Big Cats 24/7 (2024) s01e05 Episode Script

1
I am super excited.
I'm just trying to find Matho,
who's got cubs.
I can see three heads!
Three little cubbies!
There's new life in
the Xudum lion pride.
Mathata and the older cubs -
they're playing too rough.
But for these cubs to survive
One of Matho's cubs is going
to get hurt,
or worse, killed.
..they'll need the protection
of the whole pride.
LION GROWLS
CUB SQUEAKS
The Okavango Delta in Botswana.
One of Africa's last wildernesses.
The Okavango Delta is an oasis
in the desert,
it's a miracle in itself.
And it's a stronghold
for Africa's big cats.
Lion,
cheetah and leopard.
This is nature
at its absolute finest.
Now, for the very first time,
a team of local and international
wildlife film-makers
is working together
to record the cats' lives
like never before.
Using the latest technology
We're going to be able to see things
in a completely different light
and tell stories in a completely
different way.
..they'll follow individual
big cats for six months,
through the day
This is crazy! This is a battle!
..and the night.
This is a military-grade
thermal-imaging camera.
Lions have got amazing night-vision,
but it's not as good as this.
Capturing their behaviour
He's got the cub. He's got the cub.
..24 hours a day.
Welcome to the Okavango Delta.
It gets crazy.
Lion cubs are something else.
Vianet is with new mum Matho
and her cubs.
Even if you are the most
grumpiest person on this planet,
just seeing those cubs,
like, changes completely everything.
The Xudum pride is now
more than 30 strong.
This is unbelievable.
They just look no different
to our domestic cat
at this very stage.
They are beautiful.
Lionesses give birth away from the
pride, to keep their newborns safe.
This lady here, that's Matho.
Matho is one of the older females
in the pride.
We believe that she's a similar age
to Mathata's mum, Maghogo,
who is a bit of a matriarch.
It's possible that they are sisters.
You can see around her nose,
she's got some battle scars.
She was spotted by the team
earlier this year with a cub,
but that was the only sighting.
So we presume it died.
The good news is, Matho
has given it another go,
and this time,
she's got three of them!
Under three months old,
this a critical time
in the cubs' lives.
A life of a lion cub,
it's unbelievably fragile.
Only one in five would
make it to adulthood.
Lionesses usually synchronise
their births -
raising cubs together in a creche
increases their chances
by more than 25%.
They are so vulnerable,
so vulnerable at this point,
because they rely so
much on their mother.
And also, vulnerable
to any predator.
The challenge for Matho is
her litter is much younger than
the other cubs in the pride.
This sort of creching dynamic
will be really difficult for her.
She's completely out of sync with
other females and their cubs,
who are so much bigger
than her cubs.
And they can be easily
injured, if not killed,
by their own friends
and family members.
It's going to be tough for her,
and for the cubs.
The team is sticking with Matho
to see if she can join forces
with other females.
The Big Cats team is covering
150 square miles of
the Okavango Delta.
The annual flood is drying up,
and it's growing hotter by the day.
All right, let's go.
The team is living alongside
Africa's wildlife.
There's going to be
a clash here, watch.
But two angry,
five-tonne bull elephants
are a very real danger.
You just want to be slow
and not cause too much excitement.
One of them could easily
flip a vehicle
This guy wants to
play with us, I tell you.
..and any sudden movements
could provoke him.
Oh, no. On your left.
Watch out.
Danger averted, Brad is searching
for his favourite big cat.
Yup, got a visual.
Copy that.
Xudum, the leopard, is pregnant,
and her cubs are due any day.
Such a clever cat.
How can you not get attached to
such a beautiful animal,
with such personality?
She's looking skinnier.
We haven't seen Xudum eat
in at least five, six days.
She's running out of time to catch
a meal before she gives birth.
It's just proving tough
at the moment.
She's hungry.
She is actively hunting.
She's obviously seen something.
She's now having to
be quite creative.
Leopards are ambush predators.
Their greatest skill is stealth.
She's using this bull elephant
to disguise
her sound and her movement.
It just shows you
how forward-thinking
and decisive they are.
Quite exceptional cats.
It's nearly 40 degrees
in the midday sun.
There's no cover.
It's just stinking hot,
which really shows
how desperate she is.
I mean, this is by no means
normal behaviour.
She's got an incredible
ability to run and stop.
Trying desperately
to catch a steinbok.
Come on, Xudum.
Just frozen
..mid-motion,
one foot off the ground.
She's got to do it.
This is make or break
for her at this point.
Please!
Please, my girl! Have you got it?
Oh, my girl.
It was all up to you,
and you were unlucky.
Shame. Shame, shame, shame.
At Matho's den,
Rea is following the new family.
It's not such an easy job
for a lioness,
raising some cubs.
With no creche to help her,
she must do everything
for her cubs alone.
She's got to keep coming back
to the cubs,
letting them suckle for milk.
And at the same time, your usual job
of hunting continues.
Without other lionesses to babysit,
Matho leaves the cubs unattended,
to find food.
It's one of the most critical
periods in the cubs' life now.
Matho has not introduced them
to the pride,
so she doesn't have that
extra protection
from the other pride members.
And when she's not present,
they have to fend for themselves.
Matho has kept her cubs
well hidden, until now
..but the other pride mothers and
their cubs have just found her den.
We've got Nosi, Maghogo
and Makgosi incoming
..along with big boy Mathata
and the rest of the cubs here.
At eight months old, Mathata
is much bigger than Matho's cubs.
It's not ideal for
Matho's cubs, actually.
They're not even half the size
of Mathata.
You can just see how interested
all the cubs are right now.
It's potentially their first time
that they've ever seen
their new cousins here.
They keep tapping them on the heads,
on the body, looking for a reaction.
They don't realise how small
and tender these new cubs are.
Mathata doesn't know
his own strength.
Man, I hope he gets away!
This is potentially dangerous.
Mathata and the older cubs,
they're playing too rough.
One of Matho's cubs
is going to get hurt,
or worse, killed.
Mathata doesn't even realise
what he's doing.
Makgosi, Maghogo, Nosi -
they're doing nothing.
I'm not sure if they fully realise
what's happening
and how violent this play
has turned into.
I hope the cub manages to get away.
He's crawling back up.
Oh! They're not strong enough.
They can't get away fast enough.
Matho is returning to the den.
Mum to the rescue here.
The other pride mothers
decide to leave.
Matho's cubs seem to be all right.
I mean, at the end of
all of that trauma,
at least Matho's cubs
get to live another day.
The cubs need the safety
of a creche,
but Matho must keep them away from
the rest of the family
until they're bigger.
It just shows how hard it is
for Matho,
or any other lioness, if you have
to raise your cubs alone.
Gordon is following Nosi
and the other mothers.
They're working their way towards
the flood plain.
These experienced lionesses
have already formed
a successful creche,
and their five cubs are thriving.
That's the amazing thing,
I think, with lions.
You know, we see
this social behaviour
and how closely bonded they are.
They will share the suckling
and feeding of cubs.
Five of the females have got up.
They are definitely motivated
to try and get a meal.
Hunting together
doubles their chances
of getting meat for the cubs.
They're heading into the tree lines.
The only thing I can do
is give them the space
that they need, in the hope that
they flush something out.
Xudum the leopard is hunting again.
Ja, she's starting to move
quite quickly.
I'm just going to go around,
so we don't lose her.
Cool, copy. Yeah, I'm on my way.
It's becoming very, very critical
that she makes a kill
and actually gets a feed.
Right, Xudum's going up.
It's a very good hunting opportunity
for Xudum right now.
We've got the impala walking
through these thick bushes.
I see one female
who's close there now.
A jump is always dangerous,
but now that she's pregnant,
it's even riskier.
She could get hurt, but she can't
afford to go hungry any longer.
OK, Xudum's moving
now into position.
She jumped!
She's got one! She's got an impala!
Xudum has made the kill!
This is going to be so good for her.
She hasn't had a proper meal
in so long.
This means she can den,
she can relax for a bit,
and she doesn't have to stress.
Oh, yes, girl!
Whoa! What the hell is going on?
Xudum's success is attracting
the attention of the lion mothers.
Lions are coming. Lions are coming.
What the heck?!
Xudum has just caught
an impala under the tree,
and the lions have heard it
and they are bombing their way
This is
This is going to be
very interesting.
This is an amazing win
for these mums -
Nosi, Makgosi, Maghogo -
but is quite unfortunate
for poor Xudum.
You can just see
the pain on her face.
This was such a big kill for her.
Oh! My heart is gone.
It's bittersweet.
It's a hard moment to take.
I really feel for
our newest mum-to-be, Xudum.
This is just going to make her life
so much more difficult.
This is really,
really gut-wrenching.
With so much competition
from the lions,
cheetahs are avoiding the area.
0275 East.
Anna and Greg are devising
a new strategy to find them.
This area is feeling increasingly
overrun with lions,
so I think we need to probably
take this search somewhere
where those lions just are not.
There, somewhere, that direction.
OK, over there.
We are heading out on
a cheetah search,
further west than
we've ever been before.
Essentially, the last body of water
before you hit Namibia.
It's also a huge area of burn.
There's loads of flat land,
which is exactly the kind of area
that cheetahs love to hunt.
Ja, it certainly does scream
cheetah, this area.
Erm Keep our wits about us.
We are right on the western edge
of the delta.
Just beyond that tree line, there's
nothing but sand
for hundreds of miles.
This place is beautiful.
It's completely different -
it's so green and there is
so much cheetah food about.
We've got zebras,
tsessebes, wildebeests,
lechwes, baboons.
It's just chock-a-block, packed.
But after four hours of searching
Whoa Huh!
..all the team finds is more lions.
Oh, my God!
This is so classic.
Four lions that I can see so far.
The Okavango Delta is home to
nearly 700 lions. The team has
run into an entirely new pride.
There are too many lions
in this area.
It's absolutely ridiculous.
And we know that cheetah
do not hang around lions,
so this is not good news.
Perfect habitat,
but so much competition
from these lions.
It must be so hard for the cheetah.
I think we're going to have
to move, basically, as far
away from these lions as we can
and, yeah, start our search again.
Matho's cubs are growing
in confidence
and becoming more active.
One's already exploring.
It's now harder to leave them alone,
as they could wander off.
It might seem like a great thing
to have so many cubs,
but it creates a lot of pressure.
Matho is a strong
and experienced female,
but I think she's struggling
to keep up with the demand
of supplying milk
and finding a meal for herself.
It must be hard to be a solo mum,
having to hunt and provide
all by herself.
Matho must find food, so this time,
she's taking the cubs with her.
I haven't seen them moving this way.
It's going to be a big mission
for her.
Anything at all could predate
on tiny little lions.
But Matho seems really tired,
she's hungry,
but she's doing her best
for her cubs.
It's becoming more vital
than ever that she finds
other lionesses to help her.
After covering more than 60 miles
Wow!
..Anna finally finds the Okavango
Delta's most elusive big cat.
I can see some ears
..and I don't want to speak too
soon, but I think it's a cheetah.
Yes, it is! It's a cheetah!
ANNA GASPS
There's a second one!
What?!
There is a second cheetah.
I can see a third.
Three?!
I think there are actually four.
Cheetahs are typically solitary.
It's rare to find so many together.
This is so confusing.
The only thing I can think
is this is possibly Lesego.
I remember Brad mentioning
this female that's got three cubs.
But what's throwing me off
is that they're so big.
They must be 18 months old,
and that is around the time
when they start
to disperse and leave.
So it's basically like seeing
four adult cheetahs together,
which I
I'm, like, mind blown.
I was not expecting this at all.
It's absolutely incredible
that Lesego has managed
to bring up three cubs to adulthood,
when you consider that only
one in ten survive.
And that's mainly because the mum,
being the single parent that she is,
has to go out and hunt for them.
And that means leaving the cubs
behind at a den,
opening them up to the risk of being
killed by other predators.
Just exceptional work from her.
I can't believe it.
Really can't believe it.
They're moving.
And now I can see quite clearly
that there are two boys here.
And I think
Yeah, the other one's a girl.
Oh, seeing them move together,
they're like a solid unit.
They're almost moving as one.
You know, I just really can't
get over how incredibly adaptable
cheetah are.
We've had a huge fire sweep through
Xudum Island
and take out almost
half the vegetation.
And then we had that incredible
flood that's come in,
and it's created mad swamplands.
Just seeing this family
in front of me demonstrates how,
no matter what the delta
throws at these cheetahs,
they will always find a way.
She's down in the confluence.
OK, nice one. Copy that.
After losing her kill
to the lions
This is a better place for her.
We're kind of out of
the lion central area.
..Xudum is leading Brad to an area
he suspects is her den.
I think she's very skinny,
so there's a chance that
she's, er, already had her cubs.
CUB SQUEAKS
That is a cub!
That's confirmation.
OK, my boy.
Now we have cubs making noises,
so there's confirmation
they are in here.
Oh! I don't even have
words for that.
That's
Oh, she needs to get some food now.
Following her for almost
five years now,
and this is the second litter.
We saw her lose the first.
And this is an opportunity for her
to become a successful mother.
I mean, that's all that these cats
ever want to be.
Hoping to glimpse inside the den,
Brad is deploying
the thermal camera.
It's a really big fig tree
that's hollow.
Hold on. She's going right inside.
Ooh, there's a cub! There's a cub!
BRAD LAUGHS
Two cubs.
You've got two little cubs.
Oh, my God! This is unbelievable!
And they're so beautiful.
I'm so relieved, dude.
You have no idea.
This, to me, is completely new.
This is This is insane.
Leopards keep their cubs
concealed at birth.
These cubs are four days old.
Not even.
They've rarely ever
been filmed this young.
These are incredibly private,
unique little moments.
I've spent most of my adult life
with leopards,
and I've never seen this kind of
activity in the den before.
It's just
It's extraordinary to see.
Yeah, I've been waiting
almost two years for this -
since she lost her last one.
Xudum, you are a legend, my girl.
You've done so well.
The cubs' eyes are still closed,
but sensing their mother,
they call out for milk.
As soon as a cub starts
making too much noise,
she's got to pick them up
and reposition them.
She's got to keep them quiet.
Xudum must keep her cubs hidden
from any predators nearby.
She really just doesn't want them
to be making a noise
and drawing any attention to
the den or to the young cubs.
It's hard work being a leopard mum.
I mean, a whole new
..layer of responsibility.
She will be having to hunt
and get enough nourishment
so that she can produce the milk
that these two little guys need.
Starting her night shift
..Anna is following the lions.
Oh, they're just there!
Matho is still
searching for a creche
Tiny!
..and is moving her cubs,
under the cover of darkness.
DISTANT TRUMPE
Oh?
I can hear something approaching
from behind.
We've got company.
There's a lot of elies moving in.
Elephants and lion don't get on.
An angry elephant can
kill an adult lion
They're very close.
..and will deliberately
trample lion cubs.
These cubs are going to have
to tread very carefully.
There might be a bit
of rough and tumble.
GRUNTING
ANNA GASPS
They're actually all running.
In the chaos
..one cub is left behind.
Aw, little one!
We just watched Matho and
two of her cubs move off,
and she's left behind
her little one.
And it's currently just unsure
what to do with itself.
I think he's just quite sad
and scared.
It's peak time for hunting,
so I am getting really concerned
for this little one.
I'm hoping that Mum realises
her mistake soon and comes back,
because it's not a safe place
for it to be.
DISTANT YELP
Jackal.
BLEEP!
JACKAL YELPS
It could be potentially a
very horrible situation.
The cub's over there.
I would be scared of a jackal
if I was him.
He's doing a good job of
being quiet.
The cub has been tucking itself
further into a bush.
It's doing the right thing.
It just needs to hunker down
and stay safe.
Lions have advanced spatial memory
and can use it to retrace
their steps.
This poor little thing.
I really hope Matho comes back
for it soon.
But the longer the cub is alone,
the less likely it is to survive.
JACKAL YELPS
It's been a long night,
but the sun has finally risen.
We'll see whether Mama makes
an appearance in the sunlight.
Relieving Anna, Gordon is taking
over to keep an eye on the cub.
We don't know where Matho is
at the moment.
There was quite a lot of movement
last night,
and not a lot of prey in this area,
so the big danger is that Matho
shifts her focus towards
finding food, which will push
this little cub further
in her memory.
I've never seen this before.
You know, lions will leave
their cubs in random locations,
but they do that intentionally,
so they can go off and hunt.
This is a mistake.
Just to leave one cub in one place
and move on with the rest of them.
The cub is avoiding detection
by staying silent.
But the danger is that,
when it gets hungry,
it might start calling.
And if it does that, it could
attract predators in.
It is completely,
completely defenceless.
The only hope is that Matho realises
that she's missing one cub,
and she remembers
pretty much everywhere
that she went last night.
If you just go up there
..maybe find somewhere that you can
tuck yourself away
..it's possibly the best chance
you've got.
The cub has now been
alone for 14 hours.
As night approaches,
there's still no sign of Matho.
Where's he going?
You don't want to be
wandering away from here.
ENGINE STARTS
If he goes into the tall grass,
we're never going to know
what happened to it.
Can you see that cub?
I can't see it any more.
Come on, where are you?
The cub has disappeared
into thick cover
I don't know. I think just
the only thing we can do
is get the thermal-imaging camera
and see if we can get a heat source
and look into the deeper bush.
With this camera, anything hot
is going to show up.
It can see sort of the heat,
rather than the physical objects.
A lion cub is going to show up
a lot hotter
than any of the surrounding ground.
So I'm hoping that we can just
peer into these trees,
see through them
and pick up the movement.
This cub has made
the second mistake -
the first was to not follow its mum
in the first place,
and the second was to actually
just keep moving.
It should have been staying put.
It's like with your own kids.
If you get lost,
just stay where you are
and we'll come and find you.
Oh, where did you go?
At the leopard's den,
Xudum is still going hungry.
Xudum hasn't had a meal
since she gave birth.
She has to leave her cubs alone
in the den, to go out and hunt.
Leaving her newborn cubs
unprotected is risky.
But if she doesn't eat soon,
she won't be able to produce
enough milk to keep them alive.
I haven't seen her make
a proper kill in a long time.
The last kill that I saw her make
was stolen by lions.
It'd be nice to see her get a kill,
and really know that she is
actually surviving
and providing for her family.
Xudum's now stalking into
a herd of impala.
She's listening. She's creeping.
I mean, this is ridiculous,
how delicately she is moving here.
She must be within
20, 30 metres now.
She's really going around
the side of them.
She'll need to get within
ten metres of them.
Even less.
I mean, it's pitch-black right now,
but there's no wind,
so any movement she makes,
they might hear her.
Oh, my God!
She's zipped completely around them.
This cat's a genius!
She's gone completely around
the entire herd!
She's got them walking
straight towards her, currently.
So, this impala standing here,
just by the edge of the tree -
I think that, there, is our leopard.
I think she's within ten metres
of these guys now.
She's got a good chance here, hey?
All it takes is for
one of these impala
to suddenly decide that
they want to go that way
and then all hell's
going to break lose.
Oh, God, here we go!
SNORTING
The impala start snorting.
Oh, BLEEP!
I think she's been bust.
It's an alarm call to alert
the rest of the herd.
Xudum's just been spotted.
She's just getting the hell
out of there now.
Yeah, it's all over.
She got really, really close
there, hey?
Unsuccessful, but it was a
pretty good effort for her,
I have to admit.
She's just having such a run of
bad luck at the moment.
For Xudum and her cubs,
the situation is now
becoming critical.
She's going to struggle
to keep the cubs alive
if she doesn't feed herself soon.
Gordon is still looking for
Matho's lost cub.
You've made a big mistake.
Oh! It's there!
It is right there.
Hey, little guy.
You little blighter, you.
You've given me a heart attack.
It's right at the bottom of the car!
It just looks so lost
and alone there.
ENGINE STARTS
This little guy has moved at
quite a pace out from the cover.
This doesn't look good.
The only hope that this cub has
is if Matho comes back.
But on his own - yeah, he doesn't
stand a chance of surviving.
CUB SQUEAKS
The cub begins crying out.
Ah.
That might work, or it may
have the opposite effect.
Night-time is a dangerous place
for a lion cub this small.
Hyenas, leopards,
other lions.
CUB SQUEAKS
Uh! I'm hoping he's not
making another mistake.
Oh, there we go!
Oh, I do not believe it!
That is a miracle.
It's Matho and the other two cubs!
What are the chances of that?
Matho has retraced her steps
back to her lost cub.
That is incredible!
I didn't have any
hope for this cub.
Almost 24 hours alone,
and this cub has been reunited
with its siblings and its mum.
Aw, that's just the best thing ever.
This is exciting!
This is exciting!
There's even more new life
within the lion pride.
I can see four cubs!
And now another one just popped up!
Oh!
Lioness Tsebe has five cubs
Aw! I just can't
get enough of these cubs, man.
..and Naledi has given birth to two.
I can't believe Tsebe's
got five cubs.
Generally, litters are between
two and three cubs.
This could be the creche
that Matho needs.
Oh! Look at that! Look at that!
She's bringing her family to meet
the newest pride members.
This would be the first time
the triplets
meet Tsebe and Naledi's cubs.
Let's see how this unfolds.
Look at them! They're watching!
I think they know Auntie Matho
is coming up with the triplets.
For Matho to creche and synchronise
her cubs with Naledi and Tsebe
is much safer because
they're slightly younger.
The mummy wants to socialise.
They're like, "Yeah, you socialise,
we just want to have some milk!"
This is so beautiful.
One of Matho's cubs is
suckling from Naledi
..and one's suckling from Tsebe.
This is great.
Lions are the only cats
that raise cubs together.
By feeding Matho's cubs,
Tsebe and Naledi
are accepting her into the fold.
And this is, I believe,
where the creching between
the three mothers will start
..which is exciting.
VIANET CHUCKLES
Ah!
There are now 15 cubs in the family.
Soon, it will be the largest
pride in the world.
Aw, that's beautiful!
I'm hopeful because Matho
has got now Naledi and Tsebe.
Those can become a strong bond,
a strong coalition.
They will hunt together. They will
creche together.
They'll help each other.
They just get on so well!
That's the dynamic of the creching.
This coalition of the three mothers
seems to be working.
On another night shift
..Gordon is in Xudum
the leopard's territory.
So, this is very interesting.
He's found a male leopard on a kill.
Male leopards are one of the biggest
threats to leopard cubs.
There's a huge risk.
If a male leopard is not the father
of those cubs,
he would try to wipe them out,
try to kill them.
It's not long before his meal
Hang on one second.
..attracts the attention
of a younger male,
Metsi.
Metsi doesn't have a clearly defined
territory at the moment.
So he'll just be moving around,
looking for somewhere
to set up home.
Metsi is a very confident leopard.
But as of yet, he's not
the biggest cat in town.
This other fella
..is a serious old leopard.
I wouldn't want to go
head-to-head with him.
Most leopards here are killed
by their own species.
There is a zero-tolerance policy
between these leopard males.
They're highly territorial animals.
If it came to blows, I really
don't fancy Metsi's chances at all.
This is dicing with death.
Oh, he's running!
This unknown male definitely
looks bigger in size.
He's flanking him.
If this escalates,
it could be fatal.
He's using his superior strength
and size
to try and intimidate Metsi -
just shepherding him out.
The last thing that either
of these cats want to do
is to have a fight,
for it to be teeth and claws.
Metsi probably realises
that he's outgunned.
Instead of fighting it out,
the safest thing to do is slope off.
The other guy is where?
He's stopped on the ground,
looking pretty confident that
he's actually seen Metsi off.
But Metsi seizes an opportunity.
Oh, goodness me!
Metsi's just used this
little bit of wind
and the darkness to sneak round.
He's gone a big loop.
He's left the other male
out on the plains
and he's snuck in just
to feed on this kill.
Skilful manoeuvring! Look at that!
His persistence
..has paid off
..and he's getting his prize.
The other male is fast asleep
out there.
If you want to keep your
dinner all to yourself,
don't take a nap.
It's a win for Metsi.
But with these males
in her territory,
Xudum will need to stay alert.
Brad is checking in on Xudum.
I'm starting to get a bit
concerned about this.
Since giving birth, she's been
struggling to feed herself.
You know, she's has been having
a rough time
with carcasses being stolen
by lions,
and it's just not great.
BRAD SIGHS
Well done, Xudum.
She's definitely had a meal,
which is brilliant.
Just so much to be grateful for.
She doesn't have to be so absent.
She can be around the den,
keeping an eye on her cubs,
being an attentive mother.
Sorelieved to see her
full and happy
and spending time with her cubs.
Yeah, it's a good feeling.
Very good feeling.
I'm just amazed at how trusting
and accepting she is of us.
Hello, you cute things!
Just seeing a bum
and little feet in the air.
Super exciting.
CUB PURRS
Like two little babies.
You can actually see
both of the two cubs.
At this age, their eyes are just
starting to open.
It's such a privilege.
It's just so, so lucky.
There's a huge size difference
between the two cubs.
My best guess would be little boy,
little girl.
The girl is moving around,
and she's in the front.
And the boy, I think,
is at the back,
much more stationary,
slightly bigger.
Females mature quicker, and her eyes
are open already.
She's smaller, she's more active.
And the male is quite
..quite slow, eyes still closed,
still head wobbling, less active.
So, this is the first day
that we've managed to get
a little look inside the den
while the sun is still up,
and just picking bits and pieces
of the two interacting
and climbing over each other.
And you start to see
their personalities
and start to see character.
But it's like one big happy family.
There could be nothing better
with this picture right now.
Heading back to camp,
something catches Brad's eye.
We've got male tracks here
..coming down the road
towards the den.
This is not great.
Male leopards will kill cubs
that are not their own,
to eliminate competition.
It's not good to have tracks
so close to this den.
The male leopard tracks
are going back and forth,
way too close to newborn cubs.
Tristen, she's carrying it.
Carrying, carrying, carrying.
Xudum takes extreme measures.
Xudum's moving den.
It's absolute chaos.
She's left the girl behind her.
But after dark
BLEEP was that?
..a dangerous visitor
Tris, we've got a male here. BLEEP!
..forces Xudum to fight
for her cubs' life.
She's confronting him.
LEOPARDS GROWL