All language subtitles for Brotherhood Of Lions S01E01

These are the Black Rocks ...

... in the south
of Kenya's Masai Mara reserve.

Where three lionesses
have raised nine cubs.

Back in September 2017
the babies were just six weeks old:

four females and five males.

This is the true story
of their rise to adulthood.

Over five years, the young males
could grow into a coalition,

working together against rivals.

First, though,
their carefree childhood had to end.

Because hunting never comes easy.

Sometimes they were lucky
to escape with their lives.

The route to the top ... is hard.

At two years of age,

it's time for the lions to quit
their crèche on the Black Rocks.

Their mothers
have given birth again.

There is no room for them now.

These adolescents
must look out for themselves.

Always hungry,
forever sparring over food.

The males,
stronger than their sisters,

don't hesitate
to press their advantage.

One evening, it gets too much.

Wracked by hunger,

the strongest male
kills one of his sisters.

The males and females
go their separate ways.

That makes it harder for the males.

They rely
on the speedy females to hunt.

So the young males try their luck
on prey that can’t outpace them.

But they have no chance
against these giants.

There's another risk they can take:
stealing from veteran lions.

That's a mistake.

Months later,
one of the brothers will be wounded

trying something similar.
Now he's maimed for life.

This time it was
just a clip on the ear.

They can steal hyenas' prey.

So they're always
looking out for a chance.

Members of the buffalo herd
intervene, scaring the hyenas off.

It seems the lions
have missed their chance.

But:

danger averted, the buffalo
leave their sick comrade.

The lions take courage.

They are no longer
after the hyenas' leftovers.

They want the entire prize.

That should do it.

Till the herd come back, in force.

A new experience
for the young males.

The cow is so weak
that help has come too late.

The buffalo soon withdraw.

The young lions
once again smell success.

The lions hold their nerve.

They've earned a hearty meal
and learned a valuable lesson.

The landscape of the Mara Reserve.

The brothers patrol here,
for two years.

Sometimes alone, often together.

Together they're stronger and safer.

By March 2021, the five brothers

are four years old,
majestic young-adult lions.

Without territory of their own,
they spend their time in an area

roughly 25 kilometers
north of their first home.

As this leopard knows only too well.

They've claimed enough of his prey.

The lions have started
to attract a lot of attention.

And the Masai have given them
names to suit their characters.

This is Olomina, the Lame One.
No scars on his face.

He neither joins
the hunt nor fights.

But sexually,
he's the most active of all.

As an adolescent he trespassed
on other males' territory.

Now he has difficulty walking.

Olosiadu: the stay-behind.

He's a cautious soul,

often isolating himself
from his brothers.

Lorkulup, the tagalong,
has a permanently runny nose.

They think a buffalo hoof
broke the bridge.

Constant pain holds him back.

With the radio collar,
scientists track the brothers.

Orpadan, the hunter.

Always in the lead ...
and first to the prey.

Supremely self-confident
and relaxed, he's a real fighter.

On the left,
Oloborr, the sister-killer.

He's the boss, very self-contained.

The strongest male,
he can be ruthlessly aggressive.

Together, these two
define the fate of the group.

In the spring of 2021,
observers had a surprise:

the arrival
of the five lions' mothers.

The females
were forced from their territory

when a big pride
invaded from the East.

Actually, the boys are
too old to be with their mothers.

It's an unusual setup,
as the mothers aren't alone.

They've brought the young they've
been raising in the meantime.

Three young males and two females.

13 lions altogether.

A formidable group.

The young play,
while the five brothers

look to their experienced mothers
to capture prey for them all.

These fascinating new surroundings
require thorough exploration.

Rambunctious juveniles
could warn off prey.

At other times, their enthusiasm
will come in useful.

You wouldn't
call this a proper pride.

It's more a loose grouping
of convenience, to hunt together.

In every other way,

the interests of the mothers
and their older sons diverge.

For one thing,
mating with your half-sisters

is out of the question,
let alone with your mother.

But the brothers' urge
to reproduce is growing stronger.

The 13 lead a nomadic life,
claiming no territory of their own

and avoiding other lions.

It's May 2021.

In the rainy season,
the grass is growing fast.

That should attract herbivores.

But the hungry cats
are having trouble finding prey.

Finally, they come across
a buffalo herd in a valley.

A single bull has strayed
into bush-land next to the stream.

The young brothers
and sisters are raring to go.

They still have to learn a buffalo
in broken country is dangerous prey.

The powerful males hold back,

they're hoping the females
will do all the hard work.

A one ton bull
is a powerful opponent.

Even 13 lions haven't managed
to cause him real difficulties.

They let him go on his way.

East Africa's
long rains start in April.

And continue to the end of May.

Right now there's
plenty of food for the herbivores,

so they can move to the best places.

That means they leave
the low-lying wet areas,

where their hooves
could pick up fungal infections.

For others,
the saturated regions are perfect.

Warthogs are truly
in their element now.

Pastures, hog-wallows
and water, wherever they look.

Antelopes mostly
prefer shorter grass.

It's especially nutritious and
they can spot predators far away.

They often gather
for long periods in a small area,

trimming the grass
with their grazing.

In recent decades, heavier rainfall
has brought lusher vegetation

to the northern Serengeti.

Over wide stretches,
grass grows over a metre high

in the rainy season.

Since most hoofed animals
dislike high, stringy grass,

many big cats leave the region, too.

So the rainy season
brings advantages

for the rootless lions
from Black Rocks:

two months,
hundreds of square kilometers,

free of competition.

No need to fear territorial
disputes with local lions.

But it's tough finding prey.

For emergency rations,
they often turn to warthogs.

The problem is:

they're hard to spot
in the tall grass.

Lions and hogs
can be tens of metres apart,

with neither noticing.

That's why the lionesses

start looking
for the holes hogs use at night.

In the early morning,
many are still occupied.

It's not that they're
places of protection.

Young hogs
are very sensitive to cold,

and the holes
are there to keep them warm.

This one's in deep.
It’s not going to be easy to reach.

Digging it out is hard work.

And hogs can be
unpleasant adversaries.

While the young hunters hesitate ...

a lioness keeps watch.

In the rainy season,
boars seek females in oestrus.

Especially near holes
kept in constant use.

And here's a hopeful Romeo.

In her time, the female
has caught hundreds of hogs.

She knows exactly what to do.

Another female
blocks the escape route.

It's over in seconds.
Everyone piles in.

As so often, Oloborr,
the strong, takes his lion's share.

The others know the rules.

A pride male's duty
is to protect the young.

In this grouping, however,

the males
have no offspring to protect.

The females get nothing back
for their hard work.

In the long run,
that will be a problem.

With so few animals to hunt ...

... the young lions
will chase anything that moves.

Hunger takes them
into unfamiliar regions

where they could
easily meet other lions.

They're very unsettled.

For weeks, they dare not
cross the Rongai River.

That might mean
entering another pride's territory.

But curiosity and hunger
finally get the better of them.

They must have
a powerful urge to cross.

These cats do not like water.

Especially when it's
deeper than expected.

All that effort, only to discover

the hunting is
no better on the other side.

One morning, they come
across a single hippopotamus

that hasn't reached
the safety of his usual pool.

This arouses
the brothers' hunting instincts.

This prey can't run away from them.

But it may turn the tables.

Each lion is probing for weakness.

It's almost like a game.

Interestingly,
the females hold back.

Almost as though
they're not sure of this one.

The younger brothers
and sisters are excited.

What are the tactics?

The hippo has to stay on his feet.

If he does,
little can happen to him for now,

beyond a couple of scratches.

But after a while
it gets too much for him.

He leaves the small pool.
It wasn't really keeping him safe.

He has momentum,
and he makes for the nearby bushes.

This is a dangerous
situation for the lion.

The massive hippo
could swing him into the trees.

But Orpadan can't let go now.

A hippo weighs
six times more than a lion.

But Orpadan has
a firm grip on his hindquarters.

And brings him down.

Briefly.

Down but not out.

Unable to restrain their offspring,
the mothers half-heartedly join in.

They know they must exhaust
the hippo, until he passes out.

Another hour.

The hippo is steaming.

These huge animals
have difficulty releasing

the enormous heat
generated by their muscles.

But his circulation
seems to remain stable.

He fights his way from pond to pond,

always finding
a new place to cool off.

After hours of combat,
the lions are exhausted,

taking longer and longer breaks.

But they can swap with each other,
and so keep the pressure up.

Who will reach their limits first?

This pond
protects the hippo's flank.

The big cats must
watch out in the thorny thickets.

Even the stubborn young females
are gradually tiring.

The fight has taken
almost six hours.

The hippo hasn't left
a decisive opening.

Hippos rarely fall victim to lions.

And they're not high
on a lion's prey-list,

even in hard times like this.

Finally, it's a draw.

Both parties,
side by side, exhausted.

The hippo will live on.

Wherever the lions look, buffalo
are the only reliable food source,

with three herds moving
through the high, stringy grass

along the Rongai River.

Most herbivores
wouldn't eat this grass,

and they would avoid this place.

But these wild cattle

are comfortable chewing and
digesting the fibrous vegetation.

A herd can be
800 strong: limitless meat.

But the price: buffalo are tougher
to hunt than other herd animals,

not only because of their size.

It has to do
with their social structure.

Herds consist
of closely related cows

accompanied by bulls
who have joined from outside.

So a buffalo herd

isn't an agglomeration
of individual animals,

but a community: aunts, sisters
and cousins, with their young.

Unlike antelopes,

that swap between herds
and show no solidarity,

buffalo support one another.

And yet, in every big group
there are some who can't keep up,

or are simply too careless,
peeling off to go their own way.

The lions have spotted
a female on her own.

She noticed them too late.

They surround her,
out of the high grass.

Working together,
they distract the cow

so she can't use her lethal horns.

One of the lionesses
dares a frontal attack.

She needs to grip the cow's muzzle.

The brothers hold back,

letting the mothers
get on with the dangerous work.

500 metres away,
the herd is grazing.

Buffalo have poor eyesight.

But the cow's bleating
attracts their attention.

The cavalry is coming.

You don't mess with angry buffalo.

Even Orpadan knows that.

All that wasted effort.

The lions ... have nothing.

They'll have to
keep following the herd,

in hopes of a better chance.

At least the yellow-throated
longclaw gets something.

Trampled grass
is perfect nest material.

Lions are powerful but slow.

So they have to concentrate
on the bigger prey animals.

Buffalo, too,
depend on their strength,

but also on their solidarity.

A kind of balance
has grown between the two species.

Aerial views show groups
of friendly buffalo coming together,

close relations
behaving like a big family.

This group solidarity
is surprisingly effective.

Seriously ill, even blind buffalo

are protected
by their family groups.

They survive,
carried along by the community.

On the move, a herd
functions like a single organism.

With pathfinders,
and animals to defend the flanks.

And also ... stragglers.

Like this elderly male.
He’s frail ...

and he needs longer rest-stops.

The hungry lionesses
are doing what they must:

following the herd, watching
for gaps in the security system.

Or for stragglers
that lost contact with the herd.

Like the old bull
that rested a bit too long.

In the late afternoon,
he seeks to rejoin the herd.

That's the lionesses' cue.

He's old. His eyes and ears
are way past their best.

The females easily lay their trap.

The younger females are first.

They're the hungriest,
least aware of the dangers.

Olobor and Orpadan are away,
checking out the territory.

The lionesses and their daughters

must bring the buffalo
down on their own.

Only then do
Lorkulup and Olosiadu deign to join.

Olomina holds back entirely,
as usual.

The females are generous.

There's enough food
for several days,

so they won't be
arguing over shares.

Almost every day
brings a heavy rain shower.

The lions trail through
saturated plains, after the buffalo.

They lost contact in the night.

They've been searching for hours.
The rain has washed away the tracks.

In this undulating country,
500 buffalo can simply disappear.

The lions can see
as far as the next hillock.

Late in the morning,
they re-establish contact.

Now they take their time
studying the herd across the valley.

Looking for calves.

Born during the rainy season.

Sometimes, a mother and her calf
get separated from the bigger group.

That's what the lions
are waiting for.

Even 13 lions couldn't
grab a calf inside the herd.

But there's
a small group of stragglers.

The cats try to
spin off the defenders,

breaking up the formation.

In the turmoil,
Oloborr grabbed a calf.

But the defenders are here at once.

He has to let go to save his life.

The badly wounded calf
won't survive. The lions have time.

They encourage the herd to move on.

This prey is far too small
for the group.

Once again, Oloborr becomes violent.

These outbursts of rage

are becoming unbearable
for the three mothers.

They gain nothing
from being with their powerful sons,

but they can no longer
drive them out of the territory,

as they did before.

The only solution may be
to split off from the males.

June.

The rainy season is over.

The five brothers
are now confident enough

to advertise
their presence, far and wide.

It seems, there are
no other claims on this region.

Oloborr and Orpadan
are often away together, patrolling.

They rarely see their mothers
and their younger siblings.

Luckily the five brothers
haven't yet encountered

the previous pride's males.

But they noticed them
a long time ago.

Two old males.

For years, they defended
their territory by the river,

and they bear the scars to prove it.

They no longer have the confidence

for a direct confrontation,
and they withdraw.

If they don't get into fights,
they can survive for several years

in their old territory.

They leave
the interlopers to get on with it,

in this difficult,
but rewarding, territory.

For several months of the year

the Rongai River flows,
attracting herbivores.

Buffalo herds
use the valley all year round,

almost guaranteeing
the lions' survival.

The two veterans live quietly
in the bush near the stream,

scavenging other predators' prey,

or digging out
the occasional warthog.

But the real owners
of this territory

are three adult females
and their adolescent offspring.

They conquered
and now defend the region.

Every couple of years,
they take new pride males.

Now the five brothers are here.

And the first couplings soon happen.

This union might
not yet produce offspring,

but for the brothers
it's the first step

to claiming
the territory as their own.

Lame Olomina
can't keep up with his brothers.

They won't let him approach
their new partners.

But he, too,
feels the growing urges.

So he tries his luck
with his half-sisters and aunts.

That, understandably,
doesn't go down too well.

The lionesses of the Rongai River,

on the other hand,
seem content with the new situation.

But there is a problem here.

The three females
already have adolescent offspring:

three daughters ... and a son.

The new masters of the valley
might not take to the young male.

And Oloborr has
already noticed his presence.

The young male is scared.

But he'd like
to stay with his mother.

Oloborr doesn't see it that way.

Oloborr could
hurt the adolescent badly,

but his mother's presence
holds him back.

And she definitely
takes her son's side.

Powerful older lions would normally

not hesitate to crush
a young whippersnapper.

But Oloborr's hold
on his territory is too new.

This is just
a demonstration of power.

Over the next few days,

the Rongai River
is a turbulent place.

But not principally
because of the brothers.

The territory still
belongs to the three females,

and they reject the lionesses
that came with the five males.

Again and again, they chase away
the mothers of the five brothers.

The mothers can't compete
with their confident female rivals.

They leave
the Rongai Valley forever,

ending the short reunion
with their sons.

Oloborr and his brothers
are now truly in control.

It means weeks of uncertainty
for the three daughters and the son

of the Rongai pride females.

Relieved sisters welcome
their brother back to the group.

So far he's made it
without serious injuries.

The young females have
nothing to fear from the big males.

After all,
they're potential future partners.

But they keep their distance
for the time being.

Over the coming weeks,

they wander the edges
of their mothers' territory.

Since they're
not yet sexually mature,

the five brothers ignore them.

The adolescent male
is still a potential rival.

He must be careful.

The two strongest brothers,
Oloborr and Orpadan,

roam far and wide,
leaving their markers everywhere:

new lords of a big territory.

By mid-2021, they control
almost 100 square kilometers:

the lionesses'
Rongai River territory

and the great expanse
of plains to the south,

where the buffalo
spend the rainy season.

Orpadan and Oloborr
are responsible for security.

Day after day, they patrol
the edges of the territory,

far from the rest of the pride.

Oloborr still has
the blond mane of a young lion.

But together with Orpadan
he's the dominant male of the pride.

He's constantly venturing
into foreign territories.

One day, he goes too far:

deep into
a neighbouring pride's domain.

For the dominant males there ...

... it's a massive challenge.

Oloborr sees them ... too late.

Too late to flee.

This could be the end.

He seems paralysed by fear.

He mustn't provoke them any further.

Things have gone too far.

There are iron laws among lions.

Oloborr has transgressed.

He's mauled to
within an inch of his life.

He'll be out
of circulation for months.

A severe setback for the newly
formed pride.

But the brothers must go on.

And soon,
there's an important development.

The wildebeest migration
streams through the territory,

bringing relief from the precarious
dependency on buffalo.

But when these herds leave again,

the lions face the ultimate test

against their arch enemies:

the buffalo.