All language subtitles for BBC.Dynasties.II.2of4.Elephant.1080p.HDTV.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org_[eng]

Amboseli, Southern Kenya.

Home to a once thriving dynasty
of elephants.

But since the death
of their experienced leader...

..this family has struggled
to keep its calves alive.

But there is new hope
in one determined elephant...

..a twisted-tusked female
called Angelina.

She is pregnant,
carrying the next generation.

But she can't raise her calf alone.

She will need the strength
and support of her family.

Can Angelina bring them
all together...

..for the first crucial year
of her baby's life...

..and turn around
the fortunes of this dynasty?

Amboseli National Park

lies beneath the snow-capped peaks
of Mount Kilimanjaro.

This morning, Angelina's family
are tightly gathered around her.

And this is why.

A son...

..born just a few short minutes ago.

This is Atlas...

..taking his very first steps
in a world of giants.

All new calves are wobbly
on their feet...

..and born barely able to see.

Working out who's Mum
can take a bit of time.

A little gentle guidance
from Angelina...

..and Atlas can finally
take his first feed of milk.

Elephant mothers cannot raise
their calves unaided.

Like all new-born elephants,
Atlas can't yet run,

hide or defend himself
from predators.

This is one of the main reasons that
elephants live in family groups.

Angelina will need
the help of her aunts,

cousins and elder daughters.

Together, they must try
to keep Atlas safe,

as he begins the first
and most dangerous year of his life.

Four days later.

Something extraordinary
has happened...

..something that will irreversibly
change the fortunes of Atlas,

Angelina and her family.

Overnight, Angelina has given birth
to a second calf.

This is Alana, a daughter.

For elephants,
having twins is so rare...

..that it's only been recorded
five times in Kenya.

Although this might seem
like good news

for the future strength
of the family...

..calves need so much milk and care

that raising twins
is almost impossible.

There's now a very real chance

that Angelina could end up
losing both babies.

For a family who have lost
ten calves in the last five years,

keeping twins alive will be
their greatest challenge.

Angelina leads her family
to look for breakfast.

Alana is busy playing.

And she's been left behind
by her family.

Not a good start.

Fortunately, her elder sisters,

aunts and cousins
come to the rescue.

The effectiveness
of these baby-sitters

will be critical to the twins'
chances of survival.

With the family back together again,

Angelina leads them to one
of their favourite feeding spots...

..a vast swamp,
lying in the heart of Amboseli...

..supplied through the year by water
flowing from Mount Kilimanjaro.

The adults wade in
and start to feed.

But the twins are
a little more hesitant.

Atlas encourages his sister
to take the plunge.

The family venture further into the
swamp in search of the best grass.

But the baby-sitters
have led the twins

into a patch of particularly
sticky mud.

Within seconds,
Atlas is in trouble.

Alana is trying
to reach her brother.

Atlas is completely upside down.

As the family try to help,
they only make matters worse.

Angelina pulls Alana away.

She mustn't risk losing
both of her calves.

The baby-sitters are now
searching in the mud for Atlas.

Miraculously, he's free...

..but so exhausted, he needs help
to lift his head to breathe.

His baby-sitters help him back...

..to be reunited with his mother.

Elephants learn
from their experiences.

And this has certainly been
a lesson for Angelina, her family...

..and perhaps even her twins.

Elephants need a varied diet...

..and they leave the swamp
to forage on the plains.

For the twins, this open ground
is a great place for playing.

Like human babies, calves learn
through social interactions.

At this age, even their trunk
is a bit of a mystery.

Everything needs investigating,
even their mother's wonky tusk...

..their big sister's tail...

..or their cousin's ear.

This play works both ways.

The baby-sitters must start to learn
what the twins need

and important bonds
can begin to form.

On the horizon...

..a group of bull elephants
has appeared.

Males leave their families
once they are about 14 years old

and spend time in bachelor groups.

One of Angelina's family
is in oestrus,

four days during which
she's ready to mate.

This only happens about once
in every four years.

And it can attract bulls
from far and wide.

Normally placid males try to
get close to a female in oestrus,

and that can cause chaos.

Angelina keeps the twins
near to her side.

The bulls kick out
when the twins get in their way.

As the competition between
the bulls intensifies,

alarm spreads through the family.

With the twins safely in the middle,
the whole group runs.

Atlas and Alana are exhausted,
trying to keep up with their mother.

But at least they've managed
to get away from the amorous bulls.

Back at the swamp,

this time, Angelina picks
a better feeding place...

..and things settle down.

A huge lone bull...

..disturbed by
the family's approach.

Angelina can only find Alana.

Atlas is dangerously close
to the bull.

..Angelina attempts to drive
the male away from her son...

..and the rest of her family
back her up.

Confronted by the united family...

..the bull retreats.

Now they can take Atlas and Alana
out of harm's way.

Angelina and her family are becoming
a force to be reckoned with...

..now able to protect both calves.

The chances of both her son
and daughter

surviving their first year...

..have significantly increased...

..thanks to the help
of the whole family.

But in Amboseli,
nothing stays the same for long.

Two months later
and the dry season has arrived.

This is the hardest time
of the year for elephants.

The knowledge of where to find food

during these dry times
is critical...

..and is passed down by example,
from generation to generation.

Angelina has taken her twins
to an acacia woodland

where there's still
something to eat.

But acacia thorns aren't quite
to Alana's taste.

With her mother distracted,

she starts to investigate things
for herself.

She's now several months old
and becoming very inquisitive...

..as is her brother.

But neither of them knows
quite what to make of this buffalo,

who's trying to rest.

Not much chance of that today.

Morning adventure complete...

..they're back to Angelina before
she seems to have even noticed.

But as time passes,
the savannah is growing drier.

Grassland is turning to dust.

There has been no rain for months.

Even the strongest may be
brought down by drought.

Angelina leads the family
in a never-ending search for food.

It's the youngest who,
with less reserves than the adults,

feel it the most.

Alana keeps falling behind.

And now Angelina's milk
is beginning to run dry.

The twins are starting
to compete with one another.

Although close to a year old
and able to eat grass,

they still need milk.

The time for sharing is over.

The twins have no choice
but to keep up with their mother

as she keeps moving.

As the weeks pass,
there is no let up.

The twins are close to starvation.

Their bones are showing
beneath their skin

and their cheeks are sunken.

But still they have to keep moving.

Angelina takes her family
back to the swamp.

But even here, the grass is short
and the water has turned into mud.

Alana is so hungry that she
ducks her head to try and suckle.

If you're starving,

even the smallest drink of milk
is worth a mouthful of mud.

The swamp is now no place
for the twins.

Angelina must take them
to safer feeding grounds.

But Atlas simply
hasn't got the energy.

Angelina, having helped him
through so much, won't leave him.

Hyenas.

They can kill babies this size.

But to even get close,

they must first separate a calf
from its family.

Angelina stands guard
over her twins.

The members of her family
now confidently work together.

The baby-sitters lead the charge.

They won't let the hyena
get anywhere near the twins.

Angelina can now try to coax
the calves to their feet.

First, Alana.

And with one final effort...

..Atlas.

Together, they can move
towards safer grounds.

In the face of extreme hardship,

the bonds in this family
have grown stronger.

Elephants can detect storms
coming from 150 miles away.

The long awaited rains
have arrived.

And not a moment too soon.

The good times are back again.

The hardest part
of Angelina's journey is over.

The twins are now a year old.

Their chances of survival
are now much higher.

Growing in independence
and physical strength...

..the twins are now at home
in the swamp.

Alana's confidence may one day
help her become a leader herself.

And Atlas,
having survived so much,

may now have the experience
to become a successful bull

and perhaps father his own dynasty.

Under Angelina's leadership,
the whole family is thriving.

Five more calves have been born.

The dynasty is returning
to its full strength...

..united by one determined elephant.

The Dynasties team
spent over two years

filming with Angelina's family...

..gradually earning their trust

to allow them to witness
the twins growing up.

The team had to learn to understand

and predict the movements
of the family.

But filming the bulls proved
a rather different challenge.

Their extensive range takes them
out of the safety of Amboseli

and into surrounding farmland.

And it's here, when night falls,

that the bulls come into conflict
with humans.

The only way to observe them in the
darkness is to use a thermal camera.

The bulls, without making a sound,

sneak in to feed
on the farmer's crops.

But even when the bulls
are discovered,

there is little the farmers
can do about it.

With their entire livelihoods
at stake,

they try to drive off
the elephants with fire.

But the bulls have become
so accustomed to this

that they barely pause to look up.

Conflict with humans is becoming one
of the biggest threats to elephants.

Here, an organisation
called Big Life Foundation

is coming up with solutions

to try to keep both elephants
and humans safe.

When the elephant
gets into their crops,

the farmer became so angry
to that elephant,

so it's easy for him to spear,
poison it.

Since 2011, 50 elephants have been
killed in conflict in this area...

..and 20 people have been
killed by elephants.

If that farmer is trying
to cultivate three acres

and four elephants
get into that farm,

they will completely finish
the whole farm in two hours.

So these shelters,
farmers will stay there?

Yeah, the farmers will stay there
all over the night. All night?

All night. Here, we have
lost a lot of people here.

An elephant trampled and killed
on this spot at the farm.

The Big Life team have started
to implement a long-term solution

by laying hundreds of miles
of electric fencing.

The benefit of the fence
coming up all along,

it will act in two ways -
save the life of the farmer

and also the life of the elephants.

But until this barrier is finished,

a group of specially trained
Big Life rangers

do the next best thing -
they become a living fence.

Called in nightly by the farmers,

the rangers head across
swampy ground

to try to chase the elephants away.

In the pitch-black,

and unarmed except for a torch
and some firecrackers,

it's dangerous work.

Bulls can weigh seven tonnes
and can easily outrun a human.

It's incredible that we're
watching them, those rangers,

and they don't know
where the elephants are.

We can see where
the elephants are.

They're pretty brave guys.

The bulls are moving,
but not in the right direction.

They're still eating
and trampling the crops.

The elephants must be pushed back
before the farmers lose everything

and before the situation escalates.

The rangers have one last resort...

..their firecrackers.

Although harmless,
the noise and bright light

are enough to finally
get the bulls' attention.

The rangers' strategy is working.

The elephants are moving back
towards the reserve.

Now, the elephants have gone back
to Kimana Sanctuary.

They're safe for now. Yeah.
So they're in a very safe place.

So you've got to be very brave
and careful.

Brave and careful. So you have
to be very careful as you work.

It's pretty nerve-racking
to think that in 14 years' time,

our little male twin is going to
be leaving his family

and braving this conflict zone.

I'm just so relieved
the rangers will be here

to maximise his chances.

By working tirelessly all night
and every night,

this year, these rangers have
prevented 180 crop raids...

..and they were able to save
the lives of all but one bull.

Keeping the elephants
and farmers safe in this way

buys time for the longer-term
solution to be put in place.

And with that, perhaps,
will come some degree of harmony

in the struggle to share this land.

Poaching seems to have gone down.

What is left here
is human-elephant conflict.

This is where now the war
of elephant is being lived.

If we can't do something
on human-elephant conflict,

we'll lose all.

We need to all join hands.

We need to say,
"Yes, they have the right to live."

If we can't say no
to killing of elephants,

then we end up losing everything.

We end up losing
the beauty of the world.

Our kids and our grandchildren
will not see anything,

they will just read in history,
in books.

Like the dinosaurs.

Next time...

..after struggling for years,

a cheetah mother may have
one last chance to raise a family

on these unforgiving plains.

Can she keep them safe

and prepare them
for a life without her?