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Previously on Kingdom...

..there were devastating floods.

Tenta the hyena, together with her twin cubs,

managed to survive.

But now she has to re-establish her family's position.

LOW GROWL

The lions, however...

TRUMPETING

..lost their cubs.

MEWLING

Can their family recover?

PANTS

All the wild dogs, led by Storm,

retreated from Nsefu.

GROWLS, YELPING

But now the lion pride has been seriously weakened,

can Storm manage to return?

And Olimba the leopard

has competition for her territory...

..from her own daughter.

Only one can prevail.

Mutima can either flee...

..or turn...

..and fight.

GROWLS

Five years...

..four families...

..who will rule this kingdom?

SNARLING

GROWLING

SNARLS

LOW GROWLING

HISSES

LOW GROWLING

Mutima is forced to concede.

She must leave her mother's territory -

the only home she's ever known.

She will now start a new life as a solitary leopard.

BIRDS CHIRP

SOFT GROWLING

In a secluded corner of Nsefu,

almost hidden from sight...

..a den.

YIPPING

Storm, the leader of the wild dogs,

has been hiding here.

And she's been busy.

She has 11 new puppies.

Storm's largest litter ever.

To keep the pack fed,

the adults must hunt twice a day.

But one dog is struggling to keep up.

This is Flint, Storm's oldest son.

He has been injured in a poacher's trap.

Unable to hunt for himself,

Flint has rejoined his mother's pack.

Even though he is the last to arrive at the kill...

..he won't go hungry.

Wild dogs care for pack members who are weak or injured.

And when it's time to head for home...

..they all go a little slower.

Few animals have stronger bonds than wild dogs.

Storm is waiting for the pack's return.

YIPPING

Her puppies are hungry.

They're still too young to leave the safety of home,

so the pack bring back food for them.

Even Flint shares what he has.

Old or injured wild dogs can still be valuable members

of the pack.

Flint's experience makes him acutely aware of dangers

that might threaten the pups.

And that is a great help to Storm

as she tries to raise a litter as large as this.

INSECT BUZZES

Tenta's hyena clan are slowly getting back together.

And at last...

..Tandala has found her way back to her family.

But she has lost her only cub.

Tenta's twins may offer some comfort.

SNUFFLING

Play strengthens the clan's bonds.

And it seems no-one wants to miss out.

SQUEALS

But this isn't just fun and games.

Amongst hyenas, clan unity brings power.

Evening.

As the light fades,

Tenta leads her family in search of food.

The lionesses have made a kill.

LOW GROWLS

It could feed many hungry hyenas.

HYENAS CHATTER AND LAUGH

GROWLS

But there are not enough of the clan here

to challenge the lions.

So Tenta calls for reinforcements.

WHOOPING

Her whooping calls are amplified by the ground.

WHOOPING ECHOES

They can be heard from far and wide.

DISTANT WHOOPING

The other members of the clan respond immediately.

DISTANT WHOOPING

DISTANT WHOOPING

HYENAS YELP

HYENAS SCREECH

GROWLING

SCREECHING, GROWLING

With these numbers,

the hyenas are now more powerful than the lions.

HYENAS SCREECH

LION GROWLS

DULL HOOTING

The strength of the reunited hyena clan

could have consequences throughout Nsefu.

TRILLING

After losing the fight with her mother,

Mutima, the leopard,

is searching for a territory of her own.

But almost immediately, she runs into danger.

Mutima is no match for Storm's pack.

MURMURS

Mutima is now on unfamiliar ground.

SQUAWKING

What is more,

this is the territory of leopards she doesn't know.

And this female...

..has her own problems.

Best move on.

There are no signs of leopards here.

Perhaps this is a place where she could settle.

But wherever she tries...

..other animals have got there first.

ANIMALS CALL

BARKING

Baboons don't tolerate predators of any kind

in their trees.

CACOPHONY OF BARKS

LOW SNARL

SCREECHING

BARKING

GROWLS

SCREECHING

A leopard can take only so much harassment.

She must keep searching.

Wild dogs live in families

which have their own affectionate rituals.

CHATTERING

Every day, as soon as they wake,

Storm's pack get together...

..and reaffirm their kinship.

Everyone joins in...

..old and young.

The puppies are not yet big enough

to join in an actual hunt.

So Storm and Flint stay behind to watch over them.

Baby-sitting is a job Flint manages to do lying down.

The pups, meanwhile, practise the skills needed

for a wild dog's life...

..courtesy of the local vultures.

Stealth.

Persistence.

And working together as a team.

Teamwork is particularly important...

..when it comes to hunting for food.

ANIMALS CALL

A kill.

But, unfortunately,

a hyena...

..and a big male leopard...

..have also spotted it.

With so many pups to feed,

the dogs won't abandon this opportunity.

SNARLING

SNARLING

BARKS

SCREECHING

That has dealt with the hyena.

Now the dogs must take on the leopard.

SNARLS

GROWLING

LEOPARD SNARLS, WILD DOG WHINES

YELPING

GROWLS

Success.

DISTANT WHOOPING

But other hyenas have discovered Storm's den.

DISTANT WHOOPING

WHINING

DISTANT WHOOPING

Flint stands guard

while Storm tries to lead the pups away.

WHIMPERING

Flint has little chance alone.

GROWLING

LAUGHING

But the pack are back.

Together, they manage to drive off the hyenas.

SCREECHES

The wild dogs have shown their strength is back.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

For this family, power has been slipping away.

The lionesses have no cubs

and they've been beaten by their rivals...

..and they have no males to protect them.

But there are two new males in Nsefu.

GROWLING

Male lions are often hostile and aggressive,

but their power is just what the lionesses need.

So they attempt to recruit the males as allies

and potential mates

by flirting with them.

LOW GROWL

SNARLS

And gradually, day by day, they become regular companions.

The lionesses now have two strong protectors...

..and, with them, there is a chance

their fortunes may change.

In the centre of Nsefu,

the streams and gullies have run dry...

..and are now an excellent site for an ambush.

Not for a baboon...

..but for Olimba.

After pushing her daughter away,

she once again has this territory to herself.

Normally, she makes a meal out of any trespassers.

SCREECHING

But she's not quite as fast as she used to be.

And perhaps she doesn't command the respect...

BARKING

..she once did.

BIRDS CACKLE

Even hamerkops don't leave her in peace.

Life is getting hard for Olimba.

BIRDS SQUAWK

BIRD CALLS

She's now nearly 13...

..and that's old for a leopard.

Although she mated several months ago,

she's not yet produced any cubs.

Mutima will probably be her last.

She is on the far side of Nsefu...

..many miles from her mother.

At last, she has found a potential territory...

..but she doesn't yet know whether it can provide enough food for her.

ANIMALS CALL, CHIRRUPING

A troop of baboons. They have got the better of her before.

But now, at night, Mutima has an advantage.

Her eyes are extremely sensitive

and can detect even the tiniest glimmer of light.

The baboons can't see her coming.

But as she gets closer,

they can hear her.

BABOONS BARK

SCREECHING AND BARKING

Some of the baboons stay out of reach

by clinging to the far ends of the smallest branches.

On the sturdier limbs, Mutima can move with extraordinary speed.

BARKING AND SCREECHING

SCREECHING

BARKING RECEDES

BARKS

This place can certainly provide food.

But there is a problem.

Another leopard is already here.

By climbing higher,

Mutima finds a position where she can defend herself.

SNARLING

But she is not welcome here.

The rival has made that very clear indeed.

Mutima is left licking her wounds.

YIPPING IN BACKGROUND

The rival female has a young cub.

That is why she is protecting this place so fiercely.

Mutima cannot stay here.

So where CAN she find a home?

Nsefu's last remaining pools

attract animals from all around.

SNORTING

LOW GRUMBLING

This water hole is already taken.

And the hippo is not willing to share.

GROWLS

WHIMPERING

The dogs must find somewhere else to drink.

But they need to be careful.

It's Flint.

WHIMPERING

In spite of the danger,

Storm and Flint's brother risk

trying to pull him to safety.

But the crocodile's grip is unbreakable.

Flint's only chance is that the water may be too shallow

for the crocodile to drag him under.

Astonishingly, Flint finds the strength to escape.

And his brother continues to protect him.

But Flint has been gravely injured.

The family don't leave Flint's side...

..until he has taken...

..his final breath.

THUNDERCLAPS

The rains return...

..and a new chapter begins for all four families.

At the very edge of Nsefu, far away from their rivals...

..a litter of tiny cubs has been born.

MEOWING

They're just a few days old...

PURRING

..and they are only one part of a baby boom in the lion pride.

Five of the lionesses have produced cubs.

These youngsters have the protection of the whole family.

SPLASH

The lions, for the first time in years,

seem likely to regain their full strength...

..and this will surely bring change throughout Nsefu.

But even these most powerful creatures...

..will have to cope with dangers...

..that are beyond their control.

FLAMES ROAR

This is Nsefu, in the heart of Zambia.

Years of rivalry between those that live here

are coming to a climax.

The final chapter...

..is about to begin.

Five years...

..four families...

..who will rule this kingdom?

The borderlands of Nsefu are on fire.

The lions' nursery has been reduced to ashes.

But that will not stop this pride.

They are returning to the centre of Nsefu.

But they are on a collision course with rivals.

Rivals who had been getting accustomed to life without lions.

Just a few months ago,

the wild dog family were 22 members strong.

But Storm, the pack's matriarch, has died.

Like her son Flint, she was killed by a crocodile.

Without their leader and mother, the pack is disbanding.

YELPING

Now there are just a few yearlings left...

..and Storm's partner,

Zuwa.

A hyena.

It's looking to steal their kill.

LOW GROWL

GROWLING AND SQUEALING

They may have done enough to drive this single hyena away...

..but with the pack so diminished,

it'll be harder to protect each other

from more powerful rivals.

SOFT GROWLS

The very survival of what is left of Storm's family

is now at risk.

HIGH-PITCHED YELPING

Over these last four years, Mutima has grown

from a small cub...

..into a powerful adult leopard.

But by doing so she became a rival to her mother...

SNARLING ..who then forced Mutima to leave.

In the last six months,

Mutima has travelled over 100 miles

looking for a suitable home...

..but without success.

So she has now returned to where she grew up.

Nsefu.

Today, she is in a grove of ebony trees in the south...

..just a couple of miles down the river from her mother.

And she is scent-marking...

..proclaiming that this is now her territory.

Just upstream, her mother Olimba

still rules the dry gullies

that are the best hunting grounds.

But she's failing to make the most of them.

Old age is getting the better of her.

BIRDS HONK

Even these Egyptian geese...

GROWLS

..are proving a bit beyond her capabilities.

She's barely catching enough food to survive.

Close by, the once-powerful hyena clan

have lost Tenta, their queen...

..and her closest ally, Tandala.

The clan is in turmoil.

HIGH-PITCHED CRIES

Without a leader to keep everyone in line,

it's become a free-for-all.

There is incessant in-fighting.

A new leader is needed

who will be powerful enough to restore order.

The lions are taking a well-earned break in their wanderings.

It's been a long way for little legs.

But the cubs won't sleep for long.

At this age, they are very boisterous.

Parenthood can be very trying.

Nikita, the youngest lioness,

tries to join in their games.

Without cubs of her own,

she can sometimes forget her own strength.

CUB YELPS

Playtime is over.

They are not far from the heart of Nsefu -

almost home.

Walking across open landscape can be dangerous

for young cubs.

It's best for everyone to stay in line,

and close to mother.

But every path can lead to new distractions.

This cub is unlikely to have seen

a buffalo herd as close as this before.

That is probably close enough.

This stream is blocking their path.

They all need to cross.

The adults know very well that deep waters can be dangerous.

Once again, the cubs should stay close

to their mother.

CRIES

There is nothing any of the family can do to help.

Today, the pride has lost a daughter...

..and the cubs...

..a sister.

They seem to find some comfort from one another.

The arrival of darkness gives Olimba the leopard

the best chance of catching something for dinner.

She's not the only one looking for a meal.

A genet.

It will eat frogs...

..if it can catch one.

But Olimba can't survive

on things as small as little amphibians.

DISTANT WHINNYING CALL

LOUD CALL

The calls of lions echo

across the heart of Nsefu.

The pride is back.

The lionesses leave the cubs with a baby-sitter

and go off to find food.

LOW GROWLS

They have been attracted by the scent of a kill.

SNIFFS

BARKING

It's been stashed in a tree.

And it's been abandoned for good reason.

Directly below, there is a nest of African honeybees.

BUZZING

And bees don't like anything getting as close as this.

The lions have met their match.

The pride's males are also searching for a meal.

Crocodiles have gathered around this big hippo.

It would be wise to leave this to them.

One of the brothers is feeding on an antelope.

SNARLING AND GROWLING

Male lions are greedy

and don't like to share...

..even with their siblings.

They will have to settle for half each.

It has been a long night for Olimba...

..and without success.

She is still hungry.

Porcupines are slow.

But a suit of sharp spines is excellent defence

and can make them dangerous.

Tackling one is a last resort.

But last night she did try...

..and paid a price.

A porcupine quill lodged deep in her neck.

Life for Olimba is getting more and more difficult.

She is no longer in her prime.

After a busy night,

all that the male lions want to do...

CONTENTED PURRING

..is to sleep.

But with all these excitable cubs around...

..it's almost impossible to get any rest at all.

CUBS YELP

MALE LION GROWLS

GRUNTS

Patience is wearing thin.

CUB CRIES OUT

The cubs aren't getting the message.

SNARLS

But the females won't tolerate this level of aggression

towards their young.

SNARLS

GROWLING

LOW ROARING

LOW ROARING

It's a reminder to the males

that females together are strong.

And they are about to become stronger still.

Nikita, the youngest lioness,

is returning to the pride after several weeks away...

..bringing with her a new addition.

And not just one.

CUB MEWS

MEWING

Father and cubs are meeting

for the first time...

CUB YOWLS

..without any trouble...

CUB MEWS OLDER CUB GRUNTS

..at least not from dad.

GROWLS

This pride is now the largest it has ever been.

And size brings power.

The dogs, however,

are now down to a mere handful.

And they find themselves face-to-face

with the lion pride.

Zuwa recognises that the odds are stacked against them.

BARKS

DOGS BARKING

LION GROWLS

A single charge is all it takes

to force Zuwa and his family to retreat.

When the wild dogs first arrived,

they were a strong force

and were able to make a home here.

But now they are weaker

than they have ever been.

SOFT GROWLING

PANTING

WHINING

HIPPOS GRUNTING IN DISTANCE

DISTANT GRUNTING

DISTANT WHOOPING

DISTANT WHOOPING

The sound of other dogs

is coming from across the river.

DISTANT WHOOPING

They could drive away Zuwa's family,

or even kill them.

But they could bring an opportunity.

GROWLS SOFTLY

WHOOPS

WHOOPING

DISTANT WHOOPING

A reply to his calls.

And it's an encouraging one. DISTANT WHOOPING

WHINING

HIPPOS GRUNT

DOGS SQUEAL

CHATTERING

Zuwa tries to find

the best spot to cross.

But it's still risky.

HIPPO GRUNTS

YAPPING

YAPPING

Zuwa can find a new partner in this pack...

..and, with luck, a new beginning beyond Nsefu.

Now only three families remain.

Hidden in the woodlands...

..is a new generation of hyenas.

The previous chaos has turned to peace...

..all because a new leader has emerged.

This female,

bigger and stronger than the others,

has claimed the throne.

YAPPING

And with their new queen...

..the clan could once again challenge the lions.

LOW GRUNTING

The lions are resting after a hunt...

..and have left their cubs

feeding on the carcass.

WHOOPING BARK

WHOOPING BARK

A valuable carcass and unguarded cubs.

The hyenas have killed the pride's cubs before

and could take the chance again.

WHOOPING BARKS

WHOOPING AND BARKING

CHATTERING

GROWLING

WHOOPING AND GRUNTING

GROWLS

Nikita.

WHOOPING

HOOTING GROWL

These hyenas should be able to see off

a single lioness.

WHOOPING

SNARLS

HOOTING GROWL

But Nikita...

..is not alone for long.

WHOOPING

HYENAS BARK

LION SNARLS

LION SNARLS

HYENAS WHOOP AND SQUEAL

LOW ROARING

LOW ROARING

LOW ROARING

ALL ROARING

Roaring together is a clear statement of power.

LOW ROARING CONTINUES

CUB YOWLS

Over the last four years,

this pride has grown into the greatest force in Nsefu.

The wild dog family are gone

and the hyenas subdued.

The lion family will rule this kingdom

for generations to come.

But the lions are not the only winners here.

Olimba has not only recovered from the injury

inflicted by the porcupine quill...

..she has, over the years,

survived every challenge that has come her way.

And she has not finished yet.

GRUNTS

After three years of trying,

Olimba has,

at last...

..a new healthy cub...

CUB YOWLS

..a son.

She is now one of the most successful leopard mothers

on record.

Over her lifetime,

she's watched other families rise and fall,

and power come and go...

CHIRPS

CHIRPS

..but a cub born in the heart of this kingdom

is surely life's greatest success.

Next time...

..the drama behind life in the Kingdom.

The conservationists...

..the anti-poaching teams...

..and the film crew.

- How's it going, Nathan?

- Oh, I'm loving it!

- Wild dogs are on the move,

and they're moving fast.

- The story beyond Kingdom.

CHIRPING

For five years...

THUNDERCLAP

..we have followed the stories of four families of animals.

Now it's time to meet the people behind these dramas.

The scientists and conservationists...

- Be careful!

- ..who helped us understand the animals.

And the anti-poaching squads...

..who risk their lives to protect them.

We will also meet the film-makers

who recorded those dramas...

- Come, come! Fast, quick.

- ..of life in the kingdom.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Our four animal families live in Nsefu...

..a corner of South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.

It's an important sanctuary for wildlife.

SNORTING

And a temporary home for our film crews.

WHISPERS: - There are elephants coming.

- A remote base camp enables them to live alongside animals, day...

..and night.

HIPPO SNORTS

ELEPHANT RUMBLES

They have the latest technology...

..and are able to film in all conditions.

- How's it going, Nathan? - I'm loving it!

- Making the series would have been impossible

without the team of conservationists

from an organisation called the Zambian Carnivore Programme.

They have studied and safeguarded the wildlife here for decades...

..tracking the movement of hundreds of animals,

following their every step...

..both from the air...

..and on the ground.

- Frank, can you please send me the coordinates for the lions

10km south of here?

- It's a remarkable undertaking,

covering thousands of square miles.

Our film crews rely on them to keep in touch

with all our animal characters.

- Fraser, do we have the signal?

- Yeah.

- Animals that move huge distances.

The technology that makes this possible...

..GPS and radio-tracking collars.

The conservation teams fix a collar on a member of each family.

In a pride, they put it on a lioness.

And for wild dogs,

they usually select a male and a female.

That allows them to locate and follow the entire family

throughout their lives.

These collars have to be replaced every two years,

and today, it's the turn of one of the lionesses.

Henry Mwape is the leader of the collaring programme.

First, Dr Sichande sedates the lioness using a dart gun.

- Right now, we're removing this old collar,

so that I...

I put the new one on.

- While the lioness is still unconscious,

Henry makes a general health check.

- OK.

I think some people think it's not safe

to work with lions.

Of course, the lion is immobilised.

So, if it was fully awake,

I can't get close like this.

- The conservationists are keeping track

of over 40 animal families.

- My best moment of collaring is when I see the animal up.

I'm like, "Wow, we've done it."

Without collars, I can't imagine how we would be doing

what we're doing.

- The collars produce an enormous amount of information,

which helps the conservationists

to build a picture of the lives of all the animals.

Where they're hunting...

BRAYING

..what they're eating...

CHOMPING

YOWLING

..how their behaviour affects each other...

..and even where they choose to make their dens.

Information that is essential for conservation,

but also critical for the camera crews.

Finding the place where a lioness is hiding

her newborn cubs is proving particularly difficult.

The crew have searched everywhere.

- It's been about seven days,

just driving around in the bushes.

- And then, at last,

they pick up the radio signal

coming from the lioness's collar.

- I'm very excited to have a signal.

- But Mark knows it could be coming from any one of these bushes.

MARK: - Every single bush is a potential den.

I mean, she's been missing for five, six days

and we've been combing this whole area.

But we've found her cubs.

- ASON: - It's four really beautiful cubs,

and we think the cubs are about four days, five days,

because their eyes are just starting opening at the moment.

- We've managed to get shots of them,

so it's a really big moment, actually.

- Our powerful lenses produce images that enable the conservationists

to see the animals they study in intimate detail.

This unique collaboration brought many surprises.

One of the biggest surprises -

finding that one wild dog had only three legs.

- Go, go.

- He really needs urgent expert assessment.

- We are leaving camp now.

- Thandiwe Mweetwa and Henry are on their way.

They recognise that this injury

must have been inflicted by a wire snare.

- A wire snare is formed in the shape of a noose.

It's basically a trap for catching wild antelope,

but any animal can get trapped.

And then, as it struggles, this wire starts

to cut through whatever body part has been caught.

- Despite his snare injury,

this wild dog, which the team have named Flint,

seems to be coping well on three legs.

- Yep. Centre, yep.

- Flint is still an important member of the wild dog family

that we followed throughout the series.

His story illustrates the way wild dogs look after each other.

The pack makes sure he can keep up...

..and that he doesn't go hungry.

But then...disaster.

WHINING

- Just watching the crocodile attack was incredibly tough.

We're only 20 feet away

and see others trying to save him.

And I found it probably one of the worst things

I've had to film in 20 years.

- In the end, Flint's snare injury proves to be too much.

- Oh, my God.

Wow. - That was good teamwork.

- Missing a leg meant that he wasn't as fast when escaping danger.

So sad.

- The use of snares is widespread,

and is one of the biggest threats here

to both lions and wild dogs.

So, when news comes in about a lion caught in a trap,

they know that they must get the snare off

as quickly as possible,

especially so because that individual is a dominant male.

HENRY: - If the snare's not removed very soon,

it can keep tightening and it can suffocate the lion.

It will take about ten minutes for the lion to go to sleep.

- GUN POPS

- This male is protecting 12 cubs.

Losing just one individual can be catastrophic for any dependent cubs.

- If he dies from this injury,

rival males could take over the pride and then kill his cubs.

- We can approach and see.

- ENGINE IGNITES

- You want that snare off as soon as possible,

you know, just in case the lion wakes up halfway through.

- Wounds from snares can often cause infection,

so it's important to clean it thoroughly.

- So... OK.

- By saving this one male lion,

the team has also helped to protect his cubs.

- Those cubs will end up having more babies.

So, it's going to be a lot of other animals

just from the result of one de-snaring.

Bye.

- There have been 400 cubs born to the lions

saved by the teams working here.

- Is it worth it, saving just one life?

The answer is a resounding yes.

- Even though this area is a sanctuary,

thousands of snares are set here each year.

One day it could be a lion, the next, a giraffe,

and that can be particularly tricky.

It takes a big team, and it's dangerous.

A single kick could certainly kill someone.

SHOUTING

Giraffes are so sensitive to the sedative

that the team have less than ten minutes

from the dart going in to getting the snare off.

- Hold, hold, hold, hold! SHOUTING

- Their methods may seem extreme,

but it's the only way to save its life.

MUFFLED SHOUTS

The clock is ticking.

URGENT SHOUTING

- Extra hand! Careful!

The snare's off? Snare's off.

- GIRAFFE SNORTS

It's a win for the team...

..and the giraffe.

But it takes all sorts of approaches

to keep these animals safe.

Godfrey Mwanza leads the unit working to stop poachers

killing wildlife in this area.

He sees snares all the time.

Snares are cheap, silent and deadly.

Each can kill dozens of animals,

and does so indiscriminately.

It's not just snares.

Poachers here use guns, too.

In the fight against poachers of every kind...

..Godfrey has a secret weapon.

Detection dogs. BARKING

They're so crucial to his work

that the dogs are protected by their handlers around the clock.

Tonight, the team is responding to a tip-off that poachers

are operating close to the national park.

ENGINE IGNITES

By operating at night,

it's more likely the poachers will be off their guard,

reducing the chance of them opening fire on the officers.

- Using the dog is very, very important...

Good boy.

..because the dog will pick up the scent.

Good checking.

- WHISPERS: - Good boy.

- The dog's picked up the scent

of the animals previously caught in this trap.

HE TAPS

But the snare is proof that poachers are operating here.

And that is a big worry for the film crew.

Lianne and Will have been filming Mutima

since she was a tiny cub.

- Mutima was a very small cub,

and she was very shy.

Now she's beautiful and elegant,

but you only see them when they want to be seen.

- Despite this, Lianne managed to film

a pivotal moment for the family,

when Mutima's mother made it clear it was time

for the young cat to find a territory of her own.

SNARLING, YOWLING

Mutima travelled over 100 miles in search of a new home.

- She actually wandered way further

than we could have ever imagined.

We heard from a guide from far south,

"Oh, yeah, that leopard, we've seen her here."

Because of her birthmark in a shape of a heart,

people would recognise her.

- She left the national park

and was forced into an unfamiliar world.

Beyond the park's boundary, there are hundreds of villages,

home to thousands of people.

VEHICLE PASSING

Travelling outside a national park can be dangerous...

..for any leopard.

Godfrey's K9 team is the first of its kind in Zambia.

As well as finding snares,

guns and ammunition...

..his dogs are also trained to detect animal skins and ivory.

BARKING

Tonight, his team has gathered new intelligence

and are heading to a different village

to look for a cache of guns.

This time round, they've been informed

that the guns have been hidden inside the house.

CAR DOOR SHUTS

- Checking.

Good checking.

OK, OK, let's go.

- The team have searched everywhere,

but there's still no sign of the guns.

This is where the dogs really come into their own.

At last, the dog sits down.

It's a sign he has detected something.

So far this year,

Godfrey and the team have seized over 80 illegal guns,

many of them handmade,

but they are still able to kill a leopard.

Thankfully, Mutima eventually made it back

to the sanctuary of the national park.

LIANNE: - She was pretty adamant to come back

and she is still here,

and I think she's waiting for her mum's territory.

- Despite Godfrey's team's success...

..they're facing a setback.

- Rudi has been one of the best dogs.

But he is old, and he has a condition on the legs.

- It's time for Rudi to retire.

- I'm proud of Rudi.

I'm going to miss him.

He was like a family member.

- Godfrey has only four dogs

to patrol tens of thousands of square miles.

He needs more canine recruits.

This is Ody, the latest trainee.

HANDLER: - Down.

- It's essential that his new handlers build a relationship

from the first moment they meet...

..and start to build a bond.

- You are a nice dog.

- Good boy. - ODY PANTS

Looking good and healthy.

- To catch poachers,

the pair will both need to be at the top of their game.

Not only for their success, but for their safety.

First...

..obedience training.

- Swim!

He still has to learn some things because he is young.

All right, come.

Like this morning, though I was asking him,

he didn't want to come.

Come on, come.

He could hear me,

he was just pretending.

Ody, come.

Come!

That's why we are doing the obedience training,

so that when we go in the field...

Good boy, man.

..he will listen to me as a handler.

Ody, come.

Sit. Wait.

- There's a lot riding on this young recruit.

Will he be able to make the grade before Rudi retires?

For one of our camera team,

South Luangwa is more than his workplace.

It's his home.

- If you come from South Luangwa, wildlife is a part of you.

When you see the elephants in the park, filming them...

..you can easily tell they are, you know, like, relaxed.

They're just minding their own business.

- But that's not always the case.

There is another side to elephants.

As we saw in earlier programmes,

they can be aggressive.

ELEPHANT RUMBLES

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS CUB YAPS

ELEPHANT BELLOWS

ELEPHANT SHRIEKS

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

Growing up in a village beside the national park,

Samson Moyo has experienced two sides of the wildlife.

These villages are mostly farming communities

and the entire park is unfenced...

..which means wildlife is free to move in and out at will.

SAMSON: - Elephants are huge, and when they come

to your village, it's scary.

I've heard a sound and peered out of the window

to see an elephant eating our crops.

I know how terrible it is.

But people fear hunger more than elephants.

So, people risk their lives

in trying to protect their food.

- As dusk falls,

it's approaching the time when elephants come

to villages like Samson's.

It's hard to imagine.

But Samson has a chance to use the Kingdom filming tech

to show what it's really like

to have hungry elephants on your doorstep.

- This is the first time I've had access

to night-vision technology.

We just sit,

wait for the elephants to come.

- RUSTLING

LOUD RUSTLING

ELEPHANT SNORTS

RUSTLING, SNORTING

ELEPHANT RUMBLES

SHOUTING

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS LOUDLY

SHOUTING

ELEPHANTS TRUMPET, RUMBLE

Mangoes are very valuable to the villagers.

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

THUDDING

SHOUTING

HORN BLASTS

TRUMPETING DOG BARKS

SHOUTING

HORN BLASTS

COMMOTION CONTINUES

SHOUTING

HORN BLASTS

ELEPHANT GROWLS

HORN BLASTS

SHOUTING ELEPHANTS BELLOW

This can last for hours,

until the crop fields are empty and the mango trees bare.

But there is a potential solution.

There's a new team in town.

The Rapid Response Unit.

The only one in Zambia.

Tonight, Samson is joining them.

CHRIS: - They know that this is not their area.

They just come here to steal food from the community.

- The Rapid Response Unit has developed the imaginative technique

of using guns that fire chilli oil.

- So, the bullet carries chilli liquid.

Once you fire, if you hit the elephant,

that scent of chilli will stick to the animal.

They don't want to smell chilli and they all run.

- The unit is responding to a call from a farmer

who has elephants in his field.

FAINT CLATTERING

MUFFLED CONVERSATION

- Where are you? - There. Elephants.

- Let's go, let's go, let's go.

Stop.

There, there. OK.

He's... He's firing now.

- GUNSHOT Eh, fire.

- Reload, reload.

- GUNSHOT Go ahead, fire.

PANICKED TRUMPETING

- Stay away!

- TRUMPETING

SAMSON: - The Rapid Response Unit are doing such an amazing job,

but a lot of people need their help,

and they can't be everywhere.

- THUNDER RUMBLES

In South Luangwa National Park,

animals move freely.

They are truly wild.

WHINING

And throughout filming, the dog pack moved

into and out of the kingdom.

At the end of the series,

they were last seen heading over the border

and out of the national park.

But thanks to the signal from the alpha male's collar,

Henry can still keep tabs on the family from afar.

We know now the wild dog pack

is looking for a new home outside the park.

GPS data shows wild dogs travel huge distances.

Some even cross international borders.

Conservationists can use this data to help protect wildlife.

It can be used to identify safe corridors,

both within Zambia and between neighbouring countries.

It can even identify likely hot spots

where poaching and conflict might take place.

PHONE RINGS

Today, Godfrey's team is targeting one such hot spot,

setting up a wildlife checkpoint.

- You conduct a search in every vehicle

which passes your roadblock.

- Godfrey and Ody have been training hard,

and now Ody is ready to be tested.

ODY GRUMBLES

He's certainly enthusiastic...

..but will he pass the test?

The team has hidden ivory

in one of their own patrol vehicles

to see if Ody can find it.

If Ody sniffs it out, he should sit down,

to signal that he's found something.

ODY SNIFFS RAPIDLY

- Oh, wow, Ody! Oh, yes!

- Ody has graduated.

- Good boy!

Good boy! Good dog!

- To me, he did well

because this is a new environment for him.

- And just in time,

because a new challenge is approaching.

THUNDER CRASHES

As the season moves on,

South Luangwa transforms.

THUNDER RUMBLES

At the end of the year comes an intense rainy season.

And even the first rain showers

make it difficult for teams to get around.

- We've been trying to get to some of the lions we've been filming.

Most of the roads are very bad.

- Getting stuck out here is not ideal.

There could easily be lions hiding in any one of these bushes.

CHEERING, SINGING

In a matter of weeks, roads will become rivers.

Not only will filming become unfeasible...

FLIES BUZZ

..but more importantly,

tracking poachers by vehicle

will be almost impossible.

The race is on for a solution.

- This afternoon, we'll be doing helicopter training with Ody.

- Using the helicopter,

the team will be able to reach all areas of the park - and fast.

But none of the older dogs will go in the helicopter.

They're scared of the sound of the rotors.

- They don't like the helicopter because of the sound.

They did not receive the helicopter training

when they were young.

- So now, hope is pinned on their newest recruit.

- All right.

- Will he even get on board?

- It's a very big success if Ody goes into the helicopter.

Up.

- Ody jumps straight in...

..but he does look a little nervous.

How will he respond to the sound of the rotors?

- Good boy. Good boy.

- Turns out, Ody's a natural flyer.

This is game-changing for Godfrey.

Now nowhere is out of reach.

Using a combination of the helicopter

and the dog team is a big deterrent against poaching.

- Ody, I may say, is our hope for the future.

- The tactics used on helicopter missions

in the national park are top secret...

..but across their operations this year,

they have arrested 76 suspected poachers.

- It's part of my job to arrest people.

I'm also a human being...

..where I feel guilty arresting people,

taking people to jail.

Cos maybe he's doing this to put food on the table.

But that's what I was employed for -

to stop poaching.

- And by stopping poaching,

Godfrey is helping to protect both the old...

..and new generations in South Luangwa National Park.

LION ROARS

CUB YELPS

A symbol of what is possible

when the people who know this place work hand in hand.

- I am hopeful that as long as we continue doing what we are doing,

- BEEPING we have a bright future.

A future where the animals can live out their natural wild lives.

THANDIWE: - My hope for South Luangwa is that

people and wildlife just continue to thrive.

I just hope that 20, 30 years down the line,

this place will still be as amazing as it is today.

Or maybe even more amazing.

- South Luangwa's wildlife

is protected by an army of local people,

working tirelessly to address the challenges

of our modern world.

People who have known this place all their lives.

Perhaps this is the secret to conservation success.