NARRATOR: In remotest Southern Africa,
lies Zambia's Luangwa Valley...
a rolling savannah
the size of West Virginia.
Feeling like a land that time forgot...
seemingly untouched plains
teem with Africa's most iconic animals.
GRUNTING
SQUAWKING
NARRATOR: Some are unique to this place...
GRUNTS
NARRATOR: Others are critically endangered elsewhere.
BIRDS SQUAWKING
NARRATOR: Here, prey
and predators
exist in remarkable balance...
each taking advantage of the secret
at the heart of this Eden...
the mighty Luangwa River...
ROARING
NARRATOR: ...and its dramatic annual transformation
from dusty inferno...
THUNDERCLAP
...to emerald paradise.
There are still places on Earth
that remain pristine.
Where wildlife flourishes.
These are the last regions that could be called...
Eden.
The Luangwa begins its journey
in Zambia's uplands...
cascading into the valley...
where it meanders through 27,000 square miles
of lush savannah...
eventually flowing into the Zambezi River...
500 miles further south.
But it's here that it will breach its banks
during the wet season...
BIRDS SQUAWKING
NARRATOR: ...bringing boundless life
to this African Eden...
SQUAWKING
ELEPHANTS RUMBLING
NARRATOR: ...and painting its plains
a glorious green.
BIRDS CHIRPING
BIRDS SQUAWKING
NARRATOR: It's July...
the start of the dry season.
And it's just what one of Africa's great predators
has been waiting for.
BIRD CALLING
NARRATOR: Along stretches of the Luangwa,
leopards can be found in numbers
greater than almost anywhere else in Africa.
LEOPARD CUB SCREECHES
NARRATOR: And throughout this valley,
all life is defined
by the ebb and flow of the river...
and its waters are rapidly receding.
Some tributary channels are already bone dry...
and herbivores are beginning to gather close to the river.
For a big cat, it all adds up to one thing...
GROWLING
NARRATOR: ...happy hunting.
This female leopard is five years old.
At around 90 pounds,
she's in prime condition.
Her preferred prey is impala.
ALARM CALL
NARRATOR: Ten thousand of them roam this valley.
Ranked among the fastest of all hoofed animals,
an impala could take on a racehorse.
But leopards don't play by impala rules.
This fast-changing Eden
has now given her an edge.
She enters
into the maze of gullies.
The damp channel margins are carpeted with grass
that lures in grazing antelope.
SNORTING
NARRATOR: Still, they remain on high alert.
Stealth is the best weapon.
Placing faith in perfect camouflage...
the trap is set.
Just a few more careless steps
and they'll be inside the required 30-foot range.
IMPALA BARKING
THUD
IMPALA STRUGGLES TO BREATHE
NARRATOR: Clamping her jaws over both nose and mouth,
she can stay clear of those stiletto horns
and cut off its airflow.
IMPALA STRUGGLES TO BREATHE
BARKING QUIETLY
NARRATOR: But a spotted hyena is drawn to the commotion.
LEOPARD GROWLS SOFTLY
NARRATOR: Close to twice the weight of a leopard...
HYENA LAUGHING
NARRATOR: ...armed with bone-crushing jaws,
this opportunist won't pass up the chance
to cash in on the hard work of others.
LEOPARD GROWLS
NARRATOR: This time,
one very lucky impala
gets a second chance at life.
LEOPARD GROWLS
NARRATOR: More than 60 percent of hunts end in failure...
but with the perfect conditions for an ambush
at this time of year,
it won't be long until another opportunity comes her way.
As the dry season takes hold and pastures whither,
yellow baboons spend daylight hours
foraging for grasses and grubs.
Thousands of these primates live here
in hundred-strong troops
that claim territories of ten square miles.
And female kinship lies at the core of their society.
BABOONS CHATTERING
NARRATOR: A network of matriarchs
helps maintain harmony.
Social grooming to cement familial bonds.
Nursing...
and playing.
But it falls to the alpha male
to lead his troop in their search for food.
A male may rule this extended family for several years
and he knows where they can go for a seasonal meal...
Sausage trees.
At this time of year,
the nectar cupped in plentiful blossoms
provides a lifeline
for numerous species.
This place is a highly coveted prize.
And a neighboring troop aims to claim it...
with the help of their own gang leader.
Both sides are equally matched.
Flanked by battle-hardened soldiers...
SCREECHING
NARRATOR: ...the alpha male
steps up.
# COWBOY WESTERN MUSIC PLAYING
NARRATOR: Around 50 pounds in weight
and armed with two inch-long canines...
SCREECHING
ROARS
ROARING
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: ...battles can end in serious injury.
Even death.
HISSES
NARRATOR: When this rival backs down,
his cronies scatter.
CALLING LOUDLY
NARRATOR: Peace is restored to the troop once more.
Close family ties and strong leadership
allow these intelligent primates
to tune into the rhythm of the riches
offered up by the Luangwa Valley.
As the dry season tightens its grip,
Luangwa welcomes a technicolor visitor...
the carmine bee-eater.
They're experts when it comes to catching
and dispatching bees.
But that's not why they're here.
The receding water
has left 20-foot banks exposed.
SQUAWKING
From around 500 miles away,
20,000 make the annual journey here
to construct yard-long nest burrows...
in a perfect mix of sand and clay.
SQUAWKING
NARRATOR: Latecomers try to move in
on the newly-dug dream homes...
leading to noisy evictions.
SQUAWKING LOUDLY
LOUD GRUNTING
NARRATOR: Their nearest neighbors
can be a little rowdy too.
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: The Luangwa is a hippo heaven.
But when 25,000
are forced to crowd together
in the dwindling river,
there's less space for a cooling wallow...
and the risk of heat exhaustion rises.
Youngsters are among the most vulnerable.
And for the next five months or more,
this calf will rely on her attentive mother for milk...
and for protection.
Nightfall offers relief.
BIRD CALLING
NARRATOR: And thermal-imaging cameras
reveal the surprising nocturnal life of hippos.
One group stays close to the water.
For a little hippo,
the plains are full of predators...
so calves are left in a creche...
watched over by adult females.
Weighing 1.5 tons,
a mother hippo has less to fear...
but needs at least 100 pounds of vegetation a night.
And when grazing isn't an option...
a different plan is required.
Hippos have relatively good night vision...
which helps...
GROWLS
NARRATOR: ...when confronted by a deadly enemy.
LIONS GROWL
NARRATOR: But these lions know better
than to get in the way...
of a favourite food supply...
sausage fruits.
But dropping an infant off at the creche
costs time.
Now, there's a risk of missing out.
LIPS SMACKING
NARRATOR: Lip-smacking might do the trick.
LIPS SMACKING
NARRATOR: This could be a form of hippo diplomacy.
They'll binge until dawn.
And as the hippos retrace their steps,
each call of nature
answers more than one need.
By dispersing seeds far and wide,
the hippos here play a crucial role
in spreading sausage trees
throughout the valley.
For some, re-entry can be tricky.
After a five-hour wait...
this hungry hippo is reunited with her mother.
Back in the water,
the calf can suckle in safety
ahead of the returning sun.
By October,
the temperature climbs above 90 degrees.
It's been five months since the last rain fell.
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: Restless buffalo
form 2,000-strong mega-herds.
For all of Luangwa's herbivores...
long weeks of craving lie ahead.
As the river is reduced
to a string of pools...
for others,
the dry season is boom time.
Hundreds of pelicans, storks,
herons and spoonbills
eagerly descend.
These "fishing parties" trawl up everything...
in a matter of hours.
The furnace heat
now hits 110 degrees.
The last wallows are disappearing.
HIPPO GRUNTS
NARRATOR: Circling vultures spot carcasses
from four miles away.
This valley becomes an Eden for scavengers.
SCREECHING
NARRATOR: They dispose of meat and bones
in less than an hour.
Clearing up rotting remains is vital
if the savannah is to be disease-free.
November brings promise of rebirth...
as Luangwa welcomes the start of the wet season.
LEAVES RUSTLING
THUNDER RUMBLING
THUNDERCLAP
NARRATOR: The first showers quench a thirsty land.
From deep burrows...
rain bugs emerge.
These spider-like velvet mites
are on a mission.
Their bright color reminds predators
that they taste bad.
They each have just a few hours to fatten up
and fight over a suitable mate...
before scurrying back underground
to lay their eggs.
Dormant pastures
spring to life...
and fresh grazing
triggers a baby boom.
Within two weeks,
thousands of impala ewes
drop their lambs...
SQUEALING
NARRATOR: ...and warthog mothers
must deal with broods of up to eight hungry piglets.
A thousand feet above the plains,
heavy rainfall on the escarpment
is funneled into waterfalls.
Rivers merge as the water finds its way
to the valley floor.
Dry channels awaken...
and the majestic Luangwa River
returns to its former glory.
In just a few days,
its levels rise 15 feet or more...
flooding the savannah for miles around.
BIRDS SQUAWKING
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: Water laps moisture-loving ebony trees...
as cathedral-vaulted groves...
greet the Emerald Season.
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: For the valley's herbivores,
it's a welcome return to the good times.
For Luangwa's yellow baboons...
it's a waterpark playground...
combined with an all-you-can-eat Eden.
BIRDS SQUAWKING
NARRATOR: Such abundance means baboons can forget
about territorial disputes for now.
But this alpha's not interested
in getting his hands dirty
for roots and tubers.
It's been a year-long wait
for a taste of a favourite plant...
Water lilies.
Packed with essential minerals,
they're gourmet dining for baboons.
But they come with a very high price tag.
They grow in deep water...
where danger lurks.
Nile crocodiles,
over ten feet long.
But lilies are far too tempting.
And those are just in reach.
This is one treat
an alpha won't share.
BARKS
NARRATOR: As the flood waters recede in April,
they leave behind a precious gift...
Nutrient-laden silt
that enriches the soil.
Once again, some of Africa's
lushest grazing is on offer.
With this annual inundation
comes another far-reaching reward.
By rendering the land almost impossible to settle,
it has kept humans at bay.
The Luangwa is one of the last great African rivers
to remain unhindered by dams
and modern development...
preserving some of the last pristine tracts of savannah
for one of this continent's
most endangered carnivores...
The painted wolf.
Just one pack roams several hundred square miles.
On the brink of extinction elsewhere,
this stable population
is becoming ever more important.
And wilderness on such an epic scale
is now one of the last sanctuaries
of the black rhino.
DEEP GRUNT
NARRATOR: While they're quite clearly grey,
one theory suggests that distinctive upper lip
gave them their name.
"Beaked rhino"
becoming "black rhino" over time.
Preferring his own company,
he's both woefully short-sighted...
and notoriously ill-tempered.
This 1.5 ton bull
has picked up the elusive aroma
of one thing guaranteed to mellow his mood.
He sets off with high hopes.
Oh dear,
that sensitive nose
has lost the scent trail.
GRUNTS
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: Ah, there it is!
Charging upwind at more than 30 miles per hour,
he finally sniffs out his quarry...
an equally solitary,
just-as-irascible female.
HIGH-PITCHED CALL
NARRATOR: She feigns lack of interest.
HIGH-PITCHED CALL
NARRATOR: So he'll stay by her side for up to two weeks...
until she gives in to his gentle serenade.
HIGH-PITCHED CALL
NARRATOR: Every baby this Eden could deliver...
builds hope for the future
of this critically endangered species.
Luangwa's seasonal balance has now shifted
from favoring the hunter...
to helping the hunted.
For a female leopard,
stalking is a lot harder.
Impala are scattered far and wide...
and the gullies relied on for cover in the dry season
are flooded.
It's time for a new plan of attack.
IMPALA CALLING
NARRATOR: Good grazing means that female impala
are in prime breeding condition.
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: Broadcasting his authority,
a dominant ram has the pick of over 20 ewes in his harem.
GRUNTING
NARRATOR: Crowned with 30-inch horns,
an alpha will go head-to-head
with any who dare to challenge his mating rights.
That's just what this female's been waiting for...
The strutting arrival of a worthy challenger.
Sparring to gauge size and strength...
each looks for an opening.
Wrenching locked horns...
and straining every sinew
to force the other to give way.
The charge must be timed to perfection...
striking while their guard is down...
but not until their energy is spent.
ALARM CALL
NARRATOR: Making the most of seasonal shifts in behavior,
this is a crucial kill.
By stashing this prize,
it may last several days.
Time this mother can spend with her demanding
five-week-old
twin cubs.
MOTHER GROWLS SOFTLY
GROWLING SOFTLY
NARRATOR: And a full belly...
means she can provide plentiful milk...
for the next generation
of Luangwa's leopards.
As long as the river guards this place
with its floodwaters,
unfettered by dams or agriculture...
the creatures that live here
in perfect balance...
through boom and bust...
both predators
and prey...
will continue to prosper...
and this valley will remain forever...
an emerald Eden.
NARRATOR: Filming critically endangered black rhino
presented the Eden crew
with their biggest challenge yet.
North Luangwa is home to Zambia's
only black rhino population.
Around 50 roam a wilderness
of 8,500 square miles.
To stand a chance of finding one,
the crew team up
with the North Luangwa Conservation Program,
a long-term partnership of dedicated scientists
and highly trained scouts.
ED SAYER: The rhinos form a focus or a flagship
for the much wider ecosystem,
and the rhino scouts themselves
are all recruited from the local communities.
NARRATOR: For the last 35 years,
they have put their lives on the line
to combat armed poachers
and successfully established a safe haven
for the last of Zambia's black rhino.
And there's one rhino whose story
the crew are particularly keen to tell.
ED SAYER: Kango is very close to our hearts.
He's named after the local chief.
We released him here on the Mwaleshi
in the heart of the north Luangwa.
And you see him today,
he's mating, he's bred, he's got, I think,
five females now in his area,
he's in tip-top condition.
NARRATOR: To track Kango, the crew work closely
with the rhino monitoring unit.
NARRATOR: With a positive sighting radioed in,
the only way for the crew to proceed in this terrain
is on foot...
carrying all 60 pounds
of camera gear.
Much easier on your head than round your neck.
NARRATOR: The team cover ten miles a day,
homing in on the signal from the transmitter
that Kango carries on his horn.
After a morning's trek,
the scouts appear to be closing in
on a small gathering of rhino.
It's like waiting for the faint blip
of an ultrasound for a 2-ton baby.
NARRATOR: The crew moves in to set up for the first shot.
Rhino pick up on movement,
sound...
and also scent.
LOUD ROAR
[WHISPERING] Had one warning snort to me, settled,
but they just... one of them just charged,
I think it was the female.
Um... so we've just had to run up a tree.
Um... bit close.
She heard us and she came right up to us and I...
I foolishly moved so she charged,
and we all kind of disappeared in various directions.
NARRATOR: A sobering first encounter for the crew...
but thanks to the experienced scouts,
they continue their search for Kango unharmed...
exposing them to the full force of the rainy season.
Virtually like playing cat and mouse
with these rhinos in this thick vegetation.
Now that it's raining, we're having to hide in the bush.
THUNDER RUMBLES
NARRATOR: Ten days on,
they finally close in
on their feisty subject once more.
ED: Now that Kango has become the dominant bull,
he can be both extremely aggressive
and extremely placid,
so, therefore, tracking him and working with him
is, uh, pretty risky
because he can go either way depending upon the day.
CHUCKLES
NARRATOR: But as Nathan finally gets ready to film...
Kango gets a whiff of them,
and this time chooses to turn tail.
Camera-shy,
he continues to run rings around the team.
I think that is the definition of being Kangoed.
NATHAN: I'm not in love with that rhino anymore.
He's been up and all over the place today.
Kind of like an uneventful walk around the park.
He's hiding in there, laughing at us.
NARRATOR: With time fast running out,
the team resorts to a more hands-off
approach to filming.
DRONE BUZZING
NARRATOR: The drone camera captures
a unique perspective of Kango,
who appears oblivious to its presence,
helping the team keep an eye on him.
But Kango can travel nearly 20 miles a day,
making it impossible for Nathan to keep up.
A week later, the plane reports
a more hopeful development.
NATHAN: Well, he's not far away, I've got a signal already.
There he is.
One, see his head?
Then the other one pointing the other way, that's two.
I think Kango is on a date.
And that's why they haven't moved far,
they've been dating.
NARRATOR: In the hope that Kango is now settled,
the team move in for one last attempt...
to be rewarded with a rarely filmed
and surprisingly gentle
courtship scene.
HIGH-PITCHED CALL
[WHISPERING] That was amazing,
I mean, we got really close,
sort of about 40 feet away,
um, just the two of them lying down,
it's quite hard to see, but, I mean, first sighting,
and you're just standing next to wild black rhino.
NARRATOR: Kango's future looks secure
thanks to the tireless efforts
of the North Luangwa Conservation Program.
But the long term salvation
for all of Luangwa's precious wildlife
rests with the people
whose land they must continue to share.
We protect
but we work very closely with the communities
to ensure that they have a true sense of ownership
to be able to manage
their own natural heritage
to protect this landscape
in the future and for future generations.