Narrator:
Two sisters...
Wild dogs...
Born into a family
of legendary hunters.
But they're not the only
heavy hitters on the block.
A clan of hyenas has moved in
on the wild dogs' turf.
(hyenas barking)
Narrator:
A land teeming with prey...
Two supreme predators.
A clash is inevitable.
(hyenas barking)
Narrator: The only question is,
when the smoke clears,
Who'll be left standing?
(all barking)
(♪♪♪)
Narrator: Deep inside a thicket
of thorn bushes
Is a family of wild dog pups.
There are six altogether,
a typical litter size.
Four brothers
and their two sisters,
Thandi, and lula.
Lula is nervous and likes to
stay close to the others,
While thandi is more adventurous
and often explores on her own.
But none of the pups
have yet ventured
Further than a few dozen yards
from the den
Where they were born
10 weeks ago.
These new faces
have swelled the numbers
Of this dog pack
from 10 to 16.
Their parents
are the alpha pair,
A devoted duo
who scientists have tracked
Using radio collars
for several years.
The other eight adults
are all aunts and uncles.
It's a close-knit family,
the mopane pack,
Named for the copse of trees
Where they always
raise their young.
These mopane trees are a mile
from the luangwa river,
At the southeastern edge
of the pack's large range,
200 square miles
of untamed land.
This riverside territory
is ideal hunting ground,
The perfect place to raise pups.
As the dry season tightens
its grip on the luangwa valley,
Waterholes vanish, and prey
is forced to the river to drink,
Right through
the mopane pack's land.
Wild dogs are some of africa's
most successful hunters,
Elite teams
of endurance runners.
And the mopane pack
is no exception.
They can run at nearly
40 miles an hour,
Over long distances,
exhausting their prey.
A highly-coordinated unit,
their tactic is to take turns
Leading the pursuit,
like a relay race.
When one dog tires,
another is ready to take over.
Working together like this
means the little dogs,
Who only weigh about 50 pounds,
Can take down prey
several times their own size.
(snorts)
Narrator: This time, two of
the pack have caught an impala.
They kill and consume it
in a matter of minutes.
It's a good meal,
but these dogs won't eat it all.
(birds chittering)
Narrator:
Thandi, lula and their brothers
Are not yet old enough
to join the hunt.
But they were weaned off
their mother's milk
Over five weeks ago,
and are on a meat diet now.
They're hungry, but must wait
patiently at the den
For the hunters to return,
Under the watchful eye
of a babysitter.
But in every litter,
there's always one
Who just doesn't want
to be corralled.
Thandi is the inquisitive pup
who loves to explore.
Each day, her curiosity
leads her further afield.
Lula prefers to rough
and tumble with her brothers.
Playing helps prepare the pups
for the future.
It strengthens their muscles
and sharpens their reflexes,
Which will make them
better hunters
And better pack members.
At last, dinner is served.
The whole pack,
males and females,
Share their feast
with the young ones.
They eat scraps
regurgitated by the adults,
Or, like today, chunks of meat
hauled back from a nearby kill.
This food sharing
is one of the secrets
To the wild dogs' success.
It helps keep the whole family
well-fed and bonded.
Wild dogs are the most
social dogs in the world,
And almost never fight
over food.
Every kill is shared
with every dog.
Thandi and lula
don't have to worry
About being excluded from meals.
But life's not completely
without anxiety.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
The pups' mother
Has picked up a noise
in the undergrowth.
(rustling)
Narrator:
Wild dogs have the best hearing
In the canine world.
Her huge ears
swivel like satellite dishes
To pinpoint the sound.
There's something out there.
(rustling)
Narrator:
A rustle...
Is it the wind?
No. She can smell it, too.
This is something else.
Something to fear.
A spotted hyena.
(barking)
Narrator: One of the wild dogs'
worst enemies.
Well over twice their size
And with some of the strongest
jaws of any mammal.
Hyenas compete with dogs
for food,
And they'll eat anything.
A young wild dog pup
is certainly on the menu.
This time,
the whole mopane pack
Has caught wind of the danger,
And a single hyena won't go up
Against a group
of wild dogs alone.
But where there's one,
there are usually many.
Spotted hyenas live in clans
with as many as 80 individuals.
And just a mile
To the south of the dogs'
home base,
A clan has moved in.
This is the ukoo clan.
A 30-strong gang of muscular,
cunning predators.
They haven't used this den
for months,
But as waterholes dry up
And prey congregates
near the river,
It's now prime real estate.
Based here, they, like the dogs,
Can take advantage
of dry season riches.
But life in the hyena clan
is very different
From that in the dog pack.
Here, there is none of
the unity of the dogs.
It's every hyena for itself.
The ukoo clan is made up of
several distinct families,
Organized into
a strict hierarchy.
But even the lowest
status females
Outrank all males.
And the supreme leader
is a big matriarch.
She rules with an iron paw.
Life's good
for those at the top.
First dibs on any kills
and the comfiest dens.
(yelps)
Narrator:
Those at the bottom of the heap
Survive on scraps
and sleep outside.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
This young male is ndugu.
At nine months,
he's the oldest cub in the clan.
He still suckles occasionally,
But his mum
has two new mouths to feed...
...So he rarely gets a turn.
Like all hyenas,
she has just two teats.
Her four-week-old twins
get priority.
Her milk has the highest
protein and fat content
Of any land carnivore
And helps her cubs grow
at a phenomenal rate.
A month from now, they'll be
almost double in size.
Ndugu's mother is low-ranking,
so his life's never been easy.
Even so, it's soon to get
a whole lot worse.
Up till now,
his mother has made sure
Her firstborn son
gets meat from her kills
And protects him as best
she can in clan squabbles.
But he's really big enough
to brave
The complex world
of hyena politics alone.
Soon, his mother
will stop indulging him
And he'll be treated like
the other males in the clan,
The dregs of hyena society.
Ndugu is going to have to
sort out his own status.
When he reaches sexual maturity
in a year or so,
He'll be forced to leave
this clan for good.
Wild dog pups thandi and lula
also face a milestone.
In a couple of weeks' time,
they'll need to leave the den,
The only home they've known,
And follow their pack
out into the wider world.
Dogs roam over
very large distances,
Only settling for three months
of the year
While they rear pups.
Thandi, lula and their brothers
will need to be strong enough,
And savvy enough,
to keep up with the adults.
Growing fast, they need
more meat than ever.
They're always hungry.
But as usual they're in the care
of a couple of babysitters,
Waiting for the hunters
to return.
Suddenly, the dogs
become aware of intruders.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
This time, it's wildebeest.
Not predators, but prey.
(snorts)
Narrator: It would take
a lot more than two dogs
To bring down
a 500 pound quarry like this,
But the guards can't resist
sizing up a potential meal.
From the safety of the bushes,
the pups watch intently.
This is a good opportunity to
observe the adults at work.
The wildebeest are nervous.
They've had run-ins
with wild dogs before,
And it rarely ends well
for them.
It's a tense stand-off.
Meanwhile, thandi is doing
what thandi does best.
She's exploring, off on her own,
completely unaware
Of the volatile situation
only 30 yards away.
If the herd were to get
spooked and stampede,
She could easily be caught
in their path and trampled.
The wildebeest make a move,
But it's in
the opposite direction.
And the dogs let them go.
Still oblivious to the danger
she was in,
Thandi continues
her exploration.
She was lucky this time.
A warthog is a much more
manageable size,
Though by no means easy prey.
Well-armed with teeth and tusks,
They've been known to injure
predators twice their size.
But the babysitters
can't resist a chase
And they abandon their post.
This time, thandi notices
something's up
And scampers back to join
the safety of the litter.
Now the pups are completely
on their own
For the first time
in their lives.
(warthog grunting)
Narrator: The warthog's
little legs can't outstrip
The dogs' athletic strides.
(warthog squealing)
Narrator: 200 yards from
the den, they bring him down.
But this time,
instead of dragging
The carcass to the pups,
The babysitters
fetch their little charges
And escort them to the kill.
It's the furthest
they've ever been from home,
And it's the last big step
Before being allowed to join
the adults on a hunt.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator: Turning up to a kill
is one thing.
Actually making one
is quite another.
The pups will need to be
committed team players
If they're going to graduate
as hunters in this pack.
And for wayward thandi,
that might be asking a lot.
The pack's strength
comes from its unity.
Wild dogs are remarkable
for their tight,
Complex social structure.
But unlike the hyena clan,
It's based not on fear
and dominance,
But on play and submission.
They are the least aggressive
of all canines.
The alpha pair lead the pack,
but don't dominate it.
Their strong bonds
are constantly reaffirmed
By greeting ceremonies,
Where even the alpha dogs
act submissively to the others.
It keeps the team together,
Ready to hunt and feed
as a pack.
Scent plays an important role
in bonding the pack, too.
The dogs have scent glands
On their anuses, genitals
and faces,
Which they use to communicate
age, health and status.
When one dog urinates,
Pack members roll in it
to acquire the same smell.
As a result, the dogs
have a very strong body odor,
And any that get separated
from the pack
Can find their way back
by tracking the family smell.
Unlike the hyenas,
and indeed most mammals,
It's female wild dogs that must
leave their home pack to breed.
When thandi and lula
reach sexual maturity,
In about 18 months,
they'll strike out on their own
To form a new pack
with unrelated males,
And have pups of their own.
The bonds they create
with their new family
Will be just as strong
as the old ones.
While the pups
and their babysitters
Digest their warthog,
The alpha male and the rest
of the mopane pack
Are more than a mile away
at the luangwa river.
They traveled here in the cool
of the morning
And are reluctant
to move again now,
In the hottest part of the day.
Wild dogs are crepuscular,
Which means they're most active
during the twilight hours,
Preferring to hunt
at dawn and dusk,
Then rest up during the day.
But their downtime
is about to end.
The hyena matriarch has led
Some of the ukoo clan
down to the river.
It's the first time
the mopane pack
Have seen their new neighbors
up close.
There are at least as many
hyenas here as there are dogs.
Spotted hyenas are the largest
of the four hyena species,
Some up to five feet long.
Even the largest dog falls
two feet short of that.
The pack is outweighed
and outgunned.
If it comes to a fight,
the dogs don't stand a chance.
(squealing)
Narrator: The alpha dog
makes the smart choice
And surrenders the pack's spot
on the beach to the matriarch.
(low growl)
Narrator:
But when one door closes,
Another often opens.
Forced to keep moving,
the roaming mopane pack
Stumbles on the remains
of a leopard kill.
There's enough left
to take home to feed the pups.
But the carcass is upwind
of the hyenas
And the stench of rotting meat
also alerts them.
Scraps missed by the dogs
stop them in their tracks.
But not for long.
If the dogs can make
a quick getaway,
They might escape with the kill.
But the hyenas can see
a better meal.
(♪♪♪)
(wild dogs yelping)
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
Once again,
The dogs have no choice
but to capitulate.
It's the second time
the mopane pack
Has had to give ground
to its new neighbors.
Now, each species
shows its nature.
Defeated but still united,
The dogs head off together.
While the hyena that
emerged with the spoils
Refuses to share a single bite.
While the matriarch hyena
and her cronies
Wreak havoc with the dogs,
Back at clan headquarters
There are rumbles in the ranks.
Like the wild dogs,
Ndugu and his family use scent,
Sniffing and licking
to communicate status.
This status
governs everything...
Who eats first,
who can sit where
And who gets to bully whom.
Hyenas inherit status
from their mothers,
But they can fight
to improve it.
Every hyena is always
on the look-out
For an opportunity
to better itself.
With no matriarch home
to keep the ranks in line,
Fractures are forming
in the clan.
Ndugu's low-ranking mum
Seizes the chance to try
and improve her status.
She starts to push some of
the other hyenas around.
Ndugu's prospects could be
about to change.
He's still young enough to be
affected by his mother's rank.
If she climbs the social ladder,
he will, too.
Ndugu follows her lead
And targets some younger,
higher-ranking cubs.
(cubs yelping)
Narrator: But if this gambit
is going to work,
Mother and son need backup.
Power lies in having allies.
If several hyenas
band together,
They could overthrow
the matriarch.
But the plan backfires.
No one likes being bullied
by these lowly upstarts.
Instead of forming a coalition
around ndugu and his mum,
The hyenas descend
into a chaotic squabble.
The rebellion is a failure.
And now,
the matriarch is back.
Her presence
quickly restores order.
The rebels slink away,
Their low tails
signal submission.
Those loyal to the queen
Reassert clan links
with nuzzles,
Muzzle licks and body rubs.
The attempted coup failed
to bump ndugu's mother
Up the pecking order.
No one is interested
in bonding with him now.
Even his mum
won't let him suckle.
(low growl)
Narrator: She's pushing him
out of the family.
(growling continues)
Narrator: Far from improving
his place in the clan,
The disastrous revolution
Seems to have triggered his
graduation to adolescence.
(yelping)
Narrator:
No longer considered a cub,
Ndugu has joined
the male underclass,
And as the youngest male
in the clan,
He's the lowest of the low.
Males usually hang
around their family clan
Till they're about
two years old
Before leaving to join
a bachelor gang.
But, disillusioned
and disappointed,
Nine-month-old ndugu
Decides to cut his losses
And take his chances elsewhere.
It's a rash move.
Young and inexperienced in
the world outside the clan,
He's very vulnerable.
(♪♪♪)
(grunting)
Narrator:
Under cover of darkness,
The mopane pack dogs
have returned to the beach
They were chased away
from by the hyenas.
They haven't made a kill
for nearly 24 hours.
Unusual for wild dogs.
Large herds of antelope gather
On the plains next
to the river at night.
These open spaces
provide little cover
For ambush predators
such as lions.
But they're ideal for wild dogs
Who run down their prey.
(twittering)
Narrator:
High-pitched twittering calls
Signal the pack's excitement.
The dogs reaffirm
their close bonds
As they prepare to hunt.
But they need to be careful.
Hyenas aren't their
only dangerous enemy.
Lions...
The number-one killers of
wild dogs in the valley.
These big cats target the same
prey as the little dogs,
And see the pack
as competition.
Unlike hyenas, lions don't
want to eat the dogs,
Just to exterminate them.
But with hungry pups
to feed at home,
The dogs are reluctant to
give up on the antelope.
(snarling)
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
The lions mean business...
(barking)
Narrator: And soon the pack
begins to give way.
But incredibly, the alpha male
stands his ground.
It's this tenacity that
has made him top dog.
Still, bravery is one thing,
Insanity another.
(growling)
(♪♪♪)
Narrator: Lions can hit
50 miles per hour in a sprint.
(whimpering)
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
The dogs' top speed is lower,
But they can keep it up longer.
(barking)
Narrator: Stamina wins out over
sheer speed tonight,
And even in the dark
The tightly-knit pack
stays together.
The big cats have
the field to themselves.
But not for long.
(snorting)
Narrator: The commotion has
drawn in the ukoo clan,
Always with an ear out
for opportunity.
The lions are in
good form tonight.
Just minutes after
chasing off the dogs,
They make a kill.
(antelope bleating)
Narrator: Just what the hyenas
were hoping for.
(lions growling)
It's a small kill
for so many lions,
And the animal is soon
ripped apart,
Allowing the big cats
to feed separately,
Which suits the hyenas
just fine.
The whole pride is too big for
the hyenas to tackle together,
But in small groups
The lions are more vulnerable.
Even so, it's testament to
the strength and audacity
Of the clan that they'll
take on so many big cats.
Lions regularly kill
spotted hyenas,
Accounting for more than
60% of all fatalities.
A sneaky approach
only yields scraps.
They want a decent meal,
So they launch
a full-on assault.
(barking)
Narrator: Hyenas are canny
enough to cooperate
When they need strength
in numbers,
But they won't share
anything they plunder.
(lioness snarling)
(♪♪♪)
(hyenas screeching)
(♪♪♪)
(lioness snarling)
Narrator: Finally, the pride
drives off the hyenas.
(hyenas squealing)
Narrator: In the confusion,
The hyena matriarch
is cornered...
(growling)
Narrator: ...Surrounded by three
huge lionesses,
Each twice her weight.
But this experienced
old matriarch
Is far too wily
To let a few cats
get the better of her.
All the hyenas escape
with their lives.
But they haven't eaten anywhere
near as much as they needed.
They're still hungry.
(♪♪♪)
(♪♪♪)
Narrator: By morning,
the dogs are getting desperate.
They might be some of africa's
most efficient hunters,
With 85% of their
hunts successful,
But they've been pushed off
hunting grounds,
First by hyenas,
then by lions.
And now the clan is back
on their trail.
The pack locks
on to a target...
An adult male puku.
180 pounds of meat.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
They run the antelope down
In less than half a mile.
But they barely have time
for a mouthful
Before the clan arrives.
These nightmare neighbors
Are making life hell
for the dogs.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
The pack returns home,
But they have nothing to
offer the hungry litter.
Thandi, lula,
and the other pups
Are used to eating
twice a day.
After more than 24 hours
without food,
They're weakening.
Less than two weeks from now
They'll need to be strong enough
to accompany the adults
On a hunt for the first time.
It's a big step
That marks the move from
puppyhood to adolescence.
And they're desperate
to make it.
But they're missing out on
the nourishment they need
To grow into strong adults.
The pack would normally rest
during the heat of the day,
But, eager for a kill,
The hunters soon
head out again.
(pups twittering)
Narrator: The little ones
twitter with enthusiasm
And try to tag along.
Today's babysitter
tries to herd
His charges back into hiding.
But the overexcited pups stay,
Noisily playing
right out in the open.
The babysitter is beginning
to lose control.
Almost half a mile away,
Another youngster
is also in the open.
Ndugu has survived
his first night alone.
He's roamed away
from the den before,
But never so far,
Or for so long.
He's young, naive
and vulnerable.
And the mopane pack
Is heading straight
towards him.
It could be a chance
for the dogs
To dispatch
one of their rivals.
The lead dogs speed past,
Intent on chasing prey.
But then...
Spotted.
Ndugu is in real danger here.
He seems frozen with fear.
Dogs have been known
to kill hyenas
But, right now, this pack
seems unsure of what to do.
They don't attack.
If they kill the young male
It's highly unlikely
they'll eat him,
Dogs don't tend to eat
other carnivores.
And with hungry pups at home,
What they need now is food.
Ndugu was lucky today.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
Late in the afternoon,
The wild dog pups
are still reluctant
To settle in the undergrowth.
The babysitter
has had a tiring day
Keeping them under control.
(squealing)
Narrator: Once again,
thandi sits by herself.
The pack unity, so natural
to the rest of the dogs,
Doesn't seem to come
easy to her.
As the sun begins to set,
The pups' games show
no sign of quietening down.
They've attracted attention.
It's not little ndugu,
But the formidable matriarch
of the ukoo clan.
Catching a whiff of hyena,
The pups and the babysitter
are on high alert.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
Panicked, most of the dogs
Vanish together
into the bushes.
But thandi, who was playing
away from her siblings,
Runs in the opposite direction.
(barking)
Narrator:
The wrong direction.
(thandi yelping)
Narrator: And straight into
the jaws of the enemy.
Thandi has paid
the ultimate price
And demonstrated why
wild dogs have developed
Such tight social connections
in the pack.
The matriarch is not alone.
There are other
hyenas lurking,
And lula and the other pups
Are still lost in
the undergrowth,
Easy pickings for
the marauding clan.
As the light fades,
The babysitter braves
confrontation with the hyenas,
And desperately looks
for his charges.
Soon, the whole pack returns,
And the pups' mother
leads the search.
But the pups are
nowhere to be found.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator: At first light,
The mopane pack home base
is deserted.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
The dogs are on the move,
Already five miles away,
Putting as much space
between them
And the hyenas as possible.
And with them
Are lula and her
four brothers.
They survived
the hyena attack.
Together, the dogs are
leaving their den behind.
It's more than a week
ahead of schedule,
And the little ones
Aren't really ready to run
with the adults,
But the den has
been compromised,
And the alphas won't risk
losing another pup.
Lula stays close,
Perhaps a little more
aware now
Of the value in being
part of a pack.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
At the ukoo den,
Another family
is also reunited.
Two days after he took off,
Ndugu trots back
to re-join the clan.
After his near-miss
with the wild dogs,
He's opting to stay at home
a while longer.
In a year or so,
Ndugu will leave again,
this time for good.
He'll join another clan,
Where he'll have the chance
to work his way
To the top of
the male hierarchy.
He may even, one day,
mate with a matriarch.
But for now,
He's going to put up
with being
Bottom of the pecking order.
(♪♪♪)
Narrator:
For lula and her brothers,
The next few weeks
Will be a succession of
thrilling first experiences.
Setting eyes on the river.
Witnessing a hunt.
Encountering strange
new neighbors.
(birds screeching)
Narrator:
As she and her family
Meander through
their vast range,
Lula will learn every
step of the way.
In the months to come,
She'll grow into an integral
part of the mopane pack.
But, eventually, she, too,
will leave her family,
And go in search of another,
Where, one day, she will
have pups of her own.
(♪♪♪)
(♪♪♪)
