Wildlife Quest

In Elephants of the Mara Part 1, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges explore the Mara and find herds of elephants with many young calves who are just beginning to learn how to use their trunks. They also find a herd of elephants who interact with a troupe of baboons while foraging for their favorite berries. They watch as the baboons descend a large hill to get into hippo-infested waters for a quick drink before leaping to the other side of the embankment.

In Lions: In Search of Scarface, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges search for the world's most famous lion, Scarface. Scarface and his brothers have been ruling over a vast region of the Maasai Mara for many years and are one of the most powerful coalitions known. His brothers are easy to spot but Scarface remains elusive, preferring to sleep in the shade of the bushes during sweltering days. Unwilling to give up, Brittany and Bruce persevere and finally track him down and observe him out in the open with his pride. During their search, they come across a number of hippos finding their way back to the water mid-day.

Hostess Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges find a number of hippos out of the water on this safari. It is a treacherous encounter as this animal is one of the most feared in Africa. Keenly aware of the danger at hand, Brittany and Bruce cautiously follow along as the hippos return to the river from a night of grazing. Later that day, they are caught by surprise when they discover a large male lying in a mud hole out in an open field. Another male startles them when he leaps out of the water just a few feet from their vehicle. They leave when he opens his mouth in a gesture of aggression.

In Lions: Marsh Pride Part 1, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges find lionesses and their cubs. They watch the lion cubs play with one another and interact with their mothers. Clearly hungry, the lionesses scan the horizon. When they spot a lone warthog, they team up and begin to stalk it. Luckily, at least for the quick and clever warthog, it spots the lionesses and escapes, forcing the predators to abandon their hunt. The lionesses then gather the cubs together and lead them away. Brittany and Bruce follow as they meander through the savanna, ultimately reuniting with another lioness from their pride.

In Lions: Marsh Pride Part 2, host Brittany Bristow and Ranger Bruce Hedges continue to follow the Marsh Pride lionesses and their cubs as they reunite with the dominant males of the Pride. The cubs are adorable as they play with one another, but when one gets too up and close with one of the pride males, he snaps. The lionesses see this and immediately chase the male away. While he runs and roars for his 2 brothers, the lionesses gather around the cubs. In the meantime, elephants are spotted in the trees close by. We watch as they trumpet before long, one of the elephants comes out, approaches the lionesses and cubs and proceeds to chase them away.

In Hyenas: Scavengers of the Mara - host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges come across a very usual sighting of over 20 hyena surrounding a den, chasing after one another and loudly "laughing." Brittany and Bruce observe as the hyena run around interacting with one another, as well as the numerous other animals in the surrounding area: ostriches, wildebeest, and zebra. Hyenas are creatures of opportunity and because this is birthing season in the Mara, they are seen in close proximity to the large herds of zebra and wildebeest. We watch as they stalk a female who is about to give birth. Later, Brittany and Bruce come upon the hyena's closest living relative, the mongoose. These mongoose are on a hunt for snakes, and chase away a troupe of baboons in the process.

In Black Rhinos of Kenya, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges spot a large male rhino who is on a mission to find a female who has recently been spotted in the area. We follow this rhino until he disappears in the trees. The next day, Brittany and Bruce set out again to see if they can find him. This time, they spot him and he is with the female and her calf. As we observe them interacting with one another and walking freely through the open plains of the savanna, Brittany and Bruce talk about the plight of black rhinos, their highly endangered status and the efforts that are being made to save them from extinction. Brittany and Bruce visit a traditional Maasai village that is supported by &Beyond. There, we learn about the local culture, the lifestyle of the Maasai people. Later Brittany talks with Simon from The Africa Foundation. He tells her about a water project that has been established with &Beyond to provide clean water for the surrounding communities and schools.

In Leopards of the Mara, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges search for the reclusive leopard. They are very difficult to spot because they are so skilled at hiding in the bushes and up trees. After a long search, Brittany and Bruce finally find a lone male in a wooded area. As we observe him, he scent-marks, rubbing his face against the bushes and scratching the tree trunks with his sharp claws establishing his territory. When he finishes, he comes out into the open and walks right past the vehicle, almost close enough to touch. This is a scary moment, but the leopard seems to be oblivious to the vehicle and breezes calmly past and proceeds to disappear into the thickets. The following day, Brittany and Bruce take a trip across the river to the Greater Mara area. There, they spot a female and her 2 very tiny cubs: a very rare sighting. In awe of the beauty of this spectacular find, they quietly watch as the young cubs interact with each other and their mother. We get a very close look when the cubs and their mother walk past the vehicle.

In The Maasai Giraffes, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges travel to Nairobi to visit the Giraffe Centre - a conservation establishment that aims to educate and reintroduce the endangered Rothschild giraffe into the wild. They also explore the savanna of the Mara and find the Maasai giraffe: a species that is native to East Africa and found in Central and Southern Kenya and Tanzania. We follow these giraffes and observe how they have adapted to the grasslands of the savanna. We see how the males spar and fight for dominance. We also come across a group of ten all heading somewhere together. Brittany and Bruce follow them until they find the source of the smell what they observe then, is a rarely spotted behavior among giraffes.

This episode's safari highlight is the Mara's residential lions known as the Oloololo pride.

In Elephants of the Mara Part 2, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges, discover a young elephant very close to their camp and set out to find the herd. As they explore the savanna, they discover several large herds and among those, find numerous young calves. On one day in particular while they were driving past herds, they came across a young bull with quite an attitude. Separated from his herd, he trumpets defiantly from within the bushes until his family finally comes to get him.

In Big Cats of the Mara, host Brittany Bristow and ranger Bruce Hedges cross to the Greater Mara Area in search of lions and one of the most well known Cheetahs, Malaika. Malaika has gained world fame because of her tendency to jump into or on top of vehicles. Although nervous she would do that if they found her, Brittany and Bruce set out to find her. Their search is long but finally find the spot where she is resting with 2 older male cubs. Just behind her, a herd of zebra pace around and do what they can to urge her to move. She does eventually get up and breeze past the vehicle but, luckily, she is too preoccupied with her cubs to jump in. They also find a pride of lions who seem interested in hunting the many wildebeest, zebra and buffalo who freely roam the plains.