- 16 hours ago
Entertainment
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:01Viewers like you make this program possible.
00:03Support your local PBS station.
00:09The Okavango Delta in Botswana.
00:13We are in a pristine environment right now.
00:16One of Africa's last wildernesses.
00:19The magnitude of life here is unparalleled.
00:22And it's a haven for Africa's big cats.
00:28Lion, cheetah and leopard.
00:32Big cat country.
00:35Armed with the latest filming technology,
00:38the Big Cats 24-17 is following individual big cats for six months.
00:46This is a unique opportunity to follow these cats round the clock.
00:50Through the day...
00:52I used to think I'd have a fair fight with a lion.
00:55Not so sure now.
00:58And the night.
00:59We've got the most sophisticated thermal imaging technologies.
01:04Capturing their behavior.
01:0724 hours a day.
01:09I have never seen anything like this.
01:12Epic!
01:22No!
01:25He's on the cob! He's on the cob!
01:29Come on, Bobby.
01:33Bobby's trying to swipe in there.
01:42Bobby's chased off the leopard.
01:52Leopards have moved away.
01:543.
02:01Hecs do his fields.
02:03Celec den's
02:06The eagle- Towards caius.
02:0945 hours for the hombres to us.
02:16What's going on?
02:16What's going on if they get up?
02:1745 hours for sure...
02:17Oh.ここ's
02:21going on, By the other dürvere, the söyleyeons...
02:23Vocha go.
02:23It's a dog答ing
02:23on you. It's a dogfight.
02:24Whoa! Yeah, please!
02:25The size of Beau and Kia now, you assume they're safe, but yeah, you never know what to expect.
02:42That's really unfair.
02:44Kia was the one that was always the most wild and boisterous and incredibly competitive, and she's gone.
02:59And now Beau isn't going to have his sister showing him what to do all the time.
03:07Cheetah team. It was a terrible loss. I don't think any of us expected this to happen today, but...
03:17Yeah, it is. It is tough.
03:23The leopard remains a threat.
03:28Pobe has no choice. To keep Beau safe, she must leave.
03:35It doesn't feel right to stay here, I don't think, so I want to give them some time alone.
03:52The news has reached camp.
03:59Oh, we are.
04:05I don't know what to say.
04:07It's a horrible day.
04:20The team is working in 400 square kilometers of the Okovango Delta.
04:28Summer is approaching, and the flood is drying up.
04:35Aggressive intruder males have forced the Khudam Mams to retreat far to the south.
04:43But in the north...
04:45Oh, there they are.
04:47A splinter group of the Pride's youngest lionesses has remained and must survive on its own.
04:55OK, girls.
04:57Gordon is following them.
04:58We've got the females without cubs trying to hunt zebra up here.
05:07This is going to get rather interesting.
05:13Whoa!
05:24That was close.
05:28The lionesses in front of me, they are around about three or four years old.
05:33And they've formed this little subgroup or splinter of the Khudam Pride.
05:42They are the daughters of Bigto and Madumo.
05:45They're the sort of equivalent of carefree teenagers.
05:51They are the only ones that haven't moved out of the historic sort of heart of the territory,
05:57where all these intruder males are coming in.
06:02For any female with cubs, that is a concern.
06:06There's danger. There is threat to the cubs.
06:09For these cubless females, there's no threat or concern.
06:14They see them as an opportunity to breed, to have cubs, to be a mum.
06:19It'll be really interesting to follow these females.
06:23If there is to be a split in the Khudam Pride, it could well happen with them.
06:33Gordon for Anna.
06:35Close by.
06:36I've just seen movement coming from the base of a termite now.
06:41With no sign of Pobbe and Bo after the leopard attack,
06:44Anna is joining the lion team.
06:47I'm just going to check out who is there.
06:51Who is that?
06:58Okay, that's a lioness.
07:00Shall we know? What's she doing?
07:04Oh!
07:09Oh, my God.
07:11She's got a cub.
07:13I can see a cub.
07:15No, there's two. There's two cubs.
07:18Oh, wow. They are tiny.
07:23Oh, they're adorable. They're so small.
07:28Oh, they are so unsteady and lovely.
07:32They must be like two or three weeks old.
07:35I have never seen cubs this size.
07:39That is Cerami.
07:45I would recognise that tail anywhere.
07:48It's like slightly white and she's missing the tip.
07:53Well done, Cerami.
07:56Oh, this is the best news.
07:59Cerami is the first of the splinter group lionesses to breed.
08:04As far as I'm aware, we don't know who Cerami has mated with.
08:11We've got intruder males running about left, right and centre.
08:18So, there's a high chance that one of those lions could be the dad of these cubs.
08:24But, which one it is, is anybody's guess.
08:31I don't know why she's chosen, here of all places, to den.
08:37It's really exposed.
08:39There's a high amount of traffic coming through because we've got water on both sides.
08:45It just doesn't really feel like the right place to have cubs that are only two or three weeks old.
08:53First time mum Cerami has a lot to learn.
08:58I can't imagine how difficult the next few weeks and months are going to be for her.
09:04So, I'm going to stick with her because I think it's going to be a tricky time.
09:18What have we got here?
09:21Yeah, our guys have just picked up a cheetah.
09:23We're going to buy a physical pan.
09:26It's a female.
09:28She has a dreadlock on her face.
09:30So, I think that this is actually Nelo, Pobe's daughter.
09:38Nelo is from Pobe's previous litter.
09:41She's been independent from Pobe for about a year.
09:45And it's amazing.
09:47This would have been the toughest year for her.
09:49But she's looking really well.
09:52Pobe may have lost Kea.
09:55But Nelo is proof of her previous success.
09:59Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg for her.
10:01Ready.
10:02When you are.
10:03Copy that, huh?
10:05Look in front.
10:06We just found Nelo.
10:10It brings quite the joy to see Nelo.
10:13She's just a bit over three years old.
10:16Still very playful.
10:21Oh, she's playing with the elephant poo.
10:26It's really cool that Nelo still hangs around close to Pobe here.
10:32This is where she grew up.
10:39She's definitely not had a meal.
10:42She'll be hoping to bump into any food here.
10:49Nelo looks to be on the move.
10:53Copy that, right?
10:56Nelo has just spotted a big group of Impalas.
11:10Very large herd of Impala here approaching directly to Nelo,
11:15who's at the top of a termite mound staring at them.
11:19I have a feeling Nelo is waiting for the majority of the herd
11:23to come past her before she makes her move.
11:26I'm going to send Mitch up with the drone.
11:30I think this could be the best chance Nelo will have today.
11:34It's crazy, the amount of Impala on the way.
11:38This might be it.
11:41I think they've picked up a scent there, started to run.
11:48Nelo's going for it.
11:52Nelo's going for it.
11:52Oh, full tilt.
11:55She's trying to trip it.
12:00Plenty of dust just behind her.
12:01I think that's got a good start.
12:17All right!
12:17Come on, right?
12:17It's just grabbing over for her.
12:18She's grabbing her by the neck now.
12:21Can I época back?
12:25I think they hit her back-
12:30I'm hanging out!
12:31So I'm tangent the camera,
12:57Nelo's survival is not only about catching a meal.
13:03It's about keeping it too.
13:06Nelo's just dragging this impala kill into the shade, which may help reduce vultures.
13:16She's had a great amount of this meal. She's going to be good for the next couple of days.
13:24It's amazing to see this young cheetah surviving and thriving here in the Okavango.
13:30Only 5% of cheetahs make it to this stage in life.
13:35Nelo is proof that Bobe is a fantastic mother and there's still a lot of hope for both.
13:52Brad is searching for Ladiba the leopard and her five-month-old cub.
13:57Here, I've got her here. You have a beautiful view of everything around her.
14:08She's looking skinny again. It's been 10 days now since she's had a real sort of settled meal that she
14:16can really feed on. It's a stressful time.
14:20Dominant male leopard Vongwe remains in the area, providing stability for Ladiba.
14:28But her cub now needs two pounds of meat per day.
14:33Please, Ladiba, it's time to be successful.
14:37It's still too young to hunt, so Ladiba is under pressure to provide for them both.
14:49This is where she's drinking. It's a little seep.
14:52The flood is drying up, but this hole provides access to groundwater.
15:00She's got a bird. Obviously, she's surprised a bird that was drinking and a black-collared barber came out and
15:08she grabbed it.
15:12That's just remarkable. I've never seen a leopard deliberately kill something so small to eat.
15:18This is rare. Birds make up just 1% of leopard diets.
15:23Learning a lot about Ladiba's character.
15:30Her catching birds is probably enough to sustain her.
15:34But for the cub, she's going to be under increasing pressure to actually provide kills.
15:40And the pressure is going to melt.
15:42So, this is a win for her, but not for the entire family.
15:50Brad, Brad, for Tristan.
15:53Tristan is with Ladiba's cub.
15:57How's it, Brad? Yeah, I'm losing light this side.
15:59Do you want to come in with the...
16:00Crival imaging camera.
16:03She's in our way.
16:05Ladiba is returning empty-handed.
16:09Brad's going to start to follow these guys into the night and see what they get up to.
16:18Adiba is just flat on the Timoth Mountain above where the cub is.
16:27She's been really struggling.
16:29She's only been eating small things.
16:31Not enough to give to the cub.
16:37Cub has come and joined.
16:39And you can see, as she lies, there's a ring of heat around her paws and her nose and her
16:45face.
16:46And she's just slowly resting.
16:51I would never have guessed that leopards and cubs at that stage are that intimate.
16:59Quite an incredible thing to see.
17:05This is leopards at their best and, as far as I'm concerned, at their cutest.
17:26Greg, Greg for Anna.
17:29With Pobbe and Bo still missing, Anna is checking on new lion mum, Cerami.
17:34We are with a group of lionesses in really close proximity to the den.
17:42I'm on the way to you now. I'll be there in about five minutes.
17:46Some of the splinter group has joined her.
17:50How are they so close?
17:52Why are they so close?
17:55Oh, the cubs are with them.
18:01This is so bizarre.
18:05Normally mums don't introduce their cubs to the rest of the pride until they're six to eight weeks old.
18:14Those cubs are still tiny.
18:17Cerami shouldn't be introducing her cubs to any other lions when they're this little.
18:24The only time that I would really expect there to be other lionesses around cubs this small would be if
18:31they also had cubs themselves and they were alloparenting.
18:34But these lionesses don't have any cubs.
18:39So this feels really dangerous.
18:43With so many intruder males in the area and no indication of who their father is, these cubs are vulnerable.
18:55Cerami is definitely doing things differently.
19:03My goodness me, I think the cubs are very hungry.
19:08At three weeks old, lion cubs should suckle every four to six hours.
19:16What? Something happened there that she didn't like.
19:20They tried to suckle from mum, but mum got uncomfortable and has left them.
19:27It's now almost 12 hours since the crew last saw the cubs feed.
19:32Going now to the auntie trying to suckle and obviously auntie can't help them with anything.
19:39Cerami is the only mother in this group of females.
19:42So these cubs only have one possible suckling opportunity.
19:50Oh, goodness me, what the heck?
19:53This lioness is really not loving these cubs.
19:59Wow!
20:02This is another auntie who's growling at these cubs.
20:06What's wrong?
20:10There's absolutely no way in now.
20:13Cerami seems to want a break from her cubs.
20:19I feel for them. They're just waiting on the outskirts, waiting to just have a chance to drink.
20:24One of the cubs has got the nerve to come in here.
20:27He's trying to get close to mum.
20:30And this lioness is just fully aggro.
20:36And that just shouts an experience.
20:38It shows to me that this lioness and the others have not had much time around cubs at all.
20:46With no other kudum pride mums to learn from.
20:49Come on, come on, cubo.
20:52All I want to see is a cub latch onto her teeth and drink.
20:56Cerami is struggling to find her feet.
20:59The cubs seem confused.
21:02I think these two cubs have been introduced to other female lions too early.
21:09And they may not be able to recognize which lioness is mum.
21:15And which of these lionesses is not.
21:20They don't know who mum is.
21:29She's just sneaking into this forest.
21:33Ladiba has stashed her cub and is hunting again.
21:45This elephant's browsing here making a hell of a noise.
21:48And she's kind of using that.
21:51Leopards will use distractions from other animals to get closer to prey.
21:57I don't know what she's seen, but there's something of interest.
22:02The only thing I can see is elephants.
22:08She's after monkeys.
22:09That's what she's after.
22:11After vervets.
22:12Having still not caught anything big enough to share with her cub.
22:17This is how desperate she's getting.
22:19Ladiba is going for something small again.
22:23She has climbed into the tree with all these vervets.
22:26And she's jumping from branch to branch in the treetops.
22:30Trying to catch a monkey out of a tree.
22:33Showing her unbelievable agility.
22:35And frustration, I guess.
22:40Just chaos.
22:42Just chaos.
22:42Absolute chaos.
22:44It's not typical prey for her, but, you know, she's really, really hungry.
22:51Incredible climbing ability.
22:53You don't see it until these leopards are in full chase way up in the trees.
23:04She's just really going too extreme to have a go at anything she can.
23:20Trust in Brad?
23:22Got a bit of a stalemate.
23:23Brad's camera is struggling in the fading light.
23:26It's a bit too dark, so we're going to switch the thermal imaging camera and just try to keep up.
23:30So he's calling in Tristan to help.
23:36Getting down?
23:42She's on the ground.
23:44OK, cool. Copy that.
23:45Got some on my way.
23:56Shedding towards that forest.
24:02Oh, my God.
24:05Nadiba's just managed to kill a monkey.
24:08It happened while we were rigging the thermal camera.
24:12It's very, very impressive.
24:15I've never actually seen a leopard catch one on the floor, though, before.
24:20So this is quite new to me.
24:24I think we're starting to really understand a lot more about this particular cat.
24:28It's just the first leopard that I've seen in this area that is so specifically focused on small prey species.
24:38We're learning.
24:40We're learning.
24:40We're learning about the leopard.
24:42I'm very, very happy for her, and it's a decent-sized meal.
24:47But I doubt the cubs will be able to get anything off this, and they're going to probably still be
24:52hungry tonight.
24:58Sets, Sets for Greg.
25:00At Cerami's den.
25:01These poor cubs have been trying their best to get a drink.
25:05His aunties have been showing a grip.
25:08Are you free to take over?
25:10Hey, Greg, copy that, yeah.
25:12They need to drink more.
25:15Sets and Gordon are starting the night shift.
25:17I'll let you know how it goes in the morning.
25:22Oh, big yawn.
25:26Oh, it's so cute.
25:32Lionesses, they are up, and most think they're going to look for some fruit for the evening.
25:38Cerami must leave the cubs unprotected to go hunt.
25:44She's looking a bit skinny.
25:47And that's not good for her or the cubs.
25:49So, getting something to eat tonight will do her and her cubs some good.
25:56Move it out.
25:59Woo-hoo!
26:09Hey, Gordon.
26:12The lionesses are stalking towards some lechway in the floodplain.
26:17OK, yeah, I've got them.
26:20Adapted to water, even experienced lions struggle to catch lechway.
26:26The lionesses are split into two groups of two.
26:31This is an example of lions working together, using stealth, but also using strategy.
26:44Oh, this is amazing.
26:51She is up to her knees at the moment.
26:54To walk through the water without being detected is a real challenge.
27:05Oh, they're going for it.
27:08Oh, panic.
27:10Panic amongst all of these lechway.
27:13The strategy is to push the lechway into the oncoming lionesses.
27:21They really went for it.
27:23She's from way too far.
27:27But it was a good attempt.
27:29But Sarami is not giving up.
27:32Look at that.
27:34She's just like a crocodile lying in wait there.
27:38She is completely submerged in the water.
27:42She's up to her chin.
27:45As long as she can hear those lechway moving around her, there's no vision to move.
27:53I'm impressed.
27:54This is pure maternal determination.
28:01Oh, lion running, running, running, running, running.
28:04Oh, one of them is in the water.
28:07Oh, my God.
28:08She's got a goose.
28:10She's got a goose.
28:13Crazy, crazy, crazy.
28:15Oh, my word.
28:17In all the commotion, Sarami has got nothing.
28:23A goose will barely feed one of them.
28:27I've lost everyone.
28:29They have crossed all of the water yet again.
28:34But in a place where we can't follow.
28:38Looks like this is it for tonight.
28:49Gordon, Gordon, for Greg.
28:52After losing the lionesses in the night...
28:54We might do a loop up towards the den.
28:57Copy that.
28:58...Gordon and Greg...
28:59Where are you? Where are you?
29:01...are searching for them.
29:04Oh, wow!
29:06This is really quite interesting because we've got one of Bigtou Madumo's daughters with a strange male.
29:15It's one of Sarami's splinter group.
29:18He is a big boy.
29:21He's a blondie.
29:23I'm going to call him Golden Boy.
29:27Because of his mane.
29:32A male and a female hanging out like this can only mean one thing, that they're a courting couple.
29:40They're going to mate.
29:42Golden Boy is the latest intruder male, making himself at home in the Kudum Pride territory.
29:50As sad as it is to think that Bigtou Madumo's time at the top is coming to an end.
29:55In many ways it's exciting because there are other males that are going to step in that will become the
30:01pride males of the Kudum Pride.
30:04Someone like him.
30:05He might be a rising star.
30:07He certainly looks as if he's made from the right stuff.
30:11But Golden Boy's presence...
30:13Big, strong, handsome.
30:15It's obviously working on this female.
30:18Could be a danger to Sarami's cubs.
30:21If he's not their father.
30:38The Diba is high up in an ebony tree that's fruiting.
30:42To feed her cub, La Diba's changing her tactics.
30:47The fruiting trees play such a big role in this area.
30:52Ebony fruits full of sugar, lots of protein.
30:55And when they're dropping their fruits, everything is utilizing them.
31:01There's a herd of impala rams that are spanking their way down, picking up the fallen fruit.
31:06Between them and the Diba.
31:09She's using the fruit as bait.
31:13And that focused activity from an ebony tree to ebony tree is a pattern that these leopards have figured out.
31:20To conserve energy, leopards often wait for prey to come to them.
31:27I haven't seen La Diba jump onto an impala from a tree yet.
31:32Let's hope she doesn't injure herself.
31:34And let's hope these impala get to her tree.
31:37La Diba's taking a risk to catch larger prey.
31:43It's just a waiting game.
31:57It's now 1.15 in the afternoon.
32:00Over six hours have passed.
32:03She's been in this tree the whole time.
32:06And just patience, patience, patience.
32:10La Diba's still eyes fixated on the impalas coming down the tree line towards her.
32:20Oh, we've got a single ram.
32:22He's in our closest that we've had to her.
32:28This ram is completely unaware of the Diba and the tree above him.
32:37My heart is pounding on my chest right now.
32:42She must be 8, 9 meters off the ground.
32:47It's a blood positioning so she doesn't impale herself on those horns.
32:52a mistake here could be fatal he's directly underneath that come on do a little bum wiggle
33:03here we go
33:17no way
33:29I'm lucky I'm lucky sorry Michael I feel so sorry for she needed that was the spent all that time
33:41waiting ladiba moves on empty-handed you know it's dangerous doing something from that height if she
33:51falls weirdly or something happens it could spell the end for her
34:05the demo is
34:10Greg has found Cerami who's moved her cubs closer to the flood
34:23so our new lion mum and her cubs with a couple of the lionesses just resting in the shade
34:31being nearer the water is cooler for the lionesses
34:35my goodness gracious me but Cerami siblings are still stopping the cubs from suckling
34:43oh
34:45oh my word no this is not good and resting here exposes them to a new danger a weak elephant
34:54is a potential prey
34:55for a lion so elephants do not like to share any space with lions
35:05something tells me that those little lion cubs do not have the legs on them to outrun an elephant
35:11this is a particularly dangerous situation for the cubs
35:17this family of elephants out matches Cerami and the other lionesses
35:25okay our moms are pulling out
35:27they're leaving the cubs behind
35:29there's nothing that Cerami can do here against the elephants
35:36oh my goodness he just threw a branch
35:41very aggressive behavior from the elephant
35:44elephants have been known to kill lion cubs
35:48oh the cubs are super scared
35:53the lionesses look like they want to charge in and push the ellies
35:59okay one cub has run into this tall grass
36:05but there's one cub who's completely isolated
36:09what
36:11oh get out of there little cub
36:16nerves of steel from the lion cub
36:22went straight past the cub
36:27my jungle hat
36:28that is nuts
36:32there's the cub
36:33okay cubbies up
36:34oh these cubs are doing the right thing
36:38the cub's instinct to hide is kicking in
36:43don't cry now little lion cub
36:45because now you're going to draw attention
36:50just one angry elephant with one foot
36:54and there goes your lion cub
37:02cubs are somewhere in this tall fire grass
37:15yeah the ellies are moving away
37:17Hey, I think the danger is past.
37:26That was so close.
37:30People think that lions are in charge
37:33on the African savannah, but that is not the case.
37:37Elephants are in charge.
37:54Unbelievable.
37:56What a rollercoaster of an afternoon for these cubs.
38:00Such survivors.
38:04Oh, finally.
38:07So good.
38:08Both of the cubs are having a drink.
38:11This is what the cubs need.
38:15That's fantastic.
38:19It's really surprising and amazing to see that these cubs
38:22have such strong survival instincts.
38:25To move away from the elephants and knowing what to do
38:28in the time of extreme danger.
38:32At this age, every day is a victory.
38:35So today was a victory, but only just.
38:58Brad is looking for Ladiba the leopard.
39:01Let's go.
39:17I heard all this commotion on the edge of the floodplain, and I've got Cerami and her sisters on a
39:22kill, and a whole bunch of ahinas trying to steal it from me.
39:28Leaving her cubs at the den, Cerami and the splinter group have finally caught a meal.
39:34These lionesses must have killed us early hours of the morning, and now they're being mobbed.
39:42There's an interesting equation to these kind of interactions.
39:45It's based on weight.
39:47Three hyenas weighs the same as one lioness.
39:49We've got four lionesses here, so we'll need twelve hyenas before a real battle starts.
39:57Despite their immaturity, these young females are keeping their food.
40:03Part of the tactic of a hyenas is making a huge racket.
40:08And essentially it's calling to arms.
40:11And if there's any hyenas within the earshot of this, they're going to come in.
40:16I hope they'll hold on to it.
40:18Cerami's really been struggling, and she's a new mom.
40:21And if she doesn't get fed, her milk will start to dry, and that's not good for her cubs.
40:27They just mustn't fall for the intimidation.
40:33Don't, don't do that at all.
40:35See, the minute one pulls away from the rest of the tribe, those hyenas just see the weakness.
40:40They just target her.
40:42It's amazing.
40:43You know, they'll walk within a couple of meters and literally just stand.
40:46I mean, if I was a lioness, I wouldn't be liking this.
40:52Ooh, the saingles are getting ballsy.
40:56Here we come.
41:06The lions are starting to move away, led by our new mum.
41:12Finally outnumbered, the lionesses are leaving, but with full bellies.
41:17Cerami at least had a decent feed.
41:21And food for Cerami means more milk for her cubs.
41:32Bird for Tristan.
41:34It's been two weeks since the team saw Ladiba catch a large meal.
41:38It looks like this girl's definitely just going on a bit of a march today.
41:44Okay, copy that.
41:53Ladiba's just seen some impala.
41:59It looks like she's going to go and try hide in the long grass and get into a position where
42:04she can ambush.
42:07This is pretty much do or die now.
42:15Ladiba must feed her cub.
42:18Just lost complete visual.
42:20But I mean, if I can't see her, I doubt impala can see her.
42:23So she's planned this so, so well.
42:48Let's go.
42:48Ah! She got one! Come on!
42:55You are an absolute beauty!
42:59Ladiba did it!
43:02Weighing nearly 150 pounds
43:05Unbelievable
43:06An Impala Ram will feed Ladiba and her cub for several days
43:11Amazing, amazing, amazing
43:14It's so good for her
43:17The cub for her is the best possible way to end the day for Ladiba
43:24These Impalas have such big horns
43:29And it looks like it's managed to just clip her slightly
43:32But she looks fine, luckily
43:34But yeah
43:36Oh, she just used all of her abilities to the max there
43:40Hid, waited for the Impala to come to her
43:42And now she's got an amazing meal for her family
43:45What a superstar
43:48Very keen on keeping this kill as hidden as possible
43:58Ladiba's calling properly now
44:00So this cub's got to be in here
44:08Ah, hello
44:10The cubby's arrived
44:13Going in for a cuddle
44:19It's always really nice
44:21It's always really nice
44:21Just seeing the family really nice
44:22And seeing how happy they are together
44:28And mum gets to give this cub a little treat
44:36Looks like we're all on the move now
44:38Mum's taking the cub into the kill
44:41And now mum's taking the cub into the kill
44:47This cub's got a long way to go
44:50And a lot of things to learn
44:52And that's what Ladiba's going to be trying to teach it
44:58But the most important thing right now
45:00Is that
45:01Gets a good meal
45:02And continues to grow
45:06And mum's managed to provide that today
45:18Base, base, base for Greg
45:21Greg has picked up Golden Boy
45:24The latest intruder in the area
45:27His males are just in the flood plain south of Kudu Crossing
45:31He's been joined by his coalition partner
45:34So, pretty close to where the den is
45:38This is a mature coalition of males
45:41We don't know them very well
45:43But they are starting to become
45:45Quite a lot more present in the Kudun Pride territory
45:48They're resting close to Sarami's den
45:53Greg, Greg, I've got them
45:56Yep
45:58That is Golden Boy
46:01They are only about 150 metres from
46:04The last nine locations of Sarami
46:07He had two new cubs
46:09So this feels really dangerous
46:12If neither male is the father
46:15The cubs are in danger
46:21The cubs are here
46:23But Sarami's not
46:25And she hasn't been seen at the den for 24 hours now
46:31And I'm getting fairly stressed
46:33Because if Golden Boy and his coalition partner
46:36Catch the scent of these two cubs
46:39There is a very big chance it's going to kill them
46:44Ow!
46:51I'm having issues getting this thermal camera going
46:54Two hours have passed
46:57Sarami is still not back
46:58The cubs are still on their own
47:01I have a feeling
47:02There's something wrong with one of the cables
47:04I've already called them to camp
47:05So they're bringing in a replacement
47:06But I'm just stressed that something's going to happen
47:10Anna coming
47:10Golden Boy's on his way
47:13You said the Golden Boy's coming now
47:16With the thermal camera out of action
47:18I'm just going to have to use this for the moment, I think
47:21Anna's using her spotting scope instead to locate the males
47:25Oh my god, they're walking straight this way
47:28No, no, no
47:32Stay there cubs, don't move
47:38Oh my
47:42They're only like 30 metres from the den at this point
47:49I haven't seen some lechway
47:52Oh, please be distracted
47:56Okay
47:57They are looking in the direction of the lechway at the moment
48:02Oh, okay, I've just lost them behind a tailwind mound
48:12Nice
48:12We're in
48:13Thank you
48:17Ah, okay, we're back in action
48:22What's up, Ben?
48:25What's up, Ben?
48:26Ah, great, okay
48:31These cubs are bulletproof
48:38They're moving away
48:41They are moving away
48:45I cannot believe that
48:48Those cubs have had such a lucky escape
48:53Sir Amin used to come back because that was way too close for comfort
49:10No, no, no
49:10Night shift is ending
49:20but the two male lions have circled back that is that's golden boy let's go straight towards
49:28a den I'm gonna have to stick on the thermal Anna has no time to switch to her daylight camera
49:34oh my
49:37gosh little guys this is gonna be potentially tragic we have no idea who dad is if the father
49:46is not golden boy this could be the end of these little cubs if he isn't the dad I cannot
49:54watch
49:55another cat kill a cub again they're just at the base of that little tree okay golden boy is coming
50:04towards the den here they're not hidden they're completely obvious what the hell is the army the
50:15cubs have literally zero protection right now golden boy is gonna see these cubs in a second
50:35oh my word golden boy is hesitating
50:45fully grown males rarely see cubs this small the cubs are panicking one of the cubs is heading behind the
50:53trunk the other cub is shuffled off up the trunk of this tree what's going on
51:08I don't know if it's curiosity or he actually does want to cause harm one cub is hiding
51:18but golden boy is following the other
51:40the fact that that cub is so small might be the biggest blessing because it's managed to get itself all
51:48the way up on the tree and that's the one place that
51:50golden boy can't get because it's far too big to get out there the cubs have escaped danger again
52:04he's pulled back
52:07goodness gracious I was not expecting that I thought he was gonna munch them
52:14the fact that he didn't go for them I think he could be the dad
52:21and if so that means that intruder males really are infiltrating they couldn't pride
52:27thank you thank you copy
52:30Gordon is joining Anna and Greg oh my gosh quite the situation
52:39I don't know but a lot of them
52:40and it's gonna happen here
52:42what is gonna happen here
52:43the one at the bottom is calling for the one who's at the top of the tree
52:47which is encouraging it to come down
52:53he looks so vulnerable up there
52:58I just wanted us just playing on
53:03oh little guy that's a long way to fall
53:10come on come on you're so close
53:17it'll just be so low on energy as well because we've not seen their mum feeding them recently
53:37you
54:00you
54:01you
54:01you