Original subtitles

Call for help!

Tristen! Are there more guys there?

The Big Cats 24/7 team is fighting the largest seasonal

wildfire in five years.

They are fighting to save their base camp.

Anna, back up, please.

Can feel the heat coming off that fire.

It's really terrifying, it's really, really scary.

We can hold it. Seems to be working.

After hours of beating, the wildfire finally passes and moves south.

It's heart-breaking to look at this

because fire like this is going to affect...

It's going to affect everything.

For the big cats here, the impact could be life-changing.

The Okavango Delta in Botswana...

..one of Africa's last wildernesses.

The Okavango Delta is an oasis in the desert,

it's a miracle in itself.

And it's a stronghold for Africa's big cats.

Lion...

..cheetah...

..and leopard.

This is nature at its absolute finest.

Now, for the very first time,

a team of local and international wildlife film-makers

is working together to record the cats' lives like never before.

Using the latest technology...

We're going to be able to see things in a completely different light

and tell stories in a completely different way.

..they'll follow individual big cats...

..for six months...

..through the day... This is crazy, this is a battle!

..and the night...

This is a military-grade thermal imaging camera.

Lions have got amazing night vision,

but it's not as good as this.

..capturing their behaviour...

He's got the cub, he's got the cub.

..24 hours a day.

Welcome to the Okavango Delta, it gets crazy.

SNARLS, ROARS AND CALLS

The Big Cats 24/7 base camp is out of danger.

Overnight, the wildfire continues to burn south of the camp.

Let's roll. ENGINE STARTS

Before dawn, the team is heading out to see its impact...

..and to find out if the big cats are OK.

Just left the safety of the camp

and I think the only words

I have for this are

total devastation.

We're just about to cross where there used to be a bridge,

and there's absolutely nothing now.

It's completely burnt down.

Pretty crazy, everything has been turned upside down.

A lot of the...

..habitat that these predators are using is gone.

There's going to be a bit of chaos.

All of the big cats will be

just trying to find their place

and re-adjust to a whole new burnt landscape.

It's like sort of learning...

..a new map to this area now that there's

been such a lot of... A lot of change.

The Big Cats team

is working in a 150-square mile patch of the Okavango Delta.

This prime territory for lions is controlled by the Xudum Pride.

OK, we're just up near the bit of forest

that's actually burning at the moment.

Wildlife camera team Gordon, Vianet and Sets,

is searching for the lions.

The blaze has terrorised all the animals around here.

Finding them will calm me down,

make me feel a bit more...

..happy.

The pride's mothers and cubs were last seen

just metres away from the wildfire.

For these cubs, they've never experienced this before

and they will not have a single clue what to do.

When you've got a fire so close, that's really very concerning.

So I think we have to get down and see if we can find them.

But it's not...

It's not good.

The fire is not far away.

I'm going to move because it's getting a bit close here.

Getting stuck and breaking down.

That's, yeah, this close to the fire line is not a good situation.

BLEEP. Right. This is not good. Not good.

OK. Don't panic.

Nice and easy, in reverse.

Out she goes. ENGINE STOPS

See, in this situation...

..you just try and move gently.

ENGINE REVS

As gently as you can.

Here we go.... That was... ENGINE CUTS OUT

Ay-ay-ay...

That was a whole wheel's worth...

..in a burrow.

But that really is the worst-case scenario,

being stuck in a hole...

..so close to the fire.

But...

..we are no longer stuck in a hole!

I didn't like that!

Away from the wildfire,

Gordon is narrowing his search to a row of termite mounds.

It's a kind of process of elimination.

Everything kind of west of here is already burnt,

but thicker places like this,

these are the places I'm most interested in.

Oh, yeah, yah, yah, yay, yay, yay, yah-yay!

I can see a cub.

There you go. Definitely a cub.

That's...a huge relief.

This is the highlight of my day.

Old Uncle Gordon's been worried about you.

So this termite mound is...

..the perfect little play fort for a little group of lion cubs.

It's like a castle.

It's ideal. They're so well protected in there.

This pride has done exactly the right thing.

I think having such a big threat so close,

these cubs kind of seem to shrink in size, they look smaller

and more vulnerable than they do on a normal day.

80% of cubs don't make it to see their second birthday.

So, yeah...

I think that my concerns were quite legitimate.

Vianet and Sets for Gordon.

I've got good news, I've found the cubs and they're all alive.

That's wonderful. All right.

I should see you shortly, thank you again.

Copy that.

Ooh, look at that!

What a joy to find these lions.

These experienced mothers have kept their cubs safe.

The entire family is here!

But in this burnt landscape,

the safety of the whole pride is now up to these two lions.

This is Big Toe and Madumo.

They are the pride males.

Big Toe and Madumo's presence is reassuring for the pride.

Madumo and Big Toe are nearly ten years old.

For half a decade, they've been at the very top.

They are two lions,

but they are one force of nature...

..because of the bond that they share.

That is what it's all about.

Cubs are coming in.

The main role of a dominant pride male is protection...

Look at the cubs they're really happy they're climbing,

they're climbing the tree.

..especially in a time of crisis.

When we had only the cubs and females,

they wouldn't be out in the open like this.

They will stay in long grass.

But now that Madumo and Big Toe are here...

..they're completely in the open, as if there's nothing to fear.

Unlike other big cats,

male lions stick around throughout the raising of their young.

Together, Big Toe and Madumo have fathered over a dozen cubs.

I'm proud of what these two dominant males have accomplished.

Big Toe and Madumo are a prime example of males that do

a very good job of protecting their pride and their territory.

No matter the cost.

But they have a problem.

The wildfire has wiped out the territorial scent markings

that Big Toe and Madumo use to ward off intruder male lions.

Inevitably, some other lions are going to want to take

all of this away from them.

Now, the pressure is on these two males

to protect their territory and their young cubs.

LION ROARS

At this distance, that is quite something to behold.

Makes your stomach rumble and your toes twitch.

So, that's like a lion dropping a pin,

letting everyone know this is exactly where these two...

These two lions are.

ROARS

A lion's roar can travel more than three miles.

It's a clear signal to intruders that they are here

and ready to defend their family.

It's really interesting because the stakes couldn't be higher,

because the brutal reality is that

if a male from another pride was to come here,

he will kill those cubs,

and make his own cubs with these females.

LION ROARS

With Big toe and Madumo asserting their dominance...

ROARS

..the team is sticking with them.

Closer to camp,

leopard specialist Brad is concerned for his favourite cat.

You can just see the...

..devastation.

A leopard would be really exposed in this.

Brad is searching the remaining patches of bush

that offer the cover she needs to survive.

My guess is she will have followed the unburnt section, heading south.

There she is, that's definitely Xudum.

Ah, I'm so glad, Xudum is still alive.

At five years old, Xudum is the area's resident female leopard.

But she's battling to navigate in this area because it's just

so open and sparse from the fires.

Leopards prefer to stay hidden,

typically using undergrowth to travel unseen.

It's interesting, she's cut out right across the burn.

She basically just heard these impalas running through.

But with no cover to conceal an ambush...

Oh...

Everything happens so quickly in this place.

..Xudum hasn't had a meal since before the wildfire.

To get food now,

she must change her tactics.

As she's been moving, she's been looking up,

like she's looking for something.

She's nice and high in an ebony.

There's fruit all over it.

The few remaining unburnt patches of green are drawing everyone in.

Fallen fruit from the surviving trees is a lifeline.

And an opportunity for Xudum...

..if the prey below becomes a little more manageable.

This is a great position.

That's an ideal set-up to ambush impala.

Here in the Okavango,

leopards have learned to hunt in an extraordinary way...

..tree jumping...

..leaping up to ten metres onto unsuspecting prey.

With the fires taking out a lot of the cover and the grass underneath,

it's harder for a leopard to hunt.

So, fruiting trees

and making that connection will be a valuable asset to her.

The challenge for Xudum is mastering this dangerous skill.

She's definitely positioning herself for jumping.

This has got to be the...

..most supreme predator

doing its ultimate feat,

skydiving on top of impala.

Greg for Anna.

Anna, go.

Hey, Greg, I'm just at the side of Xudum lagoon.

Are you looking at this hippo?

Yah, it's shocking. It just shows really tough times for everyone.

It's just odd seeing a hippo,

that should be wallowing around in water,

just walking around in a burning, burning land.

Hippos are most active at night.

It's rare to see one moving around in the heat of the day.

This hippo is just really caught between a rock and a hard place.

This fire has completely devastated this land

and dried up a lot of the lagoon

that he'd normally be hanging out in.

It's desperate times.

It's hostile and dry and harsh.

We just followed our desperate hippo

and he's managed to find a little bit of water.

And he's led us right to some lions.

Hey, Greg, these two sub adult males, I don't recognise them.

Are they from our pride?

You know what? Honestly, I don't recognise them either.

They're definitely in the wrong place!

Because we're within the pride territory.

The dominant males from our pride are not going to want them around.

These intruder male lions have wasted no time after the wildfire

to infiltrate Big Toe and Madumo's territory.

It's a little bit worrying

if there are males from other prides encroaching on our guys' territory.

Hey, Gordon, do you copy?

Go ahead, Anna.

Hey, Gordon, we've got an interesting situation.

Two subadult males are on the west side of the lagoon

and I don't really know who these guys are,

so there's a good chance that these males

are infringing on Xudum pride territory.

I'll come and check in with you.

Nice. That sounds like a plan. See you in a minute.

Oh! Look at this guy!

Hello, hello, hello.

I've just spotted one of your lions.

I don't know who these two are.

Bold, bold move, moving into this area

because they'll know exactly that they've overstepped the line.

So it will be interesting to see what happens

if our two males move up into this area.

That's when things could get really interesting.

Have to see how the next few days pan out.

Greg is joining Brad on Leopard Watch.

Brad got on the radio to let us know that Xudum, the leopardess,

has climbed up into an ebony tree

and it sounds like there's a good chance

she's going to try and hunt from the tree,

literally dive out of the tree and tackle impalas.

Brad is also calling in wildlife cameraman, Tristen,

who's been tracking Xudum for the past year.

We haven't seen her do it yet.

So, yeah,

wait and see and, hopefully, we'll get lucky and she does.

Xudum hasn't eaten since the wildfire.

She's fully intent on hunting from the tree tops.

Exciting times.

To catch a meal, she needs to master the art of tree jumping.

She couldn't be in a better place.

So, fingers crossed, it's going to be a waiting game,

but worth the wait, I think.

Mastering a new skill though...

She's going to come down.

..takes trial and error.

You're joking!

For the team, it's going to take patience.

First, Xudum must find the right tree.

She stops before the tree, looks up to see that it's fruiting,

looks around...

..and then bolts up the tree.

And as soon as she gets up, she freezes,

then she inspects her tree.

Xudum needs camouflage,

good footing and the perfect height off the ground.

It looks like we've got another dud tree!

She's going from frenetic walking through the bush, to up a tree...

..to sitting for two hours and nothing happening.

It's now a wait for the right-sized impala.

But things are not falling into place.

Please don't come down.

It's a high maintenance cat, this one.

Time to shift trees!

We've been pretty much with her now for about five, six hours.

It's like a little leopard chess game.

She moves, they move, she moves, they move.

The more trees she tries, the more chance she has.

After a full day of searching...

She's getting all stacked up, ready to pounce.

..Xudum seems to have finally found the right tree.

She's looking down, that thing must be close, eh?

Jumping is quite tricky with the rams because they've got

really sharp horns, so she's really got to time it right.

It's going to happen.

This is, er... not good for my heart.

If you don't do it now, you're never going to do it.

Urgh...

I cannot believe it.

She had such a perfect opportunity,

she had impala underneath her.

That's the closest we've come.

Just perfect set-up,

and she just let them walk by.

Maybe the impala were just out of range.

Maybe she didn't have a good footing.

She makes a mistake, she gets hurt badly.

Animals that get hurt out here don't survive very long.

Xudum must master this new skill soon.

She's definitely very keen and very hungry.

It's already probably been four or five days without a kill.

I feel more for her than anybody else in this situation.

For her, it's, you know, life and death.

Big Toe and Madumo are on an evening patrol.

ROARS

They're announcing to everyone,

and every living thing...

ROARS

..that they're the kings.

Big Toe and Madumo could be picking up the scent

of the intruder male lions.

Through the night, they stick close to the cubs and are on high alert.

More than a mile away,

Anna and Greg are following the intruder males,

who are showing no signs of leaving.

Ooh, these boys are getting a bit too close to our car.

SHE EXHALES

Stay calm!

Oh, my God! That was terrifying!

Greg, these... These boys enjoy getting quite close, don't they?

I did notice one coming up to your vehicle

and I was just thinking, "Oh, gosh, hold your nerves."

I'm pretty sure a little bit of pee came out!

That was so scary!

That could well have been them sort of giving us a little warning.

But we are giving them their space

and they did walk literally right towards us.

Now, just a few hundred metres away,

Sets and Gordon are trailing Big Toe and Madumo.

So, what's happening right now is that

the Xudum males are on the intruders' tracks.

They have gotten wind that they are here

and they are closing the gap between them.

They are going to show them who's boss.

One thing that the fire has done is open this whole area,

so for these young, intruding males,

they're going to be able to see Madumo and Big Toe

from half a mile away....

..and take appropriate action,

and "appropriate action" is to get out here.

They're calling. LION CALLS

Ooh, hear that?

So that's Big Toe and Madumo.

They're just roaring

and they're just making it known that they're nearby.

They're roaring. What that does it serves a dual purpose.

It lets everyone know that they're around,

but, also, it can avoid physical confrontation.

What every single male lion wants to do is avoid a fight.

The risk of injury is very serious.

So, Madumo and Big Toe are both calling.

ROARS

At least a quarter of lion fights end in serious injury, or death.

If I was a young male lion...

..and I heard that thunderous roar,

I wouldn't be hanging around.

Big Toe and Madumo's scare tactics are working.

These boys are quickly leaving.

The intruders have got the message and are leaving.

These young boys know that they have picked the wrong fight,

and they're making a very swift exit.

They get to live another day without knowing the fury of the Xudum males.

Big Toe and Madumo have protected their territory,

and their family, for now.

But these intruders are unlikely to be the last.

Leaving the lions behind...

..Anna and Greg are turning their attention to finding

the Okavango's most elusive big cat.

Greg and I have decided to think more like a cheetah,

so we've come to this burnt open space.

Cheetahs, even though they do rely on a bit of cover

when approaching prey,

they also really utilise

huge, flat, open areas to chase prey.

I'm hoping it pays off and we do find a cheetah here.

After hours of searching...

..Greg's local knowledge is proving invaluable.

If there was a predator around,

we would expect to get a sign from the other animals as well.

These lechwes are taking off at full speed.

Lechwes would react like that to wild dogs and potentially cheetahs.

So that's interesting sign from the lechwes.

Let's just go a bit further up and have a look.

Ooh, I'm starting to get excited!

I think I can see something.

It's like, it could be grass,

but it could also be a cheetah lying flat, looking up.

Please be a cheetah!

My heart rate is just going now.

I'm scared. I'm scared that this is all just false alarm.

Yes!

Yes!

Finally!

Woo!

Anna, Anna for Greg.

Go ahead, Greg. We've got her.

It's the female that we know,

with the grey patch on the side of her left cheek.

Amazing news!

Here we go!

I'm extremely excited to have a cheetah on the end of my lens.

Oh, she's a beauty!

Seven-year-old Pobe is the area's only resident female cheetah.

Cheetahs are special in so many ways

and the fact that they're so hard to find.

The most recent stats on cheetahs, that I'm aware of,

is that there's only about 7,400 left in the world.

So, we're incredibly fortunate.

A savvy, experienced cheetah, Pobe has survived many wildfires.

But this is the worst in her lifetime.

She's very active, she's looking for prey.

She's just stopped in the flood plain

and there's the baboons on the ground.

BARKING

She definitely does not want to get spotted at this point.

Oh, she's running actually.

She's moving out, she's pulling out.

Baboons are barking at her, and she's like, "I'm out of here."

She's so exposed,

no trouble spotting her and just immediately sounded the alarm.

Shame.

In this burnt landscape, Pobe is struggling to find cover and prey.

When you see her just slinking along,

like she is right now,

she's just so thin.

She must be really hungry.

She's going to have to start taking risks.

Pobe needs to eat soon...

We're rapidly losing the light once again.

..but she's unlikely to catch a meal after nightfall.

Of all the big cats,

cheetah prefer to hunt by day.

They're the ones that uses vision the most in their hunting strategy.

To stick with Pobe,

Anna and Greg will stay with her through the night.

We've radioed into the camp for them

to bring out the thermal camera for us.

I'm really hoping that with that,

we're going to be able to follow her tonight.

It's getting exciting cos I've never actually followed a cheetah

through the night.

We are about to see a cheetah on a thermal camera.

Oh, that's so cool!

I wonder how many people can say that they spent a night

30 metres away from a cheetah.

Ah, super cute!

Ah, she's so sweet. She's fast asleep, eh?

Yeah, she's having a good sleep.

It's going to be a good test of patience

if we're going to watch her sleep until daybreak. Yup.

Anna and Greg are being rewarded with an intimate view

of this elusive cat.

One thing I've learned about Pobe

is that she is very, very cute

when she sleeps.

She was curled up in a little ball

and she just kept getting up,

having a stretch.

Almost like she was getting the cold side of the pillow,

she was finding a new little...

Little spot for herself.

Xudum, the female leopard, is poised again to make a tree jump.

Brad is determined to see her reach this important milestone.

Amazing how things have developed.

When we first started with her, we weren't certain she was a jumper.

She clearly knows the deal,

seen her with impala underneath her tree several times,

but we've yet to have that full execution.

All the potential's there.

It's just now up to Xudum to really master the skill.

You got a slow trail of impala arriving...

..and they're heading straight for where she is.

It's going to happen.

Come on, my girl.

Today is your day.

The right tree...

..the right position,

the right prey.

She's got it!

That impala is probably one-and-a-half times her weight.

I hope she can hang on, she's worked hard for this.

I'm very chuffed for Xudum.

She hasn't eaten in a few days

and we're just talking about her

really being able to nail it from a tree.

She certainly has done that.

She certainly has perfected this tree hunting.

She's a young cat with a long way to go.

I can't wait until she has cubs.

That's going to be a special day and a special time.

She's just such a gem in this whole thing.

Well done, my baby girl.

You are a legend.

It's nearly impossible to keep up with Pobe at this point.

She is... She's really in hunt mode now.

Seems like she's got one thing on her mind and one thing only,

and that is food.

Pobe, the female cheetah, is struggling to find

prey in this empty, burnt landscape.

Seems like something in this tree line has made her

stand to attention a bit more.

Greg, Greg for Anna.

We've got Pobe stalking towards some impala.

Copy that.

Yah, she's entered with a bit of purpose.

She could easily just come bursting out of here with an impala. Ooh...

I get a bit too stressed in these moments.

I hope she makes a kill today.

You can do it.

She's trying to figure out where they are.

She's going, she's going.

Ah... She didn't get it.

That was quick!

The speed that she just went at.

She just bolted after some impala

and she went so quickly,

we have no idea where she's gone.

Greg, she's definitely in the other direction

from where you're currently pointing. She went that way.

But really, really fast.

Like, I didn't see where they went.

We've lost visual, if you guys can pull through in this area

and have a scratch with us, that would be great.

Copy, copy, see you just now.

It feels like if Pobe's ever going to have a successful hunt,

all of the stars need to align.

The cheetah need to be in the right place.

The prey needs to be in the right place.

And she needs to get close enough without being seen.

That's a lot of stars.

Yes, they've been walking on this road, I think.

Yeah, I can see their tracks, yeah.

So, if we follow that...

Vianet is tracking Big Toe and Madumo,

who are on high alert after seeing off two invading male lions.

Madumo and Big Toe patrolling their territory confidently.

Generally, at this time of day, lions are sleeping.

It's hot, over 30 degrees,

but Madumo and Big Toe are still pressing on.

They are both scent marking in exactly the same place,

right in front of me.

To protect their family, they're working hard to re-establish

the borders of their 100-square-mile territory.

They seem to be trying to detect something in the area.

Right now, the threat of invading males remains very real.

Greg and Anna are searching for Pobe again after her failed hunt.

Team morale hit an all-time low, that is for sure.

I've never seen Greg look quite so sad.

But he's got a big smile on his face

because we've managed to find Pobe again.

I'm a bit concerned that she's definitely slimming out a lot.

And every time she attempts to hunt, she's using

so much of that crucial energy that she needs.

So, yeah, the pressure is definitely, definitely on.

Oh, she's... She's moving, OK.

There's a load of impala out in the open,

and Pobe is currently using the edge of the island as cover.

We think she's going to possibly give them a go.

Greg, there's an impala about to run straight past her.

That is crazy!

She is metres away, currently.

What?!

It's like she, she knows that if she's going to use that energy,

it has to be the one.

Oh!

Greg, she's going for the one on the right!

She's going, she's going, she's going.

Oh, my God!

Oh, she didn't get it!

Oh!

I thought that was going to be it.

Cheetahs need time to recover from a chase...

..but lying low is also the perfect hunting strategy.

She's going again, she's going again!

Ah, nearly!

Come on, Pobe!

She's got one.

Oh, my God!

Ha-ha-ha!

She's got one.

Pobe's done it.

She has done it!

That was the most hectic thing ever.

It's a magical, magical scene.

I'm just really happy for her.

She's finally got a meal.

Well done, Pobe!

After her successful tree jump,

Xudum, the leopard, also has a much-needed meal.

We're now coming into night.

I don't know if she's exhausted but the impala she's killed,

she's barely touched it.

Leopards typically stash their food in trees

to protect it from thieves,

but Xudum hasn't done this.

The carcass is still on the ground.

There's a good chance that she's going to get robbed.

I think it's a good idea to get Anna in here

with a bit of thermal imagery.

We might just spend the night

just watching and observing,

and seeing if she manages to hold on to this carcass.

This is like the first proper feed she's had since she killed it.

Oh, really? So, she is hungry!

We can hear her cutting through the sinew and the bone.

That's a hyena. That's a hyena.

Jesus! Hyena's already got it.

That's why we're hearing so much noise.

Yeah, hyena has incredible crushing power,

he'll go through bone.

You can hear it.

This guy's come in and there's nothing disturbing him,

and he's going to fill himself as fast as possible.

Xudum is no match for a hyena.

She's retreating to the bushes nearby.

I mean, imagine having made the effort of killing this

and then sitting in the grass listening to the guy eat your food.

Yeah. Talk about where hatred develops.

This guy really is gorging. Mm-hm.

I know it's hard to tell now,

but do you think there'll be enough food left to sustain her?

With hyenas taking most of it,

she's going to be on the hunt again in the next couple of days.

We'll have to follow her quite closely, then.

We'll be on her to the best of our abilities.

She doesn't make it easy, does she? She doesn't make it easy,

but I feel sorry for her losing it. Yeah.

Got lots of vultures in the trees around here,

so I'm having a little mooch around to see if there's anything dead.

It's a good way of finding lions, is looking for vultures.

Gordon is searching for Big Toe and Madumo.

Vultures in the tree here, there's vultures here.

The dominant pride males were last seen

on a massive territorial patrol.

Oh, my goodness! Look, look, look, look, look, up ahead.

Who is it?

Sets, Sets for Gordon.

Go ahead, Gordon.

Ah, it's a buffalo kill and it's Madumo and Big Toe.

I'll be there shortly.

This will keep them locked into this area for quite a while.

Even for two big lions like these guys, that is a lot of food.

This clearly shows how strong these boys are,

that two of them can bring down a buffalo between them.

Gordon, I don't think this is Big Toe and Madumo.

What?! Yeah.

Really? Yeah, especially the one that's just got up.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not.

This isn't Big Toe and Madumo.

Two completely different males,

but well inside Big Toe and Madumo's territory.

Big Toe and Madumo have another set of intruders on their patch.

They are big. I'd say same kind of size as Big Toe and Madumo.

Goodness me! Who are you, boys?

These males haven't snuck in.

They've kicked down the front door and made themselves right at home.

Yeah, if they're big enough to take down a buffalo,

might be big enough to take on Big Toe and Madumo.

This is the clear sign of a challenge.

Hmm.

I was not expecting that.

Every minute, every hour,

every day, they stay here uncontested,

their confidence is going to grow.

In their minds, they're going to think,

"Ah, this is a place we could set up home."

What they are looking for

is exactly what Madumo and Big Toe have.

And Madumo and Big Toe, their reign has lasted a long, long time.

And these guys look like the kind of lions that can topple kings,

and these boys are moving on.

They've pulled out.

I thought they were going for a lie down, but they've actually moved.

They're heading further in.

They're heading closer towards Madumo and Big Toe.

You are a huge lion, my word!

Two bold characters.

We've been with these two intruding males on this buffalo kill,

but they've moved out and their heading westward.

Lights off.

Got one of the males, he seems to have lost his brother.

Being out here,

a lone, solitary, invading male lion...

..that is a really dangerous position.

He needs to reunite with his pal and fast,

before Big Toe and Madumo find him.

He's making a low...

Not a roar, but a low grumbling sound.

LOW GRUMBLING

This type of vocalisation, it's a kind of short-range call...

LOW GRUMBLING

..so if his friend is within a couple hundred metres,

he should be able to hear.

If you're an invading male, the type of calling that is avoidable

is a full-on bellow, that big roar,

because that's a noise that will carry far and wide,

right into the fluffy ears of Madumo and Big Toe -

and if that happens, they would race here.

LOUDER GRUMBLE

Hear that?

He's picked up the volume of that call...

..because he hasn't been able to find his friend,

so he's calling louder.

The louder he calls, the more trouble he could be in.

I think he's seen another lion.

I think he doesn't know who it is.

He's started trotting

and I presume that was in response to hearing something,

something that I couldn't hear,

but he certainly did.

Who have we got there?

We've got both of them!

They've got a bit of a spring in their step.

Individually, Madumo and Big Toe have nothing to worry about,

about one of these boys,

but them together,

that's where the danger comes.

Hang on!

There's another lion!

OK. I don't know who it is.

Another lion, another lion...

BLEEP

I think this is Madumo and Big Toe, they've come in.

They are in hot pursuit.

I'll get round.

Where have they gone?

I can't see them.

OK. They're on them.

They're on them.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

These boys were taking a huge risk,

coming into this area,

and they have met the two lions that they really do not want to meet.

They're on them.

They've got him.

This is going to... Oh, jeez, this could be a fight to the death!