Whatever walk of life, from bug to bear, we are all under threat. Every second, somewhere, something goes wrong for an animal. There’s a fight or an attack. What decides our fate? Is it predetermined who lives or dies or do we take our chances, living our lives constantly seconds from disaster?

On the African plains millions of new babies arrive every year. Some will hardly get off the starting line before disaster strikes, but others will have near-misses and will learn how to avoid problems in the future. The lucky ones might live long and happy lives, but even they regularly find themselves seconds from disaster.

Our one wildebeest calf seems to go from one disaster to another. No sooner than he’s on his feet, and he gets them stuck – in quickly drying mud. It puts him at risk of predator attack but he’s able to wriggle free. But by the time he’s out of the mud, he’s lost his mother. Being alone at his tender age would spell disaster, but luckily he finds her. He seems to have a lucky streak and scraps past one disaster after another. But his greatest challenge comes when his herd is forced to cross a river. The river is full of huge and hungry crocodiles. Its judgement day; is he destined to meet his doom in the jaws of death, or is he one of the lucky ones, a survivor?