1 00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:23,878 Mirages summon up strange liquid illusions 2 00:00:24,024 --> 00:00:26,857 here on a vast dry lake bed 3 00:00:26,993 --> 00:00:30,656 that has been called "the place of dry water." 4 00:00:31,564 --> 00:00:35,500 This is a region named Etosha in southwestern Africa. 5 00:00:35,635 --> 00:00:39,071 For most of the year it may go without a drop of rain. 6 00:00:39,205 --> 00:00:40,467 And in these times, 7 00:00:40,607 --> 00:00:45,203 Etosha's water holes become like open-air stages. 8 00:00:45,345 --> 00:00:47,575 Here, as perhaps nowhere else, 9 00:00:47,714 --> 00:00:51,946 the wildlife of Africa may be intimately observed. 10 00:02:58,211 --> 00:03:02,170 Much of the Etosha region is grassy plain and bushland, 11 00:03:02,315 --> 00:03:05,478 and in tis center lies the Etosha Pan 12 00:03:05,618 --> 00:03:10,248 a vast lake bed which is totally dry for most of the year. 13 00:03:10,390 --> 00:03:12,449 Some 2,000 square miles in area, 14 00:03:12,592 --> 00:03:17,825 this great expanse of clay is one of the most barren landscapes on Earth. 15 00:03:17,964 --> 00:03:21,730 But this is a place of illusion and paradox. 16 00:03:21,868 --> 00:03:24,996 Because here in Namibia in southwestern Africa, 17 00:03:25,138 --> 00:03:28,972 the Etosha Pan is surrounded by one of the most spectacular displays 18 00:03:29,108 --> 00:03:31,975 of wildlife remaining on the continent 19 00:03:32,111 --> 00:03:36,377 For underground reservoirs feed permanent water holes along the edge 20 00:03:36,516 --> 00:03:39,076 of the pan and on the plains beyond, 21 00:03:39,219 --> 00:03:42,950 sustaining great numbers of animals the year round. 22 00:04:51,190 --> 00:04:56,787 Our year in Etosha begins as the long dry season comes to an end. 23 00:04:56,929 --> 00:04:59,921 The pan is baked and windswept, 24 00:05:00,066 --> 00:05:03,229 and a dusty haze fills the air. 25 00:05:03,369 --> 00:05:05,166 But at last, one day, 26 00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:10,572 great clouds and shafts of cooling rain sweep across the plains. 27 00:05:51,918 --> 00:05:53,977 Water begins to fill the pan, 28 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,886 flowing into this natural depression from all directions. 29 00:05:58,024 --> 00:06:01,118 As the rains continue for about three months, 30 00:06:01,260 --> 00:06:04,229 A huge lake gradually forms. 31 00:06:11,504 --> 00:06:14,962 Suddenly, millions of catfish appear in the lake. 32 00:06:15,108 --> 00:06:18,236 They have been spawned by adults that have somehow survived the 33 00:06:18,378 --> 00:06:21,711 dry season buried deep in the mud. 34 00:06:21,848 --> 00:06:26,683 But now these young fish become a feast for egrets and herons. 35 00:06:38,264 --> 00:06:40,824 The rains transform Etosha. 36 00:06:40,967 --> 00:06:44,198 The pan is now a vast, shallow lake, 37 00:06:44,337 --> 00:06:46,271 fifty miles across 38 00:06:46,406 --> 00:06:48,636 but barely two feet deep. 39 00:06:51,344 --> 00:06:55,940 Rising water soaks the grassy plains along the edges of the pan. 40 00:06:57,150 --> 00:07:01,177 A lush new season is announced by a chorus of giant bullfrogs 41 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,652 calling females to mate. 42 00:07:07,593 --> 00:07:11,290 The bullfrog males gather together on their mating grounds. 43 00:07:11,431 --> 00:07:12,921 Here they attack each other, 44 00:07:13,065 --> 00:07:16,364 fighting savagely for the opportunity to mate. 45 00:07:27,547 --> 00:07:31,039 This is something new for these young lions. 46 00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:19,625 The small female bullfrogs take the initiative when it comes to mating. 47 00:08:19,765 --> 00:08:23,531 Now two females vie for the attention of a male. 48 00:08:57,003 --> 00:09:00,871 Hundreds of eggs are released by the female and fertilized by the male. 49 00:09:16,122 --> 00:09:20,650 Soon vast numbers of tadpoles swarm in the shallows around the pan. 50 00:09:21,093 --> 00:09:24,494 Most frog species have abandoned their young by this time, 51 00:09:24,630 --> 00:09:28,157 But the male giant bullfrog is fiercely protective. 52 00:09:28,634 --> 00:09:33,469 He vigorously defends them against predators like the monitor lizard. 53 00:10:19,652 --> 00:10:23,315 A blaze of fresh color sweeps over the plains of Etosha. 54 00:10:23,456 --> 00:10:26,721 Many animals find sufficient moisture in the succulent new growth 55 00:10:26,859 --> 00:10:28,486 they're feasting on. 56 00:10:28,628 --> 00:10:33,497 Now the water holes appear abandoned and deceptively peaceful. 57 00:10:40,206 --> 00:10:44,108 But turtle doves do come to drink every morning and evening. 58 00:10:59,959 --> 00:11:04,020 These two are unwary intent on their courtship. 59 00:11:43,002 --> 00:11:45,994 The victim is overwhelmed by hungry turtles 60 00:11:46,939 --> 00:11:48,873 and it's soon over. 61 00:11:57,249 --> 00:11:59,945 Playing and foraging, but ever alert, 62 00:12:00,086 --> 00:12:04,216 ground squirrels rarely stray far from the safety of their burrows. 63 00:12:05,124 --> 00:12:06,455 Like most animals here, 64 00:12:06,592 --> 00:12:10,084 the squirrels have their young in this bountiful rainy season. 65 00:12:41,093 --> 00:12:44,426 On the plains, a wildebeest is giving birth. 66 00:14:41,113 --> 00:14:44,879 The calf's infancy passes before this day is over 67 00:14:45,017 --> 00:14:48,384 in just a few hours he'll be running with the herd. 68 00:14:58,931 --> 00:15:03,027 All across the plains newborn animals are first tasting life. 69 00:15:03,168 --> 00:15:08,037 Easy targets for predators, many will not live more than a few days. 70 00:15:33,832 --> 00:15:37,529 The zebra mother places herself between the cheetahs and her foal 71 00:15:37,670 --> 00:15:39,262 making good its escape. 72 00:15:46,545 --> 00:15:50,311 The rainy season is not a total blessing for the squirrels. 73 00:15:50,816 --> 00:15:52,807 They are plagued with fleas. 74 00:16:13,872 --> 00:16:16,932 The squirrels use their fluffy tails as sunshades. 75 00:16:17,076 --> 00:16:21,308 It's an unusual adaptation, helping them to forage in the hot sun. 76 00:16:46,572 --> 00:16:50,201 The cheetah mother has four large cubs to feed. 77 00:16:50,342 --> 00:16:52,139 They're almost a year old, 78 00:16:52,277 --> 00:16:55,144 but not yet skilled enough to hunt on their own. 79 00:18:04,583 --> 00:18:07,211 The wildebeest mother is formidable. 80 00:18:07,352 --> 00:18:11,982 She confronts the cheetah and helps her frantic calf to its feet. 81 00:18:30,375 --> 00:18:33,173 An elusive animal of which little is known, 82 00:18:33,312 --> 00:18:36,247 a bat-eared fox tends her cubs. 83 00:18:38,650 --> 00:18:40,845 She'll collect insects for them to eat 84 00:18:40,986 --> 00:18:44,422 and keeps their fur clean by constant grooming. 85 00:19:55,994 --> 00:19:59,395 Baby springbuck are easy prey for the cheetahs. 86 00:19:59,531 --> 00:20:03,160 They can easily eat four of these small fawns in a day. 87 00:20:03,635 --> 00:20:05,762 In half an hour they'll be hunting again. 88 00:20:12,911 --> 00:20:16,972 Her large, sensitive ears enable the fox to detect even 89 00:20:17,115 --> 00:20:20,710 the faint sounds made by insects underground. 90 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:44,136 This time she's found only a few termites. 91 00:22:06,058 --> 00:22:08,720 Although considered the fastest-running animal, 92 00:22:08,860 --> 00:22:12,626 cheetahs are hard-pressed to catch the swift springbuck. 93 00:22:12,764 --> 00:22:14,129 Cheetahs are often frustrated 94 00:22:14,266 --> 00:22:17,667 unless they can gain the advantage of surprise. 95 00:22:33,251 --> 00:22:36,743 In this year of heavy rain and an abundant food supply 96 00:22:36,888 --> 00:22:40,688 Pelicans have come to nest on an island in the flooded pan. 97 00:22:41,126 --> 00:22:45,119 Here, their clumsy black chicks are safe from predators. 98 00:22:48,500 --> 00:22:51,992 Leaving the chicks, the adult pelicans often travel great distances 99 00:22:52,137 --> 00:22:54,264 to the nearest fishing grounds. 100 00:23:07,152 --> 00:23:10,713 Here, they join other birds in pursuit of catfish. 101 00:23:14,726 --> 00:23:18,822 The catfish have grown almost too big for this sacred ibis. 102 00:23:22,601 --> 00:23:26,799 After three months the rains diminish and the pan begins to dry. 103 00:23:26,938 --> 00:23:29,600 The surviving catfish are trapped in the shallows 104 00:23:29,741 --> 00:23:31,868 and picked off easily by the pelicans, 105 00:23:32,010 --> 00:23:34,604 lbis, and yellow-billed storks. 106 00:23:41,286 --> 00:23:44,312 Newly-hatched dabchick ride along on their mother's back 107 00:23:44,456 --> 00:23:46,151 when she leaves the nest. 108 00:23:48,593 --> 00:23:50,527 As the male dives for food, 109 00:23:50,662 --> 00:23:52,755 the dabchick mother tends her young 110 00:23:52,898 --> 00:23:55,833 and the unhatched eggs, which she carefully covers over 111 00:23:55,967 --> 00:23:57,901 when she's away from the nest. 112 00:24:02,207 --> 00:24:06,268 Now she shades the eggs and fans them vigorously 113 00:24:06,411 --> 00:24:08,845 guarding against the hot sun. 114 00:24:24,763 --> 00:24:27,231 Both adults must work constantly to keep up 115 00:24:27,365 --> 00:24:29,697 with the chicks' demands for food. 116 00:24:52,557 --> 00:24:54,286 The rains have ended now, 117 00:24:54,426 --> 00:24:58,226 and pools along the edges of the pan are fast evaporating. 118 00:24:58,363 --> 00:25:02,163 By the thousands, young bullfrogs emerge from the water. 119 00:25:03,168 --> 00:25:06,934 They have voracious appetites and eat everything in sight. 120 00:25:22,220 --> 00:25:24,984 Often there is no food but one another 121 00:25:29,528 --> 00:25:32,964 Many bullfrogs may reach maturity without eating anything 122 00:25:33,098 --> 00:25:34,827 but their own kind. 123 00:25:47,946 --> 00:25:51,905 For the frogs that escape each other, there are other enemies. 124 00:25:52,551 --> 00:25:56,419 This bushsnake recognizes prey only when it moves. 125 00:25:56,555 --> 00:25:59,319 If the frogs remain still, they're safe. 126 00:26:53,778 --> 00:26:58,875 Through the rains, most animals of Etosha enjoyed a bountiful time. 127 00:26:59,017 --> 00:27:02,680 Strengthened and renewed, they are now prepared for the long, 128 00:27:02,821 --> 00:27:05,881 harsh season that lies ahead. 129 00:28:22,867 --> 00:28:26,701 As the plains dry, the rutting season begins. 130 00:28:27,439 --> 00:28:30,931 A wildebeest bull eagerly approaches a group of females. 131 00:28:31,076 --> 00:28:33,772 But the bull is not entirely welcome. 132 00:28:33,912 --> 00:28:35,641 Rival males will take full advantage 133 00:28:35,780 --> 00:28:38,806 when he drops his guard and attempts to mate. 134 00:29:10,381 --> 00:29:15,114 A male springbuck courts a female by gently touching her flanks. 135 00:29:15,687 --> 00:29:18,713 Only when ready will she allow him to mate. 136 00:30:03,568 --> 00:30:05,695 This is called "pronking." 137 00:30:05,837 --> 00:30:09,796 Adult springbuck pronk after being chased by a predator, 138 00:30:09,941 --> 00:30:12,535 Perhaps as a signal to regroup the herd. 139 00:30:12,677 --> 00:30:16,875 But in these young, is seems simply a delightful form of play. 140 00:30:52,150 --> 00:30:54,550 Daily it's growing drier. 141 00:30:54,686 --> 00:30:58,144 The pan becomes a mire of soggy clay, 142 00:30:58,289 --> 00:31:01,452 and then hardens under the harsh Etosha sun. 143 00:31:28,152 --> 00:31:29,278 High and dry, 144 00:31:29,420 --> 00:31:35,290 the pelican colony is no longer an island and no longer a sanctuary. 145 00:31:35,426 --> 00:31:38,589 Jackals and hyenas raid each evening. 146 00:31:43,868 --> 00:31:48,430 The flightless young pelicans soon are scattered across the pan, 147 00:31:48,573 --> 00:31:50,700 many dead or dying. 148 00:32:44,162 --> 00:32:48,360 The new grass brought by the rains matures and dries. 149 00:32:48,499 --> 00:32:51,491 The great herds that have flourished here on their breeding grounds 150 00:32:51,636 --> 00:32:54,696 now move on in search of fresh grazing. 151 00:32:54,839 --> 00:32:58,707 Probably such migrations have continued for thousands of years 152 00:32:58,843 --> 00:33:02,540 triggered by the onset of the long dry season. 153 00:33:13,591 --> 00:33:16,924 Some herds will travel 100 miles and more. 154 00:33:17,061 --> 00:33:21,657 They must follow trails leading from one water hole to the next. 155 00:33:21,799 --> 00:33:25,496 And at the water holes wait the predators... 156 00:33:28,473 --> 00:33:33,604 A zebra herd is halted in sight of water by two resting lions. 157 00:33:34,078 --> 00:33:36,239 The lions have recently fed, 158 00:33:36,381 --> 00:33:39,407 but they will see that nothing drinks here today. 159 00:33:49,060 --> 00:33:50,960 They're old companions, 160 00:33:51,095 --> 00:33:53,586 and have hunted together for years. 161 00:33:53,731 --> 00:33:56,131 It would seem that nothing could come between them 162 00:33:56,267 --> 00:33:59,566 except perhaps, a lioness. 163 00:34:13,584 --> 00:34:17,486 It's mostly noise and little damage is done. 164 00:34:17,622 --> 00:34:20,785 The victor has established his right to the lioness. 165 00:34:24,695 --> 00:34:27,289 The loser seems to accept his lit in life, 166 00:34:27,432 --> 00:34:31,801 and is ill prepared when a second lioness comes on the scene. 167 00:35:03,234 --> 00:35:07,568 After three dry months the water holes become increasingly essential 168 00:35:07,705 --> 00:35:10,265 and perilous for the animals of Etosha 169 00:35:10,775 --> 00:35:14,006 More and more often, and more urgently 170 00:35:14,145 --> 00:35:16,340 they are impelled here to drink. 171 00:35:58,656 --> 00:36:03,457 Elephant are among the few animals that come fearlessly to water. 172 00:36:03,594 --> 00:36:06,757 These bull elephants normally keep to themselves. 173 00:36:06,898 --> 00:36:09,765 But occasionally they join up with a breeding herd 174 00:36:09,901 --> 00:36:12,597 of cows and calves like this one. 175 00:36:31,088 --> 00:36:33,750 When a very young calf is with the herd. 176 00:36:33,891 --> 00:36:36,519 Even elephant can be edgy. 177 00:36:36,661 --> 00:36:39,721 This calf is probably less than ten days old, 178 00:36:39,864 --> 00:36:43,527 and it seems the entire herd unites to protect it. 179 00:37:41,759 --> 00:37:45,490 Udu are infinitely cautions when coming to drink. 180 00:37:45,630 --> 00:37:49,430 They are alert for the slightest scent or sound of danger. 181 00:39:08,245 --> 00:39:13,808 A powerful lioness in the prime of life is accompanied by her three cubs. 182 00:39:20,358 --> 00:39:23,327 Lions have a bad reputation as parents 183 00:39:23,461 --> 00:39:26,897 cubs are often neglected, or even savagely abused, 184 00:39:27,031 --> 00:39:29,556 Because of conflicts within the pride. 185 00:39:29,700 --> 00:39:33,761 But this lioness proves an attentive and careful mother, 186 00:39:33,904 --> 00:39:38,068 possibly because she has no female rivals and enjoys the attentions 187 00:39:38,209 --> 00:39:40,734 of the three male lions in the area. 188 00:39:50,621 --> 00:39:53,089 The cubs are only about four months old. 189 00:39:53,224 --> 00:39:55,624 And would be quite helpless on their own. 190 00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:59,992 They'll continue to rely on their mother for the next two years. 191 00:40:23,387 --> 00:40:27,847 A flock of queleas makes a hit and run raid on the water hole 192 00:40:27,992 --> 00:40:30,722 their safety lies in speed. 193 00:41:03,394 --> 00:41:06,693 The lioness has caught a young warthog for her cubs. 194 00:41:07,765 --> 00:41:10,393 Now she leads them to where she has left it. 195 00:41:13,737 --> 00:41:16,365 But there's a surprise in store for the cubs. 196 00:41:31,255 --> 00:41:32,916 The mother will not help. 197 00:41:33,057 --> 00:41:37,187 Inept as they are, they must learn how to kill. 198 00:42:12,830 --> 00:42:16,857 This is a rare and striking glimpse of how the means of survival 199 00:42:17,001 --> 00:42:19,231 are passed on in the wild. 200 00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:44,687 It's growing hotter and drier by the day. 201 00:42:45,696 --> 00:42:47,323 Though always aware of danger, 202 00:42:47,464 --> 00:42:50,797 animals are drawn more frequently to the water holes 203 00:42:50,935 --> 00:42:53,802 starting even in the cool of early morning. 204 00:43:45,923 --> 00:43:49,222 They can probably smell the lioness, 205 00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:51,726 but they're also thirsty. 206 00:45:50,514 --> 00:45:53,642 It's been six months now without a drop of rain. 207 00:45:54,284 --> 00:45:58,448 Flocks of guinea fowl scratching for seeds add to the choking haze 208 00:45:58,589 --> 00:46:00,580 that hangs over Etosha. 209 00:46:01,225 --> 00:46:05,127 It sometimes appears that the entire area is smoldering 210 00:46:05,262 --> 00:46:07,662 on the brink of bursting into flame. 211 00:46:50,974 --> 00:46:53,909 Now comes the time of the "light rains" 212 00:46:54,044 --> 00:46:57,707 showers that may fall in scattered spots across the plains. 213 00:46:57,848 --> 00:47:01,682 They're only a teasing foretaste of the real rainy season, 214 00:47:01,819 --> 00:47:04,219 still two or three months away. 215 00:47:07,958 --> 00:47:12,327 Soon after the light rains, acacia trees blossom. 216 00:47:21,538 --> 00:47:24,371 For kudu, giraffe, and other browsers, 217 00:47:24,508 --> 00:47:27,671 their fresh, new leaves offer some relief. 218 00:47:27,811 --> 00:47:32,248 But for other animals the scanty rains bring little benefit 219 00:47:32,382 --> 00:47:36,079 the plains are still brown and bone-dry. 220 00:47:47,598 --> 00:47:50,192 Now, the great grazing herds being to retrace their 221 00:47:50,334 --> 00:47:53,201 migration routes across the plains. 222 00:47:54,004 --> 00:47:56,029 By the time the rains begin in earnest, 223 00:47:56,173 --> 00:47:58,801 they will have found their way back to the same breeding grounds 224 00:47:58,942 --> 00:48:01,410 they occupied the year before. 225 00:48:16,093 --> 00:48:21,326 On the way, herds gather to drink at a water hole on the edge of the pan. 226 00:52:57,407 --> 00:53:02,174 And so it goes on as it has for millions of years. 227 00:53:02,312 --> 00:53:05,748 The ancient perpetual cycle of the seasons, 228 00:53:05,882 --> 00:53:09,579 the endless pursuit of predator and prey, 229 00:53:09,719 --> 00:53:12,153 of death and renewal. 230 00:53:12,856 --> 00:53:15,347 All will have come full circle 231 00:53:15,492 --> 00:53:18,825 as thunder echoes across Etosha 232 00:53:18,962 --> 00:53:22,363 and the rains come again at last.