Catch up TV

Series 3: 6. Restoration

In the final episode of the series, the drought is creating desperation for the families of the Serengeti. With the lake little more than a barren desert, the hippos are in trouble, trapped in a remaining mud pool with a dangerous hippo bull. Although the elephants dug wells to save themselves from the drought, even these are running dry. Bakari leads his baboon troop to the only remaining refuge he knows – a rock kopje. Here the cool air provides some relief from the searing heat, but what Bakari really needs is water. By accident, his baby finds what they are looking for, but it won’t last for long. \n\nThen, on the horizon, distant lightning brings hope. As storm clouds gather, rain drenches the plains freeing the hippos from their\nmuddy prison and giving the elephants somewhere to bathe. As the herds fill the plains, two tiny leopard cubs are playing together, oblivious to the world outside their den, but when their careless calls alert the baboon troop, Bakari decides to teach them a lesson. \n\nNearby, Twiga, an adorable young giraffe, has just been born. As he takes his first tentative steps, he tries to control his long gangly legs. He must learn quickly, as Kali is on the prowl. Elsewhere, the cheetah coalition continues to take advantage of Duma’s spectacular hunting skills. They steal his wildebeest catch and later leave him to tackle a topi alone, but when he tries to take on an eland, the greatest antelope of all, he faces kicks that can kill. Will the coalition come to his rescue, or will they leave him to his fate? \n\nAs all the families try to find peace, distant calls grow ever louder until they build to a cacophony. It is the sound of flamingos returning to the lake. Duma, Utani, Zalika, Kali and Bakari gather as the lake is filled with life once more. The flamingos begin their celebratory courtship dance as the land returns to a place of abundance and opportunity. From the hardest times come the richest times, and so the cycle goes on and, in an ever-changing world, the story of the Serengeti continues.

Source: BBC 1