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00:24The Namib, the world's oldest desert.
00:34Relentless and unforgiving, no one enters this world lightly.
00:48The treacherous seas of the Skeleton Coast barricade the entire length of the desert.
00:54It's no wonder the Namib guards its secrets well.
01:04Lions once lived here, but they were like phantoms, hardly ever seen, let alone understood.
01:12Then, more than 20 years ago, they were wiped out.
01:20Today, one man is pitting himself against the desert, driven by the belief that these most
01:27extraordinary lions have started coming back.
01:47The Namib desert is a million square miles of wilderness.
01:52Diamonds and garnets are here in abundance.
01:55Much harder to find is a blade of grass.
02:01A few scattered animals do live here, but nothing like the great herds that normally support lions.
02:16However, ten years ago, rumours surfaced that lions might have returned to the Namib.
02:23Such a tantalizing mystery attracted a scientist with a rare combination of skills.
02:32Dr. Flipstander's great passion is lions.
02:36He studies them, tracks them and even thinks like them.
02:42That was a print.
02:44That was a print.
02:45They definitely crouched down and you can see the feet placement are very careful.
02:50You can almost see the toes are sort of pressed in, it's like they're stretching.
02:54And at this point, just after they get into the opening, they split up.
03:01For months, Flip found nothing but tracks.
03:05This was a frustrating campaign in a place where the heat is intense enough to crack rock.
03:24Even oryx, the hardy desert specialists, and a handful of giraffe that live here, have a tough time.
03:39It was to take months of patient tracking before the elusive desert phantoms finally took shape.
03:54He was able to put a radio collar on one lioness, then two.
03:59But just following them seemed impossible.
04:04The animals were shy and the boulder fields impossible.
04:08A far cry from the Serengeti, where lions can be followed easily day and night.
04:14Flip's best hope was to take to the air.
04:25Even this was fraught in a landscape that dwarfs everything.
04:35Eventually, the first two lions led to more.
04:40Flip had made a momentous discovery.
04:45There was a surviving pride of desert lions, and it had found refuge in a remote canyon.
04:55This was the first time that anyone had been able to get a really good look at the world's most
05:01unusual lions.
05:07It was clear from the start that their behavior was out of the ordinary.
05:13In the first three or four years, I documented the most outrageous growth rate.
05:19It was in excess of 30% per annum, and all really driven by four adult lionesses.
05:27The only word to describe them would be like breeding machines, because that's just what they were.
05:34Not only this.
05:36More cubs were surviving to adulthood than elsewhere in Africa.
05:40This once beleaguered group of lions was staging an extraordinary comeback.
05:46And it allowed them to fan out into areas they hadn't been seen in for over 20 years.
06:13In the last year, Flip has followed some of them to the driest, most northerly part of the Namib,
06:19where he's had his biggest breakthrough.
06:23Two very relaxed young lionesses that don't run away when he gets close.
06:31Now, at last, he has an opportunity to really get to know some lions,
06:37and find out how they cope with desert life.
06:42Their lives couldn't be more different from young lions in the Serengeti.
06:50They're just 18 months old, an age when most lion cubs rely on a pride to get them food.
06:57Yet these youngsters are all alone.
07:07They're heading for the spectacular Warasip Valley,
07:11one of the dry rivers that cut across the Namib desert,
07:14from the mountains in the east to the skeleton coast in the west.
07:26The Warasip acts as a highway for animals through hostile land.
07:34It offers respite, too.
07:36The valley benefits from rainfall hundreds of miles away.
07:40Flash floods race through and then slowly evaporate,
07:44leaving drinking water here and there.
07:54There's enough damp ground for grass, even in the dry season,
07:59which draws grazers like these oryx from all over the desert.
08:14And that's why the young lions have been drawn to this valley.
08:18It's the very best place to hunt.
08:41But they aren't the only potential prey taking advantage of the Warasip's watering hole.
08:50Donkeys are much easier to catch, but killing one could spell disaster for the cubs.
08:59The donkeys belong to the Himba and Herero people, whose village, Puros, lies a few miles upriver.
09:08They are worried by the lion's turn.
09:11No one wants a large predator on their doorstep.
09:16I had two donkeys, two pregnant donkeys.
09:20Then a lion killed both of them.
09:22Without my donkeys, I can't go and visit my daughter or my grandchildren anymore.
09:30Raising livestock on such marginal land is tough.
09:34The loss of cattle, their only cash in the bank, could cause financial ruin.
09:46In the severe droughts of the 1980s, desert lions killed hundreds of cows,
09:51so the people shot every lion they could.
09:55This is how desert lions were thought to have been wiped out first time around.
10:03Can the people of Puros afford to be tolerant towards this new generation?
10:14The cubs will be much safer if they learn to catch wild animals like Oryx.
10:32In the Serengeti, youngsters spend years watching how old the lionesses tackle large prey.
10:39However, it looks as though these cubs will have to teach themselves through trial and error.
11:11They begin the stalk like seasoned hunters, using the scant cover to conceal themselves.
11:25And they have to be incredibly quiet.
11:29Oryx are spooked by the slightest sound.
11:35Oryx and roars of cattle.
12:02Oryx and roars of h panels, than令 a year.
12:02Let's go.
12:12Let's go.
12:35Let's go.
12:54Let's go.
13:22Let's go.
13:25Let's go.
13:26Let's go.
13:52Finally, the youngsters lose heart.
13:55Let's go.
14:16Let's go.
14:31Let's go.
14:37Let's go.
14:41Let's go.
14:44Let's go.
14:45Let's go.
14:56Let's go.
14:57Let's go.
15:12Let's go.
15:14Let's go.
15:14Let's go.
15:15Let's go.
15:19Let's go.
15:22Flip has a soft spot for this lioness, but she didn't endear herself to the people of Puros.
15:30as a youngster she killed several cows and the villagers demanded flip relocate her
15:38most had never even seen the lion so he decided to take her to the village where there was uproar
15:45they have this lion now in front of them these lines are causing them lots of trouble they must
15:51kill it and I looked at the situation and I just gambled took a huge risk and I stood back
15:59and I
16:00said go kill it because I thought if I if I interfere now and and really sort of try and
16:08dominate the situation it's gonna count against me and the lions in the long run and he pulled out
16:13his knife and and I stood back and I and I just knew I'd been cold I didn't know what
16:21was gonna
16:22happen but I said kill it it's your line some were fascinated by her and didn't agree after a fierce
16:31argument the villagers said she could live on one condition as long as I monitor it and and give
16:39them the information then they're happy with it so a huge sigh of relief I got in the car and
16:47I
16:47motored out of there flips gamble paid off but the lioness is hard to keep tabs on this year he's
16:55got
16:55the chance to put a better tracking device on her the darting anesthetic fails to work properly and
17:07flip has to go out on a limb to give her a booster
17:29like a simple radio device this GPS collar will record and store her position every two hours for the next
17:38nine months
17:41it will reveal what she gets up to during her long absences when she vanishes into the desert
17:50it's turning out to be an exceptional year in more ways than one it's the wettest of an hour for
17:5730 years
18:10raisers and lions are doing well flip reckons there are 80 to 100 lines scattered through the desert
18:18where only a handful was left just a decade ago
18:26so
18:36so
18:37so
18:54There's a more relaxed atmosphere than the drought-ridden 1980s.
18:59The trouble is that it's unlikely to last.
19:03The desert constantly swings between extremes.
19:07Lions that grow up in boom times will find it much harder to survive the next drought.
19:21If extreme drought were to return to the Warracet Valley, the pine crows would be the least
19:27of the youngsters' concerns.
19:46The harder it is to find food, the more tempted they might be to kill livestock, and that could
19:54lead to their deaths.
19:57Flip believes there is an alternative source of food in the drought.
20:02It's fixed and predictable if they can find it.
20:16To do that, the youngsters would have to cross miles of scorching, wind-blasted sands to the coast.
20:27However, lions have made this journey before, and this was their reward.
20:35The seal colony at Cape Freedon.
20:44Extraordinarily, in 1976, a pride of 14 desert lions was observed here feeding on a seal carcass.
20:53And it was this predation on seals that was a turning point in Flip's life.
20:58My first experience with the desert lions was on the beach, seeing a lion feeding on a seal carcass.
21:06And the impression that that left with me was just incredible.
21:11I mean, and that's lasted for 25 years.
21:14When the lions were wiped out in the 1980s, the knowledge of this food source was lost.
21:20Today, Flip's special female and her youngsters are the nearest lions to Cape Freedon.
21:27He hopes they'll rediscover it soon.
21:30This is what I'm picturing. I'm picturing that little group arriving on this beach in the middle of the night,
21:37hunting.
21:38And they take one look at this, and they say, we've got this sorted.
21:46The sea is rich in fish, so the seals will be here year in, year out.
21:56The colony could cushion the lion family from the boom-bust nature of desert life.
22:03It could be their salvation.
22:23For now, the cubs are too timid to venture very far.
22:27And the Warasep Valley provides everything they need.
22:42Flip has been following them for three months, but only rarely does he have the chance to witness a hunt.
22:58They've used the cover of night to outwit an oryx.
23:02For the two youngsters, this is no mean achievement.
23:06For Flip, it's a chance to learn how their hunting skills are developing.
23:10But first, he has to wait until the cubs have had their fill.
23:18With a meal like this, they should be able to take life easy.
23:24But one of the lions can't stop those crows from getting under her skin.
23:30No rules!
23:32No rules.
24:26Oh
24:28ah
24:40Two days later flip can get to work
24:43He wants to test his theory that desert lions have to be more cunning and patient than savannah lions
24:56This must have been incredibly slow
24:59period of the stock because
25:01this
25:03this
25:04substrate it's all
25:06It's really crackly and and so for her to have been stalking it
25:11She she would have had to be really careful because that weight she would have had would have cracked
25:15She probably takes like five minutes to put that foot down just slowly more pressure more pressure
25:21or balancing on the others and then and then eventually go the stretch of about 15 meters
25:27It probably could have taken an hour easily
25:30She clearly didn't have a have a good hold on this on the oryx because her angle wasn't all that
25:36good
25:36But the second lioness had now charts from her position and she came bounding up this this embankment
25:45And basically hit the Hemsburg with such force the struggle was enormous because like even with the two lionesses on
25:51the Hemsburg was still they didn't go down you can see where these
25:56bite marks and they grabbed it under the throat if it were the adult lionesses there wouldn't have been such
26:02an enormous struggle because um
26:04they would
26:05They would pull it down much quicker so they had a struggle on their hands and the evidence is there
26:14The way in which they work together is impressive
26:21These youngsters are becoming an efficient team
26:46A month later and the Cubs are still living on their own
27:01In the desert this seems to be normal
27:04Many of the lions seem to live in ones or twos
27:06But this doesn't mean they're not part of a pride
27:11Family ties may be as strong here the relationships are just long-distance ones
27:23This is borne out when one day after a six-month absence mum and older sister show up
27:37The affectionate exchange of greetings is proof that these four lionesses are a functioning pride
27:45One that's more fluid and open than the tightly knit family groups of the serengeti
27:57It's a touching reunion but it creates tension in the valley
28:02Now all four lions are close to puros and livestock
28:19Flip has found that lions can rise to most of the challenges of desert life
28:26The biggest obstacle to their success is people
28:40But if the Himba and Herero are to accept lions in their neighborhood
28:45They have to change their traditional way of life
28:49To an extent this is already happening
28:52Some of them no longer want the struggle of raising cows on marginal land
28:57Their children would make a far easier and better living as tourist guides
29:04The young lions can have a vital role to play if local people see them as money spinners
29:10rather than as livestock killers
29:15Some communities have formed conservancies to profit from the wildlife on their land
29:20Flip is starting to act as a go-between matching the needs of villagers lions and tour operators
29:31Tourists would pay good money to see lions in this amazing setting
29:40The income could help compensate for any livestock killed
29:50Arning out the details is difficult
29:53And until any scheme gets off the ground the lions of the warasep aren't safe
30:13A mere five days after their family reunion the cubs are back on their own
30:19And this time mum has left them in a new place
30:23The feldspar plain south of the warasep valley
30:31It's unfamiliar but at least there's no livestock here to lure them into trouble
30:44The heavy rain earlier in the year means there's more grass on the plain than normal
30:50And more oryx
31:05That doesn't mean hunting is all that easy out here
31:13The ground is so open that the best chance for these two naive youngsters may still lie with the coming
31:21of night
31:58The cubs are getting good at this
32:00The cubs are getting good at this
32:09The hyena
32:11In most other places in Africa this means trouble
32:14There would soon be a whole clan of spotted hyenas trying to push them off their kill
32:23There are no such clans in the Namib
32:29The brown hyenas here are solitary so lions have very little competition
32:33And that's why the youngstress can be left to their own devices at such an early age
32:43The hyena will merely hang around till the cubs decide to leave
32:50At just over two years old the cubs are much more confident
32:55Even their play has a rougher edge
32:58There are no such clans in the desert
33:12Desert life is good for lions
33:15And the returning lions are also good for the life of the desert
33:28There are no such clans in the desert
33:38Flip is going in search of the youngster's mother
33:42She's been wearing the collar for nine months
33:44And the battery is beginning to fail
33:47He needs to find her fast
33:54Finally he picks up her signal in a river valley to the south of the warazze
34:04The detailed tracking information stored in the high-tech collar will throw light on her movements
34:10Crucial data to help protect her family and the entire desert lion population
34:20He needs to find her
34:21Darting is a necessary intrusion though flip never takes it lightly
34:26And for him getting this close to lions never loses its magic
34:33She's beautiful
34:37The gps collar is the first time I touch it for nine months it's been on this lioness this whole
34:44time
34:44And it's still working the led light is still going you can see it
34:52So it's been storing all this incredible information for the last nine months
35:02This skull she's the queen
35:06She's the queen of them all I know this is my by far my most favorite and special lioness
35:13And if she's hardcore she takes no nonsense and and she just she lifts it on the edge
35:22Okay, well now we have to look at your teeth to see if you are still in good nick
35:29Man look at that isn't that beautiful
35:34Goodness
35:36Look at that
35:54My goodness, it's like a needle
36:04Oh, especially the forefinger and the middle finger
36:08Oh, just really really sharp
36:11Now the most amazing thing is
36:14Their feet just smell so amazing
36:17It's got the nicest smell to it
36:22Sort of musky
36:24Just a really like a sweet
36:26Sweet sort of musky smell
36:29I know what an awesome feeling to be so close
36:36I know what an awesome feeling to be so close
36:41You'll be good
36:46He quickly discovers that his favorite lioness isn't just in good condition
36:51She's become really smart
36:56So this is what now this is incredible
36:59It means this is in movements back and forth
37:02Back to puros
37:04Jeez up right in puros
37:07Through past puros
37:10And then
37:11I spent
37:13In the early morning between midnight and the morning and then all the way back again
37:20It's a great sign
37:21It's a great sign
37:22She's proving she can live right under people's noses without causing them any trouble at all
37:29When I see this I would like to have a gps collar on every lion
37:34Because that's information is just phenomenal
37:41The following morning there's a rare chance to watch these elusive lions for a little longer
37:48But it's a bittersweet moment
37:53Flip's aware that until all the local people support the return of the lions
37:57His favorite lioness will never be safe
38:07News from the warazep valley gives him even more concern
38:12The youngsters have found their way back
38:22Unlike their mother they haven't had time to work out how to steer clear of people and livestock
38:29And this time they're exploring upriver towards puros
38:45Just five miles from the village they head into big trouble
39:16Donkeys have been bred to be docile and they have no instinct of how to escape
39:37How to break them from behind their is
39:51Um, no, no, no
40:16No animal has a concept of restraint, predators least of all.
40:55These last 45 minutes could be their undoing.
40:59And it puts Flip in a really awkward position.
41:04He doesn't want the cubs killed, but keeps to his promise to inform the village.
41:11These two young lions are very important to your conservancy.
41:18But if these lions kill any of your livestock, you know you can shoot them if they cause problems.
41:31And it is not for me to say or ask for you not to shoot them.
41:36That's your decision.
41:37And all I'm saying to you is before people shoot them, if they kill livestock, you've got to think very
41:44carefully.
41:44Those two lions were born here.
41:46They are used to this area.
41:49And that's very valuable.
41:51The lions have a lucky break.
41:54Since the donkeys were living wild, the community decides to be lenient.
41:59This time.
42:20However, a lot of people in Puros are twitchy.
42:24And the lions don't help matters by remaining close to the village.
42:39As night falls, the situation turns into a crisis.
42:44The cubs head straight towards the village.
43:00This could be disastrous for the cubs, dangerous for the people,
43:05and jeopardize everything Flip's worked so hard for.
43:14So much is at stake that Flip even enlists help from a local tourist lodge.
43:21I think you should drive past us now.
43:24And you go to the village for us.
43:27And you go and tell the people that the lions are lying here.
43:30We're watching them very carefully.
43:32And then tell them if they come anywhere close to the village, we'll dart them.
43:36And just so that they know and see that it's not just us sort of favoring the lions at their
43:40expense.
43:43The collared lioness is flicking her tail a lot.
43:46Just look at her now.
43:47She's going to stalking each other.
43:57Nice.
44:00The lions are just a quarter of a mile from the village when Flip decides to intervene.
44:07By broadcasting a lion roar, he hopes the cubs will be distracted.
44:24OK, just tell us when they leave.
44:27Both running downriver.
44:29OK, one down.
44:30Let's go.
44:32OK, everything's done.
44:36At first, it's not clear whether his plan is working.
44:39It looks like they're turning around and coming back into the river.
44:43I'm just watching them carefully.
44:44I can barely see them.
44:45So I'll get back to you when I know.
44:54Thankfully, as the cubs turn back down the river and away from the village, Flip can relax.
45:01Even so, he stays with them until he's sure they're well out of danger.
45:05Watch.
45:06Watch, watch.
45:07Watch.
45:26The next day is like a new beginning.
45:33Not only have the cubs left Puros behind, they've traveled a long way downriver, farther than ever before.
45:56They're exploring the dunes and rocky cliffs just seven miles from the coast.
46:20This desert has so much to offer them.
46:30But here, in one of the continent's last great wildernesses, there's still plenty of room to expand.
47:02It's been a long journey to get this far.
47:05But now, Flip dares to think big.
47:09One day, he hopes the lions will be established down the entire length of the skeleton coast, from Angola to
47:16South Africa.
47:24Knowing that lions can survive and live in the northern Namib desert, I think that's what really drives me.
47:32But being here and being present to observe lions come to a beautiful area like this, would make me smile
47:39for the rest of my life.
47:40These animals have been a revelation to flip.
47:45The desert has shaped their behavior and social structure in extraordinary ways.
47:55They're so lean, fit and smart, that quite simply, these are the most beautiful lions he's ever seen.
48:11If lions and people can learn to live alongside each other, the big cats will have found one of the
48:18best and certainly their most unique sanctuary in the whole of Africa.
48:23The ones that we think about paraeath hence the lions'
48:29love are we, that most of the lions are in every nation.
48:55Yeah, yeah, yeah
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