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(uplifting music)

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A brave pack united for survival.

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Meerkats need their families to watch their backs.

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Dangers abound in their desert home.

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For one young female, the challenge is ramped up

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when she finds herself homeless.

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She needs to win the support of another group.

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Only together can the little predators beat the odds.

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(tense music)

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Trouble in the ranks.

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(meerkats snarling)

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This young female is just past her first birthday.

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But she's ready to breed, and for that reason

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the dominant female wants her out.

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Meerkats live in packs that look after their own

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with tenderness and care, but can fight fiercely,

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even to the death when tempers run high.

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Packs are run by an alpha pair,

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and this alpha female doesn't want the competition.

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(sad music)

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The young female has no choice other than to leave her home

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before the attacks become more serious.

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Cast out, she roams the desert.

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(birds calling)

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(hooves pounding)

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Lost without her companions to watch her back,

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the Namib is no walk in the park.

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It's the oldest desert on earth, challenging life

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since the days of the dinosaurs,

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sprawling 2000 kilometers along the western coast

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of southern Africa, its endless horizons are daunting,

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trapping animals in its hostile grip.

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For a lone, pint-sized meerkat,

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it could be a death sentence.

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If the heat and lack of water don't get her,

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then the desert predators might.

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She doesn't have a pack to watch her back.

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It's been a tough day.

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Tired and stressed, she hopes to make it through the night.

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The desert has a night shift,

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creatures that wait for the cooler air to emerge and feed.

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(tongue lapping)

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But the strange sounds and shapes of the night

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are daunting to the little sun-lover.

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Despite its prickly appearance,

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the porcupine's spines are defensive, not offensive.

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It just wants to dig for roots and bulbs in peace.

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(light music)

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The young female's relief seems obvious

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when sun finally tempts her from the crevice.

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Meerkats always start their day by basking in the sun

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but she can't relax, she doesn't know where she is,

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but she knows she needs to find food and water.

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As the temperature climbs, mirages form.

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It looks like there's water everywhere but it's an illusion,

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the hot ground bending rays of light reflecting the sky.

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Actual water is much harder to find.

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Most animals extract water from their food,

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though there isn't much left

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in the dried, sunburned vegetation.

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The young female picks up an alluring smell.

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She can hear birds.

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A gathering flock suggests water.

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(water dripping)

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The starlings are visiting a tiny waterhole.

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The female takes a few life-saving sips.

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But this is not a free bar.

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The landlord spots the intruder.

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(ominous music)

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Unwittingly, the young female has trespassed

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into someone else's real estate.

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The family is instantly on the defensive.

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They have a lot to fight for.

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Their territory contains water, the rarest desert resource.

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The attack is fast and savage.

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(meerkats snarling)

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But then, perhaps feeling they have made

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the message clear, the fighting stops.

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Just to be on the safe side, the alpha male

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goes into a frenzy of territorial scent marking,

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spraying his personalized signal on prominent sign posts

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and rubbing scent glands on his face.

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The female is injured and still on the pack's territory.

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(birds chirping)

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But they ignore her and go back to foraging.

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It's only by working together as a team like this

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that meerkats can defend their homes.

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They need to live in groups, including the young female.

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She needs to integrate into a new family,

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but at the moment, this clan has its hands full.

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The alpha female is heavily pregnant.

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The whole family seems on high alert

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looking out for the mother-to-be.

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She goes to ground, the pack is made up

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of the alpha pair and their offspring and now

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the dozen clan members hang out in the sun

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waiting to meet the new arrivals.

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They ignore the convalescing stranger.

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The desert is a challenging place to live.

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All of the creatures here have unique adaptations

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to cope with one of the most hostile homes on the planet.

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Antelope, like the majestic gemsbok, have low metabolisms

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so they can function with a minimum food and water.

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They can tolerate incredible temperatures.

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Their bodies can reach 45 degrees Celsius,

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enough to kill most mammals.

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A network of blood vessels in their noses

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helps cool the blood before it flows

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to their brains to help prevent heat damage.

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Even the plants here are engineered to beat the heat.

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These living stones are tiny succulents, camouflaged

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from plant eaters by blending in with the gravel.

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Most of the plant lives underground

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where it can escape the heat and avoid losing water.

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The Namib experiences huge temperature changes

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from below freezing at night to over 45 degrees.

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And, water starved, sometimes receives

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as little as two millimeters of rain each year.

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Two weeks have passed.

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(wings flapping)

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The meerkat clan is out foraging on the plains as usual,

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digging, hoping to excavate bugs

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or some other buried treasure.

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One strikes gold, a chunk of meat.

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Perhaps it was dropped by one of the neighborhood's jackals.

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Though they mostly eat little creatures they catch,

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they are opportunists, protein-rich meat is a bonus,

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and something worth defending.

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The young female, recovered from her injuries,

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has been patiently watching from the sidelines

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as the clan prepares for new members,

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and today is the day they've been waiting for.

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Four little ones take their first steps into a bigger world.

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(lighthearted music)

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(meerkats calling)

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From day one they will have the benefits of a big family.

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They have a lot to learn.

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It will take a group effort to protect them

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and teach them all they need to know.

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(whimsical music)

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(meerkats squealing)

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The young female moves in for a closer look.

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But the alpha is quick to put her in her place.

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For the next two months the little ones will have milk

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on tap, and not just from their mother.

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Remarkably, even females that have never had babies

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can produce milk and help suckle the young.

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For meerkats, it's a team effort from start to finish.

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All members take turns at lookout,

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finding a vantage point where they can scan for danger.

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There is safety in numbers and that

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doesn't just go for the meerkats.

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African ground squirrels often hang out nearby.

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They enjoy the company, though like any family,

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have their ups and downs.

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(whimsical music)

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The rowdy neighbors don't throw

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the meerkats from their duties

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and eventually they settle down and forage.

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Out in the sun, the squirrels have an advantage.

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Their tails are built in parasols,

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shading the squirrels while they work.

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The meerkats have no such luxury.

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But it doesn't matter, they have an important job to do.

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The new members of the family need to learn to hunt.

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Meerkats eat most small animals, even spiders,

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though sometimes they bite off more than they can chew.

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It's frustrating when you know

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there is food right under your nose.

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But digging with their long claws,

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they disturb one bug that can bite back, a scorpion.

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Many species of scorpion inhabit the desert.

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All of them, like this angry

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burrowing scorpion have powerful pincers

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and an agile tail sting to inject venom.

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Fearlessly, the alpha male goes on the attack.

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Even venomous animals like scorpions

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and snakes can be on the menu.

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(meerkats scuffling)

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Meerkats can tolerate six times the amount

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of venom it would take to kill a rabbit.

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He jealously guards his prize, chewing off the sting.

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By taking baby steps, the little ones are encouraged

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to cut their teeth on mouth-sized termites.

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(light whimsical music)

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They are easily distracted when there is so much to explore.

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Beetles are fun,

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but a bit big for baby mouths.

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(eagle cry)

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School's out.

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(meerkats calling)

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The alarm call has an instant effect.

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(meerkats calling)

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The adults stand, eyes glued to the eagle

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while the youngsters are ushered to safety.

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The young female huddles at the edge

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of the group until the danger has passed.

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She's still an outsider, but the pack does seem

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to be getting used to her.

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She's learning to know the boundaries.

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One thing's for sure, she knows to keep her distance

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from the alpha pair and their babies.

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Things might have cooled off in the pack,

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but the desert is cranking up the heat.

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(ominous music)

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Mirages form on the horizon.

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Animals seek the tiniest slivers of shade

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where the air can be a few degrees cooler.

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The antelope huddle, vying for the best spots.

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(elephant bellowing)

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But all have to give way when giants arrive.

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Even might desert elephants, the biggest of their kind,

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need to find ways to beat the heat.

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(whimsical music)

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00:19:39,190 --> 00:19:41,430
Elephants are experts at sniffing out

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and digging to underground water.

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But even they are struggling.

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Fortunately they can reach the last of the green leaves.

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Each year the canopy is raised by this browsing.

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Soon only the giraffes will be able to reach it.

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They shake out leaves or pull down branches

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then hoover up what's on the ground.

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Other animals might benefit from their leftovers.

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Out in the plains, shady trees are not an option

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for the meerkat clan, but they have their own tactics.

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Time for the babies to learn another vital survival skill,

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one that is handed down through generations

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of their family, digging.

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(busy music)

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Their network of underground tunnels

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and chambers serve not only as an escape

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from predators, but from the elements.

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The family commune requires constant

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upkeep, repairs and extensions.

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(meerkats calling)

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Their hard work's interrupted.

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Sand grouse seem to appear from thin air.

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The delicate birds live and nest in the hottest,

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most remote parts of the desert.

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But when they have young, they must fly in search of water.

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The meerkats' drinking spot has brought them in.

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The birds will quench their thirst,

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but also soak their breast feathers

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which will act like a sponge, taking on water

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that they can ship back to their nests.

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All the activity attracts some unwanted attention,

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(ominous music)

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but the birds are fast.

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Still, the flocks have brought the jackal

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into the heart of the meerkats' territory.

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It picks up their scent.

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The wily predator will eat any small creature it can catch.

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A meerkat would be ideal.

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It drops to creep in.

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A sentinel spots the movement.

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The troop stand united.

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The predator has lost any element of surprise.

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Without an ambush, it has no chance of running down

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the speedy meerkats, and so it retreats.

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The family can get back to their babysitting.

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(calm music)

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It turns out the jackal also has a family to take care of.

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But today, her pups will go hungry.

264
00:23:43,406 --> 00:23:46,573
(jackal pups whining)

265
00:24:01,285 --> 00:24:04,118
(uplifting music)

266
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,573
Neighbors are once again disturbing the meerkats' peace.

267
00:24:15,790 --> 00:24:18,383
The prancing spring buck are getting ready to mate.

268
00:24:20,610 --> 00:24:21,960
The start of their breading season

269
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:23,713
means that change is in the air.

270
00:24:25,500 --> 00:24:28,560
The summer has been long and hard.

271
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:30,683
It's taken its toll on the pack.

272
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,747
Under the desert sun, their unending family chores

273
00:24:35,747 --> 00:24:37,503
have left them exhausted.

274
00:24:38,580 --> 00:24:41,130
They want to rest, but it can be dangerous

275
00:24:41,130 --> 00:24:42,763
for any to drop their guard,

276
00:24:47,210 --> 00:24:49,410
especially when the family is being watched.

277
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:53,063
The jackal is back.

278
00:24:55,330 --> 00:24:57,090
With young of her own to feed,

279
00:24:57,090 --> 00:24:58,900
it's vital for her to make a kill.

280
00:24:58,900 --> 00:25:01,567
(ominous music)

281
00:25:05,025 --> 00:25:07,470
(meerkat calls)

282
00:25:07,470 --> 00:25:10,493
With patient stealth, she creeps closer.

283
00:25:21,870 --> 00:25:24,533
The young female is the first to notice.

284
00:25:26,010 --> 00:25:28,223
Instinct kicks in to sound the alarm.

285
00:25:31,450 --> 00:25:34,173
In the blink of an eye, the pack runs for cover.

286
00:25:44,950 --> 00:25:46,940
The jackal, right on their tail,

287
00:25:46,940 --> 00:25:48,833
attempts to breach their security,

288
00:25:51,690 --> 00:25:54,310
but their well-maintained network of tunnels

289
00:25:54,310 --> 00:25:56,143
provides plenty of escape routes.

290
00:26:00,050 --> 00:26:02,520
Once again, the wild dog must abandon

291
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,163
her hunt and go home empty-handed.

292
00:26:17,790 --> 00:26:20,210
When the clan emerges from their safe house,

293
00:26:20,210 --> 00:26:21,210
things have changed.

294
00:26:26,220 --> 00:26:29,730
The little ones are climbing over a new aunt,

295
00:26:29,730 --> 00:26:31,763
the newcomer who saved their life.

296
00:26:35,340 --> 00:26:37,520
It seems she has finally won the trust

297
00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:39,473
of the pack and been welcomed in.

298
00:26:40,462 --> 00:26:43,295
(inspiring music)

299
00:26:54,670 --> 00:26:57,030
It's been a long, tough season for the meerkats

300
00:26:57,030 --> 00:26:59,480
and their desert neighbors, but finally,

301
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,003
building clouds offer some relief.

302
00:27:03,549 --> 00:27:06,049
(moody music)

303
00:27:06,916 --> 00:27:09,824
(wind blowing)

304
00:27:09,824 --> 00:27:12,741
(thunder rumbling)

305
00:27:18,918 --> 00:27:21,501
(rain falling)

306
00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,791
In just a matter of days, the desert is transformed.

307
00:28:04,791 --> 00:28:07,624
(uplifting music)

308
00:28:14,025 --> 00:28:17,340
(birds chirping)

309
00:28:17,340 --> 00:28:20,283
Barren dirt is carpeted with spring blooms.

310
00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:36,073
A feast for the grazers, a time of plenty for everyone.

311
00:29:03,070 --> 00:29:05,550
Thanks to their commitment to each other,

312
00:29:05,550 --> 00:29:09,773
their family, their pack, the meerkats have beaten the odds.

313
00:29:10,820 --> 00:29:13,010
The good times won't last forever,

314
00:29:13,010 --> 00:29:16,400
but standing strong and watching each other's backs,

315
00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:20,640
they are poised and ready to face challenges head on.

316
00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:24,530
And thanks to her perseverance and her keen eyes,

317
00:29:24,530 --> 00:29:28,453
the newest member of the family is ready to play her part.

318
00:29:29,355 --> 00:29:31,938
(upbeat music)

319
00:29:33,825 --> 00:29:36,825
( meerkats calling)