NARRATOR:  In one of Africa's
last great wildernesses,
 lives a family of hunters.
(SNARLING)
 The Hot Springs Pack.
 This is a family
on the edge.
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)
 They're surrounded
by enemies.
(BARKING)
(LIONS SNARLING)
(CROCODILE HISSING)
 These wild dogs
live at the mercy of
the changing seasons.
 If the family is to survive
these testing times,
the pack's young pups
must learn to hunt, and fast.
 Growing up is never easy.
 But for these pups,
it's a matter
of life and death.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
Hidden in a gully, in Zambia's
South Luangwa National Park,
 an alpha female has pups
deep inside a den.
 She and her lifelong mate
have raised several litters.
 Many of the older pups
are still with them,
 forming a family pack
of 19 dogs.
 It's October, the height
of the dry season.
Each morning and evening,
the dogs set off to find food.
They hunt at dawn and sunset,
 lolloping after
their antelope prey.
 They're long-distance
runners, on spindly legs
 that carry them
for many miles.
 The pack hunts over
a vast swath of bush
covering 200 square miles.
 At the heart of their
territory is Hot Springs,
 a waterhole fed by
a geothermal upwelling.
 It's a staging post
for herds of antelope
 migrating through
the pack's territory,
 on their way
to the Luangwa River,
 which lies to the west.
(SCREECHING)
 The pack's strong, plenty
of experienced hunters.
 The alpha pair
lead the hunt.
 The rest of the pack,
all their offspring,
spread out in pursuit.
 They're a tight-knit team,
 and rely on each other
to bring down enough prey
to feed the family.
 While cheetahs sprint,
leopards ambush,
 and lions overpower
their prey,
wild dogs simply keep running.
 As one dog tires,
another takes up the lead.
 Together, they have
the stamina to exhaust
their quarry.
 Back at the den,
the seven pups
wait patiently for breakfast.
 They're only four months old,
 too young to join
in the hunt.
As the dry season progresses,
they get more confident
 and spend more time
outside the den.
 One patient adult stays
with them to babysit,
 until the other adults
return, successful.
 They bring meat for the pups.
(YELPING)
 But a meal only increases
their energy levels.
 that'll stand them
in good stead as adults.
 Vultures make great
target practice.
Scientists follow and monitor
the pack using radio collars.
 This is the alpha
female's third litter.
 She's proving to be a good
mum. But it's tiring work.
 The pack spends the day
resting in the shade
near the den.
There's always something new
for the pups to experience.
After this morning's vultures,
they battle squadrons of bees.
 The bees are searching for
water, and the pups' eyes
and mouths are under attack.
 Time to go.
 The pups join the adults,
 leaving their den behind
for the first time.
The pack is now able to roam
over a much larger area,
following their food.
Wild dogs need huge areas
to live in, and are very rare.
 Luangwa in Zambia is one
of their last strongholds,
 but even here there are only
a dozen or so packs.
 Over most of Africa, they
are in serious decline,
 with only a few
hundred packs left.
 This may be one
of the last generations
before extinction.
(WIND BILLOWING)
As November approaches,
rainstorms bring great change
to the Luangwa Valley.
(HEAVY RAIN AND WIND)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
 Over the next few months
the dogs' dusty home
 is transformed into
a wetland paradise.
(BIRDS CALLING)
 Fresh grass grows everywhere.
 The antelope scatter
across the savannah,
 and the dogs follow.
 For a few months,
they disappear into
a flooded landscape
 of swamps and islands.
By May the rains have passed,
and once more the dogs' world
begins to dry.
 But the pack itself has
undergone big changes
over the wet season.
 The dog pack has dwindled
from 19 to 12.
 Some of the older offspring
have left, to try and start
their own family
and one of the pups has died.
 The remaining six pups
are now a year old,
 almost adult size,
but still very dependent.
 In human terms,
they're like adolescents.
 The two parents mark
their territory together,
reaffirming their bond.
 The yearling pups
still beg for food.
 They tag along on hunts now
but are more of a hindrance
than a help.
 The alpha male is aging.
His days as lead hunter
are numbered.
 But the mother is still
strong and the family
obediently follows her.
 A lone puku at the waterhole
is a tempting target.
 Unfortunately, their arch
rivals have got here first.
 Hyenas.
 They're twice the weight
of wild dogs,
 and as a pack, formidable,
 when they're awake.
(SNORTING)
 But there's a hierarchy
around waterholes.
 Top are the elephants.
 Nobody gets in their way.
 So the hyenas slink off
to find somewhere
else to snooze
 until night falls.
The dogs, too, find a quiet
corner to wait while the
behemoths drink their fill.
 The alpha male and female
will face a much tougher
dry season this year.
 This time around, the only
other hunters in the pack
are four 2-year-olds,
 their eldest offspring.
Six hunters are only just
enough to keep the pack going.
 They desperately need the
additional six yearlings
 to learn the skills
and strategies of a hunt,
 if the family is to survive.
 The dogs rest.
 They'll need all their
energy to hunt tonight.
(ELEPHANT TRUMPETS)
 But peace doesn't last long.
 This elephant is male,
on heat, in musth.
 It makes him aggressive,
unpredictable,
 and very dangerous.
 His testosterone is
60 times higher than normal.
(GRUNTS)
 He's seven tons of
belligerent frustration.
(TRUMPETS)
 To the pups, surprisingly,
he's no danger,
 but a bit of fun, a game
of tag on a giant scale.
(TRUMPETS)
(ELEPHANT GROWLING)
(TRUMPETING)
(TRUMPETING)
 The elephant will
never catch them,
 which must only add
to his irritation.
He did, however, leave a gift.
 All dogs love dung,
to roll in, and to smell of,
 as every dog owner knows.
 One theory is that they want
to be as smelly as possible.
 Maybe it's to disguise
their own smell.
 We really don't know.
 Another thing that wild dogs
and domestic dogs
have in common
is that they play with sticks.
 It's something few
other animals do.
 According to psychologists,
learning about objects
promotes high-level thinking
and self-awareness.
 We are only just
beginning to realize
how smart dogs really are.
 The alpha male and female
are more focused
 on the comings
and goings around them.
 Puku antelope are this
pack's preferred prey,
 but the herd has
many eyes and noses,
and raises the alarm.
(SHRIEKING)
Impala are another favorite,
but they are more athletic,
and have another advantage.
 They hang out with baboons.
(BABOON GRUNTING)
 The baboons and impala
look out for each other.
 As the day wears on,
warthog come by.
 A warthog could be
a good meal,
 and much slower
on its feet than the dogs.
 But the adults have
fearsome tusks,
and will turn and fight a lion
or hyena, let alone a dog.
 By late afternoon,
hunger sets in,
 and the family begins
to stir once more.
(TWITTERING)
 They greet with
twittering sounds.
African wild dogs have a
complex communication system,
 almost like a language.
 There are 18 types of calls,
with rumbles, buzzes,
 and moans that are all
unique to wild dogs.
(TWITTERING)
 They are also among the
least aggressive and most
playful of all canines.
 There's hardly any real
aggression linked to rank.
 Siblings will usually stay
together all their lives,
 often founding their own
packs together.
 One of the older females
plays with the pups as
though she was the runt,
and the pups tickle her tummy,
and play-bite.
(DOGS WHINING)
 But it's time to eat.
The alpha male leads off.
 His partner ends the play
and joins the lead.
 Twilight is their
most active time.
 Each evening, they may
travel up to 20 miles,
 searching for
the herds of puku.
 In the fading light,
they become silent-footed
creatures of the shadows.
 They hunt firstly with
their ears, like huge dishes
turning to every sound.
 No dog has better hearing.
 Getting wind of the dogs,
antelope scatter.
 A bushbuck.
 A puku.
 This pack specializes
in creating chaos
in the woodland.
 The dogs don't tire easily.
 And nightfall
doesn't stop them.
 They're too hungry
to give up now.
 They burn up food,
each one needing
double the energy humans do,
 despite being
a third the size.
 The six yearling pups
follow enthusiastically,
 but in the confusion
and the darkness,
 they aren't much help yet.
 The hunt involves
chase after chase,
over several miles.
 They could overheat.
 Their brain would be fried
if it weren't for
 their big ears acting
as cooling fans.
 But as it gets darker,
 the advantage turns
back to the puku.
(HOWLING)
 Their night vision is more
acute than the dogs'.
 Hyenas and lions
take over the night shift.
 The twilight-loving dogs
must make way.
The hyenas have young to feed.
 Their pups are only
a few months old.
 Hyenas are social,
like wild dogs.
 The clan is built
around the family.
 Though actually, they're more
closely related to cats
and civets than canines.
 The wild dogs wait for dawn
to resume hunting.
 Their saliva shows up black
in the night-vision camera.
 We can see who's got
the most attention.
 It's the alpha female,
their devoted mother,
 and the linchpin
of this family.
 As dawn breaks, the wild
dogs go into action.
 Caught napping,
a puku gets trapped.
They don't go for the throat.
 Wild dogs are too small
to throttle an antelope
three times their size.
 It takes all of them
to stop the puku escaping.
(PUKU GRUNTING)
 The dogs have to eat
as fast as they can.
 The prolonged kill has
inevitably attracted
attention.
 The hyenas arrive
to steal the meal.
 The family sets off again,
 avoiding a battle
with their rivals that
they're sure to lose.
 They're always on the move,
naturally itinerant.
Wild dogs only use a den
when there are young puppies.
 The rest of the year
is spent exploring new areas
 within their
massive home range.
 Perhaps a new neighborhood
will help the yearlings
gain in experience.
 Unaware, they move into
the territory of a large
female leopard.
 She's a ferocious cat,
far more powerful
than one of them,
 but the dogs
give chase anyway.
Some things are universal.
 They're not after
her as prey,
 but as a rival predator,
she competes with
them for food.
 She could easily take one
of the dogs down, but she's
no match for the pack.
 Cornered up a tree,
the leopard waits
out of reach,
 frustrating the dogs below.
(LEOPARD GROWLING)
 Eventually, they give up.
 As the day warms, they rest,
with the morning's puku
in their bellies.
 The breakfast won't satisfy
the pups for long.
 When the afternoon cools,
 the ceremony of greeting
and playing still includes
begging their mother for food
like the big babies they were
six months ago.
 But she's got nothing
to give them.
 As well as food,
the dogs need water.
 Towards the river
are drying lagoons.
 The dogs haven't visited
here for a while,
 and the antelope
are off their guard.
 These isolated oxbow lakes
form when the river
changes course.
 In the wet season they fill,
but now thin puddles
are all that remain.
 There's barely enough
for a drink but it still
draws the animals in.
 Elephants should have
no problem pushing the dogs
off the waterhole.
But the pack holds its ground.
(ELEPHANT GROWLING)
 The alpha couple stares
the lead elephant down,
 and the family holds firm.
 The elephant seems
confused and backs away.
 That's something the locals
don't see very often.
 The yearlings all
stand strong together.
(TRUMPETS)
The elephants grow frustrated,
 but nobody moves until
the elephants give up.
 The family seems to revel
in its new-found bravado.
 They seem more cohesive.
 They're moving as a pack,
 traveling west
towards permanent water
and better hunting.
 The landscape around
them is changing.
 This woodland is different,
a little denser.
 And the animals they
encounter are stranger.
They've reached the open
plains near the Luangwa River.
 The adult dogs know
that the nearer the river,
 the more full of life
it is in the dry season.
 But it's all new
to the yearlings.
 Puku and impala
are everywhere,
converging on the last
permanent water in the valley.
(WHINNYING)
 But that doesn't make them
any easier to catch.
 The antelope here
seem more wary.
 They're skittish, keeping
a much greater distance
from the dogs.
 This is a popular hunting
ground for all predators,
 including the biggest and
most dangerous of all.
 He'd steal
anything they catch.
 They keep moving, until they
reach the end of the line.
 The alpha pair have led
their family to the bank
of the Luangwa River.
 The yearlings have never
seen anything like it.
 The Luangwa is one
of the longest unaltered
rivers in Africa.
 The Valley covers
20,000 square miles
 and is one of
the richest places for
wildlife in the world.
 To the dogs from
Hot Springs, it must seem
like so much water,
 and so many animals.
Some are strange and menacing.
 Others look harmless,
but aren't.
 The hippo calves are guarded
by their mothers.
 Like children on their first
visit to the seaside,
 the dogs can't contain
their curiosity,
 and excitement.
 Dogs love to dig,
burying food,
or digging for any meal.
 Little edible lives
under the sand,
 but there is fresh water.
 As evening approaches,
the family is in
for more surprises.
 The hippos head onto
the grassy banks
for a night of grazing,
and a herd of elephants
arrives for an evening drink.
 So many large neighbors
to contend with is
a little overwhelming.
(GROWLING)
 The crocodiles
are intimidating.
 They're feeding on the giant
carcass of an elephant.
 But the greatest threat
lies on the opposite
side of the river.
A family of lionesses,
nicknamed the Hollywood Pride.
 The channel
separates the dogs,
but lions often cross.
 The water's only
one foot deep.
 The older youngsters
chaperone the yearlings away.
 The alpha female
challenges the lions.
(BARKING)
 She'd risk her life
for her family.
(BARKING CONTINUES)
(GROWLING)
(DOG CONTINUES GROWLING)
 Her barks do little
to intimidate the cats.
 But eventually,
the lions move on.
 It's time for them to hunt.
(GROWLING CONTINUES)
 The courageous mother
defended the family,
 but she still
has to feed them.
 The yearlings
are hungry again.
 The four older siblings,
the 2-year-olds,
take the lead.
 The brother and three
sisters are almost ready
for independence.
(SCREECHING)
 For once, the yearlings
are right behind them.
 Working with their older
siblings, they fan out
and help herd the puku
 down towards the beach.
 An older sister's got one.
 It's a big male puku,
and she desperately
needs help.
 It takes the yearlings
a moment to realize
 that their older sister
has caught something,
 but they are beginning
to understand what's needed.
 It's the first successful
catch with their help.
 But another sister
is on her own mission.
 In the distance,
she grabs another puku.
 She can't hold it
and also needs help.
 With the first puku down,
 the dogs come to her aid.
 This is what teamwork
should look like.
 It's a good evening
for the dogs.
But they need to eat quickly.
 The commotion draws
the attention of
bigger predators.
 The lionesses have
crossed the river.
 It seems making their kills
on the beach wasn't
the dogs' greatest idea.
 While they fed on one puku,
 a huge croc stole the other.
 The pack had
a good meal first,
 but the yearlings are
reluctant to give up
a prize
 they've helped
earn themselves.
(CROCODILE GROWLING)
 They may not realize how
dangerous these reptiles are.
 This game is a bad idea.
 It gets worse.
 Hyenas are on their way.
 Behind them, the lionesses.
 Both are after
the dogs' kills,
 and neither would think
twice about attacking them
to get a meal.
(GROWLING)
 Cats can see at night
much more effectively
than dogs.
 The pack abandons its kill,
 but the lions keep coming.
(ROARS)
 They just want the dogs
away from the river.
 Any rival predator
is bad news.
(SNARLING)
 The family flees down
the beach to safety.
 The night has been eventful,
 but at least they've fed
and, more importantly,
 the yearlings have
joined the hunt.
(BIRDS TWITTERING)
 Over the next few weeks,
the Luangwa River
continues to fall,
 and draws increasing numbers
of animals to its banks.
 Despite the run-in with
the lions, the dog pack
stays close to the river,
 and the yearlings get
more competent every day.
 But the rains are due soon,
and then there will be water
 away from the river.
 The antelope will disperse,
 and kills here will be
harder to come by.
The dogs will stay until then,
but the pressure is on now,
 not only to eat,
but for the youngsters
to learn to hunt.
 The yearlings now regularly
help the six adults.
 The alpha pair
and the four 2-year-olds
 still make all the kills,
 but the yearlings make up
the crucial numbers needed.
 The pack's new-found success
comes at a price.
 All the lions are
on to them now.
 After each successful kill,
the dogs wolf down as much
as they can
 before the lions
and hyenas arrive.
 They lose many
of their meals.
 Male lions are
mostly scavengers.
 They don't need
to hunt for themselves.
 Despite the dangers
and frequent losses,
 the family is reluctant
to leave the river.
 Hunting school
is still in session.
The yearlings
are getting stronger
and their muscles filling out.
They're gaining in confidence.
 Most days, the three
2-year-old sisters
 lead the yearlings
down to the beach.
They wash the night's evidence
from their faces, and play.
 It's a way to unwind,
 but it also reinforces
the bonds between them
 and the roles
they play in the hunt.
 It's an important part
of the yearlings' training.
 The lionesses are never far,
a constant threat.
 To the cats,
the dogs are competition.
 But they're so full of meals
provided by the dogs,
 they're a lot less dangerous
than if they were hungry.
 The promise of rain
begins to lure antelope
away from the river,
 for easier water
and fresher grass.
 It's time for the dogs
to leave too.
 The yearlings seem happy,
 but the three older
sisters hold back.
 Eventually, they all
set off together for
the long journey home.
 They're heading back
to Hot Springs.
 As the day warms,
they have to rest.
 The 2-year-old sisters
sit apart from their
younger siblings.
 They're adults now,
and ready to start breeding.
 So they have
a decision to make.
 Wild dog calls
can travel many miles,
and the three females listen,
maybe for potential mates.
 The male moves away
from his sisters.
 He'll stay with
the family for longer,
 helping his parents
and younger siblings.
 But the sisters are restless
and for a moment seem unsure.
They would be abandoning their
family, and their brother,
 and everything they know.
 But leaving would
give them a chance
to have pups themselves.
 They decide to go it alone.
 The sisters
will stay together,
 traveling for maybe
hundreds of miles
 across the Luangwa
River basin,
 searching for nomad males
their own age,
 or a pack they can join.
 Now, there are only three
adults in the pack,
only three competent hunters.
 Five is considered
the minimum.
 The six yearlings will
have to fill the gap fast.
 Their new-found skills will
really be put to the test.
 The first rains will signal
the start of lean times
 for the valley's predators.
 The three sisters' leaving
could not have come
at a worse time.
 To add to
the family's troubles,
 one of the yearlings
is injured and is slowing
their progress.
 Without enough dogs,
they won't be able
to bring down prey.
 They can't afford to be
another dog short.
 Family ties compel
the others to wait for him.
 It's only by all
pulling together that
this family will survive.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
 They're heading back
to Hot Springs,
 where all the yearlings
were born.
 There's permanent water,
and a few antelope
always return there.
 Blocking the way ahead,
buffalo.
 Buffalos are belligerent,
heavily armored,
built to fight off lions.
 The dogs will never
catch a buffalo.
 But the yearlings do need
to practice hunting.
 This game of chase
is dangerous, but it
will hone their skills
 and build their confidence.
(BUFFALO SNORTING
AND GRUNTING)
 The young dogs are fearless.
They work together as a team,
moving the buffalo
out of the way.
(SNORTING)
 If they can
take on these guys,
they're ready to do anything.
 The promised rains never
quite come before the family
arrives back at Hot Springs.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
 Once home,
the alpha male and female
reaffirm their bonds.
 A change in her scent
means only one thing,
 she's ready to mate again.
 In a few months,
there should be new pups.
 They den here because
there'll be fewer
lions and hyenas
 than there are
nearer the river.
 At least, in theory.
 The puku and impala
are returning too,
 no longer reliant on
the river for moisture.
 Soon, the alpha female
will retire to her den.
 The alpha male is old now,
not the hunter he used to be.
 The survival of the pack
depends on the yearlings.
 They've learned well.
 They know to split up
and flank their prey.
(DOGS CALLING)
 They know they just
have to keep running...
 And eventually,
the kill will come.
The yearling drives the impala
right into the jaws
of his siblings.
(DOGS TWITTERING)
 For the first time,
they provide a meal
for their mother.
 They eat quickly.
 Little goes unnoticed
on these plains
 and you never know who's
coming to dinner uninvited.
(HOWLING)
 Hyenas. Their old enemies.
(HYENAS YIPPING)
 But now the pack has
confidence, and together
the dogs stand strong.
(GROWLING)
 Let the hyenas fight
over the scraps.
 These hunters can always
catch another meal.
 For this family, six fresh
young hunters is enough.
 The yearlings have
come of age.
 They're ready to help defend
and feed the new puppies
 when they come.
 For now, at least,
the future looks secure
for the Hot Springs Pack.
 It's a ray of hope
for wild dogs in Africa.
♪♪
