Many tales have been told of Africa.
This is our story.
A drama set in the heart of our world.
Experienced as we live and breathe it.
So far, we've faced many challenges.
Parents learned to keep their young safe.
Rivals battled for supremacy.
While enemies threatened us all.
This is the next chapter in our story...
..of the place they call Serengeti.
# Serengeti
# She is speaking
# Better listen. #
Our land is dry.
Each day, the heat continues to build.
There's no relief in sight.
All of us gather in the one place we can still quench our thirst.
The water hole is now our lifeline.
But, day by day, there's a little less to go round.
Struggling catfish are a sign of the drought to come.
But some relish this time of year,
and the easy meals it brings.
Kali is finally at ease,
back with the pride that once cast her out.
Her cubs are safe at last.
Each day, Shani leads her foal and family
on the perilous trek to water.
Kali and the great pride are always there, watching...
..and waiting.
Abundance brings choice,
and the zebra foal is highly prized.
Kali is well practised in the art of ambush.
This time, it wasn't Shani's foal who met his fate.
But for many, the danger is far from over.
Beneath the surface, the mud is a trap.
And Shani is caught.
So too is her foal.
He may have escaped, but what of his mother?
She's exhausted,
and her struggles just take her deeper into the mud.
But, when all strength is gone,
we all need something to fight for.
The bond between mother and young is sometimes the strongest of all.
Not all fear the mud.
For the mighty, it's one of life's pleasures.
Each day, Nalla leads her family here to drink and wallow.
They too run the gauntlet of the lions.
But here, the elephants rule.
Confrontation would achieve nothing.
Elephants are too mighty to be trapped by mud.
So Nalla's baby can safely enjoy the cooling water.
But one family member is no longer welcome.
Tembo has reached adulthood,
and he's too boisterous to stay in a family of females.
He now only watches from afar...
..then takes out his frustration any way he can.
Rejected and lonely, Tembo must seek company elsewhere.
Warthogs also find pleasure as the mud takes over.
They should enjoy it while they can.
Soon our land will turn to dust.
For now, there are more immediate concerns.
Where life gathers,
leopards prowl.
Most hunts end in failure.
And soon, even the warthogs won't be visiting.
But for now, the daily procession to the water hole continues.
Even the mongoose join in.
They're not just here to quench their thirst.
Dung beetles are everywhere.
Gathering the dung the herds leave behind.
The balls they make provide both food and a nursery for their young.
Having laid an egg inside, they find a place to bury it.
Where dung balls are hidden,
more can be found.
Dig them up,
and there's a feast inside.
But first, they need to break them open.
A beetle grub is a treat to be savoured.
To return home, they must cross open ground.
It's the martial eagle who now has a chance of a meal.
Their nearest cover is the tree.
The mongoose are safe for the moment.
But they're also trapped.
Somehow, they must persuade the eagle to leave.
Mongoose are fearless and noisy.
And hunters rely on not being seen.
The mongoose will make sure everyone knows he's there.
And it's the eagle who's left in the sun.
It's just a short sprint home.
As the day finally cools,
the herds head back to the plains.
Shani and her foal join those who have lived to see another day.
But each new dawn brings fresh conflict.
The vultures are ready for any who lose the fight.
Jasari brought his family here
for the riches that migration brings.
But, as his pups thrive, their demands for food also grow.
The only relief from the begging is to catch another meal.
For vultures, wild dogs are certainly a family worth following.
Success is something everyone wants to share.
Zalika, leader of the hyena clan, saw it all unfold.
While vultures hope for scraps...
..Zalika is cautious.
Last time she encountered Jasari, she was badly beaten.
She daren't risk her life again.
A loss of confidence is hard to conceal...
..and gives confidence to others.
The clan offers some consolation.
A victim of the treacherous mud.
For Zalika, the pressure to provide is over for the day.
But even scavengers can be scavenged upon.
A rival clan wants to lay claim to the water hole
and all it offers.
If Zalika shows weakness, her family will fail.
She leads the charge...
..and singles out their leader.
Zalika's confidence is restored.
Her rivals won't return in a hurry.
But in winning one battle, she lost another.
There's not a scrap left worth fighting for.
Tembo's visits to the water hole are still solitary affairs.
Forced out from his family,
he's lonely and frustrated.
Even life's simple pleasures bringing little relief.
But he's not the only young adult male evicted from his family.
At last, a kindred spirit.
Once made, male friendships can last a lifetime.
Companionship will bring comfort
as the next stage of his life begins.
Baboon rock is now strangely deserted.
Except for the klipspringers.
And one solitary baboon.
Bakari is in self-imposed exile.
He sought refuge here when his feud with the leader
spiralled out of control.
His old troop has moved to be nearer the water hole.
But once in a while he must drink there, too.
The lions have taken up permanent residence.
Kali is enjoying the good times while they last.
There's an endless supply of thirsty prey.
They aren't the only ones who've moved in.
Monitor lizards also relish a wholesome meal.
With the great pride protecting the cubs,
the water hole has become their playground.
But nowhere is truly safe.
And the pride only needs to be distracted for a heartbeat.
The cubs have never seen a python before...
..and have no idea how deadly it is.
Few remain unmoved by a pride of lions.
Let him have his pool.
Bakari finally arrives.
But now the lake is more mud than water.
The plight of others is a reminder of how fragile life can be.
Bakari must keep his wits about him.
A baboon alone is fair game for cubs.
It's a tough climb for any lion,
let alone a cub.
Bakari faces a long wait.
A time to ponder.
Then his old troop arrives.
But things are worse than he feared.
Jika, the female who helped raise his adopted baby,
is now with the leader.
The youngster has grown while he's been away.
But something's not right.
The baby is being bullied by the leader.
Bakari is powerless to stop it.
And so it seems is Jika.
Bakari is still trapped.
In the end, hunger always gets the better of lions.
But it's too late.
His troop are long gone.
With the lions commanding the lake,
the leopard must hunt elsewhere.
He joins forces with his sister.
Young and inexperienced,
they have a lot to learn.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
But how to eat it?
When threatened, porcupines favour reverse.
There can only be one outcome.
The leopards are left to lick their wounds...
..and deal with the quills.
But all of us face a far bigger problem.
Day by day, our water hole is vanishing.
Even Kali resorts to scavenging in the mud...
..and has to deal with the consequences.
There's a sense of unease...
..especially among the zebra.
Each day, Shani's stallion must fend off rivals.
If he loses,
she and the other females will be stolen from him.
Once again, Shani's stallion sees off the threat.
But with drought threatening her family's survival,
her troubles are far from over.
Zalika and her clan are still guarding what's left
of the water hole and taking what scraps they can find.
Back at their den,
the cubs wait patiently for their mother's return.
But it's not the mothers who are approaching.
The black-maned males are back.
They destroy all they consider rivals...
..no matter how young or how innocent.
ROARING
CUBS SQUEAK
Zalika is too late.
THEY BARK
Two of their cubs are gone.
These were the lions who killed her mother.
Fighting back will only mean more bloodshed.
They must flee to another den.
THEY BARK
Those too young to run must be carried.
The black-maned males are gaining supremacy,
death by death.
Zalika's refuge is a den she's used before.
But first, they must evict the squatters.
SQUEALING
BARKING, SQUEALING
THEY HOWL
Fate can turn in an instant, and fortunes with it.
Drought now grips the whole of our land.
There's no relief from the heat and dust.
The land is parched and dry.
The lake has almost vanished.
Dust devils add to the misery.
It's a test of endurance for us all.
The herds have no reason to stay.
For the sake of her foal and family, Shani must leave.
The great exodus begins.
The vultures will go where the wind and the herds take them.
BRAYING
Those who only know this place is home must hunker down.
THEY HOWL
Our world is becoming a wasteland.
But the elements are not done with us yet.
THEY SQUEAL
The fire soon reaches the wild dogs' den.
Their pups are alone.
But Jasari was alerted by the smoke.
He must find a way through the flames.
Escape before it's too late.
Fear and panic spreads across our land.
ELEPHANTS TRUMPET
Our home is being destroyed.
Nowhere is safe.
On Baboon Rock,
Bakari has witnessed the fire engulf everything.
And his troop are caught in the middle of it.
BARKING
He can't just stand by and watch.
In the tinder-dry grass, the inferno spreads rapidly.
BARKING
SQUEALING
Chika and her baby run for their lives.
In his panic, her youngster seeks safety in a tree.
Chika realises too late.
Now she can't reach him.
GROWLS
And the leader thinks only of himself.
But Bakari is heading for the flames.
He hears their cries.
SQUEALING
Somehow, he must find a way through.
SCREECHES
Seeing Bakari gives the youngster the courage he needs.
Together, they find a way to safety.
TRUMPETS
Finally, the fire reaches Kali and the great pride.
But fleeing the fire takes them into the path of even greater danger...
..the black-maned males.
ROARS
They're here to take over the pride lands,
and the lionesses with it.
But first, they'll kill their cubs
and force the lionesses
to have their cubs instead.
GROWLING
GROWLS
Kali must fight once more...
..to give her cubs the chance to escape.
The pride males fight for their lives and their land.
Kali must leave the battle and find her cubs if she can.
The males must fight on alone.
Already, a pride male is taken.
ROARS
Night falls, and fates are decided under the cloak of darkness.
As dawn breaks, the extent of the destruction is revealed.
Kali survived.
But only two of her cubs are by her side.
GROWLING
Kali has suffered so much...
ROARS
..endured so much...
ROARS
..and now this.
ROARS
But the elements still have more to unleash.
ROARS
The rain brings an end to the fire.
But our land is gone...
..extinguished like the dying embers of the flames.
Yet despite the devastation,
our land will be reborn.
Rain that brought the promise of better times...
..also brings danger.
THEY TRUMPET
Old scores will be settled.
Some will get a second chance.
The Serengeti will rise once more.
# Serengeti
# She is speaking
# Hear her this time. #