Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 (cubs meowing)
00:02 The cubs are now about four and a half months old
00:06 and growing increasingly adventurous.
00:11 - It's a dangerous stage for these five cubs at the moment
00:18 because they're at that age where they really start
00:20 to wander around and explore.
00:22 They're becoming really, really curious.
00:24 And five cubs is a lot of cubs for the mumps to look after.
00:27 It's a big job for the mumps.
00:28 (cubs meowing)
00:30 - The cubs should have been introduced
00:32 to the whole MK pride already,
00:34 but their nervous mothers, Rosa and Zuri,
00:39 have resisted pride members' efforts to meet them.
00:41 So the two mothers must do all the hunting
00:45 and babysitting themselves.
00:47 The cubs won't be fully weaned for another four months.
00:56 (cubs meowing)
00:58 So most of their nutrition still comes
01:03 from their mother's milk.
01:04 While exhausted Rosa and Zuri nap,
01:10 the male cub, Spotty, hears something moving in the bushes.
01:14 The mischievous cub can't resist investigating.
01:20 He needs to be careful.
01:24 (suspenseful music)
01:27 A leopard wouldn't hesitate to kill a lion cub.
01:32 It's a simple way to eliminate the competition.
01:37 Spotty is far from safe.
01:43 Nathan is back with Sarabi in the MKs,
01:49 not far from last night's feed.
01:51 (cubs meowing)
01:54 - We've just come across the MKs down here on the beach,
02:00 having fed on the buffalo last night.
02:02 There's quite a few of them lying around.
02:05 (lion growling)
02:15 - Sarabi is still in pain.
02:18 (cubs meowing)
02:21 But as Nathan surveys the beach,
02:25 it's not the female that draws his attention.
02:27 - There's actually, there's one of the cubs down there.
02:32 This might be the first introduction.
02:36 - Oh, he's brilliant, he is.
02:37 - Nathan and Sam have been waiting for two months
02:41 for the cubs to meet the whole pride.
02:47 But the excitement quickly turns to confusion.
02:50 - I can only see one, I can only see one cub there.
02:56 I think we might have to just go down there
02:59 and have a proper look.
03:00 - There's no sign of the cub's mother or his siblings.
03:15 This little youngster seems to be alone.
03:18 - I think it might be Spotty,
03:24 who is the cheekier, more adventurous one.
03:26 And so this will be the first time we've seen the cubs
03:29 with the rest of the pride.
03:30 So it'd be really interesting, I think,
03:32 just to see what the interaction is.
03:34 I can't see any of the other cubs.
03:37 I don't know, they might be in the bushes nearby,
03:40 or he has been really cheeky yet again,
03:43 and just come off on his own.
03:45 (suspenseful music)
03:47 - Spotty shouldn't be here without his mother.
03:49 Rosa hasn't introduced him yet.
03:53 So his pride doesn't know him.
03:58 Spotty appears to be looking for a familiar face.
04:05 He doesn't find one.
04:12 (suspenseful music)
04:15 He's soft calling.
04:17 He's obviously a little concerned
04:20 where his mother and siblings are.
04:22 Nathan's anxious to see how Spotty's older relatives react.
04:27 - Quite selective, greeting some of the members
04:35 and skipping others.
04:36 (birds chirping)
04:39 - The females greet him warmly.
04:48 Young mayor, his cousin, is gentle.
04:53 (cubs meowing)
05:04 (birds chirping)
05:07 But the teenage males are showing
05:14 a little too much interest in him.
05:16 Teshi is the oldest teenager,
05:23 and this is the first cub he's ever seen.
05:33 It's getting rough.
05:34 - He's obviously looking quite concerned
05:39 and soft calling for his mom and the other siblings,
05:43 and he's now starting to wander off up the beach by himself.
05:46 - But he's walking into even more danger.
05:51 (cubs meowing)
05:53 The abandoned buffalo carcass has attracted hyenas.
06:02 (cubs meowing)
06:05 I'm a little bit worried for the cub
06:09 wandering all the way off by himself
06:10 'cause we've just watched hyenas run past,
06:14 and he's heading straight towards the kill
06:15 where there's only hyenas and no lions.
06:18 If a hyena does find him, that's the end.
06:23 A hyena will quickly kill a lion cub.
06:25 I mean, I really hope his mom is up there
06:30 or he turns around and comes back
06:31 'cause a little cub by himself is not going to be able to,
06:34 you know, stand a chance.
06:36 Unable to intervene, Nathan can only watch
06:43 as Spotty disappears into the bush.
06:45 The little cub, Spotty,
06:51 has stayed hidden in the bushes for hours.
06:53 There's still no sign of his mother or his siblings.
07:00 (leaves rustling)
07:03 He's now been apart from them all day.
07:06 You can occasionally hear the cub soft calling
07:11 for his mother, and the best thing for him to do,
07:15 I think, is really stay hidden in this bush
07:17 for the rest of the day.
07:18 But Spotty's hungry.
07:21 (cubs meowing)
07:28 Without his mother, Rose's, milk,
07:30 he's in danger of dehydration.
07:32 Thirst drives him out of his hideaway.
07:40 He joins teenager Maya.
07:45 She watches over her little cousin
07:52 as he finally gets a well-needed drink.
07:55 He seems to have touched to Maya.
07:58 She's sort of taken quite a shine to him,
08:00 playing around with him a bit.
08:01 It's welcome company and protection.
08:08 But Maya can't feed him.
08:12 He desperately needs Rosa or Zuri.
08:17 As the daylight fades,
08:22 Spotty faces his first night without his mother.
08:29 (cubs meowing)
08:32 Darkness brings in new kinds of danger.
08:37 It's when predators are most active.
08:42 Nervous Spotty sticks close to injured Surabi on the beach.
08:49 Roars echo down the river.
08:58 Distant territory claims.
09:00 The pride responds.
09:07 Agitated by the faraway calls,
09:16 the emkays set off to patrol their territory.
09:19 Spotty's instinct tells him to stay put.
09:27 (cubs meowing)
09:30 He waits for his pride to return.
09:34 But it isn't the emkays that appear.
09:45 (cubs meowing)
09:49 The hyenas are back.
09:53 (cubs meowing)
09:56 They're after scraps from a beached hippo carcass.
10:21 Spotty desperately tries to climb the tree for safety.
10:25 He only makes it a few feet into the branches.
10:32 Not entirely out of reach.
10:36 It's going to be a long night.
10:43 (birds chirping)
10:50 Dawn.
10:50 And Sam heads south towards Spotty's last location.
10:55 The beach is quiet.
11:04 Sam scours the bushes,
11:12 hoping that somehow Spotty's made it.
11:16 - Wait, wait, there he is.
11:17 I can see Spotty, he's under the bush.
11:19 (door creaks)
11:21 - He's alive, but he's in dire straits.
11:26 He's alive, but he's in dire straits.
11:29 (upbeat music)
11:32 (upbeat music)
11:35 (upbeat music)
11:37 Get closer to nature, right here on YouTube.