Narrator: THE HEARTLAND OF SOUTHERN AFRICA,
A COUNTRY OF SWAMPS,
WHERE GIANT BATS STIR UP THE SKY.
THEY FLY OVER LIVING LAGOONS, WHERE NATURE BOILS FROM BELOW
AND FISHERMEN WAIT ABOVE.
ACROSS TIME AND SPACE,
BRIDGES STRETCH TO NEW FRONTIERS...
INCLUDING CITIES CRAFTED BY THE WORLD’S RICHEST MEN
AND MARKETS TEEMING WITH SOME OF THE WORLD’S POOREST PEOPLE.
HERE, MEN LOST THEIR LIVES TAMING A MIGHTY RIVER
THAT CREATED ONE OF THE LARGEST MAN-MADE LAKES IN THE WORLD...
NEAR MOUNTAIN SPRINGS THAT SWELL INTO RAGING RIVERS...
CARVING OUT NATURAL WONDERS FROM ANCIENT STONE...
BECKONING FEARLESS ADVENTURERS.
IN A COUNTRY WHERE WILDLIFE REMAINS THE CROWNING JEWEL,
CHANGE REMAINS THE ONLY CONSTANT.
SOAR OVER THE RICHLY DIVERSE AFRICAN NATION
OF ZAMBIA.
♪
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
ANIMALS AND PEOPLE CRISSCROSSED THIS GORGEOUS LANDSCAPE.
WATER DREW THEM TO A GREAT CHASM THAT ROARED IN THE DISTANCE.
THE PEOPLE CALLED IT "MOSI OA TUNYA,"
OR "SMOKE THAT THUNDERS."
IN 1855, A LOCAL VILLAGE CHIEF LED A SUNBURNED WHITE MAN
TOWARD THE THUNDEROUS SPRAY.
WHEN THE MEN NEARED THIS GAPING RAVINE,
RAIN FELL FROM CLOUDLESS SKIES
AND THEIR VOICES WERE DROWNED OUT
BY THE CONSTANT ROAR.
DRENCHED BY THE SPRAY,
THE MAN GAZED INTO THE ABYSS AND WAS DAZZLED.
HE CALLED IT, "THE MOST WONDERFUL SIGHT
I HAVE WITNESSED IN AFRICA."
HIS NAME WAS DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE--
A SCOTTISH MISSIONARY.
HE NAMED THE CHASM
AFTER THE QUEEN WHOSE EMPIRE HE WAS EXPANDING--
VICTORIA FALLS.
IT’S KNOWN AS ONE OF THE SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD.
WHEN IN FLOOD, 165 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER
FALLS 328 FEET FROM THE CLIFFS EVERY MINUTE,
CREATING A GIANT CURTAIN OF WATER,
THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.
THE WATER’S POWER SLOWLY ERODES THE CLIFF’S EDGE,
MOVING THE FALLS UPRIVER
AN AVERAGE OF THREE INCHES PER YEAR.
TO LIVINGSTONE, THE FALLS WERE BEAUTIFUL,
BUT ALSO A BARRIER.
♪
HE HAD PLANNED TO USE THE ZAMBEZI RIVER
AS A TRADE HIGHWAY
BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND THE INDIAN OCEAN
TO DEVELOP THE ECONOMY AND END SLAVERY.
BUT HE NOW KNEW THAT TRAVEL BY BOAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.
LONG STRETCHES OF THE RIVER ARE INTERSPERSED
WITH DANGEROUS RAPIDS AND SUDDEN WATERFALLS.
BUT NO OBSTACLE WAS TOO GREAT
FOR THE MIGHT OF BRITISH IMPERIALISM.
♪
IF TRADE BY WATER WAS DOOMED, TRADE BY RAIL WAS DESTINY.
BY 1890,
THE BRITISH HAD COLONIZED A LARGE CHUNK OF AFRICA
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CECIL JOHN RHODES,
GOVERNOR OF THE BRITISH CAPE COLONY.
THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA’S RICHES WAS FIRMLY BACK ON TRACK.
THE BRITISH CALLED THE NEW TERRITORY RHODESIA.
THE ZAMBEZI RIVER SPLIT IT IN HALF.
CECIL RHODES HAD BEEN PLANNING A RAILWAY LINE
FROM CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO
IN AN EFFORT TO EXPAND BRITISH OCCUPATION OF AFRICA.
BUT THE FALLS BLOCKED THE ROUTE.
THE DETERMINED BRITISH FORGED AHEAD.
JUST 50 YEARS AFTER DAVID LIVINGSTONE
STOOD ON THESE CLIFFS,
STEAM TRAINS RATTLED OVER THE GORGE
ON THE VICTORIA FALLS BRIDGE.
NOW IT ALSO CARRIES CARS.
BUT TRAINS STILL MAKE THEIR WAY ACROSS.
IT WAS THE HIGHEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD
WHEN IT WAS FINISHED IN 1905,
STANDING 420 FEET ABOVE THE RIVER.
IT TESTED THE GRIT OF ENGINEERS
WORKING OVER 7,000 MILES AWAY IN ENGLAND.
THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE WAS BUILT THERE, IN PIECES,
AND SHIPPED TO THE GORGE FOR FINAL ASSEMBLY.
THE VICTORIAN ERA HAD ARRIVED IN NORTHERN RHODESIA.
THE BRIDGE REMAINS,
BUT POLITICS HAVE CHANGED.
IN 1964, COLONIALISM GAVE WAY TO INDEPENDENCE,
AND TWO NEW AFRICAN NATIONS WERE BORN--
ZAMBIA AND EVENTUALLY ZIMBABWE.
DOWNSTREAM FROM THE FALLS,
THE ZAMBEZI RIVER IS FORCED INTO A NARROW BASALT CANYON,
CREATING A JET-LIKE TORRENT OF WATER.
THE FORCE CREATES A THRILLING WATERCOURSE,
INTERSPERSED WITH OVER 60 RAPIDS,
WITH NAMES LIKE THE DEVIL’S TOILET BOWL,
OBLIVION,
THE TERMINATOR,
AND GNASHING JAWS OF DEATH.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING
WHITEWATER RAPIDS ON EARTH.
THEY ARE CLASS 5,
THE HIGHEST GRADE FOR RIVER RAFTING.
♪
GUIDES IN KAYAKS MOVE AHEAD AND STATION THEMSELVES ON THE BANK
AS SAFETY OFFICERS FOR THE RAFTERS.
THE DEEP GREEN RIVER DRAWS THE RAFTS
INTO THE CHURNING WAVES.
INSTRUCTORS SHOUT INSTRUCTIONS TO PADDLERS
TO KEEP THE RAFT MOVING FASTER THAN THE WATER.
THEY SPEED DOWN THE GORGE AS 3.75 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER
SURGES PAST THE ROCKS EVERY SECOND.
SOUNDS OF RUSHING WATER AND SHOUTS OF EXCITEMENT
ECHO OFF THE CLIFFS...
UNTIL SOMEONE FALLS OUT.
NILE CROCODILES ARE A THREAT,
AND GIANT WHIRLPOOLS APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE,
SUCKING DOWN ENTIRE RAFTS.
IT’S DISORIENTING, BUT RAFTERS WEAR SAFETY GEAR.
A LIFE PRESERVER AND A THIN ROPE
ARE THEIR ONLY HOPE OF STAYING AFLOAT
AND GETTING BACK INTO THE RAFT.
IT’S EXHILARATING, PHYSICALLY PUNISHING
BUT EMOTIONALLY REWARDING.
FOR THOSE WHO PREFER A QUIETER VACATION,
A CLIFFTOP BAR PROVIDES A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE RAFTERS
AND THE RIVER SNAKING INTO THE DISTANCE,
WHERE DIFFERENT ADVENTURES AWAIT.
AS THE ZAMBEZI CONTINUES ITS JOURNEY EAST,
THE RIVER OPENS ITS ARMS WITH A MORE PLACID PACE OF DISCOVERY.
BUT EVEN THOUGH THE RIVER MAY LOOK QUIETER,
IT’S STILL DEADLY.
AFTER DISCOVERING VICTORIA FALLS,
DR. LIVINGSTONE WAS EAGER
TO EXPLORE THE REST OF THE ZAMBEZI RIVER,
BUT AS HE FORGED A PATH ALONG ITS BANKS,
HE REALIZED THE AWFUL SCALE OF THE SLAVE TRADE.
THOUSANDS OF AFRICANS WERE BEING STOLEN AWAY
FROM THE ONLY VILLAGES THEY’D EVER KNOWN
AND SHIPPED TO PLACES THEY’D NEVER HEARD OF.
HIS HEART BLED FOR AFRICANS,
AND HE WOULD NOT REST UNTIL SLAVERY, OR HIS LIFE,
HAD COME TO AN END.
HIS FAITH IN GOD KEPT HIM FEARLESS,
AND HIS PASSION FOR ADVENTURE KEPT HIM MOVING
ALONG THE WINDING PATH OF THE ZAMBEZI RIVER.
IT’S THE LARGEST RIVER IN AFRICA
AND FORMS A BORDER AROUND THE WESTERN HALF OF ZAMBIA.
THE DRAINAGE BASIN COVERS ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF THE COUNTRY,
SPANNING OVER 290,000 SQUARE MILES.
TODAY, 32 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE ALONG THIS VALLEY.
80% OF THEM RELY ON THE FOOD
GROWING ON THE FERTILE FLOOD PLAINS OF THE RIVER.
BUT MANY FAMILIES FORSAKE LARGE-SCALE FARMING
AND STILL LIVE BY THE RIVER’S RULES,
TRAVELING MILES ON FOOT TO DRINK ITS REFRESHING WATER
AND TO FISH FOR FOOD.
OLDER MEN FISH FROM DUGOUT CANOES
OR BUILD TRAPS FROM THE RIVER REEDS.
TEENAGERS SPEND THE DAY WEAVING REED MATS
THAT ARE USED TO SUN-DRY FISH OR COVER HARD CLAY VILLAGE FLOORS.
BUT ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY
STILL RELIES ON THE RIVER’S MOST BASIC ELEMENT--
THE FORCE OF ITS WATER FLOWING DOWN THE VALLEY
LIGHTS UP MANY AFRICAN CITIES.
AFTER FLOWING UNIMPEDED FOR MILLENNIA,
THE ZAMBEZI RIVER WAS FINALLY CAPTURED IN 1956
BY THE KARIBA DAM.
IT CREATES THE LARGEST LAKE IN AFRICA,
STRETCHING FOR 140 MILES, UP TO 25 MILES WIDE IN PLACES
AND BLANKETS 2,300 SQUARE MILES OF LAND.
HOLDING BACK ALL THIS WATER IS A WALL 1,900 FEET WIDE,
420 FEET HIGH, AND 85 FEET THICK.
ENTOMBED WITHIN ITS CONCRETE ARE 18 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
WHO SLIPPED AND FELL INTO THE SUFFOCATING CEMENT SLUDGE
DURING CONSTRUCTION.
THE BRITISH QUEEN MOTHER
PRESIDED OVER THE DAM’S CEREMONIAL OPENING IN 1960,
WHEN IT WAS CALLED ONE OF THE MAN-MADE WONDERS OF THE WORLD.
BUT IT TOOK ANOTHER 17 YEARS
BEFORE THE DAM WAS A FULLY FUNCTIONAL POWER SOURCE.
THE WALL NOW GENERATES 960 MEGAWATTS OF ELECTRICITY A DAY,
POWERING ZAMBIA’S CITIES
AND PROVIDING SURPLUS ENERGY TO ITS NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.
SINCE ITS OPENING,
20 EARTHQUAKES OF MAGNITUDE 5 OR HIGHER
HAVE RATTLED THE DAM,
AS IF THE RESTLESS RIVER
CONTINUES TO SETTLE INTO ITS NEW HOME.
♪
THE MASSIVE LAKE CREATED BY THE DAM
SUPPORTS A THRIVING COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY.
RUNOFF FROM THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE
PROVIDES ABUNDANT NUTRIENTS
FOR TINY ZOOPLANKTON LIVING IN THE LAKE.
THEY ARE PERFECT FOOD FOR SHOALS OF SILVER KAPENTA FISH.
AT NIGHT, THESE FISHERMEN
LOWER THESE CIRCULAR NETS INTO THE WATER.
THEN THEY BLAST BEAMS OF LIGHT INTO THE MURKY DEPTHS.
ZOOPLANKTON ARE DRAWN TO THE LIGHT,
FOLLOWED BY KAPENTA THAT BLINDLY SWIM INTO THE TRAP.
THE NETS ARE HOISTED UP WITH MOUNDS OF SHINY FISH.
BY MORNING THE FISH ARE LAID OUT ON SUN-DRYING MATS,
PRESERVING THEM FOR THE LONG HAUL
TO MARKETS ACROSS AFRICA.
BUT GLOBAL MARKETS DEMAND BIGGER FISH,
WHICH IN TURN DEMANDS MODERN INTERVENTION.
THESE CIRCULAR CAGES ARE THE FUTURE OF FISHING.
MILLIONS OF TILAPIA FINGERLINGS TREATED WITH TESTOSTERONE
ARE HATCHED ALONG THE BANKS.
THEN THEY ARE TRANSPORTED TO THESE CAGES,
WHERE MOST GROW INTO LARGE MALES,
INCREASING PROTEIN PRODUCTION.
MEN ON PONTOON BOATS THROW WAVES OF FOOD,
A MIX OF CORN, SOYBEANS AND WHEAT.
THE FISH ENJOY SEVERAL LAYERS OF PROTECTION.
PREDATOR NETS PROTECT THE FISH
FROM BEING SHREDDED BY TIGER FISH AND CROCODILES.
AN INNER BAG NET PREVENTS FISH FROM ESCAPING.
AND A TOP NET PREVENTS FISH EAGLES
FROM SNATCHING THE STOCK.
THE FINEST OF THESE PAMPERED FISH ARE EXPORTED TO EUROPE.
THE REST ARE TRANSPORTED TO ZAMBIA’S CITY MARKETS,
SOLD BY STREET VENDORS TO A BURGEONING POPULATION
THAT IS TRANSFORMING ZAMBIA’S WAY OF LIFE.
♪
WHEN THE CAPE TO CAIRO TRAIN LINE
FIRST SLICED THROUGH ZAMBIA,
NEW CITIES SPRANG UP ALL ALONG THE TRACK.
FIRST IT CONNECTED THE CITY
OF LIVINGSTONE TO NDOLA.
THEN, A RAILWAY SIDING WAS BUILT
SO TRAINS COULD PASS EACH OTHER ON A SINGLE TRACK.
THE SIDING WAS NEAR THE VILLAGE OF A FEARLESS ELEPHANT HUNTER
NAMED LUSAKA.
BY 1935, THE HUNTER’S VILLAGE HAD GROWN INTO A BUSY CITY--
PRESENT-DAY LUSAKA.
IT SERVED AS THE CAPITAL OF NORTHERN RHODESIA FOR 29 YEARS,
BUT WHEN ZAMBIA GAINED INDEPENDENCE,
A NEW POLICY OF NATIONALISM WAS ANNOUNCED.
LAND WAS TAKEN BACK FROM THE BRITISH
AND HANDED OVER TO NATIVE ZAMBIANS,
WHO RELIED ON THE COPPER MINES TO DRIVE THEIR ECONOMY.
BUT TODAY, A SLOWING DEMAND FOR THE PRECIOUS COMMODITY
HAS PUT A BURDEN ON THE COUNTRY’S FINANCIAL RESOURCES.
OVER 60% OF LUSAKA’S INHABITANTS ARE UNEMPLOYED.
WHEN TOWN PLANNERS BUILT THE CITY,
THEY ESTIMATED A POPULATION OF AROUND 200,000 RESIDENTS.
BUT IT HAS MUSHROOMED TO 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE--
15% OF THE COUNTRY’S POPULATION.
POVERTY-STRICKEN PEOPLE LIVE IN THESE UNDEVELOPED SETTLEMENTS
WITH INHERENT HEALTH RISKS,
THE GREATEST BEING HIV/AIDS.
ONE IN FIVE ZAMBIANS IS HIV-POSITIVE,
AND ONE IN THREE CHILDREN ARE ORPHANED.
CROWDS OF HUNGRY PEOPLE JAM UP THE CITY LIMITS
BUSKING FOR JOBS
OR SEEKING OUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BARTER AND TRADE.
MOST SPEND A LIFETIME SELLING GOODS AND SERVICES
AT INFORMAL MARKETS LIKE THESE.
OVER 2,000 CLOTHING MERCHANTS TRADE IN SECOND-HAND CLOTHING.
THE BEST GARMENTS ARE SOLD FOR ABOUT TWO DOLLARS EACH--
A HEFTY PRICE TAG FOR MOST ZAMBIANS
WHO LIVE ON A DOLLAR A DAY.
MANY TRADERS EKE OUT A LIVING
WITHIN THE TINY STALLS OF THESE EVER-EXPANDING URBAN MARKETS...
WHILE OTHERS RELY ON PLANTING VAST FIELDS OF CROPS,
WHICH CAN BE JUST AS RISKY.
AS NEIGHBORING ZIMBABWE WAS IN THE THROES
OF A CONTROVERSIAL LAND REFORM PROGRAM,
WHITE FARMERS WERE VIOLENTLY DRIVEN OFF THEIR FARMS.
MANY MOVED TO ZAMBIA.
SOME SETTLED IN THE MKUSHI BLOCK,
BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO THE RAIL NETWORK.
THERE THEY SET UP LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL FARMS,
TURNING UNFERTILE EARTH INTO ARABLE LAND.
NUTRIENT-POOR SOILS WERE TREATED WITH LIME
AND INFUSED WITH FERTILIZER, READY FOR PLANTING.
THEN IN 2002, ELECTRICITY GAVE THEM ANOTHER BOOST,
MAKING WAY FOR CENTER PIVOT IRRIGATION.
TODAY THESE FARMS TRAIN AND EMPLOY
THOUSANDS OF LOCAL WORKERS.
AND THEIR HARD LABOR IS STARTING TO BEAR FRUIT.
IN EARLY 2016, ZAMBIA HIT RECORD HIGHS,
PRODUCING 3.3 MILLION TONS OF CORN.
THE BUMPER HARVEST FED ZAMBIA’S PEOPLE AND LIVESTOCK,
BUT THERE WAS STILL A SURPLUS OF NEARLY 1 MILLION TONS.
IN AN IRONIC TURN OF EVENTS, MOST OF IT WAS SOLD TO ZIMBABWE.
MODERN AGRICULTURE STAVED OFF STARVATION IN ZIMBABWE
AND TRANSFORMED ZAMBIA’S PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE.
TODAY MANY ZAMBIANS STILL SURVIVE
BY PLANTING THEIR OWN CROPS IN SMALL VILLAGE GARDENS.
AND THESE ANCIENT CULTURAL PRACTICES
AND INHERENT STRUGGLES
CONTINUE TO DEFINE RURAL LIFE HERE.
SMOKE BILLOWS FROM A SLASH-AND-BURN SITE
CALLED A CHITEMENE.
TREES CUT DOWN BY FARMERS ARE BURNED TO FUMIGATE THE SOIL.
THE ASH BALANCES THE pH LEVEL,
PREPARING THE FIELDS FOR PLANTING.
MAIZE, SORGHUM, FINGER MILLET, AND CASSAVA ALL THRIVE HERE.
VILLAGERS MUST KEEP WATCH 24 HOURS A DAY
TO PREVENT WILD ANIMALS FROM RAIDING THEIR CROPS.
ELEPHANTS HAVE BEEN DIGGING UP FIELDS
FOR AS LONG AS MAN HAS KNOWN HOW TO PLANT THEM.
IN THE 1950s,
A MAN NAMED NORMAN CARR WAS SENT TO INTERVENE.
HE WAS APPOINTED ELEPHANT CONTROL OFFICER
BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
HE WORKED HARD TO MANAGE THE CONFLICT
BETWEEN THE STRUGGLING FARMERS AND CROP-RAIDING ELEPHANTS.
AFTER YEARS OF WORK, HE FINALLY DESIGNED A SYSTEM
OF CONSERVATION THROUGH TOURISM,
WHICH ALLOWED PEOPLE AND ANIMALS TO COEXIST
IN A PEACEFUL AND SUSTAINABLE WAY.
HE ESTABLISHED THE FIRST SAFARI CAMP
IN SOUTH LUANGWA NATIONAL PARK,
WHEN AN AFRICAN SAFARI WAS ACTUALLY A HUNTING EXPEDITION.
BUT NORMAN CARR BELIEVED IN LOOKING AT ANIMALS
THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA
RATHER THAN DOWN THE BARREL OF A GUN.
♪
TODAY THE PARK IS ALMOST BONE-DRY,
SCORCHED BY THE HOT WINDS OF EL NIÑO.
THE SHIFTING GLOBAL WEATHER SYSTEM
HAS STRIPPED THE PARK OF ITS PRECIOUS FOLIAGE,
EXPOSING ANIMALS
THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE HIDDEN AWAY FROM PRYING EYES.
ELEPHANTS ADAPT QUICKLY TO THE DRY CONDITIONS,
CHEWING ON BRANCHES OF TREES
TO EXTRACT VITAL NUTRIENTS FROM THEIR BARK.
THEY’RE ON THEIR WAY TO AN UNUSUAL OASIS.
MFUWE LODGE WAS NORMAN CARR’S BASE
WHILE SETTING UP PARK OPERATIONS;
IT’S WHERE HE PIONEERED THE IDEA OF A WALKING SAFARI.
THE ELEPHANTS HERE TOOK IT A STEP FURTHER.
ONCE A YEAR, THEY WALK RIGHT THROUGH THE LODGE
TO A MASSIVE WILD MANGO TREE IN THE FRONT YARD
TO FEED ON ITS JUICY FRUIT.
THE TREE MAY HAVE EXISTED BEFORE THE LODGE WAS BUILT,
BUT IT’S A POIGNANT REMINDER
OF CARR’S SYSTEM OF CONSERVATION THROUGH TOURISM,
WHERE ANIMALS AND HUMANS COEXIST IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY.
IT’S ENSURED THAT MANY ANIMALS STILL ROAM FREE HERE TODAY...
LIKE THESE IMPALA ANTELOPE, GRAZING ON THE VERY LAST GROWTH
NEAR A RIVER SLOWLY DRYING OUT.
FEW TREES GROW LEAVES DURING A DROUGHT,
BUT ACACIA TAPROOTS STRETCH DOWN 220 FEET TO REACH WATER.
SO IT’S EASY PICKINGS FOR THESE THORNICROFT’S GIRAFFE
THAT STAND 19 FEET TALL.
THE SHADE OF THE TREE KEEPS THEM COOL
WHILE THEY CHEW THEIR CUD TO DIGEST THE FIBROUS LEAVES.
AFTER LUNCH, THEY’LL HEAD DOWN TO THE LUANGWA RIVER
FOR AN AFTERNOON DRINK.
♪
THE LUANGWA FLOWS INTO THE ZAMBEZI RIVER,
BUT TODAY IT’S HARDLY FLOWING AT ALL.
OVER 30,000 HIPPOS TUSSLE FOR SPACE HERE AT HIPPO BEND,
THE WORLD’S LARGEST POPULATION.
THEY’RE NOCTURNAL FEEDERS
WHO WALK MILES IN THE DARK TO GRAZE ON GRASS.
HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF FISH GATHER AROUND THE HIPPOS,
FEEDING OFF THEIR DUNG
AND THE SILT DISTURBED BY THEIR ACTIVITY.
♪
NILE CROCODILES ARE ATTRACTED TO THE FISH;
IT’S THEIR MAIN FOOD SOURCE.
THEY’RE A REAL THREAT FOR BABY HIPPOS
THAT ARE BORN UNDERWATER.
BUT EVEN FOR A CROC, MALE HIPPOS ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
THEY GROW TO 3,300 POUNDS,
AND THEIR TEETH ARE UP TO A FOOT LONG,
SHARPENED AS THEY EAT,
SIMILAR TO A RODENT.
ONE THEORY SUGGESTS THAT HIPPOS AND WHALES
SHARED A COMMON ANCESTOR
THAT BRANCHED OFF FROM THEIR EVOLUTIONARY PATH
AROUND 60 MILLION YEARS AGO.
EXCEPT HIPPOS DON’T SWIM VERY WELL,
DESPITE HAVING WEBBED FEET.
NOR DO THEY FLOAT.
INSTEAD, THEY SINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER
WHERE THEY RUN ALONG AND LEAP FORWARD IN BOUNDS,
BREAKING THE SURFACE OF THE WATER,
LIKE A DOLPHIN, TO BREATHE.
THEIR HEADS ARE DESIGNED SO THAT EARS, NOSE, AND EYES
ARE ABOVE WATER,
SO THE REST OF THE BODY REMAINS SUBMERGED.
LIKE DOLPHINS AND WHALES, THEY CAN SLEEP UNDERWATER,
RISING TO BREATHE WITHOUT WAKING.
AS THE SHRINKING RIVER STRANGLES THIS SEETHING MASS,
A FOREST NEARBY ERUPTS WITH HAUNTING SHRIEKS
AS A HUNGRY SWARM DESCENDS TO FEED.
NORMAN CARR HAD A SPECIAL TOUCH
FOR PROTECTING ZAMBIA’S WILDLIFE,
BUT NOT EVERYONE SHARED HIS CONSERVATIVE VIEWS.
UNSCRUPULOUS HUNTING PARTIES
WIPED OUT MANY SPECIES IN THE 1980s
HERE AT KASANKA NATIONAL PARK.
BUT JUST FIVE YEARS LATER,
A BRITISH FRIEND OF NORMAN CARR’S STEPPED IN
TO TACKLE THE TROUBLED PARK.
DAVID LLOYD HAD SERVED AS A COLONIAL OFFICER,
POLICING VIOLENT CLASHES
WHILE THE COUNTRY MADE ITS WAY TO INDEPENDENCE.
HE AND GARY WILLIAMS, A LOCAL FARMER,
INVESTED THEIR OWN MONEY TO EMPLOY LOCAL GAME SCOUTS.
THEY WERE ASSISTED BY CHIEF CHITAMBO,
WHOSE GRANDFATHER HAD HOSTED DAVID LIVINGSTONE
MANY YEARS EARLIER.
THE TEAM BUILT ROADS AND SAFARI LODGES
TO RE-ESTABLISH THE PARK.
WASA LODGE BECAME THE HEADQUARTERS
OF THE KASANKA TRUST OPERATIONS
AND THE FIRST PRIVATELY FUNDED PARK IN ZAMBIA.
IN 2016, IT WAS TRANSFERRED INTO THE STEWARDSHIP
OF THE AFRICAN PARKS CONSERVATION TEAM.
THE COLLECTIVE CONSERVATION EFFORTS
CONTINUE TO RESTORE THE BALANCE OF THE FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM HERE.
THESE PUKU HAVE MULTIPLIED FROM A COUPLE HUNDRED ANIMALS
TO OVER 5,000 ANTELOPE,
THE LARGEST POPULATION OF ITS KIND.
KASANKA NATIONAL PARK CAN ONCE AGAIN LIVE UP TO ITS NAME,
WHICH MEANS "THE PLACE WHERE ANIMALS GATHER."
THIS IS THE LARGEST MAMMAL MIGRATION IN THE WORLD.
EVERY NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER,
10 MILLION STRAW-COLORED FRUIT BATS
FLY FROM THE CONGO BASIN TO THIS FERTILE SWAMP FOREST,
WHICH COVERS TWO ACRES.
THEY TRAVEL OVER 1,000 MILES IN A FEW NIGHTS,
BY GLIDING ON NARROW WINGS SPANNING 3 FEET
AND USE 35% LESS ENERGY THAN A BIRD IN FLIGHT
BY FOLDING THEIR WINGS CLOSE TO THEIR BODY WITH EACH BEAT.
MOST BATS USE BIOSONAR TO NAVIGATE,
BUT THESE BATS USE SIGHT AND SMELL ALONE.
THEY’RE DRAWN HERE BY THE SMELL OF FRUIT.
WATER BERRIES, MANGOES, WILD LOQUAT
AND RED MILKWOOD BERRIES
RIPEN IN TIME FOR THE FEAST.
♪
THE BATS VENTURE OUT AT NIGHT TO FEED IN SURROUNDING WOODLANDS,
RETURNING HERE TO ROOST.
THEY CONSUME DOUBLE THEIR BODY WEIGHT OF FRUIT A NIGHT.
THEY CHEW ON THE FRUIT TO DRINK ITS JUICE
AND DISCARD THE PULP.
THIS FEEDING BEHAVIOR POLLINATES THE TREES’ FLOWERS
AND SOWS NEW SEEDS,
SLOWLY EXPANDING THE SIZE OF THE FOREST.
THIS NATURAL FEEDING CYCLE
ENSURES THAT AS THE BAT POPULATION GROWS,
THERE IS PLENTY OF FOOD FOR THEM,
MAINTAINING THE BALANCE OF LIFE IN THE PARK.
MAN-MADE CONSERVATION SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO HAVE THE SAME EFFECT
CAN OFTEN COME WITH UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES.
WHEN KAFUE NATIONAL PARK WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE 1950s,
MANY LOCAL TRIBES FISHING FOR FOOD IN THE BUSANGA SWAMPS
WERE MOVED OFF THEIR CULTURAL LAND
TO CREATE THE RESERVE.
IT NOW SPANS 8,600 SQUARE MILES,
ACCOUNTING FOR 33% OF ZAMBIA’S WILDLIFE RESERVES.
THE TRIBAL FOLK HAVE HAD TO ADAPT TO A NEW HOME
IN A NARROW GAME MANAGEMENT AREA
AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE RESERVE.
IT’S MEANT TO BE A BUFFER ZONE,
WHERE PEOPLE CAN HUNT AND FISH FOR FOOD IN THE KAFUE RIVER
WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH PARK OPERATIONS.
BUT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE LIVING ON THE PARK BOUNDARY,
IT’S HARD FOR AUTHORITIES TO DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND POACHERS.
TODAY, KAFUE’S RHINOS HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY POACHED OUT,
AND ELEPHANT NUMBERS HAVE PLUMMETED
FROM 60,000 ANIMALS IN THE 1960s TO ONLY 4,000 TODAY.
BOISTEROUS MALE ELEPHANTS ARE MOST AT RISK.
WHEN FEMALES ARE IN HEAT, HORMONAL SURGES SEND MALES
INTO A TRANCE-LIKE STATE CALLED MUSTH.
THEY FORM SMALL BACHELOR HERDS,
TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES IN SEARCH OF RECEPTIVE FEMALES,
UNKNOWINGLY VENTURING CLOSE TO HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.
THIS MAKES THEM EASY TARGETS FOR POACHERS.
BUT ELEPHANTS ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT
AND CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PLACES OF DANGER AND REFUGE.
THIS ELEPHANT EXPLORES THE SMALL ISLAND FOREST AT SHUMBA CAMP,
IN THE BUSANGA PLAINS AREA OF THE PARK.
"SHUMBA" MEANS LION IN THE LOCAL SHONA LANGUAGE.
AND THE LIONS HERE HAVE ADAPTED A STRANGE BEHAVIOR.
THE BUSANGA PLAINS ARE FLOODED DURING THE RAINY SEASON,
SO LIONS HAVE BEGUN CLIMBING UP INTO BRANCHES OF FIG TREES
TO SEEK OUT PREY AND KEEP DRY.
SOME EVEN HANG OUT ON THE CAMP’S WALKWAYS.
DURING WINTER, THE WATER RECEDES,
REVEALING LUSH GRASSLANDS
THAT PROVIDE EXCELLENT GRAZING FOR PLAINS ANIMALS...
AND EASIER HUNTING FOR THE LIONS...
WHO THEN USE THE NARROW DITCHES IN THE PLAINS
TO AMBUSH ANTELOPE.
♪
50 YEARS AGO, LECHWE WERE ALMOST EXTINCT IN THIS AREA.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL PARK
HAS SEEN A PHENOMENAL RECOVERY IN THEIR NUMBERS...
THANKS IN PART TO GAME SCOUTS,
WHO ARE ON CONSTANT PATROL TO PROTECT WILDLIFE FROM POACHERS.
IN FACT, SOME OF THEM ARE FORMER POACHERS,
NOW USING THEIR FIELD SKILLS
TO SAVE ANIMALS RATHER THAN KILL THEM.
THE LARGE NUMBERS OF RARE BLACK LECHWE GATHERED HERE
ARE PROOF OF THE RANGERS’ DEDICATION.
THEY MOVE AS A UNIT AND STOP AT ANY SIGN OF DANGER
WITH THE SAME HERD COHESION.
CROCODILES LURK IN THE SHRINKING POOLS OF WATER.
THE REST OF THE HERD WAITS FOR A SIGNAL TO CROSS
OR RUN TO SAFETY.
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BY JUNE, WINTER HAS SET IN,
AND THE WETLANDS HAVE ALMOST COMPLETELY VANISHED.
FLOCKS OF AFRICAN OPEN-BILLED STORKS
CONGREGATE AROUND THE WATERCOURSE,
WHERE THE HIPPOS STIR UP TASTY CACHES
OF FRESHWATER SNAILS AND MUSSELS.
HIPPOS FREQUENTLY USE THE SAME PATHS THROUGH THE CHANNELS,
CUTTING THROUGH DENSE WATER VEGETATION.
THESE PATHS HELP FISH ACCESS NEW BREEDING PONDS
AND PREVENT SWAMPS FROM BECOMING CLOGGED.
MALES BATTLE CONSTANTLY OVER THE PRECIOUS TERRITORY.
THIS YOUNG BULL HAS LOST A STANDOFF
WITH A MORE DOMINANT MALE.
HE TURNS HIS RAGE ON AN APPROACHING MOTHER AND CALF.
THE MALE DEFECATES IN A TYPICAL TERRITORIAL DISPLAY.
MOTHER AND CALF MAKE A HASTY RETREAT.
THIS TIME THE BRUSH WITH THE YOUNG MALE ENDS PEACEFULLY,
BUT THE FIGHT FOR SPACE IN THE SHRINKING POND
WILL SOON ESCALATE INTO MORE VIOLENT CLASHES.
EVEN ON DRY LAND, ANIMALS COMPETE
FOR THE LAST CLUMPS OF NUTRITIOUS VEGETATION.
HABITATS OVERLAP BETWEEN SPECIES
AS THEY DESPERATELY SEEK OUT SUFFICIENT GRAZING.
EVERY LAST MORSEL OF VEGETATION IS CONSUMED
SO THE HERDS SURVIVE THE LONG DRY SPELL.
SOON RAIN WILL FALL IN THE HIGHLANDS...
AND RIVERS WILL START THEIR LONG JOURNEY
INTO ZAMBIA’S LIFE-GIVING WETLANDS.
ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF ZAMBIA,
LUSH MIOMBO WOODLANDS BLANKET THE LANDSCAPE.
HERE, GREAT PRESSURES UNDERGROUND
FORCED MOLTEN LAVA TO SURGE OVER 100 MILES
TO THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.
AS IT COOLED, IT FORMED THESE BREATHTAKING BOULDERS
THAT BREACH THE FOREST CANOPY,
RISING A THOUSAND FEET INTO THE AIR...
GIVING THEM THEIR NAME--
WHALE BACK MOUNTAINS.
THEY’RE OVER 1.5 BILLION YEARS OLD.
THESE BOULDERS AND THE 25-MILE ROCKY RIDGE
IN NEIGHBORING LAVUSHI MANDA NATIONAL PARK
GIVE BIRTH TO SOME OF ZAMBIA’S MOST IMPORTANT RIVERS.
THE LUKULU AND LULIMALA RIVERS START HERE
AND DRAIN INTO THE BANGWEULU SWAMPS...
ONE OF THE LARGEST WETLAND SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD.
IT SPANS ALMOST 10,000 SQUARE MILES.
COUNTLESS PEOPLE AND ANIMALS
DEPEND ON THE BANGWEULU WATERS TO SURVIVE.
ITS NAME MEANS "THE PLACE WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY."
THE SHIMMERING WATER FILLS A SHALLOW DEPRESSION
IN THE CENTER OF THE NORTH ZAMBIAN PLATEAU.
THIS WAS ONCE AN ANCIENT SEA.
17 RIVERS FLOW IN,
BUT ONLY ONE FLOWS OUT--
THE LUAPULA.
THE VAST WETLAND LIES AT THE EDGE OF THE CONGO PEDICLE.
IT’S THE SIZE OF NEW JERSEY AND ALMOST CUTS ZAMBIA IN HALF.
EARLY RULERS OF THE CONGO
CREATED THE PEDICLE
WHEN THEY WANTED ACCESS
TO THE RICH FISHING WATERS
AND MINERAL RESOURCES ZAMBIA HAD ON OFFER.
IN 1983, CHINESE CONTRACTORS,
EAGER TO ACCESS THE COPPER MINES,
BUILT THE LUAPULA BRIDGE OVER THE PEDICLE.
THE RIVER HERE IS 1,300 FEET WIDE DURING THE DRY MONTHS...
BUT WELL OVER 3,000 FEET WIDE WHEN IN FLOOD.
SO THE BRIDGE STRETCHES FOR 1.5 MILES.
CROSSING THE BANGWEULU CAN NOW BE DONE BY CAR,
BUT TO GET TO THE SWAMP ITSELF, YOU NEED A BOAT.
THESE FARMERS HAVE HARVESTED THE LAST CROPS FOR THE SEASON
AND NOW TURN TO FISHING IN THE SWAMPS FOR FOOD...
TAKING ALL THEY NEED TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE HOME,
BUT WITH HIDDEN DANGERS.
THREE OF AFRICA’S MOST DANGEROUS KILLERS THRIVE HERE--
CROCODILES, HIPPOS,
AND THE DEADLY, ALMOST INVISIBLE ANOPHELES MOSQUITO
THAT CARRIES THE MALARIA PARASITE.
DESPITE THE RISK, MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN
HAVE NO OTHER OPTION
BUT TO TRAVEL UP TO 60 MILES ON FOOT AND BY BOAT
TO SETTLE IN THESE TEMPORARY FISHING VILLAGES.
THEIR HUTS ARE CONSTRUCTED
FROM WOOD, THATCH GRASS, AND PLASTIC SHEETS.
THEY’RE BUILT TO LAST JUST UNTIL THE FLOODS ARRIVE.
DURING THE DAY, MEN GO TO WORK IN SMALL TEAMS,
TRAVERSING MILES OF OPEN WATER
IN SEARCH OF CATFISH AND DOZENS OF SPECIES OF CICHLIDS.
THEY’RE CAUGHT IN GILL NETS AND SEINE NETS.
THE FISH ARE SMOKED AND SOLD FOR A DOLLAR PER POUND
TO FISH TRADERS,
OR BARTERED FOR BREAD, SUGAR, AND TOBACCO.
CATFISH AVOID PREDATORS
BY HIDING OUT UNDER THESE FLOATING ISLANDS,
VENTURING OUT AT NIGHT TO FEED.
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FISHERMEN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR BEHAVIOR
BY SETTING A TRAP.
ESCAPE ROUTES ARE SEALED OFF
BY PLACING A SERIES OF CIRCULAR NETS
AROUND THE DAYTIME HIDEOUT.
THESE NETS WILL BE LEFT OVERNIGHT,
AND WITH A BIT OF LUCK, WILL BE WRITHING WITH FISH BY MORNING.
ZAMBIANS HAVE SURVIVED BY FISHING HERE FOR CENTURIES,
BUT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, MODERN INDUSTRY RUSHED IN...
NOT TO HARVEST FISH,
BUT RATHER THE VALUABLE LIMESTONE
FORMED ON THE ANCIENT SEABED THAT CRADLES THE SWAMP.
IT’S THE KEY INGREDIENT FOR CEMENT PRODUCTION...
A RESOURCE THAT NOW EMPOWERS MANY AFRICANS.
WHEN NIGERIAN BUSINESS TYCOON ALIKO DANGOTE
WON THE RIGHT TO IMPORT CEMENT INTO NIGERIA,
HIS BUSINESS SOARED.
IT EXPANDED LIMESTONE MINING IN ZAMBIA,
MAKING WAY FOR THIS CEMENT FACTORY.
DANGOTE IS NOW RANKED 67th AMONG THE WORLD’S RICHEST MEN,
AND THE RICHEST IN ALL OF AFRICA.
HIS WEALTH IS ESTIMATED AT A STAGGERING $18 BILLION.
THESE MINES HELPED SHAPE ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY
AND BROUGHT DANGOTE’S DREAM TO LIFE--
DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS IN AFRICA...
A PATRIOTIC AND PRAGMATIC VISION
SHARED WITH THE LIKES OF DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE,
WHO HAD SEEN SUCH SUCCESS IN HIS MIND’S EYE,
WHILE LOOKING AT AFRICA THROUGH THE LENS OF IMPERIAL BRITAIN
MANY YEARS EARLIER.
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LIVINGSTONE IS STILL THE ONLY CITY IN ZAMBIA
THAT RETAINS ITS COLONIAL NAME,
AN INDICATION OF THE KIND OF RESPECT ZAMBIA HAS
FOR THE GREAT EXPLORER WHO GAVE HIS LIFE TO AFRICA.
DR. DAVID LIVINGSTON’S LIFE
CAME TO AN END
NEAR THE BANGWEULU SWAMPS
JUST ACROSS THE WATER
FROM DANGOTE’S CEMENT FACTORY OPERATIONS.
A PART OF HIM REMAINS IN THIS MIOMBO FOREST.
MALARIA HAD RAVAGED HIS BODY FOR MONTHS,
AND INTERNAL BLEEDING CAUSED BY DYSENTERY
FINALLY TOOK HIS LIFE ON THE FIRST OF MAY 1873.
WHEN HIS AFRICAN ATTENDANTS FOUND HIM,
HE WAS KNEELING IN FINAL PRAYER.
HIS MEN WERE TORN WITH HOW TO SAY GOODBYE.
THEY DECIDED TO REMOVE HIS HEART AND BURY IT HERE.
HIS EMBALMED BODY WAS CARRIED
OVER A THOUSAND MILES TO THE COAST,
RETURNED TO BRITAIN FOR BURIAL, WITH A FINAL NOTE STATING:
"YOU CAN HAVE HIS BODY, BUT HIS HEART BELONGS IN AFRICA."
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...
AS MODERN-DAY EXPLORERS RETRACE HIS JOURNEY...
VENTURING THROUGH PRISTINE PARKS
ONCE WALKED BY NORMAN CARR...
NEAR SACRED PLACES
WHERE TRIBES REKINDLE THEIR CULTURAL HISTORY...
WORKING WITH NATURE
TO DEFINE THE BALANCE
BETWEEN THE DIG FOR ZAMBIA’S MINERAL WEALTH
AND THE RACE TO PROTECT ITS WILD SPACES...
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FROM THUNDERING HERDS OF LECHWE,
TO GIANT PODS OF HIPPOS.
WITNESSING THIS PROUD AFRICAN NATION
MAKES IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY DAVID LIVINGSTONE
WOULD NOT FORSAKE THIS MAGNIFICENT COUNTRY.
AS HIS VISION FOR THE CONTINENT COMES TO LIFE,
HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON...
AS THE MIST FROM VICTORIA FALLS CONTINUES TO ROAR.
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