Original subtitles

Narrator: This is chipadzua.

A grown-up leopardess

Still reliant on her mother.

But life for this pampered princess

Is about to get a whole lot harder.

Tired of her daughter's freeloading,

Her mother has had enough.

Alone, with no one to guide her,

Chipadzua must grow up fast.

(growls)

Hunger drives her to danger.

(hyena grunts)

But not all who roam here are the enemy.

Chip is on the perilous path to adulthood.

But has she got what it takes to survive?

(♪♪♪)

It's early morning.

And the bush is already wide awake,

It's breakfast-time.

But not everyone is being so industrious.

Leopardess chipadzua is having a lazy start to her day.

The three-year-old adult

Should be on the hunt for her own meal.

But the pampered princess doesn't need to.

She'll just steal food from her hard-working mother.

Malaika, her seven-year-old mom,

Has been busy.

During the night she dragged an impala up here,

Away from thieves.

Like all leopards,

Malaika can haul prey twice her own body weight

High into trees.

She's held this territory

Since becoming an independent adult,

At the age of two.

Malaika's done well.

She's a masterful hunter,

And successfully raised chipadzua to maturity.

But that's where she's hit a stumbling block.

Her adult daughter should be living a solitary life

In her own territory,

Only mixing with other leopards to mate or raise young.

But this lazy leopard

Is still hanging around her mother.

Chipadzua and malaika

Share five square miles of territory

In zambia's luangwa valley

With some of africa's least friendly neighbors.

Lions,

Hyenas,

Wild dogs,

All compete for the same food

And show little tolerance for their rivals.

Lying low is the key to a leopard's survival.

At three years old, chip should have established

Her own neighboring territory by now.

Malaika has been trying to prepare her daughter

For that solitary life,

Teaching chip to hunt since she was a cub.

The now grown-up daughter

Should have been catching food by herself

For at least the last year.

But she still hasn't made any kills.

Chipadzua would rather scavenge

From her reluctant mother.

As usual, this morning,

Chip is trying to freeload malaika's breakfast.

Mothers don't share kills with grown-up offspring.

But chip is demanding a seat at the table.

(growls)

Her noisy presence is attracting attention,

The last thing malaika wants.

The baboon's alarm call

Could entice other predators to the area,

Putting both leopards at risk.

(baboons barking)

The mother grudgingly retreats to quiet chip

And the baboons down.

Leaving the spoils to her greedy daughter.

Malaika watches as her breakfast disappears.

Her annoyance is clear.

Chip has pushed too far this time.

She's about to learn a very hard lesson.

It's late in the day.

Full-bellied chip is heading to drink

And to find her mother.

But malaika isn't at the river.

Chip waits.

Her mother usually drinks in this spot.

The hours tick by.

Eventually, it becomes clear

That her mother is not coming back.

Sick of her daughter's stealing,

Malaika has migrated to a patch

Two miles north.

It's incredibly unusual

For a mother to leave her established territory.

Usually they would share overlapping ranges

While living independent lives,

But malaika has opted for complete separation.

Chip is alone for the first time,

In this vast wilderness.

The princess faces a huge learning curve.

If she's to survive, she must learn to hunt,

And to navigate potential danger.

(hippos grunting)

It's time to grow up.

Night time brings danger for most species

Because carnivores are on the prowl.

However, chip is not among them.

She's snoozing in an ebony tree.

But she isn't alone.

(roars softly)

Mohawk,

The fiercest lion in this territory,

Rests just 300 yards from her.

He's more than three times the weight of the leopard.

Nothing else here outranks him for muscle power.

Chip's safe in the tree,

But the inexperienced leopard decides to move.

This is the center of mohawk's patch.

He would kill a leopard who gets in his way.

(♪♪♪)

Chip mistakenly starts to head in his direction.

(mohawk roars)

His call stops her in her tracks.

She quickly changes course.

(♪♪♪)

The lion picks up a scent,

But it's not from chip.

He heads away from her.

The leopard has dodged a bullet.

But she's about to walk into danger

Of a different kind.

Hyenas...

(squealing)

With the remains of an impala kill.

Chip is completely outgunned.

Hyenas have the strongest jaws of any mammal in africa.

Perfect for crushing the bones of prey,

Or biting leopards that get too close.

She should avoid them.

But a combination of hunger and naivety

Has made her reckless.

Leopards rarely scavenge,

But scrounging off her mother's kills

Has become second nature to her.

The hyenas don't yet realize they have a hungry audience.

Their eyesight isn't as good as hers.

She creeps closer.

They still don't see her.

But one of them hears something.

Chip freezes.

(♪♪♪)

But her brazen approach finally gives her away.

(hyena squealing)

(hissing)

Most leopards wouldn't go anywhere near

This kind of danger,

(growling)

But chip foolishly tries again.

(roaring)

(hyena barks)

She won't back off.

She grabs a piece of entrails,

(hyena screaming)

But they won't let her have even this tiny morsel.

The exasperated hyenas

Might think they've gotten rid of her.

They gamble on a rest.

But the tenacious leopard

Doesn't know when it's time to quit.

(chip growls)

(♪♪♪)

(hyenas laughing)

They've had enough of her.

And call in reinforcements.

(howling)

It's now three angry hyenas

Against one reckless leopard.

Despite the clear danger,

Chip creeps close again.

(roars softly)

(hyenas squeal and bark)

(♪♪♪)

She finally gets the message and retreats.

She's lucky to emerge from this encounter

Without serious injury.

Morning.

Chip has managed to stay out of trouble

For the rest of the night.

Scratches around her face,

The only sign of how close she came to disaster.

She's used to getting free handouts,

But if chip doesn't change her spots,

She may not last the week.

Leopards must remain elusive,

And independent, if they're to thrive.

Like this older male, luambe.

His larger range encompasses chip's smaller territory,

And the veteran 15-year-old has survived to old age

By being completely self-sufficient.

He's bagged an impala.

But down on the ground,

He won't get to keep it for long.

This grove is a favorite haunt for lions and hyenas.

Luambe must get the carcass to a safer position.

He easily drags the 130-pound antelope

Up into a fork of the tree.

A much more secluded spot in which to eat.

Chip wanders into the grove,

Lured by the scent of the carcass.

Luambe will tolerate the presence of a female

In his much larger territory,

But sharing does not extend to food.

He will aggressively defend his dinner.

But chip can't resist the opportunity.

His open hostility stops her.

But perhaps she can get a free handout

If she waits a while.

It's worked with her mother.

Maybe it'll work with this strange, old male.

Once again, her presence is drawing unwelcome attention.

(barks)

Soon there's a cacophony of alarm calls.

The last thing luambe wants

Is other scavenging predators to be alerted.

(clamoring)

Vervet monkeys join the chorus.

As do squirrels.

They're ganging up to drive the leopards away.

Chip tries to lie low.

A nearby hyena

Comes to investigate the commotion.

The leopard's solitary existence

Requires he avoids any risk.

The baboons are an annoyance,

(snarls)

But their noisy chorus is drawing a much bigger problem

Into the grove.

As he disappears into the bush,

It soon becomes clear

Why luambe was so quick to abandon his kill.

Mohawk,

And the whole of his pride,

Patrolling on the edge of the grove.

Chip makes a run for it.

Luckily for her, they don't give chase.

A close call for the leopards.

Without her mother,

Chip's attempts to scavenge are so far proving fruitless.

The princess needs to find a better way

To bag her dinner.

She will wait for darkness.

Chip patrols her mother's old territory,

Beginning to assert her claim on the real estate.

It's been 48 hours

Since she was abandoned by malaika.

She's hungry.

But she's not looking for scraps this time.

She's learned her lesson.

She plans to hunt.

She must pick her prey wisely.

A porcupine, with its baby, a porcupette.

The diminutive mother rattles her razor sharp quills

To warn chip away.

It's not worth the gamble.

But puku, resting in an open area?

Perfect.

Chip has watched her mother hunt.

But she's never put her own skills into practice.

Leopards are the masters of ambush hunting,

And rarely attempt a pursuit

From more than 15 feet away.

They can't keep up in a chase.

Chip must sneak up without being spotted.

The pukus' night vision isn't as good as hers.

They can't see her.

If she waits for them to fall sleep,

She has a chance.

But waiting is boring.

And patience isn't her forte.

While she's waiting for sleep to descend on the herd,

She succumbs to its charms.

Chip has utterly failed in her task.

It doesn't bode well for her future.

Morning

And chipadzua is on the move again.

Well rested,

But even hungrier.

She must hunt.

She patrols what was her mother's territory.

Scent marking to indicate

That this is now her patch.

Hungry though she is,

She won't try to chase these puku.

Out in the open, and in broad daylight,

There's little point.

What's needed is the element of surprise.

She heads for the cover of a gully,

Close to a grazing spot.

She must avoid being seen for as long as possible.

(♪♪♪)

But the nervous herd detects movement.

(♪♪♪)

Spotted!

It's now 95 degrees,

But she must push on.

She needs food.

Further ahead, antelope are grazing in the bushes.

(♪♪♪)

She's doing everything right.

(♪♪♪)

Perhaps the tree-line will give her cover.

(♪♪♪)

Chip keeps low,

Hiding in a dip.

(♪♪♪)

But yet again her patience wears thin.

She can't resist a peek.

A rookie error.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

Spotted again.

As all hope seems lost,

She stumbles onto a lifeline.

An abandoned kill, at the mercy of scavengers.

Chip doesn't hesitate.

(vultures squawk)

It's scraps, but she'll take what she can.

Her learning curve, to stand on her own four paws,

Isn't getting much easier.

Male leopards can have an even tougher time.

Like all leopards,

At adulthood, they must migrate to a new territory.

But unlike females, who'll tolerate sharing ranges,

Males will not.

They'll fight each other

To become the sole dominant male.

The victor has access to prey,

And to females.

(fly buzzing)

Yesterday, three-year-old kaingo

Confidently won this territory from older male luambe.

And now he's sharing the area with chip.

Kaingo sets off to patrol his new kingdom.

Scenting as he goes to attract potential mates.

He's an accomplished hunter,

And has carefully stashed away today's breakfast

During the night.

Warthog.

But kaingo hasn't got the lay of the land yet.

He's hidden his kill less than 100 yards

From enemy hq.

A wild dog den.

The dogs and their puppies,

Have caught the scent from the carcass.

Wild dogs don't usually scavenge,

But this snack is on their doorstep.

And the opportunity to taunt kaingo

Is too much to resist.

(wild dog squeals)

(growls)

These dogs are the endurance athletes

Of the carnivore family.

They can easily roam hundreds of miles

In their search for food.

Unfortunately for kaingo, they're re-directing

That boundless energy towards him.

The leopard can't hide his irritation.

But he doesn't dare retaliate.

Not only are the dogs better long-distance runners,

They're faster sprinters too.

He can't outrun them.

Safer to stay put.

The pack change tactics.

Perhaps they can dislodge the leopard.

Kaingo must wait it out,

And be thankful the dogs can't climb trees.

The pack finally gets bored,

And heads off to find an easier target.

Kaingo takes his chance to leave,

Before his tormentors return.

The warthog isn't worth the attention.

And the male leopard

Has a much more important mission.

He's on the lookout for a mate.

He doesn't know it,

But he's just half a mile from chip.

(♪♪♪)

It's been almost a week since chip's mother left.

Over the last few days,

She's scavenged abandoned scraps where she can.

She's been spending more time up in trees,

Where she's safe,

And where she can try to ambush antelope.

Chip's finally taking fewer risks

By not provoking rival predators in the valley.

But she still hasn't caught any prey herself.

This morning

She's patrolling her favorite acacia grove.

But today there's something different about it.

She discovers a new scent,

And it's driving her to distraction.

It's the scent of a male leopard.

Kaingo.

And chip likes what she smells.

For the first time in her life,

She's in estrus and ready to mate.

Kaingo shows himself.

Life is suddenly looking a lot less solitary.

Kaingo may be hanging around,

But he's also inexperienced in the ways of mating,

And is unsure of this forward female.

He heads away, with chip on his tail.

Her urge to mate is all consuming.

Usually it's males who do the pursuing,

But chip is characteristically doing things her way.

She tries flirtation.

Rubbing her scent to attract him.

It's not working.

(roaring)

Chip is not one to give up easily.

But her amorous pursuit is about to be rudely interrupted.

(♪♪♪)

Mohawk. Again.

He's patrolling with a pride female,

And they're heading straight towards the leopards.

They spot kaingo.

He sprints to a tree.

Chip, unseen, has the chance to flee.

But her urge to mate with kaingo

Keeps her rooted

To a hiding place in the distance.

Mohawk and his mate settle in.

Kaingo is trapped.

(♪♪♪)

He won't dare to venture down.

At 400 pounds mohawk could easily kill him.

The lions still haven't seen chip

But, rather than take the opportunity to escape,

The tenacious leopardess

Waits for the lions to tire of this game.

After two hours,

Mohawk and the lioness finally move off,

Their point made.

They are the rulers of this patch.

Frustrated chip can finally continue her flirtation.

As the light fades,

The couple reunites.

Chip is keen to move this liaison forward.

But this is kaingo's first attempt at mating too,

And he's yet to be won over by her.

She tries to be direct,

And brazenly sits on his head.

(growling)

A clumsy move,

(roars)

But her innate instincts

To present herself to him are right.

Perhaps darkness will relax nervous kaingo.

As they step out under the full moon,

The young leopards finally seem to be in sync.

Even nearby prey doesn't distract them.

This time kaingo doesn't flinch.

Chip is giving off intoxicating pheromones

That tell him she's ready for mating.

When she presents herself again,

It seems he's finally ready too.

(growls)

(roars)

Her reaction as he withdraws each time is understandable.

(hissing)

His penis is covered in barbs,

Thought to help induce ovulation.

But it doesn't drive her away.

On the contrary,

They'll mate roughly every 15 minutes

For many hours.

(hissing)

This stimulates the release of her eggs

And gives the best chance of conceiving.

Even with this impressive effort,

The odds of her becoming pregnant

Are less than 50%.

But perhaps that's just as well.

Kaingo would have no parental role,

And chip will have little chance

Of successfully raising cubs

If she can't master the art of the hunt.

Leopard mating can go on for three days

But by morning, the pair have gone their separate ways.

This first sexual encounter may have been brief,

But it is an important milestone

On chipadzua's eventual path to motherhood.

As she surveys her turf,

She seems to have a new confidence.

However, there is one thing she must achieve

Before she's fully independent.

It's time to hunt.

This morning chip isn't wasting energy in open areas

With little chance of success.

She heads to a sausage tree.

An ambush spot her mother preferred,

And a favorite location for grazing antelope

Drawn to its sweet flowers.

Now, she waits to pounce.

(♪♪♪)

Timing is everything.

(♪♪♪)

She's finally done it.

Bringing down a puku weighing more than her

Is a huge achievement.

She finds a safe spot to enjoy her spoils.

The once pampered princess has become a warrior.

(♪♪♪)

Chip has risen to the challenge

Of her sudden independence.

She's learned how to keep herself

Safe from danger.

(hyena squealing)

And she's finally mastered ambush hunting,

So vital to her future survival alone.

Though her recent dalliance with kaingo

Means she might soon be joined

By a family of her own.

(♪♪♪)

Chipadzua has finally grown up.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)