"There are predators and there are prey." "And then, there are enemies." "From ancient times, Africa has been the place where huge cats ruled the flooded forests and swamps of prehistory." "It was a violent time, when the nightmare of massive predators stalked the land and nothing was safe." "Well, those nightmares are back." "There is an unusual pride of lions stalking these swamps." "Cats that live in water and hunt a single herd of Cape buffalo." "Evolution favors predators that can hunt a range of prey, but these lions are defying that trend by becoming specialists, relentless hunters of this one prey." "The explosive sky spitting fire from the heavens is an unsettling prelude to the battle ahead." "When two old adversaries come head to head, the conflict is a war of wills." "The outcome will hang in the balance." "There is an island in Africa, a place where the ghostly shapes of over 1 ,000 buffalo drift over the domain of the resident pride of lions." "The Tsaro pride are buffalo hunters, made up of nine lionesses of enormous bulk." "Thick necks and heavy chests define them, features that serve them well for this unique hunting." "Amongst them, a silver-eyed female, possibly blinded in combat with the buffalo." "She carries her battle scars well and leads many of the hunts." "The heaviest set is a skew-eared female." "And the twins." "Two identical lionesses that often give birth to cubs at the same time and always hunt together." "Then there is the large older female, a good huntress, but there is something different about her." "She sits off to the side, watching the pride, always distant." "The skew-horned buffalo bull is the herd's pathfinder, and he has led it around the Tsaro territory for years." "He is a survivor and senses the trouble ahead." "There is a magical moment in any hunt, each time, just one first moment, a time somewhere between the initial stalking approach of individual lions and the coordinated run-in of a unified pride." "At that moment, the decision is made," ""We will attack, and we will attack together."" "There is no fight like the fight for survival and for the life of your offspring." "But these lions will not accept failure." "A charging buffalo doesn't strike fear in their hearts." "It spurs them into a deadly game of attack and counterattack, thrust and parry, a relentless duel." "This hunt is far from over." "Blood has been tasted, and like some invisible thread, it will lead them back to the injured calf time and time again, day after day after day." "For this is an island surrounded by an intricate web of thick papyrus swamps and deep water to the south and west." "The buffalo are unable to cross the fast-flowing and crocodile-infested rivers." "And to the north, deep channels carved out by hippos make it difficult for the herd to swim to safety in that direction." "There is no escape for the buffalo." "When they do wade into the maze of channels that ring fence Duba Island, they get entangled, confused, and ultimately are forced to return to the waiting lions." "So, what to us may seem a watery paradise is for the buffalo a deadly confinement, shrinking during the seasonal floods before drying out to a faded savanna, where two great warriors rule," "the males of the Tsaro pride." "They are masters of all on this island, in particular the buffalo, they and their Tsaro females seldom let out of their sight." "There is a significant new addition to the pride." "Growing up against this backdrop of buffalo, he needs to be nimble and confident on his feet to become a Tsaro lion, a specialist buffalo hunter." "Because lions are cooperative killers, he must also learn how to be part of the pride and obey the harsh rules that govern it." "He has a brief window, while under his mother's intense protection, to memorize the personality of each pride member." "The lone female is his first study." "The mother's explosive defense only increases the tension in the pride and sets in motion a further and ominous isolation of the old female." "As a Tsaro lion, his world is now a world of buffalo." "Slowly, the clicking horns and occasional bellows will become as common to his ears as the sound of flood waters rippling on the sand." "Each day brings him closer to the time when he'll be ready to propel himself into the midst of the herd, unflinchingly throwing himself, just like his mother does, against the terrifying wall of horns." "The buffalo must walk their own knife-edged path of survival, finding food and water while all the time avoiding the dangers that will leave their bones scattered in the indignity of death." "The buffalo are crossing back into his mother's territory." "She has anticipated the path of the herd's return perfectly." "The technique, flush the herd and scan for the weak." "This time she is alone." "But she knows the gifts of this summer season, the newborn calves." "Buffalo's senses, both of sight and smell, are well developed." "Their hearing is excellent." "These are intense and alert animals, but a sixth sense creeps through her now." "She knows there is a lion nearby and she knows it is coming for her calf." "All cats have an instinctive fear of water." "But when the mother leads her day-old calf into the swamp, the Tsaro lioness doesn't hesitate to follow." "There is iron-fisted determination in a female with a hunger and a cub to feed." "It is the trade-off that Africa must make from time to time." "Under the lions' inescapable surveillance, it is a constant effort just to survive." "So each precious life that slips into existence in this game of life and death is a victory against the sentinels that scan the bushes for any sign of opportunity." "Every delicate first step silently bolsters the herd against their decline under the relentless onslaughts they endure." "Each wobble during the agonizing hour it takes to stabilize, is a celebratory yell against the fates." "And each successful birth is a tiny contract that keeps the system alive." "The synchrony of births overwhelms the Tsaro pride with a flood of calves that outdoes their capacity to kill all the newborn." "They are limited to what they can eat today, one calf at a time." "Although many are killed, the majority of the baby buffalo survive." "As the buffalo start to move, the lions of the Tsaro pride feel their pangs of hunger begin to stir." "Ahead will be a fast-moving game of life and death, for they must know that taking on a fully grown buffalo with nothing but claws and teeth has to be the most dangerous game of all." "On this unique Okavango island, with its one herd of buffalo and three prides of lions, one would expect the nights to be filled with bloodcurdling bellows." "But strangely, these lions seldom hunt under the cover of darkness." "So nighttime is the herd's chance to slip away to the far side of the island, or even across the river, if they can." "The lions' diligence has kept the herd contained within the Tsaro territory for weeks." "While there has been a feast on this side of the channel, there has been a famine on the other." "The lions to the north, the Skimmer pride, has been without food for too long, and now their hunger drives them through the water." "They are nowhere near the size of the Tsaro lionesses, but they have other skills." "Now, the Skimmer pride has to risk making an insurgent sortie." "Just four small adult females with 1 0 hungry and ineffectual cubs, they have to do this stealthily." "They are taking a huge risk." "If they panic the herd too early, the Tsaro females are bound to hear the chase and react." "Too vigorous an attack, and the cubs could fall underfoot of a stampede." "When a single female sees her target, the risk increases even more." "The only option now is a frontal attack." "This is almost suicidal." "Incredibly, she fells an adult cow buffalo unaided, and drowns its muffled bellows in the water." "Their desperation sees off any intruders." "A hurried meal is all they can risk for now." "To the south, the big Tsaro females are ready and waiting." "In a sophisticated and well-honed tactic of herding the buffalo, they first panic them with a strange, growling charge." "The object is not to attack, but to stampede the herd into the water." "Only then do they pick off the struggling young as they flounder out of their depth." "It is Silver Eye who makes the first contact, dragging her prey underwater to deliver mortal wounds before the mother can retaliate and rescue her calf." "Then the hunt goes into phase two." "Now, like sheepdogs, the lions herd the buffalo together, relentlessly pushing in." "It is clinical, this constant probing for weakness, the following through the flood waters for up to seven hours at a time." "The lone female hangs back for a moment, but the cub is eager to join in despite his instinctive fear of water." "Water is an element that all Tsaro lions must conquer early to become what they are, true swamp cats." "And then, the stabbing attacks begin." "Each attack weakens the spirit of the herd." "This is the hunt they were born to." "And this is when the blood races, adrenaline coursing through their muscles, throbbing in their heads." "The young are jostled between anxious mothers and defensive bulls, and this is what the lions have been waiting for, mistakes, that given time and constant pressure, are bound to happen." "And this is what the masters have been waiting for." "Each kill is eagerly observed from a distance." "Ready to add more battle scars to his profile if need be, he is here to claim his bounty." "The lionesses have come to accept this unchivalrous behavior." "It is their sacrifice for the protection that the males give to the pride." "And knowing that the buffalo are about to escape across the river, they continue the hunt." "The females that have run and hunted hard will need the next kill to be theirs." "This kill must be large enough to both feed those that stayed back protecting the cub, and sustain the lionesses that have been injured in this last attack." "For the females, the next hunt had better succeed." "The buffalo on this island have developed an unusual tactic for defense." "It seems to baffle the lions." "Under threat, they present an impenetrable wall of horns by simply dropping down to sleep." "There are just a handful of hyenas on the island." "When a new mother tries to move her cubs out of the way of the herd, she is well aware that she is being watched from both sides." "She doesn't want to be caught in the middle of this battle." "The unruly cubs had better head for cover." "Lions will hunt down and kill hyenas even though they don't eat them." "But these lions are focused on killing something edible, so, for today at least, there's no danger." "When the herd finally sets off, the lions slip into place." "Only half the females are here today, injuries from the last hunt have taken their toll, and the mother has gone off to search for her missing cub." "Expert buffalo hunters that they are, the Tsaro females don't always get it right the first time." "The remnants of the pride are hard-pressed to outmaneuver the young male they have selected." "Now the real hunt begins." "Defiant young bulls, determined to make it to their prime, are filled with the confidence the testosterone gives them." "The bull refuses to give ground to this handful of irritating lions." "He will turn and fight another day." "The buffalo are moving east again, out of the Tsaro territory." "It is their chance to cross off the island." "In their path, other lions, the Pantry pride, look forward to their arrival." "These are the risk-takers." "Once a formidable hunting coalition of eight lions, this pride could take down a buffalo whenever they were hungry." "Fortune smiled on them." "But then, one day fate turned against them." "They would take on even the largest in a battle of the titans, they'd take risks, frontal attacks, wrestling the bulls to their knees." "They'd collapse their prey forward, unlike other prides who will avoid injury and stay well clear of the sharp hooves." "These were the bold lions of Duba, to whom the slashing points of a bull's horn were nothing more than an obstacle to be overcome with brute force." "Their raids on this buffalo pantry were like medieval duels in which they seemed invincible, but the injuries took their toll." "The pride withered away from eight to four, and finally, after this kill, just three." "The Pantry pride is doomed." "By contrast, the buffalo are steadily building in strength." "Within this seemingly chaotic mass is a surprising, almost military organization." "Kinship groups like small regiments making up brigades in their clans and herds." "As they hone their weapons against trees and shrubs, they signal their aggression." "Constantly reinforced bonds protect the young and bolster their group strength." "The buffalo are more than just prey for lions." "Tsaro in action again, coordinated and working as a unit to fell a young cow." "But the fallen cow belongs." "It is her saving grace." "Time and time again, when the lionesses separate her out of the herd, her clan rallies to find her." "And it is here that the whole pride is needed to distract and counter, to face down the charging family and to outflank the injured cow." "But not today." "Three lionesses haven't shown up for the hunt and the buffalo are getting stronger." "The Skimmer pride, hungry again on the northern bank and with nothing to do." "The cubs urge their mothers towards the channel, ready for another insurgent adventure." "The mothers take the bait even though they're wary of alerting the resting Tsaro lionesses." "This time they bring their own male with them." "Slightly younger than the old Tsaro males, he looks ahead and swims on into forbidden territory." "Now, in the tense world of a forbidden land on the wrong side of the river, the Skimmer cubs are intrigued by anything that moves." "It's an exciting and prohibited world for them." "Their mothers let the teenagers experiment with the porcupine." "It could be a painful lesson." "Lions are often disabled by those sharp quills." "The barbed point will cause infection, and with lions that are constantly in and out of swamp water, these infections could kill them." "But this play gives the cubs experience they need to have." "Perhaps this is the day for teaching the cubs about life, even though it is a strange place to do it." "The buffalo are an ideal canvass for that education, and this is what they came for." "Sound carries forever here, especially to ears attuned to the one prey species they know well and the one signal of distress they know intimately." "The cow is an easy target, but the herd has been emboldened by a wave of successes in seeing off such attackers." "With each success they develop more confidence." "Their triumph further enrages them and, as it does, the scales are tipped against the splintered Skimmer pride." "There is a subtle power shift that sends the hunters fleeing for cover." "It is a turning point in this relationship." "With the pride scattered and running scared, now the buffalo have a real chance of skewering a lion at last." "It turns into a chaotic scramble for safety for the surprised young lions." "Far across the open grassland from the fleeing pride, one of the insecure teenage males is isolated." "The herd has cut off his escape." "The Tsaro pride has heard the commotion." "They are here." "Skew Ear is always quick on the offensive, and slowly they appear from everywhere." "Now they are united." "The Skimmer lions are too shaken by the buffalo's aggression to notice that the lions coming at them from all directions are not from their pride." "It takes a moment to notice the fire in their eyes." "The Skimmer pride has no heart for a fight." "The strength of being on their own territory weighs heavily on the side of the resident males." "The Tsaro males focus on any foreign male, leaving the females to their own battles." "This is male business now, one on one, or if possible two on one." "When these huge males fight, it is at enormous risk to both." "Even the victors have to guard against a stray bite or defensive swipe that could sever a jugular or slice open a fatal wound." "Slowed down by the water, the cubs are taking a risk of their own in crossing." "The incensed Tsaro females could easily cross right in behind them and take the fight to the far shore." "So even though the odds are stacked in their favor, this attack is not driven to the point of death." "This time their point has been made," ""This is our land and we will defend it." ""The boundary has been secured."" "The Tsaro pride's aggressive defense is extreme because at last they have a new set of cubs to defend." "Hunters by nature, they seem to know what they are born to." "Their play is a dress rehearsal for what will one day not be a game." "And already they smell of lion." "It is a scent that drives the lead bulls wild." "The buffalo are incensed by the wafting, invisible smell of lions, and they push deeper into the Tsaro palms, stomping at any movement." "The twin mothers have arrived, drawn back to their cubs by the weight of the milk they carry." "And when they see the chaos around them, the low growls of displeasure begin." "These are angry lions now, not calculating hunters." "Flinging themselves at the buffalo takes them beyond the simple contest for food." "Now they are enemies." "But when their thrusts are countered, the scales are tipped in the delicate confidence game that drives everything in nature." "But any retreat would mean sacrificing their cubs." "Not these two mothers." "Not the twins." "But when the mothers check for their cubs among the palms, nothing but a disturbing silence greets them." "Only half of the cubs seem to have survived the buffalo onslaught, but then, from the safety of the palms, three more and finally all of them come tumbling out." "With only one casualty." "Most lions recover well from the deep cuts they endure in their violent life because of their thin skins and the dry climate." "But in the swamp, injuries are kept moist and raw, open to infection." "The twins decide as one to move the litter away from the aggressive herd of buffalo." "For the injured cub, this may be the worst time to have to go on a long march, especially when the only way ahead is through water." "And as their whiskers touch the still unfamiliar water, they feel their future as swamp cats for the first time on their skins." "It is a future that is extremely precarious for the whole pride, not just the one lagging cub." "With such extreme hunting, it's inevitable that at least one of the Tsaro lionesses will be injured or killed at some time." "When that happens, the pride will be in desperate need of some of their cubs." "It is essential that they keep the hunting numbers at the ideal eight or nine lionesses." "This then is a precious cargo." "This wet, swampy world they live in makes up an intricate part of the lions' hunting strategy, where the buffalo are slowed down." "But it also wears out the lions." "Both they and their prey are more vulnerable in the swamp." "Beyond the ebb and flow of this unpredictable relationship, a strange set of patterns emerge." "The lions start to show signs of understanding much more, and going much further in their strategies for hunting buffalo." "The season change brings new wanderers through their territory, big herds of elephants from the dry interior." "To the north, no more than a few dozen pride territories away, other lions have specialized in killing elephants, but not these lions." "Even though their bulk would be valuable in an elephant hunt, they show no interest at all." "Lions learn quickly, but they most often stick to what they know." "And here, that is buffalo hunting." "When the buffalo are woken and scattered into the 1 1 0-degree heat," "Skew Horn looks north and picks out a landmark." "The Tsaro lionesses follow." "They've seen this before." "They know exactly where the herd is going, almost before the last members of the herd know themselves." "From their memory of past successes and an intimate knowledge of the terrain, the lions now do something that shows the precise calculation of their hunting strategies." "They position themselves, ready to play out the same game plan they have used many times before." "When the lionesses ignore the herd and circle ahead of it, it is because they are drawing on memory from past battles." "They know where the buffalo will be the most vulnerable." "Up ahead is where the herd will wedge itself against the deep water's edge." "All the lions have to do is to position themselves, ready for the herd to turn back." "The cubs are along as well." "The Tsaro lionesses may be this enormous size because of some genetic trait that the cubs will inherit." "The constant wading may also be a key to developing these huge chests and upper legs, an exercise the cubs will get used to, even though now the soft mud and the small creatures that scurry away underfoot unsettle them." "The sheer volume of buffalo meat these specialist cubs will eat may be a further factor in making them into these enormous Okavango swamp cats." "Somewhere along the way, the injured cub fell behind and disappeared, a bitter reminder to any cub that lags." "The old loner is also along today, hanging back and weary of the unruly cubs splashing noisily among them." "This hunt has all the signs of being chaotic and dangerous." "Their plan is working." "The buffalo are exactly where the lions want them." "The setup is perfect." "Now the hunt turns to the straggling bulls, old, fiercely independent fighters, aggressive and tough." "This will be a battle of giants." "This is the object of every hunt, continually add pressure and cause something to unravel." "Mistakes are then inevitable." "A single cow stands out among the bulls, an easier target." "But as she turns back, it is into the path of a waiting lioness." "The lion conquers her hesitation." "She has unlocked the puzzle and found the weak spot in the buffalo's defense." "The activity is like a magnet." "Even the lone lioness hazards the depths to get to the flaying cow." "But these may be waters too much even for a Tsaro female." "The crystal clear waters allow frightening glimpses of what lurks below." "And when the buffalo starts to sink, the lioness makes the decision to swim for it." "Making for the river bank before the crocodiles she knows are down there can surface, she leaves the buffalo cow to her own devices, a more vulnerable bait." "The herd has outmaneuvered the lions again today, perhaps because it was the cubs' first hunt." "Females were scattered, and the chaos didn't quite work in their favor." "Instantly, the buffalo settle, quick to let go of the stress of the attack." "Their way of dealing with the lions' relentless predation is to put it all behind them." "It takes the lions some time to notice that none of the cubs is with them." "Hours later, they find one dead in the grass." "The distance from water absolves the crocodiles." "This may be something more insidious." "For Silver Eye, the distress is too much, and she slowly and deliberately eats the remains of the cub." "Whether lions can mourn or not, there is an air of desperation around the pride now." "At least one of these females knows exactly what has happened to the cubs." "One female was always behind." "Others are more determined to defend their young." "In the case of the Blacksmith plovers, it is at risk of death, against overwhelming odds." "It is the time of the angry bulls." "Monsters filled with aggression and exploding with testosterone find any reason to knock down an opponent." "And while these beasts engage in combat, the plovers stand their ground in amongst the thrashing hooves." "There is nothing delicate about this." "These are battles of brute force that male buffalo are built for." "Their heavy necks are able to withstand tons of head-to-head impact." "Without these gnarled and impossibly heavy horny bosses for protection, the repeated shocks would most likely shatter their skulls." "With the upturned hooks on their horns, the Cape buffalo slash savagely at each other." "These blood-soaked rapiers are an indication of just how easily a thin-skinned lioness could succumb, let alone a plover weighing less than a pound." "And underfoot, those plovers have made their point, just in time for their own additions to Duba plains." "Despite the heavy predation by lions, the buffalo here have broken through the threshold where the lions can destroy the herd." "They have started to breed faster than the lions can kill them, and the herd swells each year, staying together instead of fragmenting, as you would expect." "Now sleeping within five or six paces of the accepting herd, the lions have moved this to a new level of intimacy, perhaps an indication of where this unusual relationship may go." "The two old males of Duba have seen many a battle together and stolen many a kill from their lionesses." "But at nearly 1 3 years old, their time is coming to an end." "When they are overthrown, life will be even more unstable for the pride." "And in this bizarre display of familiarity, the Tsaro females have so imbedded themselves with the buffalo that they have become almost an extension of the herd." "As the herd gets closer to the Tsaro territory boundaries, the lions are even more attentive, not letting their buffalo out of their sight." "When the herd moves closer to the water and possible escape, the lions look ahead and comb their memories for strategies and plans of action they can use, and then decide on one." "The buffalo find their direction." "They plan to cross the river." "This calls for a different tactic altogether." "Hunting here is not only a physical effort, it is a mind game." "Now the lionesses maneuver themselves carefully into key positions, poaching just a little into the Skimmer pride territory." "The ambush is a bold tactic to frighten the buffalo back to where they came from." "With the buffalo back in Tsaro territory, the lions can now hunt them on their own terms." "At first, the front line of cats moves in shoulder to shoulder." "They still need the buffalo a little further away from the water and possible escape, so they shift them with short, stabbing attacks." "But each individual lioness who attacks is vulnerable to the bad-tempered old bulls." "As the forays continue, the herd senses a lack of conviction and slowly the power shifts again." "And then, quite suddenly, it seems as though the lions have lost their advantage." "Their attacks become uncoordinated and sloppy as they get lost in the choking dust." "But then, the break happens." "The herd skirts the palm islands and a Tsaro lioness sees her target through the dust." "These are running attacks." "Deep chests filled with air, heavy upper legs give them the stamina they need to keep up and to launch themselves into battle." "For the lions now, it is a race to survive, one day at a time, a struggle they are determined to win." "Six months after the rain in the highlands, the flood waters arrive in the Okavango." "The surface area of the island is suddenly reduced, and the lions and buffalo are forced together even more intensely." "Today the lions are using the water to work the buffalo into a frenzy." "Once in the water, the cats target the calves." "The drag effect slows the weaker, young animals down." "Lions are expert in recognizing that weakness." "The confidence of these buffalo has now reached a level where any attack is challenged." "In other places, buffalo usually flee in panic to the furthermost parts of their range." "But here, they stay as close to the lions as possible, circling around the attacking lions they know rather than running away wildly, which they've learned will only attract other prides." "The Tsaro pride needs all their resources and concentration now." "Any distractions will shift the power away from them again, in favor of the buffalo." "In the continued attacks, the injured calf is embraced behind a wall of buffalo and once again the lions, only reluctant and uneasy when their whiskers touch the water, continue the hunt." "Once again, they have to spur the herd into panic before they can search out the injured calf." "This is where they need all of their pride members to keep the herd under pressure." "And then, they see it." "But surprisingly for this area, a small raiding party of hyenas arrives, attracted by the commotion within the stampeding herd." "These huge lions don't have the experience of hyenas very often and their reactions are astonishing." "Just one of these lionesses outweighs a hyena three times over, and yet the small handful of attackers manages to gain the psychological advantage simply with posture and intimidation." "Today the lions seem to think better of provoking the hyenas or evoking the wrath of their vicious teeth and darting demeanors." "The hunt is over for the lions, another failure, although the hyenas can still smell opportunity." "When the herd nuzzles the wounded calf, they taste the blood and sense his fear." "The day is not yet over for the buffalo and their injured calf." "Now he is left to the more persistent dogging by these new predators on the scene." "When Skew Ear and Silver Eye regroup with the twins and decide to move off, it is not to hunt again, but to retire from the field, beaten, and to find the other females." "Something in their strategy just isn't working." "After the cub deaths, the pride has been distracted, females joining loosely and disbanding again." "But just as the hunting party breaks up, the hyenas drive the buffalo right in behind the departing lions." "And now, all they must do is to reach out and take what is rightfully theirs." "It's an intoxicating moment, that instant of a lion's explosive and determined rush at its prey." "The water drags at any movement, slows their responses and magnifies the effort each has to make to escape or capture their prey." "It is a contest to see which animal has developed the best weapons to cope with the water." "The heavy buffalo bodies pitted against the wit and strength of the lions." "The heroic defense of the clan versus the instant damage of an attack, each racing against time." "The time it takes to inflict a mortal wound." "And the capacity to outsmart and outlast the enemy in this battle is an art, a science," "poetry in the face of death." "Their new nemeses are quick to follow up." "Where this new confidence came from, we will never know, but the psychological tactic is overpowering." "Both of the lions' kills are under threat now." "A wall of attacking, demonic, blood-splattered hyenas will intimidate even the strongest warriors of the plains." "But the day is far from over." "The buffalo have bounced back yet again and are heading for the water-crossing to the west." "The day's relentless demands have sent them back on a familiar path, and, as before, the lions recognize the pattern." "When they make their third kill of the day, the battered pride assembles at last." "The besieged herd makes one last stand for their injured calf." "This has not been their day of glory." "Their five hours of hunting has fed almost every other predator in Duba and, but for a few mouthfuls, the huntresses have gone unsated." "The lionesses of the Tsaro pride are finally exhausted." "They cannot push the buffalo another step." "The astonishing beauty in their haunting relationship is what makes this island so special." "At dawn, as the lions and the buffalo gather for their daily interaction, it is difficult not to see them as part of one whole." "The buffalo herd is kept pruned of the sick and the weak, a burden that weighs heavily on their progress." "And the lions could certainly not live without them." "They need each other." "When individual buffalo step out at the lions and playfully leap back to safety, it is a deadly game." "The movements seem to lock these two in an ageless dance, in perfect harmony on that essential edge of life where heroism and bravery are tempered by the constant risk of death." "The lions amble out of the way, but bounce back, and for just a moment the backwards and forwards movement takes on a fluidity that is much more than just predators and prey, or even enemies." "This is a deadly dance that can erupt into violence in a heartbeat." "And slowly, the lionesses are assembling." "Just then, the old female stops." "In the distance, one of the missing females appears with two new cubs." "Like an expectant grandmother, the old female is enraptured." "But something bothers the mother about her approach." "It sends the cubs back towards their hiding place." "Something in her body language instills fear and foreboding in their innocent, but perceptive, minds." "And then, her actions are clear to the mother." "She is the cub killer!" "When the mother attacks her, it is as if it is for all the mothers that lost their cubs in the past few years." "Her attentive rearguard while the mothers were off hunting gave her the opportunity to finish off each and every cub in the past two years." "Thirty-one in total." "And at last, the cause is known." "Now, these new cubs are under threat." "And with each season of failures, the pride itself is under threat." "She must be controlled." "Now, with the cub killer known and warned off, these cubs may stand a chance." "The pride needs them to survive." "Each day these tiny jewels survive is another day towards preserving the future of the pride." "Against a permanent backdrop of buffalo, their play is a dull pleasure." "Every blow to each other while playing is a risk in this environment." "But it will be hard to control the killing." "It may even be more extensive than just one female." "Ironically, the biggest threat to the lions is not buffalo at all, but the stalking enemy within." "It is a new day, with new challenges." "The Tsaro females collapse a prime male buffalo in seconds, with little effort." "Their efficiency as a pride running at a peak." "Everyone is here today, all except the cubs, tucked away in a thicket." "The bull's calls start to attract attention." "Slowly, the numbers mount up." "Eventually, dozens of stomping legs and fierce, swinging, saber-sharp horns slash the air around their heads." "The bull must be a valued warrior to attract the support of the whole herd." "They are now rallying to his call." "The lions are now desperate to keep their prey." "Their attack is relentless, but countered over and over by an equally determined gathering of buffalo." "It builds to a battle reminiscent of an ancient duel between titanic forces of nature where winner takes all." "A large buffalo bull, the biggest of the big, or else injury or possible death that might finally send the Tsaro pride into decline." "The partially crippled male is seen as weakened by a rival bull and mated as a show of dominance." "And then, at the height of the battle, one lioness turns back in the direction of the cubs." "The others don't notice." "They are caught up in their struggle to outsmart the buffalo." "They have no time to look back." "Quite suddenly, the lioness reappears." "It is the mother with her two cubs." "She couldn't take the chance of leaving them alone in this confusion, but now this hunt has turned into an ideal lesson for the cubs." "These little hunters' eyes take it all in and see their very first hunt." "They will learn about buffalo and the smell of blood when the air fills with that magic." "The moment when lions suddenly slip into a coordinated attack, and the hunt begins." "But it must be a terrifying time, when monsters turn and confront you and their giant shadows send chills down your spine, making you question the invincibility of your mother." "It is a dream." "It is a nightmare." "It is all things for them, as this experience overpowers them." "It is the ultimate lesson of where death fits into life, and how it is a part of life and not just the end of it." "It is a vivid display of determination, of clutching on to life, this life, against overwhelming forces." "And the old bull turns to confront his enemies." "The cubs stare into his eyes." "It is a look of foreboding warning." "And the buffalo front rank rallies again and again, wearing down the lions, circling them and chasing them to ground." "And it is a riveting lesson of fortitude and comradeship in the face of death, and finally the dignity of being able to turn and confront your tormentors head on." "And while they stay just out of harm's way, they see an even more confusing development." "From an unexpected quarter, the rival bull steps out and attacks his own, driving home his aggression and dominance, upending his old adversary, and with that, tipping the scales of victory in favor of the lions." "It is an unanticipated advantage that the lions quickly move in on." "And it is over." "The Tsaro pride are back." "Their first meat meal seems to hold as much attraction as their mother's milk." "Their curiosity only tempered by the fear of being mauled within the confusion and aggression that makes lions unique in cooperating on the hunt and yet fiercely competitive as they feed." "In the past few days, the cubs have met the rest of the pride for the first time, seen their first hunt, and are experiencing their first violent introduction to lion life." "And in this magical world, hidden by the delicate mists of time, there are questions to be asked." "Will all this be here tomorrow when we wake?" "Or will they have disappeared like ghosts, nothing but a dream remembered?" "Huge lions specializing in one prey, adapting and breeding in isolation on an island in a river that goes nowhere." "Given time, could this lead to the slow and continuous evolution of a distinct race or even species of lion?" "An island swamp cat, more precious and rare than we can imagine." "And, of course, vulnerable to the whims of our own carelessness." "The silent swish of grass against their faces doesn't distract them." "The amber coats and thick cushions on their feet are meaningless as forms of concealment for these lions." "They no longer need that." "These are the cats of this marshy wilderness, stalkers, followers, and confronters." "All relentless hunters of the buffalo, masters of their craft." "As they gather on this ancestral playing field, they dance a dance that is unique to this place and this time." "And yet, it is forever."