Lion Country: Two Lion Prides Fight Over Territory | Our World

Lions the world's most iconic cats but ones that are heading for extinction with Wilderness disappearing across Africa lion numbers have almost halfed in the last 20 years their struggle to survive and thrive is more important than ever every Cub [Music] counts one of the last refuges for this embattled species is the wildlife Haven of the luanga valley in Zambia it's here our team will follow two lion Prides for 6 months two huge males coming back to claim their territory through the heat of the day and into the Hidden World of the night seeing them like this is just quite [Music] extraordinary living right in the Lion's death the lions are coming oh oh my goodness she's coming to gain a better understanding of the challenges they face if the rest of the pride don't find this little Cub then I think he's got very little chance can the next generation of cubs make it through their first and most dangerous year and provide hope for the survival of the [Music] species the luanga valley is one of the last lion strongholds in the world in the long Lush wet season the Prides are scattered far and wide as they pursue their prey but come the dry season all the wildlife is concentrated around the river forcing the Prides into overlapping territories such close proximity means every action and drama in one Pride inevitably affects the [Music] other a Pride's future is bound up in its Cubs and for one of these overlapping families known locally as the Hollywoods Cubs are a huge issue for almost 2 years none of theirs have survived and to make matters worse there are no adult males the two brothers that once headed up this Pride have been absent for months so after Generations roaming this Valley could these Hollywoods be the last in their line the filming team are based in the heart of lion territory specialist lion cameraman Nathan and filmmaker Katie are sleeping in the Lion's Den bringing them closer than ever to the big cats ktie there's actually um some line tracks down here really yeah you can see there the the 1 2 3 4 toes actually came right past your tent sniffing your head basically you are kidding yep cuz your bed's right here oh my god look it does actually go all the way back here does setting out in the direction of the tracks Nathan finds someone who can bring much needed hope to the Hollywood's desperate situation far from the rest of the pride he's located AA a lone Hollywood female s to been separated for a while and he's noticed something very significant about the seven-year-old less she's got um teeths that are quite obvious as AA is producing milk it can only mean despite everything she's recently had Cubs it would explain why she's on her own as for safety a lioness will isolate herself from the rest of the pride before giving birth but experience has taught Nathan he has to set eyes on any Cubs to be sure they've survived the Hollywood Pride's hopes are resting on this one female and contrast 5 km away the Hollywood's neighbors have got just about as much as they can [Music] handle with 1 2 3 4 5 6 seven boisterous Cubs to care for and they really do need looking after the Cubs only recently survived a runin with a highly dangerous herd if these Buffalo come across lines they they will kill them they will trample on them he's starting to run he's starting to run towards the Cubs and then Elder Cub pip got separated from the pride in the dark can hear a hyena cooling he spent a day and a night ducking hyenas and dodging leopards he's definitely definitely lost but now back with his pride his misadventure seems to have tore pip to stick close at 3 months his little sister Grace rarely Strays far from their mother she's the youngest cup much of her diet is still milk and most of the time she's only interested in playing with her food or conquering it the pride allows little cubs to get away with anything but as she gets older Grace will need to learn lion etiquette to stay out of trouble Grace's family is headed up by three highly unusual looking fathers with patchy mans and ugly leers this Coalition of males is known locally as the [Music] punks they took over this Pride last year and fared all the current [Music] Cubs [Music] in a pride structure everyone thinks of the male the big dominant male but he's actually pretty useless they quite often spoil the hunt they quite often steal the food from the females actually the females are the main core of the pride at first big males might appear lazy however they're essential to defending the CBS his main role is protecting the pride from other males coming in and take over and protect the Cubs out in the bush Nathan's still on the trail of AA the Lioness he's hoping has Cubs newborns that would give the dwindling Hollywood Pride hope for the future she's across the huge open really bumpy area now she's entering into a real thick bush so uh I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep up with her but we'll try Nathan's lived and worked in luanga for 20 years if anyone can follow AA it's him she's on the move all day and as the light starts to fade the team are determined to continue tracking her although it's it it looks quite light outside Nathan's probably only got another 5 to 10 minutes before we have to stop filming so they switched to a remarkable thermal imaging camera that enables them to follow the big cats through the [Music] [Music] night AA covers another kilometer before eventually stopping at a dense Thicket if she has Cubs this could be where they're hidden yeah there's something moving there in the middle smack in the middle that's a cup there but there's a tiny cup just moving there can see the tail heads just turned around it's amazing to see this um this image cuz I mean in daytime you wouldn't really see through there at all a little bit of Warm Glow over here as well so not sure maybe another CB despite the dense foliage the team managed to spot two more distinct little bodies fantastic so three cups it's game-changing news for the pride that for 2 years has gone without any Cubs at all the next generation of Hollywoods is tucked away in this bush the magical and little known world of luanga after dark is revealed using one of only two cameras in the world capable of capturing these images exposing fascinating nocturnal behavior and thermal information not obvious in daylight displaying hot areas in white and cooler ones in dark everything from the warmth of a lion Cub's breath to the cooling system in elephant's ears is [Music] revealed adult elephants require up to 130 kilos of food a day finding this amount of roots grasses fruit and bark can keep them on the Move day and night come morning it seems a little one has got left behind so we've just come across a little lone elephant probably only about 4 years old and none of the rest of the herd are in [Music] sight usually the mothers are pretty close that the maternal bond is so strong that they never really leave their sides but this one's got nobody around it at all and they really do rely on the rest of the her for protection in luanga an adult elephant has no natural Predators but a youngster like this is open to attacks from lion and hyena this little guy is so V able out here grazing elephants can Wander Over 30 km a day to have any chance of survival this lost youngster needs to reconnect with her family and soon The Little Elephant is not the only one on the move the three Punk males left their pride Before [Music] Dawn they've abandoned Grace and the rest of the Cubs along with their responsibility to keep them safe it's typical behavior for big males they'll often disappear in search of other females but their absence puts the pride at risk from attack or takeover and male lions from outside the pride are the biggest killers of [Music] cubs when a male takes over a territory they try and kill all the Cubs they're not related to so the females don't expend energy raising another's Offspring every big male is a potential Cub killer so in the overlapping lion territories of luanga the Punk's movements are not only bad news for grace and those they've left behind but a massive threat to the newborn Hollywood Cubs for these Scarface killers are heading for Hollywood land and if they find the Cubs they will kill them [Applause] Having learned there are new Cubs in the area last night Nathan's Keen to set eyes on them in daylight he returns to where they were hidden and is delighted to find single mom AA right where he left her we've only had one brief Glimpse at night time with the thermal imaging camera of what look like three little cubs so I mean hopefully if we're if we're lucky they might not be too far away he doesn't have to wait [Music] long it's now that we get our first proper look at the next generation of Hollywoods first to emerge are two tonny colored fluffy Cubs around a month old and they're followed by a third whose markings are much more [Music] individual actually quite distinct the third one is little spots almost like a [Music] leopard all baby lines are born with spots but this one guy is particularly spotty spots help Cubs stay camouflaged in the dappled light under bushes the markings will disappear here as they get older you can see very clearly he's different from his brothers cuz I think having had a look that it's three [Music] boys when born at between 1 and 2 kilos the Cubs weigh just 1% of their adult body weight if they are to make it to maturity they need to gain 100 g a day on mother's milk alone these three cubs look in absolutely fantastic condition and and really full of beans bouncing around and playing they'll soon develop the full repertoire of lion meows grunts moans and growls each sound having a different [Music] meaning however the famous lion roar won't mature until they're 2 years [Music] old it will be four more weeks before the Cubs are robust enough to be introduced to the rest of the Hollywood pry between now and then AA has to keep them well fed and well hidden the three invading Punk males have been roaming through Hollywood territory all day and one of them is bumped into a Hollywood female her radio colors has been fitted by a carnivore research group to keep track of the pride with her own males missing for months this female begins flirting with the Invader sexually mature by the age of Three Lions can breed year round [Music] gentle biting displays dominance and may signify the end of the act as it can be extremely quick lasting less than a minute but once they start Lions Don't Stop The Mating process for Lions is quite ventless these Lions could make up to four times an hour every hour for four days about to four days so that is um yeah quite a lot of hating going on the repetition is thought to induce ovulation and make the female more likely to fall pregnant as expected baiting continues throughout the night while the lost little elephant carries on its search for its mother the following morning Nathan checks in on the Hollywood Pride so we got three Hollywood females and just coming up for 6:00 in the morning all the guinea FS callling behind them it's a lovely time of day cuz everything's starting to wake up the birds really callling and there's a couple of alarm calls com on behind us something's unsettling all the animals you got the Impalas calling here which is a quick snort puku just called there which is a very sharp whistle you see where they're looking see someone looking this way might can have a look what's going on there just a couple of Impalas looking over in the distance there so we'll go and have a look as he approaches the banks of luanga Nathan makes a startling discovery there looks like a couple of males on the other side of the river these seven-year-old brothers are the males that are Bandon the Hollywood Pride months ago definitely are two Hollywood males that have been on the other side of the river for a long long time drawing their time away the perir have taken over another pride and have been mating with its females these two boys really look in fantastic condition but possibly having heard the Punk's calling they're coming back to check on the Hollywood [Music] females it's well into the dry season so for the first time in months the luanga river is low enough for Lions to cross although it's by no means safe I've actually seen a male taken by a crocodile crossing the river before so you can see they quite nervous a she there's a huge crocodile behind them these males M with AA and fared the newly discovered Cubs so could provide the protection they need they may even drive out the trio of Invaders so these guys have now crossed over and they're going to have a real good look around who's in their territory but with the Hollywood females already mating with the punks it's not clear if these returning males will be welcomed by their former mates not far away it seems one reunion has already taken place I'm really hoping that that's the little one that we saw yesterday on her own and since then she's found another friend it looks like the little young female survived the night to pair up with another juvenile the rest of the herd can't be far away it's really great that she's found another elephant to be with it will just increase their chances of survival around these Lions because they are very close to the Hollywood Pride safety numbers with elephants definitely and especially cuz she was so little the two youngsters soon locate the rest of their family and are both safely back in the H there's a huge range in the level of Independence and maturity in the luanga valley newb [Music] borns an antelope can run an hour after being born while a lion cup needs up to a month to reach the same stage animals born ready to go tend to have a small brain size in relation to their body as it doesn't develop much more after birth while those born helpless May initially need greater care they benefit from a long period of learning that allows their brains to develop to a much larger size lion cubs don't become fully independent until over the age of 2 and a half at 3 months and still suckling Grace is one of the lucky ones as the rest of her family is starting to get hungry a member of the pride is badly injured this wound is massive you can almost see the muscle tendons inside she's kind of lost all the skin on top of it it's kind of rif for infection the Lioness was impaled by a buffalo during their last hunt the African or Cape buffalo is a social animal whose main defense strategy is staying in huge [Music] herds while fending off wbe Predators with their incredible horns and for Lion's hunting Buffalo it results in horrendous wounds all too often unfortunately for the pride this injury couldn't have happened to a more important lion so this female seems to be the female that leads the hunt she seems to be the one that's slightly more dominant than the others such a large wound in such a key member of the pride is a massive problem their ability to hunt will certainly be affected and it could mean lean times ahead it's really essential that she gets better there's a lot of mouth to feed for Grace getting a real taste for meat is vital to her development but for now it's going to have to [Music] wait the neighboring Hollywood would Pride have no such problems unaware their absent males have recrossed the river they're feasting on a buffalo Kill from yesterday much to the annoyance of a flock of huded [Music] vultures normally white-faced these birds flush red when agitated if for instance they are not allowed on a [Music] carcass the day old kill is now drawing in larger whiteback vultures so the smaller birds are pushed to the back of the [Music] queue although me on the bone is the hooded vulture's preferred source of food when desperate they'll go to extreme lengths to get a [Music] meal Lions have a short intestinal track so decaying food can pass quickly and it's the rancid remains of any meat that are on the menu for this flock of scavengers [Music] today it seems that if you're prepared to eat anything you don't have to go [Music] [Music] hungry still near the river Nathan's stuck by the returning Hollywood males look at this lovely male here look at that lovely guy two huge males coming back to claim their territory the pair suddenly increased their Pace he they've mostly picked up on something oh this is fantastic I think they're actually heading straight towards three females they're running across [Music] now can you see the females anyway but after a 4mon absence their sudden return alarms the lionesses who could see them as a threat the second male is in Pursuit the males set their sight on one female in particular there's the other female the driving force in every male is to mate it's what motivates their at times nomadic Behavior it's still [Music] running the chase goes on for almost 3/4 of an hour but finally the heat forces them to stop interestingly enough they were just send marking they're now sort of clearly claiming back their territory without receptive females it's unclear how long the returning former rulers will stick around in Zambia's luanga Valley Things Are coming to a head for 2 years the Hollywood Pride have been without Cubs and now they finally have a trio of newborns they're being invaded by the punks from the neighboring Pride if these Intruders find spotty and his brothers they'll kill them but it's the dry season every day it's got hotter and hotter and every day it's like 5° and the low river level has allowed the long absent Hollywood males to return to their old territory perhaps they will provide the protection spotty and his brothers desperately need everything just feels like it's sort of ready to explode now located in tropical Africa sunset in luanga a occurs incredibly quickly in the space of 20 minutes the landscape is in darkness but this doesn't stop the recently returned Hollywood males patrolling their old territory unaware the punks have been mating with their females they're scent marking and calling behavior that is supposed to secure their territory and discourage rival males from entering they come across a leopard with a kill it quickly takes evasive [Music] action leaving the pair to Feast below lions are expert scavengers also stealing carcasses from wild dogs hyenas and even other Lions it's thought scavenged food can provide up to half the big cats [Music] diet throughout the evening the males continue to [Music] Patrol come midnight the pair haven't met the invading punks or located any runaway females so the Hollywood males make a fateful decision to return to their other Pride it's possible that had they found their newborn cubs they would have stayed around to Safeguard them instead the Hollywood Cub's best chance of protection from the invading punks just disappeared across the river Dawn is the closest thing to rush hour in the animal kingdom with a nocturnal shift heading home and many species on the move before the heat of the day although the punks have decided not to go anywhere and are sticking in Hollywood territory their ongoing presence is a massive threat to Ava and her Cubs however the new mother has a more immediate concern and has been forced to leave her little ones in [Music] hiding she's on the Move calling no one's really answering back with these calls AA is trying to reconnect with her Pride probably because she's hungry Lions can go for 4 5 days without eating but obviously the mother needs to produce milk for the little cubs without enough to eat aa's milk would dry up in a matter of days and her Cubs would starve I think she's actually been out trying to hunt him probably unsuccessfully and she's actually quite hungry she's just walking down in this galy somewhere and she's going to pop out next to these poo at some [Music] point in the 2 hours Nathan's been tracking her this is the closest she's got to any game and there's still no sign of the rest of the Hollywood Prime hunger's also becoming a big issue for grace and the Punk's Pride it's 3 days since they've L eaten their lead Hunter is still out of action and they are struggling to cope without her when the pride moves off the Lioness is reduced to limping behind the dry season brings all the game closer [Music] together and in this glut a pride can be successful in almost 40% of hunt [Music] attempts but not this time desperate to suckle and yet to learn the habits of the hunt Grace [Music] interrupts everyone will have to go hungry for a little longer spotty and his brothers have already spent 7 hours in hiding and the the longer their mother's away the more likely it is that they'll be discovered a hyena just meters from their hiding [Music] place if she discovers the Cubs she may well take the opportunity to get rid of future competition the Cubs have to keep quiet [Music] fortunately this female hyena has little ones of her own and their need to feed distraer spotty and the Cubs are safe for now for AA hours of walking and calling has paid off we've been following this female and we must have gone about 2 3 km and um I mean it's absolutely amazing that uh this female has just met up with another female line of quite a young one about 4 years old this lioness is also from the Hollywood pride and there's a great deal of affection between the two it was absolutely amazing that the distance that we followed over the terrain we have that these two just somehow bump into each other this playful behavior is thought to strengthen social bonds it's a Charming reminder that despite the hardships they face these are social animals that greatly enjoy each other's company and and there's another benefit hunting as a peir could increase aa's chances of eating um there's a lot of trcks it's a very very busy area so there's always a chance something actually come down walk straight into them it's perfect Ambush territory but catching prey In the Heat of the day isn't going to be easy but with her Cubs to feed AA has no option but to try Lions have two main hunting methods the stalk begins with a stealthy approach behind cover for the hunters aren't as fast as much of their prey an adult lion can manage 60 km an hour for 200 M A wilderbeast can his 80 and keep on running so getting close is essential before launching a final burst of acceleration especially in Open [Music] Country the other primary hunting method is the Ambush which as you might expect involves hiding and waiting with neither method proving successful for AA and the Lioness the pair settled down once again I think it's getting too hot now so probably she's going to give up and just rest in the shade that think it's going to be a long day under the bush during the hot dry season temperatures in luanga can hit 45° in the shade zebra's stripes are thought to absorb and reflect Heat at different rates in order to create tiny cooling air currents an elephant dust bath not only repels insects but also serves as a primitive sunscreen despite their adaptations the oppressive heat means most species are in a active during the day but come evening it's time to eat and a big male Buffalo has wandered a little too far from its herd and a little too close to the bulk of the Hollywood Pride what's going on over there the lions are hunting Buffalo lions are facing Buffalo this big male is over six times the weight of the Lioness stalking it nicknamed black death Buffalo are extremely dangerous most successful hunts take place in the hours of darkness in dense cover and with a group of lions against a single prey animal [Music] with the light fading this could be the perfect [Music] scenario so we thought the day was done but Nathan has just radioed to say that there's a hunt happening as dusk Falls the thermal camera team rushes to the scene but they're over 10 km away this is completely mad they're totally leading us on a wild goose chase there please can't really see that much by the time they arrive the Hollywood Pride have cornered the enormous and highly dangerous Buffalo we are so so close I mean 5 me away the incredible drama of a night Hunt is something rarely ever seen But the unique abilities of the thermal camera reveals how the Lions surround the Buffalo to prevent escape the Lions want it to be done as quickly as possible because it's such a dangerous thing for them to do this Buffalo has massive horns and the Lions can very easily get injured with large prey like this Lions try an attack from the rear jump on top of the animal and use their own weight to wrestle it to the ground it's an amazing feat to take down this enormous animal that will feed the whole Pride eventually sheer weight of numbers sees the pride win out they bite the throat or over the nose and mouth to suffocate their victim seeing them like this is just it's a whole new light is quite extraordinary the job done the Hollywood Pride tuck in however all the Uproar has caught the attention of one of the invading punks although he's already been mating with the Hollywoods right now no one's happy to see him but the male's not alone he's brought the whole of the Punk's Pride with him including seven hungry cups with no males of their own to fight their corner and exhausted from the hunt the Hollywoods are forced to retreat allowing the Punk's Pride including the s to descend on the feast even little grace and the 3month old Cub is certainly tucking in on her long awaited meal this is a major Master Grace has joined the ranks of the meat eaters the dry season and dropping River levels expose Muddy Banks that can trap the unwary providing Rich pickings for lions having had a last meal provided by a stolen Buffalo face hands Grace her next one on a plate she may have acquired a taste for meat but Grace still has a lot to learn especially when it comes to dining with a big [Music] male she's about to find out she has to know her [Applause] place she's limping off but it's quite interesting they bigger cup that comes in sort of following along whether it's reassurance or curiosity why what's going on but she doesn't look too too pleased to have any company at the moment I think she'll be all right but obviously got a bit of a telling off from the punk I suppose like all mammals really is going through a process of learning your manners essentially sort of what you can and can't do what's pushing the boundaries so it might be a hard learning curve but this is going to be her family unit she's essentially going to to grow up as part of this Pride Grace needs to learn how to fit into her family and fast as next time she might not get off so lightly it's been over 36 hours since Nathan set eyes on AA and her Cubs Keen to find out if she's returned to them he makes his way back to her La in the bushes and it seems she's been busy who just come across AA the Hollywood mother and she's killed a a zebra I mean it's absolutely fantastic of of her as a single less to bring down this zebra completely by herself now a e her hungry Cubs can finally get the sustenance they need [Music] too it's really lovely to see them playing around and suckling with [Music] Mom although staying with the zebra carcass is a potentially dangerous decision the smell can draw in hyena who might kill the Cubs and with the punks Still In Hollywood territory they also pose a threat one that's suddenly very [Music] real as one of the big males is incredibly close by this is the deepest into the Hollywood territory that we've seen the punk boys AIS flattened ears thrashing tail and lowered head indicate she's extremely Disturbed with the zebra Co right here mes just there it's probably not the best place to have her Cubs at the moment so it looks like these boys might try and take over this territory and if they do I'm fairly certain these Cubs won't have a chance faced with a powerful and aggressive carnivore like many other species in luanga the best option for AA and her little ones is to run and hide next time the very peak of the dry season sees a bottleneck of the river literally all the wildlife comes down here hippos Crocs and lions Clash AA introduces her Cubs to the rest of the pride oh they're here but do all three little ones make it I only see to and amongst pep and Grace's Pride a Family Feud explode and cubs come under [Music] attack

Channel: Our World

Views: 426,437

Keywords: wildlife, wildlife documentary, natural history, earth, environment, documentary, documentaries, animals, nature, animal documentary, full documentary, nature documentary, planet earth, our world, wild animals, global warming, climate change, natural habitats, our planet, Lion Country, young cubs, young lions, lions, Lions, Lioness, Cubs, cubs, lioness, lion country, lion documentary, lions documentary, documentary about lions

Id: 5NmzcDZk4Zg

Length: 51min 50sec (3110 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 26 2023