[birds chirping]
[Helena Bonham Carter] On the edge of the Okavango Delta in Botswana,
a new generation are learning about their world.
[tranquil music plays]
This boisterous bunch are wild dog pups, just ten weeks old.
[tranquil music continues]
The most confident of them all is Duma.
[tranquil music continues]
[wild dogs yelp]
She's always looking out for adventure
and fancies herself as a future leader.
[tranquil music continues]
The pups' parents are the alpha pair.
But every adult works equally hard to raise this family.
While the pack is out hunting,
cousin Bamba is keeping guard at the den.
[tranquil music continues]
This incredible team shares one of the strongest bonds
in the natural world.
[tranquil music continues]
Bonds that the pups must build,
and that will soon determine Duma's very survival.
[tranquil music fades]
For many wild babies, being part of a close family
can make the difference between life and death.
[squeaking]
These four pups are banded mongooses.
Three gutsy girls,
and their bashful brother, Quito.
[jaunty music plays]
After four weeks inside their den,
they're getting their very first look at the world.
[jaunty music continues]
They have a big family of 35 to look after them.
But the pups are easy targets for predators.
[jaunty music stops]
Quito and his sisters have just a 50/50 chance
of surviving the next few months.
To improve their odds, each pup must team up with an adult
to teach them the skills they need in the outside world.
[jaunty music plays]
[mongoose squeaks]
[jaunty music continues]
Quito's mom will continue to provide milk,
but daily childcare is a family affair.
And the stronger the bond with their minders,
the better their chances.
[jaunty music continues]
All the pups are now paired up.
[mongoose squeaks]
All except Quito.
[melancholy music plays]
He's not pushy enough to persuade an adult to take him on.
So, right now, he's on his own.
[melancholy music fades]
The girls are already being taught what to eat.
[jaunty music plays]
Termites…
millipedes, beetles,
and even small snakes are on the menu.
[jaunty music continues]
But while his sisters get fuller,
poor Quito is getting hungrier.
[jaunty music fades]
[mongoose squeaks]
He plucks up courage to approach his big brother, Quboua.
But the teenager has no interest in being a babysitter.
[melancholy music plays]
[mongoose squeaks]
Unless he can team up with an adult soon,
Quito's future is far from certain.
[tranquil music plays]
While some little ones struggle to form an attachment…
in the icy waters of Alaska,
one baby and her devoted mom can hardly be prized apart.
[tranquil music fades]
This little sea otter is Kesari.
[jaunty music plays]
She's four weeks old and the center of her mother's world.
[jaunty music continues]
She's been carried around by her single mom
every day for the last month.
[jaunty music continues]
Because despite being born in water,
up to now, Kesari hasn't had the coordination to swim.
[jaunty music fades]
The other pups her age are starting swimming lessons.
And Kesari should be too.
But with free transport from mom, she's perfectly happy where she is.
[tranquil music plays]
She's a truly pampered pup,
but grooming is important.
Fluffing up Kesari's fur traps air next to her skin,
giving her vital insulation against this glacial water.
Without it, she wouldn't last a day.
[tranquil music continues]
All Kesari's needs are catered for,
including full-fat milk on tap.
[tranquil music continues]
[sea otter squeaks]
It'll be five more months before Kesari is fully weaned.
It's a big energy drain or her mom,
who badly needs to eat.
[tense music plays]
But diving for food
means leaving her daughter alone and unprotected.
[tense music continues]
She can't leave Kesari on land.
The closest island is already occupied.
And the shore is a definite no-go.
[foreboding music plays]
Her mom's only option
is to leave her daughter on the sea surface.
[foreboding music continues]
But it's risky.
Bald eagles come here to fish,
but they'll readily take an otter pup left unattended.
[tense music plays]
Despite the dangers,
while Kesari's sound asleep, her mom grabs her chance.
[tense music plays]
A sea star is just the calorific meal she needs.
[tense music continues]
A quick check of her daughter,
and it's back for seconds.
[tense music continues]
On this part of the coast, tides change quickly.
[tense music continues]
In only a few minutes,
Kesari drifts over 300 feet from where her mother left her.
[tense music continues]
On her return, Kesari's mom finds her precious baby gone.
[sea otter shrieks]
[tense music stops]
Even with the most devoted parenting in the world,
growing up in the wild is highly precarious.
Especially for mongoose Quito,
who's still struggling to find anyone willing to take him on.
[jaunty music plays]
The relationships between his sisters and their mentors
grow stronger every day.
As does their confidence.
[mongooses squeak]
[jaunty music continues]
[mongooses squeak]
Play fighting is how the pups learn self-defense…
[mongooses squeak]
…and Quito is missing out.
[mongooses squeak]
[jaunty music continues]
He sidles up to Quboua,
but once more, he's given the brush-off.
Quito is losing out on more than just lessons.
[jaunty music plays]
-[squawking] -[squeaking]
[bird squawks]
Mentors are also bodyguards.
-[bird squawks] -[mongoose squeaks]
[bird squawks]
A marabou stork can swallow a pup whole.
[mongoose squeaks]
And predators aren't Quito's only threat.
As evening approaches, a bigger danger emerges.
[tense music plays]
[mongooses squeak]
Only feet from the den, the family has picked up a scent.
[tense music continues]
A rival mongoose gang entered their territory just moments ago.
[foreboding music plays]
Turf wars are brutal…
[foreboding music continues]
…and if the family is attacked, the pups might not come out alive.
There's no time to waste.
They must move dens,
and they must move now.
[foreboding music crescendos]
In Southern Africa, the wild dog family is also under threat.
[tense music plays]
Babysitter Bamba is on high alert for predators.
[tense music continues]
And he's spotted the most dangerous of all.
A lion.
Only 200 feet from where Duma and her siblings are sleeping.
[tense music continues]
The lion may be alone, but to small pups,
she's deadly.
[tense music fades]
Risking his life, Bamba confronts the enemy.
[tense music plays]
But the intruder isn't budging.
[wild dog pups whimper]
And she's clocked the pups.
[tense music continues]
[pups whimper]
Bamba's helpless on his own.
[tense music continues]
But backup is on its way.
[tense music continues]
One dog may be no match,
but four is enough to send the lion packing.
[tense music fades]
[tranquil music plays]
Danger over…
it's dinnertime.
[tranquil music continues]
Every adult gives 100% for this family.
It's a team effort to protect
and feed the pups.
[tranquil music continues]
But putting others first is something Duma has yet to learn.
[pups yelping]
For her, every mealtime is a chance to assert herself.
[dramatic music plays]
But Duma's days of being waited on are coming to an end.
[dramatic music continues]
Her world is about to get bigger and more dangerous.
[dramatic music fades]
In Alaska, life for Kesari is already on a knife edge.
[sea otter shrieks]
The little pup is missing.
-[tense music plays] -[sea otter shrieks]
And her mom is getting frantic.
[sea otter shrieks]
[tense music continues]
[sea otter shrieks]
Suddenly…
[sea otter squeals]
…a familiar call.
[sea otter squeals]
[dramatic music plays]
[sea otter squeals]
[dramatic music continues]
[sea otter shrieks]
[sea otters squeal]
[dramatic music crescendos]
Mother and daughter are safely reunited.
After the scare of losing her,
her mom decides it's time for some tough love.
[jaunty music plays]
From now on, it's boot camp for Kesari.
[jaunty music continues]
First, short dips to get used to the water.
Then full-on swim training.
[jaunty music continues]
With her mom's encouragement and some careful ear holding,
slowly but surely, Kesari gets the hang of it.
[jaunty music continues]
In just a fortnight, she's mastered splashing around on the surface.
[jaunty music continues]
But diving underwater is a whole different ball game.
[jaunty music fades]
Her attempts to find food are a little patchy.
But thankfully, she's still given meals by her mom.
[tranquil music plays]
-[sea otter squeals] -Kesari is thriving.
She's no longer a laid-back baby,
but a little girl growing more independent by the day.
[tranquil music continues]
The incredible bond that these two share
will give Kesari the best chance in the future.
[tranquil music continues]
In four more months, this little pup will go her own way.
[tranquil music continues]
But until then,
these two can enjoy their precious time together.
[tranquil music continues]
[tranquil music fades]
In Uganda,
family strength has never been more important
for Quito and his sisters.
[tense music plays]
Under threat of attack, the family is moving dens.
It's a short trek, but through a dangerous neighborhood.
[tense music continues]
The girls have someone looking out for them.
[tense music continues]
But little Quito has no one by his side.
[tense music continues]
With half the journey still to go,
he's already falling behind.
[tense music continues]
He's alone in the open.
[mongoose squeaks]
[tense music continues]
A martial eagle is big enough to take adults
as well as pups.
[mongooses squeak]
If Quito is spotted, he has little chance.
[tense music continues]
[mongoose squeaks]
All he can do is call for help.
[mongoose squeaks]
[tense music continues]
Big brother Quboua comes to the rescue,
not a moment too soon.
[squawking]
[mongoose squeaks]
[tranquil music plays]
Coast clear,
the family moves on.
[tranquil music continues]
The sound of Quito in danger was the trigger Quboua needed.
And at last,
Quito has the special bond he always longed for.
[tranquil music continues]
Up ahead, the family finally reaches the safety of their new home.
[mongooses squeak]
[tranquil music continues]
With a lakeside view…
and plenty to drink and eat.
[tranquil music continues]
Quito has had a shaky start,
but life is looking up.
[tranquil music continues]
Despite Quboua's initial reluctance,
he's turning out to be the most attentive mentor of all.
[tranquil music continues]
The path to adulthood is challenging.
[tranquil music continues]
But with his family's support, Quito has every chance of getting there.
[tranquil music fades]
[birds chirping]
It's a new day and a new milestone
for Duma and her siblings.
Duma's mom has decided that it's time to stop bringing food to the pups…
and to start bringing the pups to the food.
[jaunty music plays]
This is the first time they've been this far from their den.
[jaunty music continues]
And even plucky Duma is not quite so sure.
[jaunty music continues]
[wild dog yelps]
[tranquil music plays]
The pups' first meal out is impala…
and Duma can't wait to dive in.
[tranquil music continues]
In this family, the pups come first…
and only when they're full do the adults take their turn.
[tranquil music fades]
Duma isn't one for showing patience.
While her minders are preoccupied, she starts to explore.
[pups squeal]
[jaunty music plays]
And her siblings follow her lead.
[jaunty music continues]
A termite mound makes the perfect climbing frame.
[jaunty music continues]
[pups squeal]
[jaunty music continues]
[jaunty music stops]
As intrepid Duma starts to head back…
[tense music plays]
…it's clear she has no idea which way to go.
[tense music fades]
As self-appointed leader,
she picks a direction.
[pups squeal]
[elephant growls]
But it's the wrong one.
This wet ground is completely new to them.
Duma has got her siblings well and truly lost.
[tense music plays]
Back at the kill,
Bamba realizes the pups are missing
and quickly forms a search party.
[tense music plays]
[wild dog howls]
Usually, they smell the pups,
but in wind this strong, they can't pick up their scent.
[tense music continues]
The pups' lives now depend on their family bonds.
[tense music crescendos]
Duma is learning just how important it is to be part of a team.
[tense music plays]
The pups need their pack,
and they need them now.
[tense music continues]