"Lions... the worlds most iconic cats." "But cats that are heading for extinction." "With wilderness disappearing across Africa, lion numbers have almost halved in the last 20 years." "So every cub counts." "Their struggle to survive and thrive is more important than ever, as the future of their species depends on it." "And one of the last refuges for this embattled species... is the wildlife haven of the Luangwa Valley in Zambia." "Our team follows two lion prides for six months..." "Two huge males coming back to claim their territory." "Through the heat of the day... and into the hidden world of the night..." "Seeing them like this is just quite extraordinary." "To uncover behaviour never seen before," "and better understand the challenges confronting lions." "Well be right in the lions den..." "The lions are coming." "My goodness!" "Following them every step of the way." "If the rest of the pride dont find this little cub," "I think hes got very little chance." "Can these cubs make it through their first and most dangerous year, and provide hope for the survival of the species?" "Its May, and Zambias six-month-long rainy season is finally over." "Young cub, Pip, named by local researchers, is with his mother and the rest of the pride." "This family group has lived in this national park for generations, and is currently made up of three mothers and seven boisterous cubs." "Pips sticking close to his family because hes only five months old... still entirely dependent on his pride." "The females will have a tough job keeping him safe through the dry season." "This pride lives in one of the wildest places in Africa." "South Luangwa, 3,500 square miles of national park is full of some of the continents most celebrated wildlife... with over 500 species... from iconic giants... to masterful killers." "But even among these superstars, theres only one king... the lion." "Top of the food chain, with no natural predators." "Their power isnt just about muscle and teeth." "Their real strength comes from the family bond." "They have the strongest social ties of any big cat." "The adults raise their young together, and defend the pride from outside threats." "But their youngsters are incredibly vulnerable... in Africa eight out of ten die before the age of two." "If accidents and injury dont get them... bush enemies are lining up to kill them." "So the cubs need to learn survival skills quickly." "Following their next critical six months will be specialist lion cameraman Nathan." "Hes an expert in Luangwa and has spent 20 years with these prides, but this is the first time hell be living with them 24/7." "Everyone thinks of lions as the kings of the jungle, but they are vulnerable when theyre younger... elephants will kill them, buffalo or other lions will." "Even small warthogs are incredibly dangerous." "Nathan will be working with wildlife filmmaker Katie, as they embed themselves with the prides." "Lions are the most extraordinary animals." "Theyre beautiful creatures with an incredibly complex social structure." "To understand them properly, the team will be living right in the lions den." "We couldnt be in a better place to follow these prides of lions." "And just hours after arriving, a visitor reminds the team whose patch this is." "The lions are coming." "Theyre coming, theyre coming." "In the tent now." "OK." "Shes coming." "Shes here, shes here." "Sam, get back." "That was too close for comfort." "The lions confidence comes from being superb predators." "Pips beginning to develop those hunting skills, and hes doing it through play." "This rough and tumble is teaching Pip and his siblings skills that will be vital in just a few months time." "Theyre learning how to stalk and wrestle prey to the ground." "Its fun for now, but its key to their future survival." "And the mothers will be the ones to teach them this vital skill." "85% of lion hunts within prides are conducted by females." "Working together doubles their chances of success." "But the odds are against them." "Only two out of ten hunts are successful." "Pips still too young to hunt or to defend himself from outside aggressors." "His protectors should be the males of the pride." "Theyre a coalition of three battle-hardened brothers." "Due to their unique hairstyles, they are known locally as "The Punks"." "They took over this pride last year, and one of these bruisers is Pips father." "But these males spend time away from the pride," "just at the stage when Pip is starting to explore." "Hes one of the older cubs and the first sibling to start taking an interest in other animals." "This fascination is instinctive, and its enticing him away from the safety of his family." "Later, itll get him into trouble." "Pip needs to watch his back." "Leopards compete with lions for food and take any opportunity to kill a cub." "And Luangwa boasts one of the densest leopard populations in Africa." "These silent assassins have a very different social life to lions." "Leopards are incredibly solitary." "Very rarely, unless mating, get together." "But dangerously close to Pip," "Nathans found an exception to the rule." "Two leopards together." "Luckily for Pip, theyre distracted by a family dispute." "This is Chiphadzua and Malaika, a mother and daughter leopard." "The mother, Malaika, is back on the tree." "Shes trying to get rid of her daughter, Chiphadzua, at the bottom." "Chiphadzuas an adult now, but theres a bit of conflict..." "she doesnt want to leave." "Shes constantly following her around and wants Mum, really." "But its vital for both of them that Chiphadzua strikes out on her own." "You can only have so many leopards in that territory." "Mother needs to push her out, she must find her own feet." "Thats the world out here." "You get pushed out and must look after yourself." "The young leopard has to leave soon, whether she wants to or not." "And shell be looking out for prey." "Big cats like lions tend to eat every couple of days, more so when theyre lactating, as theyre sharing their calories with their cubs." "Today the mothers have gone hunting." "Pip and the other cubs have been left in the charge of a lethargic father." "Hes getting slightly irritated." "The amazing thing about Pip and his siblings is that theyre in this transition stage, between being a playful cub and a predator." "Theyre now starting to be more interested in prey." "So when you watch them, you can see other animals come, theyre starting to look and see whats happening." "Wildebeest - a favourite prey." "However, the cubs arent paying attention to the nervous herd." "Because coming straight for them is a serious threat." "A lone male buffalo..." "half a tonne of muscle and horn." "Has he got blood round his mouth?" "And the back..." "hes been attacked." "I cant see, but if the cubs are still behind that tree, that buffalo is very close to them." "Buffalo are massive." "Theyre seriously dangerous animals." "Theyre so strong and they can easily kill a lion." "But rather than staying and protecting the cubs, the male has left them to fend for themselves." "OK, this buffalo is coming." "Looking at the tree." "So they need to stay hidden." "The cubs follow their instincts and dont move a muscle." "Hes..." "My goodness." "The buffalo chooses not to attack... but the danger isnt over." "Theres a massive herd of buffalo just behind them." "And theyre heading straight towards Pip." "Lion cub Pip and his siblings are cornered under this tree, in the path of hundreds of buffalo." "If these buffalo come across lions, they will kill them, trample them." "So theres one cub moving away, but theres a massive herd of buffalo just behind them." "These cubs really need to get into safety quickly before the buffalo come." "Pip still hasnt moved." "Theres two moving towards the tree." "Pip needs to move really quickly." "Come on." "No, no, no." "No, hes starting to run towards the cubs." "My goodness!" "OK, hes chased the cubs off." "Gosh!" "Its a lucky escape for Pip." "And the cubs are spared further trials with the return of their mothers." "Growing up in the bush is dangerous for all youngsters." "For many animals, its the green season that provides the safest time to raise offspring." "The vegetation is lush and provides cover and the rivers are full." "Everyone has their own way of protecting their young." "For these yellow baboons, safety comes in numbers." "One lookout stays in the tree, whilst the rest of the troop spread out to forage." "These babies are around eight weeks old and their patient mothers act as nursemaids... groomers... playmates... and even chauffeurs." "Its not unusual to have a godfather, a male baboon, who looks out for an infants welfare... even if they do sometimes play a bit rough." "If these youngsters can stay safe for another eight months, they will be able to fend for themselves." "But all too often, the vulnerable dont make it." "A mile or so deep into the bush, these two young brothers, Prince and Ziggy, are outcasts." "They used to be in Pips pride, but unlike their smaller cousin, they had a difficult start in life." "Last year, they faced the biggest threat cubs can encounter." "A quarter of all cubs are killed by invading males trying to take over prides." "The brutal purge is to ensure they can mate with the females themselves and start their own dynasty." "Prince and Ziggys siblings were killed in this way, so their mother, with some of her sisters, ran away from the pride to ensure the cubs safety." "Now they live as outcasts." "The females had four cubs and two of them were taken by a roaming male and killed." "So these females are looking after the last two cubs." "They protect their cubs really aggressively." "Theyll put up a real fight, get really injured defending their cubs." "Some really sad moments, I saw females wandering round for days calling for their lost cubs..." "very sad to watch." "The cubs mother, Rosa, is wearing a tracking collar fitted by a research group working to keep her safe." "Her cubs still need her." "Prince and Ziggy wont be old enough to look after themselves for at least another year." "You can distinctly see the spots in the front there." "You can see the flies are bothering them as well." "Tails flicking." "Like all lions, Prince and Ziggy were born with spots, which can help camouflage them when theyre at their most helpless." "But theyll need more than spots to keep them safe as they grow up." "If another male comes into the territory, he may try and kill the two young cubs." "He may chase them out, then the problem is theyre too young to survive on their own." "Theres very small chance theyll survive." "Its not just cubs who are under threat here." "Being embedded in the middle of Lion Country brings danger." "Were trying to cook dinner at the moment." "The lions have actually come round to the lagoon to drink." "A few have come round the back and a few have come through the bushes." "Were kind of semi-surrounded by them." "It adds excitement." "Theres a lion just sitting about 15 metres over here." "Do you think theyre watching us?" "Yeah, its a bit of fun for them." "Bit like TV." "You get a bit bored in the bush." "In fact, Luangwa is teeming with life at night." "The only way to show this hidden world is with a thermal imaging camera... one of only two on the planet able to capture such detailed images." "Prince and Ziggy dont need any help to see in the dark." "Their eyes have exceptional light sensitivity... eight times better than humans... which helps explain why 75% of hunting is done at night." "For many of the animals here, though, night brings disadvantages." "This baboon troop is nesting in the safety of the trees for good reason." "Their vision is useless in the pitch black, theyre virtually blind." "Being this high means theyre out of the reach of most predators." "But not all." "Chiphadzua, the leopard that wouldnt leave home, has struck out on her own." "This is the first time shes been seen hunting without her mother." "Shes taking a risk." "Baboons have been known to mob and severely wound attacking leopards." "But Chiphadzua is hungry and the darkness works to her advantage." "The baboons can only sense her..." "she can see." "Chiphadzua has proved she can be independent." "Nearby, Prince and Ziggy are sticking close to their mother and aunt for protection." "But their worst nightmare has just walked into their patch." "Two roaming males." "Theyre dangerously close to Prince and Ziggy." "If they come across the cubs, they will almost certainly attack them." "Hearing the calls, their mother Rosa takes no chances and leads her cubs away." "With danger this close, she needs a new strategy to keep them safe." "Its 5:30ªm." "Katie confirms the males from last night are definitely strangers to the territory and therefore a threat." "Nathan is on his way to Prince and Ziggys last location." "But when he finds them, the cubs are not alone." "Prince and Ziggy are sitting just metres from their old pride." "Absolutely everybodys here... the females, the outcast females, the cubs." "Their mother wants to reintroduce them to their former pride," "Pips pride, but there are three big problems..." "The Punks." "These battle-hardened males did not father Prince and Ziggy, so they are likely to attack them." "Its not looking really good." "The next few moments could be a matter of life or death." "Young brothers Prince and Ziggy are in real danger." "Their mother, Rosa, has brought them to within metres of her old pride." "Absolutely everybodys here..." "the females, the cubs, all three Punks." "The Punks are three brothers who now rule this pride." "They are not related to Prince and Ziggy, so are the cubs biggest threat." "The Punk males are not their fathers." "So they might kill or chase them out." "Last year, Rosa had to flee this pride, taking Prince and Ziggy with her, when a rival male invaded the territory and killed two of her cubs." "Now it seems she wants to return." "This is the first time weve seen Prince and Ziggy near." "So the pride structures possibly coming together again." "But first Rosa will need The Punks to accept her cubs, Prince and Ziggy." "With ears back in an aggressive stance, the dominant Punk is looking far from welcoming." "Scientists have recently discovered that lionesses are wired differently to males." "Rosas brain has evolved to plan, manipulate and deceive." "She needs to be clever if shes to control this big, powerful Punk." "She needs to divert him, so she comes on strong, as if shes ready to mate." "It looks like shes actually trying to distract the males from Prince and Ziggy." "She presents herself to him, and then adopts a submissive posture." "The males urge to mate is strong." "Rosa is running rings around the king of the jungle." "Its unusual to see such blatant deception." "But the other lionesses dont like it." "These are their males." "Seeing another female getting attention seems to be making them jealous." "And its The Punks they punish." "Prince and Ziggy could be next in the firing line." "While the Punks are distracted, Rosa leads her cubs away to safer ground." "Rosas plan to rejoin the pride will have to wait." "Over the following weeks, the heat rises, with daily temperatures in the mid 30s," "forcing the animals towards the dwindling water... and each other." "With the heat comes lethargy." "Lions are the least active of all cats, and when its this hot, they can rest over 20 hours a day." "Lions are incredibly lazy." "They just lie around for hours." "Just when you hope theyre gonna get up, the suns set, its time to get up, theyll lie there for another six hours." "But Pip isnt letting a bit of heat stop him exploring." "Hes now a healthy six-and-a-half months old, and no longer depends on his mother for milk." "His inquisitiveness is still growing." "And hes not the only young animal wandering alone." "Weve got a young hyena, really curious." "Its come right up to the car and its been sniffing." "Curiosity is key in young animal development, especially in carnivores who need to explore every opportunity to find food." "Hopefully its not going to pull the little parts of the car." "They actually get quite curious and start biting." "They have been known to chew tyres and things like that." "So it can be a little bit of a hindrance." "Hes very cute and curious." "Hyenas are always portrayed as the villains of the bush." "They look quite scary, but theyre incredibly inquisitive." "Hes got huge, huge black eyes." "They have this thing of looking at you out of the corner of their eye as if theyre trying to see around... "Whats around there?"" "They have the strongest jaws in Africa, and incredibly strong shoulders and neck for carrying huge kills." "Spotted hyenas have a reputation for being scavengers." "But the majority of their food actually comes from hunting." "Working together, theyre incredibly efficient and their hunts are twice as successful as those of lions." "They have teeth that can crack bones and a digestive system that can dissolve them." "They can live in clans of up to 80 members but individuals like this two-year-old male often forage alone." "Weve got one hyena calling in the far distance over there and another one answering in the distance over there." "This guys just sitting here, listening quietly." "Its a bit cooler at night..." "a mere 20 degrees." "Pip and the rest of the pride finally stir." "This waterhole is a favourite playground for the cubs." "But, once again, Pip has wandered off by himself." "The pride havent got the big males with them for protection and as the cubs arent the only animals here, they need to be careful." "This elephant would happily stamp on any lion cub who gets too close to her calf." "And hippos are one of the most aggressive of all animals and will attack if disturbed." "The mother decides its time to leave." "But Pip doesnt heed the call." "As the family moves away," "Pip heads in the opposite direction." "Five hours later, at dawn," "Nathan sets out to check on Pip and his siblings." "And it doesnt take him long to discover something worrying." "I just saw one of the cubs, running along by himself, go down into a gulley." "And now I cant see him and cant see any of the other pride." "If its Pip and hes still separated from his family, hes in trouble." "There he is." "Thats Pip." "Hes looking a little bit lost and theres no sign of the rest of the pride." "Quite often youll find maybe cubs will be playing or pass out completely asleep and not realise the rest of the pride has moved off." "Usually theyre able to catch up but Pip clearly hasnt." "A couple of puku and impala are alarmed at him." "I mean, this guys only six months old." "Hes still very much dependent on his mother." "He must be pretty distraught because hes spent every waking minute with the rest of the pride." "Now to be completely separated and on his own..." "I mean, theres vulnerability of hyenas, a leopard, perhaps other male lions." "Theres a whole possibility of dangers out there." "I can hear a hyena calling in the background too." "I think if the rest of the pride dont find this little cub within the next 24-48 hours, then I think hes got very little chance." "Lion cub Pip has been on his own for almost seven hours." "Last night he wandered off from the safety of his family." "And now specialist lion cameraman Nathan has found him alone." "Hes definitely lost." "Theres no sign of the rest of the pride." "He needs to get back to his mother." "Its not looking really good." "Its not looking very good at all, actually, for the little cub." "I can hear a hyena calling." "Pips completely..." "Hes moving." "The six-month-old is surrounded by danger and clearly beginning to feel very vulnerable away from his pride." "Hes running, stopping, looking." "Hes just starting to panic about where they are." "Hes nervous, listening intently for any familiar calls while trying to pick up his mothers scent." "Lions have an incredible sense of smell." "Adult lions leave a scent trail wherever they go from seven glands spread across their face, paws and tail." "But Pips tracking skills arent honed yet, so hell struggle to find his family." "His best hope is hearing his mother calling for him." "Lions have excellent hearing, four times better than our own, and, with ears that can rotate, can identify prey more than a mile away." "But a lions roar can carry even further, up to five miles." "If Pip keeps his ears open, he will hear his mothers call." "But Pip cant call back." "He hasnt developed big enough vocal cords." "Very small still." "Leaving Pip in his predicament seems tough." "Youre very tempted just to grab him by the scruff of the neck and drop him off with the rest of the pride, if we knew where they were, but obviously we cant." "National park authorities forbid interference with any animals." "Pip heads into an inaccessible area and Nathan loses sight of him." "The young cub is now completely on his own in thick bush, full of threats." "Two miles away, Katie and guide Paul have tracked down Pips siblings." "There are the lions." "They are straight ahead." "I've got the cubs." "And the mothers arent far away." "I can see something." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "The females have brought down a half-tonne buffalo." "The whole family gets to feed, except for Pip, who is still lost." "His mother and aunts havent forgotten him." "They take it in turns to circle the area, searching for their vulnerable cub." "But so far, they havent picked up his scent." "Not far away, theres more danger." "Leopard Chiphadzua is now completely independent." "And shes looking for another kill." "Shes heading towards the area where Pip was last seen." "As evening comes, the young cub is still alone." "A mile away, Pips mother continues to search for him." "Nathans not giving up on Pip either." "And just as the sun is about to set, he finds him." "Pips returned to the last place he saw his family." "Hes back where Nathan first spotted him 12 hours ago." "Still on his own." "Still quite a long way off." "So its gonna be a bit of an uncertain, long night for him." "Pips only hope now is that his mother somehow finds him." "Hopefully, if were lucky, she might retrace her steps to where they were yesterday, which is very, very close." "But as day turns to night, theres no sign of his mother, and Pip disappears back into the bush." "The other six cubs are on the kill, apparently unaware theyve lost one of their own." "But then... two shapes appear in the distance." "Against the odds, Pips mother has tracked down her cub." "Things happen here that you can never believe." "Its really nice to see a happy ending on this really long and very eventful day." "The next morning, the pride is still together and the wanderer has a very fat little belly." "Also, there are some welcome arrivals." "The Punks have reappeared during the night, much to the delight of the lionesses." "Although the fresh kill might be the main attraction." "Theres quite a little bit of socialising going on." "The males have joined, all the cubs are present." "Its really, really nice to see all sorts of pleasant, happy families." "Pip is sticking to his mother for now." "But this happy status quo could all change in a heartbeat." "You just dont know whats gonna happen next." "Anything can happen." "But, fingers crossed for now, everythings looking good today." "Pip is back where he belongs." "And three miles away, Prince and Ziggy are safe with their mother." "Theres a long dry season ahead for all our cubs." "With prey streaming into their territory, will they thrive, and help to secure the future of their species?" "A menacing duo threaten our cubs." "Two huge males coming back to claim their territory." "A young elephant faces a night alone." "This little guy is so vulnerable out here." "And a trio of tiny cubs emerge from hiding." "These three cubs look in absolutely fantastic condition, full of beans, bouncing around and playing." "Subtitles by Deluxe"