[Music] for Millennia lions and hyenas have competed hard for [Music] meat the owners of death are the true guardians of [Music] life but their survival strategies are [Music] antagonistic lions are an explosion of strength and energy and hyenas get what they through harassment and [Music] exhaustion both control each other both steal and kill each other and in this cruel game both survive and no one prevails [Music] [Music] Massa Mara vast open PLS in East [Music] [Music] Africa ruled by the cycles of rain this extraordinary fertile Place creates some of the greatest Wildlife Spectacles on the
planet once a year 2 million animals gather on these Plains it is the largest concentration of grass eaters on [Music] Earth and whether a grass eat there are predators more carnivores and scavengers live here than anywhere else in Africa all of them boost and regulate the herbivore's [Music] population preserving the balance in the Masai Mara from the largest and primitive to the deadly and [Music] [Music] beautiful but in this Wild Land Two remarkable species make the difference their relationship is brutal and the most competitive in [Music] Africa Lions the only sociable felines on the planet
their strength lies in the power of the pride a close-knit family they comfort and protect each [Music] other this bride lives in a region known as toppy Plains at the heart of the massai mara it is formed by four females and their cubs the young ones are fed and raised by lionesses but all are protected by three powerful [Music] males a coalition between two brothers and a big dominant [Applause] [Music] male together they will not hesitate to give their lives to keep their territory and their families safe these Cubs depend entirely on the protection of
the males and on the experience and hunting skills of the [Music] females to the north up River just a few kilometers away sits the territory of their greatest [Music] enemy the hyenas these weird creatures are complex and very [Music] social this clan is made up by about 40 hyenas and ruled by an expert and intelligent female that keeps the group together and [Music] balanced hyenas have a bad reputation but in reality they are the smartest carnivores in Africa with simar intelligence level to [Music] chimpanzees females have three times more testosterone than males they are much
larger and more [Music] aggressive the queen could not Reign without the support of her daughters and sisters with them she leads the Hunts and raises the C [Music] this matriarchal system has allowed hyenas to thrive in these Plains for thousands of years it is June and the greatest W's migration is coming to the Masai Mara here grow the best pastures in Africa and year after year for a few months large herds graze on these savanas lions are Territorial and each Pride only controls a little area in these vast plains they can only hunt the animals
that enter their territory and should make the most of this B lza while it [Music] lasts Lions hunt 90% of their prey after [Music] dark there are 11 Cubs in the family and their growing appetite forces the lionesses to hunt continuously they call each other and regroup to try a kill taking advantage of the [Music] darkness [Music] the Lioness tries to unbalance the wilderbeast the wilderbeast defends its life with its sharp horns it is a hard fight but help arrives just in [Music] time the rest of the pride arrives in time to [Music] eat the
big male The Protector demands The Lion Share he allows the Cubs and lionesses to eat but makes clear who rules the pride the great males impose their dominance thanks to their Brute [Music] Force the Lioness with the youngest Cubs Waits patiently for the mood to calm [Music] down little by little the toppy plan's Pride [Music] relaxes when they satisfy their hunger they drink and retire to take a well-deserved rest it is the turn of the little ones [Music] now they can eat calmly and [Music] safely the mother buries the Wilder beasts BCA to hide the
smell and prevent hyenas from stealing the prey and killing her [Music] Cubs throughout the night and during the next day she will return with her little ones to feed again Sunrise the clan didn't succeed over the night and they regroup at dawn hyenas have always been considered scavengers and opportunistic thieves but the truth is that they are very skilled Hunters a clan is able to get organized to take down a prey as big as a [Music] zebra the hyenas look closely at the large [Music] herds they look for young wilderbeast or weak adults to survive
in the savannah they must use their brain as well as their [Music] jaws Wilder vasts sense the danger and begin to get [Music] nervous Guided by the Queen the hyenas are able to quietly plan the hunting strategy through gestures and [Music] gazes little by little they Clos the Trap but they won't attack until the queen gives the signal they create Panic among the Wilder [Music] beasts they try to separate the carves from their [Music] mothers and they [Music] succeed all participants in the hunt come to eat Hyenas do not wait they eat their prayer alive
and can devour a wilderbeast in a few minutes in the Hyena's Den Cubs wait for their mothers who have traveled great distances in the search for [Music] food they have been alone for several days and the joy of seeing mom again is huge the welcome is effusive and the excitement spreads [Music] [Music] quickly they greet each other smelly and nervously everyone celebrates the meeting for the young princesses it is time to grow up happy play make new friends and annoy the [Music] elders the queen and her sisters could relax although the Cubs still don't understand
understand very well the meaning of [Music] relaxing in these months the grass eaters are in movement all over the plane looking for the safest places to graze Lions take advantage of these situations to try a Kill [Music] the Lioness is [Music] move looking for the best place to prepare an [Music] ambush they are patient and good strategists but hunting is difficult there are many eyes [Music] watching working as a team they take [Music] positions they use the cover of the bush their success depends on not being noticed they must get as close as they [Music]
can lionesses can reach up to 80 km per hour but not for [Music] long toppies run to save their [Music] lives but the Lioness leader doesn't miss her opportunity this is a good meal for the pride the lands of the lions are full of wilderbeast these are good times for The [Music] Pride for a lion there is nothing better than the intimate company of another lion they strengthen bonds and reaffirm their family [Music] Union there is no more powerful link than the one between a lioness and her Cubs for the youngsters life is [Music] easy
they spend their time [Music] [Applause] playing and training their skills as future [Music] [Music] Hunters but the Lioness leader knows that this Bonanza will not last forever it's October the season is changing a dry and warm wind moves the clouds South barely any fresh grass is left it is germinating and will dry up soon [Music] unlike lions and hyenas the wilderbeast without territory limits travel three through the Savannah in search of fresh grass now they will leave the Masai Mara they will go south leaving behind the lands of lions and H [Music] leers no rain
it is all dry and withered wilderbeast may not return for a year or [Music] more now the pride is facing a time of scarcity getting food will be increasingly difficult the future of the little ones is uncertain not everyone will make it to face the hard times ahead the lionesses now more than ever must be United for the hyenas Clan the large herds depart also means facing difficult times but their way of life allows them to adapt to extreme situations more easily the clan is divided into small groups the patrol throughout the territory in search
of food the queen has eyes in the sky she learned from her mother to watch the vultures she knows that where they descend there is safe [Music] food thanks to the Scavengers of the air and the intelligence of the Queen the group has found the body of a gr [Music] gazelle it's a good opportunity but eating in a hyena's Clan is not that simple there's a strict hierarchy the queen is the first then her daughters and sisters and finally the males they are always the last ones to [Music] eat that's why hyena laugh thanks to
the tone of the laughter and the different vocalizations the clan knows who is who how old is each one and what is their social rank in this way the intentions of each are immediately known by the rest of the CL man this complex language is necessary in such a large Society thus they Forge alliances males and subordinate females are expelled away again and again with no [Laughter] [Music] care in these times of shortage the competition for food is tough more and more members of the clan are coming but the queen imposes her dominion over the
meat hyenas do not usually transport food to the den but this time their cubs are not far [Music] away Cubs wait for their mothers alone most time for several days hyena breast milk is the most energetic of all carnivores this allows Cubs to endure a long time without eating while waiting for their mother's arrival they are breastfed for a year and a half they do not eat meat until they are at least 5 months old nor follow the clan on hunting trips before their first birthday among the Cubs there is also a hierarchy when eating
and the adults will teach them the rules although these little ones are now very well protected and they don't lack anything they can lose their mothers in the battles that are to come and their luck could change overnight the great plane is empty 90% of grass eaters have left and it is increasingly difficult to find a prey the clan disperses throughout the territory in search of [Music] food they test all the animals they find an injured zebra could serve but still too challenging for a single hyena [Music] the clan keeps [Music] looking the hyenas can
hear a hunt from more than 10 km [Music] away a cheeter starts running in these PLS almost nothing goes unnoticed by the queen super [Music] senses more than half of a cheah's hunt is stolen by the thieves at the [Music] Savannah he eats as fast as he can soon he will be surrounded by hyenas [Music] [Applause] [Music] he defends his food with courage but only one cheater can do very little against the queen of a power ful Clan he is hungry and it's his prey but if he doesn't give up the fight he could lose
his own life the hyenas will not hesitate to kill him if there's not enough [Music] meat the queen doesn't wait and steals the gazelle [Music] in these hard times she will not share it with [Music] anyone there is hardly any food left the hyenas know that the time to face the pride of toppy Plains has come tonight they will have no choice but to enter the territory of their enemies and risk their lives if they want to satisfy their hunger The Pride splits within its territory in search of something to eat at this time of
the year the remaining preise are extremely cautious and hunting by day becomes almost impossible the Cubs are hungry but are not yet aware that things can get [Music] worse however the lionesses know that the dry season along with the hyenas can take away their most precious [Music] [Applause] asset only large herds of Resident Buffalo remain and they're very dangerous without the help of the pride protectors and being with their cubs it is better not to try they'll wait for the night to go [Music] hunting [Music] the males are far from the lionesses to the West
at the other side of the [Music] territory at this time of the year the biggest danger to the pride are other Lions topy Plains is a very large region and the Guardians decide to split to defend all the borders of their [Music] Kingdom one of the brothers heads North right to where the Hyena's Clan territory [Music] sits without realizing it he is surrounded by [Music] enemies he is the Hyena's killer they see him as a threat and hate him for killing some members of the clan they are still not enough to face a lion the
brother knows that this mistake can cost him his life soon it will be impossible to fight against all of them when night falls hyenas will not miss their chance to try to kill [Music] him [Music] the Lioness leader has hunted a [Music] toppy she kills him in silence as quickly as possible not to get the attention of her enemies [Music] but the hyenas have been following the pride throughout the [Music] night lionesses eat fast with the protective males very far from here they will not be able to endure much [Applause] time the queen calls the
clan and more and more hyenas [Music] arrive the hyenas know how to count to steal a prey from their four powerful lionesses they need to be at least 20 members to win this battle they also need caution intelligence and courage but above all the number of companions at their side lionesses fear the powerful jaws of hyenas little by little the they Clos the [Music] fence when the queen gives the signal there is no Force capable to stop the hyenas the clan devours the prey in a few [Music] minutes they won't even lead the bones hyenas
literally suck the meat for many nights lionesses will hunt tirelessly and hyenas will risk their lives to steal the food the clan presses the pride so much but in one night the luses kill up to five herbivores of different species in this way they maintain the perfect balance in the [Music] savan if lioness is hunt alone the praise will tend to be small and will barely have time to eat before they will be stolen [Music] but together they can hunt larger pre contain their enemies for longer and eat more meat lions and aenas are the
owners of death and without knowing it they are also the true Guardians Of [Music] Life [Music] sunrise the clan is satisfied after a night of steals and pillage but many of the Hy eners are injured and some have lost their [Music] lives one of the brothers is alone and surrounded by hyenas the queen doesn't give truth to her enemies and does not miss any opportunity to weaken her competitors the lion knows that if he does not abandon the prey remains he will have to fight to [Music] survive he needs help and calls his [Music] [Applause]
[Music] brother but the one who made the mistake of venturing in the Hyena's territory on his own is seriously [Music] injured he can't help him the hyenas couldn't kill him but he received a brutal beating and most probably he will not survive the dry season without his brother's help it is better not to take a risk for a handful of [Music] [Laughter] bones but for hyenas this is good [Music] food only they are able to crush and digest the bones of a large ulet while the clan thrives it is time of Hunger for the pride
of toppy [Music] Plains clouds are passing by the land of the Lions the rains that will bring the return of the grass and the herds are being delayed every year is more unpredictable the dry season is hitting hard on toppy [Music] Plains the Cubs of the pride are weak and underweight this youngster seeks comfort from his [Music] mother only a few months ago the family had 18 members by now more than half of the Cubs have [Music] died and one of the males has disappeared [Applause] the youngest try to satisfy their hunger with breast milk
but there's not enough for everyone with only two males to protect the pride and the Cubs on the verge of starvation the family is suffering very difficult moments the herds are still far away lionesses can't [Music] wait if they don't make a kill soon they will also [Music] [Applause] weaken and then there will be no hope for any of [Music] them this is a very unusual image never before has a being filmed attacking alone a water book bul of almost 300 [Music] kilos adult water bucks are not a common prey for Lions their skin secretes
unpleasant musky smelling oil and their meat could be toxic but the lionesses need to eat and this great Antelope will give a break to the pride it will allow them to endure a little more until the arrival of the large herds the winds are changing a sign that the dry season is coming to an end great storms are formed on the plains finally the rains come lifegiving water that brings the promise of new pastures and the arrival of the great herds it is the Prelude to the end of bad times several months ago weres began
their long journey from Tanzania to the north The Great Migration is one of the longest journeys of the animal kingdom some will travel more than 1,000 kilomet a million and a half animals now face a great challenge they must cross the mara River they sense the danger that is hidden in its Waters one more time they face the challenge this is the home of [Music] dragons the Great Migration is an epic event which takes thousands of lives [Music] it's the great opportunity for [Music] crocodiles but most wilderbe reached the grasslands Beyond The Border it is
the moment that the Lions have been waiting [Music] for for more than a year hunting is always dangerous sharp will of the Beast horns could seriously injure her finally the large herds return to toppy Plains [Music] [Music] for the pride it is the end of hunger and the opportunity for the Cubs to get ahead [Music] the lands of lions are full of life again it's time for a new [Music] beginning a good time to reconstitute the [Music] pride the Lioness that lost all her Cubs during the dry season goes into heat [Music] she and the
big dominant male separate from the rest of the [Music] group females can only conceive once every few [Music] months [Music] in these crucial days the male will not separate from her not even for a single [Music] moment she strengthens bonds with [Music] him [Music] if the male isn't sure that the Cubs are his he would probably kill them in the North after a difficult and unknown mating hyenas bring new life these [Music] Plains a princess has been born the clan grows the new members strengthen it together they will hunt watch the Savannah and fight the
lions like thousands of years [Music] ago the toppy pl's pride is reborn they become a great United family [Music] again these little cubs are living proof of the powerful Instinct of their parents [Music] Against All Odds and thanks to the courage that only a mother can provide these extraordinary families will [Music] prevail
