Big Cats 24/7

Hello, darling.

How are you doing?

Oh.

Come on.

We know each other.

Narrator: The Xudum Pride is now one of the largest lion prides in the world... Djenguet: Last year, they had one cub.

This year, they've got 15.

Narrator: but to feed so many mouths... Djenguet: Oh, hang on.

It's a crocodile.

They're trying to steal the kill.

Narrator: the desperate mothers are being pushed to extremes.

Djenguet: Crocodile's pulling back!

This is crazy!

Narrator: The Okavango Delta in Botswana.

Nthomiwa: The Okavango Delta just is a perfect place.

Narrator: and it's a stronghold for Africa's big cats.

Lion... cheetah... and leopard.

Here, a team of local and international wildlife filmmakers is working together to record the cats' lives like never before.

They'll follow individual big cats.... [Growling] for 6 months.

They've battled the seasons from fire to flood.

Uh-oh.

They're in the water!

Narrator: They're capturing the cats' behavior... Buchanan: Whoa!

They're running straight towards her.

Narrator: 24 hours a day.

Welcome to the Okavango Delta.

It gets crazy.

[Growling] Djenguet: All the mums are here.

Ah, the cubs are there.

[Lion yowls] Look, look, look.

I'm pretty he's saying, "Mum, mum, I'm hungry again!"

Heh heh!

Narrator: There are now nearly 40 lions and cubs in the Xudum Pride.

Djenguet: The mothers--just don't know how they do it.

The cubs constantly wanting some milk from you, constantly nagging you.

I couldn't be a mother lion.

No way.

Ha ha ha!

There's Tsebe.

Narrator: Young mum Tsebe recently gave birth to 5 cubs.

[Cubs mewing] [Flies buzzing] Djenguet: It's breakfast time.

It's very rare to have 5 cubs.

Narrator: Only 2% of litters are as big as Tsebe's.

Having so many cubs indicates a healthy pride, but their survival is not guaranteed.

Djenguet: Lionesses only have 4 nipples.

How do you feed 5 cubs simultaneously?

Tsebe's just feeding her own cub, and one of the 9 ladies' cubs is just moving in.

[Growling] Ooh!

Ooh!

Poor Tsebe.

You know, she's having to deal with this.

She's got a big cub trying to squeeze in and suckle.

Just really, um, doesn't help.

Narrator: At this age, each cub needs to drink more than 20 fluid ounces of milk a day.

Djenguet: Tsebe's going to need a lot of milk to go around.

If Tsebe doesn't provide enough food for them, the cubs will suffer.

Narrator: To stay healthy and keep her 5 cubs alive, Tsebe needs to eat more than the other lioness mums.

[Cubs mewing] Finding enough food as the flood dries up and temperatures soar will be tough.

Gordon is taking over the evening shift to see if Tsebe can get a much-needed meal.

OK.

Climbing down the tree.

Last little hop.

Tsebe's seen or heard something.

[Growling] Narrator: It's the rest of the pride.

Oh, they're talkative tonight.

[Growling] I'll tell you what, it does get the heart pumping when you have lions roaring right next to you.

We've got a huge team of lions out in the floodplain this evening.

[Growling] Some of the other lions have made a kill, and there's a lot of "Rawwr, rawwr, rawwr!"

Narrator: One of the dominant pride males is joining for his share.

Everyone's just piling in.

All of the females, cubs.

Narrator: It's a meal that Tsebe needs... but there are too many lions to share it with.

[Growling] Hartman: Absolutely insane situation at the moment.

It's absolute chaos.

[Growling] There's not much left now.

It's just the rib cage and the spine.

[Growling] Uh-oh, uh-oh!

Uh-oh, uh-oh!

Somebody's getting clapped.

[Growling] You'd think that this pride increasing in number would make them a stronger pride, but actually, it weakens them in many ways because you've got limited resources divided many, many times.

How you gauge success isn't really just making a kill.

It's how many lions you're splitting that kill with.

[Growling] Hartman: There's so much competition amongst the Lions, and a lot of these lionesses put in the hard yards, and they've got nothing from it.

[Growling] Buchanan: I do feel for these females.

Narrator: The pride's growth is now outpacing its food supply.

That was intense.

Narrator: With less prey available, new mum Tsebe and her 5 cubs will be the first to go hungry.

Hartman: Just heard some growling close to Xudum's den.

We came to investigate, thinking it was lions, and we've just seen Xudum with her cub in her mouth, which is incredible.

She's moving her cub.

She's got one in her jaws.

Narrator: Xudum, the resident female leopard, had two cubs just over a week ago.

Woodward: It had to happen.

Greg called it in.

Xudum's moving den.

It's a little bit chaotic of the morning.

Narrator: Tristen is joining Greg on Xudum's trail.

Woodward: It's all very, very strange.

Behavior that I haven't really seen before.

I don't know if she's making poor decisions or if she's actually just being very calculated and moving the den just to keep them alive.

There's such a chance that she'll just bump into something.

A lot of the animals out here are so much bigger than her.

It really would be tragic for anything to happen to this cub at such a young stage in its life.

Narrator: The team recently found male leopard tracks near Xudum's den.

Males can be deadly to cubs that aren't their own.

Woodward: So this could be a very, very good choice on her part, but yeah, I guess only time will really tell.

Narrator: To keep her cubs safe, she needs to find a new den.

Hartman: She's just climbed into a huge thicket of bluebush, which is perfect for a den.

There she is.

She's bloody carrying it.

Tristen, she's carrying it again, bru.

Carrying, carrying, carrying.

I thought she'd hold this den.

A beautiful bush here, but she's decided to move to another one.

Woodward: This is quite interesting, eh?

I think she might cross this entire grassland.

Yeah.

She's gone-- it's quite far.

She's moved at least 700 meters now.

Woodward: This is by far the longest that I've ever seen a leopard move a cub.

Normally, I've seen leopards-- it's 50 to 150 meters, so she's really, really trying to take these cubs out of that area.

Narrator: With Tristen and Greg tracking Xudum... Brad is keeping an eye on the other cub.

Bestelink: We're sitting at the original den site, and she's left one here.

One is a male, and one is a female, and she's left the girl behind her.

I'm just hoping that she stays put.

She's come right up to the entrance, almost falling out, which would be a disaster.

It'd be a lot of crying, and every chance that somebody comes and snacks on her, so she just needs to bed down and stay hidden.

[Yowls] Just stay put.

Just stay put and stop calling.

[Yowls] Woodward: Oh, OK. She's looking.

She just--her eyes have just gone straight up.

That's ridiculous.

I'm presuming that is going to be our new den.

[Walkie-talkie beeps] Loud and clear, Anna.

Narrator: Anna and Rea are checking in on Tsebe and her 5 cubs.

Dimitriadis: Just getting a glimpse at the cubs.

They are so tiny.

She is looking so thin and so hungry.

Really concerned about her.

Rea: Tsebe's on the move.

[Truck engine starts] Dimitriadis: This is really unexpected.

It is 12: 00.

Lions quite often are just flat under a tree at this time, but Tsebe looked really hungry.

Rea: It seems like she's picking up the scent of something.

She's lifting up her head.

Just in front are some lechwe.

Could be quite the tasty meal for a mum with cubs.

Hunting alone can easily half her chance of making a successful kill.

She's going.

Narrator: If Tsebe can pull this off, she can keep the meal all to herself.

Rea: So Tsebe's on the run.

She's actually prancing.

She's going onto the floodplain right now.

Dimitriadis: This is crazy.

Oh, no, Tsebe.

Oh!

They just bolted.

Rea: She gave it a go.

Narrator: At 5 years old, Tsebe is the Pride's youngest mother.

Oh, my God.

This is weird.

Narrator: And her inexperience is showing.

Dimitriadis: The lechwe have almost ganged up and are making sure that they all have eyes on Tsebe and are just moving her along.

She doesn't stand a chance now.

That attempt from Tsebe screams desperation at this point.

I think she's just really, really keen to get that meal Narrator: With the flood receding and prey disappearing with it, hunting is only going to get harder.

Woodward: I've found Mosweu with a half-eaten kill.

Bestelink: OK.

Copy that.

I'm gonna come over.

Narrator: 6-year-old male leopard Mosweu is in the heart of Xudum's territory.

Woodward: He's got, um, some very, very distinctive features.

This guy's ears are tattered and shredded, which has got a lot to do with this character.

He's a bit of a brawler.

Mosweu's a little bit smaller than most of the big dominant males here, and he makes up for his lack of stature in just sheer determination and aggression.

We also have Xudum's tracks probably about 100 meters south of us.

She probably made the kill here, and this big boy has come in and stolen it.

Bestelink: It's not often that male leopards kill a steenbok.

They don't stalk well enough.

They sort of go for a slightly bigger prey.

Mainly warthogs actually.

If she did make this kill, hopefully she managed to get a little bit of it because otherwise she's really had some really, really bad luck, lions taking her kill, big male leopard taking her kill.

Narrator: Mosweu's presence may explain why Xudum is moving her cubs.

Bestelink: The last time we saw Mosweu was when Xudum was being mated interestingly.

Narrator: 3 months ago, the team found Xudum mating with a rival male.

If Mosweu tracks down cubs that are not his, he will kill them.

Woodward: It's a dominance thing for them, and they don't want somebody else's kids coming into this world and their territory.

She's gonna be in for a very, very long few months with this guy hanging around.

It's gonna be very, very stressful for her.

Bestelink: The biggest threat to leopards is other leopards.

More leopards die at the hand of their own kind than anything else, and just to have him show up again is not good.

Hey, Rea!

I've just found Tsebe up what seems to be her favorite tree.

Oh!

Stretching.

Narrator: New mum Tsebe has been away from the pride for nearly two days... Rea: She knows she needs to eat.

She needs to feed her cubs.

Narrator: on a solo hunting mission.

Rea: She needs to be in a healthy state.

Narrator: Her cubs' survival depends on her eating soon.

Dimitriadis: It means that she is very likely to hunt again today.

Narrator: The prey is dispersing fast as the flood dries up... so she's having to travel further to find food.

Dimitriadis: You can see her ribs on the side.

Yeah.

She's looking hungry.

Oh, she's super vigilant.

She's scanning about.

Rea: We have a warthog straight ahead of her.

[Warthog grunting] It's completely unaware.

Dimitriadis: Come on, Tsebe, You can do this.

Rea: She's starting her jog.

Dimitriadis: She's going, she's going, she's going, she's going, she's going.

[Warthog grunting] [Warthog squealing] Oh, no!

She just missed it.

No!

Oh!

Tsebe.

[Sighs] She's failed yet again.

What is she gonna do now?

Rea: Now she's just staring in front of her.

We're not sure really if there's potentially a warthog or something there.

There must be something that we don't see.

She's got something.

She's got a rabbit.

She's got a rabbit.

Dimitriadis: Go on, Tsebe.

Nice.

Of all the things she could have got, she got--ha ha ha--got a rabbit.

Oh, my gosh.

Rea: That's a fully grown lion who has just hunted a rabbit or hare--sorry-- I believe it is.

Dimitriadis: I am really, really glad for her.

She deserved something.

Rea: Yeah, I mean.

It's better than nothing.

It just shows how desperate she is, eh?

Dimitriadis: Tsebe should be eating for 6.

She's got 5 cubs.

5 cubs to feed.

I really don't think a small hare is gonna sustain all of those mouths.

Narrator: Rea is still in the heart of lion territory when he spots the Okavango's most elusive big cat.

Rea: Yeah!

That's a cheetah.

Ha ha ha!

What is the chance of that?

Narrator: The boom in pride numbers should have scared any cheetahs away, as lions won't tolerate other big cats on their patch.

Rea: I've got a male.

We've got Sepoko here.

Our pride den here all the time.

He's got an extremely full belly.

[Walkie-talkie beeps] Anna, Anna, Anna, do you copy?

Dimitriadis: Go ahead, Rea.

Got some pretty good news here, Anna.

We're just close to 4 palms here and just found, uh, Sepoko.

No way!

That is incredible news.

I honestly did not think we were gonna see a cheetah again.

I also didn't expect it at all.

I mean, what a blessing.

I mean, there's just so many lions about at the moment.

If I was a cheetah, I probably wouldn't be hanging around here.

Sepoko is a brave man.

Ah, Rea.

What is the chance?

He is really living up to his name Sepoko, which means ghost.

Narrator: Hunting here right under the noses of so many lions takes stealth.

Rea: A lot of the times, their kills are stolen from them, but looks like our friend Sepoko here managed to have a full meal.

Dimitriadis: His strides are so long, he seems to be floating through the grass.

Living up to his ghostly status and just blending in.

He's weaving between these lions, and they have no idea.

He's got a lot of character.

I think he's got a kind of bad boy vibe.

He walks with a lot of purpose, but it's got a bit of swag to it, too.

Rea: Yeah.

Sepoko is--ha--he is.

[Thump] Narrator: Xudum the leopard has moved one of her cubs to a new den.

A mile away at the original den, Brad is waiting for Xudum to come back.

Bestelink: She's left the girl behind her, and we're sitting waiting for her imminent return.

It makes me anxious when they're separated.

Um...the longer this cub is alone, the more dangerous it gets.

[Yowls] Woodward: Xudum's just got down.

If she's able to really figure out a nice path back, she stands a pretty good chance of getting the cub here safely without getting spotted.

Bestelink: This little girl on her own is starting to wake up, and... the temperature has dropped, and temperature change generally stimulates them to move around a bit, and I just hope that this little one keeps her head down and stays concealed and doesn't shout around too much.

Tristen, Tristen, Brad.

Have you got an update?

Woodward: She's heading back to the den.

I think Xudum has deliberately taken a long path to get here.

She's had to avoid leaving a scent trail.

She doesn't want to make a thread between the old den and the new den.

Yeah.

Copy that.

No.

That might be a good point, eh?

Trist, she's here.

Narrator: Xudum's finally made it back to her old den.

[Cub yowls] It's really nice to see these two back together.

Ah.

She's gonna suckle.

Cub is very hungry.

To keep the cub quiet, uh, I think she needs to feed him quickly before they begin that journey to the new den.

It's quite a--quite a haul.

Trist, Xudum has just arrived.

Woodward: OK, cool.

Yeah.

Copy that.

We'll make our way your side.

Xudum's up.

She's heard something.

[Truck engine starts] [Growling] Who's that?

You see that?

Guys, there's, uh--there's something going on.

There's a--there's another leopard here, Trist.

Narrator: Xudum's been followed.

Bestelink: It's going into the den.

****.

This is a male.

Trist, we've got a male here at the den.

It's going into the den.

I'm sure this is Mosweu.

****!

[Growling] OK. She's coming back in.

She's coming back in.

OK. She's got the cub.

Go!

Go, go!

Take it, take it!

Get out of there!

He's coming out of the den.

She's confronting him.

[Growling] He's got the cub!

He's got the cub!

[Roar] [Growling] I think he's killed the cub.

[Engine starts] I think it's-- I think it's done.

There's something definitely around the back of the tree.

[Engine starts] Worst nightmare.

The thing that I was so damn concerned about has played out, and it just fills me with horror.

One of the more harrowing things that I've ever seen.

She fought hard as she confronted that guy head-on.

Males are almost double the size of a female.

Ohh.

That's that danger of male leopards, you know.

Male leopards are ruthless.

You know, they're responsible for a lot of these deaths, I mean, the majority of the cub deaths.

Um, Mosweu's a real *****.

He's a scary cat.

I'm not sure that this is over.

He's killed one of the cubs already, and he's now following her scent.

Um, I just hope that he isn't able to trace her back towards the new den and take out the other cub.

[Sniffing] He's desperately trying to pick up her trail.

He is smelling every grass blade.

[Grunts] [Panting] He's wandering across towards you, eh?

He's following her scent.

Woodward: Well, she seems to be trying to leave him a trail, try and lead him away.

It looks like Xudum's trying to scent mark a little bit as she's going.

She seems to be scent marking and moving and scent marking and moving.

Bestelink: She seems to be trying to lead him the opposite direction.

He's...stopped pursuit.

Seems to be working.

Xudum's I've got him completely leaving the scene now, eh?

Yeah.

I think she's just trying to get The hell out of here.

[Walkie-talkie beeps] Bestelink: Right.

Um, she's been through quite an ordeal.

Um, maybe let's just let her go.

Um, call it a night.

I think she's gonna need some time to gather herself.

Woodward: Yeah.

Copy that now.

That's a horrific thing for a mother to go through, especially after giving birth, like, a week ago.

[Sighs] And yeah.

At least we've got one cub, though.

At least we've got one cub.

Thank God, she moved him.

I think Xudum knew the dangers that were here, and, uh, she was really smart to move that cub early in the morning.

I just hope that Xudum has done enough to disguise her trail back to the new den.

[Birds chirping] Narrator: Anna and Rea are on the trail of a cat who's a master at staying hidden.

[Rea yawns] Dimitriadis: It is 6:00 in the morning, and spent all night staring at sleeping Sepoko, making sure that we don't lose him because losing a cheetah here... would be devastating.

[Engine starts] Well, Sepoko is up.

Dimitriadis: He's so beautiful.

Oh, he's so cool.

He's a cool dude.

Rea: This time that we've got with Sepoko, we're going to make sure we stay in touch with him as long as we can.

Looks like het's headed for the floodplain.

Dimitriadis: This morning, he's woken up with purpose.

Rea: Well, we've got Sepoko here just having a little drink of water.

Dimitriadis: Cheetahs don't actually need to drink water.

They get the majority of their liquid intake from the prey that they kill.

Like vampires, they drink the blood, and they also drink any urine left inside their prey.

Pretty brutal.

It does make you look at cheetahs in a slightly different way.

Narrator: Sepoko is crossing the floodwaters.

Dimitriadis: It's really unusual to see.

Rea: Yeah, it's pretty special, hey?

Our cheetahs, how in the delta they're forced to adapt.

They do water crossings.

Even with the flood here, it's not blocked them off from going anywhere.

I believe he wants to get out of the area and move to a new place.

Don't forget.

This is lion central here.

Stay like a ghost.

Narrator: Sepoko can cross the water...

Doesn't look too promising, Narrator: but it's a different story for Rea and Anna.

Rea: I don't think we're gonna cross here.

I thought I would, uh, walk it, but this looks very creepy.

Ha!

I'm in two minds about it.

Don't think I'm going to take a walk through here.

Oh!

Ha!

I knew.

It didn't feel very safe to go in the water here.

Yeah, that's a croc.

Ha!

And I was gonna go in with my--ha!

Trust your instinct.

If your instinct tells you no, don't do it.

Dimitriadis: It's quite funny that this cheetah who supposedly doesn't like water, but yet he's straight through there, and we're stuck on the other side.

Ohh.

Rea, I think we have officially lost Sepoko.

He is gone.

At least we know he's fed, and he looks very, very chilled, so... Yeah, for sure.

He's a happy cat.

Bye, Sepoko.

Hopefully, see you soon.

[Wind blowing] [Walkie-talkie beeps] Narrator: As the hotter, drier weather sets in.

Tsebe the lioness is struggling for food.

Cubs there.

Ah, Tsebe.

Yeah, it's you!

Ha ha ha ha!

What we got here?

Look at those little-- oh, my goodness.

Oh, it is so tiny.

[Tsebe panting] I can only see two cubs here.

We have to be realistic about this.

It could be possibly Tsebe has lost 3 of her cubs.

[Cub mewing] Hold on.

A third one.

A third one.

Man.

That's the fourth one!

The fourth one's coming!

This is getting exciting.

Oh, man.

I think she's got all the cubs!

What a mum!

Ha ha ha!

Oh!

[Sighs] This is beautiful.

My heart sings right now.

She's made it to here with her 5 cubs.

Oh, man.

Well done, Tsebe.

She's always going to be hungry because the amount of milk, that rich milk she's producing for those 5 cubs, is immense, so she's on constant lookout for a meal.

And right on cue, she's off again.

Oh, alarm calling.

Lions on the move.

[Engine starts] That's Tsebe and one of the lionesses.

Oh, they're moving quite fast.

These lionesses, they're tuned into cues that we're not aware of.

Narrator: This time, she has help from another hungry female from the pride.

Djenguet: Oh, hang on.

I can see-- there's a lechwe struggling in the water Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Did you see that?

It's a crocodile!

[Crocodile hisses] [Lions growling] This is crazy!

They're trying to snatch the lechwe from the crocodile.

[Growling] This is a battle!

That is a Nile crocodile.

That could pull a lion in the water and kill it.

Oh, jeez!

They've got it.

[Growling] I mean, this is one of the most craziest thing I've ever witnessed.

Seeing Tsebe bolting into that water, snatching a meal from a crocodile!

This is certainly a very substantial amount of meat.

Um...and now she's able to produce this super-high-energy milk to keep her cubs going.

Times like this, you realize why the Xudum Pride's numbers are growing.

It is because how dedicated these mothers are.

They have adapted to this scavengers mode, and that's a survival skill.

These happy days.

Narrator: Last night, one of Xudum's cubs was killed in front of Brad and Tristen.

Woodward: I'm hoping she starts to make her way back to the den and we kind of get that clarity that there's still one surviving.

It's been really hard to swallow what we witnessed with Mosweu and the cub.

[Drinking] Narrator: The aggressive leopard behavior the team saw last night is very rarely filmed.

Woodward: These animals are like family to us.

I've spent more time with this cat than I have with my own family over the past few years.

I understand why Mosweu did it.

It's ingrained, and he's just trying to protect his chances of mating, but it's still a horrific, horrific experience for Xudum.

Bestelink: When Mosweu grabbed that one cub, he was so intent on following her, and, uh, it was amazing to see how she didn't just bolt back to the den.

She actually deliberately led him astray.

It's quite exceptional.

Narrator: Today, Mosweu is nowhere to be seen.

Xudum is finally heading towards her new den.

Bestelink: This is too exciting for words.

Woodward: She's coming up to the tree now.

Bestelink: Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Oh, I can see the cub.

Oh, hello, little guy.

Oh, I'm so glad.

No.

Oh, you sweet, little thing.

This is the moment we've been waiting for.

[Cub mews] Aw, you cute thing.

[Mewing] She's positioning herself now that the cub can suckle.

What a clever girl.

Woodward: Oh, it looks like everything's fine.

She's looking great.

The cub looks healthy.

It's really, really amazing actually just to have them both in the tree together and having the family back together.

It's a big, big relief, I have to admit.

Bestelink: Back to a happy space-- mum, tiny cub, leopard cub, and elephants breezing past.

Just everyone carrying on with their lives.

Just the best.

[Walkie-talkie beeps] Narrator: With a full stomach, Tsebe is heading back to the rest of the pride.

Djenguet: There she is.

She's rubbing heads with one of the females.

It's very affectionate.

I think they're telling Tsebe "Just chill.

"Tsebe, you sit down.

You've been working hard.

Just relax.

Let's gain our energy."

[Tsebe purring] Yes.

There's a sense of community.

It's a togetherness.

Those things are so crucial.

Nthomiwa: Vianet, Vianet.

Do you copy?

Djenguet: Copy, copy.

Big Toe and Madumo.

They are slowly moving your way.

Ha ha!

They're all here, the entire pride.

Nthomiwa: The males looking majestic with their manes.

Narrator: The "Big Cats" team is now near the end of its time here.

[Growls] Buchanan: We have every day got to know all of these cats better and better.

[Growling] Narrator: In the last 6 months, this lion pride has grown to be one of the largest in the world.

Buchanan: As their numbers have grown, they're getting less to eat.

Into the next season when times get tough, when the water disappears, when the prey disappears, what cracks will begin to show?

I think something has to give.

Narrator: But for now, this pride is still at the peak of its power.

Nthomiwa: The success of the Xudum Pride was brought about by the unity the pride has.

In the case of these lions, lions that stand a chance of losing a beautiful piece of the Okavango and a huge pride, they really have each other's backs.

[Purring] Djenguet: The mothers, they are the engine of the pride, and of course, having a great leadership from Madumo and Big Toe.

Just remarkable.

Buchanan: I thought we were going to see a split in this pride, and there's no sign of that.

This pride is stronger now than when I first arrived.

Narrator: These lions have faced fire... flood... intruders... and a baby boom.

Like the other big cats here, they've triumphed over every challenge thrown at them.

Now what new trials await?

[Roars] "Big Cats 24/7" is available with PBS Passport and on Amazon Prime Video