- 5 weeks ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01Previously on Big Cats 24-7
00:07I've known Kudum since she was a cub.
00:10She was born here.
00:12Like me, she considers this home.
00:16In an area that is crawling with lions,
00:19there's only one resident cheetah.
00:22Her name is Pobe.
00:25This is the Kudum Pride.
00:28The world's largest pride of lions.
00:32Headed up by these two, Big Toe and Madumo.
00:39That's unstoppable.
00:41Go back to Kudum!
00:42He's going to change the whole nature of this place.
00:44Goran, Goran, I think there could be one of them treated here.
00:48It's absolute chaos.
00:51Got a male leopard here at the den.
00:53He's got the cub.
00:55Kudum has been through quite an ordeal.
00:58Oh, she didn't get it.
01:00Cheetahs really are the underdogs of the big cat world.
01:04If Big Toe and Madumo don't get their house in order,
01:09they're going to lose their cubs.
01:14The Okavango Delta in Botswana.
01:18We are in a pristine environment right now.
01:20One of Africa's last wildernesses.
01:24The magnitude of life here is unparalleled.
01:26And it's a haven for Africa's big cats.
01:33Lion, cheetah and leopard.
01:36Big cat country.
01:39Armed with the latest filming technology, the Big Cats 2417 is following individual big cats for six months.
01:50This is a unique opportunity to follow these cats round the clock.
01:55Through the day.
01:57I used to think I'd have a fair fight with a lion.
02:00Not so sure now.
02:02And the night.
02:04We've got the most sophisticated thermal imaging technologies.
02:09Capturing their behaviour.
02:1124 hours a day.
02:13I have never seen anything like this.
02:16Air pick!
02:29The Big Cats 24-7 team.
02:31Pretty cool to have everyone back together.
02:33Is reuniting after six months.
02:37I'm really excited about the first day.
02:39I think one thing that is kind of guaranteed is that it's going to be change.
02:43Change is just part of life.
02:45With all these big cats.
02:47Let's roll.
02:56It is day one and I am so excited because immediately there's some ruckus going on.
03:07What a star.
03:08Things are already kicking off.
03:13Based in a remote film camp.
03:16The team is working in 150 square miles of the Okavango Delta.
03:23It's the driest time of the year.
03:28Prey is scarce.
03:30But where it goes.
03:31The predators follow.
03:35This is the south-western part of Coodum Island.
03:38Last time we were here, there wasn't a huge amount of lion traffic.
03:44But at the moment, this is where I suppose the core of the pride is.
03:50Hey.
03:54Oh, wow.
03:56Rush hour for the lions.
04:01My goodness.
04:02Every one of them is on the move.
04:07That is incredible.
04:09The Coodum Pride is now 40 strong.
04:14This is the largest pride of lions in the world.
04:21Gordon and Seth are with its most important part.
04:26Its mums and cubs.
04:29It's so great to be back here.
04:31To see all of those cubs that I met last year.
04:37There are 16 cubs in the pride.
04:40Aged between eight weeks.
04:44And 18 months old.
04:48This is a picture of success.
04:51They're here.
04:51They're alive and doing well.
04:56The mothers of the oldest cubs are three of the most experienced females.
05:03The matriarchs are all here.
05:05Makosi.
05:07Nossi.
05:09And Magogo.
05:11She's experienced.
05:13She's a phenomenal hunter.
05:15And that's why she's still prowling the savannah at 11 years old.
05:25Oh my word.
05:27Matata.
05:28You have grown.
05:30He's a giant.
05:34That's fantastic.
05:37He was still a titular the last time I saw him.
05:39He was much bigger than the other cubs.
05:41Now, he is enormous.
05:47He's become a really handsome young.
05:49Young male.
05:52You see his mane across the top of his head.
05:56Kind of round the neck.
05:57He's just got this sort of shagginess to him.
06:01Hey, Matata.
06:03Hey, big boy.
06:05Where are you off to?
06:07Matata is 18 months old and maturing fast.
06:12He's big.
06:14He's gotten big.
06:15But he's still not able to hunt for himself.
06:19That cubs are growing at a rapid rate.
06:22It puts a lot of pressure on these mums to provide for them.
06:26These older cubs now need to eat almost five kilos of meat a day.
06:32And it falls to their mums to provide all of this for them.
06:49Are we dealing with fear?
06:52Definitely just shifted into that hunting mode.
06:57Magogo, Nosi and Makosi have split off from the rest of the group.
07:04Oh, Mr. Piggy.
07:06The future is not looking too bright.
07:10Okay, there's a Magogo here.
07:15This is when things get really exciting.
07:24Every time she thinks that the warthog is going to look round in her direction,
07:30she stops and she sinks to the grass.
07:36We've got another three lionesses in the game here.
08:06Who's in, who's in?
08:08Let the fire?
08:08Let the fire, let the fire.
08:11Alright.
08:17Oh, no, it's gone.
08:21Gone. It's over.
08:25I was surely headed.
08:30For lions, life is incredibly difficult.
08:35Starvation accounts for a quarter of all cut deaths under the age of two.
08:41They are hungry and they're active.
08:45The stakes for the lion mothers are higher than ever.
08:48So Gordon and Setz are sticking with them.
08:57Rhea, Rhea for Anna.
08:59Go ahead, Anna.
09:01Hey, guys, we're just trying to sort of work out which way we should come.
09:05Anna is joining Rhea.
09:07Pobe, Pobe, I've got Pobe.
09:09We're in the east of Cunha Lagoon and the floodplains.
09:17Oh, I see her.
09:19You can see her.
09:20What an amazing start.
09:23This is day one in the delta and we have found Pobe.
09:31It's been six months since we last saw her and we had some incredible news since we've been away.
09:39What?
09:42We're looking at two really beautiful, cute cubs here.
09:49It's quite the time since we've seen Pobe and actually the first glance we've had of these cubs.
09:58I reckon these two must be probably between three and five months old because they've got the remains of like
10:05a mohawk and that's their silver mantle on their back.
10:11Usually with cheetah mums, they try to keep cubs in nice thick areas hidden away from big predators.
10:19Big predators would be lions, leopards, basically anyone who might be a potential threat to the cubs.
10:32And you can see that one is a little girl and one is definitely a little boy.
10:43For most big cats, the females just develop so much faster than the males.
10:53The girl is just so much more boisterous than the little boy.
11:01She's constantly pouncing on him.
11:06And she seems to be the one that is always taking the lead.
11:11No matter where they go, she's there with her mum first.
11:16She just seems super interested in what Pobe is doing.
11:22The fact that she's got this far with them already is incredible.
11:29Only a quarter of cheetah cubs will make it to three months old.
11:34The odds are so stacked against them.
11:38Lions are the number one killer of cheetah cubs.
11:44And they are in a place that has the biggest lion pride in the world.
11:51Pobe is going to have to work hard to keep them safe.
11:56She's going to have to watch her back.
12:08The oldest cubs of the kudum pride need more food than ever.
12:15Hello, guys.
12:17Mothers Magogo, Nosy and Makosi now must hunt around the clock.
12:23This is our thermal imaging camera.
12:26Gordon is preparing for the night shift.
12:30This kind of camera is designed for military use.
12:33With this, you can see what's in front of me on the darkest of nights.
12:37And so much of their lives are lived after dark.
12:40This camera is an essential piece of equipment.
12:50It is a miracle worker.
12:53But Gordon, this incredible technology lets him see things even the cats can't.
13:00Oh.
13:03These females with their cubs.
13:06They need to hunt.
13:08They need the food more than anyone.
13:12But the cubs.
13:13Whoa, look at that.
13:15Are biting off more than they can chew.
13:18It's a hunting badger.
13:22For Matata and all of these cubs, anything that moves is worth investigating.
13:30Matata is about to learn an important lesson.
13:34Look at Matata and his partner in Crown harassing this honey badger.
13:39But that is one animal that they really should not mess with.
13:44Do you think, OK, an animal of that size is what, maybe a fifth the size of one of those
13:48cubs?
13:49But it is probably 50 times as tough.
13:54They've got an incredibly powerful bite.
13:57Really sharp teeth.
13:59Big claws.
14:01They're kind of skunk-like.
14:04But instead of spraying, honey badgers kind of like do these stink bombs.
14:10It's got danger at both ends.
14:16Matata's probably thinking, OK, this is maybe not so.
14:19It's not something I want to eat.
14:23Honey badgers are nasty.
14:30Looking for an easier meal.
14:33Bands are on the move.
14:34The cubs are following their mothers.
14:48They've left Cootum Island.
14:50They've headed westward.
14:52I've never been this far from the core territory.
15:03There's always a few in Punga around.
15:09Every little herd has got at least sort of 15, 20.
15:31And pilot alarm calling.
15:45I think we've got something.
15:53I think it's an impala.
15:57Smothered in lions.
16:00But this meal won't go very far.
16:06Oh, look.
16:06Some big males come in.
16:08Who's this?
16:09This is big male.
16:11Oh.
16:13Who is this guy?
16:18Where is he?
16:19Ah, Madumo.
16:20Look at his waistline.
16:23I didn't recognize him.
16:25He's so skinny.
16:26Ha.
16:29Where have you been?
16:33Despite being the father of these cubs, Madumo's hunger is taking priority.
16:41Madumo is one of two male lions that are the head of the Cootum Pride.
16:48Big Toe is the other one.
16:52Madumo and Big Toe haven't been seen together for weeks.
16:58So things are changing.
17:00It's just not as it was.
17:02Without Big Toe.
17:04This is the worst state that I've seen him in.
17:08Madumo will struggle to protect the pride.
17:12We may be witnessing the end of Big Toe and Madumo's reign.
17:23These cubs are really hungry, really persistent.
17:27Incredibly bold.
17:35The best thing that all of them can do is just back off.
17:43What a temper.
17:47We're seeing how difficult it is for a female with cubs.
17:53We spend most of the night trying to hunt and when you are eventually successful.
18:00Whoa.
18:02They're having to share this small meal.
18:07And Madumo is getting more than the lion's share.
18:13Matata and the cubs can only watch as their food disappears.
18:24There's a desperation to him.
18:27Just watching him hog that carcass.
18:31On his own.
18:33Without Big Toe by his side.
18:35Yeah.
18:36He's just an old hungry lion.
18:44Pushed off the kill.
18:47The mums and cubs are leaving to look for food elsewhere.
18:54Let's just hold here.
19:01Gordon hits a roadblock.
19:04We've got a whole herd.
19:06Just crossing over.
19:12Hold your breath a little.
19:20Oh my word.
19:24That's why they're so cautious.
19:26They've got some calves with them.
19:36Right, I'm going to move.
19:44We've lost the lions.
19:47There's no way that we could follow the cats in here.
19:53Gordon calls it a night.
20:02It's morning.
20:04I'll update.
20:06On numbers soon.
20:08Brad has found the hungry lion mothers and older cubs.
20:14See, she's running now.
20:16Makosi, Magogo and Nosi have spotted an opportunity.
20:21There's a leopard up in this tree on a kill.
20:24The pride has found him.
20:29When it's really, really dry,
20:31prey is limited and it's isolated
20:33and everybody's just bottled up into one little ball.
20:37This has brought the predator interaction to a peak.
20:43Leopards stash their food in trees to keep it safe.
20:55But these lion mothers will stop at nothing to feed their cubs.
21:02This group of lionesses are known for their tree climbing.
21:06You know, I think this is an example of the advantage of that.
21:32The leopard has no chance against the lion.
21:35Three times its weight.
21:40So Makosi has decided to eat the carcass up in the tree alone.
21:44And not share it with everybody below.
21:48Frustrating for the cubs and the other lionesses.
21:52She's being a little mean.
21:56These cubs are hungry. They can smell this pig.
22:00And they're desperately trying to get up and down, but none of them seem to be winning.
22:09It's almost like she's trying to get these cubs to learn to climb trees to go and get it.
22:15If they want something to eat, they better climb.
22:24Oh!
22:25Oh! Goat Matata!
22:28The highest one of the cubs is gone.
22:35The horsey's coming down.
22:39Everybody trying to get hold of it and she's about to tumble down with the carcass and knock
22:43cuts out of trees. And now we're gonna have absolute pan of money I'm trying to compete
22:52of this warthog. Finally Matata, who's there? Can actually eat something. Everybody's now
23:10on the remains of the carcass. But scavenging will provide only a fraction of the food Matata
23:18and the older cubs need. Eight lions fighting over a warthog. Totally insane. The mums must
23:32hunt bigger prey. Soon.
23:47Away from the lions. These cheetahs are on a completely different level this morning.
23:54Anna is with Pobe. Her two cubs are now growing in confidence. I can see two zebra head. Which
24:04makes it even harder to keep them safe. What are you up to? There's no chance they'd be
24:11able to take a fully grown zebra down. They're way too big. At this age, cheetah cubs start
24:22to show an interest in hunting. Yeah, they are moving straight towards them. What? Hang on,
24:36Pobe is running, Pobe is running, Pobe is running, Pobe is running. But they don't always pick
24:40the right prey. That was really strange. That almost felt like she was teaching the cubs.
24:52She's probably saying, look, these ones are a little bit too big for us. This is not what we want.
25:01A kick from an adult zebra could seriously hurt a cub. She's running again, she's running again.
25:10All she wants to do is protect her cubs. To keep them safe, it looks like mum is stepping in.
25:20It's all playing out in front of the zebra, who are very confused.
25:28This is one thing I just love about cheetahs. It's like never a dull moment, really.
25:34They're just so much fun to watch.
25:39And the zebra have kind of got the message in there. Trotting off into the distance.
25:49Crazy cubs.
26:03Anna has been following Pobe for more than three hours.
26:07Coming in from the north, across the floodplains.
26:11I'll just scope you where you are.
26:14Greg is joining to lend a hand.
26:17Thanks, Greg.
26:36We've got Pobe and her two cubs out in the open and there are lions watching them.
26:45All bears just noticed them now.
26:49Lions are their number one threat.
26:55They're all sat really still.
27:00Lions kill more cheetah cubs than any other species.
27:06Greg, are the lions looking directly at her?
27:11Yeah, that's in a foam, eh?
27:15There's one lioness that's looking at her and a sub-adult male.
27:22And I think there's lions in between them that are still flat.
27:28This is literally the worst-case scenario for Pobe.
27:35She's out in the open.
27:38What are you going to do, Pobe?
27:42Go on, go on, go on, come on, get down.
27:46If Pobe runs, it could trigger the lions to chase.
27:55So I bet it melts up now.
28:00Ooh.
28:02See low, see low, Pobe.
28:04See low.
28:29Let's go.
28:31That was seriously close.
28:32I'm actually shaking.
28:38Classic Pobe, the lion dodger.
28:40She's too clever for this.
28:42Touch wood.
28:45That was terrible.
28:47It's going to take a while for my heart rate to go down.
28:59Brad, Brad for Tristan.
29:00Brad and Tristan.
29:02Go ahead.
29:03Just spotted Kudum in a tree.
29:05Are searching for female leopard Kudum.
29:09Hey, well done.
29:10Nice one.
29:11She's moved to a new area.
29:16She tends to spend less time around our camp now.
29:20Comes in just for water and then heads out again.
29:24So it will be very interesting to catch up with her and see what's going on in her life.
29:36It's really, really nice to see Kudum alive and well.
29:42I'm really liking this area she's moving into.
29:48Last year, both of Kudum's cubs were killed by an aggressive male leopard.
29:55She's really pushed northwest away from where all those male leopards are.
30:01It's good for her if she secures the stop section.
30:06Much more conducive to cubs.
30:09So quite exciting that she's shifting her boundaries a little bit.
30:16It's just really nice to be with Kudum again.
30:22I'm wondering where she's going to go.
30:25Kudum is trying to make this new territory home.
30:32She's out in a very, very grassy little area.
30:38Normally this time of year, she's very interested in hunting from trees.
30:43To be successful here, in open grassland, Kudum must change her approach.
30:51This is a completely different tactic.
30:53You've got to stalk in, get close, be patient.
30:57It makes our lives a lot more difficult.
31:01They blend in so easily and they just evaporate essentially.
31:07So I'm hoping we can stick with her.
31:21Oh, that's pretty cool.
31:24She just erupted out of the grass.
31:26Someone wasn't ready.
31:33It's unbelievably quick.
31:40Yes, girl, nice one.
31:43Looks like she's just got a reed buck.
31:46She's right on top of it and this is going to be an amazing meal for her.
31:51Now that is impressive.
31:53That thing is so much bigger than her.
31:56Probably weighs one and a half times her body weight.
32:00Well done, girl.
32:13She's making her own way and adapting to her surroundings.
32:18It's a really good sign.
32:26There they are.
32:28Anna is with the cheetahs.
32:31There are loads more little pockets of thick brush.
32:35Bobby is looking for somewhere safe to spend the night.
32:42She's looking for somewhere safe to spend the night.
32:43Okay, looks like the sun's going to set soon.
32:45And I'm going to back off, give them a little bit more space,
32:48and then switch to the thermal camera.
33:03Unlike our lions and leopards,
33:07cheetahs are a predominantly diurnal species,
33:10which means that their eyes are much better suited to daylight hours.
33:16At night, you actually really can't see a huge amount.
33:20This makes cheetahs most vulnerable after dark.
33:26There's always a chance that a lion could stumble upon Pobe and her cubs,
33:33and we really don't want that.
33:36Lions kill cheetah cubs and cheetahs, so she needs to be alert to everything in the area.
33:45Cheetah's night vision may be poor.
33:50But their ears can rotate independently,
33:53pinpointing sounds from all directions.
34:09She's got herself right into the middle of a big open floodplain,
34:13just so that she can hear any sounds of danger approaching.
34:19In a safe spot, Pobe is ready to settle down.
34:26The cubs, however, have other ideas.
34:33God, you can really see that Pobe is just like,
34:37guys, it's bedtime, please settle down, settle down.
34:40It's way past your bedtime.
34:42And these two are like, come on, Mum, five more minutes of play.
34:57I think they're just getting rid of all of their pent-up energy from the day.
35:03I think they are finally settling down.
35:26As good a mum as Pobe is, she's going to need to be on highlight all night.
35:34I really feel for her.
35:36It's a really tough job, being a cheetah mum.
35:40So sweet to see them coloured up like that.
35:43They're just one big pile of fluff.
35:50Be safe, Pobe, please.
35:58In the morning, Anna and Rhea are still with the cheetahs.
36:03They are awake and they're looking around.
36:06But Pobe is on edge.
36:11Anna, I'm not sure what's happening here,
36:14but Pobe is looking a little bit scared or agitated.
36:19What? Can you see what she's looking at?
36:42No, actually, I can see another cheetah.
36:44Yeah, there's another cheetah here.
36:46There's another cheetah?
36:48What?
36:50Okay, it's just coming out of the long grass here.
36:52I'll try and get a visual.
36:58You will not believe it, Anna.
36:59It's poco.
37:06Yeah, I can see him.
37:07I can see him.
37:10We haven't seen this poco in about a year.
37:14And here he is again.
37:16He's just emerged out of thin air.
37:18He is the ghost that we named him after.
37:21He is a sepoco.
37:30He hasn't seen them yet.
37:32They look a bit terrified here.
37:34I don't think they're going to hang around.
37:37She's getting away from this male.
37:42Male cheetahs can be aggressive towards adult females.
37:47But Spoko isn't a threat to Pobe's cubs.
37:52One really strange similarity between cheetahs and domestic cats is that they both have multiple
38:00paternities.
38:01These two cubs could have completely separate dads.
38:06Female cheetahs mate with many partners and can carry cubs from different males in a single pregnancy.
38:15Spoko could be one or both or neither of these cubs' dads.
38:21This increases genetic diversity and also helps protect the cubs.
38:27Which means that he's not going to come in and do them any harm because he simply doesn't know if
38:33they're his cubs.
38:37Great for Pobe because it means that she doesn't have to be concerned about a male cheetah coming in
38:42and potentially killing them.
38:45But I wonder what Pobe is thinking.
38:49She's made a quick exit.
39:15Brad and Tristan are on the trail of a new female leopard.
39:23Oh, there she is.
39:26Sorry.
39:28This is the female.
39:35Her left-hand side of her face, she's got one massive whiskered petal.
39:41Very distinct, very easy to idea.
39:46Oh, you feel a cub. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
39:51Ladiba has two cubs.
39:54Oh, that's so beautiful.
39:56A male and a female.
40:02Cubs are most likely around three to four months old.
40:07Old enough to move around and climb and do a lot of things.
40:11But nowhere near being able to provide or fully look after themselves.
40:19She's a really incredible little cat.
40:22Very slight female.
40:25Some of the size to cut them.
40:28But older, being older means that she's more experienced.
40:36More experienced hunting, more experienced staying alive, keeping cubs alive.
40:47I have a suspicion that Ladiba is going to end up turning into one of, if not my favorite cats.
40:55Over the next few months, Brad and Tristan will follow Ladiba to see if she can be a successful mother.
41:05I've got a good feeling that these, these two cubs are going to survive.
41:22In film camp,
41:25Greg is checking camera traps to see who's been visiting after dark.
41:32We've got a network of six camera traps set up all over the camp.
41:36Just to show us what sort of creatures have been moving around, particularly at night.
41:47It's like being a spy.
41:52Oh my word, there's a hyena.
41:54This is right here in front of our main area.
41:59Hyena's snooping around.
42:03Oh man, there's another hyena.
42:07What?
42:08Looks like a hyena has robbed somebody of a kill.
42:12What has he got?
42:15It's a young impala and I bet you you scavenged from a leopard.
42:18It looks classic leopard crime.
42:21Literally walking right by where I'm sitting.
42:25There's an elephant here who's strolled right through.
42:31It's quite amazing. We don't have any fences around the camp.
42:35And the wildlife just take over.
42:40Oh, there's Jake, our junior editor.
42:45Going off to bed.
42:49Oh my word.
42:54It's a lioness.
42:57What?
42:59On the ramp.
43:04That's insane.
43:08And he wouldn't have had a clue.
43:14I'm going to be walking around by this camp very differently now at night,
43:18considering what we're seeing on this camera trip.
43:22It just shows the sheer density of predators in this place.
43:28Wow.
43:29No way.
43:33We've got one, two, three big male lions.
43:37And these are not Big Toe and Maduma.
43:42These lions are intruding right into the heart of the Kudum Pride territory.
43:51A serious threat to Maduma and Big Toe.
43:54Part of their role as Pride males is to secure the boundary
43:59of the territory from intruders like this.
44:01And it doesn't seem as though their security is watertight.
44:07The only sign of Big Toe and Maduma of late has been Maduma on his own.
44:12He was looking really skinny and concerningly ragged.
44:15It seems like the big dominant males are at a slight weak spot.
44:19They seem fragile.
44:22These intruders pose a significant threat to everyone involved.
44:33Out on the night shift.
44:35It just got dark and they're already active.
44:39Gordon and Sets, they're with Makosi, Nosi, Magogo and their cubs.
44:46So you haven't eaten a decent meal within the last few days.
44:52Adult lions can survive two weeks without food.
44:56The cubs are looking a little bit skinny.
45:00And for their sake, I really hope they get something tonight.
45:05But Matata and the cubs need to eat much more regularly.
45:12Females have started moving.
45:22There's the bird they're interested in.
45:32It looks like all the cubs are staying put.
45:40While the moms go out hunting.
45:43They can focus on finding the cubs something to eat.
46:00This terrain they've chosen is advantageous.
46:04It's thick, which means they can stalk and get really close before pouncing.
46:17There's no moon and it's the perfect cover for an ambush.
46:33I just moved too soon.
46:36One cubs doesn't want to be left behind.
46:51And they're all getting up to follow.
46:56Every single one of these cubs is
46:59making a little bit of noise as it walks through the dry grass.
47:05They're not exactly being discreet.
47:10The cubs' impatience
47:12could hamper their mother's attempts to feed them.
47:16And on a night like this, that noise carries.
47:24Whoa.
47:25There's able to know that something is out there.
47:37The cover's been blown.
47:41The zippers are gone.
47:46Matata and the cubs have lost another chance to eat.
47:52They'll ruin a couple of hunts because they'll want to participate.
47:57It'll be a learning curve for them.
47:59The consequence of a field hunt, just going hungry.
48:08The lion mothers are getting desperate.
48:12It's ultimately a life or death for the lion family.
48:16If these lions cannot hunt, they can't survive.
48:26Gordon, I've lost them in the bush.
48:31It looks like this is it for tonight.
48:35We've lost the lions.
48:37I'm going back to camp.
48:48Anna has now been with Pobé and her cubs for three days and nights.
48:54I'm going back to camp.
48:54Hello.
48:57Gorgeous.
48:58Wow.
48:59That is so incredible.
49:01wall. And now the other cub is going to come in, I think. Good morning, sleep well, have
49:14some good dreams of catching impala. I feel like as the younger sibling I always did or
49:22wanted to do whatever my sister was doing, so I can see that playing out here. Right,
49:29wants to come and join the party. With them coming so close to us here, it feels like we're
49:38being accepted into the family. I feel like I'm seeing a completely different side to
49:48public this morning. What I knew of her before was that she was basically like a bloodthirsty
49:53predator, but motherhood has just given her a whole new softer side. She's been cleaning
50:02herself and had two cubs. It's so cute just seeing them licking each other. They clearly
50:10love each other so much. A lot of the time out here, it's just like, go, go, go, go, the
50:17whole time. It's really high up thing. So it's also really important to have these moments
50:24where everything's just really chilled and relaxed, and to probably take in what's happening
50:30around us.
50:53It's always two cubs. They've got beyond the most dangerous point of a cheetah cub's life,
50:58and seeing this family so comfortable here in this area, and also so comfortable with
51:05us. It's just awesome. So awesome. Poppy's doing a really good job. Just behave you two, okay?
51:37I can see some lions huddled up. Sets has found the lion mothers and cubs. After five days without a
51:48decent meal, they've finally triumphed. I think they might be on a kill. The cubs and the mums, they've had
52:05success. So it's fantastic. They've got something to eat.
52:16It's Magogo Nasi Malkosi with the cubs. I can see Matata there with his scruffy little mane.
52:31Whatever that is, not much remains. This looks like a crime scene. It does. What is it? It's a zebra
52:45kill. Well, what's left of it. The remains of it. Yeah. They've polished through it quite quickly.
52:51Mm. I was thinking last year, it's really important for these mums to get regular meals for these cubs, but
52:58now the cubs are this size. It is even more, even more important.
53:03Yeah. You can see Matata is almost as big as a lioness. So the pressure keeps growing each day.
53:15Yeah, and actually this is not going to last all day, so I think I'll try and get the drone
53:20up before it's polished off.
53:23With the drone, we get a much better understanding of what's happening. At the moment, if you look at the
53:27lions, it's just sort of a jumble or a tangle of all of these bodies.
53:32OK. We have a liftoff. Home point updated.
53:44The lions are really quite oblivious to this.
53:52This is the core of the good and pride of the heart of it. It's the mums with the cubs.
54:08There's the rib cage and the spine. It's all still intact, but most of the meat is gone.
54:16They're literally just picking over what's left.
54:22It's all quite orderly now. Everyone has managed to eat.
54:29Actually, from the drone, I'm seeing that we've got at least three of the larger lions fast asleep.
54:37But you see some of those sort of bulging bellies.
54:43It makes me happy when I see well-fed, happy lions.
54:51It's as easy as it gets. They've done all of the hard work.
54:57Now they can enjoy the fruits of their labour.
55:05Tomorrow will always bring its own set of challenges.
55:10But I think the challenge that remains for today is just trying to sleep off this meat coma.
55:20All of them, they're all looking very fat and very happy.
55:25This is exactly how I like to see this pride.
55:30Makosi, Magogo and Nosi have finally provided for Matata and the older cubs.
55:40But another, even bigger challenge is coming.
55:46What?
55:49No way.
55:52Greg has found the intruders that were spotted on the camp's camera traps.
56:00Oh, that is a big lion. A very, very big lion.
56:05And there are not just three, but four of them.
56:13Major update on the lion front.
56:17We've managed to find the intruder males.
56:21That could be trouble.
56:23Here we are with four male lions.
56:28A large, prime male with three sub-adults.
56:33Coalitions of four males are rare.
56:37The team has never seen a group of this size here before.
56:42We're right in the Kudum Pride territory.
56:44Madumo and Big Toe normally would be pushing these intruders out.
56:51But there's absolutely no sign.
56:54With Big Toe and Madumo missing...
56:57This is really, really bad news.
57:01All of the lion mums and cubs are dangerously exposed.
57:06The biggest threat to any cub comes from a male lion, from infanticide.
57:13The smaller cubs, the more vulnerable.
57:17They're not as fast, not as mobile.
57:23It looks dark for the pride at the moment.
57:26And they are looking around with menace and intent.
57:30Sand marking almost every bush.
57:33Maybe they can smell other lions.
57:38And they are moving straight through the heart of the Kudum Pride territory.
57:47Next time...
57:50They're right here.
57:51Yeah, they're heading to the mums and the cubs.
57:54The rogue boys close in...
57:57Where do you have an update?
57:59...on the Kudum Pride.
58:01Like 100 metres, they're super close.
58:04I see them, I see them.
58:05And the lion mothers...
58:07Oh, they're coming in, they're coming in.
58:08...must battle...
58:10...to keep their youngest cubs alive.
58:19I don't know where all the cobs are.
58:29What are we willing to believe to do to give up when artificial intelligence influences?
58:34AI Confidential with Hannah Fry, that's on BBC iPlayer.
58:38And this and everything across the BBC is made possible because we're funded by you.
Comments