The Great Lion Hunt This Wild Life

In the heart of Africa,

a young family is heading for an epic adventure.

They are moving with their three children

to a remote Kenyan wilderness.

Mum Saba is here to run a safari camp...

Welcome!

..while dad Frank is helping to protect elephants...

Collar's almost on. Now the scary bit.

..but raising a family and running a business in the bush

is going to be a massive challenge.

There are monkeys in the kitchen...

Oh, you monkeys, I'm going to kill you!

..floods threatening the camp...

It's looking like it's going to be a mega storm.

..and wildlife in need of help.

Now my heart really is in my mouth.

It's going to be a huge gamble.

Will the business survive Saba's first season in charge?

Oh, my God.

This time, a power crisis strikes camp.

I'm just having such problems with this.

It's driving me absolutely crazy.

With the start of high season, it's a disaster.

Saba's pulled away to a medical emergency...

It's bad and it needs urgent action.

..and Frank is called out to help an injured lioness.

Could be a snake bite,

she could have been hit by a car,

but we just don't know.

Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya.

It's six in the morning and Saba is already out

searching for lions to show her guests.

They come here for top-notch safaris,

so she must make sure she knows where to find every animal.

Lions in Samburu are mostly nocturnal,

so the key thing is to get up hellishly early in the morning

and get out to wherever you think they are at first light.

Top of her wish list - young cubs.

To have new cubs, you know, the first cubs in quite a long time,

is just so exciting.

I can't quite believe it.

She's looking for pawprints along the road

so she can track them down as soon as the sun rises.

This is real lion habitat here. They love this saltbrush.

They could be anywhere here.

It's extremely difficult to find them

if you don't find their tracks in the morning.

Staying one step ahead of the animals is essential

because this is the busiest week of the season.

Elephant Watch Camp has room for 12 guests in six luxury tents.

With camp running at full capacity,

they can't afford anything to go wrong.

Wildlife guide Bernard is off

to pick up the first of the new arrivals.

I'm so excited to meet new people every time

because it gives me an opportunity to show them what we have here.

This season, this is the first time we're having a full camp.

It's going to be a very intense period.

So far this season, guest bookings have been down.

For the business to succeed,

the team must make sure everything runs like clockwork.

Saba is still searching for lions.

Look! There! There, there, there, there! There's the lioness.

So exciting!

Those two cubs are tiny still.

They're probably about six, seven weeks old.

(So wonderful.)

The reserve is home to 40 lions living in three separate prides.

The Koitogor Pride is the largest and they are all known by name.

The oldest female is called Nabo.

She has two five-year-old daughters.

Now she's a grandmother

and the Koitogor Pride has a third generation.

It's one of Nabo's daughters who has given birth to these young cubs.

These little guys are the grandchildren of the first

lioness that I ever got to know, here in Samburu.

She's now a really old female,

who's called Nabo, which means "one" in Samburu,

because she used to have one block black spot on her nose.

Yeah, and she's still very much an important presence in this pride,

and sticks around the central area of Samburu.

In fact, she will definitely be having some contact with these cubs.

It's exactly what Saba had hoped for.

The reserve's newest arrivals are just in time for high season.

This is absolutely wonderful because, when our guests arrive,

this is one of the best things that we can come out and show them.

Oh! They are so sweet.

With the cubs found, she returns to greet her guests.

Back at camp, the team is ready and waiting.

-Hello, I'm Saba.

-I'm Shamila.

Nice to meet you.

Just when it seems everything is under control, there's bad news.

Oh, God. Look at this. Nothing's freezing.

We've got serious problems with our solar system right now.

And, look, you see, none of the ice is freezing.

This has been here all night and it still hasn't frozen.

I just don't know where the problem is.

I don't know if we've got a short somewhere, or if it's the batteries,

or if it's the solar panels or what.

The camp is designed to run on solar energy,

but the ageing system is no longer powerful enough to run the freezers.

Most of the time, the guests haven't got a clue of what is going on

and that's exactly how it should be.

But I just need to make sure that they have the

experience of a lifetime when they come here

and they don't know about any of my issues behind-the-scenes.

But it has not come as a great time

because I've got so many people on camp.

Saba needs to do everything she can to get the power

back on before her clients notice.

Across the reserve, at the Save The Elephants headquarters,

Saba's husband Frank has received worrying news.

There's a wounded lion out in the park.

It's about 20 minutes downriver, so I'm just going to go out

and have a look at it, and see if there's anything we can do.

The reserve's lion research team are away

and Frank is closest to the scene.

There's a few different possibilities of what could

have happened to this lioness.

It could be a snake bite,

she could have been hit by a car, but we just don't know.

So, we're just going to have a look before we start making any guesses.

Back at camp, the guests have no idea there's a power problem.

Saba has managed to get hold of energy expert Bart Fugers.

-So, come, let me show you the solar panels.

-Yep.

Luckily, Bart was working at a nearby lodge,

so he's dropped everything to come and help.

-So, these are our panels up here.

-Yep.

We never get through the night so, in the evenings,

we're having to put the generator on from six o'clock,

and even with that, by five o'clock in the morning, all the power's gone.

It's not just the freezers Saba's worried about.

There's not enough power to charge the guests' cameras and phones.

The system needs a scale-up.

The solar panels, which need replacement,

it's going to be a big investment.

It's not going to be a quick fix.

At the start of high season, this is the last thing Saba needs.

The whole camp relies on solar power.

Everything from, you know, all the lights and the fridges

and the freezers - absolutely everything.

Because we're so remote here, we can't get onto the mains

and, you know, we're an eco-camp.

We don't believe in having some huge great generator

with a whole lot of disgusting fumes coming out of it.

But the problem is our system is quite old now

and it's in urgent need of an upgrade,

and I'm really, really struggling to get enough power.

But her problems are about to get even worse.

A member of camp is ill.

I've got a sick person here. Let me come back.

I just have to go and deal with this. Let me find out what's going on.

Latoya. Malaria?

I think I might have to take him to the clinic, right now.

Yup.

MAN SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

I just have to take this guy to the clinic.

Are you OK getting on with everything here on your own? OK.

OK, I'm coming right now.

All right. Bye.

If somebody gets sick out here,

they'll sit at home and they'll deal with it

until it gets really bad,

so by the time to me and they need to go to a clinic,

it's bad and it needs urgent action.

So, I mean, the thing is, if you don't treat malaria, it can kill you.

Latoya must be tested while he still has a fever,

but it's 20 minutes to the closest clinic.

Frank is dealing with his own emergency.

He's found the injured lioness.

She's lying under a tree.

And...I've stayed a little distance away,

but it's not looking very good.

It doesn't look like she's breathing.

I can't see any movement at all.

Frank has alerted the park rangers and he's updating

the reserve's lion expert Shivani Bhalla,

who has studied these lions for 12 years.

-Hi, Shiv?

-'Yeah?'

We've just arrived and she seems to have stopped breathing.

It doesn't look good at all.

They are too late to help.

Oh, what a tragedy.

You know, there are so few lions left.

And whatever killed this one...

Oh, who knows. We've got to wait and find out

what killed it before we jump to any conclusions.

Frank wants to find out how she died.

-There's no visible wounds.

-No visible.

So, it may well have been a snake.

A terrible tragedy right here.

He calls the lion expert to confirm the identity of the lioness.

All right. OK. Bye.

-So...yeah, it's Nabo.

-Yeah, I think it's Nabo.

This is the first lioness that Saba identified.

Nabo is the grandmother of the young cubs Saba saw this morning.

Saba's going to be devastated to hear this.

Saba is arriving at the bush clinic with the sick man.

Jambo, jambo.

She's concerned that Latoya has malaria.

If he does, it has to be treated quickly.

So, this has developed overnight because yesterday he was fine.

The only way you can tell is looking for parasites in the blood.

No malaria. Why do you think he's having this stomach pain?

-Gastric?

-Yes.

It's a severe tummy bug.

The doctor's prescribed a course of antibiotics

and sent Latoya home to rest.

OK, thank you. Bye.

Back at the research centre,

Frank is preparing to break the news of Nabo's death to Saba.

Without Nabo to watch over them, the family is now much weaker.

Young cubs like these are vulnerable to attack by roving males,

who will kill any cub that isn't their own.

Nabo's death means there are fewer lionesses to keep the cubs safe.

-Hello.

-Hey, Sabs, how are you doing?

-Hi, baby. OK.

-Good.

I've got some bad news, I'm afraid.

This lion that was injured, it was your lioness.

It was the lioness you first...

identified with Shiv.

-Nabo?

-Nabo.

-She's dead?

-She's dead.

-She's dead?!

-She's dead. I'm sorry, baby.

Life on this frontier is dangerous,

even for lions.

You don't get more fearless than a lioness...

..and yet she's just gone down,

perhaps through a snakebite.

Seems like one of the more likely explanations.

With snakes around,

Frank is worried about the girls.

It does make you think about Selkie running around here

and how easy it would be for her to get bitten.

I'm glad we've got the Warriors to stick around the kids.

They're like a mobile safety fence,

in that they'll make sure that most of the dangers

are out of the way.

Samburu warrior Nporian knows all about snakes.

HE SPEAKS

He wants to teach the girls how to avoid dangers in the bush.

There are scorpions to watch out for

and ant lions hiding under your feet.

Warriors grow up bush-wise.

Their survival depends on being able

to read the signs of animal life around them.

Everything they need can be found here.

One tree provides a weapon...

..another provides a toothbrush.

With Nporian's help, the girls are learning

how to avoid the dangers all around them...

..and how to look good in the bush!

It's been a long day.

For the children it's time for bed,

but Saba still has guests to take care of.

Well, my job is sort of partly to...

You know, I'm running the camp, so I am keeping all the logistics going.

Then, in the evening, when they come back after their game drives,

it's my turn to be the hostess.

So, you know, I make sure they're all OK,

and we sit down and tell stories,

and do my best to make them feel very passionate about Samburu.

OK... Ready to face the music.

Saba's problems are not over yet.

The solar system is still down

and the freezers aren't freezing.

Chef Serena is treating the guests to a traditional Samburu dinner.

The food may be tasty,

but without electricity the guests are eating by firelight.

Saba hopes the romantic setting

will distract them from the power shortage.

HE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

THEY LAUGH

They've pulled it off,

but Saba must make sure she gets the power back on soon.

This morning, the guest's day is starting early.

Hello.

-Hello.

-Good morning.

Wildlife guide Serenoy has an important mission ahead.

These guests are from America

and Saba wants to make sure

they see the Koitagor lion pride.

..those two tiny little cubs.

I think they're a bit lion-crazy,

-so it would be really wonderful...

-OK.

-..if you can find them. Yeah? All right. Good luck today.

-OK.

Serenoy is heading to the area where Saba saw them.

It's very difficult to find lions right now,

so, you know, I have a lot of pressure because...

these clients are crazy about lions and I have to find them.

Samburu's lions live in smaller prides than elsewhere in Africa.

Here the females and their cubs team up,

while males move between several groups.

Pride-mates can spend months or even years apart,

so both sexes need to be much more self-reliant.

This could be why Samburu's males have such patchy manes.

A huge necklace of fur is a handicap in thorny scrub

and a low profile ensures better hunting.

So, to see the lions, especially in this environment where there are

so many who you have worked so hard to see a population of lions

being restored, it would make it very special.

Guests come here for the wildlife,

but they also expect luxury.

Saba must make sure the camp lives up to expectations,

but a power shortage at the start of high season is a big problem.

Good morning, guys.

Good morning.

Luckily, energy expert Bart Fugars

has returned with new solar panels.

It's like a new horizon, a new dawn, on the power front.

What we're doing today is we're boosting our whole system,

so that the batteries are going to get this major power set.

Slowly, slowly...

Bernard is on hand to oversee the installation.

This is not an easy job.

It's extremely delicate

because it could collapse,

then...we're done.

Then we have to depend on the moonlight...

HE LAUGHS

..and the stars.

I'll leave you guys to it.

See you later.

Out in the reserve,

wildlife guide Serenoy is searching for the lions.

He's watching the prey animals to see if they've spotted anything.

-FEMALE CLIENT:

-They are definitely seeing something.

Giraffes will tell you...

It's only two things -

either they have seen lion

or when they see human beings -

those are things that makes giraffe be watchful.

-Look at them all standing at attention.

-Yes.

-WOMAN WHISPERS:

-Maybe it's lions!

Yeah, it may be lions.

-Can we go there and see if there are lions there?

-Yes. Yes.

Look, look!

-Simba.

-My gosh, look.

I've never seen this kind of behaviour before,

where the lions would stay under the bush

and the giraffes would gather

and watch them like that.

-They are really interested in the lions.

-They are.

Samburu is quite special.

Serenoy has found several members of Nabo's pride

and the lone pride male,

who is normally extremely elusive.

Two miles away, Saba is searching for the rest of the pride.

She's desperate to find out how

the young lionesses are managing without Nabo.

Oh, look! There's a lion, darling. Look! Look-look.

-Do you see the female there?

-Yeah.

-That's a lioness.

-Isn't that exciting?

-Yeah.

This is where they really, really, really like to come.

INDISTINCT BABY-TALK

..see cubs!

-You want to see the cubs?

-Yeah.

Well, if we wait here, maybe they'll come.

-And you know who she is?

-Nm-nm.

-She's part of their family.

-Oh.

-She's their auntie.

Look, look, look! She's seen something. Maybe she...

Look, there's some impala. You see them coming down to the river?

-Oh, yeah.

-There, in-between.

She's seen them and she's thinking

that's exactly where she wants them to go,

so she can try and catch them. She's coming, she's coming...

Look, she's trotting towards us.

Now, you see how she's coming up near the edge of the river bank?

Look how she's stalking.

She's going super-slowly because she doesn't want anything to see her.

VARIOUS BIRD CALLS

I'm going to get up ahead a little bit,

so we can be in the right position.

BIRDS CALLING

See the guinea fowl as well? They're all alarming.

They're telling the other animals that the lion is here.

They're all making their alarm call.

She's got it!

Look! Look, look, look!

Saba wants to teach the girls

about the realities of life and death in the bush.

She's going to be so tired after this because, you know,

she's doing this all on her own.

-Isn't that amazing?

-Yeah.

For this to happen right in front of us now,

with the three kids in the car

when we're least expecting it, is seriously amazing!

It's great news for Nabo's family.

This lioness has proved to be a phenomenal hunter,

able to bring down large prey on her own.

She's been well-taught by her mother

and will pass on the same skills to the cubs.

Nabo's grandchildren will be fine.

Back at camp,

the team is putting the finishing touches to the solar panels.

Saba?

Saba has returned just in time to see Bernard's handiwork.

-It's done.

-Are you finished?

-We've finished, yes.

-Let's go and have a look, then.

-OK.

-It's done.

-Oh, great!

-Yeah.

-Oh, my goodness, look at all those lovely green lights.

-Yeah.

That is fantastic.

So, hopefully, that's our problems over.

One problem solved in the bush.

Brilliant. Well done.

Thank you so much.

With the freezers back up and running,

normal dinner service is resumed.

Fingers crossed, but everything looks like it's working.

And, for the first time in a very long time,

I have three functioning cooling units.

It says, "Please leave me alone." Do not disturb!

Quite right.

Ever! Never, never, never.

THEY LAUGH

We're paranoid about losing the...the coldness now.

It's been such a battle.

I know. But now it's...

It seems it's working.

We've now got two fridges -

one for food and one for drinks,

so it...couldn't be better.

And I just hope it lasts.

All is good.

Hello, everybody.

Are you all OK?

With power restored, camp is ready to cope

with the demands of the season ahead...

..and Saba can get back to her guests.

Next time, high season is in full swing...

Everything has to be...super!

Super, super, super.

..but drought forces the main attraction to leave the reserve.

It becomes a bit of a challenge for us because, you know,

there aren't that many elephants.

The elephants are heading into danger.

Poachers were spotted this morning and they ran from their camp.

Frank's battle to protect them becomes dangerous.

They're out there.

They're right on the front line.