‘One Wild Day’ Recap – ‘Episode Two: Grasslands’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘One Wild Day’.
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When we think of the grasslands of Africa, our minds are treated with visuals akin to a Rudyard Kipling novel. Where everything is lush and green and beautiful and the animals in this majestic land hang out in relative harmony in their own respective territories, and only the weak are given up for the greater good. Which is a wonderfully beautiful and woefully incorrect visual. For in reality, we know now that organized chaos is a part of the natural order of our world, and that every species in the wild does its own thing according to the time of day and time of year and thankfully, the second episode of One Wild Day on BBC America… did a fine a job of reinforcing this fact. 
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Because ‘Episode Two: Grasslands’ provided us with a dusk till dawn journey through the grasslands of Africa and well, what it revealed to us about how life truly functions in this part of the world was fascinating to say the least. For we quickly came to learn that much like the deserts, the morning brings about a fascinating mix of early risers and slow starters, something that definitely benefits the elephant shrew, also known as the Sengi. For this tiny little critter knows full well that it can get a head start on its daily food intake by acting fast and hunting down insects that are gently bathing in the sun’s rays and it was quite fascinating to see how this part of the world mirrors its dry counterpart first thing in the morning. But once the day gets warmer, a great deal of the parallels come to an end. 

For the animals that live here, handle the heat in a far different manner than their desert counterparts, since some of them straight up nap through it. Such as lions. Because they fully understand it will be easier for them to hunt after the heat has passed, so they might as well lie down and conserve energy. But while the lion handles the ugly temperatures with gentle care, it can cause tempers to flare elsewhere, as evidenced by the hippo segment in this tale. For these giants will suffer greatly if they stay out in the heat, and that motivates them to find water to immerse themselves in and unfortunately for them, the water gets cramped quickly since every hippo knows that it is the key to keeping cool and that definitely allows for angry battles to take place as they all vie for a little personal space and a little peace in a cool place.

But thankfully, the grasslands do offer up some respite when the conditions are right. Since the heat evaporates moisture into the air, which in turn allows for powerful rain clouds to form. The kind that brings down torrents of rain and covers the landscape in moisture and cooler temperatures and that is definitely a wonderful way to prepare everyone for a calm evening, wherein a bevy of predators come to life. For every feline that populates the grasslands of this incredible continent, know full well that the nighttime is the perfect time for them to hunt, giving life to the darkness until the time has come for these proud predators to find somewhere safe to settle down and sleep the day away, once the sun beings to peek over the horizon.

If anything, all of these elements made for one fascinating tale. One that genuinely did a wonderful job of showing us how life genuinely adapts to its environment. Since the animals that live here have figured out how to cope with the heat in a manner that is vastly different to their desert counterparts. But while it was quite incredible to learn how life in the grasslands goes over the course of a single day, what matters more, is that this episode hammered home the fact that the sun dictates life in this part of the world in a strict manner as well. And it is genuinely incredible to continue to see and learn how nature follows its lead to a tee and it will be equally as incredible to see how wildlife obeys the sun in environments where it isn’t as apparent, as our journey through one wild day on Earth, continues along. Until next time.

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