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00:00The power of the Sun drives the seasons, transforming our planet.
00:12Vast movements of ocean and air currents bring dramatic change throughout the year.
00:22And in a few special places, these seasonal changes
00:26create some of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth.
00:33One of the most remarkable transformations occurs here in Southern Africa,
00:38in the desert lands of the Kalahari.
00:42Large herds of animals trek for months in search of food and water,
00:47waiting for an event that will dramatically change their lives.
00:52For once a year, life-giving water turns an area of unforgiving desert
00:59into a vast watery paradise known as the Okavango.
01:04Where and when the Okavango will flood determines the fate of millions of animals,
01:11making this one of nature's truly great events.
01:14one of nature's truly great events.
01:18Where and when the Okavango will flood determines the fate of millions of animals,
01:24making this one of nature's truly great events.
01:28the génial lands.
01:35In the heart of southern Africa, the desert lands of the Kalahari
01:58cover an area of almost 400,000 square miles.
02:03It's one of the driest places on Earth, yet miraculously, great herds of grazing animals survive here.
02:16They lead a nomadic existence, trekking huge distances in search of food and water.
02:33It's the start of the dry season.
02:36It won't rain for eight months, and so life, already hard, is about to get even harder.
02:43Of all the animals here, perhaps the most resourceful are the elephants.
03:00Each family is led by an older female, the matriarch, and they all rely on her experience to guide them through the desert.
03:12Her years here have taught this matriarch that one day, hundreds of miles through the west, she will find a lush grassland.
03:29But before she will find it, her family will have to survive many months in the desert.
03:36The water that could transform their lives has its origins a thousand miles away in the rain clouds over the highlands of Angola.
03:49The rain is so plentiful, it has the power to transform a desert.
04:12It cascades southwards, not to the sea, but into the heart of the Kalahai,
04:18towards a basin shaped like a hand known as the Okavango.
04:29Here, it will fill the swamp that lies at its entrance.
04:33And only if the rains have been plentiful will water flood out onto the arid plains beyond,
04:40transforming them into the grassland paradise that the herds so badly need.
04:53Out in the desert, the elephants need to find water every three days.
05:00Thirsty elephants often race into pools,
05:03but the matriarch knows that her family must not rush in.
05:07This pool is stagnant, and the elephants have a trick that deals with that.
05:24Sediment settles to the bottom, and the cleaner, fresher water lies on the surface.
05:30They skim it carefully from the top.
05:35Then, as gently as elephants can, they move forward slowly,
05:39trying not to disturb the stagnant layers.
05:45Then, as gently as elephants can, they move forward slowly,
05:50trying not to disturb the stagnant layers.
05:52They move forward slowly, trying not to disturb the stagnant layers.
06:15But precious water like this draws in herds from far and wide.
06:22In the exuberance of a greeting, all their careful work is undone.
06:42When bulls are forced together by the need for water, tempers can flare.
06:52I'm so scared that I won't go to bed.
06:56There are a few days left.
06:58Some people can get into bed.
07:00Yep, I'm so scared that I've got some lights.
07:03I'm so scared that I have a last day.
07:06I'm so scared that I don't understand.
07:08I'm scared.
07:10There were no ensure, but this is a grave.
07:13I'm so scared that I'm going to sleep with myself again.
07:17At this time of year, food and water can often be far apart.
07:31And so, now that the little ones are refreshed,
07:34the family has to head off to find food.
07:47The distant Dock of Angle Plains that they're heading for are still dry
07:53and getting even drier.
08:02Trapped catfish struggle in a shrinking pool.
08:17And the burning sun is not their only enemy.
08:30An opportunity like this attracts eagles from many miles away.
08:38Usually, they dive and snatch fish from the surface of the water,
08:43but in this drought, they won't have to work so hard.
08:47They don't have to work so hard.
08:52These are prized catches.
09:04Marabu stalks and jackals muscle in on the leftovers.
09:13But even with this bounty of fish,
09:15it's in an eagle's nature to steal a meal rather than catch its own.
09:20And,
09:24And all this squabbling gives the marabou a chance.
09:54Got it.
10:04Only the return of the flood can save these fish now.
10:12All around these pools, the grass on the Okavango Plains continues to wither and die.
10:24But there's still some nourishment left in the leaves, and millions of tiny mouths make the most of what remains.
10:38Termites chop the dead grass and drag it underground to feed their colony.
10:47They play a crucial role, helping to return nutrients to these poor soils.
10:53But now, taking the last precious grass, they leave dust and sand in its place.
11:00With the grazing animals dispersed far and wide, it's leaner times for predators here.
11:15Only a desperate leopard would tackle a porcupine.
11:30This youngster is about to meet double trouble.
11:37The only place to get a bite is on their undersides.
11:44The only place to get a bite is on their undersides.
11:49But the porcupines work together to watch each other's backs.
11:54The leopard will have to flip one over.
12:15Pin-sharp quills can easily snap off and become embedded in flesh.
12:20It's a highly effective defense that can also be turned into attack.
12:41It's a harsh lesson, but with luck and a bit of healing time, there'll be no lasting damage.
13:11Two hundred miles away, the pulse of life-giving water has now reached the swampland
13:17at the entrance to the Okavango.
13:21Here, thick beds of papyrus act like a sponge, slowing the water's progress.
13:28The swamp can take months to fill, and only then, if there is enough water,
13:33can it overflow and rejuvenate the plains on which the herds depend.
13:41Far to the east, the matriarch elephants have led their families to desert woodlands.
13:56It seems an odd place to come.
13:59There's no sign of food, and there's little shade for the calves.
14:04But elephants can do something unusual.
14:15They can eat and digest seemingly lifeless branches.
14:19The youngsters need to learn that dry sticks are nutritious,
14:37and that there is moisture in the bark.
14:40In the bark.
14:45But bark won't feed the youngest calves.
14:48They need to drink 15 liters of milk a day.
14:52So their mothers desperately need water, as well as food.
15:00Exhaustion has got the better of one young female.
15:03But she won't get the chance to rest for long.
15:13The next water hole could be 30 miles away,
15:16and the whole herd needs to get moving.
15:18Back on the Okavango plains,
15:35the last remnants of grass are going up in smoke.
15:38It's bad news for the few grazers that remain.
16:03The few birds collect the escaping insects.
16:06But flowers don't help those who need to eat grass here and now.
16:31The Okavango plains are at their most desolate.
16:34Yet out in the desert,
16:37the elephant herds are heading towards them.
16:48The matriarchs guide their families along the maze of trails to the next water hole.
16:53And this time, there's no hanging about.
17:02And this time, there's no hanging about.
17:05It soon turns into a mud bath.
17:08But elephants have a use for the mud, too.
17:09For mud acts both as a sunscreen and an insect repellent.
17:12But elephants have a use for the mud, too.
17:14For mud acts both as a sunscreen and an insect repellent.
17:18It's also an insect repellent.
17:20And it's still a mud bath.
17:21But elephants have a use for the mud, too.
17:22But elephants have a use for the mud, too.
17:23It's still a mud bath.
17:24But elephants have a use for the mud, too.
17:29But elephants have a use for the mud, too.
17:33For mud acts both as a sunscreen and an insect repellent.
17:51Buffalo have learned to follow the elephant trails to water.
17:58There is a clear pecking order here.
18:05Elephants take priority.
18:09And zebra are the last in the line.
18:12Even when young bulls have drunk their fill, they still torment the buffalo.
18:30And they definitely know which end to aim for.
18:49By the time the herds face their final trek across open desert,
18:52the swamp has filled.
18:59The channels which lead out onto the parched plains
19:02get their first welcome trickle of water.
19:05Amazingly, when the plains are at their driest,
19:18fresh water from a distant land spills into the parched river beds.
19:23First, it fills the dry channels,
19:29leaving the baked plains on either side hard and dry.
19:33All along the route, it finds empty pools to fill.
19:56And now, these pools become magnets for birds,
20:03which flock here from the surrounding desert lands.
20:12Red-billed quillia can now collect those grass seeds
20:15that the termites have missed.
20:38For most of the year, the quillia are nomadic.
20:41And it's this freedom to follow the water
20:44that helps make quillia one of the most numerous birds on Earth.
21:07As the water fills the Okavango,
21:09animals that have survived in shrinking water holes begin to move in.
21:16Female hippos gather in the best territories.
21:20And this male is prepared to fight for one.
21:23Only a dominant bull will mate with the females,
21:35and the current chieftain isn't prepared to give way.
21:39The intimidation begins.
21:48When neither backs down, there can only be one outcome.
21:52When neither backs down, there can only be one outcome.
22:04Fights can go on for hours, and can be to the death.
22:19Fights can go on for hours, and can be to the death.
22:30Forward-pointing tusks can stab right through protected blubber.
22:35I will make her wish.
22:36The enemy is going to pick over my goals.
22:37The enemy has stopped.
22:38The enemy is going to move on for us.
22:40I know the enemy is going to take over my goals.
22:41No, no, no.
22:42I know.
22:43I know this is a Xian.
22:44This is the best of the game.
23:14A bite to the head brings the contest to an end.
23:29The incumbent has re-established his right to mate with the females,
23:35and he wastes no time.
23:37This is a prime territory, and he will face many more challenges
23:47if he is to continue to hold it.
23:57The loser is badly injured.
24:03Hippos can die from infected wounds,
24:05but this young male is fit and should survive.
24:14Oxpeckers are a mixed blessing.
24:17They keep his wounds clean, but they also keep them open.
24:21Fresh water continues to pump through the Okavango Plains,
24:38bringing life wherever it flows.
24:42But out in the Kalahari, water is now almost impossible to find.
24:46A matriarch has led her family many miles only to find the waterhole empty.
25:04This year, the drought is gripping hard.
25:06Each matriarch encourages her family onward.
25:17The calves' lives depend on her.
25:26And with pools so scarce now, even when she finds water,
25:30they won't be drinking alone.
25:42At this time of year, some lion prides base themselves around waterholes.
25:49And they're always on the lookout for a meal.
25:51But the elephant's desperate need to drink outweighs the risk.
26:12The mothers are producing less milk, and the calves are weak.
26:16The adults try to shield them from watchful eyes.
26:22The adults try to shield them from watchful eyes.
26:29It's an uneasy standoff.
26:37In daylight, the elephants should have nothing to fear.
26:46The lions creep as close as they dare, as they, too, try to drink.
27:07One mistake from an elephant, and the lions could attack.
27:11One mistake from an elephant, and the lions could attack.
27:14Big cats keep tired elephants on their toes.
27:26While the desert experiences the peak of the drought,
27:29the meandering network of channels in the Okavango is finally brim-full.
27:36They're ready to overflow.
27:41Fish gather, ready to ride the flood as a miracle begins to materialize.
27:53And the barrier of desert's hand seems to dissolve in the magical water.
27:58Under cloudless Kalahari skies, fresh, sweet water at last begins to bathe the parched plains.
28:11Under cloudless Kalahari skies, fresh, sweet water at last begins to bathe the parched plains.
28:28The land is the Luis inha Kunst.
28:28The LinkES 92th Smoot gel, Wow.
28:30I'm on a bomb, let's get on a street with two different pistads.
28:31The問題 on Jupiter St Parts.
28:32These hands picks you up.
28:33What about humans, many diagrams of the Star Wars Smoot
28:34still holding up to the merit of new enemies.
28:38Which make us so good.
28:39The black man requires you to
28:40To destroy the constellation of miners' land,
28:42weայango and프 together coming.
28:52The baik is our Valentipation Inspites.
28:54Weak him.
28:54Millions upon millions of litres surge over the banks.
29:06This is what the fish have been waiting for.
29:13New life returns.
29:24And as the water soaks deep into the sand, it stirs dormant animals into life.
29:54Others are more forcibly evicted.
30:01It's all fresh food, a banquet ready for the feasting.
30:17Waterbirds follow the advancing front, making the most of the sudden harvest.
30:24The plains soon teem with life.
30:35But not all are here to feed.
30:38Some have come to breed.
30:42No one knows where they've come from.
30:45But within moments of the flood's arrival,
30:47tens of thousands of dragonflies appear at the water's edge.
30:50Tens of thousands of dragonflies appear at the water's edge.
30:53Tens of thousands of dragonflies appear at the water's edge.
30:56Tens of thousands of dragonflies!
31:02The vivid red male leads his partner in a forested way.
31:06Tens of thousands of dragonflies appear at the water's edge.
31:23The vivid red male leads his partner in a magical dance,
31:28guiding her to lay their eggs in the shallows.
31:36Satsang with Mooji
32:06The flood spills ever onwards until it finally reaches the outer fringes of the Okavango.
32:18The catfish miraculously still cling to life.
32:27Within moments, the life-giving power of fresh water revitalizes them.
32:41Within moments, the life-giving power of fresh water revitalizes them.
32:55Satsang with Mooji
33:06And now, on the plains that appeared so lifeless, some of the most beautiful and colorful changes occur.
33:18Within days, fields of lilies burst into life.
33:30Within days, fields of lilies burst into life.
33:42They provide pollen for the early bees and a hiding place for reed frogs.
33:58And it's only now that the most crucial gift of the flood, the grass that the desert herds need so badly, begins to grow.
34:20These are the best, the plants that are suitable for the forest.
34:34By the way to love to go to work.
34:37The wildest good in the world, the best to be born from the forest.
34:40The wildest good in the forest.
34:41It's only 75 times in the forest.
34:43Why is it we been here to live?
34:44This is the best for the upright and the forest.
34:45Hippos bulldoze their way towards the sprouting grasslands, their paths opening up new arteries
34:54that help keep the water flowing.
35:04In just a few weeks, thousands of square miles of dry desert plains are turned into a watery
35:12green grassland.
35:18The network of hippopaths benefits all kinds of other animals, from predatory crocodiles
35:24to the grazing herds.
35:42This fresh grass is what the elephants, and indeed all the grazing animals, have been
35:50waiting for.
35:52Their pace quickens.
35:58For months, they have only known the dry smell of the desert, and now they can catch the
36:10scent of fresh grass in the wind.
36:18And Lechwe are the first to take advantage of the young shoots.
36:33This is the first to take advantage of the
36:54garden.
36:54The lions are no threat here.
36:59They're not very fast in water,
37:01and their prey seem to know it.
37:07The lions are no threat here.
37:10They're not very fast in water,
37:12and their prey seem to know it.
37:14Letchwig revel in the safety the flood brings.
37:18The lions are no threat.
37:20They're not very fast in water,
37:22and their prey seem to know it.
37:26Letchwig revel in the safety the flood brings.
37:44Soon, they will be joined by the herds
38:12of elephant and buffalo.
38:14And the lions seem to know they're not far away.
38:28Baboons don't enjoy getting their feet wet,
38:33but the banquet of flowers and juicy snails is just irresistible.
38:44But they are at the most vulnerable here from lurking crocodiles,
39:00so they keep an ever-watchful eye.
39:05Babies just cling on tight and hope the water doesn't get too deep.
39:10Babies just cling on tight and hope the water doesn't get too deep.
39:14At their feet, the flooded plains are now a vast fish nursery,
39:19teeming with life.
39:21But they, too, will have to be wary.
39:25But they, too, will have to be wary.
39:26But they, too, will have to be wary.
39:29For the Okavango now puts on one of the finest bird shows
39:46to be seen anywhere in the world.
39:49The rising waters create thousands of tiny islands.
40:03Safe from predators, surrounded by fish,
40:20these are the perfect place to raise chicks.
40:23This is the miracle of the Okavango.
40:39Once a year, it provides a magical time of plenty
40:43at the height of the dry season, in the middle of a desert.
40:53Only now, with the grasslands at their most productive,
41:01do the great herds arrive.
41:04And they've timed it to perfection.
41:09The herds grow larger as elephant families and buffalo
41:14converge from all over the desert.
41:16But as they all get closer to the flooded grassland,
41:26there is one final challenge to face.
41:46Lions have chosen this thick cover to lay their ambushes.
41:58Their favorite prey is the buffalo.
42:06Adult buffalo are powerful and can easily trample lions.
42:11So the lionesses seek out weaker calves that fall behind the herd.
42:27A nervous buffalo mother spots their approach,
42:32and the herd stampedes.
42:36One lioness takes a gamble, moving in on a well-protected calf.
42:41The buffalo close ranks,
42:46and suddenly, the lionesses beat a hasty retreat.
43:06In the panic, calves are separated from their mothers.
43:11Amid the confusion, a lioness darts in and grabs one.
43:23Many buffalo will fall to lions here.
43:34Lions are opportunists,
43:36and even an unguarded elephant calf can be vulnerable.
43:53The elephants are nervous.
43:55The scent of lion is all around, yet they can't see them.
44:06The lioness is following them,
44:09trying to separate the young straggler from the herd.
44:11One adolescent fights back, confronting its enemy.
44:19One adolescent fights back, confronting its enemy.
44:19In the panic of the family's stampedes, the straggler is taken.
44:49After months of arduous trekking, this elephant family has lost one of its young ones.
45:02But most of the elephants, at last, have made it through, and the great flood awaits.
45:19Older elephants have been here many times before, but the newest calves have never seen so much refreshment.
45:27At last, they get that first drink of sweet, fresh water.
45:37At last, they get that first drink of sweet, fresh water.
45:46At last, they get that first drink of sweet, fresh water.
46:16Thousands of buffalo and zebra have also made it to the magical Okavango wetlands.
46:33Somehow, these remarkable elephants have learned how to find a flood from hundreds of miles away,
46:52and to time their arrival just right.
47:00If it wasn't for this annual gift of precious grass,
47:04the herds couldn't survive the dry season in the surrounding Kanahari.
47:09This year, the great flood has lived up to its name.
47:39The lives of these elephants are dominated by this annual rhythm of wet and dry,
47:46a seasonal cycle driven by the power of the sun.
47:51The Okavango River has no great lake to flow into, nor does it ever reach the sea.
48:08Its life-giving waters simply evaporate into the great emptiness of the Kalahari sky.
48:15In a few months, sun may fall as rain far to the north,
48:24and once again become part of this miraculous event in the Okavango
48:29that is the great flood.
48:45More incredible scenes from nature slightly closer to home tomorrow with Spring Watch,
49:01back here on BBC HD from 8.
49:03Next tonight, stay with us for Stuart Lee's Comedy Vehicle.
49:07We'll see you next time.
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