All language subtitles for Big.Cats.24-7.S02E04.Reunion.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

Viewers like you make
this program possible.

Support your local PBS station.

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...