Original subtitles

(light music) (bugs chirping)

This is a king.

For 13 years, he ruled his wild home in Africa.

A warrior.

His roar's the epitome of might.

(lion roars)

Protector of a pride.

Father to a new generation.

He was a hero, a brother,

and a symbol.

His name was Cecil.

A fearsome predator, wherever he went,

those around him heard his call.

And when his life was taken

by a hunter's arrow, the world answered.

His death sparked fury and sadness in all

who heard his tale.

A glorious life and a remarkable legacy.

(light music continues)

Born to rule.

(dramatic music)

(light music) (zebras grunting)

(water splashing)

Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park region.

Cecil is born.

Like all young males, Cecil and his brother, Leander,

start life is small fluff balls

spending their days eating, sleeping

and inspecting anything that moves.

(light music continues) (birds chirping)

From the very beginning,

he flaunts a distinctive personality.

A fearless cub ready to take on the world.

(playful music)

Few lion cubs make it past their first year.

Cecil's fighting spirit

and his mother's dedication stacked the odds in his favor.

Even his father falls for his confident charm.

Not many cubs would dare to be this rambunctious

towards male lions who notoriously have low tolerance

for being pestered.

(birds chirping)

As time moves onward, and his little mane develops,

his brother, Leander, is his constant companion.

Their playful sparring becomes more intense.

Preparation for adulthood.

Leaner is slightly submissive towards the larger Cecil.

He's the little brother,

but behind the boisterous roughhousing,

a deeper bond is growing.

A day will come when they must fight at each other's side.

Cecil always has his brother's back when it counts.

(light music) (birds chirping)

As the brothers grow,

Cecil begins to show all the signs of a born leader.

The quiet confidence, the regal stare.

He eats first and only when he's had his fill

does his brother claim his share.

As the months pass,

their father, a regal old lion, begins to see them

as potential threats to his dominance.

(light dramatic music)

The brothers must learn the ultimate law of male lions.

A king's crown never sits easy.

A pride male must do whatever it takes to protect his turf

and his females,

even against his own sons.

(suspenseful music)

(lions roaring) (tense music)

Their mother turns on them.

(lions roaring) (tense music continues)

The message is clear.

(light dramatic music) (lion roars)

Leander and Cecil must go.

(light dramatic music) (birds chirping)

The banished brothers linger close by.

An unfamiliar and dangerous world lies

beyond the safety of their pride's borders.

(bugs trilling) (light dramatic music)

But their father's patience wears thin.

(light dramatic music continues)

(suspenseful music)

(dramatic music) (lions roaring)

Its official; adulthood has begun.

(birds chirping)

They're all alone.

Their pride has turned its back on them.

They wander in unfamiliar wilderness with empty bellies.

(birds squawking) (light music)

Discarded scraps are a rare windfall.

Stealing from scavengers will do.

(light music) (birds squawking)

Only one in eight male lions make it to adulthood.

At this age, they're clumsy,

inexperienced hunters with enemies at every turn.

Wherever they wander,

they intrude on another male's territory.

Older lions pose a constant threat.

It is not just other lions that they need to watch out for.

Drawn to the smell of a dead giraffe,

the promise of an enormous meal is too good

to pass up for the hungry brothers.

They cannot let their guard down for a moment;

another equally dangerous foe lurks here.

(suspenseful music)

Hyenas.

(hyenas grunting)

Cecil and Leander, still young and lacking confidence,

don't dare take on the clan.

There is no such thing as a free lunch

when hyenas gather, and the brothers retreat

with empty bellies.

(hyenas laughing)

The feast falls to the clan.

Scavenging meals won't be easy with hyenas around.

To live, they must learn to hunt for themselves.

(bugs chirping)

(light dramatic music)

Cecil and Leander must hone their skills

as hunters or starve.

Cape buffalo are their first target.

Tangling with them takes teamwork.

(suspenseful music)

And their best bet is to create a stampede.

(tense music)

The buffalo can sense their inexperience.

Turning the tables with a potentially

deadly counter offensive.

(lions roaring)

The brothers are in way

over their heads with such large prey,

but a calf makes the perfect consolation prize.

(bugs chirping)

Cecil brings down the calf alone,

but his brother quickly steps in to help silence their prey.

A distress call attracts competition.

The long awaited feast can begin.

(light dramatic music)

With every hunt, the brothers form a seamless hunting unit.

Like their father, they've transformed into monster

sized lions and now they're ready to claim

a territory of their own.

And that means starting a war.

(suspenseful music)

(dramatic music)

The grizzled old male in the northern region

of Hwange is no stranger to a fight.

Cecil and Leander know this mature male

lacks one thing: each other.

They prepare for battle.

(dramatic music) (lions roaring)

The old guard has met his match.

He cannot overpower two brothers.

He surrenders.

For their coup to succeed,

they must clear one last hurdle: the lionesses.

This pride of experienced huntresses and warriors

won't allow weaklings to father their cubs.

(light dramatic music) (birds chirping)

These are the true leaders of the pride.

Their acceptance solidifies the brother's status.

For the first time since they left their birth pride,

the brothers are no longer alone.

They found what male lions spend their entire adult

lives fighting for: a family.

Protecting their pride from intruders

falls squarely on their shoulders.

In return, they have the privilege of siring

the next generation.

(light music) (birds chirping)

Cecil is now a black maned giant.

His darker mane is a signal of testosterone and prowess,

and it drives the females wild.

(gentle music)

Their first litter of cubs, a new generation.

(light dramatic music)

This growing pride needs food.

Lots of it.

(light dramatic music)

Buffalo are big, but slow.

They require the strength of a male to catch.

Cecil and Leander have the muscle it takes to succeed.

(suspenseful music) (buffalo snorting)

While the brothers pin the buffalo to the ground,

the lionesses go for the throat.

Cecil and Leander will claim the lion's share of this kill,

but there is enough for the entire pride.

Well fed, and with the females at their side

and a litter of cubs at their feet,

Cecil and his brother lived the good life.

Few would dare challenge them.

Fewer would defeat them in a fight.

(birds chirping)

(suspenseful music)

But a new threat has begun its campaign for power.

And it's right around the corner.

(light dramatic music)

(suspenseful music)

A new coalition of male lions has its eyes

on Cecil's territory.

Four members strong.

The largest and strongest is named Jericho.

(suspenseful music) (birds chirping)

(lion roars)

His roar, loud and strong, is a battle cry.

(dramatic music)

Jericho is big, but he's a year younger

than Cecil and his lighter mane marks him as inferior

among darker maned lions.

(dramatic music continues)

But with his coalition at his flanks, he's no lightweight.

(lion roars)

Jericho's challenge is clear.

Cecil and Leander will not back

down from younger males.

To protect their kingdom, they fight.

(tense music)

In the chaos, Cecil and Leander get separated.

(lions snarling) (dramatic music)

Fighting a war on two fronts,

each must fight two opponents.

Leander's two adversaries pin him down.

Like a gladiator, Cecil fights and defeats

the other two males, mortally wounding one.

He rushes to defend his brother, but it's too late.

(somber music)

Leander is dead.

Leaving Cecil alone and injured.

(light dramatic music)

Utterly defeated, he must flee his own territory.

Wounded and alone, this is how most male lions die.

(light dramatic music)

He disappears without a trace.

Jericho's victorious coalition, now three members strong,

establishes itself as the new territorial males,

killing all of Cecil and Leander's cubs.

(light dramatic music)

But their glory days don't last.

Before they can sire their own generation,

Jericho's remaining two brothers are lured

from the reserve and killed by hunters.

(somber music) (birds chirping)

Jericho's borders are now in jeopardy.

New threats and rival coalitions loom nearby.

Alone, he cannot defend his territory.

Like Cecil, Jericho becomes an outcast and disappears.

(light music)

Both presumed fallen warriors, they are unseen for months.

Cecil's pride of lionesses are alone and without a king.

The void they leave behind them ripples across Hwange.

Two fierce rivals, two mighty lions, both lost.

But not for long.

From the hinterland, a dark maned giant appears.

Cecil's regal swagger is unmistakable.

The return of a king.

But he's not alone.

Against all odds, at his shoulder, is Jericho.

(light dramatic music) (birds chirping)

Once sworn enemies, now an unusual alliance.

From this day on, Cecil and Jericho are where they belong;

at each other's side.

Flanked by his new brother, Cecil's confidence returns,

as does his hunger to rule.

Cecil now walks with a royal stride

and a stare that commands respect.

They have returned to reclaim their old territories

and their pride.

Pride takeovers are hostile affairs.

Wary females can act aggressive towards a new regime.

Though they were all once a happy family,

too much time has passed since the lionesses saw Cecil

or Jericho, and never together.

The males must watch their step.

They're outnumbered.

(lions roaring)

Cecil is in the prime of his life

and possibly the biggest wild lion in Africa.

He and Jericho are the obvious choice for the females.

(light dramatic music)

They welcome the old guard back.

Cecil and Jericho share the responsibilities

of patrolling borders, hunting and siring cubs.

(light dramatic music continues)

They are now brothers in every way.

The lioness indicate they're ready to mate,

solidifying their return to the pride.

(light music)

Again, thanks to his size and mane,

Cecil is chosen more often over Jericho

as the female's choice of partner.

(birds chirping) (light music)

Months later, and no sign of the adult females,

the warrior brothers are now fathers,

and not just one litter.

(light music) (cub meows)

As the days go by, each lioness emerges from her secret

birthing den to introduce her cubs to the pride.

They're a few weeks old,

and the time has come for them to meet their fathers.

The lion's share of the cubs likely belong to Cecil.

(lion snarls) (light music)

Before long, he finds himself surrounded

by a wrapped audience of little Cecils.

They're growing fast,

along with their curiosity and confidence.

(playful music) (birds chirping)

Cecil is now their favorite target

in a game of poke the bear.

(lion roars)

Cecil and Jericho have fought in battles to the death,

but fathering 24 cubs between them

is a different challenge entirely.

(light music)

Cecil and Jericho, battle scarred from hunting and fighting,

have limited patience

from multiple sets of razor sharp teeth.

His offspring take after him in more ways than one.

They've even inherited his cheeky disposition.

(lion snarling)

The lioness are always

on guard with males around their cubs.

(lion snarling)

Permissive moms are quick to jump

to the defense of their mischievous offspring.

(lions roaring)

Even if they are just like their dad.

(lions roaring)

Cecil's bellows to keep the peace are quickly shattered

by a herd of trumpeting elephants.

(elephants trumpeting)

(playful music)

Hwange's elephants don't trust lions.

(light dramatic music)

(elephant bellowing)

(elephants trumpeting)

The cubs are in real danger of being squashed

under a protective matriarch's enormous foot.

A family outing to the water hole is a new level

of herding cats.

With the elephants nearby,

the lionesses cannot let their guard down for a second.

But they have a security detail.

While Jericho escorts the family, keeping a wary

eye on the matriarch, Cecil plays bodyguard.

(lion snarls)

Even the biggest creatures don't intimidate him.

If they want to harass his family,

they'll have to get past him first.

(suspenseful music)

The elephants have reason to be suspicious.

These brothers are elephant hunters.

(light dramatic music)

At the height of the dry season,

this pride notoriously targets elephant calves,

sometimes killing a calf a day.

If the herd sticks together, they are untouchable.

But a stray or lost youngster is fair game

for Cecil and his family.

(tense music)

(elephant trumpets) (lion grumbles)

Hwange is one of few places in Africa

where lions regularly prey on elephants.

(somber music)

(elephants trumpeting)

The herd knows it's too late to save the calf,

but they still trumpet their disapproval.

(elephants trumpeting)

In the crucial circle of life, the body of one

feeds the mouths of many.

Four of Cecil's most recent cubs are female.

This is their first kill.

They're vulnerable and tiny,

(light music)

but they have the biggest lion in Africa as their protector.

In this refuge, where hunting is forbidden,

Cecil does not see man as an enemy,

but his size, mane and beauty put a price on his head.

This was the last time he was seen alive.

(light dramatic music) (birds chirping)

(lion roars)

For days, Jericho's contact roars reverberate

across the grassland calling for his brother.

(lion roars)

They go unanswered.

His and his pride's future now hangs in the balance.

(light music)

With Cecil gone, his fate known only in the human world,

his loyal lieutenant Jericho must carry

on and keep the pride safe alone.

A lone lion against all the odds.

Days bleed into weeks after Cecil's disappearance.

Jericho stands strong.

He is now the sole father and protector.

(light music)

Jericho's care for his fallen brother's cubs

is unlike any seen before.

He plays with them and nurtures them

as they continue to thrive.

The four little lionesses are his constant shadow.

Under his care, they grow fast and strong.

(birds chirping) (light music)

Weeks become years as Hwange's unstoppable seasons turn.

And at sunrise, at Ngweshla pan,

Cecil's legacy begins to stir at the water's edge.

His four daughters, transformed

from adoring cubs to lithe beauties.

And with them, Cecil's grandchildren.

(light music)

At six weeks old, they are learning the ways of the world.

Hwange's next kings and queens.

(light music)

The pride is thriving,

and with fast growing cubs, always hungry.

(buffaloes bellowing)

(suspenseful music)

Their mothers are adept, nimble hunters.

(suspenseful music continues)

They move in synchrony.

Their communication silent, yet perfect.

(dramatic music)

Cecil's genes shine through in them.

They are big, fearless lions.

Their rippling muscles echo their father's strength.

A new generation of warrior queens.

(light dramatic music)

To the east, a coalition of four young males begin

their journey into adulthood.

These are Cecil's grandsons.

A brotherhood of strong lions fighting

their own battles for survival.

Cecil's bloodline lives on.

Perhaps his death heralds some change for the protection

of his grandchildren

and the world's dwindling lion population.

Like all great stories,

Cecil's tale lit a spark that started a fire.

Casting a light across the globe about the plight of lions.

A single lion that changed the world.

This is his legacy.

(light music)