The River Crossing This Wild Life


The River Crossing

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In the heart of Africa,

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a young family is heading

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for an epic adventure.

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They are moving with their three children

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to a remote Kenyan wilderness.

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Mum, Saba, is here to run a safari camp...

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Welcome.

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..while Dad, Frank, is helping to protect elephants.

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Collar's almost on, now the scary bit.

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But raising a family and running a business in the bush

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is going to be a massive challenge.

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Shoo!

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There are monkeys in the kitchen...

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Oh, you monkeys, I'm going to kill you!

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..floods threatening the camp...

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It's looking like it's going to be a mega storm.

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..medical emergencies...

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It's bad and it needs urgent action.

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..and wildlife in need of help.

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My heart really is in my mouth.

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It's going to be a huge gamble.

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Will the business survive Saba's first season in charge?

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Oh, my God.

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This time, the drought is hitting hard and camp is feeling the strain.

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It picks up all the sand from the other bank

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and it just hurls it across straight into your eyes,

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scours off your skin and it becomes unbearable.

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The guests are expecting to see elephants.

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But to find them, Saba's forced to take drastic action.

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Ready, girls?

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And an orphan elephant urgently needs Frank's help.

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She's just taken off in a straight line towards an area

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which is pretty dangerous for her.

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Samburu is in the grip of a severe drought.

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It's transformed the reserve into a scorching dust bowl.

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This morning, Elephant Watch camp is caught in a sandstorm.

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I'm just trying to create a bit of a barrier between us and the wind.

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Because it's getting to the point where we're getting a huge amount of

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sand just blowing straight in here, and it's really painful on the eyes.

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The winds couldn't have come at a worse time.

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It's the middle of the high season,

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and Saba has a camp full of guests arriving today.

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But the sandstorm isn't her only problem.

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Her visitors want to see elephants.

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It's really important that they have a deeply meaningful experience

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with elephants, because this is their big trip

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to come out to Africa to meet the elephants,

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to see what we're doing, and really understand what it's all about.

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Seeing elephants is easier said than done.

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They have all left the reserve.

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The severity of the drought has forced wildlife

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to travel in search of food.

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It hasn't rained here for three months,

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and the vegetation has been reduced to a few scrubby bushes.

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The lifeblood of the reserve, the Ewaso Nyiro river, is drying up.

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For the animals, every day has become a struggle to survive.

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It's a big concern for Saba's husband, Frank.

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It's his job to protect Samburu's elephants.

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So a busy day today,

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but I think the first thing I'm going to do is talk to David.

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He gave me a call earlier.

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He's a bit concerned about one of the orphan herds that we've now got,

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that don't really know how to survive when times get tough.

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Orphan herds are elephant families that have lost their matriarch -

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their leader and most experienced female.

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The recent rise in poaching has seen these older females

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targeted for their larger tusks,

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leaving one in five families in Samburu without a mature matriarch.

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In a drought, younger orphans lack the knowledge they need to survive.

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Hey, David. How's it going?

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Hi, good.

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David Daballen,

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Head of Field Operations at Save the Elephants,

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is concerned for a 13-year-old orphan called Habiba.

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So what's going on?

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Well, I'm trying to look at some of these elephants.

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She's fitted with a tracking device,

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and David has noticed she's heading into danger.

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I think my main concern is that she doesn't know where she's going.

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This area, as far as I know, it's completely bare area now,

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there's just no food.

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All they're depending on is a little bit of browsing near the river.

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It's a big concern as far as the food situation is concerned.

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We've got a problem in Samburu.

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Because of this surge in poaching that we've had,

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a lot of the elder females - these are the matriarchs,

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the experienced elders who led the herds -

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seems like one of the orphans in particular, Habiba,

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is stuck in a pattern of behaviour that might suggest

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that she just doesn't have the experience to go elsewhere.

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We know the feeding is really bad in the area she's in,

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so it's a bit of a worry.

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Is she going to be able to survive in this drought?

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They urgently need to find Habiba so they can check on how she's doing.

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Frank heads to her last known position.

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At camp, the dust barriers are nearly up...

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..which leaves Saba free to deal with the bigger problem

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of trying to find elephants for her guests.

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The drought has driven almost all of them across the river.

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On the other side of the river,

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you've got swamps and these little copses of trees and stuff,

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so there's more food for the elephants to eat.

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Or certainly they seem to prefer that area.

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So when my guests come, at the moment,

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there are just no elephants on this side of the river.

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I'm just hoping I can find a way to get across.

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To avoid disappointment for her guests,

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Saba must find a way to reach the other side.

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The key thing is whether or not the water's gone down enough.

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Because if the sand is very saturated and wet,

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then there's going to be quite a lot of sinking sand.

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So there's a very high probability that I'm going to get stuck.

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Wildlife guide Bernard is on hand in case Saba's crossing goes wrong.

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We just want to give our guests the best

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and going to the other side will surely be something special,

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because we're not going to see a lot of cars.

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It's just elephants and wildlife.

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We'll go down and check it on foot, shall we?

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Joined by her daughter Selkie,

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Saba checks out the potential crossing.

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It's a place used by local herders. An encouraging sign.

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I've been looking up and down the river for quite a while now

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and I just haven't found anywhere quite like this.

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So it's really good.

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-All right, shall we try?

-Let's try.

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-Yeah?

-Let's do it!

-OK!

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Wahoo!

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We've done it!

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Yay, wasn't that easy?

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OK, Bernard, you want to give it a go?

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OK, good luck.

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Go, go, go, go!

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Well done, Bernard! That was fantastic.

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That's really, really exciting!

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-What do you think?

-Whoo!

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What do you think?

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That was fun!

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I'm so excited, this is just amazing.

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-It's really good.

-Couldn't be better!

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Yeah, I know. Well done.

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-All right. Shall we head back, then?

-Yeah.

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They've found a good crossing.

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But will things run so smoothly in two hours,

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with a vehicle loaded with guests?

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A few miles away, Frank is still searching for the orphan, Habiba.

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Habiba is a special elephant

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because she's only 13 years old and she's lost her mother.

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And she's without an experienced adult to guide her through life.

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And as a result, she's...

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It doesn't look like she's doing very well.

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And Frank's not just concerned for Habiba.

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Although Habiba's only 13 years old,

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which is about the same as being a 13-year-old human

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in terms of life experience, she does have a little baby.

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And that means that the stakes are high,

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not just for her, but she's also got a dependant.

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And what would really help Habiba right now

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is if she could find an elder, experienced female

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from another family to take her in and show her the ropes.

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Elephant herds are usually made up of family members.

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But in Samburu, some matriarchs are taking unrelated elephants

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under their wing.

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This behaviour is helping orphans survive at a time

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when their families are being torn apart by ivory poaching.

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Joining a larger, more experienced group

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could offer Habiba's herd a vital lifeline.

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Frank reaches the location where Habiba was last seen.

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Sorry, girls.

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We got her.

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Morning, Habiba.

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It's one thing to see a group of elephants on the plain,

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munching grass.

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It's another to know it's Habiba with her particular history,

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and the fact she's on her own in life,

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she's struggling with this little kid.

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It does give an extra tinge to this morning's scene.

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Habiba's looking a little bit scrawny.

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The calf looks a little bit on the thin side too.

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But it's to be expected in this dryness.

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Habiba's calf is not the only one depending on her.

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Even though she's only a teenager, at 13,

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Habiba is the oldest in her herd.

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The younger orphans look to her for leadership,

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but she's half the age of a normal matriarch.

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It's such a tough thing.

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There's so much responsibility on her shoulders now.

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I mean, look at all these other elephants that are with her.

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They're relying on her, they're looking up to her,

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but she doesn't really know what she's doing.

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Most of the time, she's staying within the safety of the reserve,

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and as long as she doesn't do anything too erratic,

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then the rains will be here soon, and everything should be rosy.

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Until the rains come, they'll have to try and make it on their own.

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With other herds scattered because of the drought,

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it's unlikely she will find an experienced family to join.

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Back at camp, Saba's new guests are arriving.

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Welcome!

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Welcome, everyone.

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This is Kihara. John.

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And Keresai.

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And Titike.

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Lenairisha.

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She's so determined they see elephants,

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Saba's decided to guide the first safari herself.

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All right, everybody ready?

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Ready.

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Lori and John McBride are from the US.

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They've brought their grandchildren here

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to see wild elephants for the first time.

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We're going on a big adventure.

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And I've found this wonderful new crossing to go across the river.

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This is the first time we've done it.

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So we might get stuck, but if we get on the other side,

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we've got a good chance of seeing a lot of elephants.

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It's time for Saba to test out her crossing.

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-Ready, girls?

-Hang on!

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-And boys!

-Hang on.

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Yeah, we've got a woman driver, watch out.

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Ruby, hang on.

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This is an adventure.

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Hold on to me, darling.

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Mutti!

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With the car full, the extra weight has caused it to sink in the mud.

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Oh, boo! I can't believe this has happened, I'm so sorry.

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They're well and truly stuck.

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If Saba can't get them out, they won't be seeing any elephants.

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David Daballen has had some worrying news.

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The latest tracking position has shown Habiba and her calf

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heading straight for danger.

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Frank's on the other side of the reserve,

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so David decides to check it out himself.

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Attan Swamp is outside the reserve.

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It's an area where people have settled

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to grow crops during the drought.

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In Habiba's desperation for food,

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she might be heading there to raid the farms.

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If she does, it could cause conflict with the farmers.

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Having thought we would find Habiba here,

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I drove all the way to the edge of the park,

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and we've not seen any sign of Habiba.

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So we're going back again,

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to start our search right back at Ewaso river.

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But still, we have not found her.

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Time is ticking by.

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David needs to find her if he is to have any hope

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of turning Habiba's herd away from the farms.

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Saba isn't having much luck either.

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OK.

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We're going to have to come up with another plan.

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This is the famous Saba short cut!

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She's putting on a brave face for the guests, but Saba's concerned.

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Frank, Frank - do you copy?

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'Saba, Saba?'

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I'm stuck!

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'I can't hear you, say again?'

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I'm stuck in the river! I need you to save me!

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'Saba, I can't hear you properly, but I will get seriously under way,

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'and when I can hear you properly I'll come find you.'

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-OK, thank you.

-'OK.'

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We should have brought a cup of tea!

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Save Saba, don't save the elephants!

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The humiliation. I can no longer call myself a bush girl.

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Frank needs to get there soon.

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The car is sinking deeper, and the sun is setting.

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Back on the trail of Habiba, David's also running out of time.

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We've got about literally a quarter of an hour.

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I feel she is somewhere there, so let's hope for the best.

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He must find her before it gets dark.

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If he doesn't, he'll have to call off the search until morning.

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LOUD CRASH

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Fixing this puncture will use valuable minutes

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that David doesn't have.

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Frank is on his way to try to rescue Saba and the guests.

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It's just typical, isn't it?

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Just as the sun's going down and the river's coming up,

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Saba makes her last-ditch attempt to cross the river and gets stuck.

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This is a real Saba road.

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Yee-ha!

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Mayday, mayday!

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We've got to move fast because it's sinking.

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We've just jacked it up and got everything out.

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We're going to make it this time.

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I'm just mortified that I have to be rescued by Frank.

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Oh, God.

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I'm never going to hear the end of this. Never, ever.

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You know, I'm just...

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Oh, God, I hate these Land Cruisers.

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Ready?

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I got it out.

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APPLAUSE

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-BERNARD:

-Bravo!

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Oh, they're so fantastic. Thank God we are with the McBrides,

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because they have a sense of humour and a great sense of adventure.

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Saba is THE expert at getting stuck

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because she goes places she shouldn't go,

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and then unstuck again.

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I think so!

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Thank you, John.

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Did you expect this to happen when you came to Africa?

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No!

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What did you learn from this experience?

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Never drive a car...

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-On sand?

-On sand or across a river.

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When you don't know the car.

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They may not have seen elephants,

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but the McBrides have had an adventure they'll never forget.

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You're going to think I'm the worst guide in the world.

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We're not - they learned a good lesson.

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What? Don't go into the river?

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You should see how their father drives on the road.

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Not at all, not at all.

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Shall we go and have a cup of tea?

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Whatever. As long as we know there's elephants on the other side.

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Come on!

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David hasn't been able to find Habiba and the orphan herd.

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Fixing his tyre has taken too much time.

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We've spent hours and hours looking for these guys.

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There's nothing frustrating than looking the whole day

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and you don't find them.

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My hope is she's all right.

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It's a big worry.

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He'll just have to hope they can stay out of trouble overnight.

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First light, and Frank is looking for Habiba.

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He's got the latest GPS fix from her tracking collar.

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But he needs to make sure the herd is safe.

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We've just got a little group here.

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We've just crossed the river to come and have a look at these girls

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and see who's here.

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It's Habiba and the orphans.

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Frank is straight on the phone to David.

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Hi, David. We found her.

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She's looking fine.

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She's with her baby and four others.

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Little bit on the skinny side, but she's fine

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and she looks like she's heading back into the reserve.

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She's turned away from the swamp. So a big relief, yeah.

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OK, yeah, bye.

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I think what I'd like to do now is just to stay here with them.

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Just make sure that they're not going to go any further that way.

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I'd just like to see what her strategy is now.

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And it's just as well he's stuck around.

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An elephant family with a mature matriarch has appeared.

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Habiba and the orphans are making their way towards them.

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They might be trying to join this larger herd.

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So Habiba's group

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and this new family are moving directly towards each other.

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One of them has already gone over to greet them

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so the mingling has begun.

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We're getting some contact rumbles

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as they start talking to one another.

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ELEPHANTS MAKE A LOW NOISE

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These friendly rumbles suggest the other family

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is welcoming Habiba and the orphans.

0:24:370:24:40

That's so great.

0:24:430:24:44

There's at least, I don't know,

0:24:440:24:47

15 elephants joining up with Habiba's five.

0:24:470:24:51

It's exactly what Frank and David have been hoping for -

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that the new family will take these inexperienced young elephants

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under their wing.

0:25:040:25:06

It's a happy day to see her united with a bigger group,

0:25:070:25:11

with some elder females that she can rely on.

0:25:110:25:14

There's a better chance she'll be given the guidance

0:25:140:25:17

she needs to make good decisions in life.

0:25:170:25:20

Not to go wondering off into danger areas,

0:25:210:25:25

to stick where the feeding's good.

0:25:250:25:28

Have the courage to go out and be shown areas

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where there's even better feeding.

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That's really lovely to see.

0:25:330:25:35

Back at camp, the guests are tucking into breakfast.

0:25:540:25:57

This morning, someone's invited himself for a bite to eat.

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Hi, old guy!

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Good morning, Sarara!

0:26:100:26:11

The visiting male finally gives the McBride family

0:26:150:26:19

their first elephant experience...

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..without crossing the river.

0:26:230:26:25

Can't get much more of an experience than that.

0:26:250:26:28

Right outside the tent.

0:26:280:26:29

That's crazy!

0:26:330:26:35

That's so cool.

0:26:350:26:37

I think all the animals are just so hungry right now.

0:26:390:26:42

There's so little food around,

0:26:420:26:44

and the bulls are willing to take this high-risk strategy

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and come right into the middle of a human settlement

0:26:470:26:49

just to get their seed pods,

0:26:490:26:52

because there's not very much else to eat.

0:26:520:26:55

You don't need binoculars here.

0:26:550:26:57

They come and sit on your front porch.

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(He's eating this tree right here.)

0:27:050:27:07

(Can you see him?)

0:27:090:27:11

(He's going to get in my bed.)

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He's going to my room!

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I hope he takes your side of the bed, not mine.

0:27:270:27:30

Although I have a feeling if he takes your side,

0:27:320:27:35

I'm going to roll into him.

0:27:350:27:36

But this is amazing, Johnny,

0:27:380:27:39

that he feels so comfortable he can walk through this camp.

0:27:390:27:44

It's the way the world should be.

0:27:440:27:46

Next time -

0:28:000:28:02

the drought continues to challenge the business...

0:28:020:28:04

Hey! Out, out, out!

0:28:040:28:06

..driving animals to invade camp.

0:28:070:28:09

Naughty monkey!

0:28:100:28:11

And Frank takes on a dangerous mission...

0:28:150:28:17

We've got him on the transmitter, so we're going to try and walk in.

0:28:200:28:23

..to find the biggest bull elephant in northern Kenya.

0:28:230:28:27

Sticking together is very important.

0:28:270:28:29

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