All language subtitles for B.W.S06E08.Bite.of.the.Lion.King.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

Sharp rays
of sunlight crept up

from the horizon casting
a golden radiance

across the Savannah.

Morning has arrived
in South Africa,

and with it the
beginning of a journey

that was soon to become
one of the greatest animal

encounters I have ever had.

Today we are venturing
out into the world

renowned Kariega Game Reserve.

This wild place spans
over 10,000 hectares

and the landscape is a
splendor unlike anything you

have ever seen.

Endless rolling grasslands,
the perfect habitat

to safely house and keep hidden
one of our planet's most iconic

predators, the African lion.

All right, Coyote, about
ready to hop in the Jeep?

Yeah, well, the plan today is
to track down a pride of lions.

But trust me, it's much
easier said than done.

We've got a lot of
ground to cover.

You guys ready to
track down the pride?

Let's find those big cats.

Here we go.

Tracking lions on foot could
take days, if not weeks,

so the crew and I teamed up
with a secondary team composed

of field veterinarians
that have been

deployed through support of
the Reserve Protection Agency.

Led by Dr. Waldo Dreyer,
their collective goal

from a scientific perspective
was to safely tranquilize

one of the larger resident
males in an attempt

to collect biometric data.

This important research
would help ensure the health

and well-being of the pride.

So with the plan in
place, we parted ways

and headed toward opposite
ends of the reserve

to begin our search
for the pride.

I feel like luck is
on our side today.

A lot of ground to explore,
but we've got two teams out.

Just a matter of
tracking down the pride.

Since 2004, Kariega
has been home

to a very healthy
population of lions,

yet finding and
getting these big cats

in front of the cameras
would be no easy feat,

as they are
constantly on the move

and in search of
their next meal.

An ostrich way off in
the distance there.

So much open space.

And with that open
space, the pride

could wander out out of any
one of these clumps of bushes.

Really going to be tough
to find these cats.

We've got some zebras over here.

That looks like good prey.

If I was a lion, a zebra
steak would sound pretty good.

Wait, what's this?

Oh, I got something cool.

Follow me.

Look at this.

That is a perfect
wildebeest skull,

and if ever I have seen
evidence of a lion kill,

this would be it.

Look at that.

Right at the back
of the neck where

the head connects to the neck
right there is all snapped off.

Wow, well, this is obviously
ancient at this point.

No skin or flesh
on it, but yeah,

likely fell victim to a lion.

All right, guys,
let's keep searching.

Yeah.

Come on down and check this out.

You know what that is?

Bones.

Bones, skin, fur.

That's a zebra's
leg right there,

and zebra's legs don't
just fall off on their own.

That is absolute crystal
clear evidence of a lion kill.

It's old though.

This is not fresh, so we do
know that the pride has been

through here but not recently.

All right, well, this is like
I said, can be tough to find

this pride of lions.

Stronger evidence of the
pride and their whereabouts

was necessary if we hoped
to have an encounter,

so we loaded back
into the Land Cruiser

and continued our search
deeper into the interior

of the reserve.

Finding tracks is the most
reliable sign of one's quest

for locating an animal, and you
are always guaranteed to find

the freshest tracks near water.

Check this out, guys.

Completely fresh lion
track right there.

Like most cats, they try to
avoid walking in the water.

A cat definitely moved up
the side of the road here.

That means we are hot
on the pride's trail.

So, Joe, what did you hear?

There's literally lions
on top of this hill.

The other team's
got eyes on the lions?

Yeah.
Yeah.

And they're on a kill.
- Really?

Yeah.

Coyote.

Coyote, the other team's
got the lions over the hill.

- What?
- Yeah.

The lions are just over the
hill, and they're on a kill

too.
- On a kill?

Yep.

No way.

OK, Yeah, hop up in the Jeep.

Oh, man, this is
going to be crazy.

They're on a kill?

Yeah.

All right, guys, well,
I'm out there picking up

pieces of old kills,
and apparently

the lions have a kill, the
other team has spotted them.

We're going to make
our way over there now.

Here comes the lion episode.

Awesome.

With lions located
on a fresh kill,

we quickly moved
across the reserve

to meet up with the vet team.

Dr. Waldo joined
our vehicle, which

would give us a clear view
of the tranquilizing process.

So with the darts locked
and loaded, it was go time.

It's exciting, I've never seen
a lion in the wild before.

I know you guys are amped.

Oh, man, this is going
to be one epic day.

Tranquilizing a lion is
considered a routine checkup.

Once asleep, the biometric
data will be collected,

and then a reversal serum
will be administered

for the animal to wake up.

They just radioed from up ahead.

The lions were just up over
the top of this next hill here.

We have found them.

All right, guys, we are
rolling up on the lions

right now.

I can actually see
one of the big males

right here off the
side of the vehicle.

So impressive.

We're trying to be
really quiet right now.

We don't want to startle them.

Believe it or not, we don't
want to scare the lions.

I'm the one that should
be scared right now.

Oh, there it is.

There it is.

As our Land Cruiser
approached through the flowing

Savannah grasses, my heart began
to race at an incredible speed.

This was an unprecedented
level of danger, which

meant everything
had to go right,

because if it didn't,
that meant everything

had gone horribly wrong.

Never before had I seen a
pride of lions in the wild.

And as they came into view,
their primal strength and

beauty was a wonder to behold.

In total, four lions have been
spotted on the fallen carcass.

Our primary target was
the male, but the team

decided that they
also wanted to check

the health of the females.

So if the opportunity
presented itself,

they would be darted as well.

And in that split second, that
seemed to slow down in time,

we all clung to the
edge of our seats

with focused anticipation.

Stay tuned for the
breathtaking conclusion,

as we attempt to get the
cameras up close with one

of the planet's top carnivores.

Since sunrise, the crew and
I have been on the search

for Kariega Game
Reserve's pride of lions.

Working in tandem with the
Reserve Protection Agency

and a team of field
veterinarians,

today's goal is to
safely tranquilize

and collect biometric data
from these predatory cats.

Coyote, the other team's
got the lions over the hill.

A radio call from the
opposite side of the reserve

delivered confirmation
that the lions had

been located on a fresh kill.

For the safety of the
lions and the veterinarians

collecting the data, the field
team decided that all four

of the cats would be darted.

So with everyone in position,
the final moment was upon us.

And the only thing left
for Dr. Waldo Dreyer to do

was hit his targets.

Wow, those are some big cats.

He's getting ready to dart.

Here we go.

Target right on
that female's rump.

Oh, got one.

Got one.

Nice shot.

Wow, you see them spring
into action like that?

OK, we thought that
maybe the lines would

move off if we darted one.

We've got four lions, three
females and a young male.

It's a young male, right?

Yeah.

Wow, still an enormous cat.

Getting ready for
the second dart.

Here we go.

We got the male coming up
around the backside here.

Doc got the forefront
of her chest.

No, not yet.

Not yet.

The females.

He must have a clear shot.

Super windy though,
could throw off the dart.

Do not want to hit the
animal in the face.

Here come the shot.

Got him.

All right, the male
has been darted.

One lion left.

Wow, OK, we have three of the
lions darted at this point,

the male and two females.

One female still does not
have a dart in her though,

so we're trying to
move the vehicle

to get in a better position.

This is intense.

Hold on, guys.

Beware, you got a lion.

Here we go.
Look at this good shot.

Zoom in.

Zoom in.

Got it.

All the lions have been
darted, and they are all

staring at us now saying, OK.

What are you guys
doing out here?

Wow, that's intimidating.

All four cats
successfully darted.

We watched from a safe
distance as one by one

they succumb to the effects
of the tranquilizer serum.

All right, now it's just
going to take a few minutes

for the tranquilizer to set in.

They'll tell us to get
out of the vehicles,

we'll move in, get
that biometric data.

Wow.

My heart's racing right now.

How about you?

This is crazy.

Time was of the
essence, so the vet

team needed to move quickly.

This meant that
as a camera team,

we would have a very
limited window of time

to capture an up
close presentation

with these sleeping carnivores.

Given his iconic
stature, I was beyond

excited to showcase the male,
while in the background,

the veterinarians
would be collecting

the sought after biometric
data from the females.

In human terms, this procedure
is comparable to a checkup

at the doctor.

When it comes to lions, this
includes pulling a small hair

sample from the tail,
checking body length,

paw length, overall
health, and lastly,

microchip identification.

That is a big cat right here.

We've got this other
female down right here.

Just lions laying
around everywhere.

There are lions everywhere.

Keep in mind, guys, these
lions are just asleep.

None of these animals
are actually hurt.

Here it is.

Here's the male.

That is unbelievable
right there.

This is the closest I have
ever been to a wild apex

predator of this size.

You can feel the breathing.

Beautiful animal.

This creature is enormous and it
is still a subadult male lion.

I want to come on this side
just to show you this paw.

You've got the mane.

You can see his face
is covered up there.

It is asleep.

Look at the size of
this animal's paws.

It's bigger than my hand.

That is crazy.

And so heavy, so much
weight, and so much

muscle in the front
section of this cat.

You guys want to see
those claws, don't you?

Oh, yeah.

Ready for this?

Hold on, let me kind
of sit down here.

Get ready.

That is impressive right
there, and these claws

are constantly growing
throughout the course

of the animal's life.

Now like all cats, they have
four toes up front, but also

a dew claw on the side.

You see that?

Wow.

That is the key piece of
power right there because when

they lunge toward a water
Buffalo or a wildebeest,

and they latch on, it's this
claw that hooks in place

and makes sure that that
prey does not get away.

And that's what they do, latch
on, and then go for the neck.

Now the lion, believe
it or not, does not

have that powerful
of a bite force

as compared to other big cats.

Only somewhere between 600 and
900 pounds per square inch,

but what they want to do
is go for the trachea.

You get the trachea, you're
cutting off the windpipe

and that animal is
going to suffocate.

Now, the males,
while they can hunt,

aren't the ones that
are actually hunting.

So when we came
up on this pride,

you see that they've
taken down an impala.

It's likely the females
that killed the impala,

but then the males will come
in and they will feast first.

Wow, this cat is just
the coolest creature

I have ever been around.

Let's take a look at
its head real quick.

Look at the size of the ears.

Massive ears.

They're capable of moving
these individually.

They have incredible
sense of hearing.

Look at the mane of this animal.

It's so dense and, oh, it
smells like South Africa.

It smells like the Savannah,
a little bit of grass

and a little bit of sand.

Now you look at this
mane and you think, well,

what is the purpose of a mane
on a lion other than to have

an epic hairdo?

And the purpose is
actually to protect them

when they're fighting
to protect territory.

All this dense fur, when
another male is rearing up,

using its claws and its teeth,
protects this lion's throat

and his face.

All right, you guys
ready for the reveal?

Let's see it.

I'm going to pull
this back very slowly.

Let's see the lion's face.

There you are, buddy.

Oh my gosh.

That is incredible.

What a handsome
animal right there.

Look at its whiskers.

Incredibly dense.

I know you guys are
thinking right now,

can we see the lion's teeth?

Yeah, we can see lion's teeth.

You guys ready?

I;m going to slowly
just kind of pull

the lip back here a little bit.

Wow.

Whoa.

Look at those canines.

Unbelievable.

Now lions have three
types of teeth.

Up front here, you
have these incisors,

which they use to carry things.

The females were carry
their cubs around.

They're also used to pull
meat away from the bones.

Of course, the canines are
used to inflict a kill,

and then in the
back here-- go ahead

and zoom in-- you see that?

All these premolars are
used like serrated shears

to soar through the meat.

I can see the lion's
tongue in there.

It's incredibly
grippy like sandpaper.

They can actually
use that tongue

to lick meat away from bones.

They can lick fur off,
and believe it or not,

if a lion were to
lick your skin,

it would take the
skin right off.

Not exactly like
your house cats.

Wow.

Hi, buddy.

Let's see on this guy, gonna
take a look at his eye there.

Zoom in there.

See the pupils are
slightly dilated.

He's completely out right now.

See that?

Get a tight shot there.

Lions have incredible eyesight.

Not only during the
day, but also at night.

Look how big its head
is compared to you.

It's as big as your body.

Can you imagine
what it would be

like to get an
appendage of your body

or your head stuck in the
mouth of an animal like this?

And keep in mind, guys,
this is still a subadult.

They get bigger than this.

I'm guessing this lion
is probably somewhere

between 250 and 300 pounds.

They can tip the
scales well over 500.

OK, I'm going to just flip
this back up over its head

so that the sun stays
out of his eyes.

Oh, man, is your adrenaline
rushing as fast as mine is?

I'm just trying to
stay calm actually.

OK, we ready to
collect biometric data?

All right, let's do it.

Got to get the
measurements on this lion.

OK, we're going to go all
the way to the back side here.

OK.

So we've got 123 and 1/2.

OK.

54.

Paw measurements.

6.

And this is important
data for us to know.

Eight.

Exactly the size
of this lion's paws,

so if they're out there and
we're looking for tracks,

you know exactly
which lion this is.

See all these kind of
markings on the face.

And so over time, will help
you identify the individuals.

He's got quite a
striking one right here.

Yeah.

up.

I think he's [inaudible].

All right, guys,
what's really cool

is that this lion
doesn't actually

have a microchip in it, so we
are going to get to insert one

today and that will allow
us to keep a tight record

of this animal any
time that they then

tranquilize in the future
to be able to collect

its biometric data.

Wow.

Cool.

All right, so where do
you insert the microchip?

So the microchip is inserted
with a nice thick needle.

It's about the size
of a grain of rice.

I don't like needles.

I don't do very
well with needles.

So we insert it
right in the middle

between the shoulder blades.

So we just make a
little dent of the skin,

put it underneath the skin.

Just a little prick, right?

In it goes.

Boom, just like that.

Wow.

All right, guys, well it's time
to apply the reversal drug so

that this male wakes up and
heads back off into the wild,

but this certainly was epic.

Getting to explore here at
the Kariega Game Reserve,

tranquilizing four lions,
getting up close to collect

biometric data.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

All right, time to wake up.

Just give it in your
muscle, push the plunger,

back it up as soon
with the needle.

All right, guys,
lion's about to wake up.

Let's head back to the trucks.

Man.

That was amazing.

Oh.

That was cool.

That was cool.

All right, Coyote,
what's happening right now?

We have administered
the reversal drug,

and now we are just safely
back in the vehicle waiting

for the lions to wake up.

I've got a GoPro positioned
just in front of this female.

We've got zoom lenses
in on the male.

The ones up here
underneath the bush,

we're going to also
keep an eye on them.

In just a few minutes here,
they're going to pop back up

and disappear into
the underbrush.

This is it.

You can see the lions
are beginning to wake up.

This lioness right here in
front of us is starting to move.

It's been about 15 minutes.

That sounds about right.

Since the dawn of mankind,
we have feared that

which is capable of hunting us.

So much so that we
in turn chose to hunt

many of these natural predators
to the brink of extinction.

The lion is no exception.

Today our mindset
has changed and fear

has been replaced with
love and protection

for these incredible beasts.

Several hours after the vet
procedure had concluded,

we returned to the hilltop
and checked in on the pride.

Our hope is that they
would still be in the area,

allowing us to get
a final glimpse

of these beautiful cats.

Then suddenly, in what seemed
like a moment slowed in time,

the King of the
Savannah materialized

from the underbrush.

He stepped into the golden
glow of the setting sun

and moved with an
elegance that defined

him as the ruler of this land.

And as we watched, our cameras
all fighting to capture

the moments as they
played out before us,

it was not difficult to pull
my eye away from the viewfinder

so that I could appreciate all
of the beauty in this animal

with my own two eyes.

I know that I will never
forget my time spent

alongside that sleeping giant.

My fingers placed upon
its massive teeth.

The moment it woke back from
its slumber and the sight

as it strolled along through
the flowing grasses staking

claim as King of the Savannah.