In Photos: Africa - Savannah: Episode 2

East Africa is a land of endless change and the savannah wildlife need to be expertly adaptable.

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Shoebill

A shoebill chick, filmed in the nest for the first time. These extraordinary birds proved very difficult to find; it took six months of research, a week on the ground to pinpoint the location and then two days to cut a path to the nest. But by using remote cameras so as not to disturb these vulnerable birds, the Africa crew revealed previously undocumented, and at times disturbing behaviour.
African Elephant

An African elephant mother stands over the body of her calf, a victim of the three consecutive years of drought in east Africa. The Africa crew witnessed the Savannah at its cruellest, and the devastating consequences for one particular family of elephants.
Serval

A serval kitten executes a predatory pounce, perhaps for the first time. When her mother is away hunting she uses the opportunity to practice the skills she’ll need to survive in Africa’s tumultuous savannah lands.
Fruit Bats

Eight million straw-coloured fruit bats fill the sky above a tiny patch of forest in Kasanka, Zambia. This short-lived, annual aggregation is thought to contain the highest density of mammals anywhere in Africa. So it’s no surprise that this natural event attracts crowds of hungry predators.
Shoebills

A pair of shoebills or whaleheads, whatever you call them, they are very strange looking birds. Even though they are over 4ft tall (1.2 metres), these extraordinary birds still proved very difficult to find; it took six months of research, a week on the ground to pinpoint the location and then two days to cut a path through an unmapped swamp in Zambia. Eventually the Africa crew was able to film two proud parents and their chicks at the nest. So as not to disturb these vulnerable birds, the crew used state-of the-art, remote cameras to reveal behaviour never seen before.
Agama Lizard

An adult male agama lizard poised to begin his brave mission to steal flies from the back of a sleeping lion.
African Elephant Eye

Eye to eye with an African elephant, the largest animal to walk this earth, yet it is a surprisingly sensitive creature. The Africa crew captured the traumatic moment when a mother elephant had to face the slow starvation of her only calf.
Flamingos

Thousands of flamingos flock at one of east Africa’s soda lakes. The birds are one of the few creatures that can tolerate the caustic conditions, and mass here to create one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles.
Fire

Fire rages through the east African grassland; on one hand destructive but on the other a revitalising force. Filming the flames posed a huge challenge for the Africa crew. But the team was not alone in facing the heat - birds like this drongo, seen as a silhouette against the fire, dodge the flames to catch fleeing insects.
Mount Stanley

Mount Stanley lies deep inside the tropics, yet nestling below its snow-capped peaks is Africa’s largest glacier. It is the sheer height of the mighty Rwenzori Range,(over three miles high in places) that ensures the ice remains. The Rwenzoris sit on the boundary between the dark jungle of the west and the great open Savannah of east Africa. This view of Mount Stanley is a very rare thing - it is almost permanently cloud covered. The Africa crew was forced to spend a full five days at the top, just waiting for the clouds to clear enough to film.
Elephant Family

A family of elephants cross the parched plains of Amboseli. This iconic location, in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, was hit hard by three consecutive years of drought, with tragic consequences for its famous elephants.

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Shoebill

African Elephant

Serval

Fruit Bats

Shoebills

Agama Lizard

African Elephant Eye

Flamingos

Fire

Mount Stanley

Elephant Family