All language subtitles for Big.Cats.24-7.S01E03.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

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Lights off.

Hang on.

We got another lion.

I think this is Madumo
and Big Toe. They've come in.

The Xudum Pride's
alpha male lions

are clashing with two
aggressive intruders...

They're on them.
They're on them.

in a battle
to save their whole family.

Aw, geez. This could be
a fight to the death.

Oh, my goodness.

Get around it.

They are in hot pursuit.

Big Toe and Madumo
have won.

Well, lost them
within 2 minutes.

But for how much
longer can they keep defending
their pride?

The Okavango
Delta in Botswana.

It's wilderness,
and it's pure.

And it's a stronghold
for Africa's big cats--

lion...

cheetah...

and leopard.

Here, a team of local
and international

wildlife filmmakers is working
together to record

the cats' lives
like never before.

They'll follow individual
big cats for 6 months.

So far, they've battled
wildfires...

It's getting wildly
out of control.

Camp could burn down.

and endured drought...

It's desperate times.
It's hostile, dry, and harsh.

to capture their
behavior...

Holy moly.

Lions are scattering.

24 hours a day.

Welcome to the
Okavango Delta.

It gets crazy.

Wildlife cameraman
Gordon

is searching for the
Xudum Pride males

after losing them
during the night.

There's absolutely no sign
of Big Toe and Madumo.

Yeah, I'm beginning to get
a little bit worried.

Hope that we
come across them.

Here we go.
Big tracks.

Two sets.

Look, look, look.
There.

They look absolutely
exhausted.

Big Toe
hasn't even raised his head.

It almost looks as if he's
no longer with us.

Is he OK?

OK.

These boys are looking
very, very tired.

They don't have the swagger
that they had before.

Last night, Big Toe
and Madumo fought off

two intruder male lions.

Right. Madumo is up.

Oh, look at this.

Very pronounced limp.

Aw, yeah.
One of our boys

was getting
properly roughed up,

and it must have been Madumo.

Look at how he's walking.

He's in real pain.

It just shows you that there
are other lions out here

that can match them
pound for pound.

As dominant pride
males, Madumo and Big Toe's

main role
is to protect their family.

If Madumo and Big Toe
lose their power,

that just changes everything
for the entire pride.

For the cubs, especially,
if new males came in,

they would kill them
without a shadow of a doubt.

Because the Xudum territory
is rich,

it's a lion paradise,

someone's gonna show up.

and gonna knock the crowns
clean off their head.

And those days may be upon us.

With Madumo
and Big Toe injured...

the threat of intruder male
lions hangs over the pride.

At particular risk are these
inexperienced youngsters.

These two
are absolute clowns.

Colin and Nkgonne
are 2-year-old subadult males.

Colin, that's a wobbly tree.

Nkgonne's joining.

That doesn't look like
a good idea.

These teenagers are
physically bigger than the cubs,

but they're not behaving
like adults yet.

Oh, it's a pose.
His belly is

resting on the trunk.

He looks so uncomfortable.

I can hear the entire male
population going, "Ooh..."

You can definitely see a lot
of Colin's character.

He's always a bit more
outlandish than his brother

Nkgonne.

What is your next move?

Think very carefully
about this one.

Oh!

He's falling.
He's falling.

It is utterly hilarious
to think that these two

are supposed to
be nearly independent.

And yet here they are, running
around like two big cubs.

Colin and Nkgonne
are at a critical stage

in their lives.

The team is following them
to see how things play out.

The "Big Cats" film crew
is covering 150 square miles

of the Okavango Delta.

After devastating wildfires
and now months without rain,

the land is bone dry,

but this arid landscape
has a lifeline.

The Delta
breathes fire,

that pulse of floodwater
that comes in and out,

with sort of wet and dry cycles.

We're desperately waiting for
that next push of water.

The annual flood
is yet to arrive,

but this time of year

is a good opportunity
for leopards to breed.

Xudum is the resident
female leopard.

At 5 years old, she's
ready to have cubs.

She's been eating
well, but she's becoming quite

a stocky leopard, really
filling it up like

an adult female,
which is quite nice.

She's coming on as a cat.

It's a beautiful thing to see.

I just want her to have cubs.

Xudum has recently
mastered hunting from trees.

Brad and Tristen are with her
in one of her favorite spots.

Like clockwork.

She's just got up another
ebony tree,

positioning herself
for potential ambush.

It's a whole big herd
of impala just to our south.

Wait one second.
She's just sat up.

She's twitching.

And there she goes.

And she's jumped.

OK.

Yeah, bro, she's just
jumped out of a tree.

She's got one.

Last time she made a kill,
she sat with it for a long time

before she started to eat.

This time, it looks like
she's not wasting any time

to get stuck in.

Mating season
is physically demanding

on female leopards.

I think it's gonna be
a stressful time for Xudum.

She's got her work
cut out for her.

So, Xudum is
ensuring she keeps her meal.

Leopards are solitary
and quite small,

so they rank quite low when it

comes to losing the
kills to other predators.

Good girl.

She's done well.

She's pushed it up into
the fork of a tree.

The challenge
for Xudum now

is finding the right mate.

At camp,
Gordon is teaming up

with lion specialist
Dr. Robynne Kotze

from Oxford University.

Um, so that point over there,
that's got his

GPS collar number.

Robynne has known
the Xudum Pride

for more than a decade...

So, if we open that, that gives
us his latest location.

and has fitted Colin
with a satellite collar.

Let's go...

Dominant pride males
Big Toe and Madumo

haven't been seen for days.

With intruder males
still around...

Here they are.
Success.

teenagers
Colin and Nkgonne

are particularly
vulnerable.

So, you
collared him how long ago?

Oh, about a year.

We had to fit his
collar with space

so that he could grow.

Obviously, he's still
a growing boy,

but we also don't
want to fit it

too loosely that he can
pull it over his head.

We kind of try
and monitor them from
about 2 years old,

expecting that at
any point, if the
big males decide

they're out, that
they're gonna leave.

Why would they not want
to keep another male
in the pride?

At this age, these males
will be quite useful

in terms of hunting,
but now the females

will start mating
again, and obviously

the next litter of
cubs will come in.

And when that happens,
they don't really want these

boys around because they're
competition for food.

But presumably if Colin had
his own way, he'd just stay
exactly where he was.

Oh, yeah.
Male lions, they--

they for sure
choose the path
of least resistance.

And so it's really easy for
him to kind of hang around,

let the mums do
all the work and still

be able to have
good meals.

At 2 years old,

male lions are often
pushed out of the family

to find a pride of their own.

She's not too happy
with him being around,

and this is kind of
what happens now when
he's this age,

is even the adult
lionesses will
start showing

a little bit of
discomfort.

Until they reach their
prime--5, 6 years old--

they've basically got
to stay out of the way
from not only

their dads but also big
males from other prides.

There's a high likelihood
that if they clash

they could get killed.

To see how the females
behave towards Colin

and Nkgonne at night,

Gordon is rigging
the thermal camera.

Is there somebody
out there?

Something, yeah.

Oh, it's a female.

Is that the cubs
coming in?

Oh, my God.
That's great!

Look at them!
Amazing.

How many?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5...6.

And the big, big fella.Yeah.

That's great.That's beautiful.

The cubs are sticking
close to their mums for safety,

but the females are on edge.

Oh, it's not a
very warm welcome.
No.

No. These cubs are
going to approach.

Yeah.
They're actually
walking this way.

They are.

Right. What's gonna
happen here?

Has anyone seen the
cubs interacting with

Colin and Nkgonne before?

I haven't.

It seems like they're
trying to introduce them.

Oh! That--

Oh, that's not good.
That is not good.

Maybe they're just
kind of saying,

"The babies are here.
You guys better behave."

"Be careful. Be on your
best behavior."
Yeah.

Where's he gone?

Well, he slipped off.

Yeah, he's a bit unsure.

Colin's just
over here. My left.

He's keeping
a low profile.

He's making, like,
small vocalizations.

I've never
actually witnessed
this interaction,

this really awkward stage.

So this is kind of
typical now
of what will happen

is they keep getting
pushed to the periphery.

Colin is in a very
submissive position.

Can you see him there?
He's like, head down,
non-threatening.

"I'm not even--
I'm not even aware
of you being there."

As the females become
more aggressive

towards Colin and Nkgonne,

their time within this pride
seems to be running out.

Right. I think we can
leave them. Night, boys.

While searching for
Xudum, the female leopard...

Hello, boy.
What a nice surprise.

Brad has found a male
in her territory.

Oh, I suspect that
this is Mosweu.

"Mosweu" means pale-colored,

and you can see
from his pelt,

he's much lighter than
most of the males

that we see
around the area.

No one has seen him for months,
so it's like he knows

Xudum's in season
and he's come home
to do the deed.

We know he's
an aggressive guy.

He's quite aggressive
around the females.

He's a fighter.

As the dominant male here,

Mosweu is an ideal breeding
partner for Xudum,

but he will kill any cubs
he finds that are not his own.

Mosweu, the brute.

We've just got a call
on the radio

of a dead elephant bull,

so we're just going to go
and try to investigate this.

The bull elephant died
at least 3 days ago.

He's a male in good shape.

It could have been
a territorial fight here.

This will provide plenty
of food for our cats

if they do find it.

It could easily feed
the entire pride,

which could be good for them
in these times of drought.

The carcass might
also attract

the intruder male lions.

Vianet and Anna are setting
up the thermal cameras

to see what unfolds.

Dimitriadis, whispering:
There's a hyena.

Definitely making
its presence known.

This technology
reveals some sights...

Oh!

that are better
left in the dark.

Ha!

That is most
disgusting thing I have seen.

There are now 5 hyena here,
and so I don't think there's

any chance another predator's
gonna give it a go.

I think the only thing that's
gonna change

the dynamics here is
if the Xudum Pride

turn up in force.

I can hear one
of the hyenas vocalizing.

They're facing
the opposite direction

to the actual carcass.

Something must
be going on now.

Two male lions.

Ooh!

I think that might be--yeah.

That's Colin
and his brother Nkgonne.

This is so interesting.

This is so exciting.

Hyenas calling.

Oh, powerful.

One hyena is no match
for Colin and Nkgonne,

but numbers can level
the playing field.

3 hyenas,
4 chasing them away.

I don't know where to focus.

Coming closer.

God, what are you
doing this for?

They stood their ground.

Oh, my God!

The big male chased them.

After claiming the carcass,

Colin and Nkgonne are joined
by some of the pride females.

It started to get quite busy.

Ooh!

Nkgonne just went
and really sweetly rubbed

his forehead on Colin.

Recently, they've had quite
a lot of friction

with the lionesses in the pride.

It looks like they've done
a really good job at shifting

these hyenas off the carcass,

so I think they've
clearly still got

a place in the pride,

and they're both now just
having a snooze together.

They really are
the best of brothers.

At dawn,
Colin and Nkgonne are still

with the females at the carcass.

Gordon is keeping
an eye on them.

Everyone's in a very
playful mood this morning.

This is an interesting
situation...

because although
Colin and Nkgonne

have got the clear message that
they're not wanted

around the rest of the pride,

with this elephant carcass,
it's brought

all of these lions together.

It seems that the females
have definitely shifted

their attitude
towards these two boys.

It might be an inconvenience
at times,

but in this scenario,

it's good to have
Colin and Nkgonne around.

The elephant carcass
has brought the pride together,

but there's still no sign
of Big Toe or Madumo...

and now cameraman Sets
has picked up

the intruder males,
who are on patrol.

Less than 100 meters away

are Colin and Nkgonne
and one pride female.

Incoming
two intruders.

Sets is with them,
and there could be an encounter

with Colin and Nkgonne.

They seem to be up and moving
towards where Gordon has

Colin and Nkgonne
and the other female.

We might have a conflict
because the intruder males

don't belong here.

So the female has started
calling.

The lioness is
contact calling,

trying to find the rest
of the Xudum Pride.

She's risking alerting
the intruder males

to her exact location.

They will hear that call,

the call of a female,
and they may well

come this way,
not knowing that this female

is backed up by two males,
Colin and Nkgonne.

She's just picked up
the volume of that call.

They seem to be trotting.

Something seems to be brewing.

An interaction is imminent.

So if you can see
my vehicle,

I'm sitting with the female.

She's up on a termite mound.

The males are coming straight
towards her.

Colin and Nkgonne,
they're behind me.

The intruder males are
within 50 meters

of the female and probably,
like, 70 meters

from Colin and Nkgonne.

The intruder's
seen the female,

but he's ignoring her.

I think he's recognized
that there's

a bigger lion behind her.

Oh, my goodness me.
These intruders

are walking straight
into trouble.

What on earth is going
to happen?

Colin and Nkgonne
are behind me.

Colin and Nkgonne
might look imposing,

but they're only half the weight
of an adult male lion.

Nkgonne's moving.

Right. This is gonna come
to something.

Two Xudum boys
against two intruders.

OK. Heads are up.

What's happening?

So are they pulling
out, man?

The trouble is at your back.

What are you doing?

Colin and Nkgonne
are moving out.

They're pulling out.

Intruders are over here.
They're moving in.

This is an aggressive
approach,

and Colin and Nkgonne
have bottled it.

One of
the intruder males is chasing

Colin and Nkgonne away.

This is the territory
that Colin and Nkgonne

are not prepared to fight for,

at least not
with these two guys.

Intruders chasing them out,
and they're going.

Off they go off
into the distance.

My word.
Who'd have thought it?

Just with the last
of the light,

I'm seeing that this female
is not giving

the intruder a warm welcome.

I think Colin and Nkgonne,
as soon as they got their eyes

on these guys
and saw how big they were,

they weren't taking any chances.

In the morning,

Vianet and Rea are looking
for Big Toe and Madumo...

Can't see anything.

but there's still no sign,

and with Colin and Nkgonne
now also gone,

they're checking in on
the pride's mums and cubs.

They've been looking
behind continuously.

We've had intruder males
coming into the territory

of our cats,
and if these intruders

were to find these cubs,
they would kill all of them.

Count actually
1, 2, 3, 4 cubs

and 5 slightly hidden.

It's really strange.

Um, can't see 6,

but let's see what
Rea might say.

I could only count
5 cubs.

How many did you count
today, this morning?

I'm not so sure.

I saw this one
suckling over there.

Yeah, I'm seeing 5.

It's not
a very good sign.

There is a possibility
this could be the work

of some of
the intruder males
we've been having.

I mean, the worst case
is he could be dead.

We really want that not to
be the reality here.

It would be a hard thing
for them to lose one cub, huh,

to lose one member
of pride.

Lion cub mortality
is naturally high,

with 8 out of 10 lost
in their first 2 years.

One of the biggest dangers is
adult male lions

from outside the pride.

Vianet to the team.

This could be, um,
the worst news to, uh--

to--to--to break to everybody.

There's only 5 cubs
that I can see.

I'm not sure whether--
whether we lost one,

but, um, it looks like it.

Over.

Yeah. Roger that, Vianet

Yeah. Sorry to hear that.

I think it's always wise
to kind of just if you can take

a step back sort of emotionally
from any wild animal,

but particularly when
it comes to young cubs,

but it's--obviously, you spend
days watching these animals

and watching them grow.

You can't not have hopes
and aspirations

for their futures as you would
with any, you know, youngster,

so yeah, it's--it is sad...

but it does--
it does happen.

Greg has found Xudum
the leopard further north

than he's ever seen her before.

She's scent marking,

letting male leopards
know she's ready to mate.

This is an interesting
area that Xudum's in

because she's right on the edge
of her northern boundary.

Xudum is crossing
into disputed territory.

Her main rival
is a female called Bonzo.

She's on a little bit
of a mission,

doing a bit of a patrol.

What's really interesting
is Bonzo's not far from us,

just in the tree line above us.

Hmm. It's a bit close.

What's Xudum doing?
She's just stopped,

and she's staring
into a bush, watching.

She's running now.

Oh, wait, wait.

Oh, no! Oh, my word!

Oh, it looks like Bonzo.

Xudum's off.
She's just jumped into a tree.

Ohh!

Bonzo's following.

Xudum is so scared.

She's planted herself right up
at the top of this tree

and Bonzo's holding--
holding the middle.

I don't know. I hope--if Bonzo
goes further up here,

Xudum's gonna be in trouble.

She's coming down.

What? They're close,
they're close.

They're getting close!

Oh, my gosh They just jumped
down...

both of them.

They're kind of doing
a parallel run,

which is a classic
leopard behavior.

They're arching their shoulders
and their neck

and trying to look big
and intimidating,

and it's the step just
before physical contact.

Xudum definitely wants
to avoid getting

into an altercation with Bonzo
because Bonzo's so much bigger.

Bonzo is, like,
frothing from the mouth.

She's pushing Xudum
little bit further down south.

Xudum's not hanging about.

Xudum is heading back
towards her own territory

and safety.

What a wild situation.

That was intense.

Xudum is lucky not
to have been hurt.

Her search for a mate continues.

There were reports that
the annual flood

is finally on its way...

so Anna and Greg are driving
north to check on its progress.

Xudum Island
would normally look

completely different
at this time of year.

It would be surrounded
by floodwater,

but the flood is
really, really late.

It has been a long journey.

I think we've been going for
about an hour and a half now.

Hey, Greg. I'm starting
to notice

huge numbers
of game around.

Is that a sign that we
might be close to the flood?

It's the same.

It's quite extraordinary,
isn't it?

There's so many more
animals in this area.

We must be very
close to the edge.

I think I can also hear
fish eagles.

and fish eagles are
a good sign

that you're near water,
so...

Yeah. Think we're close.

Whoa. OK.

I don't think
this is a mirage.

This is actually water.

That is beautiful.

I never knew it would feel
so good to see water.

At the driest time of year,

this landscape is transformed.

Rainwater from mountains
hundreds of miles away

is flowing down
the Okavango River,

surging out
across the dry land.

What starts as a trickle
swells to a flood...

creating one of the largest

inland river deltas
in the world.

I really, really hope
this reaches camp

because I'm elated
to see the water,

so I can't even imagine how
all the big cats are gonna feel

when they finally
set eyes on that.

We made it!

What a spectacle, eh?

It is absolutely
stunning.

It's gonna transform
the whole place.

It's a river
that just empties
into the desert

at the driest time
of the year,

so it's, like,
perfect timing.

I mean, it couldn't
be better really

for the life here.

It takes this water
two months to fan out

across the delta.

Beneath us is literally
just ancient Kalahari sand.

The flood brings
new challenges for all

of the big cats.

Xudum the leopard is
gonna have a big shift

because the flood plains are
now unavailable to leopards,

so there will be
a lot more competition

for the remaining
dry land areas.

Pobe the cheetah how she's
gonna move will also change.

The lions, I suspect,
won't have to adapt
and shift as much.

Strange how it's
beneficial for some cats

and complete disadvantage
for others.

That's gonna be really
fascinating to see that

play out in front of us.

Rea is also checking out
the progress of the flood

and has found one
of the Okavango Delta's

most elusive big cats.

We've got a cheetah
just over here.

Not sure yet who, though.

It's Neelo, Pobe's daughter.

We've not seen her
for over a year.

How cool is that?

She's actually back
in the area

that she grew up in.

Neelo is two years old,

the only cub of resident
female cheetah Pobe.

Now mature, Neelo lives
separately from her mother.

That's fantastic.

She's still here.
She's still alive.

She's with us,
and she's come back home.

She's looking super keen, hey,

and pretty motivated,
is nonstop.

She's just looking around,
scoping out,

seeing what's in the area.

A couple of impala
in the distance.

I actually think she's
gonna go for it.

She started. She's--ohh--

just going right
through the water there,

splashing all around.

Bit of a tussle.

I think she's gonna
get it done.

It's--oh, man.

You can just see how strong
she is to do this.

She's got it down.
She's got the impala down.

This is her kill!

Loads of vultures
just incoming here.

It's crazy how fast
that they react,

that they've seen it,

and they're coming up
to the kill.

The vultures pose
little threat.

The problem is who they alert.

A lion coming in there. Oh!

It's Colin, it's Colin.

I can see the collar there.
It's Colin. He's coming.

Damn! There's
another one there.

It's Colin and Nkgonne.

They're headed straight
to Neelo.

Who cares about crocs?

There's food on the other side.

Cheetahs are
no match for Lions.

We're not sure
where Neelo's gone.

I actually didn't even see
her run off,

but I don't think she's gonna
stay close knowing

that these big lions are
in the area.

Huh! They're having a little
bit of a tussle there now.

Swinging the impala around.

They're social cats
until food is involved.

Then it's every
man for himself.

Colin and Nkgonne's
survival outside the pride

isn't guaranteed,
but sticking together

gives them both a better chance.

Mating leopards overnight is

exactly the news Brad
has been waiting for.

Trist, Brad.

Brad.

I've got male
and female tracks.

The trail leads
into wild sagebrush,

a perfect hiding place
for mating leopards.

My hope is that it's Xudum.

Neither of us have
got a visual yet.

It's really, really thick
here really.

We don't want to push
them too hard.

That was mating.

They're just moving slowly
and slowly away from us.

It's right in the heart
of Xudum's territory,

so I'm almost certain it is her.

If Brad is right,
it's important that Xudum

is meeting with Mosweu,
the dominant male here.

The mating process
has to happen repeatedly

before she can conceive.

They'll mate hundreds of times,

normally every 30 minutes,
every 45 minutes

for several days at a time.

Before the leopards
can be identified...

3 lionesses from the pride
interrupt the mating pair.

What the hell?

They likely heard
the leopards mating.

Chaos. Chaos, chaos, chaos.

All I wanted to find was
leopards mating.

Just shows you never know
what to expect out here.

One of the lions targets

a particular patch
of wild sage...

She's pretty
determined,

right where Brad
has spotted

Xudum and her mate.

Uh, Trist, Trist.

The leopards are mating right
on the edge of the sage,

um, and we've got
a lioness going into it.

You have company coming.

Leopards are
typically wary of lions...

but Xudum has let
her guard down.

This lioness heard
these leopards mating

and is now zoning in on them.

It rains, it pours.

Then things
escalate even further.

Uh, Trist.
We are in 3 leopards here,

so we've got 3 leopards here.

There's another male leopard
following these two

that are mating.

It's Mosweu.

Male leopard's
got his nose to the ground,

trying to pick up the scent
of the mating pair.

Xudum is with
another male on Mosweu's turf,

but before he can do anything
about it...

This lioness is
just sneaking in a little.

She's gonna chase him.

Mosweu is driven off
by the lioness

while Xudum and her mate
disappear.

Got a mating pair,
Xudum and a male finally.

We've got another male leopard
coming in, chasing those two,

and a lioness comes in
and chases the male

that's chasing the mating pair.

I mean, it's just
unbelievable.

Xudum doesn't do anything
half measures.

I mean, talk about--

talk about a complicated
first romance.

Let's, um, keep an eye
on the trees

because Xudum, that'll be
her default, I think.

There she is. There's Xudum
up a tree as predicted.

Oh, what a morning.

With no
sign of either male leopard,

the pairing is over.

This male
wasn't that scared, eh?

I had a look at him.
I got a shot of him.

He looked like Mosweu.

Me, too.
I also thought that.

She's got that "What just
happened?" expression

I think she--I mean,
she can't believe this.

Leopard pregnancies
last just over 3 months,

so the team will have to wait
to find out

if Xudum will be a mum.

All I want is her to
mate properly and have cubs.

Heh. But what a morning.

One of the most insane mornings
I've had in years.

Dominant pride males
Big Toe and Madumo

are still missing.

And now Rea has spotted
male intruders

in the heart
of their territory.

They're looking.
Looking.

They really look like baddies.

They could be making
a move to take over the pride.

I don't know
what's caught their attention,

but I think they're
gonna be hyper alert,

hyper aware,
being inside this territory.

Something. They've seen
something off to the north.

Um, Vianet,
I can see cubs.

The males.

Lioness with cubs.

Guys, um, something's
gonna kick off here,

and this is something I
really don't want to witness.

We've got all
of the Xudum cubs here.

This could be
a complete disaster.

Seemingly,
some of the cubs seem

oblivious to the danger.

I can see them playing
behind the females.

The future of this
pride is in those tiny cubs.

In the mind of a male is
if you kill cubs,

it brings a mother into estrus,
and you can mate with her.

It's a simple
but brutal process,

and it is just part
of lion behavior.

They don't want to become
friends with these females.

They want to get rid of any
trace of Big Toe and Madumo.

But the pride females
are not backing down.

You know what?

One part of me is saying
those 4 females,

they're not to mess
about with.

They're not young females.

They're very experienced,
very disciplined,

and very powerful.

OK. One of them's up
on his feet.

He's got that kind
of arrogant posture.

They were able to intimidate
Colin and Nkgonne,

but I think it's gonna be
a very different story

with these females.

They've got so much,
too much to lose.

OK. He's moving in.

His coalition partner
is over there.

Where the hell are
Madumo and Big Toe?

She's baring her teeth.

Ah, I've never seen this before.

Baring her teeth
facing towards those guys.

I think they can
see each other.

This is bloody intense.

Hell hath no fury like
a lioness protecting her cubs.

In my time as a wildlife
filmmaker,

I've never witnessed this level
of threat to the cubs before.

Hours pass,
and the standoff continues.

I'm gonna switch
to the nighttime camera

just in case things
kick off after dark.

We can see much clearer
with this camera.

So we've got the two males
in the foreground,

and I can see females and cubs
on the termite mound.

He's moving out.

This is encouraging.

The pride's mothers
have kept the intruders

at bay...for now.

This could be
the best-case scenario

is that these boys
just move along.

The females are just too big
a challenge,

too much risk for them,

but I have thought that maybe
Big Toe and Madumo

are losing their grip.

I think this is a sort
of a clear sign

that if they don't get
their house in order

they are gonna lose--

they're gonna lose their cubs.

The team lost
the mothers and cubs

during the night.

At first light,
they're out in force

trying to track them down.

I'm south of Port Station,

but I can't seem to
find anything at the moment.

Rea and Sets
have found signs

the intruder male lions
are back yet again.

I have lion tracks.

With no trace
of the females and cubs,

concern is growing.

Rea, Rea,
just to double-check.

Have you found
intruder tracks?

That is
a confirmed, Gordon,

just west of the baobab.

Radio comms are quite broken,

but I think Madumo and Big Toe
have been located.

After 10 days away,
the dominant pride males

Big Toe and Madumo are back.

They've shown up
at a really important time

because the threat from
intruding males is something

that never goes away.

Right on cue,
intruders are spotted nearby.

One of the intruders
right here.

It's all kicking off.

Madumo just spotted one
of the intruders,

and we could be in
for a showdown.

Have you got visual of him?

Geez. He's bombing.
He is bombing.

There are tracks
on both sides of the road.

Now in this instance, Madumo
is going to chase the intruder

for quite a number
of kilometers.

You know, this
situation has been brought about

by the fire, by the flood,
by the size of this pride,

by the size of the territory,

the number of lions that want
to move in here.

It's got to that point
that it's absolute chaos.

It's a war zone.

Madumo is chasing
one intruder north.

Big Toe is
challenging the other.

That's Big Toe
roaring like a...

like a king.

He's calling a hell of a lot.

It seems like he wants
Madumo to come with him,

to teach this
young male a lesson,

but Madumo has got
his own things to deal with.

It's powerful.

It's basically
a message to the intruder

"I will kill you."

Madumo
is already two miles away

and not giving up

We've got this
intruder just running past

and Madumo behind.

Is he gonna pick up the pace?
I think he is.

He's started to run again.

Unless this intruder
is completely insane,

he better keep running.

Madumo chases
the intruder almost 8 miles

before finally letting him go.

The intruder males
are very aware

that they are out of
their depths here,

and they're not ready
to do a pride takeover.

Keep going, pal.

Keep on walking.

They realize--heh heh--
that the Xudum Pride males

are not to be messed with
at all.

They must be knackered.

That right there is
the look of defeat.

Madumo's not managing
to pick up the scent.

He's headed back.

Dominant pride males
Big Toe and Madumo have won

this battle
and protected their family.

As Gordon and the team
follow them back...

almost the whole pride
comes to greet them.

Oh, wow.

Ha ha ha!

How many individuals
can you see?

15 maybe.

15? That's more
than I have seen so far.

Yeah.
What an incredible thing

to see, eh, all of these
lions together in one spot.

It's the first time
in so long.

The pride
may have lost one cub,

but the others are
all alive and well.

Every single cub
counts, but equally,

they often don't make it
for their first year.

Yeah, I'm so chuffed now.
I'm really chuffed.

I know for sure that
the cubs are safe.

Let's just, yeah, enjoy this
while we can.