The Great Migration Nature's Great Events


The Great Migration

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The power of the sun drives the seasons, transforming our planet.

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Vast movements of ocean and air currents bring dramatic change

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throughout the year.

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And in a few special places, these seasonal changes

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create some of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth.

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One of the most awe-inspiring events takes place in the vast open plains

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of East Africa.

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Once a year, three million animals

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gather in a small corner of the Serengeti.

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This is the greatest concentration of grazing animals on the planet.

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But the herds only stay for a few months

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before continuing on their epic journey.

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And when the great migration moves on, the predators they leave behind

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become suddenly vulnerable.

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How can they survive until the Great Migration returns?

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The eastern edge of the Serengeti is dominated by a volcano,

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known to the Maasai people as Ol Doinyo Lengai, the Mountain of God.

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It's one of the many volcanoes that have shaped the landscape

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here for millions of years that lie along Africa's Great Rift.

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To the west lie the grasslands of the Serengeti

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and a particularly fertile area known as the short grass plains.

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For a few months each year, hundreds of thousands of grazers

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cram into this corner of the Serengeti.

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And, of course, wherever you find grazers, you find predators.

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More meat-eaters hunt and scavenge

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on the short grass plains than anywhere else in Africa.

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For lions in particular, this is, for the moment, a savannah paradise.

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With so much food on offer, it's a good time to raise young cubs.

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But lions are territorial.

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Each pride only controls a small area of grassland.

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They can only hunt the animals that come into their territory.

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So, to give these cubs a good start,

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they'll have to make the most of this bonanza while it's here.

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When the great herds move on, the lions can't go with them,

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and prides like this one face a stern test.

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What happens next is a side of lion life that is rarely seen.

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It's May. The rains that watered the short grass plains have moved north,

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and the vast herds follow, seeking out fresh green pastures.

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Wildebeest are so in tune with the seasons that they can hear

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thunderstorms 30 miles away, and they home in

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on the scent of wet soil that carries the promise of fresh grass.

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Unlike lions, wildebeest are free to travel

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wherever the quest for food leads them.

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This young calf is at the start of an incredible seven-month journey.

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Without rain, the grasslands behind them wither and die.

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Within weeks, the short grass plains start to turn brown.

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Within a few months, they're unrecognisable.

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90% of grazing animals have moved on.

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Not a single wildebeest remains.

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It's now August.

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With so few animals here, the short grass plains

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are no longer a great place to be a lion.

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For the lion pride living at the southern edge of these plains,

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in a place known as Ndutu, the test now is to survive

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until the herds return again.

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The Ndutu pride has four lionesses and seven cubs

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and already they're struggling to find enough food and water.

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The youngest are weak and underweight.

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Surrounded by other lion prides with their own territories,

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the Ndutu pride must make the most of what they can find here.

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But there isn't enough food for them all.

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This male cub is not only hungry, he's sick.

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On this morning, the pride is heading for a woodland

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where there is more cover and more animals to hunt.

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It's a long journey for the exhausted cubs.

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For the weakest male, it's a real struggle to keep up.

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He's trying,

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but slowly he gets left behind.

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This is a brutal world.

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The lionesses simply cannot wait.

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If they don't keep hunting and eat soon,

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they too will become weak, and then there'll be no hope for any of them.

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Warthogs are a valuable catch at this time of year.

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The lives of the cubs depend on a successful outcome.

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While one lioness slowly creeps forward...

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..another approaches from cover.

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It's been a while since their last kill,

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and all the hungry pride pile in.

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All, that is, except one.

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A mile away, a young life is fading away.

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HE MEWS WEAKLY

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The kill has come too late for him.

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At less than a year old,

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these cubs are still totally dependent on the lionesses.

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To survive, they must keep up.

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Only three months into the dry season,

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the Ndutu pride is down to six cubs.

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Sadly, this young male will not survive.

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It's late August, and the rains are still moving north, taking the grass

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and the wildebeest even further away from the Ndutu lions.

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With no territory to enclose them,

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the wildebeest can travel wherever they like.

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But a calf, just like a lion cub, still has to stick close to Mum.

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The biggest danger is getting lost in the vastness of the herd,

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as it treks up to 30 miles a day.

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Back at Ndutu, the dry season is biting harder.

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There's little grass here, but that's not a problem for some.

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Giraffe find most of the nutrients and moisture

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they need in acacia leaves.

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And, like impala, they can cope well in the dry season.

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Serengeti mice positively thrive in the drier months,

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thanks to the abundance of seeds.

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So some of the smaller predators, like wild-cats,

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still find plenty of food.

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This kitten is unlikely to go hungry.

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Perhaps surprisingly, it's the creature often called

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the king of the beasts that is suffering the most.

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It's early September,

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and on this afternoon, there are only two male cubs

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with the Ndutu lionesses.

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And they're little more than skin and bone.

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What's happened to the rest?

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Sadly, it seems, others have been left behind.

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One young female cub is just two miles away.

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She's limping and the black patches on her face

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reveal that she's losing her fur.

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But she hasn't given up. She calls for her pride.

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FAINT CALL

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She's hears a faint call and hurries towards it.

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And is reunited with one of her brothers.

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Nearby, there is prey.

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But these cubs are unable to hunt.

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They are still too young.

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If they're going to survive, they must rejoin the pride.

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While she still has strength, she continues to try and make contact.

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SHE CALLS FAINTLY

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Far away, the lionesses also call constantly

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and listen for their lost youngsters.

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Even a sick cub joins in the search for his sisters and brothers.

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But there are no replies.

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After an hour of calling, the lionesses can wait no longer.

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They must move on.

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The pride will have to move to another part of their territory

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if they are to find food.

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None of them have eaten for days, and now the chances of being

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reunited with the lost cubs seems remote indeed.

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It's September, one of the driest months in Ndutu.

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The wildebeest herds are over 100 miles away,

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having followed new pastures to the northern edge of the Serengeti.

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But they have a huge challenge of their own to face -

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they must cross the Mara River.

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Over several days, the herds crowd together at the water's edge.

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The adults seem to sense a hidden danger...

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THEY SNORT AND GROAN

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..but the numbers keep piling up

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on the river's edge, and ultimately they face the danger together.

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The crocodiles are spoilt for choice.

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But they can only take one victim at a time.

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There is safety in numbers here, and most of the wildebeest make it

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across to the grasslands beyond.

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Back in the south, the Ndutu plains are tinder dry.

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Seed and insect-eaters can scratch a living and the smaller cats

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like serval that hunt them can still find plenty to eat.

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And a cheetah mother is managing to keep her cubs fit and healthy

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on the small antelope that remain.

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It's now October, the peak of the dry season,

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and the Ndutu pride are resting in the heat of the day.

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In a bizarre twist of fate, one of the two male cubs has died,

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but amazingly, the lost female with the black face patches

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has found her way back.

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She's still weak, and clearly hasn't eaten for days.

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Meanwhile, it's getting hotter.

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Just when it seems life couldn't get any worse, it does.

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Flames race across the Ndutu pride territory,

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burning the last of the grass and any remaining bush cover.

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At first glance, there's little left here.

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Yet animals like impala quickly return to investigate.

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The impala's world has changed beyond recognition.

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There's nowhere left to hide.

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The Ndutu pride has also lost the cover they use for hunting.

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The young female may have survived her first fire,

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but her chances of a meal have fallen even lower.

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For the cheetah family, the fire is not such bad news...

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CUBS SQUEAL

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..as their prey can actually become easier to find.

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The steenbok relies on blending into its surroundings

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and sitting still to avoid being spotted.

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But in this emptiness, its camouflage is useless.

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It's a sitting target...

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..and apparently unaware of the approaching danger.

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Larger prey, like Grant's gazelle, are constantly on the lookout

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for danger, and easily see the Ndutu pride in the distance.

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The task for the hunters now seems virtually impossible.

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But they do have one advantage.

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There are four lionesses, and they've been hunting together for years.

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It'll be hard to get close to the warthogs.

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But if they can split up and attack on two sides,

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they may stand a chance.

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This is how a young lioness learns.

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As ever, teamwork is critical.

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In a well-practiced routine,

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a lioness moves round to block the warthogs' escape.

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As one is flushed into the open,

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the flanking lioness rushes in for the kill.

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WARTHOG SQUEALS

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LIONS GROWL

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Warthogs are a favourite food. It's a welcome feast enjoyed by all.

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At the toughest of times,

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the lionesses have provided for the cubs.

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But it's an unpredictable year, in more ways than one.

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For the first time in 40 years, the sleeping Mountain of God,

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Ol Doinyo Lengai, awakens.

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THUNDEROUS BOOMING

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Vast clouds of volcanic ash drift towards the short grass plains,

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and the home of the Ndutu pride lions.

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Ravaged by fire, scorched by the sun, the plains now become shrouded

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in a layer of ash.

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It's November, and the rains that would bring the return

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of the grass and the herds are now overdue.

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The Ndutu lionesses rest

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in the intense heat and the cubs' batteries are now running very low.

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But the winds are changing - a sign that the season is turning.

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The wildebeest seem to know what's about to happen.

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They begin heading south.

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One and a half million wildebeest

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start their journey back to the short grass plains.

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The Great Migration of the wildebeest is

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one of the longest treks of any land animal on our planet.

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As they follow the rains around the Serengeti,

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many will travel over 1,000 miles.

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But there's no guarantee that these wildebeest will return

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to the territory of the Ndutu pride.

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They will feed only where the best grasses grow.

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All that's needed now is rain.

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THUNDER RUMBLES

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For the Ndutu pride, rain brings hope,

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but how long will it take for the grass to grow

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and the herds to return?

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Within a matter of days, fresh grass transforms the arid plains

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into the lush pastures that will lure the herds to return.

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It's December, and the migrating herds

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start to arrive at the northern boundary

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of the short grass plains, just 30 miles from the Ndutu lions.

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After seven months away, the herd is returning.

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Stretching back some 25 miles,

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it will take weeks for all the wildebeest to arrive.

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And nothing will stop them now.

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The Mountain of God chooses this moment to throw up a column of ash

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15,000 metres into the air.

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But the link between this ash and these herds

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is more than a mere coincidence.

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For this ash is rich in minerals, and over several million years,

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as volcanoes in the Great Rift have erupted,

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layer upon layer of ash

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has fertilised the ground, creating this uniquely fertile grassland.

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It's this that draws animals from all over the Serengeti.

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The ash also discourages the growth of trees.

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So, on these plains that might otherwise be covered in woodland,

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little grows except grass.

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It's possibly the best grazing land in all of Africa.

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And probably the only place where

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one and a half million wildebeest could feed together.

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In the northern half, the short grass plains

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have once again become a savannah paradise.

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The conditions are so good that the wildebeest also use these plains

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for another important purpose.

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The females are carrying the next generation,

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and they've come here to calve.

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It only takes seconds.

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Some calves are on their feet in just two minutes.

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Others take a little longer.

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Then they're good to go.

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Phosphorus and calcium in the volcanic ash pass through the grass

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into the mother's milk and into the growing calves.

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Nowhere else on their epic journey

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could young wildebeest get such a good start in life.

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In just two to three weeks,

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over half a million wildebeest calves are born here.

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And of course, this provides an irresistible opportunity

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for all of Africa's top predators.

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This is boom time for meat-eaters.

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The Ndutu lions to the south have yet to enjoy this feast,

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but this cheetah family now has an endless supply of fresh meat.

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There is certainly enough to feed the six cubs.

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She'll make a kill every day to keep her cubs properly fed.

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THEY HISS

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And it's not just wildebeest the predators have come to eat.

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Many of Africa's antelope are here too.

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Eland, Africa's largest.

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And they're joined by more than half a million

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Thomson and Grant's gazelles.

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And 200,000 zebra.

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Just north of the Ndutu lion territory,

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these lions are now lucky enough to enjoy a time of plenty.

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A favourite lion ploy is to wait by waterholes,

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knowing that the herd will ultimately have to drink.

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As the herds move further south,

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they at last enter the homeland of the Ndutu pride.

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The question is,

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have the weak cubs managed to survive to witness the great return?

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The Ndutu pride is still together.

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They are healthy and strong.

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Somehow they have managed to make it through the long dry season

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and the endless wait for the returning herds.

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The young male now has the beginnings of a mane.

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And though still limping, the female has grown new fur

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over her black patches.

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Now, at last, with endless food around them,

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the lion cubs have the time and the energy to play.

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And they can relax in a way that only lions know how.

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By March, the great event on the Ndutu plains is in full swing,

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and where there are kills, there are scavengers.

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Vultures fly in from all over the Serengeti.

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On her own, a mother cheetah has little chance

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of keeping this mob off her kill.

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VULTURES SCREECH

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She may be agile, but she lacks the necessary brute force.

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Even now, it's not easy raising cheetah cubs.

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Over half her kills will be stolen by thieves.

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Spotted hyenas are notorious scavengers, and they arrive in force.

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HYENAS CACKLE

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Hyenas now become the most numerous carnivores on the Ndutu plains.

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They'll even take on a lion pride.

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As the Ndutu lions finish off a wildebeest,

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the hyena clans gather around, trying to intimidate them.

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The young male cub faces up to them.

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He's finally coming of age.

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He's learning how to protect a pride.

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HYENAS CACKLE, CUB GROWLS

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But this time, with their bellies full,

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the pride decide the bones aren't worth the hassle.

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Well-fed at last,

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the two young cubs are beginning to look more like adults.

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But it will be another six months before they can hunt on their own.

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It's April, and there's a flurry of excitement as the wildebeest

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turn their attention to courting.

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Or at least, the males do.

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The young bulls limber up for the rut, when they will have to fight

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for the right to mate with a female.

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High spirits are infectious.

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In three months, the young calves become boisterous,

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and bounce with good health.

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These plains have been a nursery.

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But change is in the air.

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The season is turning again.

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The arrival of seed-eating quelea is

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a sign that the grass on the Ndutu plains is changing.

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Once the grass flowers and sets seed,

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it loses the succulent green leaves that the wildebeest prefer.

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Time for them to move on again,

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to follow the distant storms that are now rumbling to the north.

0:47:310:47:36

Despite the arduous journey that lies ahead,

0:47:410:47:44

a wildebeest calf in the Serengeti still has a better chance

0:47:440:47:48

of surviving its first year than a lion cub.

0:47:480:47:51

The Great Migration is leaving Ndutu,

0:47:570:48:01

and once again the pride will have to face life without the herds.

0:48:010:48:05

A brother and sister have survived an eventful year

0:48:080:48:12

that has brought sickness and drought,

0:48:120:48:15

fires and volcanic eruptions.

0:48:150:48:17

Theirs is just one of countless stories that unfold every year

0:48:210:48:26

on the short grass plains -

0:48:260:48:28

the grasslands at the centre of this great event.

0:48:280:48:32

All in the shadow of the Mountain of God.

0:48:340:48:38

To film intimate animal stories in the vast Serengeti

0:48:520:48:55

was the toughest challenge faced by the Great Migration team.

0:48:550:49:00

Especially when a major part of the mission was to follow the fortunes

0:49:030:49:06

of a single Serengeti lion pride.

0:49:060:49:10

For filmmaker Owen Newman to tell the full story of a pride,

0:49:180:49:22

he had to follow them before and during

0:49:220:49:24

the annual wildebeest migration.

0:49:240:49:27

The filming would take seven months - a rather long time

0:49:270:49:31

to be stuck in a rather small car.

0:49:310:49:34

There's just one tiny space in here

0:49:340:49:36

where I can move, and it's the bit for

0:49:360:49:39

using these pedals, for steering with

0:49:390:49:41

and for being able to turn round like that and operate the camera.

0:49:410:49:46

That's the only moving space I have in here, so, I mean...

0:49:460:49:52

Every day for 14 hours, that's it.

0:49:520:49:55

But out of here is this phenomenal view on the world

0:49:550:49:59

and all the animals that are out there.

0:49:590:50:03

I wouldn't swap it for anything.

0:50:030:50:04

If Owen was to stand any chance of keeping up with his lion pride,

0:50:060:50:09

he would have to cover thousands of miles alone in his cramped car.

0:50:090:50:14

Owen has filmed many lion stories, but not even he could have known

0:50:170:50:21

how dramatic and harrowing the story

0:50:210:50:23

of the pride's youngest lioness would become.

0:50:230:50:26

The drama started in the dry season,

0:50:300:50:32

when Owen first found the lions known as the Ndutu pride.

0:50:320:50:36

The cubs were already suffering, and even with 20 years' experience

0:50:400:50:44

of filming big cats, for Owen these scenes were hard to witness.

0:50:440:50:50

I was so appalled with the condition that the cubs were in.

0:50:500:50:55

They were all around a year old and I'd never, ever

0:50:550:50:59

seen lions so thin as they were.

0:50:590:51:02

It was absolutely shocking.

0:51:020:51:04

As the litter of seven cubs dwindled to only four,

0:51:060:51:10

the drama continued to unfold.

0:51:100:51:12

Just as the dry season dragged on,

0:51:120:51:14

they got mange, the skin was falling apart.

0:51:140:51:19

The little female in particular looked as though she had no chance.

0:51:190:51:25

One awful day, Owen found that more cubs

0:51:250:51:28

had been left behind by the pride.

0:51:280:51:30

The little female and a brother.

0:51:300:51:32

Hungry and alone, their death seemed inevitable.

0:51:320:51:36

Quite late in the afternoon,

0:51:380:51:40

but earlier than I would have done ordinarily,

0:51:400:51:43

I left cos it was actually getting to me so much -

0:51:430:51:45

I couldn't stand being there.

0:51:450:51:47

It was really so sad.

0:51:470:51:49

I went back the next day and there was no sign of either

0:51:520:51:56

of the cubs and I just assumed that probably they'd died.

0:51:560:52:00

Amazingly, in a dramatic twist, the little lioness did survive

0:52:020:52:07

and rejoin her family.

0:52:070:52:10

But when the rains came, the whole pride disappeared.

0:52:100:52:13

As filming resumed at the start of the wet season,

0:52:210:52:24

all eyes were on the lookout for the Ndutu lions.

0:52:240:52:28

Although the plains were now teeming with animals,

0:52:320:52:36

what Owen really wanted was to find his lion cubs.

0:52:360:52:39

All he could do was to sit, watch and wait.

0:52:420:52:46

This is what happens for hours on end - nothing.

0:52:480:52:53

With spotters continuing the search for the Ndutu pride,

0:52:570:53:01

Owen got on with filming the Great Migration of the wildebeest

0:53:010:53:05

and its newest recruits.

0:53:050:53:07

What's really nice about the calves being born

0:53:090:53:12

is that for about eight months, while they've been developing,

0:53:120:53:17

they've been carried around by the mums across the plains.

0:53:170:53:21

They've been stampeded by hyenas and lions.

0:53:210:53:24

They've criss-crossed crocodile-infested rivers,

0:53:240:53:28

and here they are, being born to join in.

0:53:280:53:32

It never fails to be a really wonderful thing to see.

0:53:400:53:44

The calf's born and the mother gets up and starts licking it.

0:53:460:53:51

And the little thing tries to stand up on incredibly wobbly legs,

0:53:510:53:56

and within two minutes,

0:53:560:53:59

it's walking away with its mum.

0:53:590:54:01

Look, it's nearly found the udder.

0:54:030:54:05

With shots of wildebeest calving in the can,

0:54:080:54:11

Owen could get on with his search for the lion cubs.

0:54:110:54:14

The lions' story was still hanging in the balance.

0:54:160:54:19

All Owen could do was persevere with his daily filming routine.

0:54:190:54:23

Do you think it's breakfast time?

0:54:270:54:29

That is a good cup of tea.

0:54:490:54:51

Another month had passed, and even with Owen's years of experience,

0:55:010:55:06

the fate of the Ndutu pride lions was still a mystery to him.

0:55:060:55:09

To recognise them,

0:55:110:55:13

Owen had photographs of their whisker patterns.

0:55:130:55:16

They're as unique as a fingerprint.

0:55:160:55:19

If only he could find them.

0:55:200:55:22

Jeez!

0:55:260:55:28

There's no peace!

0:55:280:55:30

I am stalked!

0:55:300:55:32

OK, well, it's a low moment, I have to admit.

0:55:320:55:36

Time seems to be dragging.

0:55:380:55:40

We need to be doing something.

0:55:400:55:41

We can't just be sitting here admiring every small bird

0:55:410:55:45

that hops by!

0:55:450:55:47

Then, one morning, a report came in from a spotter who had

0:55:560:56:01

found a group of lions matching the Ndutu pride's description.

0:56:010:56:05

-They're over there.

-You think they're there?

0:56:080:56:10

What a place to be!

0:56:100:56:12

-And there were two cubs?

-Yeah. And the male...

0:56:130:56:17

There is not much mane.

0:56:170:56:20

-On the cub?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, he's just got a little line.

0:56:200:56:23

-A little line. That's them.

-That's it.

0:56:230:56:25

Finally, after months of worry and total dedication,

0:56:270:56:30

Owen would discover the fate of his thin female cub,

0:56:300:56:34

the one with the black face patches.

0:56:340:56:37

Had she managed to survive?

0:56:370:56:38

The news was good.

0:56:420:56:46

Yeah, she's my favourite.

0:56:460:56:48

Cos by all rights...

0:56:480:56:51

..I think she should be dead, from what I saw in the dry season.

0:56:530:56:58

But here she is, still alive.

0:56:580:57:01

Wow. She's still got a tiny limp on her front right foot,

0:57:080:57:13

but otherwise is in really good shape.

0:57:130:57:17

Wow.

0:57:170:57:19

They're so friendly.

0:57:220:57:24

Ah, it's such a fantastic day.

0:57:270:57:29

And they're all playing together as well and reacting,

0:57:360:57:39

which they never did in the dry season.

0:57:390:57:41

It's absolutely wonderful.

0:57:410:57:43

They've turned into proper lions.

0:57:540:57:57

You can spend a long time in the Serengeti

0:58:000:58:02

and they're all fantastic days,

0:58:020:58:04

but suddenly you get a day like this which is...absolutely fantastic.

0:58:040:58:10

For the healthy cubs,

0:58:110:58:13

it was just another day in the short grass plains.

0:58:130:58:16

For Owen, a wonderful moment within

0:58:160:58:19

the most harrowing lion story he had ever filmed.

0:58:190:58:23

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:58:440:58:47

E-mail [email protected]

0:58:470:58:50

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