Documental Persiguiendo la lluvia: El río inconstante
Durante el fin de la estación húmeda, los cielos bendicen los cielos de Kenia con un último y benéfico chaparrón. Estamos a principios de Mayo y el incesante diluvio ya casi ha concluido mientras la tierra absorbe al máximo este último regalo por que pasarán al menos cinco meses hasta la próxima estación húmeda. Cinco largos meses de evaporación y drenaje que poco a poco convertirán la tierra en polvo
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00:00In the arid lands of Kenya, water is life, the elixir without which no one survives.
00:23But the rain can be immeasurable or very scarce, and bring abundance or thirst and hunger.
00:34This matriarch has faced many droughts, guiding her family to a safe place.
00:42Traveling from the dust to where the water is hidden.
00:49Because whoever wants to survive here will have to chase the rain.
01:19The rain can be immeasurable or very scarce, and bring abundance or thirst and hunger.
01:27Because whoever wants to survive here will have to chase the rain.
01:35Because whoever wants to survive here will have to chase the rain.
01:43CHASE THE RAIN
01:56CHASE THE RAIN
02:08During the end of the wet season, the skies bless the north of Kenya with a last and beneficial downpour.
02:20We are at the beginning of May, and the unceasing downpour has almost ended.
02:30The earth absorbs this last gift to the fullest, because at least five months will pass until the next wet season.
02:42Five long months of evaporation and drainage, which will gradually turn the earth into dust.
02:53But for now, this exuberant landscape is full of life.
03:05Flowers sprout, there is ripe fruit in the trees, and the fresh grass grows in abundance.
03:22SAMBURU, KENYA
03:32Samburu is in the north of Kenya, and it is a very special place for elephants.
03:45The naturalists know very well the families that visit the reserve, and they have named them all.
03:57Anastasia is 40 years old, and is the matriarch of the so-called royal family.
04:06And she is going to attend a meeting of clans with her family.
04:20She follows a route that she knows perfectly well, accompanied by Alexi, her three-year-old son.
04:28All the herds go to the same place.
04:41The river.
04:44It flows from the slopes of Mount Kenya to the arid plains of the north.
04:51The great Iwaso Niro river is the soul of these lands, and one of the main protagonists of each dry season.
05:07It never rains uniformly throughout Kenya.
05:12In Samburu, this time the rains are not so heavy.
05:18But in Naboiso, further south, next to the Masai Mara reserve, they have been more frequent and intense.
05:28Thousands of herbivores graze in these plains.
05:34They arrived recently with their young, to devour the fresh and new grass.
05:41But just as they chase the rain, some predators chase them.
05:49Like this cheetah.
05:53It approaches its prey with a safe and triumphant pace, because it is the leader of a powerful coalition.
06:04A group of five adult males.
06:08They are known as the Five Magnificent.
06:13They are the largest and most powerful of the five.
06:18They are the largest and most powerful of the five.
06:23They are the largest and most powerful of the five.
06:28They are known as the Five Magnificent.
06:33Or in Swahili, the local language, the Tano Bora.
06:47The naturalists had observed alliances of two or three members, but never one of five.
06:59They formed their alliance here, in Naboiso.
07:07And they always return to this area when the rain attracts their favorite prey.
07:16The Nyu.
07:19A lone cheetah could never hunt such a large animal.
07:25But together, the Five Magnificent form an implacable team.
07:32First they select a target.
07:38And they separate it from the pack.
07:44But the Nyu regroup by instinct.
07:56So they try to sow panic.
08:06Attacking in a coordinated manner, the Five Magnificent have many options to defeat a Nyu.
08:13But their goal is to defend themselves by biting, which could hurt them a lot.
08:26And everything changes suddenly.
08:29Since the Five Magnificent has dispersed, and the Nyu attack them one by one.
08:44All their effort has been in vain.
08:49And one even limps with an injured leg.
08:58It is better to retreat.
09:01But before the sun sets, when the injured recovers, they will try again.
09:09In Samburu, Anastasia and the royal family continue in the river.
09:17An adult elephant needs to drink about 180 liters of water a day.
09:23And after traveling for two days, everyone enjoys it.
09:39Elephants are sensitive animals, and like us, they feel joy and pain.
09:46Nothing makes them happier than enjoying clean and fresh water in abundance, as a gift from the rain.
10:17But the river also has its dark side.
10:22And Anastasia has seen many victims.
10:27Like babies dragged by a river, or dead family members thirsty in their dry bed.
10:34But the river also has its dark side.
10:39And Anastasia has seen many victims.
10:44Like babies dragged by a river, or dead family members thirsty in their dry bed.
10:52And this year is going to be complicated.
10:57The rains have been light, and the shallow depth is a bad sign.
11:07It is likely that the river will dry up before the rain returns.
11:1450 kilometers south of Samburu, the Kenyan mountain rises.
11:20In its cliffs, it usually rains all year long.
11:26But even here, in the fertile region of Laikipia, the river is calm.
11:32But even here, in the fertile region of Laikipia, the river is calm.
11:42Although where they have fallen, nature is exuberant.
12:03The Iwaso-Niro river is born in these hills,
12:08which are now the home of a large, very special family.
12:16Today is a happy day for this herd of African wild dogs,
12:22because the new generation will finally get to know the wonderful outside world.
12:30These five vigorous and tireless puppies have turned two months old,
12:36and their mother is the alpha female who leads this herd.
12:41Another remarkable matriarch called Phoenix.
12:46She looks like a jewel, the locating necklace placed by the naturalists.
12:53And she gave birth to her children at the exact moment,
12:59because it has rained a lot here.
13:04And that means that there are many more prey to feed them.
13:11The very existence of Phoenix's puppies is a small miracle.
13:17Five years ago, the Lycaons almost went extinct in this region
13:23because of a canine moquillo outbreak.
13:29Phoenix was the only survivor.
13:36And after traveling south to look for other congeners,
13:42she formed this herd of 17 members and returned, saving the species in this area.
13:48Here everyone is important, even the sick.
13:54And when the earth begins to dry up,
14:00she will have to use all her experience and skills as a leader to keep them alive.
14:09It's midday in Samburu.
14:15The vegetation is still green and lush,
14:21but it won't last long like this.
14:27An army has started marching along the shore.
14:33The papuans form very large groups
14:39and they love to patrol in search of a gift from the river.
14:45Although they must watch out for the fish,
14:52they are lucky to be born at this time
14:57because there is plenty of water and food,
15:02and lots of little friends to play with.
15:08The papuans have a lot of fun.
15:15Anastasia warns them that it's time to get out of the water
15:32and relax in the mud.
15:45It's a lot of fun to roll in the mud
15:51and it's also very beneficial for their sensitive skin.
15:57The mud helps the elephants to cool down
16:03and protects them from mosquitoes and burns caused by the scorching sun.
16:10An adult elephant needs about 130 kilos of food a day,
16:16so Anastasia, her son Alexi and the whole family spend almost 12 hours eating.
16:23The vegetation is still abundant,
16:29but as it has rained less this year, dry areas are beginning to appear.
16:39The royal family has more than 20 members,
16:44who are the matriarch's sisters, her sons and daughters, and her nephews and nieces.
16:51Alexi takes advantage of every break to socialize with other young males.
16:59Now their lives revolve around play and friendship.
17:05Some will create bonds that will last a lifetime,
17:12and this is the time to start forging them.
17:19The fun fights and persecutions prepare the little ones,
17:26for the future.
17:31When Alexi reaches adolescence,
17:36he will leave the herd and join other single males,
17:41until he is an adult eager to mate in the so-called Mast period.
17:48But now he just has to have fun and maybe dream,
17:55about occupying the top of the hierarchical order.
18:12Although it has rained less than other years,
18:17the green continues to color the north of Kenya,
18:22and thanks to its exuberance,
18:25it is the ideal time for the young to be born and develop,
18:31and for all the animals to take a well-deserved rest,
18:36before chasing the rain again.
18:40It is time to educate the newcomers,
18:44and teach them who they can trust and who they should avoid.
18:53In Naboisho, Kuleta, at the age of three, is a fighting mother.
19:08She has four beautiful puppies,
19:11whose father is the leader of the five magnificent ones.
19:17The female cheetahs raise without help,
19:22and she has managed to survive until now,
19:26which is not easy,
19:29since sometimes only one in twenty reaches maturity.
19:37Kuleta is a first-rate mother,
19:43but she is getting the four of them to grow healthy and happy.
19:54They are two males and two females,
19:57and they gain confidence day by day,
20:00while they explore, play and practice their innate hunting skills.
20:13One of the females is a bold adventurer,
20:23and she is learning to climb trees.
20:30She is not yet a great climber,
20:36but she practices to the master,
20:39because the trees would be good escape routes to escape hyenas and lions.
20:47And the views are magnificent.
20:55The bad thing is that sometimes going down is more complicated than going up.
21:09With the attentive care of Kuleta, the puppies grow and learn,
21:14and today they are going to receive a master class.
21:20The five magnificent ones have a pending matter with the nyus,
21:25and they are not willing to fail again.
21:55With perfect coordination, three of them isolate a nyu.
22:26The father of the puppies holds his neck,
22:31but he alone cannot beat him.
22:40A companion joins the fight.
22:44And another one.
22:52But the powerful nyu is still standing.
23:04Until a quarter of the puppies join the fight.
23:15They have done it.
23:20But many carrineros have heard the commotion,
23:24and they approach with the hope of participating in the feast.
23:30And then the hyenas arrive.
23:34Their worst nightmare.
23:42If one of them were to receive a bite from the nyu,
23:46it would be the worst nightmare.
23:50But the hyenas do not give up.
23:56If one of them were to receive a bite from the nyu,
24:00it would be the worst nightmare.
24:21But the hyenas do not give up.
24:25If one of them were to receive a bite from the nyu,
24:29it would be the worst nightmare.
24:33But the hyenas do not give up.
24:37If one of them were to receive a bite from the nyu,
24:41it would be the worst nightmare.
24:45If one of them were to receive a bite from the nyu,
24:49it would be the worst nightmare.
25:01The cheetahs have had to give up the prey that was so difficult to hunt.
25:15The cheetahs have had to give up the prey that was so difficult to hunt.
25:20The cheetah watches from a great distance.
25:25He knows that the hyenas would kill his puppies.
25:30So he is very alert.
25:46In the high and large plateau of Laikipia,
25:50the earth has already begun to dry up.
26:01Many prey go to look for water.
26:06And Phoenix knows that the time is coming.
26:16They must chase the rain if they want to survive.
26:24But not yet.
26:28The puppies are not ready for the inclemencies of nomadic life.
26:33Although every day they venture a little further.
26:37And as they gain independence,
26:41they also become more vulnerable.
26:46Because the hyenas are always on the lookout.
26:51And if a puppy gets lost and is left unprotected,
26:55it would be an easy prey for them.
27:00The sick male does not improve,
27:04but he will continue to be a member of the pack
27:07and Phoenix will not abandon him.
27:14The rest will go hunting.
27:22And the excitement is growing.
27:35An adult will take care of the little ones
27:39and keep them safe in the burrow,
27:43while the other eleven go out to look for prey.
28:04Phoenix doubts whether to stay with his puppies
28:07or participate in the hunt.
28:15But in the end he decides to stay.
28:18With hyenas nearby, all precaution is little.
28:35In Samburu, Anastasia and her family
28:38are arriving at Iguaso Niro.
28:47Three weeks have passed since the rain stopped
28:51and the river level has experienced a drastic decline.
28:57The water still flows through the center of the riverbed,
29:00but its flow is less and less.
29:06The dry season begins to tighten.
29:31But for now there is enough water for everyone
29:35and fruit on the trees on the shore for the hungry baboons.
30:00At the moment, these young ones can only dream
30:03of climbing to the top,
30:08but soon they will get it.
30:15Anastasia guides her family to a shady area,
30:19where, although they are at 34 degrees,
30:22at least they can rest.
30:31In Samburu there is still enough food and water,
30:35but when resources begin to run out,
30:38they will have to decide whether to stay or leave.
30:42The fate of their family will depend on them
30:45making the right decision.
30:53The body of baboons forms protective circles
30:57around Alexi and his young companions
31:01and peace reigns.
31:06But problems are approaching.
31:15The big males are in mast,
31:18the hormonal fluctuation they experience
31:21since birth.
31:24And it multiplies the desire to mate.
31:28That is why they are challenging.
31:31They expel urine full of testosterone
31:34and segregate a fluid called temporine
31:37through the glands of the head
31:40while looking for females in heat.
31:45They are aggressive and unpredictable.
31:48They do not stop at anything to calm their parents.
31:53And their closeness threatens the peace
31:56that reigns between the royal family.
32:11In the highlands of Laikipia,
32:14the Lycaons are hunting.
32:19And although it is difficult for them to keep up,
32:22the sick one also participates.
32:28A strong smell reveals the presence
32:32of a group of impalas.
32:37The jaurea unfolds to surround the chosen prey.
32:52And the chase begins.
33:06But they have not chosen well.
33:11He is a too fast male.
33:16And they do not take long to lose their trail.
33:26So they return to the highlands
33:29to look for their prey.
33:36And then they regroup again.
33:41Finding food in this increasingly dry landscape
33:44forces them to move away from the burrow more and more.
33:51They finally see a dik-dik,
33:54the smallest local antelope
33:57and a basic element of their diet.
34:07Several hide among the package.
34:20But one is discovered.
34:27And although he is faster than his pursuers,
34:31their resistance is much greater.
34:43Escaping was impossible.
35:02They have captured four dik-diks.
35:06And all of them will be able to satiate themselves.
35:11The sick one receives his share.
35:15And they will gorge more meat when they return to the cubil
35:19so that Phoenix, the puppies and the faithful watchman can eat.
35:24In Samburu, Anastasia and the royal family
35:28are going to restart the march
35:32towards the deepest areas of the Iguazú-Niro.
35:39The first thing they do is to find a place
35:42where they can find food.
35:46It has been a month since the rain stopped
35:50and the river is no longer more than a stream.
35:54The tension continues to grow.
36:02And if that were not enough,
36:06many more males in Mast have set out
36:10in search of fertile females.
36:17Lemayan is perhaps the largest and most powerful.
36:29And he has become the matriarch of the royal family.
36:34But Anastasia already has a suitor.
36:38A young man who has followed the herd
36:42and now he insinuates to her.
36:46But she is not in the mood.
36:50So she should try her luck.
36:54But she is not in the mood.
36:58So she should try her luck.
37:02But she is not in the mood.
37:06So she should try her luck.
37:10Her insistence is annoying.
37:14And things are going to get more complicated
37:18with the arrival of Lemayan.
37:26The other males have shown their backs
37:30in sign of submission.
37:34No one has wanted to challenge this powerful titan.
37:40The young gallant also turns.
37:46But it seems
37:51that there is a serious lack of respect.
37:56Lemayan does not intend to allow it.
38:05The young man retreats,
38:08but he resists showing his back.
38:13And Lemayan advances towards him with a threatening gesture.
38:26He raises his trunk to the maximum.
38:30He shows how big and intimidating he can be.
38:38Males always try to avoid fights.
38:42They prefer to measure their strength
38:46before engaging in a fight.
38:50So the young man finally recognizes his weakness.
38:55And he is defeated.
39:03Lemayan proceeds to the final humiliation,
39:07placing his powerful trunk on the back of the gallant.
39:17He retreats, thinking of a possible future triumph.
39:21And he joins the group of singles on the riverbed.
39:28The aggressive males have shown their strength,
39:32but they have not been able to mate.
39:36The lack of rain has blocked the fertility of the females.
39:40And that announces that a serious drought is coming.
39:52The dry season began six weeks ago,
39:56and the plains of Navoiso have turned yellow.
40:07Culeta, the mother cheetah, has captured a gazelle
40:11and calls her puppies.
40:16Postponing the trip has been a right decision.
40:22For now, they have not needed to chase the rain.
40:35The hungry puppies are eager to start the feast.
40:46But they still do not have the strength necessary
40:50to tear the skin.
40:54So their mother helps them.
41:09Culeta keeps a close eye on the puppies,
41:13to detect the annoying carabiners.
41:22This jackal is the first.
41:29And others join him.
41:43Like this lonely hyena.
41:55Two hyenas snatched their loot from the five magnificent ones
41:59without any difficulty.
42:03So a mother and her puppies have nothing to do.
42:13The hyena has been attracted by the smell of the corpse,
42:17but would be more than willing to take a puppy.
42:21And Culeta does not think to take a chance.
42:43Her goal is to get away from the puppies.
42:49She runs a great danger, because a bite on a leg
42:53would mean the death of the whole family.
42:58But as the hyena does not move away,
43:02she decides to take the bet.
43:14Her timid maneuver of distraction has given result.
43:23But as the earth continues to dry up,
43:27the challenges will be increasingly greater and more dangerous.
43:43The ravages of the dry season are even more visible in the north.
43:47The top of Mount Kenya is clear.
43:51Not even the wind blows.
43:57And even at this altitude, the temperature rises to 35 degrees.
44:02In the territory of the Lycaons, the water is increasingly scarce.
44:16All the members of the herd rest together.
44:20And the puppies accompany them.
44:24For the first time, they have gone through a very difficult period.
44:29For the first time, they have spent the night out of the burrow.
44:38They have already integrated into the nomadic life.
44:46And the sick male continues to recover.
44:51But the prey are disappearing.
44:56Almost all the herbivores have gone in search of water.
45:02And Phoenix understands that the march is inevitable.
45:06But Phoenix understands that the march is inevitable.
45:25He leads a formidable team of 17 members.
45:30And with the youngest already included in the formation,
45:34the time has come to chase the rain.
45:54Samburu has been covered in dust.
46:00And the rain is coming.
46:06The fresh and exuberant grass has disappeared from the plain.
46:13But thanks to his memory and experience,
46:17Anastasia knows how to look for food in any circumstance.
46:21They must settle for dry bushes.
46:26Adults use their strength and skill to tear them from the ground.
46:36Alexei is also eager to get breakfast.
46:42And like everyone else, he needs water.
46:46So, a while later, Anastasia leads her family back to the flowing river.
47:16And face the inevitable. The water has already disappeared.
47:46The animals of Samburu face a desolate landscape.
47:50Their source of life has dried up.
47:55And the rain is coming.
48:00The animals of Samburu face a desolate landscape.
48:05Their source of life has dried up.
48:10And the rain is coming.
48:15The animals of Samburu face a desolate landscape.
48:20Their source of life has dried up.
48:25And the rain is coming.
48:40Anastasia must make a crucial decision.
48:45Should she risk her family dying of thirst in Samburu,
48:50or leave in search of springs and shelters?
48:58So, that's a big decision, with the help of her knowledge and experience.
49:08And in the end, she chooses to take her great family from Samburu
49:12away from the dry river.
49:17The cruel drought has begun.
49:22And only the strongest and the wisest will be able to face it.