Original subtitles

[snarling]

[narrator] Lions: the ultimate predators.

State-of-the-art technology shows how the big cats really live.

Thermal-imaging cameras reveal them to be perfect hunters in the darkness.

But even the so-called rulers of the animal kingdom live dangerously.

The young depend on the prowess of their mothers...

just as much as the determination of their fathers,

the defenders of the pride.

Africa's open savanna is a paradise for grazers.

At the other end of the scale, the big cats need good cover,

just like here.

Many rivulets rise from a swamp, which then form a stream

known as the Ronkai.

Its water flows for just a few weeks in the year,

but this is enough for lush vegetation to take hold.

The Ronkai makes its way through the steppes to the Mara River.

The flat valley is ideal lion country.

So much so that two prides have settled here.

One of them rules the estuary area,

while the other controls the upper reaches with the expansive reed growth.

In early August, the huge wildebeest herds from the southern Serengeti

come to the region.

The dense bushes along the riverbanks

provide the big cats with ideal hunting conditions.

Nonetheless, mistakes are best avoided.

Patiently, she waits for the right moment.

This time, it's all too easy.

A weak wildebeest has lost contact with the herd.

The pride at the upper reaches of the river comprises five females,

sisters and half-sisters born into their territory,

which they inherited from their mothers

and which they will never leave as long as they live.

The lionesses are often alone, especially when they have their young to look after.

Then they rarely meet with their siblings.

There are many excellent hiding places for the little ones alongside the stream.

Three babies clamour for the warmth and nourishment their mother provides.

In August, three of the females on the upper reaches have offspring.

Withdrawn, they look after them alone for the first few months.

For almost the entire year, many animals find a secure water supply in the valley.

Yellow-billed and colourful saddle-billed storks

help themselves to the generous range of small snacks.

Here is the end of the road for many a good frog.

Not all of the lion's neighbours are harmless, though.

This python has gobbled down a gazelle,

but he is just as keen on a helpless yet tasty lion baby as well.

[elephant trumpeting]

It's not a bad idea to keep a safe distance

from one of these heavyweights, too.

A herd of African buffalo makes its way through the valley.

The second mother of the pride knows that the cubs would be in mortal danger

should the black giants discover them.

The huge wild cattle would not hesitate

to crush the little ones beneath their feet.

As if there weren't enough dangerous neighbours,

the lush vegetation of the area attracts elephants, too.

Nerves of steel are an advantage when sandwiched like this

between a herd of buffalo and elephants.

In the end, and in a foul mood,

she retreats with her young from the danger zone.

The third lioness has found dense foliage in which to accommodate her babies.

Her four young are as good as invisible here.

The thicket is like a fort, impenetrable even for elephants or buffalos.

Lions are born blind and helpless.

They are looked after in hideouts such as this for weeks on end

and have to be suckled every few hours.

The babies can hardly be seen as the infants of kings,

as only very few of them survive the dangerous initial weeks,

despite their mother's tireless efforts.

The lower course of the Ronkai up to the estuary of the Mara River

is the territory of the neighbouring pride.

Three lionesses have brought up ten strong adolescents,

which is an unusually successful result, but at the same time a burden...

[snarling]

...because the youngsters are permanently hungry.

They're not much help on a hunt either and spend the day fooling around.

The leopard tortoise smells really tasty.

But without the correct can opener, what can you do?

The tortoise shell now has a few toothmarks on display,

but the patient reptile can live with that.

The valley and the bordering territories are in the paws of four strong brothers.

Years ago, they drove other males out of the entire region

and with it took over the lionesses of a huge territory.

The stream is but a small section of their kingdom,

which they constantly patrol from one corner to the next.

The fourth is following a female, who seems to be in the mating mood.

[growls]

Then the annoying neighbours turn up yet again.

The cosy get-together is over.

Their majesties are not amused.

Even the pasha has respect for this wall of muscles and horns...

and he has every reason to.

Their reputation damaged, charging off with their tails between their legs

is obviously not how the royals had imagined their day.

Countless grazers live in the lush savanna alongside the stream.

This attracts a variety of predators.

Like the rare serval, for example.

[bird calls]

The slender wildcat is particularly keen on small prey.

Its sensitive ears rarely even miss the rustling of mice.

The open grassland above the valley is the world of the serval.

Birds shouldn't become too complacent here either,

not as long as the nimble cat is out stalking.

This time, a small rodent has attracted her attention.

Carefully she tries to get closer.

This could take several minutes.

Locating the objective is literally a case of playing it by ear.

Didn't work this time.

But not to worry, there are plenty of snacks where that came from.

Patience pays off.

A short while later and an inattentive lark

puts a smile back on the serval's face.

The cat searches for a cool, shadowy resting place in the increasing heat.

Lions don't consider servals as competitors.

The small wildcats are mostly ignored by them.

This is not so for cheetahs. They have to be wary of lions.

They're waiting for a decent opportunity to go hunting, and in doing so,

maintain a safe distance from the pride near the stream.

They specialise in prey too fast for lions, like impalas.

For this almost adult animal and his mother,

the Thomson gazelles are no easy task either.

In the open range, they are very difficult to surprise.

They have noticed the impatient novice.

The mother has no time left to dither.

Should the opportunity arise, cheetahs are happy to go hunting

even in the midday heat.

Lions are not so keen.

The huge cats prefer to laze around in the shadows.

This makes a cool drink at the river bar a relatively harmless operation.

But lion mothers are on the move,

as they rarely leave their young alone at night.

With such an abundance of prey,

it is anything but difficult to be successful,

even in the daylight.

Surprising the victims in the riverbed is a proven tactic.

Everything seems to be going according to plan,

when suddenly the tide turns.

Badly injured, the lioness trudges into the shade.

She won't be able to hunt for weeks and her milk supply will soon run dry.

The other mothers haven't noticed anything about the situation.

They often don't see one another for weeks on end.

While the cubs are very small,

the mothers avoid any contact which could put their babies at risk.

Yet still, the simple presence of the sisters is a life insurance policy.

Prey is very rarely eaten in its entirety,

so that the ill or injured can be certain of their share,

without having to hunt themselves.

As long as the wildebeest herds are in the vicinity,

the mother of the four is OK.

She's well-nourished and has plenty of milk on tap.

In the late afternoon, she's off hunting, even though she's not really hungry.

At times when food is in ample supply,

lions fill up their reserves whenever they can.

The herds spend just a few months in the valley,

making it prudent to use every opportunity.

An experienced lioness makes a hunt look like child's play.

But in fact, the risk of being injured is high during each attack,

as some wildebeest know how to defend themselves.

In the cool evening air,

the neighbouring pride begins preparations.

The teenagers can hardly wait for night to fall.

They are in the best of health and are bristling with strength.

Their hunting instinct is immediately aroused by a passing zebra.

What better time to practice

what their mothers have so diligently taught them?

But they have obviously overestimated their abilities by far

and appear quite confused.

The two lionesses don't take things really seriously.

The night will provide more simple hunting possibilities.

For a few minutes, the savanna is blanketed in calm and peace,

as if all present want to draw breath after the heat of the day

and prior to the tension of the night.

With a thermal imaging camera,

we can follow events even in total darkness.

As far as elephants are concerned, they go about their business regardless,

whether it's day or night.

Most herbivores are now noticeably quieter than they are at daytime.

Almost soundlessly, the zebras refill their water reserves.

Columns of wildebeest make their way to a resting place.

They too are very quiet, as lions listen in the dark for tell-tale sounds...

that is, when they are not preoccupied with their offspring.

The injured lioness has made it back to her little ones' lair.

She is still able to give milk.

The herds now rest.

Stoically, they ruminate or nibble on the odd snack,

as always-hungry buffaloes do.

Not far away, hyenas are getting ready for the night shift.

They almost always only hunt in the cool of the night.

Without moonlight, both hunter and hunted

have to rely primarily on their sense of hearing.

The buffalos can hardly be overheard,

but the hyenas' behaviour shouldn't be taken that seriously.

Two lionesses from the pride on the upper reaches

also have their sights set on the buffalo herd,

hoping for sick or young animals.

They have to give up quickly this time.

The herd has picked up their scent and is not exactly amused with being shadowed.

Her sister, the female with four young cubs,

is also out and about.

It's one of the first nightly excursions for her little ones

and she is nervous.

She keeps stopping and listens intently.

A serval is also a nocturnal hunter.

As he only hunts by ear, so to speak,

the darkness is of little consequence to him.

He seems to prefer birds to mice and quickly forgets Mickey.

Just maybe the mouse in the grass

would have been a trifle better than the bird in the air.

Relaxed, the lioness continues on her way.

She knows that her children are not in danger here.

The destination of this nocturnal excursion

is the wildebeest that the mother killed late in the evening.

The babies don't quite know what to do with the prey,

but still nibble here and there enthusiastically.

The sooner they get used to meat, the better the mother can feed them.

However, momentarily, they still need her milk.

At least their interest in meat has now been aroused.

The teenagers of the neighbouring pride

are served the finest their mothers can provide almost every night.

But they hardly do anything themselves to help out.

Instead, they often frustrate the two adults with their constant pranks.

It's often too enticing to practice creeping up on the unsuspecting elephants.

And, indeed, the gentle giant is completely unaware

of the curious teenager right next to him.

That he remained unnoticed by the elephant is possibly a triumph of sorts,

but it didn't have the desired effect for the youngster.

The females stop at intervals and just listen.

Without moon or starlight, they can hardly see anything.

At last.

In the pitch darkness, one can just make out the sounds of a large herd.

The lions behave completely differently at night.

There is no more reason to hide.

Openly, they approach the tell-tale sounds.

The antelopes don't react until the lioness is very close to them.

The lionesses take turns in the attack

and attempt to locate individual animals that have lost contact with the herd.

Finally, everything seems to go to plan.

But in the dark, they didn't notice

that the end of the column had already passed them by.

They waited too long.

The two huntresses won't slacken the reins.

Success is just a question of perseverance.

After such hard graft,

it's the two lionesses that get the least of the prey.

Nobly, they wait for their young to eat first.

Every ounce of food secures their chances of survival, reserves for harder times.

The wildebeest is hardly a mammoth feast for 12 hungry mouths.

As yet, the hyenas haven't had much luck tonight.

But it's cool enough to give it one last try.

Their hunting tactics are ostensibly simple:

they approach a herd openly and bring them up to speed.

They chase the animals around

without actually following specific antelopes.

But then the serious business starts.

They increase the speed and follow an individual wildebeest.

Hyenas are unusually tenacious.

They have the largest hearts of all African predators.

They can easily run for several minutes at speeds of around 50 kilometres an hour.

Very few ungulates can outstrip that.

This time, too, the hunters are successful.

In the early morning light, the clean-up brigades go to work.

But the pride has left very little behind this time.

The nightshift is over.

A leopardess pulls her kill from the safety of the tree.

She has young to feed in a thicket close by.

There is no time to lose,

as she should avoid being surprised by lions in the open at all costs.

The remains of the lions' prey.

Here, the mood begins to get a little heated.

This black-backed jackal is anything but enthusiastic

about the uninvited brunch guests.

[squawking]

Doggedly, he defends the leftovers from the gate crashers.

Unlike plants, meat is a very energy-rich form of nourishment.

Just a few bites and the jackal family are set up for the next day.

A spot of belligerence is worthwhile after all.

The same applies to the vultures.

[vultures squawking]

This pup is noticeably impressed by the turmoil

and shyly keeps a safe distance.

Especially when a very large hyena drops by.

The mother is clearly concerned.

[birds squawking]

But in fact, the hyena only has eyes for the long bones of the legs.

Hyenas' jaws are powerful tools,

and it's this fact that makes these animals

the only ones in the bone crushing business.

Marrow provides refined fat.

For almost two months, the injured lioness was nowhere to be seen.

Now she's back, her face disfigured.

She only survived thanks to leftovers from her sisters.

She even produced enough milk

to be able to rear two of her three cubs despite adversity.

They certainly look healthy and strong enough.

Without the solidarity of the pride,

the entire family would have starved to death.

This doesn't mean that everyone is free to help himself.

As a matter of principle, the males always claim the "lion's share."

Actually, this time, they also earned it.

The four pashas were able to overcome a buffalo.

For once, the ladies were also allowed to take part in the abundant feast.

Far behind, a solitary lioness hungrily observes the scene.

She is one of the lionesses from the pride downstream.

Here, the territories meet and she dares go no further.

In frustration, she helplessly marks the grass.

She knows the rules.

The upper course lionesses would attack her if she came any closer.

Lionesses always defend their territories.

The pashas, on the other hand, remain relaxed.

After all, every female in their territory is a potential partner.

But suddenly the pashas also react.

An unknown male is gadding around the area.

The commotion has attracted a young lion

and perhaps he is hoping to steal a few morsels from the females.

Bad luck for him that the territorial bigwigs are present.

[snarling]

The youngster immediately submits to his superiors

and discovers that it's his lucky day.

The "district authorities" could have killed him outright,

but as he's so young, they don't take him seriously.

A few cuts and bruises and his ordeal is over.

The rulers ignore him and turn their attention to their daily business.

At the top of the agenda is the extensive marking of their territory.

The scent signals are a warning to newcomers:

"Attention, danger!"

Pashas spend much of their time distributing "no entry" markings

throughout their territory.

Other males are to be deterred

so that ugly scuffles and fights can be prevented.

The same scent has a comforting effect on the females

and signalises that the fathers and protectors of their young are present.

It can only turn dangerous when there are no fresh markings.

This means that other males could attempt to take over

the ostensibly unclaimed territory.

This would mean grave danger for all the young animals,

which would only be in the way of the new rulers.

The valley is covered with a network of warning signals.

But the pashas also claim areas beyond the valley

and cannot be everywhere at once.

As long as males are close by,

the lioness can feel relatively safe with her young down by the river.

But the little ones have to be nimble in order to keep up with her.

[cubs calling]

The riverbed still provides the best options to hide the young...

even when it looks as though the clumsy balls of wool

are not always in the best of moods.

[cub screeches]

All four have made it to here with no problems.

After such a tiring hike,

a well-earned break with a snack is on the books,

but the mother is nervous.

They are being observed.

The strange male could pose a danger for her children.

Understandably, the lioness is extremely worried.

[snarling]

Well, that doesn't seem to have impressed the young man very much.

[cub screeches]

The mother and her offspring have barely withdrawn,

when he decides to approach the injured lioness's family.

[snarls]

The disfigured lioness keeps her eyes on him

while he lays down with the group and doesn't stir.

The little ones seem somewhat unsettled.

The young male with the crumpled ear ignores the mother

and comes closer and closer.

The youngsters react quite warmly.

At last, someone new to play with.

But then again, there are differing opinions within the family.

[snarling]

The lioness is not quite so sure about the intruder.

Her main concern is her children's welfare.

But the stranger is not really a cause for anxiety.

All he wants to do is play with his siblings.

The teenager with the injured ear is an elder son of the female,

and it seems to be no more than a simple case of a young lad

who misses his mother.

He doesn't just want to play with his siblings either.

Out there and left to his own devices, he would probably starve to death.

[snarling]

Instead, he accompanies different females of the pride

and manages to scavenge the odd morsel for free.

[snarling]

In times of abundance, that sort of thing is relatively harmless.

But when prey becomes scarce,

someone like him can become a threat for the younger offspring.

[snarls]

No wonder that the mother is not particularly overjoyed at his presence.

His younger sisters and brothers, on the other hand, are quite thrilled.

Pashas appear to be incredibly disinterested in their offspring.

While the eldest son keeps a respectful distance,

she brazenly approaches the father with her small flock.

He seems to be entirely indifferent to the situation.

[roars]

The old man is not at all sure what to make of the agitated youngster.

Whatever happens, the peace and quiet is over.

The mother of the four still keeps her distance from the pride.

As long as the herds are in the territory, she needs no support from her sisters.

The babies are in a secure hideaway and she can thus focus on the next hunt.

She is well nourished and her teats correspondingly round and plump.

The wildebeest are reluctant to linger in unchartered terrain,

and in the afternoon, they move out into the open savanna.

The lioness often follows them for several miles

and has no problem at all keeping up with the antelopes.

This time she seems to have taken it too lightly.

She probably hoped for an animal to make a false move

and lose contact with the herd.

Sometimes she can block the way of animals that flee

in the hope of reaching their herds.

She was unlucky this time and has to give up.

Her children wait for her down at the stream,

well hidden by the maze of bushes.

While she, exhausted, waits for new opportunities,

the buffalo herd wanders along the edge of the valley.

[buffalo growls]

[snorts]

A gust of wind carries the scent of mortal enemies.

The buffalos do not hesitate for a second.

[lioness calling]

After an exhausting afternoon,

the lioness returns to her children's hideout.

Today, her calls remain unanswered.

[lioness calling]

The buffalo have discovered the lair.

Not all fell victim to the attack.

Two of the four siblings were able to escape the herd.

This stroke of fate comes at a time in which further upheavals are emerging.

The pride now faces an uncertain future.

The lions' main source of prey, the wildebeest herds,

are on the way south,

back to the Tanzanian sector of the Serengeti.

But first they have to overcome the Mara River.

The antelopes spend a great deal of time looking for a shallow section,

but the Mara has almost only steep, roughly ten-metre-high embankments.

Before long, the first animals muster their courage.

During their migration to the south, toward the end of September,

tens of thousands of animals force their way through the river.

Behind them, they leave a largely empty country.

For the lions, chained to their territories, it's a catastrophe,

as they have to make do with the prey that lives the entire year

on the banks of the Mara.

After the buffalo attack, the lion mother leaves the valley

with her two remaining cubs.

The little ones seem glad to be putting the fearsome environment behind them.

She hopes to connect with the other members of the pride,

as the support of her siblings has now become an essential factor for survival.

The pride on the river now faces hard times.

There are many mouths to feed,

but without wildebeest, there is very little to eat.

Now the pride will have to turn mainly to warthogs to curb their hunger.

They give birth to their young just in time, when the herds are leaving.

But they provide little more than light snacks.

Adults are not easy to kill, as the pigs are enormously careful and nimble.

[snarling]

Between the starving lions,

every oh-so-humble morsel will very soon be bitterly fought for.

The youngsters face some very lean weeks.

Without regular prey, the mothers can hardly give milk.

The fate of the entire pride will be decided

during the course of the following months.