[fire crackling]
[majestic music plays]
[female narrator] The wilds of Australia…
an ancient world of desert and dust.
Hidden amongst the highest mountain peaks
lies a secret valley.
Here in this magical oasis,
countless animals gather to escape the desert dry.
-[grunts] -[birds chirping]
[chomping]
[majestic music continues]
[cockatoos squawk]
For every creature that calls this valley home,
this is paradise.
But there's one animal whose numbers dominate the landscape.
[majestic music continues]
[kangaroos grunting]
Eastern grey kangaroos.
[majestic music ends]
[female narrator] There are over 2,000 kangaroos in the valley,
and this is the story of one of them.
[birds chirping]
Meet Mala.
She's about to embark on the greatest challenge of her life.
Up till now, her mother Lowanna has kept her warm and protected.
Now, for the very first time,
Mala prepares to leave the safety of the pouch.
[grunting]
Welcome to the world, Mala.
[majestic music plays]
From this point on, Mala will face many obstacles.
She has just 12 months to learn everything she needs to survive on her own.
And the odds are not in her favor.
[dingo howling]
Only one in five joeys makes it to their first birthday.
[birds chirping]
For this paradise is haunted by danger.
[thunder rumbling]
The Black Forest.
It encircles the valley.
[somber music plays]
Ravaged by wildfires, only the largest trees remain.
The scorched remnants of a once thriving habitat.
The kangaroos do not come here.
[dingo howling]
For it is home to their greatest enemy.
[bird squawking]
The dingo pack.
Migaloo has been head of the pack for years.
[panting]
He's the best hunter in the family.
[dingoes howling]
His son is a young black dingo called Miro,
who was born at the same time as Mala last winter.
[howling]
Miro has been learning how to hunt.
[bird squawking]
It's now time to prove himself.
[bird squawking]
[dingoes panting]
Lowanna has been here many times before.
An experienced mother,
she won't flee with Mala unless the hunt comes to them.
Panic can prove deadly.
[tense music plays]
[bird squawking]
[kangaroos grunting]
Miro is still new to this game.
He's learning adult kangaroos can outrun and outmaneuver a dingo.
[birds chirping]
[tense music continues]
What he should be looking for is something slower and more vulnerable.
[sniffs]
Like a joey.
[bird squawking]
[kangaroos grunting]
[dingoes panting]
Or a mother carrying a joey in her pouch.
This is his chance.
[tense music builds]
The mother is weighed down by a joey much larger than Mala…
[Miro barking]
…but she has everything to fight for.
At this pace, it's very hard for the mother to keep her joey secure.
[Miro grunts]
[tense music slows down]
Miro just doesn't have the focus.
He's inexperienced and easily distracted.
And it shows.
[Miro panting]
[bird squawking]
[panting]
Miro must learn to fend for himself.
He's running out of time.
[dingoes howling]
Miro will eventually leave the pack and start his own family.
When that time comes, he'll have to be a better hunter.
[breathing heavily]
The joey that escaped is lucky to be alive.
[bird squawking]
It's an important lesson for Mala.
[breathing heavily]
Lowanna's pouch is no longer a safe haven.
[somber music plays]
[somber music ends]
[upbeat music plays]
It's summer in the valley.
The days are long,
the grass tall and golden.
Spiderlings take flight on streams of gossamer webbing,
coating the landscape in a silky veil.
[bird squawking]
[chomping]
[sniffing]
It's been a month since Mala took her first tentative steps
out of the pouch.
[Mala chittering]
She now has a gorgeous pale gray coat,
just like her mother.
Mala has been born into a family of kangaroos known as a mob.
She's the youngest joey,
and she's still learning who's who.
[screeching]
[grunts]
Each and every one of her relatives
has their own unique personality.
[screeching]
The roos communicate to one another
through a language of clucking noises and grunts.
[grunting]
[kangaroo grunting]
Bamir, the largest buck in the valley
and Mala's father,
is king of the mob.
[whimsical music plays]
A rip in his left ear is a battle scar from his struggle to the throne.
As king, Bamir is the only buck
who's allowed to flirt openly with the ladies.
When he passes by,
the other males must crouch down and cough to show their respect.
[kangaroos grunting]
And he's not above reminding them who's in charge.
[Bamir grunts]
On the edge of the mob is a bouncy brown-colored joey named Buru.
[Buru screeching]
Born around the same time as Mala, Buru is an adventurer.
[Buru screeching]
While Mala has been dragging her feet leaving the pouch…
[Buru screeching]
…he's been out exploring the world.
And he's already mastered this whole hopping thing.
The problem is Buru only has one speed.
[Buru screeching]
Flat-out, full tilt boogie.
[screeching]
[upbeat music plays]
[Buru screeching]
Mala would ride in the pouch all the time if she could,
but that's no way to learn.
[Lowanna screeching]
A kangaroo that cannot hop
is a kangaroo that cannot escape danger.
[animal groaning]
The mob shares the valley with many neighbors.
Some friend and some foe.
[squawking]
Who can Mala trust?
[grunting, moaning]
[birds squawking]
Living beneath the valley floor is someone the roos try not to disturb.
[wombat grunting, chomping]
This is Warrin the wombat.
The neighborhood grouch.
[scratching]
After his daily morning scratch,
it's time for Warrin to get to work.
[Warrin grunts]
[whimsical music plays]
Like all wombats, Warrin lives alone.
And he's very protective of his prized patch.
[hissing]
Warrin doesn't tolerate trespassers.
So today, he's in for a lot of bother.
[grunts]
An intruder is cutting in on his turf…
[chomping]
…eating Warrin's grass.
[grunts]
Acting like he owns the place.
Gah! It's an outrage.
[grunts]
Warrin needs to show this upstart who's boss.
[hissing]
[grunting]
[hissing]
[Warrin screeching]
[grunting]
[Warrin screeching]
-[grunting] -[Warrin screeching]
[both screeching]
[grunting]
You have to feel for Warrin.
Not everyone has a family to look after them.
-To protect them. -[grunting]
[sad music plays]
In the midday sun, temperatures soar.
The kangaroos lick their arms to cool down.
And then, it's time to relax.
[moaning]
But the roos only nap a few minutes at a time
with one ear always listening out for danger.
[bird singing]
Mala is learning the meaning of different sounds.
[singing]
[bird continues singing]
A valley full of song
is a signal all is well.
[birds chirping]
[bird screeching]
[screeching]
But a screech is a warning.
[bird screeching]
A wedge-tailed eagle.
This one has caught a rabbit.
[bird screeching]
With a wingspan over seven feet,
they are capable of attacking an adult kangaroo.
Buru hasn't even noticed.
[grunting]
[tense music plays]
And the eagle is on the hunt.
[tense music builds]
Riding the thermals high in the sky,
it searches for a target.
[birds chirping]
An inexperienced joey would make an easy meal.
[eagle screeching]
[tense music continues]
[bird singing]
[squawking]
[birds squawking]
Luckily, not much gets past the neighborhood watch.
[raven screeching]
[ravens screeching]
To protect their territory, the magpies and ravens
will harass the eagle all the way to the valley borders.
[ravens screeching]
Mala has seen how important it is to tune in to the world around her.
[tense music crescendos, ends]
Next time, Buru may not get a second chance.
[insects buzzing]
During the long days of summer,
the air fills with swarms of biting insects.
[insects buzzing]
Millions of them.
[kangaroo grunts]
[whimsical music plays]
It's enough to drive a kangaroo crazy.
Mala can't figure out how to escape these miniscule marauders.
[buzzing]
[screeching]
But there's one little creature who can help a kangaroo out.
Meet Willie the wagtail.
A tasty winged insect is irresistible to Willie.
They're just hard to catch,
but Willie has a little trick up his wing.
[upbeat music plays]
As the roos move about…
they stir up the bugs.
[bird singing]
Willie hops from roo to roo
striking at just the perfect moment.
[upbeat music ends]
When it comes to pest control…
[singing]
…Mala has found a new best friend.
[Willie chirping]
[majestic music plays]
Autumn approaches.
And the days begin to shorten.
[bird screeching]
As night falls, a spectacular new world emerges.
Under the moonlight,
the valley is a tapestry of strange, new sights and sounds.
[owl hooting]
[kangaroo grunting]
[insects chirping]
Mala is starting to understand the rules of her world.
[bird screeching]
And its dangers.
[tense music plays]
[skittering]
[owl hooting]
But there is still so much to discover.
[birds screeching]
[bird screeching]
It's enough to make even a nervous, young joey
feel a little adventurous.
[birds chirping]
A new sight appears before Mala.
[mystical music plays]
Glowing fungi bloom into magical umbrellas.
This is a forest that lights up with life.
[bird screeching]
Hidden in the deepest caves,
glowworms shimmer in the dark.
A sea of a thousand twinkling torches.
Each and every one creates its own light.
While something even stranger is seen deep in the forest.
[majestic music plays]
A trick of the moonlight transforms the landscape.
[whimsical music plays]
And many of its creatures.
Scales, fur, and feathers absorb ultraviolet light
to create vivid, new hues.
A splash of pink on a quoll's chest.
[sniffing]
[squawks]
Or a cockatoo and his neon crest.
[majestic music plays]
This rare phenomenon
is found in abundance only in the forest surrounding Mala's valley.
[majestic music ends]
[upbeat music plays]
With a new dawn, Mala is a whole new joey.
[bird screeching]
She has finally found her feet
and the confidence to enjoy the world beyond her mother's pouch.
[Mala chittering]
But this is just the first step.
[birds chirping]
In six short months, she'll be on her own.
There's still so much to learn.
[upbeat music continues]
[bird screeching]
[bird sings]
With the arrival of autumn,
the tiring hot days of summer come to an end.
[bird singing]
Buru can't stop staring at this new phenomenon called fog.
There's a change in the air.
[kangaroos grunting]
[tense music plays]
The cooler weather has heralded the start of the boxing season.
And Buru is keen to join in.
There are several moves to be mastered.
[Buru gulps]
-There's headlocks. [kangaroo grunts]
[birds chirping]
Wrestling.
And grappling with extremely sharp claws.
[tense music continues]
But a kangaroo's ultimate weapon is the most difficult to master.
Their powerful kicks can break bones.
Buru is finding that landing kicks takes strength and balance.
[kangaroo grunting]
At his age, Buru is just practicing his skills.
But one day, he will need to leave the mob
and fight to become the dominant buck.
[Buru grunts]
King Bamir once made this very same journey…
after years of boxing his way to the top.
Now, he will only fight if someone is bold enough to challenge the king.
And there's one, a rising youngster,
who believes he should be wearing the crown.
He's certainly acting that way with the ladies.
His name is Doan.
Bamir's stiff-legged walk is kangaroo for "back down."
If Doan won't submit,
Bamir will have to fight him.
And Buru has a ringside seat.
[tense music continues]
Bamir tries for a headlock but is unable to throw Doan to the ground.
[grunting]
He tries again.
A bad miscalculation,
but it's not over yet.
[tense music continues]
An embarrassing unforced error by Doan all but ends the fight.
[Doan snorts]
Bamir celebrates his victory.
The crown remains his for now.
[tense music ends]
[majestic music plays]
It has been three months since Mala first emerged into the world.
She's now outgrown the pouch.
Mala's learning all the best paths and shortcuts
that have crisscrossed this valley for thousands of years.
When they reach the top of a hill,
Lowanna teaches Mala to stop, look, and listen.
[birds chirping]
For a kangaroo that listens carefully,
a warning can whisper through the trees.
[birds screeching]
A scent picked up on the wind.
-[birds screeching] -[sniffing]
A sound heard deep in the forest.
[dingoes howling]
[birds screeching]
[panting]
[tense music plays]
They are coming.
[dingoes continue howling]
[tense music builds]
[tense music crescendos]
Mala is caught up in the panic of the hunt.
[birds screeching]
[tense music continues]
She's separated from Lowanna.
She's lost.
[tense music crescendos]
[tense music continues]
Having failed before,
Miro really needs to get it right this time.
With so many kangaroos in flight, it's hard for him to pick out a target.
One kangaroo has chosen not to run.
The king of the mob, Bamir, stands his ground.
[Bamir grunts]
[tense music builds]
A roo his size can deliver a deadly kick.
[tense music continues]
The sandy dingo is taking a huge risk.
She needs the rest of her pack,
but her backup is elsewhere.
Miro, it seems, has made another poor choice,
an adult female.
He could hardly have picked a harder target.
[tense music builds]
[tense music crescendos]
Once again, Miro has been outmaneuvered.
[yawning]
[somber music plays]
[Miro moaning]
Mala has made a costly mistake of her own.
The other females all have their own joeys to look after.
[birds screeching]
Mala's only hope of survival is to follow sound and scent back to Lowanna.
[suspenseful music plays]
[kangaroo grunts]
[suspenseful music continues]
The only thing a joey truly needs is her mother.
And the dingo pack is still on the hunt.
[panting]
[grunts]
Bamir has held his ground.
[dingo yelping]
But the rest of the pack now heeds the sandy dingo's call.
[dramatic music plays]
[bird screeching]
Together, they have Bamir surrounded.
[dramatic music crescendos, stops]
[melancholic music plays]
[Bamir grunting]
Rarely do dingoes take on the greatest of the kangaroos.
But even mighty Bamir can't keep fighting forever.
[sniffles]
[melancholic music continues]
The mob has lost their king.
[melancholic music continues]
[melancholic music ends]
Mala has still not found her mother.
[Mala sniffing]
She searches…
and searches.
[chitters]
[Mala sniffing]
And then, finally…
a familiar scent.
[majestic music plays]
This time, it's really her.
[bird screeching]
Cool air, trapped by the surrounding mountains,
collects in the valley.
[bird singing]
The land begins to freeze.
[majestic music ends]
As winter arrives,
Bamir's death has left the valley without a king.
The mob is unanchored.
[kangaroos grunting]
Mala's world is in upheaval in more ways than one.
[kangaroos grunting]
Lowanna is growing a new baby inside her pouch.
[mellow music plays]
Mala is a big sister.
But Lowanna no longer has enough milk to share.
It's bad timing for Mala.
Winter frost pierces leaves and even cells of grass.
Splitting it apart from the inside.
In the bitter cold, food becomes scarce.
And the grass Mala is now forced to eat will soon have little nutritional value.
[bird singing]
Many joeys will not survive the winter.
[tense music plays]
For the dingoes, these are easy meals.
The pack has many more mouths to feed.
[tense music builds]
[yelps, sniffs]
A new generation of warriors.
These pups will be ready to hunt in the spring
when most of the mob's new joeys will emerge from their pouches.
[dingo whining]
But someone is missing.
[somber music plays]
Miro is no longer welcome in the pack.
[howling]
For the first time, he's on his own.
[somber music continues]
With the arrival of the new pups,
Miro has been forced out.
Without the support of his family, his future is uncertain.
And winter is far from over.
[somber music continues]
Deep snow shrouds the mountains surrounding Mala's valley each year.
The valley is usually protected from the worst of the weather…
but the Earth's climate is becoming more unpredictable.
The mob is caught in a blizzard.
Even mighty Doan is forced to take shelter.
[somber music continues]
[wind gusting]
Mala will need all her resolve to survive until spring.
The mob will be in survival mode until winter comes to an end.
[somber music ends]
[ice cracking]
[water dripping]
[birds chirping]
[mystical music plays]
[upbeat music plays]
Spring arrives.
[birds chirping]
Mala has made it through her first winter.
She's now eight months out of the pouch,
and she's becoming more and more independent.
Her baby sister Dura is now commanding all of Lowanna's attention.
Buru's looking more and more like a maturing young male.
No longer satisfied with boxing his mum,
he's kicking around with the other young bucks.
[birds singing]
The mob has all the food they can eat.
It's a smorgasbord of riches
that requires very little effort.
[upbeat music ends]
[moans]
[cheerful music plays]
But Mala discovers that the warmer weather also brings on a case of the itchies.
The thick fur she needed to get through winter now has to shed.
No one in the mob is immune from this springtime makeover.
[cheerful music ends]
[bird screeching]
Willie the wagtail, ever the opportunist,
seizes the moment to collect building material for his nest.
[birds chirping]
Constructed from woven grass and spiderweb,
a bit of soft fur will make it feel even more homey.
It's already attracted the eye of a female.
[Willie chirping]
Soon, Willie may have a family to look after.
[whimsical music plays]
Courtship is also on Doan's mind.
He's waited a long time for this moment.
But with Bamir gone and the throne up for grabs,
there's a lot of suitors to compete with.
[bird sings]
One of the young females in the mob has come into season.
Doan is the first male to court her.
[grunts]
But the female is not quite ready to commit.
[grunts]
-[whimsical music continues] -[birds singing]
She promenades across the valley to advertise herself.
Just in case there's a larger, more attractive male around.
[suspenseful music plays]
Doan is going to be put to the test.
[grunts]
[whimsical music plays]
Many other males also fancy their chances and join in the chase.
[grunts]
This is known as a mating train.
The female will choose the male who can stay in control of the train.
If Doan can stay in the lead,
this could be his moment to establish himself as king of the mob.
With the top position up for grabs,
all the males in the valley are here.
[exhales]
[tense music plays]
With all of the female's twists and turns,
the lead amongst the males changes over and over again.
[kangaroos screeching, grunting]
[upbeat music plays]
[grunts]
[screeching]
[grunting]
Things are really heating up.
[grunting]
The female takes refuge in the rocks.
[chittering]
Doan is exhausted, but the stakes are too high.
[tense music plays]
He starts picking off the competition.
[kangaroos grunting]
[grunts]
The younger males are turning this into a brawl.
And the female is determined
that none of these young upstarts will mate with her.
So she makes a clever escape.
-[tense music ends] -[kangaroo grunts]
[pensive music plays]
-[exhales] -But Doan has not been left empty-handed.
With his performance today, he has won the crown.
[bird screeching]
One day, it will be Mala's turn to join in these rituals.
[bird screeching]
Buru will start even sooner.
The adult world beckons.
Not long from now, Buru will leave the valley.
As is the way of young bucks.
[groans]
[squawks]
The whole valley is getting into the spirit of spring.
[bird screeching]
A time of love and new life.
[birds chirping]
[sniffing]
[grunts]
Warrin, however, is still on high alert.
There's been no further trespassers on his patch.
But one can never be too vigilant.
[yawning]
Uh-oh. Mmm.
[whimsical music plays]
Here comes trouble.
[birds screeching]
Never fear…
[birds screeching]
…Warrin is more than prepared.
[screeching]
He's run through his drills.
He knows what to do.
[snorts]
[bird singing]
Hold on.
This grass thief seems different.
Could it be?
Oh, sweet goddess of the glade!
It's a she-wombat.
[yawning]
[bird singing]
Life is full of surprises.
[dramatic music plays]
The neighborhood grouch has found true love.
And it's Mala who now finds herself alone
without her mother's protection.
[thunder rumbles]
For the first time in her young life, she is truly on her own.
[dramatic music ends]
[somber music plays]
[somber music intensifies]
[thunder rumbling]
[thunder continues rumbling]
[rain pattering]
[somber music continues]
[birds screeching]
[thunder continues rumbling]
[tense music plays]
Miro has been out of the pack and on his own for three months.
He hasn't got any backup either.
[tense music crescendos, ends]
He can't afford to keep making mistakes.
For Miro and Mala,
everything in the last 12 months comes down to this moment.
[birds screeching]
[kangaroos grunting]
[suspenseful music plays]
[birds chirping]
[bird screeching]
Mala and Miro are now one-on-one.
[suspenseful music builds]
[suspenseful music slows down]
Miro is completely focused.
[suspenseful music intensifies]
Mala is being pushed to her limit.
[suspenseful music continues]
[suspenseful music crescendos]
[panting]
[triumphant music plays]
There are no higher stakes than the duels between hunter and hunted.
Miro was driven by a primal urge, hunger.
But Mala was driven by something far more profound.
The will to live.
[triumphant music continues]
Things didn't go Miro's way today.
[moans]
But with persistence and determination,
he'll eventually become a great hunter,
just like his father.
[birds chirping]
["We Can Do Anything" by Sia plays]
[birds singing]
[chicks chirping]
♪ I've been let down ♪
♪ And it left me full of doubt ♪
♪ So hurt that I ♪
♪ Was certain I was gonna drown ♪
♪ But something kept me from the tide ♪
♪ My tears got me near as they dried ♪
♪ I've been let down ♪
♪ But I feel the sun is coming out ♪
♪ It's never too late ♪
-♪ To love again, baby ♪ -[whimpering]
♪ Your heart may break ♪
♪ You might think you're crazy ♪
♪ But I fly to you ♪
♪ Look, and I know ♪
♪ There was a warm fire As I walk through ♪
♪ It's you and me, baby One kiss, and your work was done ♪
♪ I was on my knees And you gave me all your love ♪
-♪ Together we can do anything ♪ -[squealing]
♪ You came and rescued me ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
♪ I'm gonna live again… ♪
[female narrator] Mala has beaten the odds and reached an important milestone.
Her first full year outside the pouch.
♪ I wanna love again, so babe ♪
♪ Keep on giving me your love ♪
♪ I'm so tired from blowing it off ♪
♪ The pain was great… ♪
[narrator] This season's new crop of joeys have emerged,
trying out their first awkward hops,
just as Mala once did.
It seems like a lifetime ago.
♪ I fly to you ♪
♪ Look, and I know… ♪
[female narrator] Someday, Mala will teach her own joeys the lessons she has learned.
♪ One kiss, and your work was done… ♪
[female narrator] The rituals and ways of kangaroos
that have remained unchanged for eons
in this secret valley of great wonder and magic.
♪ I'm gonna live again ♪
["We Can Do Anything" by Sia ends]
[upbeat instrumental music plays]
[calm instrumental music plays]
[calm instrumental music ends]
[upbeat instrumental music plays]
[upbeat instrumental music ends]