Lion People of the Kalahari Tribes, Predators & Me

My name is Gordon Buchanan.

I'm a wildlife cameraman.

I've filmed some of the most dangerous

and misunderstood animals on the planet.

Oh, my God!

But what's it like to actually live alongside terrifying predators?

And raise your children with neighbours that might just eat you?

To find out, I'm going to live with three extraordinary tribal families.

They'll teach me to see these creatures

from a totally new perspective.

Whoa, look, look, look, look!

In the Amazon, I was shown the secrets of the giant anaconda.

It is just, simply, a monster!

In Africa, I'll learn to stand up to wild lions.

My heart is in my mouth!

And in Papua New Guinea I'll enter the mysterious world

of the crocodile.

Whoa! I didn't realise it was that big.

Spending time with these tribes will be a life-changing experience,

one that will transform my understanding

of the animals we fear the most.

I've come to Africa's brutal Kalahari Desert.

I'm going to spend two weeks with a family of bushmen.

This tribe have lived with lions for thousands of years

and have an extraordinary relationship with them.

I've heard that these fearless people approach lions on foot

to share their kill.

It sounds like madness and I'm hoping to learn exactly how

and why they do it.

I've filmed lions many times before, in different parts of Africa

and always, always, always it's been from the safety

and security of a vehicle.

And it is my dream to learn enough from the bushmen,

learn enough about lions, to actually meet them

face to face out there in the bush

and, to be perfectly honest with you,

the thought of that absolutely terrifies me.

In lion country you aren't normally allowed out of the car...

..and I'm quickly reminded why.

Oh, there we go.

The remains of an oryx.

I'll switch off.

I'm just going to have a little peak.

I'm not going to get out.

I'm only, what, two metres away from a place where lions

have recently been,

a place that without a doubt they'll be back here within a few hours.

I think, really, to fully understand any animal,

you can't do that from inside a big machine.

You can only do that by sharing their world with them.

Bushmen once lived right across the Kalahari,

southern Africa's largest desert.

I'm meeting one of the last remaining groups in Botswana.

They live in an incredibly challenging wilderness.

I'm going to be putting my life in their hands.

I'm excited,

but it's kind of a worse feeling

than meeting your in-laws for the first time.

Hello, hello!

THEY GREET HIM IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

I'm Gordon. HE REPLIES IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE

I'll have to write that down and remember.

-Gordon.

-Gordon!

HE INTRODUCES HIMSELF

Gordon.

Gordon. Gordon.

CLICKING VOCALISATION

That is a tricky one. Again?

I wasn't quite, kind of, expecting the names to be

quite as difficult for me to get my tongue round it.

The bushmen speak in a click language,

so there's lots of noises - maybe noises that I can make - clicks -

but trying to kind of incorporate that click into a word, or a name,

and try and remember who everyone is, is going to take a little while.

So what's... My name is now?

They've given me the same name as 35-year-old Qamme.

And, for the bushmen, sharing a name is like being

welcomed into their family.

Thank you, thank you!

That's the nicest welcome I've ever had - being anointed by a fox fur.

Do you know why I'm here?

If you can turn me into a bushman in two weeks, I'd be very happy.

If I can't survive out here with lions,

at least they'll get a good meal!

There are 23 people in this extended family group -

ten women, seven men, and six kids.

I've joined them at a temporary hunting camp.

Where they normally live, Qamme's family can no longer hunt

because of recent government rules.

So we've travelled to a place

where they have permission to hunt in their traditional way.

A place with lots of game and many lions.

Qamme is incredibly hospitable and keen to show me

where I'll be sleeping.

OK, I know what he's saying. He is saying we're flatmates.

Cosy!

And inside here you feel completely safe?

Perfect answer is, "Yes, of course, because we have a door."

A lion might come along and huff and puff

and blow the whole house down, but we're safe.

So how close could you get me to a lion

and be safe?

This chap's in his 80s.

He's saying that, actually, if I stick with him,

do everything that they say, I can approach lions on foot.

I might be able to be safe, but I don't think I'm ever going to

not be scared of meeting lions on foot.

Xiqae and the other Bushmen have a long history of living

together with lions.

And, unlike other tribal groups, they don't kill them.

They have an intimate knowledge of lion behaviour

and can even move these cats off a kill

long enough to share the meat.

Definitely not an easy option,

and one that terrifies me.

So to do that, what do I have to learn?

What are the important things?

OK. Let's go.

I've got just two weeks to learn enough about lions

to get close to them on foot, and maybe even share their kill.

Aye-aye-aye. Hot, hot, hot!

Kwui.

That means "thank you"? Thank you.

I just want to get out and see lions

but Qamme's family are setting the schedule.

Thank you.

We're going hunting.

THE BUSHMEN CONVERSE IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

Do I blend in?

Not quite.

This is going to be a gradual process,

building up to being on foot with lions.

I suspect that, at this stage,

the bushmen are trying to get the measure of me.

I've realised I'm wandering along with a big smile on my face

because already I'm doing something that I have always wanted to do,

which is just head out on foot into lion country.

Around 40 people are killed by lions each year in Africa.

So the danger is real.

I'd be incredibly vulnerable alone.

Lions are less likely to attack if we stick together.

Got a bees' nest here.

OK, so the bees' nest is inside this tree.

It doesn't seem hollow.

Ooh!

And the best way to get the honey is to smoke them out.

To do this we need to test the wind direction.

The traditional way of making fire round here

doesn't involve a box of matches.

Way more exciting than matches or a lighter.

The smoke subdues the bees and after ten minutes

we hope they've calmed down enough not to sting us.

Oh, my God! Oh, my goodness.

That's the bad thing about having curly hair.

A lot of effort lighting the fire, that takes energy.

A couple of people taking turns at chopping into this tree.

but what you get as a reward are calories.

Honey - it's, kind of, probably, the biggest calorie hit

that you can get.

After 25 minutes of chopping,

we hit the jackpot.

Mmmm, delicious!

Not the most relaxed setting to eat the honey,

but well worth all the effort.

Everyone's having a bit of a sugar rush,

so they're not thinking about the fact it's getting dark,

and what I know about lions is that they like to hunt most at dark.

That was absolutely brilliant.

The best part about it is there's a real sense of togetherness

and actually doing something as a community.

Doing something as an extended family

and to feel part of that

is really wonderful.

Qamme tells me there could be up to 11 lions in this area.

Desert lions live in small groups,

not large prides like in East Africa.

Prey is less plentiful here in the Kalahari,

so can't support many predators.

As the sun sets, the animals are settling down

for the long, cold night.

But this is when lions are most active.

And Qamme's family don't seem to be ready for bed, either.

My big worry was that I would kind of feel like an intruder,

that I'd feel like an outsider, but, actually,

I just feel like part of the scenery.

And it is quite exciting to find out what's going to happen next.

RHYTHMIC CLAPPING AND SINGING

Everyone seems content, everyone seems happy.

Everyone's really super keen just to kind of show me

everything they can about their lives.

Just learning to go with the flow.

Dances like this are a key part of bushman culture.

They're important for telling stories

and contacting animal spirits.

The bushmen often sing about lions, as they both fear and respect them.

By the time it all ends and we head to our communal hut,

I am absolutely shattered.

Is there room?

OK. Good idea.

This is, er, this is very cosy.

It would be cosy for one.

I think there's going to be four of us in here.

I'm definitely not going to get lonely.

HE MIMICS SNORING

Get used to it, get used to it.

All night long, they stoke the fires to keep lions away from camp.

A lion's night vision is eight times better than mine.

The dark belongs to them.

When the sun rises, our search for lions will begin.

Despite the late finish, the camp is already awake.

I'm not quite operating on bushman time yet.

It drops to below zero at night-time out here

and, in this chill, my new friends have swapped their

traditional welcome attire for more practical clothing.

Oh, my goodness.

That was nice.

Slept like a baby.

Were you cold - cold - last night? Cold?

THEY LAUGH

So it's going to be me, !Xao Qam, Xaashe, Qamme so we all go together.

Mild-mannered !Xao Qam is the best hunter of the village

and he's going to be my main teacher for the next two weeks,

along with my namesake, Qamme, and Xaashe.

They feel that a group of four is enough people to be

safe from lion attack.

OK.

'The bushmen believe that pointing at a lion with your finger

'is disrespectful.

'They hold lions in high regard,

'so only point at them with a stick or their thumb.'

No. Why not?

It's not allowed?

'It's all good natured,

'but !Xao Qam knows the dangers and quickly gives me a warning.'

The Kalahari is home to many animals, including kudu

and other antelope, like hartebeest and oryx...

..which are prey for both lions and people.

Lions are the top predator here,

so going out on foot to track them feels crazy.

But !Xao Qam and Qamme want to teach me an important lesson -

if you live here, you have to keep tabs on your neighbours.

It's not something that I at all feel happy with.

We're heading to an area where there's a strong

chance that there are lions.

I don't feel ready at all.

They've said that we'll just see them from a distance

and that'll be enough for now.

It feels like a baptism of fire.

From the tracks,

the men can build up a picture of which lions are in the area.

OK, right here.

Got a nice, clear track there.

These large tracks are of a male lion.

Males can be three times my weight and could kill me

with a single bite.

Remembering not to point with my finger,

but to point with my stick or point with my thumb.

!Xao Qam, Qamme and Xaashe are incredible trackers,

and wind direction is key.

We must stay downwind so the lion doesn't smell us.

You see the toes, the pad.

So it's heading in this direction.

It does make me very nervous walking along, looking at lion tracks

that are incredibly fresh.

I know that the lion is not far away.

It can hear me,

it can probably smell me

and yet I'm continuing to follow it.

I just have to have complete confidence and put

all my trust in the bushmen, trust that they know what they're doing.

I also need to prove myself so that they trust me

not to do anything stupid.

If the men find a lion on a kill over the next two weeks,

I want to help them get some meat for their families.

You know, I don't want to be a liability,

I kind of don't want to show them that I'm not willing to learn.

I don't really want to show them that I'm scared.

I have a stick

that might be suitable for leading a pipe band, but it doesn't

really feel that substantial for meeting a lion face-to-face.

I'm beginning to wish I had gone to the toilet before leaving the track.

There's also sign of a mother and cubs.

Lionesses can be particularly dangerous

when protecting their young.

OK, yeah.

Xaashe seems to think that the male lion

and the female with cubs have gone in different directions.

It looks like, here, all the tracks are all pretty messed up.

!Xao Qam is saying that the cubs have played here.

They got to this point, maybe stood on this little rise

and had a little tussle around.

I'm beginning to realise just how much knowledge of the Kalahari

these people have.

Every now and again I see a definite lion track,

but the bushmen are able to read even the most subtle signs

and with very little to go on.

The men are saying that there's a lion there, but I can't see it.

I'm sure he knows what he saw, but I can't see anything.

It's a little worrying to be out here

and unable to see the lions that they spot.

Especially as !Xao Qam notices something in the trees that

indicates real danger.

You don't just get vultures hanging around like this.

There was an eagle flying overhead, as well.

So I'd say there's a carcass of something in there.

Go, go.

As soon as we spot these signs, the mood completely changes.

Everyone becomes even more vigilant.

They need to know exactly where these lions are.

Gosh.

I'm in for a shock.

The lions have killed, but not what I'd expected.

It looks like the remains of a cheetah.

Lions are completely intolerant of any other cats

and if they can kill them, they will.

The lions are like this kind of hidden danger.

You see all these signs of them

but you never actually see them themselves.

It's like the monster in any horror movie.

You see what they can do, but you never actually see them.

Like a real brooding presence.

The hunters believe a lion ambushed the cheetah while it was eating.

The lion wasn't after food. It was just getting rid of competition.

The cheetah was probably lying in the short grass, did a really quick

dash, so the cheetah wouldn't have even known that the lion was here.

This obviously hasn't been killed for food.

The bushmen don't eat this, the lions don't eat much of it,

so it's left for the vultures.

It kind of sends shivers down my spine.

You think, if the world's fastest land mammal can't

get away from lions, you know, what chance would I stand?

Maybe, for me, this is quite a valuable lesson. Like, actually,

if I do come face-to-face with lions and they start coming at me,

it's just stand my ground,

because there's no getting away from them.

The more I learn about lions from !Xao Qam and the others,

the more scared I am...

..and the more in awe I become at how they can live alongside

these dangerous cats.

For lunch, we're having maize meal and the little remaining meat.

They've brought some food with them, but not enough for two weeks.

We'll need to supplement what we've got.

So after we've eaten, Qamme's wife, Kgadu,

and the other women want to take me foraging.

As it turns out, I'm a natural forager.

Have you been hunting?

Ah!

This rat may be full of protein, but I hope we don't get that desperate.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much here, but I guess,

after thousands of years, you learn what to look for.

The Kalahari desert has little standing water...

..but the bushmen have developed a unique way to survive in this

inhospitable place.

To find water, you've really got to know what you're doing.

And I'm at a complete loss. I just don't know how it's done.

The ladies have told me there's a plant here that hold lots of water.

And they've challenged me to find it.

Can I borrow your stick?

Teja.

I'm just going to... This is guess...guess work. Guess work.

Is it this one? OK, not this one.

OK. THEY SNIGGER

"You're going to die if you drink that one."

Not that one.

Not that one, that's the same.

Here, this sort of area? Hang on.

Goodness, that...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I didn't even recognise it as a plant at all,

it looked like a...a dead stick.

How did people originally find out that this plant held enough

moisture that you could get water from it?

It must just be trial and error.

Thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago,

the kind of knowledge that really means a difference

between life and death.

Holy mackerel! That is unbelievable. I was not expecting that.

This is like finding treasure.

Actually, this is way more valuable out here in the Kalahari

than a box of gold.

Oh, here she comes.

Never, ever would I have imagined that, above ground,

this little kind of stem of dry twigs,

without a single leaf on it,

without a single bud,

beneath the surface six inches, is...

a water reserve.

What's being shaved away, it doesn't look that succulent,

but there's moisture there. So dry shirt...

..squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze...

..water.

Ahh.

Gotcha.

The water is cold,

it's tasty in its own way

and it's locked up in this massive big tuber.

Hee-hee!

Do you not like it?

It's not about kind of going in to the fridge

and taking out your kind of favourite, you know,

favourite juice.

It's about the moisture. It's about the water.

No?

I think, for me, one of the most important things that I've learned,

because I know that, without water out here,

they wouldn't stand a chance.

Despite the foraging, our food supplies are running out.

We need to find meat.

The lions could lead us to a kill or we could get lucky hunting.

Bushmen are traditionally hunter-gatherers, you know, they can

dig up some foodstuffs -

berries and tubers - but, without hunting, without

being able to kill big game, they wouldn't have been able to survive.

This really is the foundation of bushman culture.

Hunting is now illegal where they normally live, but here,

!Xao Qam and the other bushmen

are allowed to practise their traditional hunting skills.

Skills that define them as a people.

If you hear lions tonight, you hear lions, you wake me.

Yeah?

What's that?

Just here?

Slightly worrying discovery.

This is my little hut here, so one, two, three, four, five, six,

seven, eight, nine, ten paces -

that's less than ten metres -

there are lion tracks around our little encampment here.

At some point in the night, a lion or some lions

have walked around where we were sleeping

and the fact that there have been lions right here,

practically in our settlement,

is very worrying.

That's me told off in a gentle bushman way.

It's clear that I need to be more aware to stay safe around here.

First criticism that if you're a man, you have to stay aware

and listen out, listen out for danger.

So we had lions walking round our camp and I was oblivious.

In order for me to really understand lions, the bushmen say

I need to understand their prey.

After sleeping through the lion's visit, I hope to win back

some respect from !Xao Qam and the others as we go hunting

and show them that I can help bring back food for everyone.

Xaashe may be in a rush to get going,

but there's an important job to do first.

Xiqae, the healer of the group,

wants to throw bones to forecast the outcome of today's venture.

With the bone reading being unclear whether we'll get anything, there

seems to be a problem - the women don't want me to join the hunt.

Definitely the first sort of bit of unrest

and the first kind of heated discussion or argument that's

going on and that's just come from the fact that we've run out of meat.

So, yeah, everything's kind of got a lot more serious now

because we realise if we're not successful today,

we don't have enough food for everyone.

As the four of us head out,

the villagers' warnings are ringing in our ears.

But it's not long before we spot a good sign.

(We've found some very fresh kudu dung.

(It's still warm, so these animals aren't far up ahead.)

(OK, we've spotted a young male kudu.

(It must be about 200 metres from where we are right now.

(So we're just moving in as quietly as possible.)

(Hunting, in itself, is a serious business

(but I think the kind of discontent back at camp...

(..has kind of made all of this feel very critical.)

(Trying, trying to move as carefully and quietly as possible

(because I don't want to be the one that's going to mess this up.

(Bugger, I think it's gone.)

(This is tough work.)

(!Xao Qam let off two arrows, but I don't think he hit his mark.

(Oh, this is so tricky. I think it's gone.)

(Bugger, yeah, it ran.

(Just not close enough.)

It's disappointing for us all, but !Xao Qam is not giving up yet.

Whilst we look for more antelope, I almost make a fatal mistake.

Careful, careful.

What I nearly stepped on kills thousands of people in Africa

every year, more than any other snake.

I put my foot down and four inches away was a puff adder.

If you stand on that, it'll be the last thing you stood on.

You're so focused looking for the animals that we want to hunt,

you forget there's other dangers out there.

The men believe seeing a venomous snake while hunting

means they'll have success.

But we've been out in the bush for several hours

and stalking clearly isn't working, so we decide to try a different

tactic and build a hide to wait for the animals to come to us.

Despite the fact that we're in the middle of the bush,

we're still too visible.

So I'm just using this grass to kind of break up our outline.

This feels good.

All that remains is to wait and see what might come close.

(That was very close - very close indeed.

(One of the kudu barked and made an alarm call.

(Looks like !Xao Qam is going to load up an arrow.)

(One false move, one snapping twig...)

(!Xao Qam is about to take a shot.)

(!Xao Qam?)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah.)

!Xao Qam knows how much this means for all of us.

He's certain, he says 100% he got the arrow in.

I don't know, it's all very confusing. It happened very quick.

Bushmen hunt with poisoned arrows, so they need to hit an animal

and then follow it as the toxin takes effect.

But with so many prints around, it's hard to tell which way

the kudu has run.

We search for hours, but, as night falls,

it's becoming too dangerous for us to track any more.

Lions usually hunt after dark and target vulnerable animals.

If we can't find the kudu, it's possible that the lions will.

I feel embarrassed as we return to camp empty-handed.

Nothing.

Sorry.

Nothing. We tried, we tried. Very close.

These people don't hold a grudge.

There isn't any shame here, but there is hunger and disappointment.

Because we weren't successful today, we're going to do a worshiping

dance that's hopefully going to bring us luck in tomorrow's hunt.

So, as I'm part of the hunt,

I have to be part of the dance.

CHANTING AND CLAPPING

Being invited to dance this time makes me

feel like I'm becoming part of the family.

It's a bit like hunting -

you just follow the man in front of you, keep an eye on him.

Do what he does.

!Xao Qam takes me aside to give me a gift.

Teja, teja.

Teja, teja.

I'm very touched and honoured by this.

It's a little bit of a pity that I don't know how to use it,

but it's going to make me feel much more comfortable.

Thank you.

I'm proud to have been accepted by the group.

They've taught me so much about lions and themselves,

but the hardest lesson is still to come.

One of the men in my hut is snoring.

Someone else snoring over there.

SNORING

These are kind of reassuring noises.

It does worry me that there

could be lions right outside.

I want to see them.

It's very unsettling to constantly

see sign of these huge predators

very close to where I am

and never actually see them with my own eyes.

The next morning, someone's spotted a lion on a carcass nearby.

It could be the kudu we were tracking yesterday.

After two weeks, I have learned a lot,

but now is my chance to see just how special the bushmen really are.

(I am doing something that I could have never imagined...

(..on the ground, without a vehicle...

(..metres from a huge lion.)

HOWLING

This could be our opportunity to get meat for the group,

if we can be brave enough to face this big cat.

(Crikey, I can't believe they want to go closer.)

(The lion is on the kill, female with cubs

(and, instead of sneaking off in the opposite direction, we are

(going to stand up and walk straight towards her,

(try and push her away.)

(Is this a kind of a rite of passage?

(Is it a kind of show of strength?

(A demonstration of bravery?

(To show each other, to show the lions, that they're not scared,

(that this is their world?)

When facing such a powerful predator,

the only thing we have going for us is that we are four.

United, we approach the lion.

It's not about what one man can do, it's about working together.

And only together can we attempt to get some meat for us all.

The one big difference with this lion from any other lion that

I've seen feeding on a kill is that I'm not here to film her.

I'm here to try and steal her dinner...or part of her dinner.

And that is a very scary prospect.

To try and get closer, closer and see what we can do,

see if we can get something to eat.

As we move closer, I'm aware that the lioness could cover this

distance between us in just a few seconds.

(I am doing something that I could have never imagined.)

(My heart is in my mouth.)

(These people have learnt enough about these animals to be able

(to do this, to be able to approach a lion that is covered in blood.)

(I have been paying attention, I have been listening,

(I have been learning and, most importantly,

(that I trust these men enough and they trust me

(enough that we can do this.)

(OK, we're going.)

!Xao Qam and the others are some of the few

people in the world who can do this.

Who can take on Africa's most formidable predator.

As we approach, I remember the old man Xiqae's words...

"Don't show fear and don't give in to the temptation to run."

The lions won't go far, but we've done it.

These men have taught me that if you know lions as they do,

then it's possible to confront them on foot,

transforming my view of an animal I've always feared.

Never have I been more inclined in my life to look over my shoulder.

There's something incredibly intense about this.

And I don't feel bad, I don't feel bad for the lion -

we're leaving plenty.

I give thanks to the lion for doing the hard work.

Nearly there, boys, nearly there. Thank you, lion, thank you.

!Xao Qam, Qamme and Xaashe's incredible

understanding of lions means that we can share this meat with everyone.

THEY CHEER

We have returned!

If only this happened every time I came back from the supermarket.

Thank you.

We've only taken what we need.

The lioness has returned to feed her cubs.

I now understand the lions are not dangerous in all situations.

And that, with enough knowledge of their behaviour,

we too can live alongside them in harmony.

I've also understood that, for the bushmen,

it's not about the individual.

Life is about the power of family bonds.

It is a very, very funny, charming, heart-warming way to look at things.

It's to NOT say...

"Let me prove myself, let me show you what I can do, let me

"contribute, let me be the kind of conquering hero,

"the triumphant one."

These guys are like,

"Nah, let's just do it the best way we know how, which is together."

Together we can share that success, together we can be triumphant.

And, because of the lion, everyone goes to bed with a full stomach.

The kudu was delicious.

Very nice.

A little bit too much sand for my liking, but it was good.

We have to thank the lion for that.

As the sun rises on my last morning,

it's time to say goodbye.

But, before I go, I want to visit my namesake, Qamme, and his family.

I absolutely love the resourcefulness of people.

Every now and again I'm just reminded of

all the stuff that I've got in my house that is pointless and,

actually, if what we want is happiness and harmony,

you're never going to get it from any of these things.

So it is nice to go back and actually try

and return to that kind of essence of what it is to be a human being.

And I think this is the closest you could actually get...

you can get to that.

What do you hope for the future of your son?

Where would you like to see him go in life?

And will you teach him how to hunt?

THEY LAUGH

I hope that Qamme, !Xao Qam

and their families will be able to find a way to be

in this changing world

that enables them to keep their spirit and their identity.

It's time to go.

Qamme!

Teja.

Teja, teja.

OK. Goodbye.

IT RATTLES

What else do you need in life?

Bow and arrow...

something for parties...

loincloth.

Teja. OK.

Teja, teja.

I think that my biggest worry is that this whole experience

will fade with time, but I really don't think it will.

I think I kind of sense real change,

I do feel like a different man after this.

And I think it's about kind of dividing worlds.

It's not about me living in the modern world

and the bushmen living in a different world.

We all live...

..in today's planet, all together, whether you're me,

whether you're a bushman, whether you're a lion.

Over the past two weeks,

I've learned that it's possible to raise your family

alongside wild lions.

The future of both the bushmen and lions is uncertain.

Each is gravely threatened.

And yet, to me, it seems that they need each other

and that they need places to roam free.

If only so that we can be reminded how to share our world.