Original subtitles

I've spent much of my working life

trying to film big cats.

I've watched them in the wild and analyzed the footage

in the editing room, which has given me

a real insight into their behavior.

Today, we can see these amazing predators on our screens

any time we choose.

(dramatic music)

But, until quite recently,

we knew practically nothing about them,

(dramatic music)

Big cats are normally shy and very secretive.

Today, their populations are shrinking fast.

But now we have the means to view them

in more detail than ever.

(thunder rumbling)

(dramatic music)

And learn the intricacies of their lives,

which is just as well, because we need to find ways

of living alongside them before they disappear forever.

The lion is probably the most familiar of all the big cats.

(insects and birds chattering)

(lion snoring)

But we still have much to learn about its behavior,

as do these two young cubs.

They're about to go on a big adventure

and discover the world around them.

(insects chirring)

The cubs are now about six weeks old

and this is their first journey in the open.

They have to run to keep up with their mother's brisk pace.

(insects chirring, wildebeest lowing)

Even at this early age,

they have a powerful instinct to chase,

much to the surprise of the nearby wildlife.

But today their job isn't to hunt.

They just have to start learning what it is to be a lion,

and that means toned muscles, and peak fitness.

Lions love to chase.

Females, with a relatively light weight, 150 kilos,

tend to be the fastest.

The heavier males, at up to 250 kilos

are more likely to attack slower, bigger prey.

(thoughtful music)

And, males can club together, doubling their power.

(thoughtful music)

Lions differ from all other cats

in that they are highly social,

forming prides of up to 35 animals,

(insects chirring)

and this pride is where the cubs are headed.

These are their aunts, older sisters, cousins,

and one of their fathers.

(thoughtful music)

(insects chirring)

This is their pride.

(thoughtful music)

(insects chirring)

But, the cubs' journey is fraught with danger.

Lions can be their own worst enemy.

That's why their mother's bringing them in daylight,

because most other lions are asleep.

Hot sun and warm air makes them lethargic.

(thoughtful music)

(insects chirring)

(lions snoring)

And yet, that's when tourists usually get to see lions,

giving many people the idea that these cats are,

in some way, lazy and indolent.

(insects chirring)

(birds chirping)

The truth is that lions are huge and bulky,

yet have quite small hearts, and no sweat glands,

so they have difficulty keeping cool.

They have to pant rather like a dog.

But, my time with these extraordinary cats

has shown me that lions are far from lazy.

Today the pride is easy for the cubs' mother to find.

In the mara, a big collection of tourist vehicles

is a sure sign the pride is near.

The mother is completely used to traffic.

Her sisters have been waiting for her.

Between them they have six other cubs

in three different age groups,

and the mother lets her babies join the group.

(thoughtful music)

(lion cubs squeaking)

(birds chirping)

(insects chirring)

The big cubs welcome the newcomers

with a gentleness that suggests they understand

how delicate their new family members are,

(insects chirring)

and the little cubs are allowed to do as they please.

(insects chirring)

(birds chirping)

This would be a pretty typical pride

in structure as well as size,

but these lions are far from typical.

These lions are famous.

They're probably seen by more humans

than any other wild lions on the planet.

From here, their images will be posted all over the world

on Instagram and Twitter.

As a result, they're perfectly happy with people

as long as they stay in their vehicles.

(insects chirring)

(lions grumbling)

It's only with cats like this in a place like this

that we have any real chance

of understanding their lives properly.

If they weren't completely relaxed around people

we simply wouldn't see them.

Lions know all about being invisible.

(birds chirping)

(lion cubs squeaking)

(wildebeest lowing)

The place is Kenya's Masai Mara and its migration time.

Huge herds from the south come to graze

on the short new growth of grass.

(wildebeest hooves pounding)

(wildebeest lowing)

For the lions there's prey everywhere.

This is one of the few places left on Earth

where large herds of Pleistocene megafauna still exist.

Elephants are common.

They keep the place free of trees

while the grazers keep the grass short and nutritious.

(birds chirping)

(insects chirring)

(elephants trumpeting)

And lions have become an integral part of this habitat.

Without them, none of this would survive.

(thunder rumbling)

(insects chirring)

When a storm rolls in,

as it does in the wet season most afternoons,

the cool breeze wakes the lions up.

Cats only yawn when they're about to move,

not when they're tired.

It's a sure sign they'll soon be on their way.

(insects chirring)

But they're not hunting now.

There's no point,

as their prey can see them literally a mile off,

and here, on this short grass,

that is their biggest problem.

It took me many years to work out how they solved it.

Then quite a few more to actually film it successfully.

(insects chirring)

With no cover, these cubs have no chance of getting close,

but it's good practice.

(antelope galloping)

(thunder rumbling)

Because of global warming

the storms are now more intense than they used to be.

75 millimeters of rain can fall in just 30 minutes.

(thoughtful music)

(rain falling)

This is cue for tourists to head back to camp for a beer

before flooded rivers block their way.

(thoughtful music)

(rain falling)

For me, The rest of the evening and the night are by far

the best time for lions to reveal their true nature.

(thoughtful music)

(rain falling)

(thunder rumbling)

In this kind of rain,

lions always stop whatever they're doing,

which is perhaps why the prey animals

can lower their guard, too.

(thoughtful music)

(rain falling)

Most will stand with their backs to the wind.

(rain falling)

(thunder rumbling)

(rain falling)

The lions seem impervious

to the worst nature can throw at them.

(thunder rumbling)

(rain falling)

But, as the rain eases up, the cubs can't help themselves.

(wind blowing)

(cheerful music)

(rain falling)

Soon, their mothers join in.

(cheerful music)

For many animals here the arrival of the rains

is a time of exuberance and play.

Lions are no exception.

The calls of wet season frogs accompany the lions

in this most touching of moments,

when the whole pride is at play together.

(cheerful music)

If happy is the right word to use,

cool, wet weather like this seems to make lions happy.

(cheerful music)

(rain falling)

Light levels are dropping fast

and the lions are beginning to think about dinner.

(rain falling)

Now that the rain has almost stopped

the prey animals that just an hour ago

were spread out over the plains,

have gathered and are heading up the hill.

(animals lowing)

The only explanation I can think of for this behavior,

which happens almost every night

is that the hilltops are further away

from the low lying areas with cover

where lions normally hang out.

Since there'll be no moon until after midnight

and there's a thick layer of cloud from the storm

it's going to be very, very dark.

The little cubs need to be hidden somewhere safe.

The lions are on the move from their daytime haunts

following the trail of the wildebeest.

By now, it's just us and the lions.

What we're about to see is what I now recognize

as typical lion behavior.

And yet, has hardly ever been recorded.

(insects chirring)

By the time the lions get to where

they last saw the wildebeest, the herd has gone,

and at this stage the lions often seem confused.

(insects chirring)

(thunder rumbling)

(insects chirring)

(thunder rumbling)

It's now what humans would call pitch black

and no camera can function here without help.

The only reason we can see anything at all

is because we're using infrared light,

which the lions can't see.

(insects chirring)

We also have thermal cameras,

which detect the heat from the warm bodies of animals.

(insects chirring)

And, our vehicle is fitted with infrared lights,

and driven using infrared night vision goggles.

(insects chirring)

The world that these special cameras reveal

is already quite different from the daylight world.

Hippos have replaced the wildebeest and zebras,

cropping the short, tender shoots

to a perfect golf course length

using only their huge lips.

The nocturnal hippos are very unusual animals.

(insects chirring)

Stranger still, the thermal camera reveals

weird temperature variations on their skin.

Nobody knows why.

They are huge, and extremely dangerous,

but if we so much as shine visible light on them

they'd run.

In the darkness, they can't see the approach

of a silent predator.

Their eyesight isn't that good,

but their sense of smell is amazing.

(insects chirring)

Lions can bring down hippos

only if they're in a big pride

and if males are present.

(hippo bellowing)

They can kill a lion with a single bite

and move surprisingly quickly.

(hippo bellowing)

(insects chirring)

The youngsters enjoy their invisibility.

(insects chirring)

Like almost everything they do, it's just so much fun.

And the bravest get to ride the back of a fleeing giant.

We call it hippo surfing.

(lions roaring)

Things are getting a bit out of hand now

so the mothers call everyone in

to continue on their mission.

Getting dinner.

(lions roaring and grumbling)

As usual, the mothers seem to have a plan.

(insects chirring)

Three kilometers away,

the nervous wildebeest are on the hilltops,

and arrange themselves in defensive groups.

(thoughtful music)

They stay quiet.

Sentinels look into the blackness for signs of trouble.

It's now so dark that human eyes can barely see anything.

Lion eyes are eight times more sensitive.

But for all the animals it's still a very dark night.

The wildebeest have to dip their heads

so they can see the world in front of them

silhouetted against the sky.

This is the only way they have of seeing a lion.

As the cats are countershaded against the dim starlight,

the only thing that could give the lions away

is the sound of their footfalls.

(insects chirring)

If it's quiet for long enough

eventually the whole herd will begin to relax a little

and settle down to chew their cuds.

All those animals that were

spread over the plains in daylight are now silent

and occupy far less space.

They will be hard to find by accident,

but these four lionesses know the terrain well

and know the habits of wildebeest.

(suspenseful music)

They look as if they're out for a stroll,

but this is actually typical lion hunting behavior.

(insects chirring)

(suspenseful music)

The males usually tag along some distance behind

and try and stay out of the way.

(suspenseful music)

Our biggest problem is to not wake the wildebeest

with the sound of our engine.

We have to stay back and hope the action comes towards us.

(insects chirring)

(suspenseful music)

(dramatic music)

Suddenly, as if they all have a plan,

the pride spreads out.

(insects chirring)

What happens now always follows a similar pattern.

(insects chirring)

Every lion seems to be operating independently

even the cubs, yet appears as if they have a good sense

of where the others are and where the herd is.

(suspenseful music)

(thunder rumbling)

The herd is being surrounded.

(insects chirring)

When lions approach settled animals like this

they always stop a safe distance

to watch and listen for a while.

(insects chirring)

This is the kind of hunting lions are designed for.

(suspenseful music)

(insects chirring)

During the day on open plains they'd never get this close.

But she won't charge.

That's not her job.

She's a catcher.

(insects chirring)

(suspenseful music)

She's waiting for the chaser

to pick the right time and place.

It's so dark even the lioness drops her head

to see what's in front of her.

(insects chirring)

(dramatic music)

(wildebeest galloping)

Now the wildebeest are in a state of literally blind panic

and drop their heads to get a better view.

From the catcher's low vantage point

the herd is clearly silhouetted against the sky.

(wildebeest galloping)

(dramatic music)

The chaser drives the herd

towards where she thinks there might be a lion.

Like most cats, lions can deliver a sharp burst of speed

but are low on endurance, so, timing is critical.

(dramatic music)

With so many lions spread about the place

there's usually another to take up the chase.

(wildebeest galloping)

(dramatic music)

(insects chirring)

Just to make things more interesting for the wildebeest,

hyenas are always attracted to the sound of galloping.

They're the lion's only real competition out here,

but unlike the lions, hyenas have stamina,

which they use to find the weakest members of the herd.

(dramatic music)

If lions are sprinters,

hyenas are the middle distance runners.

(dramatic music)

But at this time of year

there's plenty of food for both hunters.

(insects chirring)

The lions realize that nobody caught anything.

They all missed, and the wildebeest vacate the area.

The pride isn't going to starve.

They know what to do, and the cubs especially

are having the best fun of their lives.

(lion roaring)

The matriarch lets the others know it's time to regroup.

This is how a big pride stays together in the dark

as the roar can be heard over eight kilometers away.

(lion roaring)

It doesn't take them long to locate another herd.

(dramatic music)

Again, they surround the wildebeest.

(dramatic music)

Once again the chaser gets the ball rolling.

(dramatic music)

(wildebeest galloping)

(dramatic music)

She turns the herd back to where she last saw her sister.

(wildebeest galloping)

(dramatic music)

She uses her vise-like grip to administer

a suffocating bite to the wildebeest's throat.

(wildebeest galloping)

Somehow the rest of the pride always knows where the kill is

(insects chirring)

and are soon there too.

(lions roaring)

Although one lioness brought the wildebeest down,

it was a group effort.

(lions grumbling and munching)

These treeless hilltops are perfect for night hunting.

(hyenas whooping)

But this is the center of hyena territory

and the hyenas are annoyed.

The lions have invaded their space and chased the prey away.

(hyenas chattering and whooping)

The hyenas pose real danger to the cubs.

But now the male lions get to play their part.

They're far more aggressive towards hyenas,

and the hyenas know it.

(suspenseful music)

The pride can feed in peace.

(male lions rumbling)

Lions can eat as much as 30 kilos in a sitting,

which, in case you're wondering,

is something like 240 standard hamburgers

without the bread, obviously.

(insects chirring)

But it's clear there's nothing lazy about lions.

They've barely stopped for the last six hours.

They've walked at least five kilometers,

chased hundreds of animals,

fended off a hyena threat,

and caught a good meal.

(lions roaring)

However, that's not the end of this story.

(suspenseful music)

(insects chirring)

By the time the moon has risen the pride is fast asleep,

or relax in their own company.

(insects chirring)

(hyenas whooping)

Not far away, the hyena clan has made its own kill

and parties in its own distinctive way.

But one lioness has left the security of the pride

to find her two small cubs and suckle them.

The flashing lights in the distance

clearly illustrate the edge of her domain.

Land that a decade ago was lion country

is now populated by increasing numbers of cattle.

Cattle owned by rich people whose original pasture

has been leased to wheat farmers.

Cattle which are now grazing inside the Masai Mara Reserve.

(thoughtful music)

The cubs future is not secure.

There are now thought to be

fewer than 15,000 lions remaining,

a drop of 75% in 50 years.

(thoughtful music)

If these cubs don't learn restraint when faced with cattle,

they may well be attacked or poisoned

as were their neighbors to the north.

(thoughtful music)

And yet, these lions earn millions of dollars for Kenya

and the local economy.

(thoughtful music)

It would be a tragic waste if they, too, disappeared.

(thoughtful music)

All over the lions range,

cattle, farms, and humans are moving in.

(thoughtful music)

Their prey is disappearing and lions are retreating

as they have been for thousands of years.

(thoughtful music)

In the Ice Age, lions covered much of the globe,

and probably numbered in the millions.

(thoughtful music)

By recent times,

their range has contracted to almost nothing.

(thoughtful music)

However, it doesn't have to be this way.

(thoughtful music)

In the Indian State of Gujarat

lions and humans are successfully living together.

Here, 100 years ago,

the lion population had plummeted to just 20.

Today there are about 650,

and they are loved by the local people.

This is one of the few lion populations on Earth

that has grown.

So there is hope for the future of all big cats.

(thoughtful music)