Original subtitles

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.