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I've spent much of my working life

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trying to film big cats.

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I've watched them in the wild

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and analyzed the footage in the editing room,

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which has given me a real insight into their behavior.

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Today, we can see these amazing predators on our screens

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any time we choose.

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(dramatic music)

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(hooves beating)

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But until quite recently,

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we knew practically nothing about them.

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(dramatic music)

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(insects buzzing)

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Big cats are normally shy, and very secretive.

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(dramatic music)

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Today, their populations are shrinking fast.

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But now we have the means to view them

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in more detail than ever,

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(thunder crashing)

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(dramatic music)

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and learn the intricacies of their lives.

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(dramatic music)

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Which is just as well because we need to find ways

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of living alongside them

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before they disappear forever.

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(bird chirping)

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These are two young cheetah sisters.

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Their mother left them recently,

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and now, they're on their own.

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They have the form and physique of adults,

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but the sisters have little experience.

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They'll chase anything that moves.

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(fast-paced dramatic music)

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In this case, an African hare.

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(fast-paced dramatic music)

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They display all of the cheetah skills,

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speed, agility, and lightning-fast reactions.

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They can grab the earth with their claws,

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and match the hare's tight turning circle.

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(fast-paced dramatic music)

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They understand that at this speed

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a light touch is all that is needed.

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(rustling)

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And the victim's own momentum will do the rest.

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(birds chirping)

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There's only one problem.

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One hare between two of them is barely enough.

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Running at the speed they do is dangerous,

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and a hare is a meager reward.

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(flesh tearing)

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They need to work out how to catch something bigger.

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(peaceful music)

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Cheetahs are not your standard big cats.

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They differ from the others in many ways.

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Cheetahs are daytime hunters

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with eyesight optimized for open landscape

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and distant prey.

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They're possibly the fastest land animals

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that have ever lived,

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which makes filming them a bit tricky

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because the end of a run may well be

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a kilometer away from the start.

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(peaceful music)

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(birds chirping)

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It's a real challenge for a cameraman.

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(birds chirping)

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But cheetahs are actually surprisingly easy to read.

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This cat is showing real intent,

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and is definitely looking straight at a possible victim,

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(suspenseful music)

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one of these gazelles.

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(suspenseful music)

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The tautness of its body

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suggests it's just waiting for a moment

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when the group is distracted.

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(suspenseful music)

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If the distance is very great,

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and she can get away with it,

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she'll run to close the gap on the unwary animals,

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(dramatic music)

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(paws thumping)

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(birds chirping)

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before she unleashes full power

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(paws thumping)

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to get maximum surprise.

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(gazelles honking)

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(dramatic music)

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At this stage, the cheetah is focused on just one animal.

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One she had selected from the start.

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(dramatic music)

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But suddenly, a slower, closer gazelle

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attracts her attention.

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(fast-paced dramatic music)

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(paws thumping)

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(fast-paced dramatic music)

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The cheetah anticipates the gazelle's turn,

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(clattering)

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and a simple trip does the rest.

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(dramatic music)

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Like most other cats,

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cheetahs kill with a suffocating bite.

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Because of the way they hunt, cheetahs have adapted

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to live on the widest of wide-open spaces.

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But these vast grasslands have now shrunk to almost nothing.

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As a result, there are only 6,000 cheetahs left

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in the world.

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And yet, here in Kenya's Maasai Mara,

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cheetahs are one of the easiest cats of all to see.

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Male coalitions, such as these five,

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are constantly on the move to find food and females.

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(insects buzzing)

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Because of the number of tourists,

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these cats now regard cars as just part of the landscape.

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In fact, they actively use the cars as cover

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on these otherwise featureless steps.

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(birds chirping)

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But the males would be disappointed to know

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that the only females within 15 miles are not ready to mate.

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These two young sisters are only just beginning

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to learn how to fend for themselves.

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They're novices.

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(insects buzzing)

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When I was a filming novice myself,

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I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time

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with youngsters just like these.

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For them, the boundary between play

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and serious hunting was blurred.

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They just seem to be having the time of their lives,

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learning about hunting and their prey.

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(peaceful music)

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Millions of years of living with cheetahs

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have given the prey animals

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an incredible amount of speed too,

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as well as agility, and an awareness of their predators.

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(playful music)

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It still seems to surprise the sisters

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that animals run from the mere sight of a cheetah,

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and prefer to stay in the open,

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where they can keep an eye on things.

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(hooves beating)

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For the moment, these two will stick together

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and help each other.

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(hooves beating)

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(insects buzzing)

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They still have playful urges.

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Not the most suitable behavior

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if you're trying to sneak up on nervous animals.

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(cheetahs purring)

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Concentration and focus are skills they'll develop in time.

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(grass rustling)

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For the moment, the impala herd is moving far away.

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(grass rustling)

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In a reserve like the Maasai Mara,

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there's a bewildering array of possible prey.

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At this time of year, the plains are full of wildebeest,

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(wildebeest mooing)

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a tempting idea for an inexperienced huntress.

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Wildebeest weigh five or six times

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as much as a 50 kilo cheetah.

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They're armed with dangerous horns, and they're fast too.

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Already, she's made a mistake.

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The young cheetah didn't take into account

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that most of her run would be over rocks.

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And so she can't get her stride into a rhythm,

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and loses the element of surprise.

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The cheetah's most powerful weapon, speed,

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only works properly if the prey is running too.

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(hooves beating)

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(dramatic music)

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This wildebeest bull isn't going to take any cheek

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from an animal almost a fifth of his weight.

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But this isn't just a game of sheer strength.

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It's as much about confidence.

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The wildebeest detects her uncertainty,

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and realizes he is in charge.

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(suspenseful music)

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The wildebeest could easily break her bones or gore her,

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but he's not taking any chances.

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(insects buzzing)

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These two sisters need to find something

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a bit easier to handle.

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Smaller than the wildebeest is the kongoni.

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It's certainly within their size range.

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(dramatic music)

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But unfortunately, the kongoni is one of the fastest,

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most agile and alert of all the antelope.

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(dramatic music)

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This special gait, known as stotting,

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is used by many antelope as a signal to the cheetahs,

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not only that this animal has seen them,

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but also that it is in peak condition,

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and they shouldn't waste their time chasing it.

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(dramatic music)

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Impala, not much heavier than a cheetah,

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would in principle be a perfect choice.

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(dramatic music)

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When there are plenty around, they drop their guard.

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The sisters walk almost casually up to the antelope,

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(dramatic music)

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stopping at just the right time.

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(birds chirping)

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(insects buzzing)

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They've understood hiding in plain sight

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is one of the cheetah's greatest skills.

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The antelope really don't seem to be expecting trouble.

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For the cheetahs,

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this seems to be almost too good to be true.

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There has to be a catch.

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(grass rustling)

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(birds chirping)

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(paws thumping)

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She has the element of surprise.

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(suspenseful music)

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But of course, the impala make for the trees.

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(suspenseful music)

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(hooves beating)

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While the cheetahs have the top speed to overtake them,

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they won't be able to use it among the branches.

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(suspenseful music)

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(hooves beating)

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The cheetahs are foiled by the woodland.

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That's the catch.

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(dramatic music)

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The cheetah's technique works best in open country,

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and the impala know it.

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Hopefully these sisters have learned a lesson here too.

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When impala are near trees, cheetahs don't have a chance.

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The problem these cats face would seem to be simple enough,

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but cheetahs should always

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check their surroundings carefully

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before they start a hunt.

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(insects buzzing)

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This sister is attracted to a herd of topi.

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(grass rustling)

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(birds chirping)

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But she's too low to notice that in the background,

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a few hyenas are wandering in this direction.

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The cheetah is completely focused

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on the two youngsters sparring.

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(dramatic music)

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(wildebeest mooing)

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(dramatic music)

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The other sister has seen the hyena.

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(suspenseful music)

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The first sister starts a run.

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(suspenseful music)

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The hyenas are watching the action with great interest.

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Only now does the cheetah finally see the hyenas,

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and realizes that perhaps it was a lucky miss.

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Had she made a kill, she wouldn't have kept it for long.

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(hooves beating)

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(grass rustling)

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(insects buzzing)

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(hooves beating)

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She needs to retreat.

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One of the few things you can be sure of about predators

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is that they really don't like each other.

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Lions are particularly dangerous for cheetahs.

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Not only do they steal kills,

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but they'll kill cheetahs as and when they find them.

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They're the cause of most cheetah mortality.

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(grass rustling)

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Their arrival is too much for the second cheetah.

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Prudence is also a key skill for this delicate cat.

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The lioness has cubs to look after,

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so won't bother with the cheetah today.

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As the sun rises in the sky, the ground begins to heat up.

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These specialist cats are more thinly spread

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than lions or hyenas,

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but the cheetah has found her niche

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that the other big predators can't exploit effectively.

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Short grass plains in the middle of the day.

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Lions need the cover of darkness

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to hunt effectively without cover.

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(insects buzzing)

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Hyenas have difficulty keeping cool during a long chase,

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which is why both these species mostly sleep during the day,

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leaving the plains free for the cheetahs.

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With no shade, it's 40 degrees.

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The cheetahs keep cool

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by breathing rapidly through their mouths, like all cats,

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but their slender build, and even their spots will help.

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Cheetahs seem to be more comfortable in these temperatures

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than their competition.

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(insects buzzing)

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They also have super sharp daylight vision,

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enabling them to see far-off, tiny details,

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like a small group of gazelles grazing a kilometer away.

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From this distance,

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the gazelle's stamina would easily beat a cheetah,

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so the cat will need every ounce of patience

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to get near enough for a strike.

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(gazelles bleating)

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(suspenseful music)

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Over millennia, cheetahs have perfected the art

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of short grass stalking.

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(suspenseful music)

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They even use heat haze as camouflage.

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(suspenseful music)

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From the gazelle's low position,

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only the upper part of the cheetah is visible.

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And the cat stops moving altogether

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when the prey is looking up.

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I've watched a cheetah spend an hour

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00:20:51,580 --> 00:20:53,693
getting within range by this method.

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Cheetahs derive their enormous strength

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from the very same fast twitch muscle possessed by all cats.

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In a few seconds, it accelerates

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to almost 100 kilometers an hour.

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(dramatic music)

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The cat has covered 50 meters

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before the gazelle hears its paws thumping on the ground.

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(dramatic music)

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(paws thumping)

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By the time the gazelle has reached its own full speed,

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the gap is down to five meters.

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(paws thumping)

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Now the cheetah is practically flying,

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getting lift from every eight meter bound.

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(dramatic music)

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In slow motion, it looks effortless,

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but the cheetah is now using much of its strength

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just to push through the air.

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Its body is moving at 100 kilometers an hour,

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but its legs have to move twice as fast

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to overtake its body.

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At 200 kilometers an hour,

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the air pressure on the cheetah's legs is immense.

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While the gazelle's tiny legs are much more streamlined.

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(dramatic music)

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The wind flattens the cheetah's ears onto its head.

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But there is a time limit on the run.

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(suspenseful music)

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The cheetah is burning energy at a prodigious rate,

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and only has seconds left before its reserves are exhausted.

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(suspenseful music)

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Fast twitch muscle delivers extra power,

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but only for a short time.

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00:22:53,928 --> 00:22:56,928
(suspenseful music)

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This is the kind of knife edge that drives evolution.

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That has driven gazelles to become ever faster,

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and cheetahs to try and keep up.

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Today, the gazelle wins.

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He has improved his chances of passing on his genes,

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while the cheetah will have to plan

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more carefully next time.

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But the cheetah's biggest problem isn't being fit enough,

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it's having sufficient habitat to sustain it.

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The grasslands on which the cheetah's main prey depend

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don't just make themselves.

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All the grazers play their part.

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The wildebeest, the zebras, the elephants.

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This increasingly rare habitat is what cheetahs call home.

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(grass rustling)

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(birds chirping)

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But all over Africa,

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these delicate communities have been lost to scrap,

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as prey species have been hunted out.

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As elephant numbers have plummeted,

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vast tracts have been plowed for wheat and corn.

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Of all the cats, the cheetah is the only one

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that is a true nomad,

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00:24:45,430 --> 00:24:47,560
(somber music)

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which means it needs a far greater land area

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than the others.

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(somber music)

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In the ice ages, these amazing hunters

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could walk unhindered across continents, and they did.

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(somber music)

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In fact the cheetah's true home

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is most likely the steps of Asia.

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It walked from the Russian far east

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to the southern tip of Africa.

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(somber music)

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But today, they've lost almost all of their range.

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(somber music)

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100 years ago, there were as many cheetahs here

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on the Asian steps as there are in Africa today.

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The Asiatic cheetah is almost identical

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to the modern African version,

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(dramatic music)

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except that it is now perilously close to extinction.

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(clattering)

384
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(wings flapping)

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They were once common here in the Iranian desert.

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Now no more than 50 Asiatic cheetahs are thought to remain,

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spread across an area as large as the British Isles.

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(somber music)

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Finding a cheetah here

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is like finding a needle in a haystack.

391
00:26:17,740 --> 00:26:19,840
But that's what this male is trying to do.

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He leaves a marker he hopes a female will find and follow.

393
00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:29,440
It's a system that allows all cats

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to exist in incredibly low densities.

395
00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,940
But here the distances really are vast,

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00:26:37,940 --> 00:26:40,280
and the prey animals are much more rare

397
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than they used to be.

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There's plenty of space for cheetahs,

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00:26:45,940 --> 00:26:49,270
but hunting has depleted gazelles and other wildlife

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00:26:49,270 --> 00:26:50,423
to almost nothing.

401
00:26:51,810 --> 00:26:55,700
Worryingly, these extremely rare camera trap images reveal

402
00:26:55,700 --> 00:26:58,650
that most of the surviving population are males,

403
00:26:58,650 --> 00:27:01,340
desperately searching for one of the four or five

404
00:27:01,340 --> 00:27:03,423
surviving, breeding females.

405
00:27:06,270 --> 00:27:08,460
The situation is now so dire

406
00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:10,860
that this image may well be the last image

407
00:27:10,860 --> 00:27:14,378
of an Asiatic cheetah cub, ever recorded.

408
00:27:14,378 --> 00:27:16,390
(somber music)

409
00:27:16,390 --> 00:27:18,380
Let's hope this isn't going to be the fate

410
00:27:18,380 --> 00:27:21,868
of African cheetahs, a century from now.

411
00:27:21,868 --> 00:27:24,618
(hooves beating)

412
00:27:29,111 --> 00:27:31,861
(dramatic music)