Episode 6 Big Cat Diary

Last week, Kidogo the cheetah had her sights fixed on some fast food.

Luckily for us, she preferred to hunt in open country.

The same cannot be said of Fundi and her cubs, our other cheetah family.

They remained in extremely thick cover.

Half Tail the leopard had a brush with hyenas.

Her climbing ability left them standing.

Later, she went on the offensive,

but her targets remained elusive,

leaving her cub hungry.

We've managed to keep up with Kidogo and her cubs this week,

which is more than can be said for our other cheetah family.

Fundi and her two adolescent cubs went missing,

which is a shame in the last week we're here.

Meanwhile, Kidogo and her cubs have been doing well.

Kidogo seems to have changed almost as much as her cubs over the past six weeks.

She still has a playful streak, but her attitude to hunting has sharpened.

Perhaps it's the influence of two ever more hungry mouths to feed.

But now, once her attention is fixed on a potential meal,

she is concentration personified.

Rarely have we seen her phenomenal turn of speed better illustrated.

In the end, she never even touched the gazelle,

which tripped and damaged a leg.

The lack of a killing bite was not brutality on Kidogo's part,

but rather an essential life lesson for her cubs.

This was the first time they'd been left to kill their own prey,

Far from being inept,

the little male's instinct and ability were remarkably efficient.

But they were not alone.

Many of the cats we've followed share their space with the Masai,

who take such scenes very much in their stride.

The afternoons have been especially hot this week,

with all creatures seeking relief from the sun.

But the mongooses hadn't banked on sharing their shade.

The cubs showed no interest in them,

and were more intrigued by the rest of the troop waiting a little way off.

Such is the solidarity of banded mongooses

that despite the searing heat the troop kept watch for their imprisoned members.

Now that Kidogo and the cubs are leaving,

I imagine that these banded mongooses will go back to their family.

Once reunited, the mongooses went back to business as usual.

This is the Big Pride,

the most successful group of lions that I've ever seen.

They seem to have everything right.

There's seven lionesses, four male lions to help protect their territory

and the result of that is 16 cubs.

And, by the look of it,

I would think that most of them are going to survive.

The secret to this pride's success can be put down to where they live

and how they operate.

Although the lionesses prefer to hunt at night,

they never pass up the chance of a meal at any time of day.

In their territory, there's always plenty of game, if they can catch it.

The long grass and acacia bush provide perfect cover for the hunters.

But not every chase ends successfully - even for the Big Pride.

The cubs must wait.

As soon as it was dark, we switched on our infrared cameras.

By using infrared light, we could watch the Big Pride without disturbing them.

In reality, it was pitch black,

but lions have extraordinary night vision - unlike the wildebeest.

This lioness is quite capable of pulling down a wildebeest on her own.

But a combination of speed and a well-timed kick

is just enough to shake off the attacker.

A couple of nights later, we chanced upon a lone bull buffalo.

Separated from the rest of the herd, the bull was an obvious target.

A single lion is no match for an animal this size.

Anchoring a ton of buffalo is a job for the whole pride.

But once again, the cubs go hungry.

The lions seemed totally oblivious to these gazelles -

with 16 cubs to feed,

they were searching for something bigger.

We realised they were after zebra again.

The pride split up, with lionesses closing in from all directions.

The herd panicked.

In the confusion, somewhere in the darkness,

one of the zebra ran straight into a waiting lioness.

One of the pride males immediately moved in.

He'd played no part in the hunt,

but was quick to assert his right to a share,

Wisely, the lionesses gave him plenty of room.

GRUNTING

A kill this size provides ample food for all the lions - except one.

The youngest adult female - the one we call the Outcast - had to wait.

The lionesses with cubs had priority.

BARKING

But the Big Pride had been spotted. A Masai dog had raised the alarm.

The lions had killed barely 200 metres from a Masai homestead.

As the herdsmen moved in to investigate,

the pride were already in retreat.

The lionesses escorted their cubs to safety, away from the kill and the Masai.

Satisfied that their cattle were in no danger,

the Masai backed off, giving the hyenas the opportunity they'd been waiting for.

But the big male was reluctant to abandon the kill.

HYENAS CALL

Despite the hyenas, the male carried the remains to a safer place.

HYENAS LAUGH

The scavengers would soon clean up. Nothing would go to waste.

A leg bone might not provide food for a lion,

but to a hyena, it's a prize worth fighting for.

Their jaws are so powerful, they can crunch up the heaviest bones

to feed on the marrow.

For the Big Pride, the lean days were over.

When it got light

we saw how close the lions had come to the village.

But the big cats are all part of life for the herdsmen and their livestock.

The lionesses and their cubs are obviously now heading for cover.

I imagine they've heard the Masai

beginning to move around.

They were looking very alert - the lionesses stopping and listening.

The two groups have worked out a way of operating, using the same area but avoiding conflict.

As soon as the lions hear any sound

or see the Masai moving around in the area, they simply take cover.

Throughout the last weeks, we've done much of our filming outside the wildlife reserve.

Here, the big cats and the Masai have found a way to co-exist.

The Big Pride are certainly thriving here.

In the past six weeks, we've spent over 11,000 man-hours in the field.

We have shot over 80km of videotape,

utilised three tons of equipment...

..and driven over 45,000km.

We've had 360 punctures,

and got stuck 420 times!

We've worked our way through 8,000 litres of water,

1,000 loaves of bread, and finished in time - just!

Food for the Marsh Lions has been scarce.

The territory remains virtually empty,

but even with prey in short supply,

the females have kept their cubs healthy.

This is the first litter we found,

now six weeks old and very robust.

It's come as a surprise that they've done as well as they have.

Despite all the odds, the Marsh Pride cubs have survived.

But if things weren't already hugely demanding, they will be now.

To the right of me is a brand new family.

It's quite common for lions to synchronise some of their litters.

We now know of three families

aged within four weeks of each other in this pride.

It's with mixed feelings that we now have to leave these cats.

I hope the tenacity of the females

will provide the cubs with enough food through these lean times

so that they'll flourish when life gets a little easier.

And it is that tenacity which has kept the females busy

with every opportunity that's presented itself.

Sharing a small meal like a warthog raises tempers,

but each mother is getting enough to support the young.

Later in the week, a glimmer of hope strode into the marsh.

The zebra passed through within a couple of days,

but provided an opportunity for a square meal.

Having killed in the early hours,

the marsh female was on the open plain in the heat of the day.

She faced a monumental hike to the nearest shade,

displaying in a subtle but graphic style

her enormous strength and stamina.

Meagre shelter, perhaps, but it had to do.

The cub has grown so much over the time we've been watching her.

She looks like a real leopard now.

She's getting pretty independent. She doesn't always need a mum with her.

At times she's just happy to wander off.

I think she feels pretty secure now.

She can climb trees well, she knows what the dangers are.

She knows to be wary of hyenas and lions,

but she's always got Mum as a back-up.

Even for Half Tail, there are times when it's prudent to be cautious.

Elephants aren't noted for their eyesight,

but their sense of smell is second to none.

Half Tail decided that now was the time to move on,

at which point the elephants lost interest.

Recently, Half Tail has been spending more and more time

away from her cub, and food is never far from her thoughts.

Despite Half Tail's impressive turn of speed,

the hare simply outran her.

Week by week, the cub has been getting quicker and more agile.

She's ready to hunt small prey

for herself,

but these agama lizards are more than a match for her.

Late the next afternoon,

Half Tail killed a warthog piglet

and was carrying it back to her cub.

For once, the impalas weren't the targets.

But they alerted the hyenas, forcing Half Tail to interrupt her journey.

The cub would have to wait a while longer.

For six weeks, we've focused our attention on Half Tail and her cub.

One reason is that most other leopards are very shy.

This is Beauty, Half Tail's daughter, and she's with a very big adult male.

She's never had cubs. From the sounds over there, it seems they're mating.

I'd imagine this could carry on for at least one or two more days.

It's rare to see leopards mating.

It's something I've only glimpsed twice before.

Frustratingly, it usually occurs in thick cover.

I could hardly believe our luck when, two days later,

we found Beauty yet again.

And, better still, she revealed the male's hiding place.

Adult males are not only very shy, they're huge.

This one is almost twice the size of Beauty.

HE GROWLS SOFTLY

He's the father of Half Tail's cub

and guardian of both females' territories, which partially overlap.

His imposing presence helps protect the cubs that he sires.

This is his domain and he'll do anything to protect it.

It was Beauty who initiated each mating.

Every hour or so, the pair coupled several times in quick succession.

SHE GRUNTS

Hopefully, in about 12 weeks,

two or three cubs will be born somewhere near here.

Hyenas are a constant menace to Half Tail.

Once again, they were on the scene

within seconds of her catching an impala fawn.

It's hardly surprising she does her best hunting in places like this -

with plenty of trees.

When the hyenas moved off,

the impala mother returned to where her fawn had hidden.

She seemed totally unaware that her baby was dead.

Now all she could do was call.

Ever the opportunist, Half Tail saw the chance of another meal.

The impala could sense danger in the air.

She'd come close, but not close enough.

Towards the end of our stay, Half Tail's cub had a surprise for us.

SQUEALING

She'd killed a hyrax in Leopard Gorge.

I'm pretty certain this is the first time she's killed for herself -

a real milestone for a young leopard.

Half Tail's cub is well on the road to independence.

And, despite the dangers, I think she'll make it.

During the last six weeks,

we've managed to find Half Tail, the leopard, and her cub every day.

I've not had better leopard-watching all the time I've been here.

I've known Half Tail for six years.

If I had to pick a favourite from the African animals,

she would undoubtedly be it.

Almost two months of cat-watching has provided us with

moments of drama, humour and a great deal of natural beauty.

THEY GROWL

In our final week here, Kidogo performed in the inimitable style

we've become used to.

Her cubs seemed to have inherited her speed, power and grace.

They now begin to follow in the stalk.

With the kill on such open ground,

it wasn't long before the vultures homed in.

They can see the scene from several kilometres away.

And with the cubs beginning to argue over their meals,

and so much meat to consume,

there's plenty of time for the birds to fly in.

An hour later, our cheetahs had attracted a considerable crowd.

Despite the fact there's very little meat left on the kill,

Kidogo and her cubs are still guarding it jealously.

But more vultures are arriving.

If enough come, they may intimidate the cheetahs and force them away.

But if there was intimidation to be done,

it was by the cheetahs...

..both big

and small.

Indeed, the blossoming of these cubs

has given me the greatest pleasure over our weeks here.

Their tireless spirit and sense of fun in this harsh environment,

has been inspirational.

Six weeks ago, Kidogo's cubs seemed the most vulnerable

of all the cats we were following.

They were tiny. They could have been eaten by a lion, tiger or anything.

Now look at them - they're long in the leg and fast.

They're already learning the lessons that prepare them for independence.

After all the difficulties we've shared with these cats,

one of the hardest things will be leaving them behind.

I doubt they'll notice our going, but I'll be thinking of them.

OK, let's go.

Subtitles by BBC Subtitling BBC - 1996