Follow an elephant calf in its first year of life (Full Episode) Happy Baby Elephant | Little Giant

foreign [Music] he's just a day or two old [Music] but this tiny elephant has an enormous Mission become the biggest giant that walks the planet [Music] a great bull elephant but the odds are stacked against it he'll need to outlast drought survive deadly predators and poachers and finally fight for the top spot but before he can do any of that just to learn to stand up [Music] elephants don't come much smaller than little e but he already outweighs most men he's got to get moving his family has to travel miles every day to find food [Music] he needs to stay with them babies that lose their families don't stand a chance [Music] the first steps aren't easy [Music] but the little guy seems to be getting the hang of it [Music] well one step at a time anyway it's Mom calling he's never far from her side foreign the little guy for almost two years but caring for little e is just the beginning she has a good 13 years ahead of comforting and protecting him before he's ready to leave her side it won't be easy up to a third of elephant calves die in their first year he needs her to survive out here but they won't be alone females in a family stick together to raise their young [Music] it's Grandma she's head of the family the matriarch [Music] seen lots of babies grow up in their 50 odd years and some that didn't make it together this family will do all they can to give little Eve the best chance he's got [Music] this is no place to be alone [Music] this is part of a Great Wilderness called the mara Serengeti that stretches for more than 150 miles across East Africa [Music] some of the world's most iconic animals live here big and small [Music] Little E's gonna have to learn to live with all of me [Music] time of year to raise kids [Music] it's the end of the dry season and the rains are due any day now [Music] they better come soon a bad drought would make it even harder for E to survive without rain food dwindles and that's bad news for big eaters [Music] his mom is going to produce enough milk for her 200 pound baby she's gotta keep eating up to 16 hours a day luckily she has a babysitter to help that's little he's on she looks after him all day long she keeps him close and out of trouble it's great practice for when she has a calf of her own [Music] [Music] poor little guy can't get a break [Music] but he can learn a lot from her like how to conquer an itch you can't scratch [Music] his next lesson figuring out exactly which set of legs leads to the milk easier said than done not everyone is so patient [Applause] it's best to give Grandma a wide birth she doesn't have much milk besides it's not her job to feed Little Eve as matriarch she's responsible for the whole family he's got to look at the big picture and make the important decisions especially when times get tough like they are now for little e that could be the difference between life and death [Music] older elephants like Grandma carry precise Maps they've built in their minds throughout their lives and can remember distant water holes visited years or even decades ago today Grandma leads them to something else a salt lick but to get to the good stuff they've got to dig [Music] elephants need vitamins and minerals just like us and they have to replenish them [Music] Little League gets all the nutrition he needs from his mom three gallons a day [Music] if the food runs out her milk will dry up [Music] but some threats are more immediate [Music] the Lioness will have to weigh her odds she's no match for a grown elephant but a 300 pound lioness against a newborn calf little e wouldn't stand a chance things could turn real bad real quick [Music] the thick bush cloaks the lion the Ambush is set mom seems to have clocked the danger but the Lioness isn't alone he's surrounded but the elephants won't put up with the cats so close to the baby this is where family comes in [Music] oh better for the Lions to back off and live to hunt another day after all they've got little giants of Their Own lions with Cubs will help raise each other's young it's something they have in common with elephants [Music] but competition's tough smaller Cubs often lose out at meal times and only a few survive their first year [Music] but they're okay for now plenty of time to practice hunting big game or at least big for them [Music] [Laughter] [Music] not everyone around here is lucky enough to have a large family [Music] on the other side of the voice show there's another tiny elephant but he and his mom seem to have lost their family [Music] the calf looks okay for now but his moms run down from looking after him [Music] day and night all on her own [Music] they need to find their family [Music] that's her calling for them [Music] elephants can recognize one another's voices a mile away [Music] it's a bad time to be on her own she can't defend the calf from predators not all by herself she needs help and soon [Music] [Music] Little E's family is on the move Grandma leads them onward with the dry season water sources are farther and farther apart brings them to one of her favorite pools but even grandma didn't see this one coming the hippos are dug in they aren't going anywhere if the elephants wanted to drink from the pool they could after all elephants are the biggest mammals walking the planet but Grandma decides it's not worth the trouble not for a pool full of Hippo dumb she's always got a plan B matriarchs are not self-appointed leaders or simply the oldest over the years she's made wise decisions time and time again and her family respects her for that especially when she leads them to a place like this [Music] nothing short of an oasis but they're not the only ones here other families come to quench their thirst too [Music] the big ones can drink 50 gallons a day take months before little e can use his trunk to drink human hand has 34 muscles to control Little E's trunk has over 15 000. [Music] soon it's time to eat grasses bushes trees almost any plant they find over 400 pounds a day for a single adult foreign [Music] s have an extra trick up their trunks how to get to Fresh grass others can't reach family can't stay here forever [Music] temper is afraid and the food won't last long not with so many mouths to feed [Music] and this year in the boy show has more of them than ever failing rains in the north and east have kept huge numbers of wildebeest here for calving season that means a lot less grass to go around [Music] this guy is only a couple of days old but he's already getting the hang of those long legs and doing what he was born to do run and when it comes to running will the Beast can hold their own they're some of the best endurance Runners on Earth and can reach top speeds of 50 miles an hour most are born in the same couple of weeks and their sheer numbers mean any one of them has a better chance to survive [Music] unless you lose track of your mom [Music] with so many other wildebeest around it's easy to get lost there's no teamwork here other moms won't accept him or let him suckle calls scene to go unanswered but that doesn't mean they're going unnoticed the Lioness won't Rush she knows how to wait for a stray [Music] and when to strike [Music] but the calf finds mom just in time [Music] and the hunter heads home empty-handed [Music] these Cubs also need protection from hyenas even other lions but their biggest threat is humans it's a good thing she's got her family to help back on the other side of naboy show it's a big day for little Eve thank you he's about to meet his extended family a gathering of some 50 relatives known as a bomb great aunts cousins second cousins everybody it's Little E's first time meeting them all when times are bad they'll split up and spread out to find food [Music] but as the dry season gets tougher families may meet at water levels it's a bit overwhelming now but one day little e will recognize his whole plan and many many more just by their voices [Music] this one's Little E's cousin he lost his tail to a hyena or maybe a lion he's lucky to be alive good thing he had a big family nearby to protect him each one of these little elephants will likely get their fair share of trouble so they spend time learning how to defend themselves and having fun [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] these guys are running around pretending to chase off enemies lions and hyenas [Music] they're practicing for when they have to do it for real [Music] [Music] thank you these little ones are just goofing around it can get a little rough too rough for a little Eve he'll set this one out [Music] [Music] thank you congratulations seems we found our winner by the time they're teenagers the boys will start spending time with other families to meet guys their own age and in their 20s they'll spend more and more time in loose knit games called Bachelor groups that wrestling is a way of strengthening bonds between friends but also practice for the day they have to take on a real giant like this guy [Music] and up for grabs [Music] greatest opportunity for any eligible bachelor the chance for Romance [Music] little e won't get a shot until he's at least 25. [Music] and some bulls will even die virgins [Music] This Guy's in the sexually heightened State called must and his body's pumped with testosterone so he's cruising looking for a partner [Applause] it's pretty big so he stands a good chance she'll usually pick the biggest bull still has to win her over maybe he should just cool down when it comes to the two-ton two-step it's lady's choice in her interest lasts only three days it's time to pull out all the stops [Music] the Bulls got it all going on and it's working [Music] a rumbling says she's excited [Music] it doesn't look like they'll get much privacy now elephants the whole family celebrates [Music] [Music] [Music] yeah looks like he played his hand just right but the party can't last forever Without Rain food is getting scarce there's hardly enough to satisfy everyone's giant appetites [Music] little e and his family search for greener pastures foreign the single mom and her little calf still haven't found their family but they finally catch a break [Music] they find water and it's the first time for the calf it's great news for them both elephants can only go four days without drinking [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] it's been weeks and the rain still hasn't come the Green Plains have withered Brown this dry season has become full-on drought McGee's family have been on the road for days but they found nothing but dust thank you they can't stop here not now grandma keeps them moving forward relief lies in the Hills just ahead but their way is blocked by what they fear most Little E's family needs to go forward but it's a real risk people have been dividing up these lands and building Farms thank you sometimes elephants eat the crops they grow and that can spell death for the elephants [Music] other times poachers kill them for their tusks across the African continent nearly 100 are slaughtered every day for their Ivory so Grandma's right to be wary she's likely seen friends and family killed by men but if she wants to lead her family to food and water they'll have to go right past the settlement even little Eve [Music] but what we're just learning is that elephants can make plans and grandma has one they'll wait for the cover of Darkness until then everyone can rest up there won't be a chance to stop once they make their move foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you well now isn't that something scientists say that elephants can feel empathy and understand how each other feel just like we do little e certainly looks more comfortable [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] time to get into position it'll be dark soon [Music] they join up with the larger Bond group to make the crossing safety in numbers hopefully little e can keep up no stops allowed in such dangerous territory the herd takes their chance their padded feet muffle each step you wouldn't believe how silent elephants can be and the Coming Night cloaks them in darkness [Music] [Music] oh [Music] Dawn the settlement's miles behind they've covered a lot of ground through the darkness but Grandma may have led them out of the frying pan Into the Fire one of the odds is up front with her calf they have no idea what they're walking into and little e is up next [Music] [Music] the lions are downwind which carries their scent away there's not much light and with plenty of undergrowth the cats are well hidden the family's trapped surrounded by watchful eyes [Applause] thank you [Applause] it's Little E's turn to push through but he won't be alone mom and her sisters flank him on all sides the rocky terrain slows their escape [Music] and another obstacle lies just ahead the Lions could sneak attack little e at any time they have to get him to safety [Music] he's been on the move for days last night's Trek was tough on the little guy and that riverbed doesn't look like much to you or me but a tired and hungry baby elephant may as well be the Rocky Mountains [Music] come on little guy [Music] [Applause] ouch a 5 000 pound Crush would not be a nice way to go looks like Mom's more shaken than he is but they can't stay here long [Applause] not with the Lions so close [Music] foreign [Music] Magic elephants can detect rainstorms 150 miles away but how she knows is a mystery it'll turn the boy show Green in no time [Music] thank you [Music] soon there'll be plenty of food for everyone [Music] the single mom in her calf didn't find their family but managed to make it through just the two of them [Music] little e had a whole family behind him to survive his first drought [Music] thank you he'll need them for years to come the world around is changing and fast [Music] [Music] with a family like his this little giant just might make it as one of Africa's great bull elephants [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: National Geographic

Views: 763,743

Keywords: national geographic, nat geo, natgeo, animals, wildlife, science, explore, discover, survival, nature, culture, documentary, perpetual planet nat geo, photography, full episode, elephant calf, first year of life, Full Episode, Happy Baby Elephant, Little Giant, wilds of Kenya, Little Giant Full Episode, Happy Baby, Elephant, NationalGeographic, FullEpisode, LittleGiant, the wild elephant, elefanten videos, baby elephant

Id: xV_O_d6wN_8

Length: 44min 24sec (2664 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 18 2023