All language subtitles for Africas.Hunters.S01E04_English

FEMALE NARRATOR:
Meet the Nsefu pride,

and their newest members.

Six cubs who feed together

and play together.

(GROWLING)

All except one.

He holds back.

A misfit.

This is his story.

He's the smallest,
the most vulnerable.

(SNARLING)

Surrounded by killers,
even other lions.

His family is all that
stands between him

and a violent world.

(ROARING)

(GROWLING)

(MEOWING)

Lost and afraid.

The smallest cub faces
rejection and hardship.

(GROWLING)

(MEOWING)

His only hope is in his
determination to survive.

(OPENING THEME PLAYING)

The Luangwa River

is the heart of Zambia's
South Luangwa National Park.

It's drying up.

It hasn't rained
for six months.

Along the bank lives
the Nsefu Pride,

a family of twenty lions,
including six cubs,
born to two sisters.

The cubs have different
characters, some playful,
some aggressive.

These two are the twins,
a male and a female.

A couple of weeks
younger are four males.

One is smaller, holds back,

perhaps a runt.

Even in the womb some cubs get
more nutrition than others.

This little misfit risks
being pushed out of meals

by his stronger brothers,
and falling further behind.

Male cubs need friendships

that will evolve into
coalitions as adults,
to start new prides.

Playing together is
vital to their future.

(GROWLING)

The older twins set the pace.

Chasing and fighting are
their favorite games.

They're getting stronger
all the time.

The misfit is missing out.

(GROWLING)

Cubs want to form bonds.

One of the twins approaches
the timid cub.

At first the misfit
is just scared.

(GROWLING)

He tried, but he finds being
part of the gang hard.

(BUFFALO SNORTING)

As the dry season progresses,

buffalo are drawn to the
few streams and lagoons
around the river.

(MOOING)

(MOOING)

(HYENA BARKS)

Hyenas follow.

If hyenas or leopards find
the cubs, they'll kill them.

Keeping them alive is a
difficult job for the mothers.

Nine out of ten cubs die
in their first few years,

before they're big enough
to defend themselves.

(HYENA BARKS)

(INSECTS CHITTERING)

(HOWLING)

Night is the most
dangerous time,

and the mothers need to
persuade the reluctant cubs
to hide, and remain hidden.

The mothers can't
stay with the cubs.

As the pride's best hunters,
they're needed elsewhere.

Lions hunt cooperatively.

(GROWLING)

They run at the herds of
impala and puku, hoping to
find a weaker individual.

Sickness or injury is
quickly punished in the
African wilderness.

The antelope are fast,
built to avoid cheetahs.

Buffalo are like tanks,

slower, but it takes
the whole hunting team
to bring one down.

(SNORTING)
(GROWLING)

Few hunts succeed.

The buffalos just canter away.

(ROARING)

While the females hunt,

the two brothers roar
out their ownership

of their 25 square
mile territory,

broadcasting their
strength to rival lions.

(ROARING)

(HYENAS LAUGHING)

Roars also intimidate
others predators,
particularly hyenas.

(HYENAS YELPING)

The clan lives in
a lion-proof den.

(YELPING)

A babysitter stays behind
while the clan goes hunting.

(YELPING)

The lion cubs have
nobody to guard them.

(LIONS ROARING)

(HYENAS LAUGHING)

With so much chaos,
they may panic, and scatter.

That's very risky with the
resident leopard out hunting.

She's able to move so quietly
that even impala and puku
can't detect her.

Leopards and lions are rivals,
attacking each other's cubs
whenever they can.

In the cool of the night

hippos come out of
the river to graze.

Stirring up a cloud of
insects for the bats.

The hyenas have found some
of the lion pride enjoying
the remains of a warthog.

The lionesses
are away hunting,

the dominant males roaring
and the cubs hiding.

What remains are
the teenagers,

yearlings to four-year-olds.

Pride and clan skirmish
over scraps.

(ROARING)

(HOWLING)

(HOWLING)

The hyenas back down.

(HIPPOS GRUNTING)

At dawn, the hippos leave
the busy plains for the
cool safety of the river.

(SNORTING AND GRUNTING)

The little misfit is in
the hiding place, alone.

It's been a night of drama.

The five other cubs
are scattered.

Halfway across the river are
two of the missing cubs.

This is no-man's land,
and very dangerous.

(MEOWING)

(GROWLING)

The two mothers are
out searching

and have found the male twin.

Leaving him alone on the bank,

his mother sets out
to rescue his sister

and a younger cousin.

(MEOWING)

They are half way into
another pride's territory.

(MEOWING)

Fortunately, there's
no sign of the neighbors.

(MEOWING)

She leads them back to safety.

It's so easy for cubs to
wander off and run into
trouble in the dark.

Curiosity and courage may
have led them astray.

(MEOWING)

All the cubs are found,

they've had their
big adventure,

learnt their lesson.

Except for one,
the little loner,

who just stayed
where he was put.

(MEOWING)
(GROWLING)

The bigger cubs
have a new game,

testing the tolerance
of the two adult males.

(MEOWING)
(GROWLING)

The little misfit wants
to make friends

and approaches
the big males, too.

The males are his best line of
defense and worth befriending.

He's ignored as usual,

so he returns to
his mother for milk.

Late for breakfast,

the teenagers
finally saunter in.

They've been out causing
mayhem all night.

The little cub approaches
the adolescents.

He clearly wants
to make friends.

But the gang on the edge
of adulthood are dangerous,

their instincts are muddled,

unpredictable, sometimes
playful cub, sometimes
lethal hunter.

(GROWLING)

Still, perhaps it's something
to hang out with the big boys.

(LIONESS MOTHER CALLS)

When his mother calls,
he wanders back.

Over time, the pride move
around their 25 square
mile territory,

following their prey,
and checking for intruders.

They stop regularly,
and snooze for much
of each day.

(GROWLING)

Her growl could be a
reprimand for wandering off,

or a warning.

(MEOWING)

At one resting place are the
remains of a puku antelope.

The older cubs are
beginning to eat meat,

in this case, the stolen
scraps of a leopard kill.

They're about three
months old now,

and this is mostly
about training,

developing hunting instincts,
and slowly moving their
digestion from milk to meat.

The loner just needs
some confidence to
join in and catch up.

(SNARLING)

The meat's only
a first taster,

and they're suckling
more than ever.

(GROWLING)

The mothers share the
nursing of all the cubs.

It's called allo-suckling.

But six cubs are hard work.

Each lioness only
has four nipples,

and the cubs always
want to feed together.

(SNARLING)

(GROWLING)

(GROWLING)

The mothers are
getting tetchy.

(GROWLING)

Feeding together is important.

As they grow up, the male cubs
need to be able to form a
coalition and win a territory.

So the friendships formed
in shared litters are key.

(SNARLING)

After fighting for food,
they fight some more,
just for the fun of it.

(SNARLING)

The little oddball
is excluded.

(GROWLING)

The teenagers play too,
but their games are
really rough.

(GROWLING)

The misfit cub is used
to being on his own.

(SNARLING)

The pride wanders off.

He's forgotten by his mother,
brothers and cousins,

even by the teenagers.

Once the adult lions are gone,

the other animals relax a bit,
and are curious about this
little lone lion.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(MEOWING)

Too late, he realizes
he needs his pride,
and misses his mother.

(MEOWING)

(MEOWING)

(HIPPOS SNORTING)

(INSECTS CHITTERING)

(OWL HOOTS)

Alone and lost,

calling for his family
is not a good idea.

(CUB SQUEALING)

Others may hear.

(SQUEALING)

Even hippos kill
cubs occasionally.

They may be vegetarians,

but they're by
no means harmless.

The little misfit
doesn't panic.

He's naturally a loner.

(CRICKETS CHIRPING)

The cub comes near
impala and puku.

Best to stay still and just
listen with the listeners.

In the quiet,
a nocturnal cast emerges.

A timid savanna hare.

And a musky genet,
a cousin of the mongoose.

Much more dangerous,
the local leopard.

Lions and leopards are locked
in an ancient rivalry.

Both kill each other's cubs
if they find them.

One instinctive response
to extreme fear in animals

is to shut down the body,
even lose consciousness.

It's called
a syncope response.

Twenty yards away
from the cub,
the leopard pauses.

The genet approaches.

The leopard isn't distracted,
locked onto the cub.

(SOFT GROWLING)

A hippo breaks the spell.

(SNORTING)

Hippos may hate leopards,

but are unlikely lifesavers
for lion cubs.

(MEOWING)

(CUB MEOWING)

The teenagers have
had their meal,

and lost a skirmish
with hyenas.

They're in the mood
for more mayhem.

There's not much
hunting strategy yet,

just run at them.

Missed again.

But, just behind the teenager,

(CUB MEOWING)

the cub.

(MEOWING)

He's found his pride.

(SOFT GROWLS)

It's a rough reunion.

(MEOWING)

The adolescents are away
from the main pride.

He's in as much danger
with them as he was alone.

Mouths watering,

their tentative nips
cover him with saliva.

It's not in his character
to fight back.

Their hunting instincts,
Their frustrations...
(SQUEALING)

...could claim a first kill.

One of their own.

The cub, equally confused,
tries to suckle.

(SOFT GROWLING)

(MEOWING)

The young males grow
increasingly hostile.

The misfit's desperate
to get away.

It's only going to get worse.

(SOFT GROWLING)

(GROWLING)

His mother is out
looking for him.

(GROWLING)

(MEOWING)

(MEOWING)
(GROWLING)

(GROWLING)

The teenagers want
their plaything back.

(GROWLING)

Few cubs would have survived
this night.

But there's something
about this little loner
that defies the odds.

(BIRD CAWING)

Looking after
their vulnerable young

is the hardest challenge
many animals face.

Parents dedicate their lives
to the next generation.

It's in everything they do.

The little loner is back safe
with the pride,

and has had his adventure.

The other five cubs' games
are rough.

They are gaining in confidence
and strength.

(SNARLING)

The instinct is to
develop adult skills

through tag and wrestling,

as well as establishing bonds
and hierarchies
within the friendships.

It takes a few years
of playing to learn
how to be a lion.

The little misfit's
development is falling behind,

but this morning,
after his escapade,

he has a more
immediate problem.

He can hardly walk.

The other cubs behave
as if he wasn't there,

as if he was already dead.

He may have fractured his hip
or spine,

injured perhaps,
by the teenagers.

Or maybe, he's just bruised
and weak.

He returns to his mother
for breakfast.

(SOFT GROWLING)

She growls a warning.

Something has changed.

He needs milk
if he is to heal.

(GROWLS)

He tries his aunt.

(CUBS WHIMPERING)

But she also abruptly
ends the meal.

The biology of maternal love
has an extraordinary
exception.

Occasionally, mothers
turn against their young,

neglect or even kill them.

Scientists are only beginning
to investigate how a bond

that is so strong
can get broken.

And if there's anything
a rejected cub can do
to win a parent back.

He can't keep up.

They've disappeared.

Alone again.

He keeps following the family.

He has courage, determination.

He finally tracks down
his family.

But he's not welcome.

The injured misfit
is weakening,

and his limp is worse.

He's now suffering as much
from dehydration as injury.

He can't walk
in a straight line.

(WHIMPERING)

He has to keep up.

His willpower and courage
are extraordinary.

He arrives late,

but the problem is more
than just his timing.

Each time he tries to suckle,

his mother and his aunt
both continue to refuse him.

They are making a choice.

If a lioness can work out
which of her cubs
is most likely to die,

it makes sense to concentrate
on the others,

those that have the best
chance of surviving.

It's grim,
but it's not that unusual

for mothers to abandon
ailing young.

(PURRING)

He sits apart
and lets the others feed.

He tries again.

(SQUEALS)

(GROWLS)

(SQUEALS)

The adults know a way round
and down into a gully
where there's water.

(PANTING)

The little misfit
is so dehydrated now,
he's walking in circles.

He's lost the others.

He sees them
in the gully below.

A crocodile is waiting
for any unwary drinker.

(MEOWING)

The mothers know the danger
from the croc...
(GROWLS)

...and bark out warnings
and threats.

Weak and confused,

the cub doesn't realize
there's a safe way round.

(MEOWING)

If a cub, her cub,

is in direct danger
from outside,

it must appeal to her
in a different way.

(MEOWING)

At last, a drink of water.

Hesitantly,
he approaches his mother.

For the first time since
his terrifying night alone,

she lets him get close,
and allows him to suckle.

It's much-needed sustenance.

But he's still the runt,

still injured
and still unable to keep up.

(MEOWING)

As the pride walks away,
something happens.

One of the cubs turns,
and waits for him.

Then, one by one,
the whole family turns,
and waits.

They give him a second chance.

With luck, this is just
the beginning of his story.

**

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