The Lion Queen: Manyari queen of her pride

This african landscape of sandstone hills and open savannah is divided by lion prides into hard-won   territories giving lionesses like manyari the  chance to raise their young in relative peace. Manyari tries to get some rest while  keeping an eye on her one-year-old cubs. Most evenings she's out hunting with her sisters their role to provide food for the whole pride. In return the job of shambok the pride male   is to defend their territory giving the cubs  the sanctuary they need to grow and mature. But there's a cruel twist in lion's  society, danger comes from their own kind.   Out in the bush two eroding young males  seek a territory and pride of their own. Their goal is to defeat the veteran king  and take his lionesses for themselves. If they succeed, they will try and  kill any cubs under two years old. Manyari is on the alert, it's as if she  senses the imminent threat to her offspring. Most lionesses submit to the  superior strength of the males,   but manyari is different she  will do anything to save her cubs. Trouble for Manyari's pride begins  soon after the summer rains have fallen. In this lush corner of southeast Zimbabwe, the game fans out to take advantage of the new growth. Making the defense of a good territory  even more crucial to each lion pride. Magnari is lucky, she was born into the  unduna pride named after this area with   its year-round waterholes and plenty of game. The undone pride controls the best territory  within a protected area of Zimbabwe   known as the malilangwe game reserve. Mali language 100 000 acres are  famous for their variety of habitats. Hosting a rich diversity of wildlife  which rivals any in east Africa. But this bounty means that other lions  covered the Anduna prides territory. With 5 lionesses and 11 cubs of assorted ages, Schambach the only adult male has his work cut out. At nearly 10 years old, he's done well to  keep this large pride together for so long.   Perhaps because he knows  when to conserve his energy. The secret of his success lies in Manyari   the most experienced of the pride lionesses and Maguaza her sister and hunting partner. Manyari has three cubs two young males   and a playful female who likes  to stick close to her mother. Maguaza's two cubs are several weeks younger. Lionesses spend their lives in their native  pride and the sisterhood is the bond which   keeps the pride strong as they share the  task of looking after each other's young. Right now Jambok is not sleeping the  whole pride is unusually restless. One of the cubs showers  Manyari's daughter with affection. Only a year old she's oblivious to any danger but Shambok and Manyari need little reminder. The distant roaring signals that the two nomadic males are trespassing on Anduna pride territory. They make their intention clear to Shambok  and everyone else in the neighborhood. The adults do a quick check on their 11 cubs. Manyari heads for the lookout post. The power hungry brothers are moving  further inside Shambok territory. They've picked up the scent of the females. Patrols well-worn paths making  sure his presence is known. As darkness falls the youngbloods  ignore Shambok's scent marks   and throw down their challenge loud and clear. For the pride it's like the drums of war. The lions fight back they unite together in a show   of vocal strength to make themselves  sound larger and fiercer than they are. Should be out hunting for their  pride now they're shouting hard   to try and save the lives of their cubs. Finally in the small hours their aggressors fall silent, the ruse seems to have worked for now. It's been a long night the pride wakes on empty stomachs Magnari is up first with the nomads in the  neighborhood she don't go far she checks out the local game the nearest big prey are also the most dangerous manyari means buffalo killer but a large bull  is almost five times heavier than a lioness   many of her kin have been  gored by horns like these it would be foolhardy to tackle buffalo alone but the other lionesses have turned out to help with the herd spooked the risk is too great   the females wait until cover of  darkness gives them an advantage they will have to rely on shambok to  do his job and keep his rivals at bay   while they are out hunting um in the shadows the sisters work  as a team and isolate a male one of them needs to attack it's magnari who strikes first   she grapples the rump to avoid the dagger-like  horns while the others keep the ball surrounded suddenly two male intruders are on the scene the other lionesses back off but  magnari is reluctant to concede she has no choice the two rewarding  nomads have stolen her prey foreign these young princes are not expert  buffalo hunters like the lionesses   and by morning they're still trying  to wear down their tenacious quarry for these two groups of lions this is  far more than a tussle over one meal by stealing this kill from the lionesses right  inside the heart of jambox territory these young   bloods have thrown down a second gauntlet and  a blatant warning to the whole londoner pride with no sign of zhambok instinct  forces magnari to take action she greets each of her cubs in turn and then ever so casually she slips away her cubs watch her disappear into the bush slowly the three youngsters follow they seem   to understand the need not to  draw attention to themselves but their departure has been spotted  by one of the older male cubs he follows and four more cubs including  maguaza's two younger ones trek out after manyari her bid to escape has turned into an exodus a lioness never usually leaves her pride   it's a huge step and a big risk which manyari  took to save her cubs but now she has far   more than she bargained for she's got eight  inexperienced youngsters relying totally on her not only will she have the nomads on her  back by disappearing with so many cubs   she'll also have angered shambok she has to get this unlikely gang  as far away as fast as she can   but the pace is slow maybe because the  younger ones don't see the need for urgency jambok has lost his best hunter and eight cubs   but he still has four lionesses  and three cubs to fight for the two assailants are closing in has no choice he has to assert his authority he heads out to confront the intruders   it's time to make a last stand  and save the rest of his pride uh the battle was swift the veteran stood little   chance against two young  bloods spoiling for a fight cast out into the wilderness  for the first time in years   he will have to fend for himself  until old age overwhelms him a day later manyari is still trying to  cover the miles with her eight dependents the cubs are beginning to flag  it seemed like a big adventure   but now they're bored with the long journey some of them just want to play manyari chives them all they reach a  rocky outcrop where she can keep a lookout   with a bit of unwanted help from the baboon  troop and at last she gives them a break manyari can't afford to stop these  cubs haven't yet learned to hunt   they're all relying on her to provide food she's used to working with her  sisters now she'll have to hunt alone she targets buffalo risky without magwaza  but she has eight hungry mouths to feed she's not alone the youngsters are keen to join in   with the bravado of youth they  seem oblivious of the danger foreign manyari has the calf she leaves it to her  eager apprentices to make their first kill   but the buffalo haven't given up females  with calves are the most dangerous of all   they bunch together to form a battering ram um this calf had a lucky escape  and might even survive by letting naive youngsters face this herd  of buffalo magnari gambled with their lives   it's as if she knows that her cubs will  have to grow up faster than they should manari's young may be seriously  hungry but at least they're alive back in honduna the two brothers  have made themselves at home   they have claimed jambox old territory and his  females daylight reveals why magnari took such   enormous risks to flee with her cubs the lionesses  which stayed behind paid the ultimate price awful though it seems incoming male lions   kill young cubs for good reason their own  reign as head of the pride may be short by killing the cubs they bring the females  into easter sooner giving them a chance to   father their own offspring to maturity before  other males move in to steal their lionesses uh days later and magnari must hunt again this is the relentless life she  has chosen teaching her charges   keeping them fed gone are the days when  she could snooze through the sunlit hours with the cubs more a hindrance than  a help she sneaks off without them she finds some wildebeest in mali langue small  wildebeest herds are resident all year round um um she's vulnerable out in the open and  tries to drag the meal into cover um the hungry adolescents have noted her absence   they're ready and waiting the alarm calls at  the baboons suggest that manyari is nearby it's a small kill and magnari  takes the opportunity to feed first   she needs to keep her own strength up but the youngsters are too hungry  to show their elder any respect one calf doesn't divide into nine easily each  has to fight for their share of the action manyari has only had scraps but with the  meal demolished they're all friends again every moment she shares with these  affectionate juveniles is borrowed time sound travels in the still  of the night and she can   hear the power hungry brothers laying their claim   now the anduna pride females  have accepted their reign   the princes spend more time  exploring their new territory they pick up banyari's scent  from one of her hunting forays for these males magnari is unfinished business  they know she's out there with the youngsters   they need to track down the cubs they  can't allow any young lions on their turf   which could one day be a threat to their reign magnari is aware the brothers are on her trail she rouses the group once again like refugees they're  forced to up sticks and move on the dry season is beginning to bite and  the game will concentrate around familiar   water holes but magnari takes them beyond the  borders of her homeland into unknown territory her pupils are older now they're learning fast  but they're still not ready for independence   somehow manyari needs to buy  these young lions more time the brothers have brought down an adult giraffe they've been traveling in the same  direction as manyari's group these   two strong males are in their prime and they're  not afraid to extend their hunting territory while the brothers have more  than enough meat to sustain them   eight large cubs are too many for one lioness  magnari is struggling to keep their bellies full she needs to bring down larger prey zebra stripes are designed to confuse her   as they twist and turn she must  keep her focus on her target   so in full flight she didn't even see  the jagged stump which tore into her   injuries as bad as these are usually fatal yet slowly incredibly magnari keeps herself  moving if she lies down she will give up loss of blood means she is dangerously dehydrated  she needs to find water yet she can barely walk she licks her lips trying to  find moisture to clean her wounds   but it's too painful to reach them her eight dependents are still  waiting in hope of the meal the oldest and most impatient leads the search there is no food there is only manyari  with life draining from her body her daughter tries to rouse her the youngsters are a reminder that  she has something to fight for she collapsed only a few feet from water with her daughter hovering  protectively she slicks her thirst so she cleans her wounds the risk of  infection and blood poisoning is huge she can barely tolerate her daughter near her the other hungry youngsters are on edge the brothers are still hot on their trail these sub-adults seem to accept that their mentor  can no longer help them five of them abandon her the female tries one last time to rally her mother   hunger wins and she and her brother  follow the other siblings into the night manyari calls them back she's aware  the marauding males are out there this time there's nothing she can do the naive youngsters have already picked  up the irresistible sound of a lion hunt they're wary yet hunger makes them reckless they move headlong towards danger surprisingly the killer makes way for them  at the feast for this is magwaza's kill meal time is not the place for greetings  but for once the cubs get a lucky break   magwaza manyari's sister has  found her own long-lost cubs the wounded lioness can hear the feasting fighting searing pain she forces her body to move manyari makes it to her family for the first time in months  someone has provided for her it looks as though maguaza plans to stay  around and keep an eye on her wayward   accident-prone sister she's so far from honduna  that this is unlikely to be a chance encounter   like the brothers maguaza must have been  tracking her sister and their offspring for manyari it will be a  long painful road to recovery   but with her sister on hand  to help she stands a chance magwaza instinctively takes  over from the injured lioness   hunting and providing for the fledgling pride the juveniles don't care who catches their food   with the oldest cub now nearly two  years they're just happy to be well fed as the days pass magnari has been cleaning  her wounds scrupulously she's healing well this ragtagol group is beginning to  look less like refugees and more like   a normal pride just occasionally  they even snooze in the sunshine but maguire is aware of the urgency  and there is room for improvement   in the hunting technique of the youngsters she  gives them a crash course in who best to avoid finally one evening maguaza leads all eight  sub-adults out on a serious hunting mission magnari joins them after everything she's done for the cubs she's not  going to miss their ultimate test buffalo at night   it's a big challenge for manyari too  will she still have the strength and   agility to live up to her name and  face down africa's most volatile prey so all right sisters have done their bit and back off  leaving their pupils to finish the job it's a coming-of-age in the  weeks and months to come   these half-brothers and sisters will have to sort  out their own squabbles and form a new hierarchy against the odds manyari with maguire's help   has raised all eight cubs so  they're ready for independence this family cannot stay together as  a pride because the two princes will   always covet the females and see these  young males as a threat to their reign the sisters risked their lives for their cubs now the best thing they can do  for their young is drive them away so suddenly the moment is upon them the brothers have sneaked up unawares this is not the time to  linger over lengthy farewells mm-hmm magnari turns back to face her challenger once again she risks her life if she can  just distract the males for long enough her sister tries the same ruse giving the youngsters a chance to escape now these young lions really are on their own  they had a shaky start and had to grow up fast   thanks to the courage of two unusual  lionesses they have a fair chance of making it for manyari and maguaza it's  time to return from exile   and resume their place back in their old pride the sisters will accept the same males who  were determined to kill their cubs as their   new protectors as if their flight  into the wilderness never happened the lionesses will hunt  buffalo for the whole pride   and consort with their old enemies because  this is how it works in lions society only manyari did things differently   she defied the usual order and saved  her cubs truly an extraordinary lioness you

Channel: Show Me the World

Views: 717,246

Keywords: wildlife, footage, documentary, lioness, lion, natural, nature, savanna, hunt

Id: 2gyw_c67tIY

Length: 51min 9sec (3069 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 11 2023