(birds chirping)
(gentle music)
- In the last hours of dark,
this young male lion took down a buffalo calf.
An impressive feat for a two-year-old.
And unusual too.
Lions generally hunt as a well-organized team.
He was forced to leave his pride
and search for a territory of his own.
Now, he's proved he has what it takes to survive.
But his success wasn't entirely due to skill.
The winter drought has left the buffalo weak,
and susceptible to predation, making them easier targets.
While his future is secure for now,
not far off, his mother is facing more of a struggle.
She's raising a new litter of cubs.
At six weeks old,
they have just left the safety of their den,
and are totally reliant on her rich milk for sustenance.
(lions cubs growling)
Feeding four hungry cubs is taxing on her energy reserves.
But if she wants to eat,
she's going to have to leave them to hunt for herself.
Because unlike most lionesses, who can rely on their pride
to bring them food while they're nursing,
she's a single mother, and has no such help.
(lively music)
Her pride split up recently.
The young adult male lions from her last litter
were forced by their father to move off
and find territories of their own.
The big male then departed to patrol his range,
which is roughly 40 square miles of prime hunting ground.
It will take him several days or longer
to make the round trip.
Without him around,
his adult daughter has struck out on her own,
leaving the lioness to fend for herself
and her vulnerable cubs.
She's still producing milk for now,
and keeps her cubs within the safety of dense bush thickets.
But she'll have to eat soon, and to do that,
she'll have to leave her babies alone.
The lioness is on the move.
(slow music)
She has decided to relocate,
to avoid drawing attention to her cubs
by remaining in the same place for too long.
(birds chattering)
A small mud hole contains
just enough water for a brief respite.
It's welcome refreshment for the thirsty mother.
The cubs join her in drinking deeply, although at this age
they still get most of their moisture from milk.
In a few months, she'll wean them,
and by a year and a half,
they'll have to look after themselves.
Now, in the early stages of life,
they rely on the leadership of the lioness,
knowing little of the challenges she's facing at the moment.
(birds chattering)
(upbeat music)