Original subtitles

(LIGHTNING CRACKS)

NARRATOR: Predators across the planet...

...unmatched in strength... (ROARING)

...speed...

strategy... stealth...

(GUANACOS CALLING) ...and teamwork.

But staying on top is never easy.

As the world around them changes,

they must adapt faster than ever before

to maintain their rule. (GROWLING)

On the banks of Africa's majestic River Zambezi...

...Ghost - an African wild dog puppy -

is being raised by her protective mother, Violet.

The survival of the pack is reliant on the survival of puppies.

But this year's litter is a small one.

And with an increasing number of predatory enemies around them...

each and every decision made...

...leaves the lives of Ghost and her siblings...

...hanging in the balance.

(HYENA YELPS)

(BIRDSONG AND ANIMALS CALLS)

(INSECTS BUZZING)

It's June,

and 15 kilometres from the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe...

(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)

...hidden deep amongst the trees...

...a wild dog puppy

tastes the air of the forest for the first time.

(PUPS MEWLING)

In the three weeks since they were born,

the pups have been nestled in the safety of the den

against the warmth of their mother, alpha female Violet.

Her daughter Cadiki leads the charge...

...boldly exploring her new surroundings...

...whilst Ghost, with her striking white markings,

seems more timid.

She surveys the ground around the den.

Over the next year,

Violet will teach them skills that will strengthen

the success of the entire pack.

But this year's litter of just six

is way below the average size of ten.

And of last year's litter,

only two of Violet's puppies made it to adulthood.

Of the litter before that,

only one.

Many of her young were killed by the lions and hyenas

that lurk in the forests surrounding the den.

So, around the perimeter,

the rest of the family - ten adults in total -

brothers, sisters,

aunts and uncles...

...watch and listen...

(DISTANT ROARING)

...for signs of danger.

(HIGH-PITCHED HYENA CALL)

(BRANCHES SNAPPING) (BIRD TRILLING)

Their huge swivelling ears are capable of hearing

even very faint sounds.

(DISTANT ROARING)

But if they drop their guard,

it could be game over.

Sarge, Ghost's Dad -

wearing a collar to be tracked and studied by scientists -

is the alpha male,

and, alongside Violet, leads the pack.

He's a fierce hunter

but a doting and attentive father.

(PUPS WHINING)

Violet needs to eat meat constantly...

...so her body can produce the milk Ghost and her siblings need to grow.

(FLY BUZZING)

So now it's time for Sarge to leave Violet

and head out into the forest... to hunt.

(WILD DOGS YELPING)

Among Sarge's team are Violet's brothers Tegwane and Sangane,

who are both cunning and deadly hunters.

And here in the forest,

their prey - impala -

hide in the dense vegetation.

The hunters' method is to work as a unit,

advancing through the forest...

...until...

...the impala bolt

and the chase is on.

Each dog tries to flush them out of the undergrowth.

The impala can cover ten metres in a single leap

and match the dogs for speed.

But the dogs are agile, working as a team...

...communicating and adapting as they hunt.

(IMPALA SCREECHES) Using chaos as a weapon,

all they need is to push one out into the open.

But the hunters need to work quickly.

The further the hunt takes them...

...the longer it will be before they return to the den.

(PUPS WHINING)

The puppies will stay at the den

until Violet decides they are ready to leave.

(ELEPHANT HUFFS AND TRUMPETS IN DISTANCE)

(ELEPHANT GRUMBLES)

(CALLS)

Violet's two-year-old daughter, Wandile...

...recognisable by the V-shaped notch in her ear,

watches for any signs of enemies.

(YAPPING SOFTLY)

Wandile is the sole survivor of the litter she was born into...

...her brothers and sisters

killed by lions.

With her siblings gone, Wandile has created

a special bond with Violet.

Now, as head babysitter,

she keeps Cadiki from wandering too far from the den...

...and protects the pups from smaller predators like scorpions or snakes.

And like any good big sister, she loves to play.

(YAPPING SOFTLY)

(BIRDS SQUAWKING)

(BIRDS AND INSECTS CHIRPING)

(SNORTS)

As they explore their surroundings...

...Ghost still lacks her sister's boldness...

...and quickly returns to the safety of the den.

(WHIMPERS)

(YAPS)

But Cadiki has her mother's confidence...

...and, as she pushes further away from Wandile's watchful eye...

...Sarge and the hunters...

...determined to feed their family,

are also getting further from the den.

And with only a couple of babysitters watching the perimeter...

...Violet is unaware...

...that trouble is on its way.

(GROWLING)

A pride of lions is heading straight towards the den.

They see the dogs as competition.

If the lions find the den...

...they are likely to kill the puppies.

(GROWLS)

(GROWLS)

Still hungry and on the move,

Sarge and his team of deadly hunters have their next meal in sight.

(IMPALA SNORTS)

The dogs' most powerful asset is their endurance,

and they can reach speeds of almost 75 kilometres an hour.

Brothers Tegwane and Sangane

work together with lethal efficiency.

Tegwane charges at the impala. (IMPALA SHRIEKS)

Sangane intercepts.

Tegwane picks up the chase.

(IMPALA SHRIEKING)

The pair use speed and agility...

...delivering a deadly attack.

The team rarely fails.

As a pack, these expert hunters are twice as successful as lions.

But lions will steal their kill, as will hyenas...

...so the hunters need to eat quickly.

(FLESH TEARING)

(PUPS YAPPING SOFTLY)

Back at the den, Violet is hungry.

(YAPPING SOFTLY)

And with most of the pack out hunting...

...she has a problem.

Violet is unaware,

a short distance from the den, enemies are drawing near.

The lions. (GROWLS)

An adult male, a mother and her three young sons...

...have set off once more

and are getting even closer to the den.

The babysitters sense the imminent threat...

(ALARMED CALLS)

...and usher the puppies inside.

Even IN the den,

the slightest noise could give them away.

Unaware, Sarge and his team move fast to strip the carcass.

(VULTURES SCREECHING)

Vultures circle above, waiting to pick at the scraps.

This lioness knows the vultures are a signal

that the dogs are likely to have made a kill beneath them.

(GROWLS SOFTLY)

She changes tack

and diverts her family away from Violet...

(WHIMPERING SOFTLY)

...and towards the vultures...

...and the promise of a free meal.

With the lions heading towards them,

the hunters would be in trouble

if they didn't have another tactic.

Stuffing themselves,

the dogs can strip an entire carcass in a matter of minutes...

...so that Sarge can quickly lead the hunters

back through the forest towards home.

His speed, skill and intelligence

has kept them safe... for now.

The pups rush to their dad as the team return,

hoping for food.

The hunters have eaten their fill and much more.

Violet,

Ghost

and the other puppies are famished...

...but the wild dog hunters,

with up to eight kilos of meat in their stomach,

are happy to share.

Finally, Violet gets to eat.

And with a continuous supply of meat every day,

Ghost and her siblings get a chance to build up their strength.

(GROWLING SOFTLY)

The pups are seven weeks old.

(BARKS)

As they grow, they are becoming more aggressive

and harder to control.

(YAPPING)

Curious Cadiki is pushing the limits of the den's boundary...

(BARKS)

...and the babysitters' tempers are fraying.

(GROWLING)

The waste left by the pack is causing

irritating flies and parasites to infest the den,

making life unbearable.

Soon they will have to leave.

All around them, the dogs' world is changing.

The dry season has taken hold of the forests.

It hasn't rained for weeks.

Vegetation is starting to die back.

The dogs' prey are leaving the area surrounding the den...

...and heading towards the river's floodplain,

where precious water and food can still be found.

(CHATTERING)

(SQUAWKING)

Six weeks later...

...and the dogs are entirely nomadic.

Violet is leading them to wherever they can catch prey.

Ghost and her siblings have almost doubled in size...

...but they're still inexperienced.

Sadly, Violet's gamble on the puppies being ready

has come at a terrible price.

Her daughter Cadiki's thirst for exploration

became her downfall.

In the night, she strayed from the pack...

...and was taken by lions.

The whole family feels the loss.

Without their sister,

the puppies are in no mood to play.

(ELEPHANT GRUNTS)

The pressure on Violet to keep her five remaining puppies alive

is now greater than ever.

(WILD DOG HOWLING SOFTLY)

(GROWLS)

(GROWLS)

It's several months into the dry season.

Driven away from the arid forests,

Violet has brought the pack 14 kilometres from the den

to the floodplain on the banks of the Zambezi River.

Water here attracts animals of all kinds.

(SNORTS)

This place provides an abundance of the dogs' prey...

...but also... (ANIMAL GRUNTS)

...their competition.

Hyena populations here are at an all-time high.

(PANTING HEAVILY)

Last year and the year before,

Violet lost too many puppies to the hyenas.

And with the recent loss of Cadiki,

the whole pack must stay vigilant.

Driven by hunger, Ghost's dad, Sarge,

has spotted their target.

There's less cover here on the floodplain than in the forest.

So here...

...the dogs must use stealth.

Approaching from downwind,

their own scent won't give them away.

(BIRDS SQUAWKING)

Like an advancing army...

...the pack moves as one.

The impala keep a nervous watch...

...but are unaware of the dogs' presence.

As the puppies are yet to develop

the killer instinct of their parents...

(YAPPING)

...they resort to play,

not paying any attention to their surroundings.

And trouble is closing in.

Hyenas, following the dogs,

intend to steal their kill.

They are fiercely opportunistic...

...so could easily snatch Ghost

if the adults don't keep a close watch.

At the front of the pack,

the hunters are getting close.

Wandile and one other babysitter hang back with the puppies...

...and notice the hyena.

(WILD DOG BARKS)

Hyenas are bigger, stronger,

and could easily dispatch the two smaller dogs.

(WILD DOG GROWLS)

(HIGH-PITCHED CALLING)

Together, they risk their lives...

...charging at the hyena and asserting their dominance.

(HYENA YELPS)

The commotion scares the impala.

They gather in a large herd for safety.

With their cover blown, Ghost and her siblings

try to keep up as the pack switch tactics,

from stealth... to speed.

Ghost is left behind, not yet strong enough to keep up.

The hunters spread out.

They're trying to split the herd.

With so many hyenas in the area,

it's becoming much harder for the dogs to hunt.

Now, only Wandile watches Ghost and the puppies...

...and this hasn't escaped the attention of the hyena.

Violet pauses to take stock.

She spots an opportunity to feed her young...

...and gives chase.

With Violet still in hot pursuit...

...Wandile remains behind,

watching over the puppies.

(PANTING HEAVILY)

But young Wandile's own urge to hunt...

...is irresistible.

On instinct, she sets off in pursuit...

...leaving Ghost and her siblings completely alone.

(ZEBRA HUFFS)

Soon, she is a kilometre away from the unprotected puppies.

(WHIMPERING SOFTLY)

And the hungry clan of hyenas...

...are closing in.

Ghost and her brothers and sisters

need to find the adults on their own

and get to safety...

...as quickly as possible.

(WILD DOG CALLS)

They can tell their family is close.

(IMPALA GRUNTS)

Now their acute senses are fully developed...

...they can smell the adults.

They can hear them.

(HIGH-PITCHED CALLS)

Finally, they spot their family.

(YELPING EXCITEDLY)

Sarge and Violet's two brothers made a kill.

And as the dust settles,

the rest of the dogs return from the mayhem of the hunt.

The hyenas must now face the might of the whole pack.

(PUPS YELPING)

The adults keep watch

and let Ghost and her siblings feed first.

But the hyenas are persistent

and growing braver as their numbers swell.

One hyena can take on about three dogs...

(GROWLS)

...but not five.

(BARKING)

Wandile leads the charge.

It's a tactic called mobbing

that they use to combat the larger predators.

(HYENA YELPS)

The dogs support each other instinctively,

watching one another's backs.

This trust is the bedrock of this amazing family.

Dry seasons here are getting drier and longer every year.

This one has been baking the landscape for months.

The last few watering holes are disappearing from the forests.

In many places,

the water table is depleting deep underground.

Anywhere away from the river is incredibly dry and desolate.

On the floodplain,

the hyenas have been relentlessly following Ghost and her family.

(HYENAS LAUGHING)

The dogs have had three kills stolen in the last two days.

Violet decides it's time to fight back.

(HYENA WHIMPERING)

But the clan is over 20 strong.

Violet is outnumbered.

If she stays here,

losing a puppy will be inevitable.

(SHRIEKING)

And so she and the pack flee from the floodplain.

They run...

...and run...

(ANIMAL CALLS)

...into the night.

In the morning...

...when they finally stop...

...they are exhausted.

They're 48 kilometres into wilderness east of the floodplain.

And the news is grim.

(CALLING SOFTLY)

The pack is calling for Violet's brothers,

hunters Tegwane and Sangane.

Nowhere to be seen...

(CALLING SOFTLY)

...it seems they are lost to the hyenas.

(WILD DOG CALLING SOFTLY)

(GROWLS)

(GROWLS)

Here in the dry wilderness, away from the floodplain,

the dogs may be safer...

...but the prey is scarce.

And with two of their best hunters - Tegwane and Sangane - gone...

...finding enough food for Ghost and the puppies

is even harder.

For the whole pack, it has become more important than ever

that Ghost finds her confidence and learns fast.

(ANIMAL SCREECHES)

For Ghost and her rookie siblings,

this wilderness is their training ground...

...and today the puppies are learning.

Mobbing each other is a great way

to prepare for the day they come face to face with hyenas.

(YAPPING)

(CLUCKING)

And chasing the nimble guinea fowl makes for good hunting practice.

(GUINEA FOWL CLUCKING)

Even if they are still too quick for the puppies.

Dad Sarge and the other hunters get ready for the hunt

by rolling in elephant dung.

It's thought to be a trick to disguise their musk

or to help locate each other through smell.

Ghost is learning fast.

And before long, so are her brothers and sisters.

(YAPPING SOFTLY)

(BIRDS SINGING)

Now Ghost's time has come.

She must join the hunt.

The hunters spot a small group of impala.

Ghost is learning the importance of stealth.

But a warning from a guinea fowl...

(GUINEA FOWL CALLING ALARMEDLY)

...spooks the impala...

(IMPALA SHRIEKING)

...and the pack burst into action.

While Ghost's confidence is increasing,

she is still not quite fast enough and falls behind.

Violet and the other hunters split from the pack,

pursuing the impala.

The rest of the pack have spotted some warthogs...

...but they are too near their burrow and easily escape.

By the time the pack regroup,

their hunt has taken them

all the way back to the edge of the floodplain.

(VARIOUS ANIMAL CALLS)

Violet made a kill, a young eland...

...but hyenas were quick to snatch it away.

And they're too large and dangerous for the dogs to get it back.

With the light fading,

it gets too risky to keep hunting with the pups.

Hungry and tired,

all Ghost and her family can do is watch on...

...alongside the eland's mother...

(SHRIEKING)

...as their meal disappears.

(SHRIEKING)

(BIRDS SINGING)

It's morning.

Ghost, Violet and her family remain hungry.

Violet must decide:

risk heading further into the heart of the dangerous floodplain,

where prey is plentiful but enemies are rife...

...or she could return to the safer

but barren and dry wilderness.

Ghost now has the experience

of lessons learned over the past few weeks.

So Violet takes another gamble

and cautiously leads the pack back towards the floodplain.

And there...

Violet spots something unbelievable.

Back from the dead,

Ghost's two missing uncles,

Tegwane and Sangane.

(YAPPING EXCITEDLY)

The reunion is a celebration for the whole family.

The brothers are injured but alive.

Down here on the floodplain...

...there is water...

...there is prey...

...and there is a future.

(SPLASHING)

(SQUAWKING)

Ghost is just about mature enough

to cope with life here

and is learning every day...

...which prey are worth the effort...

...and which are not.

(SNORTS)

(HIGH-PITCHED CALLING)

Frequent battles with hyenas...

(HYENA GROWLS)

...are teaching her when the fight is worth taking the risk.

And regularly running with the hunters...

...she's learning new hunting strategies and tactics.

Her endurance is increasing.

Her confidence is growing.

And now her world is changing.

At last, the rains arrive.

Landscapes transform once more.

(BIRD SINGING)

It's been a whole year since she first emerged from the den.

Now fully mature,

she has survived the most dangerous year of her life.

Incredibly, with most of Ghost's brothers and sisters still alive...

...this is Violet's most successful litter so far.

Sarge has now dispersed from the pack,

thought to have gone in search of new females.

Violet now has a new mate...

...and she is pregnant once more.

Ghost, the once-timid puppy...

...has found the boldness of her late sister Cadiki...

...and the strength of her mother...

...confidently leading the pack out front.

Ghost is becoming one of the team's most impressive hunters...

...and showing signs that, one day,

she too could be an alpha female...

...and raise the next generation of wild dog puppies.

Wild dog packs who live in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe...

...live a life constantly on the move...

...avoiding predatory lions and hyenas...

...and looking for prey to feed their family.

Their home range spans hundreds of square kilometres.

For the Predators film crew,

simply finding them was a monumental challenge

that would test their patience to the limit.

The alpha male, Sarge, has a radio collar...

...but it only works in clear terrain...

...so the crew often revert to some old-fashioned methods.

We're looking for tracks on the ground

to indicate they've passed through.

This is the track of a single male lion.

The size is a definite giveaway.

It's not likely the dogs will come into this area with the lion presence here,

especially with their puppies as vulnerable as they are.

With the threat of predators all around,

the dogs have abandoned their usual hunting ground.

Tracks all round there, but they're jackal tracks, civet tracks,

hyena tracks, no dog tracks.

Violet, the alpha female is probably protecting the young

by taking all the pups to a place where it's thick bush,

which is great for her and the pups,

but it's no good for us because we can't film them.

The high number of large predators is thought to be linked

to decades of elephant poaching.

A time local guide Nick Murray remembers vividly.

Ten years ago, we were having three to four elephants poached a day.

Once the elephants are dead, the poachers come in and chop the tusks out.

And that's all they want. They leave the carcases.

Wild dogs rarely scavenge...

...but hyenas and lions will.

Hyena populations here are at an all-time high.

One of the theories why is because those carcasses fed

prides of lions and hyena.

And having free food around,

those two main apex predators, their numbers just escalated.

For the dogs, this is a disaster.

They see any other predator as a competitor, and they kill them.

The adults are killed by lions.

But they don't eat them. Lions just kill them.

But the hyenas will eat the puppies if they kill them.

Anti-poaching manager Freedom Hlongwane

is only too aware of the effects of the larger predators.

This has now had a huge impact in the dog populations.

Wild dogs are now heading towards total extinction.

Which is why I'm working day and night

in wildlife protection.

Freedom and Nick's passion for conservation

has driven them to take action.

They now run the Bushlife Anti-Poaching Support Unit.

We are basically a boots-on-the-ground approach,

where we move rangers around the valley constantly,

and we have set up remote bases in the bush,

and we're just maintaining a permanent presence

in the area to deter poaching.

And their efforts are starting to pay off.

For the last two years, we've had a zero-elephant poaching record,

and that's a vast improvement from ten years ago.

The poaching may now be less of a problem here in Mana Pools,

but the vast amount of hyena remain.

So, the dogs live a life constantly on the run,

which is why it's taken the crew three weeks

before they get a glimmer of hope.

Yeah, we picked up on the telemetry, they're headed that way...

...so we're gonna need to follow.

Ross Ross, Ross Ross, David.

Go ahead, Dave.

Hey, Ross. We've found the dogs. We've found the dogs. Over.

Copy that, on our way. See you shortly.

There they are.

Nice, finally. Is that Violet there?

Using a stabilised gimbal attached to the front of the vehicle,

the team scramble to capture a few quick shots, as the dogs feast on an impala.

Oh, oh, oh! It just ran across.

But the dogs are instantly overwhelmed by hyenas.

That hyena on the left is coming in.

(BARKING AND SHRIEKING)

And they disappear into the wilderness once more.

Freedom has a theory that Violet and her family have headed many kilometres east,

out of their usual territory,

to avoid the excessive number of hyenas.

FREEDOM: Morning, elephants.

The crew head west.

After hours of driving...

Oh, there they are.

...success.

Hello, dogs, dogs.

Freedom's instincts were right.

Alpha female Violet

has relocated her pack 60 kilometres east.

I've just been with the dogs now.

If you would get here as quick as you can,

you might have a good chance of finding them. Thank you.

We've heard from Freedom that he's found the dogs, which is great news.

It's about a 2.5-hour drive.

The amount Violet's moving the pack around is quite unprecedented.

She's never really gone as far as this before.

Last couple of years, she's lost a lot of pups,

but they seem to be keeping away from hyenas and lions so far, so...

For filming it's really tricky, but for the safety of the pups,

I think it's a good thing, and she's doing a good job.

BRIONY: They're actually there.

Ah, you beautiful, beautiful dogs.

(YAPPING)

The pack have found a safe haven, so now the team have

a golden opportunity to capture the dogs' most intimate moments.

And for that, they have a special tool.

A robotic buggy, called an AGITO,

opens up a window into their world.

BRIONY: Look how interested they are in the AGITO.

ROB: They started looking at themselves in the lens.

The dogs are completely at ease with the silent buggy.

Hiding her puppies in this safe place,

deep in the wilderness,

Violet's tactic has paid off.

NICK: In her first litter, she lost all but one puppy.

Her second litter, she lost all but two puppies.

And now this is her third litter and she's lost one only so far.

So it seems like she's adapting to the circumstances

and she's moved away from areas of high hyena and lion populations

and run off into the wilderness area

where there's lower densities of predators.

The fight to protect African wild dogs is far from over.

With only 700 breeding pairs left in the wild,

their numbers across Africa are still in decline,

and every survivor is precious.

But thanks to the dedication of people like Freedom and Nick,

wild dog numbers here at Mana Pools have stabilised.

And for now, at least,

Violet and her family continue to thrive.

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