Nature's Epic Journeys (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Elephants - full transcript

We're about to follow
the world's greatest migrations

and reveal their secrets in a way
that's never been done before.

All over the world,
animals are on the move...

...on journeys that their lives
depend upon.

Migrating to find food, to give
birth, or to escape danger.

To reach their destination,
they must travel hundreds of miles

through some of the most
inhospitable wilderness

in the world,

their drive stronger than
the obstacles in their path.

That rapid's really picking up.
They're just disappearing under the water.

For the first time, ground-breaking
science allows our specialist team



to follow these migrations
more closely than ever before,

and understand them
in unprecedented depth.

We can track this elly's movement
in real time.

Using the latest
satellite-tracking technology,

we can monitor individual animals

and witness first-hand
their struggles for survival.

We've got a drama down here.

We got him. We've got the wolf,
we've got the wolf.

This time, we're following one of

the largest elephant migrations
in East Africa,

joining them for the most
important stage of their journey.

(That's extraordinary!)

We'll follow them as they enter

the Samburu National Reserve
in Eastern Kenya,



when around a thousand elephants
come together.

We'll stay with them and investigate
the challenges they face

as they search for food...

...brave hungry predators...

The lions are somewhere in between
us and them.

...and battle to win the right
to mate.

Below us, around 1,000 elephants
are coming together

from all over Northern Kenya in
the most crucial gathering of year.

And we're here to follow them
every step of the way.

Kenya, East Africa,

and Samburu National Reserve.

165 square kilometres of rugged
highlands and dry grassland.

For the next month,
we'll base ourselves here,

the arena for one of the greatest
elephant gatherings on earth.

Right now, all across
Northern Kenya,

dozens of elephant families
are leaving their home territories,

travelling huge distances
to get here.

Triggered by the annual rains
and the promise of new vegetation,

family groups and lone bulls
will walk up to 100 miles

to reach this one place
in search of food, water and a mate.

It's a brief
but important opportunity,

because in about 21 days' time,
the elephants will begin

to head back out to their home
ranges across Northern Kenya.

We're basing ourselves at the
headquarters of Save the Elephants,

a key research organisation located
in the very heart of the reserve.

Using this as our base camp,
a team of biologists, camera crews

and local experts will study
the elephants' every move.

That left ear, it's instantly
recognisable.

It's so jagged. It's very jagged.

'I'll be working closely with
elephant expert Saba Douglas-Hamilton,

'analysing satellite-tracking data
as it comes into camp.'

Using this information, the team
will head out each morning

to track the elephants
as they enter the reserve.

50 elephants are currently fitted
with satellite-tracking collars.

And the latest data suggests that
the numbers coming to the reserve

could now be the highest
in five years.

To help us assess the success
of this year's migration,

we're going to follow
two distinct groups.

Wildlife cameraman Bob Poole
will follow the bulls

as they enter the reserve
to find a mate.

In recent years, these males,
with their large tusks,

have been targeted by poachers.

This gathering will help reveal
much-needed information about

the health of these individuals
and of the East African population.

At the same time,
wildlife cameraman Max Hug Williams

hopes to follow a special group
of young elephants.

A herd of orphans,
where every single adult member

has been killed by poachers.

Inexperienced and leaderless,
these young orphans

can use this remarkable gathering

to try to get an older, wiser herd
to accept them,

in a form of adoption,

before they begin to disperse
back out of the reserve

in just three weeks' time.

Satellite-tracking collars

will be key to helping us
to follow our elephants.

I'm joining Save The Elephants

as they collar an individual
from another orphan herd,

an 11-year-old female
who lost her mother two years ago.

The more orphans that are collared,
the more we can learn

about how these young elephants cope
without their mothers.

ELEPHANT ROARS
Got her. That's it.

She's been given a sedative
by the vet

so the team can get in to fit
her collar.

ELEPHANTS ROAR

She's right behind you.

Back, back! He's saying to go back,
he's saying to go back!

While the elephant is unconscious,

my job is to keep her cool
and comfortable.

While the elephant is down,
it's hugely important

to keep her airways open, with a
simple stick, but it does the job.

It's pretty extraordinary
to feel her breath on my hand.

'With every collar fitted,
the researchers gain

'a greater understanding
of these complex creatures.'

THEY SPEAK IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

This collar is going to gather
a whole wealth of information.

Not only where this orphan cow goes,

but also giving the team insight
into aspects of her behaviour.

Why she chooses to go to certain
places at certain times of the year,

how she behaves
under stressful situations.

But also giving information
on her own individual personality.

Why she makes certain decisions
that other individuals might not.

So this is now going to be sending
a signal every hour, on the hour,

so we can pretty much track
this elly's movement in real time.

See exactly where she's going
and why.

'With the tracking collar secure,

'it's time to bring the elephant
around and get her back on her feet.

'The vet administers a drug

'to reverse the effects
of the anaesthetic.'

Each collared individual
will tell its own tale

and help to paint a bigger picture
of this year's annual gathering.

Over the next few days,
the satellite-tracking data shows

elephant families making their way
to the reserve

from all over Northern Kenya.

Amongst those arriving,
the incoming data reveals

that a herd of young, orphaned
elephants

well known to the scientists
is already in the reserve.

Max, it's Liz.
I've got coordinates for you.

North, 0.33 degrees.

East, 0.47.

So Will's saying we need to go left.

Max finds the elephants not far
from their last coordinates.

He filmed this herd five years ago,

before the family was decimated
by poachers.

This is the first time
he's seen them since.

It makes the hairs on the back of
your neck stand up when you think,

the last time I was filming
these guys,

they were in the perfect family,

and now they've been reduced
to this orphan group.

This herd lost all seven
adult members.

Across Africa, ivory poaching
is at an all-time high,

with one elephant killed on average
every 15 minutes.

It's been described as
an elephant holocaust,

with over 30,000 elephants
killed for their ivory every year.

By killing adults
with the largest tusks,

poachers are depriving herds

of their most experienced
and important members,

disrupting the elephants'
close-knit society

and leaving younger, inexperienced
elephants to fend for themselves.

LOW ROAR

Now, in this area of Northern Kenya,

almost one in five herds
are orphan herds.

This one is led by a young
13-year-old female called Habiba.

Getting up this close and seeing
Habiba, looking into her eyes...

...you have to think what she's
been through in her short life

and how she's had to grow up
so quickly.

Normally, the matriarch
is at least twice Habiba's age,

but as the oldest remaining member
of the herd,

her whole family now look to her
for guidance.

Barely a teenager, she lacks
the knowledge and experience

needed to keep her family safe.

A herd can pay dearly
for this lack of knowledge.

Just a few years ago,
another orphan herd,

led by an inexperienced matriarch,
made a terrible decision.

She decided to cross a river
when it was in full flood -

a huge error in judgment...

...that put the lives of
the young calves in danger.

DISTRESSED CRY

DISTRESSED CRY

TRUMPETING

DISTRESSED CRY

BIRDSONG

This family was lucky.
The calves were washed ashore.

But it drives home
just how important

an older, experienced leader is.

Habiba, our orphan leader,

is herself a first-time mother
to little calf called Zawadi,

who is already proving to be
quite a handful.

This little character is going to
give us heart attacks, I think,

because he's always disappearing
off on his own.

Even with the short time
we spent with him,

you can just see
what a character he is.

Zawadi is a plucky little elephant,
but he's still only a year old

and completely reliant on Habiba.

SQUAWKING

PLAYFUL TRUMPET

BIRDSONG

CHITTERING

For a first-time mother
with no help or guidance,

keeping Zawadi safe
is a real challenge.

I suppose he's had to grow up fast
in a family like this.

His mum is so young, everyone else
in the group is so young,

so he's probably just been left
to his own devices.

And I think Habiba's really got
to keep an eye on him

because it's not a good idea
for someone that small

to go wandering off on his own.

This year's great elephant gathering

is a critical time for these
young orphans.

One of the best ways to increase
their chances of survival

is to be accepted by another
more-experienced herd.

But it won't be easy.

It's rare for animals to help,
let alone accept other animals

if they aren't related.

They now have about 14 days

before the elephants
start to disperse,

during which time, Max will
keep a close eye on their progress.

With plenty of family groups already
in the reserve,

the lone bulls are beginning
to arrive.

Driven by the urge to mate,
these impressive animals

may have travelled nonstop
day and night for up to 100 miles.

Once in the reserve, they won't have
much time to find a female

that's in just the right condition
for mating.

They could face tough competition
from other visiting bulls.

WARNING GRUNTS

Just five years ago,

over 30 large tuskers
would have visited this reserve.

Now, as a result of poaching,
there could be as few as four.

Using the satellite data, combined
with our observations on the ground,

we can get an unique
and timely insight

into the lives
of these magnificent individuals.

Right now, live data shows that one
of these few remaining big tuskers

is heading straight for
the gathering.

Rarely seen in the reserve, he's a
legendary bull elephant called Matt.

He's on the edge of the reserve,
so he's coming in any minute.

And how long have you been familiar
with this particular bull?

I think we started collaring him
about ten years ago.

And he's just the most fantastic
male. Really beautiful ivory.

So it's very exciting because he's
somebody we don't see very often.

But I can tell you one thing,
he's not one to mess around with

because he's not used to people.

He's been spending a lot of time up
here in the north, about 50km away.

And now he's just had
a major behaviour change.

Matt is travelling from his home
in the foothills of Matthews Range

and heading south,
straight for the gathering.

Moving much faster than usual,

he covers the last 50km
in just over a week.

The latest data shows he's now right
on the edge of the reserve.

So if you look here, you can see
how fast he's been moving.

This is amazing. He's just streaking
straight down towards Samburu,

which I reckon indicates
he's in musth.

Musth is state of
heightened aggression,

during which a bull's desire
to find a mate is at its greatest.

AGGRESSIVE ROAR

For a short period, their bodies are flooded
with the male sex hormone, testosterone -

in some cases, as much as 60 times
more than when not in musth.

In this elevated state of arousal,
they are primed to do two things.

Mate or fight.

It's a time when they're at their
most unpredictable and dangerous.

Matt's arrival in the reserve means

the other bulls now have
serious competition.

But just how easy will it be for him
to assert his dominance

and find a suitable mate?

Using the information from Matt's
satellite collar,

wildlife cameraman Bob Poole
hopes to find out.

RADIO: Go ahead, go ahead
with the coordinates.

OK. North, zero degrees,
34 minutes, 28 seconds.

East, 37 degrees,

71 seconds. You got that?

Perfect. We'll go straight there.
That's very exciting. Over.

Have fun.

There we are, on the river
and he's just there. So...

...let's go find a musth bull!

A big musth bull!

Bob grew up in Kenya and has been
around elephants his entire life.

Even so, this is a rare opportunity

to get close to a bull
of Matt's stature.

There, there, there! There's an
elephant under a tree over there.

He's a big male all by himself.
It's got to be Matt.

After his long journey,
this is Matt's last chance to rest

before he begins
his nonstop search for a mate.

He must have gotten a little hot

and decided to take a break
under the only tree around.

It may be nice for him
to get our scent.

So I'll go upwind a little bit
so he can smell who we are.

And then we'll just take it
really nice and slow.

Because we're going to spend
a lot of time with this elephant

and we want to sort of meet
on peaceful terms.

Don't mind us.

You are spectacular!

Wow!

Magnificent bull!

It's a good opportunity for Bob

to confirm that Matt
is indeed in musth.

Oh, there's the dribble!

Look at that! OK.

Urine dribbling is a classic sign

of a bull's increased sexual
arousal... and aggression.

AGGRESSIVE SNARL

Now what's he doing?
He's on the move.

It appears he's coming!

Oh, now...

HE TRUMPETS

That's a musth bull for you.

He's not quit. Come on, Matt, dude,

we're going to be buddies,
aren't we?

Jeez, that gave me a...!

I'm shaking, I'm literally shaking.
That was a...

BOB EXHALES

Over the next two weeks, Bob
will need to tread very carefully,

using all his knowledge
and expertise,

if he's going to stay close to Matt
as he goes about securing a mate.

At base camp, the collar data
from Habiba and the orphans

shows how they've fared
since the loss of their mothers.

Saba, what is your movement data
revealing about your orphan herds?

If you just look at somebody like
Habiba,

what you can see is that she's
become extremely conservative,

restricting her movements
to largely within the reserves.

You know, where she knows, where she
feels safe is inside the reserves.

And she's just keeping her movements
very small and certain.

Habiba is being really cautious,
never venturing far.

This makes it less likely

that she'll encounter another herd
willing to help them.

But the tracking data does reveal
an encouraging sign.

With around 10 days to go until
the elephants begin to disperse,

a large, mature herd
is heading towards our orphans.

This is just the kind of family
they could learn from.

As Max waits for this herd
to arrive, he joins Habiba

and the orphans in the shade.

It's the middle of the day,
it's boiling hot

and for young calves,
it can be really dangerous.

Sunstroke and dehydration
could even kill a young baby.

So it's vital that
she brings them into shade.

As Habiba's family enjoy
some respite from the heat,

the more experienced herd
head straight for them,

perhaps bringing the leadership
the orphans so desperately need.

The leader of the other herd
approaches them.

AGGRESSIVE TRUMPETING

But instead of sharing the shade
with them,

the incoming herd forces them out
into the hot sun.

Most of the other families
are moving into the shade,

but Habiba and our little group
of orphans have been displaced.

In an attempt to find another
place for her family to rest,

Habiba has to lead them across
the river, towards another herd.

But here, too, they face rejection.

That's just ridiculous.

Because that bull is actually
smaller than Habiba,

but yet he stopped our entire family
in their tracks.

I mean, this tiny bull is bullying
around our little family of orphans

and they're not going to be able
to pass until he moves on.

That just goes to show

that our young family of orphans

are really low in the pecking order.

And that's because she's just still
so young to be a matriarch.

Habiba and her herd
don't have much time to find help.

Soon, the gathering
will start to break up

and the elephants will head back
to their home ranges.

At the top of elephant society,
older bulls in musth

are constantly on the move, roaming
day and night in search of females.

Armed with Matt's
latest coordinates,

Bob heads out early each morning
to follow the bull's every move.

Today, he finds him
with a large group of females.

LOW ROAR

But there are several younger males
also trailing the herd.

They, too, are looking
for a chance to mate.

It's time to deal with
the competition.

AGGRESSIVE ROAR

Oh-ho-ho-ho!

Here we go!

AGGRESSIVE ROAR

You take the biggest, strongest
terrestrial animal on this planet

and then you give him this infusion
of testosterone

and he just becomes this force of
nature that just is unparalleled.

There's nothing out there
that can compare with a musth bull.

None of the males here
are a match for Matt.

But if he meets a bull
of equal size,

the result could be very different.

Brutal fights like this one
are rare,

but bulls are prepared to fight
to the death for the right to mate.

As Matt sees off the young bulls,
Bob decides to move on.

Matt coming up right behind us,

but I think... it's time to go.

He always gives me a little bit of a
fright when he comes at us like that.

We can't take our eyes off Matt.

For Matt, these young males were nothing
more than an irritating distraction,

but as the gathering grows,
so does the size of the competition.

The team has picked up a signal

from the collar of another big bull
coming in from the west.

He's a 28-year-old bull called
Eddison,

and we head straight out
to meet him.

Look at him!
I mean, for goodness' sake!

There is such determination
in the way he's walking.

It's beautiful to watch!

You can just see he's got his mind
on one thing at the moment.

He's picked up a scent of an oestrus
female. He's picking up her call...

That means he's in full musth,
isn't he?

Taking a little sniff this way.

He's coming. Oh, he's coming.
He's coming.

Don't move your thing,
don't move, don't move.

What's that about? Don't move.

THEY CHUCKLE

That was amazing!

I am completely giddy.
That was amazing!

'Unlike Matt, Eddison is
familiar with vehicles

'and takes a more curious
than aggressive approach.'

I will never forget
that as long as I live.

SABA CHUCKLES

LIZ EXHALES

Thrilling!

'With Eddison in the park, there's
now some real competition for Matt.

'And time is running out for him
to find a mate.'

His coordinates show just how hard
he's been looking since he arrived.

He's been moving between different
herds almost 24 hours a day,

seven days a week nonstop,
without any luck.

For Matt to successfully mate,

he needs to find a female during
the short period she's in oestrus,

the only time
she's able to conceive.

The way that the elephants can
know what state of oestrus

the female is in
is through their urine.

So she'll urinate for him.

Now, you see what Matt's doing
there with his trunk?

He's testing the ground where
she was. His nostrils are wide open.

But it's not good news. The levels
of hormones in her urine

tell Matt that she isn't ready
to mate.

Matt's moving on. He didn't really
like what he smelt there, I guess.

She did her urination and then
she moved off just a few feet

to sort of, like,
"Is he going to be interested?"

And, er...
Wow! Here's another bull coming.

Not a big bull, but he's going
to come in now

and I bet you she backs away.

Yep. See, there she is, she's, like,

"No, I'm not interested in you, pal.
You are a pipsqueak."

An elephant's trunk is not only the
longest nose in the animal kingdom,

it's also one of the most sensitive,

allowing it to detect
even the smallest changes

in hormone levels in urine.

Back at base camp, a visitor is
using this incredible sense of smell

in a more poignant way.

A bull called Jaeger has found
a collection of tracking collars,

all of which belonged
to elephants killed by poachers.

He gently manipulates
and smells each collar.

But there's one in particular
that holds his interest.

It's hugely emotive to watch
this elephant behave in this way.

He recognises who these collars
belong to.

He is inhaling megabytes
of information

about who these individuals were.

And... it's extremely emotional
to watch this.

'We can't, of course,
know what he's thinking,

'but his behaviour suggests that he's
been affected by what he's found.'

It just goes to show how incredibly
emotionally intelligent these animals are.

They remember, they recognise
years after elephants pass away.

We know that they grieve the dead

and they often manipulate the skulls
and the bones of the dead,

but I'd never seen anything
like this before.

Jaeger finally leaves camp,

having spent over half an hour
with the old collars.

POIGNANT TRUMPET

With Matt constantly on the move
day and night,

Bob has to be given his location
each morning.

His latest collaring data,
already nearly an hour old,

points to an area of thick bush
just a few miles from camp.

In such difficult terrain, Bob
needs to use all his tracking skills

to work out where Matt has moved
to since his last known position.

You can see right here there's
been an elephant. That's very clear.

The grass has been trampled down.

Matt is a master of hiding
in thick bush.

I could go walking up all through
this stuff, looking for him,

but it would be kind of silly
because by the time I see him,

he's so close to me that, you know,

if he wanted to, he'd step on me,
like that.

So Matt could be anywhere in here.
It's thick bush again.

We just have to keep our eyes open.

We don't want to come around
the bush going too fast

and suddenly bump into him.

You know, this guy could pummel us
seriously.

HE LAUGHS

So we've just found Matt
guarding a female.

The fact that Matt is guarding her

suggests she's in oestrus
and ready to mate.

He now has to ensure that no other
bulls get to her first.

And he's pushing other bulls around.

You see the action happening.

Whoo! This is fun!

Following Matt around for a few days
and not having him do anything

and suddenly he's in full swing.

This is really tight quarters for us
and Matt together,

but the action is on.

Where's Matt?

There he is.

Clearly, this female is ready,
or just about to be ready.

Enough that Matt's willing
to guard her.

Up until now, we just haven't seen Matt
taking such a keen interest in mating.

And finally, after all these days,
he is.

But Matt is not the only one
that wants to mate.

The younger males are interested,
too.

And we definitely need to keep
an eye out on Matt.

See, these guys retreating
right now

means Matt's probably pushing
this way.

Can you see Matt?

As Matt moves one of the young bulls
away, Bob gets caught up in the action.

AGGRESSIVE ROAR

We got stuck.

WHISPERS: I just high-centred
myself on a log.

We got to hurry, guys. Just got
to winch ourselves over this log.

FAINT TRUMPETING

Let's just take this stuff
here for now. All right, we can go.

HE EXHALES

That was a little intense, you know?

Trying to give Matt some space
and then we were stuck.

Ha! Luckily, Matt went
the other way.

Matt may have found
a receptive female,

but to mate with her, he needs
to keep the other males away.

A mile downriver, cameraman Max

is desperately trying to catch up
with Habiba and her calf Zawadi

as the satellite data shows she is leading
her little family into lion territory.

BIRDSONG

There's a pride of lions
just in this saltbrush.

You can see just by the bush
there.

And this is perfect lion habitat.

They lie in here,
waiting to ambush prey.

They're just opportunists

waiting for a calf straying away
from their mother.

Oh, there's another one.

Across Africa, lions have been known
to hunt elephants.

Like this pride in Botswana,

they target young and vulnerable
individuals...

...separating their victims
from their family

and using strength in numbers
to make a kill.

Max knows the danger
little Zawadi could be in.

Looks like it might be a pride
that I know.

And there's about seven of them.

So if it's them, they're a serious
threat to these calves.

And a lion in Samburu,
there's very little game around.

They have to be opportunist.

If they see a calf stray away
from its mother,

then it's fair game,
they'll be on to it.

Because this pride has got a lot
of mouths to feed.

Habiba is just 50 metres that way

and the lions are somewhere
in between us and them.

Habiba and the orphans
are oblivious to the danger.

Wilson? Wilson?
Wilson, they're here!

The lions are just in this clearing.

I just saw a female
slinking behind this tree.

And Habiba is literally 50 metres
over there

and this lion's now moving that way.

I've always known that lions here
sometimes take elephants,

but to see them so close
to this really vulnerable family,

I mean, they're a group of babies
and if ever there was a scenario

where a lion could grab
an easy meal, it's with this lot.

Zawadi, he's venturing off on his
own, which is a terrible idea.

The lions are just between here
and him.

LOW ROAR

LOUD CRY

A bull chasing a female charges through
where the lions were stalking Zawadi.

This is just crazy.

This female almost came to us
for protection.

He virtually mounted us
as well as her.

In a twist of fate, the commotion

has flushed the lions out
into the open.

HE EXHALES

The orphans move off, blissfully
unaware of their close call.

BIRDSONG

With not long to go before the herds
begin to leave the reserve,

Bob heads out to see how Matt is doing keeping
the female away from the other bulls.

We've got one, two, three,
four, five,

six, seven, bulls

following the female
with Matt right behind her.

With so many males still around,

Matt can't afford to take his eyes
off her for one second.

I mean, we've watched the action
building every day

and finally,
it's really getting serious.

Matt, not caring about us any more.

He's just surrounded
by so many bulls.

This is great action!

These younger bulls aren't big
enough to challenge Matt directly,

but they're crafty.

With Matt distracted,
one male grabs his chance

and chases after the female.

TRUMPETING

Matt could be about to lose
everything he's worked so hard for.

LOW ROAR

ROARING

TRUMPETING

TRUMPETING

Matt took his eye off the ball
for a minute

and he almost let one of these
other bulls mate that female.

But I don't think
he was successful because

Matt was coming in full bore
and managed to push him off.

Matt can really move when he has to.

With all these bulls here,
it's unlikely the female

will stop long enough
to allow Matt to mate her.

His best chance is still
to get her on her own.

Satellite collars have revealed
incredible insights

into elephant behaviour.

And the more time we spend
with them, the more we're learning

about the intricacies
of their daily lives.

I've just received news of something
extraordinary

happening close to camp.

BIRDSONG

As I arrive on the scene,
I can barely believe my eyes.

A group of elephants are gorging
themselves on weaver bird nests.

Nests that at this time of year

are certain to be full of eggs
and chicks.

For an animal that's supposed
to feed solely on vegetation,

this is astonishing behaviour.

And it's never been filmed before.

It raises a compelling question.

Are these elephants deliberately
targeting these nests for the eggs,

and even the young chicks?

The elephants have moved on
and it's a fascinating scene

because littering the floor,

under these trees
laden with weaver bird nests,

are eggshells.

And just looking at the nest,
and considering there is

so much lush, green grass
and shrubbery around

that the elephants love
at this time of year,

you can't help wondering
whether it's a nest

that these elephants
really have a taste for.

Shells everywhere.
A dead chick here.

And another one here.

But what's clear is
they have pretty much decimated

quite a large number of
the population of weaver birds here.

What are the elephants
liking about these nests?

Whether it is just
the foliage, the vegetation,

or whether they've acquired a taste
for eggs, or chicks, or both?

Whatever the reason, it's clear
there's still much more to learn

about an animal
we think we know so well.

Out in the reserve, Bob
continues to track Matt's progress.

Finally, he's got
the female on her own.

She's an 18-year-old called
Lepidoptera,

in her prime and already a mother
to three calves.

More importantly, she's finally
showing interest in Matt,

slowing down
and stopping him in his tracks.

GENTLE ROAR

At last, strength, experience
and persistence have paid off

and Matt has successfully mated.

In 22 months from now,
if all goes well,

Lepidoptera will give birth
to a calf

that could carry Matt's legacy
well into the future.

TRUMPETING

Her behaviour now
is just incredible.

Look at her, she's so, so happy
about this.

Standing next to Matt

and she's constantly reaching out
and touching him.

He knew what he was doing.

All the elephants
are so excited about this.

TRUMPETING

Tracking Matt's every move
has allowed Bob to witness

just how a dominant bull
goes about choosing a mate.

Using its incredible sense of
smell to choose the right female...

...its remarkable strength
to ward off other males...

...but also demonstrating an ability
to be tender and sensitive.

Here's this magnificent bull, you
know, one of the last of his kind,

you know, of that size, in Africa,

and you see him passing his genes on
and you just think,

"Wow, that is so cool
that I was here for that".

When that calf is born,
they'll know who the father was.

You know, that is so amazing.
I'm just... I'm thrilled right now.

Sadly, with impressive bulls like
Matt targeted for their tusks,

this might be the last chance he has
to pass on his genes.

Already, the very latest
tracking data shows

that the elephants are beginning
to disperse

and that this year's gathering
will soon come to an end.

BIRDSONG

The movement data is so clear.

Not only can you see the musth bulls
dropping out of musth, moving away,

but the families
are also dispersing.

Now it's getting a lot drier, there's no
more surface water and they have to go out.

So you're beginning to see
this dispersal now.

The land is drying up
and the elephants are parting.

With less water around, most of the
elephants are spreading out again

across Northern Kenya in their
constant search for food and water.

And, of course, when they're
away from this protected area,

they are facing
a whole gamut of threats.

We always see them go with a bit
of a heavy heart.

Certainly an animal like Matt,
every time he goes,

I wonder whether we're ever going
to see him again.

With only nine days or so left
until most of the herds disappear,

time is running out for Habiba
and her family to find help.

But her collar tells Max
she's heading in the direction

of a well-established herd.

Its leader is an experienced
50-year-old tuskless matriarch.

This could be the orphans'
last chance

to be accepted by another family
before the gathering ends.

Zawadi, and there's some
other youngsters here,

so it would be so nice to see Zawadi
interacting with another group.

Zawadi's just wandered up
to another baby.

He got put back in his place a bit,
a bit of a nudge,

but he seems to be almost
playing with these other youngsters,

which is so lovely to see.

If Habiba can associate with an
older female, she'll learn so much.

And then something
remarkable happens.

As the herd heads off, the orphan
herd leaves with them,

both families now moving as one.

This is so nice to see
because this tuskless female

is now leading not only
her family, but also Habiba.

She's right in the middle
of the herd with Zawadi.

And for some reason, our ragtag
group are being tolerated.

This is what elephant society
should be like.

And I just hope that some of
this knowledge is rubbing off

so she can lead this little
orphan group wisely in the future.

And I suppose it's not just Habiba
who's learning here

because when you look in the middle,

there's Zawadi sparring with someone
a little bit older than him,

but this is what it's all about.

Every single member is learning
from others in the group

and Zawadi now has some
sparring partners.

And that's so important
for a youngster like him.

Because if he's ever to become
a majestic bull like Matt,

then he needs to learn the ropes
in a family group.

And one day, he may well grow up
to be the size of Matt

and be having kids of his own.

Despite everything
they've been through,

the orphans have finally found the
support they so desperately need.

As the number of orphan herds
increases, scientists

are discovering that elephants
are finding new ways to adapt.

This is how an intelligent,
social species

is learning to respond
to the new challenges it faces.

Over the past month,
Samburu National Reserve

has been the setting
for a remarkable gathering.

Using the data from
the satellite collars,

we've been able to see for ourselves
how young, orphan herds

are coping with the loss
of their matriarchs...

...how bull elephants select females
to pass on their great legacy...

...and we've captured incredible
new elephant behaviour.

Whilst we still don't fully
understand the complex relationships

between these majestic animals,

what we have seen
reveals an astonishing capacity

for emotional intelligence,
compassion and kindness.

These elephants
are finding ways to help each other

and preserve their unique society.

It's this that gives hope
for bulls like Matt

and families like our orphans,

so that they might continue
this age-old gathering

for generations to come.

Our Samburu elephants
have faced countless challenges.

And for the many who have succeeded,

the time has come to leave
the reserve.

They'll now need to use the lessons
they learned here

to tackle the many threats and
obstacles they'll come up against

as they disperse
across Northern Kenya.

And if they manage to survive
out there,

they'll do it all again next year.

Next time, we join the largest
land mammal migration on the planet.

200,000 caribou
brave the Western Arctic

to reach their calving grounds.

Failure to get there
could spell disaster.