Original subtitles

(bright music)

(bright music continues)

(shell cracking)

(hatchlings squeaking)

(gentle music)

- [David] Deep underground Amazon turtle hatchlings

are waiting for rain.

(thunder rumbling)

They need just the right amount

to soften the sand to dig themselves free.

(gentle music)

Their mothers are waiting nearby in the river.

(thunder rumbling)

Too little rain, and they will be trapped.

Too much, and they will drown.

(bright music)

(water splashing)

Life cannot exist without water,

but too much or too little can be disastrous

and it can change in an instant,

if they are to succeed.

In spite of fresh water's constant changes,

parents everywhere must adapt.

(birds squawking)

In the Amazon's dry season, huge sandbanks appear.

In three months time, the annual rains will return

and submerge the banks once more.

(water gurgling)

Now, is the giant Amazon river turtle's

opportunity to lay eggs,

but she must get the timing right.

Other turtle mothers are gathering,

waiting to lay their eggs.

(bright music)

This is the biggest gathering

of fresh water turtles on the planet.

(sand rustling)

The exposed banks remind the females

that now is the right time to nest.

When one finds a place that suits her,

she lays nearly 100 eggs a metre beneath the surface.

(sand rustling) (bright music)

She has made her best guess

as to the right time to nest this year.

(water splashing)

Now, she needs the rain to match her predictions.

(insects chirping)

Six weeks pass, the sun has baked the sand

above the eggs into a protective crust,

but the rain clouds arrive early.

(ominous music)

(birds chirping)

In two of the past five years,

early rain drowned most of the hatchlings.

(water splashing) (thunder roaring)

This is not good.

(suspenseful music)

As the rain falls, the river starts to rise.

(water splashing)

The babies have hatched,

but they can't yet dig themselves free.

First, they must wait,

while they absorb part of their yolk sack.

(thunder rumbling)

The river continues to rise,

and before the eggs have all hatched,

some nests start to flood.

(water splashing)

The sand is getting more and more waterlogged.

(water splashing) (suspenseful music)

They can't wait any longer.

(hatchlings squeaking)

(sand rustling)

(gentle music)

Three days after hatching,

the baby turtles see sunlight for the first time,

but their mother's job is not done yet.

Waiting offshore, they call.

It seems as if the mother's song

guides the hatchlings to safety amongst the adults.

(sand rustling) (uplifting music)

(birds chirping)

(uplifting music continues)

This year, many mothers got their timing right,

and over 2 million hatchlings emerge.

(uplifting music continues)

(uplifting music continues)

(sand rustling)

(hatchlings squeaking)

As the hatchlings join their mothers in the water,

they add their voices to the chorus.

(hatchlings squeaking)

When fresh water flows are reliable,

parents are able to give their young

an excellent start in life.

But even when water levels are stable,

they may still be dangers for young animals.

(birds chirping)

(suspenseful music)

(water splashing)

In a steaming swamp in South Carolina,

hungry mouths gather around the perfect home

for a family of swamp canaries.

(birds chirping)

These parents have chosen an excellent site,

a slim tree surrounded by water.

(gentle music)

Nests like these are difficult to reach

from land, water, or air for anything, but a small bird.

Useful to protect baby chicks.

(birds chirping) (wings fluttering)

Up to seven of them in a nest.

(pensive music)

As well as feeding their young,

the parents keep their nests clean

by removing the chicks droppings in poo bags.

(pensive music)

(birds chirping)

Caring for as many chicks as this is a two-bird job.

(suspenseful music)

(chicks chirping)

(wings fluttering)

(suspenseful music continues)

A small nest may be safe,

but chicks can quickly grow too big for it.

Leaving their tower will require them

to take their first flight,

but the moat around their castle is now a major obstacle.

Predators lurk waiting for an easy meal.

(ominous music)

It is at least 10 metres from the nearest tree.

Ready or not, time to leave the nest.

(wings fluttering) (birds chirping)

The first hatched are the strongest, and they lead the way.

Later hatched chicks are smaller and weaker.

(ominous music)

(wings fluttering)

(water splashing)

The water is no place for a chick,

but there's nothing his parents can do.

(water splashing)

Although he's made it to the tree, he's still in danger.

But now, his parents can help,

using rewards.

(suspenseful music)

Bit by bit they coax him higher.

(wings fluttering)

Just a few more steps.

(wings fluttering)

There now, he's out of immediate danger.

His parents coax the rest of the chicks

to safe hiding places all over the swamp.

They will continue to feed their chicks for five more weeks.

Large expanses of fresh water can be dangerous.

Small pools like this one away from the main Amazon River

are safer for young animals.

The centre is open and clear,

and the edges provide plenty of hiding places.

Excellent for a family of cichlids,

provided that the parents can work together.

(suspenseful music)

A carefully chosen rock in the centre of the pool

camouflages the eggs.

They are starting to hatch.

Wriggling tails however could attract attention,

(playful music)

but the mother gently picks them up

and puts them out of sight under a leaf.

Father does his best to help,

but he's getting in her way.

While mother is collecting more eggs,

she turns around to find that her partner is at it again.

Caught in the act.

She clearly wants to finish the job herself.

(gentle upbeat music)

Working alone, mother gets

every last wriggler tucked away safely,

but she will need father's help

when their wrigglers become swimmers.

Now, both parents must guide their offspring

to the edge of the pool where there's more cover.

First step, navigate through a shoal of curimbata.

It's a job that requires two adults.

(suspenseful music)

So, now it's father's chance to help.

(suspenseful music)

They've made it, all fry accounted for,

but they've hit yet another roadblock.

Cichlids are very territorial

and this family has drifted into someone else's patch.

Their neighbour has turned dark

showing that he really wants them gone.

(ominous music)

Worse, he might also be hungry

and regard the fry as a welcome snack.

(suspenseful music)

By coordinating their attack, they win the fight.

Finally united, they can continue to their new home.

It's exactly what they need.

The fry can practise swimming in the springs bubbles,

and there are plenty of hiding places.

(gentle upbeat music)

Together, the cichlids have made the most

of all this pool has to offer their young family.

(birds chirping)

In the jungle, there are fresh water pools everywhere,

in leaves, fonts, and holes in trees.

(bright music)

But pools can have problems.

Big ones are likely to attract predators,

and small ones are likely to dry out.

Parents must find the pools that are just right.

Meet tinctorius, a poison dart frog carrying his tadpole.

He needs a pool for it, and quickly.

This palm leaf may be convenient,

but it's shallow, and exposed,

and could dry out before a tadpole could develop.

(gentle music)

So, although he leaves one here,

he continues his search for accommodation

for his remaining three.

They are waiting in a leaf,

which will dry out if left here much longer.

No time to waste.

One climbs immediately onto its father's back.

To spread his bets, he needs a different pool.

A hop, skip, and jump,

and he's found somewhere deeper, but without much food.

He can still do better.

(water splashing)

Night falls and he still needs to find two more pools.

(milk frog calling)

A call echoes through the jungle.

(water gurgling)

A milk frog with his tadpoles.

His loud calls are invitations to milk frog females

to lay their eggs in his pool.

Scientists believe that when a male tinctorius

hears the calls of milk frog fathers,

he may decide that the milk frog's pool

would suit one of his tadpoles.

The next morning he sets out again

with another tadpole on his back.

(birds chirping)

There's only one problem.

(suspenseful music)

The milk frog's pool is 20 metres up.

Getting there with a tadpole on his back

will be a long climb.

(suspenseful music continues)

(playful music)

Undeterred, he starts off again.

(suspenseful music)

It's a huge effort for the sake of just one tadpole.

(dramatic music)

Made it, and he's not bothered by the milk frog.

Not only will his offspring be safe here,

it'll also have plenty to eat,

because milk frog tadpoles

are good food for tinctorius tadpoles,

but he can't rest just yet.

He still has one last tadpole, which needs a pool.

(suspenseful music)

(leaves rustling)

This dad will go to extreme heights

to find the best pools for his tadpoles.

(ominous music)

The Namibian desert,

here there is very little water for miles around

except in the breast feathers of this Namaqua sandgrouse.

They are specially adapted

to absorb up to 25 millilitres of water,

and that enables his family

to nest in remote corners of the desert.

But the chicks must drink

at least once every day to survive.

So, father must fetch some for them.

(gentle music)

Almost 20 miles from their nest,

a thin strip of green indicates standing water.

The male sandgrouse flies to this water hole every day.

(sandgrouse chirping)

Here he joins a flock of other thirsty sandgrouse,

but they all know better than to head straight to the water.

(wings fluttering)

First, they settle at a safe distance.

(ominous music)

Hidden among the rocks,

the flocks' many eyes scan for lurking threats,

because when fresh water is rare,

it can be used by some as a trap.

A lanner falcon, a booted eagle, and an African hawk eagle

have all taken up positions around the water hole.

(ominous music)

(sandgrouse chirping)

Despite the threats, some sandgrouse

decide to take their chance.

Parents are vulnerable at the water.

They need at least five minutes in a pond

to saturate their feathers.

The more cautious birds wait to see

what happens to the first group.

(ominous music)

(sandgrouse chirping)

The lanner picks a target.

(suspenseful music)

He misses.

The booted eagle sees her chance.

(wings fluttering) (sandgrouse chirping)

Together, they keep the flock in the air,

a spectacle visible from all around.

Especially, to a male judging when it's safe

to collect water for his chicks.

(suspenseful music) (sandgrouse chirping)

Birds of prey seldom stop,

(wings fluttering)

until they make a catch.

(sandgrouse chirping)

Even now going alone could be fatal.

He must stick with the group.

(ominous music)

There's no one left in the air.

If the predators are concentrating on eating,

now could be the sandgrouse's opportunity,

(wings fluttering)

but they have overlooked someone,

the hawk eagle.

To soak their feathers,

parents must wade deeper into the pool.

(suspenseful music)

In their desperation for water,

no one notices the eagle's approach.

(ominous music) (wings fluttering)

(sandgrouse chirping)

The father must hold his nerve.

He has not yet collected enough water.

(ominous music)

(water splashing)

Missed.

(uplifting music) (wings fluttering)

This father wings his way home,

breast feathers fully loaded with water.

He will have to repeat this journey every day

for the next eight weeks

until his chicks are ready

to visit the water hole for themselves.

(chicks chirping)

For now, they can enjoy a good long drink.

The water's presence here

has enabled these parents to succeed.

However, when fresh water isn't reliable,

the journey to parenthood itself can be laborious.

(waves rumbling)

In the Caribbean, five miles upstream

lies a near perfect nursery pool.

(water splashing)

Food here is plentiful

and the water tumbling from the falls above

keeps it clear and oxygenated.

After five months at sea,

a tri tri goby has climbed 300 metres

to reach this pool and start a family.

His partner is ready to lay her eggs.

(playful music)

Pebbles arranged at the right way

will alter the flow of the current,

creating good conditions for eggs.

(gravel shuffling)

His activities attract attention.

(playful music)

Rival males are eager to take over his nest.

He will have to fight, if he's to become a father.

Good riddance,

but one thing he can't fight is the weather.

(thunder rumbling)

A once in a lifetime storm is brewing.

(water splashing)

(wind rustling)

(water splashing)

(waterfall rumbling)

Below the fall, the increase in water

has turned the gentle flow into a whirlpool.

(river rumbling)

The torrent has flushed him miles back downstream,

but he still has a chance to become a father,

if he can manage to climb once again to his nursery pool.

He hasn't done anything like this since he was a young fish,

and it shows.

(gentle music)

He's a lot bulkier than when he was younger.

Climbing 300 metres again

won't be easy in his current condition.

Juveniles with boundless energy dart past him.

Other adults try and fail.

He pushes on, but the closer he gets to his pool,

the stronger the current.

(waterfall rumbling)

(ominous music)

With one final push, he makes it,

(playful music)

(gravel rustling)

but the pool is unrecognisable.

The storm has scattered all his carefully selected pebbles.

So, he starts work to create another nursery.

(gravel rustling)

If he is to become a parent however, he will need stability.

When fresh water is not stable, parents must quickly adapt

to ensure a future for their young.

Thailand, these still waters should offer

a secure foundation for the family of a lily trotter.

(birds chirping)

Long toes spread his weight across the lily pads

as he searches for insects amongst the greenery,

but he also has a special and urgent job.

(upbeat music)

He's building a floating nest.

A messy pile of pond leaves will have to do.

He must hurry back to his egg.

He misguidedly built his first nest

in the busiest part of the lake.

Boats come so close that his egg risks being crushed.

He has decided to move to a quieter neighbourhood.

(upbeat music)

Building a new nest was easy.

Moving an egg without hands, was significantly harder.

Other lily trotters carried their eggs with their beaks.

This one has adopted a different method.

One, that takes a lot longer.

(upbeat music continues)

At last.

Now, he must settle his egg into this perfect new home

in his perfect new neighbourhood.

But in trying to avoid one threat

he hasn't noticed another.

(wings fluttering)

Caterpillars have invaded the lake almost overnight.

(sombre music)

They don't have any predators here.

His precious chick has hatched into devastation.

(sombre music)

The insects that live amongst the lilies

are harder to find, let alone catch,

and the caterpillars are completely inedible.

His chick needs food.

Once again, he will have to find somewhere better.

Lily trotters aren't built for this,

but walking is their only option.

The chick can't yet fly.

(sombre music)

(insects chirping)

These are the last remaining lilies in the lake.

(sombre music)

It's not perfect,

but there are plenty of insects for his chick.

Here it can thrive,

(water splashing)

(gentle music)

Lily trotters are not the only parents

who must settle for less than perfect in our changing world.

(wind rustling)

In East Africa, as the climate heats,

rainfall is becoming less predictable.

(elephant rumbling)

This elephant matriarch has kept her family alive

throughout two years of drought.

(birds chirping)

She's leading them to the last flowing water she knows of,

the Ewaso Nyiro River.

This is the only place for miles around,

which still has any water or food for grazing animals.

Until rain and good grazing return elsewhere,

this is an oasis for the whole family.

(elephants rumbling)

(water splashing)

(elephants trumpeting)

They haven't drunk for days.

This is a chance for a mother

to demonstrate good trunk technique.

(water splashing)

Her calf certainly needs the tutorial.

Step one, get water into your trunk.

Step two, get water from your trunk to your mouth.

(gentle music)

Sometimes it's easier to take a more direct route.

These days spent in the cool calm river,

are much needed relief for the whole elephant family.

(elephants trumpeting)

(elephant rumbling)

But the elephants are not the only travellers seeking refuge.

(sombre music)

(cattle bellowing)

(sombre music continues)

The elephant matriarch decides

that it's not safe enough for trunk lessons to continue.

Wild elephants and human beings usually avoid one another.

Each is too dangerous to the other.

In this drought, however, they have no choice,

but to share the river and the grass until rain returns.

(bells ringing) (cattle bellowing)

Weeks pass, herders and elephants crisscross the river

in search of any grazing that remains.

So many mouths to feed takes a toll on the land

stripping it bare.

(sand rustling)

At last, the elephant matriarch

senses something familiar on the horizon.

Rain is falling on the distant mountains

that feed the river.

(elephant rumbling)

This should be a good sign,

but the hotter the air, the more moisture it stores.

(thunder rumbling)

So, when after a long hot drought rain finally comes,

there is much more of it.

The distant deluge runs off the parched earth

and becomes a flash flood.

(river rumbling)

(cattle bellowing)

The herds have been caught out

split apart by the sudden flood.

(cattle bellowing)

The herders have no choice,

but to cross and keep their livestock together.

The elephant family has also been caught out

trapped on the wrong side of the river.

(ominous music)

To follow the rain to fresh grazing,

the matriarch must find a way to cross,

while keeping the youngest safe.

(river rumbling)

She tests the current with her trunk,

assessing whether or not

the youngest can manage the crossing.

(elephant snorting)

The flow seems gently enough on this side,

but the current run swifter near the opposite bank.

(water splashing)

(elephant rumbling)

As the current gets faster,

the adults use their bodies to shield the calves.

(suspenseful music)

As the family enters the swiftest part of the river,

a calf loses its footing.

(calf snorting)

So far, the matriarch has kept her family together,

but now, she has a decision to make.

Press on towards fresh grazing

or turn back to keep her calves safe.

(elephants rumbling)

She has decided the risks of crossing

have become greater than the pangs of hunger.

(gentle music)

The matriarch has protected her youngest from this flood,

but as the world gets hotter,

droughts and floods are becoming more intense.

(elephant trumpeting)

Destabilising life for parents everywhere.

Already we are adapting to changing fresh water patterns,

(cattle bellowing)

but we can choose to give

the next generation a better future,

a world with more reliable fresh water.

What a gift.

(river rumbling)

As the climate heats,

rainfall is becoming less reliable everywhere.

There is often too much or too little and at the wrong time.

A significant challenge for the "Parenthood" crews,

while filming the series.

- We've got all kinds of flooding

going on here in Paradise Valley.

Unprecedented flooding, like 100 years

since we've had water and levels this high.

- There's been a drought here from since December

and we're now in April.

- And that's unusually different

than any as year I have seen.

Sounds like the water levels

are rising quicker than anyone expected.

- Every day it's incrementally getting hotter and hotter.

We haven't had rain in the park for about a week

and there's no sign of it on the horizon,

and we are actually, in the middle of our rainy season.

- Yeah, this is a lot of rain.

Even for Amazonian standards,

it's beyond anything I've seen this time of the year.

- [Speaker] It's a bit worrying really.

The monsoon isn't actually,

meant to start for another month.

- [David] In Northern Kenya,

the rain was especially hard to predict.

The crew were hoping to film elephants

in the height of the wet season,

but when they arrived, the rains had not yet come.

(insects chirping)

East Africa was in the grip of a historic drought

and the consequences for both wildlife

and people became clear.

- Right. So, we've just been filming a group of elephants

that were approaching their river

and they just ran into a big herd of cattle.

And quite literally, the cows were blocking the elephants

from even crossing the river.

So, the elephants have all just turned back.

- The reality now of filming is one of

watching thousands of cattle

coming through an area where elephants should be.

How do you deal with 10,000 cattle as an elephant?

It's a whole level of parenting skills

that they're not equipped to deal with.

- This herders, this pastoral people,

although they're not allowed to be in the park,

they just have no choice.

They're all competing for that little resource.

It's a very difficult time.

- Everybody is looking forward for green grass

and good food for the animal and water.

So, everybody here is trying

maybe to look for a ways of survival.

(birds chirping)

- [David] The lack of fresh water and grass

has put both people and elephants under immense pressure.

- In the past, you know, there was a big threat,

which was elephants being killed for their ivory,

but today, we see things shifting

into the composition of space and resources

being the biggest challenge.

It's a conflict that results into elephants being wounded

or elephants wounding people or even killing people.

And hence, you know, that also causing a lot of tension

between the two species.

- So, we got a dead elephant here.

We don't know the cause of death yet.

He was fine literally an hour ago,

and then he's just collapsed.

Very, very sad to see an elephant go like this.

Especially, a bull who's not even that old.

He's just coming into his prime.

That's very sad.

- [David] Elephants are astonishingly social.

A death in the community can have a big impact.

- They just seems to be trying to scent

and see what happened yesterday.

They're trying to understand the situation.

(sombre music)

- [David] The elephants returned day after day

to visit the body until it was time to move on.

Drought and conflict are now

leaving many young elephants without families.

Families who would normally provide them

with protection and important lessons.

So, in their absence,

the community is stepping into parent orphaned elephants,

- A lot of babies that have fallen into wells,

because of searching for that precious resource,

you know, the water.

(elephant rumbling)

- But this baby here, she's called Megus

and she came here as a result of falling into a well.

When it is dry season,

sometimes they don't come back for their babies.

So, her mother didn't come back,

and that's why we got this little baby here.

When baby elephants are in the bush,

they learn so many things from their mothers,

from their family.

So, as keepers, we are also teaching them some things.

(gentle music)

- [David] They teach them which leaves are good to eat,

make sure they get enough to drink,

and help them to have a good old dust bath

just as their mothers would've done.

- They move into our family.

What I like most is staying with babies who are stressed,

because I know how to calm them down.

Baby elephants like singing.

They like music, more so they like pop music so much.

(keepers singing)

Reteti has started 2016 August.

Since the beginning, we have released

10 baby elephants back to the world.

The staffs that we have here, it's 91 of them,

and all of them are from the local community around.

(keepers speaking in foreign language)

- Elephants have changed the life of my community

through employment, through education,

through women empowerment.

As they grow with your friendship, they never forget that.

Even when they're big, when they hear you,

when they see you, they give you some nice kisses.

Holding you like their own family.

(gentle upbeat music)

I'm very privileged to say I love elephants

and I wish to support them.

- [David] Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

has demonstrated what great benefits

can come from protecting wildlife.

(elephant snorting)

While the climate changes and resources dwindle,

every community can find ways to support the natural world.

(birds chirping)

(uplifting music)

(uplifting music continues)