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Big Cats 24 7 S02E04 Reunion Episode 24 Engsub
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Short filmTranscript
00:02Chaos
00:05There's cats everywhere
00:08The mums of the Kudum Pride have reunited
00:13But with so many mouths to feed
00:16They're under more pressure than ever before
00:19There is Bedlam out there
00:21Oh my goodness
00:26The Okavango Delta
00:28In Botswana
00:30We are in a pristine environment right now
00:32One of Africa's last wildernesses
00:36The magnitude of life here is unparalleled
00:39And it's a haven for Africa's big cats
00:44Lion
00:46Cheetah
00:47And leopard
00:49Big cat country
00:51Armed with the latest filming technology
00:54The big cats 24-7 team
00:58Is following individual big cats
01:00For six months
01:02This is a unique opportunity
01:04To follow these cats round the clock
01:07Through the day
01:09I used to think I'd have a fair fight with a lion
01:13Not so sure now
01:14And the night
01:16We've got the most sophisticated thermal imaging technologies
01:21Capturing their behaviour
01:2424 hours a day
01:25I have never seen anything like this
01:29I have never seen anything like this
01:38Oh it's gone
01:39No
01:40Oh so close
01:41So close
01:43Ah
01:44Don't believe this
01:46I don't think any of them got anything
01:49Nah
01:50Nah
01:50There was a dust ball that it got lost in
01:57Gordon and Setz are with the Kudum Pride mums
02:00And they're 14 cubs
02:03This is now a huge pride
02:07We've got over 20 lions here
02:11There's Naledi
02:13Nasi
02:14Makosi
02:15Magogo
02:15Mato
02:16And Sebi
02:21It's a big pride
02:22And it's also a fossil we reckon with
02:29The problem is
02:30With so many lions
02:32Hanging out together
02:33That is a lot of mouths to feed
02:38The mums have banded together for safety
02:41But now
02:42Have a new challenge
02:45I feel sorry for these girls
02:47I feel sorry for these girls
02:48We haven't seen these lions get a significant meal in a few days
02:54Lioness Sebi has more cubs to feed than any other mum in the pride
03:01Sebi is an incredible mum
03:02To raise four cubs to this stage
03:06Is no mean feat
03:08To raise four cubs to this stage
03:10But that little one
03:11Looking very skinny
03:16He's definitely not kind enough to eat
03:21Sebe's smallest cub is struggling.
03:26See how bony it's pelvis is?
03:30Every day that passes, that little cub's going to be getting weaker and weaker, becoming
03:36more and more vulnerable.
03:42Sebe spotted something, the lions are up, I hope this time is a success.
03:58She's running, running, running.
04:02Go, go, go, go.
04:12I don't think that I've been successful.
04:16Sebe's running on empty.
04:21It's vital that Sebe catches a meal soon, if she's to keep herself and her cub alive.
04:35I can't catch a meal quick enough.
04:59Brad and Tristan are with Ladiba the leopard and her five-month-old cub.
05:07This cub looks like it's in good mech.
05:10It's happy, definitely looks in good shape.
05:16That's really nice, she's just brought the cub straight past the car.
05:20Mom just really reassuring the cub.
05:26How beautiful is that?
05:33Brad, Brad, Gordon.
05:34We've got a male leopard in a tree, just at the edge of Ladiba's territory.
05:40This makes me anxious.
05:44They have such a high-density leopards in this area.
05:48And if there's a male and he thinks that this cub is not his, there's a good chance that he'll
05:53kill them.
05:57Male leopards kill cubs that are not their own, so they can mate with the females.
06:04So, keeping them on the move every four or five days to a new location is smart.
06:13I think this might be the new little kindergarten for a while.
06:21Ladiba must keep her cub well hidden.
06:24Nice thick forest with a lot of cover.
06:34At this time of year, the floodplains of the Okavango Delta are filled with water.
06:42Pushing all the big cats in the area closer together.
06:48I've managed to find another big male leopard.
06:53Starting to get seriously concerned.
06:57We just keep on finding male after male after male.
07:00That's a big problem.
07:06It's now more challenging than ever for Ladiba to keep her cub safe.
07:12Looks like mom is starting to snarl at the cub.
07:19That's their way of saying, OK, now you stay.
07:24Get used to your new home.
07:30The cub knows exactly what it means.
07:38Ladiba is heading off to hunt.
07:41It's amazing that they can communicate like that.
07:44Leaving her cub alone.
07:47Mom has to just trust that she's going to stay concealed.
08:10Hey, big girl.
08:13Gordon is with Sebe and the pride mums and cubs.
08:18They're looking hungry.
08:21Looks like it's going to be a busy night for them.
08:24They've got lots of little bellies to fill.
08:29Ready, one, two, three.
08:30Ready, one, two, three.
08:32To see if they can catch a meal, the team is deploying some brand new night vision kit.
08:38This is a beast of a camera.
08:40It's a much higher resolution.
08:42Longer reach, yeah.
08:43Longer reach.
08:43You've got line of sight for two or three kilometers in some areas.
08:47So presumably if there's action way over there, you'll be able to pick it up on this.
08:50Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:56The sun has set, and the night is full of opportunities.
09:04I have never in my whole life seen this number of lions moving together, particularly at night.
09:14It's unreal.
09:16Scary as hell, though.
09:18If you were an antelope, aren't you?
09:20That is just death.
09:26Just using the thermal drone to get a sense of the direction that the lions are taking.
09:34It looks like the lionesses can hear something in this tree line.
09:43This looks like Sebe.
09:46With four hungry cubs to feed, Sebe is taking the lead again.
09:53Gordon, we've got Sebe on our side, moving through the tree line.
09:58This time, more of the mums are joining her.
10:04I've got the drone up quite high, and there's lots of impala in there.
10:08Copy that.
10:09If the lions can get close enough and outsmart them with teamwork, hopefully they're going to win.
10:19Sebe's done a big loop round, and if she can just sneak in, they're going to scatter, and they could
10:29very well head in the direction of the other lions.
10:46In the pitch dark, the lions' powerful night vision gives them the edge.
10:58Oh, my goodness.
11:01Mums, cubs, all spreading in.
11:07Given that it's such a small meal split between this many lions, a little impala like that, it is less
11:14than the crust of a sandwich for each of them.
11:19It's really not going to go far.
11:23Sebe is only getting a few bites.
11:26Cabo is trying to sneak in, but they're not getting much space.
11:30And her cubs are getting nothing at all.
11:34When it gets to this point, when they're super hungry, it is every lion for themselves.
11:40The cubs get no special treatment.
11:45Oh, my gosh.
11:46One of these cubs is trying to pull a piece of meat through the sub-adult male's legs.
11:56Oh, no.
11:58The cubs are struggling to get any meat.
12:02The mums must take priority.
12:06If they're not strong enough to hunt, no one gets fed.
12:12Sebi's little cub, he's in the toughest position.
12:15He's the smallest of this part of the pride.
12:18And he's less able to actually fight and get access to the food that he desperately needs.
12:27The adult lions have devoured the impala in minutes.
12:35The best chance they've got of everyone getting the food that they need is if they catch something big.
12:42To feed herself and her cub, Sebi must target larger prey.
12:48Zebra would go further.
12:51Buffalo would even further than that.
12:53But yeah, Sebi's cub still needs to feed.
13:23Brad is on the trail of Ladiba.
13:26Brad is on the trail of Ladiba.
13:27She's definitely hungry.
13:28She's hungry and hunting.
13:31And Tristan is just a few hundred metres away.
13:34Got a big male rapper here.
13:37I'm not too sure who it is.
13:45It's not good.
13:47Let's hope the debris doesn't push too far across.
13:54This boy seems to be quite active, rubbing himself up against trees and scent marking.
14:01This unknown male is on the border of Ladiba's territory.
14:11This is a very high stakes situation for Ladiba.
14:14It's where she lives, where she hunts, where her cub's growing up.
14:20Male leopards are extremely aggressive to females and their cubs.
14:24And if they aren't certain that they're the father, they will kill them.
14:38He's approaching a tree.
14:42Oh God, I see another leaptop there.
14:46It looks like a female, eh?
14:49I don't recognise this girl.
14:53It's not Ladiba.
14:56This guy looks angry.
15:05You're... oh wow!
15:10To assert their dominance...
15:12He's just mumbling and grumbling and just giving these deep guttural noises that are, to be honest, quite terrifying.
15:19Males will sometimes attack females.
15:23She can hopefully just get out of it by hiding on the lighter branches.
15:31F**k, he's just gone straight up to the top.
15:42That was insane!
15:53They must have fallen over 10 metres out of that tree.
15:58And he just seems completely unfazed by it.
16:04With yet another male establishing himself in the area.
16:09Brad, Brad.
16:10This aggressive male is very keen to show everyone who's boss.
16:15Copy that.
16:18That's...
16:19That's not a good sign.
16:25Ladiba will have to work even harder to keep herself and her cub safe.
16:32This is really, really scary for Ladiba.
16:44So slightly to the left.
16:47To check on Ladiba's cub...
16:49OK, stop there.
16:50Tristan is rolling into a night shift.
16:57Well, that's a relief.
17:05Little lefford cubs are very, very strong climbers.
17:08It's one of their biggest adaptations and reasons for survival.
17:13Mum can leave them by themselves.
17:15They can climb up to the top of a tree very easily and get away from predators.
17:21These cats are very, very inquisitive at this age.
17:28After 24 hours alone, the cub is getting restless.
17:34It's like watching a toddler, basically.
17:36The world is their oyster and they, you know, just ready to explore, ready to learn.
17:44And there she goes.
17:45She's gone down the backhand side of the tree.
17:49And now we're on a little bit of a...
17:52roaming mission.
18:00There's any number of dangers out here for a young leopard cub.
18:09Ooh, wait.
18:12Another leopard.
18:20Thank God for that.
18:23It's Ladiba.
18:26This cub obviously heard mum calling.
18:29Ran off into the flood plain after her.
18:32Very, very eager to meet mum.
18:42Now we're moving.
18:45It's just a complete relief that the cub is all fine and all is good.
18:50And mum looks like she's going to move it now out of that area.
18:55Let's...
18:57Figure out where they're going to be going.
19:02My feeling is that she's probably going to go and find a new place to live.
19:06With so many male leopards in the area.
19:10She's going to move this cub through very, very thick terrain in an attempt to keep it safe and out
19:16of harm's way.
19:18Ladiba is now moving her cub almost every day.
19:23And stop.
19:27Alright, so let's try and find them, shall we?
19:36Why does it have to be so difficult?
19:39Why can't filming leopards just be easy?
19:47Good luck, girl.
19:50I'm done.
20:11I absolutely love this time of day.
20:15Anna is following cheetah mum Pobbe.
20:19It's when Pobbe is still touched up in bed and the cubs are just playing around her.
20:27Now six months old, her two cubs...
20:31Good morning, Kieran Bo.
20:32..are maturing fast.
20:40You can really see their little sibling bond.
20:45They don't have the support of a pride, but they've got each other.
20:49They love each other so much and that is really, really beautiful to see.
20:57Bo is just being a classic little brother, winding his little sister up.
21:04Kea's not having any of it.
21:06She's like, no, don't slap me in the face, thank you very much.
21:11Cheetah cubs learn vital skills they need through play.
21:15You can see the way that they stalk each other.
21:20They're practicing their hunting.
21:27Over the next six months, Kea and Bo will need to put these skills into action.
21:34They've definitely been watching Pobbe.
21:36And start to hunt alongside their mum.
21:40Things are going to start moving pretty quickly from here on out.
21:43I'm really excited to see how Kea and Bo hone their hunting skills.
21:48Because their hunting has been entertaining but not super effective.
21:58The cubs must now start taking life more seriously.
22:04They're not babies anymore.
22:27They are approaching a massive herd of buffalo.
22:32Easily the largest herd of buffalo I've ever seen.
22:37So this is one hell of an opportunity.
22:44Sebe and the mums are hunting for something big enough to feed themselves and all of their cubs.
22:51The desperation of the cats is very high.
22:54They're all very hungry.
22:56Cubs have been nagging their mums and these lionesses are feeling the pressure to provide for such a huge pride.
23:05Buffalo are powerful and aggressive prey.
23:11They're closing in on one of the most dangerous animals in the Delta.
23:17But a one-ton bull will easily feed the whole pride.
23:22Making it worth the risk.
23:32Tastes as hard.
23:35Oh my goodness me.
23:40Mayonnaise is right up the rump.
23:45Someone's clinging on like a fucking baronco.
23:50Jeepers.
23:51Creepers.
23:51Dealing with buffalo you can't afford to make any mistakes.
23:55Oh there's a little calf in there.
23:57Oh.
23:58That's just okay.
24:00We've got a buffalo moving in.
24:01Defending the calf.
24:03Oh ****.
24:04Seb you got a wallet by the bull.
24:10Back on the calf.
24:15That's game over.
24:19It's something.
24:21But a calf is far from enough to feed them all.
24:27Oh.
24:31Someone's getting beaten up.
24:34Hunger is turning the lions on each other.
24:41The dangerous place to be a lion cub around a small kill.
24:47I really feel for Seb's calf because he's really being pushed around and he's struggling to get his head in
24:52there.
24:57Oh.
25:00Seb's calf has a wound.
25:07Hey Gordon.
25:09I can see Seb's calf.
25:10The one that's been looking very skinny.
25:13Looks like he has a wound on the left side of his rib cage.
25:18It looks pretty bad.
25:22Oh gosh, that's not good.
25:26That injury on his side, he's picked that up either during the buffalo hunt or in the aftermath.
25:34The cub is malnourished and now injured.
25:41If he doesn't get the food to help him recover and heal his wound, things could turn for the worse
25:48quite quickly.
25:55Seeing this cub in this condition is very hard to watch.
26:16With Pobe as their teacher, cheetah cubs Kia and Bo are learning fast.
26:24Yeah, she's going to them.
26:27Go, go, go, go.
26:29And she's got one.
26:33Oh, well, the cubs are going straight in.
26:39Pobe didn't even need to cool them.
26:43The cubs already understand.
26:46This is about fast food.
26:48We need to just eat and leave.
26:51That at mealtimes, speed is of the essence.
26:55Meanwhile, Pobe is just sat guarding.
26:58Now they're at risk of predators coming in to steal this kill.
27:05Of all the big cats, cheetahs are the most likely to have their meals stolen.
27:12What's really cute is that it looks like Bo is copying mum and is also standing guard.
27:22It's basically adopted the exact same stance as Pobe and it's looking out.
27:30Male cub Bo is finally taking lessons seriously.
27:35One of them is eating and one of them is standing guard.
27:39They're clearly learning really, really fast.
27:42These little cubs getting ready for the future.
27:52Pobe is looking at something.
28:01Pobe is crouching down a little bit.
28:04What is going on?
28:12Oh, there's a leopard. There's a leopard.
28:16Pobe is going straight towards it.
28:23I really, really don't want her to get into a fight.
28:26This would not be good.
28:30This leopard could seriously injure an adult cheetah.
28:34And kill a cub.
28:39Pobe is just staring at this leopard.
28:42She's not going to let that leopard come anywhere near Kiambo.
28:46And also that meal.
28:52But Pobe is not backing down.
29:00Leopards run away.
29:04Oh, my heart.
29:08That was a seriously lucky escape.
29:11Typically a cheetah would run away from a leopard.
29:19I've got a feeling due to Kia and Bo being here.
29:24Pobe knew she's got to stand ground.
29:26She's got to take care of her cubs.
29:31Thanks to mum, the cubs have learnt a vital lesson.
29:37How to defend a meal.
29:42Cheetah cubs generally have such a tough start to life.
29:47But these two have the most incredible mum who is just showing them the ropes every single day.
30:06We have run into Ladiba.
30:11After vanishing with her cub.
30:14Oh, so good to see you.
30:16Greg has found leopard mum Ladiba.
30:19Oh, man.
30:20The last few weeks have been very stressful because there's been so many males really threatening the area.
30:31Oh, gosh.
30:33Another one.
30:35Oh, my word.
30:36Big male leopard.
30:39This is Bongwe.
30:40And he's the dominant male in this area.
30:43He's fully mature.
30:44About seven years old.
30:49Oh, Ladiba.
30:52If the cub is nearby, this is super dangerous situation.
30:59Bongwe and Ladiba's territories overlap.
31:03But male territories are four times larger than females.
31:08Whoa.
31:10Wah.
31:13So interactions like this are rare.
31:17He's about double his size and she's trying to push him off.
31:25It's working.
31:29Yooo.
31:30This is insane.
31:36Ladiba.
31:37Ballsy, hey?
31:39Ladiba really can't afford to get injured here with a cub to protect.
31:52Absolutely unreal situation.
31:58What is going to happen here?
32:08Holy smokes.
32:09Here comes the cub.
32:11Oh, gosh.
32:12If Bongwe sees her, this could be the end.
32:18I cannot believe my eyes.
32:23Oh, gosh.
32:24If Bongwe sees her, this could be the end.
32:28Oh, my word.
32:35He's not reacting at all.
32:38There's only one reason why a male wouldn't kill a cub.
32:42Bongwe must be her father.
32:49That's amazing.
32:51That's amazing.
32:51Bongwe is dad for sure.
32:56That's cool.
32:57I'm stoked.
33:00Oh, gosh.
33:01That is heart-ranging.
33:02I thought that it could have been trouble for that little cub.
33:04But now it looks like he's actually the defender.
33:09Fantastic.
33:11Go, Bongwe.
33:13Although he'll play no active role in rearing his cub,
33:17Bongwe will challenge any intruder male leopards in the area.
33:23He's a formidable, big male.
33:25So, I mean, if there's any leopard that we wanted to be dad
33:30and to give us a sense of security for the cub, it's Bongwe.
33:38Happy days for everybody involved.
33:42What a magical little moment.
34:02Sebe, the lady and the mato.
34:06They've split off from the other lions
34:09and they're about a kilometre away from the rest of the pride.
34:15Sebe's group are so hungry,
34:18they're sacrificing safety in numbers
34:20to hunt on their own.
34:24They've crossed over the channel
34:25and we have to do the same.
34:40These cobs haven't eaten anything really in the last week.
34:44And these lions are beginning to feel the pressure.
34:52They were moving around with around 20 plus lions
34:55for most of the last week.
34:57If you don't catch something big like a buffalo,
35:00Nick's best thing is to split up in smaller groups.
35:05It's kind of weird things going on tonight.
35:07There's sort of no prey out on the plains,
35:11but quite a lot of stuff happening in the trees.
35:20Buffalo there.
35:26With three of them, there's a lot of reluctance to go for buffalo.
35:35Too big a challenge for this small number.
35:39This isn't like catching an impala or a seseb or an evil zebra.
35:43Sebe, mato and the lady are moving on.
35:50I've lost them in the thick.
35:52I cannot see a way through.
35:59Oh.
36:01Filming at night comes with its own challenges.
36:04My challenge right now is my path is blocked by some hippos.
36:09Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.
36:14You would want to block that path to the water.
36:18A fully grown male hippo can weigh three tons.
36:23They don't seem to want to move off just yet.
36:27So I'm going to have to wait for them to pass before I can go back to camp.
36:59Here we are.
37:02After losing Sebe's group in the night.
37:06You can see a cluster of lions over here.
37:09Sebe, the lady, mato and their cubs.
37:14Gordon has caught up with them again.
37:18Mum and cubs are up and they're moving off.
37:27Oh, and that one little cub, the skinny one, is fast asleep.
37:33He's been left behind.
37:36Hey little guy, wake up.
37:44Desperate to find food, Sebe is leading the group off to hunt.
37:50She may even have called and all the cubs have just followed on.
37:54But this one, probably just because he's so tired, he didn't get the memo.
38:07The saddest sight ever.
38:15See how his hip bones are sticking out.
38:21And he's starting to call.
38:28In his condition, his call won't go far.
38:34Is it the ever breeze?
38:35So no one's going to hear him.
38:37They've gone too far away.
38:50Not only is he tired, weak, underfed, injured.
38:57Now he's alone.
39:01Okay, he's moving.
39:03But he's going the wrong way.
39:09The further away he walks from where his mum left him,
39:13the less chance he has of her finding him when she comes back.
39:18With the flood pushing predators in the area together,
39:23he won't survive long on his own.
39:28There's leopards, hyena, other lions,
39:32and he needs his mum for protection.
39:40He's just completely defenceless.
39:56Really nice to see her with a cub.
40:00Ladiba and her cub are still in Dad Bongwe's territory.
40:06Lots of playing, jumping at each other.
40:09It's just a fantastic scene to witness it.
40:14Too cute.
40:24Brad, Brad, for Tristan.
40:28I've got a male leopard here,
40:29walking straight towards the diva and the cub.
40:32Oh, .
40:35It's the aggressive young male that Tristan previously found in the area.
40:42With younger males like this that aren't fully established,
40:46they've got a lot to prove.
40:48This guy's main role is going to be finding a territory,
40:53finding females to breed with.
40:56He's going to really be pushing in a very aggressive way.
41:02If this male ventures into Ladiba's territory,
41:05he's just going to try and wipe out anything that isn't within his gene pool.
41:17What's that?
41:19Come on.
41:21This is Bongwe.
41:23He really needs to make a big effort to push this male out of the area
41:27and keep Ladiba and his offspring safe.
41:39They're both big, they're both powerful.
41:41And if these two males come into contact,
41:44it'd just be an all-out war.
41:55Bongwe is chasing him now.
41:56You can come into the square.
41:57I'm not sure if I can be on Monday.
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