Big Cats 24/7

Food is running low for Tsebe, and she’s always on the lookout for a meal. As a nursing mother, producing enough milk for her large litter of five cubs leaves her constantly hungry. When the female lion hears a lechwe struggling in the water nearby, her hunger leads to a desperate and dangerous battle against a crocodile to steal its prey.

Tsebe’s large and very rare litter of five cubs indicates a healthy pride. But survival isn’t guaranteed. A young cub must consume more than 20 fluid ounces of milk each day, and a nursing mother needs food to supply it and remain healthy. In reality, Xudum Pride’s growth is outpacing its food supply. As prey becomes less available, Tsebe and her five cubs will be the first to go hungry.

Shortly after Xudum returns to her young cub, she detects another leopard at the den site. It’s Musweo, nearly double her size and believed to be the dominant male in the area. She confronts him head-on to protect her baby, but in the harrowing encounter, Musweo manages to grab the cub and carries it off into the night.

Xudum the leopard is hunting again. Now pregnant, she desperately needs a successful kill and makes a risky decision to strike from the treetops. The gamble pays off, and Xudum takes down an impala. But her victory is short-lived when she attracts the attention of the lioness mothers, and they move in and steal her meal.

Xudum has yet to successfully rear cubs, but she’s reaching an age where experience should help her raise at least one to adulthood. Nearly two years after losing her last litter, she gives birth again. Female leopards keep their cubs concealed at this time, but a revolution in low light camera technology offers a glimpse of the den. At around four days old, they’ve rarely been filmed this young.

Matho’s lost lion cub has been alone for 14 hours. As night approaches with no sign of his mother, he starts to wander off into the tall, dense grass. At this age, a young cub has little chance of survival on its own, and filmmaker Gordon Buchanan fears the worst.

A male leopard moves onto the floodplain, heading straight toward Xudum. This poses a great risk to the female leopard, who is close to giving birth to cubs. But Metsi isn’t on Xudum’s trail. Instead, he’s picked up the scent of a young lechwe lamb – and his hunting style takes everyone by surprise.

The Xudum Pride finds itself in a tough spot when it gets stuck between a large herd of buffalo and a river channel. Lions may eat buffalo, but a herd of this size has the upper hand. When a bull charges, the lions flee into the water. Panic drives the cubs into deeper water, and the risk of attracting crocodiles increases. Even dominant male, Big Toe, is in jeopardy.

Two intruding male lions appear in Xudum Pride territory, putting the lion cubs at risk. Intruding males will often kill unrelated lion cubs to establish dominance over the pride. Will the lionesses be able to defend their cubs from the intruders long enough for Big Toe and Madumo to return?

Two intruding male lions on patrol slowly enter Xudum Pride territory. With no sign of the pride’s dominant males, Big Toe and Madumo, a lone female and two juvenile males must defend it alone. But, at only half the weight of an adult male, it’s a dangerous risk for the young lions to take.

The threat from intruder lions is particularly high for the sub-adult males in the Xudum Pride. Nkgonne and Colin may be physically larger than cubs, but these inexperienced two-year-olds hardly act like nearly independent male lions. Instead, the siblings clown around together, even taking their outlandish behavior into the trees.

Survival isn't easy for lion cubs, and 80% won't make it to their second birthday. For the Xudum Pride, the survival of the entire family comes down to its experienced mothers and dominant adult males, Big Toe and Madumo. But wildfires have put the pride in jeopardy, and the pressure is on Big Toe and Madumo to protect their territory and young cubs.