On Saturday 30 July, Sunday 31 July and Saturday 6 August at 11.45, on SKAI
An impressive BBC documentary that takes us on a journey through the wild beauty of Africa, comes to SKAI TV, in First Television Broadcast. The documentary series “Waterhole: Africa’s Animal Oasis”three episodes and a 2020 production, arose out of the BBC’s partnership with Mwiba Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania.
Gutters are vital to the African ecosystem. Oases, where elephants, lions, leopards and hundreds of other species meet and compete for water. Little is known about how these gutters support so much life. The BBC’s Natural History department is working with Mwiba Wildlife Reserve in Tanzania to build the world’s first waterhole with a built-in camera.
With semi-submerged and weatherproof cameras, Chris Packham and biologist Ella Al-Shamahi aim to reveal the complex dynamics of the waterhole for the first time. They film in three dramatic periods – the middle of the dry season, the hottest time of the year and the first rains – to gain unique insights into the lives of Africa’s most iconic animals and reveal the important role of water in Africa in the extremes conditions resulting from climate change.
What we will see in detail in the three episodes of the series:
Episode 1 – Saturday 30 July at 11.45am
The waterhole is in the middle of an open stretch of savannah to allow wildlife to approach it from all sides. The team is excavating 100 tons of soil and laying eight kilometers of fiber optic cable and pipes. Sixty thousand liters of sustainable groundwater is pumped, filling two pools and thus giving more water edges for the thirsty animals to access. At the beginning of the dry season, the new hole is open and the cameras record. As the demand for fresh water increases, the team wants to know which animals will come, if they share the water, and how many animals will come in total. Within the first hour, wild boars and elephants discover this new oasis and soon various wild animals keep coming.
Episode 2 – Sunday 31 July at 11.45am
It is the hottest time of the year and the watering hole gets busier in the cool of the night. With cameras that can get closer than ever to the action, the team reveals the new dynamic of nighttime on the water. The activity also brings a new hunter from the shadows: the hyena. Her arrival has a dramatic effect on other hunters in the area. Lions and leopards do not go for water when hyenas are around. Chris Packham and wildlife cameraman Bob Poole use remote cameras to track and discover more about hyenas, whose numbers are unimaginable.
Episode 3 – Saturday 6 August at 11.45am
The rains have begun and for the first time in half a year, grass is beginning to grow and water is everywhere, dramatically changing the fortunes of the wild inhabitants. The area has been completely transformed into a lush green pasture and a pair of Egyptian geese take up permanent residence at the edge. This time of year can be more difficult for predators as prey can migrate further and temperatures are not as extreme as in previous seasons. As the rains continue, it’s not just the scenery around the hole that changes. With food and water in abundance, it’s breeding season for many herbivores, but how will population growth affect the aquifer area? At the end of the rainy season, Ella discovers how the animals have used the water hole for the past three seasons. Which animals drank the most? How many animals came in total? And, of all these, which species appeared most often?
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