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00:01Lions.
00:04The world's most iconic cats.
00:10The cats that are heading for extinction.
00:15With wilderness disappearing across Africa,
00:18lion numbers have almost halved in the last 20 years.
00:24So every cub counts.
00:27Their struggle to survive and thrive is more important than ever,
00:31as the future of their species depends on it.
00:40And one of the last refuges for this embattled species
00:44is the wildlife haven of the Luangwa Valley in Zambia.
00:52Our team follows two lion prides for six months.
00:56Two huge males coming back to claim their territory.
00:59Through the heat of the day.
01:04And into the hidden world of the night.
01:08Seeing them like this is just quite extraordinary.
01:12To uncover behavior never seen before.
01:19And better understand the challenges confronting lions.
01:26We'll be right in the lion's den.
01:28The lions are coming.
01:29Oh. Oh my goodness.
01:32She's coming.
01:35Following them every step of the way.
01:38If the rest of the pride don't find this little cub,
01:40then I think he's got very little chance.
01:43Can these cubs make it through their first and most dangerous year?
01:47And provide hope for the survival of the species?
02:05It's May.
02:06And Zambia's six month long rainy season is finally over.
02:18The young cub, Pip, named by local researchers, is with his mother and the rest of the pride.
02:30This family group has lived in this national park for generations.
02:35And is currently made up of three mothers and seven boisterous cubs.
02:45Wow.
02:49Pip's sticking close to his family because he's only five months old.
02:54Still entirely dependent on his pride.
02:59The females will have a tough job keeping him safe through the dry season.
03:05This pride lives in one of the wildest places in Africa.
03:12South Luangua.
03:149,000 square kilometers of national park.
03:18And full of some of the continent's most celebrated wildlife.
03:30With over 500 species.
03:33From iconic giants.
03:37To masterful killers.
03:45The lion.
03:46But even among these superstars, there's only one king.
03:55The lion.
04:02Top of the food chain, with no natural predators.
04:07Their power isn't just about muscle and teeth.
04:15Their real strength comes from the family bond.
04:27They have the strongest social ties of any big cat.
04:34The adults raise their young together and defend the pride from outside threats.
04:42But their youngsters are incredibly vulnerable.
04:46In Africa, eight out of ten die before the age of two.
04:52If accidents and injury don't get them, bush enemies are lining up to kill them.
05:02So, the cubs need to learn survival skills quickly.
05:10Following their next critical six months will be specialist lion cameraman, Nathan.
05:18He's an expert in Luangua, and has spent 20 years with these prides, but this is the first
05:24time he'll be living with them 24-7.
05:28Everyone thinks of lions as the king of the jungle, but they are vulnerable when they're
05:32younger.
05:33Elephants will kill them, buffaloes will kill them, other lions will kill them.
05:36Even small warthogs are incredibly dangerous.
05:41Nathan will be working with wildlife filmmaker, Katie, as they embed themselves with the prides.
05:48Lions are the most extraordinary animals.
05:50They are beautiful creatures with an incredibly complex social structure.
05:55To understand them properly, the team will be living right in the lion's den.
06:01We couldn't be in a better place to follow these kinds of lions.
06:05And just hours after arriving, a visitor reminds the team whose patch this is.
06:10The lions are coming.
06:12The lions are coming.
06:12Oh.
06:14Oh.
06:14They're coming.
06:15They're coming.
06:17In the tent now.
06:19Okay.
06:23She's coming.
06:25She's here.
06:26She's here.
06:28She's here.
06:28Sam, get back.
06:39That was too close for comfort.
06:45Lion's confidence comes from being superb predators.
06:52Pip's beginning to develop those hunting skills, and he's doing it through play.
07:10This rough-and-tumble is teaching Pip and his siblings skills that will be vital in just a few months'
07:15time.
07:17They're learning how to stalk and wrestle prey to the ground.
07:28It's fun for now, but it's key to their future survival.
07:34And the mothers will be the ones to teach them this vital skill.
07:4285% of lion hunts within pride are conducted by females.
07:50working together doubles their chances of success.
08:05But the odds are against them.
08:15Only two out of ten hunts are successful.
08:24The young cubs will take several years to develop these skills properly.
08:33For now, most of their nutrition comes from milk.
08:42Pip and the rest of the brood are all still suckling, but not necessarily from their own mothers.
08:51Lions cross suckle, meaning any of the three mothers here will feed any of the cubs.
08:57We were watching a little one just now as he was kind of going up to each of the mothers.
09:01And you could see the affection between all of them.
09:04It's not just the mother and the cub.
09:05So it's a really special situation, and no other cat really has this.
09:09It's just lions.
09:12Pip's on the move, looking for some milk.
09:17He started eating meat a couple of months ago, and is due to stop suckling in the next few weeks.
09:26The mothers have decided it's not a moment too soon.
09:32Nobody is giving up their milk.
09:47Not the Pip is taking the hint.
10:06The mothers take on most of the care of their young.
10:11But for protection against outside aggressors, they look to the males of the pride.
10:31They're a coalition of three battle-hardened brothers, and due to their unique hairstyles, are known locally as the punks.
10:43They took over this pride last year.
10:46And one of these bruises is Pip's father.
10:56But these males spend time away from the pride.
11:04Just at the stage when Pip is becoming more adventurous.
11:10He's one of the older cubs, and the first of his siblings to start taking an interest in other animals.
11:18This fascination is instinctive, and it's enticing him away from the safety of his family.
11:34The mothers want to get moving, and summon the cubs with soft calls.
11:41But Pip's not paying attention.
11:48This gentle command should get the attention of Pip.
11:54But he's more interested in exploring.
12:02The pride will often cover several kilometers a day in their search for food.
12:07And expect the cubs to keep up.
12:14Pip's not paying attention.
12:26Luckily, a patient aunt waits for him.
12:37Eventually, Pip gets the message.
12:39Pip's not paying attention.
12:54But the pride won't tolerate any more hold-ups.
13:00And this is not a place to be without protection.
13:10Leopards compete with lions for food, and take any opportunity to kill a cub.
13:18And Luangwa boasts one of the densest leopard populations in Africa.
13:25These silent assassins have a very different social life to lions.
13:30Leopards are incredibly solitary.
13:32Very rarely, unless mating, get together.
13:36But dangerously close to Pip, Nathan's found an exception to the rule.
13:43Two leopards together.
13:48Luckily for Pip, they're distracted by a family dispute.
13:53So this is Chippitzua and Malaika, mother and daughter leopard.
14:02Mother Malaika up in the tree.
14:06She's trying to get rid of the daughter Chippitzua at the bottom here.
14:09Chippitzua is an adult now, but there's a bit of conflict.
14:12She doesn't want to leave.
14:14So she's constantly following around and, you know, wants mum ready.
14:20But it's vital for both of them that Chippitzua strikes out on her own.
14:25I mean, you can only have so many leopards in a territory.
14:28So mother needs to push her out.
14:29She must get on her own, find her own feet.
14:44Unfortunately, that's the world out here.
14:45You get pushed out and you've got to look after yourself.
14:49The young leopard has to leave soon, whether she wants to or not.
14:53And she'll be looking out for prey.
15:02Big cats like lions tend to eat every couple of days.
15:06More so when they're lactating, as they're sharing their calories with their cubs.
15:13Today, the mothers have gone hunting.
15:17Pep and the other cubs have been left in the charge of a lethargic father.
15:23He's getting slightly irritated.
15:29The amazing thing about Pep and his siblings is that they're in this transition stage
15:34between being a playful cub and a predator.
15:37They're now starting to be more interested in prey.
15:40So when you watch them, you can see other animals come.
15:43They're starting to just look and see what's happening.
15:52Wildebeest, a favourite prey.
15:58However, the cubs aren't paying attention to the nervous herd.
16:03Because coming straight for them is a serious threat.
16:09A lone male buffalo.
16:12Half a tonne of muscle and horn.
16:15Has he got blood around his mouth?
16:18And the back. Oh, he's been attacked.
16:24I can't see, but if the cubs are still behind that tree, that buffalo is very close to them.
16:30The buffalo are massive.
16:32They are seriously dangerous animals.
16:33They're so strong and they can easily kill a lion.
16:39But rather than staying and protecting the cubs, the male has left them to fend for themselves.
16:48OK, this buffalo is coming, looking at the tree.
16:52So they need to stay hidden.
16:55The cubs follow their instincts and don't move a muscle.
17:01Oh, he's... Oh, my goodness.
17:03Ooh.
17:05The buffalo chooses not to attack.
17:09But the danger isn't over.
17:12There's a massive herd of buffalo just behind them.
17:15And they're heading straight towards Pepper.
17:17If these buffaloes come across lions, they will kill them.
17:24OK, so there's one cub moving away, but there's a massive herd of buffalo just behind them.
17:29So these cubbies really need to get into safety quickly before the buffalo come.
17:35Peb still hasn't moved.
17:38There's two moving towards the tree.
17:48Peb needs to move really quickly.
17:53Oh, no, oh, no, no, no, no, no.
17:56No, they're starting to run. He's starting to run towards the cubs.
17:59Oh, my goodness.
18:01OK, let's chase the cubs off.
18:05Oh, gosh.
18:12It's a lucky escape for Pip.
18:15And the cubs are spurred further trials with the return of their mothers.
18:25Growing up in the bush is dangerous for all youngsters.
18:35But all too often, the vulnerable don't make it.
18:42A kilometer or so deep into the bush, these two young brothers, Prince and Ziggy, are outcasts.
18:52They used to be in Pip's pride, but unlike their smaller cousin, they had a difficult start in life.
19:01Last year, they faced the biggest threat cubs can encounter.
19:11A quarter of all cubs are killed by invading males trying to take over prides.
19:18The brutal purge is to ensure that they can mate with the females themselves and start their own dynasty.
19:31Prince and Ziggy's siblings were killed in this way.
19:34So their mother, with some of her sisters, ran away from the pride to ensure the cubs' safety.
19:43Now, they live as outcasts.
19:45The females had four cubs and two of them were taken by a roaming male and killed.
19:52So these females are looking after the last two cubs.
19:55They protect their cubs really aggressively.
19:58I mean, they'll put up a real fight.
19:59I've seen some really injured females after defending their cubs.
20:02Some really sad moments of females wandering around for days calling for their lost cubs.
20:07Very sad to watch.
20:09The cubs' mother, Rosa, is wearing a tracking collar fitted by a research group, working to keep her safe.
20:18Her cubs still need her.
20:20Prince and Ziggy won't be old enough to look after themselves for at least another year.
20:26You can distinctly see the spots on the prince in the front there.
20:32You can see the flyers are bothering them as well.
20:34The tail's flicking.
20:36Like all lions, Prince and Ziggy were born with spots, which can help camouflage them when they're at their most
20:43helpless.
20:46But they'll need more than spots to keep them safe as they grow up.
20:54If another male comes into the territory, he may try and kill the two young cubs.
20:59He may chase them out.
21:00And then the problem is they're too young to survive on their own, so there's a very small chance that
21:05they'll survive, actually.
21:11It's not just cubs who are under threat here.
21:15Being embedded in the middle of lion country brings danger.
21:19We're trying to cook dinner at the moment, and the lions have actually come around to the lagoon to drink.
21:25A few have come up round the back and a few have come through the bushes, so we're kind of
21:28semi-surrounded by them.
21:30It adds a bit of excitement.
21:33So there's a lion just sitting about 15 metres over here.
21:37Do you think they're watching us?
21:38Yeah, you know, it's a bit fun for them. A bit like TV, you know, get a bit bored in
21:42the bush.
21:44In fact, Luangua is teeming with life at night.
21:51The only way to show this hidden world is with a thermal imaging camera.
22:01One of only two on the planet able to capture such detailed images.
22:18The camera records the slightest variations in temperature.
22:28Trees, starting to cool, are dark grey.
22:36Hot-blooded buffalo glow white with heat.
22:44While the nocturnal civet uses its thick coat to insulate in the colder climes of the night.
22:56Prince and Ziggy don't need any help to see in the dark.
23:02Their eyes have exceptional light sensitivity.
23:05Eight times better than humans.
23:12Which helps explain why 75% of hunting is done at night.
23:31It's not just lions that have an advantage in the dark.
23:38Chipazuo, the leopard that wouldn't leave home, has struck out on her own.
23:47She spots a potential target.
24:00But her inexperience shows.
24:09The hare has excellent night vision.
24:16And it can run almost as fast as Chipazuo.
24:24The leopard moves on.
24:28If she's to find food tonight, she'll need to surprise her prey.
24:37For many of the animals here, night is the most dangerous time.
24:48This baboon troop is nesting in the safety of the trees.
24:52For good reason.
24:54Their vision is useless in the pitch black.
24:57They're virtually blind.
25:02Being this high means they're out of reach of most predators.
25:09But not all.
25:17Chipazuo.
25:27She's a nimble climber.
25:33And light enough to reach most branches.
25:43But she's taking a risk.
25:46Baboons have been known to mob and severely wound attacking leopards.
25:54But Chipazuo is hungry and the darkness works to her advantage.
25:58The baboons can only censor.
26:01She can see.
26:24Chipazuo has proved she can be independent.
26:39Nearby, Prince and Ziggy are sticking close to their mother and aunt for protection.
26:48But their worst nightmare has just walked into that patch.
27:01To roaming males.
27:07They're dangerously close to Prince and Ziggy.
27:10And if they come across the cubs, will almost certainly attack them.
27:18Hearing the calls, their mother, Rosa, takes no chances.
27:22And leads her cubs away.
27:25And leads her cubs away.
27:27With danger this close, she needs a new strategy to keep them safe.
27:39It's 5.30am.
27:46Katie confirms the males from last night are definitely strangers to the territory, and therefore, a threat.
27:56Nathan is on his way to Prince and Ziggy's last location.
28:03Nathan is on his way to Prince and Ziggy's last location.
28:22Absolutely, everybody's here.
28:24The females, the outcast females, the cubs, all three punks.
28:30Without males to protect them, the cubs are vulnerable.
28:34So their mother, Rosa, wants to reintroduce them to their former pride, Pip's pride.
28:40This is the first time that we've seen Prince and Ziggy near, so pride structures possibly coming together again.
28:47But there are three big problems.
28:51The battle-hardened punks did not father Prince and Ziggy, so may attack them.
28:58Unless Rosa can win the males over.
29:04The next few moments could be a matter of life or death.
29:12With the ears back and an aggressive stance, the dominant punk is looking far from welcoming.
29:30Rosa puts herself between the male and her cubs.
29:50She needs to be clever if she's to control this big, powerful punk.
30:00Scientists have recently discovered that lionesses are wired differently to males.
30:06Rosa's brain has evolved to plan, manipulate and deceive.
30:24She needs to divert him, so she comes on strong, as if she's ready to mate.
30:33It looks like she's actually trying to distract the males from Prince and Ziggy.
30:49She presents herself to him, and then adopts a submissive posture.
30:57The male's urge to mate is strong.
31:00Rosa is running rings around the king of the jungle.
31:06It's unusual to see such blatant deception.
31:12But the other lionesses don't like it.
31:14the other lionesses don't like it.
31:17These are their males.
31:21Seeing another female getting attention,
31:24seems to be making them jealous.
31:31And it's the punks they punish.
31:38Prince and Ziggy could be next in the firing line.
31:44While the punks are distracted, Rosa leads her cubs away to safer ground.
32:01Rosa's plan to rejoin the pride will have to wait.
32:07Over the following weeks, the heat rises.
32:12With daily temperatures in the mid-30s.
32:17Forcing the animals towards the dwindling water.
32:25And each other.
32:38With the heat, comes lethargy.
32:43Lions are the least active of all cats.
32:46And when it's this hot, they can rest over 20 hours a day.
32:51Lions are incredibly lazy.
32:52I mean, they just lie around for hours.
32:56And just when you hope they're going to get up,
32:57you think, okay, the sunset is starting to get up.
33:00And they carry on lying there for another six hours.
33:04But Pip isn't letting a bit of heat stop him exploring.
33:11He's now a healthy six and a half months old.
33:14And no longer depends on his mother for milk.
33:18His inquisitiveness is still growing.
33:24It's a bit cooler at night.
33:26A mere 20 degrees.
33:31Giving the wildlife a respite from the heat.
33:43Pip and the rest of the pride have finally stirred from their day of slumber.
33:54This water hole is a favorite playground for the cubs.
34:08But once again, Pip has wandered off by himself.
34:15The pride haven't got the big males with them for protection.
34:18And as the cubs aren't the only animals here, they need to be careful.
34:28This elephant would happily stamp on any lion cub who gets too close to her car.
34:42And hippos are one of the most aggressive of all animals.
34:46And will attack if disturbed.
34:54The mother decides it's time to leave.
34:58The mother decides it's time to leave.
35:01But Pip doesn't heed the call.
35:12As the family moves away, Pip heads in the opposite direction.
35:25Five hours later, at dawn, Nathan sets out to check on Pip and his siblings.
35:37It doesn't take him long to discover something worrying.
35:41I just saw one of the cubs running along by himself go down into a galley.
35:47And now we can't see him and we can't see any of the other hide.
35:53If it's Pip and he's still separated from his family, he's in trouble.
36:16There he is.
36:20There he is.
36:20That's Pip.
36:24He's looking a little bit lost and there's no sign of the rest of the pride.
36:30Quite often you'll find maybe cubs will be playing or pass out completely asleep
36:35and not realise the rest of the pride has moved off.
36:38Usually they're able to catch up, but Pip clearly hasn't.
36:46A couple of puka and impala alarm calling at him.
36:54I mean, this guy's only six months old.
36:57Still very much dependent on his mother.
37:01He must be pretty distraught because he spent every waking minute with the rest of the pride
37:05and now to be completely separated on his own.
37:08And I mean, there's vulnerability of hyenas, leopards, perhaps other male lions.
37:14There's a whole possibility of dangers out there.
37:20I think if the rest of the pride don't find this little cub within the next 24, 48 hours,
37:27then I think he's got very little chance.
37:35I hear a hyena calling.
37:39Pip's completely in.
37:40He's moving.
37:54The six-month-old is surrounded by danger.
37:58Clearly beginning to feel very vulnerable away from his pride.
38:02You know, he's running, stopping, looking.
38:05He's just starting to panic about where they are.
38:07Well, he's nervous, listening intently for any familiar calls while trying to pick up his mother's scent.
38:18Lions have an incredible sense of smell.
38:24Adult lions leave a scent trail wherever they go,
38:28from seven glands spread across their face, paws, and tail.
38:37But Pip's tracking skills aren't honed yet.
38:40So he'll struggle to find his family.
38:43His best hope is hearing his mother calling for him.
38:49Lions have excellent hearing, four times better than our own.
38:55And with ears that can rotate, can identify prey from more than a kilometer away.
39:04But a lion's roar can carry even further, up to eight kilometers.
39:10If Pip keeps his ears open, he will hear his mother's call.
39:18But Pip can't call back.
39:21He hasn't developed big enough vocal cords.
39:23He's a very small little guy still.
39:26Leaving Pip in his predicament seems tough.
39:30Yeah, very time to just grab him by the scruff of the neck and, you know, drop him off with
39:34the rest of the pride if we knew where they were.
39:35But obviously we can't.
39:37I'm not sure.
39:38National park authorities forbid interference with any animals.
39:45Pip heads into an inaccessible area and Nathan loses sight of him.
39:54The young cub is now completely on his own in thick bush, full of threats.
40:06Three kilometers away, Katie and guide Paul have tracked down Pip's siblings.
40:12Yeah.
40:13Just straight ahead.
40:16Oh, got the cubs.
40:18And the mothers aren't far away.
40:21Oh, I can see something. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
40:51The females have brought down a half-ton buffalo.
40:59The whole family gets to feed, except for Pip, who is still lost.
41:08His mother and aunts haven't forgotten him.
41:11They take it in turns to circle the area, searching for their vulnerable cub.
41:17But so far, they haven't picked up his scent.
41:28Not far away, there's more danger.
41:36Leopard Chippitzua is now completely independent.
41:41And she's looking for another kill.
41:48She's heading towards the area where Pip was last seen.
42:02She's heading towards the area where Pip was last seen.
42:03As evening comes, the young cub is still alone.
42:11Just over a kilometer away, Pip's mother continues to search for him.
42:26Nathan's not giving up on Pip either.
42:32And just as the sun is about to set, he finds him.
42:37Pip's return to the last place he saw his family.
42:41He's back where Nathan first spotted him 12 hours ago.
42:45Still on his own.
42:47Still quite a long way off.
42:49So it's going to be a bit of an uncertain long night for him, I think.
42:57Pip's only hope now is that his mother somehow finds him.
43:02Hopefully, I mean, if we're lucky, she might retrace her steps to where they were yesterday,
43:07which is very, very close.
43:09But as day turns tonight, there's no sign of his mother.
43:14And Pip disappears back into the bush.
43:24The other six cubs are on the kill, apparently unaware they've lost one of their own.
43:38But then...
43:44Two shapes appear in the distance.
43:56Against the odds, Pip's mother has tracked down her cub.
44:12Things happen here that you can never believe.
44:19It's really nice to see a happy ending on this really long and very eventful day.
44:39The next morning, the pride is still together.
44:45And the wanderer has a very fat little belly.
44:51Also, there are some welcome arrivals.
44:55The punks have reappeared during the night.
44:58Much to the delight of the lionesses.
45:02Although the fresh kill might be the main attraction.
45:08There's quite a little bit of socializing going on.
45:10You know, the males have joined, all the cubs are present.
45:13So it's really, really nice to see sort of all sort of pleasant, happy families.
45:18Pip is sticking to his mother for now.
45:22But this happy status quo could all change in a heartbeat.
45:26You just don't know what's going to happen next.
45:28Anything can happen.
45:29But fingers crossed, for now, everything's looking really, really good today.
45:33Pip is back where he belongs.
45:39And four kilometers away, Prince and Ziggy are safe with their mother.
45:44There's a long, dry season ahead for all our cubs.
45:48With prey streaming into their territory.
45:51Will they thrive and help to secure the future of their species?
45:54We're just gonna try it now.
45:55We'll see you soon.
45:55Bye!
45:55Bye!
45:56Bye!
45:56Bye!
45:56Bye!
45:56You
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