Surviving Paradise: A Family Tale (2022) Movie Script
In this land,
family is everything.
It's the bonds
within the pride,
the pack,
and the herd
that allow each member to succeed.
Nowhere are these bonds
tested more fiercely
than in the great Kalahari Desert.
Here families are shaped
by courageous mothers
wise elders
and tenacious underdogs.
All drawn to the immense oasis
that lies at the desert's very heart.
The Okavango Delta.
Home to more wildlife
than any other wetland on Earth
it is seeing
some of the most extreme seasonal change
on the planet.
Through the chaos
and hardship of the coming year
fates will entwine,
and incredible relationships
will be forged.
Not just within families
but between families.
And even with the land itself.
For a two-year-old lioness,
the strength of family
comes from her pride.
She and her sisterhood
control this territory
and their lead male
reigns as warrior king.
But in the Delta, change can come suddenly
and upend a family's peaceful existence.
The chink in her pride's armor
is the king himself.
Years of fighting
to defend his family and territory
have taken their toll.
His weakness puts the lioness at risk.
And presents an opportunity
for two ambitious young males.
The old warrior
marks his territory.
But he's frail.
And outnumbered.
Every year in the Okavango
is a new and dangerous journey,
but for the lioness,
this year will be
the most uncertain she's ever faced.
Every family confronts
the challenges of the Delta
in its own way.
A pack
of painted wolves, 24 strong.
Their strength,
a testament to their great leader,
the alpha female.
She's trained them
to think and hunt as one.
And to provide for all.
But the alpha is pregnant.
Her team will lose their leader,
just as the Delta
faces its greatest upheaval.
It's May.
And the surrounding Kalahari Desert
is facing the worst drought in decades.
Thousands of animals
are fleeing the parched outer regions
traveling for weeks.
All drawn here for one reason.
Water.
Rainwater that fell four months ago
in the Angolan Highlands to the north
has finally made its way down,
across the Kalahari
and into the flatlands of the Delta.
Over nine trillion liters
of fresh water
floods the vast desert
creating
the greatest oasis on the planet.
In the flood's wake
come the great herds
joining those who live here year-round.
Everyone has a role to play
in shaping and maintaining this land.
Even a six-month-old elephant
on her first visit.
She's never seen so much water
and food.
With endless floodplains
to munch their way through,
elephants become
the natural gardeners of the Delta
uprooting far more than they can eat.
But over-pruning can clog the waterways,
halting the water's spread.
What the gardeners have blocked up,
families of hippos bulldoze through.
Not being swimmers,
they tiptoe along the bottom.
And in their wake,
leave hippo-sized highways
that connect rivers to pools
and pools to floodplains
allowing the water to keep flowing,
feeding the vibrant growth
of the entire Delta.
But the flood
isn't good news for all.
For the lioness,
it means a loss of hunting grounds.
And the old warrior king
is nowhere to be seen.
Whether he fled or was killed,
the young invaders
have usurped his throne.
Only lionesses of breeding age
are allowed to stay now.
And she's not one of them.
To these new males,
she's just an extra mouth to feed,
with little to contribute.
Banished and alone,
she'll need all her skill
just to stay alive.
The alpha female
has been housebound for weeks.
Because
Well, who would leave this scruffy bunch?
At four weeks old,
her pups venture out for the first time.
All 14 of them.
Unable to hunt for herself,
she must rely on her pack
to bring the meat she needs
to keep her milk flowing.
But her stay-at-home work
is nonstop.
Sweeping out the den
three weeks' worth of ticks and fleas
landing right back where they started.
Her pack is on patrol
without their leader.
And the floodwaters are slowing them down.
Lechwe.
Just one would feed the entire pack.
With splayed hooves
and powerful legs,
they can drive on through the flood.
Without the guidance of the alpha,
the pack follow them
into the deeper water.
It's futile.
And then
a lone impala.
He lacks the paddle-like hooves
and long legs of the lechwe.
They finish the job quickly
to avoid a clash with competitors.
The pack often take out
the weak or injured in a group,
easier prey,
with the added benefit
of reducing disease in herds.
The hunters deliver their meals
in the safest way possible.
In their stomachs.
Until the pups can hunt themselves,
they eat first.
Generosity is
a core principle of their pack.
Though learning to share
doesn't come easily.
Retiring to the den
with your very first piece of meat
is about as good as it gets.
With water levels
at their highest,
the Okavango becomes a true paradise.
Aquatic life
from the surrounding rivers and swamps
spreads into the grassland to spawn.
Branches and trees
knocked down by elephants
create protected nurseries for young fish.
During peak flood,
the Delta swells
to twice its original size,
and anywhere high and dry
becomes prime real estate.
Water fig trees provide perfect nesting
for an astonishing variety
of fish-eating birds.
For these families,
it's not so much about where you build.
It's what you build.
Only the finest
construction materials will do.
If you can't find
the exact fabric you're looking for
just steal it from your neighbor.
They can always steal it back again.
Finally,
a nest ready to hold
their most treasured possessions.
Gently turned
and shaded from the scalding sun.
Eggshell? Snail shell?
He's a first-time dad.
Everyone is in a race to raise their young
before the floodwaters recede
and the nests lose
their island protection.
The lioness
has been struggling to make a kill.
In drier conditions,
a reedbuck or lechwe would be a good bet.
But not in the flood,
not by herself.
And she's got competition.
Time to push back on her rivals.
It's pure intimidation.
She won't eat the carcass.
The pack would be wise
not to test her patience again.
By September,
the temperatures rise,
and water levels begin to drop,
leaving shrinking pools crowded with fish.
Perfect timing.
The adults get to work
feeding their precious little monsters.
New pools form each day
as the flood recedes.
Everyone
has their own special technique
to go with their own special bill.
Pelicans favor the fishing net.
Pied kingfishers
use the dive-bombing system.
Openbill storks
have snail-plucking down to a science.
And the rather theatrical black egret
uses its cape to mimic shady spots
where fish like to hide.
Bravo.
Different approaches with one purpose.
To build up
their chicks' strength
as quickly as possible.
Pelican chicks
are the greediest.
They need up to 30 feeds a day.
The tireless adults all know
the golden rule
of family life in the Delta.
The stronger your young,
the greater their chances of survival.
As the floodwaters recede
and the desert heat builds,
hunting grounds dry out
shifting the balance of power
back to the predators.
But alone, the lioness' kill rate
is still dangerously low.
She's growing weaker
by the day.
To complicate matters,
she's come into season.
Her scent will carry
to any lions in the area.
Including those she most wants to avoid.
The young males
who destroyed her family.
But with
the hunting grounds opening up,
another even bigger male
is drawn to the area.
His dark mane and deep call
are signs he's in his prime.
It's risky.
But if they join forces,
he could offer protection
and hunting support.
Her newfound alliance
is short-lived.
The stranger moves on
after only a few days.
Alone, once more,
but this time pregnant.
She won't be hunting
for just herself anymore.
Every family in the Delta
is intimately connected
to the rhythms of the changing seasons.
The water levels are plummeting,
turning to mud.
Fun for a calf
but it's a sign her herd should move on.
With the dry season
taking grip,
the herds need to make the most
of whatever grazing is left.
She learns from watching.
But some things, she has yet to perfect.
Such as paying attention,
so as not to get left behind.
She's being taken to a special place.
A stand of fan palms.
They thrive
where salts have been left behind
by the evaporating flood.
And the fruits that sit at the top
are revered by elephants.
Harvesting such lofty treats
is a trick
that only a four-ton bull can pull off.
Each shake
releases hundreds of fruits at once.
He knocks down
enough for everyone.
This precious meal
is not just for this family
and not just for today.
Elephants are the chief distributors
of fan palm seeds.
-The calf's ancestors left this fruit.
And now
she will do the same for those to come.
The herd will carry the seeds
for many miles.
Wherever they release them
in their dung, they can take root.
Just another
of the herd's vital contributions
to the Delta.
It will be
their last decent meal.
From here on,
the increasing scarcity of food and water
will drive their every move.
The painted wolves
have made it through the flood,
but not entirely intact.
One team member already killed,
and now the best hunters
have deserted the alpha and her pups.
Too many new mouths to feed
and not enough food to go around.
It's time for the rookies
to move out of the den
and begin searching for food.
The pups'
first great adventure.
Their first patrol with the grown-ups.
Though, they are more
of a hindrance than a help.
Their little legs will carry them
up to 15 kilometers a day.
The alpha must rebuild her team
into a peak hunting machine
and teach her pups
the ways of the pack hunter.
The receding floodwaters
have created perfect conditions
to unleash a plague.
Locusts.
The building heat
triggers a mass hatching.
Ten million greedy mouths
devour the drying vegetation.
Ancient termite mounds
seem to be the only things impervious
to the great forces
now at play in the Delta.
It's October.
In two short months,
the drought has transformed
a verdant paradise
into a barren dust bowl.
All the herds are searching for water
wherever they can find it.
They are easy pickings
for the two young males.
Who grow bigger and stronger every day.
They follow
the buffaloes' every move.
Tracking the same herds,
the lioness must stay
a safe distance from the males.
In her delicate state,
she desperately needs to eat.
But taking on prey
the size of a buffalo all by herself
is next to impossible.
At best, she can pick up
scraps left by the males,
scavenging the bare minimum
she needs to stay alive.
All the herds
and their predators
are being drawn in by the drought,
coming together in the heart of the Delta,
where the last water sources remain.
The calf and her herd
have to travel further
with each passing day.
Their eyesight may be poor,
but with highly attuned hearing and smell,
elephants can sense danger
from miles away.
Nile crocodiles.
Some up to six meters long,
weighing three-quarters of a ton.
But most are pretty small,
only a meter or so.
The older elephants
show the calf how to get to the water
by navigating
this strange obstacle course.
At last.
And if you still haven't mastered
the art of the trunk,
face drinking is always a good fallback.
The calf is learning
the hard way.
This water hole is the herd's savior.
Elephants also use it
to protect their skin from the sun.
The mud cools
their overheated bodies as it evaporates.
And the dust settles
in the cracks and crevices of their skin,
acting as sunblock.
A spot like this is highly sought-after.
But the herd aren't ready
to move on from their mud spa just yet.
Such difficult times
teach the growing pups many things.
Harassing a well-fed vulture
must be a good lesson in something.
A lone hyena
makes for a more serious education.
Testing their stress levels
helps prepare them
for future confrontations
with competitors.
But they still need
to learn the most important lesson.
The art
of the hunt.
With the alpha
now back in charge
she directs the team
to drive their prey into the thick mud
to slow them down.
Her coaching is paying off.
They're learning who to target
and who to leave.
The pack is growing
wiser and closer each day.
By late October, temperatures
have soared to 45 degrees Celsius.
Not a drop has fallen.
In recent years, the dry seasons here
have been getting longer,
the heat more severe.
This year is fast becoming
the drought of the century.
Every day becomes a gamble
to find enough water
to keep the whole herd alive.
The calf and her mother
need it the most.
She's a prisoner in these lands
that only a few months ago
offered her so much.
Her survival
is entirely in the hands
of the wise, old leader.
The herd's matriarch.
She's been traveling these pathways
since she, too, was a young calf.
Her brain, infused with memories,
holds an ancient internal map
of where the last pockets
of water might be found.
Family is
more than just the herd.
Family is memory
and that's what's making the difference
between life and death.
The old family knowledge
leads them
to one of the last remaining water holes
in the entire Delta.
Every muddy drop
is a lifesaver.
But their little one
can't get to the water.
So she simply gets
into the water.
Getting out, not so easy.
For a clumsy calf,
a loving family is her most powerful ally.
There's no time to waste.
They need more water,
and they'll chase
the storm front to find it.
-Finally, clouds begin to form.
Giant storm cells.
Elephants are able to hear
the low frequencies of distant thunder
and detect storms
up to 200 kilometers away.
But in a region that's gone
seven months with barely a drop of rain,
the tinder-dry grasses are a ticking bomb.
The adults in the herd
have seen fire before.
Each year, up to 4,000 square kilometers
of the Delta burns.
They know to stick close together
as they try to navigate the flames.
The fires are devastating
but don't devour everything.
The grazers have thinned
the amount of fuel available to burn.
And the scorched areas
will create new pathways
for next year's flood to access.
The Delta has always found a way to heal
because its residents
never stop playing their part.
At last, the skies yield.
The greatest drought in living memory
is finally broken.
Over the next five months,
half a meter of rain will fall here.
Any ground scorched by the fire
will be revitalized.
The herds are released
from their water holes.
-And the predators spread out.
Keeping the grazers
on the move,
giving the new shoots a chance,
and preventing any one area
from becoming depleted.
Balance
is maintained.
And with the arrival
of the rains
come four new cubs.
The flush of green
has prompted a baby boom.
She moves her cubs
every few days
to prevent their scent
from attracting enemies.
But her latest move
hasn't gone unnoticed.
The young males
have picked up their trail.
They will not tolerate
the presence of another male's cubs.
She's half their size
and outnumbered.
They're trapped.
Her instinct
is to lead her babies to safety.
But the cubs have no idea
who they're up against.
She's lost track of a cub.
She'll fight
to the death for her family
but the males won't risk further injury.
Thanks
to their mother's bravery,
three of her cubs have survived.
She can't rest for long.
She's all they've got.
For the painted wolves,
life again is sweet.
Their mother has risen
to the greatest challenge
she's ever faced.
Bringing a pack cut to half its size
through the perils of the drought
and transforming
a hapless bunch of rookies
into a hardworking, successful team.
Their comeback is complete.
The gutsy little calf
has chalked up
her first year in the Delta
and she herself
has contributed to its upkeep
with every reed she's trampled,
every palm seed she's left.
If she can survive
another 30 or 40 more years
of increasing extremes,
fires, floods, and famines
she will finally become a matriarch
and pass on everything she's learned
to the next generation.
Now, four months old,
the lioness's cubs are getting stronger
and more able every day.
Single-handedly,
she's kept them all well-fed.
Their games
are practice for real life.
To teach them
how to catch prey like their mother.
She once lost
what was most precious to her.
But now,
has a little pride to call her own.
Her cubs will soon learn
the vital importance of family.
Just one of a myriad of families
whose presence sustains their land.
These animals
will continue to adapt
as best they can
to the growing threats they face.
The world's climate changing
becoming increasingly hostile,
more extreme.
Their greatest weapon
in their fight to survive is each other.
For their fates are bound together
with this great wilderness.
The magnificent,
ever-changing
Okavango Delta.
family is everything.
It's the bonds
within the pride,
the pack,
and the herd
that allow each member to succeed.
Nowhere are these bonds
tested more fiercely
than in the great Kalahari Desert.
Here families are shaped
by courageous mothers
wise elders
and tenacious underdogs.
All drawn to the immense oasis
that lies at the desert's very heart.
The Okavango Delta.
Home to more wildlife
than any other wetland on Earth
it is seeing
some of the most extreme seasonal change
on the planet.
Through the chaos
and hardship of the coming year
fates will entwine,
and incredible relationships
will be forged.
Not just within families
but between families.
And even with the land itself.
For a two-year-old lioness,
the strength of family
comes from her pride.
She and her sisterhood
control this territory
and their lead male
reigns as warrior king.
But in the Delta, change can come suddenly
and upend a family's peaceful existence.
The chink in her pride's armor
is the king himself.
Years of fighting
to defend his family and territory
have taken their toll.
His weakness puts the lioness at risk.
And presents an opportunity
for two ambitious young males.
The old warrior
marks his territory.
But he's frail.
And outnumbered.
Every year in the Okavango
is a new and dangerous journey,
but for the lioness,
this year will be
the most uncertain she's ever faced.
Every family confronts
the challenges of the Delta
in its own way.
A pack
of painted wolves, 24 strong.
Their strength,
a testament to their great leader,
the alpha female.
She's trained them
to think and hunt as one.
And to provide for all.
But the alpha is pregnant.
Her team will lose their leader,
just as the Delta
faces its greatest upheaval.
It's May.
And the surrounding Kalahari Desert
is facing the worst drought in decades.
Thousands of animals
are fleeing the parched outer regions
traveling for weeks.
All drawn here for one reason.
Water.
Rainwater that fell four months ago
in the Angolan Highlands to the north
has finally made its way down,
across the Kalahari
and into the flatlands of the Delta.
Over nine trillion liters
of fresh water
floods the vast desert
creating
the greatest oasis on the planet.
In the flood's wake
come the great herds
joining those who live here year-round.
Everyone has a role to play
in shaping and maintaining this land.
Even a six-month-old elephant
on her first visit.
She's never seen so much water
and food.
With endless floodplains
to munch their way through,
elephants become
the natural gardeners of the Delta
uprooting far more than they can eat.
But over-pruning can clog the waterways,
halting the water's spread.
What the gardeners have blocked up,
families of hippos bulldoze through.
Not being swimmers,
they tiptoe along the bottom.
And in their wake,
leave hippo-sized highways
that connect rivers to pools
and pools to floodplains
allowing the water to keep flowing,
feeding the vibrant growth
of the entire Delta.
But the flood
isn't good news for all.
For the lioness,
it means a loss of hunting grounds.
And the old warrior king
is nowhere to be seen.
Whether he fled or was killed,
the young invaders
have usurped his throne.
Only lionesses of breeding age
are allowed to stay now.
And she's not one of them.
To these new males,
she's just an extra mouth to feed,
with little to contribute.
Banished and alone,
she'll need all her skill
just to stay alive.
The alpha female
has been housebound for weeks.
Because
Well, who would leave this scruffy bunch?
At four weeks old,
her pups venture out for the first time.
All 14 of them.
Unable to hunt for herself,
she must rely on her pack
to bring the meat she needs
to keep her milk flowing.
But her stay-at-home work
is nonstop.
Sweeping out the den
three weeks' worth of ticks and fleas
landing right back where they started.
Her pack is on patrol
without their leader.
And the floodwaters are slowing them down.
Lechwe.
Just one would feed the entire pack.
With splayed hooves
and powerful legs,
they can drive on through the flood.
Without the guidance of the alpha,
the pack follow them
into the deeper water.
It's futile.
And then
a lone impala.
He lacks the paddle-like hooves
and long legs of the lechwe.
They finish the job quickly
to avoid a clash with competitors.
The pack often take out
the weak or injured in a group,
easier prey,
with the added benefit
of reducing disease in herds.
The hunters deliver their meals
in the safest way possible.
In their stomachs.
Until the pups can hunt themselves,
they eat first.
Generosity is
a core principle of their pack.
Though learning to share
doesn't come easily.
Retiring to the den
with your very first piece of meat
is about as good as it gets.
With water levels
at their highest,
the Okavango becomes a true paradise.
Aquatic life
from the surrounding rivers and swamps
spreads into the grassland to spawn.
Branches and trees
knocked down by elephants
create protected nurseries for young fish.
During peak flood,
the Delta swells
to twice its original size,
and anywhere high and dry
becomes prime real estate.
Water fig trees provide perfect nesting
for an astonishing variety
of fish-eating birds.
For these families,
it's not so much about where you build.
It's what you build.
Only the finest
construction materials will do.
If you can't find
the exact fabric you're looking for
just steal it from your neighbor.
They can always steal it back again.
Finally,
a nest ready to hold
their most treasured possessions.
Gently turned
and shaded from the scalding sun.
Eggshell? Snail shell?
He's a first-time dad.
Everyone is in a race to raise their young
before the floodwaters recede
and the nests lose
their island protection.
The lioness
has been struggling to make a kill.
In drier conditions,
a reedbuck or lechwe would be a good bet.
But not in the flood,
not by herself.
And she's got competition.
Time to push back on her rivals.
It's pure intimidation.
She won't eat the carcass.
The pack would be wise
not to test her patience again.
By September,
the temperatures rise,
and water levels begin to drop,
leaving shrinking pools crowded with fish.
Perfect timing.
The adults get to work
feeding their precious little monsters.
New pools form each day
as the flood recedes.
Everyone
has their own special technique
to go with their own special bill.
Pelicans favor the fishing net.
Pied kingfishers
use the dive-bombing system.
Openbill storks
have snail-plucking down to a science.
And the rather theatrical black egret
uses its cape to mimic shady spots
where fish like to hide.
Bravo.
Different approaches with one purpose.
To build up
their chicks' strength
as quickly as possible.
Pelican chicks
are the greediest.
They need up to 30 feeds a day.
The tireless adults all know
the golden rule
of family life in the Delta.
The stronger your young,
the greater their chances of survival.
As the floodwaters recede
and the desert heat builds,
hunting grounds dry out
shifting the balance of power
back to the predators.
But alone, the lioness' kill rate
is still dangerously low.
She's growing weaker
by the day.
To complicate matters,
she's come into season.
Her scent will carry
to any lions in the area.
Including those she most wants to avoid.
The young males
who destroyed her family.
But with
the hunting grounds opening up,
another even bigger male
is drawn to the area.
His dark mane and deep call
are signs he's in his prime.
It's risky.
But if they join forces,
he could offer protection
and hunting support.
Her newfound alliance
is short-lived.
The stranger moves on
after only a few days.
Alone, once more,
but this time pregnant.
She won't be hunting
for just herself anymore.
Every family in the Delta
is intimately connected
to the rhythms of the changing seasons.
The water levels are plummeting,
turning to mud.
Fun for a calf
but it's a sign her herd should move on.
With the dry season
taking grip,
the herds need to make the most
of whatever grazing is left.
She learns from watching.
But some things, she has yet to perfect.
Such as paying attention,
so as not to get left behind.
She's being taken to a special place.
A stand of fan palms.
They thrive
where salts have been left behind
by the evaporating flood.
And the fruits that sit at the top
are revered by elephants.
Harvesting such lofty treats
is a trick
that only a four-ton bull can pull off.
Each shake
releases hundreds of fruits at once.
He knocks down
enough for everyone.
This precious meal
is not just for this family
and not just for today.
Elephants are the chief distributors
of fan palm seeds.
-The calf's ancestors left this fruit.
And now
she will do the same for those to come.
The herd will carry the seeds
for many miles.
Wherever they release them
in their dung, they can take root.
Just another
of the herd's vital contributions
to the Delta.
It will be
their last decent meal.
From here on,
the increasing scarcity of food and water
will drive their every move.
The painted wolves
have made it through the flood,
but not entirely intact.
One team member already killed,
and now the best hunters
have deserted the alpha and her pups.
Too many new mouths to feed
and not enough food to go around.
It's time for the rookies
to move out of the den
and begin searching for food.
The pups'
first great adventure.
Their first patrol with the grown-ups.
Though, they are more
of a hindrance than a help.
Their little legs will carry them
up to 15 kilometers a day.
The alpha must rebuild her team
into a peak hunting machine
and teach her pups
the ways of the pack hunter.
The receding floodwaters
have created perfect conditions
to unleash a plague.
Locusts.
The building heat
triggers a mass hatching.
Ten million greedy mouths
devour the drying vegetation.
Ancient termite mounds
seem to be the only things impervious
to the great forces
now at play in the Delta.
It's October.
In two short months,
the drought has transformed
a verdant paradise
into a barren dust bowl.
All the herds are searching for water
wherever they can find it.
They are easy pickings
for the two young males.
Who grow bigger and stronger every day.
They follow
the buffaloes' every move.
Tracking the same herds,
the lioness must stay
a safe distance from the males.
In her delicate state,
she desperately needs to eat.
But taking on prey
the size of a buffalo all by herself
is next to impossible.
At best, she can pick up
scraps left by the males,
scavenging the bare minimum
she needs to stay alive.
All the herds
and their predators
are being drawn in by the drought,
coming together in the heart of the Delta,
where the last water sources remain.
The calf and her herd
have to travel further
with each passing day.
Their eyesight may be poor,
but with highly attuned hearing and smell,
elephants can sense danger
from miles away.
Nile crocodiles.
Some up to six meters long,
weighing three-quarters of a ton.
But most are pretty small,
only a meter or so.
The older elephants
show the calf how to get to the water
by navigating
this strange obstacle course.
At last.
And if you still haven't mastered
the art of the trunk,
face drinking is always a good fallback.
The calf is learning
the hard way.
This water hole is the herd's savior.
Elephants also use it
to protect their skin from the sun.
The mud cools
their overheated bodies as it evaporates.
And the dust settles
in the cracks and crevices of their skin,
acting as sunblock.
A spot like this is highly sought-after.
But the herd aren't ready
to move on from their mud spa just yet.
Such difficult times
teach the growing pups many things.
Harassing a well-fed vulture
must be a good lesson in something.
A lone hyena
makes for a more serious education.
Testing their stress levels
helps prepare them
for future confrontations
with competitors.
But they still need
to learn the most important lesson.
The art
of the hunt.
With the alpha
now back in charge
she directs the team
to drive their prey into the thick mud
to slow them down.
Her coaching is paying off.
They're learning who to target
and who to leave.
The pack is growing
wiser and closer each day.
By late October, temperatures
have soared to 45 degrees Celsius.
Not a drop has fallen.
In recent years, the dry seasons here
have been getting longer,
the heat more severe.
This year is fast becoming
the drought of the century.
Every day becomes a gamble
to find enough water
to keep the whole herd alive.
The calf and her mother
need it the most.
She's a prisoner in these lands
that only a few months ago
offered her so much.
Her survival
is entirely in the hands
of the wise, old leader.
The herd's matriarch.
She's been traveling these pathways
since she, too, was a young calf.
Her brain, infused with memories,
holds an ancient internal map
of where the last pockets
of water might be found.
Family is
more than just the herd.
Family is memory
and that's what's making the difference
between life and death.
The old family knowledge
leads them
to one of the last remaining water holes
in the entire Delta.
Every muddy drop
is a lifesaver.
But their little one
can't get to the water.
So she simply gets
into the water.
Getting out, not so easy.
For a clumsy calf,
a loving family is her most powerful ally.
There's no time to waste.
They need more water,
and they'll chase
the storm front to find it.
-Finally, clouds begin to form.
Giant storm cells.
Elephants are able to hear
the low frequencies of distant thunder
and detect storms
up to 200 kilometers away.
But in a region that's gone
seven months with barely a drop of rain,
the tinder-dry grasses are a ticking bomb.
The adults in the herd
have seen fire before.
Each year, up to 4,000 square kilometers
of the Delta burns.
They know to stick close together
as they try to navigate the flames.
The fires are devastating
but don't devour everything.
The grazers have thinned
the amount of fuel available to burn.
And the scorched areas
will create new pathways
for next year's flood to access.
The Delta has always found a way to heal
because its residents
never stop playing their part.
At last, the skies yield.
The greatest drought in living memory
is finally broken.
Over the next five months,
half a meter of rain will fall here.
Any ground scorched by the fire
will be revitalized.
The herds are released
from their water holes.
-And the predators spread out.
Keeping the grazers
on the move,
giving the new shoots a chance,
and preventing any one area
from becoming depleted.
Balance
is maintained.
And with the arrival
of the rains
come four new cubs.
The flush of green
has prompted a baby boom.
She moves her cubs
every few days
to prevent their scent
from attracting enemies.
But her latest move
hasn't gone unnoticed.
The young males
have picked up their trail.
They will not tolerate
the presence of another male's cubs.
She's half their size
and outnumbered.
They're trapped.
Her instinct
is to lead her babies to safety.
But the cubs have no idea
who they're up against.
She's lost track of a cub.
She'll fight
to the death for her family
but the males won't risk further injury.
Thanks
to their mother's bravery,
three of her cubs have survived.
She can't rest for long.
She's all they've got.
For the painted wolves,
life again is sweet.
Their mother has risen
to the greatest challenge
she's ever faced.
Bringing a pack cut to half its size
through the perils of the drought
and transforming
a hapless bunch of rookies
into a hardworking, successful team.
Their comeback is complete.
The gutsy little calf
has chalked up
her first year in the Delta
and she herself
has contributed to its upkeep
with every reed she's trampled,
every palm seed she's left.
If she can survive
another 30 or 40 more years
of increasing extremes,
fires, floods, and famines
she will finally become a matriarch
and pass on everything she's learned
to the next generation.
Now, four months old,
the lioness's cubs are getting stronger
and more able every day.
Single-handedly,
she's kept them all well-fed.
Their games
are practice for real life.
To teach them
how to catch prey like their mother.
She once lost
what was most precious to her.
But now,
has a little pride to call her own.
Her cubs will soon learn
the vital importance of family.
Just one of a myriad of families
whose presence sustains their land.
These animals
will continue to adapt
as best they can
to the growing threats they face.
The world's climate changing
becoming increasingly hostile,
more extreme.
Their greatest weapon
in their fight to survive is each other.
For their fates are bound together
with this great wilderness.
The magnificent,
ever-changing
Okavango Delta.