Original subtitles

(WOMAN SINGS IN A SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGE)

(NARRATOR) From the heart of South Africa,

a remarkable wildlife story.

Nine cheetah cubs,

and their two mothers,

united as a family.

So many cubs in one cheetah family has never been seen before.

Nor two mothers raising their cubs together.

With so many mouths to feed and offspring to keep safe,

they're all under intense pressure.

A tale of drama

and conflict.

Tragedy and joy.

It's a story of family strife,

mothers' love,

and the struggle to survive.

(UPBEAT SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC)

This is a cheetah family like no other.

These cats are on the adventure of their lives.

No cheetah mother has ever raised nine cubs.

But no cheetah cub has ever had two mothers.

So what's the story of this amazing family?

And can all these cubs survive to adulthood?

Our two mothers, Inara and Chilli,

are themselves mother and daughter.

Eight-year-old Chilli is the reigning queen.

She gave birth to five cubs three months ago.

Three-year-old Inara had four cubs a month earlier.

Inara is a young mother,

and her inexperience could affect the lives

of every one of these cats.

This unique cheetah family lives in South Africa's Great Karoo.

This semi-desert can go for weeks and even months

without a drop of rain.

Here, nights can be freezing,

and days, burning hot.

As harsh as it is,

this is prime cheetah habitat.

The cheetahs' home is Samara Karoo Reserve,

five times the size of Manhattan.

The habitat here ranges from high mountains,

down through woodland slopes...

..to grassy plains...

..and on to a vast semi-desert.

By the late 1800s, European settlers had turned the Karoo into farmland...

..wiping out most of the native wildlife,

including cheetahs.

Over a century later,

cheetahs were reintroduced.

Now, an ambitious re-wilding project

is restoring the land,

and the other animals that once lived here.

Large herbivores like elephants and rhino,

and predators like lions, and their prey,

are flourishing once again.

Across Samara, fences have come down,

and nature is back in charge.

Thriving Cheetah families prove it's working.

Here, they're left to live a truly wild life,

the only interference being radio collars,

allowing scientists to track them.

Much thought goes into predicting how cheetahs will handle life

in this vast reserve.

Adult female cheetahs are solitary animals.

They don't like company.

No-one could have imagined what these cats would do

when they met by chance one winter's morning.

After a night concealed in the thicket,

high up on a mountain ridge,

Chilli and her five cubs are starting their day.

The cubs are just three months old,

but already they're in exploration mode.

For them, everything is new. (SOUTH AFRICAN SONG, FEMALE VOCAL)

This female cub with the bullseye on her hind leg is named Siya.

She's the most confident of the litter.

In fact, she's the cubs' ringleader.

Siya's little sister, Kolisi, is more timid.

For now, she sticks close to Mum.

Chilli is a no-nonsense mother.

Playtime is for kittens.

She is a huntress.

Chilli begins her day with a good stretch,

the athlete toning her muscles.

Time to get this family moving.

(SONG CONTINUING)

Chilli leads them along the ridge,

which overlooks the plains.

(SONG ENDS)

She sets a good pace.

Cheetahs walk on average four miles a day in search of food.

A female with cubs will cover roughly half that.

It's not easy managing five young cubs,

but she is herding cats, after all.

She won't wait long.

Kolisi, the smallest,

can't keep up with Chilli's pace.

Siya dutifully looks out for her sibling,

even if it means having to turn back.

If they stray too far behind, they could lose track of Chilli,

their only protection.

(WOMAN SINGS)

Further along the ridge, Inara and her family

are walking towards Chilli's family.

These four cubs are Inara's second litter.

She had a single cub one year ago,

but lost it after an injury took the sight from one eye.

Inara is a loving mother,

patient, relaxed.

She doesn't share Chilli's strict discipline.

Still, protecting four cubs is a huge challenge

for this inexperienced mother.

Her strongest cub is Blue.

The runt of the litter is Shaka.

Blue is a born leader...

..calling the other cubs when it's time to move on.

(SONG ENDS)

Inara and her mother, Chilli, parted ways two years ago.

Although their ranges overlap,

meeting is a rare occasion. Until today.

They haven't seen each other since Chilli left Inara

at eighteen months old.

Inara may be her grown daughter,

but this is too close.

Tensions are rising.

The cubs scatter.

Siya has only now managed to guide Kolisi back to Chilli.

But Kolisi is seeing double.

Which one is her mother? The youngster isn't sure.

(GROWLS)

A mother's call draws her in.

Instinct tells her to walk towards the call,

but it's Inara, the wrong mother, who's calling.

Siya joins Kolisi,

to guide her back to Chilli.

But no success.

These cubs are getting mixed up.

And angry.

So are the mothers.

The cubs instinctively flee and hide.

Eventually, Inara heads for shade

and calls her cubs. They follow,

but so do Chilli's cubs,

Siya and Kolisi.

Chilli's calls are drowned out by Inara's.

This is a serious mix-up. She's lost two of her cubs.

One last call.

But Kolisi, Chilli's weakest cub,

stays with Inara, and Siya stays with Kolisi.

(CHORAL SONG)

Chilli leaves with only three of her five cubs.

Does she know she has lost two cubs,

or is she just scanning for prey?

(SONG ENDS)

If the cubs come now, they'll find her.

But it's not to be.

Siya and Kolisi know the safest place

is at the centre of the cheetah family.

They just don't get that this isn't THEIR family.

Even worse, Inara's family views them as interlopers,

and may shun them.

Alone, without protection,

they will become targets for predators,

like lions who stalk the night.

Dusk is approaching,

and cheetahs aren't night animals.

Chilli takes her three remaining cubs to find shelter.

Kolisi senses the coming night.

She's missing her mother,

so seeks protection from Inara.

But she ignores her.

Worse still,

the other cubs don't want her there.

(SNARLS)

Kolisi is safer hiding in the thicket.

Siya makes an attempt to approach Inara too.

But Inara decides it's time to move on.

Siya and Kolisi make a critical decision.

They'll follow.

A strange, unfriendly family is better than no family.

They face a long night.

(NARRATOR) Inara and her cubs are up at first light.

Blue is already seizing the day.

There's no sign of Kolisi or Siya.

The odds are against them.

(SONG, MIXED VOICES)

Ninety percent of cheetah cubs don't make it to adulthood.

In this world, cubs must learn fast

and develop fast,

or fall off their perch.

But cheetahs are also tenacious.

The high grass conceals something.

It's Kolisi and Siya.

And they are nursing!

Inara is allowing them to suckle.

This behaviour has never been seen before in cheetahs.

One mother nursing another's cubs?

Somehow in the night,

Chilli's two cubs charmed their way into Inara's family,

and into Inara's heart.

(SONG ENDS) Now, a newly forged motherly bond

gives these cubs a fighting chance.

With the family fed,

Inara needs to feed herself.

A gentle pace makes it easier for the new, younger cubs.

How this new, hybrid family will fare is anyone's guess.

Six nursing cubs will make Inara hungrier.

She'll need to hunt more often.

There are plenty of smaller creatures here.

Inara has an ingenious hunting technique.

She hisses into a burrow to scare out its occupants.

Watching Mum is crucial to their education.

But they won't master her technique for some time.

Siya and Blue are the most attentive of the cubs.

Inara's second strongest, Whitetail,

tries to muscle in.

Blue intervenes, already protective of the newcomers.

No luck so far.

She'd better look elsewhere.

Inara has more patience than Chilli.

She calls to the cubs often,

waits for them to catch up.

Kolisi now sets the pace for this family,

and it's slow going.

This puts added pressure on Inara,

who now has more mouths to feed.

Springbok.

A proper meal.

Inara can't wait.

She has to conceal the cubs,

or they'll blow her cover.

She must position herself perfectly.

Keep the herd unaware, or she stands no chance.

As usual, Kolisi lags behind...

..and Blue joins Siya to guide her.

It was hard enough yesterday to hide four.

Now she must hide six.

The trio finally arrives,

but are unaware the hunt has begun.

Inara has halved the distance to the herd.

Kolisi realises Inara isn't there,

and cries in alarm.

Inara responds...

..spooking the springbok...

..abandoning the hunt to tend to Kolisi,

a cub that isn't hers.

Their immediate bond is remarkable,

but if Kolisi keeps falling behind,

hindering Inara's hunts,

they'll all be in trouble.

A week has passed since Chilli lost her two cubs.

With fewer cubs in tow,

Chilli can move her family faster

and bring down prey more frequently.

Chilli always seems to be in the right place

at the right time.

And there is plenty of game here. A buffet.

All sorts.

Ostrich is a rich delicacy.

She reacts.

And the cubs know what to do.

They blend into the long grass.

Chilli has taught them well.

She sets out after the birds.

Ostriches can outrun a cheetah over longer distances.

It's critical the cubs remain hidden.

The smallest thing could give this hunt away.

A shadow.

A twitch of an ear.

The sparkle of an eye.

The supreme huntress makes the kill look easy.

She gives the okay to the cubs.

Another feast.

With two siblings missing,

the three remaining cubs now always have a bigger share.

It's more than they can consume before nightfall.

They know to eat quickly,

before larger predators are drawn to the kill.

This is Chilli's fourth litter.

All her experience as a mother is paying off.

The cubs' fat bellies are living proof.

(WOMAN SINGS)

Ample downtime to groom,

digest and play.

(SONG ENDS)

Cheetahs hunt in the morning and evening,

when it's cooler.

Inara has no choice but to be out at midday.

After a failed week of hunting,

hunger drives her.

Her blind eye also limits her chances.

A cheetah's number one sense is sight.

But when Inara is hunting,

she doesn't have a full field of vision.

She also has poor depth perception,

which is crucial in a chase.

But that doesn't stop her from trying.

It's late afternoon.

Chilli is scanning for prey.

She doesn't see who's approaching from behind.

Inara.

She is heading straight for her.

By chance,

or maybe by intention.

The two mothers barely acknowledge one another.

This time there is no animosity,

no aggression.

Some kind of truce is taking shape.

Hunger forces Inara to keep moving.

Then something strange happens.

Ignoring Chilli's calls, her three remaining cubs

inexplicably follow Inara.

If Chilli is to keep her cubs,

she'll need to follow them.

Now they're moving like a pride.

(WOMAN SINGS)

This odd union will alter the course of all their lives.

(SONG ENDS) It's tense at the waterhole.

They're vulnerable,

wary of what lurks beneath the murky water.

Cheetahs rarely need to drink.

They get most of their water from their food.

But Inara's brood hasn't eaten for days.

All nine cubs seem to have fallen in together.

Chilli doesn't look too enthusiastic.

And small wonder.

For some reason all the cubs prefer Inara's company.

Why choose strict discipline when fun and affection is on offer?

(WOMAN SINGS)

Chilli manages to lure them from Inara with a lesson.

Teaching is what she does best.

There may be nothing more enticing to a cheetah cub than a tree.

The cubs will learn that a high viewpoint

is their secret weapon for spotting prey far away.

(SONG ENDS)

But as the night approaches,

all the cubs are again focused on Inara.

Chilli's used to being the centre of attention.

But now even her own cubs ignore her calls.

Chilli remains the number two mother.

Tonight she will sleep alone.

(PURRING)

(CHEETAH GROANING/GRUNTING)

(NARRATOR) Well before sunrise, the family is on the move.

The cubs seem fearless,

now with two mothers protecting them.

Until they run into 100 kilos of trouble.

A warthog boar.

They don't get meaner than this.

The cubs are now in the boar's territory.

He has his own family to protect.

The cubs should take care.

Warthogs can charge at 50 kilometres per hour.

Curiosity might kill the cat.

He struts across the full breadth of the cheetah's path.

But he didn't see this coming.

To meet one adult cheetah is unfortunate.

Meeting two is plain dangerous.

(HONKS)

The boar gets the message.

Time to hightail it.

(WOMAN SINGS)

Energised after the run-in with the boar,

the nine cubs now act like one big family.

After all, what's wrong with having more playmates?

There is no downtime for the mothers.

Even at rest, they are keeping watch.

(SONG ENDS)

The plains teem with game,

and opportunities too good to pass up.

Chilli takes the lead. The cubs slot in behind.

Inara is forced to take the rear.

They make quick work of the plains.

Something new for the cubs.

A flight of angels.

These are blue cranes.

Also known as paradise cranes,

thanks to their long, angelic wings.

Just like cheetahs,

blue cranes prefer the open range,

where they can forage.

Plants, insects,

frogs, reptiles,

even small mammals are on the menu.

The Karoo is perfect habitat.

Paradise, you might say.

Chilli isn't distracted by the birds.

There are eleven mouths to feed.

She seeks higher ground, using a dam wall

to gain a better vantage point for spotting prey.

There are plenty of options for an attack.

She takes a shortcut through a dry riverbed.

There's discipline in the ranks.

They're marching to Chilli's drum now.

Some cubs have realised the hunt is on.

But others still have energy to burn.

Inara has one focus, to provide.

She needs this kill.

Both mothers move into position.

Tension ripples through the ranks.

All the cubs now know the hunt is on.

A springbok ram senses danger

and performs his territorial ritual.

Now, timing is everything.

To ensure success,

they need the element of surprise.

They need to stalk within metres of the springbok before pouncing.

But one of the mothers bursts from the thicket too soon,

reaching 100 kilometres per hour within seconds.

She never stood a chance.

It's Inara.

Half-blind and desperate...

..she's jumped the gun...

..misjudged the distance.

She's let the cubs down once again.

She catches her breath for just a moment,

then traces her steps back

to where she left her family.

Her calls grow more frantic.

If they're upwind, they may not hear her.

(GROWLS)

Maybe they were scared off.

Thirty minutes ago,

the wind was her ally. Now it's her enemy.

They're gone. Every last cat.

Meanwhile, Chilli leads the cubs up a mountain slope,

away from the plains,

and Inara.

Why she took the cubs is anyone's guess.

Maybe she spotted danger.

Maybe she simply didn't hear Inara's calls.

Or maybe Chilli wants all the cubs to herself.

(GROWLS)

Without her family,

Inara is distraught.

This time, her alluring calls die on the wind.

(WOMAN SINGS)

(THUNDER ROLLS)

(SONG ENDS) (RAIN PATTER)

(RAINFALL HAS STOPPED)

Nearly a month has passed since Chilli hijacked all the cubs.

She's brought them to the far end of her home range.

If Inara's searching for them,

this is the last place she'll look.

The average litter is four cubs.

No cheetah mother has ever attempted to raise nine cubs.

She needs to hunt almost every day,

and she's succeeding.

The cubs are thriving under her care.

And their day is just beginning.

(WOMAN SINGS)

Chilli's cub, Siya, is still the most adventurous.

As the oldest and biggest, Inara's cub, Blue,

has taken over Siya's position as leader of the cubs.

Shaka, the cub behind Siya,

was the smallest of Inara's litter.

But now, with Chilli bringing in regular meals,

he's growing fast.

Male cheetahs are bigger than females,

so he should rise up the ranks quickly.

Kolisi still prefers her mother's side.

But she's gaining confidence,

now that she has Siya and Blue looking out for her.

These three have formed something of a cub coalition.

By now, an ordinary cheetah family would have lost its weakest cubs.

But this is no ordinary family.

(SONG ENDS)

(GRUNTING)

Many kilometres away,

Inara is getting used to life on her own.

For the past four weeks she's wandered far and wide.

She is now on the high mountain plains

where plentiful trees make good habitat for black rhinos.

She's marking her presence.

Her urine contains chemical information

that identifies her.

This is a good way for cheetahs with overlapping ranges

to avoid each other.

But perhaps it could also lead Inara's family back to her.

So far, she's found no sign of them.

The impact of losing the cubs is more than emotional.

With no cubs suckling,

she has stopped lactating,

and is now in oestrus.

Inara moves through her home range,

searching for one more cheetah.

That's why she's come here. They've met before.

This is Shadow, Samara's resident male,

and the father of all the cubs.

He detects her scent,

and lets her know that he's here too.

Inara's future, and that of her cubs,

may pivot on whether she meets this cheetah.

Giraffes use similar ways to communicate.

By tasting her urine,

this male will know whether the female is ovulating

and ready to mate.

It seems that romance is in the air.

But if Inara mates with Shadow,

she will face a dilemma if she finds her cubs.

How can she raise one set of cubs

if she's pregnant with another?

What happens next in this amazing story,

depends on whether or not Inara can find her family

in this vast reserve. (WOMAN SINGS)

But much also depends on Chilli. (SINGING ENDS)

Right now, she is single-handedly keeping all nine cubs alive.

Both mothers have a great deal at stake,

and are also inextricably linked through their cubs.

Inara's cubs are Chilli's grandchildren...

..and Chilli's cubs are Inara's sisters and brothers.

The future of these nine cubs is uncertain,

but that's also the story of the cheetah species.

Their survival has always been on a knife-edge.

But cheetahs are survivors.

Especially when they have amazing mothers, like Chilli,

or when small miracles happen,

like having two mothers.

Will Inara reunite with Chilli

and restore the world's first cheetah pride?

The lives of these cubs may depend on it.

(WOMAN SINGS)

(SONG ENDS/ SOUTH AFRICAN INSTRUMENTAL STARTS)

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