[crickets chirping]
[lion exhales slowly]
[birds chirping]
[narrator] In this land,
family is everything.
[growling playfully]
[dramatic music playing]
[insects chittering]
[narrator] It's the bonds within the pride,
the pack,
and the herd…
[elephant trumpets]
…that allow each member to succeed.
[growling playfully]
[narrator] Nowhere are these bonds tested more fiercely
than in the great Kalahari Desert.
Here families are shaped
by courageous mothers…
wise elders…
[growls]
…and tenacious underdogs.
[panting]
[narrator] All drawn to the immense oasis that lies at the desert's very heart.
[music swells]
[narrator] The Okavango Delta.
Home to more wildlife than any other wetland on Earth…
it is seeing some of the most extreme seasonal change
on the planet.
[thunder crashes]
[wildebeest lowing]
[narrator] Through the chaos and hardship of the coming year…
fates will entwine,
and incredible relationships will be forged.
Not just within families but between families.
[elephant growling]
[hyenas cackling]
And even with the land itself.
[calm music playing]
[birds chirping]
[cub grunts]
[narrator] For a two-year-old lioness,
the strength of family comes from her pride.
She and her sisterhood control this territory…
[growls]
…and their lead male reigns as warrior king.
But in the Delta, change can come suddenly
and upend a family's peaceful existence.
[bird calling]
[narrator] The chink in her pride's armor is the king himself.
[flies buzzing]
Years of fighting to defend his family and territory
have taken their toll.
His weakness puts the lioness at risk.
[ominous music playing]
[narrator] And presents an opportunity
for two ambitious young males.
[growling deeply]
[narrator] The old warrior marks his territory.
[panting]
[narrator] But he's frail.
And outnumbered.
Every year in the Okavango is a new and dangerous journey,
but for the lioness,
this year will be the most uncertain she's ever faced.
[upbeat music playing]
[sniffs]
[narrator] Every family confronts the challenges of the Delta
in its own way.
[painted wolves whining]
-[insects chittering] -[panting]
[birds chirping]
[narrator] A pack of painted wolves, 24 strong.
Their strength, a testament to their great leader,
the alpha female.
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] She's trained them to think and hunt as one.
And to provide for all.
But the alpha is pregnant.
[zebras braying]
Her team will lose their leader,
just as the Delta faces its greatest upheaval.
[elephants trumpeting]
[narrator] It's May.
And the surrounding Kalahari Desert is facing the worst drought in decades.
Thousands of animals are fleeing the parched outer regions…
traveling for weeks.
All drawn here for one reason.
[wildebeests lowing]
[serene music playing]
[narrator] Water.
Rainwater that fell four months ago
in the Angolan Highlands to the north
has finally made its way down,
across the Kalahari and into the flatlands of the Delta.
[birds chirping, calling]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Over nine trillion liters of fresh water
floods the vast desert…
creating
the greatest oasis on the planet.
[water buffalo lowing]
[narrator] In the flood's wake come the great herds…
joining those who live here year-round.
Everyone has a role to play
in shaping and maintaining this land.
[elephants roaring]
[narrator] Even a six-month-old elephant
on her first visit.
She's never seen so much water…
[elephant roars]
…and food.
[elephant trumpeting]
[narrator] With endless floodplains to munch their way through,
elephants become the natural gardeners of the Delta…
uprooting far more than they can eat.
But over-pruning can clog the waterways,
halting the water's spread.
What the gardeners have blocked up,
families of hippos bulldoze through.
Not being swimmers, they tiptoe along the bottom.
And in their wake, leave hippo-sized highways…
that connect rivers to pools and pools to floodplains…
allowing the water to keep flowing,
feeding the vibrant growth of the entire Delta.
[moaning]
[narrator] But the flood isn't good news for all.
For the lioness,
it means a loss of hunting grounds.
And the old warrior king is nowhere to be seen.
[ominous music playing]
[narrator] Whether he fled or was killed,
the young invaders have usurped his throne.
[growls deeply]
[narrator] Only lionesses of breeding age are allowed to stay now.
[growls]
[narrator] And she's not one of them.
To these new males, she's just an extra mouth to feed,
with little to contribute.
[growling]
[birds chirping]
[moaning]
[narrator] Banished and alone,
she'll need all her skill just to stay alive.
[flies buzzing]
[narrator] The alpha female has been housebound for weeks.
[moans]
Because…
Well, who would leave this scruffy bunch?
[pups whining]
[narrator] At four weeks old, her pups venture out for the first time.
[pups yipping]
[narrator] All 14 of them.
Unable to hunt for herself, she must rely on her pack
to bring the meat she needs to keep her milk flowing.
[pups yipping]
[narrator] But her stay-at-home work is nonstop.
Sweeping out the den…
three weeks' worth of ticks and fleas…
landing right back where they started.
[pups whining]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Her pack is on patrol…
without their leader.
And the floodwaters are slowing them down.
[birds chirping]
[lechwe lowing]
[growls]
[narrator] Lechwe.
Just one would feed the entire pack.
[painted wolf growling]
[music intensifies]
[lechwe lowing]
[painted wolf whining]
[narrator] With splayed hooves and powerful legs,
they can drive on through the flood.
Without the guidance of the alpha,
the pack follow them into the deeper water.
It's futile.
[whines]
[narrator] And then…
a lone impala.
[suspenseful music playing]
He lacks the paddle-like hooves and long legs of the lechwe.
[music swells]
[painted wolves whining]
[narrator] They finish the job quickly to avoid a clash with competitors.
[painted wolves yipping]
[impala moaning]
[narrator] The pack often take out the weak or injured in a group,
easier prey,
with the added benefit of reducing disease in herds.
[pups yipping]
[birds chirping]
[calm music playing]
[painted wolves yipping]
[narrator] The hunters deliver their meals in the safest way possible.
In their stomachs.
Until the pups can hunt themselves,
they eat first.
Generosity is a core principle of their pack.
Though learning to share doesn't come easily.
Retiring to the den with your very first piece of meat
is about as good as it gets.
[birds chirping]
[narrator] With water levels at their highest,
the Okavango becomes a true paradise.
Aquatic life from the surrounding rivers and swamps
spreads into the grassland to spawn.
Branches and trees knocked down by elephants
create protected nurseries for young fish.
[birds chirping, squawking]
[narrator] During peak flood,
the Delta swells to twice its original size,
and anywhere high and dry becomes prime real estate.
Water fig trees provide perfect nesting
for an astonishing variety of fish-eating birds.
[birds warbling]
[narrator] For these families, it's not so much about where you build.
It's what you build.
[whimsical music playing]
[narrator] Only the finest construction materials will do.
[birds squawking]
[narrator] If you can't find the exact fabric you're looking for…
just steal it from your neighbor.
They can always steal it back again.
[bird squawks]
[narrator] Finally,
a nest ready to hold their most treasured possessions.
Gently turned…
and shaded from the scalding sun.
[calm music playing]
[narrator] Eggshell? Snail shell?
He's a first-time dad.
Everyone is in a race to raise their young
before the floodwaters recede…
and the nests lose their island protection.
[birds squawking]
[ominous music playing]
[narrator] The lioness has been struggling to make a kill.
[painted wolves barking]
[yipping]
[breathing heavily]
[lechwe grunts]
[narrator] In drier conditions, a reedbuck or lechwe would be a good bet.
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] But not in the flood,
not by herself.
And she's got competition.
Time to push back on her rivals.
[tense music playing]
[music swells]
[painted wolf whimpers, cries]
[painted wolves yipping]
[barking]
[somber music playing]
[barking]
[barking, yipping]
[narrator] It's pure intimidation.
She won't eat the carcass.
The pack would be wise not to test her patience again.
[growls]
[animal screeching]
[lions roaring]
[insects chittering]
[narrator] By September, the temperatures rise,
and water levels begin to drop,
leaving shrinking pools crowded with fish.
Perfect timing.
[chick squawking]
[chirping]
[calm music playing]
[trumpeting]
[birds chirping, warbling]
[narrator] The adults get to work…
feeding their precious little monsters.
[warbling]
[narrator] New pools form each day as the flood recedes.
[birds warbling, trilling]
[narrator] Everyone has their own special technique
to go with their own special bill.
[whimsical orchestral music playing]
Pelicans favor the fishing net.
[squawking]
[narrator] Pied kingfishers…
use the dive-bombing system.
[bird warbling]
[narrator] Openbill storks have snail-plucking down to a science.
And the rather theatrical black egret
uses its cape to mimic shady spots where fish like to hide.
Bravo.
Different approaches with one purpose.
[chicks chirping]
[warbling]
[narrator] To build up their chicks' strength
as quickly as possible.
[warbling]
[chicks moaning]
[narrator] Pelican chicks are the greediest.
They need up to 30 feeds a day.
The tireless adults all know
the golden rule of family life in the Delta.
[chirping, calling]
The stronger your young, the greater their chances of survival.
[birds chirping]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] As the floodwaters recede
and the desert heat builds,
hunting grounds dry out…
[zebras braying]
…shifting the balance of power back to the predators.
But alone, the lioness' kill rate is still dangerously low.
[wildebeests lowing]
[narrator] She's growing weaker by the day.
To complicate matters,
she's come into season.
Her scent will carry to any lions in the area.
Including those she most wants to avoid.
[ominous music playing]
[narrator] The young males who destroyed her family.
[insects chittering]
[birds chirping]
[narrator] But with the hunting grounds opening up,
another even bigger male is drawn to the area.
[suspenseful music playing]
[narrator] His dark mane and deep call
are signs he's in his prime.
[growls]
[low moaning]
[moaning]
[narrator] It's risky.
But if they join forces,
he could offer protection and hunting support.
[growling]
[bird squawking]
[zebras snorting]
[growling]
[birds warbling]
[breathing heavily]
[narrator] Her newfound alliance is short-lived.
The stranger moves on after only a few days.
[moaning]
Alone, once more,
but this time pregnant.
She won't be hunting for just herself anymore.
[wildebeests lowing]
[dramatic music playing]
[wildebeest panting]
[music crescendos]
[bird chirping]
[narrator] Every family in the Delta
is intimately connected to the rhythms of the changing seasons.
The water levels are plummeting,
turning to mud.
Fun for a calf…
[snorts]
…but it's a sign her herd should move on.
[whimsical music playing]
[elephants growling]
[narrator] With the dry season taking grip,
the herds need to make the most of whatever grazing is left.
She learns from watching.
But some things, she has yet to perfect.
[panting, grunting]
[narrator] Such as paying attention, so as not to get left behind.
She's being taken to a special place.
[snorts]
[wondrous music playing]
A stand of fan palms.
They thrive where salts have been left behind
by the evaporating flood.
And the fruits that sit at the top
are revered by elephants.
Harvesting such lofty treats
is a trick that only a four-ton bull can pull off.
Each shake releases hundreds of fruits at once.
[breathing deeply]
[narrator] He knocks down enough for everyone.
[growling]
[narrator] This precious meal
is not just for this family and not just for today.
Elephants are the chief distributors
of fan palm seeds.
-The calf's ancestors left this fruit. -[whines]
[growls]
[narrator] And now she will do the same for those to come.
The herd will carry the seeds for many miles.
Wherever they release them in their dung, they can take root.
Just another of the herd's vital contributions
to the Delta.
[dramatic music playing]
[growling]
[narrator] It will be their last decent meal.
From here on,
the increasing scarcity of food and water will drive their every move.
[birds chirping]
[painted wolves panting]
[pups yipping]
[narrator] The painted wolves have made it through the flood,
but not entirely intact.
One team member already killed,
and now the best hunters have deserted the alpha and her pups.
[pups whining, yipping]
[narrator] Too many new mouths to feed
and not enough food to go around.
It's time for the rookies to move out of the den
and begin searching for food.
[yipping]
[whimsical music playing]
[narrator] The pups' first great adventure.
Their first patrol with the grown-ups.
Though, they are more of a hindrance than a help.
Their little legs will carry them up to 15 kilometers a day.
[yipping]
The alpha must rebuild her team into a peak hunting machine…
and teach her pups the ways of the pack hunter.
[birds chirping]
[insects chittering]
[narrator] The receding floodwaters
have created perfect conditions to unleash a plague.
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Locusts.
The building heat triggers a mass hatching.
Ten million greedy mouths devour the drying vegetation.
Ancient termite mounds seem to be the only things impervious
to the great forces now at play in the Delta.
It's October.
In two short months,
the drought has transformed a verdant paradise
into a barren dust bowl.
All the herds are searching for water
wherever they can find it.
[birds warbling]
[water buffalo lowing]
[dramatic music playing]
[lowing]
[narrator] They are easy pickings for the two young males.
Who grow bigger and stronger every day.
[ominous music playing]
[narrator] They follow the buffaloes' every move.
Tracking the same herds,
the lioness must stay a safe distance from the males.
[water buffalo growling]
[narrator] In her delicate state, she desperately needs to eat.
[lioness growling]
[water buffalo growls]
[narrator] But taking on prey the size of a buffalo all by herself
is next to impossible.
[snorts]
[somber music playing]
[narrator] At best, she can pick up scraps left by the males,
scavenging the bare minimum she needs to stay alive.
[water buffalo lowing]
[narrator] All the herds and their predators
are being drawn in by the drought,
coming together in the heart of the Delta,
where the last water sources remain.
[whimsical music playing]
[narrator] The calf and her herd
have to travel further with each passing day.
[growling]
[groans]
[narrator] Their eyesight may be poor, but with highly attuned hearing and smell,
elephants can sense danger from miles away.
[ominous music playing]
[narrator] Nile crocodiles.
Some up to six meters long, weighing three-quarters of a ton.
But most are pretty small, only a meter or so.
[elephant barks]
[elephant trumpets]
[whimsical music playing]
[elephant growls, trumpets]
[narrator] The older elephants show the calf how to get to the water
by navigating this strange obstacle course.
[elephant trumpets]
[elephant snorts]
[narrator] At last.
And if you still haven't mastered the art of the trunk,
face drinking is always a good fallback.
[elephant growls]
[narrator] The calf is learning…
the hard way.
This water hole is the herd's savior.
Elephants also use it to protect their skin from the sun.
[elephant growls]
[narrator] The mud cools their overheated bodies as it evaporates.
And the dust settles in the cracks and crevices of their skin,
acting as sunblock.
A spot like this is highly sought-after.
[elephant barks]
[elephant snorts]
[narrator] But the herd aren't ready to move on from their mud spa just yet.
[elephant trumpets]
[elephant trumpeting]
[screeching]
[narrator] Such difficult times teach the growing pups many things.
Harassing a well-fed vulture must be a good lesson in… something.
[vulture trilling]
[pups yipping]
[narrator] A lone hyena…
makes for a more serious education.
Testing their stress levels helps prepare them
for future confrontations with competitors.
[pups shrieking]
[hyena growls]
[elephant growls]
[narrator] But they still need to learn the most important lesson.
[suspenseful music playing]
[narrator] The art…
of the hunt.
[impalas grunting]
[birds warbling]
[narrator] With the alpha now back in charge…
she directs the team to drive their prey into the thick mud
to slow them down.
[painted wolves barking, yipping]
[impala shrieking]
[narrator] Her coaching is paying off.
They're learning who to target…
and who to leave.
[painted wolves yipping]
[narrator] The pack is growing wiser and closer each day.
[panting]
[narrator] By late October, temperatures have soared to 45 degrees Celsius.
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Not a drop has fallen.
[insects chittering]
In recent years, the dry seasons here have been getting longer,
the heat more severe.
[elephant growling]
[narrator] This year is fast becoming the drought of the century.
Every day becomes a gamble
to find enough water to keep the whole herd alive.
[elephant growling]
[narrator] The calf and her mother need it the most.
She's a prisoner in these lands
that only a few months ago offered her so much.
[elephant growling]
[narrator] Her survival is entirely in the hands
of the wise, old leader.
The herd's matriarch.
She's been traveling these pathways
since she, too, was a young calf.
Her brain, infused with memories,
holds an ancient internal map
of where the last pockets of water might be found.
[epic orchestral music playing]
[elephant trumpeting]
[elephant breathes deeply]
[elephant barks]
[narrator] Family is more than just the herd.
Family is memory…
and that's what's making the difference
between life and death.
[birds chirping, warbling]
[elephant trumpeting]
[narrator] The old family knowledge leads them
to one of the last remaining water holes
in the entire Delta.
[calf whines]
[narrator] Every muddy drop is a lifesaver.
But their little one can't get to the water.
[whimsical music playing]
[narrator] So she simply gets into the water.
Getting out, not so easy.
[calf whines]
[elephant growls]
[elephant trumpeting]
[elephant growls]
[calf whining]
[narrator] For a clumsy calf, a loving family is her most powerful ally.
[elephant growls]
-[wind whooshing] -[insects chittering]
[narrator] There's no time to waste.
They need more water,
and they'll chase the storm front to find it.
-Finally, clouds begin to form. -[thunder rumbling]
Giant storm cells.
[wind whooshing loudly]
[narrator] Elephants are able to hear the low frequencies of distant thunder
and detect storms up to 200 kilometers away.
[thunder rumbling]
[thunder crashing rapidly]
[narrator] But in a region that's gone seven months with barely a drop of rain,
the tinder-dry grasses are a ticking bomb.
[suspenseful music playing]
The adults in the herd have seen fire before.
Each year, up to 4,000 square kilometers of the Delta burns.
They know to stick close together as they try to navigate the flames.
The fires are devastating…
[somber music playing]
…but don't devour everything.
[wind whooshing]
[narrator] The grazers have thinned the amount of fuel available to burn.
And the scorched areas will create new pathways
for next year's flood to access.
The Delta has always found a way to heal
because its residents never stop playing their part.
[thunder rumbling]
[narrator] At last, the skies yield.
The greatest drought in living memory
is finally broken.
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Over the next five months,
half a meter of rain will fall here.
Any ground scorched by the fire
will be revitalized.
[thunder rumbling]
[wildebeest lowing]
[narrator] The herds are released from their water holes.
-And the predators spread out. -[growls]
[narrator] Keeping the grazers on the move,
giving the new shoots a chance,
and preventing any one area from becoming depleted.
[elephant grunts]
[growls]
[narrator] Balance…
is maintained.
[elephants growling]
[narrator] And with the arrival of the rains…
come four new cubs.
[cubs whining]
[peaceful music playing]
[lioness purring]
[narrator] The flush of green has prompted a baby boom.
[bleating]
[whining]
[cubs whining]
[lioness growling]
[narrator] She moves her cubs every few days…
to prevent their scent from attracting enemies.
[birds chirping]
[birds squawking]
[cubs whining]
[narrator] But her latest move hasn't gone unnoticed.
[ominous music playing]
[narrator] The young males have picked up their trail.
They will not tolerate the presence of another male's cubs.
[snorts]
[cub whining]
[intense music playing]
[lion growling]
[lions growling, roaring]
[suspenseful music playing]
[narrator] She's half their size and outnumbered.
[breathing heavily]
[growling fiercely]
[lioness roaring]
[narrator] They're trapped.
[cubs whining]
[moaning]
[narrator] Her instinct is to lead her babies to safety.
[cubs meowing]
[narrator] But the cubs have no idea who they're up against.
[cubs meowing]
[cubs growling]
[narrator] She's lost track of a cub.
[cub meowing]
[cub shrieking]
[intense music playing]
[lions roaring]
[somber music playing]
[lioness moaning]
[growling]
[narrator] She'll fight to the death for her family…
[cub meowing]
…but the males won't risk further injury.
[lioness moaning]
[moans, breathes heavily]
[narrator] Thanks to their mother's bravery,
three of her cubs have survived.
[moans]
[narrator] She can't rest for long.
She's all they've got.
[cub whines]
[wind whooshing]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] For the painted wolves, life again is sweet.
Their mother has risen
to the greatest challenge she's ever faced.
Bringing a pack cut to half its size
through the perils of the drought
and transforming a hapless bunch of rookies
into a hardworking, successful team.
[birds chirping]
[narrator] Their comeback is complete.
[painted wolves yipping]
[narrator] The gutsy little calf
has chalked up her first year in the Delta…
and she herself has contributed to its upkeep…
with every reed she's trampled,
every palm seed she's left.
If she can survive another 30 or 40 more years
of increasing extremes,
fires, floods, and famines…
[calf bellows]
…she will finally become a matriarch
and pass on everything she's learned
to the next generation.
[cub meows]
[narrator] Now, four months old,
the lioness's cubs are getting stronger
and more able every day.
Single-handedly, she's kept them all well-fed.
[cubs growling playfully]
[zebras braying]
[narrator] Their games are practice for real life.
To teach them how to catch prey like their mother.
[upbeat music playing]
[wildebeest lowing]
[meowing]
[narrator] She once lost what was most precious to her.
But now, has a little pride to call her own.
[birds chirping]
[narrator] Her cubs will soon learn the vital importance of family.
Just one of a myriad of families whose presence sustains their land.
[elephant trumpeting]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] These animals will continue to adapt
as best they can…
to the growing threats they face.
The world's climate changing…
becoming increasingly hostile,
more extreme.
Their greatest weapon in their fight to survive is each other.
For their fates are bound together with this great wilderness.
The magnificent,
ever-changing
Okavango Delta.
[dramatic music playing]
[music fades]