Big Cats 24/7

The pressure is on for Pobe to make a kill. She’s the only resident female cheetah in the Xudum area, but survival is still hard, even for a smart and experienced hunter like her. Cheetahs may be fast, but it takes energy, and they need time to recover after a chase. Fortunately, lying low is also the perfect hunting strategy when pursuing impalas.

The Xudum Pride mothers must make a kill to feed their young lion cubs. Slowly, they spread out in the tall grass to stalk a large herd of zebras. Hunting as a group helps lions take down much larger prey. When a fourth female joins the lioness mothers in the hunt, their success becomes even more likely.

Thermal cameras capture seven female lions moving in on a herd of tsessebes. With night vision six times greater than humans, the lions quickly spread out under the cover of darkness undetected. This time, the females enlist more help from the pride – three sub-adult males. But that also means less food to go around, and the lionesses and cubs go hungry again despite their successful kill.

In Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta, the Big Cats 24/7 team of local and international filmmakers follows lions, leopards and cheetahs day and night. Using the latest filming technology they reveal the cats’ lives like never before.

What's the toughest big cat species? Are lions really the kings of the jungle? Do big cats have nine lives? The experts from Big Cats 24/7 tackle these and other tough questions while also sharing some amazing facts about lions, leopards and cheetahs!