Beauty Of Nature Polo To Polo Part : 4

The storm is now subsiding,

but not all the elephants
have been so lucky.

One youngster has got lost.

Thirsty and exhausted,

it follows the tracks
of its mother,

but sadly
in the wrong direction.

At the peak of the dry season
in the Kalahari

water arrives in the Okavango.

It fell as rain a thousand miles away
in the highlands of Angola

and has taken nearly
five months to reach here.

The water drives out insects
from the parched ground,

which are snapped up by plovers.

Catfish, traveling with the flood,

collect any drowning creatures
the birds have missed.

It's a seasonal feast
for animals of all kinds.

Birds are the first
to arrive in any numbers -

wattled cranes,

then black storks.

Behind the birds come buffalo.

After weeks of marching
their trek is coming to an end.

As the water sweeps into the Okavango

a vast area of the Kalahari
is transformed into a fertile paradise.

Nowhere on our planet is the life giving
power of water so clearly demonstrated.

The Okavango becomes
criss-crossed with trails

as animals move into its heart.

The new arrivals open up
paths like arteries

along which water flows,

extending the reach of the flood.

This is an Africa rarely seen -

a lush water world.

Some creatures are completely
at home here.

These are lechwe -

antelope with hooves that splay widely,

enabling them to move
its speed through the water.

For others the change
is far less welcome.

Baboons are somewhat
apprehensive bathers.

The water brings a season
of plenty for all animals.

Hunting dogs.

These are now among
the rarest of Africa's mammals,

but then nonetheless
the continent's most efficient predators.

Their secret is teamwork.

Impala are their favorite prey.

They start to hunt

and the pack splits up.

An aerial viewpoint gives
a new insight into their strategy.

As the dogs approach their prey

they peel off to take up separate
positions around their target.

They seem to form
a cordon around the impala.

Moving in total silence

they take up their positions.

Those ears can detect
the slightest rustle.

The hunt is on.

Three dogs close in
on one impala.

Missed.

The drives the impala
towards the hidden flankers.

Anticipating their line

the leader cuts the corner

and joins a flanker
for the final assault.

It's all or nothing.

One on one.

The dog has stamina,

the impala has speed.

Leaping into the lake
is an act of desperation -

impala can barely swim.

The dogs know their prey
must come out or drown -

now it's a waiting game.

The rest of the pack are calling.

They've made a kill
in the forest

and this is an invitation
to join in the meal.

The impala is in luck.

A pack this size kills once a day
and everything is shared.

And this impala is reprieved.

The elephants are nearing
the end of their long journey.

After weeks of marching
they're desperately tired.

The matriarch can smell water

and encourages the herd
to make one last effort.

The youngsters are exhausted

but their mothers have made
this journey before

and they know
that they're close to water.

After many hundreds
of miles they've arrived.

The lives of these elephants are dominated
by the annual rhythm of wet and dry,

a seasonal cycle
created by the sun.

At the southern end of the earth,

after four months of total darkness,

the sun once more
rises over Antarctica.

Now at last the Emperor penguins
abandon their huddle.

The males are still carrying
the precious eggs

that they've cherished
throughout the Antarctic winter.

With the returning sun
the eggs hatch.

Other birds have
not even arrived.

But the Emperors
by enduring the long black winter

have given their chicks
a head start.

These youngsters are now ready and eager
to make the most of the brief Antarctic summer.

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First Part : https://steemit.com/nature/@rezuanmollah/beauty-of-nature-polo-to-polo-part-1
Second Part :https://steemit.com/nature/@rezuanmollah/beauty-of-nature-polo-to-polo-part-2
3rd Part : https://steemit.com/nature/@rezuanmollah/beauty-of-nature-polo-to-polo-part-3

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