All language subtitles for BBC.Dynasties.II.3of4.Cheetah.1080p.HDTV.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org

Liuwa Plain National Park.

A vast wilderness in Western Zambia.

Home to a cheetah known as Kali.

She's the longest-lived cheetah
known here.

Her satellite collar
has allowed scientists to follow her

for most of her life.

For eight years, she's thrived
on these huge grasslands.

But despite this,

only two of Kali's previous 14 cubs
have reached adulthood.

Now, after so many failures,

she has perhaps one last chance
to build a legacy.

Her three young daughters.

So far, her most successful litter.

But these plains
are full of challenges.

The most difficult times
for her cubs are still to come.

If she can protect and teach them...

..succeed where she's failed
before...

..Kali may finally
establish her dynasty.

Kali has spent much
of her life alone.

All female cheetah
are secretive and solitary.

She travels hundreds of miles,
traversing her enormous range,

rarely seeing another cheetah.

Since they were born 15 months ago,

Kali's three daughters have also
been followed by scientists

and one of them, Lalu,
now wears a collar like her mother.

The three sisters were once
part of a litter of six.

But like so many of Kali's
previous cubs,

the others died
when they were still small.

Managing to get the three cubs
as far as this

is a new milestone for Kali.

But it's one that is increasingly
challenging for her.

The bigger the cubs get,
the more food they need.

Liuwa is over 1,300 square miles
of grassland and scattered forest.

The family are often forced
to walk for miles a day,

searching for a meal.

Kali needs to find something
big enough to feed them all.

Cheetah are built for speed
and have lightweight bodies.

Some of these wildebeest
weigh three times as much as Kali.

Taking one on is a huge risk.

The sisters are much too young
and inexperienced to help.

And if the cubs
accidentally alert the herd...

..the hunt will fail.

They stay back and watch.

The best approach
is from downwind...

..staying hidden amongst the trees
for as long as possible.

Kali can reach 60mph
in under three seconds.

She's almost at full speed before
the wildebeest even spot her.

A well-aimed hoof or horn
could easily kill her.

The cubs can now approach,
cautiously.

Kali is so strong,

she is just able to wrestle
a wildebeest to the ground.

Hunting something as big as this is
a risk that most cheetah here avoid.

But Kali has learned to specialise
in taking on large prey.

The cubs are never far
from their mother,

following her lead.

But some lessons
have to be learnt alone.

A mole rat...

..out searching for a new burrow.

It may be small,
but it's not easily intimidated.

Kali is going to let them
figure out this one for themselves.

It's unlikely that the sisters
have ever seen a mole rat before

and certainly they seem unaware
that it's armed with enormous teeth.

The two uncollared daughters,
Zoho and Tune, soon lose interest.

Lalu is a little bolder...

..and much more inquisitive.

And that soon comes back
to bite her.

Eventually, Lalu and the mole rat

both go safely
on their separate ways.

Each perhaps a little wiser.

The sisters are still
heavily reliant on Kali,

but they must learn
the skills needed

to protect and feed themselves
as quickly as they can.

It's usually the mother who chooses
when it's time to leave the cubs,

rather than the other way around.

When Kali left her last litter,

they were not much older
than the sisters are now.

But only one of those cubs
was ever seen again.

The longer she can stay
and support these three,

the better their chances will be.

But Kali is already old
for a cheetah mother.

If she's to have another litter,

she can't stay with her daughters
for much longer.

A few days later.

Kali has caught another wildebeest.

But the commotion of the hunt
has attracted attention.

Liuwa is home to some of
the largest hyena in Africa.

Hyena usually hunt for themselves,

but certainly won't turn down
an easy meal.

They will kill young cheetah,

especially those who come
between them and their food.

It seems that all Kali's efforts
have been for nothing.

She won't risk a fight.

The family moves on.

Aside, that is, from Lalu.

She isn't willing to walk away
from her mother's hard-won kill.

This is very risky.

The hyena's massive jaws
could crush her.

That was just one step too close.

Another lesson learned.

Cheetah are built for speed...

..not confrontation.

It's time for the cubs
to try out their hunting skills.

But they'll need
to start with something

slightly less ambitious
than wildebeest.

Pelicans.

They're not right either.

Their mother certainly
knows what is...

..and what isn't worth pursuing.

But Lalu can't resist investigating.

It might be fun
to chase a wild cat...

..but it's never going
to make a decent meal.

Occasionally, even the most
promising hunt can be spoiled...

..by a passer-by.

And sometimes, the sisters
need to look a bit harder.

At other times, the cubs
just aren't able to keep up...

..either with their prey...

..or each other.

This chase has taken Lalu
far from the others.

Surrounded by grass as long as this,
it's easy to get lost.

Lalu may be the most independent
of the three sisters,

but she's not ready
to be alone just yet.

Calling to her family might work...

..but it might also attract
the wrong attention.

Others are out here too...

..always listening.

Best to keep a low profile.

Her mother and the rest
of the family

still have no idea where Lalu is.

Carried on the wind...

..the faint call of a cheetah.

It's her mother, Kali.

Lalu is now heading
in the right direction.

At last...

..reunited with her family.

The cubs are now at a critical age,

for both themselves
and their mother.

It's nearly time for them
to go it alone.

The next month or so
will be crucial.

Six weeks later...

..and the sisters have finally
honed their skills.

They're now transformed,
working together.

They break up the herd, allowing
Kali to single out a yearling.

Larger wildebeest will try
to drive off predators,

but just as Kali loses her grip,
Lalu arrives to help her.

Zoho and Tune keep
the other adults back,

charging the herd and stamping
their feet into the dust.

With the rest of the wildebeest
kept at bay,

Lalu and Kali are beginning to win.

While the cubs help
to subdue their catch,

Kali keeps her jaws
clamped on its throat.

This could keep them well fed
for the next few days.

Together, they have succeeded.

But they still have the problem

of keeping possession
of their hard-won meal.

Hyena, again.

But this time...

..the sisters refuse to back away.

In fact, quite the opposite.

They force the hyena to flee.

They are not cubs any more.

Not only have the sisters
reached a turning point,

but so has their mother.

Kali is now nearly nine years old.

Many cheetah never even
reach this age.

Her three daughters,
her most successful family ever,

may be ready to face the world
without her.

But does Kali have
enough time left...

..for just one more litter?

THUNDER RUMBLES

A few weeks later
and the rains have arrived in Liuwa.

The dry, dusty plains...

..have been transformed
into lush grassland...

..teeming with life.

The sisters have been sheltering
from an overnight storm

in a patch of scrubby woodland.

But as dawn breaks...

..something is missing.

No matter how much Lalu calls...

..there's no sign of their mother.

The time has arrived.

Kali has left them.

The sisters are now 18 months old.

Kali stayed with them
for much longer

than any of her previous litters.

Those extra months gave them
the chance to practise, learn

and grow in strength and confidence.

For now, these sisters
have the support of each other.

And they will need it.

Life without their mother
to look after them has begun.

A few weeks later...

..the sisters are still near
to where Kali left them.

The three of them are hungry.

They spread out, trying to flush out
suitable prey from the long grass.

They still don't want
to take on anything

as dangerous as a wildebeest.

Not yet.

Oribi are relatively tiny.

But they're still not easy to catch.

Despite her speed...

..Tune can't make up
for the oribi's head start.

But Lalu is still close by,
ready to join in the hunt.

One trip, and the oribi is down.

The meal is shared
by all three of them.

The sisters are supporting
each other, for now.

THUNDER RUMBLES AND CRASHES

It's hard for them at the moment.

But it will get even harder.

If they're ever to have cubs
of their own,

they will eventually
have to go their separate ways...

..and break the bond between them.

So far, they've spent
their entire lives together.

But once they split up,
they may never see each other again.

A few months later and the rains
are drawing to a close.

Ever since leaving
her three daughters...

..Kali has been living
out on the open plains.

Today, she seems cautious...

..carefully scanning
the long grass for danger.

And she has reason to be so.

Two tiny cubs.

One male...

..and one female.

Kali may be over nine years old...

..but once again
she's become a mother.

Since their birth ten weeks ago,
these cubs have been kept secret,

hidden in a den
deep in the long grass.

But now, for the first time,
she's brought them out.

With their mother
taking a well-earned nap,

it's a good opportunity
for the cubs to begin to learn

how to survive here.

If she's ever to provide
for litters of her own,

the female cub must become
an accomplished hunter.

From up here, there should be
a chance of spotting prey.

But then, of course,

there's the tricky problem
of getting down again.

Now, learning the art of the chase.

As well as hunting,
the male cub will, one day,

have to challenge others
for territory or females.

He needs to learn how to
hold his own, even at this age.

Finally, they both need to learn
how to bring down their quarry.

No peace...

..for Kali.

But the early days for the family
are, in fact,

the most dangerous days.

Kali lost many of her previous cubs,
sometimes even whole litters,

while they were still very young.

In order to feed them,
she must hunt regularly,

and that means leaving them alone...

..unguarded.

Without her to protect them,
they're vulnerable.

Meanwhile, over 30 miles away...

..Lalu.

She has split away
from her sisters...

..and now lives alone.

She's beginning to adjust
to the solitary life

of an adult female cheetah.

With neither her mother
nor her sisters to help her,

hunting has become much,
much harder.

But her mother has taught her well.

Stay low...

..and hidden until the last moment.

At full speed,
her tail serves as a counterbalance

to help her out-manoeuvre her prey.

Now a successful hunter...

..she's survived this most
difficult transition...

..adapting to life alone.

Soon, she may be ready to take on
the enormous challenge

of bringing up a family out here...

..and follow in her
mother's footsteps.

A few months later,
on the far side of the plains...

..Kali is still caring
for her latest litter.

But she now has only one cub left...

..the young male.

A few weeks after leaving the den,
his sister died.

A life spent continuously
on the move took its toll.

She was just not strong enough
to survive.

Kali and her son stayed
with the body for two days,

before finally moving on.

But the male cub, with his
mother's undivided attention,

is growing in strength
and experience.

One day, he may go on
to father cubs

beyond even the area
roamed by his elder sisters.

Kali has now travelled
these plains for a decade...

..the oldest known cheetah in
Zambia.

Over the last two years, she
has successfully raised more cubs

than all her previous
litters combined.

Her daughters now range
right across these plains.

Three more potential
cheetah mothers.

She and they now make up
almost two-thirds

of all breeding females known here.

Bringing up a family on these
unforgiving plains is always hard.

But despite years of struggle...

..Kali's dynasty is finally...

..thriving.

Ready to go. Cheetah today.

For the Dynasties team,

the biggest challenge when filming
cheetah is simply finding them.

Every morning, we set off
between four in the morning

and kind of five in the morning.

You can see the colour
of the long grass here.

Cheetahs are so camouflaged
in this environment

and as you can see,
the area is vast and wide.

Liuwa Plain National Park

has one of the biggest
cheetah populations in Zambia,

but they're spread across
an area of over 1,300 square miles

and individuals can travel
huge distances in a single night.

Fortunately for Mark and the team,
they're not alone in the search.

They're able to work with
a group of dedicated researchers,

the Zambian Carnivore Programme,

who have pioneered the use
of satellite tracking collars

to better understand
and protect the cheetah here.

These studies have given them
unique insights

into the lives of individual
cheetah, including Kali,

also known as Cheetah 1-80.

So Cheetah 1-80 is the first
cheetah I saw here in Liuwa.

When I followed her for
the first time, she was still young.

Knowing what she's been through
in all those years

makes her a very special cheetah
to me.

She's a symbol of survival
and resilience.

For me, she is the queen of Liuwa.

Working closely with the researchers

gives the Dynasties team
a head start.

But even then,
finding the cheetah every day

in the vastness of these plains
isn't always straightforward.

A lot of mornings
we've got collars to rely on,

but today there's no GPS fix
from the collars,

so we must do it
the old-fashioned way.

We're looking for footprints in the
sand to try and pick up her trail.

So this is fresh and you can see
the paw marks here, here and here,

and just the pad there.

Oh, there goes Ason.
You got something?

Yeah, we've got the tracks
and they're going that way. OK.

We're very lucky,
we've got amazing trackers with us

and they are in hot pursuit
at the moment.

I mean, they are disappearing
faster than I can keep up.

By following the tracks,

the team hope to be able
to catch up with the cheetah.

It's pretty amazing,
about four hours of tracking her,

through about three woodlands,
about 5km,

and she's just popped her head up
over here, which is great.

Pretty impressive work
by the trackers.

Working with experts like these

means the team can spend as much
time as possible with the cheetah,

allowing them to capture
intimate moments in their lives.

She's just rolling around in front
of us. It's completely magical.

The tracking work here, however,
has a much more important purpose,

to help protect these
wonderful cats.

It's not going well
with cheetahs in Africa.

The threats cheetahs are facing now
is habitat loss,

prey depletion, illegal hunting
and illegal wildlife trade.

So having a population like we have
here in Liuwa is very important.

Cheetah numbers have halved
in the last 40 years

and the huge areas they roam makes
protecting those that remain

particularly challenging.

This is why the collar tracking data
is so important.

We collar cheetahs
to know where they go,

how they use the environment.

If we can identify all of this
we are able to better protect,

not just cheetahs here in Liuwa,

but also cheetahs
in the rest of Africa.

The collars don't harm the cats
or affect their behaviour

and the protection they can give
has never been more vital than now.

In the last two years,

at least three of Liuwa's cheetah
have died in poachers' snares.

But the collars
allow park authorities

to target conservation efforts
where they're needed most,

helping to protect
this vital population.

The battery in Kali's collar
is starting to run out.

If it isn't changed soon, it may
risk both the long-term study

and the ability to protect her.

Working with expert wildlife vet
Dr Brian Musalo,

they first need to sedate Kali.

The procedure that we are doing
is quite short.

Yeah, we are basically
just fitting a collar.

So a short anaesthetic period
would be ideal to actually do that.

It's a tense moment, but the team
are able to keep the disturbance

to Kali and her son to a minimum.

They get to work
as fast as possible,

all the time carefully
monitoring the nearby cub.

How much? How much?

A splash of water helps keep
her cool throughout the process.

Slowly.

In just a few minutes
the collar is fitted

and vital measurements are taken.

Nose to base of tail, 126.5.

126.5.

Everyone else withdraws,

before Dr Musalo
administers the antidote.

The effects of the drugs
wear off quickly...

..and Kali is soon
reunited with her son.

So now she has a new collar.

That will give us
the opportunity to monitor her

and protect her
for the next two years.

Yeah, job well done today.

The collar worn by Lalu,
Kali's daughter,

has shown that she roams
far beyond the park,

even crossing international borders.

Data like this may one day lead to
the expansion of protected areas,

giving cheetah the space
they need to survive.

With only 7,000 cheetahs
left in the wild,

every population,
every individual counts.

So every single cheetah
can make a difference

and that's why it's worth protecting
every cheetah that we still have.

With luck, Kali's legacy might
not just be felt in Liuwa...

..but play a role in protecting
cheetah right across the continent.

Next time...

..a clan of hyenas
is thrown into turmoil...

..as two contenders
vie to become to queen.

But the path to power is never easy,
especially when raising a family.