- 3 days ago
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A few hundred kilometres after leaving Lake Victoria, the Nile plunges noisily over massive waterfalls and into the new territory of Murchison Falls National Park. Thousands of hippos enjoy the water. In the afternoons, elephant herds leave the savannah to drink and bathe. At the river banks, you can witness a curious partnership. Female crocodiles and tiny birds defend their eggs together against a thief, the Nile Monitor. The Nile´s greatest wilderness is situated in the crisis-torn South Sudan, where the river turns into the Sudd, Africa´s largest swamp. This is the perfect habitat for a fantastic variety of bird species, among them the extremely rare Shoebill. Giants, too, can make a living here. Some four hundred elephants live among the papyrus. With the help of a plucky helicopter pilot from Kenya, the film team succeeded in recording the great antelope migration of the South Sudan for the first time. With the onset of the rainy season, over a million Mongalla gazelles and White-eared kob leave the swamps for the savannah east of the Nile.
Director : Harald Pokieser
Series : Nile - The Ultimate River
Original Title : Wild Waters
A few hundred kilometres after leaving Lake Victoria, the Nile plunges noisily over massive waterfalls and into the new territory of Murchison Falls National Park. Thousands of hippos enjoy the water. In the afternoons, elephant herds leave the savannah to drink and bathe. At the river banks, you can witness a curious partnership. Female crocodiles and tiny birds defend their eggs together against a thief, the Nile Monitor. The Nile´s greatest wilderness is situated in the crisis-torn South Sudan, where the river turns into the Sudd, Africa´s largest swamp. This is the perfect habitat for a fantastic variety of bird species, among them the extremely rare Shoebill. Giants, too, can make a living here. Some four hundred elephants live among the papyrus. With the help of a plucky helicopter pilot from Kenya, the film team succeeded in recording the great antelope migration of the South Sudan for the first time. With the onset of the rainy season, over a million Mongalla gazelles and White-eared kob leave the swamps for the savannah east of the Nile.
Director : Harald Pokieser
Series : Nile - The Ultimate River
Original Title : Wild Waters
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00Flowing northeast, the Nile's headwaters create Africa's biggest lake.
00:07At Lake Victoria, the river begins its legendary journey.
00:14Leaving the lake, the Nile bursts into life and transforms into the mighty river of legends.
00:24Young and wild, the Victoria Nile rushes into foaming rapids,
00:29plunging downward into pools below.
00:47From Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park,
00:50the river embarks on an adventurous journey through one of the last untamed African landscapes.
00:56The river enters South Sudan and turns into Africa's largest swamp, the Sud.
01:11Over a million antelope hide in the water maze of the Sud.
01:15From the source in East Africa to the Sudanese deserts, the Nile runs through vast stretches of wilderness.
01:32the Nile runs throughriad fields.
01:33The Nile runs out of the Nile, and will be living in the wild,
01:38the Nile runs through past the waterfalls and the sky is coming to coast.
01:42The river exists in northern Africa and the south-яp,
02:00Once past the waterfalls, the Nile continues serenely through Uganda's largest national park.
02:15Hippos stand guard over the river's journey.
02:19The animals are like the Nile, slow, tenacious and unpredictable.
02:50Watching them as they doze peacefully in the water, it's hard to believe that these are some of Africa's most dangerous animals.
03:03Only 150 years ago, the banks of the Nile were unspoiled, stretching from Lake Victoria to Egypt's distant deserts.
03:12The Nile crocodile has been the river's symbol since the dawn of time.
03:21The ancient Egyptians worshipped it as a deity.
03:27The national park is inhabited by some of the largest crocodiles in Africa.
03:33Many grow up to a length of five metres and more.
03:36More than 400 bird species breed and hunt along the Victoria Nile.
03:45African skimmers migrate within the continent.
03:49They stop here to rest and feed.
03:52A flock of skimmers is hunting for fish.
04:06The Nile crocodile is hunting for fish.
04:07The Nile crocodile is hunting for fish.
04:37The bottom half of the bird's beak is considerably longer than the top.
04:41The longer part is used like a spoon to scoop small fish from the water.
04:48A unique and rare stork-like species hides in the high papayas plants.
04:54The shoebill.
04:56Its habitat is limited to a few African marshlands.
04:59These abdins are closely related to the European storks.
05:17Alarmed, they take flight.
05:19A giant has risen from the water.
05:21A large elephant bull has retreated from the scorching sun into the cooling river.
05:30Up to his neck in the water, he enjoys the foliage.
05:33During dry season, the animals struggle to find water in the surrounding grasslands.
05:57But the inexhaustible Nile keeps them alive.
06:00Each afternoon, the bull swims to a small island to feed on swamp grasses.
06:14Before taking a bite, he scrupulously washes off the mud.
06:18Under the scorching sun, time seems to stand still.
06:34As if explorers searching for the river's source had only just navigated our river.
06:38The adventurers were looking for Lake Victoria, the largest reservoir of the Nile.
06:56It was 1862 when the British explorer John Hanning Speakey finally discovered the source of the Nile near the town of Ginger.
07:05The famous rapids, leaving the lake, have long been flooded in order to generate electricity.
07:12From the western shore of Lake Victoria, the river travels north through Lake Keogha, and meanders towards Murchison Falls National Park.
07:35From Lake Victoria, the Nile descends in a series of steps.
07:38Even seasoned local kayakers consider these treacherous rocks and rapids a trial of courage.
08:00Nowhere else the Nile is as merciless and intimidating.
08:07Kilometres before it reaches Murchison Falls National Park, the river gathers pace.
08:17On its flatbed, the Nile transforms into a raging torrent.
08:24A rocky island divides the river into narrow passages.
08:30300 cubic metres per second are forced through a six-metre channel.
08:37The passages create two waterfalls, the Uhuru and the Murchison Falls.
08:43The Uru and the Murchison Falls.
09:00The Nile plunges 40 metres down.
09:16Rocks throw the water back and high up in the air.
09:20The Murchison Falls provide a titanic spectacle.
09:30Around the falls, a tropical garden flourishes, courtesy of the permanent spray.
09:51Murchison Falls are not Africa's largest waterfalls by any means, but they are surely among the most beautiful.
10:00The shrill call of the African fish eagle is the embodiment of the wilderness.
10:15This eagle sits enthroned like a king above all the continent's large rivers, depicted as a symbol of freedom on the Zambian flag,
10:35on the Malawian coins, and in the national coat of arms of both Namibia and South Sudan.
10:46The eagle hunts for fish with unparalleled elegance.
10:50THE END
10:59THE END
11:32To the north of the Nile, a hilly savannah catches the eye.
11:48It is home to a rare antelope species, the Ugandan cob.
11:54In the dry season, all the large herds, whether cobs or elephants, stay close to the Nile.
12:05Shy animals, such as the bushbuck, only come down to the water in the early hours of the morning.
12:21Bushbucks are solitary animals and will often hide in dense cover and thickets.
12:2620 years ago, there was not much wildlife to be seen.
12:39Most large animals were slaughtered during the Civil War of the 1980s, but now the tide has turned.
12:45Biologist Tutillo Mutumba researches the progress of the animal population.
12:57His team has fitted radio collars on several lions.
13:00Tutillo's assistant, Sophie, tries to locate a signal.
13:04Tutillo works for the WCS, the American-based Wildlife Conservation Society.
13:14He observes how the prides hunt and defend their territory.
13:21The biologists have tracked a large male, less than 20 metres away.
13:25They follow four prides of lions whose territories are all in the immediate vicinity of the Nile.
13:33Sophie and Tutillo estimate that around 130 lions live in the Murchison Falls National Park.
13:40It's their last stronghold in Uganda.
13:45The biologists spend nearly eight hours a day observing the lions from their car.
13:49This female is enjoying last night's prey, a Uganda cob.
14:02Antelopes migrate, so they are a rare feast.
14:06The lions, by contrast, remain in their territory.
14:10Once the antelope are gone, the lions turn their attention to smaller prey, like warthogs.
14:19In the dry season, the sandbanks on the Nile become a hive of activity.
14:33The river's enormous wealth of fish attracts hundreds of thousands of birds.
14:39Once the water level sinks, many species start breeding.
14:49At this time of year, the female crocodiles are particularly aggressive.
14:54They shuttle between the cool water and the sandbanks, where they guard their precious buried eggs.
15:02They share the banks with a peculiar bird.
15:06The water Thickknee.
15:08It nests at the same time, right amongst the giant reptiles.
15:12Their partnership is a curious one.
15:16But Thickknee and crocodile have a common enemy.
15:21The Nile monitor.
15:23The lizard can grow up to two metres and is a notorious egg thief.
15:29As soon as the crocodiles leave their watch for the cooling water, the monitor comes out of hiding.
15:34A vigilant Thickknee immediately sounds a warning and attacks.
15:59The calls alert the crocodiles to the thief.
16:01In turn, the crocodile should protect the Thickknee and its nest.
16:07In theory.
16:09The Nile monitor smells the eggs and starts digging.
16:16Crocodiles have keen eyesight and an excellent sense of hearing.
16:22Despite the warning and the obvious threat, the female remains calm.
16:26The monitor uses its forked tongue to scan the sand.
16:32It is able to detect the tiniest odour particles and find eggs buried deep in the ground.
16:46The crocodile has had enough.
16:49The Nile monitor waits for the next opportunity.
17:08But it hasn't bargained for the Thickknee.
17:11Even powerful partners are not always reliable.
17:21The female trudges straight towards the nest.
17:24The Thickknee tries to prevent the worst.
17:39The crocodile has stopped millimetres away from the eggs.
17:45The Thickknee seems stunned.
17:48Then, the inevitable happens.
18:04All the warnings were in vain.
18:07One egg is broken.
18:08In the end, the smaller partner is still the weaker.
18:22The Thickknee immediately disposes of the eggshells and feeds on the remains.
18:28Otherwise, the smell would draw predators.
18:30At least one of the eggs is undamaged.
18:42Reason enough for the Thickknee to resume incubating immediately.
18:48The Thickknee keeps faith with the breeding ground.
18:52Despite the drama, the bird seems to consider being among the crocodiles as the safest bet for survival.
18:57The Thickknee is in vain.
19:27The oppressive afternoon heat covers the savannah like liquid glass.
19:36All colour fades.
19:38Not a single leaf dares to move.
19:41Only giraffes roam the land of the Nile, as if in a trance.
19:45At sunset, brighter colours and a cool breeze return.
19:57With the onset of the golden hour, Sophie and Tautilu set out for their night shift.
20:16They're on the lookout for a particular animal, the three-legged lion of Murchison Falls.
20:25He was caught in a poacher's trap the previous year.
20:36Luckily, Tautilu was able to rescue him.
20:38But the vets had to amputate his leg.
20:43The lion was cared for and treated with antibiotics.
20:47He is now reintegrated in the pride, to the great surprise of the researchers who expected him to be banished.
21:01Tautilu switches on a red light.
21:12The colour spectrum is hardly visible to lions, and it won't irritate them.
21:16One of the lions has hunted down an antelope.
21:25As usual, the boss has the first right to feed.
21:37A female approaches hesitantly.
21:41She needs to wait until the male has had his fill.
21:46On average, a dominant male leads his pride for two years.
21:54Then he is ousted.
21:56In Murchison Falls National Park, this tenure is much shorter,
22:01as many animals share the three-legged lion's fate.
22:04They get caught in the poacher's deadly wires.
22:16It will be a long night for the young biologists.
22:24After the lions, they have to look out for other nocturnal hunters.
22:28A pack of hyenas have made their home on the Nile.
22:35Tautilu uses a ruse to attract and count them.
22:38He plays them a CD, which is music to their ears.
22:43The call of a buffalo calf.
22:55Hyenas are intelligent and suspicious animals.
22:59Half an hour passes.
23:03Nothing seems to happen in this pitch-black night.
23:07But Tautilu feels that the hunters are near.
23:14Here they are, torn between fear and greed,
23:19looking for a lost calf.
23:20The hyena population in the national park is small.
23:26And Tautilu wants to find out why.
23:34The researchers lack the time and funds
23:37to study the animal's social and hunting behaviour in detail.
23:41But at least they can monitor numbers.
23:50With the first rays of light,
23:55the nocturnal hunters disappear.
24:00Now, the banks of the Nile come to life.
24:07Birds, such as the pied kingfishers,
24:10take up their posts above the river.
24:13On the sandstone cliffs,
24:14a colony of bee-eaters begin their busy day.
24:20This stunning species
24:33is called the red-throated bee-eater.
24:37All bee-eaters live in colonies of several hundred.
24:41Their favourite spot is a solitary branch.
24:44For the birds, it's both a lookout and a meeting place.
24:47The bee-eaters wait for prey all day.
24:52They catch bees and other insects on the wing
24:55and take them back to their nesting holes.
24:59In the breeding season,
25:01life is busy on the few available branches.
25:04Both males and females take part in the hunt.
25:07Insects are taken straight to their young.
25:21under the critical scrutiny of its mates,
25:38the bee-eater has to finish the job elegantly.
25:41By knitting and спас,
25:42the ocean creeps come in from thumb.
25:44In ayam, it's only a wandering
25:45a tree's natural and unique poi-ear totally Zuhaa.
25:46Color of the earth is a artery.
25:48The bees are born here,
25:49therefore who put up a sparkly
25:50and put their hands off.
25:51formerly Jung has to get the sea
25:52and then the sails.
25:54The Rhymes, which is a mystery
25:54and sun Sappers kadar
25:55to keep up a little river
25:56and the bummer the hart.
26:02The river has to be seen
26:03the air perhaps a bigんだ
26:06He is the geese creates
26:06t Stefani station
26:07It is a garbage that is cracked
26:08in the river
26:09In consistance
26:10Further to the west, the river widens,
26:12forming the border of Murchison Falls National Park.
26:18At first sight, the banks of the Nile outside of the National Park
26:22also seem to be populated only by animals.
26:27But that is not the case.
26:31The water birds have shared the Nile with fishermen and farmers for centuries.
26:37The Nile is a laundry for everybody.
26:40A meeting place for families and entire villages.
26:44Today, millions of people live their life on the riverbanks,
26:48occasionally with dramatic consequences for the natural habitat.
26:55These water hyacinths originate from Brazil.
26:59They were imported as a decorative plant in the early 20th century.
27:03Now they have conquered a whole stretch of the river.
27:06The Iconia chrysippus, to call it by its Latin name, is pervasive on the Nile.
27:15It is nigh on impossible to take a picture of an animal without this plant gracing the picture as well.
27:20The Iconia has no natural enemies in Africa.
27:26This robust water plant has overrun bays and riverbanks, canals and tributaries,
27:32from Lake Victoria to the Delta in Egypt.
27:37In Uganda, there is hardly a place where the hippos do not have to plough through carpets of hyacinths.
27:41All around the national park, settlements are being built, increasingly creating conflict.
27:57The border of the park is virtually unguarded.
28:03There is no ban on fishing. Boats are everywhere.
28:06And at night, poachers cross the river and invade the park.
28:13The traps are meant for antelopes, but the wire does not discriminate.
28:17This trapped lion suffocated in the attempt to secure his freedom.
28:26Tutillo has destroyed dozens of traps during the day.
28:30He understands the poachers. There is no employment and no support.
28:35Fishing or hunting is the only way to secure food.
28:40He pulls out a tooth. It will help him analyse the lion's state of health before his death.
28:48The wires are a deadly trap.
28:50The harder the animals pull, the more they tighten their grip.
28:54The steel wire is strong and unbreakable, even by elephants.
29:06This young bull attempts to cool his wound.
29:10Dozens of elephants are trapped each year and suffer severe injuries.
29:15In this case, a vet will have to amputate the trunk.
29:23This giant was able to escape by himself, but his leg is locked.
29:28The elephants in Murchison Falls National Park continuously fall victim to poachers and ivory hunters.
29:40In the early 1990s, only 300 elephants remained in the park.
29:54Today, their headcount is more than a thousand.
30:01In the war, soldiers devastated the park's buildings and infrastructure.
30:06But now, the tourists are back.
30:09Wildlife protection is not only worthwhile, but also profitable.
30:14To the west of the park, where Lake Albert joins the Victoria Nile,
30:24a vast delta expanse, covered with papyrus plants.
30:29It gives us a glimpse of the boundless wilderness the Nile will soon cross on its journey north.
30:35Once it has passed these rapids, the Nile reaches Africa's youngest country, the South Sudan.
30:49The Nile reaches Africa's youngest country, the South Sudan.
30:52This country, too, was tied up in a terrible civil war.
30:55The Nile reaches Africa's youngest country, the South Sudan.
30:59This country, too, was tied up in a terrible civil war.
31:05For decades, Sudan gained independence in 2011.
31:28But peace is still far away.
31:35After these rapids, the Nile changes character, dividing into side arms,
31:47and transforming into the impenetrable Sud, Africa's largest swamp.
32:05The Sud is a wetland that, courtesy of the rainfall, can expand to 100,000 square kilometres.
32:18It's a labyrinth of large and small lakes, water meadows and endless expanses of papyrus.
32:26Only one of the many channels is navigable and leads out of the labyrinth in the north.
32:35The heart of the Sud is always under water, even in the dry season.
32:50The ground is treacherous, and there is nothing but wind, swaying reeds and floating grass.
32:56The swamp is the domain of the birds.
33:10There are no tourists, no cities and no roads.
33:28The perfect wildlife sanctuary.
33:31All bird species of the tropical Nile reside here, hiding, breeding and hunting in the forest of reeds.
33:47The goliath heron is the largest bird in the Sud.
33:50He can grow up to 1.5 metres, but the swamp's real treasure is another feathered giant.
34:02The shoebill is rare, shy and elusive.
34:05It is a cousin of the pelican, but hunts like a heron from a standing position.
34:12Lungfish are among his preferred prey.
34:20The
34:48Several thousand shoebills live in the Sud, far more than anywhere else in Africa.
35:03They hunt in the reeds, but build their nests on the sandy banks of the alluvial land.
35:09Their offspring must be fully fledged before the great rain arrives.
35:13They'll be swept away by the floods.
35:15Only one out of the two or three chicks will survive.
35:20This one has made it, but it will still be several weeks until its first flight.
35:34The nests are widely spread and surrounded by water.
35:38Even very bold poachers won't venture out here.
35:42A parent looks after its charge.
35:47The fledgling has just learned to fly.
35:51It's ready for the rainy season.
35:57As for food, the shoebill faces competition.
36:00The edge of the Sud is lined with small fishing villages.
36:05These people are called Dinka and have lived in the alluvial lands of the Nile for centuries.
36:12The Sud is rich in fish stock.
36:28By using the simplest of means, these men catch up to 30 kilograms of fish a day.
36:33Catfish, tilapia, perch and many other species.
36:39What the families don't eat will be dried and sold to communities nearby, or bartered in the camp.
36:50Money doesn't mean much in the wilderness of the Nile.
36:52The Nile floods the swamp as well as thousands of square kilometers of grassland.
37:06Some of the largest herds of cattle in the world graze here during the dry season.
37:10Cattle breeding is the Dinka people's defining purpose.
37:23The center of their life and culture.
37:25Dinkas are nomads.
37:38In December, after the rainy season, the families move into the wetlands, pitch camp and stay there until the Nile floods the pastures again.
37:49The smouldering fire originates from the Dinka nomads' camps.
37:52From kitchens and burning cow dung.
37:56It drives away the flies and other undesirable insects that are attracted by the cattle.
38:16The Dinka are the largest ethnic group in South Sudan.
38:19The President of the Republic and many ministers are Dinka.
38:24But these nomads don't think in terms of politics or country borders.
38:32It's the cows that really matter.
38:35They are their best friends and give milk and more.
38:39Not even their urine gets wasted.
38:41It is used as a washing agent and for medical purposes.
38:52The cattle spend the nights in the camp.
38:54In the morning, young herdsmen guide them back to the pastures.
39:03A herd consists of 500 cows.
39:06Sometimes even more.
39:08It takes exceptional circumstances for Dinkas to slaughter their animals.
39:16They are family members.
39:18And they serve as currency and status symbols.
39:21As the tributaries and pools dry out, the people go spear-fishing.
39:35Hundreds of thousands of fish are writhing in knee-deep swamp, caught between land and water.
39:53Spear-fishing only lasts for a few days and it's a communal celebration.
40:14Africa's greatest opportunists, marabou storks, follow them, waiting for an easy supper.
40:34Some fish, they hope, will be dropped or left for them.
40:37The Dinka families catch, prepare and eat the fish together.
40:56The children return to the camp, but their days in the sud are numbered.
41:02Rainy season is near and this place will be flooded within weeks.
41:07Even deeper within the Nile's swamps, in an area under water all year round,
41:23fishermen have probably built some of the most isolated huts in the world.
41:28Their floating homes are 80 kilometres away from the mainland.
41:37Only the fishermen know how to get here and back.
41:55Near the huts, a family of giants has left tracks in the reeds.
41:59tracks in the reeds.
42:07A large herd of elephants lives in the Sud, but they are elusive. Only a few people have
42:13ever seen them. Around 400 animals move between the shallow sandy islands and the vast expanses
42:20of papyrus and reeds.
42:29This herd of elephants has survived due to their isolation. As long as they remain amongst
42:46the papyrus, they will be out of the poacher's reach.
42:54It's in the wetlands of the Sud the Nile hides its best-kept secret. These tracks will reveal
43:11a story. The tracks are evidence of one of the biggest migrations in the world. The
43:20animals move to the south-east, to the largest virgin savannah in Africa.
43:26When the rains come, all this will be covered in greenery. For some, like this antelope,
43:41it's too late.
43:45These Mongala gazelles are among the first herds that come from the Sud and move to the
43:52new pastures, where the rainy season begins. The first rains have fallen. Now the gigantic
43:57herds arrive. Tiang are moving through the outback. The largest herds number over 20,000. It
44:12is thanks to the WCS biologists that we know of this migration. They spent thousands of
44:19hours in the air until finally discovering that the antelopes had indeed survived the war. Even
44:25team leader Paul Elkin needs luck to find the most stunning antelope of the Nile. The white-eared cob.
44:46The dark brown antelope are the males. Females and calves run alongside them. More than 700,000
45:14cod take part in the migration. A breathtaking sight, filmed here for the first time.
45:37The biologists estimate that over a million animals are part of this migration. Comparable
45:42to the famous wildebeest migration in the Serengeti.
46:01During the war, many species were wiped out, were driven away. But it appears that courtesy
46:07of their migration, the antelope were able to escape the slaughter. In Bandingalo National Park, all antelope come together. The reserve and the surrounding savannah are as good as uninhabited. Some 40,000 square kilometers of unspoiled grassland. This is unique, even in Africa.
46:32The great migration is triggered by the rain and the Nile. In the rainy season, the river floods the Sud's vast grasslands. Once the water has receded and fresh grass has grown, the antelopes will return.
46:51The nomads and their cattle follow the same rhythm of nature. In the evening, massive plumes of smoke rise from the wetlands.
47:12The smoke originates from the wetlands. The smoke originates from the camps of the Dinka nomads. It covers the camp like a magical veil.
47:31Soon, the men and the women will dismantle the camp and move to pastures at higher altitudes.
47:57When the heavy rains arrive, the Nile will swallow all traces of the Dinka camp.
48:151,000 kilometers upriver, it's a different world. This is Khartoum, a vibrant metropolis and the capital of the Sudan.
48:38Here, the Blue Nile merges with the main river, the White Nile.
48:46The Nile's mightiest tributary ends in the midst of civilization.
48:51But its origins lie in a craggy wilderness of rocks and rapids.
49:02These rugged, lonely mountains make up the highlands of Ethiopia.
49:07Here, the waters feeding the Blue Nile gather, and the river's adventurous descent to the Sudanese plains begins.
49:17Merchant of 1
49:28Merchant of 1
49:32Daher
49:36Transcription by CastingWords
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