All language subtitles for BBC.Dynasties.Series.1.4of5.Painted.Wolf.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

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?