Episode 3 Africa 2013: Countdown to the Rains

Here in southern Africa, we are at the end of one of the harshest dry

seasons in recent memory. The land is parched, food is scarce, the

river is drying up. Thousands of animals do daily battle to survive

in the searing heat. Predators circle, and wait for the opportunity

to strike. Everything is waiting for rain. Here in Zambia's Luangwa

Valley we have had the first rainfall in eight months, but a

short sharp shower is not going to be enough to break the grip of the

dry season. But change is in the air.

So could it be that the animals don't need to endure too much more

time before the rains come? In is the final countdown to the

rains. Revealing the seismic change in fortunes for all of life in the

Luangwa Valley. Welcome back to Zambia, here in the

heart of southern Africa. We are here at a critical time, a time of

great seasonal shift. Spring is on the way, and with it will come

transformation. For the last four week, our cameras

have been trained on the Luangwa River, one the few remaining water

sources in the valley. Following the fortunes of the animalles here as

they wait for annual rains to begin. -- animals. We have rigged a mile

long stretch of the river, with a series of remote cameras, and they

are connected to these monitors by a couple of miles of cable, and they

can be monitored 24 hours a day from this, our studio tent.

The Luangwa Valley has one of the highest concentration of wildlife in

Africa and at this time of year the animals have no choice but to stick

close to the only available water. And that means this is an easy time

for predators, all their prey is concentrated in one area.

For the hippos, space is running out in their fast depleting pools.

And coming to the river to drink has become an increasingly risky

business. So just to remind you where we are,

we are in the south Luangwa National Park in the east of Zambia, and our

camp is right on this bend in the Luangwa River, the cameras are set

out round that bend, and the salt springs where Simon hangs out is

just there. The salt springs is about file MI5s

from the river and it is the only other water in the area.

There, wildlife cameraman Mike Holding and I have witnessed some

astonishing scenes of predators in action.

The first major downpour will bring almost instant change. But will it

be enough to bring relief to the outcast hippos, driven from the main

river into isolated pools? Will predators like the leopard mum

struggle to find enough food to satisfy her cub. ? And what of our

little lion cubs? Will they survive the constant threat of a pride take

over from invading males? Will the pressure to find food ease off for

the elephant, including Stumpy with his maimed trunk? This is the moment

when the tables turn, and life becomes more challenging for the

predators. I am at the salt springs, when the

first drops of rainfall. Fantastic. Can't believe our luck.

It is only a short shower and it is confined to this small area, but

even this amount of rain can have a dramatic effect on all the animals

here. As the landscape blossoms and

watering holes develop, animals will disperse across the valley,

occupying barren areas where food and water are not plentiful.

Wild dogs are one of the most endangered animals in Africa. Their

hope ranges can cover hundreds of square miles, and they usually keep

on the move to find food. But with prey still needing to drink

from the springs, there is no need yet for the dogs to move on.

The wild dogs have found themselves a super spot. Sticking near the

water, not surprising. Just the odd puddle.

When a herd of nearly 1,000 Buffalo appear at the spring, it is clear

why the pack has holed up here, food and water are both plentiful for all

life. Aye aye, look at this. Hang on.

Some of the adult dogs are looking interested. Instead of giving way to

this herd of giant, the wild dogs look keen. There is no way they can

tackle a healthy adult Buffalo which weighs in at over 400 kilos compared

to an adult dog's 20 Dee lows or so. -- kilos. But a very young calf just

might be vulnerable. The truth is though, this is high

jinx rather than serious hunting. It is a testament to the entire pack's

good condition they can afford to play round like this.

Then, an old, weak Buffalo at the back of the header attracts the

adult dogs' attention. Blimey! Down, off her feet. That is nothing do

with the dog, she really is quite literally on her last leg, and they

are interested now. Look at that. But they don't know what to do with

it. No-one is making contact. Ah. She is up again.

Now they are having a go. Snapping at her ankles, her tail. She is back

in the safety of the header. That got quite heavy for a moment

there! Their technique, unlike the lions,

which is to stalk and ambush prey; the dogs are coursers, their set

their sight and go after it. They do not stop until they get a meal. They

are the most successful of the large predators when it comes to

percentage of attempts that result in a final meal.

Over 80%, sometimes 85, 78%, success rate. That is incredibly high.

The pubbies have learned a valuable lesson of what they can and cannot

tackle as prey. -- puppies. That first light shower was

restricted to just a small area. So when Simon filmed that very first

rain shower, he was up here, at the salt pans filming the dog, I was

down here, at the studio tent. We could see that the sky had got

really dark, and we could hear very distant rumbles of thunder but no

rain fell at all, it was completely localised to the salt pans. But rain

is clearly on its way, and back at the studio, we are taking no

chances. We are making preparations for the next storm. Making sure that

the tents are all tied down. It is very important, putting in sandbag,

some drainage. We are nice and Cheryls in the trees but the rain, I

am worried about. We can get two-and-a-half inches in an hour,

that is a lot of water. The weather patterns take time to develop but

the rains are upon us. It is a question of time. This is it, the

dawning of the new season as it was. Every day, lots of elephant have

come down to the river to drink. But now we are seeing only a few.

Rachel McRobb has been studying the elephants for many years. Something

we noticed almost immediately after the rain was that the elephants seem

to have completely disappeared. Any clues as to where? As you have seen

over the last few week, elephants have concentrated almost solely

round the river, and that is particularly because of food. Food

and water, they can't venture too far from the river, but now as soon

as there is a bit of water further away, they are going to try and

leave the Luangwa, get more food, I mean there is loads of gorgeous

fresh mopane leaves round right now, but it doesn't have nearly the same

nutritional value as any of the new fresh green grass. It sounds

ridiculous but can they smell it, can they sense where there may be

new growth? They definitely just through their annual movement, they

know where they should be going, as soon as it starts raining, they know

where they need to start heading off to, they probably can detect rain

and new green shoots faster than any of us. So I think as soon as there

is a bit of water they will try and move away from the water and get

more food. We find a herd of elephant three miles inland from the

river, heading east. Among those dispersing herds we see

Stumpy, the young elephant with the trunk nameled by a poacher's snare.

-- name -- maimed. He has survived this most

challenging of seasons, and will follow the rest of herds as the

isolated showers lead them in search of new water and fresh vegetation.

While the elephants may be dispersing there is no reason yet

for the predators to go anywhere. For them, rain means they will soon

be working harder to find food, so they are making the most of these

last glory days. It is a good time to check on the

salt springs lions and their two cubs. Remarkable, isn't it, how

quickly it all dries up again after a shower.

It will have had an effect, that rain will be relatively slight and

local just to this area round the salt springs, it will have had an

effect on the vegetation round here. But look at the sky now, it is hard

to think that yesterday it was thunder, and, and cooling down.

To see family life so content and relaxed with the salt springs pride

of lions, especially the two little ones. Their round bellies. And not

just the will but the comfort to indulge in play.

One thing's Fischler, they have eaten in the night. You couldn't

squeeze anything else into that belly. It is like a balloon. I can't

help gushing, they are just gorgeous. Lovely.

But there's a question hanging over the future of these cubs which comes

in the form of rival Lions. I have lost track of some of the

competition, known as the Hollywood pride. They are not where I left

them last week, so we concentrate the surge near the river, where

their quarry is plentiful. I find them four miles south. They have not

moved any further into salt springs territory. Rather than hostile

takeover, the pride appears to have something else on its mind. Buffalo.

What a wall of might and muscle that is. Those balls represent a fabulous

defence force for the entire herd. Buffalo really cooperate to defend

their ranks. I mean, even one of them being attacked is likely to

stimulate a rally, where everybody comes to its defence. And so, as a

result, the lions, a herd like this, is a huge challenge in every sense

of the word. The little rain that we've had won't

have had any effect on the condition of these buffalo. They're still

suffering the deprivations of the dry season. But there is safety in

numbers. Those big fellows, the bulls, are a near impenetrable wall,

particularly to one or two lions. Only when lions get together in

force will they risk tackling a bunch of bad-tempered buffalo like

that. The Hollywood pride launches its

attack. They split the buffalo herds and isolate their targets.

An adult male buffalo can weigh almost half a tonne, but the right

males step up to the challenge, hurling their 200 kilo frames at the

quarry. -- the pride males step up to the challenge.

Within ten minutes, the pride takes down three adult buffalo, more than

enough to feed all 22 cats in the group for a couple of days.

It may look excessive but, of course, any remains from these kills

support a huge number of scavengers and bug life.

It's been an incredibly harsh period of the year for everything that

lives here. Apart from, perhaps, the predators. They've been making the

most of this time of plenty. And with the coming of the rains, things

are going to get challenging, because no longer will prey reliably

come to one place. It's going to be spread out across the landscape.

Just how long the Hollywood pride will stay in salt springs territory

is hard to say. My guess is that when the really heavy rains come,

the buffalo will disperse and these lions will move with them.

And if that's what happens, the salt springs cubs will have one less

pressure on their chances of survival.

Until the big rains come, the whole valley remains in the grip of

drought. The struggle to survive goes on.

Most in danger are the hippos. Particularly the exiled males, or

beaten boys. Pushed out of the main river by

dominant males, they have to make do with any water they can find. The

rain that fell simply wasn't enough for some of the animals and, as

ever, it's the hippos that are really bearing the brunt. This one

behind me, we did see alive two or three days ago, but it was a long

way from the main river, it was very thin, it had clearly come up to the

edge of the salt plain hoping to find a pool big enough to be able to

submerging, and enough food but, sadly, the animal has succumbed not

just to heat but the lack of water. Finally, the clouds that have been

building every afternoon deliver more rain. This time on the stretch

of river where our studio is. But almost as soon is it starts, it

stops again. That's the prelude, that's just the little warning to,

like, strap everything down, because when it comes it will really come.

50 mile an hour winds, torrential downpour.

Honorary wildlife officer Rob Clifford explains even this short

shower will make a difference. Rob, we've had one sharp, short shower.

How will the animals react? The buffalo will move on to higher

ground. It's an interesting time, it's that magic week between it

being deathly dry to having the green starting to come through.

We've actually noticed the change in the animals' demeanour. The warthogs

are active, running with the piglets and a lot more energy. How will the

landscape start to transform? After the first really heavy rain, you see

little green shoots. That is the beginning of the grass cover. We

have already started seeing leads coming out on some of the deciduous

hardwoods. The dust bowl that you see now is transformed in about a

week. The bush starts to thicken, it is completely different. Where we

see brown, it is all green, important for the animals. How long

does it take for the river to fill? It is a mere trickle now, but the

river will start to rise very slowly initially. We accept a storm a week,

in about a month we expect two or three a week, in January and

February it rains almost every day and the river shoots up to a point

where we can have the river rise at an inch and hour. -- we expect a

storm a week. Which is a phenomenal amount of water. Look at this. Just

one shower of rain, and the earth is exploding with new life. Just

imagine what it's going to be like when the rains come properly.

That short, sharp shower is a reminder that soon the roads will be

passable, cutting off my access to all of the creatures I've been

following. -- soon the roads will be impassable. Not least the leopard

mum and cub I was lucky enough to see a few days ago.

So, as usual, I'm out on a mission before first light.

I can't be certain that they're going to be in the same place. They

may well spread out in pursuit of prey. But I will know unless I get

out there. -- I won't know. Trying to find a leopard is a bit

like trying to recall an elusive memory. You know it's out there, you

just can't quite put your finger on it.

There is an apocryphal estimate that every 300 metres or so on the river

is a leopard territory. A lot of hippo tracks here, and

impala. No sign of leopard. This is an animal that makes its living by

stealth. And it is perfectly normal for a leopard to be in a bush, on a

tree, have a lot of life all around it, and nobody knows it's there.

I've been out since 4:30am, which is an hour before sunrise. I'm pretty

confident that I am within 200 or 300 metres of a leopard. I haven't

seen it. Possibly the best sign that you've got a leopard is the reaction

of all the creatures around you. Because these cats are stealth

hunters, and everything knows it. So the moment they are spotted, you get

an alarm. And impala makes a sound like someone tearing a bed sheet.

And then baboons sound like a dog, actually.

All the signs are that I'm close. It's time to change tactics.

This big fig tree is a classic leopard resting place.

A big shady tree with a horizontal branch to just flop out and rest on

during the course of the day. It's a good spot, I think I'll just take it

out and see what turns up. -- I'll just stake it out. Guinea fowl. The

guinea fowl have seen something. For sure.

Oh, look! It's the cub. You've got to start somewhere with

your hunting technique, haven't you? You're doing OK. But no sign of Mum

yet. She'll be nearby, I'm sure. The cub is still wholly dependent on her

for food and protection. There's Mum. There's Mum. Now, what

are the chances? It's not a leopard, it's the leopard I was hoping to

see. The mum with the young cub. The moment you set eyes on them, you

know they know. You know they know. And many disappear back into the

shadows, they're gone like a breath. This pair will stick round and the

mother the use the cover of darkness to secure the next meal.

An adult female impala. Leopards are one of the most efficient hunters in

the bush. That doesn't mean to say they always

get their way, they are not endurance hunters. Leapt --

leoparded are the only big cat that pulls a meal up into a tree like

this. And they do so only in areas where there is a lot of competition

from predators on the ground. Hyenas, and lions specifically.

Just think of the power it takes, to carry a carcass, which is going to

be weighing 25, 30 kilo, and to carry that up a tree, holding it in

your mouth, using your claws to get into position.

They are not the biggest of big cats, but, I tell you what, they are

so strong. These cats are among the most

adaptable with or without the rain. They are going to be OK. They can

slip through the shadows and find a meal, in almost any circumstances.

This little cub is going to be fine. Four days after the first small rain

shower, a new day dawnings. But -- dawns, but this one is different.

Humidity is high, the clouds are building, and the wind is picking

up. Finally, the skies open, and deliver

their promise. The first big rain is here. The

countdown is over. That is the rain triggering that one

I was going to say. The storm is right over the studio.

We batten down the hatches and hope our preparations are good enough.

Dramatic scenes! Because it soon becomes evident think is not just a

light shower. -- that it's not just a light

shower. What we didn't realise was quite how

dramatic it was going to be, so we are sitting in camp, heat of the

day, it has really got to boiling point. And this incredible wind

comes from this direction, blowing this great wall of sand and dust,

along the lent of the river. Behind that wall slammed the rain. Now,

these little covered bundles behind me here, are the corpses of some of

our crew's tents which were literally spread-eagled all over

this field. Everything was upside down, whole tents including the beds

and everything in them just tipped and turned like tumble wood up

givens the rondavels, the whole camp is in a state of chaos. If this is

the beginning of the rains, my goodness what will it be like at the

end? The rain is already having a

dramatic effect on the landscape and the

leaves are beginning to appear on the tree, flowers are blooming.

Frogs are beginning to sing. Birds are building their nests.

Spring is here. And in every thicket is a tiny leggy

impala faun. When we first got here, when we were

absolutely in the grip of the dry season, there was no sign of any

youngsters round at all, but a lot of the females were looking fat and

sleek which seemed surprising given there is so little food left but

they were pregnant Pregnant, exactly. As we approached the rains,

they were all dropped within a few days of each other.

They are gorgeous, they look like they have been made out of

matchstick, they are tiny little spindly things and yet almost more

agile than the adult, they can turn on a six pence, they can disappear

into the bush in a moment Within half an hour and they can run with

mum. That is remarkable. Can you imagine from birth to running in 30

minutes is incredible. Impala set up creches like this,

with up to a dozen fauns, looked after by a couple of females.

This system allows the other females to go off and feed.

And to evade predators, impalas have formed an unusual alliance for

protection. One thing that I have noticed is

that there seems to be some sort of partnership or relationship between

the Babs and the impala. Very close association, I think each of them is

bringing something to their relationship. The Babs eyesight is a

lot better, and obviously the Babs being in trees can see things

earlier. So they will act as an early warning system Yes, the

impala's sense of hearing is better so it's a good trade off.

For Babs the rain means the trees will soon fruit. Infant mortality is

at its highest in the dry season but improves when the rains come and

there is more food round. The babies hang under their mothers

until they are about two monthsing and big enough to ride jockey style

on their mother's back. Across the valley, there is a sense

of renewal. From warthogs to hippos, all are set

to benefit. But while spring gives the herb Voe

-- herbivores a chance of survival. All those new babies are easy

potential meals for the predators. Only 50% of impala fauns will make

it through to adulthood. Mike Holding joins me at the salt

springses with the wild dogs. It is very unusual for a pack of dogs with

puppies this mobile to hang round the same spot for so long. It can

only be because prey is so plentiful here.

And with heavily pregnant impala and a glut of newborn fauns there is no

sign of the bounty coming to an end soon. In a flash, the dogs switch to

hunting mode. Aye aye, look, look. There is an

impala coming in now. They are on it. They are definitely

on it. Here they come. Look, look at them go. That is the

adult dogs. Ears down. At full pelt a wild dog can reach

nearly 40mph. Into the woods. No, another one

coming up here. Look, look! Right on it. Female.

This one is too big for the puppies to tackle but the adult dogs can

keep running at speed for more than two miles. Non-stop.

The impala has got little chance. In the

They have got it. They have got it. That's it.

All over. That is not the end of the pack's ambition, on the other side

of the spring, Mike is charting a rite of passage for one of the

puppies that has splernted off from the group.

-- splintered off. Have you got any contact with the dog? Yeah, we

caught up with bunny who has managed to catch himself a small baby

impala. That is a real baptism of fire. That

will be the first kill he has made by himself. The new generation is

turning into good hunters. That is pretty impressive for a six

month old pup, and when we came here, a month ago they were all paws

and floppy and useless, and in a month they have grown up enough they

can join in the hunt and make their own kill. And just really bodes well

for the future of this pack. On my side of the spring, nothing is

going to waste. Amazing. Look at that. Dogs totally egaltarian,

letting the puppies go in first. Amazing.

I didn't think we would see that and I really did not think I would film

it. This place is awesome. We have had

so much contact with these dog, it is incredibly lucky.

And they have grown used to us being here too, what a privilege.

Back at the studio, Simon who has been studying African birds since he

was a small boy has been watching the action at one of the wild dog's

kills. There is the white back. There is a little hooded vulture,

which is a tiny vulture that sits on the periphery. So the wild dogs have

left the kill. They have gone down to the water. How many seconds was

that? Moments and in the background they are going is it safe? That is

astonishing. ? You can see how fishily they are getting rid of the

kill. It is only going to be a matter of ten minute and within 20

minutes they can get rid of that entire kill. If you imagine they are

eating just less than a kilogram, imagine about 150 birds coming down,

that is 150 kilograms being lifted off into the heavens. The tongue

scoops. It goes like a sewing machine, taking all the food away.

So is there any sort of pecking order, any sort of hierarchy or each

to their own? There is no real order. As a scientist one is

supposed say there is order and pigeon hole things nicely, in the

vent you can see there isn't too much in the way of an orderly

approach to vultures eating. About 70% of all the biomass in terms of

meat that is consumed is by vultures.

A battered looking hyena here, they are fearful of wild dogs but what

about hyena. Look at him. They don't care much. He has to come in and

push them off and they don't seem to care less about a hyena. But wild

dog different story. The hyena only located the carcass because it saw

the vulture, if you have hungry lion I don't know, they will do the same.

Jackals and vultures will follow. It doesn't do them any favour they are

telling everybody but they have no choice.

But now the rains have come it is not just schrurls Simon has been

watching on the cameras. -- vultures.

Migratory birds time their arrival to coincide with the rains and they

have done it to perfection. Joining the native birds in ever

growing numbers. Right now is season where the birds

are coming in. They are flying in in expectation of

the rains. This place is famous for its lagoons, up to 75% of the area

can be underwater. They are flying in from as far as Europe and

Russia. They will stay here over the northern winter, they will leave in

April. He has also spotted a dramatic

moment caught on one of the cameras. Lots of words have to congregate and

come down to drink the water, putting them into some sort of

danger. Lots of hawks and falcons are coming down, they are having to

come to water, they are obliged. If you look in this corner, you will

see something incredibly rare. Within a second or two. A young

crocodile just came out of the water and just punched a number of the

birds. Didn't catch anything. I've been called to the studio because

one of the salt springs lionesses has been captured on one of the

camera is behaving are usually down at the river bank. -- behaving

unusually. There's not much cover here, so catching prey is not high

on her gender. -- agenda. Quite a tummy on her, interestingly. She

could have fared well, -- fared well, it could be that she is

expecting. Very hard to tell with Lions. She has extended teats, but

with an old lioness that is not definitive. But the fact that she is

putting herself in a position to ambush prey it something comes up

suggests that she's not fat with food. If she was, she would find

some shade, sleep it off. But supports the thought that maybe she

is pregnant and explains why she might have moved away from the rest

of the pride. When a lionesses going to give birth, she takes herself

away. Good luck to her. I hope I see her in the flesh soon. I head back

to the salt springs, where the rest of the lion pride and now the wild

dogs are sharing the same territory. Dogs usually avoid Lions at all

costs. Lots of wild dog puppies are killed by the big cat, but here, the

glut of praise seems to have taken the pressure of what is usually a

very hostile relationship. -- the glut of prey. Buffalo herd has been

at the salt springs for the first time in days.

And what's astounding is that here we have both our wild dogs and lions

within 100 metres of each other, each eyeing up the new arrivals.

This is incredibly rare. And this is a tinderbox. Any second now,

someone's going to light the touch paper and it's going to go off.

The dogs are unlikely to make a genuine attack on the buffalo - way

too big, and they wouldn't dare with the lions nearby.

Here they come. This is it. The salt springs pride of lions, two of them,

mature lionesses. They're going to walk straight into where the dogs

are as well. The catalyst for this move has been that the main herd has

moved off. But pulling up the rear is this subgroup, just a few cows

and their calves. And that is a trigger to the lions, who think they

might be in with a chance. They're going in. Now.

Trying to hook into a calf. They're on it, they've got a calf. Wild dogs

watching on. You couldn't make it up. Another salutary lesson for the

wild dog pups of the efficiency of their mighty feline adversaries.

Going for an adult. Going for one of the cows.

They are big, they are powerful and they've got it. That's it. Got it

down. That's two meals in one. They've got

the calf and an adult in one go. What an efficient force!

That's it. The salt springs pride has got themselves a very, very

substantial meal. The lions, of course, have absolutely no interest

at the moment in tracing the dogs. -- chasing the dogs. They've got

their kill, they're hot, they've exerted a lot of energy and they

just want to settle down and tuck in. Here come the cubs. These are

going to be two very happy little cubs, I tell you.

Now I know the salt springs pride of lions will be well fed for several

days to come. Of course, it's harrowing to see other animals

killed, but lions and wild dogs earn their living by killing, and there's

no other agenda than getting a meal. And when you see the now

four-month-old cubs benefiting so much from a good meal, you can't

help but feel happy for them. You may remember from last week that

we've set up cameras on a crocodile nest, but the female croc wasn't

triggering the censors. Crocodile researcher Alison and I are back to

check if our camera guru has found a solution. Finally the tripwire

leading to the croc nest has been chipped. -- tripped. Look who

arrives. Fantastic! Onto the nest. So we can actually watch her walk

onto the nest. That is brilliant. Well done you. Because it looked

like we weren't going to be able to get anything from her, that she was

going to elude us. But our real hope for the cameras was to see the eggs

hatch. And, guess what? While all the animals are giving birth

everywhere we look, we've waited and waited but nothing's happened. It

will take a bit more rain for them to be ready to hatch.

For the beaten boys, the rain will bring welcome relief. Their isolated

pools will fill, the grass will grow and they'll recover their strength.

Then they can return to the main pods to be contenders once again.

We've been watching one of our salt springs lionesses hanging round on

the river bank all alone, which is unusual behaviour. Before I leave

Zambia, I want to check up on her and confirm what she's been up to.

She's shifted location a few hundred metres inland. We haven't seen her

for a few days. There she is. Very determined and going back to

somewhere in a very, very straight line. This is super encouraging.

This is exactly what lionesses do when they've got tiddlers. I would

put money on the fact that in those bushes she's got a little surprise

for us. I'm just going to keep back, keep back, keep that. See what's

going on. That's it, she's going in. I can see her just tucked in the

bushes. I can't see anything else. Maybe she's just resting.

Oh! I can! I can! She's got cubs! Right in the cover, deep, deep,

deep, deep in there. They are tiny. That is gorgeous. Fantastic. She's

got two tiny cubs. They are no more than a week old, ears are still

folded almost flat, they're blind. Very wobbly. They can hardly walk.

All the time, their mouths are open. They're just gorgeous. These little

ones have tiny spots like leopards. They'll fade as they get older, but

they're great camouflage for the moment. Oh, they are exquisite.

Well, here we are in the season of renewal, and she, Tippy, as I now

refer to her, has got her own young family.

They are completely helpless, 100% dependent on her for everything. For

milk, cos that's all they're getting, they haven't even got teeth

yet. She's just totally chilled, totally relaxed, which is lovely.

What an amazing thing to find. Isn't it a beautiful illustration of

just how tender and attentive a massive brute of a predator like

that can be? Now I too can rest easy. I'll be leaving Zambia with

high hopes for all the salt springs pride, old and new.

Last year's rainy season delivered less rain than usual, so for the

valley and its wildlife, this year's rains need to be good. It's hard to

imagine what this scene will look like in a couple of months' time, as

more and more rain falls the levels of the river will slowly start to

rise, but by early next year, this will be a raging torrent, and the

water will come right up from this bank to that one. It's hard to

believe, isn't it? As for the hippos and crocs, well, they won't be

squashed into tiny restrictive pools any more. They'll move away from the

main river into the lagoons and streams. The pressure will finally

be off them. And already that first big downpour

has brought about changes, and heralded a new stage in the lives of

all the animals in the valley. The start of the rains marks the

beginning of the African spring but, sadly, it also marks the end of our

time here. Over the next few weeks and months, this landscape will

transform from dry and brown to lush and green.

That transformation will profoundly affect all of the wildlife here. For

herbivores, it will be a time of plenty. There'll be vegetation

everywhere, water for them to choose from from across a vast area. But a

different story for predators, because all of the prey for the

lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs will be spread out. It will be

lean pickings. We would like to think our host, guides and experts

for introducing us to this remarkable corner of Africa. Rains

Undercover is on the red button straight after this, but, from all

of us here in Zambia, we'd like to wish you a very good night. Good