Kangaroo Valley (2022) - full transcript
Coming-of-age story of a young kangaroo joey called Mala, learning what it takes to survive her incredible first year. Only one in five joeys make it to their first birthday. Mala's greatest enemy is the dingo pack that stalks her...
The wilds of Australia...
an ancient world of desert and dust.
Hidden amongst the highest mountain peaks
lies a secret valley.
Here in this magical oasis,
countless animals gather
to escape the desert dry.
For every creature
that calls this valley home,
this is paradise.
But there's one animal
whose numbers dominate the landscape.
Eastern grey kangaroos.
There are
over 2,000 kangaroos in the valley,
and this is the story of one of them.
Meet Mala.
She's about to embark on
the greatest challenge of her life.
Up till now, her mother Lowanna
has kept her warm and protected.
Now, for the very first time,
Mala prepares
to leave the safety of the pouch.
Welcome to the world, Mala.
From this point on,
Mala will face many obstacles.
She has just 12 months to learn everything
she needs to survive on her own.
And the odds are not in her favor.
Only one in five joeys
makes it to their first birthday.
For this paradise is haunted by danger.
The Black Forest.
It encircles the valley.
Ravaged by wildfires,
only the largest trees remain.
The scorched remnants
of a once thriving habitat.
The kangaroos do not come here.
For it is home to their greatest enemy.
The dingo pack.
Migaloo has been head
of the pack for years.
He's the best hunter in the family.
His son
is a young black dingo called Miro,
who was born
at the same time as Mala last winter.
Miro has been learning how to hunt.
It's now time to prove himself.
Lowanna has been here many times before.
An experienced mother,
she won't flee with Mala
unless the hunt comes to them.
Panic can prove deadly.
Miro is still new to this game.
He's learning adult kangaroos
can outrun and outmaneuver a dingo.
What he should be looking for
is something slower and more vulnerable.
Like a joey.
Or a mother carrying a joey in her pouch.
This is his chance.
The mother is weighed down by a joey
much larger than Mala...
...but she has everything to fight for.
At this pace, it's very hard
for the mother to keep her joey secure.
Miro just doesn't have the focus.
He's inexperienced and easily distracted.
And it shows.
Miro must learn to fend for himself.
He's running out of time.
Miro will eventually leave the pack
and start his own family.
When that time comes,
he'll have to be a better hunter.
The joey that escaped
is lucky to be alive.
It's an important lesson for Mala.
Lowanna's pouch is no longer a safe haven.
It's summer in the valley.
The days are long,
the grass tall and golden.
Spiderlings take flight
on streams of gossamer webbing,
coating the landscape in a silky veil.
It's been a month
since Mala took her first tentative steps
out of the pouch.
She now has a gorgeous pale gray coat,
just like her mother.
Mala has been born
into a family of kangaroos known as a mob.
She's the youngest joey,
and she's still learning who's who.
Each and every one of her relatives
has their own unique personality.
The roos communicate to one another
through a language
of clucking noises and grunts.
Bamir, the largest buck in the valley
and Mala's father,
is king of the mob.
A rip in his left ear is a battle scar
from his struggle to the throne.
As king, Bamir is the only buck
who's allowed to flirt openly
with the ladies.
When he passes by,
the other males must crouch down
and cough to show their respect.
And he's not above reminding them
who's in charge.
On the edge of the mob
is a bouncy brown-colored joey named Buru.
Born around the same time as Mala,
Buru is an adventurer.
While Mala has been dragging her feet
leaving the pouch...
...he's been out exploring the world.
And he's already mastered
this whole hopping thing.
The problem is Buru only has one speed.
Flat-out, full tilt boogie.
Mala would ride
in the pouch all the time if she could,
but that's no way to learn.
A kangaroo that cannot hop
is a kangaroo that cannot escape danger.
The mob shares the valley
with many neighbors.
Some friend and some foe.
Who can Mala trust?
Living beneath the valley floor
is someone the roos try not to disturb.
This is Warrin the wombat.
The neighborhood grouch.
After his daily morning scratch,
it's time for Warrin to get to work.
Like all wombats, Warrin lives alone.
And he's very protective
of his prized patch.
Warrin doesn't tolerate trespassers.
So today, he's in for a lot of bother.
An intruder is cutting in on his turf...
...eating Warrin's grass.
Acting like he owns the place.
Gah! It's an outrage.
Warrin needs to show this upstart
who's boss.
You have to feel for Warrin.
Not everyone has a family
to look after them.
To protect them.
In the midday sun, temperatures soar.
The kangaroos lick their arms
to cool down.
And then, it's time to relax.
But the roos only nap
a few minutes at a time
with one ear always listening out
for danger.
Mala is learning the meaning
of different sounds.
A valley full of song
is a signal all is well.
But a screech is a warning.
A wedge-tailed eagle.
This one has caught a rabbit.
With a wingspan over seven feet,
they are capable of attacking
an adult kangaroo.
Buru hasn't even noticed.
And the eagle is on the hunt.
Riding the thermals high in the sky,
it searches for a target.
An inexperienced joey
would make an easy meal.
Luckily, not much gets past
the neighborhood watch.
To protect their territory,
the magpies and ravens
will harass the eagle
all the way to the valley borders.
Mala has seen how important it is
to tune in to the world around her.
Next time,
Buru may not get a second chance.
During the long days of summer,
the air fills
with swarms of biting insects.
Millions of them.
It's enough to drive a kangaroo crazy.
Mala can't figure out how
to escape these miniscule marauders.
But there's one little creature
who can help a kangaroo out.
Meet Willie the wagtail.
A tasty winged insect
is irresistible to Willie.
They're just hard to catch,
but Willie has a little trick up his wing.
As the roos move about...
they stir up the bugs.
Willie hops from roo to roo
striking at just the perfect moment.
When it comes to pest control...
...Mala has found a new best friend.
Autumn approaches.
And the days begin to shorten.
As night falls,
a spectacular new world emerges.
Under the moonlight,
the valley is a tapestry
of strange, new sights and sounds.
Mala is starting to understand
the rules of her world.
And its dangers.
But there is still so much to discover.
It's enough to make
even a nervous, young joey
feel a little adventurous.
A new sight appears before Mala.
Glowing fungi bloom
into magical umbrellas.
This is a forest that lights up with life.
Hidden in the deepest caves,
glowworms shimmer in the dark.
A sea of a thousand twinkling torches.
Each and every one creates its own light.
While something even stranger
is seen deep in the forest.
A trick of the moonlight
transforms the landscape.
And many of its creatures.
Scales, fur, and feathers
absorb ultraviolet light
to create vivid, new hues.
A splash of pink on a quoll's chest.
Or a cockatoo and his neon crest.
This rare phenomenon
is found in abundance only in the forest
surrounding Mala's valley.
With a new dawn, Mala is a whole new joey.
She has finally found her feet
and the confidence to enjoy the world
beyond her mother's pouch.
But this is just the first step.
In six short months, she'll be on her own.
There's still so much to learn.
With the arrival of autumn,
the tiring hot days of summer
come to an end.
Buru can't stop staring
at this new phenomenon called fog.
There's a change in the air.
The cooler weather has heralded
the start of the boxing season.
And Buru is keen to join in.
There are several moves to be mastered.
There's headlocks.
Wrestling.
And grappling with extremely sharp claws.
But a kangaroo's ultimate weapon
is the most difficult to master.
Their powerful kicks can break bones.
Buru is finding that landing kicks
takes strength and balance.
At his age,
Buru is just practicing his skills.
But one day, he will need to leave the mob
and fight to become the dominant buck.
King Bamir once made
this very same journey...
after years of boxing his way to the top.
Now, he will only fight if someone
is bold enough to challenge the king.
And there's one, a rising youngster,
who believes
he should be wearing the crown.
He's certainly acting that way
with the ladies.
His name is Doan.
Bamir's stiff-legged walk
is kangaroo for "back down."
If Doan won't submit,
Bamir will have to fight him.
And Buru has a ringside seat.
Bamir tries for a headlock
but is unable to throw Doan to the ground.
He tries again.
A bad miscalculation,
but it's not over yet.
An embarrassing unforced error by Doan
all but ends the fight.
Bamir celebrates his victory.
The crown remains his for now.
It has been three months
since Mala first emerged into the world.
She's now outgrown the pouch.
Mala's learning
all the best paths and shortcuts
that have crisscrossed this valley
for thousands of years.
When they reach the top of a hill,
Lowanna teaches Mala
to stop, look, and listen.
For a kangaroo that listens carefully,
a warning can whisper through the trees.
A scent picked up on the wind.
A sound heard deep in the forest.
They are coming.
Mala is caught up
in the panic of the hunt.
She's separated from Lowanna.
She's lost.
Having failed before,
Miro really needs
to get it right this time.
With so many kangaroos in flight,
it's hard for him to pick out a target.
One kangaroo has chosen not to run.
The king of the mob,
Bamir, stands his ground.
A roo his size can deliver a deadly kick.
The sandy dingo is taking a huge risk.
She needs the rest of her pack,
but her backup is elsewhere.
Miro, it seems,
has made another poor choice,
an adult female.
He could hardly
have picked a harder target.
Once again, Miro has been outmaneuvered.
Mala has made a costly mistake of her own.
The other females
all have their own joeys to look after.
Mala's only hope of survival is
to follow sound and scent back to Lowanna.
The only thing a joey truly needs
is her mother.
And the dingo pack is still on the hunt.
Bamir has held his ground.
But the rest of the pack
now heeds the sandy dingo's call.
Together, they have Bamir surrounded.
Rarely do dingoes take on
the greatest of the kangaroos.
But even mighty Bamir
can't keep fighting forever.
The mob has lost their king.
Mala has still not found her mother.
She searches...
and searches.
And then, finally...
a familiar scent.
This time, it's really her.
Cool air,
trapped by the surrounding mountains,
collects in the valley.
The land begins to freeze.
As winter arrives,
Bamir's death
has left the valley without a king.
The mob is unanchored.
Mala's world is in upheaval
in more ways than one.
Lowanna is growing a new baby
inside her pouch.
Mala is a big sister.
But Lowanna no longer
has enough milk to share.
It's bad timing for Mala.
Winter frost pierces leaves
and even cells of grass.
Splitting it apart from the inside.
In the bitter cold, food becomes scarce.
And the grass Mala is now forced to eat
will soon have little nutritional value.
Many joeys will not survive the winter.
For the dingoes, these are easy meals.
The pack has many more mouths to feed.
A new generation of warriors.
These pups will be ready
to hunt in the spring
when most of the mob's new joeys
will emerge from their pouches.
But someone is missing.
Miro is no longer welcome in the pack.
For the first time, he's on his own.
With the arrival of the new pups,
Miro has been forced out.
Without the support of his family,
his future is uncertain.
And winter is far from over.
Deep snow shrouds the mountains
surrounding Mala's valley each year.
The valley is usually protected
from the worst of the weather...
but the Earth's climate
is becoming more unpredictable.
The mob is caught in a blizzard.
Even mighty Doan
is forced to take shelter.
Mala will need all her resolve
to survive until spring.
The mob will be in survival mode
until winter comes to an end.
Spring arrives.
Mala has made it through her first winter.
She's now eight months out of the pouch,
and she's becoming
more and more independent.
Her baby sister Dura is now commanding
all of Lowanna's attention.
Buru's looking more and more
like a maturing young male.
No longer satisfied with boxing his mum,
he's kicking around
with the other young bucks.
The mob has all the food they can eat.
It's a smorgasbord of riches
that requires very little effort.
But Mala discovers that the warmer weather
also brings on a case of the itchies.
The thick fur she needed
to get through winter now has to shed.
No one in the mob
is immune from this springtime makeover.
Willie the wagtail, ever the opportunist,
seizes the moment
to collect building material for his nest.
Constructed from woven grass
and spiderweb,
a bit of soft fur
will make it feel even more homey.
It's already attracted the eye
of a female.
Soon, Willie may have a family
to look after.
Courtship is also on Doan's mind.
He's waited a long time for this moment.
But with Bamir gone
and the throne up for grabs,
there's a lot of suitors to compete with.
One of the young females in the mob
has come into season.
Doan is the first male to court her.
But the female
is not quite ready to commit.
She promenades across the valley
to advertise herself.
Just in case there's a larger,
more attractive male around.
Doan is going to be put to the test.
Many other males also fancy their chances
and join in the chase.
This is known as a mating train.
The female will choose the male
who can stay in control of the train.
If Doan can stay in the lead,
this could be his moment
to establish himself as king of the mob.
With the top position up for grabs,
all the males in the valley are here.
With all of the female's twists and turns,
the lead amongst the males
changes over and over again.
Things are really heating up.
The female takes refuge in the rocks.
Doan is exhausted,
but the stakes are too high.
He starts picking off the competition.
The younger males
are turning this into a brawl.
And the female is determined
that none of these young upstarts
will mate with her.
So she makes a clever escape.
But Doan has not been left empty-handed.
With his performance today,
he has won the crown.
One day, it will be Mala's turn
to join in these rituals.
Buru will start even sooner.
The adult world beckons.
Not long from now,
Buru will leave the valley.
As is the way of young bucks.
The whole valley
is getting into the spirit of spring.
A time of love and new life.
Warrin, however, is still on high alert.
There's been no further trespassers
on his patch.
But one can never be too vigilant.
Uh-oh. Mmm.
Here comes trouble.
Never fear...
...Warrin is more than prepared.
He's run through his drills.
He knows what to do.
Hold on.
This grass thief seems different.
Could it be?
Oh, sweet goddess of the glade!
It's a she-wombat.
Life is full of surprises.
The neighborhood grouch
has found true love.
And it's Mala who now finds herself alone
without her mother's protection.
For the first time in her young life,
she is truly on her own.
Miro has been out of the pack
and on his own for three months.
He hasn't got any backup either.
He can't afford to keep making mistakes.
For Miro and Mala,
everything in the last 12 months
comes down to this moment.
Mala and Miro are now one-on-one.
Miro is completely focused.
Mala is being pushed to her limit.
There are no higher stakes
than the duels between hunter and hunted.
Miro was driven by a primal urge, hunger.
But Mala was driven by something
far more profound.
The will to live.
Things didn't go Miro's way today.
But with persistence and determination,
he'll eventually become a great hunter,
just like his father.
♪ I've been let down ♪
♪ And it left me full of doubt ♪
♪ So hurt that I ♪
♪ Was certain I was gonna drown ♪
♪ But something kept me from the tide ♪
♪ My tears got me near as they dried ♪
♪ I've been let down ♪
♪ But I feel the sun is coming out ♪
♪ It's never too late ♪
♪ To love again, baby ♪
♪ Your heart may break ♪
♪ You might think you're crazy ♪
♪ But I fly to you ♪
♪ Look, and I know ♪
♪ There was a warm fire
As I walk through ♪
♪ It's you and me, baby
One kiss, and your work was done ♪
♪ I was on my knees
And you gave me all your love ♪
♪ Together we can do anything ♪
♪ You came and rescued me ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again... ♪
Mala has beaten the odds
and reached an important milestone.
Her first full year outside the pouch.
♪ I wanna love again, so babe ♪
♪ Keep on giving me your love ♪
♪ I'm so tired from blowing it off ♪
♪ The pain was great... ♪
This season's new crop of joeys
have emerged,
trying out their first awkward hops,
just as Mala once did.
It seems like a lifetime ago.
♪ I fly to you ♪
♪ Look, and I know... ♪
Someday, Mala will teach
her own joeys the lessons she has learned.
♪ One kiss, and your work was done... ♪
The rituals
and ways of kangaroos
that have remained unchanged for eons
in this secret valley
of great wonder and magic.
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
an ancient world of desert and dust.
Hidden amongst the highest mountain peaks
lies a secret valley.
Here in this magical oasis,
countless animals gather
to escape the desert dry.
For every creature
that calls this valley home,
this is paradise.
But there's one animal
whose numbers dominate the landscape.
Eastern grey kangaroos.
There are
over 2,000 kangaroos in the valley,
and this is the story of one of them.
Meet Mala.
She's about to embark on
the greatest challenge of her life.
Up till now, her mother Lowanna
has kept her warm and protected.
Now, for the very first time,
Mala prepares
to leave the safety of the pouch.
Welcome to the world, Mala.
From this point on,
Mala will face many obstacles.
She has just 12 months to learn everything
she needs to survive on her own.
And the odds are not in her favor.
Only one in five joeys
makes it to their first birthday.
For this paradise is haunted by danger.
The Black Forest.
It encircles the valley.
Ravaged by wildfires,
only the largest trees remain.
The scorched remnants
of a once thriving habitat.
The kangaroos do not come here.
For it is home to their greatest enemy.
The dingo pack.
Migaloo has been head
of the pack for years.
He's the best hunter in the family.
His son
is a young black dingo called Miro,
who was born
at the same time as Mala last winter.
Miro has been learning how to hunt.
It's now time to prove himself.
Lowanna has been here many times before.
An experienced mother,
she won't flee with Mala
unless the hunt comes to them.
Panic can prove deadly.
Miro is still new to this game.
He's learning adult kangaroos
can outrun and outmaneuver a dingo.
What he should be looking for
is something slower and more vulnerable.
Like a joey.
Or a mother carrying a joey in her pouch.
This is his chance.
The mother is weighed down by a joey
much larger than Mala...
...but she has everything to fight for.
At this pace, it's very hard
for the mother to keep her joey secure.
Miro just doesn't have the focus.
He's inexperienced and easily distracted.
And it shows.
Miro must learn to fend for himself.
He's running out of time.
Miro will eventually leave the pack
and start his own family.
When that time comes,
he'll have to be a better hunter.
The joey that escaped
is lucky to be alive.
It's an important lesson for Mala.
Lowanna's pouch is no longer a safe haven.
It's summer in the valley.
The days are long,
the grass tall and golden.
Spiderlings take flight
on streams of gossamer webbing,
coating the landscape in a silky veil.
It's been a month
since Mala took her first tentative steps
out of the pouch.
She now has a gorgeous pale gray coat,
just like her mother.
Mala has been born
into a family of kangaroos known as a mob.
She's the youngest joey,
and she's still learning who's who.
Each and every one of her relatives
has their own unique personality.
The roos communicate to one another
through a language
of clucking noises and grunts.
Bamir, the largest buck in the valley
and Mala's father,
is king of the mob.
A rip in his left ear is a battle scar
from his struggle to the throne.
As king, Bamir is the only buck
who's allowed to flirt openly
with the ladies.
When he passes by,
the other males must crouch down
and cough to show their respect.
And he's not above reminding them
who's in charge.
On the edge of the mob
is a bouncy brown-colored joey named Buru.
Born around the same time as Mala,
Buru is an adventurer.
While Mala has been dragging her feet
leaving the pouch...
...he's been out exploring the world.
And he's already mastered
this whole hopping thing.
The problem is Buru only has one speed.
Flat-out, full tilt boogie.
Mala would ride
in the pouch all the time if she could,
but that's no way to learn.
A kangaroo that cannot hop
is a kangaroo that cannot escape danger.
The mob shares the valley
with many neighbors.
Some friend and some foe.
Who can Mala trust?
Living beneath the valley floor
is someone the roos try not to disturb.
This is Warrin the wombat.
The neighborhood grouch.
After his daily morning scratch,
it's time for Warrin to get to work.
Like all wombats, Warrin lives alone.
And he's very protective
of his prized patch.
Warrin doesn't tolerate trespassers.
So today, he's in for a lot of bother.
An intruder is cutting in on his turf...
...eating Warrin's grass.
Acting like he owns the place.
Gah! It's an outrage.
Warrin needs to show this upstart
who's boss.
You have to feel for Warrin.
Not everyone has a family
to look after them.
To protect them.
In the midday sun, temperatures soar.
The kangaroos lick their arms
to cool down.
And then, it's time to relax.
But the roos only nap
a few minutes at a time
with one ear always listening out
for danger.
Mala is learning the meaning
of different sounds.
A valley full of song
is a signal all is well.
But a screech is a warning.
A wedge-tailed eagle.
This one has caught a rabbit.
With a wingspan over seven feet,
they are capable of attacking
an adult kangaroo.
Buru hasn't even noticed.
And the eagle is on the hunt.
Riding the thermals high in the sky,
it searches for a target.
An inexperienced joey
would make an easy meal.
Luckily, not much gets past
the neighborhood watch.
To protect their territory,
the magpies and ravens
will harass the eagle
all the way to the valley borders.
Mala has seen how important it is
to tune in to the world around her.
Next time,
Buru may not get a second chance.
During the long days of summer,
the air fills
with swarms of biting insects.
Millions of them.
It's enough to drive a kangaroo crazy.
Mala can't figure out how
to escape these miniscule marauders.
But there's one little creature
who can help a kangaroo out.
Meet Willie the wagtail.
A tasty winged insect
is irresistible to Willie.
They're just hard to catch,
but Willie has a little trick up his wing.
As the roos move about...
they stir up the bugs.
Willie hops from roo to roo
striking at just the perfect moment.
When it comes to pest control...
...Mala has found a new best friend.
Autumn approaches.
And the days begin to shorten.
As night falls,
a spectacular new world emerges.
Under the moonlight,
the valley is a tapestry
of strange, new sights and sounds.
Mala is starting to understand
the rules of her world.
And its dangers.
But there is still so much to discover.
It's enough to make
even a nervous, young joey
feel a little adventurous.
A new sight appears before Mala.
Glowing fungi bloom
into magical umbrellas.
This is a forest that lights up with life.
Hidden in the deepest caves,
glowworms shimmer in the dark.
A sea of a thousand twinkling torches.
Each and every one creates its own light.
While something even stranger
is seen deep in the forest.
A trick of the moonlight
transforms the landscape.
And many of its creatures.
Scales, fur, and feathers
absorb ultraviolet light
to create vivid, new hues.
A splash of pink on a quoll's chest.
Or a cockatoo and his neon crest.
This rare phenomenon
is found in abundance only in the forest
surrounding Mala's valley.
With a new dawn, Mala is a whole new joey.
She has finally found her feet
and the confidence to enjoy the world
beyond her mother's pouch.
But this is just the first step.
In six short months, she'll be on her own.
There's still so much to learn.
With the arrival of autumn,
the tiring hot days of summer
come to an end.
Buru can't stop staring
at this new phenomenon called fog.
There's a change in the air.
The cooler weather has heralded
the start of the boxing season.
And Buru is keen to join in.
There are several moves to be mastered.
There's headlocks.
Wrestling.
And grappling with extremely sharp claws.
But a kangaroo's ultimate weapon
is the most difficult to master.
Their powerful kicks can break bones.
Buru is finding that landing kicks
takes strength and balance.
At his age,
Buru is just practicing his skills.
But one day, he will need to leave the mob
and fight to become the dominant buck.
King Bamir once made
this very same journey...
after years of boxing his way to the top.
Now, he will only fight if someone
is bold enough to challenge the king.
And there's one, a rising youngster,
who believes
he should be wearing the crown.
He's certainly acting that way
with the ladies.
His name is Doan.
Bamir's stiff-legged walk
is kangaroo for "back down."
If Doan won't submit,
Bamir will have to fight him.
And Buru has a ringside seat.
Bamir tries for a headlock
but is unable to throw Doan to the ground.
He tries again.
A bad miscalculation,
but it's not over yet.
An embarrassing unforced error by Doan
all but ends the fight.
Bamir celebrates his victory.
The crown remains his for now.
It has been three months
since Mala first emerged into the world.
She's now outgrown the pouch.
Mala's learning
all the best paths and shortcuts
that have crisscrossed this valley
for thousands of years.
When they reach the top of a hill,
Lowanna teaches Mala
to stop, look, and listen.
For a kangaroo that listens carefully,
a warning can whisper through the trees.
A scent picked up on the wind.
A sound heard deep in the forest.
They are coming.
Mala is caught up
in the panic of the hunt.
She's separated from Lowanna.
She's lost.
Having failed before,
Miro really needs
to get it right this time.
With so many kangaroos in flight,
it's hard for him to pick out a target.
One kangaroo has chosen not to run.
The king of the mob,
Bamir, stands his ground.
A roo his size can deliver a deadly kick.
The sandy dingo is taking a huge risk.
She needs the rest of her pack,
but her backup is elsewhere.
Miro, it seems,
has made another poor choice,
an adult female.
He could hardly
have picked a harder target.
Once again, Miro has been outmaneuvered.
Mala has made a costly mistake of her own.
The other females
all have their own joeys to look after.
Mala's only hope of survival is
to follow sound and scent back to Lowanna.
The only thing a joey truly needs
is her mother.
And the dingo pack is still on the hunt.
Bamir has held his ground.
But the rest of the pack
now heeds the sandy dingo's call.
Together, they have Bamir surrounded.
Rarely do dingoes take on
the greatest of the kangaroos.
But even mighty Bamir
can't keep fighting forever.
The mob has lost their king.
Mala has still not found her mother.
She searches...
and searches.
And then, finally...
a familiar scent.
This time, it's really her.
Cool air,
trapped by the surrounding mountains,
collects in the valley.
The land begins to freeze.
As winter arrives,
Bamir's death
has left the valley without a king.
The mob is unanchored.
Mala's world is in upheaval
in more ways than one.
Lowanna is growing a new baby
inside her pouch.
Mala is a big sister.
But Lowanna no longer
has enough milk to share.
It's bad timing for Mala.
Winter frost pierces leaves
and even cells of grass.
Splitting it apart from the inside.
In the bitter cold, food becomes scarce.
And the grass Mala is now forced to eat
will soon have little nutritional value.
Many joeys will not survive the winter.
For the dingoes, these are easy meals.
The pack has many more mouths to feed.
A new generation of warriors.
These pups will be ready
to hunt in the spring
when most of the mob's new joeys
will emerge from their pouches.
But someone is missing.
Miro is no longer welcome in the pack.
For the first time, he's on his own.
With the arrival of the new pups,
Miro has been forced out.
Without the support of his family,
his future is uncertain.
And winter is far from over.
Deep snow shrouds the mountains
surrounding Mala's valley each year.
The valley is usually protected
from the worst of the weather...
but the Earth's climate
is becoming more unpredictable.
The mob is caught in a blizzard.
Even mighty Doan
is forced to take shelter.
Mala will need all her resolve
to survive until spring.
The mob will be in survival mode
until winter comes to an end.
Spring arrives.
Mala has made it through her first winter.
She's now eight months out of the pouch,
and she's becoming
more and more independent.
Her baby sister Dura is now commanding
all of Lowanna's attention.
Buru's looking more and more
like a maturing young male.
No longer satisfied with boxing his mum,
he's kicking around
with the other young bucks.
The mob has all the food they can eat.
It's a smorgasbord of riches
that requires very little effort.
But Mala discovers that the warmer weather
also brings on a case of the itchies.
The thick fur she needed
to get through winter now has to shed.
No one in the mob
is immune from this springtime makeover.
Willie the wagtail, ever the opportunist,
seizes the moment
to collect building material for his nest.
Constructed from woven grass
and spiderweb,
a bit of soft fur
will make it feel even more homey.
It's already attracted the eye
of a female.
Soon, Willie may have a family
to look after.
Courtship is also on Doan's mind.
He's waited a long time for this moment.
But with Bamir gone
and the throne up for grabs,
there's a lot of suitors to compete with.
One of the young females in the mob
has come into season.
Doan is the first male to court her.
But the female
is not quite ready to commit.
She promenades across the valley
to advertise herself.
Just in case there's a larger,
more attractive male around.
Doan is going to be put to the test.
Many other males also fancy their chances
and join in the chase.
This is known as a mating train.
The female will choose the male
who can stay in control of the train.
If Doan can stay in the lead,
this could be his moment
to establish himself as king of the mob.
With the top position up for grabs,
all the males in the valley are here.
With all of the female's twists and turns,
the lead amongst the males
changes over and over again.
Things are really heating up.
The female takes refuge in the rocks.
Doan is exhausted,
but the stakes are too high.
He starts picking off the competition.
The younger males
are turning this into a brawl.
And the female is determined
that none of these young upstarts
will mate with her.
So she makes a clever escape.
But Doan has not been left empty-handed.
With his performance today,
he has won the crown.
One day, it will be Mala's turn
to join in these rituals.
Buru will start even sooner.
The adult world beckons.
Not long from now,
Buru will leave the valley.
As is the way of young bucks.
The whole valley
is getting into the spirit of spring.
A time of love and new life.
Warrin, however, is still on high alert.
There's been no further trespassers
on his patch.
But one can never be too vigilant.
Uh-oh. Mmm.
Here comes trouble.
Never fear...
...Warrin is more than prepared.
He's run through his drills.
He knows what to do.
Hold on.
This grass thief seems different.
Could it be?
Oh, sweet goddess of the glade!
It's a she-wombat.
Life is full of surprises.
The neighborhood grouch
has found true love.
And it's Mala who now finds herself alone
without her mother's protection.
For the first time in her young life,
she is truly on her own.
Miro has been out of the pack
and on his own for three months.
He hasn't got any backup either.
He can't afford to keep making mistakes.
For Miro and Mala,
everything in the last 12 months
comes down to this moment.
Mala and Miro are now one-on-one.
Miro is completely focused.
Mala is being pushed to her limit.
There are no higher stakes
than the duels between hunter and hunted.
Miro was driven by a primal urge, hunger.
But Mala was driven by something
far more profound.
The will to live.
Things didn't go Miro's way today.
But with persistence and determination,
he'll eventually become a great hunter,
just like his father.
♪ I've been let down ♪
♪ And it left me full of doubt ♪
♪ So hurt that I ♪
♪ Was certain I was gonna drown ♪
♪ But something kept me from the tide ♪
♪ My tears got me near as they dried ♪
♪ I've been let down ♪
♪ But I feel the sun is coming out ♪
♪ It's never too late ♪
♪ To love again, baby ♪
♪ Your heart may break ♪
♪ You might think you're crazy ♪
♪ But I fly to you ♪
♪ Look, and I know ♪
♪ There was a warm fire
As I walk through ♪
♪ It's you and me, baby
One kiss, and your work was done ♪
♪ I was on my knees
And you gave me all your love ♪
♪ Together we can do anything ♪
♪ You came and rescued me ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again... ♪
Mala has beaten the odds
and reached an important milestone.
Her first full year outside the pouch.
♪ I wanna love again, so babe ♪
♪ Keep on giving me your love ♪
♪ I'm so tired from blowing it off ♪
♪ The pain was great... ♪
This season's new crop of joeys
have emerged,
trying out their first awkward hops,
just as Mala once did.
It seems like a lifetime ago.
♪ I fly to you ♪
♪ Look, and I know... ♪
Someday, Mala will teach
her own joeys the lessons she has learned.
♪ One kiss, and your work was done... ♪
The rituals
and ways of kangaroos
that have remained unchanged for eons
in this secret valley
of great wonder and magic.
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪