Original subtitles

This is Nsefu, in the heart of Zambia...

...part of a national park on the banks of the Luangwa River.

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.

And the greatest challenge comes from each other.

In this series,

we will see these rivals compete to stake their claim on this land.

Some will rise...

...others will fall.

Who will succeed in ruling this precious kingdom?

Subtitles: FΛSSTΞCH Addic7ed.com

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...

...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.

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.

His sister, Mutima, is more cautious...

...and seems happy to let her brother push the boundaries.

That is a threat.

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.

Most animals get out of the way of stampeding elephants.

But Storm holds her ground.

And the rest of the pack support her.

Faced by the power of this pack, even elephants back down.

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.

Storm and her pack are here.

And they are hunting.

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

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.

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.

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.

They seem quite unaware that anything has changed.

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?

Quite hard!

But not as hard as the challenges now facing Olimba.

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

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...

...makes them a target.

Hyenas.

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

Stealing from someone else is what they do best.

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

...but Storm and her pack mount a counterattack.

They split into groups and drive back each hyena, one by one.

Hyenas are twice the size of wild dogs...

...but here they've met their match.

The super-strength of wild dogs is their unity.

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.

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.

A precious moment of rest...

...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.

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.

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.

With the coast clear, Mutima and Moyo can leave the safety of the trees...

...to watch and learn.

This should be enough to sustain her and the cubs for days.

But they have company.

One of the hyena clan.

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.

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.

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.

A rude awakening, but perhaps also an opportunity for a meal.

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

Tandala is in for a shock.

She has no way to escape.

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

...and her belly.

Lions are the strongest and most aggressive predators in Africa.

...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.

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.

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...

...with more and more rivals...

...the pressure is rising, for anyone with a family to protect.

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.

His ever-growing curiosity leads him further and further away from his mother.

When Olimba calls for her son, Moyo usually answers within minutes...

...but today, nothing.

She has been searching since dawn.

Her calls are becoming more urgent.

Still no reply.

And now night is falling.

Night is the most dangerous time for her son to be out there alone.

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.

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

Olimba is trapped...

...again.

Mutima has been patiently waiting where her mother left her.

Olimba is back...

...but she has returned alone.

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.

The wild dog puppies are now old enough to join an expedition away from the den.

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...

...and he's not alone.

Lions are the major killers of wild dog puppies.

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

But one puppy hasn't followed her back.

Can Storm rescue her pup in time?

Or will it have to face the lions alone?

Subtitles: FΛSSTΞCH Addic7ed.com