Ethiopia Deadly 60

My name's Steve Backshall.

Woo-oo!

And this is my search for the Deadly 60.

That's not just animals that are deadly to me,

but animals that are deadly in their own world.

My crew and I are travelling the planet.

And you're coming with me every step of the way.

Hello!

We're back in Africa.

It's a continent that always delivers for Deadly 60

cos it's packed with dazzling wildlife.

But this time, we're in a new country, Ethiopia.

'Ethiopia is in eastern Africa, a wonderland of lush mountains,

'deserts and the legendary Rift Valley.'

I've never been here before. There's bound to be surprises,

but I can promise you, it's going to be a very interesting ride.

'One of Deadly 60's favourite destinations is Africa.

'There are more large carnivores

'and veggie mega beasts here than anywhere else on earth.

'We'll be travelling to the far-flung corners of Ethiopia.

'Up in the mountains looking for the rarest wolf on earth.

'But our search starts with an animal that has

'one of the worst reputations in Africa, the spotted hyena.

'Normally found living alongside lions, wildebeest and zebra,

'here in Ethiopia, there's one place where you can come uncommonly close,

'and it's right in the middle of a bustling town.'

This hustling, bustling morass of people is Harar town,

and this is the market. You'd have to say that somewhere like this,

where there are so many people living shoulder to shoulder,

would have to be one of the worst places on earth to come into contact

with a shy, elusive, cunning animal like the spotted hyena.

But for several hundred years,

these animals have been encountering people

right inside the gates of the city.

'Traditionally, the people of Harar fed the hyena,

'believing they'd rid the town of evil spirits,

'and today, the hyenas are still fed every night.'

Somewhere round here,

there's a butcher who's got meat for sale, and that's what we need

if we're going to stand any chance of getting up close to our hyenas.

And these birds here are a pretty good sign

that the butcher is somewhere round here.

These are kites. Wow! How about that?!

That's amazing!

These birds are scavengers, and I'm guessing that they're waiting

for a feast, so the shop is around here somewhere.

Ah! That'll be the butcher's, then.

Hello, hello. Yes.

Hyenas? Gr-r-r!

'A few tasty meat scraps should be enough to entice them.'

It's time to find a hyena,

but we're going to have to wait till it gets dark.

'These images of manic, excited hyenas caked in blood are classic,

'but spotted hyenas are not just scavengers.

'They're muscular, packed predators that can weigh as much

'as an adult human.

'Hyenas will keep an eye out for prime predators who've made a kill,

'and will think nothing of chasing a cheetah away from their prey.

'They'll certainly see off a leopard,

'and even drive lions off their kill.

'So, the thought of coming nose-to-nose with one

'goes against all of my instincts.'

This is Yusuf. He's been feeding hyenas here for about 17 years,

and his family for many generations before that.

We're sat just outside his house

and the walls of the city are maybe 15, 20 metres behind me.

And when he wants to call the hyenas in, all he does is whistle.

HE WHISTLES Kuti! Ipsa!

Bouki! Ipsa!

OK, we've got our first shape lumbering out of the darkness now.

Graham, over there. Just here.

Bouki!

Oh, my life!

Err...OK, I wasn't expecting that.

-That was rather quicker than I expected.

-Kuti!

Juggie!

This is totally freakish.

This goes against everything I've ever learned about spotted hyenas.

This is a totally wild animal,

and it's just come up to us like a puppy dog.

No warning whatsoever.

And this is one of the most feared,

in some cases, despised animals in Africa.

'They may look like mangy dogs, but are in their own group

'and are not closely related to dogs at all.'

I can just see, off in the darkness now,

there's a couple more shapes loping towards us.

Oh, my goodness!

Eya! Ege! Ege!

Look at the size of this one!

Now that's a much more threatening looking animal.

Look how broad the head is. Really frightening looking.

It's not surprising that these animals have inspired so much fear.

Though hyenas have a reputation for being scavengers,

it is an animal that is without doubt a predator,

and exceptionally capable at catching animals

as large as antelope, perhaps even wildebeest.

'Hyenas have a voracious appetite.

'They can eat a third of their body weight in one go,

'and can chase down prey at over 30mph to make a kill.'

'Working together, they're also extremely intelligent pack animals.

'So if one rampaging hyena isn't lethal enough,

'a whole bunch of their pals will soon be on hand to help out.'

'Their primary food source is carrion, dead meat,

'and their jaws are built to crush through bone.

'They may have the most powerful jaws of any mammal.

'These terrible teeth can be used to formidable effect when hunting.'

Being as the hyenas are being so cooperative in our presence,

there's something I'd love to try. This is a bite test gauge.

It's essentially a pressure gauge, and if you bite on it here...

..then the pressure registers there.

So I came up at just under 200 pounds per square inch.

I think what I'm going to do is cover this in meat

and see if we can get the hyenas to bite it,

cos I'm guessing it's going to be a lot higher than that.

'And hopefully, they won't be put off by the rotting meat stench.'

Go on, go on.

He's interested. Go on.

Now...no, no, no, it's good, it's good.

Aww, here's a more brutal looking one.

Oh, Lordy!

OK. It was just a little snap.

And that registered four times my bite force pressure.

In one little grab.

And that certainly wasn't in any way attempted to crush bone.

'This female hyena gave the bite gauge no more than a nibble.

'Just the mere suggestion of what they're capable of.

'The broad muzzle and stout cheek teeth

'exert an almost unfathomable force.

'They can crunch through hide, horn and even bone.

'Bite force alone makes them 100% certs for my list.'

This whole hyena physique is very much about

being able to make best use of those jaws.

So the front legs are much larger than the back ones. Bigger paws.

And it can use those to provide an enormous amount

of backwards leverage to bring those jaws into play.

Very strong muscles here at the neck as well,

which mean that it can wrench its head from side to side,

and just tear great chunks of meat out of the carcass.

Ah, that yawn really showed off those teeth.

I just can't get used to this at all.

Can you imagine any other situation where you could come nose-to-nose

with a predator this powerful...

and not get savaged?

He's just got his nose in the trough!

This is a bit much for me, I have to say.

Amaria!

Spotted hyenas are animals that can drive lions away from their prey,

with one of the strongest jaws in the whole animal kingdom.

Listen to that crunching.

And that sound is why spotted hyenas have to go on the Deadly 60.

'With cooperation and teamwork, they're a potent pack predator.

'Pound for pound, they're one of the most powerful mammals.

'With a dynamite bite, crunching bone, hide and horn.

'Spotted hyenas are without doubt deadly!

'Our main destination in Ethiopia is the Bale Mountains.

'But before we head high, I'm seeking out some wetland wonders.'

'Cos where there's water, there's wildlife.

'First up, an old Deadly favourite.'

Oh, my goodness. He's just there!

'The African fish eagle.'

It's an adult in its full black and white plumage.

They have superb eyesight,

so I'm hoping that he'll fix on this fish...

He's coming straight for us!

Ye-e-es!

Go on, go on, go for it! Go, go, go!

Ye-e-e-e-es!

How good was that?! Yes!

'Not a bad start! Contender number one,

'one of Africa's most dramatic birds of prey.

'Let's see what else we can find.

'At the lake shore lurks the avian equivalent of a hyena.

'Hanging out with the local fishermen, looking for a free meal.

'And as the fishermen bring in their catch,

'the Marabou stork makes an appearance.'

Wingspan is absolutely huge!

They are grim looking!

Very much like a vulture.

The head and the neck is bald of feathers, which means that

if they're scavenging on a carcass, they can get the head

right down inside it without risking sullying their feathers with blood.

The way they move forward with their head bobbing

and then finally stab with the beak, it really is incredibly sinister.

But although it has to be said that the majority of their diet

is made up of carrion and it is scavenging,

they are actually fearsome predators. Have a look at this.

'Marabou storks will eat anything.

'Dead or alive.

'With a meat cleaver of a beak, these birds have

'a frightening array of foods, from baby birds to mammals

'and back to birds again.

'Even an animal lover like me has to admit, they're a bit grim!'

Well, there's no doubting they are one of the ugliest creatures

we've ever featured on the Deadly 60.

And even though they're quite lazy, and mostly scavenge their food,

they're still capable of being deadly.

'Contender number two, but what else is around?'

Look at that!

I don't believe it!

'Well how's about one of nature's finest feathered fishermen?'

This is absolutely unbelievable!

Just about ten metres ahead of me is a rather beautiful bird.

It's a pied kingfisher. And he's sat,

just looking down into the water.

In fact, there's two more just over there as well.

Yes!

And again!

Quite often people... He's just gone and done it again!

This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!

Almost every time, it's coming up with something,

usually very, very small fish, possibly even shellfish,

but the success ratio is extraordinary.

Did you get that?

Came back to exactly the same spot.

Will it do that again for us?

Yes! Right on cue!

The word "pied," when you're referring to an animal,

means black and white, or at least very dark colours and white,

and these kingfishers are no exception.

They really have very striking colours,

but very unusual in that the way they hunt

is by hovering above the water, very much like a kestrel.

These ones here, though, because the water's quite murky and shallow,

they're taking advantage of these wonderful small shrubs

around the edge of the lake, and just perching,

waiting to see if anything pops up.

This lethal winged missile is a precision hunter.

'The pied kingfisher uses helicopter-style hovering

'to scan for fish.

'The head locks onto its target

'before it plummets into the water with pinpoint accuracy.'

People think I'm weird for thinking about putting birds,

particularly small birds onto the Deadly 60,

but actually, the hunting technique that's going on here

is as extraordinary as anything you'll find from a large predator.

I mean, it's having to judge distance down in murky brown water,

and come up with what is a slithery, slimy, moving prey item,

and it's doing it again there with amazing amounts of success!

'The beautiful pied kingfisher.'

Which really is the king of all fishers.

It's genuinely surprised, and I think, charmed all of us.

'Take nothing away from the Marabou or the fish eagle,

'but the pied kingfisher is so refined, so sophisticated.

'Today, it gets my vote.'

'The pied kingfisher,

'a lethal hovering harpoon.

'Plummeting out of the sky with pinpoint accuracy,

'and snatching fish from under the surface of the water.

'It won us over with its sublime skills.

'Pied kingfisher, definitely deadly.'

'The mountains of Ethiopia are home

'to many animals found nowhere else on earth.

'Animals such as the incredibly rare Ethiopian or Abyssinian wolf.'

'So rare, in fact, that I had very little chance

'of actually seeing one. Instead, I've pinned my hopes on finding

'one of the most spectacular primates on the planet,

'the Gelada baboon.'

This is stunning!

We've come up to about 3,500 metres above sea level,

and it's starting to get a little chilly.

The views are worth it, though.

'Geladas live unusually high up for a primate.

'Protected from the cold by a thick woolly coat,

'they graze on grass found on the lush mountain pastures.

'But what is a grass-munching monkey doing on Deadly 60?

'Well, it's because of these! Geladas are the owners

'of the most ferocious-looking set of canines on the primate planet.

'Flashing their gnashers as they strut about,

'they're surprisingly intimidating.

GELADAS SCREECH

'Geladas live in large groups of as many as 700 animals,

'and leave plenty of signs to track them by.'

Somewhere out there in those mountains is our next deadly animal.

I think, though, to find it, we'll need quite a lot of legwork.

Well, this is just wonderful.

Well, that is the droppings of the animal we're looking for.

This is quite fresh, too. It's still quite sticky.

Ooh, very strong smelling. We're getting closer.

Now, this should be a good outlook.

Got them!

Yes! Just down below us.

Steve, quick! Look at this!

Whoa! Look at that!

They can certainly move.

It's incredible how fast they run over this terrain.

It's rocky, it's uneven, very steep, but they just sprint over it,

must be going, I would think, between 25 and 30mph.

Look how close we're getting.

This is extraordinary.

Look at them all. They're just standing there,

and they're not at all fussed.

I guess they kind of know that on these hillsides, they rule.

Now, almost all of the animals that we feature on Deadly 60

are carnivores, they're predators, they eat meat.

But very occasionally, you find a herbivore,

an animal that feeds on vegetable matter, worthy of consideration,

and I think the Gelada is just such an animal.

Now, looking at the teeth of the Gelada,

they just seem completely pointless for munching grass.

I mean, it's got canine teeth that would equal those of a lion.

So, obviously, they're not being used to munch down grass,

they're used for a totally different purpose.

'And that purpose is defence.

'Geladas have many potential predators,

'including birds of prey, hyena, jackals and even leopards.

'The usual response is to flee to the nearby cliffs for safety.

'But if they have to, males can confront threats

'with heroic aggression and those teeth.'

Geladas band together in the largest troops of any primate.

They can have well over 100 individuals all together,

feeding together, and that has the advantage of many, many eyes

looking out for the presence of predators.

'But these Gelada don't just have to defend themselves

'from leopards, jackals and hyenas.

'They've also got to defend themselves from each other.

'Terrifying fights often break out between the top males

'in disputes over females.

'The heavy mane of hair deflects many bites,

'but those teeth can easily deliver a lethal injury.

'The troop watches on as the two males do battle.

'Although the fights are rarely fatal, there's much at stake,

'as the winner gets to look over his own group of females,

'called a harem, and earns the right to have a family of his own.'

Oh, that is so impressive.

When a male Gelada yawns like that,

it's not because they're tired or bored.

They're showing off those teeth, and he's showing them off to me.

He's letting me know that he's not to be trifled with.

It's just an expression of how dangerous he can be.

He's showing off his most potent weapons.

Oh, wow! I've never seen anything quite like that in my life.

He just did the most extraordinary jump-for-joy gesture, teeth bared.

He's certainly got attitude, this one.

Gelada baboons may be herbivores, but they have the swagger,

the attitude, the arrogance...

..and those teeth. They've got to put them on the Deadly 60.

'The Gelada baboon, a fast, fearless, agile primate,

'armed with a formidable set of canine teeth,

'and brave enough to defend itself against leopard and hyena.

'Strutting, brave, bold, perhaps a bit cocky. Deadly.

'To find myself such a massive troop of Geladas

'was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

'And just when I think Ethiopia can't get any better...'

That's it! That's it, that's it, that's it.

OK, come on, guys. Get out very, very quietly.

This is unbelievable.

The hillside here is covered in Gelada baboons,

and heading off, right through the middle of them,

up through that valley is an Ethiopian wolf.

The rarest...it's heading up that way.

Get the sticks and get the shot, first.

-Can you see him there, Gra? You've got him in shot.

-Where is he?

I don't know what to say about this, really.

I mean, wolves are my favourite animal in the whole world,

and this is the rarest member of the dog family

found on the whole planet.

There's anywhere from 200 to 500 individuals left in the wild.

This really is one of the most privileged sights

you can have in wildlife. In the whole world.

When he sees something, he stops dead,

and then just goes into stealth mode, moving really, really slowly.

There's definitely something in front of him.

'We watch in wonder as the wolf stiffens,

'obviously priming his muscles to pounce,

'and then leaps forward!

'He's obviously caught something, but what is it?'

-Caught a mole rat, I think...

-No! No!

'Not only are we watching one of just 500 Ethiopian wolves

'left in the wild, but it's hunting right in front of our eyes.

'These nimble canids use stealth to creep up on unsuspecting prey.

'Ultra-sensitive hearing helps them hone in on the tiniest sounds

'and lightning-quick reactions enable them

'to snatch up unwary rodents.'

'It's completely different to the pack-hunting grey wolf.

'Though Ethiopian wolves may live in groups, they hunt alone.'

That's a great idea.

So, Sab, Sabman, our fixer, has just suggested that we drive around,

up above it, and try and look down towards it.

I think that's a really good idea.

'We're keeping our distance so as not to interfere with its hunting,

'but getting above the wolf may get us a better shot.'

-Who spotted it?

-Err, Maggie.

We saw it quite at the same time, actually.

This is the most exciting thing about this job,

is when something really unexpected happens

and everything goes loopy as we go dashing off to try and find it.

As my crew all sat in the back expectantly. Look at this.

All squashed in.

All off to go and find an Ethiopian wolf.

-Going left.

-He's coming across.

It's just standing there watching us.

OK, guys...slowly as we can, though, sticking close to the car.

Shoot across the top of the bonnet. Come, come, come.

Keep coming, Gra. Keep coming.

Oh, he's off. He's running down there, look.

He's looking at us very, very closely.

He's run down into that dip.

OK, so he can't see us for the moment. He's going up the hill.

Such a distinctive, striking-looking animal.

'They're certainly beautiful, but don't let that fool you.

'Their small, light build helps them hug the ground

'while stalking their prey, and those long, powerful legs

'shoot them forwards so their snout can snatch unsuspecting rodents

'from their burrows.'

The Abyssinian wolf, probably the rarest animal we'll ever encounter

on Deadly 60, and I think, one of the most special

and definitely, definitely going on my list.

'The hearing and eyesight

'are highly developed.

'Creeping up on prey, then killing

'with a decisive pounce.

'Their narrow muzzle is superb

'for despatching rodents.

'One of the most special wild encounters of my life,

'and without doubt deadly.'

'Join me next time as I continue my search for the Deadly 60!'

Awesome! Absolutely awesome!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd