"NARRATOR:" "Africa." "This great, sprawling Wilderness is home to some of the planet's rarest and most fascinating animals." "Some of these species are peaceful and live closely with one another, while others are aggressive and frightening predators who strike fear into the hearts of the continent's wildlife." "We're going to follow some of these incredible animals and see how they survive in this sometimes barren and unforgiving landscape." "We will also witness the hardships they encounter and the relationships they build." "Some animals here have learned to adapt to survive in strange and unusual ways." "Others have to make great migrations across the continent in search of food and water." "Certain species build close family bonds which last a lifetime, uti/ísing teamwork and companionship to survive." "But others survive using aggression, power and instinct." "Some survive simply by taking what they can." "This is an ecosystem of diversity and contrast which supports some truly amazing characters." "The challenges which this landscape presents to some animals has led to many astonishing evolutionary adaptations and highly specialised behaviour." "Land like this, known as savanna, covers 20% of the globe." "Yet it is a land type we know surprisingly little about." "Water, the supporter of life and the habitat for many of Africa's animals." "But possibly the most surprising thing about Africa is the incredible struggles these animals have to endure to reach water and stay alive." "Dozens of different species embark on continuous, arduous journeys around the Savanna, travelling from water source to water source simply to survive." "Nowhere on the globe is such a massive journey embarked on by such a vast amount of animals." "And nowhere on Earth is the migration more dangerous." "With predators around every corner, and danger even lurking in the one thing that keeps them alive, it is no wonder that so many animals perish along the way." "To put this great migration into context, let's look at a typical migration pattern of the wildebeests over one year." "Travel/ing great distances for months on end, these animals continually circle the Serengeti National Park." "Moving to and from each water source." "They have to continually keep tra vel/ing." "In a way, these animals act as nature's calendar, turning up at a different spot each month." "So these wildebeests truly are nature's greatest travellers." "But when these great travellers are joined by the zebras, they become one of the most impressive sights ever seen in nature." "But along the way the wildebeests pass different African animals, like the hippos." "Although they may look peaceful, hippos are one of Africa's most aggressive and unpredictable animals." "The yawn they often display is actually a form of intimidation." "Hippos like to group together in pods which can contain up to 100 hippos." "These pods are usually led by one dominant male." "A fully grown adult can weigh up to three tons and can run up to 18 miles per hour." "An adult hippopotamus can hold its breath for up to 20 minutes, swimming or walking along the riverbed in order to avoid danger." "The name "hippopotamus", or "hippo" for short, is derived from the ancient Greek for "river horse"." "Hippos spend a lot of time in the water, but also can spend months on end out of the water, in the bush." "After passing most of their day in or around water, these hippos will move inland at night to graze on short grass." "To most animals this ferociously flowing river would be incredibly dangerous, but hippos are completely at home here." "(BIRDS CHIRPING)" "From water to land here in Africa we can find some of the most fascinating animals of our planet, like the leopard." "Leopards are mysterious and graceful Creatures, and live most of their lives alone." "She likes to hunt at night to stay hidden and to avoid the heat of the day." "The leopard stalks her territory slowly and stealthily, using her patterned fur for camouflage so she can get as close to a prey as possible before pouncing." "Let's follow her for a while as she searches for her dinner in the undergrowth." "These unsuspecting birds haven't realised that the leopard is watching them." "She is too tired to hunt them in the heat of the day." "She prefers to rest." "So, these helmeted guinea fowl can wander further into the savanna and pay a visit to the zebra family." "The zebra spends most of her day grazing." "She may look lonely here but she is in fact part of a big group." "Here are the zebra's family and friends." "They like to stay together because unlike the crocodile and the leopard, they are very vulnerable." "Like many animals living on the savanna, zebras are very dependent on water and grass and spend a lot of their time migrating to make sure they are always near a source of quality food." "They're at their happiest when they have a good place to cool off and have a drink, but they often forget that crocodiles are always vigilantly watching them." "Zebras are closely related to horses." "They are large single-hoofed ungulates, built for speed and long-distance migrations." "Zebras typically stand about 47 to 55 inches at the shoulder." "This black rhino is still roaming the plains alone, in search of drinking water." "Even though he is well adapted to dry conditions, he needs to find some water soon." "His sharp horns may look scary, but he is in fact an herbivore grazing on twigs, branches and other plant life instead of eating meat." "Rhinos are only aggressive if they are disturbed." "But they have been killed by humans for centuries as their horns are very valuable." "This makes them one of the most endangered species on the planet." "Another herbivore who calls the savanna home is the gravity-defying giraffe." "Giraffes are the tallest living mammals on Earth, growing to a whopping height of 20 feet." "Although giraffes tend to spend a lot of their time in groups, they don't actually have much of a bond with other giraffes." "Here we see a giraffe grazing on the leaves of an acacia." "Her neck alone is two metres long and has evolved over millions of years so that she can reach the /eaves on the tallest trees." "The giraffe's large, bulging eyes give it a wide, panoramic field of vision, making them good at spotting predators." "As well as their incredibly long necks, giraffes also have tongues which can grow to 50 centimetres in length." "Like a human's fingerprint, each giraffe has its own individual fur pattern." "These complex patterns give the giraffe camouflage making them harder for predators to see." "As you can see there is no shortage of food in this area." "And this is fortunate for her and her family, because giraffes need to eat a lot and graze not only on the leaves, but also twigs because they contain more calcium and protein which giraffes need to sustain their rate of growth." "She also likes to eat grass, shrubs and fruit." "In all, giraffes are hungly animals, eating around 34 kilograms of foliage every day." "Giraffes digest leaves and the other foliage they eat in a similar way to cows." "They like to chew the food up, swallow it to help partially digest it before passing it back into the mouth for more chewing." "To satisfy their massive appetite, the family are moving on to the next set of trees." "But there are more great animals to explore in Africa." "Here we see a new addition to an elephant herd." "This young elephant is about two weeks old." "Like zebra foals, baby elephants are able to stand and walk almost immediately." "This is to give them a better chance against predators and because elephants tend to travel large distances, so this youngster won't hold the herd up too much." "The alloparents guide their young charges to the next watering hole." "Elephants are highly dependent on water and most of their lives are spent either at a watering hole, or in search of another." "In addition, elephants cool themselves down by flapping their ears." "Because it is so hot in the savanna, elephants have developed large ear surfaces." "Let's join them taking their morning bath." "The long-living elephants have large brains and are highly intelligent, hence the expression "An elephant never forgets"." "The lives of male and female elephants are very different." "The females form strong bonds with one another and nurture their offspring, while the males tend to spend their time independently." "Sometimes they even leave their group and join another group of elephants." "This elephant has left the water with a nice coating of mud on her neck." "She knows that mud protects her from the sun and also acts as an insect repellent." "As the day wears on, in the long grass of the savanna different species move uninterrupted." "Here we see a cheetah, one of the fastest animals in the world." "Cheetahs can reach speeds of up to 75 miles per hour." "This cheetah spends most of her day resting and sheltering from the hot African sun." "But unlike most cats of Africa, she prefers to hunt in the daytime, too." "As you can see, the cheetah is an animal built for speed." "She has a long, slender body, which is extremely light for an animal of her size." "She also has long legs, a flexible spine and a very long tail to help her balance as she is chasing her prey." "Witnessing a sunrise on the savanna must be one of the most glorious spectacles on Earth." "As the sunlight creeps across the grasslands, we become aware of all the wildlife awakening to another exciting day." "One animal is always up early, it's the spotted hyena in the search for food." "Most people think hyenas are only sca vengers, who feed on the remains of animals killed by other predators such as the cheetah or the leopard." "However we have recently found out that spotted hyenas actually kill as much as 95% of the food they eat themselves." "Hyenas can be quite ferocious animals and have been known to fight off leopards and sometimes even lionesses in order to protect their food." "Hyenas have even been known to attack humans." " These are spotted hyena." " (SNARLING)" "They are the most sociable of the hyena species and also the best hunters." "Spotted hyenas can weigh up to 75 kilograms, certain/y making them a force to be reckoned with." "This romantic landscape appears peaceful and quiet." "But this is deceiving, because this lioness is watching out for suitable prey." "What she doesn't know is that her perfect meal is just over the hill." "These African buffalo are quite slow and not very intelligent, meaning they can be easily hunted by predators like lions." "All the wildlife at this waterhole are taking advantage of the cooling mud, oblivious to all the dangers lurking in the surrounding savanna." "Finally, the lion spots the buffalo as they move away from the waterhole." "The buffalo slowly proceed on their way, but one or two of them seem nervous." "They might sense something is watching them." "African buffalo have what is called a symbiotic relationship with small birds." "The buffalo offers food for the birds in the form of bugs, while receiving a cleaning service." "Sudden/y, the lion and her sister spring into action and give chase to the large herd of buffalo." "The buffalo could probably overcome the lions if they would co-operate." "This time, though, they escape." "Lions are very sociable animals and live together in prides." "Apart from hunting and grooming each other, they spend a lot of the day resting." "This is mostly to consen/e energy and in order to stay hidden." "Lions grow up together and form extremely close family and friendship bands." "(BOTH GROWLING)" "Today, the sisters failed to bring any food back to the pride." "So this lion might have to wait a long time for his next meal." "But Africa has more fascinating animals to offer, like these baboons." "These chacmas baboons like to roam around the savanna in groups foraging for food." "With these baboons, the social standing of a member plays a large part in foraging decisions." "The most dominant members, usually alpha males, lead the rest of group and decide about where to go in order to find food." "This youngster is enjoying a free ride on his mother's back." "(SHRIEKING)" "Once these baboons arrive at a good site, they will display collective foraging behaviour in order to eat similar amounts of food as each other." "Chacmas baboons live in large social groups called troops." "Within a troop, male and female baboons might form what are referred to as "friendships"." "Let's obsen/e these little baboons interacting with each other climbing on an old tree, like children at a playground." "Blissfully unaware in their innocent play the monkeys are almost able to forget that in the savanna there is always something eerily watching you." "This ominous circling of birds can mean only one thing." " There has been a kill." " (SCREAMING)" "These opportunistic scavengers have swarmed to the site of a kill to try and steal some free food." "The victim is the African buffalo which was killed by the hyenas." "This gruesome and bloody sight is common in the wilds of Africa." "Scavenger birds like the marabou and vultures congregate at the top of this tree, waiting their turn to grab some meat." "These marabou are primarily wading birds, but are never ones to turn down a free meal." "Scavenging takes far less effort and expends far less energy, so most animals will take the opportunity if it arises." "This hyena tries his best to fend the vultures off, knowing they will quickly eat his food." "The vultures are persistent though." "It'll take more than that to scare them away from a meal." "The vultures' determination eventually pays off and while the hyenas are busy tucking in, the vultures make their move and swarm on the carcass." "Although the marabous are taller than the vultures, they can't match them in terms of aggression and forcefulness and are forced to watch from the sidelines." "The savanna is quiet in the baking afternoon sun." "The wildebeests are still migrating." "These are blue wildebeests and they are making the long, exhausting migration across land during the dry season in order to find fresh grass for feeding." "During this migration wildebeests can be very vulnerable to predators such as leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, and the wily Nile crocodile." "Wildebeests tend to group together in large herds when the chances of being attacked by a predator are high." "This herd is already spotted by a leopard high in the trees." "It has noticed that one of the wildebeests has an injured leg." "This will make it far easier for her to catch and kill the animal." "Her demeanour changes almost instantly from that of a lazy cat to that of a highly motivated and skilled killer." "She quickly climbs down from her lookout post and into the undergrowth." "The leopard moves swiftly and efficiently, treading gently to avoid making noise." "She is keeping a low profile to avoid any attention from the wildebeests." "The vultures know what is about to happen and amass in the hope of a free meal." "She makes sure to stay in the long grass, using her camouflaged fur to maximum effect." "She pounces instantly and goes straight for the wildebeest's neck." "Her jaws clamp shut around the wildebeest's windpipe in order to Suffocate the animal." "The vultures have watched the entire violent episode and know that a meal is well on its way." "The leopard finishes the hunt by Carrying the wildebeest into the long grass to hide it from scavengers and other predators." "Leopards like to store their kills away so that they can eat them over an extended period." "Sometimes they will have several stored at once and will feed between them." "Leopards have to make sure that these carcasses are extremely well hidden, or as we've just seen, there are countless scavengers in this habitat hungry and willing to eat anything they can find." "The elephants have been forced to move on from the water hole to the barren and dry plains in order to graze on grass and other vegetative matter." "An adultAfrican elephant eats between 100 and 150 kilograms of food every day and spends around three quarters of its time, day and night, eating." "This one uses her trunk which is incredibly dexterous to pul/ grass from the ground and into her mouth." " Elephants' tusks serve multiple purposes." " (TRUMPETING)" "These include digging, debarking or marking trees, clearing branches and foliage, and when these peaceful giants are forced to fight to protect their family, the tusks become a highly dangerous weapon." "Elephants have great control over their trunks." "This powerful tool also enables the elephant to breathe when in water, to produce its well known loud trumpeting sound and to have an acute sense of touch." "But the most vita/ sense for elephants is their sense of smell." "It is estimated that the elephant's sense of smell is four times as sensitive as a bloodhound's." "The dry season can be particularly punishing on the African plains and many animals die from dehydration or lack of food." "That's why migration is their only hope to survive." "The wildebeests have finally completed their long migration in search of fresh grazing." "They've found a suitable watering hole which they can drink from after the long, dry walk." "The extraordinary, annual great migration of wildebeests is one of the Seven New Wonders of the World." "Nowhere else is a movement of animals as immense as the wildebeest's journey." "Wildebeests have evolved so that their migration is timed to coincide with the annual pattern of rainfall and grass growth." "This way, wildebeests are sta ying close to water supplies at all times." "While the wildebeests are quenching their thirst, this zebra is bonding with the other zebras in her herd." "Al/lances are valuable in this harsh environment." "Because they are regularly thirsty, zebras simply have no choice and constantly have to face lurking dangers such as crocodiles." "This Crocodile stays low in the water so that it isn't seen." "But this time it is spotted by the zebras and the tribe manage to escape with their lives." "One of the zebras was just giving birth to a new life." "Female zebras, or mares, mature more quickly than their male counterparts." "They are able to reproduce at as early as three years old, whilst males are not strong enough to breed until they are around five or six." "Like horses, zebra foals are able to stand, and walk slightly almost immediately after birth." "This is an evolutionary development to make them less vulnerable to predators." "Foals are born with brown and white stripes, but these darken as they mature." "The foal is born connected to the placenta, which the mother sometimes eats after birth because it is rich in nutrients and salt which the mother needs after the strains of labour." "The placenta can also serve as a nutritious treat for other animals." "These tawny eagles are the first to notice this discarded organ." "But it's not long before other birds get in on the act." "This vulture is larger than the eagles and he always gets first pick when it comes to food." "(SCREAMING)" "Suddenly a feeding frenzy erupts as more and more birds try and get a piece of the free lunch on offer." "The eagles, who were first on the scene, are forced to watch from the sidelines as the vultures get their fill." "The foal huddles close to her mother." "These desperate, ruthless vultures are her first experience of life on the African plains." "The zebras stay close to the foal, instinctive/y protecting the newest member of the herd who will eventually understand her role in the hierarchy of the local wildlife." "Let's discover what the new foal sees in her first few moments of life." "Mother and daughter take their first walk together." "The foal's walking abilities so early on in life are quite incredible." "The mother takes her daughter to the watering hole." "She is in desperate need of a drink after the exhaustive effort of giving birth." "No animal has a more distinctive coat than the zebra, no two zebras are exactly alike." "There are a number of different theories which attempt to explain the reason for their eye-catching stripy coat." "Because of their uniqueness, stripes may help zebras recognise one another." "The pattern may also make it difficult for predators to identify a single animal from a running herd and diston* distance at midday." "For an even safer journey, zebras often join large herds of wildebeests." "This giant herd of wildebeests is thousands strong, covering the entire plain as far as the horizon." "The calving season is well on the way on the savanna." "Many animals now have young offspring." "The wildebeests are again on the move, looking for the next source of water." "Even when they rest, cheetahs are always on the lookout for potential prey." "The young cats pant to try and keep cool." "These young cheetahs are still living with, and learning from, their mothers." "Their mother will bring injured prey back to her young to teach them hunting and killing skills until she thinks they are ready to brave the world alone." "After about 18 months the mother will leave the cheetah cubs, who will form a group known as a sib." "Two years later the female siblings will leave the group and the males will remain together;" "Sometimes throughout adulthood." "It is hard to imagine these furry cubs will be agile killing machines just two years from now." "With her young family to feed she is constantly on the lookout for prey." "She's not, however, sure about taking on the might of a wildebeest." "Instead, she spots a Thomson's gazelle with her fawn." "Gazelles are one of the cheetah's favourite mea/s." "The cheetah knows that this encounter may well result in a kill so she takes her cubs with her to teach them how it's done." "Gazelles are extremely athletic animals and can run at speeds up to 62 miles per hour." "This means normally they have a fair chance against cheetahs and escape around 50% of the time." "However, a springbok with a fawn is far more vulnerable as the fawn cannot run anywhere near as fast as her mother." "The cheetah has seen that the fawn has been separated from her mother and so chooses this moment to launch her rapid attack." "Her incredible speed is clear to see and she quickly catches up with the gazelle." "The gazelle weaves and dodges, but the cheetah is more than equal to the challenge," "using her great balance and reactions to wea ve with the gazelle before finally catching her." "This was barely a challenge for the cheetah, but animals here will take any food they can." "It will also serve as a valuable lesson for her cubs." "These growing cheetahs will have to absorb many lessons from their mother before trying to bring down an animal on their own." "Cheetah cubs at this stage in their lives have almost insatiable appetites as they need a lot of protein, fat and calcium to grow." "They have to eat their prey as quickly as possible, not because of small sca vengers like vultures and marabou, but because of other larger predators, such as lions, who are nearby." "But here they are all together able to enjoy their family meal in peace." "The mother is careful to ensure that the young cheetahs gorge themselves on the prey, as they may not get another meal for a very long time." "Africa has more to offer." "Warthogs are also very common in the Masai Mara." "This warthog is a member of the pig family." "They aren't particularly territorial animals but instead occupy what is known as a "home range" which they graze on in groups called "sounders"." "They have the distinctive feeding technique of kneeling when grazing." "They are herbivores, meaning they feed mostly on grass," "leaves, roots and other organic matter." "This lioness has spotted one of the young warthogs and, like the cheetah, knows that young animals are far easier to catch than adults." "This meal won't be enough to feed the pride, but will boost her energy enough to help her bring in the next large meal." "Suddenly her hunting instincts swing into action." "The young warthog notices the danger and tries to escape." "His speed is no match for the lioness and she makes light work of the hog." "Although this is only a sma/I meal, the other lionesses from her pride still crowd around for a snack, but she is in no mood to share." "Out of respect, they leave her to enjoy her meal in peace." "These male impalas are enjoying the fresh grass near the water." "The males are distinctive, because of their large horns." "The females identified by their lack of horns, are not far behind, looking on over the grazing males." "But who are these guys, grazing with them?" "Thomson's gazelles, who we've met before, are sympatric to the impalas." "This means they sometimes share the same territories and live together peacefully." "These Thomson's gazelles are rutting, which is an activity they perform annually at the end of the rainy season when they are in peak physical condition." "Males do this to assert their dominance and to impress females." "There is a third mamma/ that lives in our crew." "These are the kongoni." "They are related to both gazelles and impalas, who are all part of a species called Bovidae." "Kongoni are quite large mammals with males weighing around 300 pounds and females weighing around 260 pounds." "Topi, seen here, are more athletic than they look and can reach running speeds of 50 miles per hour." "Male topi have horns and the size of their horns helps determine their social standing within the herd." "Unfortunately, this elegant descendant of an antelope is threatened with extinction." "We can only hope that this young topi calf will not fall victim to a cheetah or leopard." "This extraordinary looking animal is called a common eland and moves in herds of 10 to 30." "As well as its beautiful distinctive markings, the eland can make itself stop sweating in order to conserve water." "This is vita/ in an environment where water is so scarce." "It is amazing to think that our group of Bovidae together with the eland can find enough nourishment in the dlyness of the savanna to survive." "This lioness, one of the many lionesses in the pride, doesn't have a mane." "This is an example of sexual dimorphism and means that it is extremely easy to tell a male and female lion apart." "But this lioness has always been the dominant male's favourite." "Lions do not mate at any particular time of year as female lions are polyestrous, meaning they are able to conceive at any time throughout the year." "These two regularly break away from the pride and spend time alone." "While the two lions are hiding in the grass, the hungly marabou and vultures are circling nearby Searching for food." "A gang of hyenas have made another kill, this time out of the birds' vision." "Spotted hyenas develop sharp teeth behind their crushing premolars." "This means that they can hunt and kill live prey instead of depending on the scavenging of already dead animals." "By this time the pesky marabous have found the scent of the kill." "Hyenas are voracious eaters and their highly specialised jaws and digestive systems mean that they can absorb nutrients from skin and bones." "A hyena has the ability to eat almost every part of a carcass apart from hair, horns and hooves and so when a group of hyenas have finished eating, there will be almost no trace left of the carcass." "A couple of greedy marabous are far easier to scare away than vultures and this hyena makes light work of it." "Here, adult jackals travel back to their burrows with their pups." "While raising their pups, jackals live in disguised burrows of warthogs." "In their safe underground lair, the jackals sleep sound at night, protected from predators such as leopards or cheetahs." "The zebra herdis preparing to migrate." "Several herds have joined together to make the journey." "This crocodile thinks he has found a perfect place where the migrating zebra and wildebeests will make their crossing." "The zebras have joined the wildebeests and gather at the water's edge to make the crossing." "Their instinct is making them reluctant to venture into the water." "On this occasion, the Crocodile has missed out on the opportunity." "The herdis moving away from the river for now." "About 110 days have passed since we saw the two /ions alone." "This period of time is about the average for a lioness pregnancy." "She has now given birth to two new cubs, the result of her mating." "Lionesses like to give birth in a secluded area, away from the pride." "Cubs are vulnerable to attack from jackals, snakes, eagles, leopards and even other lions." "Lion cubs are born blind, and can't use their eyes until about a week after birth." "Cubs are essentially helpless for the first few weeks of their lives, relying almost completely on their mothers to keep them alive." "Usually a lioness won't introduce her cubs to pride life until they are six to eight weeks old." "This is so she can care for them in the safety of their hides without interruption from other pride members." "Mum is sure to move her cubs between several different hides every month." "This is to prevent a scent from building up which could alert potentially predatory animals to their whereabouts." "She can move her cubs by picking them up in her mouth." "This may look painful for the cubs, but they have particularly loose and stretchy skin on the nape of their necks." "It is in this manner that Mum moves her cubs between hideouts, carry/ng them one by one from one hideout to another." "It is only after three weeks that they begin to walk." "This is very different from some of the species we've seen before like zebras and elephants, whose young can walk almost immediately after birth." "This is because lion cubs are kept in the relative safety of a hide for the first few weeks of their lives." "These cubs will have many challenges ahead of them." "As many as 80% of lion cubs die before they reach maturity." "It's not only the lioness that has found a partner and given birth." "The solitary leopard also must increase the population." "She has chosen a partner and they make their way into the long grass." "As you can see, there is a certain level of sexual dimorphism between male and female leopards, with the male being far larger than the female." "Like lions, leopards are able to mate all year round." "Leopards stay pregnant for between 90 and 105 days, and like to give birth in caves or ho/low trees." "Leopard pairs stay together for several days when mating and even hunt together." "While they are alone, they will mate several times a day." "(CHIRPING)" "The herd of wildebeests and zebra are yet to make their river crossing." "The largest known herd of wildebeests numbers over one million animals." "In human terms, this is almost the entire population of Manhattan." "However, the members of our herd are still amassing at the banks of the river." "After a while, some brave zebras take their first tentative steps into the fast-flowing current." "It is immediately apparent that this river Crossing is going to be incredibly dangerous for these animals." "Each year, 1.5 million wildebeests go on a long trek in search for food and water, and unfortunately, every year an estimated 250, 000 animals don't make it to their destination." "So, the chances of being picked off along the way are very high." "More and more animals congregate at the river's edge and the scene grows chaotic." "Although it may look to be completely disorganised, random and frenetic, recent research has found that herds of animals crossing rivers actually possess "swarm intelligence", whereby the animals work together as a group to try and overcome obstacles." "The hurry with which these animals have crossed the river has created somewhat of a trafüc jam on the river's far bank." "This means that some of the animals remain trapped in the river, leaving them vulnerable." "The animals take Confidence from seeing their fellow Creatures successfully cross the river, and more and more wildebeests and zebra wade into the water." "However it may not be as simple for some as it looks." "This massive gathering of animals has not gone unnoticed by this crocodile." "He and his friends congregate slightly downstream waiting for an animal caught in trouble to come their way." "The river's flow grows increasingly ferocious and some of the animals are at real risk of being swept downstream." "Some of the weaker swimmers in the group begin to struggle and are dragged further and further from the far bank, which they are trying to reach." "The zebra and wildebeests have to swim extremely hard to avoid being swept away by the fast moving water." "Some of the animals, although physically exhausted, manage to make it to the other side by the narrowest of margins." "This animal unfortunately was not strong enough and is captured by the crocodiles." "This wildebeest has managed to successfully cross the river, but now finds itself stranded on the /edge of the far bank, unable to reach the higher ground." "Wildebeests communicate visually, vocally, and also through the sense of sme/I." "A male's bellow can be heard up to 1.5 miles away." "The members of the herd use secretions in order to guide fellow wildebeests during their journey." "This way the stragglers further behind the herd will know which direction to go." "As we can see here, in our herd, no one animal is left behind." "While some of the last stragglers continue to complete the crossing the herd continues its long and arduous migration across Africa." "The vast variety of life across Africa is plain to see for anyone who is lucky enough to observe it." "From giant water dwellers, to ferocious cats stalking and hunting their prey from trees and bushes." "Right through to the simple herbivores," "the mother/and of all life is still, as ever, a metropolis of different species." "Each creature has its own journey and its own story to tell." "Each animal, no matter how ferocious or deadly, will have to battle through bad times as well as the good." "The ever changing environment that they live in can be plentiful and barren, dry and wet, and these animals must be precise with all their decisions." "We have taken you across the African savanna and showed you some of the amazing characters who live there." "We have seen their struggles and how they survive, how they work together or how they prefer to live apart." "We have witnessed an annual cycle of birth and death, along with daily life on the plains." "But what unites these animals is not merely a matter of finding food and sun/iving, but in the modern age, their great challenge is that of avoiding extinction." "Let's hope all the animals we have seen will continue to thrive on the savanna for a long, long time to come."