All language subtitles for Baby Animals Series 1 05of13 Little Hunters 1080p

If you're going to be a predator
you have to be able to hunt.

Carnivores like lions,

cheetahs,

foxes,

and coyotes
have to learn somewhere.

Those skills begin as play
for these little hunters

yearning to grow up
to be like mom and dad.

(♪♪♪)

The vicious...

...ferocious...

...mighty lion.

These three cubs
don't exactly live up to

their species reputation.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

Like all cats,

they are super playful
when they are little.

They are happy go lucky.

They have no worries in life.

They have the protection
of their parent,

so they are with their mother
all the time.

So they don't have that
aggression yet.

They're not serious yet.

The joys of being at
the top of the food chain.

When lion cubs are born they're
blind and can't even walk.

Compare that
to a typical prey animal

like the gazelle and zebra.

Where babies can run as fast
as adults

within 24 hours of being born.

But that doesn't mean that
survival is easy.

Far from it.

The lioness has a very tough job
of keeping her cubs alive.

She keeps them hidden and safe
in a den

until they can walk and see.

Eagles, leopards
and even buffalo

will try and kill the cubs
if they get a chance.

At around 6 weeks old,

their mom introduces them
to the rest of the pride.

She does this slowly, because
any new males in the pride

might try and get rid of their
competitions' offspring.

These three cubs live in a zoo,

so their father didn't have to
fight off other big males,

but their dad, Kataley,

wasn't warm and fuzzy
with them either.

Kataley's relationship with
the cubs is a little different.

He's not fully embraced
fatherhood yet,

but he's coming around.

It took him a little while
to get used to these cubs.

He was terrified of them.

They would touch him
and he would scream,

like they were killing him.

But he's slowly getting
over that

and these cubs just love him.

They have no fear of him.

You know, these 60 pound guys,
and he is a 500-pound lion,

they run headlong up to him,

and will throw themselves
against his body,

and, Kataley will scoop them up

and he likes to open his mouth
over their belly

to think he's trying to eat them
but he's actually playing.

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In the wild,

the females in the pride
will synchronize births

so that the cubs are born
at the same time.

It's not just having
a friend to play with;

it's another way to help them
survive.

Smaller cubs are usually
starved out by bigger cubs.

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In the wild, this is when
they venture out on their own

to start a new family.

The males are massive
and have intimidating manes,

but the female lions
are the better hunters.

They're smaller
and slight in the hips and legs,

but with extra bulk
in their necks,

all traits
that are already popping up

in this young female cub.

She's got
a very strong personality.

She likes to stomp right up
and spit at us and growl at us,

and that's exactly the
personality

of the two adults females
we have.

The two male cubs
are much mellower.

They like to come up and see us,

but they're not as spity
and growling as--

as the little females, they're--
they're more curious.

So whether it's by
their parents, their siblings,

or other animals,

life isn't always easy
for a lion cub.

In the wild, they have
80% chance of dying

before they reach the age of 2.

In captivity,
that number is much smaller,

which might be why these
lion cubs aren't worried about

looking tough and ferocious,

they're just having
too much fun.

It would be a mistake
to confuse these little guys

for puppy dogs.

They are their wild cousins,
baby coyotes.

Full grown,

they will stand roughly a
third the size of a grey wolf,

and potentially just as deadly
and cunning a predator.

We had four babies
this spring.

So, they are growing up
really quickly.

And we can see already
their fur is changing color.

Soon, their reddish coats
would turn grey

just like their parents,

the alpha male and female
in the pack.

Within the coyote hierarchy,
only they are allowed to breed.

So it's always
the best individuals

that have the babies
to make sure

that babies are really good
new coyotes in the pack also.

The main job for the
pup's mother

is to feed and take care
of her new litter.

Truly, a full-time job.

To make sure she keeps up
her energy,

the other members in the pack
all pitch in.

Each member of the pack
take care of her,

and she's always really
well-fed.

And then,
there is the pup's father,

the undisputed leader
of the pack and the family.

So the role of the alpha male
is similar

to the role as the alpha female.

They'll always take care
of all the babies in the litter

and also really--

as there are rules in the pack
and really direct the pack.

But, at this point,
all that matters to this pup

is cutting loose
and having some fun.

Well, the coyote pups
are really cute and funny.

They are always playing around.

And you see them,

like, running from one side
of the enclosure to the other.

And also playing with
their full-grown coyotes it's--

it's really--
life is easy and just for fun.

Very heavy on the easy.

Dad is becoming less a caregiver
and more of a teacher,

slowly preparing them
for the brutal life of a hunter.

These pups will need to learn
if they were in the wild to--

wild to hunt.

It's quite a big thing to
learn to survive wild.

And, also to know
where to find food,

and where to go,
where to not go, and--

life-- life in the forest.

Within the pack,

the pups need to learn
their rightful place

and proper social behavior.

Sometimes,

the parents always need to
do a little bit of discipline

on their pups.

They just need to learn to be--

to act correctly
with rest of the pack,

so that they don't get
pushed away, or--

just make sure
that they go along altogether.

Once this pup learns
to be a full-fledged hunter,

it'll primarily target
small animals

which make up 90% of his diet.

It's hunting grounds
will range from

roughly 1 square mile
to 15 square miles,

depending on food availability.

To learn to work as a group,

these pups need to learn
basic communication skills.

Even during playtime,

the parents are teaching them
how to express themselves

through making noises
and by using body language,

tactile signals and smells.

As an adult, this pup
may at some point

decide to leave the safety
of the pack.

If it does,

its chance of surviving
will automatically drop

by as much as 25%.

But in the wild,
under the care of the pack,

it might live to see
its 14th birthday.

While other species like wolves
have dropped in numbers,

these pups belong to
a population on the rise.

While they once lived primarily
in prairies and deserts,

their range has expanded
to forest and mountains.

And now, as forests shrink,

their territory continues to
expand...

...into cities.

No matter where they live
these pups will do well

because they would've learned
from their parents

how to be opportunistic and
will eat just about anything.

Over the next few months,

these pups will learn
valuable lessons

to protect them from those
who would do them harm,

making them not only
a skilled predator,

but also,
the ultimate survivor.

(♪♪♪)

These baby cheetahs
were born just six months ago.

This is their mum Mesa's
third litter.

But for whatever reasons,
she's abandoned these guys,

refusing to take care of them.

With cheetahs sometimes,
moms aren't always that great,

they're sometimes--

they're lacking a bit of
maternal instincts,

and they do actually
abandon them quite often.

And unfortunately, that's
what happened with this litter.

In the wild, a mother
who has weak or sick babies

usually abandons them
for a good reason.

You don't want
weak cubs

that are bringing other
predators towards the den

they can smell it.

But these cubs are
quite healthy,

all three are brothers with
very different personalities.

Matada is the little
troublemaker.

He definitely tries to
push all the boundaries

when he gets a chance.

Kanzi is the fearless
explorer,

always the first one out
to see what's going on.

He's the definite leader
of the group.

The others actually
rely on him quite a bit.

So when they get a bit worried
or scared

they turn to Kanzi

and they stick with him for
a bit of comfort and support.

Gorse is the
affectionate one,

the real sweetheart
of the group.

He's very affectionate
and he loves cuddles,

and he gets jealous

if anyone else is getting
too many cuddles

he comes over and tries to butt
in and sit on your lap and--

he's a very lovable cub.

When all three were first
born they looked very different.

Their eyes were closed tight
so they couldn't see.

Their ears were folded back
so they couldn't hear.

All they had to go by
was their keen sense of smell.

Gradually, after a week or so,

they started taking
their first steps,

learning how to use their tail
for balance.

Watching them to sort of
learn how to co-ordinate
the tail

and all the feets and everything
takes--

takes quite a bit of time
and it's quite funny to watch.

When they finally
reach adulthood,

their tail will measure
as much as 2-1/2 feet,

roughly half
their total body size.

Of course, like,
climbing on things and--

and then realizing that the tail
will actually help them balance

is pretty-- pretty neat to watch
that little light bulb go off,

and then, gradually,
they start using it a bit more.

With each new lesson learned,

the cubs continue gaining
confidence,

which is important if you're
going to be an apex predator.

They've gone from pretty
much not being able to move

to what they are now
like bounding around

and they can run faster

than what we can run
in that kind of thing.

When they reach full size,

these baby cheetahs will be able
to run nearly 65 miles an hour.

The secret to their speed is
in their claws and their spine.

The brothers were born
with semi-retractable claws

that they use for gripping
the ground at high speed.

To help propel them forward,

their spine compresses
and stretches like a spring.

(♪♪♪)

The cubs are bursting
with energy.

Normally at this age,

their mom Mesa would be
teaching them how to hunt.

But since she's turned her back
on them,

their natural instincts
have kicked in

and they are learning
on their own.

It's all play
but it's all preparing them for

when they have to survive
by themselves,

and hunt
and catch their own food.

In the wild,

Matada, Kanzi, and Goarse
would feed on Thomson's gazelle

and smaller prey like
guinea fowl and wild rabbits.

Even chasing after a leaf

that's teaching them something
on how to hone their skills.

Learn how to chase after things
and ambush and things like that.

Amongst themselves, their
play is definitely on the
rough side.

Especially first thing
in the morning,

when I first go in,

they always hurtle around the
enclosure at top speed,

and chasing each other
and tripping each other up.

Which in the wild
is exactly what they do

when they're chasing
a baby springbok

or some other choice prey.

They trip it up, jump on it,
and then, rip out its throat.

They learn it
from such a young age

so that's probably the
most important development stage

that they're going through now
is learning how to survive,

basically.

They will also soon
start to sort out

who is at the top
of the pecking order.

Definitely I imagine Matada
is going to be at the bottom,

just about what I've seen
with his personality,

but, who knows it might change,

as they get older

their personalities
always change.

In the wild, as a species,

Matada, Kanzi, and Goarse would
be classified as vulnerable,

one step away
from being in danger.

Under-population has forced
massive inbreeding.

As a result, every cheetah
today is related somehow,

and so, if you have a lot of
animals in a species related

that means that you've got
a lot issues with immune system

so pretty much a disease
could just wipe out

a whole population of cheetah
so easily.

In the future,
these three guys or their cubs

could help keep the species
alive.

It's really important
to breed these species

unlike cheetah in--
in a captive environment,

because if something does happen
out in the wild which--

with cheetah quite feasibly
it could,

a disease could knock out
a whole area of cheetah,

you might lose them for good.

So, it's really important that
we do have a population here

that we are constantly breeding
in a sustainable way.

So, what we're trying to do in--
in a captive environment

is to breed--
breed a group of cheetah

that are really strong,
robust,

and we're trying to outbreed
their inbreeding.

So if something does happen

we can actually introduce
cheetah back into the wild

and they'll actually survive.

And in the wilds of Africa,
Matada, Kanzi, and Goarse

would be able to tap in to the
vital lessons they've learned

on their way to becoming
the world's fastest predator.

(♪♪♪)

The silver fox has a fierce,
independent spirit.

This female for example
has gone against Mother Nature

about the right time to
reproduce.

Foxes aren't suppose to have
babies until they're about 2,

but Franny,
well, she had other ideas.

Franny is the silver fox
mother, she's a great mother.

She didn't read the page
in the book that said

foxes aren't suppose to
reproduce in their first year.

So we were a little worried
about her,

this being her first litter
and she is young,

but she's being
a really good mom.

She cares for the kids
really well,

they're all very healthy,

she seems to mitigate any
family squabbles that go down,

so, she's a good mom.

The female will mate
with several different males

but only one gets to become
her long-term partner.

In this case,

Franny has settled down
with Frisco.

Franny and Frisco
are brand new parents.

A silver fox litter is usually
between three and six kids,

but it can be as large as 14.

There are four silver fox
kids, they're 4 weeks old,

they're all brothers.

They each right now
weigh about a pound, two pounds.

Their names are Fee, Fi, Fo
and Fum, all Fs.

And they love playing around
their enclosure,

they love bugging their parents.

And they're generally
pretty active,

but during the afternoon
they all curl up in their den

and have a nice nap.

(♪♪♪)

Franny and Frisco have
different parenting styles.

(♪♪♪)

As the mother, Franny is
in the tranches with her kids,

breaking up fights

and making sure everyone
is playing nicely together.

She's hands-on
and very involved.

She is a young mother
but she's a natural.

Frisco tends to keep more
to the sidelines.

He's not quite as involved

but he's constantly
on the lookout

for any threats to his kids.

In the wild,

coyotes and wolves are known
for snatching baby foxes.

But these kids are safe here
in the zoo.

At this age,
they are rambunctious,

full of energy
and ridiculously cute.

(♪♪♪)

When it's feeding time,

they all pile in at once
and trying to get some food

so they're all tumbling
all over each other

and falling,

and they're pretty cute
to watch

'cause they're not
too coordinated yet,

so they roll and they fall

and they love playing
with each other

and they love trying to all get
a piece of the best food

so that's pretty cute.

And they also, whenever
they're coming up to each other,

or you're trying to go
into the pen to pet them

and they don't wanna be pet,

they'll come over
and they'll stamp their feet

and they'll growl at you

and they think
they are pretty tough.

In order to hunt properly,

foxes need to learn how
to move quickly and stealthily.

And their education
starts early.

If they were in the wild
right now,

they'll definitely be starting
to learn

all of their
coordination skills,

so quick moving,
a little bit of stalking,

some pouncing, stuff like that,

and they would be practicing
that on small insects,

things that are on the ground,

and of course,
they'll be watching everything

that their parents do.

Small mammals
and foxes, especially,

learn a lot from their parents
when they're very young.

So they're gonna be watching
their parents,

seeing what they're doing

and that's gonna be
a huge impact for them

in terms of learning the skills
they'll need later on in life.

(♪♪♪)

Their sharp hearing helps
them find their prey

and leap directly into the air
to kill it.

But because
they are opportunist,

silver foxes can survive
on whatever food is available.

Hunting doesn't just mean
stalking a mouse in the grass,

that means taking an egg,

if they can find a clutch
of eggs on the ground somewhere,

things like that.

And fox are opportunist,

so anything that they can find
that will give them that edge,

they'll do it.

If it can't locate any meat,

the silver fox can survive
on plants, worms and bugs.

When it has too much food,

it will bury it in the ground
for later.

If they watch their parents
closely and pay attention,

these kids should be able
to hunt on their own

in about 6 months.

Generally, their mother
is going to have the
strongest impact

on the kids' life

just because
she's around them the most

but both parents
are very involved

in the upbringing
of the fox kids,

so both of them
will have a huge input

in what they'll learn

and what they'll carry on
through later in life

and the skills they'll need.

So, with input
from mom and dad,

eventually
these little silver foxes

will become little hunters.

(♪♪♪)

These little hunters are on
their way to being big hunters.

In the wild, these cubs and pups

will be pouncing on prey
in no time.

Learning the ropes
from their parents

and the rest of their packs,

these creatures are born
to hunt.

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