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Zambia's Liuwa Plain.

These vast grasslands are home

to one of Africa's
most successful predators...

spotted hyenas.

For over a decade,

radio collars have provided
a unique insight

into the lives
of one formidable group...

the south clan.

In hyena society,
it's the females that dominate.

Every member has its own rank,

and the most powerful of all
is their queen.

From getting the most food

to the chance
of having a larger family,

she gets the best of everything.

But now it's a critical time
for the south clan.

Their queen is dead,

and her throne
is for the taking.

The clan faces a power struggle.

Who will be the new hyena queen?

With the death of
the south clan's old queen,

her two-year-old daughter,
Sia, should be next in line.

The crown normally passes
from mother to daughter...

but Princess Sia
is too young to take power.

The throne has been seized
by another.

This is Suma...

the south clan's new queen.

The support of allies is vital
for not only taking power,

but holding on to it.

Suma has managed
to gather enough backing

to take the top spot.

But it's the worst possible
time to become queen.

Liuwa is in the grip
of the most extreme drought

in living memory.

There's been little rain
for 18 months.

The herds are long gone,

and with little to hunt,

the south clan are starving.

At the den,
only two cubs have survived.

One of them is Suma's son.

She's managed to keep him alive
this far...

but if her cub
is to survive much longer,

the new queen
needs to find food.

Her best chance
is to head north,

in search of the herds.

But beyond the safety
of the clan's territory,

she'll be vulnerable
and exposed.

But Suma is not alone.

Her allies have followed.

They're stronger together,

and the group are banking
on Suma to lead them to food.

Checking for scent

tells them if rivals
have passed this way.

They're now far beyond
the boundary

of their territory.

They need to be on their guard.

These small pools
are worth the risk.

They exist
even in the driest of times,

a draw for herds
from miles around.

This is why
Suma has brought them here.

Within days, a wildebeest calf
can run as fast as the herd.

But hyenas
are built for endurance.

A charging adult wildebeest
could Kill her...

but Suma won't give up.

A precious meal.

By allowing them
to feed with her in peace,

Suma reinforces
the support of her allies.

By seizing the throne,

she and her dynasty

should now have
the best chance of survival.

Back at the den,

in the heart
of the clan's territory,

Suma can now nurse her son Shay.

Thankfully,
relief from this drought

is finally on its way.

The rains recharge pools
with fresh water...

bringing life
back to the plains.

The herds return,

and the south clan gather

to make the most
of this season of plenty.

Surrounded by her allies,

Queen Suma's position
looks comfortable.

But troubles are never far away.

Princess Sia is becoming
an increasing threat to Suma...

growing bolder and claiming
as much food as she can.

She continues to edge closer
to adulthood.

The higher ranking a hyena is,

the more food they get.

Suma gets her pick at any meal.

Low-ranking males
have to wait their turn

at the dinner table.

Having eaten her fill,

Suma stashes the leftovers.

This male can't resist
a game of hide-and-seek.

With failing eyesight,

he'll have to rely
on his other senses

to find the prize.

No.

He's getting closer.

Suma doesn't seem
particularly bothered.

By tolerating his impertinence,

she might gain his allegiance.

It's got to be here somewhere.

And he's nothing
if not persistent.

Bingo!

Suma lets him get away with it.

They're only scraps, after all.

And perhaps now
she'll have one more supporter.

One of the queen's
most important allies

is the clan's best hunter,

Sara.

She's large, fast...

and powerful...

but she's also patient.

The best time to hunt...

Is after nightfall.

While Suma spends time
nursing her cub at the den...

Sara heads up

a night hunting party.

They test the herds
for weakness,

charging at them
to create confusion and panic.

An adult wildebeest

is a good meal.

As dawn breaks,

the queen follows
the sound of their feasting.

Her trusted ally, Sara,

has provided.

And now Suma can claim
her royal share.

The queen's son Shay
is now a year old

and growing in confidence.

He has inherited high status

from his mother

and tries his luck
suckling from another female.

Not today.

He's also starting
to explore his surroundings,

as youngsters do at this age.

But for any young hyena,

the plains are packed
with dangers.

And here in Liuwa,
there's no greater risk

than rival hyenas.

The south clan territory

is being constantly raided by
them at this time of the year.

The last thing
any young hyena wants to do

is to cross their path.

Shay has been attacked.

For a youngster,
wounds like these can be fatal.

He's lucky
to have made his way back.

Suma makes sure
her son gets to feed...

using her status
to force all the others away,

even hunter Sara.

Sara will have to wait her turn.

Shay is Suma's priority.

But soon, her attention will
need to turn to her allies.

Princess Sia,
daughter of the old queen,

is coming of age.

She may just be playing
with her brother...

but she is a threat
to the new queen.

Suma keeps an eye
on proceedings.

It's time for her to remind them

that she is still boss.

Sia,
despite her growing strength,

has been made well aware
of the queen's power.

Suma's support base
is continuing to grow.

One of her close allies, Sitale,

has had twins.

These are the first cubs
to be born since the drought.

Like their mother, these cubs
will be Suma's allies, too.

But for now,
the twins' demands...

are rather exhausting.

Whilst
they're distracted playing,

Sitale can grab
a little relaxation time.

Pure bliss!

The perils of falling asleep
in the bath!

All too soon...

it's time to get back
to feeding duty.

On the other side of the pool,

the queen is ready to keep
growing her own dynasty.

She's choosing her mate.

It's a long-drawn-out process
that can last weeks.

Until she makes her decision,

Suma will be followed everywhere

by potential suitors.

Meanwhile, her son Shay

is continuing his journey
towards independence.

But he is still injured
and weak.

This is one of the hardest
times for hyena cubs.

Suma can't look after him
for ever.

Only half of all hyena cubs

make it to adulthood.

Four months have passed,

and it's still a time of plenty.

Although apparently alone,

Suma still holds on to power.

And what is more,

she's done something that
may help secure her legacy.

For weeks,
she's kept away from the group,

hiding a secret.

Two tiny cubs.

Now it's time to introduce them
to the rest of the clan.

She carefully carries
each one of them to the den.

These little cubs are precious -

even more so,

as one day
either could become queen.

Meanwhile,
Princess Sia has been busy

building support of her own.

She seems to be
deliberately spending more time

in the company
of potential allies.

Out on the plains,
the queen's crucial ally, Sara,

is leading
another hunting party.

Wildebeest bulls
are an ambitious target.

But as they fight for territory,

these two
have dropped their guard.

Head on, a bull is well armed
and dangerous.

Sara, however, is undeterred.

But they're all heading
towards danger.

A deep pool,
full of matted weeds.

A potential deathtrap.

Understandably,
the hunting party keeps back.

All except Sara.

She won't give up.

Out of their depth
and tangled in weeds,

both hunter and hunted
are in peril.

The wildebeest
takes its last breath.

Sara is lucky to escape
with her life.

Another of Suma's
loyal supporters, Sitale,

has reached an important moment
for her family.

Her twins
are on their first trip away

from the safety of the den.

But female hyenas can sometimes
harm or even kill cubs

that aren't their own.

It's a nervous time

for both cubs and mother.

Princess Sia arrives.

Without the queen around,

she immediately starts
to harass both the twins

and Sitale.

With this aggression,

Sia is reminding everyone here
of her growing status...

and perhaps of her ambitions.

The twins flee,

followed by their mother.

Sitale tries to calm her cubs

by encouraging them to feed.

By her actions, Sia is now
sending a message to the clan.

She has a claim to the throne.

Queen Suma
has remained at the den,

leaving Sia unchecked.

The threat Sia poses
continues to grow.

The dry season is coming again.

As the water recedes,

Liuwa transforms once more...

and the herds are on the move.

Queen Suma should be mother
to a growing family...

but her den is empty.

We'll never know
what fate befell them...

but here on the plains,

life for hyena cubs
is a constant challenge.

Being a mother
hasn't come easily to Suma...

and now her position
as queen is at risk, too.

Princess Sia
is coming into her own.

She's now a fully grown adult,

dominating a Kill
made by hunter Sara.

To strengthen their bond,

Sia allows her to feed in peace.

She gets a sign
of respect from Sara.

One by one, the most powerful
females join and greet Sia.

It is Queen Suma.

As she moves in to feed,

she pushes off hunter Sara.

But Sia challenges.

Her confidence has grown,

especially
with her new-found support.

Even Sara's loyalty
appears to be shifting.

It's an uneasy truce,

as both queen and princess
feed side by side...

for now.

Just one year has passed
since Suma became queen.

She was once surrounded
by allies,

but now
her support is dwindling.

Hunter Sara
is no longer on her side.

This crucial ally
has switched loyalties.

The story of this clan

is about to change.

Several months have passed
on the plains...

and the struggle to become
the south clan's queen

has reached its final act.

Sia is approaching the den...

flanked by her trusted allies.

Suma is waiting.

Sia heads directly towards her.

Without strong enough alliances
to back her up...

Suma submits.

She is no longer queen.

There is a new order
in the south clan.

But Sia and the strength
of her alliances

are soon tested.

Under the light
of the full moon,

the clan are feasting.

All too soon, they have company.

A rival clan.

They have invaded
the south clan's territory

to steal their food.

The rivals
continue to advance...

but that is close enough.

Sia charges.

And her allies unite behind her,

driving the rivals
out of her territory.

Together they have the strength
to defend their Kill...

and the south clan have
the territory to themselves

once more.

For Sia, it's been two years

since her mother,
the old queen, passed away.

Now, finally,

her dynasty is returning
to the throne.

Sia is a princess no more.

Suma has lost the crown

and all that goes with it.

But there is a silver lining.

A new cub.

She has another chance

of raising a family.

One day,
her dynasty may rise again.

The Dynasties team spent

two years in Zambia's
Liuwa Plain National Park,

following and filming
the resident hyena clans.

Hyenas have typically
had quite a bad press.

They're often portrayed
as just scavengers.

But they are incredible animals,

and that's why we're doing this.

Amazing predators. Amazing mums.

And they have really
fascinating social groups.

Each individual

has so much character,
SO much personality.

Liuwa is one of
the best places in the world

to film hyena.

But they are facing
one of the hardest times

in recent memory.

We're just getting
set up to go and see the hyena

for the first time this trip.

Obviously, we're really excited

to get out and see
how they're doing,

but we had some really worrying
reports last night

to say that they're in
a terrible condition,

because there is nothing
for them to eat,

and there's just no water.

This corner of the continent

has endured one of
the worst droughts on record.

For generations,

people have lived
alongside wildlife here,

but with fishing now difficult
and crops failing,

local communities look
to other sources of food.

Hunters set crude wire traps,

snares to catch antelope.

But snares don't discriminate,

and an increasing number
of hyena

are falling victim
to their deadly grip.

The Zambian Carnivore Programme

have been working with Liuwa's
wildlife for over a decade...

but more and more of their time

is now spent rescuing,

rather than studying
the animals.

So, we're going to dart
this hyena now

and remove the snare,
and then hopefully

she or he will heal
from their wounds.

The team must get close enough
to fire a tranquillizer dart.

But the hyena is moving
into an area of long grass,

which conceals
some unwelcome obstacles.

Argh.

With the vet stuck,

a second team keeps an eye
on the hyena's location.

Do you see us?

We've got visual.

Just be ready
for a lot of bumps.

A little helping hand
from the film crew,

and the team are back on track.

She's stable. Temperature
is fine, respiration is good.

They must work quickly.

It's very deep.

It's gone, like two to two
and a half centimetres inside.

The snare is a wire noose
that tightens

as an animal struggles
and digs into their necks.

If it had pulled too tight,
it could have killed her.

Now we've just...
We've removed the share,

and then we'll just
clean it up a little bit,

and then she will be fine.

Hyenas have
a remarkable ability to heal

from such
seemingly horrific injuries.

With the wound cleaned,

the vet administers
a reversal drug.

She can finally rejoin
the rest of her clan.

Unfortunately, this is not
an isolated incident.

Just heard on the radio

that another snared hyena's
been spotted.

Although no members
of the south clan were snared

during filming,

four hyenas from other groups

had to be rescued
in a single week.

If this would've been on her

much longer,
she would have died.

With climate change,

droughts will become
more frequent.

They will become more severe.

Animals will have
to move to find food.

There will probably be
more clashes

between animals and humans.

Increased contact with humans
inevitably puts hyena

under even greater threat.

But despite all of this,

through collaboration
between researchers,

park management
and the wildlife authority,

over the last decade,

the Liuwa hyena population
has actually been increasing.

And finally,

for crew and hyena, there are
promising signs on the horizon.

The rains are coming,
the grass is coming up,

and the wildebeest
are starting to return.

The females are going
to calve soon,

So everyone's coming back
together.

The sense of relief
for everything and everyone

just is palpable.

Here's our buddy.

Hello, little chap.

With continued vigilance,

hopefully this place
will remain a sanctuary

for these often misunderstood
animals for many years to come.