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For wildlife lovers perhaps nothing compares to Africa it has beauty drama
Spectacle and a roster of animals we never seem to get enough of like lions cheetahs gorillas
elephants and chimps
Can one film truly capture the essence of Africa?
well, probably not but coming up just might be the next best thing a
Collection of some of the best moments in natural history filmmaking from Africa
The water hole
Wherever there is water animals gather from across the Serengeti Plains
The first thin line of the wildebeest heard has arrived at the shallows of Lake Ndutu
And wherever there is water lions wait in ambush
Zebras are here as well for the two great herds travel together
As they reach down for the life-giving water death closes in
One zebra escapes and one does not
The lions have done their work and the pride will assemble to share the prize
And the
Zebras seem to know that one death has brought them a measure of safety
The wildebeest push on their migration across the Serengeti is an epic contest between life and death
At more than a million strong they are the greatest gathering of land and animals
On earth their story is the very essence of Africa itself
A giraffe moves away from the noisy herd to perform her own quiet drama
Our baby is on its way and in giraffe fashion
The wildebeest are here to save the world
Our baby is on its way and in giraffe fashion it enters the world from a great height
A giraffe is an excellent mother
Despite her calm nature she is capable of killing a lion to protect her calf
After its unceremonious landing the baby must struggle to its feet as soon as it can
Remarkably it takes less than a minute
Even at birth giraffes are six feet tall
When they're standing that is
The baby is on its way to its mother
When they're standing that is
A second try and it's found its mother's milk
A nosy oxpecker joins the baby for its first meal
Sharp eyes scan the horizon of the Kalahari Desert
A meerkat is on guard duty
Along with a teammate he keeps watch over the babies while the rest of the meerkats are out looking for food
The babies are a handful and the hours are long but he is tireless in his devotion to duty
Several families live in a meerkat pack
It's an egalitarian society with no apparent rank
Meerkat babies grow up to share and share alike
Their guardian spots a marshal eagle and chirps out an alarm
When the coast is clear the tiny sentinels stand tall once more fiercely protecting their tiny patch of desert
Natural fountains of water
This could be paradise in the African desert
But this water is lethal and paradise is hard to come by
This is a soda lake in the valley of the Great Rift
Its waters are hot and so caustic they would sear our skin off in seconds
Yet this is paradise for birds of exotic beauty
Flamingos
Flamingos sift these hostile waters for the algae on which they feed
The surroundings are so inhospitable that no predators dare come near them
Africa has a special way of blending the deadly and the beautiful
And it is only on these poisonous soda lakes that flamingos can live and breed
Flamingo dancing is a ritual to attract a mate
But no earthbound dance equals the spectacle of flamingos in flight
In contrast to the soda lakes, the waters of the Okavango delta in Botswana run fresh and sweet
African jacana chicks live on the lily padded surface looked after by their protective father
He calls for the chicks and tucks them up under his wings at the first sign of danger
A fish eagle looms above and below the placid surface tigerfish prowl
The jacana holds tight to his brood, only a forest of feet gives the family away
Carefully watching his every step, he seeks shelter
Ah, but this time the tables turn on the tigerfish and the jacanas go free
Africa's rivers appear tranquil, but there's always something going on
Male hippos argue constantly over their patch of river and arguments quickly escalate
But soon they settle back into the water and allow an oxbecker to groom ticks and parasites away
Peace is restored and the hippos become spectators to one of the most daring river crossings on earth
The wildebeest have traveled for days without water, they reach the Gurumeti river desperate for a drink
Coming to water is necessary, but always risky
The crocodile's 18 feet long infest the river, these monsters are old and crafty
Some may be 70 years old and every year during their migration they lie and wait for the wildebeest
Thirst drives the wildebeest back to drink
Two crocs fight over their best position and once again the wildebeest are in the water
The wildebeest trek on across the Serengeti following the path of the rains to find good grazing
The wildebeest are lucky to find good food and water
The wildebeest trek on across the Serengeti following the path of the rains to find good grazing
Waiting for them is the next gauntlet, African wild dogs
The great herd stops to graze, massing on the plains as far as the eye can see
A team of dogs sets off to test the wildebeest, looking for a weak one
Wild dogs run down their quarry over many miles and sometimes many hours
It's a contest of stamina rather than speed or surprise
A million wildebeest roam these plains
Not one will die of old age
In the panic, a calf has lost its mother
She calls but he does not hear
As the herd moves on, mother and calf stay in the valley trying to find each other
For the little calf, the situation is serious. He's too young to survive on his own
Confused, he looks everywhere, desperate for some guidance
But Cape Buffalo shows no interest in his plight
A stork seems confused himself with the calf's unwanted attention
Exhausted, the little orphan drops down in the ground
The little orphan drops down in the grass, unaware that a nap could end in the ultimate nightmare
Luckily, the lion's attack is only half-hearted. He must have already had something to eat
The vultures will get no scraps this time
With his escape from the lion, the calf's fortunes have turned. His mother has been searching all this time too, and finally he hears her call
Africa, for all its uncompromising demands, is not without mercy. This day, one small miracle takes place, and one small life is saved
At the heart of the African continent, mountains rise into the clouds. Forests that could come from the dawn of time stand in the mist. This is the world of the mountain gorilla
The gorillas lead a quiet life up here, and after feeding, family groups spend the afternoon resting
Seeing these magnificent creatures in their natural setting, it's hard to account for the intense fear gorillas once inspired. In 1856, an American explorer called them a hellish dream creature, half man, half beast
Research by George Schaller, Diane Fossey, and the many scientists of the Karasoki Research Center in Rwanda has enlightened us about the lives of these close relatives of ours, and about how endangered they really are. There may be only some 600 in all the world
Real gorillas cannot live in the human imagination, and the mountain forests they need are under every form of human attack, including outright civil war
The recent fighting in Rwanda put a temporary stop to the research at Karasoki, but the war is coming to an end, and the news is hopeful that the gorillas and their forest are safe
Higher up in the peaks, the forest is left behind
15,000 feet above equatorial Africa, on the flanks of Mount Kenya, it snows
Rock hyraxes are at home at these elevations, but even they look a bit surprised by the weather. They huddle together to keep each other warm. A snowfall this heavy is unusual. It only falls like this once in 50 years
Hyraxes are an ancient species once common on the plains, but more modern creatures have now replaced them down below
While snow and ice grip the peak of Mount Kenya, fire sweeps through the plains at its feet
Cocks hunt insects escaping from the flames. Swallows dive through the smoke. The wildebeest, forever bound for new pastures, calmly navigate through the burning grass
At the dogged steps, they turn their backs to the fire and head straight for the greatest obstacle on their migration, the Mara River
Panic and chaos sweep through the herd. Animals tumble into the water, pushed by the crush of bodies from the rear
The river exacts a steep toll for the crossing
It takes days for the herd to cross the Mara, and even on the high ground of the other side, there is no safe haven. Lions do not follow the herd, but stake out territories along its route. They cannot trespass on another pride's land. They can only wait and be ready for the wildebeest to come to them
How wild
Lions killed by suffocating their prey.
The beast it seems are born to suffer a violent death.
In a marsh in Tanzania, tiny cubs lie hidden in the grass, cheetahs.
Their mother must leave them behind to go off hunting.
Cheetahs hunt during midday when lions and hyenas are resting.
Her favorite prey is the Thompson's gazelle.
She begins to stalk, her small stream lined head held steady in concentration, her spotted
coat camouflaged against the grass.
Her speed is only good for a short burst, timing is everything.
Cheating the cheetah's legendary 60 miles per hour is not always enough.
The prey escapes half the time.
With alarm, the cheetah hears lions back at the marsh.
Lions actively search for cheetah cubs to kill them.
The little cubs hide deeper in the grass.
Their mother returns, but she is no match for a lion.
She watches frantically as the cubs are discovered.
Cheetahs are forcibly trapped in a cave by aavy.
When the lions are gone, she finds their little bodies.
This is the lion's way of eliminating the competition.
They would kill her too, if they could catch her.
The African skies seem to echo her sorrow.
In the sudden downpour, a ceasefire goes out across the plains.
And while the moment lasts, there are no deadly rivals in the rain.
Get up the winner!
The rain triggers a resurrection.
Bullfrogs have waited out the dry season in burrows deep in the sun-baked earth.
At the sound of the rain, they emerge into the brief flood waters and quickly search
out a mate.
Spring buck drink at the new pools and the Serengeti blooms.
Everyone seems to celebrate.
After the rains, the grass is rich again.
It's just the right time for a zebra to be born.
Shivering and still wet from the womb, the foal is on its feet within minutes and takes
its first look around at the world.
Its first trembling steps lead to its mother's milk.
The foal doesn't have much time to gain its legs.
It might soon be running for its life.
The herd senses their old enemy but cannot see the lion down in the ravine.
The lion judges her distance and makes her move.
The mare keeps her body between the lion and her foal, protecting the little one with her
own life.
And this time, it works.
As the herd settles down, a fight breaks out between two stallions.
They attack each other's hind legs, dropping to the ground in defense.
A bite to a hawker tendon would be crippling.
The fight breaks off with the flesh of deadly hooves.
At foaling time, the wild dogs also give birth.
They have a large litter this year and hunting must be good because there is plenty of milk
for the pups.
The pups are so fat that playing is reduced to just rolling around.
African wild dogs yip and twitter when they're excited.
They never bark and they differ from other dogs in many respects.
They never live alone and only the dominant female in the pack gives birth.
And that single litter can be as many as 15 to 20 pups.
Our raven dropping in for some scraps is immediately investigated as a potential playmate.
At certain times of the year, another migration sweeps across Africa.
But unlike the wildebeest that must travel by foot, these are creatures of the air.
They are quilias, one of the most numerous birds in the world.
A single flock fills the skies for miles with millions upon millions of wings.
Hawks dive through the wheeling flock, but they are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers
of birds.
At night's evening, the flock stops at a small pool to drink, and the skies fill instead
with the birds.
It's the end of the day in Africa, a day that blazes in the sky long after the land grows
dark.
And there will be another day for the great herds and the flocks, for there is always
an African tomorrow waiting to be born.
It's the dry season, and in the unforgiving heat, a lion and her cubs search for water.
She carries one when she can, but the others complain, exhausted by the journey.
The cubs are growing thin.
The herds have moved on, and hunting is poor.
The lion has less and less milk.
She stops often to rest.
One little cub lags far behind.
In her need for water, the lion has to choose between her cubs and her own survival.
Grants gazelles are surprised by the unusual sight of a lion cub, lost and alone on the
open plains.
The little lion struggles on, but his family is far out of sight.
Miraculously, he is headed in the right direction.
Stumbling down a slope, he finds water and his mother.
At the edge of the savanna, where the trees blend into the plains, her mother Impala looks
after her farm.
But there is a watcher in the tall grass.
The leopard is hungry and begins to stalk.
The doe gets wind of danger.
As the leopard maneuvers into a better position, the doe strides off, trying to lead the hunter
away from her farm.
But the cat is not fooled.
It has a taste for baby Impala and begins to search the grass for the hidden fawn.
Methodically, the leopard sweeps back and forth, but the fawn has no scent and makes
no sound.
Defeated, the leopard gives up and the anxious mother rushes to her baby.
There is no tall grass to hide a young Thompson's gazelle.
Tommies rely on speed.
They race for their lives against the fastest animal on land, the cheetah.
The cheetah is a speed demon.
It is light boned, has long, lean legs, a flexible spine and a sliding shoulder to lengthen
its stride.
A tommy merely runs, while a cheetah explodes across the ground.
The chase takes so much energy that a cheetah must spend 15 to 20 minutes resting before
it can eat.
This gives others a chance to spot the kill.
Some miles away, vultures begin to assemble at the cartas.
Within moments, the cheetah is upnumbered and driven from its hard-won meal.
A black-backed jackal is not so easily discouraged.
The squabbling brings spotted hyenas in to contest the meager scraps.
In no time at all, there is nothing left and the vultures rise high to resume their sky
patrol.
Far below, the waters of the Okavango delta shimmer in the sun.
A skimmer slices the water with its lower beak
and scoops up her fish.
Skimmers nest on the sandy banks of the mini-channels.
Our parent brings a fish to the nest, but the offering is too much for the tiny chick.
A smaller morsel is eagerly devoured.
A sandpiper scurries around collecting the discarded fish and then washing off the annoying
grains of sand.
As the sun goes down, the delta turns to molten gold.
Under dark, a crowned plover is disturbed from her nest by a slight sound in the sand.
But the snake is not after her.
He's an egg-eating snake and he heads directly for her nest.
It looks physically impossible, but the snake is preparing to eat the egg whole.
His jaw is completely detached to encompass the enormous meal.
With internal blades on his spine, the snake crushes the egg after he swallows it.
A brown hyena tries the same trick with a salva melon
to confront a universal problem.
A spring hare watches the hyena go with some relief.
He'd make a better meal than a salva melon.
In a burrow underground, a female looks after the newest arrival.
Beneath this misty canopy lives a group of animals as compelling to humans as any society
of our own.
These are the chimps of Gombe.
Chimpanzees are our closest relatives, sharing 98% of our genetic makeup.
For decades, Jane Goodall and others have come here seeking to understand whatever the
chimps have to tell us.
These chimps are tool users like ourselves.
They pass down their skills by teaching the next generation.
This is the beginnings of culture, and this is where we too began.
For like the chimps, we too are out of Africa, and in their dark and knowing eyes, there's
a fleeting glimpse of a past that still echoes within us all.
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