every day.

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The island vegetation would suffer greatly

if the elephants were not so extremely intelligent.

Countless families have spread themselves out

across the island,

the only way for the plants to have a chance

to regenerate.

They all adhere to the same route, nonetheless.

They move from Long Island's north

slowly toward the south.

In doing so, they gradually approach hippo territory.

This is immediately registered by the hippo bull.

Time to vacate.

Hippos have a great deal of respect for elephants.

The time in which they had Long Island

to themselves is over.

When night falls, the islanders at the Victoria Falls

also come to rest.

Thousands of birds search for a room for the night.

They prefer bushes and trees directly

in the river.

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These are the safest.

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October. It hasn't rained now for months.

The Victoria Falls are practically unrecognizable.

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Just a few months ago, the world's

widest waterfalls noisily made their way downwards.

Now, the water levels haven't been this low

for almost 30 years.

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Of all times, the marabous now have offspring.

Both children of this family are already mature.

Only their fluffy head hair distinguishes them

from their mother.

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Many challenges now face the adults.

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The parents do all they can to protect their young

from the heat.

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Not the only problem.

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They usually feed their offspring with food

they have stored in their throat sack,

but regardless of how much the parent regurgitates,

there is nothing left in its crop.

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It's imperative they find food.

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Water levels have subsided in the past few days.

Some sections of the Zambesi are little more than puddles.

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Fish have been caught in them.

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They scour the ponds systematically.

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The fish have hidden themselves somewhere in mud.

Patience is a virtue.

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In the nest, the situation worsens dramatically.

Distressed, both mother and child snap

at anything that moves.

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Persevere!

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Not far from the marabous, the elephant families are

also on the lookout for something edible.

They have to keep changing islands so as not to

jeopardize their nutrient source,

but the families have a problem.

They cannot take the direct route through the Zambesi.

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Some of the young are so small that they cannot swim

for any length of time.

This family's matriarch has a very young calf.

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She has to find a way of changing the island

without her baby getting wet, as it were.

The family has to maneuver several stony hurdles.

They all keep close.

Together, they accept the inconveniences

of a land route especially for the calf.

At the same time elsewhere, the marabou family's

foraging remains unsuccessful.

As they are hidden deep in the mud,

it's almost impossible to catch any fish.

Unlike herons and pelicans, marabous

are not fish hunters.

They feed on carrion just as vultures do.

Their water search is more show than anything else,

but there is one chance.

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Some fish are determined to flee

the impending catastrophe.

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It tries to get back to the river...

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but not without causing quite a stir.

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The struggle for fish will continue for weeks on end.

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This marabou dad was successful.

Under the eyes of the mother at last,

fish for the offspring.

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For the time being, the young are taken care of...

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but they have to depend on their parents' care

for many weeks to come.

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The old bull's condition worsens considerably.

He can only continue agonizingly slowly.

His sure-footedness has almost disappeared

these past weeks.

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The old boy is just a shadow of his former self.

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The elephant family is still in search

of a land bridge.

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The little one can hardly keep up.

He keeps falling behind.

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The fellowship waits until he reaches

his mother again.

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Not just the calf.

They all have faith in their leader.

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Hours of searching have taken their toll

on the little one...

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but his mother's experience pays off in the end.

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She finally found a land bridge

to the neighboring island.

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The calf follows his mother literally on his last legs.

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They have made it at last!

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Despite all of the efforts, elephants at the Zambesi

endure the dry season well.

Others have to fight for their survival.

The baboons beyond the gorge are particularly

affected by the drought.

There is nothing left to eat here.

It hits the chief's offspring most.

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Many have difficulties with the harsh conditions.

If the boss doesn't come up with something,

his family faces starvation.

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Time to change all this.

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They all follow their leader.

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A raid of a most special order.

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The group increases in speed the closer they come

to their destination.

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The border road between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Most motorists utilize the waiting time

at customs for a break.

When humans travel, they take provisions with them

and leave a lot of rubbish behind.

The youngsters concentrate on the rubbish bins.

They always find something here.

The adults go one step further.

bristling with self-confidence,

the boss simply makes the road his territory.

He and his entourage search for opportunities like this.

The baboons have no inhibitions.

Sometimes, all they find is a piece of fruit.

On other occasions, it's an entire day's ration.

The boss and his family certainly get

their money's worth at the border post.

As lavish as the supply may be,

danger lurks everywhere.

This is where the boss even lost part of his tail.

The others also suffered their injuries here.

During the drought, the baboons regularly visit

the border station.

They have found a way to get by and are obviously

more than satisfied,

and until now, they have never attempted

to conquer the rainforest.

The beginning of December.

change comes suddenly out of nowhere.

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It begins with a gust of wind.

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The weaver birds can sense it precisely,

and then it's there.

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After more than 6 months of drought,

salvation arrives.

The first rain has fallen,

but it will take weeks for the Zambesi to flood again.

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The rain doesn't mean a new beginning for everyone.

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The old bull has died.

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The rain has arrived too late for him.

It doesn't take long for his carcass to be found.

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The giant reptiles won't miss an opportunity like this.

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Crocodiles usually live on a diet of fish,

but hunting fish is hard work.

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For them, finding the dead bull is like

winning the lottery.

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Quarrels are inevitable.

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The carcass will keep them fed for weeks.

The crocodiles are in no mind to leave its side.

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Almost two months have passed since the first rains fell,

but the water from the hinterlands has only just

reached the Victoria Falls.

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Now the spray cloud rises on high again.

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The water now plummets over a distance

of almost 2,000 meters into the Batoka Gorge.

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Now the Victoria Falls are once again

the world's widest waterfalls.

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As far as the elephants are concerned,

the rebirth of the falls are an important sign

and in the nick of time, too,

as the island vegetation has suffered significantly.

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They are returning to the Hwange National Park.

It's green there again.

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One last time, they gather on the shores

of Long Island.

It's quite a challenge for the little ones.

There are no more land bridges.

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Once again, the adults protect the lives

of the calves.

Without their help, the young would be swept

away in the current.

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Then finally, they made it

and will be back again next year.

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Only the bachelors can be found on the islands

above the falls.

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The bachelor crew is in perpetual flux.

New young elephants join them...

others leave the group and finally spend the rest

of their lives alone...

a process of emancipation.

For as long as this has not been completed,

they enjoy their time within the group.

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The Victoria Falls are one of our planet's

greatest natural wonders.

Some animals have found a permanent home here.

For others, the falls are a refuge

during the dry period without which they would hardly survive.

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For us humans, they have been a place

of astonishment for centuries.

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Mosi-oa-Tunya-- the smoke that thunders!

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Captioned by National Captioning Institute