Original subtitles

LION ROARS

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: This is Nsefu,

in the heart of Zambia...

..part of a national park

on the banks of the Luangwa River.

HIGH-PITCHED YELPING

Here, for five years,

we've been following the remarkable story

of four rival families.

They're all striving to make this place a home...

..but this is a land full of challenges.

THUNDER CRACKS

BIRDS HONK

And the greatest challenge

comes from each other.

LION GROWLS

In this series,

we will see these rivals compete to stake their claim

on this land.

THEY BARK AND SNARL

Some will rise...

..others will fall.

Who will succeed in ruling this precious kingdom?

For over a decade,

Nsefu has been home to a remarkable leopard.

This is Olimba.

She controls one of the richest leopard territories

for miles around.

It's an excellent place...

CUB YOWLS

..to bring up the next generation.

She has a son and a daughter.

Even here, it's rare for a leopard

to succeed in raising two cubs.

CUB YOWLS

Olimba is a single mother

with a tough job ahead of her.

Her territory is very crowded.

The first critical lesson for her cubs is what is safe...

..and what, and who, should be avoided.

The best way to learn is through first-hand experience.

Olimba's son, Moyo, is bold.

MOYO SNIFFS

MUD SQUELCHES

His sister, Mutima,

is more cautious...

..and seems happy

to let her brother push the boundaries.

HIPPO GRUNTS

That is a threat.

GRUNTING CONTINUES

HIPPO BELLOWS

It's time to lead the cubs away.

But there is another danger,

and Olimba has no idea that it's coming.

Five miles away,

a wild dog is crossing into Nsefu.

She is known as Storm.

And with her comes her pack.

They're searching for a new home.

Wild dogs haven't settled here for years.

Their sudden arrival catches everyone by surprise.

BARKING

SNORTING

SQUEALING

DOGS YELP

ELEPHANTS TRUMPET

TRUMPETING

YELPING

TRUMPETING

ELEPHANT ROARS

Most animals get out of the way

of stampeding elephants.

But Storm holds her ground.

LOW RUMBLING

And the rest of the pack support her.

Faced by the power of this pack,

even elephants back down.

HOOTING CALLS

Storm's calls bring everyone to her side...

..before she leads them deeper into Nsefu...

..and right towards Olimba's territory.

A leopard mother must not only protect her cubs...

Day in, day out, they're always hungry,

so Olimba must hunt frequently.

The cubs would be more of a hindrance than a help,

so Moyo and Mutima stay behind.

Leopards are ambush predators...

..and, to be successful,

she must get to within ten metres of her prey.

Striking distance.

WILD DOGS BARK

Storm and her pack are here.

YELPING

DOG GROWLS

And they are hunting.

HOOTING

It's hard to escape dogs that can run as fast as 40mph.

BIRD SQUAWKS

WILD DOGS SQUEAL

But there is one place

where they WON'T follow.

This hunt is over.

But now they have spotted Olimba,

a rival.

The pack could kill her.

DOG WHINES AND BARKS

BARKING AND GROWLING

High in the trees is the safest place for her.

Bringing up her cubs here has just got harder.

Storm and her pack,

like everyone here,

have been drawn into this rich territory

by one thing...

..water.

In the heart of Nsefu

is the Luangwa River.

It never runs dry.

This river sustains

an extraordinary variety of life.

BIRDS SQUAWK

The twisting, turning stretch of land

along the eastern bank is particularly rich.

Critically, it's full of prey.

An excellent home for Olimba.

But now she has the dogs to worry about...

..she's spending more time in the trees.

It's the safest place for her cubs.

CUBS YOWL NEARBY

They seem quite unaware that anything has changed.

BRANCH THUDS

Today they're focused on becoming...

..agile hunters.

One day, these cubs will be able

to leap six metres...

..and ambush their prey.

But that day is a long way into the future.

Leopards hunt

over 100 different kinds of prey,

anything from wildebeest to porcupines.

How hard can it be to catch a bush squirrel?

THUDDING

Quite hard!

SQUIRREL CHATTERS

But not as hard

as the challenges now facing Olimba.

SHRIEKING

Over the next few weeks, a new sound drifts over Nsefu.

DISTANT YELPING

The soft calls of Storm's pack,

as they come together after a successful hunt.

They've never had it so good.

But their very success...

WHOOPING

..makes them a target.

Hyenas.

They've detected the kill from over a mile away.

Stealing from someone else is what they do best.

THEY BARK

The dogs' meal could be gone in minutes...

HYENAS CHATTER

..but Storm and her pack mount a counterattack.

SCREECHING AND GROWLING

They split into groups

and drive back each hyena, one by one.

HYENA SHRIEKS WILD DOGS GROWL

Hyenas are twice the size of wild dogs...

..but here they've met their match.

The super-strength of wild dogs is their unity.

GRUNTING AND WHOOPING

Storm is not only a leader - she's also a mother.

And this is her family.

They will support her, no matter what.

A few miles south of the dogs

stands a grove of ebony trees.

They are over 20 metres tall and create shade,

that makes this a popular place

for the locals to relax.

BARKING

CHATTERING

And with them is Tandala.

She has stayed at home

while her clan are out looking for food.

Baboons would usually raise the alarm

at the sight of a predator,

but when a hyena is taking it this easy,

there is no threat.

Tandala is about to become a mother for the first time.

This cooling mud-bath is particularly welcome.

THEY SNORT

ELEPHANT GRUNTS

A precious moment of rest...

TRUMPETING

..cut short by the ever-grumpy elephants.

Being pregnant,

Tandala needs to eat as much as she can.

Sniffing out scraps is the safest strategy.

An abandoned carcass - a rare find.

The rest of Tandala's clan are back and still hungry.

She needs to protect her food.

Hiding it in the water conceals its smell.

"Nothing much to see here.

"Just having a drink."

That fooled them.

With her unborn cub to provide for,

she has to be a bit selfish.

LOW GRUNTING

All mothers, including mothers-to-be,

have to exploit every opportunity...

..whenever it comes.

In the dry season,

fallen flowers are a welcome treat for grazers.

This hasn't gone unnoticed by Olimba.

Again, she has left her cubs behind,

because this is going to need real concentration.

One mistake could be fatal -

for her and for her cubs.

BARKING

No damage done,

but no meal either.

Each failure puts her under ever greater pressure.

Back at this dry gully, her favourite hunting ground,

there's no sign of Storm's wild dog pack.

SHE GROWLS

With the coast clear,

Mutima and Moyo can leave the safety of the trees...

..to watch and learn.

BARKING CALL

This should be enough

to sustain her and the cubs for days.

But they have company.

SHE SNARLS

One of the hyena clan.

SHE GROWLS

Female leopards are small,

and that puts them at the bottom

of the predator hierarchy here.

Olimba holds back...

..understandably.

But Moyo is not only hungry - he's bold.

He and his mother start to work together.

Mutima is staying well clear of it.

This is getting dangerous.

SHE GROWLS

Persistence from both youngster...

..and mother...

..tips the balance.

There's plenty left for the family,

and Olimba wastes no time

in getting it safely stored away

and hidden from rivals.

Moyo's risk-taking has led to success...

..this time.

WIND GUSTS

As the weeks go by,

the dry season takes a firm hold.

Temperatures rise to over 40 degrees Celsius.

In the heat of the day,

mother-to-be Tandala is fast asleep - again.

INSECT BUZZES

BARKING

GALLOPING

YELPING

A rude awakening,

but perhaps also an opportunity for a meal.

CACKLING

It's not easy to steal from Storm's pack.

Tandala is in for a shock.

GROWLING

YELPING, BARKING

YELPING, WHINING

TANDALA SNARLS

TANDALA WHINES

TANDALA SNARLS

She has no way to escape.

YELPING

Desperately, Tandala tries to protect both her back...

..and her belly.

YELPING

TANDALA WHINES

YELPING, WHINING

DOGS BARK

YELPING CONTINUES

Lions are the strongest and most aggressive predators in Africa.

YELPING CONTINUES

TANDALA YELPS, GROWLS

YELPING CONTINUES

..and male lions can take anything they want.

With the dogs distracted,

it's a chance for Tandala to sneak away.

Lions are the biggest threat to wild dogs.

There hasn't been a powerful lion pride

at the core of Nsefu for many months.

This couldn't have come at a worse time for Storm.

She has a secret.

WHINING

Eight vulnerable puppies.

They can play in safety around their den -

it's their nursery.

In wild dog families,

everyone in the pack helps protect and raise a litter.

SQUAWKING

Storm has been keeping them as close as possible to the den...

..but before long, they will be old enough

to go out with the adults...

..and that will be Storm's biggest test yet.

With Nsefu becoming more and more crowded...

LOW ROARING

..with more and more rivals...

..the pressure is rising,

for anyone with a family to protect.

LOW ROARING

LOW ROARING

Olimba's cubs are now seven months old.

Mutima is trying to get comfortable

up in the trees.

Below, Moyo is showing ever more independence.

CHIRRUPING

BIRDS HONK

His ever-growing curiosity

leads him further and further away from his mother.

CHATTERING

BIRD CHIRPS

GRUNTING CALL

GRUNTING CALL

When Olimba calls for her son,

Moyo usually answers within minutes...

GRUNTING CALL

..but today, nothing.

GRUNTING CALL

OLIMBA BARKS

GRUNTING CALL

She has been searching since dawn.

GRUNTING CALLS

Her calls are becoming more urgent.

Still no reply.

LOW ROARING

And now night is falling.

LOW BRAYING

Night is the most dangerous time for her son

to be out there alone.

OLIMBA GRUNTS

GRUNTING CALL

GRUNTING CALLS ECHO

She is exhausted.

Male lions will attack rival predators

to eliminate competition.

He is over four times Olimba's size...

..and can move almost silently.

He could never catch her up in the trees.

RUSTLING

Lions aren't the only ones out here in the dark.

Olimba is trapped...

..again.

DOG YELPS, GROWLS

DOGS WHINING

DOGS GROWL

DOGS GROWL

DOG YELPS

Mutima has been patiently waiting

where her mother left her.

DISTANT GRUNTING CALLS

GRUNTING CALL

MUTIMA YAPS

BOTH PURRING

Olimba is back...

..but she has returned alone.

BIRDS SQUAWKING

Moyo is dead.

His injuries bear all the signs of a lion attack.

Perhaps he was just too bold.

Guiding Mutima to adulthood

will now be Olimba's sole focus.

CHIRPING

The wild dog puppies are now old enough

to join an expedition away from the den.

PUPPIES YAP

Their excitement is infectious.

They're still under Storm's watchful eye.

To keep safe, they must stay together,

and close to the adults.

The male lion is back...

DOG YELPS

..and he's not alone.

WHINING

Lions are the major killers of wild dog puppies.

LION GROWLS

PUPPY HOOTS

PUPPY YELPS

STORM BARKS

Storm must get the puppies to the hidden den - now.

LION GROWLS

But one puppy hasn't followed her back.

Can Storm rescue her pup in time?

Or will it have to face the lions alone?

LION SNARLS