All language subtitles for Guardians.of.the.Wild.S02E03.The.Mating.Game.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.en

NARRATOR: Kasanka National
Park in Zambia

is a jewel in Africa’s crown.

It’s home to a very special
species of baboon,

newly discovered and
little known.

Meet Madonna.

She’s a Kinda baboon,

and the first female
of her kind

ever to be studied
from birth.

Madonna may just hold
the key

to understanding the Kindas’
intimate friendships.

The male-female relationships
are stronger than

the female-female
relationships,

which is absolutely
something

I did not think
I would discover.

NARRATOR: Behind these
unusual alliances

lies a mating game
like no other.

It’s a world of intimacy,

love triangles,
and dangerous liaisons.

Where the choices
Madonna makes

may reveal the mysteries
of these unique primates.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

NARRATOR: Madonna is
five and a half years old.

She’s high-ranking

and headstrong,
but she has yet to reproduce.

The quest for her first mate
is allowing scientists

to observe the fascinating
relationships

that develop between
Kinda females and males.

Those relationships
hold the secrets

of their unique
mating strategy.

Through the summer,

Madonna came into season for
the first time in her life,

and was trying to attract
the attention

of the males in the troop.

MARLEY: She’s showing him
the swelling.

It’s a signal. She’s trying
to attract him.

NARRATOR: Following displays
of her sexual swelling,

it seemed that
Madonna had settled on

the second highest-ranking,

or beta male, Simon.

But now, as she approaches
the peak of her fertility,

she’s opening up
the competition.

Primatologist Anna Weyher,

her second-in-command,
Rachel Sassoon,

and Zambian scouts
Marley and Kennedy,

are the pioneers
in this Kinda research.

(SCREECHING)

Baboons have a
reputation for violence,

aggression
and bad tempers.

But no one told this lot.

(BABOONS CHATTERING)

Up until a few years ago,

these Kinda baboons
were believed to be

a sub-species
of yellow baboons.

But following genetic testing,
it’s been discovered

that they’re a completely
different species.

And it’s not just their DNA
that sets them apart.

They demonstrate
unique behavior,

social organization
and mating strategies.

For the last six years,
the team has been detailing

the most intimate moments
of these monkeys.

It seems now after studying
them, that it’s crazy

that they could have ever
thought to be yellow baboons.

They just have a different
way of doing things

that works for them,

that still continues
to grow the group,

that keeps everyone
in their place,

allows them to feed, travel,

reproduce,
all of those things,

but in a different way.

NARRATOR: Anna is hoping

that further observations
of Madonna and the troop

will disclose more
about the Kindas’

unusual mating strategy.

The team will follow them

from the dry heat
of the winter

into the stormy spring
of the wet season.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

Kasanka lies just 18 miles
from the rich tropical forest

of the Democratic Republic
of Congo.

It’s home to a
variety of swamps,

forests and grassland plains,

which are transformed

by rain into
a verdant paradise.

Kasanka is the destination

for one of the largest
migrations on Earth.

Ten million straw-colored
fruit bats come here to feast

on the abundance
of forest fruit.

But for Madonna and the troop
of Kinda baboons,

it’s not just the environment
that’s changed.

Two weeks ago,

two new adult males arrived
from a neighboring troop,

and Madonna, who’s still
to settle on a mate,

appears to be interested
in the new males.

The team has christened
the males Alfie and Leonard.

Alfie is much more shy
than Leonard.

Leonard is more integrated
into the troop.

NARRATOR: While Alfie
remains on the fringe,

Leonard displays confidence

and is showing interest
in some of the females.

Madonna has recently
reached adulthood,

and is ready
to have her first infant.

But whom will she choose
to be the father?

Will it be caring Simon,
the beta male?

Newly-arrived Leonard,

with ambitions
to increase his status?

Or shy and retiring Alfie?

For the researchers, it’s
an incredible opportunity

to discover the nuances

of male-female relationships
as they develop.

It’s 5:00 a.m.

These Kindas rise early,
and so do the researchers.

The humans start
with a cup of tea.

It sets me off for the day.
Two is best but one is enough.

As long as I’ve got one,
I’m fine,

but I must have one.

NARRATOR: The Kindas have been
awake since before dawn.

Last night they chose to roost

in the swampy Mushitu forest
close to camp.

With the waterberry trees
fruiting,

they’re having
breakfast in bed.

These berries are full
of vitamins,

and Anna has discovered

they’re a staple of
the Kinda’s wet season diet.

Madonna and the troop
are tucking in.

There is a lot of food
stuff they feed in Kasanka.

They like the waterberries
because they are sweet.

NARRATOR: The baboons

can’t get enough
of these tiny fruits,

storing them
in their cheek pouches,

to be eaten on the move.

ANNA: She’s stuffing her face.

MARLEY: Her cheek pouches,
yeah, are full.

She’s enjoying them.
(ANNA LAUGHING)

NARRATOR: The rains give rise
to an abundance of fruit,

and it makes the Kindas choosy.

They’ll only select
the very ripest berries.

In their pursuit
of perfection,

these baboons
are constantly on the go.

A couple of plump masuku,

with their spicy orange flesh,
and it’s on to the next.

The researchers
note down the details

of the feeding habits.

It will help build
up a picture

of the baboons’
yearly diet.

But what they’re most
intrigued about right now

is what Madonna
can teach them

about male-female
Kinda relationships.

Madonna is being shadowed.

The second-ranking male,
Simon,

isn’t letting her
out of his sights.

Simon has shown
interest in Madonna

since she became
sexually mature

and seems intent
on mating with her.

ANNA: Madonna has gotten up,

so Simon has to get up
too and follow her.

He’s having to stay
very close.

NARRATOR: Anna has learnt

that this maintaining
of close proximity

is one of the Kinda’s
fundamental mating strategies.

The behavior may be subtle,

compared to other baboons,
but in Kinda society

this spatial awareness

is a clear signal
there’s sexual interest.

Simon is also
sending a message

to the other males

that Madonna
is earmarked for him,

and right now this is
more important than ever.

Since the arrival
of the new males,

Leonard and Alfie,

there’s been
an interesting reaction.

Simon, he’s just chasing
Madonna around

because she now has
even that many more males

to kind of shop around with,

and so he’s just constantly
focusing on her.

NARRATOR: If Simon can
secure Madonna for himself,

she will be his seventh female

and help him to maintain
his standing as beta male.

Alpha male Garfunkel is also
displaying specific behavior

as a result of having
two new males in the troop.

ANNA: Garfunkel seems
a little stressed by it.

He’s very much guarding

the females that he needs
to guard right now,

and he’s keeping on them.

Two of Garfunkel’s females

have large
posterior swellings,

indicating that they’re
at their most fertile.

Garfunkel has his hands full,

trying to both guard
and mate at the same time.

But multi-task he must,

because Leonard,
the new confident male,

is proving quite
the Lothario.

Leonard is trying
to form friendships

with some of the females.

They may not be in season now,

but Leonard’s ensuring
that he’s in the running

when they are.

The other new male, Alfie,

is adopting a rather
different mating strategy.

He’s playing the long game

and waiting for females
to come to him.

At the moment,
it’s not working.

RACHEL: Look at Leonard,
he’s getting in there.

Because Alfie is new,

he’s actually behaving
as most new males do,

he’s staying at the back,
he’s staying on the periphery,

he won’t initiate
any interaction

with any females.

Leonard is, erm...

That’s not how
they behave usually.

He’s maybe a little
too confident,

and at some point,
Simon and Garfunkel,

they will put him
in his place.

NARRATOR: Madonna
instinctively knows

that new males

means an influx
of new genetics,

which is essential
for the troop’s health.

Out of Simon’s sight,

she’s been having brief
encounters with Leonard.

But when they start
to make their intentions

clear in public,

Simon is having none of it.

These peaceful primates have
accepted Leonard and Alfie,

but in other baboon species,

the arrival of
a new male or two

would be far from passive.

(SCREECHING)

ANNA: In yellow baboons,

a young male will immigrate
into a group.

He’s young, he’s strong,

he’s going to try
to rise at the top of

the dominance hierarchy,

so there’s a lot of fighting
when they first come in,

you know, a lot of
aggression between males,

cos males don’t want that.

And what we’ve seen
with the Kindas

is every time
a new male comes in,

he starts at the bottom
of the hierarchy,

we have not seen
one male come in

who has taken over
a high-ranking status.

NARRATOR: The way the Kindas

organize their hierarchy
allows the alpha

to maintain his position
for several years.

He’ll also stay faithful
to a small group of females,

a trait only found
in Kinda baboons.

It’s early afternoon.
Family time.

(CHATTERING)

Since Anna started
the study here in 2010,

there have been
many newborns in the troop.

(CHATTERING)

The 6-month-olds
are now masters of climbing.

But three months ago,
they were much less dextrous.

Baboons start to gain locomotion
skills at one month old.

By six months,

they’re adept at a whole
manner of acrobatics.

It’s changing so fast, yeah.
Yeah.

They grow up too fast.

ANNA: See his head?

MARLEY: Yeah, you see
the head. He’s peeping.

He’s totally brown now.

Now he’s riding
jockey-style.

Yeah.

ANNA: OK. Well, yeah.

ANNA: Learned a lot, huh?
MARLEY: Yeah.

MARLEY: Yeah,
he likes dorsal.

ANNA: Not all of
them always learn

to ride like that,
do they?

MARLEY: Uh, no.

ANNA: Kind of sitting back
on Mom, but, like, up.

NARRATOR: For the first
six weeks,

all infants
are carried ventral,

holding on under their
mothers’ bellies.

After that, the more
adventurous

climb up their
mothers’ legs

to travel in the
dorsal position.

And if they’re
really confident,

they’ll sit up like a jockey.

The youngest
member of the troop,

born just two months ago,

is already exploring the world

from this advantageous
vantage point.

(SCREECHING AND CHATTERING)

As evening approaches,

the Kindas make their way
into the researchers’ camp,

which lies in the middle
of their home range.

I can see some here

traveling across
straight in front of me.

ANNA: So this year in August
we actually had a fire here.

And because of that,
there’s lots of fresh grass,

so they’re picking up
the fresh grass.

There’s some roots to dig,

so it’s quite... It’s quite
a lush place at the moment

for them to come.

There’s termite mounds

that they’re pulling off
to get the termites.

NARRATOR: Termites
are one of the baboons’

favorite feasts.

They’re packed
with protein and fat.

But despite
their best efforts,

there are none here today.

Madonna and the troop
eat as much as they can

in this wet season
time of plenty,

gorging on a mixed diet
of flora and insects.

As usual,
Alfie is dining alone.

But Lothario Leonard
is continuing to make alliances

with a couple of females.

Some of Leonard’s efforts
have been quite vocal,

and Marley has been inspired
to learn the lingo.

Males they do, like
(GRUNTING) after mating,

so they make a sexual grunt.

(GRUNTING)

For females,
sometimes they make

a strange sound after mating.

Like... (CACKLING)
Yeah, something like that.

Yeah, so, I’m learning baboon.

NARRATOR: Madonna shows
interest in Leonard,

and more than ever,

Simon is keeping her
under close surveillance.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(SCREECHING)

ANNA: So, I can
hear thunder coming.

Almost every afternoon
we get a rainstorm,

and that can affect
the baboons’ behavior,

but also our ability
to find and watch the baboons.

They won’t likely move far
before they decide to sleep,

so they could sleep
just very close to us.

(SCREECHING)

NARRATOR: As the baboons
head off to

find a roosting place,

Kasanka’s migrant
straw-colored bats

are starting to stir.

(BATS SCREECHING)

The baboons and the bats
share the same taste in fruit.

These winged mammals
will travel up to 40 miles,

feeding on the ripest
waterberries and masuku.

They’ll consume half their
body weight in fruit

before returning

to the Mushitu forest
at dawn.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(RAIN FALLING)

The rainy season
is now in full swing,

which makes life difficult
for Anna and her team.

They’re probably all
sitting in khaya,

huddled up in the rain.

NARRATOR: Sometimes
it’s just not possible

to follow the baboons.

Instead, they can
catch up on inputting

the scientific data,

building up a biological
picture of these Kindas,

their diet,
their patterns of behavior

and the development of the
female-male relationships.

As the rain clears once again,

the team is back in pursuit
of Madonna and the troop.

We’re going out
to look for the baboons,

we lost them
yesterday afternoon,

so we’ve lost them
for about 24 hours.

And we had a big
rain in between,

so we think they
got stuck somewhere.

So what we’ll be doing

is looking for prints
on the road, mostly,

to see if they’ve
crossed over

one way or the other.

And also feeding signs
and things like that.

NARRATOR: The Kindas
could be anywhere

in their 9-square-mile range.

Sometimes we don’t find them,

what we normally do
is go for the food

at that particular time
they are feeding.

They wouldn’t have
gone in the Mushito

cos it would be wet, right?

But they would go
into the plain?

NARRATOR: Anna is
always concerned

when they lose
track of the Kindas.

Poaching activity in Kasanka,
although illegal,

is still prevalent.

Baboons are popular bush meat
in nearby villages.

Back in the dry season,

when the park was more
easily accessible,

the team regularly
stumbled across the evidence

of this illicit activity.

Up until the late 1980s,
poaching was so rife here

that a new management strategy
was adopted,

as an emergency measure
to save the wildlife.

(GAGS)

MARLEY: I think it was shot.

NARRATOR: Working in the park
is a dangerous business.

Both Kennedy and Marley
are armed at all times.

ANNA: There’s a lot
of poaching activity

in Kasanka,

and we come across lots
of evidence of it,

erm, by snares,
poaching camps,

hearing gun shots,

even running into
poachers sometimes.

It’s devastating. (STAMMERS)
It breaks my heart, it’s hard.

NARRATOR: Finding clues
that the baboons are OK

is always a relief.

This looks wet.

Looks like after
the rains this morning.

ANNA: OK, so it’s still fresh.

NARRATOR: Like detectives,
Marley and Kennedy

follow the tracks
and signs

through the forest,
out onto the grassland plain,

where they eventually
spot some Kindas.

(BABOONS CHATTERING)

NARRATOR:
There’s no sign of Madonna,

but two juvenile males

are burning off
some adolescent energy.

(SCREECHING)

But they were born
in the same year, yeah?

Yes.

So they know each other well,
they’re good friends.

MARLEY: Yeah, friends, yeah.

NARRATOR: These spirited
males have

grown up together and have
become experts at the game

"rough and tumble."

But their friendship
won’t stay like this forever.

Unlike females,
who stay with the troop

all their lives,

males leave after puberty.

Sexual maturity between
the age of six and nine

will eventually spur them
to venture off

in search of mates.

Just like Leonard and Alfie,

they’ll enter a troop
as low-ranking males

and work their way up.

But for now,
life is pretty simple.

It’s just one big playground.

MARLEY: I think they had a lot
energy food...

ANNA: Yeah.

Like masuku,
the waterberries and...

Insects.

Insects. Yeah.

(SCREECHING)

NARRATOR: The juveniles
lead the research team

to the woodland.

Madonna and the rest
of the troop are safe

and enjoying
a spot of fine dining.

In the wet season,
the abundance of food

allows the Kindas

to spend more time
being social.

Grooming is a daily pastime,

and Simon is giving Madonna
some special attention.

RACHEL: So, I write down
any kind of interaction

that we see throughout
the day and

the reason why we do that

is because it can
give us an idea

of who’s interacting
with who,

and the kind of relationships
they have.

Most of the time
the relationships

are between related
individuals,

like brothers and sisters,

and mothers and infants,
their juveniles.

It’s interesting to see
if these relationships occur

every day
or how often they occur.

NARRATOR:
Typically in primates,

same-sex individuals
use grooming

to solidify bonds
and affirm hierarchies.

But here,

it’s the relationships
between the males

and females that are
proving so fascinating.

Anna has been watching
Madonna and Simon closely.

ANNA: The males
and the females,

they form strong,
strong bonds.

In other baboons,
we see females

are the most closely bonded.

Here we see, actually,
the male-female relationships

are stronger than
the female-female relationships,

which is absolutely something

I did not think
I would discover.

NARRATOR: In some other
baboon species,

the male only shows
interest in a female

when she’s in season.

But in Kindas, the male
is attentive year-round

and is the initiator
and maintainer

of the relationship.

This behavior is at the heart

of what sets the Kindas’
mating strategy apart.

Simon has seven females
to attend to,

but at the moment
he’s focusing on Madonna.

With her hormones elevated,
and the close proximity

of the two new males
hanging around,

Madonna is rarely
sitting still,

much to Simon’s frustration.

Anna’s team is on
a constant learning curve

with these Kindas,

uncovering the secrets

of this newly
identified species.

It’s clear that Kindas
are unique,

and Anna is keen
to protect these animals

by working
with the local communities.

(CHILDREN SINGING)

Thank you so much
for coming to Kasanka today.

NARRATOR: Every week,

local school children
are invited into the park,

for some extracurricular
wildlife lessons.

ANNA: We are the first
to study them,

so we collect
information on the baboons.

So here are some
baboons of ours.

Each of them has
their own personality.

ANNA: It’s really important

that we give
the kids these lessons.

Because it teaches
them about the animals

that live so near to them.

It gives them a chance
to see the animals

that we’re asking them
to try and conserve.

ANNA: So here are some
juveniles playing.

(GIGGLING)

ANNA: What I hope to achieve

by working with the
young children...

You know, if they
can really see

what the park
has to offer for them,

hopefully we can have some
impact against the poaching.

ANNA: The biggest way that
the monkeys die is leopards.

Eagles for the small ones,

but mostly from humans,
from poaching.

Now you will go
explore Kasanka.

Look out for the kolwe.
Thank you so much.

(CLAPPING)

NARRATOR: Anna hopes

the children will take their
new knowledge about the Kindas

and the threat they face
from humans,

and spread the word back
in their communities.

In the grasslands,

Madonna and the troop
have struck gold.

Termites.

After the rains at night,
the termites fly out

of their termite mounds

to shed off their wings.

They dig their holes
and hide themselves there,

so baboons dig the holes
and eat them.

They taste very nice,
like peanut butter,

and they are protein
and they make them full

more than any other food.

(BIRDS SQUAWKING)

NARRATOR: As usual,

Madonna is being
shadowed by Simon.

By following these
male-female interactions,

the team is starting
to understand

the nuances of the Kindas’
mating strategies.

How they use close proximity
to show interest

and fend off competitors.

And how the deep bonds

they develop can
last for years.

The team has also
uncovered another,

softer side
of the male Kindas.

RACHEL:
It’s lovely to see the males

taking such an interest

in infants that they believe
to be their own.

Within other primate species,

this is practically
unheard of.

Other baboon species do it,
but Kindas... It’s very high,

a lot of paternal care
and interest in their babies

and a lot of interaction,

touching and carrying,
and vocalizations.

It’s lovely to watch.

NARRATOR: The team believes

that a display
of good fathering skills

is attractive to the females.

Simon does display
very specific Kinda behaviors

that we’ve been seeing
over the years.

He’s a good role model
in the sense of being

caring with females
and caring for infants.

He’s a very gentle character.

The little ones feel really
comfortable around him.

NARRATOR: Simon’s paternal
skills have

caught Madonna’s attention.

And he’s letting her hold
one of his infants.

This has earned him
brownie points

and they affirm
their relationship.

(BABOONS SHRIEKING
AND GRUNTING)

But Madonna is keeping
her options open.

She’s starting to swell,

and in the coming weeks
she’ll be at her most fertile.

Although Alfie has been
somewhat of a wallflower,

he’s also managed
to catch Madonna’s eye.

ANNA: Her behavior
is quite interesting

because she has been
bouncing around

to different males.

I think she’s just
not quite decided

who she wants to be with,

although Simon very clearly
wants to be with her,

and so she’s doing
a form of female choice

and maybe a little teasing.

NARRATOR: Madonna
is hedging her bets.

When she’s not maintaining
her relationship with Simon,

she’s trying to get close
to Alfie.

Alfie is interested,
but he’s also wary.

He doesn’t want to upset
an approaching Simon.

Madonna must ensure
her advances

are more clandestine,

if she’s to get Alfie
to mate with her.

Anna has learnt that
promiscuity is quite common

in Kinda females.

Whilst males
work hard to maintain

a close relationship
with just a few,

some of the females
have been seen

having sneaky
mating sessions

with lots of different males.

It could be a means
of ensuring infant protection,

as several males
will believe

the offspring
to be theirs.

For the team,
trying to build up

an accurate
biological picture

of the troop,

this promiscuity
poses a problem.

We really want to look at,

specifically, fathers,
paternity.

Who is the father?

Because obviously
we know the mother

because the infant
is with the mother,

but we would really like
to know who the fathers are.

Genetics will tell us.

NARRATOR: The team has been
collecting faecal samples

for six years.

It’s a vital element
of the research necessary

for genetic testing.

Perfect. Right to the line.

NARRATOR: Contained
in the baboon’s faeces

is a wealth of data,

including their DNA.

From this, each baboon
can be clearly identified

and it can be determined

for sure which male
has fathered which infant.

The first lot
of fecal samples

are being packed,

to be sent off
to a laboratory

in the USA.

Definitely there will be
some surprises for sure,

just from the behavior
we see.

Sneak copulation,
new males coming in.

It will bring a new...

A whole new idea
of what’s going on,

sort of like opening
that Oscar envelope

and, "This is who is who."

NARRATOR: The results will
feed back into the research,

helping to further understand
the relatedness of the troop,

its unusual dynamics,

and its unique
mating behaviors.

The baboon’s faeces

have never been
so precious to anyone

but the dung beetles.

Back in the love triangle,

Alfie is still playing
hard-to-get with Madonna,

and no matter how
hard she tries,

she just can’t
get him alone.

Simon is keeping tabs on her.

MARLEY: I think he’s
trying to find Madonna.

NARRATOR: His presence
is once again

causing Alfie
to move away.

MARLEY: She’s also
checking for Simon.

Oh, he’s coming.

NARRATOR: Relations
between Madonna and Simon

are becoming strained.

She rejects his attempt
to mate.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

The rains
are threatening again.

It’s going to be
another long night

of hunkering down.

Over the last week,

millions more
straw-colored fruit bats

have continued to fly

from the Central African
rainforest belt

into Kasanka National Park.

Numbers are now reaching
their peak of 10 million,

but, in this time of plenty,

there’s still stacks
of food to go around.

Madonna will soon
be coming into season,

and she can’t ignore
her instincts

urging her
to select a mate.

She appears
to be a little broody.

She’s intrigued by

the youngest member
of the troop

and wants to get close.

Okay, so Ella’s
still there.

MARLEY:
Madonna approaching her.

"Let me see your baby!
Let me see your baby!"

NARRATOR: The baby’s mother
is highly protective.

By grooming,

Madonna assures her
she’s no threat.

As her fertile period
comes ever closer,

Madonna’s interest in Alfie
is intensifying.

She’s trying
different approaches

to get him
to mate with her.

She tantalizes him

with a really good
view of her swelling.

But Simon’s having
none of it,

and heads in

to reassert his position
by her side.

Madonna, however,
has other plans.

She’s choosing Alfie.

Alfie hasn’t proved himself yet
as a father,

nor is he as high-ranking
as Simon.

But he has something else to

offer Madonna and
her first infant.

He brings diversity
to the gene pool.

Once in the bushes,

it’s clear that Alfie’s
"slowly, slowly" mating

strategy has paid off.

ANNA: Oh, oh,
there he goes.

Nice.

NARRATOR: Madonna’s
decision-making and behavior

is proving revelatory
for the team.

They’re starting to
understand how

female-male friendships develop,

how the exercising
of female choice

and the instinctive drive
for new genes

all come into play in

the Kinda’s unique
mating game.

I hope that this troop will
provide us with

some answers as to how Kinda
baboons fit into the science,

compared to all other
baboon species,

cos they are very
different,

and I also hope that,

in terms of just
our specific troop,

that they thrive, they continue
to thrive, and that we will see

even more interesting
behavior as they grow up.

Kinda baboons have
never been studied.

Primates live for a long time.
Baboons live for a long time.

Having six years
of data is great.

We’ve learned a lot,

but they obviously have
a different mating strategy.

Following them
for many more years,

we’ll get even
a better picture of what

Kinda baboons are like.

The hope and the want
of us, of Kasanka, is that

this will be a long-term running
project for years to come.

(BABOONS CHATTERING)

NARRATOR: Anna’s dream
is that the research

will continue here throughout
Madonna’s life,

following her and the troop
every step of the way,

from Madonna’s first birth,

through to her last
and beyond.

♪

♪

♪