Lions Vs Hippos (Documentary)(Turf Wars)

in the heart of Africa the king of beasts has to share his crown the river is their battleground this is a turf war between lions and hippos two of the biggest killers [Music] - powers heading for a showdown a tiny cub is caught in the middle of the battle between Giants [Music] on the banks of a dwindling River is an extraordinary drama where deadly force meets lethal power the Luangwa River brings life to Africa's emerald heart brains at the southern tip of the Great Rift keep this artery flowing all year it's the wet season and these are the good times more hippos live along this river than anywhere else in the world for a family of lions the wet season brings the ultimate luxury sleep the single pride man drowsily guards than is set on pride it's quite a gang five females and last year's youngsters moreover one is expecting another letter soon there's a seasonal baby boom here in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park [Music] in the river our hippos spread out over five hundred miles they rest during the day when it's hot like the Lions they come ashore at night to eat grass now's the time for everyone to build up their strength change is on its way the emerald days are about to end [Music] [Music] for the hippos it's like losing your world new dangers emerge from up and down the river hippos try to find deep pools one spot is ideal if you can ignore the Lions hot and stressed the hippos arrive soon over 50 hippos have piled in but this pool already has an owner a dominant hippo a beach master the newcomers slip in as quietly as they can the leading bull attacks anything he sees as a challenge hippos are very powerful and dangerous they're vegetarians yet they kill many more people than lions hidden in the bushes along the bank one of the lionesses has two small Cubs a male and female for weeks or she moves hiding spots every few days it's vital the Cubs remain secret even the baboons would give them away she must be careful [Music] she left the pride to give birth and has stayed away ever since the Cubs couldn't keep up with the pride and are also very vulnerable in the open she senses the baboons alarm calls have betrayed her a hippo she could probably win a fight here she knows the lay of the land the spectators make a swift exit the two adversaries seem to ignore each other but it's a bluff they're working out the odds the Cubs could easily get trampled [Music] [Music] the hippos win the first battle 1.2 the Giants the Cubs are old enough to travel with her and she takes them down to the river this is the heart of the battlefield life is concentrated here and it's home to some of Africa's most precious youngsters a hippo mother like a lioness will guard her cat with her life the calves in the water the Cubs on the beach have so much to learn already he has an instinct to hunt and a fear of grunting hippos the lioness and her cubs will find a new hiding place tonight the hippo mom's on the other hand prefer the protection of the herd the babies form a nursery where they make friends and play the dominant bull protects them from outsiders but the risk is they might get caught up in the fight another aggressive bull hippo has just arrived the beachmaster responds whoever wins will control the river and dozens of females [Music] they are each more than twice alliance eyes their tempers twice as bad to win means the chance to father a dynasty a generation of young the risks of injury are high and losers quickly back down but as the season progresses the fights will get more deadly with his head raised the old bull shows his dominance over the intruder the bachelor retreats to the edge of the pool he is fired up with testosterone and at his most dangerous the lion pride now spends the afternoons by the river they regard the beach on this side as their kingdom even by evening the hormone charged bachelor is still looking for a fun [Music] the frustrated hippo who takes it out on some of our pride [Music] the lionesses no even four against one is tough maybe they read his mood and will wait to pick their battles but they have underestimated his fury [Music] the Giants beat the cats again to nothing these showdowns are all about bluff and posturing these lions and hippos have grown up playing this game last year's Cubs are learning the rules and the risks there are even bigger dangers on the far bank the Luangwa River is the edge of the encephalo torii the other side belongs to two brothers they have already killed several rivals and Cubs along their waterfront if not for the river guarded by hippos our pride would be in serious danger with each day the water levels drop as the river becomes the focus of life the pride is hanging out on the bank more often the land drive and flocks of queerly a swarm here huge herds of buffaloes are approaching the far bank of the river to drink for the Lions it's all on the wrong side in alien dangerous territory they can smell the opportunity but the 100-yard span of the Luangwa River is a formidable barrier the meal is slipping away the Lions know the dangers but they must take every chance Life offers the herd will move on searching for grass they make a decision to cross into another world they might not all make it back alive the hippos will defend their River and they are not the only problem the hippos stampede in panic the boldness of the pride may have confused them into backing down a victory for the cats even the Crocs hold back a youngster is excited but now is not the time to play his mother knows the risks she lost the end of her tail to a croc the other side may be rival territory but all they care about at this moment is the buffalo time to hunt hunting Buffalo's requires skill and courage the buffalos are all muscle to the hippos fat horns to the hippos teeth for hours they circle the herd by the riverbank probing from two angles they finally make their move the buffaloes respond with a counter-attack this is a world where courage is as important as strength the Lions retreat they head to the river to cross back defeated by the Buffaloes they seem much less willing to face the hippos they are stuck on the wrong side of the river on the opposite bank the Cubs have had better luck staying at home their mother has caught a small antelope a puku during the night it is probably their first taste of meat the little male has his head in the carcass while his sister waits for him to come and play the Cubs have different characters he's a typical boy brave and rough in their games he's always the lion she's always the antelope the irony is it's mostly the adult females who do the hunting suddenly their mother growls a warning they are not alone an unknown lone lioness an outsider with no pride is desperate for food the Cubs don't know what to do the nomadic female charges in the mother refuses to back down she needs every bit of food to provide milk for the Cubs briefly they share and the Cubs comfort each other but soon the struggle for food and it turns into a tug of war for the Cubs the world must seem bewildering ly frightening and full of impossible choices [Music] the mother decides to abandon the kill and see to the safety of her cubs I opted for hidden youngsters and with so many dangerous hippos nearby the odds are not good leaving them can't be easy [Music] down by the river a newborn hippo calf has just joined the nursery [Music] the mothers supervise the new additions as the river dries more hippos continue to arrive the newcomers cause dangerous turmoil every mother has her problems [Music] the lion pride is still stuck on the wrong side of the river a buffalo calls in distress the muddy banks are a death trap for a heavy Buffalo and this one is stopped the croc soon retreats the Buffalo is still dangerous he will defend himself with his horns and an attack from the rear isn't feasible the youngsters conclude the same killing isn't easy it's too dangerous the pride is left with only one option wait for it to die overnight the inevitable has happened before dawn they managed to drag it out of the water the crocodiles haven't given up the lions chase off everyone they can eventually the pride withdraws to digest and the vultures take over one of the youngsters in spite of his full belly wants to defend the carcass he was a cub last year and in human terms is like a teenager he's learning when to be brave and when to give up and after a few rounds with the vultures he realizes it's just not worth it meanwhile the mother lioness has spotted the vultures and she sees her pride on the wrong side of the river and with a kill she hasn't fed her Cubs for two days hunger clouds her judgment the hippos soon notice her and raise the alarm the combination of food and seeing her extended family Spurs her on she warns that she means business it's the second time the Giants have backed down and the score is now even the mother greets her pride it's been two months since she left to give birth she heads for the carcass too late the vultures have finished the meal hungry and frustrated she makes her big mistake she sets off to hunt by herself on the wrong side of the river after a mile or two an Impala in a network of gullies [Music] [Music] the Impala never saw her coming at last she has finally made a kill but her Cubs are on the other side of the river and she is raiding someone else's hunting ground she's being watched by two territorial males who won't hesitate to kill intruders she's lucky to escape with only a beating the male's follow her to the river she has no choice she has to swim [Music] the croc very nearly got her the local hippos watched the drama without interfering the two males could cross the river after her but they've made their point she's back in her own territory and immediately returns to where she left her cubs [Music] they're not there she calls for them there's no response all she can do is search [Music] [Music] she's been searching all night without success [Music] it's the little female but no sign of her brother [Music] to find one alone is bad news she continues to search but in vain [Music] with hunger and tension everywhere young life hangs by a thread [Music] the hippos returned later each day from their nightly foraging they're having to travel farther the pride a few miles down the river find this intrusion onto their beach a serious threat the hippos have to run the gauntlet this is only about who is in charge Lions or Giants they face each other eye to eye they could ignore one another but they seem to want each other to know who is boss the hippo holds its ground challenging the lioness to attack a small psychological victory perhaps for the hippo the Lions rule the river sooner or later everyone has to come and drink at this time of year the river provides plenty of hunting opportunities but hunting on a wide-open Beach is not easy there is no place to hide for an ambush hunter and so the Lions just wait if you can bear it there's an opportunity now the camouflage of heat but the impalas are alert and know the Lions are there the hippos too are getting accustomed to the Lions maybe curiosity drew this young one so close to the pride [Music] maybe he hasn't learned to fear them yet [Music] his innocence may prove fatal [Music] the cat has taught the Little Giant a lesson that will last long after the claw marks have healed several of the hippos bear impressive battle stars the Luangwa keeps flowing and somehow the hippos are finding enough food Bachelor Bulls are again challenging the dominant hippo the big beach master displays splattering dung means I'm the boss the chomping jaw means not now that I'm here the calves are curious and gather to watch in the end the resident bull wins a fight but one of the babies got in between the mother couldn't protect her calf from the to fighting Giants [Music] it's the youngest who often pay the highest toll the lions are the only winners this time [Music] one morning as the hippos are returning from grazing the mother lioness also returns to her pride and she's brought the little female cub getting to know everyone will take some time [Music] even her mother isn't very welcoming this morning there are ants to meet and older cousins now that her brother is gone there are no other Cubs her own age the lionesses may be trying to relax but one of the yearlings is Restless the older male and little female are probably cousins they make an odd-looking couple of Cubs no one notices them wander off to explore [Music] there's a whole world to discover the Cubs caused a bit of a stir though they are both far too young to be any danger they settle under some trees we're a herd of gentler Giants appears [Music] after meeting antelope and elephants they're ready for their snooze back with the pride a lioness has woken but she's not noticed the missing Cubs she's more focused on an opportunity it's a small herd of kudu Bulls one of the strongest antelopes in Africa the rest of the pride joined the hunt a second lioness heads for the gullies to work her way around the kudu without being seen [Music] they are slowly setting a trap [Music] the alarm is raised by the Impala and the koodoo spot the main attack the Lyons spring the trap the rest of the pride joins the feast no one notices that two youngsters are missing when the Cubs wake up they realize they have lost the pride he calls in the hope that someone will respond they need to find the pride before it gets too dark and the hippos emerge to feed too late maybe the older has an instinct to protect the younger he is about to do something very brave [Music] a pint-sized lion chases off a huge giant an unlikely victory lions are the only social cats that means looking after each other the two young lions arrive at the river it's the best place to wait for the pride to turn up the first rain for eight months but for the Cubs it doesn't help the rain will wash away tracks and scent they're both too young to catch food and will starve though it's more likely that hippos or large predators will find them first an unfamiliar roar nomads from upriver if the male's detect the Cubs they would almost certainly try to kill them male lions often kill Cubs they don't know but today the Cubs have an unlikely ally the hippos chased them off the Cubs are safe it's an extraordinary turn of events and the Cubs are incredibly lucky at a time of turf war between lions and hippos the Giants may have saved two young lions lives by Sunrise they are still on their own in the middle the heart of Africa the king of beasts has to share his crown [Music] the river is their battleground this is a turf war between lions and hippos two of the biggest killers [Music] - powers heading for a showdown a tiny cub is caught in the middle of the battle between Giants [Music] on the banks of a dwindling River is an extraordinary trauma where deadly force meets legal power the Luangwa River brings life to Africa's emerald heart rains at the southern tip of the Great Rift keep this artery flowing all year it's the wet season and these are the good times more hippos live along this river than anywhere else in the world for a family of lions the wet season brings the ultimate luxury sleep you the single pride male drowsily guards than Assefa pride it's quite a gang five females and last year's youngsters moreover one is expecting another litter soon there's a seasonal baby boom here in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park in the river our hippos spread out over 500 miles they rest during the day when it's hot like the Lions they come ashore at night to eat grass now's the time for everyone to build up their strength change is on its way the emerald days are about to end [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: undefined

Views: 4,614,551

Rating: 4.4655428 out of 5

Keywords: Lions Vs Hippos (Documentary)(Turf Wars), Nat Geo, animals, Animals attack, lions, Hippos, Turf Wars, Stupid Humans vs Smart Wild Animals, Documentary)

Id: hHyamAUUfjo

Length: 43min 10sec (2590 seconds)

Published: Sun May 26 2019