Dynasties (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Painted Wolf - full transcript

Here, in the heart of Africa,

lives one of this great continent's most
extraordinary yet misunderstood animals.

Animals that only thrive
through remarkable team work,

and through the strength and
skill of their leaders.

Painted wolves, once known
as Cape Hunting Dogs,

are one of Africa's most
threatened predators.

Their packs require huge areas
of territory in which to hunt.

But today, because of human pressure,
their world is shrinking fast.

And whereas once neighbours could
live together in relative peace,

today there is intense
rivalry between them.

For more than two years,



our team here in Mana
Pools in Zimbabwe,

have been following the fortunes
of one of the last great families.

We join them at a moment when
competition between mother

and one of her daughters
is boiling up,

threatening to not only shatter
a long-established peace,

but to tear apart
the whole family.

This is Tait, the
family's ruling queen.

She's a mother and
a grandmother.

For years, she has
used her position

to keep the peace within
her sprawling family.

But Tait is now old.

Her powers are waning.

Tait still controls the very
best hunting territory,

the rich lands on the
banks of the Zambezi.



But she's surrounded.

To the east lie the
dangerous lion pridelands.

To the south, forests
full of hyena.

And to the west, 5 pack led by one
of Tait's daughters, Blacktip.

For many years, Blacktip has lived in
peaceful coexistence with her mother,

each with enough
territory to survive.

But Blacktip's pack has grown huge.
It's now 30 strong.

For the first time, she
needs more territory

if she's to feed her
growing family.

Normally, a daughter would not
invade her mother's territory.

However, with hyenas
ruling to the south,

and humans having taken the
hunting lands to the west,

Blacktip has no choice

but to turn her sights east,

towards her mother's lands.

Where, after a morning's hunt,
Tait and her pack are resting.

Blacktip's pack outnumbers her
mother's by more than two to one.

An ambush!

Against these odds,

Tait is powerless.

Retreat is the only option.

This has now become
Blacktip's territory.

A brief but bloody battle.

Tait and her pack
are now homeless.

She retreats eastwards.

But this is dangerous country.

This river marks the boundary
between her own territory

and the lion pridelands.

In her long life, Tait has
explored every part of Mana.

She knows that this is too
perilous a place to make a home.

Lions will search out and kill puppies,
and even adults, if they get the chance.

For now, it's the
only place to hide.

But Tait must keep
her family safe,

well away from the 26
lions that rule here.

Three months have passed
since Blacktip's takeover.

And all these lands are now
firmly under her control.

Blacktip's pack have spent a great
deal of time scent marking,

establishing their new
territorial boundaries.

And Blacktip and her
family have fed well

on what was her mother's lands.

But now, it's the dry season,
and the landscape is changing.

The ground is dangerous for
hunters who rely on speed.

Deep footprints left by elephants in
soft mud have baked as hard as rock.

And a painted wolf putting a foot
wrong could seriously damage itself.

The impalas' ability to leap
over the worst of the pot holes

now gives them an edge.

In these conditions, Blacktip's pack
will find it hard to feed themselves.

But the size and strength of the
pack might enable her to catch

a totally new kind of prey.

A large male baboon is strong,

almost twice the weight
of a painted wolf.

And armed with
huge canine teeth.

The great size of
Blacktip's pack

means the large males can't defend
their troupe against them all.

The meal has been hard-won.

But discovering this new possibility
has come at just the right time.

Blacktip won more than
just hunting lands

in her battle to claim
Tait's territory.

She secured the safest place to
raise puppies in all of Mana Pools.

And sure enough, Blacktip has a
new litter of five hungry pups.

Their father is
babysitting them today.

Everyone is impatient for the
return of the hunting party.

While they wait,
the pups discover

that there's more to the
world than just their pack.

There's no rest for Blacktip.

She not only leads
the hunting trips,

but, as the alpha female,
she's the only who breeds

and provides milk for the pups.

It's not just milk.

They're already
eagerly eating meat.

Blacktip's hold on Tait's territory
appears to be paying off.

It has been four months since Tait
and her pack were forced into exile

here in the lion pridelands.

Compared to her home territory,
there is not only more danger,

but there's much less prey.

Yet, remarkably, even here,

Tait has managed to keep every
member of her pack alive.

But she is nowhere to be seen.

The rest of her family are waiting
close to an abandoned aardvark burrow.

And this is why.

Tait has spent the last three
weeks hidden underground.

She has managed, against the odds,
to produce her eighth litter.

Two tiny puppies emerge
for the very first time.

Honey badgers.

They are notoriously aggressive,
and a danger to the pups.

Tait's youngest daughter, Tammy,
has never seen one before.

But her instinct tells
her to drive them away.

And this gives Tait the chance to
get her pups to safety underground.

This year, both
Tait and Blacktip

have produced far fewer
puppies than ever before.

Perhaps this is the first sign that
the conflict between the two packs

is threatening the future
of the entire family.

Twice a day, Tait has to lead her
hunting party on a risky journey

to the banks of the Zambezi
river, where the prey gather.

But it is also the very
heart of lion territory.

She must sneak them into
position undetected.

Then, it's in and out
as fast as possible.

The pack need to work fast.

All that effort for a
few mouthfuls of food.

The puppies will
go hungry today.

And the pack has been
dealt another blow.

Again it's Tammy, Tate's youngest
daughter, who spots the problem.

Tammy's sister has fallen.

She has broken a leg stumbling
into an elephant's footprint.

For most animals, this
would be the end.

But the family won't just leave
her to fend for herself.

Painted wolves, perhaps
more than any other animal,

care for pack members
who are old or injured.

Tait's family will
protect and feed her

while she herself cannot
join in the hunt.

The dry season turns to drought.

The great buffalo herds
are on the move.

Food and water are becoming
increasingly scarce.

All of Mana's inhabitants are
now drawn towards the Zambezi

and the few pools that
remain along its banks.

The drought also means that it's
time for Blacktip and her pups

to leave their den behind.

For the pups, this is
their first adventure.

Now the pups are old enough
to follow the adults,

Blacktip can resume marking the
new boundaries of her territory

to consolidate her takeover.

On the far eastern borders,
Blacktip picks up a familiar scent.

It's old, but unmistakable.

Her mother.

This discovery has an
extraordinary effect on Blacktip.

She can tell from this smell
which direction Tait took.

Blacktip stops territorial marking
and instead sets off in pursuit

of her mother.

It seems that Blacktip is going
to try and drive Tait out of Mana

once and for all.

But she's taking a huge risk by going
into territory she doesn't know.

Hyenas.

On moonless nights, the
pack would normally rest up

somewhere safe until dawn.

But instead, Blacktip leads them,
marching on into the gloom.

No one wants to be the
straggler in the dark.

The family bunch together
much more closely at night.

And now, 15 hyenas
are tracking them.

Attack may be the
best form of defence.

Blacktip thinks she's
got the upper hand,

but she's let her
pups get separated.

The puppy is lost.

Heads down, tails down,
they seem to mourn.

For hours, they
march in silence.

A solemn procession.

Despite her loss, Blacktip
drives her pack on,

far beyond the boundary
of Tait's old territory.

Tracking her mother into a
place she's never been before,

deep into the heart of
the lion pridelands.

Tait, remarkably, has now managed to
keep her pack safe from the lions

for eight months.

Her injured daughter
is on the mend.

The family have been protecting
her while she recovers.

They only survive here by being on
constant alert for signs of danger.

And today it is the wind
that carries a warning.

Blacktip is coming.

Forewarned, Tait isn't
going to risk an attack.

The pack turns tail and runs.

The temperature has
reached 50 degrees.

Still, Blacktip pushes
her pack on in pursuit.

They're closing in, less
than a mile behind Tait.

But, finally, the heat
is just too much.

Blacktip is forced
to call a halt.

But danger is approaching.

The pack has scattered!

And now the lions will try
to pick off the puppies.

There's only one
adult with the pups.

That won't be enough
to save them.

But this might.

Buffaloes and [ions are
always in conflict.

To charge in alone
is very unusual.

But it's certainly
saved the pups.

Blacktip and her pack have
been halted in their tracks.

Blacktip's pursuit of Tait

has exposed her family
to too many dangers,

too many risks.

The pack are desperate to help,

but there is nothing
they can do.

The pursuit of Tait is over.

Blacktip's pack run.

They run, and run.

Mile after mile.

Puppies in tow.

All through the day,
all through the night.

All the way home.

The territory they
stole, abandoned.

The conflict is over.

It cost too much.

Tait and her pack can already
sense Blacktip's retreat.

For the first time since the
beginning of the conflict,

they appear relaxed.

Soon, their keen sense of smell

will tell them their stolen
territory is no longer occupied.

It won't be long until it's time
for Tait's pack to also go home.

But Tait will not
be joining them.

For seven-and-a-half years,

she's been their leader,
their matriarch.

And now, as their exile
finally draws to a close,

she has ensured her pack
still have a future,

a real chance to reclaim
their old territory.

Before her pack could,
at last, head home,

age finally caught up with Tait.

Too old, too slow,

she was no longer able
to evade the lions.

Her alpha male refused
to abandon her.

Together, they died
in the pridelands.

Tait's pack are left leaderless.

But the story doesn't end
with Tait's passing.

Life-giving rains
follow the drought.

Hard times are quickly
forgotten in times of plenty.

And the story takes
another twist.

On their way home, Tait's pack
attract a band of roving males.

And with these reinforcements,

they not only reclaim some
of Tait's old territory,

but also perform a ritual
never witnessed before.

With these haunting calls, they
are choosing their new leader.

And the chance to continue
Tait's bloodline.

Six months later,

hidden away in a secluded
part of the forest,

a litter of seven tiny puppies.

They're born to Tammy,
Tait's youngest daughter,

and now heir to Tait's throne.

With these new arrivals,
and the new males,

Tait's old pack has bounced
back to 23 members.

Tammy now leads a pack that is once
again a force to be reckoned with.

Back in the west, with
the conflict long over,

Blacktip has produced 10
healthy puppies of her own.

Balance has finally been
restored to Tait's dynasty.

There are only 6,600 painted
wolves left in the world.

To date, we count 280 descendants
from Tait's bloodline.

Tait's contribution to the survival
of this species is unparalleled.

Her dynasty feels secure.

For now, at least.

Of all the animals
featured in this series,

painted wolves range over
the greatest distances.

To document the unfolding
story of Tait and Blacktip,

the team first needed to find
them, and that required help.

This film is
essentially undoable

without people who
really know the dogs.

Principally Nick and Henry.

Nick's been working with
the dogs for years.

Not only does he know how to
track them incredibly well,

but he also knows their
habits and their behaviours.

So, for 20 years, I've
been watching these dogs,

and when you're sitting on the
ground and you've got them

running around you, and they're
totally unfazed by you,

that's a great experience.

Nick Murray can identify all
of the 91 painted wolves

that the team saw
on the floodplains.

But there's one individual
that he knows better than any.

MURRAY We've been
interacting with Tait

for literally ten-and-a-half
years of her life.

With each successive
litter that she has,

we've got to know
all of those dogs

when they come out of the den
and spend time with them.

Nick's knowledge of who
is related to whom,

meant the team knew that it was Tait's
own daughter who was challenging her.

What was unfolding in front
of camera was a family drama.

The crew not only have
a team of trackers,

luckily the filming coincided

with a research project.

The reason for collaring the dogs is
to aid our monitoring of the pack.

Because we're actually able
to physically follow the dogs

so we can record
their movements,

their territory size,
where they're going.

And that builds up a
picture of their land use.

In open landscapes, these
collars can transmit for miles.

But in the mixed
habitat of Mana,

the signal often struggles
beyond 500 metres.

This is where Nick and Henry's
tracking skills really come into play.

Henry's been incredible on this.
His tracking is unbelievable.

Tracks are the key
to the Whole game.

They tell the story.

And it's Henry's
highly-tuned tracker senses

that allow the team to capture
the pivotal moment in the film.

The team are
tracking Tait's pack

when they drive through a pile of
droppings from the painted wolves.

I recognised the smell which
is Blacktip, not Tait.

Blacktip's diet of baboons

is enough for Henry to be
able to tell the packs apart

simply by smell alone.

The team quickly switch from
following Tait's radio channel

to Blacktip's.

Right away we heard the
very strong "ping, ping,"

so we carried on
down to the river.

Sure enough, they
were right there,

which is an area they'd
never been before.

It was incredible.

And then Henry noticed

some lions approaching
through the grass.

Knowing that there are
puppies in their pack,

I just turned my head
away from the scene.

You know, I just didn't
want to see, um,

any of the pups getting harmed.

I just stayed with the lion,
and suddenly this huge buffalo

came into shot.

I think what was amazing for me

was to see the lions
interact with the dogs.

But to then catch a buffalo
under the very same tree,

that's just ridiculous.

I tell you, I just like stood
there dumbfounded, mesmerised,

seeing the whole scene
that was going on.

It was like a dream, really.

To try to capture every aspect

of the unfolding story,

it was sometimes necessary
to have five camera teams

working simultaneously.

We've got 52 cases of kit.

A Cineflex, a night thermal
camera, and umpteen other things.

It's very ambitious, what
we're trying to achieve.

Not wanting to miss a thing,

our teams follow both packs,

on the ground,

and in the air.

One ground team with Tait,
the other with Blacktip.

Employing the latest in unmanned
aerial camera technology

allows the crew to
capture unique views

as the pack go about their
business undisturbed.

To cover more ground the
crew bring in a helicopter.

And as the days draw to an end,

the latest ultra high-definition,
low-light cameras

capture the action,

even when it's almost
too dark to see.

And once complete darkness
falls, the night team take over.

A thermal camera can penetrate
the darkness with no need

for any artificial light.

You know, to get those shots,
it takes a lot of skill.

And that is not our skill,
that is our guide's skill.

Oh, there they are, over there.

The yield of shots has gotten
better and better on every shoot.

On the last shoot we were
with them every day.

And that's What's brilliant about
being able to put true time in.

And it's tough, actually,
because you spend

day in, day out with these animals
for months and months and months.

And their lives become
very important to you,

and the story can be incredible.

But it's actually quite an
emotional roller-coaster

to see what happens to them.

This story of family rivalry

only began because Blacktip was unable
to expand her territory away from Tail;

and was forced instead to
invade her mother's lands.

The biggest problem facing painted
wolves today is habitat loss.

Basically, they're
running out of space.

We have isolated National Parks
surrounded by human settlements.

In the modern world,
that means they're

running across roads,
they're hitting snares,

getting poisoned.

It's a... It's a tough
world out there for them.

7% of painted wolves

actually live outside of
the National Park system.

Their future is very bleak.
It's not looking good.

So the wild dogs of the
Zambezi Valley are lucky,

because these dogs can travel from
park to park, through corridors.

But that's not the case
in most areas in Africa.

If you came back in
ten years' time,

I think Tammy's descendants
will still be around,

battling it out against
the lions and hyenas.

It's a tough life, never
mind the human conflict.

Painted wolves, individually, may
lack the nobility of a lion,

but the subtlety of
their communications

and the complexity of
their social organisation

gives them a fascination
all of their own.

Surely they deserve
to hold their place

alongside the great hunters
of the African plain.

Next time...

A tigress struggles to
rear her new family.

Rivals are trespassing
on her territory.

Can she raise her cubs
through adulthood?