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The Okavango Delta
in Botswana...

We are in a pristine
environment right now.

one of Africa's
last wildernesses...

The magnitude of life
here is unparalleled.

and it's a haven
for Africa's big cats--

lion,

cheetah,

and leopard.

Big cat country.

Armed with the latest
filming technology,

the "Big Cats 24/7" team

is following individual big cats
for 6 months...

This is
a unique opportunity

to follow these cats
round the clock.

through the day...

Rea Schulte to Brinke:
I used to think I'd have

a fair fight with a lion,
not so sure now.

and the night...

We've got
the most sophisticated

thermal imaging technology.

capturing
their behavior 24 hours a day.

I have never seen
anything like this.

Epic!

Sets Nthomiwa:
They've got the drones.

-Got the drones.
- OK.

The "Big Cats 24/7" team...

Pretty cool to have
everyone back together.

is reuniting
after 6 months.

Really excited
about the first day.

Ach, it is day one,

and I am so excited

because immediately,
there's some ruckus going on.

What a start.
Things are already kicking off.

Based in
a remote film camp,

the team is working
in 400 square kilometers

of the Okavango Delta.

It's the driest time
of the year.

Prey is scarce,

but where it goes,
the predators follow.

This is
the southwestern part

of Xudum Island.

Last time we were here,

there wasn't a huge amount
of lion traffic,

but at the moment,

this is where I suppose
the core of the pride is.

Hey.

Oh, wow.
Rush hour for the lions.

My goodness, every one
of them is on the move.

That is incredible.

The Xudum pride
is now 40 strong.

This is the largest pride
of lions in the world.

Gordon and Sets are with
its most important part--

its mums and cubs.

It's so great
to be back here

to see all of those cubs
that I met last year.

There are 16 cubs
in the pride,

aged between 8 weeks...

and 18 months old.

This is
a picture of success.

They're here.
They're alive and doing well.

The mothers
of the oldest cubs

are 3 of the most
experienced females.

The matriarchs
are all here--

Mmakgosi,

Nosi,

and Magogo.

She's experienced.

She's a phenomenal hunter,
and that's why she's still

prowling the savanna
at 11 years old.

Oh, my word,
Mathata, you have grown.

Ha ha ha! He's a giant.

That's fantastic.

He was still a tiddler
the last time I saw him.

He was much bigger
than the other cubs.

Now he is enormous.

He's become a really handsome
young--young male.

You see his mane
across the top of his head,

and around the neck,
he's just got

this sort of shagginess to him.

Hey, Mathata.
Hey, big boy.

Where are you off to?

Mathata
is 18 months old

and maturing fast...

He is big.
He's gotten big.

but he's still
not able to hunt for himself.

The cubs are growing
at a rapid rate.

It puts a lot of pressure on
these mums to provide for them.

These older cubs
now need to eat

almost 11 pounds of meat a day,

and their mums
face the unrelenting task

of providing all of this
for them.

What are we
dealing with here?

Definitely just shifted
into that hunting mode.

Magogo,
Nosi, and Mmakgosi

have split off
from the rest of the group.

Oh, Mr. Piggy,

the future is not looking
too bright.

OK.
This is Magogo here.

Every time that
she thinks that the warthog

is gonna look round
in her direction,

she stops,
and she sinks to the grass.

I was sure they had it.

For lions, life is
incredibly difficult.

Starvation accounts
for a quarter of all cub deaths

under the age of two.

They are hungry,
and they are active.

With so many cubs
in the pride,

the stakes for the lion mothers
are higher than ever.

Gordon and Sets
are sticking with them.

Schulte to Brinke:
Go ahead, Anna.

Hey, guys, we're just
trying to sort of

work out which way
we should come.

Anna is joining Rea.

Pobe, Pobe.

I've got Pobe east of the
lagoon in the floodplains.

Ooh, I see her.
I can see her.

What an amazing start.

This is day one in the delta,

and we have found Pobe.

It's been 6 months
since we last saw her...

and we had some incredible news
since we've been away.

What?

We're looking at two really
beautiful, cute cubs here.

It's quite the time
since we've seen Pobe,

and actually the first glance
we've had of these cubs.

I reckon
these two must be

probably between
3 and 5 months old

because they've got
the remains of, like, a mohawk,

and that's their silver
mantle on their back.

Schulte to Brinke:
Usually with cheetah mums,

they try to keep cubs
in nice, thick areas

hidden away from big predators.

Big predators would be
lions, leopards,

basically anyone who might be
a potential threat to the cubs.

And can you see
that one is a little girl

and one is definitely
a little boy.

For most big cats,

the females just develop
so much faster than the males.

The girl is just so much more
boisterous than the little boy.

She's constantly
pouncing on him...

and she seems to be the one
that is always taking the lead.

No matter where they go,
she's there with her mum first.

She just seems super interested
in what Pobe is doing.

The fact that she's got
this far with them already

is incredible.

Only a quarter
of cheetah cubs

will make it to 3 months old.

The odds
are so stacked against them.

Lions are the number-one
killer of cheetah cubs...

and they are in a place

that has the biggest lion pride
in the world.

This is a critical
stage for the cubs.

Pobe is going to have to work
hard to keep them safe.

The oldest cubs
of the Xudum pride

need more food than ever.

That little guy's--

Mothers Magogo,
Nosi, and Mmakgosi

now must hunt around the clock.

Gordon is preparing
for the night shift.

This is our thermal
imaging camera.

This camera is
a miracle worker.

So much of their lives
are lived after dark.

At night, lions can
see 6 times better than humans.

For Gordon,
this incredible technology

lets him see things
even the cats can't.

Oh.

These females with their cubs,

they need to hunt.

They need the food
more than anyone.

But the cubs...

Oh, look at that.

may be biting off
more than they can chew.

It's
a honey badger.

For Mathata
and all of these cubs,

anything that moves
is worth investigating.

Honey badgers
might be small,

but they have big attitudes.

Good.
Mathata and his partner in crime

harassing this honey badger,
but that is one animal

that they really
should not mess with.

It's, what, maybe a fifth
the size of one of those cubs,

but it is probably
50 times as tough.

They've got an incredibly
powerful bite.

They're kind of skunklike,
but instead of spraying,

honey badgers kind of, like,
do these stink bombs.

It's got danger at both ends.

Mathata's probably thinking,

"OK. This is maybe not
something I want to eat."

Honey badgers are nasty.

Looking
for an easier meal...

Lions are
on the move.

the cubs
are following their mothers.

They've left Xudum Island.

They've headed westward.

I've never been this far
from the core territory.

There's always
a few impala around.

Every little herd has got
at least sort of 15, 20.

Impala alarm-calling.

Oi.

Oh, think we've got--
I think they've got something.

I think it's an impala...

smothered in lions,

but this meal won't go very far.

Oh, look.
Some big male has come in.

Who's this? It's a big male.

Whoa. Who is this guy?

Who is he? Ah, it's Madumo.

Look at his waistline.

I didn't recognize him,
he's so skinny.

Huh.

Where have you been?

An adult
male lion will eat

8 times as much
as a cub in one sitting,

and Madumo's hunger
is taking priority.

Madumo
is one of two male lions

that are the head
of the Xudum pride.

Big Toe is the other one.

Madumo and Big Toe haven't
been seen together for weeks...

so things are changing.

It's just not as it was.

Without Big Toe...

This is the worst state
that I've seen him in.

Madumo will struggle
to protect the pride.

We may be
witnessing the end

of Big Toe and Madumo's reign.

These cubs are really hungry,
really persistent.

Incredibly bold.

The best thing that all of them
can do is just back off.

What a temper.

We're seeing how difficult
it is for a female with cubs...

who spend most of the night
trying to hunt,

and when you are
eventually successful--

whoa--

they're having to share
this small meal,

and Madumo is getting
more than the lion's share.

Mathata and the cubs
can only watch

as their food disappears.

There's
a desperation to him.

Just watching him
hog that carcass

on his own
without Big Toe by his side,

yeah, he's just
an old, hungry lion.

With empty stomachs,
the mums and cubs leave.

Unable to follow,
Gordon calls it a night.

It's morning.

I'll update
on numbers soon.

Brad has found
the hungry lion mothers

and older cubs.

So she's
running now.

Mmakgosi,
Magogo, and Nosi

have spotted an opportunity.

This is a leopard
up in this tree on a kill,

and the pride has found him.

When it's really, really dry,

prey is limited,
and it's isolated,

and everybody's just bottled up
into one little ball.

This has brought the predator
interaction to a peak.

Leopards stash their
food in trees to keep it safe...

but these lion mothers

will stop at nothing
to feed their cubs.

This group
of lionesses

are known
for their tree-climbing,

and I think this is an example
of the advantage of that.

The leopard
has no chance against a lion

3 times its weight.

So Mmakgosi has decided

to eat the carcass
up in the tree alone

and not share it
with everybody below--

what a thief--

strange thing for the cubs
and the other lionesses.

She's being a little mean.

These cubs are hungry.

They can smell this pig,

and they're desperately trying
to get up and down,

but none of them
seem to be winning.

It's almost like she's trying
to get these cubs

to learn to climb trees,
to go and get it.

If they want something to eat,
they'd better climb.

Oh, girl, Mathata.

It's the highest
one of the cubs has gone.

Mmakgosi is coming down...

everybody trying
to get hold of it,

and she's about to tumble down
with the carcass

and knock the cats
out of tree so--

Now we're gonna have
absolute pandemonium

trying to compete
over this warthog.

Finally, Mathata--ha!--is there,

can actually eat something.

Everybody is now
on the remains of the carcass.

But scavenging
will provide only a fraction

of the food Mathata
and the older cubs need.

8 lions
fighting over a warthog,

totally insane.

The mums
must hunt bigger prey... soon.

Away from the lions...

These cheetahs are on

a completely different
level this morning.

Anna is with Pobe.

Her two cubs are now
growing in confidence...

I can see
two zebra ahead.

which makes it
even harder to keep them safe.

What are you up to?

There's no chance
they'd be able to take

a fully grown zebra down.

They're way too big.

At this age,

cheetah cubs start to show
an interest in hunting...

Yeah. They're
moving straight towards them.

What? Hang on. Pobe's running.
Pobe's running. Pobe's running.

but they don't always
pick the right prey.

That was really strange.

That almost felt like
she was teaching the cubs.

She's probably saying, "Look.

"These ones are a little bit
too big for us.

This is not what we want."

A kick
from an adult zebra

could seriously hurt a cub.

She's running again.
She's running again.

All she wants to do
is protect her cubs.

To keep them safe,

it looks like Mum
is stepping in.

It's all playing out
in front of these zebra,

who are very confused.

Oh, this is one thing
I just love about cheetahs.

There's, like,
never a dull moment, really.

They're just
so much fun to watch...

and the zebra have
kind of got the message,

and they're trotting off
into the distance.

Crazy cubs.

Anna has been
following Pobe for over 3 hours.

I'll just scope you
where you are...

so Greg is joining
to lend a hand.

Thanks, Greg.

Problem.

Hartman, on radio:
Anna, lions behind you.

We've got Pobe and her two cubs
out in the open,

and there are lions
watching them.

Pobe has just noticed them now.

Lions are their
number-one threat.

They're all sat
really still.

Lions are responsible
for more than 3/4

of cheetah cub deaths
by predation.

Greg, are the lions
looking directly at her?

Yeah.
That's an affirm, eh?

It's one lioness
that's looking at it,

and a subadult male...

and I think there's
lions in between

that are still flat.

This is literally
the worst-case scenario

for Pobe.

She's out in the open.

What are you
gonna do, Pobe?

Go on. Quickly, Mum.
Get down.

If Pobe runs, it could
trigger the lions to chase.

Subadult
male is up now.

Ooh.

Stay low. Stay low,
Pobe. Just stay low.

That was
seriously close.

I'm actually shaking.

Pobe has kept
her cubs safe... for now.

Classic Pobe,
the lion dodger.

She's--she's too
clever for this,

touch wood.

That was terrible.

It's gonna take a while
for my heart rate to go down.

Brad, Brad
for Tristan.

Brad and Tristan...

Go ahead.

Just spotted
Xudum in a tree.

are searching
for female leopard Xudum.

Hey, well done.
Nice one.

She's moved
to a new area.

She tends to spend less
time around our camp now,

comes in just for water
and then heads out again,

so it'll be very interesting
to catch up with her

and see what's going on
in her life.

It's really, really nice
to see Xudum alive and well.

I'm really liking
this area she's moving into.

Last year,
both of Xudum's cubs

were killed
by an aggressive male leopard.

She's really
pushed northwest,

away from where all
those male leopards are.

It's good for her if she
secures this top section...

much more conducive to cubs,
so quite exciting

that she's shifting
her boundaries a little bit.

It's just really nice
to be with Xudum again.

Wondering where she's gonna go.

Xudum is trying to
make this new territory home.

She's out in a very,

very grassy little area.

Normally, this time of year,

she's very interested
in hunting from trees.

Ah.

To be successful here
in open grassland,

Xudum must change her approach.

This is a completely
different tactic.

She's got to stalk in,
get close, be patient.

Makes our lives
a lot more difficult.

They blend in so easily,

and they just evaporate,
essentially...

so I'm hoping
we can stick with her.

Whoa, that's pretty cool.

She just erupted
out of the grass.

Someone wasn't ready.

Ha ha ha!

Leopards use
their sense of smell and hearing

to pinpoint hidden targets.

Yes, girl. Nice one.

Looks like she's
just got a reedbuck.

She's right
on top of it,

and this is gonna be
an amazing meal for her.

Now, that
is impressive.

That thing is so much
bigger than her.

Probably weighs

1 1/2 times
her body weight.

Well done, girl.

Xudum's kill here
gives me a lot of hope.

She's making
her own way

and adapting
to her surroundings.

It's a really
good sign.

There they are.

Anna
is with the cheetahs.

There are
loads more little pockets

of thick brush.

Pobe is looking
for somewhere safe

to spend the night.

OK. Looks like the sun's
gonna set soon,

and I'm gonna back off,

give them a little bit
more space

and then switch
to the thermal camera.

Unlike our lions and leopards,

cheetahs are a predominantly
diurnal species,

which means that their eyes

are much better suited
to daylight hours.

At night, they actually
really can't see a huge amount.

This makes cheetahs
most vulnerable after dark.

There's
always a chance that a lion

could stumble
upon Pobe and her cubs,

and we really don't want that.

Lions kill cheetah cubs
and cheetahs,

so she needs to be alert
to everything in the area.

Cheetahs' night vision
may be poor,

but with ears
that rotate independently,

Pobe can pinpoint danger
from any direction.

She's got herself
right into the middle

of a big, open floodplain,
just so that she can hear

any sounds
of danger approaching.

In a safe spot,
Pobe is ready to settle down.

The cubs, however,
have other ideas.

God, you can really
see that Pobe

is just like,
"Guys, it's bedtime.

"Please settle down.
Settle down.

It's way past your bedtime,"

and these two are like,
"Come on, Mum,

5 more minutes of play."

Think they're just getting rid
of all of their pent-up energy

from the day.

Ooh.

OK.

They are finally settling down.

As good a mum as Pobe is,

she's gonna need to be
on high alert all night.

I really feel for her.

It's a really tough job
being a cheetah mum.

So sweet to see them
cuddled up like that.

Be safe, Pobe, please.

In the morning,

Anna and Rea are still
with the cheetahs...

They are awake
and they're looking around.

but Pobe is on edge.

Schulte to Brinke:
Anna, I'm not sure

what's happening here,
but Pobe is looking

a little bit scared
or agitated.

What? Can you
see what she's looking at?

Actually, I can see
another cheetah.

Yeah. There's another
cheetah here.

There's another
cheetah? What?

Oh, you will not
believe it, Anna.

It's Sepoko.

Yeah. I can see him.
I can see him.

We haven't seen Sepoko
in about a year,

and here he is again.

He's just emerged
out of thin air.

He is the ghost that
we named him after.

He is Sepoko.

He hasn't
seen them yet.

They look a bit
terrified here.

I don't think they're
gonna hang around.

She's getting away
from this male.

Male cheetahs
can be aggressive

towards adult females,

but Sepoko isn't a threat
to Pobe's cubs.

One really strange
similarity between cheetahs

and domestic cats is that they
both have multiple paternities.

These two cubs could have
completely separate dads.

Female cheetahs mate
with many partners

and can carry cubs
from different males

in a single pregnancy.

Sepoko could be one or both

or neither
of these cubs' dads...

This increases
genetic diversity

and also helps protect the cubs.

which means that
he's not gonna come in

and do them any harm
because he simply doesn't know

if they're his cubs.

Great for Pobe because it means

that she doesn't have to be
concerned about a male cheetah

coming in and potentially
killing them,

but I wonder
what Pobe is thinking.

She's made a quick exit.

Brad and Tristan
are on the trail

of a new female leopard.

Oh. Oh, there she is.

Sorry. Yes.

There's Lediba.

The left-hand side of the face,

she's got one massive
whisker pad,

very distinct,
very easy to I.D. her.

Ah, little cub.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Lediba has two cubs--

Oh, they're so beautiful.

a male and a female.

Cubs most likely
around 3 to 4 months old,

old enough to move around and
climb and do a lot of things,

but nowhere near
being able to provide

or fully look after themselves.

She's a really
incredible, little cat,

very sly female,
similar size to Xudum,

but older.

Being older means
that she's more experienced--

more experienced hunting,
more experienced staying alive.

keeping cubs alive.

I have a suspicion
that Lediba is going to end up

turning into one of
if not my favorite cats.

Over the next
few months, Brad and Tristan

will follow Lediba to see if
she can be a successful mother.

I've got
a good feeling

that these two cubs
are gonna survive.

In film camp...

Been chewed on.

Greg is checking
camera traps

to see who's been
visiting after dark.

We've got a network
of 6 camera traps

set up all over the camp
just to show us

what sort of creatures
have been moving around,

particularly at night.

It's like being a spy.

Oh, my word, there's a hyena.

This is right here
in front of our main area.

Ha! Hyena is snooping around.

What? Looks like a hyena
has robbed somebody of a kill.

What has he got?

It's a young impala,

and, I bet you,
scavenged from a leopard.

It looks classic leopard crime,

literally walking
right by where I'm sitting.

There's an elephant here
who's strolled right through.

It's quite amazing.

We don't have any fences
around the camp,

and the wildlife just take over.

Oh. There's Jake,

our junior editor--
ha ha!--going off to bed.

Oh, my word.

It's a lioness.

What? On the ramp.

That's insane...

and he wouldn't
have had a clue.

I'm gonna be walking around
this camp very differently now

at night, considering what we're
seeing on this camera trap.

Just shows the sheer density
of predators in this place.

Wow. Huh.

No way.

Got 1, 2, 3 big, male lions,

and these are not
Big Toe and Madumo.

These lions

are intruding
right into the heart

of the Xudum pride territory.

a serious threat
to Madumo and Big Toe.

Part of their role
as pride males

is to secure the boundary
of the territory

from intruders like this,

and it doesn't seem as though
their security is watertight.

The only sign of Big Toe
and Madumo of late

has been Madumo on his own.

He was looking really skinny
and concerningly ragged.

It seems like the big, dominant
males are at a slight weak spot.

They seem fragile.

These intruders pose
a significant threat

to everyone involved.

Out on the night shift...

It just got dark,
and they're already active.

Gordon and Sets,

they're with Mmakgosi,
Nosi, Magogo, and their cubs.

They haven't
eaten a decent meal

within the last few days.

Adult lions
can survive

two weeks without food...

The cubs are looking
a little bit skinny,

and for their sake, I really
hope they get something tonight.

but Mathata
and the cubs

need to eat much more regularly.

Females
have started moving.

It's zebra
they're interested in.

Looks like
all the cubs are staying put...

while the mums go out hunting.

They can focus on finding a cub
something to eat.

This terrain they've chosen
is advantageous.

It's thick, which means
they can... stalk

and get really close
before pouncing.

There's no moon,

and it's the perfect cover
for an ambush.

Think I spoke too soon.

Ha! One cub doesn't want
to be left behind.

She's running after her mum...

and they're all
getting up to follow.

Every single one
of these cubs

is making a little bit of noise

as it walks through
the dry grass.

They're not exactly
being discreet.

With so many
curious cubs in the pride,

hunting is almost impossible
for these mums.

On a night like this,
that noise carries.

Whoa, the zebra know
that something is out there.

Their cover's
been blown.

The zebras are gone.

Mathata and the cubs
have lost another chance to eat.

They'll ruin
a couple hunts

because they'll want
to participate.

It'll be a learning curve
for them.

The consequence of a failed
hunt, it is going hungry.

The lion mothers
are getting desperate.

And it is ultimately
life or death

for the lion family.

If these lions cannot hunt,

they can't survive.

Nthomiwa, on radio: Gordon,
I've lost them in the bush.

Looks like this
is it for tonight.

We've lost the lions.

Time
to head back to camp.

Anna has now been
with Pobe and her cubs

for 3 days and nights.

Hello. Gorgeous.

Wow, that is so incredible...

and now the other cub
is gonna come in, I think.

Good morning. Sleep well?

Have some good dreams
of catching impala?

I feel like, as the younger
sibling, I always did

or wanted to do whatever
my sister was doing,

so I can see that
playing out here.

Right, who wants to come
and join the party?

With them coming
so close to us here,

feels like we're being
accepted into the family.

I feel like I'm seeing
a completely different side

to Pobe this morning.

What I knew of her
before was that

she was basically, like,
a bloodthirsty predator,

but motherhood has just given
her a whole new softer side.

She's been cleaning herself
and her two cubs,

and it's so cute
to have seen them

licking each other this morning.

They clearly love
each other so much.

A lot of the time out here,
it's just, like,

go, go, go, go the whole time.

It's really high-octane,
so it's also really important

to have these moments
where everything's

just really chilled and relaxed

and to properly take in
what's happening around us.

Pobe's two cubs,
they've got beyond

the most dangerous point
of a cheetah cub's life,

and seeing this family
so comfortable

here in this area
and also so comfortable with us,

it's just awesome, so awesome.

Pobe's doing a really good job.

Just behave, you two, OK?

I can see some lions
huddled up.

Sets has found
the lion mothers and cubs.

Nthomiwa, on radio:
Gordon, Gordon, copy...

After 5 days
without a decent meal...

Think they might
have actually done it.

they finally triumphed.

Think they
might be on a kill.

The cubs and the mums,
they've had success,

so it's fantastic.

They've got something to eat.

It's Magogo, Nosi,
Mmakgosi with their cubs.

I can see Mathata there
with his scruffy, little mane.

Whatever that is,
not much remains.

This looks like
a crime scene.

It does.

What is it?

It's a zebra kill,
well, what's left of it.

The remains of it.

Yeah.

They've polished through
it quite quickly.

Mm.

I was thinking last year,
it's really important

for these mums
to get

regular meals
for these cubs,

but now the cubs
are this size,

it is even more--
even more important.

Yeah.

You can see Mathata

is almost as big
as a lioness,

Mm.

so the pressure keeps
growing each day.

It makes me happy when
I see well-fed, happy lions.

This is easy as it gets.

They've done
all of the hard work.

Now they can enjoy
the fruits of their labor.

Well, tomorrow will always bring
its own set of challenges,

but I think the challenge
that remains for today

is just--ha ha!--

trying to sleep off
that meat coma,

all of them.

They're all looking
very fat and very happy.

It's exactly how I like
to see this pride.

Mmakgosi,
Magogo, and Nosi

have finally provided for
Mathata and the older cubs...

Man, on radio:
Copy that.

but another,
even bigger challenge is coming.

What?

No way.

Oh, that is a big lion,

a very, very big lion.

It's the intruders
from the camp's camera trap,

and there are not just 3,
but 4 of them.

Major update
on the lion front.

We've managed to find
the intruder males.

That could be
trouble.

Here we are
with 4 male lions--

a large prime male
with 3 subadults,

easily the greatest threat to
the pride that we've had so far.

Coalitions
of 4 males are rare.

The team has never seen a group
of this size here before.

We're right
in the Xudum pride territory.

Madumo and Big Toe

normally would be pushing
these intruders out,

but there's absolutely
no sign of them.

With Big Toe
and Madumo missing...

This is really,
really bad news.

All of the lion
mums and cubs

are dangerously exposed.

The biggest
threat to any cub

comes from a male lion,
from infanticide.

The smaller cubs,
the more vulnerable.

They're not as fast,
not as mobile.

It looks dark
for the pride at the moment,

and they are looking around
with menace and intent,

scent-marking
almost every bush--

maybe they can smell
other lions--

and they are moving
straight through the heart

of the Xudum pride territory.