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00:03Lions, the world's most iconic cats, but ones that are heading for extinction.
00:13With wilderness disappearing across Africa, lion numbers have almost halved in the last 20 years.
00:24Their struggle to survive and thrive is more important than ever.
00:30Every cub counts.
00:36One of the last refuges for this embattled species is the wildlife haven of the Luangwa Valley in Zambia.
00:48It's here our team will follow two lion prides for six months.
00:52Two huge males coming back to claim their territory.
00:55Through the heat of the day.
01:00And into the hidden world of the night.
01:04Seeing them like this is just quite extraordinary.
01:12Living right in the lion's death.
01:14The lions are coming.
01:16Oh, oh my goodness.
01:18She's coming.
01:20To gain a better understanding of the challenges they face.
01:24If the rest of the pride don't find this little cub, then I think he's got very little chance.
01:29Can the next generation of cubs make it through their first and most dangerous year?
01:34And provide hope for the survival of the species?
01:53The Luangwa Valley is one of the last lion strongholds in the world.
02:00In the long, lush, wet season, the prides are scattered far and wide as they pursue their prey.
02:09But come the dry season, all the wildlife is concentrated around the river.
02:20Forcing the prides into overlapping territories.
02:27Such close proximity means every action and drama in one pride inevitably affects the other.
02:41A prides future is bound up in its cubs.
02:46And for one of these overlapping families, known locally as the Hollywoods, cubs are a huge issue.
02:55For almost two years, none of theirs have survived.
03:04And to make matters worse, there are no adult males.
03:10The two brothers that once headed up this pride have been absent for months.
03:17So after generations roaming this valley, could these Hollywoods be the last in their line?
03:31The filming team are based in the heart of lion territory.
03:36Specialist lion cameraman Nathan and filmmaker Katie are sleeping in the lion's den.
03:43Bringing them closer than ever to the big cats.
03:48Katie, there's actually some lion tracks down here.
03:52Really?
03:53Yeah.
03:55You can see there, the one, two, three, four toes actually came right past your tent, sniffing your head, basically.
04:01You are kidding.
04:02Yep, because your bed's right here.
04:04Oh my God, look, it does actually go all the way back here.
04:07It does, it.
04:12Setting out in the direction of the tracks, Nathan finds someone who can bring much-needed hope to the Hollywoods'
04:19desperate situation.
04:23Far from the rest of the pride, he's located Ava, a lone Hollywood female.
04:30She's obviously been separated for a while.
04:34And he's noticed something very significant about the seven-year-old lioness.
04:39She's got the teeth that are quite obvious.
04:46As Ava's producing milk, it can only mean, despite everything, she's recently had cubs.
04:57It would explain why she's on her own, as, for safety, a lioness will isolate herself from the rest of
05:04the pride before giving birth.
05:08But experience has taught Nathan, he has to set eyes on any cubs to be sure they've survived.
05:28In contrast, five kilometers away, the Hollywoods' neighbors have got just about as much as they can handle.
05:39With one, two, three, four, five, six, seven boisterous cubs to care for.
05:47And they really do need looking after.
05:52The cubs only recently survived a run-in with a highly dangerous herd.
05:56If these buffaloes come across lions, they will kill them, they will trample on them.
06:02He's starting to run, he's starting to run towards the cubs.
06:04And then eldest cub Pip got separated from the pride in the dark.
06:10I can hear a hyena calling.
06:13He spent a day and a night ducking hyenas and dodging leopards.
06:18He's definitely, definitely lost.
06:24But now, back with his pride.
06:26His misadventure seems to have taught Pip to stick close.
06:34At three months, his little sister, Grace, rarely strays far from their mother.
06:42She's the youngest cub.
06:43Much of her diet is still milk.
06:54And most of the time, she's only interested in playing with her food.
07:01Or conquering it.
07:07The pride allows little cubs to get away with anything.
07:13But as she gets older, Grace will need to learn lion etiquette to stay out of trouble.
07:28Grace's family is headed up by three highly unusual-looking fathers.
07:34With patchy manes and ugly leers.
07:38This coalition of males is known locally as the punks.
07:47They took over this pride last year and fathered all the current cubs.
08:02In a pride structure, everyone thinks of the male, the big dominant male.
08:04But he's actually pretty useless.
08:06They quite often spoil the hunt.
08:09They quite often steal the food from the females.
08:12Actually, the females are the main core of the pride.
08:16At first, big males might appear lazy.
08:20However, they're essential to defending the cubs.
08:24His main role is protecting the pride from other males coming in and taking over and protecting the cubs.
08:42Out in the bush, Nathan's still on the trail of Ava.
08:47The lioness he's hoping has cubs.
08:51Newborns that would give the dwindling Hollywood pride hope for the future.
08:56She's crossed a huge, open, really bumpy area.
09:00Now she's entering into a real thick bush.
09:03So I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep up with her, but we'll come.
09:09Nathan's lived and worked in Luangua for 20 years.
09:13If anyone can follow Ava, it's him.
09:18She's on the move all day.
09:21And as the light starts to fade, the team are determined to continue tracking her.
09:27Although it looks quite light outside, Nathan's probably only got another five to ten minutes before we have to stop
09:34filming.
09:35So they switch to a remarkable thermal imaging camera that enables them to follow the big cats through the night.
09:53Ava covers another kilometer.
09:57Before eventually stopping at a dense thicket.
10:05If she has cubs, this could be where they're hidden.
10:09Yeah, there's something moving there in the middle.
10:12Smack in the middle.
10:14That's a cub there.
10:16But there's a tiny cub just moving there.
10:21You can see the tail.
10:23Head's just turned around.
10:25It's amazing to see this image, because in daytime, you wouldn't really see through there at all.
10:30There's a little bit of warm glow over here as well, so I'm not sure maybe another cub.
10:35Despite the dense foliage, the team managed to spot two more distinct little bodies.
10:41Fantastic, so three cubs.
10:45It's game-changing news for the pride that for two years has gone without any cubs at all.
10:53The next generation of Hollywoods is tucked away in this bush.
11:06Come morning, it seems a little one has got left behind.
11:15So we've just come across a little lone elephant, probably only about four years old, and none of the rest
11:23of the herd are in sight.
11:28Usually, the mothers are pretty close.
11:30Their maternal bond is so strong that they never really leave their sides, but this one's got nobody around it
11:38at all.
11:42And they really do rely on the rest of the herd for protection.
11:45In Luangua, an adult elephant has no natural predators, but a youngster, like this, is open to attacks from lion
11:54and hyena.
11:55This little guy is so vulnerable out here.
11:59Grazing elephants can wander over 30 kilometers a day.
12:03To have any chance of survival, this lost youngster needs to reconnect with her family.
12:21The little elephant is not the only one on the move.
12:25The three punk males left their pride before dawn.
12:34They've abandoned Grace and the rest of the cubs, along with their responsibility to keep them safe.
12:43It's typical behavior for big males.
12:45They'll often disappear in search of other females.
12:49But their absence puts the pride at risk from attack, or takeover.
12:57And male lions, from outside the pride, are the biggest killers of cubs.
13:08When a male takes over a territory, they try and kill all the cubs they're not related to.
13:16So the females don't expend energy raising another's offspring.
13:22Every big male is a potential cub killer.
13:31So in the overlapping lion territories of Luangua, the punks' movements are not only bad news for Grace and those
13:38they've left behind,
13:40but a massive threat to the newborn Hollywood cubs.
13:44For these Scarface killers are heading for Hollywood land.
13:48And if they find the cubs, they will kill them.
14:07Having learned there are new cubs in the area last night, Nathan's keen to set eyes on them in daylight.
14:16He returns to where they were hidden, and is delighted to find single mum Ava, right where he left her.
14:24We've only had one brief glimpse at night time with the thermal imaging camera of what looked like three little
14:30cubs.
14:31So, I mean, hopefully, if we're lucky, they might not be too far away.
14:35He doesn't have to wait long.
14:44It's now that we get our first proper look at the next generation of Hollywoods.
14:52The first to emerge are two tawny-coloured fluffy cubs, around a month old.
14:59And they're followed by a third, whose markings are much more individual.
15:10Actually, quite distinct, the third one, is little spots, almost like a leopard.
15:16All baby lions are born with spots, but this one guy is particularly spotty.
15:21Spots help cubs stay camouflaged in the dappled light on the bushes.
15:25The markings will disappear as they get older.
15:28You can see very clearly he's different from his brothers, because I think, having had a look, that it's three
15:34boys.
15:38When born at between one and two kilos, the cubs weigh just 1% of their adult body weight.
15:46If they are to make it to maturity, they need to gain 100 grams a day on mother's milk alone.
15:53These three cubs look in an absolutely fantastic condition, and really full of beans, bouncing around and playing.
16:06They'll soon develop the full repertoire of lion meows, grunts, moans and growls.
16:12Each sound having a different meaning.
16:16However, the famous lion roar won't mature until they're two years old.
16:26It will be four more weeks before the cubs are robust enough to be introduced to the rest of the
16:31Hollywood pride.
16:35Between now and then, Ava has to keep them well fed and well hidden.
16:46The following morning, Nathan checks in on the Hollywood pride.
16:53So we've got three Hollywood females, and just coming up for six in the morning, all the guinea fowls calling
16:59behind them.
17:00It's a lovely time of day, because everything's starting to wake up.
17:03The birds are really calling, and there's a couple of alarm calls going on behind us.
17:09Something's unsettling all the animals.
17:12You've got the impalas calling here, which is a quick snort.
17:16Cuckoo just called there, which is a very sharp whistle.
17:22Do you see where they're looking?
17:24See, if someone's looking this way, they might go and have a look at what's going on there.
17:36There's a couple of impalas looking over in the distance there.
17:40So we'll go and have a look.
17:42As he approaches the banks of Luangua, Nathan makes a startling discovery.
17:47It looks like a couple of males on the other side of the river.
17:52These seven-year-old brothers are the males that abandoned the Hollywood pride months ago.
17:59Definitely are two Hollywood males that have been on the other side of the river for a long, long time.
18:07During their time away, the pair have taken over another pride, and have been mating with its females.
18:14These two boys really look in fantastic condition.
18:19But possibly having heard the punks calling, they're coming back to check on the Hollywood females.
18:30It's well into the dry season.
18:33So for the first time in months, the Luangua River is low enough for lions to cross.
18:39Although it's by no means safe.
18:42I've actually seen a male taken by a crocodile crossing the river before, so you can see they're quite nervous,
18:49aren't you?
18:53There's a huge crocodile behind them.
19:02These males mated with Ava, and fathered the newly discovered cubs.
19:08So could provide the protection they need.
19:14They may even drive out the trio of punk invaders.
19:19So these guys have now crossed over, and they can have a real good look around who's in their territory.
19:25But with the Hollywood females already mating with the punks,
19:28it's not clear if these returning males will be welcomed by their former mates.
19:42Not far away, it seems one reunion has already taken place.
19:48I'm really hoping that that's the little one that we saw yesterday on her own, and since then she's found
19:54another friend.
19:57It looks like the little young female survived the night to pair up with another juvenile.
20:06It's really great that she's found another elephant to be with.
20:11It will just increase their chances of survival around these lions, because they are very close to the Hollywood Brides.
20:19Safety in numbers with elephants, definitely, and especially because she was so little.
20:25The two youngsters soon locate the rest of their family, and are both safely back in the herd.
20:45Lion cubs don't become fully independent until over the age of two and a half.
20:54At three months and still suckling, Grace is one of the lucky ones.
21:02As the rest of her family is starting to get hungry,
21:09a member of the pride is badly injured.
21:15This wound is massive.
21:17You can almost see the muscle tendons inside.
21:20She's kind of lost all the skin on top of it.
21:22It's kind of rife for infection.
21:24The lioness was impaled by a buffalo during their last hunt.
21:33The African, or Cape buffalo, is a social animal whose main defense strategy is staying in huge herds,
21:41while fending off would-be predators with their incredible horns.
21:51And for lions' hunting buffalo, it results in horrendous wounds all too often.
22:02Unfortunately for the pride, this injury couldn't have happened to a more important lion.
22:09This female seems to be the female that leads the hunt.
22:12She seems to be the one that's slightly more dominant than the others.
22:14Such a large wound and such a key member of the pride is a massive problem.
22:21Their ability to hunt will certainly be affected, and it could mean lean times ahead.
22:28It's really essential that she gets better.
22:35For Grace, getting a real taste for meat is vital to her development.
22:40But for now, it's going to have to wait.
22:59The neighboring Hollywood pride have no such problems.
23:05Unaware their absent males have recrossed the river, they're feasting on a buffalo kill from yesterday.
23:17Much to the annoyance of a flock of hooded vultures.
23:25Normally white-faced, these birds flush red when agitated.
23:31If, for instance, they are not allowed on a carcass.
23:39The day-old kill is now drawing in larger white-backed vultures.
23:45So the smaller birds are pushed to the back of the queue.
24:03Still near the river, Nathan's stuck by the returning Hollywood males.
24:08Look at this lovely male here.
24:10Look at that lovely guy.
24:14Two huge males coming back to claim their territory.
24:18The pair suddenly increased their pace.
24:23Hey, they've obviously picked up on something.
24:26Oh, this is fantastic.
24:28I think they're actually heading straight towards three females.
24:34They're running across now.
24:41Can you see the females anywhere?
25:00The second male is in pursuit.
25:03The males set their sights on one female in particular.
25:06There's the other female.
25:10The driving force in every male is to mate.
25:14It's what motivates their, at times, nomadic behaviour.
25:19Still running.
25:25The chase goes on for almost three-quarters of an hour.
25:32But finally, the heat forces them to stop.
25:36Interestingly enough, they were just sent marking, they're now sort of clearly claiming back their territory.
25:47Without receptive females, it's unclear how long the returning former rulers will stick around.
25:59In Zambia's Luangwa Valley, things are coming to a head.
26:04For two years, the Hollywood Pride have been without cubs.
26:08And now they finally have a trio of newborns.
26:12Ooh!
26:14They're being invaded by the punks from the neighbouring Pride.
26:19If these intruders find Spotty and his brothers, they'll kill them.
26:25But it's the dry season.
26:27Every day, it's got hotter and hotter.
26:30And every day, it's like 45 degrees.
26:33And the low river level has allowed the long-absent Hollywood males to return to their old territory.
26:40Perhaps they will provide the protection Spotty and his brothers desperately need.
26:44And everything just feels like it's sort of ready to explode now.
26:57Located in tropical Africa, sunset in Luangwa occurs incredibly quickly.
27:05In the space of 20 minutes, the landscape is in darkness.
27:16But this doesn't stop the recently returned Hollywood males patrolling their old territory.
27:25Unaware the punks have been mating with their females,
27:28their scent marking and calling.
27:34Behaviour that is supposed to secure their territory
27:37and discourage rival males from entering.
27:44They come across a leopard with a kill.
27:48It quickly takes evasive action.
27:56Leaving the pair to feast below.
28:02Lions are expert scavengers.
28:05Also stealing carcasses from wild dogs, hyenas and even other lions.
28:13It's thought scavenged food can provide up to half the big cat's diet.
28:23Throughout the evening, the males continue to patrol.
28:31Come midnight, the pair haven't met the invading punks or located any runaway females.
28:44So the Hollywood males make a fateful decision.
28:51To return to their other pride.
28:56It's possible that had they found their newborn cubs,
29:00they would have stayed around to safeguard them.
29:06Instead, the Hollywood cubs' best chance of protection from the invading punks
29:11just disappeared across the river.
29:26Dawn is the closest thing to rush hour in the animal kingdom.
29:31With the nocturnal shift heading home.
29:34And many species on the move before the heat of the day.
29:41Although the punks have decided not to go anywhere,
29:44and are sticking in Hollywood territory.
29:48Their ongoing presence is a massive threat to Ava and her cubs.
29:56However, the new mother has a more immediate concern.
30:01And has been forced to leave her little ones in hiding.
30:08She's on the move calling.
30:14No one's really answering back.
30:19With these calls, Ava's trying to reconnect with her pride.
30:23Probably because she's hungry.
30:30Lions can go for four or five days without eating.
30:34But, obviously, the mother needs to produce milk for the little cubs.
30:38Without enough to eat, Ava's milk would dry up in a matter of days.
30:42And her cubs would starve.
30:45I think she's actually been out trying to hunt them,
30:49probably unsuccessfully.
30:51She's actually quite hungry.
31:05She's just walking down in this gully somewhere.
31:09And she's going to pop out next to these cuckoos at some point.
31:16In the two hours Nathan's been tracking her,
31:19this is the closest she's got to any game.
31:22And there's still no sign of the rest of the Hollywood pride.
31:32Hunger's also becoming a big issue for Grace and the punks pride.
31:36It's three days since they've last eaten.
31:39Their lead hunter is still out of action.
31:42And they are struggling to cope without her.
31:49When the pride moves off, the lioness is reduced to limping behind.
32:00The dry season brings all the game closer together.
32:13And in this glut, the pride can be successful in almost 40% of hunt attempts.
32:25But not this time.
32:30Desperate to suckle, and yet to learn the habits of the hunt, Grace interrupts.
32:45Everyone will have to go hungry for a little longer.
32:56Spotty and his brothers have already spent seven hours in hiding.
33:00And the longer their mothers away, the more likely it is that they'll be discovered.
33:08A hyena.
33:10Just metres from their hiding place.
33:17If she discovers the cubs, she may well take the opportunity to get rid of future competition.
33:26The cubs have to keep quiet.
33:39Fortunately, this female hyena has little ones of her own.
33:45And their need to feed distracts her.
33:52Spotty and the cubs are safe, for now.
34:01For Ava, hours of walking and calling has paid off.
34:06We've been following this female.
34:08And we must have gone about two, three kilometres.
34:11And, I mean, it's absolutely amazing that this female has just met up with another female lion.
34:16Quite a young one, about four years old.
34:19This lioness is also from the Hollywood pride.
34:22And there's a great deal of affection between the two.
34:28It's absolutely amazing that the distance that we've followed over the terrain we have,
34:33that these two just somehow bump into each other.
34:39This playful behaviour is thought to strengthen social bonds.
34:45It's a charming reminder that despite the hardships they face,
34:50these are social animals that greatly enjoy each other's company.
35:00And there's another benefit.
35:02Hunting as a pair could increase Ava's chances of eating.
35:07There's a lot of tracks.
35:09It's a very, very busy area.
35:10So there's always a chance something will actually come down,
35:13walk straight into them.
35:18It's perfect ambush territory.
35:21But catching prey in the heat of the day isn't going to be easy.
35:28But with her cubs to feed, Ava has no option but to try.
35:40Lions have two main hunting methods.
35:44The stalk begins with a stealthy approach behind cover.
35:49For the hunters aren't as fast as much of their prey.
35:53An adult lion can manage 60 kilometres an hour for 200 metres.
35:58A wildebeest can hit 80 and keep on running.
36:04So getting close is essential.
36:07Before launching a final burst of acceleration.
36:11Especially in open country.
36:20The other primary hunting method is the ambush.
36:25Which, as you might expect, involves hiding and waiting.
36:33With neither method proving successful for Ava and the lioness.
36:38The pair settle down once again.
36:42I think it's getting too hot now.
36:44So probably she's going to give up and just rest in the shade.
36:49I think it's going to be a long day under the bush.
36:54During the hot, dry season,
36:56temperatures in Luangua can hit 45 degrees in the shade.
37:04Zebra's stripes are thought to absorb and reflect heat at different rates
37:09in order to create tiny cooling air currents.
37:14An elephant dust bath not only repels insects,
37:18but also serves as a primitive sunscreen.
37:25Despite their adaptations,
37:27the oppressive heat means most species are inactive during the day.
37:35But come evening, it's time to eat.
37:41And a big male buffalo has wandered a little too far from its herd.
37:49And a little too close to the bulk of the Hollywood pride.
37:54What's going on over there?
37:55The lions are hunting buffaloes.
37:59The lions are chasing buffaloes.
38:05This big male is over six times the weight of the lioness stalking it.
38:14Nicknamed Black Death,
38:16buffalo are extremely dangerous.
38:22Most successful hunts take place in the hours of darkness,
38:26in dense cover and with a group of lions against a single prey animal.
38:32With the light fading, this could be the perfect scenario.
38:41So we thought the day was done,
38:43but Nathan has just radioed to say that there's a hunt happening.
38:49As dusk falls, the thermal camera team rushes to the scene.
38:55But they're over ten kilometres away.
39:04This is completely mad.
39:09They're totally leading us on a wild goose chase.
39:19By the time they arrive,
39:21the Hollywood pride have cornered the enormous and highly dangerous buffalo.
39:32We are so, so close.
39:36I mean, five metres away.
39:40The incredible drama of a night hunt is something rarely ever seen.
39:45But the unique abilities of the thermal camera
39:48reveals how the lions surround the buffalo to prevent escape.
39:53The lions want it to be done as quickly as possible
39:56because it's such a dangerous thing for them to do.
39:59This buffalo has massive horns and the lions can very easily get injured.
40:05With large prey like this, lions try and attack from the rear,
40:10jump on top of the animal and use their own weight to wrestle it to the ground.
40:16It's an amazing feat to take down this enormous animal that will feed the whole pride.
40:26Eventually, sheer weight of numbers sees the pride win out.
40:30They bite the throat or over the nose and mouth to suffocate their victim.
40:37Seeing them like this is just...
40:40It's a whole new blight. It's quite extraordinary.
40:45The job done.
40:46The Hollywood pride tuck in.
40:51However, all the uproar has caught the attention of one of the invading punks.
40:57Although he's already been mating with the Hollywoods,
41:00right now, no one's happy to see him.
41:05But the male's not alone.
41:08He's brought the whole of the punks' pride with him,
41:11including seven hungry cubs.
41:16With no males of their own to fight their corner,
41:19and exhausted from the hunt,
41:22the Hollywoods are forced to retreat.
41:27Allowing the punks' pride, including the cubs,
41:30to descend on the feast.
41:34Even little Grace.
41:38Grace.
41:39And the three-month-old cub is certainly tucking in
41:42on her long-awaited meal.
41:45This is a major milestone.
41:48Grace has joined the ranks of the meat-eaters.
41:57The dry season and dropping river levels
41:59expose muddy banks that can trap the unwary.
42:04Providing rich pickings for lions.
42:12Having had her last meal provided by a stolen buffalo,
42:16Faith hands Grace her next one on a plate.
42:21She may have acquired a taste for meat,
42:24but Grace still has a lot to learn.
42:27Especially when it comes to dining with a big male.
42:34She's about to find out.
42:38She has to know her place.
42:51She's limping off, but it's quite interesting.
42:53The bigger cub that comes in that's sort of following along,
42:56whether it's reassurance or curiosity, why, what's going on.
43:00She doesn't look too pleased to have any company at the moment.
43:04I think she'll be all right,
43:06but obviously got a bit of a telling off from the punk.
43:10I suppose like all mammals really is going through a process
43:13of learning your manners essentially.
43:15Sort of what you can and can't do,
43:17what's pushing the boundaries.
43:19So it might be a hard learning curve,
43:20but this is going to be her family unit.
43:23She's essentially going to grow up as part of this pride.
43:27Grace needs to learn how to fit into her family and fast,
43:31as next time she might not get off so lightly.
43:42It's been over 36 hours since Nathan set eyes on Ava and her cubs.
43:48Keen to find out if she's returned to them,
43:51he makes his way back to her lair in the bushes.
43:55And it seems she's been busy.
43:59We've just come across Ava, the Hollywood mother,
44:01and she's killed a zebra.
44:04I mean, it's absolutely fantastic of her as a single lioness
44:09to bring down this zebra completely by herself.
44:13Now Ava's eaten.
44:15Her hungry cubs can finally get the sustenance they need too.
44:29It's really lovely to see them playing around and suckling with mum.
44:43Although staying with the zebra carcass is a potentially dangerous decision,
44:48the smell can draw in hyena who might kill the cubs.
44:54And with the punks still in Hollywood territory,
44:57they also pose a threat.
45:02One that's suddenly very real.
45:09As one of the big males is incredibly close by.
45:13This is the deepest into the Hollywood territory that we've seen the punk boys.
45:20Ava's flattened ears, thrashing tail and lowered head,
45:23indicate she's extremely disturbed.
45:27With the zebra kill right here, males just there,
45:29it's probably not the best place to have her cubs at the moment.
45:33So it looks like these boys might try and take over this territory.
45:37And if they do, I'm fairly certain these cubs won't have a chance.
45:44Faced with a powerful and aggressive carnivore.
45:49Like many other species in Luangua,
45:52the best option for Ava and her little ones is to run and hide.
45:57Faced!
45:58Ooooh!
46:00Faced!
46:01Faced!
46:01BLE�� оченьwarm out of场,
46:02чтобы Krystal Tarkov Kitchen