Original subtitles

Meet the Nsefu pride.

Two brothers, defending their territory.

Three mothers, raising the next generation.

They hunt together and protect their young,

from Africa's most dangerous animals.

The biggest threat is from rival lions.

A coalition of cub killers.

(Mews)

(Bellowing)

(Roars)

New technology reveals extraordinary behavior.

And tragic drama.

This is a story of new life.

And loss.

If their cubs are to survive, the pride must work together.

One family, bound by blood.

(Roaring)

Roars of confidence and power

travel along an five mile riverfront,

in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park.

The Luangwa River flows through

the heart of this landscape.

But it's drying up.

It hasn't rained for four months.

Elephants trek for miles each day

to drink, or find food.

The dry season is an even more stressful time for hippos.

For the opportunists of Africa, it's perfect.

This male lion is reluctant to share with the vultures.

His pride has eaten and slept for 24 hours at the carcass,

so there's not much left.

But he's not yet ready to give it up.

He and his brother are seven years old.

Young rulers of the Nsefu pride.

They won the right to three lionesses -

two sisters and a daughter.

The females were born here

and know every nook and cranny of this territory.

The males arrived a few years ago,

from across the river, and took over.

The Nsefu pride is now 14-strong,

with teenagers,

and even an embattled old grandmother.

They're full to bursting.

But it's not just with hippo.

All three lionesses are pregnant

and about to give birth.

They'll face daunting odds to keep their cubs alive

over the next few months.

The males are their first line of defense

against leopards, hyenas and other lions.

The two males advertise their strength with smell,

as well as sound.

They wipe their feet in their urine,

which contains hormones

revealing their health and age.

They leave a trail as they walk.

A message to all who encroach on their turf.

The most heavily-pregnant lioness

is about to give birth,

and heads off into the bush.

Choosing a good den is a mother's first task.

Hyenas and the resident leopard

are a serious danger to cubs.

So the den must be well-hidden in dense brush.

At birth, her two cubs are about ten centimeters long,

and weigh about half-a-pound each.

They are blind and helpless.

After a day or two, their eyes open.

Each time the mother visits her cubs,

the chances of discovery increase.

So she moves the cubs frequently.

Her new den is in woodland, further from the river.

Elephants, too, prefer the shade and secrecy

of the woods.

But this one is nervous.

He can sense a lioness is hiding nearby.

Only when the elephant moves on can the mother relax,

with her cubs.

She has two - a male and a female.

They're now six weeks old.

The two cubs differ from each other.

The female is more playful.

Her brother, more timid.

And there's no disputing who's the boss.

It may have been just an accident,

but sibling rivalry

will be an important part of their lives

as they grow up.

Lion cubs are characters from the start,

whether bold, playful or nervous.

Within a litter,

cubs' behavior is more varied than between litters.

Scientists now understand

that being different to your siblings must be important.

At least, in lions.

Perhaps it means they are less likely

to compete with each other.

She's moving den again,

so that other animals don't notice a routine.

For the first few weeks, she's had to carry them,

but now they're just strong enough to walk.

The timid male hardly seems ready to face the world.

(Screeching)

Cautiously, they follow her.

An ebony grove provides the perfect cover.

Lions rarely go up trees.

But here the cubs climb towards a hollow den.

It's safer from hyenas

and there's no sign of leopards in the area.

They'll be safe hiding here

until they're ready to be introduced to the pride.

Their mother can't stay long.

She's on the hunting team,

and needs to provide meat for herself and for the pride.

Each day, she returns to join the pregnant lionesses.

They're canny, and know how to play the males.

Even heavily pregnant, or having just given birth,

they present themselves as though ready to mate.

Flirting keeps the males fired up.

(Roaring)

They need the two brothers to defend the family,

from outside males that would kill their cubs.

Humans aren't the only ones to use sex to manipulate.

Scientists have also discovered

that lionesses have bigger brains than males,

particularly the part for conscious thinking

and suppressing their emotions.

It seems they plan,

they scheme and they control.

The males head off to do their job,

guarding what they imagine is theirs.

Lion life is a battle of alliances.

And the Nsefu pride's biggest danger

is from the surrounding lion prides.

Their territory is 25 square miles

on the southern side of the Luangwa river.

The river curves around their domain,

providing a natural barrier to intruders.

The greatest threat is from a lion pride to the north.

Here, three males -

the mane-less three,

form a powerful coalition.

They not only outnumber the two brothers,

they are older and battle-hardened.

So far, the river has kept them out.

But, as the dry season intensifies,

the current is slowing, and the water evaporating.

If the mane-less three cross,

they'll overthrow the two males,

and kill all the cubs they find.

For the three lionesses, all starting new litters,

the falling river couldn't have come at a worse time.

The second of the lionesses to give birth

is the youngest - the daughter.

She's a first-time mom,

new to the challenges of motherhood.

She's made a den in some thick bushes.

But she's chosen badly.

It's too near the river,

which is a magnet for wildlife,

including leopards and hyenas.

The pride needs to control rival predators.

(Roaring)

The males are playing their part,

building walls of sound and smell around the pride.

The youngest mother, on her way to her den, is nervous.

She can smell that a leopard passed by recently.

A dried gully provides a hidden roadway,

used by the female leopard as cover.

There's no shared maternal understanding

between these two predators.

They'll both kill to protect their cubs.

The leopard is focused on hunting impala.

But the hunter has become the hunted.

The lioness has made it clear who's boss around here.

She returns to feed her cubs in the den.

Something's wrong.

Hyenas. She can smell them.

One is still around and has something in the grass.

The den is empty.

With hyenas around,

her three cubs would instinctively keep quiet

and stay hidden.

She patrols the line of bushes, back and forth.

After hours of desperate searching,

she finally gives up.

Most first litters die.

It's tough,

but what shapes a good mother is bitter experience.

(Roaring)

She roars...

for her pride,

for her dead cubs...

..in frustration, or loneliness,

..or despair.

(Roaring)

(Continues roaring)

The twins, the pride's first litter,

are still safe in their tree

when their mother collects them.

She's taking them to meet the rest of the family

for the first time.

The bereaved mother returns to the pride.

- (Snarling) - She snarls at the newcomers,

as if to express that they are a poor substitute

for her own.

Her teats are still swollen with unused milk.

She could suckle her sister's cubs.

But instead, turns her back on them.

The third and eldest lioness

is the last to have given birth.

She's the most experienced, and is very wary.

Heading off to feed her cubs,

she vanishes into the bush like a ghost.

That evening, a thousand buffalo arrive.

They're the Nsefu pride's favorite food.

But they're dangerous to hunt.

Hyenas follow the buffalo,

hoping to benefit from any lion kills.

In the river, falling water

is forcing hippos into close proximity.

There's no longer any room for peaceful coexistence.

Some members of the pride

are having a sundowner.

With the males on patrol,

and the mothers nursing in well-hidden dens,

the old grandmother lioness stays with the adolescents.

(Bellowing)

The granny has a role to play.

She helps the teenagers get to meals

and watches out for them.

But she sometimes struggles to keep up.

A non-breeding female, a helper, is rare in mammals.

A pride is an extraordinary system for survival.

Cooperation among the extended family

helps to keep the vulnerable members alive,

in a world full of enemies.

Hunting together is a skill that takes years to finesse.

Lions, like most cats, are creatures of the night,

and can see in almost pitch darkness.

The night is much more dangerous.

Hyena and leopard are more active and more confident.

(Cackling and screeching)

The two sisters will be busy through the night,

driven by maternal instinct.

The twins need feeding and guarding.

The bereaved daughter will come into estrus soon,

despite her grief.

The eldest, and last to give birth,

sneaks off to feed her well-hidden cubs.

The rest of the pride comes together to hunt.

They try to ambush some impala and puku.

But the antelope are fast and their senses keen.

The Nsefu lions turn their attention

to the newly-arrived buffalo.

They are strong,

and it'll take almost the whole pride to take one down.

And that's what the hyenas have been waiting for.

The pride feasts on the kill.

What's left can go to the hyenas.

The river falls by inches each day,

creating new land.

And drawing all animals closer to the water.

(Low bellow)

(Trumpeting)

(Trumpeting)

The lioness is no threat to this elephant.

But lions do kill calves.

And elephants have long and unforgiving memories.

Lions can relax more during the day.

The twins head over to investigate one of the males.

But after a soft warning from their mother,

they leave him alone.

Male lions are instinctive cub-killers.

And it may take him some time to accept these as his own.

The first few months of an animal's life

are the most fragile.

And it takes the whole family to protect them.

Today, the elephants have cause for concern.

One of the calves is down, exhausted and hungry.

With lions around, the herd wants to move on,

and the calf tries to stand.

Sometimes, all it takes is a little encouragement.

While the pride relaxes,

the grandmother sets off.

She's unlikely to be hunting antelope,

but can help the pride in other ways.

She arrives at the resident leopard's favorite haunt.

The vengeful nature of rival predators

is the darker side of motherhood,

and scientists are only beginning to understand it.

Maybe she lost litter after litter

to successive generations of leopards.

Elephants aren't the only ones to carry long vendettas.

The old lioness can't see the leopard,

but the puku pinpoint it with their alarm calls.

(Whistle)

The cunning leopard cuts around

behind the old lioness.

She calmly walks away.

She needs to look unconcerned.

That way, fewer animals will alarm call.

She's hidden a kill in a thorn bush.

But granny is not so easily thrown off the scent.

The leopard could stay hidden,

but the safest thing is to exit out the back,

and hope the lioness doesn't find her kill.

Of course, granny knows exactly where to look.

The impala isn't fresh, and it's already decomposing.

Like many grandmothers,

she is not the most elegant of eaters.

The meal is its own reward.

But by taking on leopards,

the old lioness is helping to protect the pride, as well.

The river continues to fall,

and the threat from the lions of the north comes closer.

The mane-less three:

older and stronger than the two brothers.

If they cross, they will kill the cubs,

in order to bring the females back into estrus,

so they can start their own families.

(Grunting)

This morning, the two Nsefu brothers

are not making much of an effort

to stand up for the pride.

The cubs themselves

seem blissfully unaware of the dangers.

The more timid male cub has gained in confidence,

and is now giving his sister as good as he gets.

They are practicing hunting and throttling moves.

The two males are still roaring

and marking the territory...

occasionally.

The cubs seem to court the two brothers,

making all the effort to form a bond.

Scientists think that only if males care enough

will they lay down their lives for these cubs.

And it takes tremendous courage from the cubs

to cement that bond.

For the little male,

bonding with his father and uncle is equally vital.

But he has another reason.

Males only succeed as adults in coalitions,

usually brothers.

And he only has a sister.

He faces a bleak future as a lone male.

Even though his father

can't help forge a future coalition,

the cub is instinctively drawn to the older male,

as his only option.

(Low roar)

The bereaved mother is flirting.

Scientists think that lionesses

feel the loss of cubs deeply,

remembering it all their lives.

But they also need to mate again,

as quickly as possible.

The Luangwa River continues to fall.

For a female in estrus and for a lone male cub,

time is running out,

as the threat looms from the opposite bank.

The mother of the twins

guides them away to their den,

to keep them out of danger.

(Overlapping animal calls)

(Roars)

The males roar more enthusiastically at night.

And their declaration carries

five miles along the Luangwa valley.

The youngest lioness, with no cubs to demand her attention,

is hunting puku for the pride.

Behind her, one of the males makes a rare appearance,

to help with the hunt.

Or so it seems.

Lions are renowned for their night vision.

But they've not seen or heard the puku by their side.

His attention lies elsewhere.

(Snarling)

She's coming into estrus,

but she's not ready to be jumped on just yet.

(Roars)

He returns to his roaring.

(Continues roaring)

The elephants have been trekking all night,

in search of food away from the river.

The little one is thin, but he's alive.

The twins survived the night,

and by dawn, are back with the pride.

But this morning,

the two cubs' lives are about to change.

The elder sister, the most secretive,

returns with four cubs.

All males.

They're a week or two younger than the twins.

Three are full of confidence.

But one holds back.

He might have been called the runt of the litter in the past.

But he's probably just a more tentative character.

Each lioness has four teats.

Nevertheless, the new cubs are keen to suckle

with their older cousins.

For the original, confident female twin,

it's an inconvenience.

But for her brother, a lone male, it's salvation.

Four new males - cousins.

If all survive, they could form a powerful coalition.

And he's the eldest. Potentially, the leader.

Lions share suckling duty,

called allosuckling.

It forges bonds between litters

and is the foundation for future prides.

All six trying to suckle at once

is too much for the mother.

She sends the whole lot of them off to explore.

The cubs immediately form a gang of six.

But it's now that they face the greatest danger.

The Luangwa River has fallen to a few feet of water.

The barrier is down.

The mane-less three, on the north bank,

have ambitions to the south.

And are closing in on the Nsefu pride's territory.

They set out across no man's land.

Their mission - defeat the two brothers,

drive out the male adolescents,

kill all the cubs,

and mate with their mothers.

Now...they are in enemy territory.

They have strength in numbers.

But the brothers have the home team advantage.

They can smell the resident males' pungent odor.

For years, the brothers have laid their scent

along their boundary.

The mane-less three are not intimidated,

and mark themselves.

They keep to the river's edge - safer for them.

But their eyes turn inland, searching for the pride.

Half-a-mile away, the Nsefu lions are resting,

oblivious to the approaching threat.

But there seems to be a new tension.

The cubs' little teeth are sharp.

And the two mothers become increasingly short-tempered.

The gang of six is a real handful.

They want to feed together.

But with only four teats on offer, that's impossible.

(Growling)

Milk changes over time,

from high-fat to high-protein.

So it may be that the cubs

prefer one mother over another.

The young lioness has finally come into estrus,

and the males are in attendance.

For four days, she mates 30 times a day,

mainly with the elder brother,

just to make sure any offspring are his.

(Grunting)

She'll quickly become pregnant,

and in 110 days, she'll give birth.

Her hormones fire up the males.

Their roars tell of strength and vitality.

Their urine reeks of power and sexual prowess.

(Roaring)

Already fired up by courting cubs and mothers,

and now by the hormones of a successful mating,

the brothers set out with renewed confidence,

determined to defend their pride.

They are two champions in their prime.

Kings of the river.

A change in the wind brings these smells

and sounds to the three invaders.

They seem to reconsider their options.

They already have a pride of their own to control

on the north bank.

And if they become trapped on the wrong side of the river,

they could lose everything.

Their confidence evaporates.

They return north, to their own kingdom,

and their own battles at home.

The Nsefu pride has triumphed.

The two sisters have six healthy cubs.

And the youngest lioness

has a replacement litter on the way.

With five new males, the pride's future seems secure.

In a few years' time,

these young lions may cross the river,

to rule over new prides of their own.

♪♪

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