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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.

Different man: This is a unique opportunity

to follow these cats round the clock.

through the day...

Different man: I used to think

I'd have a fair fight with a lion.

I'm not so sure now. Ha!

and the night...

Different man: We've got the most sophisticated

thermal imaging technology.

capturing their behavior...

24 hours a day.

I have never seen anything like this.

Epic!

The lions are running.

Oh, he's got--No. Oh, so close. So close.

Ah, those zebras.

I don't think any of them got anything, eh?

Nah. There was a dust bowl

they got lost in.

Gordon and Sets are with the Xudum pride mums

and their 14 cubs.

This is now a huge pride

with over 20 lions here.

And there's Naledi,

Nosi, Mmakgosi, Magogo, Matho,

and Tsebe.

It's a big pride,

and it's also a force to be reckoned with.

The problem is with so many lions

hanging out together, that is a lot of mouths to feed.

The mums have banded together for safety

but now have a new challenge.

I feel sorry for these girls.

They haven't seen these lions get a significant meal

in--in a few days.

Lioness Tsebe has more cubs to feed

than any other mum in the pride.

Tsebe is an incredible mum.

To raise 4 cubs to this stage is no mean feat,

but that little one is looking very skinny.

He's definitely not getting enough to eat.

Tsebe's smallest cub is struggling.

Every day that passes,

that little cub's gonna be getting weaker and weaker.

Tsebe's spotted something.

The lions pair up.

I hope this time, it's a success.

She's running, running, running.

Go, go, go, go.

Tsebe's running on empty.

Tsebe must catch a meal soon...

Hard luck, boys and girls.

That was a shame.

if she's to keep herself and her cub alive.

Tsebe can't catch a meal quick enough.

Brad and Tristen are with Lediba the leopard

and her 5-month-old cub.

This cub looks like it's in good nick.

It's happy. Definitely looks in good shape.

How beautiful is that.

Brad, Brad, Gordon.

We've got a male leopard in a tree

just at the edge of Lediba's territory.

This makes me anxious.

To have such a high density

of leopards on this earth,

if there's a male and he thinks the cub is not his,

there's a good chance that he'll kill him.

Male leopards kill cubs that are not their own

so they can mate with the females.

So keeping them on the move here--

it'll be 4 or 5 days-- to a new location

is smart.

I think this might be their new little kindergarten

for a while.

Lediba must keep her cub well-hidden.

Nice thick forest with a lot of cover.

At this time of year,

the floodplains of the Okavango Delta

are at their fullest...

pushing all the big cats in the area closer together.

I've managed to find another big male leopard.

Starting to get seriously concerned.

We just keep on finding male after male after male,

and it's a big problem.

It's now more challenging than ever

for Lediba to keep her cubs safe.

Looks like mum is starting to snarl at the cub.

That's their way of saying, "OK, now you stay."

"Get used to your new room."

The cub knows exactly what it means.

Lediba is heading off to hunt...

It's amazing that they can communicate like that.

leaving her cub alone.

Mum has to just trust

that she's gonna stay concealed.

OK, big girl.

Gordon is with Tsebe

and the pride mums and cubs.

They're looking hungry.

Looks like it's gonna be a busy night for them.

They've got lots of little bellies to fill.

Ready? Watch your feet.

To see if they can catch a meal,

the team is deploying

some brand-new night-vision equipment.

This is a beast of a camera.

The sun has set,

and the night is full of opportunities.

I have never, in my whole life, seen

this number of lions moving together,

particularly at night.

It's unreal, scary as hell, though.

It looks like the lionesses

can hear something in this tree line.

This looks like Tsebe.

With four hungry cubs to feed,

Tsebe is taking the lead again.

Gordon, we've got Tsebe on our side,

moving through the tree line.

This time, more of the mums are joining her.

I've got the drone up quite high,

and there's lots of impala in there.

Copy that.

If the lions can get close enough

and outsmart them with teamwork,

hopefully, they're going to win.

Hunting in a group

doubles a lion's chance of success.

Tsebe's done a big loop round,

and if she can just sneak in, they're going to scatter.

And they could very well head

in the direction of the other lions.

They're running.

Yo, look at that.

The lions' superior night vision and acceleration...

Whoa. They've got it.

gives them the edge.

Oh, my goodness.

Mums, cubs all spring in.

Given that it's such a small meal

split between this many lions,

a little impala like that,

it is less than the crust of a sandwich

for each of them.

It's really not going to go far.

Tsebe is only getting a few bites...

When it gets to this point,

when they're super hungry,

it is every lion for themselves.

and her cubs are getting nothing at all.

Oh, my gosh.

One of these cubs is trying

to pull a piece of meat

through the subadult male's legs.

The mums must take priority.

If they're not strong enough to hunt, no one gets fed.

Tsebe's little cub,

he's in the toughest position.

He's the smallest of this part of the pride,

and he's less able to actually fight

and get access to the food that he desperately needs.

The adult lions have devoured the impala

in minutes...

The best chance they've got

of everyone getting the food that they need

is if they catch something big.

To feed herself and her cub,

Tsebe must target larger prey.

Zebra will go farther,

buffalo even farther than that.

But, yeah, Tsebe's cub still needs to feed.

Oh, Trist, I got her here. She's just crossed over.

Brad is on the trail of Lediba.

Tristen is just a few hundred meters away.

It's all good.

Let's hope Lediba doesn't push too far across.

This boy seems to be quite active,

rubbing himself up against trees and scent marking.

This unknown male is on the border

of Lediba's territory.

This is a very high-stakes situation

for Lediba.

This is where she lives, where she hunts,

and where her cub's growing up.

Male leopards are extremely aggressive

to females and their cubs,

and if they aren't certain that they're the father,

they will kill them.

He's approaching a tree.

Oh. I see another leopard up there.

It looks like a female, eh?

I don't recognize this girl.

It's not Lediba.

Pushed together by the flood,

competition amongst leopards is now fiercer than ever.

This guy looks angry.

Yo! Oh, wow.

To assert their dominance...

He's just mumbling and grumbling

and just giving these deep guttural noises

that are, to be honest, quite terrifying.

...males will sometimes attack females.

She can, hopefully,

just get out of it

by hiding on the lighter branches.

. He's just gone straight up to the top.

That was insane.

They must have fallen

over ten meters out of that tree,

and he just seems completely unfazed by it.

With yet another male establishing himself

in the area...

Brad, Brad. This is an aggressive male

who's very keen to show everyone who's boss.

Copy that.

That's, uh, that's not a good sign.

Lediba will have to work even harder

to keep herself and her cub safe.

This is really, really scary for Lediba.

So slightly to the left.

To check on Lediba's cub,

Tristen is rolling into a night shift.

I can't see anything in the trees.

It makes me really quite worried, actually.

But the cub is not where he left her.

Oh, wait.

Well, that's a relief.

Leopard cubs are very, very strong climbers.

This is one of their biggest adaptations

and reasons for survival.

Mum can leave them by themselves.

They can climb up to the top of a tree very easily

and get away from predators.

These cats are very, very inquisitive at this age.

After 24 hours alone, the cub is getting restless.

It's like watching a toddler, basically.

The world is their oyster,

and they, you know, are just ready to explore,

ready to learn.

He's come down the backhand side of the tree.

Out in the open,

there's no hiding from predators.

There's any number of dangers out here

for a young leopard cub.

Ooh, wait. Another leopard.

Thank God for that.

It's Lediba.

This cub obviously heard mum calling,

ran off into the floodplain after her,

very, very eager to meet mum.

But it's going to be quite difficult

to figure out where they're going to be going.

My feeling is that it's probably going to go

and find a new place to live.

With so many male leopards in the area...

She's gonna move this cub

through very, very thick terrain

in an attempt to keep it safe and out of harm's way.

...Lediba is now moving her cub almost every day.

And stop.

All right. So let's try and find them, shall we?

Why does it have to be so difficult?

Why can't filming leopards just be easy?

Lediba and her cub have vanished.

Good luck, girl.

I'm done.

I absolutely love this time of day...

Anna is following cheetah mom Pobe.

is when Pobe is still tucked up in bed

and the cubs are just playing around her.

Now six months old,

her two cubs...

Good morning, Kea and Bo.

...are maturing fast.

You can really see their little sibling bond.

They don't have the support of a pride,

but they've got each other.

They love each other so much,

and that is really, really beautiful to see.

Bo is just being a classic little brother,

winding his little sister up.

Kea is not having any of it.

She's like, "No, don't slap me in the face,

thank you very much."

Cheetah cubs learn vital skills

they need through play.

You can see the way that they stalk each other...

practicing their hunting.

Over the next six months,

Kea and Bo will need to put these skills into action...

Oh, they've definitely been watching Pobe.

...and start to hunt alongside their mum.

Things are going to start moving pretty quickly

from here on out.

They're not babies anymore.

With the flood reaching its peak,

the density of buffalo skyrockets.

So this is one hell of an opportunity.

Tsebe and the mums are hunting for something big enough

to feed themselves and all of their cubs.

The desperation of the cats is very high.

They are all very hungry.

The cubs have been nagging their mums,

and these lionesses are feeling the pressure

to provide for such a huge pride.

Buffalo are powerful and aggressive prey.

They're closing in

on one of the most dangerous animals in the delta.

But a one-ton bull

will easily feed the whole pride,

making it worth the risk.

Chase is on.

Oh, my goodness me.

Lioness is right up the rump.

Someone's clinging on like a bucking bronco.

Jeepers creepers.

Dealing with buffalo,

you can't afford to make any mistakes.

Oh, there's a little calf in there.

Oh, it's just--OK.

We've got buffalo moving in, defending the calf.

Oh, look out.

Oh, [bleep].

Tsebe got walloped by the bull.

Back on the calf.

That's game over.

It's something,

but a calf is far from enough to feed them all.

Oh.

Someone's getting beaten up.

Hunger is turning the lions on each other.

It's a dangerous place to be a lion cub

around a small kill.

I really feel for Tsebe's cub

because he's really being pushed around

and he's struggling to get his head in there.

Oh.

Tsebe's cub has a wound.

Hey, Gordon. I can see Tsebe's cub,

the one that's been looking very skinny.

Looks like he has a wound

on the left side of his ribcage.

It looks pretty bad.

Gordon, on Walkie-talkie: Oh, my gosh. That's no good.

That injury on his side, he's picked that up

either during the buffalo hunt or in the aftermath.

The cub is malnourished and now injured.

If he doesn't get the food to help him recover

and heal his wound,

things could turn for the worse quite quickly.

Seeing this cub in this condition is--

is very hard to watch.

With Pobe as their teacher,

cheetah cubs Kea and Bo are learning fast.

Yeah, she's going to them.

Go, go, go, go.

And she's got one.

Oh, wow.

The cubs are going straight in.

Pobe didn't even need to call them.

The cubs already understand...

This is about fast food.

You need to just eat and leave.

...that at mealtimes, time is of the essence.

Meanwhile, Pobe is just sat, guarding.

Now they're at risk of predators coming in

to steal this kill.

Of all the big cats,

cheetahs are the most likely to have their meals stolen.

What's really cute is that it looks like Bo is copying mum

and is also standing guard.

He's basically adopted the exact same stance

as Pobe,

and is looking out.

Male cub Bo is finally taking lessons seriously.

One of them is eating,

and one of them is standing guard.

They're clearly learning really, really fast.

These little cubs are getting ready for the future.

Pobe's looking at something.

Pobe's crouching down a little bit.

What is going on?

Oh, there's a leopard. There's a leopard.

Pobe is going straight towards it.

Really, really don't want her to get into a fight.

This would not be good.

This leopard could seriously injure

an adult cheetah and kill a cub.

Pobe is just staring at this leopard.

She's not going to let that leopard

come anywhere near Kea and Bo

and also that meal.

But Pobe is not backing down.

The leopards ran away.

Oh, my heart.

That was a seriously lucky escape.

Typically, the cheetah would run away from a leopard.

I've got a feeling due to Kea and Bo being here,

Pobe knew she's got to stand ground.

she's got to take care of her cubs.

Thanks to mum,

the cubs have learned a vital lesson--

how to defend a meal.

Cheetah cubs generally have

such a tough start to life,

but these two have the most incredible mum,

who is just showing them the ropes every single day.

With so many leopards in the area,

Pobe is going to have to be more vigilant than ever before.

We have run into Lediba.

After vanishing with her cub...

Oh, so good to see you.

...Greg has found leopard mum Lediba.

Oh, man.

The last few weeks have been very stressful

because there's been so many males

really threatening the area.

Oh, gosh. Another one.

Oh, my word. Big male leopard.

This is Bongwe, and he's the dominant male

in this area.

He's fully mature, about seven years old.

Oh, Lediba.

If the cub is nearby,

this is a super dangerous situation.

Bongwe and Lediba's territories overlap,

but male territories are four times larger than females'...

Whoa! What?

so interactions like this are rare.

He's about double her size,

and she's trying to push him off.

It's working. Eee-you!

This is insane.

Lediba. Ballsy, eh?

Lediba really can't afford to get injured here

with a cub to protect.

Absolutely unreal situation.

What is going to happen here?

Holy smokes. Here comes the cub.

Oh, gosh.

If Bongwe sees her, this could be the end.

I cannot believe my eyes.

Oh, my gosh. She's seen her.

Oh, my word. He's not reacting at all.

There's only one reason why a male

wouldn't kill a cub.

Bongwe must be her father.

That's amazing.

Bongwe is her dad for sure. Ha!

That's cool. I'm--I'm stoked.

Oh, gosh. That is heart-wrenching.

I thought that it could have been trouble

for that little cub,

but now it looks like he's actually the defender.

Fantastic.

Go, Bongwe.

Although he'll play no active role in rearing his cub,

Bongwe will challenge any intruder male leopards

in the area.

He is a formidable, big male.

So, I mean, if there's any leopard

that we want to be dad

and to give us a sense of security for the cub,

it's Bongwe.

Happy days for everybody involved.

What a magical little moment.

Here we are.

Gordon has caught up with the Xudum pride.

I can see a cluster of lions over here--

Tsebe and Naledi, Matho, and their cubs.

But half of the mums are missing.

They've split off from the rest of the pride.

These cubs haven't eaten anything really

in the last week,

and these lions are beginning to feel the pressure.

They were moving around with around 20-plus lions,

and if you don't catch something big like a buffalo,

next best thing is to split up in smaller groups.

Mum and cubs are up, and they're moving off.

Tsebe's group is now so hungry,

they're sacrificing safety in numbers

to hunt on their own.

Oh, and that one little cub,

the skinny one, is fast asleep.

He's been left behind.

Hey, little guy, wake up.

Desperate to find food for her cubs,

Tsebe is leading the hunt.

She may even have called,

and all the cubs have just followed on,

but this one, probably just because he's so tired,

he didn't get the memo.

The saddest sight ever.

See how his hipbones are sticking out?

And he's starting to call.

In this state, his call won't go far.

There's a bit of a breeze,

so no one's going to hear him.

They've gone too far away.

Not only is he tired, weak, underfed, injured,

now he's alone.

OK, he's moving,

but he's going the wrong way.

The further away he walks from where his mum left him,

the less chance he has of her finding him

when she comes back.

With the flood

concentrating predators in the area...

There's leopards, hyena, other lions.

And he needs his mum for protection.

...this wounded cub faces a race against time

to reunite before nightfall.

He's just completely defenseless.

Really nice to see her with the cub.

Lediba and her cub are still in dad Bongwe's territory.

Lots of playing, jumping on each other,

and it's just a fantastic scene to witness it.

Too cute!

I've got a male leopard here

walking straight towards Lediba and the cub.

Oh, [bleep].

It's the aggressive young male that Tristen

previously found in the area.

With younger males like this

that aren't fully established,

they've got a lot to prove.

This guy's main role is going to be

finding a territory,

finding females to breed with.

He's going to really be pushing

in a very aggressive way.

If this male ventures into Lediba's territory,

he's just going to try and wipe out anything

that isn't within his gene pool.

What's that?

Hey! Come on. This is Bongwe.

He really needs to make a big effort

to push this male out of the area

and keep Lediba and his offspring safe.

They're both big. They're both powerful.

And if these two males come into contact,

it'd just be an all-out war.

Bongwe's thrown down the gauntlet. The chase is on.

Running side by side allows leopards

to size each other up.

I have to admit, it looks very, very even.

It's the last step before a fight.

Bongwe has chased him

over a ridiculous distance now

and doesn't seem to be letting up.

He is just pushing, pushing, pushing.

Looks like our boy has won this battle.

The other male is slowly moving away,

and Bongwe is watching him move off

and out of his territory.

Bongwe has resolved the dispute

without coming to blows.

This is absolutely amazing for Lediba.

I mean, she's got a male that she

can completely rely on to protect her territory

and to protect her cub.

Lediba seems to know the right boys.

I've been called in to take over the cheetah--

Pobe and her two cubs.

This will be quite exciting

because I haven't really had much time with the cheetahs.

Cheetah cubs Kea and Bo are learning

from their mum every day.

Pobe spotted some impala.

Oh, she is stalking,

using the grass as cover.

Wow. That's incredible.

I don't see her anymore, but I know she's in position.

She's hiding behind her--

a termite mound.

Oh, she's going.

She is super-fast.

Yo, it's insane.

She got it!

Oh, my goodness.

Wow!

Wait. She's letting it go. What?

This is a big moment for these cubs.

Kea has taken the lead.

Both are going on it.

They are chasing it around.

Because this is their first time,

they don't really know what they are doing.

Cheetah mums bring their cubs live prey

to hone their hunting skills.

Wow. Look at Kea. She's really, really into it.

She's hanging onto it.

She's learned so much from her mom.

She's just mimicking her.

Oh, she's taking it down.

Wow.

Kea is holding on to its throat and suffocating it.

She is going to be an exceptional teacher

when she grows up.

Oh, wow.

It's like I'm actually watching these cubs

grow in real time.

Pobe has helped her cubs

reach an essential milestone.

Oh, Pobe,

I bet you are a proud mom today.

You have ushered your cubs into the new age of maturity.

Yo!

Oh, there... he is.

Gordon has been following Tsebe's lost cub

for more than six hours.

It's going to be dark soon,

and the night holds

a whole set of other dangers,

especially for a cub on its own.

You're doing the right thing.

Calling is the best policy.

OK. Oh, you've got a warthog.

So he's probably seeing this warthog, thinking,

"Maybe this is my next meal."

But not on his own, that's for sure.

This little lion's completely dependent on his mum.

There is nothing that he can take down on his own,

technically not in the condition

that he's in at the moment.

He's just disappearing off into the grass.

OK, let's catch up.

Oh, my goodness me. Hey, look. There they are.

Tsebe up ahead.

OK, if he calls now, maybe she'll hear him.

Come on. Big roar. "Mummy!"

Oh! Happy days.

There you go, little guy.

Ah, ah. There they are.

In the nick of time as well,

just 20 minutes before sunset.

You can tell. He's not leaving his mum's side. Look at that.

Ohh. It's perfect.

Greg and Gordon are sleeping out next to the lions.

The lions are over there,

maybe kind of over 100 meters away.

I'm out in the middle of the plains,

and just going to bed down for the night.

This is the best place to be.

I mean, right in the thick of it.

OK, good night, lions.

It might be nighttime, but not everyone's asleep.

The lion cubs haven't had a proper meal

in over a week.

And they're all getting desperate,

but Tsebe's little cub, it's life or death.

And not just getting lost from Tsebe, from his mum,

but his body condition, he's weak, he's picked up an injury.

And when there's food available, it can't even fight its way

to get access to the meat.

It's like a downward spiral.

Tsebe is an amazing hunter,

but she's on a losing streak the last week.

It's been tough for all of them.

Gordon, Tsebe is crossing the floodplain

towards the tree line.

I'm pretty confident she's seen something.

Roger that, Greg. I'll put the drone up.

In a bid to feed her cub,

Tsebe is going it alone.

Oh, there's a zebra right there.

Right there.

She's sneaking into that bush.

Oh, this is close. This is intense.

OK, there she goes.

Oh, she's got it.

My goodness.

It's pretty astonishing.

She did all of this on her own.

the neck. That was mad.

Tsebe led the hunt. Amazing.

One lioness on her own

managed to take down the zebra.

To this number of lions,

that is a sizable meal.

She is the hero of the day.

Tsebe has provided for the whole group...

Every single one of these lions has been hungry.

This is the best meal that they've had in a week.

...and finally delivered the food

her smallest cub needs.

For Tsebe's cub, that little one,

he has literally been starving.

This could save its life.

You just see him sneaking in

and almost read his mind.

He's like, "Thank God."

Finally getting a good meal.

And that is just...

so good to see.

We were really worried about the cubs.

Everyone has finished eating

but Tsebe's little male cub.

He is tucking in.

He's just refusing to leave the table.

He is going to eat until he pops.

Happy days for this cub.

How was that, eh? Amazing.

Talk about unexpected.

I know.

Couldn't come a moment too soon.

Through skill and determination,

Tsebe has done the seemingly impossible.

Most cubs don't make it

to their first year,

and she raised four of them.

And that has not been about luck.

That's been about hard work,

commitment to them,

and just being an all-around pro.

Yeah. They survived against the odds.

What the hell?

There is another cat.

And Pobe and the cubs

have absolutely no idea.

That is a leopard.

That is a big male leopard.

They're so close now.

The leopard is literally here.

And Pobe and the cubs are there.

This is really not good.

One moment they're just playing around,

and in the next breath,

they're basically at risk of death.

You've already seen Pobe

put her life on the line for these cubs

when it came to the leopard.

So if this does escalate,

I have a strong suspicion

she's going to be doing the exact same thing.

The leopard is basically staring

at Pobe and the cubs.

Oh, he's coming down the hill.

He's creeping, he's creeping.

He's heading straight towards Pobe and her cubs.

Oh, this is such a bad situation.

It's really close.

Oh, my. .

He's right next to the cub.

You're right next to the cub.

You have no idea.

Move, Pobe. Move.

You need to move your cubs.

He's right behind you. Move.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

No, no, no, no...