National Geographic: Last Feast of the Crocodiles
- Year:
- 1995
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This is the story of a pool and the
animals that cannot live without it.
and crocodiles survive
in mysterious harmony.
A crowded pool...
where predator and prey
are drawn together
and where strange things happen
that have rarely been seen before.
At this pool thirst can be dangerous,
and drinking...
becomes a deadly game of chance.
When the pool shrinks in
an unrelenting drought...
there is a desperate fight for life.
A wild anarchy takes over that
only the fittest can survive.
Here in a strange communion hippos
attend the last feast of the crocodiles.
A river in Africa...
It's known as the Luvuvhu
or Hippo river,
and where land and river meet there
exists a rich concentration of animals.
For countless years,
South Africa's Kruger National Park.
When good rains have fallen
there is abundant water for all,
but this year little rain fell,
the river dwindled to a narrow channel,
river-bed are life sustain oases,
and this which is one of
the largest and deepest,
and has never been known to go dry,
is a favorite refuge
for hippos and crocodiles.
For those who have to
drink here each day
the challenge is
to drink and survive.
With over 60 crocodiles congregated
here caution becomes the first rule.
Wise in the ways of the pool,
oxpeckers, on their floating islands,
drink safely,
and these unpredictable giants
don't seem to mind the few extra
ounces of their company.
But, more extraordinary is this young
crocodile, the smallest in the pool,
who's become a regular passenger
and is possibly safer
basking on the surprisingly tolerant
hippos than with its own kind.
Wily baboons have another strategy.
They dig pits at the pool's edge
rather than risk a croc attack.
In contrast, this female impala is so
stressed by thirst she's beyond caution.
Dazed and distracted she finally drinks
Crocs aren't the only problem here.
These impala have run afoul
of a white- crowned plover,
whose eggs are
in a depression in the sand.
These birds only rest nest near water,
and so, when the river dries,
the fringe of the pool
becomes prime real estate.
But it's also a busy
and dangerous throughfare -
crocs come here regularly to bask.
Crocodiles lumbering up the bank are
a major hazard for the fragile eggs.
the crocs ignore the birds' warning cries.
Lucky this time...
and she settles down again to brood.
Hippos spend their nights grazing,
often far from the pool, and,
by day, they too like to lie
in the warm sun.
A large wet snout,
applied with surprisingly gentleness,
seems all that's needed to clear
some space on the crowded beach.
There's no hurry...
we're all relaxed and easy here,
and the great reptiles gradually
respond to gentle nudges
until all accommodated
to their liking.
Another close call for the plovers.
As the crocodile returns to the pool.
But it's all just part of the price
for a good waterfront site.
Hippos are a nuisance for the plovers
- they don't leave much space
between them.
the river are late this year
and the water level in the pool
drops rapidly.
Fishing birds move on
and find good pickings
among the fish trapped
on the shallows.
The yellow-billed stork's
juggling act is no game,
but a way to tire the fish into
relaxing its sharp, erected spines.
Crocs eat fish too...
they're also cunning thieves...
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"National Geographic: Last Feast of the Crocodiles" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2019. Web. 9 Dec. 2019. <https://www.scripts.com/script/national_geographic%3A_last_feast_of_the_crocodiles_14548>.