:00:07. > :00:11.Here in southern Africa, we are at the end of one of the harshest dry
:00:12. > :00:17.seasons in recent memory. The land is parched, food is scarce, the
:00:18. > :00:21.river is drying up. Thousands of animals do daily battle to survive
:00:22. > :00:27.in the searing heat. Predators circle, and wait for the opportunity
:00:28. > :00:33.to strike. Everything is waiting for rain. Here in Zambia's Luangwa
:00:34. > :00:36.Valley we have had the first rainfall in eight months, but a
:00:37. > :00:42.short sharp shower is not going to be enough to break the grip of the
:00:43. > :00:45.dry season. But change is in the air.
:00:46. > :00:54.So could it be that the animals don't need to endure too much more
:00:55. > :00:58.time before the rains come? In is the final countdown to the
:00:59. > :01:01.rains. Revealing the seismic change in fortunes for all of life in the
:01:02. > :01:19.Luangwa Valley. Welcome back to Zambia, here in the
:01:20. > :01:24.heart of southern Africa. We are here at a critical time, a time of
:01:25. > :01:28.great seasonal shift. Spring is on the way, and with it will come
:01:29. > :01:32.transformation. For the last four week, our cameras
:01:33. > :01:36.have been trained on the Luangwa River, one the few remaining water
:01:37. > :01:41.sources in the valley. Following the fortunes of the animalles here as
:01:42. > :01:45.they wait for annual rains to begin. -- animals. We have rigged a mile
:01:46. > :01:50.long stretch of the river, with a series of remote cameras, and they
:01:51. > :01:56.are connected to these monitors by a couple of miles of cable, and they
:01:57. > :02:02.can be monitored 24 hours a day from this, our studio tent.
:02:03. > :02:06.The Luangwa Valley has one of the highest concentration of wildlife in
:02:07. > :02:14.Africa and at this time of year the animals have no choice but to stick
:02:15. > :02:19.close to the only available water. And that means this is an easy time
:02:20. > :02:25.for predators, all their prey is concentrated in one area.
:02:26. > :02:33.For the hippos, space is running out in their fast depleting pools.
:02:34. > :02:37.And coming to the river to drink has become an increasingly risky
:02:38. > :02:42.business. So just to remind you where we are,
:02:43. > :02:48.we are in the south Luangwa National Park in the east of Zambia, and our
:02:49. > :02:52.camp is right on this bend in the Luangwa River, the cameras are set
:02:53. > :02:56.out round that bend, and the salt springs where Simon hangs out is
:02:57. > :02:59.just there. The salt springs is about file MI5s
:03:00. > :03:05.from the river and it is the only other water in the area.
:03:06. > :03:10.There, wildlife cameraman Mike Holding and I have witnessed some
:03:11. > :03:16.astonishing scenes of predators in action.
:03:17. > :03:22.The first major downpour will bring almost instant change. But will it
:03:23. > :03:31.be enough to bring relief to the outcast hippos, driven from the main
:03:32. > :03:33.river into isolated pools? Will predators like the leopard mum
:03:34. > :03:40.struggle to find enough food to satisfy her cub. ? And what of our
:03:41. > :03:44.little lion cubs? Will they survive the constant threat of a pride take
:03:45. > :03:49.over from invading males? Will the pressure to find food ease off for
:03:50. > :03:53.the elephant, including Stumpy with his maimed trunk? This is the moment
:03:54. > :03:55.when the tables turn, and life becomes more challenging for the
:03:56. > :04:09.predators. I am at the salt springs, when the
:04:10. > :04:16.first drops of rainfall. Fantastic. Can't believe our luck.
:04:17. > :04:19.It is only a short shower and it is confined to this small area, but
:04:20. > :04:23.even this amount of rain can have a dramatic effect on all the animals
:04:24. > :04:28.here. As the landscape blossoms and
:04:29. > :04:32.watering holes develop, animals will disperse across the valley,
:04:33. > :04:38.occupying barren areas where food and water are not plentiful.
:04:39. > :04:41.Wild dogs are one of the most endangered animals in Africa. Their
:04:42. > :04:46.hope ranges can cover hundreds of square miles, and they usually keep
:04:47. > :04:49.on the move to find food. But with prey still needing to drink
:04:50. > :04:54.from the springs, there is no need yet for the dogs to move on.
:04:55. > :04:58.The wild dogs have found themselves a super spot. Sticking near the
:04:59. > :05:04.water, not surprising. Just the odd puddle.
:05:05. > :05:13.When a herd of nearly 1,000 Buffalo appear at the spring, it is clear
:05:14. > :05:18.why the pack has holed up here, food and water are both plentiful for all
:05:19. > :05:22.life. Aye aye, look at this. Hang on.
:05:23. > :05:27.Some of the adult dogs are looking interested. Instead of giving way to
:05:28. > :05:33.this herd of giant, the wild dogs look keen. There is no way they can
:05:34. > :05:39.tackle a healthy adult Buffalo which weighs in at over 400 kilos compared
:05:40. > :05:42.to an adult dog's 20 Dee lows or so. -- kilos. But a very young calf just
:05:43. > :05:58.might be vulnerable. The truth is though, this is high
:05:59. > :06:03.jinx rather than serious hunting. It is a testament to the entire pack's
:06:04. > :06:35.good condition they can afford to play round like this.
:06:36. > :06:42.Then, an old, weak Buffalo at the back of the header attracts the
:06:43. > :06:48.adult dogs' attention. Blimey! Down, off her feet. That is nothing do
:06:49. > :06:55.with the dog, she really is quite literally on her last leg, and they
:06:56. > :07:00.are interested now. Look at that. But they don't know what to do with
:07:01. > :07:06.it. No-one is making contact. Ah. She is up again.
:07:07. > :07:18.Now they are having a go. Snapping at her ankles, her tail. She is back
:07:19. > :07:21.in the safety of the header. That got quite heavy for a moment
:07:22. > :07:37.there! Their technique, unlike the lions,
:07:38. > :07:43.which is to stalk and ambush prey; the dogs are coursers, their set
:07:44. > :07:47.their sight and go after it. They do not stop until they get a meal. They
:07:48. > :07:51.are the most successful of the large predators when it comes to
:07:52. > :07:57.percentage of attempts that result in a final meal.
:07:58. > :08:10.Over 80%, sometimes 85, 78%, success rate. That is incredibly high.
:08:11. > :08:13.The pubbies have learned a valuable lesson of what they can and cannot
:08:14. > :08:31.tackle as prey. -- puppies. That first light shower was
:08:32. > :08:35.restricted to just a small area. So when Simon filmed that very first
:08:36. > :08:39.rain shower, he was up here, at the salt pans filming the dog, I was
:08:40. > :08:43.down here, at the studio tent. We could see that the sky had got
:08:44. > :08:48.really dark, and we could hear very distant rumbles of thunder but no
:08:49. > :08:52.rain fell at all, it was completely localised to the salt pans. But rain
:08:53. > :08:56.is clearly on its way, and back at the studio, we are taking no
:08:57. > :09:02.chances. We are making preparations for the next storm. Making sure that
:09:03. > :09:08.the tents are all tied down. It is very important, putting in sandbag,
:09:09. > :09:14.some drainage. We are nice and Cheryls in the trees but the rain, I
:09:15. > :09:18.am worried about. We can get two-and-a-half inches in an hour,
:09:19. > :09:21.that is a lot of water. The weather patterns take time to develop but
:09:22. > :09:23.the rains are upon us. It is a question of time. This is it, the
:09:24. > :09:38.dawning of the new season as it was. Every day, lots of elephant have
:09:39. > :09:50.come down to the river to drink. But now we are seeing only a few.
:09:51. > :09:54.Rachel McRobb has been studying the elephants for many years. Something
:09:55. > :09:59.we noticed almost immediately after the rain was that the elephants seem
:10:00. > :10:04.to have completely disappeared. Any clues as to where? As you have seen
:10:05. > :10:08.over the last few week, elephants have concentrated almost solely
:10:09. > :10:12.round the river, and that is particularly because of food. Food
:10:13. > :10:15.and water, they can't venture too far from the river, but now as soon
:10:16. > :10:20.as there is a bit of water further away, they are going to try and
:10:21. > :10:24.leave the Luangwa, get more food, I mean there is loads of gorgeous
:10:25. > :10:29.fresh mopane leaves round right now, but it doesn't have nearly the same
:10:30. > :10:33.nutritional value as any of the new fresh green grass. It sounds
:10:34. > :10:37.ridiculous but can they smell it, can they sense where there may be
:10:38. > :10:41.new growth? They definitely just through their annual movement, they
:10:42. > :10:46.know where they should be going, as soon as it starts raining, they know
:10:47. > :10:51.where they need to start heading off to, they probably can detect rain
:10:52. > :10:56.and new green shoots faster than any of us. So I think as soon as there
:10:57. > :11:01.is a bit of water they will try and move away from the water and get
:11:02. > :11:02.more food. We find a herd of elephant three miles inland from the
:11:03. > :11:20.river, heading east. Among those dispersing herds we see
:11:21. > :11:23.Stumpy, the young elephant with the trunk nameled by a poacher's snare.
:11:24. > :11:40.-- name -- maimed. He has survived this most
:11:41. > :11:44.challenging of seasons, and will follow the rest of herds as the
:11:45. > :12:11.isolated showers lead them in search of new water and fresh vegetation.
:12:12. > :12:16.While the elephants may be dispersing there is no reason yet
:12:17. > :12:20.for the predators to go anywhere. For them, rain means they will soon
:12:21. > :12:23.be working harder to find food, so they are making the most of these
:12:24. > :12:28.last glory days. It is a good time to check on the
:12:29. > :12:32.salt springs lions and their two cubs. Remarkable, isn't it, how
:12:33. > :12:37.quickly it all dries up again after a shower.
:12:38. > :12:41.It will have had an effect, that rain will be relatively slight and
:12:42. > :12:46.local just to this area round the salt springs, it will have had an
:12:47. > :12:52.effect on the vegetation round here. But look at the sky now, it is hard
:12:53. > :13:07.to think that yesterday it was thunder, and, and cooling down.
:13:08. > :13:13.To see family life so content and relaxed with the salt springs pride
:13:14. > :13:22.of lions, especially the two little ones. Their round bellies. And not
:13:23. > :13:45.just the will but the comfort to indulge in play.
:13:46. > :13:53.One thing's Fischler, they have eaten in the night. You couldn't
:13:54. > :13:58.squeeze anything else into that belly. It is like a balloon. I can't
:13:59. > :14:25.help gushing, they are just gorgeous. Lovely.
:14:26. > :14:32.But there's a question hanging over the future of these cubs which comes
:14:33. > :14:35.in the form of rival Lions. I have lost track of some of the
:14:36. > :14:40.competition, known as the Hollywood pride. They are not where I left
:14:41. > :14:44.them last week, so we concentrate the surge near the river, where
:14:45. > :14:51.their quarry is plentiful. I find them four miles south. They have not
:14:52. > :14:55.moved any further into salt springs territory. Rather than hostile
:14:56. > :15:01.takeover, the pride appears to have something else on its mind. Buffalo.
:15:02. > :15:08.What a wall of might and muscle that is. Those balls represent a fabulous
:15:09. > :15:11.defence force for the entire herd. Buffalo really cooperate to defend
:15:12. > :15:14.their ranks. I mean, even one of them being attacked is likely to
:15:15. > :15:19.stimulate a rally, where everybody comes to its defence. And so, as a
:15:20. > :15:21.result, the lions, a herd like this, is a huge challenge in every sense
:15:22. > :15:31.of the word. The little rain that we've had won't
:15:32. > :15:34.have had any effect on the condition of these buffalo. They're still
:15:35. > :15:38.suffering the deprivations of the dry season. But there is safety in
:15:39. > :15:44.numbers. Those big fellows, the bulls, are a near impenetrable wall,
:15:45. > :15:47.particularly to one or two lions. Only when lions get together in
:15:48. > :15:48.force will they risk tackling a bunch of bad-tempered buffalo like
:15:49. > :16:07.that. The Hollywood pride launches its
:16:08. > :16:16.attack. They split the buffalo herds and isolate their targets.
:16:17. > :16:21.An adult male buffalo can weigh almost half a tonne, but the right
:16:22. > :16:28.males step up to the challenge, hurling their 200 kilo frames at the
:16:29. > :16:47.quarry. -- the pride males step up to the challenge.
:16:48. > :16:53.Within ten minutes, the pride takes down three adult buffalo, more than
:16:54. > :17:03.enough to feed all 22 cats in the group for a couple of days.
:17:04. > :17:07.It may look excessive but, of course, any remains from these kills
:17:08. > :17:14.support a huge number of scavengers and bug life.
:17:15. > :17:21.It's been an incredibly harsh period of the year for everything that
:17:22. > :17:26.lives here. Apart from, perhaps, the predators. They've been making the
:17:27. > :17:29.most of this time of plenty. And with the coming of the rains, things
:17:30. > :17:33.are going to get challenging, because no longer will prey reliably
:17:34. > :17:43.come to one place. It's going to be spread out across the landscape.
:17:44. > :17:49.Just how long the Hollywood pride will stay in salt springs territory
:17:50. > :17:52.is hard to say. My guess is that when the really heavy rains come,
:17:53. > :17:57.the buffalo will disperse and these lions will move with them.
:17:58. > :18:02.And if that's what happens, the salt springs cubs will have one less
:18:03. > :18:07.pressure on their chances of survival.
:18:08. > :18:15.Until the big rains come, the whole valley remains in the grip of
:18:16. > :18:24.drought. The struggle to survive goes on.
:18:25. > :18:28.Most in danger are the hippos. Particularly the exiled males, or
:18:29. > :18:40.beaten boys. Pushed out of the main river by
:18:41. > :18:47.dominant males, they have to make do with any water they can find. The
:18:48. > :18:51.rain that fell simply wasn't enough for some of the animals and, as
:18:52. > :18:55.ever, it's the hippos that are really bearing the brunt. This one
:18:56. > :19:00.behind me, we did see alive two or three days ago, but it was a long
:19:01. > :19:04.way from the main river, it was very thin, it had clearly come up to the
:19:05. > :19:08.edge of the salt plain hoping to find a pool big enough to be able to
:19:09. > :19:09.submerging, and enough food but, sadly, the animal has succumbed not
:19:10. > :19:20.just to heat but the lack of water. Finally, the clouds that have been
:19:21. > :19:24.building every afternoon deliver more rain. This time on the stretch
:19:25. > :19:53.of river where our studio is. But almost as soon is it starts, it
:19:54. > :19:56.stops again. That's the prelude, that's just the little warning to,
:19:57. > :20:04.like, strap everything down, because when it comes it will really come.
:20:05. > :20:05.50 mile an hour winds, torrential downpour.
:20:06. > :20:10.Honorary wildlife officer Rob Clifford explains even this short
:20:11. > :20:16.shower will make a difference. Rob, we've had one sharp, short shower.
:20:17. > :20:19.How will the animals react? The buffalo will move on to higher
:20:20. > :20:23.ground. It's an interesting time, it's that magic week between it
:20:24. > :20:37.being deathly dry to having the green starting to come through.
:20:38. > :20:40.We've actually noticed the change in the animals' demeanour. The warthogs
:20:41. > :20:44.are active, running with the piglets and a lot more energy. How will the
:20:45. > :20:50.landscape start to transform? After the first really heavy rain, you see
:20:51. > :20:53.little green shoots. That is the beginning of the grass cover. We
:20:54. > :20:57.have already started seeing leads coming out on some of the deciduous
:20:58. > :21:05.hardwoods. The dust bowl that you see now is transformed in about a
:21:06. > :21:08.week. The bush starts to thicken, it is completely different. Where we
:21:09. > :21:12.see brown, it is all green, important for the animals. How long
:21:13. > :21:16.does it take for the river to fill? It is a mere trickle now, but the
:21:17. > :21:20.river will start to rise very slowly initially. We accept a storm a week,
:21:21. > :21:23.in about a month we expect two or three a week, in January and
:21:24. > :21:28.February it rains almost every day and the river shoots up to a point
:21:29. > :21:32.where we can have the river rise at an inch and hour. -- we expect a
:21:33. > :21:42.storm a week. Which is a phenomenal amount of water. Look at this. Just
:21:43. > :21:47.one shower of rain, and the earth is exploding with new life. Just
:21:48. > :22:00.imagine what it's going to be like when the rains come properly.
:22:01. > :22:06.That short, sharp shower is a reminder that soon the roads will be
:22:07. > :22:10.passable, cutting off my access to all of the creatures I've been
:22:11. > :22:15.following. -- soon the roads will be impassable. Not least the leopard
:22:16. > :22:21.mum and cub I was lucky enough to see a few days ago.
:22:22. > :22:29.So, as usual, I'm out on a mission before first light.
:22:30. > :22:35.I can't be certain that they're going to be in the same place. They
:22:36. > :22:37.may well spread out in pursuit of prey. But I will know unless I get
:22:38. > :22:53.out there. -- I won't know. Trying to find a leopard is a bit
:22:54. > :22:58.like trying to recall an elusive memory. You know it's out there, you
:22:59. > :23:03.just can't quite put your finger on it.
:23:04. > :23:10.There is an apocryphal estimate that every 300 metres or so on the river
:23:11. > :23:17.is a leopard territory. A lot of hippo tracks here, and
:23:18. > :23:22.impala. No sign of leopard. This is an animal that makes its living by
:23:23. > :23:27.stealth. And it is perfectly normal for a leopard to be in a bush, on a
:23:28. > :23:38.tree, have a lot of life all around it, and nobody knows it's there.
:23:39. > :23:44.I've been out since 4:30am, which is an hour before sunrise. I'm pretty
:23:45. > :23:51.confident that I am within 200 or 300 metres of a leopard. I haven't
:23:52. > :23:57.seen it. Possibly the best sign that you've got a leopard is the reaction
:23:58. > :24:02.of all the creatures around you. Because these cats are stealth
:24:03. > :24:07.hunters, and everything knows it. So the moment they are spotted, you get
:24:08. > :24:12.an alarm. And impala makes a sound like someone tearing a bed sheet.
:24:13. > :24:21.And then baboons sound like a dog, actually.
:24:22. > :24:31.All the signs are that I'm close. It's time to change tactics.
:24:32. > :24:36.This big fig tree is a classic leopard resting place.
:24:37. > :24:43.A big shady tree with a horizontal branch to just flop out and rest on
:24:44. > :24:54.during the course of the day. It's a good spot, I think I'll just take it
:24:55. > :25:02.out and see what turns up. -- I'll just stake it out. Guinea fowl. The
:25:03. > :25:10.guinea fowl have seen something. For sure.
:25:11. > :25:49.Oh, look! It's the cub. You've got to start somewhere with
:25:50. > :25:58.your hunting technique, haven't you? You're doing OK. But no sign of Mum
:25:59. > :26:00.yet. She'll be nearby, I'm sure. The cub is still wholly dependent on her
:26:01. > :26:15.for food and protection. There's Mum. There's Mum. Now, what
:26:16. > :26:17.are the chances? It's not a leopard, it's the leopard I was hoping to
:26:18. > :26:33.see. The mum with the young cub. The moment you set eyes on them, you
:26:34. > :26:34.know they know. You know they know. And many disappear back into the
:26:35. > :26:55.shadows, they're gone like a breath. This pair will stick round and the
:26:56. > :27:05.mother the use the cover of darkness to secure the next meal.
:27:06. > :27:09.An adult female impala. Leopards are one of the most efficient hunters in
:27:10. > :27:15.the bush. That doesn't mean to say they always
:27:16. > :27:25.get their way, they are not endurance hunters. Leapt --
:27:26. > :27:30.leoparded are the only big cat that pulls a meal up into a tree like
:27:31. > :27:34.this. And they do so only in areas where there is a lot of competition
:27:35. > :27:43.from predators on the ground. Hyenas, and lions specifically.
:27:44. > :27:48.Just think of the power it takes, to carry a carcass, which is going to
:27:49. > :27:56.be weighing 25, 30 kilo, and to carry that up a tree, holding it in
:27:57. > :27:59.your mouth, using your claws to get into position.
:28:00. > :28:06.They are not the biggest of big cats, but, I tell you what, they are
:28:07. > :28:42.so strong. These cats are among the most
:28:43. > :28:48.adaptable with or without the rain. They are going to be OK. They can
:28:49. > :28:59.slip through the shadows and find a meal, in almost any circumstances.
:29:00. > :29:07.This little cub is going to be fine. Four days after the first small rain
:29:08. > :29:12.shower, a new day dawnings. But -- dawns, but this one is different.
:29:13. > :29:15.Humidity is high, the clouds are building, and the wind is picking
:29:16. > :29:25.up. Finally, the skies open, and deliver
:29:26. > :29:30.their promise. The first big rain is here. The
:29:31. > :29:35.countdown is over. That is the rain triggering that one
:29:36. > :29:44.I was going to say. The storm is right over the studio.
:29:45. > :29:52.We batten down the hatches and hope our preparations are good enough.
:29:53. > :30:00.Dramatic scenes! Because it soon becomes evident think is not just a
:30:01. > :30:02.light shower. -- that it's not just a light
:30:03. > :30:32.shower. What we didn't realise was quite how
:30:33. > :30:37.dramatic it was going to be, so we are sitting in camp, heat of the
:30:38. > :30:42.day, it has really got to boiling point. And this incredible wind
:30:43. > :30:48.comes from this direction, blowing this great wall of sand and dust,
:30:49. > :30:53.along the lent of the river. Behind that wall slammed the rain. Now,
:30:54. > :31:00.these little covered bundles behind me here, are the corpses of some of
:31:01. > :31:03.our crew's tents which were literally spread-eagled all over
:31:04. > :31:08.this field. Everything was upside down, whole tents including the beds
:31:09. > :31:12.and everything in them just tipped and turned like tumble wood up
:31:13. > :31:19.givens the rondavels, the whole camp is in a state of chaos. If this is
:31:20. > :31:25.the beginning of the rains, my goodness what will it be like at the
:31:26. > :31:39.end? The rain is already having a
:31:40. > :31:43.dramatic effect on the landscape and the
:31:44. > :31:50.leaves are beginning to appear on the tree, flowers are blooming.
:31:51. > :31:57.Frogs are beginning to sing. Birds are building their nests.
:31:58. > :32:02.Spring is here. And in every thicket is a tiny leggy
:32:03. > :32:22.impala faun. When we first got here, when we were
:32:23. > :32:27.absolutely in the grip of the dry season, there was no sign of any
:32:28. > :32:30.youngsters round at all, but a lot of the females were looking fat and
:32:31. > :32:34.sleek which seemed surprising given there is so little food left but
:32:35. > :32:38.they were pregnant Pregnant, exactly. As we approached the rains,
:32:39. > :32:42.they were all dropped within a few days of each other.
:32:43. > :32:47.They are gorgeous, they look like they have been made out of
:32:48. > :32:51.matchstick, they are tiny little spindly things and yet almost more
:32:52. > :32:56.agile than the adult, they can turn on a six pence, they can disappear
:32:57. > :32:59.into the bush in a moment Within half an hour and they can run with
:33:00. > :33:09.mum. That is remarkable. Can you imagine from birth to running in 30
:33:10. > :33:13.minutes is incredible. Impala set up creches like this,
:33:14. > :33:22.with up to a dozen fauns, looked after by a couple of females.
:33:23. > :33:27.This system allows the other females to go off and feed.
:33:28. > :33:31.And to evade predators, impalas have formed an unusual alliance for
:33:32. > :33:37.protection. One thing that I have noticed is
:33:38. > :33:40.that there seems to be some sort of partnership or relationship between
:33:41. > :33:43.the Babs and the impala. Very close association, I think each of them is
:33:44. > :33:49.bringing something to their relationship. The Babs eyesight is a
:33:50. > :33:54.lot better, and obviously the Babs being in trees can see things
:33:55. > :33:58.earlier. So they will act as an early warning system Yes, the
:33:59. > :34:07.impala's sense of hearing is better so it's a good trade off.
:34:08. > :34:12.For Babs the rain means the trees will soon fruit. Infant mortality is
:34:13. > :34:17.at its highest in the dry season but improves when the rains come and
:34:18. > :34:21.there is more food round. The babies hang under their mothers
:34:22. > :34:27.until they are about two monthsing and big enough to ride jockey style
:34:28. > :34:32.on their mother's back. Across the valley, there is a sense
:34:33. > :34:40.of renewal. From warthogs to hippos, all are set
:34:41. > :34:46.to benefit. But while spring gives the herb Voe
:34:47. > :34:52.-- herbivores a chance of survival. All those new babies are easy
:34:53. > :34:54.potential meals for the predators. Only 50% of impala fauns will make
:34:55. > :35:14.it through to adulthood. Mike Holding joins me at the salt
:35:15. > :35:19.springses with the wild dogs. It is very unusual for a pack of dogs with
:35:20. > :35:24.puppies this mobile to hang round the same spot for so long. It can
:35:25. > :35:28.only be because prey is so plentiful here.
:35:29. > :35:32.And with heavily pregnant impala and a glut of newborn fauns there is no
:35:33. > :35:42.sign of the bounty coming to an end soon. In a flash, the dogs switch to
:35:43. > :35:48.hunting mode. Aye aye, look, look. There is an
:35:49. > :35:53.impala coming in now. They are on it. They are definitely
:35:54. > :36:03.on it. Here they come. Look, look at them go. That is the
:36:04. > :36:07.adult dogs. Ears down. At full pelt a wild dog can reach
:36:08. > :36:25.nearly 40mph. Into the woods. No, another one
:36:26. > :36:33.coming up here. Look, look! Right on it. Female.
:36:34. > :36:39.This one is too big for the puppies to tackle but the adult dogs can
:36:40. > :36:51.keep running at speed for more than two miles. Non-stop.
:36:52. > :36:52.The impala has got little chance. In the
:36:53. > :37:05.They have got it. They have got it. That's it.
:37:06. > :37:09.All over. That is not the end of the pack's ambition, on the other side
:37:10. > :37:15.of the spring, Mike is charting a rite of passage for one of the
:37:16. > :37:21.puppies that has splernted off from the group.
:37:22. > :37:27.-- splintered off. Have you got any contact with the dog? Yeah, we
:37:28. > :37:32.caught up with bunny who has managed to catch himself a small baby
:37:33. > :37:38.impala. That is a real baptism of fire. That
:37:39. > :37:42.will be the first kill he has made by himself. The new generation is
:37:43. > :37:47.turning into good hunters. That is pretty impressive for a six
:37:48. > :37:51.month old pup, and when we came here, a month ago they were all paws
:37:52. > :37:55.and floppy and useless, and in a month they have grown up enough they
:37:56. > :38:02.can join in the hunt and make their own kill. And just really bodes well
:38:03. > :38:11.for the future of this pack. On my side of the spring, nothing is
:38:12. > :38:17.going to waste. Amazing. Look at that. Dogs totally egaltarian,
:38:18. > :38:20.letting the puppies go in first. Amazing.
:38:21. > :38:24.I didn't think we would see that and I really did not think I would film
:38:25. > :38:30.it. This place is awesome. We have had
:38:31. > :38:34.so much contact with these dog, it is incredibly lucky.
:38:35. > :38:42.And they have grown used to us being here too, what a privilege.
:38:43. > :38:45.Back at the studio, Simon who has been studying African birds since he
:38:46. > :38:52.was a small boy has been watching the action at one of the wild dog's
:38:53. > :38:58.kills. There is the white back. There is a little hooded vulture,
:38:59. > :39:03.which is a tiny vulture that sits on the periphery. So the wild dogs have
:39:04. > :39:08.left the kill. They have gone down to the water. How many seconds was
:39:09. > :39:13.that? Moments and in the background they are going is it safe? That is
:39:14. > :39:17.astonishing. ? You can see how fishily they are getting rid of the
:39:18. > :39:23.kill. It is only going to be a matter of ten minute and within 20
:39:24. > :39:27.minutes they can get rid of that entire kill. If you imagine they are
:39:28. > :39:31.eating just less than a kilogram, imagine about 150 birds coming down,
:39:32. > :39:38.that is 150 kilograms being lifted off into the heavens. The tongue
:39:39. > :39:42.scoops. It goes like a sewing machine, taking all the food away.
:39:43. > :39:46.So is there any sort of pecking order, any sort of hierarchy or each
:39:47. > :39:51.to their own? There is no real order. As a scientist one is
:39:52. > :39:54.supposed say there is order and pigeon hole things nicely, in the
:39:55. > :39:59.vent you can see there isn't too much in the way of an orderly
:40:00. > :40:06.approach to vultures eating. About 70% of all the biomass in terms of
:40:07. > :40:12.meat that is consumed is by vultures.
:40:13. > :40:18.A battered looking hyena here, they are fearful of wild dogs but what
:40:19. > :40:23.about hyena. Look at him. They don't care much. He has to come in and
:40:24. > :40:28.push them off and they don't seem to care less about a hyena. But wild
:40:29. > :40:32.dog different story. The hyena only located the carcass because it saw
:40:33. > :40:37.the vulture, if you have hungry lion I don't know, they will do the same.
:40:38. > :40:40.Jackals and vultures will follow. It doesn't do them any favour they are
:40:41. > :40:45.telling everybody but they have no choice.
:40:46. > :40:49.But now the rains have come it is not just schrurls Simon has been
:40:50. > :40:57.watching on the cameras. -- vultures.
:40:58. > :41:03.Migratory birds time their arrival to coincide with the rains and they
:41:04. > :41:04.have done it to perfection. Joining the native birds in ever
:41:05. > :41:35.growing numbers. Right now is season where the birds
:41:36. > :41:41.are coming in. They are flying in in expectation of
:41:42. > :41:47.the rains. This place is famous for its lagoons, up to 75% of the area
:41:48. > :41:58.can be underwater. They are flying in from as far as Europe and
:41:59. > :42:00.Russia. They will stay here over the northern winter, they will leave in
:42:01. > :42:17.April. He has also spotted a dramatic
:42:18. > :42:20.moment caught on one of the cameras. Lots of words have to congregate and
:42:21. > :42:24.come down to drink the water, putting them into some sort of
:42:25. > :42:30.danger. Lots of hawks and falcons are coming down, they are having to
:42:31. > :42:35.come to water, they are obliged. If you look in this corner, you will
:42:36. > :42:42.see something incredibly rare. Within a second or two. A young
:42:43. > :42:50.crocodile just came out of the water and just punched a number of the
:42:51. > :42:54.birds. Didn't catch anything. I've been called to the studio because
:42:55. > :42:57.one of the salt springs lionesses has been captured on one of the
:42:58. > :43:04.camera is behaving are usually down at the river bank. -- behaving
:43:05. > :43:15.unusually. There's not much cover here, so catching prey is not high
:43:16. > :43:21.on her gender. -- agenda. Quite a tummy on her, interestingly. She
:43:22. > :43:27.could have fared well, -- fared well, it could be that she is
:43:28. > :43:32.expecting. Very hard to tell with Lions. She has extended teats, but
:43:33. > :43:38.with an old lioness that is not definitive. But the fact that she is
:43:39. > :43:44.putting herself in a position to ambush prey it something comes up
:43:45. > :43:54.suggests that she's not fat with food. If she was, she would find
:43:55. > :43:57.some shade, sleep it off. But supports the thought that maybe she
:43:58. > :44:01.is pregnant and explains why she might have moved away from the rest
:44:02. > :44:06.of the pride. When a lionesses going to give birth, she takes herself
:44:07. > :44:15.away. Good luck to her. I hope I see her in the flesh soon. I head back
:44:16. > :44:17.to the salt springs, where the rest of the lion pride and now the wild
:44:18. > :44:31.dogs are sharing the same territory. Dogs usually avoid Lions at all
:44:32. > :44:37.costs. Lots of wild dog puppies are killed by the big cat, but here, the
:44:38. > :44:43.glut of praise seems to have taken the pressure of what is usually a
:44:44. > :44:49.very hostile relationship. -- the glut of prey. Buffalo herd has been
:44:50. > :44:56.at the salt springs for the first time in days.
:44:57. > :45:02.And what's astounding is that here we have both our wild dogs and lions
:45:03. > :45:16.within 100 metres of each other, each eyeing up the new arrivals.
:45:17. > :45:22.This is incredibly rare. And this is a tinderbox. Any second now,
:45:23. > :45:43.someone's going to light the touch paper and it's going to go off.
:45:44. > :45:49.The dogs are unlikely to make a genuine attack on the buffalo - way
:45:50. > :46:09.too big, and they wouldn't dare with the lions nearby.
:46:10. > :46:17.Here they come. This is it. The salt springs pride of lions, two of them,
:46:18. > :46:22.mature lionesses. They're going to walk straight into where the dogs
:46:23. > :46:28.are as well. The catalyst for this move has been that the main herd has
:46:29. > :46:36.moved off. But pulling up the rear is this subgroup, just a few cows
:46:37. > :46:37.and their calves. And that is a trigger to the lions, who think they
:46:38. > :46:59.might be in with a chance. They're going in. Now.
:47:00. > :47:09.Trying to hook into a calf. They're on it, they've got a calf. Wild dogs
:47:10. > :47:14.watching on. You couldn't make it up. Another salutary lesson for the
:47:15. > :47:23.wild dog pups of the efficiency of their mighty feline adversaries.
:47:24. > :47:47.Going for an adult. Going for one of the cows.
:47:48. > :47:53.They are big, they are powerful and they've got it. That's it. Got it
:47:54. > :48:11.down. That's two meals in one. They've got
:48:12. > :48:18.the calf and an adult in one go. What an efficient force!
:48:19. > :48:30.That's it. The salt springs pride has got themselves a very, very
:48:31. > :48:37.substantial meal. The lions, of course, have absolutely no interest
:48:38. > :48:40.at the moment in tracing the dogs. -- chasing the dogs. They've got
:48:41. > :48:44.their kill, they're hot, they've exerted a lot of energy and they
:48:45. > :48:54.just want to settle down and tuck in. Here come the cubs. These are
:48:55. > :48:59.going to be two very happy little cubs, I tell you.
:49:00. > :49:07.Now I know the salt springs pride of lions will be well fed for several
:49:08. > :49:10.days to come. Of course, it's harrowing to see other animals
:49:11. > :49:22.killed, but lions and wild dogs earn their living by killing, and there's
:49:23. > :49:25.no other agenda than getting a meal. And when you see the now
:49:26. > :49:26.four-month-old cubs benefiting so much from a good meal, you can't
:49:27. > :50:05.help but feel happy for them. You may remember from last week that
:50:06. > :50:09.we've set up cameras on a crocodile nest, but the female croc wasn't
:50:10. > :50:13.triggering the censors. Crocodile researcher Alison and I are back to
:50:14. > :50:20.check if our camera guru has found a solution. Finally the tripwire
:50:21. > :50:35.leading to the croc nest has been chipped. -- tripped. Look who
:50:36. > :50:40.arrives. Fantastic! Onto the nest. So we can actually watch her walk
:50:41. > :50:44.onto the nest. That is brilliant. Well done you. Because it looked
:50:45. > :50:49.like we weren't going to be able to get anything from her, that she was
:50:50. > :50:56.going to elude us. But our real hope for the cameras was to see the eggs
:50:57. > :50:59.hatch. And, guess what? While all the animals are giving birth
:51:00. > :51:06.everywhere we look, we've waited and waited but nothing's happened. It
:51:07. > :51:15.will take a bit more rain for them to be ready to hatch.
:51:16. > :51:24.For the beaten boys, the rain will bring welcome relief. Their isolated
:51:25. > :51:30.pools will fill, the grass will grow and they'll recover their strength.
:51:31. > :51:41.Then they can return to the main pods to be contenders once again.
:51:42. > :51:46.We've been watching one of our salt springs lionesses hanging round on
:51:47. > :51:53.the river bank all alone, which is unusual behaviour. Before I leave
:51:54. > :51:58.Zambia, I want to check up on her and confirm what she's been up to.
:51:59. > :52:07.She's shifted location a few hundred metres inland. We haven't seen her
:52:08. > :52:10.for a few days. There she is. Very determined and going back to
:52:11. > :52:23.somewhere in a very, very straight line. This is super encouraging.
:52:24. > :52:29.This is exactly what lionesses do when they've got tiddlers. I would
:52:30. > :52:38.put money on the fact that in those bushes she's got a little surprise
:52:39. > :52:40.for us. I'm just going to keep back, keep back, keep that. See what's
:52:41. > :53:03.going on. That's it, she's going in. I can see her just tucked in the
:53:04. > :53:07.bushes. I can't see anything else. Maybe she's just resting.
:53:08. > :53:38.Oh! I can! I can! She's got cubs! Right in the cover, deep, deep,
:53:39. > :53:50.deep, deep in there. They are tiny. That is gorgeous. Fantastic. She's
:53:51. > :53:54.got two tiny cubs. They are no more than a week old, ears are still
:53:55. > :54:02.folded almost flat, they're blind. Very wobbly. They can hardly walk.
:54:03. > :54:10.All the time, their mouths are open. They're just gorgeous. These little
:54:11. > :54:14.ones have tiny spots like leopards. They'll fade as they get older, but
:54:15. > :54:28.they're great camouflage for the moment. Oh, they are exquisite.
:54:29. > :54:34.Well, here we are in the season of renewal, and she, Tippy, as I now
:54:35. > :55:04.refer to her, has got her own young family.
:55:05. > :55:13.They are completely helpless, 100% dependent on her for everything. For
:55:14. > :55:16.milk, cos that's all they're getting, they haven't even got teeth
:55:17. > :55:26.yet. She's just totally chilled, totally relaxed, which is lovely.
:55:27. > :55:43.What an amazing thing to find. Isn't it a beautiful illustration of
:55:44. > :55:56.just how tender and attentive a massive brute of a predator like
:55:57. > :56:01.that can be? Now I too can rest easy. I'll be leaving Zambia with
:56:02. > :56:09.high hopes for all the salt springs pride, old and new.
:56:10. > :56:13.Last year's rainy season delivered less rain than usual, so for the
:56:14. > :56:22.valley and its wildlife, this year's rains need to be good. It's hard to
:56:23. > :56:26.imagine what this scene will look like in a couple of months' time, as
:56:27. > :56:30.more and more rain falls the levels of the river will slowly start to
:56:31. > :56:34.rise, but by early next year, this will be a raging torrent, and the
:56:35. > :56:40.water will come right up from this bank to that one. It's hard to
:56:41. > :56:43.believe, isn't it? As for the hippos and crocs, well, they won't be
:56:44. > :56:47.squashed into tiny restrictive pools any more. They'll move away from the
:56:48. > :56:59.main river into the lagoons and streams. The pressure will finally
:57:00. > :57:03.be off them. And already that first big downpour
:57:04. > :57:12.has brought about changes, and heralded a new stage in the lives of
:57:13. > :57:16.all the animals in the valley. The start of the rains marks the
:57:17. > :57:20.beginning of the African spring but, sadly, it also marks the end of our
:57:21. > :57:24.time here. Over the next few weeks and months, this landscape will
:57:25. > :57:40.transform from dry and brown to lush and green.
:57:41. > :57:45.That transformation will profoundly affect all of the wildlife here. For
:57:46. > :57:48.herbivores, it will be a time of plenty. There'll be vegetation
:57:49. > :57:52.everywhere, water for them to choose from from across a vast area. But a
:57:53. > :57:56.different story for predators, because all of the prey for the
:57:57. > :58:03.lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs will be spread out. It will be
:58:04. > :58:06.lean pickings. We would like to think our host, guides and experts
:58:07. > :58:11.for introducing us to this remarkable corner of Africa. Rains
:58:12. > :58:15.Undercover is on the red button straight after this, but, from all
:58:16. > :58:18.of us here in Zambia, we'd like to wish you a very good night. Good