Original subtitles

Africa is home to three very special cats.

Apex predators equipped with different

But equally deadly hunting techniques.

Each cat endowed with stealth;

Speed -

Or power.

But life at the top of the food chain

Isn't as easy as it seems.

And each of africa's big cats

Has a different story to tell.

South africa's kruger national park

Is one of the largest games reserves on the continent.

It covers 7,722 square miles

Of diverse habitats.

And contains hundreds of species

Of mammals,

Birds -

And reptiles.

This abundance of animals means many predators.

Including africa's big cats;

Lion,

Leopard,

And cheetah.

They exist side by side,

Though their specialized behavior and habitat

Tend to keep them apart.

Within the kruger national park's wild world

Live three special cat families:

A powerful coalition of cheetah brothers

Who must soon make a difficult decision.

A lioness struggling to raise her cubs without the pride,

And a wise old leopard whose young daughter

Now faces the challenges of life on her own.

Together they are a cast of big cats

In a wildlife drama of epic proportions.

It's early morning in the south of the kruger national park.

The grass is tall and dry

And acts as excellent camouflage

For a successful young predator.

In the last hours of dark this young male lion

Took down a buffalo calf.

An impressive feat for a two year old.

And unusual too.

Lions generally hunt as a well-organized team.

He was forced to leave his pride

And search for a territory of his own.

Now he's proved he has what it takes to survive.

But his success wasn't entirely due to skill.

The winter drought

Has left the buffalo weak and susceptible to predation,

Making them easier targets.

While his future is secure for now,

Not far off

His mother is facing more of a struggle.

She's raising a new litter of cubs.

At 6 weeks old they have just left the safety of their den

And are totally reliant on her rich milk for sustenance.

Feeding four hungry cubs is taxing on her energy reserves,

But if she wants to eat

She's going to have to leave them to hunt for herself.

Because, unlike most lionesses who can rely on their pride

To bring them food while they're nursing,

She's a single mother and has no such help.

Her pride split up recently.

The young adult male lions from her last litter

Were forced by their father to move off

And find territories of their own.

The big male then departed to patrol his range,

Which is roughly 40 square miles of prime hunting ground.

It will take him several days or longer to make the round trip.

Without him around

His adult daughter has struck out on her own,

Leaving the lioness to fend for herself and her vulnerable cubs.

She's still producing milk for now

And keeps her cubs within the safety of dense bush thickets.

But she'll have to eat soon

And to do that she'll have to leave her babies alone.

Further north,

A more successful family of big cats is on the move.

These two cheetah brothers have formed a powerful alliance.

One of them is wearing a radio collar,

Which allows scientists to study their movements.

Giving an intimate look

Into the secret lives of these elusive animals.

The brothers grew up as littermates

And have stayed together after leaving their mother.

Their coalition allows them to control a territory

Of around 23 square miles.

It includes excellent hunting grounds

And a permanent water source.

Which is important because although cheetahs can go

For up to four days without water,

When it's hot they need to drink more often.

Working as a team

They have the advantage of being able to bring down bigger prey

And can successfully defend their territory

From solitary males.

Everything about cheetahs is designed for speed.

With their long limbs, sleek build, and streamlined head,

They can reach almost 70 miles per hour at full sprint.

But cannot maintain that speed for long

As it takes great effort.

In return for speed cheetahs have sacrificed power.

So the white rhino cow and her calf

Have nothing to worry about.

Which wouldn't be the case if a pride of lions were nearby.

The cheetahs' territory offers the cover of trees and bushes,

Perfect for stalking prey.

And they spot something -

Waterbuck.

But they must get within 165 feet

Before launching their attack.

Together the brothers pull down the powerful antelope.

And one secures a vice like grip on the victim's windpipe.

But the struggle isn't over.

The waterbuck puts up a brave fight

And it takes the combined efforts of both brothers

To keep it down.

The cheetah start feeding quickly, out of necessity.

At least one in ten cheetah kills are stolen

By the likes of lion, leopard and hyena.

But today their prize is uncontested.

With appetites sated they can relax as the sun sets,

Secure in their coalition,

For now at least.

While two big cats settle down for the night with full bellies,

The next morning another wakes up hungry.

At 12 years old, this leopard knows how to look after herself.

She's been living in the savannas and woodlands

Of the kruger all her life.

Solitary by nature,

She shares her territory with her sub-adult female cub.

Who has recently become independent.

Leopards are normally active at night,

But the older leopard hasn't eaten in days

And is on the lookout for breakfast

From her favorite vantage point.

Weighing only 130 pounds,

She is small but incredibly powerful.

While not nearly as fast as the cheetahs,

She can still reach 40 miles per hour in moments.

She is a master stalker and stealth is her greatest weapon,

Moving silent and unseen through the undergrowth.

The impala hardly saw it coming.

Using her great strength, she drags it out of sight.

Impala are one of the most numerous antelope

On the savanna of south africa

And can make up as much as 85 percent

Of the diet of leopard and cheetah.

This young lioness also has impala in her sights.

Typically lions hunt bigger game,

Because they hunt together.

But with her father patrolling his territory

And her mother busy raising cubs,

She's forced to hunt alone.

She's only half as fast as the cheetah,

Reaching nearly 40 miles per hour at full speed.

And needs to get within under 100 feet

Before launching her attack.

But in her haste she's spotted

And the opportunity is lost.

She's still young and lacks patience.

Even experienced lions kill only once in six attempts

When hunting solo.

Without help from the pride

She's going to have to work hard to survive.

Working together allows some big cats to improve their chances

Of killing larger prey.

These two brothers have done just that.

They've brought down another female waterbuck,

Which is three times the size of a fully grown cheetah.

It's an impressive achievement made possible by teamwork.

The brothers are on a roll,

With two waterbuck killed in just a few days.

They must stay vigilant though,

As there is always the threat of bigger predators

Stealing their kill.

If undisturbed

They'll eat more than 30 pounds each in one sitting,

Enough to keep them going for several days.

While the cheetahs can relax after their feast,

The lioness is on the move.

She has decided to relocate

To avoid drawing attention to her cubs

By remaining in the same place for too long.

A small mud hole contains just enough water

For a brief respite.

It's welcome refreshment for the thirsty mother.

The cubs join her in drinking deeply,

Although at this age

They still get most of their moisture from milk.

In a few months she'll wean them

And by a year and a half they'll have to look after themselves.

Now, in the early stages of life

They rely on the leadership of the lioness,

Knowing little of the challenges she's facing at the moment.

The mother leopard has completed her maternal duties,

As her daughter is independent.

So the impala she killed earlier will be all hers.

The only the problem she faces

Is that of potential hijackers.

But she knows how to avoid them.

By stashing the impala carcass high in a tree

It's out of the reach of lions

And she can relax and eat as she pleases.

She doesn't have to worry about the cheetahs either,

As they're poor climbers and she easily outmuscles them.

Leopards are by far

The most proficient climbers of africa's large carnivores,

And can haul kills of more than 110 pounds up vertical trunks.

Her cheek teeth, called carnassials,

Are evolved for slicing.

Combined with a heavy, powerful lower jaw

They help to tear off chunks of meat,

Which she swallows whole.

Impala are her staple diet,

But like all leopards she'll eat almost any source of protein.

Leopards prey on more than ninety species

Including insects, reptiles and even fish.

Their ability to subsist on such a varied diet,

As well as their adaptability to different habitats,

Has made leopards the most widespread

Of all the world's wild cats.

Self-sufficiency

Is not something leopards are born with though.

The old leopard's daughter

Was recently left to fend for herself.

She's nowhere near the hunter her mother is

And needs to learn quickly how to kill.

Or face potential starvation.

There are other threats around too.

Lions recognize leopards as competition

And they will attack and even kill them

If they get the chance.

The young leopard knows this and moves cautiously.

The rosettes of her gleaming coat are unique.

No two leopard's spots are the same.

And they're particularly effective at camouflaging her

In the dappled light.

The bright white underside of her tail will one day

Act as a so-called 'follow me' signal to her cubs.

Helping them to stay in close contact

While following her through thick brush.

But before that can happen she'll have to find a meal,

And then a territory of her own,

Which are both difficult to come by.

In the lions' territory,

The cubs' father arrives back from his sojourn.

He announces his presence with a bellowing roar,

Which can be heard for up to 5 miles.

His return bodes well for the lioness and her cubs,

Who have struggled without the support of a strong leader.

The lioness hears his call from a distance and heads towards it.

After a moment, the cubs realize they had better catch up.

Mom leads the way,

Joined by her adult daughter

Who has also returned for the reunion.

For the cubs it feels like any other afternoon,

To be filled with raucous rough and tumble.

But their father is still several miles away.

Mom keeps the train moving.

They don't know it yet

But this is a significant moment in their young lives

As they have never met their father,

Who left when they were still in the den.

On arrival the cubs wait cautiously at a distance.

For mother and daughter

The meeting is an affectionate moment

And a long awaited revival of their pride.

The cubs are intrigued by their father.

They've not yet learnt how to act around the big male.

And his rebuke is as gentle as he can manage.

For the first time

Since the cubs were born almost 2 months ago,

The pride is together again.

Things are looking up

For this family of africa's most powerful predators.

It's natural for lions to live in prides for their whole lives.

Cheetah coalitions however, sometimes break apart.

In a bid to find a territory and mate of his own

One of the brothers has left,

Splitting up the sibling alliance.

Lone cheetah males have been known to wander

More than 125 miles in search of new territories

And he's travelled some distance to find a promising new range.

It will be a good home with an abundance of prey

And with enough space to run them down.

He wastes no time in starting to hunt.

Unlike most cats,

The cheetah's claws are permanently exposed.

Useful for extra grip while running at high speeds.

But he needs to get closer before he can launch an attack.

He's been too hasty, and loses the element of surprise.

After the relative success he enjoyed with his brother,

He's unaccustomed to the challenges of hunting alone.

Adult kudu are large and powerful.

While he could easily outpace them,

They are too big for him to bring down by himself.

Without his brother he will need to learn how to catch smaller,

Yet faster antelope.

For this cheetah the harsh reality of his new life

Is quickly becoming clear.

It's not easy to be successful at the top of the food chain

When you're on your own .

Unless you happen to both experienced and hugely powerful.

The big male lion is both.

At 9 years old and weighing around 440 pounds

He's a seasoned buffalo hunter

With enough power to bring down a bull

Four times his own weight.

It's unusual, but not unheard of

For a male lion to hunt alone.

No other predator in africa can single-handedly take down

Such a large and formidable adversary.

Once he's gorged himself he retreats to the shade to rest.

He has no reason to fear

Any other predators stealing his meal.

He's simply too strong to be challenged.

The jackal will have to wait a while before he gets any scraps.

The rest of the kill is reserved for the lion family,

Which is nearby.

The big male's roar

Reaches the lioness as an invitation to dinner.

As the cool of night descends, she sets off to join him.

The cubs are still too young to eat meat

And she has no choice

But to leave them alone while she feeds.

They know instinctively to stay concealed

And wait for moms return.

En route, she meets her adult daughter

Who also heard the male lion's roars.

The old king eats his fill before his family arrives.

After greeting them both

He moves off to let them feed in peace.

The females are hungry

And will eat up to 44 pounds of meat in one go.

A meal like this will keep them busy all night

And replenish the mother's reserves

So that she can produce rich milk for her growing cubs.

After a big meal the night before,

The lions are relaxed and back to full strength.

With dad back and providing ample food,

The lioness can eat enough to produce plenty of milk

To satisfy the insatiable appetites of her growing cubs.

Under the watchful eyes of a powerful father

And a resilient mother

The cubs have the best possible chances

Of survival to adulthood.

With security coming from working together,

This small pride is an excellent example

Of how lions benefit from group living.

The wise old leopard needs no help to survive.

Being a skilled hunter

Has allowed her to raise her cub to adulthood

And propagate her genes -

The ultimate measure of success for any animal.

She relies on nothing but her own intelligence and strength

And living in total solitude,

She exemplifies the most adaptable

And widespread of the big cats.

After a bumpy start,

Her daughter is now flourishing.

Last night she killed her first impala.

Proving she inherited her mother's hunting prowess

And taking an important step towards succeeding on her own.

The cheetah brothers have now gone their separate ways

And each is destined for a different fate.

One is moving restlessly through the park, in search of land

But not yet confident outside the safety of the coalition.

The other has proved more capable

Of living a solitary life.

He's found and secured a new territory,

Which he will defend as his own.

Here he will surely become a proficient hunter,

Already showing potential by taking down a kudu female alone.

Africa's big cats

Are some of the most well-known carnivores in the world

Famous for their beauty

And feared for their deadly natures.

Whether alone or in complex social structures,

They must work hard to survive in a habitat

Fraught with challenges.

By using clever teamwork,

Staggering speed and terrifying power,

They are equipped to exploit their environment.

Each of the three cats

Is different in the way it lives and hunts.

But all share the title of apex predator

In an endlessly active food chain rivaled by few on earth.

Lion,

Leopard

And cheetah

Are indeed africa's most wild and wonderful big cats.

(growl)

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