Serengeti II tells tales of the wild creatures

If your only experience of savannah animals in their natural habitat is the Lion King or the Madagascar animated movies, then prepare to have your breath well and truly taken away.

Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o takes over narrating duties from John Boyega for the second run of this superb series.

It captures the dramatic and emotional stories of iconic creatures in the wild, serving up humour, heartbreak and no small amount of tension as new characters move in and familiar faces get on with their lives. However, as we see all too quickly, this time around, they are not only facing their own personal challenges: their whole world will soon be in crisis.

It begins with a spectacular buffalo hunt, which exposes the growing tensions within lioness Kali’s pride. Big male Sefu is not pulling his weight and he has started to suspect her cubs aren’t his.

Meanwhile, Bakari’s baboon troop is now under his peaceful and generous leadership and he’s had a baby with Cheka. But the green-eyed god soon threatens their idyllic world. Bibi, a female who was shoved out when Cheka took her place, is looking to cause trouble and she’ll stop at nothing to restore herself to power.

Elephant matriarch Nalla soon puts pay to the scheming as she sends the baboons packing. There has been a baby boom in her family: her sister has had a new baby, Kadogo. He will soon be enjoying his first mud bath but it’s not all fun and games, as he is about to face an event that will change his young life forever.

Cameras also follow a leopard family with two adorable cubs, Mzuri and Dada. Their first challenge is to escape the clutches of Zalika the hyena, but they’ve never climbed before and need to learn fast. More problems loom when Mzuri goes on an adventure where she meets some of Africa’s most entertaining, as well as some of its most dangerous animals.

Elsewhere, there’s baby joy too for zebra Shani, but a roving stallion appears out to kidnap her from the herd. In a spectacular battle, her family’s stallion, Punda, has the fight of his life trying to defend Shani and their newborn foal.

The wildebeest are also giving birth. Calf Gnu is among the youngsters that have just been born and appears completely helpless while Zalika is on the prowl. If Gnu is to survive, he must learn to run in record time.

Against this backdrop, Kali’s story builds to a climax in a dramatic showdown with Sefu. It prompts the cubs to run for their lives and vanish from view. Kali sets off to find them, but what she discovers sets her on a collision course with her pride.

At the same time as all the drama unfolds, something bigger than all the animals is about to change everything. Climate change has played havoc with the season and a big storm is building. When the clouds break, they unleash an almighty deluge and the land begins to flood.

Everyone dashes for higher ground, leaving the baboons trapped up their roosting tree, while the fast-flowing waters lead to catastrophe for Nalla.

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