Nature (1982–…): Season 37, Episode 5 - Dogs in the Land of Lions - full transcript
Follow the unforgettable journey of a family of wild dogs in Zimbabwe and witness rarely seen behavior, from tender moments with newborn pups, to the thrills of hunting wildebeest, to close encounters with their greatest enemy - the lion.
Her name is Puzzles.
She's a wild dog mother,
and her burgeoning family
will need every ounce
of her courage and cunning.
She has a new litter of pups,
a dozen insistent
little mouths to feed,
and their territory
is a world of danger.
The young dogs must run fast
and work together.
They are the smallest predators
to bring down big game
in the African bush.
But it's not their large prey
that threatens them most.
This is a land of
very big cats...
where small, brave dogs must
sometimes run for their lives.
It's winter
in Zimbabwe,
and in a hillside cave,
a mother is tidying her home.
She's an African wild dog
known as Puzzles...
and hidden in these recesses,
she has twelve new babies
to care for.
For the next few weeks,
she cannot leave them.
Which means she cannot hunt
to feed herself.
Instead, she must wait each day
for her mate
and the rest of her pack
to bring her food.
Her life is about
to take a dramatic turn.
But before we get to that,
we must go back 9 months,
to a time before
she was confined to her den.
It's spring, and Puzzles
and her mate, Jigsaw,
have settled in the Malilangwe
Wildlife Reserve.
When they arrived last summer,
they were the only survivors
of a rabies epidemic
that devastated
the region's dog packs.
Soon after, they started
something wild dog
couples almost never
get right...
raising a family by themselves.
Normally, it takes a whole pack
to raise a litter.
To succeed, they would need
adult siblings
or grown offspring
to help them feed and protect
their 3-month-old pups.
But they have neither.
The most active part
of the pups' anatomy
seems to be their stomachs.
So the parents must do their
best to provide 2 meals a day,
and that's often Puzzles' job.
Although
she's around 8 years old
and well past her prime,
she's still a skilled hunter.
As the shadows lengthen
and the temperature drops,
it's time for the couple
to get to work.
This evening, it's Jigsaw's turn
to babysit while Puzzles hunts.
The pups are still too small
for her to take along,
and it's not safe
to leave them alone.
Puzzles has Malilangwe's 130,000
acres as her hunting grounds.
Following the valley floor,
she can maintain this
light-footed stride for miles.
In the cool hours of dawn
and dusk
she must find something
small enough to take down alone,
yet large enough
to feed her growing family.
Like these impalas,
her favorite prey.
The odds are against
her succeeding,
but with so many mouths to feed,
she can't afford to fail.
Meanwhile, her son, Jet,
easily recognized
by his striped tail,
is teaching himself to hunt.
Although
he seems clueless today,
in the coming months,
his leadership
will be central
to the survival of the pack.
Nearby, Jigsaw is keeping
a watchful eye.
Lions will go out of their way
to kill wild dogs,
simply because they both
hunt the same animals.
And lions expect, well...
the lion's share, of all prey.
But lions are not
the only villains here.
Roads kill, too.
Evolution has not prepared
dogs for speeding vehicles,
and they're not streetwise.
As wilderness shrinks and dogs
roam beyond protected areas,
disease and human activity
are devastating their species.
Fewer than 7,000
wild dogs remain.
While Dad lets the pups
play in the road,
Puzzles has singlehandedly
caught a ram
nearly twice her size.
Now she must collect
her family.
That's music to their ears.
It's their mother's dinner call.
But they must be careful.
Lions eavesdrop on wild dogs,
then track them down.
The pups are still learning
where their meat comes from,
and Dakota,
with a white patch on her neck,
is more inquisitive
than the others.
Wild dog etiquette dictates
the youngest eat first,
so Puzzles and Jigsaw soon hand
the meal over to the pups
and their massive appetites.
Each little dog is able
to wolf down
several pounds
in a single sitting.
The parents are also hungry,
but their family
is vulnerable right now,
and they must stay alert.
The months pass into summer,
and the pups are now old enough
to follow Puzzles and Jigsaw
around their territory.
The couple are proving
to be extraordinary parents.
It's almost unheard of
for a single pair
to have raised
a litter to this age.
But their family still relies
on them for food.
Puzzles is an old hand at this,
and now she has the help
of Jigsaw and her young pack.
Will their skills match
their enthusiasm?
Undetected, they narrow
the distance.
Spotted!
The pack changes gears.
In hot pursuit, they can exceed
40 miles an hour.
But today, summer's long grass
has foiled them.
Dakota and her siblings
will need more practice
if they're going
to help their parents.
Soon, the pups spy
a fresh target.
Spotted hyenas.
They can't resist.
Few things provide as much
family entertainment
as hyena hazing.
These rivals share
a peculiar relationship.
Hyenas
steal the dogs' kills,
but away from carcasses,
the dogs hound them
whenever they can.
Even for Puzzles,
this is a favorite pastime.
A hyenas' bone-crushing jaws
could snap a dog in half.
Instead, they seem to grin
and bear it,
knowing the dogs
will eventually lose interest.
The Lions are here
for one reason only,
to destroy every other predator
in their territory.
Today, there are too many dogs
and too many hyenas.
There'll be no killing
this time.
By late autumn, Puzzles
and Jigsaw have defied the odds.
Nearly a year has passed
since their pups were born
and, astonishingly,
they've gotten them
this far on their own.
Now they're about to do it
all over again.
Puzzles is pregnant.
And then some!
Which brings us back
to where we began.
For the next 3 months,
the pack's vagabond life
is over,
and this rocky fortress
will be their base.
Puzzles and Jigsaw have
another dozen mouths to feed.
Nursing these pups has tripled
her energy requirements,
but tethered to the cave,
Puzzles can't hunt.
Her survival and that of her
feeble newborns rests
totally on Jigsaw
and their older litter.
Wild dog mothers have up
to 16 teats,
so there's enough to go around.
The challenge is finding
an available milk dispenser.
The hunters have been
successful,
and their return
causes chaos in the den.
Others are trying
to get some sleep here!
Puzzles is ravenous and she begs
her family for food.
The yearlings are not yet
accomplished hunters,
but they've helped Jigsaw
carry back meat
for Puzzles
in their stomachs.
Selflessly sharing
their undigested meal
is the only way the pack
can keep Puzzles alive
while she nurses her pups.
And it might just
stop her whining.
With her mother preoccupied,
the always-inquisitive Dakota
sneaks into the den.
Wild dog females
are typically doting
and soon, her sister,
named Atom, joins her.
They're excited to meet
their tiny, new siblings.
But they know they're not
really allowed in here.
Wild dog society mostly
allows only one mother per pack,
the alpha female.
And that lifelong position
is occupied by Puzzles.
She's not ready for visitors.
Her clumsy teenagers
could hurt her pups.
And despite Dakota's pleas,
she sees her daughters out.
Outside, Jigsaw's real duties
have just begun.
He must take his apprentices
hunting every day
to keep the family fed.
Once again, Puzzles
is waiting for a meal.
And this winter morning,
the hunters are taking longer
than usual to return.
The hours pass slowly,
and there's no sign of her pack.
Finally, it's Dakota
leading the others.
They haven't caught anything,
and something else is wrong.
Two pack members
haven't returned.
For the first time in a month,
Puzzles leaves the den to search
for her missing family.
They could be anywhere.
On some hunts, they travel miles
from the den, in any direction.
But she finds them close by.
It's Atom...
...and Jigsaw.
Their mangled bodies leave
no doubt
about what's happened here.
Puzzles can't seem to tear
herself away from the scene.
But she must.
She has a daunting task
ahead of her now.
How will she raise
all their children on her own?
Puzzles' first priority
is to find a new, safer den.
She can't waste another second.
The lions could return
at any moment.
Higher up the cliffs,
she finds what she's after.
It's difficult to access,
and there are plenty of small
hiding spaces inside.
They should be safer here.
At first, the big adventure
excites the pups.
But it's a long way
for little legs...
so Dakota urges them on
from behind.
They're soon exhausted.
Puzzles can't afford
to let them rest.
They're too exposed out here.
The pups have had enough.
They've decided to go back home.
There's only one way
she's going to move them now.
One by one, she carries each
of them to their new home.
At last, they're all here.
It's been a marathon day for
this remarkable single mother.
She's exhausted,
but her family is safe.
All across the land,
winter tightens its cold grip...
while Puzzles' next challenge
is to get everyone fed.
She rallies the yearlings
to go and hunt.
And now she's not
the only one begging.
Her growing pups want meat, too.
Puzzles must put
all her faith in this brat pack
to keep herself
and the pups alive.
It's a huge test.
Did Jigsaw
pass on his hunting skills?
There's no adult now
to keep them focused.
And there are
many distractions.
Like bushpigs.
Dakota's curiosity
gets the better of her.
These are not usually
wild dog prey,
so there are no guidelines
for catching them.
It's time to get serious.
They need to find impala.
Jet takes the lead,
and soon, he spots a herd.
It's chaos, as prey and pack
take off in all directions.
Even for experienced dogs,
it's impossible to coordinate
a hunt in these woodlands.
If they're to succeed, each dog
will have to work alone.
Back at the den,
the pups hound Puzzles
like one large,
insatiable stomach.
She's hungry and short-tempered.
She needs a break.
But her growing pups
have other ideas.
Their appetites are starting
to strain the supply.
And there's no escaping them.
She's here somewhere.
They've sniffed her out.
At last, the hunters are back,
and not a moment too soon!
Their bloody faces
tell of a successful kill.
Dakota is quick to feed her
hungry mother and the pups.
Individuals will sacrifice
almost anything for their pack,
a behavior wired
into their DNA.
If they can keep this up,
Puzzles' family
might just make it.
Just when everything
was going smoothly,
the yearlings begin to act up.
The big sisters have decided
it's time for the pups
to see the wide world
beyond the den.
Puzzles is not so sure.
With infinite patience,
she carries the hostages
back inside each time.
But the yearlings
are quite insistent.
They soon find that,
if you kidnap one,
the others are sure to follow.
Soon, Puzzles relents
and lets her pups
explore the world
within sight of the den.
As the weeks pass
and winter flies by,
they venture farther and farther
on each outing.
Adult supervision
is never far behind.
And then, one day,
Puzzles decides it's time
to leave the den for good.
It's been four months
since the pups were born,
and for the first time,
she and all her children
run together as a pack.
It's a dangerous time
for wild dog pups.
Their adult coats
might camouflage them,
but they still can't run fast.
Night is falling.
The older dogs will have to keep
their wits about them tonight.
During their first spring,
Puzzles introduces the smallest
dogs to their woodland home,
teaching them about hunting
and how to avoid enemies.
It's a time of important
discoveries...
like who knew so many other
living creatures
shared their landscape?
And of such alarming dimensions!
They're still learning
what danger actually looks like.
Until then, they'll take
their cue from their mother.
Another week, another lesson...
Elephants can be unpredictable.
And mostly, they do not like
wild dogs.
Seriously...
they don't.
As they crisscross
the wilderness
over the next few months,
the pups learn
the lay of the land.
Until one day, the land itself
undergoes a startling
transformation.
As in most of southern
Africa,
Zimbabwe's annual rains
arrive in the summer.
The deluges bring a season
of plenty.
And with each passing day,
the youngest dogs grow
stronger and fitter.
Puzzles has been a single mother
for five months
and has achieved
the impossible.
Statistically, at least
half her offspring
should be dead by now.
Instead, she's brought
nearly all of them this far,
alive and unharmed.
She has every reason
to celebrate.
Last year's litter has been
an integral part of her success,
and they're now adults
in their own right.
With resolve and devotion,
she's raised a thriving pack.
And she's not done yet.
She now leads
a formidable battalion.
Impala alone will no longer
feed this army.
They turn their attention
to bigger prey.
But bigger prey
means bigger risk.
Taking on wildebeest
is a dangerous proposition.
Hooves can slash
and horns can gore.
Adult wildebeest might be
too much for this young pack.
But with summer's plenty,
the wildebeest have
dropped their calves.
And now they try to keep them
safe behind a phalanx.
A final onslaught from the pack,
and the herd loses its nerve.
A calf can't keep up...
and in less than a minute,
its life is over.
Puzzles' pack has reached
its peak in size and strength.
For the rest of the summer,
her family will dominate
these woodlands.
It's been 6 months
since they left the den,
and with nothing
to slow them down,
they can roam far and wide,
keeping their distance
from the lions.
Rivers
might present a barrier...
until Jet takes the plunge.
Since his father's death,
he's become an important
leader in the pack,
and Dakota and the others
are ready to follow him.
They've been seduced
by greener pastures
beyond the protection
of the reserve.
Now, even fences
can't contain them.
It's a fateful decision.
Jet calls to his dead sister.
They're all distraught.
Dakota can't understand why
her little sister won't respond.
In this large,
tight-knit family,
the loss of any member
is heartbreaking.
Puzzles has worked so hard
to keep her family safe,
but she was powerless
to prevent this tragedy.
The passing months have taken
their toll on Puzzles.
She's still the heart
of her family,
but she can't
keep them together forever.
Dakota will soon say
good-bye.
On their outings, she's come
across the scent of other males,
advertising for females
to join their pack.
If Dakota wants a shot
at motherhood,
she must leave to join them.
Before nightfall she sets out,
taking four sisters
and her mother's lessons
with her.
Winter has returned
to Malilangwe...
the season when wild dog pairs
raise their newest litter.
A year after the lions
killed Jigsaw,
his loss still affects
Puzzles.
This year, with no mate,
she'll have no new pups, no den.
But later today,
she'll settle an old score.
The morning begins like
any other,
with the pack
setting out to find food.
Strong as they are,
they have no hope of taking
down an adult buffalo.
It's not worth the trouble.
There's easier prey to catch.
Up ahead, they can smell
a fresh carcass and edge
in for a closer look.
It's the lions,
but not the whole pride.
Jet is ready to confront
his father's killers.
Scavenging is not normally
in their playbook,
but if they could
steal this kill,
it would be a huge windfall.
The young male is outraged
by their boldness.
But the dogs draw strength from
their numbers and push forward.
The cats do the math...
they're outnumbered.
Jet is the first to approach
the eland carcass,
even though the stench
of the killers still lingers.
He claims the lions' meal
and the pack soon joins him.
The young lion
has changed his mind.
And they haven't seen him.
Puzzles stands her ground.
She's not giving way.
Not today.
Not this time.
She's playing with her life.
The lions are the rightful
owners of the carcass.
Her army gathers around her...
and they enjoy a rare victory
when the young lions
finally surrender.
But as long as they share
these woodlands with lions,
it's a war that will never end.
Her life as a mother
has had its losses,
but Puzzles has triumphed.
With only 700 breeding pairs
alive today,
her contribution to her species
has been invaluable.
Thanks to this remarkable
mother,
a healthy population
of African wild dogs
lives on another day.
And long after her own
footsteps fade,
generations of her offspring
will still course across
this wilderness.
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She's a wild dog mother,
and her burgeoning family
will need every ounce
of her courage and cunning.
She has a new litter of pups,
a dozen insistent
little mouths to feed,
and their territory
is a world of danger.
The young dogs must run fast
and work together.
They are the smallest predators
to bring down big game
in the African bush.
But it's not their large prey
that threatens them most.
This is a land of
very big cats...
where small, brave dogs must
sometimes run for their lives.
It's winter
in Zimbabwe,
and in a hillside cave,
a mother is tidying her home.
She's an African wild dog
known as Puzzles...
and hidden in these recesses,
she has twelve new babies
to care for.
For the next few weeks,
she cannot leave them.
Which means she cannot hunt
to feed herself.
Instead, she must wait each day
for her mate
and the rest of her pack
to bring her food.
Her life is about
to take a dramatic turn.
But before we get to that,
we must go back 9 months,
to a time before
she was confined to her den.
It's spring, and Puzzles
and her mate, Jigsaw,
have settled in the Malilangwe
Wildlife Reserve.
When they arrived last summer,
they were the only survivors
of a rabies epidemic
that devastated
the region's dog packs.
Soon after, they started
something wild dog
couples almost never
get right...
raising a family by themselves.
Normally, it takes a whole pack
to raise a litter.
To succeed, they would need
adult siblings
or grown offspring
to help them feed and protect
their 3-month-old pups.
But they have neither.
The most active part
of the pups' anatomy
seems to be their stomachs.
So the parents must do their
best to provide 2 meals a day,
and that's often Puzzles' job.
Although
she's around 8 years old
and well past her prime,
she's still a skilled hunter.
As the shadows lengthen
and the temperature drops,
it's time for the couple
to get to work.
This evening, it's Jigsaw's turn
to babysit while Puzzles hunts.
The pups are still too small
for her to take along,
and it's not safe
to leave them alone.
Puzzles has Malilangwe's 130,000
acres as her hunting grounds.
Following the valley floor,
she can maintain this
light-footed stride for miles.
In the cool hours of dawn
and dusk
she must find something
small enough to take down alone,
yet large enough
to feed her growing family.
Like these impalas,
her favorite prey.
The odds are against
her succeeding,
but with so many mouths to feed,
she can't afford to fail.
Meanwhile, her son, Jet,
easily recognized
by his striped tail,
is teaching himself to hunt.
Although
he seems clueless today,
in the coming months,
his leadership
will be central
to the survival of the pack.
Nearby, Jigsaw is keeping
a watchful eye.
Lions will go out of their way
to kill wild dogs,
simply because they both
hunt the same animals.
And lions expect, well...
the lion's share, of all prey.
But lions are not
the only villains here.
Roads kill, too.
Evolution has not prepared
dogs for speeding vehicles,
and they're not streetwise.
As wilderness shrinks and dogs
roam beyond protected areas,
disease and human activity
are devastating their species.
Fewer than 7,000
wild dogs remain.
While Dad lets the pups
play in the road,
Puzzles has singlehandedly
caught a ram
nearly twice her size.
Now she must collect
her family.
That's music to their ears.
It's their mother's dinner call.
But they must be careful.
Lions eavesdrop on wild dogs,
then track them down.
The pups are still learning
where their meat comes from,
and Dakota,
with a white patch on her neck,
is more inquisitive
than the others.
Wild dog etiquette dictates
the youngest eat first,
so Puzzles and Jigsaw soon hand
the meal over to the pups
and their massive appetites.
Each little dog is able
to wolf down
several pounds
in a single sitting.
The parents are also hungry,
but their family
is vulnerable right now,
and they must stay alert.
The months pass into summer,
and the pups are now old enough
to follow Puzzles and Jigsaw
around their territory.
The couple are proving
to be extraordinary parents.
It's almost unheard of
for a single pair
to have raised
a litter to this age.
But their family still relies
on them for food.
Puzzles is an old hand at this,
and now she has the help
of Jigsaw and her young pack.
Will their skills match
their enthusiasm?
Undetected, they narrow
the distance.
Spotted!
The pack changes gears.
In hot pursuit, they can exceed
40 miles an hour.
But today, summer's long grass
has foiled them.
Dakota and her siblings
will need more practice
if they're going
to help their parents.
Soon, the pups spy
a fresh target.
Spotted hyenas.
They can't resist.
Few things provide as much
family entertainment
as hyena hazing.
These rivals share
a peculiar relationship.
Hyenas
steal the dogs' kills,
but away from carcasses,
the dogs hound them
whenever they can.
Even for Puzzles,
this is a favorite pastime.
A hyenas' bone-crushing jaws
could snap a dog in half.
Instead, they seem to grin
and bear it,
knowing the dogs
will eventually lose interest.
The Lions are here
for one reason only,
to destroy every other predator
in their territory.
Today, there are too many dogs
and too many hyenas.
There'll be no killing
this time.
By late autumn, Puzzles
and Jigsaw have defied the odds.
Nearly a year has passed
since their pups were born
and, astonishingly,
they've gotten them
this far on their own.
Now they're about to do it
all over again.
Puzzles is pregnant.
And then some!
Which brings us back
to where we began.
For the next 3 months,
the pack's vagabond life
is over,
and this rocky fortress
will be their base.
Puzzles and Jigsaw have
another dozen mouths to feed.
Nursing these pups has tripled
her energy requirements,
but tethered to the cave,
Puzzles can't hunt.
Her survival and that of her
feeble newborns rests
totally on Jigsaw
and their older litter.
Wild dog mothers have up
to 16 teats,
so there's enough to go around.
The challenge is finding
an available milk dispenser.
The hunters have been
successful,
and their return
causes chaos in the den.
Others are trying
to get some sleep here!
Puzzles is ravenous and she begs
her family for food.
The yearlings are not yet
accomplished hunters,
but they've helped Jigsaw
carry back meat
for Puzzles
in their stomachs.
Selflessly sharing
their undigested meal
is the only way the pack
can keep Puzzles alive
while she nurses her pups.
And it might just
stop her whining.
With her mother preoccupied,
the always-inquisitive Dakota
sneaks into the den.
Wild dog females
are typically doting
and soon, her sister,
named Atom, joins her.
They're excited to meet
their tiny, new siblings.
But they know they're not
really allowed in here.
Wild dog society mostly
allows only one mother per pack,
the alpha female.
And that lifelong position
is occupied by Puzzles.
She's not ready for visitors.
Her clumsy teenagers
could hurt her pups.
And despite Dakota's pleas,
she sees her daughters out.
Outside, Jigsaw's real duties
have just begun.
He must take his apprentices
hunting every day
to keep the family fed.
Once again, Puzzles
is waiting for a meal.
And this winter morning,
the hunters are taking longer
than usual to return.
The hours pass slowly,
and there's no sign of her pack.
Finally, it's Dakota
leading the others.
They haven't caught anything,
and something else is wrong.
Two pack members
haven't returned.
For the first time in a month,
Puzzles leaves the den to search
for her missing family.
They could be anywhere.
On some hunts, they travel miles
from the den, in any direction.
But she finds them close by.
It's Atom...
...and Jigsaw.
Their mangled bodies leave
no doubt
about what's happened here.
Puzzles can't seem to tear
herself away from the scene.
But she must.
She has a daunting task
ahead of her now.
How will she raise
all their children on her own?
Puzzles' first priority
is to find a new, safer den.
She can't waste another second.
The lions could return
at any moment.
Higher up the cliffs,
she finds what she's after.
It's difficult to access,
and there are plenty of small
hiding spaces inside.
They should be safer here.
At first, the big adventure
excites the pups.
But it's a long way
for little legs...
so Dakota urges them on
from behind.
They're soon exhausted.
Puzzles can't afford
to let them rest.
They're too exposed out here.
The pups have had enough.
They've decided to go back home.
There's only one way
she's going to move them now.
One by one, she carries each
of them to their new home.
At last, they're all here.
It's been a marathon day for
this remarkable single mother.
She's exhausted,
but her family is safe.
All across the land,
winter tightens its cold grip...
while Puzzles' next challenge
is to get everyone fed.
She rallies the yearlings
to go and hunt.
And now she's not
the only one begging.
Her growing pups want meat, too.
Puzzles must put
all her faith in this brat pack
to keep herself
and the pups alive.
It's a huge test.
Did Jigsaw
pass on his hunting skills?
There's no adult now
to keep them focused.
And there are
many distractions.
Like bushpigs.
Dakota's curiosity
gets the better of her.
These are not usually
wild dog prey,
so there are no guidelines
for catching them.
It's time to get serious.
They need to find impala.
Jet takes the lead,
and soon, he spots a herd.
It's chaos, as prey and pack
take off in all directions.
Even for experienced dogs,
it's impossible to coordinate
a hunt in these woodlands.
If they're to succeed, each dog
will have to work alone.
Back at the den,
the pups hound Puzzles
like one large,
insatiable stomach.
She's hungry and short-tempered.
She needs a break.
But her growing pups
have other ideas.
Their appetites are starting
to strain the supply.
And there's no escaping them.
She's here somewhere.
They've sniffed her out.
At last, the hunters are back,
and not a moment too soon!
Their bloody faces
tell of a successful kill.
Dakota is quick to feed her
hungry mother and the pups.
Individuals will sacrifice
almost anything for their pack,
a behavior wired
into their DNA.
If they can keep this up,
Puzzles' family
might just make it.
Just when everything
was going smoothly,
the yearlings begin to act up.
The big sisters have decided
it's time for the pups
to see the wide world
beyond the den.
Puzzles is not so sure.
With infinite patience,
she carries the hostages
back inside each time.
But the yearlings
are quite insistent.
They soon find that,
if you kidnap one,
the others are sure to follow.
Soon, Puzzles relents
and lets her pups
explore the world
within sight of the den.
As the weeks pass
and winter flies by,
they venture farther and farther
on each outing.
Adult supervision
is never far behind.
And then, one day,
Puzzles decides it's time
to leave the den for good.
It's been four months
since the pups were born,
and for the first time,
she and all her children
run together as a pack.
It's a dangerous time
for wild dog pups.
Their adult coats
might camouflage them,
but they still can't run fast.
Night is falling.
The older dogs will have to keep
their wits about them tonight.
During their first spring,
Puzzles introduces the smallest
dogs to their woodland home,
teaching them about hunting
and how to avoid enemies.
It's a time of important
discoveries...
like who knew so many other
living creatures
shared their landscape?
And of such alarming dimensions!
They're still learning
what danger actually looks like.
Until then, they'll take
their cue from their mother.
Another week, another lesson...
Elephants can be unpredictable.
And mostly, they do not like
wild dogs.
Seriously...
they don't.
As they crisscross
the wilderness
over the next few months,
the pups learn
the lay of the land.
Until one day, the land itself
undergoes a startling
transformation.
As in most of southern
Africa,
Zimbabwe's annual rains
arrive in the summer.
The deluges bring a season
of plenty.
And with each passing day,
the youngest dogs grow
stronger and fitter.
Puzzles has been a single mother
for five months
and has achieved
the impossible.
Statistically, at least
half her offspring
should be dead by now.
Instead, she's brought
nearly all of them this far,
alive and unharmed.
She has every reason
to celebrate.
Last year's litter has been
an integral part of her success,
and they're now adults
in their own right.
With resolve and devotion,
she's raised a thriving pack.
And she's not done yet.
She now leads
a formidable battalion.
Impala alone will no longer
feed this army.
They turn their attention
to bigger prey.
But bigger prey
means bigger risk.
Taking on wildebeest
is a dangerous proposition.
Hooves can slash
and horns can gore.
Adult wildebeest might be
too much for this young pack.
But with summer's plenty,
the wildebeest have
dropped their calves.
And now they try to keep them
safe behind a phalanx.
A final onslaught from the pack,
and the herd loses its nerve.
A calf can't keep up...
and in less than a minute,
its life is over.
Puzzles' pack has reached
its peak in size and strength.
For the rest of the summer,
her family will dominate
these woodlands.
It's been 6 months
since they left the den,
and with nothing
to slow them down,
they can roam far and wide,
keeping their distance
from the lions.
Rivers
might present a barrier...
until Jet takes the plunge.
Since his father's death,
he's become an important
leader in the pack,
and Dakota and the others
are ready to follow him.
They've been seduced
by greener pastures
beyond the protection
of the reserve.
Now, even fences
can't contain them.
It's a fateful decision.
Jet calls to his dead sister.
They're all distraught.
Dakota can't understand why
her little sister won't respond.
In this large,
tight-knit family,
the loss of any member
is heartbreaking.
Puzzles has worked so hard
to keep her family safe,
but she was powerless
to prevent this tragedy.
The passing months have taken
their toll on Puzzles.
She's still the heart
of her family,
but she can't
keep them together forever.
Dakota will soon say
good-bye.
On their outings, she's come
across the scent of other males,
advertising for females
to join their pack.
If Dakota wants a shot
at motherhood,
she must leave to join them.
Before nightfall she sets out,
taking four sisters
and her mother's lessons
with her.
Winter has returned
to Malilangwe...
the season when wild dog pairs
raise their newest litter.
A year after the lions
killed Jigsaw,
his loss still affects
Puzzles.
This year, with no mate,
she'll have no new pups, no den.
But later today,
she'll settle an old score.
The morning begins like
any other,
with the pack
setting out to find food.
Strong as they are,
they have no hope of taking
down an adult buffalo.
It's not worth the trouble.
There's easier prey to catch.
Up ahead, they can smell
a fresh carcass and edge
in for a closer look.
It's the lions,
but not the whole pride.
Jet is ready to confront
his father's killers.
Scavenging is not normally
in their playbook,
but if they could
steal this kill,
it would be a huge windfall.
The young male is outraged
by their boldness.
But the dogs draw strength from
their numbers and push forward.
The cats do the math...
they're outnumbered.
Jet is the first to approach
the eland carcass,
even though the stench
of the killers still lingers.
He claims the lions' meal
and the pack soon joins him.
The young lion
has changed his mind.
And they haven't seen him.
Puzzles stands her ground.
She's not giving way.
Not today.
Not this time.
She's playing with her life.
The lions are the rightful
owners of the carcass.
Her army gathers around her...
and they enjoy a rare victory
when the young lions
finally surrender.
But as long as they share
these woodlands with lions,
it's a war that will never end.
Her life as a mother
has had its losses,
but Puzzles has triumphed.
With only 700 breeding pairs
alive today,
her contribution to her species
has been invaluable.
Thanks to this remarkable
mother,
a healthy population
of African wild dogs
lives on another day.
And long after her own
footsteps fade,
generations of her offspring
will still course across
this wilderness.
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