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I am super excited.

I'm just trying to find
Matho, who's got cubs.

I can see 3 heads,
3 little cubbies.

There's new life in
the Xudum lion pride.

Mathata and the older
cubs. They're playing too rough.

But for these cubs
to survive...

One of Matho's cubs
is going to get hurt...

worse...killed.

They'll need the
protection of the whole pride.

The Okavango Delta in
Botswana.

The Okavango Delta
just--it's a perfect place.

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...

Ah!

That is beautiful.

in a world
that's transformed.

Uh-oh, they're in the water.

They're capturing
the cats' behavior...

Whoa!

They're running
straight towards her.

24 hours a day.

Welcome to the Okavango Delta.

It gets crazy.

Lion cubs are something else.

Vianet is with
new mum Matho and her cubs.

Even if you are the
most complex person

on this planet,

just seeing those cubs, that
changes completely everything.

The Xudum pride is
now more than 30 strong.

This is unbelievable.

They just look no different
to our domestic cat

at this very stage.

Ah, beautiful!

Lionesses give birth
away from the pride

to keep their newborns safe.

This lady here,
that's Matho.

Matho is one of the
older females in the pride.

She was spotted by the team
earlier this year with a cub,

but that was the
only sighting.

So we presume he died.

Djenguet The good news is,
Matho has given it another go,

and this time she's got
3 of them.

Under 3 months old,

this is a critical time
in the cubs' lives.

A life of a lion cub,
it's unbelievably fragile.

Only 1 in 5 will make
it to adulthood.

Lionesses usually
raise their cubs together

in a nursery group
known as a creche.

And they
are so vulnerable,

so vulnerable at
this point

because they rely so much
on their mother and also

vulnerable to any predator.

Creching increases
cubs' survival by over 25%,

but Matho's litter is much
younger than the other cubs

in the pride.

This sort of creching
dynamic would be really

difficult for her.

She's completely out of sync
with other females and their

cubs, who are so much
bigger than her cubs.

And it can be easily injured
if not killed,

by their own friends
and family members.

It's gonna be tough for
her and for the cubs.

The "Big Cats" team is
covering 150 square miles

of the Okavango Delta.

The annual flood is drying up,
and it's growing hotter

by the day.

All right, let's go.

The team is living
alongside Africa's wildlife.

It's gonna be
a clash .

You just want to be
slow and not cause

too much excitement.

But two 5-ton
bull elephants could easily

flip a vehicle.

Oh, look. On the left.
Watch out!

Danger averted.

Brad is searching for
his favorite big cat.

Yeah, I got a visual.

Copy that.

Xudum
the leopard is pregnant

and her cubs are due
any day.

Such a clever cat.

How can you not get attached
to such a beautiful animal

with such personality?

She's looking skinnier.

We haven't seen Xudum eat
in at least 5, 6 days.

She's running out of
time to catch a meal

before she gives birth.

This is proving tough
at the moment.

She's hungry.

She is actively hunting.

She's obviously
seen something.

She's not having to
be quite creative.

Leopards are
ambush predators.

Their greatest
skill is stealth.

She's using this bull elephant

to disguise a sound
and her movement.

Just shows you how
forward-thinking

and decisive they are.

Quite exceptional kit.

It's more than
100 degrees

in the scorching
midday sun.

There's no cover.

It's just stinking hot.

Just really shows
how desperate she is.

I mean,
this is--this is by no means,

you know, normal behavior.

She's got an incredible
ability to run and stop.

Trying desperately to
catch this buck.

Come on, Xudum.

Just frozen.

Leg motion,
one foot off the ground.

She's got to do it.

This is make-or-break
for her at this point.

Please, please, my girl.

Have you got it?

Oh, my God.

It was all up to you,
and you were unlucky.

Shame. Shame, shame, shame.

At Matho's den,

Rea is following
the new family.

It's not such a easy
job for a lioness,

raising some cubs.

With
no creche to help her,

she must do everything
for her cubs alone.

She's got to keep
coming back to the cubs,

letting them
suckle for milk.

And at the same time,
your usual job

of hunting continues.

Without other
lionesses to babysit,

Matho leaves the cubs
unattended to find food.

It's one of
the most critical periods

in cubs' life now.

Matho has not introduced them
to the pride, so she doesn't

have that extra protection
from the other pride members.

And when she's not present,
they have to fend

for themselves.

Matho has kept her
cubs well-hidden until now.

But the other pride mothers
and their cubs

have just found her den.

We've got Nosi,
Magogo, and Mmakgosi incoming,

along with Big Boy Mathata

and the rest of the Cubs here.

At 8 months old,
Mathata is

much bigger than Matho's cubs.

It's not ideal for
Matho's cubs, actually.

They're not even half
the size of Mathata.

You can just see how interested
all the cubs are right now.

It's potentially their first
time that they've ever seen

their new cousins here.

They keep tapping them on their
heads, on the body,

looking for a reaction.

They don't realize how small
and tender these new cubs are.

Mathata doesn't know
his own strength.

Man.
I hope it gets away.

This is potentially
dangerous.

Mathata and the older cubs,
they're playing too rough.

One of Matho's cubs is going to
get hurt...or worse, killed.

Mathata doesn't even
realize what he's doing.

Mmakgosi, Magogo, Nosi,
they're doing nothing.

Not sure if they fully realize
what's happening, how violent

this play has turned into.

Hope the cub
manages to get away.

He's crawling back up.

Oh...they're not strong enough.

They can't get
away fast enough.

Matho is returning
to the den.

Mum to the rescue
here.

The other pride
mothers decide to leave.

Matho's cubs
seem to be all right.

I mean, at the end of all of
that trauma

uh, at least Matho's
cubs get to live another day.

Matho's cubs are still
too small to be kept

in this creche.

She must continue to raise them
single-handed...for now.

So, it just shows how
hard it is for Matho or any

other lioness, if you have to
raise your cubs alone.

Xudum the leopard
is hunting again.

Yeah. She's starting
to move quite quickly.

I'm just gonna go around
so we don't lose her.

Cool. Copy.
I'm on my way.

It's becoming very,
very critical that she makes

a kill and actually
gets a feed.

Right.
Xudum's going up.

It's a very good
hunting opportunity

for Xudum right now.

We've got the impala walking
through these thick bushes.

I see one female
who's close there now.

A jump
is always dangerous,

but now that she's pregnant,
it's even riskier.

She could get hurt,
but she can't afford

to go hungry
any longer.

OK. Xudum's moving
now into position.

She jumped!

She's got one!
She's got an impala.

Xudum has
made the kill.

This is gonna be
so good for her.

She hasn't had a
proper meal in so long.

This means she can den,
she can relax for a bit,

and she doesn't have
to stress.

Oh, yes, girl.

But Xudum's hunt
hasn't gone unnoticed.

And less than 100 yards away,

Gordon is with
the hungry lion mothers.

Lions are coming.
Lions are coming.

What the heck?

Xudum has just caught
an impala under the tree

and the lions have heard it
and they are bombing their way.

This is--this is gonna be
very interesting.

This is an amazing win
for these mums--

Nosi, Mmakgosi, Magogo--

but it is quite
unfortunate for poor Xudum.

You can just see the
pain on her face.

This was such
a big kill for her.

Oh! My heart is gone.

It's bittersweet.
It's a hard moment to take.

I really feel for
our newest mum-to-be Xudum.

This is just gonna
make her life

so much more difficult.

This is really,
really gut-wrenching.

With so many
lions in the area...

Anna and Greg are devising a
new strategy for finding

the Okavango's
most elusive big cat.

We are heading out
on a cheetah search further west

than we've ever been before.

We are right on the
western edge of the Delta.

Just beyond that treeline,
there's nothing but sand--

hundreds of miles.

It's exactly the kind of area
the cheetahs love to hunt.

Yeah, it certainly does
scream "cheetah," this area.

This place is beautiful.

It's completely different.

It's so green, and there is
so much cheetah food about.

We've got zebras, tsessebes,
wildebeests, lechwes, baboons.

It's just chockablock packed.

But after 4 hours of
searching...

Whoa. Ah!

all the team
finds is more lions.

4 lions that I can see
so far.

The Okavango Delta is
home to nearly 700 lions.

The team has run into
an entirely new pride.

We know that
cheetah do not

hang around lions,
so this is not good news.

We're gonna have to move
basically as far away from

these lions as we can
and, uh, yeah,

start our search again.

Matho's cubs are
growing in confidence

and becoming more active.

One is already exploring.

It's now harder to
leave them alone,

as they could wander off.

It might seem like
a great thing

to have so many cubs, but it
creates a lot of pressure.

Matho is a strong and
experienced female,

but I think she's struggling to
keep up with the demand

of supplying milk and
finding a meal for herself.

It must be hard to
be a solo mom,

having to hunt and
provide all by herself.

Matthew
must find food.

So this time, she's
taking the cubs with her.

I haven't seen them
moving this way.

It's gonna be a
big mission for her.

Anything at all could
predate on tiny little lions.

But Matho seems really tired.

She's hungry, but she's
doing her best for her cubs.

It's becoming more
vital than ever

that she finds other
lionesses to help her.

After covering
more than 60 miles...

Wow...

Anna's new approach
looks to have finally paid off.

I can see some ears,

and I don't want to
speak too soon,

but I think it's a cheetah.

Yes, it is.
It's a cheetah.

Oh! There's a second one.
What?

There's a second cheetah.

I can see a third. 3!

I think there are
actually 4.

This is so confusing.

The only thing I can think is
that this is possibly Lesego.

I remember Brad mentioning
this female that's got 3 cubs.

But what's throwing me off is
that they're so big.

They must be...18 months old.

And that is around the time
when they start

to disperse and leave.

It's absolutely incredible
that Lesego has managed to

bring up 3 cubs to adulthood,

when you consider that
only 1 in 10 survive.

And that's mainly because the
mom, being the single parent

that she is, has to go out
and hunt for them.

And that means leaving the
cubs behind at a den, opening

them up to the risk of being
killed by other predators.

Just exceptional work from her.
I can't believe it.

Really can't believe it.

They're moving.

And now I can see quite clearly
that there are two boys here,

and I think--
yeah, the other one's a girl.

Oh! Seeing them move together,
they're like a solid unit.

They're almost moving as one.

You know, I just really
can't get over

how incredibly adaptable
cheetah are.

We've had a huge fire sweep
through Xudum Island

and take out almost
half the vegetation.

And then we had that
incredible flood that's come in

and it's created
mad swamplands.

Just seeing this family in
front of me demonstrates how

no matter what the Delta
throws at these cheetahs,

they will always find a way.

She's down in the
confluence.

OK. That's what
.

After losing
her kill to the lions...

This is a better
place for her,

be kind of out of the line...
central area.

Xudum is leading
Brad to an area he suspects

is her den.

She's very skinny.

So there's a chance
that she's, uh,

she's already had her cubs.

That is a cub.

That's confirmation.

OK, my boy.

Now we have cubs making
noises,

so there's confirmation
they are in here.

Oh, I don't even
have words for that.

That's--oh, she needs
to get some food now.

Following her for
almost 5 years now,

and this is the second litter.

We saw her lose the first.

And this is an opportunity
for her to become

a successful mother.

I mean,
that's all that these cats

ever want to be.

Hoping to glimpse
inside the den,

Brad is deploying
the thermal camera.

It's a really big
fig tree that's hollow.

Hold on.
She's going right inside.

Ooh, there's a cub,
there's a cub.

Two cubs.

We got two little cubs.

Oh, my God. This is
unbelievable.

It is so beautiful.
I'm so relieved.

Dude, you have no idea.

This, to me,
is completely new.

This is--
This is insane.

Leopards keep their
cubs concealed at birth.

These cubs are 4 days old...
not even.

They've rarely ever
been filmed this young.

These are incredibly private,
unique little moments.

I've spent most of my adult
life with leopards, and I've

never seen this kind
of activity in the den before.

It's just--
it's extraordinary to see.

Yeah. I've been waiting almost
2 years for this

since she lost her last one.

Xudum, you are a legend,
my girl.

You've done so well.

The cubs' eyes are
still closed, but sensing their

mother, they call
out for milk.

As soon as a cub
starts making too much noise,

she's got to pick them up
and reposition them.

She's got to keep them quiet.

Xudum must keep her
cubs hidden

from any predators nearby.

She really just doesn't want
them to be making a noise

and drawing any attention to
the den or to the young cubs.

It's hard work
being a leopard mum.

I mean, a whole new layer
of responsibility.

She will be having to hunt and
get enough nourishment so that

she can produce the milk that
these two little guys need.

Starting her
night shift,

Anna is following the lions.

Oh! They're just there!

Matho is still
searching for a creche...

and is moving her cubs
under the cover of darkness.

Ooh.

Can I hear something
approaching from behind?

We've got company.

There's a lot of
ellies moving in.

Elephants and
lion don't get on.

They're very close.

These cubs are gonna have
to tread very carefully.

There might be a bit
of rough and tumble.

They're actually all running.

In the chaos...

one cub is left behind.

Oh, little one!

We just watched my Matho
and two of her cubs move off,

and she's left
behind her little one.

And it's currently just
unsure what to do with itself.

I think he's just
quite sad and scared.

It's peak time for hunting.

So I am getting really
concerned for this little one.

I'm hoping that mum realizes her
mistake soon and comes back,

because it's not a
safe place for it to be.

Jackal.

!

Could be potentially
a very horrible situation.

The cub's over there.

I would be scared of a jackal,
if I was him.

He's doing a good job
of being quiet.

The cub has been taking
itself further into a bush.

It's doing the right thing.

It just needs to hunker
down and stay safe.

Lions have advanced
spatial memory and can use it to

retrace their steps.

This poor little thing.
Really hoping Matho comes back

for it soon.

But the longer
the cub is alone,

the less likely it is
to survive.

It's been a long night.

But the sun was finally risen.

We'll see whether Mama makes
an appearance in the sunlight.

Relieving Anna,
Gordon is taking over

to keep an eye
on the cub.

We don't know where
Matho is at the moment.

There was quite a lot of
movement last night

and not a lot
of prey in this area,

so that the big danger
is that Matho

shifts her focus towards
finding food, which will push

this little cub further in
her, sort of in her memory.

I've never seen this before.

You know, lions will
leave their cubs in random

locations, but they do that
intentionally so they can

go off and hunt.

This is a mistake...

just to leave one cub in one
place and move on

with the rest of them.

The cub is avoiding
detection by staying silent.

But the danger is that
when it gets hungry,

it might start calling.

And if it does that, it
could attract predators in.

It is completely,
completely defenseless.

The only hope is that Matho

realizes that she's
missing one cub

and she remembers pretty much
everywhere that she went

last night.

You just go up there and you
find somewhere that you can

tuck yourself away.

It's possibly the best
chance you've got.

The cub has now been
alone for 14 hours.

As night approaches, there's
still no sign of Matho.

Where is he going?

You don't want to be
wandering away from here.

OK.

If it goes into the tall grass,
we're never gonna know

what happened to it.

Can you see that cub?
I can't see it anymore.

Come on.
Where are you?

The cub has
disappeared into thick cover.

Dunno. I think just
the only thing we can do

is get the thermal imaging
camera up and see if we can get

a heat source and look
into the deeper bush.

With this camera,
anything hot is gonna show up.

So, I'm hoping that we can
just peer into these trees,

see through them,
and pick up the movement.

This club has made
the second mistake.

The first was to not follow
its mum in the first place,

and the second is to
actually just keep moving.

It should have
been staying put.

It's like with your own kids.

If you get lost, just stay
where you are

and we'll come and find you.

Oh, where did you go?

At the leopard's den,

Xudum is
still going hungry.

Xudum hasn't had
a meal since she gave birth.

She has to leave her cubs
alone in the den

to go out and hunt.

Leaving her newborn
cubs unprotected is risky...

but if she doesn't eat soon,
she won't be able to produce

enough milk to
keep them alive.

I haven't seen her
made a proper kill

in a long time.

The last kill that I saw her
make was stolen by lions.

It'd be nice to see her get a
kill and really know that she

is actually surviving and
providing for her family.

Xudum's now stalking into
a herd of impala.

She'll need to get within
10 meters of them,

even less.

I mean,
it's pitch black right now,

but there's no wind,
so any movement she makes,

they might hear her, um...

This is a very precarious
situation for her.

Oh...my God.

She zipped completely
around them.

This cat's a genius!

She's gone completely
around the entire herd.

She's got them walking
straight towards her currently.

So, this impala's standing here
just by the edge of the tree.

I think that there
is our leopard.

I think she's within
10 meters of these guys now.

She's got a good
chance here, yeah?

All it takes is
for one of these impala

to suddenly decide
that they want to go that way,

and then all hell is
gonna break loose.

Oh, God.
Here we go.

The Impala
starts snorting.

Oh, !
I think she's been bust.

It's an alarm call to
alert the rest of the herd.

The leopard's just been spotted.

She's just getting the
hell out of there now.

Yeah, it's all over.

She got really, really
close, though, eh?

Unsuccessful, but it was a
pretty good effort for her,

I have to admit.

She's just having such a run
of bad luck at the moment.

For Xudum
and her cubs,

the situation is now
becoming critical.

She's going to
struggle to keep the cubs alive

if she doesn't
feed herself soon.

Gordon is still
looking for Matho's lost cub.

Made a big mistake.

Oh, it's there!

It is right there.

Hey, little guy!

You little blighter, you!

You giving me a heart attack.

He's right at the
bottom of the car.

Just looks so lost
and alone there.

This little guy has moved
at quite a pace

out from the cover.

This doesn't look good.

The only hope that this cub
has is if Matho comes back.

But on his own--yeah.

It doesn't stand
a chance of surviving.

The cub begins
crying out.

That might work.

It might--may have
the opposite effect.

Nighttime is a dangerous place
for a lion cub this small--

hyenas, leopards,
other lions.

Oh, I'm hoping he's not
making another mistake.

Oh, there they come.

Oh, I do not believe it.

That is a miracle.

It's Matho
and the other two cubs.

What are the chances
of that?

Matho has retraced her
steps back to her lost cub.

That is incredible!

I didn't have any hopes
for this--this cub.

Almost 24 hours alone,

and this cub has been reunited
with its siblings and its mum.

Oh, that's just the
best thing ever.

This is exciting.

This is exciting.

There's even more
new life within the lion pride.

I can see 4 cubs.

Oh, another one
just popped up. Ha ha.

Oh!

Lioness Tsebe
has 5 cubs.

Ohh! I can't get enough
of these cubs, man.

And Naledi has
given birth to two.

I can't believe Tsebe's
has got five cubs.

Generally, litters are
between 2 and 3 cubs.

This could be the
creche that Matho needs.

Oh! Look at that.
Look at that!

She's bringing her
family to meet

the newest pride
members.

This would be the first
time the triplets meet

Tsebe and Naledi's cubs.

Let's see how this unfold.

Look at them.
They're watching.

I think they know Auntie
Matho is coming up

with the triplets.

For Matho to creche
and synchronize her cubs

with Naledi and Tsebe, it's
much safer because they're

slightly younger.

Your mommy wants to socialize.

They're like,
"Yeah, you socialize.

We just wanna
have some milk."

This is so beautiful.

One of my Matho's cubs is
suckling from Naledi...

and one's suckling from Tsebe.

This is great.

Lions are the only
cats that raise cubs together.

By feeding Matho's cubs,

Tsebe and Naledi are
accepting her into the fold.

And this is,
I believe, where the creching

between the 3 mothers who
start...which is exciting!

Ha ha! Ah...

There are now 15 cubs
in the family.

Soon it'll be the largest
pride in the world.

Oh. It's beautiful.

I'm hopeful because
Matho is gone now

Naledi and Tsebe.

Those can become a strong bond,
a strong coalition.

They will hunt together.
They will creche together.

They'll help each other.

They just get on so well.

That's the dynamic of creching.

This coalition of the 3 mothers
seems to be working.

On another
night shift...

Gordon is in Xudum
the leopard's territory.

So, this is very interesting.

He's found a male
leopard on a kill.

Male leopards are
one of the biggest threats

to leopard cubs.

There's a huge risk if a male
leopard is not the father

of those cubs.

He would try to wipe them out,
try to kill them.

It's not long
before his meal--

Hang on a second.

attracts the
attention of a younger male:

Metsi.

Metsi doesn't have
a clearly defined territory

at the moment, so he'll just
be moving around,

looking for somewhere
to set up home.

Metsi is a very
confident leopard.

But as of yet, he's not
the biggest cat in town.

This other fella...

seems a sort of leopard.

I wouldn't want to
go head-to-head with him.

Most leopards here are
killed by their own species.

There is a zero
tolerance policy between these--

these leopard males.

They're highly
territorial animals.

This unknown male definitely
looks bigger in size.

If it came to blows,
I really don't fancy

Metsi's chances at all.

Oh! He's running.

He's flanking him.

He's using his superior
strength and size

to try and intimidate Metsi,

just shepherding him out.

The last thing that either of
these cats want to do is to

have a fight, for it to be,
you know, teeth and claws.

Metsi probably realizes
that he's--he's outgunned.

Other guy is where?

He's stopped on the ground,
looking pretty confident,

that he's actually
seen Metsi off.

But Metsi seizes
an opportunity.

Oh, my goodness me.

It's he's just used
this little bit of wind

and the darkness
to sneak round.

He's gone a big loop.

He's left the other meal
out on the plains,

and he's snuck in
just to--to feed on this kill.

Skillful maneuvering.
Look at that.

His persistence...
has paid off...

and he's getting his prize.

The other male is
fast asleep out there.

If you want to keep your
dinner all to yourself,

don't take a nap.

It's a win for Metsi.

But with these males now
in play,

for Xudum,
the game has changed.

Brad is checking in on Xudum.

Starting to get
a bit concerned about this.

Since giving birth,
she's been struggling

to feed herself.

I know she's been
having a--a rough time,

carcasses being
stolen by lions,

and it's just not great.

Oh!

Well done, Xudum.

She's definitely had a
meal, which is brilliant.

Just so much to
be grateful for.

She doesn't have to
be so absent.

She can be around the den,
keeping an eye on her cubs

and being an attentive mother.

So, relieved to see her full
and happy and spending time

with her cubs.

Yeah, that's a good feeling,
very good feeling.

I'm just amazed at how trusting
and accepting she is of us.

Hello, you cute things.

Just seeing a bum and
little feet in the air...

it's super exciting.

There are two little babies.

You could actually see
both of the two cubs.

At this age, their eyes
are just starting to open.

It's such a privilege.
It's just so, so lucky.

There's a huge size difference
between the two cubs.

My best guess would be
little boy, little girl.

Little girl is moving around
and she's in the front.

And the boy, I think, is at the
back, much more stationary,

slightly bigger.

Females mature quicker. and
her eyes are open already

and she's smaller,
she's more active,

and the male is quite,
uh, quite slow.

Eyes still closed, still
head wobbling, less active.

So, this is the first day that
we've managed to get a little

look inside the den while the
sun is up, and just picking

bits and pieces of the two
interacting and climbing over

each other, and start to see
the personalities

and start to see character.

And it's like one
big happy family.

There could be nothing better
with this picture right now.

Heading back to camp,
something catches Brad's eye.

We got male tracks here,

coming down the road
towards the den.

This is not--not great.

Male leopards will
kill cubs that are not their own

to eliminate competition.

It's not good to have tracks
so close to this den.

The male leopard tracks
are going back and forth,

way too close to newborn cubs.