In Africa's oldest game reserve,
One of its most threatty.ened species finds safe
During a long drought they have suffered under the beating sun.
But late autumn rains bring relief
to rolling hills and broad savannas.
As the landscape is refreshed,
Life is rejuvenated in all its forms.
This is Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park -
Last stronghold of the rhino.
It's late autumn in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park,
Until recently, drought gripped the land,
but unseasonably late rains have finally brought relief.
Muddy wallows and waterholes pepper the landscape.
At one such wallow, a white rhino mother
has been indulging in a cooling bath with her calf.
Now she scrapes the mud off her remarkable horn.
It's made up entirely of keratin -
the same material that makes up human fingernails -
and it could grow up to a meter and a half long.
A misguided belief that it has remarkable medicinal properties
means that she is at risk of being killed for it.
In South Africa alone
poachers have killed more than 1,000 rhinos each year
since 2013.
But the park has an elite unit
of highly trained anti-poaching personnel
ready to fight for her survival.
Helicopters routinely rumble overhead,
patrolling the park to keep an eye on its inhabitants...
And warn off any potential poachers.
The recent battle against poaching
is just the latest development
in this park's rich and successful history
of rhino conservation.
When it was first established,
the park saved the white rhino from the brink of extinction.
For early European settlers,
rhinos became one of the most sought after trophies to hunt
in Africa.
By the late eighteen hundreds,
fewer than 100 southern white rhinos remained in the wild.
In 1895 they were handed a lifeline
in the form of the Hluhluwe and uMfolozi reserves -
the first areas in Africa
officially protected under colonial rule.
Lying in the heart of Zululand in the east of South Africa,
the two parks are now merged as one reserve
of 900 square kilometers.
The park takes its name
form three major rivers flowing through it,
the Hluhluwe in the north
and the black uMfolozi and white uMfolozi in the south.
Covering the traditional hunting ground
of the great Zulu King, Shaka,
this wildlife haven
boasts a fantastic array of habitats and animals.
eys. To the north, great hills rise above deep vall
To the south, broad riverbeds carve through the land.
Between these stretch undulating open savannahs.
In this varied and beautiful park,
white rhinos found sanctuary,
and their numbers grew.
Alongside them, a great variety of life calls this park home,
from Africa's most iconic creatures -
To the tiny, toiling away unseen.
This is the latest chapter
of the story of life in Africa's oldest park.
In the warming morning sun, the birds are the first to stir.
While they have a peaceful start to the day,
ier. others are bus
Autumn is breeding season for Impala -
and competition is the order of the day.
These bachelors are too young
to challenge mature rams for territories and mates,
and they spend the rut as a small separate herd.
Like all young males,
they're eager to flex their growing muscles
er.and measure their strength against each oth
The defeated ram flees,
and the victor takes seniority in the herd.
As the remaining two rams square up,
their roughhousing is cut short.
It's the dominant ram,
and he's had enough of their child's play.
For him, there's a lot more at stake this breeding season
than for the youngsters.
He controls a territory and a herd of potential mates.
But keeping everything in order is no easy task.
The females are playing hard to get,
and he has to repeatedly herd them back onto his turf.
Another male approaches,
and the ram quickly sends him running.
He won't tolerate competitors
and he shows his anger with roaring snorts.
As if keeping control isn't enough,
a group of yearlings seems intent on provoking him.
Like a gang of excitable teenagers,
they add to the commotion.
To the male, this is serious business.
He simepends up to a quarter of his t
obsessively guarding his territory and females.
But eventually he gets a chance to enjoy a bit of breakfast.
The Impala ram may work hard to control what's his,
but he's a far cry from being lord of this land.
That title belongs to an old lion
that's on the move through his kingdom.
His roars reverberate through the valleys,
alerting his pride to his whereabouts.
His wounded face
tells the tale of a recent battle for dominance.
The old male is in a coalition
with three younger lions who are brothers.
Together they control these hills,
and the pride of females living here.
Unlike the Impala
which are spurred into action by the rains,
lions have no set breeding season.
This female is in heat.
She solicits the attention of one of young males.
But the pair is rudely interrupted.
The brothers and the older male work together,
and they all share mating rights.
For a couple of days
the female will mate more than twice an hour,
and the first male will likely get another turn.
If all goes well,
she will give birth to the next generation of lions
in about three and a half months.
While some of the park's animals are preoccupied with mating,
others look to take advantage of the renewed abundance of water.
In the valley, a herd of Burchell's zebra
is heading for a morning drink.
Until recently, the drought forced the herd
toward a handful of water sources,
making their movements predictable to predators.
The rains have filled many dry pans,
meaning more choice and less chance of running into lions.
Nevertheless, mothers are constantly alert,
scanning their surroundings with eyes and ears.
The mares and youngsters lead the way...
while the stallion brings up the rear.
There's time to enjoy a good scratch along the way.
The foal's fluffy coat
protects it against the chill of the late autumn morning.
But under the hot African sun, things don't stay cool for long.
As the day heats up,
a herd of African buffalo
heads toward another of the park's newly formed muddy pans.
They're in no rush and feed as they go.
A wide row of incisors
helps crop even the toughest of grasses,
but for now
they enjoy the sweet tender growth after the recent rains.
For the buffalos, pests and parasites are part of life.
Ticks feed on their blood,
gathering in their ears
and around their eyes.
The buffalos get some help from ox-peckers
that eat the parasites.
But, like all good medicine,
they're not always happily received.
Luckily the buffalos have another remedy
for the pest problem.
Mud.
The filthier they get, the better,
especially in those hard to reach places.
The mud forms layers around the pests,
making it easier for the buffalos to scratch them away.
It's a cure-all.
Even in winter, temperatures can reach the high twenties Celsius.
The wet earth cools the skin, and works as a sunscreen.
While most of the herd wallows,
some males take the chance to test their strength
and establish ranks.
Only high-ranking bulls will get the chance to mate.
This female is coming into heat.
A senior bull sticks by her side
to guard her from the interests of other males.
She's not quite ready to mate.
If he hopes to sire more offspring,
he'll have to stay by her side until she's receptive.
But he has other concerns.
Two foreign bulls have arrived,
and they're impressive specimens.
One makes the most of a wallow he has all to himself.
He's altogether too comfortable for the liking of the old bull,
who has enough competition in the herd as it is.
He moves over with plodding intent,
but is in no rush to fight.
Instead, he throws down the gauntlet buffalo style -
by assaulting a thorn bush.
Unwilling to take up the challenge,
the strangers move slowly off.
His dominance secured,
the old bull rejoins his herd
as they move off to continue their day.
For the park's most famous species,
herd dynamics are far less complicated.
This bull spends much of his life alone.
With his huge horn, and impressive bulk,
he's a force to be reckoned with,
and he's the only male allowed to mate with females
in his territory.
But even the mightiest of rhinos isn't impervious to pe
Or sunburn -
a mud bath will soon be in order.
Close by, a mother and calf
are already on the move toward the nearest wallow.
The cow's investment in her calf began with a 15-month gestation,
and will continue for at least a year of suckling.
With a well-armed
one and a half-ton mother watching over her,
the calf strides through the bush at ease.
When they find the mud they're looking for,
they waste no time getting dirty.
In a year or two,
when the mother gives birth to her next calf,
she may reject this youngster.
But some stay with their mothers long after the birth
of younger siblings.
Further south
a remarkable family of rhinos grazes on the hillside.
The mother and her youngest live with the calf's elder siblings.
They're a special pair.
Almost all rhinos give birth to only one offspring,
but these two are twins -
a male and a female.
They live together happily for now,
but soon enough
the twins will leave to forge lives of their own.
With her horn just beginning to develop,
the youngest has more time left with her protective mother.
The rains have provided plenty of new growth for the family.
It takes a lot of food to fuel these big animals,
and what comes in, must go out.
Territorial males
frequent specific points in their territory
to leave their dung in large heaps known as middens.
In this midden some of the park's smallest creatures
are taking advantage of an opportunity.
A colony of ants
is out to collect food to last them the winter.
They've found giant grubs in the dung.
They slowly pull the prey apart
to be carried away to underground nests.
They aren't the only insects
preparing for the cold months ahead.
A colony of harvester termites is hard at work too.
They carry and drag blades of grass into their nest.
Their work rate is relentless.
The most industrious climb the grass stalks,
and cut through sections with their strong mandibles.
Pieces that fall are quickly collected and carried home.
Working like this,
harvester termites can remove more than a ton of forage
per hectare of land.
The grass will be moved
to storage chambers deep below ground,
to feed the colony for the rest of winter.
While the harvester termites carry grass down,
their neighbors are busy building up.
These fungus-harvesting termites are constructing a metropolis.
As the cold season sets in,
they add an above-ground section to their home,
closer to the warmth of the sun.
The rising water level has softened the soil underground,
and the termites carry the building material to the surface
from as deep as ten meters.
It's a monumental team effort.
Exposing themselves is risky.
Ants stream to the surface from their nearby nest,
and they're on a murderous mission,
. picking off the termit
Despite the commotion, the termites toil away,
with no concern for their own safety.
With winter on its way, there's no time to pause,
and reinforcements arrive from below to continue the labor.
With this dedication and hard work,
the colony will add to its home year after year.
Eventually,
after around thirty years of additions and renovations,
it could reach the size of this mega-home.
As evening sets in,
the termites retreat below ground where they will be warm.
They'll renew their work tomorrow.
A new day brings with it more wet weather.
Clouds blow in, shrouding the park in grey.
On the undulating woodland savanna
of the park's southern reaches,
four male white rhinos graze in the breeze.
None of them is big enough
to challenge the area's territorial bull,
and they stick together for company.
Adult rhinos are immune to predation,
but they're still naturally wary creatures.
With poor eyesight, they can see for only around forty meters.
They make up for this with their fantastic sense of smell,
ars And satellite-like e
that move independently to hear the slightest sound.
But wind interferes with sounds, and blows away smells.
Even a group of four mammoth males
is skittish on a day like today.
For the Impala rams,
the chilly weather is something of a blessing.
There's little frantic chasing today as the herd lies low,
taking shelter from the breeze between thick stands of bush.
While they wait out the weather they feed,
eating both grass and leaves.
To help digest their cellulose rich food, Impala chew the cud.
They swallow a mouthful,
regurgitate it and continue to chew.
While the females and youngsters eat,
the ram in charge is typically pre-occupied.
Mating is the only thing on his mind.
He moves methoale.dically from female to fem
But none is interested in his advances.
He even checks the herd's youngsters,
but they will only be ready to conceive
next season when they're a year and a half old.
The wait continues.
In the late afternoon the clouds deliver on their threats.
Rain falls in a deluge across the park,
adding to the waterholes and pans.
While other creatures seek cover,
an African spoonbill enjoys an afternoon meal.
He spends much of his life wading through water,
and is unperturbed by the downfall.
Spoonbills are usually seen in groups of three or more,
and he's cashing in on the unusual chance
ata private feast.
With his broad bill he snaps up anything edible.
The spoonbill will enjoy his banquet
until he takes to the trees to roost for the night.
Another morning reveals the northern foothills
shrouded in mist.
The sun is unimpeded by clouds, promising a hot day to come.
Butterflies revel in its re-emergence.
They will have plenty of nectar to drink today.
But they should be careful
if they want to avoid becoming breakfast themselves.
A Golden orb web spider
has built the perfect trap for insects.
Its large web is anchored between a tree and bushes,
low to the ground.
Golden orb weavers spin remarkably strong webs.
This death trads,p is sturdy eno to catch small bir
although the spider couldn't eat such accidental prey.
She is huge;
her abdomen alone measures almost four centimet
A trail of insect parts hangs ominously.
This morning, it's an unlucky fly that falls into her trap.
It's immediately stuck.
She bides her time
before making her move.
It may not be a big meal, but as long as her web lasts,
there will be plenty more to come.
But with destructive giants around,
a lasting web isn't a sure thing.
A lone elephant bull moves slowly through the thicket.
The rain has painted the park's trees green with new growth,
and he takes full advantage.
He tears off whole branches and munches them down,
thorns and all.
His strong, dexterous trunk
is the perfect tool for stripping branches.
He barely needs to move his huge head.
A fully-grown bull can eat up to 300 kilograms a day.
Elephants have one of the most inclusive diets
of all herbivores,
and almost all plants are on the menu.
And they're not the only
ones with specialized tools for feeding.
At 45 centimeters long, a giraffe's prehensile tongue
is the perfect tool for plucking leaves from trees.
Standing up to 5 and a half meters tall,
giraffes evolved to reach leaves that other animals can't.
Today they're feeding from the tops of bushes.
Apnk,art from when they dri
this is usually as low as they'll stoop.
But there's something in the grass
that's worth bending down for.
It's the bones of another animal,
a valuable calcium supplement
for a creature with a huge skeleton.
The giraffe's tongue
isn't meant for maneuvering the awkward snack.
Eventually
it can grind away some of the bone between its molars.
And before long it's got its fix.
The young giraffe male
will eventually lose the tufts on his horns,
like the old bull in the herd.
He uses his short horns in battles for dominance,
wearing them bald at the tips.
His dark coat is a sure sign of a bull in his prime.
One of the herd's females is in estrus,
and he's not leaving her side.
As the herd moves off,
he follows her doggedly, as he'll do
for as long as it takes for her to accept his advances.
Zebra and giraffes' fur coats
protect them from the sun's harsh rays,
but, like rhinos, elephants have no such protection.
At another of the park's mud wallows,
the young elephant bull arrives for a cooling splash.
His trunk is the perfect tool for all jobs,
including spraying himself with mud.
Another bull soon arrives.
This is a popular cooling off point,
and in time a whole breeding herd arrives.
The mud wallow is a place of pure indulgence and enjoyment.
Especially on a hot afternoon.
But while the giants head for water,
others head for higher ground.
A family of baboons climbs into the highest hilltops.
The air is cooler up here, but that's not the main attraction.
They've come to feast
on the tall grasses that grow in these highlands.
Baboons feed on a wide variety of plant and animal foods,
but grass can make up more than half of their diet.
The new seeds are a treat worthy of the long climb.
They're sticky,
so the fussy baboons move with tails delicately raised
to avoid too much matted hair.
A sentry sits high in the trees,
keeping an eye out for danger so the troop can eat at ease.
They all settle down to enjoy the meal,
which includes side dishes of leaves and bark.
When things get itchy, it helps to have four long limbs.
With opposable thumbs, the baboons can pick and choose
which part of each plant they want to eat.
For a white rhino and her calf, things are different.
They use their wide, flat lips to bite off big mouthfuls,
but not any grass will do -
they rely on short tender growth.
The recent rains
have carpeted Hluhluwe's hills in sweet new grass,
so there's plenty of suitable fodder.
Here, in the place
that saved their very species from extinction,
they can roam the hills together in peace.
For a species under constant threat from poachers
things are looking dire,
with around five perceionnt of the total populat
being killed every year.
But in this park, with its rich conservation history,
there is hope for these gentle giants.
In time the calf will leave his mother's side
to father offspring of his own,
and produce the next generation to roam these hills.
But for now, his mother finally gives in to his begging,
and settles down to let him suckle.
Tomorrow will be another day for the rhinos,
and all the other creatures that live with them,
sharing this remarkable park.