Original subtitles

Here in the heart of Africa lives one of this great continent's

most extraordinary, yet misunderstood, animals.

Animals that only thrive through remarkable teamwork.

And through the strength and skill of 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's 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's a mother and a grandmother.

For years, 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 of the Zambezi.

But she's surrounded.

To the east lie the dangerous lion pridelands.

To the south, forests full of hyena.

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

For many years, Blacktip 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 she's to feed her growing family.

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

THUNDER RUMBLES

However, with hyenas ruling to the south,

and humans having taken the hunting lands to the west,

Blacktip has no choice but to turn her sights east,

towards her mother's lands.

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

WOLVES PANT

THUNDER RUMBLES

ZEBRA SNORT

WOLVES YELP

Blacktip's pack outnumbers her mother's by more than two to one.

An ambush.

WOLF GROWLS

Against these odds, Tait is powerless.

Retreat is the only option.

This has now become Blacktip's territory.

A brief but bloody battle.

Tait and her pack are now homeless.

She retreats eastwards.

But this is dangerous country.

This river marks the boundary between her old territory

and the lion pridelands.

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

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

Lions will search out and kill puppies,

and even adults, if they get the chance.

For now, it's the only place to hide.

But Tait must keep her family safe, well away from the 26 lions

that rule here.

LIONS GROWL

Three months have passed since Blacktip's takeover.

And all these lands are now firmly under her control.

Blacktip's pack have spent a great deal of time scent-marking,

establishing their new territorial boundaries.

And Blacktip and her family have fed well on 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 rock.

And a painted wolf putting a foot wrong could seriously damage itself.

The impalas' ability to leap over the worst of the potholes

now gives them an edge.

In these conditions, Blacktip's 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 of prey.

A large male baboon is strong - almost twice the weight

of a painted wolf.

And armed with huge canine teeth.

BABOONS SCREECH

The great size of Blacktip's pack means the large males

can't defend their troop against them all.

BABOON SCREAMS

WOLVES WHINE

The meal has been hard-won.

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

Blacktip won more than just hunting lands in her battle to claim

Tait's territory.

She secured the safest place to raise puppies

in all of Mana Pools.

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

Their father is baby-sitting them today.

Everyone is impatient for the return of the hunting party.

While they wait, the pups discover that there's more to the world

than just their pack.

ELEPHANT BELLOWS

Strange giants.

There's no rest for Blacktip.

She not only leads the hunting trips,

but, as the alpha female, she's the only one

who breeds and provides milk for the pups.

It's not just milk.

They're already eagerly eating meat.

PUPPIES SQUEAK

Blacktip's hold on Tait's territory appears to be paying off.

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

here in the lion pridelands.

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

but there's much less prey.

Yet, remarkably, even here, Tait has managed to keep every

member of her pack alive.

But she is nowhere to be seen.

The rest of her family are waiting close to an abandoned

aardvark burrow.

And this is why.

Tait has spent the last three weeks hidden underground.

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

Two tiny puppies emerge for the very first time.

PUPPIES SQUEAK

Honey badgers.

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

BADGER GROWLS

Tait's youngest daughter, Tammy, has never seen one before.

But her instinct tells her to drive them away.

And this gives Tait the chance to get her pups

to safety underground.

This year, both Tait and Blacktip have produced far fewer puppies

than ever before.

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

packs is threatening the future of the entire family.

Twice a day, Tait has to lead her hunting party

on a risky journey...

..to the banks of the Zambezi River, where the prey gather.

But it is also the very heart of lion territory.

She must sneak them into position undetected.

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

The pack need to work fast.

All that effort for a few mouthfuls of food.

The puppies will go hungry today.

And the pack has been dealt another blow.

Again, it's Tammy, Tait's youngest daughter,

who spots the problem.

Tammy's sister has fallen.

She has broken a leg stumbling into an elephant's footprint.

For most animals, this would be the end.

LION ROARS

But the family won't just leave her to fend for herself.

Painted wolves, perhaps more than any other animal,

care for pack members who are old or injured.

Tait's 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 on the move.

Food and water are becoming increasingly scarce.

All of 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 Blacktip

and her pups to leave their den behind.

For the pups, this is their first adventure.

Now the pups are old enough to follow the adults,

Blacktip can resume marking the new boundaries of her territory

to consolidate her takeover.

On the far eastern borders, Blacktip picks up a familiar scent.

It's old, but unmistakable.

Her mother.

This discovery has an extraordinary effect on Blacktip.

She can tell from this smell which direction Tait took.

Blacktip stops territorial marking,

and instead sets off in pursuit of her mother.

It seems that Blacktip is going to try and drive Tait

out of Mana once and for all.

But she's taking a huge risk by going into territory

she doesn't know.

Hyenas.

On moonless nights, the pack would normally rest up

somewhere safe until dawn.

But instead, Blacktip leads them, marching on into the gloom.

No-one wants to be the straggler in the dark.

The family bunch together much more closely at night.

HYENAS CHATTER

And now, 15 hyenas are tracking them.

Attack may be the best form of defence.

Blacktip 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 procession.

Despite her loss, Blacktip drives her pack on,

far beyond the boundary of Tait's old territory.

Tracking her mother into a place she's never been before.

Deep into the heart of the lion pridelands.

TRADITIONAL MUSIC

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

for eight months.

Her injured daughter is on the mend.

The family have been protecting her while she recovers.

They only survive here by being on constant alert

for signs of danger.

And today, it is the wind that carries a warning.

Blacktip is coming.

Forewarned, Tait isn't going to risk an attack.

The pack turns tail and runs.

The temperature has reached 50 degrees.

Still, Blacktip pushes her pack on in pursuit.

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

But, finally, the heat is just too much.

Blacktip is forced to call a halt.

But danger is approaching.

The pack are scattered.

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

There's only one adult with the pups.

That won't be enough to save them.

But this might.

Buffaloes and lions are always in conflict.

To charge in alone is very unusual.

But it certainly saved the pups.

Blacktip and her pack have been halted in their tracks.

Blacktip's pursuit of Tait has exposed her family

to too many dangers.

Too many risks.

The pack are desperate to help.

But there is nothing they can do.

The pursuit of Tait is over.

Blacktip's pack run.

They run and run.

Mile after mile.

Puppies in tow.

All through the day.

All through the night.

All the way home.

The territory they stole, abandoned.

The conflict is over.

It cost too much.

Tait and her pack can already sense Blacktip's retreat.

For the first time since the beginning of the conflict,

they appear relaxed.

Soon, their keen sense of smell will tell them

their stolen territory is no longer occupied.

It won't be long until it's time for Tait's pack to also go home.

But Tait will not be joining them.

For 7.5 years she's been their leader,

their matriarch.

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

she has ensured her pack still have a future.

A real chance to reclaim their old territory.

Before her pack could at last head home,

age finally caught up with Tait.

Too old, too slow, she was no longer able

to evade the lions.

Her alpha male refused to abandon her.

Together, they died in the pridelands.

Tait's pack are left leaderless.

But the story doesn't end with Tait'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, Tait's pack attract a band of roving males.

And with these reinforcements, they not only reclaim some of Tait's

old territory but also perform a ritual never witnessed before.

WOLVES CALL

With these haunting calls, they are choosing their new leader.

And the chance to continue Tait's bloodline.

Six months later, hidden away in a secluded part of the forest...

..a litter of seven tiny puppies.

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

And now, heir to Tait's throne.

With these new arrivals and the new males,

Tait's old pack has bounced back to 23 members.

Tammy now leads a pack that is once again a force

to be reckoned with.

Back in the west, with the conflict long over,

Blacktip has produced ten healthy puppies of her own.

Balance has finally been restored to Tait's dynasty.

There are only 6,600 painted wolves left in the world.

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

Tait's contribution to the survival of this species is unparalleled.

Her dynasty feels secure.

For now, at least.

Of all the animals featured in this series,

painted wolves range over the greatest distances.

To document the unfolding story of Tait and Blacktip,

the team first needed to 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.

So, 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,

it's a great experience.

Nick Murray can identify all of the 91 painted wolves

that the team saw on the flood plains.

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

We've been interacting with Tait for literally 10.5 years of her life.

With each successive letter that she has,

we've got to know all of 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 Tait's own daughter who was challenging her.

What was unfolding in front of 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 movements, their territory size,

where they're going.

And that builds up a picture of their land use.

In open landscapes, these collars can transmit for miles.

But in the mixed habitat of Mana, the signal often struggles

beyond 500 metres.

This is where Nick and Henry's tracking skills really

come into play.

Henry has been incredible on this, his tracking is unbelievable.

Tracks are the key to the whole game, they tell their story.

HE LAUGHS

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 Tait's pack, when they drive through a pile

of droppings from the painted wolves.

I recognised the smell - which is Blacktip, not Tait.

Blacktip's 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 Blacktip's.

Right away, we had 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,

I just turned my head away from the scene,

you know, I just didn't want to see, you know, the pups getting harmed.

I just stayed with the lion, and suddenly this huge buffalo

came into shot.

I think what was amazing for me was to see the lions interact

with the dogs.

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

that's just ridiculous.

I tell you, I just, like, stood there dumbfounded,

mesmerised, seeing the whole scene that was going on,

it was like a dream, really.

To try to capture every aspect of the unfolding story,

it was sometimes necessary to have five camera teams

working simultaneously.

We've got 52 cases of kit, 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 packs,

on the ground...

..and in the air.

One ground team with Tait, the other with Blacktip.

Employing the latest in unmanned aerial camera technology allows

the crew to capture unique views as the pack go

about their business undisturbed.

To cover more ground, the crew bring in a helicopter.

And as the days draw to an end, the latest ultra-high-definition

lowlight cameras capture the action.

Even when it's almost too dark to see.

And, once complete darkness falls, the night team take over.

A thermal camera can penetrate the darkness with no need

for any artificial light.

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

And that is not our skill, that is our guides' skill.

Oh, they're there.

The yield of shots has got better and better on every shoot.

On the last shoot, we were with them every day.

And that's what's brilliant 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.

This story of family rivalry only began because Blacktip was unable

to expand her territory away from Tait, and was forced instead

to invade her mother's lands.

You know, 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 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 complicity 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 to rear her new family.

Rivals are trespassing on her territory.

Can she raise her cubs to adulthood?