All language subtitles for C2F86575E71E46424C1E3B8CA1BCA6F3_eng

The first time
I visited Kenya, about 30 years ago,

I was a stranger.

This was the land of my father,
who had passed away and who I barely knew.

But I met my family.

I visited the village they had come from.

I felt welcome everywhere.

And as my sister and I
spent a few days on safari,

I felt something else.

Awe.

At the African bush that swept on forever,
with wide open skies,

and wildlife that never seemed to end.

What a gift to see the world anew.

To see the place where,
ultimately, all of us come from.

I'd like to take you
to one special park in Kenya,

to experience the heartbeat of Africa.

A wilderness of boundless space,
breathtaking beauty,

and wildlife on an epic scale.

Tsavo National Park.

A land where the elephants are king.

And everyone knows it.

In the East of Africa lies Kenya,

home to a rich array of wildlife
and breathtaking landscapes.

In the south is Tsavo.

Nearly 8,500 square miles,

it's the size of a small country,
and Kenya's largest national park.

To the west, the unforgettable sunsets

behind Africa's highest mountain,
Kilimanjaro.

Lording over an ancient land of lava,

volcanic hills,

and sparkling oases.

And in the east,
an endless haze of thorny scrub…

traversed by life-giving rivers.

Alongside them,
the shady wall of the Yatta plateau,

one of the longest lava flows
in the world.

And everywhere you look,

Tsavo's iconic bright red soil
stamps its personality

on everybody who lives
in this extraordinary wilderness.

Tsavo is home
to Kenya's largest elephant populations.

Over 13,000 roam freely
through this vast landscape.

To find them,
you have to know where to look.

Enjoying a swim,

adolescent bulls let off some steam…

…like synchronized swimmers
in liquid chocolate.

It's April. The watering holes are full.

The rains may not return
for six months or more.

As males get older,
they prefer to go it alone.

A few of them may go on to become
the biggest tuskers to walk the Earth.

This is Lugard,
named by the rangers who monitor him.

A 50-year-old "super tusker"

and one of Kenya's national treasures.

Each tusk alone
weighs well over 100 pounds.

These ambassadors of the elephant world
have had to endure immense challenges…

living through successive droughts,
modern development,

and poaching from the illegal ivory trade.

Today, there are believed to be just
30 super tuskers remaining across Africa.

And Tsavo is home to a third of them.

Most are now living well into old age.

National parks play a vital role
in their protection.

Over the coming months,

Tsavo's extreme climate
will test all the animals that live here.

Only those that have adapted
to its fast-changing conditions

will survive the dry season.

This hungry hornbill

has developed an ingenious way
of getting a bigger breakfast.

But he can't do it alone.

A family of dwarf mongooses.

The hornbill is ready to go,

but they are in no rush.

He can only wait

while the mongooses
get ready for their day.

They won't go anywhere
until the signal is given.

At last, they're off.

And right behind them,
the hungry hornbill.

The scampering mongooses
stir up bugs in the undergrowth,

and what they miss,

he'll snap up,

saving him the job
of finding his own food.

The mongooses don't seem to mind.

Foraging together works for everyone.

Especially when the landscape dries up

and there's a lack of cover.

The hornbill acts as a lookout.

One call sends everyone diving for cover.

Of all the items on the menu,

this appears to be a favorite.

Giant African land snails,

each up to six inches long.

Some of the largest,
juiciest snails in the world.

Easy to catch too.

These snails aren't going anywhere fast.

But they are a tough nut to crack.

These mongooses have developed
a special technique.

They use the wooden logs like an anvil

to smash the snails against.

Tsavo is one of the few places
where this behavior has been observed.

The hornbill knows a dinner gong
when he hears one.

The dry climate here means
this isn't an easy place to make a living.

So working together helps ensure
they both get enough to eat

as food becomes scarce.

As the dry season tightens its grip
on this vast park,

the resource that's in most urgent need

is water.

To protect one of Tsavo's
most critically endangered animals,

this remote water hole
is filled by rangers.

As evening approaches,

the stage is set
for this shy creature to appear.

Black rhinoceros.

A mother and her calf.

Using a sensitive night vision camera,
we are able to see them in color.

Youngsters follow
their mothers' movements closely.

They have an intense bond.

Rhinos have poor vision at a distance…

but an incredible sense
of hearing and smell.

They curl their lips back
to sense who's around in the night air.

More families arrive to take a drink.

Dominant black rhinos
are often territorial.

But some individuals
are more feisty than others.

There were once around 8,000
here in Tsavo.

In the 1970s and '80s,

poachers killed all
but ten for their horn.

A breeding program has since
increased the population to over 100.

These usually solitary creatures
come to drink and socialize.

Mothers greet friends.

Calves meet playmates…

…and fathers.

But when more males arrive,
the atmosphere changes.

During the dry season,

unusually high numbers
of rhinos gather here.

They have bred so successfully

that there's now
increased competition for space…

…and mates.

One of the males makes his move
on the mother with her calf,

but she gives him a clear message.

A dominant older male
arrives at the water hole.

Rangers call him Atoti.

A young female.

Too young to mate,
she's not interested in him.

His frustration leads to hostility.

He uses his horn to try
and hook her hind legs and trip her up.

The other females and calves
decide it's time to go.

The young female manages to outrun him.

And Atoti cools off.

As the dry season continues,

many of the natural water sources
around the park slowly disappear.

But there is a special place
to the north which is a permanent oasis.

The cloud forests high in the Chyulu Hills

rise out of the plains in Tsavo West.

Formed from porous,
volcanic rock, they absorb rainfall,

creating underground reservoirs.

It takes over 20 years for the water
to seep through to the plains below…

…where it emerges in a constant supply…

at Mzima Springs…

a name that means "alive" in Swahili.

It's estimated
that over 50 million gallons

pour from the ground every day

into crystal-clear pools
buzzing with activity.

Fig trees provide food
for the vervet monkeys.

And barbel wait below for falling fruit.

A bountiful paradise

with enough food for everyone.

But this magical pool

belongs to a pod of 14 hippopotamuses,

fiercely defended by the huge alpha male.

He can hold his breath
for up to five minutes

and spend more
than half his life submerged.

Normally found in muddy pools,

it's incredibly rare to see
the intimate lives of these shy creatures.

Early every morning, Dad leads his family
to deeper, cooler water.

Hippos can weigh more than a family car,

but underwater,
they are surprisingly graceful.

The adults sleep
during the hottest part of the day.

The youngsters play right through it.

And when they get too boisterous,

the adults keep them in line.

Without the hippos,
the diversity of life here wouldn't exist…

because they bring something vital
to this water.

A natural fertilizer.

It might not do much
for the crystal-clear visibility…

but this is the very stuff
that keeps Mzima's ecosystem thriving.

It provides nutrients for the plants

and food for the insects and fish…

…who follow the hippos
for the freshest supply.

Fresh dung isn't the only food
that hippos offer the fish here at Mzima.

By opening his mouth,
this hippo invites the fish

inside his huge, powerful jaws.

They forage for scraps
stuck between his teeth,

demonstrating an extraordinary
level of trust.

Their rasping mouthparts
also clean the hippos' hide,

their toenails, their cracked feet,
and all those important places.

A full meal in exchange
for a pedicure and polish.

The small green oasis at Mzima Springs

provides water to the fortunate animals
who live in this corner of the park.

But it's a different story
for those who roam across its arid center.

Elephants have incredible memories,

guiding them to areas where they've found
food and water in previous dry seasons.

But in the middle of the park,
they face a daunting obstacle.

Tsavo was established in two parts,

East and West,

sliced down the middle
by an existing road and railway.

The busy road is now
a dangerous barrier for wildlife

moving between the two parks.

In 2017, a new railway was completed
alongside the old one,

linking Kenya's largest port, Mombasa,
and her capital, Nairobi.

The steep embankments and fences prevent
the animals from crossing the tracks,

restricting their movements.

They can only reach the other side
via specially-built underpasses.

Some of the elephants are brave enough
to make it through the obstacles.

Across Africa,
there's a boom in infrastructure

that is affecting its wild places.

It's why the size
of Tsavo is so important.

It's big enough
to offer alternative feeding grounds.

But it's not only the larger animals
that travel huge distances

at this time of year.

It's July, Tsavo's driest month.

On the parched plains to the east,

a male sandgrouse and his mate
are raising their family.

As ground-nesting birds,
these newly hatched chicks

will get up and walk within hours.

With temperatures reaching
up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit,

they must find shade
and a safe hiding place.

Their father faces an urgent challenge.

Find drinking water,

or his chicks will die.

He joins a flock of other sandgrouse,

all in desperate search of the same thing.

They will fly up to 20 miles away…

to the mighty Galana River.

It's a lifeline for the animals

as the dry season really bites.

The sandgrouse come here
in huge numbers at this time of year.

At the water's edge, there are threats.

Keeping close to his flock means
that hundreds of eyes keep a lookout.

He can hold up
to two tablespoons in his throat,

but it isn't enough for his three chicks.

He wades in a little further

for a remarkable trick.

Rocking backwards and forwards,

he absorbs water into his breast feathers.

Their specially-adapted spiral shape
soak up water like a sponge.

Fifteen minutes to fill up, and he's off…

flying home fully-laden with water.

One by one,
the birds peel off from their flock.

He calls to his mate.

She guides him to where
she's hidden their thirsty chicks.

Dad to the rescue.

Desperate for a drink,
the chicks crowd their father,

stripping precious water
from his feathers with their beaks.

He will make
this arduous journey every day

for the next two months…

until the chicks are big enough
to make the flight to water themselves.

In recent years, Kenya's climate

has become less predictable
and more extreme.

It's the height of the dry season,

and there's no end in sight.

Some have found a way
to find the few remaining green leaves.

The gerenuk tiptoes for a nibble.

They may go their whole lives
without drinking water.

Nicknamed the "giraffe gazelle,"

they rely on acrobatics
and their long necks

to reach succulent leaves
that other grazers cannot.

Even for them, it's slim pickings.

Tsavo's red earth is sucked upwards
in the swirling dust devils.

Larger animals, like the buffalo,

have to keep moving
to find food and water.

The herds join up, over a thousand strong.

They head towards the Galana River,
which flows year-round.

Stragglers will be picked off
by Tsavo's most infamous predators.

When the old railway was built,
more than 120 years ago,

this territory was terrorized
by two lions…

known as the "Man-eaters of Tsavo."

Legend has it

they devoured 135 railway workers,

though the true figure
is probably far lower.

Famous for their mohawks,

a trait shared by their descendants today.

Their looks are thought to have been
shaped by the thick scrub they live in.

This shorter mane is less likely to snare
on the thorny undergrowth.

It also keeps them cooler in the heat.

But even the toughest predator
struggles at this time of year.

The pride's water hole
has become a pool of sticky mud.

Many of their prey
have left to find water elsewhere.

These last dregs
will sustain them for now.

Across the dry plains of Tsavo East,

a group of bull elephants head toward
the remote northern reaches of the park.

This is the most wild
and inaccessible area.

Vast, rocky monoliths,
millions of years old,

rise from the dry, thorny scrub.

Each elephant remembers routes
they have taken through the years…

passed down through generations.

Their well-trodden trails
are visible from the air,

creating a network
through the barren landscape.

Large bulls can go several days
without a drink,

allowing them to travel huge distances
across drought-stricken bush.

They have staked their lives
on finding water when they arrive.

But the Tiva River has run dry.

Now, it's just a river of sand.

Not a drop of water in sight.

But the doum palms that flank
this seasonal river are still green,

suggesting there is water here somewhere.

And the wise old bulls
know how to find it.

Elephants have
an incredible sense of smell.

Millions of receptors in their trunks
help guide them to water many miles away,

and they can even sense it when
it's buried several feet beneath the sand.

To get to it, they must dig.

As these wells become deeper,
the groundwater seeps in.

Their trunk acts as a flexible straw,

sucking up the sandy water.

It seems they allow the sediment
to sink down their trunks and separate,

then blow it out.

And enjoy pure, filtered water.

Tantalizing for those watching
from the sidelines.

Once they've had their fill,
the audience gets to take their turn.

Baboons, always the first to the bar.

Further down the course
of the Tiva lies Bisadi waterfall.

Dry, except for a few precious pools.

It's eerily silent…

until dawn breaks.

It's as if the entire canyon
comes under a spell.

Red-billed quelea,

the world's most abundant
wild bird species.

It's September.

As water sources dwindle,

these nomadic super-colonies
gather here in their millions.

With mesmerizing rhythm,

they drink from these last pools of water,
one beakful at a time.

This mass migration builds and builds

towards the end of the dry season.

Creating chaos by the water,

they spook anyone else
who dares to drink here.

Their sheer numbers
bend the branches of surrounding trees.

They are prisoners to this place

for as long as the water lasts.

The air is heavy with anticipation.

Then, a symbol of hope.

In the parched landscape,

the baobab trees throw out green leaves
and extravagant white flowers.

Change is in the air.

And everyone can sense it.

And finally in October,

after six months of absence,

rain…

building in the hills
and mountains of Tsavo West

and on the plains in Tsavo East.

The dry, sandy Tiva flows again.

Cascading over Bisadi canyon,
where the quelea drank,

the waterfall comes alive.

For the next few weeks,
this river will keep flowing,

rejuvenating the land.

The drama turns to relief.

From barren desert to painted paradise.

It's the extremes in Tsavo
that are so magical.

Rinsed of its red dust,

morning glory smothers the park
with her floral carpet.

And a blizzard
of pioneer white butterflies arrive.

Millions fill the skies
on a journey towards the coast.

Like a winged relay race,

new generations emerge
with the fresh growth

and continue the journey
their parents started.

Dancing across the flowers,
these huge swarms in the wet season

are vital for the productivity
of the park…

pollinating as they go

and providing an easy meal
for insect-eaters.

There's time to play…

…and raise the next generation.

A baby boom.

Living evidence that when it comes
to protecting wilderness,

size matters.

The bigger the park,
the more species will call it home.

The larger the gene pool,
the healthier the animals.

In recent years,
landowners surrounding Tsavo National Park

have joined forces to create
the wider Tsavo Conservation Area,

doubling the protected wild space

and allowing animals
to roam in safety beyond its borders.

It's only by continuing to protect
vast wilderness areas like Tsavo

and creating new parks of similar scale

that we can secure a future
for nature on this planet.