A young adult lion has crossed into forbidden territory.
Three powerful males rule this area. They will not tolerate trespass.
He knows the law. Step into another male's domain and you sign your death warrant.
So why is he here?
The life of a male lion is unpredictable, and mostly short.
Only one out of eight will survive into adulthood.
From the moment he's born, his destiny is laid out.
Yet for a lion cub life starts in such a charmed way -
being lovingly cared for by mother and aunties.
The only male cub in his pride, his father comes and goes.
Powerful, yet protective, because this cub is his offspring -
his bloodline.
An adult male, will kill cubs if they haven't been sired by him.
But two and a half years later, the relationship between father and son turned sour.
The cub is now a subadult, sexually mature.
And his father disapproves of the advances he's making towards his sister.
Oblivious to the observer, the young male follows his instincts.
It won't be the last time testosterone overrules danger.
This young male is related to all the female lions here,
having cubs with them would threaten the genetic diversity of the pride.
His father must put an end to any liaison.
He now poses a risk to the integrity of the pride,
and to his father's authority.
The females know what's happening.
They won't intervene.
The young male takes a submissive position.
Enough to save him from his father's rage.
But not from expulsion.
This may be the last time he sees his father.
And for the first time in his life, he's alone.
The rejection is total.
The entire pride deserts him.
He must leave, and travel into unknown lands
where other adult males have carved out their territories.
If he attempts to mate with one of their lionesses,
they will kill him.
But he isn't on his own.
Another young male has suffered the same fate.
They may not be related, but these young males will form a lifelong bond.
Together, they will face this uncertain world.
They will hunt together ....
and kill together.
Nothing can separate them except death ...
and the urge to mate.
A lioness in heat.
She seems to be alone.
The male, once cast out from his pride,
is now a strong young adult looking to start his own family.
For now, he's separated from his blood brother.
If the males in her pride are in the vicinity, he will have to fend for himself.
This territory belongs to three males.
If they catch the younger lion in the act, they'll attack.
This time, he may not be so lucky.
One male may already have picked up
on the scent of the lioness in heat.
The couple mate every 20 to 30 minutes,
day and night, oblivious to all else.
Until their luck runs out.
The young male senses their arrival.
There will be no future with this lioness.
There may not even be a future for him.
These lions are confident in their approach.
This is their land, their female.
And she's aware of the consequences of a forbidden liaison.
If the lioness is pregnant from her encounter with the young male,
the lions will try to kill her cubs.
She abandons the scene,
leaving the kings of her pride to exact their revenge on the interloper.
It's too late to retreat.
Submission won't save him this time. These lions aren't blood relatives,
they're strangers out for blood.
Very few males live out their entire twelve year lifespan.
This is just one reason why.
Does this young male have what it takes to survive?
The intruder is stronger than they'd anticipated.
Perhaps strong enough to fatally wound one of them.
They back off.
Change tactics.
Their warnings now become vocal.
He hasn't won the battle, but he has survived
and shown himself to be a formidable opponent.
As soon as he catches his breath, the young lion will get out of here.
Perhaps in the future he might return, with his blood brother,
and a coalition of other nomadic lions.
Then they would be able to usurp these males and take over their pride.
But that's a long way off.
For now, this is still their territory.
Lion versus lion,
lion versus buffalo, lion versus giraffes.
There are many more battles of giants.
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