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00:00.
00:05Lion's coming into the kill, yeah, Baz?
00:06Yeah.
00:08The cheetahs have finally made a successful kill.
00:13But there's an uninvited dinner guest.
00:16She's not sure.
00:20Right now, they're just trying to eat as fast as they can.
00:27Here she comes.
00:30.
00:43The Serengeti.
00:46Ground zero for one of nature's biggest events.
00:52There are just wildebeest everywhere.
00:55They just go onto the horizon in every direction.
00:59This is my first time in Tanzania during the Great Migration.
01:03This has got to be one of the natural world's most epic spectacles.
01:08Triggered by the rainy season, over two million animals are on the move.
01:17Followed by thousands of hungry predators.
01:22I'm here to film the fastest of them all.
01:25Now is the best time of year to film Cheetah.
01:28They're going to be making the most of this endless supply of food that is just walking right through their
01:33territory.
01:35But this doesn't mean their lives are easy.
01:39Globally, the cheetah population has fallen by 90% in the last century.
01:51I want to understand why it's so hard for the fastest land animal on the planet to survive.
02:04It's estimated only 300 cheetah live here, and I've got just four weeks to find them.
02:11I'm going to need some help.
02:13Expert wildlife guide Baz Kessie drives our truck.
02:17From this vehicle, I'll use my drone and long lens camera.
02:22In a second vehicle, a Dennis Millel and Tom Walker.
02:27They're the world's best team for filming high-speed hunts using a gyro-stabilized camera.
02:38This herd of zebra, they're all standing very alert and all staring sort of towards that direction.
02:43So we're kind of using all of their eyes to triangulate the position of the thing that they're looking at.
02:51Must be over there somewhere.
02:57Yeah, go ahead.
02:58We found a mum with two very small cubs on this side.
03:02OK, copy that.
03:04Well, that is very, very exciting news.
03:07Our other car has found a mother cheetah with two very, very small cubs,
03:10which is not something that you see often, so we're going to go check them out.
03:1595% of cheetah cubs don't survive for adulthood.
03:20Their biggest threat is being killed by lions and hyenas.
03:26OK, I got it. Yeah, here's good.
03:29So cheetah mums keep them hidden.
03:35Oh, my word.
03:37The cubs are tiny.
03:41Just these little balls of fluff at the feet of mum.
03:45I just see the tops of them bouncing every now and again above the height of the grass.
04:07They are so small.
04:10You can see their coat pattern is completely different to mums.
04:13They've got really dark sides and then a grey silvery top.
04:17The theory is that that colouration makes them look like a honey badger.
04:21A ferocious little animal that has big sharp teeth, sharp claws and a really nasty attitude.
04:28The thinking is if the cubs look like honey badgers, maybe big predators will leave them alone.
04:37They're teeny tiny. They can't be more than a month old.
04:41It just means that mum's got a tough task of looking after them and feeding them.
04:48Because if she wants to go and hunt, she has to leave them by themselves.
04:58I think she's spotted some prey on the horizon.
05:14Oh, there's the gazelle, yeah.
05:16Yeah.
05:20Gazelles have a top speed of 50 miles per hour.
05:25Cheetahs can sprint close to 70, but they can only sustain it for a short distance.
05:33Every time the gazelle turns, she freezes.
05:46She doesn't know what she's doing.
05:53She's just trying to close that gap before she sprints.
06:01It's a stalking masterclass.
06:10She needs to get within 30 yards undetected to have any chance.
06:23She's going to explode any second.
06:31She's going to explode any second.
06:48She's faster than the drone. Look at her go.
06:58She got it. She got it.
07:01It's almost as big as her.
07:05She was so patient in that stalk.
07:07She was just closing the gap, closing the gap.
07:10And I thought, she's got to go. She's got to go.
07:12But she knows she has to get really, really close.
07:15Because although she's the world's fastest land animal,
07:18these gazelles are still very quick.
07:20She got within the critical distance and then stamped on the accelerator.
07:23And I cannot believe how fast these cheetahs are.
07:28Today, she'll be able to make milk for her cubs.
07:34But not all hunts are successful.
07:37And every time she leaves them, she takes a risk.
07:42No wonder only 5% of young cheetahs make it to adulthood.
07:50The challenges cheetah face in this vast landscape don't stop there.
07:59To understand more, we need to catch up to the migration.
08:13But following in the footsteps of these cheetah magnets has its downsides.
08:18Oh, come on.
08:21I suppose behind every great migration is an even greater pile of wildebeest dung.
08:30That is going to stink.
08:45After a few hours of searching, there's movement away from the herd.
08:52This is unreal.
08:53We've got a group of three adult male cheetah all together.
08:57It's often said that lions are the only social large cat where adults form groups.
09:03But that's not exactly true because male cheetahs do form groups and they're called coalitions.
09:09Once fully grown males leave their mothers, they typically remain with their brothers, forming a coalition.
09:16They're trying to jump on top of each other.
09:20Together, they can defend their territory from rival males.
09:24And hunting as a team, they should be able to take down bigger prey.
09:36Hopefully they've had some practice.
09:39Male cheetahs tend to have shorter lives than females.
09:44Fights with lions and other males can be deadly.
09:49And even their prey can be dangerous.
09:52Tom, just as a heads up, there's a herd of zebra ahead of them.
09:56Yeah, we've seen that.
09:59Three male cheetahs make a formidable group of predators.
10:03But zebra are no easy target.
10:05One kick could be lethal.
10:17There's definitely some zebra stallions in there.
10:22Gotta pick their target wisely.
10:39Okay, they're going.
10:47Here they go, here they go.
10:52As the herd scatters, the coalition look for a vulnerable target.
10:57Youngsters should be an easier option.
11:01False mum's blocking.
11:07Got it?
11:08Aye.
11:16Well, be careful of the zebra's kick, cheetah.
11:19Get that to the face and that's lights out.
11:24Oh, and the rest of the herd's slotting in.
11:29And the cheetah have given up.
11:31Dad's game over.
11:33That was unreal.
11:35They all just slotted in right behind the mum and foal.
11:37Yeah.
11:38Yeah, they can use the kicks to keep the cheetah away.
11:45You know, this just goes to show,
11:48your hunting for cheetahs is not easy,
11:50even if you're three big males.
11:53The prey is very, very challenging.
11:55And today, the might of the zebra,
11:57their herd defense, their kicks,
12:00they were enough to keep the cheetah from getting one of their babies.
12:07An injury to one of the coalition would put all of them in jeopardy.
12:14Some risks just aren't worth taking.
12:22Life is full of tough decisions for these cats.
12:35The migration might be the best time of year to film cheetahs,
12:39but it comes with its challenges.
12:42So, with the rains on the way,
12:43we need to be able to film in rain or shine.
12:46With a normal camera, if it starts raining, you're in big trouble.
12:49You get drops on the lens and you can't film.
12:51But on Tom's camera, he's got a very special bit of equipment
12:53that solves that problem.
12:55It's called a rain spinner.
12:56I'm going to show you how it works.
12:57So, Tom, if you can turn it on.
13:04Okay, you ready, Tom?
13:07Here we go.
13:09Oh, it's completely clear.
13:11Oh, it works so well.
13:13Right.
13:16My solution is a lot less high-tech.
13:20I mean, drones, famously, aren't very good in the rain.
13:22They tend to fall out of the sky because the electronics melt.
13:24So, what I've basically spent the last couple of hours doing
13:27is filling up all the little vents and holes with silicon
13:31in the hope that that makes it waterproof.
13:33Only, I'm not going to be chucking any water on this
13:35because I'm not sure if it's going to work.
13:37But, fingers crossed.
13:45The next morning, we tracked down the migration
13:48along their 900-mile round trip.
13:54And we find some new faces.
14:00Oh, wow. It looks like a mother with two big cubs.
14:07This is very exciting because cubs of this age
14:10are great fun to follow.
14:12They're really bouncy, really playful.
14:15And most interesting to me is that this is the age
14:19they really start to learn to hunt from Mum.
14:20They're still slightly smaller than Mum
14:23and growing out the last traces of their silvery neck fluff.
14:37HE LAUGHS
14:38HE LAUGHS
14:39Morning, Platon.
14:42The cubs are in full stalk mode.
14:51HE LAUGHS
14:53HE LAUGHS
14:55Oh, they're chasing the cattle egrets.
15:04This playing might look like fun, and I'm sure it is a lot of fun.
15:09But it is all training for their high-speed chases.
15:14In just a few months, the cubs will be expected to make kills on their own.
15:26Hear that?
15:30That's mum calling the cubs.
15:32Playtime is over.
15:35Mum's going to show them how it's done.
15:43Adult zebra and wildebeest are too big for this young family to hunt.
15:48But there are also lots of gazelle fawns.
15:52Small and slow.
15:54They make ideal prey for beginners.
16:02The cubs should watch and learn how their mum selects a target.
16:19But this cub didn't get the memo.
16:25Is that the cubs chasing the zebra, Baz?
16:27Yeah, it does, the cub.
16:30Oh, the cub's chasing the zebra.
16:36Chaos.
16:37Wildebeest and zebra flying everywhere.
16:49The cub is regretting its decision.
16:54Oh, the zebra's chasing the cub now.
16:59Cables have turned.
17:01Run, run, run.
17:04Oh, it's ever right behind him.
17:14Oh, that is so good.
17:20Maybe not the lesson mum intended, but a lesson nonetheless.
17:32All that action has attracted the attention of another species on the Serengeti.
17:45It seems like we've got a lot of cars on the way by us.
17:50I love seeing people spend their money and their time getting close to nature, but this, when there's so many
17:59vehicles surrounding the cheetah mother and cubs, it can't be a good thing.
18:03Yeah, it's hard for the cheetah itself because she cannot see the prey.
18:12Why do you think these cars drive so close to the animals and so many of them at once?
18:18I think it's a lack of education for the drivers or knowledge.
18:22The park rules tell you to be 25 metres away from the animals, but the tourists, they want to do
18:28the selfie or they want to do whatever picture they want to do, but they are using their phone.
18:32So it encourages people to drive very close.
18:38You know, I do feel, in a way, guilty watching this because I feel like in our shows, we give
18:45people maybe an unrealistic expectation of what they're going to see and how close they're going to get.
18:52Because we're using incredible technology that means we will get the viewer in a place that they could never be
18:58with their eyes in real life.
19:00And I understand for these guides, they're under so much pressure to deliver in a short space of time.
19:06Find the animal, get close to the animal.
19:10Tourism is a crucial source of funding for many protected areas.
19:16But key to watching wildlife responsibly is to put the needs of the animals first.
19:23When I have my own clients or maybe I take someone on safari and they explain to myself why we
19:29are not going to go very close to the animal, they really understand it very easy.
19:34Cubs should eat every day, but tonight they'll go hungry.
19:43It's time for the cheetahs to bed down and hide as lions and hyenas come out to hunt.
20:01In the morning, we find the same mum and cubs.
20:05Is that her bed?
20:07Yes, that is.
20:12She's stalking.
20:13Obviously it's dark, but yeah, she's stalking.
20:15The pressure to feed the family is pushing her to take risks.
20:21Our mum and the two cubs are on the move.
20:27They're on the move.
20:28First thing, it's still pretty dark, which means there's going to be a lot of other bigger predators active right
20:34now.
20:35So she must be hungry.
20:41OK, mum's spotted something.
21:00Yeah, she's got it.
21:02She's got it.
21:07What's really interesting is that she gave the cubs no opportunity to practice hunting with this gazelle.
21:12She's killed it straight away because she just needs to stop this thing making any noise.
21:19There's going to be a lot of big predators, a lot of hyenas, a lot of lions still active, still
21:23moving around.
21:27She's dragging the kill, and it looks like it's a longer grass, and that'll be to make it harder to
21:34spot.
21:41And the cubs look ravenous.
21:49And on cue, I can hear lions.
21:56Over there somewhere.
22:01The cubs are feeding, but mum is constantly head up, scanning.
22:10I can see a hyena's head there.
22:14You can see hyenas?
22:15Yeah.
22:22Hyena's incoming, yeah?
22:24He's coming this way.
22:34Hyenas are known to scavenge other predators' kills.
22:42Well, it's a big hyena.
22:45Mama has a big problem.
22:47Yeah.
22:48Their 1,000-pound-per-square-inch bite force
22:51means they can crush bones.
22:54If the hyena wants to get it, you're going to get it.
23:02This hyena is close.
23:04What are you going to do, Mum?
23:07Are you going to fight or are you going to run away?
23:14Mum and the cubs are looking.
23:19Mum's up, Mum's up. She's going towards the hyena.
23:24Go on, Mum.
23:40Yeah!
23:43Nice job, Mum.
23:50She's going to run away from the crab.
23:50These cheetahs are built for speed, not fighting.
23:53So all she can do is kind of push and bluff the hyena away
23:56because if they were to get into an actual scrap,
23:59the hyena is much bigger.
24:00It's much more powerful.
24:04The strategy is just to keep this hyena away
24:06so that the cubs can feed on the kill.
24:16You can hear lots of hyenas out this way,
24:19all cackling, all laughing.
24:23Mum's actually very lucky.
24:24The other hyenas, they sound like they're on a kill of their own.
24:30Lions that way as well.
24:36I don't quite believe this.
24:38Mum has successfully defended her kill from this hyena
24:42and she might have gotten lucky
24:44that more hyenas didn't come in
24:46but she showed some pretty amazing aggression
24:50to say, get away from my kill.
25:00Mum was able to provide today
25:02but soon the cubs will have to learn to hunt for themselves.
25:15As the day heats up,
25:17we find the male coalition,
25:19scouting for prey.
25:23They'll jump from one lookout to the next
25:26until they find a target.
25:36Compared to the cheetah mothers,
25:37they take a fearless approach.
25:45But it's not without risk.
25:48There's a lion under the tree
25:50so they may bump into it.
25:54Copy that, thanks.
25:58These boys look like they want to climb this tree
26:00but what they don't know and we know
26:02is that there's a lion at the base of it.
26:06They're about to get a big shark.
26:16Lions up.
26:18Whoa.
26:22Oh, big male.
26:25One, two, three, four male lions.
26:28Oh, that was a bit of a shock for those cheetah
26:31but fortunately, the lions have not pursued.
26:37Did you see them all just going, whoa?
26:39Yeah, I saw them spook.
26:41Yeah, they're like, we are checking out.
26:45Goodbye.
26:47There are just 300 cheetahs here
26:50but over 3,000 lions.
26:54In a fight with these bigger, stronger predators,
26:59the cheetahs would have no chance.
27:11The coalition's search for food continues.
27:15I really hope to see them succeed
27:18before our time runs out.
27:30Cheetahs' lives are much harder than I thought,
27:33even inside the protection of the Serengeti National Park.
27:38The pressure to survive can drive cheetahs
27:42to roam outside the protected area.
27:44Cool spot.
27:46Where they face other problems from human activity.
27:49Thanks, guys.
27:52Hello, hello.
27:53I meet up with Kelvin Munisi
27:55from the Serengeti Cheetah Project.
27:58Oh, yeah. Always ready.
27:59Good to meet you, man.
28:00I want to find out how his research
28:02helps tackle these challenges.
28:06It's not long before we see some familiar faces.
28:11Kelvin, this mother and cubs, this family,
28:13is actually a family we've been following.
28:15Do you know her?
28:16Yes, we do know her.
28:17And she's called Adora.
28:19Adora?
28:20Adora, yes.
28:21And do you know how many litters she's had in her life?
28:23So this is her second litter.
28:25The first litter she had was in 2020.
28:28And that didn't go so well
28:30because she lost all her cubs.
28:32Oh, no.
28:33Yeah, it's sad.
28:33And last year, we actually found her with five cubs.
28:37Five?
28:37Yeah, yeah.
28:38So she's only got two now, so she's lost three of her cubs this winter.
28:41Yes, so she's lost three of her cubs.
28:43Oh, that's so sad.
28:44I guess that's the reality of living in a landscape packed full of predators that are bigger than you.
28:50Yeah, exactly.
28:51Yeah.
28:52She's actually a good mum.
28:54For a cheetah with five cubs to remain with two cubs, it's still a good mum in such a harsh
29:01environment.
29:03Kelvin's fieldwork has two parts.
29:06First, he maps where each cheetah is roaming.
29:11And then he needs to collect their DNA in the least invasive way possible.
29:18So you spend a lot of time staring at cheetahs, hoping that they're going to do a number two.
29:24Yes, yes.
29:30Kelvin, she's squatting down there.
29:33Is she going to go to the bathroom?
29:35She's pooping.
29:37She's pooping.
29:37Yeah, yeah, yeah, brilliant.
29:39Kelvin, usually when I'm working with scientists, filming their amazing work, I offer to help and get involved.
29:45But I think on this occasion, I'm good.
29:48It's all you.
29:49You should leave it to the professional food collectors.
29:59I think he's got it.
30:01Yeah, he's got it.
30:03I've never been so excited about locating a wild animal's poop, all in the name of science.
30:14It may not be glamorous, but Kelvin's work is critical in monitoring cheetah territories.
30:23We are going to extract DNA so that we can establish how diversified is the gene pool.
30:30This can tell us how connected the cheetah population are, from Serengeti population all the way to the Maasai Mara
30:38population, and also other protected areas within the Eastern Africa landscape.
30:42Mixing these groups is vital, but it's becoming more difficult for cheetahs to move as humans build farms and towns
30:50in their path.
31:02Kelvin hopes this information can be used to manage land in a way that supports cheetahs, connecting territories and giving
31:11them the space they need to survive.
31:23The next morning, we find the male coalition again.
31:34They're with a herd of wildebeest, and it looks like this could be the chance to hunt they've been waiting
31:40for.
31:42But they're not the only ones.
31:44There are the boys.
31:45There's the wildebeest.
31:47There's a bunch of lions over there.
31:50This could be chaos.
31:54Yeah, Tom, we've got the boys.
31:55They're about 300 metres from a herd of wildebeest with lions nearby as well.
32:04So we've got this big herd of wildebeest, and the boys are on this side of the herd.
32:08All they don't know is that there's a pride of lions on the other side that we've passed coming here.
32:13So if they choose to run into that wildebeest herd, I think they might get a really nasty surprise.
32:22Stay down, boys.
32:24Stay down.
32:25You do not want to pick a fight with a bunch of lions.
32:32Do you think they've seen them?
32:34No.
32:35They're very close.
32:43All the wildebeest are running.
32:50Whoa, big boys.
33:01Look at the size of that dude on the right.
33:06Oh, my word, he is beautiful.
33:09Look at his mane blowing in the wind.
33:11Look at his mane blowing in the wind.
33:19Well, the cheetah boys got very lucky there.
33:21That pride of lions has not spotted them, and they're heading off that way.
33:28But they've lost the element of surprise.
33:30The wildebeest herd are really spooked because of the lions.
33:39We've yet to see the coalition have a successful hunt.
33:47They can't wait any longer.
34:00Looking for a target.
34:25They're moving through the herd, kind of looking around with their heads up.
34:28They aren't going fast.
34:30They're looking for a target, but it's just too dense with all the herd running together.
34:33It's a very dangerous thing to run into.
34:37Picking the right target at the right time is a matter of life and death.
34:49Spotted a big wildebeest.
34:59Oh, it's got back into the herd.
35:05Great herd defense.
35:08Okay, they switched targets.
35:09They found another one.
35:11You still have it?
35:12Yeah.
35:13He's coming in front.
35:20They'll get it.
35:31I think he's got it.
35:38Well, that wildebeest put up a very good fight.
35:45Finally, they can enjoy a well-earned meal.
35:49But a successful hunt doesn't always lead to a full belly.
36:02Lion's coming into the kill, yeah, Baz?
36:04Yeah.
36:08There's three of them and one of her.
36:13She's not sure.
36:15Surely they're not going to fight her for it.
36:18If those guys, they realize it's not safe, they will walk away.
36:21So right now, they're just trying to eat as fast as they can.
36:24Mm-hmm.
36:40She takes the kill.
36:44And that is why it is very hard to be a cheater around here.
36:48Mm-hmm.
36:48You do all that work and then a lion steals your food.
36:54And now these boys are going to have to hunt all over again.
36:58Back to square one.
37:03The competition from bigger predators is relentless for cheaters.
37:11But giving up isn't an option.
37:30Yeah, go ahead.
37:31Clearly rain has come in, so we're going to put the rain spinner on.
37:35OK, copy that.
37:36I'll switch to the wet drone as well.
37:49Despite the rain, the coalitions stick with the herd.
37:54Good luck out there, little drone.
38:07So I started pouring with rain, and the cheaters are still hunting,
38:11so the show must go on.
38:16They're just marching straight into the rain.
38:22And the drone is still flying.
38:27The storm completely changes the dynamic between predator and prey.
38:34The wildebeest stand with their backs to the rain.
38:37They aren't looking out for the cheaters.
38:41And they can't hear them either.
38:44OK, they're coming up to the wildebeest.
38:46It is pouring with rain.
38:47Come on, drone.
38:49Hang on.
38:52With the threat of Lions gone too,
38:55the odds have tipped in the coalition's favour.
38:58OK, second one's going to be ready.
39:08Okay, front cheetah has a target
39:14Okay, increasing speed, here we go
39:18God, I'm flying
39:35World of Beast is turning around to fight
39:40Careful with the horns
39:43Back up to writhing
39:47All three boys on the World of Beast
39:49Hang in their drone
39:54They brought it down
39:56Oh my word
39:58It spun around and was trying to fight the one off
40:00And if that male cheetah had been by itself
40:03I don't think it would have got it
40:05And all in pouring rain
40:08That was crazy
40:14The drone's still flying
40:15I'm going to bring it home before it falls out of the sky
40:16It survived
40:20Well done wet drone
40:22It's the first time a cheetah hunt has been filmed
40:25In the rain like this
40:26I didn't know if this drone could survive
40:28But it has
40:30And we've managed to capture some pretty extraordinary behaviour with it
40:34Cheetah hunting as a team
40:36In torrential rain
40:42Even under the cover of a rainstorm
40:45Taking down a wildebeest is incredibly dangerous for these cheetahs
40:51I'm relieved to finally see them get a meal
40:55And to know they can have a few days rest
40:58Before they have to do it all over again
41:07Capturing this iconic face-off between cheetahs and wildebeest
41:10Is something I'll never forget
41:16As my time here comes to an end
41:18There's someone I want to check in on
41:24We've got mum
41:27But the big question is where are the cubs
41:32Come on little cubs
41:34Please be still alive
41:40The cubs are here, the cubs are here
41:50Well that is a very, very big relief
41:54The cubs have made it
41:55And they look very happy and healthy
42:00They actually look like they've turned into absolute little terrorists
42:02They've got so much energy now
42:05Charging around, jumping on mum
42:08And they've grown up so much since we last saw them
42:12They're starting to lose their dark black sides
42:16I can see their little adult spots are coming through
42:32Cub survival rate in cheetahs is really not very good
42:3695% don't make it to adulthood
42:39But these two little ones
42:40They've made it through one of the most dangerous periods of their lives
42:44And they've got an amazing mum looking after them
42:46So I'm pretty hopeful they're going to make it
43:11I've always thought of cheetah as being this super fast, untouchable top predator
43:16It turns out I've had it all wrong
43:18The threat of lions and hyenas is just relentless here
43:23Human activity is adding to their struggles
43:28While it's very easy to be impressed by the male coalition
43:31It's the females that I'm most in awe of
43:34But the fact that they can raise any cubs in this landscape
43:37Is a testament to the incredible mothers we've followed
43:41I'll never forget watching these cheetahs grow up
43:44And learning from mum, gaining their survival skills
43:46So that with a little bit of luck
43:48They can take on whatever the Serengeti has in store for them
43:52And learning from mum, gaining their survival skills
44:06And learning from mum, gaining their survival skills
44:06And learning from mum, gaining their survival skills
44:07And learning from mum, gaining their survival skills
44:07And learning from mum, gaining their survival skills
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