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00:09The Okavango Delta in Botswana.
00:12We are in a pristine environment right now.
00:15One of Africa's last wildernesses.
00:18The magnitude of life here is unparalleled.
00:22And it's a haven for Africa's big cats.
00:28Lion, cheetah and leopard.
00:31Big cat country.
00:34Armed with the latest filming technology,
00:37the Big Cats 2417 is following individual big cats for six months.
00:45This is a unique opportunity to follow these cats round the clock.
00:50Through the day.
00:51I used to think I'd have a fair fight with a lion.
00:54Not so sure now.
00:57And the night.
00:59We've got the most sophisticated thermal imaging technologies.
01:04Capturing their behavior 24 hours a day.
01:08I have never seen anything like this.
01:12Epic!
01:23The big cats 24-7 team.
01:26Pretty cool to have everyone back together.
01:29Is reuniting after six months.
01:31I'm really excited about the first day.
01:40It is day one.
01:42And I am so excited because immediately there's some ruckus going on.
01:50What a start.
01:52Things are already kicking off.
01:57Based in a remote film camp.
02:00The team is working in 400 square kilometers of the Okavango Delta.
02:07It's the driest time of the year.
02:11Prey is scarce.
02:13But where it goes.
02:15The predators follow.
02:19This is the south-western part of Curum Island.
02:22Last time we were here, there was a huge amount of lion traffic.
02:27But at the moment, this is where I suppose the core of the pride is.
02:34Hey!
02:37Oh, wow!
02:40Rush hour for the lions.
02:44My goodness, every one of them is on the move.
02:50That is incredible.
02:52The Cudum Pride is now 40 strong.
02:58This is the largest pride of lions in the world.
03:05Gordon and Seth are with its most important part.
03:09Its mums and cubs.
03:13It's so great to be back here.
03:15To see all of those cubs that I met last year.
03:20There are 16 cubs in the pride, aged between 8 weeks and 18 months old.
03:31This is a picture of success.
03:34They're here.
03:35They're alive and doing well.
03:40The mothers of the oldest cubs are three of the most experienced females.
03:47The matriarchs are all here.
03:49Makosi, Nossi, and Magogo.
03:55She's experienced.
03:57She's a phenomenal hunter.
03:59And that's why she's still prowling the savannah at 11 years old.
04:08Oh my word.
04:10Matata.
04:11You have grown.
04:14He's a giant.
04:18That's fantastic.
04:20He was still a tittle the last time I saw him.
04:23He was much bigger than the other cubs.
04:25Now, he is enormous.
04:30Yeah, he's become a really handsome young, young male.
04:36You see his mane across the top of his head, kind of round the neck.
04:41He's just got this sort of shagginess to him.
04:45Hey, Matata.
04:46Hey, big boy.
04:47Where are you off to?
04:51Matata is 18 months old and maturing fast.
04:56He's big.
04:57He's gotten big.
04:59But he's still not able to hunt for himself.
05:02That cubs are growing at a rapid rate.
05:05It puts a lot of pressure on these mums to provide for them.
05:09These older cubs now need to eat almost 11 pounds of meat a day.
05:15And their mums face the unrelenting task of providing all of this for them.
05:32Are we dealing with fear?
05:36Definitely just shifted into that hunting mode.
05:40Magogo, Nosy and Makosi have split off from the rest of the group.
05:48Oh, Mr. Piggy.
05:50The future is not looking too bright.
05:54OK, there's a Magogo here.
06:00Every time that she thinks that the warthog is going to look round in her direction,
06:05she stops and she sinks to the grass.
06:08The siren is shining.
06:08Oh, Jesus.
06:22At this point.
06:25The siren is shining.
06:26That's what he thinks.
06:26And there's all that.
06:27The night's at the fire is shining.
06:27It's the night out of the sunrise.
06:29And there's all that vibe.
06:31The ê²€ja is shining.
06:31It's the night out of the light.
06:32The dossier is shining.
06:34I'm all the way.
06:35It's the night out of the day.
06:35The one's at the night's at the 11th grade.
06:36His slaps are growing in the sky.
06:36The night's at the time,
06:37the night's at the midnight in the morning.
06:52I was sure they had it.
06:57For lions, life is incredibly difficult.
07:02Starvation accounts for a quarter of all cut deaths under the age of two.
07:08They are hungry and they're active.
07:12With so many cubs in the pride, the stakes for the lion mothers are higher than ever.
07:18Gordon and Setz are sticking with them.
07:28Hey guys, we're just trying to sort of work out which way we should come.
07:32Anna is joining Rhea.
07:35Pobe, Pobe, I've got Pobe in the floodplains.
07:45I see her, I can see her.
07:49What an amazing start.
07:52This is day one in the delta and we have found Pobe.
08:03It's been six months since we last saw her.
08:08And we had some incredible news since we've been away.
08:14What?
08:17We're looking at two really beautiful, cute cubs here.
08:24It's quite the time since we've seen Pobe and actually the first glance we've had of these
08:31cubs.
08:34I reckon these two must be probably between three and five months old because they've
08:38got the remains of like a mohawk and that's their silver mantle on their back.
08:46Usually with cheetah mums they try to keep cubs in nice thick areas hidden away from big predators.
08:54Big predators would be lions, leopards, basically anyone who might be a potential threat to the
09:01cubs.
09:07And you can see that one is a little pearl and one is definitely a little boy.
09:18For most big cats, the females just develop so much faster than the males.
09:28The girl is just so much more boisterous than the little boy.
09:35She's constantly pouncing on him.
09:42And she seems to be the one that is always taking the lead.
09:46No matter where they go, she's there with her mum first.
09:52She just seems super interested in what Pobe is doing.
09:57The fact that she's got this far with them already is incredible.
10:05Only a quarter of cheetah cubs will make it to three months old.
10:10The odds are so stacked against them.
10:13Lions are the number one killer of cheetah cubs.
10:19And they are in a place that has the biggest lion pride in the world.
10:27This is a critical stage for the cubs.
10:31Pobe is going to have to work hard to keep them safe.
10:43The oldest cubs of the Cudum pride need more food than ever.
10:50Hello.
10:51Guys.
10:52Mothers Magogo, Nosi and Makosi now must hunt around the clock.
10:59Gordon is preparing for the night shift.
11:02This is our thermal imaging camera.
11:04This camera is a miracle worker.
11:07So much of their lives are lived after dark.
11:11At night, lions can see six times better than humans.
11:18But Gordon, this incredible technology lets him see things even the cats can't.
11:25Oh.
11:28These females with their cubs.
11:31They need to hunt. They need the food more than anyone.
11:37But the cubs...
11:38Whoa, look at that.
11:40..may be biting off more than they can chew.
11:43It's a honey badger.
11:47For Matata and all of these cubs, anything that moves is worth investigating.
11:55Honey badgers might be small, but they have big attitudes.
12:00Matata and his partner in crime harassing this honey badger.
12:04But that is one animal that they really should not mess with.
12:07It's, what, maybe a fifth the size of one of those cubs?
12:11But it is probably fifth times as tough.
12:15They've got an incredibly powerful bite.
12:20They're kind of skunk-like.
12:22But instead of spraying, honey badgers kind of, like, do these stink bombs.
12:28It's got danger at both ends.
12:33Matata's probably thinking, OK, this is maybe not something I want to eat.
12:40Honey badgers are nasty.
12:47Looking for an easier meal...
12:50The cubs are on the move.
12:51The cubs are following their mothers.
13:04They've left Cootum Island.
13:06They've headed westward.
13:09I've never been this far from the Core Territory.
13:20There's always a few in Punga around.
13:26Every little herd has got at least sort of 15, 20.
13:49Impala, alarm calling.
13:57Oi.
14:02Oh, I think we've got, I think we've got something.
14:10I think it's an Impala.
14:14Smothered in lions.
14:17But this meal won't go very far.
14:23Oh, look, some big meals come in.
14:25Who's this?
14:26This is a big meal.
14:28Oh, who is this guy?
14:35Where's he?
14:36Oh, it's Madumo.
14:37Look at his waistline.
14:40I didn't recognize him.
14:42He's so skinny.
14:45Where have you been?
14:49I don't know.
14:50I don't know.
14:52I don't know.
14:54I don't know.
15:00I don't know.
15:04I don't know.
15:14I don't know.
15:19I don't know.
15:20I don't know.
15:25Madumo will struggle to protect the pride.
15:29We may be witnessing the end of Big Toe and Madumo's reign.
15:40These cubs are really hungry, really persistent, incredibly bold.
15:52The best thing that all of them can do is just back off.
16:00What a temper.
16:04We're seeing how difficult it is for a female with cubs.
16:10You spend most of the night trying to hunt, and when you are eventually successful...
16:17Whoa!
16:20They're having to share this small meal, and Madumo is getting more than the lion's share.
16:30Matata and the cubs can only watch as their food disappears.
16:41It was a desperation to him, just watching him hog that carcass.
16:48On his own, without Big Toe by his side, yeah, he's just an old hungry lion.
16:58With empty stomachs, the mums and cubs leave.
17:07Unable to follow, Gordon calls it a night.
17:14Film camp for Brad.
17:17Found the card.
17:19It's morning.
17:20I'll update our numbers soon.
17:24Brad has found the hungry lion mothers and older cubs.
17:30See, she's running now.
17:32Makosi, Magogo and Nosi have spotted an opportunity.
17:37There's a leopard up in this tree on the kiln, and the pride has found them.
17:45When it's really, really dry, prey is limited and it's isolated, and everybody's just bottled up into one little ball.
17:53This has brought the predator interaction to a peak.
17:59Leopards stash their food in trees to keep it safe.
18:11But these lion mothers will stop at nothing to feed their cubs.
18:18This group of lionesses are known for their tree climbing.
18:22You know, I think this is an example of the advantage of that.
18:48The leopard has no chance against the lion, three times its weight.
18:56So Makosi has decided to eat the carcass up in the tree alone.
19:00I'm not sharing it with everybody below.
19:04Frustrating for the cubs and the other lionesses.
19:08She's being a little mean.
19:12These cubs are hungry.
19:14They can smell this pig.
19:16And they're desperately trying to get up and down, but none of them seem to be winning.
19:25It's almost like she's trying to get these cubs to learn to climb trees, to go and get it.
19:31They want something to eat, they better climb.
19:40They want something to eat, they want something to eat, they want something to eat, they want something to eat.
19:40Oh, Geremutata.
19:44It's the highest one of the cubs has gone.
19:51The horse is coming down.
19:55Everybody trying to get hold of it and she's about to tumble down with a carcass and knock cats out
20:00of trees.
20:04And now we're going to have absolute pandemonium trying to compete over this warthog.
20:19Finally Matata is there.
20:22You can actually eat something.
20:25Everybody's now on the remains of the carcass.
20:30But scavenging will provide only a fraction of the food Matata and the older cubs need.
20:39Eight lions fighting over a warthog.
20:42Totally insane.
20:47The mums must hunt bigger prey soon.
21:02Away from the lions.
21:04These cheetahs are on a completely different level this morning.
21:10Anna is with Pobbe.
21:13Her two cubs are now growing in confidence.
21:16I can see two zebra ahead.
21:19Which makes it even harder to keep them safe.
21:23What are you up to?
21:25There's no chance they'd be able to take a fully grown zebra down.
21:31They're way too big.
21:36At this age, cheetah cubs start to show an interest in hunting.
21:41Yeah, they're moving straight towards them.
21:51What?
21:52Hang on, Pobbe's running, Pobbe's running, Pobbe's running.
21:55But they don't always pick the right prey.
21:59That was really strange.
22:04That almost felt like she was teaching the cubs.
22:08She's probably saying, look, these ones are a little bit too big for us.
22:14This is not what we want.
22:17A kick from an adult zebra could seriously hurt a cub.
22:22She's running again, she's running again.
22:26All she wants to do is protect her cubs.
22:30To keep them safe, it looks like mum is stepping in.
22:36It's all playing out in front of the zebra, who are very confused.
22:44This is one thing I just love about cheetahs.
22:46It's like never a dull moment, really.
22:50They're just so much fun to watch.
22:55And the zebra have kind of got the message in there.
22:59Trotting off into the distance.
23:05Crazy cubs.
23:12Anna has been following Pobbe for over three hours.
23:16Coming in from the north, across the floodplains.
23:20I'll just scope you where you are.
23:22So Greg is joining to lend a hand.
23:25Thanks, Greg.
23:32Problem.
23:36Anna, lions behind you.
23:44We've got Pobbe and her two cubs out in the open and there are lions watching them.
23:54Pobbe has just noticed them now.
23:58Lions are their number one threat.
24:03They're all sat really still.
24:08Lions are responsible for more than three quarters of cheetah cub deaths by predation.
24:15Greg, are the lions looking directly at her?
24:20Yeah, that's in a foam, eh?
24:24There's one lioness that's looking at her and a sub-adult male.
24:30And I think there's lions in between them that are still flat.
24:36This is literally the worst-case scenario for Pobbe.
24:43She's out in the open.
24:47What are you going to do, Pobbe?
24:50Go on, copy mum, get down.
24:54If Pobbe runs, it could trigger the lions to chase.
25:03So I bet it melts up now.
25:07Ooh.
25:11Stay low, stay low, Pobbe, stay low.
25:39That was seriously close. I'm actually shaking.
25:43Pobbe has kept her cubs safe for now.
25:47Classic Pobbe, the lion dodger.
25:49She's too clever for this. Touch wood.
25:55That was terrible.
25:57It's going to take a while for my heart rate to go down.
26:08Brad, Brad, for Tristan.
26:10Brad and Tristan...
26:12Go ahead.
26:13Just spotted Kudum in a tree.
26:15...are searching for female leopard Kudum.
26:18Hey, well done.
26:19That's a nice one.
26:21She's moved to a new area.
26:26She tends to spend less time around our camp now.
26:30Comes in just for water and then heads out again.
26:33So it'd be very interesting to catch up with her and see
26:37what's going on in her life.
26:45It's really, really nice to see Kudum alive and well.
26:51I'm really liking this area she's moving into.
26:58Last year, both of Kudum's cubs were killed by an aggressive male leopard.
27:05She's really pushed northwest away from where all those male leopards are.
27:11It's good for her if she secures this top section.
27:16Much more conducive to cubs.
27:18So quite exciting that she's shifting her boundaries a little bit.
27:26It's just really nice to be with Kudum again.
27:32Wondering where she's going to go.
27:35Kudum is trying to make this new territory home.
27:42She's out in a very, very grassy little area.
27:47Normally this time of year, she's very interested in hunting from trees.
27:53To be successful here, in open grassland, Kudum must change her approach.
28:00This is a completely different tactic.
28:03You've got to stalk in, get close, be patient.
28:06Makes our lives a lot more difficult.
28:10They blend in so easily and they just evaporate essentially.
28:16So, I'm hoping we can stick with her.
28:31Oh, that's pretty cool.
28:33She just erupted out of the grass.
28:36Someone wasn't ready.
28:42Leopards use their sense of smell and hearing to pinpoint hidden targets.
28:50Yes, girl, nice one.
28:52Looks like she's just got a reed buck.
28:56She's right on top of it and this is going to be an amazing meal for her.
29:00Now that is impressive.
29:02That thing is so much bigger than her.
29:05Probably weighs one and a half times her body weight.
29:10Well done, girl.
29:17Kudum's kill here gives me a lot of hope.
29:23She's making her own way and adapting to her surroundings.
29:28It's a really good sign.
29:36There they are.
29:38Anna is with the cheetahs.
29:40There are loads more little pockets of thick brush.
29:45Habe is looking for somewhere safe to spend the night.
29:52It's a really good sign.
29:52Okay, looks like the sun's going to set soon and I'm going to back off,
29:56give them a little bit more space and then switch to the thermal camera.
30:12Unlike our lions and leopards, cheetahs are a predominantly diurnal species,
30:19which means that their eyes are much better suited to daylight hours.
30:26At night, you actually really can't see a huge amount.
30:29This makes cheetahs most vulnerable after dark.
30:33There's always a chance that a lion could stumble upon Pobbe and her cubs.
30:40And we really don't want that.
30:42Lions kill cheetah cubs and cheetahs.
30:46So she needs to be alert to everything in the area.
30:56Cheetah's night vision may be poor, but with ears that rotate independently,
31:02Pobbe can pinpoint danger from any direction.
31:13She's got herself right into the middle of a big open floodplain,
31:16just so that she can hear any sounds of danger approaching.
31:20In a safe spot, Pobbe is ready to settle down.
31:27The cubs, however, have other ideas.
31:35God, you can really see that Pobbe is just like,
31:38guys, it's bedtime.
31:39Please settle down, settle down, it's way past your bedtime.
31:44And these two are like, come on, Mum.
31:46Five more minutes of play.
31:58I think they're just getting rid of all of their pent-up energy from the day.
32:15Oh.
32:19OK, they are finally settling down.
32:28As good a mum as Pobbe is, she's going to need to be on high alert all night.
32:35I really feel for her. It's a really tough job, being a cheetah mum.
32:41So sweet to see them coloured up like that.
32:44Be safe, Pobbe, please.
32:47Be safe.
32:52In the morning, Anna and Rhea are still with the cheetahs.
32:56They are awake and they're looking around.
33:00But Pobbe is on edge.
33:05Anna, I'm not sure what's happening here, but Pobbe is looking a little bit scared or agitated.
33:13What? Can you see what she's looking at?
33:23Now, actually, I can see another cheetah.
33:26Yeah, there's another cheetah here.
33:27There's another cheetah. What?
33:33You will not believe it, Anna. It's Spoko.
33:42Yeah, I can see him. I can see him.
33:45We haven't seen Spoko in about a year and here he is again. He's just emerged out of thin air.
33:53He is the ghost that we named him after. He is a Spoko.
34:05He hasn't seen them yet.
34:08He hasn't seen them yet.
34:21But Spoko isn't a threat to Pobbe's cubs.
34:28One really strange similarity between cheetahs and domestic cats is that
34:33they both have multiple paternities.
34:37These two cubs could have completely separate dads.
34:42Female cheetahs mate with many partners and can carry cubs from different males in a single pregnancy.
34:51Spoko could be one or both or neither of these cubs' dads.
34:56This increases genetic diversity and also helps protect the cubs.
35:03Which means that he's not going to come in and do them any harm because he simply
35:08doesn't know if they're his cubs.
35:13Great for Pobbe because it means that she doesn't have to be concerned about a male cheetah coming in
35:18and potentially killing them.
35:21But I wonder what Pobbe is thinking. She's made a quick exit.
35:50Brad and Tristan are on the trail of a new female leopard.
35:59Oh, there she is.
36:02Sorry, this is Mediva.
36:11The left-hand side of the fish, she's got one massive whiskered pattern.
36:17Very distinct, very easy to idea.
36:22Oh, they'll come. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
36:26Oh, they're so beautiful.
36:27Ladiba has two cubs.
36:30Oh, they're so beautiful.
36:32A male and a female.
36:37Cubs, most likely around three to four months old.
36:43Old enough to move around and climb and do a lot of things.
36:47But nowhere near being able to provide or fully look after themselves.
36:55She's a really incredible little cat, very slight female.
37:01Similar to the size of Kudum.
37:04But older.
37:07Being older means that she's more experienced.
37:11More experienced hunting, more experienced staying alive, keeping cubs alive.
37:23I have a suspicion that Ladiba's going to end up turning into one of, if not, my favorite cats.
37:31Over the next few months, Brad and Tristan will follow Ladiba to see if she can be a successful mother.
37:41I've got a good feeling that these, these two cubs are going to survive.
37:58In film camp, Greg is checking camera traps to see who's been visiting after dark.
38:07We've got a network of six camera traps set up all over the camp.
38:12Just to show us what sort of creatures have been moving around, particularly at night.
38:23It's like being a spy.
38:28Oh my word, there's a hyena.
38:30This is right here, in front of our main area.
38:35Hyena's snooping around.
38:38What?
38:40Looks like a hyena has robbed somebody of a kill.
38:44What has he got?
38:46It's a young impala, and I bet you you scavenged from a leopard.
38:50It looks classic leopard crime.
38:53Literally walking right by where I'm sitting.
38:57There's an elephant here, who's strolled right through.
39:03It's quite amazing.
39:04It's quite amazing.
39:04We don't have any fences around the camp.
39:07And the wildlife just take over.
39:13Oh, there's Jake, our junior editor, going off to bed.
39:20Oh my word.
39:27It's a lioness.
39:29What?
39:31On the ramp.
39:36That's insane.
39:40And he wouldn't have had a clue.
39:46I'm going to be walking around by this camp very differently now at night,
39:50considering what we're seeing on this camera trap.
39:54It just shows the sheer density of predators in this place.
39:59Wow.
40:01No way.
40:04We've got one, two, three big male lions.
40:09And these are not big toe and maduma.
40:14These lions are intruding right into the heart of the Kudum Pride territory.
40:22A serious threat to maduma and big toe.
40:26Part of their role as pride males is to secure the boundary
40:31of the territory from intruders like this.
40:33And it doesn't seem as though their security is watertight.
40:39The only sign of big toe and maduma of late has been maduma on his own.
40:43He was looking really skinny and concerningly ragged.
40:47It seems like the big dominant males are at a slight weak spot.
40:51They seem fragile.
40:54These intruders pose a significant threat to everyone involved.
41:05Out on the night shift.
41:07It just got dark and they're already active.
41:11Gordon and Sets.
41:13They're with Makosi, Nosi, Magogo and their cubs.
41:17So you haven't eaten a decent meal within the last few days.
41:24Adult lions can survive two weeks without food.
41:28The cubs are looking a little bit skinny.
41:32And for their sake, I really hope they get something tonight.
41:36But Matata and the cubs need to eat much more regularly.
41:43Females have started moving.
41:53It's deeper than interested in.
42:04It looks like all the cubs are staying put.
42:11While the moms go out hunting.
42:15They can focus on finding the cubs something to eat.
42:32This terrain they've chosen.
42:35It's advantageous.
42:36It's thick, which means they can stalk and get really close before pouncing.
42:49There's no moon.
42:50And it's the perfect cover for an ambush.
43:05I think I spoke to you soon.
43:08One kubberman to be left behind.
43:12She's running after her mouth.
43:23And they're all getting up to follow.
43:28Every single one of these cubs is making a little bit of noise as it walks through the dry grass.
43:37They're not exactly being discreet.
43:41With so many curious cubs in the pride, hunting is almost impossible for these mums.
43:48On a night like this, that noise carries.
43:55Whoa.
43:56The zebra knows that something is out there.
44:09The cover has been blown.
44:13The zebras are gone.
44:18Matata and the cubs have lost another chance to eat.
44:23They'll ruin a couple of hunts because they'll want to participate.
44:29It'll be a learning curve for them.
44:31The consequence of the old hunt is going hungry.
44:39The lion mothers are getting desperate.
44:44And it is ultimately a life or death for the lion family.
44:48If these lions cannot hunt, they can't survive.
44:58Good. I've lost them in the bush.
45:03Looks like this is a torture night.
45:07We've lost the lions.
45:09I'm dead back to camp.
45:20Anna has now been with Pobé and her cubs for three days and nights.
45:27Hello.
45:29Gorgeous.
45:30Wow.
45:31That is so incredible.
45:37And now the other cub is going to come in, I think.
45:41Good morning.
45:43Sleep well.
45:45Have some good dreams of catching impala.
45:50I feel like as the younger sibling, I always did,
45:53or wanted to do whatever my sister was doing.
45:56So I can see that playing out here.
46:01Like, wants to come and join the party.
46:05With them coming so close to us here,
46:09it feels like we're being accepted into the family.
46:16I feel like I'm seeing a completely different side to Pobé this morning.
46:21What I knew of her before was that she was basically like a bloodthirsty predator, but
46:32she's been cleaning herself and had two cubs.
46:36And it's so cute to have seen them licking each other this morning.
46:40They clearly love each other so much.
46:45A lot of the time out here, it's just like, go, go, go, go, the whole time.
46:50It's really high up thing.
46:52So it's also really important to have these moments where
46:56everything's just really chilled and relaxed and to probably take in what's happening around us.
47:25Pobé's two cubs, they've got beyond the most dangerous point of a cheetah cub's life.
47:30And seeing this family so comfortable here in this area and also so comfortable with us.
47:39It's just awesome, so awesome.
47:44Pobé's doing a really good job.
47:48Just behave, you two, okay?
48:09I can see some lions huddled up.
48:12Sets has found the lion mothers and cubs.
48:18After five days without a decent meal.
48:21I think they might have actually done it.
48:24They've finally triumphed.
48:27I think they might be on a kill.
48:34The cubs and the mums, they've had success.
48:39So it's fantastic.
48:40They've got something to eat.
48:48It's Magogo Nosimarkosi with the cubs.
48:51I can see Matata there with his scruffy little mane.
49:03Whatever that is, not much remains.
49:10This looks like a crime scene.
49:12It does.
49:14What is it?
49:15It's a zebra kill.
49:17Well, what's left of it.
49:19The remains of it.
49:20Yeah, they've polished through it quite quickly.
49:24I was thinking last year, it's really important for these mums to get regular meals for these cubs.
49:30But now the cubs are this size.
49:32It is even more, even more important.
49:36Yeah.
49:37You can see Matata is almost as big as a lioness.
49:41So the pressure keeps growing each day.
49:47It makes me happy when I see well-fed, happy lions.
49:55It's as easy as it gets.
49:57They've done all of the hard work.
50:01Now they can enjoy the fruits of their labour.
50:09Tomorrow will always bring its own set of challenges.
50:13But I think the challenge that remains for today is just trying to sleep off this meat coma.
50:24All of them, they're all looking very fat and very happy.
50:29This is exactly how I like to see this pride.
50:34Makosi, Magogo and Nosi have finally provided for Matata and the older cubs.
50:44But another, even bigger challenge is coming.
50:50What?
50:53No way.
51:03Oh, that is a big lion.
51:07A very, very big lion.
51:10It's the intruders from the camp's camera trap.
51:13And there are not just three, but four of them.
51:18Major update on the lion front.
51:21We've managed to find the intruder males.
51:25That could be trouble.
51:28Here we are with four male lions.
51:32A large prime male with three sub-adults.
51:37Easily the greatest threat to the pride that we've had so far.
51:42Coalitions of four males are rare.
51:45The team has never seen a group of this size here before.
51:50We're right in the Kudum Pride territory.
51:52Madumo and Big Toe normally would be pushing these intruders out.
51:59But there's absolutely no sign of them.
52:01With Big Toe and Madumo missing.
52:04This is really, really bad news.
52:09All of the lion mums and cubs are dangerously exposed.
52:14The biggest threat to any cub comes from a male lion, from infanticide.
52:21The smaller cubs, they're more vulnerable.
52:25They're not as fast, not as mobile.
52:31It looks dark for the pride at the moment.
52:34And they are looking around with menace and intent,
52:38scent marking almost every bush.
52:41Maybe they can smell other lions.
52:46And they are moving straight through the heart of the Kudum Pride territory.
52:58They are rocky and want to fight.
52:59They are powerful if they have.
53:24Which is the most of the fight厲害.
53:25Then they composers.
53:25And they are perhaps better in the sky because we can never forget.