Original subtitles

(easygoing instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Africa, the third largest continent

on the planet covers 30,270,000 square kilometers,

32% of the earth's total surface area,

and represents the world's greatest reserve of biodiversity.

The continent's principle ecosystems are the desert,

the Sahara, the savanna, the rift valley,

the Great Lakes, the tropical forests,

and the great river basins,

each one an incomparable paradise for wildlife.

Africa is home to a quarter of the world's

4,700 species of mammal, including such fascinating animals

as the hippopotamus, the lion, the leopard,

the oryx, the giraffe, the wildebeest,

the rhino, and the elephant.

The human population, however,

has reached almost one billion

and doubles every 20 years,

bringing urbanization to every corner of the continent.

This places enormous pressure on wildlife,

which must compete for space, fresh water, and food.

Today, Africa boasts 1,200 protected areas,

which cover some 2,000,000 square kilometers,

9% of the continent's total area.

These islands of wilderness are coming

under ever greater threat from human development.

But this pressure may reduce them still further.

Outside the reserves, large mammal populations

are plummeting, victims of poaching

or simply unregulated hunting.

For many years the big cats have been the prime targets

in this onslaught on animal numbers.

(guns fire)

For decades Africa was a killing ground

for many of these species,

as well as the persecution they suffered from local people,

they were decimated by an incomprehensible craze

for big game hunting.

Today these images seem shocking, uncertaining,

but in the 70s and 80s many tourists thought it

acceptable and even admirable to hunt African wild life.

Big game hunting was a growing source

of revenue for local economies.

Africa seemed to be an inexhaustible source of wildlife,

but the truth was otherwise.

In the 1980s animal populations began to collapse

and reserves had to be created

to protect them from extinction.

(crowd talking quietly)

Today the most successful national parks cater

to a thriving tourist industry

that provides benefits to the local community.

Yet outside these areas,

the situation for wildlife is catastrophic.

In Africa, a continent with relatively little industry,

most of the population lives on the land,

depending on crocks and pasture,

even where soil is of poor quality and water is scarce.

Mankind is the principle rival, enemy, and killer

of all other species.

The apex predator of Africa, threatening the very existence

of the great carnivores of the animal kingdom,

the lion, the leopard, and the chetah,

in a desperate fight for survival.

(suspenseful music)

The big cats live in the shadow of this threat.

Is this the end of the big cats?

(suspenseful music)

The ancient Geisha tree houses the communal nests of birds

which greet the dusk with their excited chatter.

Down below a fabulous animal, the lion,

paces slowly, ruminatively, exploring the territory.

(birds chirping)

The leopard is also a great explorer.

It investigates every corner of its territory

and it knows every tree, crack, cave, and watering hole.

All big cats explore the limits of their domain

and try to extend it, but they discover a habitat

that is shrinking every day.

Their freedom is curtailed as human development advances.

- It's very difficult and I think if population growth

continues in the world over the long run

there won't be space left for large predators I think.

If we, as a human species, continue to reproduce

at the rate we are doing, we will not be able

to save enough areas for wildlife.

Yeah, that is the sad reality.

- You need the governments of all the other countries

to wake up and quickly preserve some land

so that the wild cats can still flourish in there.

Then start settling down, but you will have to do that.

Otherwise, just open free roam, no, no, it won't,

maybe 10 years, then it will be nothing left.

- If one is a pessimist, or maybe there is a very fine line

between pessimism and realism, but the reality of it is that

if we don't do something now, we are going to lose them.

- [Narrator] This century, African wildlife

and with it the big cats is at risk of disappearing forever.

The lion population, once as high as half a million,

has fallen to an estimated 20,000 individuals today.

The lion, defeated and humiliated, is reduced to pleading

for clemency from it's main predator, man.

(native music)

Lions once ranged all of Europe and Asia,

with the exception only of the driest deserts

and the wettest jungles.

Today their habitat has been reduced

to ever smaller areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

The bushmen have always seen

the lion as a powerful neighbor.

Humans and lions try to avoid each other

because whenever their paths crossed, one was sure to die.

(speaking foreign language)

For centuries, humans and big cats shared a mutual respect,

sometimes ignoring each other, sometimes competing for prey.

Rivals on the ground, both were and still are predators.

- Mostly lions, we almost believe

that lions are stronger than us, as human beings.

It's what we believe.

Lion can finish us as human beings.

So lions are stronger,

we believe that they are stronger than us.

(gun fires)

- [Narrator] The lion's armor is useless against firearms.

At the end of the 19th century,

lions began to be exterminated,

especially in the north of the continent.

They were forced back to uninhabited areas

in central and southern Africa,

where their numbers continue to fall.

The slaughter continued into the 20th century,

intensifying between the 60s and the 90s,

when big game hunting became a popular past time

amongst North Americans and Europeans

attracted by the excitement of killing a wild animal.

The heads, skins, paws, tails, and teeth of lions

filled the trophy rooms of thousands of western hunters,

who claimed that lion hunting was a heroic

face to face combat in which man measured his strength

against the king of the animal realm.

But the idea of a contest between equals was a travesty.

Lions never attack for pleasure and their weaponry,

teeth and claws, although powerful,

is no match for a rifle bullet.

From the 1990s onwards, many African countries

put in place laws to protect them,

limiting legal hunting and working to prevent poaching.

The slaughter of lions for sport has been curved

and limited, but continues unofficially

because when a new village, a town,

or a small farmstead is built, lions are not welcome.

This process led to the extinction, in the wild,

of the barbary and cape lions.

The lions existence, like that of so many wild animals,

is in our hands now more than ever.

Every lion that survives in the wild,

does so thanks to the support of conservationists

who work tirelessly to promote awareness of

and tolerance for large predators.

- This sphinx was established in the 60s

and at that point in time, or prior to

the building of the sphinx, this area of Namibia

had foot in mouth disease.

Possibly 600, 800, 1,000 lives in Namibia, that's all.

- [Narrator] For over 30 years, Tammy Hoth

has been working at the Afri-Cat foundation

in northern Namibia.

- If the lions moved this way they were going to be shot.

If they move out this way they were going to be shot.

If they move this way, we're hoping

that they're not going to be because this

is actually where they live freely.

But we're looking at this low number of lions.

- [Narrator] Her main task is to do everything possible

to protect the lives of big cats,

especially those that have come into contact with humans

and have been shot, either by poachers

or farmers fearful for their stock.

- We need to go ground level, with children,

because they're our future farmers, teachers, politicians.

They're the ones that are going to be able to manage

what's going to happen to these animals later on.

Then of course, the people that are on the ground now.

The farmer, now.

That is where our research is so important

because we need to be able to tell the farmer on the ground,

these animals are, there are only a few of them,

this is their natural range, we need to find a way

to live together, and of course your farmer

on the ground is the person that needs

to make money now, as we're speaking

and he also needs to see the value of these lions.

Not only this inherent love for wild life,

which most of us are lucky to have be born with

or were able to grow up in that kind of atmosphere,

which is, of course helps you along the way.

But for the people out there,

that are struggling to make an existence,

be it commercial or communal farmer.

If that lion has no value, it's going to go.

- [Narrator] For most farmers,

this problem is not solved by educational campaigns

that preach the essential goodness of wild predators,

but by benefit programs that compensate farmers

for the loses caused by big cats and this visa says

that farmers do not kill predators for sport,

but because sometimes there are simply no other solution.

- We know how to handle those animals.

We know how to live together with the animals.

We know that we need those animals, as well,

in our environment and in the communal areas

you must take it like this, their animals,

the cattle and sheep and goats

is like a bank of money for them

because they don't bring the money to the bank.

As more animals they've got around them,

there they can show this is my bank account.

If they need a little bit money, they will take out one,

slaughter it and sell it or slaughter it an eat it.

That's how the communal farmers are working

because it's a tradition for them.

We as commercial farmers, we see our animals,

domesticated animals, cattle and goats and sheep,

as a money making business.

We have to make money out of them,

put it onto the bank, and do a business out of it.

There is that split coming.

So if a lion, or any predator, comes into the communal area

it's like they're robbing their bank account.

For us, it's a loss of business or loss of income

as a commercial farmer, now.

That's a problem.

- [Narrator] Andreas runs

a commercial stock farming operation.

His circumstances are different from those of communal farms

where land granted by the government

is shared by several neighbors.

On communal farms, tenants rely on the government

both to maintain and repair the protective fences

that separate wild animals from the stock

and to provide compensation for losses.

If not, they ask to be allowed

to kill the animal that is causing trouble.

These are usually poor families.

The loss of a single goat or cow

can have a huge economic impact on them.

(speaking foreign language)

On this communal land lives the family

of a herdsman who lost his entire herd to big cats.

He was left without any stock to slaughter for food

or to sell and condemned to poverty.

The Afri-Cat Foundation raised money

for the family to buy six lambs

and so restart their business.

This has helped them to get back on their feet,

but the problems do not end here.

Now it's the elephants.

- This is the first time I've heard this.

She said on Tuesday two elephants killed a cow.

It was, sort of a, probably a frenzy-type situation,

where they were in a...

- [Narrator] This man is clear what he'll do

next time he sees a big cat near his property.

He will shoot to kill.

- Now there is a vast difference

because of the animals and their behavior.

For example, lions are the only sociable cats

and they're very sociable, so in most cases

lions are found in groups and of course

that's the fear factor because they're much bigger.

On a one on one basis, if you were to try to offend yourself

or protect yourself from a lion,

the chances are pretty slim that you're going to survive

because it's such a big animal

and because they're usually in a group.

Now for a farmer, to have a group of lions,

some adult males they take a small pride.

An adult male, at about 210, 215 kilos,

a few females at about 120 to 160 kilos,

and some sub-adults, say you have a group

of about 19 animals on your property, it's daunting

and in the back of your mind you know

how many head of livestock am I going to lose.

So that's the one thing.

Now when you want to try to protect your livestock

from lions, most importantly is you need strong

and very high bermas or crocks

to protect your animals inside strong

so that they can't stampede out if they get afraid

and high so that the lions can't jump it.

Of course the base has to be strong so they don't dig in.

So that's your line and it's very, very difficult

to farm livestock with lion on your property.

- [Narrator] Tammy Hoth has created a small sanctuary.

She takes in wounded animals, providing a fenced habitat

and two hectors or more per animal,

where she cares for them until they can be reintroduced

either into the wild or into a park.

Some are lucky enough to settle into

and accept their new home, others do not,

but will nevertheless remain there

for the rest of their lives.

(calm music)

Lions are territorial, social animals.

The dominant males control over the pride is total

and he will force young males out,

leaving them to fend for themselves

until they find a new family

either by challenging another male to take over his pride

or by mating with a lone female.

It is not unusual, however, to find one, two,

or three brothers hunting together as they look

for new territory or a new family to attach themselves to.

They cooperate, knowing that hunting together

they have a better chance at success than hunting alone.

These brothers are unlikely ever

to find a pride of their own because their mother

was killed by a farmer when they were cubs.

Fortunately the farmer did not shoot them,

he contacted the Afri-Cat Foundation,

asking them to take care of the cubs.

They grew up in direct contact with their keepers

until as they reached adolescence they became too large

and too dangerous and they were shut up in the enclosure.

(lions growl)

A lion, however affectionate as a cub,

is always a lion and it is not easy to play

or quarrel with one without being injured.

A fully grown adult can weigh up to 230 kilograms

and it's canine teeth are over eight centimeters long.

They can be as calm and affectionate as house cats,

but when stressed, hungry, or annoyed

they can be extremely dangerous.

(lions growl)

It's better to keep an electric fence between you

(lions growl)

Lions, like people, can also suffer

from psychological disorders.

They can express their unhappiness as aggression

when they find themselves living in a limited space.

Their psychological well-being depends on how

they cope with life in captivity.

Some lions and lionesses become resigned and accepting,

but others never do and seem to long for freedom.

- Go on.

Go on, go on, go on.

Go on.

(lions growl)

Go on, go on.

(lions growl)

- We must realize that we cannot keep destructing habitat

like we've done.

Every single place we open a mine,

we put up a nuclear power plant, we want to develop,

and in those processes we destroy habitat

and we forget that animals need habitat to survive.

So the protection of habitat

and looking at sustainable development

and supporting the government in creating

these big wildlife areas, which are connected,

I think is crucial in the long term survival of the cats.

- [Narrator] This lioness seems reconciled.

She enjoys her sun bath, completely relaxed.

She is not troubled by the presence

of humans in the distance or by the camera.

She stares intently at us from time to time,

pretending not to notice us until finally she decides

to wonder away to stretch out in the shade.

No one would think it was dangerous to approach her.

But a lion's behavior, especially in captivity,

is always unpredictable.

Behind their unchanging facial expression

it's hard to know what they're thinking or feeling.

How they'll react or why.

(lion growls)

A lion can be lazy, curious, friendly, or aggressive.

A lion's emotions are sometimes easy to read

based on the position of their body

or the movement of eyes, tails, or lips,

but sometimes they defy interpretation.

This lioness is rarely aggressive,

but one day launched a furious attack

on the keeper's vehicle.

It was an unexpected reaction,

but one typical of a wild animal under stress.

Living in captivity does not eradicate animal instincts.

On the private game reserve in Malindi,

which covers thousands of hectors,

they live side by side with other species,

with abundant prey and fresh water.

But this is a controlled freedom.

The rangers monitor many of the lions

to follow their movements and also to be able

to locate them for the tourists.

(upbeat native music)

This lioness seems to be enviably well treated.

(birds chirping)

The lions are the most social of felines.

Normally they live in large prides formed of related,

adult females with several cubs of up to three years of age

and one, two, or even three adult males,

one of them the dominant leader.

(birds chirping)

While the males are mainly concerned

with protecting their territory from possible intruders,

the females take care of the cubs and also hunt.

A task for which the smaller, more agile females

are better suited than the males.

(birds chirping)

Whether hunting or caring for their cubs,

the lionesses display a marked spirit of cooperation.

Watching the tenderness they show their cubs,

no one would suspect the aggression with which

lionesses will fight to claim their share of a kill

or to defend their pride.

(birds chirping)

Felines depend on their senses of sight and hearing,

which are six times more powerful than ours.

As well as excellent frontal vision,

they have a wide angle of peripheral vision

and their retinas are well adapted to low light conditions.

This explains why they prefer to hunt at first light,

at dusk, or during the night.

(birds chirping)

The Etosha National Park is a 22,000 square kilometer island

of natural wilderness in north central Namibia.

When it was created in 1907,

it covered an area of 100,000 square kilometers,

making it the largest wildlife reserve in Africa.

(howls)

At that time, wildlife was far more

abundant than at present.

There being no human settlements within or around the park.

In 1947 and in 1962 the area of the park

was reduced to provide farmland for migrant.

In particular, those arriving from Angola.

Etosha is an immense plain of marshes, savanna,

and scrub land with diverse populations

of mammals and bird life.

Some of them unique to the region.

The rainy season, from November to April,

comes as a blessing for the park's wildlife,

which struggles to survive through the long, dry season

during which temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius.

(water splashes)

(mud splashes)

The water from the recent rains bring life

to every corner of the park.

A pair of elephants celebrate in a water hole.

(elephants grunt)

(elephant trumpets)

(mud splashes)

A squabbling multitude of vultures and other scavengers

is a sign that hidden somewhere at their feet

are the remains of a dead animal.

The cycle of life and death is dramatically present here

and effects all the animals equally.

(birds chirping)

This lion has had a busy night, he caught a zebra

and within a few hours had eaten its fill.

Accelerated breathing, a swollen stomach,

and half closed eyes are sure signs

that he is digesting a heavy meal.

The remains of the carcass are behind the bush.

There's probably still meat and bones for him to finish,

which is why he will not shift from the spot,

despite the carloads of tourists.

He's become the morning star attraction.

The presence of the tourists doesn't seem to bother him,

but only apparently.

The noise on the road begins to distress him

until finally he reacts with an unexpected charge.

(lion roars aggressively)

The lion has no idea about the intentions of the tourists,

but he doesn't trust them, he sees them as a threat.

The charge is a warning that he will take on challenges

to protect his space and his food,

but he's not entirely sure of himself.

This is why, after expressing his irritation,

he hides behind the bush to monitor the situation.

A lion is definitely not a pet.

- The other big misconception, I think,

is people always think lions are pretty cute animals.

They look at them in things like The Lion King movie

or so and then think they are cute.

They are killing machines if they go out

and kill livestock or even humans.

They are really dangerous animals and that is what makes it

really difficult to live with them.

I think, in the western world, you've got this conception

of these pretty animals and you've got a lot

of these captive facilities where you can go and pet one

and cuddle one, but the truth is

they are really dangerous animals

that are just made to eat meat

and they can't do other than that.

(engine rumbling)

- [Narrator] Farmers on land

neighboring the Etosha National Park

have notified the authorities and the Afri-Cat Foundation

that three male lions have escaped from the park,

entered their land and killed one of their cows.

(engine rumbling)

The three lions are a real danger.

Once they've got a taste for cow meat,

it's unlikely that they'll leave the restaurant.

Dr. Ortwin Aschenborn, veternarian at Etosha

and Tammy Hort of Afri-Cat have agreed to work together.

They need to find the lions, immobilize them

and return them to the park immediately.

Aschenborn prepares the dart rifle

and the doses of tranquilizer needed to put them to sleep.

They have to set out at once.

They need to find the three lions as soon as possible,

before the farmer can shoot them on site.

- Don't know, let's have a look.

I don't think so.

Can't know, they're connected to my sound system.

(door slams)

- [Narrator] The farmers have given the conservation groups

24 hours to remove the lions.

When this is up they will shoot the lions.

They cannot risk having the lions kill more livestock

or attack the farm workers.

It's going to be a long night.

First they must drive to the area

where the farmers last saw them.

On his computer, Dr. Aschenborn has a collection

of recordings of lions roars,

which he will use to attract them

if they prove hard to find.

We meet two people that have been on the lookout all day.

They tell us that by dusk the three lions

had not moved from the site of the cow they killed.

They think the lions will continue to stand guard

over the carcass and this will make them more dangerous

when we approach them.

- [Tammy] We'll wait until you feel

that it's time to come in and either we fetch you

or somebody comes in and goes back out again.

- [Narrator] Dr. Aschenborn is worried

about hitting all three targets in the darkness.

If his shots miss it would be a disaster

and he recommends that only one vehicle approach the lions

if he is to immobilize all three successfully.

Tammy recaps what has happened so far

and what she hopes will happen next.

- At the moment, you know, we've had a lot of movement

after dark, which is not ideal,

but unfortunately we had to wait for our vet to arrive

from Okaukuejo because this is a giant program.

Together with the administrative environment and tourism

and Afri-Cat, obviously we had to wait for the vet to arrive

and it took him three hours to get here.

So this is a bit of the downside, but we are hopeful.

We're hoping that they are going to return

and that we will successfully collar them

and be able to return them to the park before sunrise.

(truck rattling)

Two hours later, we're on the move again.

Aschenborn has located the three lions

and hit all three with tranquilizer darts.

As well as the vehicles of the national park team,

the Afri-cat Foundation, and our own,

we're joined by vehicles carrying farm staff.

The tranquilizer darts have put all three lions

into a deep sleep.

All three were gathered around the carcass

and entrails of the victim.

At first, they charged the vets car.

It took an hour before the vehicle could get close enough.

- [Tammy] The collar's coming.

- [Male] Okay.

- [Narrator] The lions were guarding a feast fit for a king,

an enormous cow weighing more than 600 kilograms.

(muffled talking)

Their stomachs are full to bursting.

They give off the foul smell of the blood

and entrails of the slaughtered cow.

- Nine, one, zero.

- [Narrator] Aschenborn makes the most

of the lions immobility to examine them,

take blood samples, and fit them with radio collars

that will enable him to follow their movements.

(speaking foreign language)

He will take them back to the park.

(speaking foreign language)

To avoid future problems, it is worthwhile

to fit the collars so they can easily

be located whenever necessary.

The process of taking hair and blood samples

and fitting the radio collar

is repeated with the other two lions.

(speaking foreign language)

Aschenborn and his assistants must work fast.

The dose of tranquilizer will keep them under

for around two hours, but this is too short a time

for everything that must be done tonight.

Lions have a highly developed sense of direction

and ability to recognize landmarks.

When they're on the move, they take in visual

and sensory data and store it in their memory forever.

To stop them from finding their way back to the farm,

they'll be dropped in the park,

but as far from here as possible.

(men grunting)

We wonder whether they will return here.

They'll certainly try.

When they come around, the first thing they'll remember

is a place outside the park where

they found the prey that was as delicious

as it was easy to catch.

(door slams)

- [Man] Sleeping, can we reach the limit then?

- We can reach the limit, but it's okay.

- [Narrator] But now they have radio collars,

it will be easy to predict their movements.

The farmers can breath easy.

(engine rumbling)

We reached the double line of fences

that separate the farm from the park.

The lions had managed to break out

either through a hole or via a tunnel.

All wild animals try to break through barriers

that limit their freedom.

Elephants usually knock them over, charging at them.

Many other species dig tunnels to get underneath them.

Aschenborn stops the convoy from time to time

to ensure the lions are still unconscious

and administers more tranquilizers if necessary.

Four hours later, we reach our destination.

Loading them earlier and unloading them now

is a labor intensive operation.

To the 230 kilograms each one weighs,

is added the many kilos of cow flesh in their stomachs,

a total of more than 250 kilos.

(indistinct talking)

Dr. Aschenborn administers the reversal dose

to bring them around.

Ten minutes later they're opening their eyes.

We see them beginning to stir, still groggy.

We try to disturb them as little as possible

and not dazzle them with our lights.

We watch an extraordinary scene unfold.

One which demonstrates these animals'

high level of awareness and sensitivity.

They seem fully conscious of their condition

and what has happened.

Each lion notices the presence of the others,

seeks them out, and communicates with them,

finding out how they are.

They use their voices and their senses of smell

and of touch, showing a finely honed sense of awareness.

They behave just as humans would in a similar situation.

They ask their companions how they feel,

then encourage them, helping them recover and regroup.

Once they are all on their feet,

they must explore this new territory.

Who knows whether they will try to return to the farm,

the scene of such an exciting adventure.

A beautiful memory that will stay with them for years.

- And they often go back into the park

after they catch a cow or something outside.

So it's very difficult to control those.

I think the other nine people are really lucky

it was three young males that have never been prosecuted

or hunted before, so they were fairly relaxed

when we got there.

They came in when we called them and we could dart them,

so we were lucky to catch those.

Often we aren't that lucky, often they don't come.

Often we don't manage to catch them

and then the only solution to the farmer

is to shoot some of them if they find them.

The team of veterinarians at Etosha controls the animals,

but does not interfere in their lives.

Most of the research is focused

on detecting outbreaks of infectious diseases,

such as rabies or anthrax.

The anthrax program is very important,

as this bacillus is extremely aggressive.

It multiplies rapidly in decomposing carcasses

and can be carried by flies to healthy animals,

killing them rapidly.

The biologists main concern is that in a closed habitat,

like the park, an epidemic could wipe out

one or more species with devastating speed.

- So in environments like Etosha,

where the bacillus, anthrax, is common

and is indigenous and reoccurs in natural cycles.

The contraction of those bacillus, or bacilli,

is quite natural, but it's part of their free-range ecology.

(whimpering and snorting)

Vulnerability to certain diseases

can be fatal for some species.

(wild dogs chattering)

This is the situation of the African wild dogs,

whose immune system is vulnerable to infections

and which is currently a species

facing a high risk of extinction.

(wild dogs chattering)

They live in tightly knit family groups.

Any disease spreads relentlessly,

infecting or wiping out the whole pack incredibly quickly.

These three dogs are the only survivors of a disease

that has already killed the other 12 members of their pack.

50 years ago, the owners of

Erindi Game Reserve raised cattle.

They first turned their land into a hunting reserve

and later swapped the guns on their safaris for cameras.

Biologist Natasha De Woronin is in charge

of feline conservation at Erindi.

- Erindi is just a very special story

because a number of years into the hunting

the owners decided that they would like to

100%, solely protect the wildlife in this reserve.

So they decided to move the hunting away completely

and start using ecotourism as a way

to bring money into this piece of land.

So I think it's very important and one of the keys

to conservation is adding more land

to the conservation areas that are existing.

But one of the most important factors for this,

I really believe, is that people must be incorporated.

Farms must be incorporated, livestock must be incorporated,

we all need to learn to live together and the key is,

as we were talking previously, is conservation,

which is connecting up all the aspects of Africa.

Every single piece of it

and helping it to function together.

Helping every part to work together.

People to live with predators.

Farmers to live with predators, livestock.

I think one of the keys to this is understanding

the behavior of the predators as much as understanding

the behavior of the farmers, for example.

(chatter on radio)

- [Narrator] But the coexistence of humans

and wild animals is never easy.

Most people know very little about predator behavior,

especially with big cats.

- They're getting closer.

Is it hiding under the tree?

- [Narrator] Traveling to observe them

in their natural habitat reveals

many surprising aspects of these animals'

striking dependence on conservation programs.

Lions avoid conflict with humans as long as they have

a habitat large enough to provide them with water,

food, and contact with other members of their own species.

Their existence centers on satisfying

certain, very basic needs.

To rest, to explore, to mate,

to raise young, and to find food.

(wildlife chatter)

Tourists tend to see lions either

as ruthless killing machines

that must be kept at a safe distance

or as high maintenance pets that exist

as attractions for our amusement.

But neither is an accurate picture of an animal

that is well able to distinguish

what makes it happy and what it dislikes.

An animal with its own personality and a keen intelligence.

For hours, we have watched him in silence,

maintaining a prudent distance and he has regarded us

with a series of unforgettable images.

He has been aware of us at all times

and now he invites us to come with him.

(wildlife chattering)

So many hours spent in close proximity

create a deeper sense of trust between lions and humans.

- Very nice, that's his brother.

You can see, now, he's got a black mane.

That's why we call him Shadow

and they are getting quite, very well.

You can see, as brothers, they love each other very much.

- [Male Guide] Unbelievable.

- Oh, this is unbelievable.

- [Male Guide] They love to play together.

- [Jeremia] And also they are having

a much open, wet area on the reserve.

Happy in this area of it.

As you can see, even, they are having a nice body build

and they are pretty much just four years old

and it's quite unbelievable to be

that much massive at four years old.

- [Male Guide] One of them must be the dominant male.

- Actually when it comes to the females,

you will see this one is much heavier than the other one,

so Shadow is the one which will always

dominate the other one, even when it comes to the females.

He will be the one mating with the first female

that will appear to come over them

before the other brother might get a chance

to mate with the females.

So pretty much, you will see,

he came to call his brother now

and they should be, probably moving for the night

to somewhere else after they finish their kill now.

- [Narrator] We can follow them no further.

Night is falling on the Erindi reserve

and the lions disappear into the undergrowth.

(engine rumbling)

We head for home, hoping to see another lion

in the darkness, but it's unlikely.

We've seen how the lions day to day existence

depends on our granting them their freedom without pressure.

In the future, probably only a greatly reduced number

of individuals will survive, perhaps no more than 10,000

living in the natural reserves,

open-air zoos catering to eco-tourism,

and photographic safaris.

The lion will still be king,

but it's realm will no longer be the jungle

or the Savannah, but the online photo album.

- I think, not in the next 10 years,

we will see no lions left, but you will have

countries with minimum of numbers.

Especially in no parks, so if it's not a park,

you're gonna have no lions.

So you need the government of all the other countries

to wake up and quickly preserve some land

so that the wild cats can still flourish in there.

Then start settling down, but you will have to do that.

Otherwise, just open free roam, no, maybe 10 years

and it will be nothing left.

(lion growls)

(suspenseful music)

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