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Africa.
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No continent on Earth today has
such spectacular wildlife.
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At its heart lies
a vast tropical rainforest.
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Over a million square miles
of wilderness,
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much of it still unexplored...
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...even now.
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There are more species of animals
and plants in these jungles
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than anywhere else on the continent.
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But even in this land of plenty...
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...wildlife now faces major challenges.
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The forests of the Ivory Coast
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contain over 1,500 species of plant,
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but some are very difficult to get at...
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...even for one of
the most intelligent of animals.
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Chimpanzees.
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The elders in this group know
where to find the most nutritious food
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and how to extract it.
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But if they are to survive to adulthood,
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the youngsters must learn these skills
from their parents.
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This young female is five years old...
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(THUDDING)
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...old enough to be given
an important lesson.
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(THUDDING CONTINUES)
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And this is her teacher.
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Her mother.
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The lesson is how to crack a nut.
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Using tools like this is so complex
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that it has only been mastered by
a handful of chimpanzee communities.
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This is a skill that has been practised
by chimps for several thousand years.
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Time to try for herself.
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She needs to find a better tool.
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Small rocks just don't have the clout.
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And larger ones are too cumbersome.
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Wood is both light and strong...
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...but not strong enough.
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Back to teacher.
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It may take a young chimp
up to a decade to perfect
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the skills it needs for nut-cracking.
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But she's already mastered one thing.
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When her fingers can't reach
the nut inside...
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...she strips down a branch to size...
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...and makes herself a spoon.
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She'll learn to use many tools
in her life...
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...and eventually she'll share
this knowledge
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with youngsters of her own,
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enabling them to harvest the riches
of their rainforest home.
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The sheer abundance of life
in the rainforests
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is rivalled by that
on the eastern side of the continent.
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The Great Rift Valley runs for 4,000 miles
down the length of Africa.
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It developed some 30 million years ago,
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when a giant plume of molten rock
pushing up from the depths
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cracked the Earth's crust apart.
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Fresh water began to accumulate
on the floor of this rift...
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...and a chain of lakes developed.
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These lakes are now
one of the richest freshwater habitats
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to be found anywhere.
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One single family of fish here -
the cichlids -
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has evolved into more
than 1,500 different species.
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This might look like paradise,
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but competition between
these cichlid species is intense.
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This crowded world is a dangerous one.
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Baby fish, after all, make a tasty meal.
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So, many cichlid mothers have developed
a very effective way
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of keeping their offspring safe.
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They use their mouths as a mobile nursery.
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It's a safe haven where the fry can stay
until danger has passed.
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When the coast is clear,
she releases them.
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This kind of behaviour starts
when the cichlid female
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picks up her newly laid eggs and holds
them in her mouth to keep them safe.
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During spawning,
her mate flashes his yellow tail spots
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to encourage her to keep laying.
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As each batch of eggs emerges,
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she scoops them up.
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But this couple are being watched...
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...by cuckoo catfish.
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They work as a gang
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and devour as many cichlid eggs
as they can find.
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Then, in the middle of all this activity,
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one of the catfish also spawns.
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The cichlid mother
collects every egg she can see.
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Now, by herself, she must wait
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while the eggs in her mouth develop.
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It will take three weeks.
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She doesn't eat
throughout that entire time.
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But 18 days later,
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something is not right.
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The female blows out her young
before they're fully ready to emerge.
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And they are followed
by young cuckoo catfish...
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...three times the size of her own babies.
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She may have as many as six of them
in her mouth.
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And now
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they begin to eat the cichlid babies.
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The female cichlid treats the baby catfish
as if they were hers.
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They are truly cuckoos among fish!
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The forces that created
the Great Rift Valley
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continue to shape Africa's landscape
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even today.
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At weak spots in the Earth's crust,
molten rock continues to erupt.
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There are some 200 volcanoes
on the continent...
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...many of them active.
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They may bring destruction
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but also, eventually, fertility.
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This is Ol Doinyo Lengai.
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For the past 400,000 years,
ash from this great volcano
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has fallen on the surrounding savannas
of the Serengeti
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and greatly enriched them.
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This is the best grazing on the continent.
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On it live the world's largest herds
of migrating animals...
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...and they, in turn, support predators.
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Here, in Kenya, cheetahs have formed
an unusual alliance.
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These swiftest of cats usually hunt
in groups of two or three.
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But this team of five
is one of the largest ever recorded.
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Two sets of brothers
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and a lead male.
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They have now lived and hunted together
for almost three years.
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By teaming up, they can hold
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the best territory in the area.
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But, even so, with five mouths to feed,
every hunt is very important.
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They haven't eaten for three days.
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To make a kill, they must get
within 30 metres of their quarry
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without being detected.
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Thick cover.
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That will help them.
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Topi - nearly three times their size...
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...and quite strong enough
to fight off a lion,
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let alone a single cheetah.
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Now out in the open...
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...every step the cheetahs take
increases their chance of success.
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The herd scatter,
and the team splits up.
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But they didn't get close enough.
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They switch targets to zebra.
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Everyone now knows that they're here.
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They must devise a different approach.
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All eyes are on the brothers.
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Out in the open,
they seem to be no threat.
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But the lead male is missing.
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The brothers are decoys.
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The trap is set.
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The other four now join the lead male.
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Under the combined weight of five cheetah,
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death comes quickly.
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Today, Africa's savannas support
larger herds of big game
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than anywhere else in the world.
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And they, one way or another,
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provide food for all kinds
of smaller creatures.
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An oxpecker.
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A resourceful little bird
with an unusual diet.
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Fleas, ticks and even dandruff are food,
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as far as they are concerned.
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Both parties benefit.
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The oxpecker gets a good meal...
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...and the host is cleaned in those places
it could never reach for itself.
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Each bird, every day,
collects hundreds of ticks
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and thousands of insect larvae.
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But some oxpeckers
go for rather riskier meals.
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Hippopotamus are highly territorial
and very aggressive...
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...so oxpeckers tackling them
must always be on their guard.
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But there's much to be gained.
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Blood is the most nutritious meal of all.
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Pecking ensures that cuts remain open
and blood keeps flowing.
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And an oxpecker,
once it's found an open wound,
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will stay alongside it, no matter
how much that irritates its host.
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The reward? An endless supply of food,
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whatever the conditions.
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Not all of Africa is rich and fertile.
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A third of the continent is desert.
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This is the Namib in the Southwest.
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At its heart, a disused diamond mine
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that was abandoned nearly 70 years ago.
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But it still has one inhabitant.
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A desert specialist...
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...and one of Africa's rarest predators.
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The brown hyena.
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This ghost town is her home.
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Its ruins give her valuable protection
from the elements.
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She has been here for 15 years.
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She's already reared
nine generations of cubs.
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These two youngsters have reached
a critical stage in their lives.
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They're four months old,
and now they need regular solid food.
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But there is nothing edible
in these ruins,
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so their mother has to look elsewhere
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and may leave them
for several days on end.
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Brown hyenas may walk over 20 miles a day
in search of food.
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This is some of the most hostile country
on the planet.
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Temperatures reach
a blistering 50 degrees Celsius.
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(WIND GUSTS)
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Strong winds blow incessantly.
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Hyenas from all over the Namib head for
where the sand dunes meet the sea.
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Somewhere along
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this seemingly barren stretch of sand,
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there is food in great quantity.
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(GRUNTING AND WHINING)
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Cape fur seals.
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There are around 10,000 of them here.
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Adult seals are large and strong.
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But their pups are neither.
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The youngsters are closely guarded
by their mothers.
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A hyena, however, knows to be patient.
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00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:10,037
Sooner or later, seal mothers
must return to the ocean to cool off.
200
00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:24,233
A single seal pup could feed a hyena
and her family for days.
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But finding food is only half the battle.
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It now has to be carried back.
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00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:46,310
A jackal is here too...
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...and it's not alone.
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00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:03,509
If a hyena loses her kill, she'll have
nothing with which to feed her cubs.
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00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:22,276
The jackals won't follow her
very far from the coast.
207
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:27,151
It's too hot for them
in the desert interior.
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00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,949
Only by making these long journeys
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00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:40,029
can brown hyenas manage to survive
in the middle of the Namib.
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00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,991
But some desert animals
seldom move far.
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The Kalahari Desert.
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00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:59,633
Here, food is more plentiful...
213
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:02,678
...but it's hidden.
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A pangolin.
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00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:25,154
She can collect food
that others can't reach.
216
00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:30,999
A keen sense of smell
enables her to detect
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00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:35,591
the presence of ants and termites
in their nests beneath the sand.
218
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Her sticky tongue, some 30cm long,
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enables her to collect them
from deep underground.
220
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And she's being carefully watched.
221
00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:22,870
The drier it gets,
the deeper the termites live.
222
00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:28,956
Many are way beyond the reach
of even a pangolin.
223
00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,034
But not of an aardvark.
224
00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:42,155
It's the world's largest burrowing animal.
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00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:51,431
Its sense of smell is extremely acute.
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(SNUFFLES)
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00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,709
Shovel-like claws and powerful legs
enable it to dig down
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00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:14,434
to depths of five or six metres.
229
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:23,676
A full-grown aardvark needs to eat
about 50,000 termites every day.
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00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:32,238
Termites are highly nutritious
and full of moisture,
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00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:35,671
and they can be collected here year round.
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00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,040
Aardvark are usually nocturnal.
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But the fact that this one
is foraging in daylight
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is a sign that food is scarce.
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Recent droughts in the Kalahari
have led to low termite numbers
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and, as a consequence,
aardvarks here are close to starvation.
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00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:24,229
Changes in the world's climate
are affecting many of Africa's animals.
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00:37:32,240 --> 00:37:35,631
It's predicted that in the next century,
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00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:40,311
Southern Africa will warm twice as much
as the global average.
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00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:51,277
The future will be bleak for those
that cannot adapt fast enough.
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00:37:58,280 --> 00:38:02,353
In Zimbabwe,
it hasn't rained in six months.
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During a drought, food becomes
harder and harder to find.
243
00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:41,916
Apple-ring acacias produce pods
that are full of protein...
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00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:45,795
...but mostly on their higher branches.
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00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,234
Six metres up, they're out of reach
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00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:56,591
even for the continent's largest animals.
247
00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:20,271
(ELEPHANT SNORTS)
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00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:41,319
This bull elephant needs to eat
about 90kg of vegetation every day.
249
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(SNORTS)
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He's worked out a remarkable way
of surviving
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00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:04,639
in these lean times.
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00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:10,114
But it requires great physical strength.
253
00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:31,709
Only a handful of bulls
have mastered the skill.
254
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:57,757
He weighs over five tonnes.
255
00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:01,271
This is a truly monumental effort.
256
00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:41,638
Those around him benefit too.
257
00:41:56,360 --> 00:42:00,831
Elephants have used their great
intelligence to help them survive
258
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:03,759
Africa's driest times for millennia.
259
00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:12,156
But today,
they face an even greater threat.
260
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:24,431
It's thought that as many as 20 million
elephants once roamed the continent,
261
00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:28,758
but many have been killed
for their tusks...
262
00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:35,999
...their ivory used for entirely
ornamental purposes.
263
00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:45,831
Now just 350,000 elephants remain.
264
00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:56,358
These stockpiles of confiscated tusks
265
00:42:56,480 --> 00:43:00,519
represent half of the elephants killed
on the continent
266
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,029
in just one year.
267
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,519
But of all of Africa's remaining wildlife,
268
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:22,191
it is the rhinoceros that has been
most affected by poaching.
269
00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:32,754
In the Far East, its horn is used
as traditional medicine.
270
00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:41,396
ALI of Africa's rhinos
are now under threat...
271
00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:49,109
...but for one subspecies,
it's likely to be already too late.
272
00:43:52,240 --> 00:43:56,120
The northern white rhinoceros
is facing extinction.
273
00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:00,876
Scientists are working on a solution,
274
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:05,039
but no male now survives,
so natural breeding is impossible.
275
00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:14,515
These two females
are the last of their kind.
276
00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:17,558
When they die,
277
00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:23,392
an entire subspecies that inhabited
the Earth for millions of years
278
00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:26,990
will have disappeared for ever.
279
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,357
Right across Africa,
280
00:44:33,480 --> 00:44:39,317
human beings are having
a devastating impact on all wildlife.
281
00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:44,437
Cheetah numbers are decreasing
282
00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:46,039
year on year.
283
00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:53,194
Today, there are fewer than 8,000
left on the continent.
284
00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:09,471
The global demand for pangolin scales
for use in traditional medicine
285
00:45:09,600 --> 00:45:13,673
has now made them
the most trafficked animal on the planet.
286
00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:22,834
And western chimpanzees are so threatened
by the loss of their habitat
287
00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:25,998
that they are now critically endangered.
288
00:45:29,680 --> 00:45:31,273
In this female's lifetime,
289
00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,836
three-quarters of the forest
in the Ivory Coast
290
00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:37,315
has been felled for plantations.
291
00:45:42,640 --> 00:45:45,792
Deforestation -
and not only in Africa -
292
00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:49,276
continues on an enormous scale.
293
00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:58,671
64 million acres of forest
are destroyed every year
294
00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:02,236
to make way for agriculture
and industry.
295
00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:07,196
An area of forest
the size of a football field
296
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:09,311
is disappearing every second.
297
00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:18,550
Climate change is affecting
global weather patterns.
298
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:24,359
Rainfall is increasingly unpredictable.
299
00:46:24,480 --> 00:46:28,838
Average temperatures
are soaring all over the globe.
300
00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:38,232
Extreme weather
is now affecting wildlife
301
00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:41,591
on all seven of the planet's continents.
302
00:46:55,200 --> 00:47:00,479
Today, scientists tell us that
we are at the start of a mass extinction,
303
00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:05,151
and one that is being caused
by human activity.
304
00:47:08,600 --> 00:47:11,991
Over a million species
could be wiped out,
305
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:14,999
many within the next few decades.
306
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:28,030
But with help, even the most vulnerable
wildlife populations can still recover.
307
00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:36,799
In Africa's Virunga National Park,
308
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:41,278
an intensive conservation programme
for the mountain gorilla
309
00:47:41,400 --> 00:47:47,396
has raised their numbers above 1,000
for the first time since records began.
310
00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:06,795
And in Antarctica,
311
00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:10,754
the international ban on whaling
has meant that the great whales
312
00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:15,670
have returned to the Southern Ocean
in numbers not seen for a century.
313
00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:21,717
So we can improve things...
314
00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:26,275
...if we determine to do so.
315
00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:34,436
This is a crucial moment in time.
316
00:48:34,560 --> 00:48:36,756
The decisions we take now
317
00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:41,795
will influence the future of animals,
humanity,
318
00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:45,709
and indeed all life on Earth.
319
00:49:17,360 --> 00:49:21,911
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: For the Africa team,
each shoot presented its own challenge...
320
00:49:23,240 --> 00:49:27,313
...but one tested them
in ways they never imagined.
321
00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:35,075
The team journeyed for six days
to the heart of the Congo rainforest.
322
00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:40,711
Their aim - to film the intimate lives
of lowland gorillas.
323
00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:46,750
They worked with local expert trackers,
324
00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:50,475
who can pick up the trail
of evidence left by the gorillas.
325
00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:59,756
From the plant, they can tell
which way the group has gone.
326
00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:07,997
As they close in, the team wear masks
to stop the spread of disease.
327
00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:19,071
Finally, a silverback and his family
in the trees.
328
00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:25,072
(WHISPERS) Look at that big boy.
329
00:50:32,680 --> 00:50:34,751
(WHISPERS) He's huge!
330
00:50:39,840 --> 00:50:42,514
You don't want to look him in the eye
because that...
331
00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:43,914
Oh, OK! (LAUGHS)
332
00:50:48,120 --> 00:50:51,795
The trackers have known this male
for 20 years
333
00:50:51,920 --> 00:50:54,389
and use clicking noises to reassure him.
334
00:50:54,520 --> 00:50:57,080
(TONGUE CLICKS)
335
00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:00,397
It was a completely amazing experience.
336
00:51:00,520 --> 00:51:02,909
Just came closer and closer and closer,
337
00:51:03,040 --> 00:51:05,759
and my eyes got wider and wider and wider.
338
00:51:07,880 --> 00:51:10,076
Yeah, it was incredible.
I'm just sort of smiling.
339
00:51:10,200 --> 00:51:11,952
It's kind of hard to process. (LAUGHS)
340
00:51:16,240 --> 00:51:20,552
But soon, the gorillas head
into the thickest jungle...
341
00:51:21,720 --> 00:51:23,472
(WHISPERS) Heavy, heavy.
342
00:51:23,600 --> 00:51:25,432
(GROANS)
343
00:51:25,560 --> 00:51:28,279
...which means that keeping up
ls difficult.
344
00:51:28,400 --> 00:51:33,998
(WHISPERS) There are a group of gorillas
somewhere in this mass of vegetation
345
00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:39,638
but it takes us about ten minutes
just to cut a few-metres path through it.
346
00:51:41,920 --> 00:51:44,309
Filming them is virtually impossible.
347
00:51:44,440 --> 00:51:49,230
(WHISPERS) Oh, there's always
a piece of vegetation in the way.
348
00:51:49,360 --> 00:51:51,556
Oh, God, 1 can barely see anything.
349
00:51:52,720 --> 00:51:54,597
(INSECTS BUZZ)
350
00:51:56,360 --> 00:52:01,833
As the days pass,
the jungle begins to take its toll.
351
00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:03,712
Oh, God, this is awful.
352
00:52:05,440 --> 00:52:10,150
Your ears, your nose, my eyes...
They're flying everywhere.
353
00:52:11,760 --> 00:52:17,278
And with little filmed, the reality
of the situation is sinking in.
354
00:52:17,400 --> 00:52:21,837
It's going to be a real challenge for me
to get a sequence here,
355
00:52:21,960 --> 00:52:24,474
and it's a long way to come
to get nothing.
356
00:52:26,960 --> 00:52:30,191
Yeah, I'd say I'm feeling
the pressure at the moment.
357
00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:32,436
(SIGHS)
358
00:52:36,600 --> 00:52:38,637
Half the shoot is now over,
359
00:52:38,760 --> 00:52:42,469
so the crew decide
to move to a more open area.
360
00:52:46,440 --> 00:52:47,839
Their destination -
361
00:52:47,960 --> 00:52:51,157
a clearing known as a ball.
362
00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:57,996
So, our luxurious home for the next
ten days or so is the top of this mirador.
363
00:53:01,520 --> 00:53:04,672
It's a little cramped,
but from this platform
364
00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:08,111
they hope to spot the gorillas
emerging from the forest.
365
00:53:12,920 --> 00:53:16,959
On their first morning,
the crew awaken to a visitor.
366
00:53:20,440 --> 00:53:22,716
It's our first elephant on this trip.
367
00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:25,195
There's a big bull
in the middle of the bai.
368
00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:29,829
And finally,
369
00:53:29,960 --> 00:53:32,713
the risk of moving pays off.
370
00:53:34,840 --> 00:53:37,832
(WHISPERS) It's been
a really, really quiet morning,
371
00:53:37,960 --> 00:53:40,315
but a big group of gorillas,
about 15,
372
00:53:40,440 --> 00:53:45,355
has suddenly appeared really, really close
to us and, apparently,
373
00:53:45,480 --> 00:53:48,950
this very rarely happens. Maybe about
once a month they'll come this close.
374
00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:56,557
Over the next week,
the gorillas continue to visit the ba.
375
00:54:12,400 --> 00:54:14,516
Until one afternoon...
376
00:54:15,600 --> 00:54:17,079
(GUNSHOT)
377
00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:21,116
- (GUNSHOT)
- (GORILLAS ROAR)
378
00:54:21,240 --> 00:54:22,674
...gunshots.
379
00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:27,349
On the platform,
the team are vulnerable.
380
00:54:27,480 --> 00:54:31,235
There's been poachers
probably within eyeshot of us.
381
00:54:31,360 --> 00:54:33,317
They know we're here.
We can't see them.
382
00:54:33,440 --> 00:54:35,113
And two big gunshots.
383
00:54:36,200 --> 00:54:38,111
They decide to evacuate.
384
00:54:39,680 --> 00:54:42,399
But there's also a risk of walking
through the jungle at night.
385
00:54:44,800 --> 00:54:48,430
The one rule of the forest is not to walk
in the forest when it gets dark,
386
00:54:48,560 --> 00:54:53,430
so we're going as fast as we can.
387
00:54:53,560 --> 00:54:57,474
Elephants are in the area,
so this is extremely dangerous.
388
00:55:02,240 --> 00:55:04,356
(CLATTERING)
389
00:55:05,680 --> 00:55:08,593
An hour later,
the team reach a camp.
390
00:55:08,720 --> 00:55:10,279
Oh, God.
391
00:55:13,240 --> 00:55:14,674
(EXHALES)
392
00:55:16,320 --> 00:55:19,233
That is not an experience
I'd want to repeat again.
393
00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:23,155
We had to choose between the risk
394
00:55:23,280 --> 00:55:25,669
of getting charged
by an elephant in the dark
395
00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:28,269
or getting shot by poachers.
396
00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:29,834
Um...
397
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:34,158
So, yeah, it's...pretty stressful.
398
00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:37,432
(EXHALES) I'm going to have a sit-down.
399
00:55:37,560 --> 00:55:40,120
If they're ivory poachers,
this is quite serious,
400
00:55:40,240 --> 00:55:41,992
and they've got nothing to lose,
401
00:55:42,120 --> 00:55:45,670
and the gunshot was aimed in our
direction, that's where the sound was.
402
00:55:45,800 --> 00:55:47,950
It's a pretty scary situation to be in.
403
00:55:51,680 --> 00:55:56,800
Overnight, an armed anti-poaching unit
ls called in to scout the area.
404
00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:01,230
Because of the remoteness
of this park,
405
00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:03,795
there's been no poaching
recorded in the last 20 years,
406
00:56:03,920 --> 00:56:08,232
so this is a really significant moment
and it's a really sad moment,
407
00:56:08,360 --> 00:56:12,240
because it means that,
as roads are being built here,
408
00:56:12,360 --> 00:56:17,070
it's becoming less and less remote, the
animals here are in more and more danger.
409
00:56:22,800 --> 00:56:26,350
Within a few hours,
the anti-poaching unit return
410
00:56:26,480 --> 00:56:31,600
with a stash of tusks
and news of a slaughtered elephant.
411
00:56:31,720 --> 00:56:36,317
It's about as tragic as it gets, really,
and we heard the two shots go off,
412
00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:39,831
so we were there when it happened
and the elephant went down.
413
00:56:41,080 --> 00:56:43,594
With the armed poachers still on the run,
414
00:56:43,720 --> 00:56:46,838
the team decide to abandon the shoot.
415
00:56:46,960 --> 00:56:49,873
It's really tough
leaving on such a sad note.
416
00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:54,073
We've been watching these elephants
in the bai for the last week,
417
00:56:54,200 --> 00:56:58,751
and knowing that one of them
was killed yesterday is, um,
418
00:56:58,880 --> 00:57:04,114
is horrible and, yeah,
it's sad to be leaving like this.
419
00:57:06,760 --> 00:57:10,037
The poachers were caught,
but this incident
420
00:57:10,160 --> 00:57:13,915
is a reminder of how vulnerable
wildlife has become on the continent.
421
00:57:18,640 --> 00:57:22,315
Even animals
in the remotest parts of Africa,
422
00:57:22,440 --> 00:57:25,592
and indeed all our seven worlds,
423
00:57:25,720 --> 00:57:27,791
are now at risk.