Trapped in one of
Africa's great deserts,
lies a lush hidden world.
An untamed wilderness
unlike any other on earth.
Fed by a mighty river that
travels from distant mountains,
it is a vast mosaic of
life, which pulsates
with vivid beauty.
That attracts Africa's most
iconic animals
and others less well known.
All drawn to this
implausible paradise.
This is the jewel
of the Kalahari...
The great Okavango delta.
Botswana is an arid country,
where rain falls only for a
few short summer months.
Much of its land is
covered by desert,
yet it harbors possibly the
greatest wildlife haven on
the African continent.
The Okavango Delta
But how did this expanse
of water come to be?
The Okavango delta is a
true anomaly of nature
a shallow water-filled basin
contained within the dry
Kalahari desert.
Created by the Okavango river,
which flows 995 miles down
from Angola's highlands
into the Kalahari basin.
Trapped between tectonic ridges
in this broad, flat depression,
the water spreads out to
make an inland delta the
size of Jamaica.
Providing habitats varied enough
to support all manner of life.
From the most water dependent.
To those which can go without.
And ranging from the
small and slender
To the biggest of all.
It is a landscape shaped
by the unstoppable flow
of annual floods.
Where an abundance of prey
makes perfect hunting grounds.
For a wide array of Africa's
most accomplished predators.
It's June, the height of
the floods in the delta.
And water has inundated
the landscape.
Making it ideal
elephant country.
The African elephant is the
largest land mammal on earth.
They grow massive on a
varied plant based diet,
with mature bulls
weighing up to five tons.
This makes them the largest
land mammals in the world.
Powering such considerable bulk
takes a lot of fuel
and large bulls need to eat
more than 600 pounds of
food daily.
Luckily the delta is dotted
with lush islands
These two bulls are
traveling together,
a common practice for young
bachelors who have left their
family herds.
For the younger bull it's a
good opportunity to pick up
some useful survival tips
from his larger and more
experienced companion.
One such lesson is learning
how to harvest the seedpods
of the Camelthorn tree.
The tree's nutritious pods
are too high to be plucked,
but the big bull knows
how to get to them.
He has perfected his technique.
But the younger bull
still needs some practice.
This behavior is testament to
the great intelligence of these
noble pachyderms.
Coupled with robust digestion
and a dextrous trunk
the elephant is able to exploit
a variety of food sources in the
Okavango.
But the voracious appetites of
elephants can be devastating.
This graveyard of trees
is their doing.
While stripping off bark
to eat, the elephants
ring bark the trees,
killing them.
This seemingly destructive
activity does actually have
some positive side effects.
It prevents the trees
from forming a closed canopy,
allowing sunlight to
access grass below,
a crucial influence in savannah
biomes around the continent.
Also creating microhabitats
for another of the delta's
smaller creatures.
African bush squirrels.
An old acacia skeleton makes
an excellent home for them.
Complete with a hole for nesting
and escaping predators.
But while there is no threat
around, this pair has plenty
of time for playful chases.
African bush squirrels live
in tightly knit family groups.
And will chase away any
squirrels who do not share
their family's common scent.
Grooming one-another is one of
the ways to ensure family
members share the same smell.
And no spot is overlooked.
Long tails making up half
their total length of 14 inches
are crucial balancing aids.
In the Okavango's
cool winter months,
they are active all day.
Coming down from the heights
to forage for seeds, fruits
and insects.
But the squirrels never
stray too far from the
safety of the tree.
There's a reason
for their caution
The delta is home to one of
Africa's fiercest raptors.
The martial eagle's
telescopic eyesight
can spot a squirrel from
almost four miles away.
Weighing over ten pounds,
and with a wingspan of
almost eight feet,
it is the biggest eagle
in Africa.
Capable of catching prey
twice its weight,
a little tree squirrel
would make a tasty
morsel for this bird.
Squirrels aren't the only small
mammals taking cover from these
deadly predators.
This old termite mound
has been repurposed
to house a pack
of dwarf mongoose,
who, like the squirrels,
have found a haven in
the Okavango.
They are the smallest member
of the mongoose family
at around twelve ounces,
and just under ten inches
in length.
Being small means they
need to stick together.
Giving them plenty of eyes
on the lookout for danger
while the diminutive
carnivores forage.
Dwarf mongoose feed
mostly on insects, especially
beetles and their larvae
as well as the original
architects of their
spacious home -- termites.
Packs average nine adults,
including their young.
Only the oldest, most socially
dominant male and female in
the pack will reproduce.
While younger members
help to raise the litter
of the breeding pair.
Subordinate females will even
lactate and nurse despite never
having been pregnant.
This allows time for the
dominant female to eat enough
to rebuild her energy.
It's an incredible system
of social breeding,
working to the benefit
of the pack by ensuring
strength in numbers.
Many of the Okavango's
smaller creatures
make their permanent homes
on the delta's dry islands,
out of reach of the
encroaching water.
But for them, the real danger
comes from above.
And it's not just the
martial eagle that they
have to watch out for.
The delta's variety of habitats
provides for more than 480
species of birds,
including a host of raptors.
Africa's biggest owl
lives here too.
The Verreaux's eagle owl
weighs in at a hefty 5 pounds.
Mainly nocturnal, it
will occasionally hunt
during the day,
and can fly off with prey
bigger than a dwarf mongoose.
But the most successful
raptor around is the
African fish eagle.
There are more of these regal
birds along the delta's
fish-filled waterways
than anywhere else
on the continent.
Although they are famed
for their fishing abilities,
they often steal prey from
other birds, including the
martial eagle.
And the Bateleur Eagle.
Like the fish eagle,
this striking raptor
is highly territorial,
preferring dead trees for
roosting and surveying
its range.
While it will hunt for small
mammals it also gets much
of its food from scavenging,
and is adept at finding small
carcasses before the delta's
most committed carrion eaters.
At more than eleven pounds, the
white backed vulture dwarfs even
the martial eagle.
Vultures have evolved
to rely on scavenging carrion,
which the delta's high density
of mammals invariably provides.
They're capable of devouring
over two pounds of meat in less
than five minutes.
While others in the delta
are designed to kill.
And few are as efficient
as Africa's largest canid.
The African Wild Dog.
Also known as the painted dog,
it is one of Africa's most
threatened predators,
with fewer than 5,000
surviving in the world.
Across the continent habitat
loss, persecution at the hands
of humans and disease
has had devastating effects
on their populations.
But here in the Okavango,
the painted dog is thriving.
Each member of this eight strong
pack of predators has a unique
coat pattern.
Like the dwarf mongoose,
only the dominant male
and female reproduce.
Once the pups are born
they are kept in quarantine
in an underground den for
the first three weeks of life.
It's up to the rest
of the pack to hunt
and bring home enough meat
to keep mother and pups fed.
When not centered around a den,
the hardy wild dogs can cover
immense hunting ranges -
as much as 770 square miles.
Relying on teamwork and stamina
rather than speed,
they run their prey
to exhaustion
and are some of the most
efficient predatory mammals
in the world.
But a mature elephant bull
fears nothing.
And the dogs move hastily along.
Like all predators, they often
come home from hunts with
empty stomachs.
The pack rests, waiting for
the heat of the day to pass,
gathering their energy for
the afternoon's attempt.
Like the wild dog, each of
the individuals in this herd
of plains zebra
has a coat with a different
striped pattern, equivalent to
a human fingerprint.
And as with the dogs, the
zebra relies on the Okavango
for all their needs.
This breeding herd is led by
a single stallion.
The herd must drink regularly,
and zebra seldom wander
more than seven miles
from a water source.
But they're here for
more than just water.
It's an essential, if unusual,
dietary requirement found in
the Okavango's earth
that the zebra seek.
In the dry season their diet
lacks important minerals,
which they supplement by eating
mineral-rich soil deposits known
as salt licks.
This unusual practice
is called Geophagia.
The sands of the delta's islands
provide excellent salt licks.
The minerals of the Okavango
present themselves in other,
more bizarre ways.
Trees and plants pull ground
water up to the surface,
where it evaporates over
time, leaving concentrated
solid crystals.
This precipitation of minerals
creates intricate formations,
which become alien visions
of snow under the sun.
These build up in the soil
over time
to make up a staggering
40% of the total bulk of
the delta's islands.
Impala herds also find soil
based mineral deposits to
supplement their diets.
These come in the shape of
termite mounds, by a species,
which cultivates beds of fungus
below ground for food.
In the process they enrich the
soil of their mounds with
minerals like copper and zinc.
Which the impala intuitively
know they need.
Especially at this time of year.
Winter is rutting season.
Males older than four years mark
out territories with glandular
secretions from their foreheads.
They are eager to herd
prospective mates into
their territories.
And must keep bachelors at bay.
This ram has a challenger.
Their sharp horns grow
up to 27 inches long,
and can inflict serious damage.
He is experienced in battle,
using posture and confidence
to push his opponent back.
The defender does not
emerge unscathed.
He's successfully defended
his territory and retained
the right to mate.
After the rut,
males will lose territorial urge
and regroup into bachelor herds
or join breeding herds.
Seven months later, foals
will appear within days of
one another.
Carefully timed to coincide
with the rainy season.
While the floods bring
new growth on the
delta's floodplains,
the grasses of the arid islands
are more nutritious,
and only the rainy season
will replenish them.
The timing of the rut offers
impala young the best chance
of survival.
But it could spell danger
for the adults
if their preoccupation with
mating lowers their guard.
Impala are a favorite food
of the delta's stealthiest
predator.
Leopards have the widest
distribution of any wild cat,
living throughout sub-Saharan
Africa and in Asia.
This young female will grow
to around 132 pounds,
the same size as an
adult impala ram.
She learnt how to kill from
her mother at the age of
eight months.
And since she was two years old
she has lived alone,
fending for herself.
Capitalizing on her natural
power and stealth,
she won't pounce unless she can
get within 65 feet of her prey,
preferably to within 15.
But this is easier
said than done.
Despite her camouflaged coat,
she has been spotted.
When not hunting,
she often takes to the trees.
Using her elevated position to
rest and survey her surroundings
for more potential prey.
Leopards will hunt a
variety of prey species,
including reptiles, birds
and even fish.
But their staple is
small antelope.
And the delta has
plenty of those to offer.
Including red lechwe,
an icon of the Okavango.
These are among the
most water-dependent
of all antelopes.
Grazing new growth on the
margins of the delta's
floodplains.
Like the impala, males and
females live in separate herds,
both governed by
territorial males.
Lechwe are well adapted
to life in the Okavango,
with powerful,
overdeveloped hindquarters
and elongated hooves
that help them outrun predators
through reeds and water.
The sight of them bounding
majestically across the shallows
is a true Okavango trademark.
The leopard looks on, sleepily
surveying her land from a tree
branch
as another day draws to a close.
While the fleet-footed lechwe
come and go through the
delta's waters,
another more cumbersome Okavango
icon prefers a leisurely pace.
The hefty Hippopotamus.
Weighing more than two tons,
hippos generate large amounts
of metabolic heat.
And porous skin loses water
more quickly to the sun than
most mammals.
To stay cool, hippos spend
lazy days submerged.
Emerging to graze on
grassy islands by night.
The trails carved by their
regular movements through
the water and onto land,
help shape and direct
the delta's flow.
And while elephants have the
biggest environmental impact,
no animal is as important
to the Okavango system as
the hippopotamus.
Adult males aggressively
defend territories.
And have a unique way
of spreading their scent.
This seemingly unhygienic
activity of dung flinging
does fuel plant growth,
which in turn supports
other species.
The Okavango's water systems are
rich in aquatic life,
with 71 fish species living
in the numerous waterways
and channels.
This attracts many birds to
take advantage of the
profuse fishing.
A pied kingfisher surveys
the water from its perch.
But it's their aerial ability
that sets this species apart.
At around 3 ounces, pied
kingfishers are considered
the largest bird in the world
able to hover in one
place continuously.
And they do so more than
any other bird,
patiently waiting for the
moment to dive.
But not every hunt
is successful.
Eventually persistence pays off.
He will fish continuously,
needing to eat up to half
of his body weight in a day.
While the little aerial expert's
food is locked within the
Okavango's waters,
one of the largest of the
delta's inhabitants is far less
dependent on the annual floods.
Giraffe can get most of the
moisture they need from
their food,
going up to three days
without drinking.
But, at up to 16 feet tall
and more than a ton in weight,
they need to eat
over 75 pounds of food a day.
They browse only the foliage
of woody plants,
so the rapid growth of grass
accompanying the floods is
of no use to them.
To find the food they need
on the delta's dry islands,
they turn to woodlands
of the mopane tree.
These mopane trees are
exceptionally drought resistant,
often the last to lose their
leaves in the dry season.
The giraffe's elongated muzzle
and prehensile tongue
allow it to feed selectively,
plucking the freshest,
tastiest leaves available.
Giraffes are often found in
groups, known as journeys.
But no rigid social
organization exists.
Individuals will come and go.
But there is a hard-won
hierarchy among males
two bulls size each other up.
The rhythmic nature
of the sparring
belies the staggering power
of each wrecking ball blow.
Known as necking, these contests
establish hierarchy among bulls
and determine who has
the right to mate.
While the largest bulls are
pre-occupied only with
determining who is strongest,
younger giraffes must be
cautious while growing up
in the Okavango.
They are still small enough to
fall prey to the delta's most
powerful hunters.
A male lion is massively built,
roughly 4 feet tall
at the shoulder
and weighing in at
around 420 pounds.
The only truly social cat,
lions live in prides of 2-12
adult females, plus their young.
Males hold tenure over prides,
usually in coalitions of between
two and six.
Lions use teamwork as well as
their incredible strength
to bring down
even the biggest prey.
But these predators
typically spend around
twenty hours a day resting.
Their lives are woven
with long bouts of rest
and short bursts
of dynamic action.
Unlike the lions,
wild dogs are among the
most active of Africa's
predators during the day.
After the midday heat has
passed, the pack has returned
to the hunt.
But they're not hunting
lechwe today.
Zebra are some of the largest
prey hunted by wild dogs.
If they can startle
the herd into fleeing,
they may be able to isolate
one and bring it down.
Some packs have learnt
that grabbing zebra by the lip
has the effect of
immobilizing the animal.
A 660 pound stallion can
inflict serious damage to
the slender dog.
But the dogs are willing
to take the risk
Presenting a united front is
the best option for the zebra.
With the knowledge of
hungry mouths back at the
den, the dogs regroup.
The zebra's instinctive
choice to fight rather
than flee pays off.
Even for the most efficient
hunters, there are no sure
bets in life.
At the den, the alpha female
greets the returning pack with
anxious excitement.
She hopes that they will
regurgitate meat for her
and her pups.
But the pack has returned
empty handed.
Although today's hunt
has been unsuccessful,
overall the delta provides a
stable home for these beautiful
and highly endangered creatures.
Giving them the space they need
to move away from the fences
and guns of man.
The Okavango delta's
verdant waterways
are a haven for
endangered species both
iconic and little known.
For these wattled cranes,
the delta's wetlands are
a crucial lifeline.
They are the most threatened
of Africa's six crane species.
With fewer than 8,000 adults
surviving in the wild.
The rarity of wattled cranes is
due to a combination of factors.
Cranes are particularly
susceptible to human
disturbance.
Chicks have a naturally low
survival rate - only around 6%
make it to adulthood.
And breeding pairs have
specific habitat requirements.
They need around 100 acres
of wetland,
combined with 350 acres
of surrounding grassland
or woodland.
This gives them access to
their major food sources
of grass seeds
and the tubers of
wetland sedges.
The delta's mosaic of waterways
and islands provides exactly
such a combination of habitats.
The cranes spend as much
as 75% of the day foraging,
feeling with their beaks for
these tubers beneath the ground.
Accompanying them is a
goliath heron - the largest
heron species in the world.
These blacksmith lapwings
thrive in the delta's short,
moist grasslands.
Global numbers of these
highly adaptable birds
have increased dramatically
in the last hundred years,
now estimated by some
to be around a million.
And they must be extra vigilant;
there are predators around.
The water monitor is one of
Africa's biggest lizards,
growing up to seven feet.
Its long powerful tail
makes it a strong swimmer.
Preying on fish and
other aquatic life.
But it also eats birds.
This territorial pair has
recently fledged chicks.
And the lapwing chicks
are enticing.
But it will have to get by
their parents first.
Blacksmith lapwings are
notoriously aggressive,
seemingly oblivious to
their small size.
Adults take turns
guarding the chicks.
One staying close while the
other launches attacks at
potential predators.
Despite being five times
the lapwing's size,
even a secretary bird
is discouraged by the
aerial bombardment.
This largely
terrestrial bird strides
the landscape looking for prey
it will batter to death
with its long legs.
But it won't find anything
to eat here.
After the excitement of the
dive-bombing the lapwing
cools down.
Showing off its secret weapons
against predators.
Each wing is equipped
with a sharp spur
that can inflict significant
damage on anyone the birds
dive bomb
which explains why
so many larger animals
are reluctant to tangle with
these feisty little birds.
But some in the delta need
more than a mere puddle
to get the bath they're after.
At the end of a long day
under the Okavango's baking sun
the elephant bachelors
are keen for a swim.
And the delta provides many
first-rate pools like this one,
deep enough for even the
big-eared bathers to submerge.
Elephants are
fantastic swimmers,
known to cross lakes
as wide as 24 miles.
For the elephants
of the Okavango
this refreshing dip is
one of the perks of
being a delta local.
Making the most of the abundant
waters to cool themselves under
the unrelenting sun.
For these gentle natured
giants there is no better
way to end the day.
The vast oasis of
the Okavango delta
is a harbor of life in the
midst of a great desert.
Here wet meets dry. . .
Creating a diversity of habitats
that nurtures an extraordinary
abundance of creatures
large and small.
From herbivores to hunters
and reptiles to birds
The Okavango presents us
with a rare vision of nature
in its most untainted form.
It is a place where time is told
through the flow of water
and the cries of eagles
carry across the clear blue sky.
The great Okavango delta
is a true wildlife paradise.
(♪♪♪)
