Africa's Super Seven

In Africa anything can happen

in just one day...

especially when seven of its greatest

wild animals encounter each other.

These are seven magnificent

characters who surpass all others ...

seven animals who rule the African bush.

Over 24 hours, from day to night,

the action never stops.

The Cheetah is the champion sprinter

able to take down the fastest prey.

But can she teach her cubs

how to hunt for themselves today?

Or will the Hyena steal their prey.

She's a clever

opportunist, with cubs too...

...and will do whatever

it takes to keep them alive.

The Lion is notjust the biggest of

Africa's cats; it's also a team player.

And tonight the gang is on the hunt.

The Buffalo will have to be on guard.

But this quiet herbivore has a mean

temper and travels in a large herd ...

a force to be reckoned with.

The Rhino also has formidable power.

But poor eyesight and

a nervous disposition

means she's the wildcard of the bunch.

But nothing is more dangerous

than a temperamental Elephant

especially a young bull with too

much energy and not enough sense.

And then, thereps the Leopard,

the Prince of Stealth.

He lives in the shadows and

is always ready to pounce.

Seven super animals.

One place.

One single day.

There's no better place to

followAfrica's Super Seven

than in South Africa's

Mala Mala game reserve

... a vast stretch of wilderness

teeming with wildlife.

And through it all runs

another superb feature

the Sand River, where our

24-hour story begins...

Itps mid-afternoon, three o' clock.

For wildlife this is the

real start of an African day.

Theypre emerging from

their shady retreats to

make the most of the remaining daylight.

Here, you must be prepared for anything.

No two days are ever the same ...

Two of the Super Seven

are already at the river.

Elephants are social animals.

The river is one of

their favourite spots.

And this cat is full of surprises.

The Lion is the most

formidable hunter here.

The habitat beside the river is

pristine South African bushveld -

ideal for the greatest ambush hunter

of them all- the Leopard.

He is the master of the treetops

but he will be coming

down soon, to hunt.

African Buffalo also like the bushveld.

This herd is a hundred strong.

And they're on the move to

the river for their daily drink.

These animals have strength in numbers.

The young, the old and the weak are all

protected by the stronger group members.

Here there is always someone

to watch your back.

That's vital for this young female.

Sheps heavily pregnant

with her first calf.

She could go into labour at any time.

This is a vulnerable moment-

predators will prey on her newborn.

This Hyena Mum is also raising a family.

Her growing cubs have a

never-ending hunger for milk.

At nine months theypre now quite big.

It will be another six months

before they're completely weaned.

To protect her young from predators

she wonpt bring meat back to the den.

lnstead she feeds herself regularly

to keep a fresh supply of milk flowing.

Today she must leave them, to go hunt.

And this, she must do on her own.

Unlike most hyena mumps she does

not have a clan to help her hunt

or protect her young when she's away.

This is a big day for

the cheetah mother.

Sheps about to give her

cubs a hunting lesson.

But first the young ones need

to charge their batteries.

Sprinting is thirsty work.

The young cheetahs have a whole

world to explore and need to learn

which animals are prey and

which are best left alone.

Back at the river the Rhino and her mate

have stumbled across something disturbing.

With their poor eyesight

they can't quite make it out.

But their excellent sense of

smell leaves no doubt what it is ...

a buffalo carcass, several days old.

The discovery has the rhinos spooked.

Predators donpt normally hunt rhino

- theypre too big.

But these nervous creatures would

still rather be somewhere else.

Unfortunately, they're now

headed straight for the elephants...

... where the mood is lighter.

Theypre the biggest of the Super Seven.

Elephants are normally the ones

who disturb other animals.

... Even babies can be a handful!

This herd has only one

real problem at the moment...

A young bull elephant

whops been acting up recently.

Heps now old enough to be on his own,

and the adult females

donpt want him here anymore.

Even though heps been pushed out,

he doesn't want to leave.

Heps used to the good life.

The young bull stays close to the herd,

but heps under strict

orders to keep his distance.

Right now he's very unpredictable -

something other animals

need to be aware of.

The rhino thinks she's

found a quiet feeding spot ...

but she's mistaken...

For a rhino with poor eyesight,

itps impossible to tell

whether the elephant is

angry, amorous orjust playful.

But no oneps waiting around to find out.

The day is still young for the lions.

They have no cares, no worries ...

content and confident that the

world is theirs for the taking.

Just one lion is a powerful hunter.

A whole pride however,

is a force to be reckoned with.

This is their turf and everyone knows it.

This afternoon all the females

are together.

The pride's two males

are off patrolling the area.

While one plays sentry his brother

lets everyone know who owns this territory.

Even big cats donpt like water.

But thereps only one

way back to his brother.

The Lionps roar is a simple but

effective way to announce himself.

He can be heard eight kilometers away.

The Leopard hears him... and no doubt

so do plenty of potential prey.

With sundown approaching

the leopard knows this is

the time to make his move.

He is perfectly at home in the trees.

No otherAfrican big cat

can climb like this.

The leopard has strong claws

and incredibly powerful legs

that can pull him through the branches.

Itps been three days since he last fed.

The late afternoon shadows

will be perfect cover.

The buffalo can't stay long in the water--

they don't want to

be caught here at night.

They must drink their fill and be gone.

For the pregnant cow the

water is a great relief,

helping her take off some weight.

For the rest, life is good ...

... with only a few minor irritations.

This lazy afternoon wallow

is a favorite buffalo pastime.

This would be paradise ...

... if it wasnpt for a few

unwanted neighbors.

The Leopard is headed their way.

And from the other direction

comes one of the lion brothers.

This isn't good.

Just one spooked buffalo can start a panic.

The pregnant cow must stay

with the herd at all costs.

Any sign of weakness could spark an attack.

Fortunately the Lion brother

is just passing through...

...but it's time for the

buffalo to be on their way

to the higher grassland where the

night time temperature will be warmer,

and it will be easier

to protect themselves.

They donpt need the chilling lion's roar

to remind them to move ...

The two brothers are in peak condition

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