1 00:00:07,107 --> 00:00:10,076 This is a story about a pride of lions... 2 00:00:11,144 --> 00:00:14,045 and how they raise their cubs. 3 00:00:15,415 --> 00:00:18,578 ...about its defence force of two brothers... 4 00:00:23,023 --> 00:00:25,048 ...its mothers and hunters... 5 00:00:29,596 --> 00:00:32,565 ...and the animals that decide their future. 6 00:00:34,601 --> 00:00:37,968 Their greatest enemies, nomadic males... 7 00:00:39,873 --> 00:00:42,034 And their competitors... 8 00:00:45,378 --> 00:00:48,370 ...and their constant battle to get food. 9 00:00:52,152 --> 00:00:53,449 This is a story, 10 00:00:53,620 --> 00:00:56,851 but everything you're about to see is based on fact. 11 00:00:57,590 --> 00:01:03,722 Events that affect the lives of the cubs - the heirs to the Lion Battlefield. 12 00:01:20,780 --> 00:01:24,375 You're about to see the African savannah like never before... 13 00:01:29,823 --> 00:01:31,518 This is a virtual world - 14 00:01:31,691 --> 00:01:35,024 modelled on 50 years of scientific study. 15 00:01:35,695 --> 00:01:38,220 With new technology we analyse the lion's kingdom 16 00:01:38,398 --> 00:01:41,299 in a way that ordinary cameras cannot show. 17 00:01:44,838 --> 00:01:49,036 One hundred square miles under total surveillance... 18 00:01:49,742 --> 00:01:54,577 ...with the ability to reveal key zones within the lion battlefield. 19 00:01:59,285 --> 00:02:01,276 Rich grasslands. 20 00:02:02,489 --> 00:02:04,889 A vital water source. 21 00:02:05,692 --> 00:02:07,523 A year round marsh. 22 00:02:08,528 --> 00:02:10,655 Sheltered woodlands. 23 00:02:11,731 --> 00:02:14,461 All enclosed by an escarpment. 24 00:02:19,372 --> 00:02:21,932 This is prime lion territory... 25 00:02:26,212 --> 00:02:29,181 ...the homeland of our battlefield pride. 26 00:02:43,329 --> 00:02:46,457 The pride has seven lionesses and 1 0 cubs, 27 00:02:46,633 --> 00:02:50,865 all just a few months old and still dependent on their mothers' milk. 28 00:02:58,711 --> 00:03:02,477 Nearby, a large male, father and protector - 29 00:03:02,649 --> 00:03:05,880 one of two brothers that defend this pride. 30 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:11,921 Their job, to keep the cubs alive until they're 2 years old and independent. 31 00:03:12,292 --> 00:03:14,260 But each day brings new threats - 32 00:03:14,427 --> 00:03:19,956 and to succeed will take a mix of strength, devotion and sheer luck. 33 00:03:30,376 --> 00:03:34,142 A mile away, the second brother is on border patrol. 34 00:03:34,581 --> 00:03:36,708 Along the edge of his pride's territory, 35 00:03:36,883 --> 00:03:41,047 he leaves a string of warning messages for any rivals passing by. 36 00:03:46,993 --> 00:03:50,622 Drenched in his pheromones, the bushes act like beacons - 37 00:03:50,797 --> 00:03:55,234 clear no entry signs for other males. 38 00:04:07,013 --> 00:04:10,608 Every 30 metres or so, he repeats the message... 39 00:04:22,895 --> 00:04:26,160 And this impregnates his feet with scent. 40 00:04:38,244 --> 00:04:43,204 Every footstep lays claim to the land and the pride that lives there. 41 00:04:50,690 --> 00:04:54,023 Each brother leaves thousands of scent prints every day... 42 00:04:54,193 --> 00:04:57,060 And neighbouring pride males do the same, 43 00:04:57,230 --> 00:05:00,666 carving up the land into their separate territories. 44 00:05:01,734 --> 00:05:03,827 But in the no-man's land between, 45 00:05:04,003 --> 00:05:06,631 there's space for others to survive... 46 00:05:06,806 --> 00:05:11,140 the pride males' rivals... Nomad males... 47 00:05:11,411 --> 00:05:14,574 waiting for any chance to seize power. 48 00:05:17,016 --> 00:05:20,417 At five years old, these two are serious contenders... 49 00:05:20,586 --> 00:05:23,111 looking for a pride to call their own. 50 00:05:28,795 --> 00:05:32,788 For now, they try to keep out of the pride males' way. 51 00:05:32,965 --> 00:05:36,731 lf not, they could be killed on sight... 52 00:05:37,303 --> 00:05:39,134 but this rarely happens. 53 00:05:39,305 --> 00:05:41,705 The scented boundaries are one deterrent, 54 00:05:41,874 --> 00:05:46,243 but pride males have another way of warning trespassers to keep their distance 55 00:05:52,185 --> 00:05:57,350 A pride brother is warming up for one of the loudest sounds in Africa... 56 00:06:25,151 --> 00:06:28,780 A wave of aggression radiates across the plains... 57 00:06:31,891 --> 00:06:34,826 ...declaring that this land is his - 58 00:06:34,994 --> 00:06:38,725 and he's prepared to fight for it. 59 00:06:45,671 --> 00:06:49,505 Every lion within five miles gets the message. 60 00:06:55,515 --> 00:06:59,076 As the wall of sound races across territorial boundaries, 61 00:06:59,252 --> 00:07:01,777 heads of neighbouring prides respond... 62 00:07:01,954 --> 00:07:05,412 broadcasting their own status and location. 63 00:07:25,878 --> 00:07:28,676 And our pride brother answers back... 64 00:07:28,848 --> 00:07:33,148 So every pride male knows exactly where the others are - 65 00:07:33,519 --> 00:07:37,683 a good way of avoiding volatile face to face encounters. 66 00:07:41,093 --> 00:07:43,755 ln between, the nomads listen - 67 00:07:43,930 --> 00:07:46,262 but they keep quiet. 68 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,263 By tuning in, they work out where the pride males are... 69 00:07:54,540 --> 00:07:57,907 Today they learn the brothers are two miles apart... 70 00:07:59,979 --> 00:08:03,312 This is the chance the nomads have been waiting for... 71 00:08:04,884 --> 00:08:10,015 They cross the scent line... into occupied territory. 72 00:08:15,728 --> 00:08:20,427 From their lookout, the lionesses are first to spot the intruders - 73 00:08:21,667 --> 00:08:25,000 they know only too well what it means. 74 00:08:25,238 --> 00:08:29,732 All their cubs were killed a year ago after a similar attack by the brothers, 75 00:08:29,909 --> 00:08:32,309 who are now their mates. 76 00:08:32,678 --> 00:08:36,375 And every successful take-over is the same: 77 00:08:38,050 --> 00:08:40,382 Remove the old males... 78 00:08:40,586 --> 00:08:42,315 Kill the cubs... 79 00:08:42,588 --> 00:08:46,786 And mate to produce cubs of their own. 80 00:08:47,693 --> 00:08:50,526 Today it could happen all over again... 81 00:08:59,405 --> 00:09:02,033 At 8 years and 200 kilograms, 82 00:09:02,208 --> 00:09:04,836 this pride brother is in his prime... 83 00:09:05,011 --> 00:09:07,844 but alone he's vulnerable. 84 00:09:10,049 --> 00:09:14,509 The nomads may be novices, but there are two of them. 85 00:09:17,723 --> 00:09:23,252 Younger lionesses hide the cubs, but older females prepare to help the male... 86 00:09:23,429 --> 00:09:26,023 and this could swing the odds... 87 00:09:46,152 --> 00:09:48,245 The nomads are separated... 88 00:10:06,772 --> 00:10:10,799 They have a simple choice - retreat or die. 89 00:10:15,948 --> 00:10:20,248 The battle's over - and all 1 0 cubs are safe. 90 00:10:30,029 --> 00:10:32,793 The nomads slink away to lick their wounds... 91 00:10:32,965 --> 00:10:36,924 lucky to have survived to fight another day. 92 00:10:41,641 --> 00:10:45,338 Until then they're condemned to no-man's land again. 93 00:10:51,250 --> 00:10:54,378 Life in the pride is well worth fighting for... 94 00:10:54,553 --> 00:10:57,681 both brothers mate with all seven females. 95 00:10:57,857 --> 00:11:00,223 But victory can only be temporary. 96 00:11:00,393 --> 00:11:04,693 They'll hold the territory only for as long as they are at their peak. 97 00:11:15,741 --> 00:11:18,437 The lionesses are the true landowners - 98 00:11:18,611 --> 00:11:22,547 part of a bloodline that may date back hundreds of years. 99 00:11:23,115 --> 00:11:26,278 All sisters and daughters, they've grown up together 100 00:11:26,452 --> 00:11:29,615 and have probably never left this territory. 101 00:11:30,489 --> 00:11:33,549 This solidarity is the key to their success - 102 00:11:33,726 --> 00:11:37,822 as mothers... and as formidable hunters. 103 00:11:42,468 --> 00:11:46,495 The pride's best hunter leads... and others follow. 104 00:11:47,873 --> 00:11:50,808 Two stay behind to guard the cubs. 105 00:11:54,847 --> 00:11:58,283 Hunting together increases their chances of success. 106 00:12:03,422 --> 00:12:09,156 To feed the pride, they need to kill more than 200 animals every year. 107 00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:19,333 They've known this area all their lives... 108 00:12:19,505 --> 00:12:21,803 and now they're heading for the marsh... 109 00:12:23,676 --> 00:12:26,042 ...a zebra hotspot. 110 00:12:39,058 --> 00:12:42,516 They may have hunted here several hundred times before... 111 00:12:45,731 --> 00:12:49,360 lt's as routine as a trip to the shops. 112 00:12:50,503 --> 00:12:53,563 And zebra are on offer today. 113 00:13:01,781 --> 00:13:03,908 The hunters fan out... 114 00:13:07,319 --> 00:13:10,777 ...and one breaks off to slip around the side. 115 00:13:11,257 --> 00:13:15,057 Each lioness will now watch for her own chance independently. 116 00:13:29,775 --> 00:13:34,041 The side attacker takes advantage of the scrub to move in closer. 117 00:13:35,114 --> 00:13:37,207 There are no calls, no signals - 118 00:13:37,383 --> 00:13:40,580 just an instinctive awareness of each other's position. 119 00:13:44,023 --> 00:13:47,481 With the marsh to the rear, the zebra have few ways out... 120 00:13:47,660 --> 00:13:50,754 and one by one, their exits are being blocked. 121 00:14:01,841 --> 00:14:04,241 The lions pay no attention to wind direction... 122 00:14:04,410 --> 00:14:07,811 after all, their lingering smell is everywhere. 123 00:14:09,748 --> 00:14:11,909 Zebra are faster than lions... 124 00:14:12,084 --> 00:14:15,520 so to run one down, there must be an element of surprise. 125 00:14:18,057 --> 00:14:21,549 The lions need to get within 30 metres. 126 00:14:39,678 --> 00:14:44,206 When the trees end, the side attacker, too, reverts to stealth... 127 00:14:45,618 --> 00:14:47,313 Four lionesses are now poised to strike 128 00:14:47,486 --> 00:14:50,944 if any zebra strays within the 30-metre zone... 129 00:14:58,530 --> 00:15:00,964 The danger may seem obvious to us... 130 00:15:01,533 --> 00:15:05,128 but zebra only see in black and white. 131 00:15:09,041 --> 00:15:12,374 The side attacker blocks the remaining exit... 132 00:15:21,921 --> 00:15:27,359 The zebra are surrounded... and one takes that fatal step too far... 133 00:16:10,436 --> 00:16:14,839 ln 30 seconds the females have brought down two adult zebra... 134 00:16:15,374 --> 00:16:19,174 bagging more than 200 kilograms of meat for the pride. 135 00:16:22,648 --> 00:16:25,674 The cubs arrive to join their mothers for a meal... 136 00:16:26,785 --> 00:16:30,721 but they're not the only mouths the females have to fill. 137 00:16:33,826 --> 00:16:36,386 The males get their perk too... 138 00:16:37,596 --> 00:16:41,157 food as protection money. 139 00:16:42,034 --> 00:16:44,798 But hunting doesn't always go so smoothly - 140 00:16:44,970 --> 00:16:48,371 and some meals are better at fighting back. 141 00:17:07,826 --> 00:17:12,854 You're now on patrol with possibly the greatest animal defence force on earth. 142 00:17:19,538 --> 00:17:25,306 A 30-strong herd of buffalo - reputedly the most dangerous animals in Africa. 143 00:17:39,725 --> 00:17:42,819 While grazing, they form a close defensive unit... 144 00:17:48,267 --> 00:17:53,398 At the head is an advance guard - often an older, experienced male. 145 00:18:02,247 --> 00:18:07,014 To the side, the flankers - usually mature females. 146 00:18:07,386 --> 00:18:11,220 At the back, a rear guard made up of younger adults. 147 00:18:18,931 --> 00:18:22,389 ln the centre, the vulnerable calves. 148 00:18:26,105 --> 00:18:31,407 More than 30 tons of tough beef around the herd's soft centre... 149 00:18:31,877 --> 00:18:35,813 a strategy designed to ward off lions. 150 00:18:44,356 --> 00:18:46,153 The buffalo stick close together... 151 00:18:46,325 --> 00:18:50,955 and spend 20% of their time scanning for possible danger. 152 00:18:51,130 --> 00:18:56,500 Eyes, ears and nose are tuned to any sudden change in their surroundings. 153 00:19:05,544 --> 00:19:08,240 The big males are the main line of defence. 154 00:19:08,413 --> 00:19:14,045 At full charge they can run at 40 miles per hour - and have the impact of a car. 155 00:19:19,992 --> 00:19:22,256 Their horns are formidable weapons... 156 00:19:22,427 --> 00:19:25,555 and their hide is more than an inch thick. 157 00:19:28,967 --> 00:19:31,902 Even so, they're not invincible. 158 00:19:32,371 --> 00:19:35,738 They live with the constant threat of ambush. 159 00:19:38,911 --> 00:19:41,004 The herd approaches a danger zone - 160 00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:48,552 where woodland scrub meets open grassland. An ideal location for an ambush. 161 00:19:55,861 --> 00:20:00,264 Most of our pride's successful kills occur close to this boundary. 162 00:20:16,281 --> 00:20:20,615 The advance guard freezes - he has registered the danger. 163 00:20:20,786 --> 00:20:24,415 And his lack of movement puts the others on red alert. 164 00:20:26,325 --> 00:20:30,261 They all stop grazing and focus in the direction of the threat. 165 00:20:42,441 --> 00:20:45,899 Within seconds, the unit is primed and ready... 166 00:20:46,511 --> 00:20:49,071 forming a barrier around the calves. 167 00:20:50,916 --> 00:20:56,252 Now they have two choices - stand firm, or retreat. 168 00:21:00,692 --> 00:21:05,129 There is strength in numbers, but mass panic is also a possibility. 169 00:21:06,098 --> 00:21:12,697 The advance guard relies on the backup of others - a lone charge could be his last. 170 00:21:16,375 --> 00:21:19,742 The unit is only as strong as its weakest link - 171 00:21:19,911 --> 00:21:24,075 one loss of nerve can trigger a stampede... 172 00:21:30,322 --> 00:21:34,952 The lions give chase... watching for any sign of weakness. 173 00:21:51,443 --> 00:21:54,537 They test the adults and bounce off... 174 00:22:05,257 --> 00:22:09,751 ...but an exhausted calf makes easy meat. 175 00:22:16,435 --> 00:22:18,801 But today it's a different story... 176 00:22:22,374 --> 00:22:27,141 This is not an ambush. The lions are well fed and resting, 177 00:22:27,312 --> 00:22:30,179 using the scrub to shelter the cubs. 178 00:22:30,382 --> 00:22:33,943 ln fact, it's they who have been taken by surprise... 179 00:22:38,256 --> 00:22:41,487 The cubs are too young to understand the danger. 180 00:22:51,036 --> 00:22:56,497 The buffalo sense their advantage - and defence switches to attack... 181 00:23:02,180 --> 00:23:06,810 The advance guard spots the cubs - and his fury is unleashed. 182 00:23:09,287 --> 00:23:14,623 Ten confused cubs try to hide... but for some it's too late. 183 00:23:20,198 --> 00:23:24,965 Lionesses try distracting the attackers... but they're outnumbered... 184 00:23:52,964 --> 00:23:57,162 When the cubs stop moving, the buffalo lose interest. 185 00:24:15,420 --> 00:24:18,082 The lionesses call to their cubs. 186 00:24:20,025 --> 00:24:23,119 And the survivors emerge... 187 00:24:31,970 --> 00:24:36,930 But now there are only seven... the other three are dead. 188 00:24:43,582 --> 00:24:47,382 The cubs must survive another 1 8 months of hazards like this 189 00:24:47,552 --> 00:24:50,988 before they're old enough to fight their own battles. 190 00:24:52,424 --> 00:24:54,722 Life can be hard for the pride, 191 00:24:54,893 --> 00:24:59,193 but it's even more uncertain on the fringes of lion society. 192 00:25:03,902 --> 00:25:07,963 ln no-man's land, the nomads have split up to look for food... 193 00:25:17,983 --> 00:25:21,714 Finding prey is not a problem - but catching it is. 194 00:25:21,887 --> 00:25:26,483 Their thick adult manes mean ambush by daylight is out of the question. 195 00:25:27,492 --> 00:25:30,120 But luckily it's not the only way to get a meal. 196 00:25:30,295 --> 00:25:33,264 Most grazing animals aren't killed by predators, 197 00:25:33,431 --> 00:25:36,764 but by illness and disease. 198 00:25:40,038 --> 00:25:43,201 Their bodies could be easy meat for nomads - 199 00:25:43,508 --> 00:25:45,567 but they've got to find them first. 200 00:25:45,744 --> 00:25:49,737 And the secret of successful scavenging is speed. 201 00:25:52,884 --> 00:25:55,375 Around our 1 00 square mile battlefield, 202 00:25:55,554 --> 00:25:59,251 there may be only one fresh carcass every day. 203 00:26:02,661 --> 00:26:06,927 A wildebeest has died - two miles from one of the hungry nomads - 204 00:26:07,098 --> 00:26:10,556 and the race to find it will begin immediately. 205 00:26:12,504 --> 00:26:16,736 But for a lion on the ground, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack... 206 00:26:18,810 --> 00:26:22,746 ...the savannah's scavenging elite arrive by air. 207 00:26:25,083 --> 00:26:30,214 A thousand metres up - a griffon vulture has a panoramic view. 208 00:26:32,824 --> 00:26:38,091 Equipped with telephoto vision, it can scan 200 miles in a day. 209 00:26:43,835 --> 00:26:47,828 To find the target regularly, this still isn't enough. 210 00:26:48,607 --> 00:26:50,905 But this vulture is not alone... 211 00:26:54,679 --> 00:26:57,477 ...it's part of a squadron of lookouts... 212 00:26:58,049 --> 00:27:02,349 one lion against an aerial network of hundreds. 213 00:27:08,727 --> 00:27:11,161 When one of the squadron spots a carcass, 214 00:27:11,329 --> 00:27:15,197 it drops to earth at up to 80 miles per hour... 215 00:27:23,642 --> 00:27:26,110 But it won't be alone for long. 216 00:27:29,714 --> 00:27:33,241 lt's just transmitted a signal to other vultures. 217 00:27:33,551 --> 00:27:37,078 This steep dive acts like a signpost in the sky... 218 00:27:40,492 --> 00:27:44,121 So other vultures read the sign and change direction... 219 00:27:45,163 --> 00:27:49,395 ...and in turn relay the message further afield. 220 00:28:08,286 --> 00:28:10,481 This chain reaction ripples outwards, 221 00:28:10,655 --> 00:28:14,591 and the flight paths line up from all directions... 222 00:28:19,264 --> 00:28:21,232 From as far as 20 miles away, 223 00:28:21,399 --> 00:28:25,460 birds home in on the same few square metres of ground. 224 00:28:40,418 --> 00:28:42,818 Just minutes since this wildebeest died - 225 00:28:42,987 --> 00:28:46,115 and 20 birds have reached the target. 226 00:28:46,725 --> 00:28:48,784 And that's just the start. 227 00:28:50,228 --> 00:28:53,322 This is fast food, savannah style. 228 00:29:06,144 --> 00:29:09,875 ln half an hour, the carcass has completely disappeared. 229 00:29:11,549 --> 00:29:14,712 And the nomad never even knew it was there. 230 00:29:15,253 --> 00:29:17,346 But not always. 231 00:29:20,692 --> 00:29:24,253 Here's another carcass, and another scenario. 232 00:29:26,164 --> 00:29:29,998 This time the arriving air force doesn't go unnoticed. 233 00:29:31,035 --> 00:29:35,472 From the ground, another set of scavengers crack the vulture code. 234 00:29:40,211 --> 00:29:45,342 Hyenas read the signs from miles away, and waste no time. 235 00:29:48,820 --> 00:29:52,688 Follow the vultures, find the carcass... 236 00:29:55,059 --> 00:29:57,289 Jackals, too, are on their way. 237 00:30:04,536 --> 00:30:08,563 The nomad lion is not so sharp. 238 00:30:22,253 --> 00:30:25,552 The vultures have a head start, but they've got a problem - 239 00:30:25,723 --> 00:30:30,387 long-range fliers haven't got the tools to open this large carcass. 240 00:30:32,597 --> 00:30:38,058 Their bills can't pierce thick leather, so the flesh is out of reach. 241 00:30:40,772 --> 00:30:44,538 And every second other hungry mouths are getting closer... 242 00:30:53,685 --> 00:30:56,654 ...some, that is. 243 00:30:58,056 --> 00:31:01,924 What's needed is a butcher with a heavy cleaver. 244 00:31:03,094 --> 00:31:05,585 And here he is... 245 00:31:07,031 --> 00:31:09,795 A lappet-faced vulture. 246 00:31:10,001 --> 00:31:12,526 The king of the carcass. 247 00:31:17,775 --> 00:31:21,233 The lappet has a longer bill than any other bird of prey 248 00:31:21,412 --> 00:31:25,508 and strong enough to rip the toughest leather. 249 00:31:27,952 --> 00:31:33,083 As it gorges on the prime flesh, it leaves crucial points of entry for the others. 250 00:31:36,694 --> 00:31:42,155 Now they can tuck in... and there's no time to waste. 251 00:31:52,043 --> 00:31:55,911 At last the nomad, too, has read the vulture signs... 252 00:32:03,354 --> 00:32:05,481 lf lappets have the cleavers, 253 00:32:05,657 --> 00:32:08,683 others have the stripping knives. 254 00:32:09,327 --> 00:32:15,323 Serrated edges slice through tissue and a long neck burrows deep into the offal. 255 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,226 ln minutes they too eat their fill... 256 00:32:19,671 --> 00:32:23,107 and all the time new diners are arriving... 257 00:32:35,887 --> 00:32:39,721 Those full from the first sitting are now ready to clean up - 258 00:32:40,558 --> 00:32:44,858 and there's nothing like a nap to help digestion. 259 00:32:52,003 --> 00:32:56,667 For those still on their way, the window of opportunity is shrinking fast. 260 00:33:03,047 --> 00:33:06,448 The first wave of ground troops arrives... 261 00:33:09,654 --> 00:33:13,715 ...jackals snatch what they can and retreat... 262 00:33:14,125 --> 00:33:17,856 They know the heavy mob is right behind. 263 00:33:18,363 --> 00:33:23,858 Once hyenas take over, they'll hoover up everything, even the bones. 264 00:33:34,779 --> 00:33:41,014 The nomad finally arrives and the other diners have to make way. 265 00:33:46,290 --> 00:33:51,125 Most of the flesh is gone, but scraps will keep the nomad fighting fit 266 00:33:51,295 --> 00:33:55,356 and ready for the next campaign to win the pride. 267 00:34:08,780 --> 00:34:11,806 The pride don't need to live on others' leftovers. 268 00:34:12,183 --> 00:34:16,415 With efficient killers on their books, they can take it easy. 269 00:34:29,067 --> 00:34:32,559 Over the last nine months the lionesses have been busy. 270 00:34:36,340 --> 00:34:39,207 They have killed 50 wildebeest, 271 00:34:39,677 --> 00:34:41,235 40 zebra 272 00:34:41,712 --> 00:34:43,907 and 20 buffalo... 273 00:34:51,055 --> 00:34:56,425 And the cubs have been transformed and are well on their way to independence. 274 00:34:58,663 --> 00:35:02,429 Dependence has changed to play. 275 00:35:07,538 --> 00:35:10,939 Suckling milk to eating meat. 276 00:35:11,442 --> 00:35:13,740 But one strayed. 277 00:35:15,279 --> 00:35:17,770 And now there are six. 278 00:35:20,051 --> 00:35:25,512 Thanks to a high protein diet, the pride can sleep for 1 8 hours a day... 279 00:35:26,424 --> 00:35:30,656 ...one of the big advantages of being born a meat-eater. 280 00:35:40,538 --> 00:35:43,530 The pride lions are not only grassland hunters, 281 00:35:43,708 --> 00:35:48,509 to prosper they have to exploit the battlefield's rich woodlands too. 282 00:35:49,380 --> 00:35:52,372 For their territory is constantly changing. 283 00:35:52,583 --> 00:35:55,916 Within every grassy plain is a woodland in the making. 284 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:03,918 Acacia trees... 285 00:36:08,866 --> 00:36:12,495 ...armies of them covering the plains. 286 00:36:17,308 --> 00:36:21,244 Heavily defended and trying to get started. 287 00:36:26,851 --> 00:36:30,981 Where the trees take hold, woodland animals move in... 288 00:36:34,158 --> 00:36:38,219 ...new prey for our pride and for other predators - 289 00:36:38,462 --> 00:36:40,828 the bush-land specialists. 290 00:36:46,137 --> 00:36:50,005 You're now on board the ultimate stealth hunter... 291 00:36:51,409 --> 00:36:56,711 lt hunts alone, waging a one to one battle of wits with its prey. 292 00:37:14,198 --> 00:37:16,826 An elephant shrew is hardly a mouthful - 293 00:37:17,001 --> 00:37:20,960 just an appetiser on this sunset sortie. 294 00:37:23,474 --> 00:37:26,068 The caracal lynx is a stalker - 295 00:37:26,244 --> 00:37:29,771 and its skills are required by any bushland hunter. 296 00:37:30,848 --> 00:37:34,875 ln this dense undergrowth, there's no advantage in numbers, 297 00:37:35,052 --> 00:37:40,319 so pride lionesses, like caracals, seek their prey alone. 298 00:37:48,899 --> 00:37:51,493 Caracals are after smaller prey than lions... 299 00:37:51,669 --> 00:37:55,230 and they are equipped to register the smallest clue. 300 00:37:59,610 --> 00:38:05,173 Like all bush hunters, they must listen for what they cannot see. 301 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:20,690 Ahead in a clearing, a gaggle of noisy guinea fowl... 302 00:38:26,904 --> 00:38:32,342 Of little interest to a lioness, but the caracal is a champion bird catcher... 303 00:38:36,247 --> 00:38:40,911 ln low evening sunlight a long shadow could give the game away... 304 00:38:41,085 --> 00:38:44,577 so the caracal stalks directly into the sun... 305 00:38:51,462 --> 00:38:55,330 Now it's telltale shadow is behind. 306 00:38:56,767 --> 00:39:01,795 The guinea fowl may look exposed, but they have a big advantage. 307 00:39:03,474 --> 00:39:05,908 The clearing offers little cover for a stalker 308 00:39:06,077 --> 00:39:09,444 and provides a safety zone around them. 309 00:39:14,452 --> 00:39:18,320 So the caracal must use every trick in the book. 310 00:39:21,192 --> 00:39:24,161 Ear tufts help break up its outline. 311 00:39:24,628 --> 00:39:28,530 From ground level, it's effectively invisible. 312 00:39:32,203 --> 00:39:34,501 lts eyes lock on... 313 00:39:38,743 --> 00:39:43,043 But to have any chance of a catch, it must get within four metres... 314 00:39:43,214 --> 00:39:45,705 the critical attack range. 315 00:40:06,871 --> 00:40:10,034 But at the edge of the clearing, there's no more cover, 316 00:40:10,207 --> 00:40:15,577 so all it can do is wait - for the prey to drift into the danger zone. 317 00:40:25,723 --> 00:40:27,520 Muscles twitch in readiness... 318 00:40:27,691 --> 00:40:30,387 and its cover is blown... 319 00:40:30,895 --> 00:40:33,523 lt has to attack. 320 00:40:37,701 --> 00:40:42,434 One metre too far... and a meal is lost. 321 00:40:46,577 --> 00:40:49,011 But the lioness has been more successful - 322 00:40:50,181 --> 00:40:54,049 in fact, the bush can support more lions than the open plains. 323 00:40:54,351 --> 00:40:57,912 But bushland too is constantly changing. 324 00:41:03,327 --> 00:41:07,354 And one savannah force has a devastating impact. 325 00:41:23,147 --> 00:41:27,584 When grass is sparse, these bulldozers wreak havoc, 326 00:41:27,751 --> 00:41:33,553 snapping acacia trees like twigs, to reach the rich leaves in the crown. 327 00:41:44,201 --> 00:41:46,829 Where elephants flatten everything in their path, 328 00:41:47,004 --> 00:41:51,236 the face of our pride's territory alters once again. 329 00:42:01,452 --> 00:42:03,886 The acacia army isn't beaten... 330 00:42:04,054 --> 00:42:07,285 it has reinforcements waiting to advance again. 331 00:42:07,491 --> 00:42:10,983 But it's usually foiled before it can even begin... 332 00:42:22,406 --> 00:42:27,105 Elephants can destroy a future forest in just a few hours. 333 00:42:39,657 --> 00:42:44,754 And when they're on a mission, nothing gets in their way... 334 00:43:02,479 --> 00:43:05,141 These bulldozers may be an 'irritation'... 335 00:43:05,316 --> 00:43:09,912 but it's another set of neighbours that cause the pride real trouble. 336 00:43:14,258 --> 00:43:18,285 Their network infiltrates every corner of the battlefield - 337 00:43:18,462 --> 00:43:22,796 and their headquarters are just outside the pride's territory limits. 338 00:43:34,044 --> 00:43:35,739 Hyenas. 339 00:43:35,913 --> 00:43:38,814 The den may be home to as many as 60 adults, 340 00:43:38,983 --> 00:43:42,248 but right now they're mainly on patrol looking for food. 341 00:43:42,486 --> 00:43:45,011 A single adult is left to baby-sit. 342 00:43:54,665 --> 00:43:58,533 The other adults may be hunting up to a hundred miles away - 343 00:43:58,802 --> 00:44:00,770 they're born to run. 344 00:44:01,972 --> 00:44:05,635 A hyena's heart is twice as big as a lion's... 345 00:44:07,411 --> 00:44:11,507 ...giving it the stamina to cover up to 60 miles a day. 346 00:44:13,150 --> 00:44:15,448 Combined with an acute sense of smell, 347 00:44:15,619 --> 00:44:19,487 this means hyenas usually beat lions to the easy meals. 348 00:44:22,926 --> 00:44:26,828 The hyenas' success has bred an intense rivalry with lions. 349 00:44:26,997 --> 00:44:31,696 Encounters between the two competitors are common and dangerous. 350 00:44:36,106 --> 00:44:39,803 Near the marsh, the nomad challengers have returned... 351 00:44:39,977 --> 00:44:43,845 and are confident enough to infiltrate pride territory again. 352 00:44:54,191 --> 00:44:55,920 Hyenas are confident too - 353 00:44:56,093 --> 00:45:00,223 but where lions are concerned, it's sometimes misplaced. 354 00:45:02,366 --> 00:45:07,497 What lions don't have in endurance, they make up for in sheer strength. 355 00:45:08,639 --> 00:45:10,436 The nomads have come of age - 356 00:45:10,607 --> 00:45:14,976 and they'll happily cut their teeth on anyone that gets in their way. 357 00:45:20,784 --> 00:45:23,218 This is no time to taunt them. 358 00:45:31,628 --> 00:45:35,189 One wrong move - no second chance. 359 00:45:38,168 --> 00:45:41,501 Lions and hyenas will kill each other at any opportunity. 360 00:45:41,672 --> 00:45:44,766 But there are plenty more where he came from. 361 00:45:47,945 --> 00:45:52,211 Sheer numbers are what makes them such a thorn in every lion's side. 362 00:45:52,583 --> 00:45:57,748 Little goes on around the battlefield that the hyena clan doesn't know about. 363 00:46:04,428 --> 00:46:07,591 They're quick to exploit any weakness. 364 00:46:10,501 --> 00:46:15,200 And here is the prize weakling. 365 00:46:22,379 --> 00:46:25,940 The cheetah is designed for attack, not defence - 366 00:46:26,116 --> 00:46:29,449 and its savannah neighbours know it. 367 00:46:31,455 --> 00:46:34,481 Members of the hyena network are never far away, 368 00:46:34,658 --> 00:46:38,890 and this is what makes them such formidable competitors for the lions. 369 00:46:45,903 --> 00:46:50,567 The exhausted cheetah can try to hide the kill from the vulture task force... 370 00:46:52,142 --> 00:46:54,804 But other eyes are everywhere... 371 00:46:54,978 --> 00:46:59,472 and it's much easier to steal a meal than catch your own. 372 00:47:12,896 --> 00:47:18,425 Time after time, the cheetah's speed and grace is trumped by brute force. 373 00:47:21,405 --> 00:47:25,637 Surrender is the only choice. 374 00:47:27,444 --> 00:47:30,208 But hyenas kill their own prey, too. 375 00:47:33,550 --> 00:47:35,518 ln fact, around the lion battlefield, 376 00:47:35,686 --> 00:47:38,985 they often kill more prey than the lions themselves. 377 00:47:52,803 --> 00:47:55,271 But hunting in the open is a risky business... 378 00:47:55,439 --> 00:47:58,772 Out here, strength is always relative... 379 00:48:09,519 --> 00:48:13,455 A single hyena will always concede to a lion... 380 00:48:15,659 --> 00:48:18,651 ...but each disputed kill becomes a numbers game... 381 00:48:19,229 --> 00:48:24,257 Here, two pride lionesses easily overpower five hyenas. 382 00:48:27,871 --> 00:48:33,104 To match the lionesses' strength, hyenas must outnumber them at least three to one. 383 00:48:33,644 --> 00:48:37,910 The odds are crucial - and they can change very fast. 384 00:48:43,553 --> 00:48:47,649 This time five lionesses have killed a male buffalo - 385 00:48:48,525 --> 00:48:52,689 and as usual, passing hyenas are quick to investigate. 386 00:48:54,831 --> 00:48:59,734 lt's a trophy well worth fighting for, and without the brothers on the scene, 387 00:48:59,903 --> 00:49:02,872 the scavengers may be in with a chance. 388 00:49:03,040 --> 00:49:05,838 lt all depends on numbers. 389 00:49:08,412 --> 00:49:11,745 At two to one, the lionesses have the upper hand. 390 00:49:13,317 --> 00:49:20,155 They can keep the hyenas at bay, but they can't keep them quiet. 391 00:49:22,292 --> 00:49:25,853 Their calls of excitement can be heard up to three miles away, 392 00:49:26,029 --> 00:49:29,988 and draw other clan members from all directions. 393 00:49:54,591 --> 00:49:58,118 These reinforcements start to swing the odds the other way... 394 00:49:58,295 --> 00:50:01,264 and the lionesses know it. 395 00:50:01,431 --> 00:50:04,264 But they don't want to lose their hard won prize... 396 00:50:14,478 --> 00:50:16,969 But the hyena ranks are swelling by the second - 397 00:50:17,147 --> 00:50:21,743 and with no sign of their male defenders, it's just a matter of time... 398 00:50:35,699 --> 00:50:38,429 This is the real clash of the carnivores... 399 00:50:38,602 --> 00:50:42,436 and at 4 to 1 , hyenas win by force of numbers. 400 00:51:05,762 --> 00:51:09,664 But one surrendered buffalo is just a hiccup for the pride. 401 00:51:13,036 --> 00:51:16,130 Their larder is about to fill to overflowing. 402 00:51:22,446 --> 00:51:24,971 The pride is sitting on a goldmine. 403 00:51:25,148 --> 00:51:27,082 During the annual migration, 404 00:51:27,250 --> 00:51:31,914 200,000 grazing animals pass right by the lions' door. 405 00:51:37,594 --> 00:51:40,495 The six surviving cubs are now two years old - 406 00:51:40,664 --> 00:51:43,690 and ready to hunt for themselves. 407 00:51:47,637 --> 00:51:49,969 The brothers have done their job well. 408 00:51:50,140 --> 00:51:52,233 But they, too, are getting older... 409 00:51:52,809 --> 00:51:56,370 and the nomads are itching for another fight. 410 00:52:02,285 --> 00:52:05,721 The battlefield has everything the lions need... 411 00:52:06,056 --> 00:52:08,854 and that's because of one more force of nature - 412 00:52:09,025 --> 00:52:13,587 one that every lion, every grazer and every tree relies on. 413 00:52:14,965 --> 00:52:18,560 A force that comes out only after dark... 414 00:52:33,116 --> 00:52:37,314 This mound is a fortress - a termite city, 415 00:52:38,755 --> 00:52:40,916 at its heart the queen, 416 00:52:41,091 --> 00:52:45,494 the controller of an event that underpins the entire Savannah. 417 00:52:47,197 --> 00:52:49,859 Without her, there would be no lions. 418 00:52:53,103 --> 00:52:57,096 Every night, her five million subjects go to work - 419 00:52:57,274 --> 00:53:01,506 on the most important production line in Africa. 420 00:53:02,812 --> 00:53:07,215 From every termite mound, tunnels take workers out into the fields. 421 00:53:08,351 --> 00:53:12,412 Their mission - to collect dry grass. 422 00:53:12,956 --> 00:53:16,790 They harvest more than all the other grazing animals put together. 423 00:53:26,970 --> 00:53:30,269 The grass is dragged back into the storage pits. 424 00:53:30,907 --> 00:53:34,172 Other workers break it down and send it deeper - 425 00:53:35,645 --> 00:53:38,910 to these underground gardens. 426 00:53:39,883 --> 00:53:43,182 lt forms a compost, to grow white fungus - 427 00:53:43,353 --> 00:53:46,186 a fungus that fuels the entire system. 428 00:53:46,356 --> 00:53:52,226 Every termite eats it and the queen transforms it into brand new termites. 429 00:53:53,129 --> 00:53:57,896 More builders, more harvesters, more soldiers. 430 00:54:02,706 --> 00:54:07,507 As they dig tunnels and collect grass, they mix nutrients into the soil. 431 00:54:10,280 --> 00:54:14,307 Around every termite mound is a nutrient rich zone. 432 00:54:16,086 --> 00:54:18,316 These nutrients grow grass... 433 00:54:19,356 --> 00:54:24,692 and grass grows grazers - food for the pride. 434 00:54:26,196 --> 00:54:29,893 But tonight the fortress is under attack... 435 00:54:32,135 --> 00:54:34,797 From the savannah ramraider - 436 00:54:34,971 --> 00:54:37,439 an aardvark. 437 00:54:38,942 --> 00:54:43,606 To survive, it needs 1 0,000 termites every night - 438 00:54:44,514 --> 00:54:47,210 and it's got the tools to get them. 439 00:55:04,601 --> 00:55:06,694 But the aardvark isn't alone... 440 00:55:08,905 --> 00:55:10,634 ...other raiders are out tonight... 441 00:55:10,807 --> 00:55:13,799 and they're not after food. 442 00:55:22,419 --> 00:55:27,550 The termite tower is under attack... and soldiers rush to its defence. 443 00:55:50,647 --> 00:55:55,516 The aardvark's sticky tongue scoops up to 30 termites every second. 444 00:55:58,121 --> 00:56:02,023 lf it reaches the queen, the colony is doomed. 445 00:56:03,159 --> 00:56:06,617 But thousands of bites become unbearable - 446 00:56:07,397 --> 00:56:10,491 this raid will soon be over... 447 00:56:11,468 --> 00:56:15,268 Above ground, another raid is just beginning... 448 00:56:27,150 --> 00:56:33,316 The nomads are attacking the brothers... and this time it's all or nothing. 449 00:56:53,943 --> 00:56:58,676 A new dawn - and another new era for the lionesses. 450 00:57:01,718 --> 00:57:05,051 The nomads have taken over the pride... 451 00:57:15,765 --> 00:57:20,600 The new kings will court the lionesses and their two-year-old daughters. 452 00:57:20,770 --> 00:57:24,331 But all the other males have fled. 453 00:57:29,779 --> 00:57:32,270 The old males are mortally wounded. 454 00:57:32,715 --> 00:57:36,708 At eight years their short, violent lives are almost over. 455 00:57:37,520 --> 00:57:41,581 This is the final chapter of the brothers' story. 456 00:57:48,364 --> 00:57:51,629 But close by, a new one begins. 457 00:57:51,801 --> 00:57:54,895 Their sons were lucky to escape the raid alive... 458 00:57:55,071 --> 00:57:58,734 and now they, too, must do their time as nomads... 459 00:57:58,908 --> 00:58:01,399 a journey that make take four years, 460 00:58:01,578 --> 00:58:05,446 until they're ready to try for a pride of their own. 461 00:58:08,785 --> 00:58:13,313 Our lionesses' new defenders may last months or years. 462 00:58:13,723 --> 00:58:18,217 But for now they are the new kings of the lion's battlefield. 463 00:58:18,394 --> 00:58:22,990 lt's time to tell the neighbours they've arrived.