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00:00The World of Warcraft
00:02The World of Warcraft
00:04The World of Warcraft
00:06The World of Warcraft
00:08The World of Warcraft
00:10The World of Warcraft
00:12Experience a world beyond imagination
00:18Where fish can fly
00:22Lizards walk on water
00:28Apes
00:30Master tools
00:34And frogs
00:36Disappear in plain sight
00:40Animals do the smartest things
00:46Through every stage of their lives
00:50From leaving home
00:54To raising a family
00:58From finding food
01:00From finding food
01:02To making friends
01:08They find ingenious ways to survive
01:12Against all odds
01:14Against all odds
01:19Welcome
01:20To the secret lives
01:22Of animals
01:24On an island off the coast of Australia
01:38Off the coast of Australia
01:44This fur seal
01:46Is just a few days old
01:48He still relies on his mother
01:58For milk
02:00To keep him well fed
02:02She must go fishing
02:04Leaving him alone
02:06For the first time
02:08At this age
02:12At this age
02:13He should stay
02:14In the safety
02:15Of his hilltop home
02:16And wait for her to come back
02:22But curiosity
02:26Gets the better of him
02:30But curiosity
02:32Gets the better of him
02:38This is the first
02:40Major milestone
02:42In his life
02:44And the early steps
02:46Are the most difficult
02:48Going it alone
02:56He's lost
02:58And vulnerable
03:04Without help
03:06Even the smallest mistake
03:08Could lead to disaster
03:18He tumbles 100 feet
03:22Towards the ocean edge
03:38And his situation
03:40Quickly turns from bad
03:42To worse
03:48He's too young
03:50To tackle the rough seas alone
03:52And his fur
03:54Won't be waterproof
03:56For another two months
03:58So every second
04:00He's in the ocean
04:02He gets colder
04:04And weaker
04:06And his chances
04:08Of survival
04:10Are reduced
04:18He's at the mercy
04:20Of mother nature
04:44Saved
04:45By the sea
04:48But he's exhausted
04:52Hungry
04:53And still too young
04:54To feed himself
04:59Out of the hundreds
05:00Of seals here
05:01Only one
05:03Can save him
05:06His mum
05:13But to him
05:14All adults
05:15Look the same
05:18And worse still
05:20And worse still
05:21They're ferociously
05:22Protective
05:23Of their own young
05:32A lone pup
05:33Could easily be killed
05:40He must do something
05:41Extraordinary
05:42To survive
05:48He remembers
05:49He remembers his mother's
05:50Unique call
05:59Which he learnt
06:00Within the first
06:01Four hours
06:02Of his life
06:05That's faster
06:06Than any other mammal
06:08Even humans
06:09So he can pinpoint
06:14The sound of his mum
06:16Among the hundreds
06:17Of others
06:20And make it
06:21To safety
06:35Leaving home
06:36Is full of unexpected challenges
06:42One wrong move
06:43Could be your last
06:47But if you have the right skills
06:50And make smart choices
06:52It could be the start
06:53Of life's great adventure
06:55Leaving home for the first time
07:09Is a daunting prospect
07:14And in the jungles of Costa Rica
07:17This young basilisk lizard
07:20Would stay here forever
07:22Forever
07:23If he could
07:28He has a waterside view
07:33A sunny aspect
07:38And all the food
07:39He could wish for
07:45But it's so desirable
07:47This large male
07:55Wants to move in
07:58And he's not
08:00The sharing type
08:04When it comes to a basilisk showdown
08:08Bigger is better
08:09Is better
08:24He stands no chance in a fight
08:28And forced to the edge of his territory
08:30He must leave the only home
08:38He's ever known
08:40But trapped by the river
08:43He'll need a miracle to escape
08:46He can walk on water
09:05He can walk on water
09:07His rear feet are almost half the size of his leg
09:12And he uses them to stop himself sinking
09:21Slapping them hard against the water
09:24To create an air pocket
09:28Then he lifts his foot out of the bubble
09:32Before it bursts
09:33An extraordinary means of escape
09:41No wonder he's also known
09:44As the Jesus Christ lizard
09:47Working out how to leave home is just the start of the battle
10:06The next great challenge is deciding where to go
10:10Because that
10:15Could shape the rest of your life
10:22High in the mountain streams of Trinidad
10:28This killifish
10:30Was born into a crowded world
10:34There's not enough food for the whole family
10:38And tensions are rising
10:41To thrive, she must leave
10:59The best place for her to go
11:01Is far upstream
11:02A fresh pool
11:06Away from her home
11:08But blocking her path
11:11Are boulders
11:13Ravines
11:15And waterfalls
11:21Surely an impossible journey
11:23For a fish the size of your finger
11:25Most killifish stay at home
11:30And try to survive amidst the competition
11:33But she's one of just 10%
11:36That have an urge
11:38To explore
11:48She launches herself
11:52Onto dry land
11:53It seems suicidal
11:58Out here her gills can't work
12:09Most fish would pass out within minutes
12:14And she still has a long way to go to reach her new home
12:17So
12:22She shifts her weight onto her tail
12:26And leaps into the air
12:32Flying an incredible eight times her own body length
12:36She can't afford to jump aimlessly
12:48So she looks for the telltale shimmer of water
12:55Then reorientates her body
12:58Then
13:00Reorientates her body
13:02And backflips in the right direction
13:06But she's still a fish out of water
13:16To buy her time
13:19To buy her time
13:21The blood in her tail runs so close to the surface of the skin
13:25It absorbs oxygen from the air
13:30And she can breathe through her tail
13:35In fact, she can survive for up to 15 hours out of water
13:50And travels 6,000 times her own body length
13:53Until she reaches
13:59Her new home
14:05Perfect
14:08There's plenty of food here
14:14And she has it all to herself
14:16To herself
14:23For some, the hardest part of leaving home
14:27Is the journey to get there
14:30For others, it's finding your way
14:34Once you arrive
14:40In an ancient English woodland
14:42Beneath the roots of an old maple
14:51This young woodmouse
14:55Is ready to leave her burrow
14:57To make her own way in life
15:06She travels up to one mile a night
15:07Searching for the right spot
15:09To dig her own home
15:11Searching for the right spot
15:13To dig her own home
15:25This grassy field
15:27Will do nicely
15:37But out here
15:41She's dangerously exposed
15:45But out here
15:47She's dangerously exposed
15:49A lucky escape
15:51This time
15:53A lucky escape
15:55This time
15:57A lucky escape
15:59This time
16:01A lucky escape
16:03This time
16:05And she has another problem
16:10She's just an inch off the ground
16:13And this field looks the same in every direction
16:17Getting lost could prove fatal
16:20Despite having a brain the size of a pea
16:33She does something very clever indeed
16:38She collects objects
16:42And makes her very own signposts
16:48Something no other mammal apart from us
16:52Is known to do
16:56While foraging
16:58She keeps check
17:00On her marker
17:01The further she travels
17:05The further she travels
17:07The more signposts she creates
17:13Until her network of waypoints
17:16Expands across the field
17:20Allowing her to roam this featureless landscape
17:24Without getting lost
17:28It's SatNav
17:29For wood mice
17:32For wood mice
17:48And when she needs a swift escape
17:52She knows just where to go
17:54Safe
18:21For some
18:22Leaving home
18:24Is about starting a quieter life
18:26In solitude
18:35But for others
18:37Home
18:39Is where the herd is
18:45And when male African elephants reach adolescence
18:48Their world turns upside down
18:53Staying with the herd is bad for the gene pool
18:59So they're forced out
19:00So they're forced out
19:17This young elephant
19:19Is alone and vulnerable
19:20And vulnerable
19:28To stand the best chance of survival
19:29To stand the best chance of survival
19:33He needs a new herd
19:40Using the most sensitive nose in the world
19:42He finds hope
19:43From three miles away
19:45From three miles away
19:49A small herd of males
19:54With plenty of food
19:56With plenty of food
19:57And the safety of each other
20:09They could be his lifeline
20:11They could be his lifeline
20:20The trouble is
20:23They're on an island
20:25In the mighty Zambezi river
20:28Which right now
20:31Is in full flood
20:33Over half a million gallons of water
20:39Surge past these banks
20:41Every single second
20:43Others have tried to cross
20:47With fatal consequences
20:49And if the river doesn't get you
20:53What comes next
20:54What comes next
20:56Will
21:10Three hundred feet high
21:12And a mile wide
21:14The largest waterfall on the planet
21:20Victoria Falls
21:24Young and bullish
21:28Young and bullish
21:33He tries to take the shortest route
21:37Straight to the island
21:54The current here is dangerously strong
22:05And he's quickly out of his depth
22:11Even for a five-ton elephant
22:14This river is too powerful
22:24He's forced closer to the waterfall
22:30He's forced closer to the waterfall
22:36In desperation, he turns back
22:38He's lucky to survive
22:55He won't make this mistake again
22:59Like all his kind
23:04Like all his kind
23:06He has one of the greatest minds
23:08In the animal kingdom
23:12He just needs to use it
23:17He heads up river
23:19Away from the island of bulls
23:21He's looking for somewhere
23:28The current will carry him to the island
23:31Remarkably
23:35He seems to test the water
23:37He seems to test the water
23:50It's just too strong here
24:02Could this be the right spot?
24:03He's gambling with his life
24:07He's gambling with his life
24:10Off his feet, the river takes hold
24:14Off his feet, the river takes hold
24:17Off his feet, the river takes hold
24:48helping him
24:49Success
24:55He's overcome one of the world's most dangerous rivers
24:58In peak flow
25:01And there's a welcome party waiting for him
25:04He's become part of an elite group of elephants
25:09Who've worked out how to cross this river
25:12And now, he has access to the best food in the area
25:16food in the area, a new herd, and a new home.
25:27Leaving home is a rite of passage.
25:31It takes great skill to know when to leave, where to go,
25:37and how to find your way when you get there.
25:41Get it right, and you're well on your way to adulthood.
26:01To capture an extraordinary elephant making one of the most perilous river crossings in the world...
26:11The team needed to be in the right place at precisely the right time.
26:19Which would be impossible without the expert knowledge of wildlife cinematographer Tom Varley.
26:27I first moved to Victoria Falls when I was 10 years old. I'm almost 50 now.
26:33Over time, you build up a relationship with the elephants.
26:38They get to recognize the sound of your voice, they recognize the sound of your boat.
26:42So it entitles you to be able to get close to them.
26:46It's the end of the wet season, and the river is dangerously swollen.
26:52Most elephants avoid these treacherous waters.
26:56But over the years, Tom has identified an elite group of males who have learned how to make the crossing.
27:0415 years ago, there were no elephants swimming across to the island when the water was really, really high.
27:10Now you have got a group of 15 to 20 bulls that have learned to do it.
27:14But this year, even these bulls are struggling to forge the Zambezi in full flood.
27:23They might be a bit worried about this level of current.
27:26The river is quite high and it keeps coming up every day.
27:30The rising water is making the elephants unpredictable.
27:35Any mistakes could be fatal for both them...
27:42...and the crew.
27:43The worst time to navigate on the Zambezi would be now.
27:48If you have a problem, you've got literally a couple of minutes before you go over the Victoria Falls itself.
28:00It's an early start.
28:02The team set about tracking down a bull brave enough to make the crossing.
28:08Luckily, last night's chill has given Tom an idea.
28:13The elephants do get cold.
28:15Sometimes we find them up against the termite mounts because they're the warmest parts of the island.
28:21There's no elephant here now, but to Tom's expert eye, it's clear that a bull is nearby.
28:29To see where he's put his, the side of his body up against here, so he would have leant up against to Matt Martin to sleep.
28:37And before long, he finds more signs.
28:41There is fresh tracks of one leaving here in the last sort of like three, four hours.
28:45The search continues from the river.
28:51Okay, we've got him.
28:52He's there.
28:53He went down.
28:54He's pointing.
28:55We're blocking him.
28:57This bull has already started to cross.
29:00But he seems hesitant.
29:02He sort of tried to get into the current, changed his mind, turned back and went into the bushes.
29:08To the crew's dismay, the male disappears.
29:13It's up to Tom to find him.
29:14Jackpot.
29:19Jackpot.
29:21Just looking to see if there's any warmth on the inside.
29:25He's really, really close.
29:27So, the hunt is on.
29:30They need to be ready.
29:32The bull could take the plunge at any moment.
29:35He's swimming to Palm Island.
29:37So then again, repeat, repeat.
29:39He's swimming to Palm Island.
29:40He's swimming to Palm Island.
29:44Okay, going now.
29:49Yeah, drone's ready.
29:50He's coming.
29:51Stay where you are.
29:52He's going to swim.
29:53Okay, copy that.
30:05Okay, he's behind the tree now for me.
30:06Can we go down Palm 17 upstream, over?
30:09Yes.
30:10Yes.
30:11Go quickly.
30:12Over.
30:14This is the moment they have been hoping for.
30:29It's a huge relief.
30:33Nice one.
30:39Yeah, she did it.
30:40I mean, to see something that big, to take on a river this big, I mean, yeah, it's definitely Battle of the Giants.
30:51Tom's got such incredible knowledge of this place.
30:56He knows the ways that the elephants are going to move through the landscape.
31:04And today, thankfully, we managed to get shots.
31:07And it's because Tom knew where to bring us.
31:09We could never have done it without him.
31:10Next time, the ever-changing challenge that is raising a family.
31:22It takes unwavering devotion, a touch of magic, and the help of friends and family to give your child a head start in life.
31:39And the help of friends and family, to give your child a head start in life.
31:52That's true.
31:53We've tried it.
31:54And we know something about the death.
31:55He is the example of being a family that took.
31:56And he came to love it.
31:57And he was like, oh, that's good.
31:58And they think about that.
31:59And he was like, oh, that's true.
32:00And my husband, my father.
32:01The death of my father.
32:02And he never left.
32:03And he was like, oh, that's true.
32:04And he's not like, oh.
32:05And they've been a child.
32:06And he was like, oh, that's true.
32:08We've been a child.
32:10Now I'm going to have to think of a baby that was me.
32:11There's two.