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The Namib, the world's oldest desert

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Relentless and unforgiving

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no one enters this world lightly

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The treacherous seas of the Skeleton Coast

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barricade the entire length of the desert

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It's no wonder the Namib guards its secrets well

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Lions once lived here

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but they were like phantoms
hardly ever seen, let alone understood

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Then, more than 20 years ago

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they were wiped out

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Today, one man is pitting himself
against the desert

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driven by the belief that these most
extraordinary lions have started coming back

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The Namib desert is a million
square miles of wilderness

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diamonds and garnets are here in abundance

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much harder to find is a blade of grass

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A few scattered animals do live here

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but nothing like the great herds
that normally support lions

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However, 10 years ago, rumors surfaced
that lions might have returned to the Namib

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Such a tantalizing mystery attracted
a scientist with a rare combination of skills

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Dr. Flip Stander's great passion is lions

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He studies them, tracks them,
and even thinks like them

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That was a print
That was a print

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They definitely crouched down and you could
see the feet placement are very careful

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You can almost see the toes are sort of
pressed in. It's like they're stretching

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And at this point, just after they
get into the opening, they split up

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For months, Flip found nothing but tracks

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This was a frustrating campaign

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in a place where the heat
is intense enough to crack a rock

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Even oryx, the hardy desert specialists

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and a handful of giraffes that live here

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have a tough time

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It was to take months of patient tracking

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before the elusive desert phantoms
finally took shape

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He was able to put a radio collar on one lioness,

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then two

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but just following them seemed impossible

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The animals were shy and
the boulder fields impassible

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a far cry from the Serengeti where lions
can be followed easily day and night

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Flip's best hope was to take to the air

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Even this was fraught in a landscape
that dwarfs everything

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Eventually, the first two lions led to more

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Flip had made a momentous discovery

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There was a surviving pride of desert lions

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and it had found refuge in a remote canyon

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This was the first time that anyone
had been able to get a really good look

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at the world's most unusual lions

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It was clear from the start that
their behavior was out of the ordinary

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In the first sort of 3 or 4 years

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I documented the most outrageous growth rate

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it was in excess of 30% per annum

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and all really driven by four adult lionesses

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the only word to describe them
would be like breeding machines

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because that's just what they were

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Not only this,

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more cubs were surviving to adulthood
than elsewhere in Africa

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This once-beleaguered group of lions

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was staging an extraordinary comeback

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and it allowed them to fan out into areas
they hadn't been seen in for over 20 years

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In the last year,

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Flip has followed some of them to the
driest, most northerly part of the Namib

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where he's had his biggest breakthrough

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Two very relaxed young lionesses

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that don't run away when he gets close

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Now, at last, he has an opportunity
to really get to know some lions

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and find out how they cope with desert life

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Their lives couldn't be more different
from young lions in the Serengeti

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They are just 18 months old,
an age when most lion cubs

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rely on a pride to get them food

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yet these youngsters are all alone

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They are heading for the spectacular Hoaruseb valley

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one of the dry rivers that
cuts across the Namib desert

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from the mountains in the east
to the Skeleton Coast in the west

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The Hoaruseb acts as a highway
for animals through hostile land

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It offers respite too

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The valley benefits from rainfall
hundreds of miles away

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Flash floods race through
and then slowly evaporate

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leaving drinking water here and there

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There's enough damp ground
for grass even in the dry season

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which draws grazers like these oryx
from all over the desert

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And that's why the young lions
have been drawn to this valley

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It's the very best place to hunt

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However, oryx are large with lethal horns

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but they aren't the only potential prey taking
advantage of the Hoaruseb's watering holes

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Donkeys are much easier to catch

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but killing one could spell disaster for the cubs

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The donkeys belong to the Himba
and Herero people

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whose village, Purros, lies a few miles upriver

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They are worried by the lions' return

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no one wants a large predator on their doorstep

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I had two donkeys, two pregnant donkeys

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then a lion killed both of them

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Without my donkeys, I can't go and visit
my daughter or my grandchildren anymore

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Raising livestock on such marginal land is tough

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The loss of cattle, their only cash in
the bank could cause financial ruin

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In the severe droughts of the 1980s

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desert lions killed hundreds of cows

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so the people shot every lion they could

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This is how desert lions were thought to
have been wiped out the first time around

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Can the people of Purros afford to be
tolerant towards this new generation?

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The cubs will be much safer if they
learn to catch wild animals like oryx

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In the Serengeti, youngsters spend years
watching how older lionesses tackle large prey

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However, it looks as though these cubs will
have to teach themselves through trial and error

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They begin the stalk like seasoned hunters,
using the scant cover to conceal themselves

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And they have to be incredibly quiet

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Oryx are spooked by the slightest sound

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One of the youngsters looks as though
it's made a mistake, it's broken cover

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Actually, very cleverly, it's pushing
the oryx towards the other lion

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An oryx is quite capable of seeing off a lion

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as long as the antelope stands
its ground and doesn't run

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but will the oryx keep its nerve?

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Finally, the youngsters lose heart

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Flip suspects that desert lions
hunt in a completely different way
from lions on the savannah

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Without the back-up of a large pride,
these youngsters have to learn

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to stalk more skillfully
and cooperate more effectively

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They certainly can't rely on their mother for support,
because right now, she is 100 miles away

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Flip is really struggling to follow her

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She travels vast distances

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in a home range that's 100 times
bigger than those in the Serengeti

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She arrived here from the canyon refuge
10 years ago as one of the first pioneers

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She's produced two litters of cubs and
is currently traveling with her eldest daughter

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Flip has a soft spot for this lioness

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but she didn't endear herself
to the people of Purros

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As a youngster, she killed several cows

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and the villagers demanded Flip relocate her

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Most had never seen the lion

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so he decided to take her to the village
where there was an uproar

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They had this lion now in front of them

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This lioness is causing them lots of trouble

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they must kill it

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And I looked at this situation
and I just gambled

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I took a huge risk

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and I stood back and I said
Go, kill it

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'cause I thought if I interfere now and really,
sort of, try and dominate the situation

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it's going to count against me
and the lions in the long run

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And he pulled out his knife and
I stood back and I just knew, I went cold

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I didn't know what was going to happen,

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but I said, "if you want to kill it?
It's your lion, kill it."

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Some were fascinated by her and didn't agree

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After a fierce argument, the villagers
said she could live on one condition

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As long as I monitor it and give them
the information, then they're happy with it

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So, with a huge sigh of relief

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I got in the car and I motored out of there

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Flip's gamble paid off, but the lioness
is hard to keep tabs on

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This year he's got the chance
to put a better tracking device on her

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The darting anesthetic fails to work properly

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and Flip has to go out on a limb
to give her a booster

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Unlike a simple radio device

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this GPS collar will record and
store her position every two hours

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for the next nine months

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It will reveal what she gets up to during her long
absences when she vanishes into the desert

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It's turning out to be an exceptional year
in more ways than one

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It's the wettest in the Namib for 30 years

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Grazers and lions are doing well

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Flip reckons there are 80 to 100 lions
scattered through the desert

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where only a handful was left just a decade ago

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There's a more relaxed atmosphere
than the drought-ridden 1980s

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The trouble is that it's unlikely to last

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The desert constantly swings between extremes

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Lions that grow up in boom times

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will find it much harder to survive the next drought

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If extreme drought were to return
to the Hoaruseb valley

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the pied crows would be the least
of the youngsters' concerns

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The harder it is to find food

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the more tempted they might be to kill livestock

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and that could lead to their deaths

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Flip believes there is an alternative
source of food in a drought

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It's fixed and predictable

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if they can find it

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To do that, the youngsters would have to cross miles

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of scorching wind-blasted sands to the coast

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However, lions have made this journey before

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and this was their reward

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The seal colony at Cape Fria

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Extraordinarily, in 1976, a pride of 14 desert lions

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was observed here feeding on a seal carcass

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and it was this predation on seals
that was a turning point in Flip's life

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My first experience with the desert lions
was on the beach

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seeing a lion feeding on a seal carcass

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and the impression that that
left with me was just incredible

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I mean, and that's lasted for 25 years

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When the lions were wiped out in the 1980s

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the knowledge of this food source was lost

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Today, Flip's special female and her youngsters

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are the nearest lions to Cape Fria

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He hopes they'll rediscover it soon

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This is what I'm picturing
I'm picturing that little group arriving on
this beach in the middle of the night, hunting

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And they take one look at this and
they say, "we've got this sorted!"

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The sea is rich in fish

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so the seals will be here year in, year out

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The colony could cushion the lion family
from the boom-bust nature of desert life

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It could be their salvation

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For now, the cubs are
too timid to venture very far

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and the Hoaruseb valley
provides everything they need

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Flip has been following them for three months

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but only rarely does he
have the chance to witness a hunt

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They've used the cover of night
to outwit an oryx

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For the two youngsters
this is no mean achievement

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For Flip, it's a chance to learn

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how their hunting skills are developing

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but first, he has to wait
until the cubs have had their fill

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With a meal like this,
they should be able to take life easy

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but one of the lions can't stop those
crows from getting under her skin

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Two days later, Flip can get to work

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He wants to test his theory that desert lions

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have to be more cunning and
patient than savannah lions

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This must have been an incredibly
slow period of the stalk

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Because this substrate, it's all,
it's very crackly, and so

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for her to have been stalking here,
she would have had to be really careful

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because that weight she
would have would have cracked

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She probably takes like 5 minutes
to put that foot down just slowly,

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more pressure, more pressure and balancing
on the others and then eventually goes

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This stretch of about 50m, probably
could have taken an hour, easily

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She clearly didn't have a good
hold on this, on the oryx

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Because her angle wasn't all that good

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but the second lioness had
now charged from her position

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and she came bounding up this embankment
and basically hit the gemsbok with such force

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The struggle was enormous because,
even with the two lionesses on,

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the gemsbok was still, it didn't go down

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You can see where these bite marks,

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where they grabbed it under the throat,
if it were the adult lionesses, there wouldn't
have been such an enormous struggle

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because they would,
they would pull it down much quicker

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so they had a struggle on their hands
and the evidence is there

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The way in which they work together is impressive

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These youngsters are
becoming an efficient team

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A month later and the cubs
are still living on their own

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In the desert, this seems to be normal

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Many of the lions seem to live in ones or twos

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but this doesn't mean they're not part of a pride

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Family ties may be as strong here

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the relationships are just long-distance ones

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This is borne out when one day,
after a 6-month absence

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mom and older sister show up

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The affectionate exchange of greetings
is proof that these 4 lionesses are

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a functioning pride

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one that's more fluid and open than the
tightly knit family groups of the Serengeti

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It's a touching reunion

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but it creates tension in the valley

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Now, all four lions are close to Purros and livestock

239
00:28:18,696 --> 00:28:25,104
Flip has found that lions can rise to
most of the challenges of desert life

240
00:28:25,204 --> 00:28:29,108
the biggest obstacle to their success is people

241
00:28:39,340 --> 00:28:43,841
But if the Himba and Herero are
to accept lions in their neighborhood

242
00:28:43,941 --> 00:28:47,282
they have to change their traditional way of life

243
00:28:48,423 --> 00:28:51,181
To an extent, this is already happening

244
00:28:51,281 --> 00:28:55,412
Some of them no longer want the struggle
of raising cows on marginal land,

245
00:28:55,512 --> 00:29:01,134
their children would make a far easier
and better living as tourist guides

246
00:29:03,326 --> 00:29:06,398
The young lions can have a vital role to play

247
00:29:06,498 --> 00:29:09,213
if local people see them as money spinners

248
00:29:09,313 --> 00:29:12,099
rather than as livestock killers

249
00:29:14,324 --> 00:29:17,423
Some communities have formed conservancies

250
00:29:17,523 --> 00:29:19,815
to profit from the wildlife on their land

251
00:29:19,915 --> 00:29:22,900
Flip is starting to act as a go-between

252
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:28,045
matching the needs of villagers,
lions and tour operators

253
00:29:30,853 --> 00:29:36,029
Tourists would pay good money
to see lions in this amazing setting

254
00:29:39,430 --> 00:29:43,455
The income could help compensate
for any livestock killed

255
00:29:49,707 --> 00:29:52,585
Ironing out the details is difficult

256
00:29:52,685 --> 00:29:55,256
and until any scheme gets off the ground

257
00:29:55,356 --> 00:29:58,812
the lions of the Hoaruseb aren't safe

258
00:30:12,945 --> 00:30:16,446
A mere 5 days after their family reunion

259
00:30:16,546 --> 00:30:18,796
the cubs are back on their own

260
00:30:18,896 --> 00:30:22,575
And this time mom has left them in a new place

261
00:30:22,675 --> 00:30:26,178
the Feldspar plain south of the Hoaruseb valley

262
00:30:31,024 --> 00:30:36,791
It's unfamiliar but at least there's no
livestock here to lure them into trouble

263
00:30:43,399 --> 00:30:46,000
The heavy rain earlier in the year

264
00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:49,442
means there's more grass on the plain than normal

265
00:30:50,133 --> 00:30:52,036
and more oryx

266
00:31:04,827 --> 00:31:08,903
that doesn't mean hunting
is all that easy out here

267
00:31:12,974 --> 00:31:15,010
The ground is so open

268
00:31:15,110 --> 00:31:18,329
that the best chance for these two naive youngsters

269
00:31:18,429 --> 00:31:21,270
may still lie with the coming of night

270
00:31:57,420 --> 00:32:00,370
The cubs are getting good at this

271
00:32:05,583 --> 00:32:10,142
This time, the smell of meat
has attracted a hyena

272
00:32:10,242 --> 00:32:13,580
In most other places in Africa
this means trouble

273
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:18,803
There would soon be a whole clan of spotted
hyenas trying to push them off their kill

274
00:32:22,975 --> 00:32:25,845
There are no such clans in the Namib

275
00:32:28,157 --> 00:32:30,539
The brown hyenas here are solitary

276
00:32:30,639 --> 00:32:33,166
so lions have very little competition

277
00:32:33,266 --> 00:32:36,378
and that's why the youngsters
can be left to their own devices

278
00:32:36,478 --> 00:32:38,528
at such an early age

279
00:32:42,339 --> 00:32:44,865
The hyena will merely hang around

280
00:32:44,965 --> 00:32:47,461
till the cubs decide to leave

281
00:32:49,965 --> 00:32:54,160
At just over two years old,
the cubs are much more confident

282
00:32:54,260 --> 00:32:57,314
even their play has a rougher edge

283
00:33:11,631 --> 00:33:14,427
Desert life is good for lions

284
00:33:14,527 --> 00:33:18,334
and the returning lions are also
good for the life of the desert

285
00:33:37,499 --> 00:33:41,000
Flip is going in search
of the youngsters' mother

286
00:33:41,100 --> 00:33:46,128
she's been wearing the collar for 9 months
and the battery's beginning to fail

287
00:33:46,228 --> 00:33:48,676
He needs to find her fast

288
00:33:53,093 --> 00:33:55,248
Finally he picks up her signal

289
00:33:55,348 --> 00:33:58,385
in a river valley to the south of the Hoaruseb

290
00:34:03,599 --> 00:34:09,341
The detailed tracking information
stored in the high-tech collar
will throw light on her movements

291
00:34:09,441 --> 00:34:12,100
crucial data to help protect her family

292
00:34:12,118 --> 00:34:15,202
and the entire desert lion population

293
00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:25,044
Darting is a necessary intrusion
though Flip never takes it lightly

294
00:34:26,112 --> 00:34:31,207
And for him, getting this close
to lions never loses its magic

295
00:34:33,100 --> 00:34:34,000
She's beautiful

296
00:34:36,358 --> 00:34:40,448
The GPS collar, it's the first time
I touch it for 9 months

297
00:34:40,548 --> 00:34:42,715
it's been on this lioness

298
00:34:42,815 --> 00:34:45,790
this whole time, and it is still working

299
00:34:45,890 --> 00:34:49,905
The LED light is still going, you can see it

300
00:34:50,184 --> 00:34:58,899
So it's been storing all this incredible
information for the last 9 months

301
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:06,894
This girl, she's the queen.
She's the queen of them all

302
00:35:06,895 --> 00:35:12,789
And this is my by far my
most favorite and special lioness

303
00:35:12,889 --> 00:35:21,211
and she is hardcore, she takes no nonsense
and she just, she lives it on the edge

304
00:35:21,925 --> 00:35:28,550
Okay, well, now we have to look at your
teeth to see if you are still in a good nick

305
00:35:28,915 --> 00:35:32,160
Man, look at that, isn't that beautiful?

306
00:35:33,186 --> 00:35:36,139
Goodness, look at that

307
00:35:41,725 --> 00:35:42,700
Sorry

308
00:35:44,662 --> 00:35:45,990
mm, man

309
00:35:53,504 --> 00:35:56,604
Sorry, my dear
Sorry, sorry, sorry...

310
00:35:56,704 --> 00:35:58,899
Shall we have a look at the claws

311
00:35:58,999 --> 00:36:03,200
Oh, they're sharp, eh? Look at that
My goodness, it's like a needle

312
00:36:03,300 --> 00:36:07,670
Oh, especially the forefinger and the middle finger

313
00:36:07,770 --> 00:36:10,452
Oh, just really, really sharp

314
00:36:10,959 --> 00:36:12,789
the most amazing thing is

315
00:36:13,730 --> 00:36:18,246
their feet just smell so amazing
It's got the nicest smell to it

316
00:36:22,324 --> 00:36:27,915
mm, sort of musky. Just really like
a sweet, sweet sort of musky smell

317
00:36:28,015 --> 00:36:31,291
What an awesome feeling to be so close

318
00:36:35,498 --> 00:36:41,765
Okay. You be good

319
00:36:45,562 --> 00:36:51,287
He quickly discovers that his favorite
lioness isn't just in good condition

320
00:36:51,387 --> 00:36:54,151
she's become really smart

321
00:36:55,424 --> 00:37:03,202
This is what, oh, this is incredible
It means there's movements back
and forth, back to Purros

322
00:37:03,302 --> 00:37:05,879
These are right in Purros

323
00:37:06,302 --> 00:37:17,879
through, past Purros and then she spent in
the early morning between midnight and the
morning and then all the way back again

324
00:37:19,152 --> 00:37:21,023
It's a great sign

325
00:37:21,123 --> 00:37:26,894
She's proving she can live
right under people's noses without
causing them any trouble at all

326
00:37:28,382 --> 00:37:33,426
I mean, I see this and I want, like,
to have a GPS collar on every lion

327
00:37:33,526 --> 00:37:36,890
because the information is just phenomenal

328
00:37:40,543 --> 00:37:43,032
The following morning, there's a rare chance

329
00:37:43,132 --> 00:37:46,561
to watch these elusive lions for a little longer

330
00:37:47,317 --> 00:37:50,369
but it's a bittersweet moment

331
00:37:52,045 --> 00:37:57,185
Flip's aware that until all the local
people support the return of the lions

332
00:37:57,285 --> 00:38:00,411
his favorite lioness will never be safe

333
00:38:06,726 --> 00:38:11,518
News from the Hoaruseb valley
gives him even more concern

334
00:38:11,618 --> 00:38:14,715
the youngsters have found their way back

335
00:38:21,165 --> 00:38:24,405
Unlike their mother,
they haven't had time to work out

336
00:38:24,505 --> 00:38:27,978
how to steer clear of people and livestock

337
00:38:28,078 --> 00:38:32,892
and this time they're exploring
upriver towards Purros

338
00:38:44,406 --> 00:38:49,465
Just 5 miles from the village,
they head into big trouble

339
00:39:15,275 --> 00:39:17,866
Donkeys have been bred to be docile

340
00:39:17,966 --> 00:39:21,070
and they have no instinct of how to escape

341
00:40:15,833 --> 00:40:21,480
No animal has a concept of restraint,
predators least of all

342
00:40:55,235 --> 00:40:58,934
These last 45 minutes could be their undoing

343
00:40:59,034 --> 00:41:02,164
and it puts Flip in a really awkward position

344
00:41:03,926 --> 00:41:10,114
He doesn't want the cubs killed but
keeps his promise to inform the village

345
00:41:11,038 --> 00:41:14,880
These two young lions are very important

346
00:41:14,980 --> 00:41:17,373
to your conservancy

347
00:41:17,473 --> 00:41:25,284
but if these lions kill any of
your livestock, you know you can
shoot them if they cause problems

348
00:41:30,370 --> 00:41:36,867
And it is not for me to say or ask for you
not to shoot them, that's your decision

349
00:41:36,967 --> 00:41:43,650
And all I'm saying to you is before
people shoot them if they kill livestock,
you've got to think very carefully

350
00:41:43,750 --> 00:41:50,168
Those two lions were born here, they are
used to this area and that's very valuable

351
00:41:50,761 --> 00:41:53,720
The lions have a lucky break

352
00:41:53,820 --> 00:41:55,745
since the donkeys were living wild

353
00:41:55,845 --> 00:41:59,686
the community decides to be lenient, this time

354
00:42:19,710 --> 00:42:23,166
However, a lot of people in Purros are twitching

355
00:42:23,266 --> 00:42:27,937
and the lions don't help matters
by remaining close to the village

356
00:42:38,902 --> 00:42:43,534
As night falls, the situation turns into a crisis

357
00:42:43,634 --> 00:42:47,383
the cubs head straight towards the village

358
00:43:00,031 --> 00:43:02,615
This could be disastrous for the cubs

359
00:43:02,715 --> 00:43:07,523
dangerous for the people and jeopardize
everything Flip worked so hard for

360
00:43:13,596 --> 00:43:20,502
So much is at stake that Flip even
enlists help from a local tourist lodge

361
00:43:20,596 --> 00:43:25,502
I think you should drive past us
now and you go to the village,

362
00:43:25,596 --> 00:43:29,502
Purros and you're going to tell the
people that the lions are lying here

363
00:43:29,986 --> 00:43:31,647
and we're watching them very carefully

364
00:43:31,747 --> 00:43:35,173
and tell them if they come anywhere
close to the village, we'll dart them,

365
00:43:35,273 --> 00:43:41,288
just so that they know and see that it's not
just us favoring the lions at their expense

366
00:43:42,468 --> 00:43:46,612
The collared lioness is flicking her tail a lot,
just look at her now, she's going to...

367
00:43:49,553 --> 00:43:51,843
just stalking each other

368
00:44:00,287 --> 00:44:06,384
The lions are just a quarter of a mile from
the village when Flip decides to intervene

369
00:44:06,484 --> 00:44:11,619
by broadcasting a lion roar,
he hopes the cubs will be distracted

370
00:44:23,798 --> 00:44:25,815
Okay, just tell us when they leave

371
00:44:26,831 --> 00:44:32,524
The lions are running downriver
Okay, one time, let's go
Everything's done

372
00:44:35,195 --> 00:44:39,141
At first, it's not clear whether his plan is working

373
00:44:39,241 --> 00:44:42,066
It looks like they're turning around
and coming back into the river

374
00:44:42,166 --> 00:44:44,442
I'm just watching them carefully
I can barely see them,

375
00:44:44,542 --> 00:44:46,651
so I'll get back to you when I know

376
00:44:52,876 --> 00:44:57,884
Thankfully, as the cubs turn back down
the river and away from the village

377
00:44:57,984 --> 00:44:59,721
Flip can relax

378
00:44:59,821 --> 00:45:05,405
Even so, he stays with them until
he's sure they're well out of danger
watch, watch, watch

379
00:45:25,747 --> 00:45:29,080
The next day is like a new beginning

380
00:45:32,652 --> 00:45:35,553
not only have the cubs left Purros behind

381
00:45:35,653 --> 00:45:37,606
they've traveled a long way downriver

382
00:45:37,706 --> 00:45:39,943
farther than ever before

383
00:45:55,225 --> 00:46:01,581
They're exploring the dunes and
rocky cliffs just 7 miles from the coast

384
00:46:19,486 --> 00:46:23,126
This desert has so much to offer them

385
00:46:23,786 --> 00:46:29,040
elsewhere in Africa, lions are
hemmed-in by national park boundaries

386
00:46:30,194 --> 00:46:34,053
But here, in one of the continent's
last great wildernesses

387
00:46:34,153 --> 00:46:37,522
there's still plenty of room to expand

388
00:47:01,710 --> 00:47:05,119
It's been a long journey to get this far

389
00:47:05,219 --> 00:47:08,214
but now Flip dares to think big

390
00:47:08,372 --> 00:47:12,514
One day he hopes lions will
be established down the entire length

391
00:47:12,614 --> 00:47:16,599
of the Skeleton Coast
from Angola to south Africa

392
00:47:23,250 --> 00:47:28,838
Knowing that lions can survive and
live in the northern Namib desert

393
00:47:28,938 --> 00:47:31,058
I think that's what really drives me

394
00:47:31,158 --> 00:47:37,079
but being here and being present to observe
lions come to a beautiful area like this

395
00:47:37,179 --> 00:47:39,910
would make me smile for the rest of my life

396
00:47:40,598 --> 00:47:44,423
These animals have been a revelation to Flip

397
00:47:45,029 --> 00:47:48,877
The desert has shaped their behavior
and social structure

398
00:47:48,977 --> 00:47:51,515
in extraordinary ways

399
00:47:55,167 --> 00:47:57,857
They are so lean, fit and smart

400
00:47:57,957 --> 00:48:02,718
that, quite simply, these are the
most beautiful lions he's ever seen

401
00:48:10,800 --> 00:48:14,923
If lions and people can learn
to live alongside each other

402
00:48:15,023 --> 00:48:23,061
the big cats will have found the
best and certainly their most unusual
sanctuary in the whole of Africa

403
00:48:32,562 --> 00:48:39,662
Next week's Natural World tells us
a surprising conservation success story
from Gabon in the heart of Africa

404
00:48:40,062 --> 00:48:46,560
Over 10% of the country's rainforest is now
protected in a series of national parks

405
00:48:46,563 --> 00:48:53,062
home to an abundance of wildlife, including
elephants, gorillas and seafaring hippos

406
00:48:53,762 --> 00:48:59,062
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