Buffalo Stampede Tramples Lion Cub (Wildlife Documentary) | A Year In The Wild | Real Wild

[Music] life on earth is a mosaic of interwoven events the year dictates a natural rhythm animals around the globe respond to the changing seasons that trigger extraordinary cycles of life and death [Music] it is november in southern africa and summer is on its way [Music] in canada polar bears face starvation whilst penguins on the antarctic peninsula are busy raising their chicks and in yokovango delta at long last there's an abundance of prey to hunt this is the story of a single year on our planet [Music] it's november and summer has finally arrived in the southern hemisphere during winter the seasonal floods had filled the plains of the occuvango delta but in the extreme heat the land quickly turned into semi-desert now the days are even hotter especially in the weeks leading up to the forthcoming reigns temperatures now regularly reach a blistering 44 degrees celsius the thirsty earth is parched and lifeless many animals have left the area in search of better grazing so their predators face starvation [Music] the dry season can be a desperate time for the delta's lions especially the young cubs when the cubs are six months old they're weaned but they're still unable to fend for themselves with games so scarce at this time of year the adults can become so famished that they'll drive their own cubs off a precious kill all animals are exceptionally aggressive many of this pride's cubs have already died back in april there were 14 cubs now only five remain but luck is on their side they've secured a massive kill a young elephant lions are brutal and efficient predators yet hunting elephants is a rare occurrence but desperate times require desperate measures this is the third elephant this pride has killed in the past two months it seems these lions have developed a successful hunting strategy to overpower these massive animals elephants are the largest land-dwelling animals on the planet and have been known to attack and kill lions baby elephants are fiercely protected by their mothers [Music] this young elephant has become separated from the herd lacking protection it's extremely vulnerable then in a moment of bold opportunism a lone lioness seizes the chance to hunt but without the collective prowess of the pride this elephant is simply too big and strong to bring down alone a nocturnal ambush is likely to be more successful as the light fades the balance of power shifts the elephants are now at a distinct disadvantage they have poor night vision the young elephant provides a life-saving meal for the hungry pride scuffles break out as they vie for their share of the carcass they'd normally prefer a buffalo but now in the dry season the lions are forced to diversify and go after unusual prey several vultures arrive at the scene waiting for an opportunity to scavenge from the remains but the lions aren't prepared to give up their precious kill so easily [Music] even the cubs keep a watchful eye on the scavengers making sure they never get close enough to steal the pride's meal a hippo meanders through the planes and the pride focus all their attention on this lumbering beast but this time their eyes are too big for their bellies they are simply too full to make chase so for now the pride rest in play there is a sense of anticipation a change is in the air the rainy season is near a new phase in the life of the delta will then begin summer has also arrived on the west coast of the antarctic peninsula but even now animals have to battle with the cold this is the northernmost part of mainland antarctica temperatures here are extremely low snowstorms and gale force winds can persist for days on end even in summer average temperatures hover around 2 degrees celsius now there are close to 24 hours of daylight [Music] it produces an explosive growth of phytoplankton food for massive swarms of krill they in turn will provide nourishment for fish and ultimately seals whales and seabirds everyone gathers here to fatten themselves up and produce their young during the seasonal blood this extreme environment is home to a vast colony of gentoo penguins they've timed their breeding season perfectly to coincide with this season of plenty they take full advantage of the krill it means they can breed here successfully hundreds of gentoo breeding pairs live on this rocky clifftop site all jealously guarding their nests to protect their eggs against the cold these penguins build nests of pebbles which keep the eggs above the ground and out of the snow but ownership of these circular stony nests often results in noisy disputes gentoo penguins will aggressively fight over and steal pebbles from their neighbors this male is blatantly thieving pebbles from a nearby occupant as he doesn't experience much resistance he keeps going back for more [Music] at his nest another rival is already busy stealing his pebbles but in the end they'll probably find their way throughout the colony [Music] occasionally a penguin will go further afield in search of new nesting materials but it's extremely hard work as they have to traverse a lot of snow to conserve energy these penguins always tread the same path to and from their nests creating penguin super highways their chicks will hatch at the end of january and both parents will take it in turns making the arduous journey to the sea to bring food for their young [Music] in sharp contrast to the antarctic peninsula it's africa's blistering heat that is making life increasingly difficult in botswana it is now mid-november and in the okavango delta dark skies high winds and a heavy heat are increasingly common temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees oppressive heat and dusty winds mark the days [Music] finally there is a lull in the wind and rain falls massive storm clouds and isolated showers characterize these delta rains the level of the delta's water briefly rises but 95 of it will be lost through evaporation but even though there's just a small change in the water levels the landscape is almost immediately transformed with a new flush of lush green grass the sudden availability of water opens the grasslands to grazing animals that now abandon their retreats of permanent water and follow the reins the return of the herds transforms the grasslands predators watch their every move this much-needed rain has refilled water holes that once again attract animals the new grassy shoots are very nourishing and female antelope make the most of them to gain strength and feed their young with so much game about it's a busy time for predators impalas are the most common and widespread antelope in africa they time their breeding season perfectly so births coincide with the rainy season [Music] if the rains come late they're able to delay giving birth by as much as two weeks now this verdant landscape is the perfect nursery for this herd of impalas with their young lambs initially the mothers keep their young hidden but after a couple of days the youngsters join the rest of the herd forming a sort of crash these young impalas are suckled for up to six months and grow rapidly they will reach maturity in a little over a year but only half of these lambs will make it to maturity all the large carnivores relentlessly prey on impalas that's why they're always on high alert they're renowned for their spectacular leaps to evade a hunter adults can jump up to three meters high and 12 meters in distance even in these very young impalas this instinct has already kicked [Music] in [Music] the young impalas bound around practicing their leaps then a vervet monkey high above them sounds a distress call a predator is close by the impala mothers have been warned and are extremely alert then out of the bushes comes a leopard holding a young lamb by its throat the impala mother bravely follows but it's too late it's been a good day for the leopard this is the third impala she has killed now she stashes her quarry in the dense vegetation close to the bushes the mothers continue to keep watch they look on and wait in vain for their young ones to return shielded in its lair the leopard begins to eat as the impala lambs have been fed only on their mother's rich milk they are particularly nourishing much later the impala mothers rejoin their herd leaving the leopard to continue her [Music] feast whilst life-giving reigns bring an abundance of food to the ocavango delta polar bears face starvation at werpusk national park on the shores of hudson bay it's now winter here and around the coastline of northeast canada november brings arctic temperatures cold enough to freeze even sea water this is one of canada's wildest and most remote of landscapes its terrain and climate are extremely harsh it is the home of the polar bear they love the long winters with temperatures of minus 45 degrees an icy wind whips the landscape even brief spells of sunshine don't bring any warmth [Music] but against the odds wildlife not only survives here but actually thrives in some of the worst weather imaginable wapask means white bear in cree the park earns its name because it protects one of the world's largest polar bear denning areas polar bears are built for extreme cold they experience almost no heat loss as layers of fur and blubber keep them so well insulated they are likely to overheat if they run at this time of year almost a thousand polar bears roam the park as they wait for the sea to freeze before heading out across the frozen hudson bay in search of food [Music] the hungry bears haven't eaten in months and are basically stuck until the bay freezes the bears can't set out to feed on ringed seal their staple food they rely on seals for about 90 percent of their diet and will spend the winter months out on the ice feasting on seals and building up their body fat they will feed until the middle of summer when the ice starts to break up forcing them back onto dry land as long as the sea ice hasn't formed the bears try to find food on land but there's little to be had their strength is on the ice polar bears can't swim fast enough to catch a seal in the water and need an ice platform to grab one surfacing for air this year the freeze-up is already three weeks late and open water near the shore is preventing the bears from moving out onto the ice if these bears do not feed soon they will face starvation climate change has shortened the bears hunting season dramatically each year the freeze starts later and the sea ice falls earlier reducing the amount of time they can feed this fragile balance means the polar bears are in dire straits they've already been designated as species of special concern in canada arctic foxes have also begun to appear at the shoreline winter is always a lean time for them and they usually follow the polar bears to scavenge on their leftovers the fox's dependency on the bears food makes this weight an especially tough time for them right now the delay poses a huge strain for the bears too especially for mothers with nursing cubs in tow the need to feed is acute but all they can do is rest to conserve as much energy as possible and wait for the ice to form in kwazulu-natal on the east coast of south africa summer has brought a dramatic change with temperatures around 30 degrees it rains almost every afternoon now the onset of the rains has transformed the landscape with lush new growth animals enjoy the fresh green shoots at this time of year elephants largely live on enormous quantities of fresh grass spending the hottest part of the day in wooded areas and grazing on the plains as the day cools down they will spend anywhere from 12 to 18 hours consuming up to 300 kilos of food a day elephants are poor digesters and are one of the animal kingdom's most prolific defecators a typical adult elephant expels an average of a hundred kilos of dung every day but nothing is wasted here and anything edible won't stay around for long before the feces have even had a chance to call dung beetles come out in force to claim their share of what nature has provided these industrious little insects spend their entire lives frantically creating and rolling balls of dung the beetles cling on with their hind legs while their broad shovel-shaped front legs are used to tightly pack the dung into round balls suitable for rolling pushing up to 50 times their body weight they stand on their heads and use their super strong legs to roll the dung up to 100 meters away then they dig a tunnel and bury the ball before the female lays an egg on top as the dung balls undergo decomposition food and warmth is provided for the larvae until they're ready to emerge for the males size matters the bigger the balls the better the beatles chances of attracting a mate as the dung balls are central to the lives of these beetles they're often highly coveted a beetle without a ball of its own will do its best to steal one but this beetle will not give up without a fight dung beetles are fiercely protective of their dung balls when they finally safely buried their ball the males return to the dungheap and start all over again a single dung beetle can bury 250 times his own body weight in dung each day these miniature bulldozers provide an all-round great service to the land as well as loosening and fertilizing the soil they are one of nature's finest cleaners without them the great plains of africa would be overwhelmed with piles of dung on the serengeti alone hundreds of thousands of wildebeests create an enormous amount of droppings it's around 420 metric tons daily that's the equivalent of over 15 and a half shipping containers full of dung these earth moving machines remove three-quarters of the dung from the surface and return vast quantities of nutrients back into the soil they are one of africa's most important and indispensable little creatures while the african summer is in full swing climate and temperature stay relatively constant throughout the year on these tropical islands situated just four degrees south of the equator and 1500 kilometers off the east coast of africa the seychelles is a group of 115 islands scattered across a wide expanse of ocean even though they are so close to the equator these islands have a surprisingly mild climate cool sea breezes influence the temperatures so the islands do not suffer from the hot and humid climate typical of the equatorial zone the beginning of december and it rains almost daily downpours can be heavy here but rarely last long and temperatures remain at around 30 degrees [Music] many of these islands support a large unspoiled tropical ecosystem with healthy populations of land and sea life including turtles and giant tortoises these huge reptiles can weigh as much as 300 kilos and live for an average of a hundred years the shores of the seychelles also provide a safe haven for nesting hawksbill turtles they always return to the same beaches where they were born to mate and lay their own eggs mating usually occurs in waters near the nesting beach but only females come ashore their heavy bodies leave tell-tale tracks in the white sand october marks the start of the hawksbill nesting season but now they're laying eggs in earnest a feature unique to the local hawksbills is that these turtles come ashore during the day to lay their eggs this hawksbill has crawled right under the dense growth at the top of the beach and is well into the egg laying process incredibly her choice of nesting site influences not only how quickly the eggs will hatch but also determines the sex of her offspring warmer egg clutches will produce more females this female will go through this process four or five times this season laying around 140 eggs in each clutch once the eggs are laid she covers them with sand to mask the exact area where she deposited the eggs it will take between 55 to 70 days for the hatchlings to emerge but they will never meet their mother with her nest digging and egg laying duties fulfilled she makes her way back to sea leaving her offspring to their own face it's now december and in botswana's okavango delta the summer rains continue to transform the landscape with lush green grass sprouting everywhere this seasonal change is drawing vast numbers of buffalo back into the cocanuco region their movements are driven by their constant need for suitable fodder they travel huge distances in search of the best available grazing weighing as much as a small car and equipped with massive horns buffalo are formidable animals coupled with a tendency to fiercely defend herd members it makes them seriously dangerous adversaries even for a lion but as soon as the long-awaited buffalo finally reappear the kochanica pride is back on the hunting trail [Music] the hunters calmly lie in the grass they patiently wait for a straggler or calf to stray from the herd focusing all their attention on their prey the lions shadow every move but for now they keep their distance the herd sensing danger switched to a state of high alert and close ranks defensively forming a sturdy wall of bodies and horns they aggressively advance towards the lions while the adult lions withdraw to a safe distance three bold but inexperienced youngsters hold their ground just 20 meters from the encroaching buffalo any of these young lions that don't keep their wits about them now could easily get trampled to death or tossed aside by the buffalo's massive horns realizing the severity of the situation the cubs abandon all hope of a kill and begin to beat her hasty retreat but the buffalo have spotted their weakness and continue to pursue them one of the cubs seeks refuge up a tree luckily for this young cub it's just beyond the reach of the buffalo's powerful horns as the buffalo eventually move away the pride has to accept defeat this time just as the pride regroups the heavens open one of the mothers anxiously calls worried that she has left her cubs behind eventually she is satisfied that for now her family are safe over 8 000 kilometers away in indonesia lies the island of sumatra it sits astride the equator and its climate is about as tropical as it gets with constant warm weather daytime temperatures seldom stay below 30 degrees on the coast but it's noticeably cooler inland high rainfall and year-round humidity mean that much of sumatra is covered in tropical rainforest these lush forests are phenomenally rich in wildlife and home to some of the most endangered creatures on earth on sumatra orangutans are still living in the wild these incredibly charismatic primates were once found throughout asia but now they're only found on some indonesian islands here there are still enough tracks of forest to sustain breeding populations of orangutans these extremely intelligent creatures clearly have the ability to reason and think and they're devoted mothers they look after their young for almost eight years it's one of the longest child parent relationships in the world that is why natural mortality rates are very low amongst young orangutans this mother shows obvious affection for her young baby during the first four months of its life she will never leave the infant on its own until it reaches two years of age this orangutan baby will remain completely dependent on its mother it is carried everywhere relies on her rich milk for food and sleeps in the same nest as her she encourages her infant to climb but always stays within arm's reach until it gets more confident because they live so dangerously high in the trees a mother orangutan must be careful with her offspring at first an infant simply holds on as tight as it can to its mother but now this baby already goes on short excursions just as far as its mother permits [Music] mother orangutans are very patient with their offspring and instrumental in their development eventually she will teach her offspring to navigate through the dense forest and how to find food [Music] only then will it have developed the necessary skills to fend for itself but should this youngster live for its full 35 years will there be enough forest left for it to enjoy its own offspring [Music] over 90 percent of orangutan habitat has already been decimated by the growth of palm oil plantations if the current trend continues it is possible orangutans could be extinct in the wild in less than 10 years the name orangutan literally means man of the forest and that is where they will hopefully remain as the year draws to an end in botswana's okavango delta the lions are making the most of this rare period of plenty since the buffalo returned to the kochanica area with the onset of the reigns the lions have been following the herds the prides cubs are learning fast from their mothers and are now taking an active role in the hunt only by working closely together can they bring down such massive prey and they always have to pick the right moment of attack able to sustain top speeds of 60 kilometers an hour only for very short bursts they have to rely on ambush attacks in a matter of seconds the pride have managed to bring down an adult buffalo cow as the pride pin down the hapless buffalo a few of the lionesses leave their victim and intently head off into the bush the lionesses have managed to bring down a second adult cow then a young male reedbuck wanders into the fray he too is brought down prey is usually pulled to the ground and suffocated it's a skill that requires practice and these cubs are on a steep learning curve but before the lions even managed to dispose of the reebok a third buffalo charges out of the bush the lionesses immediately latch on to its rear end even one of the larger cubs hangs gamely onto the flanks of the huge beast [Music] in a killing spree lasting only a few bloodthirsty minutes the kokanika pride have successfully hunted down three buffalo and a it's more than enough to sustain the [Music] pride the year is ending on a high note at least for the cacanaca lion pride their future is looking secure in the okavango delta [Music] the year is coming to its end but it's only the beginning of the recurring cycle of life new phases in the lives of many creatures are about to start life continues to respond to the challenges of nature's unbroken cycle you

Channel: Real Wild

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Id: 0P5gVVZ6j8s

Length: 42min 45sec (2565 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 06 2020