In the heat-withered Serengeti, a hungry lioness spots her unsuspecting prey and springs into action.
National Geographic has brought us this and similar scenes before, but Wings over the Serengeti reveals the complex aftermath of the kill. As the lioness struggles to drag her prize to safety, the smell of fresh meat instantly broadcasts across the plains, drawing a wave of scavengers who will move in for the next taste.
Any unlucky carcass is dispatched in a matter of minutes by a feeding frenzy that attracts jackals and hyenas along with vultures. Scavenging insects swarm over the remaining bones and horns.
While this film focuses primarily on the griffin vulture (“nature’s undertaker”), it considers the role of all scavengers in this harsh ecosystem. Generally despised as harbingers of death, they actually help maintain the health of the savannah by disposing of waste and returning nutrients to the soil.
Vultures and other scavengers recycle the raw elements of life. If it was not for them, the plains would be an immense graveyard. From the mighty lion to the lowly dung beetle, each creature has a place in Africa’s circle of life.
High above the tooth-and-claw drama of the Serengeti, nature’s undertakers are watching and waiting. Reviled but vital, vultures bide their time until the inevitable feasting opportunity.
Insect larvae dissolve skeletons, and the bumbling dung beetle distributes its little nitrogen-rich packages evenly across the land. Lingering images of carnage are not for the faint of heart, but this film is a very interesting study of the transformation from death to life.
Time-lapse photography and unique point-of-view filming highlight the stunning beauty of The Serengeti.
Reviews:
“This is a documentary on how the vultures clean up the wilds of Africa by feeding on the dead animals and the carcass left by other predators. The video is excellent - it is amazing how these birds are able to locate their meals from far above. On one occasion, they overpower the predators with numbers and take over the kill, if you are interested in vultures, and on how the dead animals are disposed of, this is the video you should watch. I really enjoyed it. A circle of life and death on the African plains.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by this program. I had never been fond of these birds because they eat dead animals. This program helped me realise the truth. These birds are wonderful. If it wasn’t for them, there would be carcases lying everywhere in Africa. These birds eat anything. They are the ultimate cleaning crew. The birds are loving parents. They keep themselves very clean and free of disease. If it wasn’t for them the rotting carcases would be fed on by flies and their larva. I would rather have vultures than flies any day of the week. I am not saying they are beautiful. The Egyptian Vulture is actually good looking.”
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