Dynasties II (2022) s01e06 Episode Script

1
The Atlas Mountains, Morocco.
These cedar forests
are the scene
of a violent struggle for power.
The old king,
the alpha male, has gone.
And his crown
is for the taking.
Ten males, all vying
for the top spot.
A new ruler emerges victorious.
Strong but inexperienced.
This male is known as Mac.
Winning is just the start.
Holding on to power
and building his own dynasty
will be the greatest challenge
he has ever faced.
In Barbary macaque society,
status brings power.
And Mac wears the crown.
But the job of the king
is not easy.
He may now be first in line
for everything
but he will face
many challenges
in leading and protecting
this huge extended family.
He will have to prove himself
both to his rivals,
who will take any chance
to depose him
and to the rest of the group,
who he must protect.
Their home is surrounded
by other troops.
Mac needs to keep
a watchful eye at the border.
But that takes him away from
his immediate rivals
just when he needs
to keep them in check.
New babies are on the way
and everyone is focused
on one female.
Rala.
She's given birth.
The first baby of the spring.
Mac has missed the arrival
of the newest member
of the troop -
something that could prove
costly.
In Barbary macaque society,
males use infants
as social currency,
bargaining chips
that can be offered
to others to make friends,
secure allies
and resolve disputes.
Whilst holding any infant
can bring power and influence,
it's the newborn babies
that are most coveted.
With Mac away,
one of his rivals
spots an opportunity.
This is Nick.
If he can steal this baby,
it should be to his advantage.
With Rala's newborn
in his grasp,
Nick can start to use it
to win allies.
Newborns need to feed
regularly or risk dying.
Even though
the baby is desperate,
Nick won't let Rala
have her daughter back.
By rushing the baby over
to another male
and to another
Nick is trying
to curry favour,
a strategy that could create
a new coalition
one which may pose a threat
to Mac's rule.
The growing commotion
catches his attention.
Mac must restore order.
He quickly asserts
his dominance
and rescues the tiny baby.
Nick is firmly put back
in his place.
Mac can now return
the hungry baby
to the safety of her mother
to feed.
He's probably saved
the baby's life.
Mac has proved himself to be
a strong
and protective leader
and reasserted his position
at the top of the troop.
But to stay there,
he needs allies.
Forming strong alliances
is the secret to success,
but it's hard to know
who to trust.
There are two males
who seem ready to pledge
their allegiance.
Simon.
Big and strong.
But he's getting old
and seems prepared
to take second place.
And Ciro.
Younger and new to the group.
If a male supports the alpha,
he may reap benefits -
better access to everything
from food to mates.
So it could be in the interests
of both of them
to ally with their new leader.
By bringing an infant to Mac,
Simon shows his loyalty.
Teeth chattering
strengthens their bond.
Ciro follows Simon's lead
signalling his support.
But these are uneasy alliances,
born of convenience.
Trust is yet to be earned.
Mac must remain vigilant.
Over the following weeks,
ten more babies are born
into the group.
This is Mac's legacy.
The first generation born
under his rule.
The group is now
nearly 80 strong,
the biggest it's ever been.
But with this comes
greater responsibility.
Mac doesn't have to wait long
to be put to the test.
Predators.
They're after the babies.
Feral dogs roam the forest
hunting in packs.
They try to separate babies
from adults.
The troop needs to get
to the safety of the trees.
Mac makes sure
no-one is left behind.
High above the ground,
the group is now safe.
All babies accounted for.
Mac has managed to keep
the group out of harm's way.
But things are about to get
more challenging.
Temperatures soar
1040 degrees.
It's turning into
one of the hottest,
driest summers on record.
Food and water
are becoming scarce,
particularly
for such a large group.
Mac has a difficult decision
to make.
Staying here is risky.
The drought may soon mean
there is not enough food
to go round.
But leaving means
facing the unknown.
Beyond their borders,
there may be perils that could
endanger the whole troop.
Mac makes the decision to go.
And the group follows.
The gamble seems
to have paid off.
Plenty of food.
And if you know where to look
water.
But Mac seems nervous.
He has led them
further from home
than they've ever been before.
And now they're trespassing.
Another group is already here.
A group even bigger than Mac's.
Nearly twice the size!
Normally,
a smaller group concedes.
By rights,
Mac should lead a retreat.
But that would mean his group
going hungry.
He decides to fight.
Despite the odds,
they manage to push
the other group back.
Desperation has driven them
to victory
this time.
Mac's decision to fight
may have been bold,
but it was also,
perhaps, foolish.
And the group have paid
the price.
All he can do
is tend to the wounded.
Mac's mistake may prove costly
for him too.
If the group lose confidence
in his leadership,
his rule will be over.
If Simon and Ciro can see
a chink in Mac's armour,
they'll be ready to exploit it.
Dissent in the ranks
is beginning to grow.
It's now autumn,
and the group have retreated
back to their own territory.
Mac is managing to cling on
to his crown
just.
But his allies are starting
to turn against him.
And to make matters worse
the mating season has begun.
Tensions are rising.
As alpha,
Mac should get the first choice
of the females.
But rivals are watching closely.
Simon has his eyes
on the throne
and Mac's mating rights.
Over the past few weeks,
Ciro's allegiance
has been wavering
and now lies with Simon.
Mac asserts his position
as alpha.
But the whole hierarchy
is about to unravel.
This is Simon's moment.
Together, he and Ciro
try to intimidate Mac
into submission.
Alone
this is one battle
Mac can't win.
Defeated.
His rule is over.
His one-time ally, Simon,
is now alpha.
Mac must hide away.
In the days that follow,
Simon isn't shy about asserting
his new authority.
He has Ciro by his side
as support.
This troop, once led
by a protective family man,
is now ruled by a tyrant.
One who doesn't tolerate anyone
stepping out of line.
Mac can only watch
from the sidelines.
Mac is all alone.
Exiled.
His crown and his dynasty
lost.
With winter looming
he could die
from the bitter cold.
Temperatures are now
below freezing.
To survive,
the members of the group
huddle together for warmth.
And Simon has taken a prime spot
to keep out the cold.
Despite his isolation,
somehow Mac has managed
to stay alive.
If he's ever going to return
from exile, though,
he'll need help.
He needs to make new friends.
But the winter is long,
and Mac will have
to bide his time.
Simon's position seems secure.
But the group is still wary
of their new leader
and his violent outbursts.
Everyone alienated
by Simon's aggression
could be a potential ally
for Mac.
And Nick has no allegiance
to the new alpha.
Mac gathers an infant
to bring to Nick.
Together,
they build a strong bond.
Mac is inching his way
back into the fold.
Ciro, however,
is still by Simon's side.
Supporting the alpha should
give him the right to mate.
But Simon won't tolerate this.
And drives away
his only remaining ally.
This is the moment
Mac has been waiting for.
Without Ciro's support,
Simon has left himself isolated.
Mac, backed by Nick, charges.
Intimidated and outnumbered,
Simon is ousted.
As quickly as he stole
the throne, he's lost it.
Mac is back.
His crown reclaimed.
The strong and protective leader
is head of the group once more.
Five months later
a new baby boy.
The next generation
of Mac's dynasty.
This time,
Mac won't leave Rala's side.
As alpha,
Mac should sire more offspring
than any other male
in the group.
And this baby may just have
what it takes
to be an alpha male himself
one day.
Mac's family is thriving.
Under his leadership,
the troop has grown
in size and in strength.
His rule and his dynasty
are secure
for now.
In the last 25 years,
the number of Barbary macaques
has more than halved.
So to capture Mac's story,
the crew travel
to one of the last places
you can still find wild troops -
high in the Atlas Mountains.
Up here, stamina is the key.
It feels like
they're coming down this valley
and back up again,
which is fine if you've got
four legs and you're a macaque.
We've come out this morning
and we've walked about 10km.
It's quite hard to keep up.
- Bit slippy.
- Oops!
You all right?
The troop live in
incredibly tough conditions.
It's not ideal for filming
especially when you
can't even see the monkeys.
We are looking not great
for this fog.
The monkeys
are pretty much invisible.
To be up in the mountains
in this sort of show
and temperature,
this isn't quite the Morocco
I expected.
Touch more slippery now,
isn't it?
Oops!
But one person who feels
at home with Mac's group
is Mohamed Boussfel,
a local guide who grew up
in these mountains.
I know the group since 2013.
I know every one of them.
They know us. It's the same
way that we know them.
It's respect from both,
from them and from us.
Mohamed helps the crew
get to know the monkeys.
They're definitely a group
that
don't really play
by the rules.
They just kind of, like, march
to their own beat, really.
Over time,
the crew earn their trust.
So I've got macaques
sort of sat three feet from me,
picking up flowers from beneath,
looking for insects
around the camera
Erm, it's magical.
This is such a pleasure
to be able to sort of walk
in amongst the monkeys.
Yeah, it really does feel like
I've been accepted
into the group.
But summer brings
new challenges.
Searching for food and water,
Mac's troop are forced
to new areas by the drought.
The heat intensifies,
and so does the crew's concern
for the troop.
This summer, there is no food,
there is no water,
and the temperature is very hot.
For the past decade,
the weather
is definitely changing.
This is not how it used to be.
I can't imagine
it's too much fun
for the macaques -
hiking for miles and miles,
wearing a big fur coat.
Poor little things.
The monkeys are waking up
and just always on the move.
Pushed beyond
the edges of their territory,
they come face to face
with the human world.
We've never seen the group
actually go in this area -
it's the first time -
because it's too dangerous.
Some dangers are obvious.
But the real threat takes
the crew by surprise.
Hey! Hey!
A car just pulled up alongside
the trail there,
all the macaques were out,
and it looked like
he was about to feed them.
I started walking over to say,
"Look, hey,
don't feed the macaques."
Um, and he reached down
and got really close
to the monkey,
and I was like,
"Hey, hey, hey, don't"
like, "Don't do that,"
and he just didn't hear me,
and then jumped to grab
one of the monkeys
and take it in the car.
Luckily, the monkey got away,
but, erm, yeah,
just can't believe it.
A brazen kidnapping attempt.
If captured,
monkeys are then sold as pets
or forced to perform
in market squares.
This time, the monkey escaped
but they aren't all so lucky.
I was counting the babies,
and there was one missing.
There is a high probability
that it's poaching.
A lot of people want babies
this time of the year.
There is no chance for us
to see him again with the group.
It's more hurtful
than anyone could think.
For the group, I mean, it's
a huge loss to lose a baby,
but for that mother as well
to have a baby taken
I'm not actually surprised
because I know
it's happened before,
it happened today
and more poaching is going
to happen in the future.
In 2013,
half of the troop's babies
were taken by poachers.
The future of Barbary macaques
here in Morocco
is under massive threat.
These babies look really cute
when they're small,
but they don't make good pets,
they're not for us.
Mohamed is determined to help.
He and a group of local scouts
have been patrolling the forest,
walking with the troops.
This is just one
of several projects
that aim to protect
these endangered monkeys.
And it's starting to work.
With the protection from scouts,
we can see the babies
from two years ago,
still here and still alive.
In the time the crew
were filming,
Mac's troop gave birth
to a record number of babies.
And since
the conservation project began,
the local macaque population
has grown by over 30%.
There is hope. I mean,
the future could be bright.
We have that chance.
This may be a small victory,
but Barbary macaques
are still in trouble.
Stronger protection
from the threat of poaching,
climate change and habitat loss
is essential
if this remarkable species
is to stand a chance.
They experience poaching,
they survive the harsh weather,
they survive the lack of food
and water, they survive it all.
So that's why they should
really be protected.
We need people not to look
at monkeys
as a source of income
but instead see them
as beautiful, charming creatures
that have the right to live.