Where the wild things
FOUR orphaned warthogs come bounding into shot – it has only taken them 45 minutes to discover the new waterhole. The siblings roll around in the mud to cool down, enjoying themselves immensely until an elephant stomps towards them and they scarper.
These are scenes in this new, stunning series with naturalist Chris Packham and biologist Ella Al-Shamahi.
With the aim of uncovering the complex dynamics of the waterhole, a team has arrived in the Mwiba Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania and built the first waterhole with a built-in specialist camera rig.
It has a half submerged, weather-proof hideaway with cameras filming 24/7 over a period of six months.
The result is this incredible
insight into the lives of some of Africa’s most iconic animals and the increasingly important role of water amid climate change.
It’s the beginning of the dry season when we start to watch what happens. A waterhole is the one place all animals gather – and it’s a fight for survival.
“This is the story of life and death at the waterhole,” says Chris. “We don’t know who will turn up and in what number.”
It doesn’t take long, with the warthogs the first visitors to turn up, swiftly followed by a couple of elephants and later – when the coast is clear – some nervous impala. Lions, leopards and giraffes are nearby too… but will they appear?
It’s tense, magical and fascinating, with plenty of facts and figures from experts hiding out by this African community drinking hole.