Big Cats Episode 6
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00Hello, darling. How are you doing?
00:07Oh, come on, we know each other.
00:11The kudum pride is now one of the largest lion prides in the world.
00:17Last year they had one calf, this year they've got 15.
00:21But to feed so many mouths...
00:25Oh, hang on, there's a crocodile. Are you trying to steal the kill?
00:29...the desperate mothers are being pushed to extremes.
00:33The crocodile is pulling back. This is a battle. This is crazy.
00:43The Okavango Delta in Botswana.
00:48One of Africa's last wildernesses.
00:51The Okavango Delta is an oasis in the desert. It's a miracle in itself.
00:56And it's a stronghold for Africa's big cats.
01:01Lion.
01:03Cheetah.
01:05And leopard.
01:07This is nature at its absolute finest.
01:11Now, for the very first time, a team of local and international wildlife filmmakers
01:18is working together to record the cats' lives like never before.
01:26Using the latest technology.
01:29We're going to be able to see things in a completely different light
01:32and tell stories in a completely different way.
01:34They'll follow individual big cats for six months.
01:39Through the day.
01:41It's done. One of the zebras is done.
01:43And the night.
01:45This is a military-grade thermal imaging camera.
01:48Lions have got amazing night vision, but it's not as good as this.
01:52Capturing their behavior.
01:55He's got the cub. He's got the cub.
01:5724 hours a day.
02:00Welcome to the Okavango Delta.
02:02It gets crazy.
02:18Oh, the mums are here.
02:21Ah, the cubs are there.
02:24Look, look, look.
02:26I'm pretty sure he's saying, mum, mum.
02:28I'm hungry again.
02:32There are now nearly 40 lions and cubs in the Kudum Pride.
02:37The mothers just don't know how to do it.
02:45Looking after this enormous family is hard work.
02:51The mothers have joined each other on top of the trees.
02:55Perhaps to avoid feeding or suckling the cubs.
03:01Because he's knackering.
03:05The cubs constantly wanting some milk from you.
03:09Constantly nagging you.
03:11I couldn't be a mother lion, no way.
03:15There's Sibi.
03:20Young mum Sibi recently gave birth to five cubs.
03:33It's breakfast time.
03:36It's very rare to have five cubs.
03:42Only 2% of litters are as big as Sibi's.
03:46Most lionesses have only two or three.
03:50Having so many cubs indicates a healthy pride.
03:54But their survival is not guaranteed.
03:58Lionesses only have four or five cubs.
04:02Lionesses only have four nipples.
04:05How do you feed five cubs simultaneously?
04:13The odds are stacked against her.
04:21Sibi is just feeding her own cub.
04:24And one of the night lady's cubs is just moving in.
04:33Not quite sure she likes that.
04:39Sibi is baring her teeth.
04:47Poor Sibi, she's having to deal with this.
04:50The big cub trying to squeeze it and suckle.
04:54It just really doesn't help.
04:58Poor, poor lady.
05:02At this age, each cub needs to drink more than half a litre of milk a day.
05:08Sibi is going to need a lot of milk to go around.
05:15I'm really worried about the cubs.
05:19But if Sibi doesn't provide enough food for them,
05:23the cubs will suffer.
05:28To stay healthy and keep her five cubs alive,
05:32Sibi needs to eat more than the other lioness mums.
05:44Gordon is taking over the evening shift
05:47to see if Sibi can get a much needed meal.
05:54Sibi looks particularly hungry.
05:57I think she's going to try and hunt tonight,
05:59so I'm going to set up the thermal imaging.
06:15OK, climbing down the tree.
06:19Last little hop.
06:25Sibi's seen or heard something.
06:31It's the rest of the pride.
06:34Oh, they're talkative tonight.
06:39Tell you what, it does get the heart pumping
06:42when you have lions roaring right next to you.
06:48We've got a huge team of lions out in the floodplain this evening.
07:03Some of the other lions have met a cub,
07:06and there's a lot of...
07:10One of the dominant pride males is joining for his share.
07:15Everyone's just piling in, all of the females, cubs.
07:20It's a meal that Sibi needs.
07:25I'm going to put the drone up, see how many are here.
07:36But there are too many lions to share it with.
07:44Absolutely insane situation at the moment.
07:48It's absolute chaos.
07:55There's not much left now, it's just the ribcage and the spine.
08:01Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, somebody's getting clapped.
08:08You'd think that this pride increasing in number
08:11would make them a stronger pride,
08:14but actually it weakens them in many ways
08:17because you've got limited resources divided many, many times.
08:25How you gauge success isn't really just making a kill,
08:29it's how many lions you're splitting that kill with.
08:35There's so much competition amongst the lions.
08:38A lot of these lionesses put in the hard yards and they've got nothing from it.
08:43I do feel for these females.
08:49With the lions in this huge pride now fighting over food...
08:54That was intense.
08:59...the team is following new mum Sibi
09:02to see if she can feed herself and her five cubs.
09:09TRISTAN
09:21Tristan, Tristan for Greg.
09:23Greg, go for Tristan.
09:25We've got a bit of action, yeah, Kudum's moving, headcut.
09:28Okay, can copy that, right. Yeah, I'm about two, three minutes away.
09:33We've just heard some growling close to Kudum's den.
09:37We came to investigate, thinking it was lions.
09:40And we've just seen Kudum with her cub in her mouth,
09:44which is incredible.
09:46She's moving her cub, she's got one in her jaws.
09:52Kudum, the resident female leopard,
09:55had two cubs just over a week ago.
10:02It had to happen, Greg calls it in, Kudum's moving den.
10:05It's a little bit chaotic in the morning.
10:08Tristan is joining Greg on Kudum's trail.
10:15It's all very, very strange.
10:19Behaviour that I haven't really seen before.
10:23I don't know if she's making poor decisions
10:25or if she's actually just being very calculated
10:27and moving the den just to keep them alive.
10:33There's such a chance that she'll just bump into something.
10:36A lot of the animals out here are so much bigger than her.
10:39It really would be tragic for anything to happen to this cub.
10:42It's such a young stage in its life.
10:46With Tristan and Greg tracking Kudum...
10:49I've just arrived at the regional den site on the log.
10:52Brad is with her other cub,
10:55trying to understand Kudum's unusual behaviour.
11:00Greg, any chance that the growling was leopard?
11:02Yeah, every chance, eh?
11:04I just assumed lion because I would have expected it from the lion.
11:08But it could have easily been a leopard.
11:10Yeah, it's probably likely leopard, eh?
11:12Maybe a male, she's up so good.
11:17The team recently found male leopard tracks near Kudum's den.
11:24I think that a male has come into the area
11:27and is harassing her.
11:29She's got to be careful, keep him away,
11:31and move the cubs out of the area.
11:35To keep her cubs safe, she needs to find a new den.
11:40This could be a very, very good choice on her part,
11:42but, yeah, I guess only time will really tell.
11:48She's just climbed into a huge thicket of bluebush,
11:52which is perfect for a den.
11:58There she is.
11:59She's bloody carrying it.
12:01Tristan, she's carrying it again, bro.
12:02Carrying, carrying, carrying.
12:04I thought she'd hold this den in a beautiful bush here,
12:07but I don't think she liked exactly what she felt in that little bush,
12:11so she's decided to move to another one.
12:17She's currently got the leopard, the baby, in her mouth.
12:21It's like a house cat.
12:22The second you pinch a house cat by the scruff of their neck,
12:25they kind of go limp.
12:26And it's the same with all these cats out here.
12:29And she'll just very, very delicately, very slowly,
12:32just walk it to wherever she needs to go.
12:34These big cats are so, so delicate with their cubs.
12:37It's actually quite remarkable.
12:40This is quite interesting, eh?
12:41I think she might cross this entire grassland.
12:44Yeah, she's gone on, it's quite far.
12:46She's moved at least 700 metres now.
12:50This is by far the longest that I've ever seen a leopard move a cub.
12:55Normally, I've seen leopards 50 to 150 metres.
13:00So she's really, really trying to take these cubs out of that area.
13:10We're sitting at the original den site, and she's left one here.
13:14She's left one here.
13:18You can definitely see a size difference between the two.
13:21One is a male, and one is a female.
13:23And she's left a girl behind her.
13:27I'm just hoping that she stays put.
13:29She's come right up to the entrance, almost crawling out,
13:33which would be a disaster.
13:35There'd be a lot of crying, and there'd be chances somebody comes and
13:39snacks on her.
13:41She just needs to bed down and stay hidden.
13:46Just stay put.
13:48Just stay put.
13:50And stop calling.
14:11Oh, OK.
14:12She's looking.
14:13Her eyes have just gone straight up.
14:16Yep, there she goes.
14:17She's just gone straight up the ebony.
14:20That's ridiculous.
14:22There seems to be a little bit of a hollow in the ebony,
14:26and she seems to have gone straight into that.
14:28And I'm presuming that is going to be our new den.
14:33Brad, Brad, Brad for Tristan.
14:35What's happening in its update with the cubs?
14:37Some interesting news.
14:40Our girl has got a den in a tree.
14:44OK, that's good news.
14:46Is she on her way back yet?
14:48No negative, eh?
14:49She's just in the den.
14:51So, yeah, we'll let you know when she's out.
14:54Right, we're just going to stay put and keep an eye on this cub
14:58while mum's out and wait for her to come back.
15:02Copy, copy.
15:04Hey, Rhea, I've just found Sebi.
15:08Loud and clear, Anna.
15:11Anna and Rhea are checking in on Sebi and her five cubs.
15:18Just getting a glimpse of the cubs.
15:23They are so tiny.
15:26She is looking so thin and so hungry.
15:32Really concerned about her.
15:37Sebi's on the move.
15:41This is really unexpected.
15:43It is 12 o'clock.
15:47The lion's about to leave.
15:49This is really unexpected.
15:51It is 12 o'clock.
15:55Lions quite often are just flat under a tree at this time.
15:59But Sebi looked really hungry.
16:12It seems like she's picking up the scent of something.
16:14She's lifting up her head.
16:20She's just making her way through the bushes here.
16:27She's definitely walking with purpose.
16:32Just in front are some lechwe.
16:34I see about three lechwe rams.
16:36One looks a little bit younger, maybe not as fit.
16:40Could be quite the tasty meal for mum with cubs.
16:50Hunting alone can easily halve her chance of making a successful kill.
16:58She's going.
17:00If Sebi can pull this off, she can keep the meal all to herself.
17:06Sebi's on the run. She's actually prancing.
17:08She's going to the floodplain right now.
17:11This is crazy.
17:20Oh, no, Sebi.
17:25They just bolted.
17:28Didn't really think she was going to have much luck with that,
17:31but she gave it a go.
17:35At five years old, Sebi is the pride's youngest mother.
17:41Oh, my God, this is weird.
17:43And her inexperience is showing.
17:45The lechwe have almost ganged up
17:48and are making sure that they all have eyes on Sebi
17:53and are just moving her along.
17:56She doesn't stand a chance now.
18:00That attempt from Sebi screams desperation at this point.
18:05I think she's just really, really keen to get that meal.
18:10She's not thinking clearly, I don't think.
18:15Oh, my God.
18:18Oh, my God.
18:21Oh, my God.
18:23Oh, my God.
18:25Oh, my God.
18:27Oh, my God.
18:35Brad for Tristan.
18:37Go for it.
18:39I've found a swale with a half-eaten jaw.
18:43OK, copy that.
18:45I'm going to come over.
18:51Six-year-old male leopard Musueo
18:54lives in the heart of Kudum's territory.
19:00He's got some very, very distinctive features.
19:03This guy's ears are tattered and shredded,
19:06which has got a lot to do with his character.
19:09He's a bit of a brawler.
19:11Musueo's a little bit smaller than most of the big dominant males here
19:15and he makes up for his lack of stature
19:19in just sheer determination and aggression.
19:25We also have Kudum's tracks,
19:27probably about 100 metres south of us.
19:30She probably made the kill here
19:32and this big boy has come in and stolen it.
19:36It's not often that male leopards kill a studenbuck.
19:40They don't stalk well enough.
19:42They sort of go for slightly bigger prey, mainly warthogs, actually.
19:46If she did make this kill,
19:48hopefully she managed to get a little bit of it
19:51because she's really had some really, really bad luck.
19:54Lions taking a kill, big male leopard taking a kill.
20:00Musueo's presence may explain why Kudum is moving her cubs.
20:06The last time we saw Musueo
20:08was when Kudum was being mated, interestingly.
20:15Three months ago, the team found Kudum mating with a rival male.
20:22If Musueo tracks down cubs that are not his,
20:26he will kill them.
20:28It's a dominance thing for them
20:30and they don't want somebody else's kids
20:32coming into this world in their territory.
20:35She's going to be in for a very, very long few months
20:38with this guy hanging around.
20:40It's going to be very, very stressful for her.
20:43The biggest threat to leopards is other leopards.
20:46More leopards die at the hand of their own kind than anything else.
20:50And just to have him show up again is not good.
21:12Hey, where are you?
21:14I've just found Zebe up what seems to be her favourite tree.
21:19Oh, she's stretching.
21:22New mum Zebe has been away from the pride for nearly two days.
21:26She knows she needs to eat, she needs to feed her cubs.
21:29On a solo hunting mission.
21:31She needs to be in a healthy state.
21:35Her cubs' survival depends on her eating soon.
21:39It means that she is very likely to hunt again today.
21:43It means that she is very likely to hunt again today.
22:14You can see her ribs on the side.
22:16Now she's looking hungry.
22:29I'm thinking she's looking for warthogs.
22:32They just sit in the grass.
22:34They'll be trying to dig up the roots.
22:37And they can't see the...
22:40And they can't see the lions.
22:47Zebe's just entered this big bush here.
22:50Don't have any visual at all.
22:54I think it might be drain time.
22:57Oh, she's super vigilant.
23:02She's scanning about.
23:07We have warthogs straight ahead of her.
23:12It's completely unaware.
23:16It's completely unaware.
23:20It's completely unaware.
23:23It's completely unaware.
23:27Come on, Zebe, you can do this.
23:40She's starting her jog.
23:42She's going, she's going, she's going, she's going, she's going.
23:44She's going.
23:51Oh, no.
23:56She just missed it.
23:58No.
24:02Oh, Zebe.
24:08She's failed yet again.
24:12What is she going to do now?
24:27Now she's just staring in front of her.
24:31We're not sure really if there's potentially a warthog or something there.
24:36There must be something that we don't see.
24:50She's got something.
24:52She's got a rabbit. She's got a rabbit.
24:56Go on, Zebe.
24:58Nice.
25:03Of all things she could have got, she got a rabbit.
25:08Oh, my gosh.
25:11That's a fully grown lion who has just hunted a rabbit.
25:16A hare, sorry, I believe it is.
25:19I am really, really glad for her.
25:22She deserved something.
25:25Yeah, I mean, it's better than nothing.
25:28It just shows how desperate she is, eh?
25:36Zebe should be eating for six.
25:39She's got five cubs, five cubs to feed.
25:43I really don't think a small hare is going to sustain all of those mouths.
25:55Away from Zebe, Rea spots the Okavango's most elusive big cat.
26:03F*** yeah.
26:05That's a cheetah.
26:10What is the chance of that?
26:14Right in the heart of lion territory.
26:18We've got a male.
26:25We've got spookle here.
26:31Our Four Palms Monument is literally at the bottom of it.
26:36Our pride, our pride, our pride, our pride, our pride.
26:41Our Four Palms Monument is literally at the bottom of it.
26:46Our pride, Dan here, all the time.
26:50He's got an extremely full belly.
26:59Anna, Anna, Anna, do you copy?
27:02Got some pretty good news here, Anna.
27:04We're just close to Four Palms here and just found spookle.
27:11No way. That is incredible news.
27:14I honestly did not think we were going to see a cheetah again.
27:17I also didn't expect it at all. I mean, what a blessing.
27:21I mean, there's just so many lions about at the moment.
27:24If I was a cheetah, I probably wouldn't be hanging around here.
27:27Spookle is a brave man.
27:37Rea.
27:38What is the chance?
27:41I just can't believe that he's managed to get himself in the middle of all these lions, to be honest.
27:51He is really living up to his name.
27:54Spookle, which means ghost.
27:59Hunting here, right under the noses of so many lions, takes stealth.
28:06A lot of the times their kills are stolen from them,
28:09but it looks like our friend Spookle here managed to have a full meal.
28:15The strides are so long. He seems to be floating through the grass.
28:22Living up to his ghostly status and just blending in.
28:29He's weaving between these lions and they have no idea.
28:36Oh, he's so cool. He's got a lot of character.
28:42I think he's got a kind of bad boy vibe.
28:46He walks with a lot of purpose, but it's got a bit of swag to it, too.
28:50Yeah, Spookle, he is.
28:52He is.
28:54Pretty badass.
28:55He earns the title.
28:56Yeah, he really does.
28:59Brad, Brad, Brad, for Tristan.
29:01Yeah, Tristan.
29:02She's out of the den.
29:04Once she's down, I'm moving towards you.
29:06I have a feeling she's going to get there pretty soon.
29:09OK, cool.
29:12Could it be that Spookle is still alive?
29:15I don't know.
29:16I don't know.
29:17I don't know.
29:18I don't know.
29:19I don't know.
29:20I don't know.
29:21I don't know.
29:22I don't know.
29:23I don't know.
29:24I don't know.
29:25I don't know.
29:26I don't know.
29:28Kudum the leopard has moved one of her cubs to a new den.
29:35Tristan is with her.
29:36She's taken the male cub.
29:43Two kilometres away, Brad is with Kudum's female cub at the original den.
29:49She's left the girl behind her, and we're sitting, waiting for her imminent return.
29:58Makes me anxious when they're separated.
30:03The longer this cub is alone, the more dangerous it gets.
30:19Kudum's just got down.
30:21She's able to really figure out a nice path back.
30:24She stands a pretty good chance of getting the cub here safely without getting swatted.
30:51This little girl on her own is starting to wake up.
30:58Her temperature has dropped, and temperature change generally stimulates them to move around a bit.
31:05And I just hope that this little one keeps her head down and stays concealed and doesn't shout around too much.
31:14Tristan, Tristan, Brad?
31:15Have you got an update?
31:17She's heading back to the den.
31:19I think Kudum has deliberately taken a long path to get here.
31:24She's had to avoid leaving a scent trail.
31:27She doesn't want to make a thread between the old den and the new den.
31:31Yeah, I copy that. No, that might be a good point, eh?
31:43Yeah, she's here.
31:44She's here.
31:48Kudum's finally made it back to her old den.
32:09It's really nice to see these two back together.
32:15Yeah.
32:21She's going to suckle.
32:23The cub is very hungry.
32:25To keep the cub quiet, I think she needs to feed it quickly before they begin that journey to the new den.
32:32It's quite a haul.
32:38Trist, Kudum has just arrived.
32:41Okay, cool.
32:42Yeah, copy that. We'll make our way outside.
32:55Kudum's up.
32:57She's heard something.
33:13What is that?
33:17Do you see that?
33:19Guys, there's something going on.
33:22There's another leopard here, Trist.
33:25This is not cool.
33:27This is really not cool.
33:43It's going into the den.
33:46S***, this is a male.
33:50Trist, we've got a male here at the den.
33:52It's going into the den. I'm sure this is an Australian.
34:07Okay, she's coming back in. She's coming back in.
34:13Okay, she's got the cub.
34:15Go, go, go, take it, take it.
34:17Get out of there.
34:22He's coming out of the den.
34:26She's confronting him.
34:33He's got the cub. He's got the cub.
34:37Go faster. Go faster, Lisa.
34:39Go faster.
34:40Go faster. Go faster, Lisa.
34:42Around the back of the tree.
34:57They've just had a big fight in front of the den here,
35:00and the male's taken the cub.
35:02I think it's done.
35:05I swear, it's just taken the cub.
35:07He's just picked it up in a fight and taken it.
35:19Worst nightmare.
35:21The thing that I'm so damn concerned about has played out,
35:25and it just fills me with horror.
35:29One of the more harrowing things that I've ever seen.
35:32She fought hard. She confronted that guy head on.
35:36Males are almost double the size of us, you know.
35:42It's that danger of male leopards.
35:45You know, male leopards are ruthless.
35:47You know, they're responsible for a lot of these deaths.
35:52I mean, the majority of the cub deaths.
36:03And this one is a real bastard.
36:06He's a scary cat.
36:08I'm not sure that this is over.
36:10He's killed one of the cubs already,
36:12and he's now following her scent.
36:15I just hope that he isn't able to trace her back
36:18towards the new den and take out the other cub.
36:21I don't know.
36:23I don't know.
36:25I don't know.
36:27I don't know.
36:29I don't know.
36:30I just hope that he isn't able to trace her back towards the new den
36:32and take out the other cub.
36:39He's desperately trying to pick up a trail now.
36:42He is smelling every grass blade.
36:53He's wandering across towards you now.
36:56I think he's following his scent.
37:00She seems to be trying to lead him a trail,
37:02trying to lead him away.
37:06It looks like Coulomb's trying to scent mark a little bit as she's going.
37:10She seems to be scent marking and moving and scent marking and moving.
37:19She seems to be trying to lead him in the opposite direction.
37:31He's stopped pursuit. Seems to be working.
37:41He's stopped pursuit. Seems to be working.
37:51Coulomb's completely leading the scene now.
37:54Yeah, I think she's just trying to get the hell out of here.
38:00She's been through quite an ordeal.
38:03Maybe let's just let her go.
38:06Coulomb, you might.
38:08I think she's going to need some time to get herself up.
38:11Yeah, copy that Matt.
38:15That's a horrific thing for a mother to go through.
38:18Especially after giving birth like a week ago.
38:23And yeah.
38:26At least we've got one cub, eh?
38:28At least we've got one cub.
38:31Thank God she moved him.
38:38I think Coulomb knew the dangers that were here and
38:42she was really smart to move that cub early in the morning.
38:46I just hope that Coulomb has done enough to disguise her trail back to the new den.
39:01Anna and Rhea are still with Spoko, the cheetah.
39:10It is six in the morning.
39:13And we've spent the whole night staring at sleeping Spoko.
39:20Making sure that we don't lose him because we don't want to lose him.
39:26Making sure that we don't lose him because losing a cheetah here
39:33would be devastating.
39:42Well, Spoko's up.
39:49He's so beautiful.
39:51Oh, he's so cool.
39:53He's a cool dude.
40:00This time that we've got with Spoko we're going to make sure we stay in touch with him as long as we can.
40:07Looks like he's headed for the floodplain.
40:11This morning he's woken up with purpose.
40:13This morning he's woken up with purpose.
40:21Well, we've got Spoko here just having a little drink of water.
40:30Cheetahs don't actually need to drink water.
40:36They get the majority of their liquid intake from the prey that they kill.
40:41Like vampires, they drink the blood and they also drink any urine left inside their prey.
40:49Pretty brutal.
40:51It does make you look at cheetahs in a slightly different way.
41:03Spoko is crossing the floodwaters.
41:06Because we're really under the sea.
41:09It's pretty special, hey, our cheetahs, how in the delta they're forced to adapt.
41:14They do water crossings.
41:18Even with the flood here, it's not blocked them off from going anywhere.
41:22Our cats, they just go where they want to.
41:28I believe he wants to get out of the area and move to a new place.
41:31I believe he wants to get out of the area and move to a new place.
41:36Don't forget, this is lion central here.
41:40Stay like a ghost.
41:47Spoko can cross the water.
41:50Doesn't look too promising.
41:52But it's a different story for Reija and Anna.
41:56I don't think we're going to cross here.
41:58I thought I would walk it, but this looks very creepy.
42:03I'm in two minds about it.
42:05Don't think I'm going to take a walk through here.
42:18I knew, it didn't feel very safe to go in the water here.
42:22Yeah, that's the croc.
42:28And I was going to go in with my...
42:32Trust your instinct. If your instinct tells you no, don't do it.
42:38I'll get the drone up and then we can try and stay with him.
42:46It's quite funny that this cheetah, who supposedly doesn't like water,
42:53but yet he's straight through there and we're stuck on the other side.
43:10He's so beautiful.
43:15What an amazing animal.
43:22Still a bit emotional. You know why?
43:26Maybe the fact that they are nearly endangered now.
43:33Cheetah are classified as a vulnerable species that are on the red list.
43:39When we're looking at one of only 7,000 that are left in the wild, it's really not a lot.
43:53I think we have officially lost Spokko. He is gone.
43:59At least we know he's fed and he looks very, very chilled.
44:06Yeah, for sure. He's a happy cat.
44:08Bye Spokko. Hopefully see you soon.
44:23Sebe the lioness has been struggling for food.
44:28The team hasn't seen her cubs for over 24 hours.
44:32I think I found the cat here. It's so difficult to spot, but yeah, she's right in front of me.
44:38All right, keep us posted.
44:43Cubs, how dare you!
44:47Cubs, how dare you!
44:53I cannot tell you what we've got here.
44:57The magic.
44:59What we've got here.
45:02Look at it. Oh my goodness.
45:10It's so tiny.
45:17This is looking a bit confusing. I can only see two cubs here.
45:24It could be possibly Sebe has lost three of her cubs.
45:31We have to be realistic about this.
45:35Without enough food, it's hard for Sebe to make enough milk to keep all five cubs alive.
45:47Hang on. A third one. A third one.
45:56That's the fourth one. The fourth one's coming.
46:01This is getting exciting.
46:05Oh man, I think she's got all the cubs.
46:08What a mum.
46:16Oh.
46:20This is beautiful.
46:23My heart sinks right now.
46:26She's made it to here with her five cubs.
46:29Oh no.
46:32Well done, Sebe.
46:37She's always going to be hungry because the amount of milk, rich milk, she's producing for those five cubs is immense.
46:44So she's on constant lookout for a meal.
46:52And right on cue, she's off again.
46:56Oh. Alarm calling.
47:00Lines and move.
47:04That's Sebe and one of the girls.
47:09Oh, they're moving quite fast.
47:11These lionesses, they're tuned into cues that we're not aware of.
47:17This time, she has help from another hungry female from the pride.
47:22Oh, hang on. I can see there's a leotard struggling in the water.
47:31Whoa, whoa, whoa, did you see that? It's a crocodile.
47:35This is crazy.
47:37They're trying to snatch the leotard from the crocodile.
47:41Crocodile is pulling back.
47:43They're pulling as well.
47:45This is a battle.
47:49This could be dangerous for them.
47:51That is a Nile crocodile.
47:54That could pull a lion in that water.
47:57Oh.
47:58What a scene.
48:04Oh, jeez.
48:07They've got it.
48:11I mean, this is one of the most craziest things I've ever witnessed.
48:16Seeing a lion in the water.
48:19I mean, it's just...
48:21It's just crazy.
48:23I mean, this is one of the most craziest things I've ever witnessed.
48:28Seeing Sebe bolting into that water,
48:32snatching a male from a crocodile.
48:37This is certainly a very substantial amount of meat.
48:43A lioness would need around about 35 kilograms per week.
48:48And when they're suckling cubs, it's even more.
48:53And now she's able to produce super high-energy milk
48:57to keep her cubs going.
49:06Sebe has been so, so desperate for food.
49:10The last time she had something was a tiny little hare.
49:16Anna and Rhea were helping that she get a big male.
49:22Times like this, you realise why they couldn't price the numbers of quarrying.
49:28It is because how dedicated these mothers are.
49:32They have adapted to this scavenger's mode.
49:38And that's the survival skill.
49:42These happy days.
49:53BIRDS CHIRP
50:07Brad and Tristan don't know if Kudum's male cub is safe.
50:14I'm hoping she starts to make her way back to the den
50:17and we kind of get that clarity that there's still one surviving.
50:23BIRDS CHIRP
50:26It's been really hard to swallow what we witnessed with Misueo and the cub.
50:32The aggressive leopard behaviour the team saw last night is very rarely filmed.
50:39These animals are like family to us.
50:43I've spent more time with this cat than I have with my own family over the past few years.
50:49I understand why Misueo did it.
50:52He's trained and he's just trying to protect his chances of mating.
50:56But it's still a horrific, horrific experience for Kudum.
51:02When Misueo grabbed that one cub, he was so intent on following her.
51:08And it was amazing to see how she didn't just bolt back to the den.
51:13She actually deliberately led him on his stray.
51:17It's quite exceptional.
51:22MUSIC
51:27Today, Misueo is nowhere to be seen.
51:36Kudum is finally heading towards her new den.
51:40Kudum's inbound.
51:43They've come very quietly, someone just passed us here.
51:52This is too exciting for words.
51:55MUSIC
52:12She just clamps the tree now.
52:15MUSIC
52:23Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
52:26Oh, I can see the cub.
52:29Oh, hello little guy.
52:32Oh, I'm so glad.
52:35Hello.
52:37Oh, you sweet little thing.
52:45This is the moment we've been waiting for.
52:48Kudum is now in the den.
52:50Kudum is now in the den.
52:55The cub is still alive, she's showing us where it is.
52:59And that it's OK.
53:02Oh, you cute thing. That is beautiful.
53:05MUSIC
53:16He's just moved it back down further in the den.
53:20MUSIC
53:25She's positioning herself now, the cub can suckle.
53:29What a clever girl.
53:32MUSIC
53:36Oh, it looks like everything's fine.
53:39She's looking great, the cub looks healthy.
53:42It's really, really amazing actually just to have them both in the tree together
53:46and having the family back together.
53:50It's a big, big relief, I have to admit.
53:53MUSIC
53:58I think the fact that Kudum has any cubs alive still
54:02is a testament to the mother that she's becoming.
54:06I think it was her quick thinking and her decision she made
54:11that has kept one alive.
54:14Back to her happy space.
54:17Mum, tiny cub, leopard cub,
54:20and elephants breezing past.
54:23Just everyone carrying on with their lives.
54:28Just the best.
54:31MUSIC
54:43MUSIC
54:50We've nearly forgotten.
54:53Go ahead, Sebi's coming in.
54:56See you shortly.
54:59MUSIC
55:06With a full stomach, Sebi is heading back to the rest of the pride.
55:10Here she is.
55:13Here she's rubbing heads with one of the females.
55:19It's very affectionate.
55:22I think they're telling Sebi, just chill.
55:26Sebi, you sit down, we've been working hard.
55:30Just relax, let's gain our energy.
55:36Yes, there's a sense of community.
55:38There's a togetherness.
55:41Just remarkable.
55:55VNA, VNA, do you copy?
55:58Copy, copy.
56:01They are slowly moving your way.
56:03They are slowly moving your way.
56:08The whole hair, the entire pride.
56:15The males looking majestic with their manes.
56:21The big cats team is now near the end of its time here.
56:27We have every day got to know all of these cats better and better.
56:33MUSIC
56:38In the last six months, this lion pride has grown to be one of the largest in the world.
56:50The success of the Kudum pride is brought about by the unity that pride has.
56:55In the case of these lions, lions that stand a chance of losing a beautiful piece of the Okavango and a huge pride,
57:04they really have each other's backs.
57:11But the pride's fate is uncertain.
57:15All good things come to an end.
57:17As their numbers have grown, they're getting less to eat.
57:22I think something has to give.
57:26Into the next season, when times get tough, when the water disappears, when the prey disappears,
57:36what cracks will begin to show?
57:39It could be that these cubs, they're the straw that breaks the ice.
57:44These cubs, they're the straw that breaks the camel's back.
57:54I think in the near future, we're going to see a split in this pride.
57:59The carving off of some of these lions.
58:04Trying to make their own way.
58:14Change is coming.