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Big Cats 24 7 S02E04 Reunion Episode 24 Engsub
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00:05chaos this cat everywhere the mums of the kudum pride have reunited
00:11the subreddit towards the lines but with so many mouths to feed they're under more
00:18pressure than ever before there is bedlam out there oh my goodness
00:26the okovango delta in botswana we are in a pristine environment right now one of africa's last
00:35wildernesses the magnitude of life here is unparalleled and it's a haven for africa's big
00:42cats lion cheetah and leopard big cat country
00:52armed with the latest filming technology the big cats 24 17 is following individual big cats
01:01for six months this is a unique opportunity to follow these cats around the clock through the day
01:09i used to think i'd have a fair fight with a lion not so sure now and the night we've
01:17got the most
01:18sophisticated thermal imaging technologies capturing their behavior 24 hours a day
01:25i have never seen anything like this epic
01:38oh it's got no oh so close so close ah i don't believe this
01:47but i don't think any of them got anything yeah no there was a dust ball that got lost in
01:57gordon and sets are with the kudum pride mums and they're 14 cubs
02:03this is now a huge pride with over 20 lines here
02:11there's a big pride and it's also a force you reckon with
02:29the problem is with so many lions hanging out together that is a lot of mouths to feed
02:38the mums have banded together for safety but now have a new challenge i feel sorry for these girls
02:47you haven't seen these lions get a significant meal in in a few days
02:54lioness sebe has more cubs to feed than any other mum in the pride
03:00sebe is an incredible mum to raise four cups to this stage is no mean feat
03:10but that little one looking very skinny
03:16he's definitely not kind enough to eat
03:21sebe's smallest cub is struggling see how bony its pelvis is every day that passes
03:32that little cub's going to be getting weaker and weaker becoming more and more vulnerable
03:42sebe's spotted something the lions are up i hope this time is a success
03:58she's running running
03:59she's running running
04:02go go go go
04:12i don't think that they've been successful sebe's running on empty
04:21it's vital that sebe catches a meal soon
04:26hard luck boys and girls that was a shame if she's to keep herself and her cub alive
04:36can't catch a meal quick enough
04:47i don't know if she's to keep herself in the middle of the night
05:00brad and tristan are with ledeba the leopard and her five-month-old cub
05:07this cub looks like it's in good mech it's happy definitely looks good shape
05:16that's really nice that she's just brought the cub straight past the car
05:19mom just really reassuring the cub
05:26how beautiful is that
05:44i have such a high density of leopards in this area and if there's a male and he thinks that
05:50this cub is
05:51not his there's a good chance that he'll kill them
05:57male leopards kill cubs that are not their own
06:01so 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 flood plains 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 that's a big problem
07:06it's now more challenging than ever for ladiba to keep her cub safe
07:12looks like mom was starting to snarl at the cub
07:19that's their way of saying okay now you stay
07:24get used to your new home
07:29the cub knows exactly what it means
07:38ladiba is heading off to hunt
07:41it's amazing that they can communicate like that leaving her cub alone
07:48mom 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
08:23they've got lots of little bellies to fill
08:29ready one two three
08:31to 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
08:40to much higher resolution longer reach you've got line of sight for
08:45two or three kilometers in some areas so presumably if there's action way over there you'll be able
08:49to pick it up on this yeah yeah
08:51the sun has set
08:58and the night is full of opportunities
09:05i have never in my whole life seen this number of lions moving together particularly at night
09:13it's
09:14it's unreal scary as hell look if you were an antelope aren't you that is just death
09:26just using the thermal drone to get a sense of the direction that the lions are taking
09:33it 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 umpala in there
10:07copy that if the lions can get close enough and outsmart them with teamwork hopefully they're gonna win
10:20sebe's done a big loop round and if she can just sneak in
10:26they're gonna scatter and they could very well head in the direction of of the other lions
10:38they're running
10:44oh look at that
10:47in the pitch dark
10:50the lion's powerful night vision
10:55oh they've got it gives them the edge oh my goodness mums cubs all spreading in
11:07given that it's such a small meal split between this many lines
11:11a little impala like that it is less than 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
11:26cover is trying to sneak in but they're not getting much space
11:30and her cubs are getting nothing at all
11:35when it gets to this point when they're super hungry
11:37there's every line for themselves the cubs get no special treatment
11:45oh my gosh one of these cubs is trying to pull a piece of meat through the sub-adult male's
11:51legs
11:56oh no the cubs are struggling to get any nature
12:02the mums must take priority
12:06if they're not strong enough to hunt
12:09no one gets fed
12:12sebi's little cub he's in the toughest position he'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
12:40big
12:42to feed herself and her cub sebi must target larger prey
12:48zebra would go further buffalo would even further than that
12:53but yeah sebi's cub still needs to feed
13:19i trust i got her here she's just crossed over
13:24so brad is on the trail of ladiba she's definitely hungry and hunting
13:31and tristan is just a few hundred meters away
13:34got a big male rapper here i'm not too sure who it is
13:53this 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 the deeper is where she lives where she
14:16hunts um where her cubs 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 laptop there
14:46it looks like a female hey
14:49i don't recognize this girl
14:53it's not ladiba
14:56this guy looks angry
15:05you're oh wow
15:09to assert their dominance he's just mumbling and grumbling and just giving these deep guttural noises
15:16that are to be honest quite terrifying males will sometimes attack females
15:23she can hopefully just get out of it by hiding on the lighter branches
15:31it's gone straight up to the top
15:42that was insane
15:54they must have fallen over 10 meters 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 this aggressive male is very keen to show everyone who's boss
16:18that's uh it's not a good sign
16:25ladiba will have to work even harder to keep herself and her cub
16:31safe this is really really scary for ladiba
16:44so slightly to the left to check on ladiba's cub
16:49okay stop there tristan is rolling into a night shift
16:57well that's a relief
17:04little leopard cubs are very very strong climbers
17:07it's one of their biggest adaptations and reasons for survival
17:13mum can leave them by themselves they can climb up to the top of a tree very easily and get
17:17away from predators
17:21these cats are very very inquisitive at this age
17:28after 24 hours alone the cub is getting restless it's like watching a toddler basically the world is their oyster
17:38and they you know just ready to explore ready to learn
17:44well and there she goes she's gone down the backhand side of the tree
17:50and now we're on a little bit of a roaming mission
18:00there's any number of dangers out here for a young leopard cub
18:09oh wait another leopard
18:20thank god for that
18:23it's the diva
18:26this cub obviously heard mum calling
18:29ran off into the floodplain after her very very eager to meet mum
18:42now we're moving
18:43now we're moving
18:45it's just a complete relief that the the cub is
18:48it's all fine and all is good and mum looks like she's gonna
18:52move it now out of that area but
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
19:07with so many male leopards in the area
19:10she's going to move this cub through very very thick terrain
19:13in an attempt to keep it safe and out of harm's way
19:18ladiba is now moving her cub almost every day
19:24and stop
19:26all right 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
19:49good luck girl
19:50i'm done
20:10i absolutely love this time of day
20:15anna is following cheetah mum pobre
20:19it's when pobre is still touched up in bed and the cops are just playing around her
20:27now six months old her two cubs
20:30good morning kieran bow
20:32are 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
20:57go is just being a classic little brother winding his little sister up
21:03kia's not having any of it she's like no don't slap me in the face thank you very much
21:09i can see the way that they stalk each other
21:18i can see the way that they stalk each other
21:34but they've definitely been watching probably and 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 kia and beau hone their hunting skills
21:47because without hunting has been entertaining but not super effective
21:58the cubs must now start taking life more seriously
22:05but they're not babies anymore
22:28they're 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 they're all very hungry
22:56cubs have been nagging their moms and these lionesses are feeling the pressure to provide for such a huge pride
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 making it worth the risk
23:32the
23:33tases are oh my goodness me
23:40myness is right up the rump
23:45someone's clinging on like a fucking baronco
23:50jeepers creepers dealing with buffalo you can't afford to make any mistakes
23:55oh there's a little calf in there
23:58oh that's just okay we've got a buffalo moving in
24:01defending the calf
24:04oh sebi got the wallet by the bull
24:10back on the calf
24:15that's game over
24:19it's something but a calf is far from enough to feed them all
24:31too much
24:32someone's getting beaten up
24:34hunger is turning the lions on each other
24:41It's a dangerous place to be a lion cub around a small hill.
24:47I really feel for Zerber's cub because he's really being pushed around and he's struggling to get his head in
24:52there.
25:00Zerber's cub has a wound.
25:07Hey Gordon, I can see Zerber's cub, the one that's been looking very skinny.
25:13Looks like he has a wound on the left side of his ribcage. It looks pretty bad.
25:22Oh my gosh, that's not good.
25:26That injury on his side has 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.
25:54Seeing 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, the cubs are going straight in.
26:39Probably didn't even need to cool them.
26:44The 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.
27:27And it's looking out.
27:30Male cub Bo is finally taking lessons seriously.
27:36One of them is eating and one of them is standing guard.
27:39They're clearly learning really, really fast.
27:42These little cubs.
27:45Getting 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 Kianbo.
28:46And also that meal.
28:52But Pobe is not backing down.
29:00The leopard's 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, the last few weeks have been very stressful because there's been so many males really threatening the area.
30:32Oh, gosh.
30:33Another one.
30:35Oh, my word.
30:36Big male leopard.
30:39This is Bungwe.
30:40And he's the dominant male in this area.
30:43He's fully mature.
30:45About seven years old.
30:49Oh, Ladiba.
30:52If the cub is nearby, this is a super dangerous situation.
30:59Bungwe and Ladiba's territories overlap.
31:04But male territories are four times larger than females.
31:09Whoa.
31:09Whoa.
31:13So interactions like this are rare.
31:17He's about double his size and she's trying to push him off.
31:26It's working.
31:30This is insane.
31:36Adiba.
31:37Ballsy, eh?
31:39Well, Ladiba 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 Bungwe sees her, this could be the end.
32:18I cannot believe my eyes.
32:29Oh, my gosh.
32:30He's seen her.
32:35Oh, my word.
32:36He's not reacting at all.
32:39There's only one reason why a male wouldn't kill a cub.
32:43Bungwe must be her father.
32:49That's amazing.
32:51That's amazing.
32:51Bungwe is dead for sure.
32:55That's cool.
32:57I'm stoked.
32:58Perfect.
33:00Oh, gosh.
33:01That is heart-ranging.
33:02I thought that it could have been trouble for that little cub.
33:05But now, it looks like he's actually the defender.
33:09Fantastic.
33:10Very Bungwe.
33:13Although he'll play no active role in rearing his cub, Bungwe 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 dead and to give us a sense of
33:31security for the cub, it's Bungwe.
33:38Happy days for everybody involved.
33:42What a magical little moment.
34:02Sebe, the lady, and the matto, they've split off from the other lions.
34:09And they're about a kilometer away from the rest of the pride.
34:16Sebe's group are so hungry, they're sacrificing safety in numbers to hunt on their own.
34:24They've crossed over the channel and we have to do the same.
34:40These cubs 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 for most of the last week.
34:58If you don't catch something big like a buffalo, the next best thing is to split up in smaller groups.
35:05There'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 sesame or an evil zebra.
35:43Sebe, Matto, and the lady are moving on.
35:50I've lost them in the thick.
35:52I cannot see a way through.
35:59Ooh.
36:01Filming at night comes with its own challenges.
36:04My challenge right now is my path is blocked by some hippos.
36:10Hippos 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, Naledi, Matto, and their cubs.
37:14Gordon has caught up with them again.
37:18Mom and cubs are up and they're moving off.
37:27Oh, and that one little cub, the skinny one, was 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 have 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.
38:29In 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 farther 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 defenseless.
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 and jumping on each other.
40:09It's just a fantastic scene to witness it.
40:14Too cute.
40:24Brad, Brad, forward, Tristan.
40:28I've got a male leopard here, walking straight towards Adiba.
40:31And 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,
41:06he'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.
41:23Really 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.
41:55Wungwe's chasing him now.
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