All language subtitles for Trek Spy On The Wildebeest 2of2 The Crossing 1080p HDTV x264 AC3 MVGroup org

This is the story
of the great wildebeest trek.

It began with the birth of a calf.

He was soon faced with many dangers.

The calf even crossed a soda lake.

A variety of spy-cams
tracked his journey.

These recorded his adventures
in many new ways.

They filmed him surviving an attack
by cheetahs.

They even withstood
the full force of the rut.

They then staked-out
the Grumeti river...

..where Africa's biggest crocodiles
stalked the calf.

This was his closest shave so far.

Now, even greater tests await
the calf as the herd
continues its epic trek.

The Mara River in Kenya, the most
northerly point of the migration.

It's late July and the march
of the wildebeest stalls

as it faces
this fast-flowing barrier.

But there's no turning back.

The wildebeest arrive
in tens of thousands,

a unified mob on a frantic mission.

For the adults,
it's an annual event.

For the calf, it's the biggest
threat so far in his young life.

The crossing points are traditional,

but that doesn't make them
any easier,

particularly when the river
is in full flood.

Ferocious rapids lie
just below the crossing point.

Each year,
they claim hundreds of lives.

The calf faces
other unfamiliar hazards.

It will be a major test, one
that others have recently failed.

A gazelle seems remarkably
indifferent to the obvious dangers.

The calf waits but, for the herd,

the gazelle's impulsiveness
is a sign that all is well.

As the first ones leap,

it's like pressure
being released from a bottle.

Mother and calf wait their turn.

The front-runners leap wildly,

a technique that probably scares
the crocodiles waiting in the water.

But the same splashes also sound the
dinner-bell to those still asleep.

The one that took the greatest risk
paid the price.

Although nervous,

the calf is pressurised by herds
massing behind him.

They force him to take the plunge.

At six months old, he is strong
enough to tackle most challenges,

but this will test his stamina
to the limit.

The rapids lie just downstream.

The teeming throng force the mother
and her calf towards the maelstrom.

The pressure builds still more.

The calf stumbles on hidden rocks
and loses his footing.

Mother and calf are both
swept away by the current.

The whole herd is
being washed downstream.

Many retreat,
but most are caught in the torrent.

For the calf and his mother,
going back is not an option.

Briefly, he finds a foothold...

Then, panic sets in.

Crocodiles deliberately select
particular victims.

Mother and calf
have no room to manoeuvre.

The mother is grabbed...

The calf is swept away.

The current is so strong
that the crocodiles can't fight it.

Only a rock stops their struggles.

The calf, too,
is battling for his life.

But the crocodile's hold is awkward.

Reinforcements arrive.

The crocodile is tiring
and has to change its grip.

Miraculously, the mother
is relatively unharmed.

The calf
tries to keep his head above water.

The crocodile is exhausted.

It has to let her go.

Mother and calf
rejoin below the rapids.

Together, they make it ashore.

Others are not so lucky.

Every river claims its victims, but
each must nonetheless be crossed.

Cheetahs love
these open grasslands, too.

There's plenty of space for hunting.

The wildebeest will eat most
of the grass before moving on.

The grass reacts by growing.

The more grazing and
trampling by the herd,

the more it's stimulated to grow.

But paradise comes at a price.

As well as cheetahs, the migration
supports some heavyweight predators.

Lions live here in higher densities
than most other places on earth...

And the days of the migration
are the best days of their lives.

The wildebeest will stay here
for the next three months,

so the threat is something
they must learn to live with.

The middle of the herd
is the safest place to be.

This cheetah cub
is just one week old.

Like all youngsters,
play is always on his mind...

But his mother has work to do.

The wildebeest have
fellow travellers.

Thousands of gazelle
accompany the migration.

Each kind of animal
grazes different lengths of grass.

Thompson gazelles eat the shoots
left by the wildebeest.

The long red-oat grass
provides perfect cover,

but it's too long
for the wildebeest to eat.

Given the choice,

wildebeest prefer pastures that
have been grazed down by zebra.

The calf runs.

But this time he is not
the prime target.

Tortoise-cam investigates.

This apparently harmless creature
is of no interest to the cheetah.

The cub is not old enough
to eat meat,

but it is risky for him
to be alone.

He looks for his mother.

There is plenty to be nervous about.

These are halcyon days
for the hyenas, a time of plenty.

A ready-made meal is never far away.

At this age, the calf makes
a more challenging proposition.

Hyenas look for signs of weakness.

Despite their reputation,
they hunt more than they scavenge.

But when someone else
has done the work,

they soon sniff out an easy meal.

Her cub is in mortal danger.

But even for a hyena,

a protective mother
is a force to be reckoned with.

He looks for an easier option.

Among the multitudes, there's
always one that is sick or injured.

When they reached the Mara,

the population that peaked
at one and a half million

on the calving grounds has lost
a quarter of a million animals.

Most of those that died were calves.

Black-backed jackals
also benefit from the daily cull.

They are expert at snatching food
from under the noses of the hunters.

They live on their wits,
but are rarely caught.

They also give other scavengers
the run-around.

Like a gigantic living lawn-mower,
the migration slowly eats its way

across the plains,
consuming 6,000 tons of grass a day.

Here the calf will spend a
quarter of its year-long journey.

With the herd staying in one place,
our spy-cams can be everywhere.

Even a tree stump spies on
the calf's every movement.

Boulder-cam, was first used
in a film that spied on lions.

Now, it finds a new
generation to entertain.

As always, the lions' first reaction
is curiosity...

But these cats are more
inquisitive than most.

One cub has taken to it
in a big way.

Boulder-cam doubles up
as a baby-walker.

But then the mood changes.

Boulder-cam captures
perhaps the closest shot ever taken

of a stalking lioness.

Every day,
the wildebeest go down to drink.

In the Mara, the river provides
a source of drinking water

the herds can rely on.

The calf joins the midday throng.

Wildebeest must drink at least every
other day to stay in condition.

This is a risky time for the calf.

Nearby, tortoise-cam
investigates the remains

of a previous visitor to the river.

The scavengers
are experiencing a glut.

Carcasses can remain
uneaten for days.

At the river's edge,
the biggest risk is from crocodiles.

For the calf, danger can come
from an unexpected direction.

This is the perfect
ambush situation.

The prey are facing away
from the threat.

It's chaos
and she's missed her target.

But there are plenty
of others to choose from.

They panic onto the plain and,
there, other lions wait in ambush.

One is taken.

Then another.

Two kills,
within a bound of each other.

Mother and calf keep running.

They can never be sure where
the next lions might be hiding.

Two carcasses
is just what a large pride needs.

The cubs' births have coincided
with this super-abundance of food.

But the Mara is so full of predators

that existing cheek by jowl with
other hunters becomes unavoidable.

If they are faced
with a large clan of hyenas,

lions often avoid a confrontation.

But these hyenas seem more intent
on fighting one another

and that seems to intrigue
the lions.

The victim is almost certainly
an intruder from another clan.

The lions can't resist
making an advance,

but it seems more
from curiosity than aggression.

Without further bloodshed,
the hyenas call it a day.

The weeks pass,

and the calf is stronger and fitter
than he has ever been.

But soon he must leave this
grassland paradise and travel south,

back into Tanzania.

He has survived the Mara's minefield
of predators unscathed

but soon, he'll have
to cross the river again.

His next challenge
is quite unexpected.

Hippo-cam is spying on one
of the many hippo pods

found along the length
of the river.

The hippo seem to accept the strange
family member in their midst.

Unfortunately for the hippos,
they live at the place

where wildebeest traditionally
cross the river.

The herds are already massing
on the banks.

Motivated by a common urge, the
individual herds have joined forces

to form a giant army,
several thousand strong.

For the calf,
so much is still unfamiliar.

Hippos are noisy and intimidating,

especially when their
youngsters are play-fighting.

Undeterred,
the wildebeest push forward.

The mother and calf get their first
close look at the problem.

But this blockade must be more
than any of them bargained for.

Hippos are notoriously unpredictable

and this pod
has a new and boisterous baby.

Even the Thompson gazelles
seem more nervous than usual.

For the calf, the excitement
seems dangerously infectious.

Luckily, he has second thoughts.

But this was just the
encouragement the gazelles needed.

Once they seem confident,
the wildebeest are reassured.

The hippos' peace is shattered.

They don't like
having their space invaded.

The calf's turn arrives.

He takes the plunge,
along with his mother.

The hippos are vanishing fast.

They may be out of sight
but they shouldn't be out of mind.

Their mood hasn't improved one bit.

They discharge dung into the water.

Like hidden depth charges,
their eruptions break the surface.

The swimmers
steer a course around them.

The front-runners reach the shore,
pursued by an angry bull hippo.

Another hippo even makes a grab
at one of the swimmers.

But it escapes.

In the turmoil, the calf
has got himself into trouble.

He's been separated from his mother
and is being carried downstream.

The hippo's anger hasn't subsided.

The calf is nearly exhausted
but worse is to come.

This is unusual behaviour.

Hippos are supposed to
munch grass, not meat.

But the hippo doesn't attack.

Crocodiles aren't so merciful.

But the calf had a good head start.

He may have survived
but now he's on his own.

Wildebeest are disappearing
away on the opposite bank.

The calf is separated and alone.

There is only one way out
and he finds it.

He's back where he started
and he has no-one to protect him.

A band of foraging mongooses
looks on curiously.

Hating to be alone, lost calves
will join any herd they come across.

Others have the same idea.

This impala fawn
has also lost her mother.

Like the wildebeest calf,
she's desperate for company.

The young impala calls,
but the calf ignores her.

But then something
remarkable happens -

the meeting of two lost souls.

The calf is curious.

The fawn seems to think
he's her mother.

Then, the fawn hears a familiar
call - his real mother returns.

This is normal behaviour.

Impala deliberately leave
their camouflaged young unattended

when they move away to graze.

Wildebeest calves are conspicuous

and need to stay with the herd to
avoid being targeted by predators.

The herd also shares sentry duties.

Alone,
it's easy to run into trouble.

This mother cheetah and her
large cub are taken by surprise.

The calf takes the prudent option

but one that proves irresistible
to the cheetahs.

He can now run like the wind.

The cheetahs are too slow
off the mark

to catch up
with this 45-mile-an-hour sprint.

Across the river, the wildebeest
masses haven't gone far.

The mother returns
looking for her lost calf.

She hesitates.

Then she makes a brave decision.

She crosses back to the other side.

Crossing alone
has the advantage of surprise.

The crocodiles
had little time to prepare.

The cheetahs seem game
to chase anything,

even though the mother
is far too large for them.

The calf hears her call.

Once more, the two are together.

Another herd appears.

Adult wildebeest show no
particular attachment to each other,

so mothers and calves are instantly
accepted into any new group.

At one-year-old, the cheetah's cub
is able to hunt on her own,

but she still enjoys
playing with Mum.

The calf likes
his playful moments too.

Play is good practice for hunting.

The mood can change very quickly.

Nearby are the mother and her cub.

The Mara supports a lot of cheetahs!

The others spot them.

The tiny cub is vulnerable

and the pair are acting
as if they've seen prey.

The cub is nervous.

Such encounters are rare and it's
difficult to predict the outcome.

The mother sounds a warning.

She yelps in distress.

The cub runs for his life.

It's a stand-off
as the cub's fate is decided.

Neither seems to know
quite what to do.

A reprieve.

It may be that these cheetahs
are related, so the competition

from the new arrival
is something they can tolerate.

Anyway,
the encounter is soon forgotten.

The calf and his mother

have settled back into the herd
still left on the Mara.

Migration happens in waves
over a period of several weeks.

For those yet to leave,
there's still plenty to eat.

Because of the rich pasture,

around half a million wildebeest
enter the Mara

at some point on their journey.

Back in the midst of the herd,

the calf relies on safety
of numbers for protection.

Predators make daily assaults.

Their days of easy hunting
will soon be over.

As many as six lionesses may work
together, staging these attacks.

While the grass is long,
it's easy to surround the herd.

The lion that has stalked closest
initiates the charge.

One misses,
but the others still have a chance.

She's got one.

It's a zebra.

Lions seem to prefer them
to any other prey.

The productivity of the Mara
depends on frequent downpours.

The mother and calf
turn their back on the driving rain.

The whole vast herd
stands motionless, like statues.

The cub copes with the deluge
in his own way.

Although the rain
refreshes the grass,

it also triggers mass movement.

The herds are leaving the Mara.

They mass once more
on the banks above the river.

They have arrived at the most
forbidding crossing point
in the Mara.

Opposite them
is a sheer vertical wall

and the water below
is patrolled by crocodiles.

There are few more difficult
crossing points on the river,

but year after year,

the wildebeest choose this place as
their final gateway from the Mara.

A gazelle is the first
to attempt the challenge.

She reaches the notorious wall

but pays the price.

Zebra are the next
to try their luck.

And wherever they go,
the wildebeest are quick to follow.

Once the crossing is underway,

the herd's impulse to join in
is almost suicidal.

The urge to migrate is so strong,
nothing quenches it.

Mother and calf once again
wait their turn to join the mayhem.

The mother leaps, the calf follows.

The calf is now a strong swimmer,

but hundreds of wildebeest
are putting pressure from behind.

In front stands
the sheer 20-foot wall

and still they keep coming.

For the calf,
there is no turning back.

The zebra are the first
to meet the dangers.

They're the favourite
food of crocodiles

but their kick can be crippling.

Mother and calf
approach the danger zone.

The crocodile finds
a zebra foal instead.

But many more crocodiles
lurk beneath the surface.

The calf is singled out.

Missed!

But the danger is not over.

The calf and mother
have reached the wall.

The build-up
from behind is relentless.

And crocodiles
prepare to pick off stragglers.

The calf
tries to climb the vertical wall.

Others fall.

He follows.

The crocodile tries again

but the calf
is a fast-moving target.

He gradually works his way
along the wall.

Yet more wildebeest are arriving.

They use each others' bodies
as steps.

And still they keep coming.

The calf is being pushed
further along the wall.

Then, suddenly, the pressure eases.

The bottleneck has an opening.

The calf finds it.

The pressure
at this one exit is now intense.

The calf and mother make it
to the top but the edge is slippery.

The mother tries again,
so does the calf.

So near yet so far.

The calf slips.

He struggles to get up.

He finds his feet...

..and manages to reach the top.

His mother is there to greet him.

Mother and calf have survived

some of the most challenging
tests in nature.

They will now travel south,

back to the short-grass plains
of the Serengeti.

It was here that the calf was born

and it was here
that our story began.

And, on these plains,
another generation will be born.

They too are destined
to make the same epic journey,

one that has been made
for a million years.

Undoubtedly, the greatest
natural trek on earth.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd