Serengeti

Many tales have been told of Africa.

But this is our story.

A drama set in the heart of our world,

experienced as we live and breathe it.

So far we've endured devastating drought,

confronted the elements...

...seen epic battles and acts of heroism

and watched fire lay waste our land.

This is the final chapter in our story

of a place they call Serengeti.

Fire has ravaged our land...

as it has since the dawn of time.

But many survived the inferno.

Shani escaped with her foal.

But a long trek to fresh pasture lies ahead.

The baboons are refugees,

but at least Cheka has her adopted baby.

Bakari saved them from the flames,

but he's still an outcast.

The wild dogs were the first to run.

But just when their pups must learn to hunt,

their hunting grounds are gone.

Kali too escaped,

but one of her cubs is lost.

As she longs for him,

we long for the one thing that might save us all.

Lightning lit the flames.

Now it signals rebirth.

A deluge as powerful as life itself.

Streams swell to rivers.

Soon floods quench our land.

From the ashes,

water gives life.

And our land is reborn.

It's a moment to relish.

A time for young to learn,

before drought and hunger return.

Nalla's baby is discovering more each day.

Yet some lessons can never be planned for.

To reach the lush new growth means crossing the swollen river.

Her baby's feet can't even touch the bottom.

In the raging torrent,

Nalla struggles to reach him.

The whole family must work together.

But he slips from their grasp and is swept downstream.

Even the mighty struggle to fight this current.

Nalla knows these rapids well.

The only way to save him is from the land.

His only hope, the bank of the river

and the determination of his family.

While he recovers his strength,

the whole family will wait.

He will learn from his brush with death.

Our land's rebirth is also a chance for learning.

For a short while, there's plenty of time to practise.

Kike's cubs are now on the brink of adulthood.

But they still rely on their mother,

and are as playful as ever.

But they're getting bigger and hungrier.

Kike will soon struggle to feed them.

She must prepare them for a life without her.

Her daughter is the keenest student,

much more focussed than her brothers.

Cheetah mothers are lone parents.

And lone providers.

One day her daughter will be a mother too.

So she watches everything her mother does.

It's her daughter who practises the stranglehold,

the one that subdues.

Kike can't provide for three full-grown cubs much longer.

But they've yet to prove themselves.

And they have so little time.

Bakari exiled himself from his troop after falling out with the leader.

But what has become of Cheka and the baby he left behind?

In the distance, a troop is calling.

To reach them, he must brave the swollen river.

But he's not out of danger yet.

He may have survived this encounter,

but soon he must face the troop he was forced to leave.

In the fire, Kali's family was attacked by the black-maned males,

intent on taking over her pride.

She lost her sister

and one of her cubs too.

But in our land, there are few certainties.

Miraculously, her sister and her family survived the fire.

Kali won't have to grieve for her cub alone.

In fact, she won't have to grieve at all.

He escaped the fire with Kali's sister.

Against all odds, her family is reunited once more.

In the fire, all our lives were disrupted.

Bakari's troop were displaced

and their reckless leader brought them to leopard territory.

Bakari may have survived the leopard,

but will his luck desert him just when he needs it most?

Will his troop accept him back?

Will the leader try to kill him?

It's Cheka.

They became close when they raised an orphaned baby together.

Their affection is as deep as ever.

For a few stolen moments, they're family once more.

But what of the leader?

And what of the leopard?

In our land,

the powerful deal retribution to the powerful.

The leader, who showed so little mercy to others,

finally had no mercy shown to him.

With the land reborn,

the wild dog pups are honing their hunting skills.

To survive when the drought returns, they must learn fast.

Their father, Jasari, must switch from provider to teacher.

They've cornered a waterbuck.

Now they must work out what to do with it.

They surround it just as their father taught them.

ButJasari would never hunt in water.

-It's the waterbuck's domain. -(WHIMPERING)

Here he has all the advantage.

Knowing when to accept defeat

is as important as knowing when to pursue.

The lessons of survival are as old as time.

Teaching our young to learn is the responsibility of us all.

Some, though, never gain the chance to nurture their young to adulthood.

A giraffe is facing the unexplained death of her baby.

She has guarded his body for days.

But all around, life goes on.

Knowledge is being passed down to the next generation.

Kike brought her cubs to the brink of adulthood.

But are they ready to fend for themselves?