Original subtitles

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

NARRATOR: In the heart of southern Africa,

there is a special place.

A beautiful valley, bursting with life.

Home to 60 species of mammals,

and more than 400 species of birds.

It is one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries

in the world.

But this wilderness is at risk.

Like many of Africa's wild places,

there is an increasing threat from humans.

With so many potential dangers,

two young scientists are on the frontline

of protecting this incredible ecosystem.

HENRY: Johnathan, stop for a bit.

(BEEPS)

NARRATOR: They live in the heart of the bush.

(TRUMPETS)

Working around the clock.

Their mission,

to uncover the secrets of this great wilderness,

to gather vital scientific data

to be used to protect some of Africa's

most iconic predators.

It's 6:00 a.m.

The day starts early

for Johnathan Merkle and Henry Mwape.

They're scientists, working with the Zambian Carnivore Program,

known as ZCP.

Their mission is to monitor the health of this ecosystem

by studying its carnivores.

ZCP's camp is on the banks of the Luangwa River,

which borders the South Luangwa National Park.

Their study area is in the heart of a vast wilderness,

covering nearly 30,000 miles.

A rich and diverse wildlife haven.

(GRUNTING)

Keeping track of so many different animals would be impossible,

so Johnathan and Henry

are focusing on an iconic species,

which is the key to measuring the health

of the whole ecosystem.

(GROWLING)

Lions. Africa's largest carnivore.

As apex predators now under threat,

they are a crucial study species for the young scientists.

Lions prey on herbivores

like puku, zebra and buffalo,

which eat plants and grasses.

This vegetation also supports the whole ecosystem.

If lions and other carnivores are doing well,

it's a strong sign that everything else in the valley is thriving.

Today, the team is looking for the Luwi Pride.

They are part of ZCP's long-term, intensive study.

HENRY: Johnathan, do you want to stop for a bit? JOHNATHAN: Huh?

HENRY: Stop.

NARRATOR: A number of individual animals

are fitted with radio collars.

Each collar sends out a different signal.

Got it? Cool.

HENRY: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Henry uses an antenna to pick up the beep made by a collar

and therefore find the animal that they want to see.

Right there. Like, one...

Yeah, twelve thirty, one. Okay?

Yeah.

(ENGINE STARTS)

NARRATOR: Traveling across country takes time.

The ground is rough and bumpy, and is not the easiest to drive on.

(BEEPS)

JOHNATHAN:

Is it getting stronger? HENRY: Yeah.

HENRY: Ten o'clock, I think.

NARRATOR: They arrive to find the Luwi pride doing what lions do best.

Lions can spend up to 20 hours a day sleeping.

After a big meal, male lions can doze for a full 24 hours.

The Luwi pride is made up of one male lion, five lionesses,

and three cubs from last year's litter.

They're so habituated, so used to us that

we can get quite close, um, and still not alter their behavior.

We, of course, you know, keep our distance,

we get a little bit closer to get some photos,

make sure we can see... check for injuries, check on their, their stats,

and then usually we kind of pull back

and let them behave normally and kind of interact

with their environment as they normally would.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

NARRATOR: Johnathan and Henry have identified 300 individual lions,

with a catalogue of thousands of photos.

174. 173.

NARRATOR: They recognize many just by memory.

It's either 247 or 173.

NARRATOR: Scars or battle-torn ears

help the team determine who's who.

Also, every lion has a unique pattern of spots

above the top line of whiskers.

These "whisker spots" are as individual as our fingerprints,

but are much easier to see.

I think it's 580... 589.

JOHNATHAN: Yeah, 'cause on the...

The right side of the face, there's, like, these three whisker spots.

Yeah, it's definitely her.

HENRY: Female. Born 9th of March, 2013.

NARRATOR: Being able to identify individuals

means they can track everything that happens to these lions,

including illness, injury and reproduction.

They've learnt how prides can be fluid,

with females often separating into smaller groups,

and males even moving between prides.

Today, all of the Luwi Pride are looking fit and healthy.

A good sign that all is well in this area of the park. (ENGINE STARTS)

The team has identified 18 separate lion prides,

and try to see them as often as they can.

They spend days at a time out in the bush

and cover hundreds of miles a week.

In Africa, lion numbers have nearly halved in the last 20 years.

And 75% of their habitat

has been lost in the last 50.

The Luangwa Valley remains one of the few strongholds for lions in Africa,

so it's critical that the team monitors them closely.

(TRACKING DEVICE BEEPING)

Henry picks up the signal of another pride.

The Nsefu Pride, some of the valley's most successful lions.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

JOHNATHAN: Pretty sure that's 247, the other one.

Yeah, that's 247.

This female back here.

NARRATOR: ZCP scientists have been studying this pride for nearly 10 years.

They have seen the cubs grow and have cubs of their own.

Now the pride has six healthy lionesses.

It's the females who are often responsible for dinner,

and as sunset approaches,

this small hunting party looks ready for action.

The majority of lion hunts take place after dark.

So studying lions isn't a regular nine-to-five.

(ENGINE STARTS)

As night falls,

the team decides to stay out.

The young scientists want to see what's on the lions' menu tonight.

Turning off the jeep's headlights,

Henry powers up a flashlight

to reduce the disturbance to the animals.

JOHNATHAN: I can man the receiver if you want.

NARRATOR: Many lions have a favorite prey,

and this pride is particularly fond of buffalo.

Following hungry lions on the prowl can be tricky,

especially when they go off the beaten track.

Pretty thick up here.

In the night-time, it's very difficult to keep up with these animals.

If we don't find something soon, then we'll, we'll make a plan.

NARRATOR: These lions can see six times better at night than their human trackers.

But a ground-breaking thermal camera reveals the lions' night-time world

like never before.

Is that one of them?

HENRY: Yeah, it is.

JOHNATHAN: Find them?

Nice job. Yeah.

So, we're just trying to keep up with them

and see what they're actually gonna be hunting this evening.

Uh, they might actually go in to grab some water, or they might be trying to che...

Try their luck along the river bed for any prey.

NARRATOR: Following a hunt provides vital information

about not only what the lions are eating, but how much.

This gives the team insight into the lions' impact on the ecosystem

and how prey abundance affects their survival.

Lions are opportunistic hunters and will target a range of prey.

Tonight, the Nsefu lions have got their eyes on puku.

After dark, puku can't see well.

They must rely on smell and hearing.

The Nsefu lions can't outrun the puku.

They won't charge until they're fewer than 100 feet from their target.

(PUKU SQUEALING)

As a potential lion meal, it pays to be vigilant.

Despite being Africa's largest carnivore,

lions aren't the most successful hunters here in Luangwa.

The Zambian Carnivore Program

has noted that only around three out of ten lion chases ends in a meal.

(ENGINE STARTS)

It's been a long day.

Time to head back to camp for some rest.

So, I don't know, like, where I'm heading to.

Don't know whether this is north...

JOHNATHAN: We're heading north.

We're heading north.

JOHNATHAN: Yeah.

JOHNATHAN: No, you take the left road, actually.

Left?

Yeah.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: On the way, something catches Henry's eye.

Hyena.

HENRY: There's another one. I've seen two.

JOHNATHAN: Must be something there.

Some sort of carcass, probably.

(HYENAS WHINING)

NARRATOR: A hyena clan's feeding on something.

Buffalo.

It's likely this prize was scavenged from nearby lions.

Hyenas will eat almost anything on a carcass,

including bones, teeth, skin,

even the hooves.

They often fight over a carcass but a strict hierarchy

ultimately dictates who eats first.

Once they get stuck in,

hyenas will eat as much as they can,

as fast as they can.

A hyena can eat up to a third of its own body weight in one sitting.

Seeing them scavenge on a left-over buffalo

shows that lion kills must be plentiful.

It's more evidence that the lion population here is doing well.

(SCREECHING)

There's more to be learnt by

looking at the carcass itself.

(ENGINE STARTS)

But the team doesn't want to disturb the hyenas

and it's too risky to get out of the vehicle at night.

They'll have to come back.

After an 18-hour day in the field,

it's finally time for bed.

JOHNATHAN: Watch out for that log.

It's 7:00 a.m.

(ENGINE STARTS)

Living in the bush

(TRUMPETS)

means that wildlife is often right on their doorstep.

The team wants to get back to the buffalo carcass

before scavengers finish it off.

As they get close, Johnathan spots another hyena.

This is a good opportunity to observe one of Africa's most misunderstood predators

in the daylight.

Hyenas are also part of ZCP's research,

but can be harder to find

as very few are radio-collared.

JOHNATHAN: Uh, do you have, uh, GPS? I'm just...

HENRY: Yeah, ready.

You already marked it. Cool. Awesome.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

I think there's a misconception a lot of times

that people just see hyenas as scavengers.

Uh, which is not...

I mean... Which is true, they do scavenge a lot and...

But they, they're also hunters.

NARRATOR: As the two hyenas move off,

Johnathan and Henry decide to follow.

(ENGINE STARTS)

Must be something there.

NARRATOR: Behind the trees,

something they weren't expecting.

(ENGINE SHUTS OFF)

A hyena mum suckling a very young litter.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

(WHINING)

The cubs are born below ground,

and venture out mainly at night,

so to see them out in the daytime is a rare treat for the team.

They develop their spots about five weeks after being born.

By looking at their fluffy new coats,

Johnathan and Henry estimate that these cubs are just under two months old.

HENRY: So there's six hyenas, right?

Mmm-hmm.

NARRATOR: It seems to be a communal den

with two litters from two different mothers.

These cubs won't leave the den and join the rest of the clan

until they're about a year old.

It's an exciting discovery.

Four new cubs in total.

Now, the team knows the location of the den,

they'll be able to closely monitor the cubs' development

and add important data on hyena survival rates.

Hyenas aren't popular here.

They're the subject of many African myths,

often associated with death or witchcraft,

and they've suffered persecution from humans as a result.

(ENGINE STARTS)

Johnathan and Henry leave the new family

and return to the job at hand, the buffalo carcass.

The hyenas from last night are nowhere to be found.

With the hyenas gone, other scavengers have arrived

to feast on the remains.

See, that doesn't look that old, right?

JOHNATHAN: No, it doesn't look that old. Just, uh...

HENRY: I think the vultures and the hyenas are the ones

who have eaten up most parts of...

(SCREECHING)

NARRATOR: White-backed vultures are noisy eaters,

calling out as they jostle for position.

Super-strength stomach acid

allows them to digest what other animals have left behind.

Their iconic bald head allows them to dive into the carcass

without getting their feathers covered in rotting flesh.

This many birds on a carcass

is a great sign of a healthy ecosystem.

The vultures are a clean-up crew,

and help to stop the spread of disease

that rotting carcasses could cause.

But the role of these natural recyclers comes at a cost.

Herders sometimes poison carcasses,

trying to kill scavenging lions and other predators

that stray too close to their livestock.

Vultures often get to the carcass first

and die after consuming the poisoned remains.

This has led to a rapid decline in vulture numbers.

Worryingly, studies suggest

that they could be extinct in Africa in less than 100 years.

JOHNATHAN: I think we'll grab Gibson and we'll, um...

I think we'll get out and check the carcass.

NARRATOR: Gibson is an armed scout with the Zambian Wildlife Authority,

who works with the team.

Getting out of the car is dangerous.

A dead animal can attract hungry scavengers.

(FLIES BUZZING)

Johnathan and Henry want to take some samples back to camp.

They set about gathering as much information as possible.

Tissue and blood samples will tell them if the buffalo was sick or poisoned.

Teeth and hair provide information on its age and diet.

These important samples

will spoil in the midday heat,

(ENGINE STARTS)

so it's time to head back to base.

At their field laboratory,

Johnathan puts the samples in the deep freeze,

a vat of liquid nitrogen,

and Henry feeds this valuable research into their detailed monthly record.

These data, from a single carcass,

feed into their long-term study of predators and prey,

providing vital information to help protect the Luangwa Valley.

In addition to direct observations,

the carnivore team uses a variety of different study techniques.

They've got remote cameras set around the valley in carefully chosen spots.

They're hoping to gather images of one of their most secretive study subjects,

the leopard.

Living a solitary life, leopards are the most elusive carnivore.

They hide in the thickest vegetation

and usually hunt under the cover of darkness.

The Luangwa National Park is known as "the valley of the leopard."

It's home to one of the densest leopard populations in Africa.

Johnathan and Henry have been able to identify a number of individuals

and learn about where they roam.

Like this one, 13-year-old Kamuti.

She's unusually active during daylight hours,

and is often seen hunting in the heat of the day.

She's ruled over her territory for 10 years.

This experience has made her a very successful hunter.

ZCP's camera traps

also reveal that prey such as impala and bushbuck

are plentiful in the leopard's habitat.

These data suggest that an unusual abundance of food

may be the key to leopards' success in the Luangwa Valley.

It's now October, the hottest part of the dry season.

But the rains are fast approaching.

The ZCP scientists have vital data to collect,

and need to work fast before the rains arrive.

(TRACKING DEVICE BEEPING)

Once the wet season gets underway,

the wildlife will spread out across the valley

and much of the landscape will be cut off by floodwater.

Vegetation becomes dense and impenetrable,

and the ground, muddy and un-driveable.

This morning, they're tracking one of the world's most endangered carnivores,

one which has disappeared from much of Africa.

The wild dog.

Roaming over a home range of hundreds of square miles

and traveling up to 30 miles a day,

they're hard to pin down.

Johnathan and Henry are looking for a group

known as the Hot Springs pack.

To help study these predators,

they've put radio collars on key members of the pack.

Today's aim is to collar one of the young dogs from last year's litter.

It's likely that these dogs will leave the group during the wet season

to find a new pack of their own.

Johnathan and Henry are keen to gather data on what happens to them after they leave.

HENRY: Jonathan, stop for a bit.

JOHNATHAN: How strong is the sound?

Not very strong,

but it's a male dog I'm hearing right now

and I just want to...

Try and see the direction, using the H antennae.

Okay, I think the road turns in a second so...

NARRATOR: The pack has had eight pups this year,

but Jonathan and Henry don't know whether all the pups are still alive.

HENRY: So they are to your, uh, three, three o'clock.

Three? Okay, good?

HENRY: Yeah,

they're not too far. (ENGINE STARTS)

JOHNATHAN: Is it pretty close?

HENRY: Yeah.

Sounding louder. Okay.

HENRY: I think we should go in.

JOHNATHAN: Go in?

Yeah.

Which way?

Uh, right there.

HENRY: Go more close. Straight.

Twelve?

HENRY: Yeah.

(GROANS)

JOHNATHAN: Still twelve?

Yeah.

Okay.

HENRY: Okay, there, I see them.

You see them? Oh, I see one, uh, right there at one o'clock.

(WHINING)

NARRATOR: The pack's finishing a fresh impala kill.

Despite being a tenth of the size of lions,

these skilled predators

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

are successful in eight out of ten hunts,

and the pack will eat almost every day.

Unlike many carnivores, wild dogs don't scavenge

and will only eat what they have killed.

Wild dogs will also allow the youngest dogs to eat first at a kill.

Awesome. We'll see some of the pups.

(GROWLING)

JOHNATHAN: How many pups do you see?

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)

HENRY: Yeah, I'm seeing eight pups.

Yep, eight pups. Cool, so they're all surviving.

(WHINING)

NARRATOR: There are fewer than 6,000 wild dogs left in southern Africa,

so to see these pups doing well is a great moment.

JOHNATHAN: There are some yearlings here too.

NARRATOR: The team's research has shown

that, in their study area, wild dog numbers are on the up,

and that's partly thanks to them.

Yearling, yearling, yearling.

NARRATOR: The dogs can become entangled in snares set by humans

trying to catch bush meat.

ZCP's efforts to rescue the dogs

and discourage local use of these traps

is likely to have increased their survival rate.

This is one of the only places in Africa

to sustain such a healthy wild dog population.

JOHNATHAN: Well, there's the alpha female.

NARRATOR: The pups won't stay with the Hot Springs pack forever.

In wild dog society, both males and females leave their pack

to find mates and join new groups of their own.

These dogs will go well before they're three years old.

Keeping track of them when they leave

is a vital part of Johnathan and Henry's research.

With the pack resting,

it's a good opportunity to collar one of the young females.

It's likely that she'll leave the group during the coming wet season.

Jonathan calls in reinforcements.

Uh, Mike Bravo, Mike Bravo,

Juliet Mike. (RADIO STATIC)

MAN: Uh, Mike Bravo. Over.

JOHNATHAN: I just wanted to, uh, update you, uh,

we're just in Hot Springs right now. Over.

MAN: Awesome, that's great. Hot Springs pack, you're saying? Over.

JOHNATHAN: Uh, affirmative, affirmative. Over.

MAN: Copy that. Well, we'll go down and check. Over.

JOHNATHAN: Cool, it's copied, uh, standby.

(RADIO STATIC)

NARRATOR: Johnathan and Henry work closely with ZCP's vet, Doctor Sichande.

They've picked out which young female to target.

The first challenge is to sedate her with an anesthetic dart.

Whenever you're ready.

(DART FIRES)

JOHNATHAN: Okay, good.

Looks like it's gone in.

Let's keep an eye.

NARRATOR: She lays down just a short distance

from the watchful eyes of her pack.

JOHNATHAN: I see her, just over there.

HENRY: All right.

Okay.

Okay, uh, let's try to get a little bit closer and we'll...

Check on her and see how she is.

Okay. Good?

(ENGINE STARTS)

Okay. That's what I'm saying.

(ENGINE SHUTS OFF)

JOHNATHAN: Oh.

NARRATOR: Jonathan only approaches

when he's sure she's asleep.

Doctor Sichande covers her eyes to protect them from dust while they work.

(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)

DR SICHANDE: Mmm-hmm.

JOHNATHAN: So we're gonna... Turn it, right in here.

DR SICHANDE: Mmm-hmm.

NARRATOR: The team has to work quickly.

The less time she's sedated, the better.

Okay, write down, full respirations at 23 minutes.

NARRATOR: They keep a close eye her vital signs.

Once the collar's on, they use this rare encounter to gather important data.

JOHNATHAN: 36.4.

HENRY: 36.4.

Okay, on three, one...

HENRY: Two...

Two, three.

NARRATOR: Carnivores can't control their temperature when they're unconscious.

JOHNATHAN: Looks good.

NARRATOR: So they keep her doused with water to keep her cool.

JOHNATHAN: And it's this one.

JOHNATHAN: Got it. Yeah.

(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)

JOHNATHAN: One, two, three.

NARRATOR: They leave her under a shady tree.

The vet administers the drugs to bring her round.

(ENGINE STARTS)

It doesn't take long before she's up and about.

A little drowsy, but none the worse for wear.

Satisfied that she's made a full recovery,

Good?

the team heads back to base.

Okay. That's what I'm saying.

NARRATOR: The new collar will provide them

with essential data for the next few years.

(RUSTLING)

By mid-November, the skies are swollen with thunder clouds

but the ground is still parched.

The team has one last task before the rains set in.

They want to check in with the Nsefu Lions.

Things are shifting within the pride.

Thinking about going back a little bit and looking around.

We're kind of keen to find the collared lioness from Nsefu Pride.

Uh, we'd like to check up on her because she has some new cubs this year

and we wanna see how she's doing and how the cubs are doing.

NARRATOR: Mortality is high in young lions,

so it's important that they get visual confirmation

of the two new cubs and assess their health.

(TRACKING DEVICE BEEPS)

But Henry has to be within half a mile of her

to pick up the signal from her collar.

JOHNATHAN: Do you think it's worth going back to the other side

or do you want to just keep going up?

HENRY: I think let's just continue.

I think it was just something else, it wasn't the signal.

JOHNATHAN: Okay. Is it pretty close?

HENRY: Yeah, they're not too far.

JOHNATHAN: Sounding louder. Okay.

HENRY: Yeah.

HENRY: Okay, I see them.

Right there, like, 451.

JOHNATHAN: Okay, I see one. Yeah. Right there.

NARRATOR: As they home in on her signal,

they find some other members of the pride lounging in the shade.

Young lions from previous litters

are resting with the grandmother of the group.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

She's 13 years old,

an exceptional age for a wild Luangwa lion.

ZCP scientists have been studying her for most of her life.

JOHNATHAN: She does look a little bit lean.

They all look a little bit thin, but she looks definitely weak.

HENRY: Yeah, she's, she's now

in her last... Last years.

NARRATOR: She may be too old to hunt for herself,

but she is still resourceful.

A nearby scent attracts her attention.

A leopard with a fresh impala kill.

This leopard is only half the size of the lioness.

She doesn't want to risk a fight,

even against a 13-year-old grandmother.

The lioness takes the impala back to her pride.

They gratefully tuck in.

The fact that this old grandma can still help provide for her family

is a clear sign that there is abundant food and that the pride is doing well.

It's another indication that the Luangwa valley is in good health.

It's great to check in with familiar faces,

but Jonathan and Henry are anxious to find the lioness

that recently gave birth to two cubs.

JOHNATHAN: I'll try to cross the stream to get to the other side

where the signal sounds like it is.

HENRY: So, uh, the mother I think is somewhere.

NARRATOR: They find the collared mother

just a short distance from the rest of the pride.

HENRY: The cub's here to your right.

To my right?

HENRY: Yeah.

How close to my right?

In this bush?

This one.

Oh, yeah, I see her.

She looks very healthy though.

NARRATOR: This is what Johnathan and Henry hoped for (MEWS)

two cubs, nearly three months old,

both in great condition.

And there are some other new cubs to add to their list.

There's a cub coming right there.

NARRATOR: The collared female has been joined by her sister,

who also has cubs, even younger.

I've seen three.

JOHNATHAN: Yeah.

NARRATOR: They're all fighting fit.

The five cubs are still suckling,

but it's a bit of a scramble.

Each lioness only has four teats,

and the five cousins seem determined to suckle together.

The two older cubs

have more than doubled in size since Johnathan and Henry last saw them.

Soon, they'll spend more time with the rest of the pride,

learning where they fit in to this extended lion family.

(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING)

To see the cubs flourishing

is great news for the Zambian Carnivore team.

It bodes well for the future success of the pride,

and for all the lions in the area.

It's thought that there are as few as 20,000 lions left in the wild.

The ZCP team has estimated that the Luangwa valley

may be home to more than 500 of these top predators,

making it one of the last remaining lion strongholds.

These cubs are an exciting and important addition to the population.

Through the course of their lives,

they will provide critical information to help preserve Luangwa's lions.

As with every area of wilderness around the world,

human encroachment will always be a threat here.

But people are not just part of the problem,

they can also be part of the solution.

JOHNATHAN: You know, our goal is to conserve

these carnivores and then hopefully protect the whole area, too.

And sustain the park and the whole ecosystem for future generations to come.

NARRATOR: Gathering huge amounts of knowledge

and devoting their lives to the African bush,

Johnathan, Henry and the Zambian Carnivore team

will continue to monitor the predators that live and thrive in this wild valley.

Protecting them for many years to come.

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