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We live on a crowded planet.
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But there are still vast areas...
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ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
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..where nature has the upper hand.
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It looks like another planet.
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00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:23,000
I'm heading to the last great
wildernesses.
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I'll try to cross four of these rugged
landscapes...
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Oh, my God!
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..on my toughest journeys yet.
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I have to be honest - things are not
going brilliantly.
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A bit of a medical situation.
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Help is a long way away.
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- Well done.
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- I want to meet the people for whom
the wilderness is home...
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Testicles for breakfast, lunch and
dinner.
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..to see how they live alongside
nature.
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Whoa!
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I can stay down there for a minute or
so.
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00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,440
He's still down there now walking
around.
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And in this critical time for our
world...
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Huge carcasses of great trees.
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..seek out the rare and majestic
creatures that still survive...
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My heart is racing.
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THUNDERCLAP
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..in some of the most hostile
environments.
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Are you OK, Jonathan?
- Yeah, yeah.
27
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- ..and the remotest regions...
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Bloody hell!
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..of our wild planet.
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Ssh!
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- Coo-coo!
- Coo!
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Big cats roaming free.
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This surely is the absolute definition
of a real wilderness.
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I'm travelling across the Kalahari
Desert,
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a huge area of wilderness that
stretches across Southern Africa.
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It's one of the wildest places on
Earth.
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00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:20,040
I'm heading into a very remote region.
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For mile after mile here,
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there's just scrub, shrub and dusty
dry land.
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00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,720
Everything here is growing in the
largest
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basin of sand on planet Earth.
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00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:36,680
At points here, the sand sinks 1,000
metres deep.
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00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,080
But despite the harsh terrain,
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the Kalahari is bursting with life.
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- Simon, close, elephant.
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- Elephants!
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Wow!
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LOW GROWL
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00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,640
Here in the Kalahari,
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in this very dry part of the
continent,
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there are still giant beasts walking
through the sandy desert.
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A vast wilderness the size of Germany,
long eulogised
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00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,520
and romanticised, the Kalahari is a
semi-desert
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00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,520
where seasonal rains ensure there's
now food for wildlife to thrive.
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00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,080
But the Kalahari is just as famous for
its people.
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00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,080
I'm travelling with Darm Debai.
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00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,200
He's one of the San - the indigenous
people of the Kalahari.
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00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,880
There's a jackal.
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00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:51,400
- Cairee.
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In our language we call it cairee.
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Cairee. Say cairee.
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00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:58,520
- One more time.
- Cairee.
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00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,160
- Airee.
- Cairee.
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00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,240
- I can't do it, Darm, I can't!
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HE LAUGHS
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00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,320
The San have been in the Kalahari for
tens of thousands of years
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00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,120
as trackers, hunters and gatherers,
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00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,120
famous for their extraordinary
survival skills.
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00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,680
Humans have always live here shaping
and protecting the Kalahari
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00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,920
as much as any wilderness on the
planet.
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00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,040
The Kalahari sits in the middle of
Southern Africa,
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00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:32,600
straddling six countries.
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00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:34,680
I'm travelling through its dry centre
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00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:38,560
heading for the spectacular wetlands
of the Okavango Delta.
75
00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,320
I'm starting in the north-west, in
Namibia, on my way to
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00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:46,760
a traditional San village.
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00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,160
Then I'll journey east into Botswana,
travelling through
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00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,600
the vast emptiness of the Central
Kalahari Game Reserve.
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00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,280
I'm hoping to end my journey at one of
the greatest
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00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:59,160
concentrations of wildlife on this
continent.
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00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:09,360
I'm heading to a remote village that
is home to some of the last
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00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,800
great wildlife trackers and hunters
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00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,280
in any wilderness on the planet.
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00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:22,920
Denui is a small San village in
Namibia's Nyae Nyae Conservancy.
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00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,720
People here live mostly in traditional
San dwellings
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made of wood and clay.
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00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,200
They have some livestock and crops,
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but, far from any town, they also hunt
to survive.
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00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,400
Darm has brought me to meet an old
friend.
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00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,120
This is old Tui?
- Yeah!
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00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:54,560
- HE LAUGHS
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00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:56,280
DARM:
- But he's still young.
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- He's still young.
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00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,280
You're not that old!
95
00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:04,800
Tomorrow we'll head into the bush.
96
00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,800
But now the sun's going down, it's
time to rest.
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00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,040
Oh, my goodness.
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00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:16,960
TRANSLATION:
99
00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:23,080
I'm all right, thank you.
100
00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:24,600
Oh, my God.
101
00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:26,960
It's like being in the forest.
102
00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:28,240
Look at this.
103
00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:30,760
It's like a work of art.
104
00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:44,720
Oh, right, I'll get my little mozzie
net up and sort my stuff
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00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,400
and have a little... a little camping
faff,
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00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,400
while I organise my things.
- Yeah.
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00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:54,280
- BOWSTRING TWANGS MELODICALLY
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00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:58,360
Tui and the hunters have offered to
take me deep into the Kalahari.
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00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,560
It's still wild out there.
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00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,400
THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD
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The San have been a crucial part of
this eco-system
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for tens of thousands of years.
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00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,240
Old Tui and the other trackers have an
intimate understanding
114
00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:09,400
of the wilderness and wildlife here,
learned over endless generations.
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00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:12,440
We head out.
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First task - hunting for a beetle.
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00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:32,040
For the San, the Kalahari is a
pharmacy, pantry and armoury.
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00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:34,960
Tui is searching for the larvae of a
beetle that lives only under
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00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,040
a certain type of bush.
120
00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,720
Do you want me to do more of this?
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00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:44,320
Yeah?
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The larvae contains poison they need
for their hunting arrows.
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Is that one?
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Oh, my gosh.
125
00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:07,480
It looks like the size of a jelly
bean,
126
00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,400
and it does look as though there's
something...
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00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,040
..larvae or something inside.
128
00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:15,600
- Yes, see this is the larva.
- Yeah, just there.
129
00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:17,680
- Yeah.
- Wow!
130
00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,080
Historically, the complex San
language,
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00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,960
with its dozens of click consonants
wasn't written down,
132
00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,880
so knowledge and skills are passed
down through the generations
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00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:34,720
by word of mouth.
134
00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,280
Tui is keen to teach the younger lads
the skills
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00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:46,640
and the secrets of making deadly
poison arrows.
136
00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:09,040
So, Tui, how many of these could kill
a human being?
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00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:12,320
Wow!
138
00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:49,560
You've got to stop to think how the
hell did people discover this
139
00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:50,880
in the first place?
140
00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,640
And then he's going to squeeze it out
like a pimple or something.
141
00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:13,160
To avoid accidentally cutting and
poisoning themselves,
142
00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:17,280
the hunters don't apply the toxin
directly to the sharp arrowhead.
143
00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:19,160
It's coming out in droplets now.
144
00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:27,000
So, that is now a very potent poison
arrow.
145
00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:37,520
It's a gruelling trek across the
desert to reach the hunting grounds.
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00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,240
We're getting ready and we're heading
out.
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00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:47,480
All right?
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00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,640
We're off.
149
00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,120
The Kalahari is full of wildlife,
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00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,200
everything from small birds to spindly
antelope
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and burly wildebeest.
152
00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:00,960
But animals here are wary.
153
00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,760
They've spent thousands of years
dodging human predators
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00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:09,440
and they know to keep well away from
the San villages and San hunters.
155
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So, we need to trek to reach the best
hunting grounds
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in the burning heat.
157
00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:19,560
Yeah, make no mistake, this is a very
harsh environment.
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00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:25,080
At last, there's signs of animals.
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00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,680
The tracks of a kudu - a large
antelope.
160
00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,280
So, can we see the tracks?
- Yeah, it's this one.
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- You can see, it's very distinct
here,
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but they can see so much more than
just the track,
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they can see the direction,
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the weight and they can tell that it
came through here this morning.
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With evidence of wildlife all around,
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old Tui decides it's time to hunt.
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They've decided they're going to put a
snare, a little trap, here,
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to see if they can catch anything.
169
00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:09,840
Traditional hunting methods used by
indigenous wilderness people
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generally have a tiny impact on the
environment.
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00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,360
They're eating true free-range meat,
and only occasionally,
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and they're often in competition
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with other four-legged apex predators.
174
00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,080
- Because it hasn't got nails here,
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the cheetah is the one with only have
got nails while he's running.
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Like it's faster at running.
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- This was a running cheetah that came
through here?
- Yeah.
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00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,040
- So, a cheetah came through here
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00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:48,840
and now they want to know if it made a
kill just over here.
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So, the guys think a cheetah came
through here and it had
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00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:58,840
spotted a kudu that was coming through
there.
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Maybe it took it.
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00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:10,160
You can just imagine the scene playing
out here, can't you,
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00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,800
as they recreate it
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00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,800
using their skills and their
imagination.
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- It's finish.
187
00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,480
This is the end of the story.
188
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,480
And a piece of bone...
- It's right here.
- ..is from a kudu.
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00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:32,440
- Where's the rest of the carcass?
190
00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,760
- After the kill there is others who
also come
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00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,120
and it's why we cannot find the whole
body.
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00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:42,200
- The entire carcass of the animal,
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bones and everything,
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has been chomped and eaten
195
00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:48,760
not just by the cheetahs, of course,
196
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:53,240
but other scavengers that have come in
and gnawed and nibbled
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00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,080
and destroyed the rest of the animal.
198
00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:00,760
That's all they found of it.
199
00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:07,120
All right.
200
00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:09,200
We're going to go and find somewhere
to camp.
201
00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:11,240
All right, let's do it.
202
00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:24,000
- Simon.
- Yes.
203
00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:27,800
Fire, OK.
204
00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:32,720
Go on, see if I can.
205
00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:39,120
Team work.
206
00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:48,360
Ready?
207
00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,000
It's going.
208
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:18,880
And that is quite a sunset.
209
00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:20,960
Look at that through the flames.
210
00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,880
I wonder if we should film that.
211
00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,240
Just a suggestion.
212
00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,240
What are you drinking?
- Coffee.
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00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,960
- How can you drink coffee at this
time?
214
00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:52,000
You will be awake all night.
215
00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,440
But this is sounding extremely
dangerous.
216
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:06,600
It's a wonder any of you are here.
217
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,000
I mean, everything out there it seems
to be...
218
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,400
..to pose some sort of a threat.
219
00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,360
We're up at first light.
220
00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:50,600
The hunt is on.
221
00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,360
So, the plan is that I'm going to
follow them while they hunt,
222
00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:55,800
and I'll carry a little camera
223
00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:59,880
and hopefully then we'll get a more
realistic picture of
224
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,800
what they have to do to put meat on
the table.
225
00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:05,960
Let's go.
226
00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:00,280
The hunters find a fresh trail.
227
00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:05,920
They've seen something.
228
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,360
WHISPERS:
229
00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,120
They're not using high-powered rifles.
230
00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:34,400
They've just got lightweight bows.
231
00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:44,080
To increase their chances,
232
00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,360
the hunters need to get as close as
possible.
233
00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:20,920
Ssh!
234
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,120
They'll only know for sure if they've
hit the wildebeest
235
00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:53,000
by checking for their arrows.
236
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,240
If they strike the target, the
poisoned head breaks off
237
00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,200
leaving the shaft on the ground as
evidence of a direct hit.
238
00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,440
So, this is where the wildebeest were.
239
00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,880
They think they've shot arrows
successfully into
240
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,480
two or three wildebeest.
241
00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:39,680
The poison they use doesn't work
instantly
242
00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:44,440
so they now need to follow signs on
the ground and track
243
00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,720
and hunt those wildebeest down.
244
00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:54,880
For thousands of years in this cradle
of humanity,
245
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,480
this is often how we've tackled large,
powerful animals,
246
00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,280
pursuing them from a distance until
they succumb.
247
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,120
It is strange even after just a short
time with them,
248
00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:13,480
you do start to see the landscape in a
completely different way,
249
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,080
and obviously I'm like a toddler
reading a picture book,
250
00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:20,280
as opposed to them taking in the whole
encyclopaedia.
251
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:24,840
But you do start to get a sense that
there is this whole other dimension
252
00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:26,640
to the landscape here.
253
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,160
They can see it, they can read it all.
254
00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,800
One of the wildebeest has separated
from the herd.
255
00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:47,320
For hour after hour, we track it.
256
00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:49,240
They think it's close.
257
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,000
HE WHISTLES SOFTLY
258
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:56,360
They can see the wildebeest ahead.
259
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,040
WHISPERS: Is that it in the grass?
260
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,840
Man, this is intense.
261
00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:44,120
For now, the wildebeest is still too
strong.
262
00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:47,120
They're powerful and dangerous
animals.
263
00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:48,720
The hunters have to be patient.
264
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,360
Well, that...
265
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,080
..that was a herd of wildebeest
266
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,160
and to creep up on them like that,
267
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,880
that is one of the most primal
experiences
268
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,040
I feel like I've ever had.
269
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:29,240
I'm totally invested in these...
270
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:33,240
..these guys, their community, their
hunt for food.
271
00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,080
The hunters have been unlucky.
272
00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,800
The wounded wildebeest has made it
back to the herd.
273
00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:47,640
Well, that is really the end of the
hunt for the wildebeest
274
00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:52,920
because the herd have completely
scattered the prints all around.
275
00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:58,480
So, the guys have lost the track of
the injured wildebeest
276
00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:01,040
they were trying to follow.
277
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:05,400
So, that is a wildebeest they have
lost that is probably going to
278
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,200
be taken by lions and hyenas.
279
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:13,800
So some of the wildlife out here will
benefit from it,
280
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,760
but not their community.
281
00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,880
This is a bloody hard way to provide
for your family.
282
00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:38,800
Dejected, Tui and the hunters
283
00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:42,560
begin the long journey back to the
village.
284
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,320
They have one last chance to avoid
returning empty-handed.
285
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,960
A small game bird. What's it called?
286
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:01,120
- It's called francolin.
287
00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:04,520
- A lot of effort for this little
bird.
288
00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,160
They are not guaranteed success.
289
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,960
Even the best tracker and hunter
290
00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:17,800
does not have an astonishing hit rate
291
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,200
because this is the wild
292
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,960
and life is unpredictable here.
293
00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,480
Meat, protein, does not come easy,
294
00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:30,880
and they eat far less of it than
people in higher income countries.
295
00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,360
With the odds often against them,
296
00:28:33,360 --> 00:28:36,440
perhaps it's not surprising there
aren't many traditional San hunters
297
00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:39,600
left in the Kalahari, but Tui and the
trackers believe
298
00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,080
hunting is about even more than
putting food on the table.
299
00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:50,200
Should we be worried there are so few
master trackers left?
300
00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:33,480
Across the wild Kalahari,
301
00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,520
it's getting harder for the San to
live traditionally.
302
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:42,120
In some areas they've been banned from
hunting.
303
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:49,840
Many youngsters are being drawn and
driven away to towns and cities.
304
00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,440
Old Tui could be one of the last great
master trackers
305
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:56,760
of the Kalahari.
306
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,880
Come on, mate.
307
00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,200
It's been an honour.
308
00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,840
I've loved every moment I've spent in
your company.
309
00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:07,000
You've got an infectious joy.
- Yeah.
310
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,600
- Oh!
311
00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:13,320
Thank you very much.
312
00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,440
It's been an absolute joy.
313
00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,960
I'm travelling on across the Kalahari,
314
00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:32,760
from Namibia into Botswana
315
00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:36,960
heading towards the Central Kalahari
Game Reserve,
316
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,440
one of the largest protected wildlife
reserves
317
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:41,840
in the whole of Africa.
318
00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:45,320
A vast wilderness of more than 20,000
square miles.
319
00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:58,000
- If you don't have the room then you
can come.
320
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:01,720
- I know, I'm going to be trapped in
here, in the luggage compartment!
321
00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:03,560
- Yeah, we need you outside.
322
00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:06,840
- This is Ali and Robson...
- One last bag.
323
00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:11,240
- ..and they're going to be taking me
a fair old distance
324
00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:14,240
across the Kalahari.
- Yes.
325
00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:16,160
Let's do this, Simon.
326
00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,160
- Let's get running.
327
00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:33,720
- So, this track takes us into the
very heart of the Kalahari.
328
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:38,640
We're heading into the CKGR - the
Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
329
00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,080
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
330
00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,680
The CKGR brims with wildlife.
331
00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,720
This part of the Kalahari was turned
into a wilderness reserve
332
00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:55,520
in the 1960s.
333
00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:01,920
Originally it was set up to protect
the people here, not animals.
334
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:06,000
The idea was to provide a wild land
and sanctuary for the San...
335
00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:10,880
..but since the 1990s, that's changed.
336
00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:23,360
This area of the Kalahari has been
home to the San
337
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,600
for tens of thousands of years.
338
00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:27,640
But in the last few decades,
339
00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:33,360
the San have been relocated or
transferred out of the reserve.
340
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,960
It's been hugely controversial in
Botswana, in Southern Africa
341
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:41,400
and around the world because one of
the oldest of human
342
00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:45,680
civilisations has been moved from one
of its core historic areas.
343
00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,560
The Botswanan government banned
hunting and blocked drinking wells.
344
00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:56,600
Many of the San were moved here to a
purpose-built settlement
345
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:57,960
called New Kandwane.
346
00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:01,080
It has roads and small concrete
dwellings
347
00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,480
and is now home to more than 1,000
people.
348
00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,840
Some officials said the San shouldn't
be
349
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:09,280
living in the wilderness without
access to schools and health care.
350
00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,160
Good morning.
- Hey, good morning.
351
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:15,680
- Sorry.
352
00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:17,320
Where are you off to?
353
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:21,760
- She's going home.
354
00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:24,280
- Marsao Harasemi was just five years
old
355
00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:29,320
when she and her mother Mantisho left
the Central Kalahari.
356
00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:31,000
Can I sit here, Mum?
357
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,920
You don't remember the bush...
- Yes.
358
00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:36,280
- ..the way she does, of course.
359
00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:40,320
- I grew up in New Kandwane and she
grew up in the Kalahari.
360
00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,360
- What were you feelings and emotions
361
00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:47,000
when you were required to leave the
Kalahari?
362
00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:09,160
It sounds as if you find quite
difficult here?
363
00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:23,040
Can the San people be San
364
00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:27,280
without hunting and tracking in the
CKGR?
365
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:50,760
Does it feel to you as though the San
were seen as less important
366
00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:52,960
than the wildlife in the Kalahari?
367
00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:03,120
Moving out of the wilderness hasn't
been easy for the San.
368
00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:05,400
Many adults here are unemployed,
369
00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,560
living from subsistence farming and
state welfare benefits.
370
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:14,000
Many claim they've lost their way of
life without being given
371
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,040
new purpose and meaning through enough
jobs or training.
372
00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:20,120
It's clear the wilderness still holds
a powerful allure.
373
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:26,640
But I am quite struck coming here
374
00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:30,400
by how many of the homesteads
375
00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:37,040
have still got a traditional hut,
effectively, built outside them.
376
00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:40,160
- That shows that we are still a
cultural people,
377
00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,720
and we are still into our culture.
378
00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,120
Even if you put a bushman or a San in
this house,
379
00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:49,120
he or she is not going to change
anyhow...
- Yeah.
380
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,480
- The change, it's that structure,
381
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:56,200
but the heart of a bushman is not easy
to just change.
382
00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:02,720
- Marsao doesn't remember life out in
the bush.
383
00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:04,880
She's had a formal education
384
00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:07,920
and became one of relatively few San
to go to university.
385
00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:14,560
- I got the inspiration right here in
New Kandwane
386
00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:17,280
because that's where we met different
people here.
387
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:21,280
We met the teachers, we met the
police, the nurses.
388
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,040
That's where we got the inspiration.
- Mmm.
389
00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:28,200
Marsao believes there have been
advantages to life in New Kandwane.
390
00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:31,560
She's keen for more of the San to have
the same access to schools,
391
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:35,120
jobs and modern health care that the
rest of Botswana enjoys.
392
00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:38,160
So, this is the clinic?
- Yes.
393
00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:41,000
- Yeah, that's a much more modern
facility, isn't it?
- Yes.
394
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,800
As you can see, that side is there,
395
00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:47,160
the maternity ward, and here's the
consultancy area.
396
00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:52,120
I believe, even as San, there is a
time that we also have to
397
00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:54,440
adapt to the life of today.
398
00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:00,800
- The Botswanan government has been
accused of human rights abuses
399
00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:03,320
for evicting the San,
400
00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:04,720
some campaigners say
401
00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:08,400
because they thought there were
diamonds in the Kalahari.
402
00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:10,680
The government denies this
403
00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:14,200
and insists the San were moved to
provide them with modern facilities
404
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,640
they can't get out in the bush.
405
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:20,080
But at times they have also claimed
the growing San population
406
00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:24,080
was destroying wildlife in the Central
Kalahari
407
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:27,960
and that conservation should come
first.
408
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:33,320
Whatever the reason or reasons why the
San were moved out of the CKGR,
409
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:38,960
it did spark a wider debate about what
are wild places for.
410
00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:45,840
Is a wilderness only a wilderness if
there are no humans living there?
411
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:50,960
Often, indigenous people are
absolutely central to a wilderness.
412
00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:55,600
Often, they're the ones who help to
shape it, create it,
413
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,440
tend it and protect it.
414
00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:00,960
But here, I think there was a feeling
415
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:05,280
that to have a proper conservation
area, that required the human beings
416
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:10,960
who'd lived there for thousands of
years to be moved out.
417
00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:18,560
However, on my wilderness journeys
I've been realising that
418
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:23,400
humans are actually an integral part
of many remote areas.
419
00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:27,080
I'll see that more as I travel further
across the Kalahari
420
00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:31,880
towards a giant oasis in this great
desert - the Okavango Delta.
421
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,520
Robson grew up in the Kalahari,
422
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:41,280
absorbing everything there is to know
about the landscape
423
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:43,040
and wildlife around him.
424
00:38:43,040 --> 00:38:45,960
He's like a walking guidebook.
425
00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:47,640
- Aardwolf, you see it? It's here.
426
00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:49,080
Oh, my God!
427
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:51,200
- It's a hyena.
- No, aardwolf.
428
00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:53,040
- Aardwolf?
429
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,760
It's an aardwolf, very rare.
430
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:57,880
- OK, the head is up there.
431
00:38:57,880 --> 00:38:59,560
You can see two.
432
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:00,760
So, this is a pair.
433
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,440
You don't often see two.
434
00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:07,840
- The aardwolf is a species of hyena
which eats mainly insects.
435
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:10,320
Its favourite snack is the termite.
436
00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:15,200
A single aardwolf can gobble down
300,000 in a day.
437
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:18,800
Have you seen these before?
- Well, I only have seen them twice.
438
00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:22,480
But that is after 18 years of guiding.
This is very rare.
439
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:25,960
So, I'm so impressed that you get to
see two.
440
00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:29,840
And these are often more active at
night.
441
00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:34,000
Oh, look, wow!
442
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:35,840
I am a touch impressed.
- Hey!
443
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:38,040
- It's hard to believe.
444
00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:39,640
Very nice.
445
00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:58,120
- So, this case should be safe out
here.
446
00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,640
Hyenas are not going to get into that,
447
00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:04,280
but I need to take my shoes inside,
cos apparently they like
448
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:07,360
stealing them from outside tents and
having a chew.
449
00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:27,840
I'm sure I can hear lions.
450
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:37,480
LOW GROWLS
451
00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:43,320
There are lions going past my tent.
452
00:40:49,760 --> 00:40:51,560
ENGINE STARTS
453
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,320
- We are going to the water hole.
454
00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:56,360
Thank you.
455
00:40:57,760 --> 00:40:59,800
- Lions.
456
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,840
They're here...at the water hole.
457
00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:15,160
There he is.
458
00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:19,120
The king of the Kalahari.
459
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:29,520
HE ROARS
460
00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:41,160
You feel it so deep within you,
461
00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:44,520
that primal, terrifying,
462
00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:47,200
awe-inspiring roar.
463
00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:51,120
HE ROARS
464
00:41:55,640 --> 00:41:59,200
Kalahari lions are magnificent
creatures.
465
00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:03,600
The sheer volume of all wildlife here
is truly awe-inspiring.
466
00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:06,080
- That's a young jackal.
467
00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:13,680
- Species that face near extinction in
other parts of Africa
468
00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:16,600
are still common here in this area of
Botswana.
469
00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:21,120
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
470
00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:23,040
- There are elephants, elephants on
the left
471
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:26,280
and at ten o'clock or 11, there's a
herd of elephants.
472
00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:28,680
- There's a herd of elephants!
473
00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:30,280
- It's so unique.
474
00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:33,240
The grassland is amazing.
475
00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:37,120
- There were once 25 million elephants
in Africa.
476
00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:39,800
Now that's down to just 400,000
477
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,880
because of habitat loss and ivory
poaching.
478
00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:46,560
Across the continent, the population
is still shrinking
479
00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:50,320
but Botswana has almost a third of all
the African elephants
480
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,320
left on the planet.
481
00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:56,120
Botswana is home to the world's
largest population of elephants
482
00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:58,880
and that is such an achievement when
you think how poachers have
483
00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:01,480
targeted this animal in recent
decades.
484
00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:15,840
But conservation here has come at a
cost.
485
00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:19,160
The treatment of the San - truly the
people of the wilderness -
486
00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:21,600
is hugely controversial.
487
00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:23,400
And on the edges of the Kalahari,
488
00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:27,640
wildlife is coming into direct
conflict with people.
489
00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:33,240
As human populations grow, and areas
that were once wild in the Kalahari
490
00:43:33,240 --> 00:43:38,600
become farmland, the frontiers of the
wilderness area can become
491
00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:40,640
something of a battleground.
492
00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:42,880
I've left the Central Kalahari
493
00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:46,800
and arrived in one of the frontier
areas where human/wildlife conflict
494
00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:50,440
is having dramatic, even tragic
consequences.
495
00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:53,360
- How are you?
- Very nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, Simon.
496
00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:55,720
- Ooh, let's go.
- All right.
497
00:43:55,720 --> 00:43:57,840
- This is Tata Monsentwa,
498
00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:00,560
a conservationist who's tried to help
keep the peace.
499
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,880
- And this is where the river passes
when we get floods.
500
00:44:05,880 --> 00:44:10,680
It's the river that separates the
community with the wildlife.
501
00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:15,120
- So, the community here is right on
the edge of the wild?
502
00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,440
- Yeah, true.
- The wilderness?
- Yeah, true.
503
00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:20,360
It's a village called Kumaka Village.
504
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:24,080
- Are you from this community?
- Yeah, I'm from this community.
505
00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:27,000
- You grew up here?
- I grew up here.
- Hey!
506
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,360
- And we have cows and we have goats.
507
00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:34,200
- Yeah.
- Yeah, and also we do crops too.
508
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:36,640
It's more like a family, a family
thing.
509
00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:37,960
- COWS MOO
510
00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:39,400
Cows.
511
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:41,360
There's cows wandering around.
512
00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:46,000
So, Tata's taking me to see a farmer
513
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,040
whose lost some of her crops to
elephants.
514
00:44:50,240 --> 00:44:51,720
Are we here?
- Yeah.
515
00:44:51,720 --> 00:44:53,960
- We're here.
516
00:44:57,520 --> 00:44:59,440
Oh, bloody hell!
517
00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:01,320
It's a bit barren, isn't it?
- Yeah.
518
00:45:06,600 --> 00:45:10,520
- Ancoletsan Bablalefee is typical of
many farmers here.
519
00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:12,800
She grows crops to feed her family
520
00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:16,000
and sells what she has left over for
just a few pounds a day.
521
00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:45,080
Oh, my goodness.
522
00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:58,320
How do you feel about elephants now?
523
00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:15,320
To protect their crops, farmers have
been known to shoot elephants.
524
00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:19,280
But Tata works for the charity
Elephants for Africa,
525
00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:22,200
and he tries to stop conflicts from
escalating.
526
00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:26,960
He helps farmers like Ancoletsan keep
elephants out of their fields
527
00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:29,920
using some pretty unorthodox methods.
528
00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:31,880
He's cooking up a chilli bomb.
529
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:46,960
That is a lot of chilli.
530
00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:11,120
So, that is now in operation, working?
- Yeah.
531
00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:15,000
- And, look, you can see the smoke
spreading out across the field.
532
00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:16,320
- Yeah.
533
00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:20,400
- How effective is this at clearing a
field of elephants?
534
00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:22,560
- Imagine how you can feel it.
535
00:47:22,560 --> 00:47:26,000
Elephants do feel it ten times more
than you do.
536
00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:29,560
So, that's why it is very effective
against elephants.
537
00:47:29,560 --> 00:47:33,160
- Local farmers are being encouraged
to grow chillies
538
00:47:33,160 --> 00:47:36,480
which produce the same chemical you
find in pepper spray.
539
00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:38,240
We're a good 20 metres away and I...
540
00:47:38,240 --> 00:47:39,440
HE COUGHS
541
00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:42,440
..can definitely feel the effects.
542
00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:44,440
And imagine if they've got...
543
00:47:44,440 --> 00:47:45,560
HE COUGHS
544
00:47:45,560 --> 00:47:47,440
..several of them set up around the...
545
00:47:47,440 --> 00:47:50,080
HE COUGHS AND SPLUTTERS
546
00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:52,520
..set up around the field.
547
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:54,680
HE COUGHS
548
00:47:54,680 --> 00:47:57,640
If I'm an elephant, I'm getting out of
here.
549
00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:03,920
The population of Africa is growing
rapidly.
550
00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:09,120
It's predicted to almost double by
2050 to around 2.5 billion people.
551
00:48:09,120 --> 00:48:12,720
Providing food for everyone while
conserving wildlife
552
00:48:12,720 --> 00:48:15,720
and wilderness will be a huge
challenge.
553
00:48:15,720 --> 00:48:18,560
For Tata, it's an issue that's deeply
personal.
554
00:48:18,560 --> 00:48:21,480
An amazing scene here
555
00:48:21,480 --> 00:48:25,560
with the elephants moving off as the
sun sets.
556
00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:27,280
- Yeah, it's a beautiful view.
557
00:48:27,280 --> 00:48:30,040
- So, we've got within our sight at
the moment
558
00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:33,280
two, four, five, six, seven, eight,
559
00:48:33,280 --> 00:48:36,200
nine, ten, 11, I think, elephants.
560
00:48:36,200 --> 00:48:37,920
- Yeah.
561
00:48:40,160 --> 00:48:43,000
- So, they are watching us quite
warily, aren't they?
562
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:46,440
- Yeah, and you have to think of them
as wild animals
563
00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:48,120
because they are killing people.
564
00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:51,400
- So it's not just elephants raiding
crops,
565
00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:53,480
it's taking lives?
- Yeah.
566
00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:57,960
- How many elephant fatalities have
you had in your community?
567
00:48:57,960 --> 00:49:00,600
- I would say around...
568
00:49:02,280 --> 00:49:04,560
..maybe around four or five.
569
00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:06,400
- Wow!
570
00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:09,640
Elephants can be highly protective of
their young,
571
00:49:09,640 --> 00:49:12,080
fighting off predators.
572
00:49:12,080 --> 00:49:15,520
When they're startled, they can see
people as a threat,
573
00:49:15,520 --> 00:49:18,080
and they can really lash out.
574
00:49:18,080 --> 00:49:19,640
- My cousin was, er...
575
00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:25,280
He went to see his friends and he
unfortunately met an elephant
576
00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:29,760
which... It was unfortunate that he
saw it from a short distance.
577
00:49:29,760 --> 00:49:33,400
He tried to run away from it
578
00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:35,000
but because elephant is big,
579
00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:38,760
it was able to see him running away
even behind the bushes.
580
00:49:38,760 --> 00:49:42,520
So, it kept chasing him until, you
know,
581
00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:45,400
it was able to hit him.
582
00:49:49,400 --> 00:49:51,320
- I'm so sorry.
583
00:49:56,160 --> 00:49:59,640
Tata's cousin died from his injuries.
584
00:49:59,640 --> 00:50:03,080
In Botswana, elephants now kill more
people than lions.
585
00:50:04,280 --> 00:50:06,880
I think some people, perhaps many
people,
586
00:50:06,880 --> 00:50:09,960
would turn against elephants as a
result.
587
00:50:09,960 --> 00:50:13,480
- Yeah, they will.
- But you don't?
588
00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:17,760
- Er, I don't because it's a wildlife
area.
589
00:50:17,760 --> 00:50:20,360
You don't want to see elephants
killing people,
590
00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:23,400
but, you know, we can't push them
away,
591
00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:27,480
so it's more of finding a way to
co-exist with them.
592
00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:54,440
- I've travelled for weeks through
this dry, parched wilderness
593
00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:56,840
and I've hardly seen a drop of water.
594
00:50:56,840 --> 00:50:58,880
But I hope that's about to change.
595
00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:06,440
I'm leaving the arid areas of the
Kalahari behind now
596
00:51:06,440 --> 00:51:10,600
and heading towards the end of this
part of my journey.
597
00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:13,600
We're on our way towards the Okavango
Delta.
598
00:51:17,040 --> 00:51:20,600
The Okavango Delta is the largest
freshwater wetland
599
00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:22,400
in Southern Africa.
600
00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:25,200
It's home to one of the most
spectacular concentrations of
601
00:51:25,200 --> 00:51:27,120
wildlife on Earth.
602
00:51:27,120 --> 00:51:30,200
That draws in visitors to upmarket
safari lodges,
603
00:51:30,200 --> 00:51:34,760
creating a whole tourism industry in
this area of the Kalahari
604
00:51:34,760 --> 00:51:37,240
that I'm keen to understand.
605
00:51:40,240 --> 00:51:41,800
Well, we've arrived...
606
00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:46,880
Oh! ..somewhere very fancy.
607
00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:49,800
My goodness.
608
00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:51,640
All right, well, I'm knackered.
609
00:51:51,640 --> 00:51:56,040
I'm going to get a good night's sleep
tonight and I'll have a wash.
610
00:51:57,360 --> 00:51:59,760
I will see you in the morning.
611
00:52:09,400 --> 00:52:11,400
Ah, flipping heck.
612
00:52:12,640 --> 00:52:16,200
So, this is the Okavango Delta.
613
00:52:18,440 --> 00:52:21,720
It's known as the Jewel of the
Kalahari.
614
00:52:25,080 --> 00:52:28,360
Each year when the Kalahari is at its
driest,
615
00:52:28,360 --> 00:52:31,800
rain in the north flows downriver and
empties into a huge
616
00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:35,680
inland delta, transforming this part
of the Kalahari Desert
617
00:52:35,680 --> 00:52:40,560
into a lush, waterlogged oasis packed
with wildlife.
618
00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:44,520
It's been described as the closest
thing to Eden left on the planet.
619
00:52:47,440 --> 00:52:50,440
It's like a vast shallow bathtub
620
00:52:50,440 --> 00:52:54,560
into which a river flows, and then
wildlife comes
621
00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:57,760
from across Southern Africa to drink
and eat here,
622
00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:02,920
which means it is a destination for
seriously high-end tourism.
623
00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:07,360
Some lodges in the Delta charge more
than £1,000 a night
624
00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:08,960
for a room. Ooh!
625
00:53:08,960 --> 00:53:12,480
The tourism industry can be hugely
damaging, but here,
626
00:53:12,480 --> 00:53:15,160
like in so many other wild areas I've
visited,
627
00:53:15,160 --> 00:53:17,680
it provides thousands of jobs.
628
00:53:17,680 --> 00:53:21,360
Rather than clearing land for farming
or poaching,
629
00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:25,720
tourism can give locals an economic
incentive to look after landscapes
630
00:53:25,720 --> 00:53:27,480
and wildlife.
631
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:32,400
Unless we're all going to start
donating billions to provide jobs
632
00:53:32,400 --> 00:53:34,720
and preserve wildernesses,
633
00:53:34,720 --> 00:53:37,720
perhaps responsible tourism has a
crucial role.
634
00:53:39,240 --> 00:53:40,960
Is it stable?
635
00:53:40,960 --> 00:53:42,400
- Got it.
- Stable enough.
636
00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:46,120
The tourism industry has helped make
Botswana one of the richer countries
637
00:53:46,120 --> 00:53:49,520
in Africa and helps preserve the
wildlife of the Kalahari.
638
00:53:51,400 --> 00:53:54,680
Koki Makodi is a Botswanan campaigner
and conservationist.
639
00:53:56,000 --> 00:53:58,680
- This is called a macuro.
640
00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:00,840
It's actually a dugout canoe
641
00:54:00,840 --> 00:54:04,320
which, traditionally, the people of
the Okavango Delta have relied on
642
00:54:04,320 --> 00:54:07,120
as a mode of transport to get from
island to island.
643
00:54:08,440 --> 00:54:11,640
- This is exceptional.
644
00:54:11,640 --> 00:54:16,920
Here we are quietly, without an
engine,
645
00:54:16,920 --> 00:54:21,640
gently sliding towards two giant
elephants close to us
646
00:54:21,640 --> 00:54:23,720
and another three down there.
647
00:54:23,720 --> 00:54:26,240
We've got more in the bushes here.
648
00:54:26,240 --> 00:54:29,560
- I think we're very, very blessed,
Simon, to be able to witness this
649
00:54:29,560 --> 00:54:31,560
in our lifetimes.
650
00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:42,720
- One of Koki's concerns is that
tourism here hasn't done enough
651
00:54:42,720 --> 00:54:44,080
for ordinary people
652
00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:47,680
and that the indigenous people of the
Kalahari have often been
653
00:54:47,680 --> 00:54:50,760
marginalised in favour of the wildlife
and the tourists.
654
00:54:52,080 --> 00:54:57,120
How can we protect wild places,
wildernesses,
655
00:54:57,120 --> 00:55:01,200
whilst still providing jobs,
opportunities
656
00:55:01,200 --> 00:55:03,240
for the people who live there
657
00:55:03,240 --> 00:55:06,200
and are a fundamental part of those
places?
658
00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:08,200
- I think tourism could do a better
job.
659
00:55:08,200 --> 00:55:11,080
When you have profit to make,
660
00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:13,760
you don't want that profit to be
challenged
661
00:55:13,760 --> 00:55:18,800
and it served certain operators to
enter this business at a time
662
00:55:18,800 --> 00:55:22,600
when the people surrounding the old
indigenous peoples of that area
663
00:55:22,600 --> 00:55:25,120
were not highly educated.
664
00:55:25,120 --> 00:55:29,040
So, it benefitted them in that they
could pay cheaper wages.
665
00:55:29,040 --> 00:55:33,440
- So, understanding that indigenous
people
666
00:55:33,440 --> 00:55:36,360
who have lived in a place, for
sometimes thousands,
667
00:55:36,360 --> 00:55:38,600
tens of thousands of years, they know
stuff.
668
00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:41,880
- Yes, and they need to be appreciated
for knowing that stuff.
669
00:55:41,880 --> 00:55:46,200
I mean, we've gone long enough without
recognising
670
00:55:46,200 --> 00:55:50,480
the importance of the people
671
00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:53,960
who have kept the balance in these
spaces,
672
00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:56,440
and we need to listen to them.
673
00:55:58,640 --> 00:56:01,760
- Don Joseph comes from a village
where many people make
674
00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:04,600
a living punting travellers around the
Okavango Delta.
675
00:56:06,560 --> 00:56:09,480
They've tried to build their business
by working independently
676
00:56:09,480 --> 00:56:11,560
from big tour operators.
677
00:56:11,560 --> 00:56:14,880
- I'm part of the Poler's Association.
678
00:56:14,880 --> 00:56:18,960
- So, I've been doing it, like, three
years now.
679
00:56:18,960 --> 00:56:20,840
Are you on social media, Don?
680
00:56:20,840 --> 00:56:24,680
- Yes.
- And so you get direct bookings that
way?
681
00:56:24,680 --> 00:56:27,920
- Yes. You just book to the community.
682
00:56:27,920 --> 00:56:31,200
They will pay those people with them
callers.
683
00:56:31,200 --> 00:56:34,080
- So, you're earning the money
directly?
684
00:56:34,080 --> 00:56:37,720
It's not going through a tour operator
in Europe or somewhere?
685
00:56:37,720 --> 00:56:40,080
- No, it's just going to the
community.
686
00:56:40,080 --> 00:56:43,760
- That sounds pretty vital, that local
people can have local companies
687
00:56:43,760 --> 00:56:46,880
and earn direct from tourism or any
other...
688
00:56:46,880 --> 00:56:49,960
- Absolutely.
- ...business.
- Absolutely.
689
00:56:49,960 --> 00:56:54,040
It's proving to be possible, but we
need to band together to
690
00:56:54,040 --> 00:56:58,320
kind of support one another to make
sure that it is long lasting.
691
00:56:58,320 --> 00:57:01,880
- What Koki is campaigning for is a
system that could really help
692
00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:05,840
to preserve wilderness areas around
the world.
693
00:57:05,840 --> 00:57:08,720
Wildernesses aren't empty.
694
00:57:08,720 --> 00:57:15,080
They are full of life and often very
full of people as well.
695
00:57:15,080 --> 00:57:18,320
I think what I've learnt on this
journey is that if we are going
696
00:57:18,320 --> 00:57:22,280
to protect this wilderness - the
Kalahari -
697
00:57:22,280 --> 00:57:25,760
we're all going to have to get better
at protecting
698
00:57:25,760 --> 00:57:31,160
and looking after, educating and
engaging with the people
699
00:57:31,160 --> 00:57:33,400
who live here and know it best.
700
00:57:35,240 --> 00:57:39,120
Our remaining great wilderness areas
face many threats.
701
00:57:40,840 --> 00:57:44,480
On my journeys I've seen how climate
change is disrupting
702
00:57:44,480 --> 00:57:47,600
these eco-systems on which we all
depend.
703
00:57:49,760 --> 00:57:54,400
Remote areas are also being targeted
by ranchers, loggers and miners.
704
00:57:55,640 --> 00:57:59,200
Our increasing human population is
encroaching on the wilderness.
705
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:05,000
Surely, these wild areas are worth
protecting.
706
00:58:11,480 --> 00:58:15,560
They're home to our most spectacular
and important wildlife...
707
00:58:18,160 --> 00:58:20,400
..and we need them.
708
00:58:20,400 --> 00:58:22,120
We're not separate from nature...
709
00:58:22,120 --> 00:58:23,480
Whoa!
710
00:58:23,480 --> 00:58:25,800
..we're part of it.
711
00:58:25,800 --> 00:58:29,160
We need to know wilderness exists
712
00:58:29,160 --> 00:58:31,200
and we need it in our lives...
713
00:58:33,160 --> 00:58:36,400
..because living on an extraordinary,
wild planet...
714
00:58:38,640 --> 00:58:41,840
..is part of what makes us truly
human.
715
00:58:44,040 --> 00:58:46,200
It's been an honour.
57307
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