An Elephant's Tale Planet Earth Live


An Elephant's Tale

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This is Maya. She's just a few hours old.

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The newest arrival in Samburu National Park in Northern Kenya.

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Maya's mum, Zadie, is a first-time parent.

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She must learn quickly,

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and guide Maya through the first vulnerable weeks of her life.

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Planet Earth Live have sent a crew to follow them

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through the good times and the bad.

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Right now, Maya and Zadie are separated from their herd.

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And surrounded by danger -

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hungry predators and the guns of poachers.

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Maya and Zadie must find the herd.

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The family can help protect Maya

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and teach her how to be an elephant.

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Maya faces many challenges.

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Her greatest is to cross the flooded river that runs through her home.

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If she and her family get this wrong, it will be a disaster.

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This is Maya's story.

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Maya is just moments old.

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She's frail, helpless

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and totally dependent on young first-time mum Zadie.

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This will be the hardest month of Maya's life.

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Aside from feeding, she has two crucial needs -

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to be protected from danger and to learn about the world around her.

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A big, stable family can provide Maya with both.

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It can literally make the difference between life and death.

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But Maya and Zadie are alone.

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When Zadie went into labour, her family left her behind.

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They had to keep moving to feed.

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The family are only a mile away,

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but to Zadie and Maya, it might as well be a million miles.

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They should be here, teaching Zadie how to be a mum.

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What Maya really needs is her first feed.

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Like humans, an elephant's first milk is packed with vital nutrients.

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It also kick-starts the baby's immune system.

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Maya desperately needs to feed, simply to keep going.

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She's hungry, exhausted, vulnerable to the slightest infection,

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and at the point of collapse.

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But instead of feeding Maya, Zadie keeps searching for the family.

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If she doesn't start to look after Maya properly,

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the youngster will soon be in serious trouble.

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Zadie has got one thing right.

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She came here - to Samburu.

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It's May, and it's the rainy season.

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The grass is high and plentiful.

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There's more than enough food for everyone.

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Thousands of elephants flood into the reserve

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to make the most of the feast.

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Pregnant females time giving birth to coincide with this bounty.

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For elephants, May brings something of a baby boom.

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But 20% of these babies will not live to see their first birthday.

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This is a dangerous world.

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Rain turns the river into a torrent and it's full of crocodiles.

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Temperatures can reach over 40 degrees Celsius.

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Maya's safe - so far.

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But it looks like the family have already lost a calf.

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Zadie's cousin Emily gave birth just last week.

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Now her calf is missing.

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David Daballen from the charity Save The Elephants

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is worried for the calf's safety.

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We're looking for a young baby

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and we've found the rest of the group

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but, you know, no sign of the baby,

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so I'm a little concerned about that.

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Emily is here, but not her calf.

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David fears the worst.

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I suspect it could be lions.

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We have two massive males in this pack

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who are very, very specialised in killing young baby elephants

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and, you know, we have seen their tracks around this area.

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Save The Elephants have been working here for nearly 20 years.

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David knows the park well.

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He heads straight for the area where Emily and her calf were last seen.

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There's no sign of a calf.

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Just a pride of very full lions.

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Most lions are reluctant to attack elephants,

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but here in Samburu, some prides have specialised.

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A baby elephant can weigh nearly as much as a lion.

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A single kill can feed the whole pride.

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Fearing the worst, David searches the area.

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He finds the one thing he really doesn't want to.

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The remains of Emily's calf.

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It's part of nature for elephants to lose a baby,

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but this will be quite emotional for poor Emily to lose her first calf,

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which was only a few days old.

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Elephants have very complex emotions.

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They respond to death just like us.

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For Emily, she'll be mourning for the calf she just lost.

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Despite Emily's loss, little Maya and her mum Zadie

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will still be safer with the herd than they are out here alone.

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Maya is just hours old...

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a tempting target for lions.

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And Zadie still hasn't given Maya her first essential feed.

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Dehydration is a very real threat to her tiny new life.

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What Maya desperately needs is food and a chance to cool down.

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Elephants use water holes to cool off in the heat of the day.

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As fun as this looks, there's a serious side to it.

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Samburu is close to the equator.

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The sun's rays can be lethal.

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Elephant skin can be nearly four centimetres thick in places.

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But it still needs protecting.

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And mud is a very effective natural sunscreen.

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Working out how to walk on it can take some time.

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A waterhole is exactly what Maya and Zadie need.

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The day is getting hotter.

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Thankfully, in the rainy season, there's almost always water nearby.

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Suddenly Zadie seems to turn a corner.

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She uses the water to cool them both off.

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Maya comes to life.

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This time when Maya searches for milk,

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Zadie gives her time to find the teat.

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At last Maya gets that first essential feed.

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This is the lifeline she needed.

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With her belly full, she finally has the energy

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to continue their search for the family.

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Elephants use low-frequency sound to communicate.

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The sound can travel for miles.

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Zadie homes in on the herd.

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It's a joyous reunion.

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Maya finally gets to meet the herd.

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And they're all very excited to meet HER.

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These elephants will be Maya's security.

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They'll protect her and teach her.

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They all want to say hi and welcome her to the family.

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These relationships will last for life.

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Now that Maya and Zadie are back with the herd,

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Zadie doesn't have to cope on her own any more.

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Now, it's time for her first lesson in family politics.

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An older female from the herd, Annie, comes over for a look.

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Zadie crouches back,

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a gesture of respect.

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In response, Annie holds her ears out.

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A greeting to mum and her baby.

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She sniffs and gently inspects Maya.

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It's how elephants get acquainted.

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And it seems that Maya's taken a shine to her.

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When Annie moves on, Maya follows.

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Until Annie gently sets her straight.

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Maya still has a lot to learn about family life.

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At least for now, she's safe.

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But life as an elephant is never easy.

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The family all look out for each other,

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but some dangers are beyond their control.

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Samburu is a small reserve.

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The animals here are protected.

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But elephants are constantly on the move.

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And ivory poaching is at its highest level for decades.

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The areas between protected reserves are treacherous.

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The poachers are ruthless.

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The wardens trying to protect the elephants need to be heavily armed.

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Maya's family's range takes them well outside

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the safety of the reserve.

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As a result, they're a small and depleted herd.

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THUNDER RUMBLES

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The oldest, wisest elephants have the most ivory.

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That makes them both prime targets for poachers

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and the animals the herd can least afford to lose.

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The herd relies on the collected wisdom of its elders to survive.

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When the elephants in Maya's herd were killed,

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their vast knowledge died with them.

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Around 70 elephant families use Samburu.

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None of them are entirely safe.

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In a herd three miles to the east,

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Matriarch Sylvia still bears

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a life threatening injury from a poacher's gun.

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She has a week-old calf, Little Pinkfoot,

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who leads a carefree, well-protected life,

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with Sylvia as head of the family.

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But both their lives are in danger.

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The poacher's bullet left a serious wound that never completely healed.

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Sylvia has a huge abscess on the side of her face.

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If the infection spreads, the blood poisoning could kill her.

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Sylvia was heavily pregnant with Little Pinkfoot when she was shot.

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Elephants have the longest pregnancy of any mammal, 22 months.

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For all of that time, they're vulnerable and exposed.

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Incredibly, Little Pinkfoot was born fit and healthy.

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She even has the support of a big sister.

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But if Sylvia dies, Little Pinkfoot will almost certainly starve.

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The only answer is intervention.

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David decides that Sylvia needs treatment.

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The risks are immense for everyone involved.

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Only recently,

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David's friend was crushed and killed during a similar operation.

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First, Sylvia must be tranquilised.

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It can take up to ten minutes for the drug to take effect.

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The dart falls out,

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but it's already delivered its payload of tranquiliser.

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Thankfully, Little Pinkfoot's sister is at hand.

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But this could still go badly wrong.

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Sylvia or her family could charge, and force the team to withdraw.

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Sylvia could fall awkwardly.

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Her huge bulk could restrict her ability to breathe.

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She could suffocate.

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Worse still, she could fall on Little Pinkfoot, and crush her.

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At first things are looking good.

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But then Sylvia puts out a distress call.

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SYLVIA TRUMPETS

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Little Pinkfoot responds.

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She runs back to Sylvia

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and stands right underneath her three-tonne bulk.

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For her, being right under mum is the safest place in the world.

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David and the team try to flush Little Pinkfoot out with vehicles,

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but she just won't budge.

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Eventually, David does the unthinkable.

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He risks his own life to save Little Pinkfoot's.

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If Sylvia goes down now, she could easily crush them both.

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But even Little Pinkfoot weighs 100 kilos.

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Moving her takes force.

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The rest of the herd are wild with distress.

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They could charge at any moment.

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Little Pinkfoot panics.

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The team have got to get her back to her sister's side.

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Thankfully, baby elephants instinctively follow large objects.

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So David uses his vehicle to lead her towards her family.

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Once she's safe, the team can start their work.

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The abscess is huge.

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It will need to be drained and cleaned thoroughly.

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The team work as fast as they can to reduce the stress to Sylvia

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and the rest of the herd.

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A vet from the Kenyan Wildlife Service

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gives her a massive dose of antibiotics.

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Thousands of elephants get shot every year.

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Most die slowly and painfully.

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Finally, the vet gives Sylvia an antidote

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to the tranquiliser to bring her round.

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But searching for her family, she heads off

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in the wrong direction.

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This time David uses his car to coax Sylvia towards Little Pinkfoot.

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Eventually the family is reunited.

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It's a moment of joy.

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The flared ears and the body language say it all.

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Without this emergency procedure,

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both Sylvia and Little Pinkfoot could easily have died.

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This herd is safe, for now.

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Three miles west, Maya's doing well, too.

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She's a week old now.

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Protected by a forest of tree trunk-like legs.

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For such huge and powerful animals, elephants are astonishingly gentle.

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Tenderly, they lift her to her feet to feed.

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This is family life.

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Safe, secure and strong.

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But there are still challenges ahead.

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The Ewaso Ngiro river is the life-blood of the reserve.

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The river will play a massive role in Maya's life.

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She'll make this trip almost daily.

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As an adult, she'll need to drink up to 150 litres of water a day.

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Large males can drink up to 200 litres in under five minutes.

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For now, Maya just can't quite work out what she's supposed to do.

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But she'll be drinking milk from her mum for the next two years,

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so there's no rush to learn.

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Zadie and the family

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are cautious with Maya at the river.

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She's taking her baby steps in a big and dangerous world.

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The river can flash flood,

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turning into a death trap in a matter of moments.

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The water is thick with mud and silt.

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Ewaso Ngiro means "Dark Water" in the Samburu language.

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It's also cover to hundreds of Nile crocodiles.

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These crocs are huge.

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They can take down fully-grown giraffes.

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A baby elephant would be easy.

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The elephants have to cross the river all year round.

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There's not enough food on one side alone to keep them going.

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But crossing takes skill, strength, and experience.

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Maya's family choose to stay put.

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Downstream, another herd have decided to take the plunge.

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They test the water, waiting to go.

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Euphrates, a wise old matriarch, leads her family out into the river.

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She knows that to reach the other side safely,

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they have to head slightly upstream, into the current.

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Watching from the shallows is a young group with no matriarch.

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Three first-time mums, each with a calf about Maya's age.

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Euphrates and her family safely reach the other side.

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The inexperienced young mums watch,

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then they decide to go for it.

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Quickly, they're in too deep to get back.

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This is really, really bad.

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This is the problem of not having any proper leadership in their families.

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If they become separated, they could easily drown.

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Oh, my God! One is gone!

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The mothers try in vain, but they can't contain all three.

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As they save one, another washes away.

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Oh, God! They're still going and the baby's gone.

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Soon, all three are being swept downstream fast,

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through the crocodile-infested waters.

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The current's even too much for the mothers.

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They have to let their babies go.

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David can't see how they can possibly survive.

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-Oh, man, this is no good.

-Let's go.

-Let's go.

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You can hear the poor females.

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OK, Apo. No, no, no. Right, right.

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All the big females are running.

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Oh, God.

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OK, one baby's out.

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Man, the other one is here, the other one is here.

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Wow!

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There are two babies actually here. Wow, they're really tough.

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Come on, big females, come in!

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Oh, please don't move.

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Oh, they're coming down. The females are coming down.

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I hope they will save them because they will get tired

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and if a croc grabs them, that's it.

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The poor mothers just don't know what to do.

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They have no way of lifting them out.

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And David can't even help.

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Oh, come on, females, get in and save the babies!

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The riverbank is sheer

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and the babies are weak and terrified.

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Oh, man! That is so relieving.

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It's so joyful to see all of them again, coming back together.

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I can't really remember having such a tense time

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in my life with all, you know,

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the experiences I have.

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I'm so glad they all made it, anyway.

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Oh, poor things.

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They are really crying.

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They've just had a nightmare.

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Maya's moment to cross the river will come.

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But she's still just two weeks old.

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For now, Zadie and the rest of the family

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are keeping her safe and well.

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Maya has a lot to learn.

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Her day starts at sunrise.

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Elephants can travel long distances,

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but this is the rainy season.

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There's enough food in Samburu.

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Maya and her family don't have to go far.

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Maya learns the tastes and textures of the world around her.

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She's still drinking up to 11 litres of her mum's milk every day.

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This is just a chance to experiment.

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She's beginning to work out what she should and shouldn't eat.

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Adult elephants have the largest brain of all land animals.

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Maya's brain is just a third of its adult size.

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It's still growing, and forging new connections.

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This is an essential time for learning and emotional development.

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And to learn, you have to explore.

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There are already a couple of other babies in the family

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to team up with.

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It's a good way to learn co-ordination and balance.

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It's a great way of building social bonds, too.

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Building good relationships is a vital skill.

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Every elephant's survival depends on the strength of the herd.

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Look out for your family,

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and they'll look out for you.

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A bit further north live two tiny tearaways...

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..Sky and Grace.

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Their family is large and stable.

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A big family means there are lots of eyes to keep watch

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while they grow up at their own pace.

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They're about six weeks old

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and there are lots of exciting things to discover.

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Not least, what to do with that thing

0:43:020:43:04

in the middle of their face.

0:43:040:43:06

At this stage, their trunk is more like a mischievous friend

0:43:150:43:20

than a finely-tuned tool.

0:43:200:43:21

That's no surprise when you realise

0:43:260:43:28

it contains 100,000 muscles and tendons!

0:43:280:43:32

Practice is essential, especially if you want to be just like mum.

0:43:370:43:41

As adults, they'll use their trunks for all sorts of different tasks.

0:43:530:43:57

For now, learning even the basics takes time.

0:43:580:44:02

Further south, Maya has a different lesson to learn.

0:44:250:44:29

The nuts of the Doum palm are delicious.

0:44:290:44:32

But the trees can grow to 20m tall - well out of reach.

0:44:320:44:36

That's where a bit of family know-how comes in,

0:44:440:44:48

like teaming up with your baboon neighbours to get what you want.

0:44:480:44:53

The nuts are very tough,

0:45:010:45:03

and although the baboons can reach them,

0:45:030:45:06

they can't get through their thick husk.

0:45:060:45:10

Once they've eaten what they can, the rest ends up on the floor.

0:45:100:45:13

Zadie and the other adults pick up the baboons' cast-offs.

0:45:340:45:39

Their powerful jaws and huge teeth crush the nuts,

0:45:390:45:43

exposing their soft and nutritious centres.

0:45:430:45:47

But elephants are very messy eaters,

0:46:020:46:05

which means the baboons can finish off what's left.

0:46:050:46:08

Zadie's cautious of the big males getting too close to baby Maya.

0:46:260:46:30

But it's the rainy season. There's enough food for everyone,

0:46:370:46:40

so things remain calm.

0:46:400:46:42

May, in the Samburu reserve, is the time for a special annual event.

0:46:490:46:54

All of the elephant families come together at the river.

0:46:570:47:00

It's a spectacular gathering.

0:47:110:47:14

It's Maya's first chance to learn a whole new dimension

0:47:140:47:18

in elephant society.

0:47:180:47:20

This will become a yearly pilgrimage for her.

0:47:210:47:24

It'll play a very important role in her social life.

0:47:240:47:28

As the elephants gather,

0:47:410:47:44

youngsters trumpet and call,

0:47:440:47:45

beckoning yet more families down to the river.

0:47:450:47:48

The kids get together and learn how to socialise.

0:48:000:48:04

Young males test their strength with a bit of gentle sparring.

0:48:090:48:13

While others are just excited to be reunited with old friends.

0:48:180:48:21

It's a time to relax, play, and make the most of the leisure time

0:48:400:48:44

that comes with a season of plenty.

0:48:440:48:47

Tight family structure and social bonds are everything.

0:49:020:49:06

Elephants always look out for each other.

0:49:060:49:09

Observations first made here in Samburu

0:49:220:49:24

take our understanding of elephant relationships

0:49:240:49:27

to a whole new level -

0:49:270:49:29

revealing they'll even adopt the orphans of other herds.

0:49:290:49:33

Grace's mum was part of a family that was almost totally wiped out.

0:49:400:49:44

When her mother died, she was left alone.

0:49:460:49:48

Luckily a big, stable family took her in.

0:49:500:49:54

She's with them to this day.

0:49:540:49:55

Even bereaved youngsters get a second chance at a happy family.

0:49:590:50:05

Her adoption highlights the immense importance

0:50:080:50:11

of social bonds to elephants.

0:50:110:50:12

Back at the beach, the big bulls have turned up

0:50:280:50:30

and there's only one thing on their mind -

0:50:300:50:33

girls.

0:50:330:50:35

They travel long distances to be here in May.

0:50:390:50:42

They're searching for mates.

0:50:420:50:44

Maya would have been conceived right here, almost two years ago,

0:50:520:50:56

but today, she needs to keep well out of the way.

0:50:560:51:00

These guys mean business.

0:51:050:51:07

The bulls weigh up to six tonnes and stand four metres tall,

0:51:190:51:23

well over twice the size of a female.

0:51:230:51:26

But receptive females can attract more than one suitor.

0:51:310:51:35

The males crowd each other to stay as close as possible.

0:51:490:51:52

Once she's chosen, the couple start their courtship.

0:51:580:52:02

Mating causes a real ripple of excitement through the herd.

0:52:170:52:21

This is the end of the males' responsibilities.

0:52:360:52:40

For the females, it's just the beginning.

0:52:400:52:43

Every day, little Maya is growing more adventurous,

0:52:540:52:58

moving away from mum to explore.

0:52:580:53:00

Zadie is starting to let the family watch over Maya much more.

0:53:440:53:48

It's good for both of them.

0:53:500:53:52

It gives Zadie a chance to feed and keep her strength up,

0:53:520:53:56

while Maya gets the full protection of the herd.

0:53:560:54:00

They even let her suckle for comfort.

0:54:000:54:05

And the more Zadie feeds, the richer the milk she produces.

0:54:210:54:24

Maya is getting stronger by the day.

0:54:240:54:28

It's the end of May.

0:54:340:54:36

Maya has cleared all the hurdles of her first month.

0:54:360:54:41

Now it's time for the biggest challenge of her young life.

0:54:410:54:45

She must brave the hungry crocodiles

0:54:550:54:57

and biting currents of the river.

0:54:570:54:59

Most of the herd have already crossed.

0:55:090:55:12

Maya and Zadie have to follow.

0:55:120:55:14

But will Zadie make the right decisions?

0:55:180:55:21

Get this wrong and she could lose Maya for ever.

0:55:210:55:24

Maya struggles to keep her footing,

0:55:410:55:43

as Zadie strides out into the surging river.

0:55:430:55:47

In the middle, the current is strong.

0:55:510:55:54

But Zadie uses her body to shield Maya.

0:55:540:55:57

She's made the right choice

0:56:060:56:08

and picked a spot where the river is wide, but shallow.

0:56:080:56:11

Her first successful river crossing.

0:56:140:56:16

With the help of her exceptional family,

0:56:230:56:26

Maya has made it through the toughest month of her life.

0:56:260:56:29

Zadie has proven to be a surprisingly good mother.

0:56:320:56:36

And Maya a survivor.

0:56:360:56:38

But for Maya, there's a challenging year ahead.

0:56:450:56:47

She'll have to stay on the move through the harsh dry season,

0:56:520:56:55

searching for food and water -

0:56:550:56:56

a search that could easily lead her outside the reserve.

0:56:560:57:01

But if the family can keep her safe, perhaps one day,

0:57:040:57:07

like Zadie, Maya too will become an exceptional mother.

0:57:070:57:13

She may even become the matriarch of the family,

0:57:130:57:16

using her knowledge to guide the herd

0:57:160:57:19

through an uncertain future.

0:57:190:57:21

But that's a long way off.

0:57:230:57:25

For now, she can rest assured that she's the tiny half

0:57:250:57:29

of an amazing team.

0:57:290:57:30

Since filming finished,

0:57:390:57:41

Zadie and Maya have been spotted safe and healthy.

0:57:410:57:44

They're inside the reserve, away from the danger of poachers.

0:57:440:57:48

Zadie and her family

0:57:510:57:52

continue to give Maya the care and support she needs.

0:57:520:57:56

Somewhere out in Samburu, Maya's story continues.

0:57:560:58:01

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