0:00:28 > 0:00:34Last week we met Fundi the cheetah and her cubs after a two-week absence.
0:00:34 > 0:00:40The male cub's leg has healed, but they are increasingly hard to find.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45Half Tail the leopard and her cub had a rude awakening
0:00:45 > 0:00:49when some lions muscled into their territory.
0:00:49 > 0:00:55Though growing, the cub is still at risk from these and other dangers.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58The annual migration is behind schedule,
0:00:58 > 0:01:04but last week a few zebra arrived, to the relief of the crocodiles.
0:01:04 > 0:01:11Not enough for the Marsh lions. Their territory remained empty of prey,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14and the outlook for the new cubs was gloomy.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26The Marsh Pride are still having a hard time finding food,
0:01:26 > 0:01:32but the weather is better, so more animals should be moving here soon.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Meanwhile, the lions must make do with whatever they find.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41That's not a lot! Pickings are lean at the moment.
0:01:41 > 0:01:48Of the animals which remain all year in the Mara, it is warthogs the lions target most.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Though short in the leg with a limited view,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55they are anything but easy to catch.
0:02:11 > 0:02:18Warthogs have a superb sense of smell, and lions strangely ignore wind direction.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22In this hunt, more by luck than judgment,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24the wind was in the lions' favour.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Two lionesses working together set an ambush.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Despite brushing within a metre of the waiting cat,
0:02:47 > 0:02:52the warthog's remarkable speed is enough to ensure its escape.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Indeed, of all the hunts we've watched
0:02:57 > 0:03:02over the past week, the outcome has become worryingly predictable.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15Even against such adversity, the heat is often too much for lions.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17But their choice of shade
0:03:17 > 0:03:20 has been anything but peaceful.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23PLANE'S ENGINE GETS LOUDER
0:03:23 > 0:03:29It is a testament to their complete acceptance of human activity
0:03:29 > 0:03:34that they see little difference between a shady tree and a plane.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42But the arrival of the midday flight from Nairobi
0:03:42 > 0:03:45is too much even for these laid-back cats.
0:04:06 > 0:04:14Another of the animals which maintains a presence here throughout the year is the giraffe.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20As the tallest and one of the heaviest animals here,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24trying to catch one is, to say the least, ambitious.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35With a new-born youngster in the herd,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38the lions' interest gets an extra boost...
0:05:00 > 0:05:02..ending once again in failure.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05With such difficulties,
0:05:05 > 0:05:10the pride has started to break up into groups of twos and threes.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Hunting strategies have changed accordingly.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Prides often split up when times are hard.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Despite the theory that lions are social cats
0:05:22 > 0:05:24because it makes hunting easier,
0:05:24 > 0:05:30two lionesses like these sisters are probably the most efficient hunters.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35They can still catch prey, but don't have to spread it too thin.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38However, sometimes two just isn't enough -
0:05:38 > 0:05:45these two Marsh sisters tried to bite off a lot more than they could chew.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56A bull eland can weigh nearly a ton and is too much for the lions,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58despite a gallant attempt.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04In the end, they must turn their attention back to the warthogs.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09This time they set their sights a little lower.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40The young hog is little more than a snack, but a very welcome one.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Often when searching for leopards,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54it's best to simply stop, look and listen.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59Occasionally, as on this morning, Half Tail's cub found us!
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- WHISPERING: - She might be very small,
0:07:16 > 0:07:22but the last thing you want is to get a leopard through your window!
0:07:22 > 0:07:25She's grown so much in the last few weeks.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30Strangely, when you see her at a distance, she looks quite big,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33then, as she gets closer, she looks smaller -
0:07:33 > 0:07:36but just then she looked pretty big to me!
0:07:41 > 0:07:47Half Tail's cub is growing cheekier and more aggressive by the day.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Mother-cub play sessions are much rougher,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and sometimes threaten to get out of hand.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58THEY GROWL
0:08:06 > 0:08:09The cub's growing independence
0:08:09 > 0:08:14is more and more obvious, but Half Tail still keeps a watchful eye.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26Next day, the cub was playing with a hare Half Tail had delivered to her.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29But a hyena had smelt the food.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Half Tail moved in, ready to snatch the kill to safety.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40The cub held her ground.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44The hyena moved closer,
0:08:44 > 0:08:50but the cub seemed more concerned with keeping her mother at bay.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06There was no doubt as to whose meal it was.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13As more hyenas gathered, attracted by the commotion,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I feared for the cub's safety.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27But I needn't have worried.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30The cub really is growing up fast.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32She knew exactly what to do.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Guided by its extraordinary sense of smell,
0:09:40 > 0:09:45the first hyena rushed to where the cub had played with the hare.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48HALF TAIL SNARLS
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Half Tail confronted the hyena.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06With no food to fight over, she could afford to stand her ground.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09But when two more hyenas raced in,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Half Tail was forced to retreat.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20HALF TAIL WHINES
0:10:25 > 0:10:30- BIRD'S WINGS FLAP - With nothing to scavenge,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34the hyenas must have wished THEY could climb trees.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Although the cub was assured of a meal,
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Half Tail was still hungry.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49As soon as the hyenas had left,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52she was off again.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08She must have travelled over a kilometre
0:11:08 > 0:11:12before we eventually lost sight of her on a rocky hillside.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22All we could do was sit and wait
0:11:22 > 0:11:25as a variety of animals passed by,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28totally unaware of Half Tail.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30She was there somewhere, but where?
0:11:32 > 0:11:36She was waiting for something small to ambush.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41HALF TAIL GROWLS
0:11:46 > 0:11:50AN ANIMAL GROWLS IN THE DISTANCE
0:11:51 > 0:11:54The kongoni calf was lucky.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Its mother's roars intimidated Half Tail.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00They also attracted another hyena,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03salivating at the thought of an easy meal.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09But they were both out of luck.
0:12:12 > 0:12:18During the series, we've been able to watch our cats day and night.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Using infrared lights, cameras and viewing equipment,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25we could watch in complete darkness.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28And it's not just cats we've seen.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34A huge range of creatures are out and about in the hours of darkness,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37providing us with rarely-seen moments.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45It's far from a simple task.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51Driving by infrared light makes spotting deep mud holes a challenge!
0:12:53 > 0:12:58But the unique view this approach provides makes it worthwhile.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Such an event recently occurred
0:13:02 > 0:13:07 with a cat normally assumed to be active only in daylight hours.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10The night crew followed Kidogo the cheetah
0:13:10 > 0:13:15and found that, far from being inactive, she began to hunt.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29A miss,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33but an explanation as to why she is sometimes full at dawn.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46THEY GRUNT AND PURR
0:13:55 > 0:14:00The Big Pride must have killed this zebra, I think, just before dawn.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04HE SNARLS
0:14:17 > 0:14:20A zebra like this probably weighs, I would think,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24250 kilos, maybe a bit more than that.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29So, for a pride like this, it's a very good kill, it's a big kill,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33and it will provide plenty of meat for the pride members.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38THEY GROWL AND SNARL
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Despite the tension between the lionesses,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47they're quite happy to let the cubs feed alongside them.
0:14:47 > 0:14:53The cubs can hold their own, often grabbing some of the choicest cuts.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00We've been here now for just over two hours -
0:15:00 > 0:15:05that's all it's taken for the lions to finish this zebra carcass.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08The lionesses seem quite happy
0:15:08 > 0:15:11to let the cubs finish off the scraps.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25But not everyone is welcome at the kill.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30The lioness we saw being shunned by her relatives is still sidelined.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35None of the females is willing to share with her. She must wait.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Having eaten their fill,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53the lionesses led the cubs to the big wood
0:15:53 > 0:15:58where they could safely sleep off the effects of their enormous meal.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11With only the male left picking over the remains of the kill,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15the outcast crept in
0:16:15 > 0:16:17to feed on the leftovers.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25The lionesses may have rejected her as one too many in the pride,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27but not the male.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29One day, he might mate with her.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Having scoured the grass for what little was left,
0:16:47 > 0:16:52the outcast trails after the others, giving the vultures their cue.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11THEY SQUAWK AND CHATTER
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Times may be hard for the outcast,
0:17:19 > 0:17:24but for the Big Pride, especially the cubs, things couldn't be better.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Fundi the cheetah has been giving us problems.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51The reason we lost her has been explained
0:17:51 > 0:17:55by her new passion for hunting in dense undergrowth.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58This is classic Fundi behaviour,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01that every time she goes off hunting,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04she catches things in very thick cover,
0:18:04 > 0:18:11and the chances of getting that on film are incredibly remote, as I just proved.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13"Try again" time.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22Kapen, I think she's gonna go right into this acacia thicket.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26That's the other thing, you know, that Fundi does all the time...
0:18:26 > 0:18:31is that most cheetahs, most cheetahs work on open ground.
0:18:31 > 0:18:38They hunt their prey on the open plains, chasing Thompson's gazelle, impala, and the like.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43Fundi is an artist when it comes to hunting in thick cover -
0:18:43 > 0:18:45very similar behaviour to a leopard,
0:18:45 > 0:18:50only a cheetah behaves the same way in cover as in open plains,
0:18:50 > 0:18:55so if it sees a gazelle, boof! It chases it at 60, 70 miles an hour.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00From a camera's viewpoint, it disappears within five yards.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I love her, really.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07She's doing it again!
0:19:22 > 0:19:27There's a small group of impala to the left of us.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Another one -
0:19:29 > 0:19:31directly ahead.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36And the cheetah, I know, are about 50 or 60 metres behind us.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39I can't... Yes, I can! I can see one of them.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44Yes, I can just see one head poking up through the long grass.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47There she goes.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53She's definitely spotted the impala.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02The change in posture is extraordinary.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05When a cheetah goes into stalking mode,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10it lifts its head so that it's the highest feature in the body.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15Then it locks its eyes into the target.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20She's checking the group of impala out now.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24She's looking for a young animal or pregnant female -
0:20:24 > 0:20:29any one of the group that's at a disadvantage when being chased.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Fundi's managed to do it again -
0:20:51 > 0:20:56where she does it best - in the heart of very thick acacia forest.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00They've managed to kill a young impala.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04It was very confused from the camera point of view,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06with impalas dashing behind bushes.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11I DID see one of the young cheetahs chasing a young impala.
0:21:11 > 0:21:18Then Fundi, right behind cover, managed to grab the one they're now feeding on.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22I'm not worried from the film point of view.
0:21:22 > 0:21:30It's more important that these cats get a good meal at the end of so much hard work hunting.
0:21:30 > 0:21:37Though it's quite a small meal, I think it'll be sufficient to tide them over until tomorrow.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Kidogo, by contrast, is a textbook cheetah.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47She hunts on the open plain, she targets Thompson's gazelle
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and she tends to keep to quite a small territory.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Her cubs are one reason she stays in the open so much of the time.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00If they walked through thick cover, they'd be at risk from leopards
0:22:00 > 0:22:05and other predators that use the woods as shade during the day.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10The open plains are home to this cheetah's favourite prey species.
0:22:10 > 0:22:16The ideal target for a cheetah is a single, unobservant, weary gazelle.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21Male Tommies spend a lot of time marking and defending a territory...
0:22:24 > 0:22:26..They are more likely to be caught
0:22:26 > 0:22:31as they have their minds on things other than stalking cheetah.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34In the past week or so, though,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37the gazelle have been giving birth.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40They synchronise their breeding season
0:22:40 > 0:22:44so that most of the young are born at the same time.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Despite the inevitable losses they suffer to predators,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50there are so many young
0:22:50 > 0:22:52that some are bound to survive.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03The unlucky ones make an easy target.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Kidogo now has a choice -
0:23:16 > 0:23:21to search for the fawns she can almost guarantee catching
0:23:21 > 0:23:24or to make the effort to secure a much bigger meal.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Her choice is made.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05The supreme effort of the chase pays off
0:25:05 > 0:25:10with a meal that will last her and her cubs at least two days.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Life in the marsh is as difficult as ever.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28The marsh lions haven't found any zebra
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and the consequences for the cubs
0:25:31 > 0:25:33grow ever more life-threatening.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47As it is, the new litter
0:25:47 > 0:25:50is having to compete with hungry cousins.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56The older cubs should be concentrating on meat.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00But there's no solid food, so they feed on the meagre milk reserves.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09And the youngsters just aren't getting a look in.
0:26:23 > 0:26:29Hunting during the day has continued all week.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34But the focus of the marsh lion's attention here was not a meal.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43I assumed the lioness was part of the pride.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49Lions often approach each other with caution - even hostility -
0:26:49 > 0:26:54until they're certain of each other's identity.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59SHE GROWLS
0:27:21 > 0:27:25That was anything BUT a friendly welcome!
0:27:25 > 0:27:29I've no idea who this female is. She may be related to the marsh lions,
0:27:29 > 0:27:36but with the present food shortage, she's being asked to leave in no uncertain terms.
0:27:46 > 0:27:53This may seem like savage behaviour on the part of the marsh lions,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57but with a young family to think of they can do nothing less.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02It always strikes me as ironic that this magnificent, powerful predator
0:28:02 > 0:28:07has its fortunes dictated absolutely by the animals it eats.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12Without the zebra or the wildebeest, these lions begin to die.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18This poor female is really going to be struggling in the next few weeks.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Subtitles by BBC Subtitling BBC - 1996