A Detailed Look Into Predators, Prey & Wildlife | Botswana Wild Kingdom | Real Wild

[Music] the endless flat horizon of the kalahari is broken in eastern botswana by a range of rocky hills a pair of black eagles soars near the largest range of hills known as their aerobatics declare their attraction and bond to each other [Music] these are the most accomplished aviators in the eagle world [Music] the black eagle rules the skies over swapong [Music] eagles still saw over botswana villages where life continues in the rural tradition [Music] [Music] the swap on hills are surrounded by many villages but the hills themselves are uninhabited because of the presence of powerful spirits gorges cutting deep into the hills are believed to be home to the spirits of the ancestors of the botswana people the bademo the bademo live at the head of each gorge the villagers are afraid of the spirits and leave the sacred gorges untouched so the black eagle lives and breeds in an undisturbed sanctuary [Music] the most sacred part of the gorge is at the head where pure water bursts from the bare rock [Music] the sacred hills of swapong lie to the east of botswana the surrounding flatlands suddenly give way to sheer cliffs hundreds of feet high updrafts lift the eagles effortlessly into the sky the black eagle is a large and powerful predator the cliff's other residents are rightfully wary of it but for the moment the eagle doesn't have hunting on its mind [Applause] red cliffs washed white reveal the roosts of the cliff's largest resident the cape vulture smaller and more inaccessible ledges provide nest sites for hundreds of other birds like swifts and starlings and offer a degree of protection from predators but not from the artful gymnasium the sneak thief of the cliff face the gymnasium reaches the parts other predators cannot reach the rocky terrain attracts a wide variety of specialized residents chakma baboons are fantastic rock climbers they keep an eye on their territory from lookout posts where they bask in the morning sun hyraxes use the rocks like radiators in the cold mornings and the myriad crevices are occupied by a myriad crevice dwellers [Music] this long-nosed insect eater is an elephant shrew although it's only a few inches long it is fast and agile and colonizes all the rocky areas crevice and cliff are home to a range of wildlife unlike any other in botswana [Music] a couple of hours of morning sun warms the cliffs enough to raise thermals for the vultures to soar on once the vultures reach the top of the thermal they peel off and head across the arid plain in search of carrion eight-foot wings carry them with grace and speed but the short ledges call for a sudden stop 150 pairs of vultures roost in the hills and competition for the best ledges is fierce for a short while their numbers will be growing they're about to raise their young and all efforts are concentrated on mating and nest building the search for nesting material takes them to the wooded base of the cliffs here they deliberate over the perfect stick usually the one in another vulture's beak [Applause] [Music] nests soon fill the cramped ledges nest refinement is an ongoing activity and extra material can always be found nearby [Laughter] vultures become so concerned with the exact placement of sticks that they don't notice where the rest of the nest is heading although cape vultures are highly sociable birds competition is intense at this time of year and they must guard their nest sites fiercely [Applause] the black eagle usually hunts small mammals but an easy meal is always welcome they regularly survey the vultures cliffs for unprotected eggs and nestlings these raids are more common when the eagles have young to feed [Laughter] a pair of eagles will alternate between two or three nest sites over the years this nest is built in a hillside bayabab tree as usual two eggs were laid and two hatched but the older chick has done away with the younger both parents feed and hunt for it during the 14 weeks it stays in the nest the chicks appetite will keep them busy for most of each day as well as fresh meat the adults bring fresh greenery to line the nest and shade the chick from the sun the eagles are not the only ones searching for greenery on the hills a medicine man collects ingredients for traditional medicines pods bark leaves or roots he only takes what he needs and never destroys the plants in the process the unique environment found within the hills offers water and shelter to plants that grow nowhere else in botswana the hills are renowned throughout southern africa for the special plants that grow here many fruiting trees grow on the hillsides and the fruit is an important part of the local diet has long been a valuable resource to the people of this land ancestors left rock paintings perhaps more than two thousand years ago ancient iron smelting sites and paraphernalia are scattered throughout the hills some of these date back more than fifteen hundred years and thousands of pottery shards litter the ground making this one of the most important prehistoric sites in southern africa today the tops of the hills away from the sacred gorges are still used to gather thatching grass for the surrounding villages the villages are not far from the base of the hills water flows out to them year round and life is good the bademo guide the people bring them rain and cure their illnesses through the medicine man a recent incident strengthened beliefs in the bedema if they needed strengthening at all cesaretsi karma was the founding president of modern botswana and the descendant of a long line of botswana chiefs when he died a great rock crashed from this cliff into the river below the gorges are sacred and run deep into the hills the permission of local chiefs is needed before anyone can enter them a few miles away is the arid kalahari but here trickling water produces lush and delicate greenery the pools of the head of the gorges are especially sacred here great snakes protect the pedimo green gorges are the home to much of the unexpected wildlife of swapong [Music] tall forest trees line the high cliffs of the gorges creating a shady retreat some of these trees are found nowhere else in botswana fig trees are laden with fruit like a garden of eden and vervet monkeys thrive in the thick vegetation gathering fruit from the trees and enjoying shelter from the sun [Music] [Music] water also emerges from rocks outside the gorges [Music] wherever it appears it is considered sacred [Music] and to have healing properties [Music] and in a desert water is simply the source of all life the hot noisy cliffs of the vultures above seem a world apart squabbles still erupt over nest sites many pairs have not found suitable sites even though others have laid eggs where the eggs have hatched the adults are busy tending the young [Applause] latecomers have only the less desirable ledges left to them or none at all nests are packed onto and into every nook and cranny and they provide excellent cover for the insects this shrew is after the elephant shrew gets its name from its long flexible nose [Music] [Applause] although it looks like a mouse it's an insect eater more closely related to bats [Music] the vulture chicks will spend almost five months on the ledge before fledging at this age they're seldom left alone for long as they're vulnerable to airborne attack the adults are keen-eyed weary and very protective of their young [Applause] they can growl at the eagles but they can't outmaneuver them [Applause] the eagle needs to find meat for its young but these chicks are well guarded [Applause] vulture chicks aren't a staple of the eagle's diet that position is taken by the hyrax these curious looking primitive mammals are unlikely relatives of the elephant they occur widely across africa or was found on the same rocket terrain as black eagles and it's here that the eagles often hunting as a pair like to surprise them they build up speed on the far side of the hill then swoop over the crest to surprise whatever lies in their path but their plans are foiled by a franklin so the pair separates a hyrax lookout takes up the alarm cry but it hasn't seen the other eagle approaching from behind [Music] once warm hyraxes can run fast and they scatter over the rocks looking for cover between the boulders it'll have to wait a while before hunting this hillside again swapong is home to wildlife great and small a beautiful gallery of rust-colored rocks provides canvases for abstract patterns of lichens [Music] in the heat of the day some of the smaller animals emerged to forage [Music] mocking chats are on the hunt for insects [Music] flat lizards lie and wait for a meal it's all a matter of scale and scales a fallen boulder becomes a great cliff for an armor-plated rock climber [Music] so [Music] [Music] a male flat lizard called a platysaurus displays his striking livery his brightly colored underside proclaims his territory to other males [Music] always on the lookout for a juicy meal the shrew scouts the insect-filled crevices [Music] but it needs to be careful many other animals would consider the shrew a tasty meal these are the coils of the venomous puffada and its main prey is small warm-blooded mammals it can sense body heat and special pits on its head [Music] so it can track the shrew without actually seeing it the fascinated flat lizards become animated by the puff ada's progress they jolt and jar as the adder flows in liquid locomotion [Music] but they can't afford to get distracted small reptiles are the favored prey of many of the hawks eagles and falcons that live in swapong in fact swapong is a bird of prey paradise rock kestrels are particularly partial to small lizards they have their own territory to defend and are agitated by the presence of the black eagle [Music] when eagles get too close the feisty kestrels think nothing of going on the attack the message is clear this side of the cliff is kestrel territory the harried eagle moves on it must still find food for its young it spots a chance and plans a sudden attack storming through the skies it strikes with ease the rock pigeon was cornered and didn't stand a chance it takes the pigeon down to a tree in the gorge to be plucked before returning to the chick the bottoms of the gorges stay green year-round thanks to the constant supply of water percolating through the rocks most of the wildlife in the hills is linked to this miraculous resource clouds rising above the range drop rain on the hilltops which soaks down through the soft rock when it reaches harder rock it bursts from the cliffs water is the sacred heart of swappong and swapong is a rare oasis in the arid kalahari [Music] a goat-sized antelope is perfectly adapted for life in the rocky hills the clip springer tiptoes like a ballet dancer on points across near vertical rock faces [Applause] unusual springy hair gives it a dense coat that protects it from heat cold and sharp rocks clip springers and their young are vulnerable to predators both from the air and the ground attack from the black eagle is a very real threat to the land when threatened the lamb retreats to long grass and stay still adults can outrun most land animals on the steep rocks even the powerful leopard [Music] surprisingly some leopards still live in the thickly wooded gorgeous despite the closeness of the botswana villages baboons are preyed on by both eagle and leopard and don't appreciate either as neighbors [Music] leopards are shy of humans and hide themselves in the depths of the hills they're seldom seen like the eagles they are unintentionally protected by the villagers fear of the spirits once the panic has died down the baboons return to their foraging in the woods and cliffs they're nimble and confident on the rock faces the rocks are refugees for numerous small animals that the baboons can feed on they can also find water high up in the cliffs the gymnasium uses the cover of the woods to raise its young the female makes final adjustments to the loosely made nest while she incubates her eggs this unusual hawk is a one-off the only member of its family its body is well adapted to its hunting habits long legs a small head and an unusually lightweight frame hidden beneath its grey plumage it can display in a manner that seems quite shameful a koi blush the name gymnasium means bare cheeks but the meaning of the facial display is not clear it is common when a mated pair is near to each other or is excited after two months the eagle chick has grown substantially and feathers are breaking through its down [Laughter] this time the hyrax hunt was more successful [Laughter] on the cliff face the vulture colony is bursting at the seams rapidly growing chicks occupy nearly all the ledges they may be young but some already have four foot wing spans and even bigger appetites [Applause] every crack and crevice is alive with breeding birds red-winged starlings sandwich nests into the narrowest fishes while swifts glue theirs underneath but no crack is too narrow or inaccessible for the gymnasium [Music] so [Music] broad wings enable it to float up and down the cliffs with ease [Music] [Music] its lightweight body lets it hang onto the bare rock its small head prize tiny gaps while its long flexible legs fish nestlings are the deepest holes [Music] the starling's desperate protests won't distract the hawk for long the gymnasium knows the nestlings are here and will be back it has a chick to feed [Music] vervet monkeys are too big to be caught by gymnasiums they're still at risk from the much larger eagles they spend much of their time in the thick cover of the trees like the eagle chick this gymnasium hatchling has done away with its sibling and demands constant feeding its parents won't return empty-handed a second dash at the cliffs was successful and the parent presents a starling the gymnasium chick is in no danger from the group of monkeys below they're mainly vegetarian and scar the forest for ripe fruit and there always seems to be something in fruit throughout the year with a harvest as abundant as this the vervets can afford to be fussy about what they eat they reject all but the choicest fruit the platysaurus is also interested in the fruit although it doesn't find it easy to [Music] and a eat lizard a fuller-bodied relation is taken with the fruit too [Music] with [Music] many of the animals vary their diets to take advantage of these opportunities the shrew welcomes a free lunch [Music] everything comes to the lizard that waits a furry army of caterpillars is on maneuvers and the lizard knows just how to maneuver them to get that poisonous hair off with lunch taken care of he spends some time attracting the opposite sex perhaps he should have taken a longer lunch bright colors aren't confined to the lizards spectacular aloes grow along the cliffs and gorges their fiery flowers brighten the landscape and provide food for nectar sippers and blossom eaters some plants act as larders for a whole host of dainty tree squirrels until the dainty tree squirrel ends up in the ladder of the gymnasium the chick is almost big enough to feed itself and might make a better job of it its parent has lost the little corpse in the loosely formed nest much to the annoyance of the chick which impatiently watches the rescue operation the adult seems taken aback by the nestlings outbursts but remains intent on retrieving the hard gain squirrel this is where multi-jointed legs come in handy a moment of hope or frustration but it looks like the remains of a little squirrel have gone for good perhaps it's time to make another visit to the cliffside ladder more and more hyraxes make the one-way journey to the black eagles nest at three and a half months the youngster is the size of an adult but looks very different it won't get its adult plumage for another four or five years but in a few more weeks it will fledge and take to the skies over swapong the vulture chicks are almost fully grown too just making the way to a roost is a hazardous affair and risks running the gauntlet of sharp beak and striking claw a pair that hasn't bred yet tries to take over a ledge from an almost fully grown chick amazingly the youngster manages to fend them off until its parent saves the day it won't be long before the chick can fly and fend for itself but some chicks will never fly they're afflicted with osteodystrophy a bone disease similar to rickets the environment beyond the hills is changing vultures can't always find enough bone chips to keep their young healthy the eagles will soon discover any weakness and with this disease there are no second chances [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] there was no way the chick could have survived stranded on the ledge and now there's one more space in the crowded colony [Music] the dead vulture chick is too heavy to carry so the eagle eats it where it's fallen cape vultures are long-lived birds the infant mortality rate is high but they have many years to make up the numbers a ruckus has broken out in the baboon troop an unknown male has just walked into the wrong territory the stranger's presence threatens the standing of the dominant male in the truth he is not welcome oh [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] the troops dominant male stood his ground and drove the intruder off a clip springer nervously inspects the cause of the commotion but the excitement is over and the victorious male is groomed by his appreciative troop this gentle activity reaffirms their rank and relationships [Music] excited youngsters can't keep their energy down and start to play finally all remaining tension is dispelled [Music] the end of each day finds the villagers in their homes in the traditional huts everyone heads inside and not just because it's dinnertime the spirits of the ancestors are active after dark villagers extinguish fires outside so the spirits don't burn their feet in the night anything else active at night is associated with the spirits and is to be feared this giant cricket is watched with a mixture of nervousness and fascination in fact the villagers fear all nocturnal animals no matter how large or small [Music] the brown hyena means no harm to humans it's just after an easy meal maybe some bones or a scrap of skin [Music] despite their fear of the dark some people actually head for the hills at night swapong is a sacred place to nearby residents of all faiths a christian sect climbs up the hills to pray [Music] [Applause] [Music] hello [Applause] the service will last till dawn and when the morning brings rain their beliefs will be all the stronger [Music] but the sacred presence of swapong is waning already the sacred gorges and hilltops are being used for cattle grazing the hills can't support large-scale grazing and the disturbance in the fragile gorges will drive out indigenous wildlife [Music] times are changing in the villages modern houses are built now and technology has been embraced by some if technology becomes the new religion then swap on spirits may be forgotten and if they are who will protect the wildlife swapong is unique in botswana its microclimate brings rain clouds and mists to the edge of the kalahari its inaccessibility its water and sacred significance have allowed specialized wildlife to flourish for thousands of years [Music] and this year the vulture colony has flourished the last chicks are fledging testing their eight-foot wings on the breeze [Music] soon they will make the leap that will free them from the crowded cliffs and open up the lands beneath them [Music] to the ancient egyptians the vulture was the symbol of longevity its outstretched wings adorning temple doorways let's hope that the vultures on swapong symbolize its longevity in a changing world [Music] and if swapong does survive its rulers have an heir to succeed them as the young eagle sheds its juvenile brown feathers for regal black she will learn the graceful and agile flight of her parents hopefully the timeless battle between eagle and vulture will continue like the timeless battle between technology and tradition [Music] [Applause] if the thirst for knowledge can be tempered with respect for the past then swapong will remain the sacred haunt of eagles [Music] this is a vision of africa as we imagine it to be but this is the exception not the rule such a pristine sanctuary is rarely found in today's africa this is a special oasis where wildlife is isolated never managed or controlled by man here endangered animals like the wild dog thrive in greater numbers and larger packs than anywhere else in africa this place is a window on the past africa as it used to be but where is this rare oasis it's on an island in botswana large tracts of kalahari sunvelt park the waters of the okavango delta to form wooded islands the largest and most isolated of these lies in the delta's heart chiefs island traditionally it was the exclusive hunting ground for the chief of the batawana tribe but was seldom hunted because of its remoteness today its 500 square miles make up part of the mourami game reserve and the only hunting that happens here now is by the predators of the island chiefs island is the heart of the ocavango an echo of africa as it used to be the cool twilight hours of dawn and dusk provide the best hunting on chief's island so this is the time when most predators are active lions are a major predator on the island and each lion has its own preference of what and when it hunts some are just setting out others have been busy all night cheetah and wild dog hunt mainly by daylight so dawn brings the first chance to scout the island for prey the elephant is one of the few animals that the predators ignore antelope and zebra feed in the rich grasslands night and day they need to stay in the open if they're to catch a glimpse of approaching danger shallow floodplains skirt the island but present no problem to the nimble dogs it's the deeper channels they must be wary of venturing across these can be a one-way journey the jekyll's barks mean that large predators are on the prowl the grazing animals are tuned to the hunters moves so it's a constant effort for predators to surprise them so heads slung low the dog stalk has won sizing up their chances the wildebeest have strength in numbers and can withstand the dog's taunts if they stick together perhaps this is just a warm up [Music] the morning light reveals three young lions feeding on an adult cape buffalo they also killed the buffalo's calf but eventually had to abandon it to the hyenas so they could feed on the adult the arrival of a large male lion brings new problems few predators give up the chance of a free meal the strong male can easily assert his authority it took the young lions most of the night to bring down the buffalo they'll be reluctant to let it go but it's clear that the male won't share with scavenger or kin except for a younger male associate who claims the calf for himself the young lions are powerless against the mature male they won't fight him for the carcass and he won't give them the chance to try alone with two kills the younger male is faced with a dilemma he can't eat both at once but his instincts won't let either go [Music] the return of the large male scatters the scavengers and puts an end to the game of cat and mouse oh the young lions take a chance and return to the kill once the males start to eat they may become more tolerant so far so good but they're still cautious a sixth line enters the scene the mother of the three youngsters easily recognizable by her half-tail lions are instinctively protective of their kills and strength overrules family ties [Music] their old mother approaches with caution this is not a pretty picture of family life but it is typical lion behavior the young adults won't admit their aging mother until they've eaten enough to satisfy their initial hunger the conflict has attracted attention and they're driven off once again the dominant male cannot eat the whole buffalo but he needs to assert his authority he eats first and when he satisfied his hunger the younger lions will be allowed to return they will wait until the mature male is ready and until her young are ready the mother waits too when she's near them she remains submissive and cautious this waiting game may last for hours oh but the hyenas will wait the longest compared to the lions the wild dogs are even tempered and cooperative they hunt as a group share their kill and even take food back to feed their injured their success as hunters relies on this cooperation and hunting in a large pack gives them the strength to overpower animals much bigger than themselves the dogs stay alert as they travel through the shallows crocodiles take many dogs but the reptile needs deep water to drown them if the water is deep enough for hippos then it's definitely deep enough for crocodiles and the dogs take the long way round hippos are fiercely territorial but sometimes they take their duties a little too far [Music] [Music] the egyptian geese retreat to the scanty protection of some floating foliage the very large packs of wild dogs found on chief's island are a formidable force they act as individuals and as a pack to outwit and overwhelm their prey kudu have sharp hearing but the dogs stalk in silence once they've targeted their prey they seldom give up my uh [Music] death comes swiftly when it's dealt by so many blows rows of sharp teeth open up the kudu's belly and rip out its vital organs it happens so quickly that the kudu dies in seconds the lion's suffocating bite looks cleaner but may take more than half an hour to have the same effect the wild dogs gorge themselves they're also feeding for their puppies back at the damn once they're full they return straight to the den in stark contrast of a hunt life here is noisy yelping puppies eagerly greet the adults and lick their muscles to encourage regurgitation the adults find it impossible to resist them [Music] guardians look after the puppies while the other adults hunt they also beg for food and get the same response the puppies soon learn to protect their food from each other [Music] adults often play strong social bonds tie them together [Music] hooded vultures are a fact of life around the den and live in close association with the dogs [Music] as well as clearing up the scraps and waste the vultures provide a constant source of amusement and bemusement for the pups [Music] play fighting at this early age tests their strength and help set their rank in later life [Music] the dominant female suckles all the young even if they're not her own she may suckle as many as 18. [Music] the morning is heating up and the dogs are full they've eaten well and may not need to hunt again today [Music] calm settles on the pack as they drift off in the dappled sun the hyenas are still waiting but seem relaxed at last the young lions have let their mother onto the kill buffalo can weigh up to a ton so there's enough to feed all the lions if they let each other feed it'll be a few hours yet before the hyenas get a look in the carcass a pair of cheetahs warm themselves on a termite mound as they scan the floodplains for prey red lechway a type of swamp antelope are prolific in the floodplains around the island but they're easily spooked and can leap quickly through the shallow waters a higher termite mound provides a better view the delta and islands are studded with the slowly growing mounds which provide the only dry ground and cover at the height of the floods [Music] at the moment the open flood plains seem distinctly lacking in cheetah prey botswana is famed for the largest free-ranging herds of african elephant it's estimated that over 100 000 elephants populate these lands more than 15 percent of the whole african population in the wet season the elephants roam the surrounding mapani woodlands but in the dry season they move into the delta to take advantage of the lush foraging on the islands but elephants can be very destructive to their habitat some believe that botswana is already overpopulated by elephants and the government faces a dilemma should they allow controlled hunting or culling in order to protect this pristine habitat a habitat up to now unregulated by man the annual flood waters from the occuvango and fertilizer deposited by huge herds of elephants buffalo and antelope keep the floodplains fertile and each year as the waters recede a fresh supply of food is revealed chakma baboons pick their way through the exposed beds of drained lagoons collecting the tubers of slowly sinking water lilies to eat water lilies pepper the waterways with thousands of pink stars and provide the main source of food for the pygmy goose [Music] this beautiful water bird is tied to the lily covered backwaters where it feeds on the seeds of the submerged lily fruit [Music] water lilies aren't just a source of food they're a habitat in their own right for jakanas or more aptly the lilly trotter only the males bring up the young while the females mate and lay eggs with the succession of others [Music] [Applause] the chicks are mobile from hatching but are vulnerable on the exposed pads [Music] when they're under threat the adult exhibits a remarkable defense strategy [Music] [Music] me [Music] [Applause] only to deposit the chicks when danger has passed [Music] these lily legumes are just one of the many unspoiled habitats that make chief's island so special and sustain such a wide range of wildlife most of the wildlife on the island is dependent on water so the shores of the major channels are busy with life's essential routines drinking feeding and raising young crocodiles are plentiful in the deep channels they ambush their prey by stealth approaching an inch at a time until they're ready to strike baboons are often targets for crocodiles so they spend very little time in the water this one is rooted to the spot [Music] its troop is unnerved by its behavior the baboon's leg is held fast in the jaws of a crocodile but since the flood waters have subsided the channel is too shallow to drown the ape [Music] when danger is out of sight it's often out of mind [Music] the crocodile releases the highly stressed baboon expecting it to be ground [Music] and it hasn't escaped without injury it probably lost a lot of blood in the water and looks like it's in shock [Music] the crocodile moves to deeper water baboons are one of the most plentiful mammals on the island and crocodiles have taken many at this point [Music] the crocodiles are only dangerous while they're lurking in the water their relationship with baboons on land is very different [Music] after a warning bark the baboons continue their daily routine almost oblivious to the reptile they seem more concerned with something stalking the other side of the inlet [Music] the injured baboon retreats to the island's woods the spotted hyena heads in the same direction although chief's island is now part of the mirami game reserve its wildlife is not controlled or maintained by man wildlife flourishes here as it has always done giving us a glimpse of an ancient africa there's a natural balance between predator and prey and their instincts are home to respond to each other's every move the lions have broken cover to drink so they give up the chance to surprise the wildebeest but they wouldn't be in the open if they'd intended to attack everywhere the lion pride walks the prey animals read the signals and assess the risk of danger lions seem to miss a lot of opportunities but they only hunt when they have a reasonable chance of success these kudu bulls are as wary of predators as the wildebeest they see the lions approach and move on prey animals escape predators more often than we think cheetahs hunt the same ground as lions but specialize in smaller prey like impala and young lich way but this pair has not been successful today adult zebra are too large for the small cheaters but there may be foals amongst the herd often cheaters walk boldly up to their prey relying on their speed to overhaul their victim when the chase begins some of the zebras spot the cheetah and watch for signs the cheetah targets the other end of the herd but there are no foals here and an adult is beyond the cheetah's strength it must look for smaller prey somewhere else the second cheater is nervous lions have settled down nearby there's no point hunting when lions are around they steal the kills of smaller predators especially cheetahs cheaters are in direct competition with the other predators on the island but they're at the small end of the scale even the wild dogs use their numbers to harass cheaters most lions avoid the strain of hunting in the heat of midday instead they take time to relax they're not under threat by any predator [Music] [Music] giraffes are very common on the island and use their long necks and short horns to spa [Music] when fighting in earnest their heads become powerful battering rams capable of killing an opponent but mostly they engage in stylized mock fights [Music] lion cubs seem unaffected by the heat that overpowers their family [Music] suckling is one of the few activities the adults have energy for oh [Music] but suckling doesn't keep cubs busy for long they want to play [Music] [Music] in every little snarl and every tiny strike the cubs are honing their hunting skills [Music] it's hard to believe that one day they'll be wrestling with the backs of buffalo [Music] for now it's just a little rough and tumble wow [Music] [Music] a shattering hifini palm sheds its fruit this is no earthquake but the skilled manipulation of a strong trunk a few elephants become particularly skillful with this operation each falling nut is about the size of a cricket ball and just as hard the nutritious outer husk is highly prized by elephant bulls and large numbers invade the palm groves each year to shake down the ripening crop [Music] ah chief's island is a piece of the kalahari sand belt isolated amidst the okavango's flood waters although its sandy soil is light and dusty it actually makes great mud elephants love to bathe in the dust and mud and they turn the shore into an island spa [Applause] their skin is tough but sensitive dust helps rid it of parasites and mud holds moisture to it cooling the elephants as it dries out this treatment is a welcome respite from the mid-afternoon sun it's also good fun [Music] [Music] even big old bulls enjoy the benefits of the spa [Music] but this youngster is not so sure about the soothing qualities of the sticky mud it prefers to seek the cool shade only to be found under its mother the spa's benefits aren't confined to the elephants warthogs also enjoy sticky suits of mud [Music] dust bathing can go right over your head if you're too young to cope with headwinds [Music] and this tiny calf is left out altogether it's too young to control its trunk properly it can't wait to get out of the heat and into the shady woodlands [Music] [Music] the spa is left open for the smaller animals to enjoy this sycamore fig tree is also the scene of some health treatments some baboons engage in grooming while other members of the troop are more interested in what's on offer above fat green marulas chief's island is weeded in fruit trees they provide a nutritious addition to the baboon's buried diet the fruit trees also sustain many other animals like birds and fruit bats fruit bats may eat as many as 20 figs a night each but the benefits of fruit are still unknown to this suckling baby baboon baboons benefit from many of the island's habitats forest floodplain and grasslands but they're always wary of danger and post lookouts to protect their troops lookouts barking is triggered by the arrival of a lioness in the grasslands different lions hunt at different times of the day many will hunt at night but this female chooses the late afternoon as the heat begins to subside the baboon seems very bold but he's not putting himself in any danger he maintains his distance from the lion and would escape into a tree if she got closer his alarm calls are reducing her chances of surprising any prey the object of her intention comes into view a herd of wildebeest they've seen her and quickly assessed the danger while she's still they slowly file on um [Music] but she's not alone the wildebeest are alert primed by the baboons calls and easily escaped [Music] perhaps tonight when the baboons are asleep the lion's chances will be better there's only an hour of daylight left until dusk with sundown approaching the wild dogs are getting frisky and eager to hunt they have a lot of mouths to feed they greet each other with face licks and rally around the pack if left undisturbed wild dogs seldom change dens while rearing young but something maybe a lion has disturbed this pack and now they must move their puppies to another den the puppies are very vulnerable in the open and the changeover has to be quick older pups run with the pack but the younger ones are carried by mouth protection of the pups is paramount and adults regularly stop the stragglers [Music] the cheetah has heard the distress calls of the puppies it knows better than to approach the pack but could pick off a straggler [Music] and the smaller puppies do seem to have a problem keeping up but nothing is that simple for cheaters the dogs have spotted it and the little puppy knows when it's time to run for cover wild dogs are one of the fastest land predators and are on the cheetah's tail in no time but they abandon the chase daylight is fading and they must get the puppies to the new den before dark the guardian sees there safely underground and stands over the dense entrance the puppies are very excited after their excursion and the guardian will have a hard time keeping them down elephants consume vast quantities of vegetation each day and may spend up to 18 hours foraging in the wooded areas of the island they can feed on roots creepers bark and leaves another dust raker is making use of the cooler evening the honey badger forages for insects and grubs in the dusty kalahari sand a successful kill brings the large pack into the grasslands the elephants will spend the night foraging in the woods wild dogs can strip a carcass in a few minutes and soon devour most of the kill hyenas are respectful of the dogs while they're feeding the dogs are fast and have needle sharp teeth and will set about the hyenas if they're interrupted [Music] the pack will return to the puppies when the sun goes down but the hyenas have the whole night to feed even so one of the boulder hyenas can't resist a quick wrecky and the dog's tolerance evaporates [Music] [Music] chiefs island has witnessed conflicts like these for thousands of years as predators pursue prey and compete with each other in an endless game of survival [Music] this is a rich but rare paradise isolated by the watery wilderness of the delta its fortune lies in this isolation let's hope that its recent discovery by tourism does not endanger the beating heart of the ocavango [Music] botswana is a dry country it is dominated by the kalahari flat dusty endless for most of the year its surface is without water [Music] so water is priceless it forces domesticated and wild animals to compete the baron batty river forms the western boundary of the makadikari basin a vast sea of arid grasslands and saltpans is a land of extremes when the rains come the salt pan is filled with water and prairie-like grasslands are renewed southern africa's greatest free-ranging herds of wildebeest and zebra spread out across the basin and memories of the drought evaporate on the cool breeze [Music] the ocavango river rises in the highlands of angola and eventually flows into northwest botswana it is the last of the great rivers still to flow into the ancient lake basin of maharikari [Music] the giant river transforms the kalahari into fertile swamplands but never reaches the sea most of the water evaporates or is swallowed by the sand the river breaks into many channels that fan out to form an inland delta only one channel escapes the delta and flows into the kalahari beyond the pateti channel [Music] most years a tiny percentage of flood water makes it to the channel sometimes nothing at all this region of botswana is the bed of one of africa's greatest ancient lakes the pateti channel connects the okavango delta to the vast makarika sodapans where the ancient lake finally disappeared today the only regular water supply into this region comes from the okavango the water hasn't reached beyond the delta in the last seven years and the last pools in the channel are slowly drying up this herd of hippopotamus watches their pool shrink year on year waiting for the floods to come now they rely on the government tanker to keep their wallow wet but it's not just hippos that need water small villages surrounding the channel also rely on its supply thornbush fences help protect the village's wells from wandering wildlife dark spots on the hippo's skin reveal escaping sweat hippos lose a great deal of water through their skin and must stay cool in the heat of the day if the hole dries up they'll have to move on or die from the air a mosaic of wells shows the impact of the villagers and their animals on the dusty bed of the channel the marabou stalk feeds on carrion but this bird drought is a time of plenty [Music] all life in the channel is in search of water wild and domesticated animals are forced into uneasy and unnatural association [Music] stalks scavenge the dried up pools feeding on the remains of stranded catfish there's plenty of carrion to be found in these desperate times villagers can access water beneath the channel from their wells but their protective thornbush fences are not always effective [Music] during the night two young hippos fell into a well drawn by the prospect of fresh water so as a cow [Music] the cow was pregnant and gave birth on top of the hippos the farmer and officials are desperate to at least save the calf [Music] cattle are a symbol of wealth and farmers can't afford to lose them to the wells [Music] the hippos must be under great stress but fortunately for everyone they remain calm [Music] wildlife officials are keen to see that the hippos are safely released and the farmer needs to get them out of the well before he can release his cow [Music] the pressure on these wild animals must be intolerable but survival takes precedence over everything else the government decided to withdraw the tanker in the hope that the hippers would move back to the swamp 60 miles away but the hippos remained sustained by natural water seepage and limited grass nearby once the surface water was gone the competition with domestic animals ceased a few seepage pools scattered along the 250 miles of the patety's dry channel are all that's left of previous flood waters remarkably this pool is home to a large nile crocodile and a saddlebill stalk each year the fish are concentrated into a smaller and smaller area and the stalk has an easy time picking them off the crocodile has survived for seven years waiting for the river to return during this time it has protected itself in a deep burrow it is dug in the bank occasionally it catches a meal at the edge of the pool these impala have come down from the makarikadi national park any surface water draws in wildlife from a very wide area [Music] nowhere in the pateti is free of cattle this is the only permanent surface water for thousands of square miles and people depend on it but at this point the riverbed forms a boundary between the national park on the east and the village's lands in the west the unmarked boundary runs down the middle of the channel in times of drought animals must be resourceful and sometimes adopt unusual tactics to survive amazingly a cave high up the bank is littered with hippopotamus dung the hippo must have struggled up the bank to shade itself from the sun once its pool had dried but without water the hippo couldn't survive for long not far away there is a pool that still has water but it's barely fit for life the blood red color comes from algae that thrives on hippo down but poisons the water nothing else can live in it or drink it desert adapted sandgrass specialize in dry areas but still need fresh water to drink they'll fly up to 50 miles in search of a clean pool no matter how small while they're here they soak special absorbent breast feathers in the water to carry droplets back to their chicks in the desert as the channel runs alongside the park towards the makharikade saltpans the seepage pools become few and far between [Music] until they disappear altogether [Music] great seas of arid grassland lie between the channel and the salt pans these grasslands support massive free-ranging herds of grazers especially wildebeest and zebra in the dry season the herds are forced to live along the edge of the channel because it provides their only source of water they visit it in their thousands a few hundred descending at a time to drink the pateti is a lifeline for most of the large grazing animals of the machadikadi national park even though its sandy riverbed offers little these grazers have no other choice scavengers follow the wanderings of the grazers as the drought takes its toll in the channel the concentration of animals provides a captive audience competition for water becomes intense even amongst the wild herds water seeps into some pools so slowly that wildebeest must pause between each set it's a grim existence that worsens every year the river fails it is amazing that tens of thousands of animals are able to survive on such a small supply without the vast grasslands they certainly could not cattle are very important to the rural botswana people one side of the channel is cattle country the other national park but without a physical boundary the result is a free-for-all at the water holes like the hippos upstream the wildebeest live in uneasy unison with domesticated livestock the wild grazers are timid and find it difficult to compete with domesticated animals for water without a boundary or fence to restrict them the cattle also compete for grazing in the national park there is a new arrival in the blood red pool a baby hippopotamus nervously swims looking for its mother it has good cause to be anxious it is unfamiliar with the other adults in normal conditions it would spend the first two weeks of its life hidden from the herd protected by its mother but now it seems confused [Music] [Applause] its mother briefly appears and moves her baby away from the herd [Music] but there is nowhere for the mother to hide her calf which is now approached by an older female the calf seems desperate for acceptance [Music] perhaps this behavior is a built-in survival mechanism that is avoided when normal conditions prevail three baby hippos have been killed in this way in the last year [Music] in the dry season the big herds of the makharikari concentrate around the few water holes left in the channel the big predators follow them in zebra normally visit at night they're nervous of man guns and domestic animals but this year the drought is sufficiently bad to warrant a daytime visit the lions are ready night or day one grazer looks much like another to a lion they don't differentiate predator and prey mix freely without a fence to separate them and the villagers are not happy with rampaging big cats near their herds defence force officials have been called to investigate reports of an aggressive injured lion hanging around the channel he's a handsome but wild beast and clearly will not cooperate with an inspection so must be tranquilized first if his wounds can be treated he will be translocated within the park away from human settlements a hole in his fur leads to a hole in his spine he's been shot and his rear legs are paralyzed the shooting was probably a reprisal for a cattle kill or perhaps because he was seen too close to livestock either way he has no chance of survival in the wild and is given a little injection when the river flowed there was at least some degree of separation but not everything is bleak in the makharikadi national park there is one other place that has permanent water [Music] far from the pateti channel is a haven called naipan and here a pride of lions lives free from the temptation of cattle [Music] in the center of the pan is a small water hole kept full throughout the year water is pumped by the government from the underground aquifer into this tank and then to the water hill via two miles of buried pipeline spillage attracts an elephant that is learning a trick or two it seems the elephant knows that when the tap is turned the tank overflows the presence of water year-round allows resident communities to establish at the pan springbok do not normally need to drink but doing so allows them to congregate in much larger herds in the dry season than they would otherwise be able to the resident grazers are prey for the lions which have a hard time hunting without cover around the waterhole but with so many springbok there is always the chance that one will make a mistake it's only a matter of when [Music] so [Music] you [Music] [Music] [Music] the male lion seems to have no interest in hunting [Music] [Music] wow [Music] so [Music] the kill will be shared between the hunters or perhaps not lions are great opportunists and it makes sense for the male to use his strength claiming the kill rather than exhausting it hunting on the planes there won't be much left after he's finished so the females must hunt again he takes his meal to the shade of some thorn trees where he can enjoy it at his leisure the females are not disheartened um [Applause] [Music] the midday sun defeats them but the springbok aren't going anywhere although there is a small water hole in the middle of night pan the rest of the pans are dry and dusty strong breezes soon whip the dust into the air and dull the rays of the sun there's little to do in a dust storm except wait for it to blow itself out but these winds are different there's a change in the air and the animals can sense it winds 100 miles to the east cross sewer pan the largest sea of soda in makhadikhadi the winds are heading westward across the park they herald the arrival of the rains and the long-awaited end of the dry season the change in atmosphere is palpable [Music] rain will transform and bring a short but intense season of plenty it's as if the lions know what good times are about to come and celebrate their imminent arrival renewed grazing will bring good times for the springbok too [Music] [Music] the rains fall sporadically as they head across the plains [Music] at last the long-suffering hippos are freed from their tombs of caked mud [Music] the ground softens and every hint print becomes a drinking cup [Music] when the moon is up and the air is cool the hippos ease themselves from their wallers for the last time they can now leave the pateti channel and travel through the damp night towards the far off waters of the ocavango delta the rains fall erratically across the park and the lower reaches of the pateti channel are still dry grasslands around the channel are parched but zebra are already leaving the pateti and heading out over the plains will the beast also leave by the thousand even though there is no sign of water somehow they know that pans are filling but sweet fresh water is waiting in the grasslands rains falling far to the east trigger this mass movement whether the grazers can hear low frequencies of thunder or smell the rain is not known but in one day they all head directly towards the pans 100 miles away something sends them on this journey into the great seas of grass [Music] and the lions follow the lions are forced to be as nomadic as the graces almost all their prey has left the channel and they can avoid human harassment by leaving too these are the greatest naturally occurring herds of wildebeest and zebra in southern africa lions have little effect on their numbers this is a journey the grazers make every year the rains come and they can't wait to escape into the park for the first time in seven months they can drink unaccompanied by man or cattle sweet water can be found amongst the salt of the broken fringes of the great pans [Music] and as if from nowhere streams of flamingos arrive stopping off on their way to their breeding grounds in the largest pan [Music] thousands upon thousands of flamingos and pelicans head for the great pan in the east of makarikari at the same time the herds of grazers head towards the western edge of the pans and to naipan in the north where they join wandering elephants the sight and smell of the fresh water excites the herds zebra and wildebeest blaze trails across the makhadikadi national park once they're out in the open they're finally safe man and his animals can't follow the herds out here they will raise their young in the isolation of the vast grasslands [Music] the saltpans are the largest in the world and rain transforms them into thousands of square miles of soda lakes a few special places are ideal for the breeding birds where the pans are shallow isolated and free from predators when the conditions are right pelicans colonize the northern end of sewapan where fish are washed into the lake from the newly connected rivers wow [Applause] they gather in their tens of thousands to feed mate and raise their young before the shallow lake evaporates the southern part of the pan is a mecca for all of southern africa's flamingos they arrive from the atlantic coast of namibia the solar lakes of the east african rift valley and possibly as far as the indian ocean hundreds of thousands of them this is the only regular breeding site for the flamingos of southern africa [Applause] and like the herds of grazers they seem to know the rains are falling and time their arrival perfectly [Music] [Applause] [Music] reigns have transformed the makharikari basin from a sea of soda to a vision of its shimmering past grass grows quickly in the lush plains that surround the new soda lakes these baobab trees stand like sentinels at the edge of the pans they may have witnessed this annual transformation for the past thousand years and some animals have made the annual journey across the plains for even longer adventurous bull elephants succumb to their wanderlust and follow old pathways across the plains to the renewed grasslands they leave family groups of mothers and calves behind attracted here by the grass palm fruit and isolation large herds of zebra start to arrive in the rich grasslands of naipan the pan is now dotted with numerous water holes and the animals no longer rely on the water pumped by the government [Applause] the wet season has inundated mccarrick and with wildlife ready to take advantage of this time of plenty the animals can graze and drink with ease and their spirits seem to be lifted by their brief time in the transformed pans in a display called pronking springbok seem to kick the dust off their dry hooves [Music] so [Music] elephant bulls become skittish in the cool moist air trying each other out for size testing their strength they enjoy life in makhadikhari [Music] zebra time most of their foaling for the wet season those born now benefit from the abundance of food and from termite mounds that make wonderful belly scratches this female lion is in the mood for mating and solicits the dominant male but this young male tries to take advantage while the dominant male is distracted the dominant male will not tolerate any others mating in his pride it won't be long before the young offender is driven out permanently an adult zebra goes a lot further than a little springbok when it comes to feeding that is some female lions switch their attention to the newly arrived big game lions hide strategically in the long grass to ambush zebra shepherded their way this tactic only pays off if the zebra run in the right direction luckily they have but they're too fast for the lions the male just watches and waits a herd of zebra pursuing a pride of lions appears strange but the lions are busy drinking and with their backs in full view there's no room for surprise and perhaps the zebra are just curious the male is back to his habit of hijacking kills this time he's robbed a leopard's larder so pulling the kill down from the tree takes little effort compared to hunting so he's not going to give up easily half a kill is better than none and much better than exertions in the heat [Music] smaller predators live alongside the large the trotting fox-like animal is a black-backed jackal [Music] while there are no other predators around the waterhole but jackal takes a chance jackals scavenge or hunt small mammals they're great opportunists but only the black pact hunts animals as large as springbok to prime himself he settles into a heap of elephant dung perhaps to disguise his smell this trick seems hardly worthwhile when he remains so visible in the open country [Music] this a sudden lunge scatters the others but surprises the youngster caught up in the mud the prize must be taken quickly unless the idle male lion is on the prowl tawny eagles pose no threat to the springbok even their lambs are too big for it to catch so why is this one intent on moving the eagle along perhaps it's just for fun some of the smaller pans are already drying up when thousands of finches flock in to drink some young lana falcons and their parents eagerly watch them the finches are red build qualia and the sheer numbers of them drinking means that many fledglings become waterlogged and the lannas are waiting time for target practice lana's like all falcons are fast agile hunters that specialize in taking other birds the floundering qualia give the young falcons a head start with their hunting skills but holding on is another skill altogether wow [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] qualia feed on the abundant seed in the open grasslands which they share with burrowing meerkats meerkats don't need to drink and can live in the grasslands year-round unlike the migrating qualia wildebeest and zebra only a few inches high the meerkat baby is on its first sortie out of the den it has a lot to learn it takes a while to master the surprised stance of the lookout the lanna is on the attack again it's not interested in the adults but it could be tempted by the youngster and the baby hasn't mastered walking yet let alone fleeing but these are idle threats ants respond to the short-lived bounty and harvest the ripe grass seeds after collecting the seeds they sort them literally separating the wheat from the chaff then store them in their underground ladder ready for the dry season to come ants and termites will eat more grass and seed than all macqualia and the grazers put together the vast grasslands attract colossal flocks of qualia but when the water runs out they're forced to move on the time of plenty is short-lived and animals make the most of it by feeding almost continuously already there's a change in the air zebra hooves raise telltale clouds of dust on the plane [Music] the water birds have raised their young and graced the soda lakes for the last time this year flocks of flamingos begin to stream away from the pans [Music] [Applause] [Music] empty nests crust the pan as soda crystals begin to break through the retreating pools when the water is too salty to drink the herds of grazers know it's time to leave [Music] time to leave behind fast fading memories of sweet water pans and trudge back to the harsh realities of the pateti in the far west [Music] with their numbers reinforced by new phones the grazers can afford the odd casualty already the makadikadi is unrecognizable but all too familiar [Music] but pelicans heading for the ocavango can see new signs of hope this year flood waters are flowing from the occuvango into the pateti channel they've traveled further than they have for seven years while they've still not reached the park perhaps they signal the beginning of a wetter time meanwhile plans are afoot to keep wildlife and cattle separate and bring benefits to both communities if the floods are strong then perhaps the river will form a major boundary for the makharikadi national park once again you

Channel: Real Wild

Views: 3,330,690

Keywords: African predators, Botswana nature, Botswana wildlife, Kalahari wildlife, Okavango Delta predators, Okavango Delta wildlife, Tswapong Hills, Wildebeest migration, animal kingdom insights, arid environment, baboons, crocodiles in Botswana, indigenous tribes, predator hunting strategies, predator-prey dynamics, salt flats ecosystem, water scarcity, watery wilderness, wilderness exploration, wildlife wonders

Id: FAimRj2HS90

Length: 154min 41sec (9281 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 28 2022