Big Cats 24/7

We've got all of the Xudum cubs here.

This could be a complete disaster.

- Some of the cubs seem oblivious to the danger.

Gordon, Gordon, come back, I think there could be one of the intruders here.

The intruder male lions are back.

And right in the heart of the Xudum pride territory.

- They're looking.

They're looking.

They really look like baddies.

With dominant males Big Toe and Madumo still missing, the intruders could be moving in to take over the pride.

I can see cubs.

So this is the mothers with cubs.

They've spotted the lionesses with cubs.

- Guys, something's going to kick off here.

And this is something I really don't want to witness.

We've got all of the Xudum cubs here.

This could be a complete disaster.

- Seemingly, some of the cubs seem oblivious to the danger.

I can see them playing behind the females.

In the mind of a male is if you kill cubs, it brings the mother into oestrus and you can mate w...

It's a simple but brutal process, and it is just part...

But the pride females are not backing down.

Those four females, they're not to mess about with.

They're not young females.

They're very experienced, very disciplined and very powerful.

OK, one of them's up on his feet.

He's got that kind of arrogant posture.

OK, he's moving in.

His coalition partner is over there.

Where the hell are Madumo and Big Toe?

She's baring her teeth.

Oh, I've never seen this before.

Baring her teeth, facing towards those guys.

Hell hath no fury like a lioness protecting her cubs.

I've never witnessed this level of threat to cubs before.

Hours pass and the standoff continues.

I'm going to switch to the nighttime camera, just in c...

So we've got the two males in the foreground and I can see females and cubs on the termite mound.

He's moving out.

This is encouraging.

The pride's mothers have kept the intruders at bay.

for now.