All language subtitles for Hippo King

(waves lappping)

From waters shrouded in mystery

comes a story of an African
leviathan.

Every movement prehistoric.

Every contour otherworldly.

Slowly rising from the deep.

An old hippo bull.

The years have taken their toll.

His tired, cloudy eyes
reflect a brutal life.

Hard lived.

His limbs are weakened
from decades of fighting.

He has seen it all.

His maze of scars, skin deep
memories from ancient battles.

But in his prime,

this once invincible bull
chose a path of war.

This is the remarkable story of his

journey that led to the ultimate
battle

that crowned him king.

A long time ago in Zambia's Luangwa
Valley,

where a mighty river is home to one
of the largest hippo populations in
the world.

The dry season had just begun.

In the blistering heat,
a hippo pod was basking in the sun.

And one female had separated
herself from the others.

It was the day a future king was
born.

He took his first glimpse
of the outside world.

The little newcomer
drew unwanted attention.

His mother was well aware of the
danger.

She kept her calf close.

But the crocodiles
weren't her only concern.

A lion in search of prey.

Her calf a perfect target.

And this young male was
heading straight for them.

But something made him hesitate.

The river belonged to another
predator.

It gave her time to hide the calf.

But the lion braved the waters.

While focused on finding the calf,

the lion was facing a protective
mother.

His courageous mother saved his life.

In those first few weeks, his mother
kept him separate from the main pod.

This precious time together was
essential in strengthening their
bond.

Recognizing his mother once they
joined the pod would be crucial for
his safety.

He would rely on her
protection for years to come.

And then the big day arrived.

His mother led him to the main pod.

He was ready to join his family.

Becoming part of the main pod seemed
to be a safe move, with all round
protection.

But amongst these three ton giants,
the calf was all the more vulnerable.

Explosions of aggression
are common amongst hippos.

But ironically,
it was his father that was by far

the biggest threat.

When he went into battle with an
opponent,

razor sharp tusks clashing,

their brute force would
crush anything in their way.

Calves often fall victim
to these brutal fights.

Thankfully, his mother was
protective and caring.

But with the river shrinking and the
pod growing, tension would only rise.

So becoming part of a creche
provided a safe space.

The youngsters stay close together,
surrounded by a few protective
mothers.

They spend their days basking in the
sun with not a care in the world.

And that's when he got
to meet his new friends.

The oxpeckers.

Little birds that removed parasites
and cleaned the hippo's wounds.

But they often made things worse.

To many, they became a nuisance.

Every fresh wound was a reason for
battle.

They were out for blood.

Getting rid of them was
mission impossible.

Submerging was the only way.

And when the river became too low,
water cannons were brought to bear.

An effective way to send a bird
packing.

But they would always return.

Oxpeckers would be his
lifelong companions.

As this dry season progressed,
carmine bee eaters made their
entrance.

With the river now low enough,
they were able to start nesting.

While the birds added a splash of
much needed color to the advancing
drought,

the calf grew into a more
confident youngster.

He would stand his ground
and took on his first battles.

He was learning to be bold.

Sparring sessions prepared him for
the fights that were to come later
in life.

And he would lean on his mother
to reach greater heights.

Heights he could still only dream of.

He already had the attitude and
behaved

like royalty, until the true king of
beasts arrived.

Being surrounded by lions
quickly brought him back to reality.

His attitude faded as fear took hold.

The river was their haven,
but the lioness could swim too.

A calf his size is easy prey for
a lion.

The big cat was surrounded by hippos.

Her snarls were intimidating, but
an adult hippo could easily
kill her.

In this river, she was just as
vulnerable as he was on land.

The lioness made a daring move so
close to the hippos.

Her pride intently watching.

She might have made it past the
hippos, but crocodiles still lurked
below.

From the safety of the pod,
the calf watched the saga unfold.

The lioness was fortunate
to make it across alive.

As the Luangwa River kept shrinking,

more and more hippos congregated
and fought over every inch of space.

The cruel reality of the drought
hit hard.

A feast had begun.

Dead hippos attracted attention.

It was the calf's first time to
experience the dark side of the dry
season.

When the hippos suffered,
the crocodiles thrived.

With the river at its lowest, the
hippos desperately searched for food
and space.

The first blissful rain finally
arrived.

It brought relief to everyone in the
pod.

A moment to relax.

Even the calf's father dropped his
guard.

A moment a challenger
had been waiting for.

His father had to defend his throne.

There could only be one dominant
bull.

It was an equal match.

A fight like this ended in stalemate.

His father did some serious
damage to his opponent.

But the bull himself
was nearing the end of his reign.

The season had turned,

the Luangwa Valley transformed
into an emerald green paradise.

The calf had made it through his
first dry

season and was now thriving
with plenty of grass and space.

Making it this far was
a significant victory.

Many hippo calves don't survive
their first few months.

For him, the future seemed promising.

Throughout the different seasons,

the calf remained close to his mother
and was mostly by her side.

Every time the rains returned,
it meant the end of hardship.

The cycle of the seasons
saw him grow ever bigger.

These periods of prosperity made

the youngster more independent,
which encouraged him to aim higher.

Throughout the years,
the calf grew into an adolescent,

gaining confidence and size.

He followed his mother
from one pod to the next.

And with his newfound bravado, he
spent most of his time sparring with
his peers.

Slowly, his tusk force
grew bigger and sharper.

He was a king in the making.

Luangwa lay at his feet.

Having walked these paths for
centuries,

the hippos of Luangwa know
its secrets to survival.

His mother, too, had a lifetime
of experiences behind her.

She knew how to survive here,
even during the worst droughts.

But she was getting old and frail
and had not given birth to any more
calves.

So it was still just the two of them.

Now, as a sub-adult, he no longer
depended

on her, but would stay with his
mother for as long as he could.

Their bond seemed everlasting.

But then, as the dry season reached
its peak, everything changed.

His mother, prone and vulnerable.

She desperately tried to make it
back to the river, but she had no
strength left.

His mother was facing a slow death.

She had reached the end of her time.

The next morning,
the youngster stood by helplessly.

His mother had died.

He threatened the lions that
surrounded her but was ignored.

Scavengers were circling.

There was nothing he could do.

He was frustrated and confused,
not knowing where to go.

Wandering around aimlessly, he hadn't
noticed the trap he was walking into.

That was a close call.

He had no choice but to leave his
mother.

Every opportunist, every predator,
all made the most of this feast.

From the river, he became a spectator
to nature's primal display.

The cycle of life played out right.

In front of him.

Each creature fought for its right

to feed, its right to life.

Taking turns, predators from both
land

and water took full advantage
of the death of the giant.

His yawn was an outcry
of distress and desperation.

But displaying his tusks was
regarded as a direct challenge by the
dominant bull.

He realized what he'd done,

the dominant bull attacked.

An excruciating grip,
oust him from the pod.

The punishment for his unintended
insolence may have cost him his tail.

The message was clear.

He was no longer welcome.

He could never return.

The first night on his own.

He was used to feeding in the dark.

But this night was darker than usual.

Without his mother,
it felt more dangerous.

For good reason.

Lions hunt at night.

He was unsure of their intentions.

This time, he wouldn't
let them come close.

The lion's hunt had begun.

Fortunately for him,
they killed an antelope.

He continued grazing,
but kept a close eye on the lions.

Anyone in his way was charged at.

Now he had to fend for himself.

The predators were in the middle
of a fierce battle.

Maybe best to make a run for it.

By daybreak, the young bull was
desperate to get back to the river.

Having been evicted from his pod,
he needed to find a new home.

The bull in charge of this pod
immediately noticed his arrival.

But the young bull was
hoping for acceptance.

The dominant bull was not
going to make it easy.

If he could show submission,
the bull might allow him to stay.

An important lesson in life. Giving
in sometimes gets you what you need.

Although the young bull was now
accepted by a new pod,

with this dry season persisting, he
was forced to search for food in
daytime.

There is a tree in South Luangwa that
blooms when the drought is at its
worst.

The fruit of the sausage tree.

Not long ago, his mother had led him

to this place, a modest oasis in
the grip of the sun.

The African sausage tree, known here
as the tree of life.

The massive solid fruit, seemingly
inedible, is the secret to survival.

These fruits would help him get
through the toughest of times.

But eating the enormous sausages was
not all that easy, especially for a
grazer.

It required a special technique.

He had seen his mother master
the art.

Now it was his turn.

Another year had gone by.

And as always, the new wet season
brought salvation and new
experiences.

A surprise for the young hippo
bull. Elephants in his lagoon.

Such an intrusion drew a crowd,

and they weren't just
after an innocent swim.

A yawn was supposed to be a threat,
but was perceived as an invitation.

A game of hide and seek ensued,
of gigantic proportions.

Usually, hippos and elephants
stay out of each other's way.

But the elephants deliberately gate
crashed the hippos' pool party.

The elephants teamed up to chase

the hippos around,
but they were way out of their depth.

How can a three tonne giant
vanish just like that?

For once, the hippos had the upper
hand.

The plentiful wet seasons are
fleeting and the inevitable dry
times return.

But even the worst droughts would
eventually make space for the rains
again.

Years pass by.

Nearly a decade later, the sub-adult
had turned into an adult bull.

Together with a few fellow bachelors,
he had found a new home in a lagoon.

It wasn't deep, but rolling helped
to keep their bodies moisturized.

The muddy substance formed
the perfect sunscreen.

Life here was peaceful,
but it wouldn't last.

The rhythm of the seasons meant
change was the only constant.

A few months later,
the bull's lagoon had dried up.

Everyone else had left, except
for his constant feathered companion.

But then he received an unexpected
visitor - a leopard searching for
water.

But the sun had soaked it all up.

There was nothing left
but cracked, dry earth.

There was no point in staying.

He needed food and another place to
live.

Hippos depend on water.

Desperate times were upon him.

Nighttime. He knew where to go for
food.

Now that he'd become a large bull,

he visited the Tree of Life more
often.

Enjoying the fruit,

he was unaware he was being watched.

An acquaintance from earlier,
also in search of food.

Unlike him, she preferred meat.

Silently, she approached a target.

Recognizing the difference between

predators, he knew to him,
a leopard was harmless.

She paid no attention to him,
focused on her hunting.

His curiosity got the better of him.

What was she up to?

Try staying unnoticed with a giant
herbivore on your tail.

Busted.

It turns out hippos don't
make good hunting partners.

After the thrill of the sabotaged
hunt, the bull made it to the river
by dawn.

Having lived in the lagoon these
previous months, he was new here.

How best to make an entrance?

Subtle.

He stood on the edge
of a new phase of life.

And with daybreak came courage.

He arrived with a splash.

As the years went by,
the Luangwa Valley remained his home.

Another wet season.

The bull had grown
in confidence and stature.

He was no longer willing
to remain submissive.

Now in possession of much bigger
armory,

he showed off his impressive tusks
and was eager to put them to the
test.

A brief challenge with no real
winner.

But it was a good start.

His future seemed all the more
promising.

From season to season,
one year to the next,

he embarked on a journey
towards greatness.

His shadow reflected the size of his
ambition.

His wounds,
signs of his bravery.

Whichever path he chose,
it would ultimately lead him to
battle.

He was growing into a formidable
contender

to the throne, though he was still
no match for a dominant bull.

Gradually he became fearless.

With each step, he got a little
closer to the end game,

becoming stronger with each fight,
more confident with each journey.

And whenever he was challenged,
he'd respond in kind.

Audacious and bold.

He was on the cusp of supremacy.

And then, one fine morning,
his transformation was complete.

He radiated self assurance.

The potential of victory
drove him forward.

A fully grown, impressive bull
entered the arena.

The dominant bull immediately
responded to his arrogance.

There was no stopping him.

They sized each other up.

He hadn't fought an experience
bull like

this before, but he had no
intention of backing down.

In hippo warfare, the first
act was a show of armor.

He blatantly claimed the territory
already.

A red rag to a bull.

His opponent took the bait.

On second thoughts, he may
have overplayed his hand.

The dominant bull was merciless.

He tried to escape, but the dominant
bull was hot on his heels.

But in the face of sustained
conflict, he found his courage.

Once those tusks clashed,
they were both in for a long battle.

He was getting the upper hand,

forcing his opponent to retreat
towards the edge of the bank.

But the dominant bull wasn't
giving up that easily.

Both bloodied and exhausted, the
older bull eventually admitted
defeat.

And that is how he became king.

As the dominant bull,

he reigned for many years.

He was admired by his calves and
always surrounded by his harem of
females.

He was a protective and successful
ruler.

His fortunes rose and fell
throughout his supremacy.

But now, his fighting days are over.

He is 35 years old and no
longer the ruler of a hippo pod.

But it's been a life filled
with battles lost and won.

A life whose unrivaled legacy is
forever reflected

in the waters of Luangwa.