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I'm flying over the Great
Rift Valley in East Africa.
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And below me,
is a landscape in turmoil,
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torn apart by the twisting
and buckling of the Earth's crust.
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It's also a landscape of huge
and unpredictable change,
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that forces animals, day by day,
season by season,
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to gamble with their lives.
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But for those that win,
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this is one of the most fertile
landscapes on Earth.
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Episode 2: Savannah
Original Air Date: January 9th, 2013
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Nyiragongo, the largest lava lake
in the world...
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bubbling up from nearly
ten miles beneath the surface.
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Nowhere takes you closer to
the fiery heart of the planet.
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00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:01,760
Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most
active volcanoes in Africa.
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00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,040
Its eruptions
can be seen from space.
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00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,199
As magma churns
below the Earth's crust,
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the land to the east of here
is being torn apart.
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Volcanoes like this are continually
changing the face of Eastern Africa.
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00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,080
The volcanoes here
may have a violent side...
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00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,800
but life flows from
these infernos.
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Fertile ash from countless
eruptions carpets the land...
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creating the ideal conditions
for grasses to flourish,
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on an immense scale.
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00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:41,679
And with the grasses come animals in
numbers found nowhere else on Earth.
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Wildebeest.
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Nothing stands in their way.
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All this, just to reach fresh grass.
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The ever-travelling herds are only
one element of life here.
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Look closer
and there are new stories to tell.
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00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,839
Living on the savannah
is about making the most of the hand
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00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:47,680
the landscape deals you.
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00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:53,840
But here, it's always a gamble...
everything may change tomorrow.
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From their vantage point,
agama lizards
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wait for the arrival of the herds,
ready to seize their moment.
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It's payday... over a million
wildebeest on their doorstep.
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00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:20,159
And with the wildebeest come flying
insects... billions of them.
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Food...
if only they could catch them!
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Time for a rethink.
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00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:07,160
This agama lizard
has spotted an opportunity.
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Only one thing attracts more flies
than the wildebeest...
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lions that have eaten wildebeest.
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00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,439
Lions are famously bad tempered...
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they could swat the lizard like
the flies he's hoping to ambush.
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He will need to pick his target
carefully.
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Not her.
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Or her.
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00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:24,120
Maybe?
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00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,239
But no.
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To be within striking distance,
he's got to hold his nerve.
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Got one!
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00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:52,720
Now he's getting his eye in.
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But this might be a bit ambitious.
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It may take courage to hunt
on the back of a lion...
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00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,960
but it takes sense to know
when to run away!
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The wildebeest won't stay for long,
and when they leave,
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most of the flies will follow.
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00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:59,600
Change is everywhere in East Africa.
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00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:06,159
This grassland was once covered by
a forest that ran
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unbroken from west coast
to east coast.
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00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,559
Today, high above the plains,
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swirling clouds hide mountains that
tower three miles into the sky.
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00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:39,519
These frozen summits now form part
of a mountainous barrier separating
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the ancient jungles in the west
from the savannahs of the east.
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Up here,
lies the largest glacier in Africa,
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just a few miles north
of the equator.
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00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,840
These are the legendary
Mountains of the Moon.
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The height of these peaks means
they create their own weather.
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00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,839
The local name for these mountains
is "Rwenzori"...
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"the rain maker".
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00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:14,880
Meltwater flows down
from the glaciers.
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00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:26,799
And on the lower slopes, all this
water supports thick jungle...
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remnants of the dense,
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00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:40,760
steamy forests that once dominated
the whole of East Africa.
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00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,479
But driven by a drying climate
beyond the mountains,
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the forests began to wither away.
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Today, only small pockets
of upland jungle remain...
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00:12:55,760 --> 00:13:00,480
home to animals
who once roamed the ancient forests.
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00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,239
The largest living
primates on Earth.
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00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:13,000
Mountain gorillas.
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00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:40,279
This little one's ancestors
have lived in forests like these
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00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:41,600
for millions of years.
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00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:04,200
But all around, the world
has changed to swamp and savannah.
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This is the furthest
these mighty giants
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now venture into Eastern Africa.
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They're marooned on their islands
in the African sky.
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00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:44,879
Below the highlands,
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00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:49,560
vast wetlands cut swathes
through the open savannah.
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Bangweulu Swamp is huge...
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00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,120
its name means,
"where the water meets the sky".
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00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,839
Hidden amongst
this maze of waterways
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is a creature like no other.
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A giant, prehistoric-looking bird.
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00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,200
A shoebill.
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00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,919
Standing well over a metre tall...
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00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,640
she roams these swamps...
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trying to catch catfish.
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00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,200
Not exactly what she was after.
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00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:56,240
Deeper into the swamp, lies
the reason for all this fishing.
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This chick is just three weeks old
and a little bit wobbly on its feet.
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Its vast bill
means it has trouble balancing.
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It won't be able to fly, or even
walk properly for several weeks.
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00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,839
It's entirely reliant
on its parents for food and water.
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00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,959
There is also a smaller chick,
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who isn't doing so well.
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The larger chick
pesters its mother for a drink.
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00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:09,279
While she goes off to fetch water,
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it reveals a dark side to
the relationship with its nest mate.
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It's three days older than
the other chick,
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and has always won the race
for food and attention.
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This is more than just
a scrap between two siblings.
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00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:02,840
As their mother returns, she sees
what the larger chick has done.
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The smaller chick
seeks its mother's comfort.
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But she has already made her choice.
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Only her first-born
will get a drink.
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00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:51,520
Shoebills very rarely
raise more than one chick.
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The younger chick
was only ever an insurance,
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00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,440
in case the elder didn't make it.
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00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:16,639
Now it's old enough,
the adults know that
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00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:19,039
they're better off
putting all their efforts
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00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:23,120
into bringing up
just one fit and healthy youngster.
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00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:30,239
The swamp's changing water levels
mean fishing
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is too unpredictable for them
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to gamble on trying to raise
two chicks.
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Nothing here
stays the same for long.
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This is the time of year when
Eastern Africa is beginning to dry.
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The rivers and waterholes
are shrinking.
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00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,240
The land continues to dry out.
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00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,200
Tensions rise.
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00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:46,680
Hippos seek what relief they can.
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This time of relentless drying
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is also when another force of change
ravages the land.
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Without warning, fires rip through
these tinder-dry plains.
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00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:33,879
The flames sweep across the savannah
at 50 miles an hour...
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00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,919
reaching temperatures of nearly
a thousand degrees,
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00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,040
consuming everything in their path.
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00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:46,360
Each year, an area larger than
Britain goes up in smoke.
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00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:27,599
But this destruction
can bring opportunity,
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00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,600
if you're prepared to take a risk.
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00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:50,639
Drongos, bee-eaters
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and rollers bravely pluck fleeing
insects from amongst the flames.
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There's little better than
a char-grilled grasshopper.
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00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,079
These fires may appear devastating,
but they are, in fact,
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part of a natural cycle that
is essential for the regeneration
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00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,160
of East Africa's grasslands.
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00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:45,520
But sometimes the cycle is broken,
just when a change is most needed.
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Here, on the plains of Amboseli,
in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro,
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the seasonal rains have failed
for the last two years.
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00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,240
And this year,
they are already long overdue.
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00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,200
It's the hardest drought
for half a century.
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00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:08,960
Amboseli is usually
a haven for elephants.
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00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,840
These plains should be green
and covered with grass.
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Now there is nothing but dust.
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This family is forced to travel
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00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:30,959
constantly,
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searching for anything they can eat.
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00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:42,559
The young must keep up, sometimes
there's not even time to suckle.
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00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:54,120
With the grass gone,
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all the elephants can scratch
from the dust is withered twigs.
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00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:09,559
The adults
might just survive on this,
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but it will not support
a calf for long.
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Every mother in the herd
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is struggling to provide
milk for her calf.
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The search for food
is increasingly urgent.
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As the herd moves on,
this female faces a terrible choice.
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To carry on with her family,
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00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:11,999
or stay behind with her calf,
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who's becoming too weak
to even stand.
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00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:23,680
They will soon be out of sight.
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But her instinct is to stay.
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She won't abandon her baby.
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With the calf's last breath,
she knows that her battle is lost.
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There are places even more hostile
than the dust-choked plains.
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These alien landscapes are actually
the sun-baked salt crusts
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of a chain of lakes
that run through East Africa.
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The face of these soda lakes
changes day by day,
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as the sun evaporates the water,
leaving the salts behind.
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00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:04,680
The waters here are toxic,
poisoned by volcanic springs.
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But life does exist, even here.
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The strange colours
are created by algae,
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specially adapted to live in
this corrosive liquid.
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And it is these algae that attract
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one of the most astonishing
animals found in East Africa.
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00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,399
Among the steaming geysers
of Lake Bogoria,
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over a million lesser flamingos
bathe and feed in the caustic water.
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00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:49,759
They gather
whenever the algae bloom.
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These huge numbers
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00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:04,160
create one of the greatest
wildlife spectacles on Earth.
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00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:28,879
Almost all the world's
lesser flamingos
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live on this chain of lakes,
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00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:35,400
moving from one lake to another as
the amount of algae in each changes.
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00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,759
All along the lake shore,
volcanic vents are a reminder
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00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,720
of the forces that continue
to change this land.
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00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,959
And a streak of colour
on the horizon
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signals that relief for
the parched plains is on its way.
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At last, countless storms
drench the thirsty ground.
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Rain changes everything, yet again.
198
00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:09,559
A crowned eagle
has been desperately waiting
199
00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,159
for what she hopes the rain
will bring...
200
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,639
CHIRPING
201
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,600
..food for her hungry chick.
202
00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:21,560
Nesting here has been
her biggest gamble.
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00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:27,239
Her chick's life depends on
the arrival of creatures
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00:36:27,240 --> 00:36:31,319
from the far rainforests
of the Congo.
205
00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:42,639
Her wait will soon be over.
206
00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:46,639
The largest mammal migration
in Africa is on the move.
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00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,079
Ten million fruit bats are drawn to
this tiny forest,
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00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:14,200
on the edge of the eastern savannah.
209
00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,840
The bats flock here
to gorge themselves on fruit.
210
00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:29,560
It's what the crowned eagle
and her chick have been waiting for.
211
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:33,359
But they're not alone.
212
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,400
Other eagles have flown in
from miles around...
213
00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:39,239
fish eagles,
214
00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:41,279
martial eagles,
215
00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,240
and they're all after the bats.
216
00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:55,759
The gamble the crowned eagle took
months ago by nesting here
217
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:57,080
has paid off.
218
00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:08,479
She is the only eagle to actually
nest in this forest.
219
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,199
The only one who took
the risk to breed here,
220
00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:26,200
well before the trees came
into fruit and the bats flooded in.
221
00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:40,119
She only breeds
once every two years,
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00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,440
so her timing must be perfect.
223
00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,439
In a few months,
the bats will leave,
224
00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:07,079
but her gamble means her chick
225
00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:09,440
will have the best possible start
in life.
226
00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:20,439
These grasslands have been
grazed and burned
227
00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:23,800
and have endured the harshest
drought in generations...
228
00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:32,599
but with the rains,
they're beginning to recover.
229
00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:04,319
And on the once dust-choked plains
of Amboseli,
230
00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:06,680
there's a return to the good times.
231
00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:41,439
The drought here
killed hundreds of elephants,
232
00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:44,400
but the survivors
are now returning home.
233
00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,799
And with them,
there's a surprise.
234
00:41:55,240 --> 00:41:56,960
A newborn.
235
00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:23,919
Surrounded by food,
236
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,400
the youngster can concentrate
on more important things...
237
00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:34,039
like chasing egrets.
238
00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:18,439
The bulls also return.
239
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:38,159
This bull has waited many years
240
00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:40,920
for his chance to father
the next generation.
241
00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:48,959
Now, he must
fight his way to the top.
242
00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:54,440
But his rival is massive.
243
00:43:55,640 --> 00:43:58,040
Each of their heads
weighs as much as a car.
244
00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:03,759
They have been duelling for days.
245
00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:22,360
Now in its third day,
the contest is reaching a climax.
246
00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:41,440
Soon, one will be forced to concede.
247
00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:15,799
The power of these clashes
can even shatter tusks.
248
00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:37,200
Three days of battle is at an end.
249
00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:43,000
The victor has won the right
to the females.
250
00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:53,080
The process to replace what
the drought took away has begun.
251
00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,960
Soon, the elephants will be
at full strength again.
252
00:46:12,800 --> 00:46:17,359
Every day, the animals of Eastern
Africa gamble with their lives,
253
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:20,999
but despite the continual changes
they face,
254
00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:23,559
their extraordinary adaptability
255
00:46:23,560 --> 00:46:26,840
just tips the odds of survival
in their favour.
256
00:46:34,440 --> 00:46:37,359
East Africa may seem very cruel,
257
00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:41,159
but there's nowhere else that
provides such rich opportunities
258
00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:43,599
for those that are prepared
to take them.
259
00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:47,119
And in the end,
it was these ever-changing savannahs
260
00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:51,199
that produced
the most adaptable species of all...
261
00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:52,640
ourselves.
262
00:47:40,620 --> 00:47:42,379
Filming in East Africa
263
00:47:42,380 --> 00:47:46,259
would take the team on both
a physical and emotional journey
264
00:47:46,260 --> 00:47:48,620
through the extremes
of this landscape.
265
00:47:51,340 --> 00:47:55,059
These are the legendary
Mountains of the Moon,
266
00:47:55,060 --> 00:47:58,860
towering over 5,000 metres
into the African sky.
267
00:48:00,900 --> 00:48:02,859
Just miles from the equator,
268
00:48:02,860 --> 00:48:05,739
they're the highest
mountain range on the continent
269
00:48:05,740 --> 00:48:08,260
and home to
the largest glacier in Africa.
270
00:48:13,060 --> 00:48:16,299
To reach the summits,
the team had to travel on foot,
271
00:48:16,300 --> 00:48:19,979
the same way as climbers did
when they first reached the top
272
00:48:19,980 --> 00:48:21,900
just over 100 years ago.
273
00:48:26,940 --> 00:48:28,899
It would take more than two weeks,
274
00:48:28,900 --> 00:48:31,980
climbing over 3,000 metres
from the valleys below.
275
00:48:35,900 --> 00:48:39,259
Six days into their trek,
still well below the summits,
276
00:48:39,260 --> 00:48:43,659
the team come to realise why
Rwenzori, the mountains' other name,
277
00:48:43,660 --> 00:48:45,940
means "the rain makers".
278
00:48:47,700 --> 00:48:51,139
Just after we set off, it started
raining, then it started hailing,
279
00:48:51,140 --> 00:48:54,219
and the idea had been that
we'd stop here for an hour or two
280
00:48:54,220 --> 00:48:56,979
and do some shots.
But as you can probably see,
281
00:48:56,980 --> 00:48:59,459
there's not a great deal of view.
282
00:48:59,460 --> 00:49:03,139
Brilliant shots of rain
and hail and fog.
283
00:49:03,140 --> 00:49:07,019
Beyond that, we're pretty stuffed,
so it's becoming a bit of a theme.
284
00:49:07,020 --> 00:49:10,779
For the crew and over
75 guides and helpers,
285
00:49:10,780 --> 00:49:14,099
it's hard going carrying
nearly a tonne of kit
286
00:49:14,100 --> 00:49:15,740
through the marshy valleys.
287
00:49:17,140 --> 00:49:19,659
Mud, mud,
288
00:49:19,660 --> 00:49:21,580
and just a little bit more mud.
289
00:49:23,020 --> 00:49:26,539
But it's not just the bogs
they have to deal with.
290
00:49:26,540 --> 00:49:30,299
There was a small, but slightly
disconcerting, earthquake last night,
291
00:49:30,300 --> 00:49:32,980
so let's hope we don't get any
of those below any rocks.
292
00:49:34,980 --> 00:49:40,060
The team continue to climb and,
before long, the rain turns to snow.
293
00:49:45,020 --> 00:49:47,739
They eventually arrive
at the highest hut,
294
00:49:47,740 --> 00:49:50,739
surrounded by ice
and nearly three miles up.
295
00:49:50,740 --> 00:49:53,899
This will be base camp for the crew.
296
00:49:53,900 --> 00:49:55,820
We've got a kitchen over there.
297
00:49:57,220 --> 00:49:58,459
Um...
298
00:49:58,460 --> 00:50:03,939
over there, down a really
treacherous precipice, is the toilet,
299
00:50:03,940 --> 00:50:06,700
which is just a shack
with a big hole in the floor.
300
00:50:09,980 --> 00:50:13,099
From here, they'll make
the hardest part of the ascent
301
00:50:13,100 --> 00:50:14,740
right up to the glaciers.
302
00:50:21,860 --> 00:50:25,459
Well, this is, believe it or not,
one of the better viewpoints
303
00:50:25,460 --> 00:50:29,259
so... probably going to hang around
here for a little while,
304
00:50:29,260 --> 00:50:31,299
wait till the fog clears.
305
00:50:31,300 --> 00:50:34,180
But the weather isn't on their side.
306
00:50:37,500 --> 00:50:41,459
So much for hoping the weather
was going to get better.
307
00:50:41,460 --> 00:50:44,780
All that optimism now seems
completely ill-founded.
308
00:50:46,420 --> 00:50:50,939
With the storm clouds closing in,
the team are forced to retreat.
309
00:50:56,060 --> 00:50:59,859
This enormous weather front's
come in, as isn't entirely unusual.
310
00:50:59,860 --> 00:51:03,619
So we're just coming down
as the thunder bursts around us.
311
00:51:03,620 --> 00:51:06,619
So, glad to get back and go
and get inside the hut
312
00:51:06,620 --> 00:51:08,180
and hopefully weather it out.
313
00:51:10,460 --> 00:51:13,739
After days of climbing and finding
the peaks hidden by fog,
314
00:51:13,740 --> 00:51:17,140
filming the summits is looking
increasingly impossible.
315
00:51:18,780 --> 00:51:20,500
It can be pretty frustrating
at times.
316
00:51:20,501 --> 00:51:23,979
There's a group of maybe 70 people that
we've involved for doing this directly.
317
00:51:23,980 --> 00:51:25,939
You get all the way up here,
318
00:51:25,940 --> 00:51:29,099
and then we can't film anything
because of the weather.
319
00:51:29,100 --> 00:51:31,619
So, it is just a matter
of sitting it out and waiting.
320
00:51:31,620 --> 00:51:34,380
You have to sort of hope that things
come right in the end.
321
00:51:36,620 --> 00:51:39,179
The "rain makers" are certainly
living up to their name,
322
00:51:39,180 --> 00:51:41,339
but by complete contrast,
323
00:51:41,340 --> 00:51:44,180
other parts of East Africa
were gripped by drought.
324
00:51:46,620 --> 00:51:50,659
At the beginning of the production,
Mark Deeble travelled to Amboseli,
325
00:51:50,660 --> 00:51:53,179
just a few hundred miles
from the Rwenzoris,
326
00:51:53,180 --> 00:51:55,500
to film the plight
of the animals there.
327
00:51:56,980 --> 00:51:58,019
I mean,
328
00:51:58,020 --> 00:52:00,980
I've never seen anything
quite as bad as that drought.
329
00:52:03,940 --> 00:52:06,339
And we talked to
some of the Masai elders.
330
00:52:06,340 --> 00:52:09,620
They said it was the worst drought
they'd seen in 50 years.
331
00:52:11,020 --> 00:52:14,059
Amboseli is famous for
its huge herds of elephant,
332
00:52:14,060 --> 00:52:17,619
but the drought
had dispersed them far and wide.
333
00:52:17,620 --> 00:52:21,660
Those that remained were struggling
to find what little food was left.
334
00:52:25,140 --> 00:52:27,819
When we first saw the group,
we could tell instantly
335
00:52:27,820 --> 00:52:30,140
that they were in
a really serious condition.
336
00:52:32,300 --> 00:52:35,419
They were thin
and obviously starving.
337
00:52:37,500 --> 00:52:41,979
Mark knew that many of the calves
would not survive.
338
00:52:41,980 --> 00:52:44,659
Although desperately painful
to witness,
339
00:52:44,660 --> 00:52:47,899
nothing would convey
the cruel power of the drought
340
00:52:47,900 --> 00:52:51,100
more than this mother's struggle
to keep her baby alive.
341
00:52:56,340 --> 00:52:58,819
The thing about filming
a situation like that...
342
00:52:58,820 --> 00:53:01,139
You know, when
an elephant calf dies,
343
00:53:01,140 --> 00:53:03,299
is that when
you're actually filming it,
344
00:53:03,300 --> 00:53:04,859
you're so caught up in the moment.
345
00:53:07,140 --> 00:53:08,580
But it was only after filming,
346
00:53:08,581 --> 00:53:10,779
when I put the camera away
and I looked there,
347
00:53:10,780 --> 00:53:13,899
and there was this dead calf and
the mother standing there grieving,
348
00:53:13,900 --> 00:53:16,780
that the full impact
of what I'd just filmed hit me.
349
00:53:22,020 --> 00:53:23,779
People often say to me, you know,
350
00:53:23,780 --> 00:53:26,780
"Could you not have intervened
in a situation like that?"
351
00:53:28,020 --> 00:53:29,900
There are times when you can help,
352
00:53:29,901 --> 00:53:33,539
but in that time in Kenya
there was no food available.
353
00:53:33,540 --> 00:53:36,379
Now, you have to also consider
the mother.
354
00:53:36,380 --> 00:53:39,059
If we'd gone in there and tried
to... to take the calf away,
355
00:53:39,060 --> 00:53:42,659
it would have been absolute mayhem,
she'd have got incredibly stressed,
356
00:53:42,660 --> 00:53:45,460
and that would probably have
jeopardised her survival.
357
00:53:46,540 --> 00:53:50,299
In that particular situation,
when everything around us was dying,
358
00:53:50,300 --> 00:53:52,218
there was absolutely nothing
we could do
359
00:53:52,219 --> 00:53:53,500
to help that young elephant.
360
00:53:58,220 --> 00:54:00,619
Although too late to save the calf,
361
00:54:00,620 --> 00:54:03,980
a few months later,
the rains did finally return.
362
00:54:11,380 --> 00:54:16,019
When we returned, it was amazing.
It was lush and green again.
363
00:54:16,020 --> 00:54:18,859
And the elephants in the rains,
they all tend to come together,
364
00:54:18,860 --> 00:54:21,619
so it was like all these groups
which had been dispersed,
365
00:54:21,620 --> 00:54:23,899
which had been just somehow
coping on their own,
366
00:54:23,900 --> 00:54:25,619
all got back together again,
367
00:54:25,620 --> 00:54:27,820
so it was almost a sort of
festival type atmosphere.
368
00:54:36,340 --> 00:54:38,939
That was when, essentially,
they come together,
369
00:54:38,940 --> 00:54:42,540
they mate and then, after that,
lots of young calves are being born.
370
00:54:45,500 --> 00:54:47,379
Since the end of the drought,
371
00:54:47,380 --> 00:54:50,579
over 220 calves
have been born in Amboseli,
372
00:54:50,580 --> 00:54:52,460
and that number is still rising.
373
00:54:54,220 --> 00:54:57,540
It's the biggest
elephant baby boom on record.
374
00:54:58,900 --> 00:55:01,939
I think what's lovely to see
in that situation
375
00:55:01,940 --> 00:55:06,219
is that having been through
such a terrible drought,
376
00:55:06,220 --> 00:55:09,219
to see the way in which, you know,
if you let things alone,
377
00:55:09,220 --> 00:55:12,580
you know, they do have
incredible capacity to bounce back.
378
00:55:21,020 --> 00:55:24,259
Back in the mountains,
and several failed ascents later,
379
00:55:24,260 --> 00:55:27,300
the team were still battling
through the whiteout.
380
00:55:28,780 --> 00:55:30,660
They try one last time.
381
00:55:32,060 --> 00:55:34,539
There's cloud below us
and cloud above us.
382
00:55:34,540 --> 00:55:38,380
It somehow seems slightly
like we're heading nowhere slowly.
383
00:55:42,620 --> 00:55:47,899
Then, as they reach the top,
finally, the clouds begin to part.
384
00:55:52,220 --> 00:55:56,900
? I am the king of my own land. ?
385
00:56:01,060 --> 00:56:02,899
It was absolute magic here.
386
00:56:02,900 --> 00:56:05,739
We've just come through
the densest, densest cloud,
387
00:56:05,740 --> 00:56:09,779
having absolutely no idea
what's surrounding us.
388
00:56:09,780 --> 00:56:13,579
The past few days have just been
rain and cloud and rain and cloud,
389
00:56:13,580 --> 00:56:18,179
and, as if by magic,
there's the most spectacular view
390
00:56:18,180 --> 00:56:21,019
of ice and glaciers and mountains,
391
00:56:21,020 --> 00:56:23,499
that you just wouldn't think
was on the equator.
392
00:56:23,500 --> 00:56:24,780
It's just amazing.
393
00:56:48,060 --> 00:56:51,339
It's the most spectacular
mountain scenery I've seen,
394
00:56:51,340 --> 00:56:54,220
and to think it's in Africa
is just mind-boggling.
395
00:57:02,580 --> 00:57:07,099
These mysterious mountains have
finally unveiled their secrets,
396
00:57:07,100 --> 00:57:08,779
and on the plains beyond,
397
00:57:08,780 --> 00:57:11,380
the elephants have returned
to their home.
398
00:57:13,100 --> 00:57:17,219
Despite having been explored
by film-makers for over a century,
399
00:57:17,220 --> 00:57:22,420
East Africa still has the power
to enchant and surprise us all.
400
00:57:28,300 --> 00:57:32,699
Next week, we go deep into
the tropical jungles of Africa...
401
00:57:35,860 --> 00:57:37,500
to see the rarest animals...
402
00:57:40,020 --> 00:57:41,620
the last wild beaches...
403
00:57:43,220 --> 00:57:44,539
dark forest secrets...
404
00:57:46,220 --> 00:57:47,540
violence...
405
00:57:49,740 --> 00:57:50,980
beauty...
406
00:57:52,060 --> 00:57:53,220
majesty...
407
00:57:56,900 --> 00:57:58,340
and drama.
408
00:58:07,740 --> 00:58:09,380
Congo.
409
00:58:11,519 --> 00:58:15,000
Sync and corrections by n17t01
410
00:58:16,305 --> 00:58:22,439
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