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ATTENBOROUGH: The Namib,
the world's oldest desert.
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Relentless and unforgiving.
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No-one enters this world lightly.
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The treacherous seas of the Skeleton Coast
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barricade the entire length of the desert.
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It's no wonder the Namib guards its secrets well.
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Lions once lived here,
but they were like phantoms,
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hardly ever seen, let alone understood.
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Then, more than 20 years ago,
they were wiped out.
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Today, one man is pitting himself
against the desert,
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driven by the belief
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that these most extraordinary lions
have started coming back.
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The Namib desert
is @ million square miles of wilderness.
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Diamonds and garnets are here in abundance.
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Much harder to find is a blade of grass.
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A few scattered animals do live here,
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but nothing like the great herds
that normally support lions.
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However, 10 years ago,
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rumours surfaced
that lions might have returned to the Namib.
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Such a tantalising mystery attracted a scientist
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with a rare combination of skills.
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Dr Flip Stander's great passion is lions.
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He studies them,
tracks them and even thinks like them.
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STANDER: That was a print. That was a print.
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They definitely crouch down
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and you can see the feet placement
are very careful.
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You can almost see the toes
are sort of pressed in. It's like they're stretching.
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And at this point, just after they get
into the opening, they split up.
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ATTENBOROUGH: For months,
Flip found nothing but tracks.
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This was a frustrating campaign
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in a place where the heat is intense enough
to crack rock.
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Even oryx, the hardy desert specialists,
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and the handful of giraffe that live here
have a tough time.
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It was to take months of patient tracking
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before the elusive desert phantoms
finally took shape.
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He was able to put a radio collar
on one lioness, then two.
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But just following them seemed impossible.
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The animals were shy
and the boulder fields impassable,
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a far cry from the Serengeti,
where lions can be followed easily day and night.
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Flip's best hope was to take to the air.
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Even this was fraught
in a landscape that dwarfs everything.
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Eventually, the first two lions led to more.
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Flip had made a momentous discovery.
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There was a surviving pride of desert lions,
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and it had found refuge in a remote canyon.
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This was the first time that anyone
had been able to get a really good look
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at the world's most unusual lions.
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It was clear from the start
that their behaviour was out of the ordinary.
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In the first three or four years,
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1 documented the most outrageous growth rate.
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It was in excess of 30% per annum,
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and all really driven by four adult lionesses.
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The only word to describe them
would be like breeding machines,
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because that's just what they were.
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ATTENBOROUGH: Not only this.
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More cubs were surviving to adulthood
than elsewhere in Africa.
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This once-beleaguered group of lions
were staging an extraordinary comeback,
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and it allowed them to fan out into areas
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they hadn't been seen in for over 20 years.
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In the last year,
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Flip has followed some of them
to the driest, most northerly part of the Namib,
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where he's had his biggest breakthrough,
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two very relaxed young lionesses
that don't run away when he gets close.
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Now at last he has an opportunity
to really get to know some lions
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and find out how they cope with desert life.
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Their lives couldn't be more different
from young lions in the Serengeti.
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They're just 18 months old,
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an age when most lion cubs
rely on a pride to get them food.
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Yet these youngsters are all alone.
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They're heading for the spectacular
Hoarusib Valley,
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one of the dry rivers
that cut across the Namib desert
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from the mountains in the east
to the Skeleton Coast in the west.
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The Hoarusib acts as a highway
for animals through hostile land.
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It offers respite, too.
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The valley benefits from rainfall
hundreds of miles away.
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Flash floods race through
and then slowly evaporate,
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leaving drinking water here and there.
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There's enough damp ground for grass,
even in the dry season,
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which draws grazers like these oryx
from all over the desert.
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And that's why the young lions
have been drawn to this valley.
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It's the very best place to hunt.
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However, oryx are large, with lethal horns.
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But they aren't the only potential prey taking
advantage of the Hoarusib's watering holes.
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Donkeys are much easier to catch,
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but killing one could spell disaster for the cubs.
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The donkeys belong to
the Himba and Herero people,
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whose village, Purros, lies a few miles upriver.
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They are worried by the lions' return.
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No-one wants a large predator on their doorstep.
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INTERPRETER: I had two donkeys,
two pregnant donkeys.
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Then a lion killed both of them.
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Without my donkeys,
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1 can't go and visit my daughter
or my grandchildren any more.
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ATTENBOROUGH: Raising livestock
on such marginal land is tough.
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The loss of cattle, their only cash in the bank,
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could cause financial ruin.
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(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
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In the severe droughts of the 1980s,
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desert lions killed hundreds of cows,
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so the people shot every lion they could.
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This is how desert lions were thought
to have been wiped out first time around.
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00:10:03,970 --> 00:10:09,142
Can the people of Purros afford to be tolerant
towards this new generation?
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00:10:14,814 --> 00:10:20,153
The cubs will be much safer
if they learn to catch wild animals like oryx.
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00:10:32,565 --> 00:10:38,238
In the Serengeti, youngsters spend years
watching how older lionesses tackle large prey.
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00:10:39,539 --> 00:10:41,674
However, it looks as though these cubs
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will have to teach themselves
through trial and error.
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They begin the stalk like seasoned hunters,
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using the scant cover to conceal themselves.
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And they have to be incredibly quiet.
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Oryx are spooked by the slightest sound.
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One of the youngsters
looks as though it's made a mistake.
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It's broken cover.
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Actually, very cleverly, it's pushing the oryx
towards the other lion.
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An oryx is quite capable of seeing off a lion,
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as long as the antelope stands its ground
and doesn't run.
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But will the oryx keep its nerve?
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(GRUNTS)
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Finally, the youngsters lose heart.
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Flip suspects that desert lions hunt
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in a completely different way
from lions on the savannah.
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Without the backup of a large pride,
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these youngsters have to learn
to stalk more skilfully
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and co-operate more effectively.
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00:14:24,063 --> 00:14:26,933
They certainly can't rely
on their mother for support,
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because right now she's 100 miles away.
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Flip is really struggling to follow her.
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00:14:51,557 --> 00:14:55,261
She travels vast distances in a home range
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that's 100 times bigger
than those in the Serengeti.
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00:15:04,270 --> 00:15:07,940
She arrived here from the canyon refuge
10 years ago
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as one of the first pioneers.
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She's produced two litters of cubs,
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and is currently travelling
with her eldest daughter.
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Flip has a soft spot for this lioness,
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but she didn't endear herself
to the people of Purros.
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As a youngster, she killed several cows,
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and the villagers demanded Flip relocate her.
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Most had never even seen a lion,
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so he decided to take her to the village,
where there was uproar.
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They had this lion now, in front of them.
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These lions were causing them lots of trouble.
They must kill it.
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And I looked at the situation and I just gambled,
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took a huge risk, and I stood back
and I said, "Go, kill it."
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Because 1 thought, if 1 interfere now
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and really sort of try and dominate the situation,
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it's gonna count against me
and the lions in the long run.
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And he pulled out his knife,
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and I stood back and I just knew... I went cold.
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1 didn't know what was gonna happen,
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but I said,
"If you wanna kill it, it's your lion. Kill it.”
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00:16:27,220 --> 00:16:30,756
ATTENBOROUGH: Some were fascinated by her
and didn't agree.
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After a fierce argument, the villagers said
she could live on one condition.
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As long as I monitor it
and give them the information,
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then they're happy with it.
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So, with a huge sigh of relief,
1 got in the car and 1 motored out of there.
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ATTENBOROUGH: Flip's gamble paid off,
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but the lioness is hard to keep tabs on.
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This year, he's got the chance
to put a better tracking device on her.
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(GUN FIRING)
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(GROWLS)
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The darting anaesthetic fails to work properly,
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and Flip has to go out on a limb
to give her a booster.
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STANDER: Yeah, perfect.
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ATTENBOROUGH: Unlike a simple radio device,
this GPS collar
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will record and store her position
every two hours for the next nine months.
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It will reveal what she gets up to
during her long absences
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when she vanishes into the desert.
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(THUNDER RUMBLING)
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It's turning out to be an exceptional year
in more ways than one.
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It's the wettest in the Namib for 30 years.
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Grazers and lions are doing well.
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Flip reckons there are 80 to 100 lions
scattered through the desert,
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where only a handful was left just a decade ago.
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There's a more relaxed atmosphere
than the drought-ridden 1980s.
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The trouble is that it's unlikely to last.
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The desert constantly swings between extremes.
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Lions that grow up in boom times
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will find it much harder
to survive the next drought.
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(CAWING)
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If extreme drought were to return
to the Hoarusib Valley,
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the pied crows would be the least
of the youngsters' concerns.
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The harder it is to find food,
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the more tempted they might be to kill livestock,
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and that could lead to their deaths.
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Flip believes there is an alternative source
of food in the drought.
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It's fixed and predictable, if they can find it.
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To do that,
the youngsters would have to cross miles
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of scorching, wind-blasted sands to the coast.
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However, lions have made this journey before
and this was their reward.
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The seal colony at Cape Fria.
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Extraordinarily, in 1976,
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a pride of 14 desert lions was observed here
feeding on a seal carcass.
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00:20:53,652 --> 00:20:58,724
And it was this predation on seals
that was a turning point in Flip's life.
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00:20:59,024 --> 00:21:04,029
My first experience with the desert lions
was on the beach,
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seeing a lion feeding on a seal carcass.
195
00:21:06,499 --> 00:21:10,936
And the impression that
that left with me was just incredible.
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And that's lasted for 25 years.
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00:21:15,141 --> 00:21:17,910
ATTENBOROUGH: When the lions
were wiped out in the 1980s,
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00:21:17,977 --> 00:21:20,913
the knowledge of this food source was lost.
199
00:21:20,980 --> 00:21:26,986
Today, Flip's special female and her youngsters
are the nearest lions to Cape Fria.
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He hopes they'll rediscover it soon.
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00:21:31,323 --> 00:21:34,460
This is what I'm picturing.
I'm picturing that little group
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arriving on this beach
in the middle of the night, hunting.
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And they take one look at this
and they say, "This is... We've got this sorted.”
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(SEALS BARKING)
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00:21:47,306 --> 00:21:49,542
ATTENBOROUGH: The sea is rich in fish,
206
00:21:49,608 --> 00:21:52,478
so the seals will be here year in, year out.
207
00:21:57,316 --> 00:22:02,955
The colony could cushion the lion family
from the boom-bust nature of desert life.
208
00:22:03,622 --> 00:22:05,925
It could be their salvation.
209
00:22:23,742 --> 00:22:28,280
For now, the cubs are too timid
to venture very far,
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00:22:28,347 --> 00:22:32,418
and the Hoarusib Valley
provides everything they need.
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00:22:42,661 --> 00:22:45,231
Flip has been following them for three months,
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00:22:45,297 --> 00:22:49,668
but only rarely does he have the chance
to witness a hunt.
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00:22:58,878 --> 00:23:02,948
They've used the cover of night to outwit an oryx.
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00:23:03,015 --> 00:23:06,719
For the two youngsters,
this is no mean achievement.
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00:23:06,785 --> 00:23:11,223
For Flip, it's a chance to learn
how their hunting skills are developing,
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00:23:11,290 --> 00:23:15,761
but first he has to wait
until the cubs have had their fill.
217
00:23:19,298 --> 00:23:23,769
With a meal like this,
they should be able to take life easy.
218
00:23:24,703 --> 00:23:29,775
But one of the lions can't stop those crows
from getting under her skin.
219
00:23:30,142 --> 00:23:32,611
(CAWING)
220
00:23:41,587 --> 00:23:43,722
(CROWS CAWING)
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00:23:59,004 --> 00:24:01,140
(CROWS CAWING)
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00:24:04,410 --> 00:24:05,711
(GROWLS)
223
00:24:20,426 --> 00:24:21,760
(GROWLS)
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00:24:40,946 --> 00:24:44,316
Two days later, Flip can get to work.
225
00:24:44,383 --> 00:24:48,020
He wants to test his theory that desert lions
226
00:24:48,087 --> 00:24:52,324
have to be more cunning and patient
than savannah lions.
227
00:24:56,895 --> 00:25:01,233
This must have been an incredibly slow period
of the stalk
228
00:25:01,300 --> 00:25:06,972
because this substrate, it's all...
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00:25:07,039 --> 00:25:08,307
It's really crackly.
230
00:25:08,374 --> 00:25:13,645
And so, for her to have been stalking here,
she would have had to be really careful.
231
00:25:13,712 --> 00:25:16,148
Because that weight she would have had
would have cracked.
232
00:25:16,215 --> 00:25:19,518
She probably takes like five minutes
to put that foot down.
233
00:25:19,585 --> 00:25:21,887
Just slowly, more pressure, more pressure,
234
00:25:21,954 --> 00:25:25,024
balancing on the others,
and then eventually going.
235
00:25:25,090 --> 00:25:30,729
This stretch of about 50 metres...
It probably could have taken an hour. Easily.
236
00:25:30,796 --> 00:25:34,266
She clearly didn't have a good hold
237
00:25:34,333 --> 00:25:37,469
on the oryx,
because her angle wasn't all that good,
238
00:25:37,536 --> 00:25:39,138
but the second lioness
239
00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:41,707
had now charged from her position,
240
00:25:41,774 --> 00:25:44,543
and she came bounding up this embankment
241
00:25:45,244 --> 00:25:47,946
and basically hit the gemsbok with such force...
242
00:25:48,013 --> 00:25:51,917
The struggle was enormous,
because even with the two lionesses on it,
243
00:25:52,217 --> 00:25:54,720
the gemsbok still didn't go down.
244
00:25:54,787 --> 00:25:57,456
You can see where these bite marks...
245
00:25:57,523 --> 00:25:59,391
when they grabbed it under the throat.
246
00:25:59,458 --> 00:26:01,126
If it were the adult lionesses,
247
00:26:01,193 --> 00:26:03,295
there wouldn't have been
such an enormous struggle,
248
00:26:03,362 --> 00:26:08,200
because they would pull it down much quicker.
249
00:26:08,634 --> 00:26:11,804
So they had a struggle on their hands,
and the evidence is there.
250
00:26:15,641 --> 00:26:19,244
ATTENBOROUGH: The way in which
they work together is impressive.
251
00:26:22,314 --> 00:26:25,551
These youngsters are becoming an efficient team.
252
00:26:47,005 --> 00:26:51,210
A month later,
and the cubs are still living on their own.
253
00:27:01,386 --> 00:27:04,156
In the desert, this seems to be normal.
254
00:27:04,223 --> 00:27:07,326
Many of the lions seem to live in ones or twos,
255
00:27:07,426 --> 00:27:10,729
but this doesn't mean they're not part of a pride.
256
00:27:11,830 --> 00:27:14,299
Family ties may be as strong here.
257
00:27:14,766 --> 00:27:18,270
The relationships are just long-distance ones.
258
00:27:23,742 --> 00:27:27,546
This is borne out
when one day, after a six-month absence,
259
00:27:27,613 --> 00:27:30,182
Mum and older sister show up.
260
00:27:37,956 --> 00:27:40,392
The affectionate exchange of greetings
261
00:27:40,459 --> 00:27:44,730
is proof that these four lionesses
are a functioning pride,
262
00:27:45,764 --> 00:27:49,401
one that's more fluid and open
than the tightly knit family groups
263
00:27:49,468 --> 00:27:50,903
of the Serengeti.
264
00:27:58,076 --> 00:28:02,347
It's a touching reunion,
but it creates tension in the valley.
265
00:28:02,948 --> 00:28:08,453
Now all four lions are close to Purros
and livestock.
266
00:28:19,998 --> 00:28:25,571
Flip has found that lions can rise
to most of the challenges of desert life.
267
00:28:26,405 --> 00:28:29,808
The biggest obstacle to their success is people.
268
00:28:32,477 --> 00:28:34,413
(PEOPLE CHATTERING)
269
00:28:34,479 --> 00:28:36,215
(CATTLE MOOING)
270
00:28:40,786 --> 00:28:44,856
But if the Himba and Herero
are to accept lions in their neighbourhood,
271
00:28:45,290 --> 00:28:48,227
they have to change their traditional way of life.
272
00:28:49,828 --> 00:28:52,497
To an extent, this is already happening.
273
00:28:52,564 --> 00:28:56,935
Some of them no longer want the struggle
of raising cows on marginal land.
274
00:28:57,469 --> 00:29:02,074
Their children would make a far easier
and better living as tourist guides.
275
00:29:04,676 --> 00:29:07,646
The young lions can have a vital role to play
276
00:29:07,713 --> 00:29:10,482
if local people see them as money-spinners
277
00:29:10,549 --> 00:29:13,051
rather than as livestock-killers.
278
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,323
Some communities have formed conservancies
279
00:29:18,390 --> 00:29:20,959
to profit from the wildlife on their land.
280
00:29:21,026 --> 00:29:24,029
Flip is starting to act as a go-between,
281
00:29:24,096 --> 00:29:28,800
matching the needs of villagers, lions
and tour operators.
282
00:29:32,237 --> 00:29:36,708
Tourists would pay good money
to see lions in this amazing setting.
283
00:29:40,779 --> 00:29:44,683
The income could help compensate
for any livestock killed.
284
00:29:51,089 --> 00:29:53,825
Ironing out the details is difficult,
285
00:29:53,892 --> 00:29:56,561
and until any scheme gets off the ground,
286
00:29:56,628 --> 00:29:59,698
the lions of the Hoarusib aren't safe.
287
00:30:14,246 --> 00:30:17,683
A mere five days after their family reunion,
288
00:30:17,749 --> 00:30:20,185
the cubs are back on their own,
289
00:30:20,252 --> 00:30:23,722
and this time Mum has left them in a new place,
290
00:30:23,789 --> 00:30:27,025
the feldspar plain south of the Hoarusib Valley.
291
00:30:32,431 --> 00:30:37,602
It's unfamiliar, but at least there's
no livestock here to lure them into trouble.
292
00:30:44,776 --> 00:30:47,145
The heavy rain earlier in the year
293
00:30:47,212 --> 00:30:50,082
means there's more grass on the plain
than normal,
294
00:30:51,383 --> 00:30:53,151
and more oryx.
295
00:31:06,198 --> 00:31:10,001
That doesn't mean
hunting is all that easy out here.
296
00:31:14,339 --> 00:31:16,274
The ground is so open
297
00:31:16,341 --> 00:31:19,544
that the best chance
for these two naive youngsters
298
00:31:19,611 --> 00:31:22,314
may still lie with the coming of night.
299
00:31:58,784 --> 00:32:01,253
The cubs are getting good at this.
300
00:32:06,925 --> 00:32:10,595
This time, the smell of meat
has attracted a hyena.
301
00:32:11,430 --> 00:32:14,366
In most other places in Africa,
this means trouble.
302
00:32:14,900 --> 00:32:19,938
There would soon be a whole clan of spotted
hyenas trying to push them off their kill.
303
00:32:20,772 --> 00:32:22,407
(CROWS CAWING)
304
00:32:24,342 --> 00:32:26,812
There are no such clans in the Namib.
305
00:32:29,581 --> 00:32:31,850
The brown hyenas here are solitary,
306
00:32:31,917 --> 00:32:34,352
so lions have very little competition,
307
00:32:34,419 --> 00:32:39,291
and that's why the youngsters can be left
to their own devices at such an early age.
308
00:32:43,662 --> 00:32:48,233
The hyena will merely hang around
till the cubs decide to leave.
309
00:32:48,667 --> 00:32:51,069
(GROWLING)
310
00:32:51,136 --> 00:32:55,407
At just over two years old,
the cubs are much more confident.
311
00:32:55,474 --> 00:32:58,477
Even their play has a rougher edge.
312
00:33:13,024 --> 00:33:15,560
Desert life is good for lions,
313
00:33:15,627 --> 00:33:19,498
and the returning lions
are also good for the life of the desert.
314
00:33:38,850 --> 00:33:42,387
Flip is going in search of the youngsters' mother.
315
00:33:42,454 --> 00:33:45,023
She's been wearing the collar for nine months
316
00:33:45,090 --> 00:33:47,292
and the battery is beginning to fail.
317
00:33:47,559 --> 00:33:49,528
He needs to find her fast.
318
00:33:52,130 --> 00:33:54,299
(BEEPING)
319
00:33:54,366 --> 00:33:59,538
Finally, he picks up her signal
in a river valley to the south of the Hoarusib.
320
00:34:04,910 --> 00:34:08,480
The detailed tracking information
stored in the high-tech collar
321
00:34:08,547 --> 00:34:10,515
will throw light on her movements,
322
00:34:10,582 --> 00:34:13,351
crucial data to help protect her family
323
00:34:13,418 --> 00:34:16,154
and the entire desert lion population.
324
00:34:18,423 --> 00:34:19,558
(DART GUN FIRES)
325
00:34:21,192 --> 00:34:23,762
Darting is a necessary intrusion,
326
00:34:24,129 --> 00:34:26,631
though Flip never takes it lightly.
327
00:34:27,432 --> 00:34:32,003
And for him, getting this close to lions
never loses its magic.
328
00:34:33,572 --> 00:34:35,006
She's beautiful.
329
00:34:37,742 --> 00:34:41,513
The GPS collar, it's the first time 1 touch it.
330
00:34:41,580 --> 00:34:44,816
For nine months it's been on this lioness,
this whole time,
331
00:34:44,883 --> 00:34:46,785
and it is still working.
332
00:34:47,118 --> 00:34:51,089
The LED light is still going. You can see it.
333
00:34:51,823 --> 00:34:56,161
So it's been storing all this incredible information
334
00:34:57,429 --> 00:34:59,431
for the last nine months.
335
00:35:03,101 --> 00:35:05,403
This girl, she's the queen.
336
00:35:06,471 --> 00:35:08,473
She's the queen of them all.
337
00:35:08,540 --> 00:35:13,445
1 know, this is by far
my most favourite and special lioness.
338
00:35:14,346 --> 00:35:18,016
Look, she's hardcore. She takes no nonsense.
339
00:35:18,516 --> 00:35:22,520
And she lives it on the edge.
340
00:35:23,254 --> 00:35:26,658
Okay, well, now, we have to look at your teeth
341
00:35:26,725 --> 00:35:29,394
to see if you are still in good nick.
342
00:35:30,295 --> 00:35:32,831
Man, look at that. Isn't that beautiful?
343
00:35:34,532 --> 00:35:35,867
Goodness!
344
00:35:36,801 --> 00:35:38,036
Look at that.
345
00:35:43,074 --> 00:35:44,809
Sorry.
346
00:35:46,945 --> 00:35:48,246
Man.
347
00:35:54,819 --> 00:35:57,656
Sorry, my dear. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.
348
00:35:57,956 --> 00:35:59,858
Just have a look at the claws.
349
00:35:59,924 --> 00:36:02,360
Oh, they're sharp, eh? Look at that.
350
00:36:02,427 --> 00:36:04,596
My goodness, it's like a needle.
351
00:36:04,663 --> 00:36:08,366
Oh, especially the forefinger
and the middle finger.
352
00:36:09,401 --> 00:36:11,403
Oh, it's just really, really sharp.
353
00:36:12,237 --> 00:36:14,272
Now, the most amazing thing is,
354
00:36:15,106 --> 00:36:17,308
their feet just smell so amazing.
355
00:36:17,676 --> 00:36:19,711
It's got the nicest smell to it.
356
00:36:22,113 --> 00:36:24,349
Mmm. Sort of musky.
357
00:36:24,582 --> 00:36:28,586
Just a really...
Like a sweet, sweet sort of musky smell.
358
00:36:29,254 --> 00:36:32,390
Now, what an awesome feeling, to be so close.
359
00:36:36,761 --> 00:36:38,029
Okay.
360
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:43,068
You be good.
361
00:36:46,871 --> 00:36:48,440
ATTENBOROUGH: He quickly discovers
362
00:36:48,506 --> 00:36:52,477
that his favourite lioness
isn't just in good condition,
363
00:36:52,544 --> 00:36:55,046
she's become really smart.
364
00:36:56,881 --> 00:36:59,384
This is what... This is incredible.
365
00:36:59,451 --> 00:37:02,587
It means that this is...
Her movement is back and forth.
366
00:37:03,154 --> 00:37:05,023
Back to Purros.
367
00:37:05,090 --> 00:37:06,991
She's back, right in Purros.
368
00:37:08,359 --> 00:37:09,961
Three past Purros.
369
00:37:10,628 --> 00:37:12,964
And then she spent...
370
00:37:13,865 --> 00:37:16,501
In the early morning,
between midnight and the morning,
371
00:37:16,568 --> 00:37:18,603
and then all the way back again.
372
00:37:20,505 --> 00:37:22,173
ATTENBOROUGH: It's a great sign.
373
00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:25,376
She's proving she can live
right under people's noses
374
00:37:25,443 --> 00:37:27,946
without causing them any trouble at all.
375
00:37:29,714 --> 00:37:33,852
When I see this,
I want to have a GPS collar on every lion
376
00:37:34,819 --> 00:37:38,022
because that information is just phenomenal.
377
00:37:41,826 --> 00:37:47,265
The following morning, there's a rare chance
to watch these elusive lions for a little longer.
378
00:37:48,666 --> 00:37:51,503
But it's a bittersweet moment.
379
00:37:53,404 --> 00:37:58,376
Flip's aware that until all the local people
support the return of the lions,
380
00:37:58,443 --> 00:38:01,613
his favourite lioness will never be safe.
381
00:38:08,019 --> 00:38:12,323
News from the Hoarusib Valley
gives him even more concern.
382
00:38:12,957 --> 00:38:15,794
The youngsters have found their way back.
383
00:38:22,500 --> 00:38:25,603
Unlike their mother,
they haven't had time to work out
384
00:38:25,670 --> 00:38:29,240
how to steer clear of people and livestock.
385
00:38:29,307 --> 00:38:33,711
And this time,
they're exploring upriver, towards Purros.
386
00:38:45,757 --> 00:38:50,428
Just five miles from the village,
they head into big trouble.
387
00:38:54,899 --> 00:38:57,001
(BRAYING)
388
00:39:16,454 --> 00:39:18,990
Donkeys have been bred to be docile,
389
00:39:19,057 --> 00:39:21,793
and they have no instinct of how to escape.
390
00:39:32,270 --> 00:39:33,271
(BRAYING)
391
00:39:55,026 --> 00:39:57,028
(BRAYING)
392
00:40:17,048 --> 00:40:20,385
No animal has a concept of restraint,
393
00:40:20,451 --> 00:40:22,520
predators least of all.
394
00:40:32,230 --> 00:40:34,365
(BRAYING)
395
00:40:46,411 --> 00:40:48,513
(BRAYING)
396
00:40:56,387 --> 00:41:00,158
These last 45 minutes could be their undoing,
397
00:41:00,224 --> 00:41:03,061
and it puts Flip in a really awkward position.
398
00:41:05,296 --> 00:41:07,332
He doesn't want the cubs killed,
399
00:41:07,532 --> 00:41:10,902
but keeps to his promise to inform the village.
400
00:41:12,370 --> 00:41:17,775
These two young lions are very important
to your conservancy.
401
00:41:18,643 --> 00:41:22,847
But if these lions kill any of your livestock,
402
00:41:23,581 --> 00:41:26,417
you know you can shoot them
if they cause problems.
403
00:41:26,484 --> 00:41:28,419
(MAN INTERPRETING)
404
00:41:31,756 --> 00:41:36,627
And it is not for me to say or ask
for you not to shoot them.
405
00:41:36,694 --> 00:41:37,962
That's your decision.
406
00:41:38,029 --> 00:41:42,066
And all I'm saying to you is,
before people shoot them,
407
00:41:42,133 --> 00:41:44,802
if they kill livestock,
you've got to think very carefully.
408
00:41:44,869 --> 00:41:49,474
Those two lions were born here.
They are used to this area,
409
00:41:49,807 --> 00:41:51,843
and that's very valuable.
410
00:41:52,243 --> 00:41:54,779
ATTENBOROUGH: The lions have a lucky break.
411
00:41:55,046 --> 00:41:56,881
Since the donkeys were living wild,
412
00:41:56,948 --> 00:42:00,418
the community decides to be lenient this time.
413
00:42:21,105 --> 00:42:24,442
However, a lot of people in Purros are twitchy,
414
00:42:24,509 --> 00:42:28,780
and the lions don't help matters
by remaining close to the village.
415
00:42:40,291 --> 00:42:44,529
As night falls, the situation turns into a crisis.
416
00:42:44,962 --> 00:42:48,299
The cubs head straight towards the village.
417
00:42:50,902 --> 00:42:52,336
(TRACKER BEEPING)
418
00:43:01,446 --> 00:43:03,781
This could be disastrous for the cubs,
419
00:43:03,848 --> 00:43:05,450
dangerous for the people
420
00:43:05,516 --> 00:43:08,419
and jeopardise everything
Flip's worked so hard for.
421
00:43:14,926 --> 00:43:16,794
So much is at stake
422
00:43:16,861 --> 00:43:21,065
that Flip even enlists help
from a local tourist lodge.
423
00:43:21,766 --> 00:43:24,836
1 think you should drive past us now,
424
00:43:24,902 --> 00:43:27,772
and you go back to the village, Purros,
425
00:43:27,839 --> 00:43:29,440
and you go tell the people
426
00:43:29,507 --> 00:43:32,610
that the lions are lying here
and we're watching them very carefully.
427
00:43:32,677 --> 00:43:35,413
And tell them if they come
anywhere close to the village,
428
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:37,115
we'll dart them, just so that they know
429
00:43:37,181 --> 00:43:42,253
and see that it's not just us sort of
favouring the lions at their expense.
430
00:43:43,888 --> 00:43:46,324
God, this lioness is flicking her tail a lot.
431
00:43:46,390 --> 00:43:48,593
Just look at her now, she's gonna...
432
00:43:50,761 --> 00:43:52,730
Stalking each other.
433
00:44:01,506 --> 00:44:05,109
ATTENBOROUGH: The lions are just
a quarter of a mile from the village,
434
00:44:05,176 --> 00:44:07,478
when Flip decides to intervene.
435
00:44:07,979 --> 00:44:12,617
By broadcasting a lion roar,
he hopes the cubs will be distracted.
436
00:44:17,922 --> 00:44:19,924
(LION ROAR PLAYING ON SPEAKER)
437
00:44:24,862 --> 00:44:27,031
Okay, just tell us when they leave.
438
00:44:28,132 --> 00:44:29,300
WOMAN ON RADIO: Both running downriver.
439
00:44:29,367 --> 00:44:31,569
Okay, we're done. Let's go.
440
00:44:32,270 --> 00:44:33,671
Everything's done?
441
00:44:36,541 --> 00:44:40,144
ATTENBOROUGH: At first,
it's not clear whether his plan is working.
442
00:44:40,378 --> 00:44:43,047
STANDER: It looks like they're turning around
and coming back into the river.
443
00:44:43,114 --> 00:44:45,650
I'm just watching them carefully.
I can barely see them.
444
00:44:45,716 --> 00:44:48,119
So I'll get back to you when I know.
445
00:44:54,091 --> 00:44:57,195
ATTENBOROUGH: Thankfully, as the cubs
turn back down the river
446
00:44:57,261 --> 00:44:58,796
and away from the village,
447
00:44:58,863 --> 00:45:00,698
Flip can relax.
448
00:45:01,332 --> 00:45:05,203
Even so, he stays with them
until he's sure they're well out of danger.
449
00:45:05,703 --> 00:45:07,438
STANDER: Watch. Watch, watch.
450
00:45:07,572 --> 00:45:09,373
(ROARING)
451
00:45:27,058 --> 00:45:30,027
ATTENBOROUGH: The next day
is like a new beginning.
452
00:45:33,965 --> 00:45:36,701
Not only have the cubs left Purros behind,
453
00:45:36,767 --> 00:45:40,771
they've travelled a long way downriver,
farther than ever before.
454
00:45:56,621 --> 00:45:59,824
They're exploring the dunes and rocky cliffs
455
00:45:59,890 --> 00:46:02,526
just seven miles from the coast.
456
00:46:20,845 --> 00:46:24,115
This desert has so much to offer them.
457
00:46:25,149 --> 00:46:29,887
Elsewhere in Africa,
lions are hemmed in by national park boundaries.
458
00:46:31,522 --> 00:46:35,359
But here, in one of the continent's
last great wildernesses,
459
00:46:35,426 --> 00:46:38,129
there's still plenty of room to expand.
460
00:46:40,431 --> 00:46:41,565
(GROWLS)
461
00:47:03,054 --> 00:47:06,223
It's been a long journey to get this far,
462
00:47:06,290 --> 00:47:08,893
but now Flip dares to think big.
463
00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:12,330
One day, he hopes lions will be established
464
00:47:12,396 --> 00:47:15,232
down the entire length of the Skeleton Coast,
465
00:47:15,299 --> 00:47:17,301
from Angola to South Africa.
466
00:47:24,442 --> 00:47:29,847
STANDER: Knowing that lions can survive
and live in the northern Namib desert,
467
00:47:29,914 --> 00:47:32,016
1 think that's what really drives me.
468
00:47:32,083 --> 00:47:35,386
But being here
and being present to observe lions
469
00:47:35,453 --> 00:47:37,788
come to a beautiful area like this
470
00:47:38,589 --> 00:47:41,125
would make me smile for the rest of my life.
471
00:47:41,992 --> 00:47:45,262
ATTENBOROUGH: These animals
have been a revelation to Flip.
472
00:47:46,430 --> 00:47:50,134
The desert has shaped their behaviour
and social structure
473
00:47:50,201 --> 00:47:52,136
in extraordinary ways.
474
00:47:56,440 --> 00:47:58,909
They're so lean, fit and smart
475
00:47:58,976 --> 00:48:03,748
that, quite simply, these are
the most beautiful lions he's ever seen.
476
00:48:12,022 --> 00:48:16,193
If lions and people
can learn to live alongside each other,
477
00:48:16,260 --> 00:48:19,230
the big cats will have found one of the best,
478
00:48:19,296 --> 00:48:22,199
and certainly their most unique sanctuary
479
00:48:22,266 --> 00:48:24,101
in the whole of Africa.
40769
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