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This is the story of a pool and the
animals that cannot live without it.

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00:00:20,453 --> 00:00:22,717
It's a place where hippos
and crocodiles survive

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in mysterious harmony.

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A crowded pool...

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where predator and prey
are drawn together

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and where strange things happen
that have rarely been seen before.

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At this pool thirst can be dangerous,

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and drinking...
becomes a deadly game of chance.

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When the pool shrinks in
an unrelenting drought...

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there is a desperate fight for life.

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A wild anarchy takes over that
only the fittest can survive.

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Here in a strange communion hippos
attend the last feast of the crocodiles.

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A river in Africa...

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It's known as the Luvuvhu
or Hippo river,

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and where land and river meet there
exists a rich concentration of animals.

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For countless years,
this river has sustained life

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in the northern reaches of
South Africa's Kruger National Park.

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When good rains have fallen
there is abundant water for all,

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but this year little rain fell,
the river dwindled to a narrow channel,

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and finally stopped flowing.

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The pools that remain in the
river-bed are life sustain oases,

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and this which is one of
the largest and deepest,

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and has never been known to go dry,

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is a favorite refuge
for hippos and crocodiles.

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For those who have to
drink here each day

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the challenge is
to drink and survive.

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With over 60 crocodiles congregated
here caution becomes the first rule.

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Wise in the ways of the pool,
oxpeckers, on their floating islands,

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drink safely,
and these unpredictable giants

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don't seem to mind the few extra
ounces of their company.

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But, more extraordinary is this young
crocodile, the smallest in the pool,

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who's become a regular passenger
and is possibly safer

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basking on the surprisingly tolerant
hippos than with its own kind.

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Wily baboons have another strategy.

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They dig pits at the pool's edge
and drink the seepage water,

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rather than risk a croc attack.

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In contrast, this female impala is so
stressed by thirst she's beyond caution.

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Dazed and distracted she finally drinks
in the worst possibly place.

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Crocs aren't the only problem here.

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These impala have run afoul
of a white- crowned plover,

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whose eggs are
in a depression in the sand.

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These birds only rest nest near water,
and so, when the river dries,

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the fringe of the pool
becomes prime real estate.

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But it's also a busy
and dangerous throughfare -

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crocs come here regularly to bask.

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Crocodiles lumbering up the bank are
a major hazard for the fragile eggs.

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But, unlike the timid impala,
the crocs ignore the birds' warning cries.

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Lucky this time...
and she settles down again to brood.

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Hippos spend their nights grazing,
often far from the pool, and,

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by day, they too like to lie
in the warm sun.

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A large wet snout,
applied with surprisingly gentleness,

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seems all that's needed to clear
some space on the crowded beach.

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There's no hurry...
we're all relaxed and easy here,

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and the great reptiles gradually
respond to gentle nudges

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until all accommodated
to their liking.

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Another close call for the plovers.

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As the crocodile returns to the pool.

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But it's all just part of the price
for a good waterfront site.

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Hippos are a nuisance for the plovers

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- they don't leave much space
between them.

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The rains that usually revive
the river are late this year

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and the water level in the pool
drops rapidly.

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Fishing birds move on
and find good pickings

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among the fish trapped
on the shallows.

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The yellow-billed stork's
juggling act is no game,

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but a way to tire the fish into
relaxing its sharp, erected spines.

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Crocs eat fish too...
they're also cunning thieves...

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who deliberately harass the birds
into dropping their fish.

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The herons must wet their catch
before they can swallow it,

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and the crocs watch closely,

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waiting to move on and panic
the bird at just the right moment.

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Sometimes these waterbirds appear
to live a charmed life

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and to be mysteriously immune
from attack by crocodiles.

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But birds and reptile
understand each other well.

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And the crocs seem to know these birds
are just too alert to be easily caught.

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But not all birds are crocodile smart.

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Green pigeons don't often drink.

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Usually they get enough moisture
from the fruits they eat.

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But in the heat of this dry year
the birds are forced to come to water.

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And they're innocent of any danger.

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The sight of crocodiles spinning
in a feeding frenzy

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is enough to frighten
most animals away.

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But as the crocs tear apart an nyala
bull, something amazing happens.

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A hippo moves on and begins to mouth

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and lick the bodies
of the feeding crocs.

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Hippos are strictly vegetarians.

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She hasn't come for
a share of the spoils.

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Why she intrudes
in this way is a mystery.

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She is more powerful than the crocs

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and her dominance over them
is absolute.

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She prods and licks the face of
the biggest croc on the pool -

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even as it struggles to swallow
the skull of the antelope.

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And then, as if her curiosity
has been satisfied,

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she loses interest
and leaves the crocs to their feast.

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Elephants don't have to worry about
crocodiles when they drink,

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but they still prefer the cleaner water
in the pits and vigorously dig them out.

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In the riverbank, near the pool,

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a large colony of nesting bee-eaters
are feeding their young.

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They must forage continually
in the hot sun to satisfy their needs.

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To cool off, every afternoon,

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they fly over the pool
and dive for their drinks.

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For some of the crocs this is
the signal to take up positions.

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The odds are heavily in favor of
the bee-eaters

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and most survive the croc strikes.

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A thirsty lioness comes to water.

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She tries a pit
but finds it full of bees.

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She decides to risk the pool.

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In heat like this the bees
need water, too.

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Lions can go without water
for a long time...

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But this one is a nursing mother.
She must drink.

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Maybe the bee-pit
isn't so bad after all.

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Large flocks of queleas are in the
area, searching for seed and grain.

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As they stop by the pool to drink,

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their busy fluttering
at the water's edge

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inspires the crocodiles with a keen
and almost sporting enthusiasm.

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The monitor lizard is the scourge of

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both ground nesting birds
and the egg lying crocodiles.

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It's a voracious predator,
particularly partial to eggs...

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And the feisty plover
immediately declares war.

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During the heat of the day
the sand becomes unbearably hot

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and burns the skin
between the impalas' hooves.

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For the plovers on their nest, this
is when easy access to water pays off.

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The bird is soaking its breast-feathers
until they are weighted with water.

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It then hurries up the scorching sand
to reliever its mate.

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The plovers are brooding on sand
that feels hot enough to fry an egg,

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and by mid-day they are changing guard
at the nest every ten minutes.

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Without the constant protection
of their cool wet feathers,

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the eggs could not survive the heat.

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The sand is so hot...
it's a wonder she doesn't fly down.

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These buffalo have just
one thing in mind.

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Their usual watering places
are dry now

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and they've had a long,
hot journey to get there.

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One of the calves strikes out on its
own and is soon in dangerous company...

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But these aren't
the biggest crocs in the pools

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and the lucky calf quickly
returns to the herd.

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The crocs intentions are clear enough

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but before they can find
a small enough victim

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the buffalo decide it's time to leave.

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An irritated hippo helps them
on their way.

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The drought and heat are now so severe
that some animals with small young

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cannot supply enough milk, and thirsty
youngster follow their mothers to water

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before they're weaned or wise enough
to know how to drink.

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In an instant both croc
and fawn vanish into the pool...

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laving behind a bewildered mother.

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Somewhere under the surface of the pool
fthe crocodile lies low with its prey,

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waiting for an opportune moment
to eat without having to share.

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The most carefree creature
in the pool is this baby hippo.

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She frolics around her mother
in that special state

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that belongs to all young things.

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She is oblivious to the dangers
in her world.

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The pool is steadily shrinking and is
already too small for so many animals.

152
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But the hippos can't settle fights
caused by overcrowding.

153
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There is no place else to go.

154
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As usual now, the hippos subside
in an uneasy truce.

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Subdued by the day's heat,
and temporarily at peace,

156
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the baboons relax around the pool.

157
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His peace is shattered by
a familiar cry of outrage.

158
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He's innocent
but he's too close to the nest

159
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and the plover has a good eye
for trouble...

160
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...an young male baboons...
are especially targeted.

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A sudden spat between rival crocs
send a ripple of panic through the pool.

162
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It's small wonder that the plovers
are having trouble.

163
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A fresh track shows that a crocodile
ploughed right over their eggs.

164
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This is their third nest of the season
that's been lost to the crocodiles.

165
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Starting again from scratch

166
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the plovers perform the ritual of
selecting a site for a new nest.

167
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The baby hippo is exploring her world.

168
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The restraint of the crocodiles seems
out of character,

169
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but with two tons of
devoted mother nearby...

170
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...she is free to treat crocodiles

171
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with the same bold familiarity
as the adult hippos do.

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These great artist of violence
are obliged to hold a kindly pose

173
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as the hippo child wanders
on her playground

174
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of gently smiling dragons
and slobbers on their tails.

175
00:29:20,325 --> 00:29:24,887
A yellow-billed kite checks pool for
an easy meal, and sights a dead fish.

176
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The surrounding land is parched
and bare and each night the hippos,

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must trek for miles to find grazing.

178
00:29:45,483 --> 00:29:50,079
Other animals wander in the river-bed
in search of the few remaining pools.

179
00:29:59,063 --> 00:30:02,226
But most now are little more than
reeking mud wallows,

180
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full of dead and dying fish...

181
00:30:10,275 --> 00:30:12,539
Even so, the impala would drink here,

182
00:30:12,911 --> 00:30:15,345
but the pool is dominated by
a single croc,

183
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the last of a group of more than
forty that were here a month ago.

184
00:30:22,253 --> 00:30:25,586
The monkeys won't risk it - and drink,
instead, in deep footprints.

185
00:30:28,193 --> 00:30:31,060
The fawn's attempt to drink
is a small disaster.

186
00:30:31,863 --> 00:30:33,888
Now it's covered
with stinking mud.

187
00:30:51,416 --> 00:30:52,849
The mother sniffs her offspring

188
00:30:53,084 --> 00:30:56,110
but doesn't recognized it
in this foul disguise.

189
00:31:04,662 --> 00:31:07,597
The crocodile that has held back
the drinkers suddenly leaves.

190
00:31:09,033 --> 00:31:12,161
Perhaps there is no future for it
in this tiny pool.

191
00:31:29,020 --> 00:31:30,317
The mother has made up her mind.

192
00:31:31,489 --> 00:31:34,652
This is not the sweet smelling
youngster she came with.

193
00:31:35,860 --> 00:31:37,327
But the fawn knows better.

194
00:32:13,331 --> 00:32:15,060
The little impala is persistent.

195
00:32:16,167 --> 00:32:20,536
Soon the mud will wear off
and the mother will again accept her.

196
00:32:32,817 --> 00:32:36,412
The crocodile reappears,
covered in fresh red earth.

197
00:32:43,194 --> 00:32:47,494
She thrusts her head into the mud
and swings it from side to side.

198
00:33:07,218 --> 00:33:09,584
At first her peculiar behavior
is a puzzle.

199
00:33:10,855 --> 00:33:16,225
And then her secret is revealed
as her muddy jaws open gently

200
00:33:16,594 --> 00:33:18,721
to release the newly hatched babies

201
00:33:19,030 --> 00:33:21,965
she has carried down
from her nest on the riverbank.

202
00:33:23,801 --> 00:33:26,998
This is the reason she has remained
in the pool so long.

203
00:33:28,272 --> 00:33:32,208
She would never desert her young...
she is their only protection.

204
00:33:51,629 --> 00:33:53,995
But between predators
and the thick mud,

205
00:33:54,298 --> 00:33:56,493
there is no chance
for the little crocs.

206
00:33:57,769 --> 00:33:59,703
And all will die
within an hour.

207
00:34:06,044 --> 00:40:06,435
Back in the big pool crocodiles writhe
and heave over another carcass.

208
00:34:12,083 --> 00:34:14,643
And once again,
hippos are amidst the frenzy.

209
00:34:16,387 --> 00:34:17,911
There's nothing for them to eat,

210
00:34:18,156 --> 00:34:19,680
yet something attracts them here.

211
00:34:37,241 --> 00:34:42,042
With jaws clamped tight on the carcass,
the croc spins until a piece breaks off.

212
00:34:46,851 --> 00:34:48,045
The hippos seems content

213
00:34:48,286 --> 00:34:51,653
to gently interrupt the spinning crocs
from time to time.

214
00:34:52,990 --> 00:34:56,585
But no one knows why
they attend these terrible feasts.

215
00:35:20,318 --> 00:35:22,809
For nine months little rain has fallen.

216
00:35:24,288 --> 00:35:26,483
And the animals risk death for water.

217
00:35:57,955 --> 00:35:59,718
The hippos calm is disturbed

218
00:35:59,957 --> 00:36:02,687
by the violent arrival of
the croc's latest victim.

219
00:36:06,497 --> 00:36:08,965
For this one there will be
no lucky escape.

220
00:36:16,807 --> 00:36:20,106
The baby hippo is already wedged
deep among crocs

221
00:36:20,678 --> 00:36:24,614
close to the impala carcass
and the biggest crocs in the pool.

222
00:36:26,951 --> 00:36:29,078
The mother then does a strange thing.

223
00:36:30,021 --> 00:36:32,421
Rousing herself
to investigate the scene,

224
00:36:33,024 --> 00:36:36,084
she pushes her baby
almost on the impala,

225
00:36:36,761 --> 00:36:42,700
and then retreats leaving her calf
between these jaws and the meal.

226
00:36:46,137 --> 00:36:49,368
The mother's presence is enough
to ensure her safety...

227
00:36:50,308 --> 00:36:52,640
Though the baby seems less certain.

228
00:36:53,911 --> 00:36:55,742
But the mother knows
they wouldn't dare,

229
00:36:56,714 --> 00:37:00,707
and she drifts back on top the secure
slumbers of the strong.

230
00:37:07,658 --> 00:37:09,558
The pool has become so dangerous

231
00:37:09,794 --> 00:37:12,058
that most animals prefer
to drink from the pits...

232
00:37:18,436 --> 00:37:22,964
But a fierce comedy of survival results
when so many are desperate for water.

233
00:37:29,914 --> 00:37:32,405
Large make baboons commandeer the pits

234
00:37:32,650 --> 00:37:35,448
and drink every mouthful of
water that seeps in.

235
00:37:45,496 --> 00:37:47,691
They can scare off most animals,

236
00:37:47,932 --> 00:37:52,926
but sharp horns have the advantage and
the baboon reluctantly gives way.

237
00:38:04,248 --> 00:38:06,011
Competition at the pits is so fierce

238
00:38:06,484 --> 00:38:08,748
that those that can't cope with
a big baboon

239
00:38:08,986 --> 00:38:10,851
have to take their chances
at the pool.

240
00:38:14,792 --> 00:38:16,657
A nursing mother must have water,

241
00:38:17,361 --> 00:38:19,921
but she takes a terrible risk
to get it.

242
00:38:41,285 --> 00:38:42,809
The mother has torn herself free...

243
00:38:46,090 --> 00:38:48,957
But the baboons can see that
another croc has her baby.

244
00:38:58,536 --> 00:39:02,404
The croc will lose its prize to the
others unless it leaves the pool.

245
00:39:08,179 --> 00:39:10,238
But when it does a big baboon
is waiting.

246
00:39:19,357 --> 00:39:25,318
The croc drops the baby.
But the brave rescue is too late.

247
00:40:07,705 --> 00:40:09,070
The drought continues.

248
00:40:10,441 --> 00:40:12,671
It has become the worst
in living memory.

249
00:40:49,180 --> 00:40:51,080
The pool has dwindled to a mud wallow

250
00:40:51,916 --> 00:40:55,352
and many of the hippos have left
on a final quest for water.

251
00:40:57,188 --> 00:40:59,213
But for an increasing crowd of animals

252
00:40:59,457 --> 00:41:02,153
their only chance of salvation
lies here.

253
00:41:04,462 --> 00:41:09,126
For the plovers, no eggs have survived
these cruel and chaotic conditions.

254
00:41:11,435 --> 00:41:15,701
Every day an assemble of desperate
animals gathers around the pool.

255
00:41:24,148 --> 00:41:25,979
These baboons,
who are seldom peaceable,

256
00:41:26,417 --> 00:41:28,942
reach new levels of aggression
among themselves.

257
00:41:30,020 --> 00:41:33,751
Even mothers with small babies do not
escape the brutal bullying.

258
00:41:52,409 --> 00:41:55,970
Baboons still dominate the pits
but a female nyala,

259
00:41:56,213 --> 00:41:58,875
driven by thirst,
is ready to fight for a drink.

260
00:42:18,435 --> 00:42:21,962
Each day now a few baboons appear
with blood on their hands.

261
00:42:23,641 --> 00:42:25,472
Their victims are impala fawns.

262
00:42:26,610 --> 00:42:31,638
Some are orphans of the drought,
others, only temporarily lost and alone.

263
00:42:33,384 --> 00:42:35,215
Trusting and totally defenseless,

264
00:42:35,953 --> 00:42:39,116
they are easy prey
for a strong male baboon.

265
00:42:58,242 --> 00:43:00,403
Unaware of the fate of her offspring,

266
00:43:00,644 --> 00:43:04,239
the mother ranges up and down
the pool, calling.

267
00:43:12,957 --> 00:43:17,519
A hungry warthog roots around for
choice pieces of rotting catfish...

268
00:43:19,463 --> 00:43:22,990
while a kudu, heedless of
the crocs, drinks the mud...

269
00:43:35,546 --> 00:43:38,014
The baboons didn't keep his kill
to himself for long.'

270
00:43:39,316 --> 00:43:41,113
Yet the contest seems to be

271
00:43:41,352 --> 00:43:44,287
as much about male dominance
as ownership of a carcass.

272
00:43:50,227 --> 00:43:52,593
Meanwhile the warthog sees
a good opportunity.

273
00:43:55,833 --> 00:43:58,734
She's little slow and no match
for an agile baboon.

274
00:44:26,563 --> 00:44:28,087
As their pool dies around them

275
00:44:28,332 --> 00:44:31,301
the hippos and crocs
lie marooned on the mud,

276
00:44:31,669 --> 00:44:33,796
like creatures made of clay,

277
00:44:34,905 --> 00:44:38,432
half-formed and waiting for
their creator to complete them.

278
00:44:44,381 --> 00:44:46,906
A baboon risks all
on a thin crust of mud

279
00:44:47,418 --> 00:44:49,852
as she searches
for puddles on the surface.

280
00:44:51,288 --> 00:44:54,155
While all around her lie more than
a hundred crocs,

281
00:44:54,858 --> 00:44:56,655
indistinguishable from the mud.

282
00:45:19,950 --> 00:45:23,977
The mother is brave but the life and
death struggle is between these two.

283
00:45:27,424 --> 00:45:30,621
If baboons have nightmares
this is surely one of them.

284
00:45:37,835 --> 00:45:39,894
Torn between terror
and wanting to help,

285
00:45:40,671 --> 00:45:42,969
the mother is unable to
rally any support.

286
00:46:14,371 --> 00:46:18,603
She has escaped with muddy legs...
a sore face and,

287
00:46:18,842 --> 00:46:20,275
possibly a haunting memory.

288
00:46:27,417 --> 00:46:29,544
Right now she needs
some hands on grooming;

289
00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:34,279
but there is none to be
had just a curious stare.

290
00:46:45,803 --> 00:46:48,601
When everything seems to have reached
the end of endurance,

291
00:46:48,839 --> 00:46:52,366
the sky fills with clouds,
and relief seems at hand.

292
00:47:56,540 --> 00:47:58,201
The spell of the drought is broken.

293
00:47:59,409 --> 00:48:02,970
The crocs return to life
and begin immediately to devour

294
00:48:03,213 --> 00:48:06,842
the ripe remains of some old feast...
that was locked in the mud.

295
00:48:23,500 --> 00:48:26,799
But the rain was just a fleeting
reminder of better times.

296
00:48:28,338 --> 00:48:29,965
It does not break the drought.

297
00:48:34,945 --> 00:48:39,211
The withering heat returns and draws
all remaining moisture from the pool.

298
00:48:40,884 --> 00:48:42,249
The last hippo has moved on

299
00:48:42,486 --> 00:48:46,149
and will probably die in
a hopeless search for water.

300
00:48:48,091 --> 00:48:49,820
Only one old crocodile is left.

301
00:48:51,094 --> 00:48:53,824
He was the largest,
the dominant croc.

302
00:48:56,667 --> 00:48:58,362
He shows no signs of leaving.

303
00:48:59,636 --> 00:49:03,800
He remains in his empty pool
like a stranded nightmare.

304
00:49:14,084 --> 00:49:15,449
The other crocs have taken shelter

305
00:49:15,686 --> 00:49:18,484
from the scorching sun
in the vegetation around the pool.

306
00:49:24,594 --> 00:49:30,555
They lie motionless in the shade,
surviving on their last reserves.

307
00:49:37,474 --> 00:49:40,568
The old male croc only
pushes deeper onto the mud,

308
00:49:41,712 --> 00:49:45,307
covering himself
with the remains of his pool.

309
00:50:05,702 --> 00:50:07,966
Six weeks later,
in the center of the pool,

310
00:50:08,205 --> 00:50:10,230
at the place
where the water was deepest,

311
00:50:11,041 --> 00:50:16,308
lies the skeleton of the big male
croc, dominant to the end.

312
00:50:18,515 --> 00:50:21,780
Close by, are the bodies of
more than thirty baboons,

313
00:50:22,085 --> 00:50:25,714
who succumbed when temperature
reached nearly 120 degrees.

314
00:50:28,291 --> 00:50:31,920
And in the surrounding bush,
where they had sheltered from the sun,

315
00:50:32,162 --> 00:50:34,255
are the desiccated remains
of the crocodiles.

316
00:50:43,306 --> 00:50:44,568
But there are survivors.

317
00:50:45,709 --> 00:50:49,645
In holes, dug deep into the riverbanks,
there are a few crocs.

318
00:50:52,015 --> 00:50:53,846
Entombed in the cool dark,

319
00:50:54,384 --> 00:50:58,821
they're able to conserve moisture
and wait for the return of their river.

320
00:51:04,327 --> 00:51:09,230
For some day, beyond the distant hills,
where the weather is made,

321
00:51:09,499 --> 00:51:10,727
it will rain again...

322
00:51:13,403 --> 00:51:16,930
and the end of the drought will come
trickling down the riverbed.

323
00:51:27,684 --> 00:51:32,348
No wild calls will welcome this sight,
but, as the river surges...

324
00:51:32,689 --> 00:51:35,055
And flows deep enough to swim in,

325
00:51:35,725 --> 00:51:38,455
who is to say that
the crocodiles won't rejoice...

326
00:51:39,463 --> 00:51:42,955
and the birds won't revel
in that first flooding.

327
00:51:47,104 --> 00:51:52,440
In nature there are few happy endings...
instead there is a continuing.

328
00:51:54,111 --> 00:51:57,911
When the river returns...
survivors will replenish its banks

329
00:51:59,082 --> 00:52:03,985
and the great cycle of life
and renewal will begin again.