Original subtitles

Narrator: Two sisters...

Wild dogs...

Born into a family of legendary hunters.

But they're not the only heavy hitters on the block.

A clan of hyenas has moved in on the wild dogs' turf.

(hyenas barking)

Narrator: A land teeming with prey...

Two supreme predators. A clash is inevitable.

(hyenas barking)

Narrator: The only question is, when the smoke clears,

Who'll be left standing?

(all barking)

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: Deep inside a thicket of thorn bushes

Is a family of wild dog pups.

There are six altogether, a typical litter size.

Four brothers and their two sisters,

Thandi, and lula.

Lula is nervous and likes to stay close to the others,

While thandi is more adventurous and often explores on her own.

But none of the pups have yet ventured

Further than a few dozen yards from the den

Where they were born 10 weeks ago.

These new faces have swelled the numbers

Of this dog pack from 10 to 16.

Their parents are the alpha pair,

A devoted duo who scientists have tracked

Using radio collars for several years.

The other eight adults are all aunts and uncles.

It's a close-knit family, the mopane pack,

Named for the copse of trees

Where they always raise their young.

These mopane trees are a mile from the luangwa river,

At the southeastern edge of the pack's large range,

200 square miles of untamed land.

This riverside territory is ideal hunting ground,

The perfect place to raise pups.

As the dry season tightens its grip on the luangwa valley,

Waterholes vanish, and prey is forced to the river to drink,

Right through the mopane pack's land.

Wild dogs are some of africa's most successful hunters,

Elite teams of endurance runners.

And the mopane pack is no exception.

They can run at nearly 40 miles an hour,

Over long distances, exhausting their prey.

A highly-coordinated unit, their tactic is to take turns

Leading the pursuit, like a relay race.

When one dog tires, another is ready to take over.

Working together like this means the little dogs,

Who only weigh about 50 pounds,

Can take down prey several times their own size.

(snorts)

Narrator: This time, two of the pack have caught an impala.

They kill and consume it in a matter of minutes.

It's a good meal, but these dogs won't eat it all.

(birds chittering)

Narrator: Thandi, lula and their brothers

Are not yet old enough to join the hunt.

But they were weaned off their mother's milk

Over five weeks ago, and are on a meat diet now.

They're hungry, but must wait patiently at the den

For the hunters to return,

Under the watchful eye of a babysitter.

But in every litter, there's always one

Who just doesn't want to be corralled.

Thandi is the inquisitive pup who loves to explore.

Each day, her curiosity leads her further afield.

Lula prefers to rough and tumble with her brothers.

Playing helps prepare the pups for the future.

It strengthens their muscles and sharpens their reflexes,

Which will make them better hunters

And better pack members.

At last, dinner is served.

The whole pack, males and females,

Share their feast with the young ones.

They eat scraps regurgitated by the adults,

Or, like today, chunks of meat hauled back from a nearby kill.

This food sharing is one of the secrets

To the wild dogs' success.

It helps keep the whole family well-fed and bonded.

Wild dogs are the most social dogs in the world,

And almost never fight over food.

Every kill is shared with every dog.

Thandi and lula don't have to worry

About being excluded from meals.

But life's not completely without anxiety.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: The pups' mother

Has picked up a noise in the undergrowth.

(rustling)

Narrator: Wild dogs have the best hearing

In the canine world.

Her huge ears swivel like satellite dishes

To pinpoint the sound.

There's something out there.

(rustling)

Narrator: A rustle...

Is it the wind?

No. She can smell it, too.

This is something else.

Something to fear.

A spotted hyena.

(barking)

Narrator: One of the wild dogs' worst enemies.

Well over twice their size

And with some of the strongest jaws of any mammal.

Hyenas compete with dogs for food,

And they'll eat anything.

A young wild dog pup is certainly on the menu.

This time, the whole mopane pack

Has caught wind of the danger,

And a single hyena won't go up

Against a group of wild dogs alone.

But where there's one, there are usually many.

Spotted hyenas live in clans with as many as 80 individuals.

And just a mile

To the south of the dogs' home base,

A clan has moved in.

This is the ukoo clan.

A 30-strong gang of muscular, cunning predators.

They haven't used this den for months,

But as waterholes dry up

And prey congregates near the river,

It's now prime real estate.

Based here, they, like the dogs,

Can take advantage of dry season riches.

But life in the hyena clan is very different

From that in the dog pack.

Here, there is none of the unity of the dogs.

It's every hyena for itself.

The ukoo clan is made up of several distinct families,

Organized into a strict hierarchy.

But even the lowest status females

Outrank all males.

And the supreme leader is a big matriarch.

She rules with an iron paw.

Life's good for those at the top.

First dibs on any kills and the comfiest dens.

(yelps)

Narrator: Those at the bottom of the heap

Survive on scraps and sleep outside.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: This young male is ndugu.

At nine months, he's the oldest cub in the clan.

He still suckles occasionally,

But his mum has two new mouths to feed...

...So he rarely gets a turn.

Like all hyenas, she has just two teats.

Her four-week-old twins get priority.

Her milk has the highest protein and fat content

Of any land carnivore

And helps her cubs grow at a phenomenal rate.

A month from now, they'll be almost double in size.

Ndugu's mother is low-ranking, so his life's never been easy.

Even so, it's soon to get a whole lot worse.

Up till now, his mother has made sure

Her firstborn son gets meat from her kills

And protects him as best she can in clan squabbles.

But he's really big enough to brave

The complex world of hyena politics alone.

Soon, his mother will stop indulging him

And he'll be treated like the other males in the clan,

The dregs of hyena society.

Ndugu is going to have to sort out his own status.

When he reaches sexual maturity in a year or so,

He'll be forced to leave this clan for good.

Wild dog pups thandi and lula also face a milestone.

In a couple of weeks' time, they'll need to leave the den,

The only home they've known,

And follow their pack out into the wider world.

Dogs roam over very large distances,

Only settling for three months of the year

While they rear pups.

Thandi, lula and their brothers will need to be strong enough,

And savvy enough, to keep up with the adults.

Growing fast, they need more meat than ever.

They're always hungry.

But as usual they're in the care of a couple of babysitters,

Waiting for the hunters to return.

Suddenly, the dogs become aware of intruders.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: This time, it's wildebeest.

Not predators, but prey.

(snorts)

Narrator: It would take a lot more than two dogs

To bring down a 500 pound quarry like this,

But the guards can't resist sizing up a potential meal.

From the safety of the bushes, the pups watch intently.

This is a good opportunity to observe the adults at work.

The wildebeest are nervous.

They've had run-ins with wild dogs before,

And it rarely ends well for them.

It's a tense stand-off.

Meanwhile, thandi is doing what thandi does best.

She's exploring, off on her own, completely unaware

Of the volatile situation only 30 yards away.

If the herd were to get spooked and stampede,

She could easily be caught in their path and trampled.

The wildebeest make a move,

But it's in the opposite direction.

And the dogs let them go.

Still oblivious to the danger she was in,

Thandi continues her exploration.

She was lucky this time.

A warthog is a much more manageable size,

Though by no means easy prey.

Well-armed with teeth and tusks,

They've been known to injure predators twice their size.

But the babysitters can't resist a chase

And they abandon their post.

This time, thandi notices something's up

And scampers back to join the safety of the litter.

Now the pups are completely on their own

For the first time in their lives.

(warthog grunting)

Narrator: The warthog's little legs can't outstrip

The dogs' athletic strides.

(warthog squealing)

Narrator: 200 yards from the den, they bring him down.

But this time, instead of dragging

The carcass to the pups,

The babysitters fetch their little charges

And escort them to the kill.

It's the furthest they've ever been from home,

And it's the last big step

Before being allowed to join the adults on a hunt.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: Turning up to a kill is one thing.

Actually making one is quite another.

The pups will need to be committed team players

If they're going to graduate as hunters in this pack.

And for wayward thandi, that might be asking a lot.

The pack's strength comes from its unity.

Wild dogs are remarkable for their tight,

Complex social structure.

But unlike the hyena clan,

It's based not on fear and dominance,

But on play and submission.

They are the least aggressive of all canines.

The alpha pair lead the pack, but don't dominate it.

Their strong bonds are constantly reaffirmed

By greeting ceremonies,

Where even the alpha dogs act submissively to the others.

It keeps the team together,

Ready to hunt and feed as a pack.

Scent plays an important role in bonding the pack, too.

The dogs have scent glands

On their anuses, genitals and faces,

Which they use to communicate age, health and status.

When one dog urinates,

Pack members roll in it to acquire the same smell.

As a result, the dogs have a very strong body odor,

And any that get separated from the pack

Can find their way back by tracking the family smell.

Unlike the hyenas, and indeed most mammals,

It's female wild dogs that must leave their home pack to breed.

When thandi and lula reach sexual maturity,

In about 18 months, they'll strike out on their own

To form a new pack with unrelated males,

And have pups of their own.

The bonds they create with their new family

Will be just as strong as the old ones.

While the pups and their babysitters

Digest their warthog,

The alpha male and the rest of the mopane pack

Are more than a mile away at the luangwa river.

They traveled here in the cool of the morning

And are reluctant to move again now,

In the hottest part of the day.

Wild dogs are crepuscular,

Which means they're most active during the twilight hours,

Preferring to hunt at dawn and dusk,

Then rest up during the day.

But their downtime is about to end.

The hyena matriarch has led

Some of the ukoo clan down to the river.

It's the first time the mopane pack

Have seen their new neighbors up close.

There are at least as many hyenas here as there are dogs.

Spotted hyenas are the largest of the four hyena species,

Some up to five feet long.

Even the largest dog falls two feet short of that.

The pack is outweighed and outgunned.

If it comes to a fight, the dogs don't stand a chance.

(squealing)

Narrator: The alpha dog makes the smart choice

And surrenders the pack's spot on the beach to the matriarch.

(low growl)

Narrator: But when one door closes,

Another often opens.

Forced to keep moving, the roaming mopane pack

Stumbles on the remains of a leopard kill.

There's enough left to take home to feed the pups.

But the carcass is upwind of the hyenas

And the stench of rotting meat also alerts them.

Scraps missed by the dogs stop them in their tracks.

But not for long.

If the dogs can make a quick getaway,

They might escape with the kill.

But the hyenas can see a better meal.

(♪♪♪)

(wild dogs yelping)

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: Once again,

The dogs have no choice but to capitulate.

It's the second time the mopane pack

Has had to give ground to its new neighbors.

Now, each species shows its nature.

Defeated but still united,

The dogs head off together.

While the hyena that emerged with the spoils

Refuses to share a single bite.

While the matriarch hyena and her cronies

Wreak havoc with the dogs,

Back at clan headquarters

There are rumbles in the ranks.

Like the wild dogs,

Ndugu and his family use scent,

Sniffing and licking to communicate status.

This status governs everything...

Who eats first, who can sit where

And who gets to bully whom.

Hyenas inherit status from their mothers,

But they can fight to improve it.

Every hyena is always on the look-out

For an opportunity to better itself.

With no matriarch home to keep the ranks in line,

Fractures are forming in the clan.

Ndugu's low-ranking mum

Seizes the chance to try and improve her status.

She starts to push some of the other hyenas around.

Ndugu's prospects could be about to change.

He's still young enough to be affected by his mother's rank.

If she climbs the social ladder, he will, too.

Ndugu follows her lead

And targets some younger, higher-ranking cubs.

(cubs yelping)

Narrator: But if this gambit is going to work,

Mother and son need backup.

Power lies in having allies.

If several hyenas band together,

They could overthrow the matriarch.

But the plan backfires.

No one likes being bullied by these lowly upstarts.

Instead of forming a coalition around ndugu and his mum,

The hyenas descend into a chaotic squabble.

The rebellion is a failure.

And now, the matriarch is back.

Her presence quickly restores order.

The rebels slink away,

Their low tails signal submission.

Those loyal to the queen

Reassert clan links with nuzzles,

Muzzle licks and body rubs.

The attempted coup failed to bump ndugu's mother

Up the pecking order.

No one is interested in bonding with him now.

Even his mum won't let him suckle.

(low growl)

Narrator: She's pushing him out of the family.

(growling continues)

Narrator: Far from improving his place in the clan,

The disastrous revolution

Seems to have triggered his graduation to adolescence.

(yelping)

Narrator: No longer considered a cub,

Ndugu has joined the male underclass,

And as the youngest male in the clan,

He's the lowest of the low.

Males usually hang around their family clan

Till they're about two years old

Before leaving to join a bachelor gang.

But, disillusioned and disappointed,

Nine-month-old ndugu

Decides to cut his losses

And take his chances elsewhere.

It's a rash move.

Young and inexperienced in the world outside the clan,

He's very vulnerable.

(♪♪♪)

(grunting)

Narrator: Under cover of darkness,

The mopane pack dogs have returned to the beach

They were chased away from by the hyenas.

They haven't made a kill for nearly 24 hours.

Unusual for wild dogs.

Large herds of antelope gather

On the plains next to the river at night.

These open spaces provide little cover

For ambush predators such as lions.

But they're ideal for wild dogs

Who run down their prey.

(twittering)

Narrator: High-pitched twittering calls

Signal the pack's excitement.

The dogs reaffirm their close bonds

As they prepare to hunt.

But they need to be careful.

Hyenas aren't their only dangerous enemy.

Lions...

The number-one killers of wild dogs in the valley.

These big cats target the same prey as the little dogs,

And see the pack as competition.

Unlike hyenas, lions don't want to eat the dogs,

Just to exterminate them.

But with hungry pups to feed at home,

The dogs are reluctant to give up on the antelope.

(snarling)

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: The lions mean business...

(barking)

Narrator: And soon the pack begins to give way.

But incredibly, the alpha male stands his ground.

It's this tenacity that has made him top dog.

Still, bravery is one thing,

Insanity another.

(growling)

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: Lions can hit 50 miles per hour in a sprint.

(whimpering)

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: The dogs' top speed is lower,

But they can keep it up longer.

(barking)

Narrator: Stamina wins out over sheer speed tonight,

And even in the dark

The tightly-knit pack stays together.

The big cats have the field to themselves.

But not for long.

(snorting)

Narrator: The commotion has drawn in the ukoo clan,

Always with an ear out for opportunity.

The lions are in good form tonight.

Just minutes after chasing off the dogs,

They make a kill.

(antelope bleating)

Narrator: Just what the hyenas were hoping for.

(lions growling)

It's a small kill for so many lions,

And the animal is soon ripped apart,

Allowing the big cats to feed separately,

Which suits the hyenas just fine.

The whole pride is too big for the hyenas to tackle together,

But in small groups

The lions are more vulnerable.

Even so, it's testament to the strength and audacity

Of the clan that they'll take on so many big cats.

Lions regularly kill spotted hyenas,

Accounting for more than 60% of all fatalities.

A sneaky approach only yields scraps.

They want a decent meal,

So they launch a full-on assault.

(barking)

Narrator: Hyenas are canny enough to cooperate

When they need strength in numbers,

But they won't share anything they plunder.

(lioness snarling)

(♪♪♪)

(hyenas screeching)

(♪♪♪)

(lioness snarling)

Narrator: Finally, the pride drives off the hyenas.

(hyenas squealing)

Narrator: In the confusion,

The hyena matriarch is cornered...

(growling)

Narrator: ...Surrounded by three huge lionesses,

Each twice her weight.

But this experienced old matriarch

Is far too wily

To let a few cats get the better of her.

All the hyenas escape with their lives.

But they haven't eaten anywhere near as much as they needed.

They're still hungry.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: By morning, the dogs are getting desperate.

They might be some of africa's most efficient hunters,

With 85% of their hunts successful,

But they've been pushed off hunting grounds,

First by hyenas, then by lions.

And now the clan is back on their trail.

The pack locks on to a target...

An adult male puku.

180 pounds of meat.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: They run the antelope down

In less than half a mile.

But they barely have time for a mouthful

Before the clan arrives.

These nightmare neighbors

Are making life hell for the dogs.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: The pack returns home,

But they have nothing to offer the hungry litter.

Thandi, lula, and the other pups

Are used to eating twice a day.

After more than 24 hours without food,

They're weakening.

Less than two weeks from now

They'll need to be strong enough to accompany the adults

On a hunt for the first time.

It's a big step

That marks the move from puppyhood to adolescence.

And they're desperate to make it.

But they're missing out on the nourishment they need

To grow into strong adults.

The pack would normally rest during the heat of the day,

But, eager for a kill,

The hunters soon head out again.

(pups twittering)

Narrator: The little ones twitter with enthusiasm

And try to tag along.

Today's babysitter tries to herd

His charges back into hiding.

But the overexcited pups stay,

Noisily playing right out in the open.

The babysitter is beginning to lose control.

Almost half a mile away,

Another youngster is also in the open.

Ndugu has survived his first night alone.

He's roamed away from the den before,

But never so far,

Or for so long.

He's young, naive and vulnerable.

And the mopane pack

Is heading straight towards him.

It could be a chance for the dogs

To dispatch one of their rivals.

The lead dogs speed past,

Intent on chasing prey.

But then...

Spotted.

Ndugu is in real danger here.

He seems frozen with fear.

Dogs have been known to kill hyenas

But, right now, this pack seems unsure of what to do.

They don't attack.

If they kill the young male

It's highly unlikely they'll eat him,

Dogs don't tend to eat other carnivores.

And with hungry pups at home,

What they need now is food.

Ndugu was lucky today.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: Late in the afternoon,

The wild dog pups are still reluctant

To settle in the undergrowth.

The babysitter has had a tiring day

Keeping them under control.

(squealing)

Narrator: Once again, thandi sits by herself.

The pack unity, so natural to the rest of the dogs,

Doesn't seem to come easy to her.

As the sun begins to set,

The pups' games show no sign of quietening down.

They've attracted attention.

It's not little ndugu,

But the formidable matriarch of the ukoo clan.

Catching a whiff of hyena,

The pups and the babysitter are on high alert.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: Panicked, most of the dogs

Vanish together into the bushes.

But thandi, who was playing away from her siblings,

Runs in the opposite direction.

(barking)

Narrator: The wrong direction.

(thandi yelping)

Narrator: And straight into the jaws of the enemy.

Thandi has paid the ultimate price

And demonstrated why wild dogs have developed

Such tight social connections in the pack.

The matriarch is not alone.

There are other hyenas lurking,

And lula and the other pups

Are still lost in the undergrowth,

Easy pickings for the marauding clan.

As the light fades,

The babysitter braves confrontation with the hyenas,

And desperately looks for his charges.

Soon, the whole pack returns,

And the pups' mother leads the search.

But the pups are nowhere to be found.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: At first light,

The mopane pack home base is deserted.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: The dogs are on the move,

Already five miles away,

Putting as much space between them

And the hyenas as possible.

And with them

Are lula and her four brothers.

They survived the hyena attack.

Together, the dogs are leaving their den behind.

It's more than a week ahead of schedule,

And the little ones

Aren't really ready to run with the adults,

But the den has been compromised,

And the alphas won't risk losing another pup.

Lula stays close,

Perhaps a little more aware now

Of the value in being part of a pack.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: At the ukoo den,

Another family is also reunited.

Two days after he took off,

Ndugu trots back to re-join the clan.

After his near-miss with the wild dogs,

He's opting to stay at home a while longer.

In a year or so,

Ndugu will leave again, this time for good.

He'll join another clan,

Where he'll have the chance to work his way

To the top of the male hierarchy.

He may even, one day, mate with a matriarch.

But for now,

He's going to put up with being

Bottom of the pecking order.

(♪♪♪)

Narrator: For lula and her brothers,

The next few weeks

Will be a succession of thrilling first experiences.

Setting eyes on the river.

Witnessing a hunt.

Encountering strange new neighbors.

(birds screeching)

Narrator: As she and her family

Meander through their vast range,

Lula will learn every step of the way.

In the months to come,

She'll grow into an integral part of the mopane pack.

But, eventually, she, too, will leave her family,

And go in search of another,

Where, one day, she will have pups of her own.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)