Big Cats 24/7 Season 1 Episode 5 captures a remarkable baby boom in the Okavango Delta, where new life brings both hope and danger for Africa’s most powerful predators.
Wildlife filmmaker Vianet Djenguet follows the brave lioness Matho as she struggles to raise her cubs alone in a territory filled with threats. Without the protection of a dominant male, every hunt and every movement becomes a fight for survival.
Tristen Woodward and Brad Bestelink finally catch a rare glimpse of Xudum the leopard’s newborn cubs. But the joy of new life comes with serious risks, as dangerous male leopards nearby could threaten the fragile family.
Meanwhile, Anna Dimitriadis tracks a cheetah mother forced to the edge of the lion pride’s territory. With competition from the enormous lion pride growing, she must raise and protect her cubs in one of the most dangerous places in the delta.
Experience the challenges of motherhood and survival in the wild in Big Cats 24/7.
#BigCats247 #BigCats #WildlifeDocumentary #AfricanWildlife #OkavangoDelta
Wildlife filmmaker Vianet Djenguet follows the brave lioness Matho as she struggles to raise her cubs alone in a territory filled with threats. Without the protection of a dominant male, every hunt and every movement becomes a fight for survival.
Tristen Woodward and Brad Bestelink finally catch a rare glimpse of Xudum the leopard’s newborn cubs. But the joy of new life comes with serious risks, as dangerous male leopards nearby could threaten the fragile family.
Meanwhile, Anna Dimitriadis tracks a cheetah mother forced to the edge of the lion pride’s territory. With competition from the enormous lion pride growing, she must raise and protect her cubs in one of the most dangerous places in the delta.
Experience the challenges of motherhood and survival in the wild in Big Cats 24/7.
#BigCats247 #BigCats #WildlifeDocumentary #AfricanWildlife #OkavangoDelta
Category
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AnimalsTranscript
00:02I am super excited, just trying to find Matto who's called Cubs.
00:11I can see three heads, three little cubbies.
00:18There's new life in the Kudum Lion Pride.
00:23Matata and the older cubs, they're playing too rough.
00:25But for these cubs to survive...
00:29One of Matto's cubs is going to get hurt, the worst killed.
00:32They'll need the protection of the whole pride.
00:41The Okavango Delta in Botswana.
00:46One of Africa's last wildernesses.
00:49The Okavango Delta is an oasis in the desert, it's a miracle in itself.
00:54And it's a stronghold for Africa's big cats.
01:00Lion, cheetah and leopard.
01:05This is nature at its absolute finest.
01:09Now, for the very first time, a team of local and international wildlife filmmakers is working together to record the
01:19cats' lives like never before.
01:25Using the latest technology.
01:27We're going to be able to see things in a completely different light and tell stories in a completely different
01:31way.
01:32They'll follow individual big cats...
01:36For six months.
01:38Through the day.
01:39This is crazy.
01:40This is a battle.
01:42And the night.
01:43This is a military-grade thermal imaging camera.
01:47Lions have got amazing night vision, but it's not as good as this.
01:51Capturing their behavior.
01:53He's got the cub. He's got the cub.
01:5624 hours a day.
01:58Welcome to the Okavango Delta.
02:00It gets crazy.
02:13Lion cubs are something else.
02:16The NA is with new mum, Marto, and her cubs.
02:20Even if you are the most glorious person on this planet, just seeing those calves, that changes completely everything.
02:31The Kudum pride is now more than 30 strong.
02:35This is unbelievable.
02:37They just look no different to a domestic cat at this very stage.
02:43They are beautiful.
02:47Lionesses give birth away from the pride to keep their newborns safe.
02:51This lady here.
02:53That's Marto.
02:56Marto is one of the older females in the pride.
03:01We believe that she's a similar age to Matata's mum, Magogo, who is a bit of a matriarch.
03:09It's possible that they are sisters.
03:12You can see around her nose, she's got some battle scars.
03:18She was spotted by the team earlier this year with a cub.
03:23But that was the only sighting.
03:25So we presume he died.
03:29The good news is Marto has given it another go.
03:32And this time, she's got three of them.
03:37Under three months old, this is a critical time in the cub's lives.
03:42A life of a lion cub, it's unbelievably fragile.
03:48Only one in five would make it to other food.
03:53Lionesses usually synchronize their births.
03:56Raising cubs together in a creche increases their chances by more than 25%.
04:03They are so vulnerable. So vulnerable at this point.
04:06Because they rely so much on their mother.
04:10And also vulnerable to any predator.
04:15The challenge for Marto is her litter is much younger than the other cubs in the pride.
04:22The sort of crashing dynamic would be really difficult for her.
04:28She's completely out of sync with other females.
04:32And their cubs.
04:34Who are so much bigger than their cubs.
04:38And they can be easily injured, if not cared.
04:43By their own friends and family members.
04:48It's going to be tough for her.
04:51And for the cubs.
04:55The team is sticking with Marto to see if she can join forces with other females.
05:04The big cats team is covering 150 square miles of the Okwavango Delta.
05:11The annual flood is drying up.
05:14And it's growing hotter by the day.
05:19All right, let's go.
05:22The team is living alongside Africa's wildlife.
05:27It's going to be a clasher, watch.
05:29But two angry five-ton bull elephants are a very real danger.
05:41You just want to be slow and not cause too much excitement.
05:47One of them could easily flip a vehicle.
05:52This girl wants to play with us, I'll tell you.
06:03And any sudden movements could provoke him.
06:13Oh no. On your left.
06:16Watch out.
06:28Danger averted.
06:29Brad is searching for his favourite big cat.
06:33Yup. Got a visual.
06:36Copy that.
06:39Kudum the leopard is pregnant.
06:41And her cubs are due any day.
06:46Such a clever cat.
06:50How can you not get attached to her?
06:53Such a beautiful animal.
06:54With such personality.
06:59She's looking skinnier.
07:02We haven't seen Kudum eaten in at least five, six days.
07:10She's running out of time to catch a meal before she gives birth.
07:16This is proving tough at the moment.
07:20She's hungry.
07:31She is actively hunting.
07:36She's obviously seeing something.
07:41She's now having to be quite creative.
07:50She's buying in her Vivian's life.
07:58They are full of animals.
08:11Letför a person in penra Linkedwell,
08:13in the midday Sun there's no cover it's just stinking hot
08:20just really shows how desperate she is I mean this is this is by no means you
08:26know normal behavior she's got an incredible ability to run and stop
08:35trying desperately to catch a steamboat come on cut him
08:43just frozen mid-motion one foot off the ground
08:53she's got to do it
09:03what's this vehicle break to her at this point please please my girl have you got it
09:19oh my god it was all up to you and you're unlucky
09:35at Mato's den Raya is following the new family it's not such a easy job for a lioness raising some
09:45cubs
09:46with no crush to help her she must do everything for her cubs alone
09:55she's got to keep coming back to the cubs letting them suckle for milk and at the same time your
10:02usual
10:02job of hunting continues without other lionesses to babysit Mato leaves the cubs unattended to find food
10:15it's one of the most critical periods in cubs life now Mato has not introduced them to the pride so
10:21she
10:21doesn't have that extra protection from the other pride members and when she's not present they have
10:27her cubs to fend for themselves
10:31Mato has kept her cubs well-hidden until now
10:38but the other pride mothers and their cubs have just found her den
10:44we've got Nosi Magogo and Makkosi incoming along with big boy Matata the rest of the cubs here at eight
10:55months old Matata is much bigger than Mato's cubs it's not ideal for Mato's cubs actually they're not
11:04even half the size of Matata you can just see how interested all the cubs are right now it's
11:12potentially their first time that they've ever seen their new cousins here I keep tapping them
11:21on the heads on the body looking for a reaction they don't realize how small and tender these new
11:29cubs are Matata doesn't know his own strength man I hope he gets away this is potentially dangerous
11:46Matata and the older cubs they're playing too rough one of Mato's cubs this is going to get hurt
11:54worse killed Matata doesn't even realize what he's doing Makkosi Magogo Nosi they're doing nothing I'm not
12:11not sure if they fully realize what's happening how violent this player has turned into hope the cup
12:22managers to get away he's crawling back up they're not strong enough they can't get away fast enough
12:41Mato is returning to the den mum to the rescue here
12:50the other pride mothers decide to leave
13:04Mato's cubs seem to be all right I mean at the end of all of that trauma
13:10at least Mato's cubs get to live another day the cubs need the safety of a crash but Mato must
13:21keep them
13:21away from the rest of the family until they're bigger it just shows how hard it is for Mato or
13:29any
13:29other lioness if you have to raise your cubs alone Gordon is following Nosi and the other mothers
13:42they're working their way towards the floodplain
13:55these experienced lionesses have already formed a successful crash and their five cubs are thriving
14:10so that's the amazing thing I think with with lions you know we see this social behavior and how closely
14:16bonded they are they will share the suckling and feeding of of cubs
14:32five of the females have got up they are definitely motivated to try and get a meal
14:42hunting together doubles their chances of getting meat for the cubs they're heading into the tree
14:49lines the only thing I could do is give them the space that they need and the hope that they
14:55flush
14:56something out couldn't the leopard is hunting again yeah she signs me quite quickly I'm just gonna go
15:15around so we don't use it it's becoming very very critical that she makes the kill and actually get
15:25to feed right Kudum's going up it's a very good hunting opportunity for Kudum right now we've got
15:36them Pala walking through these thick bushes I see one female who's close there now a jumper's always
15:44dangerous but now that she's pregnant it's even riskier she could get hurt but she can't afford to
15:52go go hungry any longer okay Kudum's moving now into position she jumps she's got one she's got an
16:13impada Kudum has made the kill this is gonna be so good for her she hasn't had a proper meal
16:20in so
16:24long this means she can den she can relax for a bit and she doesn't have to stress oh yes
16:31girl
16:38the hell's going on Kudum success is attracting the attention of the lion mothers lines are coming lines
16:45are coming what the heck Kudum has just caught an impala under the tree and the lions have heard it
16:52and
16:52they are bombing their way this is this is going to be very interesting
17:22this is an amazing win for these mums
17:33this is quite unfortunate for poor Kudum you can just see the pain on her face this was such a
17:42big
17:42kill for her oh my heart is gone it's bittersweet it's a hard moment to take I really feel for
17:54our
17:54newest mum to be could have this is just going to make her life so much more difficult this is
18:02really
18:02really gut-wrenching with so much competition from the lions cheetahs are avoiding the area zero to seven by
18:21peace Anna and Greg are devising a new strategy to find them this area is feeling increasingly overrun
18:29with lines so I think we need to probably take the search somewhere where those lines just are not
18:41we are heading out on a cheetah search further west than we've ever been before essentially the last
18:50body of water before you hit Namibia it's also a huge area of burn there's loads of flat land which
19:01is
19:02exactly the kind of area the cheetahs love to hunt
19:08yeah it certainly does scream cheetah this area
19:17we are right on the western edge of the delta just beyond that tree line there's nothing but sand
19:24hundreds of miles this place is beautiful it's completely different and it's so green and there
19:34is so much cheetah food about we've got zebras this is these world would be bletch ways for booms it's
19:42just
19:42chock-a-block packed but after four hours of searching whoa all the team finds is more lions
19:58oh my god this is so classic ball lions that I can see so far the Okavango Delta is home
20:09to nearly 700 lines
20:11the team has run into an entirely new pride there are too many lines in this area it's absolutely
20:21ridiculous and we know that cheetah do not hang around blind so this is not good news
20:35perfect habitat but so much competition from these lines it must be so hard for the cheetah
20:41I think we're gonna have to move basically as far away from these lines as we can and uh yeah
20:47start our
20:59search again mato's cubs are growing in confidence and becoming more active one is already exploring
21:11it's now harder to leave them alone as they could wander off it must seem like a great thing to
21:18have
21:18so many carbs they creates a lot of pressure matter is a strong and experienced female but I think she's
21:28struggling to keep up with the demand of supplying milk and finding a meal for herself
21:38it must be hard to be a solo mom having to hunt and provide all by herself
21:46Mato must find food so this time she's taking the cubs with her
21:54I haven't seen them moving this way it's gonna be a big mission for her
22:04anything at all could predate on tiny little lions
22:10but Mato seems really tired she's hungry but she's doing her best for her cubs
22:17it's becoming more vital than ever that she finds other lionesses to help her
22:30face face for Anna no sun yet after covering more than 60 miles
22:37wow
22:40Anna finally finds the Okavanga Delta's most elusive big cat
22:47I can see some ears and I don't want to speak to you soon but I think it's a cheetah
22:59yes it is it's a cheetah
23:02there's a second one
23:07there's a second cheetah
23:16I can see a third three
23:23I think there are actually four
23:29cheetahs are typically solitary
23:32it's rare to find so many together
23:34this is so confusing
23:38the only thing I can think is this is possibly Lisega
23:47I remember Brad mentioning this female that's got three cubs
23:51but what's throwing me off is that they're so big
23:56they must be 18 months old
24:00and that is around the time when they start to disperse and leave
24:05so it's basically like seeing four adult cheetahs together
24:09which I'm like mind-blowing I was not expecting this at all
24:16it's absolutely incredible that Lisega has managed to bring up three cubs to adulthood
24:22when you consider that only one in ten survive
24:27and that's mainly because the mum being the single parent that she is has to go out and hunt for
24:32them
24:32and that means leaving the cubs behind at a den
24:35opening them up to the risk of being killed by other predators
24:44just exceptional work from her I can't believe it
24:48really can't believe it
24:57they're moving
24:59and now I can see quite clearly that there are two boys here
25:03and I think yeah the other one's a girl
25:05oh seeing them move together
25:08they're like a solid unit
25:10they're almost moving as one
25:12you know I just really can't get over how incredibly adaptable cheetah are
25:27we've had a huge fire sweep through Kudum Island and take out almost half the vegetation
25:33and then we had that incredible flood that's come in and it's created mad swamp lands
25:43just seeing this family in front of me demonstrates how no matter what the Delta throws at these cheetahs
25:53they will always find a way
26:19after losing her kill to the lions
26:23this is a better place for her
26:25to be kind of out of the lion central area
26:30Kudum is leading Brad to an area he suspects is her den
26:35she's very skidding so there's a chance that she's already had her cubs
26:54that's confirmation
26:57that's confirmation
27:07okay my boy
27:09now we have cubs making noises
27:11so there's confirmation they are in here
27:14oh I don't even have words for that
27:17that's
27:18oh she needs to get some food now
27:24following her for almost five years now and this is the second litter
27:28we saw her lose the first and this is an opportunity for her to become a successful mother
27:34I mean that's that's all that these cats ever want to be
27:45hoping to glimpse inside the den Brad is deploying the thermal camera
27:51it's a really big fig tree that's hollow
27:55hold on she's going right inside
28:02oh my god
28:03there's a cub
28:03there's a cub
28:04there's a cub
28:12there's a cub
28:13two cubs
28:21we've got two little cubs
28:23oh my god
28:25this is unbelievable
28:26it is so beautiful
28:28I'm so relieved you did you have no idea
28:34this to me is completely new this is this is insane
28:41leopards keep their cubs concealed at birth
28:44these cubs are four days old
28:47not even
28:49they've rarely ever been filmed this young
28:52these are incredibly private unique little moments
28:58I've spent most of my adult life with leopards
29:00and I've never seen this kind of activity in a den ruffle
29:04it's just it's extraordinary to see
29:09yeah I've been waiting almost two years for this
29:13since she lost her last one
29:17you are a legend my girl
29:23you've done so well
29:30the cub's eyes are still closed but sensing their mother they call out for milk
29:37as soon as the cub starts making too much noise she's got to pick them up and reposition them she's
29:43got to keep them quiet
29:46she must keep her cubs hidden from any predators nearby
29:52she really just doesn't want them to be making a noise and drawing any attention to the den
29:58or to the young cubs
30:02it's hard work being leopards mum
30:03I mean a whole new layer of responsibility
30:09she will be aiming to hunt and get enough nourishment so that she can reduce the milk that these two
30:15little guys need
30:17down
30:24starting her night shift
30:26and that is following the lions
30:33oh
30:34oh
30:34that's just there matto is still searching for a crash
30:42tiny and is moving her cubs under the cover of darkness
30:55oh you're gonna hear something approaching from behind
31:01we've got company
31:08there's a lot of values moving in
31:13elephants and lion don't get on
31:17an angry elephant can kill an adult lion they're very close
31:24and will deliberately trample lion cubs
31:29these cubs are gonna have to tread very carefully
31:34there might be a bit of rough and tumble
32:00they're actually all running
32:12in the chaos
32:15one cub is left behind
32:27oh little one
32:33we just watched matter and two of her cubs
32:36move off and she's left behind her little one
32:42and it's currently just in short to do of itself
32:47i think he's just quite sad and scared
33:03it's peak time for hunting so i'm getting really concerned for this little one i'm hoping that
33:12mum realises her mistake soon
33:15it comes back but because it's not a safe place for it to be
33:47it's not a safe place for the people that are safe
33:48it might be a dangerous place for the people that are safe
33:50but it's not a safe place for the people that are safe
33:50It's a really horrible situation.
33:56The cop's over there.
34:05I would be scared if Jack would follow him.
34:14He was doing a good job of being quiet.
34:20The cub has been tucking itself further into a bush.
34:24It's doing the right thing.
34:26It just needs to hunker down and stay safe.
34:30Lions have advanced spatial memory
34:32and can use it to retrace their steps.
34:35This poor little thing.
34:38I really hope Matto comes back for it soon.
34:40But the longer the cub is alone,
34:42the less likely it is to survive.
34:57It's been a long night.
35:00But the sun has finally risen.
35:04We'll see whether Mama makes an appearance in the sunlight.
35:16Relieving Anna, Gordon is taking over to keep an eye on the cub.
35:23We don't know where Matto is at the moment.
35:29There was quite a lot of movement last night
35:32and not a lot of prey in this area.
35:35So the big danger is that your Matto shifts her focus
35:38towards finding food,
35:41which will push this little cub further in her memory.
35:48I've never seen this before.
35:50You know, lions will leave their cubs in random locations,
35:53but they do that intentionally so they can go off and hunt.
35:57This is a mistake.
36:00Just to leave one cub in one place
36:02and move on with the rest of them.
36:07The cub is avoiding detection by staying silent.
36:11But the danger is that when it gets hungry,
36:14it might start calling,
36:16and if it does that,
36:18it could attract predators in.
36:22It is completely, completely defenceless.
36:29The only hope is that,
36:31that Matto realises that she's missing one cub
36:35and she remembers pretty much everywhere
36:38that she went last night.
36:41If you just go up there,
36:45maybe find somewhere that you can tuck yourself away,
36:50that's possibly the best chance you've got.
37:10The cub has now been alone for 14 hours.
37:14As night approaches,
37:16there's still no sign of Matto.
37:20Where is he going?
37:23You don't want to be wandering away from here.
37:30If it goes into the tall grass,
37:34we're never going to know what happened to it.
37:37Can you see that cub?
37:38I can't see it anymore.
37:41Come on, where are you?
37:45The cub has disappeared into thick cover.
37:48I don't know,
37:49I think just the only thing we can do
37:51is get the,
37:53get the thermal imaging camera up
37:55and see if we can get a heat source
37:56and look into the deeper bush.
38:03With this camera,
38:05anything hot is going to show up.
38:06It can see sort of,
38:08it can see the heat
38:10rather than the physical objects.
38:13A lion cub is going to show up a lot hotter
38:15than any of the surrounding ground.
38:17So I'm hoping that we can just peer into these trees,
38:21see through them
38:22and pick up the movement.
38:28This cub has made the second mistake.
38:31The first was to
38:32not follow its mum in the first place
38:34and the second is to actually just keep moving.
38:38It should have been staying put.
38:43It's like with your own kids.
38:44If you get lost,
38:45just stay where you are
38:46and we'll come and find you.
39:08At the leopard's den,
39:11Khudam is still going hungry.
39:14Khudam hasn't had a meal
39:15since she gave birth.
39:18She has to leave her cubs alone in the den
39:21to go out and hunt.
39:23Leaving her newborn cubs unprotected is risky.
39:31But if she doesn't eat soon,
39:33she won't be able to produce enough milk
39:35to keep them alive.
39:42I haven't seen her make a proper kill in a long time.
39:45The last kill that I saw her make
39:46was stolen by lions.
39:48It would be nice to see her get a kill
39:50and really know that she is actually surviving
39:51and providing for her family.
40:02Khudam's now stalking into her living parlour.
40:08She's listening, she's creeping.
40:10I mean, this is ridiculous how delicately she was moving here.
40:17She must be within 20, 30 metres now.
40:20She's really going around the side of them.
40:23She'll need to get within 10 metres of them, even less.
40:34I mean, it's pitch black right now, but there's no wind.
40:38So any movement she makes, they might hear her.
41:04Oh, my God.
41:11She's zipped completely around them.
41:20This cat's a genius.
41:22She's gone completely around the entire herd.
41:24She's got them walking straight towards her currently.
41:33So this impala's standing here just by the edge of the tree.
41:36I think that there is our leopard.
41:41I think she's within 10 metres of these guys now.
41:43She's got a good chance here, eh?
41:49All it takes is for one of these impala
41:50to suddenly decide that they want to go that way.
41:53And then all hell's going to break loose.
42:01Oh, God. Here we go.
42:05The impala starts snorting.
42:07Oh, s***.
42:08I think she's being bust.
42:10It's an alarm call to alert the rest of the herd.
42:18It's an alarm call to alert the rest of the herd.
42:31And then I'm going to be okay.
42:34Unsuccessful, but it was a pretty good effort for her, I have to admit.
42:40She's just having such a run of bad luck at the moment.
42:45For Kudim and her cubs, the situation is now becoming critical.
42:50she's going to struggle to keep the cubs alive if she doesn't feed herself soon
43:01gordon is still looking for mato's lost cup
43:07made a big mistake
43:13oh it's there it is right there
43:20you little guy you little blighter you you're giving me a heart attack
43:35he's right at the bottom of the car
43:40just looked so lost and alone there
43:51this little guy has moved at quite a pace out from the cover this doesn't look good
44:00the only hope that this cub has is if mato comes comes back
44:09but on his own yeah it doesn't doesn't stand a chance of surviving
44:20the cub begins crying out
44:26that might work but it might have the may have the opposite effect
44:31night time is a dangerous place for a lion cub this small
44:51oh i'm hoping he's not making another mistake
44:59oh here we go
45:02oh i do not believe it
45:08that
45:09is a miracle
45:13it's pato
45:16and
45:17the other two cubs
45:28what are the chances of that
45:32mato has retraced her steps back to her lost cup
45:39that is incredible
45:43i don't have any hopes for this this cub
45:48almost 24 hours alone and this cub has been reunited with its siblings and its mum
45:59oh that's just the best thing ever
46:17this is exciting
46:18this is exciting
46:21there's even more new life within the lion pride
46:24i can see four cubs
46:38the lioness sebe has five cubs
46:42oh
46:43she can't get enough of these cubs man
46:48and naledi has given birth to two
46:52i can't believe
46:54i can't believe sebe has got five cubs
46:57generally
46:57liters are between two and three cubs
47:02this could be the creche that mato needs
47:11oh look at that look at that
47:15she's bringing her family to meet the newest pride members
47:26this would be the first time the triplets meet sebe and my ladies cubs
47:35they see how this unfold
47:39there i am
47:40they're watching i think they know auntie matto is coming off with the triplets
47:52for matto to crash and synchronize her cubs with naledi and sebe is much safer because they're slightly younger
48:08there
48:24the mummy wants to socialize
48:27they're like yeah you socialize we just want that
48:29i have some milk
48:32it's so beautiful
48:36one of matto's cubs
48:38circling from naledi
48:41and one circling from sebe
48:44she's great
48:48lions are the only cats that raise cubs together
48:52by feeding matto's cubs
48:54sebe and naledi are accepting her into the fold
48:59and this is
49:00i believe where the crashing between the three mothers whose towers
49:06which is exciting
49:13there are now fifteen cubs in the family
49:18soon it will be the largest pride in the world
49:23that's beautiful
49:28i'm hopeful because matto is called now naledi and sebe
49:36those can become a strong bond a strong coalition
49:39they will hunt together they will crash together they will help each other
49:46they just get on so well
49:49that's the dynamic of crashing
49:52this coalition of the three mothers seems to be working
50:09on another night shift
50:11a space for god
50:12gordon is including the leopard's territory
50:15i've got a leopard here i don't recognize
50:20so this is very interesting
50:24he's found a male leopard on a kill
50:29male leopards are one of the biggest threats to leopard cubs
50:33there's a huge risk
50:35if a male leopard is not the father of those cubs
50:38he would try to wipe them out and try to kill them
50:42it's not long before his meal
50:44hang on a second
50:45and attracts the attention of a younger male
50:48metzi
50:50metzi doesn't have
50:52a clearly defined territory at the moment
50:56so he'll just be moving around
50:58looking for somewhere to set up home
51:01metzi is a
51:03very confident leopard
51:07but as of yet he's not the
51:10not the biggest cat in town
51:13this other fellow
51:17seen his old leopard
51:19want to go ahead and hide mine
51:23most leopards here
51:25are killed by their own species
51:27there is
51:28a zero tolerance policy between these leopard males
51:33they're highly territorial animals
51:44if it came to blows
51:45i really don't fancy metzi's chances at all
51:50this is
51:52dicing with death
51:56oh
51:57oh
51:57he's coming
51:59this unknown male definitely looks bigger in size
52:03he's flanking him
52:05if this escalates
52:07it could be fatal
52:09he's using his superior strength and size
52:13to try and intimidate metzi
52:15just shepherding him out
52:23the last thing that either of these cats want to do
52:25is to have a fight for it to be
52:27you know
52:28teeth and claws
52:33let's
52:34let's see what he realizes that he's
52:35he's outgunned
52:38instead of
52:39fighting it out
52:41the safest thing to do
52:43is slope off
52:53the other guy is where
52:55he's stopped
52:56on the ground
52:58looking pretty confident
52:59that he's actually seen
53:01metzi off
53:06but metzi seizes an opportunity
53:09oh
53:10goodness me
53:14as he's just used
53:15this little bit of wind
53:17in the darkness
53:18to sneak round
53:19he's gone
53:19a big loop
53:21he's left the other male
53:22out on the plains
53:24and he's snuck in
53:26just to
53:28to feed on this girl
53:32skillful manoeuvring
53:33look at that
53:35his persistence
53:38has paid off
53:42and he's getting his prize
53:48the other male is
53:50fast asleep out there
53:54if you want to keep your dinner
53:55all to yourself
53:57don't take a nap
54:00it's a win for metzi
54:02but with these males in her territory
54:05Khudum will need to stay alert
54:12Brad is checking in on Khudum
54:15it's only a bit concerned about this
54:17since giving birth
54:19she's been struggling to feed herself
54:21you know she's been having a
54:23a rough time
54:24carcasses being stolen by lions
54:27and it's just not great
54:39well done Khudum
54:42she's definitely had a meal
54:44which was brilliant
54:47just so much to be grateful for
54:50she doesn't have to be so absent
54:52she can be around the den
54:54keeping an eye on her cubs
54:55being an attentive mother
54:57so
54:59relieved to see her
55:01full and happy
55:02and spending time with her cubs
55:07yeah it's a good feeling
55:09very good feeling
55:16I'm just amazed at how
55:19trusting and accepting she is of us
55:31I know you cute things
55:37just seeing
55:39a bum
55:39and little feet in the air
55:45super exciting
55:52two little babies
55:59you can actually see both of the two cubs
56:02at this age
56:02their eyes aren't just starting to open
56:06it's such a privilege
56:07it's just so
56:08so lucky
56:15there's a huge size difference between two cubs
56:19my best guess would be
56:20little boy and little girl
56:24the girl is moving around
56:26and she's in the front
56:28and the boy I think is at the back
56:30much more stationary, slightly bigger
56:33females mature quicker
56:34and her eyes are open already
56:36and she's smaller, she's more active
56:38and the male is quite
56:42quite slow, eyes still closed
56:44still head wobbling
56:46less active
56:53so this is the first day that we've managed to get
56:56a little look inside the den
56:58while the sun is still up
57:01and just picking bits and pieces of the two
57:04interacting and climbing over each other
57:05and start to see their personalities
57:07and start to see character
57:13but it's like one big happy family
57:16there could be nothing better with this picture right now
57:21and a little bit of a thing
57:25that we've been working on
57:25for a long time
57:28heading back to cam
57:29something catches Brad's eye
57:33we've got male tracks here
57:37coming down the road towards the den
57:38it's not... not great
57:44male leopards will kill cubs that are not their own
57:47to eliminate competition.
57:51It's not good to have tracks so close to this den.
57:55My old leopard tracks are going back and forth,
57:57way too close to newborn cubs.
58:04Next time...
58:05Tristan, she's carrying it. Carrying, carrying, carrying.
58:07...Kudum takes extreme measures.
58:09Kudum's moving den is absolute chaos.
58:12She's left the girl behind her.
58:16But after dark...
58:18What was that?
58:19...a dangerous visitor.
58:20Tristan, we've got a male here.
58:22Forces Kudum to fight for her cubs' life.
58:25She's confronting him.
58:57AsdfGradio.com
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