Original subtitles

Many tales have been told of Africa.

But this is our story.

ELEPHANTS TRUMPET

A drama set in the heart of our world,

experienced as we live and breathe it.

As we fought for our families...

..competition grew fierce.

Armies were built...

..battles waged.

Now we face the final reckoning.

Here is the last chapter of this story

in a place they call Serengeti.

# Serengeti

# She is speaking... #

ELEPHANTS TRUMPET

In our land, lives are determined by the whim of others.

In these moments, our fate is decided.

Each day, the great herds journey far just to quench their thirst.

THEY GRUNT

Gnu is among them...

GRUNTING CONTINUES

..blissfully unaware of what lurks below.

GRUNTING BECOMES AGITATED

CROCODILE SNARLS

CROCODILE SNARLS

Gnu escapes, but others won't.

CROCODILE SNARLS

GRUNTING CONTINUES

In the mayhem, mothers and calves must stay together.

THEY GRUNT AND CHITTER

BARKING

Gnu survived this test.

GRUNTING

He found his mother, too.

GRUNTING AND BARKING

ZEBRAS YELP AND WHINNY

Shani and her foal also made it back.

But the river is still calling.

Soon the herds will return, as their moment of reckoning arrives.

The great river crossing awaits.

Tamu's mother was killed by the black-maned lions.

Now his only company are those he passes.

GRUNTING

WILDEBEEST SNORTS

WISTFUL MUSIC

A lonely fawn has few friends.

# Looking round

# But there's no-one

# I need you now

# So don't be gone... #

ZEBRAS WHINNY

Tamu has many enemies.

SQUEALING AND NEIGHING

BAYING

TAMU SNORTS

YELPING AND CHITTERING

He has gained both speed and experience...

HE MOANS

..but without his mother to shield him,

Tamu is fair game for every passing predator.

SQUAWKING

There's no greater threat to the young

and innocent than a river that must be crossed.

THEY GRUNT

From far and wide, the herds are gathering.

Above the fray, life for the baboons has taken a turn for the better...

..especially for Bakari.

HE GULPS

The rival males have settled into the troop.

SHE SQUEALS

Cheka is no longer threatened...

..and she and Bibi have made peace.

THEY GRUNT

But there's plenty to disturb their new-found harmony.

SOFT CALLS

With the migration surging, the herds are everywhere.

CALLING CONTINUES

Fine when you are above it all...

..not so peaceful

when you come to ground.

HE BARKS

GRUNTING He's facing an invasion.

THEY GRUNT, HE BARKS

WILDEBEEST SNORTS

Where Bakari leads, the others go, too.

BARKING AND GRUNTING

SQUAWKING AND YELPING

Cheka must consider her baby.

She'll pick her moment.

BABOONS SCREECH

But they're everywhere!

CHITTERING AND SCREECHING

And still they come.

THEY GRUNT

WILDEBEEST SNORTS

BARKING

WILDEBEEST BLEATS

Bakari must find his troop safe refuge, far from the chaos.

Tamu is in the thick of it...

..away from the herd to which he belongs.

MOURNFUL STRING MELODY

Here, orphans are easily lost...

INSECTS BUZZ

..and sometimes found.

# Young and free

# May all your dreams run deep

# Won't let nobody hurt you

# Keep you safe

# You deserve all it takes

# Won't let nobody hurt you. #

He will never find his mother...

..but he will find family...

..and company his own age.

He'll need their protection.

Threats are everywhere.

The cheetahs still depend on their mother for everything.

While Duma was lost and alone he struggled to survive.

He still relies on Aiysha to catch a meal...

WILDEBEEST GRUNT

..and just plays at hunting.

He must show that he can hunt for real...

GRUNTING CONTINUES

..and keep focus.

HE YELPS

For Aiysha, a gazelle herd is rich in opportunities...

..an orphaned fawn almost too easy.

Once more, Aiysha takes the lead.

TAMU YELPS

But she's misjudged him.

Tamu doesn't make it easy.

His agility's saved him.

GAZELLES PANT

Aiysha hasn't fared so well.

The twists and turns took their toll.

The great huntress is wounded.

And just like that, suddenly her cubs must hunt for themselves.

We all must face our own rite of passage.

For the zebras, that time is fast approaching.

They're on the move once more.

Shani's foal stays close to his mother.

His whole life has led to this moment.

Today they must cross the river.

The waters are rising...

..and enemies wait in its depths.

SQUAWKING

Where there's danger, Punda, their stallion, goes first.

SNORTING AND WHINNYING

Shani's foal needs all the protection he can give.

HE BARKS

Punda tests the waters.

YELPING AND BARKING

The foal's fate rests on what he finds.

SNORTING

YELPING AND BARKING

If all goes well, they must be ready to follow.

SNORTING

YELPING AND BARKING CONTINUE

They are wise to wait.

CROCODILE SNARLS

Punda's already in too deep...

PUNDA SNORTS

..although still alert to danger.

CROCODILE SNARLS

ZEBRAS WHINNY

They must find a safer place to cross.

THEY BARK

With Aiysha injured, Duma's life has changed again.

His protector is now in his care.

PURRING

A terrible time for an old foe to appear.

PURRING CONTINUES

KALI PANTS

THEY HISS

Duma outwitted Kali when he was lost and alone.

Now he has a wounded mother to defend.

KALI GROWLS, DUMA HISSES

He stands his ground, ready to fight.

KALI PANTS

But Kali has a more troubling enemy.

Askari, leader of the black-maned males, is following her.

SNARLING

THEY HISS

He could kill Duma with just one swipe...

HISSING AND SNARLING CONTINUE

..but to Askari, the cub is irrelevant.

He took down Sefu, a lion from Kali's pride...

..and he's been tracking Kali ever since.

She's luring him away from her cubs and followers.

SNARLING

He may be feared by most, but Kali doesn't seem to fear him now.

SNARLING CONTINUES

What's changed?

PANTING AND SNARLING

For now, he can stay, but on her terms.

THEY SNARL

Kali seems in control...

ASKARI SNARLS

..but some things are beyond her control.

BUFFALO SNORTS

BUFFALO GRUNTS

Askari may be feared...

BUFFALO SNORTS

..but the buffalo see an opportunity.

BUFFALO GRUNTS

KALI SNARLS

SNORTING AND GRUNTING

SNARLING

BUFFALO SNORTS

For Kali, a chance to escape from Askari...

SNARLING

BUFFALO GRUNTS AND SNORTS

..but does she want to?

SNORTING

Shani is seeking a safer crossing point for her foal and family.

SNORTING CONTINUES

CHITTERING AND SNORTING

Other families are already crossing...

..but they have no foal to care for.

Shani will wait...

..see how the other families fare.

SNORTING

WHINNYING

SNORTING

SNORTING AND WHINNYING CONTINUE

All seems fine...

..and her foal will be safer in the midst of the throng.

ZEBRAS SPLASH AND WHINNY

But no crossing is without risk.

The sound is an invitation to a feast.

CROCODILE SNARLS

Stragglers pay the price.

Shani and her foal have far to go...

..and where there is one crocodile, there are many.

Shani keeps her foal close.

Crocodiles pick their moment...

..and if they miss, move on.

But it's not over for the foal.

GRUNTING AND BARKING

He meets an immovable object.

HIPPOS GRUNT AND GROWL

There are plenty more...

THEY GRUNT AND BLEAT

..and they can appear from nowhere.

GRUNTING AND SPLASHING

Attack is often the best defence.

He survived his rite of passage.

Shani's family faced their moment of truth.

All overcame.

THEY BARK

Lush new pastures will be their reward.

Today, the elephants won't be facing the crossing.

Instead, it's playtime.

Kadogo is at the centre of it all.

UPBEAT SINGING

The games end when Nalla, the great matriarch, decides.

Kali has allowed Askari to follow...

..always keeping him one step behind.

Foes making peace...

..or something more?

THEY GROWL

Kali broke the rules.

She had her cubs with a lion from outside her pride.

Askari was that lion.

Her journey has taken her full circle.

She's back with the father of her cubs.

Nalla will always protect her family.

GROWLING

Even Askari won't take elephants on alone.

ASKARI GROWLS, ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

And for the new couple...

ELEPHANTS TRUMPET

..there are far better things to do.

WISTFUL SINGING

All our lives are guided by chance and by the seasons.

SOFT BLEATS

LOUDER BLEATS

THEY BLEAT

It's time for the wildebeest to leave, too.

As numbers build, the pressure to move on becomes overwhelming.

THEY BLEAT

Gnu and his mother are trapped in the throng.

As the herds move, so must they.

THEY BLEAT AND GRUNT

Gnu's mother is first to see what lies ahead.

A near-vertical drop.

SHE HONKS

One too steep for Gnu.

But the river must be crossed...

..and pressure's growing from behind.

THEY BLEAT AND GRUNT

Gnu and his mother will wait if they can.

But they can't wait for long.

Tempers are fraying.

BLEATING INTENSIFIES

For Gnu, it's now or never.

He made it this far...

..but it's just the beginning.

The deadly river is waiting.

SNORTING AND BLEATING

WISTFUL MUSIC

SQUAWKING

As we grow,

we prepare for our defining moment - whenever it might be.

Aiysha is wounded and unable to hunt.

To save his mother, Duma must grow up fast.

Even walking has become a burden.

Chasing prey will be impossible.

THEY CHITTER

WILDEBEEST GULPS

Aiysha needs to rest.

Her leg is troubling her.

The cubs will comfort her...

PURRING

..and let the prey come to them.

SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC

Will Duma seize the moment?

He leads the charge.

Aiysha will go hungry once more.

Duma had the power, but not the focus.

If the cubs can't hunt and neither can their mother,

none of them will survive.

PURRING

For the wildebeest, their moment of reckoning has arrived.

Nothing is more dangerous or claims more lives.

Gnu is still waiting with his mother...

..as the frontrunners take the plunge.

It's good to go early, before the pressure builds.

For Gnu, it's a leap into the unknown.

Anything can happen.

CROCODILE SNARLS

Crocodiles seek out the young.

But the herd acts as a shield...

..and sometimes a deadly decoy.

As numbers build, every crocodile can feast.

Gnu, as always, stays close to his mother.

This time, she's the target.

One too strong to take down.

The most dangerous time is

when the end is in sight.

CROCODILE HISSES

And Gnu is on his own.

CROCODILE SNARLS

It's not over.

Saved on a whim...

CROCODILE INHALES

..and Gnu's determination to survive.

But he needs his mother.

She's still out there somewhere.

In the panic, escape from one danger...

CROCODILE SNARLS

..leads to another.

THEY GRUNT

But even crocodiles are struggling.

Gnu can wait but more are coming.

THEY CALL

The herds seem never-ending.

CALLING CONTINUES

How can he find his mother in this?

Where does he even start to look?

He can't fight this tide.

No-one can.

WILDEBEEST SNORTS

Wherever he goes, another crush point.

The smallest are in the greatest danger.

While they struggle, still more are joining from behind.

Gnu must find a way out...

..a way to save his life.

Climb on their backs and ride to freedom.

Freed from the masses, he finds a way through.

But still no sign of his mother.

He has a heartbeat to decide.

Leave her or go back and find her.

For the cheetahs, life is also becoming desperate.

Aiysha still isn't hunting-ready.

To survive, her cubs must provide.

Duma must meet his moment.

He's first to see the prey.

A topi calf is well chosen.

SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC

CALF BLEATS, DUMA SNORTS

He did it...

..all on his own.

HE PURRS

If he can hunt, they're not only safe...

..so is their mother.

PURRING

It's a meal that's saved her life.

It may not be much, but more will follow.

And the mother of this budding hunter will soon recover.

At the river crossing, the herds have long moved on.

One lone figure is still searching.

Only those who didn't escape the crush remain.

BLEATING

Does his mother lie among them?

HE SNORTS

There is no sign of life at all.

HE BLEATS

HE SNORTS

THEY CALL

But hope lives. CALLING CONTINUES

His mother was searching, too.

MELODIC SINGING

Together, they will continue their journey...

..as the herds have done

since our land was born.

As the multitudes leave, our land is given back

to those that remain.

SOFT GUITAR MUSIC

Bakari has taken his troop to the one place

he considers home...

THEY CHITTER AND YAK

..Baboon Rock.

A safe haven from the dramas on the plains below.

He has reason to be content.

His youngsters are safe and secure...

GENTLE VOCAL CHORUS

..and harmony has been restored.

THEY CHITTER AND BARK

For now, they'll enjoy the calm before the storm

that will surely come.

SQUAWKING

Soon the seasons will change again and new challenges will arrive.

Our world is ever-changing.

New life will be born as others pass on.

NEIGHING

Already there are surprises in store.

KALI GROWLS

Kali and her followers have finally found their own safe home.

THEY PURR

Askari has been allowed to stay, as their protector.

And there's more.

MEWLING

Kali has had new cubs - with the lion her pride

once feared.

MEWLING CONTINUES

LION ROARS

In our land, where all life connects,

there's no good or bad, just families striving to succeed.

As the world far away brings change,

we will need all our resilience to survive.

# Wild heart

# We run free

# This golden land beneath the sky

# Is all we ever need

# This zone where we live and die

# Is Serengeti. #