Big Cats 24/7 Season 2 Episode 1 – Change Is Coming marks the team’s return to the breathtaking Okavango Delta, where dramatic changes are unfolding among Africa’s most powerful predators.
The famous Xudum lion pride has grown to more than 40 lions, making it one of the largest prides in Africa. With so many hungry mouths to feed, the lionesses must hunt constantly to provide for their cubs. But the pride faces a serious threat—dominant males Big Toe and Madumo have vanished, leaving the youngest cubs vulnerable to dangerous intruding male lions.
Meanwhile, Xudum the leopard has been forced to abandon her territory after an influx of aggressive rival males. In her absence, the team focuses on a new female leopard named Lediba, who may already be raising cubs of her own.
There’s also surprising news from Pobe the cheetah, who now has two young cubs. But raising cheetah cubs in a landscape dominated by lions is an enormous challenge.
The battle for survival continues as the wild world of Big Cats 24/7 enters a new chapter.
#BigCats247 #BigCats #WildlifeDocumentary #AfricanWildlife #OkavangoDelta
The famous Xudum lion pride has grown to more than 40 lions, making it one of the largest prides in Africa. With so many hungry mouths to feed, the lionesses must hunt constantly to provide for their cubs. But the pride faces a serious threat—dominant males Big Toe and Madumo have vanished, leaving the youngest cubs vulnerable to dangerous intruding male lions.
Meanwhile, Xudum the leopard has been forced to abandon her territory after an influx of aggressive rival males. In her absence, the team focuses on a new female leopard named Lediba, who may already be raising cubs of her own.
There’s also surprising news from Pobe the cheetah, who now has two young cubs. But raising cheetah cubs in a landscape dominated by lions is an enormous challenge.
The battle for survival continues as the wild world of Big Cats 24/7 enters a new chapter.
#BigCats247 #BigCats #WildlifeDocumentary #AfricanWildlife #OkavangoDelta
Category
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AnimalsTranscript
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00:09The Okavango Delta in Botswana.
00:12We are in a pristine environment right now.
00:15One of Africa's last wildernesses.
00:18The magnitude of life here is unparalleled.
00:22And it's a haven for Africa's big cats.
00:28Lion, cheetah and leopard.
00:31Big cat country.
00:34Armed with the latest filming technology,
00:37the Big Cats 24-17 is following individual big cats for six months.
00:45This is a unique opportunity to follow these cats round the clock.
00:50Through the day...
00:51I used to think I'd have a fair fight with a lion.
00:55Not so sure now.
00:57And the night.
00:59We've got the most sophisticated thermal imaging technologies.
01:04Capturing their behavior 24 hours a day.
01:08I have never seen anything like this.
01:11Air pit!
01:23The Big Cats 24-17...
01:26Pretty cool to have everyone back together.
01:28...is reuniting after six months.
01:31I'm really excited about the first day.
01:40it is day one and i am so excited because immediately there's some ruckus going on
01:50what a star things are already kicking off
01:57based in a remote film camp the team is working in 400 square kilometers of the okavango delta
02:07it's the driest time of the year
02:11prey is scarce but where it goes the predators follow
02:19this is the southwestern part of kudam island last time we were here there was a huge amount
02:25of lion traffic um but at the moment this is where i suppose the core of the pride is
02:37hey oh wow rush hour for the lions
02:44my goodness every one of them is on the move
02:51that is incredible the kudam pride is now 40 strong
02:58this is the largest pride of lions in the world
03:05gordon and sets are with its most important part
03:10it's mums and cubs
03:13it's so great to be back here to see all of those cubs that i met last year
03:20there are 16 cubs in the pride aged between eight weeks
03:28and 18 months old
03:31this is a picture of success they're here they're alive and doing well
03:40the mothers of the oldest cubs are three of the most experienced females
03:46the matriarchs are all here mccose
03:51nosi
03:53and magogo she's experienced she's a phenomenal hunter and that's why she's still
04:01prowling the savannah at 11 years old
04:08oh my word matata you have grown he's a giant
04:18that's fantastic he was still a titular the last time i saw him he was much bigger than the other
04:24cubs
04:25years now he is enormous
04:30yeah he's become a really handsome young young male
04:36you see his the mane across the top of his head kind of round the neck he's just got this
04:42so shaggyness
04:42to um hey matata hey big boy where are you off to matata is 18 months old and maturing fast
04:56he's big he's gotten big
04:59but he's still not able to hunt for himself
05:02that comes up growing at a rapid rate it puts a lot of pressure on these mums to provide for
05:08them
05:08these older cubs now need to eat almost 11 pounds of meat a day
05:15and their mums face the unrelenting task of providing all of this for them
05:32are we dealing with here
05:36definitely just shifted into that hunting mode
05:40magogo nosi and makosi have split off from the rest of the group
05:48oh mr piggy the future is not looking too bright
05:54okay there's a magogo here
06:00every time that she thinks that the warthog is going to look around in her direction
06:05she stops and she sinks to the grass
06:07and she thinks that she wants us
06:52I was sure they had it.
06:57For lions, life is incredibly difficult.
07:02Starvation accounts for a quarter of all cub deaths under the age of two.
07:08They are hungry and they are active.
07:12With so many cubs in the pride, the stakes for the lion mothers are higher than ever.
07:18Gordon and Setz are sticking with them.
07:27Hey guys, we're just trying to sort of work out which way we should come.
07:32Anna is joining Rhea.
07:37We're all agreeing in the floodplains.
07:45I see her. I can see her.
07:49What an amazing start.
07:52This is day one in the delta and we have found Pobe.
08:03It's been six months since we last saw her.
08:08And we had some incredible news since we've been away.
08:14What?
08:17We're looking at two really beautiful cute cubs here.
08:24It's quite the time since we've seen Pobe.
08:27And actually the first glance we've had of these cubs.
08:34I reckon these two must be probably between three and five months old because they've got the remains of like
08:40a Mohawk and that's their silver mantle on their back.
08:46Usually with cheetah mums they try to keep cubs in nice thick areas hidden away from big predators.
08:54Big predators would be lions, leopards, basically anyone who might be a potential threat to the cubs.
09:07And you can see that one is a little pearl and one is definitely a little boy.
09:18For most big cats the females just develop so much faster than the males.
09:28The girl is just so much more boisterous than the little boy.
09:35She's constantly pouncing on him.
09:41And she seems to be the one that is always taking the lead.
09:46No matter where they go, she's there with her mum first.
09:51She just seems super interested in what Pobe is doing.
09:58The fact that she's got this far with them already is incredible.
10:05Only a quarter of cheetah cubs will make it to three months old.
10:09The odds are so stacked against them.
10:13Lions are the number one killer of cheetah cubs.
10:19And they are in a place that has the biggest lion pride in the world.
10:27This is a critical stage for the cubs.
10:31Pobe is going to have to work hard to keep them safe.
10:44The oldest cubs of the Cudum pride need more food than ever.
10:50Hello guys.
10:52Mothers Magogo, Nosy and Makosi now must hunt around the clock.
10:59Gordon is preparing for the night shift.
11:02This is our thermal imaging camera.
11:04This camera is a miracle worker.
11:07So much of their lives are lived after dark.
11:11At night, lions can see six times better than humans.
11:18But Gordon, this incredible technology lets him see things even the cats can't.
11:25Oh.
11:28These females with their cubs.
11:31They need to hunt.
11:33They need the food more than anyone.
11:37But the cubs...
11:38Whoa, look at that.
11:40...may be biting off more than they can chew.
11:43It's a honey badger.
11:47For Matata and all of these cubs, anything that moves is worth investigating.
11:55Honey badgers might be small, but they have big attitudes.
11:59Got Matata and his partner in crime harassing this honey badger.
12:04But that is one animal that they really should not mess with.
12:07It's what, maybe a fifth the size of one of those cubs?
12:11But it is probably fifth times as tough.
12:15They've got an incredibly powerful bite.
12:20They're kind of skunk-like.
12:22But instead of spraying, honey badgers kind of like do these stink bombs.
12:28It's got danger at both ends.
12:33Matata's probably thinking, hey, this is maybe not something I want to eat.
12:40Honey badgers are nasty.
12:47Looking for an easier meal...
12:50Files are on the move.
12:51The cubs are following their mothers.
12:54The cubs are following their mothers.
13:05They've left Cootum Island.
13:07They've headed westward.
13:09I've never been this far from the core territory.
13:20There's always a few in parallel around.
13:26Every little herd has got at least sort of 15, 20.
13:29A new tree.
13:49Impala alarm calling.
13:57Oh, I think we've got something.
14:09I think it's an impala.
14:14Smothered in lions.
14:17But this mule won't go very far.
14:22Oh, look, some big males come in.
14:25Who's this?
14:26This is a big male.
14:29Oh, who is this guy?
14:35Who is he?
14:36Ozmodumo.
14:37Look at his waistline.
14:40I didn't recognise him.
14:42He's so skinny.
14:46Where have you been?
14:49An adult male lion will eat eight times as much as a cub in one sitting.
14:54And Madumo's hunger is taking priority.
14:58Madumo is one of two male lions that are the head of the Kudan pride.
15:05Big Toe is the other one.
15:09Madumo and Big Toe haven't been seen together for weeks.
15:15So things are changing.
15:17It's just not as it was.
15:19Without Big Toe.
15:21This is the worst state that I've seen him in.
15:25Madumo will struggle to protect the pride.
15:29We may be witnessing the end of Big Toe and Madumo's reign.
15:40These cubs are really hungry, really persistent.
15:44Incredibly bold.
15:52The best thing that all of them can do is just back off.
16:00What a temper.
16:04We're seeing how difficult it is for a female with cubs.
16:10We spend most of the night trying to hunt.
16:14And when you are eventually successful.
16:17Whoa.
16:19They're having to share this small meal.
16:23And Madumo is getting more than the lion's share.
16:30Matata and the cubs can only watch as their food disappears.
16:41There's a desperation to him.
16:43Just watching him hog that carcass.
16:48On his own, without Big Toe by his side.
16:52Yeah, he's just an old hungry lion.
16:58With empty stomachs, the mums and cubs leave.
17:07Unable to follow, Gordon calls it a night.
17:14Film camp for Brad.
17:17Found the card.
17:19It's morning.
17:20I'll update our numbers soon.
17:24Brad has found the hungry lion mothers and older cubs.
17:30See, she's running now.
17:32Makosi, Magogo and Nosi have spotted an opportunity.
17:37There's a leopard up in this tree on the kill.
17:40And the pride has found them.
17:45When it's really, really dry, prey is limited and it's isolated.
17:49And everybody's just bottled up into one little ball.
17:53This has brought the predator interaction to a peak.
17:59Leopards stash their food in trees to keep it safe.
18:11But these lion mothers will stop at nothing to feed their cubs.
18:18This group of lionesses are known for their tree climbing.
18:22You know, I think this is an example of the advantage of that.
18:48The leopard has no chance against the lion.
18:51Three times its weight.
18:56So Makosi has decided to eat the carcass up in the tree alone.
19:00I'm not sharing it with everybody below.
19:04Frustrating for the cubs and the other lionesses.
19:08She's being a little mean.
19:12These cubs are hungry.
19:14They can smell this pig.
19:16And they're desperately trying to get up and down.
19:20But none of them seem to be winning.
19:25It's almost like she's trying to get these cubs to learn to climb trees.
19:30To go and get it.
19:31They want something to eat.
19:32They better climb.
19:40Oh!
19:41Go Matata.
19:44It's the highest one of the cubs has gone.
19:51The horse is coming down.
19:55Everybody trying to get hold of it.
19:57And she's about to tumble down with a carcass and knock cubs out of trees.
20:04And now we're going to have absolute pandemonium trying to compete over this warthog.
20:19Finally Matata is there.
20:22You can actually eat something.
20:25Everybody's now on the remains of the carcass.
20:30But scavenging will provide only a fraction of the food Matata and the older cubs need.
20:38Eight lions fighting over a warthog.
20:42Totally insane.
20:46The mums must hunt bigger prey.
20:49The mums must hunt bigger.
21:02Away from the lions.
21:04These cheetahs are on a completely different level this morning.
21:10Anna is with Pobbe.
21:13Her two cubs are now growing in confidence.
21:15I can see two zebra ahead.
21:19Which makes it even harder to keep them safe.
21:23What are you up to?
21:25There's no chance they'd be able to take a fully grown zebra down.
21:31They're way too big.
21:35At this age, cheetah cubs start to show an interest in hunting.
21:41Yeah, they're moving straight towards them.
21:51What? Hang on, Pobbe's running, Pobbe's running, Pobbe's running.
21:55But they don't always pick the right prey.
22:00That was really strange.
22:04That almost felt like she was teaching the cubs.
22:08She's probably saying, look, these ones are a little bit too big for us.
22:14This is not what we want.
22:17A kick from an adult zebra could seriously hurt a cub.
22:22She's running again, she's running again.
22:26All she wants to do is protect her cubs.
22:30To keep them safe, it looks like mum is stepping in.
22:36It's all playing out in front of the zebra, who are very confused.
22:44This is one thing I just love about cheetahs, it's like never a dull moment really.
22:50They're just so much fun to watch.
22:55And the zebra have kind of got the message and they're trotting off into the distance.
23:05Crazy cubs.
23:12Anna has been following Pobbe for over three hours.
23:16Coming in from the north, across the floodplain.
23:20I'll just go be where you are.
23:21So Greg is joining to lend a hand.
23:25Thanks, Greg.
23:32Problem.
23:36Anna, lines behind you.
23:44We've got Pobbe and her two cubs out in the open and there are lions watching them.
23:54Pobbe has just noticed them now.
23:58Lions are their number one threat.
24:03They're all sat really still.
24:08Lions are responsible for more than three quarters of cheetah cub deaths by predation.
24:15Greg, are the lions looking directly at her?
24:20Yeah, that's in a foam, eh?
24:24There's one lioness that's looking at her and a sub-adult male.
24:30And I think there's lines in between them that are still flat.
24:36This is literally the worst case scenario for Pobbe.
24:43She's out in the open.
24:47What are you going to do, Pobbe?
24:50Go on, copy mum.
24:51Get down.
24:54If Pobbe runs, it could trigger the lions to chase.
25:03So I bet it melts up now.
25:07Ooh.
25:10Stay low, stay low, Pobbe, stay low.
25:13Stay low, Pobbe.
25:39That was seriously close.
25:41I'm actually shaking.
25:43Pobbe has kept her cubs safe for now.
25:47Classic Pobbe, the lion dodger.
25:50She's too clever for this.
25:52Touch wood.
25:55That was terrible.
25:57It's going to take a while for my heart rate to go down.
26:08Brad, Brad for Tristan.
26:10Brad and Tristan.
26:11Go ahead.
26:13Just spotted Kudum in a tree.
26:15Are searching for female leopard Kudum.
26:18Hey, well done.
26:19Nice one.
26:21She's moved to a new area.
26:26She tends to spend less time around our camp now.
26:30Comes in just for water and then heads out again.
26:33So it will be very interesting to catch up with her and see what's going on in her life.
26:45It's really, really nice to see Kudum alive and well.
26:51I'm really liking this area she's moving into.
26:58Last year, both of Kudum's cubs were killed by an aggressive male leopard.
27:05She's really pushed northwest away from where all those male leopards are.
27:11It's good for her if she secures this top section.
27:16Much more conducive to cubs.
27:18So quite exciting that she's shifting her boundaries a little bit.
27:26It's just really nice to be with Kudum again.
27:32Wondering where she's going to go.
27:35Kudum is trying to make this new territory home.
27:42She's out in a very, very grassy little area.
27:47Normally this time of year, she's very interested in hunting from trees.
27:53To be successful here, in open grassland, Kudum must change her approach.
28:00This is a completely different tactic.
28:03You've got to stalk in, get close, be patient.
28:06It makes our lives a lot more difficult.
28:10They blend in so easily and they just evaporate essentially.
28:16So, I'm hoping we can stick with her.
28:31Whoa, that's pretty cool.
28:33She just erupted out of the grass.
28:36Someone wasn't ready.
28:42Leopards use their sense of smell and hearing to pinpoint hidden targets.
28:49Yes girl, nice one.
28:52Looks like she's just got a reed buck.
28:56She's right on top of it and this is going to be an amazing meal for her.
29:01Now that is impressive.
29:02That thing is so much bigger than her.
29:05Probably weighs one and a half times her body weight.
29:11So, I'm not sure she's going to be a bit more.
29:11Okay, I've got to show her my body weight.
29:12But I'm not sure I'm gonna be a bit more.
29:12I'm not sure if I can hold the ground up.
29:23I'm going to be a bit more.
29:36there they are anna is with the cheetahs there are loads more little pockets of thick brush
29:44Bobby is looking for somewhere safe to spend the night okay looks like the sun's gonna set soon and
29:55I'm gonna back off give them a little bit more space and then switch to the thermal camera
30:12unlike our lions and leopards cheetahs are a predominantly diurnal species which means that
30:21their eyes are much better suited to daylight hours at night you actually really can't see a huge
30:28amount this makes cheetahs most vulnerable after dark there's always a chance that a lion could
30:36stumble upon pathway and her cubs and we really don't want that lines kill cheetah cubs and and
30:45cheetahs so she needs to be alert everything in the area cheetahs night vision may be poor but with
31:00ears that rotate independently Bobby can pinpoint danger from any direction
31:13she's got herself right into the middle of a big open floodplain just so that she can hear any
31:18sounds of danger approaching in a safe spot Bobby is ready to settle down
31:42way past your bedtime and these two are like come on mom I have more minutes of play
31:58I think they're just getting rid of all of that pent-up energy from the day
32:18okay they are finally settling down
32:28as good a mum as Popeye is she's gonna need to be on high alert all night I really feel
32:36for her it's a
32:37really tough job being a cheetah mum so sweet to see them coloured up like that be safe Popeye please
32:52in the morning Anna and Rhea are still with the cheetahs they are awake and they're looking around but
33:00Bobby is on edge Anna I'm I'm not sure what's happening here but Bob is looking a little bit scared
33:10or agitated
33:13what can you see what she's looking at now actually it's I can see another cheetah yeah there's another
33:26cheetah here there's another cheetah what you will not believe it Anna it's spooker
34:06he hasn't seen them yet they look a bit terrified here I don't think they're gonna hang
34:11around she's getting away from this male male cheetahs can be aggressive towards adult females but
34:23Spoko isn't a threat to Pobbe's cubs one really strange similarity between cheetahs and domestic cats
34:32is that they both have multiple paternities these two cubs could have completely separate dads
34:42female cheetahs mate with many partners and can carry cubs from different males in a single pregnancy
34:51this pocket could be one or neither of these cubs dads this increases genetic diversity and also
35:00helps protect the cubs which means that he's not going to come in and do them any harm because he
35:07simply doesn't know if they're his cubs great for Pobbe because it means that she doesn't have to be
35:16concerned about a male cheetah coming in and potentially killing them but I wonder what
35:23Pobbe is thinking she's made a quick exit
35:50Brad and Tristan are on the trail of a new female leopard
35:59she's in the trail of a new female leopard
36:00oh she is sorry this is the diva
36:11the left-hand side of the fish she's got one massive whiskered pattern very distinct very easy to idea
36:22Oh, a little cub! Yes, yes, yes, yes.
36:27Ladiba has two cubs.
36:30Oh, they're so beautiful.
36:31A male and a female.
36:37Cubs, most likely around three to four months old.
36:43Old enough to move around and climb and do a lot of things.
36:47But nowhere near being able to provide or fully look after themselves.
36:55She's a really incredible little cat.
36:58Very slight female.
37:01Similar to size to Kudum.
37:04But older.
37:07Being older means that she's more experienced.
37:11More experienced hunting.
37:14More experienced staying alive, keeping cubs alive.
37:23I have a suspicion that Ladiba's going to end up turning into one of, if not my favourite cats.
37:31Over the next few months, Brad and Tristan will follow Ladiba to see if she can be a successful mother.
37:41I've got a good feeling that these two cubs are going to survive.
37:58In film camp, Greg is checking camera traps to see who's been visiting after dark.
38:07We've got a network of six camera traps set up all over the camp.
38:12Just to show us what sort of creatures have been moving around, particularly at night.
38:23It's like being a spy.
38:28Oh my word, there's a hyena.
38:30This is right here, in front of our main area.
38:35Hyena's snooping around.
38:38What?
38:40Looks like a hyena has robbed somebody of a kill.
38:44What has he got?
38:46It's a young impala, and I bet you scavenged from a leopard.
38:50It looks classic leopard crime.
38:53Literally walking right by where I'm sitting.
38:57There's an elephant here, who's strolled right through.
39:03It's quite amazing.
39:04We don't have any fences around the camp.
39:07And the wildlife just take over.
39:12Oh, there's Jake.
39:15Our junior editor.
39:17Going off to bed.
39:21Oh my word.
39:27It's a lioness.
39:29What?
39:30He's locked on the ramp.
39:36That's insane.
39:40And he wouldn't have had a clue.
39:46I'm going to be walking around by this camp very differently now at night, considering what we're seeing on this
39:51camera trap.
39:54It just shows the sheer density of predators in this place.
39:59Wow.
40:01No way.
40:04We've got one, two, three big male lions.
40:08And these are not Big Toe and Maduma.
40:14These lions are intruding right into the heart of the Kudum Pride territory.
40:22A serious threat to Maduma and Big Toe.
40:26Part of their role as Pride males is to secure the boundary of the territory from intruders like this.
40:33And it doesn't seem as though their security is watertight.
40:39The only sign of Big Toe and Maduma of late has been Maduma on his own.
40:43He was looking really skinny and concerningly ragged.
40:47It seems like the big dominant males are at a slight weak spot.
40:51They seem fragile.
40:54These intruders pose a significant threat to everyone involved.
41:05Out on the night shift.
41:08It just got dark and they're already active.
41:11Gordon and Setz.
41:13They're with Makosi, Nosi, Magogo and their cubs.
41:17So you haven't eaten a decent meal within the last few days.
41:24Adult lions can survive two weeks without food.
41:28The cubs are looking a little bit skinny.
41:32And for their sake, I really hope they get something tonight.
41:36But Matata and the cubs need to eat much more regularly.
41:43Females have started moving.
41:54There's the bird that I didn't chase it in.
42:04Looks like all the cubs are staying put.
42:11While the moms go out hunting.
42:15They can focus on finding the cubs something to eat.
42:32This terrain they've chosen.
42:35It's advantageous.
42:36It's thick, which means they can stalk and get really close before pouncing.
42:49There's no moon.
42:50And it's the perfect cover for an ambush.
43:05I think I spoke too soon.
43:08One cubs doesn't want to be left behind.
43:12She's running after her mouth.
43:23And they are getting up to follow.
43:28Every single one of these cubs is...
43:30Making a little bit of noise as it walks through the dry grass.
43:37They are not exactly being discreet.
43:41With so many curious cubs in the pride, hunting is almost impossible for these mums.
43:48And a night like this, that noise...
43:51Carries.
43:56Whoa.
43:57There's a bit to know that something is out there.
44:09The cover's been blown.
44:13The zippers are gone.
44:18Matata and the cubs have lost another chance to eat.
44:23They'll ruin a couple of hunts because they'll want to participate.
44:29It'll be a learning curve for them.
44:31The consequence of a field hunt, just going hungry.
44:39The lion mothers are getting desperate.
44:44And it is ultimately a life or death for the lion family.
44:48If these lions cannot hunt, they can't survive.
44:58Good.
44:59I lost them in the bush.
45:03Looks like this is so unfortunate.
45:07We've lost the lions.
45:09I'm dead back to camp.
45:20Anna has now been with Pobbe and her cubs for three days and nights.
45:27Hello.
45:29Gorgeous.
45:30Wow.
45:31That is so incredible.
45:37And now the other cub is going to come in, I think.
45:41Good morning.
45:43Sleep well.
45:45Have some good dreams of catching impala.
45:50I feel like, as the younger sibling, I always did.
45:53Or wanted to do whatever my sister was doing.
45:56So, I can see that playing out here.
46:01I want to come and join the party.
46:05With them coming so close to us here.
46:09It feels like we're being accepted into the family.
46:16I feel like I'm seeing a completely different side to Pobbe this morning.
46:21What I knew of her before was that she was basically like a bloodthirsty predator,
46:26but motherhood has just given her a whole new softer side.
46:32She's been cleaning herself and her two cubs.
46:36And it's so cute to have seen them licking each other this morning.
46:40They clearly love each other so much.
46:45A lot of the time out here, it's just like, go, go, go, go, the whole time.
46:50It's really high opt-in.
46:52So, it's also really important to have these moments where everything's just really chilled and relaxed.
46:59And to probably take in what's happening around us.
47:25It's always two cubs.
47:26They've got beyond the most dangerous point of a cheetah cubs life.
47:30And seeing this family so comfortable here in this area and also so comfortable with us.
47:39It's just awesome, so awesome.
47:43Pobbe's doing a really good job.
47:48Just behave, you two, okay?
48:09I can see some lions huddled up.
48:12Sets has found the lion mothers and cubs.
48:18After five days without a decent meal.
48:21I think the mother actually did it.
48:24They've finally triumphed.
48:27I think they might be on a kill.
48:34The cubs and the mums, they've had success.
48:39So, it's fantastic.
48:40They've got something to eat.
48:48It's Magogo Nosimakosi with the cubs.
48:51I can see Matata there with his scruffy little mane.
49:04Whatever that is, not much remains.
49:10This looks like a crime scene.
49:12It does.
49:14What is it?
49:15It's a zebra kill.
49:17Well, what's left of it.
49:19The remains of it.
49:20Yeah, they've polished through it quite quickly.
49:24I was thinking last year, it's really important for these mums to get regular meals for these cubs.
49:30But now the cubs are this size.
49:32It is even more, even more important.
49:35Yeah.
49:37You can see Matata is almost as big as a lioness.
49:41So, the pressure keeps growing each day.
49:47It makes me happy when I see well-fed, happy lions.
49:55It's as easy as it gets.
49:57They've done all of the hard work.
50:01Now they can enjoy the fruits of their labour.
50:09Tomorrow will always bring its own set of challenges, but I think the challenge that remains for today is just
50:18trying to sleep off this meat coma.
50:24All of them, they're all looking very fat and very happy.
50:29This is exactly how I like to see this pride.
50:34Makosi, Magogo and Nosi have finally provided for Matata and the older cubs.
50:44But another, even bigger challenge is coming.
50:50What?
50:53No way.
51:03Oh, that is a big lion. A very, very big lion.
51:10It's the intruders from the camp's camera trap.
51:14And there are not just three, but four of them.
51:18Major update on the lion front.
51:21We've managed to find the intruder males.
51:25That could be trouble.
51:28Here we are with four male lions.
51:32A large prime male with three sub-adults.
51:37Easily the greatest threat to the pride that we've had so far.
51:42Coalitions of four males are rare.
51:45The team has never seen a group of this size here before.
51:50We're right in the Kudum Pride territory.
51:52Madumo and Big Toe
51:55normally would be pushing these intruders out.
51:59But there's absolutely no sign of them.
52:02With Big Toe and Madumo missing...
52:05This is really, really bad news.
52:09All of the lion mums and cubs are dangerously exposed.
52:14The biggest threat to any cub comes from a male lion.
52:19Infanticide.
52:21The smaller cubs, the more vulnerable.
52:25They're not as fast, not as mobile.
52:31It looks dark for the pride at the moment.
52:34And they are looking around with menace and intent.
52:38Scent marking almost every bush.
52:41Maybe they can smell other lions.
52:46And they are moving straight through the heart of the Kudum Pride territory.
52:51The M medicate.
52:55The MST95 steht.
52:57The Empire, the Dark Knight, the Empire.
52:59The Empire, the Empire.
53:02The Empire.
53:07The Empire.
53:13The Empire.
53:16The Empire.
53:18The Empire.
53:19The Empire.
53:19The Empire.
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