Big Cats 24/7 Season 1 Episode 1 kicks off an extraordinary six-month expedition deep in Botswana’s legendary Okavango Delta, where some of Africa’s most powerful predators roam.
Wildlife cinematographer Gordon Buchanan follows one of the largest lion prides in Africa as they hunt to feed 28 hungry mouths, including vulnerable lion cubs learning to survive in the wild. Meanwhile, Anna Dimitriadis searches for the Okavango’s most elusive predator — the lightning-fast cheetah. Local wildlife filmmaker Brad Bestelink reunites with his favourite leopardess, Xudum, offering rare insight into the life of one of the Delta’s most mysterious big cats.
But danger rises when a massive wildfire threatens the wildlife and the filming team, putting both predators and people at risk.
Experience the drama, beauty, and survival of Africa’s greatest predators in Big Cats 24/7 as the journey begins.
#BigCats247 #BigCats #WildlifeDocumentary #AfricanWildlife #OkavangoDelta
Wildlife cinematographer Gordon Buchanan follows one of the largest lion prides in Africa as they hunt to feed 28 hungry mouths, including vulnerable lion cubs learning to survive in the wild. Meanwhile, Anna Dimitriadis searches for the Okavango’s most elusive predator — the lightning-fast cheetah. Local wildlife filmmaker Brad Bestelink reunites with his favourite leopardess, Xudum, offering rare insight into the life of one of the Delta’s most mysterious big cats.
But danger rises when a massive wildfire threatens the wildlife and the filming team, putting both predators and people at risk.
Experience the drama, beauty, and survival of Africa’s greatest predators in Big Cats 24/7 as the journey begins.
#BigCats247 #BigCats #WildlifeDocumentary #AfricanWildlife #OkavangoDelta
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AnimalsTranscript
00:04she clearly knows the deal seen her with Impala underneath her tree several times
00:10we've yet to have that that full execution she makes a mistake she gets hurt badly
00:18animals that get hurt out here don't survive very long
00:23she's going
00:31the Okavango Delta in Botswana one of Africa's last wildernesses Okavango Delta is an oasis in the
00:43desert it's a miracle in itself and it's a stronghold for Africa's big cats lion cheetah and leopard
00:55this is nature at its absolute finest now for the very first time a team of local and
01:04international wildlife filmmakers is working together to record the cat's lives like never
01:11before using the latest technology we're gonna be able to see things in a completely different light
01:20and tell stories in a completely different way they'll follow individual big cats for six months
01:27through the day this is crazy this is a battle and the night this is a military-grade thermal imaging
01:36camera lions have got amazing night vision but it's not as good as this capturing their behavior he's
01:44he's got the cub he's got the cub 24 hours a day welcome to the Okavango Delta it gets crazy
02:04my heart is pumping already the big cats team is working in an area covering a hundred and fifty square
02:12miles
02:14at its heart is a remote film camp built by wildlife filmmaker Brad Bestelink
02:21I've grown up in Okavango being part of it my whole life
02:27here wildlife cinematographers from both the UK how you doing this is great yeah and Botswana
02:34okay you can put it there while filming are preparing to film the lives of the resident big cats
02:47one two one two three four the team is getting ready to go the area they're living and working in
02:56is home
02:57to one of the largest prides of lions in Africa
03:15and that's great starts
03:31it's the dry season
03:37just slowly by slowly building up a picture of this whole area
03:49we're just in grassland and plenty of prey right around us the challenge for the lions is that they
03:59have many hungry mouths to feed this is the kudum pride
04:17this isn't the whole pride the pride itself numbers over 20
04:24it's one of the largest prides in the Okavango
04:32headed up by these two big guys big toe
04:38and Madumo
04:42at the bottom end of this family you've got these cubs
04:51gubs of different sizes to different females it's quite a complicated family group and it's our
05:00mission to get to know every single member of this family from the smallest like that one to the biggest
05:12as impressive as these big males are
05:17it's the kudum pride's lionesses that are central to its success
05:24they take the lead on hunting as well as rearing the next generation
05:31at the core
05:32look at the family portrait right there
05:34are three highly experienced females and mothers
05:39are she built this is no see see she just had cops recently
05:47she's the huntress she's confident powerful female and she's an incredible hunter
05:57good morning
06:01I think she heard what she said
06:05she's part of the core of this pride alongside my gogo
06:13and my cosy
06:15it's most likely that they're related even sisters in between them they have currently six cubs
06:28these females with cubs they're not only nourishing themselves they're having to
06:33to feed the cubs provide milk for them
06:37now over three months old the cubs are at a crucial stage
06:43they need to eat meat for their growth and development
06:49the challenge for no see and the other lionesses is to provide enough food
07:00so viene i can see the zebra so i'm not going to go any closer i'm just going to wait
07:05here
07:25you would think many hands make light work but when it comes to these males getting involved in the hunt
07:31for something as keen-eyed as a zebra it's better that they just
07:35kind of boys just stay out of it
07:37they are big huge mains
07:40and they stick out like a sore thumb
07:55dingbat what you doing
08:12I think when people see something like a lion this top predator they think well catching food must be easy
08:21for an animal as well equipped
08:24but in reality it is incredibly difficult for these lions to get a single meal
08:32food is never that far away from the mind of any lion
08:38hunger is just
08:39that's just a constant way of life
08:45so i would say that this is not
08:47not going to happen for the lions this time
08:52if those females go without food
08:54the cubs can suffer
09:01hoping no see and the pride mothers can provide for their young
09:05gordon and vianney stick with them
09:11wildlife camera team anna and greg
09:16is pursuing a far more elusive cat
09:20okay on our way
09:22in an area that is crawling with lions
09:26there's only one resident cheetah
09:29and her name is pobe
09:32the cheetah has been so unpredictable at the moment
09:34it's very hard to know what their movements are going to be
09:37there's so many lions in the area and they really really hate lions
09:40so that makes it a real challenge
09:42i don't know i think i have some clues on the road just up ahead of you
09:52might have some nice looking cheetah trucks here
09:56there yeah yeah this is the hind foot
09:59yeah front foot
10:00see it's a little bit more elongated over here
10:03well this is really encouraging
10:04it's good eh
10:05yeah
10:06this grass is really high so there's no chance we're going to be seeing a cheetah
10:10from this level
10:11let's get the drone up
10:17i'm just going to check along these talmite mounds because
10:20talmite mounds are the perfect spot for cheetahs to have a good vantage point to look out
10:25for any prey
10:26they love open flat areas where they can really utilize their speed and agilities
10:33to avoid competition from other predators
10:37cheetahs mostly hunt at the start and the end of the day
10:42as the sun comes higher and gets a bit stronger the cheetah are going to also be looking for
10:47a little spot of shade
10:49so yeah we do need to make the most use of the times that we think they're probably going to
10:56be moving about
11:04across africa
11:06there are only 7 000 cheetahs left in the wild
11:12with 25 percent of those living here in botswana
11:16it's not long before there is success for the team
11:22anna you're not going to believe this but i found a cheetah
11:28no way i'm coming
11:49this is pubby
11:57she's a cheetah that's quite known in this area and she's known for being particularly streetwise
12:03it's always been a dream of mine to
12:07see a wild cheetah
12:08it's stunning
12:10so beautiful
12:19hey i can see that she's got almost like a grayish patch on one of her cheeks
12:26it's quite funny
12:27pubby means dimple
12:30because of the position of that birthmark
12:34somebody thought it was a cute idea to call her dimple
12:38i love that that's such a cool name
12:50i wonder if it's the wind that's perking her up
13:01i know how much these kind of predators use the wind
13:04as cover for hunting
13:07cheetahs can accelerate from 0 to 60 in three seconds
13:13what are you doing are you hunting pigs
13:16they still need to get close to their prey to increase their chance of success
13:28if i take my eye away from this eyepiece for about two seconds just like where where is she
13:36she's just so hard to spot
13:39they're just so incredibly camouflaged
13:42they're just so incredibly camouflaged
13:43but warthogs
13:44things can see you
13:45are always on high alert
13:55i can't see her at all
14:09after hours of searching
14:12we are rapidly losing the light here
14:15we are rapidly losing the light here
14:16Anna is admitting defeat
14:18time to go home
14:27at camp
14:28gordon is preparing for his first night following nosi and the other lionesses
14:34it's at night when lions are most active
14:38the most exciting addition to my camera kit is this
14:44it is a thermal imaging camera that was kind of military grade technology
14:48and this is going to be able to do what lions and leopards can do
14:53which is to see in the dark
14:54we're heading out with the most exciting camera for a wildlife cameraman
14:59in one of the most exciting places in the world
15:01one of the best places to see big cats
15:02so no
15:03i'm stoked
15:18night in the okavango
15:22brings total darkness
15:28without this technology
15:30the big cats team wouldn't be able to see a thing
15:36but it's not as good as this
15:40i'm able to see things that they can't see which is quite mind-blowing
15:47mmm some nice big line tracks here
15:51i think we are heading in the right direction
15:58here they are
16:01clear as
16:03a bell
16:08the night brings cooler temperatures
16:12this is the lionesses preferred time to hunt
16:18and
16:19armed with his thermal camera
16:21gordon can film
16:24any activity
16:26greg doing his workout inside his land cruiser
16:29greg greg
16:31just a word of advice
16:32don't do anything
16:33at night time that you wouldn't want to be filmed
16:45he's going to be running away from the lion in five minutes if he's not careful
16:52greg greg
16:54you've got a lion coming straight towards you
16:56i don't know if you can see that
16:57i don't know if you can see that
16:58i don't know if you can see that
17:12you're close
17:15it's only been dark for half an hour
17:19jeez
17:23it's not known when the lionesses last had a meal
17:27the hell's going on
17:29but a good indication of how hungry they are
17:33is the type of prey they're targeting
17:38porcupines
17:39two porcupines
17:47out of desperation lions will attack porcupines but they've got those big needle-like quills for a reason
17:53i've seen lions with their face absolutely covered in spines once they go in
17:57it's very difficult to get them out
17:59with young cubs to provide for
18:04right don't mess with them
18:05this lioness can't afford to get injured
18:10if you look out it is pitch black but with this i can see prey off in the background i
18:15can see bats flitting about i can see huge lions
18:19this camera is
18:21this camera is
18:23this unbeatable
18:25it's not long
18:27oh dear
18:29before the lionesses find more suitable prey
18:32this could be it
18:34a lechway
18:36a wetlands antelope
18:40they've got an animal that's completely oblivious
18:44they've got an animal that's completely oblivious
18:44walking straight towards them
18:51predator knows that prey is there
18:53prey doesn't know that predator's there
19:00no no no no pal you're making a big mistake
19:12now it knows something's not quite right
19:22lechway can outrun lions
19:25she's gonna have to come round the front
19:27if she's gonna stand a chance of getting it
19:31but lions are one of the only big cats
19:34that actively work together
19:35to hunt their prey
19:42lost her lost her
19:50she's put herself in a position
19:52behind one of these hummocks
19:54and she might explode
19:56out
19:58and if she pushes it back
20:00it's gonna run straight into the jaws of her sister
20:06my goodness
20:09this is not a place to be out on your own
20:13die, die, die
20:23oh, oh, oh
20:33girl, you did everything right
20:36I don't know what went wrong there
20:39holy bananas
20:43that was this close
20:49it's too much stress for one night
20:53the lionesses press on
20:58unable to follow
20:59Gordon calls it a night
21:09in camp
21:13there's a reminder
21:14the teen is living in a wilderness
21:18I'm always slightly
21:20slightly nervous around elephants
21:22I don't know
21:24the camp is unfenced
21:27animals are free to roam
21:29wherever they want
21:39but this five-ton bull elephant
21:42could be dangerous
21:45for his own safety
21:47he can't be allowed to feel at home
22:02just driven off a full elephant
22:08that's not a normal event but
22:10at least
22:11they're intelligent creatures
22:13and they kind of pick up
22:14when you don't want them around
22:15you know
22:15I think they learn
22:16you just got to tell them
22:17listen mate
22:18it's not happening today
22:20and typically they get the message
22:22I'm shaking a little bit
22:23but
22:24it's part of the deal
22:30Greg and Anna are heading out of camp
22:33to see what's happening
22:34close by
22:35wildlife cameraman Setz has spotted something interesting
22:38I found lions in the floodplain
22:42he's located a group of couldn't pride lionesses
22:47it's not no see in the other mothers
22:50look like 2 lionesses
22:51I've got a closer view
22:53and
22:55they see how many they are in total
22:58Anna and Greg heading over to see what's happening
23:08I'm trying to decide which direction to go
23:10and I don't want to cut them off but
23:14I'm not exactly sure who they are
23:20it's interesting because they do look like they've had a meal
23:22not too long ago
23:27Greg there's a little leopard
23:29the hell?
23:31the men
23:36leopards are powerful predators
23:39but physically
23:42they are no match for lions
23:46Greg
23:48did you say you have
23:49view of a leopard?
23:52he's just a little bit ahead of me
23:55you have leopards
23:56and lions
23:58and
23:59close proximity
24:10Leopards typically avoid lions, but this one is reluctant to leave.
24:21Hey both. It has a kill up in the tree. I can see your tail just dangling.
24:28Yeah, I think the leopard has killed something, maybe earlier on today.
24:34To keep its food safe, the leopard has stashed it in the tree.
24:44The lion's got wind of that kill.
24:50Oh, that leopard needs to stay hidden. All those lions could kill her.
24:57They're running here. One of them is running across here. Did you see that?
25:02Danger.
25:16The leopard is retreating.
25:22OK, OK, she's gone.
25:33Oh, it's climbing up the tree.
25:39Lions are three times heavier than leopards.
25:43That is absolutely incredible.
25:47And aren't built for climbing trees.
25:54But the couldn't-pride lionesses aren't your average lions.
26:05These lionesses think that they're leopards.
26:08It's quite amazing, eh?
26:16Welcome to the Okoranga Delta.
26:19It gets crazy.
26:26What a morning.
26:27That was crazy, wasn't it?
26:28Yeah.
26:29I don't know about you, but my heart rate was through the roof.
26:31This does not happen a lot.
26:34No?
26:34I have to say, no.
26:35It's surprising.
26:37You think lions can't really climb vertical trees,
26:39but if they're motivated enough, as you have seen, they will do it.
26:47These lionesses might have scavenged the leopard's kill.
26:52But Nosy and the other mothers still need a successful hunt if they're to feed their cubs.
27:00These two females, Nosy, alongside Magogo, they probably went for a hunt and they're coming back with nothing.
27:11The cubs are going and, you know, greeting them.
27:17When one mother is on a hunt, the rest look after her cub.
27:23It's like this, they say in Africa, it takes a village to grow a child.
27:31This is Matata.
27:33He's around six months old.
27:37His mum is Magogo.
27:40Look how much bigger he is than the other cubs.
27:43He shows curiosity, strength, dominance.
27:48When he grows up, he will be like, you know, strong and powerful enough to be one of the leading
27:55characters in the pride.
27:58He's ticking all the boxes.
28:10One of the features of Linus' social structure is that they will circle one another cubs.
28:20They have that sort of crèche ambiance.
28:28Matata seems to be muscling his way in, you know, seem to be, always seem to get what he wants.
28:36Because it's Matata.
28:41Highly nutritious, lion's milk has over four times more fat than cow's milk.
28:47Oh, the small one wants to circle.
28:51And competition between the cubs is high.
28:55She's been bullied.
28:59I'm worried about the smallest one, who's not getting enough.
29:03Because if he carries on like that, it could be a bad news for her.
29:10I would like to see them eating more and growing faster, as fast as possible, to overcome that sad fact
29:20that only 20% of the cubs make it to adulthood.
29:27With no meat to satisfy their growing appetite, the cubs are demanding more milk, putting pressure on Nosy and the
29:37lionesses.
29:45There are a few down here.
29:48Anna and Greg are back on the trail of Pobe the cheetah.
29:53Yeah, I'm almost certain that those are cheetah tracks.
29:57So I'm going to just keep going in that direction and see where those tracks lead us.
30:03It looks like we're following some cheetah tracks here.
30:06OK, yeah, nice one.
30:07All right, well, we'll head up that road and we'll bump into you.
30:09I'll be keen to have a look and see if we can figure out a direction.
30:28Hey Greg.
30:31We've got ourselves into a little bit of a situation.
30:35Yeah, we're currently down a big hole.
30:38And we can't get out.
30:40We might need your help.
30:44Wow, that is a nice hole.
30:47It's like an odd box playground here and you just decided this was the spot.
30:52Yeah, essentially.
30:53We were trying to do a little shortcut, but the shortcut didn't pay off.
30:57It's OK.
30:57It happens to all of us.
31:00Lions are in the area and long grass offers plenty of cover.
31:05Are we quite happy here?
31:06We're not going to be like ambushed or anything.
31:10It's really hard in this vegetation to see what's in front of you.
31:15The team has no idea what the grass could be hiding.
31:21There's not a lot of shade here.
31:23The chances of somebody just sleeping out here in the middle of open is very slim.
31:29They stay on high alert.
31:32And Greg is working quickly.
31:36We should be able to try and pull you.
31:42Woo!
31:46OK.
31:52Yes!
31:54Oh, stop.
32:04Back on the search for cheetahs.
32:07Anna's tracking skills are paying off.
32:12No way.
32:27Great.
32:27Alright.
32:28It's definitely not Pobbe.
32:29This looks like a male to me.
32:32Do you know who this is?
32:35Interesting, Anna.
32:37It looks like a cheetah that we know as Spoko, a male.
32:42We hardly ever see him.
32:43I think I've only ever seen him once before in fact.
32:46to say. That's a really weird name. What does that mean? He's called Spokul because he disappears
32:54and reappears without any obvious pattern. He's very ghost-like. Spokul means ghost in
33:02Setswana. Oh, I like that. I like that a lot. Could easily be hunting. The other possibility,
33:08Spokul could be looking for pobe in this area. I mean, it's a bit of speculation, but wouldn't
33:14that be extraordinary? It's Spokul and pobe coming together.
33:24Okay, he's scent marking. Scent marking is their main form of communication. Cheetah are really shy,
33:33so they basically use tree trunks or termite mounds as messaging boards. They don't want
33:40to get into fights, and that's particularly true for the males. For cheetahs like Spokul,
33:46he's a solitary male. He's got no backup. He's not in a coalition, so he's going to want to avoid
33:53other males at all costs. He's using that tree as a vantage point now. Good eyesight is really
34:09important for cheetahs over lions and leopards because they hunt by the day.
34:17He is just cruising along here. You can see what he's doing. He's using the flat areas as cover,
34:24and then he's hopping up on a termite mound. He's scanning out, and then he just melts back into
34:28the grass. It's really cool. Something has changed in his behaviour, and I feel like he's just gone into
34:38hunt mode. He's moving really quick. He's just bolted. He's completely bolted in that direction.
34:47No! Okay, I've just lost him behind that tree-ish area over there. No!
34:56Greg, Greg, for Anna? Would it be best if we just stayed out tonight?
35:01I think this is a fantastic plan. 100% good idea.
35:07Sticking on Spokul's trail, Greg and Anna will sleep out in their trucks.
35:20Picking up the night shift, Gordon is following the pride's hungry lionesses.
35:34She's come down to look for a drink of water, but there is, there's nothing.
35:40They still need to provide a meal for the cubs.
35:48This was a big waterhole, but now it is just mud and catfish slipping about in it.
35:57Catfish can breathe air. So as long as there's some moisture to keep their skin damp, they can survive.
36:17She's just triggered by the movement. Every time one flaps, she just can't help herself.
36:27Big cat eating a catfish. Does this count as a hunt?
36:34This mud is really smelly. When there was water here, there would have been lots of hippos,
36:39so they're defecating in the water, and it all just condenses down.
36:45So this is just kind of like a mixture of mud and hippo number twos.
37:00She's got one. Maybe not as tasty as an impala or a wildebeest or a zebra foal, but it's something.
37:09Is she going to eat it?
37:12Nope, she's let it go.
37:16She's not one to eat a catfish that's squirming about in hippo faeces.
37:33Greg and Anna have found a suitable camping spot.
37:37We are by the baobab tree. That's where we shall be all night.
37:43We're quite far from camp, so we just thought it's easier to have a night out in the bush.
37:49We can listen out for any of the alarm calls that might mean that there's a predator in the area,
37:55so that's a pretty helpful just being tuned in with the surroundings.
38:03Just checking for any surrounding lines.
38:09We're good. False alarm.
38:13Hopefully they're not drawn in by this delicious lentil bolognese that's about to happen here.
38:18Why are we?
38:19Flying's definitely having an interest in all food types, including vegan foods.
38:29Gordon is with the lions, who are now actively hunting.
38:35With night vision six times better than humans, they're focused on a target.
38:42The lions have seen the cecibe.
38:45They're splitting up.
38:51To increase their chances, the lionesses have teamed up with more of the pride.
39:00Oh, my goodness.
39:02Three sub-adult males are the most engaged in this hunt.
39:12Male lions have a reputation of letting the females do all the hard work.
39:19This may be their opportunity to show their worth.
39:42Oh, she's poised. She's ready to go.
39:50Oh, my goodness.
39:52They're completely surrounded.
39:56This is your worst nightmare.
40:04It is happening.
40:06He's running.
40:10Dippy boy.
40:12You messed that up.
40:14Oh, did you know?
40:23How did you get away from that?
40:26That is one lucky beast.
40:31Oh, they did get one.
40:36I suppose if you're going to be caught by a lion, it would be better for you if it was
40:40six rather than one.
40:45It's a pylon.
40:50I'm going to put the drone up and see how many are here.
41:01Look at that.
41:06One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
41:11Ten lions.
41:17The bigger the lion, the more food they get.
41:23So it's just the three young males, they're getting most of the food because they can muscle in.
41:35Pushed off the kill by the sub-adult males, the lionesses barely get a bite.
41:45With this number of lions, one sesame is not going to go that far.
41:51That's not really enough to sustain them.
41:55The cubs still haven't had the food they need.
42:00And it looks unlikely they'll feed tonight.
42:23Local cameraman, Rhea, is trying to find the Khuddam Pride mothers.
42:29I'm actually going to head straight to boat station.
42:32Because there are contact points there.
42:34They're all around.
42:36Copy.
42:40The lions are just currently headed into the grass, into this tall grass here.
42:46We're currently with Nosy, Malkosi, and Magogor.
42:50They've just left the cubs nearby.
42:53They are stalking a huge herd of zebras just in front of us.
43:00To feed their cubs, these lionesses must make a kill.
43:12At the moment, the herd is completely unaware of what's happening.
43:24So these three mums have been joined by another lioness.
43:29So they're actually four.
43:32Four lionesses will have a very good chance of a zebra.
43:38Hunting as a group helps lions take down much larger prey.
43:50It's started.
43:54They've got it.
44:14It's done.
44:14One of the zebras is done.
44:15We need to reposition.
44:24It's done.
44:25I can see three lionesses with the zebra there.
44:29On the way with the cubs is Mark Hossi.
44:33This will be great for Matata and all his siblings.
44:44Nosy and the lionesses have finally provided for their cubs.
44:54And they're keen to protect the kill.
44:58We've got the females placing dust over the internal organs just to hide that scent.
45:06They don't want scavengers coming.
45:11If vultures came, it would be a good indication for other lions to come.
45:19Three half of V&A.
45:21Three half of V&A.
45:22Copy.
45:24V&A, V&A.
45:25The mums have done it.
45:26They've made a kill.
45:27We've got a zebra kill here.
45:29We're just close to, just north of the four palms.
45:36Excellent.
45:36Message received.
45:40I can already see Matata jumping.
45:42Jumping on a kev.
45:43It's a 65.
45:46What?
45:51This, for me, is a massive relief.
45:55I was worrying about the cubs not being able to eat.
46:00I know the cubs are going to be gaining more energy.
46:04They're going to be gaining some strength.
46:12Matata is trying to play with the mouth of the zebra.
46:19As if it was still alive and he's trying to kill it.
46:25At six months old, Matata needs to eat over two kilos of meat a day.
46:34This meal will feed the mothers and cubs for at least three days.
46:39You know, everything to them right now is play, play, play, play.
46:43But it's also what to be doing when he grows up.
46:48Hunting for themselves and hunting successfully.
46:55I feel like for the next few days, there will be more play, there will be more energy, there will
47:03be more excitement.
47:22Leopard specialist Brad is focusing on another resident big cat.
47:32I'm off to find Kudum.
47:35She's the main female leopard that runs from my camp through the center of the island.
47:40And I haven't seen her for some time, so I'm quite excited.
47:47Leopards are solitary and usually well hidden by day.
47:53But Kudum is Brad's favorite cat, and he knows where to look for her.
48:04Got her here.
48:07I've known Kudum for five years, since she was a cub.
48:11She was born here and regularly passes through our camp.
48:15Like me, she considers this home.
48:22She's taking a very thick forest.
48:27We're going to keep up with it.
48:28We're going to have to get through here.
48:37All right, there we go.
48:40Ah, that's beautiful.
48:41She comes.
48:43She might sit, Mark.
48:44How long is it going to this?
48:57I think one of the primary jobs of a female leopard is to secure a boundary.
49:03If she's going to own a good hunting area and potentially have cubs, she really has to secure a perimeter.
49:11I think they'll probably spend 30, 40% of their lives maintaining that.
49:20Ownership is key here.
49:36As soon as they get seen by squirrels or Franklin or something that's going to give them away,
49:41that tail goes up and then goes up and flicks and you can see the irritation.
49:46It's like a guy I've been seen, you know, off that walk.
49:56Yeah, what's noticeable about her behavior at the moment is she's just marching, marching.
50:01She's not too worried about being concealed, but she's marching, marching at a fairly fast trot.
50:06She's on a hectic territorial mission at the moment.
50:11My gut's telling me something's up.
50:17Can you see the fire starting in the background?
50:23Hmm.
50:27You'll have to keep an eye on that.
50:28The prevailing wind comes from the east.
50:30If it keeps going, it's going to come our way, so...
50:33Then we change from filmmakers into firefighters.
50:39Not my favorite pasta.
50:48The fire is really starting to look a little ominous.
50:52It's starting to build.
50:54Copy that.
50:56We've heard it.
51:02Fire's north of us now by a couple of kilometers.
51:06You can actually hear it.
51:08And this dry floodplain that we're sitting on here is actually the floodplain that leads down to our film camp.
51:16We wouldn't want to lose all of this habitat that our character's in.
51:20It'll make life quite difficult for them.
51:32Wildfires in the Okavango are seasonal.
51:35That is an extremely ominous looking sky.
51:38Very, very gray.
51:40And their impact is hard to predict.
51:45At a safe distance for now, Greg and Anna stay focused on finding Spoko the cheetah.
51:52I found a cheetah.
51:58It's Spoko.
52:01Oh, his belly's looking pretty rotund.
52:04He's definitely had a good male recently.
52:14He traveled pretty far from the last place that we saw him.
52:19But that is really normal for a male cheetah.
52:22They can travel 25 kilometers a day.
52:30Greg, I can't currently see him.
52:34I'm a little bit nervous.
52:38Maybe drive a little bit towards these tomat mussels on the left.
52:44There's a baboon barking now.
52:47It's very helpful.
52:52Warning calls, like the baboon's bark, give away the presence of a predator.
53:03Ah.
53:05The troop of baboons is closing in.
53:11Spoko, however...
53:12I'm just seeing his scent marking on the tree.
53:15...is playing it cool.
53:20I'm just going to try and get a few more shots of these baboons.
53:30Oh, yeah, they are coming straight towards this tomat man.
53:40Cheetahs typically avoid confrontation.
53:44A troop of feisty baboons is a genuine threat.
53:53A troop of feisty baboons is a genuine threat.
54:14Even a couple of baboons can really scare them off, which is quite unusual for your general idea of what
54:22a big cat is and how fearsome they are.
54:28Hey Greg, have you got eyes on them at the moment?
54:32I'm bad for negative.
54:36Spoko disappeared again.
54:44Overnight, the fire to the north grows stronger.
54:58A change in wind direction drives it closer to camp.
55:09By morning...
55:11It's still...
55:11Oh, gosh.
55:13...the situation is critical.
55:17Trost, just wait there.
55:20It's coming south towards the camp.
55:25This is film camp calling all vehicles out at the moment.
55:28We'd like everyone to return to camp.
55:30Please, all vehicles currently out in the field, if you can return to film camp.
55:34You'll get instructions from here.
55:37Seems crazy lighting a fire right by your camp, but it's managed and controlled and can form a buffer.
55:45You can't control it any other way.
55:48To protect camp, a strip of land is being deliberately burnt around the perimeter.
55:57This is very scary, not a lie.
56:00Get your passports in your rooms.
56:03This entire film camp is in the path of the fire, so this is about protecting assets and protecting the
56:08operation.
56:10But the wildfire is the biggest in five years.
56:15And this plan is not guaranteed to work.
56:19So maybe here for a bit?
56:20So much closer than it was last night.
56:21It really is.
56:22It's approaching rapidly.
56:25You can see with the drone quite clearly what they're trying to do.
56:28So they're basically burning a whole strip so that if the fire does continue to come this way,
56:33it will get to this burnt bit which is already burnt and it won't come any further.
56:39And the really worrying thing is that it's coming straight towards us.
56:47Just thinking of all of the animals that are out there and the effect that that will have, you know,
56:52on them.
56:54You know, lots of animals can outrun fire, they can outfly it.
56:58But if you've got animals with young, whether it's lions, whether it's leopards, you know, that's really bad use.
57:03I can't get my lens wide enough to capture all of the smoke.
57:08That's how much smoke there is.
57:11The wind has really picked up from the north and it's driving this fire down.
57:16You get a bit of wind in it and it just wants to go.
57:18As the fire builds in magnitude.
57:22S**t!
57:23See how quick it was?
57:24That was like just on the other side of the existing burn and then it was up and away.
57:30The need to evacuate camp becomes a real possibility.
57:35It's right here, it's coming through.
57:38God, that's unstoppable.
57:42Back to camp!
57:44Back to camp!
57:46And a backup, please!
57:50Go back to camp!
57:51We're all just, everyone's going to go back to the camp.
57:53Go back to camp!
57:54It's so close now and out of control that it's pointless trying to fight it here.
58:00Yeah, the fire, it's gotten wildly out of control.
58:03The camp could burn down.
58:07Next time.
58:08I need three guys! Three!
58:10As the team fights to save the camp,
58:14Concern grows for the future of all the resident big cats.
58:19It changes the dynamic of the predators.
58:21It's going to change the whole nature of this place.
58:29I'm going to turn them into the building.
58:30That this would be fun to do.
58:30Let's go.
58:30You're good at it.
58:46Beep!
58:46You're right!
58:52If you need to turn them into the building,
58:53You
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