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The night skies
were once filled with stars.

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Today our own lights
eclipse the darkness

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and spread steadily each day.

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Slowly, the dark places in
Africa become the last refuge

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for one of our planet's
most iconic animals.

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Fifty years ago
450,000 lions lived here.

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And today there may be
as few as 20,000.

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And yet,
in these remote places,

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some of the most dramatic
stories on Earth are played out.

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They are harsh,
sometimes violent,

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never malicious,
and always real.

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This is a story

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of some of the last
wild lions on Earth.

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Here in a small pocket
of this darkness,

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our story begins.

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It is an old saga of life
lived by tooth and claw.

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A lioness
in perfect condition.

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It's unusual for a lioness
to be without a pride,

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but she's not alone.

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She has a mate -

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her companion and protector,

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and the father of her cubs.

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The beginnings
of a new pride

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for this unspoiled land
deep in Botswana.

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Tonight the bush is uneasy.

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The distant calls
they've been hearing

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for some time
are getting closer.

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It puts them on edge.

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Invaders!
And they suddenly materialize.

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Lions from the north,

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forced here by the relentless
encroachment of man.

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They're ready to risk everything
to win new territory.

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Her male has
no choice but to fight.

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It's a battle that could change
the bloodlines here forever.

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The invaders with
a clear determination

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to win and to stay.

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When she finally
emerges from hiding,

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her shoulder almost healed,

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she is ready
to pick up her life.

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She starts by trying
to find her mate.

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Every sound makes her freeze.

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Every breath of air
brings unfamiliar scents.

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Until she finds him,

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she is a fugitive
in her own land.

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By now her mate
has had weeks to recover.

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He should be
answering her calls.

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His wounds are too severe.

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His spirit
has gone out of him.

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He has become old,
damaged, broken.

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His reign is over.

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There are new rulers now.

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To survive here,

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she will have to submit
to these new masters.

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But until the newcomers
detect her presence,

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she still has a choice.

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The swirling air carries a hint
of her unfamiliar scent.

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The hunt begins.

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She decides to leave...

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to leave immediately.

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For she has a secret -

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all that is left
from her old life...

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A secret that
must be protected.

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This will be her life now...

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To secure
the survival of her cubs.

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With the males behind her,
back-tracking is impossible.

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The females
of the marauding pride,

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blocking her escape
to the west.

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The leader will remember
the violent night they last met

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as vividly as she does.

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The night she was left
battered and bitten,

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bleeding to death...

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But she, in turn,
left the largest of them

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with one eye blinded for life.

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It's a wound the silver-eyed
leader of the pride

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will never forget.

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They can smell her tracks.

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The storm ignites the bush
and she is trapped.

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Now she must choose:

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north towards
the villages and people,

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or south along the fireline

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to an even more
daunting obstacle for her...

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The swollen river.

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In this part of Africa,
a mother is named

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after her first-born
as its protector.

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He was always just a little
smaller than the other two,

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slower, prone to getting lost.

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Today Ma di Tau,
Mother of lions,

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earns her name
as protector of her young.

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As the smallest,

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he must get used to being
constantly bullied.

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It will either build him up,
or wear him out.

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Ma di Tau knows the pride
will be coming after her,

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but what lies ahead
is terrifying.

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Lions detest deep, open water.

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It hides things
that seem unnatural to them.

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But the options behind
are worse.

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If she stays to fight, the male
lions will kill her cubs.

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It's their instinct
to wipe the face of the Earth

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clean of the old male's genes.

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She must make her decision now.

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The male cub
doesn't hesitate this time.

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He knows to stay close.

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His sister wades in
more cautiously.

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But the third cub holds back,
scared of the water.

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By the time the third cub
plucks up enough courage,

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she's become an easy target...

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both on the land
and in the water.

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The males turn back
into their newly won territory,

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satisfied that she and her cubs
have been expelled forever.

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The silence is a condemnation.

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Ma di Tau, the protector,

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has failed for the first time
as a mother.

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As she turns away, she is
turning her back on her past,

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on the pride that was
so desperate to be rid of her.

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And she steps forward
into an uncertain future

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with her two surviving cubs:
the little male and his sister.

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The battle for the territory
has been decided.

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Ma di Tau and her cubs
have escaped

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to an almost deserted
island in the swamp,

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the only lions on this vast,
isolated wilderness called Duba,

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in the middle
of the Okavango delta.

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Here the land is plagued
by seasonal floods

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and rivers that
weave through it.

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If it is a refuge for them,
it will be a wet one.

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A few weeks have passed.

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Food has been scarce,

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but there are still
no signs of other lions,

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and they are starting
to feel safe at last.

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The smaller cub has gained
a renewed confidence

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by being one
of just two cubs now.

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In his heart he is a hunter,

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always ready to explore
the endless possibilities

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that lie in wait for a cub
with a restless spirit.

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For the young male,
it was a close call...

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He may have thought he so nearly
notched up his first kill,

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but that little hunter's heart
did skip a small beat today.

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The cowardly withdrawal
by the elephant

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confirms that there
will be another chance,

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perhaps when he's a bit older.

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Until today, she had only time
to focus on escape and survival,

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but now she must
find a way to get her cubs

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safely through their
first critical year,

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until they can
fend for themselves.

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And as a single mother,

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this will take every ounce
of her energy and intelligence.

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The fire and
march of human settlements

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to the north have driven
other animal refugees

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towards the island.

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Duba is about to change.

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These are some of Africa's
most aggressive animals.

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Their sharp horns
and bone-crushing bodies

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are perfect weapons,

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and their massive numbers
give them confidence.

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At the head of the herd is one
of the most fearsome of them:

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a scar-faced bull
weighing almost a ton.

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For the past few weeks
this has been her island.

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The arrival of the buffalo
brings hope as possible prey...

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but also fear.

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These will be her
new enemies on the island.

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Buffalo are not easy prey.

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They dislike
the scent of lions,

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and they don't
hesitate to attack.

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For the cubs,

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life so far has been
a litany of narrow escapes,

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one long line of enemies
out to get them -

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a strange way to start life
as king of the beasts.

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With more and more
of the newcomers

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flowing onto her island,

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Ma di Tau and her cubs are
destined to run into them again.

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The herd's pathfinder
is now aware

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that this island has lions,

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and from now on
he'll always be on the alert.

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It will be an
almost daily conflict,

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unavoidable in this open,
yet confined space.

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If she is not going
to be at their mercy,

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she will have to learn more
about this new presence.

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She will have to
test them for weaknesses

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and she must look beyond

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the strong outer wall
of their heavy armaments.

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In time she must become expert
at finding those weak points...

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small, hidden chinks
in the armor

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that will stumble
out into view

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and excite her instincts
as a huntress.

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Night is an advantage for her.

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She can hide in the shadows
of a crescent moon

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and let her eyes brighten
to take in her quarry.

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Now she has to become invisible.

188
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It is what
a solitary hunter does best.

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The damp grass helps her perform
like a silent ghost,

190
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flitting in and out of reality.

191
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Two mothers now battle
for the survival of their young:

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buffalo desperate
to deflect an attack;

193
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lioness eager to double back
and strike quick, fatal blows

194
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to earn a meal for her cubs.

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00:29:48,787 --> 00:29:51,403
It's the eternal dance
of Africa.

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The young lions
will go hungry a little longer.

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00:30:39,171 --> 00:30:43,665
When the buffalo calf escapes,
it carries a chilling message

198
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of a near-miss written in blood
back to the scar-faced bull.

199
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It's a race against time.

200
00:31:30,013 --> 00:31:32,755
The cubs are demanding
more from Ma di Tau

201
00:31:32,766 --> 00:31:35,303
as they grow
and her milk dries up.

202
00:31:48,907 --> 00:31:52,991
The small male
doesn't seem to want to compete.

203
00:31:52,994 --> 00:31:55,906
But while he bonds
with his mother,

204
00:31:55,914 --> 00:31:59,782
his sister grows
stronger all the time.

205
00:32:04,923 --> 00:32:09,917
Her cubs survival
is a hard taskmaster for her,

206
00:32:09,928 --> 00:32:14,262
and despite the searing
heat and humidity,

207
00:32:14,266 --> 00:32:17,599
she forces herself up again,

208
00:32:17,602 --> 00:32:20,594
back onto the path
of the buffalo.

209
00:32:21,940 --> 00:32:26,730
She seems to understand
that the herd will provide,

210
00:32:26,736 --> 00:32:29,819
if she can just
crack that code.

211
00:32:32,951 --> 00:32:35,693
She has a fresh tactic in mind.

212
00:32:52,012 --> 00:32:54,173
Having taken up her position,

213
00:32:54,181 --> 00:32:59,892
she tries something
very sophisticated...

214
00:32:59,895 --> 00:33:04,514
a full on, out in the open,
rather desperate charge.

215
00:33:09,988 --> 00:33:11,603
It panics the herd.

216
00:33:14,826 --> 00:33:17,568
A lion hunt
is as much a mind game

217
00:33:17,579 --> 00:33:20,946
as it is a physical
explosion of violence.

218
00:33:23,376 --> 00:33:26,994
What she doesn't know is that
the commotion of the hunt

219
00:33:27,005 --> 00:33:31,840
has drawn interest
from across the river...

220
00:33:31,843 --> 00:33:33,458
Silver Eye.

221
00:34:07,045 --> 00:34:09,536
Only a thin strip
of water divides them

222
00:34:09,548 --> 00:34:11,334
at this point in the river.

223
00:34:22,060 --> 00:34:25,393
The intensity keeps
Ma di Tau focused -

224
00:34:25,397 --> 00:34:28,059
perhaps too focused.

225
00:34:37,534 --> 00:34:41,698
The night hides many
a bold and sinister thing.

226
00:35:30,170 --> 00:35:32,536
Signs of change often come

227
00:35:32,547 --> 00:35:36,039
in the slight shift
of grass in the breeze,

228
00:35:36,051 --> 00:35:40,886
or a hint of a scent that brings
disturbing news to Ma di Tau.

229
00:35:55,153 --> 00:35:59,021
She and her cubs once again
stand directly in the path

230
00:35:59,032 --> 00:36:03,526
of an aggressive, half-blind
lioness and her followers.

231
00:36:12,712 --> 00:36:14,794
Ma di Tau's hostile warning

232
00:36:14,798 --> 00:36:18,040
buys her time
against these huge lions,

233
00:36:18,051 --> 00:36:20,793
who present a united force

234
00:36:20,804 --> 00:36:24,922
though lack the confidence
of her local knowledge.

235
00:36:30,522 --> 00:36:33,514
The cubs understand
her body language;

236
00:36:33,525 --> 00:36:35,607
they know what to do.

237
00:36:41,199 --> 00:36:44,191
This territory
is her last option.

238
00:36:44,202 --> 00:36:46,989
There is nowhere else
for her to go.

239
00:36:46,996 --> 00:36:48,782
If she flees from the island,

240
00:36:48,790 --> 00:36:50,326
she'll immediately
have to face

241
00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:52,870
the males
patrolling the far bank.

242
00:36:52,877 --> 00:36:54,959
And if she were to avoid them,

243
00:36:54,963 --> 00:37:00,754
at the horizon there are people,
villages, guns.

244
00:37:08,226 --> 00:37:12,845
The river is her defense
and her confinement...

245
00:37:12,856 --> 00:37:14,517
Her last stand.

246
00:37:28,913 --> 00:37:30,995
This island lives and breathes

247
00:37:30,999 --> 00:37:34,708
by a different set of rules
to the rest of Africa.

248
00:38:01,321 --> 00:38:03,607
The pride has some
lessons to learn

249
00:38:03,615 --> 00:38:06,106
before they can
call it their own.

250
00:38:06,117 --> 00:38:08,278
The first is that
it's a mistake

251
00:38:08,286 --> 00:38:11,744
to sleep too deeply
on Duba island,

252
00:38:11,748 --> 00:38:14,615
especially when
a scar-faced bull

253
00:38:14,626 --> 00:38:18,244
has smelled the spilled blood
of his young.

254
00:39:00,839 --> 00:39:04,127
Ma di Tau hears
the buffalo attack.

255
00:39:07,637 --> 00:39:10,754
She pictures the chaos
from bitter experience.

256
00:39:53,766 --> 00:39:58,055
One sound -

257
00:39:58,062 --> 00:40:02,101
the crash of water
as the buffalo retreat -

258
00:40:02,108 --> 00:40:05,726
takes on a new
significance to her.

259
00:40:08,740 --> 00:40:10,446
Water!

260
00:40:10,450 --> 00:40:14,568
Each crystal clear splash
clarifies an idea:

261
00:40:14,579 --> 00:40:18,197
buffalo flee to water to escape.

262
00:40:20,376 --> 00:40:22,662
They use it as
a protective barrier

263
00:40:22,670 --> 00:40:24,752
between themselves
and the lions.

264
00:40:24,756 --> 00:40:26,496
And yet, they still panic,

265
00:40:26,507 --> 00:40:28,543
bunch together
and make mistakes.

266
00:40:40,438 --> 00:40:43,305
If she can make
water her strength,

267
00:40:43,316 --> 00:40:45,352
it will be their weakness.

268
00:40:52,909 --> 00:40:57,778
Silver Eye has noticed
the silent hunter on the move...

269
00:40:57,789 --> 00:41:01,281
and what she has
left behind in the grass.

270
00:41:20,478 --> 00:41:24,471
The casual awakening
is deceptive.

271
00:41:24,482 --> 00:41:27,849
She is giving
the huntress time to leave,

272
00:41:27,860 --> 00:41:31,648
enough time to get
involved in the hunt.

273
00:42:17,869 --> 00:42:22,238
Something bothers Ma di Tau
for a moment, some instinct.

274
00:42:27,879 --> 00:42:30,791
But there seems nothing amiss.

275
00:44:22,994 --> 00:44:26,737
Beaten, or just deterred
for the time being?

276
00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:31,081
It's a question
that would haunt

277
00:44:31,085 --> 00:44:32,916
any mother
with vulnerable young,

278
00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:35,662
driven by
conflicting imperatives -

279
00:44:35,673 --> 00:44:37,880
to hunt and feed her young,

280
00:44:37,884 --> 00:44:40,296
or to stay and protect them?

281
00:45:02,366 --> 00:45:05,028
With the pride
safely in retreat,

282
00:45:05,036 --> 00:45:07,527
the young male cub
turns his attention

283
00:45:07,538 --> 00:45:10,325
to a much greater challenge...

284
00:45:10,333 --> 00:45:12,369
like being king of the hill.

285
00:45:13,669 --> 00:45:15,500
Even just for a moment.

286
00:45:20,843 --> 00:45:24,506
For a young lion,
being lord of all you survey

287
00:45:24,513 --> 00:45:27,471
is almost your birthright.

288
00:45:27,475 --> 00:45:30,342
If only one's sister
would accept it.

289
00:45:35,441 --> 00:45:39,400
Winning the high ground
is something to fight hard for,

290
00:45:39,403 --> 00:45:44,067
but then when one's opponent
unexpectedly gives up,

291
00:45:44,075 --> 00:45:48,364
then the triumph of victory
feels a little hollow.

292
00:46:15,606 --> 00:46:18,439
With each day
she hesitates or fails,

293
00:46:18,442 --> 00:46:20,933
her cubs
get closer to starving.

294
00:46:45,803 --> 00:46:48,795
The disturbance
is another indication

295
00:46:48,806 --> 00:46:51,764
of the sheer power
of the scar-faced bull

296
00:46:51,767 --> 00:46:54,099
and the aggression
of all buffalo.

297
00:47:25,343 --> 00:47:30,303
And then she seems to see
the solution to her problem.

298
00:47:54,413 --> 00:47:58,076
This violent fighting
will keep the pride away.

299
00:47:58,084 --> 00:48:00,040
If she can move her cubs

300
00:48:00,044 --> 00:48:03,036
up close to the herd
but keep them hidden,

301
00:48:03,047 --> 00:48:05,413
they will be safe
from Silver Eye,

302
00:48:05,424 --> 00:48:09,042
and Ma di Tau will be able
to leave them to hunt again.

303
00:48:34,328 --> 00:48:38,321
As the herd moves,
she tracks them silently.

304
00:48:41,377 --> 00:48:46,371
Keeping close,
the cubs follow her every move.

305
00:48:48,384 --> 00:48:50,249
It's a risk.

306
00:48:50,261 --> 00:48:54,254
If the buffalo hear them,
they could turn back and attack.

307
00:49:03,482 --> 00:49:05,814
They're surrounded by demons.

308
00:49:06,652 --> 00:49:08,688
It takes nerves of steel.

309
00:49:11,282 --> 00:49:13,944
But any thoughts of
a single-handed defense

310
00:49:13,951 --> 00:49:17,114
are short-lived.

311
00:49:56,368 --> 00:50:02,079
By dawn she's in a position
to attempt the unknown...

312
00:50:02,082 --> 00:50:04,038
a water hunt.

313
00:50:58,055 --> 00:51:01,138
With the cubs nearby but safe,

314
00:51:01,141 --> 00:51:05,350
it's time to concentrate
on her new tactic.

315
00:51:19,577 --> 00:51:22,910
Now she has the advantage.

316
00:51:22,913 --> 00:51:26,246
She has already overcome
most of her fear of water,

317
00:51:26,250 --> 00:51:28,957
but the buffalo won't know that.

318
00:51:37,303 --> 00:51:39,544
And they have hit
the deep channel

319
00:51:39,555 --> 00:51:41,716
where they bunch together.

320
00:51:41,724 --> 00:51:43,555
The angry bull pathfinders

321
00:51:43,559 --> 00:51:46,221
horn each other out of the way
in the confusion.

322
00:51:50,107 --> 00:51:53,065
Confusion is exactly
what she is looking for.

323
00:52:01,577 --> 00:52:04,614
They don't expect her
to come out of the water;

324
00:52:04,622 --> 00:52:07,705
they don't understand
that shape, that wet smell,

325
00:52:07,708 --> 00:52:09,448
that calculated approach

326
00:52:09,460 --> 00:52:12,702
designed to cause
stragglers to panic.

327
00:52:26,143 --> 00:52:28,350
This is a chance
she can't let go -

328
00:52:28,354 --> 00:52:31,016
a lone cow
isolated without help.

329
00:53:31,625 --> 00:53:34,583
The distress calls
enrage the herd.

330
00:54:04,616 --> 00:54:06,948
They rally
to the cow's defense.

331
00:54:21,341 --> 00:54:25,710
The one thing she will not
confront is a large crocodile.

332
00:54:31,268 --> 00:54:35,887
But she still has the advantage
of almost total concealment.

333
00:54:58,545 --> 00:55:02,288
Her first attempt
has given her hope.

334
00:55:02,299 --> 00:55:06,087
The confused herd
is just too enticing,

335
00:55:06,094 --> 00:55:11,088
and the deep water
is now her speciality.

336
00:55:13,644 --> 00:55:15,600
Now is her time.

337
00:56:07,197 --> 00:56:09,859
Her success is celebrated...

338
00:56:09,867 --> 00:56:12,324
by anyone else
who can take advantage.

339
00:57:19,603 --> 00:57:23,266
Africa is as dispassionate
about great victory

340
00:57:23,273 --> 00:57:26,106
as it is about loss.

341
00:57:26,109 --> 00:57:29,442
It drives all to learn
and accept fate

342
00:57:29,446 --> 00:57:33,109
and step forward
towards the next day.

343
00:57:43,794 --> 00:57:46,627
At least Ma di Tau has eaten,

344
00:57:46,630 --> 00:57:50,589
and in a few hours
she will produce milk.

345
00:57:50,592 --> 00:57:54,301
And later she will go
boldly into the water

346
00:57:54,304 --> 00:57:56,670
and hunt the herd again.

347
00:58:10,821 --> 00:58:15,565
But that is for tomorrow;
now she is exhausted.

348
00:58:44,187 --> 00:58:47,600
But that old lesson
of never sleeping soundly

349
00:58:47,607 --> 00:58:50,223
is not to be ignored.

350
00:58:53,071 --> 00:58:55,983
There are risks attached
to leaving the cubs

351
00:58:55,991 --> 00:58:59,654
in the path of the buffalo,
stirred to panic.

352
01:00:09,272 --> 01:00:13,265
There are a thousand reasons
to enjoy the dawn,

353
01:00:13,276 --> 01:00:16,268
especially after
a successful hunt.

354
01:00:22,160 --> 01:00:25,744
There is only one reason
that she quickens her pace.

355
01:00:29,793 --> 01:00:32,409
Her calls
are not being answered.

356
01:01:14,296 --> 01:01:19,336
Every time she leaves
them alone they wander off.

357
01:01:19,342 --> 01:01:22,334
The little male has been
going farther and farther,

358
01:01:22,345 --> 01:01:25,963
but both always return
to the same spot.

359
01:01:34,816 --> 01:01:36,807
But not today.

360
01:01:56,713 --> 01:02:00,046
Although there is
a strong scent of buffalo,

361
01:02:00,050 --> 01:02:02,792
there is no sign of the pride,

362
01:02:02,802 --> 01:02:05,509
so she carefully follows
the cubs' trail

363
01:02:05,513 --> 01:02:09,847
away from the hiding place
and out into the open.

364
01:02:13,021 --> 01:02:15,353
A call!

365
01:02:15,357 --> 01:02:17,689
It's the female cub,

366
01:02:17,692 --> 01:02:21,230
way across the open terrain
in the distance,

367
01:02:21,238 --> 01:02:24,822
clearly upset, but alive!

368
01:02:36,920 --> 01:02:40,833
Ma di Tau the protector
has not failed completely;

369
01:02:40,840 --> 01:02:43,707
she has found one of the cubs.

370
01:02:46,429 --> 01:02:50,763
Her kill has brought
a loyal following of scavengers,

371
01:02:50,767 --> 01:02:54,510
and they can sense
some weakness about her.

372
01:03:11,288 --> 01:03:13,654
With no sign of the little male,

373
01:03:13,665 --> 01:03:15,326
she'll defend her last cub

374
01:03:15,333 --> 01:03:18,291
against the mob of hyenas
at all costs.

375
01:06:16,973 --> 01:06:19,385
In this final hopeless moment

376
01:06:19,392 --> 01:06:24,637
she seems to understand the
risks of following the buffalo,

377
01:06:24,647 --> 01:06:28,310
and what happened
here last night.

378
01:06:41,539 --> 01:06:44,997
She hesitates
just long enough to give hope...

379
01:06:49,339 --> 01:06:52,001
But she can't mend
a broken back.

380
01:06:52,008 --> 01:06:57,969
No amount of care, licking,
defending, will fix this.

381
01:07:07,106 --> 01:07:09,973
When she steps away, finally,

382
01:07:09,984 --> 01:07:13,522
Ma di Tau
leaves behind her legacy -

383
01:07:13,530 --> 01:07:16,693
the last
of her male's bloodline,

384
01:07:16,699 --> 01:07:18,690
and her name.

385
01:07:24,374 --> 01:07:26,114
She is Ma di Tau,

386
01:07:26,125 --> 01:07:29,663
mother and protector
of lions, no more.

387
01:07:55,738 --> 01:07:58,821
We don't know
about animal grief,

388
01:07:58,825 --> 01:08:03,785
or even the effect
of any broken heart.

389
01:08:03,788 --> 01:08:07,406
But something happens
to the lone lioness

390
01:08:07,417 --> 01:08:11,001
when the storm of emotion
brews up in her eyes

391
01:08:11,004 --> 01:08:14,462
and she leaves her cub behind
for the last time.

392
01:08:30,898 --> 01:08:34,106
When she roars,
she calls to no one.

393
01:08:34,110 --> 01:08:37,819
Her voice just adds
to the turbulent day.

394
01:08:50,918 --> 01:08:54,831
On this day when
she has lost everything,

395
01:08:54,839 --> 01:09:00,129
she seems to draw
on a deeply held instinct

396
01:09:00,136 --> 01:09:06,848
and transforms herself
once again into a lone huntress.

397
01:09:27,830 --> 01:09:29,991
For a single lioness
to run directly

398
01:09:29,999 --> 01:09:33,617
into the buffalo
is virtually unheard of.

399
01:09:33,628 --> 01:09:36,870
To take on the largest male
in that herd -

400
01:09:36,881 --> 01:09:40,465
a fit, fighting bull -
is almost suicide.

401
01:10:16,879 --> 01:10:19,211
Too much for her.

402
01:10:19,215 --> 01:10:21,581
Too much hardship for one day.

403
01:10:50,955 --> 01:10:54,243
Is it a lament to the gods?

404
01:10:57,211 --> 01:10:59,543
A cry for help?

405
01:10:59,547 --> 01:11:03,165
Or a last
battlecry of frustration?

406
01:11:07,722 --> 01:11:10,179
The pride again...

407
01:11:17,732 --> 01:11:21,270
Their arrival is always
sparked by any disturbance.

408
01:11:21,277 --> 01:11:24,610
But this time
she will not retreat.

409
01:11:36,793 --> 01:11:39,910
And now the past
strengthens her.

410
01:12:20,336 --> 01:12:23,499
The submission
extracted from Silver Eye

411
01:12:23,506 --> 01:12:26,043
is enough for the lone lioness.

412
01:12:27,343 --> 01:12:29,755
She has something left to do.

413
01:12:46,571 --> 01:12:51,156
And in this moment of strength
something fundamental changes -

414
01:12:51,158 --> 01:12:54,901
something the pride recognizes.

415
01:12:54,912 --> 01:12:58,120
They sense it in
the determination in her step

416
01:12:58,124 --> 01:13:00,957
and the look in her eye...

417
01:13:00,960 --> 01:13:02,996
Something unseen...

418
01:13:07,717 --> 01:13:10,675
She is transformed
into a leader.

419
01:13:25,067 --> 01:13:29,060
It's more than Silver Eye
can do to follow her old enemy,

420
01:13:29,071 --> 01:13:31,187
especially across water,

421
01:13:31,198 --> 01:13:34,406
especially as
a lower ranking huntress.

422
01:14:15,076 --> 01:14:17,909
Lions hunt with coordination,

423
01:14:17,912 --> 01:14:20,198
and when the stakes are high

424
01:14:20,206 --> 01:14:23,039
they depend on
being well rehearsed.

425
01:14:23,793 --> 01:14:28,457
Now, hunting together
for the first time,

426
01:14:28,464 --> 01:14:32,958
every instinct drives them
to find that rhythm.

427
01:14:49,485 --> 01:14:54,104
All they can rely on
is the leadership of a lioness

428
01:14:54,115 --> 01:14:56,606
who has never led before.

429
01:15:01,497 --> 01:15:05,661
When she makes her move,
it is clinical and precise.

430
01:15:35,865 --> 01:15:39,528
But the bull has led this herd
for ten years or longer.

431
01:15:39,535 --> 01:15:42,493
He has won the herd's
allegiance with blood.

432
01:15:44,540 --> 01:15:47,657
They won't abandon him now.

433
01:15:58,387 --> 01:16:01,129
She is used to standing alone.

434
01:16:05,061 --> 01:16:09,020
Suddenly the scales tip
in the bull's favor.

435
01:16:09,023 --> 01:16:12,186
The loyal horde fights back,

436
01:16:12,193 --> 01:16:16,562
winning the advantage and
forcing the lions into disarray,

437
01:16:16,572 --> 01:16:21,066
destroying their confidence
and scattering them to the wind.

438
01:16:42,932 --> 01:16:47,926
With her pride divided and weak,
she can't push forward again.

439
01:16:47,937 --> 01:16:49,518
They're exhausted.

440
01:17:02,118 --> 01:17:05,110
But something beyond the buffalo
catches her eye,

441
01:17:05,121 --> 01:17:07,077
a disturbance in the herd.

442
01:17:09,291 --> 01:17:13,785
A lion cub...

443
01:17:13,796 --> 01:17:16,253
<i>Her</i> lion cub.

444
01:17:19,635 --> 01:17:23,048
Her reaction is a violent
explosion of motherhood

445
01:17:23,055 --> 01:17:27,594
that drives the buffalo back,
away from her defenseless cub.

446
01:17:33,357 --> 01:17:35,973
At last, she has hope.

447
01:17:35,985 --> 01:17:39,318
She might still be able
to fulfill that ambition

448
01:17:39,321 --> 01:17:42,404
to raise at least one cub.

449
01:18:07,016 --> 01:18:10,383
A mother who has lost
and then found her offspring

450
01:18:10,394 --> 01:18:12,885
must be overwhelmed
with emotions.

451
01:18:16,734 --> 01:18:20,352
The lone lioness
has her name again...

452
01:18:20,362 --> 01:18:24,947
Ma di Tau, the huntress,
has purpose once more.

453
01:18:33,042 --> 01:18:35,124
The transition
from fierce tormentor

454
01:18:35,127 --> 01:18:39,370
to compassionate mother
attracts the buffalos' interest.

455
01:18:39,381 --> 01:18:43,124
A slow, determined
march of aggression.

456
01:19:15,417 --> 01:19:20,002
And then, out of nowhere,
a lioness arrives.

457
01:19:22,091 --> 01:19:25,208
The light in this
lioness' one eye

458
01:19:25,219 --> 01:19:28,677
should still stir terror
in Ma di Tau.

459
01:19:32,601 --> 01:19:34,637
But it doesn't.

460
01:19:34,645 --> 01:19:37,762
The two lionesses
share a look that in an instant

461
01:19:37,773 --> 01:19:40,765
sends a message
in some silent language.

462
01:19:44,947 --> 01:19:50,362
With a wall of buffalo ahead
and a vulnerable cub behind,

463
01:19:50,369 --> 01:19:53,202
somehow Silver Eye conveys

464
01:19:53,205 --> 01:19:55,992
that she is not here
to take advantage;

465
01:19:56,000 --> 01:19:58,616
she is here to help.

466
01:20:00,462 --> 01:20:02,794
There are moments
before every conflict

467
01:20:02,798 --> 01:20:05,130
when the fighters
have a choice:

468
01:20:05,134 --> 01:20:07,796
to back away
and let the moment pass,

469
01:20:07,803 --> 01:20:12,388
or to unite and step forward
behind their leader into battle.

470
01:20:22,067 --> 01:20:26,060
Silver Eye knows
what she must do.

471
01:20:26,071 --> 01:20:28,778
She must follow
Ma di Tau's lead.

472
01:20:55,351 --> 01:21:00,687
And in this moment
a pride of lions is born.

473
01:21:23,879 --> 01:21:26,541
And now they
seem to understand

474
01:21:26,548 --> 01:21:29,881
that their future will be
determined right here,

475
01:21:29,885 --> 01:21:32,001
as a pride.

476
01:21:32,012 --> 01:21:33,877
With just one less of them,

477
01:21:33,889 --> 01:21:36,801
the scales would tip
in favor of the big bulls

478
01:21:36,809 --> 01:21:39,516
and shatter their hopes...

479
01:21:56,912 --> 01:22:01,702
And the future of this
new pride's one remaining cub.

480
01:22:08,424 --> 01:22:11,086
It is now or never.

481
01:22:13,762 --> 01:22:17,380
Ma di Tau splits the herd
and routes the front rank.

482
01:22:20,144 --> 01:22:21,634
She seems to understand

483
01:22:21,645 --> 01:22:25,058
that behind her
Silver Eye will lead the attack.

484
01:22:26,775 --> 01:22:28,766
It's a moment of trust...

485
01:22:30,279 --> 01:22:32,440
The trust is well placed.

486
01:22:59,641 --> 01:23:01,757
And it is over.

487
01:23:03,979 --> 01:23:05,935
It is his first experience

488
01:23:05,939 --> 01:23:09,898
of seeing lions
do what they do best.

489
01:23:09,902 --> 01:23:14,942
It's his introduction into
a world of hunting and killing,

490
01:23:14,948 --> 01:23:17,781
a necessary part of his legacy.

491
01:23:22,164 --> 01:23:24,405
With the bull destroyed,

492
01:23:24,416 --> 01:23:28,750
Ma di Tau has created
a safer world for her cub.

493
01:23:28,754 --> 01:23:31,666
She has unified
a hunting coalition.

494
01:23:33,008 --> 01:23:36,296
But one last thing
remains to be done.

495
01:23:37,679 --> 01:23:40,546
To raise her cub successfully,

496
01:23:40,557 --> 01:23:44,641
she needs to accept
this pride as her own.

497
01:23:48,357 --> 01:23:53,192
When she and Silver Eye
finally make peace,

498
01:23:53,195 --> 01:23:58,565
they mend themselves
and bind their pride,

499
01:23:58,575 --> 01:24:02,033
their future, together.

500
01:24:08,377 --> 01:24:11,369
And will this unlikely survivor,

501
01:24:11,380 --> 01:24:15,749
a straggler with
the heart of a lion,

502
01:24:15,759 --> 01:24:18,171
be one of the last?

503
01:24:20,722 --> 01:24:23,304
Will he get to grow a mane

504
01:24:23,308 --> 01:24:27,176
and strengthen
through adolescence?

505
01:24:27,187 --> 01:24:28,893
Will he have a chance

506
01:24:28,897 --> 01:24:32,060
to wear the battle scars
of a mature male,

507
01:24:32,067 --> 01:24:37,653
each one a badge of honor
that started here today.

508
01:24:47,416 --> 01:24:51,534
Will he be one of
the last wild lions on Earth?

509
01:25:02,222 --> 01:25:07,558
Will he wander alone in the
last of these wild places,

510
01:25:07,561 --> 01:25:11,679
as our world fills up
with lights, clutter,

511
01:25:11,690 --> 01:25:13,396
noise and people?

512
01:25:15,152 --> 01:25:20,647
In 15 years there will be
8 billion human beings on Earth.

513
01:25:28,749 --> 01:25:33,493
How long these last
20,000 lions survive

514
01:25:33,503 --> 01:25:39,294
will depend entirely on us.

515
01:25:52,606 --> 01:25:55,564
We are losing cats
at an alarming rate.

516
01:25:58,153 --> 01:26:01,395
It's time for an
emergency effort by all of us.

517
01:26:02,157 --> 01:26:04,443
At this rate,
these beautiful animals

518
01:26:04,451 --> 01:26:06,533
are heading for extinction.

519
01:26:17,839 --> 01:26:19,830
Can you imagine our world

520
01:26:19,841 --> 01:26:22,878
without any of
these iconic animals?

521
01:26:23,970 --> 01:26:25,801
It's not too late.

522
01:26:25,806 --> 01:26:27,637
We can take action now.

523
01:26:28,725 --> 01:26:31,558
We all have the power
to turn it around.

524
01:26:33,355 --> 01:26:37,689
To find out more go to
CauseAnUproar. org