"Lions... the world's most iconic cats." "But ones that are heading for extinction." "With wilderness disappearing across Africa, lion numbers have almost halved in the last 20 years." "Their struggle to survive and thrive is more important than ever." "Every cub counts." "One of the last refuges for this embattled species... is the wildlife haven of the Luangwa Valley in Zambia." "It's here our team will follow 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." "Living right in the lions' den..." "The lions are coming." "My goodness." "to gain a better understanding of the challenges they face." "If the rest of the pride don't find this little cub, then I think he's got very little chance." "Can the next generation of cubs make it through their first and most dangerous year and provide hope for the survival of the species?" "The Luangwa Valley is one of the last lion strongholds in the world." "In the long lush wet season, the prides are scattered far and wide, as they pursue their prey." "But come the dry season, all the wildlife is concentrated around the river... forcing the prides into overlapping territories." "Such close proximity means every action and drama in one pride inevitably affects the other." "A pride's future is bound up in its cubs." "And for one of these overlapping families, known locally as the Hollywoods, cubs are a huge issue." "For almost two years, none of theirs have survived." "And to make matters worse, there are no adult males." "The two brothers that once headed up this pride have been absent for months." "So, after generations roaming this valley, could these Hollywoods be the last in their line?" "The filming team are based in the heart of lion territory." "Specialist lion cameraman Nathan and filmmaker Katie are sleeping in the lions' den... bringing them closer than ever to the big cats." "Katie?" "There's actually some lion tracks down here." "Really?" "Yeah." "You can see there... the one-two-three-four toes." "Actually came right past your tent, sniffing your head, basically." "You are kidding!" "No." "Cos your bed's right here." "My God, look, it does actually go all the way back here." "Setting out in the direction of the tracks," "Nathan finds someone who can bring much needed hope to the Hollywoods' desperate situation." "Far from the rest of pride, he's located Ava, a lone Hollywood female." "She's obviously been separate for a while." "And he's noticed something very significant about the seven-year-old lioness." "She's got teats that are quite obvious." "As Ava's producing milk, it can only mean... despite everything..." "she's recently had cubs." "It would explain why she's on her own, as... for safety... a lioness will isolate herself from the rest of the pride before giving birth." "But experience has taught Nathan he has to set eyes on any cubs to be sure they've survived." "The Hollywood pride's hopes are resting on this one female." "In contrast, three miles away, the Hollywoods' neighbours have got just about as much as they can handle... with one, two, three, four, five, six, seven boisterous cubs to care for." "And they really do need looking after." "The cubs only recently survived a run-in with a highly dangerous herd." "If these buffalos come across lions, they will kill them." "They will trample on them." "He's starting to run." "He's starting to run towards the cubs." "And then eldest cub Pip got separated from the pride in the dark." "You can hear a hyena calling." "He spent a day and night ducking hyenas and dodging leopards." "He's definitely, definitely lost." "But now back with his pride, his misadventure seems to have taught Pip to stick close." "At three months, his little sister Grace rarely strays far from their mother." "She's the youngest cub, and much of her diet is still milk." "And most of the time, she's only interested in playing with her food... or conquering it." "The pride allows little cubs to get away with anything." "But as she gets older," "Grace will need to learn lion etiquette to stay out of trouble." "Grace's family is headed up by a three highly unusual looking fathers." "With patchy manes and ugly leers... this coalition of males is known locally as the Punks." "They took over this pride last year and fathered all the current cubs." "In a pride, everyone thinks of the male: the big dominant male." "But he's actually pretty useless." "They quite often spoil the hunt." "They quite often steal the food from the females." "Actually, the females are the main core of the pride." "At first, big males might appear lazy." "However, they're essential to defending the cubs." "His main role is protecting the pride from other males coming in to take over and protecting the cubs." "Out in the bush, Nathan's still on the trail of Ava... the lioness he's hoping has cubs, newborns that would give the dwindling Hollywood pride hope for the future." "She's crossed a huge open, really bumpy area, and now she's entering into real thick bush." "So I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep up with that, but we'll try." "Nathan's lived and worked in Luangwa for 20 years." "If anyone can follow Ava, it's him." "She's on the move all day, and as the light starts to fade, the team switches to a remarkable thermal-vision camera that allows them to follow the big cats through the night." "Ava covers nearly another mile, before eventually stopping at a dense thicket." "If she has cubs, this could be where they're hidden." "Yeah, there's something moving there in the middle." "Smack in the middle, there's a cub there." "There's a tiny cub, just moving there." "Can see the tail." "Head's just turned around." "It's amazing to see this image because daytime you wouldn't really see through there at all." "There's a little bit of a warm glow over here as well, so maybe another cub." "Despite the dense foliage, the team manage to spot two more distinct little bodies." "Fantastic." "So there are three cubs." "It's game-changing news for the pride that for two years has gone without any cubs at all." "The next generation of Hollywoods is tucked away in this bush." "The magical and little-known world of Luangwa after dark... is revealed using one of only two cameras in the world capable of capturing these images... exposing fascinating nocturnal behaviour... and thermal information not obvious in daylight." "Displaying hot areas in white and cooler ones in dark... everything from the warmth of a lion cub's breath... to the cooling system in an elephant's ears is revealed." "Adult elephants require up to 130 kilos of food a day." "Finding this amount of roots, grasses, fruit and bark can keep them on the move day and night." "Come morning, it seems a little one has got left behind." "So we've just come across a little lone elephant, probably only about four years old, and none of the rest of the herd are in sight." "Usually, the mothers are pretty close." "The maternal bond is so strong, they never really leave their sides, but this one's got nobody around it at all." "And they really do rely on the rest of the herd for protection." "In Luangwa, an adult elephant has no natural predators, but a youngster like this is open to attacks from lion and hyena." "This little guy is so vulnerable out here." "Grazing elephants can wander up to 20 miles a day." "To have any chance of survival, this lost youngster needs to reconnect with her family... and soon." "The little elephant is not the only one on the move." "The three Punk males left their pride before dawn." "They've abandoned Grace and the rest of the cubs, along with their responsibility to keep them safe." "It's typical behaviour for big males." "They'll often disappear in search of other females." "But their absence puts the pride at risk from attack or take over." "And male lions from outside the pride are the biggest killers of cubs." "When a male takes over a territory, they try and kill all the cubs they're not related to... so the females don't expend energy raising another's offspring." "Every big male is a potential cub killer." "So in the overlapping lion territories of Luangwa, the Punks' movements are not only bad news for Grace and those they've left behind, but a massive threat to the newborn Hollywood cubs." "For these scar-faced killers are heading for Hollywood land, and if they find the cubs, they will kill them." "South Luangwa National Park in Zambia covers over 3,500 square miles." "The concentration of wildlife is one of the highest in Africa... and it's one of the last lion strongholds." "To follow the incredible stories of this rapidly diminishing species, the team are living alongside them, in the heart of their kingdom." "Having learnt there are new cubs in the area last night," "Nathan's keen to set eyes on them in daylight." "He returns to where they were hidden, and is delighted to find single mum Ava right where he left her." "We've only had one brief glimpse at night time with the thermal-imaging camera of what looked like three little cubs." "So, hopefully, if we're lucky, they might not be too far away." "He doesn't have to wait long." "It's now that we get our first proper look at the next generation of Hollywoods." "First to emerge are two tawny-coloured fluffy cubs... around a month old... and they're followed by a third, whose markings are much more individual." "Actually, quite distinct, the third one is." "Little spots, almost like a leopard." "All baby lions are born with spots, but this one guy is particularly spotty." "Spots help cubs stay camouflaged in the dappled light under bushes." "The markings will disappear as they get older." "You can see very clearly he's different from his brothers." "Because I think, having had a look, that it's three boys." "When born at between one and two kilos, the cubs weigh just 1% of their adult bodyweight." "If they are to make it to maturity, they need to gain 100 grams a day on mother's milk alone." "These three cubs look in absolutely fantastic condition and really full of beans, bouncing around and playing." "It will be another four weeks before the cubs are robust enough to be introduced to the rest of the Hollywood pride." "Between now and then," "Ava has to keep them well fed... and well hidden." "The three invading Punk males have been roaming through Hollywood territory all day." "And one of them has bumped into a Hollywood female." "Her radio collar's been fitted by a carnivore research group to keep track of the pride." "With her own males missing for months, this female begins flirting with the invader." "Sexually mature by the age of three... lions can breed year round." "Gentle biting displays dominance and may signify the end of the act... as it can be extremely quick, lasting less than a minute." "But once they start, lions don't stop." "The mating process for lions is quite relentless." "These lions could mate up to four times an hour every hour for four days." "About four days." "So that is - yeah... quite a lot of mating going on!" "The repetition is thought to induce ovulation... and make the female more likely to fall pregnant." "As expected, mating continues throughout the night... while the lost little elephant carries on its search for its mother." "The following morning, Nathan checks in on the Hollywood pride." "So we've got three Hollywood females, and it's just coming up for six in the morning." "The guinea fowl are calling behind them." "It's a lovely time of day because everything's starting to wake up... the birds are really calling, and there's a couple of alarm calls going on behind us." "Something's unsettling all the animals." "We've got the impalas calling out, which is a quick snort." "Puku just called there, which is a very sharp whistle." "Where are they looking?" "Some are looking this way." "I might go and have a look at what's going on there." "There's a couple of impalas looking over in the distance there." "So we'll go and have a look." "As he approaches the banks of the Luangwa," "Nathan makes a startling discovery." "It looks like a couple of males on the other side of the river." "These seven-year-old brothers are the males that abandoned the Hollywood pride months ago." "Definitely our two Hollywood males that have been on the other side of the river for a long, long time." "During their time away, the pair have taken over another pride, and have been mating with its females." "These two boys really look in fantastic condition." "But possibly having heard the Punks calling, they're coming back to check on the Hollywood females." "It's well into the dry season... so for the first time in months, the Luangwa River is low enough for lions to cross... although it's by no means safe." "I've actually seen a male taken by a crocodile crossing the river before, so you can see they're quite nervous, actually." "There's a huge crocodile behind them." "These males mated with Ava, and fathered the newly discovered cubs... so could provide the protection they need." "They may even drive out the trio of Punk invaders." "These guys have now crossed over and they're going to have a real good look around at who's in their territory." "But with the Hollywood females already mating with the Punks, it's not clear if these returning males will be welcomed by their former mates." "Not far away, it seems one reunion has already taken place." "I'm really hoping that's the little one that we saw yesterday on her own." "And since then, she's found another friend." "It looks like the little young female survived the night to pair up with another juvenile." "The rest of the herd can't be far away." "It's really great that she's found another elephant to be with." "It will just increase their chances of survival around these lions because they are very close to the Hollywood pride." "Safety in numbers with elephants, definitely, and especially because she was so little." "The two youngsters soon locate the rest of their family... and are both safely back in the herd." "There's a huge range in the level of independence and maturity in the Luangwa Valley's newborns." "An antelope can run an hour after being born... while a lion cub needs up to a month to reach the same stage." "Animals born ready-to-go tend to have a small brain size in relation to their body, as it doesn't develop much more after birth." "While those born helpless may initially need greater care, they benefit from a long period of learning that allows their brains to develop to a much larger size." "Lion cubs don't become fully independent until over the age of two-and-a-half." "At three months and still suckling, Grace is one of the lucky ones... as the rest of her family is starting to get hungry." "And an important member of the pride is badly injured." "This wound is massive." "You can almost see the muscle tendons inside." "She's lost all the skin on top of it." "It's kind of rife for infection." "The lioness was impaled by a buffalo during the pride's last hunt." "This female seems to be the female that leads the hunt." "She seems to be the one that's slightly more dominant than the others." "Such a large wound in such a key member of the pride is a massive problem." "Their ability to hunt will certainly be affected, and it could mean lean times ahead." "It's really essential that she gets better." "There's a lot of mouths to feed." "For Grace, getting a real taste for meat is vital to her development." "But for now, it's going to have to wait." "Still near the river, Nathan's stuck by the returning Hollywood males." "Look at this lovely male here." "Look at that lovely guy." "Two huge males coming back to claim their territory." "The pair suddenly increase their pace." "They've obviously picked up on something." "This is fantastic." "I think they're actually heading straight towards three females." "They're running across now." "Can you see the females anywhere?" "But after a four-month absence, their sudden return alarms the lionesses... who could see them as a threat." "The second male is in pursuit." "The males set their sights on one female in particular." "There's the other female." "The driving force in every male is to mate." "It's what motivates their..." "at times - nomadic behaviour." "Still running." "The chase goes on for almost three quarters of an hour." "But, finally, the heat forces them to stop." "Interestingly enough, they were just scent marking." "They're now clearly claiming back their territory." "Without receptive females, it's unclear how long the returning former rulers will stick around... and whether they will provide the protection their newborn cubs desperately need." "In Zambia's Luangwa Valley, things are coming to a head." "For two years, the Hollywood pride have been without cubs, and now they finally have a trio of newborns." "They're being invaded by the Punks from the neighbouring pride." "If these intruders find Spotty and his brothers, they'll kill them." "But it's the dry season..." "Every day it's got hotter and hotter and every day it's 45 degrees." "And the low river level has allowed the long-absent Hollywood males to return to their old territory." "Perhaps they will provide the protection" "Spotty and his brothers desperately need." "Everything just feels like it's sort of ready to explode now." "Located in tropical Africa, sunset in Luangwa occurs incredibly quickly." "In the space of 20 minutes, the landscape is in darkness." "But this doesn't stop the recently returned Hollywood males patrolling their old territory." "Unaware the Punks have been mating with their females, they're scent marking and calling... behaviour that is supposed to secure their territory and discourage rival males from entering." "They come across a leopard with a kill." "It quickly takes evasive action... leaving the pair to feast below." "Lions are expert scavengers... also stealing carcasses from wild dogs, hyenas and even other lions." "It's thought scavenged food can provide up to half the big cat's diet." "Throughout the evening, the males continue to patrol." "Come midnight, the pair haven't met the invading Punks or located any runaway females." "So the Hollywood males make a fateful decision..." "To return to their other pride." "It's possible that, had they found their newborn cubs, they would have stayed around to safeguard them." "Instead, the Hollywood cubs' best chance of protection from the invading Punks just disappeared across the river." "Dawn is the closest thing to rush hour in the animal kingdom... with the nocturnal shift heading home and many species on the move before the heat of the day... although the Punks have decided not to go anywhere," "and are sticking in Hollywood territory." "Their ongoing presence is a massive threat to Ava and her cubs." "However, the new mother has a more immediate concern... and has been forced to leave her little ones in hiding." "She's on the move calling..." "No-one's really answering back." "Lions have a range of grunts, moans and growls." "With these calls, Ava's trying to reconnect with her pride, probably because she's hungry." "Lions can go for four or five days without eating." "But, obviously, the mother needs to produce milk for the little cubs." "Without enough to eat," "Ava's milk would dry up in a matter of days, and her cubs would starve." "I think she's actually been out trying to hunt, probably unsuccessfully, and she's actually quite hungry." "Hunger's also becoming a big issue for Grace and the Punks' pride." "It's three days since they've last eaten." "Their lead hunter is still out of action, and they are struggling to cope without her." "When the pride moves off, the lioness is reduced to limping behind." "The dry season brings all the game closer together..." "And in this glut, a pride can be successful in almost 40% of hunt attempts." "But not this time." "Desperate to suckle and yet to learn the habits of the hunt," "Grace interrupts." "Everyone will have to go hungry for a little longer." "Spotty and his brothers have already spent seven hours in hiding, and the longer their mother's away, the more likely it is that they'll be discovered." "A hyena... just metres from their hiding place." "If she discovers the cubs, she may well take the opportunity to get rid of future competition." "The cubs have to keep quiet." "Fortunately, this female hyena has little ones of her own... and their need to feed distracts her." "Spotty and the cubs are safe... for now." "For Ava, hours of walking and calling has paid off." "We've been following this female, and we must have gone about two/three kilometres." "And, I mean, it's absolutely amazing that this female has just met up with another female lion, quite a young one, about four years old." "This lioness is also from the Hollywood pride, and there's a great deal of affection between the two." "It's absolutely amazing that the distance that we've followed over the terrain we have that these two just somehow bump into each other." "This playful behaviour is thought to strengthen social bonds." "It's a charming reminder that, despite the hardships they face... these are social animals that greatly enjoy each other's company." "And there's another benefit." "Hunting as a pair could increase Ava's chances of eating." "But it's now nearly midday, and the temperature is rising." "I think it's getting too hot now, so probably she's going to rest in the shade." "I think it's going to be a long day under the bush." "During the hot dry season, temperatures in Luangwa can hit 45 degrees in the shade." "Zebras' stripes are thought to absorb and reflect heat at different rates in order to create tiny cooling air currents." "An elephant dust bath not only repels insects but also serves as a primitive sun screen." "Despite their adaptations, the oppressive heat means most species are inactive during the day." "But come evening, it's time to eat." "And a big male buffalo has wandered a little too far from his herd... and a little too close to the bulk of the Hollywood pride." "What's going on over there?" "The lions are hunting buffalos." "The lions are chasing buffalos." "This big male is over six times the weight of the lioness stalking it." "Nicknamed Black Death, buffalo are extremely dangerous." "Most successful hunts take place in the hours of darkness in dense cover and with a group of lions against a single prey animal." "With the light fading, this could be the perfect scenario." "The rapid onset of an inky black African night finds the team in the thick of a lion hunt." "Buffalo..." "I can't really see that much." "The Hollywood pride have cornered an enormous and highly dangerous buffalo." "We are so, so close." "I mean, five metres away." "The incredible drama of a night hunt is something rarely ever seen." "But the unique abilities of the thermal camera reveals how the lions surround the buffalo to prevent escape." "The lions want it to be done as quickly as possible because it's such a dangerous thing for them to do." "This buffalo has massive horns, and the lions can very easily get injured." "With large prey like this, lions try and attack from the rear, jump on top of the animal, and use their own weight to wrestle it to the ground." "It's an amazing feat to take down this enormous animal that will feed the whole pride." "Eventually, sheer weight of numbers sees the pride win out." "They bite the throat or over the nose and mouth to suffocate their victim." "Seeing them like this is just... it's a whole new light..." "It's quite extraordinary." "The job done, the Hollywood pride tuck in." "However, all the uproar has caught the attention of one of the invading Punks." "Although he's already been mating with the Hollywoods, right now, no-one's happy to see him." "But the male's not alone." "He's brought the whole of the Punks' pride with him, including seven hungry cubs." "With no males of their own to fight their corner, and exhausted from the hunt, the Hollywoods are forced to retreat... allowing the Punks' pride, including the cubs, to descend on the feast." "Even little Grace." "And the three-month-old cub is certainly tucking in on her long-awaited meal." "This is a major milestone." "Grace has joined the ranks of the meat eaters." "The dry season and dropping river levels expose muddy banks that can trap the unwary... providing rich pickings for lions." "Having had her last meal provided by a stolen buffalo, fate hands Grace her next one on a plate." "She may have acquired a taste for meat, but Grace still has a lot to learn, especially when it comes to dining with a big male." "She's about to find out... she has to know her place." "She's limping off, but it's quite interesting the bigger cub that comes in sort of following along, whether it's reassurance or curiosity... why, what's going on... but she doesn't look too pleased to have any company at the moment." "I think she'll be all right, but obviously got a bit of a telling-off from the Punk." "I suppose, like all mammals, really, is going through a process of learning your manners, essentially, sort of what you can and can't do, what's pushing the boundaries." "So it might be a hard learning curve, but this is going to be her family unit." "She's essentially going to grow up as part of this pride." "Grace needs to learn how to fit into her family, and fast, as next time, she might not get off so lightly." "It's been over 36 hours since Nathan set eyes on Ava and her cubs." "Keen to find out if she's returned to them, he makes his way back to her lair in the bushes." "And it seems she's been busy." "We've just come across Ava, the Hollywood mother." "And she's killed a zebra." "I mean, it's absolutely fantastic of her, as a single lioness, to bring down this zebra completely by herself." "Now Ava's eaten, her hungry cubs can finally get the sustenance they need too." "It's really lovely to see them playing around and suckling with mum." "Although staying with the zebra carcass is a potentially dangerous decision." "The smell can draw in hyenas, who might kill the cubs." "And with the Punks still in Hollywood territory, they also pose a threat... one that's suddenly very real... as one of the big males is incredibly close by." "This is the deepest into the Hollywood territory that we've seen the Punk boys." "Ava's flattened ears, thrashing tail and lowered head indicate she's extremely disturbed." "With the zebra kill right here, males just there, it's probably not the best place to have her cubs at the moment because it looks like these boys might try and take over this territory." "And if they do, I'm fairly certain that these cubs won't have a chance." "Faced with a powerful and aggressive carnivore... like many other species in Luangwa... the best option for Ava and her little ones is to run and hide." "Next time..." "The very peak of the dry season sees a bottleneck at the river." "Literally, all the wildlife comes down here." "Hippos, crocs and lions clash." "Ava introduces her cubs to the rest of the pride." "They're here." "But do all three little ones make it?" "I only see two." "And amongst Pip and Grace's pride, a family feud explodes, and cubs come under attack." "Subtitles by Deluxe"