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00:05Some journeys will last a lifetime, but they all begin with a first step.
00:21On Tanzania's Serengeti, just minutes old, this little foe is about to set out on one of the greatest land
00:34migrations on Earth.
00:46Born lucky, she's starting life at the perfect time, and in the perfect place.
01:00Spring rains means plenty of grass, and she's not alone.
01:12At this time of year, 8,000 wildebeest are born here every day.
01:27To avoid getting lost in the crowd, she's got to learn mom's unique smell and call.
01:50Still a little unsteady.
02:02In just one hour, she'll be ready to run.
02:11And she'll need to.
02:16On the African savannah, your luck can change in an instant.
02:44This baby boom draws in Africa's fiercest hunters.
03:02In the mist, superior low-light vision gives predators the edge.
03:31The foal needs to stick with her mom.
03:41But in the confusion, another youngster has lost his mother.
03:54He's disorientated.
04:00He's disorientated.
04:02And surrounded.
04:30It's just one of the most important.
04:56Some journeys end before they've even begun.
05:09Less than half of newborns survive their first year.
05:14On this, one of the most brutal migrations on the planet.
05:22Her best chance?
05:26Always, stay close to mom.
05:37With so many mouths to feed, the grass here won't last forever.
05:48So this little foal must set out on her first ever journey, joining over a million wildebeest
06:04on an epic thousand-mile trek heading north to the rich pastures of Kenya's Masai Mara.
06:20And she's not the only one heading out into the unknown.
06:32Here, in East Africa, animals must learn to live life on the move.
06:42On routes passed down through generations, all of them battling the odds, as they face
06:52these incredible journeys for the very first time.
07:11In Kenya's southern savannah, one of these first journeys is already underway.
07:25The rains have failed here for a third year.
07:34A bad time to be a newborn.
07:40Drought is all this baby elephant has ever known.
07:48When it rains, there's water and food to be found all across this 600-mile home range.
08:06But, for now, the calves rely on the wisdom of his family to lead him to one of the last
08:14remaining
08:14oases.
08:27A man-made waterhole.
08:48An adult can easily drink 30 gallons in one go.
09:01His mom is so thirsty.
09:08He's been left on his own.
09:14He's been left on his own.
09:17That's asking for trouble.
09:29Man-made waterholes can be a lifesaver during drought.
09:36But they can also be a death trap
09:45The steep sides mean even adults struggle to get out
10:01It's not easy without hands
10:11His mom even tries to create a step
10:27His whole family comes to the rescue
10:40But they still can't figure out how to save him
10:49His inexperienced mom
10:50takes a big risk
10:59Crossing to the other side
11:04Now in deep water for the first time
11:11He can barely swim
11:18Or control his trunk to breathe
11:43Finally his trust in mom pays off
11:59Almost there
12:00Almost there
12:23Exhausted
12:29But there are no timeouts for this elephant
12:35There might be water here
12:38But there's little left to eat
12:46He'll need to follow his family
12:48deeper into the wild
12:52As they struggle to find food in this
12:56The driest year in decades
13:09Coming of age is never easy
13:14But some don't have family to show them the ropes
13:22In the greener realm of Kenya's great rift valley
13:30This young female flamingo
13:32Has spent four years
13:34Growing up on the move
13:39Now she's entering uncharted waters
13:45On her first ever quest to find a mate
13:58Lake Pagoria
14:03A salt lake so toxic
14:07It can burn human skin
14:15But for a thick-skinned flamingo
14:19It's paradise
14:28Bursting with her favorite food
14:31A protein-rich algae called spirulina
14:39To win the dating game
14:45She's got to double her weight
14:51Through her sieve-like beak
14:55She slurps up 80 gallons of algal soup
14:59Every day
15:09It's a superfood
15:11That not only plumps her up
15:15Over three weeks
15:17It also turns her pale plumage
15:24A dazzling pink
15:33Her transformation is complete
15:40But this first-timer
15:42Still has a long way to go
15:52This lake might have food
15:54But it's not the place
15:56To find a mate
16:04To have any hope of finding love
16:08She'll have to follow the rest of the flock
16:29Traveling with an entourage
16:30Can help show you the way
16:35The young zebra is just days
16:37Into her first great march west
16:44The enormous herd
16:46Moves only seven miles a day
16:53Ahead is a five-month-long marathon
16:57With hundreds of miles to go
17:00Across the savannah
17:01To the green pastures north of the Mara River
17:09To keep her energy up
17:11The foal has to feed at least once an hour
17:23Around herd
17:24The herd munches their way through 5,000 tons of grass a day
17:34Leaving plenty of time to play
17:49And depositing
17:53Something precious
18:01For a dung beetle
18:05It's manna from heaven
18:11A competition
18:15Is fierce
18:28The best strategy
18:31Ball up as much as you can
18:33And make a run for it
18:41And so begins
18:44Another epic journey
18:48Pushing up to 50 times his own weight
18:59This tiny traveler navigates by the sun
19:10Plotting a dead straight line to escape his rivals
19:25He races to find a safe place to hide his hard-won meal
19:33But things can get tricky without his guiding light
19:46He'd be a tasty snack
19:48For a marabou stork
19:54Better freeze
20:05Crisis averted
20:18Finally
20:19Finally
20:19With his 60-foot marathon behind him
20:25A quiet spot
20:26To bury his ball
20:28And work his magic
20:33A little journey
20:34With a big impact
20:37Dung beetles recycle
20:39Three quarters
20:41Of all the dung
20:42On the serengeti
20:45Turning it into rich fertilizer for the grass
20:52Everyone benefits
20:57And the migration can keep moving
21:10There's also no rest for the young elephant
21:12There's also no rest for the young elephant
21:15Drought
21:16Still holds his home
21:18In its grip
21:29For every step his mother takes
21:35He takes six
21:40But his first journey
21:41But his first journey
21:42Could be his last
21:46The punishing conditions mean a fifth of African elephants
21:50Won't even survive their first year
21:57Thirst
21:58Drives them on
22:06The head of his family
22:08Uses her incredible memory
22:09To guide them
22:18The river she remembers
22:21Has run dry
22:33But she can smell water
22:36From over three miles away
22:57The river is still running
23:03Underground
23:16Without enough water
23:21The adults will last only three days
23:28Copying them
23:29Is how the curious little toddler learns
23:35But now is
23:37Not the time
23:42This little elephant
23:44Can count on mom's milk
23:50Still
23:52Practice makes perfect
24:06Water is scarce
24:08But it's not usually thirst that kills elephants
24:14It's starvation
24:21An adult needs to eat 300 pounds of vegetation a day
24:31They have to keep moving to find food
24:37This young apprentice will need to keep up
24:41They have to keep moving to find food
24:55There's a first time for everything
24:58Even when you're a flamingo
25:04On her quest for love
25:07This hopeful debutant
25:10Has followed the flock
25:13To kenya's lake
25:14To kenya's lake element
25:20Where lesser flamingos
25:24Are meeting up
25:25In their thousands
25:32Dressed in perfect pink
25:36And ready for the event of the season
25:54Now just to lock in her perfect partner
25:59From this vast dating pool
26:05Water levels here are just right
26:09Not too deep
26:11Not too shallow
26:14For some to make their first moves
26:29A dance like this
26:32Takes talent
26:35And can last four hours
26:49She's looking for a connection
26:51In the crowd
26:59One eligible bachelor
27:02Catches her eye
27:10Time to get to know each other
27:24But this party
27:26Has an uninvited guest
27:33A spotted hyena
27:39With the dancers distracted
27:46He launches a sneak attack
27:54Causing mayhem
28:06And tragedy
28:13The party's over
28:21The young flamingo makes her escape
28:23With her new partner
28:27Setting out
28:28To the one place
28:30She can safely start
28:31Her first family
29:00The young zebra
29:01The young zebra
29:02And her family
29:03Are now three months
29:04Into their serengeti journey
29:12There's been no rain
29:14For weeks
29:19For this novice
29:21The going is getting tougher
29:33Good thing she not only has her mom
29:35To look out for her
29:39She's traveling with an extended family
29:42Of females
29:44And young
29:46All watched over
29:47By her father
30:03A female cheetah
30:12Training her three cubs to hunt
30:16The easiest prey
30:22Young zebra
30:32Dad stands his ground
30:37Buying time for the fall
31:06The rookie hunter has caused panic
31:08The rookie hunter has caused panic
31:22But it's not the youngsters the foal should fear, it's their mom.
31:40Now she's in a race for her life, with mom and dad running interference.
32:08Even an experienced cheetah is no match for this united family.
32:21Panic over, it's time to keep moving toward the Mara.
32:48The young elephant is still pushing on through the drought.
32:57To end their relentless search for food and water, his family needs rain to refresh the land.
33:12In the distance, a low-frequency rumble.
33:24From over a hundred miles away, they can sense a storm is brewing.
33:36In a world where rains are becoming highly unpredictable, every drop counts.
34:02It's the calf's first taste of rain.
34:17In just one week, the land completely transforms.
34:42Finally, the food they so desperately need.
35:00It's thought in recent years, climate change now kills 20 times more elephants here than poaching.
35:11The calf's made it this far, but he'll need more than one storm to guarantee his future.
35:35Persistence pays off, especially when you're learning on the move.
35:41The young flamingo and her partner are homing in on their final destination.
35:53Tanzania's Lake Natron.
35:54A hostile volcanic lake, so hot and corrosive, most avoid it.
36:13But it's prime real estate for flamingos.
36:17One of the only places in Africa that's safe for her to raise a family.
36:26On islands away from roving predators.
36:32Here, she can build her nest in peace.
36:41And lay her single egg.
36:53She was born in this very place.
37:04Now she's becoming a mom, raising her cheek to take baby steps of its own.
37:27The zebra is also on the homestretch.
37:36After five months and hundreds of miles,
37:41the pastures of the Mara are finally within reach.
37:47But there's one thing in her way.
37:53The Mara River.
38:00Across the water is grass that will sustain her family for many months.
38:10But the zebra is about to find out why the Mara is known as the River of Death.
38:24The huge herd will swarm around the bank for days.
38:33Until someone's brave enough to take the first step.
38:44The Mara River.
38:45The Mara River.
38:45The Mara River.
38:46The Mara River.
38:47The Mara River.
38:49The Mara River.
38:51The Mara River.
38:51The Mara River.
38:54The Mara River.
38:55The Mara River.
38:57The Mara River.
38:59The Mara River.
38:59The Mara River.
39:01The Mara River.
39:03The Mara River.
39:06The Mara River.
39:07and the mortality kicks in.
39:19With the wildebeest blazing a trail,
39:25the zebras are driven on
39:30by the promise of fresh grass.
39:49But mom's been here before.
39:54So she's in no hurry.
40:01It's all too easy to drown
40:06or get crushed in the crowd.
40:17The foal is not the only one
40:20making this crossing for the first time.
40:26Another zebra has taken her young foal
40:29to cross away from the crowds.
40:37Here, the water is shallower,
40:42but the current is deceptively strong.
40:53He needs to catch up.
40:54He needs to catch up.
41:02Let's go.
41:27It's been months since the crocodiles have eaten.
41:34They're out in force.
41:47It's all down to timing.
41:52And luck.
41:58The foal, a stay by mom's side.
42:05Keep up.
42:11And watch out.
42:24Turning back may have saved her life.
42:34But now, she's separated from her family.
42:40She'll have to face the terror again.
42:44This time, alone.
42:54Her mother's call.
43:00It's all the encouragement she needs.
43:03It has.
43:05It has.
43:13It has.
43:18It has.
43:45I don't know.
43:56The grass here will keep her and her family well fed until it's time for the long trek south, back
44:05to where it all began.
44:18She will make this treacherous journey many times in her lifetime, but the first time is always the toughest.