But one animal’s perseverance makes it the ultimate survivor: the eland, the largest member of the antelope family. In order to overcome the ever-changing endurance test cast by nature, these tenacious mountaineers undertake an annual migration toward the summit in search of greener pastures. NATURE tracks their epic climb in Drakensberg: Barrier of Spears.

The eland’s annual journey begins during the summer down in the fertile valleys at the foot of the Drakensberg. However, this grassland paradise is soon battered by wet spells, turning it into a green desert with rotting plants and little to eat. Driven by hunger, the herd has no choice but to move to higher ground. For the nomadic eland, home is always a step ahead.

Drakensberg: Barrier of Spears premieres Sunday, February 8 at 8pm (check local listings).

Photo © AWF

The Drakensberg Mountains are Southern Africa’s Alps, rising more than 11,000 feet into the sky. But beneath their shimmering beauty lies an incredibly hostile environment for the creatures that manage to live there. Each spring, drenching rains destroy the grasslands at the base of the mountains, and those who would survive must climb up sheer cliffs of volcanic rock, through gauntlets of storms and snow, to reach the carpets of new grass on the plateau. The baboons that make their home halfway up the heights may have the advantage of agility, but eland, the world’s largest antelope, have long, spindly legs and heavy bodies, which make their climb to the top all but unbelievable. All have babies at their sides. And the vultures circle overhead. Buy the DVD. This film premiered February 8, 2009.