PBS's premiere natural history series documents one of the greatest migration stories in the natural world. Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pans are home to the largest zebra population in southern Africa, but it's not an easy life. There is no permanent water in the arid saltpans, so thousands of zebras are dependent on isolated summer rains for their survival. Fleeting thundershowers produce islands of grass scattered across the otherwise barren landscape, where the herds gather to graze before moving on to fresh pastures. But when the seasonal storms end, the striped nomads know it is time to leave home.
How strong family ties help the zebras overcome obstacles in their
Epic search for food and water is revealed when
Nature follows the Great Zebra Exodus, airing tonight, May 15 at 8 p.m. (ET) on
PBS (check local listings). After broadcast, the program will stream at
pbs.org/nature.
Zebras observe a close social hierarchy in which a single stallion is the head of each family unit. He shares a protective and long-lasting bond with his harem of mares and their foals. But not all his wives are equal. The most dominant mare always takes the lead as the family groups march across the pans. The rest fall in line according to their rank with the ever-vigilant stallion bringing up the rear. These animals will walk more than 2500 miles a year to feed themselves.
For one young stallion and his lead mare, the loyalty and patience shown to their first foal, born lame, is evident from the day of its birth. They walk slowly across the pans so the young zebra can keep up, and let him stand in his mother's shade for relief from the hot sun. When they must finally leave the foal on his own as they search of water, he is not abandoned. The devoted parents later return to his side.
The dry season signals the start of the zebras' long trek west to the Boteti River for fresh drinking water. Their departure is watched by meerkat families, desert specialists who remain in the parched and sunbaked pans, watching the zebras come and go. At the river and along the way is other wildlife, including elephants and birds, drawn to the life-giving water. Dust, hunger, exhaustion and lions lie in wait for all. Nearly 20,000 striped nomads forage along the shore until there's nothing left to eat. Water is still plentiful, but now they must travel further and further from the river to reach adequate grazing before trudging miles back to quench their thirst. It's a grueling routine, especially for the pregnant mares and older family members, until finally the storm clouds return and the dry season ends. The zebras can now head home where they will welcome newborn foals to their families.
The birth of one new foal ends in tragedy. Out on the pans, when a stallion dies, his harem is acquired by a new stallion, who becomes the new head of their family unit. However, any pregnant mare in that group is carrying a doomed foal. In a rare and poignant scene, the filmmakers show what happens when a mare gives birth to such a foal, showing a dark and frightening side to the stallion's otherwise strong ties to his harem. Aware he's not the father, the new family stallion instinctively attacks and kills the newborn. Though the mare fights for her foal, its death is inevitable. Survival is difficult in this harsh environment, and the new stallion cannot afford to dedicate his energies to a foal sired by another.
When the dry season returns, all the zebra families will set out again for the river. Theirs is a tale of loyalty and sacrifice, of home and exile, and death and new life against the backdrop of one of Africa's most surreal landscapes.
Nature is a production of THIRTEEN in association with WNET for PBS. For Nature,
FrEd Kaufman is executive producer. Great Zebra Exodus is a production of Hat Creek Productions and THIRTEEN in co-production with Terra Mater Factual Studios in association with WNET.
Nature pioneered a television genre that is now widely emulated in the broadcast industry. Throughout its history,
Nature has brought the natural world to millions of viewers. The series has been consistently among the most-watched
Primetime series on public television.
Nature has won almost 700 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film communities, and environmental organizations including 11 Emmys, three Peabodys and the first award given to a television program by the Sierra Club. The series received two of wildlife film industry's highest honors: the Christopher Parsons Outstanding Achievement Award given by the Wildscreen Festival and the Grand Teton Award given by the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. Recently, Nature's executive producer,
FrEd Kaufman, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Media by the 2012 International Wildlife Film Festival.
PBS.org/nature is the award-winning web companion to
Nature featuring streaming episodes, filmmaker interviews, teacher's guides, and more.
Support for this
Nature program was made possible in part by the Arnhold Family in memory of Clarisse Arnhold, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, the Arlene and Milton D. Berkman Philanthropic Fund, the Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by the nation's public television stations.
About WNET
In 2013, WNET is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THIRTEEN, New York's flagship public media provider. As the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed
PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Need to Know,
Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah!and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJ Today and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream
PBS content for free.
PBS.org/nature is the award-winning web companion to Nature featuring streaming episodes, filmmaker interviews, teacher's guides, and more.
Support for this Nature program was made possible in part by the Arnhold Family in memory of Clarisse Arnhold, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, the Arlene and Milton D. Berkman Philanthropic Fund, the Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by the nation's public television stations.
About WNET
In 2013, WNET is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THIRTEEN, New York's flagship public media provider. As the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Need to Know, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah!and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJ Today and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including the THIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS content for free.
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