All language subtitles for Aerial.Africa.Series.1.6of6.Zambia.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

Narrator: THE HEARTLAND
OF SOUTHERN AFRICA,

A COUNTRY OF SWAMPS,

WHERE GIANT BATS
STIR UP THE SKY.

THEY FLY OVER LIVING LAGOONS,
WHERE NATURE BOILS FROM BELOW

AND FISHERMEN WAIT ABOVE.

ACROSS TIME AND SPACE,

BRIDGES STRETCH
TO NEW FRONTIERS...

INCLUDING CITIES CRAFTED
BY THE WORLD’S RICHEST MEN

AND MARKETS TEEMING WITH SOME
OF THE WORLD’S POOREST PEOPLE.

HERE, MEN LOST THEIR LIVES
TAMING A MIGHTY RIVER

THAT CREATED ONE OF THE LARGEST
MAN-MADE LAKES IN THE WORLD...

NEAR MOUNTAIN SPRINGS
THAT SWELL INTO RAGING RIVERS...

CARVING OUT NATURAL WONDERS
FROM ANCIENT STONE...

BECKONING FEARLESS ADVENTURERS.

IN A COUNTRY WHERE WILDLIFE
REMAINS THE CROWNING JEWEL,

CHANGE REMAINS
THE ONLY CONSTANT.

SOAR OVER THE RICHLY DIVERSE
AFRICAN NATION

OF ZAMBIA.

♪

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

ANIMALS AND PEOPLE CRISSCROSSED
THIS GORGEOUS LANDSCAPE.

WATER DREW THEM TO A GREAT CHASM
THAT ROARED IN THE DISTANCE.

THE PEOPLE CALLED IT
"MOSI OA TUNYA,"

OR "SMOKE THAT THUNDERS."

IN 1855, A LOCAL VILLAGE CHIEF
LED A SUNBURNED WHITE MAN

TOWARD THE THUNDEROUS SPRAY.

WHEN THE MEN NEARED
THIS GAPING RAVINE,

RAIN FELL FROM CLOUDLESS SKIES

AND THEIR VOICES
WERE DROWNED OUT

BY THE CONSTANT ROAR.

DRENCHED BY THE SPRAY,

THE MAN GAZED INTO THE ABYSS
AND WAS DAZZLED.

HE CALLED IT,
"THE MOST WONDERFUL SIGHT

I HAVE WITNESSED IN AFRICA."

HIS NAME WAS
DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE--

A SCOTTISH MISSIONARY.

HE NAMED THE CHASM

AFTER THE QUEEN WHOSE EMPIRE
HE WAS EXPANDING--

VICTORIA FALLS.

IT’S KNOWN AS ONE OF THE SEVEN
NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD.

WHEN IN FLOOD,
165 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER

FALLS 328 FEET FROM THE CLIFFS
EVERY MINUTE,

CREATING A GIANT
CURTAIN OF WATER,

THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD.

THE WATER’S POWER SLOWLY ERODES
THE CLIFF’S EDGE,

MOVING THE FALLS UPRIVER

AN AVERAGE OF THREE INCHES
PER YEAR.

TO LIVINGSTONE,
THE FALLS WERE BEAUTIFUL,

BUT ALSO A BARRIER.

♪

HE HAD PLANNED TO USE
THE ZAMBEZI RIVER

AS A TRADE HIGHWAY

BETWEEN THE INTERIOR
AND THE INDIAN OCEAN

TO DEVELOP THE ECONOMY
AND END SLAVERY.

BUT HE NOW KNEW THAT TRAVEL
BY BOAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.

LONG STRETCHES OF THE RIVER
ARE INTERSPERSED

WITH DANGEROUS RAPIDS
AND SUDDEN WATERFALLS.

BUT NO OBSTACLE WAS TOO GREAT

FOR THE MIGHT
OF BRITISH IMPERIALISM.

♪

IF TRADE BY WATER WAS DOOMED,
TRADE BY RAIL WAS DESTINY.

BY 1890,

THE BRITISH HAD COLONIZED
A LARGE CHUNK OF AFRICA

UNDER THE LEADERSHIP
OF CECIL JOHN RHODES,

GOVERNOR OF
THE BRITISH CAPE COLONY.

THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA’S RICHES
WAS FIRMLY BACK ON TRACK.

THE BRITISH CALLED
THE NEW TERRITORY RHODESIA.

THE ZAMBEZI RIVER
SPLIT IT IN HALF.

CECIL RHODES HAD BEEN PLANNING
A RAILWAY LINE

FROM CAPE TOWN TO CAIRO

IN AN EFFORT TO EXPAND
BRITISH OCCUPATION OF AFRICA.

BUT THE FALLS BLOCKED THE ROUTE.

THE DETERMINED BRITISH
FORGED AHEAD.

JUST 50 YEARS
AFTER DAVID LIVINGSTONE

STOOD ON THESE CLIFFS,

STEAM TRAINS RATTLED
OVER THE GORGE

ON THE VICTORIA FALLS BRIDGE.

NOW IT ALSO CARRIES CARS.

BUT TRAINS STILL MAKE
THEIR WAY ACROSS.

IT WAS THE HIGHEST BRIDGE
IN THE WORLD

WHEN IT WAS FINISHED IN 1905,

STANDING 420 FEET
ABOVE THE RIVER.

IT TESTED THE GRIT OF ENGINEERS

WORKING OVER 7,000 MILES AWAY
IN ENGLAND.

THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE
WAS BUILT THERE, IN PIECES,

AND SHIPPED TO THE GORGE
FOR FINAL ASSEMBLY.

THE VICTORIAN ERA HAD ARRIVED
IN NORTHERN RHODESIA.

THE BRIDGE REMAINS,

BUT POLITICS HAVE CHANGED.

IN 1964, COLONIALISM GAVE WAY
TO INDEPENDENCE,

AND TWO NEW AFRICAN NATIONS
WERE BORN--

ZAMBIA AND EVENTUALLY ZIMBABWE.

DOWNSTREAM FROM THE FALLS,

THE ZAMBEZI RIVER IS FORCED
INTO A NARROW BASALT CANYON,

CREATING A JET-LIKE
TORRENT OF WATER.

THE FORCE CREATES
A THRILLING WATERCOURSE,

INTERSPERSED
WITH OVER 60 RAPIDS,

WITH NAMES LIKE
THE DEVIL’S TOILET BOWL,

OBLIVION,

THE TERMINATOR,

AND GNASHING JAWS OF DEATH.

THESE ARE SOME
OF THE MOST CHALLENGING

WHITEWATER RAPIDS ON EARTH.

THEY ARE CLASS 5,

THE HIGHEST GRADE
FOR RIVER RAFTING.

♪

GUIDES IN KAYAKS MOVE AHEAD AND
STATION THEMSELVES ON THE BANK

AS SAFETY OFFICERS
FOR THE RAFTERS.

THE DEEP GREEN RIVER
DRAWS THE RAFTS

INTO THE CHURNING WAVES.

INSTRUCTORS SHOUT INSTRUCTIONS
TO PADDLERS

TO KEEP THE RAFT MOVING
FASTER THAN THE WATER.

THEY SPEED DOWN THE GORGE
AS 3.75 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER

SURGES PAST THE ROCKS
EVERY SECOND.

SOUNDS OF RUSHING WATER
AND SHOUTS OF EXCITEMENT

ECHO OFF THE CLIFFS...

UNTIL SOMEONE FALLS OUT.

NILE CROCODILES ARE A THREAT,

AND GIANT WHIRLPOOLS
APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE,

SUCKING DOWN ENTIRE RAFTS.

IT’S DISORIENTING,
BUT RAFTERS WEAR SAFETY GEAR.

A LIFE PRESERVER AND A THIN ROPE

ARE THEIR ONLY HOPE
OF STAYING AFLOAT

AND GETTING BACK INTO THE RAFT.

IT’S EXHILARATING,
PHYSICALLY PUNISHING

BUT EMOTIONALLY REWARDING.

FOR THOSE WHO PREFER
A QUIETER VACATION,

A CLIFFTOP BAR PROVIDES
A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE RAFTERS

AND THE RIVER SNAKING
INTO THE DISTANCE,

WHERE DIFFERENT
ADVENTURES AWAIT.

AS THE ZAMBEZI CONTINUES
ITS JOURNEY EAST,

THE RIVER OPENS ITS ARMS WITH
A MORE PLACID PACE OF DISCOVERY.

BUT EVEN THOUGH THE RIVER
MAY LOOK QUIETER,

IT’S STILL DEADLY.

AFTER DISCOVERING
VICTORIA FALLS,

DR. LIVINGSTONE WAS EAGER

TO EXPLORE THE REST
OF THE ZAMBEZI RIVER,

BUT AS HE FORGED A PATH
ALONG ITS BANKS,

HE REALIZED THE AWFUL SCALE
OF THE SLAVE TRADE.

THOUSANDS OF AFRICANS
WERE BEING STOLEN AWAY

FROM THE ONLY VILLAGES
THEY’D EVER KNOWN

AND SHIPPED TO PLACES
THEY’D NEVER HEARD OF.

HIS HEART BLED FOR AFRICANS,

AND HE WOULD NOT REST
UNTIL SLAVERY, OR HIS LIFE,

HAD COME TO AN END.

HIS FAITH IN GOD
KEPT HIM FEARLESS,

AND HIS PASSION FOR ADVENTURE
KEPT HIM MOVING

ALONG THE WINDING PATH
OF THE ZAMBEZI RIVER.

IT’S THE LARGEST RIVER IN AFRICA

AND FORMS A BORDER AROUND
THE WESTERN HALF OF ZAMBIA.

THE DRAINAGE BASIN COVERS ALMOST
THREE QUARTERS OF THE COUNTRY,

SPANNING OVER
290,000 SQUARE MILES.

TODAY, 32 MILLION PEOPLE
LIVE ALONG THIS VALLEY.

80% OF THEM RELY ON THE FOOD

GROWING ON THE FERTILE
FLOOD PLAINS OF THE RIVER.

BUT MANY FAMILIES FORSAKE
LARGE-SCALE FARMING

AND STILL LIVE
BY THE RIVER’S RULES,

TRAVELING MILES ON FOOT
TO DRINK ITS REFRESHING WATER

AND TO FISH FOR FOOD.

OLDER MEN FISH
FROM DUGOUT CANOES

OR BUILD TRAPS
FROM THE RIVER REEDS.

TEENAGERS SPEND THE DAY
WEAVING REED MATS

THAT ARE USED TO SUN-DRY FISH OR
COVER HARD CLAY VILLAGE FLOORS.

BUT ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY

STILL RELIES ON THE RIVER’S
MOST BASIC ELEMENT--

THE FORCE OF ITS WATER
FLOWING DOWN THE VALLEY

LIGHTS UP MANY AFRICAN CITIES.

AFTER FLOWING UNIMPEDED
FOR MILLENNIA,

THE ZAMBEZI RIVER
WAS FINALLY CAPTURED IN 1956

BY THE KARIBA DAM.

IT CREATES THE LARGEST LAKE
IN AFRICA,

STRETCHING FOR 140 MILES,
UP TO 25 MILES WIDE IN PLACES

AND BLANKETS
2,300 SQUARE MILES OF LAND.

HOLDING BACK ALL THIS WATER
IS A WALL 1,900 FEET WIDE,

420 FEET HIGH,
AND 85 FEET THICK.

ENTOMBED WITHIN ITS CONCRETE
ARE 18 CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

WHO SLIPPED AND FELL INTO
THE SUFFOCATING CEMENT SLUDGE

DURING CONSTRUCTION.

THE BRITISH QUEEN MOTHER

PRESIDED OVER THE DAM’S
CEREMONIAL OPENING IN 1960,

WHEN IT WAS CALLED ONE OF THE
MAN-MADE WONDERS OF THE WORLD.

BUT IT TOOK ANOTHER 17 YEARS

BEFORE THE DAM WAS
A FULLY FUNCTIONAL POWER SOURCE.

THE WALL NOW GENERATES 960
MEGAWATTS OF ELECTRICITY A DAY,

POWERING ZAMBIA’S CITIES

AND PROVIDING SURPLUS ENERGY
TO ITS NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.

SINCE ITS OPENING,

20 EARTHQUAKES
OF MAGNITUDE 5 OR HIGHER

HAVE RATTLED THE DAM,

AS IF THE RESTLESS RIVER

CONTINUES TO SETTLE
INTO ITS NEW HOME.

♪

THE MASSIVE LAKE
CREATED BY THE DAM

SUPPORTS A THRIVING
COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY.

RUNOFF FROM
THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE

PROVIDES ABUNDANT NUTRIENTS

FOR TINY ZOOPLANKTON
LIVING IN THE LAKE.

THEY ARE PERFECT FOOD FOR SHOALS
OF SILVER KAPENTA FISH.

AT NIGHT, THESE FISHERMEN

LOWER THESE CIRCULAR NETS
INTO THE WATER.

THEN THEY BLAST BEAMS OF LIGHT
INTO THE MURKY DEPTHS.

ZOOPLANKTON ARE DRAWN
TO THE LIGHT,

FOLLOWED BY KAPENTA
THAT BLINDLY SWIM INTO THE TRAP.

THE NETS ARE HOISTED UP
WITH MOUNDS OF SHINY FISH.

BY MORNING THE FISH ARE LAID OUT
ON SUN-DRYING MATS,

PRESERVING THEM
FOR THE LONG HAUL

TO MARKETS ACROSS AFRICA.

BUT GLOBAL MARKETS
DEMAND BIGGER FISH,

WHICH IN TURN DEMANDS
MODERN INTERVENTION.

THESE CIRCULAR CAGES
ARE THE FUTURE OF FISHING.

MILLIONS OF TILAPIA FINGERLINGS
TREATED WITH TESTOSTERONE

ARE HATCHED ALONG THE BANKS.

THEN THEY ARE TRANSPORTED
TO THESE CAGES,

WHERE MOST GROW
INTO LARGE MALES,

INCREASING PROTEIN PRODUCTION.

MEN ON PONTOON BOATS
THROW WAVES OF FOOD,

A MIX OF CORN,
SOYBEANS AND WHEAT.

THE FISH ENJOY SEVERAL LAYERS
OF PROTECTION.

PREDATOR NETS PROTECT THE FISH

FROM BEING SHREDDED
BY TIGER FISH AND CROCODILES.

AN INNER BAG NET PREVENTS FISH
FROM ESCAPING.

AND A TOP NET
PREVENTS FISH EAGLES

FROM SNATCHING THE STOCK.

THE FINEST OF THESE PAMPERED
FISH ARE EXPORTED TO EUROPE.

THE REST ARE TRANSPORTED
TO ZAMBIA’S CITY MARKETS,

SOLD BY STREET VENDORS
TO A BURGEONING POPULATION

THAT IS TRANSFORMING
ZAMBIA’S WAY OF LIFE.

♪

WHEN THE CAPE TO CAIRO
TRAIN LINE

FIRST SLICED THROUGH ZAMBIA,

NEW CITIES SPRANG UP
ALL ALONG THE TRACK.

FIRST IT CONNECTED THE CITY

OF LIVINGSTONE TO NDOLA.

THEN, A RAILWAY SIDING WAS BUILT

SO TRAINS COULD PASS EACH OTHER
ON A SINGLE TRACK.

THE SIDING WAS NEAR THE VILLAGE
OF A FEARLESS ELEPHANT HUNTER

NAMED LUSAKA.

BY 1935, THE HUNTER’S VILLAGE
HAD GROWN INTO A BUSY CITY--

PRESENT-DAY LUSAKA.

IT SERVED AS THE CAPITAL OF
NORTHERN RHODESIA FOR 29 YEARS,

BUT WHEN ZAMBIA
GAINED INDEPENDENCE,

A NEW POLICY OF NATIONALISM
WAS ANNOUNCED.

LAND WAS TAKEN BACK
FROM THE BRITISH

AND HANDED OVER
TO NATIVE ZAMBIANS,

WHO RELIED ON THE COPPER MINES
TO DRIVE THEIR ECONOMY.

BUT TODAY, A SLOWING DEMAND
FOR THE PRECIOUS COMMODITY

HAS PUT A BURDEN ON THE
COUNTRY’S FINANCIAL RESOURCES.

OVER 60% OF LUSAKA’S INHABITANTS
ARE UNEMPLOYED.

WHEN TOWN PLANNERS
BUILT THE CITY,

THEY ESTIMATED A POPULATION
OF AROUND 200,000 RESIDENTS.

BUT IT HAS MUSHROOMED
TO 2.2 MILLION PEOPLE--

15% OF THE COUNTRY’S POPULATION.

POVERTY-STRICKEN PEOPLE LIVE
IN THESE UNDEVELOPED SETTLEMENTS

WITH INHERENT HEALTH RISKS,

THE GREATEST BEING HIV/AIDS.

ONE IN FIVE ZAMBIANS
IS HIV-POSITIVE,

AND ONE IN THREE CHILDREN
ARE ORPHANED.

CROWDS OF HUNGRY PEOPLE
JAM UP THE CITY LIMITS

BUSKING FOR JOBS

OR SEEKING OUT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR BARTER AND TRADE.

MOST SPEND A LIFETIME
SELLING GOODS AND SERVICES

AT INFORMAL MARKETS LIKE THESE.

OVER 2,000 CLOTHING MERCHANTS
TRADE IN SECOND-HAND CLOTHING.

THE BEST GARMENTS ARE SOLD
FOR ABOUT TWO DOLLARS EACH--

A HEFTY PRICE TAG
FOR MOST ZAMBIANS

WHO LIVE ON A DOLLAR A DAY.

MANY TRADERS EKE OUT A LIVING

WITHIN THE TINY STALLS OF THESE
EVER-EXPANDING URBAN MARKETS...

WHILE OTHERS RELY ON PLANTING
VAST FIELDS OF CROPS,

WHICH CAN BE JUST AS RISKY.

AS NEIGHBORING ZIMBABWE
WAS IN THE THROES

OF A CONTROVERSIAL
LAND REFORM PROGRAM,

WHITE FARMERS WERE VIOLENTLY
DRIVEN OFF THEIR FARMS.

MANY MOVED TO ZAMBIA.

SOME SETTLED
IN THE MKUSHI BLOCK,

BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY
TO THE RAIL NETWORK.

THERE THEY SET UP
LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL FARMS,

TURNING UNFERTILE EARTH
INTO ARABLE LAND.

NUTRIENT-POOR SOILS
WERE TREATED WITH LIME

AND INFUSED WITH FERTILIZER,
READY FOR PLANTING.

THEN IN 2002, ELECTRICITY
GAVE THEM ANOTHER BOOST,

MAKING WAY
FOR CENTER PIVOT IRRIGATION.

TODAY THESE FARMS
TRAIN AND EMPLOY

THOUSANDS OF LOCAL WORKERS.

AND THEIR HARD LABOR
IS STARTING TO BEAR FRUIT.

IN EARLY 2016,
ZAMBIA HIT RECORD HIGHS,

PRODUCING
3.3 MILLION TONS OF CORN.

THE BUMPER HARVEST FED
ZAMBIA’S PEOPLE AND LIVESTOCK,

BUT THERE WAS STILL A SURPLUS
OF NEARLY 1 MILLION TONS.

IN AN IRONIC TURN OF EVENTS,
MOST OF IT WAS SOLD TO ZIMBABWE.

MODERN AGRICULTURE STAVED OFF
STARVATION IN ZIMBABWE

AND TRANSFORMED ZAMBIA’S
PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE.

TODAY MANY ZAMBIANS
STILL SURVIVE

BY PLANTING THEIR OWN CROPS
IN SMALL VILLAGE GARDENS.

AND THESE ANCIENT
CULTURAL PRACTICES

AND INHERENT STRUGGLES

CONTINUE TO DEFINE
RURAL LIFE HERE.

SMOKE BILLOWS
FROM A SLASH-AND-BURN SITE

CALLED A CHITEMENE.

TREES CUT DOWN BY FARMERS ARE
BURNED TO FUMIGATE THE SOIL.

THE ASH BALANCES THE pH LEVEL,

PREPARING THE FIELDS
FOR PLANTING.

MAIZE, SORGHUM, FINGER MILLET,
AND CASSAVA ALL THRIVE HERE.

VILLAGERS MUST KEEP WATCH
24 HOURS A DAY

TO PREVENT WILD ANIMALS
FROM RAIDING THEIR CROPS.

ELEPHANTS HAVE BEEN
DIGGING UP FIELDS

FOR AS LONG AS MAN HAS KNOWN
HOW TO PLANT THEM.

IN THE 1950s,

A MAN NAMED NORMAN CARR
WAS SENT TO INTERVENE.

HE WAS APPOINTED
ELEPHANT CONTROL OFFICER

BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

HE WORKED HARD
TO MANAGE THE CONFLICT

BETWEEN THE STRUGGLING FARMERS
AND CROP-RAIDING ELEPHANTS.

AFTER YEARS OF WORK,
HE FINALLY DESIGNED A SYSTEM

OF CONSERVATION THROUGH TOURISM,

WHICH ALLOWED PEOPLE
AND ANIMALS TO COEXIST

IN A PEACEFUL
AND SUSTAINABLE WAY.

HE ESTABLISHED
THE FIRST SAFARI CAMP

IN SOUTH LUANGWA NATIONAL PARK,

WHEN AN AFRICAN SAFARI WAS
ACTUALLY A HUNTING EXPEDITION.

BUT NORMAN CARR BELIEVED
IN LOOKING AT ANIMALS

THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA

RATHER THAN DOWN THE BARREL
OF A GUN.

♪

TODAY THE PARK
IS ALMOST BONE-DRY,

SCORCHED BY THE HOT WINDS
OF EL NIÑO.

THE SHIFTING
GLOBAL WEATHER SYSTEM

HAS STRIPPED THE PARK
OF ITS PRECIOUS FOLIAGE,

EXPOSING ANIMALS

THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE
HIDDEN AWAY FROM PRYING EYES.

ELEPHANTS ADAPT QUICKLY
TO THE DRY CONDITIONS,

CHEWING ON BRANCHES OF TREES

TO EXTRACT VITAL NUTRIENTS
FROM THEIR BARK.

THEY’RE ON THEIR WAY
TO AN UNUSUAL OASIS.

MFUWE LODGE WAS
NORMAN CARR’S BASE

WHILE SETTING UP
PARK OPERATIONS;

IT’S WHERE HE PIONEERED THE IDEA
OF A WALKING SAFARI.

THE ELEPHANTS HERE
TOOK IT A STEP FURTHER.

ONCE A YEAR, THEY WALK
RIGHT THROUGH THE LODGE

TO A MASSIVE WILD MANGO TREE
IN THE FRONT YARD

TO FEED ON ITS JUICY FRUIT.

THE TREE MAY HAVE EXISTED
BEFORE THE LODGE WAS BUILT,

BUT IT’S A POIGNANT REMINDER

OF CARR’S SYSTEM
OF CONSERVATION THROUGH TOURISM,

WHERE ANIMALS AND HUMANS
COEXIST IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY.

IT’S ENSURED THAT MANY ANIMALS
STILL ROAM FREE HERE TODAY...

LIKE THESE IMPALA ANTELOPE,
GRAZING ON THE VERY LAST GROWTH

NEAR A RIVER SLOWLY DRYING OUT.

FEW TREES GROW LEAVES
DURING A DROUGHT,

BUT ACACIA TAPROOTS STRETCH DOWN
220 FEET TO REACH WATER.

SO IT’S EASY PICKINGS
FOR THESE THORNICROFT’S GIRAFFE

THAT STAND 19 FEET TALL.

THE SHADE OF THE TREE
KEEPS THEM COOL

WHILE THEY CHEW THEIR CUD
TO DIGEST THE FIBROUS LEAVES.

AFTER LUNCH, THEY’LL HEAD DOWN
TO THE LUANGWA RIVER

FOR AN AFTERNOON DRINK.

♪

THE LUANGWA FLOWS
INTO THE ZAMBEZI RIVER,

BUT TODAY IT’S HARDLY
FLOWING AT ALL.

OVER 30,000 HIPPOS TUSSLE
FOR SPACE HERE AT HIPPO BEND,

THE WORLD’S LARGEST POPULATION.

THEY’RE NOCTURNAL FEEDERS

WHO WALK MILES IN THE DARK
TO GRAZE ON GRASS.

HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF FISH
GATHER AROUND THE HIPPOS,

FEEDING OFF THEIR DUNG

AND THE SILT DISTURBED
BY THEIR ACTIVITY.

♪

NILE CROCODILES
ARE ATTRACTED TO THE FISH;

IT’S THEIR MAIN FOOD SOURCE.

THEY’RE A REAL THREAT
FOR BABY HIPPOS

THAT ARE BORN UNDERWATER.

BUT EVEN FOR A CROC, MALE HIPPOS
ARE A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.

THEY GROW TO 3,300 POUNDS,

AND THEIR TEETH ARE
UP TO A FOOT LONG,

SHARPENED AS THEY EAT,

SIMILAR TO A RODENT.

ONE THEORY SUGGESTS
THAT HIPPOS AND WHALES

SHARED A COMMON ANCESTOR

THAT BRANCHED OFF
FROM THEIR EVOLUTIONARY PATH

AROUND 60 MILLION YEARS AGO.

EXCEPT HIPPOS
DON’T SWIM VERY WELL,

DESPITE HAVING WEBBED FEET.

NOR DO THEY FLOAT.

INSTEAD, THEY SINK
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER

WHERE THEY RUN ALONG
AND LEAP FORWARD IN BOUNDS,

BREAKING THE SURFACE
OF THE WATER,

LIKE A DOLPHIN, TO BREATHE.

THEIR HEADS ARE DESIGNED
SO THAT EARS, NOSE, AND EYES

ARE ABOVE WATER,

SO THE REST OF THE BODY
REMAINS SUBMERGED.

LIKE DOLPHINS AND WHALES,
THEY CAN SLEEP UNDERWATER,

RISING TO BREATHE
WITHOUT WAKING.

AS THE SHRINKING RIVER
STRANGLES THIS SEETHING MASS,

A FOREST NEARBY ERUPTS
WITH HAUNTING SHRIEKS

AS A HUNGRY SWARM
DESCENDS TO FEED.

NORMAN CARR HAD A SPECIAL TOUCH

FOR PROTECTING
ZAMBIA’S WILDLIFE,

BUT NOT EVERYONE SHARED
HIS CONSERVATIVE VIEWS.

UNSCRUPULOUS HUNTING PARTIES

WIPED OUT MANY SPECIES
IN THE 1980s

HERE AT KASANKA NATIONAL PARK.

BUT JUST FIVE YEARS LATER,

A BRITISH FRIEND
OF NORMAN CARR’S STEPPED IN

TO TACKLE THE TROUBLED PARK.

DAVID LLOYD HAD SERVED
AS A COLONIAL OFFICER,

POLICING VIOLENT CLASHES

WHILE THE COUNTRY MADE ITS WAY
TO INDEPENDENCE.

HE AND GARY WILLIAMS,
A LOCAL FARMER,

INVESTED THEIR OWN MONEY
TO EMPLOY LOCAL GAME SCOUTS.

THEY WERE ASSISTED
BY CHIEF CHITAMBO,

WHOSE GRANDFATHER HAD HOSTED
DAVID LIVINGSTONE

MANY YEARS EARLIER.

THE TEAM BUILT ROADS
AND SAFARI LODGES

TO RE-ESTABLISH THE PARK.

WASA LODGE BECAME
THE HEADQUARTERS

OF THE KASANKA TRUST OPERATIONS

AND THE FIRST PRIVATELY FUNDED
PARK IN ZAMBIA.

IN 2016, IT WAS TRANSFERRED
INTO THE STEWARDSHIP

OF THE AFRICAN PARKS
CONSERVATION TEAM.

THE COLLECTIVE
CONSERVATION EFFORTS

CONTINUE TO RESTORE THE BALANCE
OF THE FRAGILE ECOSYSTEM HERE.

THESE PUKU HAVE MULTIPLIED
FROM A COUPLE HUNDRED ANIMALS

TO OVER 5,000 ANTELOPE,

THE LARGEST POPULATION
OF ITS KIND.

KASANKA NATIONAL PARK CAN
ONCE AGAIN LIVE UP TO ITS NAME,

WHICH MEANS "THE PLACE
WHERE ANIMALS GATHER."

THIS IS THE LARGEST
MAMMAL MIGRATION IN THE WORLD.

EVERY NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER,

10 MILLION
STRAW-COLORED FRUIT BATS

FLY FROM THE CONGO BASIN
TO THIS FERTILE SWAMP FOREST,

WHICH COVERS TWO ACRES.

THEY TRAVEL OVER 1,000 MILES
IN A FEW NIGHTS,

BY GLIDING ON NARROW WINGS
SPANNING 3 FEET

AND USE 35% LESS ENERGY
THAN A BIRD IN FLIGHT

BY FOLDING THEIR WINGS CLOSE
TO THEIR BODY WITH EACH BEAT.

MOST BATS USE
BIOSONAR TO NAVIGATE,

BUT THESE BATS
USE SIGHT AND SMELL ALONE.

THEY’RE DRAWN HERE
BY THE SMELL OF FRUIT.

WATER BERRIES, MANGOES,
WILD LOQUAT

AND RED MILKWOOD BERRIES

RIPEN IN TIME FOR THE FEAST.

♪

♪

THE BATS VENTURE OUT AT NIGHT TO
FEED IN SURROUNDING WOODLANDS,

RETURNING HERE TO ROOST.

THEY CONSUME DOUBLE THEIR
BODY WEIGHT OF FRUIT A NIGHT.

THEY CHEW ON THE FRUIT
TO DRINK ITS JUICE

AND DISCARD THE PULP.

THIS FEEDING BEHAVIOR
POLLINATES THE TREES’ FLOWERS

AND SOWS NEW SEEDS,

SLOWLY EXPANDING
THE SIZE OF THE FOREST.

THIS NATURAL FEEDING CYCLE

ENSURES THAT AS
THE BAT POPULATION GROWS,

THERE IS PLENTY
OF FOOD FOR THEM,

MAINTAINING THE BALANCE OF LIFE
IN THE PARK.

MAN-MADE CONSERVATION SYSTEMS
DESIGNED TO HAVE THE SAME EFFECT

CAN OFTEN COME
WITH UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES.

WHEN KAFUE NATIONAL PARK
WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE 1950s,

MANY LOCAL TRIBES FISHING
FOR FOOD IN THE BUSANGA SWAMPS

WERE MOVED OFF
THEIR CULTURAL LAND

TO CREATE THE RESERVE.

IT NOW SPANS 8,600 SQUARE MILES,

ACCOUNTING FOR 33%
OF ZAMBIA’S WILDLIFE RESERVES.

THE TRIBAL FOLK HAVE HAD
TO ADAPT TO A NEW HOME

IN A NARROW GAME MANAGEMENT AREA

AROUND THE PERIMETER
OF THE RESERVE.

IT’S MEANT TO BE A BUFFER ZONE,

WHERE PEOPLE CAN HUNT AND FISH
FOR FOOD IN THE KAFUE RIVER

WITHOUT INTERFERING
WITH PARK OPERATIONS.

BUT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE
LIVING ON THE PARK BOUNDARY,

IT’S HARD FOR AUTHORITIES
TO DISTINGUISH

BETWEEN RESIDENTS AND POACHERS.

TODAY, KAFUE’S RHINOS HAVE BEEN
COMPLETELY POACHED OUT,

AND ELEPHANT NUMBERS
HAVE PLUMMETED

FROM 60,000 ANIMALS IN THE 1960s
TO ONLY 4,000 TODAY.

BOISTEROUS MALE ELEPHANTS
ARE MOST AT RISK.

WHEN FEMALES ARE IN HEAT,
HORMONAL SURGES SEND MALES

INTO A TRANCE-LIKE STATE
CALLED MUSTH.

THEY FORM SMALL BACHELOR HERDS,

TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES
IN SEARCH OF RECEPTIVE FEMALES,

UNKNOWINGLY VENTURING CLOSE
TO HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.

THIS MAKES THEM
EASY TARGETS FOR POACHERS.

BUT ELEPHANTS
ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT

AND CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
PLACES OF DANGER AND REFUGE.

THIS ELEPHANT EXPLORES THE SMALL
ISLAND FOREST AT SHUMBA CAMP,

IN THE BUSANGA PLAINS AREA
OF THE PARK.

"SHUMBA" MEANS LION
IN THE LOCAL SHONA LANGUAGE.

AND THE LIONS HERE HAVE ADAPTED
A STRANGE BEHAVIOR.

THE BUSANGA PLAINS ARE FLOODED
DURING THE RAINY SEASON,

SO LIONS HAVE BEGUN CLIMBING UP
INTO BRANCHES OF FIG TREES

TO SEEK OUT PREY AND KEEP DRY.

SOME EVEN HANG OUT
ON THE CAMP’S WALKWAYS.

DURING WINTER,
THE WATER RECEDES,

REVEALING LUSH GRASSLANDS

THAT PROVIDE EXCELLENT GRAZING
FOR PLAINS ANIMALS...

AND EASIER HUNTING
FOR THE LIONS...

WHO THEN USE THE NARROW DITCHES
IN THE PLAINS

TO AMBUSH ANTELOPE.

♪

50 YEARS AGO, LECHWE WERE
ALMOST EXTINCT IN THIS AREA.

THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF THE NATIONAL PARK

HAS SEEN A PHENOMENAL RECOVERY
IN THEIR NUMBERS...

THANKS IN PART TO GAME SCOUTS,

WHO ARE ON CONSTANT PATROL TO
PROTECT WILDLIFE FROM POACHERS.

IN FACT, SOME OF THEM
ARE FORMER POACHERS,

NOW USING THEIR FIELD SKILLS

TO SAVE ANIMALS
RATHER THAN KILL THEM.

THE LARGE NUMBERS OF RARE
BLACK LECHWE GATHERED HERE

ARE PROOF OF THE RANGERS’
DEDICATION.

THEY MOVE AS A UNIT
AND STOP AT ANY SIGN OF DANGER

WITH THE SAME HERD COHESION.

CROCODILES LURK IN
THE SHRINKING POOLS OF WATER.

THE REST OF THE HERD
WAITS FOR A SIGNAL TO CROSS

OR RUN TO SAFETY.

♪

BY JUNE, WINTER HAS SET IN,

AND THE WETLANDS HAVE ALMOST
COMPLETELY VANISHED.

FLOCKS OF AFRICAN
OPEN-BILLED STORKS

CONGREGATE
AROUND THE WATERCOURSE,

WHERE THE HIPPOS STIR UP
TASTY CACHES

OF FRESHWATER SNAILS
AND MUSSELS.

HIPPOS FREQUENTLY USE THE SAME
PATHS THROUGH THE CHANNELS,

CUTTING THROUGH
DENSE WATER VEGETATION.

THESE PATHS HELP FISH ACCESS
NEW BREEDING PONDS

AND PREVENT SWAMPS
FROM BECOMING CLOGGED.

MALES BATTLE CONSTANTLY
OVER THE PRECIOUS TERRITORY.

THIS YOUNG BULL
HAS LOST A STANDOFF

WITH A MORE DOMINANT MALE.

HE TURNS HIS RAGE ON
AN APPROACHING MOTHER AND CALF.

THE MALE DEFECATES IN
A TYPICAL TERRITORIAL DISPLAY.

MOTHER AND CALF
MAKE A HASTY RETREAT.

THIS TIME THE BRUSH WITH
THE YOUNG MALE ENDS PEACEFULLY,

BUT THE FIGHT FOR SPACE
IN THE SHRINKING POND

WILL SOON ESCALATE
INTO MORE VIOLENT CLASHES.

EVEN ON DRY LAND,
ANIMALS COMPETE

FOR THE LAST CLUMPS
OF NUTRITIOUS VEGETATION.

HABITATS OVERLAP BETWEEN SPECIES

AS THEY DESPERATELY SEEK OUT
SUFFICIENT GRAZING.

EVERY LAST MORSEL
OF VEGETATION IS CONSUMED

SO THE HERDS SURVIVE
THE LONG DRY SPELL.

SOON RAIN WILL FALL
IN THE HIGHLANDS...

AND RIVERS WILL START
THEIR LONG JOURNEY

INTO ZAMBIA’S
LIFE-GIVING WETLANDS.

ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF ZAMBIA,

LUSH MIOMBO WOODLANDS
BLANKET THE LANDSCAPE.

HERE, GREAT PRESSURES
UNDERGROUND

FORCED MOLTEN LAVA TO SURGE
OVER 100 MILES

TO THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

AS IT COOLED, IT FORMED
THESE BREATHTAKING BOULDERS

THAT BREACH THE FOREST CANOPY,

RISING A THOUSAND FEET
INTO THE AIR...

GIVING THEM THEIR NAME--

WHALE BACK MOUNTAINS.

THEY’RE OVER
1.5 BILLION YEARS OLD.

THESE BOULDERS
AND THE 25-MILE ROCKY RIDGE

IN NEIGHBORING
LAVUSHI MANDA NATIONAL PARK

GIVE BIRTH TO SOME OF ZAMBIA’S
MOST IMPORTANT RIVERS.

THE LUKULU AND LULIMALA RIVERS
START HERE

AND DRAIN
INTO THE BANGWEULU SWAMPS...

ONE OF THE LARGEST
WETLAND SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD.

IT SPANS ALMOST
10,000 SQUARE MILES.

COUNTLESS PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

DEPEND ON THE BANGWEULU WATERS
TO SURVIVE.

ITS NAME MEANS "THE PLACE
WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY."

THE SHIMMERING WATER FILLS
A SHALLOW DEPRESSION

IN THE CENTER
OF THE NORTH ZAMBIAN PLATEAU.

THIS WAS ONCE AN ANCIENT SEA.

17 RIVERS FLOW IN,

BUT ONLY ONE FLOWS OUT--

THE LUAPULA.

THE VAST WETLAND LIES AT
THE EDGE OF THE CONGO PEDICLE.

IT’S THE SIZE OF NEW JERSEY
AND ALMOST CUTS ZAMBIA IN HALF.

EARLY RULERS OF THE CONGO

CREATED THE PEDICLE

WHEN THEY WANTED ACCESS

TO THE RICH FISHING WATERS

AND MINERAL RESOURCES
ZAMBIA HAD ON OFFER.

IN 1983, CHINESE CONTRACTORS,

EAGER TO ACCESS
THE COPPER MINES,

BUILT THE LUAPULA BRIDGE
OVER THE PEDICLE.

THE RIVER HERE IS 1,300 FEET
WIDE DURING THE DRY MONTHS...

BUT WELL OVER 3,000 FEET WIDE
WHEN IN FLOOD.

SO THE BRIDGE STRETCHES
FOR 1.5 MILES.

CROSSING THE BANGWEULU
CAN NOW BE DONE BY CAR,

BUT TO GET TO THE SWAMP ITSELF,
YOU NEED A BOAT.

THESE FARMERS HAVE HARVESTED
THE LAST CROPS FOR THE SEASON

AND NOW TURN TO FISHING
IN THE SWAMPS FOR FOOD...

TAKING ALL THEY NEED
TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE HOME,

BUT WITH HIDDEN DANGERS.

THREE OF AFRICA’S MOST DANGEROUS
KILLERS THRIVE HERE--

CROCODILES, HIPPOS,

AND THE DEADLY, ALMOST INVISIBLE
ANOPHELES MOSQUITO

THAT CARRIES
THE MALARIA PARASITE.

DESPITE THE RISK,
MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN

HAVE NO OTHER OPTION

BUT TO TRAVEL UP TO 60 MILES
ON FOOT AND BY BOAT

TO SETTLE IN THESE TEMPORARY
FISHING VILLAGES.

THEIR HUTS ARE CONSTRUCTED

FROM WOOD, THATCH GRASS,
AND PLASTIC SHEETS.

THEY’RE BUILT TO LAST
JUST UNTIL THE FLOODS ARRIVE.

DURING THE DAY,
MEN GO TO WORK IN SMALL TEAMS,

TRAVERSING MILES OF OPEN WATER

IN SEARCH OF CATFISH AND DOZENS
OF SPECIES OF CICHLIDS.

THEY’RE CAUGHT IN GILL NETS
AND SEINE NETS.

THE FISH ARE SMOKED AND SOLD
FOR A DOLLAR PER POUND

TO FISH TRADERS,

OR BARTERED FOR BREAD,
SUGAR, AND TOBACCO.

CATFISH AVOID PREDATORS

BY HIDING OUT
UNDER THESE FLOATING ISLANDS,

VENTURING OUT AT NIGHT TO FEED.

♪

FISHERMEN TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THEIR BEHAVIOR

BY SETTING A TRAP.

ESCAPE ROUTES ARE SEALED OFF

BY PLACING A SERIES
OF CIRCULAR NETS

AROUND THE DAYTIME HIDEOUT.

THESE NETS
WILL BE LEFT OVERNIGHT,

AND WITH A BIT OF LUCK, WILL BE
WRITHING WITH FISH BY MORNING.

ZAMBIANS HAVE SURVIVED
BY FISHING HERE FOR CENTURIES,

BUT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE,
MODERN INDUSTRY RUSHED IN...

NOT TO HARVEST FISH,

BUT RATHER
THE VALUABLE LIMESTONE

FORMED ON THE ANCIENT SEABED
THAT CRADLES THE SWAMP.

IT’S THE KEY INGREDIENT
FOR CEMENT PRODUCTION...

A RESOURCE THAT NOW EMPOWERS
MANY AFRICANS.

WHEN NIGERIAN BUSINESS TYCOON
ALIKO DANGOTE

WON THE RIGHT TO IMPORT CEMENT
INTO NIGERIA,

HIS BUSINESS SOARED.

IT EXPANDED
LIMESTONE MINING IN ZAMBIA,

MAKING WAY
FOR THIS CEMENT FACTORY.

DANGOTE IS NOW RANKED 67th
AMONG THE WORLD’S RICHEST MEN,

AND THE RICHEST
IN ALL OF AFRICA.

HIS WEALTH IS ESTIMATED
AT A STAGGERING $18 BILLION.

THESE MINES HELPED SHAPE
ZAMBIA’S ECONOMY

AND BROUGHT DANGOTE’S DREAM
TO LIFE--

DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
IN AFRICA...

A PATRIOTIC AND PRAGMATIC VISION

SHARED WITH THE LIKES
OF DR. DAVID LIVINGSTONE,

WHO HAD SEEN SUCH SUCCESS
IN HIS MIND’S EYE,

WHILE LOOKING AT AFRICA THROUGH
THE LENS OF IMPERIAL BRITAIN

MANY YEARS EARLIER.

♪

LIVINGSTONE IS STILL
THE ONLY CITY IN ZAMBIA

THAT RETAINS ITS COLONIAL NAME,

AN INDICATION OF THE KIND
OF RESPECT ZAMBIA HAS

FOR THE GREAT EXPLORER
WHO GAVE HIS LIFE TO AFRICA.

DR. DAVID LIVINGSTON’S LIFE

CAME TO AN END

NEAR THE BANGWEULU SWAMPS

JUST ACROSS THE WATER

FROM DANGOTE’S
CEMENT FACTORY OPERATIONS.

A PART OF HIM REMAINS
IN THIS MIOMBO FOREST.

MALARIA HAD RAVAGED
HIS BODY FOR MONTHS,

AND INTERNAL BLEEDING
CAUSED BY DYSENTERY

FINALLY TOOK HIS LIFE
ON THE FIRST OF MAY 1873.

WHEN HIS AFRICAN ATTENDANTS
FOUND HIM,

HE WAS KNEELING IN FINAL PRAYER.

HIS MEN WERE TORN
WITH HOW TO SAY GOODBYE.

THEY DECIDED TO REMOVE HIS HEART
AND BURY IT HERE.

HIS EMBALMED BODY WAS CARRIED

OVER A THOUSAND MILES
TO THE COAST,

RETURNED TO BRITAIN FOR BURIAL,
WITH A FINAL NOTE STATING:

"YOU CAN HAVE HIS BODY, BUT
HIS HEART BELONGS IN AFRICA."

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...

AS MODERN-DAY EXPLORERS
RETRACE HIS JOURNEY...

VENTURING THROUGH
PRISTINE PARKS

ONCE WALKED BY NORMAN CARR...

NEAR SACRED PLACES

WHERE TRIBES REKINDLE
THEIR CULTURAL HISTORY...

WORKING WITH NATURE

TO DEFINE THE BALANCE

BETWEEN THE DIG
FOR ZAMBIA’S MINERAL WEALTH

AND THE RACE TO PROTECT
ITS WILD SPACES...

♪

FROM THUNDERING HERDS OF LECHWE,

TO GIANT PODS OF HIPPOS.

WITNESSING THIS PROUD
AFRICAN NATION

MAKES IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND
WHY DAVID LIVINGSTONE

WOULD NOT FORSAKE
THIS MAGNIFICENT COUNTRY.

AS HIS VISION FOR THE CONTINENT
COMES TO LIFE,

HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON...

AS THE MIST FROM VICTORIA FALLS
CONTINUES TO ROAR.

♪

♪

♪