Dynasties II (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

1
The Makgadikgadi in Botswana,
known as "the great nothing".
Here, islands of dry grass are
surrounded by a desert of salt.
At first glance,
there appears no sign of life,
beyond old footprints
baked hard into the ground.
But this island is home
to a newly crowned
meerkat queen
called Maghogho.
She's marked
by a scar on her right cheek.
Her kingdom is at the limit
of what meerkats can endure.
Temperatures can reach
50 degrees Celsius,
and it doesn't rain for months.
Yet it's here
that Maghogho must learn
to lead a meerkat family.
She rules
over her two sisters
Pretty
and Dragonfly
and three males.
Together
they have seven new pups
the beginning of a dynasty.
To raise pups
in a land as harsh as this,
Maghogho will need to rely
on the strength of her family.
But this group is small
and inexperienced.
She needs to unite them
as a team.
Only then can she raise
these pups to adulthood.
Only then
can she establish
her dynasty.
Meerkats are always ruled
by a queen.
The most successful might
command a group of 30,
with daughters
and granddaughters
to inherit the land.
But Maghogho is just
at the start of this journey.
Now she's responsible
for all the key decisions
for her group.
This year,
there's little room for error.
The dry season is proving
particularly intense,
and food on the island
is running out.
It's vital that the adults
support each other.
Keeping watch
over them all is Pretty,
Maghogho's sister
and closest ally.
She scans the horizon
for danger,
allowing the others
to safely search
for the food they need.
Pretty is also mother
to two of the pups.
Maghogho is mother
to the other five.
This is very unusual.
Normally, queens don't allow
other females in their group
to breed
because a lot of pups
need a lot of supervision.
As queen, it's not
Maghogho's job to baby-sit.
That's the role
of the other adults.
Right now they should be finding
the youngsters' breakfast.
But when food is this scarce,
having so many pups is hard
for the group to look after.
Even their father,
the alpha male Thonga Tona,
is not prepared to share.
One adult, however,
is putting the pups' hunger
above his own
Boipuso, the most
junior male of the group.
He is the only one prepared
to give up his hard-won meals,
even though
they aren't his pups.
Being a soft touch
doesn't go unnoticed.
Now he can't get anything done.
Maybe he could get Pretty
to help -
two of the pups are hers.
But Pretty is not
at her lookout post.
She's not answering
their calls
even those of her pups.
It's Pretty.
Something is wrong.
She can barely walk.
Maghogho
has witnessed this before.
It has all the hallmarks
of a snake bite.
There's a good chance that
the snake is still close by.
Maghogho must act quickly
to get the pups as far away
as she can,
even though this means
leaving her sister.
The only one to stay behind
is Thonga Tona.
Meerkats' bonds run deep
in health
and sickness.
But there is nothing
he can do to help her.
With food running out
and a shake on the loose,
Maghogho's home
no longer feels secure.
She has a difficult decision
to make.
In the distance,
there is another grassland.
But reaching it will mean
crossing a saltpan
over half a mile wide.
It's dangerous.
There are predators
and there's nowhere to hide.
Maghogho must decide
if it's worth the gamble.
She must lead
and rely on the other adults
to guide the pups.
This will be a real test
of their teamwork.
Coast clear,
Maghogho decides to go.
And the adults follow.
But only one of her family
has waited for a pup.
A jackal.
The adults pick up speed
and don't look back.
Stranded and alone,
the pup turns back.
Maghogho and the adults may
have reached the other side,
but the pups
are nowhere to be seen.
The family's inexperience has
put the youngsters in jeopardy.
For one pup,
it's already too late
crushed in an eagle's talons.
Maghogho must act now.
She heads back to the island
alone.
As dusk falls,
there is still no sign
of the pups or Maghogho.
The next morning.
Maghogho has scoured
the island
but has only found one pup.
There is no sign of the others.
Now the hope of her dynasty
falls on this one remaining pup.
Her family have let her down.
If they are to succeed,
they need to work together
especially
as they're entering
unfamiliar territory.
This new grassland
is very different
from their island.
It stretches for miles,
and here there may be
the promise of more food.
Maghogho's first priority
is to find a safe place
for her family to shelter.
This abandoned burrow
will be the perfect den.
It just needs
a bit of a spring clean.
There are new neighbours.
Not very welcoming!
And there may be
real dangers, too.
It's wise to be prepared.
Maghogho chooses
the hardest earth
to dig a long narrow tunnel -
a deep bunker and last resort
in an emergency.
Meanwhile, Thonga Tona
takes his pup out to find food.
In this new place, it seems,
finding scorpions
is a little easier.
With the pup quietened,
Thonga Tona can worry
about his own stomach.
The scorpion is a good meal,
but it takes a long time
to chew.
And by the time
the pup has finished
Thonga Tona has disappeared
off into the long grass.
At last, a familiar shape.
But, in fact, the pup is
heading away from his father
towards
another meerkat family.
Thonga Tona has made
a terrible mistake.
These are rival meerkats,
and they may Kill intruders.
The pup is naive
to the danger
and instinctively
follows the strangers,
as they lead him away.
This is dangerous.
Maghogho and her family
are trespassing
in a rival kingdom.
Her alarm call urgently
gathers the family together.
But Thonga Tona is already
taking matters
into his own hands
venturing deeper
into the rivals' territory.
But he's not heading
towards his pup.
He's stealing the rivals' pups.
This is reckless.
When the rivals
return to their burrow,
they realise
their pups are missing
and they're over
with Maghogho's family.
Maghogho did not want this,
but now, thanks to Thonga Tona,
she must lead her family
into battle.
These high jumps
are a show of strength.
But the rivals
are not intimidated.
The fight is short but decisive.
The rivals have got
their youngsters back
and they still have
Maghogho's pup.
But this conflict is not over.
Maghogho is still trespassing
on their land
and they must drive her out.
Maghogho's family have
one last line of defence
her bunker.
As the rivals approach,
they have Maghogho's pup.
Last in is Boipuso.
The entrance is so narrow
that he can block it
with just his head.
Maghogho's pup
makes a dash for the bunker.
Try as they might,
the rivals can't breach
the bunker's walls
and they have left
their pups unattended
So they decide to retreat.
The battle over,
Maghogho's family are safe
and so is her pup.
It was a close call.
They survived because they stood
and fought together, as a team.
But there is one member
of the group
who did not fight
with the family.
Thonga Tona.
His unruliness
is a threat to the whole group.
The family
will not tolerate this
not least Boipuso
and the other adult male,
Rra Lebadi.
Maghogho joins the attack.
Rra Lebadi might Kill
Thonga Tona.
But remarkably,
Boipuso steps in to shield him.
Thonga Tona is lucky.
He's been spared.
But his position
as the alpha male is over.
Maghogho no longer
wants him as her partner.
Now there is to be a new order.
By scent-marking Boipuso,
she has chosen him
as the new alpha male.
He's strong and loyal -
exactly the sort of partner
she needs.
Maghogho needs
to build her dynasty
but she has only one pup.
The rains are now
two months late.
Simply surviving at the moment
is a challenge.
Each day, the search for food
takes longer and longer.
Yet there is hope.
The wind
is a sign of distant rain.
But it also drives dust storms
over the land.
The group need
to keep searching for food.
Dust storms can change direction
in a moment.
Maghogho sounds the alarm.
Time to take cover in their den.
But the pup hasn't heard
the warning,
and they can't hear his calls.
As the dust storm
overwhelms the land
all you can do is wait
and hold your breath.
Life here is fragile.
Maghogho's last pup
did not survive the storm.
The family could not
protect him from this,
the harshest of lands.
Without pups
there is no dynasty.
For another week,
the rain clouds
gather and disappear.
And then instead of dust,
the winds bring
a deluge of rain.
Over the course
of just a few days,
the Makgadikgadi turns green.
Their world is reborn.
Saltpans fill with water.
To them flock visitors
from miles around.
Suddenly, a land
that could barely support
a family of meerkats
is filled with life.
This is what Maghogho
and her family
have been waiting for.
They have hung on
through the bad times
and now they have the chance
to build the dynasty again.
Two months later,
and Maghogho
is heavily pregnant.
In Boipuso, Maghogho has
a loyal and attentive partner.
But she also needs food.
Now, after rains,
the grass is littered with grubs
hatching from the wet earth.
Being constantly hungry
isn't the only side effect
of being pregnant.
Thonga Tona has accepted
his new role.
He stands on sentry,
allowing Maghogho and Boipuso
the time to rest.
But there is a new threat
to the dynasty's future,
from within.
Maghogho's younger sister,
Dragonfly,
the only other female
in the group.
She, 100, is pregnant.
The last time Maghogho allowed
one of her sisters to breed,
there were too many pups
for the group to look after.
She can't risk that again.
Dragonfly must be evicted
from the group.
In exile and alone,
Dragonfly will struggle
to find food
and look out for danger.
Maghogho is prepared
to sacrifice her sister
to protect the unborn pups
she can feel moving inside her.
After three weeks,
Maghogho spots Dragonfly again.
But there is something
different about her.
She is no longer pregnant.
The stress of being alone
has taken its toll.
Now she is no longer a threat.
And with a bow to her sister,
she is accepted
back into the family.
The timing is perfect.
Maghogho has given birth
to four new pups
three boys and a girl
maybe a future queen.
These pups are the hope
for the future
of this dynasty
and everything this family
have sacrificed so much for.
Dragonfly may have lost
her own babies,
but her instinct to protect
her sister's pups is strong.
She still has milk,
and even feeds them
as if they were her own.
Now, with Dragonfly
as baby-sitter,
the rest of the family
can concentrate on feeding.
And when Maghogho comes home,
she is greeted by a sister
who is now the perfect support
for her and the pups.
Maghogho has everything
she needs
almost.
This is not her kingdom
and living here
is becoming more dangerous.
The pups are starting to follow
the adults out to feed.
They are dwarfed by giants.
And hiding among the herds
are predators.
They would be only too happy
to snap up a pup.
And to make matters worse,
the rival group are back.
Maghogho and her family
need to leave.
She knows where to take them -
the one place
where there are few predators
and no rivals.
Time to take a gamble
and return to her island.
The last time they tried to
lead pups across this saltpan,
there was chaos.
Now she will have to trust
that her family can truly
work together as a team.
This time
they stay close together,
with the pups in sight.
Then almost at the island
a final challenge.
The far edge of the saltpan
is flooded.
Meerkats are not swimmers.
Luckily, it's only belly deep.
Maghogho is home
back in her island kingdom
a sanctuary from predators
and rivals.
She is now not just a queen
but a true leader,
with a loyal family.
And crucially,
they are now a team.
They are the pups' teachers
and protectors.
And these pups have the space
to learn to fight
to hunt
and to bond
everything they need
to survive this harsh land.
The dry times will come again,
and Maghogho and her family
will face those times as one.
They may be small
but together they are strong.
At last, Maghogho
has everything she needs
to continue her dynasty
for now.
Botswana's Makgadikgadi
is the largest collection
of Saltpans in the world.
It's an extremely harsh
and hot place.
But in this vast landscape,
the Dynasties team
finds the real challenge
is getting close
to an animal little bigger
than the squirrel.
They have all the equipment
they hope
will get cameras
into the meerkats'
low-lying world.
But filming Maghogho's family
is harder than anyone imagined.
Meerkats can give
any camera team
a run for their money.
Luckily, experts are keeping
track of Maghogho's family.
Local guide Villa knows
the challenge only too well.
It's really, really difficult
to film these meerkats.
Whenever the cameraman
tries to put his camera down
so that he can start filming,
the meerkats just pass Pshoo!
And it was really, really funny
trying to keep up with them.
But come the hottest part
of the day,
not even the meerkats
feel like running
and they take advantage
of a new source of shade.
One under your feet.
Where did you come from?
You're literally on my shoe,
buddy.
Your friends!
Follow your friends.
It's an unexpected problem
for cameraman Ed.
We're in a big,
open, flat area, so some
of the only shade is under us,
or under the camera,
and it's a favourite spot
for the meerkats,
especially the little pups,
to come and catch a break
from the heat.
Ed, they're
under your camera again.
You've got to watch
where you step.
Every chance they get
at the moment, they're
they're just running to our
feet and sitting on our feet.
I mean, you can't film them
when they're underneath you,
but they're super cute.
Definitely not the best thing
for getting all the best shots.
Over time,
the crew's persistence pays off
and they begin to capture
the story
of Maghogho's dynasty
by learning to predict
their extraordinary behaviour,
despite being used
as part of the landscape.
Sometimes the meerkats
would use us as vantage points.
Just need higher ground
where they will have
a much clearer view
of their surrounding.
There's no trees here,
SO we're a good substitute.
They are really wild animals.
You just need
to give them space,
and it's entirely
up to that particular meerkat
if they want to use you
as a vantage point.
Spending every day
with Maghogho's family,
the crew can't help
getting attached.
And that makes it
all the harder
when tragedy strikes.
You feel the pain.
Sometimes
you just don't want to look.
You feel like you have
lost part of your family.
It it's just so painful.
You spend all day with
just a few cute little animals
that are happy
playing on your feet,
and living their lives, and
yeah, it's a bit sad.
The crew witness first-hand
just how tough life can be
in the Makgadikgadi.
And even more so this year,
as the rains are much later
than they expected.
I just wish,
when I wake up in the morning,
there'll be water,
there'll be so much life here,
because animals are dying.
There's no food.
It's just so hot around here.
Eventually,
the rains do arrive
and the crew see how vital
this short period of plenty is
to the meerkats' survival.
Meerkats can cope for months
without rain
but as our climate warms,
dry seasons may become
ever more extreme
making life harder
for Maghogho's family
and all those who call
this remarkable place home.