Many tales have been told of Africa.
And this is our story.
A drama set in the heart of our world...
..experienced as we live and breathe it.
It was a year that would change all our lives forever.
Mothers struggle to raise their young.
Jealous rivals tore families apart.
Youngsters battle to find their place in the world.
And all of us were tested...
..by the elements...
..by the seasons...
..and by each other.
This is the story of our lives in a place they call Serengeti.
Our story begins after the rains.
It's the season of plenty when living should be easy.
But in our land, life is rarely that simple.
And all is not well with the great pride.
At the heart of this family is a formidable sisterhood.
The males jealously protect them from outsiders...
..and demand the females stay faithful.
But one of the lionesses is missing.
SCREECHES
Kali has had cubs with a lion from outside the pride.
She gave birth in secret.
Now she must try to bring her cubs home.
But Kali faces an impossible dilemma.
If the pride male suspect the cubs don't belong...
..they'll kill them.
But bringing them up alone is just too dangerous...
..she has to take the risk.
Do they know her secret?
They know.
Kali is exiled...
..cast out with no protection for her cubs.
While there's breath in her body, Kali will stop at nothing
to keep her cubs safe.
She's learning the hard way, when you fly against the wind,
it's a bumpy ride.
But the lions aren't the only family with troubles.
The great rock...
..home to the baboons since the dawn of our land...
SCREECHING
..but, recently,
an aggressive leader took over and stirred things up.
He fought his way to the top...
..preferring to be feared, not revered.
To rule, he relies on the support of the highest ranking females
such as Sabera.
In return, she gains privileges and protection for her baby...
..but she was once close to another...
..Bakari...
..who now spends his days brooding on the injustice of it all.
Sabera once brought him into the troop,
and their friendship flourished.
But as her power and influence grew,
Bakari was left behind.
But he can't quite let her go.
To win her back requires some social climbing.
As the leader gives into the heat...
..Bakari gives in to temptation.
But leaders always sleep with one eye open.
SCREECHING
Defeat...
..for now.
But Bakari is determined to win Sabera back...
..somehow.
With her cubs depending on her,
Kali must find the strength to provide.
Hunting alone is fraught with danger...
..but desperation brings courage.
But in our land...
..success never goes unnoticed for long.
..and it's not just the vultures who'll be circling.
HYENAS HEE
The hyena clan are a devoted family, ruled by the females.
Their leader is a true warrior queen...
..and the heir to her crown is her daughter...
..Zalika.
She still relies on her mother to protect her...
..and all that is precious.
Zalika is learning to raise her own cubs,
just as her mother raised her.
For her mother, providing for family always comes first.
She can sense a meal on the faintest breeze.
KALI GRUNTS
Two mothers...
..one meal.
Kali knows what's coming.
HYENA HEES
She's not just taking on a hyena...
..but also the army who support their queen.
One mistake...
..and they'll kill her cubs.
She has cornered Kali at her most vulnerable.
A chance for Zalika to support her mother...
..but Zalika lacks experience.
A mother knows how these battles are won.
Show no fear. Face danger head-on.
This is a fight Kali cannot win...
..not without risking everything.
For one family to succeed, another must fail.
It's Kali's cubs who will go hungry tonight.
In our world, the difference between winning and losing
isn't always strength...
..it's wisdom.
In this, the elephants rule.
This family of females share an unbreakable bond.
For their wise matriarch Nalla, it's a very special day.
Her new baby has just been born.
He won't be safe until he takes his first steps...
..so his family must help him on his way.
Tembo has been nurtured to adolescence by his mother...
..but, suddenly, he's no longer the centre of attention.
In fact, Tembo doesn't know where he belongs any more.
Certainly not around a baby.
Accident or not,
Nalla must protect her newborn above everything.
It's tough being upstaged by a baby brother.
Nalla will have to help one son into the family...
..while guiding another into adult.
Whether we shy away from change or we seek it...
..change is never easy.
In solitude, Bakari can focus his mind.
Climbing the hierarchy will be dangerous...
..but to win Sabera back...
..he must take on the leader...
..and earn respect from the rest of the troop.
Bakari just needs an opportunity.
At this time of year, the grass is high,
so the leader takes Sabera and the troop
to feed on the seed heads.
But Bakari is wary.
Enemies can knock when you least expect them.
LEOPARD GROWLS
Frightened, Sabera seeks reassurance from the leader.
Bakari daren't take his eyes off the leopard...
..but the leader does nothing...
..so Bakari does the unthinkable.
He's done it.
Faced with a threat to Sabera,
Bakari found courage he never knew he had.
But does she realise who it was for?
He's made her feel safe...
..now she makes him feel needed.
But the powerful hate to be made to look weak.
Bakari may have been put back in his place,
but some things are worth the fight.
He's not prepared to let Sabera go.
Not all of us here lead such complicated lives.
This close-knit family love being together...
..and mongoose have a talent for making friends...
..even with the warthogs, who are notoriously bad-tempered.
The season of plenty
brings plenty of ticks that irritate them even more.
But a warthog's burden is a mongoose's banquet.
And this partnership has other benefits...
..lots of eyes to look out for danger...
..and a lioness with hungry cubs is as dangerous as it gets.
An easy meal is just what she needs.
A chance to show the cubs how it's done...
..but she's picked the wrong warthog.
Not quite the show of skill she had intended.
Beaten by a warthog.
The failure she can take.
Her cub's hunger is more difficult to bear.
Kali is running out of time.
Her milk will soon run dry.
Without her sisters to help catch a meal,
there's slim chance her cubs will survive.
The hyena's strength comes from family loyalty...
..and everyone must play their part.
For Zalika, her role was decreed from birth.
Ready or not,
it's her destiny to inherit the leadership.
But her mother's courage and reputation is a lot to live up to...
..and her failure to take on Kali still burns.
It wasn't just her mother who saw her cower.
And doesn't want to earn their family's respect?
Her mother sees an opportunity...
..but it's risky.
HYENAS HEE
For Zalika, it's a chance to impress.
Her mother would be more cautious.
A cornered wildebeest will fight to the death.
Success...
..but at a price.
Zalika has gained her first battle scar...
..and alerted enemies.
The notorious black-maned lions.
Merciless towards their rivals.
Her kill lured them in.
Now she's injured, she's become the target.
Her mother sees the danger Zalika's in.
She can't let this happen.
It's her mother who's laid herself down...
..sacrificed her life for her.
She had tried to prepare Zalika for leadership...
..but who can prepare for the death of a mother?
Consumed by grief, the reluctant heir becomes queen.
For all of us, embracing our destiny can be the hardest challenge of all.
In truth, none of us can stand still,
we all have to grow,
to learn.
Especially the young.
Every morning the matriarch leads her family to water.
Today, her baby has taken an important step
on his path through life.
He's having his first bath.
For Tembo, it's all so confusing.
His mother no longer has time for him.
While Tembo struggles with his place in the herd...
..his little brother struggles just to stay on his feet.
All Tembo can do is just tag along behind...
..searching for a new role in the family.
When all we rely on is gone,
it's hard to know where we belong.
It's something Kali must also face up to.
Without her sisters, the balance of power has now swung against her.
What once was prey is now a deadly enemy.
Something's wrong.
Her smallest is missing.
Has the unthinkable happened?
A moment of relief...
..but it could be their last.
If Kali doesn't eat soon, it's hunger that will take them.
The future can be a daunting place...
..when it's faced alone.
Zalika had only just begun to learn her mother's skills...
..now she must show she can lead the clan...
..prove her courage.
Nearby are two of the most feared killers in our land.
The leopards have not long left their mother.
They are inexperienced, yet reckless hunters.
A chance to prove herself to the clan.
She hesitates...
..just a moment too long.
She doesn't hesitate this time.
Outnumbered, her courage deserts her.
But what would her mother have done?
Show no fear.
Face danger head-on.
The respect of the clan is hard-won,
but she's proved she has the courage to lead.
Leadership comes naturally to some in our land.
Nalla has brought her family to where grazing is good,
and her calf can explore.
As his confidence grows, he's becoming more adventurous.
It's an enticing place for a new baby...
..but also a dangerous one.
Tembo, trailing behind, is first to see the lions.
While he fights...
..his mother summons the herd.
They form a barricade around the baby.
Tembo must fight alone.
Tembo saved his brother...
..and has found a new role for himself.
The protective older brother.
Among the baboons, peace also seems restored.
But nothing is ever as it seems.
Since their friendship was rekindled,
Bakari must be discreet around Sabera.
As the leader takes the troop to feed in the marshes,
Bakari follows quietly.
To avoid provocation,
he keeps his distance from Sabera and the leader.
With food abundant, everyone soon relaxes...
..except Bakari.
SCREECHING
He knows that cry.
For Sabera, it's too late.
But what could Bakari have done?
She made him brave.
She gave him something to fight for.
And her son will never survive alone.
Bakari can't just abandon him...
..so he makes the only decision he can...
..and takes her baby as his own.
But how could he possibly raise him?
Together, they face an uncertain future.
In our land, fortunes change in a heartbeat.
The actions of one can affect us all.
Kali is exhausted and weak with hunger...
..but she can't give up.
This could be her last chance to save them.
But the zebra is too strong.
Kali has nothing more to give.
It's her sister.
She too has just had cubs.
This could be Kali's salvation.
Together, life will be easier...
..or so it seems.
A season of plenty will soon fade
and food will be harder to come by.
And each and every one of us will be tested again...
..with new arrivals...
..unexpected problems...
..old foes reappearing...
..dangerous encounters.
The Serengeti will demand courage from us all.