01x01 - Leaving Home

[bunniefuu]

[Bonneville] Experience a
world beyond imagination

where fish can fly...

lizards walk on water,

apes master tools

and frogs disappear
in plain sight.

Animals do the
smartest things...

through every stage
of their lives.

[meerkat barks]

From leaving home...

to raising a family.

From finding food...

to making friends.

[elephant trumpets]

They find ingenious
ways to survive

against all odds.

[bellows]

Welcome to The Secret
Lives of Animals.

[Bonneville] On an island
off the coast of Australia...

- [seal pup chitters, sucks]
- this fur seal is just a few days old.

- He still relies on his mother for milk.
- [seal pup chitters]

- [seal bellows]
- [seal pup chitters]

To keep him well-fed,
she must go fishing.

Leaving him alone
for the first time.

At this age, he should stay in
the safety of his hilltop home...

[bellows]

and wait for her to come back.

But curiosity gets
the better of him.

This is the first major
milestone in his life.

[chitters]

And the early steps
are the most difficult.

- [seals bellowing]
- [seal pup chitters]

Going it alone, he's
lost and vulnerable.

Without help, even the smallest
mistake could lead to disaster.

[groaning]

He tumbles 100 feet
towards the ocean edge.

[bellowing continues]

And his situation quickly
turns from bad to worse.

He's too young to tackle
the rough seas alone.

And his fur won't be waterproof
for another two months.

So every second he's in the
ocean, he gets colder and weaker.

And his chances of
survival are reduced.

He's at the mercy
of Mother Nature.

Saved by the sea.

But he's exhausted, hungry, and
still too young to feed himself.

Out of the hundreds
of seals here,

only one can save him.

His mum.

[bellows]

- [bellowing]
- [chitters]

But to him, all
adults look the same.

[chitters]

- [growls]
- And worse still,

they're ferociously
protective of their own young.

[honking]

[chittering]

[growls]

- [bellows]
- [chitters]

A lone pup could
easily be k*lled.

- [bellowing]
- [chittering]

He must do something
extraordinary to survive.

He remembers his
mother's unique call.

[bellows]

[chitters]

[bellows]

Which he learned within the
first four hours of his life.

That's faster than
any other mammal.

Even humans.

[seals bellowing]

So he can pinpoint
the sound of his mum

among the hundreds of others...

[bellows]

- and make it to safety.
- [chitters]

Leaving home is full of
unexpected challenges.

One wrong move
could be your last.

But if you have the right skills

and make smart choices,

it could be the start of
life's great adventure.

- [birds chirping]
- [insects buzzing]

Leaving home for the first
time is a daunting prospect.

And in the jungles
of Costa Rica,

this young basilisk lizard would
stay here forever if he could.

He has a waterside view...

a sunny aspect...

and all the food
he could wish for.

But it's so desirable...

this large male
wants to move in,

and he's not the sharing type.

When it comes to a
basilisk showdown,

bigger is better.

He stands no chance in a fight.

And forced to the edge
of his territory...

he must leave the only
home he's ever known.

But trapped by the river,

he'll need a miracle to escape.

He can walk on water.

His rear feet are almost
half the size of his leg.

And he uses them to
stop himself sinking.

Slapping them hard against the
water to create an air pocket.

Then he lifts his foot out of
the bubble before it bursts.

An extraordinary
means of escape.

No wonder he's also known
as the Jesus Christ lizard.

Working out how to leave home
is just the start of the battle.

The next great challenge
is deciding where to go.

Because that could shape
the rest of your life.

High in the mountain
streams of Trinidad...

this killifish was born
into a crowded world.

There's not enough food
for the whole family.

And tensions are rising.

To thrive, she must leave.

The best place for her
to go is far upstream.

A fresh pool away from her home.

But blocking her path are
boulders, ravines and waterfalls.

Surely an impossible journey for
a fish the size of your finger.

Most killifish stay at home

and try to survive
amidst the competition.

But she's one of just 10%
that have an urge to explore.

She launches herself...

onto dry land.

It seems suicidal.

Out here, her gills can't work.

Most fish would pass
out within minutes.

And she still has a long way
to go to reach her new home.

So, she shifts her
weight onto her tail

and leaps into the air...

flying an incredible eight
times her own body length.

She can't afford
to jump aimlessly.

So she looks for the
telltale shimmer of water.

Then re-orientates her body

and backflips in
the right direction.

But she's still a
fish out of water.

To buy her time,

the blood in her tail runs so
close to the surface of the skin...

it absorbs oxygen
from the air...

and she can breathe
through her tail.

In fact, she can survive for
up to 15 hours out of water...

and travels 6,000 times
her own body length

until she reaches...

her new home.

Perfect.

There's plenty of food here.

And she has it all to herself.

For some, the hardest part of leaving
home is the journey to get there.

For others, it's finding
your way once you arrive.

In an ancient English woodland

beneath the roots
of an old maple...

- [rustling]
- [chittering]

this young wood mouse

is ready to leave her burrow
to make her own way in life.

She travels up to
one mile a night...

searching for the right
spot to dig her own home.

This grassy field
will do nicely.

But out here...

she's dangerously exposed.

A lucky escape...

this time.

And she has another problem.

She's just an inch
off the ground,

and this field looks the
same in every direction.

Getting lost could prove fatal.

Despite having a brain
the size of a pea,

she does something
very clever indeed.

She collects objects

and makes her very
own signposts.

Something no other mammal,
apart from us, is known to do.

While foraging, she keeps
check on her marker.

The further she travels, the
more signposts she creates.

Until her network of waypoints
expands across the field.

Allowing her to roam this
featureless landscape

without getting lost.

It's satnav for wood mice.

And when she needs
a swift escape...

she knows just where to go.

Safe.

[owl squawks]

For some, leaving home is about
starting a quieter life in solitude.

[elephant rumbles]

But for others,

home is where the herd is.

And when male African
elephants reach adolescence,

their world turns upside down.

Staying with the herd is bad for the
gene pool, so they're forced out.

[trumpets]

This young elephant is
alone and vulnerable.

To stand the best
chance of survival...

he needs a new herd.

Using the most sensitive
nose in the world,

he finds hope from
three miles away.

A small herd of males.

With plenty of food.

And the safety of each other.

[rumbles]

They could be his lifeline.

The trouble is...

they're on an island in
the mighty Zambezi river,

which, right now,
is in full flood.

Over half a million
gallons of water

surge past these banks
every single second.

Others have tried to cross
with fatal consequences.

And if the river doesn't get
you, what comes next will.

Three hundred feet
high and a mile wide,

the largest waterfall
on the planet...

Victoria Falls.

Young and bullish...

he tries to take
the shortest route.

Straight to the island.

The current here is
dangerously strong.

And he's quickly
out of his depth.

Even for a five-ton elephant,
this river is too powerful.

He's forced closer
to the waterfall.

In desperation, he turns back.

He's lucky to survive.

He won't make this
mistake again.

Like all his kind, he has one of the
greatest minds in the animal kingdom.

He just needs to use it.

He heads upriver away
from the island of bulls.

He's looking for somewhere the
current will carry him to the island.

Remarkably, he seems
to test the water.

It's just too strong here.

Could this be the right spot?

He's gambling with his life.

Off his feet, the
river takes hold.

Success.

He's overcome one of the world's
most dangerous rivers in peak flow.

And there's a welcome
party waiting for him.

[rumbles]

He's become part of an
elite group of elephants

who've worked out how
to cross this river.

And now he has access to
the best food in the area,

a new herd and a new home.

Leaving home is a
rite of passage.

It takes great skill
to know when to leave,

where to go,

and how to find your
way when you get there.

Get it right, and you're well
on your way to adulthood.

To capture an
extraordinary elephant

making one of the most perilous
river crossings in the world...

the team needed to be in the right
place at precisely the right time.

Which would be impossible
without the expert knowledge

of wildlife
cinematographer Tom Varley.

[Varley] I first moved to Victoria
Falls when I was ten years old.

I'm almost 50 now.

Over time, you build up a
relationship with the elephants

and they get to recognize
the sound of your voice.

They recognize the
sound of your boat.

So it entitles you to be
able to get close to them.

[Bonneville] It's the
end of the wet season.

And the river is
dangerously swollen.

Most elephants avoid
these treacherous waters,

but over the years, Tom has
identified an elite group of males

who have learned how
to make the crossing.

[Varley] Fifteen years ago, there were no
elephants swimming across to the island

when the water was
really, really high.

Now, you have got a group of 15 to


[Bonneville] But this year,

even these bulls are struggling to
forge the Zambezi in full flood.

[Oakes] They might be a bit worried
about this level of current.

The river is quite high

and it keeps coming
up every day.

[Bonneville] The rising water is
making the elephants unpredictable.

Any mistakes could be
fatal for both them...

and the crew.

[Varley] The worst time to
navigate the Zambezi would be now.

If you have a problem, you've
got literally a couple of minutes

before you go over
Victoria Falls itself.

[Bonneville] It's
an early start.

The team set about tracking down a
bull brave enough to make the crossing.

Luckily, last night's chill
has given Tom an idea.

Elephants do get cold.

Sometimes we find them up
against the termite mounds

because they're the warmest
parts of the islands.

[Bonneville] There's
no elephant here now.

But to Tom's expert eye, it's
clear that a bull is nearby.

See where he's put his... the
side of his body up against here.

So he would have leaned up against
the termite mound to-to sleep.

[Bonneville] And before
long, he finds more signs.

[Varley] There is fresh
tracks of one leaving here

in the last sort of,
like, three, four hours.

[Bonneville] The search
continues from the river.

[crew member] Okay,
we've got him.

He's directly where
Sam is pointing, over.

[Bonneville] This bull has already
started to cross, but he seems hesitant.

He sort of tried to get into
the current, changed his mind,

turned back, and
went to the bushes.

[Bonneville] To the
crew's dismay...

- [elephant rumbles]
- the male disappears.

It's up to Tom to find him.

Jackpot.

[Varley] Just looking to see if
there's any warmth on the inside.

He's really, really,
close. So, the hunt is on.

[Bonneville] They
need to be ready.

The bull could take the
plunge at any moment.

[Oakes] He is swimming
for Palm Island.

Say that again. Repeat, repeat.

- He's swimming to Palm Island.
- [Oakes] He's swimming for Palm Island.

Okay, going now.

[Varley] Yeah, drone's
ready. He's coming.

[John] Stay where you
are. He's gonna swim.

[crew member] Okay, copy that.

[Varley] Okay. He's behind
the tree now for me.

[crew member] Shall we go down
past him and sh**t upstream? Over.

- [Varley] Yes. He's coming.
- Yes, go quickly. Over.

[Bonneville] This is the moment
they have been hoping for.

It's a huge relief.

[crew cheers]

[Varley] Nice one.

[chuckles]

[chuckles] He actually did it.

I mean, to see something that big
to take on a river this big...

I mean, yeah, it's definitely
battle of the giants.

[John] Tom's got such incredible
knowledge of this place.

He knows the ways that the elephants
are gonna move through the landscape.

And today, thankfully, we
managed to get the shots,

and it's because Tom
knew where to bring us.

[stammers] We could never
have done it without him.

[Bonneville] Next time...

the ever-changing challenge

that is raising a family.

[chirps]

It takes unwavering devotion...

a touch of magic,

and the help of
friends and family

to give your child a
head start in life.